IDEAL POWER CONVERTERS, INC. INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.29
IDEAL POWER CONVERTERS, INC.
This INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT (the "Agreement") is made and entered into as of [ _, ], by and between Ideal Power Converters, Inc., a Texas corporation (the "Company"), and [ ] ("lndemnitee").
INTRODUCTION:
A. Indemnitee, as a member of the Company's Board of Directors and/or an officer of the Company, performs valuable services for the Company.
B. The Company and Indemnitee recognize the continued difficulty in obtaining liability insurance for corporate directors, officers, employees, controlling persons, agents and fiduciaries, the significant increases in the cost of such insurance and the general reductions in the coverage of such insurance.
C. The Company and Indemnitee further recognize the substantial increase in corporate litigation in general, subjecting directors, officers, employees, controlling persons , agents and fiduciaries to expensive litigation risks at the same time as the availability and coverage of liability insurance has been severely limited.
D. The Company's Bylaws , as may be amended from time to time (the "Bylaws"), and Certificate of Formation, as may be amended from time to time (the "Certificate"), provide for the indemnification of the officers, directors , agents and employees of the Company to the maximum extent authorized by Sections 8.101 and 8.102 of the Texas Business Organizations Code, as amended, or any successor statute (the "TBOC").
E. Indemnitee does not regard the current protection available for the Company's directors, officers, employees, controlling persons, agents and fiduciaries as adequate under the present circumstance s, and Indemnitee and other directors, officers, employees, controlling persons, agents and fiduciaries of the Company may not be willing to serve or continue to serve in such capacities without additional protection.
F. The Bylaws, Certificate and the TBOC, by their non-exclusive nature, permit contracts between the Company and its directors, officers, employees , controlling persons, agents or fiduciaries with respect to indemnification of such directors.
G. The Company (i) desires to attract and retain the involvement of highly qualified individuals , such as Indernnitee, to serve the Company and, in part, in order to induce lndemnitee to be involved with the Company, and (ii) wishes to provide for the indemnification and advancing of expenses to Indemnitee to the maximum extent permitt ed by law.
H. [Indemnitee has certain rights to indemnification and/or insurance provided by [NAME OF VENTURE FUND] or certain of its affiliates, which Indemnitee and [NAME OF VENTURE FUND] intend to be secondary to the primary obligation of the Company to indemnify Indemnitee as provided herein, with the Company's acknowledgment and agreement to the foregoing being a material condition to Indemnitee's willingness to serve on the Board of Directors of the Company.] 1
I. In view of the considerations set forth above, the Company desires that Indemnitee be indemnified by the Company as set forth herein.
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1.
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Include this provision only if Indemnification Agreement is for an investor director in order to satisfy indemnification obligations similar to Levy indemnification obligations under Delaware law.
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AGREEMENT:
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of Indemnitee's service to the Company, the parties hereto agree as follows:
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1.
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Indemnification of Indemnitee. The Company hereby agrees to indemnify Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, even if such indemnification is not specifically authorized by the other provisions of this Agreement, the Certificate, the Bylaws or by statute. In the event of any change after the date of this Agreement in any applicable law, statute or rule which expands the right of a Texas corporation to indemnify a member of its Board of Directors or an officer, employee, controlling person, agent or fiduciary, it is the intent of the parties hereto that Indemnitee shall enjoy by this Agreement the greater benefits afforded by such change. In the event of any change in any applicable law, statute or rule which narrows the right of a Texas corporation to indemnify a member of its Board of Directors or an officer, employee, agent or fiduciary, such change, to the extent not otherwise required by such law, statute or rule to be applied to this Agreement, shall have no effect on this Agreement or the parties' rights and obligations hereunder except as set forth in Section 9(a) hereof.
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2.
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Indemnification Rights.
