TRANSLATION FOR CONVENIENCE ONLY - NOT LEGALLY
BINDING
[TRANSLATION]
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CONTRIBUTION AGREEMENT OF A
BUSINESS ENTERPRISE AND VARIOUS ASSETS
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a joint-stock
company with a board of directors and a declared capital of
40,000 euros,
with its
registered office at 5, rue de
Tilsitt 75008 PARIS,
registered with
the Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés de Paris under
No B 434 300 885,
represented by
Mr. LACAN, sole managing director, duly qualified for this
purpose,
hereinafter
referred to as “ICE ROCKS”,
ICE
ROCKS PARTICIPATIONS ,
a limited
liability company with a declared capital of
7,700.00 euros,
registered with
the Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés de Paris under
No B 433 913 894,
with its
registered office at 5, rue de
Tilsitt 75008 PARIS,
represented by
Mr. Thierry LACAN, as manager, duly qualified for this
purpose,
hereinafter
referred to as “ICE ROCKS PARTICIPATIONS”,
a limited
liability company with a declared capital of
7,622.45 euros,
registered with
the Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés de Paris under
No B 397 796 822,
with its
registered office at 5, rue de Tilsitt 75008 PARIS,
represented by
Mr. Bruno LEDOUX, as manager, duly qualified for this
purpose,
hereinafter
referred to as “COLBERT FONCIER”,
Mr.
Thierry LACAN , head of a business, born on
April 7, 1963 in Paris, 17 th arrondissement,
of French nationality, married under the regime of the separation
of property by contract dated April 6, 1993, residing at 31,
rue de la Ferme, Neuilly-sur-Seine, 92200
Mr.
Bruno LEDOUX , head of a business, born on
October 1, 1964 in Paris, 15 th
arrondissement, of French nationality, married under the
regime of the separation of property by contract dated
September 22, 1989, residing at 5, rue de Tilsitt 75008
Paris
All of the
above hereinafter collectively referred to as the
“Contributors” and each of them individually as a
“Contributor”,
On the one
hand,
WATER
BANK OF AMERICA INC.,
a corporation
incorporated under Canadian law pursuant to the Canada Business
Corporations Act , with its registered office at 100, avenue
des Sommets, Suite 1603, Verdun, Quebec,
Canada H3E 1Z8,
with the
registration No 1160910676,
represented by
Mr. Michel P. PELLETIER, duly authorized for the purposes
hereof,
hereinafter
referred to as the “Beneficiary
Corporation”,
On the other
hand.
The
Contributors and the Beneficiary Corporation shall hereinafter
collectively be referred to as the “Parties” and
individually as a “Party”.
IT
HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY STATED THAT:
1/ ICE ROCKS
has developed a business consisting of the processing of spring
water destined for the production of ice cubes (hereinafter
referred to as the “Commercial Activity”).
Moreover, it
has acquired certain assets of a corporation incorporated pursuant
to British law, SCOTCH ROCKS, in 2000.
2/ A patent
regarding a sealed container filled with a liquid destined for the
manufacture of ice cubes including an ejection procedure for the
ice cubes, has been filed by COLBERT FONCIER in France. Said patent
mentions MM. LACAN and LEDOUX as inventors.
Subject to the
priority of this patent, MM. Thierry LACAN and Bruno LEDOUX
filed a patent application under Euro-PCT for several
States.
3/ ICE ROCKS
PARTICIPATION and COLBERT FONCIER also acquired or filed trademarks
in various States.
4/ ICE ROCKS,
ICE ROCKS PARTICIPATION and Mr. Thierry LACAN finally reserved
a variety of domain names.
The
Contributors have established that the Business requires
considerable financial, human and material investments that they
cannot nor wish to provide.
The Beneficiary
Corporation is a Canadian corporation whose business consists
mainly in acquiring springs, and merchandizing and distributing
water. It has shown some interest for the Business in view of a
future listing of its stock (directly or indirectly) for trading on
the regulated markets in Toronto and Montreal.
Insofar as the
Contributors are concerned, they state that this listing project
corresponds with the prospects that they entertained with respect
to the development of the concept.
The Parties
have therefor come together to contribute and bring the Business
Enterprise of ICE ROCKS as well as the patents, trademarks and
domain names to the Beneficiary Corporation.
The Beneficiary
Corporation carried out an audit of the patents, trademarks and
domain names of the Contributors to verify, in particular, the
Contributors’ ownership rights to the intellectual property
and the legal validity of such rights.
As a result of
this audit, it has been demonstrated that several assets required
for the development of the Business do not belong to ICE ROCKS. The
Parties have thus agreed to carry out the necessary contributions
regarding their combination in the hands of the Beneficiary
Corporation.
