LODE 8-K
Comstock Inc. (LODE)
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(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
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(Commission File Number)
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(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)
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Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
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Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
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Title of each class
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Trading symbol(s)
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Name of each exchange on which registered
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10.1
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10.2
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99.1
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104
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Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)
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COMSTOCK INC.
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Date: September 19, 2024
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By:
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/s/ Corrado De Gasperis
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Corrado De Gasperis
Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
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Exhibit 10.1
SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This Securities Purchase Agreement (this “Agreement”) is dated as of September 19, 2024, between Comstock, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”) and Kips Bay Select, LP (the “Purchaser”).
WHEREAS, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement and pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and/or Rule 506 promulgated thereunder, the Company desires to issue and sell to the Purchaser, and the Purchaser desires to purchase from the Company, securities of the Company, as more fully described in this Agreement (the “Offering”).
NOW, THEREFORE, IN CONSIDERATION of the mutual covenants contained in this Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Purchaser agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
1.1 Definitions. In addition to the terms defined elsewhere in this Agreement: (a) capitalized terms that are not otherwise defined herein have the meanings given to such terms in the Note (as defined herein), and (b) the following terms have the meanings set forth in this Section 1.1:
“Acquiring Person” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4.7.
“Action” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(j).
“Affiliate” means any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person, as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
“Aggregate Principal Amount” shall mean $5,319,149.
“Board of Directors” means the board of directors of the Company.
“Business Day” means any day except Saturday, Sunday, any day which is a federal legal holiday in the United States or any day on which banking institutions in the State of New York are authorized or required by law or other governmental action to close.
“Closing” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2.1.
“Closing Date” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2.1.
“Closing Price” means the closing price of the Common Stock on the date of the Closing.
“Closing Statement” means the Closing Statement in the form of Annex A attached hereto.
“Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Commitment Shares” means the registered shares of Common Stock in the amount of 3% of the Aggregate Principal Amount valued at a price per share equal to the 20-day VWAP for the VWAP Period (the “Registered Commitment Shares”) and restricted shares of Common Stock in the amount of 2% of the Aggregate Principal Amount valued at a price per share equal to the 20-day VWAP for the VWAP Period (the “Unregistered Commitment Shares”).
“Common Stock” means the common stock of the Company, par value $0.000666 per share, and any other class of securities into which such securities may hereafter be reclassified or changed.
“Common Stock Equivalents” means any securities of the Company or the Subsidiaries which would entitle the holder thereof to acquire at any time Common Stock, including, without limitation, any debt, preferred stock, right, option, warrant or other instrument that is at any time convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder thereof to receive Common Stock.
“Company” means Comstock Inc.
“Conversion Price” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in the Note.
“Conversion Shares” means the shares of Common Stock issued and issuable upon conversion or redemption of the Note and issued and issuable in lieu of the cash payment of interest on the Note in accordance with the terms of the Note.
“Disclosure Schedules” means the Disclosure Schedules of the Company delivered concurrently herewith.
“Disqualifying Event” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(bb).
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Exempt Issuance” means the issuance of (a) shares of Common Stock or options to employees, officers, directors or consultants of the Company pursuant to any stock or option plan or agreement duly adopted for such purpose by the Board of Directors or a majority of the members of a committee of non-employee directors established for such purpose consistent with past practices, (b) securities upon the exercise, exchange or conversion of the Note issued hereunder and/or other securities, options, warrants, convertible securities or other rights to acquire, exercisable or exchangeable for or convertible into, shares of Common Stock, in each case that are issued and outstanding on the date of this Agreement, provided that such securities have not been amended since the date of this Agreement to increase the number of such securities or to decrease the exercise, exchange or conversion price of such securities, (c) securities issued pursuant to acquisitions of companies, assets or intellectual property (or licensing of assets or intellectual property) or strategic transactions approved by a majority of the disinterested directors of the Company, if any, provided that any such issuance shall only be to a Person which is, itself or through its subsidiaries, an operating company, a university or other non-financial institution and in which the Company receives 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, (d) securities issued or issuable in exchange for consideration other than cash in connection with any other transaction that is not for the primary purpose of financing the Company’s business, 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, or (e) securities issued or issuable to the Purchaser or its assigns pursuant to this Agreement, the Note, or other Transaction Documents, or upon conversion or exchange of any such securities.
“GAAP” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(h).
“Indebtedness” means (x) any liabilities for borrowed money or amounts owed in excess of $100,000 (other than trade accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of business), (y) all guaranties, endorsements and other contingent obligations in respect of indebtedness of others, whether or not the same are or should be reflected in the Company’s consolidated 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 (z) the present value of any lease payments in excess of $100,000 due under leases required to be capitalized in accordance with GAAP.
“Intellectual Property Rights” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(m).
“Legend Removal Date” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4.2(c).
“Liens” means a lien, charge, pledge. security interest, encumbrance, right of first refusal, preemptive right or other restriction.
“Material Adverse Effect” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.1(b).
“Material Permits” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(m).
“Maximum Rate” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 5.17.
“NMRS” means Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, with offices located at 301 Hillsborough Street, Suite 1400, Raleigh, NC 27603.
“Note” means the Convertible Note due in accordance with its terms, issued by the Company to the Purchaser hereunder, in the form of Exhibit A attached hereto.
“Person” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind.
“Principal Market” means the NYSE American.
“Proceeding” means an action, claim, suit, investigation or proceeding (including, without limitation, an informal investigation or partial proceeding, such as a deposition), whether commenced or threatened.
“Prospectus” means the final prospectus filed for the Registration Statement.
“Prospectus Supplement” means the supplement to the Prospectus complying with Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act that is filed with the Commission and delivered by the Company to the Purchaser at the Closing.
“Purchaser Party” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4.10.
“Registrable Securities” means the Conversion Shares and the Registered Commitment Share.
“Registration Statement” means the effective registration statement on Form S-3 with Commission file No. 333-263930.
“Required Approvals” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(e).
“Required Minimum” means 25,000,000 shares of Common Stock.
“Restricted Person” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.2(f).
“Rule 144” means Rule 144 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same purpose and effect as such Rule.
“SEC Reports” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(h).
“Securities” means the Note, the Commitment Shares and the Conversion Shares.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Short Position” means a position whereby such Restricted Person has executed one or more sales of Common Stock that is marked as a short sale (but not including any sale marked “short exempt”) and that is executed at a time when such Restricted Person does not have an equivalent offsetting long position in the Common Stock (or is deemed to have a long position hereunder or otherwise in accordance with Regulation SHO under the 1934 Act); provided, further that no “short sale” shall be deemed to exist as a result of any failure by the Company (or its agents) to deliver Conversion Shares, upon conversion of the Note, to any Restricted Person exercising the Note, as applicable. For purposes of determining whether a Restricted Person has an equivalent offsetting long position in the Common Stock, such Restricted Person shall be deemed to hold “long” all Common Stock that is either (i) then owned by such Restricted Person, if any, or (ii) then issuable to such Restricted Person as Conversion Shares pursuant to the terms of the Note then held by such Restricted Person, if any, (without regard to any limitations on conversion set forth in the Note and giving effect to any conversion price adjustments that would take effect given only the passage of time). Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing contained herein shall (without implication that the contrary would otherwise be true) prohibit any Restricted Person from selling “long” (as defined under Rule 200 promulgated under Regulation SHO under the 1934 Act) the Securities or any other Common Stock then owned by such Restricted Person.
“Short Sales” means all “short sales” as defined in Rule 200 of Regulation SHO under the Exchange Act (but shall not be deemed to include the location and/or reservation of borrowable shares of Common Stock).
“Subscription Amount” means the aggregate amount to be paid for the Note purchased hereunder as specified below the Purchaser’s name on the signature page of this Agreement and next to the heading “Subscription Amount,” in United States dollars and in immediately available funds.
“Subsidiary” means any subsidiary of the Company as set forth on Schedule 3.1(a) and shall, where applicable, also include any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Company formed or acquired after the date hereof.
“Trading Day” means a day on which the principal Trading Market is open for trading.
“Trading Market” means the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the New York Stock Exchange, OTCQB or OTCQX (or any successors to any of the foregoing).
“Transaction Documents” means this Agreement, the Note, all exhibits and schedules thereto and hereto and any other documents or agreements executed in connection with the transactions contemplated hereunder.
“Transfer Agent” means Equiniti, and any successor transfer agent of the Company.
“Transfer Agent Instructions” shall mean the instructions attached hereto as Exhibit B.
“VWAP” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the Common Stock is then listed or quoted on the Principal Market, the daily volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) as reported by www.quotemedia.com (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. New York City time to 4:02 p.m. New York City time); (b) if the Common Stock is not then listed or quoted for trading on the Principal Market, then such prices as reported on another Trading Market; (c) if the Common Stock is not then listed or quoted for trading on a Trading Market and if prices for the Common Stock are then reported on the OTC Pink (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per share of the Common Stock so reported; or (d) in all other cases, the fair market value of a share of Common Stock as determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the holders of a majority in interest of the Note then outstanding and reasonably acceptable to the Company, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Company.
“VWAP Period” means the period beginning on the 10th trading day prior to the effective date of this Agreement and ending on the 10th trading day after the effective date of this Agreement.
ARTICLE II
PURCHASE AND SALE
2.1 Closing. The purchase and sale of the Note by the Company to the Purchaser shall occur at the closing of the Offering (a “Closing” and the date of such Closing, the “Closing Date”) to occur on September 19, 2024. Upon satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Sections 2.2 and 2.3, the initial Closing shall occur at the offices of NMRS or such other location as the parties shall mutually agree.
2.2 Deliveries.
(a) On the Closing Date, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Purchaser the following:
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(i) |
this Agreement duly executed by the Company; |
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(ii) |
the Commitment Shares; |
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(iii) |
the Note with the aggregate principal amount of up to $5,319,149, registered in the name of the Purchaser; and |
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(iv) |
the Prospectus and Prospectus Supplement (which may be delivered in accordance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act). |
(b) On the Closing Date, the Purchaser shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Company the following:
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a counterpart of this Agreement duly executed by the Purchaser; and |
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such Purchaser’s Subscription Amount by wire transfer to the account as specified in writing by the Company (see Annex A). |
(c) On the Closing Date, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Transfer Agent the Transfer Agent Instructions.
2.3 Closing Conditions.
(a) The obligations of the Company hereunder in connection with the Closing are subject to the following conditions being met:
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(the accuracy in all material respects (determined without regard to any materiality, Material Adverse Effect or other similar qualifiers therein) on such Closing Date of the representations and warranties of the Purchaser contained herein; |
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all obligations, covenants and agreements of the Purchaser required to be performed at or prior to such Closing Date shall have been performed; and |
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(iii) |
the delivery by the Purchaser of the items set forth in Section 2.2(b) of this Agreement. |
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The obligations of the Purchaser hereunder in connection with the Closing are subject to the following conditions being met, unless waived in the sole and absolute discretion of the Purchaser: |
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the accuracy in all respects (determined without regard to any materiality, Material Adverse Effect or other similar qualifiers therein) when made and on such Closing Date of the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein; |
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(ii) |
all obligations, covenants and agreements of the Company required to be performed at or prior to such Closing Date shall have been performed; |
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(iii) |
the delivery by the Company of the items set forth in Section 2.2(a) of this Agreement; |
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(iv) |
there shall have been no Material Adverse Effect with respect to the Company since the date hereof; |
ARTICLE III
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
3.1 Representations and Warranties of the Company. Except as set forth in the Disclosure Schedules, which Disclosure Schedules shall be deemed a part hereof and shall qualify any representation or otherwise made herein only to the extent of the disclosure contained in the corresponding section of the Disclosure Schedules, the Company hereby makes the following representations and warranties to the Purchaser as of the Closing, except where otherwise indicated:
(a) Subsidiaries. All of the direct and indirect subsidiaries of the Company are set forth on Exhibit 21 to the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K. Except as set forth on such Exhibit, the Company owns, directly or indirectly, all of the capital stock or other equity interests of each Subsidiary free and clear of any Liens, and all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of each Subsidiary are validly issued and are fully paid, non-assessable and free of preemptive and similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities. If the Company shall at any time in which the Note remains outstanding have no subsidiaries, all other references to the Subsidiaries or any of them in the Transaction Documents shall be disregarded.
(b) Organization and Qualification. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries 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. Each of the Company and 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: (i) a material adverse effect on the legality, validity or enforceability of any Transaction Document, (ii) a material adverse effect on the results of operations, assets, business, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (iii) a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to perform in any respect on a timely basis its obligations under any Transaction Document (any of (i), (ii) or (iii), a “Material Adverse Effect”) 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.
