Exhibit
10.4


 


CHANGE
IN CONTROL AGREEMENT


 


THIS AGREEMENT is made effective as of the [day] of,
[month] [year] (the “Commencement Date”), between ETS Payphones, Inc., a
Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and [Name], [Title] (the “Employee”).


 


INTRODUCTION


 


WHEREAS, the Company considers it essential to the
best interests of its stockholders to foster the continued employment of key
management personnel; and


 


WHEREAS the Board of Directors of the Company
recognizes that, as is the case with many publicly held corporations, the
possibility of a Change in Control (as defined herein) exists and that such
possibility, and the uncertainty which it may raise among management personnel,
may result in the departure or distraction of management personnel to the detriment
of the Company and its stockholders; and


 


WHEREAS, the Board of Directors has determined that
appropriate steps should be taken to reinforce and encourage the continued
attention and dedication of members of the Company’s management, including the
Employee, to their assigned duties without distraction in the face of
potentially disturbing circumstances arising from the possibility of a Change
in Control;


 


NOW, THEREFORE, in
consideration of the promises made herein and other good and valuable consideration
the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties agree
as follows:


 





















 


1.             Definitions


 


(a)           “Affiliate” means any person, firm,
corporation, partnership, association or entity that, directly or indirectly or
through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by or is under
common control with the Company.


 


(b)           “Applicable Period” means the period
of the Employee’s employment hereunder and for one year after termination of
his employment with the Company.


 


(c)           “Area” means the United States of
America.


 


(d)           “Business of the Company” means the
business of the management and operation of payphones,
as such business existed on the date of Employee’s termination of employment.


 


(e)           “Cause” means any of the following
events which is reasonably determined by the Board of Directors of the Company
to have occurred: (i) willful and continued failure (other than such failure
resulting from his incapacity during physical or mental illness) by the
Employee to substantially perform his duties with the Company or an Affiliate;
(ii) conduct by the Employee that amounts to willful misconduct or gross
negligence which causes material harm to the Company; (iii) any act by the
Employee of fraud, misappropriation, dishonesty, embezzlement or similar
conduct against the Company or an Affiliate; (iv) conviction of the Employee
for a felony or any other crime involving moral turpitude; or (v) illegal drug
use by the Employee.


 


(f)            “Change in Control”.   For purposes of this Agreement, a Change in Control
of the Company shall have occurred if (i) any Person (as defined in Section 3(a)(9)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) as modified and
used in Sections 13(d) and 14 (d) of the Exchange Act, other than (1) the
Company, (2) any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an
employee benefit plan of the Company, (3) any underwriter temporarily holding
securities pursuant to an offering of such securities, or (4) any corporation
owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company in
substantially the same proportion as their ownership of the Company’s common
stock), is or becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under
the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing
more than 33-1/3% of the combined voting power of the Company’s then
outstanding voting securities; (ii) as a result of, or in connection with, any
cash tender or exchange offer, merger, consolidation or other business
combination, or contested election, or any combination of the foregoing
transactions (a “Transaction”), the persons who were directors of the Company
(or the nominees of the Board of Directors to replace such directors in the
event that such director does not stand for reelection) immediately before the
Transaction shall cease to constitute a majority of the Board of Directors of
the Company or any successor to the Company, or the persons who were
stockholders of the Company immediately before the Transaction shall cease to
own at least 50% of the outstanding voting stock of the Company or any
successor to the Company; (iii) any sale or other disposition (in one or a
series of transactions) of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets; or
(iv) approval by shareholders of a complete liquidation or dissolution of the
Company.


 


(f)            “Company Information” means
Confidential Information and Trade Secrets.


 


(g)           “Competing Business” means any person,
firm, corporation, joint venture or other business entity which is engaged in
the Business of the Company (or any aspect thereof) within the Area.


