Exhibit 2.1
Share and
Asset Purchase Agreement
dated as of February 18, 2006
by and between
Ciba Specialty Chemicals Holding Inc.,
Klybeckstrasse 141, CH 4057 Basel, Switzerland
(hereinafter the Seller)
and
Huntsman International LLC (Huntsman),
500 Huntsman Way, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
RM 2526 Vermögensverwaltungs GmbH,
registered AG München HRB 160194, Germany (whose name is currently being
changed to Huntsman (Holdings) Germany GmbH (Huntsman
Germany), Land-Au 30, 94469 Deggendorf, Germany
(Huntsman and Huntsman Germany
hereinafter collectively referred to as the
Buyer)
(Seller and Buyer each a Party, and together the Parties)
relating to
the sale and purchase of Ciba Groups Textile Effects Business
Table
of Contents
1.
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Definitions
|
10
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2.
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Object of Sale | License | Consideration
|
10
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2.1
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Sale and Transfer of Shares
|
10
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2.2
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Purchase of Assets And Assumption of Liabilities
|
11
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2.2.1
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Sale and Transfer of Assets
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11
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2.2.2
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Assumption of Obligations and Liabilities
|
16
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2.3
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License
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19
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2.3.1
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Patents | IT Intellectual Property Rights
|
19
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2.3.2
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Trademarks
|
20
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2.4
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Consideration
|
21
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2.5
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Net Working Capital and Net Debt Adjustment
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22
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2.5.1
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Closing Balance Sheet
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22
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2.5.2
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Adjustments
|
25
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2.5.3
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Payment of the Net Working Capital Adjustment and the Net
Debt Adjustment on the basis of the Final Closing Balance Sheet
|
26
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2.6
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Allocation of Purchase Price
|
26
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3.
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Actions Prior to Closing
|
28
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3.1
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General
|
28
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3.2
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Filings and Submissions
|
28
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3.3
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Closing Memorandum
|
28
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3.4
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Monthly Financial Data for the TE Segment
|
28
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3.5
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Inventor Compensation
|
29
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4.
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Closing
|
29
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4.1
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Date and Place
|
29
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4.2
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Conditions Precedent to Closing
|
29
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4.2.1
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Conditions to Obligations of Each Party
|
29
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4.2.2
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Conditions to Obligations of Buyer
|
30
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4.2.3
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Condition to Obligations of Seller
|
31
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4.2.4
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Waiver of Non-satisfied Conditions
|
31
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4.2.5
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Right of Termination
|
32
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4.2.6
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Deferred Closing | Deferred Closing Balance Sheet
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32
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4.3
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Closing Actions
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36
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4.3.1
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Actions by Seller
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36
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4.3.2
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Actions by Buyer
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37
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4.3.3
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Joint Actions by the Parties
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37
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5.
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Representations and Warranties
|
38
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5.1
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Representations and Warranties of Seller
|
38
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2
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5.2
|
Representations
and Warranties of Buyer
|
38
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5.3
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Exclusive
Representations and Warranties
|
38
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6.
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Remedies
|
39
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6.1
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Remedies
of Buyer
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39
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6.1.1
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Sellers
Right to Cure and Sellers Liability
|
39
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6.1.2
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Notice of
Breach
|
39
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6.1.3
|
Term of
Representations and Warranties
|
40
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6.1.4
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Exclusion
of Liability
|
41
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6.1.5
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Third
Party Claims
|
42
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6.2
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Remedies
of Seller
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44
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6.3
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Exclusive
Remedies
|
44
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7.
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|
Conduct
of Business between Signing and Closing
|
44
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7.1
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General
|
44
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7.2
|
Access to
the TE Business
|
44
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7.3
|
Restricted
Actions
|
44
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|
7.4
|
Additional
Actions
|
47
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|
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7.4.1
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Certain
Covenants of Seller
|
47
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7.4.2
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Additional
Actions by the Parties
|
48
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7.4.3
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Internal
Controls
|
49
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8.
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Separation
| Shape I, II and III
|
50
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8.1
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General
Principles Applicable to Separation
|
50
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8.2
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Separation
and Know How
|
50
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8.3
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Separation
Costs
|
50
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8.4
|
Transitional Agreements | Excluded Plant Lease Agreements
|Termination of Intra-Group Agreements
|
51
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8.5
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Shape I,
Shape II and Shape III
|
52
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9.
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Indemnities
|
53
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9.1
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Indemnification
by Seller
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53
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9.2
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Indemnification
by Buyer
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53
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9.3
|
Tax
|
54
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9.4
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Environment
|
56
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9.4.1
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Identified Sites
|
56
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9.4.1.1
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Environmental Investigations
|
56
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9.4.1.2
|
Sellers
Liability for Material Existing Contamination
|
57
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9.4.2
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Leased
Sites
|
59
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9.4.3
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HF Site
|
61
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9.4.4
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Sellers
Liability for Off-Site Releases
|
62
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9.4.5
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Sellers
Liability for Non-compliance
|
63
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9.4.6
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Insurance
|
63
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9.4.7
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Environmental
Liability of the Parties
|
64
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3
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9.4.8
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Reallocation
of Liabilities
|
64
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10.
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Other
Covenants
|
64
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10.1
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Press
Releases and Other Public Announcements
|
64
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10.2
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Termination
of Commitments
|
65
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10.3
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Transfer
| Change of Control Clauses
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|
of the
Transferred TE Contracts
|
66
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10.4
|
Change of Control Clauses of Contracts to Which a TE
Company is a Party
|
68
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10.5
|
Assignment of Trademarks With the Consent of a Third Party
Only
|
69
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|
10.6
|
Recording
of Assignment
|
69
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10.7
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Corporate
Name, Trademarks and Domain Names
|
70
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10.8
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Third
Party Infringements of Transferred Patents
|
71
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10.9
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Transferring
Employees | Pension and Benefit Plans
|
71
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10.10
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Document
Retention and Access
|
71
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10.11
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Non-Competition
|
72
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10.12
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Audited
Financials | Inter-Company Trade Balances
|
73
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10.13
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No
Recourse Against Directors
|
74
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10.14
|
Further
Assurances
|
75
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10.15
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Transfer
of Specific Documents
|
75
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10.16
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Set-off
Rights
|
75
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11.
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Limitations
on Sellers Liability
|
76
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12.
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Taxes,
Costs, Expenses and Interest
|
77
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12.1
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Taxes
|
77
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12.1.1
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VAT
|
77
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12.1.2
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Other
Taxes
|
78
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12.1.3
|
Tax Returns | Tax Audits and Cooperation in Other Tax
Matters
|
78
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|
|
12.1.4
|
Disputes
|
80
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12.2
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Costs and
Expenses
|
80
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12.3
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Interest
|
80
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13.
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General
Provisions
|
81
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13.1
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Effect on
Third Parties
|
81
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13.2
|
Notices
|
81
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|
13.3
|
Entire
Agreement
|
83
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13.4
|
Amendments
and Waivers
|
83
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13.5
|
No
Assignment
|
83
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13.6
|
Severability
|
84
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13.7
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Confidentiality
|
84
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13.8
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Certain
Audit Rights
|
86
|
4
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13.9
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Execution
|
86
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13.10
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Headings
|
86
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14.
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Governing
Law and Dispute Settlement
|
86
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14.1
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Governing
Law
|
86
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14.2
|
Dispute
Resolution
|
87
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14.2.1
|
Discussions
between Chief Executive Officers
|
87
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14.2.2
|
Arbitration
|
87
|
5
Table of Schedules | Annexes
Number of Schedule
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|
Name of
Schedule | Annex
|
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|
A
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|
TE Statement
of Relevant Net Assets | TE Income and Expense Statement
|
|
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1
|
|
Definitions
|
|
|
|
2.1
|
|
Share Seller
Companies
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2.2.1(a)
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|
Asset Seller
Companies
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2.2.1(a)(i)
|
|
Transferred
TE Trademarks
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|
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2.2.1(a)(ii)
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|
Transferred
TE Patents
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2.2.1(a)(iii)
|
|
Transferred
TE Domain Names
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2.2.1(a)(iv)
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Transferred
TE Product Registrations
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2.2.1(a)(vi)
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|
Transferred
TE Marketing and Promotional Documents
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2.2.1(a)(vii)
|
|
Transferred
TE Real Property
|
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2.2.1(a)(viii)
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|
Transferred
TE Leases
|
|
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2.2.1(a)(ix)
|
|
Transferred
TE Tangible Property
|
|
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2.2.1(a)(xv)
|
|
Transferred
TE Contracts
|
|
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|
2.2.1(b)(i)
|
|
Excluded
Trademarks
|
|
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|
2.2.1(b)(ii)
|
|
Excluded
Patents
|
|
|
|
2.2.1(b)(iii)
|
|
Excluded
Domain Names
|
|
|
|
2.2.1(b)(v)
|
|
Excluded
Tangible Property
|
|
|
|
2.2.1(b)(viii)
|
|
Real
Property Basel (not being transferred)
|
|
|
|
2.2.1(b)(ix)
|
|
Excluded
Plants
|
|
|
|
2.2.1(b)(x)
|
|
Hang Tag
Agreements
|
|
|
|
2.2.1(b)(xiv)
|
|
Excluded
Contracts
|
|
|
|
2.3.1(a)
|
|
Shared
Patents
|
|
|
|
2.3.1(d)
|
|
Back License
|
|
|
|
2.3.2(a)
|
|
Licensed
Trademarks and Domain Names
|
|
|
|
2.3.2(b)
|
|
CIBA
Trademarks (License | Registrations)
|
|
|
|
2.5.1(a)
|
|
Net Working
Capital | Net Debt
|
6
2.5.1(b)(1)
|
|
Closing
Balance Sheet
|
|
|
|
2.5.1(b)(2)
|
|
Ciba Group
Controllers Manual
|
|
|
|
2.6(a)
|
|
Allocation
of Purchase Price
|
|
|
|
4.2.1(a)(1)
|
|
Governmental
Approvals
|
|
|
|
4.2.1(a)(2)
|
|
Material
Third Party Governmental Approvals
|
|
|
|
4.2.2(d)
|
|
Key Assets
|
|
|
|
5.1
|
|
Sellers
Representations and Warranties
|
|
|
Annex 5.1.1(g)
|
Constitutional
and Corporate Documents of TE Companies
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annex 5.1.2(e)
|
Historical
Financial Information
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annex 5.1.8(a)
|
Owners of
Transferred TE Real Property
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annex 5.1.8(b)
|
TE Companies
Real Property
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annex 5.1.9
|
TE Companies
Tangible Property
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annex 5.1.11(b)(1)
|
TE Companies
Trademarks
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annex 5.1.11(b)(2)
|
Consent
Letters, Coexistence and Prior Right Agreements
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annex 5.1.11(c)
|
TE Companies Patents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annex 5.1.11(l)
|
Licenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annex 5.1.12(b)
|
TE Key
Personnel
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annex 5.1.13(a)
|
Material
Contracts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annex 5.1.13(d)
|
Customers |
Suppliers
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annex 5.1.18
|
Facilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annex 5.1.20
|
List of
Environmental Reports, Studies and Investigations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annex 5.1.22(b)
|
Employment
Terms | Material Plans
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annex 5.1.27
|
Data Site
|
5.2
|
|
Buyers
Representations and Warranties
|
|
|
|
6.1.4
|
|
Disclosure
Letter
|
7
7.1
|
|
Permitted
Actions | Restricted Actions
|
|
|
|
7.3(t)
|
|
TE Business
Plan
|
|
|
|
7.4.1(b)
|
|
Disclosed
Agency Agreements
|
|
|
|
8.1(a)
|
|
Carve-out
Book and Draft High Level Implementation Plan
|
|
|
|
8.3(b)
|
|
IT Service
Agreement
|
|
|
|
8.4(a)
|
|
Term Sheets
TE Ancillary Agreements
|
|
|
|
8.4(b)
|
|
Term Sheets
Ciba Ancillary Agreements
|
|
|
|
8.4(c)
|
|
Term Sheet
Excluded Plant Lease Agreements
|
|
|
|
8.5(a)
|
|
Shape I,
Shape II and Shape III
|
|
|
|
9.4.1.1
|
|
Identified
Sites
|
|
|
|
9.4.2
|
|
Leased Sites
|
|
|
|
9.4.3(a)
|
|
Sellers
Earthquake Proposal (as submitted to Basel authorities)
|
|
|
|
10.2
|
|
Undertakings
|
|
|
|
10.4
|
|
TE Companies
Contracts with Change of Control Clauses
|
|
|
|
10.5
|
|
Material
Prior Rights Agreements
|
|
|
|
10.9
|
|
Transferring
Employees | Pension | Other Benefits (US and non-US)
|
|
|
|
10.12
|
|
Inter-company
Trade Balances Between the Ciba Group and the TE Business
|
8
WHEREAS
(A) Seller conducts a chemical business comprising the
development, manufacturing and marketing of dyes and chemical products used in or for the benefit of the Textile Franchise,
including as reflected in the audited carve-out balance sheet as at September 30,
2005 (the TE Statement of Relevant Net Assets)
and the unaudited pro-forma TE income and expense statement, covering the
period from January 1, 2005, ending on September 30, 2005 (the TE Income and Expense Statement), each in
the form attached hereto as Schedule A, including the respective
rights, assets, contracts and liabilities specified in Article 2.1 and Article 2.2
and the Transferring Employees, but excluding the Excluded Assets and the
Excluded Liabilities, as such business continues to be conducted by Seller in
accordance with the terms of this Agreement (hereinafter referred to as the TE Business).
(B) The TE Business is fully integrated in the Ciba
Groups chemical business.
(C) Seller desires to sell, and Buyer desires to
buy, subject to the terms and conditions of this Share and Asset Purchase
Agreement (together with its Schedules and Annexes, the Agreement), the TE Business.
(D) Seller and Buyer intend to closely cooperate as
from the date hereof to separate the TE Business from the Ciba Group on the
basis of the High Level Implementation Plan (as defined in this Agreement and
amended in accordance with Article 8.1).
(E) In those countries or markets in which the Ciba
Group is operating the respective part of the TE Business on the basis of
agreements with independent third parties acting as distributors or agents,
except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, Buyer intends to continue to
operate such part of the TE Business on the basis of the relevant agreements
following the Closing Date.
9
NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Definitions
Capitalized terms used in this Agreement shall have the meaning
assigned to them in Schedule 1.
2. Object of Sale | License | Consideration
2.1 Sale and Transfer of Shares
(a) Subject to the terms and
conditions of this Agreement, Seller hereby agrees to sell, and to cause the
Affiliates set forth in Schedule 2.1 (the Share Seller Companies) to sell, and at the
Closing Date to transfer to Buyer or its designated Affiliates, and Buyer
hereby agrees to buy or, as the case may be, to cause its designated Affiliates
to buy, at the Closing Date, from the Share Seller Companies, the Share Seller
Companies legal title to and beneficial ownership of the interest described in
such Schedule (collectively, the TE Shares) in:
(i) Ciba
Spezialitätenchemie Pfersee GmbH, Langweid|Lech, Germany (hereinafter Pfersee), which shares shall be transferred
to Huntsman Germany;
(ii) Guangdong Ciba
Specialty Chemicals Co., Ltd., Panyu, China (hereinafter Panyu);
(iii) Shenzhen Ciba
Specialty Chemicals Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China (hereinafter Shenzhen);
(iv) Qingdao
Ciba Dyes Co., Ltd., Qingdao, China (hereinafter Qingdao); and
(v) Swathi Organics &
Specialties Private Limited, Pondicherri, India (hereinafter Swathi and together with Pfersee, Panyu,
Shenzhen, and Qingdao, the TE Companies).
(b) If, and to the extent, that
Seller prior to Closing, in its reasonable discretion, determines that any of
the TE Companies owns or is otherwise entitled to any rights or assets that do
not fall within the categories of assets and rights described in Article 2.2.1(a)(i) through
Article 2.2.1(a)(xvii) inclusive, it shall be agreed that Seller shall
have the right to cause such rights, assets and contracts, together with the
respective liabilities, to be transferred to Seller or its designated
Affiliate(s) prior to the Closing Date; provided that Seller shall bear all
costs of such transfer including the
10
costs
of any adverse Tax consequences to Buyer or the TE Companies. Should Seller, at
its reasonable discretion, decide not to cause such transfer, Seller shall be
entitled to request (subject to Buyers approval, not to be unreasonably
withheld) that Buyer or its designated Affiliate(s) render services under the
terms and conditions of the Ciba Ancillary Agreements, as further set forth in Article 8.4(b) and
as appropriate to ensure continuation of the Ciba Groups businesses (other
than the TE Business) as conducted immediately prior to the Closing Date.
2.2 Purchase of Assets And Assumption of Liabilities
2.2.1 Sale
and Transfer of Assets
(a) Subject to the terms and
conditions of this Agreement, Seller hereby agrees to sell, and to cause its
Affiliates, including those set forth in Schedule 2.2.1(a) (the
Asset Seller Companies), to sell,
and at the Closing Date to transfer to Buyer or its designated Affiliates, and
Buyer hereby agrees to buy, and to cause its designated Affiliates to buy, at
the Closing Date, from the Asset Seller Companies, the Asset Seller Companies
legal title to and beneficial ownership of the following rights, properties and
assets (such rights, properties and assets hereinafter collectively referred to
as the Transferred TE Assets and together with
the TE Shares as the TE Assets):
(i) the Trademarks
primarily used in the TE Business at any time during the period between January 1, 2004
and the Closing Date, including the Trademarks set forth in Schedule 2.2.1(a)(i) (the
Transferred TE Trademarks);
(ii) all Patents
primarily relating to the TE Business, including the Patents set forth in Schedule 2.2.1(a)(ii) (the
Transferred TE Patents);
(iii) the domain names
primarily relating to the TE Business, including the domain names set forth in Schedule 2.2.1(a)(iii) (the
Transferred TE Domain Names);
(iv) the product
registrations, marketing rights and the applications therefor and the
toxicological data primarily relating to the TE Business on the Closing Date,
including those set forth or referenced in Schedule 2.2.1(a)(iv) (the
Transferred TE Product Registrations);
it being understood that depending on local law and regulations, product
registrations, marketing rights and the applications therefor primarily
relating to the TE Business may not be transferable and must be reapplied for
by, and reissued to, Buyer or its designated Affiliates as part of the process
further specified in Article 8.1; it
11
being further understood that to the extent that any
product registrations, marketing rights and the applications therefor are at
the same time relating to the businesses retained by the Ciba Group,
appropriate mechanisms need to be implemented (as part of the obligations under
Article 8.1), such as the granting of a right of distribution or
co-ownership, to enable Seller to continue the operation of the businesses it
retains until such product registrations and marketing rights are reissued to
Seller or its relevant Affiliate; conversely, to the extent that product
registrations, marketing rights and the applications therefor do not qualify as
primarily relating within the meaning of this Article 2.2.1(a)(iv) but
are at the same time relating to the TE Business, appropriate equivalent
mechanisms need to be implemented to enable Buyer to continue to operate the TE
Business;
(v) the Know How
primarily relating to the TE Business (the Transferred TE Know How),
including the Know How licensed by Buyer or any of its Affiliates to the Ciba
Group following the Closing Date for use under the toll manufacturing
agreements referred to in Article 8.4(a), under the terms of which Seller
or its Affiliates manufacture(s) certain products for Buyer and its Affiliates
for the benefit of the TE Business;
(vi) the marketing and
promotional documents, such as marketing and promotional plans, documents and
materials, training manuals and materials, together with all copyrights
pertaining thereto, to the extent owned by the Asset Seller Companies, that are
primarily relating to the TE Business, and the lists of customers of the TE
Business, including the documents specified in Schedule 2.2.1(a)(vi) (the
Transferred TE Marketing and Promotional Documents);
provided, however, that it shall be
understood that Buyer shall not be entitled to receive any information on
customers of the Ciba Group which do not have at the Closing Date, or which did
not have in the period between January 1, 2004 and the Closing Date, any
commercial dealings with the TE Business;
(vii) the real property (including the
buildings, structures and improvements located thereon, fixtures contained
therein and the appurtenances thereto), all as further specified in Schedule 2.2.1(a)(vii) (the
Transferred TE Real Property);
(viii) the leases and other third party
rights in rem pertaining to the buildings,
structures and improvements, all as described in Schedule 2.2.1(a)(viii),
including the fixtures contained in such buildings, structures and improvements
and the appurtenances relating thereto (the Transferred
TE Leases);
12
(ix) the Tangible
Property primarily relating to the TE Business owned by or under the control of
the Asset Seller Companies, including the Tangible Property set forth in Schedule 2.2.1(a)(ix) (the
Transferred TE Tangible Property);
(x) all of the
governmental authorizations, including manufacturing licenses, held by the
Asset Seller Companies primarily for use in the TE Business, as well as all
pending applications therefor or renewals thereof (the Transferred
TE Governmental Authorizations); it being understood that depending
on local law and regulations, such governmental authorizations, including
manufacturing licenses, and the pending applications therefor or renewals
thereof, may not be transferable and must be reapplied for by, and reissued to,
Buyer or its designated Affiliates as part of the process further specified in Article 8.1;
it being further understood that to the extent that any such governmental
authorizations, including manufacturing licenses, and pending applications
therefor or renewals thereof are at the same time held for use by the
businesses retained by the Ciba Group, appropriate mechanisms need to be
implemented (as part of the obligations under Article 8.1), such as the
granting of a right of distribution or co-ownership, to enable Seller to
continue the operation of the businesses it retains until such governmental
authorizations, including manufacturing licenses, are reissued to Seller or its
relevant Affiliate; conversely, to the extent that governmental authorizations,
including manufacturing licenses, and pending applications therefor or renewals
thereof that are held for use by the Asset Seller Companies do not qualify as primarily
held for use by the TE Business within the meaning of this Article 2.2.1(a)(x)
but are at the same time held for use by the TE Business, appropriate
equivalent mechanisms need to be implemented to enable Buyer to continue to
operate the TE Business;
(xi) the chemical
documentation contained in the Asset Seller Companies databases to the extent
such documentation is primarily relating to the TE Business (the TE Chemical Documentation);
(xii) Inventory, whether
in location, in transit or on consignment at the Closing Date owned by the
Asset Seller Companies for use in the TE Business, all as reflected on the
Final Closing Balance Sheet and, as the case may be, the Final Local Closing
Balance Sheet;
(xiii) all accounts receivable arising out
of the TE Business, as existing at the Closing Date and reflected on the Final
Closing Balance Sheet and, as the case may be, the Final Local Closing Balance
Sheet;
(xiv) copies of (or the relevant parts of)
all financial records, ledgers, sales invoices,
13
accounts and payable records, files, books,
correspondence, including sales records (the TE Financial
Records), including to the extent possible by giving access in
electronic form, which primarily relate to the TE Business;
(xv) subject to Article 10.3, all
rights and entitlements under the contracts and agreements to which an Asset
Seller Company is a party and which primarily relate to the TE Business,
including the contracts material to the TE Business set forth in Schedule 2.2.1(a)(xv),
but excluding any of the contracts and agreements subject to the IT Service
Agreement, (the Transferred TE Contracts);
(xvi) a cloned and separated version of
BPCS, as set forth in Section 2.5(a) and Section 2.5(e)(i) of
the IT Service Agreement, entered into between the Parties hereto and executed
concurrently herewith; and
(xvii) without prejudice to any of the
Ancillary Agreements, the IT Service Agreement or any other agreement between
the Parties hereto and incidental to the transactions contemplated under this
Agreement, all other properties and assets of whatever nature, real or
personal, tangible or intangible, that are owned, leased or licensed by Seller,
the Asset Seller Companies or any of their respective Affiliates on the Closing
Date, and primarily relating to the TE Business.
The Parties agree that Seller shall deliver,
no later than three (3) Business Days prior to the Closing, where
required, updates to the Schedules referred to in the foregoing subparagraphs
to reflect changes that have occurred following the date hereof in the ordinary
course of business and consistent with Article 7.3 below.
(b) Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary in this Agreement:
(i) the Trademarks set
forth in Schedule 2.2.1(b)(i) (the Excluded
Trademarks);
(ii) the Patents set
forth in Schedule 2.2.1(b)(ii) (the Excluded
Patents);
(iii) the Domain Names
set forth in Schedule 2.2.1(b)(iii) (the Excluded
Domain Names);
(iv) the Know How
licensed by Seller or its Affiliates to Buyer or its Affiliates following the
Closing Date for use under the toll manufacturing agreements under the terms of
which Buyer or its Affiliates manufacture(s) certain products for Seller and
its Affiliates for the benefit of a business retained by the Ciba Group;
14
(v) the Tangible
Property set forth in Schedule 2.2.1(b)(v);
(vi) the Designated TE
Assets, if any;
(vii) any rights, properties and assets
relating to the TE Business in or with Cuba or Iran;
(viii) the real property in Basel, all as
specified in Schedule 2.2.1(b)(viii); it being understood that the
buildings, structures and improvements, all as described in Schedule 2.2.1(a)(viii),
including the fixtures contained in such buildings, structures and improvements
and the appurtenances relating thereto, constitute a Transferred TE Asset,
subject to the terms of the respective leases and other third party rights in rem pertaining to such buildings, structures and
improvements, all as specified in Schedule 2.2.1(a)(viii);
(ix) the real property
used by the TE Business and located in St. Gabriel and Charlotte, United
States, and the real property used by the TE Business and located in St. Fons,
France, in each case including the Tangible Property located thereon, except as
otherwise provided in the Excluded Plant Lease Agreements, all as set forth in Schedule 2.2.1(b)(ix) (collectively,
the Excluded Plants);
(x) any contract and
agreement, the subject of which is the license of the Ciba trade name, the Ciba
butterfly or the Ciba type face for purposes of effects branding, including,
but not limited to, the agreements relating to the Ciba butterfly hang tags set
forth in Schedule 2.2.1(b)(x);
(xi) all raw material
and intermediate purchase contracts and agreements or part thereof to the
extent used by the Ciba Group for a business retained by it;
(xii) any contract and
agreement between any business unit of the TE Business and any other unit of
the Ciba Group, unless agreed otherwise herein;
(xiii) any R&D contract or agreement, or
part thereof, to the extent used by any of the businesses retained by the Ciba
Group; and
(xiv) any contract and agreement relating
exclusively to the Excluded Assets (other than any contract of employment with
any Transferring Employee at the Excluded Plants, any contracts the Buyer
assumes pursuant to the Excluded Plant Lease Agreements and any of the contracts
set forth in Schedule 2.2.1(b)(xiv)) (the contracts and agreements
described in Article 2.2.1(b)(x) through Article 2.2.1(b)(xiv)
collectively the Excluded
15
Contracts);
(the assets, contracts and agreements set
forth in this Article 2.2.1(b), collectively the Excluded Assets);
are not part of the sale and purchase
contemplated hereunder, are excluded from the Transferred TE Assets and shall,
except as otherwise provided in the Excluded Plant Lease Agreements as set
forth in Schedule 8.4(c), remain the exclusive property of Seller
on, before and after the Closing Date.