(c) Authorization; Enforcement. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by each of the Transaction Documents and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. The execution and delivery of each of the Transaction Documents by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Company and no further action is required by the Company, the Board of Directors or the Company’s stockholders in connection therewith other than in connection with the Required Approvals. Each Transaction Document to which it is a party has been (or upon delivery will have been) duly executed by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof, will constitute the valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except: (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.
(d) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents and the consummation by it of the other transactions contemplated hereby and thereby do not and will not: (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents, (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the properties or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, anti-dilution or similar adjustments, acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time or both) of, any agreement, credit facility, debt or other instrument (evidencing a Company or Subsidiary debt or otherwise) or other understanding to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which any property or asset of the Company or any Subsidiary is bound or affected, or (iii) subject to the Required Approvals, conflict with or result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction of any court or governmental authority to which the Company or a Subsidiary is subject (including federal and state securities laws and regulations), or by which any property or asset of the Company or a Subsidiary is bound or affected; except in the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), such as could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(e) Filings, Consents and Approvals. The Company is not required to obtain any consent, waiver, authorization or order of, give any notice to, or make any filing or registration with, any court or other federal, state, local or other governmental authority or other Person in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents, other than: (i) the filing with the Commission of the Prospectus Supplement, (ii) such consents, waivers, or authorizations as have been obtained before the Closing, (iii) if required, the notice and/or application(s) to each applicable Trading Market for the issuance, sale, listing or quotation of the Registrable Securities in the time and manner required thereby, and (iv) the filing of Form D with the Commission and such filings as are required to be made under applicable state securities laws (collectively, the “Required Approvals”).
(f) Issuance of the Securities. The issuance of the Securities has been duly authorized by all applicable corporate power and authority, and, when issued and paid for in accordance with the applicable Transaction Documents, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of any and all Liens imposed by the Company other than restrictions on transfer provided for in the Transaction Documents. The Conversion Shares, when issued in accordance with the terms of the Transaction Documents, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens imposed by the Company other than restrictions on transfer provided for in the Transaction Documents. The Company has reserved the Required Minimum from its duly authorized capital stock for issuance of the Conversion Shares. The Company has prepared and filed the Registration Statement in conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act, which became effective on April 11, 2022 (the “Effective Date”), including the Prospectus, and such amendments and supplements thereto as may have been required to the date of this Agreement. The Registration Statement is effective under the Securities Act and no stop order preventing or suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or suspending or preventing the use of the Prospectus has been issued by the Commission and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the knowledge of the Company, are threatened by the Commission. The Company, if required by the rules and regulations of the Commission, shall file the Prospectus with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b). At the time the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto became effective, at the date of this Agreement and at the Closing Date, the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto conformed and will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, at the time the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto was issued and at the Closing Date, conformed and will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Company was at the time of the filing of the Registration Statement eligible to use Form S-3. The Company is eligible to use Form S-3 under the Securities Act and it meets the transaction requirements with respect to the aggregate market value of securities being sold pursuant to this offering and during the twelve (12) months prior to this offering, as set forth in General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3.
(g) Capitalization. The capitalization of the Company immediately prior to the Closing is, in all material respects, as set forth in the SEC Reports. Except as provided on Schedule 3.1(g), no Person has (i) any right of first refusal, preemptive right, right of participation, or any similar right to participate in the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents except for such, if any, as will have been validly waived before the Closing and (ii) except pursuant to the operation of agreements filed as exhibits to the SEC Reports before the date of this Agreement and as set forth on Schedule 3.1(j), there are no outstanding options, warrants, scrip rights to subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character whatsoever relating to, or securities, rights or obligations convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or giving any Person any right to subscribe for or acquire any shares of Common Stock or the capital stock of any Subsidiary, or contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any Subsidiary is or may become bound to issue additional shares of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents or capital stock of any Subsidiary. The issuance and sale of the Securities will not obligate the Company to issue shares of Common Stock or other securities to any Person (other than the Purchaser) and will not result in a right of any holder of Company securities to adjust the exercise, conversion, exchange or reset price under any of such securities. All of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, have been issued in compliance with all applicable laws (including, without limitation, applicable federal and state securities laws), and none of such outstanding shares was issued in violation of any preemptive rights or similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities. No further approval or authorization of any stockholder, the Board of Directors or others is required for the issuance and sale of the Securities. There are no stockholders agreements, voting agreements or other similar agreements with respect to the Company’s capital stock to which the Company is a party or, to the knowledge of the Company, between or among any of the Company’s stockholders.
(h) SEC Reports; Financial Statements. The Company has filed all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by the Company under Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act for the two years preceding the date hereof (or such shorter period as the Company was required by law or regulation to file such material) (the foregoing materials, including the exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein, being collectively referred to herein as the “SEC Reports”) on a timely basis or has received a valid extension of such time of filing and has filed any such SEC Reports prior to the expiration of any such extension. As of their respective dates, the SEC Reports complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and none of the SEC Reports, when filed, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted 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 were made, not misleading. The financial statements of the Company included in the SEC Reports comply in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the rules and regulations of the Commission with respect thereto as in effect at the time of filing. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (“GAAP”), except as may be otherwise specified in such financial statements or the notes thereto and except that unaudited financial statements may not contain all footnotes required by GAAP, and fairly present in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of and for the dates thereof and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended, subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal, immaterial, year-end audit adjustments. The Company is, and has no reason to believe that it will not in the foreseeable future continue to be, in compliance with all its reporting requirements under the Securities Act and Exchange Act.
(i) Material Changes. Except as provided in the SEC Reports hereto, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the SEC Reports: (i) there has been no event, occurrence or development that has had or that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) the Company has not incurred any liabilities (contingent or otherwise) other than (A) trade payables and accrued expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (B) liabilities not required to be reflected in the Company’s financial statements pursuant to GAAP or disclosed in filings made with the Commission, (iii) the Company has not altered its method of accounting, (iv) the Company has not declared, nor has the Board of Directors of the Company authorized, or made any dividend or distribution of cash or other property to its stockholders or purchased, redeemed or made any agreements to purchase or redeem any shares of its capital stock and (v) the Company has not issued any equity securities or Common Stock Equivalents to any officer, director or Affiliate, except pursuant to existing Company equity incentive plans. Except for the issuance of the Securities contemplated by this Agreement and as may otherwise be disclosed herein or in any Schedule hereto, no event, liability, fact, circumstance, occurrence or development has occurred or exists or is reasonably expected to occur or exist with respect to the Company or its Subsidiaries or their respective businesses, prospects, properties, operations, assets or financial condition, that would be required to be disclosed by the Company under applicable securities laws at the time this representation is made or deemed made that has not been publicly disclosed at least one (1) Trading Day prior to the date that this representation is made.
(j) Litigation. Except as described in the SEC Reports, there is no action, suit, inquiry, notice of violation, proceeding or investigation pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the Company, any Subsidiary or any of their respective assets or properties before or by any court, arbitrator, governmental or administrative agency or regulatory authority (federal, state, county, local or foreign) (collectively, an “Action”) which (i) adversely affects or challenges the legality, validity or enforceability of any of the Transaction Documents or the Securities or the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under the Transaction Documents or (ii) could, if there were an unfavorable decision, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor any director, officer or affiliate thereof, is or has been the subject of any Action involving a claim of violation of or liability under federal or state securities laws or a claim of breach of fiduciary duty. There has not been, and to the knowledge of the Company, there is not pending or contemplated, any investigation by the Commission involving the Company or any current or former director or officer of the Company. The Commission has not issued any stop order or other order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement filed by the Company or any Subsidiary under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act.
(k) Labor Relations. No material labor dispute exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent with respect to any of the employees of the Company which could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. None of the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ employees is a member of a union that relates to such employee’s relationship with the Company or such Subsidiary, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to a collective bargaining agreement, and the Company and its Subsidiaries believe that their relationships with their employees are good. No executive officer of the Company or any Subsidiary, to the knowledge of the Company, is, or is now expected to be, in violation of any material term of any employment contract, confidentiality, disclosure or proprietary information agreement or non-competition agreement, or any other contract or agreement or any restrictive covenant in favor of any third party, and the continued employment of each such executive officer does not subject the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any liability with respect to any of the foregoing matters. To the Company’s knowledge, the Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with all U.S. federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations relating to employment and employment practices, terms and conditions of employment and wages and hours, except where the failure to be in compliance could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(l) Compliance. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary: (i) is in default under or in violation of (and no event has occurred that has not been waived that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would result in a default by the Company or any Subsidiary under), nor has the Company or any Subsidiary received notice of a claim that it is in default under or that it is in violation of, any indenture, loan or credit agreement or any other material agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties is bound (whether or not such default or violation has been waived) and such default or violation has not been cured, (ii) is in violation of any judgment, decree or order of any court, arbitrator or governmental body or (iii) is or has been in violation of any statute, rule, ordinance or regulation of any governmental authority, including without limitation all foreign, federal, state and local laws applicable to its business and all such laws that affect the environment, except in each of the foregoing cases as may otherwise be disclosed herein or in any Schedule hereto or as could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(m) Regulatory Permits. The Company and the Subsidiaries possess all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses, except where the failure to possess such permits could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect (“Material Permits”), and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any Material Permit.
(n) Title to Assets. Except as set forth on Schedule 3.1(n), the Company and the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property and good and marketable title in all personal property owned by it that, in each case, is material to the business of the Company and the Subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all Liens, except for Liens as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and the Subsidiaries and Liens for the payment of federal, state or other taxes, the payment of which is neither delinquent nor subject to penalties in any material respect. Any real property and facilities held under lease by the Company and the Subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with which the Company and the Subsidiaries are in compliance.
(o) Patents and Trademarks. (i) The Company and the Subsidiaries have, or have rights to use, all patents, patent applications, trademarks, trademark applications, service marks, trade names, trade secrets, inventions, copyrights, licenses and other intellectual property rights and similar rights necessary or material for use in connection with their respective businesses and which the failure to so have could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect (collectively, the “Intellectual Property Rights”); (ii) neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received a notice (written or otherwise) that any of the Intellectual Property Rights violates or infringes upon the rights of any Person; (iii) all such Intellectual Property Rights are enforceable and to the knowledge of the Company there is no existing infringement by another Person of any of the Intellectual Property Rights, except where the failure to be so enforceable or for such infringements as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (iv) the Company and its Subsidiaries have taken all commercially appropriate security measures to protect the secrecy, confidentiality and value of all of their intellectual properties, except where failure to do so could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(p) Transactions with Affiliates and Employees. Except as set forth in the SEC Reports, none of the officers or directors of the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, none of the employees of the Company is presently a party to any transaction with the Company or any Subsidiary (other than for services as employees, officers and directors), including any contract, agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of services to or by, providing for rental of real or personal property to or from, or otherwise requiring payments to or from any officer, director or such employee or, to the knowledge of the Company, any entity in which any officer, director, or any such employee has a substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee or partner, in each case in excess of $120,000 other than for: (i) payment of salary or consulting fees for services rendered, (ii) reimbursement for expenses incurred on behalf of the Company and (iii) other employee benefits, including stock option agreements under any stock option plan of the Company
(q) Environmental Laws. The Company and its subsidiaries are (i) in compliance in all material respects with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”), (ii) have received all material permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (iii) are in compliance in all material respects with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval.
(r) Sarbanes-Oxley; Internal Accounting Controls. The Company is in material compliance with all provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 which are applicable to it as of the Closing Date. 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 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 has established disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the Company 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. The Company’s certifying officers have evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by the Company’s most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act (such date, the “Evaluation Date”). The Company presented in its most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act the conclusions of the certifying officers about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on their evaluations as of the Evaluation Date. Since the Evaluation Date, there have been no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in the Exchange Act) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
(s) Certain Fees. No brokerage, due diligence, finder’s fees or commissions are or will be payable by the Company to any broker, financial advisor or consultant, finder, placement agent, investment banker, bank or other Person with respect to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. The Purchaser shall have no obligation with respect to any fees or with respect to any claims made by or on behalf of other Persons for fees of a type contemplated in this Section that may be due in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.
(t) Private Placement. Assuming the accuracy of the Purchaser’s representations and warranties set forth in Section 3.2, no registration under the Securities Act is required for the offer and sale of the Unregistered Commitment Shares (the “Unregistered Securities”) by the Company as contemplated hereby.
(u) Investment Company. The Company is not, and is not an Affiliate of, and immediately after receipt of payment for the Securities, will not be or be an Affiliate of, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The Company shall conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become subject to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(v) Registration Rights. No Person has any right to cause the Company or any Subsidiary to effect the registration under the Securities Act of any securities of the Company or any Subsidiary.
