UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date
of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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(Commission File Number) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
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(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) | |
| Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) | |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) | |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
| The |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
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 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
On July 29, 2025, Capstone Holding Corp. (the “Company”) entered into a securities purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with an institutional investor (the “Buyer”), pursuant to which the Company authorized the issuance of senior secured convertible notes to the Buyer, in the aggregate original principal amount of up to $10,909,885, which are being issued with a 8.34% original issue discount (each, a “Convertible Note”). The first Convertible Note was issued in the original principal amount of approximately $3,272,966 (the “Convertible Note Financing”). The Convertible Notes are convertible into shares of common stock, $0.0005 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), in certain circumstances in accordance with the terms of the Convertible Notes at an initial conversion price per share of $1.72. The Company received gross proceeds of $3,000,000, prior to the deduction of transaction related expenses, from the initial closing of the Convertible Note Financing.
Concurrently with the Convertible Note Financing and the Purchase Agreement, the Company entered into a registration rights agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) and a security agreement (the “Security Agreement”) with the Buyer.
Consistent with certain applicable Nasdaq rules, the Company may not issue to the Buyer more than 1,093,195 shares of its Common Stock under the Purchase Agreement, which number of shares is equal to 19.99% of the shares of the Company’s Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the execution of the Purchase Agreement, unless the Company obtains stockholder approval to issue shares of its Common Stock in excess of such limit in accordance with applicable rules of Nasdaq. The Company obtained the stockholder approval on July 27, 2025.
Moreover, the Company may not issue or sell any shares of Common Stock to the Buyer, which, when aggregated with all other shares of common stock then beneficially owned by the Buyer and its affiliates (as calculated pursuant to Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13d-3 promulgated thereunder), would result in the Purchaser beneficially owning more than 4.99% of the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock, unless such limit is increased by the Buyer up to a maximum of 9.99%.
The Purchase Agreement provides customary representations, warranties, and covenants of the Company and the Buyer.
Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, the Company agreed to file a registration statement covering the resale of the Registrable Securities (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) with the SEC by August 28, 2025, and to use commercially reasonable efforts to cause such resale registration statement to be declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as soon as reasonably practicable following the filing thereof, no later than (i) with respect to the initial registration statement, September 27, 2025; (ii) with respect to an additional registration statement, the forty-fifth (45th) calendar day after the day on which such additional registration statement required to be filed by the Company is initially filed with the SEC; and (iii) with respect to any other subsequent registration statements that may be required to be filed by the Company pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, the earlier of the (A) sixtieth (60th) calendar day following the date on which such other subsequent registration statement was initially filed by the Company (or the ninetieth (90th) calendar day following the filing thereof if the SEC notifies the Company that the SEC shall “review” such subsequent registration statement), and (B) the fifth (5th) business day after the date on which the Company is notified by the SEC that such subsequent registration statement shall not be reviewed or shall not be subject to further review.
Joseph Gunnar & Co., LLC (the “Placement Agent”) acted as the sole sales agent for the Convertible Note Financing. The Company agreed to pay the Placement Agent a cash fee equal to seven percent (7%) of the gross proceeds upon each closing of a drawdown under the Convertible Note Financing.
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The Convertible Notes were offered pursuant to the exemption from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Rule 506(b) of Regulation D promulgated thereunder, and applicable state securities laws.
The foregoing does not purport to be a complete description of the Purchase Agreement, Convertible Note, Registration Rights Agreement and Security Agreement, and each such description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of each such document, forms of which are filed as Exhibit 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, and 10.4 to this Current Report on Form 8-K (this “Form 8-K”), respectively, which are incorporated herein by reference.
Item 2.03 Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation Under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.
The information set forth under Item 1.01 of this Form 8-K is incorporated herein by reference into this Item 2.03.
Item 3.02 Unregistered Sale of Equity Securities.
The applicable information contained above in Item 1.01 of this Form 8-K relating to the issuance of the Convertible Notes is hereby incorporated by reference into this Item 3.02.
Neither this Form 8-K nor any exhibit attached hereto is an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities of the Company.
Item 8.01. Other Events.
On July 30, 2025, the Company issued a press release announcing the Convertible Note Financing. A copy of the press release is furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.1.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
Exhibit Number |
Exhibits | |
| 10.1† | Form of Securities Purchase Agreement, by and between Capstone Holding Corp. and the Buyer | |
| 10.2 | Form of Senior Secured Convertible Note | |
| 10.3† | Form of Registration Rights Agreement, by and between Capstone Holding Corp. and the Buyer | |
| 10.4† | Form of Security Agreement, by and between Capstone Holding Corp. and the Buyer | |
| 99.1 | Press Release, dated July 30, 2025 | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) |
| † | Certain of the schedules, exhibits or similar attachments to this exhibit have been omitted in accordance with Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act because they do not contain information material to an investment or voting decision and that information is not otherwise disclosed in the exhibit or the disclosure document. A copy of any omitted schedule, exhibit or similar attachment will be furnished to the SEC upon request. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| Date: August 4, 2025 | Capstone Holding Corp. | |
| By: | /s/ Matthew E. Lipman | |
| Name: | Matthew E. Lipman | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
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Exhibit 10.1
Execution Copy
SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), dated as of July 29, 2025 (the “Subscription Date”), is by and among Capstone Holding Corp., a Delaware corporation with offices located at 5141 W. 122nd Street, Alsip, Illinois 60803 (the “Company”), and the investor listed on the Schedule of Buyers attached hereto (the “Schedule of Buyers”) (the “Buyer” and, together with the Company, the “Parties”).
RECITALS
A. The Company and the Buyer are executing and delivering this Agreement in reliance upon the exemption from securities registration afforded by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Rule 506(b) of Regulation D (“Regulation D”) as promulgated by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Securities Act.
B. The Company has authorized the issuance of senior secured convertible notes of the Company, in the aggregate original principal amount of up to $10,909,885, which are being issued with a 8.34% original issue discount, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A (each, a “Note” and, collectively, the “Notes”), which Notes shall be convertible into shares of Common Stock (as defined below) in certain circumstances in accordance with the terms of the Notes at an initial conversion price per share of $1.72, subject to adjustment as set forth in the Notes (the shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to the terms of the Notes, the “Conversion Shares” and, together with the Notes, the “Securities”).
C. The Buyer desires to purchase, and the Company desires to issue and sell, at the Initial Closing (as defined below) a Note (the “Initial Note”) in the original principal amount of $3,272,966, as set forth opposite the Buyer’s name in column (3) on the Schedule of Buyers with respect to the Initial Closing, upon the terms and subject to the conditions stated in this Agreement.
D. Following the Initial Closing, the Buyer may agree to purchase, and the Company may agree to issue and sell, at one or more Additional Closings (as defined below) one or more Notes (each, an “Additional Note” and collectively, the “Additional Notes”) in an aggregate original principal amount of up to $7,636,919, in each case, as shall be set forth opposite the Buyer’s name in column (3) on the Schedule of Buyers with respect to the related Additional Closing, upon the terms and subject to the conditions stated in this Agreement and agreed by the Parties.
E. At the Initial Closing, the Parties shall execute and deliver a registration rights agreement, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company shall agree to provide certain registration rights with respect to the Registrable Securities (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement), under the Securities Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder and applicable state securities laws.
AGREEMENT
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants contained herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Buyer hereby agree as follows:
| 1. | PURCHASE AND SALE OF SECURITIES. |
(a) Purchase and Sale of the Initial Note. Subject to the satisfaction (or waiver) of the conditions set forth in Sections 6 and 7, the Company shall issue and sell to the Buyer, and the Buyer agrees to purchase from the Company on the Initial Closing Date (as defined below), the Initial Note in the original principal amount set forth opposite the Buyer’s name in column (3) on the Schedule of Buyers with respect to the Initial Closing (the “Initial Closing”). The Initial Note shall be issued with an original issue discount of 8.34%, as reflected in the Initial Note and on the Schedule of Buyers with respect to the Initial Closing.
(b) Purchase and Sale of Additional Notes. Following the Initial Closing, and subject to the satisfaction (or waiver) of the conditions set forth in this Section 1(b) and in Sections 6 and 7, the Company may agree to issue and sell to the Buyer, and the Buyer may agree to purchase from the Company, an Additional Note in the original principal amount set forth opposite the Buyer’s name in column (3) on the Schedule of Buyers with respect to such Additional Closing (each, an “Additional Closing” and collectively, the “Additional Closings”). The Initial Closing and the Additional Closings are collectively referred to herein as the “Closings” and each, a “Closing.” Each Additional Note shall be issued with an original issue discount of 8.34%, as shall be reflected in each Additional Note and on the Schedule of Buyers with respect to each Additional Closing. In the event that the Company and the Buyer mutually agree to effect an Additional Closing, then the Company and the Buyer shall jointly prepare a written notice with respect to such Additional Closing (each, an “Additional Closing Notice” and the date thereof, an “Additional Closing Notice Date”), which shall be executed by each of the Company and the Buyer, and shall set forth: (A) the original principal amount of the Additional Note to be purchased by the Buyer at such Additional Closing; and (B) the anticipated Additional Closing Date of such Additional Closing, provided, however, that each Additional Closing Date must be on or before July 29, 2026 (the “Additional Closing Expiration Date”). For the avoidance of doubt, the Parties shall not effect any Additional Closings under this Agreement after the Additional Closing Expiration Date.
(c) Closings. Each Closing shall take place electronically. The date and time of the Initial Closing (the “Initial Closing Date”) shall be 10:00 a.m., New York time, on the first (1st) Business Day on which the conditions to the Initial Closing set forth in Sections 6 and 7 are satisfied or waived (or such other date as is mutually agreed to by the Company and the Buyer). The date and time of an Additional Closing (each, an “Additional Closing Date”) shall be 10:00 a.m., New York time, on the date specified in the Additional Closing Notice (or such other date as is mutually agreed to by the Company and the Buyer), in each case, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions to each Additional Closing set forth in Sections 1(b), 6 and 7. The Initial Closing Date and each Additional Closing Dates is referred to herein as a “Closing Date”. “Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in New York City are authorized or required by law to remain closed.
(d) Purchase Price. The purchase price to be paid by the Buyer for the Initial Note shall be the amount set forth opposite the Buyer’s name in column (4) on the Schedule of Buyers with respect to the Initial Closing, and shall be $1.00 for each $1.09095656 of original principal amount of the Initial Note (such amount, the “Initial Purchase Price”). The purchase price to be paid by the Buyer for an Additional Note shall be the amount set forth opposite the Buyer’s name in column (4) on the Schedule of Buyers with respect to such Additional Closing, and shall be $1.00 for each $1.09095656 of original principal amount of an Additional Note (each such amount, an “Additional Purchase Price” and each of the Initial Purchase Price and each Additional Purchase Price, a “Purchase Price”).
(e) Form of Payment. On each Closing Date, the Buyer shall pay the Purchase Price (less any amount withheld pursuant to Section 4(g)) to the Company for the Note to be issued and sold to the Buyer at the related Closing by wire transfer of immediately available funds in accordance with the applicable Flow of Funds Letter (as defined below). Upon receipt of payment, the Company shall deliver to the Buyer a Note in the original principal amount set forth opposite the Buyer’s in column (3) on the Schedule of Buyers with respect to such Closing, duly executed on behalf of the Company and registered in the name of the Buyer or its designee.
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REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE BUYER. |
The Buyer represents and warrants to the Company that, as of the Subscription Date and as of the applicable Closing Date:
(a) Organization; Authority. The Buyer is an entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with the requisite power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents (as defined below) to which it is a party and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder.
(b) No Public Sale or Distribution. The Buyer: (i) is acquiring the Notes and (ii) upon conversion of a Note shall acquire the Conversion Shares issuable upon conversion thereof, in each case for its own account and not with a view towards, or for resale in connection with, the public sale or distribution thereof in violation of applicable securities laws, except pursuant to sales registered or exempted under the Securities Act; provided, however, by making the representations herein, the Buyer does not agree, or make any representation or warranty, to hold any of the Securities for any minimum or other specific term and reserves the right to dispose of the Securities at any time in accordance with or pursuant to a registration statement or an exemption from registration under the Securities Act. The Buyer does not presently have any agreement or understanding, directly or indirectly, with any Person to distribute any of the Securities in violation of applicable securities laws. For purposes of this Agreement, “Person” means an individual, a limited liability company, a partnership, a joint venture, a corporation, a trust, an unincorporated organization, any other entity and any Governmental Entity (as defined below) or any department or agency thereof.
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(c) Accredited Investor Status. The Buyer is an “accredited investor” as that term is defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D.
(d) Reliance on Exemptions. The Buyer understands that the Securities are being offered and sold to it in reliance on specific exemptions from the registration requirements of United States federal and state securities laws and that the Company is relying in part upon the truth and accuracy of, and the Buyer’s compliance with, the representations, warranties, agreements, acknowledgments and understandings of the Buyer set forth herein in order to determine the availability of such exemptions and the eligibility of the Buyer to acquire the Securities.
(e) Information. The Buyer and its advisors, if any, have been furnished with all materials relating to the business, finances and operations of the Company, and materials relating to the offer and sale of the Securities, that have been requested by the Buyer. The Buyer and its advisors, if any, have been afforded the opportunity to ask questions of the Company. Neither such inquiries nor any other due diligence investigations conducted by the Buyer or its advisors, if any, or its representatives shall modify, amend or affect the Buyer’s right to rely on the Company’s representations and warranties contained herein. The Buyer understands that its investment in the Securities involves a high degree of risk. The Buyer has sought such investment, accounting, legal and tax advice as it has considered necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to its acquisition of the Securities.
(f) No Governmental Review. The Buyer understands that no United States federal or state agency or any other government or governmental agency has passed on or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Securities or the fairness or suitability of the investment in the Securities nor have such authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the offering of the Securities.
(g) Transfer or Resale. The Buyer understands that, except as provided in the Registration Rights Agreement and Section 4(h) hereof: (i) the Securities have not been and are not being registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws, and may not be offered for sale, sold, assigned or transferred unless (A) subsequently registered thereunder, (B) the Buyer shall have delivered to the Company (if requested by the Company) an opinion of counsel, in a form reasonably acceptable to the Company, to the effect that such Securities to be sold, assigned or transferred may be sold, assigned or transferred pursuant to an exemption from such registration, or (C) the Buyer provides the Company with reasonable assurance that such Securities can be sold, assigned or transferred pursuant to Rule 144 or Rule 144A promulgated under the Securities Act (or a successor rule thereto) (collectively, “Rule 144”); (ii) any sale of the Securities made in reliance on Rule 144 may be made only in accordance with the terms of Rule 144, and further, if Rule 144 is not applicable, any resale of the Securities under circumstances in which the seller (or the Person through whom the sale is made) may be deemed to be an underwriter (as that term is defined in the Securities Act) may require compliance with some other exemption under the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder; and (iii) neither the Company nor any other Person is under any obligation to register the Securities under the Securities Act or any state securities laws or to comply with the terms and conditions of any exemption thereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Securities may be pledged in connection with a bona fide margin account or other loan or financing arrangement secured by the Securities and such pledge of Securities shall not be deemed to be a transfer, sale or assignment of the Securities hereunder, and the Buyer shall not be required to provide the Company with any notice thereof or otherwise make any delivery to the Company pursuant to this Agreement or any other Transaction Document, including, without limitation, this Section 2(g).
(h) Validity; Enforcement. This Agreement, and each of the other Transaction Documents to which the Buyer is a party, has been duly and validly authorized, executed, and delivered on behalf of the Buyer and shall constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Buyer enforceable against the Buyer in accordance with their respective terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by general principles of equity or to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation and other similar laws relating to, or affecting generally, the enforcement of applicable creditors’ rights and remedies.
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(i) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Buyer of this Agreement, and each of the other Transaction Documents to which the Buyer is a party, and the consummation by the Buyer of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, shall not (i) result in a violation of the organizational documents of the Buyer, or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation of, any agreement, indenture or instrument to which the Buyer is a party, or (iii) result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment or decree (including federal and state securities laws) applicable to the Buyer, except in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for such conflicts, defaults, rights or violations which could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Buyer to perform its obligations hereunder.
| 3. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY. |
The Company represents and warrants to the Buyer that, as of the Subscription Date and as of the applicable Closing Date:
(a) Organization, Good Standing and Power. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries (as defined below) is an entity duly incorporated or otherwise organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with the requisite power and authority to own and use its properties and assets and to carry on its business as currently conducted. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation nor default of any of the provisions of its respective certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries is duly qualified to conduct business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation or other entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted or property owned by it makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, as the case may be, could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect (as defined below) and no proceeding has been instituted in any such jurisdiction revoking, limiting or curtailing or seeking to revoke, limit or curtail such power and authority or qualification. The Company has made available via the SEC’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”) true and correct copies of the Company’s certificate of incorporation, as in effect on the applicable Closing Date (the “Charter”), and the Company’s bylaws, as in effect on the applicable Closing Date (the “Bylaws”). “Material Adverse Effect” means: (i) any condition, occurrence, state of facts or event having, or insofar as reasonably can be foreseen would likely have, any material adverse effect on the legality, validity or enforceability of the Transaction Documents or the transactions contemplated thereby; (ii) any condition, occurrence, state of facts or event having, or insofar as reasonably can be foreseen would likely have, any effect on the business, operations, properties, financial condition, or prospects of the Company that is material and adverse to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; and/or (iii) any condition, occurrence, state of facts or event that would, or insofar as reasonably can be foreseen would likely, prohibit or otherwise materially interfere with or delay the ability of the Company to perform any of its obligations under the Transaction Documents; provided, however, that no facts, circumstances, changes or effects exclusively and directly resulting from, relating to or arising out of the following, individually or in the aggregate, shall be taken into account in determining whether a Material Adverse Effect has occurred or insofar as reasonably can be foreseen would likely occur: (A) changes in conditions in the U.S. or global capital, credit or financial markets generally, including changes in the availability of capital or currency exchange rates, provided such changes shall not have affected the Company in a materially disproportionate manner as compared to other similarly situated companies; (B) changes generally affecting the industries in which the Company and its Subsidiaries operate, provided such changes shall not have affected the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, in a materially disproportionate manner as compared to other similarly situated companies; (C) any effect of the announcement of, or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by, the Transaction Documents on the Company’s relationships, contractual or otherwise, with customers, suppliers, vendors, bank lenders, strategic venture partners or employees; (D) changes arising in connection with earthquakes, pandemics, hostilities, acts of war, sabotage or terrorism or military actions or any escalation or material worsening of any such pandemic, hostilities, acts of war, sabotage or terrorism or military actions existing as of the applicable Closing Date; (E) any action taken by the Buyer with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; (F) the effect of any changes in applicable laws or accounting rules, provided such changes shall not have affected the Company in a materially disproportionate manner as compared to other similarly situated companies; and (G) any action required by the Transaction Documents or any action taken (or omitted to be taken) with the written consent of or at the written request of the Buyer. “Subsidiaries” means any Person in which the Company, directly or indirectly, (x) owns any of the outstanding capital stock or holds any equity or similar interest of such Person, or (y) controls or operates all or any part of the business, operations, or administration of such Person, and each of the foregoing, is individually referred to herein as a “Subsidiary.”
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(b) Authorization; Enforcement; Validity. The Company has the requisite power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents and to offer, issue, and sell the Securities in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof. Each Subsidiary has the requisite power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under the Transaction Documents to which it is a party. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents by the Company and the Subsidiaries, and the consummation by the Company and the Subsidiaries of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby (including, without limitation, the offer, issuance, and sale of the Notes and the reservation for issuance and issuance of the Conversion Shares issuable upon conversion of the Notes) have been duly authorized by the Company’s board of directors and the board of directors or other governing body of each Subsidiary, as applicable, and (other than the filing with the SEC of one or more registration statements relating to the Securities in accordance with the requirements of the Registration Rights Agreement, the filing of a Form D with the SEC, and any other filings as may be required by any state securities agencies) no further filing, consent or authorization is required by the Company, the Subsidiaries, or their respective boards of directors, stockholders or other governing body in connection with the offer, issuance, and sale of the Notes. This Agreement has been, and the other Transaction Documents to which it is a party shall be, duly executed and delivered by the Company, and each constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its respective terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by general principles of equity or applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation or similar laws relating to, or affecting generally, the enforcement of applicable creditors’ rights and remedies and except as rights to indemnification and to contribution may be limited by federal or state securities law. Prior to the applicable Closing, the Transaction Documents to which each Subsidiary is a party shall be duly executed and delivered by each such Subsidiary, and shall constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of each such Subsidiary, enforceable against each such Subsidiary in accordance with their respective terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by general principles of equity or applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation or similar laws relating to, or affecting generally, the enforcement of applicable creditors’ rights and remedies and except as rights to indemnification and to contribution may be limited by federal or state securities law. “Transaction Documents” means, collectively, this Agreement, the Notes, the Registration Rights Agreement (as defined below), the Security Agreement, the Irrevocable Transfer Agent Instructions (as defined below), and each of the other agreements and instruments entered into or delivered by any of the Parties in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, each as may be amended from time to time.
(c) Capitalization. The authorized capital stock of the Company and the shares thereof issued and outstanding were as set forth in the SEC Documents (as defined below) as of the dates reflected therein. Schedule 3(c) attached hereto sets forth the capitalization of the Company as of the applicable Closing Date. All of the outstanding shares of Common Stock have been duly authorized and validly issued, and are fully paid and nonassessable. Except as set forth in the SEC Documents, there are no agreements or arrangements under which the Company is obligated to register the sale or resale of any securities under the Securities Act. Except as set forth in the SEC Documents, no shares of Common Stock are entitled to preemptive rights and there are no outstanding debt securities and no contracts, commitments, understandings, or arrangements by which the Company is or may become bound to issue additional shares of the capital stock of the Company or rights, warrants, or options to subscribe for or purchase shares of Common Stock or Convertible Securities (as defined below) (collectively, “Options”), calls or commitments of any character whatsoever relating to, or securities or rights convertible into or exchangeable for, any shares of capital stock of the Company other than those issued or granted in the ordinary course of business pursuant to the Company’s equity incentive and/or compensatory plans or arrangements. Except for customary transfer restrictions contained in agreements entered into by the Company to sell restricted securities, the Company is not a party to, and it has no Knowledge (as defined below) of, any agreement restricting the voting or transfer of any outstanding shares of the capital stock of the Company. The offer and sale of all capital stock, Convertible Securities and Options complied, in all material respects, with all applicable federal and state securities laws, and no stockholder has any right of rescission or damages or any “put” or similar right with respect thereto that would have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as set forth in the SEC Documents, there are no securities or instruments containing anti-dilution or similar provisions that shall be triggered by this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions described herein or therein. “Common Stock” means (i) the Company’s shares of common stock, $0.0005 par value per share, and (ii) any capital stock into which such common stock shall have been changed or any share capital resulting from a reclassification of such common stock. “Knowledge” means the actual knowledge of any of the Company’s (A) Chief Executive Officer, (B) President, (C) Chief Financial Officer, and (C) Chief Operating Officer, in each case, after reasonable inquiry.1
| 1 | Note to Draft: The officers of the Company and any others to be included in the knowledge group is subject to the completion of the Company’s due diligence review. |
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(d) Issuance of Notes. The issuance of the Notes has been duly authorized and, upon issuance in accordance with the terms of the Transaction Documents, the Notes shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and free from all preemptive or similar rights, mortgages, defects, claims, liens, pledges, charges, taxes, rights of first refusal, encumbrances, security interests and other encumbrances (collectively “Liens”) with respect to the issuance thereof. As of the Subscription Date, the Company shall have reserved from its duly authorized capital stock not less than two hundred percent (200%) of the maximum number of Conversion Shares issuable upon conversion of the Notes (assuming for purposes hereof that (i) all of the Notes are issued on the Subscription Date; (ii) the Notes are convertible at the Event of Default Alternate Conversion Price (as defined in the Notes) as of the Subscription Date; (iii) interest on the Notes shall accrue through the first anniversary of the Subscription Date and shall be converted in shares of Common Stock at a conversion price equal to the Event of Default Alternate Conversion Price; and (iv) any such conversion shall not take into account any limitations on the conversion of the Notes as set forth in the Notes) (collectively, the “Required Reserve Amount”). The Conversion Shares, when issued upon conversion of the Notes, shall be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free from all preemptive or similar rights or Liens with respect to the issuance thereof, with the holders being entitled to all rights accorded to a holder of Common Stock. Subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Buyer in this Agreement, the offer and issuance by the Company of the Notes is exempt from registration under the Securities Act.
(e) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby (including, without limitation, the issuance of the Notes and the reservation of the Conversion Shares) do not and shall not (i) result in a violation of any provision of the Charter or Bylaws, (ii) result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, constitute a default (or an event which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would become a default) in any respect under, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation of, any agreement, indenture or instrument to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party, (iii) create or impose a Lien, charge or encumbrance on any property or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under any agreement or any commitment to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is bound or to which any of their respective properties or assets is subject, or (iv) result in a violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, rule, regulation, order, judgment or decree applicable to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or by which any property or asset of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries are bound or affected (including federal and state securities laws and regulations and the listing rules of The Nasdaq Capital Market (the “Trading Market”), except, in the case of clauses (ii), (iii) and (iv), for such breaches, violations, conflicts, defaults, terminations, amendments, acceleration, cancellations, liens, charges, encumbrances and violations as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(f) Consents. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is required to obtain any consent from, authorization or order of, or make any filing or registration with any Governmental Entity (as defined below) or any regulatory or self-regulatory agency (other than (i) the filing with the SEC of one or more registration statements relating to the Securities in accordance with the requirements of the Registration Rights Agreement, (ii) the filing of a Form D with the SEC, and (iii) any other filings as may be required by any state securities agencies) or any other Person in order for it to execute, deliver or perform any of its respective obligations under or contemplated by the Transaction Documents, in each case, in accordance with the terms hereof or thereof. All consents, authorizations, orders, filings and registrations which the Company or any Subsidiary is required to obtain pursuant to the preceding sentence have been or shall be obtained or effected on or prior to the Closing Date, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries are aware of any facts or circumstances which might prevent the Company or any of its Subsidiaries from obtaining or effecting any of the registration, application or filings contemplated by the Transaction Documents. The Company is not in violation of the requirements of the Trading Market and has no Knowledge of any facts or circumstances which might lead to delisting or suspension of the Common Stock. “Governmental Entity” means any nation, state, county, city, town, village, district, or other political jurisdiction of any nature, federal, state, local, municipal, foreign, or other government, governmental or quasi-governmental authority of any nature (including any governmental agency, branch, department, official, or entity and any court or other tribunal), multi-national organization or body; or body exercising, or entitled to exercise, any administrative, executive, judicial, legislative, police, regulatory, or taxing authority or power of any nature or instrumentality of any of the foregoing, including any entity or enterprise owned or controlled by a government or a public international organization or any of the foregoing.
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(g) Acknowledgment Regarding Buyer’s Purchase of Securities. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Buyer is acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s-length purchaser with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby and that the Buyer is not (i) an officer or director of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, (ii) an “affiliate” (as defined in Rule 144) of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or (iii) to its Knowledge, a “beneficial owner” of more than ten percent (10%) of the shares of Common Stock (as defined for purposes of Rule 13d-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Exchange Act”)). The Company further acknowledges that the Buyer is not acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries (or in any similar capacity) with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, and any advice given by the Buyer or any of its representatives or agents in connection with the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby is merely incidental to the Buyer’s purchase of the Securities. The Company further represents to the Buyer that the Company’s and each Subsidiary’s decision to enter into the Transaction Documents to which it is a party has been based solely on the independent evaluation by the Company, each Subsidiary and their respective representatives.
(h) No General Solicitation; Placement Agent Fees. Neither the Company, nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates (as defined in the Notes), nor any Person acting on its or their behalf, has engaged in any form of general solicitation or general advertising (within the meaning of Regulation D) in connection with the offer or sale of the Securities. The Company shall be responsible for the payment of any placement agent fees, financial advisory fees, or brokers’ commissions (other than for Persons engaged by the Buyer or its investment advisor) relating to or arising out of the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, placement agent fees payable to Joseph Gunnar & Co LLC, as placement agent (the “Placement Agent”). The Company shall pay, and hold the Buyer harmless against, any liability, loss or expense (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees and out-of-pocket expenses) arising in connection with any such claim. The Company acknowledges that it has engaged the Placement Agent in connection with the sale of the Securities. Other than the Placement Agent, neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries has engaged any placement agent or other agent in connection with the offer or sale of the Securities.
(a) No Integrated Offering. None of the Company, its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective Affiliates, nor any Person acting on their behalf has, directly or indirectly, sold, offered for sale, or solicited any offers to buy or otherwise negotiated in respect of any security (as defined in the Securities Act) which shall be integrated with the sale of the Securities in a manner which would require registration of the Securities under the Securities Act, whether through integration with prior offerings or otherwise, or cause this offering of the Securities to require approval of stockholders of the Company for purposes of the Securities Act or under any applicable stockholder approval provisions, including, without limitation, under the listing rules of the Trading Market. Except in accordance with the requirements of the Registration Rights Agreement, none of the Company, its Subsidiaries, their Affiliates, nor any Person acting on their behalf shall take any action or steps that would require registration of the issuance of any of the Securities under the Securities Act or cause the offering of any of the Securities to be integrated with other offerings of securities of the Company.
(b) Dilutive Effect. The Company understands and acknowledges that the issuance of Securities may result in dilution of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, which dilution may be substantial under certain market conditions. The Company further acknowledges that the number of Conversion Shares shall increase in certain circumstances as described in the Notes, and that the Company has an unconditional and absolute obligation to issue the Conversion Shares in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the Notes, without any right of set off, counterclaim, delay, or reduction, regardless of the dilutive effect that such issuance may have on the ownership interests of other stockholders of the Company, and regardless of any claim the Company may have against any Buyer.
(c) Application of Takeover Protections; Rights Agreement. The Company and its board of directors have taken all necessary action, if any, in order to render inapplicable any control share acquisition, interested stockholder, business combination, poison pill (including, without limitation, any distribution under a rights agreement), stockholder rights plan or other similar anti-takeover provision under the Charter, Bylaws or other organizational documents or the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or otherwise which is or could become applicable to the Buyer as a result of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including, without limitation, the Company’s issuance of the Securities and the Buyer’s ownership of the Securities. The Company and its board of directors have taken all necessary action, if any, in order to render inapplicable any stockholder rights plan or similar arrangement relating to accumulations of beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock or a change in control of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries.
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(d) SEC Documents; Financial Statements.
(i) Since the date on which the Company filed its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Last Annual Report”) with the SEC, the Company has timely filed all SEC Documents required to be filed with or furnished to the SEC by the Company under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, including those required to be filed with or furnished to the SEC under Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (all of the foregoing filed prior to the applicable Closing Date and all exhibits and appendices included therein and financial statements, notes and schedules thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein being hereinafter referred to as the “SEC Documents”). As of the applicable Closing Date, no Subsidiary is required to file or furnish any report, schedule, registration, form, statement, information or other document with the SEC. As of its filing date, each SEC Document filed with or furnished to the SEC complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and other federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations applicable to it, and, as of its filing date (or, if amended or superseded by a filing prior to the applicable Closing Date, on the date of such amended or superseded filing), such SEC Document did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Each SEC Document to be filed with or furnished to the SEC after the applicable Closing Date, when such document is filed with or furnished to the SEC and, if applicable, when such document becomes effective, as the case may be, shall comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and other federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations applicable to it, and shall not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. There are no outstanding or unresolved comments received by the Company from the SEC. The SEC has not issued any stop order or other order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement filed by the Company under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.
(ii) The consolidated financial statements of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the SEC Documents filed with or furnished to the SEC, together with the related notes and schedules, present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company and the consolidated Subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the consolidated results of operations, cash flows and changes in stockholders’ equity of the Company and the consolidated Subsidiaries for the periods specified (subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal year-end audit adjustments which shall not be material, either individually or in the aggregate) and have been prepared in compliance with the published requirements of the Securities Act and Exchange Act, as applicable, and in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis (except (A) for such adjustments to accounting standards and practices as are noted therein and (B) in the case of unaudited interim statements, to the extent they may exclude footnotes or may be condensed or summary statements) during the periods involved. The pro forma financial statements or data included or incorporated by reference in the SEC Documents filed with or furnished to the SEC comply with the requirements of Regulation S-X of the Securities Act, including, without limitation, Article 11 thereof, and the assumptions used in the preparation of such pro forma financial statements and data are reasonable, the pro forma adjustments used therein are appropriate to give effect to the circumstances referred to therein and the pro forma adjustments have been properly applied to the historical amounts in the compilation of those statements and data. The other financial and statistical data with respect to the Company and Subsidiaries contained or incorporated by reference in the SEC Documents filed with or furnished to the SEC, if any, are accurately and fairly presented and prepared on a basis consistent with the financial statements and books and records of the Company. There are no financial statements (historical or pro forma) that are required to be included or incorporated by reference in the SEC Documents filed with or furnished to the SEC that are not included or incorporated by reference as required. The Company do not have any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations or any “variable interest entities” as that term is used in Accounting Standards Codification Paragraph 810-10-25-20), not described in the SEC Documents that are required to be described or incorporated by reference in the SEC Documents. All disclosures contained in the SEC Documents, if any, regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the SEC) comply in all material respects with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, to the extent applicable. The reserves, if any, established by the Company or the lack of reserves, if applicable, are reasonable based upon facts and circumstances known by the Company on the applicable Closing Date and there are no loss contingencies that are required to be accrued by the Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 5 of the Financial Accounting Standards Board which are not provided for by the Company in its financial statements or otherwise. The Company is not currently contemplating to amend or restate any of the financial statements included in the SEC Documents (including, without limitation, any notes or any letter of the independent accountants of the Company with respect thereto), nor is the Company currently aware of facts or circumstances which would require the Company to amend or restate any such financial statements, in each case, in order for any of such financials statements to be in compliance with GAAP and the rules and regulations of the SEC. The Company has not been informed by its independent accountants that they recommend that the Company amend or restate any of the financial statements included in the SEC Documents or that there is any need for the Company to amend or restate any such financial statements.
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(iii) The Company and the Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to Company assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. The Company and the Subsidiaries have established disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the Company and the Subsidiaries and designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms. Since the date on which the Company filed the Last Annual Report with the SEC, there have been no changes in the internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in the Exchange Act) of the Company and the Subsidiaries that have materially adversely affected, or is reasonably likely to materially adversely affect, the internal control over financial reporting of the Company and the Subsidiaries.
(iv) The Company has timely filed with the SEC and made available via EDGAR all certifications and statements required by (a) Rule 13a-14 or Rule 15d-14 under the Exchange Act or (b) 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 (Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOXA”)) with respect to all relevant SEC Documents. The Company and each Subsidiary is in compliance in all material respects with the provisions of SOXA applicable to it as of the applicable Closing Date. The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures required by Rule 13a-15 or Rule 15d-15 under the Exchange Act; such controls and procedures are effective to ensure that all material information concerning the Company and the Subsidiaries is made known on a timely basis to the individuals responsible for the timely and accurate preparation of the SEC Documents and other public disclosure documents.
(v) GBQ Partners LLC, whose report on the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes, is filed with the SEC as part of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, are and, during the periods covered by their report, were independent public accountants within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). To the Company’s Knowledge, GBQ Partners LLC is not in violation of the auditor independence requirements of SOXA with respect to the Company.
(vi) There is, and during the last twelve (12)-months there has been, no failure on the part of the Company or, to the Knowledge of the Company, any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects with any applicable provisions of SOXA and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Each of the principal executive officer and the principal financial officer of the Company (or each former principal executive officer of the Company and each former principal financial officer of the Company as applicable) has made all certifications required by Sections 302 and 906 of SOXA with respect to all periodic reports required to be filed by it with the SEC during the last twelve (12)-months. For purposes of the preceding sentence, “principal executive officer” and “principal financial officer” shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Exchange Act Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15.
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(e) Subsidiaries. The SEC Documents identify each Subsidiary other than those that may be omitted pursuant to Item 601 of Regulation S-K. No Subsidiary is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such Subsidiary’s capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such Subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such Subsidiary’s property or assets to the Company or any other Subsidiary, except as described or incorporate by reference in, or contemplated by, the SEC Documents, or as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(f) No Material Adverse Effect. Except as otherwise disclosed or incorporated by reference in the SEC Documents, since December 31, 2023: (i) the Company has not experienced or suffered any Material Adverse Effect, and there exists no current state of facts, condition or event which would have a Material Adverse Effect; (ii) there has not occurred any material adverse change, or any development that would reasonably be expected to result in a prospective material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company from that disclosed or incorporated by reference in the SEC Documents; (iii) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has incurred any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, nor entered into any material transaction; (iv) the Company has not purchased any of its outstanding capital stock, nor declared, paid or otherwise made any dividend or distribution of any kind on its capital stock other than ordinary and customary dividends; and (v) there has not been any material change in the capital stock, short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company.
(g) No Undisclosed Liabilities, Events, or Circumstances. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has any liabilities, obligations, claims or losses (whether liquidated or unliquidated, secured or unsecured, absolute, accrued, contingent or otherwise) that would be required to be disclosed on a balance sheet of the Company or any Subsidiary (including the notes thereto) in conformity with GAAP and are not disclosed or incorporated by reference in the SEC Documents, other than those incurred in the ordinary course of the Company’s or its Subsidiaries respective businesses since December 31, 2023 and which, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No event, liability, development or circumstance has occurred or exists, or is reasonably expected to occur or exist, with respect to the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective businesses, properties, liabilities, prospects, operations (including results thereof) or condition (financial or otherwise), that (i) would be required to be disclosed by the Company under applicable securities laws in the SEC Documents, which has not been disclosed or incorporated by reference in the SEC Documents, or (ii) would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(h) Indebtedness. Schedule 3(q) attached hereto sets forth all outstanding secured and unsecured Indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiary, or for which the Company or any Subsidiary has commitments. For the purposes of this Agreement, “Indebtedness” shall mean: (i) any liabilities for borrowed money or amounts owed in excess of $500,000 (other than trade accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of business), (ii) all guaranties, endorsements, indemnities and other contingent obligations in respect of Indebtedness of others in excess of $500,000, whether or not the same are or should be reflected in the Company’s balance sheet (or the notes thereto), except guaranties by endorsement of negotiable instruments for deposit or collection or similar transactions in the ordinary course of business; and (iii) the present value of any lease payments in excess of $500,000 due under leases required to be capitalized in accordance with GAAP. Except as set forth on Schedule 3(q), there is no existing or continuing default or event of default in respect of any Indebtedness of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries. The Company has not taken any steps, and does not currently expect to take any steps, to seek protection pursuant to any bankruptcy Law or law for the relief of debtors, nor does the Company have any Knowledge that its creditors intend to initiate involuntary bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or liquidation proceedings or other proceedings for relief under any bankruptcy Law or any law for the relief of debtors. Upon the sale and purchase of the Notes, the Company is financially solvent and is generally able to pay its debts as they become due.
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(i) Title to Assets. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries has good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by such entity which is material to the business of the Company, in each case free and clear of all Liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described or incorporated by reference in the SEC Documents or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and the Subsidiaries. Any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company or a Subsidiary are held by it under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere in any material respect with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and such Subsidiaries, in each case, except as described or incorporated by reference in the SEC Documents.
(j) Actions Pending. There are no Actions (as defined below) pending or, to the Company’s Knowledge, threatened against the Company or any Subsidiary or their respective assets or properties (i) other than Actions accurately described in the SEC Documents and proceedings that would not have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or on the power or ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or (ii) that are required to be described in the SEC Documents and are not so described. There are no statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the SEC Documents, or to be filed as exhibits to the SEC Documents, that are not so described or filed. “Action” means any action, lawsuit, complaint, claim, petition, suit, audit, examination, assessment, arbitration, mediation or inquiry, or any proceedings or investigation, by or before any Governmental Entity.
(k) Compliance with Law. The business of the Company and each Subsidiary has been and is presently being conducted in compliance with all applicable federal, state, local and foreign governmental laws, rules, regulations and ordinances, except as set forth in the SEC Documents and except for such non-compliance which, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of any judgment, decree or order or any statute, ordinance, rule or regulation of any Governmental Entity applicable to the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, and neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries shall conduct its business in violation of any of the foregoing, except in all cases for any such violations which could not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(l) Certain Fees. Except as described in the SEC Documents, no brokers, finders or financial advisory fees or commissions is or shall be payable by the Company or any Subsidiary (or any of their respective Affiliates) with respect to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. Except as described in the SEC Documents, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company, the Buyer or the Placement Agent for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, or, to the Company’s Knowledge, any arrangements, agreements, understandings, payments or issuance with respect to the Company or any of its officers, directors, stockholders, partners, employees, Subsidiaries or Affiliates that may affect the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (“FINRA”) determination of the amount of compensation to be received by any FINRA member or person associated with any FINRA member in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Except as described in the SEC Documents, no “items of value” (within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5110) have been received, and no arrangements have been entered into for the future receipt of any items of value, from the Company or any of its officers, directors, stockholders, partners, employees, Subsidiaries or Affiliates by any FINRA member or person associated with any FINRA member, during the period commencing 180 days immediately preceding the Subscription Date and ending on the date this Agreement is terminated in accordance with the terms hereof, that may affect the FINRA’s determination of the amount of compensation to be received by any FINRA member or person associated with any FINRA member in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.
(m) Operation of Business.
(i) The Company and the Subsidiaries possess or have obtained, all licenses, certificates, consents, orders, approvals, permits and other authorizations issued by, and have made all declarations and filings with, the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign Governmental Entity that are necessary for the ownership or lease of their respective properties or the conduct of their respective businesses as currently conducted, as described in the SEC Documents (the “Permits”), except where the failure to possess, obtain or make the same would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received written notice of any proceeding relating to revocation or modification of any such Permit or has any reason to believe that such Permit shall not be renewed in the ordinary course, except where the failure to obtain any such renewal would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. This Section 3(v) does not relate to environmental matters, such items being the subject of Section 3(w).
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(ii) Except as described in the SEC Documents, the Company and the Subsidiaries own or possess adequate enforceable rights to use all patents, patent applications, trademarks (both registered and unregistered), trade names, trademark registrations, service marks, service mark registrations, Internet domain name registrations, copyrights, copyright registrations, licenses and know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”), necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses as currently conducted, except to the extent that the failure to own or possess adequate rights to use such Intellectual Property would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company and the Subsidiaries have not received any written notice of any claim of infringement or conflict which asserted Intellectual Property rights of others, which infringement or conflict, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, would result in a Material Adverse Effect. There are no pending, or to the Company’s Knowledge, threatened judicial proceedings or interference proceedings challenging the Company’s or any of the Subsidiaries’ rights in or to or the validity of the scope of any of the Company’s or the Subsidiaries’ Intellectual Property. No other Person has any right or claim in any of the Company’s or any of the Subsidiaries’ Intellectual Property by virtue of any contract, license or other agreement entered into between such Person and the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or by any non-contractual obligation, other than by written licenses granted by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries has received any written notice of any claim challenging the rights of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries in or to any Intellectual Property owned, licensed or optioned by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, which claim, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(n) Environmental Compliance. The Company and the Subsidiaries: (i) are in compliance with any and all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, rules, regulations, decisions and orders relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (collectively, “Environmental Laws”); (ii) have received and are in compliance with all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses as described in the SEC Documents; and (iii) have not received notice of any actual or potential liability for the investigation or remediation of any disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, except, in the case of any of clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) above, for any such failure to comply or failure to receive required permits, licenses, other approvals or liability as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(o) Material Agreements. Except as set forth in the SEC Documents, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is a party to any written or oral contract, instrument, agreement, commitment, obligation, plan or arrangement, a copy of which would be required pursuant to the Securities Act or the Exchange Act to be filed with the SEC as an exhibit to an Annual Report on Form 10-K (collectively, “Material Agreements”). Each of the Material Agreements described in the SEC Documents filed with or furnished to the SEC conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained or incorporated by reference therein. Except as set forth in the SEC Documents, the Company and each of the Subsidiaries have performed in all material respects all the obligations then required to be performed by them under the Material Agreements, have received no notice of default or an event of default by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries thereunder and are not aware of any basis for the assertion thereof, and neither the Company or any of the Subsidiaries nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, any other contracting party thereto are in default under any Material Agreement now in effect, the result of which would have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as set forth in the SEC Documents, each of the Material Agreements is in full force and effect, and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation enforceable in accordance with its terms against the Company and/or any of the Subsidiaries and, to the Knowledge of the Company, each other contracting party thereto, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation, conservatorship, receivership or similar laws relating to, or affecting generally the enforcement of, creditor’s rights and remedies or by other equitable principles of general application.
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(p) Transactions with Affiliates. Except as set forth in the SEC Documents, none of the officers or directors of the Company and, to the Knowledge of the Company, none of the Company’s stockholders, the officers or directors of any stockholder of the Company, or any family member or Affiliate of any of the foregoing, has either directly or indirectly any interest in, or is a party to, any transaction that is required to be disclosed as a related party transaction pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated under the Securities Act.
(q) Employees; Labor Laws. No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company exists, except as set forth in the SEC Documents, or, to the Knowledge of the Company, is imminent; and the Company is not aware of any existing, threatened or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its principal suppliers, manufacturers or contractors that would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation of or has received notice of any violation with respect to any federal or state law relating to discrimination in the hiring, promotion or pay of employees, nor any applicable federal or state wage and hour laws, nor any state law precluding the denial of credit due to the neighborhood in which a property is situated, the violation of any of which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(r) Investment Company Act Status. The Company is not, and as a result of the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the application of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities pursuant to the Transaction Documents, shall not be, an “investment company” or a company “controlled” by an “investment company,” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(s) ERISA. To the Knowledge of the Company: (i) each material employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), that is maintained, administered, or contributed to by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (other than a Multiemployer Plan, within the meaning of Section 3(37) of ERISA) for employees or former employees of the Company and any of its Subsidiaries has been maintained in material compliance with its terms and the requirements of any applicable statutes, orders, rules, and regulations, including ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”); (ii) no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred respecting any such plan (excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption); and (iii) for each such plan that is subject to the funding rules of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, no “accumulated funding deficiency” as defined in Section 412 of the Code has been incurred, whether or not waived, and the fair market value of the assets of each such plan (excluding for these purposes accrued but unpaid contributions) equals or exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such plan determined using reasonable actuarial assumptions, other than, in the case of (i), (ii), and (iii) above, as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(t) Taxes. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries has filed all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns required to be filed through the applicable Closing Date or have requested extensions thereof (except where the failure to file would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect) and have paid all taxes required to be paid thereon (except for cases in which the failure to file or pay would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, or, except as currently being contested in good faith and for which reserves required by GAAP have been created in the financial statements of the Company), and no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries which have had a Material Adverse Effect, nor does the Company have any notice or Knowledge of any tax deficiency which could reasonably be expected to be determined adversely to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and which would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(u) Insurance. The Company and the Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which the Company and the Subsidiaries are engaged, including, but not limited to, directors and officers insurance coverage. The Company has no reason to believe that it shall not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
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(v) U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is, and so long as any of the Securities are held by the Buyer shall not become, a U.S. real property holding corporation within the meaning of Section 897 of the Code.
(w) Listing and Maintenance Requirements; DTC Eligibility. The Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or which to its Knowledge is likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act, nor has the Company received any notification that the SEC is contemplating terminating such registration. The Company has not received notice from the Trading Market to the effect that the Company is not in compliance with any listing or maintenance requirement of the Trading Market. The Company is currently in compliance with all such listing and maintenance requirements. The Common Stock is eligible for participation in The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) book entry system and has shares on deposit at DTC for transfer electronically to third parties via DTC through its Deposit/Withdrawal at Custodian (“DWAC”) delivery system. The Company has not received notice from DTC to the effect that a suspension of, or restriction on, accepting additional deposits of the Common Stock, electronic trading or book-entry services by DTC with respect to the Common Stock is being imposed or is contemplated.
