IMN TRADEMARK LICENSE AGREEMENTTrademark License Agreement |
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Exhibit 10.3
IMN TRADEMARK LICENSE
AGREEMENT
This IMN Trademark License Agreement
(this “ Agreement ”) is made as of July 31,
2007, by and between IMN Data Storage Holdings C.V., a Dutch
private limited partnership (“ Licensee ”), and
TDK Corporation, a Japanese corporation (“ Licensor
”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS , the Licensor and
Imation Corp. (“ Imation ”), are parties to an
Acquisition Agreement, dated April 19, 2007 (the “
Acquisition Agreement ”) and a Supply Agreement, dated
July 31, 2007 (the “ Supply Agreement
”);
WHEREAS , Licensee wishes to
license from Licensor the right to use the Licensed Trademarks in
the Territory (as defined below) on and in connection with
Licensee’s marketing, promotion, distribution and sale of the
Licensed Products (as defined below) and Licensor has agreed to
license to Licensee the Licensed Trademarks for such purposes,
subject to the terms and conditions hereof;
WHEREAS, Licensor and
Licensee’s parent company, Imation, have entered into a
similar Trademark License Agreement as of the date hereof in which
Imation will license from Licensor the right to use the Licensed
Trademarks in the United States on and in connection with its
marketing, promotion, distribution and sale of the Licensed
Products (the “ Imation Agreement ”);
NOW, THEREFORE , in
consideration of the mutual promises and covenants set forth
herein, the parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
1.1 Certain Definitions .
Capitalized terms used in this Agreement have the meanings set
forth in Exhibit B .
1.2 Interpretation . Unless
otherwise indicated to the contrary in this Agreement by the
context or use thereof: (a) the words “herein,”
“hereto,” “hereof” and words of similar
import refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular
Section, Article or paragraph hereof; (b) references in this
Agreement to Sections, Articles or paragraphs refer to sections,
articles or paragraphs of this Agreement; (c) headings of
Sections are provided for convenience only and shall not affect the
construction or interpretation of this Agreement; (d) words
importing the masculine gender shall also include the feminine and
neutral genders, and vice versa; (e) words importing the
singular shall also include the plural, and vice versa;
(f) the words
| ** | The appearance of a double asterisk denotes confidential information that has been omitted from the exhibit and filed separately, accompanied by a confidential treatment request, with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 24b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. |
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1.3 “include”,
“includes” and “including” shall be deemed
to be followed in each case by the phrase “without
limitation”; (g) any reference to a statute refers to
the statute, any amendments or successor legislation, and all
regulations promulgated under or implementing the statute, as in
effect from time to time; (h) any reference to an agreement,
contract or other document as of a given date means the agreement,
contract or other document as amended, supplemented and modified
from time to time through such date; (i) “$” and
“Dollars” mean the lawful currency of the United States
of America and any threshold set in Dollars herein shall be deemed
to refer to the equivalent amount in any other currency, as the
context may require; and (j) “or” shall include the
meanings “either” or “both”.
ARTICLE II
LICENSE
2.1 Trademark License Grant .
Subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of this
Agreement, Licensor hereby grants to Licensee a non-transferable,
non-sublicensable (except as set forth in Section 2.5)
, exclusive and restricted license in the Territory, during the
terms set forth below, to use, reproduce and display the Licensed
Trademarks solely for the marketing, promotion, advertisement,
distribution, lease or sale of Licensed Products. For the avoidance
of doubt, all references in this Agreement to Licensee’s use,
reproduction or display of a Licensed Trademark shall be deemed to
be restricted to the Territory. For the further avoidance of doubt,
Licensor retains no right to use, reproduce or display the TDK word
mark, the Diamond Design, the TDK Diamond Logo consisting of the
TDK word mark and the Diamond Design, all shown on Exhibit A
(individually, a “ TDK Mark ” and collectively,
“ TDK Marks ”), the Licensed Trademarks, or any
Trademarks that are confusingly similar to the Licensed Trademarks
or any element thereof for the marketing, promotion, advertisement,
distribution, lease or sale of any Licensed Product for so long as
the license granted hereunder for such Licensed Product is in
effect. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Licensee acknowledges that
the Licensed Products do not include Medical Data Recording Media
or Specific Broadcast Media and that Licensor reserves all
worldwide rights to use, reproduce, and display any Trademark
(including the TDK Marks) but not the Licensed Trademarks for the
marketing, promotion, advertisement, distribution, lease or sale of
Medical Image Data Recording Media and Specific Broadcast Media,
and to grant rights to others to do the same. All rights of
Licensor in and to the Licensed Trademarks not expressly granted
under this Article II are reserved by Licensor. The term of
license grants are as set forth below:
(a)
Core Products; Accessory Products : The term of the license
for use of the Licensed Trademarks in connection with Core Products
and Accessory Products shall be for the term of this
Agreement.
(b)
Speaker Products and Headphone Products : The term of the
license for use of the Licensed Trademarks in connection with
Speaker Products and Headphone Products shall be ten (10) years
from the Effective Date.
(c)
RRM Products : The term of the license for use of the
Licensed Trademarks in connection with any RRM Product approved
pursuant to the provisions of Article IV of the Imation
Agreement shall be ten (10) years from the date of
Licensor’s approval
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of the
inclusion of such RRM Product within the scope of this Agreement as
set forth in Article IV of the Imation Agreement.
2.2 Use-Up Rights for TDK
Marks . Licensee shall have the right, in the Territory, to
(a) sell or otherwise dispose of any Licensed Products that
bear a TDK Mark transferred as of the Effective Date in accordance
with the terms of the Acquisition Agreement, and (b) use
existing stocks of packaging, Promotional Material, and other
documents and materials that bear a TDK Mark, transferred as of the
Effective Date in accordance with the terms of the Acquisition
Agreement, in connection with such sales or other dispositions, in
each case for up to one (1) year after the Effective Date,
provided that Licensee shall seek to migrate all sales and use of
materials to the Licensed Trademarks as promptly as reasonably
practicable, consistent with business requirements, over such
period.
