Current Report

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

 

LOGO

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): June 29, 2005

 

PHOTRONICS, INC.


(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Connecticut


 

0-15451


 

06-0854886


(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

 

(Commission

File Number)

 

(IRS Employer

Identification Number)

 

15 Secor Road, Brookfield, CT


 

06804


(Address of Principal Executive Offices)   (Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including area code          (203) 775-9000  
    

 


(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))

 



Item  1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement

 

On June 29, 2005, Photronics, Inc. entered into an Underwriting Agreement with Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and J.P. Morgan Securities, Inc., as representatives of the several underwriters, related to the public offering of 7,000,000 shares of Photronics, Inc.’s common stock, par value $.01, at a public offering price of $21.25 per share. Delivery of and payment for the shares of common stock pursuant to such Underwriting Agreement will be made on or about July 6, 2005. The Company also granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 1,050,000 shares of common stock to cover over-allotments, if any.

 

 

Item  9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(c) Exhibits

 

The exhibits listed in the following index relate to the Registration Statements on Form S-3 (No. 333-125784) of the registrant and are filed herewith for incorporation by reference in such Registration Statement.

 

  1.1 Underwriting Agreement between Photronics, Inc. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and J.P. Morgan Securities, Inc., as representatives of the several underwriters, dated June 29, 2005.

 

 

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.

 

 

PHOTRONICS, INC.

 

 

By: /s/ Edwin L. Lewis                        

Name: Edwin L. Lewis

Title:   Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

 

Date: July 6, 2005

 

 


EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No.

  

Description of Exhibits


1.1    Underwriting Agreement between Photronics, Inc. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and J.P. Morgan Securities, Inc., as representatives of the several underwriters, dated June 29, 2005.
Underwriting Agreement

Exhibit 1.1

 

7,000,000 Shares

 

Photronics, Inc.

 

Common Stock (Par Value $0.01 Per Share)

 

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

June 29, 2005


June 29, 2005

 

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.

      as Representatives of the several Underwriters

 

c/o Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

      4 World Financial Center

      New York, New York 10080

 

Dear Sirs and Mesdames:

 

Photronics, Inc., a Connecticut corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom you are acting as managers (the “Managers”) 7,000,000 shares of its common stock (par value $0.01 per share) (the “Firm Shares”).

 

The Company also proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters not more than an additional 1,050,000 shares of its common stock (par value $0.01 per share) (the “Additional Shares”) if and to the extent that you, as the Managers of the offering, shall have determined to exercise, on behalf of the Underwriters, the right to purchase such shares of common stock granted to the Underwriters in Section 2 hereof. The Firm Shares and the Additional Shares are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Shares.” The shares of common stock (par value $0.01 per share) of the Company to be outstanding after giving effect to the sales contemplated hereby are hereinafter referred to as the “Common Stock.”

 

The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement, including Amendment No. 1 thereto, and including a prospectus, (File No. 333-125784) on Form S-3, relating to securities (the “Shelf Securities”), including the Shares, to be issued from time to time by the Company and the selling shareholder named therein. The registration statement as amended to the date of this Agreement, including the information (if any) deemed to be part of the registration statement at the time of its effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), is hereinafter referred to as the “Registration Statement,” and the related prospectus covering the Shelf Securities in the form first used to confirm sales of the Securities and filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) is hereinafter referred to as the “Basic Prospectus.” The Basic Prospectus, as supplemented by the prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Shares in the form first used to confirm sales of the Shares and filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) is hereinafter referred to as the


Prospectus,” and the term “preliminary prospectus” means any preliminary form of the Prospectus. As used herein, the terms “Registration Statement,” “Basic Prospectus,” “Prospectus” and “preliminary prospectus” shall include in each case the documents, if any, incorporated therein by reference. The terms “supplement,” “amendment” or “amend” as used in this Agreement with respect to the Registration Statement, Basic Prospectus, Prospectus or preliminary prospectus shall include all documents subsequently filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein. If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement to register additional shares of Common Stock pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the “Rule 462 Registration Statement”), then any such reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462 Registration Statement.

 

1. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to and agrees with each of the Underwriters that:

 

(a) The Registration Statement has become effective; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement is in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose are pending before or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission.