(x) No Unlawful Payments. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries, nor any director or officer, nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, any employee, agent, representative or Affiliate of the Company or any Subsidiary, has taken within the past five (5) years any action in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization or approval of the payment or giving of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any “government official” (including any officer or employee of a government or government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any Person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office) to influence official action or secure an improper advantage (to the extent acting on behalf of or providing services to the Company). The Company and the Subsidiaries have conducted their businesses within the past five (5) years in compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, any applicable law or regulation implementing the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, signed December 17, 1997, the U.K. Bribery Act 2010 and other applicable anti-corruption, anti-money laundering and anti-bribery laws, and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws and with the representation and warranty contained herein.
(y) Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and the Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times within the past five (5) years in material compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes, including but not limited to, applicable federal, state, international, foreign or other laws, regulations or government guidance regarding anti-money laundering, including, without limitation, 18 U.S.C. Sections 1956 and 1957, the Patriot Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, and international anti-money laundering principles or procedures by an intergovernmental group or organization, such as the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, of which the United States is a member and with which designation the United States representative to the group or organization continues to concur, all as amended, and any executive order, directive, or regulation pursuant to the authority of any of the foregoing, or any orders or licenses issued thereunder, of jurisdictions where the Company or any Subsidiary conducts business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any Governmental Entity (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or Governmental Entity, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any Subsidiary with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best Knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(z) OFAC. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries, nor any director, officer, or employee thereof, nor, to the Company’s Knowledge, any agent, Affiliate or representative of the Company, is a Person that is, or is owned or controlled by a Person that is: (i) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the United States Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor (ii) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria). Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries shall, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds from the sale of the Notes under this Agreement, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any Subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person (a) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions, or (b) in any other manner that shall result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise). During the past five (5) years, neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries have knowingly engaged in, or are now knowingly engaged in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions.
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(aa) Disclosure. The Company confirms that neither it nor any other Person acting on its behalf has provided the Buyer or any of its agents, advisors or counsel with any information that constitutes or could reasonably be expected to constitute material, nonpublic information concerning the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, other than with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The Company understands and confirms that the Buyer shall rely on the foregoing representations in effecting resales of the Securities under the Registration Statement (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement). All disclosure provided to the Buyer regarding the Company and the Subsidiaries, their businesses and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (including, without limitation, the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Section 3) furnished in writing by or on behalf of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries for purposes of or in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (other than forward-looking information and projections and information of a general economic nature and general information about the Company’s industry), taken together, is true and correct in all material respects on the date on which such information is dated or certified, and does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading at such time. Each press release issued by the Company or any Subsidiary during the preceding twelve (12) months did not, at the time of release, contain any misstatement of material fact.
(bb) Bank Holding Company Act. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries or Affiliates is subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”) and to regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”). Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries or Affiliates owns or controls, directly or indirectly, five percent (5%) or more of the outstanding shares of any class of voting securities or twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total equity of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries or Affiliates exercises a controlling influence over the management or policies of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve.
(cc) IT Systems. To the Knowledge of Company, (i)(A) there has been no security breach or other compromise of any of the Company’s or the Subsidiaries’ information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data (including the data of their respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained by or on behalf of them), equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”), and (B) the Company has not been notified of, and has no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any security breach or other compromise to the IT Systems and Data, except as would not, in the case of this clause (i), individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; (ii) the Company and the Subsidiaries are presently in material compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or Governmental Entity, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification, except as would not, in the case of this clause (ii), individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and (iii) the Company has implemented backup and disaster recovery technology consistent with industry standards and practices.
(dd) Compliance with Data Privacy Laws. The Company and the Subsidiaries are, and at all prior times were, in material compliance with all applicable state and federal data privacy and security laws and regulations, including without limitation the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (EU 2016/679) and the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (collectively, the “Privacy Laws”). To ensure compliance with the Privacy Laws, the Company and each Subsidiary has in place, complies with, and takes appropriate steps to ensure compliance in all material respects with its policies and procedures relating to data privacy and security and the collection, storage, use, processing, disclosure, handling, and analysis of personal data and confidential data (the “Policies”). The Company and each Subsidiary has at all times made all disclosures to users or customers required by applicable laws and regulatory rules or requirements, and none of such disclosures made or contained in any of its Policies have been inaccurate or in violation of any applicable laws and regulatory rules or requirements in any material respect. The Company further certifies that neither it nor any Subsidiary: (i) has received notice of any actual or potential liability under or relating to, or actual or potential violation of, any of the Privacy Laws, and the Company has no Knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in any such notice; (ii) is currently conducting or paying for, in whole or in part, any investigation, remediation, or other corrective action pursuant to any Privacy Law; or (iii) is a party to any order, decree, or agreement that imposes any obligation or liability under any Privacy Law.
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(ee) Stock Option Plans. Each stock Option granted by the Company was granted (a) in accordance with the terms of the applicable stock Option plan of the Company and (b) with an exercise price at least equal to the fair market value of the Common Stock on the date such stock Option would be considered granted under GAAP and applicable law. No stock Option granted under the Company’s stock Option plan has been backdated. The Company has not knowingly granted, and there is no and has been no policy or practice of the Company to knowingly grant, stock Options prior to, or otherwise knowingly coordinate the grant of stock Options with, the release or other public announcement of material information regarding the Company or the Subsidiaries or their financial results or prospects.
(ff) Manipulation of Price. Neither the Company nor any of its officers, directors or Affiliates has, and, to the Knowledge of the Company, no Person acting on their behalf has, (a) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed or intended to cause or to result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company, or which caused or resulted in, or which would in the future reasonably be expected to cause or result in, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company, in each case to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities, or (b) sold, bid for, purchased, or paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the Securities. Neither the Company nor any of its officers, directors or Affiliates shall during the term of this Agreement, and, to the Knowledge of the Company, no Person acting on their behalf shall during the term of this Agreement, take any of the actions referred to in the immediately preceding sentence.
(gg) Disclosure. The Company confirms that neither it nor, to its Knowledge, any Person acting on its behalf, has provided the Buyer or its agents or counsel with any information that constitutes or could reasonably be expected to constitute material, non-public information concerning the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, other than the existence of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents. The Company understands and confirms that the Buyer will rely on the foregoing representations in effecting transactions in securities of the Company. All disclosure provided to the Buyer regarding the Company and the Subsidiaries, their businesses and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the schedules to this Agreement, furnished by or on behalf of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries is true and correct and does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. All of the written information furnished after the Subscription Date by or on behalf of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries to the Buyer pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents, taken as a whole, shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date on which such information is so provided and shall not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Each press release issued by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries during the preceding twelve (12) months did not at the time of release contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading. No event or circumstance has occurred or information exists with respect to the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or its or their business, properties, liabilities, prospects, operations (including results thereof) or conditions (financial or otherwise), which, under applicable law, rule or regulation, requires public disclosure or announcement by the Company, but which has not been so publicly disclosed. All financial projections and forecasts that have been prepared by or on behalf of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries and made available to the Buyer have been prepared in good faith based upon reasonable assumptions and represented, at the time each such financial projection or forecast was delivered to the Buyer, the Company’s best estimate of future financial performance (it being recognized that such financial projections or forecasts are not to be viewed as facts and that the actual results during the period or periods covered by any such financial projections or forecasts may differ from the projected or forecasted results).
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(hh) No Disqualification Events. With respect to Securities to be offered and sold hereunder in reliance on Rule 506(b) under the Securities Act (“Regulation D Securities”), none of the Company, any of its predecessors, any affiliated issuer, any director, executive officer, other officer of the Company participating in the offering contemplated hereby, any beneficial owner of twenty percent (20%) or more of the Company’s outstanding voting equity securities, calculated on the basis of voting power, nor any promoter (as that term is defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) connected with the Company in any capacity at the time of sale (each, an “Issuer Covered Person”) is subject to any of the “Bad Actor” disqualifications described in Rule 506(d)(1)(i) to (viii) under the Securities Act (a “Disqualification Event”), except for a Disqualification Event covered by Rule 506(d)(2) or (d)(3). The Company has exercised reasonable care to determine whether any Issuer Covered Person is subject to a Disqualification Event. The Company has complied, to the extent applicable, with its disclosure obligations under Rule 506(e), and has furnished to the Buyer a copy of any disclosures provided thereunder.
(ii) Other Covered Persons. The Company is not aware of any Person (other than the Placement Agent) that has been or will be paid (directly or indirectly) remuneration for solicitation of the Buyer or other potential purchasers in connection with the sale of the Securities.
(jj) Ranking of Notes. No Indebtedness of the Company shall be senior to, or pari passu with, the Notes in right of payment, whether with respect to payment or redemptions, interest, damages, upon liquidation or dissolution or otherwise.
(kk) Acknowledgement Regarding Buyer’s Trading Activity. It is understood and acknowledged by the Company that (i) following the public disclosure of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, in accordance with the terms thereof, the Buyer has not been asked by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries to agree, nor has the Buyer agreed with the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, to desist from effecting any transactions in or with respect to (including, without limitation, purchasing or selling, long and/or short) any securities of the Company, or “derivative” securities based on securities issued by the Company or to hold any of the Securities for any specified term; (ii) the Buyer, and counterparties in “derivative” transactions to which the Buyer is a party, directly or indirectly, presently may have a “short” position in the Common Stock which was established prior to the Buyer’s knowledge of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents; (iii) the Buyer shall not be deemed to have any affiliation with or control over any arm’s-length counterparty in any “derivative” transaction; and (iv) the Buyer may rely on the Company’s obligation to timely deliver shares of Common Stock upon conversion or exchange, as applicable, of the Securities as and when required pursuant to the Transaction Documents for purposes of effecting trading in the Common Stock of the Company. The Company further understands and acknowledges that following the public disclosure of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents pursuant to the Press Release and/or, the 8-K Filing (as defined below), as applicable, the Buyer may engage in hedging and/or trading activities (including, without limitation, the location and/or reservation of borrowable shares of Common Stock) at various times during the period that the Securities are outstanding, including, without limitation, during the periods that the value and/or number of the Conversion Shares deliverable with respect to the Securities are being determined and such hedging and/or trading activities (including, without limitation, the location and/or reservation of borrowable shares of Common Stock), if any, can reduce the value of the existing stockholders’ equity interest in the Company both at and after the time the hedging and/or trading activities are being conducted. The Company acknowledges that such aforementioned hedging and/or trading activities do not constitute a breach of this Agreement, the Notes or any other Transaction Document, or any of the documents executed in connection herewith or therewith.
| 4. | COVENANTS. |
(a) Best Efforts. The Buyer shall use its best efforts to timely satisfy each of the covenants hereunder and conditions to be satisfied by it as provided in Section 6 of this Agreement. The Company shall use its best efforts to timely satisfy each of the covenants hereunder and conditions to be satisfied by it as provided in Section 7 of this Agreement.
(b) Form D and Blue Sky. The Company shall file a Form D with respect to the Securities as required under Regulation D and to provide a copy thereof to the Buyer promptly after such filing. The Company shall, on or before each applicable Closing Date, take such action as the Company shall reasonably determine is necessary in order to obtain an exemption for, or to, qualify the Securities for sale to the Buyer at such Closing pursuant to this Agreement under applicable securities or “blue sky” laws of the states of the United States (or to obtain an exemption from such qualification), and shall provide evidence of any such action so taken to the Buyer on or prior to the applicable Closing Date. Without limiting any other obligation of the Company under this Agreement, the Company shall timely make all filings and reports relating to the offer and sale of the Securities required under all applicable securities laws (including, without limitation, all applicable federal securities laws and all applicable “blue sky” laws), and the Company shall comply with all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws, statutes, rules, regulations and the like relating to the offering and sale of the Securities to the Buyer.
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(c) Reporting Status. Until the date on which the Buyer shall have sold all of the Securities (the “Reporting Period”), the Company shall timely file all reports required to be filed with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act, and the Company shall not terminate its status as an issuer required to file reports under the Exchange Act even if the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder would no longer require or otherwise permit such termination. From the time Form S-3 is available to the Company for the registration of the Securities, the Company shall take all actions necessary to maintain its eligibility to register the Securities for resale by the Buyer on Form S-3.
(d) Use of Proceeds. The Company shall use the proceeds from the sale of the Securities in connection with acquisition costs and fees, and costs and fees associated with this sale of the Securities, ,with any remaining proceeds to be available for other working capital and general corporate purposes.
(e) Financial Information. The Company agrees to send the following to the Buyer during the Reporting Period: (i) unless the following are filed with the SEC through EDGAR and are available to the public through the EDGAR system, within one (1) Business Day after the filing thereof with the SEC, a copy of its Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, any interim reports or any consolidated balance sheets, income statements, shareholders’ equity statements and/or cash flow statements for any period other than annual, any Current Reports on Form 8-K and any registration statements (other than on Form S-8) or amendments filed pursuant to the Securities Act, (ii) unless the following are either filed with the SEC through EDGAR or are otherwise widely disseminated via a recognized news release service (such as PR Newswire), on the same day as the release thereof, email copies of all press releases issued by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, and (iii) unless the following are filed with the SEC through EDGAR, copies of any notices and other information made available or given to the stockholders of the Company generally, contemporaneously with the making available or giving thereof to the stockholders.
(f) Listing. The Company shall maintain the Common Stock’s listing or authorization for quotation (as the case may be) on the Trading Market, the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Global Market or the Nasdaq Global Select Market (each, an “Eligible Market”). Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries shall take any action which could be reasonably expected to result in the delisting or suspension of the Common Stock on an Eligible Market. The Company shall pay all fees and expenses in connection with satisfying its obligations under this Section 4(f).
(g) Fees. The Company shall reimburse the Buyer for all of the costs and expenses incurred by it or its affiliates in connection with the preparation, structuring, documentation, negotiation and closing of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents (including, without limitation, as applicable, all reasonable legal fees of Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth LLP (“Stradling”), counsel to the Buyer, which shall not exceed $75,000, any other reasonable and documented fees and expenses in connection with the structuring, documentation, negotiation and closing of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, and due diligence and regulatory filings in connection therewith) (collectively, the “Transaction Expenses”), the sum of which shall be withheld by the Buyer from any payment of a Purchase Price, less any amount previously paid by the Company to the Buyer for Transaction Expenses; provided, that the Company shall promptly reimburse Stradling on demand for all Transaction Expenses not so reimbursed through such withholding at a Closing. The Company shall be responsible for the payment of any placement agent fees, financial advisory fees, transfer agent fees, DTC (as defined below) fees or broker’s commissions (other than for Persons engaged by the Buyer) relating to or arising out of the transactions contemplated hereby (including, without limitation, any fees or commissions payable to the Placement Agent, who is the Company’s sole placement agent in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement). The Company shall pay, and hold the Buyer harmless against, any liability, loss or expense (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees and out-of-pocket expenses) arising in connection with any claim relating to any such payment. Except as otherwise set forth in the Transaction Documents, each party to this Agreement shall bear its own expenses in connection with the sale of the Notes to the Buyer.
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(h) Pledge of Securities. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement but pursuant to and in compliance with the Securities Act and the applicable laws, the Company acknowledges and agrees that the Securities may be pledged by the Buyer in connection with a bona fide margin agreement or other loan or financing arrangement that is secured by the Securities. Any pledge of the Securities shall not be deemed to be a transfer, sale or assignment of the Securities, and the Buyer shall not be required to provide the Company with any notice thereof or otherwise make any delivery to the Company pursuant to this Agreement or any other Transaction Document, including, without limitation, Section 2(g) hereof; provided that the Buyer and its pledgee shall be required to comply with the provisions of Section 2(g) hereof in order to effect a sale, transfer or assignment of the Securities to such pledgee. The Company hereby agrees to execute and deliver such documentation as a pledgee of the Securities may reasonably request in connection with a pledge of the Securities to such pledgee by the Buyer.
(i) Disclosure of Transactions and Other Material Information.
(i) Disclosure of Transaction. The Company shall, on or before 9:30 a.m., New York time, on the first (1st) Business Day after the Subscription Date, issue a press release (the “Press Release”) reasonably acceptable to the Buyer disclosing all the material terms of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. On or before 9:30 a.m., New York time, on the first (1st) Business Day after the Subscription Date, the Company shall file a Current Report on Form 8-K describing all the material terms of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents in the form required by the Exchange Act and attaching all the material Transaction Documents, including, without limitation, this Agreement, the form of Note, the form of the Registration Rights Agreement, and the form of the Securities Agreement (including all attachments, the “8-K Filing”). From and after the filing of the 8-K Filing, the Company shall have disclosed all material, non-public information (if any) provided to any of the Buyer by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or any of their respective officers, directors, employees or agents in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. In addition, effective upon the filing of the 8-K Filing, the Company acknowledges and agrees that any and all confidentiality or similar obligations under any agreement, whether written or oral, between the Company, any of the Subsidiaries or any of their respective officers, directors, affiliates, employees or agents, on the one hand, and the Buyer or any of its affiliates, on the other hand, shall terminate.
(ii) Limitations on Disclosure. The Company shall not, and the Company shall cause each of its Subsidiaries and each of its and their respective officers, directors, employees and agents not to, provide the Buyer with any material, non-public information regarding the Company or any of the Subsidiaries from and after the Subscription Date without the express prior written consent of the Buyer (which may be granted or withheld in the Buyer’s sole discretion). In the event of a breach of any of the foregoing covenants, including, without limitation, Section 4(o) of this Agreement, or any of the covenants or agreements contained in any other Transaction Document, by the Company, any of the Subsidiaries, or any of its or their respective officers, directors, employees and agents (as determined in the reasonable good faith judgment of the Buyer), in addition to any other remedy provided herein or in the Transaction Documents, the Buyer shall have the right to make a public disclosure, in the form of a press release, public advertisement or otherwise, of such breach or such material, non-public information, as applicable, without the prior approval by the Company, any of the Subsidiaries, or any of its or their respective officers, directors, employees or agents. No Buyer shall have any liability to the Company, any of the Subsidiaries, or any of its or their respective officers, directors, employees, affiliates, stockholders or agents, for any such disclosure. To the extent that the Company delivers any material, non-public information to the Buyer without the Buyer’s consent, the Company hereby covenants and agrees that the Buyer shall not have any duty of confidentiality with respect to, or a duty not to trade on the basis of, such material, non-public information. Subject to the foregoing, neither the Company, the Subsidiaries nor the Buyer shall issue any press releases or any other public statements with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby; provided, however, the Company shall be entitled, without the prior approval of the Buyer, to make the Press Release and any press release or other public disclosure with respect to such transactions (A) in substantial conformity with the 8-K Filing and contemporaneously therewith, and (B) as is required by applicable law and regulations (provided that in the case of clause (A) the Buyer shall be consulted by the Company in connection with any such press release or other public disclosure prior to its release). Without the prior written consent of the Buyer (which may be granted or withheld in the Buyer’s sole discretion), the Company shall not (and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries and affiliates to not) disclose the name of the Buyer in any filing, announcement, release or otherwise. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary and without implication that the contrary would otherwise be true, the Company expressly acknowledges and agrees that the Buyer shall not have (unless expressly agreed to by the Buyer after the Subscription Date in a written definitive and binding agreement executed by the Company and the Buyer) any duty of confidentiality with respect to, or a duty not to trade on the basis of, any material, non-public information regarding the Company or any of the Subsidiaries.
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(iii) Other Confidential Information. Disclosure Failures; Disclosure Delay Payments. In addition to other remedies set forth in this Section 4(i), and without limiting anything set forth in any other Transaction Document, at any time after the Subscription Date, if the Company, any of the Subsidiaries, or any of their respective officers, directors, employees or agents, provides the Buyer with material non-public information relating to the Company or any of the Subsidiaries (each, the “Confidential Information”), the Company shall, on or prior to the applicable Required Disclosure Date (as defined below), publicly disclose such Confidential Information on a Current Report on Form 8-K or otherwise (each, a “Disclosure”). From and after such Disclosure, the Company shall have disclosed all Confidential Information provided to the Buyer by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or any of their respective officers, directors, employees or agents in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. In addition, effective upon such Disclosure, the Company acknowledges and agrees that any and all confidentiality or similar obligations under any agreement, whether written or oral, between the Company, any of the Subsidiaries or any of their respective officers, directors, affiliates, employees or agents, on the one hand, and the Buyer or any of its affiliates, on the other hand, shall terminate. In the event that the Company fails to effect such Disclosure on or prior to the Required Disclosure Date and the Buyer shall have possessed Confidential Information for at least ten (10) consecutive Trading Days (as defined in the Notes) (each, a “Disclosure Failure”), then, as partial relief for the damages to the Buyer by reason of any such delay in, or reduction of, its ability to buy or sell shares of Common Stock after such Required Disclosure Date (which remedy shall not be exclusive of any other remedies available at law or in equity), the Company shall pay to the Buyer an amount in cash equal to the greater of (I) one-half percent (0.5%) of the aggregate Purchase Price and (II) the applicable Disclosure Restitution Amount (as defined below), on each of the following dates (each, a “Disclosure Delay Payment Date”): (i) on the date of such Disclosure Failure, and (ii) on every thirty (30) day anniversary such Disclosure Failure until the earlier of (x) the date such Disclosure Failure is cured and (y) such time as all such non-public information provided to the Buyer shall cease to be Confidential Information (as evidenced by a certificate, duly executed by an authorized officer of the Company to the foregoing effect) (such earlier date, as applicable, a “Disclosure Cure Date”); provided that the Company shall not be liable for any payments pursuant to the foregoing in excess of six percent (6.0%) of the aggregate Purchase Price. Following the initial Disclosure Delay Payment for any particular Disclosure Failure, without limiting the foregoing, if a Disclosure Cure Date occurs prior to any thirty (30) day anniversary of such Disclosure Failure, then such Disclosure Delay Payment (prorated for such partial month) shall be made on the second (2nd) Business Day after such Disclosure Cure Date. The payments to which the Buyer shall be entitled pursuant to this Section 4(i)(iii) are referred to herein as “Disclosure Delay Payments.” In the event the Company fails to make Disclosure Delay Payments in a timely manner in accordance with the foregoing, such Disclosure Delay Payments shall bear interest at the rate of two percent (2%) per month (prorated for partial months) until paid in full.
(iv) For the purpose of this Agreement the following definitions shall apply:
“Disclosure Failure Market Price” means, as of any Disclosure Delay Payment Date, the price computed as the quotient of (1) the sum of the five (5) highest VWAPs (as defined in the Notes) of the Common Stock during the applicable Disclosure Restitution Period (as defined below), divided by (2) five (5) (such period, the “Disclosure Failure Measuring Period”). All such determinations to be appropriately adjusted for any share dividend, share split, share combination, reclassification or similar transaction that proportionately decreases or increases the Common Stock during such Disclosure Failure Measuring Period.
“Disclosure Restitution Amount” means, as of any Disclosure Delay Payment Date, the product of (1) difference of (x) the Disclosure Failure Market Price less (y) the lowest purchase price, per share of Common Stock, of any Common Stock issued or issuable to the Buyer pursuant to this Agreement or any other Transaction Documents, multiplied by (2) ten percent (10%) of the aggregate daily dollar trading volume (as reported on Bloomberg (as defined in the Notes)) of the Common Stock on the Trading Market for each Trading Day either (x) with respect to the initial Disclosure Delay Payment Date, during the period commencing on the applicable Required Disclosure Date through and including the Trading Day immediately prior to the initial Disclosure Delay Payment Date or (y) with respect to each other Disclosure Delay Payment Date, during the period commencing the immediately preceding Disclosure Delay Payment Date through and including the Trading Day immediately prior to such applicable Disclosure Delay Payment Date (such applicable period, the “Disclosure Restitution Period”).
“Required Disclosure Date” means (1) if the Buyer authorized the delivery of such Confidential Information, either (x) if the Company and the Buyer have mutually agreed upon a date (as evidenced by an email or other writing) of Disclosure of such Confidential Information, such agreed upon date or (y) otherwise, the seventh (7th) calendar day after the date the Buyer first received any Confidential Information, or (2) if the Buyer did not authorize the delivery of such Confidential Information, the first (1st) Business Day after the Buyer’s receipt of such Confidential Information.
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(j) Additional Registration Statements. Until the Applicable Date (as defined below) and at any time thereafter while any Registration Statement is not effective or the prospectus contained therein is not available for use, the Company shall not file a registration statement or an offering statement under the Securities Act relating to securities that are not the Registrable Securities (other than a registration statement already filed and pending with the Commission, or a registration statement on Form S-8, or such supplements or amendments to registration statements that are outstanding and have been declared effective by the SEC as of the Subscription Date (solely to the extent necessary to keep such registration statements effective and available and not with respect to any Subsequent Placement (as defined below)). “Applicable Date” means the earlier of: (i) the first date on which the resale by the Buyer of all the Registrable Securities required to be filed on the initial Registration Statement pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement is declared effective by the SEC (and each prospectus contained therein is available for use on such date); or (ii) the first date on which all of the Registrable Securities are eligible to be resold by the Buyer pursuant to Rule 144.
(k) Additional Issuance of Securities. So long as the Notes are outstanding, the Company shall not, without the prior written consent of the Required Holders (as defined below), issue any Notes (other than to the Buyer as contemplated hereby) and the Company shall not issue any other securities that would cause a breach or default under the Notes. Unless otherwise agreed upon in writing by the Required Holders, for the period commencing on the Subscription Date and ending on the date immediately following the ninetieth (90th) Trading Day after the Applicable Date (provided that such period shall be extended by the number of calendar days during such period and any extension thereof contemplated by this proviso on which any Registration Statement is not effective or any prospectus contained therein is not available for use) (the “Restricted Period”), the Company shall not directly or indirectly issue, offer, sell, grant any Option or right to purchase, or otherwise dispose of, or announce any issuance, offer, sale, grant of any Option or right to purchase, or other disposition of, any equity security or any equity-linked or related security, including, without limitation, any “equity security” (as that term is defined under Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act), any stock or other security (other than Options) that is, at any time and under any circumstances, directly or indirectly, convertible into, exercisable or exchangeable for, or which otherwise entitles the holder thereof to acquire, any shares of Common Stock (collectively, “Convertible Securities”), any debt, any preferred stock or any purchase rights (any such issuance, offer, sale, grant, disposition or announcement, whether occurring during the Restricted Period or at any time thereafter, but in any event excluding the Permitted Equity Line (as defined below) and the Permitted ATM (as defined below), is referred to as a “Subsequent Placement”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Section 4(k) shall not apply in respect of the issuance of (i) shares of Common Stock or Options to purchase Common Stock to directors, officers or employees of the Company in their capacity as such pursuant to an Approved Stock Plan (as defined below), provided that (A) all such issuances (taking into account the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of such Options) after the Subscription Date pursuant to this clause do not, in the aggregate, exceed ten percent (10%) of the Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Subscription Date, and (B) the exercise price of any such Options is not lowered, none of such Options are amended to increase the number of shares issuable thereunder and none of the terms or conditions of any such Options are otherwise materially changed in any manner that adversely affects the Buyer; (ii) shares of Common Stock issued upon the conversion or exercise of Convertible Securities or Options (other than Options to purchase Common Stock issued pursuant to an Approved Stock Plan that are covered by clause (i) above) issued prior to the Subscription Date, provided that the conversion, exercise, or other method of issuance (as the case may be) of any such Convertible Security or Option is made solely pursuant to the conversion, exercise, or other method of issuance (as the case may be) provisions of such Convertible Security or Option that were in effect on the date immediately prior to the Subscription Date, the conversion, exercise, or issuance price of any such Convertible Securities or Options (other than Options to purchase Common Stock issued pursuant to an Approved Stock Plan that are covered by clause (i) above) is not lowered, none of such Convertible Securities or Options (other than Options to purchase Common Stock issued pursuant to an Approved Stock Plan that are covered by clause (i) above) are amended to increase the number of shares issuable thereunder, and none of the terms or conditions of any such Convertible Securities or Options (other than Options to purchase Common Stock issued pursuant to an Approved Stock Plan that are covered by clause (i) above) are otherwise materially changed in any manner that adversely affects the Buyer; (iii) the Conversion Shares; (iv) securities issued pursuant to acquisitions, divestitures, licenses, partnerships, collaborations, or strategic transactions approved by the Company’s board of directors or a majority of the members of a committee of directors established for such purpose, which acquisitions, divestitures, licenses, partnerships, collaborations, or strategic transactions can have a Variable Rate Transaction (as defined below) component, provided that any such issuance shall only be to a Person (or to the equity holders of a Person) which is, itself or through its subsidiaries, an operating company or an asset in a business synergistic with the business of the Company and shall provide to the Company additional benefits in addition to the investment of funds, but shall not include a transaction in which the Company is issuing securities primarily for the purpose of raising capital or to an entity whose primary business is investing in securities; (v) any issuances or sales of Common Stock made on or following the Subscription Date pursuant to an agreement for an “at-the-market offering” or other continuous or similar offering of Common Stock, whereby the Company may sell Common Stock at a future determined price, provided that any issuance of shares of Common Stock thereunder shall be prohibited on and following a VWAP Purchase Exercise Date (as defined in the ELOC Purchase Agreement) in respect of a VWAP Purchase (as defined in the ELOC Purchase Agreement) until all conditions required to occur on or before the VWAP Purchase Date (as defined in the ELOC Purchase Agreement) in respect of such VWAP Purchase shall be satisfied pursuant to Section 3.2 of the ELOC Purchase Agreement (a “Permitted ATM”); and (vi) any issuances or sales of Common Stock made on or following the Subscription Date pursuant to the terms of that certain Common Stock Purchase Agreement dated May 14, 2025, by and between the Company and Tumim Stone Capital, LLC, as such agreement may be modified, amended or supplemented from time-to-time (such agreement, the “ELOC Purchase Agreement” and the transactions contemplated thereby, the “Permitted Equity Line”) (each of the foregoing in clauses (i) through (vi), collectively the “Excluded Securities”). “Approved Stock Plan” means any stock incentive plan or other employee benefit plan which has been approved by the board of directors of the Company prior or subsequent to the Subscription Date, which provides for the grant of equity awards to any employee, officer or director for services provided to the Company in their capacity as such. “Variable Rate Transaction” means a transaction in which the Company or any Subsidiary (A) issues or sells any Convertible Securities or Options either (1) at a conversion, exercise, or exchange rate or other price that is based upon and/or varies with the trading prices of or quotations for the shares of Common Stock at any time after the initial issuance of such Convertible Securities or Options, or (2) with a conversion, exercise, or exchange price that is subject to being reset at some future date after the initial issuance of such Convertible Securities or Options or upon the occurrence of specified or contingent events directly or indirectly related to the business of the Company or the market for the Common Stock, other than pursuant to a customary anti-dilution provision, or (B) enters into any agreement (including, without limitation, an equity line of credit or an “at-the-market” offering) whereby the Company or any Subsidiary may sell securities at a future determined price (other than and customary “preemptive” or “participation” rights). The Buyer shall be entitled to obtain injunctive relief against the Company and the Subsidiaries to preclude any such issuance, which remedy shall be in addition to any right to collect damages.
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(l) Reservation of Shares. During the period beginning on the Subscription Date and ending on the later of (i) the Additional Closing Expiration Date, and (ii) such time that no Note issued hereunder remains outstanding (such period, the “Offering Period”), the Company shall take all action necessary to at all times have authorized, and reserved for the purpose of issuance, no less than the Required Reserve Amount; provided that at no time shall the number of shares of Common Stock reserved pursuant to this Section 4(l) be reduced other than proportionally in connection with any conversion and/or redemption of the Notes. If at any time the number of shares of Common Stock authorized and reserved for issuance is not sufficient to meet the Required Reserve Amount, the Company shall promptly take all corporate action necessary to authorize and reserve a sufficient number of shares, including, without limitation, soliciting the written consent or calling a special meeting of the stockholders of the Company to authorize additional shares to meet the Company’s obligations pursuant to the Transaction Documents, in the case of an insufficient number of authorized shares, obtain stockholder approval of an increase in such authorized number of shares to ensure that the number of authorized shares of Common Stock is sufficient to meet the Required Reserve Amount.
(m) Conduct of Business. The business of the Company and the Subsidiaries shall not be conducted in violation of any law, ordinance or regulation of any Governmental Entity, except where such violations would not reasonably be expected to result, either individually or in the aggregate, in a Material Adverse Effect.
(n) Variable Securities. During the Offering Period, the Company and each Subsidiary shall be prohibited from effecting or entering into an agreement to affect any Subsequent Placement involving a Variable Rate Transaction, provided that this restriction shall not apply to the Permitted Equity Line or the Permitted ATM.
(o) Participation Right. At any time on or prior to the first (1st) anniversary of the most recent Closing Date, the Company shall not, directly or indirectly, effect any Subsequent Placement unless the Company shall have first complied with this Section 4(o).
(i) At least three (3) Trading Days prior to any proposed or intended Subsequent Placement, the Company shall deliver to the Buyer a written notice (each such notice, a “Pre-Notice”), which Pre-Notice shall not contain any information (including, without limitation, material, non-public information) other than: (A) if the proposed Offer Notice (as defined below) constitutes or contains material, non-public information, a statement asking whether the Buyer is willing to accept material non-public information or (B) if the proposed Offer Notice does not constitute or contain material, non-public information, (x) a statement that the Company proposes or intends to effect a Subsequent Placement, (y) a statement that the statement in clause (x) above does not constitute material, non-public information and (z) a statement informing the Buyer that it is entitled to receive an Offer Notice (as defined below) with respect to such Subsequent Placement upon its written request. Upon the written request of the Buyer within one (1) Trading Day after the Company’s delivery to the Buyer of such Pre-Notice, and only upon a written request by the Buyer, the Company shall promptly, but no later than one (1) Trading Day after such request, deliver to the Buyer an irrevocable written notice (the “Offer Notice”) of any proposed or intended issuance or sale or exchange (the “Offer”) of the securities being offered (the “Offered Securities”) in a Subsequent Placement, which Offer Notice shall (A) identify and describe the Offered Securities, (B) describe the price and other terms upon which they are to be issued, sold or exchanged, and the number or amount of the Offered Securities to be issued, sold or exchanged, (C) identify the Persons (if known) to which or with which the Offered Securities are to be offered, issued, sold or exchanged and (D) offer to issue and sell to or exchange with the Buyer in accordance with the terms of the Offer the Buyer’s pro rata portion of twenty percent (20%) of the Offered Securities (the “Basic Amount”).
(ii) To accept an Offer, in whole or in part, the Buyer must deliver a written notice to the Company prior to the end of the first (1st) Business Day after the Buyer’s receipt of the Offer Notice (the “Offer Period”), setting forth the portion of the Basic Amount that the Buyer elects to purchase (the “Notice of Acceptance”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company desires to modify or amend the terms and conditions of the Offer prior to the expiration of the Offer Period, the Company may deliver to the Buyer a new Offer Notice and the Offer Period shall expire on the first (1st) Business Day after the Buyer’s receipt of such new Offer Notice.
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(iii) The Company shall have five (5) Business Days from the expiration of the Offer Period above (A) to offer, issue, sell or exchange all or any part of such Offered Securities as to which a Notice of Acceptance has not been given by the Buyer (the “Refused Securities”) pursuant to a definitive agreement(s) (the “Subsequent Placement Agreement”), but only to the offerees described in the Offer Notice (if so described therein) and only upon terms and conditions (including, without limitation, unit prices and interest rates) that are not more favorable to the acquiring Person or Persons or less favorable to the Company than those set forth in the Offer Notice and (B) to publicly announce (x) the execution of such Subsequent Placement Agreement, and (y) either (I) the consummation of the transactions contemplated by such Subsequent Placement Agreement or (II) the termination of such Subsequent Placement Agreement, which shall be filed with the SEC on a Current Report on Form 8-K with such Subsequent Placement Agreement and any documents contemplated therein filed as exhibits thereto.
(iv) In the event the Company shall propose to sell less than all the Refused Securities (any such sale to be in the manner and on the terms specified in Section 4(o)(iii)), then the Buyer may, at its sole option and in its sole discretion, withdraw its Notice of Acceptance or reduce the number or amount of the Offered Securities specified in its Notice of Acceptance to an amount that shall be not less than the number or amount of the Offered Securities that the Buyer elected to purchase pursuant to Section 4(o)(ii), multiplied by a fraction (i) the numerator of which shall be the number or amount of Offered Securities the Company actually proposes to issue, sell or exchange (including Offered Securities to be issued or sold to the Buyer pursuant to this Section 4(o) prior to such reduction), and (ii) the denominator of which shall be the original amount of the Offered Securities. In the event that the Buyer so elects to reduce the number or amount of Offered Securities specified in its Notice of Acceptance, the Company may not issue, sell or exchange more than the reduced number or amount of the Offered Securities unless and until such securities have again been offered to the Buyer in accordance with Section 4(o)(i).
(v) Upon the closing of the issuance, sale or exchange of all or less than all of the Refused Securities, the Buyer shall acquire from the Company, and the Company shall issue to the Buyer, the number or amount of Offered Securities specified in its Notice of Acceptance, as reduced pursuant to Section 4(o)(iv) if the Buyer has so elected, upon the terms and conditions specified in the Offer. The purchase by the Buyer of any Offered Securities is subject in all cases to the preparation, execution and delivery by the Company and the Buyer of a separate purchase agreement relating to such Offered Securities reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Buyer and its counsel.
(vi) Any Offered Securities not acquired by the Buyer or other Persons in accordance with this Section 4(o) may not be issued, sold or exchanged until they are again offered to the Buyer under the procedures specified in this Agreement.
(vii) The Company and the Buyer agree that if any Buyer elects to participate in the Offer, (x) neither the Subsequent Placement Agreement with respect to such Offer nor any other transaction documents related thereto (collectively, the “Subsequent Placement Documents”) shall include any term or provision whereby the Buyer shall be required to agree to any restrictions on trading as to any securities of the Company or be required to consent to any amendment to or termination of, or grant any waiver, release or the like under or in connection with, any agreement previously entered into with the Company or any instrument received from the Company, and (y) any registration rights set forth in such Subsequent Placement Documents shall be similar in all material respects to the registration rights contained in the Registration Rights Agreement.
(viii) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 4(o) and unless otherwise agreed to by the Buyer, the Company shall either confirm in writing to the Buyer that the transaction with respect to the Subsequent Placement has been abandoned or shall publicly disclose its intention to issue the Offered Securities, in either case, in such a manner such that the Buyer will not be in possession of any material, non-public information, by the fifth (5th) Business Day following delivery of the Offer Notice. If by such fifth (5th) Business Day, no public disclosure regarding a transaction with respect to the Offered Securities has been made, and no notice regarding the abandonment of such transaction has been received by the Buyer, such transaction shall be deemed to have been abandoned and the Buyer shall not be in possession of any material, non-public information with respect to the Company or any of the Subsidiaries. Should the Company decide to pursue such transaction with respect to the Offered Securities, the Company shall provide the Buyer with another Offer Notice and the Buyer shall again have the right of participation set forth in this Section 4(o). The Company shall not be permitted to deliver more than one such Offer Notice to the Buyer in any sixty (60) day period, except as expressly contemplated by the last sentence of Section 4(o)(ii).
(ix) The restrictions contained in this Section 4(o) shall not apply in connection with the issuance of any Excluded Securities.
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(p) Dilutive Issuances. During the Offering Period, the Company shall not, in any manner, enter into or affect any Dilutive Issuance (as defined in the Notes) if the effect of such Dilutive Issuance is to cause the Company to be required to issue upon conversion of any Notes any shares of Common Stock in excess of that number of shares of Common Stock which the Company may issue upon conversion of the Notes without breaching the Company’s obligations under the rules or regulations of the Trading Market.
(q) Passive Foreign Investment Company. The Company shall conduct its business, and shall cause the Subsidiaries to conduct their respective businesses, in such a manner as will ensure that the Company will not be deemed to constitute a passive foreign investment company within the meaning of Section 1297 of the Code.
(r) Restriction on Redemption and Cash Dividends. During the Offering Period, the Company shall not, directly or indirectly, redeem, or declare or pay any cash dividend or distribution on, any securities of the Company without the prior express written consent of the Buyer.
(s) Corporate Existence. During the Offering Period, the Company shall not be party to any Fundamental Transaction (as defined in the Notes) unless the Company is in compliance with the applicable provisions governing Fundamental Transactions set forth in the Notes.
(t) Stock Splits. Until the Notes and all Conversion Shares issued pursuant to the terms thereof are no longer outstanding, the Company shall not effect any stock combination, reverse stock split or other similar transaction (or make any public announcement or disclosure with respect to any of the foregoing) without the prior written consent of the Required Holders, unless the same is essential to maintain Company’s listing of its Common Stock on the Trading Market(s).
(u) Conversion Procedures. The form of Conversion Notice (as defined in the Notes) included in the Notes sets forth the totality of the procedures required of the Buyer in order to convert or exercise the Notes. Except as provided in Section 5(d), no additional legal opinion, other information or instructions shall be required of the Buyer to convert or exercise its Notes. The Company shall honor conversions or exercises of the Notes and shall deliver the Conversion Shares in accordance with the terms, conditions and time periods set forth in the Notes.
(v) Regulation M. The Company shall not take any action prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act, in connection with the distribution of the Securities contemplated hereby.
(w) General Solicitation. None of the Company, any of its affiliates (as defined in Rule 501(b) under the Securities Act) or any Person acting on behalf of the Company or such affiliate shall solicit any offer to buy or offer or sell the Securities by means of any form of general solicitation or general advertising within the meaning of Regulation D, including: (i) any advertisement, article, notice or other communication published in any newspaper, magazine or similar medium or broadcast over television or radio; and (ii) any seminar or meeting whose attendees have been invited by any general solicitation or general advertising.
(x) Integration. None of the Company, the Subsidiaries, or any of their respective Affiliates, nor any Person acting on their behalf shall sell, offer for sale, or solicit offers to buy or otherwise negotiate in respect of any security (as defined in the Securities Act) which shall be integrated with the sale of the Securities in a manner which would require the registration of the Securities under the Securities Act or require stockholder approval under the rules and regulations of the Trading Market and the Company shall take all action that is appropriate or necessary to assure that its offerings of other securities shall not be integrated for purposes of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Trading Market, with the issuance of Securities contemplated hereby.
(y) Notice of Disqualification Events. The Company shall notify the Buyer in writing, prior to the Closing Date of: (i) any Disqualification Event relating to any Issuer Covered Person, and (ii) any event that would, with the passage of time, become a Disqualification Event relating to any Issuer Covered Person.
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(z) Compliance with Rules of Trading Market.
(i) Exchange Cap. Subject to Section 4(z)(ii), the Company shall not issue or sell any shares of Common Stock to the Buyer upon conversion of any Note if, to the extent that after giving effect thereto, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock that would be issued pursuant to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby would exceed 1,093,195 (such number of shares equal to 19.99% of the number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Subscription Date), which number of shares shall be reduced, on a share-for-share basis, by the number of shares of Common Stock issued or issuable pursuant to any transaction or series of transactions that may be aggregated with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement under applicable rules of the Trading Market (such maximum number of shares, the “Exchange Cap” and such limitation on the Company’s issuance of shares to the Buyer, the “Exchange Cap Limitation”).
(ii) Stockholder Approval. On or prior to the Subscription Date, the Company shall obtain the written consent of a majority of its stockholders to approve a waiver of the Exchange Cap and, if needed, an increase in the authorized number of shares of Common Stock to ensure that the number of authorized shares is sufficient to meet the Required Reserve Amount (the “Stockholder Consent”), the approval of which shall be effective as soon as practicable after the Subscription Date, but in any event no later than forty-five (45) days thereafter (the effectiveness of the approval of all such proposals, the “Stockholder Approval”). In connection with the solicitation of the Stockholder Approval, the Company shall provide each stockholder of the Company with an information statement in compliance with applicable SEC rules and regulations and shall use its best efforts to solicit the Stockholder Approval and to cause its board of directors to recommend to the Company’s stockholders that they approve such proposal(s). In the event the Company is prohibited from issuing shares of Common Stock pursuant to the conversion of the Notes due to the Exchange Cap Limitation and the Company fails to obtain Stockholder Approval as required by this Section 4(z)(ii), then, in lieu of issuing and delivering to the Buyer seeking to exchange or convert its Notes such number of shares of Common Stock that is determined to be unavailable for issuance upon the conversion or exercise of Notes (the “Exchange Cap Excess Shares”), the Company shall pay cash to the Buyer the sum of (x) the product of (A) such number of Exchange Cap Excess Shares and (B) the greatest Closing Sale Price (as defined in the Notes) of the Common Stock on any Trading Day during the period commencing on the date the Buyer delivers the applicable Redemption Notice (as defined in the Notes) with respect to such Exchange Cap Shares to the Company and ending on the date of such payment under this paragraph and (y) to the extent the Buyer purchases (in an open market transaction or otherwise) shares of Common Stock to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Buyer of Exchange Cap Excess Shares, any brokerage commissions and other out-of-pocket expenses, if any, of the Buyer incurred in connection therewith. For the avoidance of doubt, if the Company is required to and fails to obtain Stockholder Approval, the Exchange Cap shall be applicable for all purposes of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby at all times during the term of this Agreement.
(iv) At-Market Transaction. Notwithstanding Section 4(z)(i) and (ii) above, the Exchange Cap Limitation shall not apply for any purposes of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby to the extent that (and only for so long as) the Average Price (as defined below) shall equal or exceed the Minimum Price (as defined below) (it being hereby acknowledged and agreed that the Exchange Cap shall be applicable for all purposes of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby at all other times during the term of this Agreement, unless Stockholder Approval is obtained). “Average Price” means a price per share of Common Stock (rounded to the nearest tenth of a cent) equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the aggregate gross purchase price paid by the Buyer for the Notes purchased pursuant to this Agreement, by (B) the aggregate number of Conversion Shares issued pursuant to this Agreement. “Minimum Price” means $1.560 representing the lower of (1) the Nasdaq official closing price of the Common Stock on the Trading Market (as reflected on Nasdaq.com) on the Trading Day immediately prior to the Subscription Date, or (2) the average Nasdaq official closing price of the Common Stock on the Trading Market (as reflected on Nasdaq.com) for the five (5) consecutive Trading Days ending on the Trading Day immediately prior to the Subscription Date (subject to adjustment for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, reverse stock split or other similar transaction that occurs on or after the Subscription Date).
(v) General. The Company shall not issue or sell any shares of Common Stock pursuant to this Agreement if such issuance or sale would reasonably be expected to result in (A) violation of the Securities Act or (B) breach of the rules of the Trading Market. The provisions of this Section 4(v) shall be implemented in a manner otherwise than in strict conformity with the terms of this Section 4(v) only if necessary to ensure compliance with the Securities Act and the applicable rules of the Trading Market. The limitations contained in this Section 4(v) may not be waived by the Company or the Buyer.
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(aa) Closing Documents. On or prior to fourteen (14) calendar days after each Closing Date, the Company shall deliver, or cause to be delivered, to the Buyer and Stradling a complete closing set of the Transaction Documents executed and delivered at such Closing, the Securities and any other document required to be delivered to any Party pursuant to Section 7 hereof or otherwise.
