Exhibit 10.1
SUBJECT TO F.R.E.
408
STANDSTILL AND OPTION
AGREEMENT
This Standstill and Option Agreement
is entered into this 23 day of January, 2009 between plaintiff
OPTi, Inc. and Renesas Technology Corp. and Renesas Technology
America, Inc.
1. Definitions:
a. “OPTi” shall mean
plaintiff OPTi, Inc. a California corporation, with its principal
place of business at 3430 West Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, California
94303.
b. “OPTi Representative”
shall mean employees, officers, and directors, of OPTi in their
individual capacities and specifically does not mean such persons
in their capacity as an employee, officer, director, representative
or agent of any entity other than OPTi or any OPTi Subsidiary. OPTi
Representatives does not include counsel for OPTi.
c. “OPTi Subsidiary”
means an individual or entity that is or becomes controlled by
OPTi, directly or indirectly, or through one or more
intermediaries. For purposes of this definition,
“control” means beneficial ownership of more than fifty
percent (50%) of the voting power of such entity entitled to
vote in the election of directors or similar managing authority of
such individual or entity.
d. “OPTi Group” shall
mean OPTi, OPTi Representatives and OPTi Subsidiaries.
e. “Renesas” shall mean
Renesas Technology Corp., a Japanese corporation, with its
principal office at 2-6-2 Ote-machi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
100-0004.
f. “Renesas America”
shall mean defendant Renesas Technology America, Inc., a Delaware
Corporation, with its principal place of business at 450 Holger
Way, San Jose, California 95134.
g. “Renesas Subsidiary”
means an individual or entity that is or becomes controlled by
Renesas, directly or indirectly, or through one or more
intermediaries. For purposes of this definition,
“control” means beneficial ownership of more than fifty
percent (50%) of the voting power of such entity entitled to
vote in the election of directors or similar managing authority of
such individual or entity.
h. “Renesas Group” shall
mean Renesas, Renesas America, and Renesas Subsidiaries.
i. The “Parties” shall
mean OPTi, Renesas, and Renesas America jointly or
severally.
j. The “LPC Patents”
shall mean United States Patents 5,944,807 and 6, 098,141 and all
continuations, continuations in part, divisional or other
counterpart (in the United States or other country) of the
applications which led to those patents.
k. The “Action” shall
mean OPTi, Inc. v. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. ,
2:07-CV-278 (E.D. Texas).
l. “Renesas’
Co-Defendants” shall mean the named defendants in the Action
other than Renesas America.
m. “ Renesas Products”
shall mean products made, sold, distributed and/or developed by or
for a member of Renesas Group.
n. “Renesas Customers”
shall mean direct or indirect purchasers of the Renesas
Products.
o. “Final Resolution” of
the Action shall occur upon the earlier of (i) the resolution
of all claims and counterclaims in the Action via any combination
of the dismissal of claims and counterclaims, the entry of final
judgment as to all claims and counterclaims, and/or the waiver of
all rights of appeal as to such judgments, or (ii) the passage
of five (5) years from the effective date of this Standstill
and Option Agreement.
p. “Presnoop Patents”
shall mean United States Patents No. 5,710,906, 5,813,036, or
6,405,291 and all continuation, continuation in part, divisional or
other counterpart (in the United States or other country) of the
applications which led to those patents.
q. “Other OPTi Patents”
shall mean all patents and applications in any country owned or
controlled by OPTi Group now or in the future, including but not
limited to the patents listed in Exhibit B and any continuation,
continuation in part, divisional or other counterpart (in the
United States or other country) of the applications which led to
those patents, and specifically does not include any of the LPC
Patents or the Presnoop Patents.
r. The “OPTi Patents”
shall mean the LPC Patents, the Presnoop Patents, and the Other
OPTi Patents.
Standstill and Option Payment by
Renesas
2. Renesas shall pay to OPTi the
amount of $750,000USD within 20 business days of Renesas’s
receipt from OPTi of the Tax Exemption Documents described in
Paragraph 3.
