Document:

ex10-4

 

EXHIBIT 10.4

CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT

(Including particulars of terms of employment

required by the Employment Rights Act 1996)

	 	 	 
	EMPLOYER		
uDate.Com Limited of New Enterprise House, St Helens Street, Derby,
DE1 3GY (“the Company”)
	
	
	
	

	EMPLOYEE		
Michael Brocklesby of Buttercup Stables, Alverton, Notts., NG13
9PB

1. Commencement of employment

	 	 	 
	1.1		
Your employment with the Company will begin on 2nd October
2000 which will be the date of commencement of your period of
continuous employment.
	
	
	
	

	1.2		
You are employed as Finance Controller.

2. Duties

	 	 	 
	2.1		
You will carry out such duties and comply with such
instructions consistent with your position and status as
the Company reasonably determines from time to time.
	
	
	
	

	2.1.1		
You will report in the short term to The Executive Vice
President or such other person as the company may decide is
appropriate.

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3. Place of work

		
	 	Your place of work will be the Company’s offices at New Enterprise House,
St Helens Street, Derby but you may be required to work at any other
location in the United Kingdom and it is a condition of your employment
that you comply with any such requirement. You are not currently
required to work outside the United Kingdom other than business trips in
the course of your duties.

4. Remuneration

	 	 	 
	4.1		
Your basic salary will be £43,000 per annum that is payable
monthly in arrears on the sixth day of each month.
	
	
	
	

	4.2		
You will be entitled to receive a bonus that will be
calculated at 25% of salary subject to terms and conditions to be
agreed between the parties within three months of the date of
commencement of your employment.
	
	
	
	

	4.3		
You will be entitled to receive a Motor Car Allowance of
£9,000 per annum payable with salary each month. The allowance is
to enable you to purchase or lease a motor vehicle for business and
private use, such vehicle to be approved by the Company as suitably
commensurate with your status. The allowance will also cover the
cost of road fund licence, insurance premiums and running expenses
in respect of the motor car including private fuel, oil, maintenance
and repairs.

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5. Expenses

		
	 	If you incur travelling expenses (other than travel to and from work),
accommodation or other expenses in the course of carrying out your
duties, you will be reimbursed for these by the Company on production of
appropriate vouchers or receipts.

6. Hours of work

	 	 	 
	6.1		
Your normal hours of work are from 9.00am until 5.00pm Monday
to Friday inclusive with a one hour break for lunch to be taken
between 1.00pm and 2.00pm.
	
	
	
	

	6.2		
You will be required to work such additional hours as may be
necessary for the proper performance of your duties, for which you
will receive no additional payment.

7. Holidays and holiday pay

	 	 	 
	7.1		
You are entitled, in addition to the usual bank and public
holidays, to 20 working days’ paid holiday in each calendar year of
employment. Where you are employed for part of a calendar year
only —either on commencement or termination of your employment -
you will be entitled to paid holiday pro rata to the number of
complete calendar months worked by you in the relevant calendar
year. The dates of your holiday must be approved beforehand by your
Manager. Unused holiday entitlement may not be carried forward to
the next year without the written permission of your manager.

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	7.2		
On the termination of your employment, where you have taken
more or less than your holiday entitlement as calculated above, an
adjustment based on your normal rate of pay will be made in your
final pay. The adjustment will be either by way of deduction if you
have taken more than your entitlement, or by way of an additional
payment where you have taken less than your entitlement, calculated
on a pro rata basis by reference to the number of days’ holiday in
respect of which such adjustment is made.

8. Sickness and sick pay

	 	 	 
	8.1		
If you are absent from work due to illness or injury or for
any other reason you must let the Company know by 10.30am on your
first day of absence that you will be unable to attend. You must
also keep the Company advised regularly if you continue to be absent
and of your likely return date. If you are absent due to sickness
or injury for one day or more, immediately you return to work you
must obtain and complete a sickness self-certification and submit it
to your manager.
	
	
	
	

	8.2		
If you are absent for more than seven consecutive days
(including Saturdays and Sundays) due to illness or injury you must
obtain a doctor’s certificate where appropriate at your own expense
and give or send it immediately to your manager. Thereafter any
further absence must continue to be supported by doctor’s
certificates.
	
	
	
	

	8.3		
Failure to comply with the above procedures will result in
the loss of the discretionary element of Company sick pay (referred
to below) and may also disqualify you from receiving Statutory Sick
Pay (“SSP”). For the avoidance of

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doubt the Company will be entitled to terminate your employment in
accordance with the terms of this Contract (whether with or without
notice as appropriate in the circumstances) during any period of
sickness absence.