 

(b) (i) Each document, if any, filed or to be filed pursuant to the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus complied or will comply when so filed in all material respects with the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, (ii) the Registration Statement, when it became effective, did not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (iii) the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and (iv) the Prospectus does not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the representations and warranties set forth in this paragraph do not apply to (A) statements or omissions in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through you expressly for use therein or (B) that part of the Registration Statement that constitutes the Statement of Eligibility (Form T-1) under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”), of the trustee named therein (the “Trustee”).

 

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(c) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the state of Connecticut, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, which jurisdictions consist of Florida and California, or is subject to no material liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in any such jurisdiction.

 

(d) Each significant subsidiary of the Company within the meaning of Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act (each a “Significant Subsidiary”, collectively the “Significant Subsidiaries”) has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, and has the power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, or is subject to no material liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in any such jurisdiction.

 

(e) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

 

(f) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Prospectus, and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; and all of the issued shares of capital stock of each wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, and all of the shares of capital stock of each other subsidiary that are owned by the Company, have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and (except for directors’ qualifying shares and except as set forth in the Prospectus) are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims, except in the case of any shares pledged pursuant to the Credit Agreement, dated as of July 12, 2002, among the Company, the Borrowing Subsidiaries party thereto, the Lenders party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association, as Administrative Agent, as amended.

 

(g) The Shares have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the issuance of the Shares will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights.

 

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(h) The issue and sale of the Shares and the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not materially conflict with or result in a material breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a material default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws of the Company or any material violation of any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the issue and sale of the Shares by the Company or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except (i) to the extent the failure to obtain such consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification would not materially adversely affect the ability of the Company to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or (ii) such as have been obtained or made or such as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares by the Underwriters.

 

(i) Neither the Company nor any of its Significant Subsidiaries has sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus any material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus; and, since the date as of which information is given in the Prospectus, there has not been any material change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries or any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, shareholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole.

 

(j) The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all material real property and good and marketable title to all material personal property owned by them, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects, except such as are described in the Prospectus or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its

 

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subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries.

 

(k) There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and are not so described or any statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described or filed as required; and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened by others.

 

(l) Each preliminary prospectus filed as part of the registration statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act, complied when so filed in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

 

(m) The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares, will not be, an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company” as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

 

(n) The Company and its Significant Subsidiaries and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, its other subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment, hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”), (ii) have received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (iii) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except where such noncompliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position, shareholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole.

 

(o) There are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to

 

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require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company or to require the Company to include such securities with the Shares registered pursuant to the Registration Statement, except the Registration Rights Agreement dated as of April 4, 2002 among the Company and the Investors party thereto (the “2002 Registration Rights Agreement”). There are no Holders who own Registrable Securities (as such terms are defined in the 2002 Registration Rights Agreement).

 

(p) There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects with any applicable provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith, including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.

 

2. Agreements to Sell and Purchase. The Company hereby agrees to sell to the several Underwriters, and each Underwriter, upon the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, but subject to the conditions hereinafter stated, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective number of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite its name at $20.2938 a share (the “Purchase Price”).

 

On the basis of the representations and warranties contained in this Agreement, and subject to its terms and conditions, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriters the Additional Shares, and the Underwriters shall have the right to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to 1,050,000 Additional Shares at the Purchase Price. You may exercise this right on behalf of the Underwriters in whole or from time to time in part by giving written notice not later than 30 days after the date of this Agreement. Any exercise notice shall specify the number of Additional Shares to be purchased by the Underwriters and the date on which such shares are to be purchased. Each purchase date must be at least one business day after the written notice is given and may not be earlier than the closing date for the Firm Shares nor later than ten business days after the date of such notice. Additional Shares may be purchased as provided in Section 4 hereof solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments made in connection with the offering of the Firm Shares. On each day, if any, that Additional Shares are to be purchased (an “Option Closing Date”), each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Additional Shares (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as you may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date as the number of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Shares.

 

During a period of 90 days from the date of the Prospectus, the Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Managers, (i) directly or indirectly, offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to

 

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purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase or otherwise transfer or dispose of any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or file any registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any of the foregoing or (ii) enter into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such swap or transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) during the last 17 days of the 90-day restricted period, the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs; or (2) prior to the expiration of the 90-day restricted period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results or becomes aware that material news or a material event will occur during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the 90-day restricted period, the restrictions imposed by this paragraph shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of the material news or material event, as applicable.

