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23
East 4th
St
3rd
Floor
New
York, NY 10003
T:
+1 (212) 201-9280
F:
+1 (866) 561-0310
www.The
Orchard.com
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Re:
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The
Orchard Enterprises, Inc.
Schedule 13E-3
Filed
April 27, 2010
File
No. 005-81616
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Preliminary
Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A
Filed
April 27, 2010
File
No. 000-51761
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1.
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We
note the statement that neither the company nor any other filing person
takes responsibility for the accuracy of any information not supplied by
such filing person. As each of the filing persons is a
signatory to the Schedule 13E-3, the language is inconsistent with
the public disclosure otherwise made in the filing. Please
revise to remove the apparent disclaimer that the filing parties do not
bear responsibility, and thus are not subject to liability, for the
disclosures made in the Schedule 13E-3 and proxy
statement.
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2.
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In
an appropriate place in your document, please revise to concisely describe
the economic essence of the transaction and the effect it will have on
shareholders. Briefly describe the affiliation between the
company and the affiliated purchaser, disclose that all of the equity
interests of the unaffiliated holders will be purchased for
cash. In addition, disclose that the company’s reporting
obligations will terminate upon completion of the merger and the company
will deregister its common stock.
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3.
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The
summary term sheet should be in bullet point format, should highlight the
most important terms of the transaction, with cross-references to more
detailed discussion later in the proxy statement, and must be written in
Plain English. See Item 1001 of
Regulation M-A. The summary term sheet is lengthy,
contains legal jargon, and generally is not in bullet
points. Please revise.
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4.
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Please
revise your Summary Term Sheet and Questions and Answers sections to
delete duplicative disclosure and to provide only material
information. See Item 1001 of
Regulation M-A.
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5.
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Please
disclose in the summary section the total compensation and/or benefits to
be received by each of your directors and executive officers, including
compensation to be received by members of the Special Committee, in
connection with the merger
transaction.
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6.
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Please
clarify in this section and on pages 52 and 56 that stockholders must
continue to hold their shares until the consummation of the merger in
order to exercise appraisal rights under Delaware General Corporation
Law.
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7.
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We
note your disclosure that your “directors, officers and employees may also
solicit proxies by personal interview, mail, e-mail, telephone, facsimile
or by other means of communication.” Please explain what you
mean by “other means of communications.” We remind you that all
written soliciting materials, including any scripts to be used in
soliciting proxies over the telephone and information posted on the
Internet must be filed under the cover of
Schedule 14A. Please refer to Rule 14a-6(b) and
(c). Please confirm your
understanding.
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8.
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Each
presentation, discussion or report held with or presented by an outside
party that is materially related to the Rule 13e-3 transaction,
whether oral or written, is a separate report that requires a reasonably
detailed description meeting the requirements of Item 1015 of
Regulation M-A. This requirement applies to both
preliminary and final reports. Where appropriate, please revise
to summarize all the presentations or reports provided by Fesnak and
Craig-Hallum during the course of the meetings you have described,
including preliminary analyses and reports. In addition, please
file all relevant written materials as exhibits to the
Schedule 13E-3.
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9.
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Please
revise the second paragraph to disclose the ownership interest in the
company held by Dimensional Associates and Mr. Stein,
respectively.
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10.
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In
the second paragraph of this section, you state that on November 12,
2008, Mr. Stein requested that the board of directors (i) permit
management to cooperate with Dimensional Associates, (ii) enter into
a non-disclosure agreement to permit Dimensional Associates to share
confidential information with interested parties and (iii) authorize
management to meet with interested parties. In addition,
Dimensional Associates asked the board of directors for its approval to
approach potential interested parties, and Mr. Donahue requested that
the board of directors and certain management employees refrain from
trading in your securities until such time that a potential transaction
was announced or no longer a possibility. Please specifically
discuss how your board of directors responded to each of Mr. Stein’s
requests.
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11.
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You
state on page 13 that Mr. Stein requested that you provide a waiver
permitting Dimensional Associates to retain Reed Smith LLP, the company’s
regular outside legal counsel at that time, as its legal
advisor. Please disclose whether you provided such
waiver.
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12.
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We
note your disclosure in the third paragraph of page 13 regarding the
factors your board of directors considered in appointing members to the
special committee. With respect to each member appointed to the
special committee, disclose the board’s conclusions as to each
factor. In addition, you state that the board of directors
determined that each of Messrs. Michael Donahue, Viet Dinh, Nathan Peck
and Joel Straka was an independent member of the board of directors and
had no financial or other relationship with Dimensional
Associates. Your disclosure on page 75 indicates that
Messrs. Donahue and Dinh were designated by Dimensional Associates after
a 2007 business combination. Please provide additional
disclosure explaining how you determined that Messrs. Donahue and Dinh
were independent.
