SERVICES AND LICENSE
AGREEMENT
This Services and
License Agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into on
April 27, 2007 between THE PRINCETON REVIEW, INC., a Delaware
corporation (“TPR”), and Higher Edge Marketing
Services, Inc., a California corporation
(“Licensee”).
A. TPR has
operated a division that develops and sells to post-secondary
educational institutions (“Educational Institutions”)
(i) advertising in the TPR Website and Vanity Books (as
defined below); and (ii) the names and certain other data of
students who have consented to have their personal information
furnished by TPR to the Educational Institutions in which they have
expressed interest (“Opt-In Students”). Together,
clauses (i) and (ii) constitute the “Marketing
Services” business.
B. Licensee
desires to provide (i) accounts receivable management and
collection services, (ii) sales, marketing and promotional
services to Educational Institutions and related contract
management, and (iii) fulfillment and delivery of leads to
Educational Institutions (collectively, the “Licensee
Business”) to TPR in connection with the Marketing Services
business.
C. TPR
desires to engage Licensee to provide services in connection with
the Marketing Services business, and Licensee desires to provide
such services in exchange for a share of revenues received by TPR
from the Marketing Services business, and the parties desire to set
forth the terms and conditions of their business relationship with
respect to certain future business activities.
1.
Definitions . In this Agreement:
1.1
“Accounts Receivable” means amounts billed by TPR to
customers under a contract as of the date hereof which remain
unpaid as of the date hereof.
1.2
“Aggregate PTO Value” means the aggregate dollar value
of the paid time off accrued by the Transferred Employees (as
defined in Section 5.1) during their employment by TPR and not
used as of the date hereof.
1.3
“AS Tech Contracts” means those contracts set forth on
Schedule 1.3 attached hereto.
1.4
“AS Tech Contract Receipts” means actual amounts
received by TPR pursuant to each AS Tech Contract after
April 1, 2007.
1.5
“Business Information” means the items specified in
Schedule 1.5 attached hereto.
1.6
“Completed Marketing Contract” means a contract for
Marketing Services which has been fully performed by TPR as of
April 1, 2007.
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1.7
“Completed Marketing Contract Receipts” means actual
amounts received by TPR pursuant to each Completed Marketing
Contract after April 1, 2007.
1.8
“Contracts” means the AS Tech Contracts, the Completed
Marketing Contracts, the Contracts in Progress and the New
Contracts.
1.9
“Contract In Progress” means a contract for Marketing
Services which has not been fully performed as of the date hereof
and which is set forth on Schedule 1.9 attached
hereto.
1.10
“Contract in Progress Receipts” means actual amounts
received by TPR pursuant to a Contract in Progress after
April 1, 2007.
1.11
“License Agreement” means the Prospect Manager License
Agreement dated February 16, 2007, attached hereto as
Exhibit A, pursuant to which MRU Holdings, Inc. has granted to
TPR a nonexclusive license to use and to sublicense the use of the
Prospect Manager software module.
1.12
“Marks” means the TPR-owned trademarks and service
marks shown in Schedule 1.12 to this Agreement.
1.13
“Materials” means tangible marketing materials,
contract forms, advertising, and other materials developed for or
historically used in connection with the Marketing Services
business, including any translations or other
modifications.
1.14
“Net Licensee Receipts” means (i) actual amounts
received by Licensee pursuant to each New Contract, minus cash
commissions and royalties paid by Licensee under approved
arrangements with third-party traffic providers, plus (ii) any
amount paid by TPR to Licensee pursuant to
Section 4.1(b).
1.15
“New Contract” means a contract entered into after the
date hereof between Licensee and any Educational Institution
pursuant to which Licensee shall provide Marketing
Services.
1.16
“Prospect Manager” means the web-based software module
owned by MRU Holdings, Inc. and licensed to TPR pursuant to the
License Agreement and which is designed to assist admissions
officers in marketing themselves and managing inquiries and
communications with Opt-In Students.
