IN THE UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE ------------------------------------------------------------------- x : In re: : : THQ, INC., et al., : : Debtors.

: :
:

Chapter 11 Case No. 12-13998 (MFW) Jointly Administered

------------------------------------------------------------------- x OBJECTION TO DEBTORS MOTION FOR ORDER APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING (A) BIDDING PROCEDURES IN CONNECTION WITH THE SALE OF SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE DEBTORS ASSETS, (B) STALKING HORSE BID PROTECTIONS, (C) FORM AND MANNER OF NOTICE OF THE SALE HEARING AND (D) RELATED RELIEF The Ad Hoc Committee of Convertible Noteholders (the Convertible Committee),1 consisting of certain holders of 5.00% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2014 (the Convertible Notes) issued by THQ Inc. (THQ and, together with its affiliated debtors, the Debtors),2 for its Objection to Debtors Motion for Order Approving and Authorizing (A) Bidding Procedures in Connection with the Sale of Substantially All of the Assets of the Debtors, (B) Stalking Horse Bid Protections, (C) Form and Manner of Notice of the Sale Hearing and (D) Related Relief [Docket No. 19] (the Bidding Procedures Motion), respectfully represent:
1

The undersigned represented a pre-petition ad hoc committee of holders of Convertible Notes. The post-petition Convertible Committee is in formation given that a significant portion of the Convertible Notes have traded since the Petition Date. The current members of the Convertible Committee are: (i) Silverback Asset Management, LLC; (ii) Third Avenue Focused Credit Fund; and (iii) Wolverine Flagship Fund Trading Limited. The present members of the Convertible Committee collectively hold, in the aggregate, approximately $41 million, or 41%, of original principal amount of the Convertible Notes. Holders of Convertible Notes are pari passu with general unsecured trade claims. Certain holders of Convertible Notes will also seek membership on the official committee of unsecured creditors (the Official Committee) in these cases, which is scheduled to be appointed on January 3, 2013. Andrews Kurth LLP intends on seeking to be selected as counsel to the Official Committee, given that the Convertible Notes and other general unsecured claims are pari passu and aligned. The Debtors in these chapter 11 cases are: (i) THQ Inc.; (ii) THQ Digital Studios Phoenix, Inc.; (iii) THQ Wireless, Inc.; (iv) Volition, Inc.; and (v) Vigil Games, Inc.
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INTRODUCTION 1. In the Bidding Procedures Motion, the Debtors seek approval of the terms that

will govern the timing and substance of an expedited sale of what is referred to in the sale documents as all or substantially all of the Debtors assets to Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. (Clearlake).3 If a sale or liquidation of the Debtors assets is the best means by which to maximize and realize value for the Debtors unsecured creditors, so be it. Nonetheless, the bidding procedures must be fair and reasonable and provide for a bona fide and robust bidding process. 2. Approval of the bidding procedures (the Bidding Procedures) proposed by the

Debtors and Clearlake would have the opposite effect. The Bidding Procedures appear to have been designed specifically to thwart any potential bidders from stepping forward to compete with Clearlakes bid. The Bidding Procedures contain numerous provisions that would limit bidding, including, among other things, (i) an unjustifiably accelerated sale timeline that will prevent prospective bidders from having an opportunity to diligence the Debtors assets prior to submitting a bid, (ii) a requirement that prospective purchasers bid on the Debtors as a whole rather than on a piecemeal or title-by-title basis, (iii) various provisions that would allow the Debtors to unreasonably reject bids and/or bidders regardless of the impact to the Debtors unsecured creditors, and (iv) provisions that grant Clearlake unreasonable amounts of control over the bidding process. Rather than being designed to maximize the value of the Debtors estates, the Bidding Procedures, by design or otherwise, render the auction process meaningless and virtually guarantee that Clearlake will be the ultimate buyer, thereby ensuring

In fact, Clearlake can pick and choose the assets and contracts it wants to acquire.