3. All payments under this
Standstill and Option Agreement shall be made by telegraphic
transfer to the designated account of OPTi in United States
Dollars. OPTi shall provide to Renesas all completed documents
necessary to apply for an exception to taxation in Japan under the
Convention Between the Government of Japan and the Government of
the United States of America for the Avoidance of Double Taxation
and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion (“Tax Exemption
Documents”). In the event that OPTi provides the completed
Tax Exemption Documents and assists Renesas in good faith in
applying for an exception, Renesas shall make all payments under
this Standstill and Option Agreement without any deduction for
taxes or charges of any kind.
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Standstill
Agreement
4. Within 5 business days of the
execution of this Standstill and Option Agreement, OPTi and Renesas
America will file a Stipulation of dismissal without prejudice as
to all claims currently pending between them, each side to bear its
own fees and costs. The Stipulation of dismissal shall be in the
form attached hereto as Exhibit A.
5. Commencing upon entry of the
stipulated dismissal described in Paragraph 4, and continuing for
sixty (60) days after OPTi provides notice to Renesas of the
Final Resolution of the Action pursuant to Paragraph 11 (the
“Standstill Period”), OPTi Group shall refrain from
bringing suit against any member of Renesas Group for any claim
except for a claim for the enforcement or performance of this
Standstill and Option Agreement.
6. During the Standstill Period,
OPTi Group shall refrain from bringing suit against any Renesas
Customers for any claim arising by reason of any alleged act of
infringement of the OPTi Patents, whether directly or indirectly,
by a Renesas Product, whether alone or in combination with other
devices. In the event that any Renesas Customer brings suit against
OPTi seeking a declaratory judgment as to the infringement,
validity, and/or enforceability of an OPTi Patent, OPTi may seek
relief for any infringement of the OPTi Patent which OPTi, in its
sole discretion, believes such Renesas Customer to have engaged
in.
7. Nothing in Paragraphs 5 or 6 of
this Standstill and Option Agreement shall constitute or give rise
to any release or license of Renesas Group or any Renesas Customers
for any past or future infringement of the any OPTi Patent. Any
damages or other monetary recovery to which OPTi may be entitled by
reason of any infringement of any OPTi Patent by Renesas Group or
Renesas Customers shall continue to accrue during the Standstill
Period, and nothing in this Standstill and Option Agreement will
waive, diminish, abate, or otherwise limit OPTi’s right to
any monetary or injunctive relief in the event that OPTi may bring
suit against Renesas Group or a Renesas Customer in the future
without the breach of a provision of this Standstill and Option
Agreement.
8. In the event that OPTi brings
suit against Renesas Group or a Renesas Customer in the future
without the breach of a provision of this Standstill and Option
Agreement, neither Renesas Group nor the Renesas Customer shall
rely on the Standstill Period as the basis for a claim of laches or
estoppel. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Standstill
and Option Agreement will waive, diminish, abate, or otherwise
limit the ability of Renesas Group or a Renesas Customer from
claiming laches or estoppel for the periods preceding and following
the Standstill Period, alone or in combination.
9. During the Standstill Period and
for a period of 30 days there after, Renesas Group shall refrain
from bringing suit seeking a declaration as to the noninfringement,
invalidity, or unenforceability of the OPTi Patents, or seeking
reexamination or reissuance of the OPTi Patents or similar relief,
except in response to an action filed: (i) against a member of
Renesas Group for infringement of the OPTi Patents; or
(ii) against Renesas Customers for any claim arising by reason
of any alleged act of infringement of the OPTi Patents, whether
directly or indirectly, by a Renesas Product, whether alone or in
combination with other devices.
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License to Other OPTi
Patents.