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(a)
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Indemnification of Expenses. The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law if Indemnitee was or is or becomes a party to or witness or other participant in, or is threatened to be made a party to or witness or other participant in, any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, proceeding or alternative dispute resolution mechanism, or any hearing, inquiry or investigation that Indemnitee in good faith reasonably believes might lead to the institution of any such action, suit, proceeding or alternative dispute resolution mechanism, whether civil, criminal, administrative, investigative or other (hereinafter a "Claim") against (i) any and all expenses (including attorneys' fees) and all other costs, expenses and obligations incurred in connection with investigating, defending, being a witness in or participating in (including on appeal), or preparing to defend, be a witness in or participate in, any such Claim, (ii) judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement (if such settlement is approved in advance by the Company, which approval shall not be umeasonably withheld) of any Claim, and (iii) any federal, state, local or foreign taxes imposed on Indemnitee as a result of the actual or deemed receipt of any payments under this Agreement (collectively, hereinafter "Expenses"), including all interest , assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such Expenses, incurred by Indemnitee by reason of (or arising in part out of) any event or occurrence related to the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company, or is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partner ship, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, or by reason of any action or inaction on the part of Indemnitee while serving in such capacity including, without limitation, any and all losses, claims, damages, expenses and liabilities, joint or several (including any investigation, legal and other expenses incurred in connection with, and any amount paid in settlement of, any action, suit, proceeding or any claim asserted) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act "), the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act ") or other federal or state statutory law or regulation , at common law or otherwise, which relate directly or indirectly to the registration, purchase, sale or ownership of any securities of the Company or to any fiduciary obligation owed with respect thereto (hereinafter an "Indemnification Event").Such payment of Expenses shall be made by the Company as soon as practicable but in any event no later than forty (40) days after proper written demand by Indemnitee therefor is presented to the Company.
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(b)
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Reviewing Party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) the obligations of the Company under Section 2(a) shall be subject to the condition that the Reviewing Party (as described in Section lO(e) hereof) shall not have determined (in a written opinion, in any case in which the Independent Legal Counsel as defined in Section lO(d) hereof is involved) that lndemnitee would not be permitted to be indemnified under applicable law, and (ii) and Indemnitee acknowledges and agrees that the obligation of the Company to make an advance payment of Expenses to lndemnitee pursuant to Section 3(a) (an "Expense Advance ") shall be subject to the condition that, if, when and to the extent that the Reviewing Party determines that Indemnitee would not be permitted to be indemnified under applicable law, the Company shall be entitled to be reimbursed by Indemnitee (who hereby agrees to reimburse the Company) for the amount of such Expense Advance theretofore paid; provided, however, that if Indemnitee has commenced or thereafter commences legal proceedings in a court of competent jurisdiction to secure a determination that Indemnitee should be permitted to be indemnified under applicabl e law, any determination made by the Reviewing Party that Indemnitee would not be permitted to be indemnified under applicable law shall not be binding and Indemnitee shall not be required to reimburse the Company for any Expense Advance until a final judicial determination is made with respect thereto (as to which all rights of appeal therefrom have been exhausted or lapsed) and until such time, Indemnitee shall be entitled to receive interim payments of expenses pursuant to Section 2(a). Indemnitee's obligation to reimburse the Company for any Expense Advance shall be unsecured and no interest shall be charged thereon. If there has not been a Change in Control (as defined in Section lO(c) hereof), the Reviewing Party shall be selected by the Board of Directors, and if there has been such a Change in Control (other than a Change in Control which has been approved by a majority of the Company's Board of Directors who were directors immediately prior to such Change in Control), the Reviewing Party shall be the Independent Legal Counsel referred to in Section 2(d) hereof. If there has been no determination by the Reviewing Party or if the Reviewing Party determines that Indernnitee substantively would not be permitted to be indemnified in whole or in part under applicable law, Indemnitee shall have the right to commence litigation seeking an initial determination by the court or challenging any such determination by the Reviewing Party or any aspect thereof, including the legal or factual bases therefor, and the Company hereby consents to service of process and to appear in any such proceeding. Any determination by the Reviewing Party otherwise shall be conclusive and binding on the Company and Indernnitee.