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that the Debtors management retain their positions within, and operating control over, the Debtors organization. 3. Because the Bidding Procedures are neither fair and reasonable nor designed to

maximize the value of the Debtors estates, they should not be approved. BACKGROUND I. COMPANY OVERVIEW 4. The Debtors develop and publish video games for various game consoles,

personal computers, wireless devices and the internet. The Debtors game portfolio includes action, adventure, fighting, role-playing, simulation, sports and strategy games. The Debtors market and distribute these games to mass merchandisers, consumer stores, discount warehouses and other national retail stores, as well as through the internet, throughout the United States and internationally. 5. Although these cases were just commenced and no discovery has taken place, it

appears that the Debtors most valuable asset is its intellectual property and the goodwill related thereto. Several of the Debtors most popular games, including such critically acclaimed and extremely popular titles as Saints Row, Darksiders and Company of Heroes, are based on intellectual property that is wholly-owned by the Debtors and developed by their internal studios. The Debtors also have a number of game titles, including the Metro and Homefront titles, that are original to the Debtors but are developed by third party, external developers. Finally, the Debtors also develop and distribute several games pursuant to exclusive intellectual property licenses from third parties, such as World Wrestling Entertainment and South Park. 6. The Debtors operate their business globally through various domestic and foreign

subsidiaries and studios. Generally speaking, upon information and belief, THQ, Inc. and/or its

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domestic subsidiaries own THQs intellectual property and are party to THQs valuable intellectual property licenses. THQs foreign subsidiaries market and distribute THQs games to direct-to-retail customers and through distributors to over 80 territories outside of the U.S. Upon information and belief, cash generated by THQs foreign operations is held by THQs foreign subsidiaries and upstreamed to THQ, Inc. (such subsidiaries ultimate parent entity) (by means of intercompany loans rather than corporate dividends). II. CHANGE IN DEBTORS MANAGEMENT AND THE CENTERVIEW SALE PROCESS 7. In late May/early June 2012, Jason Rubin (Rubin) and Jason Kay (Kay and,

together with Rubin, the Jasons) began a process orchestrated to take over the Debtors and capture, for themselves, the significant upside value in the Debtors business. The Jasons are two highly experienced and successful gaming industry entrepreneurs and understand the value that can be achieved from successful game and entertainment franchises, particularly where there exists the potential for significant hits or successful games, which plainly exists here. 8. Promptly after the Jasons took over, they immediately began to bring in their

own team and phase out key members of former management. On June 11, 2012, less than two (2) weeks after the Debtors hired Rubin, the Debtors engaged Centerview Partners, LLC (Centerview) with the primary goal of finding an investor that would provide new liquidity to fund the Debtors business plan, or a buyer for substantially all of the Debtors assets. See Declaration of Brian Farrell in Support of the Debtors Chapter 11 Petitions and Requests for First Day Relief [Docket No. 2], 41. Upon information and belief, Centerview had a preexisting relationship with Rubin, apparently having backed him in prior transactions. In June

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2012, the Debtors did not publicly announce their retention of Centerview or that they were seeking financing and/or a third party purchaser for any of the Debtors assets. 9. During August and September, 2012, Centerview and the Debtors management

began a so-called marketing process focused on finding an investor to either: (i) fund the Debtors business plan or (ii) acquire the Debtors entire business (as a whole). During this process, the Debtors and their advisors focused their attention on contacting growth-oriented financial investors (i.e., venture capital and private equity firms) and, by marketing the company as a whole, effectively precluded strategic investors from participating in a sale process. The financial investors that the Debtors and their advisors did approach included only a few firms known for distressed investing, which likely further hindered the process.4 10. In addition, the Debtors limited the process to exclude title-by-title sales and

informed potential investors that any transaction the Debtors would consider would (i) trigger a fundamental change (i.e., a sale of the entire business) and (ii) require that the Debtors management retain their positions with the Debtors. These conditions were imposed by the Debtors notwithstanding that purchasing individual game titles is known to be attractive to strategic buyers in the Debtors industry. Among other things, piecemeal sales (i) avoid the need for purchasers to acquire duplicative functions and incur related corporate overhead and (ii) allow buyers to acquire complementary titles while leaving behind undesirable ones. In fact what the Debtors sale process did accomplish was to simply confirm that no strategic parties would be interested in the company in its existing configuration. As a result, the only way to run a value

Houlihan Lokey Capital, Inc. (Houlihan), the Convertible Committees pre-petition financial advisor, understands that, of the financial investors the Debtors and their advisors approached, only a few were distressoriented funds (one of which was Clearlake).

