5.3. No Solicitation.
(a) No Solicitation or Negotiation. Subject to the terms of Section 5.3(b), from the date of this Agreement until the earlier to occur of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Article VIII and the Effective Time, the Company will cease and cause to be terminated any discussions or negotiations with and terminate any data room access (or other diligence access) of any Person and its Affiliates, directors, officers, employees, consultants, agents, representatives and advisors (collectively, “Representatives”) relating to any Acquisition Transaction. Promptly following the date of this Agreement, the Company will request that each Person (other than Parent and its Representatives) that has, prior to the date of this Agreement, executed a confidentiality agreement in connection with its consideration of acquiring the Company to promptly return or destroy all non-public information furnished to such Person by or on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries prior to the date of this Agreement in accordance with the terms of such confidentiality agreement. Subject to the terms of Section 5.3(b) and Section 5.3(d), from the date of this Agreement until the earlier to occur of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Article VIII and the Effective Time, the Company and its Subsidiaries and their respective directors, executive and other officers will not, and the Company will not authorize or direct any of its or its Subsidiaries’ employees, consultants or other Representatives to, directly or indirectly, (i) solicit, initiate, propose or induce the making, submission or announcement of, or knowingly encourage, facilitate or assist, any proposal, offer or inquiry that constitutes, or is reasonably expected to lead to, an Acquisition Proposal; (ii) furnish to any Person (other than Parent, Merger Sub or any designees of Parent or Merger Sub) any non-public information relating to the Company or any of its   -61-


Subsidiaries or afford to any Person access to the business, properties, assets, books, records or other non-public information, or to any personnel, of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (other than Parent, Merger Sub or any designees of Parent or Merger Sub), in any such case in connection with any Acquisition Proposal or with the intent to induce the making, submission or announcement of, or to knowingly encourage, facilitate or assist, an Acquisition Proposal or any inquiries or the making of any proposal that would reasonably be expected to lead to an Acquisition Proposal; (iii) participate or engage in discussions or negotiations with any Person with respect to an Acquisition Proposal, or with respect to any inquiries from third Persons relating to making a potential Acquisition Proposal (other than solely to inform such Persons of the provisions contained in this Section 5.3); (iv) approve, endorse or recommend any proposal that constitutes, or is reasonably expected to lead to, an Acquisition Proposal; (v) enter into any letter of intent, memorandum of understanding, merger agreement, expense reimbursement agreement, acquisition agreement or other Contract relating to an Acquisition Transaction, other than an Acceptable Confidentiality Agreement (any such letter of intent, memorandum of understanding, merger agreement, acquisition agreement or other Contract relating to an Acquisition Transaction, an “Alternative Acquisition Agreement”); or (vi) authorize or commit to do any of the foregoing. From the date of this Agreement until the earlier to occur of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Article VIII and the Effective Time, the Company will not be required to enforce, and will be permitted to waive, any provision of any standstill or confidentiality agreement to the extent necessary to permit a confidential proposal being made to the Company Board (or any committee thereof).  (Pages 65-66)

Question: No-Shop
Category: Deal Protection and Related Provisions
Answer: Strict liability