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(c)
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Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 2(a) above is for any reason held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unavailable to an Indemnitee in respect of any losses, claims, damages, expenses or liabilities referred to therein (after a final judicial determination is made with respect thereto, and as to which all rights of appeal therefrom have been exhausted or lapsed), then the Company, in lieu of indemnifying Indemnitee thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by Indernnitee as a result of such losses, claims, damages, expenses or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and Indemnitee, or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company and lndemnitee in connection with the action or inaction which resulted in such losses, claims, damages, expenses or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.The relative fault of the Company and Indemnitee shall be determined by reference to, among other things, the degree to which their actions were motivated by intent to gain personal profit or advantage, the degree to which their liability is primary or secondary and the degree to which their conduct is active or passive. The Company and Indemnitee agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 2(c) were determined by pro rata or per capita allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this paragraph. Whether or not the indemnification provided in Section 2(a) hereof is available, in respect of any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding in which the Company is jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such action, suit or proceeding), the Company shall pay, in the first instance, the entire amount of any jud gment or settlement of such action, suit or proceeding without requiring Indemnitee to contribute to such payment and the Company hereby waives and relinquishes any right of contribution it may have against Indemnitee. The Company shall not enter into any settlement of any action, suit or proceeding in which the Company is jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such action, suit or proceeding) unless such settlement provides for a full and final release of all claims asserted against Indemnitee.
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(d)
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Change in Control. After the date hereof, the Company agrees that if there is a Change in Control of the Company (other than a Change in Control which has been approved by a majority of the Company's Board of Directors who were directors immediately prior to such Change in Control) then, with respect to all matters thereafter arising concerning the rights of Indemnitee to payments of Expenses under this Agreement or any other agreement or under the Certificate or Bylaws as now or hereafter in effect, Independent Legal Counsel (as defined in Section lO(d) hereof) shall be selected by Indemnitee and approved by the Company (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld). Such counsel, among other things, shall render its written opinion to the Company and Indemnitee as to whether and to what extent Indemnitee would be permitted to be indemnified under applicable law. The Company agrees to abide by such opinion and to pay the reasonable fees of the Independent Legal Counsel referred to above and to fully indemnify such counsel against any and all reasonable expenses (including attorneys' fees), claims, liabilities and damages arising out of or relating to this Agreement or its engagement pursuant hereto.
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(e)
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Mandatory Payment of Expense s. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, to the extent that Indemnitee has been successful on the merits or otherwise, including, without limitation, the dismissal of an action without prejudice , in the defense of any action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation referred to in Section 2(a) hereof or in the defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all Expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection herewith.
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3.
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Expenses; Indemnification Procedure.
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(a)
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Advancement of Expenses. The Company shall advance all Expenses incurred by Indemnitee. The advances to be made hereunder shall be paid by the Company to Indemnitee as soon as practicable but in any event no later than forty (40) days after written demand by Indemnitee therefor to the Company.
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(b)
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Notice/Cooperation by Indemnitee. Indemnitee shall give the Company notice in accordance with Section 14 of this Agreement as soon as practicable of any Claim made against Indemnitee for which indemnification will or could be sought under this Agreement.
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(c)
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No Presumptions; Burden of Proof. For purposes of this Agreement, the termination of any Claim by judgment, order, settlement (whether with or without court approval) or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere, or its equivalent, shall not create a presumption that Indemnitee did not meet any particular standard of conduct or have any particular belief or that a court has determined that indemnification is not permitted by applicable law. In addition, neither the failure of the Reviewing Party to have made a determination as to whether Indemnitee has met any particular standard of conduct or had any particular belief, nor an actual determination by the Reviewing Party that Indemnitee has not met such standard of conduct or did not have such belief, prior to the commencementof legal proceedings by Indemnitee to secure a judicial determination that Indemnitee should be permitted to be indemnified under applicable law, shall be a defense to Indemnitee's claim or create a presumption that Indemnitee has not met any particular standard of conduct or did not have any particular belief. In connection with any determination by the Reviewing Party or otherwise as to whether Indemnitee is entitled to be indemnified hereunder , the burden of proof shall be on the Company to establish that Indemnitee is not so entitled.