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maximizing sale process would be to allow marketing of the company on a title-by-title basis. The Debtors refusal to consider any title-by-title transactions is particularly telling because it is Houlihans understanding that the Debtors have received unsolicited interest in certain titles and franchises in the past, including after the announcement of the bankruptcy proceeding.5 11. On October 26, 2012, the Debtors and Clearlake agreed to the terms of a deal. As

soon as it became clear that Clearlake was interested in purchasing the Debtors as a whole, as described below, it appears that THQs management and Centerview set the wheels in motion to manufacture a liquidity crisis which culminated in the Debtors chapter 11 filing and the expedited Bidding Procedures Motion. 12. First, during October 2012, the Debtors promptly revised their financial

projections to reflect that the Debtors required more cash than they had previously projected.6 Next, in early November 2012, THQ announced that the Debtors intended to defer three (3) critical game releases that were integral to the Debtors ability to meet their revenue requirements. THQ also, at this time, first announced that it had engaged Centerview to explore financing and restructuring alternatives. THQ, however, did not disclose that it had signed a deal with Clearlake. 13. On November 7, 2012, the Debtors secured lenders, Wells Fargo, sent a letter to

the Debtors alleging that the Debtors were in default under their secured credit facility as a result of the Debtors purported failure to comply with certain covenants under the governing Wells

That strategic investors may be interested in purchasing individual titles is supported by the fact that Houlihan has received significant interest in individual assets and titles from various strategic investors. The timing of this revision is important. It occurred well before any of the various purposed liquidity problems the Debtors now claim caused their bankruptcy filing and thus belies the Debtors claims that these problems forced their hand.
6

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Fargo loan documents. Although the Debtors announced that Wells Fargo had sent the default letter, it is unclear what exactly caused the Debtors to, at that time, allegedly default under the Wells Fargo loan and what the basis of such alleged default is. 14. On November 13, 2012, the Debtors filed a Form 10-Q for the second fiscal

quarter of 2012. In the Form 10-Q, the Debtors stated, for the first time, that the repatriation of foreign cash may be subject to certain restrictions and/or limitations which may hinder our ability to repatriate such cash to the U.S. Prior to such disclosure, THQ had never publicly disclosed that there was a risk that foreign cash held by its subsidiaries but generated by THQ could be frozen outside of the U.S. Later that week, the boards of directors of certain of the Debtors wholly-owned foreign subsidiaries apparently informed the Debtors that they refused to pay THQ approximately $20 million in cash that they had collected in the course of distributing the Debtors games internationally. 15. On November 19, 2012, the Debtors and Wells Fargo entered into a forbearance

agreement relating to the November 7, 2012 default letter. Under the terms of the forbearance agreement, Wells Fargo agreed not to call a default under or otherwise exercise rights with respect to the Debtors secured credit facility until January 15, 2013, in exchange for certain consideration, including weekly financial reporting by the Debtors. Such weekly reporting requirements included cash flow forecasts covering the period from December 17, 2012 through January 7, 2013. 16. Between late November and mid-December, 2012, the Debtors repeatedly revised

their cash flow budget to reflect significantly higher disbursements and lower receipts. During this period, Debtors management continued to refuse to engage (or even seriously consider to engage) in substantive discussions with respect to any alternatives to a sale of the Debtors

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business as a whole, including, among other things, slimming down the business to reduce cash burn and/or a sale of individual assets of the Company. 17. During early December, upon information and belief, the Debtors pre-funded,

out of amounts that would otherwise be in the Debtors estates and available for the Debtors unsecured creditors, certain amounts to cover future costs the Debtors had yet to incur (including costs of certain foreign operations). 18. On December 19, 2012, Jason Rubin wrote a letter addressed to THQs gaming

customers in which he stated that the goal throughout the sale process has been to preserve our teams and our products and that no matter what the outcome in 30 days, as long as we have accomplished this goal, I will be satisfied.7 Satisfaction of unsecured creditor claims appears not to have been one of Debtors managements priorities. III. THE DEBTORS BANKRUPTCY CASES AND THE PROPOSED CLEARLAKE SALE 19. On December 19, 2012 (the Petition Date), each of the Debtors filed with this