For the
avoidance of doubt, the use of any Intellectual Property Rights or Know How by
businesses retained by the Ciba Group in the context of supplying the TE
Business with products used for manufacturing or selling products in the
Textile Franchise under any supply agreements (but not, for purposes of this
sentence, the use of any Intellectual Property Rights or Know How under any toll
manufacturing agreements by which Seller or its Affiliates manufacture(s)
certain products for Buyer and its Affiliates for the benefit of the TE
Business) shall not be considered for the determination of the Transferred TE
Assets, the scope of any licenses or the scope of any non-assertion obligations
under this Agreement, and such Intellectual Property Rights and Know How shall
be part of the Excluded Assets.
2.2.2 Assumption
of Obligations and Liabilities
(a) Subject to the terms and
conditions set forth in this Agreement, at the Closing Date, Buyer or its
designated Affiliates to which the applicable Transferred TE Assets are
transferred (provided, however, that Huntsman,
in relation to Seller, shall be jointly and severally liable with each such designated
Affiliate for the due and proper performance of the Assumed TE Liabilities (as
defined below) assumed by such Affiliate) shall assume and thereafter pay, perform and
discharge when due all of the following obligations and liabilities of Seller
and its Affiliates (such obligations and liabilities, the Assumed TE
Liabilities):
(i) all obligations and
liabilities to the extent included in the Net Debt and the Net Working Capital
as shown on the Final Closing Balance Sheet and, as the case may be, the Final
Local Closing Balance Sheets;
(ii) all obligations and
liabilities attributable to the Buyers and its Affiliates ownership or use of
the Transferred TE Assets or the conduct of the TE Business after the Closing
to the extent attributable to such period of time;
(iii) all obligations and
liabilities under or in connection with the Transferred TE Contracts which
arise after the Closing to the extent attributable to such period
16
of time; provided, however,
that, for the avoidance of doubt, it shall be understood that Seller shall
indemnify Buyer and its Affiliates in accordance with Article 9.1 for all
obligations and liabilities (x) under the Transferred TE Contracts which are
attributable to the time period prior to the Closing, or (y) resulting from
breaches of Transferred TE Contracts which occurred prior to Closing, in each
case of (x) and (y) excluding obligations and liabilities assumed by Buyer and
its Affiliates pursuant to subparagraph (i) above;
(iv) all obligations and
liabilities of Seller and its Affiliates that are the responsibility of the
Buyer pursuant to Article 9.4;
(v) all obligations and
liabilities of Seller or its Affiliates for or in relation to Taxes that are
the responsibility of Buyer pursuant to Articles 9.3 and 12.1;
(vi) all obligations and
liabilities to be assumed by Buyer under Article 8.5;
(vii) all obligations and liabilities to be
assumed by Buyer under Article 10.2;
(viii) all obligations and liabilities of Seller
or its Affiliates for or in relation to the Transferring Employees, including
the obligations and liabilities for or in relation to the respective pension
and other benefit plans, that are the responsibility of Buyer pursuant to Article 10.9
and the Schedules thereto; and
(ix) all obligations and
liabilities expressly assumed by Buyer under the Ancillary Agreements and the
IT Service Agreement.
(b) Subject to the terms and
conditions of this Agreement:
(i) except for the Assumed TE
Liabilities, Buyer and its Affiliates shall not assume, and Seller and its
Affiliates shall retain, any liabilities, duties and obligations relating to or
arising out of the ownership, operation, or use of the Transferred TE Assets,
the TE Companies or the TE Business at any time prior to the Closing Date,
regardless of whether claims for such liability were asserted before or after
the Closing Date (collectively, the Pre-Closing
Liabilities), such Pre-Closing Liabilities to include (without
limitation):
(A) all obligations and liabilities
for or in relation to any third party claims asserted or filed at any time for
damages or other types of legal remedies for alleged (among others) personal
injury, harmful exposure to chemicals or other substances, product liability,
breach of contract, or unlawful behavior of either the Seller or any of its
Affiliates or an employee or other representative for which the Seller or any
of its
17
Affiliates may be liable vicariously or otherwise, relating
to or arising from activities before the Closing;
(B) all obligations and liabilities
in relation to Litigation (as defined hereinafter) attributable to the
operation of the TE Business prior to the Closing; and
(C) all obligations and liabilities
(x) under the Transferred TE Contracts which are attributable to the time
period prior to the Closing, or (y) resulting from breaches of Transferred TE
Contracts which occurred prior to Closing; and
(ii) except for the obligations and
liabilities described in Article 2.2.2(a)(i), Buyer and its Affiliates
shall not assume, and Seller and its Affiliates shall retain, any of the
following obligations and liabilities (to the extent not already included in
the Pre-Closing Liabilities), whether or not the following obligations and
liabilities are attributable to the period of time before or after the Closing
Date:
(A) all obligations and liabilities
relating to, arising out of or in connection with the Excluded Assets (other
than to the extent expressly set forth in the Ancillary Agreements, the IT
Service Agreement or the Excluded Plant Lease Agreements, and except for the
contracts of employment with any Transferring Employee at the Excluded Plants
and the portion of the Excluded Contracts split off to Buyer or its Affiliates
as provided in the High Level Implementation Plan);
(B) all the obligations and
liabilities that are the responsibility of the Seller pursuant to Article 9.4;
(C) all obligations and liabilities
in relation to Taxes that are the responsibility of Seller pursuant to
Articles 9.3 or 12.1;
(D) all obligations and liabilities
for or in relation to (i) the Transferring Employees, including the
obligations and liabilities for or in relation to the respective pension and
other benefit plans, that are the responsibility of Seller pursuant to Article 10.9
and the Schedules thereto or (ii) the Retained Shape Costs;
(E) all obligations and liabilities
relating to or arising from the failure of the Seller or its Affiliates to
comply with their respective covenants in Article 7.4 or elsewhere in this
Agreement;
18
(F) without any prejudice to Article 7.4.2(d),
all obligations and liabilities relating to any activities of Seller or its
Affiliates relating to ownership or operation of the TE Business prior to the
Closing Date that have not been undertaken in accordance with the Relevant
Compliance Rules; and
(G) all obligations and liabilities
expressly assumed by Seller under the Ancillary Agreements and the IT Service
Agreement.
(The Pre-Closing Liabilities, together with matters
described in subparagraph (b)(ii), are collectively referred to herein as the Excluded Liabilities.)
2.3 License
2.3.1 Patents
| IT Intellectual Property Rights
(a) Subject to the terms and
conditions of this Agreement, Seller hereby agrees, as from the Closing Date,
to grant to Buyer and its Affiliates a worldwide, non-exclusive (except with
respect to the Textile Franchise, in which it shall be exclusive (even as to
Licensor) as described below), irrevocable and royalty-free license for, under
and to those Patents (the Shared Patents) set forth in Schedule 2.3.1(a).
Such license shall be (i) exclusive to the extent relating to the Textile
Franchise, and (ii) non-exclusive outside the scope of the Textile
Franchise. Buyer shall have the right to
sublicense the rights under such Shared Patents to any third party (other than
for use by such third party in direct competition with the businesses retained
by the Ciba Group). Buyer shall, and shall cause its Affiliates, including,
after the Closing Date, the TE Companies, to impose upon any such sublicensee
confidentiality obligations equivalent to those customarily required by Buyer
from licensees of patents owned by Buyer.
(b) The Seller shall not, and shall
procure that its Affiliates shall not, assert, in any manner whatsoever, any of
its Patents assigned to, issued to, or filed by, the Seller or its Affiliates
on or prior to the Closing Date, against the Buyer and its Affiliates
(including, but not limited to, the TE Companies) for the use, manufacture,
marketing or sale of products, techniques and technologies in the Expanded TE
Franchise or against their respective customers for the use of any products,
techniques and technologies purchased from Buyer or its Affiliates for use
within the scope of the Expanded TE Franchise.
(c) Licensor hereby agrees to grant
to Licensee, subject to any third party rights, a right to acquire, for no
additional consideration, any of the Patents set forth in Schedule 2.3.1(a) (where
Seller is Licensor) and in Article 2.3.1(d)(ii) below (where
19
Buyer
is Licensor) in the event that Licensor intends not to renew and maintain the
registration of any of such Patent. Licensor shall notify Licensee within due
time of its intention not to renew and maintain the registration of any of the
Licensed Patents, and Licensee shall, within thirty (30) calendar days of Licensors
notification, declare to Licensor whether it wants to exercise its right to
acquire such Patent, for no additional consideration. In the event of Licensee
acquiring any of the Licensed Patents under the foregoing right, Licensee shall
bear all costs for maintaining and renewing the registration of any such
Licensed Patent as from the date of its declaration to Licensor that it intends
to exercise its right to acquire such Patent, for no additional consideration.
(d) Buyer agrees to grant to Seller
and its Affiliates a worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable and royalty-free
license for use other than in the Textile Franchise under and to:
(i) the
Patents set forth in Schedule 2.2.1(a)(ii) to the extent that
such Patents have been used in the businesses
retained by the Ciba Group (for the avoidance of doubt, excluding the TE
Business) during the twelve (12) months preceding the Closing Date. With
respect to such Patents, the license (and sublicense, if any) hereunder shall
be limited to the use in the businesses retained
by the Ciba Group as of the Closing Date (excluding, for the avoidance of
doubt, the use in the Textile Franchise, but including the use made by any
licensees as of the Closing Date); provided, however, that any such sub-license
shall not be for use in direct competition with the TE Business and Seller
shall, and shall cause its Affiliates to, impose upon any such sublicensee
confidentiality obligations equivalent to those customarily required by Seller
from licensees of patents owned by Seller; and
(ii) the
Transferred TE Patents set forth in Schedule 2.3.1(d). With respect
to such Patents, the license hereunder shall be limited to the use outside the
Textile Franchise in laundry, colour filter for LCD applications, fluorescent
security marking, pre-extrusion mass treatment, flame retardants and ink applications.
2.3.2 Trademarks
(a) Subject to the terms and
conditions of this Agreement, Seller hereby agrees to grant, subject to any
third party rights, to Buyer and its Affiliates, for a period of twenty-four
(24) months as from the Closing Date, a worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable
and royalty-free license for all the Trademarks and domain names listed in Schedules 2.3.2(a);
provided, however, that such Trademarks
and domain names shall only be used within the scope of the Textile Franchise. Within such scope, Buyer shall have the right to
sublicense such rights (other than any CIBA Trademark) to any
20
third party (other than a material direct competitor to any of the businesses retained by
the Ciba Group).
(b) Any license granted under this
Agreement with respect to any CIBA Trademark shall apply only to the use of
such Trademark in the TE Business within the Textile industry as covered by the
Trademark registrations as set forth in Schedule 2.3.2(b). In no
event shall any CIBA Trademark be used by Buyer for products outside the scope
of the description of goods in the Trademark registrations. With respect to any
CIBA Trademarks licensed under this Article, the term of such license shall be
limited to the Transition Period.
(c) Subject to the terms and
conditions of this Agreement, Buyer hereby agrees to grant, subject to any
third party rights, to Seller and its Affiliates, for a period of twenty-four
(24) months as from the Closing Date, a worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable
and royalty-free license for use outside the Textile Franchise under all
Transferred TE Trademarks that have been used by any business of the Ciba Group
other than the TE Business within twenty-four (24) months before the Closing
Date. Under such license, Seller shall have the right to sublicense such rights
to any third party (other than to a material direct competitor of the TE
Business).
2.4 Consideration
(a) The purchase price for the TE Business
shall be CHF 332,000,000 (the Purchase Price).
(b) Subject to the provisions of
this Agreement, the consideration payable by Buyer to Seller at the Closing
Date in accordance with Article 4.3.2(a) (the Preliminary
Consideration) shall consist of:
(i) the
Purchase Price; minus
(ii) CHF 75,135,000,
being the amount of Net Debt of the TE Business as at September 30, 2005,
calculated by reference to the
aggregate of the financial assets and financial liabilities line items set
forth in Schedule 2.5.1(a) and as reflected in the TE
Statement of Relevant Net Assets; minus
(iii) the
Restructuring Deduction.
(c) The Purchase Price is based on
a Net Working Capital of CHF 480,882,000, being the amount of Net
Working Capital of the TE Business as at September 30, 2005, calculated by
reference to the aggregate of the current assets and current liabilities line
items set forth in Schedule 2.5.1(a).
21
(d) The Purchase Price does not
include any VAT (or equivalent Tax) or transfer Taxes, which shall be paid and
reimbursed pursuant to Articles 12.1.1 and 12.1.2.
2.5 Net Working Capital and Net Debt Adjustment
2.5.1 Closing
Balance Sheet
(a) Within sixty (60) Business Days
after the Closing Date, Seller shall prepare and deliver to Buyer:
(i) (x) a
statement of the specified assets and specified liabilities of the TE Business
pursuant to this Agreement as at the Adjustment Date, including those assets
and liabilities as at the Adjustment Date that are subject to a deferred
closing in accordance with Article 4.2.6, which shall be audited by Ernst &
Young Ltd, Zurich, Switzerland (E&Y) (such
statement, together with an unqualified audit opinion from E&Y except that
such opinion may include language to the effect that such statement has been
prepared from separate records of the TE Business, may not reflect the assets
and liabilities as if the TE Business had been operated separately, and
includes certain allocations based on the assumptions and estimates used for the
TE Statement of Relevant Net Assets made by the
Ciba Group, being referred to as the Closing
Balance Sheet and, upon having become final and binding in
accordance with this Article 2.5.1, the Final
Closing Balance Sheet);
(ii) all
necessary supporting data for the Closing Balance Sheet, as reasonably
requested by Buyer;
(iii) a
determination of the Net Working Capital and the Net Debt, each calculated by
reference to the aggregate of the respective current assets and current
liabilities line items and financial assets and financial liabilities line
items, respectively, shown on the Closing Balance Sheet, as further specified
in Schedule 2.5.1(a), such aggregates, for the avoidance of doubt,
including the assets and liabilities relating to the Transferred TE Assets and
Assumed TE Liabilities which are subject to a deferred closing pursuant to Article 4.2.6;
and
(iv) a
determination of the Net Working Capital and the Net Debt, calculated in
accordance with subparagraph (iii) above but limited to the assets and
liabilities relating to the Transferred TE Assets and Assumed TE Liabilities
which are subject to a deferred closing pursuant to Article 4.2.6,
together with an indication of the value of each such asset and liability for
each jurisdiction.
(b) Buyer shall cooperate with
Seller in connection with, shall furnish to Seller all such
22
information
and give Seller, E&Y and any of their advisers promptly full and
unrestricted access (during ordinary business hours) to the books, records and
personnel of the TE Business as Seller may reasonably require for, the
preparation of the Closing Balance Sheet. Except to the extent set forth in Schedule 2.5.1(b)(1),
the Closing Balance Sheet shall be prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP
as applied by the Ciba Group Controllers Manual and on a basis consistent with
that used in the preparation of the TE Statement of Relevant Net Assets. The
cost and expenses of the preparation and the audit of the Closing Balance Sheet
shall be borne by Seller.
(c) Unless Buyer gives notice (the Notice of Disagreement) to Seller within sixty (60) Business
Days following receipt of the Closing Balance Sheet that it disagrees with the
determination of the Net Working Capital and|or the Net Debt as shown on the
Closing Balance Sheet, whereby such notice shall describe the nature of any
such disagreement in reasonable detail, identify the specific line item(s)
involved and the CHF amount of each such disagreement and provide reasonable supporting
documentation for such disagreement, the determination of the Net Working
Capital and Net Debt shall be deemed final and binding on the Parties for all
purposes.
(d) The Parties shall endeavor to
resolve in good faith any disagreement with respect to the Net Working Capital
and|or Net Debt within twenty (20) Business Days after Sellers receipt of the
Notice of Disagreement. If the Parties are unable to do so, either Party may
submit such disagreement for final and binding resolution to KPMG, New York,
N.Y., USA (KPMG), who shall select an
experienced partner of its accounting department, or, if KPMG is for any reason
whatsoever not in a position to act, to an experienced partner of the
accounting department of another internationally recognized accounting firm (other than E&Y and Deloitte & Touche) agreed
upon by the Parties, or, if such agreement has not occurred within a further
ten (10) Business Days, to the Person nominated by the ICC International
Centre for Expertise of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in accordance with the provisions regarding the
appointment of experts contained in the ICCs Rules for Expertise upon
application of either Seller or Buyer (each of KPMG or the Person agreed upon
by the Parties or nominated by the ICC International Centre for Expertise in
accordance with this paragraph hereinafter an Appraiser).
(e) If the Parties and the
Appraiser, within ten (10) Business Days of referral of their disagreement
with respect to the Net Working Capital and|or Net Debt to the Appraiser or his
or her nomination by the ICC, cannot reach agreement on the terms of engagement
of the Appraiser, either Party may submit such matter to the International
Centre for Expertise of the ICC for final resolution in accordance with the provisions
regarding the administration of expert proceedings contained in the ICCs Rules for
Expertise.
23
(f) The Appraiser shall act as an
expert and not as an arbitrator. The Appraiser shall only consider those items
and amounts as to which Buyer and Seller have disagreed within the time periods
and on the terms set forth above in Article 2.5.1(c) and (d), it
being understood that the scope of the disagreements to be resolved shall be
limited to whether the Net Working Capital and|or Net Debt were determined in
accordance with the requirements set forth in this Article 2.5.1 and the
Schedules referred to herein, and whether there were mathematical errors in the
calculation of the Net Working Capital and Net Debt.
(g) The Appraiser shall deliver to
the Parties, as promptly as reasonably practicable and in any event within
thirty (30) Business Days from the date of his or her appointment, a written
report setting forth the resolution of any such disagreement. The Appraisers
determination of any subject matter falling within the scope of his or her
mandate shall be final and binding on the Parties, except in the event of fraud
or manifest error on the part of the Appraiser (provided that, in case of
manifest error, the matter shall be remitted to the Appraiser for correction).
(h) The Appraiser shall make his or
her determination of the Net Working Capital and Net Debt in respect of the
line items as to which Seller and Buyer have disagreed based on the presentations
and supporting materials provided by the Parties and such other documentation
and information as the Appraiser may reasonably request from each of the
Parties. The Appraiser shall determine his or her own procedure in accordance
with the requirements of due process. In particular, the Appraiser shall:
(i) give
the Parties a reasonable opportunity to make written and oral presentations to
him or her;
(ii) require
that each Party supply the other with a copy of any written presentations at
the same time as they are made available to the Appraiser;
(iii) permit
each Party to be present while oral submissions are being made by the other
Party; and
(iv) conduct
the proceedings in English.
(i) Each Party and the Appraiser
shall, and shall procure that their respective accountants, assistants and
other advisers shall, keep all information and documents provided to them
pursuant to this Article 2.5.1 confidential and shall not use the same for
any purpose other than in connection with the preparation of the Closing
Balance Sheet, the determination of the Net Working Capital and Net Debt and
the respective proceedings before the Appraiser.
24
(j) The costs and expenses (including
VAT) of the Appraiser shall be allocated between Seller and Buyer in proportion
to the Parties relative success or defeat in the proceedings before the
Appraiser (measured against each Partys position in its initial submission to
the Appraiser).
2.5.2 Adjustments
(a) Net Working
Capital Adjustment
(i) If, and
to the extent, the Net Working Capital as at the Adjustment Date (as finally
and bindingly determined in accordance with Article 2.5.1) exceeds
CHF 480,882,000, the Preliminary Consideration shall, subject to the
limitation set forth in Article 2.5.2(c), be increased on a CHF-for-CHF
basis by the amount of such excess.
(ii) If, and
to the extent, the Net Working Capital as at the Adjustment Date (as finally
and bindingly determined in accordance with Article 2.5.1) is less than
CHF 480,882,000, the Preliminary Consideration shall, subject to the
limitation set forth in Article 2.5.2(c), be decreased on a CHF-for-CHF
basis by the amount of such shortfall.
(b) Net Debt
Adjustment
(i) If, and
to the extent, the Net Debt as at the Adjustment Date (as finally and bindingly
determined in accordance with Article 2.5.1) is less than
CHF 75,135,000, the Preliminary Consideration shall, subject to the
limitation set forth in Article 2.5.2(c), be increased on a CHF-for-CHF
basis by the amount of such shortfall.
(ii) If, and
to the extent, the Net Debt as at the Adjustment Date (as finally and bindingly
determined in accordance with Article 2.5.1) exceeds CHF 75,135,000,
the Preliminary Consideration shall, subject to the limitation set forth in Article 2.5.2(c),
be decreased on a CHF-for-CHF basis by the amount of such excess.
(c) Collar
If the
aggregate amount of the Net Working Capital and Net Debt adjustments set forth
in Articles 2.5.2(a) and 2.5.2(b) is less than +/-CHF 2,000,000,
the Preliminary Consideration shall be neither increased nor decreased as
provided for under Articles 2.5.2(a) and 2.5.2(b). However, if the
aggregate amount of the Net Working Capital and Net Debt adjustments set forth
in Articles 2.5.2(a) and 2.5.2(b) is greater
25
than
+/- CHF 2,000,000, then the Preliminary Consideration shall be increased
or decreased (as applicable) by the entire amount of the adjustments (and not
just the excess over CHF 2,000,000).
2.5.3 Payment
of the Net Working Capital Adjustment and the Net Debt Adjustment on the basis
of the Final Closing Balance Sheet
Subject to the limitations set forth in Article 2.5.2(c), if the
aggregate of the adjustments under Article 2.5.2 results in a reduction in
the Preliminary Consideration, Seller shall pay to Buyer the amount of such
reduction, and if the aggregate of the adjustments under Article 2.5.2
results in an increase in the Preliminary Consideration, Buyer shall pay to
Seller the amount of such increase, in each case in cash by wire transfer of
immediately available funds to a bank account designated by the Party receiving
payment within five (5) Business Days after the final and binding
determination pursuant to Article 2.5.1, plus interest accrued thereon
between the Closing Date and the date of payment at the rate set forth in Article 12.3(a).
2.6 Allocation of Purchase Price
(a) The Preliminary Consideration shall be
allocated in a manner consistent with Schedule 2.6(a). Schedule 2.6(a) reflects
the allocation of the Preliminary Consideration (calculated assuming a
Restructuring Deduction of CHF 42,000,000)
among the Category I Sellers, Category II Sellers and Category III Sellers
(in each case, as identified on Schedule 2.6(a)).
(b) A final determination of the amount of the
Preliminary Consideration allocable to the India Sellers (as defined in Schedule 2.6(a)) shall be reasonably determined by Seller prior to Closing.
If such amount differs from the amount reflected on Schedule 2.6(a),
(i) the amount of Preliminary Consideration allocated to the Switzerland
Sellers (as defined in Schedule 2.6(a)) (in the aggregate) shall be
adjusted (upward or downward) by 50% of such difference, and (ii) the
amount of Preliminary Consideration allocated to the Category III Sellers (in
the aggregate) shall be adjusted (upward or downward) by 50% of such
difference.
(c) Except with relation to the India Sellers,
the allocation on Schedule 2.6(a) shall be adjusted to reflect
the differences between the items included in the calculation of Net Working
Capital and Net Debt (as determined under Article 2.5) and the amounts for
such items reflected on Schedule 2.6(a) based upon the sources
of the differences. Adjustments affecting the items included in the calculation
of Net Working Capital and Net Debt for Category I Sellers and Category II
Sellers shall result in corresponding changes to the allocation to such Sellers
on Schedule 2.6(a). Adjustments affecting the items included in the
calculation of Net Working Capital and Net Debt for a Category III Seller will
require a recalculation of Section III of Schedule 2.6(a) and
26
adjustments
that result in a change in the total Net Working Capital or Net Debt of the
Category III Sellers in the aggregate will require a corresponding change in
the Cash Consideration reflected on Schedule 2.6(a) for the
Category III Sellers. For the avoidance of doubt, a difference between the
items included in the calculation of Net Working Capital and Net Debt and the
amounts reflected for such items on Schedule 2.6(a) may result
in an adjustment to the allocation even if such difference does not result in
an adjustment to the Preliminary Consideration pursuant to Article 2.5.
Any adjustments of the Preliminary Consideration that have their source with
the India Sellers shall be allocated (upward or downward) according to the
method described in (d) below.
(d) The amount, if any, by which
the actual amount of the Restructuring Deduction included in the calculation of
Preliminary Consideration is less than CHF 42,000,000, the corresponding increase in Preliminary
Consideration shall be allocated proportionally to each of (i) the
Category I Sellers (ii) the Category II Sellers (other than the India
Sellers), and (iii) the Category III Sellers (in the aggregate) based upon
the allocation of Preliminary Consideration reflected on Schedule 2.6(a) as
adjusted pursuant to Article 2.6(b) and (c).