(w) Listing and Maintenance Requirements. (i) The Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(b) or 12(g) 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 Commission is contemplating terminating such registration, (ii) the Company has not, in the 12 months preceding the date hereof, received notice from any Trading Market on which the Common Stock is or has been listed or quoted to the effect that the Company is not in compliance with the listing or maintenance requirements of such Trading Market and (iii) the Company is, and has no reason to believe that it will not in the foreseeable future continue to be, in compliance with all such listing and maintenance requirements.
(x) Application of Takeover Protections. The Company and the Board of Directors have taken all necessary action, if any, in order to render inapplicable any control share acquisition, business combination, poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement) or other similar anti-takeover provision under the Company’s certificate of incorporation (or similar charter documents) or the laws of its state of incorporation that is or could become applicable to the Purchaser as a result of the Purchaser and the Company fulfilling their obligations or exercising their rights under the Transaction Documents, including without limitation as a result of the Company’s issuance of the Securities and the Purchaser’s ownership of the Securities.
(y) Disclosure. Except with respect to (i) the material terms and conditions of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents and (ii) information given to the Purchaser, if any, which the Company hereby confirms does not constitute material non-public information, the Company confirms that neither it nor any other Person acting on its behalf has provided the Purchaser or their agents or counsel with any information that it believes constitutes or might constitute material, nonpublic information. The Company understands and confirms that the Purchaser will rely on the foregoing representation in effecting transactions in securities of the Company. All disclosure furnished in writing by or on behalf of the Company to the Purchaser regarding the Company, its business and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Disclosure Schedules to this Agreement, 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 light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The press releases disseminated by the Company during the twelve months preceding the date of this Agreement do 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 and when made, not misleading. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Purchaser has not made any representations or warranties with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby other than those specifically set forth in Section 3.2 hereof.
(z) No Integrated Offering. Assuming the accuracy of the Purchaser’s representations and warranties set forth in Section 3.2, neither the Company, nor any of its Affiliates, nor any Person acting on its or their behalf has, directly or indirectly, made any offers or sales of any security or solicited any offers to buy any security, under circumstances that would cause this offering of the Securities to be integrated with prior offerings by the Company for purposes of (i) the Securities Act which would require the registration of any such securities under the Securities Act, or (ii) any applicable shareholder approval provisions of any Trading Market on which any of the securities of the Company are listed or designated.
(aa) Tax Status. Except for matters that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and each Subsidiary has filed all necessary federal, state and foreign income and franchise tax returns and has paid or accrued all taxes shown as due thereon, and the Company has no knowledge of a tax deficiency which has been asserted or threatened against the Company or any Subsidiary. There are no audits pending by any tax or other governmental authority relating to the payment of taxes by the Company or any subsidiary.
(bb) No General Solicitation. Neither the Company nor any person acting on behalf of the Company has offered or sold any of the Securities by any form of general solicitation or general advertising. The Company has offered the Securities for sale only to the Purchaser and certain other “accredited investors” within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Securities Act.
(cc) Foreign Corrupt Practices. Neither the Company, nor to the knowledge of the Company, any agent or other person acting on behalf of the Company, has: (i) directly or indirectly, used any funds for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses related to foreign or domestic political activity, (ii) made any unlawful payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to any foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds, (iii) failed to disclose fully any contribution made by the Company (or made by any person acting on its behalf of which the Company is aware) which is in violation of law or (iv) violated in any material respect any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.
(dd) No Disagreements with Accountants and Lawyers; Outstanding SEC Comments. There are no disagreements of any kind presently existing, or reasonably anticipated by the Company to arise, between the Company and the accountants and lawyers formerly or presently employed by the Company and the Company is or immediately after the Closing Date will be current with respect to any fees owed to its accountants which could affect the Company’s ability to perform any of its obligations under any of the Transaction Documents. There are no unresolved comments or inquiries received by the Company or its Affiliates from the Commission which remain unresolved as of the date hereof.
(ee) Acknowledgment Regarding Purchaser’s Purchase of Securities. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Purchaser is acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length purchaser with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby. The Company further acknowledges that no Purchaser is acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary of the Company (or in any similar capacity) with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby and any advice given by the Purchaser or any of their respective representatives or agents in connection with the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby is merely incidental to the Purchaser’s purchase of the Securities. The Company further represents to the Purchaser that the Company’s decision to enter into this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents has been based solely on the independent evaluation of the transactions contemplated hereby by the Company and its representatives.
(ff) Disqualification. No executive officer, member of the Board of Directors of the Company or shareholder of the Company beneficially owning more than 10% of the Company’s securities is currently subject to a Disqualifying Event. For purposes of this Agreement, “Disqualifying Event” means any conviction, order, judgment, decree, suspension, expulsion, event or other matter set out in Rule 506(d)(1)(i) through (viii) of Regulation D that is currently in effect or which occurred within the periods set out in Rule 506(d)(1)(i) through (viii).
(gg) Solvency. Based on the consolidated financial condition of the Company and Subsidiaries as of the Closing Date, and the Company’s good faith estimate of the fair market value of its assets, after giving effect to the receipt by the Company of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities hereunder: (i) the fair saleable value of the Company’s assets exceeds the amount that will be required to be paid on or in respect of the Company’s existing debts and other liabilities (including known contingent liabilities) as they mature, (ii) the Company’s assets do not constitute unreasonably small capital to carry on its business as now conducted and as proposed to be conducted including its capital needs taking into account the particular capital requirements of the business conducted by the Company, consolidated and projected capital requirements and capital availability thereof, and (iii) the current cash flow of the Company, together with the proceeds the Company would receive, were it to liquidate all of its assets, after taking into account all anticipated uses of the cash, would be sufficient to pay all amounts on or in respect of its liabilities when such amounts are required to be paid. The Company does not intend to incur debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature (taking into account the timing and amounts of cash to be payable on or in respect of its debt). The Company has no knowledge of any facts or circumstances which lead it to believe that it will file for reorganization or liquidation under the bankruptcy or reorganization laws of any jurisdiction within one year from the Closing Date.
(hh) [Intentionally omitted]
(ii) Regulation M Compliance. The Company has not, and to its knowledge no one acting on its behalf has, (i) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities, (ii) sold, bid for, purchased, or paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the Securities, or (iii) paid or agreed to pay to any Person any compensation for soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company.
(jj) Money Laundering. The operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance in all material respects with applicable financial record-keeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, applicable money laundering statutes and applicable rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any Subsidiary with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company or any Subsidiary, threatened.
(kk) Stock Option Plans. Each stock option and similar security granted by the Company was granted (i) in accordance with the terms of such any applicable stock option plans and (ii) 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 any stock option plan has been backdated. The Company has not knowingly granted, and there is no and has been no Company policy or practice 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 its Subsidiaries or their financial results or prospects.
(ll) Office of Foreign Assets Control. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”).
(mm) Indebtedness and Seniority. As of the date hereof, all Indebtedness and Liens of the Company and the principal terms thereof are set forth in the SEC Reports.
(nn) Cybersecurity. (i)(x) There has been no security breach or other compromise of or relating to any of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data (including the data of its respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained by or on behalf of it), equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”), except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect and (y) the Company and the Subsidiaries have 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 its IT Systems and Data, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; (ii) the Company and the Subsidiaries are presently in compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, 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, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; (iii) the Company and the Subsidiaries have implemented and maintained commercially reasonable safeguards to maintain and protect its material confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all IT Systems and Data; and (iv) the Company and the Subsidiaries have implemented backup and disaster recovery technology consistent with industry standards and practices.
3.2 Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser. The Purchaser, as to itself only, hereby represents and warrants as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date to the Company as follows:
(a) Organization; Authority. The Purchaser is an entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization with full right, corporate, partnership, limited liability company or similar power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. The execution and delivery of the Transaction Documents and performance by the Purchaser of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership, limited liability company or similar action on the part of the Purchaser. Each Transaction Document to which it is a party has been duly executed by the Purchaser, and when delivered by the Purchaser in accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute the valid and legally binding obligation of the Purchaser, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, except: (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.
(b) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Purchaser of this Agreement and the consummation by the Purchaser of the transactions contemplated hereby and the Note and the Transaction Documents will not (i) result in a violation of the organizational documents of the Purchaser, (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 Purchaser 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 Purchaser, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for such conflicts, defaults, rights or violations which would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of the Purchaser to perform its obligations hereunder.
(c) Own Account. The Purchaser understands that the Unregistered Securities are “restricted securities” and have not been registered under the Securities Act or any applicable state securities law and is acquiring the Securities as principal for its own account and not with a present view to or for distributing or reselling them or any part thereof in violation of the Securities Act or any applicable state securities law, has no present intention of distributing any of the Unregistered Securities in violation of the Securities Act or any applicable state securities law and has no direct or indirect arrangement or understandings with any other persons to distribute or regarding the distribution of such securities (this representation and warranty not limiting the Purchaser’s right to sell the Securities pursuant to a registration statement or otherwise in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws) in violation of the Securities Act or any applicable state securities law. The Purchaser is acquiring the Unregistered Securities hereunder in the ordinary course of its business.
(d) Purchaser Status. At the time the Purchaser was offered the Securities, it was, and as of the date hereof it is, and on each date on which it converts any portion of the Note, it will be either: (i) an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(7) or (a)(8) under the Securities Act or (ii) a “qualified institutional buyer” as defined in Rule 144A(a) under the Securities Act. The Purchaser is not required to be registered as a broker-dealer under Section 15 of the Exchange Act.
(e) Experience of the Purchaser. The Purchaser, either alone or together with its representatives, has such knowledge, sophistication and experience in business and financial matters so as to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment in the Securities, and has so evaluated the merits and risks of such investment. The Purchaser understands that its investment in the Securities involves a high degree of risk. The Purchaser (i) is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Securities including a total loss thereof, (ii) has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters that it is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the proposed investment in the Securities and (iii) has had an opportunity to ask questions of and receive answers from the officers of the Company concerning the financial condition and business of the Company and others matters related to an investment in the Securities. Neither such inquiries nor any other due diligence investigations conducted by the Purchaser or its respective representatives shall modify, amend or affect Purchaser’s right to rely on the Company’s representations and warranties. The Purchaser has sought such 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) General Solicitation. The Purchaser is not purchasing the Securities as a result of any advertisement, article, notice or other communication regarding the Securities published in any newspaper, magazine or similar media or broadcast over television or radio or presented at any seminar or any other general solicitation or general advertisement.
The Company acknowledges and agrees that the representations contained in this Section 3.2 shall not modify, amend or affect such Purchaser’s right to rely on the Company’s representations and warranties contained in this Agreement or any representations and warranties contained in any other Transaction Document or any other document or instrument executed and/or delivered in connection with this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.
ARTICLE IV
OTHER AGREEMENTS OF THE PARTIES
4.1 Transfer Restrictions.
(a) The Unregistered Securities may only be disposed of in compliance with state and federal securities laws. In connection with any transfer of the Unregistered Securities other than pursuant to an effective registration statement or Rule 144, to the Company or in connection with a pledge as contemplated in Section 4.2(b) or a transfer to an Affiliate of the Purchaser, the Company may require the transferor thereof to provide to the Company at the Company’s expense, an opinion of counsel selected by the transferor and reasonably acceptable to the Company, the form and substance of which opinion shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Company, to the effect that such transfer does not require registration of such transferred Unregistered Securities under the Securities Act. As a condition of transfer, any such transferee shall agree in writing to be bound by the terms of this Agreement, including the representations and warranties made by the Purchaser herein, and shall have the rights of a Purchaser under this Agreement.
(b) The Purchaser agrees to the imprinting by the Company, so long as is required by this Section 4.1, of a legend on any of the Unregistered Securities in substantially the following form:
[NEITHER] THIS SECURITY [NOR THE SECURITIES INTO WHICH THIS SECURITY IS CONVERTIBLE] HAS [NOT] BEEN REGISTERED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR THE SECURITIES COMMISSION OF ANY STATE IN RELIANCE UPON AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), AND, ACCORDINGLY, MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR PURSUANT TO AN AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS AS EVIDENCED BY A LEGAL OPINION OF COUNSEL TO THE TRANSFEROR TO SUCH EFFECT, THE SUBSTANCE OF WHICH SHALL BE REASONABLY ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMPANY. THIS SECURITY [AND THE SECURITIES ISSUABLE UPON [CONVERSION] OF THIS SECURITY] MAY BE PLEDGED IN CONNECTION WITH A BONA FIDE MARGIN ACCOUNT OR OTHER LOAN SECURED BY SUCH SECURITIES.