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13.
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In
the third full paragraph on page 19, you state that on
December 11, 2009, the special committee directed Mr. Donahue to
inform Dimensional Associates that the special committee would only
consider a transaction if the price offered for the outstanding common
stock must be at least in the range of $2.05 to $2.15 per
share. Please discuss how the special committee determined this
range.
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14.
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In
the first two paragraphs on page 22, you refer to negotiations on
March 4, 2009. It appears that the proper date is
March 4, 2010. Please revise or
advise.
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15.
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In
the third paragraph on page 23, you discuss a pending legal action in
the Delaware Court of Chancery challenging the merger. Please
revise to discuss the substance and status of the pending legal
action.
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16.
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Please
provide disclosure that explains why the company is undertaking the going
private transaction at this time. See Item 1013(c) of
Regulation M-A.
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17.
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On
page 24, you state that the special committee considered the nature
of the challenges facing the company and possible alternatives to a sale,
including continuing to operate as an independent public
company. Revise to specifically discuss how the special
committee’s consideration of these issues supported its conclusion that
the merger is fair to unaffiliated
stockholders.
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18.
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In
the final paragraph on page 24, you state that the special committee
concluded that the merger consideration was likely the highest price
reasonably attainable for your stockholders in a merger or other
acquisition transaction. Revise to specifically discuss how the
special committee’s consideration of this issue supported its conclusion
that the merger is fair to unaffiliated
stockholders.
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19.
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In
the second full bullet point on page 25, you state that the special
committee considered the “historical” market prices of the common stock
and noted that the proposed consideration of $2.05 per share represented a
premium of approximately 80% over the $1.14 per share closing price
on October 29, 2009, the last trading day prior to the announcement
of the Dimensional Proposal, and a premium of approximately 21% over the
$1.69 per share average closing price for the ninety trading days
immediately prior to the announcement of the Dimensional
Proposal. We note that the company’s stock traded as high as
$3.49 in 2009 and $7.40 in 2008. In light of these historical
prices, include a more detailed discussion of how historical prices were
considered and how the special committee determined the appropriate time
period to use.
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20.
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In
the third full bullet point on page 25, you state that since the
announcement of the merger with an affiliate who controls approximately
53% of the voting power of your ordinary shares, you have not received any
third party offers. Please explain how this is a positive
factor, given the presumed reluctance of a third party to negotiate with
the company in such circumstances.
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21.
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On
page 25, you state that the special committee considered the fact
that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby were
the product of “extensive arm’s length negotiations” between Dimensional
Associates and the special committee. Please delete the
reference to “arm’s length negotiations” here and throughout your
filing. References to arm’s length negotiations are
inappropriate in a going-private
transaction.
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22.
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We
note your statement on page 27 that the special committee did not
separately consider net book value, pre-merger going concern value or
bankruptcy liquidation value in determining the fairness of the merger to
your stockholders because the company continues to be viable as a going
concern and that liquidation was not considered a viable alternative to
company remaining an independent business, or the sale of company as a
going concern. Discuss whether the special committee considered
the possibility that the aggregate value of the individual assets may be
worth more than the value of the business. If not, then please
explain why. Further, please note that the absence of an
intention to liquidate is not determinative of whether the discussion
should address liquidation value. See Question and Answer No.
20 of Exchange Act Release No. 34-17719 (April 13,
1981).
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23.
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We
note that here and in other places in the proxy statement where you
summarize documents, you include a statement that the summary “is
qualified in its entirety” by reference to the full text of the
document. Please delete all such qualifiers where they appear
in the proxy statement. Investors are entitled to rely upon
your disclosure.
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24.
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Please
provide us with copies of any materials prepared by Fesnak in connection
with its fairness opinion, including draft opinions, reports or appraisals
provided to your board of directors and any summaries of presentations
made to your board of directors, such as the financial, economic and
market data and discount studies. To the extent the materials
differ from the opinions, reports or appraisals delivered to the special
committee or board of directors, please describe them in your
disclosure. In addition, any non-public information, including
projections used by Fesnak should be summarized in the
filing. In that respect, we note your statement on page 41
that the company provided the board of directors, the special committee
and their respective advisors with “base case” forecast of cash flow for
2010, but that you have not included the best case forecast of cash flow
for 2010 because it was not furnished to Dimensional Associates or
other interested bidders.