These
contributions, hereinafter referenced, are
indissociable.
IT
HAS THEREFORE BEEN AGREED AS FOLLOWS
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4
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Specific
Clauses Relating to the Contribution of its Business Enterprise by
ICE ROCKS
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5
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Specific
Clauses Relating to the Contribution of Patents
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Chapter 1:
Contribution of a Patent by COLBERT FONCIER
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10
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Chapter 2:
Contribution of Patents by MM. LACAN and LEDOUX
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Specific
Clauses Relating to the Contribution of Trademarks
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Chapter 1:
Contribution of Trademarks by COLBERT FONCIER
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Chapter 2:
Contribution of Trademarks by ICE ROCKS PARTICIPATIONS
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Specific
Clauses Relating to the Contribution of Domain Names
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Chapter 1:
Contribution of a Domain Name by ICE ROCKS
PARTICIPATIONS
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Chapter 2:
Contribution of a Domain Name by Mr. LACAN
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22
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Clauses
Relating to the Remuneration by the Beneficiary Corporation for the
Various Contributions
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24
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Title A
List of Schedules
Schedule
1: Contributed Domain Names with respect to the
Business Enterprise contribution by ICE ROCKS
Schedule
2: Inventory of Stocks
Schedule
3: List of Creditors
Schedule
4: Copy of the French Patent
No 00 11090 COLBERT FONCIER
Schedule
5: Copy of the Euro-PCT Patent Application
No WO 02/18856
Schedule
6: Copy of the European Patent
No EP 01 065-369.0
Schedule
7: Copy of the Canadian Patent Title
No CA 2422 957
Schedule
8: Copy of the U.S. Patent Application Title
No US 2004/0026599
Schedule
9: Copy of the Japanese Patent Title
No JP 2002-523537
Schedule
10: Copy of the Korean Patent Title
No KR 10-2003-7003145
Schedule
11: Copy of the Chinese Patent Title
No CN 01817435.3
Schedule
12: Copy of the Mexican Patent Title
No MX 2003 00 1897
Schedule
13: Copy of the Brazilian Patent Title
No BR 0113689.5
Schedule
14: Copy of the Turkish Patent Title (Normally
Lapsed) No TR 2003-00493
Schedule
15: Copy of the Moroccan Patent Title
No MC 27080
Schedule
16: Copy of the Israeli Patent Title
No IS 33049
Schedule
17: Descriptions of Trademarks 1
Schedule
18: Copies of Trademarks 1
Schedule
19: Descriptions of Trademarks 2
Schedule
20: Copies of Trademarks 2
Schedule
21: Copy of the Registration of the
“icerocks.net” Domain Name with the
Registrar
Schedule
22: Copy of the Registration of the
“icerocks.org” Domain Name with the
Registrar
Schedule
23: Distribution of the Shares of WATER BANK OF
AMERICA Amongst its Associates, Before and After the Completion of
the Capital Increase
Title B
Contribution of its Business Enterprise by ICE
ROCKS
Section
1 - Designation of the Business Enterprise
ICE ROCKS
hereby contributes, with the usual and legal warranties, in
addition to the various representations and warranties set forth
hereinafter, to the Beneficiary Corporation which accepts it, the
Business Enterprise consisting of the processing of foodstuffs, in
particular water destined for the manufacture of ice cubes,
operating under the name “ICE ROCKS”, located at 5, rue
de Tilsitt 75008 PARIS, which it owns and for which it is
registered at the Registre du Commerce and des Sociétés
de Paris under No RCS B 434 300 885, to
the exclusion of any other Business Enterprise exploited by the
Contributor.
The
above-mentioned Business Enterprise includes:
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The clientele,
goodwill and in general the right to call itself the successor of
the Contributor with respect to the operation of the said Business
Enterprise;
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The commercial
name and signage;
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All studies and
all commercial, technical, administrative or financial documents
directly or indirectly relating to the operation of the contributed
Business Enterprise;
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The domain
names, a list of which is included in
Schedule 1 .
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The Business
Enterprise is presently operated by the Contributor who is
domiciled in the premises that it has at its disposal at 5, rue de
Tilsitt 75008 Paris.
It is hereby
specified that the present contribution does not include any right
to the lease.
It is however
understood amongst the Parties that the Beneficiary Corporation
will be able to use the above-mentioned premises to carry out
ongoing business regarding the operation of the Business
Enterprise, during a period of 30 days at most from the date
of completion of the contribution. This precarious occupancy will
be free of charge.
