SECURITIESPURCHASE AGREEMENT

 

“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 144 under the Securities Act.

 

“Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.

 

“Best Efforts” means the efforts that a prudent person desirous of achieving a result would use in similar circumstances to ensure that such result is achieved as expeditiously as practical; provided, however, that an obligation to use Best Efforts under this Agreement does not require the Company to dispose of or make any change to its business, expend any material funds or incur any other material burden.

“Closing Date” means the date and time of the Closing and shall be on such date and time as is mutually agreed to by the Company and each Investor.

“Closing Price” means, for any date, the closing price per share of the Common Stock for such date (or, if not a Trading Day, the nearest preceding date that is a Trading Day) on the primary Eligible Market or exchange or quotation system on which the Common Stock is then listed or quoted.

 “Eligible Market” means any of the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE Amex Equities, the NASDAQ Global Select Market, the NASDAQ Global Market, the NASDAQ Capital Market or OTC Bulletin Board.

2.1 Closing.  Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, at the Closing the Company shall issue and sell to each Investor, and each Investor shall, severally and not jointly, purchase from the Company, such number of Shares for the price set forth on such Investor’s signature page to this Agreement.  The date and time of the Closing and shall be 11:00 a.m., New York City Time, on the Closing Date.  The Closing shall take place at the offices of the Company’s Counsel.

2.2 Escrow.  Pending the Closing, all funds paid hereunder shall be deposited by the Investors in a separate account maintained by Signature Bank (the “Escrow Agent”) for the benefit of Investors (the “Escrow Account”).

 

2.3 Closing Deliveries.

 

(a) At the Closing, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to each Investor the following:

 

(i) a copy of the Company’s irrevocable instructions to the Transfer Agent instructing the Transfer Agent to deliver, on an expedited basis, one or more stock certificates, free and clear of all restrictive and other legends (except as expressly provided in Section 4.1(b) hereof), evidencing such number of Shares set forth on such Investor’s signature page to this Agreement, registered in the name of such Investor;

 

(ii) duly executed Transfer Agent Instructions acknowledged by the Company’s transfer agent;

 

(iii) a legal opinion of Company Counsel, in the form of Exhibit B, executed by such counsel and delivered to the Investors;

 

(iv) a lock up agreement, in the form of Exhibit F attached hereto, duly executed by all shareholders of Pioneer as of immediately prior to the Share Exchange;

(v)  a certificate of the Secretary of the Company, dated as of the Closing Date, (a) certifying the resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company approving the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the issuance of the Shares, (b) certifying the current versions of the certificate of incorporation, as amended and by-laws of the Company and (c) certifying as to the signatures and authority of persons signing this Agreement and all related documents on behalf of the Company; and

 

(vi) a certificate of the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer of the Company, dated as of the Closing Date, certifying to the fulfillment of the conditions specified in Section 5.1(a) and (b).

 

(b) At the Closing, each Investor shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Company:

 

(i) this Agreement duly executed by such Investor;

 

(ii) Exhibits A-1, A-2 and A-3, as appropriate, duly completed and executed by such Investor; and

(iii) the purchase price set forth on such Investor’s signature page to this Agreement in United States dollars and in immediately available funds, by wire transfer pursuant to the release of the funds held in the Escrow Account to an account designated in writing by the Company prior to the Closing.

3.1 Representations and Warranties of the Company.  The Company hereby represents and warrants to the Investors as follows (which representations and warranties shall be deemed to apply, where appropriate, to each Subsidiary of the Company):

 

(a) Subsidiaries.  The Company owns or controls, directly or indirectly, all of the capital stock or comparable equity interests of each Subsidiary free and clear of any Lien, and all issued and outstanding shares of capital stock or comparable equity interest of each Subsidiary are validly issued and are fully paid, non-assessable and free of preemptive and similar rights; and the Company owns or controls, directly or indirectly, only the following corporations, partnerships, limited liability partnerships, limited liability companies, associations or other entities: (i) Pioneer and (ii) Bernard Granby Realty Inc., a Canadian corporation (each, a “Subsidiary”).

 

(b) Organization and Qualification. The Company and each Subsidiary is an entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with the requisite legal 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 of any of the provisions of its respective certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents.  The Company and each Subsidiary is duly qualified to do 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, would not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(c) Authorization; Enforcement. The Company has the requisite corporate authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder. The execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company and no further consent or action is required by the Company, its Board of Directors or its stockholders.  This Agreement has been (or upon delivery will be) duly executed by the Company and is, or when delivered in accordance with the terms hereof, 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 of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby 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, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, 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, except to the extent that such conflict, default, termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation right would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, or (iii) 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 any Subsidiary is subject (including, assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Investors set forth in Section 3.2 hereof, federal and state securities laws and regulations and the rules and regulations of any self-regulatory organization to which the Company or its securities are subject, including all applicable Trading Markets), or by which any property or asset of the Company or any Subsidiary are bound or affected, except to the extent that such violation would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(e) The Shares.   The Shares are duly authorized and, when issued and paid for in accordance with this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens and will not be subject to preemptive or similar rights of stockholders (other than those imposed by the Investors).

 

(f) Capitalization.  The aggregate number of shares and type of all authorized, issued and outstanding classes of capital stock, options and other securities of the Company (whether or not presently convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of the Company) is set forth in Schedule 3.1(f) hereto. To the Company’s knowledge, all outstanding shares of capital stock are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and have been issued in compliance in all material respects with all applicable securities laws.  Except as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(f) hereto, to the Company’s knowledge, the Company does not have outstanding any other Options, script 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 entered into any agreement giving any Person any right to subscribe for or acquire, any shares of Common Stock, or securities or rights convertible or exchangeable into shares of Common Stock. Except as set forth on Schedule 3.1(f) hereto, and except for customary adjustments as a result of stock dividends, stock splits, combinations of shares, reorganizations, recapitalizations, reclassifications or other similar events, to the Company’s knowledge, there are no anti-dilution or price adjustment provisions contained in any security issued by the Company (or in any agreement providing rights to security holders) and the issuance and sale of the Shares will not obligate the Company to issue

shares of Common Stock or other securities to any Person (other than the Investors) and will not result in a right of any holder of securities to adjust the exercise, conversion, exchange or reset price under such securities.  To the Company’s knowledge, except as disclosed in the Super 8-K and any Schedules 13D or 13G filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 13d-1 of the Exchange Act by reporting persons or in Schedule 3.1(f) hereto, no Person or group of related Persons beneficially owns (as determined pursuant to Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), or has the right to acquire, by agreement with or by obligation binding upon the Company, beneficial ownership of in excess of 5% of the outstanding Common Stock.

 

(g) Super 8-K; Financial Statements.  Attached hereto as Schedule 3.1(g) is a copy of a substantially final Current Report on Form 8-K (the “Super 8-K”) that the Company will file with the SEC in connection with the Share Exchange on or prior to the 4th Trading Day immediately following the date thereof (which Current Report contains, among other information, risk factors concerning the Company and financial statements required to be filed therewith).  The Super 8-K, upon its filing with the SEC, will comply, in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder and other federal, state and local laws applicable to the Super 8-K, and the Super 8-K does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The financial statements of the Company included in the Super 8-K comply as to form in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the published rules and regulations of the SEC or other applicable rules and regulations with respect thereto. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (except (i) as may be otherwise indicated in such financial statements or the notes thereto or (ii) in the case of unaudited interim statements, to the extent they may not include footnotes or may be condensed or summary statements), and fairly present in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of 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 year-end audit adjustments). All material agreements to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or to which the property or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary are subject are included as part of or identified in the Super 8-K, to the extent such agreements are required to be included or identified pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.

 

(h) Material Changes; Undisclosed Events, Liabilities or Developments; Solvency.   Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included within the Super 8-K, except as disclosed in the Super 8-K or in Schedule 3.1(h) hereto, (i) there has been no event, occurrence or development that, individually or in the aggregate, has had or that would result in a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) the Company has not incurred any material liabilities 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 required to be disclosed in filings made with the SEC, (iii) the Company has not altered its method of accounting or changed its auditors, except as disclosed in the Super 8-K, (iv) the Company has not declared or made any dividend or distribution of cash or other property to its stockholders, in their capacities as such, 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 to any officer, director or Affiliate, except pursuant to existing Company stock-based plans.  The Company has not taken any steps to seek protection pursuant to any bankruptcy law nor does the Company have any knowledge or reason to believe that its creditors intend to initiate involuntary bankruptcy proceedings or any actual knowledge of any fact which would reasonably lead a creditor to do so.  The Company is not as of the date hereof, and after giving effect to the transactions contemplated hereby to occur at the Closing, will not be Insolvent (as defined below).  For purposes of this Section 3.1(h), “Insolvent” means (i) the present fair saleable value of the Company's assets is less than the amount required to pay the Company's total Indebtedness (as defined in Section 3.1(aa)), (ii) the Company is unable to pay its debts and liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, as such debts and liabilities become absolute and matured, (iii) the Company intends to incur or believes that it will incur debts that would be beyond its ability to pay as such debts mature or (iv) the Company has unreasonably small capital with which to conduct the business in which it is engaged as such business is now conducted and is proposed to be conducted. The representations and warranties in this Section 3.1(h) as they relate to the Company prior to consummation of the Share Exchange are qualified to the extent of the Company’s knowledge.

