Exhibit 10.1
PATENT ACQUISITION
AGREEMENT
This Patent Acquisition Agreement
(“Agreement”) is entered into effective as of this 31
day of May, 2005 (“Effective Date”), by and among
Summit Telecom Systems, Inc., a New Jersey corporation having a
principal place of business at 158 Chateau Thierry Avenue, Madison,
New Jersey 07940 (“Assignor”), and Arbinet-thexchange,
Inc., a Delaware corporation, having a principal place of business
at 120 Albany Street, Tower II, Suite 450, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(“Assignee”).
WITNESSETH
WHEREAS, Assignor is willing to sell its right,
title and interest in certain of its patents and patent
applications to Assignee; and
WHEREAS, Assignee wishes to acquire such patents
and patent applications in a transaction described herein (the
“Acquisition”).
NOW THEREFORE
In view of the foregoing premises and the mutual
covenants set forth herein, the parties agree as
follows:
1.1 Assigned Patents . The U.S. and
non-U.S. patents and patent applications, including any divisional,
continuation, continuation-in-part, reissue or re-examination
applications, or patents issuing therefrom (and further including
any foreign counterpart patents and applications corresponding
thereto), as more particularly set forth in Schedule I hereto, but
excluding the Non-Assigned Patent as defined and described
herein.
1.2 Assigned Application . U.S. Patent
Application No. 09/925,758, which published on February 13, 2003 as
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2003/0033238 Al (the
“ ‘758 Application”), including any divisional,
continuation, reissue or re-examination applications, or patents
issuing therefrom (and further including any foreign counterpart
patents and applications corresponding thereto).
1.3 Non-Assigned Patent . U.S. Patent No.
6,167,124, including any reissue or re-examination applications, or
patents issuing therefrom, as well as any other patents which do
not claim priority to any of the Assigned Patents or Assigned
Application.
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2.0
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CONDITIONS
TO CLOSING
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The closing of the Acquisition is
subject to the following conditions:
2.1 Due Diligence for Assigned Patents .
The Assignee and its attorneys shall have satisfactorily completed
their due diligence investigation of the Assignor and the Assigned
Patents. Between the Effective Date and the closing, these
representatives shall be given full access to all files owned or
controlled by Assignor (excluding all documents covered
by
Assignor’s attorney-client privilege)
relating to the ownership, prosecution or issuance of the Assigned
Patents (collectively, the “Assigned Patents Files”).
Assignor agrees to cause its officers and management to cooperate
fully with Assignee’s representatives and agents and to make
themselves available to the extent reasonably necessary to complete
the due diligence process and the closing of the
Acquisition.
2.2 Due Diligence for Assigned
Application . The Assignee and its attorneys shall have
satisfactorily completed their due diligence investigation of the
Assignor and the Assigned Application. Between the Effective Date
and the closing, Assignee and its attorneys shall be given full
access to all files provided to Assignor or its affiliates by
patent counsel for the ‘758 Application and to all documents
executed or prepared by Assignor or its affiliates or attorneys as
a result of the filing and prosecution of the ‘758
Application with the USPTO or to effect the assignment to Assignor
of the entire right, title and interest in the ‘758
Application of two of the eight co-inventors named therein
(excluding, in each case, all documents covered by attorney-client
privilege) (collectively, the “Assigned Application
Files”). Assignor agrees to cause its officers and management
to cooperate fully with Assignee’s representatives and agents
and to make themselves available to the extent reasonably necessary
to complete the due diligence process and the closing of the
Acquisition.
2.3 Closing Date . The closing of the
Acquisition shall take place on a date to be mutually agreed by
Assignor and Assignee, but in no event later than June 28, 2005
(the “Closing Date”), provided, however, that Assignor
allows the due diligence process set out in Sections 2.1 and 2.2
above (“Due Diligence”) to commence at least two weeks
prior to the Closing Date. If Assignor fails to do so, then the
Closing Date shall be two weeks from such date.
2.4 Document Return or Disposition . In
the event the Acquisition fails to close on or before the Closing
Date specified in Section 2.3 above, unless otherwise agreed to in
a writing signed by the Assignor and Assignee, Assignee shall (i)
immediately return to Assignor all files and materials made
available by Assignor to Assignee or its attorneys or agents under
Section 2.1 or Section 2.2 hereof or otherwise under this Agreement
(together with all copies of such files and materials made by
Assignee or its attorneys or agents, expressly excluding any
materials containing information protected by attorney-client
privilege, attorney work product, or any other applicable
privilege), and (ii) immediately destroy and discard, or cause to
be destroyed or discarded, all notes, memoranda, analyses,
opinions, recordings, and any other written or recorded information
or media prepared by Assignee or its attorneys or agents (including
materials containing information protected by attorney-client
privilege, attorney work product, or any other applicable
privilege) as a result of, or in connection with, the review by
Assignee of any non-public files or materials made available by
Assignor to Assignee under Section 2.1 or Section 2.2 hereof or
otherwise under this Agreement.