 

The restrictions contained in the preceding paragraph shall not apply to (A) the Shares to be sold hereunder, (B) the issuance or sale of Common Stock or the grant of options to purchase Common Stock by the Company in connection with employee benefit plans as in effect at the date of the Prospectus, or (C) the issuance by the Company of any shares of common stock upon the exercise of an option or warrant, or the conversion of a security outstanding on the date hereof of which the Underwriters have been advised in writing.

 

The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters are acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length contractual counterparty to the Company with respect to the offering of Shares contemplated hereby (including in connection with determining the terms of the offering) and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an agent of, the Company or any other person. Additionally, no Manager nor any other Underwriter is advising the Company or any other person as to any legal, tax, investment, accounting or regulatory matters in any jurisdiction. The Company shall consult with its own advisors concerning such matters and shall be responsible for making its own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the Underwriters shall have no responsibility or liability to the Company with respect thereto. Any review by the Underwriters of the Company, the transactions contemplated hereby or other matters relating to such transactions will be performed solely for the benefit of the Underwriters and shall not be on behalf of the Company.

 

3. Terms of Public Offering. The Company is advised by you that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of their respective portions of the Firm Shares as soon after the Registration Statement and this Agreement have become effective as in your judgment is advisable. The Company is further

 

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advised by you that the Firm Shares are to be offered to the public initially at $21.25 a share (the “Public Offering Price”) and to certain dealers selected by you at a price that represents a concession not in excess of $0.57 a share under the Public Offering Price, and that any Underwriter may allow, and such dealers may reallow, a concession, not in excess of $0.10 a share, to any Underwriter or to certain other dealers.

 

4. Payment and Delivery. Payment for the Firm Shares shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of such Firm Shares for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on July 6, 2005, or at such other time on the same or such other date, not later than July 13, 2005, as the Managers and the Company agree upon in writing. The time and date of such payment are hereinafter referred to as the “Closing Date.”

 

Payment for any Additional Shares shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of such Additional Shares for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified in the corresponding notice described in Section 2 or at such other time on the same or on such other date, in any event not later than ten business days after the date of such notice, as shall be designated in writing by you.

 

The Firm Shares and Additional Shares shall be registered in such names and in such denominations as you shall request in writing not later than one full business day prior to the Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be. The Firm Shares and Additional Shares shall be delivered to you on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters, with any transfer taxes payable in connection with the transfer of the Shares to the Underwriters duly paid, against payment of the Purchase Price therefor.

 

5. Conditions to the Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the Company to sell the Shares to the Underwriters and the several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Shares on the Closing Date are subject to the following conditions: (i) the Registration Statement shall have become effective, and the Underwriters shall have received notice thereof, not later than 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the date hereof; (ii) no order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect, and no proceeding for such purpose shall be pending before or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission; and (iii) the Prospectus shall have been timely filed with the Commission under the Securities Act.

 

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The several obligations of the Underwriters are subject to the following further conditions:

 

(a) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date:

 

(i) there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of any intended or potential downgrading or of any review for a possible change that does not indicate the direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded any of the Company’s securities by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization,” as such term is defined for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the Securities Act; and

 

(ii) there shall not have occurred any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendments or supplements thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement).

 

(b) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date a certificate, dated the Closing Date and signed by an executive officer of the Company, to the effect set forth in Section 5(a)(i), to the effect that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct as of the Closing Date, and that the Company has complied in all material respects with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder on or before the Closing Date.

 

The officer signing and delivering such certificate may rely upon the best of his or her knowledge as to proceedings threatened.

 

(c) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Shearman & Sterling LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect that:

 

(i) the statements in the Prospectus under the caption “United States Federal Tax Considerations For Non-U.S. Holders”, insofar as such statements constitute summaries of legal matters referred to therein, fairly summarize in all material respects the legal matters referred to therein;

 

(ii) in the opinion of such counsel, (A) each of the documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (other than the financial statements and other financial or statistical data contained therein or omitted therefrom, as to which such counsel need express no opinion), at the time it was filed with the Commission, appears on its face to have been appropriately responsive in all material respects to the

 

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requirements of the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and (B) each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (other than the financial statements and other financial or statistical data contained therein or omitted therefrom and the Trustee’s Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1, as to which such counsel need express no opinion) appears on its face to be appropriately responsive in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder;

 