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(d)
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Notice to Insurers. If, at the time of the receipt by the Company of a notice of a Claim pursuant to Section 3(b) hereof, the Company has liability insurance in effect which may cover such Claim, the Company shall give prompt notice of the commencement of such Claim to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in each of the Company's policies . The Company shall thereafter take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation in accordance with the terms of such policies.
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(e)
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Selection of Counsel. In the event the Company shall be obligated hereunder to pay the Expenses of any Claim, the Company shall be entitled to assume the defense of such Claim, with counsel approved by the Indemnitee (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld) upon the delivery to Indemnitee of notice of its election to do so. After delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel by Indemnitee and the retention of such counsel by the Company, the Company will not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any fees of counsel subsequently incurred by Indemnitee with respect to the same Claim; provided that (i) Indemnitee shall have the right to employ Indemnitee 's counsel in any such Claim at Indemnitee's expense and (ii) if (A) the employment of counsel by Indemnitee has been previously authorized by the Company, (B) Indemnitee shall have reasonably concluded that there is a conflict of interest between the Company and Indemnitee in the conduct of any such defense, or (C) the Company shall not continue to retain such counsel to defend such Claim, then the fees and expenses of Indemnitee' s counsel shall be at the expense of the Company.
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4.
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Nonexclusivity. The indemnification provided by this Agreement shall be in addition to any rights to which Indemnitee may be entitled under the Certificate, Bylaws, any agreement, any vote of shareholders or disinterested directors, the TBOC, or otherwise. The indemnification provided under this Agreement shall continue as to Indemnitee for any action Indemnitee took or did not take while serving in an indemnified capacity even though Indemnitee may have ceased to serve in such capacity.
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5.
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No Duplication of Payments. [Except as provided in Section 25 below,]2 the Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment in connection with any Claim made against any Indemnitee to the extent Indemnitee has otherwise actually received payment (under any insurance policy, Certificate, Bylaws or otherwise) of the amounts otherwise indemnifiable hereunder.
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6.
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Partial Indemnification. If any Indemnitee is entitled under any provlSlon of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for any portion of Expenses incurred in connection with any Claim, but not, however , for the total amount thereof, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee for the portion of such Expenses to which Indemnitee is entitled.
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7.
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Mutual Acknowledgement. The Company and Indemnitee acknowledge that in certain instances, Federal law or applicable public policy may prohibit the Company from indemnifying its directors, officers, employees, controlling persons, agents or fiduciaries under this Agreement or otherwise. Each Indemnitee understands and acknowledges that the Company has undertaken or may be required in the future to undertake with the Securities and Exchange Commission to submit the question of indemnification to a court in certain circumstances for a determination of the Company' s rights under public policy to indemnify Indemnitee.
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8.
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Officer and Director Liability Insurance. The Company shall obtain and maintain a policy or policies of directors and officers insurance with financially sound and reputable insurers, with coverage customary for companies similarly situated to the Company, except as otherwise decided in accordance with policies adopted by the Company's Board of Directors. The Company will cause to be maintained the directors and officers insurance required by this Section 8, except as otherwise decided in accordance with policies adopted by the Company's Board of Directors. Such policy shall not be cancelable by the Company without prior approval of the Board of Directors.
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2 Include this provision only if Indemnification Agreement is for an investor director in order to satisfy indemnification obligations similar to Levy indemnification obligations under Delaware law.
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9.