2.3 Product Sites; Linking
Agreement . Licensee may maintain websites exclusively for the
purpose of promoting Licensed Products in the Territory as set
forth in this Agreement (each a “ Product Site
”).
(a) The
home page and each page of a Product Site that contains other legal
notices shall contain the following statement: “The TDK LIFE
ON RECORD Logo is used under a trademark license from
[Licensor.] ” Each page of a Product Site shall either
identify Licensee or display Licensee’s standard copyright
notice in Licensee’s name. During the term of the Agreement,
Licensor grants to Licensee a non-transferable, non-sublicensable
(except as set forth in Section 2.5 ), worldwide,
exclusive and restricted license to (i) use the Additional
Licensed Domain Names (as defined in subsection (d) below) for
corresponding Product Sites, and (ii) refer to the related
URLs on Licensed Products and on their packaging or Promotional
Material.
(b) Licensee
shall maintain each Product Site (including maintaining the servers
for such sites) at its own expense. Subject to Licensor’s
rights to take actions necessary to require Licensee to comply with
this Agreement or the Quality Guidelines, Licensor shall not
impede, deny, or otherwise restrict Licensee’s access to or
ability to maintain each Product Site or corresponding email
addresses. The “About Imation,” “Contact
Us” or equivalent section of each Product Site shall be
reasonably prominent and shall identify Licensee as the contact and
shall contain the following statement: “The products
described on this site are made by or on behalf of
[Licensee] and use of the TDK LIFE ON RECORD Logo is
pursuant to a trademark license from [Licensor] .”
Licensee shall promptly notify Licensor in writing when it ceases
to maintain a Product Site and Licensor shall have the right to
immediately terminate Licensee’s license to use the
corresponding domain name at that time.
(c) Each
Product Site shall be deemed to be “Promotional
Material” for all purposes hereof, and shall be subject to
the terms and conditions applicable to Promotional Material under
this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing,
Licensee shall (i) not display or use a Link in a manner that
causes either the Licensor or a Product Site or any portion of its
content to be associated with any advertising or sponsorship not
part of such Sites; (ii) not display or use a Link in a manner
that could cause confusion, mistake, or deception;
(iii) display disclaimers on the Product Site pursuant to the
Quality Guidelines; and (iv) maintain
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and
enforce terms of use and other policies applicable to the Product
Site that are commercially reasonable.
(d) Licensor
has agreed that Licensee may use “tdk-media.XXX” domain
names listed on Exhibit H (“ Additional
Licensed Domain Names ”) for Product Sites in accordance
with the terms of this Agreement. Licensee shall register the
Additional Licensed Domain Names in Licensor’s name and bear
all expenses associated with such registrations. Licensor may, upon
Licensee’s request and at Licensee’s expense, provide
Licensee with support reasonably requested in registering and
maintaining the Additional Licensed Domain Name. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, if an applicable law or regulation of any domain
name registration entity or registry (“ Domain Name
Regulation ”) does not permit registration of a
particular Additional Licensed Domain Name in Licensor’s name
in a particular country for any reason (e.g., the Domain Name
Regulation does not permit registration of more than one domain
name in the name of Licensor), all rights Licensor has granted to
Licensee for such Additional Licensed Domain Name shall terminate,
Licensee shall not seek to register such Additional Licensed Domain
Name, and Licensor shall have no other obligation as to such
Additional Licensed Domain Name. Further, if a Domain Name
Regulation limits in any way Licensor’s ability to register a
domain name, such as a domain name having the same parent domain
name (e.g., “co.jp”) or incorporating the word
“TDK,” in the name of Licensor because Licensee has
registered an Additional Licensed Domain Name in such country, all
rights that Licensor has granted to Licensee to such Additional
Licensed Domain Name in such country shall terminate and Licensee
shall immediately terminate Licensee’s registration for such
Additional Licensed Domain Name in such country and take any other
action that Licensor shall reasonably requests in connection with
Licensor’s efforts to register such domain name in such
country. If any of the Additional Licensed Domain Names are
registered by a third party, Licensor shall bear no obligation to
take any action to protest or cancel such third party’s
registration or obtain such registrations. If an Additional
Licensed Domain Name or similar domain names are registered by a
third party, and Licensee reasonably believes that such
registration could adversely affect Licensee’s business,
Licensee may request in writing that Licensor seek to cancel such
registration. Licensor shall have the right in its sole discretion
to determine whether to seek such cancellation. If Licensor decides
to proceed with the cancellation action, Licensor shall bear the
costs and expenses associated with such action. If Licensor decides
not to proceed with the cancellation action, and agrees (in its
sole discretion) to permit Licensee to proceed with the
cancellation action, Licensee may proceed with the cancellation
action. In such case, Licensee shall bear all costs and expenses
associated with such action. Licensor may, upon Licensee’s
request and at Licensee’s expense, provide Licensee with
support reasonably requested by Licensee in such cancellation
action. If a Domain Name Regulation does not permit registration of
a particular Additional Licensed Domain Name or limits
Licensor’s ability to register a domain name in light of a
previously registered Additional Licensed Domain Name, Licensee may
propose an alternative (which must begin with
“tdk-media.”). Licensor shall have sole discretion to
decide whether to agree to allow Licensee to register the
alternative.
(e) At
Licensor’s reasonable request, the Strategic Relationship
Committee shall meet and consider in good faith what action, if
any, should be taken (including modifications to the Product Site)
in light of the frequency and history of any third party claims
against Licensor or any of its Affiliates where a basis, in whole
or in part, for involving Licensor relates in any way to the
Product Site or any other Promotional Material.
