Axe Compute Inc S-3/A, filed Jul 20, 2026
Axe Compute Inc. (AGPU)
Registration No. 333-296650
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 20, 2026
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Amendment No. 2
to
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
________________________________
Axe Compute Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 33-1007393 |
| (State or jurisdiction | (I.R.S. Employer |
| of incorporation or organization) | Identification No.) |
91 43rd Street, Suite
110
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15201
(412) 432-1500
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Chris Miglino
Chief Executive Officer
Axe Compute Inc.
91 43rd Street, Suite 110
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15201
(412) 432-1500
(Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)
Copy to:
Joseph M. Lucosky, Esq.
Edward Welch, Esq.
Lucosky Brookman LLP
101 Wood Avenue South, 5th Floor
Woodbridge, NJ 08830
(732) 395-4402
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time on or after the effective date of this Registration Statement, as determined by market conditions and other factors.
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one)
| Large accelerated filer ☐ | Accelerated filer ☐ |
| Non-accelerated filer ☒ | Smaller reporting company ☒ |
| Emerging growth company ☐ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of Securities Act. ☐
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS, SUBJECT TO COMPLETION - DATED JULY 20, 2026
AXE COMPUTE INC.
$1,000,000,000
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Warrants
Debt Securities
Units
By this prospectus and an accompanying prospectus supplement, we may from time to time offer and sell, in one or more offerings, up to $1,000,000,000 in any combination of debt securities, common stock, preferred stock, warrants, units, or subscription rights.
We will provide you with more specific terms of the securities offered by us in one or more supplements to this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement carefully before you invest.
We may offer these securities from time to time in amounts, at prices and on other terms to be determined at the time of offering. We may offer and sell these securities to or through underwriters, dealers or agents, or directly to investors, on a continuous or delayed basis.
The supplements to this prospectus will provide the specific terms of the plan of distribution. The price to the public of the securities we offer and the net proceeds we expect to receive from such sale will also be set forth in a prospectus supplement.
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “AGPU”. On July 17, 2026, the closing price of our common stock as reported by the Nasdaq Capital Market was $6.87 per share.
The aggregate market value of shares of our common stock held by non-affiliates, as of the date hereof is $76,604,347, which was calculated based on 11,150,560 shares of our common stock outstanding held by non-affiliates and at a price of $6.87 per share, the closing price of our common stock on July 17, 2026.
An investment in our securities may be considered speculative and involves a high degree of risk, including the risk of a substantial loss of your investment. See “Risk Factors” on page 10 for more information on the risks you should consider before buying our securities. An investment in our securities is not suitable for all investors.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities, or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is , 2026
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Table of Contents
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This prospectus is part of a registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf process, we may sell the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities that may be offered. Each time we offer securities for sale, we will provide a prospectus supplement that contains specific information about the terms of that offering. Any prospectus supplement may also add or update information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described below under “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Information Incorporated by Reference.”
The registration statement that contains this prospectus (including the exhibits thereto) contains additional important information about us and the securities we may offer under this prospectus. Specifically, we have filed certain documents that establish the terms of the securities offered by this prospectus as exhibits to the registration statement. We will file certain other documents that establish the terms of the securities offered by this prospectus as exhibits to reports we file with the SEC. You may obtain copies of the registration statement and the other reports and documents referenced herein as described below under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”
You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and in any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not making offers to sell or solicitations to buy the securities in any jurisdiction in which an offer or solicitation is not authorized or in which the person making that offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, as well as the information we file or previously filed with the SEC that we incorporate by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, is accurate as of any date other than the date of such document. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
In this prospectus, unless the context otherwise requires, references to “Axe Compute,” “we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company” refer to Axe Compute Inc.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some of the statements made in this prospectus are “forward-looking statements” that indicate certain risks and uncertainties related to the Company, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. The Company’s actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those set forth below and elsewhere in this report. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ from projections include:
| · | We may not be able to continue operating without additional financing; |
| · | Continued negative operating cash flows; |
| · | Our capital needs to accomplish our goals, including any further financing, which may be highly dilutive and may include onerous terms; |
| · | Risks related to recent and future acquisitions, including risks related to the benefits and costs of acquisition; |
| · | Risks related to our partnerships with other companies, including the need to negotiate the definitive agreements; possible failure to realize anticipated benefits of these partnerships; and costs of providing funding to our partner companies, which may never be repaid or provide anticipated returns; |
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| · | Risks related to the initiation, formation, or success of our collaboration arrangements, commercialization activities and product sales levels by our collaboration partners and future payments that may come due to us under these arrangements; |
| · | Risk that we will be unable to protect our intellectual property or claims that we are infringing on others’ intellectual property |
| · | The impact of competition; |
| · | Acquisition and maintenance of any necessary regulatory clearances applicable to applications of our technology; |
| · | Inability to attract or retain qualified senior management personnel, including sales and marketing personnel; |
| · | Risk that we never become profitable if our products and services are not accepted by potential customers; |
| · | Possible impact of government regulation and scrutiny; |
| · | Unexpected costs and operating deficits, and lower than expected sales and revenues, if any; |
| · | Adverse results of any legal proceedings; |
| · | The volatility of our operating results and financial condition, |
| · | Management of growth; |
| · | Risk that our business and operations could be materially and adversely affected by disruptions caused by economic and geopolitical uncertainties as well as epidemics or pandemics; and |
| · | Other specific risks that may be alluded to in this report. |
In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would”, “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “estimates”, “projects”, “predicts”, “potential” and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Also, these forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of the document containing the applicable statement.
You should read this prospectus, the documents we have filed with the SEC that are incorporated by reference and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of the forward-looking statements in the foregoing documents by these cautionary statements.
This summary contains basic information about us. You should read the entire prospectus carefully, especially the risks of investing in our securities discussed under “Risk Factors.” Some of the statements contained in this prospectus supplement, including statements under this summary and “Risk Factors” are forward-looking statements and may involve a number of risks and uncertainties. We note that our actual results and future events may differ significantly based upon a number of factors. You should not put undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this document, which speak only as of the date on the cover of this prospectus. References to “we,” “our,” “us,” the “Company,” or “Axe Compute” refer to Axe Compute Inc., a Delaware corporation.
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About Axe Compute
Axe Compute Inc. is a technology company focused on providing high-performance computing infrastructure for artificial intelligence (“AI”) workloads by sourcing large-scale graphics processing unit (“GPU”) capacity from hardware manufacturers and infrastructure suppliers and deploying that capacity for enterprise customers under long-term service agreements. The Company assist customers across the full GPU infrastructure stack, including hardware procurement, colocation, networking, storage, and financing. It can also immediately access compute capacity through relationships with third party compute providers to provide customers compute capacity that is already online and available for rent. The Company also continues to evaluate strategic alternatives for its legacy oncology drug discovery business (the “Legacy Business”), including its proprietary biobank of tumor samples and historical drug response data, which is not part of the Company’s core compute infrastructure operations.
Our Business
Compute Services
The Company’s principal revenue-generating activity is the provision of GPU compute to customers. As of the date of this prospectus, we primarily provide compute services under two customer models: (1) designing and deploying customized, large scale compute infrastructure solutions for enterprise clients; and (2) providing immediate access to GPU capacity (in as fast as 24-48 hours) that is already online and available for rent from third parties.
For customers seeking large-scale, long-duration GPU compute capacity, we build and deploy dedicated compute infrastructure solutions. Under this model, customers contract for dedicated AI infrastructure tailored to their compute, performance, geographic, security, and operational requirements. We coordinate with customers to architect deployments that may include GPU compute, high-speed storage, networking, power infrastructure, and related managed services. Deployments are typically hosted in enterprise-grade data center facilities and are operated by the Company pursuant to service level commitments. We generally finance and then retain ownership of the deployed hardware and related infrastructure, while providing customers access to the infrastructure through multi-year service agreements. Customer contracts are typically structured with deposits, prepayments, and recurring monthly payments, including take-or-pay provisions intended to provide income visibility throughout the contract term.
For customers that need immediate access to GPU compute capacity, we provide access to high-performance GPU compute infrastructure. Our access to third-party networks encompasses global locations and GPUs capable of supporting a broad range of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and high-performance computing workloads. We deliver compute capacity to customers through a managed infrastructure model, typically within 48 hours of customer engagement, without requiring customers to make capital investments in physical hardware or data center facilities.
Drug Discovery Services / Legacy Business
The provision of compute services is the priority of the Company and remains Management’s focus. We also maintain our legacy oncology drug discovery solutions business, which was previously conducted under the Predictive Oncology Inc. name. Current operations in this business are limited, and the Company is exploring strategic alternatives, including a potential sale or other disposition, although no definitive plan has been approved. Historically, this business applied AI to support the discovery and development of cancer therapies, with the objective of improving treatment effectiveness and patient outcomes. The business leveraged AI capabilities to provide actionable insights about drug compounds to improve the drug discovery process and increase the probability of drug compound success. In February 2026, the Company announced that it is exploring strategic alternatives for this oncology drug discovery solutions business. However, as of the date of this prospectus, the Company’s Board of Directors has not yet committed to a specific course of action.
ATH and the Aethir Network
Strategic Compute Reserve
In September 2025, the Company adopted a treasury strategy centered on ATH, the native utility token of the Aethir network. The Aethir network is a decentralized physical infrastructure network developed by DCI Foundation, a Panama foundation company (“DCI”) that supports GPU compute workloads. The Aethir token (“ATH”) serves as the mechanism through which the Company obtains immediate access to GPU capacity on the Aethir network and deploys that access to customers. The Company’s significant ATH holdings provide a cost-efficient mechanism for acquiring immediate access to GPU capacity at scale, which the Company refers to as its Strategic Compute Reserve.
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The Company funded the initial establishment of its Strategic Compute Reserve principally through the in-kind contribution of ATH and the cash proceeds received in private securities offerings that closed in October 2025 (the "Private Placements"), the cash proceeds of which were used to acquire ATH. The in-kind and cash proceeds were received pursuant to two securities purchase agreements entered into with certain accredited investors (the “Cryptocurrency Securities Purchase Agreement” and the “Cash Securities Purchase Agreement”, respectively). The Company may continue acquiring additional ATH in the open market to expand its compute access capacity.
In connection with the Private Placements, the Company entered into a side letter agreement with DCI, supplementing the Cryptocurrency Securities Purchase Agreement, dated September 29, 2025 and effective as of October 7, 2025 (the "DCI Agreement"), which provides the Company an incentive to purchase ATH on the open market. When the Company purchases ATH in the open market, whether through a centralized exchange or a decentralized exchange operating on the Ethereum Network, the Company is entitled to receive additional ATH tokens equal to 20% of the number of tokens purchased within 30 days of the open market purchase. There are no restrictions on the Company's use of the additional 20% ATH received.
The DCI Agreement also provides that DCI will be responsible if any digital assets contributed pursuant to the Cryptocurrency Securities Purchase Agreement that are subject to transfer restrictions (the "Locked Crypto") are not released from such restrictions as expected or cannot be used by the Company due to issues attributable to DCI, and entitles the Company to seek equitable relief if DCI does not cure such failure within five business days of notice. In addition, DCI makes certain representations under the DCI Agreement regarding the ability of the Locked Crypto to generate yield and that the vesting provisions applicable to the Locked Crypto will not interfere with the Company's treasury strategy. The DCI Agreement further provides that DCI will have no claims against the Company in connection with any disputes relating to the valuation or contribution of Locked Crypto. The DCI Agreement became effective on October 7, 2025 and shall remain in full force and effect for so long as the Company is not in default under the Cryptocurrency Securities Purchase Agreement or the DCI Agreement. The DCI Agreement may be amended, and the observance of any provision may be waived, only with the written consent of each of the Company and DCI.
On July 17, 2026, the Company’s Strategic Compute Reserve, inclusive of unlocked tokens and rights to receive tokens in the future, included approximately 6.148 billion ATH, with a market value of approximately $27.0 million, based on a price of $0.0044 per ATH, the price reported on the OKX exchange as of 4:00 p.m. ET on such date.
Currently, the Strategic Compute Reserve is primarily comprised of ATH, and the Company does not intend to allocate reserve assets to other digital assets in the near term. A significant portion of the Company’s balance sheet is allocated to its Strategic Compute Reserve. As a result, the Company’s assets will be highly concentrated in a single digital asset. As a holder of ATH, the Company accrues unrealized gains or losses from any appreciation or depreciation, as applicable, in the value of ATH tokens, which trade on various cryptocurrency exchanges. Adverse developments specific to ATH, its protocol, or its network could have a disproportionate impact on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.
The Company has not established, and does not currently intend to establish, a specific dollar amount or budget of additional capital to be used to purchase ATH for its treasury, and it does not currently have plans to raise additional capital for the principal purpose of purchasing significant additional amounts of ATH. The Company does not currently intend to purchase ATH for its treasury beyond what the Company expects to deploy into GPU compute and resell to customers in the short term.
Overview of ATH and the Aethir Network
The Aethir network aggregates enterprise-grade GPUs contributed by independent data centers, enterprises and other hardware owners into a single globally distributed network. The network is designed to deliver immediate access to GPU compute for artificial intelligence training and inference, cloud gaming and other virtualized compute workloads, in many cases at a discount to centralized cloud providers. Within the network, three roles operate to ensure the availability, suitability and quality of compute: “Containers,” where compute is actually performed; “Checkers,” which test and monitor Containers to verify integrity and performance; and “Indexers,” which match compute consumers with suitable Containers. Purchasers of compute consume the network’s compute resources.
ATH functions as a proxy for a unit of GPU compute power and serves as the medium of exchange and unit of incentives for participants in the Aethir network. ATH is implemented as an ERC-20 token on the Ethereum network, with deployments on the Arbitrum network and, via bridging, on the Solana network.
To participate as a compute provider, a network participant acquires ATH and stakes it as collateral in order to contribute GPU resources and become eligible to service compute requests. As compute is delivered and verified, ATH flows from compute consumers (and, in respect of certain readiness and delivery rewards, from the Aethir network) to resource providers as payment and rewards. Resource providers earn ATH through “Proof of Capacity” rewards (for maintaining availability and readiness) and “Proof of Delivery” rewards (for completing workloads), together with service fees paid by compute consumers.
Providers may in turn re-stake, hold, lend or sell the ATH they receive, and staked ATH may be unstaked following the applicable 180-day unlocking period or may be “slashed” (forfeited) if the provider fails to meet the network’s service-level or quality standards, such as by taking resources offline during a workload. An Aethir treasury manages protocol fees and ATH allocated to protocol growth, and a blockchain settlement layer records transactions and facilitates the transfer of ATH.
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ATH Tokenomics
ATH has a fixed maximum supply of 42 billion tokens, all of which were minted in June 2024 in Aethir’s token generation event. The protocol does not provide for the creation of ATH beyond this fixed cap, and there is no protocol-level “burn” or other mechanism that permanently removes ATH from supply. As a result, the supply of ATH is not inflationary beyond the fixed cap and increases in circulating supply over time reflect the release of previously created tokens in accordance with Aethir’s published emissions and vesting schedules rather than the creation of new tokens.
The 42 billion fixed supply of ATH was allocated among various categories of network participants, with certain ATH allocations subject to vesting and release over time according to token vesting schedules published by Aethir. Based on the circulating-supply schedule published in Aethir’s tokenomics documentation, the circulating supply of ATH was approximately 22.0 billion tokens as of July 2026, representing approximately 52% of the 42 billion fixed maximum supply, while the remaining 20.0 billion tokens remain locked up. The circulating supply is scheduled to continue increasing, primarily due to the release of previously locked tokens according to Aethir’s published token vesting schedules, with the full supply expected to be released after June 2031. The amounts shown in Aethir’s circulating-supply schedule represent expected releases under the emissions schedule and may differ from the actual number of ATH in circulation at any given time. Because previously created but unvested ATH continues to be released under these schedules, holders of ATH, including the Company, may experience dilution of their holdings in ATH over time.
How the Company Maintains its Strategic Compute Reserve
The Company holds its ATH through a combination of third-party custody and self-custody arrangements, in each case other than ATH that remains subject to vesting and transfer restrictions, as described below.
The Company’s unlocked ATH is primarily held in custody with Payward Financial, Inc. (also referred to as “Kraken”), a Wyoming special purpose depository institution that provides institutional-grade digital asset custody services. The Company’s custodial arrangement provides, among other things, that: the custodied ATH is held in a segregated custodial account in trust for the benefit of the Company; the custodian has no right, title or interest in the custodied ATH, and the custodied ATH does not constitute an asset on the custodian’s balance sheet; the custodied ATH is not commingled with the custodian’s own assets (other than temporarily, for limited operational periods, to effect transfers); the custodian may not lend, pledge, hypothecate or re-hypothecate the custodied ATH, or transfer it, except in accordance with the Company’s instructions; the custodied ATH is treated as a “financial asset” under Article 8 of the Wyoming Uniform Commercial Code, with the custodian acting as a “securities intermediary”; and, in the event of the custodian’s insolvency or receivership, the custodied ATH is intended to pass to the Company rather than to the custodian’s creditors. Balances of digital assets held with the custodian are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the Securities Investor Protection Corporation.
The Company also self-custodies a portion of its ATH for operational purposes using institutional self-custody wallet infrastructure that employs multi-party computation to secure the private keys associated with the Company’s wallets. Self-custodied ATH is subject to the risks of self-custody, including the risk of loss, theft or destruction of private keys, for which there is generally no recourse to a third-party custodian.
A portion of the Company’s Strategic Compute Reserve consists of contractual rights to receive ATH that remain subject to time-based vesting and transfer restrictions, which the Company refers to as “Locked ATH.” Locked ATH was obtained pursuant to Simple Agreements for Future Tokens and is administered through an on-chain smart contract deployed on the Ethereum mainnet that enforces the applicable vesting schedules. Prior to vesting and claim, the Company does not control the underlying ATH and is not able to transfer, sell, stake, pledge or otherwise deploy it. Upon satisfaction of the vesting conditions, the Company must affirmatively claim the unlocked ATH through the smart contract, at which point the tokens are released and transferred to a Company-controlled wallet and may then be held in custody, self-custodied or otherwise deployed in accordance with the Company’s treasury strategy.
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How the Company Deploys its Strategic Compute Reserve
To date, the Company has sought to generate value from its ATH holdings primarily by deploying ATH to procure GPU compute capacity on the Aethir network and reselling that compute capacity to its customers in exchange for cash. The Company sells compute to its enterprise, research and commercial customers under master services agreements and related order forms. In these arrangements, the Company acts as principal, controlling the compute capacity before it is transferred to the customer. This control is evidenced by the Company's ability to direct the use of the specific compute resources, including selecting the geographic location and type of GPU nodes on the Aethir network used to fulfill customer orders. The Company also bears inventory risk for the capacity it procures and has sole discretion in setting customer pricing.
Additionally, to a lesser extent, the Company has generated value and may continue to seek to generate value from its ATH holdings by entering into short-term lending arrangements, generally with a term of approximately one month, to earn incremental yield on portions of its ATH holdings which are not imminently expected to be deployed to procure GPU compute capacity for its Compute Services business. In exchange for lending the ATH tokens, the Company receives rewards at a fixed rate denominated in ATH tokens. The Company does not currently have any ATH loaned to third parties.
The Company has not engaged in ATH staking to date and does not currently have plans to do so, although it may elect to stake ATH in the future. The Company may also sell ATH from time to time, whether in the open market, through block trades or in other negotiated transactions, including to fund working capital and general corporate needs. The Company accrues unrealized gains or losses on its ATH holdings as the market price of ATH fluctuates; however, the Company does not regard appreciation in the price of ATH as a principal means of generating operating profit, and the price of ATH has been, and is expected to continue to be, highly volatile.
