AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
VEMICS INC
AND
EP GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS,
INC.
This AGREEMENT, consisting of the terms
and conditions set forth below and the attached exhibits, each of
which is incorporated into and made a part hereof by this reference
( ''Agreement''), is entered into as of November 3, 2005, (the
''Effective Date''), by and between Vemics, Inc a Nevada
corporation (''VEMICS''), having its principal place of business at
65 East Route 4, River Edge, New Jersey 07661 and EP Global
Communications Inc, a Delaware corporation having its principal
place of business at 65 East Route 4, Riveredge, New Jersey (''EP
GLOBAL'').
Background
VEMICS and EP GLOBAL are both in the
business of marketing and selling certain complementary but
different services to The Allied Health Industry, specifically to
care givers and medical services providers that address the needs
of people with disabilities and individuals with special health
care needs. VEMICS provides connectivity for distribution of
information and knowledge over its technology platform and
interface connections; and EP GLOBAL provides connectivity to its
client base which is a thirty five year old database of clinically
relevant information for the chronic disability field, professional
contacts and accreditation bodies, associations, companies and
other entities that would be interested in utilizing the services
offered through this Agreement. Pursuant to this Agreement, the
parties have customized certain of their product and offerings used
in combination with each other, the combined products and services
will provide a unique, electronic, internet based visual
communications system solution for delivery of educational /
training content and business meetings. The system is
designed to replicate the same dynamic found in live classrooms and
live business meeting environments. The parties intend to
utilize the next generation of visual communications technology as
provided jointly by Vemics and EP GLOBAL.
The definition of the Special Needs
Market, for the purposes of this Agreement, is specifically
intended to include those individuals and/or organizations,
professional societies, physicians, allied health care
professionals, caregivers, teachers, and families involved in the
care and development of people with life long chronic disabilities,
physical, mental or emotional and/or any other significantly
debilitating conditions. (hereinafter referred to as
“Special Needs Market”) . The Special Needs
market is not intended for purposes of this agreement to include
any of the traditional bio-medical disease states such as cancer,
infectious diseases, etc.
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NOW, THEREFORE,
in consideration of the mutual covenants
and agreements contained in this Agreement, and for other good and
valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are
hereby acknowledged, VEMICS and EP GLOBAL agree as
follows:
Terms and Conditions
1. Appointment; Territory;
Limitations; Relationship of Parties
(a) Appointment
Subject to all of the terms and
conditions in this Agreement, VEMICS hereby appoints EP GLOBAL to
act, during the term of this Agreement, as its exclusive global
representative authorized to market, resell and support VEMICS'
Products and Services (the ''VEMICS Services'') directly to
customers of EP GLOBAL(''EP GLOBAL Customers'') specifically in the
Special Needs Market (as defined herein). EP GLOBAL hereby
accepts said appointment.
(b) Territory
EP GLOBAL shall be authorized to market,
resell and support VEMICS Services globally.
(c) No Restrictions on a Party's
Activities
Each party acknowledges that this
Agreement is non-exclusive and, except as expressly set forth in
section 1(f) of this Agreement, nothing in this Agreement shall
limit in any manner any party's marketing, distribution or sales
activities or its rights to market, distribute or sell, directly or
indirectly, or appoint any other person or Vemics as a dealer,
distributor, EP GLOBAL, licensee or agent for its Services, within
the Territory.
(d) Freedom of Action; Certain
Restrictions
Except as provided in section 1(f) of
this Agreement, each party may directly or indirectly (through EP
GLOBALs or otherwise) market, sell, offer or provide any of its
respective products or services to any customer within the
Territory and during or after the Term.
(e) No Agency
VEMICS and EP GLOBAL each acknowledge and
agree that the relationship established by this Agreement is that
of independent contractors, and nothing contained in this Agreement
shall be construed to: (i) give either party the power to direct or
control the day-to-day activities of the other; (ii) deem the
parties to be acting as co-owners or otherwise as participants in a
joint ownership undertaking; or (iii) permit either party or any of
either party's officers, directors, employees, agents or
representatives to create or assume any obligation on behalf or for
the account of the other party for any purpose
whatsoever.
(f) Mutual Exclusivity
Vemics hereby grants EP Global the
exclusive right to sell its products and services globally
specifically and limited to the Special Needs Market as defined
herein. EP Global hereby agrees that it will provide electronic,
internet based visual communications system solution for delivery
of educational/ training content in the areas to People with
Disabilities and People with Special Medical Needs, as defined
herein, exclusively utilizing the Vemics System.