(e) Any adjustment to the amount
allocated to the Category III Sellers (in the aggregate) shall be allocated
among the Category III Sellers by reference to Schedule 2.6(a) by
(i) increasing or decreasing the Initial Cash Consideration (as defined
in Schedule 2.6(a)) to reflect
such adjustment, (ii) adjusting the Net Working Capital column to
reflect any applicable adjustments, (iii) revising the % column, and (iv) reallocating
the revised Total Consideration. Any adjustment to the amount allocated to
the Switzerland Sellers (in the aggregate) shall be allocated among the
Switzerland Sellers as reasonably determined by the Seller.
(f) Buyer and Seller shall file all
Tax Returns in a manner consistent with the allocation of the Preliminary
Consideration (and adjustments thereto) provided for in this Article 2.6.
(g) Seller and Buyer shall
cooperate with each other and either shall be required to provide such
financial information to the other Party as such Party may reasonably request
in order to be able to verify the calculation basis for the purchase price
allocation, i.e., Net Working Capital, Net Debt or
any other liabilities.
27
3. Actions Prior to Closing
3.1 General
Unless specifically otherwise provided herein, the Parties undertake to
use their commercially reasonable best efforts to procure that:
(a) the conditions precedent set
forth in Article 4.2, as applicable to each of them, shall be satisfied on
or by the Closing Date; and
(b) all their Affiliates will do
all acts and things as are reasonably necessary (and within their power) to
implement the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
The Parties shall fully cooperate and promptly inform each other of any
relevant actions taken prior to the Closing Date.
3.2 Filings and Submissions
The Parties shall undertake their respective commercially reasonable
best efforts to make all filings and submissions required pursuant to Article 4.2.1(a) within
thirty (30) Business Days as from the date of this Agreement or such shorter
period of time as required by applicable law. Where a filing or submission is
the legal responsibility of both Parties, no Party shall make any filings or
submissions without the prior consent of the other Party (such consent not to
be unreasonably withheld or delayed). Where a filing or submission is the legal
responsibility of only one Party, such Party shall duly cooperate with and
consult the other Party in preparing any filing or submission.
3.3 Closing Memorandum
At least ten (10) Business Days prior to the Closing Date, Sellers
legal counsel shall prepare, in cooperation with Buyers legal counsel, a
closing memorandum which describes the closing actions pursuant to Article 4.3.
3.4 Monthly Financial Data for the TE Segment
Seller hereby undertakes to provide Buyer, on a monthly basis,
financial information for the Ciba Groups TE Segment consisting of a summary of net sales, profits and losses,
balance sheet and cash flow of the TE Segment, both current and
year-to-date, with a reasonable comparison to the previous year period, such
financial information (the Monthly Financials)
to be delivered by the twentieth (20th) Business Day of the month
following the reference period of such financial data until the Closing Date
and until each Local Closing Date in relation to the business and assets to
which such Local Closing Date relates.
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3.5 Inventor Compensation
Seller shall undertake commercially reasonable best efforts to obtain a
written release from any employee who is not a Transferring Employee for and in
relation to any inventor compensation relating to the TE Business pursuant to the
laws of Germany or Austria.
4. Closing
4.1 Date and Place
(a) Subject to Article 4.2.5,
Closing shall take place on the last Business Day of the month in which the
conditions precedent to Closing set forth in Article 4.2 have been
satisfied or waived (where so permitted) or on such other date as the Parties
hereto may agree (the Closing Date).
(b) Closing shall take place at the
offices of Homburger Rechtsanwälte, Weinbergstrasse 56|58, CH-8006 Zurich, Switzerland, or at such
other location as the Parties hereto may agree.
4.2 Conditions Precedent to Closing
4.2.1 Conditions
to Obligations of Each Party
The respective obligations of the Parties hereto to effect the
transactions contemplated under this Agreement shall be subject to the
satisfaction or (where permitted) waiver, on or by September 30, 2006 or such other date as the Parties may
agree (the Long Stop Date), of the following
conditions:
(a) (i) the governmental or
administrative approvals set forth in Schedule 4.2.1(a)(1) (the
Governmental Approvals) and the
third party consents set forth in Schedule 4.2.1(a)(2) (the Material Third Party Consents) shall have been obtained,
either (x) unconditionally, (y) subject to the satisfaction of conditions or
commitments reasonably acceptable to the Buyer or (z), with respect to
Governmental Approvals, tacitly or otherwise in a manner which, in the
reasonable opinion of Buyers legal counsel in the applicable jurisdiction,
permits Buyer to proceed to effect the transactions contemplated under this Agreement
without material risk of governmental action against Buyer, Buyers assets or
the TE Assets, and (ii) any waiting period under the applicable
governmental and administrative laws and regulations set forth in Schedule 4.2.1(a)(1) shall
have expired or been terminated by the competent authorities, in each case with
the effect of a Governmental Approval of the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement;
29
(b) no action by a third party
shall be pending and no order, injunction or decree of any court,
administrative body or arbitration tribunal which prevents the Closing of the
transactions contemplated hereunder shall have been issued and not vacated;
(c) the Materiality Condition shall
have been satisfied and either Seller or Buyer shall have made a request
pursuant to Article 4.2.6(a) that Closing be effected;
(d) the Parties shall have reached
agreement on the definitive versions of the Ancillary Agreements and the
Excluded Plant Lease Agreements; and
(e) the employee information and
consultation requirements and any other employee information and consultation
steps required under the laws applicable to any part of the TE Business in
connection with the transactions contemplated in this Agreement, have been
performed.
4.2.2 Conditions
to Obligations of Buyer
The respective obligations of Buyer to effect the transactions
contemplated under this Agreement shall be subject to the satisfaction or
waiver, on or by the Long Stop Date, of the following conditions:
(a) Seller shall have performed, in
all material respects, all of its obligations undertaken in this Agreement or
pursuant hereto that are to be performed on or by the Closing Date, including
performance of all corporate and contractual formalities for the transfer of
the TE Shares, TE Assets and Transferred TE Contracts;
(b) all representations and
warranties of the Seller pursuant to Article 5.1 and Schedule 5.1
hereto shall be true and accurate in all material respects at and as of the
date of this Agreement and the Closing Date, except that (i) those
representations and warranties that are explicitly made at and as of a specific
date shall be true and accurate at and as of such date only, and (ii) for
purposes of determining whether this closing condition has been satisfied, any
representations or warranties of the Seller that are qualified by a materiality
standard (e.g., words like in all material
respects) shall be read without qualifications; provided,
however, that breaches of the representations and warranties shall
only be deemed to constitute a non-satisfaction of this condition if such
breaches, individually or in the aggregate, (i) result, or are reasonably
likely to result, in a loss to Buyer, its Affiliates and|or the TE Companies
that in the aggregate exceeds CHF 35,000,000, or (ii) are reasonably
likely to materially and adversely affect the TE Business and cannot be
remedied in all material respects by the payment of monetary compensation;
(c) no Material Adverse Effect
shall have occurred between the signing of this Agreement
30
and the
Closing Date; and
(d) one hundred (100) percent of
the assets set forth in Schedule 4.2.2(d), including all rights,
permits, and licenses required for the ownership and operation of such assets
(collectively, the Key Assets) are
transferred by Seller to Buyer or its designated Affiliates at Closing.
4.2.3 Condition
to Obligations of Seller
The respective obligations of Seller to effect the transactions
contemplated under this Agreement shall be subject to the satisfaction or
waiver, on or by the Long Stop Date, of the following conditions:
(a) Buyer shall have performed in
all material respects all of its obligations undertaken in this Agreement or
pursuant hereto that are to be performed on or by the Closing Date, including
performance of all corporate and contractual formalities for the transfer of
the TE Shares, TE Assets and Transferred TE Contracts; and
(b) all representations and
warranties of Buyer pursuant to Article 5.2 and Schedule 5.2
hereto shall be true and accurate in all material respects at and as of the
date of this Agreement and the Closing Date, except that those representations
and warranties which are explicitly made at and as of a specific date shall be
true and correct at and as of such date only.
4.2.4 Waiver
of Non-satisfied Conditions
The Parties shall use commercially reasonable best efforts to inform
each other forthwith upon becoming aware of any fact or matter which could
reasonably be expected to constitute a breach or non-satisfaction of the conditions
set forth in Articles 4.2.1, 4.2.2 or 4.2.3; provided,
however, that the failure to so inform the other Party shall not
affect either Partys ability not to close in the event of the non-satisfaction
of the conditions set forth in Articles 4.2.1, 4.2.2 or 4.2.3. The Parties
shall enter into good faith negotiations on how to resolve the relevant issues
and, without prejudice to any other provision of this Agreement, each Party
shall be entitled to seek to cure at its own expense any such breach or
non-satisfaction. At any time prior to the Closing Date, (a) Seller and
Buyer may jointly waive in writing in whole or in part the conditions to
Closing set forth in Article 4.2.1, (b) Buyer may waive in writing in
whole or in part the conditions to Closing set forth in Article 4.2.2, and
(c) Seller may waive in writing in whole or in part the conditions to Closing
set forth in Article 4.2.3.
31
4.2.5 Right
of Termination
(a) Should the conditions precedent
to Closing set forth in Articles 4.2.1 or 4.2.2 not be satisfied by the
Long Stop Date, Buyer may terminate this Agreement by giving notice to Seller
unless Buyer itself acted in material breach of its obligations under this
Agreement or otherwise in bad faith, and in so doing, prevented or interfered
with the satisfaction of such condition precedent.
(b) Should the conditions precedent
to Closing set forth in Articles 4.2.1 or 4.2.3 not be satisfied by the
Long Stop Date, Seller may terminate this Agreement by giving notice to Buyer,
unless Seller itself acted in material breach of its obligations under this
Agreement or otherwise in bad faith, and in so doing, prevented or interfered
with the satisfaction of such condition precedent.
(c) If this Agreement is terminated
according to Article 4.2.5(a) or (b), such termination shall be
without liability of any Party to the other Party; provided,
however, that if such termination is the result of (i) the
willful or grossly negligent misconduct of either Party to satisfy its
respective obligations under Article 3.1 or (ii) a failure to perform
a covenant under this Agreement, such Party shall be liable to the other Party
for any damage, loss, costs or expenses incurred or sustained as a result of
such misconduct or breach. It is understood that, in addition to such
liability, either Party shall be entitled to seek relief in the form of
specific performance, injunctions or other interim relief. Neither Party shall
oppose the granting of such relief on the basis that the other Party may be
made whole by the payment of a monetary amount.
(d) If this Agreement is terminated
pursuant to this Article 4.2.5(a) or (b), all provisions of this
Agreement shall cease to be effective except for Articles 4.2.5(c) and
(d), Article 10.1 (Press Releases
and Other Public Announcements), Article 12.3 (Interest), Article 13
(General Provisions) and Article 14 (Governing Law and Dispute Settlement).
4.2.6 Deferred
Closing | Deferred Closing Balance Sheet
(a) Upon satisfaction of the
Materiality Condition (and provided all other conditions to Closing set forth
in Articles 4.2.1, 4.2.2 and 4.2.3 are satisfied, or as the case may be,
waived, where so permitted), either Party shall have the right to request upon
written notice to the other Party that Closing be effected with respect to
those TE Assets (together with the Transferring Employees and the Assumed TE
Liabilities attributable to those TE Assets) for which the Materiality
Condition has been satisfied. With respect to the remainder of the TE Assets,
the Transferring Employees and the Assumed TE Liabilities, Closing shall be
deferred and consummation or, if necessary, separate consummations, of the transactions
in relation to such assets, shares,
32
employees,
contracts, liabilities and permits (each a Local
Closing) shall occur at a month end (or if such month end is not a
Business Day, on the next Business Day) following the Closing Date on which
such assets, shares, employees, contracts, liabilities and permits can be
transferred (such date a Local Closing Date).
(b) Pending completion of any Local
Closing, Seller shall operate, where permitted, the relevant part of the TE
Business in accordance with the reasonable instructions given by the Buyer, and
otherwise in the ordinary course, subject, however, to the limitations set
forth in Articles 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3.
(c) If Closing is effected with
respect to the TE Assets for which the Materiality Condition has been satisfied
in accordance with Article 4.2.6(a), Buyer shall pay the Preliminary
Consideration in full at the Closing, without deduction in respect of the TE
Assets that are not transferred as of the Closing Date. In the event that the
Local Closing in respect of any such other TE Assets has not occurred by the
first anniversary of the Closing Date, Seller shall pay to Buyer, within twenty
(20) Business Days following such anniversary, an amount equal to all losses,
costs, damages and expenses suffered or incurred by Buyer and its Affiliates as
a result of the inability of Seller to transfer such other TE Assets,
including, without limitation, any direct, indirect or consequential costs,
losses, expenses and damages which so result. None of the limitations on or
exclusions of the liability of Seller set forth in Article 6.1 or Article 11(a) and
(b) shall apply to any claim by Buyer under this Article 4.2.6(c).
(d) Except as otherwise provided in
this Article 4.2.6, in respect of each Local Closing, Article 4.3
shall apply mutatis mutandis.
(e) Twenty (20) Business Days after
each Local Closing Date, Seller shall prepare and deliver to Buyer:
(i) a statement of the
specified assets and specified liabilities of the TE Business transferred to
and assumed by the Buyer or its Affiliates, with respect to each of such assets
and liabilities as at the respective Local Adjustment Date, which statement
shall be audited by E&Y
(such statement, together with an unqualified audit opinion from E&Y, except
that such opinion may include language to the effect that such statement has
been prepared from separate records of the TE Business, may not reflect the
assets and liabilities as if the TE Business had been operated separately, and
includes certain allocations based on the assumptions and estimates in the TE Statement of Relevant Net Assets, being
referred to as the Local Closing Balance Sheet and, upon
having become final and binding in accordance with this Article 4.2.6(e),
the Final Local Closing Balance Sheet);
33
(ii) all necessary
supporting data for the Local Closing Balance Sheet, as reasonably requested by
Buyer;
(iii) a determination of
the Net Working Capital and the Net Debt as at the relevant Local Adjustment
Date, each calculated by reference to the aggregate of the respective current
assets and current liabilities line items and financial assets and financial
liabilities line items, respectively, shown on the Local Closing Balance Sheet,
as further specified in Schedule 2.5.1(a); provided that all
obligations and liabilities owed to or by Buyer or its Affiliates in connection
with the Textile Franchise (but
excluding liabilities which have arisen under normal commercial dealings
between Seller and its Affiliates on the one side and Buyer and its Affiliates
on the other), including obligations and liabilities which have been incurred
between the Closing Date and the relevant Local Closing Date, shall not be
taken into account for determining the Net Working Capital and Net Debt as at
the relevant Local Adjustment Date; and
(iv) its determination
of the adjustments payable pursuant to Article 4.2.6(f), (g), and (h).
(v) Article 2.5.1
shall apply mutatis mutandis in respect of the
procedure for establishing the Final Local Closing Balance Sheet and the final
and binding determination of the Net Working Capital and Net Debt.
(f) Net Working
Capital Adjustment
(i) If, and to the
extent, the Net Working Capital as at the Local Adjustment Date (as finally and
bindingly determined in accordance with Article 4.2.6(e)) exceeds the Net
Working Capital included in the Final Closing Balance Sheet in relation to the
current assets and current liabilities subject to deferred closings pursuant to
this Article 4.2.6, the Preliminary Consideration shall, subject to
subparagraph (h) and (i) below, be increased on a CHF-for-CHF basis
by the amount of such excess.
(ii) If, and to the
extent, the Net Working Capital as at the Local Adjustment Date (as finally and
bindingly determined in accordance with Article 4.2.6(e)) is less than the
Net Working Capital included in the Final Closing Balance Sheet in relation to
the current assets and current liabilities subject to deferred closings
pursuant to this Article 4.2.6, the Preliminary Consideration shall,
subject to subparagraph (h) and (i) below, be decreased on a
CHF-for-CHF basis by the amount of such shortfall.
34
(g) Net Debt
Adjustment
(i) If, and to the
extent, the Net Debt as at the Local Adjustment Date (as finally and bindingly
determined in accordance with Article 4.2.6(e)) is less than the Net Debt
included in the Final Closing Balance Sheet in relation to the financial assets
and financial liabilities subject to deferred closings pursuant to this Article 4.2.6,
the Preliminary Consideration shall, subject to subparagraph (h) and (i) below,
be increased on a CHF-for-CHF basis by the amount of such shortfall.
(ii) If, and to the
extent, the Net Debt as at the Local Adjustment Date (as finally and bindingly
determined in accordance with Article 4.2.6(e)) exceeds the Net Debt
included in the Final Closing Balance Sheet in relation to the financial assets
and financial liabilities subject to deferred closings pursuant to this Article 4.2.6,
the Preliminary Consideration shall, subject to subparagraph (h) and (i) below,
be decreased on a CHF-for-CHF basis by the amount of such excess.
(h) If the aggregate of the
adjustments under Article 4.2.6(f) and (g) results in a
reduction in the Preliminary Consideration, Seller shall pay to Buyer the
amount of such reduction, and if the aggregate of the adjustments under Article 4.2.6(f) and
(g) results in an increase in the Preliminary Consideration, Buyer shall
pay to Seller the amount of such increase, in each case in cash by wire
transfer of immediately available funds to a bank account designated by the
Party receiving payment within five (5) Business Days after the final and
binding determination pursuant to Article 4.2.6(e), plus interest accrued
thereon between the Local Closing Date and the date of payment at the rate set
forth in Article 12.3(a);
provided, however,
that the amounts due under this Article 4.2.6(h) shall not become
payable, if, taking into account the aggregate of the adjustments pursuant to
this Article 4.2.6(h) with retroactive effect, the collar set forth
in Article 2.5.2(c) were not to have been exceeded. Any amount
previously paid by a Party on the account of the Net Working Capital and Net
Debt adjustments under Article 2.5.3 which, applying the test set forth in
the preceding sentence, would not have become payable, shall be repaid to the
other Party within five (5) Business Days after the final and binding
determination pursuant to Article 4.2.6(e), plus interest accrued thereon
between the Closing Date and the date of repayment at the rate set forth in Article 12.3(a).
(i) The Parties shall jointly
revisit the above mechanism for the establishment of the Net Working Capital
and Net Debt adjustments in relation to assets and liabilities transferred to
and assumed by Buyer at deferred Closings pursuant to this Article 4.2.6
to determine whether the procedure described herein is practicable and
35
sensible in
light of the particular circumstances and the relevant timing of such deferred
closings. Each Party shall consider in good faith any proposals made by the
other Party with the aim of facilitating the adjustment procedures in light of
the actual circumstances and timing of a deferred closing, provided such
proposed alternatives are economically equivalent to the adjustments set out
herein.
4.3 Closing Actions
4.3.1 Actions
by Seller
At the Closing Date, Seller shall, and shall cause the Share Seller
Companies and the Asset Seller Companies (as the case may be) to:
(a) deliver to Buyer or its
designated Affiliates certificates representing the TE Shares, if any, endorsed
in blank and do all such other acts as may be required under applicable law to
transfer the TE Shares and all rights connected therewith from the Share Seller
Companies to Buyer or its designated Affiliates;
(b) deliver to Buyer or its
designated Affiliates originals of all corporate actions required under
applicable law and the articles of incorporation of the TE Companies to approve
the transfer of the TE Shares and the TE Assets from the relevant Share Seller
Companies and Asset Seller Companies to the Buyer or its designated Affiliates;
(c) deliver to Buyer or its
designated Affiliates a certified copy of any power of attorney under which any
of the transfers or other documents referred to in this Article 4.3.1 are
executed, including evidence reasonably satisfactory to Buyer of the authority
of any Person signing on behalf of Seller;
(d) as instructed by Buyer no later
than twenty (20) Business Days prior to the Closing Date, deliver to Buyer
resignation letters of the Sellers appointed members of the board of directors
of the TE Companies in which such directors (i) declare their resignation
as of the Closing Date as members of the board of directors and (ii) waive
any rights and declare to have no claims of any kind whatsoever against the TE
Companies arising out of, or in connection with, their board membership;
(e) deliver to Buyer or its
designated Affiliates copies of opinions of any works council of Sellers
Affiliates from which an opinion is required under applicable laws; and
(f) deliver (electronic) copies of
the TE Financial Records, to the extent reasonably available, and, to the
extent not reasonably available, Seller shall provide Buyer or its
representatives with reasonable access to such Financial Records.
36
4.3.2 Actions
by Buyer
At the Closing Date, Buyer shall:
(a) pay the Preliminary
Consideration (other than the portion of the Preliminary Consideration
allocated to Pfersee in Article 2.6, which shall be paid by Huntsman
Germany) in cash by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the account
or accounts of Seller (such account or accounts to be designated by Seller by
written notice to Buyer delivered no later than ten (10) Business Days
before the Closing Date); and
(b) deliver to Seller a certified
copy of any power of attorney under which any of the actions referred to in
this Article 4.3.2 are executed, including evidence reasonably
satisfactory to Seller of the authority of any Person signing on behalf of
Buyer.
4.3.3 Joint
Actions by the Parties
At the Closing Date, the Parties shall:
(a) to the extent required by, or
appropriate under, applicable local laws for valid sales and|or assignments of
the TE Shares, execute such assignments and all such other acts as may be
required under applicable laws to transfer the TE Shares and all rights
connected therewith from the Share Seller Companies to Buyer or its designated
Affiliates;
(b) execute the transfer documents
(the Transfer Documents), forms of which
shall be agreed between the Parties within a reasonable period of time after
the date hereof, together with such amendments and such other instruments as
either Party shall deem reasonably necessary or appropriate to (i) transfer
to Buyer or its designated Affiliates legal title to and beneficial ownership
of the Transferred TE Assets, (ii) have Buyer or its designated Affiliates
assume the Assumed TE Liabilities, (iii) have Seller retain the Excluded
Liabilities, and (iv) transfer to Buyer or its designated Affiliates the
benefit (subject to the burden) of the Transferred TE Contracts in accordance
with Article 10.3; provided, however, that
it shall be understood that, with respect to the assets, liabilities and
contracts to be transferred and assumed hereunder that are located in
Switzerland or that are otherwise subject to Swiss law (other than solely by
virtue of the governing law provision of this Agreement in Article 14.1),
transfer shall be effected in accordance with the general principles of the CO
and the CC, to the exclusion of article 181 CO and the rules on
transfer of assets under the Swiss Merger Act (Bundesgesetz
über Fusion, Spaltung, Umwandlung und Vermögensübertragung); and provided further, that in the event of any conflict or
inconsistency between the terms of this Agreement and the terms of any Transfer
37
Document, the
terms of this Agreement shall prevail (unless expressly agreed otherwise by the
Parties); it being understood that nothing
in this proviso shall be interpreted as impairing those parts of the Transfer
Documents that are necessary to effect the transfer of the relevant TE Assets
in accordance with the requirements of applicable local laws; and
(c) execute the Ancillary
Agreements and the Excluded Plant Lease Agreements.
5. Representations and Warranties
5.1 Representations and Warranties of Seller
Subject to the limitations set forth in Articles 6 and 11, Seller
hereby represents and warrants to Buyer that the representations and warranties
set forth in Schedule 5.1 are true and accurate at and as of the
date of this Agreement and at and as of the Closing Date, and at and as of each
subsequent Local Closing Date with respect to the subject matter of the Local
Closing, except that those representations and warranties that are explicitly
made as of a specific date shall be true and accurate as of such date only.
5.2 Representations and Warranties of Buyer
Subject to the limitations set forth in Article 6, Buyer hereby
represents and warrants to Seller that the representations and warranties set
forth in Schedule 5.2 are true and accurate at and as of the date
of this Agreement and at and as of the Closing Date, and at and as of each
subsequent Local Closing Date with respect to the subject matter of the Local
Closing, except that those representations and warranties that are explicitly
made as of a specific date shall be true and accurate as of such date only.
5.3 Exclusive Representations and Warranties
(a) Seller acknowledges and agrees
that, other than as expressly provided in this Agreement, the Transfer
Documents and the documents, instruments and agreements associated therewith or
incidental thereto, Buyer has not made and does not make, and Seller has not
relied and does not rely on, any representation or warranty, express or
implied, pertaining to the subject matter of this Agreement.
(b) Buyer acknowledges and agrees
that, other than as expressly provided in this Agreement, the Transfer
Documents and the documents, instruments and agreements associated therewith or
incidental thereto, Seller has not made and does not make, and Buyer has not
relied and does not rely on, any representation or warranty, express or
implied, pertaining to the subject matter of this Agreement. In particular, and
without limitation to the foregoing, Buyer acknowledges and agrees
38
that, other
than as expressly provided in this Agreement, the Transfer Documents and the
documents, instruments and agreements associated therewith or incidental
thereto, Seller does not make any representations and warranties as to budgets,
business plans, forward-looking statements and other projections of a
financial, technical or business nature relating to the TE Business.
6. Remedies
6.1 Remedies of Buyer
6.1.1 Sellers
Right to Cure and Sellers Liability
With respect to a misrepresentation or a breach of a warranty notified
by Buyer to Seller pursuant to Article 6.1.2, Seller shall have the right,
within a reasonable period of time not exceeding thirty (30) Business Days
after receipt of the Notice of Breach, to put Buyer and|or its Affiliates in
the same position in which it would have been if no misrepresentation or breach
of warranty had occurred. If, and to the extent, such cure cannot be effected,
or is not effected within such time period, Buyer shall be entitled to claim
damages payable to Buyer or, if Buyer so directs, to the Buyers Affiliates, in
the amount which is necessary to establish the state described in such
representation or warranty, including, without limitation, reasonable costs,
fees, disbursements and expenses of attorneys, experts (including technical
consultants and contractors), or accountants of Buyer and its Affiliates, but
excluding lost profits and punitive damages.