 

(i) Absence of Litigation.  Except as disclosed in the Super 8-K, there is no action, suit, claim, or Proceeding, or, to the Company's knowledge, inquiry or investigation, before or by any court, public board, government agency, self-regulatory organization or body pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the Company or any Subsidiary that could, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect. The representations and warranties in this Section 3.1(i) as they relate to the Company prior to consummation of the Share Exchange are qualified to the extent of the Company’s knowledge.

 

(j) Compliance.  Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have or result in a Material Adverse Effect, (i)  neither the Company nor any Subsidiary 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 written 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 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), (ii) neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation of any order of any court, arbitrator or governmental body, or (iii)  neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is or has been in violation of any statute, rule or regulation of any governmental authority. The representations and warranties in this Section 3.1(j) as they relate to the Company prior to consummation of the Share Exchange are qualified to the extent of the Company’s knowledge.

 

(k) Title to Assets.  The Company and the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property owned by them that is material to the business of the Company and the Subsidiaries and good and marketable title in all personal property owned by them that is material to the business of the Company and each Subsidiary, in each case free and clear of all Liens, except for Liens that do not, individually or in the aggregate, have or result in a Material Adverse Effect. Any real property and facilities held under lease by the Company or any Subsidiary is held by it under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases of which the Company and each Subsidiary is in material compliance. The representations and warranties in this Section 3.1(k) as they relate to the Company prior to the consummation of the Share Exchange are qualified to the extent of the Company’s knowledge.

 

 

 

(l) No General Solicitation; Placement Agent's Fees.  Neither the Company, nor any of its Affiliates, nor any Person acting on its or their behalf, has engaged in any form of general solicitation or general advertising (within the meaning of Regulation D) in connection with the offer or sale of the Shares. The Company shall be responsible for the payment of any placement agent’s fees, financial advisory fees, or brokers’ commission (other than for persons engaged by any Investor or its investment advisor) relating to or arising out of the issuance of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement. The Company shall pay, and hold each Investor harmless against, any liability, loss or expense (including, without limitation, reasonable attorney's fees and out-of-pocket expenses) arising in connection with any such claim for fees arising out of the issuance of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company has not engaged any placement agent or other agent in connection with the sale of the Shares.

 

(m)   Private Placement; Investment Company; U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation.  Neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates nor, any Person acting on the Company’s behalf has, directly or indirectly, at any time within the past six months, made any offer or sale of any security or solicitation of any offer to buy any security under circumstances that would (i) eliminate the availability of the exemption from registration under Regulation D under the Securities Act in connection with the offer and sale by the Company of the Shares as contemplated hereby or (ii) cause the offering of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement to be integrated with prior offerings by the Company for purposes of any applicable law, regulation or stockholder approval provisions, including, without limitation, under the rules and regulations of any Trading Market. Assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Investors set forth in Section 3.2, no registration under the Securities Act is required for the offer and sale of the Shares by the Company to the Investors as contemplated hereby. The sale and issuance of the Shares hereunder does not contravene the rules and regulations of any Trading Market on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted. The Company is not required to be registered as, and is not an Affiliate of, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.  The Company is not required to be registered as a United States real property holding corporation within the meaning of the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980.

 

(n) Form S-1 Eligibility.  The Company is eligible to register the Shares for resale by the Investors using Form S-1 promulgated under the Securities Act.

 

(o) Listing and Maintenance Requirements.  The Company has not, in the twelve months preceding the date hereof, received notice (written or oral) 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.  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.

(p) Registration Rights.  Except as described in Schedule 3.1(p), the Company has not granted or agreed to grant to any Person any rights (including “piggy-back” registration rights) to have any securities of the Company registered with the SEC or any other governmental authority that have not expired or been satisfied or waived.

 

(q) Application of Takeover Protections. The Company and its Board of Directors have taken all necessary action, if any, 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 charter documents or the laws of its state of incorporation that is or could become applicable to any of the Investors as a result of the Investors and the Company fulfilling their obligations or exercising their rights under this Agreement, including, without limitation, as a result of the Company’s issuance of the Shares and the Investors’ ownership of the Shares.

 

(r) Disclosure.  The Company confirms that neither it nor any officers, directors or Affiliates, has provided any of the Investors or their agents or counsel with any information that constitutes or might constitute material, nonpublic information (other than the existence and terms of the issuance of Shares, as contemplated by this Agreement, and the information set forth in the Super 8-K). The Company understands and confirms that each of the Investors will rely on the foregoing representations in effecting transactions in securities of the Company. All disclosure provided by the Company to the Investors regarding the Company, its business and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Schedules to this Agreement furnished by or on behalf of the Company, are true and correct in all material respects and do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. To the Company’s knowledge, except for the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Super 8-K, no event or circumstance has occurred or information exists with respect to the Company or any Subsidiary or their businesses, properties, operations or financial condition, which, under applicable law, rule or regulation, requires public disclosure or announcement by the Company but which has not been so publicly announced or disclosed. The Company acknowledges and agrees that no Investor makes or has made any representations or warranties with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby other than those set forth in this Agreement.

 

(s) Acknowledgment Regarding Investors' Purchase of Securities.  Based upon the assumption that the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are consummated in all material respects in conformity with this Agreement, the Company acknowledges and agrees that each of the Investors is acting solely in the capacity of an arm's length purchaser with respect to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company further acknowledges that no Investor is acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary of the Company (or in any similar capacity) with respect to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby and any advice given by any Investor or any of their respective representatives or agents in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby is merely incidental to the Investors’ purchase of the Shares. The Company further represents to each Investor that the Company’s decision to enter into this Agreement has been based solely on the independent evaluation of the transactions contemplated hereby by the Company and its advisors and representatives.

 

 

 

(t) Patents and Trademarks.  The Company and each Subsidiary owns, or possesses adequate rights or licenses to use, all trademarks, trade names, service marks, service mark registrations, service names, patents, patent rights, copyrights, inventions, licenses, approvals, governmental authorizations, trade secrets and other intellectual property rights (“Intellectual Property Rights”) necessary to conduct their respective businesses as now conducted. None of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s Intellectual Property Rights have expired or terminated, or are expected to expire or terminate within three years from the date of this Agreement. The Company does not have any knowledge of any infringement by the Company or any Subsidiary of Intellectual Property Rights of others.  There is no claim, action or proceeding being made or brought, or to the knowledge of the Company, being threatened, against the Company or any Subsidiary regarding its Intellectual Property Rights. The representations and warranties in this Section 3.1(t) as they relate to the Company prior to the consummation of the Share Exchange are qualified to the extent of the Company’s knowledge.

 

(u) Insurance.  The Company and each Subsidiary is insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses and locations in which the Company and each Subsidiary is engaged.

 

(v) Regulatory Permits.  The Company and each Subsidiary possesses all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses as presently conducted and described in the Super 8-K (“Material Permits”), except where the failure to possess such permits does not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any written notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any Material Permit. The representations and warranties in this Section 3.1(v) as they relate to the Company prior to the consummation of the Share Exchange are qualified to the extent of the Company’s knowledge.

 

(w) Transactions With Affiliates and Employees.  Except as disclosed in the Super 8-K, none of the officers, directors or employees of the Company is presently a party to any transaction with the Company that would be required to be reported on Form 10-K by Item 13 thereof pursuant to Regulation S-K Item 404 (other than for ordinary course services as employees, officers or 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 such officer, director or employee or, to the Company's knowledge, any corporation, partnership, trust or other entity in which any such officer, director, or employee has a substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee or partner. The representations and warranties in this Section 3.1(w) as they relate to the Company prior to the consummation of the Share Exchange are qualified to the extent of Company’s knowledge.

 

 

 

 

(x) Internal Accounting Controls.  The Company and each Subsidiary maintains 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 representations and warranties in this Section 3.1(x) as they relate to the Company prior to the consummation of the Share Exchange are qualified to the extent of the Company’s knowledge.