(bb) No Defenses. The Company has no defenses, affirmative or otherwise, rights of setoff, rights of recoupment, claims, counterclaims, actions or causes of action of any kind or nature whatsoever against the Buyer, directly or indirectly, arising out of, based upon, or in any manner connected with, the transactions contemplated hereby, whether known or unknown, which occurred, existed, was taken, permitted, or begun prior to the execution of this Agreement and occurred, existed, was taken, permitted or begun in accordance with, pursuant to, or by virtue of any of the terms or conditions of the Transaction Documents. To the extent any such defenses, affirmative or otherwise, rights of setoff, rights of recoupment, claims, counterclaims, actions or causes of action exist or existed, such defenses, rights, claims, counterclaims, actions and causes of action are hereby waived, discharged and released. The Company hereby acknowledges and agrees that the execution of this Agreement by the Buyer shall not constitute an acknowledgment of or admission by the Buyer of the existence of any claims or of liability for any matter or precedent upon which any claim or liability may be asserted.
| 5. | REGISTER; TRANSFER AGENT INSTRUCTIONS; LEGEND. |
(a) Register. The Company shall maintain at its principal executive offices (or such other office or agency of the Company as it may designate by notice to each holder of Securities), a register for the Notes in which the Company shall record the name and address of the Person in whose name the Notes have been issued (including the name and address of each transferee), the principal amount of the Notes held by such Person and the number of Conversion Shares issuable pursuant to the terms of the Notes. The Company shall keep the register open and available at all times during business hours for inspection of any Buyer or its legal representatives.
(b) Transfer Agent Instructions. The Company shall issue irrevocable instructions to its transfer agent and any subsequent transfer agent (as applicable, the “Transfer Agent”) in a form acceptable to the Buyer (the “Irrevocable Transfer Agent Instructions”) to issue certificates or credit shares to the applicable balance accounts at DTC, registered in the name of the Buyer or its nominee(s), for the Conversion Shares in such amounts as specified from time to time by the Buyer to the Company upon conversion or exercise of the Notes. The Company represents and warrants that no instruction other than the Irrevocable Transfer Agent Instructions referred to in this Section 5(b), and stop transfer instructions to give effect to Section 2(g) hereof, shall be given by the Company to the Transfer Agent with respect to the Securities, and that the Securities shall otherwise be freely transferable on the books and records of the Company, as applicable, to the extent provided in this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents. If the Buyer effects a sale, assignment or transfer of the Securities in accordance with Section 2(g), the Company shall permit the transfer and shall promptly instruct the Transfer Agent to issue one or more certificates or credit shares to the applicable balance accounts at DTC in such name and in such denominations as specified by the Buyer to effect such sale, transfer or assignment. In the event that such sale, assignment or transfer involves Conversion Shares sold, assigned or transferred pursuant to an effective registration statement or in compliance with Rule 144, the transfer agent shall issue such shares to the Buyer, assignee or transferee (as the case may be) without any restrictive legend in accordance with Section 5(d). The Company acknowledges that a breach by it of its obligations hereunder shall cause irreparable harm to the Buyer. Accordingly, the Company acknowledges that the remedy at law for a breach of its obligations under this Section 5(b) shall be inadequate and agrees, in the event of a breach or threatened breach by the Company of the provisions of this Section 5(b), that the Buyer shall be entitled, in addition to all other available remedies, to an order and/or injunction restraining any breach and requiring immediate issuance and transfer, without the necessity of showing economic loss and without any bond or other security being required. The Company shall cause its counsel to issue the legal opinion referred to in the Irrevocable Transfer Agent Instructions to the Transfer Agent on each Subscription Date (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement). Any fees (with respect to the Transfer Agent, counsel to the Company or otherwise) associated with the issuance of such opinion or the removal of any legends on any of the Securities shall be borne by the Company.
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(c) Legends. The Buyer understands that the Securities have been issued (or shall be issued in the case of the Conversion Shares) pursuant to an exemption from registration or qualification under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, and except as set forth below, the Securities shall bear any legend as required by the “blue sky” laws of any state and a restrictive legend in substantially the following form (and a stop-transfer order may be placed against transfer of such stock certificates):
NEITHER THE ISSUANCE AND SALE OF THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE NOR THE SECURITIES INTO WHICH THESE SECURITIES ARE CONVERTIBLE HAVE BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE OFFERED FOR SALE, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED (I) IN THE ABSENCE OF (A) AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FOR THE SECURITIES UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR (B) AN OPINION OF COUNSEL TO THE HOLDER (IF REQUESTED BY THE COMPANY), IN A FORM REASONABLY ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMPANY, THAT REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED UNDER SAID ACT OR (II) UNLESS SOLD OR ELIGIBLE TO BE SOLD PURSUANT TO RULE 144 OR RULE 144A UNDER SAID ACT. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, THE SECURITIES MAY BE PLEDGED IN CONNECTION WITH A BONA FIDE MARGIN ACCOUNT OR OTHER LOAN OR FINANCING ARRANGEMENT SECURED BY THE SECURITIES.
(d) Removal of Legends. Certificates evidencing Securities shall not be required to contain the legend set forth in Section 5(c) above or any other legend (i) while a Registration Statement covering the resale of such Securities is effective under the Securities Act, (ii) following any sale of such Securities pursuant to Rule 144 (assuming the transferor is not an affiliate of the Company), (iii) if such Securities are eligible to be sold, assigned or transferred under Rule 144 (provided that the Buyer provides the Company with reasonable assurances that such Securities are eligible for sale, assignment or transfer under Rule 144 which shall not include an opinion of the Buyer’s counsel), (iv) in connection with a sale, assignment or other transfer (other than under Rule 144), provided that the Buyer provides the Company with an opinion of counsel to the Buyer, in a generally acceptable form, to the effect that such sale, assignment or transfer of the Securities may be made without registration under the applicable requirements of the Securities Act or (v) if such legend is not required under applicable requirements of the Securities Act (including, without limitation, controlling judicial interpretations and pronouncements issued by the SEC). If a legend is not required pursuant to the foregoing, the Company shall no later than two (2) Trading Days (or such earlier date as required pursuant to the Exchange Act or other applicable law, rule or regulation for the settlement of a trade initiated on the date the Buyer delivers such legended certificate representing such Securities to the Company) following the delivery by the Buyer to the Company or the transfer agent (with notice to the Company) of a legended certificate representing such Securities (endorsed or with stock powers attached, signatures guaranteed, and otherwise in form necessary to affect the reissuance and/or transfer, if applicable), together with any other deliveries from the Buyer as may be required above in this Section 5(d), as directed by the Buyer, either: (A) provided that the Company’s transfer agent is participating in the DTC Fast Automated Securities Transfer Program (“FAST”) and such Securities are Conversion Shares, credit the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock to which the Buyer shall be entitled to the Buyer’s or its designee’s balance account with DTC through its DWAC system or (B) if the Company’s transfer agent is not participating in FAST, issue and deliver (via reputable overnight courier) to the Buyer, a certificate representing such Securities that is free from all restrictive and other legends, registered in the name of the Buyer or its designee (the date by which such credit is so required to be made to the balance account of the Buyer or its designee with DTC or such certificate is required to be delivered to the Buyer pursuant to the foregoing is referred to herein as the “Required Delivery Date,” and the date such shares of Common Stock are actually delivered without restrictive legend to the Buyer or the Buyer’s designee with DTC, as applicable, the “Share Delivery Date”). The Company shall be responsible for any transfer agent fees or DTC fees with respect to any issuance of Securities or the removal of any legends with respect to any Securities in accordance herewith.
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(e) Failure to Timely Deliver; Buy-In. If the Company fails, for any reason or for no reason, to issue and deliver (or cause to be delivered) to the Buyer (or its designee) by the Required Delivery Date, either (i) if the Transfer Agent is not participating in FAST, a certificate for the number of Conversion Shares to which the Buyer is entitled and register such Conversion Shares on the Company’s share register or, if the Transfer Agent is participating in FAST, to credit the balance account of the Buyer or the Buyer’s designee with DTC for such number of Conversion Shares submitted for legend removal by the Buyer pursuant to Section 5(d) above, or (ii) if the Registration Statement covering the resale of the Conversion Shares submitted for legend removal by the Buyer pursuant to Section 5(d) above (the “Unavailable Shares”) is not available for the resale of such Unavailable Shares and the Company fails to promptly, but in no event later than as required pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, to notify the Buyer and deliver the Conversion Shares electronically without any restrictive legend by crediting such aggregate number of Conversion Shares submitted for legend removal by the Buyer pursuant to Section 5(d) above to the Buyer’s or its designee’s balance account with DTC through its DWAC system (the event described in the immediately foregoing clause (ii) is hereinafter referred as a “Notice Failure” and together with the event described in clause (i) above, a “Delivery Failure”), then, in addition to all other remedies available to the Buyer, the Company shall pay in cash to the Buyer on each day after the Share Delivery Date and during such Delivery Failure an amount equal to two percent (2%) of the product of (A) the sum of the number of shares of Common Stock not issued to the Buyer on or prior to the Required Delivery Date and to which the Buyer is entitled, and (B) any trading price of the Common Stock selected by the Buyer in writing as in effect at any time during the period beginning on the date of the delivery by the Buyer to the Company of the applicable Conversion Shares and ending on the applicable Share Delivery Date. In addition to the foregoing, if on or prior to the Required Delivery Date either (I) if the Transfer Agent is not participating in FAST, the Company shall fail to issue and deliver a certificate to the Buyer and register such shares of Common Stock on the Company’s share register or, if the Transfer Agent is participating in FAST, credit the balance account of the Buyer or the Buyer’s designee with DTC for the number of shares of Common Stock to which the Buyer submitted for legend removal by the Buyer pursuant to Section 5(d) above (ii) below or (II) a Notice Failure occurs, and if on or after such Trading Day the Buyer purchases (in an open market transaction or otherwise) shares of Common Stock to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Buyer of shares of Common Stock submitted for legend removal by the Buyer pursuant to Section 5(d) above that the Buyer is entitled to receive from the Company (a “Buy-In”), then the Company shall, within one (1) Trading Day after the Buyer’s request and in the Buyer’s discretion, either (i) pay cash to the Buyer in an amount equal to the Buyer’s total purchase price (including brokerage commissions and other out-of-pocket expenses, if any, for the shares of Common Stock so purchased) (the “Buy-In Price”), at which point the Company’s obligation to so deliver such certificate or credit the Buyer’s balance account shall terminate and such shares shall be cancelled, or (ii) promptly honor its obligation to so deliver to the Buyer a certificate or certificates or credit the balance account of the Buyer or the Buyer’s designee with DTC representing such number of shares of Common Stock that would have been so delivered if the Company timely complied with its obligations hereunder and pay cash to the Buyer in an amount equal to the excess (if any) of the Buy-In Price over the product of (A) such number of shares of Conversion Shares that the Company was required to deliver to the Buyer by the Required Delivery Date multiplied by (B) the lowest Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on any Trading Day during the period commencing on the date of the delivery by the Buyer to the Company of the applicable Conversion Shares and ending on the date of such delivery and payment under this clause (ii). Nothing shall limit the Buyer’s right to pursue any other remedies available to it hereunder, at law or in equity, including, without limitation, a decree of specific performance and/or injunctive relief with respect to the Company’s failure to timely deliver certificates representing shares of Common Stock (or to electronically deliver such shares of Common Stock) as required pursuant to the terms hereof. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, with respect to any given Notice Failure and/or Delivery Failure, this Section 5(e) shall not apply to the Buyer the extent the Company has already paid such amounts in full to the Buyer with respect to such Notice Failure and/or Delivery Failure, as applicable, pursuant to the analogous sections of the Note held by the Buyer.
(f) FAST Compliance. During the Offering Period, the Company shall maintain a transfer agent that participates in FAST.
| 6. | CONDITIONS TO THE COMPANY’S OBLIGATION TO SELL. |
The obligation of the Company hereunder to issue and sell the Notes to the Buyer at a Closing is subject to the satisfaction, at or before the applicable Closing Date, of each of the following conditions, provided that these conditions are for the Company’s sole benefit and may be waived by the Company at any time in its sole discretion by providing the Buyer with prior written notice thereof:
(a) the Buyer shall have executed each of the other Transaction Documents to which it is a party and delivered the same to the Company.
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(b) The Buyer shall have delivered to the Company the Purchase Price for the Note being purchased by the Buyer at such Closing (less any amounts withheld pursuant to Section 4(g)) for the Note being purchased by the Buyer at such Closing, by wire transfer of immediately available funds in accordance with the Flow of Funds Letter related to such Closing.
(c) The representations and warranties of the Buyer shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date when made and as of the applicable Closing Date as though originally made at that time (except for representations and warranties that speak as of a specific date, which shall be true and correct as of such specific date), and the Buyer shall have performed, satisfied and complied in all material respects with the covenants, agreements and conditions required by this Agreement to be performed, satisfied or complied with by the Buyer at or prior to the applicable Closing Date.
| 7. | CONDITIONS TO THE BUYER’S OBLIGATION TO PURCHASE. |
The obligation of the Buyer hereunder to purchase the Notes at a Closing is subject to the satisfaction, at or before the applicable Closing Date, of each of the following conditions, provided that these conditions are for the Buyer’s sole benefit and may be waived by the Buyer at any time in its sole discretion by providing the Company with prior written notice thereof:
(a) The Company shall have duly executed and delivered to the Buyer each of the Transaction Documents to which it is a party, each of which shall remain in full force and effect as of the applicable Closing Date, and the Company shall have duly executed and delivered to the Buyer the Note to be issued to the Buyer at such Closing in such original principal amount as is set forth opposite the Buyer’s name in column (3) on the Schedule of Buyers with respect to such Closing.
(b) The Buyer shall have received the opinion of Lucosky Brookman LLP, the Company’s counsel, dated as of the applicable Closing Date, in the form acceptable to the Buyer.
(c) The Company shall have delivered to the Buyer a copy of the Irrevocable Transfer Agent Instructions, in the form acceptable to the Buyer, which instructions shall have been delivered to and acknowledged in writing by the Transfer Agent and shall remain in full force and effect as of the applicable Closing Date.
(d) The Company shall have delivered to the Buyer a certificate evidencing the formation and good standing of the Company and each Subsidiary in each such entity’s jurisdiction of formation issued by the Secretary of State (or comparable office) of such jurisdiction of formation as of a date within ten (10) days of the applicable Closing Date.
(e) The Company shall have delivered to the Buyer a certificate evidencing the Company’s and each Subsidiary’s qualification as a foreign corporation and good standing issued by the Secretary of State (or comparable office) of each jurisdiction in which the Company or any Subsidiary conducts business and is required to so qualify and where failure to so qualify would result in a Material Adverse Effect, in each case, as of a date within ten (10) days of the applicable Closing Date.
(f) The Company shall have delivered to the Buyer a copy of the Charter certified by the Secretary of State (or comparable office) of the Company’s jurisdiction of formation within ten (10) days of the applicable Closing Date.
(g) The Company shall have delivered to the Buyer a certificate, in the form acceptable to the Buyer, executed by the Secretary of the Company and dated as of the applicable Closing Date, as to (i) the resolutions consistent with Section 3(b) as adopted by the Company’s board of directors, in a form reasonably acceptable to the Buyer, (ii) the Charter; and (iii) the Bylaws, each as in effect on the applicable Closing Date.
(h) Each and every representation and warranty of the Company shall be true and correct as of the date when made and as of the applicable Closing Date as though originally made at that time (except for representations and warranties that speak as of a specific date, which shall be true and correct as of such specific date) and the Company shall have performed, satisfied and complied in all respects with the covenants, agreements and conditions required to be performed, satisfied or complied with by the Company at or prior to the applicable Closing Date. The Buyer shall have received a certificate, duly executed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, dated as of the applicable Closing Date, to the foregoing effect and as to such other matters as may be reasonably requested by the Buyer in the form acceptable to the Buyer.
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(i) The Company shall have delivered to the Buyer a letter from the Transfer Agent certifying the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on the applicable Closing Date as of immediately prior to such Closing.
(j) The Common Stock (i) shall be designated for quotation or listed (as applicable) on the Trading Market, and (ii) shall not have been suspended, as of the applicable Closing Date, by the SEC or the Trading Market from trading on the Trading Market nor shall suspension by the SEC or the Trading Market have been threatened, as of the applicable Closing Date, either (A) in writing by the SEC or the Trading Market, or (B) by falling below the minimum maintenance requirements of the Trading Market.
(k) The Company shall have obtained all governmental, regulatory or third-party consents and approvals, if any, necessary for the issuance and sale of the Securities, including without limitation, those required by the Trading Market.
(l) The Company shall have obtained and delivered to the Buyer the Stockholder Consent, in the form and substance acceptable to the Buyer.
(m) No statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by any court or Governmental Entity of competent jurisdiction that prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.
(n) Since the Subscription Date, no event or series of events shall have occurred that reasonably would have, or result in, a Material Adverse Effect.
(o) The Company shall have obtained approval of the Trading Market to list or designate for quotation (as the case may be) the Conversion Shares.
(p) The Buyer shall have received a letter on the letterhead of the Company, duly executed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, setting forth the wire amounts of the Buyer and the wire transfer instructions of the Company with respect to such Closing (each, a “Flow of Funds Letter”).
(q) The Company shall have (i) timely filed a listing of additional shares notification with the Trading Market in connection with the issuance of the Securities at such Closing, a copy of which shall be provided to the Buyer promptly upon filing with the Trading Market, and (ii) received no objection from the Trading Market with respect to such notification or the issuance of the Securities and other matters described therein, satisfactory evidence of which determination shall have been provided to the Buyer.
(r) The Company shall have delivered to the Buyer a security agreement in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C (the “Security Agreement”), duly executed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company.
(s) Solely with respect to an Additional Closing, there shall be no existing or continuing Event of Default (as defined in the Notes), or any event that shall have occurred and be continuing that, with the passage of time and the failure to cure, would be reasonably likely to result in an Event of Default, in each case, as of such Additional Closing Date.
(t) Solely with respect to an Additional Closing, the Company shall have obtained the Stockholder Approval and such approval shall be effective as of such Additional Closing Date.
(u) No bona fide dispute shall exist by and between the Buyer and the Company that is reasonably related to this Agreement or any other Transaction Document, the Securities and/or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby.
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(v) The Company and its Subsidiaries shall have delivered to the Buyer such other documents, instruments or certificates relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement as the Buyer or its counsel may reasonably request.
| 8. | TERMINATION. |
In the event that the Initial Closing shall not have occurred within five (5) days of the Subscription Date, then the Buyer shall have the right to terminate its obligations under this Agreement at any time on or after the close of business on such date without liability of the Buyer to any other Party; provided that the right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 8 shall not be available to the Buyer if the failure of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement to have been consummated by such date is the result of the Buyer’s breach of this Agreement; provided further that no such termination shall affect any obligation of the Company under this Agreement to reimburse the Buyer for the expenses described in Section 4(g). Nothing contained in this Section 8 shall be deemed to release any Party from any liability for any breach by such Party of the terms and provisions of this Agreement or the other Transaction Documents or to impair the right of any Party to compel specific performance by any other Party of its obligations under this Agreement or the other Transaction Documents.
| 9. | MISCELLANEOUS. |
(a) Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Jury Trial. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Agreement shall be governed by the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law provision or rule (whether of the State of New York or any other jurisdictions) that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdictions other than the State of New York. The Company hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in The City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or under any of the other Transaction Documents or with any transaction contemplated hereby or thereby, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum or that the venue of such suit, action or proceeding is improper. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof to such party at the address for such notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed or operate to preclude the Buyer from bringing suit or taking other legal action against the Company in any other jurisdiction to collect on the Company’s obligations to the Buyer or to enforce a judgment or other court ruling in favor of the Buyer. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO, AND AGREES NOT TO REQUEST, A JURY TRIAL FOR THE ADJUDICATION OF ANY DISPUTE HEREUNDER OR UNDER ANY OTHER TRANSACTION DOCUMENT OR IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT, ANY OTHER TRANSACTION DOCUMENT OR ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY.
(b) Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more identical counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission or by an email which contains a portable document format (.pdf) file of an executed signature page, such signature page shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such signature page were an original thereof.
(c) Headings; Gender. The headings of this Agreement are for convenience of reference and shall not form part of, or affect the interpretation of, this Agreement. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, each pronoun herein shall be deemed to include the masculine, feminine, neuter, singular and plural forms thereof. The terms “including,” “includes,” “include” and words of like import shall be construed broadly as if followed by the words “without limitation.” The terms “herein,” “hereunder,” “hereof” and words of like import refer to this entire Agreement instead of just the provision in which they are found.
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(d) Severability; Maximum Payment Amounts. If any provision of this Agreement is prohibited by law or otherwise determined to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the provision that would otherwise be prohibited, invalid or unenforceable shall be deemed amended to apply to the broadest extent that it would be valid and enforceable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of such provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of this Agreement so long as this Agreement as so modified continues to express, without material change, the original intentions of the Parties as to the subject matter hereof and the prohibited nature, invalidity or unenforceability of the provision(s) in question does not substantially impair the respective expectations or reciprocal obligations of the Parties or the practical realization of the benefits that would otherwise be conferred upon the Parties. The Parties will endeavor in good faith negotiations to replace the prohibited, invalid or unenforceable provision(s) with a valid provision(s), the effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the prohibited, invalid or unenforceable provision(s). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement or any other Transaction Document (and without implication that the following is required or applicable), it is the intention of the Parties that in no event shall amounts and value paid by the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries (as the case may be), or payable to or received by the Buyer, under the Transaction Documents (including without limitation, any amounts that would be characterized as “interest” under applicable law) exceed amounts permitted under any applicable law. Accordingly, if any obligation to pay, payment made to the Buyer, or collection by the Buyer pursuant the Transaction Documents is finally judicially determined to be contrary to any such applicable law, such obligation to pay, payment or collection shall be deemed to have been made by mutual mistake of the Buyer, the Company and the Subsidiaries and such amount shall be deemed to have been adjusted with retroactive effect to the maximum amount or rate of interest, as the case may be, as would not be so prohibited by the applicable law. Such adjustment shall be effected, to the extent necessary, by reducing or refunding, at the option of the Buyer, the amount of interest or any other amounts which would constitute unlawful amounts required to be paid or actually paid to the Buyer under the Transaction Documents. For greater certainty, to the extent that any interest, charges, fees, expenses or other amounts required to be paid to or received by the Buyer under any of the Transaction Documents or related thereto are held to be within the meaning of “interest” or another applicable term to otherwise be violative of applicable law, such amounts shall be pro-rated over the period of time to which they relate.
(e) Entire Agreement; Amendments. This Agreement and the other Transaction Documents, and the schedules and exhibits attached hereto and thereto and the instruments referenced herein and therein supersede all other prior oral or written agreements between or among the Buyer, the Company, the Subsidiaries, their affiliates and Persons acting on their behalf, including, without limitation, any transactions by the Buyer with respect to Common Stock or the Securities, and the other matters contained herein and therein, and this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents, and the schedules and exhibits attached hereto and thereto, and the instruments referenced herein and therein contain the entire understanding of the Parties solely with respect to the matters covered herein and therein; provided, however, nothing contained in this Agreement or any other Transaction Document shall (or shall be deemed to) (i) have any effect on any agreements the Buyer has entered into with, or any instruments the Buyer has received from, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries prior to the Subscription Date with respect to any prior investment made by the Buyer in the Company or (ii) waive, alter, modify or amend in any respect any obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or any rights of or benefits to the Buyer or any other Person, in any agreement entered into prior to the Subscription Date between or among the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries and the Buyer, or any instruments the Buyer received from the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries prior to the Subscription Date, and all such agreements and instruments shall continue in full force and effect. Except as specifically set forth herein or therein, neither the Company nor the Buyer makes any representation, warranty, covenant or undertaking with respect to such matters. For clarification purposes, the Recitals are part of this Agreement. No provision of this Agreement may be amended other than by an instrument in writing signed by the Company and the Required Holders, and any amendment to any provision of this Agreement made in conformity with the provisions of this Section 9(e) shall be binding on the Buyer and holders of Securities, as applicable; provided that no such amendment shall be effective to the extent that it (A) applies to less than all of the holders of the Securities then outstanding or (B) imposes any obligation or liability on the Buyer without the Buyer’s prior written consent (which may be granted or withheld in the Buyer’s sole discretion). No waiver shall be effective unless it is in writing and signed by an authorized representative of the waiving party, provided that the Required Holders may waive any provision of this Agreement, and any waiver of any provision of this Agreement made in conformity with the provisions of this Section 9(e) shall be binding on the Buyer and all holders of Securities, as applicable, provided that no such waiver shall be effective to the extent that it (1) applies to less than all of the holders of the Securities then outstanding (unless a party gives a waiver as to itself only) or (2) imposes any obligation or liability on the Buyer without the Buyer’s prior written consent (which may be granted or withheld in the Buyer’s sole discretion). No consideration (other than reimbursement of legal fees) shall be offered or paid to any Person to amend or consent to a waiver or modification of any provision of any of the Transaction Documents unless the same consideration also is offered to all of the parties to the Transaction Documents, all holders of the Notes. During the Offering Period, the Company shall not be permitted to receive any consideration from a holder of Notes that is not otherwise contemplated by the Transaction Documents in order to, directly or indirectly, induce the Company or any Subsidiary (i) to treat such holder of Notes in a manner that is more favorable than to other similarly situated holders of Notes, as applicable, or (ii) to treat any holder(s) of Notes in a manner that is less favorable than the any other holder of Notes that is paying such consideration; provided, however, that the determination of whether the Buyer has been treated more or less favorably than another holder of Notes shall disregard any securities of the Company purchased or sold by any Buyer. The Company has not, directly or indirectly, made any agreements with the Buyer relating to the terms or conditions of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents except as set forth in the Transaction Documents. Without limiting the foregoing, the Company confirms that, except as set forth in this Agreement, the Buyer has not made any commitment or promise or has any other obligation to provide any financing to the Company, any Subsidiary or otherwise. As a material inducement for the Buyer to enter into this Agreement, the Company expressly acknowledges and agrees that no due diligence or other investigation or inquiry conducted by the Buyer, any of its advisors or any of its representatives shall affect the Buyer’s right to rely on, or shall modify or qualify in any manner or be an exception to any of, the Company’s representations and warranties contained in this Agreement or any other Transaction Document, nothing contained in any of the SEC Documents shall affect the Buyer’s right to rely on, or shall modify or qualify in any manner or be an exception to any of, the Company’s representations and warranties contained in this Agreement or any other Transaction Document. “Required Holders” means (I) prior to the Initial Closing Date, the Buyer, and (II) on or after the Initial Closing Date, the holders of a majority of the Conversion Shares as of such time (excluding any Conversion Shares held by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries as of such time) issued or issuable hereunder or pursuant to the Notes.
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(f) Notices. Any notices, consents, waivers or other communications required or permitted to be given under the terms of this Agreement must be in writing and shall be deemed to have been delivered: (i) upon receipt, when delivered personally; (ii) upon receipt, when sent by facsimile (provided confirmation of transmission is mechanically or electronically generated and kept on file by the sending Party) or electronic mail (provided that such sent email is kept on file (whether electronically or otherwise) by the sending Party and the sending Party does not receive an automatically generated message from the recipient’s email server that such email could not be delivered to such recipient); or (iii) one (1) Business Day after deposit with an overnight courier service with next day delivery specified, in each case, properly addressed to the Party to receive the same. The addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses for such communications shall be:
If to the Company:
Capstone Holding Corp.
5141 W. 122nd Street
Alsip, Illinois 60803
Attention: Matthew Lipman
Telephone: [_____]
Email: [_____]
With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Lucosky Brookman
101 Wood Avenue South
Woodbridge, New Jersey 08830
Attention: Seth Brookman, Esq.
Telephone: (732) 395-4400
Email: [_____]
If to the Transfer Agent:
Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
150 Royall Street
Canton, Massachusetts 02021
Attention: Mike May
Telephone: [_____]
Email: [_____]
If to the Buyer, to its address and email address set forth on the Schedule of Buyers, with a copy of any notice sent to the lead Buyer (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:
Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth LLP
660 Newport Center Drive, Suite 1600
Newport Beach, California 92660
Attention: Ryan C. Wilkins, Esq.
Telephone: [_____]
Email: [_____]
or to such other address or email address and/or to the attention of such other Person as the recipient Party has specified by written notice given to each other Party five (5) days prior to the effectiveness of such change. Written confirmation of receipt (A) given by the recipient of such notice, consent, waiver or other communication, (B) electronically generated by the sender’s email containing the time, date, and recipient email address, or (C) provided by an overnight courier service shall be rebuttable evidence of personal service.
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(g) Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Parties and their respective successors and assigns, including any purchasers of any of the Notes. The Company shall not assign this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the Required Holders, including, without limitation, by way of a Fundamental Transaction (as defined in the Notes) (unless the Company is in compliance with the applicable provisions governing Fundamental Transactions set forth in the Notes). The Buyer may assign some or all of its rights hereunder in connection with any transfer of any of its Securities without the consent of the Company, in which event such assignee shall be deemed to be the Buyer hereunder with respect to such assigned rights.
(h) No Third-Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement is intended for the benefit of the Parties and their respective permitted successors and assigns, and is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any other Person, other than the Indemnitees referred to in Section 9(k).
(i) Survival. The representations, warranties, agreements and covenants shall survive each Closing.
(j) Further Assurances. Each Party shall do and perform, or cause to be done and performed, all such further acts and things, and shall execute and deliver all such other agreements, certificates, instruments and documents, as any other Party may reasonably request in order to carry out the intent and accomplish the purposes of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.
(k) Indemnification. In consideration of the Buyer’s execution and delivery of the Transaction Documents and acquisition of the Securities thereunder, and in addition to all of the Company’s other obligations under the Transaction Documents, the Company shall defend, protect, indemnify and hold harmless the Buyer and each holder of any Securities and all of their stockholders, partners, members, officers, directors, employees and direct or indirect investors and any of the foregoing Persons’ agents or other representatives (including, without limitation, those retained in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement) (collectively, the “Indemnitees”) from and against any and all actions, causes of action, suits, claims, losses, costs, penalties, fees, liabilities and damages, and expenses in connection therewith (irrespective of whether any such Indemnitee is a party to the action for which indemnification hereunder is sought), and including reasonable attorneys’ fees and disbursements (unless such action is solely based upon a material breach of such Indemnitee’s representations, warranties, or covenants under the Transaction Documents or any agreements or understandings such Indemnitee may have with any such stockholder or any violations by such Indemnitee of state or federal securities laws or any conduct by such Indemnitee which is finally judicially determined to constitute fraud, gross negligence, or willful misconduct) (the “Indemnified Liabilities”), incurred by any Indemnitee as a result of, or arising out of, or relating to (i) any misrepresentation or breach of any representation or warranty made by the Company or any Subsidiary in any of the Transaction Documents, (ii) any breach of any covenant, agreement or obligation of the Company or any Subsidiary contained in any of the Transaction Documents or (iii) any cause of action, suit, proceeding or claim brought or made against such Indemnitee by a third party (including for these purposes a derivative action brought on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary) or which otherwise involves such Indemnitee that arises out of or results from (A) the execution, delivery, performance or enforcement of any of the Transaction Documents, (B) any transaction financed or to be financed in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, with the proceeds of the issuance of the Securities, (C) any disclosure properly made by the Buyer pursuant to Section 4(i), or (D) the status of the Buyer or holder of the Securities either as an investor in the Company pursuant to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents or as a party to this Agreement (including, without limitation, as a party in interest or otherwise in any action or proceeding for injunctive or other equitable relief). To the extent that the foregoing undertaking by the Company may be unenforceable for any reason, the Company shall make the maximum contribution to the payment and satisfaction of each of the Indemnified Liabilities which is permissible under applicable law.
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(l) Construction. The language used in this Agreement shall be deemed to be the language chosen by the Parties to express their mutual intent, and no rules of strict construction will be applied against any party. No specific representation or warranty shall limit the generality or applicability of a more general representation or warranty. Each and every reference to share prices, shares of Common Stock and any other numbers in this Agreement that relate to the Common Stock shall be automatically adjusted for any stock splits, stock dividends, stock combinations, recapitalizations or other similar transactions that occur with respect to the Common Stock after the Subscription Date.
(m) Remedies. The Buyer and in the event of assignment by the Buyer of its rights and obligations hereunder, each holder of Securities, shall have all rights and remedies set forth in the Transaction Documents and all rights and remedies which such holders have been granted at any time under any other agreement or contract and all of the rights which such holders have under any law. Any Person having any rights under any provision of this Agreement shall be entitled to enforce such rights specifically (without posting a bond or other security), to recover damages by reason of any breach of any provision of this Agreement and to exercise all other rights granted by law. Furthermore, the Company recognizes that in the event that it or any Subsidiary fails to perform, observe, or discharge any or all of its or such Subsidiary’s (as the case may be) obligations under the Transaction Documents, any remedy at law would inadequate relief to the Buyer. The Company therefore agrees that the Buyer shall be entitled to specific performance and/or temporary, preliminary and permanent injunctive or other equitable relief from any court of competent jurisdiction in any such case without the necessity of proving actual damages and without posting a bond or other security. The remedies provided in this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents shall be cumulative and in addition to all other remedies available under this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents, at law or in equity (including a decree of specific performance and/or other injunctive relief).
(n) Withdrawal Right. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in (and without limiting any similar provisions of) the Transaction Documents, whenever the Buyer exercises a right, election, demand or option under a Transaction Document and the Company or any Subsidiary does not timely perform its related obligations within the periods therein provided, then the Buyer may rescind or withdraw, in its sole discretion from time to time upon written notice to the Company or such Subsidiary (as the case may be), any relevant notice, demand or election in whole or in part without prejudice to its future actions and rights.
(o) Payment Set Aside; Currency. To the extent that the Company makes a payment or payments to the Buyer hereunder or pursuant to any of the other Transaction Documents or the Buyer enforces or exercises its rights hereunder or thereunder, and such payment or payments or the proceeds of such enforcement or exercise or any part thereof are subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside, recovered from, disgorged by or are required to be refunded, repaid or otherwise restored to the Company, a trustee, receiver or any other Person under any law (including, without limitation, any bankruptcy law, foreign, state or federal law, common law or equitable cause of action), then to the extent of any such restoration the obligation or part thereof originally intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued in full force and effect as if such payment had not been made or such enforcement or setoff had not occurred. Unless otherwise expressly indicated, all dollar amounts referred to in this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents are in United States Dollars (“U.S. Dollars”), and all amounts owing under this Agreement and all other Transaction Documents shall be paid in U.S. Dollars. All amounts denominated in other currencies (if any) shall be converted into the U.S. Dollar equivalent amount in accordance with the Exchange Rate on the date of calculation. “Exchange Rate” means, in relation to any amount of currency to be converted into U.S. Dollars pursuant to this Agreement, the U.S. Dollar exchange rate as published in The Wall Street Journal on the relevant date of calculation.
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(p) Judgment Currency.
(i) If for the purpose of obtaining or enforcing judgment against the Company in connection with this Agreement or any other Transaction Document in any court in any jurisdiction it becomes necessary to convert into any other currency (such other currency being hereinafter in this Section 9(p) referred to as the “Judgment Currency”) an amount due in U.S. Dollars under this Agreement, the conversion shall be made at the Exchange Rate prevailing on the Trading Day immediately preceding:
(A) the date actual payment of the amount due, in the case of any proceeding in the courts of New York or in the courts of any other jurisdiction that shall give effect to such conversion being made on such date: or
(B) the date on which the foreign court determines, in the case of any proceeding in the courts of any other jurisdiction (the date as of which such conversion is made pursuant to this Section 9(p)(i)(B) being hereinafter referred to as the “Judgment Conversion Date”).
(ii) If in the case of any proceeding in the court of any jurisdiction referred to in Section 9(p)(i)(B), there is a change in the Exchange Rate prevailing between the Judgment Conversion Date and the date of actual payment of the amount due, the applicable party shall pay such adjusted amount as may be necessary to ensure that the amount paid in the Judgment Currency, when converted at the Exchange Rate prevailing on the date of payment, shall produce the amount of U.S. Dollars which could have been purchased with the amount of Judgment Currency stipulated in the judgment or judicial order at the Exchange Rate prevailing on the Judgment Conversion Date.
(iii) Any amount due from the Company under this provision shall be due as a separate debt and shall not be affected by judgment being obtained for any other amounts due under or in respect of this Agreement or any other Transaction Document.
[Signature pages follow.]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Buyer and the Company have caused their respective signature page to this Agreement to be duly executed as of the Subscription Date.
| Company: | ||
| CAPSTONE HOLDING CORP. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: Matthew E. Lipman | ||
| Title: Chief Executive Officer | ||
[Signature page to Securities Purchase Agreement]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Buyer and the Company have caused their respective signature page to this Agreement to be duly executed as of the Subscription Date.
| Buyer: | ||
[____] | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
[Signature page to Securities Purchase Agreement]
SCHEDULE OF BUYERS
Intentionally omitted.
SCHEDULE 3(c)
CAPITALIZATION
Intentionally omitted.
SCHEDULE 3(q)
INDEBTEDNESS
Intentionally omitted.
EXHIBIT A
FORM OF NOTE
(attached)
EXHIBIT B
FORM OF REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
(attached)
EXHIBIT C
FORM OF SECURITY AGREEMENT
(attached)
Exhibit 10.2
Execution Copy
NEITHER THE ISSUANCE AND SALE OF THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS NOTE NOR THE SECURITIES INTO WHICH THIS NOTE IS CONVERTIBLE HAVE BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE OFFERED FOR SALE, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED (A) IN THE ABSENCE OF (I) AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FOR THE SECURITIES UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR (II) AN OPINION OF COUNSEL TO THE HOLDER (IF REQUESTED BY THE COMPANY), IN A FORM REASONABLY ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMPANY, THAT REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR (B) UNLESS SOLD OR ELIGIBLE TO BE SOLD PURSUANT TO RULE 144 OR RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, THE SECURITIES MAY BE PLEDGED IN CONNECTION WITH A BONA FIDE MARGIN ACCOUNT OR OTHER LOAN OR FINANCING ARRANGEMENT SECURED BY THE SECURITIES. ANY TRANSFEREE OF THIS NOTE SHOULD CAREFULLY REVIEW THE TERMS OF THIS NOTE, INCLUDING SECTION 3(c)(iii) AND SECTION 18(a) HEREOF. THE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT REPRESENTED BY THIS NOTE AND, ACCORDINGLY, THE SECURITIES ISSUABLE UPON CONVERSION HEREOF MAY BE LESS THAN THE AMOUNTS SET FORTH ON THE FACE HEREOF PURSUANT TO SECTION 3(c)(iii) OF THIS NOTE.
THIS NOTE HAS BEEN ISSUED WITH ORIGINAL ISSUE DISCOUNT. PURSUANT TO TREASURY REGULATION §1.1275-3(b)(1), MATTHEW LIPMAN, THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE COMPANY, SHALL, BEGINNING NO LATER THAN TEN (10) DAYS AFTER THE ISSUANCE DATE OF THIS NOTE, PROMPTLY MAKE AVAILABLE TO THE HOLDERS UPON REQUEST THE INFORMATION DESCRIBED IN TREASURY REGULATION §1.1275-3(b)(1)(i). MR. LIPMAN MAY BE REACHED AT TELEPHONE NUMBER (708) 371-0660.
Capstone Holding Corp.
SENIOR SECURED CONVERTIBLE NOTE
| Issuance Date: July 29, 2025 | Original Principal Amount: US $3,272,966 |
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, Capstone Holding Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), hereby promises to pay to the order of [___] or its registered assigns (the “Holder”) the amount set forth above as the original principal amount (as reduced pursuant to the terms hereof pursuant to redemption, conversion or otherwise, the “Principal”) and all interest accrued hereunder (“Interest”) at the Interest Rate when due, whether upon the Maturity Date, or upon acceleration, conversion, redemption or otherwise (in each case in accordance with the terms hereof) and, upon the occurrence of an Event of Default (as defined below), to pay Interest on any outstanding Principal at the Default Rate (as defined below), from the date set forth above as the Issuance Date (the “Issuance Date”) until the same becomes due and payable, whether upon the Maturity Date or upon acceleration, conversion, redemption or otherwise (in each case in accordance with the terms hereof). This senior secured convertible note (including all senior secured convertible notes issued in exchange, transfer or replacement hereof, this “Note”) is one of several senior secured convertible notes issued pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement dated July 29, 2025 (the “Subscription Date”), by and between the Company and the investors referred to therein, as amended from time to time (collectively, this Note and the other senior secured promissory notes, the “Notes” and such other senior secured convertible notes, the “Other Notes”). Certain capitalized terms used and not separately defined herein have the meanings given to them in Section 31.
1. PAYMENT OF PRINCIPAL. On the Maturity Date, the Company shall pay to the Holder an amount in cash representing all outstanding Principal, accrued and unpaid Interest (including Default Interest, if applicable) and accrued and unpaid Late Charges on such Principal and Interest. Other than as specifically permitted by this Note, the Company may not prepay any portion of the outstanding Principal, accrued and unpaid Interest, or accrued and unpaid Late Charges on Principal and Interest, if any.
2. INTEREST; INTEREST RATE.
(a) This Note was issued with an 8.34% original issue discount as described in the Securities Purchase Agreement. This Note shall bear interest at the rate of 7.0% per annum (the “Interest Rate”) except upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, in which case this Note shall bear interest at a rate equal to the lesser of (i) 18.0% per annum and (ii) the maximum rate of interest permitted to be charged under applicable law (the “Default Rate” and all such Interest accrued at the Default Rate, the “Default Interest”) of the then-outstanding Principal. In the event that such Event of Default is subsequently cured or waived in accordance with the terms of this Note (and no other Event of Default then exists (including, without limitation, as a result of the Company’s failure to pay Interest at the Default Rate on the applicable Interest Date in connection with such Event of Default)), Interest hereunder at the Default Rate shall cease to accrue as of the calendar day immediately following the date on which such Event of Default is cured or waived (and shall instead revert to the Interest Rate); provided that the Interest as calculated and unpaid during the continuance of such Event of Default shall continue to apply to the extent relating to the days after the occurrence of such Event of Default through and including the date of such cure or waiver of such Event of Default.
(b) Interest on this Note shall commence accruing on the Issuance Date and shall be payable in arrears on each Interest Date in cash or, at the Company’s option, shares of Common Stock, which number of shares shall be determined by dividing (x) the Interest amount due on such Interest Date by (y) ninety-five percent (95%) of the lowest VWAP of the ten (10) Trading Days immediately preceding the Interest Date (any such payment of Interest in shares of Common Stock, a “Common Stock Interest Payment”); provided, however, that the Company shall be permitted to make a Common Stock Interest Payment, and shall instead be required to pay Interest as of the Interest Date in cash, if, on any day during the period commencing twenty (20) Trading Days prior to the applicable Interest Date through the later of such Interest Date and the date on which the related shares of Common Stock are actually delivered to the Holder, any of the Equity Conditions (as defined below) have not been satisfied (or waived in writing by the Holder). As used herein, “Equity Conditions” means, during the period in question: (i) the Company shall have duly honored all conversions and redemptions scheduled to occur or occurring by virtue of one or more Conversion Notices of the Holder, if any, (b) the Company shall have paid all amounts owing to the Holder in respect of this Note, if any, (c)(i) there is an effective Registration Statement pursuant to which the Holder is permitted to utilize the prospectus thereunder to resell all of the shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to the Transaction Documents (and the Company believes, in good faith, that such effectiveness will continue uninterrupted for the foreseeable future, except for the filing of post-effective amendment) or (ii) all of the shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to the Transaction Documents (and shares issuable in lieu of cash payments of interest) may be resold pursuant to Rule 144 by a person that is not an affiliate (as defined in Rule 144 as in effect on the Issuance Date) of the Company, and that has not been an affiliate (as defined in Rule 144 as in effect on the Issuance Date) of the Company during the three months immediately preceding such date, without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions or current public information requirements as determined by the counsel to the Company as set forth in a written opinion letter to such effect, addressed and acceptable to the Transfer Agent and the Holder, (d) the Common Stock is trading on the Principal Market and all of the shares issuable pursuant to the Transaction Documents are listed or quoted for trading on such Principal Market (and the Company believes, in good faith, that trading of the Common Stock on the Principal Market will continue uninterrupted for the foreseeable future), (e) there is no existing Event of Default and no existing event which, with the passage of time or the giving of notice, would constitute an Event of Default, (f) the issuance of the shares in question to the Holder would not violate the limitations set forth in Section 3(d) herein, (g) there has been no public announcement of a pending or proposed Fundamental Transaction or Change of Control Transaction that has not been consummated, (h) the Holder is not in possession of any information provided by the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their officers, directors, employees, agents or Affiliates, that constitutes, or may constitute, material non-public information, (i) the Company has timely filed all of its SEC Reports during the time period in question, (j) the average daily VWAP of the Common Stock for the twenty (20) Trading Days immediately prior to the applicable date in question fails to exceed $1.00; and (k) the average daily trading volume of the Common Stock on the Principal Trading Market during the twenty (20) Trading Day period ending on the Trading Day immediately prior to the applicable date in question exceeds $75,000. Interest shall be due and payable upon the entire original Principal amount through and including the Maturity Date (including any extensions thereof) such that the Company shall remit in arrears to the Holder no less than $229,108 in Interest, regardless of when the Principal amount is repaid, redeemed, or converted pursuant to this Note.
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3. CONVERSION OF THE NOTE. At any time after the Issuance Date, this Note shall be convertible into shares of Common Stock on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Section 3.
(a) Conversion Right. Subject to the provisions of Section 3(d), at any time or times on or after the Issuance Date, the Holder shall be entitled to convert all or any portion of the outstanding and unpaid Conversion Amount (as defined below) into validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable shares of Common Stock in accordance with Section 3(c), at the Conversion Rate (as defined below). The Company shall not issue any fraction of a share of Common Stock upon any conversion. If the issuance would result in the issuance of a fraction of a share of Common Stock, the Company shall round such fraction of a share of Common Stock up to the nearest whole share. The Company shall pay any and all transfer, stamp, issuance and similar taxes, costs and expenses (including, without limitation, fees and expenses of the Transfer Agent (as defined below)) that may be payable with respect to the issuance and delivery of Common Stock upon conversion of any Conversion Amount.
(b) Conversion Rate. The number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of any Conversion Amount pursuant to Section 3(a) shall be determined by dividing (x) such Conversion Amount by (y) the Conversion Price (the “Conversion Rate”).
(i) “Conversion Amount” means the sum of (x) the portion of the Principal to be converted, redeemed or otherwise with respect to which this determination is being made and (y) all accrued and unpaid Interest with respect to such portion of such Principal, and accrued and unpaid Late Charges with respect to such portion of such Principal and such Interest, if any.
(ii) “Conversion Price” means $1.72, subject to adjustment as provided herein.
(c) Mechanics of Conversion.
(i) Optional Conversion. To convert any Conversion Amount into shares of Common Stock on any date (a “Conversion Date”), the Holder shall deliver (whether via electronic mail or otherwise), for receipt on or prior to 11:59 p.m., New York time, on such date, a copy of an executed conversion notice in the form attached hereto as Exhibit I (the “Conversion Notice”) to the Company. If required by Section 3(c)(iii), within two (2) Trading Days following a conversion of this Note, the Holder shall surrender this Note to a nationally recognized overnight delivery service for delivery to the Company (or an indemnification undertaking with respect to this Note in the case of its loss, theft or destruction as contemplated by Section 18(b)). On or before the first (1st) Trading Day following the date of receipt of a Conversion Notice, the Company shall transmit via electronic mail an acknowledgment of receipt of such Conversion Notice to the Holder and the Company’s transfer agent (the “Transfer Agent”), and instruct the Transfer Agent to process such Conversion Notice in accordance with the terms herein and provide confirmation as to whether such shares of Common Stock may then be resold pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act (“Rule 144”) or an effective registration statement. On or before the first (1st) Trading Day following the date on which the Company has received a Conversion Notice (or such earlier date as required pursuant to the Exchange Act or other applicable law, rule or regulation for the settlement of a trade initiated on the applicable Conversion Date of such shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to such Conversion Notice) (the “Share Delivery Deadline”), the Company shall (I) if the Transfer Agent is participating in The Depository Trust Company’s (“DTC”) Fast Automated Securities Transfer Program (“FAST”), credit such aggregate number of shares of Common Stock to which the Holder shall be entitled pursuant to such conversion to the Holder’s (or its designee’s) account with DTC through its Deposit/Withdrawal at Custodian system, or (II) if the Transfer Agent is not participating in FAST, upon the request of the Holder, issue and deliver (via nationally recognized overnight delivery service) to the address as specified in the Conversion Notice, a certificate, registered in the name of the Holder (or its designee), evidencing the number of shares of Common Stock to which the Holder shall be entitled pursuant to such conversion. If this Note is physically surrendered for conversion pursuant to Section 3(c)(iii) and the outstanding Principal is greater than the Principal portion of the Conversion Amount being converted, then the Company shall, as soon as practicable, and in no event later than two (2) Business Days after receipt of this Note and at its own expense, issue and deliver to the Holder (or its designee) a new Note (in accordance with Section 18(d)) representing the outstanding Principal not converted. The Person or Persons entitled to receive the shares of Common Stock issuable upon a conversion of this Note shall be treated for all purposes as the record holder or holders of such shares of Common Stock on the Conversion Date. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Note or the Registration Rights Agreement, within five (5) days after the filing of the Registration Statement (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement), the Company shall cause the Transfer Agent to deliver unlegended shares of Common Stock to the Holder (or its designee) in connection with any sale of the Securities (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement) with respect to which the Holder has entered into a contract for sale, and delivered a copy of the prospectus included as part of the particular Registration Statement to the extent applicable, and for which the Holder has not yet settled.