6.1.2 Notice
of Breach
(a) Buyer shall deliver to Seller a
notice in writing describing the underlying facts of a claim for
misrepresentation or breach of warranty in reasonable detail to the extent then
known supported by available documentation (the Notice of Breach)
at the earlier of:
(i) as soon as
reasonably practicable after Buyer having obtained knowledge of (y) a
misrepresentation or breach of warranty pursuant to Article 5.1 or (z)
receipt by Buyer or any of its Affiliates, including, after the Closing Date,
the TE Companies, of a written notice of any claim made or threatened to be
made by any third party which Buyer believes is reasonably likely to give rise
to a claim for misrepresentation or breach of warranty; or
(ii) in case of a
submission to, or a decision or order by, any competent court, arbitral
tribunal or governmental or administrative body (including, without limitation,
tax authorities) which Buyer believes is reasonably likely to give rise to a
claim for misrepresentation or breach of warranty, as soon as reasonably
39
practicable
after Buyer or any of its Affiliates, including, after the Closing Date, the TE
Companies, have received any such submission, decision or order but in any
event within such period as will afford Seller a reasonable opportunity to respond
to such submission or to lodge a timely appeal or other challenge against such
decision or order.
(b) Failure to give the Notice of
Breach within the time periods set forth above shall not exclude Sellers
liability hereunder; provided, however, that
Seller shall not be liable for any damage, loss, expense, or cost to the extent
that the same is directly attributable to Buyers failure to give duly and
timely notice within the time periods set forth in this Article 6.1.2.
(c) The regime provided for in this
Article 6.1.2 shall be in lieu of and not in addition to Buyers duty to
immediately inspect and notify Seller in accordance with article 201 CO.
6.1.3 Term
of Representations and Warranties
The representations and warranties set forth in Article 5.1
shall survive the Closing Date:
(a) until the fiftieth (50th)
anniversary of the Closing Date or any longer period as may be permitted under
applicable law with respect to matters covered by Sections 1 of Schedule 5.1
(Organization and Qualification), Section 4 of Schedule 5.1
(Due Authorization), Section 5 of Schedule 5.1 (No
Conflict|Consents), and Section 7 of Schedule 5.1 (Assets);
(b) until the eleventh (11th)
anniversary of the Closing Date with respect to matters covered by Section 26
of Schedule 5.1 (Competition Law Matters);
(c) until three (3) months
after expiry of the applicable statute of limitations with respect to matters
covered by Sections 6 and 19 of Schedule 5.1 (Taxes|Compliance);
(d) with regard to the
representations and warranties in Section 20 of Schedule 5.1
(Health, Safety and Environment), until the earlier of (x) the fifth (5th)
anniversary of the Closing Date and (y) the date on which a particular property,
facility (including the production sites located on the Transferred TE Real
Property) or business is being put to a use substantially different from that
of the TE Business as conducted at the Closing Date such that the health,
safety and environmental compliance standards for that new use are materially
more stringent than the standards applicable at the Closing Date (the Excess Use); provided, however, that subpart (y) hereof shall only affect
the survival period set forth herein in respect of the Excess Use and only in
respect of such particular property, business or facility;
40
(e) until the sixth (6th)
anniversary of the Closing Date with respect to matters covered by Section 11
of Schedule 5.1; and
(f) in case of all other
representations and warranties set forth in Schedule 5.1, until the
second (2nd) anniversary of the Closing Date;
provided, however, that any representation or warranty
that would otherwise terminate in accordance with this Article 6.1.3 will
continue to survive if a Notice of Breach has been duly and timely given under Article 6.1.2
until the related claim for misrepresentation or breach of warranty has been
satisfied or resolved as provided for in Article 14.2; provided further, however, that, notwithstanding the foregoing, Buyers claim (other than
third party claims subject to Article 6.1.5) shall in any event be
precluded unless Buyer initiates arbitration proceedings pursuant to Article 14.2.2
within twenty-four (24) months of the date of the Notice of Breach (the Preclusion Period). Such preclusion shall only become
effective if Seller sixty (60) Business Days before the expiration of the
Preclusion Period gives notice in writing (the Preclusion
Notice) to Buyer of its imminent expiration. Any delay by Seller in
giving the Preclusion Notice shall cause the Preclusion Period to be extended
until the date on which the full sixty (60) Business Days, calculated from
Sellers actual (delayed) Preclusion Notice, have expired.
The Parties agree to replace the statute of limitations set forth in article 210 CO
by the survival periods set forth in this Article 6.1.3, it being
understood that at the expiry of any such survival periods, as the case may be,
extended by the Preclusion Period, any claim for misrepresentation or breach of
warranty pursuant to this Article 6 shall be deemed null and void (verwirkt), without any need for defense or objection on the
part of Seller.
6.1.4 Exclusion
of Liability
The representations and warranties set forth in Article 5.1
and Schedule 5.1 shall be qualified by those matters and information which
have been Fairly Disclosed in accordance with the letter, including any written
documents annexed to such letter or stored on a CD ROM which accompanies such
letter and which is initialed by the Parties for the purposes of identification, (i) delivered to Buyer prior to the date of this
Agreement, together with any written documents annexed thereto or stored on
such CD ROM, being in the form set forth in Schedule 6.1.4 (the Disclosure Letter), and (ii) updated at least two (2) Business
Days prior to the Closing Date, it being understood that (x) the delivery of
such update to Buyer shall not affect any of Buyers conditions to Closing
under Article 4.2.2 if such update reflects items that would have caused
any one of the conditions set forth in Article 4.2.2, prior to such
update, to have not been met, and (y) that the delivery of such update shall
not affect Sellers liability for breach of representations reflected in such
update, and any such breach reflected in such update shall not be subject to
the Deductible Amount set forth in Article 11(a). Except as set forth in
the previous sentence with regard to Buyers Closing conditions and Sellers
liability for
41
misrepresentations or breaches reflected in the update to the
Disclosure Letter, the matters and information Fairly Disclosed in the
Disclosure Letter delivered on the date of this Agreement shall operate as a
qualification of Sellers representations and warranties as set forth in Article 5.1
and Schedule 5.1, and Seller shall be under no liability for
breaches of such representations and warranties; provided,
however, that neither the Disclosure Letter nor the update thereto
shall have any effect on Sellers liability for the Excluded Liabilities or for
breach of or failure to perform any provision of this Agreement except, in the
case of the Disclosure Letter delivered on the date of this Agreement, on the
representations and warranties in Article 5.1 and Schedule 5.1.
For the avoidance of doubt, if as of the Closing Date, breaches of Sellers
representations and warranties exist, and such breaches result, or are
reasonably likely to result, in a loss to Buyer, its Affiliates and/or the TE
Companies that in the aggregate do not exceed CHF 35,000,000, there shall
be no failure of Buyers Closing conditions in Article 4.2.2(b), but Buyer
shall be entitled to assert claims against Seller with respect to such breaches
after the Closing Date. The exclusion set forth herein shall be in lieu of, and
not in addition to, the exclusions provided for in article 200 CO.
6.1.5 Third
Party Claims
(a) In the event of a proceeding
involving a claim made by any third party that could result in a liability of
Seller pursuant to Article 6.1 or an indemnification of Buyer by Seller
pursuant to Article 9.1 (an Indemnified
Claim), without prejudice to the validity of the third party claim
or alleged claim in question, the Buyer shall allow, and shall procure that any
of its Affiliates shall allow, Seller and its accountants and professional
advisers to investigate the matter or circumstance alleged to give rise to such
claim and whether and to what extent any amount is payable in respect of such
claim, and for such purpose the Buyer shall, and shall procure that its
Affiliates shall, at Sellers expense, give all such information, documentation
and assistance, including access to premises and personnel, and the right to
examine and copy or photograph any assets, accounts, documents, books and
records, as Seller or its accountants or professional advisers may reasonably
request for such purposes during a period of not more than twenty (20) Business
Days after the date on which Seller becomes aware of such claim or alleged
claim; provided, however, that Seller and its agents shall not conduct such
investigation in a manner that is materially disruptive to the ability of Buyer
or its Affiliates to carry on its business.
(b) Provided that (x) within thirty
(30) Business Days after the date on which Seller becomes aware of such claim
or alleged claim, Seller delivers a written notice to Buyer requesting that
such claim be contested, (y) Seller acknowledges in such notice its responsibility
for such claim if successful, on the basis of the facts presented by Buyer to
Seller, and (z) Seller shall have agreed, subject to any applicable limitations
in Article 6.1 and Article 11, to pay to the Buyer all costs and
expenses that the Buyer incurs in connection with contesting such claim,
including, without limitation,
42
reasonable
attorneys and other advisers and experts fees and disbursements, then:
(i) no admission of
liability shall be made by or on behalf of the Buyer or any member of its
Affiliates and the claim shall not be compromised, disposed of or settled and
no matter which may affect the outcome of any dispute or negotiation (including
with any taxation authority) in relation to the claim shall be agreed, in each
case without the prior written consent of Seller, not to be unreasonably
withheld;
(ii) Seller shall, at
its own expense, take such action as it shall deem necessary to avoid, dispute,
deny, defend, resist, appeal, postpone, settle, compromise or contest such
claim or liability or any adjudication in respect thereof (including, without
limitation, making counterclaims or other claims against third parties) in the
name and on behalf of the Buyer or any of the Buyers Affiliates concerned, and
to conduct any related proceedings, negotiations or appeals; and
(iii) the Buyer shall,
and will procure that any relevant Affiliate shall, take all such action and
give all such information, documentation and assistance, including access to
premises and personnel, copies of any relevant correspondence and the right to
examine and copy or photograph any assets, accounts, documents, books and
records, for the purpose of avoiding, disputing, denying, defending, resisting,
appealing, postponing, settling, compromising or contesting any such claim,
liability or adjudication as Seller or its professional advisers reasonably
request, and Seller agrees to keep the Buyer fully informed as to the progress
of any such claim and the defense thereof.
(c) In the event any of the above
conditions (x), (y) and (z) to Sellers rights under paragraph (b) above
is or becomes unsatisfied, (i) the Buyer may defend against, and consent
to the entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement with respect to, such
Indemnified Claim in any manner reasonably appropriate (and the Buyer need not
consult with, or obtain any consent from, Seller in connection therewith), (ii) Seller
will, subject to any applicable limitations in Article 6.1 and Article 11,
reimburse the Buyer promptly and periodically for the costs of defending
against such Indemnified Claim (including, without limitation, reasonable
attorneys and other advisers and experts fees and disbursements), and (iii) Seller
will, subject to any applicable limitations in Article 6.1 and Article 11,
remain responsible for any losses the Buyer may suffer resulting from, arising
out of, relating to, in the nature of, or caused by the Indemnified Claim.
(d) Notwithstanding the provisions
of this Article 6.1.5, the procedures provided for in Article 9.3
shall govern all claims relating to Taxes.
43
6.2 Remedies of Seller
The provisions of Article 6.1 shall apply mutatis
mutandis with respect to any misrepresentation or breach of warranty
by Buyer.
6.3 Exclusive Remedies
The remedies in this Article 6 for misrepresentations and breach
of warranties pursuant to Article 5 and Schedules 5.1 and 5.2
shall be in lieu of, and not in addition to, the remedies provided for under
statutory law and|or case law. Except for the remedies provided for in Article 9,
which shall not be limited by this Article 6.3, all other remedies for
misrepresentation or breach of warranty, including, but not limited to, the
right to rescind this Agreement following the Closing Date, shall not apply and
are hereby explicitly waived. In particular, and without limitation to the
foregoing, the Parties hereto explicitly waive (i) any and all rights
pursuant to articles 192 et seq. and 197
et seq. CO and any rights of similar
nature, including article 97 et seq. CO, (ii) the
right of contract rescission under article 205 CO, and (iii) the
right to challenge the validity of this Agreement for fundamental error under article 23
et seq. CO.
7. Conduct of Business between Signing and Closing
7.1 General
Unless otherwise provided herein or as set forth in Schedule 7.1,
at all times from the date of this Agreement to the Closing Date, Seller shall
procure that the TE Business continues to be operated as a going concern, in
the ordinary course and consistent with prior practice.
7.2 Access to the TE Business
Subject to any constraints under applicable law, Seller shall procure
that Buyer shall be given reasonable access during ordinary business hours
after the date of this Agreement until the Closing Date to the management,
legal and financial advisers and auditors and the documents of the TE Business,
Seller and Sellers Affiliates to the extent this is reasonably required for
Buyer or its advisers in the context of this Agreement and the actions
contemplated hereunder.
7.3 Restricted Actions
Unless specifically provided in this Agreement or as set forth in Schedule 7.1,
Seller and its Affiliates shall not, and shall procure that the TE Business (including
each TE Company and, for purposes of this clause, the Excluded Plants) shall
not, without prior written consent of Buyer (or, if applicable laws, in
particular merger control laws, do not so permit, without prior
44
consultation of Buyer) do, or agree to do, any of the following from
the date of this Agreement through to the Closing Date:
(a) execute any contracts or enter
into any negotiations with any third party that would materially inhibit or
impair the consummation of the transactions contemplated under this Agreement;
(b) do anything which is reasonably
likely to have a Material Adverse Effect or to intentionally cause any of the
representations and warranties set forth in Schedule 5.1 to be
breached, untrue or inaccurate when given as of the Closing Date;
(c) make any material change in the
terms of employment of any director, officer or employee of the TE Business
other than in accordance with existing agreements, collective bargaining arrangements
or normal practice or enter into, make any material variation to or terminate
any collective bargaining arrangements;
(d) form, enter into, vary,
terminate or withdraw from any material partnership, consortium, joint venture
(including any joint venture to be entered into by the TE Business in India) or
other incorporated association;
(e) alter or amend the articles of
incorporation or organizational regulations of, or any shareholders agreement
or joint venture agreement relating to, the TE Companies other than as required
by applicable law;
(f) pay or pre-pay invoices or
delay the payment of invoices other than consistent with prior business practice;
(g) make any capital expenditures
in an amount exceeding CHF 1 million individually or CHF 5 million in
aggregate, except those expressly provided for in the TE Business Plan, in Article 8.5
and in Article 9.4.1.4, and no expenditures which are so provided for
shall be withheld or delayed;
(h) issue or create any obligation
to issue, grant or sell any shares, equity-linked securities or other
securities of any kind in any of the TE Companies;
(i) increase or reduce or otherwise
change the share capital or capital structure, or grant any option or
conversion rights on the equity of any TE Company;
(j) transfer any shares or other
securities that are directly or indirectly held by any TE Company to a third
party, transfer any shares in any TE Company to a third party, or transfer any
assets material, individually or in the aggregate, to the TE Business to a
third party, or agree to make any such transfer, other than in the ordinary
course of
45
business;
(k) allow any registration of
Intellectual Property Rights material to the TE Business to expire;
(l) grant, create or allow to be
created any Lien (excluding Permitted Liens) over any of the assets of the TE
Companies or the TE Assets other than charges arising by operation of law;
(m) borrow any money or incur any
interest-bearing indebtedness or other liability owed to a third party in
excess of CHF 1,000,000 per item or in any event in excess of
CHF 10,000,000 in the aggregate or any indebtedness which provides for
payment of penalties or repayment or prepayment or which is on terms which are
of an onerous nature;
(n) liquidate any TE Company or
effect any material legal reorganization with respect to such TE Company except
as required by mandatory laws;
(o) initiate, discontinue or settle
any litigation, arbitration, expert determination or other dispute resolution
proceedings where the amount claimed together with any costs incurred or likely
to be incurred exceeds CHF 1,500,000;
(p) declare, make or pay any
dividend or other distribution, payable in cash, stock, property or otherwise,
with respect to any of the TE Companies capital stock;
(q) enter into, amend, modify or
terminate or consent to the termination of any license, distribution and supply
agreements or any Material Contracts, or amend, waive, modify, terminate or consent
to the termination of any of the TE Companies rights thereunder, other than in
the ordinary course of business or for purposes of the IT Service Agreement;
(r) close, transfer, or grant an
interest in, any Transferred TE Real Property, any other material property,
installation or equipment used for the TE Business;
(s) change the accounting
procedures, principles or practices of the TE Business unless required under
applicable law or regulations or in accordance with the ordinary course of
business;
(t) change, stop or otherwise
materially modify projects which the TE Business has commenced to implement
other than pursuant the High Level Implementation Plan and the TE Business Plan
as at the date hereof or for purposes of the IT Service Agreement;
46
(u) increase or reduce the number
of employees engaged in any part of the TE Business to any material degree
other than in accordance with the TE Business Plan and the High Level
Implementation Plan;
(v) cancel, suspend or cease to pay
premiums in respect of any policy of insurance which is in effect at the date
hereof in relation to the TE Business, or fail to maintain in force any
insurance coverage which it would be reasonable and prudent to maintain in
relation to the TE Business; or
(w) give or agree to give any
guarantee, indemnity or other support in respect of the obligations or
liabilities of any other Person.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article 7.3 or
any other provision in this Agreement, Seller shall have the right to use cash
and cash equivalents held by Panyu, Shenzhen and Qingdao, respectively, to
repay any of the respective third party debt owed by such TE Companies.
7.4 Additional Actions
7.4.1 Certain
Covenants of Seller
(a) During the period between the
date of this Agreement and the Closing Date, Seller shall use its best efforts,
and shall cause its Affiliates to use best efforts, to take all actions
necessary so that, on the Closing Date, the TE Business and each of the TE
Companies shall be in full compliance with (i) the Relevant Rules of
each jurisdiction to which the TE Business is subject as of the Closing Date
(including, without limitation, the laws of all jurisdictions in which products
of the TE Business are sold and distributed), and (ii) the Applicable U.S.
Laws (collectively, the Relevant Compliance Rules).
(b) In relation to the subject
matter covered by this Article 7.4.1, Seller shall, during the period
between the date of this Agreement and the Closing Date, provide Buyer with (i) all
information reasonably requested by Buyer (including photocopies or other
written information) relating to the operation of the TE Business prior to the
Closing Date, including (without limitation), with respect to, in each case in
relation to the TE Business, (x) Sellers financial records with regard to any
corporate compliance matters, (y) Sellers internal corporate compliance
procedures, and (z) correspondence with, and other record relating to or from,
any governmental authority or any internal or external auditor, (ii) information
relating to Sellers performance of its covenants under Article 7.4.1(a),
and (iii) copies (and English translations) of all agency, marketing or
distribution agreements (and any related side agreements) relating to the TE
Business, including such agreements or amendments to existing
47
agreements
(and any related side letters) entered into by Seller or its Affiliates since January 1,
2005 and prior to the date of the Agreement (all of such agency, marketing and
distribution agreements being listed in Schedule 7.4.1(b) and
collectively referred to herein as the Disclosed
Agency Agreements).
(c) During the period between the
date of this Agreement and the Closing Date, Seller shall accelerate its
group-wide code of conduct compliance program with a specific focus on the TE
Business to reinforce the implementation of such program.
7.4.2 Additional
Actions by the Parties
(a) Promptly upon the execution of
this Agreement, Buyer shall continue its review of the Disclosed Agency
Agreements, and shall, no later than April 15, 2006, notify Seller of any
of such Disclosed Agency Agreements that Buyer reasonably believes may not
fully comply with the Relevant Compliance Rules. All Disclosed Agency
Agreements that are not specifically identified in such notice as not complying
with the Relevant Compliance Rules shall be deemed as compliant unless
Buyer identifies new information prior to the Closing Date relating to such
Disclosed Agency Agreements that causes Buyer, acting reasonably, to reconsider
its initial determination that such agreements were compliant. In addition,
during the time period between the signing of this Agreement and the Closing
Date, Buyer and Seller shall cooperate to review any new agreements proposed to
be entered into by Seller in order to comply with its obligations under Article 7.4.1(a) (the
New Agency Agreements). As soon as
reasonably practicable, Buyer, from time to time, shall notify Seller of
whether Buyer reasonably believes that any proposed New Agency Agreement does
not fully comply with the Relevant Compliance Rules. Buyer shall also regularly
discuss with Seller its views with respect to actions required in order to
ensure that each non-compliant Disclosed Agency Agreement or New Agency
Agreement (each, a Non-Compliant Agreement)
fully complies with the Relevant Compliance Rules.
(b) In the event that Buyer
notifies Seller of any Non-Compliant Agreements pursuant to paragraph (a),
Seller shall, or cause its Affiliates to, use commercially reasonable best
efforts to renegotiate, modify or take any other action requested by Buyer with
respect to such Non-Compliant Agreement in order to ensure that such agreement (i) fully
complies with the Relevant Compliance Rules and (ii) is consistent
with Buyers reasonable views regarding the measures to be taken to be
compliant with the Relevant Compliance Rules. Seller agrees to keep the Buyer
informed as to the progress of its efforts and to regularly update the Buyer on
the progress of the satisfaction of its obligations under the preceding
sentence.
(c) At least ten (10) Business
Days prior to the Closing Date, Buyer shall provide Seller with (i) a
written notice of whether, in Buyers reasonable discretion, any of the Non-
48
Compliant
Agreements is not, and will not be, as of the Closing Date, in full compliance
with the Relevant Compliance Rules (such agreements being referred to herein
as the Designated TE Assets), (ii) a list
of such Designated TE Assets, and (iii) with respect to each of the
Designated TE Assets, a letter from a reputable law firm in the relevant
jurisdiction providing such firms view that the Designated TE Assets fail to
comply with the Relevant Compliance Rules. The Designated TE Assets shall
become Excluded Assets pursuant to this Agreement and shall not be conveyed by
Seller to Buyer at or after Closing. Provided that Closing occurs, any
Non-Compliant Agreements (or the part relating to the TE Business) shall be
terminated by Seller as promptly as reasonably possible following the Closing
Date at no cost or other liability for Buyer.
(d) Both of the Parties acknowledge
that the actions taken in good faith pursuant to Articles 7.4.1 and 7.4.2
(collectively, the Compliance Actions)
may have a commercial impact on the TE Business. Both of the Parties further
acknowledge and agree that the Purchase Price fully reflects any impact the
Compliance Actions by Seller may have, including, without limitation, any
negative impact on the sales revenue of the TE Business. It is therefore agreed
and understood that, with the exception of Buyers right to designate
Non-Compliant Agreements as Designated TE Assets in accordance with
subparagraph (c) hereof, neither Buyer nor any of its Affiliates shall
have any remedy under this Agreement or otherwise, whether based on a breach of
a covenant, representation or warranty or a claim for indemnification, for
damages, to obtain any other reimbursement or restitution, in respect of such
commercial impact of the Compliance Actions, including, without limitation, any
negative impact on the sales revenue of the TE Business.
7.4.3 Internal
Controls
Seller shall, during the period between the date of this
Agreement and the Closing Date, provide Buyer with copies of all correspondence
or other written information received by Seller or its Affiliates from internal
or external auditors or employees identifying or otherwise specifically referencing
any ineffectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting relating to
all or any portion of the TE Business or any TE Company during the period from January 1,
2005 through the Closing Date, including any notice or communication regarding
the existence of a material weakness, significant deficiency or reportable
condition (each within the meaning of U.S. GAAP), or any similar condition
that is reportable under the generally accepted accounting principles in the
jurisdictions relevant to the TE Companies.
49
8. Separation | Shape I, II and III
8.1 General Principles Applicable to Separation
(a) The Parties shall use their
commercially reasonable best efforts to separate, in cooperation with each
other, the TE Business from the Asset Seller Companies in accordance with the
principles reflected in the Carve-out Book, each attached hereto as Schedule 8.1(a),
such principles to be continuously reassessed and, if necessary, amended by
mutual written agreement of the Parties and to be reflected in the High Level
Implementation Plan, a draft of which is attached hereto as Schedule 8.1(a).
(b) The Parties agree, to the
extent that any of the items to be effected by the Closing Date under the High
Level Implementation Plan has not been carried out at the Closing Date, and the
conditions to Closing are satisfied or waived, and Closing (subject to further
Local Closings) occurs, to continue to cooperate and transfer any such
outstanding item(s) as soon as reasonably practicable after the Closing Date.
8.2 Separation and Know How
The Parties acknowledge that it may be difficult for the
various Persons involved to distinguish clearly between Transferred TE Know How
and other Know How retained by the Ciba Group. Seller undertakes not to, and to
cause its Affiliates not to, make any claims against Buyer or any of its
Affiliates based on the use by Buyer or any of its Affiliates (other than in
the businesses of the Ciba Group as of the Closing Date) of any of the Ciba
Groups Know How (including chemical documentation) other than the Transferred
TE Know How to the extent that such Know How was available to or within the TE
Business at the Closing Date or at any time before the Closing Date. Buyer
undertakes not to, and to cause its Affiliates not to, make any claims against
Seller or any of its Affiliates based on the use by Seller or any of its
Affiliates other than in the Textile Franchise of any of the Transferred TE
Know How (including TE Chemical Documentation) to the extent that such Know How
was available to the Ciba Group (but excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, the
TE Business) at the Closing Date.
8.3 Separation Costs
(a) Unless otherwise stated in this
Agreement, including, but not limited to, Article 8.3(b) below, all
costs, whether internal or external, relating to the obligations to separate
from the Ciba Group, and thereupon to transfer to Buyer or its designated
Affiliates, the TE Assets, the Transferring Employees and the Assumed TE
Liabilities, and to retain the Excluded Liabilities, including the costs
relating to the preparation of the transfer of such assets, employees,
contracts and liabilities to Buyer or its designated Affiliates, shall be borne
by Seller. All costs, whether internal or external, relating to
50
receiving the
TE Assets, the Transferring Employees and Assumed TE Liabilities and the
subsequent integration of such assets, employees, contracts and liabilities
into Buyer and|or any of its Affiliates shall be borne by Buyer, unless
otherwise stated in this Agreement.
(b) The allocation of all costs of
cloning, separation, transfer and use of the IT applications (including related
data, hardware, software and contracts) of the TE Business shall be governed by
the IT Service Agreement set forth in Schedule 8.3(b).
8.4 Transitional Agreements | Excluded Plant Lease
Agreements | Termination of Intra-Group Agreements
(a) The Parties acknowledge that
even after full implementation of all of the steps set forth in the Carve-out
Book and the High Level Implementation Plan, as amended, through to the Closing
Date, the TE Business will, for a transitional period of time, continue to be
dependent on certain services and supplies to be provided by Seller or its
Affiliates for it to be fully operable. For this purpose, Seller and Buyer will
or will cause their respective Affiliates to, with effect as from the Closing
Date, enter into the ancillary agreements described in Schedule 8.4(a) (the
TE Ancillary Agreements), for a period
of time and at terms and conditions substantially in accordance with the
respective term sheets for such TE Ancillary Agreements attached hereto as Schedule 8.4(a).