1.17
“TPR Website” means the Internet website at which TPR
enables students to interact with Educational
Institutions.
1.18
“Vanity Books” means the titles listed in
Schedule 1.18.
2.1
Completed Contracts . Licensee will manage TPR’s
relationships under each AS Tech Contract and Completed Marketing
Contract and use its reasonable best efforts to take necessary
actions to assist TPR with the collection of Accounts Receivable on
behalf of TPR arising under each such contract.
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2.2
Contracts in Progress . Licensee will manage TPR’s
relationships under each Contract in Progress and use its
reasonable best efforts to perform or manage the performance of
each of TPR’s obligations under each Contract in Progress,
including, without limitation, the provision of all Marketing
Services and the management and collection of Accounts Receivable
on behalf of TPR arising under each Contract in
Progress.
2.3
New Contracts . Licensee will use its reasonable best
efforts to enter into New Contracts with Educational Institutions
to provide the Marketing Services. Licensee will provide TPR with
written notice and a copy of each New Contract within 10 days
of execution. Licensee shall use a template or form of customer
contract substantially similar to a form that has been reviewed and
approved by TPR.
2.4
Additional Obligations .
a. Licensee
will develop and implement all sales, promotion, and marketing
activities related to the Marketing Services business.
b. Licensee
will provide all account management with respect to the Contracts
(including assistance with collection of information for school
profile pages).
c. Licensee
will provide all billing and collection services for each New
Contract.
d. Licensee
will create a repository of all selling, marketing and
implementation materials (including all variations of email
campaigns) that use the TPR name or mark (“Marketing
Materials”).
e. Licensee
agrees that upon request TPR shall have the right to review the
Marketing Materials at any time and to notify Licensee of its
disapproval of any materials. Licensee shall promptly cease using
any Marketing Materials that TPR has disapproved. If TPR
disapproves three or more items within any 12-month period, TPR may
require that Licensee obtain prior approval of all Marketing
Materials before their use. TPR’s approval will not be
unreasonably withheld or unduly delayed.
f. Licensee
will obtain TPR’s prior approval of any arrangements with
third-party traffic providers to drive web users to the TPR
Website. TPR will not withhold its approval unless, in TPR’s
reasonable judgment, the arrangement is likely to conflict with or
interfere with any existing or anticipated arrangements between TPR
and the third party or any other third party.
3.1
Vanity Books . TPR will use its reasonable best efforts
(i) to continue to publish the Vanity Books, subject to the
publishing decisions of the publisher of such books, or
(ii) in the event that such Vanity Books are no longer being
published, to provide substantially similar advertising inventory
in new vanity books as has historically been provided. TPR will
notify Licensee of the deadlines for advertising sales and
submission of materials within 15 days after TPR becomes aware
of the deadlines.
3.2
Trade Shows . If TPR is exhibiting at a trade show, TPR will
provide Licensee space in TPR’s booth to promote the
Marketing Services business at no cost to
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Licensee. TPR
will have no obligation to provide or subsidize trade show space
for Licensee at any show at which TPR is not otherwise exhibiting
on its own.
3.3
Facility . TPR will provide Licensee with office space at
TPR’s headquarters office and its San Francisco office for
use by up to 20 employees of Licensee for the sole purpose of
performing Licensee’s obligations hereunder; provided that
TPR will not be obligated to provide Licensee more space, access or
support than historically provided by TPR for the Marketing
Services business and its employees working for such business. TPR
will provide the Licensee’s employees with a desk, phones,
and computer support similar to the support provided to full-time
employees of TPR. TPR will have the right to refuse or limit access
to the facility if it reasonably determines that the actions of any
of the Licensee’s employees do not comply with the laws,
rules and regulations applicable to the use of the
facility.
