ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATION AGREEMENT
This ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATION AGREEMENT (the "Agreement")
is made
effective the 1/st/ day of January 1999 by and between Total Sports
Inc., a
Delaware corporation with offices at 234 Fayetteville Street, 2/nd/
Floor,
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601 (hereinafter referred to as "TOTAL"), and
Golf.Com
L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company with offices at 234
Fayetteville
Street, 2/nd/ Floor, Raleigh, North Carolina 27601 (hereinafter referred
to as
"GOLF").
1. APPOINTMENT. GOLF hereby appoints TOTAL as its worldwide, exclusive
advertising sales representative to sell all on-line advertising
and
sponsorship (collectively, the "Advertisements") for the Web Site
(as
defined below) and any related publications or materials produced
by GOLF,
subject in each case to the exceptions set forth on Schedule A. For
the
purposes of this Agreement, "Web Site" shall mean the web site
designated
by the URL "www.golf.com" and all other webpages that utilize such
URL.
Except as set forth in this Agreement, including Schedule A, GOLF
shall
retain no rights to sell advertising, sponsorship or promotional
packages
for the Web Site or for related publications or materials produced
by GOLF.
2. TOTAL'S OBLIGATIONS. TOTAL, at its own expense, shall use best
efforts to
market and sell the Advertisements and shall collect all revenues,
fees and
income from or attributable to the Advertisements sold hereunder.
Except as
set forth in Schedule A, TOTAL shall have sole discretion in the
sales of
Advertising, including forms of payment and the approval of credit;
provided, however, that the Golf board of directors shall have the
right to
exclude from the Web Site any Advertising that does not comply with
the
standard editorial policies and practices of Golf or its members.
TOTAL, at
its own expense, shall be solely responsible for the collection of
all fees
and payments related to the Advertisements including reimbursement
for all
bad debts and uncollectable accounts.
3. GOLF'S OBLIGATIONS. Upon receipt of an agreement or purchase order
to
provide Advertising, GOLF shall, to the extent practicable, work
with TOTAL
and the advertiser or sponsor to obtain the required Advertising
materials
from such advertiser or sponsor and fulfill all advertising and
sponsorship
obligations. GOLF shall direct all Web Site advertising inquires or
opportunities, save as set out in Schedule A, to TOTAL, and shall
advise
its Affiliates that Web Site advertising sales are to be arranged
by and
through TOTAL.
Portions of this exhibit marked by [*] have been omitted
pursuant to
a request for confidential treatment.
4. CONSIDERATION.
4.1 In consideration for the right to be appointed GOLF's
exclusive
advertising sales representative, TOTAL shall pay GOLF $[*] on
January
1, 2000 and thereafter on each January 1 that occurs during a
term
of this Agreement.
4.2 In consideration for its services provided hereunder,
commencing April
1, 1999 TOTAL shall retain [*]% of the Net Advertising
Revenues (as
defined below) it collects pursuant to this Agreement. For the
purposes of this Agreement, "Net Advertising Revenues" shall
mean all
fees and payments booked from the sale of Advertisements less
any
third party commissions, fees, refunds, discounts and taxes.
The Term
"Net Advertising Revenues" as used herein shall not include
revenues
from the transactions described on Schedule A. Net Advertising
Revenues shall be calculated and distributed to GOLF on a
monthly
basis not later than thirty (30) days following the last day
of the
month.
4.3 TOTAL shall provide monthly reports to GOLF showing Net
Advertising
Revenues and a detailed listing of all Advertisements provided
on the
Web Site. The monthly reports shall also show all other
revenues
attributable to the Web Site including revenues from commerce;
amounts
invoiced and received from each Corporate Sponsor (as defined
in the
Services Agreement); and Page Views (as defined in the
Services
Agreement). With respect to the all advertising space sold for
the Web
Site, TOTAL and GOLF shall mutually agree on (and the monthly
report
shall show) cash discounts and allowances and adjustments from
Corporate Sponsors. The monthly reports shall be provided with
the
payments made pursuant to Section 4.2.
5. INSPECTION OF BOOKS AND RECORDS. During the term of this Agreement,
TOTAL
shall keep at its usual places of business complete, accurate and
proper
books and records containing all of the documentation necessary to
substantiate payments made pursuant to Section 4. Upon GOLF's
reasonable
request, TOTAL shall produce such records for inspection by an
authorized
representative of GOLF at all reasonable times during TOTAL's
normal
business hours. In the event that any audit or inspection conducted
by GOLF
or its representative reveals that TOTAL has underpaid any Net
Advertising
Revenues to GOLF, TOTAL shall immediately pay such underpayment to
GOLF,
along with interest accrued on such amount at a rate of 8% per
annum from
the date on which the amount was initially owed. In addition, in
the event
that a payment by TOTAL is understated by more than 5% of the
actual amount
due, then TOTAL shall also pay all reasonable costs of the
inspection
and/or audit conducted by GOLF or its representatives (but only up
to the
amount of the underpayment).