(b) To the extent Buyer or its
designated Affiliates, in accordance with Article 2.2, acquire(s) assets
and contract(s) (other than Know How or Patents) which are primarily related to
the TE Business, Buyer and Seller will or will cause their respective
Affiliates to, with effect as from the Closing Date, enter into the ancillary
agreements that are necessary for the Ciba Group to ensure continuation of its
business as conducted immediately prior to the Closing Date (such agreements
the Ciba Ancillary Agreements, and together
with the TE Ancillary Agreements and the Excluded Plant Lease Agreements (as
defined below), the Ancillary Agreements),
all as described in Schedule 8.4(b), for a period of time and at
terms and conditions substantially in accordance with the respective term
sheets for such Ciba Ancillary Agreements attached hereto as Schedule 8.4(b).
(c) With effect as from the Closing
Date, the Parties shall enter into lease agreements governing the Excluded
Plants (the Excluded Plant Lease Agreements),
at terms and conditions substantially in accordance with those set forth in Schedule 8.4(c).
(d) The Parties hereby agree to
negotiate in good faith and in an expedient manner, following the date hereof,
final forms of the Ancillary Agreements that are consistent with the terms and
conditions set forth in the term sheets attached hereto as
51
Schedules 8.4(b) and 8.4(c) with
respect to each of the Ancillary Agreements for execution by the Parties, or
their designated Affiliates, on the Closing Date.
(e) Buyer acknowledges that, upon
effectiveness of the Ancillary Agreements, any service, supply or manufacturing
agreement entered into by Seller or any of its Affiliates and any business unit
being part of the TE Business prior to such effective date shall cease to be
effective and be replaced in its entirety by the terms and conditions of such
Ancillary Agreements.
8.5 Shape I, Shape II and Shape III
(a) Any restructuring charges and
cash-outs relating to the restructuring actions under Shape I, Shape II and
Shape III, each as and to the extent identified in Schedule 8.5(a),
shall be borne by Seller and shall not be considered Approved Restructuring
Costs as hereinafter defined. The Parties understand and agree that any
severance payments payable to any of the Transferring Employees, and any
associated pension costs or liabilities, as a result of restructuring actions
under Shape I, Shape II and Shape III, each as and to the extent identified in Schedule 8.5(a),
shall be borne by Seller, regardless of whether such severance payments become
payable on, before or after the Closing Date (all such costs to be borne by
Seller under this Article 8.5(a) being collectively referred to
herein as the Retained Shape Costs).
If, and to the extent, Buyer or any of its Affiliates, including the TE
Companies, pay(s), after the Closing Date, any of the Retained Shape Costs,
Seller shall reimburse Buyer for such payments, plus interest at the rate
specified in Article 12.3(a) from the date of Buyers payment to the
date of Sellers reimbursement, within ten (10) Business Days after any
such payment by Buyer, by wire transfer of immediately available funds to an
account designated by Buyer, with value as of the same date
as such payments are made by Buyer, such payment being equal to the gross
amount of such payments including, for the avoidance of doubt, the employer
social security contributions. In relation to the restructuring charges and cash-outs made
by Seller in implementation of the restructuring actions under Shape I, Shape
II and Shape III, each as and to the extent identified in Schedule 8.5(a),
Seller shall provide Buyer such supporting information as Buyer may reasonably
request in order for Buyer to be able to verify that Seller has satisfied its
obligation hereunder.
(b) Promptly following the date of
this Agreement, subject to applicable competition laws, Seller and Buyer shall
meet and discuss proposals on the scope and cost of (i) the restructuring
actions under Shape III (other than those identified in Schedule 8.5(a))
or (ii) other restructuring actions that, in the case of either (i) or
(ii), the Parties mutually agree should be implemented and paid for by the
Seller after the date of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date (the Additional Restructuring Actions). The
Parties shall discuss such proposals in good faith with a view to agreeing the
52
timetable for
the scope and implementation of such Additional Restructuring Actions;
provided, however, that Seller shall only expend costs with respect to the
Additional Restructuring Actions upon the mutual written agreement of the
Parties regarding the specific amount and timing of the expenditure of such
costs (the Approved Restructuring Costs).
If, however, the Parties do not agree on the timing and expenditure of such
costs, no costs on Additional Restructuring Actions shall be expended by Seller
prior to Closing and there shall be no reduction in the Restructuring
Deduction. Except for the implementation of the Additional Restructuring
Actions as mutually agreed between the Parties pursuant to this Article 8.5(b),
it shall be agreed and understood that any restructuring actions under Shape
III (other than those identified in Schedule 8.5(a)) shall, subject to the
Restructuring Deduction, be the full responsibility of Buyer.
(c) Without prejudice to the
allocation of the Retained Shape Costs pursuant to Article 8.5(a), any
Approved Restructuring Costs that, in accordance with Article 8.5(b), the
Parties mutually agree are to be implemented after the date of this Agreement
and prior to the Closing Date shall be paid by Seller and, to the extent
actually paid by Seller prior to the Closing Date, shall reduce the
Restructuring Deduction.
(d) During
the time period between the signing of this Agreement and the Closing Date,
Seller shall keep Buyer reasonably informed of all Approved Restructuring Costs
paid in connection with the Additional Restructuring Actions. At least ten (10) Business
days prior to the Closing Date, Seller shall provide Buyer with a written
statement setting forth detailed financial information regarding the amount of
Approved Restructuring Costs actually paid by the Seller, together with such
supporting documentation as Buyer shall reasonably request.
9. Indemnities
9.1 Indemnification by Seller
Effective upon Closing, Seller hereby agrees to indemnify
Buyer and its Affiliates for, and hold each of them harmless against, any and
all claims, liabilities, obligations, costs and expenses (including reasonable
attorneys fees) resulting from, arising out of or otherwise relating in any
way to the Excluded Liabilities.
9.2 Indemnification by Buyer
Effective upon Closing, Buyer hereby agrees to indemnify
Seller and its Affiliates for, and hold each of them harmless against, any and
all claims, liabilities, obligations, costs and expenses (including reasonable
attorneys fees) resulting from, arising out of or otherwise
53
relating in any way to the
Assumed TE Liabilities.
9.3 Tax
(a) Except for Taxes reflected in
Net Working Capital and Net Debt and thus subject to the adjustments set forth
in Article 2.5 and except as specifically provided for in
Articles 12.1.1, 12.1.2 and 12.1.3, Seller shall be responsible for and
pay, and indemnify Buyer and any of its Affiliates for, and hold each of them
harmless against, all Taxes with respect to the TE Companies and the
Transferred TE Assets for any period up to and including the Closing Date,
including, but not limited to:
(i) any liability for
Taxes arising out of any act, omission, event or transaction occurring during
any period up to and including the Closing Date;
(ii) any liability for,
or entitlement to refunds and credits of, Taxes arising by reference to
capital, equity, income, profits or gains earned, accrued or received during
any period up to and including the Closing Date;
(iii) any liability for
Taxes of another Person resulting from being included in any consolidated,
combined or group Tax Return during any period prior to or including the
Closing Date; and
(iv) any liabilities for
Taxes for which Seller is responsible pursuant to Article 12.1.2.
(all of such liabilities being collectively referred
to as the Retained Tax Liabilities).
(b) Buyer shall be responsible for
and pay, and indemnify Seller and any of its Affiliates for, and hold each of
them harmless against, (i) all Taxes with respect to the TE Companies and
the Transferred TE Assets for any period after the Closing Date, including, but
not limited to, all Taxes payable as a result of any transaction outside of the
ordinary course of business occurring after the Closing Date and (ii) all
Taxes in connection with the transactions contemplated under this Agreement, if
and to the extent such taxes have been allocated to the Buyer pursuant to Article 12.1.2.
(c) Except for refunds reflected in
Net Working Capital and thus subject to the adjustments set forth in Article 2.5,
Seller shall be entitled to, and Buyer shall (in the event of misdirection)
reimburse Seller for, all refunds and credits of all Taxes with respect to the
TE Companies and the Transferred TE Assets for which Seller is responsible
under this Agreement.
(d) Buyer shall be entitled to, and
Seller shall (in the event of misdirection) reimburse
54
Buyer for, all
refunds and credits of all Taxes with respect to the TE Companies and the
Transferred TE Assets for which Buyer is responsible under this Agreement.
(e) If any tax audit proceedings
are announced or a claim (an Indemnified Tax Claim)
is made by any taxing authority that, if successful, would result in the
indemnification of Buyer by Seller, Buyer shall promptly, but in no event later
than fifteen (15) days after receipt of notice from the taxing authority of
such Indemnified Tax Claim, notify Seller in writing of such fact; provided, however, that the failure to provide such notice
within such fifteen (15)-day period shall not relieve Seller of its obligations
hereunder. Buyer shall take such reasonable action (including entering into a
settlement) in connection with any proceeding involving an Indemnified Tax
Claim as Seller shall reasonably request in writing from time to time; provided
that (i) within thirty (30) days after the notice required by this Article 9.3(e) has
been delivered (or such earlier due date for any response within an audit
procedure or any payment of Taxes with respect to such Indemnified Tax Claim),
Seller requests that such Indemnified Tax Claim be contested, (ii) Seller
acknowledges in writing its responsibility for such Indemnified Tax Claim, (iii) Seller
shall have agreed to pay to Buyer all costs and expenses that Buyer incurs in
connection with contesting such Indemnified Tax Claim, including, without
limitation, reasonable attorneys and accountants fees and disbursements, and (iv) Seller
acknowledges its responsibility for an increase of the amount of Taxes payable
by Buyer or any TE Company for any period for which Seller is not otherwise
obligated to indemnify Buyer. In the event any of the above conditions are or
become unsatisfied (A) Buyer may defend against, and consent to the entry
of any judgment or enter into any settlement with respect to, such Indemnified
Tax Claim in any manner reasonably appropriate (and Buyer need not consult
with, or obtain any consent from, Seller in connection therewith), (B) Seller
will reimburse Buyer promptly and periodically for the costs of defending
against such Indemnified Tax Claim (including attorneys fees and expenses),
and (C) Seller will remain responsible for any losses Buyer may suffer
resulting from, arising out of, relating to, in the nature of, or caused by the
Indemnified Tax Claim. Buyer shall not make any payment of an Indemnified Tax
Claim for at least thirty (30) days (or such shorter period as may be required
by applicable law) after the giving of the notice required by this Article 9.3(e) with
respect to such claim, shall give to Seller any information requested related
to such claim, and otherwise shall cooperate with Seller in order to contest
effectively any such claim.
55
9.4 Environment
9.4.1 Identified Sites
9.4.1.1 Environmental Investigations
(a) Up to the Closing Date, Seller and Buyer
shall jointly mandate a Person to be agreed upon (the Environmental Expert) to carry out the
environmental investigations (the Environmental
Investigations) at the sites specified in Schedule 9.4.1.1
(the Identified Sites) necessary
to establish zero baseline situation reports
(the Baseline Reports) and
determine therein Material Contamination, if any, of the Identified Sites with
Dangerous Substances that can reasonably be determined to exist as of the
Closing Date at such sites. All such Material Contamination identified in such
Baseline Reports, together with any other Material Contamination existing at an
Identified Site or emanating or released therefrom prior to the Closing Date,
is hereinafter referred to as Material Existing
Contamination. Data collected after the Closing Date shall not be
included in the Baseline Reports unless the Parties agree otherwise. The scope
of the Environmental Investigations shall be determined by Buyer in cooperation
with Seller, including appropriate quality assurance|quality control
requirements; it being understood that the Parties anticipate that with respect
to the Identified Sites set forth in section A of Schedule 9.4.1.1
phase 2 investigations (with sampling)
will be carried out, and with respect to the Identified Sites set forth in section B
of Schedule 9.4.1.1 phase 1 studies
(without sampling) will be carried out. Factual data gathered by the
Environmental Expert which meets such quality assurance/quality control
requirements shall be accepted by the Parties as evidence of the condition of
the Identified Sites at the time the data was collected; provided,
however, that nothing in this subparagraph 9.4.1.1 shall be
interpreted as precluding the admission/consideration of any additional
relevant and material evidence regarding Material Existing Contamination.
(b) The costs and expenses incurred
for the Environmental Investigations, including restoration of each Identified
Site to its condition prior to the commencement of the Environmental
Investigations in the event this Agreement is not consummated for any reason,
shall be equally shared between Seller and Buyer. Seller and Buyer shall each
have the right to be present at all times during the Environmental
Investigations.
(c) All information obtained from the
Environmental Investigations (i) shall be provided to both Seller and
Buyer, (ii) shall be kept confidential by Seller and Buyer pursuant to Article 13.7
and (iii) shall not be provided to any Person other than the Parties
hereto, except as otherwise permitted under Article 13.7. In the event
that the Environmental Investigations identify conditions at any of the Identified
Sites that in the opinion of the Environmental Expert or Buyer may require notice
to a governmental authority prior to
56
the Closing
Date, Seller shall be exclusively responsible for such notice.
9.4.1.2 Sellers
Liability for Material Existing Contamination
(a) Seller shall, subject to the terms of this Article 9.4.1.2,
be liable to Buyer for the costs and expenses of the remedial actions (the Covered Remedial Actions) incurred at any time following the
Closing Date, subject to Article 9.4.7, in connection with the Material
Existing Contamination, if the remedial actions are required to comply with
Environmental Laws as applicable and in force on or any time following the
Closing Date, where either (x) governmental authorities require such remedial
action, or (y) Buyer has reasonable grounds to believe, after providing notice
to and considering the comments of Seller, that such remedial actions are
necessary to protect the health and safety of exposed or affected persons or to
prevent environmental harm prohibited by Environmental Laws.
(b) The following procedures shall apply
to the Covered Remedial Actions:
(i) the
Covered Remedial Actions shall (x) not establish compliance or cleanup
standards beyond what is legally required under Environmental Laws applicable
and in force on or any time following the Closing Date, as lawfully interpreted
by the competent governmental or judicial authority, or, in the absence of
clearly applicable standards, beyond what is reasonably necessary to protect
the health and safety of exposed or affected persons or to prevent
environmental harm prohibited by Environmental Laws; (y) be cost effective,
taking into account the ongoing operation of (and operational limitations of)
the affected facility; and (z) be reasonably proportional to the effects of the
Material Existing Contaminations, consistent with the legal and other
requirements referenced in clause (x) above;
(ii) with
respect to Covered Remedial Actions, Seller and Buyer shall consult with each
other in good faith and generally conduct themselves in a commercially
reasonable manner and in particular comply with the following:
(1) any Covered Remedial Action to be
conducted shall be commenced according to an action plan established by Buyer
in accordance with any applicable Environmental Laws (the Remedial Action Plan); the Remedial Action
Plan shall identify the planned measures and contain a good faith estimate of
the costs to be incurred. Seller shall have the right to review and comment on
such Remedial Action Plan before its implementation and to propose changes to
the Remedial Action Plan or specific measures provided for therein. Buyer shall
take reasonable account of Sellers comments and proposals in relation thereto;
57
(2) Buyer shall give Seller the
opportunity to be involved in determining the method and scope of any Covered
Remedial Action; provided, however, that any such
involvement shall not prevent the Covered Remedial Action from being
implemented in accordance with Article 9.4.1.2(b)(i) and in
compliance with the Environmental Laws applicable in the respective
jurisdiction;
(3) Buyer shall give Seller reasonable
opportunity, by giving reasonable prior written notice, to attend and
participate in any material meetings or conference calls with the competent
authorities with respect to the Covered Remedial Actions;
(4) Buyer shall provide Seller with
copies of all reports, correspondence, analytical results and other relevant
documentation with respect to the Covered Remedial Actions; and
(5) Buyer shall provide Seller a reasonable
opportunity of at least twenty-five (25) Business Days (unless exigent
circumstances otherwise require) to review and comment on drafts of any Remedial
Action Plan or other material submission to governmental authorities or third
parties with respect to the Covered Remedial Actions. Buyer shall take reasonable
account of Sellers comments in relation thereto;
(iii) subject
to the reimbursement of costs and expenses pursuant to the allocations set
forth herein, Buyer shall have the right and obligation, after reasonable
consultation with Seller and without prejudice to its other rights or
obligations hereunder, to take such action as is reasonably necessary to respond
to actual or threatened emergencies at or affecting the Identified Sites.
(c) Upon any change in use of any Identified Site of
the TE Business, or divestiture by Buyer of any Identified Site or any asset
related thereto to a third party (including an Affiliate of Buyer), Sellers
liability under this Article 9.4.1.2 shall only continue to the extent
such change or divestiture does not materially adversely affect Sellers position
under this Article 9.4.1.2. To the extent of such adverse effect on Sellers
position under this Article 9.4.1.2, Sellers liability hereunder relating
to the Identified Site shall cease to be effective and Buyer shall indemnify
Seller and each of its Affiliates for, and hold each of them harmless against,
any liability resulting thereof.
(d) In no event shall Seller be liable for costs and
expenses for remedial actions to the extent such actions are required by more
stringent standards under the Environmental Laws as in force at the Closing
Date which become applicable only as a result of a change in use of any
Identified Site by Buyer or any of its Affiliates, including, as from
58
the Closing
Date, the TE Companies, to a use substantially different from that of the TE
Business as conducted at the Closing Date.
(e) Buyer shall not, and shall cause its Affiliates,
including the TE Companies, not to, conduct, authorize or suffer any testing,
sampling, probing, removal, excavation, digging, plowing or other disturbance
of soil or any subsurface media located at or under the Identified Sites,
except (i) with the prior written approval of Seller (which may not be
unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), (ii) to the extent
reasonably necessary for or incidental to any construction, expansion,
demolition or refurbishment works at any of the Identified Sites, (iii) to
the extent reasonably necessary for or incidental to the proper operation of
the TE Business, or (iv) to the extent reasonably necessary to comply with
any applicable laws.
9.4.2 Leased
Sites
Article 9.4.1 shall apply mutatis
mutandis with respect to the sites specified in Schedule 9.4.2
(the Leased Sites); it being understood that
the Parties anticipate that with respect to the Leased Sites set forth in section A
of Schedule 9.4.2 phase 2 investigations
(with sampling) will be carried out, and with respect to the Leased Sites set
forth in section B of Schedule 9.4.2 phase 1
studies (without sampling) will be carried out; provided,
however, that for purposes of this Article 9.4.2:
(a) notwithstanding the mutual consultation
obligations pursuant to Article 9.4.1.2(b)(ii), it shall be agreed that
Seller shall have full responsibility in determining the method and scope of
the Covered Remedial Actions, maintain all communications and contacts with
relevant agencies with respect to the Covered Remedial Actions, prepare and
make all submissions and determine the positions to be taken with and in
respect of all such relevant agencies, contract for, oversee, and pay for all
activities in respect of the Covered Remedial Actions, contest or not contest
agency actions, and conduct and defend all litigation relating to the Covered
Remedial Actions. In particular, Seller shall comply with the following:
(i) any
Covered Remedial Action to be conducted shall be commenced according to a
Remedial Action Plan prepared by Seller. Buyer shall have the right to review
and comment on such Remedial Action Plan before its implementation and to
propose changes to the Remedial Action Plan on specific measures provided for
therein. Seller shall take reasonable account of Buyers comments and proposals
in relation thereto;
(ii) Seller
shall give Buyer the opportunity to be involved in determining the method and scope
of any Covered Remedial Action; provided, however,
that any such involvement shall not prevent the Covered Remedial Action from
59
being
implemented in compliance with the Environmental Laws applicable in the
respective jurisdiction;
(iii) Seller
shall give Buyer reasonable opportunity, by giving reasonable prior written
notice, to attend and participate in any material meetings or conference calls
with the competent authorities with respect to the Covered Remedial Actions;
(iv) Seller
shall provide Buyer with copies of all reports, correspondence, analytical
results and other relevant documentation with respect to the Covered Remedial
Actions; and
(v) Seller
shall provide Buyer a reasonable opportunity of at least twenty-five (25)
Business Days (unless exigent circumstances otherwise require) to review and
comment on drafts of any Remedial Action Plan or other material submission to
governmental authorities or third parties with respect to the Covered Remedial
Actions. Seller shall take reasonable account of Buyers comments in relation
thereto;
(b) subject to the reimbursement of costs and
expenses pursuant to the allocations set forth herein, Seller shall have the
right and obligation, after reasonable consultation with Buyer and without
prejudice to its other rights or obligations hereunder, to take such action as
is reasonably necessary to respond to actual or threatened emergencies at or
affecting the Leased Sites;
(c) Buyer shall, and shall cause any of its
Affiliates, including, after the Closing Date, the TE Companies to grant
reasonable access to Seller, any of its Affiliates and its representatives,
employees, agents and contractors to enter upon the Leased Sites and any
building and improvement thereon for purposes of conducting the Covered
Remedial Actions. Seller shall use its commercially reasonable best efforts to
minimize disruption to the business activities of Buyer or any of its
Affiliates in the course of performing the Covered Remedial Actions; and
(d) reasonably prior to the expiration of the
lease in respect of any of the Leased Sites, Seller and Buyer shall jointly
mandate the Environmental Expert
to carry out environmental investigations at the respective Leased Site as
necessary to establish Baseline Reports
and determine therein Material Contamination, if any, of the respective
Leased Site with Dangerous Substances that can reasonably be determined to have
been caused by Buyer between the Closing Date and the date on which Buyer
discontinues its operation at the respective Leased Site (the Lease End Date). All such Material Contamination identified
in such Baseline Reports, together with any other Material Contamination caused
by Buyer between the Closing Date
60
and the Lease
End Date, shall be considered Buyer Material Existing Contamination for
purposes of this Article 9.4.2. Data collected after the Lease End Date
shall not be included in the Baseline Reports unless the Parties agree
otherwise. The scope of the Environmental Investigations shall be determined by
Seller in cooperation with Buyer, including appropriate quality
assurance|quality control requirements. Factual data gathered by the
Environmental Expert which meets such quality assurance|quality control
requirements shall be accepted by the Parties as evidence of the condition of
the respective Leased Site at the time the data was collected; provided, however, that nothing in this subparagraph (d) shall
be interpreted as precluding the admission/consideration of any additional
relevant and material evidence regarding Buyer Material Existing Contamination.
Buyer shall, subject to the terms of this Article 9.4.2, be liable to
Seller for the costs and expenses of the remedial actions incurred at any time
following the Lease End Date in connection with the Buyer Material Existing
Contamination, to the extent provided in the Excluded Plant Lease Agreements.
9.4.3 HF
Site
Seller shall undertake and complete the following at its own
cost (unless specified otherwise herein):
(a) an upgrade of the buildings at the Basel
Site (Klybeck) to comply with all earthquake protection
requirements, as agreed with or ordered by the authorities (Gesundheitsdepartement Basel-Stadt|Kontrollstelle für
Chemie und Biosicherheit) to whom Seller has submitted the proposal attached hereto as Schedule 9.4.3(a). This upgrade shall be completed within the timeframe ordered by or
agreed with the competent authorities. With respect to aforementioned earthquake
protection requirements and the procedures to be observed in relation thereto, Article 9.4.2(b) shall
apply mutatis mutandis;
(b) an updated risk assessment of the
production unit relating to hydrogen fluoride in buildings K-90 and K- 650 and
related or potentially affected buildings, operations, equipment and storage
facilities (the HF Site), using
the Dutch risk management framework and requirements. The risk assessment will
be completed in accordance with such reasonable protocol and procedures as
Buyer may specify (it being understood that such protocols and procedures shall
not be more stringent than the protocols and procedures Buyer would apply under
its own risk and safety standards and shall not include any measures designed
to optimize production at the HF Site) and will address all known and
reasonably foreseeable risks to life, property and the environment that may
arise from operations, accidents, fires, explosions and natural disasters
(including, without limitation, earthquakes), at, affecting or emanating from
the HF Site, including reasonably foreseeable risks to pending or proposed uses
on
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adjacent or
nearby properties, such as the Tivona project. Seller shall undertake its
commercially reasonable best efforts to have this risk assessment completed
prior to Closing and submitted both to Buyer and the authorities (Gesundheitsdepartement Basel-Stadt|Kontrollstelle für
Chemie und Biosicherheit). The costs for the risk assessment will be
shared equally between Seller and Buyer;
(c) utilizing the results of the
risk assessment referred to in Article 9.4.3(b), Seller shall, with the
prior written approval of Buyer and following prior consultation with the
relevant authorities: (i) take all actions necessary to bring the risks
presented by the HF Site within tolerable limits in accordance with the Dutch risk management framework and
requirements (it being understood that with respect to requirements
specifically designed to addressing risks resulting from pending or proposed
uses on
adjacent or nearby properties, such as the Tivona project, Seller shall only be
required to take the respective actions if, within the general timeframe
ordered by or agreed with the competent
authorities within which the actions to be undertaken hereunder are to be
undertaken, such pending or proposed use is reasonably certain to be
implemented), and (ii) take all such further steps as may
be necessary to satisfy any additional requirements imposed by the aforementioned
authorities as a result of such risk assessment (together the Risk Management Actions). Any necessary governmental
authorizations shall be obtained by Seller. Where the Risk Management Actions
involve work on the HF Site, Seller and Buyer shall coordinate to minimize the
impact of the work on ongoing operations and assure the safety of all workers.
Seller shall undertake its commercially reasonable best efforts to undertake
all actions to be undertaken hereunder within the timeframe ordered by or agreed
with the competent authorities;
(d) for avoidance of doubt, it is the intention
of the Parties that Seller should bear all costs necessary to address the risk
management issues described in clauses (a) through (c) above. Should
the authorities require any actions of Buyer in order to ensure compliance of
the HF Site with all applicable regulations regarding earthquake protection
(based on clause (c) above) or protection against other risks (based on
the updated risk assessment referred to in clauses (b) and (c) above),
Seller shall indemnify Buyer for all costs incurred by Buyer in undertaking
such actions.