3.4
Unused Materials . TPR will deliver to Licensee at
Licensee’s direction TPR’s inventory of unused
Materials as of the date hereof. TPR shall provide the Materials to
Licensee at no charge except for the reasonable cost of shipping,
if any. TPR will have no responsibility for developing or providing
any Materials to Licensee after the date hereof.
3.5
TPR Website Commitments . The parties acknowledge that the
TPR Website is the principal means of developing leads to be sold
to customers of the Marketing Services business.
Accordingly:
a. TPR
will use its reasonable best efforts (i) to host all web
systems necessary for maintaining the TPR Website in form and at
levels substantially similar to those historically provided for the
Marketing Services business prior to the date hereof and
(ii) to maintain availability at 99.0% or greater for the TPR
Website and 99.5% for Prospect Manager; provided that TPR will not
be responsible for any failure to provide availability of Prospect
Manager if such failure arises from the actions of Licensee or
modifications made by Licensee to Prospect Manager. TPR’s
performance against these service levels shall be measured
monthly.
b. TPR
will use its reasonable efforts to increase site traffic levels for
the overall TPR Website, registered users and
“recruiter” opt-ins in a manner consistent with
historical efforts.
c. TPR
shall provide Licensee with access to the technological capacity to
send outbound email at substantially the same volume historically
available to the Marketing Services business prior to the date
hereof. TPR shall make additional capacity available to the
Licensee in reasonable proportion to revenue growth of the
Marketing Services business after the date hereof.
d. TPR
will update school profile pages within 5 days after its
receipt of a change request by the customer, and shall maintain
other TPR Website content consistent with TPR’s past practice
for the Marketing Services business. TPR will continue to support
the products currently provided through the Marketing Services
business, with current TPR Website placement and inventory levels
(e.g., School Says profiles, Featured Schools, Enhanced Search, any
other ads and sponsorship links, etc.).
e. TPR
will provide Licensee with access to a tool or other procedure that
allows Licensee employees to migrate inquiry forms, deliver email
campaigns, and update/correct client profile data items without
assistance from TPR personnel. TPR will
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provide such
access as soon as practicable but is under no specific deadline.
Upon delivery of the tool, TPR will have no further obligation
under Section 3.5(e).
f. TPR
will consult with Licensee before making any material change its
privacy policy for TPR Website users that adversely affects the
Marketing Services business, but any change shall be in TPR’s
sole and absolute discretion. If access and use of user data
changes in a manner that adversely affects the Marketing Services
business, TPR and Licensee agree to negotiate in good faith the
royalty provisions or other terms of this Agreement in order to
address such effects.
g. TPR
will give Licensee an opportunity to provide feedback on proposed
material changes in the design, roadmap and plan of record of the
TPR Website relating to the Marketing Services business. TPR and
Licensee shall consult with each other in good faith regarding any
proposed or actual changes or additions to the TPR Website that may
reasonably be expected to affect the operation of the Marketing
Services business.
h. TPR
shall provide to Licensee an informal annual report
(i) listing TPR’s current and anticipated product
offerings; (ii) describing in summary form how TPR plans to
implement any new product offerings; (iii) specifying the
products which Licensee may market and sell in connection with the
Marketing Services business; and (iv) describing in summary
form the support that TPR will provide for such marketing
activities.
3.6
No Representation . TPR makes no representation or warranty
with respect to the Materials or any AS Tech Contract, Completed
Marketing Contract, Contract in Progress or any Account
Receivable.
4.
Payments and Reports .
a.
Collection Payments . In consideration for Licensee’s
collection services with respect to the AS Tech Contracts,
Completed Marketing Contracts and Contracts in Progress, TPR shall
pay Licensee an amount in cash equal to 12% of the AS Tech Contract
Receipts, Completed Marketing Contract Receipts and Contract in
Progress Receipts, respectively.
b.