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25.
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Additionally,
each presentation, discussion or report held with or presented by Fesnak,
whether oral or written, is a separate report that requires a reasonably
detailed description meeting the requirements of Item 1015 of
Regulation M-A. Please revise to summarize all
presentations made by Fesnak, if any, and file any additional written
reports as exhibits pursuant to Items 9 and 16 of
Schedule 13E-3. For each Item 9 report, disclose the date
of the contact, the names of the parties in attendance, the identification
of the person(s) who initiated the contact, a summary of the dialogue and
the information exchanged and the basis for any views
expressed.
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26.
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The
transaction is structured so that the Series A preferred stock will not be
receiving its liquidation preference. As such, please explain
why Fesnak believed it was appropriate to include the impact of the Series
A preferred stock’s liquidation preference in its comparable public
company and selected relevant transaction
analyses.
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27.
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Please
disclose with more specificity the criteria used by Fesnak to determine
that the public companies used in this analysis were comparable to the
company. In addition, to the extent other companies met the
criteria but were excluded from the analysis, please disclose this
information and explain why they were excluded from the
analysis.
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28.
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Explain
how market value of invested capital was
calculated.
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29.
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Your
disclosure in the first paragraph notes that because you had a loss from
operations and negative EBITDA, Fesnak viewed MVIC to revenues as more
appropriate than MVIC to EBITDA. The final paragraph of this
section, however, states that Fesnak considered the MVIC to revenue
calculation of $3.90 to be an outlier because of its significant
difference from each of the other valuation metrics
utilized. Please
reconcile.
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30.
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We
note the transactions used in this analysis were selected because the
target companies operate in the digital media services industry, as well
as the size of the target companies and the availability of information
about the transactions. Please disclose in more detail
the criteria used to determine the transactions used in this analysis. If
any transaction met the criteria but was excluded from the analysis,
please identify the transaction and explain why it was
excluded.
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31.
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We
note that Fesnak reviewed the recent stock price performance of your
common stock, which on March 12, 2010 (prior to the announcement of
the signing of the merger agreement but after the announcement of the
$2.00 per share offer by Dimensional Associates for the outstanding
shares of common stock not held by it), was $1.70 per share, and that
adding a control premium of 20% to such price resulted in an approximate
price of $2.04 per common share. We also note that stock
prices were as high as $3.49 in 2009 and $7.40 in 2008. In
light of these historical prices, include a more detailed discussion of
how historical prices were considered and how the special committee
determined the appropriate time period to use. In addition,
describe why Fesnak believed that 20% was an appropriate control
premium.
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32.
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Rule 13e-3
requires that each issuer and affiliate directly or indirectly engaged in
a going private transaction to furnish the required disclosures regarding
substantive and procedural fairness to the company’s unaffiliated
stockholders. For guidance, please refer to Question 117.02 of
the Division of Corporation Finance’s Compliance and Disclosure
Interpretations of Exchange Act Rule l3e-3 and related
Schedule 13E-3. In that regard, we note that Messrs.
Samberg and Stein, JDS Capital, LP, and JDS Capital Management, LLC have
not provided such disclosure. We also note your disclosure that
while such individuals and entities are included in your definition of
“Dimensional Affiliates,” the fairness disclosure provided on page 33
only goes to “Dimensional Associates and Merger
Sub.” Accordingly, each filer must independently disclose its
belief as to whether the transaction is substantively and procedurally
fair and provide the bases for the belief provided. Further, if
one or more of the filing persons relied upon the analysis of another, or
the financial advisor, the filing person must expressly adopt the
conclusion and analyses. A filing person cannot insulate itself
from liability by relying upon the summary of a financial advisor’s
analyses that, by their terms, do not comply with the specific disclosure
requirements of Schedule 13E-3. Refer to Q&A No. 21 of SEC
Release No. 34-17719.
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33.
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Revise
to discuss how Dimensional Associates plans to pay the additional
consideration, if the obligation to pay such consideration is
triggered.
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34.
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We
note that you disclose that your tax discussion “does not purport to be a
comprehensive analysis or description of all potential U.S. federal
income tax consequences of the merger.” Pursuant to Item
1004(a)(2)(vii) of Regulation M-A, you should provide a discussion of
the material tax consequences of the transaction. While it may
be appropriate to note that the tax consequences may vary on an individual
basis, it is inappropriate to suggest that material information about the
offer has been omitted. All material U.S. federal income tax
consequences regarding the merger necessary to an informed voting decision
on the matters proposed must be included in the proxy
statement.
