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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 25, 2023

 

 

Vince Holding Corp.

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

Delaware

001-36212

75-3264870

(State or Other Jurisdiction
of Incorporation)

(Commission File Number)

(IRS Employer
Identification No.)

 

 

 

 

 

500 5th Avenue

20th Floor

 

New York, New York

 

10110

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

 

(Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: 212 944-2600

 

 

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

☐Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
☐Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
☐Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
☐Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:


Title of each class

 

Trading
Symbol(s)

 


Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share

 

VNCE

 

The New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

 


Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of ABG-Vince, LLC

On May 25, 2023, in connection with the closing (the “Closing”) of the Asset Sale (defined below) pursuant to the Intellectual Property Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Asset Purchase Agreement”), dated as of April 21, 2023, by and among Vince, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Vince” or “Seller”) and a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Vince Holding Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), ABG-Vince LLC (f/k/a ABG-Viking, LLC) (“Buyer”), and an indirect subsidiary of Authentic Brands Group, LLC, a Delaware corporation, the Company and ABG Intermediate Holdings 2 LLC, Seller and Buyer entered into an Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of ABG-Vince, LLC (the “Operating Agreement”), which evidences the ownership by Seller of the Seller Units (defined below) and, among other things, provides for the management of the business and the affairs of the Buyer, the allocation of profits and losses, the distribution of cash of the Buyer among its members and the rights, obligations and interests of the members to each other and to the Buyer. A summary of the material terms of the Operating Agreement is set forth under the caption “Item 1—The Asset Sale—Summary of Material Terms of the Asset Sale—Operations of the Company Following the Asset Sale—Operating Agreement” in the preliminary information statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on April 24, 2023, the final version of which was filed with the SEC on May 4, 2023 (the “Information Statement”) and is incorporated by reference herein. The respective descriptions of the Operating Agreement contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K and the Information Statement do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the Operating Agreement, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

License Agreement

On May 25, 2023, in connection with the Closing, Seller and Buyer entered into a License Agreement (the “License Agreement”), which provides Vince with a license to use the Licensed Property (as defined in the License Agreement). A summary of the material terms of the License Agreement is set forth under the caption “Item 1—The Asset Sale—Summary of Material Terms of the Asset Sale—Operations of the Company Following the Asset Sale—License Agreement” in the Information Statement and is incorporated by reference herein. The respective descriptions of the License Agreement contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K and the Information Statement do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the License Agreement, filed as Exhibit 10.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

Item 2.01.

Completion of Acquisition or Disposition of Assets.

 

As previously disclosed on April 24, 2023, on April 21, 2023 the Company entered into the Asset Purchase Agreement, pursuant to which Seller agreed to sell and transfer to Buyer all intellectual property assets related to the business operated under the VINCE brand of Seller to Buyer in exchange for Buyer paying to Seller aggregate consideration consisting of (i) Buyer making a cash payment equal to $76.5 million and (ii) Buyer issuing units of Buyer to Seller representing a 25% ownership stake in Buyer (the “Seller Units”) (the “Asset Sale”).

The Asset Sale was consummated in accordance with the terms of the Asset Purchase Agreement on May 25, 2023 (the “Closing Date”). Pursuant to the terms of the Asset Purchase Agreement, Buyer paid gross proceeds of $76.5 million in cash and issued to Seller the Seller Units.

A summary of the material terms of the Asset Purchase Agreement was previously disclosed in Item 1.01 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 24, 2023 (the “April 24, 2023 Current Report”), which is incorporated by reference herein, and is set forth under the captions “Summary Term Sheet” and “Item 1—The Asset Sale—Summary of Material Terms of the Asset Sale” in the Information Statement and is incorporated by reference herein. The respective descriptions of the Asset Purchase Agreement contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K, the April 24, 2023 Current Report and the Information Statement do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the Asset Purchase Agreement, a copy of which was filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the April 24, 2023 Current Report, and which is incorporated by reference herein.

 

Item 2.03.

Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.

 

The information set forth under Item 1.01 “Entry into Material Definitive Agreements” is incorporated into this Item 2.03 by reference.

Item 7.01.

Regulation FD Disclosure.

 

On May 25, 2023, the Company issued a press release regarding the closing of the Asset Sale. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

 


The information, including Exhibit 99.1 hereto, which the registrant furnished in this report is not deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section. Registration statements or other documents filed with the SEC shall not incorporate this information by reference, except as otherwise expressly stated in such filing.

Item 9.01 Finacial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description of Exhibit

10.1

 

Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of ABG-Vince LLC (f/k/a ABG-Viking, LLC), dated as of May 25, 2023, by and between ABG Intermediate Holdings 2 LLC and Vince, LLC.

10.2

 

License Agreement, dated as of May 25, 2023, by and between ABG-Vince LLC (f/k/a ABG-Viking, LLC) as licensor and Vince, LLC as licensee.

99.1

 

Press Release of the Company, dated May 25, 2023.

104

 

Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).

 

 


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date:

May 25, 2023

By:

/s/ Jonathan Schwefel

 

 

 

Jonathan Schwefel
Chief Executive Officer

 


EX-10.1 2 vnce-ex10_1.htm EX-10.1 EX-10.1

Exhibit 10.1

CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY [***], HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE IT IS BOTH (I) NOT MATERIAL AND (II) IS THE TYPE THAT THE REGISTRANT TREATS AS PRIVATE OR CONFIDENTIAL BECAUSE IT WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.

THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY AND ISSUED PURSUANT TO THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR FOREIGN JURISDICTION. THE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED WITHOUT REGISTRATION UNDER SUCH LAWS OR THE AVAILABILITY OF AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER SUCH LAWS.

AMENDED AND RESTATED

LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT

OF

ABG-Vince LLC

Dated as of May 25, 2023

 

i


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page

 

 

 

ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

1.1

 

Definitions

 

 

1

 

1.2

 

Rules of Construction

 

 

10

 

 

 

ARTICLE II ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS

 

 

10

 

 

 

 

2.1

 

Filing of Certificate of Formation

 

 

10

 

2.2

 

Name of Company

 

 

10

 

2.3

 

Address of Company

 

 

10

 

2.4

 

Agent for Service of Process

 

 

10

 

2.5

 

Business Purposes

 

 

10

 

2.6

 

Tax Treatment as Partnership

 

 

11

 

2.7

 

Term of Company’s Existence

 

 

11

 

2.8

 

Units

 

 

11

 

 

 

ARTICLE III CAPITAL ACCOUNTS AND CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS

 

 

11

 

 

 

 

3.1

 

Capital Accounts

 

 

11

 

3.2

 

Capital Contributions

 

 

12

 

3.3

 

Return of Capital Contributions

 

 

12

 

3.4

 

No Interest on Capital Contributions or Capital Accounts

 

 

12

 

 

 

ARTICLE IV PROFITS, LOSSES AND DISTRIBUTIONS

 

 

12

 

 

 

 

4.1

 

Allocations of Net Income and Net Loss

 

 

12

 

4.2

 

Regulatory Allocations

 

 

12

 

4.3

 

Allocations of Built-in Items

 

 

14

 

4.4

 

Distributions of Net Cash

 

 

14

 

4.5

 

Varying Interests

 

 

15

 

4.6

 

Withholding Taxes

 

 

15

 

4.7

 

No Restoration of Negative Capital Accounts

 

 

15

 

4.8

 

Compliance with Laws and Regulations

 

 

16

 

 

 

ARTICLE V MANAGEMENT

 

 

16

 

 

 

 

5.1

 

Management

 

 

16

 

5.2

 

Major Decisions

 

 

18

 

5.3

 

Officers

 

 

19

 

5.4

 

Title to Assets

 

 

19

 

5.5

 

Resignation and Removal of the Manager

 

 

20

 

5.6

 

Business Opportunities; Conflicts of Interest

 

 

20

 

5.7

 

Fiduciary Duties

 

 

20

 

 

 

ARTICLE VI MEMBERSHIP

 

 

20

 

 

 

 

6.1

 

Members and Voting Rights

 

 

20

 

6.2

 

Admission of Additional Members

 

 

20

 

6.3

 

Record Dates

 

 

20

 

6.4

 

Membership Certificates

 

 

20

 

6.5

 

Meetings: Call, Notice and Quorum

 

 

21

 

6.6

 

Adjournment of Meetings

 

 

21

 

6.7

 

Waiver of Notice

 

 

21

 

6.8

 

Proxies

 

 

22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ii


TABLE OF CONTENTS

(Continued)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page

 

 

 

 

6.9

 

Participation in Meetings by Conference Telephone

 

 

22

 

6.10

 

Action by Members Without a Meeting

 

 

22

 

 

 

ARTICLE VII ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL REPORTING; TAX MATTERS

 

 

22

 

 

 

 

7.1

 

Accounts and Accounting

 

 

22

 

7.2

 

Accounting

 

 

22

 

7.3

 

Records

 

 

23

 

7.4

 

Member’s Rights to Records

 

 

23

 

7.5

 

Financial and Other Reports

 

 

23

 

7.6

 

Tax Elections

 

 

24

 

7.7

 

Certain Tax Matters

 

 

24

 

 

 

ARTICLE VIII WITHDRAWAL OF MEMBERS; TRANSFERS OF MEMBERSHIP INTERESTS

 

 

26

 

 

 

 

8.1

 

Transfer and Assignment of Interests

 

 

26

 

8.2

 

Further Restrictions on Transfer of Interests

 

 

26

 

8.3

 

Substitution of Members

 

 

26

 

8.4

 

Permitted Transfers

 

 

27

 

8.5

 

Effective Date of Permitted Transfers

 

 

27

 

8.6

 

Tag-Along Rights

 

 

27

 

8.7

 

Drag-Along Rights

 

 

28

 

8.8

 

Violative Transfers

 

 

29

 

8.9

 

Pledge

 

 

29

 

8.10

 

Uncertificated Units

 

 

30

 

8.11

 

Right of First Refusal

 

 

30

 

 

 

ARTICLE IX PRE-EMPTIVE RIGHTS

 

 

31

 

 

 

 

9.1

 

Preemptive Rights

 

 

31

 

9.2

 

Participation Commitment

 

 

32

 

9.3

 

Acceptance

 

 

33

 

9.4

 

Failure to Consummate

 

 

33

 

9.5

 

Cooperation

 

 

33

 

9.6

 

Closing

 

 

33

 

9.7

 

Excluded Transactions

 

 

33

 

9.8

 

Period

 

 

33

 

 

 

ARTICLE X DISSOLUTION AND WINDING UP

 

 

33

 

 

 

 

10.1

 

Events of Dissolution

 

 

33

 

10.2

 

Winding Up

 

 

34

 

10.3

 

Deficits

 

 

34

 

 

 

ARTICLE XI LIABILITY/INDEMNIFICATION

 

 

34

 

 

 

 

11.1

 

Liability

 

 

34

 

11.2

 

Indemnification

 

 

35

 

 

 

ARTICLE XII CONFIDENTIALITY

 

 

35

 

 

 

 

12.1

 

Proprietary Information

 

 

35

 

12.2

 

Confidentiality

 

 

36

 

12.3

 

Equitable Relief

 

 

36

 

 

iii


TABLE OF CONTENTS

(Continued)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page

 

 

 

ARTICLE XIII SECURITIES LAWS AND INVESTMENT REPRESENTATIONS

 

 

36

 

 

 

 

13.1

 

Securities Laws

 

 

36

 

13.2

 

Representations and Warranties

 

 

36

 

 

 

ARTICLE XIV POWER OF ATTORNEY

 

 

38

 

 

 

 

14.1

 

Appointment of Manager as Attorney-in-Fact

 

 

38

 

 

 

ARTICLE XV GENERAL PROVISIONS

 

 

39

 

 

 

 

15.1

 

Notices

 

 

39

 

15.2

 

Entire Agreement; Amendment

 

 

39

 

15.3

 

Choice of Law

 

 

39

 

15.4

 

Waiver of Jury Trial

 

 

39

 

15.5

 

Jurisdiction

 

 

39

 

15.6

 

Successors and Assigns

 

 

40

 

15.7

 

Injunctive Relief; Specific Performance

 

 

40

 

15.8

 

Counterparts

 

 

40

 

15.9

 

Number and Gender

 

 

40

 

15.10

 

Further Assurances

 

 

40

 

15.11

 

Partition

 

 

40

 

15.12

 

Titles and Headings

 

 

40

 

15.13

 

Validity and Severability

 

 

40

 

15.14

 

Statutory References

 

 

40

 

 

iv


AMENDED AND RESTATED

LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT

OF

ABG-Vince LLC

This AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT is entered into as of the 25th day of May, 2023, by and among those parties whose names are set forth on the signature pages hereto.

RECITALS

WHEREAS, ABG (as defined below) and Vince (as defined below) agreed to form ABG-Vince LLC to acquire and operate the intellectual property rights acquired from Vince and its subsidiaries.

WHEREAS, on April 13, 2023, ABG Intermediate filed with the Delaware Secretary of State a Certificate of Formation of ABG-Viking, LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Company”).

WHEREAS, on May 16, 2023, ABG Intermediate filed with the Delaware Secretary of State a Certificate of Amendment to change the name of the Company to ABG-Vince LLC.

WHEREAS, in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement (as defined below), the parties hereto desire to amend and restate the terms of the Limited Liability Company Agreement previously entered into by the Company and ABG Intermediate (as defined below) (the “Former Agreement”) in order to: (i) provide for the management of the business and the affairs of the Company, the allocation of profits and losses, the distribution of cash of the Company among the Members, the rights, obligations and interests of the Members to each other and to the Company, and (ii) provide for certain other matters.

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto do hereby amend and restate the Former Agreement in its entirety and agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

1.1 Definitions. Capitalized terms used in this Agreement have the meanings specified in this Article or elsewhere in this Agreement. In referring to sections or provisions of the Code or Regulations, it is intended that the terms “partner” and “partnership” (or variations thereof) appearing therein shall be read, respectively, as Member or Company (or variations thereof).

“ABG” means Authentic Brands Group LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.

“ABG Intermediate” means ABG Intermediate Holdings 2 LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.

“ABG Member” means ABG Intermediate, and any of its Affiliates that hold Membership Interests of the Company in accordance with the terms hereof.

“ABG Shareholder” means each of (a) Leonard Green & Partners, L.P. and its Controlled Affiliates; (b) General Atlantic, LLC and its Controlled Affiliates; (c) BL Taurus LLC and its Controlled Affiliates; (d) Marilyn Holdings LP and its Controlled Affiliates; and (e) HPS Marilyn Subsidiary US II, L.P. and its Controlled Affiliates, in each case, for so long as such Person or its Controlled Affiliates continue to have representation (or the right to representation) on the board of directors of ABG or any Controlling holding company thereof.

 

 

1


 

“Act” means the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, codified in the Delaware General Corporation Law, Section 18-101 et seq., as the same may be amended from time to time.

“Adjusted Capital Account” means, with respect to any Member, the balance in such Member’s Capital Account as of the end of the relevant Fiscal Year, after giving effect to the following adjustments:

(a) add to such Capital Account the amount that such Member is obligated to restore or is deemed to be obligated to restore pursuant to Treasury Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(c) or the penultimate sentence of each of Treasury Regulations Sections 1.704-2(g)(1) and 1.704-2(i)(5); and

(b) subtract from such Capital Account such Member’s share of the items described in Treasury Regulations Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), (5) and (6).

The foregoing definition of Adjusted Capital Account is intended to comply with the provisions of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

“Affiliate” means with respect to a specified Person: (a) any Person that directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, alone or through an affiliated group, Controls, is Controlled by, or is under common Control with, such specified Person; (b) any Person that is an officer, director, manager, managing member, partner or trustee of, or serves in a similar capacity with respect to, such specified Person (or an Affiliate of such specified Person); (c) any Person that, directly or indirectly, is the beneficial owner of ten percent (10%) or more of any outstanding voting equity securities of the specified Person; or (d) the spouse of the specified Person.

“Agreement” means this limited liability company agreement, as originally executed and as amended from time to time.

“Assignee” means a Person who has acquired a Member’s Membership Interest in the Company by way of a Transfer, but who has not been admitted as a Member.

“Bankruptcy” means, with respect to any Person, the occurrence of any of the following: (a) the institution of any proceedings under any federal or state law for the relief of debtors, including the filing by or against that Person of a voluntary or involuntary case under the United States Bankruptcy Code, which proceedings, if involuntary, are not dismissed within sixty (60) days after their filing; (b) an assignment of the property of that Person for the benefit of creditors; (c) the appointment of a receiver, trustee or conservator of any substantial portion of the assets of that Person, which appointment, if obtained ex parte, is not dismissed within sixty (60) days thereafter; the seizure by a sheriff, receiver, trustee or conservator of any substantial portion of the assets of that Person; (d) the failure by that Person generally to pay its debts as they become due within the meaning of Section 303(h)(1) of the United States Bankruptcy Code, as determined by the Bankruptcy Court; or (e) that Person’s admission in writing of its inability to pay its debts as they become due.

“BBA Rules” means Subchapter C of Chapter 63 of the Code (Sections 6221 et seq.), as amended by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, as amended from time to time, and any Regulations and other guidance promulgated thereunder (and any corresponding state or local legislation enacted pursuant thereto or in connection therewith).

“Book Value” means, with respect to any asset of the Company, the asset’s adjusted basis for federal income tax purposes, except as follows:

(a) the initial Book Value of any asset contributed by a Member to the Company shall be the value ascribed by the Company to such asset in determining the amount of such Member’s Initial Capital Contribution; (b) the Book Value shall be adjusted in the same manner as would the asset’s adjusted basis for federal income tax purposes, except that the depreciation deduction taken into account each Fiscal Year for purposes of adjusting the Book Value of an asset shall be the amount of Depreciation with respect to such asset taken into account for purposes of computing Net Income or Net Loss for the Fiscal Year;

 

2


(c) the Book Value of any asset (other than cash) distributed to a Member by the Company shall be such asset’s gross fair market value at the time of such distribution, as determined by the Manager in good faith; and

(d) the Book Values of all Company assets immediately prior to the occurrence of any event described in subparagraphs (i) through (vi) below may, in the reasonable discretion of the Manager, be adjusted to equal their respective gross fair market values, as determined by the Manager in good faith using such reasonable method of valuation as it may adopt, as of the following times:

(i) the acquisition of a Membership Interest in the Company by a new Member or the acquisition of an additional Membership Interest in the Company by an existing Member, in either case in exchange for more than a de minimis Capital Contribution, if the Manager reasonably determines that such adjustment is necessary or appropriate to reflect the relative Membership Interests of the Members in the Company;

(ii) the distribution by the Company to a Member of more than a de minimis amount of Company assets as consideration for a Membership Interest in the Company;

(iii) the liquidation or dissolution of the Company within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g);

(iv) the grant of a Membership Interest in the Company (other than a de minimis interest) as consideration for the provision of services to or for the benefit of the Company by an existing Member acting in a member capacity, or by a new Member acting in a member capacity or in anticipation of becoming a Member of the Company, if the Manager reasonably determines that such adjustment is necessary or appropriate to reflect the relative Membership Interests of the Members in the Company;

(v) the issuance by the Company of a noncompensatory option (other than an option for a de minimis interest), if the Manager reasonably determines that such adjustment is necessary or appropriate to reflect the relative Membership Interests of the Members in the Company; and

(vi) at such other times as the Manager shall reasonably determine to be necessary or advisable in order to comply with Regulations Sections 1.704-1(b) and 1.704-2.

(e) The Book Values of Company assets shall be increased (or decreased) to reflect any adjustments to the adjusted basis of such assets pursuant to Code Section 734(b) or Code Section 743(b), but only to the extent that such adjustments are taken into account in determining Capital Accounts pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m); provided, however, that Book Values shall not be adjusted pursuant to this subparagraph (e) to the extent that an adjustment pursuant to subparagraph (d) above is made in connection with a transaction that would otherwise result in an adjustment pursuant to this subparagraph (e).

“Business” means the business of (i) exploiting, promoting, advertising and licensing the Company IP; (ii) promoting and advertising the products or services of third Persons through the use or exploitation of the Company IP; or (iii) doing any and all other acts or things that may be incidental or necessary to the foregoing.

“Business Day” means any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which the Federal Reserve Bank in New York, New York is closed.

“Capital Account” means, in respect of any Member, the account reflecting the capital interest of the Member in the Company, consisting of the Member’s Initial Capital Contribution and any additional Capital Contributions, maintained and adjusted for such Member in accordance with the provisions of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv), and the provisions of this Agreement.

 

 

3


“Capital Contribution” means, with respect to any Member, the amount of money and the fair market value of any property (other than money) contributed to the Company (net of liabilities secured by such contributed property that the Company is considered to assume or take “subject to” under Code Section 752) with respect to the Membership Interest held by such Member. A Capital Contribution shall not be deemed a loan.

“Certificate of Formation” means the Certificate of Formation of the Company filed pursuant to Section 2.1.

“Change of Control” means any direct or indirect sale, transfer or assignment of a Member’s Membership Interests to any Person or group of Persons which results from a sale of equity securities of ABG or Vince, as applicable, or any respective parent or successor company of ABG or Vince, as applicable, (whether through a sale to third Persons, public offering of the equity securities of ABG, Vince or, with respect to ABG only, any parent or successor company of ABG, or otherwise).

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

“Company” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.

“Company IP” means the intellectual property rights acquired, directly or indirectly, by the Company and its subsidiaries pursuant to the Purchase Agreement and other intellectual property rights acquired, directly or indirectly, by the Company and its subsidiaries following the date of this Agreement.

“Company Minimum Gain” has the meaning ascribed to the term “partnership minimum gain” in the Regulations Section 1.704-2(d).

“Company Representative” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.7(a).

“Controls,” “Control,” “Controlling” and “Controlled,” whether or not capitalized, means the power, directly or indirectly, to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a person or entity through ownership of voting securities, contract or otherwise.

“Covered Expenses” means only the following expenses of the Company incurred in connection with the operation of the Business: [***] (ix) management and the internal expenses of the Company incurred in connection with the enforcement of the licenses granted by the Company. The “Covered Expenses” shall not include any Separate Expenses.

“Covered Expenses Amount” means, with respect to any period of determination, an amount equal to the sum of (a) [***] of the Net Revenue for such period generated from the Vince License Agreement plus (b) [***] of the Net Revenue for such period generated from all third party licenses.

“Covered Transfer” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.7(a).

“Depreciation” means an amount equal to the depreciation, amortization or other cost recovery deduction allowable with respect to an asset for the Fiscal Year or other period, except that if the Book Value of an asset differs from its adjusted tax basis at the beginning of the Fiscal Year or other period, Depreciation will be an amount which bears the same ratio to the beginning Book Value as the Federal income tax depreciation, amortization or other cost recovery deduction for the Fiscal Year or other period bears to the beginning adjusted tax basis; provided, however, that if the Federal income tax depreciation, amortization or other cost recovery deduction for the Fiscal Year or other period is zero, Depreciation will be determined by reference to the beginning Book Value using any reasonable method selected by the Manager acting in good faith.

“Domain Name License Agreement” means that certain Domain Name License Agreement, entered into and effective August 29, 2008, by and between Vince Waldron and Vince, and all amendments, modifications and supplements thereto, in each case, in the form and as in effect on the date hereof.

 

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“Drag-Along Price” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.7(a).

“Drag-Along Right” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.7(a).

“Economic Risk of Loss” shall have the meaning specified in Regulations Section 1.752-2.

“Entity Taxes” means any U.S. federal, state, local and other taxes imposed on or payable by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company under the BBA Rules (including any interest, fines, assessments, penalties or additions to tax imposed in connection therewith or with respect thereto).

“Fiscal Year” means the Company’s taxable year, which shall be the calendar year (except as otherwise required by Section 706 of the Code or the Treasury Regulations thereunder), and, as applicable, any partial year with respect to the taxable years in which the Company is organized and dissolved or terminated.

“Former Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.

“Fully Exercising Member” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.2.

“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in effect from time to time in the United States, applied on a consistent basis throughout the term of this Agreement.

“Governmental Body” means any (a) nation, state, commonwealth, province, territory, county, municipality, district or other jurisdiction of any nature, (b) federal, state, local, municipal, foreign, supranational or other government or (c) governmental, self-regulatory or quasi-governmental authority of any nature (including any governmental division, department, agency, commission, instrumentality, official, organization, unit, body or entity and any court or other tribunal).

“Gross Revenues” means, with respect to any period of determination, the gross royalty revenue and marketing payments received by the Company, in each case derived from the Company IP or other activities of the Business and determined in accordance with the accounting practices and procedures utilized in the preparation of ABG’s audited financial statements.

“Guaranteed Minimum Royalties” has the meaning ascribed to it in the Vince License Agreement.

“Indemnified Parties” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.2(a).

“Initial Capital Contributions” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.2.

“Initial Members” means the Vince and ABG Intermediate.

“IP and G&A Services” means the following Company IP management services and general administrative services to be provided, in the Manager’s good faith discretion, by, or to be procured to be provided by, the Manager, in each case, solely on behalf of the Company: (i) negotiating new license or distribution agreements for the Company IP in all product categories and locations throughout the world; (ii) the management and enforcement of the Company’s licensing arrangements for the Company IP; (iii) the administration of the Company IP, including registrations and renewals of the Company IP and the enforcement of the Company IP against third Persons; (iv) the defense of the Company IP against any infringement claims; and (v) general and administrative services enumerated in the definition of “Covered Expenses.”

“IRS” shall mean the Internal Revenue Service and any successor agency or entity thereto.

“Issuance” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.1.

 

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“Law” means any federal, state, local, municipal, foreign or international, multinational or other law, statute, constitution, principle of common law, resolution, ordinance, code, edict, decree, rule, regulation, ruling or requirement issued, enacted, adopted, promulgated, implemented or otherwise put into effect by or under the authority of any Governmental Body.

“Liabilities” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.2(a).

“Major Decision” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.2.

“Majority-in-Interest” means Members holding more than fifty percent (50%) of the Percentage Interests.

“Management Services” means the IP and G&A Services and the Marketing Services.

“Manager” means the Person designated initially as such in Section 5.1(a) or such other Person as may be designated or become the Manager pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.

“Marketable Securities” means Securities that are (i) listed for trading on either the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq, (ii) which may be sold by the Proposed Transferee following the consummation of the transactions contemplated by Section 8.7 without limitation as to volume or manner of sale and without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended; provided, however, that a customary lock-up provision that applies identically to the Transferring Member and each Other Member with a term of not more than six (6) months from the date of consummation of the transactions contemplated by Section 8.7 shall not prevent a Security from qualifying as a “Marketable Security” for purposes of this definition.

“Marketing Services” means the following marketing services and promotional activities to be provided, in the Manager’s good faith discretion, by, or to be procured to be provided by, the Manager, in each case, solely on behalf of the Company: (i) certain (but not all) “Halo” marketing services; (ii) creative marketing and creative development; (iii) public relations; (iv) product-specific marketing campaigns; and (v) social media marketing campaigns.

“Member” means an Initial Member or a Person who otherwise acquires a Membership Interest and has joined this Agreement as a Member, as permitted under this Agreement and the Act, whose Membership Interest has not been terminated.

“Member Minimum Gain” has the meaning ascribed to the term “partner nonrecourse debt minimum gain” in Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(2).

“Member Nonrecourse Debt” has the meaning ascribed to the term “partner nonrecourse debt” in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(4).

“Member Nonrecourse Deductions” means items of Company loss, deduction, or Code Section 705(a)(2)(B) expenditures that are attributable to Member Nonrecourse Debt within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-2(i).

“Membership Interest” means a Member’s share of rights in the Company, including the Member’s collective rights to (a) its distributive share of Net Income, Net Loss and other items of income, gain, loss and deduction of the Company; (b) its distributive share of the assets of the Company; (c) vote and to participate in the management of the Company; (d) information concerning the business and affairs of the Company; and (e) all other benefits to which such Member may be entitled as provided in this Agreement or the Act.

“Must Spend Marketing” means, with respect to any period of determination, the amount of marketing and advertising payments actually received by the Company during such period from contractual counterparties which are required to be expended by the Company during such period or in the future on marketing and advertising.

 

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“Net Cash” means, with respect to any period of determination, Net Revenue and other available cash as of the date of determination less the Covered Expenses Amount and any Separate Expenses due during the period of determination less an expense reserve meant to reflect the reasonably anticipated cash needs of the Company, which reserve shall be determined by the Manager reasonably and in good faith.

“Net Income” and “Net Loss” means, for each Fiscal Year of the Company (or other period for which Net Income and Net Loss must be computed), an amount equal to the Company’s taxable income or loss for such year or period, determined in accordance with Code Section 703(a) and the Regulations, and, for this purpose, all items of income, gain, loss or deduction required to be stated separately pursuant to Code Section 703(a)(1) shall be included in taxable income or loss. The determination of Net Income and Net Loss pursuant to the previous sentence shall be subject to the following adjustments (without duplication):

(a) any income of the Company that is exempt from federal income tax and not otherwise taken into account in computing Net Income or Net Loss shall be added to such taxable income or loss;

(b) any expenditures of the Company described in Code Section 705(a)(2)(B) or treated as Code Section 705(a)(2)(B) expenditures pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(i) and not otherwise taken into account in computing Net Income or Net Loss shall be subtracted from Net Income or Net Loss;

(c) gains or losses resulting from any disposition of a Company asset with respect to which gains or losses are recognized for federal income tax purposes shall be computed with reference to the Book Value of the Company asset disposed of, notwithstanding the fact that the adjusted tax basis of such Company asset differs from its Book Value;

(d) in lieu of the depreciation, amortization and other cost recovery deductions taken into account in computing the taxable income or loss, there will be taken into account Depreciation for such Fiscal Year or other period, computed in accordance with the definition of Depreciation;

(e) to the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any asset included in Company assets pursuant to Code Section 734(b) or Code Section 743(b) is required pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m) to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts as a result of a distribution other than in liquidation of a Member’s Membership Interest, the amount of such adjustment shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the asset) or loss (if the adjustment decreases the basis of the asset) from the disposition of the asset and shall be taken into account for the purposes of computing Net Income and Net Loss;

(f) if the Book Value of any Company asset is adjusted pursuant to clause (d) of the definition of “Book Value,” the amount of the adjustment will be taken into account as gain or loss from the disposition of the asset for purposes of computing Net Income or Net Loss; and

(g) notwithstanding any other provision of this definition, any items of income, gain, loss or deduction that are specially allocated pursuant to Sections 4.2 and 4.8 shall not be taken into account in computing Net Income or Net Loss. The amounts of the items of Company income, gain, loss or deduction available to be specially allocated pursuant to Sections 4.2 and 4.8 hereof shall be determined by applying rules analogous to those set forth in this definition of Net Income and Net Loss.

“Net Revenue” means, with respect to any period of determination, the Gross Revenues actually received during such period, less (i) Must Spend Marketing, if any; and (ii) commissions paid by the Company during such period that are directly attributable to the Gross Revenues received during such period.

“Nonrecourse Liability” has the meaning set forth in Regulations Section 1.752-1(a)(2).

 

 

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“Notice” means a written notice required or permitted under this Agreement. A Notice shall be deemed given or sent when deposited, as certified mail, return receipt requested, postage and fees prepaid, in the United States mails; when personally delivered to the recipient; or when transmitted by electronic means, and such transmission is electronically confirmed as having been successfully transmitted.

“Offered Interests” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.11(a).

“Option Period” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.11(b).

“Other Activities” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.6(a).

“Other Members” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.7(a).

“Participating Buyer” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.2.

“Participation Commitment” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.2.

“Participation Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.1(a).

“Participation Portion” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.1(a).

“Percentage Interest” means, with respect to a Member, such Member’s Membership Interest expressed as a percentage interest, which shall be set forth opposite such Member’s name on Exhibit A attached hereto, and which shall be amended from time to time in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

“Permitted Transferee” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.4.

“Person” means any natural person, corporation, firm, joint venture, partnership, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated organization, government or any department, political subdivision or agency of a government.

“Pledge Agreement” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.9.

“Prime Rate” means a fluctuating interest rate per annum equal at all times to the interest rate published from time to time in The Wall Street Journal and designated therein as the prime rate.

“Proprietary Information” has the meaning set forth in Section 12.1.

“Proposed Buyer” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.11(a).

“Purchase Agreement” means that certain Intellectual Property Asset Purchase Agreement, dated April [•], 2023, by and among the Company, Vince, Vince Holding Corp. and ABG Intermediate.

“Regulations” means the income tax regulations promulgated by the United States Department of the Treasury and published in the Federal Register for the purpose of interpreting and applying the provisions of the Code.

“Regulatory Allocations” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.2(g).

“ROFR Offer Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.11(a).

“ROFR Proposed Transaction” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.11.

 

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“Securities” means any shares of capital stock, limited partnership interests, limited liability company interests, warrants, options, bonds, notes, debentures and other equity and debt securities of whatever kind of any Person, whether readily marketable or not.

“Selling Member” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.6(a).

“Separate Expenses” means all expenses of the Company and its subsidiaries that are not Covered Expenses, including, without limitation, any fees, costs or expenses paid by or on behalf of the Manager or any of its Controlled Subsidiaries (including the Company and any of its subsidiaries) to any third Person in connection with the provision or procurement of services in respect of the Business, including the following services: (i) the reasonable fees and expenses of outside counsel in connection with the enforcement or defense of the Company IP, (ii) the reasonable fees and expenses of outside counsel in connection with the enforcement of, or the resolution of any disputes relating to, the Company’s licensing arrangements; (iii) all payments made under the Domain Name License Agreement; and (iv) commissions or finders’ fees paid to third parties.

“Specified Covered Person” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.2(g).

“Specified Entities” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.2(g).

“Subject Securities” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.1.

“Tag-Along Buyer” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.6(a).

“Tag-Along Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.6(a).

“Tag-Along Participant” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.6(b).

“Tag-Along Participation Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.6(b).

“Tag-Along Transfer” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.6(a).

“Transfer” means and includes, in respect of a Membership Interest, or any element thereof, when used as a noun, any direct or indirect sale, hypothecation, pledge, assignment, attachment, gift or other disposition of a Membership Interest or any element thereof, and, when used as a verb, to, directly or indirectly, sell, hypothecate, pledge, assign, attach, bequest or otherwise dispose of a Membership Interest or any element thereof; provided, however, that notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, any Change of Control shall not be a “Transfer” pursuant to this Agreement and no limitations on “Transfer” set forth in this Agreement shall apply to any such sale.

“Transferee” means a Person who obtains or receives a Membership Interest or any element thereof by means of a Transfer.

“Transferring Members” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.7(a).

“Unit” means a unit of limited liability company interest, which represents a Membership Interest.

“Vince” means Vince, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.

“Vince Acceptance Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.11(b).

“Vince License Agreement” means that certain license agreement, dated concurrently herewith, between Vince and the Company.

 

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“Vince Member” means Vince, and any of its Affiliates that hold Membership Interests of the Company in accordance with the terms hereof.

“Vince ROFR” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.11(a).

1.2 Rules of Construction. As used in this Agreement, except to the extent that the context otherwise requires: (a) the Section headings of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall not be deemed to alter or affect any provision hereof; (b) where the context or construction requires, all words applied in the plural shall be deemed to have been used in the singular, and vice versa; (c) the masculine shall include the feminine and neuter, and vice versa; and the present tense shall include the past and future tense and vice versa; (d) when a reference is made in this Agreement to an Article, Section, Exhibit or Schedule, such reference is to an Article or Section of, or an Exhibit or Schedule to, this Agreement unless otherwise indicated; (e) headings for this Agreement are for reference purposes only and do not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement; (f) whenever the words “include,” “includes” or “including” (or similar terms) are used in this Agreement they are deemed in all cases to be followed by the words “by way of illustration and not limitation”; (g) the words “hereof,” “herein” and “hereunder” and words of similar import, when used in this Agreement, refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement; (h) all terms defined in this Agreement have their defined meanings when used in any certificate or other document made or delivered pursuant hereto, unless otherwise defined therein; (i) if any action is to be taken by any party hereto pursuant to this Agreement on a day that is not a Business Day, such action shall be taken on the next Business Day following such day; (j) references to a Person are also to its permitted heirs, successors and assigns; (k) references to “dollar” amounts or “$” shall mean United States dollars; and (l) the use of “or” is not an exclusive concept and may include both of the matters separated by the word “or.”

ARTICLE II

ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS

2.1 Filing of Certificate of Formation. ABG Intermediate has formed the Company pursuant to the Act and, for that purpose, has caused the Certificate of Formation to be prepared, executed and filed with the Delaware Secretary of State on April 13, 2023. The Members agree that the rights, duties and liabilities of the Members and the Manager shall be as provided in the Act, except as otherwise expressly provided herein.

2.2 Name of Company. The name of the Company is “ABG-Vince LLC.” The Company may do business under that name and under any other name or names which the Manager selects. If the Company does business under a name other than that set forth in its Certificate of Formation, then the Company shall comply with any requirements of the Act or applicable law.

2.3 Address of Company. The principal executive office of the Company shall be situated at 1411 Broadway, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10018, or such other place or places as may be determined by the Manager from time to time.

2.4 Agent for Service of Process. The agent for service of process on the Company shall be Corporation Service Company, 251 Little Falls Drive, Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware 19808, or such other agent as may be determined by the Manager from time to time.

2.5 Business Purposes. The purpose of the Company is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which a limited liability company may be organized under the Act; however, the primary purpose of the Company shall be to own and operate the Business and to do any and all other acts or things that may be incidental or necessary to carry on the Business.

 

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2.6 Tax Treatment as Partnership. It is the intent of the Members that the Company shall always be operated in a manner consistent with its treatment as a “partnership” for Federal and State income tax purposes. Except as provided in the foregoing sentence, the Members intend the Company to be a limited liability company under the Act, and that they be Members, and not partners in a partnership. None of the Members, Manager, the Company or the Company Representative shall take any action inconsistent with the express intent of the parties hereto (including the making of any election pursuant to Treasury Regulations Section 301.7701-3(c) for the Company to be classified as an association taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or any similar election under any state, local or foreign tax Law).

2.7 Term of Company’s Existence. The term of existence of the Company commenced on the effective date of filing of the Certificate of Formation with the Delaware Secretary of State, and shall continue in perpetuity, unless sooner terminated by the provisions of this Agreement or as provided by Law.

2.8 Units. Each Membership Interest shall be represented by Units. The Company initially shall have one (1) authorized class of Units, and the Company shall have one class of Members. The Company has issued on the date hereof One Thousand (1,000) Units. The ownership by a Member of Units shall entitle such Member, among other entitlements, to allocations of Net Income and Net Loss and other items of income, gain, loss or deduction, and distributions of cash and other property, as set forth in Article IV. For purposes of this Agreement, Units held by the Company shall be deemed not to be outstanding. The Company may issue fractional Units and all Units shall be rounded to the third decimal place. The names of the Members shall be as set forth on Exhibit A attached hereto.