10. Patent License. In
consideration of Renesas’ performance of its obligations,
undertakings, and covenants as set forth herein, including the
payment obligation set forth in Paragraph 2, effective as of the
date of the execution of this Standstill and Option Agreement, OPTi
hereby grants to Renesas Group a nonexclusive, perpetual,
worldwide, fully paid-up license under the Other OPTi Patents to
make, have made (for Renesas branded product sold by Renesas), use,
sell, and offer to sell any products and services and to have
products and services made or performed exclusively on behalf of
any member of Renesas Group based on a design developed by or for,
or otherwise owned and furnished to the manufacturer, by a Renesas
Group. The license granted by OPTi to Renesas hereunder will extend
to any Renesas Customers for any claim arising by reason of any
alleged act of infringement of the Other OPTi Patents, whether
directly or indirectly, by a Renesas Product, whether alone or in
combination with other devices. Nothing in this Paragraph 10 grants
any license to any third party for any product or combination of
products not including Renesas Products. Any power by Renesas Group
to grant any such licenses to any such third party by implication
or otherwise is excluded.
11. Release by OPTi . In
consideration of Renesas’ performance of its obligations,
undertakings, and covenants as set forth herein, including the
payment obligation set forth in Paragraph 2, effective as of the
date of the execution of this Standstill and Option Agreement,
OPTi, its successors and assigns, fully finally and forever
releases and discharges Renesas Group and Renesas Customers from
any and all liability for acts or omissions existing prior to the
payment of the sum referred to in Paragraph 2 arising out of or
relating to the Other OPTi Patents.
License Option.
12. Upon payment of the sum referred
to in Paragraph 2, and following the Final Resolution of the
Action, Renesas shall have an irrevocable option to license the LPC
Patents (the “License Option”).
13. The license which is the subject
of the License Option shall be granted upon the terms and
conditions set forth in the form of license agreement attached
hereto as Exhibit B.
14. Renesas shall pay to OPTi within
20 business days of Renesas’s receipt from OPTi of the Tax
Exemption Documents described in Paragraph 3 the amount of
$250,000USD as a refundable, revocable advance payment of the
License Option described herein.
15. Within 30 days of the Final
Resolution, OPTi shall provide Renesas with written notice of the
Final Resolution of the Action by overnight courier.
16. Renesas shall have the right to
decline to exercise its option to license the OPTi Patents within
sixty (60) days of the notice referred to in Paragraph 15 (the
“Option Period”), by tendering an executed copy of
Exhibit B to OPTi.
17. In the event that Renesas does
not decline to exercise its License Option within the Option
Period, OPTi shall tender to Renesas an executed copy of Exhibit B
to Renesas within fourteen (14) days of the close of the
Option Period and OPTi shall grant the licenses and rights
identified therein.
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18. In the event that Renesas
declines to exercise its License Option within the Option Period,
or if Renesas provides written notice that it will not exercise its
License Option, that option will be extinguished with no right of
revival by Renesas Group or any Renesas Customers. Within thirty
(30) days of the end of the Option Period or within thirty
(30) days of written notice that Renesas will not exercise its
License Option (whichever occurs first), OPTi shall refund the
$250,000USD option fee of Paragraph 11 to Renesas in whole, without
deduction, to an account specified at that time by
Renesas.
Termination of the
Standstill.
19. In the event that Renesas
permits its license option to become extinguished, and upon
termination of the Standstill Period provided for in Paragraphs 5
or 6, OPTi may, in its sole discretion, bring suit against Renesas
Group or Renesas Customers for any relief then available to OPTi,
including for past and future damages and injunctive relief arising
from the infringement by Renesas or Renesas Customers of the LPC
Patents.
Presnoop Patents
20. OPTi represents and warrants
that it has examined the publicly available information relating to
the product lines of Renesas Group and found no evidence that there
is infringement (either direct or indirect) of the Presnoop Patents
by any of their products in the past or currently. Should OPTi come
to believe that a future Renesas product possibly infringes the
Presnoop patents, OPTi will notify Renesas of its belief of such
alleged infringement and will initiate a good faith discussion
between the parties prior to filing suit. The good faith discussion
will include OPTi providing a detailed claim chart showing the
one-to-one correspondence between the claimed elements and the
then-accused Renesas products. Renesas Group shall not initiate any
declaratory judgment action as a consequence of such notice. Should
OPTi sell or transfer the Presnoop Patents, it shall encumber the
patents with these obligations so that they will be borne by any
party who later acquires the Presnoop Patents.