(iii) no facts have come to such counsel’s attention that give such counsel reason to believe that (A) the Registration Statement (other than the financial statements and other financial or statistical data contained therein or omitted therefrom and the Trustee’s Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1, as to which such counsel has not been requested to comment), at the time it became effective or the date of the Prospectus Supplement, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or (B) the Prospectus (other than the financial statements and other financial or statistical data contained therein or omitted therefrom, as to which such counsel has not been requested to comment), as of the date of the Prospectus Supplement or the Closing Date, contained or contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and

 

(iv) the Company is not required to register under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

 

(d) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Brenner, Saltzman and Wallman LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect that:

 

(i) the Company is a corporation, duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the State of Connecticut;

 

(ii) the Company has the requisite general power and authority to own and hold its property and conduct its business as such business has been described in the Prospectus;

 

(iii) the Company has the right, power and authority to enter into, execute and deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement;

 

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(iv) the execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement, and the performance by the Company, of its obligations hereunder, has been duly authorized by all requisite corporate action of the Company;

 

(v) this Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company;

 

(vi) the authorized capital stock of the Company conforms in all material respects to the descriptions thereof and the statements made with respect thereto in the Prospectus under the caption “Description of Capital Stock”;

 

(vii) the statements relating to Connecticut law, the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation and the Company’s By-laws included in the Registration Statement in Item 15 fairly summarizes the matters referred to therein;

 

(viii) the Shares have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Shares will have been validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and will not, to such counsel’s knowledge, be subject to any preemptive or similar right known to such counsel; and

 

(ix) neither the issue and sale of the Shares, nor the compliance by the Company with the terms of this Agreement, will conflict with, or result in a breach or violation of the Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws of the Company.

 

(e) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Edwin L. Lewis, Esq., General Counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect that:

 

(i) each of Precision Semiconductor Mask Corporation, a Republic of China company, and PK Ltd., a South Korean company, has been duly organized, is validly existing and is in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, has all requisite power and authority to own or lease its property and to carry on its business, is qualified to do business in, and is in good standing in, every jurisdiction where such qualification is required;

 

(ii) neither the issue and sale of the Shares, nor the compliance by the Company with the terms of this Agreement, will conflict with, or result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under (a) the terms of any agreement, contract, indenture, lease or other instrument known to such counsel to

 

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which the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company is subject; or (b) any law, statute, rule or regulation, or any judgment, order, consent or memorandum of understanding known to such counsel of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body or arbitrator having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties;

 

(iii) no consent, approval, authorization or order of any court or governmental agency or body of which such counsel has knowledge is required for the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except such as may be required under state securities or the “blue sky” laws of any jurisdiction in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares, by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. or where the failure to obtain such consent, approval, authorization or order would have no more than an incidental effect on the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; and

 

(iv) after due inquiry, such counsel does not know of any actions, suits or proceedings pending or threatened before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and are not so described or of any statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described or filed as required.

 

(f) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Davis Polk & Wardwell, counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Closing Date, covering the matters referred to in Sections 5(c)(i) (but only as to the statements in the Prospectus under the caption “Underwriting”) and clauses (c)(ii)(B) and c(iii) of Section 5.

 

With respect to Section 5(c)(iii) above, Shearman & Sterling LLP may state that their beliefs are based upon their participation in the preparation of the Registration Statement and Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto (other than the documents incorporated therein by reference) and review and discussion of the contents thereof (including documents incorporated by reference), but are without independent check or verification, except as specified. With respect to clauses (c)(ii)(B) and c(iii) of Section 5 above, Davis Polk & Wardwell may state that their beliefs are based upon their participation in the preparation of the Registration Statement and Prospectus and any

 

12


amendments or supplements thereto (other than the documents incorporated by reference) and upon review and discussion of the contents thereof (including documents incorporated by reference), but are without independent check or verification, except as specified.

 

With respect to Section 5(d)(ii) above, Brenner, Saltzman & Wallman LLP may state that such opinion is intended to address the power and authority of corporations generally and no opinion is expressed or intended as to the power or authority of the Company to conduct any business or activity where such business or activity is subject to the requirement that it be specially licensed, authorized or permitted under the laws, rules or regulations of the State of Connecticut or the United States of America or agencies or subdivisions thereof.

 

With respect to Section 5(e)(ii) above, Edwin L. Lewis, Esq. may state that such opinion is subject to exception for violations, breaches or defaults with respect to which consents, waivers or approvals have heretofore been obtained.