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(ii) Company’s Failure to Timely Convert. If the Company shall fail, for any reason or for no reason, on or prior to the applicable Share Delivery Deadline, either (I) (1) if the Transfer Agent is not participating in FAST, to issue and deliver to the Holder (or its designee) a certificate for the number of shares of Common Stock to which the Holder is entitled and register such shares of Common Stock on the Company’s share register or, (2) if the Transfer Agent is participating in FAST, to credit the account of the Holder (or its designee) with DTC for such number of shares of Common Stock to which the Holder is entitled upon the Holder’s conversion of this Note, as the case may be, or (II) if the Registration Statement covering the resale of the shares of Common Stock that are the subject of the Conversion Notice (the “Unavailable Conversion Shares”) is not available for the resale of such Unavailable Conversion Shares and the Company fails to promptly, and in no event later than as required pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, (x) so notify the Holder and (y) deliver the shares of Common Stock electronically without any restrictive legend by crediting such aggregate number of shares of Common Stock to which the Holder is entitled pursuant to such conversion to the Holder’s (or its designee’s) account with DTC through its Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian system (the event described in the immediately foregoing clause (II) is hereinafter referred as a “Notice Failure” and together with the event described in clause (I) above, a “Conversion Failure”), then, in addition to all other remedies available to the Holder, (1) the Company shall pay in cash to the Holder on each day after such Share Delivery Deadline that the issuance of such shares of Common Stock is not timely effected an amount equal to 2.0% of the product of (x) the sum of the number of shares of Common Stock not issued to the Holder on or prior to the Share Delivery Deadline and to which the Holder is entitled, multiplied by (y) any trading price of the Common Stock selected by the Holder in writing as in effect at any time during the period beginning on the applicable Conversion Date and ending on the applicable Share Delivery Deadline, and (2) the Holder, upon written notice to the Company, may void its Conversion Notice with respect to, and retain or have returned (as the case may be) any portion of this Note that has not been converted pursuant to such Conversion Notice, provided that the voiding of a Conversion Notice shall not affect the Company’s obligations to make any payments which have accrued prior to the date of such notice pursuant to this Section 3(c)(ii) or otherwise. In addition to the foregoing, if on or prior to the Share Delivery Deadline either (A) (1) if the Transfer Agent is not participating in FAST, the Company shall fail to issue and deliver to the Holder (or its designee) a certificate and register such shares of Common Stock on the Company’s share register or, (2) if the Transfer Agent is participating in FAST, the Transfer Agent shall fail to credit the account of the Holder (or its designee) with DTC for the number of shares of Common Stock to which the Holder is entitled upon the Holder’s conversion hereunder or pursuant to the Company’s obligation pursuant to clause (II) below, or (B) a Notice Failure occurs, and if on or after such Share Delivery Deadline the Holder purchases (in an open market transaction or otherwise) shares of Common Stock corresponding to all or any portion of the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon such conversion that the Holder is entitled to receive from the Company and has not received from the Company in connection with, or as a result of, such Conversion Failure or Notice Failure, as applicable (a “Buy-In”), then, in addition to all other remedies available to the Holder, the Company shall, within two (2) Business Days after receipt of the Holder’s request and in the Holder’s sole discretion, either: (I) pay cash to the Holder in an amount equal to the Holder’s total purchase price (including brokerage commissions and other out-of-pocket expenses, if any) for the shares of Common Stock so purchased (including, without limitation, by any other Person in respect, or on behalf, of the Holder) (the “Buy-In Price”), at which point the Company’s obligation to so issue and deliver such certificate (and to issue such shares of Common Stock), or credit the account of such Holder (or its designee) with DTC for the number of shares of Common Stock to which the Holder is entitled upon the Holder’s conversion hereunder (as the case may be) (and to issue such shares of Common Stock) shall terminate, or (II) promptly honor its obligation to so issue and deliver to the Holder a certificate representing such shares of Common Stock or credit the account of such Holder (or its designee) with DTC for the number of shares of Common Stock to which the Holder is entitled upon the Holder’s conversion hereunder (as the case may be) and pay cash to the Holder in an amount equal to the excess (if any) of the Buy-In Price over the product of (x) such number of shares of Common Stock multiplied by (y) the lowest Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on any Trading Day during the period commencing on the date of the applicable Conversion Notice and ending on the date of such issuance and payment under this clause (II) (the “Buy-In Payment Amount”). Nothing in this Section 3(c)(ii) shall limit the Holder’s right to pursue any other remedies available to it hereunder, whether at law or in equity, including, without limitation, a decree of specific performance and/or injunctive relief with respect to the Company’s failure to timely deliver a certificate representing shares of Common Stock, or to electronically deliver such shares of Common Stock, upon the conversion of this Note as required pursuant to the terms hereof.
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(iii) Registration; Book-Entry. The Company shall maintain a register (the “Register”) for the recordation of the names and addresses of the holders of the Notes and the Principal amounts (and stated interest) of the Notes held by such holders (the “Registered Notes”). The entries in the Register shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes absent manifest error. The Company and the holders of the Notes shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register as the owner of a Note for all purposes (including, without limitation, the right to receive payments of Principal and Interest hereunder) notwithstanding notice to the contrary. A Registered Note may be assigned, transferred or sold in whole or in part only by registration of such assignment or sale on the Register. Upon its receipt of a written request to assign, transfer or sell all or part of any Registered Note by the holder thereof, the Company shall record the information contained therein in the Register and issue one or more new Registered Notes in the same aggregate principal amount as the principal amount of the surrendered Registered Note to the designated assignee or transferee pursuant to Section 18, provided that if the Company does not so record an assignment, transfer or sale (as the case may be) of all or part of any Registered Note within two (2) Business Days of such a request, then the Register shall be automatically deemed updated to reflect such assignment, transfer or sale (as the case may be). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Section 3, following conversion of any portion of this Note in accordance with the terms hereof, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Note to the Company unless (A) the full Conversion Amount represented by this Note is being converted (in which event this Note shall be delivered to the Company following conversion thereof as contemplated by Section 3(c)(i)), or (B) the Holder has provided the Company with prior written notice (which notice may be included in a Conversion Notice) requesting reissuance of this Note upon physical surrender of this Note. The Holder and the Company shall maintain records showing the Principal, Interest and Late Charges converted and/or paid (as the case may be) and the dates of such conversions, and/or payments (as the case may be) or shall use such other method, reasonably satisfactory to the Holder and the Company, so as not to require physical surrender of this Note upon conversion. If the Company does not update the Register to record such Principal, Interest and Late Charges converted and/or paid (as the case may be) and the dates of such conversions, and/or payments (as the case may be) within two (2) Business Days of such occurrence, then the Register shall be automatically deemed updated to reflect such occurrence.
(iv) Pro Rata Conversion; Disputes. In the event that the Company receives a Conversion Notice from more than one holder of Notes for the same Conversion Date and the Company can convert some, but not all, of such portions of the Notes submitted for conversion, the Company, subject to Section 3(d), shall convert from each holder of Notes electing to have Notes converted on such date a pro rata amount of such holder’s portion of its Notes submitted for conversion based on the principal amount of Notes submitted for conversion on such date by such holder relative to the aggregate principal amount of all Notes submitted for conversion on such date. In the event of a dispute as to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable to the Holder in connection with a conversion of this Note, the Company shall issue to the Holder the number of shares of Common Stock not in dispute and resolve such dispute in accordance with Section 23.
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(d) Limitations on Conversions.
(i) Beneficial Ownership. The Company shall not effect the conversion of any portion of this Note, and the Holder shall not have the right to convert any portion of this Note pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Note and any such conversion shall be null and void and treated as if never made, to the extent that after giving effect to such conversion, the Holder together with the other Attribution Parties collectively would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% (the “Maximum Percentage”) of the shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such conversion. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by the Holder and the other Attribution Parties shall include the number of shares of Common Stock held by the Holder and all other Attribution Parties plus the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of this Note with respect to which the determination of such sentence is being made, but shall exclude shares of Common Stock which would be issuable upon (A) conversion of the remaining, nonconverted portion of this Note beneficially owned by the Holder or any of the other Attribution Parties and (B) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or nonconverted portion of any other securities of the Company (including, without limitation, any convertible notes, convertible preferred stock or warrants) beneficially owned by the Holder or any other Attribution Party subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained in this Section 3(d). For purposes of this Section 3(d), beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act. For purposes of determining the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock the Holder may acquire upon the conversion of this Note without exceeding the Maximum Percentage, the Holder may rely on the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock as reflected in (x) the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, Current Report on Form 8-K, or other public filing with the SEC, as the case may be, (y) a more recent public announcement by the Company, or (z) any other more recent written notice by the Company or the Transfer Agent, if any, setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding (the “Reported Outstanding Share Number”). If the Company receives a Conversion Notice from the Holder at a time when the actual number of outstanding shares of Common Stock is less than the Reported Outstanding Share Number, the Company shall notify the Holder in writing of the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding and, to the extent that such Conversion Notice would otherwise cause the Holder’s beneficial ownership, as determined pursuant to this Section 3(d), to exceed the Maximum Percentage, the Holder must notify the Company of a reduced number of shares of Common Stock to be purchased pursuant to such Conversion Notice. For any reason at any time, upon the written or oral request of the Holder, the Company shall, within one (1) Business Day of such request, confirm orally and in writing via electronic mail to the Holder the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of securities of the Company, including this Note, by the Holder and any other Attribution Party since the date as of which the Reported Outstanding Share Number was reported. In the event that the issuance of shares of Common Stock to the Holder upon conversion of this Note results in the Holder and the other Attribution Parties being deemed to beneficially own, in the aggregate, more than the Maximum Percentage of the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock (as determined under Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act), the number of shares so issued by which the Holder’s and the other Attribution Parties’ aggregate beneficial ownership exceeds the Maximum Percentage (the “Excess Shares”) shall be deemed null and void and shall be cancelled ab initio, and the Holder shall not have the power to vote or transfer the Excess Shares. Upon delivery of a written notice to the Company, the Holder may from time to time increase (with such increase not effective until the sixty-first (61st) day after delivery of such notice) or decrease the Maximum Percentage to any other percentage not in excess of 9.99% as specified in such notice; provided that (i) any such increase in the Maximum Percentage will not be effective until the sixty-first (61st) day after such notice is delivered to the Company and (ii) any such increase or decrease will apply only to the Holder and the other Attribution Parties and not to any other holder of Notes that is not an Attribution Party of the Holder. For purposes of clarity, the shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to the terms of this Note in excess of the Maximum Percentage shall not be deemed to be beneficially owned by the Holder for any purpose including for purposes of Section 13(d) or Rule 16a-1(a)(1) of the Exchange Act. No prior inability to convert this Note pursuant to this paragraph shall have any effect on the applicability of the provisions of this paragraph with respect to any subsequent determination of convertibility. The provisions of this paragraph shall be construed and implemented in a manner otherwise than in strict conformity with the terms of this Section 3(d) to the extent necessary to correct this paragraph (or any portion of this paragraph) which may be defective or inconsistent with the intended beneficial ownership limitation contained in this Section 3(d) or to make changes or supplements necessary or desirable to properly give effect to such limitation. The limitation contained in this paragraph may not be waived and shall apply to a successor holder of this Note.
(ii) Compliance with Rules of Trading Market.
(1) Exchange Cap. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if the Company has not obtained Shareholder Approval, then the Company may not issue, upon conversion of this Note, the payment of any Interest Shares, the payment of any redemption in shares of Common Stock or otherwise, a number of shares of Common Stock, which, when aggregated with any shares of Common Stock issued in connection with any other related transactions that may be considered part of the same series of transactions, would exceed the Exchange Cap.
4. RIGHTS UPON EVENT OF DEFAULT.
(a) Event of Default. Each of the following events shall constitute an “Event of Default” and each of the events in clauses (vii), (viii) and (ix) shall constitute a “Bankruptcy Event of Default”:
(i) the suspension from trading or the failure of the Common Stock to be listed for trading on an Eligible Market for a period of five (5) consecutive Trading Days;
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(ii) the Company’s (A) failure to cure a Conversion Failure or a Delivery Failure by delivery of the required number of shares of Common Stock within five (5) Trading Days after the applicable Conversion Date or notice, written or oral, to any holder of the Notes, including, without limitation, by way of public announcement or through any of its agents, at any time, of its intention not to comply, as required, with a request for conversion of any Notes into shares of Common Stock that is requested in accordance with the provisions of the Notes, other than pursuant to Section 3(d);
(iii) except to the extent the Company is in compliance with Section 10(b) below, at any time following the fifteenth (15th) consecutive day that the Holder’s Authorized Share Allocation (as defined in Section 10(a) below) is less than the sum of the number of shares of Common Stock that the Holder would be entitled to receive upon a conversion of the full Conversion Amount of this Note (without regard to any limitations on conversion set forth in Section 3(d) or otherwise);
(iv) the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s failure to pay to the Holder any amount of Principal, Interest, Late Charges or other amounts when and as due under this Note (including, without limitation, the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s failure to pay any redemption payments or amounts hereunder) or any other Transaction Document (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement) or any other agreement, document, certificate or other instrument delivered in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, if such failure remains uncured for a period of at least five (5) Trading Days;
(v) the Company fails to remove any restrictive legend on any certificate or any shares of Common Stock issued to the Holder upon conversion or exercise (as the case may be) of any Securities (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement) acquired by the Holder under the Securities Purchase Agreement (including this Note) as and when required by such Securities or the Securities Purchase Agreement, and any such failure remains uncured for at least ten (10) days;
(vi) the occurrence of any default under, redemption of, or acceleration prior to maturity of at least an aggregate of $500,000 of Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, other than with respect to any Other Notes;
(vii) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or liquidation proceedings or other proceedings for the relief of debtors shall be instituted by or against the Company or any Subsidiary and, if instituted against the Company or any Subsidiary by a third party, shall not be dismissed within sixty (60) days of their initiation;
(viii) the commencement by the Company or any Subsidiary of a voluntary case or proceeding under any applicable federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law or of any other case or proceeding to be adjudicated a bankrupt or insolvent, or the consent by it to the entry of a decree, order, judgment or other similar document in respect of the Company or any Subsidiary in an involuntary case or proceeding under any applicable federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law or to the commencement of any bankruptcy or insolvency case or proceeding against it, or the filing by it of a petition or answer or consent seeking reorganization or relief under any applicable federal, state or foreign law, or the consent by it to the filing of such petition or to the appointment of or taking possession by a custodian, receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, sequestrator or other similar official of the Company or any Subsidiary or of any substantial part of its property, or the making by it of an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the execution of a composition of debts, or the occurrence of any other similar federal, state or foreign proceeding, or the admission by it in writing of its inability to pay its debts generally as they become due, the taking of corporate action by the Company or any Subsidiary in furtherance of any such action or the taking of any action by any Person to commence a Uniform Commercial Code foreclosure sale or any other similar action under federal, state or foreign law;
(ix) the entry by a court of (A) a decree, order, judgment or other similar document in respect of the Company or any Subsidiary of a voluntary or involuntary case or proceeding under any applicable federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law, (B) a decree, order, judgment or other similar document adjudging the Company or any Subsidiary as bankrupt or insolvent, or approving as properly filed a petition seeking liquidation, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition of or in respect of the Company or any Subsidiary under any applicable federal, state or foreign law, or (C) a decree, order, judgment or other similar document appointing a custodian, receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, sequestrator or other similar official of the Company or any Subsidiary or of any substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding up or liquidation of its affairs, and the continuance of any such decree, order, judgment or other similar document or any such other decree, order, judgment or other similar document unstayed and in effect for sixty (60) consecutive days;
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(x) a final judgment or judgments for the payment of money aggregating in excess of $500,000 are rendered against the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries and which judgments are not, within sixty (60) days after the entry thereof, bonded, discharged, settled or stayed pending appeal, or are not discharged within sixty (60) days after the expiration of such stay;
(xi) the Company and/or any Subsidiary, individually or in the aggregate, either (i) fails to pay, when due, or within any applicable grace period, any payment with respect to any Indebtedness in excess of $500,000 due to any third party or is otherwise in breach or violation of any agreement for monies owed or owing in an amount in excess of $500,000, which breach or violation permits the other party thereto to declare a default or otherwise accelerate amounts due thereunder, or (ii) suffer to exist any other circumstance or event that would, with or without the passage of time or the giving of notice, result in a default or event of default under any agreement binding the Company or any Subsidiary, which default or event of default would or is likely to have a material adverse effect on the business, assets, operations (including results thereof), liabilities, properties, condition (including financial condition) or prospects of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, individually or in the aggregate;
(xii) other than as specifically set forth in another clause of this Section 4(a), the Company or any Subsidiary breaches any covenant or other term or condition of any Transaction Document, except, in the case of a breach of a covenant or other term or condition that is curable, only if such breach remains uncured for a period of five (5) consecutive Trading Days;
(xiii) either (i) any representation or warranty made or deemed made by the Company herein or in any other Transaction Document or any certificate or document delivered pursuant hereto or thereto shall prove to have been false or misleading in any material respect when so made or deemed made or (ii) a false or inaccurate certification (including a false or inaccurate deemed certification) by the Company as to whether any Event of Default has occurred;
(xiv) any breach by the Company or any Subsidiary of, or failure to comply with, any provision of Section 13 of this Note;
(xv) any Material Adverse Effect (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement) occurs;
(xvi) any provision of any Transaction Document shall at any time for any reason (other than pursuant to the express terms thereof) cease to be valid and binding on or enforceable against the parties thereto, or the validity or enforceability thereof shall be contested by any party thereto, or a proceeding shall be commenced by the Company or any Subsidiary or any governmental authority having jurisdiction over any of them, seeking to establish the invalidity or unenforceability thereof, or the Company or any Subsidiary shall deny in writing that it has any liability or obligation purported to be created under any Transaction Document;
(xvii) the failure of the applicable Registration Statement to be filed with the SEC on or prior to the date that is five (5) Trading Days after the applicable Filing Deadline (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) or the failure of the applicable Registration Statement to be declared effective by the SEC on or prior to the date that is five (5) Trading Days after the Effectiveness Deadline (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement);
(xviii) while the applicable Registration Statement is required to be maintained effective pursuant to the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement, the effectiveness of the applicable Registration Statement lapses for any reason (including, without limitation, the issuance of a stop order) or such Registration Statement (or the prospectus contained therein) is unavailable to any Holder of Registrable Securities for sale of all of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in accordance with the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement, and such lapse or unavailability continues for a period of five (5) consecutive Trading Days; or
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(xix) any Event of Default (as defined in the Other Notes) occurs with respect to any Other Notes.
(b) Event of Default Notice; Redemption Upon Event of Default. Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to this Note (or any Other Note), the Company shall, within one (1) Business Day deliver written notice thereof via electronic mail and overnight courier to the Holder (an “Event of Default Notice”). At any time after the earlier of the Holder’s receipt of an Event of Default Notice and the Holder becoming aware of an Event of Default, the Holder may require the Company to redeem (regardless of whether such Event of Default has been cured) all or any portion of this Note by delivering written notice thereof (the “Event of Default Redemption Notice”) to the Company, which Event of Default Redemption Notice shall indicate the portion of this Note the Holder is electing to redeem. Each portion of this Note subject to redemption by the Company pursuant to this Section 4(b) shall be redeemed by the Company at a price equal to the greater of (i) the Conversion Amount to be redeemed and (ii) the product of (X) the quotient of (a) the Conversion Amount to be redeemed divided by (b) the Event of Default Conversion Price multiplied by (Y) the greatest Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on any Trading Day during the period commencing on the date immediately preceding such Event of Default and ending on the date the Company makes the entire payment required to be made under this Section 4(b) (the “Event of Default Redemption Price”). “Event of Default Conversion Price” means, with respect to any Event of Default, that price which shall be the lowest of (i) the applicable Conversion Price in effect on the date of Event of Default, and (ii) eighty-five percent (85%) of the lowest daily VWAP of the Common Stock during the ten (10) consecutive Trading Day period ending and including the Trading Day immediately preceding the delivery or deemed delivery of the applicable Event of Default Redemption Notice (the “Event of Default Measuring Period”). All such determinations to be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination, reclassification or similar transaction that proportionately decreases or increases the Common Stock during such Event of Default Measuring Period. Redemptions required by this Section 4(b) shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Section 11. To the extent redemptions required by this Section 4(b) are deemed or determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be prepayments of this Note by the Company, such redemptions shall be deemed to be voluntary prepayments. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 4(b), but subject to the beneficial ownership limitation in Section 3(d), until the Event of Default Redemption Price (together with any Late Charges thereon) is paid in full, the Conversion Amount submitted for redemption under this Section 4(b) (together with any Late Charges thereon) may be converted, in whole or in part, by the Holder into Common Stock pursuant to the terms of this Note. In the event of the Company’s redemption of any portion of this Note under this Section 4(b), the Holder’s damages would be uncertain and difficult to estimate because of the parties’ inability to predict future interest rates and the uncertainty of the availability of a suitable substitute investment opportunity for the Holder. Accordingly, any redemption premium due under this Section 4(b) is intended by the parties to be, and shall be deemed, a reasonable estimate of the Holder’s actual loss of its investment opportunity and not as a penalty. Any redemption of this Note upon an Event of Default shall not constitute an election of remedies by the Holder, and all other rights and remedies of the Holder shall be preserved.
(c) Mandatory Redemption Upon Bankruptcy Event of Default. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, and notwithstanding any conversion that is then required or in process, upon any Bankruptcy Event of Default, whether occurring prior to or following the Maturity Date, the Company shall immediately pay to the Holder an amount in cash representing all outstanding Principal, accrued and unpaid Interest (including Default Interest, as applicable) and accrued and unpaid Late Charges on such Principal and Interest, in addition to any and all other amounts due hereunder, without the requirement for any notice or demand or other action by the Holder or any other person or entity, provided that the Holder may, in its sole discretion, waive such right to receive payment upon a Bankruptcy Event of Default, in whole or in part, and any such waiver shall not affect any other rights of the Holder hereunder, including any other rights in respect of such Bankruptcy Event of Default, any right to conversion, and any right to payment of the Event of Default Redemption Price or any other Redemption Price, as applicable.
(d) Right of Alternate Conversion.
(i) Alternate Conversion at Holder’s Option Upon Event of Default. Subject to Section 3(d), any time after the occurrence of an Event of Default (regardless of whether such Event of Default has been cured or if the Holder has delivered an Event of Default Redemption Notice to the Company), the Holder may, at the Holder’s option, convert all, or any part of, the Conversion Amount into shares of Common Stock at the Event of Default Alternate Conversion Price. Each conversion of all, or any part of, the Conversion Amount shall be deemed an “Alternate Conversion,” and each date of any such Alternate Conversion, an “Alternate Conversion Date,” and any such portion of the Conversion Amount subject to such Alternate Conversion, the “Alternate Conversion Amount.”
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(ii) Mechanics of Alternate Conversion. On any Alternate Conversion Date, the Holder may voluntarily convert any Alternate Conversion Amount pursuant to Section 3(c) (with “Event of Default Alternate Conversion Price” replacing “Conversion Price” for all purposes hereunder with respect to such Alternate Conversion and with “Redemption Premium of the Conversion Amount” replacing “Conversion Amount” in clause (x) of the definition of Conversion Rate above with respect to such Alternate Conversion) by designating in the Conversion Notice delivered pursuant to this Section 4(d) of this Note that the Holder is electing to use the Alternate Conversion Price for such conversion. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 4(d), but subject to Section 3(d), until the Company delivers shares of Common Stock representing the applicable Alternate Conversion Amount to the Holder, such Alternate Conversion Amount may be converted by the Holder into shares of Common Stock pursuant to Section 3(c) without regard to this Section 4(d).
5. RIGHTS UPON FUNDAMENTAL TRANSACTION.
(a) Assumption. The Company shall not enter into or be party to a Fundamental Transaction unless the Successor Entity assumes in writing all of the obligations of the Company under this Note and the other Transaction Documents in accordance with the provisions of this Section 5(a) pursuant to written agreements in form and substance satisfactory to the Holder and approved by the Holder prior to such Fundamental Transaction, including agreements to deliver to each Holder, in exchange for such Notes, a security of the Successor Entity evidenced by a written instrument substantially similar in form and substance to the Notes, including, without limitation, having a principal amount and interest rate equal to the Principal then outstanding and the Interest Rate of the Notes held by the Holder, having similar conversion rights as the Notes and having similar ranking and security to the Notes, and satisfactory to the Holder, and (ii) the Successor Entity (or its Parent Entity, as applicable) is a publicly traded corporation whose common stock is quoted on or listed for trading on an Eligible Market. Upon the occurrence of any Fundamental Transaction, the Successor Entity shall succeed to, and be substituted for (so that from and after the date of such Fundamental Transaction, the provisions of this Note and the other Transaction Documents referring to the “Company” shall refer instead to the Successor Entity), and may exercise every right and power of the Company and shall assume all of the obligations of the Company under this Note and the other Transaction Documents with the same effect as if such Successor Entity had been named as the Company herein. Upon consummation of a Fundamental Transaction, the Successor Entity shall deliver to the Holder confirmation that there shall be issued upon conversion or redemption of this Note at any time after the consummation of such Fundamental Transaction, in lieu of the shares of Common Stock (or other securities, cash, assets or other property (except for such items issuable under Sections 6 and 15, which shall continue to be receivable thereafter)) issuable upon the conversion or redemption of the Notes prior to such Fundamental Transaction, such shares of the publicly traded common stock (or their equivalent) of the Successor Entity (or its Parent Entity, as applicable) which the Holder would have been entitled to receive upon the happening of such Fundamental Transaction had this Note been converted immediately prior to such Fundamental Transaction (without regard to any limitations on the conversion of this Note), as adjusted in accordance with the provisions of this Note. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Holder may elect, at its sole option, by delivery of written notice to the Company to waive this Section 5(a) to permit the Fundamental Transaction without the assumption of this Note. The provisions of this Section 5 shall apply similarly and equally to successive Fundamental Transactions and shall be applied without regard to any limitations on the conversion of this Note.
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(b) Notice of a Change of Control; Redemption Right. No later than ten (10) Trading Days prior to the consummation of a Change of Control (the “Change of Control Date”), but not prior to the public announcement of such Change of Control, the Company shall deliver written notice thereof via electronic mail and overnight courier to the Holder (a “Change of Control Notice”). At any time during the period beginning after the Holder’s receipt of a Change of Control Notice or the Holder becoming aware of a Change of Control if a Change of Control Notice is not delivered to the Holder in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence (as applicable) and ending ten (10) Trading Days after the later of (A) the date of consummation of such Change of Control, (B) the date of receipt of such Change of Control Notice or (C) the date of the announcement of such Change of Control, the Holder may require the Company to redeem all or any portion of this Note by delivering written notice thereof (“Change of Control Redemption Notice”) to the Company, which Change of Control Redemption Notice shall indicate the Conversion Amount the Holder is electing to redeem. The portion of this Note subject to redemption pursuant to this Section 5 shall be redeemed by the Company in cash at a price equal to the greatest of (i) the product of (x) the Change of Control Redemption Premium multiplied by (y) the Conversion Amount being redeemed, (ii) the product of (x) the Change of Control Redemption Premium multiplied by (y) the product of (A) the Conversion Amount being redeemed multiplied by (B) the quotient determined by dividing (I) the greatest Closing Sale Price of the shares of Common Stock during the period beginning on the date immediately preceding the earlier to occur of (1) the consummation of the applicable Change of Control and (2) the public announcement of such Change of Control and ending on the date the Holder delivers the Change of Control Redemption Notice by (II) the Conversion Price then in effect, and (iii) the product of (x) the Change of Control Redemption Premium multiplied by (y) the product of (A) the Conversion Amount being redeemed multiplied by (B) the quotient of (I) the aggregate cash consideration and the aggregate cash value of any non-cash consideration per share of Common Stock to be paid to the holders of the shares of Common Stock upon consummation of such Change of Control (any such non-cash consideration constituting publicly-traded securities shall be valued at the highest of the Closing Sale Price of such securities as of the Trading Day immediately prior to the consummation of such Change of Control, the Closing Sale Price of such securities on the Trading Day immediately following the public announcement of such proposed Change of Control and the Closing Sale Price of such securities on the Trading Day immediately prior to the public announcement of such proposed Change of Control) divided by (II) the Conversion Price then in effect (the “Change of Control Redemption Price”). Redemptions required by this Section 5 shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Section 11 and shall have priority to payments to stockholders in connection with such Change of Control. To the extent redemptions required by this Section 5(b) are deemed or determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be prepayments of this Note by the Company, such redemptions shall be deemed to be voluntary prepayments. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 5, but subject to Section 3(d), until the Change of Control Redemption Price (together with any Late Charges thereon) is paid in full, the Conversion Amount submitted for redemption under this Section 5(b) (together with any Late Charges thereon) may be converted, in whole or in part, by the Holder into Common Stock pursuant to Section 3. In the event of the Company’s redemption of any portion of this Note under this Section 5(b), the Holder’s damages would be uncertain and difficult to estimate because of the parties’ inability to predict future interest rates and the uncertainty of the availability of a suitable substitute investment opportunity for the Holder. Accordingly, any redemption premium due under this Section 5(b) is intended by the parties to be, and shall be deemed, a reasonable estimate of the Holder’s actual loss of its investment opportunity and not as a penalty.
6. RIGHTS UPON ISSUANCE OF PURCHASE RIGHTS AND OTHER CORPORATE EVENTS.
(a) Purchase Rights. In addition to any adjustments pursuant to Section 7 below, if at any time the Company grants, issues, or sells any Options, Convertible Securities or rights to purchase stock, warrants, securities or other property pro rata to all or substantially all of the record holders of any class of Common Stock (the “Purchase Rights”), then the Holder shall be entitled to acquire, upon the terms applicable to such Purchase Rights, the aggregate Purchase Rights which the Holder could have acquired if the Holder had held the number of shares of Common Stock acquirable upon complete conversion of this Note (without taking into account any limitations or restrictions on the convertibility of this Note (pursuant to Section 3(d) or otherwise)) immediately prior to the date on which a record is taken for the grant, issuance or sale of such Purchase Rights, or, if no such record is taken, the date as of which the record holders of shares of Common Stock are to be determined for the grant, issue or sale of such Purchase Rights, provided, however, that to the extent the Holder’s right to participate in any such Purchase Right would result in the Holder and the other Attribution Parties exceeding the Maximum Percentage, the Holder shall not be entitled to participate in such Purchase Right to the extent of the Maximum Percentage (and shall not be entitled to beneficial ownership of such shares of Common Stock as a result of such Purchase Right (and beneficial ownership) to the extent of any such excess) and such Purchase Right to such extent shall be held in abeyance (and, if such Purchase Right has an expiration date, maturity date or other similar provision, such term shall be extended by such number of days held in abeyance, if applicable) for the benefit of the Holder until such time or times, if ever, as its right thereto would not result in the Holder and the other Attribution Parties exceeding the Maximum Percentage, at which time or times the Holder shall be granted such right (and any Purchase Right granted, issued or sold on such initial Purchase Right or on any subsequent Purchase Right held similarly in abeyance (and, if such Purchase Right has an expiration date, maturity date or other similar provision, such term shall be extended by such number of days held in abeyance, if applicable)) to the same extent as if there had been no such limitation.
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(b) Other Corporate Events. In addition to, and not in substitution for, any other rights hereunder, prior to the consummation of any Fundamental Transaction pursuant to which holders of shares of Common Stock are entitled to receive securities or other assets with respect to or in exchange for shares of Common Stock (a “Corporate Event”), the Company shall make appropriate provision to ensure that the Holder shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon a conversion of this Note, at the Holder’s option (i) in addition to the shares of Common Stock receivable upon such conversion, such securities or other assets to which the Holder would have been entitled with respect to such shares of Common Stock had such shares of Common Stock been held by the Holder upon the consummation of such Corporate Event (without taking into account any limitations or restrictions on the convertibility of this Note pursuant to Section 3(d) or otherwise), or (ii) in lieu of the shares of Common Stock otherwise receivable upon such conversion, such securities or other assets received by the holders of shares of Common Stock in connection with the consummation of such Corporate Event in such amounts as the Holder would have been entitled to receive had this Note initially been issued with conversion rights for the form of such consideration (as opposed to shares of Common Stock) at a conversion rate for such consideration commensurate with the Conversion Rate. Provision made pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be in a form and substance satisfactory to the Holder. The provisions of this Section 6 shall apply similarly and equally to successive Corporate Events and shall be applied without regard to any limitations on the conversion or redemption of this Note.
7. RIGHTS UPON ISSUANCE OF OTHER SECURITIES.
(a) Record Date. If the Company takes a record of the holders of shares of Common Stock for the purpose of entitling them (A) to receive a dividend or other distribution payable in shares of Common Stock, Options or Convertible Securities, or (B) to subscribe for or purchase shares of Common Stock, preferred stock of the Company, Options, or Convertible Securities, then such record date shall be deemed to be the date of the issuance or sale of the shares of Common Stock deemed to have been issued or sold upon the declaration of such dividend or the making of such other distribution or the date of the granting of such right of subscription or purchase (as the case may be).
(b) Adjustment of Conversion Price upon Subdivision or Combination of Common Stock. Without limiting any provision of Section 6, Section 7(a) or Section 15, if the Company at any time on or after the Subscription Date subdivides (by any stock split, stock dividend, stock combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction) one or more classes of its outstanding shares of Common Stock into a greater number of shares, the Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to such subdivision shall be proportionately reduced. Without limiting any provision of Section 6, Section 7(a) or Section 15, if the Company at any time on or after the Subscription Date combines (by any stock split, stock dividend, stock combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction) one or more classes of its outstanding shares of Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, the Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to such combination shall be proportionately increased. Any adjustment pursuant to this Section 7(b) shall become effective immediately after the effective date of such stock split, stock dividend, stock combination or similar transaction. If any event requiring an adjustment under this Section 7(b) occurs during the period that a Conversion Price is calculated hereunder, then the calculation of such Conversion Price shall be adjusted appropriately to reflect the occurrence of such event.
(c) Holder’s Right of Adjusted Conversion Price. In addition to, and not in limitation of the other provisions of this Section 7, if the Company issues or sells, or enters into any agreement to issue or sell, any Common Stock, preferred stock of the Company, Options or Convertible Securities, after the Subscription Date that are issuable pursuant to such agreement, or convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of Common Stock, at a price which varies (or may vary) with the market price of the shares of Common Stock (any such securities, “Variable Price Securities”), including by way of one or more reset(s) to a fixed price (but not including adjustments reflecting customary anti-dilution provisions such as for stock splits, stock dividends, stock combinations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) (each of the formulations for such variable price being herein referred to as, the “Variable Price”), the Company shall provide written notice thereof via electronic mail to the Holder on the earlier of (i) the date of such agreement and (ii) the date of issuance of such Variable Rate Securities. From and after the date the Company enters into such agreement, or issues any such Variable Price Securities, the Holder shall have the right, but not the obligation, in its sole discretion to substitute the Variable Price for the Conversion Price upon conversion of this Note by designating in the Conversion Notice delivered upon any conversion of this Note that, solely for purposes of such conversion, the Holder is relying on the Variable Price rather than the Conversion Price then in effect. The Holder’s election to rely on a Variable Price for a particular conversion of this Note shall not obligate the Holder to rely on a Variable Price for any future conversion of this Note. For the sake of clarity, this Section 7(c) shall not apply to any issuances or sales of Common Stock made on or following the Subscription Date pursuant to the Permitted Equity Line (as defined below) or a Permitted ATM (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement).
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(d) Stock Combination Event Adjustments. If at any time and from time to time on or after the Subscription Date there occurs any stock split, stock dividend, stock combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction involving the Common Stock (each, a “Stock Combination Event,” and such date thereof, the “Stock Combination Event Date”) and the Event Market Price is less than the Conversion Price then in effect (after giving effect to the adjustment in Section 7(b) above), then on the sixteenth (16th) Trading Day immediately following such Stock Combination Event Date, the Conversion Price then in effect on such sixteenth (16th) Trading Day (after giving effect to the adjustment in Section 7(b) above) shall be reduced (but in no event increased) to the Event Market Price. For the avoidance of doubt, if the adjustment in the immediately preceding sentence would otherwise result in an increase in the Conversion Price hereunder, no adjustment shall be made.
(e) Subsequent Equity Sales. If, at any time while this Note is outstanding, the Company or any Subsidiary, as applicable, sells or grants any Option to purchase, or sells or grants any right to reprice, or otherwise disposes of or issues (or announces any sale, grant or any Option to purchase or other disposition), any Common Stock or Convertible Securities entitling any Person to acquire shares of Common Stock at an effective price per share that is lower than the Conversion Price (such lower price, the “Base Conversion Price” and such issuances, collectively, a “Dilutive Issuance”) (if the holder of the Common Stock or Convertible Securities so issued shall at any time, whether by operation of purchase price adjustments, reset provisions, floating conversion, exercise or exchange prices or otherwise, or due to warrants, Options or rights per share which are issued in connection with such issuance, be entitled to receive shares of Common Stock at an effective price per share that is lower than the Conversion Price, such issuance shall be deemed to have occurred for less than the Conversion Price on such date of the Dilutive Issuance), then simultaneously with the consummation (or, if earlier, the announcement) of each Dilutive Issuance the Conversion Price shall be reduced to equal the Base Conversion Price (subject to adjustment for reverse and forward stock splits, recapitalizations and similar transactions following the date of the Securities Purchase Agreement). Notwithstanding the foregoing, no adjustment shall be made under this Section 7(e) in respect of Excluded Securities. If the Company enters into a Variable Rate Transaction in breach of the Securities Purchase Agreement, the Company shall be deemed to have issued Common Stock or Convertible Securities at the lowest possible conversion price at which such securities may be converted or exercised. The Company shall notify the Holder in writing, no later than the Trading Day following the issuance of any Common Stock or Convertible Securities subject to this Section 7(e) indicating therein the applicable issuance price, or applicable reset price, exchange price, conversion price and other pricing terms (such notice, the “Dilutive Issuance Notice”). For purposes of clarification, whether or not the Company provides a Dilutive Issuance Notice pursuant to this Section 7(e) upon the occurrence of any Dilutive Issuance, the Holder is entitled to receive a number of Conversion Shares based upon the Conversion Price on or after the date of such Dilutive Issuance, regardless of whether the Holder accurately refers to the Base Conversion Price in the Notice of Conversion. For the sake of clarity, this Section 7(e) shall not apply to any issuances or sales of Common Stock made on or following the Subscription Date pursuant to the Permitted Equity Line (as defined below) or a Permitted ATM.
(f) Other Events. In the event that the Company or any Subsidiary shall take any action to which the provisions hereof are not strictly applicable, or, if applicable, would not operate to protect the Holder from dilution, or if any event occurs of the type contemplated by the provisions of this Section 7 but not expressly provided for by such provisions (including, without limitation, the granting of stock appreciation rights, phantom stock rights, or other rights with equity features), then the Company’s board of directors shall in good faith determine and implement an appropriate adjustment in the Conversion Price so as to protect the rights of the Holder, provided that no such adjustment pursuant to this Section 7(f) shall increase the Conversion Price as otherwise determined pursuant to this Section 7, provided further that if the Holder does not accept such adjustments as appropriately protecting its interests hereunder against such dilution, then the Company’s board of directors and the Holder shall agree, in good faith, upon an independent investment bank of nationally recognized standing to make such appropriate adjustments, whose determination shall be final and binding absent manifest error and whose fees and expenses shall be borne by the Company.
(g) Calculations. All calculations under this Section 7 shall be made by rounding to the nearest cent or the nearest 1/100th of a share, as applicable. The number of shares of Common Stock outstanding at any given time shall not include shares owned or held by or for the account of the Company, and the disposition of any such shares shall be considered an issue or sale of Common Stock.
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(h) Voluntary Adjustment by Company. Subject to the rules and regulations of the Principal Market, the Company may at any time during the term of this Note, with the prior written consent of the Required Holders (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement), reduce (but not increase) the then current Conversion Price of each of the Notes to any amount and for any period of time deemed appropriate by the board of directors of the Company.
8. ADDITIONAL REDEMPTION PROVISIONS
(a) Company Optional Redemption. At any time after the Issuance Date, the Company shall have the right to redeem all, or any part, of the Conversion Amount then remaining under this Note (such amount, the “Company Optional Redemption Amount”) on the Company Optional Redemption Date (as defined below) (any such redemption, a “Company Optional Redemption”). The portion of this Note subject to redemption pursuant to this Section 8(a) shall be redeemed by the Company in cash at a price (the “Company Optional Redemption Price”) equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the greater of (i) the Conversion Amount being redeemed as of the Company Optional Redemption Date and (ii) the product of (1) the Conversion Rate with respect to the Conversion Amount being redeemed as of the Company Optional Redemption Date multiplied by (2) the greatest Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on any Trading Day during the period commencing on the date immediately preceding such Company Optional Redemption Notice Date and ending on the Trading Day immediately prior to the date the Company makes the entire payment required to be made under this Section 8(a). The Company may exercise its right to require redemption under this Section 8(a) by delivering a written notice thereof via electronic mail to all, but not less than all, of the Holders (the “Company Optional Redemption Notice” and the date all of the Holders received such notice is referred to as the “Company Optional Redemption Notice Date”). The Company may deliver only one (1) Company Optional Redemption Notice hereunder in any given twenty (20)-Trading Day period and each Company Optional Redemption Notice shall be irrevocable. The Company Optional Redemption Notice shall (x) state the date on which the Company Optional Redemption shall occur (the “Company Optional Redemption Date”) which date shall not be less than ten (10) Trading Days following the Company Optional Redemption Notice Date, and (y) state the aggregate Conversion Amount of the Notes which is being redeemed in such Company Optional Redemption from the Holder and all of the other Holders of the Notes pursuant to this Section 8(a) on the Company Optional Redemption Date. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, at any time prior to the date the Company Optional Redemption Price is paid, in full, the Company Optional Redemption Amount may be converted, in whole or in part, by the Holder into shares of Common Stock pursuant to Section 3. All Conversion Amounts converted by the Holder after the Company Optional Redemption Notice Date shall reduce the Company Optional Redemption Amount of this Note required to be redeemed on the Company Optional Redemption Date. Redemptions made pursuant to this Section 8(a) shall be made in accordance with Section 11. In the event of the Company’s redemption of any portion of this Note under this Section 8(a), the Holder’s damages would be uncertain and difficult to estimate because of the parties’ inability to predict future interest rates and the uncertainty of the availability of a suitable substitute investment opportunity for the Holder. Accordingly, any redemption premium due under this Section 8(a) is intended by the Parties to be, and shall be deemed, a reasonable estimate of the Holder’s actual loss of its investment opportunity and not as a penalty. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company shall have no right to effect a Company Optional Redemption if any Event of Default has occurred and continuing, but any Event of Default shall have no effect upon the Holder’s right to convert this Note in its discretion.
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(b) Holder Optional Redemption; Permitted Equity Line and Permitted ATM. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Company shall be permitted to sell Common Stock pursuant to a Permitted ATM or to Tumim Stone Capital, LLC pursuant to the terms of that certain Common Stock Purchase Agreement dated May 14, 2025, by and between the Company and Tumim Stone Capital, LLC, as such agreement may be modified, amended or supplemented from time-to-time (the “Permitted Equity Line”) on and following the Subscription Date. If the Company sells any shares of Common Stock pursuant to a Permitted ATM or the Permitted Equity Line following the Subscription Date, the Holders shall have the right to require the Company to use up to fifty percent (50%) of the gross proceeds raised from such sales (less reasonable underwriting commissions, placement agent fees, legal fees, accounting fees and other customary fees and expenses, as determined by the Company in its reasonable discretion) to redeem the Conversion Amount then remaining under the Notes (such amount, the “ATM/ELOC Redemption Amount”) on the ATM/ELOC Redemption Date (as defined below) (any such redemption, a “ATM/ELOC Redemption”). The ATM/ELOC Redemption Amount shall be apportioned on a pro rata basis between the outstanding Notes based on the Conversion Amount outstanding under each Note as of the ATM/ELOC Redemption Date. The portion of this Note subject to redemption pursuant to this Section 8(b) shall be redeemed by the Company in cash at a price (the “ATM/ELOC Redemption Price”) equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the greater of (i) the Conversion Amount being redeemed as of the ATM/ELOC Redemption Date, and (ii) the product of (1) the Conversion Rate with respect to the Conversion Amount being redeemed as of the ATM/ELOC Redemption Date multiplied by (2) the greatest Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on any Trading Day during the period commencing on the date immediately preceding such ATM/ELOC Redemption Notice Date (as defined below) and ending on the Trading Day immediately prior to the date the Company makes the entire payment required to be made under this Section 8(b). The Company shall confirm its redemption obligations under this Section 8(b) by delivering a written notice thereof via electronic mail to each of the Holders (the “ATM/ELOC Redemption Notice” and the date all of the Holders received such notice is referred to as the “ATM/ELOC Redemption Notice Date”). The ATM/ELOC Redemption Notice shall (x) state the date on which the ATM/ELOC Redemption shall occur (the “ATM/ELOC Redemption Date”) which date shall not be less than five (5) Trading Days following the ATM/ELOC Redemption Notice Date, and (y) state the aggregate Conversion Amount of the Notes which is being redeemed in such ATM/ELOC Redemption from the Holder and all of the other Holders of the Notes pursuant to this Section 8(b) on the ATM/ELOC Redemption Date. For the sake of administrative ease, if the Company sells shares pursuant to a Permitted ATM or the Permitted Equity Line on multiple occasions following the Subscription Date, the Company may, but is not obligated to, deliver one (1) ATM/ELOC Redemption Notice with respect to the aggregate ATM/ELOC Redemption Amount arising from any such sales that are made within a period of thirty (30) days of one another. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, at any time prior to the date the ATM/ELOC Redemption Price is paid, in full, the ATM/ELOC Redemption Amount may be converted, in whole or in part, by the Holder into shares of Common Stock pursuant to Section 3. All Conversion Amounts converted by the Holder after the ATM/ELOC Redemption Notice Date shall reduce the ATM/ELOC Redemption Amount of this Note required to be redeemed on the ATM/ELOC Redemption Date. Redemptions made pursuant to this Section 8(b) shall be made in accordance with Section 11. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company shall have no right to effect an ATM/ELOC Redemption if any Event of Default has occurred and continuing, but any Event of Default shall have no effect upon the Holder’s right to convert this Note in its discretion.