Our Industry
The global compute infrastructure market represents a significant and growing opportunity. The global cloud computing market- which encompasses the infrastructure-as-a-service and platform-as-a-service segments most relevant to GPU compute- is estimated at approximately $1 trillion in 2026 and is projected to reach approximately $2.4 to $3.3 trillion by 2030 to 2033, representing compound annual growth rates of approximately 16% to 20%, according to multiple independent market research firms. When focused specifically on AI-related computing, worldwide AI spending is forecast to total $2.52 trillion in 2026, a 44% increase year-over-year, according to leading research. Building AI foundations alone is expected to drive a 49% increase in spending on AI-optimized servers in 2026, representing 17% of total AI spending. It is . estimated in 2025 that over 50% of all data center capacity was already dedicated to AI workloads, an amount they expect to grow by a factor of approximately 3.5 times by 2030, and that approximately $6.7 trillion will be spent on data centers globally between 2025 and 2030. Notwithstanding this level of investment, demand continues to outpace supply. As of early 2026, North American data center vacancy rates reached a record low of 1.6% and data center demand increased approximately 24% in 2025, and average GPU procurement lead times stand at 36 to 52 weeks, according to CBRE Investment Management. We believe this supply-demand imbalance creates a significant opportunity for our GPU compute business, which provides distributed GPU compute capacity for AI and other high-performance computing workloads.
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Corporate Information
Our principal executive offices are located at 91 43rd Street, Suite 110 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and our telephone number is (412) 432-1500.
We were originally incorporated in Minnesota on April 23, 2002, and reincorporated in Delaware in 2013. We changed our name from Skyline Medical Inc. to Precision Therapeutics Inc. on February 1, 2018, to Predictive Oncology Inc. on June 13, 2019, and finally to Axe Compute Inc. on December 11, 2025. Additional information about us is available on our website at https://axecompute.com/. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
For a description of our business, financial condition, results of operations and other important information regarding us, we refer you to our filings with the SEC incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement. For instructions on how to find copies of these documents, see “Where You Can Find More Information.”
Recent Developments
Appointment of Kyle Okamoto as President
On April 1, 2026, the Board of Directors appointed Kyle Okamoto to serve as President of the Company. Mr. Okamoto most recently served as Chief Technology Officer of Aethir, a distributed GPU cloud infrastructure and AI compute platform company. Prior to Aethir, Mr. Okamoto held senior leadership positions at Ericsson and Verizon.
Appointment of Jeremy Yaukey-Witter as Chief Financial Officer
On April 10, 2026, Josh Blacher advised the Company of his intention to resign from his position as Chief Financial Officer, effective May 18, 2026. Mr. Blacher's resignation was not due to any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the Company's operations, policies, or practices. On April 16, 2026, the Board of Directors appointed Jeremy Yaukey-Witter to serve as co-Chief Financial Officer alongside Mr. Blacher through May 18, 2026, and as sole Chief Financial Officer thereafter. Mr. Yaukey-Witter joined the Company in April 2023 and most recently served as Controller.
April 2026 Enterprise Infrastructure Contract
On April 22, 2026, the Company announced its entry into a 36-month enterprise infrastructure contract with an enterprise customer (the “April Agreement”). The April Agreement has an aggregate contract value of approximately $260 million. Under the April Agreement, the Company will deliver a dedicated cluster of 2,304 NVIDIA B300 GPUs and AI-focused high-speed storage infrastructure from a single U.S. Tier 3 data center facility. The cluster is intended to support large-scale AI model training, fine-tuning, and high-throughput inference workloads. The infrastructure will maintain NVIDIA reference architecture throughout the contract period. The initial term of the Agreement is 36 months, with targeted deployment commencing in the third quarter of 2026. The Agreement includes options to renew for additional years beyond the initial term. The payment structure under the April Agreement consists of a deposit, prepayment, and monthly payments made in advance on a take-or-pay basis. The agreement includes enterprise-grade service levels.
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An investment in our securities involves a number of risks. Before deciding to invest in our securities, you should carefully consider the risks discussed under the sections captioned “Risk Factors” contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, which report is incorporated by reference in this prospectus, the information and documents incorporated by reference herein, and in any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with an offering. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow could be harmed. This could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline, resulting in a loss of all or part of your investment. The risks described in the documents referenced above are not the only ones that we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business.
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Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of securities offered by the prospectus for general corporate purposes and working capital requirements, including to fund our Compute Services operations, expand our infrastructure deployments, and grow our Strategic Compute Reserve to secure immediate access to additional GPU capacity. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to:
| · | make capital expenditures, |
| · | license or acquire intellectual property or technologies to incorporate into our products, or |
| · | fund possible acquisitions of, or investments in, complementary compute infrastructure businesses, technology assets, partnerships, and minority investments. |
We have not determined the amounts we plan to spend on the areas listed above or the timing of these expenditures. As a result, our management will have broad discretion to allocate the net proceeds of the offerings. We have no binding commitments or agreements with respect to any specific acquisition as of the date of this prospectus, although we may evaluate acquisition opportunities in the compute infrastructure sector.
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The following description summarizes the material terms of our capital stock. This summary is, however, subject to the provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws. For greater detail about our capital stock, please refer to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws.
General
Our authorized capital stock consists of 200,000,000 shares of Common Stock, and 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Preferred Stock”). Out of the Preferred Stock, as of July 17, 2026, 2,300,000 shares have been designated Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, of which 79,246 shares were outstanding.
The outstanding shares of our Common Stock and Preferred Stock are fully paid and nonassessable.
The Series B Convertible Preferred Stock is convertible into two (2) shares of Common Stock, subject to a 4.99% beneficial ownership blocker.
Our Board of Directors is authorized, subject to any limitations prescribed by law, to provide for the issuance of the shares of Preferred Stock in series and, by filing a certificate pursuant to the applicable law of the State of Delaware, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series, and to fix the designation, powers, preferences and rights of the shares of each such series and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereon. The number of authorized shares of Preferred Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock without a vote of the holders of the Preferred Stock, or of any series thereof, unless a vote of any such holders is required pursuant to the certificate or certificates establishing the series of Preferred Stock.
Common Stock
As of July 17, 2026, we had 11,494,588 shares of common stock outstanding held by approximately 170 stockholders of record.
Voting Rights. The holders of our Common Stock are entitled to one vote for each outstanding share of Common Stock owned by that shareholder on every matter properly submitted to the shareholders for their vote. Shareholders are not entitled to vote cumulatively for the election of directors.
Dividend Rights. Subject to the dividend rights of the holders of any outstanding series of preferred stock, holders of our Common Stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends and other distributions of cash or any other right or property as may be declared by our Board of Directors out of our assets or funds legally available for such dividends or distributions.
Liquidation Rights. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs, holders of our Common Stock would be entitled to share ratably in our assets that are legally available for distribution to shareholders after payment of liabilities and after the satisfaction of any liquidation preference owed to the holders of any Preferred Stock.
Conversion, Redemption and Preemptive Rights. Holders of our Common Stock have no conversion, redemption, preemptive, subscription or similar rights.
Anti-Takeover Provisions
Bylaws. Certain provisions of our Bylaws could have anti-takeover effects. These provisions are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of our corporate policies formulated by our Board of Directors. In addition, these provisions also are intended to ensure that our Board of Directors will have sufficient time to act in what our Board of Directors believes to be in the best interests of our Company and our shareholders. Nevertheless, these provisions could delay or frustrate the removal of incumbent directors or the assumption of control of us by the holder of a large block of Common Stock, and could also discourage or make more difficult a merger, tender offer, or proxy contest, even if such event would be favorable to the interest of our shareholders. These provisions are summarized below.
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Advance Notice Provisions for Raising Business or Nominating Directors. Sections 2.09 and 2.10 of our Bylaws contain advance-notice provisions relating to the ability of shareholders to raise business at a shareholder meeting and make nominations for directors to serve on our Board of Directors. These advance-notice provisions generally require shareholders to raise business within a specified period of time prior to a meeting in order for the business to be properly brought before the meeting.
Number of Directors and Vacancies. Our Bylaws provide that the exact number of directors shall be determined from time to time solely by resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the entire Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is divided into three classes, as nearly equal in number as possible, designated: Class I, Class II and Class III (each, a “Class”). In the case of any increase or decrease, from time to time, in the number of directors, the number of directors in each class shall be apportioned as nearly equal as possible. Except as otherwise provided in the Certificate of Incorporation, each director serves for a term ending on the date of the third annual meeting of the Company’s stockholders following the annual meeting at which such director was elected; provided, that the term of each director shall continue until the election and qualification of a successor and be subject to such director’s earlier death, resignation or removal. Vacancies on the Board of Directors resulting from death, resignation, removal or otherwise and newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the number of directors may be filled solely by a majority of the directors then in office (although less than a quorum) or by the sole remaining director.
Delaware Law. We are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. This provision generally prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any business combination with any interested stockholder for a period of three years following the date the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:
| • | prior to such date, the board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; | |
| • | upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding those shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or | |
| • | on or subsequent to such date, the business combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual meeting or special meeting of stockholders and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder. |
Section 203 defines a business combination to include:
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any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder;
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any sale, transfer, pledge or other disposition of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation involving the interested stockholder;
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subject to certain exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder;
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any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; or
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| • | the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits provided by or through the corporation. |
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In general, Section 203 defines an “interested stockholder” as any entity or person beneficially owning 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of a corporation, or an affiliate or associate of the corporation and was the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of a corporation at any time within three years prior to the time of determination of interested stockholder status; and any entity or person affiliated with or controlling or controlled by such entity or person.
These statutory provisions could delay or frustrate the removal of incumbent directors or a change in control of our company. They could also discourage, impede, or prevent a merger, tender offer, or proxy contest, even if such event would be favorable to the interests of stockholders. In addition, note that while Delaware law permits companies to opt out of its business combination statute, our Certificate of Incorporation does not include this opt-out provision.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Pacific Stock Transfer.
Listing
The shares of our common stock are listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “AGPU.” On July 17, 2026, the last reported sale price per share for our common stock as reported by The Nasdaq Capital Market was $6.87.
Preferred Stock
Our Board of Directors has the authority, without action by our stockholders, to designate and issue up to 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series or classes and to designate the rights, preferences and privileges of each series or class, which may be greater than the rights of our common stock. The Board’s authority to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of the Company and could discourage such attempt.
Series B Convertible Preferred Stock Outstanding
In connection with an offering of units that closed on August 31, 2015, we issued as part of the units 1,895,010 shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock pursuant to a Certificate of Designation approved by our Board.
The Series B Convertible Preferred Stock separated from the other securities included within the units as of February 29, 2016 and are currently convertible. As of July 17, 2026, 79,246 shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock remain outstanding.
The Series B Convertible Preferred Stock is convertible into two (2) shares of common stock. The number of shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of stock dividends, stock splits, reorganizations or similar events affecting our common stock.
Upon the occurrence of a “Fundamental Transaction”, each share of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock shall be automatically converted into one share of common stock of the Company, subject to the beneficial ownership limitation discussed in the next paragraph. A “Fundamental Transaction” means that (i) the Company shall, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions, (1) consolidate or merge with or into (whether or not the Company is the surviving corporation) any other person unless the shareholders of the Company immediately prior to such consolidation or merger continue to hold more than 50% of the outstanding shares of voting stock after such consolidation or merger, or (2)sell, lease, license, assign, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the properties and assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to any other person, or (3) allow any other person to make a purchase, tender or exchange offer that is accepted by the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of voting stock of the Company (not including any shares of voting stock of the Company held by the person or persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the persons making or party to, such purchase, tender or exchange offer), or (4) consummate a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination (including, without limitation, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off or scheme of arrangement) with any other person whereby such other person acquires more than 50% of the outstanding shares of voting stock of the Company (not including any shares of voting stock of the Company held by the other person or other persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the other persons making or party to, such stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination), or (ii) any “person” or “group” (as these terms are used for purposes of Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder), other than a Permitted Holder, is or shall become the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of 50% of the aggregate ordinary voting power represented by issued and outstanding voting stock of the Company. The term Permitted Holders means Josh Kornberg, Atlantic Partners Alliance and SOK Partners, LLC and each of their respective affiliates.
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The Series B Convertible Preferred Stock is not convertible by the holder of such preferred stock to the extent (and only to the extent) that the holder or any of its affiliates would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% of the common stock of the Company. For purposes of the limitation described in this paragraph, beneficial ownership and all determinations and calculations are determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
The Series B Convertible Preferred Stock has no voting rights, except that the holders of shares of a majority of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock will be required to effect or validate any amendment, alteration or repeal of any of the provisions of the Certificate of Designation that materially adversely affects the powers, preferences or special rights of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, whether by merger or consolidation or otherwise; provided, however, that (i) in the event of an amendment to terms of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, including by merger or consolidation, so long as the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock remains outstanding with the terms thereof materially unchanged, or the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock is converted into, preference securities of the surviving entity, or its ultimate parent, with such powers, preferences or special rights that are, in the good faith determination of the Board of the Company, taken as a whole, not materially less favorable to the holders of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock than the powers, preferences or special rights of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock in effect prior to such amendment or the occurrence of such event, taken as a whole, then such amendment or the occurrence of such event will not be deemed to materially and adversely affect such powers, preferences or special rights of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock and (ii) the authorization, establishment or issuance by the Corporation of any other series of preferred stock with powers, preferences or special rights that are senior to or on a parity with the Series B Preferred Stock, including, but not limited to, powers, preferences or special rights with respect to dividends, distributions or liquidation preferences, shall not be deemed to materially and adversely affect the power, preferences or special rights of the Series B Preferred Stock, and in the case of either clause (i) or (ii), the holders shall not have any voting rights with respect thereto, and provided further that, (iii) prior to the date that is the six month anniversary of the Issuance Date, no amendment, alteration or repeal of any of the provisions of this Certificate of Designation shall be made that affects the powers, preferences or special rights of the Series B Preferred Stock in any manner, whether by merger or consolidation or otherwise. An amendment to the terms of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock only requires the vote of the holders of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock.
With respect to payment of dividends and distribution of assets upon liquidation or dissolution or winding up of the Company, the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock shall rank equal to the common stock of the Company. No sinking fund has been established for the retirement or redemption of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock. As such, the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock is not subject to any restriction on the repurchase or redemption of shares by the Company due to an arrearage in the payment of dividends or sinking fund installments.
The Series B Convertible Preferred Stock also has no liquidation rights or preemption rights, and there are no special classifications of our Board related to the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock.
The shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock have been duly authorized, validly issued and fully paid and are non-assessable. We have authorized and reserved at least that number of shares of common stock equal to the number of shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of all outstanding Series B Convertible Preferred Stock.
THE HOLDER OF SERIES B CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK DO NOT POSSESS ANY RIGHTS AS A STOCKHOLDER UNDER THE SHARES OF SERIES B CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK UNTIL THE HOLDER CONVERTS THE SHARES OF SERIES B CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK.
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There is no established public trading market for our Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, and we do not expect a market to develop. We do not intend to apply to list Series B Convertible Preferred Stock on any securities exchange. Without an active market, the liquidity of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock will be limited.
One or More New Series of Preferred Stock
The following description of preferred stock and the description of the terms of any particular series of preferred stock that we choose to issue hereunder and that will be set forth in the related prospectus supplement are not complete. These descriptions are qualified in their entirety by reference to the certificate of designation relating to that series. The rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of the preferred stock of each series will be fixed by the certificate of designation relating to that series.
Our board of directors has the authority, without stockholder approval, subject to limitations prescribed by law, to provide for the issuance of the shares of preferred stock in one or more series, and by filing a certificate pursuant to the applicable law of the State of Delaware, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series, and to fix the designation, powers, preferences and rights of the shares of each series and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including, but not limited to, the following:
| · | the number of shares constituting that series; |
| · | dividend rights and rates; |
| · | voting rights; |
| · | conversion terms; |
| · | rights and terms of redemption (including sinking fund provisions); and |
| · | rights of the series in the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding up. |
All shares of preferred stock offered hereby will, when issued, be fully paid and nonassessable and will not have any preemptive or similar rights. Our board of directors could authorize the issuance of shares of preferred stock with terms and conditions that could have the effect of discouraging a takeover or other transaction that might involve a premium price for holders of the shares or which holders might believe to be in their best interests.
We will set forth in a prospectus supplement relating to the series of preferred stock being offered the following items:
| · | the title and stated value of the preferred stock; |
| · | the number of shares of the preferred stock offered, the liquidation preference per share and the offering price of the preferred stock; |
| · | the dividend rate(s), period(s) and/or payment date(s) or method(s) of calculation applicable to the preferred stock; |
| · | whether dividends are cumulative or non-cumulative and, if cumulative, the date from which dividends on the preferred stock will accumulate; |
| · | the procedures for any auction and remarketing, if any, for the preferred stock; |
| · | the provisions for a sinking fund, if any, for the preferred stock; |
| · | the provision for redemption, if applicable, of the preferred stock; |
| · | any listing of the preferred stock on any securities exchange; |
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| · | the terms and conditions, if applicable, upon which the preferred stock will be convertible into common stock, including the conversion price (or manner of calculation) and conversion period; |
| · | voting rights, if any, of the preferred stock; |
| · | a discussion of any material and/or special United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the preferred stock; |
| · | the relative ranking and preferences of the preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs; |
| · | any limitations on issuance of any class or series of preferred stock ranking senior to or on a parity with the class or series of preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs; and |
| · | any other specific terms, preferences, rights, limitations or restrictions of the preferred stock. |
The transfer agent and registrar for any series of preferred stock will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
Our current Certificate of Incorporation authorizes the issuance of “blank check” preferred stock that could be issued by our Board of Directors to defend against a takeover attempt. See “Preferred Stock” above.
We may issue warrants for the purchase of our common stock or preferred stock, or a combination thereof. Warrants may be issued independently or together with our debt securities, preferred stock or common stock and may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as warrant agent. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants. The warrant agent will not have any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders or beneficial owners of warrants. This description is a summary of the certain provisions of the units, and does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, the provisions of the warrant agreement that will be filed with the SEC in connection with an offering of the warrants. The particular terms of any units offered by us will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. To the extent the terms of the warrants described in the prospectus supplement differ from the terms set forth in this summary, the terms described in the prospectus supplement will supersede the terms described below.
The prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of warrants to purchase our common stock or preferred stock will describe the terms of the warrants, including the following:
| · | the title of the warrants; |
| · | the offering price for the warrants, if any; |
| · | the aggregate number of warrants; |
| · | the designation and terms of the common stock or preferred stock that may be purchased upon exercise of the warrants; |
| · | if applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each security; |
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| · | if applicable, the date from and after which the warrants and any securities issued with the warrants will be separately transferable; |
| · | the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock that may be purchased upon exercise of a warrant and the exercise price for the warrants; |
| · | the dates on which the right to exercise the warrants shall commence and expire; |
| · | if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of the warrants that may be exercised at any one time; |
| · | the currency or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and the exercise price are payable; |
| · | if applicable, a discussion of material U.S. federal income tax considerations; |
| · | the antidilution provisions of the warrants, if any; |
| · | the redemption or call provisions, if any, applicable to the warrants; |
| · | any provisions with respect to holder’s right to require us to repurchase the warrants upon a change in control or similar event; and |
| · | any additional terms of the warrants, including procedures, and limitations relating to the exchange, exercise and settlement of the warrants. |
Holders of equity warrants will not be entitled:
| · | to vote, consent or receive dividends; |
| · | receive notice as stockholders with respect to any meeting of stockholders for the election of our directors or any other matter; or |
| · | exercise any rights as stockholders of the Company. |
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
This description is a summary of the material provisions of the debt securities and the related indenture. We urge you to read the form of indenture filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part because the indenture, and not this description, governs your rights as a holder of debt securities. References in this prospectus to an “indenture” refer to the particular indenture under which we may issue a series of debt securities.