Additional
Provisions.
21. Each Party represents and
warrants that it possesses the right and power to enter into this
Standstill and Option Agreement and grant the rights granted
herein.
22. Each Party represents and
warrants that in executing this Standstill and Option Agreement, it
relied solely upon its own judgment, belief, and knowledge, and the
advice and recommendations of its own independently selected
counsel, concerning the nature, extent, and duration of its rights,
claims, and obligations hereunder and regarding all matters that
relate in any way to the subject matter hereof.
23. OPTi represents and warrants
that it: (a) owns the entire right, title and interest in and
to the OPTi Patents; (b) there have been no assignments,
sales, licenses, conveyances or other transfer or disposition of
any interest in the OPTi Patents; and (c) it has never
transferred any right to any cause of action against Renesas
Products.
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24. In addition and without
prejudice to any other remedies that may be available to either
Party under this Standstill and Option Agreement, each Party
acknowledges that any breach of its obligations contained in this
Standstill and Option Agreement would subject the other Party to
irreparable harm and that a preliminary injunction would be
warranted to protect the other Party from any threatened or
continuing breach of such obligations and that specific performance
of the obligations hereunder is necessary (but perhaps not
complete) remedy for any threatened or actual breach.
25. This Standstill and Option
Agreement shall be binding on each Party and its permitted
successors and assigns.
26. If OPTi assigns or transfers any
rights to any of the OPTi Patents or any claims in the Action, the
standstill contemplated by Paragraphs 5 or 6 shall remain in
effect, and the assignee or transferee shall be bound by the
standstill. As a condition of said assignment or transfer, OPTi
shall enter into a written agreement with the transferee making any
such assignment or transfer expressly subject to this Standstill
and Option Agreement contemplated by Paragraphs 5 or 6 and making
the assignee or transferee subject to the rights and obligations of
OPTi and OPTi Group hereunder. The transferee shall be substituted
for “OPTi” and “OPTi Group,” as
appropriate, throughout this Standstill and Option Agreement. OPTi
shall provide such agreement to Renesas. Any attempted or actual
transfer of patents or rights in violation of this Paragraph 22
shall be null and void.
27. In the event of:
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(a)
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the filing by
OPTi of a petition in bankruptcy or insolvency which petition or
proceeding is not dismissed within sixty (60) days;
or
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(b)
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any
adjudication that OPTi is bankrupt or insolvent; or
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(c)
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the filing by
OPTi of any petition or answer seeking reorganization, readjustment
or arrangement of its business under any law relating to bankruptcy
or insolvency which petition or proceeding is not dismissed within
sixty (60) days; or
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(d)
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the appointment
of a receiver for all or substantially all of the property of OPTi;
or
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(e)
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the making by
OPTi of any assignment for the benefit of creditors; or
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(f)
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the institution
of any proceeding for the liquidation winding up of OPTi’s
business which petition or proceeding is not dismissed within sixty
(60) days.
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The License Option of Paragraphs
12-18 shall be deemed fully exercised, the license agreement of
Exhibit C shall be deemed fully executed, and the license
contemplated in the license agreement of Exhibit C shall be fully
granted.
28. The validity and interpretation
of this Standstill and Option Agreement and the rights and duties
of the Parties shall be governed by the laws of the State of Texas,
without regard to conflicts of laws principles.
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29. Any controversy, claim, or
dispute between the Parties arising out of or relating to the terms
of this Standstill and Option Agreement shall first be discussed in
good faith between the Parties within forty-five (45) days of
receipt of written notice from a Party to the other Party (-ies)
identifying the alleged controversy, claim, or dispute. Should said
discussion fail to resolve the issue, the issue may be resolved by
instituting an action in the United States District Court for the
Eastern District of Texas for breach of this Standstill and Option
Agreement. The Parties agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the
Court, agree not to assert any defenses other than those which
relate to their compliance with the terms of this Standstill and
Option Agreement, or any term hereof, and agree that no defense to
a claim of breach may be based upon the claim that this Standstill
and Option A