Court a petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. On the Petition Date, among other things, the Debtors also filed (i) the Bidding Procedures Motion, (ii) a motion seeking approval of a debtor-in-possession credit facility providing, among other things, new liquidity in an amount of up to $10 million [Docket No. 13] (the DIP Motion), (iii) a motion seeking authority to pay approximately $6 million to certain unnamed critical vendors [Docket No. 12] (the Critical Vendor Motion), (iv) a motion seeking, among other things, authority to pay approximately $1.4 million to the Debtors employees pursuant to pre-petition retention plans and provide employees with vacation and paid time off benefits in an amount of
7

See THQ Community Message from Jason Rubin: To Our Global Gaming Community, December 19, 2012 (available at http://www.thq.com/us/go/article/view/homepage_article/261277/thq_community_message_from_jason_rubin).

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approximately $2.6 million [Docket No. 9] (the Employee Motion), and (v) a motion seeking approval of a key employee retention plan that would, among other things, provide for payments to be made to employees of THQs non-debtor foreign subsidiaries [Docket No. 18] (the KERP Motion). In the Bidding Procedures Motion, the Debtors incorrectly claimed that the Clearlake sale (and the other relief requested by the Debtors) was supported by holders of a majority of the Convertible Notes. 20. Attached to the Debtors Bidding Procedures Motion was the Debtors proposed Under the terms of the

asset purchase agreement with Clearlake (the Clearlake APA).

Clearlake APA, Clearlake would purchase the Debtors assets (including the Debtors cash that is purportedly frozen in Europe, but excluding any assets or contracts that Clearlake does not want to acquire) for an aggregate purchase price valued, by the Debtors, at approximately $60,650,000, payable in the form of: (i) cash in the amount required to satisfy all outstanding secured debt at closing (estimated to be $29,000,000); (ii) cash in the amount of $6,650,000; (iii) the assumption of the Assumed Liabilities set forth in the Clearlake APA (estimated to be $15,000,000); and (iv) an unsecured promissory note in the original principal amount of $10 million, due 2020 and with an interest rate of 2%, to be issued to the Debtors unsecured creditors. Based upon a net present value calculation, the unsecured note would provide an estimated range of 1-3% recovery to the Debtors unsecured creditors. 21. Under the Clearlake APA, Clearlake is not required to close the sale unless the

Court approves the Bidding Procedures. The Bidding Procedures, however, contain numerous provisions that would chill competitive bidding and appear intended to ensure that the Debtors deal with Clearlake is consummated on the fast track, including, among other things, (i) an expedited timeline that would require bidders to submit bids and attend an Auction within

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five (5) days following the hearing on the Bidding Procedures Motion, (ii) a requirement that all bids must be for all or substantially all of the Debtors assets (and that the Debtors may refuse to entertain any bids on a title-by-title or piecemeal basis), and (iii) procedures that allow the Debtors to withhold information from potential bidders and otherwise determine which bidders may submit bids and attend the auction. 22. On the Petition Date, the Debtors also filed the Declaration of Brian Farrell in

Support of the Debtors Chapter 11 Petitions and Requests for First Day Relief [Docket No. 2] (the First Day Declaration). Attached as an exhibit to the First Day Declaration was a shortform DIP budget for the four week period from December 17, 2012 through January 7, 2013. The revised DIP budget reflects an even greater reduction in cash flow receipts, and increase in cash disbursements, than those set forth in the weekly budgets prepared prior to the Petition Date. Indeed, under the revised DIP Budget, the Debtors are now (conveniently) forecasted to run out of money promptly on or about January 15, 2013 (the same date that the Wells Fargo forbearance period expires and the deadline for closing of the Clearlake sale under the Clearlake APA). 23. On December 20, 2012, the Court held a hearing on the Debtors first day

motions. At the first day hearing, the Debtors and Clearlake asked this Court to schedule a final hearing on the DIP Motion and the Bidding Procedures during the holiday week of December 24, 2012. Notwithstanding the Debtors and Clearlakes requests, this Court scheduled a hearing on the DIP Motion and the Bidding Procedures for January 4, 2013. At the first day hearing, the United States Trustee announced that the formation meeting for the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors would take place on January 3, 2013.