 

(y) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company is in compliance in all material respects with applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and applicable rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC thereunder, except where such noncompliance would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect. The representations and warranties in this Section 3.1(y) as they relate to the Company prior to the consummation of the Share Exchange are qualified to the extent of the Company’s knowledge.

 

(z) Foreign Corrupt Practices.  Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or other Person acting on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary has, in the course of its actions for, or on behalf of, the Company (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expenses relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee or to any foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds; (iii) violated or is in violation in any material respect of any provision of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended; or (iv) made any unlawful bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee. The representations and warranties in this Section 3.1(z) as they relate to the Company prior to the consummation of the Share Exchange are qualified to the extent of the Company’s knowledge.

(aa) Indebtedness.  Except as disclosed in the Super 8-K, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary (i) has any outstanding Indebtedness (as defined below), (ii) is in violation of any term of or is in default under any contract, agreement or instrument relating to any Indebtedness, except where such violations and defaults would not result, individually or in the aggregate, in a Material Adverse Effect, and (iii) is a party to any contract, agreement or instrument relating to any Indebtedness, the performance of which, in the judgment of the Company's officers, has or is expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.  The representatives and Warranties in this Section 3.1(aa) as they relate to the Company prior to the Share Exchange are qualified to the extent of the Company’s knowledge.  For purposes of this Agreement: (x) “Indebtedness” of any Person means, without duplication (A) all indebtedness for borrowed money, (B) all obligations issued, undertaken or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services (other than trade payables entered into in the ordinary course of business), (C) all reimbursement or payment obligations with respect to letters of credit, surety bonds and other similar instruments, (D) all obligations evidenced by notes, bonds, debentures or similar instruments, including obligations so evidenced incurred in connection with the acquisition of

property, assets or businesses, (E) all indebtedness created or arising under any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, or incurred as financing, in either case with respect to any property or assets acquired with the proceeds of such indebtedness (even though the rights and remedies of the seller or bank under such agreement in the event of default are limited to repossession or sale of such property), (F) all monetary obligations under any leasing or similar arrangement which, in connection with GAAP, consistently applied for the periods covered thereby, is classified as a capital lease, (G) all indebtedness referred to in clauses (A) through (F) above secured by (or for which the holder of such Indebtedness has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be secured by) any mortgage, lien, pledge, charge, security interest or other encumbrance upon or in any property or assets (including accounts and contract rights) owned by any Person, even though the Person which owns such assets or property has not assumed or become liable for the payment of such indebtedness, and (H) all Contingent Obligations in respect of indebtedness or obligations of others of the kinds referred to in clauses (A) through (G) above; (y) “Contingent Obligation” means, as to any Person, any direct or indirect liability, contingent or otherwise, of that Person with respect to any indebtedness, lease, dividend or other obligation of another Person if the primary purpose or intent of the Person incurring such liability, or the primary effect thereof, is to provide assurance to the obligee of such liability that such liability will be paid or discharged, or that any agreements relating thereto will be complied with, or that the holders of such liability will be protected (in whole or in part) against loss with respect thereto; and (z) “Person” means an individual, a limited liability company, a partnership, a joint venture, a corporation, a trust, an unincorporated organization, a government or any department or agency thereof and any other legal entity.

 

(bb) Employee Relations.  Except as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(bb), neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is a party to any collective bargaining agreement or employs any member of a union. The Company believes that its relations with its employees are as disclosed in the Super 8-K.  No executive officer of the Company or any Subsidiary has notified the Company or any Subsidiary that such officer intends to leave the Company or a Subsidiary, as applicable, or otherwise terminate such officer's employment with the Company or a Subsidiary, as applicable. To the knowledge of the Company or any Subsidiary, no executive officer of the Company or any Subsidiary is in violation of any material term of any employment contract, confidentiality, disclosure or proprietary information agreement, non-competition agreement, or any other contract or agreement or any restrictive covenant, and the continued employment of each such executive officer does not subject the Company or any Subsidiary to any liability with respect to any of the foregoing matters. The representations and warranties in this Section 3.1(bb) as they relate to the Company prior to consummation of the Share Exchange are qualified to the extent of the Company’s knowledge.

 

(cc) Labor Matters.   The Company and each Subsidiary is in compliance in all material respects with all federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations respecting labor, employment and employment practices and benefits, terms and conditions of employment and wages and hours, except where failure to be in compliance would not, either individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The representations and warranties in this Section 3.1(cc) as they relate to the Company prior to consummation of the Share Exchange are qualified to the extent of the Company’s knowledge.

 

 

 

 

 

(dd) Environmental Laws.  The Company and each Subsidiary (i) is in compliance in all material respects with any and all Environmental Laws (as hereinafter defined), (ii) has received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (iii) is in compliance in all material respects with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval where, in each of the foregoing clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), the failure to so comply would be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.  The term “Environmental Laws” means all federal, state, local or foreign laws relating to pollution or protection of human health or the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata), including, without limitation, laws relating to emissions, discharges, releases or threatened releases of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, or toxic or hazardous substances or wastes (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) into the environment, or otherwise relating to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials, as well as all authorizations, codes, decrees, demands or demand letters, injunctions, judgments, licenses, notices or notice letters, orders, permits, plans or regulations issued, entered, promulgated or approved thereunder. The representations and warranties in this Section 3.1(dd) as they relate to the Company prior to consummation of the Share Exchange are qualified to the extent of the Company’s knowledge.

 

(ee) Subsidiary Rights.  The Company or one of its Subsidiaries has the unrestricted right to vote, and (subject to limitations imposed by applicable law) to receive dividends and distributions on, all capital securities of its Subsidiaries as owned by the Company or such Subsidiary.

 

(ff) Tax Status.  The Company and each Subsidiary (i) has made or filed all foreign, federal and state income and all other tax returns, reports and declarations required by any jurisdiction to which it is subject, (ii) has paid all taxes and other governmental assessments and charges that are material in amount, shown or determined to be due on such returns, reports and declarations, except those being contested in good faith and (iii) has set aside on its books provision reasonably adequate for the payment of all taxes for periods subsequent to the periods to which such returns, reports or declarations apply.  There are no unpaid taxes in any material amount claimed to be due by the taxing authority of any jurisdiction, and the officers of the Company know of no basis for any such claim. The representations and warranties in this Section 3.1(ff) as they relate to the Company prior to consummation of the Share Exchange are qualified to the extent of the Company’s knowledge.

 

3.2 Representations and Warranties of the Investors.  Each Investor hereby, as to itself only and for no other Investor, represents and warrants to the Company as follows:

 

(a) Organization; Authority.  If the Investor is an entity, such Investor is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or partnership, association, joint stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or other entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization with the requisite corporate, partnership or other power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and otherwise to carry out its obligations

 

 

 

hereunder. The purchase by such Investor of the Shares hereunder has been, to the extent such Investor is an entity, duly authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership or other action on the part of such Investor. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by such Investor and constitutes the valid and binding obligation of such Investor, 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 Public Sale or Distribution.  Such Investor is acquiring the Shares in the ordinary course of business for its own account and not with a view towards, or for resale in connection with, the public sale or distribution thereof, except pursuant to sales registered under the Securities Act or under an exemption from such registration and in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws, and such Investor does not have a present arrangement to effect any distribution of the Shares to or through any person or entity; provided, however, that by making the representations herein, such Investor does not agree to hold any of the Shares for any minimum or other specific term and reserves the right to dispose of the Shares at any time in accordance with or pursuant to a registration statement or an exemption under the Securities Act.

 

(c) Investor Status.  At the time such Investor was offered the Shares, it was, and at the date hereof it is an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act or a “qualified institutional buyer” as defined in Rule 144A(a) under the Securities Act.  Such Investor is not a registered broker dealer registered under Section 15(a) of the Exchange Act, or a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) or an entity engaged in the business of being a broker dealer.  Except as otherwise disclosed in writing to the Company on Exhibit A-2 (attached hereto) on or prior to the date of this Agreement, such Investor is not affiliated with any broker dealer registered under Section 15(a) of the Exchange Act, or a member of FINRA or an entity engaged in the business of being a broker dealer.

(d) General Solicitation.  Such Investor is not purchasing the Shares as a result of any advertisement, article, notice or other communication regarding the Shares published in any newspaper, magazine or similar media, broadcast over television or radio, disseminated over the Internet or presented at any seminar or any other general solicitation or general advertisement.

 

(e) Experience of Such Investor.  Such Investor, 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 Shares, and has so evaluated the merits and risks of such investment.  Such Investor understands that it must bear the economic risk of this investment in the Shares indefinitely, and is able to bear such risk and is able to afford a complete loss of such investment.

