EXHIBIT
10.4
INDEMNIFICATION
AGREEMENT
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
, made and executed this 12th day of
October, 2006, by and between NYFIX, Inc., a Delaware corporation
(the “Company”), and William H. Janeway, an individual
resident of the State of New York (the
“Indemnitee”).
WHEREAS, the Company is aware that, in order to
induce highly competent persons to serve the Company as directors
or officers or in other capacities, the Company must provide such
persons with adequate protection through insurance and
indemnification against inordinate risks of claims and actions
against them arising out of their service to and activities on
behalf of the Company;
WHEREAS, the Company recognizes that the
increasing difficulty in obtaining directors’ and
officers’ liability insurance, the increases in the cost of
such insurance and the general reductions in the coverage of such
insurance have increased the difficulty of attracting and retaining
such persons;
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company
has determined that it is essential to the best interests of the
Company’s stockholders that the Company act to assure such
persons that there will be increased certainty of such protection
in the future;
WHEREAS, it is reasonable, prudent and necessary
for the Company contractually to obligate itself to indemnify such
persons to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law so that
they will continue to serve the Company free from undue concern
that they will not be so indemnified; and
WHEREAS, the Indemnitee is willing to serve,
continue to serve, and take on additional service for or on behalf
of the Company or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries on the
condition that he/she be so indemnified.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises
and the mutual promises and covenants contained herein, and for
other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency
of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Indemnitee do
hereby agree as follows:
1. Service by
the Indemnitee . The Indemnitee agrees to serve
and/or continue to serve as a director or officer of the Company
faithfully and will discharge his/her duties and responsibilities
to the best of his/her ability so long as the Indemnitee is duly
elected or qualified in accordance with the provisions of the
Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the
“Certificate”) and Amended By-laws (the
“By-laws”) of the Company and the General Corporation
Law of the State of Delaware, as amended (the “DGCL”),
or until his/her earlier death, resignation or removal. The
Indemnitee may at any time and for any reason resign from such
position (subject to any other contractual obligation or other
obligation imposed by operation by law), in which event the Company
shall have no obligation under this Agreement to continue the
Indemnitee in
any such
position. Nothing in this Agreement shall confer upon the
Indemnitee the right to continue in the employ of the Company or as
a director of the Company or affect the right of the Company to
terminate the Indemnitee’s employment at any time in the sole
discretion of the Company, with or without cause, subject to any
contract rights of the Indemnitee created or existing otherwise
than under this Agreement.
2.
Indemnification . The Company shall
indemnify the Indemnitee against all Expenses (as defined below),
judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and
reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee, as a result of, arising out
of, or based upon, any events or actions that have occurred prior
to or after the effective date of the Indemnitee’s
appointment to the Board of Directors, by reason of the fact that
the Indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee, agent or
fiduciary of the Company, or any of its direct or indirect
subsidiaries, or, at the request of the Company, as a director,
officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of any other entity,
including, but not limited to, another corporation, partnership,
limited liability company, employee benefit plan, joint venture,
trust or other enterprise, or by reason of any act or omission by
him/her in such capacity, as provided in this Agreement to the
fullest extent permitted by the Certificate, By-laws and DGCL or
other applicable law in effect on the date of this Agreement and to
any greater extent that applicable law may in the future from time
to time permit. Without diminishing the scope of the
indemnification provided by this Section 2, the rights of
indemnification of the Indemnitee provided hereunder shall include,
but shall not be limited to, those rights hereinafter set forth,
except that no indemnification shall be paid to the
Indemnitee:
(a) on account of any
action, suit or proceeding in which judgment is rendered against
the Indemnitee for disgorgement of profits made from the purchase
or sale by the Indemnitee of securities of the Company pursuant to
the provisions of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended (the “Act”), or similar provisions
of any federal, state or local statutory law;
(b) on account of
conduct of the Indemnitee which is finally adjudged by a court of
competent jurisdiction to have been knowingly fraudulent or to
constitute willful misconduct;
(c) in any
circumstance where such indemnification is expressly prohibited by
applicable law;
(d) with respect to
liability for which payment is actually made to the Indemnitee
under a valid and collectible insurance policy or under a valid and
enforceable indemnity clause, By-law or agreement (other than this
Agreement), except in respect of any liability in excess of payment
under such insurance, clause, By-law or agreement;
(e) if a final
decision by a court having jurisdiction in the matter shall
determine that such indemnification is not lawful (and, in this
respect, both the Company and the Indemnitee have been advised that
it is the position of the Securities and Exchange Commission that
indemnification for liabilities arising under the federal
securities laws is against public policy and is,
therefore,
unenforceable,
and that claims for indemnification should be submitted to the
appropriate court for adjudication); or
(f) in connection with
any action, suit or proceeding by the Indemnitee against the
Company or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries or the
directors, officers, employees or other Indemnitees of the Company
or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries, (i) unless such
indemnification is expressly required to be made by law, (ii)
unless the proceeding was authorized by the Board of Directors of
the Company, (iii) unless such indemnification is provided by
the Company, in its sole discretion, pursuant to the powers vested
in the Company under applicable law, or (iv) except as
provided in Sections 11 and 13 hereof.