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2. License Grant; Restrictions;
Customer Agreements
(a) License Grant
Subject to all terms and conditions of
this Agreement, VEMICS hereby grants to EP GLOBAL during the Term
of this Agreement the non-exclusive (except as stated in Section
1(f)), nontransferable right and license to enter into contracts
with EP GLOBAL's Customers to provide VEMICS Services together with
all related software (the ''Software'') and other intellectual
property, and documentation (the ''Documentation'') that are
necessary or appropriate to enable EP GLOBAL to provide VEMICS
Services (the VEMICS Software and such other intellectual property
and the Documentation are collectively sometimes referred to as
''VEMICS Intellectual Property'') to EP GLOBAL’s customers.
Each party shall also be authorized to utilize the other
party’s Intellectual Property solely for the purposes set
forth in this Agreement
(b) License
Restrictions
EP GLOBAL shall not appoint any other
person, firm, or entity as a sub-distributor or agent for VEMICS
Services without obtaining advance written approval from VEMICS
with the exception of bona fide EP GLOBAL sales representatives
whether said representatives are employees EP GLOBAL or appointed
independent contractors of EP GLOBAL as long as a condition of
their employment they agree to be bound by the terms and conditions
set forth herein. EP GLOBAL shall not, for itself, for any
affiliate of EP GLOBAL or for any third party: sell, sublicense,
assign, or transfer the Software or any Documentation, except as
permitted under this Agreement. Furthermore, EP GLOBAL agrees
that is shall not decompile, disassemble, or reverse engineer the
VEMICS Software.
(c) Customer Terms and Conditions;
Right of VEMICS to Restrict Content
All re-sales of VEMICS Services by EP
GLOBAL will be subject to the execution and delivery by each of EP
GLOBAL Customer(s) of a written, binding agreement that contains,
at a minimum, the relevant terms and conditions set forth in this
Agreement transaction and the VEMICS Standard Terms and Conditions
as well as no terms or conditions that are inconsistent with the
terms or conditions contained in this Agreement (the ''Customer
Agreement''). Prior to entering into any agreement for VEMICS
Services with any proposed customer, EP GLOBAL shall notify VEMICS
of the identity of such proposed customer and shall not enter into
any Agreement with any proposed customer that VEMICS notifies EP
GLOBAL it disapproves pursuant to the provisions of this paragraph.
VEMICS shall notify EP GLOBAL of its approval of a prospective
customer within five (5) business days after receiving EP GLOBAL's
request for approval, which shall not be unreasonably withheld and
shall exercise its approval rights reasonably. If VEMICS fails to
notify EP GLOBAL of its approval or disapproval within such five
(5) business day period, VEMICS shall be deemed to have approved
such customer. Notwithstanding any approval of a prospective
customer, if VEMICS subsequently becomes aware that the content of
any of EP GLOBAL's Customers is illegal it shall notify EP GLOBAL
thereof and unless the illegal content is removed within Five (5)
business days after such notice, VEMICS may take steps to prevent
such illegal content from being routed to, passed through or stored
on or utilized within VEMICS' network. VEMICS shall promptly notify
EP GLOBAL and the applicable EP GLOBAL Customer of such removal of
any of EP GLOBAL’s Customer content pursuant to the foregoing
provisions.
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3. Marketing Efforts; Promotional
Materials
(a) Efforts
EP GLOBAL shall use its commercially
reasonable efforts to: (i) aggressively market, resell and support
VEMICS Services to prospective customers in the Territory; (ii)
dedicate adequate resources, financial and otherwise, and maintain
facilities and staff, to market, resell and support VEMICS Services
in accordance with EP GLOBAL's obligations under this Agreement, in
a timely, diligent and professional manner using competent
personnel; (iii) keep VEMICS informed as to any problems
encountered by EP GLOBAL's Customers or by EP GLOBAL with the
VEMICS Services or any VEMICS Intellectual Property, and
communicate to VEMICS any resolution or proposed resolutions
relating to such problems; (iv) maintain accurate records of all EP
GLOBAl's Customers including their names, addresses, telephone
numbers and email address as well as the date VEMICS Services
were initially provided to EP GLOBAL's Customers, and the Customer
Agreements thereto; (v) maintain accurate records of all support
services provided to EP GLOBAL's Customers; and (vi) provide to
VEMICS and maintain and update as necessary emergency contact
information for each of EP GLOBAL's Customer. All information
concerning EP GLOBAL's Customers shall be deemed Confidential
Information of EP GLOBAL in accordance with the provisions of
Section 10 of this Agreement.
(c) Promotional Materials;
Marketing
VEMICS will provide EP GLOBAL with a
reasonable amount of sales and marketing literature relating to the
VEMICS Services. The exact form and quantity of such literature
will be determined jointly by VEMICS and EP GLOBAL and be based
upon the needs and dictates each of specific project requirements.
