Two-Party (Master) Agreement

 

Among

 

 Software Developer and Escrow Associates, LLC

 

 

 

 

 

 

The two-party escrow agreement allows numerous Beneficiaries and software products to be protected under a single escrow contract with a single set of escrow conditions.

 

Future additions and changes to this escrow arrangement can be made under the discretion of the Developer.

 

Multiple Beneficiary service levels can be managed under a single escrow agreement, an exclusive industry service by Escrow Associates, LLC.

 

Because our template agreements are the result of many years of experience in the industry, many of our customers use our escrow agreement templates as they are written. 

 

Escrow Associates encourages clients to modify the contracts as necessary to support their specific escrow requirements.  As industry experts that have administered thousands of escrow relationships, we are happy to discuss your transaction and provide advice.  Please contact us directly at (800)813-3523 or http://www.escrowassociates.com.

 


Two-Party Escrow Agreement

 

This Technology Escrow Agreement (“Agreement”) between Escrow Associates, LLC (“Escrow Associates”) and _________________________________ (“Developer”) is effective on this _____ day of_________________ 200__ (the “Effective Date”).

 

Recitals

 

Whereas, Developer and Beneficiary have entered or will enter into a security agreement, financing agreement, and/or other agreement regarding certain proprietary technology of Developer, referred to as the "Collateral Agreement".

 

Whereas, the purpose of this Agreement is to protect Developer’s ownership and confidentiality of the Deposit Materials and to protect Beneficiaries’ legitimate interest in the Deposit Materials as defined by the Collateral Agreement.  Further, this Agreement is intended to provide for certain circumstances under which Beneficiary shall be entitled to receive the Deposit Materials held in escrow by Escrow Associates.

 

Whereas, Developer hereby designates and appoints Escrow Associates as the escrow agent under this Agreement.  Escrow Associates hereby accepts such designation and appointment and agrees to carry out the duties of escrow agent pursuant to the terms and provisions of this Agreement.  Escrow Associates is not a party to, and is not bound by, any agreement that might be evidenced by, or might arise out of, any prior or contemporaneous dealings between Developer and Beneficiary other than as expressly set forth herein.

 

Whereas, the parties desire that this Agreement be an agreement supplementary (together with any modifi­cation, supplement, or replacement thereof agreed to by the parties) to the Collateral Agreement pursuant to Title 11 United States Bankruptcy Code Section 365(n).

 

NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound hereby, covenant and agree as follows:

 

1. Deposit Materials

 

(a)   Initial Deposit - Developer shall submit the initial Deposit Materials to Escrow Associates within sixty (60) days of the Effective Date or sixty (60) days after development of the Deposit Materials is completed.  Developer shall complete and deliver with all Deposit Materials a form as shown herein as Exhibit B, which shall then become part of this Agreement.  Escrow Associates shall notify all applicable parties within ten (10) days of receipt of the initial Deposit Materials.  Escrow Associates has no obligation with respect to the initial Deposit Materials for delivery, functionality, completeness, performance or initial quality.

 

(b)   Deposit Material Updates - Developer shall submit updates to the initial Deposit Materials to Escrow Associates within sixty (60) days of any material modification, upgrade or new release of the Software.  Developer shall complete and deliver with all updates to the Deposit Materials an amended Exhibit B form, which shall additionally become part of this Agreement.  Escrow Associates shall notify all applicable parties within ten (10) days of receipt of updates to the Deposit Materials.  Escrow Associates has no obligation with respect to the updates to the Deposit Materials for delivery, functionality, completeness, performance or initial quality.

 

(c)   Electronic Deposit – In the event Developer elects to utilize electronic means to transfer the Deposit Materials to Escrow Associates, whether through a service provided by Escrow Associates or other means, Escrow Associates shall not be liable for transmissions that fail in part or in whole, are lost, or are otherwise compromised during transmission.  Furthermore, Escrow Associates shall not be liable for any subsequent services that may or may not be delivered as a result of a failed transfer.  Escrow Associates shall not be liable to Developer or Beneficiary for any encrypted update, or any part thereof, that is transmitted over the Internet to Escrow Associates’ FTP Site but is not received in whole or in part, or for which no notification of receipt is given.