3. Actions or
Proceedings Other Than an Action by or in the Right of the
Company . The Indemnitee shall be entitled to the
indemnification rights provided in this Section 3 if the
Indemnitee was or is a party or witness or is threatened to be a
party or witness to any threatened, pending or completed action,
suit or proceeding, as a result of, arising out of, or based upon,
any events or actions, whether prior to or after the effective date
of the Indemnitee’s appointment to the Board of Directors,
whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative in nature,
other than an action by or in the right of the Company, by reason
of the fact that the Indemnitee is or was a director, officer,
employee, agent or fiduciary of the Company, or any of its direct
or indirect subsidiaries, or is or was serving at the request of
the Company, or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries, as a
director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of any other
entity, including, but not limited to, another corporation,
partnership, limited liability company, employee benefit plan,
joint venture, trust or other enterprise, or by reason of any act
or omission by him/her in such capacity. Pursuant to this Section
3, the Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all Expenses,
judgments, penalties (including excise and similar taxes), fines
and amounts paid in settlement which were actually and reasonably
incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or
proceeding (including, but not limited to, the investigation,
defense or appeal thereof), if the Indemnitee acted in good faith
and in a manner the Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not
opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to
any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to
believe his/her conduct was unlawful.
4. Actions by
or in the Right of the Company .
The Indemnitee shall be entitled to the indemnification
rights provided in this Section 4 if the Indemnitee was or is a
party or witness or is threatened to be made a party or witness to
any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, as
a result of, arising out of, or based upon, any events or actions
that occurred prior to or after the effective date of the
Indemnitee’s appointment to the Board of Directors, brought
by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its
favor by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee is or was a
director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of the Company, or
any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries, or is or was serving at
the request of the Company, or any of its direct or indirect
subsidiaries, as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary
of another entity, including, but not limited to, another
corporation, partnership, limited liability company, employee
benefit plan, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, or by
reason of any act or omission by him/her in any such capacity.
Pursuant to this Section 4, the Indemnitee shall be indemnified
against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him/her
in
connection with
the defense or settlement of such action, suit or proceeding
(including, but not limited to the investigation, defense or appeal
thereof), if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner the
Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best
interests of the Company; provided however, that no such
indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue, or
matter as to which the Indemnitee shall have been adjudged to be
liable to the Company, unless and only to the extent that the Court
of Chancery of the State of Delaware or the court in which such
action, suit or proceeding was brought shall determine upon
application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view
of all the circumstances of the case, the Indemnitee is fairly and
reasonably entitled to be indemnified against such Expenses
actually and reasonably incurred by him/her which such court shall
deem proper.