 

The opinions of Shearman & Sterling LLP, Brenner, Saltzman and Wallman LLP and Edwin L. Lewis, Esq. described in Sections 5(c), 5(d) and 5(e), respectively, above shall be rendered to the Underwriters at the request of the Company and shall so state therein.

 

(g) The Underwriters shall have received, on each of the date hereof and the Closing Date, a letter dated the date hereof or the Closing Date, as the case may be, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, from Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent public accountants, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in or incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; provided that the letter delivered on the Closing Date shall use a “cut-off date” not earlier than the date hereof.

 

(h) The “lock-up” agreements, each substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, between you and certain executive officers and directors of the Company relating to sales and certain other dispositions of shares of Common Stock or certain other securities, delivered to you on or before the date hereof, shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date.

 

The several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase Additional Shares hereunder are subject to the delivery to you on the applicable Option Closing Date of such documents as you may reasonably request, including with respect to the good standing of the Company, the due authorization and issuance of the Additional Shares to be sold on such Option Closing Date and other matters related to the issuance of such Additional Shares.

 

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6. Covenants of the Company. In further consideration of the agreements of the Underwriters herein contained, the Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:

 

(a) To furnish to you, without charge, two signed copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference) and for delivery to each other Underwriter a conformed copy of the Registration Statement (without exhibits thereto but including documents incorporated by reference) and to furnish to you in New York City, without charge, prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and during the period mentioned in Section 6(c) below, as many copies of the Prospectus, any documents incorporated therein by reference and any supplements and amendments thereto as you may reasonably request.

 

(b) Before amending or supplementing the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, but only insofar as such amendment or supplement relates to the offering of the Shares, to furnish to you a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement and not to file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which you reasonably object except that the foregoing shall not apply to any documents required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act, and to file with the Commission within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act any prospectus required to be filed pursuant to such Rule.

 

(c) If, during such period after the first date of the public offering of the Shares as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters and counsel for the Company the Prospectus is required by law to be delivered in connection with sales by an Underwriter or dealer, any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters and counsel for the Company, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to the dealers (whose names and addresses you will furnish to the Company) to which Shares may have been sold by you on behalf of the Underwriters and to any other dealers upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with law.

 

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(d) To endeavor to qualify the Shares for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as you shall reasonably request; provided that the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to take any action that would subject it to general service of process in any such jurisdiction where it is not presently qualified or where it would be subject to taxation as a foreign corporation.

 

(e) To make generally available to the Company’s security holders and to you as soon as practicable an earning statement covering the twelve-month period ending on or around August 1, 2006 that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

 

7. Expenses. Whether or not the transactions contemplated in this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company agrees to pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and the Company’s accountants in connection with the registration and delivery of the Shares under the Securities Act and all other fees or expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus and amendments and supplements to any of the foregoing, including all printing costs associated therewith, and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers, in the quantities hereinabove specified, (ii) all costs and expenses related to the transfer and delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters, including any transfer or other similar taxes payable thereon, (iii) the cost of printing or producing any Blue Sky memorandum in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares under state securities laws and all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offer and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 6(d) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky memorandum, (iv) all filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters incurred in connection with the review and qualification of the offering of the Shares by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., (v) all costs and expenses incident to listing the Shares on the Nasdaq National Market, (vi) the cost, if any, of printing certificates representing the Shares, (vii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent, registrar or depositary, (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Shares, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives and officers of the Company and any such consultants, and the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show, and (ix) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the

 

15


obligations of the Company hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section. It is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section, Section 8 entitled “Indemnity and Contribution”, and the last paragraph of Section 10 below, the Underwriters will pay all of their costs and expenses, including fees and disbursements of their counsel, stock transfer taxes payable on resale of any of the Shares by them and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.

 

8. Indemnity and Contribution. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and each affiliate of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented if the Company shall have furnished any amendments or supplements thereto), or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities are caused by any such untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter expressly for use therein; provided however that the foregoing indemnity agreement with respect to any preliminary prospectus shall not inure to the benefit of any Underwriter from whom the person asserting any such losses, claims, damages or liabilities purchased Shares, or any person controlling such Underwriter, if a copy of the Prospectus (as then amended or supplemented if the Company shall have furnished any amendments or supplements thereto) was not sent or given by or on behalf of such Underwriter to such person, if required by law so to have been delivered, at or prior to the written confirmation of the sale of the Shares to such person, and if the Prospectus (as so amended or supplemented) would have cured the defect giving rise to such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, unless such failure is the result of noncompliance by the Company with Section 6(a) hereof.