EP GLOBAL shall adhere to VEMICS' Guidelines, Rules and Procedures
then in effect, and EP GLOBAL shall not make any representations or
statements regarding VEMICS Services other than those contained in
the sales and marketing literature and promotional materials
provided to EP GLOBAL by VEMICS, without the prior written approval
of VEMICS. Upon reasonable advance notice from VEMICS, EP GLOBAL
shall discontinue use of any marketing literature or promotional
materials that VEMICS no longer deems acceptable.
(d) Quality Control
Each party acknowledges the importance of
upholding the good reputation of the other party and its respective
products and services. Accordingly, each party agrees that it will
maintain at all times during the Term of this Agreement the highest
quality controls, business practices and ethics in performing its
obligations and exercising its rights under this Agreement and will
comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
(e) Publicity
On or about the Effective Date, the
parties agree to issue a joint press release announcing the
relationship contemplated by this Agreement. The press release
shall be subject to the written approval of each party, which
approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. During the
term of this Agreement, subject to the restrictions contained in
Section 5 below, each party may post on its web site the other
party's logo and/or a hyperlink to the other party's web site, to
use the other party's name in connection with proposals to other
prospective customers and otherwise refer to the other party and
the co-branded service offering contemplated herein in print or
electronic form for marketing or reference purposes.
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(f) Customers
During the Term of this Agreement, EP
GLOBAL shall be responsible for billing EP GLOBAL’S
Customers, except if agreed to in writing in advance by Vemics, for
their use of VEMICS Services based on individual programs or
contractual obligations approved in advance by VEMICS. Subject to
VEMICS obtaining specific advance written consent from EP
GLOBAL’s Customers, VEMICS shall be entitled to reference EP
GLOBAL's Customers on VEMICS' web site and in marketing materials
as a VEMICS Services customer. All data pertaining to any of EP
GLOBAL’s Customers shall be deemed Confidential Information
in accordance with the provisions of Section 10 of this Agreement.
In addition, no party shall use any data pertaining to any of EP
GLOBAL’s Customers in a manner that is inconsistent with
VEMICS' published privacy policy, the applicable Customer
Agreement, or applicable legal requirements.
EP GLOBAL customers shall be such
customers who are customers of EP GLOBAL at the time of the signing
of this Agreement and those customers that are introduced to the
VEMICS System solely by EP GLOBAL efforts as the result of this
Agreement. VEMICS customers shall be such customers who are
customers of VEMICS at the time of the signing of this Agreement
and those customers that are introduced to the VEMICS System solely
by VEMICS efforts as the result of this Agreement. In the event
that a Customer is presently and/or in the future a customer of
both parties to this Agreement, as defined herein, then they shall
remain deemed jointly Customers of both EP GLOBAL and
VEMICS.
4. EP GLOBAL Personnel Training;
Customer Support
(a) Training
VEMICS shall provide to EP GLOBAL’s
sales and technical personnel, at VEMICS' training facility or, if
VEMICS elects, at EP GLOBAL’s facilities: (i) a reasonably
sufficient number of training sessions and source training material
to reasonably enable EP GLOBAL's sales and support staff to become
knowledgeable about the capabilities and operation of, and support
for, the VEMICS Intellectual Property and VEMICS Services, such
training to include, at EP GLOBAL's request, a reasonable number of
joint VEMICS/EP GLOBAL on-site calls, and (ii) technical consulting
services and training to reasonably ensure that EP GLOBAL has the
internal capability to, among other things, provide the necessary
services to EP GLOBAL's Customers to perform its obligations under
Customer Agreements and provide the support for VEMICS Services to
EP GLOBAL's Customers as contemplated in this Agreement. Each party
shall be responsible for the travel, lodging and meal expenses of
its employees who attend any training session. At the conclusion of
such training, VEMICS will formally certify the technical
capability of each trainee who is qualified to represent the VEMICS
Services.
(b) Customer Support
VEMICS will provide technical support to
EP GLOBAL and their customers to whatever extent is required to
successfully deploy an approved project. Upon the written request
by an authorized EP GLOBAL representative, VEMICS shall provide
technical support directly to any of EP GLOBAL’S Customer in
accordance with VEMICS' standard technical support terms and
conditions. Each party shall timely provide its support obligations
under this Agreement using knowledgeable, appropriately trained and
competent personnel.