9.4.4 Sellers
Liability for Off-Site Releases
Seller shall indemnify
and hold harmless Buyer, and Buyers Affiliates, officers, agents and employees,
against and from all claims, liabilities, losses and expenses suffered or
incurred at any time arising from or in connection with any release, prior to
the Closing Date, by or from any part of the TE Business at any location other
than Identified Sites, of any Dangerous Substance into the environment. For
avoidance of doubt, Sellers liability to Buyer for the
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costs and expenses of remedial
actions relating to Identified Sites and Leased Sites shall be exclusively
governed by Articles 9.4.1.2 and 9.4.2, respectively.
9.4.5 Sellers
Liability for Non-compliance
(a) Subject to the limitations in this Article 9.4.5,
Seller shall indemnify and hold harmless Buyer, and Buyers Affiliates,
officers, agents and employees, against and from all claims, liabilities,
losses and expenses suffered or incurred at any time as a result of the failure
by any part of the TE Business, as of the Closing Date, to hold or be able to
comply with the terms of any environmental legal obligation, consent, permit,
authorization or license required for the ownership, operation or conduct of
such part of the TE Business. Should any such environmental compliance issue
exist in relation to any site and, prior to Closing, be disclosed in writing by
Seller to Buyer, Seller shall only be liable for indemnifying Buyer for any
losses and expenses suffered or incurred as a result of such non-compliance
that are in excess of CHF 100,000 at that particular site.
(b) In the event of failure by any part of the
TE Business, as of the Closing Date, to hold or be able to comply with the
terms of any environmental legal obligation, consent, permit, authorization or
license required for the ownership, operation or conduct of such part of the TE
Business, which was not disclosed in writing by Seller to Buyer prior to the
Closing, Buyer shall immediately inform Seller of such failure, and in respect
of the actions to be undertaken by Buyer to establish compliance, the
procedures set forth in Article 9.4.1.2(b) shall apply mutatis mutandis. In no event shall Seller be liable for
indemnifying Buyer for any increased costs or expenses incurred by Buyer as a
direct consequence of Buyers failure to provide Seller with sufficient time to
exercise its rights under Article 9.4.1.2(b).
9.4.6 Insurance
Buyer acknowledges and agrees that, as of the Closing Date, the TE
Business will not be insured under any insurance policies maintained by Seller
or any of its Affiliates, except (i) in the case of claims made policies
(including those relating to the health, life or property of any personnel), to
the extent that a claim has been reported prior to the Closing Date and relates
to the TE Business and (ii) as otherwise agreed to in writing by the
Parties. From and after the Closing Date, Seller shall have no obligation of
any kind to maintain any form of insurance covering the TE Business; provided, however, that Seller shall reasonably cooperate
with Buyer to permit the TE Business to have the benefit of reasonable
uninterrupted insurance coverage.
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9.4.7 Environmental
Liability of the Parties
(a) Buyer shall reimburse Seller any amount
paid by Seller, following the Closing Date, to third parties or governmental
authorities in respect of the TE Business which are in excess of the liability
of Seller allocated under this Article 9.4; provided,
however, that Seller has timely informed Buyer of such claims and
has given Buyer reasonable opportunity to assist Seller in defending such
claims.
(b) Seller shall have no liability to Buyer
pursuant to Article 9.4.1.2 relating to Identified Sites after the
fifteenth (15th) anniversary of the Closing Date, without prejudice
to any claims thereunder notified to Seller prior to such date. For the
avoidance of doubt, this 15-year limitation on Sellers liability does not
apply to Leased Sites (Article 9.4.2) or to Sellers liabilities pursuant
to Articles 9.4.3, 9.4.4 or 9.4.5.
9.4.8 Reallocation
of Liabilities
If any court, tribunal, governmental entity or other legal authority
imposes any liability on either Party pursuant to Environmental Laws or Health
and Safety Laws that is substantially different from the manner in which the
liability is allocated between the Parties pursuant to this Article 9.4,
then the Party subject to the increased liability shall be reimbursed by the
other Party to the extent necessary to restore the allocation of liabilities
under this Article 9.4.
10. Other Covenants
10.1 Press Releases and Other Public Announcements
Following the date of this Agreement until ten (10) Business Days
after (x) the Closing Date or (y) termination of this Agreement pursuant to Article 4.2.5,
all public announcements or press releases issued in connection with the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement shall only be published after Buyer and Seller
shall have consulted and agreed on the contents of such public announcements or
press releases. Nothing in this Agreement shall restrict or prohibit:
(a) any announcement or disclosure required by
law or by any competent authority or by any competent securities exchange;
(b) Buyer from informing customers or suppliers
of the acquisition of the TE Business by Buyer after the Closing Date; or
(c) Buyer from making any disclosure to any of
its directors, officers, employees, agents or advisers who are required to
receive such information to carry out their duties (conditional upon any such
Person agreeing to keep such information confidential for
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so long as the
disclosing Party is obligated to do so in accordance with this Article, any
other provision of this Agreement or applicable law).
10.2 Termination of Commitments
(a) Seller and Buyer shall use their commercially
reasonable best efforts to procure the termination of the commitments,
guarantees and similar undertakings, including any verbal commitments vis-à-vis
financial institutions, all as set forth in Schedule 10.2 (the Undertakings), made or given by Seller or any of its
Affiliates (other than any TE Company) in favor of the TE Business on or before
the Closing Date by either offering to assume or replace such Undertakings or
offering to procure the full performance of any obligations of the TE Business
underlying any such Undertakings. Buyer shall provide to Seller (i) complete
and accurate details of its commercially reasonable best efforts to procure the
termination of the Undertakings and (ii) confirmation of such full, irrevocable
and unconditional (but subject to Closing) discharge of the Undertakings of
Seller and its Affiliates as have been obtained (other than any TE Company) no
later than five (5) Business Days prior to the Closing Date. All
commercially reasonable costs and expenses arising in connection with the
termination of the Undertakings shall be borne by Buyer (excluding, for the
avoidance of doubt, any internal costs of Seller).
(b) At the request of Buyer, Seller shall use
its commercially reasonable best efforts to assist Buyer in procuring the
termination of the Undertakings; provided, however,
that Seller shall not be required to make any payment to any Person, incur any
material liability or obligations or forego any material benefits in order to
obtain such termination.
(c) If any of the Undertakings is not
terminated by the Closing Date, Buyer shall use its commercially reasonable
best efforts, with the reasonable assistance of Seller, to obtain with respect
to such non-terminated Undertaking (the Deferred
Undertaking) any
necessary third party consent with retroactive effect as of the Closing Date; provided, however, that (i) Seller shall not be
required to make any payment to any Person, incur any material liability or
obligations or forego any material benefits in order to obtain such consent,
and (ii) Buyer shall not be required to incur any commercially
unreasonable expense to obtain such consent.
(d) Any Deferred Undertaking shall be performed
by Buyer on its own behalf but in the name of Seller (to the extent so
permitted by applicable law), whereby Buyer assumes the economic burden and
benefits of such Deferred Undertaking as of the Closing Date as if such
Deferred Undertaking had been transferred to Buyer. Seller shall exercise, or
shall procure that any of its Affiliates exercises, the rights and obligations
arising under such Deferred Undertakings on a fiduciary basis and shall be
bound by
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the instructions
of Buyer. Buyer shall indemnify Seller and its Affiliates for, and hold each of
them harmless against, all claims and liabilities arising out of, or in
connection with, the fiduciary performance by Seller or its Affiliates arising
out of or in connection with Buyers non-proper performance of the Deferred
Undertakings.
10.3 Transfer | Change of Control Clauses of the
Transferred TE Contracts
(a) Buyer and Seller will cooperate in seeking
the transfer of all Transferred TE Contracts that relate exclusively or
primarily to the TE Business, it being understood that the contracts primarily
relating to the TE Business can only be transferred if, under the relevant
Transferred TE Contract, a partial transfer is permissible, from
the Asset Seller Companies to Buyer or its designated Affiliates, effective as
of or as soon as practicable after the Closing Date. To the extent required,
for each Transferred TE Contract, Seller and Buyer will use their commercially
reasonable efforts to effect transfer of that Transferred TE Contract to Buyer
or its designated Affiliate so that Buyer or its designated Affiliate is
substituted for the Asset Seller Companies under the Transferred TE Contract
and the Asset Seller Companies are, subject to Articles 2.2.2(a)(ii) and
9.1, relieved of all further liabilities and rights relating to such Transferred
TE Contract (except as otherwise provided in this Agreement).
(b) In the event that any Transferred TE
Contract (but excluding any of the Transferred TE Contracts that are Key
Assets) cannot be transferred in accordance with Article 10.3(a), with
respect thereto, then as of the Closing Date, this Agreement, to the extent
permitted by law and the terms of the Transferred TE Contract, shall be deemed
to effectuate full assignment by the Asset Seller Companies to Buyer or its
designated Affiliates of all of the Asset Seller Companies benefits and
burdens under such Transferred TE Contract, and Buyer or its designated
Affiliates shall be deemed the Asset Seller Companies agent for purposes of
discharging all of the Asset Seller Companies obligations thereunder except as
otherwise provided in Article 10.3(e). The Parties shall use their
commercially reasonable efforts to take all necessary steps and actions to
provide Buyer or its designated Affiliates with the benefits of such
Transferred TE Contract, and to relieve the Asset Seller Companies of the
performance and other obligations thereunder (subject to Articles 2.2.2(a)(iii) and
9.1).
(c) In the event that Seller shall be unable to
make the transfer or assignment of one (1) or more Transferred TE Contracts
as described in Article 10.3(a) and (b) (but excluding any of
the Transferred TE Contracts that are Key Assets), or if such attempted
transfer or assignment would give rise to the exercise of any right of
termination, or would otherwise adversely affect the rights of the Asset Seller
Companies or Buyer or its designated Affiliates under such Transferred TE
Contract, or would not assign all of the Asset Seller Companies rights
thereunder at the Closing
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Date, Seller
and Buyer shall, from and after the Closing Date, and for a period of one (1) year
from the Closing Date (or such longer period as Buyer shall, in its reasonable
discretion, designate) continue to cooperate and use commercially reasonable efforts
to effect transfer or assignment of such Transferred TE Contract to provide
Buyer or its designated Affiliates with such rights. In respect of any
Transferred TE Contract, until an assignment in accordance with Article 10.3(a) or
(b) to Buyer, or an Affiliate designated by Buyer, has taken place, Seller
shall hold the benefit of the Transferred TE Contract for Buyer from the
Closing Date and in so acting shall:
(i) perform
all such acts and afford to Buyer such assistance as it may reasonably require
for the purpose of vesting in the Buyer the full commercial benefit of such
contract as from the Closing Date (including, without limitation, exercising
its rights thereunder pursuant to instructions given by the Buyer);
(ii) provide
without cost to Buyer all assistance reasonably requested by the Buyer for
invoicing products and services delivered by Buyer, its Affiliates or their
assistants to such customers, and collecting any monies not paid by the
customers when due (including, without limitation, initiating debt collection
proceedings and assigning, if requested by Buyer, all or part of the claims
against such customers);
(iii) receive
any payments made after the Closing Date by a third party under any such
contract, record the payment separately in its books and forward such payments
to Buyer within ten (10) Business Days of receipt;
(iv) deliver
to Buyer as soon as possible after receipt any notice or other document
concerning or relating to such contract received by Seller;
(v) receive
any goods delivered to it, pursuant to such contract and deliver such goods as
directed by Buyer; and
(vi) not,
without prior written consent from Buyer, consent to any modification or
amendment of, or terminate such Transferred TE Contract, or waive, terminate or
consent to the termination of any of its rights thereunder.
(d) To the extent that Buyer or its designated
Affiliates are provided the benefits of any Transferred TE Contract referred to
herein, whether under Article 10.3(a), (b) or (c), Buyer or its designated
Affiliates shall perform on behalf of the Asset Seller Companies and for the
benefit of any third party the obligations of the Asset Seller Companies
thereunder or in connection therewith. Buyer agrees to discharge, and indemnify
Seller and each of its Affiliates for and hold each of them harmless against,
all liabilities of Seller or its Affiliates relating to such performance or
failure to perform,
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except to the
extent attributable to the gross negligence or wilful misconduct of Seller or
its Affiliates and in the event of a failure of such indemnity, Seller and each
of its Affiliates shall cease to be obligated under this Agreement with respect
to the Transferred TE Contract which is the subject of such failure.
(e) If, at the end of the one (1) year period described in clause (c) or such later date as
designated by Buyer (acting reasonably), Seller is still unable to effect the
transfer or assignment of any such Transferred TE Contract, Seller shall be in
breach of its obligations under this Agreement and Buyer shall be entitled to
recover from Seller all losses, costs, damages and expenses suffered or
incurred by Buyer and its Affiliates as a result of the inability of Seller to
effect such transfer or assignment, including, without limitation, any direct,
indirect or consequential costs, losses, expenses and damages which so result.
None of the limitations on or exclusions of the liability of Seller set forth
in Articles 6.1 or 11(a) and (b) shall apply.
10.4 Change of Control Clauses of Contracts to Which
a TE Company is a Party
(a) Seller and Buyer shall cooperate and use
their commercially reasonable efforts to procure that any consents, approvals
or waivers of any third party under any contract or agreement to which a TE
Company is a Party, which gives rise to a right of termination upon change of
control and which is material to the TE Business, all as set forth in Schedule 10.4,
shall have been obtained on or before the Closing Date.
(b) In the event that the Parties shall have
not been able to obtain any consent, approval or waiver of any third party
under such contracts, but excluding any such contract that is a Key Asset,
Seller and Buyer shall, from and after the Closing Date, continue to cooperate
and use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all such consents, approvals
or waivers required to transfer such contracts to Buyer or its designated
Affiliates.
(c) To the extent that any such consents or
waivers are not obtained, and until the applicable consent, approval or waiver
is obtained, or, if later, one (1) year after the Closing Date (or such
longer period as Buyer, in its reasonable discretion, shall designate), Article 10.3(c) shall
apply mutatis mutandis.
(d) To the extent that Buyer or its designated
Affiliates are provided the benefits of any contract subject to Article 10.4(c),
Buyer or its designated Affiliates shall perform on behalf of Seller or its
Affiliates and for the benefit of any third party the obligations of Seller or
its Affiliates thereunder or in connection therewith. Buyer agrees to
discharge, and indemnify Seller and each of its Affiliates for and hold each of
them harmless against, all liabilities of each of Seller and its Affiliates
relating to such
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performance or
failure to perform, except to the extent attributable to the gross negligence
or wilful misconduct of Seller or its Affiliates, and in the event of a failure
of such indemnity, Seller and each of its Affiliates shall cease to be
obligated under this Agreement with respect to the contract which is the
subject of such failure.
(e) If, at the end of the one year period
described in clause (c) or such later date as designated by Buyer (acting
reasonably), Seller is still unable to effect the transfer or assignment of any
such contract, Seller shall be in breach of its obligations under this
Agreement and Buyer shall be entitled to recover from Seller all losses, costs,
damages and expenses suffered or incurred by Buyer and its Affiliates as a
result of the inability of Seller to effect such transfer or assignment,
including, without limitation, any direct, indirect or consequential costs,
losses, expenses and damages which so result. None of the limitations on or
exclusions of the liability of Seller set forth in Articles 6.1 or 11(a) and
(b) shall apply.
10.5 Assignment of Trademarks With the Consent of a
Third Party Only
(a) With respect to the Transferred TE
Trademarks which are subject to a prior right agreement or similar agreement
existing at the date of this Agreement with any third party listed in Schedule 10.5.
Buyer acknowledges that such Transferred TE Trademarks cannot be assigned to
Buyer, or that the rights and obligations under such agreements cannot be
assigned to Buyer, unless the third party involved gives its consent. As soon
as reasonably practicable after the date hereof, Seller and Buyer shall enter
into good faith negotiations with such third parties to obtain such consent effective
as of the Closing Date. If such consent has not been obtained as of the Closing
Date, Seller and Buyer shall thereafter continue to cooperate and use
commercially reasonable best efforts to obtain any such consent that remains outstanding.
10.6 Recording of Assignment
(a) At the Closing Date, and from time to time
thereafter as Buyer may reasonably request, Buyer shall prepare and Seller
shall execute such documents as Buyer may reasonably request in order to record
the assignment of the Transferred TE Trademarks, the Transferred TE Domain
Names and the Transferred TE Patents. Buyer shall use commercially reasonable
efforts to record within a reasonable period of time the transfer of such
Trademarks, domain names and Patents with the competent authorities, unless
Buyer has elected to abandon or withdraw such Trademarks, domain names or Patents.
The responsibility and expenses of preparing and filing such transfer documents
and any action required ancillary thereto shall be borne solely by Buyer.
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(b) Seller shall pay or cause to be paid any
fees for renewal and maintenance of any of the Transferred TE Trademarks,
Transferred TE Domain Names and Transferred TE Patents that are due prior to
the Closing Date. As of the Closing Date, all other renewal and maintenance
fees shall be paid by Buyer.
(c) Article 10.6(a) and (b) shall
apply mutatis mutandis with respect to the
Trademarks, domain names and Patents owned by or registered in the name of any
of the TE Companies.
10.7 Corporate Name, Trademarks and Domain Names
(a) Except as set forth in
Articles 2.2.1(a)(i), 2.2.1(a)(ii), 2.2.1(a)(iii), 2.3 and Schedule 5.1,
no interest in any corporate name, Trademark or domain name of Seller or any of
its Affiliates is being transferred to Buyer pursuant to this Agreement, and
Buyer shall procure that its Affiliates, including, as from the Closing Date,
the TE Companies, as soon as commercially practicable and in no event later
than by the end of the Transition Period, shall change or remove the word
«Ciba» or any combination containing the word «Ciba», any other word or words
resembling the word «Ciba» or the «Ciba» butterfly and the «Ciba» type face.
Except as specifically contemplated herein, as from the Closing Date, Buyer
shall not, and shall procure that the TE Business shall not, take any action
that might create the impression that the TE Business continues to be a part of
Seller or any of its Affiliates.
(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, for a period
of up to the Transition Period
(but subject to applicable laws and regulations in the respective territory),
Buyer, including the TE Companies, shall be entitled to sell the Inventory of
the TE Business existing as at the Closing Date that is labeled with the word
«Ciba», the «Ciba» butterfly and the «Ciba» type face. Buyer shall use commercially
reasonable endeavors, at its own expense, (i) to obtain, as promptly as
possible, but by the end of the Transition Period, such approvals of competent
government authorities as may be necessary to change Buyers labeling for each
of the products (as identified by a TE Companies Trademark or a Transferred TE
Trademark) in such a way that any reference to Seller or any of its Affiliates
is removed as well as (ii) to implement, as promptly as possible, but by the end of the Transition Period,
such change of labeling.
(c) Seller shall not use or register any new
Trademark identical or confusingly similar to any of the Transferred TE
Trademarks. Buyer shall not use or register any new Trademark identical or
confusingly similar to any of Sellers Trademarks (other than the Transferred
TE Trademarks) used by Seller .
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10.8 Third Party Infringements of Transferred Patents
(a) The Parties shall promptly inform each
other of and their intention concerning any infringements by third parties of
any Patents exclusively licensed to Buyer under Article 2.3.1(a) they
become aware of.
(b) Under any exclusive license granted under
this Agreement, Buyer shall be entitled to enforce the respective Patent on its
own behalf against any third party infringements in the field where the license
is exclusive. In any event, Buyer shall inform Seller before Buyer asserts the
respective Patent against any third party.
(c) To the extent that Licensee needs
additional authorization or support to enforce a Patent, Seller shall use
commercially reasonable efforts to support Buyer in such enforcement.
10.9 Transferring Employees | Pension and Benefit
Plans
Subject to Closing, Seller and Buyer shall observe and
perform the respective rights and obligations relating to the Transferring
Employees and the pension and benefit matters set forth in Schedule 10.9
as are expressed to be observed and performed therein.
10.10 Document Retention and Access
(a) On and after the Closing Date, Buyer shall
procure that the TE Business (i) shall preserve all material books,
business correspondence and records relating to the period prior to the Closing
Date for the longer of (1) a period of ten (10) years commencing with
the expiry of the business year in which (x), as to the books, the last entries
have been made, (y), as to the business correspondence, such business
correspondence has been received or sent, and (z), as to the records, the
relevant accounting records have originated, and (2) the period required
by applicable mandatory law; and (ii) shall not destroy or dispose of such
records without giving notice to Seller of such pending disposal and offering
such records to Seller. If Seller has not requested such records within ninety
(90) Business Days following receipt of notice from Buyer, Buyer may proceed to
destroy, or dispose of, such records. If Seller requests such records, it shall
hold them confidential and not disclose them to any third party (other than to
advisers on a confidential basis) unless disclosure of such records by Seller
is required (i) by applicable law, (ii) in order for Seller to comply
with contractual or other obligations binding upon them, or (iii) to
effectively pursue any of the rights Seller may have vis-à-vis a third party,
including tax or other governmental authorities.
(b) Until the tenth (10th) anniversary of the
Closing Date, or such longer time period as
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required by
law, and subject to the attorney-client privilege, Buyer shall procure that the
TE Business shall afford Seller and its advisers reasonable access, upon prior
notice during normal business hours, to such directors, officers, employees,
advisers, offices, properties, agreements, records, books and affairs of the TE
Business, and shall provide copies of such information, as Seller may
reasonably request in connection with:
(i) the
preparation of any Tax Returns in so far as the TE Business is relevant to
them;
(ii) any
judicial, quasi-judicial, administrative, Tax, audit, or arbitration
proceedings involving or affecting Seller or its Affiliates which relate to or
involve the TE Business or its affairs;
(iii) the
preparation of any financial statements or reports in so far as the TE Business
is relevant to them; and
(iv) the
Excluded Liabilities and the licenses under Article 2.3.
10.11 Non-Competition
(a) Seller will not, and shall cause its
Affiliates (and any successor to the foregoing) not to, for a period of three (3) years from the Closing Date, directly or indirectly acquire or
own any interest, or otherwise participate or engage, anywhere in the world, in
any business active in the Textile Franchise (the Protected
Activity).
(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, Seller and
its Affiliates shall not be prohibited from, or restricted in:
(i) purchasing
products or services for use outside the Protected Activity, or marketing,
selling or supplying products used by a third party not affiliated with the
Seller to manufacture products within the scope of the Textile Franchise; or
(ii) owning,
acquiring or entering into a business combination in any manner with any entity
that is engaged in the Protected Activity if, in the twelve (12) months prior
to the acquisition or combination with such entity, the consolidated revenue of
such entity from such activities constituted thirty-three one third percent
(33 1/3%) or less of the total consolidated revenue
of such entity, in which event such (combined) entity and its Affiliates shall
be permitted to continue such activities; provided that Seller shall not
provide such entity with any Know How or other material information relating to
the use of such Know
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How or other
material information in the Textile Franchise; or
(iii) terminating
the Designated TE Assets pursuant to Article 7.4.2(c).
(c) Each Party undertakes that it shall not,
and that none of its Affiliates shall, induce, or attempt to induce, any
supplier of the other Partys businesses, including, as from the Closing Date,
with respect to Buyer, the TE Companies, to cease to supply, or to restrict or
vary the terms of supply, to the other Partys businesses.
(d) Seller undertakes that it shall not, and
that none of its Affiliates shall, for a period of two (2) years after the
date of this Agreement induce, or attempt to induce, any Transferring Employee
to enter into employment with any of its businesses; provided,
however, that the foregoing shall not apply (i) to responses to
or follow-up hiring in respect of general solicitations or advertisements for
job positions not specifically directed to such employees; (ii) to any
employee who (y) Buyer or any of its Affiliates dismisses after the Closing
Date without any solicitation from Seller or any of the Sellers Affiliates or
(z) terminates his or her employment with Buyer without any solicitation from
Seller or any of Sellers Affiliates; or (iii) to employment with the
prior written consent of Buyer.
(e) Buyer undertakes that it shall not, and
that none of its Affiliates shall, for a period of two (2) years after the
date of this Agreement induce, or attempt to induce, any employee of Seller or
its Affiliates (other than the Transferring Employees) to enter into employment
in the TE Business; provided, however, that
the foregoing shall not apply (i) to responses to or follow-up hiring in
respect of general solicitations or advertisements for job positions not specifically
directed to such employees; (ii) to any employee who (y) Seller or any of
its Affiliates dismisses after the Closing Date without any solicitation from
Buyer or any of its Affiliates or (z) terminates his or her employment with
Seller without any solicitation from Buyer or any of its Affiliates; or (iii) to
employment with the prior written consent of Seller.
10.12 Audited Financials | Inter-Company Trade
Balances
(a) Prior
to the Closing Date, Seller shall deliver to Buyer financial statements for the
TE Business for each of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 calendar years, prepared in
accordance with U.S. GAAP (the Prior Year Financials).
Such financial statements will be accompanied by an audit opinion from E&Y,
such opinion to be unqualified except that it may include language to the
effect that such financial statements have been prepared from separate records
of the TE Business, may not reflect the assets and liabilities and the results,
respectively, as if the TE Business had been operated separately, and include
certain allocations made by the Ciba Group.
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(b) As
soon as practicable after the Closing Date and, in any event no later than
sixty (60) Business Days following the Closing Date, Seller shall deliver to
Buyer unaudited financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, as applied
by the Ciba Group Controllers Manual, for the time period from December 31,
2005 through the Closing Date, along with financial statements with respect to
TE Business for the same period in the preceding year.
(c) If
Closing occurs more than sixty (60) Business Days after March 31, 2006,
Seller shall deliver, at Closing, to the Buyer, unaudited financial statements
with respect to the TE Business in accordance with U.S. GAAP, as applied by the
Ciba Group Controllers Manual, for the three months ended March 31, 2006,
along with financial statements for the same period in the preceding year. In
respect of the period from March 31, 2005 through the Closing Date, subparagraph
(b) above shall apply.
