LICENSE
AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT
made and effective as of the date of last signing (herein the
“Effective Date”) by and between Nanosenors, Inc.
(herein “Company”), having a principal place of
business at 1800 Wyatt Drive, Suite 2, Santa Clara, CA 95054, and
Michigan State University (herein “MSU”), having a
principal place of business in East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.
Company and MSU are each a “party”, and may
collectively be referred to as the
“parties.”
INTRODUCTION
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1.
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WHEREAS, MSU
has developed and is continuing research in the area of the
Technology, as defined in Paragraph 1.1 of this Agreement;
and
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2.
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WHEREAS,
Company desires to obtain certain rights in and to the Technology;
and
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3.
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WHEREAS,
Company and MSU mutually desire to formalize an agreement which
delineates their respective rights and obligations with respect to
the Technology.
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NOW THEREFORE,
in consideration of the mutual covenants and promises contained in
this Agreement and other good and valuable consideration, MSU and
Company agree as follows:
ARTICLE 1 -
DEFINITIONS
In the terms
defined and used herein, the singular shall include the plural and
vice versa. Terms in this Agreement (other than names of parties
and Article headings) which are set forth in upper case letters
have the meanings established for such terms in this Article
1.
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1.1
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“Technology” means MSU Invention
Disclosure No. 05068 “Nanoporous Silicon-Based
Electrochemical DNA Biosensor”.
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1.2
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“Know-how” means the data and
information embodied in or required to enable the
Technology.
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1.3
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“Patents” means any and all patent
applications (including any amendments or extensions to the initial
applications) filed in any country of the world by or on behalf of
MSU claiming the Technology and/or any patents maturing from such
patent applications. Patents and patent applications claiming the
technology at the time of execution of this Agreement include,
without limitation, United States provisional patent application
60/704,550 titled “Nanoporous Silicon-Based Electrochemical
DNA Biosensor”, filed August 2, 2005.
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1.5
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“Adjusted
Gross Sales” means the aggregate gross revenues derived by
Company and its Affiliates from the sale of Products and Services
to, and practice of Processes for, an unaffiliated third party in
an arms length commercial transaction, less credits granted on
account of price adjustments, recalls, rejection or return of items
previously sold.
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1.6
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“Product” means any and all products
sublicensed, offered or sold by or on behalf of the Company
embodying or practicing the Technology, Know-how and/or the
Patents.
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1.7
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“Process” means any and all
processes embodying or practicing the Technology, Know-how and/or
the Patents.
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1.8
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“Service” means any and all services
sublicensed, offered or sold by or on behalf of the Company
embodying or practicing the Technology, Know-how and/or the
Patents.
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1.9
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“Term” means the period beginning on
the Effective Date and extending to the expiration of the last to
expire of the Patents, or until Fifteen (15) years after the
Effective Date, whichever is longer.
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1.10
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“Field” means use of the Technology
(and Know-how) limited to detection of Escherichia and
Salmonella bacteria.
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1.11
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“Territory” means
worldwide.
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1.12
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“Improvement” means (a) divisionals
of the Patents, (b) any continuations of the Patents deriving from
inventions made within the Term (i) in the course of research at
MSU supported by Company hereunder, or (ii) conceived or first
reduced to practice by MSU employees while conducting work for the
Company under a private agreement that is disclosed to and approved
by MSU consistent with the then current MSU policy on outside work
for pay.
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1.13
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“Affiliate” means any company,
corporation or business which is at least fifty percent owned or
controlled by Company, or which owns or controls at least fifty
percent of Company, or which together with Company is commonly
owned or controlled by a third party who owns or controls at least
fifty percent of each.
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1.14
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“Government” means the United States
Government.
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1.17
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“Sublicensing Revenues” means any
and all payments, royalties and other consideration collected by
Company from its sublicensees in connection with the sale, license
or other commercial disposition of Products, Processes or Services
by such sublicensees.
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ARTICLE 2 - LICENSES GRANTED
AND RIGHTS RETAINED
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2.1
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MSU hereby
grants to Company during the Term of this Agreement an exclusive
license within the Territory, limited to the Field, with the right
to sublicense, to make, modify, reproduce, have made, lease, use,
distribute, market, promote, sell, offer for sale, license and
otherwise dispose of and exploit the Products, practice the
Processes, and offer the Services under the Technology, the
Know-how and/or the Patents and Improvements.
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2.2
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The exclusive
license specified in Paragraphs 2.1 is subject to a reserved right
of MSU to utilize the Technology, Know-how, and/or the Patents
solely for the non-commercial research and educational purposes of
MSU.