	 	 	 
	8.3.1		
Provided that you have complied with the requirements above,
the Company will continue to pay you at your normal rate of pay
during any unavoidable absence through sickness or injury (whether
continuous or intermittent) up to a maximum, in any period of 12
consecutive months, of four weeks at full pay, thereafter at the
discretion of the Company.
	
	
	
	

			
Any payment made to you under this provision will include any
entitlement that you may have to receive SSP from the Company.
Company sick pay will be reduced by the amount of any Social
Security benefits recoverable by you (whether or not recovered)
in respect of your illness or injury.
	
	
	
	

	9.4		
Your “qualifying days” for SSP purposes are Monday to Friday
(inclusive).

9. Pension and other benefits

	 	 	 
	10.1		
There is no Company pension scheme and no contracting out
certificate has been obtained in respect of your employment.
	
	
	
	

	10.2		
You will be eligible for immediate insurance cover under the
Company’s life assurance scheme, (or any other scheme providing an
equivalent benefit) subject to the rules of the scheme from time to
time and such evidence of health as such insurance company may
require.

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	10.3		
You will be eligible for immediate medical expenses insurance
and permanent health insurance.

10. Share Option Scheme

		
	 	You may be invited to participate in the Company’s Share Option Scheme
(“the Share Option Scheme”) in accordance with its rules from time to
time (“the Rules”).

11. Confidentiality

	 	 	 
	11.1		
In the ordinary course of your employment you will be exposed
to information about the business of the Company and the Group, the
suppliers and customers of the Company and the Group which is
confidential or is commercially sensitive and which may not be
readily available to competitors or the general public and which if
disclosed will be liable to cause significant harm to the Company or
the Group.
	
	
	
	

	11.2		
You must not whether during or after your employment, except
as authorised or required by your duties as an employee of the
Company, reveal to any person, firm, company or organisation or
otherwise make use of any of the trade secrets, secret or
confidential operations, processes or dealings or any information
(other than that within the public domain) concerning the
organisation, business, finances, transactions or affairs of the
Company or any Group company (including lists of the customers or
clients) of the Company or of any such company which may come to
your knowledge during your employment. Nothing

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in this clause will prevent you from disclosing information to
comply with a Court Order or perform any statutory obligation on
you to do so.

13. Activities during your employment

		
	 	You will not during your employment, except with the written consent of
the Company, be directly or indirectly engaged, concerned or interested
in any other trade, business or occupation whatsoever. Further, you
must not during your employment except with the Company’s written
consent, introduce to any other competing business orders for goods or
services with which the Company is able to deal.

14. Disciplinary and grievance procedure

	 	 	 
	14.1		
The Company does not operate a formal disciplinary procedure
which is applicable to your employment. If you have any grievance
in relation to your employment you should raise it with your manager
in writing. If the matter is not resolved you may then take it up
in writing with the Chief Executive Officer whose decision will be
final.

15. Termination of employment

	 	 	 
	15.1		
Subject as follows the Company can terminate your employment
at any time by giving you one calendar month’s written notice.

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	15.2		
You may terminate your employment at any time by giving the
Company at least one calendar month’s written notice.
	
	
	
	

	15.3		
The Company has the prescribed drugs or other substances at
right to terminate work, flagrant disobedience of reasonable
your employment
orders from superiors, causing actual or
without notice if
threatening physical harm, harassment
you breach the
(sexual racial or by reason of another’s
terms and
disability) and causing damage to Company
conditions of your
property.
employment and/or
in the case of
gross misconduct.
Gross misconduct
includes (but is
not limited to)
dishonesty, fraud,
insider dealing,
breach of company
confidentiality,
pilferage, being
under the influence
of alcohol or

16. Company property

		
	 	On request and in any event on termination of your employment for any
reason you are required to return to the Company all company property
including any company car, company credit or charge cards, your security
pass, all keys, computer hard and software including discs and all
documents in whatever form (including notes and minutes of meetings,
customer lists, diaries and address books, computer printouts, plans,
projections) together with all copies which are in your possession or
under your control. The ownership of all such property and documents will
at all time remain vested in the Company.

17. Normal retirement age

		
	 	Your normal retirement age is 65 years and your employment will
automatically terminate when you reach this age.

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18. Deductions

		
	 	You hereby authorise the Company to deduct from your pay (including
holiday pay, sick pay, bonus or commission and pay in lieu of notice) any
amounts which are owed by you to the Company or any other company in the
Group (including any season ticket or other loans, travel allowance,
expenses float or relocation assistance ).

19. Rules, policies, procedures

		
	 	You must comply at all times with the Company’s rules and procedures
relating to equal opportunities, harassment, health and safety,
compliance, external interests and all other rules and procedures
introduced by the Company from time to time. Copies of all rules,
policies and procedures can be obtained from the Company Secretary. For
the avoidance of doubt such rules, policies and procedures are not
incorporated by reference into this Contract and they can be changed,
replaced or withdrawn at any time at the discretion of the Company.
Breach of any Company rules, policies or procedures may result in
disciplinary action.