ARTICLE III

CAPITAL ACCOUNTS AND CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS

3.1 Capital Accounts.

(a) The Company shall maintain a Capital Account for each Member on the Company’s books and records in accordance with this Section 3.1. At any time, each Member’s Capital Account shall be equal to (i) such Member’s Capital Contributions, plus (ii) such Member’s allocable share of Net Income pursuant to Section 4.1 and any items in the nature of income or gain that are specially allocated to such Member pursuant to Sections 4.2 and 4.8, plus (iii) the amount of any Company liabilities assumed by such Member or that are secured by any property distributed to such Member, minus (iv) the amount of cash and the Book Value of any Company asset other than cash distributed to such Member, minus (v) such Member’s allocable share of Net Loss pursuant to Section 4.1 and any other items in the nature of deductions or losses that are specially allocated to such Member pursuant to Sections 4.2 and 4.8, and minus (vi) the amount of any liabilities of such Member assumed by the Company or that are secured by any property contributed by such Member to the Company.

(b) In determining the amount of any liability for purposes of Section 3.1(a) there shall be taken into account Code Section 752(c) and any other applicable provisions of the Code and Treasury Regulations.

(c) If any Member Transfers all or a portion of its Units in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Transferee shall succeed to the Capital Account of the transferor to the extent such Capital Account relates to the Units.

(d) This Section 3.1 and the other provisions of this Agreement relating to the maintenance of Capital Accounts are intended to comply with Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-1(b) and 1.704-2 and shall be interpreted and applied consistently therewith. In the event that the Company is advised that it would be prudent to modify the manner in which the Capital Accounts, or any credits or debits thereto, are computed in order to comply with such Treasury Regulations, the Manager may, after consulting with the Vince Member in good faith, make such modification, on advice of accountants and legal counsel, provided such modification does not and is not likely to have a material effect on the amounts distributable to any Member. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that both this Section 3.1(d) and Section 4.7 apply with respect to a modification, action or other circumstance, Section 4.7 (and not this Section 3.1(d)) shall control.

 

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3.2 Capital Contributions. In exchange for their initial Membership Interests in the Company, on the date hereof, the Initial Members shall be deemed to have contributed cash or property to the Company in the amounts set forth opposite such Member’s name on Exhibit A hereto (the “Initial Capital Contributions”). Each Member shall initially own the number of Units, and have the initial Percentage Interest, in each case as set forth opposite such Member’s name on Exhibit A, which shall be amended from time to time in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. No Member shall be permitted to make, or be required to make, additional Capital Contributions without the consent of all the Members.

3.3 Return of Capital Contributions. Except in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, no Member shall be entitled to withdraw, or to receive a return of, any part of a Capital Contribution or to receive any distributions, whether of money or property, from the Company.

3.4 No Interest on Capital Contributions or Capital Accounts. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, no interest shall be paid on any Capital Contributions or on the balance of any Capital Account.

ARTICLE IV

PROFITS, LOSSES AND DISTRIBUTIONS

4.1 Allocations of Net Income and Net Loss.

(a) After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Sections 4.2 and 4.8, Net Income, Net Loss and, to the extent necessary, individual items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit, for any Fiscal Year or other relevant period shall be allocated among the Members in a manner such that the Adjusted Capital Account of each Member immediately after such allocation is, as nearly as possible, equal (proportionately) to the distributions that would be made to such Member pursuant to Section 10.2 if the Company were dissolved, its affairs wound up and its assets sold for cash equal to their Book Value, all Company liabilities were satisfied (limited with respect to each Nonrecourse Liability to the Book Value of the asset securing such liability), and the net assets of the Company were distributed in accordance with Section 10.2 immediately after such allocation, less such Member’s share of Company Minimum Gain and Member Minimum Gain.

(b) Except as required by the Code and the Treasury Regulations, any allocation of Net Loss pursuant to Section 4.1(a) shall not exceed the maximum amount of Net Loss that can be so allocated without causing such Member to have an Adjusted Capital Account deficit at the end of the Fiscal Year. In the event that some but not all of the Members would have Adjusted Capital Account deficits (or an increase in any existing Adjusted Capital Account deficit) as a result of an allocation of Net Loss pursuant to Section 4.1(a), the limitation set forth in this Section 4.1(b) shall be applied on a Member-by-Member basis and any Net Loss not allocable to any Member as a result of such limitation shall be allocated to the other Members in accordance with the positive balances in such other Members’ respective Capital Accounts so as to allocate the maximum permissible Net Loss to each Member under Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d).

4.2 Regulatory Allocations. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the following special allocations shall be made in the following order:

(a) Minimum Gain Chargeback. If there is a net decrease in Company Minimum Gain during any Fiscal Year, each Member shall be specially allocated items of Company income and gain for such year (and, if necessary, for subsequent years) in an amount equal to such Member’s share of the net decrease in Company Minimum Gain, as determined under Regulations Section 1.704-2(g). Allocations pursuant to the previous sentence shall be made in proportion to the respective amounts required to be allocated to each Member pursuant thereto. The items to be so allocated shall be determined in accordance with Regulations Sections 1.704-2(f)(6) and 1.704-2(j)(2). This Section 4.2(a) is intended to comply with the “minimum gain chargeback” requirements of Regulations Section 1.704-2(f) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

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(b) Chargeback Attributable to Member Nonrecourse Debt. If there is a net decrease in Member Minimum Gain during any Fiscal Year, each Member with a share of Member Minimum Gain at the beginning of such Fiscal Year shall be specially allocated items of income and gain for such Fiscal Year (and, if necessary, for subsequent Fiscal Years) in an amount equal to such Member’s share of the net decrease in Member Minimum Gain, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4) and (5). Allocations pursuant to the previous sentence shall be made in proportion to the respective amounts required to be allocated to each Member pursuant thereto. The items to be so allocated shall be determined in accordance with Regulations Sections 1.704-2(i)(4) and 1.704-2(j)(2)(i). This Section 4.2(b) is intended to comply with the “partner minimum gain chargeback” requirements of Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(c) Qualified Income Offset. If any Member unexpectedly receives any adjustment, allocation or distribution described in Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), (5) or (6) which results in an Adjusted Capital Account deficit for the Member, such Member shall be allocated items of income and book gain in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate such Adjusted Capital Account deficit as quickly as possible; provided, however, an allocation pursuant to this Section 4.2(c) shall be made if and only to the extent that such Member would have an Adjusted Capital Account deficit after all other allocations provided for in this Article IV have been tentatively made as if this Section 4.2(c) were not in the Agreement. This Section 4.2(c) is intended to constitute a “qualified income offset” as provided by Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(d) Member Nonrecourse Deductions. Member Nonrecourse Deductions shall be allocated among the Members who bear the Economic Risk of Loss for the Member Nonrecourse Debt to which such Member Nonrecourse Deductions are attributable in the ratio in which they share Economic Risk of Loss for such Member Nonrecourse Debt. This provision is to be interpreted in a manner consistent with the requirements of Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(4) and (i)(1).

(e) Nonrecourse Deductions. Any Nonrecourse Deductions (as defined in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(1)) for any Fiscal Year or other period shall be specially allocated to the Members in proportion to their Percentage Interests.

(f) Certain Additional Adjustments. To the extent that an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Company asset pursuant to Code Section 734(b) or Code Section 743(b) is required, pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(2) or Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts as the result of a distribution to a Member in complete liquidation of its Membership Interest, the amount of such adjustment to the Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the asset) or loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis), and such gain or loss shall be specially allocated to the Members in accordance with their Membership Interests in the Company in the event that Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(2) applies, or to the Members to whom such distribution was made in the event that Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4) applies.

(g) Regulatory Allocations. The allocations set forth in this Section 4.2 (the “Regulatory Allocations”) are intended to comply with certain requirements of the applicable Regulations promulgated under Code Section 704(b). Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article IV, the Regulatory Allocations shall be taken into account in allocating Net Income, Net Loss and other items of income, gain, loss and deduction to the Members for Capital Account purposes so that, to the extent possible, the net amount of such allocations of Net Income, Net Loss and other items shall be equal to the amount that would have been allocated to each Member if the Regulatory Allocations had not occurred.

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4.3 Allocations of Built-in Items. In accordance with Code Sections 704(b) and 704(c) and the Treasury Regulations thereunder, income, gain, loss and deduction with respect to property actually or constructively contributed to the capital of the Company shall, solely for tax purposes, be allocated among the Members, as determined by the Manager in good faith, so as to take account of any variation at the time of the contribution between the tax basis of the property to the Company and the fair market value of that property; provided that any such allocation on account of any built-in gain existing with respect to Vince’s Capital Contribution on the date hereof will be effected using the “remedial method” pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-3(d). Allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction pursuant to this Section 4.3 are solely for purposes of federal, state and local taxes and shall not affect, or in any way be taken into account in computing, the Capital Account of any Member or the share of Net Income, Net Loss, other tax items or distributions of any Member pursuant to any provision of this Agreement.

4.4 Distributions of Net Cash.

(a) Subject to Section 10.2, the Net Cash (if any) for each Fiscal Year of the Company shall be distributed to the Members, no less than once per calendar quarter, in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests; provided, however, that in the event Vince (i) is in breach of its obligation to pay any earned Royalties or Guaranteed Minimum Royalties due under the Vince License Agreement (after receipt of notice and the applicable cure period under Section 9(a)(i)(A) of the Standard Terms of the Vince License Agreement); or (ii) fails to perform its indemnification obligations pursuant to Article VII of the Purchase Agreement, in each case, the Company shall be allowed to set off against any amounts payable to the Vince Member pursuant to this Section 4.4 (in one or more distributions) any amount which ABG Intermediate or its Affiliates is actually entitled to be paid by Vince pursuant to the Vince License Agreement or the Purchase Agreement, as the case may be, which amount(s) shall not be distributed to the Vince Member but shall instead be paid by the Company to the ABG Member or its applicable Affiliate, until such time that all amounts due by Vince under the Vince License Agreement or the Purchase Agreement, as applicable, are fully satisfied.

(b) In the event a Member Transfers any portion of its Membership Interests, any Distributions made to the applicable transferring Member with respect to such Transferred Membership Interests on or prior to such date of Transfer will be taken into account for purposes of determining the amount of Distributions payable to such transferee following the completion of such Transfer.

(c) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Members and the Company acknowledge and agree that (i) in the event any amounts are paid to the Company in connection with its rights to indemnification under the Purchase Agreement (in its capacity as buyer thereunder) or the Vince License Agreement (in its capacity as licensor thereunder), any and all such amounts shall be distributed in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.4(a); and (ii) the ABG Member shall be entitled to enforce the rights set forth in Section 7.2 of the Purchase Agreement or Section 7(b) of the Vince License Agreement, as applicable, on behalf of the Company as though the ABG Member were the Company.

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4.5 Varying Interests. For purposes of determining Net Income, Net Loss and any other items of income, gain, loss and deduction allocable to any Member for any period, Net Income, Net Loss and any such other items will be determined on a daily, monthly or other basis, as determined by the Manager acting in good faith, using any permissible method under Code Section 706 and the Treasury Regulations thereunder.

4.6 Withholding Taxes.

(a) The Company shall make tax payments on behalf of or with respect to, or withhold taxes from distributions or allocations to, any Member (“Tax Advances”) to the extent required by Law and shall promptly remit any such amounts to the appropriate Governmental Body. Any reduction of or withholding on any payment to the Company on account of taxes attributable to or with respect to a Member shall be treated as a Tax Advance with respect to such Member for all purposes of this Agreement. All Tax Advances made on behalf of or with respect to a Member (other than by way of withholding) shall be repaid to the Company by reducing the amount of the current or next succeeding distribution or distributions which would otherwise have been made to such Member, or, if such distributions are not sufficient for that purpose, by requiring such Member to promptly reimburse the Company for any amounts not previously repaid, in which case such Member shall so promptly reimburse the Company. Any reduction of a distribution otherwise payable to a Member pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence and any Tax Advances withheld by the Company from a distribution to a Member shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as amounts actually distributed to such Member pursuant to Section 4.4.

(c) Survival; Interpretation. The provisions of this Section 4.6 shall survive the termination of any Member’s interest in the Company, the termination of this Agreement and the termination of the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 4.6 shall not apply to entity-level Taxes, which are the subject of Section 7.7.

4.7 No Restoration of Negative Capital Accounts. No Member shall be obligated to restore a Capital Account with a balance of less than zero.

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4.8 Compliance with Laws and Regulations. It is the intent of the Members that each Member’s distributive share of Company tax items be determined in accordance with this Agreement to the fullest extent permitted by Code Sections 704(b) and 704(c). Therefore, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, if the Company is advised that the allocations provided in this Agreement are unlikely to be respected for Federal income tax purposes, the Manager, with the consent of each of the Members (which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), is hereby granted the power to amend the allocation provisions of this Agreement, on advice of accountants and legal counsel, to the minimum extent necessary to cause such allocation provisions to be respected for Federal income tax purposes.

ARTICLE V

MANAGEMENT

5.1 Management.

(a) Management by the Manager. In accordance with Section 18-401 of the Act, the business, property and affairs of the Company shall be managed, and all powers of the Company shall be exercised, by or under the direction of a single “manager” of the Company within the meaning of the Act. ABG Intermediate is hereby designated the initial Manager. Except for matters for which approval by the Members (or any particular Member(s)) is expressly required by this Agreement or the mandatory provisions of the Act, all decisions concerning the management, operation and policy of the Company’s business shall be made by the Manager and the Manager shall have exclusive authority, power and discretion to manage and control the business, property and affairs of the Company, to make all decisions regarding those matters and to perform any and all acts or activities customary or incident to the management, operation and policy of the Company’s business, property or affairs. For the purpose of clarification, each reference in the immediately preceding sentence to the word “business” includes, but is not limited to, the Business. Decisions of the Manager within its scope of authority shall be binding upon the Company and each Member (as such decision affects the Company and, therefore, each Member’s Membership Interest). Except for matters for which approval by any of the Members (or any particular Member(s)) is expressly required by this Agreement or the mandatory provisions of the Act, no Member shall have the right to vote on any matters concerning the affairs of the Company.

 

 

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(b) Covered Expense Amount. In consideration of and subject to receipt of the Covered Expenses Amount, the Manager shall provide, or procure to provide, either directly or indirectly through an Affiliate or an unrelated third Person, the Management Services to the Company. The Company shall pay the Covered Expenses Amount once per quarter to ABG or one or more of its subsidiaries or designees, as designated by ABG in writing. Any payment of the Covered Expense Amount pursuant to this Section 5.1(b) will, for applicable income Tax purposes, be treated by the Company and the Manager as a fee paid by the Company to the Manager.

(c) Actions on Behalf of Company. Without limiting the generality of Section 5.1, but subject to the limitations set forth elsewhere in this Agreement, the Manager or its designee hereby is authorized and empowered to carry out and implement any and all of the following actions on behalf of the Company:

(i) to engage personnel, including the officers of the Company, and to do such other acts and incur such other expenses on behalf of the Company as it may deem necessary or advisable in connection with the conduct of the Business provided, that the Covered Expenses Amount shall be the total amount of expenses payable by the Company with respect to categories of expenses included in the Covered Expenses; provided, further, that the Manager shall provide, or shall cause one or more of its Affiliates to provide, such categories of services to the Company;

(ii) to engage independent attorneys, accountants, investment advisers, agents or other such Persons as it may deem necessary or advisable;

(iii) to open, maintain, conduct and close accounts, including depositary, custodial, brokerage, margin, client or discretionary accounts, with banks, brokers, investment advisers, or other Persons and to pay the fees and charges for transactions in such accounts;

(iv) to execute, deliver and perform such other contracts and agreements, and to enter into, perform and effectuate such other undertakings or transactions, as it may deem necessary or advisable for the conduct of the business of the Company;

(v) to act as the Company Representative; and

(vi) to perform all other services as are customary for the commercially effective operation of an owner and licensor of intellectual property used in connection with the production and sale of retail brands.

(d) Restriction on Members’ Authority. No Member is an agent of the Company solely by virtue of being a Member, and no Member except those members that are Managers as expressly provided herein, has the authority to act for or bind the Company, in each case, solely by virtue of being a Member.

(e) Devotion of Time and Effort as Manager. It is acknowledged that the Manager has other business interests to which it may devote part of its time. The Manager shall devote to the Company such time and efforts as are reasonably necessary and commercially reasonable to manage the affairs of the Company, it being understood that nothing herein shall require the Manager to devote its full time to the business and affairs of the Company. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall preclude the Manager or any of its employees or agents from acting as a director, stockholder, officer, official, consultant or employee of any Person, from receiving compensation for services rendered in connection with the foregoing, from acting as a principal or employee of any Person with whom the Company may contract for services or otherwise in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, or participating in profits derived from investments in any such Person, or from investing in any securities or other property for its, his or her own account, provided, that such participation or involvement shall not interfere with the performance by such Person of its, his or her duties for the Company or its, his or her obligations under this Agreement or any other agreement between such Person and the Company.

 

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(f) Performance of Duties; Reliance. The Manager shall perform its managerial duties in good faith and in a manner it believes to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company and the Business. In performing its duties, the Manager shall be entitled to rely on information, opinions, reports or statements, including financial statements and other financial data, of any attorney, independent accountant or other Person as to matters which the Manager believes to be within such Person’s professional or expert competence unless the Manager has actual knowledge concerning the matter in question that would cause such reliance to be unwarranted.

(g) Exculpation. The Manager shall not be liable to the Company or any Members for any claims, costs, expenses, damages or losses arising out of or in connection with the performance of its duties as the Manager, or for any act or omission performed or omitted to be performed by the Manager in good faith and for a purpose believed by the Manager to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company and the Business, and pursuant to the authority granted to the Manager, as applicable, under this Agreement; provided, however, that the foregoing limitation shall not apply to any claims, costs, expenses, damages or losses attributable to the Manager’s fraud, gross negligence or willful misconduct. Subject to Section 5.1(f) and this Section 5.1(g), the Manager shall not be liable to any Member for claims, costs, expenses, damages or losses due to circumstances beyond the Manager’s control, including due to the negligence, dishonesty, bad faith or misfeasance of any employee, broker or other agent of the Company, provided that such employee, broker or other agent of the Company was selected in accordance with the first sentence of Section 5.1(f).

5.2 Major Decisions. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement, for so long as the Percentage Interest of the Vince Member is at least [***], the Manager shall not be authorized to take, and shall not take or permit to be taken, any of the actions or make any of the decisions that are set forth below (each, a “Major Decision”), in each case solely as they relate to the Company or any of its subsidiaries (but solely to the extent such subsidiaries are expressly referenced), without the prior written consent of such Member:

(a) amend, modify or waive the Certificate of Formation or this Agreement;

(b) amend, modify or waive any governance document of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than the Certificate of Formation or this Agreement), to the extent such amendment, modification or waiver could reasonably be expected to materially and adversely or adversely and disproportionately impact the Vince Member;

(c) [***]

(d) [***]

(e) alter the primary purpose of the Company set forth in Section 2.5 or enter into any new line of business outside the scope of the Business;

(f) enter into, amend, modify or waive any agreement, arrangement or understanding between or among (i) the Company, on the one hand, and (ii) any of the following Persons, on the other hand: (A) other than with respect to the services, fees and expenses included in the Covered Expenses, ABG or any Controlled Affiliate of ABG (other than the Company) or (B) any ABG Shareholder, except, in the case of each of the foregoing, on terms equivalent to or more favorable than those that would result from an arm’s length transaction with an unaffiliated third Person; (g) enter into or effect, or cause or permit the Company or any of its subsidiaries to enter into or effect, any acquisition or acquisitions in excess of [***] in the aggregate per calendar year;

 

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(h) effect any material change in the accounting policies, practices or principles of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, other than as required by changes in GAAP or in interpretations thereof;

(i) [***];

(j) place the Company or any of its subsidiaries into Bankruptcy;

(k) dissolve, liquidate or wind-up of the Company or any of its subsidiaries;

(l) for each Fiscal Year of the Company, allocate taxable income or loss to the Members other than as provided in Section 4.3;

(m) change the U.S. federal income tax classification of the Company from a partnership to an association taxable as a corporation, or cause any material amount of the Company’s assets to be owned by (or by a subsidiary of) a subsidiary that is classified as an association taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

(n) change the limited liability company structure, jurisdiction or type of entity of the Company;

(o) settle or compromise any audit of the Company’s federal income tax returns or make any affirmative tax election (other than tax elections otherwise specifically addressed in this Agreement, except Section 7.6) to the extent such settlement, compromise or election, as applicable, could reasonably be expected to have a materially disproportionate and materially adverse impact on Vince based solely on its Membership Interest in the Company; or

(p) commit or agree in writing to do any of the foregoing.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, (i) nothing in Section 5.2(c) or Section 5.2(n) shall be deemed to require the consent of the Vince Member in connection with any transaction effected in accordance with Section 8.7 and (ii) Section 5.2(c) shall continue to apply for so long as the Vince Member is a party to this Agreement.

5.3 Officers.

(a) The Manager may appoint officers of the Company in its discretion, which may include a chief executive officer, chief financial officer, one or more vice presidents, a secretary and one or more assistant secretaries. The Manager may choose such other officers and agents, as it shall deem necessary, who shall hold their offices for such terms and shall exercise such powers and perform such duties as shall be determined from time to time by the Manager.

(b) Any number of offices may be held by the same person. The officers of the Company shall be empowered to carry out the day-to-day operations of the Company and to implement the actions authorized by the Manager. Any officer may be removed either with or without cause by the Manager at any time. Any officer may resign at any time by giving written notice to the Manager. No officer need be a Member. The officers of the Company as of the date hereof are set forth on Schedule A hereto.

5.4 Title to Assets. The Manager shall cause all assets of the Company (including all intellectual property assets) to be held in the name of the Company.

 

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5.5 Resignation and Removal of the Manager. The Manager may voluntarily resign at any time by giving written notice to the Members. The Manager may only be removed without cause pursuant to an affirmative vote of Members holding in the aggregate at least a Majority-in-Interest.

5.6 Business Opportunities; Conflicts of Interest. Each Member, for itself or through one or more Affiliates, Affiliates (including through such Member and its Affiliates’ equityholders, directors, officers, partners or employees), and each officer of the Company at any time may engage in, conduct and own interests in, or otherwise participate or benefit from other commercial transactions, business ventures and/or investment interests of any and every type and description, independently or with others (including ones which are or may be in competition with the Company) separate and apart from the Company and the Business (collectively, “Other Activities”) with no obligation to offer or present to the Company or any other Member, Manager or officer the right to participate therein, and neither the Company, nor the Manager, nor any other Member shall, by virtue of this Agreement, have any interest in or right of any such Other Activities or the proceeds therefrom.

5.7 Fiduciary Duties. All duties (including fiduciary duties) of the Manager, the Members and the officers of the Company are hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waived to the fullest extent permitted by law, except for those duties specifically set forth in this Agreement and the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in determining whether to vote for or against a particular matter requiring a Member’s vote or consent, a Member may act in and consider such Member’s best interest and shall not be required to act in the best interest of the Company or other Members.

ARTICLE VI

MEMBERSHIP

6.1 Members and Voting Rights. Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement, no Member shall have any rights or preferences in addition to or different from those possessed by any other Member. Members shall have the right to vote upon all of those matters as to which this Agreement or the Act requires such Member action. Each Member shall vote in proportion to his, her or its Percentage Interest as of the governing record date, determined in accordance with Section 6.3. Unless otherwise provided in this Agreement, actions of Members shall be pursuant to the prevailing vote of a Majority-in-Interest. Unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, no Member shall be prohibited from voting merely by reason of the fact that the Member would be voting on a matter of particular interest to that Member.

6.2 Admission of Additional Members. Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement and subject to Article IX, additional or new Members may be admitted only with the approval of the Manager.

6.3 Record Dates. The record date for determining the Members entitled to Notice at any meeting or to vote, or entitled to receive any distribution, or to exercise any right in respect of any other lawful action, shall be the date set by the Manager.

6.4 Membership Certificates. The Company may, but shall not be required, to issue certificates evidencing Units to Persons who, from time to time, are Members of the Company; provided, that once such certificates have been issued, they shall continue to be issued as necessary to reflect current Units held by Members. Certificates shall be in such form as may be approved by the Manager, shall be manually signed by the Manager, and shall bear conspicuous legends evidencing the restrictions on transfer described in, and the purchase rights of the Company and Members set forth in, Article VIII. All issuances, reissuances, exchanges and other transactions in Units involving Members shall be recorded in a permanent ledger as part of the books and records of the Company. The failure of any person signing as Manager to continue to be Manager shall not affect the validity of the certificates.

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6.5 Meetings: Call, Notice and Quorum. The Company shall not be required to hold an annual meeting of Members. Special meetings of the Members may be called at any time by the Manager or either Initial Member, for the purpose of addressing any matters on which the Members may vote by delivering Notice to the Members. Meetings may be held at the principal executive office of the Company or at such other location as may be designated by the Manager. Following the call of a meeting, the Manager shall give Notice of such meeting not less than five (5) or more than sixty (60) days prior to the date of the meeting to all Members entitled to vote at the meeting. The Notice shall state the place, date, and hour of the meeting and the general nature of business to be transacted. No other business may be transacted at the meeting. A quorum at any meeting of Members shall consist of a Majority-in-Interest, represented in person or by proxy. The Members present at a duly called or held meeting at which a quorum is present may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough Members to leave less than a quorum, if the action taken, other than adjournment, is approved by the requisite Percentage Interests as specified in this Agreement or the Act.

6.6 Adjournment of Meetings. A meeting of Members at which a quorum is present may be adjourned to another time or place and any business which might have been transacted at the original meeting may be transacted at the adjourned meeting. If a quorum is not present at an original meeting, that meeting may be adjourned by the vote of a Majority-in-Interest represented at that meeting either in person or by proxy. Notice of the adjourned meeting need not be given to Members entitled to Notice if the time and place thereof are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken, unless the adjournment is for more than forty-five (45) days, or if, after the adjournment, a new record date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, in which cases Notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given to each Member of record entitled to vote at the adjourned meeting in the manner provided in Section 6.5.

6.7 Waiver of Notice. The transactions of any meeting of Members, however called and noticed, and wherever held, shall be as valid as though consummated at a meeting duly held after regular call and notice, if a quorum is present at that meeting, either in person or by proxy, and if, either before or after the meeting, each of the persons entitled to vote, not present in person or by proxy, signs either a written waiver of notice, a consent to the holding of the meeting, or an approval of the minutes of the meeting. Attendance of a Member at a meeting shall constitute waiver of notice, except when that Member objects, at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business on the ground that the meeting was not lawfully called or convened. Attendance at a meeting is not a waiver of any right to object to the consideration of matters required to be described in the notice of the meeting and not so included, if the objection is expressly made at the meeting.

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6.8 Proxies. At all meetings of Members, a Member may vote in person or by proxy, which must be in writing. Such proxy shall be filed with the Manager before or at the time of the meeting, and may be filed by e-mail transmission to the Manager at the principal office of the Company or such other address as may be given by the Manager to the Members for such purposes.

6.9 Participation in Meetings by Conference Telephone. Members may participate in a meeting through use of conference telephone or similar communications equipment, so long as all Members participating in such meeting can hear one another. Such participation shall be deemed attendance at the meeting.

6.10 Action by Members Without a Meeting. Any action that may be taken at any meeting of the Members may be taken without a meeting if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, is signed by Members owning all of the issued and outstanding Units.

ARTICLE VII

ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL REPORTING; TAX MATTERS

7.1 Accounts and Accounting. Proper and complete books of account and records of the Company’s business, in which each Company transaction shall be fully and accurately entered, shall be kept at the Company’s principal executive office, and at such other locations as the Manager shall determine from time to time, and shall be open to inspection and copying by each Member or his, her or its authorized representatives upon reasonable Notice and for a proper purpose during normal business hours or shall be copied and delivered by Manager to the requesting Member promptly following a request therefor. The costs of such inspection, copying and delivery shall be borne by the Member.

7.2 Accounting. The financial statements of the Company shall be prepared in accordance with GAAP and certified by the Company’s chief financial officer. The annual accounting period of the Company shall be its Fiscal Year.

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7.3 Records. At all times during the term of existence of the Company, and beyond that term if the Manager deems it necessary, the Manager shall keep or cause to be kept the books of account referred to in Section 7.1, together with:

(a) a current list of the full name and last known business or residence address of each Member, together with the Capital Contributions and the share in Net Income and Net Loss of each Member;

(b) a copy of the Certificate of Formation and all amendments thereto;

(c) copies of the Company’s Federal, state, and local income tax or information returns and reports, if any, for the six (6) most recent taxable years, if available;

(d) an executed counterpart of this Agreement, as amended from time to time;

(e) copies of all written consents of the Members which are required pursuant to the terms of this Agreement;

(f) copies of the financial statements of the Company for the six (6) most recent Fiscal Years, if available;

(g) the books and records of the Company as they relate to the Company’s internal affairs for the current and past four (4) Fiscal Years of the Company;

(h) [***]; and

(i) copies of all registrations of Company IP.

7.4 Member’s Rights to Records.

(a) Upon the request of any Member, for purposes reasonably related to the interest of such Member, the Manager shall cause to be promptly delivered to such Member, at the expense of such Member, (i) a copy of the information required to be maintained pursuant to Section 7.3, and (ii) estimates of third-party costs and expenses, including of any Separate Expenses, to the extent available.

(b) The Manager shall cause to be promptly furnished to each Member a copy of any amendment to the Certificate of Formation.

(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be obligated to disclose any information to the extent such disclosure would breach any contractual obligations of the Company or any subsidiary thereof, violate any Law or jeopardize any attorney-client privilege.

7.5 Financial and Other Reports.

(a) Governmental Reports. The Manager shall cause to be filed all documents and reports required to be filed with any Governmental Body in accordance with the Act.

 

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(b) Financial Reports. The Manager shall cause to be sent to each Member (a) not later than thirty (30) days after the close of each Fiscal Year, the Company’s unaudited financial statements for that Fiscal Year, including a balance sheet as of the end of that Fiscal Year and an income statement and statement of changes in financial position for that Fiscal Year, and (b) within thirty (30) days after the end of each of the first three (3) fiscal quarters of each Fiscal Year, the Company’s unaudited financial statements for such fiscal quarter, including a balance sheet as of the end of that fiscal quarter and an income statement and statement of changes in financial position for such fiscal quarter, all of the foregoing to be prepared in accordance with GAAP. The financial statements for each period will show (i) the applicable Covered Expenses Amount for such period and (ii) the amount of the Separate Expenses for such period, including reasonably sufficient detail with respect to the transactions underlying such Separate Expenses.

(c) Tax Reports. The Manager shall cause to be prepared, at the Company’s expense, information necessary for the preparation of the Members’ tax returns. As soon as practicable following the end of each Fiscal Year of the Company. The Manager shall send or cause to be sent to each Member such information as is necessary for Members to timely complete their tax returns; provided that the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to provide (i) tax estimates to each Member on or before (A) the date five (5) days prior to each estimated tax due date for such Member, and (B) March 31 of the calendar year following each Fiscal Year and (ii) a final K-1 on or before September 15 of the calendar year following each Fiscal Year. The Company shall promptly provide Vince with any other tax information reasonably requested by Vince; provided, that the Company is not prohibited by applicable law from providing such information and such information is reasonably available to the Company and can be provided to Vince without undue effort.

7.6 Tax Elections. Decisions regarding tax elections of the Company not otherwise specifically addressed in this Agreement shall be made by the Manager, subject to Section 5.2.

7.7 Certain Tax Matters.

(a) Designation of Company Representative.

(i) ABG Intermediate is hereby designated as the “partnership representative” of the Company as such term is defined under the BBA Rules (the “Company Representative”). In the event of the resignation or unavailability of the then-current Company Representative, a successor or replacement shall be designated as determined by the Manager in good faith; provided, that if such designee is not an Affiliate of the ABG Member, such successor or replacement shall be designated by the ABG Member subject to reasonable approval by the Vince Member. The Company Representative may engage such professional advisors as it may deem appropriate in carrying out its duties. The Company Representative shall in good faith perform the obligations and functions required of a partnership representative to the extent and in the manner provided by applicable Code sections and Treasury Regulations. The Company Representative shall be entitled to cause the Company to elect the application of Section 6226 of the Code and, except as otherwise provided in Section 5.2, make any other decision or election or take any action pursuant to the BBA Rules.

(ii) Any Member (including any former Member) that is in dispute with any taxing authority in relation to a matter relating to the Company shall notify the Company Representative within thirty (30) days or as promptly as practicable thereafter following the occurrence of the dispute, and if the Company Representative reasonably determines that the matter is of material relevance to the tax position of the Company, such Member shall consult in good faith with the Company Representative (or any advisor appointed by the Company Representative for the purpose) as to how that dispute is to be handled. Any Member (including any former Member) that enters into a settlement agreement with respect to any Company item shall notify the Company Representative of such settlement agreement and its terms within thirty (30) days or as promptly as practicable thereafter following such agreement. The Company shall reimburse the Company Representative for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Company Representative including reasonable fees of any professionals or attorneys, in carrying out its duties as the Company Representative.

 

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(b) Entity Taxes.

(i) If any Entity Taxes are imposed on or otherwise payable by the Company (including the Company’s share of Entity Taxes imposed on any subsidiaries of the Company), the Company Representative shall allocate among the Members and former Members such Entity Taxes in a manner it determines in its good faith discretion to be fair and equitable, taking into account (a) any modifications attributable to a Member or former Member pursuant to the BBA Rules (if applicable) and (b) the proportionate interests of such Members and former Members in the Company during the applicable taxable period. To the extent that a portion of the Entity Taxes for a prior year relates to a former Member, the Company may require such former Member (and its successor or transferee in interest) to pay to the Company an amount equal to its allocable portion of such Entity Taxes (which shall not be treated as a Capital Contribution, and no additional Units will be issued to such former Member or its successor or transferee in interest in respect thereof). Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company Representative in good faith determines that seeking a payment from a former Member is not practicable or that seeking such payment has failed, the Company Representative may require the Member that acquired directly or indirectly from such former Member the interest in the Company associated with such portion of the Entity Taxes to pay such amount to the Company. Each Member acknowledges and agrees that, notwithstanding the Transfer of all or any portion of its interest in the Company, it will remain liable for Entity Taxes with respect to its allocable share of income and gain of the Company for the Company’s taxable years (or portions thereof) before such Transfer pursuant to this Section 7.7(b).

(ii) Each Member (including each former Member or its successors or transferees in interest, as applicable) shall pay to the Company in immediately available funds by wire transfer its allocable share of any Entity Tax within five (5) days following written notice by the Company that payment of such amounts to the appropriate Governmental Body is due, provided that no such payment will be required earlier than ten (10) days prior to the due date for payment of such amounts to the appropriate Governmental Body. Any deficiency for taxes imposed on any Member (including penalties, additions to tax or interest imposed with respect to such taxes and taxes imposed pursuant to Section 6226 of the Code) shall be timely paid by such Member, and, if required to be paid (and actually paid) by the Company, shall be recoverable by the Company pursuant to the preceding sentence. Any payments to the Company pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this paragraph shall not increase such Member’s Capital Contribution and no additional Units will be issued to such Member (or such former Member or successor or transferee in interest, as applicable) in respect thereof, and any such payment shall be payable notwithstanding the termination of the Company. In lieu of the foregoing, the Company may, in the good faith discretion of the Manager, pay any Entity Tax imposed on or otherwise payable by the Company and treat such payment, to the extent such payment is allocable to a Member pursuant to this Section 7.7, as an advance to such Member to be repaid by such Member by reducing the amount of the current or next succeeding distribution or distributions which would otherwise have been made to such Member or, if such distributions are not sufficient for that purpose, by so reducing the proceeds of liquidation otherwise payable to such Member. If a Member reimburses its share of an Entity Tax by having the amount of a distribution (or distributions) reduced as described in the preceding sentence, for all other purposes of this Agreement, such Member shall be treated as having received all distributions (whether before or upon termination) unreduced by the amount of such Entity Tax and interest thereon. Any payments required pursuant to this Section 7.7 that are not made before the date on which the payment to such Government Body is due shall bear interest at a rate equal to the Prime Rate as of such due date, plus 2.0% per annum.

(iii) The Members (and former Members) agree to take all actions and provide any information reasonably requested by the Company or the Company Representative to comply with the BBA Rules.

(iv) In the event of an adjustment with respect to any Company tax item attributable to or otherwise affecting a Member (or a former Member), the Company and the Company Representative shall use their reasonable efforts to cause to be timely delivered to such Member (or former Member) such information with respect to the Company as may be reasonably necessary for the preparation or amendment of such Member’s (or former Member’s) U.S. federal, state and local tax returns.

 

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(c) Survival. The provisions of this Section 7.7 shall survive the termination of any Member’s interest in the Company, the termination of this Agreement and the termination of the Company and shall remain binding on each Member, the Company and the Company Representative for the period of time necessary to resolve with the IRS all federal income tax matters relating to the Company.

ARTICLE VIII

WITHDRAWAL OF MEMBERS;

TRANSFERS OF MEMBERSHIP INTERESTS

8.1 Transfer and Assignment of Interests. Except for Transfers made pursuant to Sections 8.4, 8.6, 8.7 and 8.9, or a Transfer of Units held by the Vince Member or one or more of its Permitted Transferees to the ABG Member that is effectuated pursuant to Section 10(a)(ii) of the Standard Terms of the Vince License Agreement and/or the Pledge Agreement, and subject to the requirements of this Article VIII, Membership Interests shall only be Transferred upon the prior written approval of the Manager. Except for Transfers made in accordance with Section 8.4, no direct Transfer of Membership Interests to a Person not already a Member of the Company shall be deemed completed until the prospective Transferee is admitted as a Member of the Company in accordance with Section 6.2 of this Agreement. After the consummation of any Transfer of any part of a Member’s Membership Interests, the Membership Interests so Transferred shall continue to be subject to the terms and provisions of this Agreement (provided, that any consent rights of the Vince Member set forth in this Agreement shall only transfer to a Transferee of the Vince Member’s Membership Interests hereunder in accordance with Section 8.3(b)) and any further Transfers shall be required to comply with all the terms and provisions of this Agreement.