3.1 Assignment of Assigned Patents .
Assignor agrees to sell, transfer and assign its entire right,
title and interest in the Assigned Patents to Assignee pursuant to
the Patent Assignment attached hereto as Exhibit A, free and clear
of all liens, mortgages, pledges, security interests, prior
assignments and encumbrances of any kind or nature whatsoever. On
the Closing Date, Assignor shall execute and have notarized a
Patent Assignment in the form attached hereto as
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Exhibit A for filing by Assignee with the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office (the “USPTO”) and any
foreign patent office that is relevant. Upon the closing of the
Acquisition, this Patent Assignment shall be effective and,
thereafter, (i) Assignee shall have sole responsibility and
authority to prosecute any pending patent application included in
the Assigned Patents, and (ii) Assignee shall assume responsibility
for all fees and expenses associated with the Assigned Patents
including, without limitation, all maintenance, annuity and
prosecution-related fees and expenses.
3.2 Further Assurances as to Assigned
Patents . At any time and from time to time after the closing
of the Acquisition, at Assignee’s reasonable request and
expense, Assignor shall promptly execute and deliver, and shall
cause its officers and employees (when appropriate) to execute and
deliver, in a form reasonably acceptable to Assignor, such
instruments of sale, transfer, conveyance, assignment and
confirmation as may reasonably be required, and shall take such
other action as Assignee may reasonably request, to more
effectively transfer, convey and assign to Assignee all of
Assignor’s right, title and interest in the Assigned Patents
and to confirm such sale, transfer, conveyance and assignment by
Assignor to Assignee. In the event that a party becomes aware of
any existing patent or pending patent application that is covered
by the definition of Assigned Patents but which is not currently
listed on Schedule I, such patent or patent application shall
automatically be added to Schedule I and shall be deemed to
constitute Assigned Patents for all purposes hereunder. Prior to
the closing of the Acquisition, Assignor will procure a
certification from Jack J. Johnson (“Johnson”) and
William F. Coyle (“Coyle”) (together, the
“Assigned Patents Co-Inventors”), in the form attached
hereto as Exhibit C, in which the Assigned Patents Co-Inventors
each certify that (i) the co-inventors named in the issued U.S.
patents and pending applications listed in Schedule 1 of this
Agreement are the joint inventors of the claimed subject matter
therein, (ii) the co-inventors have no knowledge of any misjoinder
or nonjoinder of inventorship in the Assigned Patents, (iii) each
has assigned all of his ownership interests in the Assigned Patents
(excluding U.S. Patent No. 5,606,602) to Assignor, and (iv) each
has assigned all of his ownership interest in U.S. Patent No.
5,606,602 to Geophonic Networks, Inc. (“Geophonic”).
Assignor will also procure, prior to the closing of the
Acquisition, a certification from Geophonic, in the form attached
hereto as Exhibit D, in which Geophonic certifies that it has
assigned all of its ownership interest in U.S. Patent No. 5,606,602
to Assignor.
3.3 Assignment of Assigned Application .
Assignor agrees to sell, transfer and assign to Assignee all right,
title and interest Assignor may hold in the Assigned Application,
as the assignee of the entire right, title and interest of two of
the eight named co-inventors listed in the Assigned Application,
pursuant to the Patent Assignment attached hereto as Exhibit B. On
the Closing Date, Assignor shall execute and have notarized a
Patent Assignment in the form attached as Exhibit B for filing by
Assignee with the USPTO and any foreign patent office that is
relevant. Assignor is unaware of any divisional, continuation,
continuation-in-part, reissue or re- examination applications, or
any patents issuing therefrom (or any foreign counterpart patents
or applications corresponding thereto) that rely on U.S.
Application No. 09/925,758 for priority. Within five days after
closing, Assignor will notify Accenture’s counsel in writing
of the change of ownership.