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Exceptions. Any other provision herein to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to the terms of this Agreement:
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(a)
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Claims Initiated by Indemnitee. To indemnify or advance expenses to any Indemnitee with respect to Claims initiated or brought voluntarily by Indemnitee and not by way of defense, except (i) with respect to actions or proceedings to establish or enforce a right to indemnification under this Agreement or any other agreement or insurance policy or under the Certificate or Bylaws now or hereafter in effect relating to Claims for an Indemnification Event, (ii) in specific cases if the Board of Directors has approved the initiation or bringing of such Claim, or (iii) as otherwise required under Sections 2.101, 2.103 and 2.113 of the TBOC or any other statute or law, regardless of whether Indemnitee ultimately is determined to be entitled to such indemnification, advance expense payment or insurance recovery, as the case may be; or
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(b)
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Claims Under Section 16(b). To indemnify lndemnitee for expenses and the payment of profits arising from the purchase and sale by Indemnitee of securities in violation of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act or any similar successor statute; or
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(c)
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Claims Excluded Under Section 8.101 of the TBOC. To indemnify Indemnitee if (i) Indemnitee did not act in good faith or in a manner reasonably believed by such lndemnitee to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, or (ii) with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe Indemnitee's conduct was unlawful, or (iii) lndemnitee shall have been adjudged to be liable to the Company unless and only to the extent the court in which such action was brought shall permit indemnification as provided in Section 8.101 of the TBOC.
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10.
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Construction of Certain Phrases.
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(a)
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For purposes of this Agreement, references to the "Company" shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, employees, controlling persons, agents or fiduciaries, so that if lndemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee, controlling person, agent or fiduciary of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee, controlling person, agent or fiduciary of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, employee benefit plan, trust or other enterprise, lndemnitee shall stand in the same position under the provisions of this Agreement with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as Indemnitee would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.
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(b)
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For purposes of this Agreement, references to ''fines" shall include any excise taxes assessed on any Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan; and references to "serving at the request of the Company" shall include any service as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of the Company which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or its beneficiaries; and if any Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in the interests of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have acted in a manner "not opposed to the best interests of the Company" as referred to in this Agreement.
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(c)
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For purposes of this Agreement a "Change in Control" shall be deemed to have occurred if (i) any "person" (as such term is used in Sections 13(d)(3) and 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act), other than a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or a corporation owned directly or indirectly by the shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company, who becomes the "beneficial owner" (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under said Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than 20% of the total voting power represented by the Company's then outstanding Voting Securities, (ii) during any period of two consecutive years, individuals who at the beginning of such period constitute the Board of Directors of the Company and any new director whose election by the Board of Directors or nomination for election by the Company's shareholders was approved by a vote of at least two thirds of the directors then still in office who either were directors at the beginning of the period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved, cease for any reason to constitute a majority thereof , or (i) the shareholders of the Company approve a merger or consolidation of the Company with any other corporation other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the Voting Securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into Voting Securities of the surviving entity) at least 80% of the total voting power represented by the Voting Securities of the Company or such surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation , or the shareholders of the Company approve a plan of complete liquidation of the Company or an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Company of (in one transaction or a series of transactions) all or substantially all of the Company 's assets.
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(d)
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For purposes of this Agreement, "Independent Legal Counsel" shall mean an attorney or firm of attorneys, selected in accordance with the provisions of Section 2(d) hereof, who shall not have otherwise performed services for the Company or any Indemnitee within the last three years (other than with respect to matters concerning the right of any Indernnitee under this Agreement, or of other indemnitees under similar indemnity agreements).
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(e)
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For purposes of this Agreement, a "Reviewing Party " shall mean any appropriate person or body consisting of a member or members of the Company' s Board of Directors or any other person or body appointed by the Board of Director s who is nota party to the particular Claim for which Indemnitee is seeking indemnification, or Independent Legal Counsel.
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For purposes of this Agreement, "Voting Securities" shall mean any securities of the Company that vote generally in the election of directors.
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11.
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Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts , each of which shall constitute an original.
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12.
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Binding Effect; Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors, assigns, including any direct or indirect successor by purcha se, merger, consolidation or otherwise to all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company, spouses, heirs, and personal and legal representatives. The Company shall require and cause any successor (whether direct or indirect by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all, substantially all, or a substantial part, of the business and/or assets of the Company, by written agreement in form and substance satisfactory to Indemnitee, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place. This Agreement shall continue in effect with respect to Claims relating to an Indemnification Event regardless of whether any Indemnitee continues to serve as a director, officer, employee, controlling person, agent or fiduciary of the Company or of any other enterprise, including subsidiaries of the Company, at the Company's request.