(f) Access to Information.  Such Investor acknowledges that it has been afforded: (i) the opportunity to ask such questions as it has deemed necessary of, and to receive answers from, representatives of the Company concerning the terms and conditions of the offering of the Shares and the merits and risks of investing in the Shares; (ii) access to information about the Company and each Subsidiary and their respective financial condition, results of operations, business, properties, management and prospects sufficient to enable it to evaluate its investment; and (iii) the opportunity to obtain such additional information that the Company possesses or can acquire without unreasonable effort or expense that is necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to the investment.

 

(g) No Governmental Review.  Such Investor understands that no United States federal or state agency or any other government or governmental agency has passed on or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Shares or the fairness or suitability of the investment in the Shares nor have such authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the offering of the Shares.

 

(h) No Conflicts.  The execution, delivery and performance by such Investor of this Agreement and the consummation by such Investor of the transactions contemplated hereby will not (i) result in a violation of the organizational documents of such Investor or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation of, any agreement, indenture or instrument to which such Investor 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 such Investor, except in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for such that are not material and do not otherwise affect the ability of such Investor to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

(i) Prohibited Transactions; Confidentiality.  No Investor, directly or indirectly, and no Person acting on behalf of or pursuant to any understanding with any Investor, has engaged in any purchases or sales in the securities, including derivatives, of the Company (including, without limitation, any Short Sales (a “Transaction”) involving any of the Company’s securities) since the time that such Investor was first contacted by the Company or any other Person regarding an investment in the Company. Such Investor covenants that neither it nor any Person acting on its behalf or pursuant to any understanding with such Investor will engage, directly or indirectly, in any Transactions in the securities of the Company (including Short Sales) prior to the time the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are publicly disclosed.  “Short Sales” include, without limitation, all “short sales” as defined in Rule 200 promulgated under Regulation SHO under the Exchange Act and all types of direct and indirect stock pledges, forward sale contracts, options, puts, calls, short sales, swaps, derivatives and similar arrangements (including on a total return basis), and sales and other transactions through non-U.S. broker-dealers or foreign regulated brokers.

 

(j) Restricted Securities. The Investors understand that the Shares are characterized as “restricted securities” under the U.S. federal securities laws inasmuch as they are being acquired from the Company in a transaction not involving a public offering and that under such laws and applicable regulations such securities may be resold without registration under the Securities Act only in certain limited circumstances.

(k) Legends.   It is understood that, except as provided in Section 4.1(b) of this Agreement, certificates evidencing such Shares may bear the legend set forth in Section 4.1(b).

(l) No Legal, Tax or Investment Advice.  Such Investor understands that nothing in this Agreement or any other materials presented by or on behalf of the Company to the Investor in connection with the purchase of the Shares constitutes legal, tax or investment advice.  Such Investor has consulted such legal, tax and investment advisors as it, in its sole discretion, has deemed necessary or appropriate in con­nection with its purchase of the Shares.

(a) The Investors covenant that the Shares will only be disposed of pursuant to an effective registration statement under, and in compliance with the requirements of, the Securities Act or pursuant to an available exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, and in compliance with any applicable state securities laws.  In connection with any transfer of Securities other than pursuant to an effective registration statement or to the Company, or at such time that the Shares may be sold without the requirement to be in compliance with Rule 144(c)(1) and otherwise without restriction or limitation pursuant to Rule 144, the Company may require the transferor to provide to the Company an opinion of counsel selected by the transferor, the form and substance of which opinion shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Company, to the effect that such transfer does not require registration under the Securities Act.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company hereby consents to and agrees to register on the books of the Company and with its Transfer Agent, without any such legal opinion, except to the extent that the transfer agent requests such legal opinion, any transfer of Shares by an Investor to an Affiliate of such Investor, provided that the transferee certifies to the Company that it is an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act and provided that such Affiliate does not request any removal of any existing legends on any certificate evidencing the Shares.

Certificates evidencing the Shares shall not be required to contain such legend or any other legend (i) while a registration statement (including the Registration Statement) covering the resale of the Shares is effective under the Securities Act, (ii) following any sale of such Shares pursuant to Rule 144 if the holder provides the Company with a legal opinion (and the documents upon which the legal opinion is based) reasonably acceptable to the Company to the effect that the Shares can be sold under Rule 144, (iii) if the Shares are eligible for sale without the requirement to be in compliance with Rule 144(c)(1) and otherwise without restriction or limitation pursuant to Rule 144, or (iv) if the holder provides the Company with a legal opinion (and the documents upon which the legal opinion is based) reasonably acceptable to the Company to the effect that the legend is not required under applicable requirements of the Securities Act (including controlling judicial interpretations and pronouncements issued by the Staff of the SEC).  The Company shall cause its counsel to issue the legal opinion included in the Transfer Agent Instructions to the Transfer Agent on the Effective Date.  Following the Effective Date and provided the registration statement referred to in clause (i) above is then in effect, or at such earlier time as a legend is no longer required for certain Shares, the Company will no later than three Trading Days following the delivery by an Investor to the Company or the Transfer Agent (if delivery is made to the Transfer Agent a copy shall be contemporaneously delivered to the Company) of (i) a legended certificate representing such Shares (and, in the case of a requested transfer, endorsed or with stock powers attached, signatures guaranteed, and otherwise in form necessary to affect transfer), and (ii) an opinion of counsel to the extent required by Section 4.1(a), deliver or cause to be delivered to such Investor a certificate representing such Shares that is free from all restrictive and other legends. The Company may not make any notation on its records or give instructions to the Transfer Agent that enlarge the restrictions on transfer set forth in this Section.

If within three Trading Days after receipt by the Company or its Transfer Agent of a legended certificate and the other documents as specified in Clauses (i) and (ii) of the paragraph immediately above, the Company shall fail to cause to be issued and delivered to such Investor a certificate representing such Shares that is free from all restrictive and other legends, and if on or after such Trading Day the Investor purchases (in an open market transaction or otherwise) shares of Common Stock to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Investor of shares of Common Stock that the Investor anticipated receiving from the Company without any restrictive legend (the “Covering Shares”), then the Company shall, within three Trading Days after the Investor’s request, pay cash to the Investor in an amount equal to the excess (if any) of the Investor’s total purchase price (including brokerage commissions, if any) for the Covering Shares, over the product of (A) the number of Covering Shares, times (B) the closing bid price on the date of delivery of such certificate and the other documents as specified in Clauses (i) and (ii) of the paragraph immediately above.

(c) The Company will not object to and shall permit (except as prohibited by law) an Investor to pledge or grant a security interest in some or all of the Shares in connection with a bona fide margin agreement with a registered broker-dealer or grant a security interest in some or all of the Shares to a financial institution that is an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act and who agrees to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement, and if required under the terms of such arrangement, the Company will not object to and shall permit (except as prohibited by law) such Investor to transfer pledged or secured Shares to the pledgees or secured parties.  Except as required by law, such a pledge or transfer would not be subject to approval of the Company, no legal opinion of the pledgee, secured party or pledgor shall be required in connection therewith (but such legal opinion shall be required in connection with a subsequent transfer or foreclosure following default by the Investor transferee of the pledge), and no notice shall be required of such pledge.  Each Investor acknowledges that the Company shall not be responsible for any pledges relating to, or the grant of any security interest in, any of the Shares or for any agreement, understanding or arrangement between any Investor and its pledgee or secured party.  At the appropriate Investor's expense, the Company will execute and deliver such reasonable documentation as a pledgee or secured party of Shares may reasonably request in connection with a pledge or transfer of the Shares, including the preparation and filing of any required prospectus supplement under Rule 424(b)(3) of the Securities Act or other applicable provision of the Securities Act to appropriately amend the list of Selling Stockholders thereunder. Provided that the Company is in compliance with the terms of this Section 4.1(c), the Company’s indemnification obligations pursuant to Section 6.4 shall not extend to any Proceeding or Losses arising out of or related to this Section 4.1(c).

 

4.2 Furnishing of Information.  Until the date that any Investor owning Shares may sell all of them without the requirement to be in compliance with Rule 144(c)(1) and otherwise without restriction or limitation pursuant to Rule 144 (or any successor provision), the Company covenants to use its 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.  The Company further covenants that it will take such further action as any holder of Shares may reasonably request to satisfy the provisions of this Section 4.2.

 

4.3 Integration.  The Company shall not, and shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that no Affiliate thereof shall, 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 Shares in a manner that would require the registration under the Securities Act of the sale of the Shares to the Investors or that would be integrated with the offer or sale of the Shares for purposes of the rules and regulations of any Trading Market.