8.2 Further Restrictions on Transfer of Interests. In addition to other restrictions contained in this Agreement, except for any Transfer pursuant to Section 8.6 or Section 8.7, no Member shall Transfer all or any part of its Membership Interest: (a) without compliance with all federal and state securities laws to the extent applicable; (b) if such Transfer would affect the Company’s existence or qualification as a limited liability company under the Act; (c) if the Manager determines that such Transfer would cause the Company to lose its status as a partnership for federal income tax purposes; (d) if such Transfer would cause the Company to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; (e) unless the Manager determines that such Transfer would not result in the Company being treated as a “publicly traded partnership” within the meaning of Code Section 7704; (f) unless the transferring Member and the Assignee have provided the Company with either (A) a fully completed and executed IRS Form W-9 or a certificate reasonably satisfactory to the Manager evidencing that no withholding is required under Section 1446(f) of the Code or (B) a certificate of the amount realized by the transferring Member for such interest and the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by the U.S. Department of Treasury evidencing the payment of the tax withheld under Section 1446(f) of the Code in respect of the amount realized by the transferring Member for such interest (plus any interest and penalties) or other evidence of such payment, in each case, reasonably satisfactory to the Manager; (g) to any Person (other than to an Affiliate of a Member) primarily engaged in any line of business competitive with (1) the Business or any other material lines of business that the Company is actively developing as of the time of determination or (2) the business of licensing, sourcing, marketing, distributing and designing footwear, handbags, accessories and/or apparel; and (h) unless the transferor pays all expenses reasonably incurred by the Company, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs, in connection with such Transfer.

8.3 Substitution of Members.

(a) An Assignee of a Membership Interest shall have the right to become a substitute Member only if: (i) the requirements of Sections 8.1 and 8.2 are met; and (ii) the Assignee executes an instrument reasonably satisfactory to the Members accepting and adopting the terms and provisions of this Agreement as such were applicable to the transferring Member at the time of transfer. The admission of an Assignee as a substitute Member shall not result in the release of the Member who assigned the Membership Interest from any liability that such Member may have to the Company.

 

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(b) In the event the Vince Member Transfers all of its Percentage Interest in the Company held as of the date hereof as may be adjusted from time to time as a result of any Transfer effected pursuant to Section 8.7, to a third party Transferee, such third party Transferee shall be entitled to enforce (subject, for the avoidance of doubt, to the thresholds set forth in Sections 5.2 and 5.3) all of the rights of the Vince Member set forth in this Agreement as though it were the Vince Member.

8.4 Permitted Transfers. Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 8.1 and 8.6, all or any part of the Membership Interest of any Member may be Transferred, with or without consideration, by gift, sale, by operation of law, upon termination of trust, upon death or other voluntary or involuntary conveyance, subject to compliance with Section 8.2 to the Company or a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity that is a wholly-owned Affiliate of that Member; provided, that the Transferring Member shall provide prior written notice to the other Members of such Transfer and, provided, further, that such Transferring Member shall remain responsible for or otherwise guarantee performance of the obligations under this Agreement by such Transferee. Any Transferee(s) permitted under the preceding sentence (a “Permitted Transferee”) shall hold the Transferred Membership Interest or part thereof subject to all the provisions of this Agreement and shall execute and deliver to the Company a joinder to this Agreement, in form and substance acceptable to the Manager, upon the consummation of such Transfer.

8.5 Effective Date of Permitted Transfers. Any permitted Transfer of all or any portion of a Member’s Membership Interest shall be effective on the day following the date upon which the requirements applicable to such Transfer pursuant to this Agreement have been satisfied. The Member that is a party to the permitted Transfer shall provide all other Members with written notice of such Transfer as promptly as possible after the requirements applicable to such Transfer pursuant to this Agreement have been met.

8.6 Tag-Along Rights.

(a) In the event that the ABG Member (the “Selling Member”) agrees to Transfer any of the Membership Interest then held by the ABG Member (other than a Transfer or series of Transfers to strategic investors (as determined by the Manager acting in good faith) in an aggregate amount (when taken together with prior Transfers by any ABG Member) not to exceed [***] of the Membership Interest held by the ABG Member on the date of this Agreement) to any Person or group of Persons other than another Member (a “Tag-Along Buyer”) or other than pursuant to Section 8.4, the Selling Member must first notify the other Members in writing (a “Tag-Along Notice”) of such intended Transfer at least twenty (20) days prior to the proposed date for the consummation of such Transfer; which notice will contain all of the terms of the proposed Transfer including the name and address of the prospective purchaser(s), the purchase price (which is to be determined on the basis of all consideration paid or to be paid in connection with such Transfer), a description of any non-cash consideration in sufficient detail to permit the valuation thereof, other terms and conditions of payment (or the basis for determining the purchase price and other terms and conditions), and any other material terms and conditions of the proposed Transfer, together with a copy of any agreement proposed to be executed in connection therewith, and the date on or about which such sale is anticipated to be consummated and the Membership Interests are to be Transferred.

(b) Within twenty (20) days (the “Tag-Along Period”) after receipt of the Tag-Along Notice, (the “Tag-Along Participation Notice”) each other Member shall have the option, exercisable by written notice to the Selling Member to participate in the proposed Transfer (such Transfer, a “Tag-Along Transfer” and such other Members, each a “Tag-Along Participant”). The failure to provide such notice within such twenty (20) day period shall be deemed to constitute an irrevocable waiver by such Tag-Along Participant of the right to Transfer any Membership Interests in connection with the proposed Transfer described in such Notice of Transfer. In the event the Tag-Along Buyer is unwilling to purchase all of the Selling Member’s Membership Interests and all of the Tag-Along Participants’ Membership Interests, then each of the Selling Member and each of the Tag-Along Participants will be entitled to sell to the Tag-Along Buyer, Units in an amount determined by multiplying the total number of Units which are to be purchased by the Tag-Along Buyer by a fraction, the numerator of which is the Percentage Interest of such Member and the denominator of which is the aggregate Percentage Interests held by the Selling Member and the Tag-Along Participants together.

 

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(c) At the closing of any proposed Tag-Along Transfer the Tag-Along Participants shall deliver, free and clear of all liens (other than restrictions on transfer under applicable securities laws), to the Tag-Along Buyer, the applicable Membership Interests to be Transferred and shall receive in exchange therefore, pro-rata based upon Percentage Interests sold, the consideration to be paid or delivered by the Tag-Along Buyer as described in the Tag-Along Notice; provided, that (1) each Tag-Along Participant will receive the same form of consideration for their Units of such class or series as is received by other holders in respect of their Units of such same class or series of and (2) each holder of Units will receive the same amount of consideration per Unit as is received by other holders in respect of their Units.

(d) The Selling Member shall have sixty (60) days following the expiration of the Tag-Along Period in which to Transfer the Membership Interests described in the Tag-Along Notice, on the terms set forth in the Tag-Along Notice. If at the end of such sixty (60) day period, the Selling Member has not completed such Transfer, the Selling Member may not then effect a Transfer of Membership Interests that would be subject to this Section 8.6 without again fully complying with the provisions of this Section 8.6.

(e) The exercise or non-exercise of the rights of the Tag-Along Participants hereunder to participate in one or more sales of Membership Interests made by Selling Member hereunder shall not affect their rights to participate in subsequent sales by Selling Member that meet the conditions specified in this Section 8.6.

(f) No Member shall be required to agree to any restrictive covenant in connection with any Tag-Along Transfer (including any covenant not to solicit or hire customers, employees or suppliers of the Company); provided, that any Tag-Along Participant shall be required to agree to customary non-solicitation agreements to the extent reasonably requested by the Tag-Along Buyer and to the extent any such non-solicitation agreement is not on terms that are less favorable than those agreed to by the Selling Member.

(g) No Member shall be required to agree to any covenant not to compete with any party to any Tag-Along Transfer in connection with any such Tag-Along Transfer.

8.7 Drag-Along Rights.

(a) If at any time after the date hereof, the ABG Member (the “Transferring Member”) desires to Transfer in a bona fide arm’s-length sale to Persons who are not Affiliates of the ABG Member (for purposes of this Section 8.7, collectively, the “Proposed Transferee”) all of its Membership Interests in the Company, whether in a single transaction or in a series of related transactions, for consideration consisting solely of cash or Marketable Securities, then the Transferring Member shall have the right (the “Drag-Along Right”) to require all Members which are not Transferring Members (collectively, the “Other Members”) to sell to the Proposed Transferee their entire Membership Interests; provided, that the Transferring Member shall be entitled to exercise the Drag-Along Right only for so long as the ABG Member or one of its Affiliates continues to hold at least a plurality of the then-issued and outstanding Units, representing in the aggregate not less than fifty-one percent (51%) of the then-issued and outstanding Units. The sale price to be paid to each Member will be an amount equal to the amount that would be distributed to such Member assuming that the Company distributed the aggregate sales price for all of the Membership Interests, net of closing and transaction costs, escrows (provided, that any monies subsequently released from escrow will be paid to the Members if and when released) and other contingent payments, and closing adjustments (including payment of all indebtedness and liabilities), in accordance with Section 4.4 (the “Drag-Along Price”). The Transfer of Membership Interests in connection with the exercise of the Drag-Along Right is referred to herein as a “Covered Transfer.”

 

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(b) To exercise the Drag-Along Right, the Transferring Member shall give the Other Members a Notice, delivered not less than thirty (30) days prior to the consummation of the proposed Covered Transfer, containing (i) the name and address of the Proposed Transferee, (ii) the terms and conditions of the proposed Covered Transfer, including the date on or about which such sale is anticipated to be consummated and the Membership Interests are to be Transferred, and (iii) the Drag-Along Price (based on a reasonable estimate of transaction costs, escrows and closing adjustments) and including a description of any non-cash consideration in sufficient detail to permit the valuation thereof, other terms and conditions of payment (or the basis for determining the purchase price and other terms and conditions) and any other material terms of the proposed Covered Transfer.

(c) In connection with a Covered Transfer, the Other Members shall, if requested by the Proposed Transferee, promptly execute, deliver and perform agreements with the Proposed Transferee relating to the sale containing terms that are consistent in all material respects with those contained in the agreements to be executed, delivered and performed by the Transferring Members; provided, that no Other Member shall be required to agree to any restrictive covenant in connection with any Covered Transfer (including any covenant not to solicit or hire customers, employees or suppliers of the Company); provided, further, that any Other Member shall be required to agree to customary non-solicitation agreements to the extent reasonably requested by the Proposed Transferee and to the extent any such non-solicitation agreement is not on terms that are less favorable than those agreed to by the Transferring Member. No other Member shall be required to agree to any covenant not to compete with any party to a Covered Transfer in connection with any such Covered Transfer.

(d) No Member shall be required to make individual representations and warranties in connection with the exercise of a Drag-Along Right other than customary representations and warranties, on a several and not joint basis, including regarding the power and authority of such Member to engage in the Transfer, the receipt of appropriate corporate or similar authorizations, the absence of any consents or approvals applicable to such Member (other than those which have been obtained), and that such Member has good and marketable title to its Membership Interests, free and clear of all liens, claims and other encumbrances. Any liability or indemnification provisions regarding the Covered Transfer shall be borne on a pro rata basis as between the Transferring Members and the ABG Member.

(e) At the closing of any Covered Transfer, (i) each Member shall deliver, free and clear of all liens, all of its entire Membership Interest and shall receive in exchange therefor the same form of consideration for its Units of such class or series as is received by other holders in respect of their Units of such same class or series of and (ii) each holder of Units shall receive the same amount of consideration per Unit as is received by other holders in respect of their Units.

8.8 Violative Transfers. Any purported Transfer of a Membership Interest in violation of this Article VIII shall be void and ineffectual and shall not bind or be recognized by the Company or any other party. The purported transferee in any such Transfer shall have no right to vote or participate in the management of the Business, property and affairs of the Company or to exercise any rights of a Member.

8.9 Pledge. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this Agreement, the Units issued hereunder to Vince are subject to that certain Pledge Agreement, dated concurrently herewith, between Vince and ABG Intermediate (the “Pledge Agreement”). The pledge of such Units shall not, except as otherwise provided in the Pledge Agreement, cause Vince to cease to be a member or to have the power to exercise any rights or powers of a member and, except as provided in the Pledge Agreement, ABG Intermediate shall not have any liability solely as a result of such pledge. Without limiting the foregoing, the right of ABG Intermediate to enforce its rights and remedies under the Pledge Agreement and any other collateral documentation referenced therein is hereby acknowledged and any such action properly taken in accordance with the terms thereof shall be valid and effective under this Agreement and any assignment, sale or other disposition of the Units by ABG Intermediate pursuant to any the Pledge Agreement and any other collateral documentation referenced therein in connection with the exercise of any rights and powers of ABG Intermediate shall be valid and effective for all purposes to transfer all right, title and interest of Vince hereunder to ABG Intermediate in accordance with the Pledge Agreement (and any other collateral documentation referenced therein) and applicable law (including, without limitation, the rights to participate in the management of the business and the business affairs of the Company, to share profits and losses, to receive distributions and to receive allocation of income, gain, loss, deduction, credit or similar items). Further, ABG Intermediate shall not be liable for the obligations of Vince to make contributions, if any.

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8.10 Uncertificated Units. The Members and the Company reaffirm that as of the date of this Agreement the Units in the Company are uncertificated, and hereby agree that for so long as any pledge or hypothecation of any Units in the Company is in effect to secure the repayment of any indebtedness, liabilities and obligations of Vince, the Company shall not issue any certificate or other security evidencing the Units and shall not elect to have the Units constitute securities governed by Article 8 of the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in any relevant jurisdiction.

8.11 Right of First Refusal. In the event that (i) the Manager proposes that the Company enter into a sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets (other than in connection with a Change of Control) or (ii) the ABG Member proposes to exercise its Drag-Along Right pursuant to Section 8.7, in each case, pursuant to a transaction or series of related transactions, for an aggregate purchase price that is equal to or less than $102,000,000 (a “ROFR Proposed Transaction”), then the Vince Member shall have the right, but not the obligation (the “Vince ROFR”), to purchase, all of such assets or equity interests, as applicable, pursuant to and in accordance with the following provisions of this Section 8.11. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Vince ROFR may only be exercised by the Vince Member if and only if the Vince License Agreement has not expired or been terminated, and if the Vince License Agreement is in full force and effect, Vince is not then in breach of the Vince License Agreement to the extent such breach would give rise to the Company’s termination rights thereunder; provided, that to the extent Vince cures any such breach in accordance with the terms of the Vince License Agreement the foregoing limitation shall cease to apply.

(a) The Manager shall cause the ROFR Proposed Transaction and the material terms thereof to be reduced to writing and shall promptly notify the Vince Member of its desire to effect the ROFR Proposed Transaction and otherwise comply with the provisions of this Section 8.11 (such notice, the “ROFR Offer Notice”). The ROFR Offer Notice shall constitute an irrevocable offer to sell all of the assets or equity interests which are the subject of the ROFR Proposed Transaction (the “Offered Interests”) on the basis described below, at a purchase price equal to or greater than the price contained in, the ROFR Proposed Transaction. The ROFR Offer Notice shall be accompanied by true copies of any definitive documents (if any) underlying the ROFR Proposed Transaction (which shall identify the proposed buyer (the “Proposed Buyer”) with respect to which the Manager shall provide to the extent in the Manager’s possession, all materially relevant information reasonably requested by Vince).

(b) The Vince Member may elect, by written notice to the Manager, given within fifteen (15) days after receipt of the ROFR Offer Notice (the “Vince Acceptance Notice”), to purchase all of the Offered Interests (the “Option Period”) at the price and on the other terms set forth in the ROFR Offer Notice (other than de minimis modifications). The Vince Acceptance Notice shall constitute a valid, legally binding and enforceable agreement for the sale and purchase of the Offered Interests covered by the Vince Acceptance Notice.

(c) In the event that the price set forth in the ROFR Offer Notice is stated in consideration other than cash or cash equivalents, the Manager shall determine (in consultation with the Vince Member) the fair market value of such consideration, reasonably and in good faith, and the Vince Member may affect their purchase under this Section 8.11 by payment of such fair market value in cash or cash equivalents.

(d) In the event that the Vince Member does not elect to exercise the rights to purchase under this Section 8.11 all of the Offered Interests, the Company may sell the Offered Interests to the Proposed Buyer on the terms and conditions set forth in the ROFR Offer Notice. Promptly after the consummation of any such transaction, the Manager shall notify the Vince Member, of the consummation thereof and shall furnish such evidence of the completion and time of completion of the transaction and of the terms thereof as may reasonably be requested by the Vince Member. If any such sale of assets or equity interests to a Proposed Buyer is not consummated in accordance with the terms of the ROFR Proposed Transaction on or before ninety (90) calendar days after the latest of: (i) the expiration of the Option Period and (ii) the satisfaction of all governmental approval or filing requirements, the ROFR Proposed Transaction shall be deemed to lapse, and any transfer of assets or equity interests pursuant to such ROFR Proposed Transaction shall be in violation of the provisions of this Agreement unless the Manager sends a new ROFR Offer Notice and once again complies with the provisions of this Section 8.11 with respect to such ROFR Proposed Transaction.

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ARTICLE IX

PRE-EMPTIVE RIGHTS

9.1 Preemptive Rights. Subject to Section 5.2, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall issue or sell any Units, or any options, warrants or other rights to acquire any Units, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for, directly or indirectly, any Units or any debt securities of the Company or its subsidiaries (each an “Issuance” of “Subject Securities”), except in compliance with the provisions of this Section 9.1; provided, that if any Subject Securities include Units (or any options, warrants or other rights to acquire any Units, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for, directly or indirectly, any Units) and any other equity or debt securities coupled as a unit, “Subject Securities” shall mean such unit of securities purchased together collectively and not such Units or securities individually.

(a) Participation Notice. Not fewer than ten (10) business days prior to the consummation of the Issuance, a written notice (the “Participation Notice”) shall be delivered by the Company to each holder of Units. The Participation Notice shall include:

(i) the principal terms of the proposed Issuance, including (i) the amount and kind of Subject Securities to be included in the Issuance, (ii) the number of Subject Securities proposed to be issued, (iii) the price per unit of the Subject Securities, (iv) the percentage of the Issuance equal to the number of Units held by such holder immediately prior to the Issuance divided by the aggregate number of Units outstanding immediately prior to the Issuance (the “Participation Portion”) and (v) the name and address of each Person to whom the Subject Securities are proposed to be issued (each a “Prospective Subscriber”); and

(ii) an offer by the Company to issue, at the option of each holder of Units to which a Participation Notice is required to be given, to such holder such portion of the Subject Securities to be included in the Issuance as may be requested by such holder (not to exceed such holder’s Participation Portion of the total amount of Subject Securities to be included in the Issuance), at the same price and otherwise on the same terms and conditions, with respect to each unit of Subject Securities issued to such holders of Units, as the Issuance to each of the Prospective Subscribers.

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9.2 Participation Commitment. Each holder of Units desiring to accept the offer contained in the Participation Notice (each a “Participating Buyer”) shall send an irrevocable commitment (each a “Participation Commitment”) to the Company within five (5) Business Days after the delivery of the Participation Notice specifying the amount of Subject Securities (not to exceed such holder’s Participation Portion of the total amount of Subject Securities to be included in the Issuance) which such holder desires to be issued. Each Participating Member that elects to purchase one hundred percent (100%) of Participation Portion of the total amount of Subject Securities to be included in the Issuance (each, a “Fully Exercising Member”) may, in its Participation Commitment, elect to purchase or acquire, in addition to its Participation Portion, a portion of the Subject Securities, if any, for which other Members were entitled to subscribe but that are not subscribed for by such Member(s). The amount of such overallotment that each Fully Exercising Member shall be entitled to purchase shall be equal to the quotient determined by dividing (1) the total number of Units then held by such Fully Exercising Member by (2) the total number of Units then held by all Fully Exercising Members who wish to purchase such unsubscribed portion of the Subject Securities. Each holder of Units which does not accept such offer in accordance with this Section 9.2 shall be deemed to have waived all of such holder’s rights under this ARTICLE IX with respect to such Issuance, and the Company shall thereafter (except as provided in Section 9.3) be free to issue the Subject Securities in such Issuance to the Prospective Subscribers and any Participating Buyers, at a price not less than ninety-five percent (95%) of the price set forth in the Participation Notice and on other terms not materially more favorable in the aggregate to the Prospective Subscribers and the Participating Buyers than those set forth in the Participation Notice, without any further obligation to such non-accepting holders under this ARTICLE IX. If, prior to consummation, the terms of such proposed Issuance shall change with the result that the price shall be less than ninety-five percent (95%) of the price set forth in the Participation Notice or the other terms of the Issuance shall be materially more favorable to the Prospective Subscribers and the Participating Buyers than those set forth in the Participation Notice, or the number of Subject Securities proposed to be issued to the Prospective Subscribers increases by more than five percent (5%) of the number of Subject Securities set forth in the Participation Notice, it shall be necessary for a separate Participation Notice to be furnished, and the terms and provisions of this ARTICLE IX separately complied with, in order to consummate such Issuance pursuant to this ARTICLE IX.

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9.3 Acceptance. The acceptance of each Participating Buyer shall be irrevocable except as hereinafter provided, and each such Participating Buyer shall be bound and obligated to acquire in the Issuance on the same terms and conditions, including price, as the Prospective Subscribers with respect to each unit of Subject Securities issued, such amount or proportion of Subject Securities as such Participating Buyer shall have specified in such Participating Buyer’s Participation Commitment.

9.4 Failure to Consummate. If at the end of the 180th day following the date of the delivery of the Participation Notice the Company has not completed the Issuance on the terms and conditions specified in such Participation Notice or as otherwise provided by Section 9.1(ii), each Participating Buyer shall be released from its obligations under such Participating Buyer’s Participation Commitment, the Participation Notice shall be null and void, and it shall be necessary for a separate Participation Notice to be furnished, and the terms and provisions of this ARTICLE IX separately complied with, in order to consummate any Issuance subject to this ARTICLE IX.

9.5 Cooperation. Each holder of Units in such holder’s capacity as a Participating Buyer shall take or cause to be taken all such reasonable actions as may be necessary or reasonably desirable in order expeditiously to consummate each Issuance pursuant to this ARTICLE IX and any related transactions, including executing, acknowledging and delivering consents, assignments, releases, waivers and other documents or instruments, filing applications, reports, returns, filings and other documents or instruments with governmental authorities, and otherwise cooperating with the Company, the Prospective Subscribers and the other Participating Buyers (if any). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each such Participating Buyer and holder of Units agrees to execute and deliver such subscription and other agreements specified by the Company to which the Prospective Subscriber will also be party.

9.6 Closing. The closing of an Issuance pursuant to this ARTICLE IX shall take place at such time and place as the Company shall specify by notice to each Participating Buyer. At the Closing of any Issuance under this ARTICLE IX, the Company shall deliver the documents or other instruments, if any, evidencing the Subject Securities to be issued to such Participating Buyer, free and clear of any liens or encumbrances, against delivery by such Participating Buyer of the applicable consideration.

9.7 Excluded Transactions. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this ARTICLE IX, the preceding provisions of this ARTICLE IX will not restrict or be applicable in the case of:

(a) the Issuance by the Company of Units on the date hereof;

(b) any Issuance of Membership Interests to any manager, officer or employee of, or consultant or adviser to, the Company or its direct or indirect subsidiaries in connection with a bona fide compensation arrangement; and

 

(c) any Issuance in connection with any Unit split, Unit dividend, Unit distribution, Unit combination, recapitalization or similar transaction of the Company or any of its subsidiaries.

9.8 Period. The foregoing provisions of this ARTICLE IX shall expire upon the consummation of a transaction pursuant to Section 8.7 or any event of dissolution pursuant to Section 10.8.

ARTICLE X

DISSOLUTION AND WINDING UP

10.1 Events of Dissolution. The Company shall be dissolved immediately upon the first to occur of the following events:

(a) the happening of any event of dissolution specified in the Certificate of Formation;

(b) the sale of all or of substantially all of the Company’s assets; and (c) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution pursuant to Section 18-802 of the Act; and

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(d) the occurrence of any event which makes it unlawful for the Business of the Company to be continued.

10.2 Winding Up. Upon the dissolution of the Company, the Company shall engage in no further business other than that necessary to wind up the business and affairs of the Company. The Manager shall wind up the affairs of the Company in an orderly manner. The Manager shall give Notice of the commencement of winding up by mail to all known creditors and claimants against the Company whose addresses appear in the records of the Company. After paying or adequately providing for the payment of all known debts and liabilities of the Company (including all costs of dissolution) and all indebtedness to any Member, the remaining assets of the Company shall be distributed or applied to the Members in accordance with Section 4.4. A full accounting of the assets and liabilities of the Company shall be taken and a statement thereof shall be furnished to each Member promptly after the distribution of all of the assets of the Company.

10.3 Deficits. Each Member shall look solely to the assets of the Company for the return of his, her or its investment, and if the Company property remaining after the payment or discharge of the debts and liabilities of the Company is insufficient to return the investment of each Member, such Member shall have no recourse against any other Member for indemnification, contribution or reimbursement except as specifically provided in this Agreement.

ARTICLE XI

LIABILITY/INDEMNIFICATION

11.1 Liability.

(a) No Member, in its capacity as such, shall be personally liable for any debt, expense, obligation or liability of the Company, whether that liability or obligation arises in contract, tort or otherwise, except as otherwise provided in the Act or in this Agreement.

(b) No Member or Manager shall be liable, responsible or accountable, in damages or otherwise, to any Member or to the Company for any act or omission by such Member or Manager in good faith reliance on this provisions of this Agreement and the Act, except for any liability that results from such Member’s or Manager’s fraud, gross negligence or willful misconduct.

 

34


(c) Except as required by law and except for distributions made in clear and manifest accounting or similar error, no Member shall be obligated by this Agreement to return any distribution to the Company or pay the amount of any distribution for the account of the Company or to any creditor of the Company; provided, however, that if any court of competent jurisdiction holds that, notwithstanding this Agreement, any Member is obligated to return or pay any part of any distribution, such obligation shall bind such Member alone and not any other Member or any Manager.

11.2 Indemnification.

(a) Except as may be prohibited by applicable law, the Company shall indemnify and hold harmless each Member, Manager, and, to the extent applicable, Company officer, their respective partners, officers, directors, Affiliates, shareholders, managers, members and trustees and the partners, officers, directors, shareholders, managers, members and trustees of such parties, and any employee or agent of, or adviser to, each Member, Manager and officer, their respective Affiliates, and the Company Representative, in its capacity as such (such Persons, to the extent they are required to be indemnified hereunder, are herein collectively referred to as “Indemnified Parties”) from and against any and all losses, claims, demands, costs, damages, liabilities, expenses of any nature (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses), judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts (collectively, the “Liabilities”) arising from, or related or incidental to, any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, in which such Indemnified Party may be involved, or threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, and arising out of or resulting from the initial offering of Membership Interests in the Company, any other offering of Membership Interests in the Company, or the business, operation, administration or termination of the Company, including (x) all activities to exploit, monetize and/or operate the assets of the Company and (y) Liabilities under federal or state securities Laws (and regardless of whether such Indemnified Party continues to be a Member, Manager and officer, any Affiliate of such, or a partner, officer, director, shareholder, trustee, employee or agent of, or adviser to, a Member, Manager and officer, or any of their respective Affiliates at the time any such Liabilities are paid or incurred); provided, that, such Indemnified Party (i) acted in good faith and in a manner it believed to be in, or not opposed to, the interests of the Company and (ii) with respect to any criminal proceeding, did not in good faith believe its conduct was unlawful; provided, however, that such Indemnified Party shall not be indemnified against any such Liabilities, (and the Indemnified Party shall repay all amounts previously advanced by the Company pursuant to and in accordance with Section 11.2(b)), that were caused by such Indemnified Party’s fraud, gross negligence or willful misconduct. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent that an Indemnified Party has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in this Section 11.2, or in connection with any appeal therein, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, the Company shall indemnify such Indemnified Party against the expenses, including attorneys’ and accountants’ fees and expenses, incurred by such Indemnified Party in connection therewith. The termination of any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, in and of itself, create a presumption or otherwise constitute evidence that the Indemnified Party did not satisfy standards for indemnification set forth in this Section 11.2.

(b) Liabilities incurred by any Indemnified Party in defending any pending or threatened claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding shall, from time to time, be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition or settlement of such claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding, to the extent the Company has the necessary cash available, upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the Indemnified Party to repay such amounts (or a proportionate share of such amounts determined in accordance with Section 11.2(c) if applicable) if it is ultimately determined that the Indemnified Party is not to be indemnified by the Company as provided in this Section 11.2.

(c) If for any reason (other than the fraud, gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Indemnified Party), the foregoing indemnification is unavailable to such Indemnified Party, then the Company shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Party as a result of such Liabilities in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and such Indemnified Party on the other hand, but also the relative fault of the Company and such Indemnified Party as well as any relevant equitable considerations.

 

35


(d) The indemnification (or contribution) and advancement of amounts provided pursuant to this Section 11.2 shall not be deemed exclusive of, but shall be in addition to, any other rights to which those Persons seeking indemnification (or contribution) or advancement of amounts may otherwise be entitled and shall continue as to any Indemnified Party notwithstanding the dissolution or other cessation to exist of such Indemnified Party or the withdrawal, adjudication of Bankruptcy or insolvency of such Indemnified Party, such Indemnified Party’s no longer serving in the capacity entitling it to indemnification under the provisions of this Section 11.2, or the termination of the Company.

(e) The Company shall purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any of the Indemnified Parties, and such other Persons as the Manager shall determine against any Liabilities that may be asserted against or that may be incurred by such Persons arising out of or related to the initial offering of Membership Interests, any other offering of Membership Interests or other interests in the Company, and/or the business, operation, administration or termination of the Company, regardless of whether the Company would be required to indemnify any such Persons against such Liabilities under the provisions of this Agreement.

(f) The advancement, indemnity and contribution obligations of the Company under this Section 11.2 shall be in addition to any obligation which the Company may otherwise have, shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of any successors, assigns, heirs and personal representatives of the Company and each of the Indemnified Parties and shall not be deemed to create any rights for the benefit of any other party. The provisions of this Section 11.2 shall survive any termination of this Agreement.

(g) The Company hereby acknowledges that each Indemnified Party that is (1) the Manager, a Member or any of their respective Affiliates (other than the Company and its subsidiaries) (collectively, the “Specified Entities”) or (2) an director, officer, manager, partner, employee or advisor of the Specified Entities (each of the Specified Entities and each such director, officer, manager, partner, employee or advisor, a “Specified Covered Person”), may have certain rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses and/or insurance provided by or on behalf of the Specified Entities. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement or otherwise: (i) the Company is the indemnitor of first resort (i.e., the Company’s obligations to each Specified Covered Person are primary and any obligation of Specified Entities to advance expenses or to provide indemnification for the same expenses or liabilities incurred by each Specified Covered Person are secondary), (ii) the Company will be required to advance the full amount of expenses incurred by each Specified Covered Person and will be liable for the full amount of all liabilities, expenses, judgments, penalties, fines and amounts paid in settlement to the extent legally permitted and as required by this Section 11.2(g) without regard to any rights each Specified Covered Person may have against any of the Specified Entities and (iii) the Company irrevocably waives, relinquishes and releases the Specified Entities from any and all claims against the Specified Entities for contribution, subrogation or any other recovery of any kind in respect thereof. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement or otherwise, no advancement or payment by the Specified Entities on behalf of a Specified Covered Person with respect to any claim for which such Specified Covered Person has sought indemnification or advancement of expenses from the Company will affect the foregoing and the Specified Entities will 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 such Specified Covered Person against the Company. Each Specified Entity is an express third party beneficiary of the terms of this Section 11.2(g).

ARTICLE XII

CONFIDENTIALITY

12.1 Proprietary Information. The Members each acknowledge and agree that it, he or she will receive and become aware of certain information which is proprietary to the Company, including prices, costs, personnel, knowledge, data and techniques, other non-public information concerning the business or finances of the Company, and other information the disclosure of which might harm or destroy the competitive advantage of the Company (all of the foregoing shall hereinafter be referred to as the “Proprietary Information”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Proprietary Information shall not include any information which (a) is generally known or becomes publicly available through no fault of a Person, or (b) is required to be disclosed in the context of any administrative or judicial proceeding.

36


12.2 Confidentiality. Subject to any obligation to comply with (a) any applicable Law, (b) any rule or regulation of any Governmental Body or securities exchange or (c) any subpoena or other legal process to make information available to the Persons entitled thereto, the Manager and the Members each agree that it shall not, directly or indirectly, during the period such Person owns or holds any interest in the Company or renders services to the Company (as the case may be) and for a period of eighteen (18) months thereafter, disclose any Proprietary Information to third Persons, copy or use any Proprietary Information, or publish any Proprietary Information, except for the purpose of fulfilling its, his or her obligations to the Company.

12.3 Equitable Relief. The Members each hereby acknowledge and agree that the breach by such Person of its covenants and obligations under this Article XII will cause irreparable harm and significant injury to the Company which could be difficult to limit or quantify. Accordingly, such Person agrees that the Company will have the right to seek an immediate injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief due to any such breach, without posting any bond therefor, in addition to any other remedies that may be available to the Company or the other Members at law or in equity.

ARTICLE XIII

SECURITIES LAWS AND INVESTMENT REPRESENTATIONS

13.1 Securities Laws. The initial sale of Membership Interests in the Company to the Members has not been qualified or registered under the securities Laws of any state, nor registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in reliance upon exemptions from the registration provisions of those Laws. In addition, no attempt has been made to qualify the offering and sale of Membership Interests to Members under any state’s “blue sky” Laws, also in reliance upon an exemption from the requirement that a permit for issuance of securities be procured.

13.2 Representations and Warranties. Each Member hereby represents and warrants (as to only such Member) to the other Members and the Company as follows:

(a) Authority to Contract. Such Member has the capacity and authority to enter into this Agreement without the joinder of any other Person. Such Member agrees that all undertakings and agreements herein shall be binding upon the Members hereto, their permitted successors and assigns.(b) Preexisting Relationship or Experience. Such Member is capable of evaluating the risks and merits of an investment in the Company and of protecting his, her or its own interests in connection with this investment. Such Member has been afforded ample opportunity to investigate the business of the Company, and its proposed Business, as well as to ask any questions of the Company or the Manager and has been satisfied with the responses to any such questions.

(c) High Risk Investment. Such Member understands that there is an extremely high degree of risk in this investment. Investment into this Company should not be purchased by any purchaser who cannot afford the loss of his, her or its entire investment. An investment in a Membership Interest is riskier than an investment in publicly traded securities of companies traded on exchanges or over-the-counter, mutual funds, certificates of deposit, municipal bonds, corporate bonds, government obligations or securities purchased in firmly underwritten offerings. Only those investors who can tolerate such risk should purchase the Membership Interest. Furthermore, the Company has negligible cash and is dependent upon proceeds of this offering to finance its business.

 

37


(d) Disclaimer Regarding Projections. Any financial projections and assumptions in the Company’s use of funds, or other materials, have been provided outside of this Agreement for illustrative purposes only and must not be relied upon. The projections reflect estimates of future operating results developed by the Company without independent evaluation or analysis, based on assumptions that may not occur and over which the Company has very little control. To the extent that the assumptions are inaccurate or incomplete, the financial condition of the Company may be adversely affected. There can be no assurance that any of the assumptions in the projections will be accurate. In the event that the assumptions are inaccurate or incomplete, the Company’s profitability would be materially affected. There can be no assurance that actual results will correspond with the financial projections. If the Company were unable to sell all of the Membership Interests, it is possible that the Company may not be able to meet its projections.

(e) No Advertising. Such Member has not seen, received, been presented with, or been solicited by any leaflet, public promotional meeting, article or any other form of advertising or general solicitation with respect to the sale of the Membership Interest.

(f) Investment Intent. Such Member is acquiring the Membership Interest for investment purposes for such Member’s own account and not with a view to or for sale in connection with any distribution of all or any part of the Membership Interest. No other Person will have any direct or indirect beneficial interest in or right to the Membership Interest.

(g) Accredited Investor. Such Member is an “accredited investor” as defined by Rule 501 under Regulation D of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

(h) Partnership Limitation. The principal purpose of his, her or its ownership arrangement is not to permit the Company to satisfy the 100 partner limitation set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.7704-1(h)(1)(ii).

ARTICLE XIV

POWER OF ATTORNEY

14.1 Appointment of Manager as Attorney-in-Fact.

(a) Subject to the restrictions set forth in this Agreement, each Member, by the execution of this Agreement, irrevocably constitutes and appoints the Manager its true and lawful attorney-in-fact with full power and authority in its name, place and stead to execute, acknowledge, deliver, swear to, file and record at the appropriate public offices the following documents as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the provisions of this Agreement:

(i) all fictitious name certificates and all certificates and other instruments (including the Certificate of Formation and counterparts of this Agreement), and any amendment or restatement thereof, which the Manager deems appropriate to form, qualify or continue the Company as a limited liability company in the jurisdictions in which the Company may conduct business or in which such formation, qualification or continuation is, in the opinion of the Manager, necessary or desirable to protect the limited liability of the Members;

(ii) any Transfer pursuant to Section 8.7;

(iii) all amendments to the Certificate of Formation adopted in accordance with the terms hereof; and

(iv) all conveyances and other instruments which the Manager deems appropriate to reflect the dissolution and termination of the Company in accordance with the terms hereof;

provided, that with respect to the items listed in Section 14.1(a)(ii) and (iv), the foregoing appointment shall take effect upon the failure by any Member to execute and deliver the documents required in connection with Sections 14.1(a)(i)-(iv) within five (5) calendar days of the Manager’s request for the same.

 

38


(b) The foregoing appointment shall be deemed to be a power coupled with an interest, in recognition of the fact that each of the Members under this Agreement will be relying upon the power of the Manager to act as contemplated by this Agreement in any filing and other action by it on behalf of the Company, and shall survive the bankruptcy, death, adjudication of incompetence or insanity, or dissolution of any Member hereby giving such power and the transfer or assignment of all or any part of the Membership Interest of such Member; provided, however, that in the event of the Transfer by a Member of all of its Membership Interest, the foregoing power of attorney of a transferor Member shall survive such transfer only until such time as the transferee shall have been admitted to the Company as a Member or Assignee, as the case may be, and all required documents and instruments shall have been duly executed, filed and recorded to effect such substitution.

(c) For the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing authority of the Manager shall not apply with respect to any matter requiring the approval of one or more Members in accordance with this Agreement unless and until such approval is obtained.

ARTICLE XV

GENERAL PROVISIONS

15.1 Notices. Any Notice which may or must be given under this Agreement shall be addressed to a Member at the address set forth under such Member’s name in Exhibit A hereto, or, if such Notice is by means of e-mail, to the e-mail set forth under such Member’s name in Exhibit A hereto.

