No Restrictions on Dividends No subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s shares of capital stock or other ownership interests, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s property or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company, except as described in the General Disclosure Package.
Negative Pledge Agreements; Dividend Restrictions The Borrower will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any contract, agreement or understanding which prohibits or restricts the granting, conveying, creation or imposition of any Lien on any of its Property in favor of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders or restricts any Restricted Subsidiary from paying dividends or making distributions to the Borrower or any other Restricted Subsidiary, or which requires the consent of other Persons in connection therewith; provided, however, that the preceding restrictions will not apply to encumbrances or restrictions arising under or by reason of (a) this Agreement or the Security Instruments, (b) any leases or licenses or similar contracts as they affect any Property or Lien, (c) any restriction with respect to a Restricted Subsidiary imposed pursuant to an agreement entered into for the direct or indirect sale or disposition of all or substantially all the Equity Interests or Property of such Restricted Subsidiary pending the closing of such sale or disposition, (d) customary provisions with respect to the distribution of Property in joint venture agreements, (e) any agreements with respect to any Restricted Subsidiary acquired in a transaction permitted by Section 9.05 (in which case, any prohibition or limitation shall only be effective against the Property of such Restricted Subsidiary) and (f) any agreements governing Debt permitted by Section 9.02 incurred by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary.
Limitation on Dividends and Other Payment Restrictions Affecting Restricted Subsidiaries (a) Except as provided in clause (b) below, the Issuer shall not, and shall not cause or permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create or otherwise cause or permit to exist or become effective any consensual encumbrance or restriction on the ability of any Restricted Subsidiary to:
(i) pay dividends or make any other distributions on or in respect of its Capital Stock to the Issuer or any other Restricted Subsidiary or pay any Indebtedness owed to the Issuer or any other Restricted Subsidiary;
(ii) make loans or advances to, or make any Investment in, the Issuer or any other Restricted Subsidiary; or
(iii) transfer any of its property or assets to the Issuer or any other Restricted Subsidiary.
(b) Section 3.15(a) shall not apply to encumbrances or restrictions existing under or by reason of:
(i) applicable law, rule, regulation or order;
(ii) this Indenture;
(iii) any encumbrance or restriction pursuant to an agreement in effect at or entered into on the Issue Date, and any amendments, restatements, renewals, replacements or refinancings thereof; provided, that any amendment, restatement, renewal, replacement or refinancing is not materially more restrictive with respect to such encumbrances or restrictions than those in existence on the Issue Date as determined in good faith by the Issuer’s senior management;
(iv) customary non-assignment provisions of any contract and customary provisions restricting assignment or subletting in any lease governing a leasehold interest of any Restricted Subsidiary, or any customary restriction on the ability of a Restricted Subsidiary to dividend, distribute or otherwise transfer any asset which secures Indebtedness secured by a Lien, in each case permitted to be Incurred under this Indenture;
(v) any instrument governing Acquired Indebtedness not Incurred in connection with, or in anticipation or contemplation of, the relevant acquisition, merger or consolidation, which encumbrance or restriction is not applicable to any Person, or the properties or assets of any Person, other than the Person or the properties or assets of the Person so acquired;
(vi) restrictions with respect to a Restricted Subsidiary of the Issuer imposed pursuant to a binding agreement which has been entered into for the sale or disposition of Capital Stock or assets of such Restricted Subsidiary; provided, that such restrictions apply solely to the Capital Stock or assets of such Restricted Subsidiary being sold (and in the case of Capital Stock, its Subsidiaries);
(vii) customary restrictions imposed on the transfer of copyrighted or patented materials;
(viii) an agreement governing Indebtedness Incurred to Refinance the Indebtedness issued, assumed or Incurred pursuant to an agreement referred to in clause (iii) or (v) of this Section 3.15(b); provided, that such Refinancing agreement is not materially more restrictive with respect to such encumbrances or restrictions than those contained in the agreement referred to in such clause (iii) or (v) as determined in good faith by the Issuer’s senior management;
(ix) Liens permitted to be Incurred pursuant to the provisions of the covenant described under Section 3.17 that limit the right of any person to transfer the assets subject to such Liens;
(x) Purchase Money Indebtedness for property acquired in the ordinary course of business and Capitalized Lease Obligations that impose restrictions of the nature discussed in clause (iii) of Section 3.15(a) above on the property so acquired;
(xi) restrictions on cash or other deposits imposed by customers under contracts or other arrangements entered into or agreed to in the ordinary course of business not materially more restrictive than those existing on the Issue Date as determined in good faith by the Issuer’s senior management;
(xii) customary provisions in joint venture agreements relating to dividends or other distributions in respect of such joint venture or the securities, assets or revenues of such joint venture;
(xiii) restrictions in Indebtedness Incurred by a Restricted Subsidiary in compliance with the covenant described under Section 3.9; provided, that (A) such restrictions are not materially more restrictive with respect to such encumbrances and restrictions than those such Restricted Subsidiary was subject to in agreements related to obligations referenced in clause (iii) above as determined in good faith by the Issuer’s senior management or (B) such Incurrence will not materially impair the Issuer’s ability to make payments under the Notes when due as determined in good faith by the Issuer’s senior management; and
(xiv) net worth provisions in leases entered into by the Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business not materially more restrictive than those existing on the Issue Date as determined in good faith by the Issuer’s senior management.