 

(b) Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the directors of the Company, the officers of the Company who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (as amended or

 

16


supplemented if the Company shall have furnished any amendments or supplements thereto), or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but only with reference to information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendments or supplements thereto.

 

(c) In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted involving any person in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 8(a) or 8(b) such person (the “indemnified party”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnity may be sought (the “indemnifying party”) in writing and the indemnifying party, upon request of the indemnified party, shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party and any others the indemnifying party may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding. In any such proceeding, any indemnified party shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (i) the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have mutually agreed to the retention of such counsel or (ii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the indemnifying party and the indemnified party and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. It is understood that the indemnifying party shall not, in respect of the legal expenses of any indemnified party in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for (i) the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Underwriters and all persons, if any, who control any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or who are affiliates of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act, and (ii) the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for the Company, its directors, its officers who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and that all such fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred. In the case of any such separate firm for the Underwriters and such control persons and affiliates of any Underwriters, such firm shall be designated by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated. In the case of any such separate firm for the Company, and such directors, officers and control persons of the Company, such firm shall be designated in writing by the Company. The indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the

 

17


indemnified party for reasonable fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by the second and third sentences of this paragraph (after having provided a reasonably detailed invoice of such fees and expenses to such indemnifying party), the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding.

 

(d) To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 8(a) or 8(b) is unavailable to an indemnified party or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each indemnifying party under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and the indemnified party or parties on the other hand from the offering of the Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause 8(d)(i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause 8(d)(i) above but also the relative fault of the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and of the indemnified party or parties on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Shares shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds from the offering of the Shares (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate Public Offering Price of the Shares. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 8 are several in proportion to the respective number of Shares they have purchased hereunder, and not joint.

 

18


(e) The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just or equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 8 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in Section 8(d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in the immediately preceding paragraph shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 8, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The remedies provided for in this Section 8 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any indemnified party at law or in equity.

 

(f) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 8 and the representations, warranties and other statements of the Company contained in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, any person controlling any Underwriter or any affiliate of any Underwriter or by or on behalf of the Company, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the Shares.

 

9. Termination. The Underwriters may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any time at or prior to Closing Date (i) if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus, any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or the international financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of the Underwriters, impracticable or inadvisable to market the Shares or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Shares, or (iii) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or the Nasdaq National Market, or if trading generally on the New York Stock Exchange or in the Nasdaq National Market has been suspended or materially

 

19


limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by such exchange or by such system or by order of the Commission, the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. or any other governmental authority, or (iv) a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States, or (v) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York authorities.

 

10. Effectiveness; Defaulting Underwriters. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.

 

If, on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Shares that it has or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate number of Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase is not more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of the Shares to be purchased on such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated severally in the proportions that the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule I bears to the aggregate number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as you may specify, to purchase the Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase on such date; provided that in no event shall the number of Shares that any Underwriter has agreed to purchase pursuant to this Agreement be increased pursuant to this Section 10 by an amount in excess of one-ninth of such number of Shares without the written consent of such Underwriter. If, on the Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Firm Shares and the aggregate number of Firm Shares with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Firm Shares to be purchased, and arrangements satisfactory to you and the Company for the purchase of such Firm Shares are not made within 36 hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company. In any such case either you or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date, but in no event for longer than seven days, in order that the required changes, if any, in the Registration Statement and in the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. If, on an Option Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Additional Shares and the aggregate number of Additional Shares with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall have the option to (i) terminate their obligation hereunder to purchase the Additional Shares to be sold on such Option Closing Date or (ii) purchase not less than the number of Additional Shares that such non-defaulting Underwriters would have been obligated to purchase in the absence of such default. Any action taken under this paragraph shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.

 

20


If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Underwriters, or any of them, because of any failure or refusal on the part of the Company to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions of this Agreement, or if for any reason the Company shall be unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters or such Underwriters as have so terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves, severally, for all out-of-pocket expenses (including the fees and disbursements of their counsel) reasonably incurred by such Underwriters in connection with this Agreement or the offering contemplated hereunder.

 

11. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument.

 

12. Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.