The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Purchaser may from time to time grant a security interest in some or all of the Unregistered Securities to a financial institution that is an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act and who agrees in writing with the Company to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement and, if required under the terms of such arrangement and subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws, the Purchaser may transfer secured Unregistered Securities to the secured parties. Absent special circumstances, such a transfer would not be subject to approval of the Company and no legal opinion of legal counsel of the secured party shall be required in connection therewith. At the Purchaser’s expense, the Company will execute and deliver such reasonable documentation as a secured party of Unregistered Securities may reasonably request in connection with a pledge or transfer of the Unregistered Securities.
(c) The Purchaser agrees that the Purchaser will sell any Unregistered Securities only pursuant to either an exemption from registration or a registration statement under the Securities Act, including any applicable prospectus delivery requirements, and that if Unregistered Securities are sold pursuant to a registration statement, they will be sold in compliance with the plan of distribution set forth therein, and acknowledges that the removal of the restrictive legend from certificates representing Unregistered Securities as set forth in this Section 4.1 is predicated upon the Company’s reliance upon this understanding.
4.2 Acknowledgment of Dilution. The Company acknowledges that the issuance of the 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 its obligations under the Transaction Documents, including, without limitation, its obligation to issue the Conversion Shares pursuant to the Transaction Documents, are unconditional and absolute and not subject to any right of set off, counterclaim, delay or reduction, regardless of the effect of any such dilution or any claim the Company may have against the Purchaser and regardless of the dilutive effect that such issuance may have on the ownership of the other stockholders of the Company.
4.3 Furnishing of Information.
(a) Until the Purchaser owns no Securities, the Company covenants that it will maintain the registration of the Common Stock under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act and to use all commercially reasonable efforts to timely file (or obtain extensions in respect thereof and file within the applicable grace period) all reports required to be filed by the Company after the date hereof pursuant to the Exchange Act. As long as the Purchaser owns Securities, if the Company is not required to file reports pursuant to the Exchange Act, it will prepare and furnish to the Purchaser and make publicly available in accordance with Rule 144(c) such information as is required for the Purchaser to sell the Securities under Rule 144. The Company further covenants that it will use all commercially reasonable efforts to take such further action as any holder of Securities may reasonably request, to the extent required from time to time to enable such Person to sell such Securities without registration under the Securities Act within the requirements of the exemption provided by Rule 144.
(b) At any time commencing on the Closing Date and ending at such time that all of the Securities may be sold without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with Rule 144(c)(1) and otherwise without restriction or limitation pursuant to Rule 144, if the Company shall fail for any reason to satisfy the current public information requirement under Rule 144(c) (a “Public Information Failure”) then, in addition to such Purchaser’s other available remedies, the Company shall pay to a Purchaser, in cash, as partial liquidated damages and not as a penalty, by reason of any such delay in or impairment of its ability to sell the Securities, an amount in cash equal to 2.0% of the Aggregate Principal Amount of the Note and accrued interest thereon, held by such Purchaser on the day of a Public Information Failure and on every thirtieth (30th) day (pro-rated for periods totaling less than thirty days) thereafter until the earlier of (a) the date such Public Information Failure is cured and (b) such time that such public information is no longer required for the Purchaser to transfer the Conversion Shares pursuant to Rule 144. The payments to which a Purchaser shall be entitled pursuant to this Section 4.4(b) are referred to herein as “Public Information Failure Payments.” Public Information Failure Payments shall be paid on the earlier of (i) the last day of the calendar month during which such Public Information Failure Payments are incurred and (ii) the third (3rd) Business Day after the event or failure giving rise to the Public Information Failure Payments is cured. In the event the Company fails to make Public Information Failure Payments in a timely manner, such Public Information Failure Payments shall bear interest at the rate of 1.5% per month (prorated for partial months) until paid in full. Nothing herein shall limit such Purchaser’s right to pursue actual damages for the Public Information Failure, and such Purchaser shall have the right to pursue all remedies available to it at law or in equity including, without limitation, a decree of specific performance and/or injunctive relief.
4.4 Integration. The Company shall not sell, offer for sale or solicit offers to buy or otherwise negotiate in respect of any security (as defined in Section 2 of the Securities Act) that would be integrated with the offer or sale of the Securities in a manner that would require the registration under the Securities Act of the sale of the Securities or that would be integrated with the offer or sale of the Securities for purposes of the rules and regulations of any Trading Market such that it would require shareholder approval prior to the closing of such other transaction or to effectuate such other transaction unless shareholder approval is obtained before the earlier of the closing of such subsequent transaction or effectuation of such other transaction.
4.5 Conversion and Exercise Procedures. The form of Notice of Conversion included in the Note sets forth the totality of the procedures required of the Purchaser in order to convert the Note. No additional legal opinion, other information or instructions shall be required of the Purchaser to convert their Note. The Company shall honor conversions of the Note and shall deliver Conversion Shares in accordance with the terms, conditions and time periods set forth in the Transaction Documents.
4.6 Securities Laws Disclosure; Publicity. The Company shall, by 8:30 a.m. (New York City time) on the Trading Day immediately following the date hereof, issue a Current Report on Form 8-K disclosing the material terms of the transactions contemplated hereby and including the Transaction Documents as exhibits thereto. The Company and the Purchaser shall consult with each other in issuing any other press releases with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, and neither the Company nor the Purchaser shall issue any such press release nor otherwise make any such public statement (other than in the Company’s SEC Reports after the initial Closing Date or exhibits filed therewith) without the prior consent of the Company, with respect to any press release of the Purchaser, or without the prior consent of the Purchaser, with respect to any press release of the Company, which consent shall not unreasonably be withheld or delayed, except if such disclosure is required by law, in which case the disclosing party shall promptly provide the other party with prior notice of such public statement or communication. Notwithstanding the foregoing, other than in connection with the Company’s SEC Reports or disclosures to any regulatory agency or Trading Market that the Company determines are necessary or appropriate, the Company shall not publicly disclose the name of the Purchaser, or include the name of the Purchaser, in any press release or similar public statement, without the prior written consent of the Purchaser.
4.7 Shareholder Rights Plan. No claim will be made or enforced by the Company or, with the consent of the Company, any other Person, that the Purchaser is an “Acquiring Person” under any control share acquisition, business combination, poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement) or similar anti-takeover plan or arrangement in effect, or that the Purchaser could be deemed to trigger the provisions of any such plan or arrangement, by virtue of receiving Securities under the Transaction Documents or any other agreement between the Company and the Purchaser.
4.8 Non-Public Information. Except with respect to the material terms and conditions of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, the Company covenants and agrees that after the Closing Date neither it, nor any other Person acting on its behalf, will provide the Purchaser or its agents or counsel with any information that the Company believes constitutes material non-public information, unless prior thereto the Purchaser shall have executed a written agreement regarding the confidentiality and use of such information. The Company understands and confirms that the Purchaser shall be relying on the foregoing covenant in effecting transactions in securities of the Company. Purchaser acknowledges that it is aware that the United States securities laws prohibit any person who has material non-public information about a company from purchasing or selling securities of such company, or from communicating such information to any other person under circumstances in which it is reasonably foreseeable that such person is likely to purchase or sell such securities, and Purchaser agrees not to engage in any unlawful trading in securities of the Company or unlawful misuse or misappropriation of any such information. Purchaser agrees to maintain the confidentiality of and not disclose or use (except for purposes relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement) any confidential, proprietary or non-public information disclosed by the Company to Purchaser, unless such information becomes publicly known through no breach of this Agreement by Purchaser.
4.9 Use of Proceeds. The Company shall use the proceeds from the sale of the Securities for general corporate purposes including the partial redemption of a convertible promissory note previously issued to Kips Bay Select, LP.
4.10 Indemnification of Purchaser. The Company will indemnify and hold the Purchaser and its directors, officers, shareholders, members, partners, employees and agents (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles notwithstanding a lack of such title or any other title), each Person who controls the Purchaser (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act and Section 20 of the Exchange Act), and the directors, officers, shareholders, agents, members, partners or employees (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles notwithstanding a lack of such title or any other title) of such controlling person and their respective heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns (each, a “Purchaser Party”) harmless from any and all losses, liabilities, obligations, claims, contingencies, damages, costs and expenses, including all judgments, amounts paid in settlements, court costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs of investigation that any such Purchaser Party may suffer or incur as a result of or relating to any action, suit, claim or proceeding brought by a third party against such Purchaser Party arising out of or relating to (a) any breach of any of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements made by the Company in this Agreement or in the other Transaction Documents or (b) any action instituted against a Purchaser in any capacity, or any of them or their respective Affiliates, by any stockholder of the Company who is not an Affiliate of the Purchaser, with respect to any of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents (unless such action is based upon a breach of such Purchaser’s representations, warranties or covenants under the Transaction Documents or any agreements or understandings the Purchaser may have with any such stockholder or any violations by the Purchaser of state or federal securities laws or any conduct by the Purchaser which constitutes fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct or malfeasance, as determined by a final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction from which no appeal may be taken). If any action shall be brought against the Purchaser Party in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to this Agreement, such Purchaser Party shall promptly notify the Company in writing, and the Company shall have the right to assume the defense thereof with counsel of its own choosing reasonably acceptable to the Purchaser Party. Any Purchaser Party shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such action and participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Purchaser Party except to the extent that (i) the employment thereof has been specifically authorized by the Company in writing, (ii) the Company has failed after a reasonable period of time to assume such defense and to employ counsel or (iii) in such action there is, in the reasonable opinion of such separate counsel, a material conflict on any material issue between the position of the Company and the position of such Purchaser Party, in which case the Company shall be responsible for the reasonable fees and expenses of no more than one such separate counsel. The Company will not be liable to any Purchaser Party under this Agreement (y) for any settlement by a Purchaser Party effected without the Company’s prior written consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed; or (z) to the extent, but only to the extent that a loss, claim, damage or liability is attributable to any Purchaser Party’s breach of any of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements made by such Purchaser Party in this Agreement or in the other Transaction Documents, as determined by a final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction from which no appeal may be taken.
4.11 Reservation and Listing of Securities.
(a) The Company shall maintain a reserve from its duly authorized shares of Common Stock for issuance pursuant to the Transaction Documents in such amount as may then be required to fulfill its obligations in full under the Transaction Documents. Upon request by a Purchaser, the Company shall deliver, or cause the Transfer Agent to deliver, to the Purchaser a statement of number of shares of Common Stock that are currently reserved for issuance pursuant to the Transaction Documents. On the Closing Date, the Company shall authorize the Transfer Agent that, at any time while the Note remains outstanding, upon delivery by a Purchaser to the Transfer Agent of a notice to increase the number of shares of Common Stock that are reserved for issuance pursuant to the Transaction Documents, the Transfer Agent shall promptly increase the reserved amount of shares of Common Stock and provide confirmation in writing thereof to the Purchaser.
(b) If, on any date, the number of authorized but unissued (and otherwise unreserved) shares of Common Stock is less than the Required Minimum on such date, then the Board of Directors shall use commercially reasonable efforts to amend the Company’s certificate or articles of incorporation to increase the number of authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock to at least the Required Minimum at such time, as soon as possible and in any event not later than the 75th calendar day after such date.
(c) The Company shall, if applicable: (i) in the time and manner required by the principal Trading Market, prepare and file with such Trading Market an additional shares listing application covering a number of shares of Common Stock at least equal to the Required Minimum on the date of such application, (ii) take all steps necessary to cause such shares of Common Stock to be approved for listing or quotation on such Trading Market as soon as possible thereafter, (iii) provide to the Purchaser evidence of such listing and (iv) maintain the listing of such Common Stock on any date at least equal to the Required Minimum on such date on such Trading Market or another Trading Market.
4.12 Form D; Blue Sky Filings. The Company agrees to timely file a Form D with respect to the Unregistered Securities as required under Regulation D and to provide a copy thereof, promptly upon request of the Purchaser. The Company shall take such action as the Company shall reasonably determine is necessary in order to obtain an exemption for, or to qualify the Unregistered Securities for, sale to the Purchaser at the Closing under applicable securities or “Blue Sky” laws of the states of the United States, and shall provide evidence of such actions promptly upon request of the Purchaser.
4.13 Transfer Agent. The Company covenants and agrees that it will at all times while the Note remains outstanding maintain a duly qualified independent transfer agent.
4.14 No Short Sales. From the date of this Agreement until such time as the Purchaser no longer holds any Securities, neither the Purchaser nor any of its agents, representatives or affiliates nor any entity managed or controlled by the Purchaser (collectively, the “Restricted Persons” and each of the foregoing is referred to herein as a “Restricted Person”) shall maintain, in the aggregate, a Short Position.