Dividend and Other Payment Restrictions Affecting Restricted Subsidiaries OI Group shall not, and shall not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create or permit to exist or become effective any consensual encumbrance or restriction on the ability of any such Restricted Subsidiary to:
(1) pay dividends or make any other distributions on its Capital Stock to OI Group or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, or with respect to any other interest or participation in, or measured by, its profits, or pay any indebtedness owed to OI Group or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;
(2) make loans or advances to OI Group or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; or
(3) transfer any of its properties or assets to OI Group or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries. However, the preceding restrictions shall not apply to encumbrances or restrictions existing under or by reason of:
(1) agreements governing Existing Indebtedness, Credit Facilities, charter documents and shareholder agreements as in effect on the Issue Date, and any amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings thereof, provided that such amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings are no more restrictive, taken as a whole, with respect to such dividend and other payment restrictions than those contained in such Existing Indebtedness, Credit Facilities, charter documents and shareholders agreements as in effect on the Issue Date;
(2) this Indenture, the Notes, the Collateral Documents, the Offshore Collateral Documents and the Guarantees of the Notes;
(3) applicable law;
(4) any instrument governing Indebtedness or Capital Stock of a Person acquired by OI Group or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries as in effect at the time of such acquisition (except to the extent such Indebtedness was incurred in connection with or in contemplation of such acquisition), which encumbrance or restriction is not applicable to any Person, or the properties or assets of any Person, other than the Person, or the property or assets of the Person, so acquired, provided that, in the case of Indebtedness, such Indebtedness was permitted by the terms of this Indenture to be incurred;
(5) customary non-assignment provisions in leases entered into in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practices;
(6) purchase money obligations, including Capital Lease Obligations and obligations under mortgages, for property acquired in the ordinary course of business that impose restrictions on the property so acquired of the nature described in clause (3) of the first paragraph of this Section 4.15;
(7) any agreement for the sale or other disposition of a Restricted Subsidiary of OI Group that restricts any of the foregoing by that Restricted Subsidiary pending its sale or other disposition;
(8) Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness, provided that the restrictions contained in the agreements governing such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness are no more restrictive, taken as a whole, than those contained in the agreements governing the Indebtedness being refinanced; and
(9) Permitted Liens or Investment Grade Permitted Liens securing Indebtedness that limit the right of the debtor to dispose of the assets subject to such Lien. Nothing contained in this Section 4.15 shall prevent OI Group or a Restricted Subsidiary of OI Group from entering into any agreement (x) permitting or providing for the incurrence of Liens otherwise permitted by Section 4.14 or (y) restricting the sale or other disposition of property securing Indebtedness.
Limitation on Dividend and Other Payment Restrictions Affecting Restricted Subsidiaries (a) The Issuers shall not, and shall not permit any Restricted Subsidiaries to, create or otherwise cause or suffer to exist or become effective any consensual encumbrance or restriction of any kind on the ability of any such Restricted Subsidiary to:
(1) pay dividends or make any other distributions permitted by applicable law on any Capital Stock of such Restricted Subsidiary owned by an Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;
(2) pay any Indebtedness owed to an Issuer or any other Restricted Subsidiary;
(3) make loans or advances to an Issuer or any other Restricted Subsidiary; or
(4) transfer its property or assets to an Issuer or any other Restricted Subsidiary.