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5. Content Responsibility;
Intellectual Property Rights
(a) Customer Content
In the event that EP GLOBAL becomes aware
of any EP GLOBAL’s Customer Content (the ''Customer
Content'') that is being placed on and/or is utilizing the VEMICS
Service: (a) violates or infringes upon the intellectual property
or other rights of any third party, (b) distributes any libelous,
defamatory, pornographic or obscene material, or (c) violates any
laws or regulations applicable to such Customer Content, EP GLOBAL
shall notify the applicable customer of the violation and request
that such customer remove such Customer Content so that it will not
be routed to or pass through VEMICS' network. If such customer
fails to comply with EP GLOBAL’s request within a reasonable
period of time, EP GLOBAL shall notify VEMICS of the
non-compliance. VEMICS may then remove such Customer Content
pursuant to and in manner set forth in the Customer Agreement. EP
GLOBAL’s Customers shall be solely responsible for
maintaining the availability of the Customer computer and network
systems, the connectivity of such computers and network systems to
the Internet, and all Customer Content, IP addresses, domain names,
hyperlinks, databases, applications and other resources necessary
for EP GLOBAL’s Customer to access the VEMICS
Services.
(b) EP GLOBAL’s
Content
(i) EP GLOBAL’s Conditions of
Use : EP GLOBAL shall be solely and exclusively responsible for
(1) all EP GLOBAL’s content and activity; (2) obtaining legal
written permission from the right holder to display and/or utilize
any material on the Vemics System; and (3) ensuring that EP GLOBAL
content of the web site does not violate the laws of the
jurisdiction where the content is displayed. EP GLOBAL furthermore
hereby agrees to comply with the requirements of the Communications
Decency Act (CDA) and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA),
and shall require its subscribers in writing to so
comply.
(ii) Limitations on EP GLOBAL
Content
EP GLOBAL shall not intentionally place
or cause to be placed on the Vemics System unacceptable material or
activity which includes, but is not limited to:
(A) defamatory or other tortuous
activity;
(B) criminal activity, including but not
limited to theft of trade secrets, fraud, child pornography,
trafficking in obscene material, violation of US export provisions,
drug dealing, gambling, harassment, stalking, spamming, hacking,
sending of viruses or other harmful files, or illegal posting of
computer passwords or computer code for the purpose of
circumventing copyright security measures;
(C) infringing activity including, but
not limited to, the unauthorized display of confidential, secret,
or other proprietary material, trademark infringement, copyright
infringement, or patent infringement.
(iii) Removal of Customer Content:
VEMICS reserves the
right in its sole discretion, and without prior notice, to remove
any material from Vemics System which is inconsistent with the
basic mission, goals and objectives of this Agreement.
(iv) Compliance with Lawful
Authorities: VEMICS will
comply with all subpoenas and court orders that appear to be lawful
and valid, including subpoenas and court orders requesting
information about EP GLOBAL or its use of the Service, without
prior notice to
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EP GLOBAL. VEMICS
reserves the right to report activity that it believes to be
potentially criminal to the appropriate law enforcement
agencies.
(vi) Indemnification against Third
Party Claims:
(A) EP GLOBAL agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold
harmless VEMICS, its affiliates and the respective officers,
directors, employees, and agents, from and against all actions,
third party civil or criminal claims, liabilities, losses, damages
and expenses, including but not limited to reasonable attorneys'
fees, arising out of or relating to the use of the VEMICS System
material supplied by EP GLOBAL for use on the VEMICS System or,
arising out of or relating to any content provided by EP GLOBAL or
by EP GLOBAL's use of VEMICS's services. Such indemnification shall
operate whether or not VEMICS has been put on notice of a
claim.
(B) VEMICS agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless
EP GLOBAL, its affiliates and its and their respective officers,
directors, employees, and agents, from and against all actions,
third party civil or criminal claims, liabilities, losses, damages
and expenses, including but not limited to reasonable attorneys'
fees, arising out of or relating to the use of the VEMICS System
supplied by VEMICS. Such indemnification shall operate whether or
not EP GLOBAL has been put on notice of a claim.
(c) Intellectual Property and VEMICS
Services
As between VEMICS and EP GLOBAL or any
Customer of EP GLOBAL’s, VEMICS shall own all right, title
and interest in and to the Intellectual Property and VEMICS
Services. EP GLOBAL acknowledges that the Software, Documentation,
and VEMICS Services includes proprietary information and trade
secrets which are the sole and exclusive property of VEMICS or its
licensors and that the Software, Documentation and VEMICS Services
are or may be protected by patent, copyright, trade secret and/or
similar laws and certain international treaty provisions. The
following shall not, however, be considered to be proprietary
information and trade secrets belonging to VEMICS: (i) information
which is publicly known or which becomes publicly known through no
fault of EP GLOBAL’s; (ii) information which is lawfully
obtained by EP GLOBAL from a third party; and (iii) information
which is the lawful p