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2.4 Patent License . Licensor
hereby grants to Licensee a royalty-free, non-transferable,
nonsublicenseable (except as set forth in Section 2.5 )
non-exclusive license (not including manufacturing or have made
rights) in the Territory under any patents of Licensor or its
Affiliates that, as of the Effective Date, Licensor has the right
to grant licenses without payments to third parties, for the
marketing, distribution, or sales of Current Magnetic Tape Products
and Current Optical Media Products which, in both cases, Licensor
or Licensee has commercialized as of the Effective Date, provided
that if Licensee or any of its Affiliates asserts a patent against
Licensor or any of its Affiliates, the license shall terminate and
further provided that Licensee and its Affiliates shall not sue
Licensor or any of its Affiliates for damages arising before
termination of the license. If the patent license terminates under
this Agreement, it shall automatically terminate under the Imation
Agreement.
2.5 Sublicenses to Qualified
Entities . Licensee shall have the right to grant sublicenses
of its rights under Sections 2.1 , 2.3 ,
2.4 and 2.12(b) only to Qualified Entities. Licensee
may grant Imation Europe BV (“ BV ”) the right
to grant further sublicenses to, and only to, Qualified Entities.
Licensee shall not have any rights to grant any other Qualified
Entities the right to grant further sublicenses. Prior to, and as a
condition to the effectiveness of, any sublicense to a Qualified
Entity pursuant to the preceding, the Qualified Entity shall enter
into an agreement that contains, at a minimum, the provisions in
the form of attached Exhibit G(I) or
Exhibit G(II) as appropriate (a “ Sublicense
Agreement ”), whereby the Qualified Entity
(a) acknowledges receipt of a copy of this Agreement,
(b) agrees to act in accordance with the terms and conditions
of this Agreement, and (c) expressly confirms that Licensor is
an intended third party beneficiary thereof. Licensee will promptly
notify Licensor of the execution of each Sublicense Agreement
(whether with Licensee or BV), and provide Licensor with a copy of
such executed Sublicense Agreement. When an entity ceases to be a
Qualified Entity, the sublicense rights to that entity shall
immediately and automatically terminate without the further act of
any party. For purposes of clarification, if BV ceases to be a
Qualified Entity, any sublicense rights of BV (and any further
sublicenses granted by BV) shall immediately and automatically
terminate without the further act of any party.
2.6 Restrictions . As an
express condition to, and in material consideration for, the
licenses granted to Licensee hereunder, Licensee expressly agrees
to the following restrictions as to its use of the Licensed
Trademarks:
(a) Licensee
shall not do anything inconsistent with Licensor’s ownership
of the Licensed Trademarks. Without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, Licensee shall not challenge the validity of any
Licensed Trademark, Licensor’s ownership thereof, or the
enforceability of Licensor’s rights therein.
(b) Licensee
shall not use, reproduce or display (or authorize the use,
reproduction or display of) the Licensed Trademarks in any manner
whatsoever other than as expressly authorized by this
Agreement.
(c) Except
as expressly permitted by Section 2.2 , during the term
and after any termination of this Agreement, Licensee shall not use
any service mark, service name, trade name, trademark, design or
logo that is confusingly similar to any Licensed Trademark or any
element thereof, including any mark, word or design that
incorporates the word “TDK” or the
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TDK
diamond logo, or any mark, word, logo or design confusingly similar
thereto. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, during
the term and after any termination of this Agreement, Licensee
shall not use the word “TDK” or the TDK diamond logo in
any corporate name or in any domain name, other than as permitted
in Section 2.3 . For the avoidance of doubt, to the
extent that an element of a Licensed Trademark (but in no event a
TDK Mark) is expressly disclaimed in a trademark registration (such
as “mobile” in TDK MOBILE), Licensee shall not be
prohibited from using such element in its own Trademarks by the
terms hereof.
(d) Except
for existing inventory of Licensed Products or existing stocks of
packaging, Promotional Material, and other documents and materials
that bear a TDK Mark that Licensee is permitted to use pursuant to
Section 2.2 (which shall be used in the form
transferred as of the Effective Date, without alteration), Licensee
shall not use any of the Licensed Trademarks together, or use any
Licensed Trademark in combination with any other trademark, service
mark, trade name, trading style, fictitious business name, name,
character, symbol, design, likeness or literary or artistic
material in a manner that create a unitary or combination Trademark
without the prior written consent of Licensor. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, Licensee may use (i) any Licensed Trademarks
together if Licensor has a general practice of using such Licensed
Trademarks together and (ii) any Trademarks assigned to
Licensee by Licensor pursuant to the Acquisition Agreement with the
Licensed Trademarks, but not in a manner that might create a
unitary or combination Trademark.
(e) For
a period that runs for one (1) year prior to the expiration of
the separate licenses for the Speaker Products and Headphone
Products and for each RRM Product approved pursuant to
Article IV of the Imation Agreement, and for a period
that runs for one (1) year prior to the termination of the
Agreement for the Core Products and Accessory Products, Licensee
may Display one or more Licensee Trademarks on or in connection
with the Licensed Products as part of a transition plan (which, at
a minimum, includes provisions regarding how the Trademarks will be
used together) mutually agreed by the parties, in advance of the
applicable transition period, provided that such Display shall not
create a unitary or combination Trademark.
(f) Licensee
shall not register any Licensed Trademark, and Licensor shall
retain the exclusive right to apply for and obtain registrations
for each Licensed Trademark throughout the Territory (although
Licensee may request registrations, and make registrations in
Licensor’s name, under certain circumstances, as set forth in
Section 2.8 ). Licensee shall not register any domain
name containing the word [TDK] .