(b) Section 5.13(a) shall not restrict any encumbrances or restrictions:
(1) existing under, by reason of or with respect to this Indenture, the U.S. Credit Agreement, the Australian Credit Agreement, the U.K. Credit Agreement and any other agreement in effect on the Issue Date as in effect on the Issue Date, and any amendments, modifications, restatements, extensions, increases, supplements, refundings, refinancing, renewals or replacements of such agreements; provided, however, that the encumbrances and restrictions in any such amendments, modifications, restatements, extensions, increases, supplements, refundings, refinancing, renewals or replacements are not materially more restrictive, taken as a whole, than those in effect on the Issue Date;
(2) existing under, by reason of or with respect to any other Indebtedness of the Issuers or their Restricted Subsidiaries permitted under this Indenture; provided, however, that the Issuers have determined in good faith that the encumbrances and restrictions contained in the agreement or agreements governing the other Indebtedness are not materially more restrictive, taken as a whole, than those contained in customary comparable financings and will not impair in any material respect the Issuers’ and the Guarantors’ ability to make payments on the Notes and Guarantees thereof when due;
(3) existing with respect to any Person or the property or assets of such Person acquired by an Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary, existing at the time of such acquisition and not Incurred in contemplation thereof, which encumbrances or restrictions are not applicable to any Person or the property or assets of any Person other than such Person or the property or assets of such Person so acquired and any amendments, modifications, restatements, extensions, increases, supplements, refundings, refinancing, renewals or replacements thereof; provided, however, that the encumbrances and restrictions in any such amendments, modifications, restatements, extensions, increases, supplements, refundings, refinancing, renewals or replacements are entered into in the ordinary course of business or are not materially more restrictive, taken as a whole, than those contained in the instruments or agreements with respect to such Person or its property or assets as in effect on the date of such acquisition;
(4) existing under, by reason of or with respect to provisions in joint venture, operating or similar agreements;
(5) in the case of Section 5.13(a)(4):
(i) that restrict in a customary manner the subletting, assignment or transfer of any property or asset that is a lease, license, conveyance or contract or similar property or asset,
(ii) existing by virtue of any transfer of, agreement to transfer, option or right with respect to, or Lien on, any property or assets of an Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary not otherwise prohibited by this Indenture,
(iii) existing under, by reason of or with respect to (1) purchase money obligations for property acquired in the ordinary course of business or (2) capital leases or operating leases that impose encumbrances or restrictions on the property so acquired or covered thereby, or
(iv) arising or agreed to in the ordinary course of business, not relating to any Indebtedness, and that do not, individually or in the aggregate, detract from the value of property or assets of an Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary in any manner material to an Issuer and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole;
(6) any encumbrance or restriction with respect to a Restricted Subsidiary that is a Guarantor which was previously an Unrestricted Subsidiary pursuant to or by reason of an agreement that such Subsidiary is a party to or entered into before the date on which such Subsidiary became a Restricted Subsidiary; provided that such agreement was not entered into in anticipation of an Unrestricted Subsidiary becoming a Restricted Subsidiary and any such encumbrance or restriction does not extend to any assets or property of the Issuers or any other Restricted Subsidiary other than the assets and property of such Subsidiary;
(7) with respect to a Restricted Subsidiary and imposed pursuant to an agreement that has been entered into for the sale or disposition of the Capital Stock of, or property and assets of, such Restricted Subsidiary that restricts distributions by that Restricted Subsidiary pending the closing of such sale or other disposition; or
(8) encumbrances or restrictions existing under or by reason of applicable law, regulation, order, approval, license, permit or similar restriction or agreement with governmental authorities with respect to assets located in their jurisdiction.
(c) Nothing contained in this Section 5.13 shall prevent an Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary from restricting the sale or other disposition of property or assets of an Issuer or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries that secure Indebtedness of the Issuers or any of their Restricted Subsidiaries. For purposes of determining compliance with this Section 5.13, (1) the priority of any Preferred Stock in receiving dividends or liquidating distributions prior to distributions being paid on common stock shall not be deemed a restriction on the ability to make distributions on Capital Stock and (2) the subordination of loans or advances made to a Restricted Subsidiary to other Indebtedness incurred by such Restricted Subsidiary shall not be deemed a restriction on the ability to make loans or advances.