(c) Holder Optional Redemption; Subsequent Placement. If the Company consummates a Subsequent Placement (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement), which shall not include the sale or issuance of Excluded Securities (each, an “Eligible Subsequent Placement”), the Holders shall have the right to require the Company to use up to fifty percent (50%) of the gross proceeds raised from such Subsequent Placement (less reasonable underwriting commissions, placement agent fees, legal fees, accounting fees and other customary fees and expenses, as determined by the Company in its reasonable discretion) to redeem the Conversion Amount then remaining under the Notes (such amount, the “Subsequent Placement Redemption Amount”) on the Subsequent Placement Redemption Date (as defined below) (any such redemption, a “Subsequent Placement Redemption”). Upon the consummation of a Subsequent Placement, each Holder shall have the right to elect an optional redemption pursuant to this Section 8(c) with respect to a pro rata portion of the Subsequent Placement Redemption Amount based on the Conversion Amount outstanding under the Holder’s Note on the Subsequent Placement Redemption Date relative to the aggregate Conversion Amount outstanding under the Notes on the same date that are held by all Holders who have elected to participate in the Subsequent Placement Redemption. The portion of this Note subject to redemption pursuant to this Section 8(c) shall be redeemed by the Company in cash at a price (the “Subsequent Placement Redemption Price”) equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the greater of (i) the Conversion Amount being redeemed as of the Subsequent Placement Redemption Date and (ii) the product of (1) the Conversion Rate with respect to the Conversion Amount being redeemed as of the Subsequent Placement Redemption Date multiplied by (2) the greatest Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on any Trading Day during the period commencing on the date immediately preceding such Subsequent Placement Redemption Notice Date and ending on the Trading Day immediately prior to the date the Company makes the entire payment required to be made under this Section 8(c). The Company is obligated to provide notice of the consummation of the Subsequent Placement, and of each Holder’s right to elect optional redemption pursuant to this Section 8(c), by delivering a written notice thereof via electronic mail to each of the Holders (the “Subsequent Placement Redemption Notice” and the date all of the Holders received such notice is referred to as the “Subsequent Placement Redemption Notice Date”) no later than two (2) Trading Days following the consummation of the Subsequent Placement. The Subsequent Placement Redemption Notice shall (x) state the date on which the Subsequent Placement Redemption shall occur (the “Subsequent Placement Redemption Date”) which date shall not be less than five (5) Trading Days following the Subsequent Placement Redemption Notice Date, (y) state the aggregate Conversion Amount of the Notes which is subject to redemption in such Subsequent Placement Redemption pursuant to this Section 8(c) on the Subsequent Placement Redemption Date, and (z) provide the Holders with no less than two (2) Trading Days to elect whether to request optional redemption pursuant to this Section 8(c). Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, at any time prior to the date the Subsequent Placement Redemption Price is paid, in full, the Subsequent Placement Redemption Amount may be converted, in whole or in part, by the Holder into shares of Common Stock pursuant to Section 3. All Conversion Amounts converted by the Holder after the Subsequent Placement Redemption Notice Date shall reduce the Subsequent Placement Redemption Amount of this Note required to be redeemed on the Subsequent Placement Redemption Date. Redemptions made pursuant to this Section 8(c) shall be made in accordance with Section 11.
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9. NONCIRCUMVENTION. The Company hereby covenants and agrees that the Company shall not, by amendment of its Charter (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement), Bylaws (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement) or through any reorganization, transfer of assets, consolidation, merger, scheme of arrangement, dissolution, issue or sale of securities, or any other voluntary action, avoid or seek to avoid the observance or performance of any of the terms of this Note, and shall at all times in good faith carry out all of the provisions of this Note and take all action as may be required to protect the rights of the Holder of this Note. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing or any other provision of this Note or the other Transaction Documents, the Company (a) shall not increase the par value of any shares of Common Stock receivable upon conversion of this Note above the Conversion Price then in effect, and (b) shall take all such actions as may be necessary or appropriate in order that the Company may validly and legally issue fully paid and nonassessable shares of Common Stock upon the conversion of this Note. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if after sixty (60) days following the Issuance Date, the Holder is not permitted to convert this Note in full for any reason (other than pursuant to restrictions set forth in Section 3(d) hereof), the Company shall use its best efforts to promptly remedy such failure, including, without limitation, obtaining such consents or approvals as necessary to permit such conversion into shares of Common Stock.
10. RESERVATION OF AUTHORIZED SHARES.
(a) Reservation. So long as any Notes remain outstanding, the Company shall at all times reserve at least two hundred percent (200%) of the number of shares of Common Stock as shall from time to time be necessary to effect the conversion of all of the Notes then outstanding (without regard to any limitations on conversions and assuming such Notes remain outstanding until the Maturity Date) at the Event of Default Alternate Conversion Price (the “Required Reserve Amount”). The Required Reserve Amount (including, without limitation, each increase in the number of shares so reserved) shall be allocated pro rata among the holders of the Notes based on the Original Principal Amount of the Notes held by each Holder on the Issuance Date or increase in the number of reserved shares, as the case may be (the “Authorized Share Allocation”). In the event that a Holder shall sell or otherwise transfer any of such holder’s Notes, each transferee shall be allocated a pro rata portion of such Holder’s Authorized Share Allocation. Any shares of Common Stock reserved and allocated to any Person which ceases to hold any Notes shall be allocated to the remaining holders of Notes, pro rata based on the principal amount of the Notes then held by such holders.
(b) Insufficient Authorized Shares. If, notwithstanding Section 10(a), and not in limitation thereof, at any time while any of the Notes remain outstanding, the Company does not have a sufficient number of authorized and unreserved shares of Common Stock to satisfy its obligation to reserve for issuance upon conversion of the Notes at least a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the Required Reserve Amount (an “Authorized Share Failure”), then the Company shall immediately take all action necessary to increase the Company’s authorized shares of Common Stock to an amount sufficient to allow the Company to reserve the Required Reserve Amount for the Notes then outstanding. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing sentence, as soon as practicable after the date of the occurrence of an Authorized Share Failure, but in no event later than sixty (60) days after the occurrence of such Authorized Share Failure, the Company shall hold a meeting of its stockholders for the approval of an increase in the number of authorized shares of Common Stock. In connection with such meeting, the Company shall provide each stockholder with a proxy statement and shall use its best efforts to solicit its stockholders’ approval of such increase in authorized shares of Common Stock and to cause its board of directors to recommend to the stockholders that they approve such proposal. In the event that the Company is prohibited from issuing shares of Common Stock pursuant to the terms of this Note due to the failure by the Company to have sufficient shares of Common Stock available out of the authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock (such unavailable number of shares of Common Stock, the “Authorized Failure Shares”), in lieu of delivering such Authorized Failure Shares to the Holder, the Company shall pay cash in exchange for the redemption of such portion of the Conversion Amount convertible into such Authorized Failure Shares at a price equal to the sum of (i) the product of (x) such number of Authorized Failure Shares and (y) the greatest Closing Sale Price of the Common Stock on any Trading Day during the period commencing on the date the Holder delivers the applicable Conversion Notice with respect to such Authorized Failure Shares to the Company and ending on the Trading Day immediately prior to the date the Company makes the entire payment required to be made under this Section 10(b); and (ii) to the extent the Holder purchases (in an open market transaction or otherwise) shares of Common Stock to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Holder of Authorized Failure Shares, any brokerage commissions and other out-of-pocket expenses, if any, of the Holder incurred in connection therewith. Nothing contained in this Section 10 shall limit any obligations of the Company under any provision of the Securities Purchase Agreement.
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11. REDEMPTIONS.
(a) Mechanics. The Company shall deliver the applicable Event of Default Redemption Price to the Holder in cash within five (5) Business Days after the Company’s receipt of the Holder’s Event of Default Redemption Notice in accordance with Section 4(b). If the Holder has submitted a Change of Control Redemption Notice in accordance with Section 5(b), the Company shall deliver the applicable Change of Control Redemption Price to the Holder in cash concurrently with the consummation of such Change of Control if such notice is received prior to the consummation of such Change of Control, and within five (5) Business Days after the Company’s receipt of such notice otherwise. The Company shall deliver the applicable Company Optional Redemption Price to the Holder in cash on the applicable Company Optional Redemption Date in accordance with Section 8(a). The Company shall deliver the applicable ATM/ELOC Redemption Price on the ATM/ELOC Redemption Date in accordance with Section 8(b). If the Holder has elected optional redemption pursuant to Section 8(c) in response to its receipt of the Subsequent Placement Redemption Notice, the Company shall deliver the applicable Subsequent Placement Redemption Price to the Holder in cash on the applicable Subsequent Placement Redemption Date. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in connection with any redemption hereunder at a time the Holder is entitled to receive a cash payment under any of the other Transaction Documents, at the option of the Holder delivered in writing to the Company, the applicable Redemption Price hereunder shall be increased by the amount of such cash payment owed to the Holder under such other Transaction Document and, upon payment in full or conversion in accordance herewith, shall satisfy the Company’s payment obligation under such other Transaction Document. In the event of a redemption of less than all of the Conversion Amount of this Note, the Company shall promptly cause to be issued and delivered to the Holder a new Note (in accordance with Section 18(d)) representing the outstanding Principal which has not been redeemed. In the event that the Company does not pay the applicable Redemption Price to the Holder within the time period required, at any time thereafter and until the Company pays such unpaid Redemption Price in full, the Holder shall have the option, in lieu of redemption, to require the Company to promptly return to the Holder all or any portion of this Note representing the Conversion Amount that was submitted for redemption (or for which the Company elected optional redemption) and for which the applicable Redemption Price (together with any Late Charges thereon) has not been paid. Upon the Company’s receipt of such notice, (x) the applicable Redemption Notice shall be null and void with respect to such Conversion Amount, (y) the Company shall immediately return this Note, or issue a new Note (in accordance with Section 18(d)), to the Holder, and in each case the Principal amount of this Note or such new Note (as the case may be) shall be increased by an amount equal to the difference between (1) the applicable Redemption Price (as the case may be, and as adjusted pursuant to this Section 11, if applicable) minus (2) the Principal portion of the Conversion Amount submitted for redemption and (z) the Conversion Price of this Note or such new Notes (as the case may be) shall be automatically adjusted with respect to each conversion effected thereafter by the Holder to the lowest of (A) the Conversion Price as in effect on the date on which the applicable Redemption Notice is voided, (B) seventy-five percent (75%) of the lowest Closing Bid Price of the Common Stock during the period beginning on and including the date on which the applicable Redemption Notice is delivered to the Company and ending on and including the date on which the applicable Redemption Notice is voided and (C) seventy-five percent (75%) of the quotient of (I) the sum of the two (2) lowest VWAPs of the Common Stock during the ten (10) consecutive Trading Day period ending and including the applicable Conversion Date divided by (II) two (2) (it being understood and agreed that all such determinations shall be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction during such period). The Holder’s delivery of a notice voiding a Redemption Notice and exercise of its rights following such notice shall not affect the Company’s obligations to make any payments of Late Charges which have accrued prior to the date of such notice with respect to the Conversion Amount subject to such notice.
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(b) Redemption by Other Holders. Upon the Company’s receipt of notice from any of the holders of the Other Notes for redemption or repayment (each, an “Other Redemption Notice”), the Company shall immediately, but no later than one (1) Business Day of its receipt thereof, forward to the Holder via electronic mail a copy of such notice. If the Company receives a Redemption Notice and one or more Other Redemption Notices, during the seven (7) Business Day period beginning on and including the date which is two (2) Business Days prior to the Company’s receipt of the Holder’s applicable Redemption Notice and ending on and including the date which is two (2) Business Days after the Company’s receipt of the Holder’s applicable Redemption Notice and the Company is unable to redeem all principal, interest and other amounts designated in such Redemption Notice and such Other Redemption Notices received during such seven (7) Business Day period, then the Company shall redeem a pro rata amount from each holder of the Notes (including the Holder) based on the principal amount of the Notes submitted for redemption pursuant to such Redemption Notice and such Other Redemption Notices received by the Company during such seven (7) Business Day period.
12. VOTING RIGHTS. The Holder shall have no voting rights as the holder of this Note, except as required by law and as expressly provided in this Note.
13. COVENANTS. Until all of the Notes have been converted, redeemed or otherwise satisfied in accordance with their terms:
(a) Rank. All payments due under this Note shall (i) rank pari passu with all Other Notes and (ii) be senior to all other Indebtedness of the Company and its Subsidiaries.1
(b) Incurrence of Indebtedness. The Company shall not, and the Company shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to not, directly or indirectly, incur or guarantee, assume or suffer to exist any Indebtedness that is senior to Indebtedness under the Notes other than Permitted Indebtedness.
(c) Existence of Liens. The Company shall not, and the Company shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to not, directly or indirectly, allow or suffer to exist any mortgage, lien, pledge, charge, security interest or other encumbrance upon or in any property or assets (including accounts and contract rights) owned by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (collectively, “Liens”) other than Permitted Liens.
(d) Restricted Payments. The Company shall not, and the Company shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to not, directly or indirectly, redeem, defease, repurchase, repay or make any payments in respect of, by the payment of cash or cash equivalents (in whole or in part, whether by way of open market purchases, tender offers, private transactions or otherwise), all or any portion of any Indebtedness (other than the Notes) whether by way of payment in respect of principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on, such Indebtedness if at the time such payment is due or is otherwise made or, after giving effect to such payment, (i) an event constituting an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or (ii) an event that with the passage of time and without being cured would constitute an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.
(e) Restriction on Redemption and Cash Dividends. The Company shall not, and the Company shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to not, directly or indirectly, redeem, repurchase or declare or pay any cash dividend or distribution on any of its capital stock.
(f) Restriction on Transfer of Assets. The Company shall not, and the Company shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to not, directly or indirectly, sell, lease, license, assign, transfer, spin-off, split-off, close, convey or otherwise dispose of any assets or rights of the Company or any Subsidiary owned or hereafter acquired whether in a single transaction or a series of related transactions, other than (i) sales, leases, licenses, assignments, transfers, conveyances and other dispositions of such assets or rights by the Company and its Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business consistent with its past practice and (ii) sales of inventory and product in the ordinary course of business.
| 1 | Note to Draft: Company to confirm that it is able to issue senior debt. |
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(g) Maturity of Indebtedness. The Company shall not, and the Company shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to not, directly or indirectly, permit any Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to mature or accelerate prior to the Maturity Date (other than any Permitted Indebtedness).
(h) Change in Nature of Business. The Company shall not, and the Company shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to not, directly or indirectly, engage in any material line of business substantially different from those lines of business conducted by or publicly contemplated to be conducted by the Company and each of its Subsidiaries on the Subscription Date or any business substantially related or incidental thereto. The Company shall not, and the Company shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to not, directly or indirectly, modify its or their corporate structure or purpose.
(i) Preservation of Existence, Etc. The Company shall maintain and preserve, and cause each of its Subsidiaries to maintain and preserve, its existence, rights and privileges, and become or remain, and cause each of its Subsidiaries to become or remain, duly qualified and in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the character of the properties owned or leased by it or in which the transaction of its business makes such qualification necessary.
(j) Maintenance of Properties, Etc. The Company shall maintain and preserve, and cause each of its Subsidiaries to maintain and preserve, all of its properties which are necessary or useful in the proper conduct of its business in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted, and comply, and cause each of its Subsidiaries to comply, at all times with the provisions of all leases to which it is a party as lessee or under which it occupies property, so as to prevent any loss or forfeiture thereof or thereunder.
(k) Maintenance of Intellectual Property. The Company shall, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to, take all action necessary or advisable to maintain all of the Intellectual Property (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement) of the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries that are necessary or material to the conduct of its business in full force and effect.
(l) Maintenance of Insurance. The Company shall maintain, and cause each of its Subsidiaries to maintain, insurance with responsible and reputable insurance companies or associations (including, without limitation, comprehensive general liability, hazard, rent and business interruption insurance) with respect to its properties (including all real properties leased or owned by it) and business, in such amounts and covering such risks as is required by any governmental authority having jurisdiction with respect thereto or as is carried generally in accordance with sound business practice by companies in similar businesses similarly situated.
(m) Transactions with Affiliates. The Company shall not, nor shall it permit any of its Subsidiaries to, enter into, renew, extend or be a party to, any transaction or series of related transactions (including, without limitation, the purchase, sale, lease, transfer or exchange of property or assets of any kind or the rendering of services of any kind) with any affiliate, except transactions in the ordinary course of business in a manner and to an extent consistent with past practice and necessary or desirable for the prudent operation of its business, for fair consideration and on terms no less favorable to it or its Subsidiaries than would be obtainable in a comparable arm’s length transaction with a Person that is not an affiliate thereof.
(n) Restricted Issuances. The Company shall not, directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding, (i) issue any Notes (other than as contemplated by the Securities Purchase Agreement and the Notes) or (ii) issue any other securities that would cause a breach or default under the Notes.
(o) Stay, Extension and Usury Laws. To the extent that it may lawfully do so, the Company (i) agrees 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 or whenever enacted or in force) that may affect the covenants or the performance of this Note; and (ii) expressly waives all benefits or advantages of any such law and agrees that it will not, by resort to any such law, hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power granted to the Holder by this Note, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law has been enacted.
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(p) Taxes. The Company shall pay when due all taxes, fees or other charges of any nature whatsoever (together with any related interest or penalties) now or hereafter imposed or assessed against the Company or their respective assets or upon their ownership, possession, use, operation or disposition thereof or upon their rents, receipts or earnings arising therefrom (except where the failure to pay would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material effect on the Company). The Company shall file on or before the due date therefor all personal property tax returns (except where the failure to file would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material effect on the Company). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may contest, in good faith and by appropriate proceedings, taxes for which they maintain adequate reserves therefor in accordance with GAAP.
(q) Most Favored Nations. If, while this Note is outstanding, the Company conducts any Subsequent Placement (as such term is defined in the Purchase Agreement) in which (i) the Company issues or sells convertible promissory notes or other instruments of Indebtedness that are Convertible Securities (as such term is defined in the Purchase Agreement) and otherwise constitute Offered Securities (as such term is defined in the Purchase Agreement) in a single or series of related transactions for aggregate gross consideration to the Company in excess of $50,000; and (ii) such Offered Securities have material terms that are more favorable, from the perspective of the Holder, than the terms of, or rights of the Holder under, this Note (each such transaction, a “Qualified Subsequent Placement” and the Offered Securities offered in connection therewith, “Qualified Offered Securities”), then the Company will provide the Holder with written notice thereof in the related Offer Notice (as defined in the Purchase Agreement), together with a copy of all documentation relating to the Qualified Subsequent Placement and the related Qualified Offered Securities, and, upon request of the Holder, any additional information related to the Qualified Subsequent Placement and the related Qualified Offered Securities as may be reasonably requested by the Holder. In the event the Holder determines that the terms of the Qualified Offered Securities are preferable to the terms of this Note, the Holder will notify the Company in writing within fifteen (15) days following the Holder’s receipt of the Offer Notice. Promptly after receipt of such written notice from the Holder, but in any event within fifteen (15) days, the Company will amend this Note to be include such more favorable terms reflected in such Qualified Offered Securities or otherwise granted participants in such Qualified Subsequent Placement.
(r) Independent Investigation. At the request of the Holder either (x) at any time when an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, (y) upon the occurrence of an event that with the passage of time or giving of notice would constitute an Event of Default or (z) at any time the Holder reasonably believes an Event of Default may have occurred or be continuing, the Company shall hire an independent, reputable investment bank selected by the Company and approved by the Holder to investigate as to whether any breach of this Note has occurred (the “Independent Investigator”). If the Independent Investigator determines that such breach of this Note has occurred, the Independent Investigator shall notify the Company of such breach and the Company shall deliver written notice to each holder of a Note regarding such breach. In connection with such investigation, the Independent Investigator may, during normal business hours, inspect all contracts, books, records, personnel, offices and other facilities and properties of the Company and its Subsidiaries and, to the extent available to the Company after the Company uses reasonable efforts to obtain them, the records of its legal advisors and accountants (including the accountants’ work papers) and any books of account, records, reports and other papers not contractually required of the Company to be confidential or secret, or subject to attorney-client or other evidentiary privilege, and the Independent Investigator may make such copies and inspections thereof as the Independent Investigator may reasonably request. The Company shall furnish the Independent Investigator with such financial and operating data and other information with respect to the business and properties of the Company as the Independent Investigator may reasonably request. The Company shall permit the Independent Investigator to discuss the affairs, finances and accounts of the Company with, and to make proposals and furnish advice with respect thereto to, the Company’s officers, directors, key employees and independent public accountants or any of them (and by this provision the Company authorizes said accountants to discuss with such Independent Investigator the finances and affairs of the Company and any Subsidiaries), all at such reasonable times, upon reasonable notice, and as often as may be reasonably requested.
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14. INTENTIONALLY OMITTED.
15. DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS. In addition to any adjustments pursuant to Section 7, if the Company shall declare or make any dividend or other distributions of its assets (or rights to acquire its assets) to any or all holders of shares of Common Stock, by way of return of capital or otherwise (including without limitation, any distribution of cash, stock or other securities, property or options by way of a dividend, spin off, reclassification, corporate rearrangement, scheme of arrangement or other similar transaction) (the “Distributions”), then the Holder shall be entitled to such Distributions as if the Holder had held the number of shares of Common Stock acquirable upon complete conversion of this Note (without taking into account any limitations or restrictions on the convertibility of this Note) immediately prior to the date on which a record is taken for such Distribution or, if no such record is taken, the date as of which the record holders of Common Stock are to be determined for such Distributions (provided, however, that to the extent that the Holder’s right to participate in any such Distribution would result in the Holder and the other Attribution Parties exceeding the Maximum Percentage, then the Holder shall not be entitled to participate in such Distribution to the extent of the Maximum Percentage (and shall not be entitled to beneficial ownership of such shares of Common Stock as a result of such Distribution (and beneficial ownership) to the extent of any such excess) and the portion of such Distribution shall be held in abeyance for the benefit of the Holder until such time or times, if ever, as its right thereto would not result in the Holder and the other Attribution Parties exceeding the Maximum Percentage, at which time or times the Holder shall be granted such Distribution (and any Distributions declared or made on such initial Distribution or on any subsequent Distribution held similarly in abeyance) to the same extent as if there had been no such limitation).
16. AMENDING THE TERMS OF THIS NOTE. Except for Section 3(d), which may not be amended, modified or waived by the parties hereto, the prior written consent of the Holder shall be required for any change, waiver or amendment to this Note.
17. TRANSFER. This Note and any shares of Common Stock issued upon conversion of this Note may be offered, sold, assigned or transferred by the Holder without the consent of the Company, subject only to the provisions of Section 2(g) of the Securities Purchase Agreement.
18. REISSUANCE OF THIS NOTE.
(a) Transfer. If this Note is to be transferred, the Holder shall surrender this Note to the Company, whereupon the Company shall forthwith issue and deliver upon the order of the Holder a new Note (in accordance with Section 18(d)), registered as the Holder may request, representing the outstanding Principal being transferred by the Holder and, if less than the entire outstanding Principal is being transferred, a new Note (in accordance with Section 18(d)) to the Holder representing the outstanding Principal not being transferred. The Holder and any assignee, by acceptance of this Note, acknowledge and agree that, by reason of the provisions of Section 3(c)(iii) following conversion or redemption of any portion of this Note, the outstanding Principal represented by this Note may be less than the Principal stated on the face of this Note.
(b) Lost, Stolen or Mutilated Note. Upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Company of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Note (as to which a written certification and the indemnification contemplated below shall suffice as such evidence), and, in the case of loss, theft or destruction, of any indemnification undertaking by the Holder to the Company in customary and reasonable form and, in the case of mutilation, upon surrender and cancellation of this Note, the Company shall execute and deliver to the Holder a new Note (in accordance with Section 18(d)) representing the outstanding Principal.
(c) Note Exchangeable for Different Denominations. This Note is exchangeable, upon the surrender hereof by the Holder at the principal office of the Company, for a new Note or Notes (in accordance with Section 18(d) and in principal amounts of at least $1,000) representing in the aggregate the outstanding Principal of this Note, and each such new Note shall represent such portion of such outstanding Principal as is designated by the Holder at the time of such surrender.
(d) Issuance of New Notes. Whenever the Company is required to issue a new Note pursuant to the terms of this Note, such new Note (i) shall be of like tenor with this Note, (ii) shall represent, as indicated on the face of such new Note, the Principal remaining outstanding (or in the case of a new Note being issued pursuant to Section 18(a) or Section 18(c), the Principal designated by the Holder which, when added to the principal represented by the other new Notes issued in connection with such issuance, does not exceed the Principal remaining outstanding under this Note immediately prior to such issuance of new Notes), (iii) shall have an issuance date, as indicated on the face of such new Note, which is the same as the Issuance Date of this Note, (iv) shall have the same rights and conditions as this Note, and (v) shall represent accrued and unpaid Interest and Late Charges on the Principal and Interest of this Note, from the Issuance Date.
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19. REMEDIES, CHARACTERIZATIONS, OTHER OBLIGATIONS, BREACHES AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF. The remedies provided in this Note shall be cumulative and in addition to all other remedies available under this Note and any of the other Transaction Documents at law or in equity (including a decree of specific performance and/or other injunctive relief), and nothing herein shall limit the Holder’s right to pursue actual and consequential damages for any failure by the Company to comply with the terms of this Note. No failure on the part of the Holder to exercise, and no delay in exercising, any right, power or remedy hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof; nor shall any single or partial exercise by the Holder of any right, power or remedy preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or remedy. In addition, the exercise of any right or remedy of the Holder at law or equity or under this Note or any of the documents shall not be deemed to be an election of Holder’s rights or remedies under such documents or at law or equity. The Company covenants to the Holder that there shall be no characterization concerning this instrument other than as expressly provided herein. Amounts set forth or provided for herein with respect to payments, conversion and the like (and the computation thereof) shall be the amounts to be received by the Holder and shall not, except as expressly provided herein, be subject to any other obligation of the Company (or the performance thereof). The Company acknowledges that a breach by it of its obligations hereunder shall cause irreparable harm to the Holder and that the remedy at law for any such breach may be inadequate. The Company therefore agrees that, in the event of any such breach or threatened breach, the Holder shall be entitled, in addition to all other available remedies, to specific performance and/or temporary, preliminary and permanent injunctive or other equitable relief from any court of competent jurisdiction in any such case without the necessity of proving actual damages and without posting a bond or other security. The Company shall provide all information and documentation to the Holder that is requested by the Holder to enable the Holder to confirm the Company’s compliance with the terms and conditions of this Note (including, without limitation, compliance with Section 7).
20. PAYMENT OF COLLECTION, ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER COSTS. If (a) this Note is placed in the hands of an attorney for collection or enforcement or is collected or enforced through any legal proceeding or the Holder otherwise takes action to collect amounts due under this Note or to enforce the provisions of this Note or (b) there occurs any bankruptcy, reorganization, receivership of the Company or other proceedings affecting Company creditors’ rights and involving a claim under this Note, then the Company shall pay the costs incurred by the Holder for such collection, enforcement or action or in connection with such bankruptcy, reorganization, receivership or other proceeding, including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees and disbursements. The Company expressly acknowledges and agrees that no amounts due under this Note shall be affected, or limited, by the fact that the purchase price paid for this Note was less than the original Principal amount hereof.
21. CONSTRUCTION; HEADINGS. This Note shall be deemed to be jointly drafted by the Company and the initial Holder and shall not be construed against any such Person as the drafter hereof. The headings of this Note are for convenience of reference and shall not form part of, or affect the interpretation of, this Note. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, each pronoun herein shall be deemed to include the masculine, feminine, neuter, singular and plural forms thereof. The terms “including,” “includes,” “include” and words of like import shall be construed broadly as if followed by the words “without limitation.” The terms “herein,” “hereunder,” “hereof” and words of like import refer to this entire Note instead of just the provision in which they are found. Unless expressly indicated otherwise, all section references are to sections of this Note. Terms used in this Note and not otherwise defined herein, but defined in the other Transaction Documents, shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms on the Subscription Date in such other Transaction Documents unless otherwise consented to in writing by the Holder.
22. FAILURE OR INDULGENCE NOT WAIVER. No failure or delay on the part of the Holder in the exercise of any power, right or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such power, right or privilege preclude other or further exercise thereof or of any other right, power or privilege. No waiver shall be effective unless it is in writing and signed by an authorized representative of the waiving party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing contained in this Section 22 shall permit any waiver of any provision of Section 3(d).
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23. DISPUTE RESOLUTION.
(a) Submission to Dispute Resolution.
(i) In the case of a dispute relating to a Closing Bid Price, a Closing Sale Price, a Conversion Price, a VWAP, or a fair market value or the arithmetic calculation of a Conversion Rate, or the applicable Redemption Price (as the case may be) (including, without limitation, a dispute relating to the determination of any of the foregoing), the Company or the Holder (as the case may be) shall submit the dispute to the other party via electronic mail (A) if by the Company, within two (2) Business Days after the occurrence of the circumstances giving rise to such dispute or (B) if by the Holder at any time after the Holder learned of the circumstances giving rise to such dispute. If the Holder and the Company are unable to promptly resolve such dispute relating to such Closing Bid Price, such Closing Sale Price, such Conversion Price, such VWAP, or such fair market value, or the arithmetic calculation of such Conversion Rate or such applicable Redemption Price (as the case may be), at any time after the second (2nd) Business Day following such initial notice by the Company or the Holder (as the case may be) of such dispute to the Company or the Holder (as the case may be), then the Holder may, at its sole option, select an independent, reputable investment bank to resolve such dispute.
(ii) The Holder and the Company shall each deliver to such investment bank (A) a copy of the initial dispute submission so delivered in accordance with the first sentence of this Section 23 and (B) written documentation supporting its position with respect to such dispute, in each case, no later than 5:00 p.m. (New York time) by the fifth (5th) Business Day immediately following the date on which the Holder selected such investment bank (the “Dispute Submission Deadline”) (the documents referred to in the immediately preceding clauses (A) and (B) are collectively referred to herein as the “Required Dispute Documentation”) (it being understood and agreed that if either the Holder or the Company fails to so deliver all of the Required Dispute Documentation by the Dispute Submission Deadline, then the party who fails to so submit all of the Required Dispute Documentation shall no longer be entitled to (and hereby waives its right to) deliver or submit any written documentation or other support to such investment bank with respect to such dispute and such investment bank shall resolve such dispute based solely on the Required Dispute Documentation that was delivered to such investment bank prior to the Dispute Submission Deadline). Unless otherwise agreed to in writing by both the Company and the Holder or otherwise requested by such investment bank, neither the Company nor the Holder shall be entitled to deliver or submit any written documentation or other support to such investment bank in connection with such dispute (other than the Required Dispute Documentation).
(iii) The Company and the Holder shall cause such investment bank to determine the resolution of such dispute and notify the Company and the Holder of such resolution no later than ten (10) Business Days immediately following the Dispute Submission Deadline. The fees and expenses of such investment bank shall be borne solely by the Company, and such investment bank’s resolution of such dispute shall be final and binding upon all parties absent manifest error.
(b) Miscellaneous. The Company expressly acknowledges and agrees that (i) this Section 23 constitutes an agreement to arbitrate between the Company and the Holder, (ii) a dispute relating to a Conversion Price includes, without limitation, disputes as to (A) whether an issuance or sale or deemed issuance or sale of Common Stock occurred under Section 7(a), (B) the consideration per share at which an issuance or deemed issuance of Common Stock occurred, (C) whether any issuance or sale or deemed issuance or sale of Common Stock was an issuance or sale or deemed issuance or sale of Excluded Securities, and (D) whether an agreement, instrument, security or the like constitutes and Option or Convertible Security, (iii) the terms of this Note and each other applicable Transaction Document shall serve as the basis for the selected investment bank’s resolution of the applicable dispute, such investment bank shall be entitled (and is hereby expressly authorized) to make all findings, determinations and the like that such investment bank determines are required to be made by such investment bank in connection with its resolution of such dispute and in resolving such dispute such investment bank shall apply such findings, determinations and the like to the terms of this Note and any other applicable Transaction Documents, (iv) the Holder (and only the Holder), in its sole discretion, shall have the right to submit any dispute described in this Section 23 to any state or federal court sitting in The City of New York, Borough of Manhattan in lieu of utilizing the procedures set forth in this Section 23 and (v) nothing in this Section 23 shall limit the Holder from obtaining any injunctive relief or other equitable remedies (including, without limitation, with respect to any matters described in this Section 23).
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24. NOTICES; CURRENCY; PAYMENTS.
(a) Notices. Whenever notice is required to be given under this Note, unless otherwise provided herein, such notice shall be given in accordance with Section 9(f) of the Securities Purchase Agreement. The Company shall provide the Holder with prompt written notice of all actions taken pursuant to this Note, including in reasonable detail a description of such action and the reason therefore. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company shall give written notice to the Holder (i) immediately upon any adjustment of the Conversion Price, setting forth in reasonable detail, and certifying, the calculation of such adjustment and (ii) at least fifteen (15) days prior to the date on which the Company closes its books or takes a record (A) with respect to any dividend or distribution upon the Common Stock, (B) with respect to any grant, issuances, or sales of any Options, Convertible Securities or rights to purchase stock, warrants, securities or other property to holders of shares of Common Stock or (C) for determining rights to vote with respect to any Fundamental Transaction, dissolution or liquidation, provided in each case that such information shall be made known to the public prior to or in conjunction with such notice being provided to the Holder.
(b) Currency. All dollar amounts referred to in this Note are in United States Dollars (“U.S. Dollars”), and all amounts owing under this Note shall be paid in U.S. Dollars. All amounts denominated in other currencies (if any) shall be converted into the U.S. Dollar equivalent amount in accordance with the Exchange Rate on the date of calculation. “Exchange Rate” means, in relation to any amount of currency to be converted into U.S. Dollars pursuant to this Note, the U.S. Dollar exchange rate as published in the Wall Street Journal on the relevant date of calculation (it being understood and agreed that where an amount is calculated with reference to, or over, a period of time, the date of calculation shall be the final date of such period of time).
(c) Payments. Whenever any payment of cash is to be made by the Company to any Person pursuant to this Note, unless otherwise expressly set forth herein, such payment shall be made in lawful money of the United States of America by a certified check drawn on the account of the Company and sent via overnight courier service to such Person at such address as previously provided to the Company in writing (which address, in the case of each of the Holders, shall initially be as set forth on the Schedule of Buyers attached to the Securities Purchase Agreement), provided that the Holder may elect to receive a payment of cash via wire transfer of immediately available funds by providing the Company with prior written notice setting out such request and the Holder’s wire transfer instructions. Whenever any amount expressed to be due by the terms of this Note is due on any day which is not a Business Day, the same shall instead be due on the next succeeding day which is a Business Day. Any amount of Principal or other amounts due under the Transaction Documents which is not paid when due shall result in a late charge being incurred and payable by the Company in an amount equal to interest on such amount at the rate of eighteen percent (18%) per annum from the date such amount was due until the same is paid in full (“Late Charge”).
25. CANCELLATION. After all Principal, accrued Interest, Late Charges and other amounts at any time owed on this Note have been paid in full, this Note shall automatically be deemed canceled, shall be surrendered to the Company for cancellation and shall not be reissued.
26. WAIVER OF NOTICE. To the extent permitted by law, the Company hereby irrevocably waives demand, notice, presentment, protest and all other demands and notices in connection with the delivery, acceptance, performance, default or enforcement of this Note and the Securities Purchase Agreement.
27. GOVERNING LAW. This Note shall be construed and enforced in accordance with, and all questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and performance of this Note shall be governed by, the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law provision or rule (whether of the State of New York or any other jurisdictions) that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdictions other than the State of New York. Except as otherwise required by Section 23, the Company hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in The City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum or that the venue of such suit, action or proceeding is improper. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. Nothing contained herein (i) shall be deemed or operate to preclude the Holder from bringing suit or taking other legal action against the Company in any other jurisdiction to collect on the Company’s obligations to the Holder, to realize on any collateral or any other security for such obligations, or to enforce a judgment or other court ruling in favor of the Holder or (ii) shall limit, or shall be deemed or construed to limit, any provision of Section 23. THE COMPANY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO, AND AGREES NOT TO REQUEST, A JURY TRIAL FOR THE ADJUDICATION OF ANY DISPUTE HEREUNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING OUT OF THIS NOTE OR ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
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28. JUDGMENT CURRENCY.
(a) If for the purpose of obtaining or enforcing judgment against the Company in any court in any jurisdiction it becomes necessary to convert into any other currency (such other currency being hereinafter in this Section 28 referred to as the “Judgment Currency”) an amount due in U.S. dollars under this Note, the conversion shall be made at the Exchange Rate prevailing on the Trading Day immediately preceding:
(i) the date actual payment of the amount due, in the case of any proceeding in the courts of New York or in the courts of any other jurisdiction that shall give effect to such conversion being made on such date; or
(ii) the date on which the foreign court determines, in the case of any proceeding in the courts of any other jurisdiction (the date as of which such conversion is made pursuant to this Section 28(a)(ii) being hereinafter referred to as the “Judgment Conversion Date”).
(b) If in the case of any proceeding in the court of any jurisdiction referred to in Section 28(a)(ii) above, there is a change in the Exchange Rate prevailing between the Judgment Conversion Date and the date of actual payment of the amount due, the applicable party shall pay such adjusted amount as may be necessary to ensure that the amount paid in the Judgment Currency, when converted at the Exchange Rate prevailing on the date of payment, shall produce the amount of US dollars which could have been purchased with the amount of Judgment Currency stipulated in the judgment or judicial order at the Exchange Rate prevailing on the Judgment Conversion Date.
(c) Any amount due from the Company under this provision shall be due as a separate debt and shall not be affected by judgment being obtained for any other amounts due under or in respect of this Note.
29. SEVERABILITY. If any provision of this Note is prohibited by law or otherwise determined to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the provision that would otherwise be prohibited, invalid or unenforceable shall be deemed amended to apply to the broadest extent that it would be valid and enforceable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of such provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of this Note so long as this Note as so modified continues to express, without material change, the original intentions of the parties as to the subject matter hereof and the prohibited nature, invalidity or unenforceability of the provision(s) in question does not substantially impair the respective expectations or reciprocal obligations of the parties or the practical realization of the benefits that would otherwise be conferred upon the parties. The parties shall endeavor in good faith negotiations to replace the prohibited, invalid or unenforceable provision(s) with a valid provision(s), the effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the prohibited, invalid or unenforceable provision(s).
30. MAXIMUM PAYMENTS. Without limiting Section 9(d) of the Securities Purchase Agreement, nothing contained herein shall be deemed to establish or require the payment of a rate of interest or other charges in excess of the maximum permitted by applicable law. In the event that the rate of interest required to be paid or other charges hereunder exceed the maximum permitted by such law, any payments in excess of such maximum shall be credited against amounts owed by the Company to the Holder and thus refunded to the Company.
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31. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS. For purposes of this Note, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) “Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person, any other Person that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such Person, it being understood for purposes of this definition that “control” of a Person means the power directly or indirectly either to vote ten percent (10%) or more of the stock having ordinary voting power for the election of directors of such Person or direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such Person whether by contract or otherwise.
(b) “Approved Stock Plan” means any stock incentive plan or other employee benefit plan which has been approved by the board of directors of the Company prior to or subsequent to the Subscription Date, which provides for the grant of equity awards to any employee, officer or director for services provided to the Company in their capacity as such.
(c) “Attribution Parties” means, collectively, the following Persons and entities: (i) any investment vehicle, including, any funds, feeder funds or managed accounts, currently, or from time to time after the Issuance Date, directly or indirectly managed or advised by the Holder’s investment manager or any of its Affiliates or principals, (ii) any direct or indirect Affiliates of the Holder or any of the foregoing, (iii) any Person acting or who could be deemed to be acting as a Group together with the Holder or any of the foregoing and (iv) any other Persons whose beneficial ownership of the Company’s Common Stock would or could be aggregated with the Holder’s and the other Attribution Parties for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act. For clarity, the purpose of the foregoing is to collectively subject the Holder and all other Attribution Parties to the Maximum Percentage.
(d) “Bloomberg” means Bloomberg, L.P.
(e) “Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in The City of New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed.
(f) “Change of Control” means any Fundamental Transaction other than (i) any merger of the Company or any of its, direct or indirect, wholly-owned Subsidiaries with or into any of the foregoing Persons, (ii) any reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification of the shares of Common Stock in which holders of the Company’s voting power immediately prior to such reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification continue after such reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification to hold publicly traded securities and, directly or indirectly, are, in all material respects, the holders of the voting power of the surviving entity (or entities with the authority or voting power to elect the members of the board of directors (or their equivalent if other than a corporation) of such entity or entities) after such reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification, or (iii) pursuant to a migratory merger effected solely for the purpose of changing the jurisdiction of incorporation of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
(g) “Change of Control Redemption Premium” means one hundred ten percent (110%).
(h) “Closing Bid Price” and “Closing Sale Price” means, for any security as of any date, the last closing bid price and last closing trade price, respectively, for such security on the Principal Market, as reported by Bloomberg, or, if the Principal Market begins to operate on an extended hours basis and does not designate the closing bid price or the closing trade price (as the case may be) then the last bid price or last trade price, respectively, of such security prior to 4:00:00 p.m., New York time, as reported by Bloomberg, or, if the Principal Market is not the principal securities exchange or trading market for such security, the last closing bid price or last trade price, respectively, of such security on the principal securities exchange or trading market where such security is listed or traded as reported by Bloomberg, or if the foregoing do not apply, the last closing bid price or last trade price, respectively, of such security in the over-the-counter market on the electronic bulletin board for such security as reported by Bloomberg, or, if no closing bid price or last trade price, respectively, is reported for such security by Bloomberg, the average of the bid prices, or the ask prices, respectively, of any market makers for such security as reported by OTC Markets Group Inc. If the Closing Bid Price or the Closing Sale Price cannot be calculated for a security on a particular date on any of the foregoing bases, the Closing Bid Price or the Closing Sale Price (as the case may be) of such security on such date shall be the fair market value as mutually determined by the Company and the Holder. If the Company and the Holder are unable to agree upon the fair market value of such security, then such dispute shall be resolved in accordance with the procedures in Section 23. All such determinations shall be appropriately adjusted for any stock splits, stock dividends, stock combinations, recapitalizations or other similar transactions during such period.
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(i) “Common Stock” means (i) the Company’s shares of common stock, $0.005 par value per share, and (ii) any capital stock into which such common stock shall have been changed or any share capital resulting from a reclassification of such common stock.
(j) “Convertible Securities” means any stock or other security (other than Options) that is at any time and under any circumstances, directly or indirectly, convertible into, exercisable or exchangeable for, or which otherwise entitles the holder thereof to acquire, any shares of Common Stock.
(k) “Current Subsidiary” means any Person in which the Company, as of the Subscription Date, directly or indirectly, (i) owns any of the outstanding capital stock or holds any equity or similar interest of such Person, or (ii) controls or operates all or any part of the business, operations or administration of such Person, and all of the foregoing, collectively, “Current Subsidiaries.”
(l) “Eligible Market” means the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Capital Market, The New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE American, or the Principal Market.
(m) “Excluded Securities” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in the Securities Purchase Agreement.
(n) “Event Market Price” means, with respect to any Stock Combination Event Date, the quotient determined by dividing (x) the sum of the VWAP of the Common Stock for each of the five (5) Trading Days with the lowest VWAP of the Common Stock during the fifteen (15) consecutive Trading Day period ending on (and including) the Trading Day immediately preceding the sixteenth (16th) Trading Day after such Stock Combination Event Date, divided by (y) five (5).
(o) “Event of Default Alternate Conversion Price” means ninety percent (90%) of the lowest VWAP of the ten (10) Trading Days immediately preceding the date for which the Alternate Conversion Price is being calculated.
(p) “Fundamental Transaction” means (A) that the Company shall, directly or indirectly, including through subsidiaries, Affiliates or otherwise, in one or more related transactions, (i) consolidate or merge with or into (whether or not the Company is the surviving corporation) another Subject Entity, or (ii) sell, assign, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Company or any of its “significant subsidiaries” (as defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X) to one or more Subject Entities, or (iii) make, or allow one or more Subject Entities to make, or allow the Company to be subject to or have its Common Stock be subject to or party to one or more Subject Entities making, a purchase, tender or exchange offer that is accepted by the holders of at least either (x) fifty percent (50%) of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, (y) fifty percent (50%) of the outstanding shares of Common Stock calculated as if any shares of Common Stock held by all Subject Entities making or party to, or Affiliated with any Subject Entities making or party to, such purchase, tender or exchange offer were not outstanding; or (z) such number of shares of Common Stock such that all Subject Entities making or party to, or Affiliated with any Subject Entity making or party to, such purchase, tender or exchange offer, become collectively the beneficial owners (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) of at least fifty percent (50%) of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, or (iv) consummate a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination (including, without limitation, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off or scheme of arrangement) with one or more Subject Entities whereby all such Subject Entities, individually or in the aggregate, acquire, either (x) at least fifty percent (50%) of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, (y) at least fifty percent (50%) of the outstanding shares of Common Stock calculated as if any shares of Common Stock held by all the Subject Entities making or party to, or Affiliated with any Subject Entity making or party to, such stock purchase agreement or other business combination were not outstanding; or (z) such number of shares of Common Stock such that the Subject Entities become collectively the beneficial owners (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) of at least fifty percent (50%) of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, or (v) reorganize, recapitalize or reclassify its Common Stock, (B) that the Company shall, directly or indirectly, including through subsidiaries, Affiliates or otherwise, in one or more related transactions, allow any Subject Entity individually or the Subject Entities in the aggregate to be or become the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, whether through acquisition, purchase, assignment, conveyance, tender, tender offer, exchange, reduction in outstanding shares of Common Stock, merger, consolidation, business combination, reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off, scheme of arrangement, reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification or otherwise in any manner whatsoever, of either (x) at least fifty percent (50%) of the aggregate ordinary voting power represented by issued and outstanding Common Stock, (y) at least fifty percent (50%) of the aggregate ordinary voting power represented by issued and outstanding Common Stock not held by all such Subject Entities as of the date of this Note calculated as if any shares of Common Stock held by all such Subject Entities were not outstanding, or (z) a percentage of the aggregate ordinary voting power represented by issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock or other equity securities of the Company sufficient to allow such Subject Entities to effect a statutory short form merger or other transaction requiring other stockholders of the Company to surrender their shares of Common Stock without approval of the stockholders of the Company or (C) directly or indirectly, including through subsidiaries, Affiliates or otherwise, in one or more related transactions, the issuance of or the entering into any other instrument or transaction structured in a manner to circumvent, or that circumvents, the intent of this definition in which case this definition shall be construed and implemented in a manner otherwise than in strict conformity with the terms of this definition to the extent necessary to correct this definition or any portion of this definition which may be defective or inconsistent with the intended treatment of such instrument or transaction.
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(q) “GAAP” means United States generally accepted accounting principles as in effect from time to time, consistently applied.
(r) “Group” means a “group” as that term is used in Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and as defined in Rule 13d-5 thereunder.
(s) “Indebtedness” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in the Securities Purchase Agreement.
(t) “Interest Date” means each of March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31 of each year, or if any such day is not a Trading Day, on the next succeeding Trading Day.
(u) “Maturity Date” shall mean July 29, 2026; provided, however, the Maturity Date may be extended at the option of the Holder (i) in the event that, and for so long as, an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or any event shall have occurred and be continuing that with the passage of time and the failure to cure would result in an Event of Default or (ii) through the date that is twenty (20) Business Days after the consummation of a Fundamental Transaction in the event that a Fundamental Transaction is publicly announced or a Change of Control Notice is delivered prior to the Maturity Date, provided further that if a Holder elects to convert some or all of this Note pursuant to Section 3 hereof, and the Conversion Amount would be limited pursuant to Section 3(d) hereunder, the Maturity Date shall automatically be extended until such time as such provision shall not limit the conversion of this Note.