 


(h)           “Confidential Information” means data
and information relating to the Business of the Company (which does not rise to
the status of a Trade Secret) which is or has been disclosed to the Employee or
of which the Employee became aware as a consequence of or through its
relationship to the Company and which has value to the Company and is not
generally known to its competitors. 
Confidential Information shall not include any data or information that
has been voluntarily disclosed to the public by the Company (except where such
public disclosure has been made by the Employee without authorization) or that
has been independently developed and disclosed by others, or that otherwise
enters the public domain through lawful means. 
The provisions in this Agreement restricting the use of Confidential
Information shall survive for a period of one (1) year following termination of
this Agreement.


 


(i)            “Disability” means a physical or
mental condition which prevents Employee from performing the regular duties of
his employment for any period in excess of the period of short-term disability
or salary


 





















 


continuation under the Company’s short-term disability
plan or policy, or if none, a continuous period of three months or an aggregate
of three months in any twelve month period.


 


(j)            “Invention” means any discovery,
whether or not patentable, including, but not limited to, any useful process,
method, formula, technique, machine, manufacture, composition of matter,
algorithm or computer program, as well as improvements thereto, which is new or
which Employee has a reasonable basis to believe may be new.  The definition of “Invention” under this
Agreement is not limited to the definition of that term under the United States
patent laws.


 


(k)           “Subject Invention” means any
Invention which is conceived by or first practiced by Employee, whether alone
or in a joint effort with others, during Employee’s employment by the Company,
whether prior to or following execution of this Agreement, which (i) may be
reasonably expected to be used in a product of the Company or a product similar
to a Company product; (ii) results from work that Employee has been assigned as
part of Employee’s duties as an employee of the Company; (iii) is in an area of
technology which is the same as or substantially related to the areas of
technology with which Employee is involved in the performance of Employee’s
duties as an employee of the Company; or (iv) is useful, or which Employee
reasonably expects may be useful, in any manufacturing or product design
process of the Company.


 


(l)            “Trade Secrets” means information
including, but not limited to, technical or nontechnical data, formulas,
patterns, compilations, programs, devices, methods, techniques, drawings,
processes, financial data, financial plans, product plans or lists of actual or
potential customers or suppliers which (i) derives economic value, actual or
potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable
by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its
disclosure or use, and (ii) is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under
the circumstances to maintain its secrecy.


 


(m)          “Work” means a copyrightable work of
authorship, including without limitation, any technical descriptions for
products, user’s guides, illustrations, advertising materials, computer
programs (including the contents of read only memories) and any contribution to
such materials.


 


2.             Term of Agreement.


 


The Term of this Agreement shall commence on the
Commencement Date and shall continue in effect through the third anniversary of
the Commencement Date, provided, however, that if a Change in Control shall
have occurred during the Term, the Term shall expire no earlier than 24 months
beyond the month in which such Change in Control occurred.


 


3.             Covenants of the Company.


 


In
order to induce the Employee to remain in the employ of the Company and in
consideration of the Employee’s covenants set forth in Section 4 hereof,
the Company agrees, under the conditions described herein that if Employee
terminates his employment within 30 days of a Change in Control, or if the
employment of Employee is terminated by Company other than for Cause after a
Change in Control or the approval of a Change in Control by the Board, then the
Company shall pay the Employee a lump sum equal to his base salary for six (6)
months based on the Employee’s base salary as of the date of termination and
shall continue medical insurance for the Employee and his dependents on the
same terms as exist on the date of termination for six (6) months following the
date of termination and after that six (6) month period Employee shall be
entitled to elect eighteen months of continuation coverage under COBRA. Nothing
contained herein shall limit or impinge any other rights or remedies of the
Company or the Employee under any other agreement or plan to which the Employee
is a party or of which the Employee is a beneficiary.


 


This
Agreement shall not be construed as creating an express or implied contract of
employment and, except as otherwise agreed in writing between the Employee and
the Company, the Employee shall not have any right to
be retained in the employ of the Company.