(g) Licensee
shall not assert any adverse claim against Licensor based upon
Licensor’s use of any Licensed Trademark (other than a claim
for breach of contract based on the exclusivity provisions of this
Agreement or the non-competition provisions of the Acquisition
Agreement).
2.7 Notice . In connection
with the use of the Licensed Trademarks on packaging or Promotional
Material for the Licensed Products, Licensee shall include a
trademark notice in a form reading: “The [TDK LIFE ON
RECORD Logo] is a trademark of [Licensor], ”
except that Licensee may use the typed words “TDK Logo”
instead of the actual logo where the notice would be too small to
show the actual logo clearly or where the notice is embedded within
other
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text.
Further, with respect to any Licensed Product other than Core
Products or Accessory Products, Licensee shall indicate when using
a Licensed Trademark on packaging or Promotional Material for such
product that “The [TDK LIFE ON RECORD Logo] is used
under a trademark license from [Licensor], ” subject
to the same exception as the previous sentence. Subject to
Section 2.3 , if a Licensed Trademark is used multiple times
on or in packaging or Promotional Material, the notice and
statement regarding licensed use need only be used for the first
prominent use of the Licensed Trademark on or in such packaging or
Promotional Material. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the
requirements of this Section 2.7 shall not apply to
existing stocks of packaging, Promotional Material, and other
documents and materials that bear a TDK Mark that Licensee is
permitted to use pursuant to Section 2.2 .
2.8 Filing, Maintenance, and
Renewal .
(a)
Licensee Cooperation : Licensee agrees to reasonably
cooperate with Licensor’s preparation and filing of any
applications, renewals or other documentation necessary or useful
to protect Licensor’s intellectual property rights in the
Licensed Trademarks in the Territory.
(b)
Licensor Filing and Maintenance : Licensor shall have the
primary right to determine whether to file or maintain
registrations for any Licensed Trademarks. Licensor will give
Licensee reasonable notice of its intention to abandon or otherwise
fail to maintain or prosecute any registered Licensed Trademarks or
application therefor in any country or class applicable to a
Licensed Product in the Territory and allow Licensee an opportunity
to prosecute or otherwise maintain such registrations for Licensed
Trademarks for Licensed Products at Licensee’s expense, but
in Licensor’s name. Licensee may request that Licensor file
or maintain registrations for a Licensed Trademark for a country or
class applicable to a Licensed Product in the Territory, and
Licensor shall either take such action at Licensee’s expense
or, if Licensor does not wish to do so, permit Licensee to do so,
at Licensee’s expense, but in Licensor’s name. To the
extent that Licensor elects to file or maintain registrations for
Licensed Trademarks that cover both Licensed Products and Licensor
Products, Licensor shall take such action at Licensor’s
expense. If Licensor elects not to file or maintain registrations
for Licensed Trademarks that cover both Licensed Products and
Licensor Products, Licensee shall be under no obligation to file or
maintain the registrations for the Licensor Products.
(c)
Licensor Obligations If Licensee Pays : To the extent that
Licensor is directing the prosecution and maintenance of Licensed
Trademarks but Licensee is paying the costs, Licensor either
directly or through its counsel shall furnish Licensee with copies
of all filings made or received in connection with such Licensed
Trademarks, provided that Licensor shall consult with Licensee
about and send to Licensee for approval in advance of filing any
responses to substantive office actions and Licensee shall not
unreasonably withhold or delay such approval. Licensor shall also
arrange for all invoices related to such prosecution and
maintenance to be sent directly to Licensee for payment and
Licensee shall have the right in good faith to dispute such
invoices and to require Licensor to pay the disputed invoice if the
dispute cannot be resolved to Licensee’s reasonable
satisfaction, but in any such case Licensor shall not be required
to take further steps as to the application or other matters at
issue pending
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the
satisfactory resolution of such dispute unless necessary to prevent
the application or registration from lapsing.
(d)
Licensor Obligations If Licensee Handles and Pays : To the
extent that Licensee is filing or maintaining registrations for any
Licensed Trademarks in Licensor’s name, Licensor agrees to
reasonably cooperate with Licensee’s preparation and filing
of any applications, renewals or other documentation necessary to
protect Licensor’s intellectual property rights in the
Licensed Trademarks and Licensee may hire counsel of
Licensee’s own choosing.
(e)
License Recordals : Should local counsel of either Party
reasonably recommend that Licensee be appointed as a licensee of
Licensor for the Licensed Trademarks in the Territory and
(i) Licensor reasonably determines that such license should be
recorded with the appropriate trademark or customs office as
reasonably necessary to protect Licensor’s rights in the
Licensed Trademarks, then Licensor at its expense shall prepare and
file the necessary documents subject to Licensee’s approval,
which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed or (ii) if
Licensee reasonably determines that such license should be recorded
with the appropriate trademark or customs office as reasonably
necessary to protect Licensee’s ability to enforce its rights
in the applicable Territory, Licensee at its expense shall prepare
and file the necessary documents subject to Licensor’s
approval, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.
Licensee agrees to sign any documents reasonably necessary for
Licensor to cause any recordals to be terminated as to any Licensed
Products upon the expiration or termination of the license
applicable to such product hereunder.
2.9 Enforcement and Defense of
Infringement Claims .
(a)
Notification : The parties shall reasonably cooperate in
providing notice to each other in writing (a “ Notice of
Alleged Infringement ”) if a Party becomes aware of any
use of a Licensed Trademark, or element thereof, or of any
Trademark on a Licensed Product, which may be confusingly similar
to any Licensed Trademark, or element thereof, by any Person in the
Territory.
(b)
Action by Licensor to Enforce : Licensor shall have the
primary right, but not the obligation, to determine whether to
institute and/or pursue any proceedings to enforce any rights in
the Licensed Trademarks, as well as the right to select counsel.