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35.
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Please
revise to discuss the federal tax consequences of the Rule 13e-3
transaction on the subject company and other Rule 13e-3 filing
persons. See Item 1013(d) of
Regulation M-A.
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36.
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We
note your disclosure that, except as required by law, you undertake no
obligation to update any forward-looking statements in the proxy
statement. Rule 13e-3(d)(2) imposes an obligation to amend
the disclosure document in a going-private transaction to reflect any
material changes to the information previously reported. Please
revise your disclaimer to more clearly state when you intend to update or
amend the filing to reflect changes to forward-looking information you
have disclosed.
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37.
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Please
revise to clearly and succinctly disclose the affiliated relationships,
the economic essence of the transaction and the effect it will have on
shareholders.
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38.
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We
note the disclaimer contained in the first two paragraphs of this
section. Please revise to remove any potential implication that
the referenced merger agreement does not constitute disclosure about the
company, and may not be relied upon. Statements that other
disclosure regarding the company included or incorporated in the proxy
statement may supplement, update or modify the disclosure in the merger
agreement may be appropriate. In addition, statements about the
intent of the parties with respect to the information in the merger
agreement at the time of execution may also be
appropriate.
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39.
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We
note your disclosure that information concerning the subject matter of the
representations and warranties may have changed after the date of the
merger agreement, and that such subsequent information may or may not be
fully reflected in your public disclosure. Please be advised
that, notwithstanding the inclusion of a general disclaimer, you are
responsible for considering whether additional specific disclosures of
material information regarding material contractual provisions are
required to make the statements included in the proxy statement not
misleading.
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40.
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We
note your disclosure that the “assertions embodied in those
representations and warranties may be qualified by information contained
in confidential disclosure schedules we provided in connection with
signing the merger agreement that modify, qualify and create exceptions to
the representations and warranties contained in the merger
agreement.” On a supplemental basis, please provide us
additional details of the contents of those schedules. In
addition, please explain to us why you do not believe such omitted
information is material information to
investors.
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41.
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Disclose
the natural persons with sole or shared voting and/or investment power
over the shares held by Dimensional Associates,
LLC.
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42.
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We
note your statement that “assuming the Merger Proposal is approved” by
your stockholders, you are proposing to amend the certificate of
designations of the Series A convertible preferred
stock. Revise to disclose that this proposal is
cross-conditioned on shareholder approval of the Merger
Proposal. Make similar revisions throughout the proxy filing,
including, without limitation, the form of proxy
card.
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43.
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On
page 9, you disclose that management anticipates that Dimensional
Associates will vote all of its shares of common stock and Series A
convertible preferred stock in favor of this proposal, thus, the approval
of the proposal will be assured. Please revise to include
similar disclosure.
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44.
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Please
revise to incorporate by reference your Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for
the first quarter that was filed on May 14,
2010.
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45.
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We
note that you appear to have incorporated by reference the information
required by Item 13 of Schedule 14A. Please note that the
information required by Item 13(a) may be incorporated by reference to the
same extent as would be permitted by Form S-3. See
Instruction E to Schedule 14A. It does not appear that you
meet the eligibility requirements of Item 13(b)(1) because your public
float is insufficient. Please advise us if you intend to rely
upon Item 13(b)(2) to incorporate the required information by
reference. If so, confirm that you will deliver the information
incorporated by reference in the proxy statement to shareholders at the
same time as you send them the proxy statement. Alternatively,
revise the Schedule 14A to include the information required by Item
13(a).
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the
Company is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure in
the filings with respect to it;
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Staff
comments or changes to disclosure in response to Staff comments do not
foreclose the SEC from taking any action with respect to the filings;
and
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the
Company may not assert Staff comments as a defense in any proceeding
initiated by the SEC or any person under the federal securities laws of
the United States.
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Sincerely,
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/s/
Alexis Shapiro
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Alexis
Shapiro
Senior
Vice President, General Counsel and
Secretary
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cc:
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Securities and Exchange
Commission
Song
Brandon, Esq.
Evan
S. Jacobson, Esq.
Chadbourne & Parke LLP
Sey-Hyo
Lee, Esq.
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler
LLP
John
P. Schmitt, Esq.
Edward
H. Smoot, Esq.
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal
LLP
Thomas
L. Hanley, Esq.
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