General
The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of our board of directors and set forth or determined in the manner provided in an officers’ certificate or by a supplemental indenture. Debt securities may be issued in separate series without limitation as to aggregate principal amount. We may specify a maximum aggregate principal amount for the debt securities of any series. The particular terms of each series of debt securities will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to such series, including any pricing supplement. The prospectus supplement will set forth specific terms relating to some or all of the following:
| · | the offering price; |
| · | the title; |
| · | any limit on the aggregate principal amount; |
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| · | the person who shall be entitled to receive interest, if other than the record holder on the record date; |
| · | the date the principal will be payable; |
| · | the interest rate, if any, the date interest will accrue, the interest payment dates and the regular record dates; |
| · | the place where payments may be made; |
| · | any mandatory or optional redemption provisions; |
| · | if applicable, the method for determining how the principal, premium, if any, or interest will be calculated by reference to an index or formula; |
| · | if other than U.S. currency, the currency or currency units in which principal, premium, if any, or interest will be payable and whether we or the holder may elect payment to be made in a different currency; |
| · | the portion of the principal amount that will be payable upon acceleration of stated maturity, if other than the entire principal amount; |
| · | any defeasance provisions if different from those described below under “Satisfaction and Discharge; Defeasance”; |
| · | any conversion or exchange provisions; |
| · | any obligation to redeem or purchase the debt securities pursuant to a sinking fund; |
| · | whether the debt securities will be issuable in the form of a global security; |
| · | any subordination provisions, if different from those described below under “Subordination”; |
| · | any deletions of, or changes or additions to, the events of default or covenants; and |
| · | any other specific terms of such debt securities. |
Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, the debt securities will be registered debt securities. Debt securities may be sold at a substantial discount below their stated principal amount, bearing no interest or interest at a rate which at the time of issuance is below market rates.
Exchange and Transfer
Debt securities may be transferred or exchanged at the office of the security registrar or at the office of any transfer agent designated by us.
We will not impose a service charge for any transfer or exchange, but we may require holders to pay any tax or other governmental charges associated with any transfer or exchange.
In the event of any potential redemption of debt securities of any series, we will not be required to:
| · | issue, register the transfer of, or exchange, any debt security of that series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of mailing of a notice of redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing; or |
| · | register the transfer of or exchange any debt security of that series selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion being redeemed in part. |
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We may initially appoint the trustee as the security registrar. Any transfer agent, in addition to the security registrar, initially designated by us will be named in the prospectus supplement. We may designate additional transfer agents or change transfer agents or change the office of the transfer agent. However, we will be required to maintain a transfer agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of each series.
Global Securities
The debt securities of any series may be represented, in whole or in part, by one or more global securities. Each global security will:
| · | be registered in the name of a depositary that we will identify in a prospectus supplement; |
| · | be deposited with the depositary or nominee or custodian; and |
| · | bear any required legends. |
No global security may be exchanged in whole or in part for debt securities registered in the name of any person other than the depositary or any nominee unless:
| · | the depositary has notified us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depositary or has ceased to be qualified to act as depositary; |
| · | an event of default is continuing; or |
| · | the Company executes and delivers to the trustee an officers’ certificate stating that the global security is exchangeable. |
As long as the depositary, or its nominee, is the registered owner of a global security, the depositary or nominee will be considered the sole owner and holder of the debt securities represented by the global security for all purposes under the indenture. Except in the above limited circumstances, owners of beneficial interests in a global security:
| • | will not be entitled to have the debt securities registered in their names; |
| • | will not be entitled to physical delivery of certificated debt securities; and |
| • | will not be considered to be holders of those debt securities under the indentures. |
Payments on a global security will be made to the depositary or its nominee as the holder of the global security. Some jurisdictions have laws that require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in definitive form. These laws may impair the ability to transfer beneficial interests in a global security.
Institutions that have accounts with the depositary or its nominee are referred to as “participants.” Ownership of beneficial interests in a global security will be limited to participants and to persons that may hold beneficial interests through participants. The depositary will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the respective principal amounts of debt securities represented by the global security to the accounts of its participants.
Ownership of beneficial interests in a global security will be shown on and effected through records maintained by the depositary, with respect to participants’ interests, or any participant, with respect to interests of persons held by participants on their behalf.
Payments, transfers and exchanges relating to beneficial interests in a global security will be subject to policies and procedures of the depositary.
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The depositary policies and procedures may change from time to time. Neither we nor the trustee will have any responsibility or liability for the depositary’s or any participant’s records with respect to beneficial interests in a global security.
Payment and Paying Agent
The provisions of this paragraph will apply to the debt securities unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement. Payment of interest on a debt security on any interest payment date will be made to the person in whose name the debt security is registered at the close of business on the regular record date. Payment on debt securities of a particular series will be payable at the office of a paying agent or paying agents designated by us. However, at our option, we may pay interest by mailing a check to the record holder. The corporate trust office will be designated as our sole paying agent.
We may also name any other paying agents in the prospectus supplement. We may designate additional paying agents, change paying agents or change the office of any paying agent. However, we will be required to maintain a paying agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of a particular series.
All moneys paid by us to a paying agent for payment on any debt security which remain unclaimed at the end of two years after such payment was due will be repaid to us. Thereafter, the holder may look only to us for such payment.
Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets
Except as otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement, we may not consolidate with or merge into any other person, in a transaction in which we are not the surviving corporation, or convey, transfer or lease our properties and assets substantially as an entirety to, any person, unless:
| · | the successor, if any, is a U.S. corporation, limited liability company, partnership, trust or other entity; |
| · | the successor assumes our obligations on the debt securities and under the indenture; |
| · | immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no default or event of default shall have occurred and be continuing; and |
| · | certain other conditions are met. |
Events of Default
Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, the indenture will define an event of default with respect to any series of debt securities as one or more of the following events:
| (1) | failure to pay principal of or any premium on any debt security of that series when due; |
| (2) | failure to pay any interest on any debt security of that series for 30 days when due; |
| (3) | failure to deposit any sinking fund payment when due; |
| (4) | failure to perform any other covenant in the indenture continued for 90 days after being given the notice required in the indenture; |
| (5) | our bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization; and |
| (6) | any other event of default specified in the prospectus supplement. |
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An event of default of one series of debt securities is not necessarily an event of default for any other series of debt securities.
If an event of default, other than an event of default described in clause (5) above, shall occur and be continuing, either the trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding securities of that series may declare the principal amount of the debt securities of that series to be due and payable immediately.
If an event of default described in clause (5) above shall occur, the principal amount of all the debt securities of that series will automatically become immediately due and payable. Any payment by us on subordinated debt securities following any such acceleration will be subject to the subordination provisions described below under “Subordinated Debt Securities.”
After acceleration the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding securities of that series may, under certain circumstances, rescind and annul such acceleration if all events of default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal, or other specified amount, have been cured or waived.
Other than the duty to act with the required care during an event of default, the trustee will not be obligated to exercise any of its rights or powers at the request of the holders unless the holders shall have offered to the trustee reasonable indemnity. Generally, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee.
A holder will not have any right to institute any proceeding under the indentures, or for the appointment of a receiver or a trustee, or for any other remedy under the indentures, unless:
| (1) | the holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing event of default with respect to the debt securities of that series; |
| (2) | the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made a written request and have offered reasonable indemnity to the trustee to institute the proceeding; and |
| (3) | the trustee has failed to institute the proceeding and has not received direction inconsistent with the original request from the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series within 90 days after the original request. |
Holders may, however, sue to enforce the payment of principal or interest on any debt security on or after the due date without following the procedures listed in (1) through (3) above.
Modification and Waiver
Except as provided in the next two succeeding paragraphs, the applicable trustee and we may make modifications and amendments to the indentures (including, without limitation, through consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for, outstanding securities) and may waive any existing default or event of default (including, without limitation, through consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for, outstanding securities) with the consent of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding securities of each series affected by the modification or amendment.
However, neither we nor the trustee may make any amendment or waiver without the consent of the holder of each outstanding security of that series affected by the amendment or waiver if such amendment or waiver would, among other things:
| • | change the amount of securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver; |
| • | change the stated maturity of any debt security; |
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| • | reduce the principal on any debt security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund; |
| • | reduce the principal of an original issue discount security on acceleration of maturity; |
| • | reduce the rate of interest or extend the time for payment of interest on any debt security; |
| • | make a principal or interest payment on any debt security in any currency other than that stated in the debt security; |
| • | impair the right to enforce any payment after the stated maturity or redemption date; |
| • | waive any default or event of default in payment of the principal of, premium or interest on any debt security (except certain rescissions of acceleration); or |
| • | waive a redemption payment or modify any of the redemption provisions of any debt security; |
Notwithstanding the preceding, without the consent of any holder of outstanding securities, we and the trustee may amend or supplement the indentures:
| • | to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of debt securities of any series as permitted by the indenture; |
| • | to provide for uncertificated securities in addition to or in place of certificated securities; |
| • | to provide for the assumption of our obligations to holders of any debt security in the case of a merger, consolidation, transfer or sale of all or substantially all of our assets; |
| • | to make any change that does not adversely affect the legal rights under the indenture of any such holder; |
| • | to comply with requirements of the Commission in order to effect or maintain the qualification of an indenture under the Trust Indenture Act; or |
| • | to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment by a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of one or more series and to add to or change any of the provisions of the indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts by more than one Trustee. |
The consent of holders is not necessary under the indentures to approve the particular form of any proposed amendment. It is sufficient if such consent approves the substance of the proposed amendment.
Satisfaction and Discharge; Defeasance
We may be discharged from our obligations on the debt securities of any series that have matured or will mature or be redeemed within one year if we deposit with the trustee enough cash to pay all the principal, interest and any premium due to the stated maturity date or redemption date of the debt securities.
Each indenture contains a provision that permits us to elect:
| • | to be discharged from all of our obligations, subject to limited exceptions, with respect to any series of debt securities then outstanding; and/or |
| • | to be released from our obligations under the following covenants and from the consequences of an event of default resulting from a breach of certain covenants, including covenants as to payment of taxes and maintenance of corporate existence. |
To make either of the above elections, we must deposit in trust with the trustee enough money to pay in full the principal and interest on the debt securities. This amount may be made in cash and/or U.S. government obligations. As a condition to either of the above elections, we must deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel that the holders of the debt securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of the action.
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If any of the above events occurs, the holders of the debt securities of the series will not be entitled to the benefits of the indenture, except for the rights of holders to receive payments on debt securities or the registration of transfer and exchange of debt securities and replacement of lost, stolen or mutilated debt securities.
Notices
Notices to holders will be given by mail to the addresses of the holders in the security register.
Governing Law
The indenture and the debt securities will be governed by, and construed under, the law of the State of New York.
Regarding the Trustee
The indenture limits the right of the trustee, should it become a creditor of us, to obtain payment of claims or secure its claims.
The trustee is permitted to engage in certain other transactions. However, if the trustee acquires any conflicting interest, and there is a default under the debt securities of any series for which they are trustee, the trustee must eliminate the conflict or resign.
Subordination
Payment on subordinated debt securities will, to the extent provided in the indenture, be subordinated in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all of our senior indebtedness (except that holders of the notes may receive and retain (i) permitted junior securities and (ii) payments made from the trust described under “Satisfaction and Discharge; Defeasance”). Any subordinated debt securities also are effectively subordinated to all debt and other liabilities, including lease obligations, if any.
Upon any distribution of our assets upon any dissolution, winding up, liquidation or reorganization, the payment of the principal of and interest on subordinated debt securities will be subordinated in right of payment to the prior payment in full in cash or other payment satisfactory to the holders of senior indebtedness. In the event of any acceleration of subordinated debt securities because of an event of default, the holders of any senior indebtedness would be entitled to payment in full in cash or other payment satisfactory to such holders of all senior indebtedness obligations before the holders of subordinated debt securities are entitled to receive any payment or distribution, except for certain payments made by the trust described under “Satisfaction and Discharge; Defeasance.” The indenture requires us or the trustee to promptly notify holders of designated senior indebtedness if payment of subordinated debt securities is accelerated because of an event of default.
We may not make any payment on subordinated debt securities, including upon redemption at the option of the holder of any subordinated debt securities or at our option, if:
| • | a default in the payment of the principal, premium, if any, interest, rent or other obligations in respect of designated senior indebtedness occurs and is continuing beyond any applicable period of grace (called a “payment default”); or |
| • | a default other than a payment default on any designated senior indebtedness occurs and is continuing that permits holders of designated senior indebtedness to accelerate its maturity, and the trustee receives notice of such default (called a “payment blockage notice) from us or any other person permitted to give such notice under the indenture (called a “non-payment default”). |
If the trustee or any holder of the notes receives any payment or distribution of our assets in contravention of the subordination provisions on subordinated debt securities before all senior indebtedness is paid in full in cash, property or securities, including by way of set-off, or other payment satisfactory to holders of senior indebtedness, then such payment or distribution will be held in trust for the benefit of holders of senior indebtedness or their representatives to the extent necessary to make payment in full in cash or payment satisfactory to the holders of senior indebtedness of all unpaid senior indebtedness.
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In the event of our bankruptcy, dissolution or reorganization, holders of senior indebtedness may receive more, ratably, and holders of subordinated debt securities may receive less, ratably, than our other creditors (including our trade creditors). This subordination will not prevent the occurrence of any event of default under the indenture.
We are not prohibited from incurring debt, including senior indebtedness, under the indenture. We may from time to time incur additional debt, including senior indebtedness.
We are obligated to pay reasonable compensation to the trustee and to indemnify the trustee against certain losses, liabilities or expenses incurred by the trustee in connection with its duties under the indenture. The trustee’s claims for these payments will generally be senior to those of noteholders in respect of all funds collected or held by the trustee.
Certain Definitions
“indebtedness” means:
(1) all indebtedness, obligations and other liabilities for borrowed money, including overdrafts, foreign exchange contracts, currency exchange agreements, interest rate protection agreements, and any loans or advances from banks, or evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, other than any account payable or other accrued current liability or obligation incurred in the ordinary course of business in connection with the obtaining of materials or services;
(2) all reimbursement obligations and other liabilities with respect to letters of credit, bank guarantees or bankers’ acceptances;
(3) all obligations and liabilities in respect of leases required in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles to be accounted for as capitalized lease obligations on our balance sheet;
(4) all obligations and other liabilities under any lease or related document in connection with the lease of real property which provides that we are contractually obligated to purchase or cause a third party to purchase the leased property and thereby guarantee a minimum residual value of the leased property to the lessor and our obligations under the lease or related document to purchase or to cause a third party to purchase the leased property;
(5) all obligations with respect to an interest rate or other swap, cap or collar agreement or other similar instrument or agreement or foreign currency hedge, exchange, purchase or other similar instrument or agreement;
(6) all direct or indirect guaranties or similar agreements in respect of, and our obligations or liabilities to purchase, acquire or otherwise assure a creditor against loss in respect of, indebtedness, obligations or liabilities of others of the type described in (1) through (5) above;
(7) any indebtedness or other obligations described in (1) through (6) above secured by any mortgage, pledge, lien or other encumbrance existing on property which is owned or held by us; and
(8) any and all refinancings, replacements, deferrals, renewals, extensions and refundings of, or amendments, modifications or supplements to, any indebtedness, obligation or liability of the kind described in clauses (1) through (7) above.
“permitted junior securities” means (i) equity interests in the Company; or (ii) debt securities of the Company that are subordinated to all senior indebtedness and any debt securities issued in exchange for senior indebtedness to substantially the same extent as, or to a greater extent than the notes are subordinated to senior indebtedness under the indenture.
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“senior indebtedness” means the principal, premium, if any, interest, including any interest accruing after bankruptcy, and rent or termination payment on or other amounts due on our current or future indebtedness, whether created, incurred, assumed, guaranteed or in effect guaranteed by us, including any deferrals, renewals, extensions, refundings, amendments, modifications or supplements to the above. However, senior indebtedness does not include:
| • | indebtedness that expressly provides that it shall not be senior in right of payment to subordinated debt securities or expressly provides that it is on the same basis or junior to subordinated debt securities; |
| • | our indebtedness to any of our majority-owned subsidiaries; and |
| • | subordinated debt securities. |
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This description is a summary of the certain provisions of the units, and does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, the provisions of the unit agreement that will be filed with the SEC in connection with an offering of the units. The particular terms of any units offered by us will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. To the extent the terms of the units described in the prospectus supplement differ from the terms set forth in this summary, the terms described in the prospectus supplement will supersede the terms described below.
We may issue units consisting of one or more of the other securities described in this prospectus or the applicable prospectus supplement in any combination in such amounts and in such numerous distinct series as we determine.
Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security.
The terms of units described in the applicable prospectus supplement may include the following:
| • | the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately; | |
| • | a description of the terms of any unit agreement governing the units; | |
| • | a description of any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units; and | |
| • | whether the units will be issued in fully registered or global form. |
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We may sell the securities offered by this prospectus in any one or more of the following ways from time to time:
| · | directly to investors, including through a specific bidding, auction or other process; |
| · | to investors through agents; |
| · | directly to agents; |
| · | to or through brokers or dealers; |
| · | to the public through underwriting syndicates led by one or more managing underwriters; |
| · | to one or more underwriters acting alone for resale to investors or to the public; or |
| · | through a combination of any such methods of sale. |
We may also sell the securities offered by this prospectus in “at the market offerings” within the meaning of Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act.
The prospectus supplement related to a particular offering will set forth the terms of the offering and the method of distribution and will identify any firms acting as underwriters, dealers or agents in connection with the offering, including:
| · | the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents; |
| · | the purchase price of the securities and the proceeds to us from the sale; |
| · | any over-allotment options under which the underwriters may purchase additional securities from us; |
| · | any underwriting discounts and other items constituting compensation to underwriters, dealers or agents; |
| · | any public offering price; |
| · | any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; or |
| · | any securities exchange or market on which the securities offered in the prospectus supplement may be listed. |
Only those underwriters identified in such prospectus supplement are deemed to be underwriters in connection with the securities offered in the prospectus supplement. Any underwritten offering may be on a best efforts or a firm commitment basis.
The distribution of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at prices determined as the applicable prospectus supplement specifies. The securities may be sold through a rights offering, forward contracts or similar arrangements. In any distribution of subscription rights to shareholders, if all of the underlying securities are not subscribed for, we may then sell the unsubscribed securities directly to third parties or may engage the services of one or more underwriters, dealers or agents, including standby underwriters, to sell the unsubscribed securities to third parties.
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In connection with the sale of the securities, underwriters, dealers or agents may be deemed to have received compensation from us in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions and also may receive commissions from securities purchasers for whom they may act as agent. Underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and the dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agent.
We will provide in the applicable prospectus supplement information regarding any underwriting discounts or other compensation that we pay to underwriters or agents in connection with the securities offering, and any discounts, concessions or commissions which underwriters allow to dealers. Underwriters, dealers and agents participating in the securities distribution may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts and commissions they receive and any profit they realize on the sale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act.
Underwriters and their controlling persons, dealers and agents may be entitled, under agreements entered into with us, to indemnification against and contribution toward specific civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
Unless otherwise specified in the related prospectus supplement, each series of securities will be a new issue with no established trading market, other than shares of our common stock, which are listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market. Any common stock sold pursuant to a prospectus supplement will be listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market, subject to compliance with applicable Nasdaq continued listing requirements. We may elect to list any series on an exchange, but we are not obligated to do so. It is possible that one or more underwriters may make a market in the securities, but such underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity of, or the trading market for, any offered securities.
In connection with an offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell securities in the open market. These transactions may include short sales, stabilizing transactions and purchases to cover positions created by short sales. Short sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of securities than they are required to purchase in an offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of bids or purchases made for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the securities while an offering is in progress. The underwriters also may impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the underwriters have repurchased securities sold by or for the account of that underwriter in stabilizing or short-covering transactions. These activities by the underwriters may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the securities. As a result, the price of the securities may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. If these activities are commenced, they may be discontinued by the underwriters at any time. Underwriters may engage in over-allotment. If any underwriters create a short position in the securities in an offering in which they sell more securities than are set forth on the cover page of the applicable prospectus supplement, the underwriters may reduce that short position by purchasing the securities in the open market.
Underwriters, dealers or agents that participate in the offer of securities, or their affiliates or associates, may be customers of, have engaged or engage in transactions with, and perform services for, us or our affiliates in the ordinary course of business for which they may have received or receive customary fees and reimbursement of expenses.
The validity of any securities offered from time to time by this prospectus and any related prospectus supplement will be passed upon by Lucosky Brookman LLP, Woodbridge, NJ. Any underwriters will also be advised about the validity of the securities and other legal matters by their own counsel, which will be named in the prospectus supplement.
