NEW YORK – LAWFUEL – Law Firm Newswire – Haynes and Boone, LLP today announced the completion of a series of transactions for San Francisco-based ZVUE™ Corporation (NASDAQ:ZVUE). The combined transactions could have a value of up to $80 million. As part of the transaction, the firm also successfully completed a $28 million private placement (PIPE) transaction for ZVUE™.
Haynes and Boone’s recently expanded New York-based Business and Securities Regulation practice group was tapped to represent ZVUE Corporation, a NASDAQ listed company, in its continuing expansion into the User Generated Content (UGC) market, where it has established a leading position.
The recently completed offering and acquisition adds eBaum’s World™ to the growing roster of UGC content offered through the ZVUE™ Network of Web sites. ZVUE™ is one of the Internet’s premier online entertainment sites for user generated content.
With the acquisition of eBaum’s World™ — a provider of user-generated videos, games, jokes, photos and other content to hundreds of thousands of daily visitors — the ZVUE™ Network of Web sites entertains more than 24 million visitors per month, providing advertisers with innovative solutions for reaching the highly prized 18- to 34-year-old male demographic. The company has licensing and content relationships with AOL Video, Facebook, FOX Mobile and others and also sells ZVUE™ digital media players.
“The eBaum’s World™ transaction has transformed our company into a leader in the online entertainment market,” said Jeff Oscodar, President and CEO of ZVUE™. “We have been assisted by Haynes and Boone’s talented lawyers since becoming a public company, and we are both impressed with and grateful for the team’s commitment and ability to execute complex transactions on a timely basis for us despite our California location. Our selection of counsel and longstanding relationship with the attorneys at Haynes and Boone is evidence of their abilities and commitment to provide outstanding service to leading Internet and technology companies wherever located.”
Haynes and Boone partner Harvey Kesner, who heads the firm’s New York Business and Securities Regulation group, said this latest transaction is significant for a number of reasons. “In addition to the outstanding service historically provided by our Texas colleagues to large and small public companies, many mid-cap public companies have engaged our New York office, given our expertise in representing companies in newly emerging markets, such as Internet, solar, wind, biofuel, life science and other emerging industries.
“These companies tap our New York attorneys to help with their formation and growth through a variety of transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, private placements, PIPEs, registered direct offering and underwritten public offerings,” Mr. Kesner said. “We provide an ideal combination of market and finance savvy and practicality. By establishing our practice group in New York, we have been able to stay on top of the latest trends in technology, finance and M&A. For this reason, companies like ZVUE™ look
to us for assistance from their first round of financing through their public financing, and to help as they grow into larger companies.”
Mr. Kesner notes that the firm’s current New York-based team has been handling a burgeoning stream of PIPE transactions since joining about a year ago, and is expected to grow as the PIPE market expands. The firm’s veteran securities lawyers have been widely recognized for their successes.
In the past 15 months, Haynes and Boone New York has ushered 12 companies to public status. PrivateRaise, LLC, the leading source for comprehensive market intelligence and analysis of PIPEs and Rule 144A transactions, recently ranked Haynes and Boone as the third-leading PIPE issuer law firm ranked by number of deals. In the first three quarters of 2007, the firm advised in 18 completed deals totaling in excess of $400 million.
Haynes and Boone, LLP is an international law firm with offices in New York, Texas, Washington, D.C., Mexico City and Moscow, providing a full spectrum of legal services. Haynes and Boone is ranked among the largest law firms in the nation by The National Law Journal.
ZVUE Corporation (formerly HandHeld Entertainment, Inc.) (NASDAQ:ZVUE) is a global digital entertainment company. Its ZVUE™ Network (comprised of eBaumsWorld.com, Putfile.com™, Holylemon.com™, UnOriginal.co.uk™, YourDailyMedia.com™, Dorks.com™, FunMansion.com™ and ZVUE.com™) is consistently among the top-five companies providing user-generated video online. ZVUE™ personal media players are mass-market priced and currently available for purchase online and in more than 2,200 Wal-Mart stores throughout the U.S. For more information, visit www.zvue.com.