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2.3
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Company is
hereby granted by MSU a right of first refusal applicable to any
exclusive option or exclusive license that MSU elects to offer with
respect to the Technology, Know-how and/or the Patents in
connection with any products, practice of the processes, and offer
of the services under the Technology, the Know-how and/or the
Patents outside of the licensed Field. With respect to any such
option or license offered by MSU, the Company’s right of
first refusal shall expire sixty days after the Company receives
the offered terms from MSU. During reasonable business hours, MSU
shall provide the Company with any requested information that MSU
is legally permitted to provide, including access to personnel, in
connection with the Company’s due diligence investigation in
deciding whether to exercise any such right of first refusal
hereunder. In addition, any commercial non-exclusive option or
license that MSU elects to offer with respect to the Technology,
Know-how and/or the Patents in connection with any such products,
practice of the processes, and offer of the services under the
Technology, the Know-how and/or the Patents outside the licensed
Field shall be offered to Company simultaneously and under
identical terms with the offer to any third party.
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2.4
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The exclusive
licenses specified in Paragraphs 2.1 and 2.3 may be subject to
certain rights of the Government if the Technology, Know-how,
and/or the Patents were created or invented in the course of
Government-funded research. Such rights may include for example a
royalty-free license to the Government and the requirement that any
Product produced for sale in the United States will be manufactured
substantially in the United States. In the event that the
Government exercises its march-in rights to the Technology to the
substantial detriment of Company’s business, then Company and
MSU may negotiate a reduced royalty rate.
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2.5
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This Agreement
shall not be construed as implying that either Party hereto shall
have the right to use Background Intellectual Property of the other
in connection with this Agreement or otherwise, except as expressly
stated herein. “Background Intellectual Property” means
property and the legal right therein of either or both parties
developed a) before or b) independent of but during Term of this
Agreement, including inventions, patent applications, patents,
copyrights, trademarks, mask works, trade secrets and any
information embodying proprietary data such as technical data and
computer software and all derivatives thereof (other than Project
Intellectual Property, as defined below). Except for the rights
expressly granted by one Party to the other hereunder, no license,
interest or right in, or title to, a Party’s Background
Intellectual Property, or any intellectual property rights therein
or associated therewith, shall be deemed to have been granted,
vested in or transferred to the other Party under the terms of the
Agreement and no such rights shall be construed by estoppel. All
title to and ownership of a Party’s Background Intellectual
Property (and the intellectual property rights therein or
associated therewith) remain with such Party.
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2.6
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For clarity,
inventions made by Company relating to the Technology and without
an MSU inventor are the sole property of Company. Company shall
have no obligation to MSU for such inventions, except as may be
provided in Article 13.4 herein.
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ARTICLE 3 - R&D
PERFORMANCE & MARKETING
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3.1
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Company shall
use reasonable efforts to introduce Products and Processes into the
commercial market as soon as practicable, consistent with sound and
reasonable business practices and judgment. Thereafter, Company
shall endeavor to keep Products and Processes reasonably available
to the public during the remainder of the Term.
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3.2
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MSU shall have
the right to terminate or render this license nonexclusive at any
time after three (3) years from the Effective Date if Company: (a)
has not put the Technology into commercial use in the Territory,
directly or through a sublicense or (b) is not demonstrably engaged
in a research, development, manufacturing, marketing or
sublicensing program, as appropriate, directed toward this end. MSU
shall, prior to exercising any right under this Section 3.2,
provide the Company with at least thirty (30) days written notice
of its intention to exercise any rights hereunder, and shall notify
Company in writing after the expiration of such thirty (30) day
notice period to confirm that MSU is in fact exercising its rights
hereunder.
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ARTICLE 4 - PATENTS AND
PATENT COSTS
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4.1
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MSU shall
retain title to the Technology, Know-how, and the
Patents.
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4.2
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MSU shall file,
prosecute, and maintain Patents in the United States and in any
other countries designated by Company at Company’s expense.
Company may later approach MSU to add non-designated countries for
which MSU has pending applications or patents. Any such later
addition shall be at MSU’s discretion.
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4.3
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Company agrees
promptly to reimburse MSU for its outside legal costs incurred
under Paragraph 4.2 within thirty (30) days after the receipt of
invoices from MSU. Late payment shall be subject to interest
charges of one and one-half percent (1½ %) per month. Such
reimbursement payments by Company of costs incurred by MSU under
Paragraph 4.2 shall be creditable against up to 50% of the
royalties that are due from Company to MSU under Article 6 during
the same calendar year in which such reimbursements are
due.
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4.4
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Failure of
Company to pay the amounts required under Paragraph 4.3 within
ninety (90) days after the receipt of invoices from MSU shall
constitute a default by Company under this Agreement, and entitle
MSU to exercise its rights to terminate this Agreement, including
the provision of notice and the Company’s right to cure,
under Article 13.