The consolidated financial statements of Axe Compute Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2025 and 2024 and for each of the years then ended, have been incorporated by reference herein and in the registration statement in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a web site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is http://www.sec.gov.
The Company’s website address is https://axecompute.com/. Information on the Company’s website, any subsection, page, or other subdivision of the Company’s website, or any website linked to by content on the Company’s website, is not part of this prospectus and you should not rely on that information unless that information is also in this prospectus or incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
This prospectus and any prospectus supplement are part of a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act we filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and the exhibits to the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Forms of the indenture and other documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement or documents incorporated by reference in the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement through the SEC’s website, as provided above.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, and subsequent information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede that information. Any statement contained in this prospectus or a previously filed document incorporated by reference will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or a subsequently filed document incorporated by reference modifies or replaces that statement.
This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement incorporate by reference the documents set forth below that have previously been filed with the SEC: We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings we will make with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (other than information furnished in Current Reports on Form 8-K filed under Item 2.02 or 7.01 of such form unless such form expressly provides to the contrary):
| • | Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 filed on March 31, 2026; |
| • | Our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, filed with the SEC on May 15, 2026; |
| • | Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 22, 2026, February 9, 2026, March 9, 2026, April 1, 2026, April 16, 2026, April 22, 2026, May 15, 2026, June 9, 2026; and |
| • | The description of the Company’s common stock filed as Exhibit 4.7 “Description of Registrant’s Securities” to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K on March 31, 2025. |
All reports and other documents we subsequently file pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the “Exchange Act” in this prospectus, prior to the termination of this offering, including all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement, but excluding any information furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, will also be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.
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We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is delivered, a copy of any or all of the information that has been incorporated by reference in this prospectus but not delivered with this prospectus. Exhibits to the filings will not be sent, however, unless those exhibits have specifically been incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement. You may request a copy of this information at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the following address or telephone number:
Axe Compute Inc.
Attention: Corporate Secretary
91 43rd Street, Suite 110
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15201
(412) 432-1500
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$1,000,000,000
AXE COMPUTE INC.
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Warrants
Debt Securities
Units
______________________
PROSPECTUS
______________________
, 2026
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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 14. Other Expenses Of Issuance And Distribution.
The following table sets forth the costs and expenses, payable by the registrant in connection with the sale of common stock being registered. All amounts are estimates except the SEC registration fee and the Nasdaq listing fee.
| Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee | $ | *– | ||
| FINRA filing fee | $ | *– | ||
| Printing and engraving expenses | $ | (1) | ||
| Legal fees and expenses | $ | (1) | ||
| Accounting fees and expenses | $ | (1) | ||
| Miscellaneous | $ | (1) | ||
| Total | $ | (1) |
| (1) | These fees are calculated based on the securities offered and the number of issuances and, accordingly, cannot be estimated at this time. An estimate of the aggregate expenses in connection with the sale and distribution of securities being offered will be included in the applicable prospectus supplement. |
Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
We are a Delaware corporation and certain provisions of the Delaware Statutes and our bylaws provide for indemnification of our officers and directors against liabilities that they may incur in such capacities. A summary of the circumstances in which indemnification is provided is discussed below, but this description is qualified in its entirety by reference to our bylaws and to the statutory provisions.
Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law provides for, under certain circumstances, the indemnification of our officers, directors, employees and agents against liabilities that they may incur in such capacities. A summary of the circumstances in which such indemnification provided for is contained herein, but that description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the relevant Section of the Delaware General Corporation Law.
In general, the statute provides that any director, officer, employee or agent of a corporation may be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement, actually and reasonably incurred in a proceeding (including any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceeding) to which the individual was a party by reason of such status. Such indemnity may be provided if the indemnified person’s actions resulting in the liabilities: (i) were taken in good faith; (ii) were reasonably believed to have been in or not opposed to our best interest; and (iii) with respect to any criminal action, such person had no reasonable cause to believe the actions were unlawful. Unless ordered by a court, indemnification generally may be awarded only after a determination of independent members of the Board of Directors or a committee thereof, by independent legal counsel or by vote of the stockholders that the applicable standard of conduct was met by the individual to be indemnified.
The statutory provisions further provide that to the extent a director, officer, employee or agent is wholly successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any proceeding to which he was a party, he is entitled to receive indemnification against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the proceeding.
Indemnification in connection with a proceeding by or in the right of the Company in which the director, officer, employee or agent is successful is permitted only with respect to expenses, including attorneys’ fees actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the defense. In such actions, the person to be indemnified must have acted in good faith, in a manner believed to have been in our best interest and must not have been adjudged liable to us unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability, in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expense which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper. Indemnification is otherwise prohibited in connection with a proceeding brought on behalf of the Company in which a director is adjudged liable to us, or in connection with any proceeding charging improper personal benefit to the director in which the director is adjudged liable for receipt of an improper personal benefit.
Delaware law authorizes us to reimburse or pay reasonable expenses incurred by a director, officer, employee or agent in connection with a proceeding in advance of a final disposition of the matter. Such advances of expenses are permitted if the person furnishes to us a written agreement to repay such advances if it is determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by us.
The statutory section cited above further specifies that any provisions for indemnification of or advances for expenses does not exclude other rights under our certificate of incorporation, corporate bylaws, resolutions of our stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. These indemnification provisions continue for a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation and inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such persons.
The statutory provision cited above also grants the power to the Company to purchase and maintain insurance policies that protect any director, officer, employee or agent against any liability asserted against or incurred by him in such capacity arising out of his status as such. Such policies may provide for indemnification whether or not the corporation would otherwise have the power to provide for it.
Article 8 of our certificate of incorporation provides that we shall indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law.
We have purchased directors’ and officers’ liability insurance in order to limit the exposure to liability for indemnification of directors and officers, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted for our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.
Item 16. Exhibits.
EXHIBIT INDEX
*Previously filed.
**Filed herewith.
*** To be filed, if applicable, by amendment or incorporated by reference pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K.
+ To be filed pursuant to Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.
Item 17. Undertakings.
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
| (a)(1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
| (i) | to include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; |
| (ii) | to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; |
| (iii) | to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement. |
| (2) | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (3) | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
| (4) | That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser: |
| (i) | Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and | |
| (ii) | Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), 424(b)(5), or 424(b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), 415(a)(1)(vii), or 415(a)(1)(x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date. |
| (5) | That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities: The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
| (i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
| (ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; |
| (iii) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
| (iv) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
| (b) | The undersigned registrant hereby further undertakes that, for the purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in this registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. | |
| (c) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. | |
| (d) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question of whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. | |
| (e) | If and when applicable, the Registrant hereby further undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Commission under Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act. |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized in the City of Pittsburgh, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on July 20, 2026.
| AXE COMPUTE INC. | |
| /s/ Christopher Miglino | |
| Christopher Miglino | |
| Chief Executive Officer |
Each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Christopher Miglino and Jeremy Yaukey-Witter, and each of them, as his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement, and any and all additional registration statements pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent or his substitutes or substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:
| Signature | Title | Date | ||
| /s/ Christopher Miglino | Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) and Director | July 20, 2026 | ||
| Christopher Miglino | ||||
| /s/ Jeremy Yaukey-Witter | Chief Financial Officer (principal financial and accounting officer) | July 20, 2026 | ||
| Jeremy Yaukey-Witter | ||||
| /s/ Gregory St. Clair, Sr. | Director | July 20, 2026 | ||
| Gregory St. Clair, Sr. | ||||
| /s/ Daniel Handley | Director | July 20, 2026 | ||
| Daniel Handley | ||||
| /s/ Chuck Nuzum | Director | July 20, 2026 | ||
| Chuck Nuzum | ||||
| /s/ Thorsten Dirks | Director | July 20, 2026 | ||
| Thorsten Dirks | ||||
| /s/ Matthew Hawryluk | Director | July 20, 2026 | ||
| Matthew Hawryluk | ||||
| /s/ Theodore Zhu | Director | July 20, 2026 | ||
| Theodore Zhu |
Exhibit 4.19
Axe Compute Inc.
INDENTURE
Dated as of [ ] , 20[ ]
[__________]
Trustee
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page | ||
| ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE | 1 | |
| Section 1.1 | Definitions | 1 |
| Section 1.2 | Other Definitions | 4 |
| Section 1.3 | Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act | 4 |
| Section 1.4 | Rules of Construction | 4 |
| ARTICLE II THE SECURITIES | 4 | |
| Section 2.1 | Issuable in Series | 5 |
| Section 2.2 | Establishment of Terms of Series of Securities | 5 |
| Section 2.3 | Execution and Authentication | 7 |
| Section 2.4 | Registrar and Paying Agent | 7 |
| Section 2.5 | Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust | 8 |
| Section 2.6 | Securityholder Lists | 8 |
| Section 2.7 | Transfer and Exchange | 8 |
| Section 2.8 | Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities | 8 |
| Section 2.9 | Outstanding Securities | 9 |
| Section 2.10 | Treasury Securities | 9 |
| Section 2.11 | Temporary Securities | 10 |
| Section 2.12 | Cancellation | 10 |
| Section 2.13 | Defaulted Interest | 10 |
| Section 2.14 | Global Securities | 10 |
| Section 2.15 | CUSIP Numbers | 12 |
| ARTICLE III REDEMPTION | 12 | |
| Section 3.1 | Notice to Trustee | 12 |
| Section 3.2 | Selection of Securities to be Redeemed | 12 |
| Section 3.3 | Notice of Redemption | 13 |
| Section 3.4 | Effect of Notice of Redemption | 13 |
| Section 3.5 | Deposit of Redemption Price | 14 |
| Section 3.6 | Securities Redeemed in Part | 14 |
| ARTICLE IV COVENANTS | 14 | |
| Section 4.1 | Payment of Principal and Interest | 14 |
| Section 4.2 | SEC Reports | 14 |
| Section 4.3 | Compliance Certificate | 14 |
| Section 4.4 | Stay, Extension and Usury Laws | 15 |
| ARTICLE V SUCCESSORS | 15 | |
| Section 5.1 | When Company May Merge, Etc | 15 |
| Section 5.2 | Successor Corporation Substituted | 15 |
| ARTICLE VI DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES | 15 | |
| Section 6.1 | Events of Default | 15 |
| Section 6.2 | Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment | 17 |
| Section 6.3 | Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee | 17 |
| Section 6.4 | Trustee May File Proofs of Claim | 17 |
| Section 6.5 | Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities | 18 |
| Section 6.6 | Application of Money Collected | 18 |
| Section 6.7 | Limitation on Suits | 18 |
| Section 6.8 | Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal and Interest | 19 |
| Section 6.9 | Restoration of Rights and Remedies | 19 |
| Section 6.10 | Rights and Remedies Cumulative | 19 |
| Section 6.11 | Delay or Omission Not Waiver | 19 |
| Section 6.12 | Control by Holders | 20 |
| Section 6.13 | Waiver of Past Defaults | 20 |
| Section 6.14 | Undertaking for Costs | 20 |
| ARTICLE VII TRUSTEE | 20 | |
| Section 7.1 | Duties of Trustee | 20 |
| Section 7.2 | Rights of Trustee | 21 |
| Section 7.3 | Individual Rights of Trustee | 23 |
| Section 7.4 | Trustee’s Disclaimer | 23 |
| Section 7.5 | Notice of Defaults | 23 |
| Section 7.6 | Reports by Trustee to Holders | 23 |
| Section 7.7 | Compensation and Indemnity | 23 |
| Section 7.8 | Replacement of Trustee | 24 |
| Section 7.9 | Successor Trustee by Merger, Etc | 25 |
| Section 7.10 | Eligibility; Disqualification | 25 |
| Section 7.11 | Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company | 25 |
| ARTICLE VIII SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE; DEFEASANCE | 25 | |
| Section 8.1 | Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture | 25 |
| Section 8.2 | Application of Trust Funds; Indemnification | 26 |
| Section 8.3 | Legal Defeasance of Securities of any Series | 26 |
| Section 8.4 | Covenant Defeasance | 27 |
| Section 8.5 | Repayment to Company | 28 |
| Section 8.6 | Reinstatement | 28 |
| ARTICLE IX AMENDMENTS AND WAIVERS | 29 | |
| Section 9.1 | Without Consent of Holders | 29 |
| Section 9.2 | With Consent of Holders | 29 |
| Section 9.3 | Limitations | 30 |
| Section 9.4 | Compliance with Trust Indenture Act | 30 |
| Section 9.5 | Revocation and Effect of Consents | 30 |
| Section 9.6 | Notation on or Exchange of Securities | 31 |
| Section 9.7 | Trustee Protected | 31 |
| ARTICLE X MISCELLANEOUS | 31 | |
| Section 10.1 | Trust Indenture Act Controls | 31 |
| Section 10.2 | Notices | 31 |
| Section 10.3 | Communication by Holders with Other Holders | 32 |
| Section 10.4 | Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent | 32 |
| Section 10.5 | Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion | 32 |
| Section 10.6 | Rules by Trustee and Agents | 33 |
| Section 10.7 | Legal Holidays | 33 |
| Section 10.8 | No Recourse Against Others | 33 |
| Section 10.9 | Counterparts | 33 |
| Section 10.10 | Governing Law; Waiver of Jury Trial; Consent to Jurisdiction | 33 |
| Section 10.11 | No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements | 34 |
| Section 10.12 | Successors | 34 |
| Section 10.13 | Severability | 34 |
| Section 10.14 | Table of Contents, Headings, Etc | 34 |
| Section 10.15 | Securities in a Foreign Currency | 34 |
| Section 10.16 | Judgment Currency | 34 |
| Section 10.17 | Force Majeure | 35 |
| Section 10.18 | U.S.A. Patriot Act | 35 |
| ARTICLE XI SINKING FUNDS | 35 | |
| Section 11.1 | Applicability of Article | 35 |
| Section 11.2 | Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities | 35 |
| Section 11.3 | Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund | 36 |
| ARTICLE XII SUBORDINATION | 36 | |
| Section 12.1 | Applicability of Article | 36 |
| Section 12.2 | Definitions | 36 |
| Section 12.3 | Subordination | 37 |
| Section 12.4 | Subordination upon Dissolution, Winding Up, Liquidation or Reorganization | 37 |
| Section 12.5 | Payment Blockage | 37 |
| Section 12.6 | Turnover of Payments | 38 |
| Section 12.7 | No Limitation on Incurrence of Senior Indebtedness | 38 |
| Section 12.8 | Trustee's Compensation and Priority | 38 |
Axe Compute Inc.
Reconciliation and tie between Trust Indenture Act of 1939 and Indenture, dated as of , 20
| § 310(a)(1) | 7.10 | |
| (a)(2) | 7.10 | |
| (a)(3) | Not Applicable | |
| (a)(4) | Not Applicable | |
| (a)(5) | 7.10 | |
| (b) | 7.10 | |
| § 311(a) | 7.11 | |
| (b) | 7.11 | |
| (c) | Not Applicable | |
| § 312(a) | 2.6 | |
| (b) | 10.3 | |
| (c) | 10.3 | |
| § 313(a) | 7.6 | |
| (b)(1) | 7.6 | |
| (b)(2) | 7.6 | |
| (c)(1) | 7.6 | |
| (d) | 7.6 | |
| § 314(a) | 4.2, 10.5 | |
| (b) | Not Applicable | |
| (c)(1) | 10.4 | |
| (c)(2) | 10.4 | |
| (c)(3) | Not Applicable | |
| (d) | Not Applicable | |
| (e) | 10.5 | |
| (f) | Not Applicable | |
| § 315(a) | 7.1 | |
| (b) | 7.5 | |
| (c) | 7.1 | |
| (d) | 7.1 | |
| (e) | 6.14 | |
| § 316(a) | 2.10 | |
| (a)(1)(A) | 6.12 | |
| (a)(1)(B) | 6.13 | |
| (b) | 6.8 | |
| § 317(a)(1) | 6.3 | |
| (a)(2) | 6.4 | |
| (b) | 2.5 | |
| § 318(a) | 10.1 |
Note: This reconciliation and tie shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be part of the Indenture.
Indenture dated as of [ ], 20[ ] between Axe Compute Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of Delaware (the “Company”), and [__________], a national banking association organized under the laws of the United States, as trustee (the “Trustee”).
Each party agrees as follows for the benefit of the other party and for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders of the Securities issued under this Indenture.
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
Section 1.1 Definitions.
“Additional Amounts” means any additional amounts which are required hereby or by any Security, under circumstances specified herein or therein, to be paid by the Company in respect of certain taxes imposed on Holders specified herein or therein and which are owing to such Holders.
“Affiliate” of any specified person means any other person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under common control with such specified person. For the purposes of this definition, “control” (including, with correlative meanings, the terms “controlled by” and “under common control with”), as used with respect to any person, shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such person, whether through the ownership of voting securities or by agreement or otherwise.
“Agent” means any Registrar, Paying Agent or Notice Agent.
“Board of Directors” means the board of directors of the Company or any duly authorized committee thereof.
“Board Resolution” means a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been adopted by the Board of Directors or pursuant to authorization by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of the certificate and delivered to the Trustee.
“Business Day” means, any day except a Saturday, Sunday or a Legal Holiday in The City of New York, New York (or in connection with any payment, the place of payment) on which banking institutions are authorized or required by law, regulation or executive order to close.
“Capital Stock” means any and all shares, interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated) of corporate stock.
“Company” means the party named as such above until a successor replaces it and thereafter means the successor.
“Company Order” means a written order signed in the name of the Company by an Officer.
“Corporate Trust Office” means the principal office of the Trustee at which at any time this Indenture shall be administered, which office as of the date hereof is located at the address specified in Section 10.2. With respect to presentation for transfer or exchange, conversions or principal payment, such address shall be at the address specified in Section 10.2, or such other address as the Trustee may designate from time to time by written notice to the Holders and the Company, or the principal corporate trust office of any successor Trustee (or such other address as such successor Trustee may designate from time to time by written notice to the Holders and the Company).
“Default” means any event which is, or after notice or passage of time or both would be, an Event of Default.
| 1 |
“Depositary” means, with respect to the Securities of any Series issuable or issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities, the person designated as Depositary for such Series by the Company, which Depositary shall be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act; and if at any time there is more than one such person, “Depositary” as used with respect to the Securities of any Series shall mean the Depositary with respect to the Securities of such Series.
“Discount Security” means any Security that provides for an amount less than the stated principal amount thereof to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2.
“Dollars” and “$” means the currency of The United States of America.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“Foreign Currency” means any currency or currency unit issued by a government other than the government of The United States of America.
“Foreign Government Obligations” means, with respect to Securities of any Series that are denominated in a Foreign Currency, direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed by, the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency for the payment of which obligations its full faith and credit is pledged and which are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof.
“GAAP” means accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other statements by such other entity as have been approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession, which are in effect as of the date of determination.
“Global Security” or “Global Securities” means a Security or Securities, as the case may be, in the form established pursuant to Section 2.2 evidencing all or part of a Series of Securities, issued to the Depositary for such Series or its nominee, and registered in the name of such Depositary or nominee.
“Holder” or “Securityholder” means a person in whose name a Security is registered on the books of the Registrar.
“Indenture” means this Indenture as amended or supplemented from time to time and shall include the form and terms of particular Series of Securities established as contemplated hereunder.
“interest” with respect to any Discount Security which by its terms bears interest only after Maturity, means interest payable after Maturity.
“Maturity,” when used with respect to any Security, means the date on which the principal of such Security becomes due and payable as therein or herein provided, whether at the Stated Maturity or by declaration of acceleration, call for redemption or otherwise.
“Officer” means the Chief Executive Officer, President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer or any Assistant Treasurer, the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary, and any Vice President of the Company.
“Officer’s Certificate” means a certificate signed by any Officer that meets the requirements of Section 10.5.
“Opinion of Counsel” means a written opinion of legal counsel who is acceptable to the Trustee. The opinion may contain customary limitations, qualifications, conditions and exceptions. The counsel may be an employee of or counsel to the Company.
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“person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, limited liability company, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof.
“principal” of a Security means the principal of the Security plus, when appropriate, the premium, if any, on, and any Additional Amounts in respect of, the Security.