5. Good Faith
Definition . For purposes of this Agreement, the
Indemnitee shall be deemed to have acted in good faith and in a
manner the Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed
to the best interests of the Company, or, with respect to any
criminal action or proceeding to have had no reasonable cause to
believe the Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful, if such action
was based on (i) the records or books of the account of the Company
or other enterprise, including financial statements; (ii)
information supplied to the Indemnitee by the officers of the
Company or other enterprise in the course of their duties; (iii)
the advice of legal counsel for the Company or other enterprise; or
(iv) information or records given in reports made to the
Company or other enterprise by an independent certified public
accountant or by an appraiser or other expert selected with
reasonable care by the Company or other enterprise.
6.
Indemnification for Expenses of Successful Party
. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Agreement, to
the extent that the Indemnitee has served on behalf of the Company,
or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries, as a witness or
other participant in any class action or proceeding, or has been
successful, on the merits or otherwise, in defense of any action,
suit or proceeding referred to in Section 3 and 4 hereof, or in
defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, including, but not
limited to, the dismissal of any action without prejudice, the
Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all Expenses actually and
reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee in connection therewith,
regardless of whether or not the Indemnitee has met the applicable
standards of Section 3 or 4 and without any determination pursuant
to Section 8.
7. Partial
Indemnification . If the Indemnitee is entitled
under any provision of this Agreement to indemnification by the
Company for some or a portion of the Expenses, judgments, fines and
amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the
Indemnitee in connection with the investigation, defense, appeal or
settlement of such suit, action, investigation or proceeding
described in Section 3 or 4 hereof, but is not entitled to
indemnification for the total amount thereof, the Company shall
nevertheless indemnify the Indemnitee for the portion of such
Expenses, judgments, penalties, fines and amounts paid in
settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee to
which the Indemnitee is entitled.
8. Procedure
for Determination of Entitlement to Indemnification
. (a) To obtain indemnification under this Agreement, the
Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request, including
documentation and information which is reasonably available to the
Indemnitee and is reasonably necessary to determine whether and to
what extent the Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification. The
Secretary of the Company shall, promptly upon receipt of
a
request for
indemnification, advise the Board of Directors in writing that the
Indemnitee has requested indemnification. Any Expenses incurred by
the Indemnitee in connection with the Indemnitee’s request
for indemnification hereunder shall be borne by the Company. The
Company hereby indemnifies and agrees to hold the Indemnitee
harmless for any Expenses incurred by the Indemnitee under the
immediately preceding sentence irrespective of the outcome of the
determination of the Indemnitee’s entitlement to
indemnification.
(b)
Upon
written request by the Indemnitee for indemnification pursuant to
Section 3 or 4 hereof, the entitlement of the Indemnitee to
indemnification pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be
determined by the following person or persons, who shall be
empowered to make such determination: (i) if a Change in
Control (as hereinafter defined) shall have occurred, by
Independent Counsel (as hereinafter defined) (unless the Indemnitee
shall request in writing that such determination be made by the
Board of Directors (or a committee thereof) in the manner provided
for in clause (ii) of this Section 8(b)) in a written opinion to
the Board of Directors, a copy of which shall be delivered to the
Indemnitee; or (ii) if a Change in Control shall not have
occurred, (A)(1) by the Board of Directors of the Company, by a
majority vote of Disinterested Directors (as hereinafter defined)
even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of
Disinterested Directors designated by majority vote of
Disinterested Directors, even though less than a quorum, or
(B) if there are no such Disinterested Directors or, even if
there are such Disinterested Directors, if the Board of Directors,
by the majority vote of Disinterested Directors, so directs, by
Independent Counsel in a written opinion to the Board of Directors,
a copy of which shall be delivered to the Indemnitee. Such
Independent Counsel shall be selected by the Board of Directors and
approved by the Indemnitee. Upon failure of the Board of Directors
to so select, or upon failure of the Indemnitee to so approve, such
Independent Counsel shall be selected by the Chancellor of the
State of Delaware or such other person as the Chancellor shall
designate to make such selection. Such determination of entitlement
to indemnification shall be made not later than 45 days after
receipt by the Company of a written request for indemnification. If
the person making such determination shall determine that the
Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification as to part (but not all)
of the application for indemnification, such
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