Licensee shall cooperate with Licensor in any such suit, including
granting Licensor the right to bring suit in Licensee’s name
with respect to such infringement (and execute any documents
necessary to effectuate the same) if necessary under the applicable
rules of civil procedure to effect standing, and Licensee shall be
reimbursed for reasonably incurred expenses. Licensor will be
solely responsible for the costs of such action and will retain all
recoveries and awards necessary to reimburse Licensor for any costs
and expenses and, for any recoveries and awards in excess, shall
share equally any recoveries and awards with Licensee to the extent
such recoveries and awards are related to Licensed Products.
Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, in no event
shall Licensee be required to satisfy or comply with any settlement
or other agreement concerning its use of the Licensed Trademarks to
which Licensee has not consented (such consent not to be
unreasonably withheld or delayed).
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(c)
Action by Licensee to Enforce : If applicable law in any
jurisdiction in the Territory requires that Licensee enforce rights
in the Licensed Trademarks against alleged infringers, or Licensor
declines in writing to enforce its rights in the Licensed
Trademarks with respect to the alleged confusingly similar use set
forth in the Notice of Alleged Infringement, Licensee shall have a
right, but not an obligation, to enforce such rights with respect
to Licensed Products subject to any direction that Licensor may
provide. Licensor shall cooperate with Licensee in any such suit,
including granting Licensee the right to bring suit in
Licensor’s name or granting a limited license to a TDK Mark
(solely as necessary for the specific enforcement purpose) (and
execute any documents necessary to effectuate the same) if
necessary under the applicable rules of civil procedure to effect
standing, and Licensor shall be reimbursed for reasonably incurred
expenses. Licensee will be solely responsible for the costs of such
action and will retain all recoveries and awards necessary to
reimburse Licensee for any costs and expenses and, for any
recoveries and awards in excess, shall share equally any recoveries
and awards with Licensor.
(d)
Defense of Third Party Claims : Licensor shall have the sole
right to defend the Licensed Trademarks against imitation,
infringement or any claim of prior use. Licensee shall cooperate
fully with Licensor, at Licensor’s reasonable request and
expense, in connection with the defense of any such claim in the
Territory.
(e)
Updates and Consultation : With respect to any enforcement
actions taken pursuant to this Section, the party handling such
enforcement action shall provide periodic updates to and request
consultation from the parties not handling the action and each
party not handling the action may hire its own counsel at its
expense.
2.10 Reservation of Rights .
Licensee acknowledges that, between the parties, Licensor is the
sole owner of all right, title and interest in and to the Licensed
Trademarks, and that Licensee has neither acquired, nor shall
acquire, any right, title or interest in or to the Licensed
Trademarks except the limited exclusive rights to use such Licensed
Trademarks expressly granted to Licensee under this Agreement.
Licensor shall retain all goodwill associated with the Licensed
Trademarks. Notwithstanding any other provision hereof, nothing in
this Agreement shall prohibit Licensor from marketing, distributing
or selling any products on an OEM basis, provided such products do
not bear any Licensed Trademark or any confusingly similar
variation thereof.
2.11 Removing Licensed Trademarks
from License . At any time during the term of this Agreement,
if Licensor reasonably determines that use of a Licensed Trademark
hereunder in the Territory could infringe any intellectual property
rights of any third party (not derived from Licensor), then
Licensor shall notify Licensee. If such potential infringement
could reasonably be expected to limit Licensor’s
ability to Display a Licensed Trademark on Licensor Products, then
Licensor shall use commercially reasonable efforts to resolve such
potential infringement claim with respect to both Licensor and
Licensee. If such potential infringement could not
reasonably be expected to limit Licensor’s ability to Display
a Licensed Trademark on Licensor Products (but could reasonably be
expected to limit Licensee’s ability to Display a Licensed
Trademark on Licensed Product(s)), then Licensor shall notify
Licensee of such potential infringement claim and Licensee shall
have the ability, but not the obligation, to seek to resolve such
claim at its own expense provided that Licensee shall provide
Licensor with
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periodic
updates and ability for consultation. If the potential infringement
claim is not resolved within a reasonable time period taking into
account any settlement efforts, then upon written notice to
Licensee, Licensor shall have the right to remove any particular
Licensed Trademark from the scope of the license granted under this
Agreement, upon written notice to Licensee. For the avoidance of
doubt, this Section shall not apply to infringements based on facts
that existed prior to the Effective Date.
2.12 Requests by Licensee
.
(a) If
Licensee wishes to create any variations of existing Licensed
Trademarks or new Trademarks that include any TDK Mark, then
Licensee must seek Licensor’s written approval, which may be
refused in Licensor’s sole discretion, and any such
Trademarks approved by Licensor shall be deemed added to the list
of Licensed Trademarks in Exhibit A and shall be
subject to all the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
(b) If
Licensee wishes to use the Licensed Trademarks in connection with a
co-branding program, Licensee shall first seek Licensor’s
written approval, which may be granted or refused in
Licensor’s sole discretion. Except for Existing Programs (as
defined in subsection (b)(i) below), Licensee shall present such
plan (in reasonable detail) in writing to the Licensor Relationship
Manager (as defined in Section 4.1 ).
(i) As
of the Effective Date, Licensor hereby approves the
Licensee’s continued participation in the co-branding of the
products listed on Exhibit I (“ Existing
Programs ”), solely in Japan, in the same manner that
Licensor had been co-branding such products immediately prior to
the Effective Date for up to two (2) years after the Effective
Date, provided that Licensee shall begin using the Licensed
Trademarks in place of any TDK Mark used in such co-branding
programs as soon as practicable but in any event within three
(3) months after the Effective Date; provided, further that
– notwithstanding the foregoing clause – Licensee shall
have the right to use co-branded product inventory and Promotional
Material in existence on the Effective Date, as part of Existing
Programs, for up to one (1) year after the Effective Date to
the extent, and on the terms, permitted by Section 2.2
.