15.2 Entire Agreement; Amendment. This Agreement together with all Exhibits, Schedules attached hereto (which are incorporated herein by this reference) shall constitute the whole and entire agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the matters set forth herein and, subject to Section 5.2, shall not be modified or amended in any respect except by a written instrument signed by each of the Members and the Manager; provided, however, that in no event may any modification or amendment to this Agreement be made that would adversely affect the rights or obligations of the Vince Member in a manner that is materially disproportionate to the effect on all of the Members without the written consent of the Vince Member. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any amendment to Exhibit A or Schedule A to ensure that such Exhibit or Schedule accurately reflects Members of the Company and their respective Capital Contributions and ownership in the Company or officers of the Company, as applicable, shall not be deemed an amendment to this Agreement subject to the preceding sentence; provided, that (a) any change giving rise to the amendment to Exhibit A or Schedule A does not result from any breach of this Agreement and (b) the Manager notifies each Member of such amendment within three (3) Business Days thereof.

15.3 Choice of Law. THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES, WILL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, WITHOUT REGARD TO ANY CONFLICTS-OF-LAWS PROVISION THEREOF THAT WOULD OTHERWISE REQUIRE THE APPLICATION OF THE LAW OF ANY OTHER JURISDICTION AND REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE GOVERN THE PARTIES’ OTHER RIGHTS, REMEDIES, LIABILITIES, POWERS AND DUTIES, AND NOTWITHSTANDING THE FACT THAT ONE OR MORE COUNTERPARTS HEREOF MAY BE EXECUTED OUTSIDE OF THE STATE, OR ONE OR MORE OF THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES HEREUNDER ARE TO BE PERFORMED OUTSIDE OF THE STATE.

15.4 Waiver of Jury Trial. THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY WAIVE, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION, PROCEEDING OR COUNTERCLAIM, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, RELATING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE MATTERS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

 

15.5 Jurisdiction. Each Member hereby consents to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in Delaware. Each Member further agrees that personal jurisdiction over it may be effected by service of process by registered or certified mail addressed as provided in Section 15.1, and that when so made shall be as if served upon him or her personally within the State of Delaware.

39


15.6 Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Members, permitted Assignees, and their respective legal representatives and successors.

15.7 Injunctive Relief; Specific Performance. The parties hereby agree and acknowledge that a breach of any material term, condition or provision of this Agreement that provides for an obligation other than the payment of money would result in severe and irreparable injury to the other party, which injury could not be adequately compensated by an award of money damages, and the parties therefore agree and acknowledge that they shall be entitled to seek injunctive relief in the event of any breach of any material term, condition or provision of this Agreement, or to enjoin or prevent such a breach, including without limitation an action for specific performance hereof, and the parties hereby irrevocably consent to the issuance of any such injunction. The parties further agree that no bond or surety shall be required in connection therewith.

15.8 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which shall constitute one instrument.

15.9 Number and Gender. The use of the neuter gender herein shall be deemed to include the feminine and masculine genders. The use of either the singular or the plural includes the other unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

15.10 Further Assurances. Each of the parties hereto shall timely execute and deliver any and all additional documents, instruments, notices, and other assurances, and shall do any and all acts and things reasonably necessary in connection with the performance of their obligations hereunder and to carry out the intent of the parties hereto.

15.11 Partition. Each party hereto irrevocably waives any right which it may have to maintain an action for partition with respect to property of the Company.

15.12 Titles and Headings. The Article, Section and Paragraph titles and headings contained in this Agreement are inserted only as matter of convenience and for ease of reference and in no way define, limit, extend or proscribe the scope of this Agreement or the intent or content of any provision hereof. All references to sections, articles, schedules or exhibits contained herein mean sections, articles, schedules or exhibits of this Agreement unless otherwise stated.

15.13 Validity and Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable, such decision shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of this Agreement, all of which other provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

15.14 Statutory References. Each reference in this Agreement to a particular statute or regulation, or a provision thereof, shall be deemed to refer to such statute or regulation, or provision thereof, or to any similar or superseding statute or regulation, or provision thereof, as is from time to time in effect.

[SIGNATURE PAGES FOLLOW]

 

40


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the day and year first above written.

 

 

 

Member and Manager

 

ABG INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS 2 LLC,

a Delaware limited liability company

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Jay Dubiner

 

 

Name: Jay Dubiner

 

 

Title: Chief Legal Officer

 

 

 

 

Signature Page – A&R Limited Liability Company Agreement for ABG-Vince LLC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

41


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the day and year first above written.

 

 

 

Member

 

VINCE, LLC,

a Delaware limited liability company

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Jonathan Schwefel

Name:

 

 Jonathan Schwefel

Title:

 

Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signature Page – A&R Limited Liability Company Agreement for ABG-Vince LLC

42


EXHIBIT A

Members, Capital Contributions and Units

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Members

 

Capital
Contributions

 

 

Percentage
Interest

 

 

Units

 

ABG Intermediate Holdings 2 LLC

c/o Authentic Brands Group LLC

1411 Broadway, 21st Floor

New York, NY 10018

Attention: Jay Dubiner

Tel: (212) 760-2412

 

$ [•]

 

75%

 

 

750

 

Vince, LLC

 

[•]

 

25%

 

 

250

 

 

43


SCHEDULE A

Officers of the Company

Jamie Salter, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Nick Woodhouse, President & Chief Marketing Officer

Jay Dubiner, Chief Legal Officer

 

44


EX-10.2 3 vnce-ex10_2.htm EX-10.2 EX-10.2

 

Exhibit 10.2

CERTAIN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT, MARKED BY [***], HAS BEEN OMITTED BECAUSE IT IS BOTH (I) NOT MATERIAL AND (II) IS THE TYPE THAT THE REGISTRANT TREATS AS PRIVATE OR CONFIDENTIAL BECAUSE IT WOULD BE COMPETITIVELY HARMFUL IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.

VINCE

LICENSE AGREEMENT

SUMMARY OF COMMERCIAL TERMS

(“Commercial Terms”)

Kevin Clarke, Executive Vice Chairman This Agreement (as hereinafter defined) is effective as of the Effective Date defined below, and is by and between ABG-Vince, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Licensor”) and the Licensee defined below (Licensor and Licensee may be hereinafter referred to, each individually as a “Party”, and collectively as the “Parties”).

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.

 

Effective Date:

 

“Effective Date” shall be defined as the Closing Date (“Closing”) as defined in that certain Intellectual Property Asset Purchase Agreement, by and between Licensor and Vince, LLC (the “Purchase Agreement”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, or anything to the contrary contained in the Agreement, this Agreement is subject to and conditioned upon the occurrence of the Closing (as defined in the Purchase Agreement). In the event that the Purchase Agreement is terminated prior to the Closing, then this Agreement will automatically terminate and be of no further force and effect.

 

 

 

2.

 

Licensee:

Corporate Organization:

 

Address:

 

“Licensee” shall be defined as: Vince, LLC

Licensee is a limited liability company organized in the state of Delaware.

500 Fifth Avenue

20th Floor

New York, NY 10110

 

 

 

 

 

Main Contact:

Telephone:

Email:

 

[***]

 

 

 

 

 

Finance Contact:

Telephone:

 

[***]

 

 

Email:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Website:

 

www.vince.com

 

1


 

 

 

 

 

 

3.

 

Licensed Property:

 

(a)   “Licensed Property” shall be defined as: the rights in and to the following trademarks (and each of the following trademarks where “VINCE” is followed by a period “VINCE.”), whether registered under applicable laws of the Territory (as hereinafter defined) and/or protected under common law of the Territory, to the extent recognized:

 

Licensed Property

VINCE

CRAFTED BY VINCE

VINCE TRAVELER

VINCE BABY

VINCE ASSEMBLED

VINCE UNFOLD

VINCE FASHION

WARDROBE ESSENTIALS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(b)   During the Term, if Licensor desires to license to Licensee, or if Licensee desires to license from Licensor, one or more derivatives, transliterations, variations, abbreviations, composites, and/or variations of any particular Licensed Property (“Derivative(s)”), for the distribution and/or sale in the Territory of any Product(s) that are the same as those Specific Products (as such term is used in Section 4(a) of the Commercial Terms) for which Licensee has been granted the right to use such particular Licensed Property under this Agreement, then the Party that is so desirous shall notify the other Party of the specific Derivative(s) and Specific Product(s) (“Derivative Product(s)”) that they desire to license/be licensed, and, (i) in the case of Licensee requesting, Licensor Approval or (ii) in the case of Licensor requesting, the mutual written agreement of the Parties, on a case-by-case basis, [***], subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement; and such Derivative Product(s) shall be deemed to be ‘Licensed Products’ for all purposes of this Agreement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(c)   According to Licensee, the rights in and to the Licensed Property are, as of the Effective Date, also supported by those registered trademarks set forth on Schedule A, which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference (“Registrations”).

 

 

 

2


 

 

 

 

 

(d)   The Parties acknowledge that in connection with the Closing (as ‘Acquired Assets’ under the Purchase Agreement), Licensor is acquiring certain designs, images, content, and other intellectual property that are not included in the Licensed Property or the Designated URL but that were used by Licensee on or in connection with the Licensed Products and/or the Advertising & Promotion thereof prior to the Effective Date (“Closing IP Assets”). Additionally, the Parties acknowledge that Licensor shall be the owner of certain intellectual property rights developed or acquired by Licensee during the Term, including as set forth in and Section 10(c) of the Commercial Terms and Section 5(a)(i)(A) of the Standard Terms (such intellectual property rights, together with the Closing IP Assets, the “Other IP Assets”). In the event that Licensor provides Licensee with any Other IP Assets to be used in, on or in connection with Licensed Products or the Advertising & Promotion thereof, or Licensee is otherwise in possession of any Other IP Assets as of or after the Effective Date, Licensee (and, as applicable, its Affiliate Operators and Sub-Contractors) may continue, on a non-exclusive basis, to use and exploit such Other IP Assets during the Term solely in, on or in connection with Licensed Products or the Advertising & Promotion thereof, in each case, subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and subject to following: (i) Licensee hereby acknowledges that Licensor may not be the owner of the Other IP Assets, and as such, Licensor makes no representations or warranties whatsoever regarding the Other IP Assets, or any license or rights granted therein, all of which are provided “as-is”, (ii) Licensor hereby disclaims any and all representations and warranties with respect to the Other IP Assets, including, without limitation, any and all implied warranties of title, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose, (iii) Licensee acknowledges and agrees to assume all risk associated with the use of the Other IP Assets. Nothing contained herein shall obligate Licensor to maintain any agreements which it may have in place for any Other IP Assets, and any failure by Licensor to have or maintain any such agreements, shall not be deemed a breach of this Agreement.

 

 

3


 

 

4.

 

Licensed Products:

 

(a)   “Products” shall be defined, individually and collectively, as the Core Products and the Option Products, unless specifically identified, as follows:

 

(i) “Core Products” shall be defined, individually and collectively, as the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product

Category

 

Specific Products

 

Designed For

Sportswear
Products

 

Each of the following ready-to-wear sportswear products, in each case: (A) made and/or designed specifically for adult men and/or adult women; (B) designed to be worn specifically for casual wear (which may include the ‘travel pant’ offered as of the Effective Date and athleisure sportswear that does not include technical or performance attributes, but excludes sleepwear, and activewear); (C) made with or without leather; (D) made with or without denim; and (E) that are sold only to sportswear buyers in sportswear departments of the Approved Accounts (for those Approved Accounts that have such buyers and/or departments): (I) shirts and polo shirts; (II) t-shirts; (III) pants; (IV) shorts; (V) jackets; (VI) skirts; (VII) knit, wool, cashmere woven and fleece sweaters; (VIII) dresses; (IX) tops in a camisole silhouette (but excluding camisoles intended to be worn as intimate apparel); and (X) loungewear joggers pants, hoodies, and sweatpants that do not include technical or performance attributes.

 

Adult Men and
Adult Women

 

 

 

Outerwear
Products

 

Each of the following outerwear category apparel items designed to be worn outside other clothing garments and made with or without leather: (A) coats; (B) topcoats; (C) jackets; (D) parkas; (E) puffer jackets; (F) blazers; (G) vests; and (H) raincoats.

 

Adult Men and
Adult Women

 

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(ii)  “Option Products” shall be defined, individually and collectively, as the following:

 

Product

Category

 

Specific Products

 

Designed For

Home Décor Products

 

Each of the following home décor items: (A) decorative pillows; (B) blankets; and (C) throws.

 

Adult Men and
Adult Women

 

 

 

Baby layette

 

Baby layette

 

Babies

 

 

 

 

 

 

(b)   “Licensed Products” shall be defined, individually and collectively, as Licensed Core Products and Licensed Option Products, unless specifically identified, as follows:

 

(i) “Licensed Core Products” shall be defined as: the Specific Products set forth in Section 4(a)(i) above, that are ‘Designed For’ those individuals specified in Section 4(a)(i) above, bearing the Licensed Property; and

 

(ii)  “Licensed Option Products” shall be defined as: the Specific Products set forth in Section 4(a)(ii) above, that are ‘Designed For’ those individuals specified in Section 4(a)(ii) above, bearing the Licensed Property.

 

(c)   Procedure for Option Products.

 

(i) The Parties hereby acknowledge and agree that Licensor shall have the right to remove Licensed Option Product(s) from this Agreement, upon written notice to Licensee (“OP Notice”). After the date that Licensor issues such OP Notice to Licensee (“Withdrawal Effective Date”), all rights in and to such Licensed Option Product(s) shall revert to Licensor, subject to the Licensee’s sell-off rights in Section 4(c)(ii) of the Commercial Terms (such withdrawn Licensed Option Products shall be defined herein as the “Withdrawn OPs”).

 

(ii)  If Licensor actually withdraws any Withdrawn OPs from the rights granted to Licensee hereunder by sending an OP Notice, then Licensee shall have the limited, non-exclusive right for (A) a period [***] following the Withdrawal Effective Date with respect to sales to/through Approved Accounts (other than Retail Locations and the E-Commerce Websites) and (B) [***] with respect to sales to/through Retail Locations and the E-Commerce Websites, in each case ((A) and (B)) solely to fulfill accepted and existing orders of the applicable Licensed Option Product(s) specified in the OP Notice in the Territory to/through such Approved Accounts, in each case, solely to the extent such orders of Licensed Option Products were actually accepted and placed in the ordinary course of business on or before the Withdrawal Effective Date.

 

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5.

 

Term:

 

(a)   “Initial Term” shall be defined as: the period beginning on the Effective Date and ending on the end of Licensee’s 2032 fiscal year, unless sooner terminated pursuant to the terms hereof, with each ‘Contract Year’ included therein being defined as the following:

 

Contract
Year

 

Actual Dates

 

Expected Dates as of
the Effective Date

1

 

Effective Date – end of Licensee’s 2023 fiscal year

 

Effective Date –
February 3, 2024

 

 

 

2

 

Licensee’s 2024 fiscal year

 

February 4, 2024 –
February 1, 2025

 

 

 

3

 

Licensee’s 2025 fiscal year

 

February 2, 2025 –
January 31, 2026

 

 

 

4

 

Licensee’s 2026 fiscal year

 

February 1, 2026 –
January 30, 2027

 

 

 

5

 

Licensee’s 2027 fiscal year

 

January 31, 2027 –
January 29, 2028

 

 

 

6

 

Licensee’s 2028 fiscal year

 

January 30, 2029 –
January 27, 2030

 

 

 

7

 

Licensee’s 2029 fiscal year

 

January 28, 2030 –
January 26, 2031

 

 

 

8

 

Licensee’s 2030 fiscal year

 

January 29, 2031 –
February 3, 2032

 

 

 

9

 

Licensee’s 2031 fiscal year

 

February 4, 2032 –
February 1, 2033

 

 

 

10

 

Licensee’s 2032 fiscal year

 

February 2, 2032 –
January 31, 2033

 

 

 

 

 

 

For purposes of the above, it is acknowledged and agreed that Licensee’s fiscal years are based on 5-4-4 calendar years with the same quarter and year-end dates as the National Retail Federation’s 4-5-4 calendar years. In the event Licensee desires to change its fiscal year calendar to a calendar year calendar, then it shall notify Licensor in writing and after Licensee’s receipt of such notice, Licensor and Licensee shall enter into a written amendment to this Agreement (to make such change on a prospective basis) to be signed by duly authorized representatives of both Licensee and Licensor in each instance.

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(b)   Licensee shall have eight (8) option(s) to renew the Agreement (“Renewal Option(s)”) on the terms set forth herein for consecutive period(s) of ten (10) years each, unless sooner terminated pursuant to the terms hereof (each, a “Renewal Term” numbered consecutively, e.g., Renewal Term 1, etc.), which Renewal Option(s) shall be exercised, if at all, by providing written notice to Licensor prior to the later of (i) eighteen (18) months before the end of the then-current Contract Period and (ii) July 31 of the penultimate Contract Year of the then-current Contract Period (as hereinafter defined) (such period being defined herein as the “Renewal Window(s)”), and which Renewal Option(s) may only be exercised and effective if and only if the Renewal Condition (as hereinafter defined) is met. In the event that Licensee effectively exercises a Renewal Option during the applicable Renewal Window but thereafter fails to satisfy the Renewal Condition, then at Licensor’s discretion, either: (i) the renewal of this Agreement shall be voided, and the Agreement shall expire upon the expiration of the then-current Contract Period; or (ii) such failure to satisfy any such Renewal Conditions shall be waived and this Agreement shall continue in full force and effect into the Renewal Term on the terms set forth herein.

 

 

 

 

 

(c)   “Renewal Condition” shall mean Licensee has not [***] this Agreement and failed to cure such breach within the applicable cure period set forth in Section 9(a)(i) of the Standard Terms [***] after receiving written notice from Licensor of such breach, both at the time any given Renewal Option is exercised and throughout the remainder of the then-current Contract Period.

 

(d)   For purposes of the Agreement: (i) the Initial Term and each Renewal Term (if any) are hereinafter individually and collectively referred to as the “Term” and individually as a “Contract Period”; (ii) a “Contract Quarter” shall be defined as Licensee’s fiscal quarters (except that the first fiscal quarter of the Term shall mean the period starting on the Effective Date and ending on the end of Licensee’s then-current fiscal quarter); and (iii) for Renewal Terms (if any), each “Contract Year” included therein shall be defined as: each of Licensee’s fiscal years (except that the first Contract Year shall commence on the Effective Date and end at the end of Licensee’s 2023 fiscal year and the last Contract Year shall end on the applicable date of termination or expiration of the Agreement), and shall be numbered consecutively beginning with the first number after the last Contract Year during the immediately preceding Contract Period.

 

 

 

6.

 

Territory:

 

(a)   “Territory” shall be defined, individually and collectively, as Core Territory and Option Territory, unless specifically identified, as follows:

 

(i) “Core Territory” shall be defined as: United States, Canada, Andorra, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Italy, San Marino, Vatican City, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Republic of Cyprus (excluding Northern Cyprus), United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Korea.

 

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(ii)  “Option Territory” shall be defined as: worldwide, excluding Core Territory.

 

 

 

7.

 

Scope:

 

(a)   Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including Licensor’s right to withdraw Option Products and Option Territories, Licensor shall not itself undertake, and shall not enter into any agreement with or authorizing any party (except Licensee) to undertake: (i) the distribution and sale of Licensed Products to be sold in the Territory during the Term of the Agreement; (ii) the operation of Retail Locations located in the Core Territory during the Term of the Agreement; (iii) the operation of the website www.vince.com during the Term of the Agreement; (iv) the operation of any e-commerce website, including any mobile variations thereof, that is in each case branded with the Licensed Property for the sale of Licensed Products into the Territory during the Term of the Agreement (but excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, e-commerce websites and mobile variations thereof that are branded with the Licensed Property but do not sell Licensed Products); and/or (v) [***].

 

(b)   Co-Branded Products. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything contained in the Agreement to the contrary, subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including Licensor’s right to withdraw Option Products and Option Territories, Licensee may, on a non-exclusive basis, design, manufacture, distribute, sell and promote Licensed Products in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement that are co-branded with the Licensed Property and one or more trademarks other than the Licensed Property as part of co-branding / endorsement / collaboration projects and partnerships with third party brands (the “Collaboration Products”); provided, however, that any and all such Collaboration Products shall be subject to, and shall otherwise comply with, the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including by way of example and not limitation, any and all of Licensor’s approval rights under this Agreement.

 

(c)   Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including Licensor’s right to withdraw Option Products and Option Territories, [***], the distribution or sale in the Territory during the Term of any Products that are co-branded with the Licensed Property and a third party brand.

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(d)   New Agreement(s).

 

(i) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the Agreement, Licensee further acknowledges that during the Term, Licensor shall have the right to withdraw the rights granted (in whole or in part, in Licensor’s sole discretion) to Licensee in connection with any countries and/or geographic regions in the Option Territory, upon the provision of written notice to Licensee (“Withdrawal Notice”). In the event Licensor issues any such Withdrawal Notice to Licensee, then effective on and as of the date of such Withdrawal Notice (“Territory Withdrawal Effective Date”), Licensor and Licensee each hereby acknowledge and agree that the rights granted to Licensee with respect to those countries and/or geographic regions in the Option Territory that is/are the subject of the Withdrawal Notice (each a “Removed Region”) shall terminate and immediately revert to Licensor, and Licensee shall cease any and all use of the Licensed Property in the Removed Regions, including but not limited to, sales of Licensed Products in any such Removed Region, subject to Licensee’s sell-off rights in Section 7(d)(iv) of the Commercial Terms below.

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(ii)  Promptly after Licensee’s receipt of the Withdrawal Notice, Licensor and Licensee shall enter into a written amendment to this Agreement to be signed by duly authorized representatives of both Licensee and Licensor in each instance [***] commencing specifically with the Contract Year that follows after the Contract Year in which the Withdrawal Effective Date occurred.

 

(iii)  [***]

 

(iv) If Licensor actually withdraws any Removed Region from the Option Territory of this Agreement by sending a Withdrawal Notice, then Licensee shall have the limited, non-exclusive right for (A) a period of [***] following the Territory Withdrawal Effective Date with respect to sales to/through Approved Accounts (other than Retail Locations and the E-Commerce Websites) and (B) [***] with respect to sales to/through Retail Locations and the E-Commerce Websites, in each case ((A) and (B)) solely to fulfill accepted and existing orders of Licensed Product(s) placed specifically for the Approved Accounts in such Removed Region, in each case, solely to the extent such orders of Licensed Products in the Removed Region were actually accepted and placed in the ordinary course of business on or before the Territory Withdrawal Effective Date.

 

 

 

8.

 

Distribution Channels &

Approved Accounts:

 

(a)   Licensee shall be permitted to sell the Licensed Products solely to/through the accounts (collectively, the “Approved Accounts”) for each distribution channel (collectively, the “Distribution Channels”) set forth on Schedule B, which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference. In the event Licensee wishes to sell the Licensed Products to/through any accounts not included within the Approved Accounts, then Licensee shall submit the same to Licensor for Licensor’s prior written Approval in each instance. The Parties will review and update the list of Approved Accounts and Comparable Brands in good faith every five (5) years during the Term.

 

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(b)   In the event that Licensor, using Licensor’s good faith, commercially reasonable judgment, believes that an Approved Account (excluding Retail Locations and E-Commerce Websites) and previously identified within any particular Distribution Channel, as set forth on Schedule B, is no longer consistent with the brand positioning for the Licensed Property (e.g., as a result of a material reduction in quality since the Approved Account was initially approved), Licensor shall have the right, in Licensor’s reasonable discretion, upon written notice to Licensee (“Removal Notice”), to: (i) remove such Approved Account from the Distribution Channels completely, or (ii) re-assign such Approved Account to a different Distribution Channel; provided that, in both cases, Licensor will in good faith first discuss with Licensee the basis for such belief [***] (it being understood and agreed that the final decision shall be in Licensor’s reasonable discretion).

 

(c)   If Licensor removes any Approved Account pursuant to Section 8(b) (“Removed Account”), then Licensee shall have the limited, non-exclusive right for a period of [***] following the date of the Removal Notice (the date of the Removal Notice is the “Removal Effective Date”), to fulfill accepted and existing orders of Licensed Products to/through such Removed Account the extent such orders of Licensed Products were actually accepted and placed in the ordinary course of business on or before the Removal Effective Date.

 

(d)   Promptly after Licensee’s receipt of a Removal Notice, to the extent that the applicable Removed Account together with any prior Removed Accounts for which no prior [***], taken together in the aggregate, constitute at [***] before the date of the Removal Notice, Licensor and Licensee shall enter into a written amendment to this Agreement to be signed by duly authorized representatives of both Licensee and Licensor in each instance [***] commencing specifically with the Contract Year immediately following the Contract Year in which the Removal Effective Date occurred.

 

(e)   As used herein, “Proportionate-AA-Reduction” shall be defined as: a percentage reduction of the GMR and Minimum Net Sales thresholds, calculated by dividing: (A) Licensee’s Net Sales of Licensed Products to/through the Removed Account [***]; by (B) Licensee’s Net Sales of all Licensed Products through all Approved Accounts, including the Removed Account, [***].

 

(f)   To the extent Licensee sells any Licensed Products to/through any e-commerce website for an Approved Account (which, for the avoidance of doubt, include both the Owned E-Commerce Distribution Channel and the e-commerce websites for other Distribution Channels and Approved Accounts, if any) (“E-Commerce Site(s)”): (i) Licensee shall not, nor shall Licensee permit others (including any Approved Account) to, ship Licensed Products outside of the Territory; and (ii) Licensee shall use commercially reasonable efforts to require a statement on any third-party E-Commerce Site stating that Licensed Products can only be shipped to customers located within the Territory.

 

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9.

 

Retail Rights:

 

(a)   The retail rights granted to Licensee in this Section 9 shall be collectively defined as part of the “Retail Rights”. Licensee hereby acknowledges that all terms, definitions and provisions set forth in Sections 1 through 7 above shall apply to the Retail Rights granted to Licensee hereunder.

 

(b)   For purposes of this Agreement, the “Retail Locations” shall be defined, individually and collectively, as the Retail Stores, Shop-In-Shops and Pop-Up-Shops, unless specifically identified:

 

(i) “Retail Store(s)” shall be defined as: ‘VINCE’ and/or ‘VINCE.’ Licensed Property-branded, free standing brick and mortar full price and outlet retail stores located in the Territory, which are owned, opened or otherwise operated by Licensee or Affiliate Operators in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement;

 

(ii)  “Shop-In-Shop(s)” shall be defined as: ‘VINCE’ and/or ‘VINCE.’ Licensed Property-branded retail concession locations within department stores, malls or other retail stores in the Territory, in each case, owned, opened or operated by Licensee or Affiliate Operators in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement; and

 

(iii)  “Pop-Up-Shop(s) ” shall be defined as: ‘VINCE’ and/or ‘VINCE.’ Licensed Property-branded retail sales location(s) within: department stores, malls or other retail stores in the Territory, which are owned, opened or operated by Licensee or Affiliate Operators for a limited duration and/or specialized sales event for a collection of Licensed Products in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

 

(c)   Retail Locations. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Licensee shall have the right to: (i) maintain those existing Retail Locations in the Core Territory in a manner materially consistent with the operation of the same prior to the Effective Date hereof (which Licensor hereby Approves); and (ii) open and operate Retail Locations in the Core Territory and to sell solely the Licensed Products and Purchased Products (and, as applicable, Approved third party products) therefrom in a manner that is materially consistent with the opening and operation of Retail Locations in the Territory prior to the Effective Date hereof. The new Retail Locations opened by Licensee shall be built and designed according to plans, which have been Approved in advance by Licensor, and the sites and spaces for the Retail Locations shall be subject to Licensor’s Approval, and shall be owned or leased by Licensee in accordance with all terms and conditions of this Agreement.

 

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(d)   Licensee shall submit all sites to Licensor for Approval, in the form and manner as Licensor may reasonably specify, pursuant to Section 4 of the Standard Terms. The Retail Locations shall be subject to Licensor’s prior written Approval, as set forth in Section 4 of the Standard Terms. No Retail Location may be opened for business unless and until Licensor has given its final Approval for such Retail Location in accordance with Section 4. For clarity, all Retail Locations existing as of the Effective Date are deemed Approved.

 

(e)   No name, mark, image, graphic or logo other than the Licensed Property shall appear on products, signage, hangers, displays, packaging, shopping bags, labels, tags or similar items within the Retail Locations without Licensor’s Approval in each instance. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, Licensee shall have a right to sell such third-party branded products and services that are already available for sale in any Retail Locations as of the Effective Date (“Third-Party Retail Products”) until Licensor enters into a license agreement with a third party for the production of the same or a similar type of product as the Third-Party Retail Products (e.g., sunglasses, watches, handbags, etc.) bearing the Licensed Property and such products are available to Licensee for purchase and re-sale in the Retail Locations; provided that Licensee shall have the limited, non-exclusive right for a period [***] following Licensee’s receipt of written notice that Licensor has entered into such a license agreement to sell through Licensee’s inventory of such Third-Party Retail Products that was in existence as of the date of such notice.

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(f)   Licensee shall actively promote, advertise and sell the Licensed Products and, as applicable, use commercially reasonable efforts to promote, advertise and sell the Purchased Products (as defined below), in each case, through the Retail Locations. Licensee shall use commercially reasonable efforts to purchase and offer in Retail Stores a full line, representing substantially all currently-available categories of Licensed Products and those other certain product(s) bearing the Licensed Property that are each manufactured by or on behalf of Licensor’s contracted third-party suppliers and/or licensees (“Supplier(s)”) under existing license agreement(s) with Licensor, to be purchased by Licensee directly from such Suppliers (“Purchased Products”). Licensee shall purchase any Purchased Products directly from the Suppliers, in each case, at a price and on terms of sale to be negotiated and agreed upon directly between Licensee and the applicable Supplier(s) in each instance. A current list of the Purchased Products and the Suppliers is set forth on Schedule B-2, attached hereto, which list may be updated by Licensor from time-to-time, upon notice to Licensee. Licensee shall only be permitted to purchase the Purchased Products from the Suppliers that are set forth on Schedule B-2, or otherwise Approved by Licensor in advance in writing, in each instance; provided, however, that Licensor shall not be liable, and shall incur no liability to Licensee, any Supplier, and/or any other third party, (A) by reason of Licensor providing or not providing any such approval; (B) for any failure by Licensor to secure any particular purchases of Purchased Products or any particular terms of sale for any Purchased Products; and/or (C) for any failure by any Supplier or any other approved source of Purchased Products to sell or supply any Purchased Products to Licensee (in general or on with any particular terms); it being expressly understood that any such failure shall not be deemed a breach of the Agreement by Licensor. Licensee shall contract directly with the Suppliers for the purchase of the Purchased Products, and such Purchased Products shall be shipped directly to Licensee at Licensee’s sole cost and expense. In the event of any delivery problems, discrepancies, claims or defects regarding the Purchased Products purchased by Licensee from any Supplier(s), Licensee shall deal directly with the Supplier(s) and shall look solely to the Supplier(s) in the event of such delivery problems, discrepancies, claims and/or defects. Licensee acknowledges that Licensor shall not be liable or responsible in any event in connection with Licensee’s dealings with the Suppliers. In the event of any dispute between or among Licensee and the Suppliers, then upon Licensee’s written request, Licensor may, but shall have no obligation, to attempt to mediate any such dispute in order to help facilitate a resolution. Licensee shall remain solely responsible to the Supplier(s) for payment of any Purchased Products ordered from such Supplier(s).

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(g)   Licensee shall at all times operate and stock the Retail Locations in a manner at least equal to the local standard of other high-end retail stores for brands with an image, reputation, prestige consistent with the Licensed Property.

 

(h)   Licensee shall maintain the interior and exterior of the Retail Locations and the surrounding premises in safe, good, clean and attractive condition.

 

(i) Minimum Retail Stores. During each Contract Year of the Term, Licensee shall be required to operate and maintain a minimum number of Retail Stores and Shop-in-Shops in the Territory (“Minimum Retail Stores” or “MRSs”).

 

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(i) For each Contract Year during the Initial Term, the MRSs shall be:

 

Contract Year

 

Minimum Retail Stores

 

1 (2023/2024)

 

 

45

 

2 (2024/2025)

 

 

45

 

3 (2025/2026)

 

 

45

 

4 (2026/2027)

 

 

45

 

5 (2027/2028)

 

 

45

 

6 (2028/2029)

 

 

45

 

7 (2029/2030)

 

 

45

 

8 (2031/2031)

 

 

45

 

9 (2030/2032)

 

 

45

 

10 (2032/2033)

 

 

45

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(ii)  For each Contract Year during any Renewal Term, the MRS threshold shall be forty-five (45).

 

 

 

10.

 

E-Commerce Rights:

 

(a)   The e-commerce rights granted to Licensee in this Section 10 shall be collectively defined as the “E-Comm Rights.” Licensee and Licensor hereby acknowledge that all terms, definitions and provisions set forth in Sections 1 through 7 above apply to the E-Commerce Rights.

 

(b)   For purposes of this Agreement:

 

(i) “E-Commerce Website” shall be defined as: the following e-commerce website, including all mobile variations thereof, operated by Licensee, branded with the Licensed Property, located at www.vince.com (“Designated URL”), which sells solely the Licensed Products and Purchased Products (and, subject to Licensor’s Approval in each instance, Third-Party E-Commerce Products) to customers located in the Territory; and

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(ii)  “Customer Information” shall be defined as all information provided by or obtained from customers of the E-Commerce Website the name, mailing address, telephone number, e-mail address, mailing and subscriber lists, order and order processing information (including order history) and any other identifying information or related contact information provided by or obtained from customers through the E-Commerce Website and/or provided by or obtained by Licensor; provided, however, for purposes of the Agreement, Customer Information does not include: (A) any information that either Licensee or Licensor owns or to which Licensor or Licensee has the rights and which is obtained from customers other than through transactions contemplated under this Agreement, or (B) any information or data derived from Customer Information, including information relating to the financial performance and/or operations of the E-Commerce Website(s), which in each case is non-personally identifiable information. Licensee shall use Customer Information solely for purposes of the Business, and for no brands other than the Licensed Property (unless otherwise Approved by Licensor). Upon Licensee’s request and subject to applicable Laws, the Parties will discuss in good faith [***], in connection with a potential or actual transaction between Licensee and Affiliate Operator that contemplates or includes a sub-license under this Agreement.

 

 

 

 

 

(c)   Notwithstanding anything contained in the Agreement to the contrary, the Parties hereto acknowledge and agree that: (i) as between the Parties, Licensor is the owner of the E-Commerce Website, including, without limitation, any URLs and custom top level and second level domains associated with the E-Commerce Website, and the editorial and product-related content contained on the E-Commerce Website, the Images (as hereinafter defined) [***]; in each case to the [***] from Licensee to Licensor and subject to the terms and restrictions of [***] (it being understood and agreed that Licensee shall [***]; (ii) Licensee shall undertake, using its best efforts, all acts reasonably necessary to surrender control and ownership of the E-Commerce Website to Licensor on expiration or earlier termination of this Agreement; and (iii) the use and operation of the E-Commerce Website shall be subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement. During the Term, the Parties agree that Licensee shall have the right to use, collect and otherwise process Customer Information in connection with the operation of the E-Commerce Website and the promotion, sale, and distribution of the Licensed Products, subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Following expiration or termination of this Agreement, Licensee may retain and use the data described in (A) and (B) solely to the extent necessary to comply with applicable Laws.

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(d)   Licensee hereby acknowledges that Licensee shall not be permitted to sell any third-party branded products or services (other than Approved Collaboration Products) on/through the E-Commerce Website without Approval and Licensee shall not include any third-party content other than in connection with the Licensed Property (including Collaboration Products) on the E-Commerce Website, in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Licensee shall only be permitted to sell, and offer for sale, the Licensed Products through the E-Commerce Website in the Territory pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, Licensee shall have a right to sell such third-party branded products and services that are already available for sale on the E-Commerce Website as of the Effective Date (“Third-Party E-Commerce Products”) until Licensor enters into a license agreement with a third party for the production of the same or a similar type of product (e.g., sunglasses, watches, handbags, etc.) as the Third-Party E-Commerce Products bearing the Licensed Property and such products are available to Licensee for purchase and re-sale on the E-Commerce Website; provided that Licensee shall have the limited, non-exclusive right for a period of [***] following Licensee’s receipt of written notice that Licensor has entered into such a license agreement to sell through Licensee’s inventory of such Third-Party E-Commerce Products that was in existence as of the date of such notice.

 

 

 

 

 

(e)   Licensee shall actively promote, advertise and sell the Products through the E-Commerce Website, and Licensee shall use commercially reasonable efforts to purchase and offer a full line, representing substantially all currently-available categories of Licensed Products and Purchased Products.

 

(f)   The E-Commerce Website shall be built, designed and operated in accordance with all applicable Laws, rules, ordinance and regulations, and in accordance with the plans to be reasonably discussed with Licensor. The E-Commerce Website shall be considered “Materials” as such term is defined in the Standard Terms. The E-Commerce Website, as it exists as of the Effective Date, is deemed Approved.

 

(g)   Licensee shall be responsible for the operations and maintenance of the E-Commerce Website on a regular basis as outlined in this Agreement. The obligation to update and maintain the E-Commerce Website, and all content and technical specifications therefor (including, without limitation, refreshing the general look and feel of the E-Commerce Website on a regular basis in order to include, among other things, the most up-to-date product information and/or seasonal content, etc.) shall belong solely with Licensee, subject to Licensor’s Approval rights under this Agreement. Each Contract Year, Licensee will present to Licensor Licensee’s planned updates and enhancements with respect to the E-Commerce Website for Licensor’s Approval (as applicable), and will reasonably consider any feedback provided by Licensor.