 

4.4 Securities Laws Disclosure; Publicity.  The Company shall, at or before 5:30 p.m., New York time, on the fourth Trading Day following execution of this Agreement and the Share Exchange Agreement, file the Super 8-K with the SEC, including as exhibits to the Super 8-K this Agreement, in the form required by the Exchange Act.  Thereafter, the Company shall timely file any filings and notices required by the SEC or applicable law with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby and provide copies thereof to the Investors promptly after filing.  Except as herein provided, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary shall publicly disclose the name of any Investor, or include the name of any Investor in any press release without the prior written consent of such Investor (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed), unless otherwise required by law, regulatory authority or Trading Market.  Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary shall, nor shall any of their respective officers, directors, employees and agents, provide any Investor with any material nonpublic information regarding the Company or any Subsidiary from and after the issuance of the above referenced press release without the express written consent of such Investor.

4.5 Use of Proceeds.  The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the sale of the Shares for the repayment of indebtedness, working capital, expansion of the Company’s plant in Quebec, Canada, potential acquisitions and general corporate purposes. The Company also may use a portion of the net proceeds, currently intended for general corporate purposes, to acquire or invest in technologies, products or services that complement its business, although the Company has no present plans or commitments and is not currently engaged in any material negotiations with respect to these types of transactions.  Pending these uses, the Company intends to invest the net proceeds from this offering in short-term, interest-bearing, investment-grade securities, or as otherwise pursuant to the Company's customary investment policies.

4.6 Variable Rate Transactions. From the date hereof until eighteen (18) months following the Closing Date, the Company shall be prohibited from effecting or entering into an agreement to effect the offer or sale to, or exchange with (or other type of distribution to) any third party, of Common Stock or any debt or equity securities convertible, exercisable or exchangeable into Common Stock involving a Variable Rate Transaction.

5.1 Conditions Precedent to the Obligations of the Investors.  The obligation of each Investor to acquire Shares at the Closing is subject to the satisfaction or waiver by such Investor, at or before the Closing, of each of the following conditions:

 

(a) Representations and Warranties.  The representations and warranties of the Company contained herein shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date when made and as of the Closing as though made on and as of such date; and

 

(b) Performance.  The Company and each other Investor shall have performed, satisfied and complied in all material respects with all covenants, agreements and conditions required by this Agreement to be performed, satisfied or complied with by it at or prior to the Closing.

 

(c) No Suspensions of Trading in Common Stock; Listing. Trading in the Common Stock shall not have been suspended by the SEC or any Trading Market (except for any suspensions of trading of not more than one Trading Day solely to permit dissemination of material information regarding the Company) at any time since the date of execution of this Agreement, and the Common Stock shall have been at all times since such date listed for trading on a Trading Market.

 

 

 

 

(d) Absence of Litigation. No action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or any governmental body or authority, against the Company or any Subsidiary or pertaining to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or their consummation, shall have been instituted on or before the Closing Date, which action, suit or proceeding would, if determined adversely, have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(e) Closing of the Share Exchange.  The Share Exchange shall have occurred and the Company shall have (i) delivered to the Investors evidence thereof and (ii) provided evidence that the Company is prepared to file the Super 8-K with the SEC on or before the 4th Trading Day following the consummation of the Share Exchange.

 

(f) Closing Deliveries.  The Company shall have delivered the items set forth in Section 2.3(a) of this Agreement.

 

(g) Minimum Escrow Deposit.  The Investors shall have deposited at least $5,000,000 into the Escrow Account and shall have delivered executed signature pages to this Agreement to the Company committing to purchase at least an aggregate of $5,000,000 of Shares.

 

5.2 Conditions Precedent to the Obligations of the Company.  The obligation of the Company to sell the Shares at the Closing is subject to the satisfaction or waiver by the Company, at or before the Closing, of each of the following conditions:

 

(a) Representations and Warranties.  The representations and warranties of the Investors contained herein shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date when made and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of such date; and

 

(b) Performance.  The Investors shall have performed, satisfied and complied in all material respects with all covenants, agreements and conditions required by this Agreement to be performed, satisfied or complied with by the Investors at or prior to the Closing.

 

(c) Disclosure Materials Reconfirmation.  Each Investor shall have signed an acknowledgement of receipt of the Disclosure Materials, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit E, and shall have reconfirmed such Investor’s desire to acquire the Shares hereunder.

 

(d) Closing Deliverables.  Each Investor shall have delivered the items set forth in Section 2.3(b) of this Agreement.

 

(a) As promptly as possible, and in any event on or prior to the Filing Date, the Company shall prepare and file with the SEC a Registration Statement covering the resale of all Registrable Securities for an offering to be made on a continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415.  The Registration Statement shall be on Form S-1 (except if the Company is not then eligible to register for resale the Registrable Securities on Form S-1, in which case such registration shall be on another appropriate form in accordance with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act) and shall contain (except if otherwise directed by the Investors or requested by the SEC) the “Plan of Distribution” in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit C.

(b) The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Registration Statement to be declared effective by the SEC as promptly as possible after the filing thereof, but in any event prior to the Required Effectiveness Date, and shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to keep the Registration Statement continuously effective under the Securities Act until the earlier of the date that all Shares covered by such Registration Statement have been sold or can be sold publicly under Rule 144 (the “Effectiveness Period”); provided that, upon notification by the SEC that a Registration Statement will not be reviewed or is no longer subject to further review and comments, the Company shall request acceleration of such Registration Statement within five (5) Trading Days after receipt of such notice and request that it become effective on 4:00 p.m. New York City time on the Effective Date and file a prospectus supplement for any Registration Statement, whether or not required under Rule 424 (or otherwise), by 9:00 a.m. New York City time the day after the Effective Date (unless the Company is required to update its financial statements prior to requesting acceleration of the Registration Statement, which will require the Company to file an amendment to such Registration Statement).

 

(c) The Company shall notify the Investors in writing promptly (and in any event within two Trading Days) after receiving notification from the SEC that the Registration Statement has been declared effective.

 

(d) Should an Event (as defined below) occur, then upon the occurrence of such Event, and on every monthly anniversary thereof until the applicable Event is cured, the Company shall pay to each Investor an amount in cash, as liquidated damages and not as a penalty, equal to one percent (1.0%) of (i) the number of Shares held by such Investor as of the date of such Event, multiplied by (ii) the purchase price paid by such Investor for such Shares then held; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable for liquidated damages under this Agreement as to any Shares that (A) are not permitted by the SEC to be included in a Registration Statement because of its application of Rule 415 or (B) can be sold publicly under Rule 144.  The payments to which an Investor shall be entitled pursuant to this Section 6.1(d) are referred to herein as “Event Payments.”  Any Event Payments payable pursuant to the terms hereof shall apply on a pro rated basis for any portion of a month prior to the cure of an Event.  All pro rated calculations made pursuant to this paragraph shall be based upon the actual number of days in such pro rated month.

 

For such purposes, each of the following shall constitute an “Event”:

 

(i) the Registration Statement is not filed on or prior to the Filing Date;

 

(ii) the Registration Statement is not declared effective on or prior to the Required Effectiveness Date;

 

 

 

 

(iii) except as provided for in Section 6.1(e) (the “Excluded Events”), after the Effective Date and during the Effectiveness Period, an Investor is not permitted to sell Registrable Securities under the Registration Statement (or a subsequent Registration Statement filed in replacement thereof) for any reason (other than the fault of such Investor) for ten (10) or more Trading Days (whether or not consecutive); provided, however, that if an Investor is not permitted to sell Registrable Securities under the Registration Statement because the financial statements included in such Registration statement become ineligible for inclusion therein, the Company may suspend sales of Registrable Securities under such Registration Statement for up to fifteen (15) Trading Days prior to it being deemed an Event so long as the Company is not in breach of any other provision of this Agreement;

 

(iv) except as a result of the Excluded Events, the Common Stock is not listed or quoted, or is suspended from trading, on an Eligible Market for a period of three Trading Days (which need not be consecutive Trading Days) during the Effectiveness Period; or

 

(v) during the Effectiveness Period, except as a result of the Excluded Events, the Company fails to have any Shares listed or quoted on an Eligible Market.