4.15 DTC Program. At all times that the Note is outstanding, the Company shall employ as the transfer agent for its Common Stock and Conversion Shares a participant in the Depository Trust Company Automated Securities Transfer Program and cause the Common Stock and Conversion Shares to be transferable pursuant to such program.
4.16 Subsequent Equity Sales. From the date hereof until such time as 80% of the principal amount of the Note is no longer outstanding, the Company shall be prohibited from effecting or entering into an agreement to effect any issuance by the Company of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents (or a combination of units thereof) involving a Variable Rate Transaction. “Variable Rate Transaction” means a transaction in which the Company (i) issues or sells any debt or equity securities that are convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for, or include the right to receive additional shares of Common Stock either (A) at a conversion price, exercise price 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 debt or equity securities, or (B) with a conversion, exercise or exchange price that is subject to being reset at some future date after the initial issuance of such debt or equity security 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 or (ii) enters into, or effects a transaction under, any agreement, including, but not limited to, an equity line of credit or an “at-the-market offering”, whereby the Company may issue securities at a future determined price regardless of whether shares pursuant to such agreement have actually been issued and regardless of whether such agreement is subsequently canceled.
ARTICLE V
MISCELLANEOUS
5.1 Entire Agreement. The Transaction Documents, together with the exhibits and schedules thereto, contain the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior agreements and understandings, oral or written, with respect to such matters, which the parties acknowledge have been merged into such documents, exhibits and schedules.
5.4 Notices. Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries required or permitted to be provided hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed given and effective on the earliest of: (a) the time of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via email attachment at the email address as set forth on the signature pages attached hereto at or prior to 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on a Trading Day, (b) the next Trading Day after the time of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via email attachment at the email address as set forth on the signature pages attached hereto on a day that is not a Trading Day or later than 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any Trading Day, (c) the second (2nd) Trading Day following the date of mailing, if sent by U.S. nationally recognized overnight courier service or (d) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such notice is required to be given. The address for such notices and communications shall be as set forth on the signature pages attached hereto..
5.5 Amendments; Waivers. No provision of this Agreement may be waived, modified, supplemented or amended except in a written instrument signed, in the case of an amendment, by the Company and the Purchaser or, in the case of a waiver, by the party against whom enforcement of any such waived provision is sought. No waiver of any default with respect to any provision, condition or requirement of this Agreement shall be deemed to be a continuing waiver in the future or a waiver of any subsequent default or a waiver of any other provision, condition or requirement hereof, nor shall any delay or omission of any party to exercise any right hereunder in any manner impair the exercise of any such right.
5.6 Headings. The headings herein are for convenience only, do not constitute a part of this Agreement and shall not be deemed to limit or affect any of the provisions hereof.
5.7 Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their successors and permitted assigns. The Company may not assign this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the Purchaser (other than by merger). The Purchaser may assign any or all of its rights under this Agreement to any Person to whom the Purchaser assigns or transfers any Securities, provided that such transfer complies with all applicable federal and state securities laws and that such transferee agrees in writing with the Company to be bound, with respect to the transferred Securities, by the provisions of the Transaction Documents that apply to the Purchaser.
5.8 No Third-Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement is intended for the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns and is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any other Person, except as otherwise set forth in Section 4.11.
5.9 Governing Law. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of the Transaction Documents shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Nevada, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law thereof. Each party agrees that all legal proceedings concerning the interpretations, enforcement and defense of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and any other Transaction Documents (whether brought against a party hereto or its respective affiliates, directors, officers, shareholders, partners, members, employees or agents) shall be commenced exclusively in the state and federal courts sitting in Washoe County, Nevada. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in Washoe County, Nevada for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein (including with respect to the enforcement of any of the Transaction Documents), and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any action, suit or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is improper or is an inconvenient venue for such proceeding. 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 via registered or certified mail or overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for 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 other manner permitted by law. If either party shall commence an action or proceeding to enforce any provisions of the Transaction Documents, then, in addition to the obligations of the Company under Section 4.11, the prevailing party in such action, suit or proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other party for its reasonable attorneys’ fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such action or proceeding.
5.10 Survival. The representations and warranties shall survive the Closing and the delivery of the Securities until, with respect to the Purchaser, the Note held by the Purchaser has been paid in full or converted into Conversion Shares.
5.11 Execution. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, all of which when taken together 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, it being understood that both parties need not sign the same counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission or by e-mail delivery of a “.pdf” format data file, such signature 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 facsimile or “.pdf” signature page were an original thereof.
5.12 Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions set forth herein shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated, and the parties hereto shall use their commercially reasonable efforts to find and employ an alternative means to achieve the same or substantially the same result as that contemplated by such term, provision, covenant or restriction. It is hereby stipulated and declared to be the intention of the parties that they would have executed the remaining terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions without including any of such that may be hereafter declared invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable.
5.13 Rescission and Withdrawal Right. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in (and without limiting any similar provisions of) any of the other Transaction Documents, whenever the Purchaser exercises a right, election, demand or option under a Transaction Document and the Company does not timely perform its related obligations within the periods therein provided, then the Purchaser may rescind or withdraw, in its sole discretion from time to time upon written notice to the Company, any relevant notice, demand or election in whole or in part without prejudice to its future actions and rights; provided, however, that in the case of a rescission of a conversion of the Note or exercise of a Warrant, the Purchaser shall be required to return any shares of Common Stock subject to any such rescinded conversion or exercise notice.
5.14 Replacement of Securities. If any certificate or instrument evidencing any Securities is mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, the Company shall issue or cause to be issued in exchange and substitution for and upon cancellation thereof (in the case of mutilation), or in lieu of and substitution therefor, a new certificate or instrument, but only upon receipt of evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Company of such loss, theft or destruction. The applicant for a new certificate or instrument under such circumstances shall also pay any reasonable third-party costs (including customary indemnity) associated with the issuance of such replacement Securities.
5.15 Remedies. In addition to being entitled to exercise all rights provided herein or granted by law, including recovery of damages, each of the Purchaser and the Company will be entitled to specific performance under the Transaction Documents. The parties agree that monetary damages may not be adequate compensation for any loss incurred by reason of any breach of obligations contained in the Transaction Documents and hereby agree to waive and not to assert in any action for specific performance of any such obligation the defense that a remedy at law would be adequate.
5.16 Payment Set Aside. To the extent that the Company makes a payment or payments to the Purchaser pursuant to any Transaction Document or the Purchaser enforces or exercises its rights 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, 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.
5.17 Usury. To the extent it may lawful do so, the Company hereby agrees not to insist upon or plead or in any manner whatsoever claim, and will resist any and all efforts to be compelled to take the benefit or advantage of, usury laws wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, in connection with any claim, action or proceeding that may be brought by the Purchaser in order to enforce any right or remedy under any Transaction Document. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained in any Transaction Document, it is expressly agreed and provided that the total liability of the Company under the Transaction Documents for payments in the nature of interest shall not exceed the maximum lawful rate authorized under applicable law (the “Maximum Rate”), and, without limiting the foregoing, in no event shall any rate of interest or default interest, or both of them, when aggregated with any other sums in the nature of interest that the Company may be obligated to pay under the Transaction Documents exceed such Maximum Rate. It is agreed that if the maximum contract rate of interest allowed by law and applicable to the Transaction Documents is increased or decreased by statute or any official governmental action subsequent to the date hereof, the new maximum contract rate of interest allowed by law will be the Maximum Rate applicable to the Transaction Documents from the effective date forward, unless such application is precluded by applicable law. If under any circumstances whatsoever, interest in excess of the Maximum Rate is paid by the Company to the Purchaser with respect to indebtedness evidenced by the Transaction Documents, such excess shall be applied by the Purchaser to the unpaid principal balance of any such indebtedness or be refunded to the Company, the manner of handling such excess to be at the Purchaser’s election.
5.18 Liquidated Damages. The Company’s obligations to pay any partial liquidated damages or other amounts owing under the Transaction Documents is a continuing obligation of the Company and shall not terminate until all unpaid partial liquidated damages and other amounts have been paid notwithstanding the fact that the instrument or security pursuant to which such partial liquidated damages or other amounts are due and payable shall have been canceled.
5.19 Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, etc. If the last or appointed day for the taking of any action or the expiration of any right required or granted herein shall not be a Business Day, then such action may be taken or such right may be exercised on the next succeeding Business Day.
5.20 Construction. The parties agree that each of them and/or their respective counsel has reviewed and had an opportunity to revise the Transaction Documents and, therefore, the normal rule of construction to the effect that any ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in the interpretation of the Transaction Documents or any amendments hereto.
5.21 WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. IN ANY ACTION, SUIT, OR PROCEEDING IN ANY JURISDICTION BROUGHT BY ANY PARTY AGAINST ANY OTHER PARTY, THE PARTIES EACH KNOWINGLY AND INTENTIONALLY, TO THE GREATEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, HEREBY ABSOLUTELY, UNCONDITIONALLY, IRREVOCABLY AND EXPRESSLY WAIVES FOREVER TRIAL BY JURY.
(Signature Pages Follow)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated above.
COMSTOCK INC.
By: /s/ Corrado DeGasperis
Name: Corrado DeGasperis
Title: Executive Chairman & CEO
Address for Notice: 117 American Flat Road, Virginia City, Nevada 89440
Email: [email protected]
PURCHASER SIGNATURE PAGES TO KIPS BAY SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated above.
Name of Purchaser: KIPS BAY SELECT, LP
Signature of Authorized Signatory of Purchaser: /s/ J. Miller
Name of Authorized Signatory: J. Miller
Title of Authorized Signatory: Vice President
Email Address of Authorized Signatory: [email protected]
Address for Notice to Purchaser: 1225 Ave Ponce de Leon PH-855 San Juan, PR 00907
Address for Delivery of Securities to Purchaser (if not same as address for notice): 1225 Ave Ponce de Leon PH-855 San Juan, PR 00907
Subscription Amount: $5,319,149
Principal Amount of Note: Up to $5,319,149
EIN Number: [PROVIDE THIS UNDER SEPARATE COVER]
[SIGNATURE PAGES CONTINUE]
Exhibit A
Form of Note
Exhibit B
Form of Transfer Agent Instructions
Exhibit 10.2
COMSTOCK INC.
CONVERTIBLE NOTE
|
Issuance Date: Sept. 19, 2024 |
Principal Amount: Up to U.S. $5,319,149 |
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, Comstock, Inc., a Nevada corporation, its designee or registered assigns (the “Company” or “Borrower”) promises to pay Kips Bay Select, LP, (the “Holder”), pursuant to this Convertible Note (the “Note”) in cash and/or in shares of Common Stock, the lesser of the principal amount (as reduced pursuant to the terms hereof pursuant to redemption, conversion or otherwise, the “Principal”) of up to $5,319,149. On the date hereof, the Holder will fund an initial tranche of $3,500,000, which shall result in an aggregate principal amount of $3,723,404 (that is, $3,500,000 in cash plus original issue discount of $223,404). On October 30, 2024, the Company may elect to request an additional funding of $1,500,000, which shall result in a principal amount for such second tranche of 1,595,795 (that is, $1,500,000 in cash plus $95,795 of original issue discount). This Note is issued pursuant to that certain Securities Purchase Agreement dated of even date herewith, by and between the Company and the Holder (the “Purchase Agreement”), and capitalized terms not defined herein will have the meanings set forth in the Purchase Agreement.
(1) MATURITY; DISBURSEMENT. All outstanding principal and interest shall be due and payable on January 19, 2026 (the “Maturity Date”). $3,500,000 will be disbursed upon the date of this Note (the “Disbursement Date”) and $1,500,000 will be disbursed on October 30, 2024, provided that the conversion of the entire outstanding amount on the date of this disbursement will not exceed the amount of authorized shares available for issuance and will not exceed NYSE Cap as per Par. 4(c)(ii). The disbursement is stated as net of the Original Issue Discount of 6%.
(2) INTEREST. The Interest rate shall be 6% per annum. Interest under this Note shall commence accruing on the Disbursement Date at the Interest Rate and shall be computed on the basis of a 365-day year and the actual number of days elapsed. Interest shall be payable (a) on a quarterly basis in cash by wire transfer of immediately available funds pursuant to wire instructions provided by the Holder in writing to the Company, or (b) upon conversion into shares of Common Stock as set forth herein.
(3) PREPAYMENT. Within 30 days from the Issuance Date, the Company shall have the right to provide no less than 30 days’ written notice of its intention prepay the principal amount of the Note, together with accrued interest thereon, at any time or from time to time at a premium equal to 120% of principal amount being prepaid. For the avoidance of doubt, the Holder’s rights of conversion are not affected by the issuance of the notice of prepayment.