 





















 


4.             Covenants of Employee


 


(a)                        Agreement Not to Compete and Not to Solicit
Customers.  The Employee agrees that commencing on the
Effective Date and continuing through the Applicable Period, he will not,
either directly or indirectly, on the Employee’s own behalf or in the service
of or on behalf of others, solicit or divert, or attempt to solicit or divert,
to a Competing Business, any individual or entity which was an actual or
actively sought prospective client, customer of the Company, or distributor of
the Company’s products or services and with whom the Employee had material
contact during the Employee’s last 2 year(s) of employment with the Company.


 


(b)                        Agreement Not to Solicit Employees.  The
Employee agrees that commencing on the Effective Date and continuing through
the Applicable Period, he will not, either directly or indirectly, on the
Employee’s own behalf or in the service of or on behalf of others, solicit,
divert or attempt to solicit, divert, to any Competing Business in the Area any
person employed by the Company or an Affiliate, whether or not such employee is
a full-time employee or a temporary employee of the Company or an Affiliate and
whether or not such employment is pursuant to written agreement and whether or
not such employment is for a determined period or is at will.


 


(c)                        Ownership and Protection of Proprietary
Information.


 


(i)  Confidentiality.  All Confidential Information and Trade
Secrets and all physical embodiments thereof received or developed by the
Employee while employed by the Company are confidential to and are and will
remain the sole and exclusive property of the Company.  Except to the extent necessary to perform the
duties assigned to him by the Company, the Employee will hold such Confidential
Information and Trade Secrets in trust and strictest confidence, and will not
use, reproduce, distribute, disclose or otherwise disseminate the Confidential
Information and Trade Secrets or any physical embodiments thereof and may in no
event take any action causing or fail to take the action necessary in order to
prevent, any Confidential Information and Trade Secrets disclosed to or
developed by the Employee to lose its character or cease to qualify as
Confidential Information or Trade Secrets.


 


(ii)  Return of Company Property.  Upon request by the Company, and in any event
upon termination of the employment of the Employee with the Company for any
reason, the Employee will promptly deliver to the Company all property
belonging to the Company, including, without limitation, all Confidential
Information and Trade Secrets (and all embodiments thereof) then in the
Employee’s custody, control or possession.


 


(iii)  Survival. 
The covenants of confidentiality set forth herein will apply on and
after the date hereof to any Confidential Information and Trade Secrets
disclosed by the Company or developed by the Employee prior to or after the
date hereof.  The covenants restricting
the use of Confidential Information will continue and be maintained by the
Employee for a period of one (1) year following the termination of this
Agreement. The covenants restricting the use of Trade Secrets will continue and
be maintained by the Employee following termination of this Agreement for so
long as permitted by the Georgia Trade Secrets Act of 1990, O.C.G.A. § 10-1-760,
et seq.


 


(d)  Inventions.


 


(i)  Employee agrees that all Subject Inventions and all
patent and other intellectual property and trade secret rights in and to
Subject Inventions will become the property of the Company, and Employee hereby
irrevocably assigns to the Company all of Employee’s rights to all Subject
Inventions.


 


(ii)  Employee agrees that if Employee has conceived or
reduced to practice or if Employee conceives or reduces to practice an
Invention during the term of Employee’s employment with the Company, Employee
will promptly provide a written description of the Invention and all other
requested information to the Company adequate to allow evaluation for a
determination as to whether the Invention is a Subject Invention.


 





















 


(iii)  If, upon commencement of Employee’s employment with
the Company, Employee has previously conceived any Invention or acquired any
ownership interest in any Invention, which: (i) is Employee’s property, or of
which Employee is a joint owner with another person or company; (ii) is not
described in any issued patent as of the commencement of Employee’s employment
with the Company; and (iii) would be a Subject Invention if such Invention was
made while a Company employee; then Employee must provide the Company with a
written description of the Invention on Exhibit A, in which case the
written description (but no rights to the Invention) shall become the property
of the Company; or (ii) provide the Company with the license described in Section 4(d)(iv)
of this Agreement.