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ARGUMENT AND AUTHORITY I. Governing Law with Respect to Approval of Bidding Procedures 24. Contrary to the Debtors assertion in the Bidding Procedures Motion, in the Third

Circuit, the standard for determining whether bidding procedures are appropriate is not the business judgment rule. Bankruptcy courts in the Third Circuit will only approve bidding procedures when they are designed to maximize the value of the estate. See, e.g., In re Dura Automotive Systems, Inc., 2007 WL 7728109, at *90 (Bankr. D. Del. 2007) (citing Calpine Corp. v. OBrien Envtl. Energy, Inc. (In re OBrien Envtl. Energy), 181 F. 3d 527, 535-37 (3rd Cir. 1999); see also In re Edwards, 28 B.R. 552, 561 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. 1998)); see also In re John Joseph Edwards, 228 B.R. 552, 561 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. 1998) ([t]he purpose of procedural bidding orders is to facilitate an open and fair public sale designed to maximize value for the estate.). 25. Bidding procedures must also be fair and reasonable for all of the parties. See In

re American Safety Razor Company, LLC (Bankr. D. Del. September 30, 2010) (Bankr. Case. No. 10-12351), at *132.8 Among other things, approval of bidding procedures may be withheld if the stalking horse bidder has too much control over the auction process. See In re Thompson Publishing Holding Co., Inc., No. 10-13070 (Bankr. D. Del. Oct. 13, 2010)). Generally stated, bidding procedures in the context of bankruptcy sales should enhance competitive bidding. See, e.g., In re Dura, 2007 WL 7728109, at *90 (internal citations omitted).

I dont think, as the debtors suggest, that my consideration of Bidding Procedures is based on the business judgment rule. I need not accept the debtors business judgment with respect to process. The Bankruptcy Code and Rules and the process under the Bankruptcy Code are all matters for the debtor -- for the Courts determination as to what is fair and reasonable. In fact, I think that is my only role in this case: to determine what is fair for all the parties. In re American Safety Razor Company, LLC, at *132.

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26.

In addition to the foregoing, Local Bankruptcy Rule 6004 contains various

additional requirements for any motion seeking approval of bidding procedures. Among other things, Local Rule 6004-1(b)(iv)(B) states that [i]f a proposed buyer has discussed or entered into any agreements with management or key employees regarding compensation or future employment, the Bidding Procedures Motion must disclose (a) the material terms of any such agreements, and (b) what measures have been taken to ensure the fairness of the sale and the proposed transaction in light of any such agreements. See Local Rule 6004. II. The Debtors Proposed Bidding Procedures Should Not Be Approved 27. The Bidding Procedures proposed by the Debtors should not be approved because

they are not fair and reasonable and were not designed to (and, in fact, will not) maximize the value of the Debtors estates. Rather than facilitating an open and fair public sale and

enhancing competitive bidding, the Debtors proposed Bidding Procedures appear to have been expressly designed to chill bidding and ensure that the Debtors consummate the sale of their business as a whole to Clearlake, regardless of whether such a sale is in the best interests of the Debtors unsecured creditors. A. 28. The Sale Timeline Proposed by the Debtors Is Unfair and Unreasonable and Will Limit Competitive Bidding The Debtors filed the Bidding Procedures Motion on December 19, 2012, the

same date they filed for bankruptcy relief. The hearing on the Bidding Procedures Motion is set to occur on January 4, 2013. Under the Debtors proposed Bidding Procedures, however, prospective bidders would be required to submit bids by January 8, 2013, with an auction to take place on January 9, 2013 and a final sale hearing to take place on January 10, 2013. Under any