(d) All
financial information delivered pursuant to this Article 10.12 shall meet
the requirements of Regulation S-X, Section 210.3-05 of the Federal
Securities Laws of the United States of America. All cost incurred in connection
with the preparation and establishment of the such financial information shall
be shared equally between Buyer and Seller. Seller shall undertake commercially
reasonable best efforts to obtain any consent by E&Y required to use the
information provided pursuant to this Article 10.12 for reporting
purposes. For the avoidance of doubt, for purposes of the Net Working Capital
and Net Debt adjustments set forth in Article 2.5, the Final Closing
Balance Sheet and the Final Local Closing Balance Sheets, respectively, shall
be final and binding on the Parties, regardless of whether there are any
inconsistencies with any of the Prior Year Financials.
(e) The Parties agree that all current
inter-company trade balances between the Ciba Group and the TE Business, as set
forth in Schedule 10.12, shall be settled, to the extent possible,
as of the Closing Date but no later than thirty (30) Business Days thereafter
unless otherwise mutually agreed by the Parties in writing. Provided, however,
that any inter-company trade balances between the Ciba Group and Panyu,
Shenzen, Qingdao and Swathi shall be settled as of the Closing Date.
10.13 No Recourse Against Directors
(a) Neither Seller nor Buyer shall make, and
procure that none of its Affiliates, including the TE Companies, shall make,
any claim against any director or officer of the TE Business in connection with
this Agreement or the agreements pursuant hereto or otherwise in connection
with the transactions contemplated hereby, except in cases of willful misconduct
or gross negligence of the director or officer concerned.
(b) At the first annual meeting of each TE
Company, Buyer shall vote, or cause the
74
relevant
shareholders or other stakeholders to vote, in favor of an unconditional
discharge to the directors and officers of each of the TE Companies in
connection with their respective conduct of the business of the TE Companies in
the period up to the Closing Date, except in cases of willful misconduct or gross
negligence of the director and officer concerned.
10.14 Further Assurances
At any time or from time to time after the Closing Date, at Buyers
reasonable request, Seller shall (i) execute such other instruments of
sale and transfer; (ii) provide such materials and information; and (iii) take
such other actions in order to effectively transfer to Buyer or its designated
Affiliates, all of the TE Assets, and, to the full extent permitted by law, to
put Buyer or its designated Affiliates in actual possession and operating
control of the Transferred TE Assets.
10.15 Transfer of Specific Documents
(a) Any documentation in the possession of
Seller pertaining to the Transferred TE Trademarks, the Transferred TE Patents
and the Transferred TE Domain Names shall be delivered to Buyer immediately after
the Closing Date.
(b) Any electronic or paper documentation (or
copies thereof) pertaining to any Transferred TE Know How not within the
control of the TE Business as of the Closing Date shall be delivered to Buyer
immediately after the Closing Date, to the extent such documentation is readily
available to Seller and subject to any rights of third parties to such documentation.
(c) All data from Sellers database on the
physical properties pertaining to all chemicals used in the TE Business,
including all TE Chemical Documentation
shall be delivered to Buyer immediately after the Closing Date to the extent
such TE Chemical Documentation is used in the TE Business at the Closing Date.
To the extent TE Chemical Documentation has been used in the past but not at
the Closing Date, such TE Chemical Documentation shall be delivered to the extent
such TE Chemical Documentation is available to Seller at the Closing Date.
10.16 Set-off Rights
Each of Buyer and Seller shall not be entitled to set-off any of its
claims it may have against the other Party, or otherwise withhold the proper
payment of, any amount payable under this Agreement or any agreements pursuant
hereto, regardless of whether such claim has arisen under, or in connection
with, this Agreement or otherwise.
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11. Limitations on Sellers Liability
(a) Subject to paragraph (d) below, Seller
shall not be liable to Buyer for any claims for damages asserted by Buyer
against Seller under this Agreement for breaches of representations or
warranties unless the amount of liability against Seller, on an aggregate
basis, exceeds CHF 15 million less any Pre-Closing Liability Amount (the Deductible Amount), whereupon Sellers
liability to Buyer shall be equal to the amount exceeding the Deductible
Amount; provided, however, that (i) Seller
shall not be liable to Buyer for any single claim for damages asserted by Buyer
against Seller under this Agreement for breaches of representations or
warranties unless such claim, on a stand-alone basis, or series of related
claims taken together, exceeds the amount of CHF 250,000 (the De Minimis Amount), and (ii) the
Deductible Amount and De Minimis Amount shall not be applicable to breaches of
Sellers representations or warranties in Sections 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 19, 20
and 27 of Schedule 5.1.
(b) Subject to paragraph (d) below, Sellers
aggregate liability for damages under this Agreement for breaches of
representations and warranties shall not exceed CHF 100 million (the Cap);
provided, however, that the Cap shall
not be applicable (i) if, and to the extent, Sellers liability under this
Agreement is caused by fraud or willful misconduct of Seller, (ii) to
breaches of Sellers representations or warranties in Sections 1, 4, 5, 6, 7,
19, 20 and 27 of Schedule 5.1, or (iii) to breaches of or
proceedings in connection with competition or antitrust laws.
(c) Subject to paragraph (d) below, Sellers
liability in respect of any breach of Sellers obligations under this Agreement
shall be excluded or reduced, as the case may be, if, and to the extent:
(i) Buyer
or any of its Affiliates, including, as from the Closing Date, the TE
Companies, have failed to use their reasonable endeavours to mitigate the loss
or damage in respect thereof;
(ii) Buyer
and any of its Affiliates, including, as from the Closing Date, the TE
Companies, have actually recovered or could have, using reasonable endeavours,
recovered from any third Person, including, but not limited to, an insurer,
costs, expenses or damages in respect of any matter to which a claim asserted
relates, after deduction of all duly documented costs and expenses incurred in
making such recovery (including reasonable attorneys fees). Buyer shall reimburse
Seller forthwith an amount equal to any sum paid by Seller in respect of any
claim subsequently recovered by or paid to the Buyer or any of its Affiliates
by any other Person in respect of the matter giving rise to the claim (less any
expenses incurred in making such recovery);
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Any amount paid by Buyer pursuant to the
foregoing paragraph shall be taken into account, with retrospective effect, in
ascertaining whether the limitations set forth in Article 11(a) and (b) are
exceeded. Any amount previously paid by Seller in respect of any claim which
would not otherwise have been payable as a consequence of this paragraph shall
be repaid immediately.
(iii) a
related provision, reserve or valuation allowance has been or is made or
included in the Closing Balance Sheet;
(iv) a fact
or event has been taken into account in connection with the determination of
the adjustment set forth in Article 2.5, Article 10.9 and the
respective Schedules thereto; or
(v) except
as otherwise provided in this Agreement, such claim arises or is increased as a
result of any legislation, regulation, or rule of law not in force at the
Closing Date or the withdrawal after the Closing Date of any concession
previously made by any relevant authority or as a result of any change made or
introduced on or after the Closing Date in any legislation, regulation, or rule of
law of any relevant authority, whether or not such change or withdrawal
purports to be effective retrospectively in whole or in part.
(d) Notwithstanding anything herein to the
apparent contrary, (i) the limitations on Sellers liability set forth in
this Article 11(a) and (b) shall not apply to any claims
relating to Sellers indemnification obligations under Article 9.1 and (ii) the
limitations on Sellers liability set forth in Article 11(a) shall
not apply to breaches of representations or warranties reflected in the update
to the Disclosure Letter, as described in Article 6.1.4.
12. Taxes, Costs, Expenses and Interest
12.1 Taxes
12.1.1 VAT
Seller shall be responsible for and will pay any VAT (or equivalent
Tax) levied in connection with this Agreement,
subject to the conditions below:
(a) Seller, using its best efforts, shall
cooperate with Buyer to ensure that the sale and transfer of the TE Shares and
the Transferred TE Assets or any part thereof under this Agreement is not
treated as either a taxable supply of goods or services or otherwise taxable
for the purposes of VAT, or that VAT may be settled by filing a notification
instead of paying VAT in the relevant jurisdiction in which the respective
77
TE Shares or
the Transferred TE Assets are situated, in particular where such sale and
transfer is regarded, for purposes of the applicable VAT legislation, as a
transfer of all or part of the assets of a business as a going concern. Seller
shall, if requested by Buyer, appeal any determination of the competent VAT
authority that such sale and transfer is taxable if the VAT at issue exceeds
CHF 100,000.
(b) If, notwithstanding such efforts, any
competent VAT authority determines within the applicable limitation period that
VAT is chargeable in respect of the supply of all or any of the TE Shares or
the Transferred TE Assets or part thereof under this Agreement, and Seller is
assessed to VAT in relation to the transaction(s), Seller will, within ten (10) Business
Days of being notified by the VAT authority of such a decision, issue a valid
VAT invoice (or other such appropriate documentation) to Buyer in connection
with the transaction such as will allow Buyer to pay the Seller the
consideration inclusive of VAT and to validly recover the VAT incurred.
(c) Seller and Buyer shall cooperate to procure
that any TE Companies shall leave any VAT group, insofar as they are members to
such a group, as at the Closing Date.
12.1.2 Other
Taxes
Without prejudice to Article 10.6, all registration and transfer
taxes and fees, stamp duties or Taxes (including the Swiss securities transfer
stamp tax (Umsatzabgabe)),
notaries or governmental charges (other than VAT, goods and services Tax,
sales and use Tax (or equivalent Tax)) resulting from or relating to the
transfer of the TE Business and any transactions contemplated under this
Agreement shall be shared equally between the Parties.
12.1.3 Tax
Returns | Tax Audits and Cooperation in Other Tax Matters
(a) Seller shall be responsible for the timely
preparation and filing of all Tax Returns of or with respect to the TE
Companies and the Transferred TE Assets required to be filed on or before the
Closing Date. Seller shall be responsible for the payment of all Taxes required
to be included on such Tax Returns.
(b) Buyer shall be responsible for the timely
preparation and filing of all Tax Returns of or with respect to the TE
Companies and the Transferred TE Assets required to be filed after Closing
Date. With respect to any such Tax Return that includes any period prior to the
Closing Date, not later than thirty (30) days prior to the due date of each
such Tax Return, Buyer shall deliver to Seller for its review and comments a
copy of such Tax Return along with a determination of the portion of the amount
of Taxes reflected on such Tax Return that are attributable to the period (or
portion thereof) ending on or before the Closing Date. Buyer shall cooperate
fully and make changes to such Tax
78
Return and
determinations to reflect reasonable comments received from Seller. No later than
five (5) days prior to the due date of such Tax Return, Seller shall pay
to Buyer the Taxes shown as due on such finalized Tax Return that are
attributable to the period (or portion thereof) ending on or before the Closing
Date (reduced by the portion, if any, of such Taxes reflected in Net Working
Capital and Net Debt and thus subject to the adjustments set forth in Article 2.5).
Upon receipt thereof Buyer shall cause the Tax Return to be filed and the Taxes
shown due on such Tax Return to be paid.
(c) For purposes of Article 9.3 and this Article 12,
(i) with respect to periods beginning on or before the Closing Date and
ending after the Closing Date, the amount of Tax attributable to the period
ending on the Closing Date shall equal the amount (determined by an interim
closing of the books as of the Closing Date except for Taxes based on capital
or the value of any assets, which shall be prorated on a daily basis) of Tax
which would have been due with respect to the period covered by such Tax Return
if such taxable period ended on and included the Closing Date (for the
avoidance of doubt, such Tax calculations shall not include any benefit to the
Seller restructuring expenses economically borne by the Buyer) and (ii) any
Tax measured by net income, gross income, receipts, operations, assets or
capital shall be allocated to the taxable period during which the net income,
gross income, receipts, operations, assets or capital comprising the base of
such Tax is measured, regardless of whether any other rights (including the
right to do business) for another taxable period are obtained by the payment of
such Tax.
(d) Seller and Buyer shall cooperate fully, as
and to the extent reasonably and timely requested by the other Party, in
connection with the filing of Tax Returns and any audit or proceedings with
respect to Taxes. Such cooperation shall include the retention and the
provision of records and information which are reasonably relevant to any such
filing, audit or proceedings and making employees available on a mutually
convenient basis to provide additional information and explanation of any
material provided hereunder. Without limiting the forgoing, Seller shall make
available to Buyer the Tax work papers and information (excluding privileged
Tax advice and sensitive information regarding the non-TE Segment of Seller) of
the TE Business and companies of the Ciba Group (including factual information
regarding inter-company transactions, transfer pricing and royalty payments)
and access to Sellers personnel knowledgeable about such information. All
requests for such information shall be addressed to the Ciba Group headquarters
tax department. Each Party agrees to retain all of its books with respect to
Taxes pertinent to the TE Business relating to any taxable period beginning
before the Closing Date until the expiry of the statute of limitations (and any
extensions thereof) relating to Taxes and penalty proceedings of the respective
taxable periods, and to abide by, and comply with, all record retention agreements
entered into with any tax authority.
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(e) Prior to Closing, Seller shall provide to
Buyer information, including a summary document, containing a full description
of the transfer pricing practices and methodologies for all relevant
jurisdictions of the TE Business in sufficient detail to allow Seller to assume
the administration of the Tax function and the record-keeping required for Tax
purposes. Such description shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(i) inter-company
royalty arrangements, including amounts of royalties and items which are
subject to the royalty;
(ii) contract
manufacturing, toll manufacturing and similar arrangements, including
agreements to purchase all inventory;
(iii) cost-plus,
resale minus, cost sharing and other transfer pricing arrangements; and
(iv) arrangements
to reimburse headquarters expense, R&D expense, sales expense, distribution
expense, and other related party expenses.
(f) Seller shall use its commercially
reasonable best efforts to cause the fiscal year end of Pfersee to occur as of
a date as reasonably close to Closing as possible.
12.1.4 Disputes
Buyer shall have exclusive control over and responsibility to conduct
any contest for any taxable period commencing on or after the Closing Date.
Buyer shall not enter into any agreement in compromise or settlement of such contest,
which could adversely affect any Taxes with respect to the TE Companies or the
Transferred TE Assets for any period up to and including the Closing Date
without the written consent of Seller. Seller shall not be liable for any
portion of any settlement of any contest relating to such Taxes without their
written consent.
12.2 Costs and Expenses
Except as expressly provided otherwise herein, including, but not
limited to Article 8.3, each Party shall bear its own costs and expenses
(including advisory fees) incurred in the negotiation, preparation and
completion of this Agreement.
12.3 Interest
(a) The interest rate to be applied to the
interest calculation set forth in Article 2.5.3 shall be a rate of three (3) month
CHF-LIBOR (as quoted by Bloomberg on the date that is
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five (5) Business
Days before the date the relevant payment is due, at 11:00 a.m. CET) + 50
basis points per annum, calculated on a 30|360 basis.
(b) If a Party defaults in the payment if and
when due of any sum payable under this Agreement, the liability of such Party
shall be increased to include interest on that sum from the date such payment
is due until the date of actual payment (whether before or after judgment) at a
rate of three (3) month CHF-LIBOR (as quoted by Bloomberg on the date that
is five (5) Business Days before the date the payment is due at 11:00 a.m.
CET) + 200 basis points per annum, calculated on a 30|360 basis.
13. General Provisions
13.1 Effect on Third Parties
(a) Subject to Article 13.1(b) no
Person other than the Parties hereto shall have any rights to enforce any term
of this Agreement, and nothing in this Agreement is intended to confer on any
Person other than the Parties hereto any rights, benefits or remedies.
(b) With respect to the Excluded Liability
retained by Seller under Article 2.2.2(b)(ii)(F), the Transferring Employees
shall be third party beneficiaries within the meaning of article 112
paragraph 2 CO and shall have the right to be indemnified in accordance with
the terms of that Article for any costs, damages, or losses (including
penalties and fines) incurred by the Transferring Employees in connection with
claims relating to or arising out of the activities of any such Transferring
Employee prior to the Closing Date in connection with the Compliance Actions; provided, however, that this Agreement may be varied or
terminated by the Parties without the consent of such Transferring Employees.
13.2 Notices
All notices or other communications to be given under or in connection
with the Agreement shall be made in writing and shall be delivered by (a) personal
delivery, (b) registered mail (return receipt requested), (c) a
nationally recognized courier, such as Federal Express, DHL or UPS, or (d) facsimile
followed by registered mail to the following addresses:
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if to Seller to:
|
Ciba Specialty Chemicals Holding Inc.
Attn. Head Group Services Law & Environment,
Corporate Secretary
Klybeckstrasse 141
4002 Basel, Switzerland
Fax: + 41 61 636 51 80
|
|
|
with a copy to: |
Homburger Rechtsanwälte
Attn: Flavio Romerio | Daniel Daeniker
Weinbergstrasse 56|58
8035 Zürich, Switzerland
Fax: + 41 43 222 15 00 |
|
|
and a copy to:
|
Dufour
Advokatur
Attn: Monika Naef
Dufourstrasse 49
4056 Basel, Switzerland
Fax: + 41 61 205 03 03
|
|
|
if to Buyer to:
|
Huntsman International LLC
Attn: General Counsel
500 Huntsman Way
Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
Fax: + 1 801 584 57 82
|
|
|
with a copy to:
|
Huntsman International LLC
Attn: Deputy General Counsel
10003 Woodloch Forest Drive
The Woodlands, Texas 77380
Fax: + 1 281 719 40 45
|
|
|
with a copy to:
|
RM 2526 Vermögensverwaltungs GmbH,
registered AG
München HRB 160194, Germany (whose name is
currently being changed to Huntsman (Holdings)
Germany GmbH Land-AV 30,
94469 Deggendorf, Germany
Fax: +49(0)9912704180
|
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with a copy to:
|
Huntsman (Europe) BUBA Attn. Associate General Counsel Everslaan 45
3078 Everberg
Belgium
Fax: + 32 2758 9009
|
or such other address as any of
the Parties may notify to the other Parties in accordance with the above.
All notices delivered in person shall be deemed to have been delivered
to, and received by, the addressee and shall be effective on the date of
personal delivery; notice by registered mail or courier shall be deemed effective on the date it was deposited
in the mail or delivered to the courier. Notices delivered by facsimile shall
be deemed delivered to, and received by, the addressee and effective on the
date received.
13.3 Entire Agreement
This Agreement, including the Schedules, Annexes and any other documents
referred to herein, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding among
the Parties or their Affiliates with respect to the subject matter hereof, and
shall supersede all prior oral and written agreements or understandings of the
Parties relating hereto, including (without limitation) the Confidentiality
Agreement dated October 4, 2005 between Seller and Huntsman Corporation.
All references to this Agreement shall be deemed to include the Schedules and
Annexes hereto.
13.4 Amendments and Waivers
This Agreement may only be modified or amended by a document signed by
all Parties hereto. Any provision contained in this Agreement may only be
waived by a document signed by the Party waiving such provision.
13.5 No Assignment
(a) The Buyer may assign the
benefit of each of the covenants, indemnities, representations and warranties
undertaken or given by Seller in this Agreement (the Sellers SAPA Obligation), subject to the terms and conditions
of this Agreement, including, but not limited to any and all limitations and
restrictions of Sellers SAPA Obligation hereunder, to any purchaser or
transferee of any TE Shares or TE Assets (the Transferee)
if, on or before the date of such transfer, Buyer and the Transferee notify
Seller in writing of the percentages (the sum of which shall be 100) of the Cap
on Sellers liability under Article 11(b) which shall apply to any
claims made respectively by
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Buyer and such Transferee against Seller
following such transfer;
provided, however,
that such assignment of any Sellers SAPA Obligation shall only become
effective if: (x) the Buyer delivers to Seller a full and complete copy of its
or its Affiliates agreement or agreements with the Transferee (including all
annexes, schedules and side letters thereto), (y) the Transferee delivers to
the Seller a duly executed written statement agreeing to submit, in the event
of a dispute in relation to Sellers SAPA Obligations, to the dispute
resolution set out in Article 14.2;
and provided further,
that: (x) Sellers liability for Sellers SAPA Obligations shall not be
increased or otherwise materially and adversely affected in any manner as a
result of such assignment, (y) the Buyer shall not be entitled to assign Sellers
SAPA Obligations herein to more than three (3) Persons, and (z) the
Transferee shall not be entitled to assign any such benefit to any third
Person, in both (y) and (z) without the prior written consent of Seller.
(b) Following
any assignment or transfer in accordance with Article 13.5(a):
(i) the Cap on the liability of the
Seller under Article 11(b) to each of Buyer and such transferee shall
be the amount notified to Seller under Article 13.5(a); and
(ii) the Deductible Amount set out in Article 11(a) shall
be calculated by reference to the aggregate liability of Seller to Buyer and
the Transferee(s).
(c) Save
as provided in this Article 13.5, the Parties shall not assign this
Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder to any third party without the
prior written consent of Seller (if the assignment is proposed to be undertaken
by Buyer) or Buyer (if the assignment is proposed to be undertaken by Seller).
13.6 Severability
Should any part or provision of this Agreement be held to be invalid or
unenforceable by any competent arbitral tribunal, court, governmental or
administrative authority having jurisdiction, the other provisions of this
Agreement shall nonetheless remain valid. In this case, the Parties shall
endeavor to negotiate a substitute provision that best reflects the economic
intentions of the Parties without being unenforceable, and shall execute all
agreements and documents required in this connection.
13.7 Confidentiality
Each Party hereto will neither use nor disclose, and will use its
commercially reasonable best efforts to cause its Affiliates, and their
respective representatives and advisers to neither use
84
or disclose (i) unless either (x) compelled to disclose by
judicial or administrative process (including, without limitation, in
connection with obtaining the necessary Governmental Approvals of this
Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby) or by other requirements of
law or regulations derived therefrom or (y) such disclosure is required by the rules of
any stock exchange where the shares of a Party or its Affiliates are traded, or
(ii) unless disclosed in an action or proceeding brought by a Party hereto
in pursuit of its rights or in the exercise of its remedies hereunder, all
documents and information concerning the other Party or any of its Affiliates
furnished to it by such Party or its representatives and advisers in connection
with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, except to the
extent that such documents or information can be shown to have been:
(a) in the public domain (either
prior to or after the furnishing of such documents or information hereunder)
through no fault and by reason other than a breach of this confidentiality
undertaking of such receiving Party; or
(b) later acquired by the receiving
Party from another source if the receiving Party is not aware that such source
is under an obligation to another party hereto to keep such documents and
information confidential;
provided, however,
that following the Closing Date the foregoing restrictions will not apply to
Buyers use of documents and information concerning the TE Business furnished
by Seller hereunder and all such documents and information will, for purposes
of this Article 13.7, be treated, following the Closing Date, as documents
and information concerning Buyer and furnished to Seller.
In the event the transactions contemplated hereby are not consummated,
upon the request of the other Party, each Party hereto will, and will cause its
Affiliates and their respective representatives and advisers to, promptly (and
in no event later than five (5) Business Days after such request) return
or cause to be returned all copies of documents and information, including, but
not limited to, (i) the Disclosure Letter and (ii) the documents and
information furnished pursuant to Article 7.2, furnished by the other
Party in connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated
hereby, except for one (1) copy
that may be retained by each adviser to either Party hereto for the files which
they are required to keep in their capacity as professional advisers and which
shall be kept strictly confidential in accordance with the terms of this Article 13.7.
At the Closing, Seller shall (A) provide
Buyer true and complete copies of all confidentiality agreements that Seller or
its advisers have concluded with other potential buyers of the TE Business, (B) provide
Buyer a reasonably detailed summary of confidential information (relating to
the TE Business) provided to bidders for the TE Business, including data site
records, and (C) where permitted, assign such agreements to Buyer or an
Affiliate designated by Buyer. Following the Closing, Seller shall provide
Buyer all support reasonably requested
85
by Buyer (at no cost to Seller and its
Affiliates), in particular, but not limited to, powers of attorney and
authorizations, to enforce such agreements.
13.8 Certain Audit Rights
Upon reasonable prior written notice to Seller, Buyer shall have the
right (at its own cost) to access, with its designated representatives and
during ordinary business hours, (a) Sellers and its Affiliates records
and data as the Buyer may reasonably request to review the correctness of any
invoice issued by the Seller or its Affiliates to Buyer or its Affiliates in
relation to any Ancillary Agreement, the IT Service Agreement or Excluded Plant Lease Agreements,
provided that such audit shall not unduly interfere with the conduct of the
Sellers and its Affiliates business operations, or (b) Sellers and its
Affiliates records and data, and the records and data of Merrill Corporation,
who operated the electronic data room, as reasonably requested by Buyer in
order for Buyer to fully review and audit the operation of the electronic data
room, including complete details regarding the loading of documents onto such
data site and the dates and nature of any amendments, substitutions or
additions to documents in the electronic data room.
13.9 Execution
Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this
Agreement by facsimile transmission shall be effective as delivery of a
manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.
13.10 Headings
The headings contained in this Agreement (including the Schedules and
Annexes hereto) are for reference purposes only and in no way define, limit or
describe the scope or intent of any provision hereof.
14. Governing Law and Dispute Settlement
14.1 Governing Law
This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with,
the laws of Switzerland (excluding the Vienna Convention on the International
Sale of Goods, dated April 11, 1980).
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14.2 Dispute Resolution
14.2.1 Discussions
between Chief Executive Officers
In case of a dispute arising out of, or in connection with, this Agreement (or
subsequent amendment thereof), and prior to commencing any arbitration
proceedings, the Parties shall enter into settlement discussions involving the
Chief Executive Officer on each of Sellers and Buyers side. If any dispute
arising out of or in connection with this Agreement is not settled by the
Parties respective Chief Executive Officers within fifteen (15) Business Days
of the matter in dispute being referred to them, then the dispute shall be
referred to and finally resolved by arbitration under the Rules of
Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce, which rules are deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Article 14.2.1.