“Responsible Officer” means any officer of the Trustee in its Corporate Trust Office having direct responsibility for the administration of this Indenture and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom any corporate trust matter is referred because of his or her knowledge of and familiarity with a particular subject.
“SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Securities” means the debentures, notes or other debt instruments of the Company of any Series authenticated and delivered under this Indenture.
“Series” or “Series of Securities” means each series of debentures, notes or other debt instruments of the Company created pursuant to Sections 2.1 and 2.2 hereof.
“Stated Maturity” when used with respect to any Security, means the date specified in such Security as the fixed date on which the principal of such Security or interest is due and payable.
“Subsidiary” of any specified person means any corporation, association or other business entity of which more than 50% of the total voting power of shares of Capital Stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that person or a combination thereof.
“TIA” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (15 U.S. Code §§ 77aaa-77bbbb) as in effect on the date of this Indenture; provided, however, that in the event the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 is amended after such date, “TIA” means, to the extent required by any such amendment, the Trust Indenture Act as so amended.
“Trustee” means the person named as the “Trustee” in the first paragraph of this instrument until a successor Trustee shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Trustee” shall mean or include each person who is then a Trustee hereunder, and if at any time there is more than one such person, “Trustee” as used with respect to the Securities of any Series shall mean the Trustee with respect to Securities of that Series.
“U.S. Government Obligations” means securities which are direct obligations of, or guaranteed by, The United States of America for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged and which are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof, and shall also include a depositary receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such U.S. Government Obligation or a specific payment of interest on or principal of any such U.S. Government Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of a depository receipt, provided that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depositary receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the U.S. Government Obligation evidenced by such depositary receipt.
| 3 |
Section 1.2 Other Definitions.
| TERM | DEFINED IN SECTION | |
| “Bankruptcy Law” | 6.1 | |
| “Custodian” | 6.1 | |
| “Event of Default” | 6.1 | |
| “Judgment Currency” | 10.16 | |
| “Legal Holiday” | 10.7 | |
| “mandatory sinking fund payment” | 11.1 | |
| “New York Banking Day” | 10.16 | |
| “Notice Agent” | 2.4 | |
| “optional sinking fund payment” | 11.1 | |
| “Paying Agent” | 2.4 | |
| “Registrar” | 2.4 | |
| “Required Currency” | 10.16 | |
| “Specified Courts” | 10.10 | |
| “successor person” | 5.1 |
Section 1.3 Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act.
Whenever this Indenture refers to a provision of the TIA, the provision is incorporated by reference in and made a part of this Indenture. The following TIA terms used in this Indenture have the following meanings:
“Commission” means the SEC.
“indenture securities” means the Securities.
“indenture security holder” means a Securityholder.
“indenture to be qualified” means this Indenture.
“indenture trustee” or “institutional trustee” means the Trustee.
“obligor” on the indenture securities means the Company and any successor obligor upon the Securities.
All other terms used in this Indenture that are defined by the TIA, defined by TIA reference to another statute or defined by SEC rule under the TIA and not otherwise defined herein are used herein as so defined.
Section 1.4 Rules of Construction.
Unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) a term has the meaning assigned to it;
(b) an accounting term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned to it in accordance with GAAP;
(c) “or” is not exclusive;
(d) words in the singular include the plural, and in the plural include the singular; and
(e) provisions apply to successive events and transactions.
ARTICLE II
THE SECURITIES
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Section 2.1 Issuable in Series.
The aggregate principal amount of Securities that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited. The Securities may be issued in one or more Series. All Securities of a Series shall be identical except as may be set forth or determined in the manner provided in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture or an Officer’s Certificate detailing the adoption of the terms thereof pursuant to authority granted under a Board Resolution. In the case of Securities of a Series to be issued from time to time, the Board Resolution, Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture detailing the adoption of the terms thereof pursuant to authority granted under a Board Resolution may provide for the method by which specified terms (such as interest rate, maturity date, record date or date from which interest shall accrue) are to be determined. Securities may differ between Series in respect of any matters, provided that all Series of Securities shall be equally and ratably entitled to the benefits of the Indenture.
Section 2.2 Establishment of Terms of Series of Securities.
At or prior to the issuance of any Securities within a Series, the following shall be established (as to the Series generally, in the case of Subsection 2.2.1 and either as to such Securities within the Series or as to the Series generally in the case of Subsections 2.2.2 through 2.2.23) by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate:
2.2.1. the title (which shall distinguish the Securities of that particular Series from the Securities of any other Series) and ranking (including the terms of any subordination provisions) of the Series;
2.2.2. the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount thereof) at which the Securities of the Series will be issued;
2.2.3. any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of the Series which may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Securities of the Series pursuant to Section 2.7, 2.8, 2.11, 3.6 or 9.6);
2.2.4. the date or dates on which the principal of the Securities of the Series is payable;
2.2.5. the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or, if applicable, the method used to determine such rate or rates (including, but not limited to, any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the Securities of the Series shall bear interest, if any, the date or dates from which such interest, if any, shall accrue, the date or dates on which such interest, if any, shall commence and be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable on any interest payment date;
2.2.6. the place or places where the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series shall be payable, where the Securities of such Series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of such Series and this Indenture may be delivered, and the method of such payment, if by wire transfer, mail or other means;
2.2.7. if applicable, the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which the Securities of the Series may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company;
2.2.8. the obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem or purchase the Securities of the Series pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a Holder thereof and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which Securities of the Series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;
2.2.9. the dates, if any, on which and the price or prices at which the Securities of the Series will be repurchased by the Company at the option of the Holders thereof and other detailed terms and provisions of such repurchase obligations;
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2.2.10. if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof, the denominations in which the Securities of the Series shall be issuable;
2.2.11. the forms of the Securities of the Series and whether the Securities will be issuable as Global Securities;
2.2.12. if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of the Securities of the Series that shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2;
2.2.13. the currency of denomination of the Securities of the Series, which may be Dollars or any Foreign Currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;
2.2.14. the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series will be made;
2.2.15. if payments of principal of or interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series are to be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which such Securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to such payments will be determined;
2.2.16. the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of or interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series will be determined, if such amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;
2.2.17. the provisions, if any, relating to any security provided for the Securities of the Series;
2.2.18. any addition to, deletion of or change in the Events of Default which applies to any Securities of the Series and any change in the right of the Trustee or the requisite Holders of such Securities to declare the principal amount thereof due and payable pursuant to Section 6.2;
2.2.19. any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants set forth in Articles IV or V which applies to Securities of the Series;
2.2.20. any Depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents, conversion agents or other agents with respect to Securities of such Series if other than those appointed herein;
2.2.21. the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any Securities of such Series, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price, the conversion or exchange period, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, at the option of the Holders thereof or at the option of the Company, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion price or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange if such Series of Securities are redeemed;
2.2.22. any other terms of the Series (which may supplement, modify or delete any provision of this Indenture insofar as it applies to such Series), including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of Securities of that Series; and
2.2.23. whether any of the Company’s direct or indirect Subsidiaries will guarantee the Securities of that Series, including the terms of subordination, if any, of such guarantees.
All Securities of any one Series need not be issued at the same time and may be issued from time to time, consistent with the terms of this Indenture, if so provided by or pursuant to the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate referred to above. No Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate may affect the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise with respect to any Series of Securities except as the Trustee may agree in writing.
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Section 2.3 Execution and Authentication.
An Officer shall sign the Securities for the Company by manual or facsimile signature.
If an Officer whose signature is on a Security no longer holds that office at the time the Security is authenticated, the Security shall nevertheless be valid.
A Security shall not be valid until authenticated by the manual signature of the Trustee or an authenticating agent. The signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Security has been authenticated under this Indenture.
The Trustee shall at any time, and from time to time, authenticate Securities for original issue in the principal amount provided in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate, upon receipt by the Trustee of a Company Order. Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication.
The aggregate principal amount of Securities of any Series outstanding at any time may not exceed any limit upon the maximum principal amount for such Series set forth in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2, except as provided in Section 2.8.
Prior to the issuance of Securities of any Series, the Trustee shall have received and (subject to Section 7.2) shall be fully protected in relying on: (a) the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate establishing the form of the Securities of that Series or of Securities within that Series and the terms of the Securities of that Series or of Securities within that Series, (b) an Officer’s Certificate complying with Section 10.4, (c) an Opinion of Counsel complying with Section 10.4 and (d) an Opinion of Counsel (which may be the same Opinion of Counsel referred to in the preceding clause (c)) that such Securities, when they have been duly executed, issued, and authenticated in accordance with the terms of the Indenture and delivered against payment therefor in the circumstances described in such Opinion of Counsel, will be legally valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms.
The Trustee shall have the right to decline to authenticate and deliver any Securities of such Series: (a) if the Trustee, being advised by counsel, determines that such action may not be taken lawfully; or (b) if the Trustee in good faith shall determine that such action would expose the Trustee to personal liability to Holders of any then-outstanding Series of Securities.
The Trustee may appoint an authenticating agent acceptable to the Company to authenticate Securities. An authenticating agent may authenticate Securities whenever the Trustee may do so. Each reference in this Indenture to authentication by the Trustee includes authentication by such agent. An authenticating agent has the same rights as an Agent to deal with the Company or an Affiliate of the Company.
Section 2.4 Registrar and Paying Agent.
The Company shall maintain, with respect to each Series of Securities, at the place or places specified with respect to such Series pursuant to Section 2.2, an office or agency where Securities of such Series may be presented or surrendered for payment (“Paying Agent”), where Securities of such Series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange (“Registrar”) and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of such Series and this Indenture may be delivered (“Notice Agent”). The Registrar shall keep a register with respect to each Series of Securities and to their transfer and exchange. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the name and address, and any change in the name or address, of each Registrar, Paying Agent or Notice Agent. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required Registrar, Paying Agent or Notice Agent or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the name and address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and the Company hereby appoints the Trustee as its agent to receive all such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands; provided, however, that any appointment of the Trustee as the Notice Agent shall exclude the appointment of the Trustee or any office of the Trustee as an agent to receive the service of legal process on the Company.
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The Company may also from time to time designate one or more co-registrars, additional paying agents or additional notice agents and may from time to time rescind such designations; provided, however, that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligations to maintain a Registrar, Paying Agent and Notice Agent in each place so specified pursuant to Section 2.2 for Securities of any Series for such purposes. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the name or address of any such co-registrar, additional paying agent or additional notice agent. The term “Registrar” includes any co-registrar; the term “Paying Agent” includes any additional paying agent; and the term “Notice Agent” includes any additional notice agent. The Company or any of its Affiliates may serve as Registrar or Paying Agent.
The Company hereby appoints the Trustee the initial Registrar, Paying Agent and Notice Agent for each Series unless another Registrar, Paying Agent or Notice Agent, as the case may be, is appointed prior to the time Securities of that Series are first issued.
Section 2.5 Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust.
The Company shall require each Paying Agent other than the Trustee to agree in writing that the Paying Agent will hold in trust, for the benefit of Securityholders of any Series of Securities, or the Trustee, all money held by the Paying Agent for the payment of principal of or interest on the Series of Securities, and will notify the Trustee in writing of any default by the Company in making any such payment. While any such default continues, the Trustee may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. The Company at any time may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. Upon payment over to the Trustee, the Paying Agent (if other than the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company) shall have no further liability for the money. If the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company acts as Paying Agent, it shall segregate and hold in a separate trust fund for the benefit of Securityholders of any Series of Securities all money held by it as Paying Agent. Upon any bankruptcy, reorganization or similar proceeding with respect to the Company, the Trustee shall serve as Paying Agent for the Securities.
Section 2.6 Securityholder Lists.
The Trustee shall preserve in as current a form as is reasonably practicable the most recent list available to it of the names and addresses of Securityholders of each Series of Securities and shall otherwise comply with TIA § 312(a). If the Trustee is not the Registrar, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee at least ten days before each interest payment date and at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing a list, in such form and as of such date as the Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of Securityholders of each Series of Securities.
Section 2.7 Transfer and Exchange.
Where Securities of a Series are presented to the Registrar or a co-registrar with a request to register a transfer or to exchange them for an equal principal amount of Securities of the same Series, the Registrar shall register the transfer or make the exchange if its requirements for such transactions are met. To permit registrations of transfers and exchanges, the Trustee shall authenticate Securities at the Registrar’s request. No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange (except as otherwise expressly permitted herein), but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any transfer tax or similar governmental charge payable in connection therewith (other than any such transfer tax or similar governmental charge payable upon exchanges pursuant to Sections 2.11, 3.6 or 9.6).
Neither the Company nor the Registrar shall be required (a) to issue, register the transfer of, or exchange Securities of any Series for the period beginning at the opening of business fifteen days immediately preceding the sending of a notice of redemption of Securities of that Series selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day such notice is sent, or (b) to register the transfer of or exchange Securities of any Series selected, called or being called for redemption as a whole or the portion being redeemed of any such Securities selected, called or being called for redemption in part.
Section 2.8 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities.
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If any mutilated Security is surrendered to the Trustee, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a new Security of the same Series and of like tenor and principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding.
If there shall be delivered to the Company and the Trustee (i) evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Security and (ii) such security or indemnity bond as may be required by each of them to hold itself and any of its agents harmless, then, in the absence of notice to the Company or the Trustee that such Security has been acquired by a bona fide purchaser, the Company shall execute and upon receipt of a Company Order the Trustee shall authenticate and make available for delivery, in lieu of any such destroyed, lost or stolen Security, a new Security of the same Series and of like tenor and principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding.
In case any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security has become or is about to become due and payable, the Company in its discretion may, instead of issuing a new Security, pay such Security.
Upon the issuance of any new Security under this Section, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.
Every new Security of any Series issued pursuant to this Section in lieu of any destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall constitute an original additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be at any time enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of that Series duly issued hereunder.
The provisions of this Section are exclusive and shall preclude (to the extent lawful) all other rights and remedies with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities.
Section 2.9 Outstanding Securities.
The Securities outstanding at any time are all the Securities authenticated by the Trustee except for those canceled by it, those delivered to it for cancellation, those reductions in the interest on a Global Security effected by the Trustee in accordance with the provisions hereof and those described in this Section as not outstanding.
If a Security is replaced pursuant to Section 2.8, it ceases to be outstanding until the Trustee receives proof satisfactory to it that the replaced Security is held by a bona fide purchaser.
If the Paying Agent (other than the Company, a Subsidiary of the Company or an Affiliate of the Company) holds on the Maturity of Securities of a Series money sufficient to pay such Securities payable on that date, then on and after that date such Securities of the Series cease to be outstanding and interest on them ceases to accrue.
The Company may purchase or otherwise acquire the Securities, whether by open market purchases, negotiated transactions or otherwise. A Security does not cease to be outstanding because the Company or an Affiliate of the Company holds the Security (but see Section 2.10 below).
In determining whether the Holders of the requisite principal amount of outstanding Securities have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver hereunder, the principal amount of a Discount Security that shall be deemed to be outstanding for such purposes shall be the amount of the principal thereof that would be due and payable as of the date of such determination upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2.
Section 2.10 Treasury Securities.
In determining whether the Holders of the required principal amount of Securities of a Series have concurred in any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver, Securities of a Series owned by the Company or any Affiliate of the Company shall be disregarded, except that for the purposes of determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying on any such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver only Securities of a Series that a Responsible Officer of the Trustee actually knows are so owned shall be so disregarded.
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Section 2.11 Temporary Securities.
Until definitive Securities are ready for delivery, the Company may prepare and the Trustee shall authenticate temporary Securities upon a Company Order. Temporary Securities shall be substantially in the form of definitive Securities but may have variations that the Company considers appropriate for temporary Securities. Without unreasonable delay, the Company shall prepare and the Trustee upon receipt of a Company Order shall authenticate definitive Securities of the same Series and date of maturity in exchange for temporary Securities. Until so exchanged, temporary securities shall have the same rights under this Indenture as the definitive Securities.
Section 2.12 Cancellation.
The Company at any time may deliver Securities to the Trustee for cancellation. The Registrar and the Paying Agent shall forward to the Trustee any Securities surrendered to them for registration of transfer, exchange or payment. The Trustee shall cancel all Securities surrendered for transfer, exchange, payment, replacement or cancellation in accordance with its customary procedures (subject to the record retention requirement of the Exchange Act and the Trustee) and deliver a certificate of such cancellation to the Company upon written request of the Company. The Company may not issue new Securities to replace Securities that it has paid or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation.
Section 2.13 Defaulted Interest.
If the Company defaults in a payment of interest on a Series of Securities, it shall pay the defaulted interest, plus, to the extent permitted by law, any interest payable on the defaulted interest, to the persons who are Securityholders of the Series on a subsequent special record date. The Company shall fix the record date and payment date. At least 10 days before the special record date, the Company shall send to the Trustee and to each Securityholder of the Series a notice that states the special record date, the payment date and the amount of interest to be paid. The Company may pay defaulted interest in any other lawful manner.
Section 2.14 Global Securities.
2.14.1. Terms of Securities. A Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate shall establish whether the Securities of a Series shall be issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities and the Depositary for such Global Security or Securities.
2.14.2. Transfer and Exchange. Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary contained in Section 2.7 of the Indenture and in addition thereto, any Global Security shall be exchangeable pursuant to Section 2.7 of the Indenture for Securities registered in the names of Holders other than the Depositary for such Security or its nominee only if (i) such Depositary notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as Depositary for such Global Security or if at any time such Depositary ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, and, in either case, the Company fails to appoint a successor Depositary registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act within 90 days of such event or (ii) the Company executes and delivers to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate to the effect that such Global Security shall be so exchangeable. Any Global Security that is exchangeable pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be exchangeable for Securities registered in such names as the Depositary shall direct in writing in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security with like tenor and terms.
Except as provided in this Section 2.14.2, a Global Security may not be transferred except as a whole by the Depositary with respect to such Global Security to a nominee of such Depositary, by a nominee of such Depositary to such Depositary or another nominee of such Depositary or by the Depositary or any such nominee to a successor Depositary or a nominee of such a successor Depositary.
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Neither the Trustee nor any Agent shall have any responsibility for any actions taken or not taken by the Depositary.
2.14.3. Legends. Any Global Security issued hereunder shall bear a legend in substantially the following form:
“THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AND IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY. THIS SECURITY IS EXCHANGEABLE FOR SECURITIES REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF A PERSON OTHER THAN THE DEPOSITARY OR ITS NOMINEE ONLY IN THE LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED IN THE INDENTURE, AND MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT AS A WHOLE BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY.”
In addition, so long as the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) is the Depositary, each Global Security registered in the name of DTC or its nominee shall bear a legend in substantially the following form:
“UNLESS THIS GLOBAL SECURITY IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY, A NEW YORK CORPORATION (“DTC”), TO THE COMPANY OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY GLOBAL SECURITY ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (AND ANY PAYMENT IS MADE TO CEDE & CO. OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.”
2.14.4. Acts of Holders. The Depositary, as a Holder, may appoint agents and otherwise authorize participants to give or take any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action which a Holder is entitled to give or take under the Indenture.
(a) Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided by this Indenture to be given or taken by Holders may be embodied in and evidenced by one or more instruments of substantially similar tenor signed by such Holders in person or by agent duly appointed in writing; and, except as herein otherwise expressly provided, such action shall become effective when such instrument or instruments are delivered to the Trustee and, where it is hereby expressly required, to the Company. Such instrument or instruments (and the action embodied therein and evidenced thereby) are herein sometimes referred to as the “Act” of Holders signing such instrument or instruments. Proof of execution of any such instrument or of a writing appointing any such agent shall be sufficient for any purpose of this Indenture and conclusive in favor of the Trustee and the Company, if made in the manner provided in this Section.
(b) The fact and date of the execution by any Person of any such instrument or writing may be proved by the affidavit of a witness of such execution or by a certificate of a notary public or other officer authorized by law to take acknowledgments of deeds, certifying that the individual signing such instrument or writing acknowledged to such officer the execution thereof. Where such execution is by a signer acting in a capacity other than such signer’s individual capacity, such certificate or affidavit shall also constitute sufficient proof of such signer’s authority. The fact and date of the execution of any such instrument or writing, or the authority of the Person executing the same, may also be proved in any other manner which the Trustee deems sufficient.