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13.
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Attorneys' Fees. In the event that any action is instituted by an Indemnitee under this Agreement or under any liability insurance policies maintained by the Company to enforce or interpret any of the terms hereof or thereof, any Indemnitee shall be entitled to be paid all Expenses incurred by Indemnitee with respect to such action (including, without limitation, attorney's fees), regardless of whether Indemnitee is ultimately successful in such action, and shall be entitled to the advancement of Expenses with respect to such action, unless , as a part of such action, a court of competent jurisdiction over such action determines that the material assertions made by Indemnitee as a basis for such action were not made in good faith or were frivolous, provided, however, that until such determination is made, Indernnitee shall be entitled to receive payment of Expense Advances hereunder with respect to such action. In the event of an action instituted by or in the name of the Company under this Agreement to enforce or interpret any of the terms of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall be entitled to be paid all Expenses incurred by Indemnitee in defense of such action (including costs and expenses incurred with respect to Indernnitee counterclaims and cross-claims made in such action), and shall be entitled to the advancement of Expenses with respect to such action, unless, as a part of such action, a court having jurisdiction over such action determines that each of the Indernnitee's material defenses to such action was made in bad faith or were frivolous.
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14.
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Notice. All notices and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be in writing or by electronic transmission, shall be effective when given, and shall in any event be deemed to be given (a) five calendar days after deposit with the U.S. Postal Service or other applicable postal service, if delivered by first class mail, postage prepaid, (b) upon delivery, if delivered by hand, (c) one business day after the business day of deposit with Federal Express or similar overnight courier, freight prepaid, (d) one day after the business day of delivery by facsimile transmission , if deliverable by facsimile transmission , with copy by first class mail, postage prepaid, and shall be addressed if to Indernnitee, at Indernnitee's address as set forth beneath Indernnitee's signature to this Agreement and if to the Company at the address of its principal corporate offices (attention: Chief Executive Officer) or at such other address as such party may designate by ten calendar days' advance written notice to the other party hereto, or (e) on the first business day on which delivery is confirmed if notice is given by electronic transmission. As used in this Agreement, "electronic transmission" means any form of communication, not directly involving the physical transmission of paper, that creates a record that may be retained, retrieved and reviewed by a recipient thereof, and that may be directly reproduced in paper form by such recipient through an automated process.
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15.
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Consent to Jurisdiction. The Company and Indernnitee each hereby irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Texas for all purposes in connection with any action or proceeding which arises out of or relates to this Agreement and agree that any action instituted under this Agreement shall be commenced, prosecuted and continued only in the court of the State of Texas and for ▇▇▇▇▇▇ County, which shall be the exclusive and only proper forum for adjudicating such a claim.
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16.
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Severability. The provisions of this Agreement shall be severable in the event that any of the provisions hereof (including any provision within a single section, paragraph or sentence) are held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void or otherwise unenforceable, and the remaining provisions shall remain enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. Furthermore , to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitations, each portion of this Agreement containing any provision held to be invalid, void or otherwise unenforceable, which is not itself invalid, void or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to give effect to the intent manifested by the provision held invalid, illegal or unenforceable .
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17.
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Choice of Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and its provisions construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas, as applied to contracts between Texas residents, entered into and to be performed entirely within the State of Texas, without regard to the conflict of laws principles thereof.
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18.
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Subrogation. [Except as provided in Section 25 below,]3 in the event of payment under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indernnitee [(other than against the Fund Indernnitors)]4 who shall execute all documents required and shall do all acts that may be necessary to secure such rights and to enable the Company effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights.
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19.
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Amendment and Termination. No amendment, modification, termination or cancellation of this Agreement shall be effective unless it is in writing signed by all parties hereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provisions hereof (whether or not similar) nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver.