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circumstances, the Debtors proposed timeline would be extremely aggressive - - under the present circumstances, they are unfair and unreasonable and should not be approved. 29. Simply put, the timeframe during which the Debtors seek to consummate the sale

is too short a period for prospective bidders to be in a position to bid on the Debtors assets. In order to comply with the Bidding Procedures accelerated timeline, prospective bidders would be required to, among other things, conduct comprehensive due diligence and obtain financing (if necessary) within four (4) days of the hearing on the Bidding Procedures Motion. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that the Debtors have proposed that this expedited process be conducted during the holiday season, a time during which the Debtors and their professionals know most people in the Debtors industry - - i.e., the parties that might be most willing to bid on the Debtors assets - - are shut down or not available. B. 30. The Bidding Procedures Contain Numerous Provisions That Are Designed to and Will Thwart the Bidding Process In addition to the accelerated timeline proposed by the Debtors, the Bidding

Procedures contain various other provisions that are objectionable and would limit the possibility that the value of the Debtors estates is maximized through the sale process. Among others, the Bidding Procedures contain the following objectionable provisions: Assets Being Sold: In order for a Bid to constitute a Qualified Bid, the Bid must provide for the purchase of all or a substantial portion of the Debtors assets, and payment or assumption of all or a substantial portion of the Debtors liabilities. See Bid Requirements, (i), at p. 6. Break-up Fee and Expense Reimbursement: Clearlake shall be entitled to receive a $1.75 million break-up fee and $500,000 expense reimbursement if Clearlake is not the Successful Bidder. See Asset Purchase Agreement, at p. 2. Deposit: In order for a Bid to constitute a Qualified Bid, such Bid must be accompanied by a cash deposit of at least ten percent (10%) of the stated cash purchase price in the Bid. See Bid Requirements, (g), at p. 5.

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Minimum Initial Overbid: The Minimum Initial Overbid must provide for (i) cash consideration of at least $2.75 million more than the cash component of the Purchase Price offered by Clearlake in the Clearlake APA, (ii) satisfaction or waiver of all claims under the DIP Credit Facility, and (iii) at least $2.75 million greater aggregate value than the aggregate Clearlake Bid (including Assumed Liabilities and the $10 million note); Access to Diligence Materials: The Debtors may withhold due diligence materials from parties they deem unlikely to become Qualified Bidders, or where disclosure would put the Debtors at a competitive disadvantage. See Access to Due Diligence Materials, at p. 4. Executory Contracts and Leases: Notwithstanding the exceptionally short diligence period, in order for a Bid to constitute a Qualified Bid, the Bid must include a comprehensive list of executory contracts the Bidder seeks the Debtor to assume and assign. See Bid Requirements, (b), at p. 5. Due Diligence from Bidders: Bidders must comply with all reasonable requests for information by the Debtors and failure by a Bidder to provide such information would allow the Debtors to prohibit that Bidder from participating in the Auction. See Due Diligence from Bidders, at p. 5. No Fees to Qualified Bidders: The Debtors may deny any Bids that contain expense reimbursements, break-up fees or other similar fees. See Bid Requirements, (f), at p. 5. Overbid Threshold: Each Bid must (i) offer $2.75 million more in cash consideration than the cash consideration included in Clearlakes proposed purchase price, and (ii) offer $2.75 more in overall aggregate value than Clearlakes proposed purchase price. See Bid Requirements, (h), at p. 5. Auction Bid Increments: At the Auction, Bids must be submitted in minimum increments of $500,000, or such other amount as the Debtors determine appropriate to facilitate the Auction. See Participation at the Auction, at p. 6. Debtors Reservation of Rights: The Debtors reserve the unilateral right to impose additional terms and conditions with respect to any or all Bidders and Bids other than Clearlake. See Reservation of Rights, at p. 11. Taken as a whole, the Bidding Procedures are designed specifically to ensure that

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Clearlake is the successful bidder and that the Debtors business will continue as a going concern, whether or not such outcome would be in the best interests of the Debtors unsecured