20. Entire agreement

		
	 	This Contract contains the entire and only agreement between us and
supersedes all previous agreements between you and the Company, except
for the agreement to be reached between the parties concerning the terms
and conditions relating to your entitlement to a bonus payment.

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21. Meaning of words used

		
	 	In this Contract “Group” means the Company any holding company of the
Company for the time being and any subsidiary (as defined in Section 736
of the Companies Act 1985) for the time being of the Company or its
holding company and “Group company” means any company in the Group.

	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 
	Signed on behalf of the Company by			Date
October 2, 2000

      I understand and agree to the terms and conditions of my Contract of Employment
as set out above.

	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 
	Employee’s signature
    /s/ Michael
Brocklesby
        			Date
October 2, 2000

10ex10-5

 

EXHIBIT 10.5

Michael Brocklesby

Chief Financial Officer

UDate.com Limited

New Enterprise House

St. Helens St

Derby DE1 3GY

13 July 2001

Terms of Employment

In consideration of your continued service to Udate.com Limited (“the
Company”), I am pleased to inform you of the following changes to your terms of
employment, which will take immediate effect.

The clauses set out in this letter are in addition to the contents of the
contract of employment between the Company and yourself (“the Contract”) and
clause 20 of the Contract is varied accordingly.

INTERPRETATION

“Executive” shall mean Michael Brocklesby

“Just Cause” for termination will mean a vote of the Company’s Board of
Directors, acting in good faith based upon the information then known to the
Company after a reasonable investigation (including at a minimum, review of the
Executive’s written response to the information alleged to constitute Just
Cause and the Executive’s opportunity to address the Board), that determines
that the Executive has committed or engaged in repeated intentional misconduct
in connection with his duties under this Agreement, which misconduct is
materially and demonstrably harmful to the Company’s business, or materially
breached a material term of this Agreement, which breach is materially and
demonstrably harmful to the Company’s business and which breach remains uncured
thirty (30) days after written notice of such breach is delivered to the
Executive.

“Good Reason” shall mean:

	(i)	 	the Company becoming insolvent, as evidenced by its inability to meet its
obligations in the ordinary course of business;

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	(ii)	 	a reduction in Executive’s salary referred to from time to time in clause
7.1 of the Service Agreement;
	 
	(iii)	 	a material reduction in the scope of Executive’s duties;
	 
	(iv)	 	except for terms related to the payment of money, the Company’s breach of
any term of this Agreement and failure to cure such breach within ten (10)
days after written notice of such default; or
	 
	(v)	 	an “Event”.

The Executive’s right to terminate his employment under this Agreement for Good
Reason shall not be affected by his incapacity due to physical or mental
illness.

“Event” shall mean either:

	(i)	 	a Winding Up; or
	 
	(ii)	 	a Disposal; or
	 
	(iii)	 	Transfer of Controlling Interest; or
	 
	(iv)	 	the grant to any person of an option to effect one or more of the Events.

For the purposes of this definition, the following expressions shall have the
following meanings:

	 	 	 
	“Winding up”		
the making of an order or the passing
of a resolution for the winding up of
the Company for any purpose whatsoever
	
	
	
	

	 
	“Disposal”		
the sale of the whole or substantially
the whole of the undertaking or assets
of the Company
	
	
	
	

	 
	“Transfer of Controlling Interest”		
the sale of or the grant of a right to
acquire or to dispose of or any other
transfer of (whether by a single
transaction or a series of
transactions) a Controlling Interest
	
	
	
	

	 
	“Controlling Interest”		
an interest (within the meaning of
schedule 13 part 1 and section 324 of
the Companies Act 1985) in shares in
the Company conferring in

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the aggregate
50% or more of the total voting rights
conferred by all the issued shares in
the capital of the Company.

“Basic Salary” shall mean the Executive’s salary from time to time referred to
in clause 4.1 of the Contract.

“Executive Bonus” shall mean 25% of the Executive’s Basic Salary.

“Bonus Year” shall mean 1 January to 31 December.

TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT

Clause 15.4 of the Contract shall state:

The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment immediately by summary
notice in writing (notwithstanding that the Company may have allowed any time
to elapse or on a former occasion may have waived its rights under this clause
15) if the Executive becomes incapacitated from performing all or any of his
duties under the contract by illness, injury or otherwise for a period
exceeding (in total) 3 calendar months (or such longer period as the Company
may agree) in any period of 12 months.