 

(d)   Duplication of Deposit Materials - Escrow Associates may duplicate the Deposit Materials only as necessary to comply with the terms of this Agreement.   Escrow Associates at its sole discretion may retain a third party for the purpose of duplicating the Deposit Materials only as necessary to comply with the terms herein.  All duplication expenses shall be borne by the party requesting duplication. 

 

(e) Deposit Material Verification - Escrow Associates may be retained by separate agreement or by alternative means, to conduct a test of the Deposit Materials to determine the completeness and accuracy of the Deposit Materials.  Escrow Associates shall not be liable for any actions taken on the part of any third party with regards to the Deposit Materials.

 

2. Beneficiaries - From time to time, Developer may, at its sole discretion, add or remove Beneficiaries to this agreement utilizing the Exhibit C form herein.  Any current Beneficiary shall have the right to request a release of the Deposit Materials only if (i) Beneficiary is a party to a Collateral Agreement with Developer that is in force and not in default, and (ii) all fees due are paid to Escrow Associates.

 

3. Term

 

(a) Term of Agreement – The term of this Agreement shall be for a period of one (1) year from the Effective Date.  At the end of the initial and each subsequent term, this Agreement shall automatically renew for an additional one (1) year term unless terminated according to the terms herein.

 

(b) Termination of Agreement - This Agreement may be terminated as follows:

                                                   i.      Developer provides written notice to Escrow Associates of its desire to terminate the agreement, or

                                                 ii.      The Deposit Materials have been released in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

(c)   Termination for Non-Payment - In the event that full payment of any or all fees due to Escrow Associates by Developer under this Agreement have not been received by Escrow Associates within thirty (30) days of the date payment is due, Escrow Associates will notify Developer of the delinquent fees.  If the delinquent fees are not received within thirty (30) days of the delinquency notification, Escrow Associates shall notify Beneficiary of the option to remit payment of the fees.  If the delinquent fees are not received within ninety (90) days of the delinquency notification, Escrow Associates shall have the right to terminate this Agreement and destroy the Deposit Materials.

 

(d) Return of Deposit Materials – Upon termination of this Agreement for any reason other than in the event all Deposit Materials have been released in accordance with the terms of Section 7 herein, Escrow Associates shall return the Deposit Materials to Developer via commercial courier to the address of Developer shown in this Agreement, provided that all fees due Escrow Associates are paid in full.  If two (2) attempts to return Deposit Materials via commercial courier to Developer fail or Developer does not accept the Deposit Materials, Escrow Associates shall destroy the Deposit Materials.

                                                      

4. Fees

 

(a) Payment - Upon receipt of signed Agreement or initial Deposit Materials, whichever comes first, Escrow Associates will submit an initial invoice to Developer for amount shown on Exhibit A attached hereto.  If payment is not received, Escrow Associates shall have no obligation to perform its duties under this Agreement.  Developer agrees to pay to Escrow Associates all additional fees for services rendered related to this Agreement as shown on Exhibit A.  The fee for any service that is not expressly covered in Exhibit A shall be established by Escrow Associates upon request.  All fees are due in advance of service and are non-refundable.  Escrow Associates may amend Exhibit A at any time upon sixty (60) days written notice to Developer.

 

(b) Currency - All fees are in U.S. dollars and payment must be rendered in U.S. dollars unless otherwise agreed to in advance by Escrow Associates.