(4) CONVERSION OF NOTE. Following the Issuance Date, as set out above, this Note shall be convertible into shares of Common Stock issued under the Registration Statement (as defined in the Purchase Agreement) on the terms and conditions set forth in this Section 4.
(a) Optional Conversion Right. Subject to the provisions of Section 4(c)(i) and Section 4(c)(ii), at any time or times on or after the Issuance Date, the Holder shall be entitled to convert any portion of the outstanding and unpaid principal amount and/or interest (the “Conversion Amount”), into fully paid and nonassessable shares of Common Stock as described below (the “Conversion Shares”). 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 and similar taxes that may be payable with respect to the issuance and delivery of Common Stock upon conversion of any Conversion Amount. The Holder shall have the right to deliver an effective conversion notice (the “Conversion Notice”) at any time until 11:59 pm on the chosen date and it shall be immediately effective.
(b) Conversion Rate. The number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of any Conversion Amount pursuant to Section 4(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 (A) the portion of the Principal to be converted, redeemed or otherwise with respect to which this determination is being made and/or (B) accrued and unpaid Interest with respect to such Principal, as determined by the Holder.
(ii) “Conversion Price” shall be equal to: (i) 200% of the Closing Price on the Disbursement Date, for the first consecutive twenty (20) Calendar Days after the Disbursement Date, and (ii) thereafter, 88% of the lowest VWAP (or 80% of the lowest VWAP, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing) of the six (6) days prior to and including the date of the Conversion Notice;
(c) Limitations on Conversions.
(i) Beneficial Ownership. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Note, this Note shall not be convertible by the Holder hereof, and the Company shall not effect any conversion of this Note or otherwise issue any shares of Common Stock pursuant hereto, to the extent (but only to the extent) that after giving effect to such conversion or other share issuance hereunder the Holder (together with its affiliates) would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% (or upon election of the Holder, 9.99%) (the “Maximum Percentage”) of the Common Stock. To the extent the above limitation applies, the determination of whether this Note shall be convertible (vis-à-vis other convertible, exercisable or exchangeable securities owned by the Holder or any of its affiliates) shall, subject to such Maximum Percentage limitation, be determined on the basis of the first submission to the Company for conversion, exercise or exchange (as the case may be). No prior inability to convert this Note, or to issue shares of Common Stock, 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. For purposes of this paragraph, beneficial ownership and all determinations and calculations (including, without limitation, with respect to calculations of percentage ownership) shall be determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the 1934 Act (as defined in the Purchase Agreement) and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. For any reason at any time, upon the written or oral request of the Holder, the Company shall within one (1) Business Day confirm orally and in writing to the Holder the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding, including by virtue of any prior conversion or exercise of convertible or exercisable securities into Common Stock, including, without limitation, pursuant to this Note or securities issued pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.
(ii) Principal Market Regulation. Unless permitted by the applicable rules and regulations of the Principal Market, the Company shall not issue any shares of Common Stock upon conversion of this Note in excess of 19.9% of the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock on the Issuance Date (the “Exchange Cap”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, such limitation shall not apply in the event that the Company obtains the approval of its stockholders as required by the applicable rules of the Principal Market for issuances of shares of Common Stock in excess of such amount. In the event that the Note cannot be converted due to the Exchange Cap, the Holder shall receive 120% of the remaining amounts due under the Note in cash within 10 business days of the date the Exchange Cap has been reached (the “Cap Payment Date”). For the avoidance of doubt, it is the Company’s obligation to monitor the Exchange Cap and immediately inform the Holder when and if it is reached. In the event that Holder shall sell or otherwise transfer any of such Holder’s Note, the Exchange Cap restrictions set forth herein shall continue to apply to the Note and such transferee.
(iii) Volume Limitation. The number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued pursuant to any single Conversion Notice cannot exceed the greater of (i) 500% of the average trading day’s volume of the Common Stock for the prior ten-trading-day-period (including the date of a conversion notice) and (ii) a number equal $100,000 divided by the prior trading day’s Closing Sale Price.
(iv) Delivery of Conversion Shares Upon Exercise. The Company shall cause the Conversion Shares purchased hereunder to be transmitted by the Transfer Agent to the Holder by crediting the account of the Holder’s or its designee’s balance account with The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit or Withdrawal at Custodian system (“DWAC”) if the Company is then a participant in such system, and otherwise by physical delivery of a certificate, registered in the Company’s share register in the name of the Holder or its designee, for the number of Conversion Shares to which the Holder is entitled pursuant to such conversion to the address specified by the Holder in the Conversion Notice within one (1) Trading Day after delivery of the Conversion Notice (such date, the “Conversion Share Delivery Date”). Upon delivery of the Conversion Notice, the Holder shall be deemed for all corporate purposes to have become the holder of record of the Conversion Shares. If the Company fails for any reason to deliver to the Holder the Conversion Shares by the Conversion Share Delivery Date, the Company shall pay to the Holder, in cash, as liquidated damages and not as a penalty, for each $1,000 of Conversion Shares subject to such exercise (based on the VWAP of the Common Stock on the date of the applicable Conversion Notice), $10 per Trading Day (increasing to $20 per Trading Day on the third Trading Day after the Conversion Share Delivery Date) for each Trading Day after such Conversion Share Delivery Date until such Conversion Shares are delivered or Holder rescinds such Conversion Notice.
(e) Disputes. 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 the below provisions.
(5) PRIORITY. This Note shall constitute general unsecured obligation of the Company, ranking junior in right of payment with all of the existing Indebtedness of the Company and ranking senior in right of payment to any future Indebtedness of the Company that is expressly made subordinate to this Note by the terms of such Indebtedness.
(6) RIGHTS UPON EVENT OF DEFAULT.
(a) Event of Default. Each of the following events shall constitute an “Event of Default”; provided, however, that, except in the case of the Events of Default listed in Sections 6(a)(i), 6(a)(ii), 6(a)(xiii), 6(a)(ix), (6(a)(x), 6(a)(xi), 6(a)(xv), 6(a)(xvi) or 6(a)(xviii) below, the Company shall have ten (10) business days after notice of default from the Holder to cure such Event of Default unless a longer grace period is provided below pursuant to the provisions of this Section 6.
(i) Failure to Pay Principal or Interest. The Company fails to pay the Principal or Interest due, liquidated damages and other amounts thereon when due on the Note whether at maturity, upon acceleration or otherwise (including the Cap Payment Date), which default, solely in the case of an Interest payment, is not cured within three (3) business days.
(ii) Conversion Shares. The Company fails to have its transfer agent issue Conversion Shares to the Holder (or states in writing that it will not honor its obligation to do so) prior to two (2) business days upon exercise by the Holder of the conversion rights of the Holder in accordance with the terms of the Note.
(iii) Breach of Agreements and Covenants. The Company breaches any material agreement, covenant or other material term or condition contained in the Purchase Agreement, the Note or in any agreement, statement or certificate given in writing pursuant hereto or in connection herewith or therewith, and such breach results in a material adverse effect on the business or assets of the Company.
(iv) Breach of Representations and Warranties. Any representation or warranty of the Company made in the Purchase Agreement or the Note, or in any agreement, statement or certificate given in writing pursuant hereto or in connection herewith or therewith shall be false or misleading in any material respect when made and the breach of which has (or with the passage of time will have) a Material Adverse Effect on the rights of the Holder with respect to the Note or the Purchase Agreement that has not been cured by the Company within ten (10) business days.
(v) Receiver or Trustee. The Company or any subsidiary of the Company shall make an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or apply for or consent to the appointment of a receiver or trustee for it or for a substantial part of its property or business, or such a receiver or trustee shall otherwise be appointed that has not been stayed, vacated or cured by the Company within sixty (60) days
(vi) Judgments. Any money judgment, writ or similar process shall be entered or filed against the Company or any subsidiary of the Company or any of its property or other assets for more than $1,000,000, and shall remain unvacated, unbonded or unstayed for a period of forty (40) days unless otherwise consented to by the Holder, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld.
(vii) Bankruptcy. Bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or liquidation proceedings or other proceedings, voluntary or involuntary, for relief under any bankruptcy law or any law for the relief of debtors shall be instituted by or against the Company or any subsidiary of the Company that has not been stayed, vacated or cured by the Company within sixty (60) days.
(viii) Delisting or Trading of Common Stock. The Company shall fail to maintain the listing or quotation of its Common Stock on the Principal Market.
(ix) Failure to Comply with the 1934 Act. The Company shall fail to comply with the reporting requirements of the 1934 Act and/or the Company shall cease to be subject to the reporting requirements of the 1934 Act, subject to allowances permitted under Rule 12b-25 under the 1934 Act.
(x) Liquidation. Any dissolution, liquidation, or winding up of Borrower or any substantial portion of its business or assets.
(xi) Cessation of Operations. Any cessation of operations by Borrower or Borrower admits it is otherwise generally unable to pay its debts as such debts become due, provided, however, that any disclosure of the Company’s ability to continue as a “going concern” shall not be an admission that the Company cannot pay its debts as they become due.
(xii) Reverse Splits. The Company effectuates a reverse split of its Common Stock unless required to do so to maintain its listing on the Principal Market.
(xiii) DTC “Chill”. The DTC places a “chill” (i.e. a restriction placed by DTC on one or more of DTC’s services, such as limiting a DTC participant’s ability to make a deposit or withdrawal of the security at DTC) on any of the Company’s securities that has not been cured by the Company within twenty (20) business days.
(xiv) Other Obligations. The occurrence of any default under any agreement or obligation of the Company that is not cured within twenty (20) days that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(xv) Default under Transaction Documents or Other Material Agreement. A default or event of default (subject to any grace or cure period provided in the applicable agreement, document or instrument) shall occur under any material agreement, lease, document or instrument to which Company or any Subsidiary is obligated (other than this Note or the Purchase Agreement) which would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect that has not been cured by the Company within twenty (20) business days.
(xvi) Default under Mortgage or Other Agreement of Indebtedness. Company or any Subsidiary shall default on any of its obligations under any mortgage, credit agreement or other facility, indenture agreement, factoring agreement or other instrument under which there may be issued, or by which there may be secured or evidenced, any indebtedness for borrowed money or money due under any long term leasing or factoring arrangement that (a) involves an obligation greater than $500,000, whether such indebtedness now exists or shall hereafter be created, and (b) results in such indebtedness becoming or being declared due and payable prior to the date on which it would otherwise become due and payable that has not been cured by the Company within twenty (20) business days.
(xvii) Failure to Meet the Requirements under Rule 144. Company does not meet the current public information requirements under Rule 144.
(xviii) Failure to Maintain Intellectual Property. The failure by Company or any material Subsidiary to maintain any material intellectual property rights, personal, real property, equipment, leases or other assets which are necessary to conduct its business (whether now or in the future) and such breach is not cured with thirty (30) days after written notice to the Company from the Holder.
(xix) Trading Suspension. A Commission or judicial stop trade order or suspension from the Principal Market.
(xx) Restatement of Financial Statements. The restatement after the date hereof of any financial statements filed by the Company with the Commission for any date or period from two years prior to the Issuance Date and until this Note is no longer outstanding, if the result of such restatement would, by comparison to the unrestated financial statements, have constituted a Material Adverse Effect. For the avoidance of doubt, any restatement related to new accounting pronouncements shall not constitute a default under this Section.
(xxi) Invalidity or Unenforceability of Transaction Documents. Any material 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 Company, or the validity or enforceability thereof shall be contested by Company, or a proceeding shall be commenced by Company or any governmental authority having jurisdiction over Company or Holder, seeking to establish the invalidity or unenforceability thereof, or Company shall deny in writing that it has any liability or obligation purported to be created under any Transaction Document.
(xxii) Effective Registration Statement. The Registration Statement is withdrawn, is not effective or no longer complies with Section 10(a) of the Exchange Act or Rule 415 of the Securities Act.
(xxiii) Variable Securities. If, at any time the Note is outstanding, the Company shall effect or enter into an agreement to effect any Variable Rate Transaction. “Variable Rate Transaction” means a transaction in which the Company (i) issues or sells any debt or equity securities that are convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for, or include the right to receive additional shares of Common Stock either (A) at a conversion price, exercise price 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 debt or equity securities, or (B) with a conversion, exercise or exchange price that is subject to being reset at some future date after the initial issuance of such debt or equity security 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 or (ii) enters into, or effects a transaction under, any agreement, including, but not limited to, an equity line of credit or an “at-the-market offering”, whereby the Company may issue securities at a future determined price regardless of whether shares pursuant to such agreement have actually been issued and regardless of whether such agreement is subsequently canceled. If the Company does effect or enter into an agreement to effect a Variable Rate Transaction during such time period, this Event of Default is immediate and not subject to cure. In addition, the Company will immediately pay to Holder liquidated damages in the amount of $500,000.