(v) “New Subsidiary” means, as of any date of determination, any Person in which the Company, following the Subscription Date, directly or indirectly, (i) owns or acquires any of the outstanding capital stock or holds any equity or similar interest of such Person or (ii) controls or operates all or any part of the business, operations or administration of such Person, and all of the foregoing, collectively, “New Subsidiaries.”
(w) “Options” means any rights, warrants or options to subscribe for or purchase shares of Common Stock or Convertible Securities.
(x) “Parent Entity” of a Person means an entity that, directly or indirectly, controls the applicable Person and whose common stock or equivalent equity security is quoted or listed on an Eligible Market, or, if there is more than one such Person or Parent Entity, the Person or Parent Entity with the largest public market capitalization as of the date of consummation of the Fundamental Transaction.
(y) “Permitted Indebtedness” means (i) Indebtedness evidenced by this Note and the Other Notes, (ii) Indebtedness set forth on Schedule 3(q) to the Securities Purchase Agreement, (iii) Indebtedness secured by Permitted Liens or unsecured but as described in clauses (iv) and (v) of the definition of Permitted Liens.
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(z) “Permitted Liens” means (i) any Lien for taxes not yet due or delinquent or being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings for which adequate reserves have been established in accordance with GAAP, (ii) any statutory Lien arising in the ordinary course of business by operation of law with respect to a liability that is not yet due or delinquent, (iii) any Lien created by operation of law, such as materialmen’s liens, mechanics’ liens and other similar liens, arising in the ordinary course of business with respect to a liability that is not yet due or delinquent or that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, (iv) Liens (A) upon or in any equipment acquired or held by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to secure the purchase price of such equipment or Indebtedness incurred solely for the purpose of financing the acquisition or lease of such equipment, or (B) existing on such equipment at the time of its acquisition, provided that the Lien is confined solely to the property so acquired and improvements thereon, and the proceeds of such equipment, in either case, with respect to Indebtedness in an aggregate amount not to exceed $100,000, (v) Liens incurred in connection with the extension, renewal or refinancing of the Indebtedness secured by Liens of the type described in clause (iv) above, provided that any extension, renewal or replacement Lien shall be limited to the property encumbered by the existing Lien and the principal amount of the Indebtedness being extended, renewed or refinanced does not increase, (vi) Liens in favor of customs and revenue authorities arising as a matter of law to secure payments of custom duties in connection with the importation of goods, (vii) Liens arising from judgments, decrees or attachments in circumstances not constituting an Event of Default under Section 4(a)(xii), and (viii) any Liens in respect of Permitted Indebtedness.
(aa) “Person” means an individual, a limited liability company, a partnership, a joint venture, a corporation, a trust, an unincorporated organization, any other entity, or a government or any department or agency thereof.
(bb) “Principal Market” means, at any time, the Eligible Market on which the Common Stock trades at such time. Initially, the principal market is the Nasdaq Capital Market.
(cc) “Redemption Notices” means, collectively, the Change of Control Redemption Notices, the Company Optional Redemption Notices, the ATM/ELOC Redemption Notices, the Event of Default Redemption Notices, and the Subsequent Placement Redemption Notices, and each of the foregoing, individually, a “Redemption Notice.”
(dd) “Redemption Prices” means, collectively, the Change of Control Redemption Prices, the Company Optional Redemption Prices, the ATM/ELOC Redemption Prices, the Event of Default Redemption Prices, and the Subsequent Placement Redemption Prices, and each of the foregoing, individually, a “Redemption Price.”
(ee) “Registration Rights Agreement” means that certain registration rights agreement, dated as of the Subscription Date, by and among the Company and the initial Holder of the Notes relating to, among other things, the registration of the resale of the Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Notes or otherwise pursuant to the Notes, as may be amended from time to time.
(ff) “SEC” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or the successor thereto.
(gg) “Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.
(hh) “Securities Purchase Agreement” means that certain securities purchase agreement, dated as of the Subscription Date, by and among the Company and the initial Holder pursuant to which the Company issued the Notes, as may be amended from time to time.
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(ii) “Subject Entity” means any Person, Persons or Group or any Affiliate or associate of any such Person, Persons or Group.
(jj) “Subscription Date” shall have the meaning set forth in the Securities Purchase Agreement, which date is the date the Company initially issued Notes pursuant to the terms of the Securities Purchase Agreement.
(kk) “Subsidiaries” means, as of any date of determination, collectively, all Current Subsidiaries and all New Subsidiaries, and each of the foregoing, individually, a “Subsidiary.”
(ll) “Successor Entity” means the Person (or, if so elected by the Holder, the Parent Entity) formed by, resulting from or surviving any Fundamental Transaction or the Person (or, if so elected by the Holder, the Parent Entity) with which such Fundamental Transaction shall have been entered into.
(mm) “Trading Day” means, as applicable, (x) with respect to all price or trading volume determinations relating to the Common Stock, any day on which the Common Stock is traded on the Principal Market, or, if the Principal Market is not the principal trading market for the Common Stock, then on the principal securities exchange or securities market on which the Common Stock is then traded, provided that “Trading Day” shall not include any day on which the Common Stock is scheduled to trade on such exchange or market for less than 4.5 hours or any day that the Common Stock is suspended from trading during the final hour of trading on such exchange or market (or if such exchange or market does not designate in advance the closing time of trading on such exchange or market, then during the hour ending at 4:00:00 p.m., New York time) unless such day is otherwise designated as a Trading Day in writing by the Holder or (y) with respect to all determinations other than price determinations relating to the Common Stock, any day on which The New York Stock Exchange (or any successor thereto) is open for trading of securities.
(nn) “Transaction Documents” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in the Securities Purchase Agreement.
(oo) “Variable Rate Transaction” has the meaning ascribed to it in the Securities Purchase Agreement.
(pp) “VWAP” means, for any security as of any date, the dollar volume-weighted average price for such security on the Principal Market (or, if the Principal Market is not the principal trading market for such security, then on the principal securities exchange or securities market on which such security is then traded), during the period beginning at 9:30 a.m., New York time, and ending at 4:00 p.m., New York time, as reported by Bloomberg through its “VAP” function (set to 09:30 start time and 16:00 end time) or, if the foregoing does not apply, the dollar volume-weighted average price of such security in the over-the-counter market on the electronic bulletin board for such security during the period beginning at 9:30 a.m., New York time, and ending at 4:00 p.m., New York time, as reported by Bloomberg, or, if no dollar volume-weighted average price is reported for such security by Bloomberg for such hours, the average of the highest closing bid price and the lowest closing ask price of any of the market makers for such security as reported by OTC Markets Group Inc. If the VWAP cannot be calculated for such security on such date on any of the foregoing bases, the VWAP of such security on such date shall be the fair market value as mutually determined by the Company and the Holder. If the Company and the Holder are unable to agree upon the fair market value of such security, then such dispute shall be resolved in accordance with the procedures in Section 23. All such determinations shall be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction during such period.
32. DISCLOSURE. Upon delivery by the Company to the Holder (or receipt by the Company from the Holder) of any notice in accordance with the terms of this Note, unless the Company has in good faith determined that the matters relating to such notice do not constitute material, non-public information relating to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, the Company shall on or prior to 9:00 am, New York city time on the Business Day immediately following such notice delivery date, publicly disclose such material, non-public information on a Current Report on Form 8-K or otherwise. In the event that the Company believes that a notice contains material, non-public information relating to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, the Company so shall indicate to the Holder explicitly in writing in such notice (or immediately upon receipt of notice from the Holder, as applicable), and in the absence of any such written indication in such notice (or notification from the Company immediately upon receipt of notice from the Holder), the Holder shall be entitled to presume that information contained in the notice does not constitute material, non-public information relating to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
33. ABSENCE OF TRADING AND DISCLOSURE RESTRICTIONS. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Holder is not a fiduciary or agent of the Company and that the Holder shall have no obligation to (a) maintain the confidentiality of any information provided by the Company or (b) refrain from trading any securities while in possession of such information in the absence of a written non-disclosure agreement signed by an officer of the Holder that explicitly provides for such confidentiality and trading restrictions. In the absence of such an executed, written non-disclosure agreement, the Company acknowledges that the Holder may freely trade in any securities issued by the Company, may possess and use any information provided by the Company in connection with such trading activity, and may disclose any such information to any third party.
[Signature page follows.]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Note to be duly executed as of the Issuance Date set out above.
Company: | |||
| CAPSTONE HOLDING CORP. | |||
| By: | |||
| Name: | Matthew E. Lipman | ||
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | ||
[Signature page to Senior Secured Convertible Note]
EXHIBIT I
CAPSTONE HOLDING CORP.
CONVERSION NOTICE
Reference is made to the Senior Secured Convertible Note (the “Note”) issued to the undersigned by Capstone Holding Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”). In accordance with and pursuant to the Note, the undersigned hereby elects to convert the Conversion Amount (as defined in the Note) of the Note indicated below into shares of Common Stock, $0.0005 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Company, as of the date specified below. Capitalized terms not defined herein shall have the meaning as set forth in the Note.
Date of Conversion: |
||
| Aggregate Principal to be converted: | ||
| Aggregate accrued and unpaid Interest (including Default Interest, if applicable) and accrued and unpaid Late Charges with respect to such portion of the Aggregate Principal and such Aggregate Interest to be converted: | ||
| Aggregate Conversion Amount to be Converted: | ||
| Please confirm the following information: | ||
| Conversion Price: | ||
| Number of shares of Common Stock to be issued: |
Please issue the Common Stock into which the Note is being converted to Holder, or for its benefit, as follows:
☐ Check here if requesting delivery as a certificate to the following name and to the following address:
| Issue to: | ||
☐ Check here if requesting delivery by Deposit/Withdrawal at Custodian as follows:
| DTC Participant: | ||
| DTC Number: | ||
| Account Number: |
Date: __________ __, ____
| Name of Registered Holder |
| By: | |||
| Name: | |||
| Title: | |||
| Tax ID: | |||
| Email Address: | |||
Exhibit I-1
Exhibit 10.3
Execution Copy
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
This REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), dated as of July 29, 2025 (the “Agreement Date”), is by and among Capstone Holding Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and each of the investors listed on the Schedule of Buyers attached to the Securities Purchase Agreement (as defined below) (collectively, the “Buyers” and, together with the Company, the “Parties” and each, a “Party”). Certain capitalized terms used herein are defined in Section 1. Except as otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms have the meanings given to them in the Securities Purchase Agreement.
RECITALS
A. The Company and the Buyers have entered into that certain Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of the Agreement Date (the “Securities Purchase Agreement”), pursuant to which, among other things, the Buyers have agreed to purchase, and the Company has agreed to issue and sell, senior secured convertible notes in the aggregate original principal amount of up to $10,909,885, which are being issued with 8.34% original issue discount, in substantially the form attached as Exhibit A to the Securities Purchase Agreement (collectively, the “Notes”).
B. The Notes are being offered and sold in reliance upon the exemption from securities registration afforded by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act, and Rule 506(b) of Regulation D as promulgated by the SEC under the Securities Act.
C. The Notes shall be convertible into shares of Common Stock in certain circumstances in accordance with the terms of the Notes at an initial Conversion Price of $1.72, subject to adjustment as set forth in the Notes (the shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to the terms of the Notes, the “Conversion Shares” and, together with the Notes, the “Securities”).
D. Pursuant to the terms of, and in consideration for the Buyers entering into, the Securities Purchase Agreement, and to induce the Buyers to execute and deliver the Securities Purchase Agreement, the Company has agreed to provide the Buyers with certain resale registration rights with respect to the Registrable Securities (as defined herein) upon the terms and subject to the conditions as set forth herein.
E. Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, the Company has agreed not to issue Conversion Shares in an aggregate amount in excess of the Exchange Cap without obtaining Stockholder Approval.
AGREEMENT
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements contained herein and in the Securities Purchase Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, intending to be legally bound hereby, the Company and the Buyers hereby agree as follows:
| 1. | DEFINITIONS. |
As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) “Agreement Date” shall mean the date of this Agreement.
(b) “Effective Date” means the date that the applicable Registration Statement has been declared effective by the SEC.
(c) “Effectiveness Deadline” means: (i) with respect to the Initial Registration Statement required to be filed pursuant to Section 2(a), September 27, 2025; (ii) with respect to an Additional Registration Statement required to be filed pursuant to Section 2(a), the forty-fifth (45th) calendar day after the day on which such Additional Registration Statement required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Section 2(a) is initially filed with the SEC; and (iii) with respect to any other Subsequent Registration Statements that may be required to be filed by the Company pursuant to this Agreement, the earlier of the (A) sixtieth (60th) calendar day following the date on which such other Subsequent Registration Statement was initially filed by the Company (or the ninetieth (90th) calendar day following the filing thereof if the SEC notifies the Company that the SEC shall “review” such Subsequent Registration Statement), and (B) the fifth (5th) Business Day after the date on which the Company is notified (orally or in writing, whichever is earlier) by the SEC that such Subsequent Registration Statement shall not be reviewed or shall not be subject to further review.
(d) “Filing Deadline” means: (i) with respect to the Initial Registration Statement required to be filed pursuant to Section 2(a), August 28, 2025; (ii) with respect to an Additional Registration Statement required to be filed pursuant to Section 2(a), the forty-fifth (45th) calendar day following the date of the earliest Additional Closing Date (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement) at which the Additional Notes (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement) covering the Conversion Shares being registered for resale under such Additional Registration Statement are issued; and (iii) with respect to any other Subsequent Registration Statements that may be required to be filed by the Company pursuant to this Agreement, the later of (A) the forty-fifth (45th) calendar day following the receipt of written notice by the Company from the Buyers that substantially all of the Registrable Securities included in the Initial Registration Statement or any Additional Registration Statement, or the most recent prior Subsequent Registration Statement (other than an Additional Registration Statement), as applicable, have been sold by the Buyers in non-exempt transactions under the Securities Act, or (B) the earliest date permitted by the SEC.
(e) “Person” means an individual, a limited liability company, a partnership, a joint venture, a corporation, a trust, an unincorporated organization, any other entity and any Governmental Entity (as defined below) or any department or agency thereof.
(f) “Prospectus” means (i) the prospectus included in any Registration Statement, as amended or supplemented by any prospectus supplement, with respect to the terms of the offering of any portion of the Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement and by all other amendments and supplements to the prospectus, including post-effective amendments and all material incorporated by reference in such prospectus, and (ii) any “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
(g) “Prospectus Supplement” means any prospectus supplement to a Prospectus filed with the SEC from time to time pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, including the documents incorporated by reference therein.
(h) “register,” “registered,” and “registration” refer to a registration effected by preparing and filing one or more Registration Statements in compliance with the Securities Act and pursuant to Rule 415 and the declaration of effectiveness of such Registration Statement(s) by the SEC.
(i) “Registrable Securities” means the Conversion Shares and any other securities issued or issuable with respect to or in exchange for the Conversion Shares, whether by merger, charter amendment, or as a result of a stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization, exchange or similar event or otherwise, provided that, a security shall cease to be a Registrable Security upon (A) sale pursuant to a Registration Statement or Rule 144, or (B) such security becoming eligible for sale without restriction on the Buyers pursuant to Rule 144.
(j) “Registration Statement” means a registration statement or registration statements of the Company filed under the Securities Act covering the resale by the Buyers of Registrable Securities, as such registration statement or registration statements may be amended and supplemented from time to time, including all documents filed as part thereof or incorporated by reference therein. Registration Statement includes the Initial Registration Statement, any Additional Registration Statement, and any other Subsequent Registration Statement that may be filed pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.
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(k) “Required Registration Amount” means (i) with respect to the Initial Registration Statement required to be filed pursuant to Section 2(a), 4,081,672 shares of Common Stock, which number of shares is equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the maximum number of Conversion Shares issuable upon conversion of the Initial Note (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement) (assuming for purposes hereof that (A) the Initial Note is issued on the Initial Closing Date (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement), (B) the Initial Note is convertible at the Event of Default Alternate Conversion Price (as defined in the Notes) assuming an Alternate Conversion Date (as defined in the Notes) as of the Subscription Date, (B) interest on the Initial Note shall accrue through the first (1st) anniversary of the Initial Closing Date and shall be converted in shares of Common Stock at a conversion price equal to the Event of Default Alternate Conversion Price, and (C) any such conversion shall not take into account any limitations on the conversion of the Notes as set forth in the Notes); and (ii) with respect to any Additional Registration Statements that may be required to be filed by the Company pursuant to this Agreement, that number of shares of Common Stock equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the maximum number of Conversion Shares issuable upon conversion of the Additional Notes with respect to which such Additional Registration Statement shall be filed (assuming for purposes hereof that (A) such Additional Notes are issued on the earliest Additional Closing Date at which such Additional Notes are issued, (B) such Additional Notes are convertible at the Event of Default Alternate Conversion Price (as defined in the Notes) assuming an Alternate Conversion Date (as defined in the Notes) as of the earliest Additional Closing Date at which such Additional Notes are issued, (B) interest on the Initial Note shall accrue through the first (1st) anniversary of the earliest applicable Additional Closing Date and shall be converted in shares of Common Stock at a conversion price equal to the Event of Default Alternate Conversion Price, and (C) any such conversion shall not take into account any limitations on the conversion of such Additional Notes as set forth in the Notes).
(l) “Rule 415” means Rule 415 promulgated by the SEC under the Securities Act, as such rule may be amended from time to time, or any other similar or successor rule or regulation of the SEC providing for offering securities on a delayed or continuous basis.
(m) “Subsequent Registration Statement” means any Registration Statement filed subsequent to the Initial Registration Statement that relates to the registration of the Registrable Securities, including, without limitation, any Additional Registration Statement.
| 2. | REGISTRATION. |
(a) Mandatory Registration. The Company shall prepare and, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than the Filing Deadline, file with the SEC an initial Registration Statement on Form S-1 (or any successor form) registering the Required Registration Amount and covering the resale by the Buyers of the Conversion Shares issuable upon conversion of the Initial Note registered thereunder (the “Initial Registration Statement”). Upon each Additional Closing (as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement), the Company shall prepare and, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than the Filing Deadline, file with the SEC an additional Registration Statement on Form S-1 (or any successor form) registering the Required Registration Amount and covering the resale by the Buyers of the Conversion Shares issuable upon conversion of the Additional Notes issued at such Additional Closing and registered thereunder (each, an “Additional Registration Statement”). The Initial Registration Statement and each Additional Registration Statement shall also cover, to the extent allowable under the Securities Act, such indeterminate number of additional shares of Common Stock resulting from stock splits, stock dividends, reclassifications, or similar transactions with respect to the Registrable Securities. The Initial Registration Statement and each Additional Registration Statement shall not include any shares of Common Stock for the account of any Person other than the Buyers without the prior written consent of the Buyers. The Initial Registration Statement and each Additional Registration Statement shall contain the “Selling Stockholder” and “Plan of Distribution” sections in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit B. The Initial Registration Statement and each Additional Registration Statement (and each amendment or supplement thereto, and each request for acceleration of effectiveness thereof) shall be provided, prior to its filing or submission, to the Buyers in accordance with Section 3(d). The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to have the Initial Registration Statement and each Additional Registration Statement declared effective by the SEC as soon as reasonably practicable following the filing thereof with the SEC, but in no event later than the Effectiveness Deadline.
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(b) Filing and Effectiveness Failures. If (i) the Initial Registration Statement or any Additional Registration Statement is not filed on or prior to its Filing Deadline or the Company files the Initial Registration Statement or any Additional Registration Statement without affording the Buyers the opportunity to review and comment on the same as required by Section 3(d) herein, or (ii) the Company fails to file with the SEC a request for acceleration of a Registration Statement in accordance with Rule 461 promulgated by the SEC pursuant to the Securities Act within five (5) Trading Days of the date the Company is notified (orally or in writing, whichever is earlier) by the SEC that such Registration Statement shall not be “reviewed” or shall not be subject to further review, or (iii) prior to the Effective Date of a Registration Statement, the Company fails to file a pre-effective amendment and otherwise respond in writing to comments made by the SEC in respect of such Registration Statement within twenty (20) calendar days after the receipt of comments by or notice from the SEC that such amendment is required in order for such Registration Statement to be declared effective, or (iv) a Registration Statement registering for resale all of the Registrable Securities is not declared effective by the SEC by the Effectiveness Deadline, or (v) after the Effective Date of a Registration Statement, such Registration Statement ceases for any reason to remain continuously effective as to all Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement, or the Buyers are otherwise not permitted to utilize the Prospectus therein to resell such Registrable Securities, for more than ten (10) consecutive calendar days or more than an aggregate of fifteen (15) calendar days (which need not be consecutive calendar days) during any twelve (12)-month period (any such failure or breach being referred to as an “Event,” and for purposes of clauses (i) and (iv), the date on which such Event occurs, and for purpose of clause (ii) the date on which such five (5) Trading Day period is exceeded, and for purpose of clause (iii) the date which such twenty (20) calendar period is exceeded, and for purpose of clause (v) the date on which such ten (10) or fifteen (15) calendar day period, as applicable, is exceeded being referred to as “Event Date”), then, in addition to any other rights the Buyers may have hereunder or under applicable law, on each such Event Date and on each monthly anniversary of each such Event Date (if the applicable Event shall not have been cured by such date) until the applicable Event is cured, but in no event shall exceed six (6) months, the Company shall pay to each Buyer an amount in cash, as partial liquidated damages and not as a penalty, equal to the product of one percent (1.0%) multiplied by the aggregate Subscription Amount paid by such Buyer pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement. If the Company fails to pay any partial liquidated damages pursuant to this Section in full within seven (7) days after the date payable, the Company shall pay interest thereon at a rate of ten percent (10%) per annum (or such lesser maximum amount that is permitted to be paid by applicable law) to the Buyer, accruing daily from the date such partial liquidated damages are due until such amounts, plus all such interest thereon, are paid in full. The partial liquidated damages pursuant to the terms hereof shall apply on a daily pro rata basis for any portion of a month prior to the cure of an Event.
(c) Offering. If the Staff of the SEC (the “Staff”) or the SEC seeks to characterize any offering pursuant to a Registration Statement filed pursuant to this Agreement as constituting an offering of securities that does not permit such Registration Statement to become effective and be used for resales by the Buyers on a delayed or continuous basis under Rule 415 at then-prevailing market prices (and not fixed prices), or if after the filing of any Registration Statement pursuant to Section 2(a), the Company is otherwise required by the Staff or the SEC to reduce the number of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement, then the Company shall reduce the number of Registrable Securities to be included in such Registration Statement (after consultation with the Buyers as to the specific Registrable Securities to be removed therefrom) until such time as the Staff and the SEC shall so permit such Registration Statement to become effective and be used as aforesaid. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, if after giving effect to the actions referred to in the immediately preceding sentence, the Staff or the SEC does not permit such Registration Statement to become effective and be used for resales by the Buyers on a delayed or continuous basis under Rule 415 at then-prevailing market prices (and not fixed prices), the Company shall not request acceleration of the Effective Date of such Registration Statement, the Company shall promptly (but in no event later than 48 hours) request the withdrawal of such Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 477 under the Securities Act, and the Effectiveness Deadline shall automatically be deemed to have elapsed with respect to such Registration Statement at such time as the Staff or the SEC has made a final and non-appealable determination that the SEC shall not permit such Registration Statement to be so utilized (unless prior to such time the Company has received assurances from the Staff or the SEC that a Subsequent Registration Statement filed by the Company with the SEC promptly thereafter may be so utilized). In the event of any reduction in Registrable Securities pursuant to this paragraph, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file one or more Subsequent Registration Statements with the SEC until such time as all Registrable Securities have been included in Registration Statements that have been declared effective and the Prospectuses contained therein are available for use by the Buyers. Notwithstanding any provision herein or in the Securities Purchase Agreement to the contrary, the Company’s obligations to register Registrable Securities (and any related conditions to the Buyers’ obligations) shall be qualified as necessary to comport with any requirement of the Staff or the SEC as addressed in this Section 2(c).
(d) Registrable Securities. Any Registrable Security shall cease to be a “Registrable Security” at the earliest of the following: (i) when a Registration Statement covering such Registrable Security becomes or has been declared effective by the SEC and such Registrable Security has been sold or disposed of pursuant to such effective Registration Statement; (ii) when such Registrable Security is held by the Company or one of its subsidiaries; and (iii) the date that is the later of (A) the first (1st) anniversary of the date of termination of the Securities Purchase Agreement in accordance with Article VIII of the Securities Purchase Agreement and (B) the first (1st) anniversary of the date of the last sale of any Registrable Securities by the Company to the Buyers pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement.
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| 3. | COMPANY OBLIGATIONS AND PROCEDURES. |
The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to effect the registration of the Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method of disposition thereof, and, pursuant thereto, the Company shall have the following obligations:
(a) The Company shall promptly prepare and file with the SEC the Initial Registration Statement and any Additional Registration Statement pursuant to Section 2(a) with respect to the applicable Required Registration Amount, and any other Subsequent Registration Statement required hereunder, but in each case no event later than the applicable Filing Deadline therefor, and the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause each such Registration Statement to become effective as soon as practicable after such filing, but in no event later than the applicable Effectiveness Deadline therefor. The Company shall keep each Registration Statement effective (and the Prospectus contained therein available for use) pursuant to Rule 415 for resales by the Buyers on a continuous basis at then-prevailing market prices (and not fixed prices) at all times until the earlier of (i) the date on which the Buyers shall have sold all of the Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement and (ii) the date of termination of the Securities Purchase Agreement if, as of such termination date, the Buyers holds no Registrable Securities (or, if applicable, the date on which such Securities cease to be Registrable Securities after the date of termination of the Securities Purchase Agreement) (the “Registration Period”).
(b) The Company shall ensure that, when filed and at all times while effective, each Registration Statement (including, without limitation, all amendments and supplements thereto) and the Prospectus (including, without limitation, all amendments and supplements thereto) used in connection with such Registration Statement shall not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein, or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of Prospectuses, in the light of the circumstances in which they were made) not misleading and disclose (whether directly or through incorporation by reference to other SEC filings to the extent permitted) all material information regarding the Company and its Securities.
(c) The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to prepare and file with the SEC such amendments (including, without limitation, post-effective amendments) and supplements to each Registration Statement and the Prospectus used in connection with each such Registration Statement, which Prospectus is to be filed pursuant to Rule 424 promulgated under the Securities Act, as may be necessary to keep each such Registration Statement effective (and the Prospectus contained therein current and available for use) at all times during the Registration Period for such Registration Statement, and, during such period, comply with the provisions of the Securities Act with respect to the disposition of all Registrable Securities of the Company required to be covered by such Registration Statement until such time as all of such Registrable Securities shall have been disposed of in accordance with the intended methods of disposition by the Buyers as set forth in such Registration Statement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company covenants and agrees that at or before 8:30 a.m. (New York City time) on the Trading Day immediately following the Effective Date of the Initial Registration Statement, any Additional Registration Statement, and any other Subsequent Registration Statement (or any post-effective amendment thereto), the Company shall file with the SEC in accordance with Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act the final Prospectus to be used in connection with sales pursuant to such Registration Statement (or post-effective amendment thereto). In the case of amendments and supplements to any Registration Statement on Form S-1 or Prospectus related thereto which are required to be filed pursuant to this Agreement (including, without limitation, pursuant to this Section 3(c)) by reason of the Company filing a report on Form 8-K, Form 10-Q, or Form 10-K or any analogous report under the Exchange Act, the Company shall have incorporated such report by reference into such Registration Statement and Prospectus, if applicable, or shall file such amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus with the SEC on the same day on which the Exchange Act report is filed which created the requirement for the Company to amend or supplement such Registration Statement or Prospectus, for the purpose of including or incorporating such report into such Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Company consents to the use of the Prospectus (including, without limitation, any supplement thereto) included in each Registration Statement in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act and with the securities or “Blue Sky” laws of the jurisdictions in which the Registrable Securities may be sold by the Buyers, in connection with the resale of the Registrable Securities and for such period of time thereafter as such Prospectus (including, without limitation, any supplement thereto) (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Securities Act) is required by the Securities Act to be delivered in connection with resales of Registrable Securities.
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(d) The Company shall (i) permit the Buyers an opportunity to review and comment upon (A) each Registration Statement at least two (2) Business Days prior to its filing with the SEC and (B) all amendments and supplements to each Registration Statement (including, without limitation, the Prospectus contained therein) (except for Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and any similar or successor reports or Prospectus Supplements the contents of which is limited to that set forth in such reports) within a reasonable number of days prior to their filing with the SEC, and (ii) shall reasonably consider any comments of the Buyers on any such Registration Statement or amendment or supplement thereto or to any Prospectus contained therein.
(e) Without limiting any obligation of the Company under the Securities Purchase Agreement, the Company shall promptly furnish to the Buyers, without charge, (i) after the same is prepared and filed with the SEC, at least one (1) electronic copy of each Registration Statement and any amendment(s) and supplement(s) thereto, including, without limitation, financial statements and schedules, all documents incorporated therein by reference, if requested by the Buyers, all exhibits thereto (or such other number of copies as the Buyers may reasonably request from time to time), (ii) upon the effectiveness of each Registration Statement, one (1) electronic copy of the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement and all amendments and supplements thereto (or such other number of copies as the Buyers may reasonably request from time to time), (iii) electronic or digital copies of any correspondence from the SEC or the Staff to the Company or its representatives relating to each Registration Statement (which correspondence shall be redacted to exclude any material, non-public information regarding the Company or any of its Subsidiaries), and (iv) such other documents, including, without limitation, copies of any final Prospectus and any Prospectus Supplement thereto, as the Buyers may reasonably request from time to time in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by the Buyers; provided, however, the Company shall not be required to furnish any document to the Buyers to the extent such document is available on EDGAR).
(f) The Company shall submit to the SEC, within two (2) Business Days after the date that the Company learns that no review of a particular Registration Statement shall be made by the Staff or that the Staff has no further comments on a particular Registration Statement (as the case may be), a request for acceleration of effectiveness of such Registration Statement to a time and date not later than three (3) Business Days after the submission of such request.
(g) Promptly after each Registration Statement which covers Registrable Securities is declared effective by the SEC, the Company shall deliver, and shall cause its legal counsel to deliver, to the transfer agent for such Registrable Securities (with copies to the Buyers) confirmation that such Registration Statement has been declared effective by the SEC in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A, or in such other form as requested by the Company’s transfer agent.
(h) The Company shall take such action as is reasonably necessary to (i) register and qualify, unless an exemption from registration and qualification applies, the resale by the Buyers of the Registrable Securities covered by a Registration Statement under such other securities or “Blue Sky” laws of all applicable jurisdictions in the United States, (ii) prepare and file in those jurisdictions, such amendments (including, without limitation, post-effective amendments) and supplements to such registrations and qualifications as may be necessary to maintain the effectiveness thereof during the Registration Period, (iii) take such other actions as may be reasonably necessary to maintain such registrations and qualifications in effect at all times during the Registration Period, and (iv) take all other actions reasonably necessary or advisable to qualify the Registrable Securities for sale in such jurisdictions; provided, however, the Company shall not be required in connection therewith or as a condition thereto to (A) qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for this Section 3(h), (B) subject itself to general taxation in any such jurisdiction, or (C) file a general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction. The Company shall promptly notify the Buyers of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the registration or qualification of any of the Registrable Securities for sale under the securities or “Blue Sky” laws of any jurisdiction in the United States or its receipt of actual notice of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose.
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(i) The Company shall notify the Buyers in writing of the happening of any event, as promptly as reasonably practicable after becoming aware of such event, as a result of which the Prospectus included in a Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (provided that in no event shall such notice contain any material, non-public information regarding the Company or any of its Subsidiaries), and promptly prepare a supplement or amendment to such Registration Statement and such Prospectus contained therein to correct such untrue statement or omission and deliver one (1) electronic copy of such supplement or amendment to the Buyers (or such other number of copies as the Buyers may reasonably request). The Company shall also promptly notify the Buyers in writing (i) when a Prospectus or any Prospectus Supplement or post-effective amendment has been filed, when a Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment has become effective (notification of such effectiveness shall be delivered to the Buyers by e-mail on the same day of such effectiveness, and by overnight delivery), and when the Company receives written notice from the SEC that a Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment shall be reviewed by the SEC, (ii) of any request by the SEC for amendments or supplements to a Registration Statement or related Prospectus or related information, and (iii) of the Company’s reasonable determination that a post-effective amendment to a Registration Statement would be appropriate and (iv) of the receipt of any request by the SEC or any other federal or state governmental authority for any additional information relating to the Buyers or the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents in the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement thereto or any related Prospectus. The Company shall respond in writing to any comments received from the SEC with respect to a Registration Statement or any amendment thereto as promptly as reasonably practicable, but in no event later than ten (10) calendar days after the receipt of such comments by or notice from the SEC that an amendment is required in order for a Registration Statement to be declared effective. Nothing in this Section 3(i) shall limit any obligation of the Company under the Securities Purchase Agreement.
(j) The Company shall (i) use its commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or other suspension of effectiveness of a Registration Statement or the use of any Prospectus contained therein, or the suspension of the qualification, or the loss of an exemption from qualification, of any of the Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction and, if such an order or suspension is issued, to obtain the withdrawal of such order or suspension at the earliest possible time, and (ii) notify the Buyers of the issuance of such order and the resolution thereof or its receipt of actual notice of the initiation or threat of any proceeding.
(k) The Company shall hold in confidence and not make any disclosure of information concerning the Buyers provided to the Company unless (i) disclosure of such information is necessary to comply with federal or state securities laws, (ii) the disclosure of such information is necessary to avoid or correct a misstatement or omission in any Registration Statement or is otherwise required to be disclosed in such Registration Statement pursuant to the Securities Act, (iii) the release of such information is ordered pursuant to a subpoena or other order from a court or governmental body of competent jurisdiction, or (iv) such information has been made generally available to the public other than by disclosure in violation of this Agreement or any other Transaction Document. The Company agrees that it shall, upon learning that disclosure of such information concerning the Buyers is sought in or by a court or governmental body of competent jurisdiction or through other means, give prompt written notice (email being sufficient) to the Buyers and allow the Buyers, at the Buyers’ expense, to undertake appropriate action to seek prevention of disclosure of, or to seek a protective order for, such information.
(l) Without limiting any obligation of the Company under the Securities Purchase Agreement, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts either to (i) cause all of the Registrable Securities covered by each Registration Statement to be listed on the Trading Market or other market on which the Common Stock is then listed, (ii) secure designation and quotation of all of the Registrable Securities covered by each Registration Statement on another Eligible Market, or (iii) if, despite the Company’s commercially reasonable efforts to satisfy the preceding clauses (i) or (ii), the Company is unsuccessful in satisfying the preceding clauses (i) or (ii), without limiting the generality of the foregoing, use its commercially reasonable efforts to arrange for at least two (2) market makers to register with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) as such with respect to such Registrable Securities. In addition, the Company shall reasonably cooperate with the Buyers and any Broker-Dealer through which a Buyer proposes to sell its Registrable Securities in effecting a filing with the FINRA pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110 as requested by the Buyer. The Company shall pay all fees and expenses in connection with satisfying its obligation under this Section 3(l).
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(m) The Company shall cooperate with the Buyers and, to the extent applicable, facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of Registrable Securities, as DWAC Shares, to be offered pursuant to a Registration Statement and enable such DWAC Shares to be in such denominations or amounts (as the case may be) as the Buyer may reasonably request from time to time and registered in such names as the Buyer may request. Each Buyer hereby agrees that it shall cooperate with the Company, its counsel and transfer agent in connection with any issuances of the DWAC Shares, and hereby represents, warrants and covenants to the Company that that it shall resell such shares only pursuant to the Registration Statement in which such DWAC Shares are included, in a manner described under the caption “Plan of Distribution” in such Registration Statement, and in a manner in compliance with all applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws, rules and regulations, including, without limitation, any applicable prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act. DWAC Shares shall be free from all restrictive legends may be transmitted by the transfer agent to the Buyer by crediting an account at DTC as directed in writing by the Buyer.
(n) Upon the written request of any Buyer, the Company shall as soon as reasonably practicable after receipt of notice from the Buyer, (i) incorporate in a Prospectus Supplement or post-effective amendment such information as the Buyer reasonably requests to be included therein relating to the sale and distribution of Registrable Securities, including, without limitation, information with respect to the number of Registrable Securities being offered or sold, the purchase price being paid therefor and any other terms of the offering of the Registrable Securities to be sold in such offering; (ii) make all required filings of such Prospectus Supplement or post-effective amendment after being notified of the matters to be incorporated in such Prospectus Supplement or post-effective amendment; and (iii) supplement or make amendments to any Registration Statement or Prospectus contained therein if reasonably requested by the Buyer.
(o) The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Registrable Securities covered by a Registration Statement to be registered with or approved by such other governmental agencies or authorities in the United States as may be necessary to consummate the disposition of such Registrable Securities.
(p) The Company shall make generally available to its security holders (which may be satisfied by making such information available on EDGAR) as soon as practical, but not later than ninety (90) days after the close of the period covered thereby, an earnings statement (in form complying with, and in the manner provided by, the provisions of Rule 158 under the Securities Act) covering a twelve (12)-month period beginning not later than the first day of the Company’s fiscal quarter next following the applicable Effective Date of each Registration Statement.
(q) The Company shall otherwise use its commercially reasonable efforts to comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the SEC in connection with any registration hereunder.
(r) Neither the Company nor any of its security holders (other than the Buyers in such capacity pursuant hereto) may include securities of the Company in any Registration Statements other than the Registrable Securities. The Company shall not file any other Registration Statements until all Registrable Securities are registered pursuant to a Registration Statement that is declared effective by the SEC, provided that this Section 3(r) shall not prohibit the Company from filing amendments to Registration Statements filed prior to the Agreement Date so long as no new securities are registered on any such existing Registration Statements. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has entered, as of the date hereof, nor shall the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on or after the date of this Agreement, enter into any agreement with respect to its securities, that would have the effect of impairing the rights granted to the Buyers in this Agreement or otherwise conflicts with the provisions hereof. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has previously entered into any agreement granting any registration rights with respect to any of its securities to any Person that has not been satisfied in full.
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| 4. | OBLIGATIONS OF THE BUYERS. |
(a) At least five (5) Business Days prior to the first anticipated filing date of each Registration Statement (or such shorter period to which the Parties agree), the Company shall notify the Buyers in writing of the information the Company requires from the Buyers with respect to such Registration Statement. It shall be a condition precedent to the obligations of the Company to complete the registration pursuant to this Agreement with respect to the Registrable Securities of the Buyers that each Buyer shall furnish to the Company such information regarding itself, the Registrable Securities held by it and the intended method of disposition of the Registrable Securities held by it, as shall be reasonably required to effect and maintain the effectiveness of the registration of such Registrable Securities and shall execute such documents in connection with such registration as the Company may reasonably request.
(b) Each Buyer, by acceptance of the Registrable Securities, agrees to cooperate with the Company as reasonably requested by the Company in connection with the preparation and filing of each Registration Statement hereunder, unless the Buyer has notified the Company in writing of the Buyer’s election to exclude all of the Registrable Securities from such Registration Statement.
(c) Each Buyer agrees that, upon receipt of any notice from the Company of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 3(i), the Buyer shall immediately discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities pursuant to any Registration Statement(s) covering such Registrable Securities until the Buyer’s receipt of the copies of the supplemented or amended Prospectus contemplated by Section 3(i) or receipt of notice that no supplement or amendment is required. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 4(c), the Company shall cause its transfer agent to deliver DWAC Shares to a transferee of such Buyer in accordance with the terms of the Securities Purchase Agreement in connection with any sale of Registrable Securities with respect to which the Buyer has entered into a contract for sale prior to the Buyer’s receipt of a notice from the Company of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 3(i) and for which the Buyer has not yet settled.
(d) Each Buyer covenants and agrees that it shall comply with the prospectus delivery and other requirements of the Securities Act as applicable to it in connection with sales of Registrable Securities pursuant to a Registration Statement.
| 5. | EXPENSES OF REGISTRATION. |
The Company shall pay all expenses associated with the registration of the Registrable Securities, including costs to prepare the Registration Statements, filing and printing fees, fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel, accounting fees and expenses, costs associated with clearing the Registrable Securities for sale under applicable state securities laws, listing fees, fees and expenses of one counsel to the lead Buyer, and such lead Buyer’s reasonable expenses. All registration, listing and qualification fees, printers and accounting fees incurred by the Company, and fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company, shall be paid by the Company.
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| 6. | INDEMNIFICATION. |
(a) In the event any Registrable Securities are included in any Registration Statement under this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company shall, and hereby does, indemnify, hold harmless and defend each Buyer, each of its respective directors, officers, shareholders, members, partners, employees, and authorized representatives, agents and financial, accounting and legal advisors (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles notwithstanding the lack of such title or any other title), and each Person, if any, who controls the Buyer within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act and each of the directors, officers, shareholders, members, partners, employees, and authorized representatives, agents and financial, accounting and legal advisors (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles notwithstanding the lack of such title or any other title) of such controlling Persons (each, a “Buyer Party” and collectively, the “Buyer Parties”), against any losses, obligations, claims, damages, liabilities, contingencies, judgments, fines, penalties, charges, costs (including, without limitation, court costs, attorneys’ fees, costs of defense and investigation), amounts paid in settlement or expenses, joint or several, (collectively, “Claims”) reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending any action, claim, suit, inquiry, proceeding, investigation or appeal taken from the foregoing by or before any court or governmental, administrative or other regulatory agency, body or the SEC, whether pending or threatened, whether or not an Buyer Party is or may be a party thereto (“Indemnified Damages”), to which any of them may become subject insofar as such Claims (or actions or proceedings, whether commenced or threatened, in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon: (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact in a Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or in any filing made in connection with the qualification of the offering under the securities or other “Blue Sky” laws of any jurisdiction in which Registrable Securities are offered (“Blue Sky Filing”), or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) or in any Prospectus Supplement or the omission or alleged omission to state therein any material fact necessary to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which the statements therein were made, not misleading (the matters in the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii) being, collectively, “Violations”). Subject to Section 6(c), the Company shall reimburse the Buyer Parties, promptly as such expenses are incurred and are due and payable, for any reasonable legal fees or other reasonable expenses incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such Claim. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the indemnification agreement contained in this Section 6(a): (i) shall not apply to a Claim by an Buyer Party arising out of or based upon a Violation which occurs in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by such Buyer Party for such Buyer Party expressly for use in connection with the preparation of such Registration Statement, Prospectus or Prospectus Supplement or any such amendment thereof or supplement thereto (it being hereby acknowledged and agreed that the written information set forth on Exhibit B attached hereto is the only written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of the Buyer expressly for use in any Registration Statement, Prospectus or Prospectus Supplement); (ii) shall not be available to the Buyer to the extent such Claim is based on a failure of the Buyer to deliver or to cause to be delivered the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) made available by the Company (to the extent applicable), including, without limitation, a corrected Prospectus, if such Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) or corrected Prospectus was timely made available by the Company pursuant to Section 3(d) and then only if, and to the extent that, following the receipt of the corrected Prospectus no grounds for such Claim would have existed; and (iii) shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any Claim if such settlement is effected without the prior written consent of the Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Buyer Party and shall survive the transfer of any of the Registrable Securities by the Buyer pursuant to Section 9.
(b) In connection with any Registration Statement in which the Buyers are participating, each Buyer agrees to severally and not jointly indemnify, hold harmless and defend, to the same extent and in the same manner as is set forth in Section 6(a), the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the Registration Statement and each Person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act (each, a “Company Party” and collectively, the “Company Parties”), against any Claim or Indemnified Damages to which any of them may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as such Claim or Indemnified Damages arise out of or are based upon any Violation, in each case, to the extent, and only to the extent, that such Violation occurs in reliance upon and in conformity with written information relating to the Buyer furnished to the Company by the Buyer expressly for use in connection with such Registration Statement, the Prospectus included therein or any Prospectus Supplement thereto (it being hereby acknowledged and agreed that the written information set forth on Exhibit B attached hereto is the only written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of the Buyer expressly for use in any Registration Statement, Prospectus or Prospectus Supplement); and, subject to Section 6(c) and the below provisos in this Section 6(b), the Buyer shall reimburse a Company Party any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Company Party in connection with investigating or defending any such Claim; provided, however, the indemnity agreement contained in this Section 6(b) and the agreement with respect to contribution contained in Section 7 shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any Claim if such settlement is effected without the prior written consent of the Buyer, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed; and provided, further that the Buyer shall be liable under this Section 6(b) for only that amount of a Claim or Indemnified Damages as does not exceed the net proceeds to the Buyer as a result of the applicable sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement, Prospectus or Prospectus Supplement. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of such Company Party and shall survive the transfer of any of the Registrable Securities by the Buyer pursuant to Section 9 hereof.
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(c) Promptly after receipt by an Buyer Party or Company Party (as the case may be) under this Section 6 of notice of the commencement of any action or proceeding (including, without limitation, any governmental action or proceeding) involving a Claim, such Buyer Party or Company Party (as the case may be) shall, if a Claim in respect thereof is to be made against any indemnifying party under this Section 6, deliver to the indemnifying party a written notice of the commencement thereof, and the indemnifying party shall have the right to participate in, and, to the extent the indemnifying party so desires, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly noticed, to assume control of the defense thereof with counsel mutually satisfactory to the indemnifying party and the Buyer Party or the Company Party (as the case may be); provided, however, an Buyer Party or Company Party (as the case may be) shall have the right to retain its own counsel with the fees and expenses of such counsel to be paid by the indemnifying party if: (i) the indemnifying party has agreed in writing to pay such fees and expenses; (ii) the indemnifying party shall have failed promptly to assume the defense of such Claim and to employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to such Buyer Party or Company Party (as the case may be) in any such Claim; or (iii) the named parties to any such Claim (including, without limitation, any impleaded parties) include both such Buyer Party or Company Party (as the case may be) and the indemnifying party, and such Buyer Party or such Company Party (as the case may be) shall have been advised by counsel that a conflict of interest is likely to exist if the same counsel were to represent such Buyer Party or such Company Party and the indemnifying party (in which case, if such Buyer Party or such Company Party (as the case may be) notifies the indemnifying party in writing that it elects to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party, then the indemnifying party shall not have the right to assume the defense thereof on behalf of the indemnified party and such counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnifying party, provided further that in the case of clause (iii) above the indemnifying party shall not be responsible for the reasonable fees and expenses of more than one (1) separate legal counsel for all Buyer Parties or Company Parties (as the case may be). The Company Party or Buyer Party (as the case may be) shall reasonably cooperate with the indemnifying party in connection with any negotiation or defense of any such action or Claim by the indemnifying party and shall furnish to the indemnifying party all information reasonably available to the Company Party or Buyer Party (as the case may be) which relates to such action or Claim. The indemnifying party shall keep the Company Party or Buyer Party (as the case may be) reasonably apprised at all times as to the status of the defense or any settlement negotiations with respect thereto. No indemnifying party shall be liable for any settlement of any action, claim or proceeding effected without its prior written consent; provided, however, the indemnifying party shall not unreasonably withhold, delay or condition its consent. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the Company Party or Buyer Party (as the case may be), consent to entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement or other compromise which does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such Company Party or Buyer Party (as the case may be) of a release from all liability in respect to such Claim or litigation, and such settlement shall not include any admission as to fault on the part of the Company Party. For the avoidance of doubt, the immediately preceding sentence shall apply to Sections 6(a) and 6(b). Following indemnification as provided for hereunder, the indemnifying party shall be subrogated to all rights of the Company Party or Buyer Party (as the case may be) with respect to all third parties, firms or corporations relating to the matter for which indemnification has been made. The failure to deliver written notice to the indemnifying party within a reasonable time of the commencement of any such action shall not relieve such indemnifying party of any liability to the Buyer Party or Company Party (as the case may be) under this Section 6, except to the extent that the indemnifying party is materially and adversely prejudiced in its ability to defend such action.