 

(e) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company may, by written notice to the Investors, suspend sales under a Registration Statement after the Effective Date thereof and/or require that the Investors immediately cease the sale of shares of Common Stock pursuant thereto and/or defer the filing of any subsequent Registration Statement if the Company is engaged in a material merger, acquisition or sale and the Board of Directors determines in good faith, by appropriate resolutions, that, as a result of such activity, (A) it would be materially detrimental to the Company (other than as relating solely to the price of the Common Stock) to maintain a Registration Statement at such time or (B) it is in the best interests of the Company to suspend sales under such registration at such time.  Upon receipt of such notice, each Investor shall immediately discontinue any sales of Registrable Securities pursuant to such registration until such Investor is advised in writing by the Company that the current Prospectus or amended Prospectus, as applicable, may be used.  In no event, however, shall this right be exercised to suspend sales beyond the period during which (in the good faith determination of the Company’s Board of Directors) the failure to require such suspension would be materially detrimental to the Company.  The Company’s rights under this Section 6(e) may be exercised for a period of no more than 30 Trading Days in any twelve-month period, without such suspension being considered as part of an Event Payment determination.  Immediately after the end of any suspension period under this Section 6(e), the Company shall take all necessary actions (including filing any required supplemental prospectus) to restore the effectiveness of the applicable Registration Statement and the ability of the Investors to publicly resell their Registrable Securities pursuant to such effective Registration Statement.

 

(f) The Company shall not, from the date hereof until 90 days following the Effective Date of the Registration Statement, prepare and file with the SEC a registration statement relating to an offering for its own account or the account of others under the Securities Act of any of its equity securities, other than any registration statement or post-effective amendment to a registration statement (or supplement thereto) relating to the Company’s employee benefit plans registered on Form S-8.

 

(a) Not less than three Trading Days prior to the filing of a Registration Statement or any related Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, furnish via email to those Investors who have supplied the Company with email addresses copies of all such documents proposed to be filed, which documents (other than any document that is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein) will be subject to the review of such Investors.  The Company shall reflect in each such document when so filed with the SEC such comments regarding the Investors and the plan of distribution as the Investors may reasonably and promptly propose no later than two Trading Days after the Investors have been so furnished with copies of such documents as aforesaid.

 

(b)  (i) Subject to Section 6.1(e), prepare and file with the SEC such amendments, including post-effective amendments, to each Registration Statement and the Prospectus used in connection therewith as may be necessary to keep the Registration Statement continuously effective, as to the applicable Registrable Securities for the Effectiveness Period and prepare and file with the SEC such additional Registration Statements in order to register for resale under the Securities Act all of the Registrable Securities; (ii) cause the related Prospectus to be amended or supplemented by any required Prospectus supplement, and as so supplemented or amended to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; (iii) respond as promptly as reasonably possible to any comments received from the SEC with respect to the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto; and (iv) comply in all material respects with the provisions of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act with respect to the disposition of all Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement during the applicable period in accordance with the intended methods of disposition by the Investors thereof set forth in the Registration Statement as so amended or in such Prospectus as so supplemented.

 

(c) Notify the Investors as promptly as reasonably possible, and if requested by the Investors confirm such notice in writing no later than two Trading Days thereafter, of any of the following events:  (i) the SEC notifies the Company whether there will be a “review” of any Registration Statement; (ii) the SEC comments in writing on any Registration Statement; (iii) any Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment is declared effective; (iv) the SEC or any other federal or state governmental authority requests any amendment or supplement to any Registration Statement or Prospectus or requests additional information related thereto; (v) the SEC issues any stop order suspending the effectiveness of any Registration Statement or initiates any Proceedings for that purpose; (vi) the Company receives notice of any suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of any Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction, or the initiation or threat of any Proceeding for such purpose; (vii) the financial statements included in any Registration Statement become ineligible for inclusion therein or (viii) any Registration Statement or Prospectus or other document contains any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

 

 

 

 

(d) Use its commercially reasonable efforts to avoid the issuance of or, if issued, obtain the withdrawal of (i) any order suspending the effectiveness of any Registration Statement, or (ii) any suspension of the qualification (or exemption from qualification) of any of the Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction, as soon as possible.

 

(e) If requested by an Investor, provide such Investor without charge, at least one conformed copy of each Registration Statement and each amendment thereto, including financial statements and schedules, and all exhibits to the extent requested by such Person (including those previously furnished or incorporated by reference) promptly after the filing of such documents with the SEC.

 

(f) Promptly deliver to each Investor, without charge, as many copies of the Prospectus or Prospectuses (including each form of prospectus) and each amendment or supplement thereto as such Persons may reasonably request. The Company hereby consents to the use of such Prospectus and each amendment or supplement thereto by each of the selling Investors in connection with the offering and sale of the Registrable Securities covered by such Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto to the extent permitted by federal and state securities laws and regulations.

 

(g) (i) In the time and manner required by each Trading Market, prepare and file with such Trading Market an additional shares listing application covering all of the Registrable Securities; (ii) take all steps necessary to cause such Shares to be approved for listing on each Trading Market as soon as possible thereafter; (iii) provide to each Investor evidence of such listing; and (iv) except as a result of the Excluded Events, during the Effectiveness Period, maintain the listing of such Shares on each such Trading Market or another Eligible Market.

 

(h) Prior to any public offering of Registrable Securities, use its Best Efforts to register or qualify or cooperate with the selling Investors in connection with the registration or qualification (or exemption from such registration or qualification) of such Registrable Securities for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions within the United States as any Investor requests in writing, to keep each such registration or qualification (or exemption therefrom) effective for so long as required, but not to exceed the duration of the Effectiveness Period, and to do any and all other acts or things reasonably necessary or advisable to enable the disposition in such jurisdictions of the Registrable Securities covered by a Registration Statement; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject.

 

(i) Cooperate with the Investors to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of certificates representing Registrable Securities to be delivered to a transferee pursuant to a Registration Statement, which certificates shall be free, to the extent permitted by this Agreement and under law, of all restrictive legends, and to enable such certificates to be in such denominations and registered in such names as any such Investors may reasonably request.

(j) Upon the occurrence of any event described in Section 6.2(c)(vii) or (viii), as promptly as reasonably possible, prepare a supplement or amendment, including a post-effective amendment, to the Registration Statement or a supplement to the related Prospectus or any document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference, and file any other required document so that, as thereafter delivered, the financial statements included in such Registration Statement are current and neither the Registration Statement nor such Prospectus will contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

 

(k) Cooperate with any reasonable due diligence investigation undertaken by the Investors in connection with the sale of Registrable Securities, including, without limitation, by making available documents and information; provided that the Company will not deliver or make available to any Investor material, nonpublic information unless such Investor requests in advance in writing to receive material, nonpublic information and agrees to keep such information confidential.

 

(l) Comply with all rules and regulations of the SEC applicable to the registration of the Registrable Securities.

 

(m) It shall be a condition precedent to the obligations of the Company to complete the registration pursuant to this Agreement with respect to the Registrable Securities of any particular Investor or to make any Event Payments set forth in Section 6.1(d) to such Investor that such Investor furnish to the Company the information specified in Exhibits A-1, A-2 and A-3 hereto and such other information regarding itself, the Registrable Securities and other shares of Common Stock held by it and the intended method of disposition of the Registrable Securities held by it (if different from the Plan of Distribution set forth on Exhibit C hereto) as shall be reasonably required to effect the registration of such Registrable Securities and shall complete and execute such documents in connection with such registration as the Company may reasonably request.

 

(n) The Company shall comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the SEC under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, including, without limitation, Rule 172 under the Securities Act, file any final Prospectus, including any supplement or amendment thereof, with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act, promptly inform the Investors in writing if, at any time during the Effectiveness Period, the Company does not satisfy the conditions specified in Rule 172 and, as a result thereof, the Investors are required to make available a Prospectus in connection with any disposition of Registrable Securities and take such other actions as may be reasonably necessary to facilitate the registration of the Registrable Securities hereunder.

 

6.3 Registration Expenses.  The Company shall pay all fees and expenses incident to the performance of or compliance with Article VI of this Agreement by the Company, including without limitation (a) all registration and filing fees and expenses, including without limitation those related to filings with the SEC, any Trading Market and in connection with applicable state securities or Blue Sky laws, (b) printing expenses (including without limitation expenses of printing certificates for Registrable Securities), (c) messenger, telephone and delivery expenses, (d) fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company, (e) fees and expenses of all other Persons retained by the Company in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and (f) all listing fees to be paid by the Company to the Trading Market.