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(h)   In connection with Licensee’s operation of the E-Commerce Website, Licensee shall be responsible for the following activities, which shall at all times be subject to Licensor’s Approval:

 

(i)  Designing and developing the interface of the E-Commerce Website, in a manner materially consistent with design and operation of the E-Commerce Website in existence as of the Effective Date (“Prior Website”) in all manners, including, without limitation, in design, aesthetic look and feel, operation and functionality of the Prior Website; provided that the foregoing shall not limit Licensee’s ability to modernize the E-Commerce Website to reflect current and up-to-date user expectations and technology in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement;

 

 

 

 

 

(ii)  Providing or procuring from a reputable, qualified, and first-class third-party vendor (which vendor shall be deemed a ‘Sub-Contractor’ for purposes of this Agreement) hosting and maintenance services for the E-Commerce Website, including, without limitation, E-Commerce Website functionality, interface, data storage, management of services and/or tools provided by third party vendors and upgrading such services and/or tools as necessary to keep the E-Commerce Website operating with current and up-to-date technology;

 

(iii)   Shooting, re-touching and editing, or procuring from a reputable, qualified, and first-class third-party vendor (which vendor shall be deemed a ‘Sub-Contractor’ for purposes of this Agreement), high-resolution photos of all Licensed Products available for sale through the E-Commerce Website, which photos shall reflect the aesthetic qualities of the high-resolution photos of products displayed on the E-Commerce Website (“Image(s)”), and using commercially reasonably efforts to ensure that the E-Commerce Website displays at least three (3) Images (e.g., front, back and side) for each applicable Licensed Product SKU;

 

(iv) Providing any and all Images, requested by Licensor in writing to Licensor and/or any third party designated by Licensor in writing to Licensor and/or any such third party, at Licensor’s and/or such third party’s sole cost and expense, which Licensor and/or any such third party shall be free to use (subject to the remainder of this sentence) for such purposes as are specified in writing to Licensee; provided, however, that Licensee shall notify Licensor and any such third party of any terms, conditions, or limitations applicable to the use of any such Images. Licensee shall obtain any and all necessary rights for Licensee to use Images (including, without limitation, on the E-Commerce Website); [***]. Licensee shall provide Licensor and/or any such third party with details of any and all restrictions regarding [***];

19


 

 

 

 

 

 

(v)   Providing reasonable customer care services consistent with (or more favorable to customers than) industry standards for brands similarly situated to the Licensed Property, such as a call center and email Communications, during Licensee’s standard customer service hours as of the Effective Date (which standard customer service hours Licensee will use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure are between 10:00am and 7:00pm local time (at a minimum), provided that in no event shall the overall level of service be materially diminished from what it is as of the Effective Date), in the Territory, and which shall, at a minimum, be no less than the customer care services offered by Licensee as of the Effective Date;

 

 

 

 

 

(vi) Managing the storage and warehousing of Licensed Products, as applicable;

 

(vii)  Displaying Licensed Product pricing in all applicable local currencies in the Territory and coordinating payment processing for customer purchases of the Licensed Products;

 

(viii)  Managing the fulfillment, shipping, handling and delivery of Licensed Products to customers;

 

(ix) Offering discounts and markdowns on Licensed Products according to Licensee’s reasonable plans and cadences that are consistent with the image, reputation and prestige of the Licensed Property and the Licensed Products as of the Effective Date, and otherwise in accordance with this Agreement;

 

(x)   Providing Licensor with monthly sales reports of sales analytics including, but not limited to: gross sales, Net Sales, quantities, returns, Royalties, etc. (“Monthly Sales Report(s)”), such Monthly Sales Reports shall be submitted to Licensor once a month within ten (10) business days of the end of each calendar month and shall provide information for the immediately preceding month;

 

(xi) Providing Licensor with monthly marketing reports of marketing analytics including, but not limited to: E-Commerce Website traffic, references, etc. (“Monthly Marketing Report(s)”), such Monthly Marketing Reports shall be submitted to Licensor within ten (10) business days of the end of each calendar month during the Term and shall provide information for the immediately preceding calendar month;

20


 

 

 

 

 

 

(xii)  Using current industry standard tools to develop and maintain a safe and secure environment for users of the E-Commerce Website (including, without limitation, when collecting and maintaining Customer Information and processing payment transactions, etc.) as well as developing and implementing an appropriate Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for such users in accordance with the terms of the Agreement and all applicable Laws;

 

 

 

 

 

(xiii)  Ensuring that the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for the E-Commerce Website inform all users thereof of any collection or use of Customer Information as required by applicable Laws;

 

(xiv) Providing, upon reasonable written request and subject to the entry of any such additional agreements as are reasonably necessary to ensure the Parties’ compliance with applicable data protection Laws, [***]; and

 

(xv)   Providing Licensor with user access to web analytics from Google during the Term (including, but not limited to, Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Merchant Center, Google AdWords, Google Tag Manager and Google My Business).

 

 

 

11.

 

Net Sales:

 

(a)   For purposes of this Agreement: “Net Sales” shall be defined, individually and collectively, as Net Retail Sales and Net Wholesale Sales, unless specifically identified, as follows:

 

(i) “Net Retail Sales” shall be defined as: Licensee’s and any of its subsidiaries’ and other affiliates’ (including, by way of example and not limitation, Affiliate Operators’) gross revenue from or relating to sales (or rentals, as applicable) of Licensed Products, Purchased Products, and any other products and services (e.g., Third-Party Retail Products and Third-Party E-Commerce Products) to/through the Retail Locations and the E-Commerce Website, as well as the Approved Accounts ‘Rent The Runway’ and ‘Vince Unfold’ (individually and collectively, the “Retail Accounts”) less only: (A) applicable sales taxes, (B) actual bona fide returns of Licensed Products supported by credit memoranda actually issued to customers, and (C) Licensee’s actual out-of-pocket shipping and insurance costs actually paid to unaffiliated third parties, but, in each case, only if actually billed to customers at Licensee’s actual out-of-pocket cost (with no markup or profit for Licensee) and stated separately on the written invoice issued by Licensee to such customer for such products; and

 

21


 

 

 

 

 

(ii)  “Net Wholesale Sales” shall be defined as: Licensee’s and any of its subsidiaries’ and other affiliates’ (including, by way of example and not limitation, Affiliate Operators’) gross sales of Licensed Products to/through the Approved Accounts (excluding the Retail Accounts), less only: (A) applicable sales taxes, (B) Deductions (as hereinafter defined), and (C) shipping and insurance costs (including shipping errors and freight deductions), but, in each case, only if actually billed to customers and stated separately on the invoice. “Deduction(s)” shall be defined as: (W) the amount of any discounts actually earned and taken by customers for prompt payments (e.g., payment terms discounts) (but not estimated discounts), (X) authorized returns actually made by customers for Licensed Products; (Y) markdowns, allowances, and chargebacks actually given to/taken by customers; and (Z) quality adjustments. The total of all Deductions to arrive at Net Wholesale Sales shall not exceed [***] of total gross sales to/through the Approved Accounts (excluding the Retail Accounts) per Contract Year.

 

 

 

 

 

(b)   Net Sales accrue in the Contract Quarter during which the Licensed Products are sold by Licensee, regardless of when or if Licensee collects the revenue from such sale. For purposes of this Agreement, a Licensed Product shall be considered “sold” upon the date when such Licensed Product is invoiced, shipped or paid for, whichever event occurs first.

 

 

 

12.

 

Minimum Net Sales:

 

During the Term, Licensee shall be required to meet certain minimum Net Sales thresholds (“Minimum Net Sales”).

 

(i) For each Contract Year during the Initial Term, the Minimum Net Sales shall be:

 

 

 

Contract Year

 

Minimum Net Sales

1 (2023/2024)

 

[***]

2 (2024/2025)

 

[***]

3 (2025/2026)

 

[***]

4 (2026/2027)

 

[***]

5 (2027/2028)

 

[***]

6 (2028/2029)

 

[***]

7 (2029/2030)

 

[***]

8 (2030/2031)

 

[***]

9 (2031/2032)

 

[***]

10 (2032/2033)

 

[***]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(ii)  For each Renewal Term (if any): (A) the first Contract Year’s Minimum Net Sales shall be the greater of: (I) [***] of the Minimum Net Sales of the final Contract Year of the preceding Contract Period; or (II) [***] of the [***] of the actual Net Sales in the [***] of the preceding Contract Period; and (B) the Minimum Net Sales for each subsequent Contract Year within that same Contract Period shall be [***] of the prior Contract Year’s Minimum Net Sales.

 

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(iii)  Upon Licensee’s reasonable request, the Parties will meet and confer in good faith to discuss a potential reasonable corresponding adjustment to the Minimum Net Sales in the event Licensee, due to no fault of Licensee, [***].

 

(b)   Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the Agreement, [***], Licensee shall not be deemed in breach of this Agreement, provided that Licensor shall have the right to terminate the Agreement in the event that Licensee fails to achieve Minimum Net Sales in consecutive years pursuant to Section 9(a)(i)(I) of the Standard Terms.

 

 

 

13.

 

Royalty(ies):

 

(a)   “Royalty(ies)” shall be defined as:

 

(i) [***] of Net Retail Sales; and

 

(ii)  [***] of Net Wholesale Sales.

 

 

 

14.

 

Guaranteed Minimum Royalty:

 

(a)   “Guaranteed Minimum Royalty(ies)” (also referred to herein as “GMR(s)”) shall be defined as non-returnable advances recoupable against Royalties earned in the same Contract Year.

 

(i) For each Contract Year during the Initial Term, the GMR shall be:

 

 

 

Contract Year

 

Guaranteed Minimum Royalty

1 (2023/2024)

 

$5,500,000 USD

plus

$2,750,000 USD multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of calendar days left in the current Contract Quarter commencing with the Effective Date and the denominator of which is the total number of calendar days in the full Contract Quarter in which the Effective Date exists.1

2 (2024/2025)

 

$11,000,000 USD

3 (2025/2026)

 

$11,000,000 USD

4 (2026/2027)

 

$11,000,000 USD

5 (2027/2028)

 

$11,000,000 USD

6 (2028/2029)

 

$11,000,000 USD

7 (2029/2030)

 

$11,000,000 USD

8 (2030/2031)

 

$11,000,000 USD

9 (2031/2032)

 

$11,000,000 USD

10 (2032/2033)

 

$11,000,000 USD

 

 

 

 

 

 

(ii)  For each Renewal Term (if any), the GMR for each Contract Year in such Renewal Term shall be equal to the greater of (A)[***] of the GMR of the [***] or (B) [***] of the [***] of the actual earned Royalties [***] of the preceding Contract Period.

 

1

If the Effective Date is on or after July 30, 2023, then the amount of the GMR for Contract Year 1 (2023/2024) and the calculation of the amount of the Signing Payment in Section 15(a)(i) of the Commercial Terms will be amended to have the partial quarter be the third Contract Quarter of Contract Year 1 (2023/2024).

 

23


 

 

 

 

 

 

(b)   Licensee hereby acknowledges that the GMR is payable to Licensor even if Licensee fails to manufacture, sell or market the Licensed Products during the Term, and is a condition of Licensor entering into the Agreement.

 

(c)   Overages and Royalty Shortfalls.

 

(i) [***]

 

(ii)  Licensee must always make the GMR payments to Licensor as and when required hereunder. [***].

 

(iii)  [***].

 

 

 

15.

 

Payments to Licensor:

 

(a)   Timing of Payments.

 

(i) Payments Due on Signing of Agreement. Licensee shall pay an amount equal to the [***] (“Signing Payment”) concurrent with or within five (5) Business Days following the Closing.

 

(ii)  Minimums.

 

(A)  For the remaining two fiscal quarters of Contract Year 1 (2023/2024), Licensee shall pay the GMR to Licensor in equal quarterly installments of [***] on or before [***] and equal quarterly installments of [***] to Licensor within fifteen (15) days of [***].

 

(B)  Beginning with Contract Year 2 (2024/2025), and for each Contract Year thereafter for the remainder of the Initial Term, Licensee shall pay the GMR to Licensor in equal quarterly installments of [***] on or before the [***], and equal quarterly installments of [***] to Licensor within [***].

 

(C)  Beginning with Renewal Term 1 (if any), and for each Contract Year during Renewal Term 1 and thereafter for the remainder of the Term, Licensee shall pay the GMR to Licensor in equal quarterly installments of [***] the GMR for such Contract Year on or before the [***], and [***] for such Contract Year to Licensor within [***].

 

(iii)  Actuals. In the event that the actual earned Royalties in a given [***] exceed the previously-paid portion of the GMR attributable to such [***], Licensee shall pay the Royalties in excess of the previously paid portion of the GMR [***], to Licensor within [***] days of the end of such [***].

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(b)   Wire Instructions. Licensee shall be solely responsible for any costs and/or fees associated with making any and all payments to Licensor as required under this Agreement, including, without limitation, wire transfer fees. Licensee shall pay all sums due to Licensor by wire transfer to the following account, unless otherwise instructed by Licensor and memorialized in a written amendment to this Agreement, duly executed by authorized signatories of, and delivered by, each of the Parties hereto:

 

 

 

 

 

Payee: ABG Intermediate Holdings 2, LLC

Bank of America

One Bryant Park

New York, NY 10036

Account Number: [***]

ABA Routing Number (for domestic transfers):

Wire: [***] / ACH: [***]

Swift Code (for international transfers): [***]

 

(c)   Currency. All monetary figures included herein are in United States Dollars.

 

 

 

16.

 

Advertising & Promotion:

 

(a)   For purposes of this Agreement, “Advertising & Promotion” shall be defined as any and all efforts, products, advertisements, social media posts and the like, made for the purpose of marketing, selling and distributing the Licensed Products.

 

(b)   Licensee shall spend a minimum of [***] of Net Sales in each Contract Year during the Term on Advertising & Promotion expenditures for the Licensed Property and/or Licensed Products (the “Advertising Commitment”). The Advertising Commitment may be spent on costs and expenses attributable to each of the following, so long as the same arise directly from, and relate directly to, the Licensed Products: Tradeshows (as hereinafter defined), Summits (as hereinafter defined), digital advertising (e.g., search engine optimization, search engine marketing, etc.), public relations, point-of-sale advertising, store fixtures, and co-op advertising. In no event shall the Advertising Commitment be utilized for any general overhead, administrative or development costs or expenses. At the end of each Contract Year, if Licensee has not spent the entire Advertising Commitment if and as required hereunder (Licensee’s actual spend being defined herein as the “Actual AC Spend”), Licensee shall spend the difference between the Advertising Commitment and the Actual AC Spend (the “AC Shortfall”) on Advertising & Promotion of the Licensed Products [***].

 

 

 

17.

 

Tradeshows & Summits:

 

(a)   If requested by Licensor, Licensee shall participate in at least one (1) major tradeshow(s) to promote Licensed Products (each, a “Tradeshow”), designated by Licensor in Licensor’s sole discretion, per calendar year during the Term (for clarity, participation in more than one (1) tradeshow in any given calendar year is in Licensee’s commercially reasonable discretion). Licensee’s participation in any such Tradeshows shall be at Licensee’s sole cost and expense.

 

25


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(b)   In the event that Licensor elects to host one (1) or more licensing summit(s) for Licensor’s other licensees and/or partners (“Summit(s)”) during the Term, then Licensee shall, upon Licensor’s request, attend one (1) such Summit per calendar year and additional Summits in such calendar year in Licensee’s commercially reasonable discretion, in each case, at Licensee’s sole cost and expense.

 

 

 

18.

 

Discounted Products & Free Units; Know-How:

 

(a)   Licensee shall offer to sell Licensed Products to Licensor’s employees (and shall actually sell to Licensor’s employees, if so desired by such employees), for their personal use, at the price discounts generally offered to Licensee’s own employees, but in no event at a price greater than Licensee’s regular United States wholesale prices therefor.

 

(b)   Licensee shall ship, at Licensee’s sole cost, up to [***] of Licensed Products (measured at Licensee’s LDP Cost) to Licensor in each Contract Year during the Term (“Free Units”). The assortment of Free Units shall be at Licensor’s sole discretion and will not be sold by Licensor.

 

(c)   In addition to the Free Units, Licensee shall provide the Licensor Parties, at no charge, such number of Licensed Products, and copies of various executions of the Advertising & Promotion, as such Licensor Parties may reasonably request from time to time for fashion shows, special events and presentations, showroom display, promotional photo shoots, photo layouts, retail displays, premium offers, giveaways, sales incentives, charitable giving, donations, gift-with-purchase programs, and for other promotional / public relations efforts (“PR Samples”). In the event that any PR Samples are needed prior to the commencement of production of the same seasonal collection of Licensed Products, Licensee shall provide pre-production samples of Licensed Products. In the event Licensee is unable to supply the Licensor Parties with PR Samples, the Licensor Parties shall have the right to source the same from third parties, with Licensee’s prior written consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed, and such activity shall not be deemed a breach of exclusivity rights, if any, that may be granted under this Agreement. All PR Samples shall only be used for promotional purposes and shall not be sold by Licensor.

 

(d)   In no event shall Licensee be required to provide or sell Free Units and PR Samples with a combined value in excess of [***] per Contract Year (based on Licensee’s LDP cost).

26


 

 

 

 

 

 

(e)   Provision of Know-How.

 

(i) During the Term, Licensee hereby agrees to facilitate the sale of those Licensed Products from Licensee’s suppliers to Licensor’s third party licensees / partners (collectively, “Licensor Party(ies)”) for distribution and sale outside of the Territory at a price equal to: (A) the actual freight on board manufacturing cost for each Licensed Product (“FOB Cost”); plus (B) a specified percentage fee equal to [***] of such FOB Cost for each Licensed Product to be paid by such Licensor Party(ies) to Licensee (“Commission” and collectively with FOB Cost, the “Favorable Price”). In its capacity to facilitate the sale of Licensed Products to/through Licensor Party(ies) at the Favorable Price, Licensee agrees, in consultation with Licensor, to use commercially reasonable efforts during the Term to: (A) provide general support services regarding the Licensed Products to be purchased by the Licensor Party(ies) for purposes of establishing optimal practices and efficiencies regarding the business to be conducted in connection with the Licensed Products as contemplated hereunder, and (B) reasonably designate certain personnel to generally manage day-to-day communications and business matters with certain Licensor Party(ies) to the extent Licensee facilitates the sale of Licensed Products to such Licensor Party(ies) at the Favorable Price. For the avoidance of doubt, the FOB Cost will be paid directly by the Licensor Party(ies) to the supplier for such Licensed Products with no assumption of credit risk or other liability by Licensee and the Commission will be paid directly to Licensee.

 

 

 

 

 

(ii)  Without limiting Section 7(d)(i) of the Commercial Terms of the Agreement above, Licensee acknowledges and agrees that during the Term, there may be certain cost prohibitive circumstances (e.g., import duties, etc.) and/or other scenarios, whereby certain Licensor Party(ies) may be unable to and/or otherwise may not desire to purchase Licensed Products directly from or through Licensee’s suppliers. Accordingly, Licensee shall be required to provide and deliver to each applicable Licensor Party(ies), commercially reasonable quantities of Product based know-how relating specifically to the production and manufacture of Licensed Product(s), including, without limitation, tech packs, designs, patterns, information concerning research/development/design/fabrication services, information concerning sourcing/buying services and product(s) know-how services, in each case, for product(s) which are the same or substantially similar to the Licensed Product(s) sold by or on behalf of Licensee (collectively, the “Know-How”), which may be utilized by the applicable Licensor Party(ies) to itself produce, manufacture and otherwise source the Licensed Products for distribution and sale outside of the Territory. Licensee shall be entitled to receive a specified fee payable directly from the applicable Licensor Party(ies) to whom Licensee provides such Know-How at a price equal to: (I) Licensee’s actual cost of the Know-How actually provided to the Licensor Party(ies) (“Actual

27


 

 

 

 

 

KH-Cost”); plus (II) a specified percentage fee equal to [***] of the Licensor Party(ies) FOB Cost of the Licensed Products manufactured and sold using the Know-How (“Know-How-Fee”), which Know-How-Fee shall be negotiated directly between Licensee and the applicable Licensor Party and may be set forth in the applicable Services Agreement (as hereinafter defined) to be entered into directly by Licensee and the applicable Licensor Party, in each instance.

 

 

 

 

 

(iii)  In the event that Licensee reasonably determines that (I) [***] or (II) the [***], then in either case ((I) or (II)), upon Licensee’s request, the Parties will meet and discuss in good faith potential solutions to address [***].

 

(iv) Licensee further acknowledges and agrees that, it will be required to enter into a separate written agreement(s) (“Services Agreement(s)”) with all Licensor Party(ies) in connection with: (A) any and all assistance provided by Licensee to Licensor Party(ies) to facilitate sales of Licensed Products from Licensee’s suppliers to Licensor Party(ies) and for the Commission payable to Licensee in connection therewith; and/or (B) any and all Know-How to be provided or delivered to the Licensor Party(ies) and for the Actual KH-Cost plus Know-How Fee payable to Licensee in connection therewith. Licensee acknowledges that it shall contract directly with any and all Licensor Party(ies) for any and all aspects and all matters relating to the Services Agreements, including, but not limited to, the Commission, Know-How and the Know-How-Fee. Licensee acknowledges that Licensor shall not be liable or responsible in any event in connection with any of Licensee’s dealings with Licensor Party(ies). In the event of any dispute between or among Licensee and any Licensor Party regarding any Services Agreement, then upon receipt of Licensee’s written request, Licensor may, but shall have no obligation, to attempt to mediate any such dispute in order to help facilitate a resolution. The Services Agreement may include provisions to the effect that (1) the Licensor Party will pay suppliers for Licensed Products and Licensee for the Commission, Know-How-Fee and Actual KH-Cost, (2) Licensee will not assume any credit risk or other liability in respect of the Licensed Products, and (3) Licensor Party will be solely responsible for meeting import, export, labeling and other compliance obligations arising under the Laws of the jurisdiction in which it operates or distributes Licensed Products. Licensor and Licensee each hereby acknowledge and agree, that any and all terms and/or negotiations relating to the Services Agreements shall be handled and negotiated directly between Licensee and Licensor Party in each instance, and Licensor shall incur no liability of any kind in connection therewith. In addition, as between Licensor and Licensee, Licensee shall be responsible for ensuring that each Services Agreement includes the procedures, terms and conditions, pursuant to which: (I) Licensee will facilitate the sale of the Licensed Products from Licensee’s suppliers to the Licensor Party(ies) in return for receiving the Commission on such sales; and (II) Licensee

28


 

 

 

 

 

will provide and deliver the Know-How to the Licensor Party(ies) in exchange for the Know-How-Fee and Actual KH-Cost. The Parties agree that no Royalties will be owed or accrue on the Know-How-Fee, Actual KH-Cost, Commission or similar amounts payable by Licensor Parties to Licensee under a Services Agreement.

 

 

 

 

19.

 

Insurance:

 

(a)   Licensee shall procure and maintain, at its sole cost and expense, and shall use commercially reasonable efforts cause its Sub-Contractors to obtain, at their sole cost and expense, during the Term and for a period of three (3) years thereafter (“Insurance Period”), comprehensive general liability insurance (including, without limitation, product liability insurance, inventory insurance, worker’s compensation insurance, operations liability insurance, advertising injury insurance, and intellectual property insurance), to defend and protect against claims arising out of or in connection with Licensee’s operation the Business, the Licensed Products and the Advertising & Promotion thereof. Such insurance policies must be obtained from a reputable provider reasonably acceptable to Licensor, in an amount not less than Five Million United States Dollars ($5,000,000 USD) in the aggregate, or Licensee’s standard insurance policy limits, whichever is greater.

 

(b)   Within five (5) business days of the date on which this Agreement is fully executed, Licensee shall submit to Licensor a certificate of insurance naming each of Licensor and Authentic Brands Group, LLC (“ABG”) as additional insureds (“COI”), which COI, or a renewal or replacement thereof, shall remain in force at all times during the Insurance Period, and shall require the insurer to provide at least thirty (30) days’ prior written notice to Licensee, and all additional insureds, of any termination, cancellation or modification thereof.

 

20.

 

Miscellaneous:

 

(a)   Within fifteen (15) business days of the date on which this Agreement is fully executed (or such other time mutually agreed by the Parties), Licensee shall:

 

(i) At Licensee’s sole cost, meet with Licensor’s creative, marketing, and branding team at Licensor’s office in New York City, New York, for a one-day introductory workshop for the Business; and

 

(ii)  At Licensee’s sole cost, schedule and actively participate in a demonstration of Licensor’s reporting and approvals software, RoyaltyZone, a detailed explanation of which can be found at www.royaltyzone.com (“RoyaltyZone”). Throughout the Term, Licensee shall comply with all accounting and approvals obligations set forth in the Agreement via RoyaltyZone.

 

(b)   As used in this Agreement, “Business” shall be defined as the business and other activities carried out by Licensee in connection with this Agreement, including the exercise of the Licensed Rights.

[Signature page follows]

29


 

A. Each Party agrees to, and accepts, the Standard Terms & Conditions (“Standard Terms”), which, in addition to these Commercial Terms, and unless otherwise agreed by the Parties in writing, govern Licensee’s use of the Licensed Property and the operation of the Business contemplated hereunder. The Standard Terms are set forth on Schedule C, attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference. These Commercial Terms, together with Standard Terms, and any other schedules, exhibits, attachments or addenda to either (collectively, the or this “Agreement”) collectively: (a) represent the complete agreement of the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof; (b) are fully binding on the Parties hereto; and (c) supersede all previous documents and negotiations. In the event of any conflict between the terms contained in the Commercial Terms of the Agreement and the terms contained in the Standard Terms of the Agreement, the Commercial Terms shall govern. Each Party represents and warrants that it, prior to its execution hereof, had the opportunity to provide a copy of these Commercial Terms and the Standard Terms to, and review the same with, legal counsel of its own choosing, and that it has either obtained advice from such legal counsel or has declined to seek such advice.

B. The Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the law of the State of New York applicable to contracts made and to be performed in the State of New York, without regard to conflicts of law principles. All rights which are not specifically granted and licensed to Licensee in the Agreement are hereby reserved by Licensor, and Licensor may exercise such rights at any time. The Agreement shall not be binding upon Licensor unless or until such time as Licensor has signed this Agreement and received the Signing Payment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AGREED & ACCEPTED:

 

 

 

AGREED & ACCEPTED:

 

 

 

LICENSEE:

 

 

 

LICENSOR:

Vince, LLC, for itself and all Affiliate Operators

 

 

 

ABG-Vince, LLC

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/

Jonathan Schwefel

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Jay Dubiner

Print:

 

Jonathan Schwefel

 

 

 

Print:

 

Jay Dubiner

Title:

 

Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

Title:

 

Chief Legal Officer

Date:

 

May 25, 2023

 

 

 

Date:

 

May 25, 2023

 

 

[Signature page to Vince License Agreement]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

30


 

This Schedule A is attached to and made part of the Agreement between ABG-Vince, LLC (“Licensor”) and Vince, LLC (“Licensee”) dated as of the Closing.

SCHEDULE A

Registrations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trademark

 

Jurisdiction

 

Application Number

 

Application Date

 

Registration Number

VINCE

 

Argentina

 

3285271

 

Oct 18 2013

 

2837770

VINCE

 

Argentina

 

3285272

 

Oct 18 2013

 

2888967

VINCE

 

Argentina

 

3285273

 

Oct 18 2013

 

2700351

VINCE

 

Argentina

 

3308029

 

Feb 7 2014

 

2835835

VINCE

 

Australia

 

1667206

 

Sep 23 2014

 

IR 1230411

VINCE

 

Australia

 

1967101

 

Apr 11 2014

 

1967101

VINCE

 

Australia

 

1471257

 

Jan 25 2012

 

1471257

VINCE

 

Australia

 

1240481

 

Apr 9 2008

 

IR 960474

VINCE

 

Australia

 

1728175

 

Jul 29 2015

 

IR 12668747

VINCE

 

Australia

 

2083460

 

Mar 9 2020

 

IR 1526960

VINCE

 

Azerbaijan

 

1230411

 

Sep 23 2014

 

1230411

VINCE

 

Azerbaijan

 

1268747

 

Jul 29 2015

 

1268747

VINCE

 

Azerbaijan

 

960474

 

Apr 9 2008

 

960474

VINCE

 

Brazil

 

829702067

 

Apr 28 2008

 

829702067

VINCE

 

Brazil

 

829702130

 

Apr 28 2008

 

829702130

VINCE

 

Brazil

 

829702148

 

Apr 28 2008

 

829702148

VINCE

 

Brazil

 

840785798

 

Feb 6 2014

 

840785798

VINCE

 

Canada

 

1696081

 

Sep 30 2014

 

963,605

VINCE

 

Canada

 

1164353

 

Jan 8 2003

 

TMA658558

VINCE

 

Canada

 

1667952

 

Mar 13 2014

 

TMA1041289

VINCE

 

Canada

 

1979033

 

Aug 5 2019

 

N/A

VINCE

 

Chile

 

1.78.038

 

Oct 10 2013

 

1.135.483

CRAFTED BY VINCE

 

China

 

61013199

 

Dec 1 2021

 

61013199

CRAFTED BY VINCE

 

China

 

61037264

 

Dec 1 2021

 

61037264

CRAFTED BY VINCE

 

China

 

61432211

 

Dec 15 2021

 

61432211

VINCE

 

China

 

21377070

 

Sep 22 2016

 

21377070

VINCE

 

China

 

30258435

 

Apr 16 2018

 

30258435

VINCE

 

China

 

44037613

 

Feb 11 2020

 

44037613

VINCE

 

China

 

40589568

 

Aug 26 2019

 

40589568

VINCE

 

China

 

61475152

 

Dec 17 2021

 

61475152

VINCE

 

China

 

40589567

 

Aug 26 2019

 

40589567

VINCE

 

China

 

26453967

 

Sep 18 2017

 

26453967

VINCE

 

China

 

8249979

 

Apr 28 2010

 

8249979

VINCE

 

China

 

15440057

 

Sep 9 2014

 

15440057

VINCE

 

China

 

55708446

 

Apr 29 2021

 

55708446

VINCE

 

China

 

59257557

 

Sep 15 2021

 

59257557

VINCE

 

China

 

20841470

 

Aug 2 2016

 

20841470

VINCE

 

China

 

61668436

 

Dec 24 2021

 

61668436

VINCE

 

China

 

61490545

 

Dec 17 2021

 

61490545

VINCE

 

China

 

61661750

 

Dec 24 2021

 

61661750

VINCE

 

China

 

18933445

 

Jan 20 2016

 

18933445

 

31


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trademark

 

Jurisdiction

 

Application Number

 

Application Date

 

Registration Number

VINCE

 

China

 

61482571

 

Dec 17 2021

 

N/A

VINCE

 

China

 

63733928

 

Apr 1 2022

 

N/A

VINCE

 

China

 

67974519

 

Nov 17 2022

 

N/A

VINCE

 

China

 

63724835

 

Apr 1 2022

 

N/A

VINCE

 

China

 

61487908

 

Dec 17 2021

 

N/A

VINCE

 

China

 

61675451

 

Dec 24 2021

 

N/A

VINCE

 

China

 

63934900

 

Apr 13 2022

 

N/A

VINCE

 

China

 

65284114

 

Jun 14 2022

 

N/A

VINCE UNFOLD

 

China

 

43996082

 

Feb 4 2020

 

43996082

VINCE UNFOLD

 

China

 

43994914

 

Feb 4 2020

 

43994914

img229285707_0.jpg 

 

China

 

21456777

 

Sep 29 2016

 

21456777

img229285707_1.jpg 

 

China

 

21456779

 

Sep 29 2016

 

21456779

img229285707_2.jpg 

 

China

 

65320248

 

Jun 15 2022

 

65320248

img229285707_3.jpg 

 

China

 

65299950

 

Jun 15 2022

 

65299950

img229285707_4.jpg 

 

China

 

65304265

 

Jun 15 2022

 

65304265

img229285707_5.jpg 

 

China

 

67356489

 

Sep 22 2022

 

N/A

img229285707_6.jpg 

 

China

 

65386952

 

Jun 17 2022

 

N/A

CRAFTED BY VINCE

 

EUTM

 

018614188

 

Dec 3 2021

 

018614188

CRAFTED BY VINCE

 

EUTM

 

018623567

 

Dec 16 2021

 

018623567

VINCE

 

EUTM

 

018210146

 

Mar 12 2020

 

18210146

VINCE

 

EUTM

 

1230411

 

Sep 23 2014

 

1230411

VINCE

 

EUTM

 

017980080

 

Nov 2 2018

 

017980080

VINCE

 

EUTM

 

002996700

 

Jan 7 2003

 

002996700

VINCE

 

EUTM

 

960474

 

Apr 9 2008

 

960474

VINCE

 

EUTM

 

1268747

 

Jul 29 2015

 

1268747

VINCE

 

EUTM

 

18080315

 

Jun 10 2019

 

18080315

VINCE

 

EUTM

 

1526960

 

Mar 9 2020

 

1526960

VINCE

 

Hong Kong

 

302747601

 

Sep 25 2013

 

302747601

VINCE

 

Hong Kong

 

200310246

 

Jan 6 2003

 

200310246

VINCE

 

Hong Kong

 

305032890

 

Aug 21 2019

 

305032890

VINCE

 

Hong Kong

 

302888308

 

Feb 6 2014

 

302888308

VINCE

 

Iceland

 

V0097249

 

Jun 24 2015

 

V0097249

VINCE

 

Iceland

 

V0101380

 

Aug 2 2016

 

V0101380

VINCE

 

India

 

IR 1230411 (2915929)

 

Sep 23 2014

 

IR 1230411

VINCE

 

India

 

3345620

 

Aug 25 2016

 

3345620

VINCE

 

Indonesia

 

D002014003164

 

Jan 24 2014

 

IDM000531739

VINCE

 

Indonesia

 

D002014011705

 

Mar 17 2014

 

IDM000528394

VINCE

 

Israel

 

310410

 

Sep 23 2014

 

310410

VINCE

 

Israel

 

1230411 (271212)

 

Sep 23 2014

 

1230411

VINCE

 

Israel

 

279024

 

Jul 29 2015

 

279024

VINCE

 

Israel

 

286929

 

Aug 2 2016

 

286929

VINCE

 

Israel

 

327125

 

Mar 9 2020

 

327125

VINCE

 

Japan

 

1230411

 

Sep 23 2014

 

1230411

VINCE

 

Japan

 

2015069506

 

Jul 21 2015

 

0005814277

VINCE

 

Japan

 

2019-081126

 

Jun 7 2019

 

6258074

VINCE

 

Japan

 

1268747

 

Jul 29 2015

 

1268747

VINCE

 

Japan

 

2003000161

 

Jan 6 2003

 

0004718937

VINCE

 

Japan

 

2011064829

 

Sep 8 2011

 

0005476864

 

32


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trademark

 

Jurisdiction

 

Application Number

 

Application Date

 

Registration Number

VINCE

 

Japan

 

1526960

 

Mar 9 2020

 

1526960

VINCE

 

Jordan

 

130961

 

Oct 27 2013

 

130961

VINCE

 

Jordan

 

130960

 

Oct 27 2013

 

130960

VINCE

 

Jordan

 

130959

 

Oct 27 2013

 

130959

VINCE

 

Jordan

 

134001

 

Feb 6 2014

 

134001

VINCE

 

Kazakhstan

 

1230411

 

Sep 23 2014

 

1230411

VINCE

 

Kazakhstan

 

960474

 

Apr 9 2008

 

960474

VINCE

 

Kazakhstan

 

1268747

 

Jul 29 2015

 

1268747

VINCE

 

Kazakhstan

 

1526960

 

Mar 9 2020

 

1526960

VINCE

 

Kuwait

 

145137

 

Nov 14 2013

 

124437

VINCE

 

Kuwait

 

145138

 

Nov 14 2013

 

123346

VINCE

 

Kuwait

 

145139

 

Nov 14 2013

 

123347

VINCE

 

Kuwait

 

148455

 

Feb 18 2014

 

148455

VINCE

 

Lebanon

 

10251

 

Oct 30 2013

 

154013

VINCE

 

Lebanon

 

14959

 

Feb 18 2014

 

157923

VINCE

 

Macau

 

164343

 

Jan 7 2020

 

164343

VINCE

 

Macau

 

164344

 

Jan 7 2020

 

164344

VINCE

 

Macau

 

164345

 

Jan 7 2020

 

164345

VINCE

 

Macau

 

164346

 

Jan 7 2020

 

164346

VINCE

 

Macau

 

164341

 

Jan 7 2020

 

164341

VINCE

 

Macau

 

164347

 

Jan 7 2020

 

164347

VINCE

 

Macau

 

164342

 

Jan 7 2020

 

164342

VINCE

 

Mexico

 

2342251

 

Mar 10 2020

 

2229322

VINCE

 

Mexico

 

1671329

 

Jul 29 2015

 

1775039

VINCE

 

Mexico

 

2342252

 

Mar 10 2020

 

2229323

VINCE FASHION

 

Mexico

 

1644021

 

Aug 12 2015

 

1599631

VINCE

 

Morocco

 

1268747

 

Jul 29 2015

 

1268747

VINCE

 

New Zealand

 

1020644

 

Sep 16 2013

 

1020644

VINCE

 

New Zealand

 

1195900

 

Nov 23 2021

 

1195900

VINCE

 

Norway

 

201508850

 

Sep 16 2013

 

283274

VINCE

 

Norway

 

201408803

 

Apr 9 2008

 

960474

VINCE

 

Norway

 

201512699

 

Jul 29 2015

 

1268747

VINCE

 

Norway

 

202005323

 

Mar 9 2020

 

1526960

VINCE

 

Oman

 

104175

 

Aug 17 2016

 

104175

VINCE

 

Oman

 

1268747

 

Jul 29 2015

 

1268747

VINCE

 

Oman

 

104176

 

Aug 17 2016

 

104176

VINCE

 

Philippines

 

1230411

 

Sep 23 2014

 

1230411

VINCE

 

Qatar

 

85612

 

Dec 3 2013

 

85612

VINCE

 

Qatar

 

85613

 

Dec 3 2013

 

85613

VINCE

 

Qatar

 

85614

 

Dec 3 2013

 

85614

VINCE

 

Qatar

 

87262

 

Feb 17 2014

 

87262

VINCE

 

Republic of Korea (South)

 

40-2018-0149907

 

Oct 31 2018

 

40-1567528

VINCE

 

Republic of Korea (South)

 

1230411

 

Sep 23 2014

 

1230411

VINCE

 

Republic of Korea (South)

 

40-2019-0087946

 

Jun 7 2019

 

40-1625123

VINCE

 

Republic of Korea (South)

 

1268747 (TM058837)

 

Jul 29 2015

 

1268747

VINCE

 

Republic of Korea (South)

 

4020110021472

 

Apr 20 2011

 

40-0925220

 

33


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trademark

 

Jurisdiction

 

Application Number

 

Application Date

 

Registration Number

VINCE

 

Republic of Korea (South)

 

4020100053052

 

Oct 15 2010

 

40-0892258

VINCE

 

Republic of Korea (South)

 

4520070004932

 

Nov 5 2007

 

4500327550000

VINCE

 

Republic of Korea (South)

 

4120110011189

 

Apr 20 2011

 

41-0245950

VINCE

 

Republic of Korea (South)

 

1209139

 

Feb 26 2014

 

1209139

VINCE

 

Russian Federation

 

2015722189

 

Jul 17 2015

 

595308

VINCE

 

Russian Federation

 

1230411

 

Sep 23 2014

 

1230411

VINCE

 

Russian Federation

 

1268747

 

Jul 29 2015

 

1268747

VINCE

 

Russian Federation

 

960474

 

Apr 9 2008

 

960474

VINCE

 

Russian Federation

 

1526960

 

Mar 9 2020

 

1526960

VINCE

 

Saudi Arabia

 

1435001491

 

Nov 27 2013

 