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The following
operating materials: a “ line for the processing
and filling of spring water ” that
includes:
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A MECA 420
machine - of type 420 No 556 container maker
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A 20 head HITEC
distributor - 420 series E 441
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A HECISA
laminary flux machine
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An AES ozonizer
- ALLIANCE/OZONE
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A motorized
D1000 stainless steel revolving table
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A motorized
L. 110 x 400 converter belt
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A 3M-MATIC type
TP 200 A-E box tape machine
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Equipment and
servitudes:
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1 R22 GETR
COOLING / WELLINGTON - SOMERSET cooling group,
RC 44 model
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1 FULTON
ELECTRIC sterilizing boiler
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1
200 1./1 lb pressure chamber
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1 ATLAS COPCO
GA 5 type compressor
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1 WILLET ink
jet printer for dating
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1 stainless
steel filtration machine
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1 UV water
treatment filter
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1 BEKO - WAMAT
dosing pump
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1 set of
various materials:
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Miscellaneous
small materials
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As well as any
accessories, parts and improvements thereto.
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The inventoried
stocks hereinafter listed in Schedule 2 . The
stocks are being contributed on the basis of the inventory and the
corresponding estimation given to the Beneficiary Corporation, the
latter declaring having full knowledge thereof, having seen and
examined same.
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The Business
Enterprise is comprised exclusively of the tangible and intangible
assets defined hereinabove.
The Contributor
represents and warrants as follows:
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The Business
Enterprise does not include, as of the date of completion of the
contribution, any additional fittings, office materials or other
furniture, nor any tangible assets that may have been used to carry
on the Commercial Activity and to exploit the Business Enterprise,
other than those listed hereinabove.
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No assets of
this nature are located on the premises.
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No fixed assets
are attached to the Business Enterprise.
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Accordingly,
the Beneficiary Corporation exempts the Contributor from any
physical inventory and declares having accepted the tangible assets
as is, without any recourse against the Contributor.
Section
2 - Origin of Ownership
The Vendor
declares being the owner of the Business Enterprise having created
it on January 12, 2001 and which business is being
operated in a stable, peaceful and continuous manner.
Section
3 - Property - Enjoyment
The Beneficiary
Corporation shall have the property and the enjoyment of the
contributed Business Enterprise from the date of completion of the
contribution by all of the Parties.
Section
4 - Charges and Conditions
The
contribution stipulated hereinabove, clear of any debts, is based
on the following charges and conditions:
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The Beneficiary
Corporation will take the contributed assets and rights in their
“as is” state upon the effective date of enjoyment,
without being entitled to ask for any indemnification for any
reason whatsoever and, in particular, with respect to any errors of
designation or capacity or any change to the composition of the
existing assets as at such date.
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It shall
acquit, as of the effective date of enjoyment, all contributions,
taxes, levies, insurance premiums and contributions, as well as any
other amounts whatsoever, ordinary or extraordinary, encumbering or
which could encumber the contributed assets and those which are or
may be intrinsic to the operation of the contributed Business
Enterprise. The business tax will be allocated proportionally in
time among the contributing and beneficiary
corporations.
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It shall assume
all the expenses and fees relating to the present contribution,
including those relating to the acts and exhibits required to
reflect its definitive completion, as well as all the expenses
resulting directly or indirectly therefrom.
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Section
5 - Representations
The Contributor
represents as follows:
The sales
figures, to the exclusion of taxes, for the last three fiscal years
are estimated as follows:
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from January
29, 2001 to March 31, 2002: 11,606 euros,
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from April
1, 2002 to March, 31, 2003: 71.149 euros,
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from April
1, 2003 to March, 31 2004: 21.143 euros (*).
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For the
corresponding periods, the income is estimated as
follows:
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from January 29
, 2001 to March 31, 2002: (208,732) euros,
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from April
1, 2002 to March 31, 2003: (100.090) euros,
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from April
1, 2003 to March 31, 2004: (60.000) euros (*).
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(*) With
respect to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004, ICE ROCKS not yet
having completed its inventory, the figures shown are estimates
based on its best knowledge.
The Beneficiary
Corporation acknowledges that the above disclosures are solely for
information purposes and shall in no way affect its willingness to
purchase the Business Enterprise and waives any recourse against
the Contributor with respect thereto and accordingly, grants an
outright, definitive and complete discharge to the writers of the
present agreement.
There are no
liens or pledges registered on the contributed Business Enterprise.
In the event that any such liens or pledges are discovered, the
Contributor undertakes from this moment to grant acquittal and
discharge with respect thereto, at its expense, within
three (3) months after the completion of the present
contribution.