3.4 Further Assurances as to Assigned
Application . At any time and from time to time after the
closing of the Acquisition, at Assignee’s reasonable request
and expense, Assignor shall
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promptly execute and deliver, and shall cause
its officers and employees (when appropriate) to execute and
deliver, in a form reasonably acceptable to Assignor, such
instruments of sale, transfer, conveyance, assignment and
confirmation as may reasonably be required, and shall take such
other action as Assignee may reasonably request, to more
effectively transfer, convey and assign to Assignee all of
Assignor’s right, title and interest in the Assigned
Application and to confirm such sale, transfer, conveyance and
assignment by Assignor to Assignee. Prior to the closing of the
Acquisition, Assignor will procure a certification from Johnson and
Coyle, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit E, in which Johnson
and Coyle each certify that (i) he has been listed as one of eight
persons named in the Assigned Application as co-inventors of at
least a portion of the claimed subject matter therein, and (ii)
each has assigned all of his ownership interests in the Assigned
Application to Assignor.
3.5 Retention by Assignor of Non-Assigned
Patent . Assignor owns all right, title and interest in and to
the Non-Assigned Patent and, after the closing of the Acquisition
as described elsewhere in this Agreement, Assignor shall continue
to own all right, title and interest in and to Non-Assigned Patent.
No portion of the Non-Assigned Patent is being sold, transferred,
conveyed or assigned by Assignor to Assignee under this Agreement
or otherwise.
4.1 Payment . In full consideration of
the assignment of rights made hereunder, and subject to Section 2.0
herein, Assignee shall pay to Assignor a total sum of One Million
One Hundred Thousand U.S. Dollars ($1,100,000.00) (the
“Purchase Price”) in two installments as follows: (i)
the first installment shall be in the amount of Nine Hundred
Thousand Dollars ($900,000.00) in cash and shall be paid to
Assignor on the Closing Date (the “First Installment”);
and (ii) the second installment shall be in the amount of Two
Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00) in cash and shall be paid on
January 5, 2006 (the “Second Installment”).
4.2 Escrow Account . To secure payment of
the Second Installment, the Assignee shall deposit on the Closing
Date the sum of Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00) in cash
into a non-interest bearing escrow account (the “Escrow
Account”) with an FDIC-insured national banking institution
(the “Escrow Agent”) mutually acceptable to the
parties. The Escrow Account shall be established pursuant to a
mutually acceptable Escrow Agreement that shall contain
instructions directing the Escrow Agent to pay all monies in the
Escrow Account to Assignor on January 5, 2006 in full satisfaction
of the payment of such Second Installment. The costs and expenses
of such Escrow Agent shall be shared equally by Assignor and
Assignee.
4.3 Method of Payment . The First
Installment and the Second Installment shall each be paid to
Assignor either by bank wire, with receipt confirmed by the
receiving bank to an account designated by Assignor for this
purpose, or by delivering to Assignee a bank certified or
cashier’s check for the applicable amount.
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5.0
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REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND DISCLAIMERS OF
ASSIGNOR
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With respect to the Assigned
Patents, Assignor represents and warrants to Assignee as follows in
Sections 5.1 through and including Section 5.8:
5.1 Assigned Patents . Schedule I hereto
lists all patents and patent applications included within the
definition of Assigned Patents under this Agreement.
5.2 Ownership of Assigned Patents .
Assignor is the sole and exclusive owner of the Assigned Patents,
and it has the unencumbered right to sell and transfer its entire
right, title and interest in the Assigned Patents to Assignee as
contemplated hereby. The Assigned Patents are free and clear of all
liens, mortgages, pledges, security interests, prior assignments or
encumbrances, and any restrictions on transfer.
5.3 Files . Assignor shall use its best
efforts to provide to Assignee all existing files and records
specified in Section 2.1 hereof as the Assigned Patents
Files.
5.4 Licenses as to Assigned Patents .
Assignor has not granted any license or right under any of the
Assigned Patents to any third party.
5.5 Status of Patents and Applications as to
Assigned Patents . All maintenance fees required to be paid as
of the Closing Date with respect to all issued U.S. patents listed
in Schedule I hereto have been or shall be paid by Assignor. To the
best of Assignor’s knowledge, U.S. Application No. 09/851,483
is pending at the USPTO and Japanese Patent Application No. JP
2000-527077 is pending at the Japanese Patent Office.
5.6 Sufficiency of Rights as to Assigned
Patents . All issued patents included as Assigned Patents are
subsisting and in full force and effect. At the closing of the
Acquisition, Assignor will assign its entire right, title and
interest in the Assigned Patents to Assignee. The execution of this
Agreement will not result in the loss or impairment of the right,
title and interest in the Assigned Patents that Assignor will
convey to Assign