PAYMENTS TO BE MADE IN THE EVENT OF DEATH OR TERMINATION DUE TO INCAPACITY.

Without prejudice to clause 15.1 of the Contract or the Company’s right to
terminate the Executive’s employment summarily, if the Executive dies whilst
employed by the Company under the Service Agreement or upon termination of the
Executive’s employment in accordance with clause 15.4 of the Contract, the
Company shall pay the Executive (or his estate) each of the following:

	(i)	 	any Basic Salary earned but unpaid before termination and all accrued but
unused holiday entitlement in accordance with clause 7 of the Contract;
	 
	(ii)	 	a lump sum payment derived by taking the amount of the Executive Bonus
paid to the Executive in the preceding Bonus Year (or if termination
occurs before the Executive Bonus is paid, 25% of Basic Salary), dividing
by twelve and multiplying by the number of months Executive was employed
in the Bonus Year in which termination occurs;
	 
	(iii)	 	any business expenses incurred but not reimbursed as of the date of
termination.

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PAYMENTS TO BE MADE UPON THE RESIGNATION OF THE EXECUTIVE WITHOUT GOOD REASON
OR TERMINATION OF THE EXECUTIVE’S EMPLOYMENT BY THE COMPANY FOR JUST CAUSE.

Without prejudice to clause 15.1 of the Contract or the Company’s right to
terminate the Executive’s employment summarily, if the Executive resigns from
his employment with the Company other than for Good Reason or if the Company
terminates the Executive’s employment for Just Cause the Company’s obligation
to make payments under this Agreement shall cease upon termination, except the
Company shall pay the Executive each of the following:

	(i)	 	any Basic Salary earned but unpaid before termination and all holiday
entitlement accrued but not taken in accordance with clause 7 of the
Contract;
	 
	(ii)	 	a lump sum payment derived by taking the amount of the Executive Bonus
paid to the Executive in respect of the preceding Bonus Year (or if
termination occurs before the Executive Bonus is paid, 25% of Basic
Salary), dividing by twelve and multiplying by the number of months the
Executive was employed in the Bonus Year in which termination occurs; and
	 
	(iii)	 	any business expenses incurred but not reimbursed as of the date of
termination.

Resignation Without Good Reason or Termination for Just Cause shall be
effective upon the date of receipt of written notice of resignation or
termination, as appropriate.

PAYMENTS TO BE MADE UPON THE TERMINATION OF THE EXECUTIVE’S EMPLOYMENT BY THE
COMPANY WITHOUT JUST CAUSE OR RESIGNATION BY THE EXECUTIVE FOR GOOD REASON.

Without prejudice to clause 15.1 of the Contract, if the Company terminates the
Executive’s employment without Just Cause or the Executive resigns from his
employment with the Company for Good Reason the Executive shall receive each of
the following benefits:

	(i)	 	any Basic Salary earned but unpaid before termination and all holiday
entitlement accrued but not taken in accordance with clause 7 of the
Contract;
	 
	(ii)	 	any business expenses incurred but not reimbursed as of the date of
termination;
	 
	(iii)	 	payment to the Executive of the equivalent of eighteen (18) months of
his Basic Salary in a lump sum or in periodic payments at the Executive’s
election;
	 
	(iv)	 	in lieu of the Executive Bonus, payment to the Executive of a lump sum
equal to twenty five percent (25%) of the Executive’s Basic Salary or
Executive Bonus remaining to be paid in respect of the preceding Bonus
Year whichever amount is greater.

The Executive shall not be required to mitigate amounts payable under this
clause by seeking other employment or otherwise, and there shall be no offset
against amounts due to the Executive under this Agreement on account of later
employment.

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Additionally, amounts owed to Executive under this Agreement shall not be
offset by any claims the Company may have against Executive and the Company’s
obligation to make the payments provided for in this Agreement and otherwise to
perform its obligations under this Agreement shall not be affected by any other
circumstances, including without limitation any counterclaim, defence or other
right that the Company may have against the Executive or others.

MISCELLANEOUS

This Agreement may not be amended, modified, superseded, canceled, renewed or
expanded, or any terms or covenants waived, except by a writing executed by
each of the parties or, in the case of a waiver, by the party waiving
compliance. Failure of any party to require performance of any provision shall
not affect his or its right at a later time to enforce the same. No waiver of
a breach of any term or covenant in this Agreement, whether by conduct or
otherwise, in any one or more instances shall be construed as a further or
continuing waiver.

Yours sincerely

/s/ Mel Morris

Mel Morris

Director, Udate.com Ltd

President and CEO, Udate.com Inc

I understand and accept the variations to the Service Agreement set out in this
letter.

Signed: /s/ Michael Brocklesby

        
        
Michael Brocklesby

Dated:  July 13, 2001 

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