Contracts in Progress . In consideration for its efforts in
obtaining the Contracts in Progress, TPR shall retain 40% of the
Contract in Progress Receipts with respect to each Contract in
Progress. The remaining 60% of the Contract in Progress Receipts
with respect to each such Contract in Progress shall be allocated
between TPR and the Licensee proportionately based on the
percentage of the Marketing Services delivered by each party under
such Contract in Progress; provided that the maximum amount of
Licensee’s portion of the Contract in Progress Receipts shall
be $676,055.60, and TPR shall pay the Licensee such amount solely
by paying the Licensee an amount in cash equal to 44% of the AS
Tech Contract Receipts until Licensee has received such amount,
after which TPR shall have no further obligation to pay Licensee
under this Section 4.1(b). The amounts paid by TPR to the
Licensee pursuant to the prior sentence from the AS Tech Contract
Receipts is in addition to the payment set forth in
Section 4.1(a) above.
c.
Payment Procedures . Except as otherwise provided in
Section 14, TPR will pay the amounts set forth in this section
within 30 days after receipt of the funds by
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TPR to an
account designated by Licensee in writing.
a.
Royalty . In consideration for TPR’s performance of
its obligations under this Agreement in connection with the
Contracts in Progress, the New Contracts and the licenses granted
in Section 6 and 7 of this Agreement, Licensee will pay TPR
the following share of Net Licensee Receipts, subject to the annual
minimums specified in the Minimum Payments Table in
Section 4.2(c) below:
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Net Licensee
Receipts for Calendar Year
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TPR Share of Net Revenues
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35
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%
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45
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%
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First $4M in 2009 and thereafter
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50
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%
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50
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%
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40
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%
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$20M and above in any year
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30
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%
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b.
Receipts from Non-TPR Sources . In addition to the other
payments required by this Agreement, Licensee will pay TPR a
royalty of 5% of all receipts received by Licensee that are
generated from the sales of any product, good or service of any
type to any Educational Institution.
c.
Minimum Payments . Notwithstanding Sections 4.2(a) and
4.2(b) above, each year during the term of this Agreement Licensee
will pay TPR the greater of (i) the minimum payments set forth
on Schedule 4.2(c) attached hereto for calendar years
2007-2013 (the “Minimum Payments”) and (ii) the
aggregate amount Licensee is obligated to pay TPR pursuant to
Sections 4.2(a) and 4.2(b). Licensee shall pay the Minimum Payments
as follows:
(i) To
the extent that Licensee has not paid TPR at least $200,000
pursuant to Sections 4.2(a) and 4.2(b) from the date hereof
until September 30, 2007, the Licensee shall pay TPR by
October 10, 2007 the amount by which $200,000 exceeds the
actual amounts paid by Licensee as of September 30,
2007.
(ii) To
the extent that Licensee has not paid TPR at least $780,619
pursuant to Sections 4.2(a), 4.2(b) and 4.2(c)(i) from the date
hereof until December 31, 2007, the Licensee shall pay TPR by
January 1, 2008 the amount by which $780,619 exceeds the
actual amounts paid by Licensee as of December 31,
2007.
(iii) Beginning
January 1, 2008, Licensee shall pay TPR the Minimum Payments
quarterly for the rest of the term of this Agreement in accordance
with the following sentence. To the extent that by the last day of
any fiscal quarter Licensee has not paid TPR an amount equal to
one-quarter of the applicable annual Minimum Payment
(“Quarterly Minimum”) for such quarter pursuant to
Sections 4.2(a) and 4.2(b), the Licensee shall pay TPR within
10 days of the end of such quarter the amount by which the
Quarterly Minimum exceeds the actual amounts paid during such
quarter.
4.3
Reports . Within 10 days after the end of each calendar
month, Licensee shall submit a report in a form prescribed by or
acceptable to TPR, showing the cumulative Net
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Licensee
Receipts for the applicable period of the calendar year and the
royalties then due to TPR hereunder.
4.4
Due Date . Licensee shall pay to TPR the payments set forth
in Sections 4.2(a) and (b) monthly no later than
15 days after the end of each calendar month.