(c) The ownership of Global Securities or any Securities issued in certificated form shall be proved by the Registrar.
(d) Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act of the Holder of any Security shall bind every future Holder of the same Security and the holder of every Security issued upon the registration of transfer thereof or in exchange therefor or in lieu thereof in respect of anything done, omitted or suffered to be done by the Trustee or the Company in reliance thereon, whether or not notation of such action is made upon such Security.
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(e) If the Company shall solicit from the Holders any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, the Company may, at its option, by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, fix in advance a record date for the determination of Holders entitled to give such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, but the Company shall have no obligation to do so. If such a record date is fixed, such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act may be given before or after such record date, but only the Holders of record at the close of business on such record date shall be deemed to be Holders for the purposes of determining whether Holders of the requisite proportion of Outstanding Securities have authorized or agreed or consented to such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, and for that purpose the Outstanding Securities shall be computed as of such record date; provided that no such authorization, agreement or consent by the Holders on such record date shall be deemed effective unless it shall become effective pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture not later than six months after the record date.
2.14.5. Payments. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Indenture, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 2.2, payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on any Global Security shall be made to the Holder thereof.
2.14.6. Consents, Declaration and Directions. The Company, the Trustee and any Agent shall treat a person as the Holder of such principal amount of outstanding Securities of such Series represented by a Global Security as shall be specified in a written statement of the Depositary or by the applicable procedures of such Depositary with respect to such Global Security, for purposes of obtaining any consents, declarations, waivers or directions required to be given by the Holders pursuant to this Indenture.
Section 2.15 CUSIP Numbers.
The Company in issuing the Securities may use “CUSIP” numbers (if then generally in use), and, if so, the Trustee shall use “CUSIP” numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders; provided that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Securities or as contained in any notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other elements of identification printed on the Securities, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers. The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee of any change that the Company is aware of in the CUSIP numbers.
ARTICLE III
REDEMPTION
Section 3.1 Notice to Trustee.
The Company may, with respect to any Series of Securities, reserve the right to redeem and pay the Series of Securities or may covenant to redeem and pay the Series of Securities or any part thereof prior to the Stated Maturity thereof at such time and on such terms as provided for in such Securities. If a Series of Securities is redeemable and the Company wants or is obligated to redeem prior to the Stated Maturity thereof all or part of the Series of Securities pursuant to the terms of such Securities, it shall notify the Trustee in writing of the redemption date and the principal amount of Series of Securities to be redeemed. The Company shall give the notice at least 5 days before the notice is delivered to the Holders, unless a shorter period is satisfactory to the Trustee.
Section 3.2 Selection of Securities to be Redeemed.
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Unless otherwise indicated for a particular Series by a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, if less than all the Securities of a Series are to be redeemed, the Securities of the Series to be redeemed will be selected as follows: (a) if the Securities are in the form of Global Securities, in accordance with the procedures of the Depositary, (b) if the Securities are listed on any national securities exchange, in compliance with the requirements of the principal national securities exchange, if any, on which the Securities are listed, or (c) if not otherwise provided for under clause (a) or (b) in the manner that the Trustee deems fair and appropriate, including pro rata, by lot or other method, unless otherwise required by law or applicable stock exchange requirements, subject, in the case of Global Securities, to the applicable rules and procedures of the Depositary. The Securities to be redeemed shall be selected from Securities of the Series outstanding not previously called for redemption. Portions of the principal of Securities of the Series that have denominations larger than $1,000 may be selected for redemption. Securities of the Series and portions of them it selected for redemption shall be in amounts of $1,000 or whole multiples of $1,000 or, with respect to Securities of any Series issuable in other denominations pursuant to Section 2.2.10, the minimum principal denomination for each Series and the authorized integral multiples thereof. Provisions of this Indenture that apply to Securities of a Series called for redemption also apply to portions of Securities of that Series called for redemption.
Section 3.3 Notice of Redemption.
Unless otherwise indicated for a particular Series by Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, at least 15 days but not more than 60 days before a redemption date, the Company shall send or cause to be sent by first-class mail or electronically, in accordance with the procedures of the Depositary, a notice of redemption to each Holder whose Securities are to be redeemed.
The notice shall identify the Securities of the Series to be redeemed and shall state:
(a) the redemption date;
(b) the redemption price (or manner of calculation if not then known);
(c) the name and address of the Paying Agent;
(d) if any Securities are being redeemed in part, the portion of the principal amount of such Securities to be redeemed and that, after the redemption date and upon surrender of such Security, a new Security or Securities in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the original Security shall be issued in the name of the Holder thereof upon cancellation of the original Security;
(e) that Securities of the Series called for redemption must be surrendered to the Paying Agent to collect the redemption price;
(f) that interest on Securities of the Series called for redemption ceases to accrue on and after the redemption date unless the Company defaults in the deposit of the redemption price;
(g) the CUSIP number, if any; and
(h) any other information as may be required by the terms of the particular Series or the Securities of a Series being redeemed.
At the Company’s request, the Trustee shall give the notice of redemption in the Company’s name and at its expense, provided, however, that the Company has delivered to the Trustee, at least 5 days (unless a shorter time shall be acceptable to the Trustee) prior to the notice date, an Officer’s Certificate requesting that the Trustee give such notice and setting forth the information to be stated in such notice.
Section 3.4 Effect of Notice of Redemption.
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Once notice of redemption is sent as provided in Section 3.3, Securities of a Series called for redemption become due and payable on the redemption date and at the redemption price. Except as otherwise provided in the supplemental indenture, Board Resolution or Officer’s Certificate for a Series, a notice of redemption may not be conditional. Upon surrender to the Paying Agent, such Securities shall be paid at the redemption price plus accrued interest to the redemption date.
Section 3.5 Deposit of Redemption Price.
On or before 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the redemption date, the Company shall irrevocably deposit with the Paying Agent money sufficient (as determined by the Company) to pay the redemption price of and accrued interest, if any, on all Securities to be redeemed on that date.
Section 3.6 Securities Redeemed in Part.
Upon surrender of a Security that is redeemed in part, the Trustee shall authenticate for the Holder a new Security of the same Series and the same maturity equal in principal amount to the unredeemed portion of the Security surrendered.
ARTICLE IV
COVENANTS
Section 4.1 Payment of Principal and Interest.
The Company covenants and agrees for the benefit of the Holders of each Series of Securities that it will duly and punctually pay the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of that Series in accordance with the terms of such Securities and this Indenture. On or before 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the applicable payment date, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of each Series in accordance with the terms of such Securities and this Indenture.
Section 4.2 SEC Reports.
To the extent any Securities of a Series are outstanding, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee within 15 days after it files them with the SEC copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents, and other reports (or copies of such portions of any of the foregoing as the SEC may by rules and regulations prescribe) which the Company is required to file with the SEC pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. The Company also shall comply with the other provisions of TIA § 314(a). Reports, information and documents filed with the SEC via the EDGAR system (or any successor system thereto) will be deemed to be delivered to the Trustee as of the time of such filing via EDGAR for purposes of this Section 4.2, it being understood that the Trustee shall have no responsibility whatsoever to determine if such filings have been made, and that the Trustee shall not be deemed to have knowledge of the information contained therein.
Delivery of reports, information and documents to the Trustee under this Section 4.2 are for informational purposes only and the Trustee’s receipt of the foregoing shall not constitute constructive or actual notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Company’s compliance with any of their covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on Officer’s Certificates).
Section 4.3 Compliance Certificate.
To the extent any Securities of a Series are outstanding, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company, an Officer’s Certificate stating that a review of the activities of the Company and its Subsidiaries during the preceding fiscal year has been made under the supervision of the signing Officers with a view to determining whether the Company has kept, observed, performed and fulfilled its obligations under this Indenture, and further stating, as to each such Officer signing such certificate, that to the best of his/her knowledge the Company has kept, observed, performed and fulfilled each and every covenant contained in this Indenture and is not in default in the performance or observance of any of the terms, provisions and conditions hereof (or, if a Default or Event of Default shall have occurred, describing all such Defaults or Events of Default of which the Officer may have knowledge).
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Section 4.4 Stay, Extension and Usury Laws.
The Company covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it will not at any time insist upon, plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any stay, extension or usury law wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, which may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture or the Securities; and the Company (to the extent it may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waives all benefit or advantage of any such law and covenants that it will not, by resort to any such law, hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law has been enacted.
ARTICLE V
SUCCESSORS
Section 5.1 When Company May Merge, Etc.
The Company shall not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of its properties and assets to, any person (a “successor person”) unless:
(a) the Company is the surviving corporation or the successor person (if other than the Company) is a corporation organized and validly existing under the laws of any U.S. domestic jurisdiction and expressly assumes, by a supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee, the Company’s obligations on the Securities and under this Indenture; and
(b) immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing.
Where the Company is not the surviving corporation, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee prior to the consummation of the proposed transaction an Officer’s Certificate to the foregoing effect and an Opinion of Counsel stating that the proposed transaction and any supplemental indenture comply with this Indenture.
Notwithstanding the above, any Subsidiary of the Company may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to the Company. Neither an Officer’s Certificate nor an Opinion of Counsel shall be required to be delivered in connection therewith.
Section 5.2 Successor Corporation Substituted.
Upon any consolidation or merger, or any sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company in accordance with Section 5.1, the successor corporation formed by such consolidation or into or with which the Company is merged or to which such sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, the Company under this Indenture with the same effect as if such successor person has been named as the Company herein; provided, however, that the predecessor Company in the case of a sale, conveyance or other disposition (other than a lease) shall be released from all obligations and covenants under this Indenture and the Securities.
ARTICLE VI
DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES
Section 6.1 Events of Default.
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“Event of Default,” wherever used herein with respect to Securities of any Series, means any one of the following events, unless in the establishing Board Resolution, supplemental indenture or Officer’s Certificate, it is provided that such Series shall not have the benefit of said Event of Default:
(a) default in the payment of any interest on any Security of that Series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of such payment is deposited by the Company with the Trustee or with a Paying Agent prior to 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the 30th day of such period); or
(b) default in the payment of principal of any Security of that Series at its Maturity; or
(c) default in the performance or breach of any covenant or warranty of the Company in this Indenture (other than defaults pursuant to paragraphs (a) or (b) above or pursuant to a covenant or warranty that has been included in this Indenture solely for the benefit of Series of Securities other than that Series), which default continues uncured for a period of 90 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder; or
(d) the Company pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law:
(i) commences a voluntary case,
(ii) consents to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case,
(iii) consents to the appointment of a Custodian of it or for all or substantially all of its property,
(iv) makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors, or
(v) generally is unable to pay its debts as the same become due; or
(e) a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order or decree under any Bankruptcy Law that:
(i) is for relief against the Company in an involuntary case,
(ii) appoints a Custodian of the Company or for all or substantially all of its property, or
(iii) orders the liquidation of the Company,
and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 60 days; or
(f) any other Event of Default provided with respect to Securities of that Series, which is specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, in accordance with Section 2.2.18.
The term “Bankruptcy Law” means title 11, U.S. Code or any similar U.S. Federal or State law for the relief of debtors. The term “Custodian” means any receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or similar official under any Bankruptcy Law.
The Company will provide the Trustee written notice of any Default or Event of Default within 30 days of becoming aware of the occurrence of such Default or Event of Default, which notice will describe in reasonable detail the status of such Default or Event of Default and what action the Company is taking or proposes to take in respect thereof.
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Section 6.2 Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment.
If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any Series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing (other than an Event of Default referred to in Section 6.1(d) or (e)) then in every such case the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series may declare the principal amount (or, if any Securities of that Series are Discount Securities, such portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of such Securities) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all of the Securities of that Series to be due and payable immediately, by a notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by Holders), and upon any such declaration such principal amount (or specified amount) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, shall become immediately due and payable. If an Event of Default specified in Section 6.1(d) or (e) shall occur, the principal amount (or specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding Securities shall ipso facto become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or any Holder.
At any time after such a declaration of acceleration with respect to any Series has been made and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the Trustee as hereinafter in this Article provided, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series, by written notice to the Company and the Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if all Events of Default with respect to Securities of that Series, other than the non-payment of the principal and interest, if any, of Securities of that Series which have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in Section 6.13.
No such rescission shall affect any subsequent Default or impair any right consequent thereon.
Section 6.3 Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee.
The Company covenants that if
(a) default is made in the payment of any interest on any Security when such interest becomes due and payable and such default continues for a period of 30 days, or
(b) default is made in the payment of principal of any Security at the Maturity thereof, or
(c) default is made in the deposit of any sinking fund payment, if any, when and as due by the terms of a Security,
then, the Company will, upon demand of the Trustee, pay to it, for the benefit of the Holders of such Securities, the whole amount then due and payable on such Securities for principal and interest and, to the extent that payment of such interest shall be legally enforceable, interest on any overdue principal and any overdue interest at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in such Securities, and, in addition thereto, such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including the compensation, reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel.
If the Company fails to pay such amounts forthwith upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, may institute a judicial proceeding for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, may prosecute such proceeding to judgment or final decree and may enforce the same against the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities and collect the moneys adjudged or deemed to be payable in the manner provided by law out of the property of the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities, wherever situated.
If an Event of Default with respect to any Securities of any Series occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce its rights and the rights of the Holders of Securities of such Series by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce any such rights, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement in this Indenture or in aid of the exercise of any power granted herein, or to enforce any other proper remedy.
Section 6.4 Trustee May File Proofs of Claim.
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In case of the pendency of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, composition or other judicial proceeding relative to the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or the property of the Company or of such other obligor or their creditors, the Trustee (irrespective of whether the principal of the Securities shall then be due and payable as therein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand on the Company for the payment of overdue principal or interest) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise,
(a) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Securities and to file such other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the compensation, reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel) and of the Holders allowed in such judicial proceeding, and
(b) to collect and receive any moneys or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same, and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Holder to make such payments to the Trustee and, in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Holders, to pay to the Trustee any amount due it for the compensation, reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Trustee under Section 7.7.
Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Securities or the rights of any Holder thereof or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder in any such proceeding.
Section 6.5 Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities.
All rights of action and claims under this Indenture or the Securities may be prosecuted and enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of the Securities or the production thereof in any proceeding relating thereto, and any such proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery of judgment shall, after provision for the payment of the compensation, reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, be for the ratable benefit of the Holders of the Securities in respect of which such judgment has been recovered.
Section 6.6 Application of Money Collected.
Any money or property collected by the Trustee pursuant to this Article shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee and, in case of the distribution of such money or property on account of principal or interest, upon presentation of the Securities and the notation thereon of the payment if only partially paid and upon surrender thereof if fully paid:
First: To the payment of all amounts due the Trustee under Section 7.7; and
Second: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid for principal of and interest on the Securities in respect of which or for the benefit of which such money has been collected, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due and payable on such Securities for principal and interest, respectively; and
Third: To the Company.
Section 6.7 Limitation on Suits.
No Holder of any Security of any Series shall have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to this Indenture, or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any other remedy hereunder, unless
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(a) such Holder has previously given written notice to the Trustee of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities of that Series;
(b) the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series shall have made written request to the Trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default in its own name as Trustee hereunder;
(c) such Holder or Holders have offered to the Trustee indemnity or security satisfactory to the Trustee against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by the Trustee in compliance with such request;
(d) the Trustee for 90 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity has failed to institute any such proceeding; and
(e) no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given to the Trustee during such 90-day period by the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series;
it being understood, intended and expressly covenanted by the Holder of every Security with every other Holder and the Trustee that no one or more of such Holders shall have any right in any manner whatever by virtue of, or by availing of, any provision of this Indenture to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of any other of such Holders, or to obtain or to seek to obtain priority or preference over any other of such Holders or to enforce any right under this Indenture, except in the manner herein provided and for the equal and ratable benefit of all such Holders of the applicable Series.
Section 6.8 Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal and Interest.
Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, the Holder of any Security shall have the right, which is absolute and unconditional, to receive payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on such Security on the Maturity of such Security, including the Stated Maturity expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on the redemption date) and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment, and such rights shall not be impaired without the consent of such Holder.
Section 6.9 Restoration of Rights and Remedies.
If the Trustee or any Holder has instituted any proceeding to enforce any right or remedy under this Indenture and such proceeding has been discontinued or abandoned for any reason, or has been determined adversely to the Trustee or to such Holder, then and in every such case, subject to any determination in such proceeding, the Company, the Trustee and the Holders shall be restored severally and respectively to their former positions hereunder and thereafter all rights and remedies of the Trustee and the Holders shall continue as though no such proceeding had been instituted.
Section 6.10 Rights and Remedies Cumulative.
Except as otherwise provided with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities in Section 2.8, no right or remedy herein conferred upon or reserved to the Trustee or to the Holders is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every right and remedy shall, to the extent permitted by law, be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall not, to the extent permitted by law, prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other appropriate right or remedy.
Section 6.11 Delay or Omission Not Waiver.
No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any Holder of any Securities to exercise any right or remedy accruing upon any Event of Default shall impair any such right or remedy or constitute a waiver of any such Event of Default or an acquiescence therein. Every right and remedy given by this Article or by law to the Trustee or to the Holders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as may be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by the Holders, as the case may be.
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Section 6.12 Control by Holders.
The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee, with respect to the Securities of such Series, provided that
(a) such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture,
(b) the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the Trustee which is not inconsistent with such direction,
(c) subject to the provisions of Section 7.1, the Trustee shall have the right to decline to follow any such direction if the Trustee in good faith shall, by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, determine that the proceeding so directed would involve the Trustee in personal liability, and
(d) prior to taking any action as directed under this Section 6.12, the Trustee shall be entitled to indemnity satisfactory to it against the losses, costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.
Section 6.13 Waiver of Past Defaults.
The Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series may on behalf of the Holders of all the Securities of such Series, by written notice to the Trustee and the Company, waive any past Default hereunder with respect to such Series and its consequences, except a Default in the payment of the principal of or interest on any Security of such Series (provided, however, that the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from such acceleration). Upon any such waiver, such Default shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default or impair any right consequent thereon.
Section 6.14 Undertaking for Costs.
All parties to this Indenture agree, and each Holder of any Security by his acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may in its discretion require, in any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken, suffered or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, against any party litigant in such suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; but the provisions of this Section shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Company, to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Holder, or group of Holders, holding in the aggregate more than 10% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series, or to any suit instituted by any Holder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of or interest on any Security on or after the Maturity of such Security, including the Stated Maturity expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on the redemption date).
ARTICLE VII
TRUSTEE
Section 7.1 Duties of Trustee.
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(a) If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee shall exercise the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.
(b) Except during the continuance of an Event of Default:
(i) The Trustee need perform only those duties that are specifically set forth in this Indenture and no others, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee.
(ii) In the absence of bad faith on its part, the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon Officer’s Certificates or Opinions of Counsel furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; however, in the case of any such Officer’s Certificates or Opinions of Counsel which by any provisions hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall examine such Officer’s Certificates and Opinions of Counsel to determine whether or not they conform to the form requirements of this Indenture (but need not confirm or investigate the accuracy of mathematical calculations or other facts stated therein).
(c) The Trustee may not be relieved from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act or its own willful misconduct, except that:
(i) This paragraph does not limit the effect of paragraph (b) of this Section.
(ii) The Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer, unless it is proved in a court of competent jurisdiction that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts.
(iii) The Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it with respect to Securities of any Series in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of such Series relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee, under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such Series in accordance with Section 6.12.
(d) Every provision of this Indenture that in any way relates to the Trustee is subject to paragraph (a), (b) and (c) of this Section.
(e) The Trustee may refuse to perform any duty or exercise any right or power unless it receives indemnity satisfactory to it against the losses, costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right or power.
(f) The Trustee shall not be liable for interest or investment on any money received by it except as the Trustee may agree in writing with the Company. Money held in trust by the Trustee need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.
(g) No provision of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties, or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers.