Portions of this exhibit marked by [*] have been omitted
pursuant to a
request for confidential treatment.
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6. WARRANTIES AND DISCLAIMER
6.1 Each party hereby represents and warrants that (i) it is
capable of
performing its obligations hereunder; (ii) it has the full
right,
power, and authority to enter into and perform this Agreement;
(iii)
the performance of its obligations hereunder will not breach
any other
contract by which it is bound; and(iv) the performance of its
obligations hereunder will not violate any applicable laws or
regulations.
6.2 EXCEPT AS SET FORTH ABOVE, TOTAL MAKES NO OTHER
REPRESENTATIONS OR
WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICES
IT IS
PROVIDING PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT.
7. INDEMNIFICATION. Each party shall hold harmless the other party and
its
officers, employees and agents from any demand, claim, loss,
liability or
damage, including reasonable attorneys' fees, whether in tort or in
contract, related to or arising out of the defaulting party's (i)
breach of
its representations or warranties, (ii) its gross negligence or
willful
misconduct, or (iii) its acts or omissions related to this
Agreement.
8. LIMITATION OF DAMAGES AND LIABILITY. NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO
THE
CONTRARY CONTAINED IN THIS AGREEMENT, NEITHER PARTY SHALL BE LIABLE
TO THE
OTHER HEREUNDER FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES
(INCLUDING REASONABLE ATTORNEYS' FEES AND LOST PROFITS) THAT RESULT
FROM OR
ARE RELATED TO THE OBLIGATIONS HEREUNDER, EVEN IF THE PARTY FROM
WHOM
INDEMNITY IS SOUGHT HAS BEEN INFORMED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGES
(EXCEPT FOR DAMAGES CAUSED BY GROSS NEGLIGENCE OR WILLFUL
MISCONDUCT OF THE
PARTY FROM WHOM INDEMNITY IS SOUGHT). IN ANY EVENT, NEITHER PARTY'S
AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO THE OTHER SHALL EXCEED ALL THE AMOUNTS
RETAINED BY
TOTAL UNDER SECTION 4.2 HEREOF. NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL LIMIT
IN ANY
MANNER EITHER PARTY'S RIGHTS TO SEEK INJUNCTIVE RELIEF.
9. TERM AND TERMINATION.
9.1 Except as provided herein, this Agreement shall be effective
as of the
date first set forth above and terminate on June 15, 2003.
9.2 This Agreement shall terminate immediately upon the
termination of the
Services Agreement entered into by and between GOLF and TOTAL
on July
29, 1998 (the "Services Agreement").
9.3 Upon material breach of any obligation under this Agreement by
a
party, the other party shall have the right to terminate this
Agreement by written notice to the breaching party if such
breach
remains uncured for a period of thirty (30) days after written
notice
of such breach is sent to the breaching party.
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9.4 If either party files a bankruptcy petition, becomes the
subject of an
involuntary bankruptcy petition and fails to cure such
petition in its
favor within sixty (60) days, makes a general assignment for
the
benefit of creditors, has a receiver appointed for its assets,
or
ceases to conduct business, it shall be considered a material
default
of this Agreement. Upon the happening of any of these events,
the
defaulting party shall immediately send notice of default to
the other
party.
9.5 Sections 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11 of this Agreement shall continue to
bind
the parties after termination of the Agreement provided
herein.
10. ASSIGNMENT. Neither party may assign or subcontract its rights or
obligations under this Agreement, either in whole or in part,
without the
prior written consent of the other party, which shall not be
unreasonably
withheld, and any attempt to do so shall be void and of no effect.
An
assignee of either party authorized under this Agreement shall be
bound by
the terms of this Agreement and shall have all of the rights and
obligations of the assigning party set forth in this Agreement. If
any
assignee shall fail to agree to be bound by all of the terms and
obligations of this Agreement, then such assignment shall be deemed
null
and void and of no force or effect.
11. MISCELLANEOUS
11.1 This Agreement constitutes the entire Agreement as to TOTALS'
advertising sales representation of GOLF and except as
otherwise
contemplated herein, supersedes all prior agreements, written
and
oral, relating to the subject matter hereof, to the extent
directly
applicable.
11.2 Modifications and amendments to this Agreement, including any
exhibit
or appendix hereto, shall be enforceable only if they are in
writing
and are signed by authorized representatives of both parties.