5-3
Other
Representations
Moreover, the
Contributor represents and warrants that:
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its registered
office is in France and it has French residency status within the
meaning of the currency exchange regulations currently in
effect;
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it may freely
dispose of the ownership of the Business Enterprise in question and
all of the elements therein, of which none have been the object of
a seizure or are liable to be;
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none of the
activities currently carried out with respect to the Business
Enterprise in question have been lent or leased, it being specified
however that the operating materials and the stocks are currently
on deposit with SOFABO;
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there are no
administrative, judicial or other restraints regarding the
operation or the contribution of the Business Enterprise and the
latter is not currently subject to overprotection pursuant to the
laws and regulations in effect that are likely to result in its
disappearance or unavailability;
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as of the date
of completion of the contribution, it is not the object of any
proceedings whatsoever regarding the operation of the Business
Enterprise contributed and likely to hinder such operation by the
Beneficiary Corporation and the peaceful enjoyment that it may
expect;
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with the
exception of the list of creditors (where the identity of the
creditor, the amount of the debt and the expiry date are indicated)
set forth hereinafter in Schedule 3 , which
list the Contributor guarantees is accurate and faithful, there are
no other creditors and the Contributor is not liable, at the
present date, for any amount whatsoever for any reason whatsoever
in favour of any third party (including the shareholders of the
Contributor);
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in summary,
nothing in its legal status opposes to the free disposal of the
contributed Business Enterprise and to the peaceful enjoyment of
the latter by the Beneficiary Corporation;
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that it is not
and has never been in a position of judicial liquidation or
bankruptcy or suspension of payments;
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it is not
presently and is not susceptible of being the object of proceedings
likely to result in the confiscation of its assets;
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that its
account books, after having been verified by the Parties, will be
made available to the Beneficiary Corporation for a period of three
years as of the effective date of enjoyment of the Business
Enterprise;
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that there is
no work contract, of any nature whatsoever, that binds it to a
particular employee at the date of completion of the contribution
(including pursuant to any prior notice whatsoever). Accordingly,
the Contributor warrants to the Beneficiary Corporation that there
is no obligation (i) to retain any employees whatesoever with
the Business Enterprise in accordance with the provisions of
Section L. 122-12 of the Labour Code and (ii) to pay
any amount whatsoever for whatever reason to any former
employee;
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that it has no
knowledge of any existing or future litigation relating to the
contributed assets. For all practical purposes, it guarantees the
Beneficiary Corporation against all future actions, legal
proceedings and/or condemnations with respect to an eventual
litigation relating to the contributed assets;
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it is the valid
and regular owner of all of the transferred tangible or intangible
assets comprised in the Business Enterprise;
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and it
guarantees that the transferred assets are not encumbered by any
real or personal rights, pledges, servitudes, guaranties,
registered privileges, charges and sureties, as well as any other
restrictions and guarantees of any nature whatsoever that might
interfere with the full ownership or enjoyment of the said
assets;
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that it does
not own any other patent, trademark, intellectual property right or
domain name that could be confused with the Commercial Activity,
other than those contributed pursuant to this agreement.
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Title C
Specific Clauses Relating to the Contribution of
Patents
Chapter 1
Contribution of a Patent by COLBERT FONCIER
The Contributor
is the holder and sole owner of the French patent
No 00 11090 COLBERT FONCIER that was applied for on
August 30, 2000 from l’Institut National de la
Propriété Industrielle, which application was published
on March 1, 2002 under No 2813 384 and was issued on
February 13, 2003, bearing the designation “ Sealed
container filled with water destined for the manufacture of ice
cubes and processing thereof ” referred to in
Schedule 4 (hereinafter referred to as
“Patent 1”).
The Contributor
does not wish to pursue exploitation of Patent 1, having no
inclination to undertake the manufacturing of products that can be
manufactured as a result of its knowledge and not having the
technical means or the adequate human resources to guarantee
durability and full control.
The Beneficiary
Corporation is interested in acquiring the full and complete
ownership of Patent 1 and the Contributor has agreed to make
it available to the Beneficiary Corporation.
The purpose
hereof is to define the terms and conditions under which the
Contributor will contribute to the Beneficiary Corporation, who
accepts it, the full and complete ownership of Patent 1, a
copy of which, including the preliminary research report, is
annexed hereto as Schedule 4 .
The Contributor
contributes and transfers in favour of the Beneficiary Corporation,
who accepts without any exceptions, the rights regarding the
property and enjoyment which it holds with respect to Patent
No 1.
Section
2 - Scope and Limits of the Contribution
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This
contribution concerns exclusively Patent 1 for the entire
French territory where it is in effect.