(a) Indemnification by the Company.  The Company shall, notwithstanding any termination of this Agreement, indemnify and hold harmless each Investor, the officers, directors, partners, members, agents and employees of each of them, each Person who controls any such Investor (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act) and the officers, directors, partners, members, agents and employees of each such controlling Person, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, from and against any and all Losses, as incurred, arising out of or relating to (i) any misrepresentation or breach of any representation or warranty made by the Company in this Agreement or any other certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby, (ii) any breach of any covenant, agreement or obligation of the Company contained in this Agreement or any other certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby, (iii) any cause of action, suit or claim brought or made against such Indemnified Party (as defined in Section 6.4(c) below) by a third party (including for these purposes a derivative action brought on behalf of the Company), arising out of or resulting from (x) the execution, delivery, performance or enforcement of this Agreement or any other certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby, (y) any transaction financed or to be financed in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, with the proceeds of the issuance of the Shares, or (z) the status of an Indemnified Party as the holder of Shares (unless, and only to the extent that, such action, suit or claim is based, including in part, upon a breach of such Investor’s representations, warranties or covenants under this Agreement or any conduct by such Investor that constitutes fraud, gross negligence or willful misconduct) or (iv) any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Prospectus or any form of Company prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto or in any Company preliminary prospectus, or arising out of or relating to any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of any Prospectus or form of prospectus or supplement thereto, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, except to the extent that (A) such untrue statements, alleged untrue statements, omissions or alleged omissions are based solely upon information regarding such Investor furnished in writing to the Company by such Investor  for use therein, or to the extent that such information relates to such Investor or such Investor's proposed method of distribution of Registrable Securities and was reviewed and expressly approved by such Investor in writing expressly for use in the Registration Statement, or (B) with respect to any prospectus, if the untrue statement or omission of material fact contained in such prospectus was corrected on a timely basis in the prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, if such corrected prospectus was timely made available by the Company to the Investor, and the Investor seeking indemnity hereunder was advised in writing not to use the incorrect prospectus prior to the use giving rise to Losses.    

(b) Indemnification by Investors.  Each Investor shall, severally and not jointly, indemnify and hold harmless the Company and its directors, officers, agents and employees to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, from and against all Losses (as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction in a final judgment not subject to appeal or review) arising solely out of any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Prospectus, or any form of prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement thereto, or arising out of or relating to any omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of any Prospectus or form of prospectus or supplement thereto, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, but only to the extent that (i) such untrue statements or omissions are based solely upon information regarding such Investor furnished to the Company by such Investor in writing expressly for use therein, or to the extent that such information relates to such Investor or such Investor’s proposed method of distribution of Registrable Securities and was reviewed and expressly approved in writing by such Investor expressly for use in the Registration Statement (it being understood that the information provided by the Investor to the Company in Exhibits A-1, A-2 and A-3 and the Plan of Distribution set forth on Exhibit C, as the same may be modified by such Investor and other information provided by the Investor to the Company in or pursuant to this Agreement constitutes information reviewed and expressly approved by such Investor in writing expressly for use in the Registration Statement), such Prospectus or such form of prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto. In no event shall the liability of any selling Investor hereunder be greater in amount than the dollar amount of the net proceeds received by such Investor upon the sale of the Registrable Securities giving rise to such indemnification obligation.

(c) Conduct of Indemnification Proceedings.  If any Proceeding shall be brought or asserted against any Person entitled to indemnity hereunder (an “Indemnified Party”), such Indemnified Party shall promptly notify the Person from whom indemnity is sought (the “Indemnifying Party”) in writing, and the Indemnifying Party shall assume the defense thereof, including the employment of counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Party and the payment of all fees and expenses incurred in connection with defense thereof; provided, that the failure of any Indemnified Party to give such notice shall not relieve the Indemnifying Party of its obligations or liabilities pursuant to this Agreement, except (and only) to the extent that it shall be finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction (which determination is not subject to appeal or further review) that such failure shall have proximately and materially adversely prejudiced the Indemnifying Party.

expense of the Indemnifying Party).  It shall be understood, however, that the Indemnifying Party shall not, in connection with any one such Proceeding (including separate Proceedings that have been or will be consolidated before a single judge) be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm of attorneys at any time for all Indemnified Parties, which firm shall be appointed by a majority of the Indemnified Parties. The Indemnifying Party shall not be liable for any settlement of any such Proceeding effected without its written consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. No Indemnifying Party shall, without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Party, effect any settlement of any pending Proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Party is a party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such Proceeding.

 

All reasonable fees and expenses of the Indemnified Party (including reasonable fees and expenses to the extent incurred in connection with investigating or preparing to defend such Proceeding in a manner not inconsistent with this Section) shall be paid to the Indemnified Party, as incurred, within 20 Trading Days of written notice thereof to the Indemnifying Party (regardless of whether it is ultimately determined that an Indemnified Party is not entitled to indemnification hereunder; provided, that the Indemnifying Party may require such Indemnified Party to undertake to reimburse all such fees and expenses to the extent it is finally judicially determined that such Indemnified Party is not entitled to indemnification hereunder).

 

(d) Contribution.  If a claim for indemnification under Section 6.4(a) or  (b) is unavailable to an Indemnified Party (by reason of public policy or otherwise), then each Indemnifying Party, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Party as a result of such Losses, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the Indemnifying Party and Indemnified Party in connection with the actions, statements or omissions that resulted in such Losses as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.  The relative fault of such Indemnifying Party and Indemnified Party shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any action in question, including any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission of a material fact, has been taken or made by, or relates to information supplied by, such Indemnifying Party or Indemnified Party, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such action, statement or omission.  The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of any Losses shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in Section 6.4(c), any reasonable attorneys’ or other reasonable fees or expenses incurred by such party in connection with any Proceeding to the extent such party would have been indemnified for such fees or expenses if the indemnification provided for in this Section was available to such party in accordance with its terms.

 

The parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 6.4(d) were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to in the immediately preceding paragraph.  Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 6.4(d), no Investor shall be required to contribute, in the aggregate, any amount in excess of the amount by which the net proceeds actually received by such Investor from the sale of the Registrable Securities subject to the Proceeding exceed the amount of any damages that such Investor has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.  No Person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any Person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in this Section  are in addition to any liability that the Indemnifying Parties may have to the Indemnified Parties.

 

6.5 Dispositions.  Each Investor agrees that it will comply with the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act as applicable to it in connection with sales of Registrable Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement and shall sell its Registrable Securities in accordance with the Plan of Distribution set forth in the Prospectus.  Each Investor further agrees that, upon receipt of a notice from the Company of the occurrence of any event of the kind described in Sections 6.2(c)(v), (vi), (vii), or (viii), such Investor will discontinue disposition of such Registrable Securities under the Registration Statement until such Investor is advised in writing by the Company that the use of the Prospectus, or amended Prospectus, as applicable, may be resumed.  The Company may provide appropriate stop orders to enforce the provisions of this paragraph. Each Investor, severally and not jointly with the other Investors, agrees that the removal of the restrictive legend from certificates representing Shares as set forth in this Section 4.1 is predicated upon the Company’s reliance that the Investor will comply with the provisions of this subsection. Both the Company and the Transfer Agent, and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents, may rely on this subsection.

 

6.6 No Piggyback on Registrations.  Except as set forth on Schedule 6.6 hereto, neither the Company nor any of its security holders (other than the Investors in such capacity pursuant hereto) may include securities of the Company in the Registration Statement other than the Registrable Securities.

 

6.7 Piggy-Back Registrations.  If at any time during the Effectiveness Period there is not an effective Registration Statement covering all of the Registrable Securities and the Company shall determine to prepare and file with the SEC a registration statement relating to an offering for its own account or the account of others under the Securities Act of any of its equity securities, other than on Form S-4 or Form S-8 (each as promulgated under the Securities Act) or their then equivalents relating to equity securities to be issued solely in connection with any acquisition of any entity or business or equity securities issuable in connection with stock option or other employee benefit plans, then the Company shall send to each Investor not then eligible to sell all of their Registrable Securities under Rule 144 in a three-month period, written notice of such determination and if, within ten days after receipt of such notice, any such Investor shall so request in writing, the Company shall include in such registration statement all or any part of such Registrable Securities such Investor requests to be registered.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that, in connection with any underwritten public offering, the managing underwriter(s) thereof shall impose a limitation on the number of shares of Common Stock which may be included in the Registration Statement because, in such underwriter(s)’ judgment, marketing or other factors dictate such limitation is necessary to facilitate public distribution, then the Company shall be obligated to include in such Registration Statement only such limited portion of the Registrable Securities with respect to which such Investor has requested inclusion hereunder as the underwriter shall permit; provided, however, that (i) the Company shall not exclude any Registrable Securities unless the Company has first excluded all outstanding securities, the holders of which are not contractually entitled to inclusion of such

securities in such Registration Statement or are not contractually entitled to pro rata inclusion with the Registrable Securities and (ii) after giving effect to the immediately preceding proviso, any such exclusion of Registrable Securities shall be made pro rata among the Investors seeking to include Registrable Securities and the holders of other securities having the contractual right to inclusion of their securities in such Registration Statement by reason of demand registration rights, in proportion to the number of Registrable Securities or other securities, as applicable, sought to be included by each such Investor or other holder.  If an offering in connection with which an Investor is entitled to registration under this Section 6.7 is an underwritten offering, then each Investor whose Registrable Securities are included in such Registration Statement shall, unless otherwise agreed by the Company, offer and sell such Registrable Securities in an underwritten offering using the same underwriter or underwriters and, subject to the provisions of this Agreement, on the same terms and conditions as other shares of Common Stock included in such underwritten offering and shall enter into an underwriting agreement in a form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company and the underwriter or underwriters. Upon the effectiveness the registration statement for which piggy-back registration has been provided in this Section 6.7, any Event Payments payable by an Investor whose Registrable Securities are included in such registration statement shall terminate and no longer be payable.