(h) The Paying Agent, the Registrar and any authenticating agent shall be entitled to the protections and immunities as are set forth in paragraphs (e), (f) and (g) of this Section and in Section 7.2, each with respect to the Trustee.
Section 7.2 Rights of Trustee.
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(a) The Trustee may conclusively rely on and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any document (whether in its original or facsimile form) believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper person. The Trustee need not investigate any fact or matter stated in the document.
(b) Before the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, it may require an Officer’s Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel or both. The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in reliance on such Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel.
(c) The Trustee may act through its attorneys and agents and shall not be responsible for the misconduct or negligence of any attorney or agent appointed with due care. No Depositary shall be deemed an agent of the Trustee and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any act or omission by any Depositary.
(d) The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith which it believes to be authorized or within its rights or powers, provided that the Trustee’s conduct does not constitute willful misconduct or negligence.
(e) The Trustee may consult with counsel and the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder without willful misconduct or negligence, and in reliance thereon.
(f) The Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders of Securities unless such Holders shall have offered (and, if requested, provided) to the Trustee security or indemnity satisfactory to it against the losses, costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.
(g) The Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document, but the Trustee, in its discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit.
(h) The Trustee shall not be deemed to have notice of any Default or Event of Default unless a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has actual knowledge thereof or unless written notice of any event which is in fact such a default is received by the Trustee at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and such notice references the existence of a Default or Event of Default, the Securities generally or the Securities of a particular Series and this Indenture.
(i) In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable to any person for special, punitive, indirect, consequential or incidental loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost profits), even if the Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action.
(j) The permissive right of the Trustee to take the actions permitted by this Indenture shall not be construed as an obligation or duty to do so.
(k) No bond or surety shall be required with respect to performance of Trustee’s duties and powers.
(l) Under no circumstances shall the Trustee be liable in its individual capacity for the obligations evidenced by the Securities.
(m) Any request or direction of the Company mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by a Company Order and any resolution of the Board of Directors may be sufficiently evidenced by a Board Resolution.
(n) The Trustee may request that the Company deliver a certificate setting forth the names of individuals and/or titles of officers authorized at such time to take specified actions pursuant to this Indenture.
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(o) The rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Trustee, including, without limitation, its right to be indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, the Trustee in each of its capacities hereunder, and each agent, custodian and other Person employed to act hereunder.
Section 7.3 Individual Rights of Trustee.
The Trustee in its individual or any other capacity may become the owner or pledgee of Securities and may otherwise deal with the Company or an Affiliate of the Company with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee. Any Agent may do the same with like rights. The Trustee is also subject to Sections 7.10 and 7.11.
Section 7.4 Trustee’s Disclaimer.
The Trustee shall not be responsible for and makes no representation as to the validity or adequacy of this Indenture or the Securities, it shall not be accountable for the Company’s use of the proceeds from the Securities, or any money paid to the Company or upon the Company’s direction under any provision of this Indenture, it shall not be responsible for the use or application of any money received by any Paying Agent other than the Trustee, and it shall not be responsible for any statement herein or in the Securities or any other document in connection with the sale of the Securities other than its authentication. The recitals contained herein and in the Securities, except the Trustee’s certificates of authentication, shall be taken as the statements of the Company, and the Trustee or any Authenticating Agent assumes no responsibility for their correctness.
Section 7.5 Notice of Defaults.
If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the Securities of any Series and if it is actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, the Trustee shall send to each Securityholder of the Securities of that Series notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default. Except in the case of a Default or Event of Default in payment of principal of or interest on any Security of any Series, the Trustee may withhold the notice if and so long as it in good faith determines that withholding the notice is in the interests of Securityholders of that Series.
Section 7.6 Reports by Trustee to Holders.
Within 60 days after each , commencing , 20 , the Trustee shall transmit by mail to all Securityholders, as their names and addresses appear on the register kept by the Registrar, a brief report dated as of such anniversary date, in accordance with, and to the extent required under, TIA § 313.
A copy of each report at the time of its sending to Securityholders of any Series shall be filed with the SEC and each national securities exchange on which the Securities of that Series are listed. The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee in writing when Securities of any Series are listed on any national securities exchange or delisted from any national securities exchange.
Section 7.7 Compensation and Indemnity.
The Company shall pay to the Trustee from time to time compensation for its services as the Company and the Trustee shall from time to time agree upon in writing. The Trustee’s compensation shall not be limited by any law on compensation of a trustee of an express trust. The Company shall reimburse the Trustee upon request for all reasonable out of pocket expenses incurred by it. Such expenses shall include the reasonable compensation and expenses of the Trustee’s agents and counsel.
The Company shall indemnify each of the Trustee and any predecessor Trustee (including for the cost of defending itself) against any cost, damages, losses, expense or liability, including taxes (other than taxes based upon, measured by or determined by the income of the Trustee) incurred by it except as set forth in the next paragraph in the performance of its duties under this Indenture or in connection with its acceptance of its obligations hereunder, as Trustee or Agent. The Trustee shall notify the Company promptly of any claim for which it may seek indemnity. Failure by the Trustee to so notify the Company shall not relieve the Company of its obligations hereunder, unless and to the extent that the Company is materially prejudiced thereby. The Company shall defend the claim and the Trustee shall cooperate in the defense. The Trustee may have separate counsel and the Company shall pay the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel. The Company need not pay for any settlement made without its consent, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld. This indemnification shall apply to officers, directors, employees, shareholders and agents of the Trustee.
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The Company need not reimburse any expense or indemnify against any loss or liability incurred by the Trustee or by any officer, director, employee, shareholder or agent of the Trustee through willful misconduct or negligence, as finally adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction.
To secure the Company’s payment obligations in this Section, the Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Securities of any Series on all money or property held or collected by the Trustee, except that held in trust to pay principal of and interest on particular Securities of that Series.
When the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services after an Event of Default specified in Section 6.1(d) or (e) occurs, the expenses and the compensation for the services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any Bankruptcy Law.
The provisions of this Section shall survive the termination of this Indenture or the resignation or removal of the Trustee.
Section 7.8 Replacement of Trustee.
A resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor Trustee shall become effective only upon the successor Trustee’s acceptance of appointment as provided in this Section.
The Trustee may resign with respect to the Securities of one or more Series by so notifying the Company at least 30 days prior to the date of the proposed resignation. The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities of any Series may remove the Trustee with respect to that Series by so notifying the Trustee and the Company in writing at least 30 days prior to such removal. The Company may remove the Trustee with respect to Securities of one or more Series with at least 30 days written notice if:
(a) the Trustee fails to comply with Section 7.10;
(b) the Trustee is adjudged a bankrupt or an insolvent or an order for relief is entered with respect to the Trustee under any Bankruptcy Law;
(c) a Custodian or public officer takes charge of the Trustee or its property; or
(d) the Trustee becomes incapable of acting.
If the Trustee resigns or is removed or if a vacancy exists in the office of Trustee for any reason, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor Trustee. Within one year after the successor Trustee takes office, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then-outstanding Securities may appoint a successor Trustee to replace the successor Trustee appointed by the Company.
If a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any one or more Series does not take office within 60 days after the retiring Trustee resigns or is removed, the retiring Trustee, the Company or the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the Securities of the applicable Series may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee.
A successor Trustee shall deliver a written acceptance of its appointment to the retiring Trustee and to the Company. Promptly after that, the retiring Trustee shall transfer all property held by it as Trustee to the successor Trustee subject to the lien provided for in Section 7.7, the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective, and the successor Trustee shall have all the rights, powers and duties of the Trustee with respect to each Series of Securities for which it is acting as Trustee under this Indenture. A successor Trustee shall send a notice of its succession to each Securityholder of each such Series. Notwithstanding replacement of the Trustee pursuant to this Section 7.8, the Company’s obligations under Section 7.7 hereof shall continue for the benefit of the retiring Trustee with respect to expenses and liabilities incurred by it for actions taken or omitted to be taken in accordance with its rights, powers and duties under this Indenture prior to such replacement.
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Section 7.9 Successor Trustee by Merger, Etc.
If the Trustee consolidates with, merges or converts into, or transfers all or substantially all of its corporate trust business to, another corporation, or national banking association, the successor corporation or national banking association without any further act shall be the successor Trustee, subject to Section 7.10.
Section 7.10 Eligibility; Disqualification.
This Indenture shall always have a Trustee who satisfies the requirements of TIA § 310(a)(1), (2) and (5). The Trustee shall always have a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000 as set forth in its most recent published annual report of condition. The Trustee shall comply with TIA § 310(b).
Section 7.11 Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company.
The Trustee is subject to TIA § 311(a), excluding any creditor relationship listed in TIA § 311(b). A Trustee who has resigned or been removed shall be subject to TIA § 311(a) to the extent indicated.
ARTICLE VIII
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE; DEFEASANCE
Section 8.1 Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture.
This Indenture shall upon Company Order be discharged with respect to the Securities of any Series and cease to be of further effect as to all Securities of such Series (except as hereinafter provided in this Section 8.1), and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall execute instruments acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, when
(a) either
(i) all Securities of such Series theretofore authenticated and delivered (other than Securities that have been destroyed, lost or stolen and that have been replaced or paid) have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or
(ii) all such Securities of such Series not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation
(1) have become due and payable by reason of sending a notice of redemption or otherwise, or
(2) will become due and payable at their Stated Maturity within one year, or
(3) have been called for redemption or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of redemption by the Trustee in the name, and at the expense, of the Company, or
(4) are deemed paid and discharged pursuant to Section 8.3, as applicable;
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and the Company, in the case of (1), (2) or (3) above, shall have irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds in trust an amount of money or U.S. Government Obligations, which amount shall be sufficient (as determined by the Company) for the purpose of paying and discharging each installment of principal (including mandatory sinking fund or analogous payments) of and interest on all the Securities of such Series on the dates such installments of principal or interest are due;
(b) the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company; and
(c) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for relating to the satisfaction and discharge contemplated by this Section have been complied with.
Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, the obligations of the Company to the Trustee under Section 7.7, and, if money shall have been deposited with the Trustee pursuant to clause (a) of this Section, the provisions of Sections 2.4, 2.7, 2.8, 8.2 and 8.5 shall survive.
Section 8.2 Application of Trust Funds; Indemnification.
(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 8.5, all money and U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 8.1, 8.3 or 8.4 and all money received by the Trustee in respect of U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 8.1, 8.3 or 8.4, shall be held in trust and applied by it, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including the Company acting as its own Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the persons entitled thereto, of the principal and interest for whose payment such money has been deposited with or received by the Trustee or to make mandatory sinking fund payments or analogous payments as contemplated by Sections 8.1, 8.3 or 8.4.
(b) The Company shall pay and shall indemnify the Trustee against any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited pursuant to Sections 8.1, 8.3 or 8.4 or the interest and principal received in respect of such obligations other than any payable by or on behalf of Holders.
(c) The Trustee shall deliver or pay to the Company from time to time upon Company Order any U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations or money held by it as provided in Sections 8.3 or 8.4 which, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent certified public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, are then in excess of the amount thereof which then would have been required to be deposited for the purpose for which such U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations or money were deposited or received. This provision shall not authorize the sale by the Trustee of any U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations held under this Indenture.
Section 8.3 Legal Defeasance of Securities of any Series.
Unless this Section 8.3 is otherwise specified pursuant to Section 2.2 to be inapplicable to Securities of any Series, the Company shall be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire indebtedness on all the outstanding Securities of any Series on the 91st day after the date of the deposit referred to in subparagraph (d) hereof, and the provisions of this Indenture, as it relates to such outstanding Securities of such Series, shall no longer be in effect (and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall, upon receipt of a Company Order, execute instruments acknowledging the same), except as to:
(a) the rights of Holders of Securities of such Series to receive, from the trust funds described in subparagraph (d) hereof, (i) payment of the principal of and each installment of principal of and interest on the outstanding Securities of such Series on the Maturity of such principal or installment of principal or interest and (ii) the benefit of any mandatory sinking fund payments applicable to the Securities of such Series on the day on which such payments are due and payable in accordance with the terms of this Indenture and the Securities of such Series;
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(b) the provisions of Sections 2.4, 2.5, 2.7, 2.8, 7.7, 8.2, 8.3, 8.5 and 8.6; and
(c) the rights, powers, trusts and immunities of the Trustee hereunder and the Company’s obligations in connection therewith;
provided that, the following conditions shall have been satisfied:
(d) the Company shall have irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited (except as provided in Section 8.2(c)) with the Trustee as trust funds specifically pledged as security for and dedicated solely to the benefit of the Holders of such Securities (i) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in Dollars, cash in Dollars and/or U.S. Government Obligations, or (ii) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in a Foreign Currency (other than a composite currency), money and/or Foreign Government Obligations, which through the payment of interest and principal in respect thereof in accordance with their terms, will provide (and without reinvestment and assuming no tax liability will be imposed on such Trustee), not later than one day before the due date of any payment of money, an amount in cash, sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge each installment of principal of and interest, on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of all the Securities of such Series on the dates such installments of principal or interest and such sinking fund payments are due;
(e) such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound;
(f) no Default or Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such Series shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit or during the period ending on the 91st day after such date;
(g) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that (i) the Company has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling, or (ii) since the date of execution of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable Federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such Opinion of Counsel shall confirm that, the Holders of the Securities of such Series will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amount and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred;
(h) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating that the deposit was not made by the Company with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any other creditors of the Company; and
(i) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for relating to the defeasance contemplated by this Section have been complied with.
Section 8.4 Covenant Defeasance.
Unless this Section 8.4 is otherwise specified pursuant to Section 2.2 to be inapplicable to Securities of any Series, the Company may omit to comply with respect to the Securities of any Series with any term, provision or condition set forth under Sections 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 and 5.1 and, unless otherwise specified therein, any additional covenants specified in a supplemental indenture for such Series of Securities or a Board Resolution or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 (and the failure to comply with any such covenants shall not constitute a Default or Event of Default with respect to such Series under Section 6.1) and the occurrence of any event specified in a supplemental indenture for such Series of Securities or a Board Resolution or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2.18 and designated as an Event of Default shall not constitute a Default or Event of Default hereunder, with respect to the Securities of such Series, but, except as specified above, the remainder of this Indenture and such Securities will be unaffected thereby; provided that the following conditions shall have been satisfied:
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(a) with reference to this Section 8.4, the Company has irrevocably deposited or caused to be irrevocably deposited (except as provided in Section 8.2(c)) with the Trustee as trust funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments specifically pledged as security for, and dedicated solely to, the benefit of the Holders of such Securities (i) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in Dollars, cash in Dollars and/or U.S. Government Obligations, or (ii) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in a Foreign Currency (other than a composite currency), money and/or Foreign Government Obligations, which through the payment of interest and principal in respect thereof in accordance with their terms, will provide (and without reinvestment and assuming no tax liability will be imposed on such Trustee), not later than one day before the due date of any payment of money, an amount in cash, sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent certified public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge each installment of principal (including mandatory sinking fund or analogous payments) of and interest on all the Securities of such Series on the dates such installments of principal or interest are due;
(b) such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound;
(c) no Default or Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such Series shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit;
(d) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that (i) the Company has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling, or (ii) since the date of execution of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable Federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such Opinion of Counsel shall confirm, subject to customary exclusions, that the Holders of the Securities of such Series will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit, covenant defeasance and discharge and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amount and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such deposit, covenant defeasance and discharge had not occurred;
(e) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating the deposit was not made by the Company with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any other creditors of the Company; and
(f) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to the covenant defeasance contemplated by this Section have been complied with.
Section 8.5 Repayment to Company.
Subject to applicable abandoned property law, the Trustee and the Paying Agent shall pay to the Company upon request any money held by them for the payment of principal and interest that remains unclaimed for two years. After that, Securityholders entitled to the money must look to the Company for payment as general creditors unless an applicable abandoned property law designates another person, and the Trustee shall have no further liability with respect to such money.
Section 8.6 Reinstatement.
If the Trustee or the Paying Agent is unable to apply any money deposited with respect to Securities of any Series in accordance with Section 8.1 by reason of any legal proceeding or by reason of any order or judgment of any court or governmental authority enjoining, restraining or otherwise prohibiting such application, the obligations of the Company under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such Series and under the Securities of such Series shall be revived and reinstated as though no deposit had occurred pursuant to Section 8.1 until such time as the Trustee or the Paying Agent is permitted to apply all such money in accordance with Section 8.1; provided, however, that if the Company has made any payment of principal of or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any Securities because of the reinstatement of its obligations, the Company shall be subrogated to the rights of the Holders of such Securities to receive such payment from the money or U.S. Government Obligations held by the Trustee or Paying Agent after payment in full to the Holders.
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ARTICLE IX
AMENDMENTS AND WAIVERS
Section 9.1 Without Consent of Holders.
The Company and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture or the Securities of one or more Series without the consent of any Securityholder:
(a) to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency as evidenced by an Officer Certificate;
(b) to comply with Article V;
(c) to provide for uncertificated Securities in addition to or in place of certificated Securities;
(d) to add guarantees with respect to Securities of any Series or secure Securities of any Series;
(e) to surrender any of the Company’s rights or powers under this Indenture;
(f) to add covenants or events of default for the benefit of the holders of Securities of any Series;
(g) to comply with the applicable procedures of the applicable depositary;
(h) to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any Securityholder;
(i) to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of Securities of any Series as permitted by this Indenture;
(j) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more Series and to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee;
(k) to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of this Indenture under the TIA;
(l) to add to, change or eliminate any provision of this Indenture or the Securities of such Series in accordance with the TIA, or to comply with the provisions of DTC, Euroclear or Clearstream or the Trustee with respect to provisions of this Indenture or the Securities of such Series relating to transfers or exchanges of the Securities of such Series or beneficial interests in the Securities of such Series; or
(m) to conform any provision of this Indenture, in so far as it relates to the Securities of such Series, to the description of the Securities of such Series in the prospectus supplement relating to the offering of the Securities of such Series.
Section 9.2 With Consent of Holders.
The Company and the Trustee may enter into a supplemental indenture with the written consent of the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Securities of each Series affected by such supplemental indenture (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for the Securities of such Series), for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the Securityholders of each such Series. Except as provided in Section 6.13, the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series by notice to the Trustee (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for the Securities of such Series) may waive compliance by the Company with any provision of this Indenture or the Securities with respect to such Series.
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It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Holders of Securities under this Section 9.2 to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture or waiver, but it shall be sufficient if such consent approves the substance thereof. After a supplemental indenture or waiver under this section becomes effective, the Company shall send to the Holders of Securities affected thereby, a notice briefly describing the supplemental indenture or waiver. Any failure by the Company to send such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such supplemental indenture or waiver.
Section 9.3 Limitations.
Without the consent of each Securityholder affected, an amendment or waiver may not:
(a) reduce the principal amount of Securities whose Holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;
(b) reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any Security;
(c) reduce the principal or change the Stated Maturity of any Security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation;
(d) reduce the principal amount of Discount Securities payable upon acceleration of the maturity thereof;
(e) waive a Default or Event of Default in the payment of the principal of or interest, if any, on any Security (except a rescission of acceleration of the Securities of any Series by the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of such Series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);
(f) make the principal of or interest, if any, on any Security payable in any currency other than that stated in the Security;
(g) make any change in Sections 6.8, 6.13 or 9.3 (this sentence); or
(h) waive a redemption payment with respect to any Security, provided that such redemption is made at the Company’s option.
Section 9.4 Compliance with Trust Indenture Act.
Every amendment to this Indenture or the Securities of one or more Series shall be set forth in a supplemental indenture hereto that complies with the TIA as then in effect.
Section 9.5 Revocation and Effect of Consents.
Until an amendment is set forth in a supplemental indenture or a waiver becomes effective, a consent to it by a Holder of a Security is a continuing consent by the Holder and every subsequent Holder of a Security or portion of a Security that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Security, even if notation of the consent is not made on any Security. However, any such Holder or subsequent Holder may revoke the consent as to his Security or portion of a Security if the Trustee receives the notice of revocation before the date of the supplemental indenture or the date the waiver becomes effective.