(ii) If
Licensee wishes to request additional co-branding rights (including
the extension of any of the Existing Programs), Licensee shall
first seek Licensor’s written approval, which may be granted
or refused in Licensor’s sole discretion. Licensee’s
proposed plan (provided to the Licensor Relationship Manager) shall
specify (a) the proposed design image (specifying each brand
to be utilized, and the form of co-brand, including spacing and
other fixed attributes); (b) the applicable sales territory;
(c) the retailer with which the product will be co-branded;
and (d) each category of product or products. Licensee’s
proposal may include multiple representations of the co-branding
materials for approval. Licensee shall also provide any additional
information reasonably requested by Licensor. Licensor shall seek
in good faith, but without obligation, to approve or disapprove
Licensee’s request within three weeks of its receipt of the
completed plan. Unless Licensor otherwise states in writing, the
term of any new co-branding program (or any extension of an
Existing Program) shall be for a two (2) year period, starting
from the date of approval.
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(iii) If
Licensee wishes to make any change to an approved co-branding
program (including any Existing Program), Licensee shall obtain
Licensor’s prior written approval to such change, which may
be granted or refused in Licensor’s sole discretion. Licensee
shall provide the same or similar types of information in writing
to the Licensor Relationship Manager as set forth in subsections
(ii)(a) to (d). Licensor shall seek in good faith, but without
obligation, to approve or disapprove Licensee’s request
within three weeks of its receipt of the completed plan.
(iv) Licensor
shall have the right to terminate any co-branding program
(including any Existing Program) in the event Licensee materially
fails to conform to any co-branding program requirement or engages
in co-branding that is inconsistent, in a material way, with the
materials provided for review in connection with the approval
process (or in the case of any Existing Program, the co-branded
products in that program as of the Effective Date) if Licensee
fails to correct any nonconformance within thirty (30) days
after receiving written notice from Licensor.
2.13 Additional Commitments of
Licensee . Licensee agrees to cause each Licensed Entity,
whether directly or indirectly sublicensed under
Section 2.5 , to comply with all of its respective
obligations under this Agreement, and any other agreement executed
in connection herewith (including the applicable Sublicense
Agreement or Further Sublicense Agreement), and agrees that it
shall be directly liable for any act of any Licensed Entity in
breach of any such obligation, including, for the avoidance of
doubt any act by a Licensed Entity that, in either case, would be a
breach of this Agreement if committed by Licensee. Licensor may
pursue claims for any such breach against Licensee, in accordance
with the terms hereof, regardless of whether such breach was
committed by Licensee, or another party, and regardless of whether
Licensor chooses to include any other party in the dispute
resolution process applicable to the claim. In the event of any
claim by Licensor, Licensee expressly waives any defense based on
the absence of or failure to join any other party in the dispute
resolution process or any other aspect of the claim.
2.14 Status as wholly-owned
subsidiary of Imation . Licensee represents and warrants that
it is a direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Imation, and
agrees that, at all times during the term of this Agreement,
Licensee shall continue to be a direct or indirect wholly-owned
subsidiary of Imation. If Licensee ceases to be a direct or
indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Imation, this Agreement shall
immediately and automatically terminate without the further act of
any party.
ARTICLE III
QUALITY CONTROL
As an express condition to, and in
material consideration for, the licenses granted to Licensee
hereunder, Licensee expressly agrees to the following restrictions
as to its use of the Licensed Trademarks:
3.1 Trademark Guidelines .
Licensee shall not use, reproduce or display any Licensed Trademark
in any manner whatsoever other than as expressly authorized in the
quality
11
control
guidelines for the Licensed Trademarks (“ Quality
Guidelines ”), including guidelines regarding how each
Licensed Trademark is used, presented and displayed (“
Display ”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary,
the requirements of this Section 3.1 shall not apply to
existing inventory of Licensed Products or to existing stocks of
packaging, Promotional Material, and other documents and materials
that bear a TDK Mark, in each case that Licensee is permitted to
use pursuant to Section 2.2 (which shall be used in the
form transferred as of the Effective Date, without alteration). The
Quality Guidelines shall consist of two elements: guidelines
related to Display (such guidelines shall be contained in a “
Logo Manual ”) and guidelines regarding the nature and
quality of products and services associated with the Licensed
Trademark (such guidelines shall be contained in a “
Quality Manual ”). The initial Quality Guidelines are
attached as Exhibit F . Licensee shall promptly cure
any breach of the Quality Guidelines upon notice from Licensor,
provided that Licensee shall have a reasonable time to comply with
Updates (as defined below), including a reasonable amount of time
to exhaust existing inventories of Promotional Material, packaging,
and Licensed Product, except that Licensee shall not have rights to
exhaust existing inventories if such inventories are in material
noncompliance with the previous Quality Guidelines or if the
existing Licensed Products (or use or distribution thereof) would
violate any applicable law. Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary in this Section 3.1 , if Licensee purchases
products covered by the Supply Agreement from third parties as
permitted under the terms of the Supply Agreement, Licensee shall
not be in breach of provisions of the Quality Manual to the extent
that such Quality Manual refers to standards or specifications that
are not performance or quality-related specifications (e.g., the
use of Licensor dye #25 in describing a color or other requirements
for the product not tied to the performance of the product),
provided that Licensee shall comply with the Logo Manual. Licensor
may reasonably update such Quality Guidelines (“
Updates ”) from time to time to reflect, among other
things, changes in the use, presentation and display of the
Licensed Trademarks, and the highest applicable industry standards,
subject to the following:
(a)
Updates Relating to Guidelines Other Than Display: With
respect to Updates relating to the nature and quality of products
or services (e.g., performance requirements, defect rates, etc.)