7.1 Termination.  This Agreement may be terminated by the Company or any Investor, by written notice to the other parties, if the Closing has not been consummated by the third Trading Day following the date of this Agreement; provided that no such termination will affect the right of any party to sue for any breach by the other party (or parties).

 

7.2 Fees and Expenses.  Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement to the contrary, each party shall pay the fees and expenses of its advisers, counsel, accountants and other experts, if any, and all other expenses incurred by such party incident to the negotiation, preparation, execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement.  The Company shall pay all Transfer Agent fees, stamp taxes and other taxes and duties levied in connection with the sale and issuance of the Shares.

 

7.3 Entire Agreement.  This Agreement, together with the Exhibits and Schedules hereto, 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 document, exhibits and schedules.  At or after the Closing, and without further consideration, the Company will execute and deliver to the Investors such further documents as may be reasonably requested in order to give practical effect to the intention of the parties under this Agreement.

 

7.4 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 date of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile or email at the facsimile number or email address specified in this Section  prior to 6:30 p.m. (New York City time) on a Trading Day, (b) the next Trading Day after the date of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile or email at the facsimile number or email address specified in this Section on a day that is not a Trading Day or later than 6:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any Trading Day, (c) the Trading Day following the date of deposit with a nationally recognized overnight courier service, or (d) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such notice is required to be given.  The addresses, facsimile numbers and email addresses for such notices and communications are those set forth on the signature pages hereof, or such other address or facsimile number as may be designated in writing hereafter, in the same manner, by any such Person.

7.5 Amendments; Waivers.  No provision of this Agreement may be waived or amended except in a written instrument signed, in the case of an amendment, by the Company and each of the Investors or, in the case of a waiver, by the party against whom enforcement of any such waiver 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.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, a waiver or consent to depart from the provisions hereof with respect to a matter that relates exclusively to the rights of Investors under Article VI may be given by Investors holding at least a majority of the Registrable Securities to which such waiver or consent relates.

 

7.6 Construction.  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.  The language used in this Agreement will be deemed to be the language chosen by the parties to express their mutual intent, and no rules of strict construction will be applied against any party.

 

7.7 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 Investors.  Any Investor may assign its rights under this Agreement to any Person to whom such Investor assigns or transfers any Shares, provided (i) such transferor agrees in writing with the transferee or assignee to assign such rights, and a copy of such agreement is furnished to the Company after such assignment, (ii) the Company is furnished with written notice of (x) the name and address of such transferee or assignee and (y) the Registrable Securities with respect to which such registration rights are being transferred or assigned, (iii) following such transfer or assignment, the further disposition of such securities by the transferee or assignee is restricted under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, (iv) such transferee agrees in writing to be bound, with respect to the transferred Shares, by the provisions hereof that apply to the “Investors” and (v) such transfer shall have been made in accordance with the applicable requirements of this Agreement and with all laws applicable thereto.

 

7.8 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 that each Indemnified Party is an intended third party beneficiary of Section 6.4 and (in each case) may enforce the provisions of such Section directly against the parties with obligations thereunder.

 

 

 

 

7.9 Governing Law; Venue; Waiver of Jury Trial.  THE CORPORATE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE SHALL GOVERN ALL ISSUES CONCERNING THE RELATIVE RIGHTS OF THE COMPANY AND ITS STOCKHOLDERS.  ALL QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE CONSTRUCTION, VALIDITY, ENFORCEMENT AND INTERPRETATION OF THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.  THE COMPANY AND INVESTORS HEREBY IRREVOCABLY SUBMIT TO THE NON-EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF THE STATE AND FEDERAL COURTS SITTING IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN FOR THE ADJUDICATION OF ANY DISPUTE BROUGHT BY THE COMPANY OR ANY INVESTOR HEREUNDER, IN CONNECTION HEREWITH OR WITH ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR DISCUSSED HEREIN (INCLUDING WITH RESPECT TO THE ENFORCEMENT OF THIS AGREEMENT), AND HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVE, AND AGREE NOT TO ASSERT IN ANY SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING BROUGHT BY THE COMPANY OR ANY INVESTOR, ANY CLAIM THAT IT IS NOT PERSONALLY SUBJECT TO THE JURISDICTION OF ANY SUCH COURT, OR THAT SUCH SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING IS IMPROPER.  EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES PERSONAL SERVICE OF PROCESS AND CONSENTS TO PROCESS BEING SERVED IN ANY SUCH SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING BY MAILING A COPY THEREOF 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 MANNER PERMITTED BY LAW.  THE COMPANY AND INVESTORS HEREBY WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO A TRIAL BY JURY.

 

7.10 Survival.  The representations and warranties, agreements and covenants contained herein shall survive the Closing.

 

7.11 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 email attachment, 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 email-attached signature page were an original thereof.

 

7.12 Severability.  If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable in any respect, the validity and enforceability of the remaining terms and provisions of this Agreement shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby and the parties will attempt to agree upon a valid and enforceable provision that is a reasonable substitute therefor, and upon so agreeing, shall incorporate such substitute provision in this Agreement.

 

7.13 Replacement of Shares.  If any certificate or instrument evidencing any Shares is mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, the Company shall issue or cause to be issued in exchange and substitution for and upon cancellation thereof, 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 and the execution by the holder thereof of a customary lost certificate affidavit of that fact and an agreement to indemnify and hold harmless the Company for any losses in connection therewith.  The applicants for a new certificate or instrument under such circumstances shall also pay any reasonable third-party costs associated with the issuance of such replacement Shares.

 

7.14 Remedies.  In addition to being entitled to exercise all rights provided herein or granted by law, including recovery of damages, each of the Investors and the Company will be entitled to seek specific performance under this Agreement.  The parties agree that monetary damages may not be adequate compensation for any loss incurred by reason of any breach of obligations described in the foregoing sentence and hereby agree to waive in any action for specific performance of any such obligation (other than in connection with any action for a temporary restraining order) the defense that a remedy at law would be adequate.

7.15 Payment Set Aside.  To the extent that the Company makes a payment or payments to any Investor hereunder or any Investor enforces or exercises its rights hereunder, 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 by 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.

 

7.16 Adjustments in Share Numbers and Prices.  In the event of any stock split, subdivision, dividend or distribution payable in shares of Common Stock (or other securities or rights convertible into, or entitling the holder thereof to receive directly or indirectly shares of Common Stock), combination or other similar recapitalization or event occurring after the date hereof, each reference in this Agreement to a number of shares or a price per share shall be amended to appropriately account for such event.

 

7.17 Independent Nature of Investors' Obligations and Rights.  The obligations of each Investor under this Agreement are several and not joint with the obligations of any other Investor, and no Investor shall be responsible in any way for the performance of the obligations of any other Investor under this Agreement.  The decision of each Investor to purchase Shares pursuant to this Agreement has been made by such Investor independently of any other Investor and independently of any information, materials, statements or opinions as to the business, affairs, operations, assets, properties, liabilities, results of operations, condition (financial or otherwise) or prospects of the Company which may have been made or given by any other Investor or by any agent or employee of any other Investor, and no Investor or any of its agents or employees shall have any liability to any other Investor (or any other person) relating to or arising from any such information, materials, statements or opinions.  Nothing contained herein, and no action taken by any Investor pursuant thereto, shall be deemed to constitute the Investors as a partnership, an association, a joint venture or any other kind of entity, or create a presumption that the Investors are in any way acting in concert or as a group with respect to such obligations or the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.  Each Investor acknowledges that no other Investor has acted as agent for such Investor in connection with making its investment hereunder and that no other Investor will be acting as agent of such Investor in connection with monitoring its investment hereunder. Each Investor shall be entitled to independently protect and enforce its rights, including without limitation the rights arising out of this Agreement, and it shall not be necessary for any other Investor to be joined as an additional party in any Proceeding for such purpose.