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The Contributor
declares that with the exception of the rights held by it regarding
Patent 1, it does not have any other rights with respect to
this patent and, in particular, with respect to international
and/or domestic patent applications subject to the priority of
Patent 1.
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The Beneficiary
Corporation is subrogated in all of the rights of the Contributor
and accordingly shall benefit, at its discretion, from the
completion of the contribution, of the full and complete ownership
and enjoyment of Patent 1, subject to it being maintained in
effect and the payment of any expenses relating thereto, with
respect to which it assumes full responsibility.
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Section
3 - Obligations and Warranties
At the date of
completion of the contribution in favour of the Beneficiary
Corporation, the Contributor will deliver a copy of the title and
file concerning Patent 1, in particular the notice of its
issuance and, in general, all of the documentation which will allow
the use and peaceful exploitation thereof.
The Contributor
represents:
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that it has
full and complete ownership of Patent 1 within the limits of
the rights that have been granted to it, that it has not granted
any licenses, exclusive or otherwise, nor any assignments or
pledges (or encumbrances) or any other rights whatsoever and that
it has the capacity to freely contribute such patent in such way
that the Beneficiary Corporation may have full and free use
thereof;
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that it has
regularly acquitted all fees and expenses with respect to filing
and maintenance (annual installments) and that it has undertaken
all of the formalities required for the material existence of such
rights.
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The Contributor
shall, directly or indirectly, refrain from any manufacturing and
exploitation of products similar to the invention derived from
Patent 1.
The Contributor
shall, in any case, refrain from availing itself, for its own
benefit, of any personal prior right of possession with respect to
Patent 1.
The Contributor
guarantees the Beneficiary Corporation against any prejudice,
direct or indirect, resulting from any legal proceedings for
recovery of property, for cancellation or any other basis prior to
the completion of the contribution, regarding the validity,
ownership, use and/or exploitation of Patent 1, within the
limits of the rights granted to it.
The Contributor
only guarantees the existence of Patent 1, to the exclusion of
its efficiency and validity, which the Beneficiary Corporation
expressly agrees to.
Section
4 - Transfer of Ownership and Risks
The Parties
agree that the ownership as well as all of the risks associated
with Patent 1 will be transferred to the Beneficiary
Corporation as of the date of completion of the
contribution.
In order to
ratify the present contribution or to set it up against third
persons, the Beneficiary Corporation undertakes, at its expense, to
begin the process of all registration formalities with the
competent international or domestic agencies, as the case may be,
within the time limits prescribed under applicable regulation or,
failing such, no later than three (3) months following
the date of completion of the contribution.
Chapter 2
Contribution of Patents by MM. LACAN and
LEDOUX
The
Contributors are co-holders and sole owners of the Euro-PCT patent
application No WO 02/18856 LACAN filed on August 29,
2001 under No PCT/FR01/02687, subject to the priority of
French Patent No 00 11090, published on March 7,
2002, bearing the designation “ Sealed container filled
with water destined for the manufacture of ice cubes and the
processing thereof ” referred to in
Schedule 5 , as well as the European patent
and the foreign national patents resulting therefrom (hereinafter
referred to as “Patents 2”).
The
Contributors do not wish to pursue exploiting Patents 2,
having no inclination to undertake the manufacturing of products
that can be manufactured as a result of their knowledge and not
having the technical means or the adequate human resources to
guarantee durability and full control.
The Beneficiary
Corporation is interested in acquiring the full and complete
ownership of Patents 2 and the Contributors have agreed to
make it available to the Beneficiary Corporation.
The purpose
hereof is to define the terms and conditions under which the
Contributors will contribute in favour of the Beneficiary
Corporation, which accepts it, the full and complete ownership of
Patents 2, copies of which, including the preliminary research
report, are annexed hereto as Schedules 5 to
16 .
The
Contributors contribute and transfer in favour of the Beneficiary
Corporation, who accepts without any exceptions, the rights
regarding the property and the possession which they hold with
respect to Patents 2.
Section
2 - Scope and Limits of the Contribution
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This
contribution concerns exclusively Patents 2 for all of the
territorities where they are in effect.
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The Beneficiary
Corporation is subrogated in all of the rights of the Contributors
and accordingly shall benefit, at its discretion, from the
completion of the contribution, of the full and complete ownership
and enjoyment of Patents 2, subject to their being maintained
in effect and to the payment of any expenses relating thereto, with
respect to which it assumes full responsibility.
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It should be
noted that among these ten national patents is an application for a
Turkish patent. According to the Contributors’ industrial
property counselors, this patent application has lapsed as a result
of the non-payment of a levy. However, according to the
Contributors’ industrial property counselors , at the date of
the completion of