 

5. Indemnification - With the exception of gross negligence, willful misconduct or intentional misrepresentation on behalf of Escrow Associates, Developer and Beneficiary shall, jointly and severally, indemnify and hold harmless Escrow Associates and each of its directors, officers, agents, employees, members and stockholders ("Escrow Associates Indemnities") absolutely and forever, from and against any and all claims, actions, damages, suits, liabilities, obligations, costs, fees, charges, and any other expenses whatsoever, including reasonable attorneys' fees and costs, that may be asserted against any Escrow Associates Indemnitee in connection with this Agreement or the performance of Escrow Associates or any Escrow Associates Indemnitee hereunder.

 

6. Developer’s Representations and Warranties

 

(a) The Deposit Materials as delivered to Escrow Associates are a copy of Developer’s proprietary information corresponding to that described in Exhibit B and are capable of being used to generate the Software.  Developer shall update the Deposit Materials as provided for in the Collateral Agreement and/ or as provided for herein.  The Deposit Materials shall contain all information necessary to enable a reasonably skilled programmer or analyst to understand, maintain and correct the Deposit Materials.

 

(b) Developer owns the Deposit Materials and all intellectual property rights therein free and clear of any liens, security interests, or other encumbrances.

 

7. Release of Deposit Materials

 

(a) Release - The Deposit Materials, including any copies thereof, will be released to Beneficiary after the receipt of the written request for release only in the event that the release procedure set forth in Section 7 is followed and:

i.    Developer notifies Escrow Associates in writing to effect such release; or

ii.   Beneficiary makes written request to Escrow Associates; and

a.   Beneficiary asserts that Developer has failed in a material respect under the Collateral Agreement; and

b.   Beneficiary includes a written statement that the Deposit Materials will be used in accordance with the terms of the Collateral Agreement; and

c.   Beneficiary includes specific instructions for the delivery of the Deposit Materials.

 

(b) Developer Request for Release - If the provisions of Section 7(a)(i) are met, Escrow Associates will release the Deposit Materials to Beneficiary within ten (10) business days. 

 

(c) Beneficiary Request for Release - If the provisions of Section 7(a)(ii) are met, Escrow Associates will within ten (10) business days forward a complete copy of the request to Developer.  Developer shall have thirty (30) days to make any and all objections to the release known to Escrow Associates in writing.  If after thirty (30) days Escrow Associates has not received any written objection from Developer, Escrow Associates shall release the Deposit Materials to Beneficiary as instructed by Beneficiary.

 

(d) Developer Objection to Release - Should Developer object to the request for release by Beneficiary in writing, Escrow Associates shall notify Beneficiary in writing within ten (10) business days of Escrow Associates receipt of said objection and shall notify both parties that there is a dispute to be resolved pursuant to Section 8 (Arbitration) of this Agreement.  Escrow Associates will continue to hold the Deposit Materials without release pending (i) instructions from Developer; (ii) dispute resolution according to Section 8 (Arbitration); or (iii) order from a court of competent jurisdiction.

 

(e) Grant of License to Deposit Materials – As of the Effective Date, Developer hereby grants to Beneficiary, a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, paid in full license, to install, use, copy, publicly perform and digitally perform, modify and create derivative works from the Deposit Materials delivered by Escrow Associates under this Section, for the sole purpose of continuing the benefits afforded to Beneficiary under this Agreement, including the development of patches and upgrades solely for Beneficiary’s internal use.

 

(f) Restrictions on Use – The following restrictions shall apply to Deposit Materials delivered to Beneficiary:  (i) Beneficiary shall not copy the Deposit Materials other than as necessary for installation of Beneficiary’s equipment and for backup copies on Beneficiary’s equipment, (ii) Beneficiary will keep the Deposit Materials in a secure, safe place when not in use, (iii) Beneficiary agrees to use the Deposit Materials under carefully controlled conditions in accordance with, and for the purposes of, this Agreement, (iv) Beneficiary shall be obligated to maintain the confidentiality of the released Deposit Materials in accordance with Section 9, and (v) Beneficiary agrees to treat, handle, and store the Deposit Materials in the same manner and with the same care as it treats its most sensitive and valuable trade secrets.