(d) No Person involved in the sale of Registrable Securities who is guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) in connection with such sale shall be entitled to indemnification from any Person involved in such sale of Registrable Securities who is not guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation.
(e) The indemnification required by this Section 6 shall be made by periodic payments of the amount thereof during the course of the investigation or defense, as and when bills are received or Indemnified Damages are incurred; provided that any Person receiving any payment pursuant to this Section 6 shall promptly reimburse the Person making such payment for the amount of such payment to the extent a court of competent jurisdiction determines that such Person receiving such payment was not entitled to such payment.
(f) The indemnity and contribution agreements contained herein shall be in addition to (i) any cause of action or similar right of the Company Party or Buyer Party against the indemnifying party or others, and (ii) any liabilities the indemnifying party may be subject to pursuant to the law.
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| 7. | CONTRIBUTION. |
To the extent any indemnification by an indemnifying party is prohibited, limited by law, or unavailable to an indemnified party or insufficient to hold it harmless, then the indemnifying party agrees to make the maximum contribution with respect to any amounts for which it would otherwise be liable under Section 6 to the fullest extent permitted by law; provided, however: (i) no contribution shall be made under circumstances where the maker would not have been liable for indemnification under the fault standards set forth in Section 6 of this Agreement, (ii) no Person involved in the sale of Registrable Securities which Person is guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) in connection with such sale shall be entitled to contribution from any Person involved in such sale of Registrable Securities who was not guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation; and (iii) contribution by any seller of Registrable Securities shall be limited in amount to the amount of net proceeds received by such seller from the applicable sale of such Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, a Buyer shall not be required to contribute, in the aggregate, any amount in excess of the amount by which the net proceeds actually received by the Buyer from the applicable sale of the Registrable Securities subject to the Claim exceeds the amount of any damages the Buyer has otherwise been required to pay, or would otherwise be required to pay under Section 6(b), by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.
| 8. | EXCHANGE ACT REPORTS. |
With a view to making available to the Buyers the benefits of Rule 144 (or its successor rule), the Company agrees to:
(a) use its reasonable best efforts to make and keep public information available, as those terms are understood and defined in Rule 144, until the earlier of (i) six (6) months after such date as all of the Registrable Securities may be sold without restriction by the holders thereof pursuant to Rule 144 or any other rule of similar effect, or (ii) such date as all of the Registrable Securities shall have been resold;
(b) use its reasonable best efforts to file with the SEC in a timely manner all reports and other documents required of the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act so long as the Company remains subject to such requirements (it being understood that nothing herein shall limit any of the Company’s obligations under the Securities Purchase Agreement) and the filing of such reports and other documents is required for the applicable provisions of Rule 144;
(c) furnish to the Buyers (so long as the Buyers owns Registrable Securities), promptly upon request, (i) a written statement by the Company, if true, that it has complied with the reporting, submission, and posting requirements of Rule 144 and the Exchange Act, (ii) a copy of the most recent annual or quarterly report of the Company and such other reports and documents so filed by the Company with the SEC if such reports are not publicly available via EDGAR, and (iii) such other information as may be reasonably requested to permit the Buyers to sell such Securities pursuant to Rule 144 without registration; and
(d) take such additional action as is reasonably requested by the Buyers to enable the Buyers to sell the Registrable Securities pursuant to Rule 144, including, without limitation, delivering all such legal opinions, consents, certificates, resolutions and instructions to the Company’s Transfer Agent as may be reasonably requested from time to time by the Buyers and otherwise fully cooperate with the Buyers and any broker of a Buyer to effect such sale of Securities pursuant to Rule 144.
| 9. | ASSIGNMENT OF REGISTRATION RIGHTS. |
Each Buyer may transfer or assign, in whole or from time to time in part, to one or more persons its rights hereunder in connection with the transfer of Registrable Securities by such Buyer to such person, provided that the Buyer complies with all laws applicable thereto and provides written notice of assignment to the Company promptly after such assignment is effected. This Agreement may not be assigned by the Company (whether by operation of law or otherwise) without the prior written consent of the Buyers, provided that in the event that the Company is a party to a merger, consolidation, share exchange or similar business combination transaction in which the Common Stock is converted into the equity securities of another entity, from and after the effective time of such transaction, such entity shall, by virtue of such transaction, be deemed to have assumed the obligations of the Company hereunder, the term “Company” shall be deemed to refer to such entity and the term “Registrable Securities” shall be deemed to include the securities received by the Buyers in connection with such transaction unless such securities are otherwise freely tradable by the Buyers after giving effect to such transaction. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns. This Agreement is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any Person, other than the Parties, their respective successors and permitted assigns.
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| 10. | AMENDMENT OR WAIVER. |
No provision of this Agreement may be amended or waived by the Parties from and after the date that is one (1) Trading Day immediately preceding the date on which the Initial Registration Statement is filed with the SEC. Subject to the immediately preceding sentence, no provision of this Agreement may be (a) amended other than by a written instrument signed by the Parties or (b) waived other than in a written instrument signed by the Party against whom enforcement of such waiver is sought. Failure of any Party to exercise any right or remedy under this Agreement or otherwise, or delay by a Party in exercising such right or remedy, shall not operate as a waiver thereof.
| 11. | MISCELLANEOUS. |
(a) Solely for purposes of this Agreement, a Person is deemed to be a holder of Registrable Securities whenever such Person owns or is deemed to own of record such Registrable Securities. If the Company receives conflicting instructions, notices or elections from two (2) or more Persons with respect to the same Registrable Securities, the Company shall act upon the basis of instructions, notice or election received from such record owner of such Registrable Securities.
(b) Any notices, consents, waivers or other communications required or permitted to be given under the terms of this Agreement shall be given in accordance with Section 9(f) of the Securities Purchase Agreement.
(c) Failure of any Party to exercise any right or remedy under this Agreement or otherwise, or delay by a Party in exercising such right or remedy, shall not operate as a waiver thereof. The Company and the Buyers acknowledge and agree that irreparable damage would occur in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. It is accordingly agreed that either Party shall be entitled to an injunction or injunctions to prevent or cure breaches of the provisions of this Agreement by the other Party and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof (without the necessity of showing economic loss and without any bond or other security being required), this being in addition to any other remedy to which either Party may be entitled by law or equity.
(d) All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Agreement shall be governed by the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law provision or rule (whether of the State of New York or any other jurisdictions) that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdictions other than the State of New York. Each Party hereby irrevocably submits to the jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the State of New York for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum or that the venue of such suit, action or proceeding is improper. Each Party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof to such Party at the address for such notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. If any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remainder of this Agreement in that jurisdiction or the validity or enforceability of any provision of this Agreement in any other jurisdiction. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO, AND AGREES NOT TO REQUEST, A JURY TRIAL FOR THE ADJUDICATION OF ANY DISPUTE HEREUNDER OR IN CONNECTION HEREWITH OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
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(e) The Transaction Documents set forth the entire agreement and understanding of the Parties solely with respect to the subject matter thereof and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements, negotiations and understandings between the Parties, both oral and written, solely with respect to such matters. There are no promises, undertakings, representations or warranties by either Party relative to the subject matter hereof not expressly set forth in the Transaction Documents. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary and without implication that the contrary would otherwise be true, nothing contained in this Agreement shall limit, modify or affect in any manner whatsoever any of the Company’s obligations under the Securities Purchase Agreement.
(f) The headings in this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning hereof. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, each pronoun herein shall be deemed to include the masculine, feminine, neuter, singular and plural forms thereof. The terms “including,” “includes,” “include” and words of like import shall be construed broadly as if followed by the words “without limitation.” The terms “herein,” “hereunder,” “hereof” and words of like import refer to this entire Agreement instead of just the provision in which they are found.
(g) This Agreement may be executed in two or more identical counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each Party and delivered to the other Party; provided that a facsimile signature or signature delivered by e-mail in a “.pdf” or comparable commercially recognized electronic or digital format, including any electronic signature complying with the U.S. Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act of 2000 shall be considered due execution and shall be binding upon the signatory thereto with the same force and effect as if the signature were an original signature.
(h) Each Party shall do and perform, or cause to be done and performed, all such further acts and things, and shall execute and deliver all such other agreements, certificates, instruments and documents as any other Party may reasonably request in order to carry out the intent and accomplish the purposes of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.
(i) The language used in this Agreement shall be deemed to be the language chosen by the Parties to express their mutual intent and no rules of strict construction shall be applied against any Party.
[Signature Page Follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each Buyer and the Company have caused their respective signature page to this Agreement to be duly executed as of the Agreement Date.
| COMPANY: | ||
| CAPSTONE HOLDING CORP. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | Matthew E. Lipman | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
[Signature page to Registration Rights Agreement]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each Buyer and the Company have caused their respective signature page to this Agreement to be duly executed as of the Agreement Date.
| BUYER: | ||
[___] | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
[Signature page to Registration Rights Agreement]
Exhibit A
FORM
OF NOTICE OF EFFECTIVENESS
OF REGISTRATION STATEMENT
Intentionally omitted.
A-1
Exhibit 10.4
Execution Copy
SECURITY AGREEMENT
This SECURITY AGREEMENT (as it may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, this “Security Agreement”), dated as of July 29, 2025 (the “Closing Date”), is made by and between Capstone Holding Corp., a Delaware corporation with offices located at 5141 W. 122nd Street, Alsip, Illinois 60803 (“Company” and together with each other Person joined hereto as a grantor, each a “Grantor” and collectively the “Grantors”), [___] (“Secured Party”).
PRELIMINARY STATEMENT
WHEREAS, Company is indebted to Secured Party in the aggregate principal amount of $3,272,966 pursuant to that certain Senior Secured Convertible Note, dated as of the date hereof, made by Company in favor of Secured Party (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Note” and, together with any other Notes issued under the Securities Purchase Agreement (as defined below) from time to time, collectively the “Notes”), which was made in connection with the transactions contemplated by that certain Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and among Company and the investor party thereto as the Buyer (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Securities Purchase Agreement”). As used herein, “Transaction Documents” shall have the meaning provided to such term in the Securities Purchase Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged by the parties hereto, and to induce Secured Party to enter into transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, Grantor hereby agrees with Secured Party as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
1.1. Terms Defined in the Note. All capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Note.
1.2. Terms Defined in UCC. Terms defined in the UCC which are not otherwise defined in this Security Agreement are used herein as defined in the UCC.
1.3. Definitions of Certain Terms Used Herein. As used in this Security Agreement, in addition to the terms defined elsewhere in this Security Agreement, including, but not limited to the first paragraph and Preliminary Statement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
“Accounts” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9 of the UCC.
“Account Debtor” means any Person obligated on an Account.
“Article” means a numbered article of this Security Agreement, unless another document is specifically referenced.
“Chattel Paper” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9 of the UCC.
“Collateral” shall have the meaning set forth in Article II.
“Collateral Access Agreement” means any landlord waiver or other agreement, in form and substance satisfactory to Secured Party, between Secured Party and any third party (including any bailee, consignee, customs broker, or other similar Person) in possession of any Collateral or any landlord of any real property where any Collateral is located (and, if applicable, another secured lender party thereto), as such landlord waiver or other agreement may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.
“Commercial Tort Claims” means the commercial tort claims as defined in Article 9 of the UCC, including each commercial tort claim specifically described on Exhibit I.
“Control” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8 or, if applicable, in Section 9-104, 9-105, 9-106 or 9-107 of Article 9 of the UCC.
“Copyrights” means, with respect to any Person, all of such Person’s right, title, and interest in and to the following: (a) all copyrights, rights and interests in copyrights, works protectable by copyright, copyright registrations, and copyright applications; (b) all renewals of any of the foregoing; (c) all income, royalties, damages, and payments now or hereafter due and/or payable under any of the foregoing, including, without limitation, damages or payments for past or future infringements for any of the foregoing; (d) the right to sue for past, present, and future infringements of any of the foregoing; and (e) all rights corresponding to any of the foregoing throughout the world.
“Default” means any event or condition which constitutes an Event of Default or which upon notice, lapse of time or both would, unless cured or waived, become an Event of Default.
“Deposit Account Control Agreement” means an agreement, in form and substance satisfactory to Secured Party, among Grantor, a banking institution holding the Grantor's funds, and Secured Party with respect to collection and control of all deposits and balances held in a deposit account maintained by the Grantor with such banking institution (and, if applicable, another secured lender party thereto).
“Deposit Accounts” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9 of the UCC.
“Documents” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9 of the UCC.
“Equipment” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9 of the UCC.
“Equity Interests” means shares of capital stock, partnership interests, membership interests in a limited liability company, beneficial interests in a trust or other equity ownership interests in a Person, and any warrants, options or other rights entitling the holder thereof to purchase or acquire any of the foregoing, but excluding any debt securities convertible into any of the foregoing.
“Event of Default” means an event described in Section 5.1.
“Excluded Accounts” means any deposit account (a)(i) identified on Exhibit B from time to time and used exclusively as a payroll deposit account (so long as each such payroll deposit account does not contain amounts in excess of amounts necessary to pay payroll expenses), (ii) that is a trust deposit account or (iii) that is a deposit account used exclusively for withholding tax, goods and services tax, sales tax or payroll tax, so long as, in all cases in this clause (a), no other amounts are so deposited in such deposit accounts.
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“Excluded Property” means, collectively, (a) assets as to which granting or perfecting a security interest in or upon would violate Applicable Laws, provided, that proceeds thereof shall not be deemed “Excluded Property” (unless such proceeds would otherwise constitute Excluded Property), (b) voting equity interests in any Foreign Subsidiary in excess of 66 2/3% of the total voting equity interests in such Foreign Subsidiary (or such greater percentage as may be pledged without adverse tax consequences (other than de minimis adverse tax consequences, as determined by the Grantors in consultation with the Secured Party) to the Grantors under Section 956 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) of the voting Equity Interests, (c) any intent-to-use United States trademark application for which an amendment to allege use or statement of use has not been filed and accepted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (provided that each such intent-to-use application shall be considered Collateral immediately and automatically upon such filing and acceptance), (d) goods covered by a certificate of title, and (e) any contract, lease, license, permit or other governmental approval that prohibits, restricts or requires the consent not obtained of a third party other than any Grantor for the creation of a security interest in such contract, lease, license, permit other governmental approval (or in any rights thereunder) except to the extent that any such prohibition, restriction or requirement would be rendered ineffective pursuant to Section 9-406, 9-407, 9-408 and 9-409 of the UCC or any other Applicable Law.
“Excluded Swap Obligations” means, with respect to any Grantor, any swap obligation if, and solely to the extent that, all or a portion of the guarantee of such Grantor of, or the grant by such Grantor of a security interest pursuant to this Security Agreement to secure, such swap obligation (or any guarantee thereof) is or becomes illegal or unlawful under the Commodity Exchange Act or any rule, regulation or order of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (or the application or official interpretation of any thereof) by virtue of such Grantor’s failure for any reason to constitute an “eligible contract participant” (determined after giving effect to any applicable keep well, support or other agreement for the benefit of such Grantor’s failure to constitute an “eligible contract participant” at such time. If a swap obligation arises under a master agreement governing more than one swap, such exclusion shall apply only to the portion of such swap obligation that is attributable to swaps for which such guarantee or security interest is or becomes excluded in accordance with the first sentence of this definition.
“Exhibit” refers to a specific exhibit to this Security Agreement, unless another document is specifically referenced.
“Fixtures” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9 of the UCC.
“General Intangibles” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9 of the UCC.
“Goods” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9 of the UCC.
“Indebtedness” means indebtedness in its most comprehensive sense and includes any and all advances, debts, obligations and liabilities of the Company, heretofore, now or hereafter made, incurred or created, whether voluntary or involuntary and however arising, whether due or not due, absolute or contingent, liquidated or unliquidated, determined or undetermined, including under any swap, derivative, foreign exchange, hedge, deposit, treasury management or other similar transaction or arrangement, and whether the Company may be liable, or whether recovery upon such Indebtedness may be or hereafter becomes unenforceable; provided that Indebtedness shall exclude any Excluded Swap Obligations.
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“Instruments” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9 of the UCC.
“Inventory” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9 of the UCC.
“Investment Property” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9 of the UCC.
“Letter-of-Credit Rights” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9 of the UCC.
“Licenses” means, with respect to any Person, all of such Person’s right, title, and interest in and to (a) any and all licensing agreements or similar arrangements in and to its Patents, Copyrights, or Trademarks, (b) all income, royalties, damages, claims, and payments now or hereafter due or payable under and with respect thereto, including, without limitation, damages and payments for past and future breaches thereof, and (c) all rights to sue for past, present, and future breaches thereof.
“Lien” means an interest in Property securing an obligation or claim, including any lien, security interest, pledge, hypothecation, assignment, trust, reservation, assessment right, encroachment, easement, right-of-way, covenant, condition, restriction, lease, or other title exception or encumbrance.
“Patents” means, with respect to any Person, all of such Person’s right, title, and interest in and to: (a) any and all patents and patent applications; (b) all inventions and improvements described and claimed therein; (c) all reissues, divisions, continuations, renewals, extensions, and continuations-in-part thereof; (d) all income, royalties, damages, claims, and payments now or hereafter due or payable under and with respect thereto, including, without limitation, damages and payments for past and future infringements thereof; (e) all rights to sue for past, present, and future infringements thereof; and (f) all rights corresponding to any of the foregoing throughout the world.
“Pledged Collateral” means all Instruments, Securities and other Investment Property of the Grantor, whether or not physically delivered to Secured Party pursuant to this Security Agreement.
“Receivables” means the Accounts, Chattel Paper, Documents, Investment Property, Instruments and any other rights or claims to receive money which are General Intangibles or which are otherwise included as Collateral.
“Section” means a numbered section of this Security Agreement, unless another document is specifically referenced.
“Secured Obligations” means all debts, liabilities, obligations, covenants and duties of, Company arising under any Transaction Document whether direct or indirect (including those acquired by assumption), absolute or contingent, due or to become due, joint, several, or joint and several, now existing or hereafter arising and including interest and fees that accrue after the commencement by or against Company or any Affiliate thereof of any proceeding under the Bankruptcy Code of the United States of America or any other liquidation, conservatorship, bankruptcy, assignment for the benefit of creditors, moratorium, rearrangement, receivership, insolvency, reorganization, or similar laws of the United States or other applicable jurisdictions from time to time in effect naming such Person as the debtor in such proceeding, regardless of whether such interest and fees are allowed claims in such proceeding. Without limiting the foregoing, the Secured Obligations include (a) the obligation to pay principal, interest, fees, and all other charges, expenses, fees, indemnities and other amounts payable by Company under any Transaction Document and (b) the obligation of Company to reimburse any amount in respect of any of the foregoing that Secured Party, in its sole discretion, may elect to pay or advance on behalf of Company.
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“Secured Party” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.
“Security” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 8 of the UCC.
“Stock Rights” means all dividends, instruments or other distributions and any other right or property which the Grantor shall receive or shall become entitled to receive for any reason whatsoever with respect to, in substitution for or in exchange for any Equity Interest constituting Collateral, any right to receive an Equity Interest and any right to receive earnings, in which the Grantor now has or hereafter acquires any right, issued by an issuer of such Equity Interest.
“Supporting Obligations” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9 of the UCC.
“Trademarks” means, with respect to any Person, all of such Person’s right, title, and interest in and to the following: (a) all trademarks (including service marks), trade names, trade dress, and trade styles and the registrations and applications for registration thereof and the goodwill of the business symbolized by the foregoing; (b) all licenses of the foregoing, whether as licensee or licensor; (c) all renewals of the foregoing; (d) all income, royalties, damages, and payments now or hereafter due or payable with respect thereto, including, without limitation, damages, claims, and payments for past and future infringements thereof; (e) all rights to sue for past, present, and future infringements of the foregoing, including the right to settle suits involving claims and demands for royalties owing; and (f) all rights corresponding to any of the foregoing throughout the world.
“UCC” means the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in the State of California and as amended from time to time, provided that if by reason of mandatory provisions of law, the perfection or the effect of perfection or non-perfection of the security interests in any Collateral or the availability of any remedy hereunder is governed by the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect on or after the date hereof in any other jurisdiction, “UCC” means the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in such other jurisdiction for purposes of the provisions hereof relating to such perfection or effect of perfection or non-perfection or availability of such remedy.
The foregoing definitions shall be equally applicable to both the singular and plural forms of the defined terms.
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ARTICLE II
GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST
Each Grantor hereby pledges, assigns and grants to Secured Party, for the benefit of itself, a security interest in all of its right, title and interest in, to and under all personal property and other assets, whether now owned by or owing to, or hereafter acquired by or arising in favor of such Grantor (including under any trade name or derivations thereof), and whether owned or consigned by or to, or leased from or to, such Grantor, and regardless of where located (all of which will be collectively referred to as the “Collateral”), including:
| (i) | all Accounts; |
| (ii) | all Chattel Paper; |
| (iii) | all Copyrights, Patents and Trademarks; |
| (iv) | all Documents; |
| (v) | all Equipment; |
| (vi) | all Fixtures; |
| (vii) | all General Intangibles; |
| (viii) | all Goods; |
| (ix) | all Instruments; |
| (x) | all Inventory; |
| (xi) | all Investment Property (including, without limitation, the Pledged Equity listed on Exhibit G); |
| (xii) | all cash or cash equivalents; |
| (xiii) | all letters of credit, Letter-of-Credit Rights and Supporting Obligations; |
| (xiv) | all Deposit Accounts with any bank or other financial institution; |
| (xv) | all Commercial Tort Claims; |
| (xvi) | all accessions to, substitutions for and replacements, proceeds (including Stock Rights), insurance proceeds and products of the foregoing, together with all books and records, customer lists, credit files, computer files, programs, printouts and other computer materials and records related thereto and any General Intangibles at any time evidencing or relating to any of the foregoing; |
to secure the prompt and complete payment and performance when due of all Secured Obligations.
Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, the Collateral shall not include any Excluded Property.
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ARTICLE III
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
Each Grantor represents and warrants to Secured Party that as of the date hereof and as of the date of any borrowing under the Notes:
3.1. Title, Authorization, Validity, Enforceability, Perfection and Priority. Each Grantor has good and valid rights in or the power to transfer the Collateral and title to the Collateral with respect to which it has purported to grant a security interest hereunder, free and clear of all Liens except for Liens permitted under Section 4.1(e), and has full power and authority to grant to Secured Party the security interest in the Collateral pursuant hereto. The execution and delivery by each Grantor of this Security Agreement has been duly authorized by proper corporate proceedings, and this Security Agreement constitutes a legal valid and binding obligation of the Grantor and creates security interests in all of the Collateral in favor of Secured Party, as collateral security for the Secured Obligations, which security interests are enforceable against such Grantor in all Collateral it now owns or hereafter acquires, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and subject to general principles of equity, regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law. No consent, approval, authorization, or other order or other action by, and no notice to or filing with, any governmental authority or any other Person is required for the grant of a security interest by any Grantor in and to the Collateral pursuant to this Security Agreement or for the execution, delivery, or performance of this Security Agreement by such Grantor. When financing statements have been filed in the appropriate offices against a Grantor in the locations listed on Exhibit H, Secured Party will have a fully perfected first priority security interest in that Collateral in which a security interest may be perfected by filing, subject only to Liens permitted under Section 4.1(e).
3.2. Type and Jurisdiction of Organization, Organizational and Identification Numbers. The type of entity of each Grantor, its state of organization, the organizational number issued to it by its state of organization and its federal employer identification number are set forth on Exhibit A.
3.3. Principal Location. Each Grantor's mailing address, which shall be its address for notices and other communications provided for herein and the location of its place of business (if it has only one) or its chief executive office (if it has more than one place of business), are disclosed in Exhibit A; no Grantor has any other places of business except those set forth in Exhibit A.
3.4. Collateral Locations. All locations where Collateral is located are listed on Exhibit A. All of said locations are owned by a Grantor except for locations (i) which are leased by a Grantor as lessee and designated in Exhibit A and (ii) at which Inventory is held in a public warehouse or is otherwise held by a bailee or on consignment as designated in Exhibit A.
3.5. Deposit Accounts. All of the Grantors’ Deposit Accounts are listed on Exhibit B.
3.6. Exact Names. Each Grantor’s name in which it has executed this Security Agreement is the exact name as it appears in such Grantor’s organizational documents, as amended, as filed with the Grantor’s jurisdiction of organization. Other than as set forth on Exhibit A, no Grantor has, during the past five years, been known by or used any other corporate or fictitious name, or been a party to any merger or consolidation, or been a party to any acquisition.
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3.7. Letter-of-Credit Rights and Chattel Paper. Exhibit C lists all Letter-of-Credit Rights and Chattel Paper of each Grantor. All action reasonably requested by Secured Party to perfect Secured Party’s Lien on each item listed on Exhibit C (including the delivery of all originals and the placement of a legend on all Chattel Paper as required hereunder) shall have been duly taken. Secured Party will have a fully perfected first priority security interest in the Collateral listed on Exhibit C, subject only to Liens permitted under Section 4.1(e).
3.8. Accounts and Chattel Paper.
(a) The names of the obligors, amounts owing, due dates and other information with respect to the Accounts and Chattel Paper are and will be correctly stated in all material respects in all records of each Grantor relating thereto and in all invoices with respect thereto furnished to Secured Party by such Grantor from time to time. As of the time when each Account or each item of Chattel Paper arises, each Grantor shall be deemed to have represented and warranted that such Account or Chattel Paper, as the case may be, and all records relating thereto, are genuine and in all respects what they purport to be in all material respects.
(b) With respect to Accounts, (i) all Accounts represent bona fide sales of Inventory or rendering of services to Account Debtors in the ordinary course of each Grantor’s business and are not evidenced by a judgment, Instrument (other than checks received in the ordinary course of business) or Chattel Paper; (ii) there are no setoffs, claims or disputes existing or asserted with respect thereto and such Grantor has not made any agreement with any Account Debtor for any extension of time for the payment thereof, any compromise or settlement for less than the full amount thereof, any release of any Account Debtor from liability therefor, or any deduction therefrom except (x) a discount or allowance allowed by each Grantor in the ordinary course of its business, (y) setoffs, claims or disputes that are not material and (z) pursuant to the Factoring Arrangements; (iii) each Grantor’s knowledge, there are no facts, events or occurrences which in any way impair the validity or enforceability thereof or (other than as set forth in clause (ii)) could reasonably be expected to reduce the amount payable thereunder as shown on such Grantor’s books and records and any invoices, statements and with respect thereto; (iv) such Grantor has not received any notice of proceedings or actions which are threatened or pending against any Account Debtor with respect to an Account that is material to such Grantor if any such situation could reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse effect in such Account Debtor’s financial condition; and (v) such Grantor has no knowledge that any Account Debtor with respect to an Account that is material to such Grantor has become insolvent or is generally unable to pay its debts as they become due, except as otherwise notified to Secured Party.
(c) In addition, with respect to all Accounts, (i) the amounts shown on all invoices and statements with respect thereto are actually and absolutely owing to any Grantor as indicated thereon and are not in any way contingent, and (ii) to each Grantor’s knowledge, all Account Debtors have the capacity to contract.
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3.9. Inventory. With respect to any Inventory (a) such Inventory (other than Inventory in transit) is located at one of the Grantor’s locations set forth on Exhibit A, (b) no Inventory (other than Inventory in transit) is now, or shall at any time or times hereafter be stored at any other location except as permitted by Section 4.1(g), (c) such Grantor has good and merchantable title to such Inventory and such Inventory is not subject to any Lien or security interest or document whatsoever except for (i) Liens permitted under Section 4.1(e) and (ii) the security interest granted to Secured Party hereunder (d) such Inventory is of good and merchantable quality, free from any defects, (e) such Inventory is not subject to any licensing, patent, royalty, trademark, trade name or copyright agreements with any third parties which would require any consent of any third party upon sale or disposition of that Inventory or the payment of any monies to any third party upon such sale or other disposition, (f) such Inventory has been produced in accordance with the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, and all rules, regulations and orders thereunder, and (g) the completion of manufacture, sale or other disposition of such Inventory by Secured Party following an Event of Default shall not require the consent of any Person and shall not constitute a breach or default under any contract or agreement to which such Grantor is a party or to which such property is subject.
3.10. Intellectual Property. No Grantor has any interest in, or title to, any Patent, registered Trademark, Trademark application, Copyright or Copyright application, except as set forth in Exhibit D. No Grantor is party to any Licenses except as set forth on Exhibit D. This Security Agreement is effective to create a valid and continuing Lien and, upon filing of appropriate financing statements in the offices listed on Exhibit H and this Security Agreement with the United States Copyright Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office, as applicable, fully perfected first priority security interests in favor of Secured Party on each Grantor’s Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights, such perfected security interests are enforceable as such as against any and all creditors of and purchasers from such Grantor; and all action reasonably requested by Secured Party to protect and perfect Secured Party’s Lien on such Grantor’s Patents, Trademarks or Copyrights shall have been duly taken.
3.11. Filing Requirements. None of the Equipment owned by any Grantor is covered by any certificate of title, except for the vehicles described in Part I of Exhibit E. None of the Collateral is of a type for which security interests or liens may be perfected by filing under any federal statute except for (a) the vehicles described in Part II of Exhibit E and (b) Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights held by the Grantors and described in Exhibit D. The legal description, county and street address of each property on which any Fixtures are located is set forth in Exhibit F together with the name and address of the record owner of each such property.
3.12. No Financing Statements, Security Agreements. No financing statement or security agreement describing all or any portion of the Collateral which has not lapsed or been terminated (by a filing authorized by Secured Party in respect thereof) naming each Grantor as debtor has been filed or is of record in any jurisdiction except for (i) financing statements or security agreements in respect of the Liens permitted under Section 4.1(e) and (ii) financing statements or security agreements naming Secured Party as the secured party.
3.13. Pledged Collateral.
(a) Exhibit G sets forth a complete and accurate list of all of the Pledged Collateral. Each Grantor listed as a holder on Exhibit G is the direct, sole beneficial owner and sole holder of record of the Pledged Collateral listed on Exhibit G as being owned by it, free and clear of any Liens, except for the Liens permitted under Section 4.1(e) and the security interest granted to Secured Party hereunder. Each Grantor further represents and warrants that (i) all Pledged Collateral constituting an Equity Interest has been (to the extent such concepts are relevant with respect to such Pledged Collateral) duly authorized, validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable, (ii) with respect to any certificates delivered to Secured Party representing an Equity Interest, either such certificates are Securities as defined in Article 8 of the UCC as a result of actions by the issuer or otherwise, or, if such certificates are not Securities, such Grantor has so informed Secured Party so that Secured Party may take steps to perfect its security interest therein as a General Intangible, (iii) all such Pledged Collateral held by a securities intermediary is covered by a control agreement among such Grantor, the securities intermediary and Secured Party pursuant to which Secured Party has Control and (iv) all Pledged Collateral which represents indebtedness owed to such Grantor has been duly authorized, authenticated or issued and delivered by the issuer of such indebtedness, is the legal, valid and binding obligation of such issuer and such issuer is not in default thereunder.
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(b) In addition, (i) none of the Pledged Collateral has been issued or transferred in violation of the securities registration, securities disclosure or similar laws of any jurisdiction to which such issuance or transfer may be subject, (ii) other than as set forth in Exhibit G, no options, warrants, calls or commitments of any character whatsoever (A) exist relating to the Pledged Collateral or (B) obligate the issuer of any Equity Interest included in the Pledged Collateral to issue additional Equity Interests, and (iii) no consent, approval, authorization, or other action by, and no giving of notice, filing with, any governmental authority or any other Person is required for the pledge by any Grantor of the Pledged Collateral pursuant to this Security Agreement or for the execution, delivery and performance of this Security Agreement by such Grantor, or for the exercise by Secured Party of the voting or other rights provided for in this Security Agreement or for the remedies in respect of the Pledged Collateral pursuant to this Security Agreement, except as may be required in connection with such disposition by laws affecting the offering and sale of securities generally.
(c) Except as set forth in Exhibit G, the Grantors own 100% of the issued and outstanding Equity Interests which constitute Pledged Collateral and none of the Pledged Collateral which represents indebtedness owed to the Grantors is subordinated in right of payment to other indebtedness or subject to the terms of an indenture.
3.14. Exhibits. The Grantors may update the exhibits attached hereto from time to time.
ARTICLE IV
COVENANTS
From the date of this Security Agreement, and thereafter until this Security Agreement is terminated, each Grantor agrees that:
4.1. General.
(a) Collateral Records. Such Grantor will maintain books and records with respect to the Collateral that are complete and accurate in all material respects and furnish to Secured Party such reports relating to the Collateral as Secured Party shall reasonably request from time to time.
(b) Authorization to File Financing Statements; Ratification. Such Grantor hereby authorizes Secured Party to file, and if requested will deliver to Secured Party, all financing statements and other documents and take such other actions as may from time to time be reasonably requested by Secured Party in order to maintain a first perfected security interest in and, if applicable, Control of, the Collateral. Any financing statement filed by Secured Party may be filed in any appropriate filing office in any applicable UCC jurisdiction and may (i) indicate the Collateral (1) as all assets of such Grantor or words of similar effect, regardless of whether any particular asset comprised in the Collateral falls within the scope of Article 9 of the UCC of such jurisdiction, or (2) by any other description which reasonably approximates the description contained in this Security Agreement, and (ii) contain any other information required by part 5 of Article 9 of the UCC for the sufficiency or filing office acceptance of any financing statement or amendment, including (A) whether such Grantor is an organization, the type of organization and any organization identification number issued to such Grantor, and (B) in the case of a financing statement filed as a fixture filing or indicating Collateral as as-extracted collateral or timber to be cut, a sufficient description of real property to which the Collateral relates. Such Grantor also agrees to furnish any such information described in the foregoing sentence to Secured Party promptly upon request. Such Grantor also ratifies its authorization for Secured Party to have filed in any applicable UCC jurisdiction any initial financing statements or amendments thereto if filed prior to the date hereof.
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(c) Further Assurances. Such Grantor will, if so reasonably requested by Secured Party, furnish to Secured Party, as often as Secured Party reasonably requests, statements and schedules further identifying and describing the Collateral and such other reports and information in connection with the Collateral as Secured Party may reasonably request, all in such detail as Secured Party may specify. Such Grantor also agrees to take all actions necessary to defend title to the Collateral against all persons and to defend the security interest of Secured Party in the Collateral and the priority thereof against any Lien not expressly permitted hereunder.
(d) Disposition of Collateral. Such Grantor will not (except pursuant to a transaction permitted by the Notes) (i) sell, lease, transfer, or otherwise dispose of the Collateral, or (ii) with respect to Pledged Collateral consisting of Equity Interests, including, without limitation, the Pledged Equity listed on Exhibit G, grant any option with respect to, the Collateral.
(e) Liens. Such Grantor will not create, incur, or suffer to exist any Lien on the Collateral except (i) the security interest created by this Security Agreement, and (ii) Permitted Liens (as defined in the Note) permitted under Section 13(c) of the Note.
(f) Other Financing Statements. Such Grantor will not authorize the filing of any financing statement naming it as debtor covering all or any portion of the Collateral, except for financing statements naming Secured Party as the secured party and financing statements in respect Permitted Liens permitted under Section 13(c) of the Note. Such Grantor acknowledges that it is not authorized to file any financing statement or amendment or termination statement with respect to any financing statement without the prior written consent of Secured Party, subject to such Grantor's rights under Section 9-509(d)(2) of the UCC.
(g) Locations. Such Grantor will not (i) maintain any Collateral at any location other than those locations listed on Exhibit A or disclosed to Secured Party pursuant to clause (ii) of this Section, (ii) otherwise change, or add to, such locations without providing Secured Party’s at least ten (10) days’ prior written notice, or (iii) change its principal place of business or chief executive office from the location identified on Exhibit A, except to the extent not prohibited by, and subject to the terms and provisions of, the Notes. At the reasonable request of Secured Party, such Grantor shall use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain a Collateral Access Agreement for any such location in accordance with Section 4.13 hereof.
(h) Compliance with Terms. Such Grantor will perform and comply in all material respects with all obligations in respect of the Collateral and all agreements to which it is a party or by which it is bound relating to the Collateral.
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4.2. Receivables.
(a) Certain Agreements on Receivables. Such Grantor will not make or agree to make any discount, credit, rebate or other reduction in the original amount owing on a Receivable or accept in satisfaction of a Receivable less than the original amount thereof, except that, prior to the earlier of (x) any Grantor’s knowledge of the occurrence of an Event of Default and (y) written notice by Secured Party during the continuance of an Event of Default, such Grantor may reduce the amount of Accounts arising from the sale of Inventory and services in accordance with its present policies and in the ordinary course of business.
(b) Collection of Receivables. Except as otherwise provided in this Security Agreement, such Grantor will collect and enforce, at such Grantor's sole expense, all amounts due or hereafter due to such Grantor under the Receivables.
(c) Delivery of Invoices. Such Grantor will deliver to Secured Party promptly upon its request after the occurrence and during the continuation of an Event of Default duplicate invoices with respect to each Account bearing such language of assignment as Secured Party shall specify.
(d) Disclosure of Counterclaims on Receivables. If (i) any material discount, credit or agreement to make a rebate or to otherwise reduce the amount owing on a Receivable that is material to such Grantor exists or (ii) if, to the knowledge of such Grantor, any material dispute, setoff, claim, counterclaim or defense exists or has been asserted or threatened with respect to a Receivable material to such Grantor, such Grantor will promptly disclose such fact to Secured Party in writing.
(e) Electronic Chattel Paper. Such Grantor shall take all steps reasonably requested by Secured Party to grant Secured Party Control of all electronic chattel paper (if any) in accordance with the UCC and all “transferable records” as defined in each of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act and the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act.
4.3. Inventory and Equipment.
(a) Maintenance of Goods. Except where the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, such Grantor will maintain, preserve, protect and keep the Inventory and the Equipment in good repair and working and saleable condition, except for damaged or defective goods arising in the ordinary course of such Grantor’s business and except for ordinary wear and tear in respect of the Equipment.
(b) Returned Inventory. If an Account Debtor returns any Inventory to such Grantor when no Event of Default exists, then such Grantor shall promptly determine the reason for such return and shall issue a credit memorandum to the Account Debtor in the appropriate amount. In the event any Account Debtor returns Inventory to such Grantor when an Event of Default exists1, such Grantor, upon the request of Secured Party, shall: (i) hold the returned Inventory in trust for Secured Party; (ii) segregate all returned Inventory from all of its other property; (iii) dispose of the returned Inventory solely according to Secured Party’s written instructions; and (iv) not issue any credits or allowances with respect thereto without Secured Party’s prior written consent. All returned Inventory shall be subject to Secured Party’s Liens thereon.
| 1 | Note to Draft: Reference to an Event of Default “existing” already covers you re: “continuing Events of Default.” |
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(c) Equipment. Without in any way limiting such Grantor’s ability to dispose of Equipment to the extent permitted under the Notes, such Grantor will not, without providing prior written notice to Secured Party, alter or remove any identifying symbol or number on any of such Grantor’s Equipment constituting Collateral.
(d) Titled Vehicles. Such Grantor will (i) give Secured Party notice of its acquisition of any vehicle covered by a certificate of title within three (3) days of such acquisition; provided that, upon the reasonable request of Secured Party, such Grantor shall deliver to Secured Party the original of any vehicle title certificate and provide and/or file all other documents or instruments necessary to have the Lien of Secured Party noted on any such certificate or with the appropriate state office.
4.4. Delivery of Pledged Collateral, Chattel Paper, and Documents. Such Grantor will (a) upon Secured Party’s reasonable request, deliver to Secured Party promptly upon execution of this Security Agreement the originals of all Pledged Collateral together with executed equity powers (other than checks received in the ordinary course of business) and Chattel Paper constituting Collateral (if any then exist), (b) hold in trust for Secured Party upon receipt and within thirty (30) calendar days of the receipt thereof deliver to Secured Party any Pledged Collateral (other than checks received in the ordinary course of business) and Chattel Paper constituting Collateral, provided that, in the case of Chattel Paper and Instruments (other than checks received in the ordinary course of business), only to the extent the aggregate value of all such Chattel Paper and Instruments (other than checks received in the ordinary course of business) exceeds Fifty Thousand Dollars $(50,000) and (c) upon Secured Party’s reasonable request, deliver to Secured Party (and thereafter hold in trust for Secured Party upon receipt and within thirty (30) calendar days of the receipt thereof deliver to Secured Party) any Document evidencing or constituting Collateral in excess of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000).
4.5. Uncertificated Pledged Collateral. Such Grantor will permit Secured Party from time to time to cause the appropriate issuers (and, if held with a securities intermediary, such securities intermediary) of uncertificated securities or other types of Pledged Collateral not represented by certificates to mark their books and records with the numbers and face amounts of all such uncertificated securities or other types of Pledged Collateral not represented by certificates and all rollovers and replacements therefor to reflect the Lien of Secured Party granted pursuant to this Security Agreement. Upon the reasonable request of Secured Party and in the manner reasonably requested by Secured Party, such Grantor will use commercially reasonable efforts to cause (a) the issuers of uncertificated securities which are Pledged Collateral and (b) any securities intermediary which is the holder of any Pledged Collateral, to cause Secured Party to have and retain Control over such Pledged Collateral. Without limiting the foregoing, such Grantor will use commercially reasonable efforts, with respect to Pledged Collateral held with a securities intermediary, if any, to cause such securities intermediary to enter into a control agreement with Secured Party, in form and substance satisfactory to Secured Party, giving Secured Party Control.
4.6. Pledged Collateral.
(a) Changes in Capital Structure of Issuers. Except as otherwise permitted by the Notes, such Grantor will not (i) permit or suffer any issuer of an Equity Interest constituting Pledged Collateral to dissolve, merge, liquidate, retire any of its Equity Interests or other Instruments or Securities evidencing ownership, reduce its capital, sell or encumber all or substantially all of its assets or merge or consolidate with any other entity, or (ii) vote any Pledged Collateral in favor of any of the foregoing.
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(b) Issuance of Additional Securities. Such Grantor will not permit or suffer the issuer of an Equity Interest constituting Pledged Collateral to issue additional Equity Interests, any right to receive the same or any right to receive earnings, except to such Grantor.
(c) Registration of Pledged Collateral. Such Grantor will permit any registerable Pledged Collateral, during the continuance of an Event of Default, to be registered in the name of Secured Party or its nominee at any time at the option of Secured Party, and any Grantor that is the issuer of any such registerable Pledged Collateral in which another Grantor has granted a security interest will, during the continuance of an Event of Default, without further consent of the Grantor granting such security interest, cause such registerable Pledged Collateral to be registered in the name of Secured Party or its nominee at any time at the option of Secured Party.
(d) Exercise of Rights in Pledged Collateral.
(i) Without in any way limiting the foregoing and subject to clause (ii) below, such Grantor shall have the right to exercise all voting rights or other rights relating to the Pledged Collateral for all purposes not inconsistent with this Security Agreement, the Notes or any other Loan Document; provided however, that no vote or other right shall be exercised or action taken which would have the effect of impairing the rights of Secured Party in respect of the Pledged Collateral.
(ii) Such Grantor will permit Secured Party or its nominee at any time during the continuance of an Event of Default, and if Secured Party shall have given written notice to such Grantor of Secured Party’s intent to exercise its corresponding voting rights, to exercise all voting rights or other rights relating to the Pledged Collateral, including, without limitation, exchange, subscription or any other rights, privileges, or options pertaining to any Equity Interest or Investment Property constituting Pledged Collateral as if it were the absolute owner thereof.
(iii) Such Grantor shall be entitled to collect and receive for its own use all dividends and interest paid in respect of the Pledged Collateral to the extent not in violation of the Notes, or resulting from a transaction in violation of the Notes, other than any of the following distributions and payments (unless such payments are not subject to a Lien in favor of Secured Party) (any of the following payments not subject to a Lien in favor of Secured Party collectively referred to as the “Excluded Payments”; it being understood and agreed that any such payments subject to a Lien in favor of Secured Party shall not be considered Excluded Payments): (A) dividends and interest paid or payable other than in cash in respect of any Pledged Collateral, and instruments and other property received, receivable or otherwise distributed in respect of, or in exchange for, any Pledged Collateral; (B) dividends and other distributions paid or payable in cash in respect of any Pledged Collateral in connection with a partial or total liquidation or dissolution or in connection with a reduction of capital, capital surplus or paid-in capital of an issuer; and (C) cash paid, payable or otherwise distributed, in respect of principal of, or in redemption of, or in exchange for, any Pledged Collateral; provided however, that until actually paid, all rights to such distributions shall remain subject to the Lien created by this Security Agreement; and
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(iv) Any dividend and interest paid with respect to the Pledged Collateral to the extent in violation of the Notes, whenever paid or made, shall be delivered to Secured Party to hold as Pledged Collateral and shall, if received by such Grantor, be received in trust for the benefit of Secured Party, be segregated from the other property or funds of such Grantor, and be forthwith delivered to Secured Party as Pledged Collateral in the same form as so received (with any necessary endorsement).
(e) Interests in Limited Liability Companies and Limited Partnerships. As of (i) the Closing Date and (ii) after the Closing Date (unless any such ownership interests become or constitute a Security under Article 8 of the UCC of the applicable jurisdiction, in which case such Grantor shall, (A) prior to such ownership interests becoming a Security under Article 8 of the UCC of the applicable jurisdiction, notify Secured Party of such, (B) comply with all requirements for such interests set forth in this Security Agreement, the Notes and the other Loan Documents, and (C) take such other actions in connection therewith as may be reasonably requested by Secured Party), none of the ownership interests in a limited liability company or a limited partnership which are included within the Collateral constitute a Security under Article 8 of the UCC of the applicable jurisdiction.
4.7. Intellectual Property.
(a) Upon the request of Secured Party, such Grantor will use its commercially reasonable efforts to secure all consents and approvals necessary or appropriate for the assignment to or benefit of Secured Party of any in-bound License held by such Grantor that is material to the business of such Grantor and to enforce the security interests granted hereunder, it being understood and agreed that any off-the-shelf or click-through software license shall not be considered material to the business of such Grantor.
(b) Such Grantor shall, unless it shall reasonably determine that such Patent, Trademark or Copyright is not material to the conduct of its business or operations, promptly notify Secured Party if it knows or has reason to know that any application or registration relating to any Patent, Trademark or Copyright (now or hereafter existing) may become abandoned or dedicated, or of any determination or development (including the institution of, or any such determination or development in, any proceeding in the United States Patent and Trademark Office or the United States Copyright Office) regarding such Grantor’s ownership of any Patent, Trademark or Copyright, its right to register the same, or to keep and maintain the same.
(c) Whenever such Grantor, either by itself or through any agent, employee, licensee or designee, shall file an application for the registration of any Patent, Trademark or Copyright with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the United States Copyright Office, or, in the case of any Foreign Subsidiary, any similar office or agency in any other country or any political subdivision thereof, the Grantors shall promptly report such filing to Secured Party. Upon the request of Secured Party, such Grantor shall duly execute and deliver, and record, any and all agreements, instruments, documents, and papers as Secured Party may reasonably request to evidence Secured Party’s first priority security interest in any such Copyright, Patent or Trademark owned by such Grantor and the goodwill and general intangibles of such Grantor relating thereto or represented thereby. Upon receipt from the United States Copyright Office of notice of registration of any Copyright(s) that is material to the business of such Grantor, the Grantors shall promptly notify Secured Party of such registration by delivering documentation sufficient for Secured Party to perfect Secured Party’s liens on such Copyrights.
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(d) Such Grantor shall, unless it shall reasonably determine that such Patent, Trademark or Copyright is not material to the conduct of its business or operations, take all actions necessary or reasonably requested by Secured Party to maintain and pursue each application, to obtain the relevant registration and to maintain the registration of each of the Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights (now or hereafter existing), including the filing of applications for renewal, affidavits of use, affidavits of noncontestability and opposition and interference and cancellation proceedings.