11.3 No term or provision of this Agreement shall be deemed waived
and no
breach excused unless such waiver or consent is in writing and
signed
by the party claimed to have waived or consented.
11.4 Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed so as
to
constitute either party as a partner or joint venturer or
agent of the
other party, or to require either party to share profits,
gains or
ownership interest in or from any property or activities. Each
party
will be solely responsible for the payment of its employees'
compensation, including employment taxes, worker's
compensation, and
any similar taxes associated with employment of its employees.
No
party shall be liable for the debts, accounts, obligations or
other
liabilities of the other party, including without limitation,
the
other party's obligation to withhold payroll and income taxes.
11.5 All notices or other communications given under this Agreement
shall
be in writing, and shall be sent by telex, facsimile, or
registered
airmail to the party for which it is intended at the address
stated at
the beginning of this Agreement for such party, or at such
other
address as such party shall have designated for such
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purpose by written notice to the other party. Such notices
shall be
considered as received two (2) business days after sending and
obtaining confirmation of receipt in the case of telex and
facsimile
and ten (10) days in the case of registered airmail.
11.6 If any action at law or in equity is necessary to enforce the
terms of
this Agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled to
reasonable
attorneys' fees, costs and expenses, in addition to any other
relief
to which it may be entitled.
11.7 This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of
Delaware
without regard to its conflicts of law provisions.
11.7.1 Any claim, controversy or dispute, whether sounding
in
contract, statue, tort, fraud, misrepresentation or
other
legal theory, whenever brought and whether between
the
parties to this Agreement or between one of the
parties to
this Agreement and employees, agents or affiliated
businesses of another party, shall be resolved by
arbitration as prescribed in this Section 11.7. The
Federal
Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. (S) 1-15, not state law,
shall
govern the arbitrability of all claims.
11.7.2 A single arbitrator engaged in the practice of law
shall
conduct the arbitration under the then current rules
of the
American Arbitration Association (AAA), unless
otherwise
provided herein. The arbitrator shall be selected in
accordance with AAA procedures from a list of
qualified
people maintained by AAA. The arbitration shall be
conducted
in Raleigh, N.C., and all expedited procedures
prescribed by
the AAA rules shall apply.
11.7.3 The arbitrator shall only have authority to award
compensatory damages and shall not have authority to
award
punitive damages, other non-compensatory damages or
any
other form of relief; provided, however, any party
may apply
to any court having jurisdiction thereof for the
entry of
injunctive relief to maintain the status quo under
such time
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as the arbitration award is rendered or the
controversy is
otherwise resolved. Each party shall bear its own
costs and
attorneys' fees and the parties shall share equally
the fees
and expenses of the arbitration. The arbitrator's
decision
and award shall be final and binding, and judgment
upon the
award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in
any court
having jurisdiction thereof.
11.7.4 If any party files a judicial or administrative
action
asserting claims subject to arbitration, as
prescribed
herein, and another party successfully stays such
action
and/or compels arbitration of said claims, the party
filing
said action shall pay the other party's costs and
expenses
incurred in seeking such stay and/or compelling
arbitration,
including reasonable attorneys' fees.
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11.8 Any provision of this Agreement that is prohibited
or
unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such
jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such
prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating
the
remaining provisions hereof or affecting the
validity,
enforceability or legality of such provision in any
other
jurisdiction.
11.9 Neither party shall be liable for failure to deliver
or
perform due to causes beyond its reasonable control,
acts of
God, acts of the other party, acts of civil or
military
authorities, fires, strikes, floods, earthquakes,
epidemics,
war, riots, delays in transportation or the
unavailability
of information or material to be furnished by the
other
party.
11.10 The parties agree that the execution and delivery of
this
Agreement satisfies all obligations, if any, that
GOLF might
have to negotiate with TOTAL pursuant to Section 6.2
of the
Services Agreement.
11.11 The terms and conditions of this Agreement are
considered
"Confidential Information" for purposes of Article
13 of the
Services Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this
Agreement to be executed on the date first above written.
GOLF.COM L.L.C. TOTAL SPORTS INC.
By:________________________ By:_________________________
Alex Miceli Frank Daniels III
President Chief Executive Officer
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Schedule A
The exclusivity granted to TOTAL hereunder nevertheless allows:
(1) NBC Sports, MediaOne Interactive Services and their respective
affiliates
to sell advertising on the Web Site and any related publications or
materials, to advertisers on or sponsors of their respective
broadcast,
cable or satellite (including DBS) coverage of golf events and
other golf-
related programming.
(2) revenue sharing arrangements between GOLF and event sponsors or
other
enterprises; and
(3) partnership selling arrangements between GOLF and event sponsors or
other
enterprises.