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creditors and/or maximize the value of the Debtors estates. Among other things, if approved, the provisions above would (i) allow the Debtors to reject any Bid for less than all of the Debtors assets, notwithstanding that there is reason to believe that more value may be generated by a sale of the Debtors assets on a piecemeal basis, (ii) give the Debtors the ability to withhold diligence materials from effectively any prospective purchaser, including those that compete in the Debtors market and are most likely to bid for the Debtors assets, (iii) impose arbitrary and unnecessary minimum bid and overbid amounts for which the Debtors have not provided any support, (iv) allow the Debtors to discriminate against any prospective bidder other than the stalking horse bidder, and (v) prohibit bidders (other than Clearlake) from seeking expense reimbursement, regardless of whether the value generated by any such bidders would benefit the Debtors estate, and (vi) require prospective Bidders to compile a comprehensive list of contracts to be assumed in a matter of days. C. The Stalking Horse Bidder Would Retain Too Much Control Over the Bidding Process As described above, bidding procedures should not be approved if the stalking

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horse bidder has too much control over the auction process. See In re Thompson Publishing Holding Co., Inc., No. 10-13070 (Bankr. D. Del. Oct. 13, 2010)). Here, the Bidding Procedures provide Clearlake with an express blocking right over any sales of less than all of the Debtors assets. See Bidding Procedures, Reservation of Rights, at p. 11. This consent right gives Clearlake the ability to force the Debtors to sell their business as a whole and is completely inappropriate under the present circumstances.

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D.

The Debtors Have Failed to Disclose Information in Violation of the Local Rules Under Local Bankruptcy Rule 6004, [i]f a proposed buyer has discussed or

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entered into any agreements with management or key employees regarding compensation or future employment, the Bidding Procedures Motion must disclose (a) the material terms of any such agreements, and (b) what measures have been taken to ensure the fairness of the sale and the proposed transaction in light of any such agreements. This provision serves to ensure that any conflicts of interest on the part of the Debtors insiders are adequately disclosed to parties in interest and the court. 34. As described at length above, it appears that the Debtors and Clearlake have

engineered the pre- and post-petition sale process to ensure that the Debtors business continues as a whole following the sale, with the Debtors management retaining their positions. If the members of Debtors management are concerned more with retaining control over the Debtors than maximizing the value of the Debtors estates, their interests clearly conflict with those of the Debtors unsecured creditors. The Bidding Procedures Motion, however, contains scant reference to the discussions and/or agreements between the Debtors and Clearlake with respect to employment of the Debtors management and employees following the sale, as well as the steps the Debtors took to ensure that the sale process is fair in light of such agreements. The Bidding Procedures Motion, therefore, violates Local Rule 6004 and, for such reason, should not be approved.9

If the Court approves the Bidding Procedures, at the very least, the Debtors and Clearlake should be required to provide additional information required under Local Rule 6004 so that the Court and parties in interest can understand and evaluate how any conflicts of interest have impacted or tainted the Debtors sale process.

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CONCLUSION 35. When viewed in combination with the truncated timeline proposed by the Debtors

and the Debtors and their advisors pre- and post-petition conduct, the terms set forth in the Debtors proposed Bidding Procedures make clear that, rather than providing for a robust sale process that will maximize value for creditors, the Bidding Procedures are intended to chill the bidding process and assure that Clearlake is the successful bidder. Given the potential significance to the Debtors unsecured creditors of a sale of potentially all of the Debtors assets, the Bidding Procedures proposed by the Debtors are patently improper. The Bidding Procedures cannot, and should not, be approved by this Court.

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WHEREFORE, the Convertible Committee respectfully requests that the Court (i) deny the Debtors request for approval of the Bidding Procedures, and (ii) grant such other and further relief as may be just and proper. Dated: January 2, 2013 Wilmington, Delaware ANDREWS KURTH LLP By: /s/ Paul N. Silverstein Paul N. Silverstein (pro hac vice pending) Jonathan I. Levine (pro hac vice pending) Jeremy B. Reckmeyer (pro hac vice pending) 450 Lexington Avenue New York, New York 10017 Telephone Number: (212) 850-2800 Facsimile Number: (212) 850-2929 Counsel to the Ad Hoc Committee of Convertible Noteholders

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