 

13. Headings. The headings of the sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be deemed a part of this Agreement.

 

21


Very truly yours,

PHOTRONICS, INC.

By:

  /S/    EDWIN L. LEWIS

Name:

  Edwin L. Lewis

Title:

  Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

 

Accepted as of the date hereof

 

MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED

J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES INC.

 

Acting severally on behalf of themselves and

      the several Underwriters named in

      Schedule I hereto

 

By:

  MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED

By:

  /S/    CHET BOZDOG

Name:

  Chet Bozdog

Title:

  Managing Director

 

By:

  J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES INC.

By:

  /S/    HENRY WILSON

Name:

  Henry Wilson

Title:

  Managing Director

 

22


SCHEDULE I

 

Underwriter


  

Number of Firm Shares

To Be Purchased


Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

   2,625,000

J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.

   2,100,000

Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated

   1,400,000

Banc of America Securities LLC

   875,000
    

Total:

   7,000,000

 

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EXHIBIT A

 

[FORM OF LOCK-UP AGREEMENT]

 

                    , 2005

 

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.

      as Representatives of the several Underwriters to be

      named in the within-mentioned Underwriting Agreement

 

c/o Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

      4 World Financial Center

      New York, New York 10080

 

  Re: Proposed Public Offering by Photronics, Inc.

 

Dear Sirs:

 

The undersigned, a stockholder and an officer and/or director of Photronics, Inc., a Connecticut corporation (the “Company”), understands that Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. (together, the “Managers”) propose to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with the Company providing for the public offering of shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”). In recognition of the benefit that such an offering will confer upon the undersigned as a stockholder and an officer and/or director of the Company, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned agrees with each underwriter to be named in the Underwriting Agreement that, during a period of 90 days from the date of the Underwriting Agreement, the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of the Managers, directly or indirectly, (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant for the sale of, or otherwise dispose of or transfer any shares of the Company’s Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock, whether now owned or hereafter acquired by the undersigned or with respect to which the undersigned has or hereafter acquires the power of disposition, or file, or cause to be filed, any registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, with respect to any of the foregoing (collectively, the “Lock-Up Securities”) or (ii) enter into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the Lock-Up Securities, whether any such swap or transaction is to be settled by delivery of Common

 

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Stock or other securities, in cash or otherwise. In addition, the undersigned agrees that, without the prior written consent of the Managers, the undersigned will not make any demand for, or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, and subject to the conditions below, the undersigned may transfer the Lock-Up Securities without the prior written consent of the Managers, provided that (with respect to a transfer pursuant to clause (ii) below) (1) the Managers receive a signed lock-up agreement, substantially in the form of this lock-up agreement, for the balance of the lock-up period from each donee, trustee, or transferee, as the case may be, (2) any such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value, (3) such transfers are not required to be reported in any public report or filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or otherwise and (4) the undersigned does not otherwise voluntarily effect any public filing or report regarding such transfers:

 

(i) to the Underwriters pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement; or

 

(ii) by gift, will or intestacy, including without limitation transfers by gift, will or intestacy to family members of the undersigned or to a settlement or trust established under the laws of any country.

 

Furthermore, the undersigned may sell shares of Common Stock of the Company purchased by the undersigned on the open market following the Public Offering if and only if (i) such sales are not required to be reported in any public report or filing with the Securities Exchange Commission, or otherwise and (ii) the undersigned does not otherwise voluntarily effect any public filing or report regarding such sales, in each case (i) or (ii) above within one week of such sale.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if:

 

(1) during the last 17 days of the 90-day lock-up period, the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs; or

 

(2) prior to the expiration of the 90-day lock-up period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results or becomes aware that material news or a material event will occur during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the 90-day lock-up period,

 

the restrictions imposed by this lock-up agreement shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of the material news or material event, as applicable, unless the Managers waive, in writing, such extension.

 

A-2


The undersigned agrees that, prior to engaging in any transaction or taking any other action that is subject to the terms of this lock-up agreement during the period from the date of this lock-up agreement to and including the 34th day following the expiration of the initial 90-day lock-up period, it will give notice thereof to the Company and will not consummate such transaction or take any such action unless it has received written confirmation from the Company that the 90-day lock-up period (as may have been extended pursuant to the previous paragraph) has expired.

 

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The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the Lock-Up Securities except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions.

 

Very truly yours,

Signature:

 

 


Print Name:

 

 


 

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