 


(iv)  If Employee has previously conceived or acquired any
ownership interest in an Invention described above in Section 4(d)(iii) and Employee elects not to disclose the same to the
Company as provided above, then Employee hereby grants to the Company a
nonexclusive, paid up, royalty-free license to use and practice the Invention,
including a license under all patents to issue in any country which pertain to
the Invention.


 


(v)  Employee owns no patents,
either individually or jointly with others, except those described on Exhibit
A.


 


(e)  Patent
Applications.


 


(i)  Employee agrees that should the Company elect to file an
application for patent protection, whether in the United States or in any
foreign country, on a Subject Invention of which Employee was an inventor,
Employee will execute all necessary documentation relating to the patent
applications, including formal assignments to the Company.


 


(ii)  Employee further agrees that Employee will cooperate
with attorneys or other persons designated by the Company by explaining the
nature of any Subject Invention for which the Company elects to file an
application for patent protection, reviewing applications and other papers and
providing any other cooperation required for prosecution of the patent
applications.  The Company will be
responsible for all expenses incurred for the preparation and prosecution of
all patent applications on Subject Inventions assigned to the Company.


 


(f)  Copyrights.


 


(i)  Employee agrees that any Works created by Employee in
the course of Employee’s duties as an employee of the Company are subject to
the “Work for Hire” provisions contained in Sections 101 and 201 of the United
States Copyright Law, Title 17 of the United States Code.  All right, title and interest to copyrights
in all Works that have been or will be prepared by Employee within the scope of
Employee’s employment with the Company will be the property of the
Company.  Employee acknowledges and
agrees that, to the extent the provisions of Title 17 of the United States Code
do not vest in the Company the copyrights to any Works, Employee hereby assigns
to the Company all right, title and interest to copyrights which Employee may
have in the Works.


 


(ii)  Employee must disclose to the Company all Works
referred to in Section 4(f)(i)and will execute
and deliver all applications, registrations, and documents relating to the
copyrights to the Works and will provide assistance to secure the Company’s
title to the copyrights in the Works. 
The Company will be responsible for all expenses incurred in connection
with the registration of all such copyrights that it decides to register.


 





















 


(iii)  Employee has no ownership
rights in any Works except those described on Exhibit A.


 


(d)           Survival.  The covenants of the Employee
in Section 4 hereof shall survive the termination of this Agreement and
the Employee’s employment hereunder and shall not be extinguished thereby.


 


5.             Contracts or Other
Agreements with Former Employer or Business.


 


The Employee hereby represents and warrants that he
is not subject to any employment agreement or similar document, except as
previously disclosed and delivered to the Company, with a former employer or
any business with which the Employee has been associated, which on its face
prohibits the Employee during a period of time which extends through the
Commencement Date from any of the following: (i) competing with, or in any way
participating in a business which competes with the Employee’s former employer
or business; (ii) soliciting personnel of such former employer or business to
leave such former employer’s employment or to leave such business; or (iii)
soliciting customers of such former employer or business on behalf of another
business.


 


6.             Remedies.


 


The Employee agrees that the covenants and
agreements contained in Section 4 hereof are of the essence of this
Agreement; that each of such covenants is reasonable and necessary to protect
and preserve the interests and properties of the Company and the Business of
the Company; that the Company is engaged in and throughout the Area in the
Business of the Company; that irreparable loss and damage will be suffered by
the Company should the Employee breach any of such covenants and agreements;
that each of such covenants and agreements is separate, distinct and severable
not only from the other of such covenants and agreements but also from the
other and remaining provisions of this Agreement; that the unenforceability of
any such covenant or agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability
of any other such covenant or agreements or any other provision or provisions
of this Agreement; and that, in addition to other remedies available to it, the
Company shall be entitled to specific performance of this Agreement and to both
temporary and permanent injunctions to prevent a breach or contemplated breach
by the Employee of any of such covenants or agreements.