 

8. Arbitration - Except as expressly provided for herein, any dispute or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement, or the breach thereof, shall be settled in Atlanta, Georgia by arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association in accordance with its Commercial [or other] Arbitration Rules [including the Emergency Interim Relief Procedures], and judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator(s) may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof.  Developer and Beneficiary jointly agree to reimburse Escrow Associates for any and all costs incurred as a result of any Arbitration including attorney’s fees.  The arbitrator(s) shall award attorneys’ fees and costs to the prevailing party. 

 

9. Confidentiality - Except as otherwise required to carry out its duties under this Agreement, Escrow Associates shall hold in strictest confidence and not permit any third party access to nor otherwise use, disclose, transfer or make available the Deposit Materials except as otherwise provided herein, unless consented to in writing by Developer. 

 

10. Limitation of Liability - Under no circumstance shall Escrow Associates be liable for any special, incidental, or consequential damages (including lost profits) arising out of this Agreement even if Escrow Associates has been apprised of the possibility of such damages.  In performing any of its duties hereunder, Escrow Associates shall not incur any liability to any party for any damages, losses, or expenses, except for willful misconduct or gross negligence on the part of Escrow Associates, and it shall not incur any liability with respect to any action taken or omitted in reliance upon any written notice, request, waiver, consent, receipt or other document which Escrow Associates in reasonably good faith believes to be genuine.

 

11. Notices - Notices shall be deemed received on the third business day after being sent by first class mail, or on the following day if sent by commercial express mail.  All notices under this Agreement shall be in writing and addressed and sent to the person(s) listed in the space provided below:

 

Developer

Company: ______________________________________________________

Contact: ______________________________Title:_____________________

Address: _______________________________________________________

City, State, Zip: __________________________________________________

Telephone: ___________________________Fax:_______________________

Email: _________________________________________________________

 

Billing Contact: _________________________Title:______________________

Address: ________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip: ___________________________________________________

Telephone: ___________________________Fax::_______________________

Email: __________________________________________________________

Purchase Order (if applicable): ______________________________________

 

Escrow Associates

Attn: Contracts Administration

1010 Huntcliff, Suite 1350

Atlanta, GA  30350   USA

Telephone: 800-813-3523  

Fax:  770-518-2452

Email:  info@escrowassociates.com

 

12. Miscellaneous

 

(a) Counterparts - This Agreement may be executed in any number of multiple counterparts, each of which is to be deemed an original, and all of such counterparts together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

 

(b) Entire Agreement - This Agreement supersedes all prior and contemporaneous letters, correspondences, discussions and agreements among the parties with respect to all matters contained herein, and it constitutes the sole and entire agreement among them with respect thereto.

 

(c) Limitation of Effect - This Agreement pertains strictly to the escrow services provided for herein and does not modify, amend or affect any other contract or agreement of one or more of the parties.  The terms and provisions of the Collateral Agreement, as the same may be physically modified by the terms and provisions hereof, shall continue in full force and effect and be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto, their legal representatives, successors and assigns.

 

(d) Modification - This Agreement shall not be altered or modified without the express written consent of all parties.

 

(e) Bankruptcy Code - This Agreement shall be considered an agreement supplementary (together with any modifi­cation, supplement, or replacement thereof agreed to by the parties) to the Collateral Agreement pursuant to Title 11 United States Bankruptcy Code Section 365(n).

 

(f) Survival of Terms - All obligations of the parties intended to survive the termination of this Agreement, including without limitation, are the provisions of paragraphs 3 (Term), 4 (Fees), 5 (Indemnification), 8 (Arbitration), 10 (Limitation of Liability), and 12 (Miscellaneous) which shall survive the termination of this Agreement for any reason.

 

(g) Governing Law - This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the state of Georgia.

 

(h) Time of the Essence - Time is of the essence in this Agreement.

 

(i) Successors and Assigns - This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the parties, provided, however, that Beneficiary shall have no right to assign any rights hereunder or with respect to the Deposit Materials except as permitted with respect to assignment of Beneficiary’s rights under the Collateral Agreement.