1435001491

VINCE

 

Saudi Arabia

 

1435001492

 

Nov 27 2013

 

1435001492

VINCE

 

Singapore

 

40201512654V

 

Sep 16 2013

 

40201500212V

VINCE

 

Singapore

 

1230411

 

Sep 23 2014

 

1230411

VINCE

 

Singapore

 

960474 (T0806430D)

 

Apr 9 2008

 

960474 (T0806430D)

VINCE

 

South Africa

 

2013/27764

 

Oct 7 2013

 

2013/27764

VINCE

 

South Africa

 

2013/27765

 

Oct 7 2013

 

2013/27765

VINCE

 

South Africa

 

2013/27766

 

Oct 7 2013

 

2013/27766

VINCE

 

South Africa

 

2014/03077

 

Feb 6 2014

 

2014/03077

VINCE

 

Switzerland

 

00324/2015

 

Sep 16 2013

 

679260

VINCE

 

Switzerland

 

960474

 

Apr 9 2008

 

960474

VINCE

 

Switzerland

 

1268747

 

Jul 29 2015

 

1268747

VINCE

 

Switzerland

 

1526960

 

Mar 9 2020

 

1526960

VINCE

 

Taiwan

 

097016454

 

Apr 10 2008

 

01377063

VINCE

 

Taiwan

 

103016900

 

Mar 28 2014

 

1670305

VINCE

 

Thailand

 

692936

 

Apr 18 2008

 

Kor375286

VINCE

 

Thailand

 

692937

 

Apr 18 2008

 

Kor315178

VINCE

 

Thailand

 

692938

 

Apr 18 2008

 

Bor43665

VINCE

 

Thailand

 

930018

 

Mar 17 2014

 

161110830

VINCE

 

Turkey

 

1179018

 

Sep 16 2013

 

1179018

VINCE

 

Turkey

 

1230411

 

Sep 23 2014

 

1230411

VINCE

 

Turkey

 

IR 960474 (2008/33057)

 

Apr 9 2008

 

IR 960474 (2008/33057)

VINCE

 

Turkey

 

1268747

 

Jul 29 2015

 

1268747

VINCE

 

Turkey

 

202022236

 

Feb 21 2020

 

202022236

VINCE

 

Ukraine

 

m201512201

 

Sep 16 2013

 

207937

VINCE

 

Ukraine

 

1230411

 

Sep 23 2014

 

1230411

VINCE

 

Ukraine

 

2016 16576

 

Aug 1 2016

 

241280

VINCE

 

Ukraine

 

1526960

 

Mar 9 2020

 

1526960

VINCE

 

United Arab Emirates

 

200153

 

Oct 29 2013

 

200153

VINCE

 

United Arab Emirates

 

200154

 

Oct 29 2013

 

200154

VINCE

 

United Arab Emirates

 

200155

 

Oct 29 2013

 

200155

VINCE

 

United Arab Emirates

 

207023

 

Mar 2 2014

 

207023

CRAFTED BY VINCE

 

United Kingdom

 

UK00003728779

 

Dec 3 2021

 

UK00003728779

CRAFTED BY VINCE

 

United Kingdom

 

UK00003733824

 

Dec 16 2021

 

UK00003733824

 

34


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trademark

 

Jurisdiction

 

Application Number

 

Application Date

 

Registration Number

VINCE

 

United Kingdom

 

UK00003700373

 

Sep 24 2021

 

UK00003700373

VINCE

 

United Kingdom

 

UK00801230411

 

Sep 23 2014

 

UK00801230411

VINCE

 

United Kingdom

 

UK00917980080

 

Nov 2 2018

 

UK00917980080

VINCE

 

United Kingdom

 

UK00902996700

 

Jan 7 2003

 

UK00902996700

VINCE

 

United Kingdom

 

UK00800960474

 

Apr 9 2008

 

UK00800960474

VINCE

 

United Kingdom

 

UK00801268747

 

Jul 29 2015

 

UK00801268747

VINCE

 

United Kingdom

 

UK00918080315

 

Jun 10 2019

 

UK00918080315

VINCE

 

United Kingdom

 

UK00003467062

 

Feb 14 2020

 

UK00003467062

VINCE

 

United Kingdom

 

UK00801526960

 

Mar 9 2020

 

UK00801526960

img229285707_7.jpg 

 

United States of America

 

86978017

 

Apr 10 2014

 

4902935

img229285707_8.jpg 

 

United States of America

 

85129380

 

Sep 14 2010

 

3954984

img229285707_9.jpg 

 

United States of America

 

85129527

 

Sep 14 2010

 

4258156

img229285707_10.jpg 

 

United States of America

 

85129401

 

Sep 14 2010

 

3954985

img229285707_11.jpg 

 

United States of America

 

97139034

 

Nov 23 2021

 

N/A

img229285707_12.jpg 

 

United States of America

 

88979933

 

May 28 2019

 

6472250

img229285707_13.jpg 

 

United States of America

 

90976062

 

Jul 29 2020

 

6641227

img229285707_14.jpg 

 

United States of America

 

97329449

 

Mar 24 2022

 

N/A

img229285707_15.jpg 

 

United States of America

 

97715378

 

Dec 13 2022

 

N/A

img229285707_16.jpg 

 

United States of America

 

90080064

 

Jul 29 2020

 

N/A

img229285707_17.jpg 

 

United States of America

 

90433966

 

Dec 30 2020

 

N/A

CRAFTED BY VINCE

 

United States of America

 

97077214

 

Oct 15 2021

 

6894917

CRAFTED BY VINCE

 

United States of America

 

97166649

 

Dec 10 2021

 

6924711

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

87743617

 

Jan 4 2018

 

6694419

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

86977980

 

Apr 11 2014

 

4902930

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

90241777

 

Oct 8 2020

 

6402235

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

87977980

 

Oct 28 2016

 

5557147

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

85542556

 

Feb 14 2012

 

4251580

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

87981009

 

May 9 2016

 

5808245

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

76380074

 

Mar 8 2002

 

2929250

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

88983502

 

Dec 2 2019

 

6640240

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

87029332

 

May 9 2016

 

5973431

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

87975201

 

May 9 2016

 

5215427

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

85983917

 

Apr 4 2013

 

4871120

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

88984427

 

Dec 2 2019

 

6847273

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

97320103

 

Mar 18 2022

 

6895275

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

87981030

 

Jan 4 2018

 

5808249

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

77372502

 

Jan 15 2008

 

3680680

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

87981167

 

Oct 28 2016

 

5840835

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

35


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trademark

 

Jurisdiction

 

Application Number

 

Application Date

 

Registration Number

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

87977889

 

Oct 28 2016

 

5537419

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

90312431

 

Nov 11 2020

 

6403547

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

88804206

 

Feb 20 2020

 

N/A

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

88890034

 

Apr 27 2020

 

N/A

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

88712311

 

Dec 2 2019

 

N/A

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

97167285

 

Dec 10 2021

 

N/A

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

88805255

 

Feb 21 2020

 

N/A

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

97262504

 

Feb 10 2022

 

N/A

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

88890026

 

Apr 27 2020

 

N/A

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

97138982

 

Nov 23 2021

 

N/A

VINCE

 

United States of America

 

88814797

 

Feb 28 2020

 

N/A

VINCE BABY

 

United States of America

 

90976053

 

Jul 29 2020

 

6741356

VINCE BABY

 

United States of America

 

90080087

 

Jul 29 2020

 

N/A

VINCE TRAVELER

 

United States of America

 

90976575

 

Dec 2 2020

 

6726458

VINCE TRAVELER

 

United States of America

 

90353713

 

Dec 2 2020

 

N/A

VINCE UNFOLD

 

United States of America

 

88118158

 

Sep 14 2018

 

5985464

VINCE. ASSEMBLED

 

United States of America

 

88980130

 

May 28 2019

 

6472251

VINCE. ASSEMBLED

 

United States of America

 

97715369

 

Dec 13 2022

 

N/A

Vince. Unfold

 

United States of America

 

88445388

 

May 24 2019

 

5931365

WARDROBE ESSENTIALS

 

United States of America

 

97521839

 

Jul 27 2022

 

N/A

VINCE

 

Vietnam

 

4-2015-19384

 

Sep 16 2013

 

303013

VINCE

 

Vietnam

 

4-2016-23515

 

Aug 2 2016

 

307676

VINCE

 

WIPO

 

1230411

 

Sep 23 2014

 

1230411

VINCE

 

WIPO

 

960474

 

Apr 9 2008

 

960474

VINCE

 

WIPO

 

1268747

 

Jul 29 2015

 

1268747

VINCE

 

WIPO

 

1526960

 

Mar 9 2020

 

1526960

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This Schedule B is attached to and made part of the Agreement between ABG-Vince, LLC (“Licensor”) and Vince, LLC (“Licensee”) dated as of the Closing.

SCHEDULE B

Distribution Channels & Approved Accounts

 

 

 

 

 

Distribution Channel

 

Approved Accounts

 

Permitted E-Commerce Sites

of Approved Accounts

Wholesale and Discount Wholesale

 

See attached

 

Any E-Commerce Site of a wholesale or discount wholesale customer that is an Approved Account

 

 

 

Specialty

 

[***]

 

[***]

 

 

 

Owned Retail

 

All existing and future Retail Locations operated by Licensee or its Affiliate Operators

 

 

 

 

 

Owned E-Commerce

 

All E-Commerce Websites operated by Licensee or its Affiliate Operators

 

www.vince.com

 

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Wholesale and Discount Wholesale

 

 

 

 

Sales Name

 

Country(ies)

[***]

 

[***]

 

38


 

 

SCHEDULE B-1

Comparable Brands

 

 

1.

[***]

 

 

2.

[***]

 

 

3.

[***]

 

 

4.

[***]

 

 

5.

[***]

 

 

6.

[***]

 

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SCHEDULE B-2

Suppliers

 

 

 

 

[***]

 

[***]

 

 

[***]

 

[***]

 

 

[***]

 

[***]

 

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This Schedule C is attached to and made part of the Agreement between ABG-Vince, LLC (“Licensor”) and Vince, LLC (“Licensee”) dated as of the Closing.

SCHEDULE C

STANDARD TERMS & CONDITIONS

(“Standard Terms”)

These Standard Terms, together with the Commercial Terms and any other schedules, exhibits, attachments or addenda to either (collectively, the “Agreement”), collectively: (a) represent the complete agreement of Licensee and Licensor with respect to the subject matter hereof; (b) are fully binding on the Parties hereto; and (c) supersede all previous documents and negotiations.

 

1.

GRANT OF LICENSE.

(a) Licensed Rights. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Licensor hereby grants to Licensee during the Term, the non-transferrable, non-assignable (except as expressly permitted under Section 14 of the Standard Terms of this Agreement), non-sub-licensable (except for sub-contracting or to Affiliate Operators as expressly permitted pursuant to Section 1(d)(iii) of these Standard Terms), indivisible right and license, to utilize and exploit the Licensed Property solely for and in connection with:

 

 

(i)

the design, manufacture, promotion, marketing, distribution and sale of the Licensed Products to/through the Approved Accounts located within the Territory;

 

 

(ii)

the development and operation of Retail Locations in the Core Territory (and any part of the Option Territory as may be agreed upon by Licensee and Licensor in writing);

 

 

(iii)

the development and operation of the E-Commerce Website for distribution of Licensed Products to end consumers into the Territory;

 

 

(iv)

[***];

 

 

(v)

[***].

 

 

(vi)

the Advertising & Promotion of the Licensed Products, solely within the Territory ((i)-(vi), collectively, the “Licensed Rights”).

(b) Licensee shall not, nor shall Licensee permit others (including any Approved Account) to: (A) distribute or sell any Licensed Products either outside the Territory, or to any accounts other than the Approved Accounts; (B) distribute or sell any Licensed Products to any party that Licensee knows, or has reason to know, is likely to sell such Licensed Products either outside the Territory, or to any accounts other than the Approved Accounts, or (C) solicit, engage in any Advertising & Promotion of, or otherwise exploit the Licensed Products, either outside the Territory or in a manner inconsistent with the distribution or sale of the Licensed Products to/through the Approved Accounts; provided that Approved Accounts may only sell Licensed Products to their own individual end customers in the portion of the Territory in which they are located. Licensee shall use commercially reasonable efforts to actively exercise the Licensed Rights, at all applicable times in accordance with this Agreement, and protect the Licensed Rights granted to Licensee hereunder. For clarity, Licensee shall not be restricted from (1) operating, or allowing Approved Accounts to sell Licensed Products through, authorized E-Commerce Sites in manner that allows such E-Commerce Site to be [***], so long as Licensed Products are not shipped or sold outside of the applicable portion of the Territory and are only for sale, shipment, and distribution to end consumers in the portion of the Territory where such Approved Account is an Approved Account only or (2) engaging in Advertising & Promotion activities on the Internet (including social media accounts) in a manner that [***].

 

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(c) Assets. In the event that Licensor provides Licensee with other assets of or relating to the Licensed Property (e.g., photographs, marketing materials, etc.) that are not included in the Licensed Property (“Assets”) to be used in, on or in connection with Licensed Products or the Advertising & Promotion thereof, Licensee hereby acknowledges that Licensor may not be the owner of the same (or of certain rights therein), and any use or other exploitation of the same by or on behalf of Licensee shall be subject to the terms of this Agreement as well as those terms which are applicable to Licensee’s use of the Assets, whether pursuant to Licensor’s agreement with the owners thereof or otherwise (“Asset Terms”). Upon Licensee’s written request, Licensor will use commercially reasonable efforts to provide Licensee with any available Asset Terms for Assets that Licensor provides to Licensee. Nothing contained herein shall obligate Licensor to provide any Assets to Licensee, to secure any rights with respect to any Assets not owned by Licensor, or to maintain any agreements which Licensor may have in place for any Assets, and any failure by Licensor to do any of the foregoing shall not be deemed a breach of this Agreement.

(d) Limits on Licensed Rights.

(i) Legal Restrictions. Licensee’s exercise of all Licensed Rights, and Licensee’s operation of the Business, shall be exploited, conducted and maintained by Licensee in a lawful and ethical manner and in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, including, without limitation, the Standards of Practice set forth on Exhibit A, which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference (“Standards of Practice”). The Licensed Rights granted hereunder are granted subject to the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”), International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”), sanctions administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), and all other export control and sanctions Laws (as hereinafter defined) applicable to the Parties (collectively, “Trade and Export Control Laws”), and Licensee hereby agrees not to use, disclose, license, sub-license, or otherwise exploit the Licensed Property in violation of any Trade and Export Control Laws. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, the Territory authorized under this Agreement excludes the following countries or regions: Cuba, Iran, Burma (Myanmar), Sudan, North Korea and Syria. Further, Licensor may exclude (or add) any additional country or region from the Territory, by written notice to Licensee, upon the occurrence or imposition of any sanctions, embargo, trade ban (or the lifting of any of the foregoing) relating to such country or region imposed by any government entity with jurisdiction over Licensor or any of its affiliates or by internal corporate mandate. If a country or region becomes prohibited by Laws, the prohibition shall be automatic as of the effective date of such Laws without need of any notice from Licensor. It is Licensee’s responsibility to monitor any such changes.

(ii) No Sub-Branding or Co-Branding. Except as otherwise set forth in the Commercial Terms, Licensee hereby acknowledges and agrees that no Licensed Product shall be sub-branded or co-branded, nor shall any Licensed Products be sold or otherwise distributed under any marks or brand other than the Licensed Property, in each case, without Licensor’s Approval.

(iii) Sub-Contractors; Affiliate Operators.

(A) [***].

(B) Licensee shall use Licensee’s best efforts to ensure that all Sub-Contractors abide by the terms of this Agreement, including, without limitation, the Standards of Practice. All acts and omissions of all Sub-Contractors shall be deemed to be the acts and omissions of Licensee for all purposes of this Agreement, and Licensee shall be responsible and liable for any and all acts and omissions of any Sub-Contractor. In the event of a breach of this Agreement (including, without limitation, the Standards of Practice) by any Sub-Contractor, which breach, to the extent curable, is not cured within the applicable cure period (if any, as provided to Licensee, in each instance hereunder) of Licensee’s receipt of written notice from Licensor specifying the nature of such Sub-Contractor’s breach, Licensor shall have the right to: (I) cause Licensee to terminate such Sub-Contractor’s ability to operate any and/or all portions of the Business hereunder; and/or (II) proceed with a claim and/or action directly against such Sub-Contractor. Licensee hereby acknowledges that no such Sub-Contractor shall have an opportunity to cure any breach which, by its terms or implication, cannot be cured. In the event that Licensor exercises its option set forth in (B)(I) above, then Licensee shall terminate such Sub-Contractor’s ability to operate any and/or all portions of the Business hereunder, and in the event that Licensor exercises its option set forth in (B)(II) above, Licensee shall cooperate with Licensor in connection with such claim and/or action, pursuant to Section 5(c) of the Standard Terms below.

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(C) Affiliate Operators. The Parties hereby acknowledge that Licensee has authorized and/or may authorize each of the following of Licensee’s wholly- or majority-owned affiliate and/or subsidiary entities to service certain of Licensee’s Business operations under this Agreement: (i) a joint venture entity between Licensee and ImagineX for purposes of operating the Business in Greater China, (ii) Vince Group UK LTD for the purposes of operating the Business in the United Kingdom, and (iii) any additional entities that the parties may agree in writing in the future (“Affiliate Operator(s)”); and the Parties agree that each such Affiliate Operator may exercise and/or perform such obligations under the Agreement relating to such Business operations pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including by exercising the rights licensed to Licensee under Section 1(a) of the Standard Terms. Licensee shall inform all Affiliate Operators of the terms, conditions, and requirements under this Agreement and shall ensure that all Affiliate Operators comply with the same. Licensee hereby represents and warrants to Licensor that Affiliate Operator is, as of the Effective Date, and shall remain at all times thereafter during the Term, either majority-owned and/or controlled (whether such control arises by means of ownership, agreement or otherwise) by Licensee or under common ownership with Licensee. Licensee shall notify Licensor in writing in advance of any proposed change to such Affiliate Operators for Licensor’s prior written Approval in each instance. Upon an Affiliate Operator’s failure to perform and observe any agreement, covenant, representation, warranty, term, and/or condition of the Agreement to be performed or observed by it, Licensee promptly shall perform and observe such agreement, covenant, representation, warranty, term and/or condition, or shall promptly cause the same to be promptly performed or observed. All acts and omissions of the Affiliate Operators, individually and collectively, shall be deemed to be the acts and omissions of the Licensee for all purposes of this Agreement.

(e) Reserved Channels/Products. Licensee hereby acknowledges and agrees that, for purposes of this Agreement: (A) the ‘Territory’ specifically excludes all of the following: (I) military bases and exchanges, and (II) each of the following that may be located in, pass through and/or do business in, any country technically located in the Territory: duty-free stores, travel retail stores, airlines and/or aircrafts, cruise ship lines and transportation service companies; and (B) notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the Agreement, the ‘Products’ specifically exclude all of the following (even if such products are the same as or substantially similar to the Licensed Products in styling, materials, componentry, color and/or the like): (i) all products for premium, casino, and corporate promotional and corporate gift programs (including, without limitation, advertising specialty industry or “ASI,” etc.), (ii) uniforms (e.g., teams, schools, professional, etc.), (iii) all products that are infused with alcohol and/or that contain cannabidiol (aka CBD Oil), cannabinoids, psilocybin, or any other similar or related ingredients, and (iv) any and all gift-with-purchase products and any and all purchase-with-purchase products (e.g., those offered together with fragrance, beauty, or other products), (v) all digital, virtual, or interactive products, features, or experiences, now known or hereafter devised, including without limitation, non-fungible tokens/NFTs, cryptocurrency, 3D printables, interactive/video games, virtual reality, avatars, other digital offerings (e.g., icons, screensavers, wallpapers, and ring tones), radio-frequency identification or near field communication (RFID/NFC), augmented reality, mixed reality, software programs, and applications or “apps,” each in all media and platforms (including mobile/wireless) now known or hereafter devised (all of the foregoing are, individually and collectively, the “Reserved Channels/Products”). The Reserved Channels/Products shall be deemed, for all purposes hereof, to be located outside the Territory, and not included in the Products (or Licensed Products), as applicable. Reserved Channels/Products shall not include products or channels that are expressly Approved by Licensor for sale by Licensee.

 

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2.

CONSIDERATION; PAYMENTS; REPORTS.

(a) Consideration. As consideration for the Licensed Rights granted herein, Licensee shall comply with all terms and conditions of the Agreement, including, without limitation, paying all amounts due to Licensor, meeting minimum thresholds, and spending all amounts, in each case as and when required hereunder.

(b) Calculation of Royalties. Licensee shall have the unfettered right to establish the prices that it charges its customers for any Licensed Products sold pursuant to this Agreement; provided, however, that (i) such prices shall be generally consistent with the image, reputation, prestige, and worldwide marketing of the Licensed Property and (ii) solely for purposes of calculating the Royalty due to Licensor, and notwithstanding anything contained in the definition of Net Sales: if Licensed Products are sold to any party directly or indirectly affiliated or under common ownership or control with Licensee at a price less than the regular price charged to other parties, the Royalty due to Licensor shall be computed as though such sales were made to non-related but similarly situated third parties in an arms-length transaction; provided, however, that in the event such sale is an inter-company transfer where the Affiliate Operator purchasing the Licensed Products from Licensee subsequently re-sells them to/through an Approved Account, the Royalty due to Licensor shall be computed on the sale by the Affiliate Operator (e.g., to the Approved Account or to the end consumer of the Retail Locations or E-Commerce Website). In the event that Licensor suspects that Licensee has sold any Licensed Products at a discounted price for purposes of selling other products or services (i.e., as a “Loss-Leader”), whether such sales were made to an affiliate of Licensee or any other third party, Licensor shall be permitted to request, and Licensee hereby agrees to deliver, any and all documentation, backup and support materials, such that Licensor will have sufficient information to evaluate such sales. In the event Licensor reasonably determines that any Licensed Products were sold as a Loss-Leader (and such activity was not Approved in accordance with the terms of this Agreement), it shall constitute a breach of this Agreement by Licensee.

(c) No Deductions. Except as expressly permitted herein, Licensee may not deduct from, setoff or offset the Royalty or any other amount payable to Licensor for any reason. For purposes of illustration but without limitation, Licensee may not deduct from the GMR or the Royalties: uncollectible accounts, wire transfer fees, bank fees or any other fees associated with making any and all payments to Licensor, slotting fees, advertising or other expenses of any kind (including, without limitation, the Advertising Commitment), the costs incurred in the manufacture, sale, distribution or exploitation of the Licensed Products, collection or payment of Royalties or the conversion of any currency into United States Dollars.

(d) Payment Allocation. Licensor may, in Licensor’s sole discretion, allocate and apply payments it receives from Licensee hereunder. Partial payment by Licensee to Licensor of any amounts due hereunder shall not, in any circumstance, avoid default by Licensee as to the full amount of any such payments, and Licensee shall not be entitled to any return of the amount of any partial payments in the event of any expiration or termination of this Agreement.

(e) Taxes.

(i) [***].

(ii) As between Licensor and Licensee, Licensee shall be solely and exclusively responsible for all costs, fees and expenses associated with any imposition of fees, fines, taxes and/or other costs associated with complying with Laws concerning the operation of the Business, including, without limitation, any and all costs, taxes, fees and expenses that may be imposed on sales Licensed Products by a government authority in any country and/or region of the Territory (all collectively referred to as “Local Matters”). Licensee shall not take any steps or actions (or fail to take any steps or actions, where such failure would have the same impact), or make any representations, either directly or indirectly, in the name of or on behalf of Licensor, with respect to any Local Matters or otherwise, and Licensee shall not make any appearances or respond to any written or oral inquiries by any third party, without the prior written instruction of Licensor in each instance. Licensee hereby agrees to cooperate fully with Licensor with respect to Local Matters (including, without limitation, by providing Licensor with any with any documentation or other information requested by Licensor).

 

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(f) Reports.

(i) Statements. Within [***] days following the end of each Contract Quarter [***] during the Term, and continuing until all payments required hereunder are made, Licensee shall submit to Licensor, via RoyaltyZone, a complete and accurate statement (each, a “Statement”), detailing: (A) all of the following information for each month included in such Contract Quarter (as well as year-to-date information), cross-referenced by each ‘SKU’ of Licensed Product (identified by seasonal collection, if applicable), and broken down first by each country of the Territory, then by Distribution Channel, then by Approved Account: (I) total estimated Net Sales; provided that such Net Sales will be calculated based on Licensee’s accrued amounts for returns and other Deductions, (II) total quantity (in units) sold, (III) invoiced price, (IV) gross revenue, (V) Licensee’s accrued amounts for Deductions; [***], and (VI) estimated Royalty due to Licensor based on (I); and (B) Licensee’s itemized expenditures of the Advertising Commitment, including, without limitation, spend by Advertisement (as hereinafter defined) type and by media outlet. In the event that Licensor issues any invoice(s) to Licensee for any payments due and/or owing hereunder, Licensee hereby acknowledges that the same would be done solely as a courtesy to Licensee, and no such invoice shall alter, change or otherwise impact the amount or due date of any such payment (the terms of which shall continue to be dictated by the terms of this Agreement).

(ii) Year-End Summaries. Within [***] days following the end of the fourth (4th) Contract Quarter of each Contract Year, Licensee shall submit to Licensor, via RoyaltyZone, a complete and accurate statement (“Year-End Summary” and together with the Statements, “Reports”), in the same format as the Statements, detailing all of the same information required for a Statement, in the aggregate, for the applicable Contract Year; provided that such Year-End Summary will include actual total Net Sales calculated based on actual returns and other Deductions, actual Deductions (broken down by Distribution Channel and Approved Account), and actual Royalty due to Licensor.

(iii) General. Included with each Report, Licensee shall submit to Licensor: (A) a copy of Licensee’s full and complete financial statements for that Contract Quarter or Contract Year, as applicable; and (B) a certification signed by Licensee’s chief financial officer (or an equivalent authorized representative) indicating that such authorized representative of Licensee has reviewed and agrees with all the information contained in such Report. If and when requested by Licensor, Licensee shall provide Licensor with additional information (e.g., Net Sales and/or orders booked/confirmed for Licensed Products by country, Net Sales by specific Approved Accounts and/or Distribution Channel, etc.), and/or backup and support materials, with respect to any item contained in any Report, such that Licensor will have sufficient information to evaluate the sources of any item contained in such Report, and to track Licensee’s Business under this Agreement. Licensor hereby reserves the right to modify the process for submission of Reports (e.g., using a software other than RoyaltyZone, etc.) on reasonable advance written notice to Licensee, but in no event shall Licensor modify the timing or frequency of the same without Licensee’s prior written approval, which approval may not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.

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(g) Books & Records; Audit. Licensor’s acceptance of any payment and/or any Statement pursuant to this Agreement is without prejudice, shall not be deemed a waiver by Licensor of any rights afforded to Licensor hereunder, at law or in equity, and shall not preclude Licensor from questioning the correctness thereof at any time or exercising any of its rights related thereto. Licensee shall keep complete and accurate books of accounts and records with respect to its activities and transactions relating to this Agreement, including by way of example and not limitation, manufacture, sale, distribution, Advertising & Promotion, and other exploitation of Licensed Products (“Books & Records”). Licensee shall maintain such Books & Records throughout the Term of this Agreement, and for a period of three (3) years following the expiration or termination of the Term (the “Retention Period”). During the Term and Retention Period, Licensor, or a third party designated by Licensor (Licensor and such third party being defined, for purposes of this Section, as an “Auditor”), shall have the right to conduct an audit upon reasonable prior written notice (e.g., 48 hours) during regular business hours to verify Licensee’s performance and compliance hereunder, including without limitation, by inspecting, examining, copying, making extracts (including in searchable electronic form), and retaining, the Books & Records insofar as they relate to this Agreement, including, without limitation, the computation of Royalties, and other amounts payable to Licensor and/or amounts that Licensee is required to spend under this Agreement, and Licensee hereby agrees to cooperate in good faith with the Auditor in connection therewith (including, without limitation, by providing the Auditor with backup and support documentation related to any Books & Records, e.g., Licensee’s standard wholesale prices for any Products, excel spreadsheets with formulas, etc.). All such Books & Records shall be available at Licensee’s corporate headquarters at the address set forth in this Agreement or otherwise reasonably accessible to Licensee. If requested by Auditor, Licensee shall provide related electronic data including Net Sales, Royalties and Deductions, in electronic form prior to any scheduled audit. In the event Licensee fails to so cooperate with the Auditor: the same shall be deemed a breach of this Agreement by Licensee. Licensor and/or such Auditor shall be permitted to inspect such Books & Records no more frequently than one (1) time during any twelve (12) month period, upon reasonable prior written notice to Licensee. In the event that any such inspection is conducted by a third-party Auditor, such Auditor shall agree in advance not to disclose to any third party, or use for the Auditor’s benefit, any Confidential Information (as hereinafter defined) of which the Auditor observes or becomes aware. The Books & Records and all other information provided by Licensee in connection with any audit described in this Section shall be Licensee’s Confidential Information. If any such inspection reveals a deficit in the amount paid to Licensor equal to [***] or more of the amount payable to Licensor hereunder for the period in question, then Licensee shall also reimburse Licensor for the cost of such audit, including, but not limited to the reasonable costs associated with the Auditor’s lodging, travel, and meals and Licensor’s engagement of such Auditor. Licensor or the Auditor will promptly notify Licensee in writing of any discrepancy (either a deficit or overpayment) revealed by any such inspection. Licensee shall make all payments to Licensor required to be made to eliminate any deficit or underpayment revealed by any such inspection within fifteen (15) days after Licensor’s written request therefor. Interest, compounded monthly, at the rate of [***] per month (or, if not legally permissible, then at the then maximum legal interest rate) shall accrue on any amount due to Licensor from and after the date upon which said payment is due until the date payment is actually received, whether said late payment was discovered in connection with this Section or otherwise.

 

 

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3.

BUSINESS PROJECTIONS; ADVERTISING & PROMOTION.

(a) Projections. No later than [***] of each Contract Year during the Term and again by [***] of each Contract Year during the Term, Licensee shall submit to Licensor Licensee’s bona fide projections of Licensee’s anticipated and projected Net Sales (“Projections”) for: (i) the remainder of the Contract Year, and (ii) for the next Contract Year.

(b) A&P Plan. By the [***] of each Contract Year during the Term, Licensee shall submit to Licensor, in a form and with all information as requested by Licensor, a detailed preliminary proposal for Licensee’s Advertising & Promotion of the Licensed Products and/or Licensed Property for the immediately succeeding Contract Year, inclusive of budget (“Preliminary Plan”) for Licensor’s consideration and comment. By fifteen (15) days prior to the end of the fourth Contract Quarter each Contract Year during the Term, Licensee shall submit to Licensor an updated Preliminary Plan intended to serve as the final proposal for Licensee’s Advertising & Promotion of the Licensed Products and/or Property for the immediately succeeding Contract Year, inclusive of budget (“Proposed Plan”) for Licensor’s Approval. In the event Licensor provides Licensee with comments and/or suggested changes to Licensee’s Proposed Plan, Licensee shall, within ten (10) days of receipt of such comments from Licensor, make appropriate adjustments to the Proposed Plan, and re-submit the same to Licensor for Licensor’s Approval; it being understood that Licensor’s comments and/or suggested changes to the Proposed Plan shall not require Licensee to spend more than the Advertising Commitment. Once Licensee’s Proposed Plan is Approved by Licensor (such Approved Proposed Plan being defined herein as the “A&P Plan”), Licensee shall execute all Advertising & Promotion for the applicable Contract Year pursuant to the terms of such A&P Plan.

(c) No Promotional Use. Licensee shall entirely not itself, nor shall Licensee permit any third parties to, make use of the Licensed Property or Licensed Products for any promotional purposes (including, without limitation, premium offers, giveaways, sales incentives, charitable giving, donations, gift-with-purchase programs), without Licensor’s Approval in each instance. From the Effective Date until the first A&P Plan is Approved, Licensee’s promotional activities, as the same are being executed by Licensee as of the Effective Date, are hereby pre-Approved.

 

 

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(d) No Third-Party Endorsements. Except as expressly contemplated under this Agreement, Licensee shall not contact or solicit any third party, or use the images or services of any such third party, whether as an endorsement, sponsorship or similar activity, in connection with the Licensed Products or the Business, without Licensor’s Approval in each instance.

(e) Press Releases. [***].

 

4.

APPROVALS; PRODUCTION.

(a) Approvals.

(i) Approval Rights. For purposes of this Agreement, “Approval” (and all grammatical variations thereof, e.g., Approve, Approved, etc.) shall be defined as Licensor’s prior written approval, which may be given or withheld in Licensor’s sole good faith discretion. Four (4) times per Contract Year (prior to commencement of Licensee’s spring, summer, fall and holiday seasons for the Licensed Products), the Parties will meet to discuss the Business and seasonal design direction and will in good faith discuss and agree upon updates to the Brand Toolbox and Legal Lines (if applicable) and [***] (including, without limitation, Licensed Products, Packaging (as hereinafter defined), Advertising & Promotion, any and all other items bearing any of the Licensed Property produced pursuant to this Agreement) (collectively, “Materials”). [***] Licensee hereby agrees that: (A) no Materials may be released or exhibited publicly, in any manner, unless and until Licensor has Approved the same, (B) all Approved Materials must be re-submitted for Approval each time a revision is made incorporating any material changes that are not otherwise materially consistent with other Materials previously Approved by Licensor, and (C) Licensor’s Approval of Materials hereunder is specifically limited to Approval of the use of the Licensed Property contained therein, and that to the extent any materials owned by third parties (e.g., logos, locations, individuals, etc.) (“Third-Party Materials”) are incorporated therein, Licensee shall be solely responsible for identifying such Third-Party Materials, and for obtaining an applicable license from the owners of such Third-Party Materials. Licensor hereby acknowledges and agrees that the following shall be deemed pre-Approved: (I) all Materials created by or on behalf of Licensee prior to the Effective Date for use in connection with Licensed Products are hereby deemed Approved for use by Licensee, (II) all Materials created by or on behalf of Licensee following the Effective Date for use in connection with Licensed Products are hereby deemed Approved for use by Licensee, so long as, and to the extent that, such Materials are the same as or materially consistent with those made by Licensee for and in connection with the Licensed Products prior to the Effective Date hereof, (III) uses of the Licensed Property and Packaging in Retail Locations that are the same as or materially consistent with those made by Licensee for and in connection with the same type of Retail Location operated by Licensee for the same Licensed Property in the applicable portion of the Territory in its ordinary course of business, (IV) the ‘look and feel’ of Retail Locations that is the same as or materially consistent with the ‘look and feel’ of each type of Retail Location operated by Licensee for each Licensed Property in the applicable portion of the Territory as of the Effective Date for the same type of Retail Location, (V) uses of each Licensed Property on the E-Commerce Website in the Territory, as applicable, that are the same as or materially consistent with those made by Licensee on the E-Commerce Website in the ordinary course of business prior to the Effective Date, and (VI) the ‘look and feel’, operation, and/or functionality of the E-Commerce Website that is the same as or materially consistent with the ‘look and feel’, operation, and/or functionality of the E-Commerce Website prior to the Effective Date.

(ii) Approval Process.

 

 

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(A) General. Licensor shall respond to each request for Approval (“First Request”) within [***] of Licensor’s receipt of such request (“Approval Window”); provided, however that Licensor’s silence or failure to respond to any such request prior to the expiration of the Approval Window shall be deemed Licensor’s disapproval the Materials contained in such First Request, and in the case of Licensor’s silence or failure to respond to such First Request, Licensee may resubmit the request to Licensor with a copy to Licensor’s Legal Department via email to legaldept@authentic.com (“Second Request”). Any Second Request sent prior to the expiration of the Approval Window shall be void and of no force or effect. In the event that Licensor is silent with respect to, or fails to reply to, the Second Request within [***] of Licensor’s receipt thereof, Licensor’s silence or failure to respond to the Second Request shall be [***]. In the event that Licensor expressly disapproves any request by Licensee for Approval, then upon Licensee’s reasonable request, Licensor shall provide Licensee with reasonable explanations and/or information regarding the basis for such disapproval. Licensee hereby acknowledges that Licensor’s Approval of any particular Materials (I) that is expressly provided solely for a given seasonal collection and/or for a specific purpose shall only be deemed an Approval for said collection and/or purpose; and (II) shall not be deemed a legal review of any such Materials, but solely as a process meant to verify that the use of the Licensed Property has been done in a manner that complies with Licensor’s standards for the Licensed Property (including as may be set forth in the Brand Toolbox, as hereinafter defined) and other applicable terms of this Agreement. Licensee shall be required to re-submit any previously Approved Materials that were expressly Approved solely for a given collection or purpose to the extent Licensee wishes to use the same for subsequent collections and/or other purposes that are not otherwise Approved. Licensor hereby reserves the right to modify the process for submission of Approval requests (e.g., using a software other than RoyaltyZone, etc.) on reasonable advance written notice to Licensee, but in no event shall Licensor modify the timing, frequency or requirements of the same without Licensee’s prior written approval, which approval may not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.

(B) Licensed Products. With respect to Licensed Products not otherwise Approved by Licensor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, Licensee shall create and submit to Licensor for Approval, during the above-referenced seasonal meetings or otherwise via RoyaltyZone, Licensee’s concept (“Concept”) for the design of any SKU of Licensed Products that it intends to begin selling. After Approval of such Concept, Licensee may create and submit to Licensor for Approval, via personal delivery, messenger or mail, one (1) initial prototype sample (each, a “Prototype”) of any SKU of such Licensed Products. In the event Licensee wishes to create any Prototype(s) to become part of a core line of Licensed Products that continue across different seasons that is not otherwise Approved in accordance with the terms of this Agreement (“Core Prototype(s)”), then Licensee shall specify the same simultaneously with Licensee’s submission of the Core Prototype to Licensor for Approval. Licensor may decline for such Prototype to be Approved as a Core Prototype, but may Approve it as a Prototype. Following the Approval of a Core Prototype in any season to become part of the core line of Licensed Products (“Core Licensed Products”), Licensee shall not be required to re-submit a Core Prototype for the same Licensed Product in subsequent seasons, provided, however, that Licensee shall be required to submit Prototypes for non-core Licensed Products that are not otherwise Approved in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

(C) Packaging. With respect to Packaging not otherwise Approved by Licensor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, Licensee shall create and submit to Licensor for Approval (via messenger, personal delivery, email, or mail), the Concept for the design of all tags, hangtags, labels, wrapping and other packaging for any Licensed Product (collectively, “Packaging”), together with a list of Licensed Product SKUs for which such Packaging is intended to be used. After Approval of such Concept, Licensee may create and submit to Licensor for Approval, via personal delivery, messenger or mail, Prototypes demonstrating exemplars of the proposed Packaging. After Approval of such Prototypes, Packaging materially consistent with such Prototypes will be deemed Approved. Licensee shall reasonably consider purchasing Packaging from Licensor’s designated suppliers for the same, if any (“Licensor Suppliers”). In the event that Licensee chooses to purchase Packaging from Licensor Suppliers, (i) Licensee shall be required to negotiate all terms of sale directly with such Licensor Supplier; and (ii) Licensor shall not be liable for any act or omission of any such Licensor Supplier.