(e) Such Grantor shall, unless it shall reasonably determine that such Patent, Trademark or Copyright is not material to the conduct of its business or operations, promptly sue for infringement, misappropriation or dilution and to recover any and all damages for such infringement, misappropriation or dilution, and shall take such other actions as Secured Party shall deem appropriate under the circumstances to protect such Patent, Trademark or Copyright. In the event that such Grantor institutes suit because any of the Patents, Trademarks or Copyrights constituting Collateral is infringed upon, or misappropriated or diluted by a third party, such Grantor shall comply with Section 4.8.
Notwithstanding the forgoing, such Grantor may, in its reasonable business judgment, fail to maintain, pursue, preserve or protect any Copyright, Patent or Trademark which is not material to its business.
4.8 Commercial Tort Claims. The Grantors shall promptly notify Secured Party of any commercial tort claim (as defined in the UCC) acquired by it with a value greater than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000) and, unless Secured Party otherwise consents, the Grantors shall enter into an amendment to this Security Agreement, in the form of Exhibit J hereto, granting to Secured Party a first priority security interest in such commercial tort claim.
4.9. Letter-of-Credit Rights. If such Grantor is or becomes the beneficiary of a letter of credit, such Grantor shall promptly notify Secured Party and, upon the written request of Secured Party, use commercially reasonable efforts to cause the issuer and/or confirmation bank to (i) consent to the assignment of any Letter-of-Credit Rights to Secured Party and (ii) agree to direct all payments thereunder to a Deposit Account at Secured Party or subject to a Deposit Account Control Agreement for application to the Secured Obligations, in accordance with the Notes, all in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Secured Party.
4.10. Federal, State or Municipal Claims.
(a) Federal Claims. If the aggregate of Accounts where a United States federal government authority is an obligor exceeds Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,500,000) as of the end of any fiscal quarter of the Company: (i) the Grantors shall promptly notify Secured Party thereof in writing and (ii) during the continuance of an Event of Default, if requested by Secured Party in writing, the Grantors shall use commercially reasonable efforts to deliver a separate assignment of its right to payment of such Accounts to Secured Party pursuant to the Assignment of Claims Act of 1940 using forms provided by Secured Party evidencing (satisfactory to Secured Party) such assignment.
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(b) State or Municipal Claims. If the aggregate of Accounts where a state or municipal authority is an obligor exceeds One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) as of the end of any fiscal quarter of the Company: (i) the Grantors shall promptly notify Secured Party thereof in writing and (ii) during the continuance of an Event of Default, if requested by Secured Party in writing, the Grantors shall use commercially reasonable efforts to deliver a separate assignment of its right to payment of such Accounts to Secured Party pursuant to applicable law using forms provided by Secured Party evidencing (satisfactory to Secured Party) such assignment.
4.11. No Interference. Such Grantor agrees that it will not interfere with any right, power and remedy of Secured Party provided for in this Security Agreement or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or by statute or otherwise, or the exercise or beginning of the exercise by Secured Party of any one or more of such rights, powers or remedies.
4.12. Insurance.
(a) Such Grantor shall, at its own expense, (i) maintain and keep in force insurance with respect to the Collateral in accordance with the terms of the Notes and (ii) deliver to Secured Party prior to the date hereof, and from time to time at Secured Party’s request, certificates of insurance covering such Collateral and setting forth all such insurance policies then in effect, and, upon Secured Party’s request, within 60 days after such request, an additional insured endorsement on general liability and a lender’s loss payee endorsement for property insurance naming Secured Party as an additional insured or a lender loss payee, as the case may be.
(b) In the event any tangible, physical Collateral is located on any real estate that is owned by such Grantor in any area that has been designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a “Special Flood Hazard Area”, such Grantor shall purchase and maintain flood insurance on such Collateral. The amount of flood insurance required by this Section shall be in an amount equal to the least of (i) the total replacement cost value of the improvements, (ii) the amount required, if any, by applicable law and (iii) the amount agreed between Secured Party and such Grantor.
(c) All insurance policies required hereunder shall name Secured Party as an additional insured or as lender's loss payee, as applicable, and shall contain lender loss payable clauses or mortgagee clauses, through endorsements in form and substance satisfactory to Secured Party, which provide that: (i) all proceeds thereunder with respect to any Collateral shall be payable to Secured Party; (ii) no such insurance shall be affected by any act or neglect of the insured or owner of the property described in such policy; and (iii) such policy and lender loss payable or mortgagee clauses may be canceled, amended, or terminated only upon at least thirty (30) days prior written notice given to Secured Party (or ten (10) days in the case of nonpayment of premium).
(d) All premiums on any such insurance shall be paid when due by such Grantor, and copies of the policies delivered to Secured Party. If such Grantor fails to obtain or maintain any insurance as required by this Section, Secured Party may obtain such insurance at such Grantor’s expense. By purchasing such insurance, Secured Party shall not be deemed to have waived any Default arising from such Grantor's failure to maintain such insurance or pay any premiums therefor.
4.13. Collateral Access Agreements. Upon Secured Party’s reasonable request, such Grantor shall use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain a Collateral Access Agreement from the lessor of each leased property, mortgagee of owned property or bailee or consignee with respect to any warehouse, processor or converter facility or other location where physical, tangible Collateral with an aggregate value in excess of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000) is stored or located, which agreement or letter shall provide access rights, contain a waiver or subordination of all Liens or claims that the landlord, mortgagee, bailee or consignee may assert against the Collateral at that location, and shall otherwise be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to Secured Party.
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4.14. Deposit Account Control Agreements. Such Grantor will provide to Secured Party upon Secured Party’s reasonable request, a Deposit Account Control Agreement duly executed on behalf of each financial institution holding a deposit account of such Grantor as set forth in this Security Agreement; provided that such Grantor shall not be required to provide Secured Party with a Deposit Account Control Agreement in respect of (a) any deposit accounts maintained with Secured Party and (b) any Excluded Accounts.
4.15. Change of Name; Change of Fiscal Year. Such Grantor shall not (a) change its name as it appears in official filings in the state of its incorporation or organization, (b) change the type of entity that it is, or (c) change its state of incorporation or organization, in each case, unless Secured Party shall have received at least ten (10) days prior written notice of such change (or such shorter period of time approved by Secured Party). Such Grantor shall not change its fiscal year which currently ends on December 31. If any Person comprising a Grantor does not have an organizational identification number and later obtains one, such Person shall promptly notify Secured Party of such organizational identification number. Furthermore, such Grantor shall not change its primary address for notices (which is Capstone Holding Corp., 5141 W. 122nd Street, Alsip, Illinois 60803) without prior written notice to Secured Party.
4.16 Other Changes. Promptly upon the occurrence thereof, such Grantor shall advise Secured Party through updates to Exhibit A hereto of any changes to its chief executive office (subject to Section 4.15 hereof), principal place of business, mailing address, corporate offices or warehouses or locations at which Collateral is held or stored, or the location of its records concerning the Collateral as set forth in this Security Agreement.
ARTICLE V
EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES
5.1. Events of Default. The occurrence of any one or more of the following events shall constitute an Event of Default hereunder:
(a) The occurrence of any “Event of Default” under, and as defined in, the Note.
(b) Any Equity Interest consisting of limited liability membership interests which is included within the Collateral shall at any time constitute a Security or the issuer of any such Equity Interest consisting of limited liability membership interests shall take any action to have such interests treated as a Security unless (i) all certificates or other documents constituting such Security have been delivered to Secured Party and such Security is properly defined as such under Article 8 of the UCC of the applicable jurisdiction, whether as a result of actions by the issuer thereof or otherwise, or (ii) Secured Party has entered into a control agreement with the issuer of such Security or with a securities intermediary relating to such Security and such Security is defined as such under Article 8 of the UCC of the applicable jurisdiction, whether as a result of actions by the issuer thereof or otherwise.
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5.2. Remedies.
(a) Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default and during the continuation thereof, Secured Party may exercise any or all of the following rights and remedies:
(i) those rights and remedies provided in this Security Agreement, the Notes, or any other Loan Document; provided that, this Section 5.2(a) shall not be understood to limit any rights or remedies available to Secured Party prior to an Event of Default;
(ii) those rights and remedies available to a secured party under the UCC (whether or not the UCC applies to the affected Collateral) or under any other applicable law (including, without limitation, any law governing the exercise of a bank's right of setoff or bankers' lien) when a debtor is in default under a security agreement;
(iii) give notice of sole control or any other instruction under any Deposit Account Control Agreement or and other control agreement with any securities intermediary and take any action therein with respect to such Collateral;
(iv) without notice (except as specifically provided in Section 8.1 or elsewhere herein), demand or advertisement of any kind to any Grantor or any other Person, enter the premises of any Grantor where any Collateral is located (through self-help and without judicial process (it being understood that entry into such premises being subject to the rights of the landlords unless waived or subordinated)) to collect, receive, assemble, process, appropriate, sell, lease, assign, grant an option or options to purchase or otherwise dispose of, deliver, or realize upon, the Collateral or any part thereof in one or more parcels at public or private sale or sales (which sales may be adjourned or continued from time to time with or without notice and may take place at such Grantor's premises or elsewhere), for cash, on credit or for future delivery without assumption of any credit risk, and upon such other terms as Secured Party may deem commercially reasonable; and
(v) concurrently with written notice to the Grantors, transfer and register in its name or in the name of its nominee the whole or any part of the Pledged Collateral, exchange certificates or instruments representing or evidencing Pledged Collateral for certificates or instruments of smaller or larger denominations, exercise the voting and all other rights as a holder with respect thereto, collect and receive all cash dividends, interest, principal and other distributions made thereon and to otherwise act with respect to the Pledged Collateral as though Secured Party was the outright owner thereof.
(b) Secured Party may comply with any applicable state or federal law requirements in connection with a disposition of the Collateral and compliance will not be considered to adversely affect the commercial reasonableness of any sale of the Collateral.
(c) Secured Party shall have the right upon any such public sale or sales and, to the extent permitted by law, upon any such private sale or sales, to purchase for the benefit of Secured Party, the whole or any part of the Collateral so sold, free of any right of equity redemption, which equity redemption the Grantors hereby expressly release.
(d) Until Secured Party is able to effect a sale, lease, or other disposition of Collateral, Secured Party shall have the right to hold or use Collateral, or any part thereof, to the extent that it deems appropriate for the purpose of preserving Collateral or its value or for any other purpose deemed appropriate by Secured Party. Secured Party may, if it so elects, seek the appointment of a receiver or keeper to take possession of Collateral and to enforce any of Secured Party’s remedies, with respect to such appointment without prior notice or hearing as to such appointment.
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(e) Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither Secured Party nor any other Secured Party shall be required to (i) make any demand upon, or pursue or exhaust any of its rights or remedies against, any Grantor, any other obligor, guarantor, pledgor or any other Person with respect to the payment of the Secured Obligations or to pursue or exhaust any of its rights or remedies with respect to any Collateral therefor or any direct or indirect guarantee thereof, (ii) marshal the Collateral or any guarantee of the Secured Obligations or to resort to the Collateral or any such guarantee in any particular order, or (iii) effect a public sale of any Collateral.
(f) Each Grantor recognizes that Secured Party may be unable to effect a public sale of any or all the Pledged Collateral and may be compelled to resort to one or more private sales thereof in accordance with clause (a) above. Each Grantor also acknowledges that any private sale may result in prices and other terms less favorable to the seller than if such sale were a public sale and, notwithstanding such circumstances, agrees that any such private sale shall not be deemed to have been made in a commercially unreasonable manner solely by virtue of such sale being private. Secured Party shall be under no obligation to delay a sale of any of the Pledged Collateral for the period of time necessary to permit such Grantor or the issuer of the Pledged Collateral to register such securities for public sale under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or under applicable state securities laws, even if such Grantor and the issuer would agree to do so.
5.3. Grantors’ Obligations Upon an Event of Default. Upon the request of Secured Party after the occurrence of an Event of Default and during the continuation thereof, each Grantor will:
(a) assemble and make available to Secured Party the Collateral and all books and records relating thereto at any place or places specified by Secured Party, whether at such Grantor's premises or elsewhere;
(b) permit Secured Party, by Secured Party’s representatives and agents, to enter, occupy and use any premises (entry into such premises being subject to the rights of the landlords unless waived or subordinated) where all or any part of the Collateral, or the books and records relating thereto, or both, are located, to take possession of all or any part of the Collateral or the books and records relating thereto, or both, to remove all or any part of the Collateral or the books and records relating thereto, or both, and to conduct sales of the Collateral, without any obligation to pay such Grantor for such use and occupancy;
(c) prepare and file, or cause an issuer of Pledged Collateral to prepare and file, with the Securities and Exchange Commission or any other applicable government agency, registration statements, a prospectus and such other documentation in connection with the Pledged Collateral as Secured Party may request, all in form and substance satisfactory to Secured Party, and furnish to Secured Party, or cause an issuer of Pledged Collateral to furnish to Secured Party, any information regarding the Pledged Collateral in such detail as Secured Party may specify;
(d) take, or cause an issuer of Pledged Collateral to take, any and all actions necessary to register or qualify the Pledged Collateral to enable Secured Party to consummate a public sale or other disposition of the Pledged Collateral; and
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(e) at its own expense, cause the independent certified public accountants then engaged by such Grantor to prepare and deliver to Secured Party, at any time, and from time to time, promptly upon Secured Party’s request, the following reports with respect to such Grantor: (i) a reconciliation of all Accounts; (ii) an aging of all Accounts; (iii) trial balances; and (iv) a test verification of such Accounts.
5.4. Grant of Intellectual Property License. For the purpose of enabling Secured Party to exercise the rights and remedies under this Article V at such time as Secured Party shall be lawfully entitled to exercise such rights and remedies, each Grantor hereby (a) grants to Secured Party, for the benefit of itself, an irrevocable, nonexclusive license (exercisable without payment of royalty or other compensation to such Grantor) to during the continuance of an Event of Default use, license or sublicense any intellectual property rights now owned or hereafter acquired by such Grantor, and wherever the same may be located, and including in such license access to all media in which any of the licensed items may be recorded or stored and to all computer software and programs used for the compilation or printout thereof and (b) irrevocably agrees that Secured Party may, during the continuance of an Event of Default, sell any of such Grantor's Inventory directly to any person, including without limitation persons who have previously purchased such Grantor's Inventory from such Grantor and in connection with any such sale or other enforcement of Secured Party’s rights under this Security Agreement, during the continuance of an Event of Default, may sell Inventory which bears any Trademark owned by or licensed to such Grantor and any Inventory that is covered by any Copyright owned by or licensed to such Grantor and Secured Party may finish any work in process and affix any Trademark owned by or licensed to such Grantor and sell such Inventory as provided herein.
ARTICLE VI
ACCOUNT VERIFICATION; ATTORNEY IN FACT; PROXY
6.1. Account Verification. Secured Party may at any time after the occurrence 2of an Event of Default and during the continuation thereof, in Secured Party’s own name, in the name of a nominee of Secured Party, or in the name of any Grantor communicate (by mail, telephone, facsimile or otherwise) with the Account Debtors of such Grantor, parties to contracts with such Grantor and obligors in respect of Instruments of such Grantor to verify with such Persons, to Secured Party’s satisfaction, the existence, amount, terms of, and any other matter relating to, Accounts, Instruments, Chattel Paper, payment intangibles and/or other Receivables.
6.2. Authorization for Secured Party to Take Certain Action.
(a) 3Each Grantor irrevocably authorizes Secured Party at any time and from time to time in the sole discretion of Secured Party and appoints Secured Party as its attorney-in-fact (i) to endorse and collect any cash proceeds of the Collateral during the continuance of an Event of Default, (ii) to file any financing statement with respect to the Collateral and to file any other financing statement or amendment of a financing statement (which does not add new collateral or add a debtor) in such offices as Secured Party in its sole discretion deems necessary or desirable to perfect and to maintain the perfection and priority of Secured Party’s security interest in the Collateral, (iii) during the continuance of an Event of Default to contact and enter into one or more agreements with the issuers of uncertificated securities which are Pledged Collateral or with securities intermediaries holding Pledged Collateral as may be necessary or advisable to give Secured Party Control over such Pledged Collateral, (iv) during the continuance of an Event of Default to discharge past due taxes, assessments, charges, fees or Liens on the Collateral (except for Permitted Liens under Section 13(c) of the Note), (v) at any time an Event of Default exists, to contact Account Debtors for any reason, (vi) at any time an Event of Default exists, to demand payment or enforce payment of the Receivables in the name of Secured Party or such Grantor and to endorse any and all checks, drafts, and other instruments for the payment of money relating to the Receivables, (vii) at any time an Event of Default exists, to sign such Grantor's name on any invoice or bill of lading relating to the Receivables, drafts against any Account Debtor of such Grantor, assignments and verifications of Receivables, (viii) at any time an Event of Default exists, to exercise all of such Grantor's rights and remedies with respect to the collection of the Receivables and any other Collateral, (ix) at any time an Event of Default exists, to settle, adjust, compromise, extend or renew the Receivables, (x) at any time an Event of Default exists, to settle, adjust or compromise any legal proceedings brought to collect Receivables, (xi) during the continuance of an Event of Default to prepare, file and sign such Grantor's name on a proof of claim in bankruptcy or similar document against any Account Debtor of such Grantor, (xii) during the continuance of an Event of Default to prepare, file and sign such Grantor's name on any notice of Lien, assignment or satisfaction of Lien or similar document in connection with the Receivables, (xiii) at any time an Event of Default exists, to change the address for delivery of mail addressed to such Grantor to such address as Secured Party may designate and to receive, open and dispose of all mail addressed to such Grantor, and (xiv) during the continuance of an Event of Default to do all other acts and things necessary to carry out this Security Agreement; and such Grantor agrees to reimburse Secured Party on demand for any payment made or any expense incurred by Secured Party in connection with any of the foregoing; provided that, this authorization shall not relieve such Grantor of any of its obligations under this Security Agreement or under the Note.
| 2 | Note to Draft: “Continuance” is already covered later in this sentence. |
| 3 | Note to Draft: The Secured Party can’t wait for the existence of an Event of Default prior to filing financing statements/amendments in clause (ii), so this lead-in language won’t work. Also, it is customary for the Secured Party to be authorized as attorney-in-fact under a Security Agreement on day 1 but the actual exercise of certain actions is conditioned upon the existence of an Event of Default. |
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(b) All acts of said attorney or designee are hereby ratified and approved. The powers conferred on Secured Party under this Section 6.2 are solely to protect Secured Party’s interests in the Collateral and shall not impose any duty upon Secured Party to exercise any such powers. Secured Party agrees that, except for the powers granted in Section 6.2(a), it shall not exercise any power or authority granted to it pursuant to Section 6.2(a) unless an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.
6.3. Proxy. EACH GRANTOR HEREBY IRREVOCABLY CONSTITUTES AND APPOINTS THE SECURED PARTY AS THE PROXY AND ATTORNEY-IN-FACT (AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 6.2 ABOVE) OF SUCH GRANTOR WITH RESPECT TO THE PLEDGED COLLATERAL, INCLUDING AT ANY TIME AN EVENT OF DEFAULT EXISTS AND IS CONTINUING, THE RIGHT TO VOTE ANY OF THE PLEDGED COLLATERAL, WITH FULL POWER OF SUBSTITUTION TO DO SO. IN ADDITION TO THE RIGHT TO VOTE ANY OF THE PLEDGED COLLATERAL AS PROVIDED HEREIN, THE APPOINTMENT OF THE SECURED PARTY AS PROXY AND ATTORNEY-IN-FACT SHALL INCLUDE THE RIGHT AT ANY TIME AN EVENT OF DEFAULT EXISTS AND IS CONTINUING, TO EXERCISE ALL OTHER RIGHTS, POWERS, PRIVILEGES AND REMEDIES TO WHICH A HOLDER OF ANY OF THE PLEDGED COLLATERAL WOULD BE ENTITLED (INCLUDING GIVING OR WITHHOLDING WRITTEN CONSENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS, CALLING SPECIAL MEETINGS OF SHAREHOLDERS AND VOTING AT SUCH MEETINGS). SUCH PROXY SHALL BE EFFECTIVE, AUTOMATICALLY AND WITHOUT THE NECESSITY OF ANY ACTION (INCLUDING ANY TRANSFER OF ANY OF THE PLEDGED COLLATERAL ON THE RECORD BOOKS OF THE ISSUER THEREOF) BY ANY PERSON (INCLUDING THE ISSUER OF THE PLEDGED COLLATERAL OR ANY OFFICER OR AGENT THEREOF), UPON THE OCCURRENCE AND DURING THE CONTINUATION OF AN EVENT OF DEFAULT.
6.4. Nature of Appointment; Limitation of Duty. THE APPOINTMENT OF THE SECURED PARTY AS PROXY AND ATTORNEY-IN-FACT IN THIS ARTICLE VI IS COUPLED WITH AN INTEREST AND SHALL BE IRREVOCABLE UNTIL THE DATE ON WHICH THIS SECURITY AGREEMENT IS TERMINATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 7.14. NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING CONTAINED HEREIN, NONE OF THE SECURED PARTY, ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES, OR ANY OF SECURED PARTY’S OR ITS AFFILIATES' RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS OR REPRESENTATIVES SHALL HAVE ANY DUTY TO EXERCISE ANY RIGHT OR POWER GRANTED HEREUNDER OR OTHERWISE OR TO PRESERVE THE SAME AND SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY FAILURE TO DO SO OR FOR ANY DELAY IN DOING SO, EXCEPT IN RESPECT OF DAMAGES ATTRIBUTABLE SOLELY TO SUCH PARTY’S OWN GROSS NEGLIGENCE OR WILLFUL MISCONDUCT AS FINALLY DETERMINED BY A COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION; PROVIDED THAT, IN NO EVENT SHALL THEY BE LIABLE FOR ANY PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.
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ARTICLE VII
GENERAL PROVISIONS
7.1 Waivers. Each Grantor hereby waives notice of the time and place of any public sale resulting from the exercise of Secured Party’s rights hereunder or the time after which any private sale or other disposition of all or any part of the Collateral may be made. To the extent such notice may not be waived under applicable law, any notice made shall be deemed reasonable if sent to such Grantor, addressed as set forth in Article VIII, at least ten days prior to (i) the date of any such public sale or (ii) the time after which any such private sale or other disposition may be made. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, such Grantor waives all claims, damages, and demands against Secured Party arising out of the repossession, retention or sale of the Collateral, except to the extent such arise out of the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Secured Party as finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction. To the extent it may lawfully do so, such Grantor absolutely and irrevocably waives and relinquishes the benefit and advantage of, and covenants not to assert against Secured Party, any valuation, stay, appraisal, extension, moratorium, redemption or similar laws and any and all rights or defenses it may have as a surety now or hereafter existing which, but for this provision, might be applicable to the sale of any Collateral made under the judgment, order or decree of any court, or privately under the power of sale conferred by this Security Agreement, or otherwise. Except as otherwise specifically provided herein, such Grantor hereby waives presentment, demand, protest or any notice (to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law) of any kind in connection with this Security Agreement or any Collateral.
7.2. Limitation on Secured Party’s Duty with Respect to the Collateral. Secured Party shall have no obligation to clean-up or otherwise prepare the Collateral for sale. Secured Party shall use reasonable care with respect to the Collateral in its possession or under its control. Other than the exercise of reasonable care to assure the safe custody of the Collateral while being held by Secured Party pursuant to Section 4.4 hereof, Secured Party shall not have any other duty as to any Collateral in its possession or control or in the possession or control of any agent or nominee of Secured Party, or any income thereon or as to the preservation of rights against prior parties or any other rights pertaining thereto. To the extent that applicable law imposes duties on Secured Party to exercise remedies in a commercially reasonable manner, such Grantor acknowledges and agrees that it is commercially reasonable for Secured Party (i) to fail to incur expenses deemed significant by Secured Party to prepare Collateral for disposition or otherwise to transform raw material or work in process into finished goods or other finished products for disposition, (ii) to fail to obtain third party consents for access to Collateral to be disposed of, or to obtain or, if not required by other law, to fail to obtain governmental or third party consents for the collection or disposition of Collateral to be collected or disposed of, (iii) to fail to exercise collection remedies against Account Debtors or other Persons obligated on Collateral or to remove Liens on or any adverse claims against Collateral, (iv) to exercise collection remedies against Account Debtors and other Persons obligated on Collateral directly or through the use of collection agencies and other collection specialists, (v) to advertise dispositions of Collateral through publications or media of general circulation, whether or not the Collateral is of a specialized nature, (vi) to contact other Persons, whether or not in the same business as such Grantor, for expressions of interest in acquiring all or any portion of the Collateral, (vii) to hire one or more professional auctioneers to assist in the disposition of Collateral, whether or not the Collateral is of a specialized nature, (viii) to dispose of Collateral by utilizing internet sites that provide for the auction of assets of the types included in the Collateral or that have the reasonable capacity of doing so, or that match buyers and sellers of assets, (ix) to dispose of assets in wholesale rather than retail markets, (x) to disclaim disposition warranties, such as title, possession or quiet enjoyment, (xi) to purchase insurance or credit enhancements to insure Secured Party against risks of loss, collection or disposition of Collateral or to provide to Secured Party a guaranteed return from the collection or disposition of Collateral, or (xii) to the extent deemed appropriate by Secured Party, to obtain the services of other brokers, investment bankers, consultants and other professionals to assist Secured Party in the collection or disposition of any of the Collateral. Each Grantor acknowledges that the purpose of this Section 7.2 is to provide non-exhaustive indications of what actions or omissions by Secured Party would be commercially reasonable in Secured Party’s exercise of remedies against the Collateral and that other actions or omissions by Secured Party shall not be deemed commercially unreasonable solely on account of not being indicated in this Section 7.2. Without limitation upon the foregoing, nothing contained in this Section 7.2 shall be construed to grant any rights to any Grantor or to impose any duties on Secured Party that would not have been granted or imposed by this Security Agreement or by applicable law in the absence of this Section 7.2.
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7.3. Compromises and Collection of Collateral. Each Grantor and Secured Party recognize that setoffs, counterclaims, defenses and other claims may be asserted by obligors with respect to certain of the Receivables, that certain of the Receivables may be or become uncollectible in whole or in part and that the expense and probability of success in litigating a disputed Receivable may exceed the amount that reasonably may be expected to be recovered with respect to a Receivable. In view of the foregoing, each Grantor agrees that Secured Party may at any time and from time to time, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, compromise with the obligor on any Receivable, accept in full payment of any Receivable such amount as Secured Party in its sole discretion shall determine or abandon any Receivable, and any such action by Secured Party shall be commercially reasonable so long as Secured Party acts in good faith based on information known to it at the time it takes any such action.
7.4. Secured Party Performance of Grantors’ Obligations. Without having any obligation to do so, Secured Party may perform or pay any obligation which any Grantor has agreed to perform or pay in this Security Agreement and such Grantor shall reimburse Secured Party for any amounts paid by Secured Party pursuant to this Section 7.4. Each Grantor's obligation to reimburse Secured Party pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be a Secured Obligation payable on demand.
7.5 Specific Performance of Certain Covenants. Each Grantor acknowledges and agrees that a breach of any of the covenants contained in Sections 4.1(d), 4.1(e), 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9, 4.10, 4.12, 4.13, 4.14, 4.15, 5.3, or 7.7 will cause irreparable injury to Secured Party, that Secured Party has no adequate remedy at law in respect of such breaches and therefore agrees, without limiting the right of Secured Party to seek and obtain specific performance of other obligations of each Grantor contained in this Security Agreement, that the covenants of such Grantor contained in the Sections referred to in this Section 7.5 shall be specifically enforceable against such Grantor.
7.6. Dispositions Not Authorized. No Grantor is authorized to sell or otherwise dispose of the Collateral except as set forth in Section 4.1(d) and notwithstanding any course of dealing between such Grantor and Secured Party or other conduct of Secured Party, no authorization to sell or otherwise dispose of the Collateral (except as set forth in Section 4.1(d)) shall be binding upon Secured Party unless such authorization is in writing signed by Secured Party.
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7.7. No Waiver; Amendments; Cumulative Remedies. No failure or delay by Secured Party to exercise any right or power under this Security Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right or power, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power. The rights and remedies of Secured Party hereunder are cumulative and are not exclusive of any rights or remedies that Secured Party would otherwise have. No waiver of any provision of this Security Agreement or consent to any departure by any Grantor therefrom shall in any event be effective unless in writing signed by Secured Party and then only to the extent in such writing specifically set forth.
7.8. Limitation by Law; Severability of Provisions. All rights, remedies and powers provided in this Security Agreement may be exercised only to the extent that the exercise thereof does not violate any applicable provision of law, and all the provisions of this Security Agreement are intended to be subject to all applicable mandatory provisions of law that may be controlling and to be limited to the extent necessary so that they shall not render this Security Agreement invalid, unenforceable or not entitled to be recorded or registered, in whole or in part. Any provision in this Security Agreement held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability without affecting the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions thereof; and the invalidity of a particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate such provision in any other jurisdiction, and to this end the provisions of this Security Agreement are declared to be severable.
7.9 Reinstatement. This Security Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and continue to be effective should any petition be filed by or against any Grantor for liquidation or reorganization, should such Grantor become insolvent or make an assignment for the benefit of any creditor or creditors or should a receiver or trustee be appointed for all or any significant part of such Grantor’s assets, and shall continue to be effective or be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time payment and performance of the Secured Obligations, or any part thereof (including a payment effected through exercise of a right of setoff), is, pursuant to applicable law, rescinded or reduced in amount, or must otherwise be restored or returned by any obligee of the Secured Obligations, whether as a “voidable preference,” “fraudulent conveyance,” or otherwise (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by Secured Party in its discretion), all as though such payment or performance had not been made. In the event that any payment, or any part thereof (including a payment effected through exercise of a right of setoff), is rescinded, reduced, restored or returned, the Secured Obligations shall be reinstated and deemed reduced only by such amount paid and not so rescinded, reduced, restored or returned.
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7.10. Benefit of Agreement. The terms and provisions of this Security Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of each Grantor, Secured Party, and their respective successors and assigns (including all persons who become bound as a Grantor under this Security Agreement), except that no Grantor shall have the right to assign its rights or delegate its obligations under this Security Agreement or any interest herein, without the prior written consent of Secured Party. No sales of participations, assignments, transfers, or other dispositions of any agreement governing the Secured Obligations or any portion thereof or interest therein shall in any manner impair the Lien granted to Secured Party hereunder.
7.11. Survival of Representations. All representations and warranties of each Grantor contained in this Security Agreement shall survive the execution and delivery of this Security Agreement.
7.12. Taxes and Expenses. Any taxes (including income taxes) payable or ruled payable by any Federal or State authority in respect of this Security Agreement shall be paid by the Grantors, together with interest and penalties, if any. Each Grantor shall reimburse Secured Party for any and all out-of-pocket expenses and internal charges (including reasonable attorneys', auditors' and accountants' fees and reasonable time charges of attorneys, paralegals, auditors and accountants who may be employees of Secured Party) paid or incurred by Secured Party in connection with the preparation, execution, delivery, administration, collection and enforcement of this Security Agreement and, to the extent provided in the Note, in the audit, analysis, administration, collection, preservation or sale of the Collateral (including the expenses and charges associated with any periodic or special audit of the Collateral). Any and all costs and expenses incurred by the Grantors in the performance of actions required pursuant to the terms hereof shall be borne solely by the Grantors.
7.13. Headings. The title of and section headings in this Security Agreement are for convenience of reference only, and shall not govern the interpretation of any of the terms and provisions of this Security Agreement.
7.14. Termination. This Security Agreement shall continue in effect (notwithstanding the fact that from time to time there may be no Secured Obligations outstanding) until (i) the Note has terminated pursuant to its express terms and (ii) all of the Secured Obligations have been indefeasibly paid and performed in full and no commitments of Secured Party which would give rise to any Secured Obligations are outstanding. Upon any such termination, (a) all security interests arising under this Security Agreement automatically shall be released, discharged and terminated (without representation, warranty, recourse or liability of any kind by Secured Party) and (b) Secured Party (at the Grantors’ request and sole expense) (i) will execute and deliver such UCC termination statements and other documentation and instruments (all in form and substance reasonably acceptable to Secured Party) as may be reasonably requested and provided to Secured Party to effect such releases and terminations, and (ii) will deliver to the Grantors or to another person designated by the Grantors or, if required by applicable law, to another person that Secured Party reasonably believes may be entitled thereto (without any representation, warranty or recourse of any kind whatsoever) all stock certificates, and instruments representing or evidencing Collateral being physically held by Secured Party hereunder.
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7.15. Entire Agreement. This Security Agreement and the other Loan Documents embody the entire agreement and understanding among the Grantors and Secured Party relating to the Collateral and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings among the Grantors and Secured Party relating to the Collateral.
7.16. CHOICE OF LAW. THIS SECURITY AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE INTERNAL LAWS (AND NOT THE LAW OF CONFLICTS) OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, BUT GIVING EFFECT TO FEDERAL LAWS APPLICABLE TO NATIONAL BANKS.
7.17. CONSENT TO JURISDICTION. EACH GRANTOR HEREBY IRREVOCABLY SUBMITS, FOR ITSELF AND ITS PROPERTY, TO THE NON-EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF ANY U.S. FEDERAL OR CALIFORNIA STATE COURT SITTING IN THE CITY AND COUNTY OF ORANGE, CALIFORNIA, IN ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS SECURITY AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER RELATED DOCUMENT OR FOR RECOGNITION OR ENFORCEMENT OF ANY JUDGMENT, AND EACH GRANTOR HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY AGREES THAT ALL CLAIMS IN RESPECT OF SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING MAY BE HEARD AND DETERMINED IN ANY SUCH COURT AND IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT IT MAY LEGALLY AND EFFECTIVELY DO SO, ANY OBJECTION IT MAY NOW OR HEREAFTER HAVE AS TO THE VENUE OF ANY SUCH SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING BROUGHT IN SUCH A COURT OR THAT SUCH COURT IS AN INCONVENIENT FORUM. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO AGREES THAT A FINAL JUDGMENT IN ANY SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING SHALL BE CONCLUSIVE AND MAY BE ENFORCED IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS BY SUIT ON THE JUDGMENT OR IN ANY OTHER MANNER PROVIDED BY LAW. NOTHING HEREIN SHALL AFFECT THE RIGHT OF THE SECURED PARTY TO BRING PROCEEDINGS AGAINST EACH GRANTOR IN THE COURTS OF ANY OTHER JURISDICTION. ANY JUDICIAL PROCEEDING BY ANY GRANTOR AGAINST THE SECURED PARTY OR ANY AFFILIATE OF THE SECURED PARTY INVOLVING, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, ANY MATTER IN ANY WAY ARISING OUT OF, RELATED TO, OR CONNECTED WITH THIS SECURITY AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER RELATED DOCUMENT SHALL BE BROUGHT ONLY IN A COURT IN THE CITY OR COUNTY OF ORANGE, CALIFORNIA. EACH GRANTOR IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY OBJECTION THAT IT MAY NOW OR HEREAFTER HAVE TO THE LAYING OF VENUE OF ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS GUARANTY OR ANY OTHER RELATED DOCUMENT IN ANY COURT REFERRED TO IN THIS SECTION. EACH GRANTOR HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE DEFENSE OF AN INCONVENIENT FORUM TO THE MAINTENANCE OF SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING IN ANY SUCH COURT.
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7.18. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS SECURITY AGREEMENT, ANY OTHER RELATED DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY). EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE OR OTHER AGENT (INCLUDING ANY ATTORNEY) OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS SECURITY AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.
IN THE EVENT THAT ANY SUCH ACTION IS COMMENCED OR MAINTAINED IN ANY COURT IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AND THE WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL SET FORTH ABOVE IS NOT ENFORCEABLE, AND EACH PARTY TO SUCH ACTION DOES NOT SUBSEQUENTLY WAIVE IN AN EFFECTIVE MANNER UNDER CALIFORNIA LAW ITS RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY, EACH GRANTOR HEREBY ELECTS TO PROCEED AS FOLLOWS:
EACH GRANTOR AGREES, AND HEREBY AGREES TO ADVISE THE APPLICABLE COURT, THAT THE ADJUDICATION OF ANY SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING (AND ALL RELATED CLAIMS) SHALL BE MADE PURSUANT TO CALIFORNIA CODE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE SECTION 638 BY A REFEREE (WHO SHALL BE A SINGLE ACTIVE OR RETIRED JUDGE) WHO SHALL HEAR AND DETERMINE ALL OF THE ISSUES IN SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING (WHETHER OF FACT OR OF LAW) AND REPORT A STATEMENT OF DECISION, PROVIDED THAT, AT THE OPTION OF ANY PARTY TO SUCH PROCEEDING, ANY SUCH ISSUES PERTAINING TO A “PROVISIONAL REMEDY” (AS DEFINED IN CALIFORNIA CODE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE SECTION 1281.8), AND ANY NON-JUDICIAL FORECLOSURE OF ANY SECURITY INTERESTS IN REAL OR PERSONAL PROPERTY, THE EXERCISE OF SELF HELP REMEDIES (INCLUDING SET-OFF), THE APPOINTMENT OF A RECEIVER SHALL BE HEARD AND DETERMINED BY THE COURT; AND (B) THE GRANTORS SHALL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE TO PAY ALL FEES AND EXPENSES OF ANY REFEREE APPOINTED IN SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING.
THE REFEREE SHALL BE AN ACTIVE OR RETIRED JUDGE OR JUSTICE SELECTED BY MUTUAL WRITTEN AGREEMENT OF THE PARTIES. IF THE PARTIES DO NOT AGREE WITHIN TEN (10) DAYS OF A WRITTEN REQUEST TO DO SO BY ANY PARTY, THEN, UPON REQUEST OF ANY PARTY, THE REFEREE SHALL BE SELECTED BY THE PRESIDING JUDGE OF THE COURT (OR HIS OR HER REPRESENTATIVE). A REQUEST FOR APPOINTMENT OF A REFEREE MAY BE HEARD ON AN EX PARTE OR EXPEDITED BASIS, AND THE PARTIES AGREE THAT IRREPARABLE HARM WOULD RESULT IF EX PARTE RELIEF IS NOT GRANTED.
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THE REFEREE SHALL BE REQUIRED TO DETERMINE ALL ISSUES IN ACCORDANCE WITH EXISTING APPLICABLE CASE LAW AND STATUTORY LAW. THE RULES OF EVIDENCE APPLICABLE TO PROCEEDINGS AT LAW IN THE COURT WILL BE APPLICABLE TO THE REFERENCE PROCEEDING. THE REFEREE SHALL BE EMPOWERED TO ENTER EQUITABLE AS WELL AS LEGAL RELIEF, ENTER EQUITABLE ORDERS THAT WILL BE BINDING ON THE PARTIES AND RULE ON ANY MOTION THAT WOULD BE AUTHORIZED IN A COURT PROCEEDING. THE REFEREE SHALL ISSUE A DECISION AT THE CLOSE OF THE REFERENCE PROCEEDING THAT DISPOSES OF ALL CLAIMS OF THE PARTIES THAT ARE THE SUBJECT OF THE REFERENCE. PURSUANT TO CALIFORNIA CODE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE SECTION 644, SUCH DECISION SHALL BE ENTERED BY THE COURT AS A JUDGMENT OR AN ORDER IN THE SAME MANNER AS IF THE ACTION HAD BEEN TRIED BY THE COURT AND ANY SUCH DECISION WILL BE FINAL, BINDING AND CONCLUSIVE. THE PARTIES RESERVE THE RIGHT TO APPEAL FROM THE FINAL JUDGMENT OR ORDER OR FROM ANY APPEALABLE DECISION OR ORDER ENTERED BY THE REFEREE. THE PARTIES RESERVE THE RIGHT TO FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAWS, A WRITTEN STATEMENT OF DECISION, AND THE RIGHT TO MOVE FOR A NEW TRIAL OR A DIFFERENT JUDGMENT, WHICH NEW TRIAL, IF GRANTED, IS ALSO TO BE A REFERENCE PROCEEDING UNDER THIS PROVISION.
7.19. Indemnity. Each Grantor hereby agrees to indemnify Secured Party and its successors, assigns, agents and employees, from and against any and all liabilities, damages, penalties, suits, fees, costs, and expenses of any kind and nature (including, without limitation, all expenses of litigation or preparation therefor whether or not Secured Party is a party thereto) imposed on, incurred by or asserted against Secured Party, or its successors, assigns, agents and employees, in any way relating to or arising out of this Security Agreement, or the manufacture, purchase, acceptance, rejection, ownership, delivery, lease, possession, use, operation, condition, sale, return or other disposition of any Collateral (including, without limitation, latent and other defects, whether or not discoverable by Secured Party or any Grantor, and any claim for Patent, Trademark or Copyright infringement). Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Grantor shall have liability to Secured Party for any liabilities, losses, costs or expenses to the extent such arise from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Secured Party or breach of this Security Agreement by Secured Party, in each case as finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.
7.20. Counterparts. This Security Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, all of which taken together shall constitute one agreement, and any of the parties hereto may execute this Security Agreement by signing any such counterpart. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Security Agreement by facsimile or other electronic transmission shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Security Agreement.
7.21. Lien Absolute. All rights of Secured Party hereunder, and all obligations of the Grantors hereunder, shall be absolute and unconditional irrespective of:
(a) any lack of validity or enforceability of the Note, any other Loan Document or any other agreement or instrument governing or evidencing any Secured Obligations;
(b) any change in the time, manner or place of payment of, or in any other term of, all or any part of the Secured Obligations, or any other amendment or waiver of or any consent to any departure from the Note, any other Loan Document or any other agreement or instrument governing or evidencing any Secured Obligations;
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(c) any exchange, release or non-perfection of any Collateral, or any release or amendment or waiver of or consent to departure from any guaranty, for all or any of the Secured Obligations;
(d) the insolvency of any Person; or
(e) any other circumstance which might otherwise constitute a defense available to, or a discharge of, any Grantor.
7.22. Release. Each Grantor consents and agrees that Secured Party may at any time, or from time to time, in its discretion:
(a) subject to Section 16 of the Note, renew, extend or change the time of payment, and/or the manner, place or terms of payment of all or any part of the Secured Obligations; and
(b) during the continuance of an Event of Default, exchange, release and/or surrender all or any of the Collateral (including the Pledged Collateral), or any part thereof, by whomsoever deposited, which is now or may hereafter be held by Secured Party in connection with all or any of the Secured Obligations; all in such manner and upon such terms as Secured Party may deem proper, and without notice to or further assent from any Grantor, it being hereby agreed that the Grantors shall be and remain bound upon this Security Agreement, irrespective of the value or condition of any of the Collateral, and notwithstanding any such change, exchange, settlement, compromise, surrender, release, renewal or extension, and notwithstanding also that the Secured Obligations may, at any time, exceed the aggregate principal amount thereof set forth in the Note or any other agreement governing any Secured Obligations.
7.23 Miscellaneous. When there is more than one Grantor named herein: (a) the word “Grantor” shall mean all or any one or more of them as the context requires; (b) the obligations of each Grantor hereunder are joint and several; and (c) until all Indebtedness secured hereby shall have been paid in full, no Grantor shall have any right of subrogation or contribution, and each Grantor hereby waives any benefit of or right to participate in any of the Collateral or any other security now or hereafter held by Secured Party. Each Grantor hereby waives any right to require Secured Party to (i) proceed against any Grantor or any other person, (ii) marshal assets or proceed against or exhaust any security from any Grantor or any other person, (iii) perform any obligation of any Grantor with respect to any Collateral, and (iv) make any presentment or demand, or give any notices of any kind, including without limitation, any notice of nonpayment or nonperformance, protest, notice of protest, notice of dishonor, notice of intention to accelerate or notice of acceleration hereunder or in connection with any Collateral. Each Grantor further waives any right to direct the application of payments or security for any Indebtedness of any Grantor or indebtedness of customers of any Grantor.
ARTICLE VIII
NOTICES
8.1. Sending Notices. Any notice required or permitted to be given under this Security Agreement shall be sent in accordance with the Note, provided that notices to the Grantors shall be sent to each Grantor at its mailing address set forth in Exhibit A hereto.
8.2. Change in Address for Notices. Each of the Grantors and Secured Party may change the address for service of notice upon it by a notice in writing to the other party.
[Signature Pages Follow]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each Grantor and Secured Party have executed this Security Agreement as of the date first above written.
GRANTORS:
| CAPSTONE HOLDING CORP. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | Matthew E. Lipman | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
SECURITY AGREEMENT
SIGNATURE PAGE
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each Grantor and Secured Party have executed this Security Agreement as of the date first above written.
| SECURED PARTY: | ||
[___] |
||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
Exhibit 99.1
Capstone
Secures Up To $10 million Financing Facility –
Supports Acquisition Strategy
Initial $3 Million Close Facilitates Announced Southeast, U.S. Based Deal Under LOI
July 30, 2025 – New York, NY – Capstone Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: CAPS), a national building products distribution platform, today announced the closing of a $10 million convertible note facility on July 29, 2025, which will be initially used to provide valuable additional financing capacity to support its previously announced M&A strategy. It has drawn down $3 million of the facility and may access the remaining capital on terms to be mutually agreed. The structure of this financing - and the additional capacity it provides - brings Capstone a strong institutional partner and a template for future drawdowns to support its acquisition strategy and other general corporate purposes.
The proceeds from the initial draw will be used primarily to fund the previously announced acquisition of a Southeast U.S. -based distributor of thin veneer stone and hardscape materials. That transaction is currently under a non-binding letter of intent.
“We are pleased that investors have reviewed our team and strategy and elected to provide a valuable convertible note facility to help finance our previously announced M&A strategy. Capstone is committed to growing with discipline, and this facility gives us the speed and flexibility to do that without compromising our capital structure,” said Matt Lipman, CEO of Capstone Holding. He went further to say “This approach also aligns with our long-term strategy: investing in high-quality acquisitions that are immediately accretive to earnings, while preserving liquidity and minimizing dilution. This transaction helps us take the next step toward entering a high-growth Southeastern market with a proven local operator.”
Key terms of the facility include an original issue discount of 8.34%, an interest rate of 7.0% per annum, and a maturity date of July 29, 2026. The facility is convertible from time to time at the option of the investor into Capstone shares based upon a conversion price of $1.72 per share and as otherwise set forth in the related transaction documents. Subsequent draws are subject to mutual consent. Having a negotiated set of documents as part of a convertible note facility allows Capstone to retain the same transaction documents and to adjust the economics of the transaction easily. Full details will be available in the company’s 8-K filing detailing this transaction.
Joseph Gunnar & Co., LLC acted as the exclusive placement agent for this offering.
This transaction reflects investor confidence in Capstone’s growth trajectory and the long-term value of equity participation.
Capstone continues to pursue an active pipeline of acquisition targets, with a focus on founder-led businesses in high-growth markets that benefit from Capstone’s scale, supply chain infrastructure, and proprietary brand portfolio. The pending acquisition would mark Capstone’s expansion into one of the fastest-growing construction markets in the country, with clear synergies in distribution, freight logistics, and service delivery.
The company continues to target a full-year revenue run-rate of $100 million, through organic growth, strategic M&A, and capital discipline.
About Capstone Holding Corp.
Capstone Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:CAPS) is a diversified platform of building products businesses focused on distribution, brand ownership, and acquisition. Capstone’s Instone subsidiary currently serves 31 U.S. states, offering proprietary lines of stone veneer, hardscape materials, and modular masonry systems. Capstone’s strategy combines operational efficiency, disciplined capital deployment, and brand control to build a scalable, high-margin platform.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements”. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure investors that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions that actual results may differ materially from anticipated results. Additional factors are discussed in the Company’s public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, available for review at www.sec.gov.
Investor Contact:
www.capstoneholdingcorp.com