 

(Signatures are on following page.   Remainder of this page intentionally left blank.)


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement by and through their duly authorized agents as of the Effective Date.

 

 

Developer

                                                           

Signature: _____________________________________________            

 

Name: _________________________________________________                     

 

Title: __________________________________________________                      

 

Company: ______________________________________________

 

Date: __________________________________________________                     

 

Contract Negotiated by: ___________________________________

 

Negotiator Telephone: _____________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

Escrow Associates, LLC

 

Signature: _______________________________________________

 

Name: __________________________________________________

 

Title: ___________________________________________________

 

Date: ___________________________________________________

 

           

 

 

 

 


Exhibit A

Schedule of Fees

 

 

 

(Insert Appropriate Fee Schedule)

 

 

 

 

 


Exhibit B

Deposit Materials

 

Please complete an Exhibit B document for the Deposit Materials to be stored under this account.  Enclose a copy of this Exhibit B with the Deposit Materials and retain a copy for your records.  Contact us for details on electronic depositing, or ship the Deposit Materials via commercial courier to Escrow Associates at the following address:

 

Attn: Vault Manager

Escrow Associates, LLC

1010 Huntcliff, Suite 1350

Atlanta, GA 30350   USA

1-800-813-3523

 

 

Company Name(s): __________________________________________________

 

Account Number: ___________________________________________________

 

Product Name & Version: _____________________________________________

 

Media Description

 

            Quantity           Type                                        Description / Label

           

            ____                CD-ROM                                 ___________________________

 

            ____                DAT/DDS Tape                       ___________________________

 

            ____                Documentation                       ___________________________

 

            ____                Other                                       ___________________________

 

 

Deposit Prepared by:  ____________________________

 

Date:                           ____________________________

 

E-mail:                         ____________________________

 

 

 

Escrow Associates has inspected and accepted the above Deposit Materials.

 

Signed: ___________________________

 

Name: ____________________________

 

Date: _____________________________

 


Exhibit C

Standard Beneficiary Addition Form

 

 

Beneficiary #1

 

Company Name: _____________________________________________________

 

Contact: ____________________________________________________________

 

Address: ____________________________________________________________

 

City, State, Zip: _______________________________________________________

 

Telephone: __________________________Fax: _____________________________

 

E-mail: ______________________________________________________________

 

Applicable Product(s): __________________________________________________

 

 

 

Beneficiary #2

 

Company Name: ______________________________________________________

 

Contact: _____________________________________________________________

 

Address: ____________________________________________________________

 

City, State, Zip: _______________________________________________________

 

Telephone: __________________________Fax: _____________________________

 

E-mail: ______________________________________________________________

 

Applicable Product(s): __________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(copy as necessary)


   Rider C

Registered Beneficiary Addition Form

 

Whereas, _________________ (“Developer”) and Escrow Associates have entered into a two-party escrow agreement dated________________, 200__ (“The Agreement”).

 

Whereas, Developer, ____________________ (“Registered Beneficiary “) and Escrow Associates agree to modify the terms of The Agreement as follows:

 

1.      (insert modification)

2.      (insert modification)

3.      (insert modification)

4.      (insert modification)

 

NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound hereby, covenant and agree to The Agreement and the modifications herein:

 

Developer                                                     Escrow Associates, LLC

 

Signature: ____________________________       Signature: _____________________________

 

Name: _______________________________       Name: ________________________________

 

Title: _________________________________      Title: _________________________________

 

Date: _________________________________      Date: _________________________________

 

 

Registered Beneficiary

 

Signature: ______________________________

 

Name: _________________________________

 

Title: __________________________________

 

Company: ______________________________

 

Address: ________________________________

 

City, State, Zip: ___________________________

 

Date: __________________________________

 

Telephone: ________________________Fax: ___________________________

 

E-Mail: ____________________________________________________________

 

Applicable Product(s): _________________________________________________