(b) Redemption Right. At any time after the Holder becoming aware of an Event of Default, the Holder may require the Company to redeem (an “Event of Default Redemption”) 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 require the Company to redeem. Each portion of this Note subject to redemption by the Company pursuant to this Section 6(b) shall be redeemed by the Company in cash by wire transfer of immediately available funds at a price equal to principal amount plus interest calculated from the Event of Default at the Default Interest Rate (the Redemption Price, together with liquidated damages of $125,000 if the Default is not cured within 30 days of the Default Redemption Notice date, plus an amount in cash equal to 0.5% of the Redemption Price for each 30 day period during which redemptions fail to be made. Redemptions required by this Section 6(b) shall be paid by wire transfer within 10 business days after the expiration of the cure period of the Event of Default Redemption Notice. To the extent redemptions required by this Section 6(b) are deemed or determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be prepayments of the Note by the Company, such redemptions shall be deemed to be voluntary prepayments. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 6, but subject to Section 4(b)(ii), until the Redemption Price (together with any interest thereon) is paid in full, the Conversion Amount submitted for redemption (together with any interest thereon) may be converted, in whole or in part, by the Holder into Common Stock. The parties hereto agree that in the event of the Company’s redemption of any portion of the Note under this Section 6(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 Event of Default redemption premium due under this Section 6(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.
(7) RIGHTS UPON FUNDAMENTAL TRANSACTION.
If, at any time while this Note is outstanding, the Company effects a Fundamental Transaction, then, upon any subsequent conversion of this Note, the Holder shall have the right to receive, for each Conversion Share that would have been issuable upon such conversion immediately prior to the occurrence of such Fundamental Transaction, the same kind and amount of securities, cash or property as it would have been entitled to receive upon the occurrence of such Fundamental Transaction if it had been, immediately prior to such Fundamental Transaction, the holder of one (1) share of Common Stock (the “Alternate Consideration”). For purposes of any such conversion, the determination of the Conversion Price shall be appropriately adjusted to apply to such Alternate Consideration based on the amount of Alternate Consideration issuable in respect of one (1) share of Common Stock in such Fundamental Transaction, and the Company shall apportion the Conversion Price among the Alternate Consideration in a reasonable manner reflecting the relative value of any different components of the Alternate Consideration. If holders of Common Stock are given any choice as to the securities, cash or property to be received in a Fundamental Transaction, then the Holder shall be given the same choice as to the Alternate Consideration it receives upon any conversion of this Debenture following such Fundamental Transaction. To the extent necessary to effectuate the foregoing provisions, any successor to the Company or surviving entity in such Fundamental Transaction shall issue to the Holder a new debenture consistent with the foregoing provisions and evidencing the Holder’s right to convert such debenture into Alternate Consideration. The terms of any agreement pursuant to which a Fundamental Transaction is effected shall include terms requiring any such successor or surviving entity to comply with the provisions of this Section 7 and insuring that this Note (or any such replacement security) will be similarly adjusted upon any subsequent transaction analogous to a Fundamental Transaction.
(8) DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS; RIGHTS UPON ISSUANCE OF PURCHASE RIGHTS AND OTHER CORPORATE EVENTS.
(a) Distribution of Assets. 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, options, evidence of Indebtedness or any other assets by way of a dividend, spin off, reclassification, corporate rearrangement, scheme of arrangement or other similar transaction) (the “Distributions”), then the Holder will 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 and the portion of such Distribution shall be held in abeyance for the Holder until such time or times 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 rights (and any rights under this Section 8(a) on such initial rights or on any subsequent such rights to be held similarly in abeyance) to the same extent as if there had been no such limitation).
(b) Purchase Rights. If at any time the Company grants, issues or sells any Convertible Securities or rights to purchase stock, excluding any shareholder approved employee equity incentive plans, warrants, securities or other property pro rata to the record holders of any class of Common Stock (the “Purchase Rights”), then the Holder will be entitled to acquire or receive, as applicable, upon the terms applicable to such Purchase Rights, 50% of 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) 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 that 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, then the Holder shall not be entitled to participate in such Purchase Right to such extent (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 such extent) and such Purchase Right to such extent shall be held in abeyance for the Holder until such time or times 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 to be held similarly in abeyance) to the same extent as if there had been no such limitation).
(c) Other Corporate Events. In addition to and not in substitution for any other rights hereunder, prior to the occurrence or consummation of any Fundamental Transaction pursuant to which holders of shares of Common Stock are entitled to receive securities, cash, assets or other property with respect to or in exchange for shares of Common Stock (a “Corporate Event”), the Company shall make appropriate provision to ensure that, and any applicable Successor Entity or Successor Entities shall ensure that, and it shall be a required condition to the occurrence or consummation of such Corporate Event that, the Holder will thereafter have the right to receive upon conversion of this Note at any time after the occurrence or consummation of the Corporate Event, shares of Common Stock or Successor Capital Stock or, if so elected by the Holder, cash in lieu of the shares of Common Stock (or other securities, cash, assets or other property) purchasable upon the conversion of this Note prior to such Corporate Event, such shares of stock, securities, cash, assets or any other property whatsoever (including warrants or other purchase or subscription rights and any shares of Common Stock) which the Holder would have been entitled to receive upon the occurrence or consummation of such Corporate Event or the record, eligibility or other determination date for the event resulting in such Corporate Event, had this Note been converted immediately prior to such Corporate Event or the record, eligibility or other determination date for the event resulting in such Corporate Event (without regard to any limitations on conversion of this Note). Provision made pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be in a form and substance satisfactory to the Holder. The provisions of this Section 8 shall apply similarly and equally to successive Corporate Events.
(9) RIGHTS UPON ISSUANCE OF OTHER SECURITIES.
From the date hereof until the Maturity Date, in the event and on each occasion that the Company issues, sells or agrees in writing to issue any Common Stock (other than an Exempt Issuance of Common Stock) within 12 Business Days after the Company has delivered a Conversion Notice (the “MFN Period”), and Holder reasonably believes that any of the terms and conditions appurtenant to such issuance or sale are more favorable to such investors than are the terms and conditions granted to Holder hereunder, upon notice to the Company by Holder after disclosure of such issuance or sale, the Company shall amend the terms of the transaction(s) hereunder that occurred during such MFN Period, only so as to give the Holder the benefit of such more favorable terms or conditions. For the avoidance of doubt, this section does apply to reset the Conversion Price under Section 4(b)(ii) regardless of whether item (i) or (ii) was utilized.
(10) NONCIRCUMVENTION. The Company hereby covenants and agrees that the Company will not, by amendment of its Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws 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 will 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.
(11) 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.
(12) COVENANTS.
(a) Change in Nature of Business. The Company shall not make, or permit any of its Subsidiaries to make, any change in the nature of its business as described in the Company’s most recent Annual Report filed on Form 10-K with the SEC. For the sake of clarity, the nature of the Company’s business includes the business or commercializing decarbonizing technologies, and material sciences.
(b) 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.
(c) 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.
(d) 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 in the ordinary course of business in a manner and to an extent consistent with past practice (including without limitation, advances or investments made to related parties, strategic investees and Affiliates) 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.
(e) Charter Amendments. The Company shall not amend its charter documents, including, without limitation, its certificate of incorporation and bylaws, in any manner that materially and adversely affects any rights of the Holder.
(f) Declaration. The Company shall not declare or make any cash dividend or other cash distribution to holders of shares of Common Stock, by way of return of capital or otherwise including, without limitation, any distribution of cash by way of a dividend, spin off, reclassification, corporate rearrangement, scheme of arrangement or other similar transaction.
(13) TRANSFER. This Note and any shares of Common Stock issued upon conversion of this Note may be offered, sold, assigned or transferred according to the Purchase Agreement.
(14) REISSUANCE OF THIS NOTE.
(a) Transfer. If this Note is to be transferred, the Holder shall instruct the Company who the new Holder will be and this Note will be automatically cancelled. The Company will issue and deliver the new Note within three (3) days of such notice.
(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, and, in the case of loss, theft or destruction, of any indemnification undertaking by the Holder to the Company in customary 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 14(d)) representing the then outstanding Principal amount of the Note.
(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 14(d)) representing in the aggregate the outstanding Principal of this Note, and each such new Note will 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 14(a) or Section 14(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. on the Principal and Interest of this Note, from the Issuance Date.
(15) 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. Amounts set forth or provided for herein with respect to payments, conversion, redemption 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 will 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 an injunction restraining any breach, without the necessity of showing economic loss and without any bond or other security being required.
(16) 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 and expenses incurred by the Holder for such collection, enforcement or action or in connection with such bankruptcy, reorganization, receivership or other proceeding, including, but not limited to, attorneys’ fees and disbursements.
(17) CONSTRUCTION; HEADINGS. This Note shall be deemed to be jointly drafted by the Company and the Holder and shall not be construed against any 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.
(18) 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.
(19) DISPUTE RESOLUTION. In the case of a dispute as to the determination of the arithmetic calculation of the Conversion Rate, the Conversion Price or the Redemption Price, the Company shall submit the disputed determinations or arithmetic calculations via electronic mail within one (1) Business Days of receipt, or deemed receipt, of the Conversion Notice or Redemption Notice or other event giving rise to such dispute, as the case may be, to the Holder. If the Holder and the Company are unable to agree upon such determination or calculation within two (2) Business Days of such disputed determination or arithmetic calculation being submitted to the Holder, then the Company shall, within two (2) Business Days submit via electronic mail the disputed arithmetic calculation of the Conversion Rate, Conversion Price or the Redemption Price to an independent, outside accountant, selected by the Holder and approved by the Company, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. The Company, at the Company’s expense, shall cause the accountant to perform the determinations or calculations and notify the Company and the Holder of the results no later than five (5) Business Days from the time it receives the disputed determinations or calculations. Such accountant’s determination or calculation shall be binding upon all parties absent demonstrable error.
(20) NOTICES; PAYMENTS.
(a) Notices. All notices, demands, requests, consents, approvals, and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be in writing and, unless otherwise specified herein, shall be (i) personally served, (ii) deposited in the mail, registered or certified, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, (iii) delivered by overnight courier service with charges prepaid, or (iv) transmitted by electronic mail, addressed as set forth below or to such other address as such party shall have specified most recently by written notice. Any notice or other communication required or permitted to be given hereunder shall be deemed effective (a) upon hand delivery, (b) on the business day following the date of mailing by overnight courier service, or upon actual receipt of such mailing, whichever shall first occur, or (c) upon receipt, when sent by electronic mail (provided confirmation of transmission is electronically generated and keep on file by the sending party). The addresses for such communications shall be the address and email indicated the Purchase Agreement.
(b) Payments. Whenever any payment of cash is to be made by the Company to any Person pursuant to this Note, such payment shall be made in lawful money of the United States of America by wire transfer of immediately available funds to 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.
(21) CANCELLATION. After all Principal, accrued Interest 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.
(22) WAIVER OF NOTICE. To the extent permitted by law, the Company hereby waives demand, notice, protest and all other demands and notices in connection with the delivery, acceptance, performance, default or enforcement of this Note.
(23) GOVERNING LAW; JURISDICTION; JURY TRIAL. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Note shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Nevada, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law thereof. The Company agrees that all legal proceedings concerning the interpretations, enforcement and defense of the transactions contemplated by this Note (whether brought against the Company, the Holder or their respective affiliates, directors, officers, shareholders, employees or agents) shall be commenced exclusively in the state and federal courts sitting in the Washoe County, Nevada. The Company hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the Washoe County, Nevada 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 improper or is an inconvenient venue for such proceeding. The Company 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 via registered or certified mail or overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to it at the address in effect for notices to it under the Purchase 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 other manner permitted by law. If the Company or a Holder shall commence an action or proceeding to enforce any provisions of the Note, then the prevailing party in such action or proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other party for its reasonable attorneys’ fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such action or proceeding. IN ANY ACTION, SUIT, OR PROCEEDING IN ANY JURISDICTION BROUGHT BY ANY PARTY AGAINST ANY OTHER PARTY, THE COMPANY KNOWINGLY AND INTENTIONALLY, TO THE GREATEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, HEREBY ABSOLUTELY, UNCONDITIONALLY, IRREVOCABLY AND EXPRESSLY WAIVES FOREVER TRIAL BY JURY.
(24) 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 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).