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20.
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Integration and Entire Agreement. This Agreement sets forth the entire understanding between the parties hereto and supersede s and merges all previous written and oral negotiations, commitments, understandings and agreements relating to the subject matter hereof between the parties hereto.
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21.
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No Construction as Employment Agreement. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed as giving the Indemnitee any right to be retained in the employ of the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
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22.
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Corporate Authority. The Board of Directors of the Company has approved the terms of this Agreement.
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23.
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Telecopy Execution and Delivery. A facsimile, telecopy or other reproduction of this Agreement may be executed by one or more parties to this Agreement, and an executed copy of this Agreement may be delivered by one or more parties to this Agreement by facsimile or similar electronic transmission device pursuant to which the signature of or on behalf of such party can be seen, and such execution and delivery shall be considered valid, binding and effective for all purposes. At the request of any party to this Agreement, all parties to this Agreement agree to execute an original of this Agreement as well as any facsimile, telecopy or other reproduction of this Agreement.
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24.
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Indemnification of Designor. If (a) Indemnitee is serving as a director and/or officer of the Company by designation of another entity, including, but not limited to, as a designee of one or more investors or funds that has invested in the Company (together with its affiliates, a "Designor"); (b) lndemnitee 's Designor is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or a participant in any Claim; and (c) such Designor 's involvement in the Claim is directly or indirectly related to (x) Indemnitee's service to the Company as a director and/or officer of the Company or (y) the Designor's status or potential status as a controlling person (within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act) of Indemnitee, then the Designor shall be entitled to all of the indemnification rights and remedies under this Agreement to the same extent as Indemnitee.]5
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3.
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Include this provision only if Indemnification Agreement is for an investor director in order to satisfy indemnification obligations similar to Levy indemnification obligations under Delaware law.
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4.
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Include this provision only if Indemnification Agreement is for an investor director in order to satisfy indemnification obligations similar to Levy indemnification obligations under Delaware law.
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5. Include for Investor representatives.
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25.
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Primacy of Indemnification. The Company hereby acknowledges that Indemnitee has certain rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses and/or insurance provided by [NAME OF VENTURE FUND] and certain of its affiliates (collectively, the "Fund Indemnitors "). The Company hereby agrees (i) that it is the indemnitor of first resort (i.e., its obligations to Indemnitee are primary and any obligation of the Fund Indemnitors to advance expenses or to provide indemnification for the same expenses or liabilities incurred by Indemnitee are secondary), (ii) that it shall be required to advance the full amount of expenses incurred by lndemnitee and shall be liable for the full amount of all Expenses, judgments, penalties, fines and amounts paid in settlement to the extent legally permitted and as required by the terms of this Agreement and the Certificate or Bylaws of the Company (or any other agreement between the Company and Indemnitee), without regard to any rights lndemnitee may have against the Fund Indemnitors, and (iii) that it irrevocably waives, relinquishes and releases the Fund Indernnitors from any and all claims against the Fund Indemnitors for contribution, subrogation or any other recovery of any kind in respect thereof. The Company further agrees that no advancement or payment by the Fund Indemnitors on behalf of Indemnitee with respect to any claim for which lndemnitee has sought indemnification from the Company shall affect the foregoing and the Fund Indemnitors shall have a right of contribution and/or be subrogated to the extent of such advancement or payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee against the Company. The Company and Indemnitee agree that the Fund Indemnitors are express third party beneficiaries of the terms of this Section 25.]6
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6. Include this prov 1s1on only if Indemnification Agreement is for an investor director in order to satisfy indemnification obligations similar to Levy indemnification obligations under Delaware law.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties heretohaveexecutedthis Indemnification Agreement on and as of the day and year first above written.
COMPANY:
IDEAL POWER CONVERTERS, INC.,
a Texas corporation
By:___________________
Name:
Title:
AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED:
INDEMNITEE:
By:_____________________
Print:____________________
Address:_________________
Fax : ___________________
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