Any amendment or waiver once effective shall bind every Securityholder of each Series affected by such amendment or waiver unless it is of the type described in any of clauses (a) through (h) of Section 9.3. In that case, the amendment or waiver shall bind each Holder of a Security who has consented to it and every subsequent Holder of a Security or portion of a Security that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Security.
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The Company may, but shall not be obligated to, fix a record date for the purpose of determining the Holders entitled to give their consent or take any other action described above or required or permitted to be taken pursuant to this Indenture. If a record date is fixed, then notwithstanding the second immediately preceding paragraph, those Persons who were Holders at such record date (or their duly designated proxies), and only those persons, shall be entitled to give such consent or to revoke any consent previously given or take any such action, whether or not such Persons continue to be Holders after such record date. No such consent shall be valid or effective for more than 120 days after such record date.
Section 9.6 Notation on or Exchange of Securities.
The Company or the Trustee may place an appropriate notation about an amendment or waiver on any Security of any Series thereafter authenticated. The Company in exchange for Securities of that Series may issue and the Trustee shall authenticate upon receipt of a Company Order in accordance with Section 2.3 new Securities of that Series that reflect the amendment or waiver.
Section 9.7 Trustee Protected.
In executing, or accepting the additional trusts created by, any supplemental indenture permitted by this Article or the modifications thereby of the trusts created by this Indenture, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive, and (subject to Section 7.1) shall be fully protected in relying upon, an Officer’s Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel or both complying with Section 10.4 and stating that the supplemental indenture is authorized or permitted by this Indenture and constitutes a legal valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms. The Trustee shall sign all supplemental indentures upon delivery of such an Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel or both, except that the Trustee need not sign any supplemental indenture that adversely affects its rights, duties, liabilities or immunities under this Indenture.
ARTICLE X
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 10.1 Trust Indenture Act Controls.
If any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies, or conflicts with another provision which is required or deemed to be included in this Indenture by the TIA, such required or deemed provision shall control.
Section 10.2 Notices.
Any notice or communication by the Company or the Trustee to the other, or by a Holder to the Company or the Trustee, is duly given if in writing and delivered in person or mailed by first-class mail (registered or certified, return receipt requested), facsimile transmission, email or overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery, to the others’ address:
if to the Company:
Axe Compute Inc.
91 43rd Street, Suite 110
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Attention: Jeremy Yaukey-Witter
with a copy to:
Lucosky Brookman LLP
101 Wood Avenue South, 5th Floor
Woodbridge, NJ 08830
Attention: Joseph M. Lucosky, Esq.
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if to the Trustee:
[__________]
[__________]
Attention: [__________]
The Company or the Trustee by notice to the other may designate additional or different addresses for subsequent notices or communications. Any notice or communication delivered to the Trustee shall be deemed effective upon actual receipt thereof.
Any notice or communication to a Securityholder shall be sent electronically or by first-class mail to his address shown on the register kept by the Registrar, in accordance with the procedures of the Depositary. Failure to send a notice or communication to a Securityholder of any Series or any defect in it shall not affect its sufficiency with respect to other Securityholders of that or any other Series.
If a notice or communication is sent or published in the manner provided above, within the time prescribed, it is duly given, whether or not the Securityholder receives it.
If the Company sends a notice or communication to Securityholders, it shall send a copy to the Trustee and each Agent at the same time.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture or any Security, where this Indenture or any Security provides for notice of any event (including any notice of redemption) to a Holder of a Global Security (whether by mail or otherwise), such notice shall be sufficiently given to the Depositary for such Security (or its designee) pursuant to the customary procedures of such Depositary.
Section 10.3 Communication by Holders with Other Holders.
Securityholders of any Series may communicate pursuant to TIA § 312(b) with other Securityholders of that Series or any other Series with respect to their rights under this Indenture or the Securities of that Series or all Series. The Company, the Trustee, the Registrar and anyone else shall have the protection of TIA § 312(c).
Section 10.4 Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent.
Upon any request or application by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee:
(a) an Officer’s Certificate stating that, in the opinion of the signers, all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been complied with; and
(b) an Opinion of Counsel stating that, in the opinion of such counsel, all such conditions precedent have been complied with.
Section 10.5 Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion.
Each certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture (other than a certificate provided pursuant to TIA § 314(a)(4)) shall comply with the provisions of TIA § 314(e) and shall include:
(a) a statement that the person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition;
(b) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based;
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(c) a statement that, in the opinion of such person, he has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and
(d) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of such person, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
Section 10.6 Rules by Trustee and Agents.
The Trustee may make reasonable rules for action by or a meeting of Securityholders of one or more Series. Any Agent may make reasonable rules and set reasonable requirements for its functions.
Section 10.7 Legal Holidays.
A “Legal Holiday” is any day that is not a Business Day. If a payment date is a Legal Holiday at a place of payment, payment may be made at that place on the next succeeding day that is not a Legal Holiday, and no interest shall accrue for the intervening period.
Section 10.8 No Recourse Against Others.
A director, officer, employee or stockholder (past or present), as such, of the Company shall not have any liability for any obligations of the Company under the Securities or the Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of or by reason of such obligations or their creation. Each Securityholder by accepting a Security waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for the issue of the Securities.
Section 10.9 Counterparts.
This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts and by the parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. The exchange of copies of this Indenture and of signature pages by facsimile or PDF transmission shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Indenture as to the parties hereto and may be used in lieu of the original Indenture for all purposes. Signatures of the parties hereto transmitted by facsimile or PDF shall be deemed to be their original signatures for all purposes.
Section 10.10 Governing Law; Waiver of Jury Trial; Consent to Jurisdiction.
THIS INDENTURE AND THE SECURITIES, INCLUDING ANY CLAIM OR CONTROVERSY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE INDENTURE OR THE SECURITIES, SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. THE COMPANY, THE TRUSTEE AND THE HOLDERS (BY THEIR ACCEPTANCE OF THE SECURITIES) EACH HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVE, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE, THE SECURITIES OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY.
Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Indenture or the transactions contemplated hereby may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America located in the City of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the City of New York (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and each party irrevocably submits to the nonexclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail (to the extent allowed under any applicable statute or rule of court) to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The Company, the Trustee and the Holders (by their acceptance of the Securities) each hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim any such suit, action or other proceeding has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
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Section 10.11 No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements.
This Indenture may not be used to interpret another indenture, loan or debt agreement of the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company. Any such indenture, loan or debt agreement may not be used to interpret this Indenture.
Section 10.12 Successors.
All agreements of the Company in this Indenture and the Securities shall bind its successor. All agreements of the Trustee in this Indenture shall bind its successor.
Section 10.13 Severability.
In case any provision in this Indenture or in the Securities shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.
Section 10.14 Table of Contents, Headings, Etc.
The Table of Contents, Cross Reference Table, and headings of the Articles and Sections of this Indenture have been inserted for convenience of reference only, are not to be considered a part hereof, and shall in no way modify or restrict any of the terms or provisions hereof.
Section 10.15 Securities in a Foreign Currency.
Unless otherwise specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 of this Indenture with respect to a particular Series of Securities, whenever for purposes of this Indenture any action may be taken by the Holders of a specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of Securities of all Series or all Series affected by a particular action at the time outstanding and, at such time, there are outstanding Securities of any Series which are denominated in more than one currency, then the principal amount of Securities of such Series which shall be deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of taking such action shall be determined by converting any such other currency into a currency that is designated upon issuance of any particular Series of Securities. Unless otherwise specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 of this Indenture with respect to a particular Series of Securities, such conversion shall be at the spot rate for the purchase of the designated currency as published in The Financial Times in the “Currency Rates” section (or, if The Financial Times is no longer published, or if such information is no longer available in The Financial Times, such source as may be selected in good faith by the Company) on any date of determination. The provisions of this paragraph shall apply in determining the equivalent principal amount in respect of Securities of a Series denominated in currency other than Dollars in connection with any action taken by Holders of Securities pursuant to the terms of this Indenture.
All decisions and determinations provided for in the preceding paragraph shall, in the absence of manifest error, to the extent permitted by law, be conclusive for all purposes and irrevocably binding upon the Trustee and all Holders.
Section 10.16 Judgment Currency.
The Company agrees, to the fullest extent that it may effectively do so under applicable law, that (a) if for the purpose of obtaining judgment in any court it is necessary to convert the sum due in respect of the principal of or interest or other amount on the Securities of any Series (the “Required Currency”) into a currency in which a judgment will be rendered (the “Judgment Currency”), the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Trustee could purchase in The City of New York the Required Currency with the Judgment Currency on the day on which final unappealable judgment is entered, unless such day is not a New York Banking Day, then the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Trustee could purchase in The City of New York the Required Currency with the Judgment Currency on the New York Banking Day preceding the day on which final unappealable judgment is entered and (b) its obligations under this Indenture to make payments in the Required Currency (i) shall not be discharged or satisfied by any tender, any recovery pursuant to any judgment (whether or not entered in accordance with subsection (a)), in any currency other than the Required Currency, except to the extent that such tender or recovery shall result in the actual receipt, by the payee, of the full amount of the Required Currency expressed to be payable in respect of such payments, (ii) shall be enforceable as an alternative or additional cause of action for the purpose of recovering in the Required Currency the amount, if any, by which such actual receipt shall fall short of the full amount of the Required Currency so expressed to be payable, and (iii) shall not be affected by judgment being obtained for any other sum due under this Indenture. For purposes of the foregoing, “New York Banking Day” means any day except a Saturday, Sunday or a Legal Holiday in The City of New York on which banking institutions are authorized or required by law, regulation or executive order to close.
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Section 10.17 Force Majeure.
In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including, without limitation, strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services, it being understood that the Trustee shall use reasonable best efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the banking industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances.
Section 10.18 U.S.A. Patriot Act.
The parties hereto acknowledge that in accordance with Section 326 of the U.S.A. Patriot Act, the Trustee is required to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person or legal entity that establishes a relationship or opens an account with the Trustee. The parties to this Indenture agree that they will provide the Trustee with such information as it may request in order for the Trustee to satisfy the requirements of the U.S.A. Patriot Act.
ARTICLE XI
SINKING FUNDS
Section 11.1 Applicability of Article.
The provisions of this Article shall be applicable to any sinking fund for the retirement of the Securities of a Series if so provided by the terms of such Securities pursuant to Section 2.2 and except as otherwise permitted or required by any form of Security of such Series issued pursuant to this Indenture.
The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of the Securities of any Series is herein referred to as a “mandatory sinking fund payment” and any other amount provided for by the terms of Securities of such Series is herein referred to as an “optional sinking fund payment.” If provided for by the terms of Securities of any Series, the cash amount of any sinking fund payment may be subject to reduction as provided in Section 11.2. Each sinking fund payment shall be applied to the redemption of Securities of any Series as provided for by the terms of the Securities of such Series.
Section 11.2 Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities.
The Company may, in satisfaction of all or any part of any sinking fund payment with respect to the Securities of any Series to be made pursuant to the terms of such Securities (1) deliver outstanding Securities of such Series to which such sinking fund payment is applicable (other than any of such Securities previously called for mandatory sinking fund redemption) and (2) apply as credit Securities of such Series to which such sinking fund payment is applicable and which have been repurchased by the Company or redeemed either at the election of the Company pursuant to the terms of such Series of Securities (except pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund) or through the application of permitted optional sinking fund payments or other optional redemptions pursuant to the terms of such Securities, provided that such Securities have not been previously so credited. Such Securities shall be received by the Trustee, together with an Officer’s Certificate with respect thereto, not later than 15 days prior to the date on which the Trustee begins the process of selecting Securities for redemption, and shall be credited for such purpose by the Trustee at the price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such sinking fund payment shall be reduced accordingly. If as a result of the delivery or credit of Securities in lieu of cash payments pursuant to this Section 11.2, the principal amount of Securities of such Series to be redeemed in order to exhaust the aforesaid cash payment shall be less than $100,000, the Trustee need not call Securities of such Series for redemption, except upon receipt of a Company Order that such action be taken, and such cash payment shall be held by the Trustee or a Paying Agent and applied to the next succeeding sinking fund payment, provided, however, that the Trustee or such Paying Agent shall from time to time upon receipt of a Company Order pay over and deliver to the Company any cash payment so being held by the Trustee or such Paying Agent upon delivery by the Company to the Trustee of Securities of that Series purchased by the Company having an unpaid principal amount equal to the cash payment required to be released to the Company.
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Section 11.3 Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund.
Not less than 45 days (unless otherwise indicated in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate in respect of a particular Series of Securities) prior to each sinking fund payment date for any Series of Securities, the Company will deliver to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate specifying the amount of the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment for that Series pursuant to the terms of that Series, the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by payment of cash and the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by delivering and crediting of Securities of that Series pursuant to Section 11.2, and the optional amount, if any, to be added in cash to the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment, and the Company shall thereupon be obligated to pay the amount therein specified. Not less than 30 days (unless otherwise indicated in the Board Resolution, Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture in respect of a particular Series of Securities) before each such sinking fund payment date the Securities to be redeemed upon such sinking fund payment date will be selected in the manner specified in Section 3.2 and the Company shall send or cause to be sent a notice of the redemption thereof to be given in the name of and at the expense of the Company in the manner provided in and in accordance with Section 3.3. Such notice having been duly given, the redemption of such Securities shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Sections 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6.
ARTICLE XII
SUBORDINATION
Section 12.1 Applicability of Article.
The provisions of this Article XII shall be applicable to a Series of Securities only if such Series is designated as subordinated pursuant to Section 2.2.1 (each such Series, a “Subordinated Series”). Securities of a Subordinated Series are herein referred to as “Subordinated Securities.” This Article XII shall have no effect on any Series of Securities that is not so designated.
Section 12.2 Definitions.
For purposes of this Article XII, the following terms have the meanings set forth below:
“Indebtedness” means: (1) all indebtedness, obligations and other liabilities for borrowed money, including overdrafts, foreign exchange contracts, currency exchange agreements, interest rate protection agreements, and any loans or advances from banks, or evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, other than any account payable or other accrued current liability or obligation incurred in the ordinary course of business in connection with the obtaining of materials or services; (2) all reimbursement obligations and other liabilities with respect to letters of credit, bank guarantees or bankers’ acceptances; (3) all obligations and liabilities in respect of leases required in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles to be accounted for as capitalized lease obligations on the Company’s balance sheet; (4) all obligations and other liabilities under any lease or related document in connection with the lease of real property which provides that the Company is contractually obligated to purchase or cause a third party to purchase the leased property and thereby guarantee a minimum residual value of the leased property to the lessor and the Company’s obligations under the lease or related document to purchase or to cause a third party to purchase the leased property; (5) all obligations with respect to an interest rate or other swap, cap or collar agreement or other similar instrument or agreement or foreign currency hedge, exchange, purchase or other similar instrument or agreement; (6) all direct or indirect guaranties or similar agreements in respect of, and the Company’s obligations or liabilities to purchase, acquire or otherwise assure a creditor against loss in respect of, indebtedness, obligations or liabilities of others of the type described in clauses (1) through (5) above; (7) any indebtedness or other obligations described in clauses (1) through (6) above secured by any mortgage, pledge, lien or other encumbrance existing on property which is owned or held by the Company; and (8) any and all refinancings, replacements, deferrals, renewals, extensions and refundings of, or amendments, modifications or supplements to, any indebtedness, obligation or liability of the kind described in clauses (1) through (7) above.
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“Permitted Junior Securities” means (i) equity interests in the Company; or (ii) debt securities of the Company that are subordinated to all Senior Indebtedness and any debt securities issued in exchange for Senior Indebtedness to substantially the same extent as, or to a greater extent than, the Subordinated Securities are subordinated to Senior Indebtedness under this Indenture.
“Senior Indebtedness” means the principal, premium, if any, interest (including any interest accruing after bankruptcy), and rent or termination payment on or other amounts due on the Company’s current or future Indebtedness, whether created, incurred, assumed, guaranteed or in effect guaranteed by the Company, including any deferrals, renewals, extensions, refundings, amendments, modifications or supplements to the above; provided, however, that Senior Indebtedness does not include: (a) Indebtedness that expressly provides that it shall not be senior in right of payment to Subordinated Securities or expressly provides that it is on the same basis or junior to Subordinated Securities; (b) the Company’s Indebtedness to any of its majority-owned Subsidiaries; and (c) Subordinated Securities.
Section 12.3 Subordination.
Payment on Subordinated Securities will, to the extent provided in this Article XII, be subordinated in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness, except that Holders of Subordinated Securities may receive and retain (i) Permitted Junior Securities and (ii) payments made from the trust described under Section 8.1, 8.3 or 8.4 of this Indenture. Any Subordinated Securities also are effectively subordinated to all debt and other liabilities, including lease obligations, if any, of any Subsidiary of the Company.
Section 12.4 Subordination upon Dissolution, Winding Up, Liquidation or Reorganization.
Upon any distribution of the Company’s assets upon any dissolution, winding up, liquidation or reorganization, the payment of the principal of and interest on Subordinated Securities shall be subordinated in right of payment to the prior payment in full in cash or other payment satisfactory to the holders of Senior Indebtedness of all Senior Indebtedness obligations. In the event of any acceleration of Subordinated Securities because of an Event of Default, the holders of any Senior Indebtedness would be entitled to payment in full in cash or other payment satisfactory to such holders of all Senior Indebtedness obligations before the Holders of Subordinated Securities are entitled to receive any payment or distribution, except for (i) Permitted Junior Securities and (ii) payments made from the trust described under Section 8.1, 8.3 or 8.4 of this Indenture.
Section 12.5 Payment Blockage.
The Company may not make any payment on Subordinated Securities, including upon redemption at the option of the Holder of any Subordinated Security or at the Company’s option, if: (a) a default in the payment of the principal, premium, if any, interest, rent or other obligations in respect of designated Senior Indebtedness occurs and is continuing beyond any applicable period of grace (a “payment default”); or (b) a default other than a payment default (a “non-payment default”) on any designated Senior Indebtedness occurs and is continuing that permits holders of designated Senior Indebtedness to accelerate its maturity, and the Trustee receives notice of such default (a “payment blockage notice”) from the Company or any other person permitted to give such notice under this Indenture.
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Section 12.6 Turnover of Payments.
If the Trustee or any Holder of Subordinated Securities receives any payment or distribution of the Company’s assets in contravention of the subordination provisions of this Article XII before all Senior Indebtedness is paid in full in cash, property or securities, including by way of set-off, or other payment satisfactory to holders of Senior Indebtedness, then such payment or distribution shall be held in trust for the benefit of holders of Senior Indebtedness or their representatives to the extent necessary to make payment in full in cash or payment satisfactory to the holders of Senior Indebtedness of all unpaid Senior Indebtedness.
Section 12.7 No Limitation on Incurrence of Senior Indebtedness.
Nothing in this Indenture shall prohibit the Company from incurring additional Indebtedness, including Senior Indebtedness. The Company may from time to time incur additional debt, including Senior Indebtedness.
Section 12.8 Trustee’s Compensation and Priority.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Article XII, the Company is obligated to pay reasonable compensation to the Trustee and to indemnify the Trustee against certain losses, liabilities or expenses incurred by the Trustee in connection with its duties under this Indenture, as set forth in Section 7.7. The Trustee’s claims for such compensation, reimbursement and indemnification shall be senior in priority to the claims of Holders of Subordinated Securities in respect of all funds collected or held by the Trustee.
Section 12.9 Notice of Acceleration.
The Company or the Trustee shall promptly notify holders of designated Senior Indebtedness (or their representatives) if payment of Subordinated Securities is accelerated because of an Event of Default.
Section 12.10 Subordination Not to Prevent Events of Default.
The subordination provisions of this Article XII shall not prevent the occurrence of any Event of Default under this Indenture.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.
| Axe Compute Inc. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Its: | ||
| [__________], | ||
| as Trustee | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Its: | ||
Exhibit 23.1
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
We consent to the use of our reports dated March 31, 2026, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of Axe Compute Inc. and subsidiaries, incorporated herein by reference, and to the reference to our firm under the heading "Experts" in the prospectus.
/s/ KPMG LLP
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
July 20, 2026