 


7.             No Set-Off.


 


The existence of any claim, demand, action or cause
of action by the Employee against the Company, or any Affiliate of the Company,
whether predicated upon this Agreement or otherwise, shall not constitute a
defense to the enforcement by the Company of any of its rights hereunder.


 


8.             Notice.


 


All notices, requests, demands and other
communications required hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to
have been duly given if delivered or if mailed, by United States certified or
registered mail, prepaid to the party to which the same is directed at the
following addresses (or at such other addresses as shall be given in writing by
the parties to one another):


 


	
  If to the Company:

  	
  ETS Payphones, Inc.

  
	
   

  	
  Suite G

  
	
   

  	
  1490 Westfork Drive

  
	
   

  	
  Lithia Springs, Georgia 30122

  



 





















 


	
  With a copy to:

  	
  Brian Gannon, Esq.

  
	
   

  	
  Seyfarth Shaw LLP

  
	
   

  	
  One Peachtree Point

  
	
   

  	
  1545 Peachtree Street, NE

  
	
   

  	
  Suite 700

  
	
   

  	
  Atlanta, GA 30309-2401

  



 


Notices
delivered in person shall be effective on the date of delivery.  Notices delivered by mail as aforesaid shall
be effective upon the third calendar day subsequent to the postmark date
thereof.


 


9.             Miscellaneous.


 


(b)           Assignment.  This Agreement will be binding
on the assignees of the Company and may be assigned by the Company to any
Affiliate, legal successor to the Company or an Affiliate, or to an entity
which purchases all or substantially all of the assets of the Company or an Affiliate.
Otherwise, neither this Agreement nor any right of the parties hereunder may be
assigned or delegated by any party hereto without the prior written consent of
the other party.  In the event the
Company assigns this Agreement as permitted by this Agreement, the “Company” as
defined herein will refer to the assignee and the Employee will not be deemed
to have terminated employment hereunder until the Employee terminates
employment from the assignee.


 


(b)           Waiver.  The waiver by the Company of
any breach of this Agreement by the Employee shall not be effective unless in
writing, and no such waiver shall constitute the waiver of the same or another
breach on a subsequent occasion.


 


(c)           Governing Law.  This
Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal
laws of the State of Georgia.  The
parties agree that any appropriate state or federal court located in Fulton
County, Georgia shall have jurisdiction of any case or controversy arising
under or in connection with this Agreement and shall be a proper forum in which
to adjudicate such case or controversy. 
The parties consent to the jurisdiction of such courts.


 


(d)           Entire Agreement.  This
Agreement embodies the entire agreement of the parties hereto relating to the
subject matter hereof and supersedes all oral agreements, and to the extent
inconsistent with the terms hereof, all other written agreements.


 


(e)           Amendment.  This Agreement may not be
modified, amended, supplemented or terminated except by a written instrument
executed by the parties hereto.


 


(f)            Severability.  Each
of the covenants and agreements hereinabove contained shall be deemed separate,
severable and independent covenants, and in the event that any covenant shall
be declared invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity
shall not in any manner affect or impair the validity or enforceability of any
other part or provision of such covenant or of any other covenant contained
herein.


 


(g)           Captions and Section Headings. 
Except as set forth in Section 1 hereof, captions and section headings
used herein are for convenience only and are not a part of this Agreement and
shall not be used in construing it.


 


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company and the Employee
have each executed and delivered this Agreement as of the date first shown
above.


 


	
   

  	
  COMPANY:

  
	
   

  	
   

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  By:

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  Title:

  	
   

  	
   

  
						



 





















 


	
   

  	
  [CORPORATE SEAL]

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  EMPLOYEE:

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  [Name]

  



 


 


Exhibit A