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4.5
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Nothing in this
Agreement shall prevent MSU from seeking patents on the Technology
in countries other than those designated by Company. Such patent
applications shall be filed, prosecuted and maintained at
MSU’s expense, and shall be free of any obligations to
Company under this Agreement.
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ARTICLE 5 - PUBLICATION
RIGHTS
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5.1
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MSU reserves
the right to publish or present the results of its research on the
Technology.
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ARTICLE 6 - PAYMENTS AND
ROYALTIES
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6.1
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Company agrees
to pay to MSU a non-refundable initial fee of Twenty Thousand
United States Dollars ($20,000.00) within ten business days from
the execution of this License Agreement.
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6.2
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(a)
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During the Term
of this Agreement, the Company shall pay to MSU a royalty of five
percent (5.0 %) of Adjusted Gross Sales. Where a Product or Process
is not sold, but is otherwise disposed of for commercial value,
Adjusted Gross Sales for the purpose of computing royalties shall
be the Adjusted Gross Sales price at which Products or Processes of
similar kind and quality, sold in similar quantities, are currently
being offered for sale by Company. Where such Products and
Processes are not currently being separately offered for sale by
Company, but are offered in connection with other products or
processes, Adjusted Gross Sales shall be Company’s cost of
manufacture, determined by Company’s customary accounting
procedures, increased by 100 %.
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(b)
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During the
Term, Company shall pay to MSU a royalty of five percent (5.0%) of
Adjusted Gross Sales of any Sublicensee.
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6.3
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Beginning in
calendar year 2008, Company agrees to pay MSU an annual minimum
payment as shown in the table below. Should the actual royalties
paid under Paragraph 6.2 fall short of this minimum amount, Company
shall pay MSU the difference when the royalty payment for the last
calendar quarter of such calendar year is due in accordance with
Paragraph 6.4.
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6.4
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During each
fiscal year during the Term, Company shall deliver to MSU within
forty-five (45) days after the end of each of its first three
fiscal quarters and within ninety (90) days following the end of
its fiscal year:
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(a)
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A written
report showing all figures necessary to compute Adjusted Gross
Sales and Company’s computation of all remuneration to MSU
due under this Agreement for such calendar quarter, accompanied by
a check in full payment of the remuneration due. Adjusted Gross
Sales shall be segmented in each such report on a
country-by-country basis, including the rates of exchange used for
conversion to USA Dollars from the currency in which such sales
were made.
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(b)
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For any
Adjusted Gross Sales which are made in a currency other than U.S.
dollars, the amount of such sales shall be converted to U.S.
Dollars using the currency exchange rates set forth in The Wall
Street Journal on the last day of the calendar
quarter.
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(c)
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All payments
due shall be made in U.S. dollars without deduction for taxes,
assessments, or other charges of any kind which may be imposed on
Company by the government of the country where the transactions
occur or any political subdivision thereof with respect to any
amounts payable to MSU pursuant to this Agreement, and such taxes,
assessments, or other charges shall be assumed by
Company.
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(d)
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Late payments
shall be subject to an interest charge of one and one-half percent
(1½%) per month.
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6.5
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Company shall
keep for a period of three (3) years following the year to which
such records relate, full, true and accurate books of accounts and
other records containing all information and data which may be
necessary to ascertain and verify the remuneration payable to MSU
hereunder. During the Term and for a period of two (2) years
following its termination or expiration, MSU shall have the right,
upon reasonable prior written notice, to audit, or have an agent,
accountant or other representative, audit such books, records and
supporting data upon fifteen (15) days notice. All information
subject to such audit shall be deemed Confidential Information and
treated in accordance with the provisions of Section 10. Any audit
shall be at MSU’s expense, except that Company shall
reimburse MSU for the cost of the audit in the event that the audit
establishes an underpayment of ten percent (10%) or more of the
amount due.
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8.1
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Company shall
deliver to MSU within one hundred twenty (120) days after the end
of fiscal 2007 and 2008, a report describing Company’s
progress toward meeting its objectives together with an updated
version of its business plan.
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ARTICLE 9 -
INFRINGEMENT
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9.1
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Each party
shall promptly report in writing to the other party during the Term
any infringement or suspected infringement of any Patent, or
unauthorized use or misappropriation of the Technology or Know-how
by a third party of which it becomes aware, and shall provide the
other party with all available evidence supporting said
infringement, suspected infringement or unauthorized use or
misappropriation.
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9.2
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Company shall
have the right to initiate an infringement suit or other
appropriate action against any third party who at any time has
infringed or is suspected of infringing any of the Patents or of
using without proper authorization all or any portion of the
Technology or Know-how. Company shall give MSU sufficient advance
written notice of its intent to initiate such action and the
reasons therefor, and shall provide MSU with an opportunity to make
suggestions and comments regarding such action. Company shall keep
MSU promptly informed of the status of any such
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