4.5
Delinquency . If any amounts owed to TPR by Licensee are not
paid in full by the due date, TPR will have the right to charge a
fee equal to 10% of the overdue amount to reimburse TPR for its
administrative costs related to the delinquency. In addition, the
overdue amount shall bear interest at the annual rate of 18% (or
the maximum rate permitted by applicable law, if less than 18%)
from the date such amount was due until paid in full. Unpaid
interest charges shall be compounded annually.
4.6
Payments in United States Currency . Licensee shall make all
payments to TPR in U.S. dollars. For purposes of calculating any
payments requiring conversion to U.S. dollars, local currency shall
be converted to U.S. dollars at the New York selling rate for U.S.
dollars quoted by The Wall Street Journal for the last
business day of the month preceding the month in which the payment
is due. Licensee shall bear the expense of any foreign exchange
levy imposed on the purchase of U.S. dollars to comply with this
provision.
4.7
Taxes . All payments hereunder shall be made without
deduction for any taxes, except that a paying party shall deduct
and pay to the appropriate government authority, on behalf of the
payee, any taxes which may be owed by such payee and which payor is
obligated by law to withhold. Payor shall provide payee with
official receipts or other evidence of payment from such taxing
authorities. If payor fails to withhold or to pay such taxes, payor
shall indemnify payee for any loss or liability (including
penalties, interest, and expenses) occasioned by payor’s
failure to withhold or to pay any taxes as required by law. All
other taxes and duties imposed now or in the future on payments by
payor to payee, including but not limited to stamp taxes,
value-added taxes, consumption taxes, and sales taxes, shall be
solely payor’s responsibility.
5.1
Transferred Employees . Licensee shall offer and agree, or
shall have offered and agreed, to hire each person set forth on
Schedule 5.1 to this Agreement (each, a “Transferred
Employee”) effective as of April 13, 2007 at a level of
compensation and benefits substantially similar to that of such
Transferred Employee while at TPR. Licensee shall have no
responsibility with respect to the re-assignment or termination of
any employee of TPR’s Admissions Services division who is not
listed in Schedule 5.1.
5.2
Paid Time Off . Licensee will credit each Transferred
Employee with the amount of his or her unused, accrued paid time
off with TPR as of the date hereof. No later than 60 days
after the date hereof, TPR shall pay Licensee the Aggregate PTO
Value.
5.3
Accrued Compensation . TPR shall remain liable for
(i) bonuses earned by the Transferred Employees through
December 31, 2006 and (ii) commissions earned by the
Transferred Employees from January 1, 2007 through the date
hereof to the extent not already paid by TPR.
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6.1
License . TPR hereby grants Licensee a nonexclusive,
world-wide, nontransferable, non-sublicensable license to
reproduce, publicly display, publicly perform, install, execute,
operate, internally transmit and otherwise use the Prospect Manager
solely for its use in connection with the Marketing Services
business. TPR shall provide Licensee with a number of client access
licenses sufficient for providing access to Licensee’s
employees solely for Licensee’s internal use. Licensee shall
use Prospect Manager only in accordance with the terms and
conditions of this Agreement and the License Agreement. This
license will terminate automatically if this Agreement or the
License Agreement terminates. In addition, TPR may terminate this
license without terminating this Agreement if Licensee takes any
action or omits to take any action that would cause TPR to be in
breach of the License Agreement and fails to cure within the time
provided by the License Agreement.
6.2
General Intent . The intent of this Section 6 is to
enable Licensee, after the date hereof, to use Prospect Manager for
the Marketing Services business in substantially the same manner
that Prospect Manager was used by TPR prior to the date
hereof.
6.3
Modifications . TPR will consider in good faith any proposed
modifications to Prospect Manager that Licensee may suggest from
time to time (“Modifications”), to the extent TPR
determines them appropriate for the Marketing Services business.
Upon reasonable request, TPR m
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