(D) Advertising & Promotion. With respect to Advertising & Promotional exploitations not otherwise Approved by Licensor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, Licensee may create and submit to Licensor for Approval (via messenger, personal delivery, email or mail), the Concept (e.g., story boards, mock-ups, etc.) for each Advertising & Promotion exploitation (each, an “Advertisement”). After Approval of such Concept, Licensee may create and submit to Licensor for Approval, via messenger, in person at follow-up seasonal meetings, or email (as specified by Licensor), exemplars of the Advertisements intended for public exhibition. After Approval of such exemplars, Advertisements materially consistent with such exemplars will be deemed Approved.

 

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(b)

Brand Standards.

(i) Brand Book & Style Guide. In the event Licensor provides Licensee with a brand book (“Brand Book”) and/or style guide (“Style Guide” and collectively with the Brand Book, the “Brand Toolbox”), Licensee shall follow the rules set forth therein (unless otherwise Approved). Licensee hereby acknowledges that the Brand Toolbox is subject to seasonal updates and other changes from time to time, and Licensee shall comply with such updates and changes on a prospective basis, within a commercially reasonable period of time not to exceed [***].

(ii) Nonconformities. If any Materials have a substantial or material departure from Materials that were Approved by Licensor, as determined by Licensor in Licensor’s discretion, then: (A) Licensor shall have the right, in its sole discretion, to demand that Licensee promptly cease all manufacture, distribution and/or exploitation of such Materials, Licensee shall promptly comply with any such demand, and (B) notwithstanding anything contained in the Commercial Terms, the Royalty for any products (including Licensed Products) sold by Licensee that bear Materials that were not Approved by Licensor, or that have a substantial or material departure from any Materials Approved by Licensor, shall be [***] of Net Sales of the same (“Nonconformity Royalty”); it being understood that in no event shall the Nonconformity Royalty count towards, be used as a credit against, or be used to recoup, any GMR (or other amounts) paid or due to Licensor hereunder. Licensee shall be required to re-submit any previously Approved, but non-conforming Materials, to the extent Licensee wishes to subsequently use the same. Licensor may additionally require that any Licensed Product, Packaging or Advertisement be immediately recalled if it believes in its reasonable business judgment that any of the foregoing may pose a health or safety hazard, or be detrimental to the goodwill of Licensor, its parent, subsidiaries or affiliated companies, or may pose a risk of materially degrading the goodwill of the Licensed Property; provided that prior to requiring such recall, Licensor will in good faith first discuss with Licensee the basis for such belief and consider other potential alternatives to the recall (it being understood and agreed that the final decision shall be made by Licensor).

(c) Manufacture; Quality Control. Licensee shall be permitted to manufacture the Licensed Products within or outside the Territory; provided, however, that Licensed Products may only be sold to/through the Approved Accounts in the Territory. Licensee acknowledges that: (i) Licensor’s evaluation of the Distribution Channels and Approved Accounts applicable to and appropriate for this Agreement is based on multiple criteria and related factors, including, without limitation, objective industry and quality standards specific to the Licensed Property (e.g., location, comparable product offerings, image of luxury and prestige, etc.); and (ii) if the Licensed Products produced hereunder are of inferior quality in material and/or workmanship, then the substantial goodwill which Licensor has built up and now possesses in the Licensed Property will be impaired. As such, throughout the Term, and upon reasonable advance notice to Licensee, Licensor, or a third party designated by Licensor (Licensor and such third party being defined, for purposes of this Section, as an “Inspector”) shall have the right during regular business hours to enter all premises and/or facilities (including, without limitation, manufacture, storage and shipping facilities) used by Licensee or any Sub-Contractor in connection with the Business (collectively, “Facilities”), such that the Inspector is able to inspect all Facilities for the purposes of quality control, and to ensure that the Business operated hereunder is in compliance with the terms of this Agreement and all applicable Laws, and Licensee hereby agrees to cooperate with the Inspector in connection therewith (including, without limitation, by providing the Inspector with access to the Facilities during regular business hours, etc.). The Parties acknowledge and agree that certain [***]. Licensor shall be solely responsible for all of the Inspector’s out-of-pocket costs in connection with any such inspection, including, without limitation, all business-class travel, airfare, and accommodations in close proximity to the Facilities. In the event that any such inspection is conducted by a third-party Inspector, such Inspector shall agree in advance not to disclose or use for the Inspector’s benefit any Confidential Information (as hereinafter defined) of which the Inspector observes or becomes aware.

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(d) Development. All costs and expenses of the Business (including, without limitation, design, development, production, manufacture, distribution and sale of all Licensed Products, Concepts, Prototypes and Packaging, and other costs and expenses related to the Advertising & Promotion of Licensed Products, including, without limitation, to the expense of compliance with the approval requirements set forth in Section 4 of the Standard Terms) shall be borne by Licensee.

 

5.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.

(a) Ownership.

(i) Licensor’s Rights.

(A) Intellectual Property. As between the Parties (and any Sub-Contractors and Affiliate Operators), Licensee hereby acknowledges that Licensor is the owner of all intellectual property rights (including, without limitation, copyright, patent, trademark, trade name, and trade secret rights), whether now known or hereafter devised, in and to any and all materials of any sort utilizing, or any rights arising out of, the Licensed Property and/or Assets (including, without limitation, Licensed Products, Packaging, Concepts, designs and Advertisements), including all such materials, Derivatives, and Licensed Property as may be developed or improved upon by Licensee (but excluding Licensee’s Reserved Rights set forth in Section 5(a)(ii)(A) of the Standard Terms below) or any third party (e.g., Sub-Contractors), and all goodwill that is attached or may become attached to the foregoing (all of the foregoing, together with all other rights of Licensor, the “Brand Rights”), and title thereto is and shall be in the name of Licensor or Licensor’s designees. With respect to any Brand Rights that are developed or created by or on behalf of Licensee hereunder, whether in connection with the Business or otherwise (e.g., any and all additions to, and new renderings, modifications or embellishments of, Licensed Property and/or Assets), the same shall, notwithstanding such development or creation by or on behalf of Licensee, be and remain the sole and exclusive property of Licensor, as follows: (I) to the extent any of the foregoing qualify as ‘works of authorship’ as such term is used in Section 102 et seq. of the United States Copyright Act, Title 17, United States Code (“Copyright Act”), then the same shall be deemed a “work made for hire” as defined in Section 101 et seq. of the Copyright Act; or (II) to the extent any of the foregoing are not deemed a “work made for hire” pursuant to the Copyright Act (e.g., inventions, etc.), then Licensee hereby assigns to Licensor all of Licensee’s right, title and interest in and to the same, including the right to sue for infringement. Licensee shall also enter into written agreements with all of its employees that develop the Brand Rights (to the extent ownership of Brand Rights created by such employee does not vest in Licensee by operation of law) and with all of its Sub-Contractors and Affiliate Operators that develop the Brand Rights, in each case that provide that any Brand Rights created by any of them in the course of the Business shall be the property of Licensee (and thus, effectively, Licensor) or Licensor pursuant to this Section (whether as a “work made for hire” or, to the extent any of the foregoing are not deemed a “work made for hire” pursuant to the Copyright Act (e.g., inventions, etc.), by assignment). Where Licensee is otherwise unavailable to fulfill its obligations under this Section 5(a)(i)(A) to enter into, file, and/or record confirmatory agreements assigning Brand Rights to Licensor, Licensee hereby irrevocably appoints Licensor as Licensee’s attorney-in-fact for the sole purpose of executing, filing, and recording such confirmatory agreements on Licensee’s behalf, which appointment is coupled with an interest. Upon the written request of Licensor, Licensee shall submit to Licensor copies and/or originals of the applicable portions of all such agreements with employees, Affiliate Operators, and Sub-Contractors (subject to reasonable redactions of irrelevant information), and full information concerning the invention and creation of any such Brand Rights (e.g., the name of the employee or Sub-Contractor who created the same, the date on which the same was created, etc.). Licensee shall not permit any of its employees, Affiliate Operators or Sub-Contractors to obtain or reserve, by written or oral agreement or otherwise, any rights as “authors” or “inventors” of any such artwork or designs constituting Brand Rights (as such terms are used in the present or any future versions of the Copyright Act, or any other statute or judicial decisions that may govern the same).

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(B) Legal Lines. Unless otherwise Approved, all uses of the Licensed Property and/or Assets shall bear appropriate copyright, patent, trademark and credit notices, as provided by Licensor (“Legal Lines”), either directly on the Materials using the same, or on tags, stickers or labels affixed thereto, and no Materials may be released to the public unless and until Licensor has Approved Licensee’s use of (or the omission of) the Legal Lines. Licensor may change the Legal Lines by giving Licensee written notice thereof, and Licensee shall effect such change as promptly as reasonably practical; provided, however, that if Licensee has any inventory of Materials then-existing or in production, which Materials bear the previous form of the Legal Lines, then Licensee may sell-off and/or exploit, as applicable, such Materials in the ordinary course of business. Subject to the foregoing, Licensee shall, at all times, comply with best practices with respect to intellectual property notifications and usage, including, without limitation, proper use of the “™” or “®” or “©” designations and the “U.S. Pat. No.” or “Patent Pending” notices, and not using any trademark as a generic term.

(ii) Licensee’s Rights.

(A) Licensee’s Reserved Rights. Licensor acknowledges that: (I) Licensee may have in existence, as of the Effective Date, certain intellectual property rights (“Licensee’s Existing IP Material”) that Licensee may or may not use in conjunction with Licensed Property, and (II) from and after the Effective Date, [***] and collectively with Licensee’s Existing IP Material, the “Licensee’s Reserved Rights”) that Licensee may or may not use in conjunction with Licensed Property. To the extent that, and only so long as, Licensee’s Reserved Rights are separable from the Brand Rights, Licensee’s Reserved Rights shall be and remain vested in Licensee.

(B) Reverse License. If Licensee incorporates into any Materials any of Licensee’s Reserved Rights, Licensee hereby grants to Licensor a non-exclusive, sub-licensable, royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide and assignable license to use such Licensee’s Reserved Rights solely in connection with the manufacture, distribution, advertising, promotion, sale and other exploitation of such Materials and in a manner materially consistent with how Licensee incorporated such Licensee’s Reserved Rights into such Materials.

(b) Maintenance of Licensed Property.

(i) [***]

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(ii) Licensee hereby acknowledges that Licensee’s and its Affiliate Operators’ and Sub-Contractors’ exercise of the Licensed Rights, and all goodwill associated therewith (including, without limitation, all uses of the Licensed Property and Assets), shall inure solely to the benefit of Licensor, and that all sales of Licensed Products by Licensee or any Affiliate Operator or Sub-Contractor shall be deemed to have been made on behalf of and pursuant to a license granted by Licensor for purposes of intellectual property protection and registration. Licensee shall cooperate with Licensor, at Licensor’s reasonable request and sole cost and expense (excluding Licensee’s outside attorney fees and the costs of Licensed Product samples), in the procurement, maintenance and protection of the Brand Rights. In connection therewith, Licensee shall, without limitation, execute and deliver to Licensor, in such manner as Licensor shall reasonably request, from time to time, all instruments, documents, information and other items (e.g., samples of Licensed Products) that Licensor deems necessary such that Licensor is able to apply for and effectuate intellectual property protection in, to and for any Brand Rights. With respect to the foregoing, Licensor shall be permitted to employ counsel of Licensor’s own choice to direct the handling thereof. Licensor makes no representation or warranty that copyright or trademark protection shall be secured or maintained in all elements of the Brand Rights, and Licensee hereby waives any right to make any claims against Licensor regarding any failure of Licensor to secure any intellectual property protection for any the Brand Rights.

(iii) To the extent that the Laws of any country or region of the Territory requires that Licensee, any Affiliate Operator, any Sub-Contractor, or this Agreement (or a short form hereof) be registered or recorded with local authorities, whether to ensure that Licensee’s or its Affiliate Operator’s or Sub-Contractors’ exercise of the Licensed Rights hereunder inure to the benefit of Licensor or otherwise, Licensee shall be solely responsible for identifying and notifying Licensor of such requirement, and Licensee shall cooperate fully with Licensor, at Licensee’s sole cost and expense, to: (A) effectuate any such registration and/or recordation (which may include, without limitation, entering into and executing a short form version of this Agreement); and (B) as and when directed by Licensor (which may include, without limitation, upon expiration or termination of this Agreement), cancel any such registration and/or recordation.

 

 

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(c) Enforcement of Licensed Property. In the event that Licensor elects to implement security measures for the Licensed Products (e.g., state-of-the-art computer or other indelible codes or markings consistent with industry standards for the same or similar Products, such as stickers, holograms or other markings for authenticity, etc.) then Licensee shall, at Licensee’s sole cost and expense, apply such reasonable security measures as directed by Licensor (including, without limitation, procuring any necessary materials from Licensor’s designated supplier for the same, and applying such materials to Packaging and/or on Licensed Products, as directed by Licensor), and cooperate with Licensor in the implementation and enforcement of anti-diversion and anti-counterfeiting measures in connection with the same. Licensee shall not provide any such security measures to any third party (other than permitted Sub- Contractors, Affiliate Operators or other persons Approved by Licensor pursuant to this Agreement) without Licensor’s Approval. Upon expiration or termination of this Agreement, Licensee must return (or cause to be returned) or otherwise destroy any and all such security measures to Licensor at Licensee’s sole cost and expense. Licensee shall assist Licensor, at Licensor’s reasonable request, to ensure that third parties do not unlawfully counterfeit or infringe on Brand Rights. Licensee shall promptly notify Licensor of any such counterfeits or infringements of the Brand Rights of which Licensee becomes aware. Licensor shall have the exclusive right, at Licensor’s sole cost and expense (excluding Licensee’s outside counsel fees) and exercisable at Licensor’s sole discretion, to institute in its own name and/or Licensee’s name, and to control, all claims, suits and/or actions against third parties relating to the Brand Rights, and other proprietary rights in and to the same (“Infringement Claim”). With respect to any such Infringement Claim, Licensor shall be permitted to employ counsel of Licensor’s own choosing to direct the handling thereof (including, without limitation, any settlement of any Infringement Claim), and Licensor shall be entitled to receive and retain all amounts awarded, if any, as damages, profits or otherwise, in connection with such Infringement Claims; provided that Licensor shall not enter into any settlement that would admit the liability of Licensee or cause Licensee to pay any monetary compensation without the prior written consent of Licensee, not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. Unless otherwise Approved, Licensee shall not take any action on account of, or in connection with, any Infringement Claim, other than to notify Licensor of the same, and to cooperate with Licensor, pursuant to this Section. Licensee hereby acknowledges that: (i) Licensor has no obligation to take any action in connection with any Infringement Claim, and (ii) Licensor shall incur no liability (excluding any breaches by Licensor of this Agreement) by reason of: (A) Licensor’s failure or refusal to take any such action against any Infringement Claim, or (B) any settlement relating to any Infringement Claim to which Licensor may agree. Licensee hereby acknowledges that there are practical limitations on Licensor’s ability to prevent third parties who purchased Licensed Products outside the Territory, or who manufactured Licensed Products for sale outside the Territory, from re-selling such Licensed Products in the Territory, and no such sales, shall be deemed a breach of this Agreement by Licensor provided Licensor did not expressly authorize such sales. If Licensee or any Licensor Party notifies Licensor of any existing or potential conflict between the rights granted to Licensee and such Licensor Party, Licensor shall endeavor to reasonably promptly address such conflict through discussions with authorized representatives of Licensee and the applicable Licensor Party, and Licensee hereby agrees to fully cooperate with Licensor in connection with any such efforts; it being understood, however, that Licensor may, at any time, determine to finally resolve any such conflict by written notice of its determination and resolution to Licensee and the applicable Licensor Party, and Licensee hereby acknowledges and agrees that any and all such determinations by Licensor shall be final and binding upon Licensee (excluding any breaches by Licensor of this Agreement); provided that Licensor may not resolve any such conflict in a manner that would admit the liability of Licensee or cause Licensee to pay any monetary compensation without the prior written consent of Licensee, not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. [***]. Licensee hereby acknowledges and agrees that: (I) Licensor shall have no obligation to provide any such written approval in connection with the Licensee Infringement Claim; (II) any approval provided in one instance shall not serve as an approval or precedent in any other instance; and (III) Licensee shall not take any action with respect to any Licensee Infringement Claim without Licensor’s Approval in each instance.

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(d) Withdrawn Rights. Licensor may withdraw any or all elements of the Licensed Rights, in any or all portions of the Territory, in certain Distribution Channels and/or in certain Approved Accounts, or any component part thereof, from the Licensed Rights (any such withdrawn Licensed Rights being defined herein as the “Withdrawn Rights”) if: (A) Licensor determines in its reasonable business judgment that the exploitation of such Withdrawn Rights [***]: (I) violate or infringe the copyright, trademark or other proprietary rights of any third parties where such third parties are unwilling to settle any potential disputes on acceptable terms as determined by Licensor, (II) violate any Law, court order, government regulation or other ruling of any governmental agency or authority, or (III) subject Licensor to liability, or (B) on account of the expiration or earlier termination of any agreement between Licensor and a third party from whom Licensor has obtained certain underlying rights relating to the exploitation of such Withdrawn Rights, Licensor shall no longer have the right to act in the capacity herein contemplated on behalf of any third party or parties. Prior to exercising any Withdrawn Rights, Licensor shall notify Licensee of Licensor’s intent to exercise such Withdrawn Rights, and in the event Licensee requests to do so within five (5) business days of such notice, Licensor and Licensee shall meet and confer (either in person, telephonically or via video conference) to discuss in good faith such Withdrawn Rights prior to such withdrawal, including reasonable alternatives to such withdrawing such as purchasing a license or defending against third-party infringement claims. As soon as practicable and in any event within [***] following Licensee’s receipt of written notice of such withdrawal, Licensee shall, if so requested by Licensor, in Licensor’s reasonable discretion, destroy, or deliver to Licensor, or remediate any Materials (e.g., Licensed Products, Advertisements, etc.) which are in Licensee’s possession or control, that bear or feature any of the Withdrawn Rights. In the event of any such withdrawal of Withdrawn Rights, upon a Party’s request, the Parties shall meet and confer (whether telephonically, via video conference, or in person) to discuss the same. [***]. Any such withdrawal of Withdrawn Rights authorized by this Section shall not be deemed a breach of this Agreement.

(e) Misuse of Brand Rights.

(i) No Attack. Licensee shall not, during the Term or at any time thereafter, attack or challenge, or lend assistance to any third party in connection with an attack or challenge, of any right, title or interest of Licensor in and to any Brand Rights (including, without limitation, copyrights, trademarks and/or patents), whether by way of: (i) an application for and/or an opposition against any intellectual property rights relating to the Brand Rights, (ii) adoption of any intellectual property rights that infringe any of the Brand Rights, or (iii) any lawsuit, cancellation proceeding or action, or otherwise. Licensee shall not represent in any filing, presentation, document or other statement, whether written or verbal, that Licensee or any third party is the owner of any of the Brand Rights or any other Licensed Rights, and Licensee shall not use or display any of the foregoing except as expressly permitted herein.

(ii) Brand Names/Accounts.

(A) Ownership. As between the Parties (including any Affiliate Operators and Sub-Contractors), Licensor shall own all right, title and interest (including, without limitation, all intellectual property rights) in and to any: (I) domain names that are similar to, use and/or incorporate the Brand Rights, or any variation thereof (“Domain Names”), (II) corporate, trade or business names that are similar to, use and/or incorporate the Brand Rights, or any variation thereof (“Business Names”), it being understood and agreed that Licensee shall not be required to change the name of Licensee or Vince Holding Corp. as the same exist prior to the Effective Date, (III) social media accounts (e.g., on Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) that are branded with any Brand Rights, or any variation thereof (“Social Media Accounts”), and (IV) online, mobile, and other electronic stores, storefronts, marketplaces, brand pages, webstores, and the like (e.g., brand stores on Amazon, Walmart, eBay, etc.) that are branded with any Brand Rights, or any variation thereof (“Online Stores”, and together with the Domain Names, Business Names, and Social Media Accounts, the “Brand Names/Accounts”).

 

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(B) Restrictions. During the Term and at all times thereafter, except as expressly agreed in writing by Licensor on a case by case basis in Licensor’s sole discretion, Licensee shall have no right to, and hereby agrees not to, nor shall Licensee facilitate, instruct, or enable any third party in connection with any act to, register any Brand Names/Accounts incorporating, in whole or in part, Brand Rights or any variation thereof. If Licensee desires Licensor to register any Brand Names/Accounts, then Licensee shall submit such request to Licensor in writing. Should Licensee register any Brand Names/Accounts incorporating any Brand Rights or any variation thereof without Licensor’s Approval, Licensee shall transfer the same to Licensor, immediately upon Licensor’s request. Specifically with respect to Domain Names registered in Licensee’s own name without Licensor’s Approval, and without limitation: (I) Licensee shall promptly provide Licensor or Licensor’s designee with the access code(s) for, and accept a request for transfer of, the Domain Name, through the Domain Name registrar, (II) should Licensee fail to accept any request for transfer, or other documentation (electronic or written) to transfer, any such Domain Name, Licensor may submit this Agreement to the Domain Name registrar to effect the transfer, and (III) if the Domain Name registrar does not accept this Agreement to effect the transfer, Licensor may file an arbitration proceeding under ICANN to obtain the transfer of the Domain Name to Licensor. Should Licensor file any proceedings to obtain the return of any Brand Name/Account, Licensee shall reimburse Licensor for all costs incurred whatsoever in connection with such proceeding, including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees, filing fees and other costs.

(f) Protection of Reputation. Licensee hereby acknowledges and agrees that maintaining and protecting the high quality, prestige and reputation of the Licensed Property and Brand Rights (collectively, “Reputation”) are of the utmost importance to Licensor. As such, Licensee: (i) shall use commercially reasonable efforts to monitor and supervise the merchandising and display of the Licensed Products to be sold via all Approved Accounts (including via approved E-Commerce Sites) so that the Licensed Property and Brand Rights are properly and correctly displayed, and that the Licensed Products are shown and sold, in a manner consistent with the Reputation; it being understood that: (A) in the event of any inconsistency with the foregoing (whether found by Licensor or Licensee), the finding Party shall notify the other Party, and Licensee shall promptly and diligently work to ensure such inconsistency is rectified (including, without limitation, supervising rectifying acts (and acts that are inconsistent with rectifying acts) of the applicable Approved Account, if necessary), and (B) should any such Approved Account fail to rectify a material inconsistency within a reasonable time period determined by Licensor (of no less than fifteen (15) days), then Licensee shall immediately cease all distribution and/or sale of Licensed Products to such Approved Account until such inconsistency is rectified; (ii) shall, in determining the sales price (including discounts) of the Licensed Products: (A) designate a suggested retail price that is not so low or so high as to adversely affect the Reputation of the Licensed Property or the quality of the Licensed Products; (B) ensure that the suggested retail price for all Licensed Products is reasonable and consistent with the retail pricing generally established for the Licensed Products throughout the world, as well as consistent with the Reputation of the Licensed Property, the quality of the Licensed Products, and the worldwide Advertising & Promotion thereof; and (C) for periods when Licensed Products are offered for special sale at retail, actual retail prices should not be reduced from the original suggested retail pricing in a manner or in an amount inconsistent with the Reputation of the Licensed Property or Licensed Products; (iii) shall not, sell Licensed Products as “seconds,” “irregulars,” “damaged” or under similar circumstances without Licensor’s Approval, nor shall Licensee sell any Licensed Products that are stale, past their shelf lives, diluted or corrupted in any way; and (iv) shall not, and shall not permit any Licensee Party or third party to, perform any act (whether my commission or omission) which would reasonably be likely or expected to, or actually does, in each case directly or indirectly, adversely affect any rights of Licensor in and to the Licensed Property or Brand Rights, reduce the value of any of the Licensed Property or Brand Rights, or detract from the Reputation of the Licensed Property or Brand Rights in any manner.

 

6.

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES.

(a) Licensor’s Representations & Warranties; Disclaimer. Licensor represents and warrants to Licensee that,

(i) as of the Effective Date, it has the necessary right, power and authority to enter into this Agreement; (ii) Licensor is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the Laws of its state of organization;

 

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(iii) all necessary acts have been effected by it to render the Agreement valid and binding upon it; and

(iv) except as provided for in this Agreement, Licensor has not and will not, during the Term or at any time after expiration of the Term, create any expenses chargeable to Licensee under this Agreement without Licensee’s prior written approval, not to be unreasonably withheld.

Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything contained herein to the contrary, except with respect to the express representations and warranties set forth herein, Licensee hereby acknowledges that Licensor has not made, and is not making, any other representation or warranty, whether express or implied, to Licensee, including, without limitation, with respect to: (i) Licensor or any Licensor Party; (ii) the popularity, success, continued exploitation of, and/or marketing and advertising budget with respect to, the Licensed Property; (iii) the amount of Net Sales or profits Licensee may derive under this Agreement from the sale or distribution of the Licensed Products; or (iv) trademark protection, for the Licensed Property or otherwise, for any products, or in any countries, for which Licensor does not have registered trademark protection. For the avoidance of doubt and for purposes of clarity, a pending application does not and shall not constitute registered trademark protection for purposes hereof.

(b) Licensee’s Representations & Warranties. Licensee represents and warrants to Licensor that:

(i) (A) as of the Effective Date, it has the necessary right, power and authority to enter into the Agreement and to perform all of its obligations hereunder (including, without limitation, to operate the Business as contemplated hereunder); (B) it is adequately staffed and financially capable of undertaking the business operations which it conducts and of performing its obligations hereunder; (C) it is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the Laws of its state of organization; (D) all necessary acts have been effected by it to render the Agreement valid and binding upon it; and (E) as of the Effective Date, there is no pending or threatened litigation which may affect Licensee’s ability to fully perform its obligations herein;

(ii) Licensee and each of Licensee’s parent, subsidiary and affiliated companies, and each of their respective officers, directors, shareholders, employees, licensees, distributors, Sub-Contractors, Affiliate Operators, agents, attorneys, designees, successors and assigns (collectively, “Licensee Party(ies)”) shall comply with and act in accordance with any and all applicable (A) laws and other legal obligations of or in the Territory including, without limitation, local, state, federal and international directives, rules, assessments, regulations, filing requirements, ordinances, statutes, codes, judgments and civil or common law (including, without limitation, all laws regarding trademarks, copyrights, rights of publicity or any other intellectual property rights); (B) conventions and treaties to which any country, region and/or portion of the Territory and, if not included in the Territory, the United States, and any legal subdivisions thereof, is a party; and (C) industry and trade-association standards, rules or regulations (all of the foregoing in sub-sections (A), (B) and (C) being defined herein, collectively, as “Laws”) in connection with this Agreement;

(iii) With respect to the activities of Licensee and its Sub-Contractors and Affiliate Operators, (A) the Licensed Products and all Advertising & Promotion by Licensee, if applicable, shall be of high quality in design, material and workmanship; (B) no injurious deleterious or defamatory material, writing or images shall be used in or on the Licensed Products or Advertising & Promotion; (C) the Licensed Products shall be merchantable and fit for the intended use herein, shall in all respects be safe to consumers and shall be manufactured, tested, labelled, certified, distributed, advertised, marketed, and promoted, as applicable, in accordance with all applicable Laws; (D) the Licensed Products and any Advertising & Promotion shall not infringe upon or violate any intellectual property right, any right of publicity, or any similar right of any other person or entity; (E) Licensee shall undertake a level of customer service and provide warranties to consumers at least as favorable as is standard in its industry; and (F) Licensee shall comply with any and all product recalls issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) or any other local, federal or state agency or Laws; (iv) [***], Licensee shall not, without Licensor’s Approval, create, incur or permit any encumbrance, lien, security interest, mortgage, pledge, assignment or other hypothecation upon this Agreement or permit the commencement of any proceeding or foreclosure action on this Agreement or to obtain any assignment thereof, whether or not involving any judicial or nonjudicial foreclosure sales; and

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(v) Licensee has not and will not, during the Term or at any time after expiration of the Term, create any expenses chargeable to Licensor without Approval.

7. INDEMNIFICATION.

(a) Licensor’s Indemnification Obligations. Licensor shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Licensee and its current and future parents, subsidiaries, affiliated companies and each of their respective current and future officers, directors, employees, agents, attorneys, successors and assigns (“Licensee Indemnified Parties”) from and against any and all third-party claims, losses, demands, causes of action, judgments, settlements, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including, without limitation, reasonable outside attorney’s fees and court costs) (individually and collectively, “Claim(s)”) to the extent arising out of or in connection with the breach by Licensor of any of its representations, warranties, covenants, or obligations in this Agreement. Licensor shall not be liable to Licensee or any third party under this Section 7(a) to the extent that: (A) any Claim is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to result from any gross negligence or willful misconduct of Licensee or any Licensee Party; or (B) Licensee is required to indemnify Licensor pursuant to Section 7(b) of the Standard Terms below.

(b) Licensee’s Indemnification Obligations. Licensee shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Licensor and its current and future parents, subsidiaries, affiliated companies and each of their respective current and future officers, directors, members, shareholders, employees, licensees, agents, attorneys, successors and assigns (each, individually, a “Licensor Indemnified Party” and together, collectively, the “Licensor Indemnified Parties”) from and against any and all Claims to the extent arising out of or in connection with any one (1) or more of the following: (i) the breach by Licensee or any Sub-Contractor or Affiliate Operator of any of its representations, warranties, covenants, or obligations in this Agreement; (ii) the design, development, production, manufacture, distribution, shipment, sale and/or other use or exploitation by or on behalf of Licensee or its Sub-Contractors or Affiliate Operators of the Licensed Products, the Retail Locations, the E-Commerce Website, the Other IP Assets, or any Advertising & Promotion (including, without limitation, any product liability, premises liability, any data or security breach, false advertising and/or infringement Claims); or (iii) any acts, whether by omission or commission, by Licensee or any Licensee Party (including any Sub-Contractor and Affiliate Operator), which may arise out of, in connection with, or is any way related to, the Business and/or this Agreement. Licensee shall not be liable to any Licensor Indemnified Party under this Section 7(b) to the extent that: (A) any Claim is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to result from any gross negligence or willful misconduct of Licensor; or (B) Licensor is required to indemnify Licensee pursuant to Section 7(a) of the Standard Terms above. Licensee hereby agrees that Licensor’s approval (including, without limitation, any Approval) shall not waive, diminish or negate Licensee’s indemnification obligations to the Licensor Indemnified Parties herein.

(c) Indemnification Process. The Party to be indemnified hereunder (the “Indemnitee”) must give the indemnifying Party hereunder (the “Indemnitor”) prompt written notice of any Claim, and the Indemnitor, in its sole discretion, may then take such action as it deems advisable to defend such Claim on behalf of the Indemnitee. In the event that appropriate action is not taken by the Indemnitor within thirty (30) days after the Indemnitor’s receipt of written notice from the Indemnitee, the Indemnitee shall have the right to defend such Claim with counsel reasonably acceptable to the Indemnitor, and no settlement of any such Claim may be made without the prior written approval of the Indemnitor, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. Even if appropriate action is taken by the Indemnitor, the Indemnitee may, at its own cost and expense, be represented by its own counsel in such Claim. In any event, the Indemnitee and the Indemnitor shall keep each other fully advised of all developments and shall cooperate fully with each other in all respects with respect to any such Claim.

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8. INSURANCE. In the event that any insurance policy required under this Agreement includes or permits a waiver of subrogation, such waiver shall apply to Licensor. In the event that any insurance policy required hereunder provides for a waiver of subrogation in the event that such waiver is required by a third-party agreement, then this Agreement shall be deemed to require such waiver. Licensee shall notify Licensor of all claims regarding the Licensed Property, Materials or Licensed Products under any of the foregoing policies of insurance promptly upon the filing thereof. Licensee’s indemnification obligations hereunder shall not be limited by the amount of insurance requirements hereunder. Licensor shall be entitled to its proportionate share of the insurance proceeds received by Licensee in respect to the Licensed Rights, and Licensee shall report the same on Licensee’s Statement for the Contract Quarter in which any such insurance proceeds are received.

9. TERMINATION.

(a) Licensor’s Right to Terminate.

(i) Licensor shall have the right, but not the obligation, to suspend its performance hereunder and/or terminate this Agreement in its entirety upon the occurrence of any of the following events:

(A) The failure of Licensee to make any payment required to be made under this Agreement, which failure is not cured within [***] of Licensee’s receipt of written notice from Licensor of the same; and/or

(B) The material breach by Licensee of any of its representations or warranties herein, or the material failure of Licensee to comply with any of the other terms of this Agreement or otherwise discharge its duties hereunder (it being understood that any such failure related to non-payment shall be governed by Section 9(a)(i)(A) above), and such breach or failure, is not cured or remedied (to the extent such breach is capable of cure), in Licensor’s good faith discretion, within thirty (30) days of Licensee’s receipt of written notice from Licensor of the same; provided, however, that Licensee [***], and (II) in Licensor’s good faith discretion, Licensee is and will continue to diligently and in good faith attempt to cure or remedy such breach; and/or

(C) The failure of Licensee to comply with [***] this Agreement or otherwise discharge the same of Licensee’s duties hereunder, in each case following Licensee’s receipt of written notice thereof from Licensor,[***]; and/or

(D) The failure of Licensee to operate and/or maintain the Minimum Retail Stores as and when required hereunder;

(E) The failure by Licensee to procure or maintain insurance, or to issue and maintain any COI, as required pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, in each case [***]; and/or

(F) Any act of gross negligence or wanton misconduct by Licensee, and such action is not corrected within [***] of Licensee’s receipt of written notice from Licensor of the same; and/or

(G) The cessation of operations by Licensee, including, without limitation, Licensee’s failure to continuously and diligently seek to fill all accepted purchase orders for Licensed Products, for a continuous period of ninety (90) days; and/or

(H) The making by Licensee of an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the filing by or against Licensee of any petition under any federal, national, state or local bankruptcy, insolvency or similar Laws, if such filing shall not have been dismissed or stayed within sixty (60) days after the date thereof; and/or

 

(I) Licensee’s failure to achieve the Minimum Net Sales (i) before this Agreement has been assigned by Licensee to a third party acquiror or successor pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Standard Terms, in any three (3) consecutive Contract Years during the Term, or (ii) [***].

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(ii) Licensee hereby acknowledges that Licensee shall not have an opportunity to cure any breach which, by its terms or implication, cannot be cured, including, without limitation, selling Licensed Products outside the Territory or to any account that is not an Approved Account; releasing any Materials bearing the Licensed Property without prior Approval. For the avoidance of doubt, Licensor shall have the right, but not the obligation, to terminate the Agreement with immediate effect upon the occurrence of any [***] breach. Licensee further acknowledges that time is of the essence with respect to the performance of Licensee’s duties and obligations under the Agreement and all dates relating thereto.

(b) Licensee’s Right to Terminate. Licensee shall have the right, but not the obligation, to terminate this Agreement in its entirety upon the occurrence of the material breach by Licensor of any of its express representations or express warranties herein, and such breach is not cured within thirty (30) business days of Licensor’s receipt of written notice from Licensee of the same.

10. EXPIRATION OR TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT.

 

 

(a)

Effect of Expiration or Termination.

(i) Reversion of Rights, Survival. Except for the limited rights, if any, that may be granted to Licensee pursuant to Section 10(b) of the Standard Terms below, upon any expiration or termination of this Agreement for any reason, all rights granted hereunder (including, without limitation, the Licensed Rights, the right to manufacture, distribute and sell Licensed Products, the right to engage in any Advertising & Promotion, all rights with respect to Sub-Contractors and Sub-Contractor Agreements, the Retail Rights, and the E-Comm Rights) shall revert to Licensor, and Licensee shall have no further rights whatsoever. Sections 2, 3(e), 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16 and 17 of the Standard Terms, and any other obligations under the provisions of this Agreement which, by their term or implication, have a continuing effect, shall survive any expiration or termination of this Agreement.

(ii) Payments. In the event Licensor or Licensee terminates this Agreement, any and all unpaid amounts under this Agreement that have accrued as of the date of such termination shall be immediately due and payable as of the effective date of termination, and shall be paid by Licensee to Licensor no later than five (5) business days from the effective termination of this Agreement. In addition, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, in the event Licensor terminates the Agreement due to Licensee’s breach, then as damages solely with respect to Licensee’s obligation to pay the GMR for periods following the date of termination (and not with respect to any other amounts or in limitation of any other rights, damages or claims, arising in connection with such breach available to Licensor under applicable law or equity), all Units (as such term is defined in the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of ABG-Vince, LLC (the “LLCA”)) then held by the Vince Member (as such term is defined in the LLCA) or one or more of its Permitted Transferees (as such term is defined in the LLCA) shall hereby be automatically transferred to the ABG Member (as such term is defined in the LLCA), without the need for any further ratifying act on the part of any party or Person (as such term is defined in the LLCA) and the ABG Member, in its capacity as manager of Licensor, may amend the LLCA (including Exhibit A thereto) to reflect such transfer of Units; and the Parties acknowledge and agree that the transfer of such Units to the ABG Member is a fair and reasonable measure of such damages (and not a penalty).

(iii) Reserved Rights. In no event shall any expiration or termination of this Agreement, or any payment to Licensor [***] pursuant to this Section 10, excuse Licensee from any breach or violation of this Agreement, and Licensor shall have and hereby reserves all rights and remedies that Licensor has, or are granted to Licensor by operation of law.

 

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(iv) Transition. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary: (A) Licensor shall have the right, prior to the expiration or termination of this Agreement, to enter into a new license agreement with a third party for the same or similar rights granted to Licensee hereunder, and such third party shall be permitted to design, manufacture and show its Licensed Products, and accept orders therefor; provided, however, that, if any portion of the Licensed Rights hereunder have been granted on an exclusive basis, then none of such third party’s Licensed Products produced pursuant to such new license agreement are shipped, to the same Distribution Channels in the Territory (or otherwise in violation of Licensee’s exclusivity), until the expiration or termination of the Term of this Agreement; and (B) Licensee hereby agrees that Licensee shall not, in anticipation of the expiration of the Term, increase manufacturing of, or accept orders for, Licensed Products for sale during the Sell-Off Period. Licensee hereby waives any and all right, and shall have no recourse, to make any claims against Licensor regarding any transition activities by or on behalf of Licensor as described in this Section.