(25) DISCLOSURE. Upon receipt or delivery by the Company 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, nonpublic information relating to the Company or its Subsidiaries, the Company shall within one (1) Business Day after any such receipt or delivery publicly disclose such material, nonpublic information on a Current Report on Form 8-K or otherwise. In the event that the Company believes that a notice contains material, nonpublic information relating to the Company or its Subsidiaries, the Company so shall indicate to such Holder contemporaneously with delivery of such notice, and in the absence of any such indication, the Holder shall be allowed to presume that all matters relating to such notice do not constitute material, nonpublic information relating to the Company or its Subsidiaries.
(26) INDEMNIFICATION. Borrower indemnifies Holder and their control persons, affiliates, and assignees from and against any and all liabilities which may be incurred by them in connection with the transactions contemplated herein.
(27) NOT AN UNDERWRITER. The Company affirms the Holder is not an underwriter and is not acting in the capacity of an underwriter.
(28) 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 20% 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) “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 subject collectively the Holder and all other Attribution Parties to the Maximum Percentage.
(c) “Bloomberg” means Bloomberg Financial Markets.
(d) “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 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 quoted for trading 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 in the OTC Link or “pink sheets” by OTC Markets Group Inc. (formerly Pink OTC Markets 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 pursuant to Section 19. All such determinations to be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination, reclassification or similar transaction during the applicable calculation period.
(e) “Common Stock” the shares of Common Stock of the Company and any other class of securities into which such securities may hereafter be reclassified or changed.
(f) “Convertible Securities” means any stock or securities (other than Options) directly or indirectly convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock.
(g) “Default Interest Rate” means 16% per annum.
(h) “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
(i) “Exempt Issuance” means the issuance of (a) shares of Common Stock or options to employees, officers, directors or consultants of the Company pursuant to any stock or option plan duly adopted for such purpose, by a majority of the non-employee members of the Board of Directors or a majority of the members of a committee of non-employee directors established for such purpose, (b) securities upon the exercise or exchange of or conversion of any securities issued and outstanding on the date of this Agreement, (c) securities issued to acquire businesses, technology, real estate or mining claims or (d) securities issued pursuant to acquisitions or strategic transactions or as capital contributions to Northern Comstock LLC.
(j) “Fundamental Transaction” means, in all cases, the occurrence of any of the following events pursuant to a binding definitive agreement entered into by the Company: (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 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) 50% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, (y) 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 50% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, or (iv) consummate a stock 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 such Subject Entities, individually or in the aggregate, acquire, either (x) at least 50% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, (y) at least 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 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, spin-off, scheme of arrangement, reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification or otherwise in any manner whatsoever, of either (x) at least 50% of the aggregate ordinary voting power represented by issued and outstanding Common Stock, (y) at least 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. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, Fundamental Transactions shall not include any transaction pursuant to which the Company sells, leases, licenses or otherwise transfers all or part of the Company’s direct or indirect interests in mining assets (or equity interests of any of its subsidiaries), whether in one transaction or a series of transactions.
(k) “GAAP” means United States generally accepted accounting principles, consistently applied.
(l) “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.
(m) “Interest Rate” means 6% per annum.
(n) “Options” means any rights, warrants or options to subscribe for or purchase shares of Common Stock or Convertible Securities.
(o) “Parent Entity” of a Person means an entity that, directly or indirectly, controls the applicable Person, including such entity whose common capital stock or equivalent equity security is quoted or listed on a Trading Market (or, if so elected by the Holder, any other market, exchange or quotation system), or, if there is more than one such Person or such entity, the Person or entity designated by the Holder or in the absence of such designation, such Person or such entity with the largest public market capitalization as of the date of consummation of the Fundamental Transaction.
(p) [Intentionally omitted]
(q) [Intentionally omitted]
(r) “Principal Market” means the NYSE American.
(s) “Redemption Price” means, 115% of the outstanding principal amount of the Note together with accrued interest thereon if Default is cured within 30 days of the Event of Default date and automatically increasing to 120% if the Default has not been cured within 30 days of the Event of Default Date, which after an Event of Default, interest shall be calculated at the Default Rate.
(t) “Related Fund” means, with respect to any Person, a fund or account managed by such Person or an Affiliate of such Person.
(u) “Rule 144” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in the Purchase Agreement.
(v) “SEC” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
(w) “Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
(x) “Subject Entity” means any Person, Persons or Group or any Affiliate or associate of any such Person, Persons or Group.
(y) “Successor Entity” means one or more Person or Persons (or, if so elected by the Holder, the Company or Parent Entity) formed by, resulting from or surviving any Fundamental Transaction or one or more Person or Persons (or, if so elected by the Holder, the Company or the Parent Entity) with which such Fundamental Transaction shall have been entered into.
(z) “Trading Market” means any of the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market or the New York Stock Exchange.
(aa) “VWAP” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the Common Stock is then listed or quoted on the Principal Market, the daily volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) as reported by www.quotemedia.com (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. New York City time to 4:02 p.m. New York City time); (b) if the Common Stock is not then listed or quoted for trading on the Principal Market, then such prices as reported on another Trading Market; (c) if the Common Stock is not then listed or quoted for trading on a Trading Market and if prices for the Common Stock are then reported on the OTC Pink (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per share of the Common Stock so reported; or (d) in all other cases, the fair market value of a share of Common Stock as determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the Holders of a majority in interest of the Note then outstanding and reasonably acceptable to the Company, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Company.
[Signature Page Follows]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Note to be duly executed as of the Issuance Date set out above.
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COMSTOCK INC. |
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By: /s/ Corrado DeGasperis Name: Corrado DeGasperis Title: Executive Chairman & CEO |
Exhibit 99.1
Comstock Updates on Business Commercialization, Investments and Real Estate Sales
VIRGINIA CITY, NEVADA, September 19, 2024 – Comstock Inc. (NYSE American: LODE) (“Comstock”) a leader in hard technology developments enabling clean energy, recently announced new revenue contracts for its solar panel recycling business, an international equity partnership with revenue and royalty generating agreements for its low carbon, lignocellulosic fuels business, certain asset sales and an indicative term sheet for $325 million in gross funding through SBC Commerce LLC (“SBCC”), a U.S. based, globally positioned, private equity group. Today, the Company announced an additional convertible debt financing of $3.5 million, with an option for an additional $1.5 million, to provide the liquidity and capacity to continue the fast pace of commercial transaction execution in the fuels and metals segments. The remainder of the Comstock’s convertible debt has been either converted, redeemed or extinguished.
“Our commercialization pipelines have grown, broadened and accelerated as our teams have been effective in demonstrating our remarkable, commercial-ready clean technologies, that are now translating into real market adoptions,” said Corrado De Gasperis, Executive Chairman and CEO of Comstock Inc. “We raised additional capital with trusted partners to ensure that we maintain and accelerate our current commercialization pace and carefully structured this deal with higher, near term conversion premiums (initially 200% of yesterday’s close), full redemption rights, and a prohibition on any variable rate equity lines, all in a thoughtful effort to minimize dilution.”
The SBCC transactions are progressing and subject to final structuring, documentation, due diligence and applicable regulatory approvals. This term sheet represents a combination of direct investments and certain asset sales that recognizes significant valuations, nearly $500 million in management’s estimates, for the Company’s three businesses and positions essential growth capital to accelerate the commercialization of its fuels, metals and mining businesses. Comstock will announce each of the transactions as the definitive structures and agreements are finalized and funded.
Comstock Fuels offers advanced lignocellulosic biomass refining solutions that produce market-leading yields of cellulosic ethanol, gasoline, renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel, and other renewable fuels at extremely low carbon intensities (15 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule of energy (gCO2e/MJ), that are proven to produce up to 125 GGEs per dry metric ton of feedstock on a GGE basis, depending on feedstock, lignin content, site conditions, and other parameters. Comstock is currently planning to build, own, and operate its first four U.S. facilities.
Comstock Metals has now received materials from new, local, regional and nationally recognizable customers where they coordinated and enabled the decommissioning of these end-of-life panels from their facilities and coordinated the transportation of these panels to its permitted facility in Nevada where the materials will be processed and recycled.
“We are meticulously planning, organizing, and coordinating with SBCC and it is important that we complete certain prerequisites for ourselves and our capital partners, in terms of certain tax-efficient entity reorganization and other customary realignments before taking in any of the committed funds. We are pleased and excited with the collaboration and progress and are confident about closing these transactions over the coming months,” concluded De Gasperis.
About Comstock Inc.
Comstock Inc. (NYSE: LODE) commercializes innovative technologies that contribute to global decarbonization and the clean energy transition by efficiently converting under-utilized natural resources, primarily, woody biomass into low-carbon renewable fuels, end-of-life metal extraction and renewal, and generative AI-enabled advanced materials synthesis and mineral discovery for sustainable mining. To learn more, please visit www.comstock.inc.
Comstock Social Media Policy
Comstock Inc. has used, and intends to continue using, its investor relations link and main website at www.comstock.inc in addition to its Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube accounts, as means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.
CONTACTS:
For investor inquiries:
RB Milestone Group LLC
Tel (203) 487-2759
For media inquiries or questions:
Comstock Inc., Zach Spencer
Tel (775) 847-7532
Forward Looking Statements
This press release and any related calls or discussions may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “plan,” “should,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “potential” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of doing so. Forward-looking statements include statements about matters such as: future market conditions; future explorations or acquisitions; future changes in our research, development and exploration activities; future financial, natural, and social gains; future prices and sales of, and demand for, our products and services; land entitlements and uses; permits; production capacity and operations; operating and overhead costs; future capital expenditures and their impact on us; operational and management changes (including changes in the Board of Directors); changes in business strategies, planning and tactics; future employment and contributions of personnel, including consultants; future land and asset sales; investments, acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, business combinations, operational, tax, financial and restructuring initiatives, including the nature, timing and accounting for restructuring charges, derivative assets and liabilities and the impact thereof; contingencies; litigation, administrative or arbitration proceedings; environmental compliance and changes in the regulatory environment; offerings, limitations on sales or offering of equity or debt securities, including asset sales and associated costs; business opportunities, growth rates, future working capital, needs, revenues, variable costs, throughput rates, operating expenses, debt levels, cash flows, margins, taxes and earnings. These statements are based on assumptions and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and their perception of historical and current trends, current conditions, possible future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees, representations or warranties and are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are unforeseeable and beyond our control and could cause actual results, developments, and business decisions to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Some of those risks and uncertainties include the risk factors set forth in our filings with the SEC and the following: adverse effects of climate changes or natural disasters; adverse effects of global or regional pandemic disease spread or other crises; global economic and capital market uncertainties; the speculative nature of gold or mineral exploration, and lithium, nickel and cobalt recycling, including risks of diminishing quantities or grades of qualified resources; operational or technical difficulties in connection with exploration, metal recycling, processing or mining activities; costs, hazards and uncertainties associated with precious and other metal based activities, including environmentally friendly and economically enhancing clean mining and processing technologies, precious metal exploration, resource development, economic feasibility assessment and cash generating mineral production; costs, hazards and uncertainties associated with metal recycling, processing or mining activities; contests over our title to properties; potential dilution to our stockholders from our stock issuances, recapitalization and balance sheet restructuring activities; potential inability to comply with applicable government regulations or law; adoption of or changes in legislation or regulations adversely affecting our businesses; permitting constraints or delays; challenges to, or potential inability to, achieve the benefits of business opportunities that may be presented to, or pursued by, us, including those involving battery technology and efficacy, quantum computing and generative artificial intelligence supported advanced materials development, development of cellulosic technology in bio-fuels and related material production; commercialization of cellulosic technology in bio-fuels and generative artificial intelligence development services; ability to successfully identify, finance, complete and integrate acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, business combinations, asset sales, and investments that we may be party to in the future; changes in the United States or other monetary or fiscal policies or regulations; interruptions in our production capabilities due to capital constraints; equipment failures; fluctuation of prices for gold or certain other commodities (such as silver, zinc, lithium, nickel, cobalt, cyanide, water, diesel, gasoline and alternative fuels and electricity); changes in generally accepted accounting principles; adverse effects of war, mass shooting, terrorism and geopolitical events; potential inability to implement our business strategies; potential inability to grow revenues; potential inability to attract and retain key personnel; interruptions in delivery of critical supplies, equipment and raw materials due to credit or other limitations imposed by vendors; assertion of claims, lawsuits and proceedings against us; potential inability to satisfy debt and lease obligations; potential inability to maintain an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting; potential inability or failure to timely file periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission; potential inability to list our securities on any securities exchange or market or maintain the listing of our securities; and work stoppages or other labor difficulties. Occurrence of such events or circumstances could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, or the market price of our securities. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements by or attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Except as may be required by securities or other law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Neither this press release nor any related calls or discussions constitutes an offer to sell, the solicitation of an offer to buy or a recommendation with respect to any securities of the Company, the fund, or any other issuer.