(and not, for purposes of clarification, Display), Licensor shall
provide Licensee with a reasonable opportunity to review and
comment on such Updates. If the parties are unable to agree on such
updates, Licensor shall be permitted to finalize the Updates
subject to the following:
(i) with
respect to Updates specifically applicable to Licensed Products,
such Updates shall be consistent with the applicable, approved
plans and quality requirements for such product; and
(ii) with
respect to other Updates, such Updates shall be consistent with
principles reflected in the most recent, applicable set of Quality
Guidelines, best practices in the industry, standards that Licensor
applies to itself, its affiliates, and other licensees similarly
situated with Licensee, to the extent any such entities are selling
similar products under the Licensed Trademarks, and other
principles on which the parties may agree from time to time;
and
(b)
Updates Related to Display Guidelines : With respect to
Updates relating to Display, any such Updates shall be consistent
with the guidelines for the relevant use,
12
presentation and display that Licensor applies to itself, its
affiliates, and other licensees similarly situated with Licensee,
under like circumstances, provided that Licensee shall not be
required to implement any Updates to the requirements relating to
the shape, color or dimension of a TDK Mark for the Licensed
Products and their packaging and Promotional Material if Licensee
believes in good faith that such changes will be detrimental to its
Licensed Product sales.
3.2 Conduct of Business .
Each of the parties shall use the Licensed Trademarks in a manner
that does not derogate Licensor’s rights in the Licensed
Trademarks or the value of the Licensed Trademarks, and shall take
no action that would interfere with, diminish or tarnish those
rights or value.
3.3 Cooperation . Licensee
shall cooperate fully with Licensor in enabling Licensor to
ascertain that the Licensed Products other than those existing
inventories of Licensed Products that Licensee is permitted to use
pursuant to Section 2.2 meet Licensor’s quality
standards. Such cooperation shall include, upon request, providing
Licensor promptly with data regarding communications from third
parties regarding the quality of specific Licensed Products,
providing Licensor with names and addresses of vendors and
suppliers producing Licensed Products or components thereof to be
sold under a Licensed Trademark, and providing Licensor with access
to product packaging and distribution facilities for such products
for reasonable inspection by Licensor.
3.4 Cessation of Licensed Product
Sales; Recall . Licensor shall have the right to request that
Licensee immediately cease selling a Licensed Product, or revise or
cease use of any or all Promotional Material, and Licensee shall
promptly comply, upon written notice to Licensee if the condition
of such Licensed Product or Promotional Material could reasonably
be expected to materially and adversely affect Licensor’s
business or reputation. For the avoidance of doubt, if there is a
reasonable basis for believing that a product poses a danger to
person or property, such product shall be considered a product that
could be reasonably expected to materially and adversely affect
Licensor’s business or reputation. Further, Licensor shall
have the right to request a product recall if there is a reasonable
basis for believing that the product or category of products poses
a danger to person or property, and Licensee shall promptly comply
upon written notice of such request. If Licensee wishes to resume
sale of a product, Licensor shall have the right to approve such
resumption.
3.5 Samples . Licensee shall
submit to Licensor upon reasonable request, specimens of uses of
the Licensed Trademarks, including: (a) representative
products that will bear any Licensed Trademark or be marketed,
promoted, advertised, distributed or sold using any Licensed
Trademark; and (b) samples of all Promotional Material. If,
after review of such materials or samples, Licensor is concerned
about compliance with any aspect of this Agreement, Licensee shall
provide such additional materials and samples as Licensor may
reasonably request. If Licensor discovers any improper use of the
Licensed Trademarks in any such submission, Licensee shall remedy
the improper use immediately upon written notice. Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary, the requirements of this
Section 3.5 shall not apply to existing inventory of
Licensed Product or to existing stocks of packaging, Promotional
Material, and other documents and materials that bear a TDK Mark,
in each case that Licensee is permitted to use pursuant to
Section 2.2 .
13
3.6 Inspections . In addition
to Section 3.3 , Licensee shall cooperate with Licensor
to ensure that quality standards applicable to Licensed Products
other than those existing inventories of Licensed Products acquired
pursuant to Section 2.2 are met by permitting Licensor
to inspect only those manufacturing and other facilities directly
related to the manufacture of Licensed Products, upon reasonable
notice and no more than once a year, and only in a manner that will
not unreasonably interfere with Licensee’s business
activities, provided that Licensee shall arrange for and accompany
Licensor on any inspections to third-party facilities.
3.7 Standards Compliance . If
Licensee publicly states that any Licensed Product is compliant
with any applicable industry standard, Licensee shall ensure that
such Licensed Product is fully compliant with all mandatory
requirements of such standard, except for compliance with such
applicable industry standards for which Licensor is responsible
under the Supply Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, any use of
a logo or trademark associated with an industry standard (e.g., the
logo “DVD” or “Blu-ray”) shall be deemed a
public statement that the Licensed Product is compliant with the
applicable industry standard.
ARTICLE IV
GOVERNANCE
4.1 Relationship Managers.
The Relationship Managers appointed by Licensor and Imation under
the Imation Agreement shall perform the same roles under this
Agreement as performed under the Imation Agreement, provided that
Licensor acknowledges that the Imation Relationship Manager shall
seek information and consultation from Licensee prior to taking
action or making recommendation under this Section 4.1
.
4.2 Strategic Relationship
Committee . The Strategic Relationship Committee shall perform
the same roles under this Agreement that it performs under the
Imation Agreement, including resolving disputes on an informal
basis as set forth in Section 4.3 .