(v) Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, in the event that no Renewal Option is effectively exercised pursuant to Section 5(b) of the Commercial Terms, Licensor and Licensee hereby acknowledge and agree that, except to the extent needed to fill existing orders during the final six (6) months of the final Contract Period before expiration of the Agreement (i.e., of the Initial Term in the event Licensee does not effectively exercise any Renewal Option in accordance with the Agreement, or of an applicable Renewal Term in the event Licensee does effectively exercise the Renewal Option in accordance with the Agreement), as applicable, (i) Licensee shall not manufacture or have manufactured any Licensed Product(s) (e.g., Licensee shall not place any new purchase orders with any suppliers or Sub- Contractors, as applicable) during the six (6) months prior to the end of the then-current Contract Period, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by Licensor, and (ii) Licensee shall not manufacture or have manufactured any Licensed Product(s) (e.g., Licensee shall not place any new purchase orders with any suppliers or Sub-Contractors, as applicable) in excess of one hundred ten percent (110%) of Net Sales during the penultimate Contract Year of the then-current Contract Period, except as against confirmed orders for delivery before the last day of the then-current Contract Period.

(b) Sell-Off Period.

(i) Rights. Upon the expiration or termination of this Agreement, Licensee shall have the non-exclusive right to sell-off Licensee’s then-current inventory of Licensed Products (“Inventory”) for a period (the “Sell-Off Period”) of (A) [***] following the expiration or termination (other than pursuant to Section 9(a) of the Standard Terms) of this Agreement or (B) [***], in each case, subject to Licensee’s ongoing compliance with the terms and conditions of the Agreement, in each case, only to Approved Accounts in the Territory that are specifically Approved for the Sell-Off Period. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Licensee (and any Affiliate Operators) shall have no right to sell off any Inventory upon termination of this Agreement during the Sell-Off Period (or otherwise) (X) unless and until Licensee pays all Guaranteed Minimum Royalties, Royalties, and other amounts then owed to Licensor, and shall lose the remainder of the Sell-Off Period if Licensee fails to timely pay the amounts owed under Section 10(a)(ii) of the Standard Terms and does not cure such breach within ten (10) days of receipt of Licensor’s notice thereof; or (Y) [***]. In addition, for the avoidance of doubt, during the Sell-Off Period, Licensee shall have no right to sell any Inventory that has a material defect in quality or has otherwise not been Approved under this Agreement. Prior to exercising any sell-off rights, Licensee shall provide to Licensor a report showing all of Licensee’s Inventory, in a form reasonably acceptable to Licensor. Licensee (and any Affiliate Operators) shall not itself, nor shall Licensee (or any Affiliate Operator) authorize or permit the use of signage at, on, or in connection with the Retail Locations, Licensed Property, or Licensed Products, that includes any of the following phrases (or something similar thereto): “going out of business”, “out of business”, “going out of business sale”, “we quit”, “quitting business”, “everything must go” or “liquidation/liquidating”: (a) on the internet (including, without limitation, any social media accounts that Licensee may operate or on the E-Commerce Website); (b) on/at any Retail Locations; or (c) in any advertisements, without Licensor’s Approval; [***].

 

 

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(ii) Terms. During the Sell-Off Period: (A) Licensee shall deliver reports to Licensor consistent with the information in Reports, and pay to Licensor all earned Royalties on a monthly basis, within ten (10) days following the expiration of each calendar month during the Sell-Off Period; (B) Licensee shall not have the right to manufacture or have manufactured any Licensed Products that were not already in Inventory prior to the Sell-Off Period, (C) Licensee shall not engage in any Advertising & Promotion of the Licensed Products other than as expressly permitted in Section 10(b)(i) above, except that, subject to Licensor’s Approval, Licensee may continue to operate the E-Commerce Website during the Sell-Off Period for the purposes of selling off Inventory; and (D) except as Approved by Licensor, Licensee shall not be permitted to re-brand or re-label any Licensed Products in Inventory. Licensee hereby acknowledges and agrees that no Royalties earned from Net Sales during the Sell-Off Period may be credited towards any Guaranteed Minimum Royalties, previously paid or otherwise owing to Licensor during any Contract Year.

(b) Return & Destruction. Promptly following the expiration of the Sell-Off Period (and in any event within thirty (30) days thereafter), Licensee shall, as reasonably directed by Licensor, destroy or return to Licensor, at Licensee’s sole cost, any and all materials in Licensee’s possession or control bearing the Licensed Property and/or Brand Rights, including, without limitation, the Brand Toolbox, Prototypes, and design information and materials relating to Licensed Products (including patterns, tech-packs and designs). Upon the expiration of the Sell-Off Period, Licensor shall have the right, but not the obligation, to purchase Licensee’s remaining Inventory. In the event Licensor elects not to purchase such Inventory, then upon the expiration of the Sell-Off Period, Licensee shall promptly destroy all remaining Inventory, and furnish Licensor with a certificate of destruction within thirty (30) days thereafter.

(c) Retail Locations. Without prejudice to the provisions set forth in the Commercial Terms, upon any expiration or termination of this Agreement for any reason whatsoever, Licensee shall cease utilizing the Licensed Property for and in connection with the Retail Locations and shall take all acts necessary to do so in good faith, at Licensee’s sole cost, including, without limitation, removal of all signage and other identifying indicia related to the Retail Locations as directed by Licensor. Upon expiration or earlier termination of this Agreement, Licensee shall use commercially reasonable efforts to assist Licensor in the transition of all operations of the Retail Locations in the Territory to Licensor or Licensor’s designee.

(d) E-Commerce Website. Without prejudice to any sell-off rights of the Inventory through E-Commerce Website that may be granted to Licensee in the event of expiration or Licensee’s termination of this Agreement set forth under Section 10(b) of the Standard Terms, upon any expiration or termination of this Agreement for any reason whatsoever, all rights in and to the E-Commerce Sites granted to Licensee shall revert to Licensor, Licensor shall be free to license such rights to any other person or entity for use after the Sell-Off Period, and Licensee shall have no further rights whatsoever with respect to the E-Commerce Website, the Designated URL and/or any other intellectual property rights relating thereto. Upon expiration or earlier termination of this Agreement, Licensee hereby agrees to cooperate with Licensor, in good faith, and shall use commercially reasonable efforts to transition all operations of the E-Commerce Website (including, without limitation, Customer Information) after the Sell-Off Period to Licensor or its designee(s), including, without limitation, (i) using commercially reasonable efforts to prevent any blackout period of the E-Commerce Website, (ii) providing Licensor and/or its subsequent web developer(s) with necessary data, and software coding for the transfer of the E-Commerce Website to subsequent web developer(s), (iii) within ten (10) business days of termination or expiration of the Term of this Agreement (or if, later, expiration of the Sell-Off Period), Licensee shall redirect or transfer any URLs, phone numbers, email addresses, or other means by which customers communicate with the E-Commerce Website to Licensor, or as otherwise directed by Licensor, (iv) engaging in discussions with respect to the redemption of gift card/gift certificate balances by customers through Licensor or Licensor’s new operator or provider of the E-Commerce Website with the objective of enabling customers to redeem gift cards/gift certificates throughout the transition, (v) transferring to Licensor or Licensor’s designee funds associated with purchases placed at the E-Commerce Website hosted by Licensee for goods returned to Licensee but not yet credited to customer in order to allow Licensor or Licensor’s new E-Commerce Website operator to credit those customers for returned goods, and (vi) upon Licensor’s reasonable request, and subject to Licensor’s Approval, send customers of the E-Commerce Website an email notification of the transition or closing of the E-Commerce Website.

 

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11. CUMULATIVE RIGHTS & REMEDIES; LIMITATION OF LIABILITY.

(a) All Rights Cumulative. All rights and remedies conferred upon or reserved by the Parties in this Agreement shall be cumulative and concurrent and shall be in addition to all other rights and remedies available to such Parties at law or in equity or otherwise, including, without limitation, requests for temporary and/or permanent injunctive relief. Such rights and remedies are not intended to be exclusive of any other rights or remedies and the exercise by either Party of any right or remedy herein provided shall be without prejudice to the exercise of any other right or remedy by such Party provided herein or available at law or in equity.

(b) Equitable Relief. acknowledges that any breach by Licensee shall cause Licensor irreparable harm for which there is no adequate remedy at law, and in the event of such breach, Licensor shall be entitled to, in addition to other available remedies, injunctive or other equitable relief, including, without limitation, interim or emergency relief, including, without limitation, a temporary restraining order or preliminary or permanent injunction or such other alternative relief as may be appropriate before any court with applicable jurisdiction, to protect or enforce its rights, without posting any bond and without the necessity of showing actual monetary damages.

(c) LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. [***].

12. CONFIDENTIALITY.

(a) Confidential Information. For purposes of this Agreement, “Confidential Information” shall be defined as, with respect to each Party: non-public and/or proprietary information relating to a Party’s business or operations, which information may be written, oral or maintained in electronic or any other form, which information is obtained, received, developed or derived by such Party, either directly or indirectly, by any means of communication or expression, prior to or during the Term of this Agreement, and shall include, without limitation: (i) finances, technology or other technical data, trade secrets, inventions, processes, formulas and know-how, (ii) designs, drawings, services, products, product plans, product development, marketing, marketing plans and information, customers, potential business partners, market information, suppliers, vendors, retailers, manufacturers, factories, (iii) all documents, analyses, reports, research, business plans, studies, diagrams, marketing information or other materials that contain information, (iv) the existence of this Agreement and the terms hereof. All Confidential Information is and shall remain the property of the disclosing Party.

(b) Exclusions from Confidential Information. As used in this Agreement, the term ‘Confidential Information’ shall not include any information that: (i) now or hereafter becomes, through no breach by or on behalf of the receiving Party of its confidentiality obligations hereunder, generally known or available to the public; (ii) was known to the receiving Party, by lawful means, at the time the receiving Party receives the same from the disclosing Party; (iii) was furnished to the receiving Party by a third party not in breach of an obligation of confidentiality owed to the disclosing Party with respect thereto; or (iv) was independently developed by the receiving Party without use of or access or reference to the disclosing Party’s Confidential Information.

(c) Obligations. Each Party acknowledges that it may have access to the other Party’s Confidential Information, the value of which may be impaired by misuse, or by disclosure to a third party. The receiving Party shall not disclose such Confidential Information, except that the receiving Party may disclose the other Party’s Confidential Information in order to perform the receiving Party’s obligations or exercise its rights under this Agreement, but solely to those who: (i) have a “need to know” such Confidential Information, and (ii) are instructed and have agreed in writing not to disclose the Confidential Information (pursuant to confidentiality obligations at least as strict as those contained herein) or use the Confidential Information for any purpose other than pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. The receiving Party shall take reasonable precautions to protect the confidentiality of the other Party’s Confidential Information. Such precautions may, if requested by the disclosing Party, include the use of separate written confidentiality agreements, in a form approved by the disclosing Party. Following the expiration or termination of this Agreement, no Party shall disclose or use any of the other Parties’ Confidential Information for any purpose, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the disclosing Party. Each Party agrees to notify the other Party of the circumstances surrounding any inadvertent disclosure of Confidential Information by the receiving Party.

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(d) Mandatory Disclosure. Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the receiving Party from disclosing Confidential Information of the disclosing Party to the extent the receiving Party is required to do so by the rules of an applicable securities market or exchange, or is legally compelled to do so by any governmental investigative or judicial agency or court pursuant to proceedings over which such agency or court has jurisdiction; provided, however, that prior to any such disclosure, the receiving Party shall (i) assert the confidential nature of the Confidential Information to the market, exchange or agency or court; (ii) promptly notify the disclosing Party in writing of the requirement, order or request to disclose; and (iii) at the disclosing Party’s sole cost and expense (excluding the receiving Party’s outside attorney fees), cooperate fully with the disclosing Party in protecting against any such disclosure and/or obtaining a protective order narrowing the scope of the compelled disclosure and protecting the confidentiality of the Confidential Information. Any Confidential Information that is disclosed under this Section shall otherwise remain subject to the provisions of this Agreement.

 

13.

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

(a) Applicable Law. This Agreement and the legal relations among the Parties hereto shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York (including, without limitation, with respect to the full faith and credit accorded to the United States federal laws, e.g., the United States Lanham Act), applicable to such agreements wholly made and to be performed within New York, notwithstanding any conflict of law provisions to the contrary. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods shall not apply to this Agreement.

(b) Jurisdiction. Except that Licensor may bring: (i) an equitable proceeding in any jurisdiction where appropriate by reason of its subject matter, and/or (ii) any proceeding related to any claims made by Licensor for amounts payable from Licensee hereunder in any jurisdiction where appropriate by reason of Licensee’s domicile and/or minimum contacts with such jurisdiction, the Parties hereby agree that: any other action which in any way involves the rights, duties and obligations of any Party hereto under this Agreement shall be brought in courts located in New York County, New York, and the Parties hereby submit to the personal jurisdiction of such courts. In addition to the rights accorded to Licensor in items (i) and (ii) of this Section above, Licensor may bring an action to enforce any judgment hereunder in any venue, forum, and jurisdiction, that Licensor may deem appropriate, whether by reason of Licensee’s domicile or otherwise. Each of the Parties waives any objection that it may have based on improper venue or forum non conveniens to the conduct of any such suit or action in any such court. The Parties agree that service of process deposited in certified or registered mail addressed to the other Party at the address for the other Party set forth in this Agreement shall be deemed valid service of process for all purposes.

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(c) WAIVER OF TRIAL BY JURY. EACH OF THE PARTIES HEREBY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY AND ALL ACTIONS OR PROCEEDINGS IN ANY COURT, WHETHER THE SAME IS BETWEEN THEM OR TO WHICH THEY MAY BE PARTIES, AND WHETHER ARISING OUT OF, UNDER, OR BY REASON OF THIS AGREEMENT, OR ANY ACTS OR TRANSACTIONS HEREUNDER OR THE INTERPRETATION OR VALIDITY THEREOF, OR OUT OF, UNDER OR BY REASON OF ANY OTHER CONTRACT, AGREEMENT OR TRANSACTION OF ANY KIND, NATURE OR DESCRIPTION WHATSOEVER, WHETHER BETWEEN THEM OR TO WHICH THEY MAY BE PARTIES.

14. ASSIGNABILITY.

(a) This Agreement is of a personal nature with respect to Licensee, and therefore Licensee shall not assign, sub-license, encumber or transfer this Agreement or any of its rights or obligations hereunder, directly or indirectly, whether pursuant to any change of ownership, control or otherwise, without Approval. As a limited exception to the foregoing, solely for so long as Licensee’s ultimate parent company Vince Holding Corp (NYSE: VNCE) (“Licensee Parent”) is a publicly traded company on the NYSE, Licensee may, without the consent of Licensor, undergo (i) a change of ownership or control solely by virtue of a change of ownership or control of Licensee Parent or (ii) assign or transfer this Agreement in connection with a sale or transfer of all or substantially all of the business or assets of Licensee Parent to the acquiror thereof (provided that the same includes, by way of example and not limitation, all Units (as such term is defined in the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of ABG-Vince, LLC (the “LLCA”)) then held by the Vince Member (as such term is defined in the LLCA) or one or more of its Permitted Transferees (as such term is defined in the LLCA)). Any attempted assignment, sub-license, encumbrance or transfer by Licensee in violation of this section shall be void and of no force or effect, and shall constitute a non-curable breach of this Agreement by Licensee. Licensor shall have the right to assign, encumber and/or transfer any or all of its rights and/or obligations under this Agreement, in any form or manner, without the consent or approval of Licensee; [***]. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Parties to this Agreement and their respective successors and permitted assigns.

 

 

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(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Parties hereby acknowledge and agree that (i) the Agreement is a personal services contract under which Licensor is relying on performance by Licensee, in which Licensor has placed its trust and confidence, (ii) Licensee provides unique goods and services under this Agreement that are personal in nature to the Licensee, and (iii) Licensor is relying on Licensee’s performance in particular under this Agreement and would be irreparably harmed by the assignment of this Agreement by Licensee without Licensor’s prior written consent (or as otherwise authorized pursuant to Section 14(a)). The Parties further hereby acknowledge and agree that (A) this Agreement is subject to applicable law governing trademarks, including 15 U.S.C. § 1051 et seq. (the “Lanham Act”), (B) under applicable law, this Agreement shall not be assignable by Licensee without Licensor’s prior written consent (or as otherwise authorized pursuant to Section 14(a)), and (C) Licensor is relying on the restrictions on assignability under applicable law, including the Lanham Act, and under this Agreement, to allow Licensor to satisfy its duty to control the quality of goods sold under the Licensed Property. The Parties further hereby acknowledge and agree that as a result of the foregoing, in the event that Licensee becomes a debtor in a bankruptcy case under 11 U.S.C. § 101 et seq. (the “Bankruptcy Code”), (x) this Agreement shall not be assignable by Licensee without Licensor’s consent, pursuant to section 365(c)(1) of the Bankruptcy Code (or as otherwise authorized pursuant to Section 14 (a)), and (y) subject to the terms of this Agreement, Licensor shall be permitted to exercise its right to terminate this Agreement, pursuant to section 365(e)(2) of the Bankruptcy Code.

(c) [***].

15. NOTICES.

(a) Requirements for Notices. All notices, requests, demands and other communications required or permitted to be made hereunder (“Notices”) shall be in writing, in the English language, and signed by an authorized representative of the Party delivering such notice. All such Notices shall be deemed duly given: (i) at the time of delivery, if hand delivered to the corporate office for the Party to whom Notice is being delivered, against a signed receipt therefor; (ii) when transmitted by email; or (iii) upon delivery, if sent to the Party at the address and/or contact listed in this Agreement for such type of Notice, by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, first class postage prepaid, or nationally recognized overnight delivery service (e.g., FedEx). Either Party may alter the address to which Notices are to be sent hereunder by giving Notice of such change to the other Party in conformity with the provisions of this Section.

(b) Licensee’s Addresses for Notices. All Notices to Licensee shall be delivered to Licensee at the address for Licensee specified in the Commercial Terms.

 

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(c) Licensor’s Addresses for Notices. All Notices to Licensor shall be delivered to Licensor as follows:

 

 

(i)

If to Licensor for questions about submitting Approval requests:

[***]

 

 

(ii)

If to Licensor for questions about submitting Reports:

[***]

 

 

(iii)

If to Licensor for any other reason:

[***]

16. Data Controller. Licensee acknowledges that it is a separate data controller of any personal data it processes in the performance of its obligations under this Agreement and shall, and shall procure that Licensee’s personnel shall, in performing its obligations under this Agreement, comply in all material respects with applicable data protection and/or privacy laws, regulations, instruments or codes of practice relating thereto (“Data Protection Laws”). If Licensee relies on an international data transfer mechanism (including, without limitation, those approved by the European Commission) to legitimize the transfer of personal data from the originating country, and that data transfer mechanism is held to be invalid, or any data protection authority requires transfers of personal data made pursuant to such mechanism to be suspended, then Licensor may, at its discretion, require Licensee to cease processing personal data to which this Agreement relates, and/or co-operate with Licensor to facilitate the use of an alternative approved transfer mechanism. Licensee shall (a) keep and maintain all such personal data in strict confidence, and establish and maintain commercially reasonable (but in any event no less than industry standards) physical, electronic and procedural safeguards designed to prevent unauthorized access, use, copying or disclosure of the same; (b) use and disclose personal data solely for the purposes for which it, or access to it, is authorized, and shall not use, sell, rent, transfer, distribute, or otherwise disclose or make available personal data for Licensee’s own purposes that are not in connection with this Agreement (except as required by applicable Laws); and (c) upon expiration or earlier termination of this Agreement, transfer such personal data to Licensor or its designee(s) to the extent permitted by applicable Laws (it being understood and agreed that Licensee’s Privacy Policy for the E-Commerce Website and Retail Locations shall expressly allow and provide for the same).

 

17.

MISCELLANEOUS.

(a) Relationship of the Parties. This Agreement does not constitute and shall not be construed to constitute an agency, partnership, joint venture or any other type of unnamed relationship between Licensor and Licensee. Neither Party shall have the right pursuant to this Agreement to obligate or to bind the other Party in any manner whatsoever, and nothing contained in this Agreement shall give or is intended to give any rights of any nature to any third party. Licensor and Licensee both acknowledge and agree that state and federal franchise Laws do not and will not apply to this Agreement or to the relationship between Licensee and Licensor under this Agreement, or to any of their respective rights or obligations hereunder. The Parties agree that, due to their respective business backgrounds and prior licensing experience, they do not need the protection of state or federal franchise Laws in connection with this Agreement. For purposes of this Agreement, Licensor and Licensee shall not be considered affiliates or subsidiaries of one another.

(b) Entire Agreement. This Agreement (inclusive of the Commercial Terms, the Standard Terms, and any other schedules, exhibits, attachments or addenda to either) sets forth the entire agreement and understanding between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersedes all prior agreements, understandings, inducements and conditions, whether express or implied, oral or written, except as herein contained. This Agreement may only be amended or modified by written agreement, duly executed by authorized signatories of, and delivered by, each of the Parties hereto. The express terms of this Agreement shall control and supersede any course of dealing or performance, and/or usage of trade, that is inconsistent with any of the terms hereof.

 

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(c) Waiver & Delays. A waiver by any Party of any provision, breach or default of, or rights under, this Agreement, shall: (i) only be effective if signed by an authorized signatory of the Party waiving the same, (ii) not bar the exercise of the same right on any subsequent occasion or any other right at any time, and (iii) not constitute a continuing waiver of such or any other provision, breach, default or right. Neither the failure of nor any delay on the part of any Party to exercise any right, remedy, power or privilege under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege preclude any other or further exercise of the same or of any other right, remedy, power or privilege. Acceptance of payments by Licensor shall not constitute a waiver by Licensor of any breach of or default by Licensee in connection herewith or with its performance hereunder, and shall not be deemed an election from among available remedies nor shall it bar the right of Licensor to seek and obtain termination as a result of Licensee’s breach or default or otherwise.

(d) Severability. If any term or provision of this Agreement, as applied to either Party or any circumstance, for any reason shall be declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, unenforceable, inoperative or otherwise ineffective, then: (i) such provision shall be eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and (ii) such provision shall be reformed and rewritten so as to most closely reflect the intention of Licensor and Licensee, such that this Agreement shall otherwise remain in full force and effect and enforceable.

(e) Further Assurances. Licensee shall execute and deliver to Licensor any and all documents (including, without limitation, short form assignments) requested by Licensor, in Licensor’s sole discretion and at Licensor’s expense, to perfect Licensor’s right, title and interest in and to all of the Brand Rights and/or to effectuate the purpose and intent of this Agreement, and Licensee shall cooperate with Licensor in connection with the same. In the event Licensee reasonably requests Licensor’s assistance as necessary to confirm or exercise Licensee’s rights under this Agreement (such as by providing a letter of authorization to a distributor as the owner of the Licensed Property), then subject to Licensee’s ongoing compliance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Licensor will provide such reasonably requested assistance, at Licensee’s expense.

(f) Form & Construction; Language.

(i) Section and Sub-Section headings in this Agreement are included for ease of reference only and do not constitute substantive matter to be considered in construing the terms of this Agreement. As used in this Agreement: (A) any reference to gender shall include the masculine, feminine, neutral genders, and any other gender expressions, and the singular form of words shall include the plural, or vice versa, as necessary in order that this Agreement may be interpreted so as to conform to the subject matter actually existing, and (B) the term “including” shall mean “including, without limitation” unless otherwise specifically provided. To the extent that any defined term used in these Standard Terms is not specifically defined in these Standard Terms or in the Commercial Terms that are a part of this Agreement, such provision shall be eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, such that this Agreement shall otherwise remain in full force and effect and enforceable. Each Party has cooperated in the drafting and preparation of this Agreement, and no dispute with respect to this Agreement should be resolved based on the conclusion that either Licensee or Licensor was the drafter.

(ii) The English language version of this Agreement is and shall be deemed to be the only version of this Agreement. All communications relating to this Agreement, both formal and informal (including, without limitation, all Notices), shall be in English. If Licensee transmits any information to Licensor in any other language, Licensor shall be permitted have such documents translated, and Licensee shall pay all costs and expenses related to any such translation. If Licensee has this Agreement translated for the purpose of submitting it to any local, provincial or national government or official body, Licensor shall have the right to review and correct the translation prior to submission thereof. All hearings related to any dispute concerning this Agreement shall be in English.

(g) Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one (1) agreement binding on all Parties hereto notwithstanding that all of the Parties hereto are not signatories to the same counterpart. Each of the Parties agrees that an electronic signature evidencing a Party’s execution of this Agreement shall be effective as an original signature and may be used in lieu of the original for any purpose.

 

 

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(h) Exhibits and Schedules. All Exhibits and Schedules referenced in this Agreement, if any, are hereby incorporated by reference into, and made a part of, this Agreement.

(i) Transaction Expenses. Each Party shall be responsible for its own expenses relating to the negotiation of this Agreement.

(j) Currency & Exchange Rate. All sums set forth in this Agreement are, and are intended to be, expressed in United States Dollars ($ USD). All payments due under this Agreement shall be paid in the United States in United States Dollars at the Foreign Exchange Rate (as hereinafter defined). For the purposes hereof, the term “Foreign Exchange Rate” means, for any particular currency, the quarterly average for such currency as quoted at www.oanda.com (to the extent that www.oanda.com provides quotations therefore, or such other resource that is mutually satisfactory to Licensor and Licensee) at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time, on the date on which any relevant payment hereunder is due.

(k) [***]

(l) Other Agreements. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be considered a precedent for any future agreements that Licensor or Licensor’s affiliates may enter into with Licensee or any other third party, and neither Party hereto shall, either during the Term of at any time thereafter, quote this Agreement as the standard of practice or agreed upon terms in any other agreement between the Parties or their affiliates.

 

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This Exhibit A is attached to and made part of the Agreement between Licensor and Licensee (as such terms are defined in the Commercial Terms).

EXHIBIT A

Standards of Practice

Overview

In order to maintain respect for all individuals and our environment, ethical business conduct, and high standards for decent and humane working conditions throughout the operations of Licensor’s and Licensee’s businesses, Licensor has established specific minimum guidelines for all licensees and operating partners around the world, including, without limitation, Licensee and all of Licensee’s Sub-Contractors. Licensor requires Licensee and all Sub-Contractors to operate in compliance with local laws and, in addition, these Standards of Practice.

Licensor believes that these Standards of Practice will help ensure that decent and humane working conditions are provided to the employees of Licensee and its Sub-Contractors. Where any Licensee or Sub-Contractor is found to be in violation of these Standards of Practice, corrective action may be initiated, and unless such violation is promptly and sufficiently corrected, Licensor may, among other things, require Licensee to cease business with the offending Sub-Contractor, subject to Section 1(c)(ii)(B) of the Standard Terms. Licensor believes that consumers can have confidence that products manufactured in compliance with these Standards of Practice are not produced under exploitative or inhumane conditions.

Standards of Practice

Forced Labor

Licensee hereby agrees that neither Licensee nor any of its Sub-Contractors shall use any forced or involuntary labor – slavery, human trafficking, prison, indentured, bonded or otherwise.

Child Labor

Licensee hereby agrees that no person shall be employed by Licensee or any of its Sub-Contractors at an age younger than: (a) fifteen (15) years of age (or 14 where the law of the country allows), or (b) the age for completing compulsory education in the country of operations, where such age is higher than fifteen (15) years of age. Workers under 18 years of age should not perform work likely to jeopardize the health or safety of young persons.

Harassment or Abuse

Licensee hereby agrees that every employee of Licensee and any of its Sub-Contractors shall be treated with respect and dignity, and that no employee shall be subject to any physical, sexual, psychological or verbal harassment or abuse. Licensee hereby agrees that License and any of its Sub-Contractors shall pay special attention to categories of workers vulnerable to exploitation, and to protecting such workers from abusive employment practices. Licensee agrees to prohibit all forms of harassment, including sexual harassment, and in particular any form of sexual intimidation, threat or coercion.

Nondiscrimination

Licensee hereby agrees that no person shall be subject, by Licensee or any of its Sub-Contractors, to any discrimination in employment, including hiring, salary, benefits, advancement, discipline, termination or retirement, on the basis of race, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, nationality, political opinion, social or ethnic origin, or any other characteristic that is protected by applicable law. Licensee agrees that Licensee and its Sub-Contractors shall treat all workers equally, fairly and respectfully.

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Health and Safety

Licensee hereby agrees that workers of Licensee and its Sub-Contractors will be provided a safe and healthy working environment to prevent accidents and injury to health arising out of, linked with, or occurring in the course of work or as a result of the operation of contractors’ facilities.

Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining

Licensee hereby agrees that, as applicable, Licensee’s and its Sub-Contractors’ employees’ rights to freedom of association when allowed by local law and collective bargaining will be recognized and respected.

Wages and Benefits

Licensee hereby agrees that Licensee and each its Sub-Contractors shall comply with all applicable wage and hour laws and regulations, and that all of their employees will be paid at least the minimum wage required by local law, or the prevailing industry wage, whichever is higher. Licensee hereby agrees that Licensee and each of its Sub-Contractors shall comply with all applicable provisions for legally-mandated benefits, including, without limitation, health care; childcare; sick leave; contributions for social security; life, health, worker’s compensation and other insurance mandated by local law.

Hours of Work/Overtime

Licensee hereby agrees that Licensee and each of its Sub-Contractors shall comply with applicable regulations concerning work hours mandated by local laws and use overtime only when employees are compensated according to local law. Licensee further agrees that neither Licensee nor any of its Sub-Contractors will allow any employees to exceed the maximum number of overtime hours provided by local law. Licensor also expects that employees will not routinely work in excess of sixty hours per week and employees will be provided with a minimum of one rest day in every seven-day week.

Protecting Local Communities

When operating with indigenous communities, as defined by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Licensee hereby agrees that Licensee and each of its Sub-Contractors (as applicable) shall seek their free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC).

Environment

Licensee hereby agrees that Licensee and each of its Sub-Contractors shall comply with applicable country environmental laws and regulations and ensure that all required environmental permits and registrations are obtained, maintained and kept current and that operational and reporting requirements are followed. In addition, Licensee commits to implementing initiatives aimed at promoting greater environmental responsibility and to continually improving the environmental performance of its work sites, materials and policies.

No Corruption

Licensee agrees that Licensee and each of its Sub-Contractors shall comply with all applicable anti-corruption laws, rules and requirements and take appropriate measures to prevent all forms of corruption. Licensee and each of its Sub-Contractors shall further take all appropriate measures to prevent its operations from being used as a

 

money-laundering vehicle, and to prevent abuse of dominant position, concerted practices, or unlawful agreements between competitors, such as price fixing or market allocations or boycotts limiting the production of certain products.

Reporting of Grievances

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Licensee hereby agrees that Licensee and each of its Sub-Contractors shall facilitate the reporting of concerns by workers and other stakeholders, through a means designated in writing thereby, and not retaliate against anyone reporting such concerns.

Documentation and Inspection

Upon Licensor’s request, in Licensor’s sole discretion, Licensee must:

 

(A)

Certify to Licensor, on an annual basis, in writing, that each of the above-listed Standards of Practice is being met by Licensee and each of its Sub-Contractors;

 

 

(B)

Maintain on file such records and documentation as may be needed to demonstrate compliance with the Standards of Practice;

 

 

(C)

Make such documents available in the English language to Licensor for audit inspection upon reasonable request;

 

 

(D)

Provide each of their employees with the opportunity to report noncompliance with workplace standards outlined herein, free from punishment or prejudice for so doing; and

 

 

(E)

Post these or substantially equivalent Standards of Practice in the language of the country of manufacture in a common area accessible by all employees.

 

 

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This Schedule D is attached to and made part of the Agreement between ABG-Vince, LLC (“Licensor”) and Vince, LLC (“Licensee”) dated as of the Closing.

SCHEDULE D

Pre-approved Manufacturers

[***]

 

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EX-99.1 4 vnce-ex99_1.htm EX-99.1 EX-99.1

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

img146670603_0.jpg 

 

VINCE HOLDING CORP. ANNOUNCES CLOSING OF TRANSACTION AND ENTRY INTO TRANSFORMATIVE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH AUTHENTIC BRANDS GROUP

 

 

(NEW YORK, New York) – May 25, 2023 – Vince Holding Corp., (NYSE: VNCE) (“VNCE” or the “Company”), a global contemporary retailer, today announced that it has completed the previously announced transaction (“Authentic Transaction”) with Authentic Brands Group (“Authentic”), a global brand development, marketing and entertainment platform. As part of the transaction, VNCE and Authentic have entered a strategic arrangement whereby VNCE has contributed its intellectual property to a newly formed Authentic subsidiary (“ABG Vince”) for total consideration to Vince of $76.5 million in cash from Authentic and 25% membership interest in ABG Vince. Authentic owns the majority stake of 75% membership interest in ABG Vince.

 

“We are pleased to have successfully closed this transaction with Authentic marking a transformative milestone for Vince,” said Jack Schwefel, Chief Executive Officer of VNCE. “With the proceeds from this transaction, we strengthened our financial foundation by repaying in full the outstanding balance of $27.7 million under our Term Loan Credit Facility as well as a portion of the outstanding borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility. With a stronger balance sheet in place, we are now better positioned to enhance our focus on driving margin expansion and executing against our strategic growth initiatives.”


"We are thrilled to officially welcome Vince into the Authentic fold. Together with the visionary expertise of the Vince team, we are poised for the brand's category and global expansion," said Jamie Salter, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Authentic. "We look forward to engaging with new brand fans as we capture audiences, broaden the brand’s range and enter this next phase of Vince’s growth.”

In connection with the Authentic Transaction, VNCE has entered into an exclusive, long-term license agreement (the “License Agreement”) with Authentic for usage of the contributed intellectual property for VNCE’s existing business in a manner consistent with the Company’s current wholesale, retail and e-commerce operations. The License Agreement contains an initial ten-year term and eight ten-year renewal options allowing VNCE to renew the agreement.

Concurrent with the close of the Authentic Transaction, the amendment that VNCE previously entered into with its ABL facility has become effective. The amendment adjusts the initial commitment level commensurate with the net proceeds after transaction related fees and the debt pay down, and revised the maturity date to June 30, 2024, among other things.

 

ABOUT VINCE HOLDING CORP.

Vince Holding Corp. is a global retail company that operates the Vince brand women’s and men’s ready to wear business. Vince, established in 2002, is a leading global luxury apparel and accessories brand best known for creating elevated yet understated pieces for every day effortless style. Vince Holding Corp. operates 49 full-price retail stores, 17 outlet stores, and its e-commerce site, vince.com and through its subscription service Vince Unfold, www.vinceunfold.com, as well as through premium wholesale channels globally. Please visit www.vince.com for more information.

 


 

 

ABOUT AUTHENTIC BRANDS GROUP

Authentic Brands Group (Authentic) is a global brand development, marketing and entertainment platform, which owns a portfolio of more than 40 iconic and world-renowned Lifestyle, Entertainment and Media brands. Headquartered in New York City, with offices around the world, Authentic connects strong brands with best-in-class partners and a global network of operators, distributors and retailers to build long-term value in the marketplace. Its brands generate approximately $25 billion in global annual retail sales and have an expansive retail footprint in more than 150 countries, including 10,800-plus freestanding stores and shop-in-shops and 380,000 points of sale.

 

Authentic is committed to transforming brands by delivering powerful storytelling, compelling content, innovative business models and immersive experiences. It creates and activates original marketing strategies to drive the success of its brands across all consumer touchpoints, platforms and emerging media. Authentic’s brand portfolio includes Marilyn Monroe®, Elvis Presley®, Muhammad Ali®, Shaquille O’Neal®, David Beckham®, Dr. J®, Greg Norman®, Neil Lane®, Thalia®, Sports Illustrated®, Reebok®, Brooks Brothers®, Barneys New York®, Judith Leiber®, Ted Baker®, Vince®, Hervé Léger®, Hickey Freeman®, Frye®, Nautica®, Juicy Couture®, Vince Camuto®, Lucky Brand®, Aéropostale®, Forever 21®, Nine West®, Eddie Bauer®, Spyder®, Volcom®, Shark®, Tretorn®, Prince®, Airwalk®, Izod®, Jones New York®, Van Heusen®, Hart Schaffner Marx®, Arrow® and Thomasville®.

 

For more information, visit authentic.com.

Follow Authentic on LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.

 

 


 

Forward-Looking Statements: This document, and any statements incorporated by reference herein contain forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, our current expectations about possible or assumed future results of operations of the Company, the expected completion and timing of the ABG Transaction and other information relating to the ABG Transaction and are indicated by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “plan,” “target,” “project,” “forecast,” “envision” and other similar phrases. Although we believe the assumptions and expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these assumptions and expectations may not prove to be correct and we may not achieve the results or benefits anticipated. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of actual results, and our actual results may differ materially from those suggested in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control, including, without limitation: our ability to realize the benefits of our strategic initiatives; our ability to maintain adequate cash flow from operations or availability under our revolving credit facility to meet our liquidity needs; the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on our business, results of operations and liquidity; general economic conditions; the execution and management of our international expansion; our ability to continue having the liquidity necessary to service our debt, meet contractual payment obligations, and fund our operations; further impairment of our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets; the execution and management of our retail store growth plans; our ability to make lease payments when due; our ability to maintain our larger wholesale partners; the loss of certain of our wholesale partners; our ability to successfully implement the wind down of the Rebecca Taylor business; our ability to remediate the identified material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting; our ability to comply with domestic and international laws, regulations and orders; our ability to anticipate and/or react to changes in customer demand and attract new customers, including in connection with making inventory commitments; our ability to remain competitive in the areas of merchandise quality, price, breadth of selection and customer service; our ability to keep a strong brand image; our ability to attract and retain key personnel; seasonal and quarterly variations in our revenue and income; our ability to mitigate system security risk issues, such as cyber or malware attacks, as well as other major system failures; our ability to optimize our systems, processes and functions; our ability to comply with privacy-related obligations; our ability to ensure the proper operation of the distribution facilities by third-party logistics providers; fluctuations in the price, availability and quality of raw materials; commodity, raw material and other cost increases; the extent of our foreign sourcing; our reliance on independent manufacturers; other tax matters; and other factors as set forth from time to time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including those described under “Item 1A—Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. We intend these forward-looking statements to speak only as of the time of this release and do not undertake to update or revise them as more information becomes available, except as required by law

 

Investor Relations Contact :

ICR, Inc.
Caitlin Churchill, 646-277-1274
Caitlin.Churchill@icrinc.com