14.2.2 Arbitration
(a) Subject
to Article 2.5.1(d), any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this
contract, or the breach thereof, shall be settled by arbitration administered
by the International Chamber of Commerce Court of International Arbitration in
accordance with the Rules of
Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce and Title 9 of the U.S.
Code. The award shall be final and binding on the Parties and may be confirmed
in, and judgment on the award entered by, any court having jurisdiction over
the Parties.
(b) The number of arbitrators shall
be three, one of whom shall be appointed by each of the parties and the third
of whom shall be selected by mutual agreement, if possible, within 30 days of
the selection of the second arbitrator and thereafter by the administering
authority and the place of arbitration shall be New York, N.Y., USA. The
language of the arbitration shall be English, but documents or testimony may be
submitted in any other language.
(c) The arbitrators will have no
authority to award punitive damages.
(d) The award of the arbitral
tribunal shall be in writing, shall give reasons for the decisions reached by
the tribunal and shall be signed and dated by the arbitrators, and a signed original
of the award shall be delivered to each of the Parties.
(e) Either Party may make an application to the
arbitrator(s) seeking injunctive relief to maintain the status quo until such
time as the arbitration award is rendered or the controversy is otherwise
resolved. Either Party may apply to any court having jurisdiction hereof and
seek injunctive relief in order to maintain the status quo until such time as
the arbitration award is rendered or the controversy is otherwise resolved.
87
In witness whereof, the
Parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed by their
respective authorized officers in duplicate as of this
day of February, 2006 in Zurich, Switzerland.
Ciba Specialty Chemicals Holding Inc.
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/s/ Michael Jacobi
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/s/ Thomas Koch
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Michael Jacobi
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Thomas Koch
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Chief Financial Officer
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Head Group Services Law &
Environment, Corporate Secretary
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Huntsman International LLC
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/s/ Peter Huntsman
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Peter Huntsman
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Chief Executive Officer
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RM 2526 Vermögensverwaltungs GmbH
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/s/ Paul G.
Hulme
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Paul G.
Hulme
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Geschäftsführer
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88
Definitions
As used in this Agreement in capitalized form, the following terms
shall have the following meaning:
Additional Restructuring Actions shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.5(b).
Adjustment Date shall mean the Closing Date or, if the Closing Date
does not fall on the last day of a month, then the Adjustment Date shall mean
the last day of the month in which the Closing occurs.
Affiliate shall mean
with respect to a Person, any other Person controlling, controlled by or under
common control with such first Person. Control shall be deemed to exist if a
Person (either alone or together with its Affiliates) owns more than half of
the voting rights or equity capital of a Person, or is otherwise able to
exercise a controlling influence over another Person; provided, however, for
the avoidance of doubt, Matlin Patterson Global Opportunity LP (and any other
entity managed by Matlin Patterson Gobal Advisors LLC) shall not be considered
an Affiliate of the Buyer.
Agreement shall mean
this Share and Asset Purchase Agreement, including all Schedules, Annexes and
related documents hereto.
Allowances shall
mean any offering, promising or giving of any undue pecuniary or other
advantage, whether directly or through intermediaries, to a public official or
any other person who owns, directs or works for private sector entities, for
that official, that third party or anyone else, in order to obtain or retain
(x) business (but excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, the granting of any
lawful and proper rebates, discounts and similar price concessions) or (y)
improper advantage in the conduct of business, or (ii) relating to tax
evasion as applicable to matters described in clause (i).
Ancillary Agreements
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(b).
Applicable U.S. Laws
shall mean the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of the United States, as amended.
Appraiser shall have
the meaning set forth in Article 2.5.1(d).
Approved Restructuring Costs shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.5(b).
Asset Seller Companies shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(a).
1
Assumed TE Liabilities shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.2(a).
Basel Site shall
mean the buildings, structures and improvements, including the fixtures
contained in such buildings, structures and improvements and the appurtenances
relating thereto, being transferred to Buyer under Article 2.2.1(a)(viii) and
specified in Schedule 2.2.1(a)(viii).
Baseline Report
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.4.1.1(a).
Business Day shall
mean a day other than a Saturday or a Sunday or any other day on which the
commercial banks in Basel, Zurich and Salt Lake City are not open for general
business.
Buyer shall
mean the legal entity designated as Buyer on the cover page to this
Agreement.
Cap shall have the meaning set forth in Article 11(b).
Carve-out Book shall mean the document attached hereto as Schedule 8.1(a).
CC shall mean the
Swiss Civil Code (ZGB), as amended.
CHF shall mean Swiss
francs, being the lawful currency of Switzerland.
Ciba Ancillary Agreements shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(b).
Ciba Group Controllers Manual
shall mean the document attached hereto as Schedule 2.5.1(b)(2).
Ciba Group shall mean the Seller and all of its
Affiliates.
CIBA Trademarks shall mean all Trademarks containing the term
CIBA, including the Trademarks listed in Schedule 2.3.2(b).
Closing shall mean the consummation of the closing
actions set forth in Article 4.3.
Closing Balance Sheet
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.5.1(a)(i).
Closing Date shall have the meaning set forth in Article 4.1(a).
CO shall mean the
Swiss Code of Obligations (OR), as amended.
2
Compliance Actions
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 7.4.2(d).
Covered Remedial Actions shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.4.1.2(a) and
shall include monitoring and related investigative activities as well as
corrective actions.
Dangerous Substances shall mean any substance or material, whether
in solid, gas, liquid or any other form, the deposition or emission of which
into the ground, water or air is prohibited by, or subject to remediation
under, Environmental Laws.
Data Site shall have
the meaning set forth in Section 27 of Schedule 5.1.
Designated TE Assets
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 7.4.2(c).
Designated Employees
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 7.4.2(c).
De Minimis Amount shall have the meaning set forth in Article 11(a).
Deductible Amount shall have the meaning set forth in Article 11(a).
Deferred Undertaking shall have the meaning set forth in Article 10.2(c).
Disclosed Agency Agreement
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 7.4.1(b).
Disclosure Letter shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 6.1.4.
Distribution Laws
shall mean any laws and regulations restricting or prohibiting Allowances.
E&Y shall
mean Ernst & Young Ltd., 8000 Zurich, Switzerland.
Employment Litigation shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 16 of Schedule 5.1.
Environmental Expert shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.4.1.1(a).
Environmental Investigations shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.4.1.1(a).
Environmental Laws shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 20(a) of
Schedule 5.1.
Environmental Licenses
shall have the meaning set forth in Section 20(c) of Schedule 5.1.
Excess Use shall have the meaning set forth in Article 6.1.3(d).
3
Excluded Assets
shall mean the assets enumerated in Article 2.2.1(b).
Excluded Contracts shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(b)(xiv).
Excluded Domain Names
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(b)(iii).
Excluded Liabilities shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.2(b).
Excluded Patents
shall have the meaning set forth in 2.2.1(b)(ii).
Excluded Plant Lease Agreements shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(c).
Excluded Plants shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(b)(ix).
Excluded Trademarks
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(b)(i).
Expanded TE Franchise shall mean (i) the Textile Franchise
and (ii) any other
post-extrusion processing techniques or technologies other than detergents and
laundry applications that are applied onto natural or synthetic Fabrics by an
original manufacturer.
Fabrics shall mean any kind of woven,
non-woven, foamed, elastomeric, knitted (as in macramé), knotted or tufted
material, any hybrid thereof, including fibres, filaments, yarns and composites
of more than one material, natural and manufactured, and products for which
such textiles are principal raw materials including but not limited to threads,
cords, ropes, braids, drapable materials, organized and disorganized fibres,
woven, non-woven and knitted fabrics, lace, nets and embroidery; hosiery,
knitwear and made-up apparel; household textiles, soft furnishings and
upholstery; carpets and other floor coverings; membranes and filter membranes,
leather and synthetic leather.
Facilities shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 18(a) of Schedule 5.1.
Fairly Disclosed shall mean a disclosure of fact in the
Disclosure Letter disclosed in the manner required by the Disclosure Letter and
which allowed Buyer and its advisers to reasonably identify and assess the
specific impact of such fact on (i) any representation or warranty of
Seller, and (ii) the business operations and prospects of the TE Business.
Filings shall have
the meaning set forth in Article 4.2.1(a).
Final Closing Balance Sheet
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.5.1(a)(i).
4
Final Local Closing Balance Sheet
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 4.2.6(e)(i).
Freely Available Cash and Cash Equivalents shall mean all foreign cash and
foreign cash equivalents held in foreign jurisdictions that (i) is freely
and immediately available for repatriation, (ii) is not subject to
exchange controls enforced by local authorities, and (iii) is not
otherwise restricted in being transferred to affiliated companies whether or
not as a repayment of debt, a dividend, a return of capital or some form of
payment. For the avoidance of doubt, Freely Available Cash and Cash Equivalents
does not include any foreign cash or foreign cash equivalents held by Panyu,
Shenzhen or Qingdao in excess of the amounts indicated in Schedule 2.5.1(a),
section B, footnote 1.
Governmental Approvals shall have the meaning set forth Article 4.2.1(a).
Governmental Authorizations shall mean any consent, license,
registration, authorization or permit issued, granted, given or otherwise made
available by or under the authority of any governmental or regulatory body or
pursuant to applicable law.
Health and Safety Laws
shall mean all laws and regulations applicable at the relevant time for the
protection of the health and safety of the workforce of the TE Business
employed at the production sites of the TE Business.
HF Site shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.4.3(b).
High Level Implementation Plan shall mean the document attached hereto in Schedule 8.1(a).
Huntsman shall have
the meaning set forth on the cover page to this Agreement.
Huntsman Germany
shall have the meaning set forth on the cover page to this Agreement.
ICC shall have the
meaning set forth in Article 2.5.1(d).
Identified Sites shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.4.1.1(a).
Indemnified Claim
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 6.1.5.
Indemnified Tax Claim
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.3(e).
Intellectual Property Rights
shall mean Patents, Trademarks, copyrights, design rights, rights in databases,
domain names and other intellectual property rights (but excluding
5
Know How), whether registered
or not.
Inventory shall mean
raw materials, in process materials and finished products.
IT Service Agreement shall mean the document attached hereto as Schedule 8.3(b).
Key Assets shall have the meaning set forth in Article 4.2.2(d).
Key Persons shall
mean each of the members of the Executive Committee of Seller and the following
individuals: All members of the Board of Directors of Ciba Specialty Chemicals
Holding Inc., Brendan Cummins, Michael Jacobi, Niklaus Meier, Martin Riediker,
Eric Marohn, Thomas Koch, Reiner Löffler, Steffen Mezger, Andreas Missy, Daniel
Petitpierre, Dorothea Seckler, Peter Otto, Davor Bedekovic, Steven Gray, Rune
Jervidalo, Kent Kvaal, William Yau, Michael Effing, Kurt Huber, Günter Fritz,
Anton Lindner, Leslie Currie, Mark Wright, Peter Kroepfli, Wilhelm Inderbitzin,
Mark Mapp, Andreas Weber, Marc Deschamps, Robin Price, Thomas Jakopp, Michele
Perregaux Bucher, Dieter W. Grieshaber, Roland Stoerr.
Know How shall mean proprietary or confidential information
technology, data, trade secrets, methods or procedures of technical nature.
KPMG shall have the
meaning set forth in Article 2.5.1(d).
Lease End Date shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 9.4.2(d).
Leased Sites shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 9.4.2.
Licensed Patent shall mean any Patent licensed under this
Agreement by Seller to Buyer or by Buyer to Seller.
Licensee shall mean any Party being granted a license
by the other Party under this Agreement.
Licensor shall mean any Party granting a license to
the other Party under this Agreement.
Lien shall mean any
lien, charge, mortgage, encumbrance, security interest or other third party
right (whether in rem or in personam),
irrespective of whether such Lien arises under any agreement, covenant, other
instrument, the mere operation of statutory or other laws or by means of a
judgment, order or decree of any court, judicial or administrative authority,
and shall also mean any approval or consent required from a third party to the
exercise or full vesting of a right or title by or in Buyer or its designated
Affiliates.
6
Litigation shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 15 of Schedule 5.1.
Local Adjustment Date shall mean the Local Closing Date or, if the Local
Closing Date does not occur on the last day of a month, then the Local
Adjustment Date shall mean the last day of the month in which the Closing
occurs.
Local Closing shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 4.2.6(a).
Local Closing Balance Sheet
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 4.2.6(e)(i).
Local Closing Date
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 4.2.6(a). Where this Agreement
refers to Closing Date only, this shall mean, with respect to those TE Assets,
Transferring Employees and the Assumed TE Liabilities in respect of which
Closing has been deferred and where the context so requires, Local Closing
Date.
Long Stop Date shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 4.2.1.
Material Adverse Effect shall
have occurred where:
(i) a
change in the assets, liabilities or financial position of the TE Business has
occurred which fundamentally and lastingly impairs the value of the TE Business
taken as a whole; and
(ii) the
Parties did not and could not reasonably be expected to have taken into account
such change at the date of this Agreement; and
(iii) it
would be unconscionable in light of all circumstances, including the
adjustments under Article 2.5, for the Parties to continue to be bound by
this Agreement;
provided, however,
that the following shall not be deemed a Material Adverse Effect:
(A) a
change that results from conditions generally affecting the world economy;
(B) a
change that results from conditions generally affecting the chemical industry,
the textile industry or the securities markets;
(C) a
change that results from currency exchange rate developments;
(D) a
change that results from the announcement or the pendency of this Agreement;
(E) a
change that results directly from actions taken by a Party in connection with
7
satisfying its obligations hereunder; or
(F) a
change that results from facts and circumstances Fairly Disclosed in the
Disclosure Letter.
Material Contamination shall mean any contamination at an Identified
Site with Dangerous Substances that is equal to or exceeds applicable
contamination limits as defined by applicable Environmental Laws authorizing
the competent authorities to order further investigations of, or cleanings at,
the Identified Site.
Material Contracts shall have the meaning set forth in Section 13
of Schedule 5.1.
Material Existing Contamination shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 9.4.1.1(a).
Material Third Party Consents shall have the meaning set forth in Article 4.2.1(a).
Materiality Condition shall
mean that Seller can transfer to Buyer control over assets (including
assignment or grant to Buyer of all permits and licences required for ownership
or operation of such assets) that (i) represent at least 80 % percent of (i) all
assets (other than the Key Assets) reflected in the TE Statement of Relevant
Net Assets and (ii) generate at least 80 % percent of the gross revenues of all assets (other than
the Key Assets). For purposes of determining of whether control within the
meaning of the preceding sentence has been transferred, any transitional
services or any licensing scheme under the TE Ancillary Agreements shall be
taken into account. With respect to distribution services, Seller shall be
required to render such services if either the regulatory licenses necessary to
operate the TE Business in the respective country have not been transferred or
obtained and no interim licenses have been granted or IT separation as
contemplated in Schedule 8.1(a) has not been effected. Seller
shall be required to provide such financial information to Buyer as Buyer may
reasonably request in order for Buyer to be able to verify that the Materiality
Condition has been satisfied.
Monthly Financials shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 3.4.
Net Debt shall mean
the aggregate of Freely Available Cash and Cash Equivalents and the financial
liabilities line items with respect to the TE Companies, including any unfunded
pension plan and post retirement liabilities of the Transferring Employees, all
set forth in Schedule 2.5.1(a).
Net Working Capital
shall mean the aggregate of the current assets and current liabilities line
items (excluding any tax liabilities or assets), all set forth in Schedule 2.5.1(a).
8
New Agency Agreement
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 7.4.2(a).
Non-Compliant Agreement
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 7.4.2(a).
Notice of Breach shall have the meaning set forth in Article 6.1.2(a).
Notice of Disagreement
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.5.1(c).
Panyu shall have the
meaning set forth in Article 2.1(a)(ii).
Party or Parties shall have the meaning set forth on the cover page to
this Agreement.
Patents shall mean
all issued or reissued patents and pending applications in all jurisdictions,
together with any renewals, extensions, corrections, substitutions,
re-registrations, re-examinations, continuations, continuations-in-part or
divisional applications and any patents issuing thereon.
Permitted Lien shall
mean (i) any Lien for Taxes not yet due or delinquent or being contested
in good faith by appropriate proceedings, (ii) any statutory Lien arising
in the ordinary course of business by operation of law and Liens for Taxes with
respect to an obligation or liability that is not yet due or delinquent and
that may thereafter be paid without penalty, (iii) any minor imperfection
of title or similar Lien or encumbrance which could not reasonably be expected
to have a material effect, (iv) any Lien created pursuant to any lease of
property, real or personal, the obligations under which are capitalized on the
TE Statement of Relevant Net Assets, and (v) any Lien created to secure
purchase money indebtedness that is an Assumed TE Liability.
Person shall mean
any natural person, corporation, general or limited partnership, business
trust, a limited liability company, a trust, an unincorporated organization
doing business, a government or any department or agency thereof, a joint venture
or any other person or entity doing business.
Pfersee shall have
the meaning set forth in Article 2.1(a)(i).
Policies shall have the meaning set forth in Section 14
of Schedule 5.1.
Pre-Closing Liabilities shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.2(b).
Pre-Closing Liability Amount
shall mean the sum of all amounts up to CHF 15,000,000 owed by Seller to
Buyer or its Affiliates attributable to claims for misrepresentation or breach
of warranties reflected in the update to the Disclosure Letter.
9
Preclusion Notice shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 6.1.3.
Preclusion Period
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 6.1.3.
Preliminary Consideration
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.4(b).
Prior Year Financials shall have the meaning set forth in Article 10.12(a).
Protected Activity shall have the meaning set forth in Article 10.11(a).
Purchase Price shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 2.4(a).
Qingdao shall have
the meaning set forth in Article 2.1(a)(iv).
Relevant Compliance Rules shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 7.4.1(a).
Relevant Rules shall
mean any Distribution Laws .
Remedial Action Plan shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.4.1.2(b)(ii)(1).
Restructuring Deduction
shall mean CHF 42,000,000 minus any Approved Restructuring Costs to the
extent such Approved Restructuring Costs are (i) approved by the Buyer and
(ii) actually paid by Seller in implementation of Additional Restructuring
Actions after the date of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date in
accordance with Article 8.5.
Retained Shape Costs shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.5(a).
Retained Tax Liabilities shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.3(a).
Risk Management Actions shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 9.4.3(c).
Seller shall mean the legal entity designated as
Seller on the cover page to this Agreement.
Sellers SAPA Obligation shall have the meaning set forth in Article 13.5(a).
Shape I and II shall mean the restructuring programs initiated in 2004
and 2005, respectively, relating to the TE Business and other businesses of the
Seller, as and to the extent identified in Schedule 8.5(a).
Shape III shall mean the restructuring program described
in the TE Business Plan, as and to the extent identified in Schedule 8.5(a).
10
Share Seller Companies
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.1(a).
Shared Patents shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 2.3.1(a).
Shenzhen shall have
the meaning set forth in Article 2.1(a)(iii).
Swathi shall have
the meaning set forth in Article 2.1(a)(v).
Tangible Property shall mean all furniture, furnishings,
fixtures, equipment (including motor vehicles), computers, office equipment and
appurtenances, tools, machinery
and supplies.
Tax Return(s) shall mean all declarations that,
with respect to the TE Business, are required to be filed in respect of Taxes.
Taxes shall mean all
tax liabilities, including income taxes (personal or corporate), capital taxes,
stamp duties (both on the issuance and on the transfer of securities),
withholding taxes, value added taxes, sales and use tax, goods and services
taxes, customs duties, business taxes, capital gains taxes, property taxes,
real estate taxes, transfer taxes and all other taxes, duties, levies, fees and
charges payable to any competent taxing authority in any jurisdiction, as well
as any interest, penalties, costs and expenses resulting from or arising out
therefrom or relating thereto.
TE shall mean
Textile effects.
TE Ancillary Agreements shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8.4(a).
TE Assets shall have
the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(a).
TE Business shall have the meaning set forth in
Recital (A).
TE Business Plan
shall mean the business plan of the TE Business set forth in Schedule 7.3(t).
TE Chemical Documentation
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(a)(xi).
TE Companies shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 2.1(a)(v).
TE Companies Patents
shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(c) of Schedule 5.1.
TE Companies Real Property shall have the meaning set forth in Section 8(b) of
Schedule 5.1.
11
TE Companies Tangible Property
shall have the meaning set forth in Section 9 of Schedule 5.1.
TE Companies Trademarks
shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(b) of Schedule 5.1.
TE Employee Benefit Plan shall have the meaning set forth in Section 22
of Schedule 5.1.
TE Income and Expense Statement
shall mean the unaudited, pro-forma TE income and expense statement, covering
the period from January 1, 2005, ending on September 30, 2005,
attached hereto as Schedule A, as adjusted to reflect the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement.
TE Intellectual Property Rights
shall mean all of the Transferred TE Trademarks, the Transferred TE Patents,
the Transferred TE Domain Names, the Transferred TE Know How, the TE Companies
Trademarks, the TE Companies Patents, the TE Know How and the Shared Patents.
TE Financial Records
shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(a)(xiv).
TE Key Personnel
shall mean the employees of the TE Business set forth in Annex 5.1.12.
TE Know How shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a) of
Schedule 5.1.
TE Patents shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(c) of
Schedule 5.1.
TE Segment shall
mean the Ciba Groups textile effects segment as such segment is presented in
the Ciba Group Annual Report 2005.
TE Shares shall mean
the shares of the TE Companies held by the Share Seller Companies identified in
Schedule 2.1.
TE Statement of Relevant Net Assets
shall mean the audited consolidated statement of assets and liabilities of the
TE Business as at September 30, 2005, attached hereto as Schedule A.
TE Trademarks shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 11(b) of Schedule 5.1.
Textile Franchise
shall mean (i) any post-extrusion
processing techniques or technologies that are applied onto a natural or synthetic
Textile fibre by an original manufacturer for use in any Textile application,
and (ii) the post-extrusion topical treatment of non-woven materials using
techniques, dyes and chemicals previously applied to Textiles (but excluding,
for the
12
avoidance of doubt, the treatment of
non-drapable applications of wood, paper and pulp); and (iii) MAXILON® and
UVITEX® products and the aqueous application thereof; provided, however, that
(x) detergents and laundry applications; and (y) pre-extrusion processing
techniques or technologies other than those using MAXILON® or UVITEX® products,
shall be excluded from (i), (ii) and (iii).
Textile shall mean
any kind of woven, knitted, knotted (as in macramé) or tufted material,
including fibres, filaments and yarns, natural and manufactured, and products
for which such textiles are principal raw materials, including, but not limited
to, threads, cords, ropes and braids; woven, knitted fabrics for the
applications listed, lace, nets, and embroidery; hosiery, knitwear and made-up
apparel; household textiles, soft furnishings and upholstery; carpets and other
floor coverings.
Trademarks shall mean trade names, business names,
trade dress rights, registered and unregistered trademarks and service marks
and logos, and any applications therefor, together with all translations,
adaptations, derivations and combinations and like intellectual property
rights.
Transfer Documents shall have the meaning set forth in Article 4.3.3(b).
Transferee shall have the meaning set forth in Article 13.5(a).
Transferred TE Assets shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(a).
Transferred TE Contracts shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(a)(xv).
Transferred TE Domain Names shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(a)(iii).
Transferred TE Governmental Authorizations shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(a)(x).
Transferred TE Know How shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(a)(v).
Transferred TE Leases shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(a)(viii).
Transferred TE Marketing and Promotional
Documents shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(a)(vi).
Transferred TE Patents shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(a)(ii).
Transferred TE Product Registrations shall have the meaning set forth in
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Article 2.2.1(a)(iv).
Transferred TE Real Property shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(a)(vii).
Transferred TE Tangible Property shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(a)(ix).
Transferred TE Trademarks shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.2.1(a)(i).
Transferring Employees shall have the meaning set forth in Schedule 10.9.
Transition Period shall mean twelve (12) months following the
Closing Date, plus such additional time as Seller may reasonably approve at the
request of Buyer.
Undertakings shall
have the meaning set forth in Article 10.2(a).
U.S. GAAP shall mean generally accepted accounting
principles as applied in the United States of America.
VAT shall mean Value Added Tax.
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Share Seller Companies
Company Name
|
|
Country
|
|
Shareholder
|
|
Holding1
|
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Ciba Spezialitätenchemie Pfersee GmbH
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|
Germany
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|
Ciba Spezialitätenchemie Holding Deutschland GmbH
|
|
100
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Guangdong
Ciba Specialty Chemicals Co., Ltd.
|
|
China
|
|
Ciba
Specialty Chemicals (China) Ltd.
|
|
70
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
Ciba Specialty Chemicals Inc.
|
|
25
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shenzhen
Ciba Specialty Chemicals Co., Ltd.
|
|
China
|
|
Ciba
Specialty Chemicals (China) Ltd.
|
|
85
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Qingdao Ciba
Dyes Co., Ltd.
|
|
China
|
|
Ciba
Specialty Chemicals (China) Ltd. Ciba Specialty Inc.
|
|
84 10
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Swathi
Organics & Specialties Private Limited
|
|
India
|
|
Ciba
Specialty Chemicals (India) Limited
|
|
21.89
|
%
|
15
A. Net
Working Capital
Net Working Capital shall
consist of the balance sheet items set forth below:
Account
|
|
Account Description
|
|
Amount as per
September 30, 2005
in CHF thousand
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts receivable
|
|
|
|
|
|
100030
|
|
Accounts
receivables trade 3rd pty
|
|
|
|
339 133
|
|
100040
|
|
Provisions
for bad debts / doubtful accounts
|
|
|
|
-37 022
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
plus
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inventories
|
|
|
|
|
|
100080
|
|
Inventories
Raw material
|
|
48 329
|
|
|
|
100090
|
|
Inventories
Work in Progress and Finish Goods
|
|
277 110
|
|
|
|
100100
|
|
Provisions
for slow mowing inventories
|
|
|
|
-11 156
|
|
|
|
|
|
|