4.3 Dispute Resolution. If a
significant dispute under this Agreement, including as to a
Material Breach, arises that the Relationship Managers cannot
resolve (a “ Dispute ”), and provided that each
of Licensee and Licensor have the unrestricted right and ability to
participate in the process described in this
Section 4.3 (and to effect a cure or take other action
to which the parties might agree) without approval of any third
party, including but not limited to a trustee in bankruptcy or a
receiver, then the Dispute shall be resolved as follows, in order,
before instituting legal proceedings.
(a)
Strategic Relationship Committee : Either Licensee or
Licensor shall first refer the Dispute to the Strategic
Relationship Committee for resolution. A Dispute shall be deemed
referred upon either such party providing the other party with
written notice that it wishes to refer the Dispute to the Strategic
Relationship Committee in accordance with Section 9.9
.
(b)
Chief Executive Officers : If the Strategic Relationship
Committee is unable to resolve the Dispute thirty (30) days
after the Dispute is referred to the Strategic Relationship
Committee, either Licensee or Licensor may refer the Dispute to the
Chief
14
Executive Officers of Imation and Licensor for resolution. A
Dispute shall be deemed referred upon either such party providing
the other party with written notice that it wishes to refer the
Dispute to the Chief Executive Officers in accordance with
Section 9.9 within fifteen (15) days after the
expiration of such thirty (30)-day period. If no such notice is
provided, the dispute resolution process hereunder as to the
Dispute in question will be deemed complete.
(c)
Nonbinding Mediation : If Licensee or Licensor elects to
refer a Dispute to the Chief Executive Officers pursuant to
Section 4.3 , and the Chief Executive Officers are
unable to resolve the Dispute within thirty (30) days after
such election, either Licensee or Licensor may elect to refer the
Dispute to nonbinding mediation conducted in the English language
in New York, New York, using a neutral mediator having experience
with the data storage industry and trademark licenses, in
accordance with the rules of the Center for Public Resources (with
costs shared equally). A Dispute shall be deemed to be so referred
upon either such party providing the other party with written
notice that it wishes to refer the Dispute to mediation in
accordance with Section 9.9 . If no such notice is
provided, the dispute resolution process hereunder as to the
Dispute in question will be deemed complete. If such notice is
provided, both parties shall request that the mediation be
completed as promptly as practical and shall cooperate in moving
the mediation process promptly forward, but the mediation shall, in
any event, be deemed completed sixty (60) days after the
request to refer the Dispute to mediation.
(d)
Efforts to Cure : Each of Licensor and Licensee agrees to
make (and in the case of Licensee, to cause any Licensed Entity to
make) commercially reasonable efforts, during the pendency of the
foregoing dispute resolution procedure, to cure the breach or
otherwise address the business concerns identified by the other
party, to the extent possible on commercially reasonable
terms.
(e)
Timing Issues : Either of Licensee and Licensor may commence
the foregoing process as to a dispute at any time, and need not
wait for the passage of any notice or cure period specified in
Section 4.3 or for the occurrence of all facts
otherwise required to give rise to any contractual right as to the
matter in Dispute, including a right to terminate. In no event
shall a party be required to engage in the dispute resolution
process set forth in this Section 4.3 , or be precluded from
exercising its rights by reason thereof, for more than one hundred
twenty (120) days (in total) from the party’s first
submission of a Dispute to the Strategic Relationship Committee
under Section 4.3 , without its written consent to an
extension. No dispute or disagreement relating to the same
essential facts and circumstances may be referred to the dispute
resolution process under this Section 4.3 more than
once.
(f)
Judicial Remedies : Nothing in this Section 4.3
shall preclude either of Licensee or Licensor from seeking interim
judicial relief to prevent immediate, irreparable harm to its
interests. In the event that the procedures set forth in this
Section 4.3 shall have been completed without agreement
being reached between the parties, either Licensee or Licensor
shall be free to pursue any available judicial remedies pursuant to
Section 9.7 .
15
ARTICLE V
EFFECTIVENESS; TERM, SUSPENSION AND TERMINATION
5.1 Effectiveness; Term .
This Agreement shall become effective immediately upon the closing
of the transactions contemplated in the Acquisition Agreement,
which shall be the date set forth above (the “ Effective
Date ”), and shall continue in full force and effect
unless and until terminated as provided in this
Article V , although, for the avoidance of doubt, the
term of the licenses granted hereunder for specific Licensed
Products shall be as set forth in Section 2.1 .
5.2 Suspension .
(a)
When Suspension Applies : Licensor shall have the right to
suspend the license with respect to (i) a particular type of
Licensed Product (e.g., DVD, CD, Blue-ray media) throughout the
Territory in the event of any Significant Breach by Licensee that
affects the particular type of Licensed Product in more than one
country or (ii) a Licensed Product in a discrete geographic
territory (but in no event in a territory smaller than a country)
in the event of a Significant Breach by Licensee of this Agreement
that affects such Licensed Product only in such territory if
Licensee fails to cure such Significant Breach within sixty
(60) days after written notice by Licensor to Licensee. During
the term of any suspension, Licensee shall not be authorized to and
agrees that it shall not (and shall cause any Licensed Entity not
to) use, reproduce and display the Licensed Trademarks for the
marketing, promotion, advertisement, distribution, lease or sale of
the affected Licensed Products in the particular territory
identified in Section 5.2(a) .
(b)
Initial Suspension Period : The initial suspension period
shall begin at the end of the sixty (60)-day period and last for
the shorter of (i) the date on which both parties agree in
writing that the Significant Breach identified in
Section 5.2(a) has been cured or (ii) one hundred
twenty (120) days. If such initial suspension period ends
because the parties agree that such Significant Breach has
been cured, then the license for the particular Licensed Product in
the particular territory identified in Section 5.2(a)
shall be reinstated immediately without the need for separate
notice. If such initial suspension period expires and the parties
agree in writing that the Significant Breach identified in
Section 5.2(a) has n






