FORM OF PLACEMENT AGENT COMMON STOCKPURCHASE WARRANT PROTEABIOSCIENCES GROUP, INC.

EX-10.4 5 v446732_ex10-4.htm EXHIBIT 10.4

  

Exhibit 10.4

 

NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR THE SECURITIES FOR WHICH THIS SECURITY IS EXERCISABLE HAVE BEEN REGISTERED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR THE SECURITIES COMMISSION OF ANY STATE IN RELIANCE UPON AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), AND, ACCORDINGLY, MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR HYPOTHECATED EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR PURSUANT TO AN AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS AS EVIDENCED BY A LEGAL OPINION OF COUNSEL TO THE TRANSFEROR TO SUCH EFFECT, THE SUBSTANCE OF WHICH SHALL BE REASONABLY ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMPANY.

 

THE HOLDER OF THIS WARRANT BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT SELL, TRANSFER OR ASSIGN THIS WARRANT EXCEPT AS HEREIN PROVIDED AND THE HOLDER OF THIS WARRANT AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT SELL, TRANSFER, ASSIGN, PLEDGE OR HYPOTHECATE THIS WARRANT FOR A PERIOD OF ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY DAYS FOLLOWING THE EFFECTIVE DATE (DEFINED BELOW) TO ANYONE OTHER THAN (I) LAIDLAW & COMPANY (UK) LTD., OR (II) A BONA FIDE OFFICER OR PARTNER OF LAIDLAW & COMPANY (UK) LTD.

 

FORM OF PLACEMENT AGENT COMMON STOCK PURCHASE WARRANT

 

PROTEA BIOSCIENCES GROUP, INC.

 

Warrant No. [___] Issue Date: _______ __, 2016

 

THIS COMMON STOCK PURCHASE WARRANT (the “Warrant”) certifies that, for value received, Laidlaw & Company (UK) Ltd. (the “Holder”) is entitled, upon the terms and subject to the limitations on exercise and the conditions hereinafter set forth, at any time on or after the date hereof (the “Initial Exercise Date”) and on or prior to the close of business on the three year anniversary of the Initial Exercise Date (the “Termination Date”) but not thereafter, to subscribe for and purchase from Protea Biosciences Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), up to ______[1] shares (the “Warrant Shares”) of Common Stock. The purchase price of one share of Common Stock under this Warrant shall be equal to the Exercise Price, as defined in Section 2(b).

 

Section 1.          Definitions. For the purposes hereof, in addition to the terms defined elsewhere in this Warrant, (a) capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Subscription Agreement by and between the Company and the investors thereto, dated _______ __, 2016, as may be further amended and/or supplemented from time to time (the “Subscription Agreement”) and (b) the following terms shall have the following meanings:

 

Business Day” means any day except any Saturday, any Sunday, any day which shall be a federal legal holiday in the United States or any day on which banking institutions in the State of New York are authorized or required by law or other governmental action to close.

 

 

1 The number of shares shall be equal to ten percent (10%) of the Securities sold in the Offering, including any shares of common stock issued or issuable (“the Placement Agent Warrant Shares”) and excluding any shares of Common Stock issued or issuable to Company Investors.

 

 

 

Common Stock Equivalents” means any securities of the Company or the Subsidiaries which would entitle the holder thereof to acquire at any time Common Stock, including, without limitation, any debt, preferred stock, rights, options, warrants or other instrument that is at any time convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder thereof to receive Common Stock.

 

Fair Market Value” of one share of Common Stock as of a particular date shall mean: (i) if traded on a national securities exchange, the VWAP (as defined below) of the Common Stock of the Company on such exchange over the five (5) Trading Days ending immediately prior to the applicable date of valuation; (ii) if quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board or an over the counter market operated by OTC Markets Group, Inc. or its successor, the average VWAP over the thirty (30) Trading Days ending immediately prior to the applicable date of valuation; and (iii) if neither (i) nor (ii) applies, the Fair Market Value shall be the value thereof, as agreed upon by the Company and the Holder; provided, however, that if the Company and the Holder cannot agree on such value, such value shall be determined by an independent valuation firm experienced in valuing businesses such as the Company and jointly selected in good faith by the Company and the Holder. Fees and expenses of the valuation firm shall be paid for by the Company.

 

Person” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind.

 

Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

Trading Day” means a day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open for business.

 

Trading Market” means the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Stock may be listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the NYSE MKT, LLC, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the New York Stock Exchange or the OTC Bulletin Board, or the other OTC markets, including the OTCQX, OTCQB and OTC Pink markets.

 

VWAP” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the Common Stock is then listed or quoted on a national securities exchange, the daily volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the trading market on which the Common Stock is then listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg L.P. (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. New York City time to 4:02 p.m. New York City time); (b) if the Common Stock is quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board, the volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the OTC Bulletin Board; (c) if the Common Stock is not then listed or quoted for trading on the OTC Bulletin Board and if prices for the Common Stock are then reported on the OTC markets, including the OTCQX, OTCQB and OTC Pink markets, or in the “Pink Sheets” published by Pink Sheets, LLC (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per share of the Common Stock so reported; or (d) in all other cases, the fair market value of a share of Common Stock as determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the Subscribers of a majority in interest of the Securities then outstanding and reasonably acceptable to the Company, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Company; provided that in each case where Bloomberg L.P. data is being relied upon, Holder shall provide to the Company a copy of such information for the Company's records.

 

 

 

Section 2.          Exercise.

 

a)Exercise of Warrant.

 

i.  Exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant may be made, in whole or in part, at any time or times on or after the Initial Exercise Date and on or before the Termination Date by delivery to the Company (or such other office or agency of the Company as it may designate by notice in writing to the registered Holder at the address of the Holder appearing on the books of the Company) of a duly executed notice of exercise (“Notice of Exercise”) form attached hereto as Exhibit A; and, within 3 Trading Days of the date said Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company, the Company shall have received payment of the aggregate Exercise Price of the shares thereby purchased by wire transfer or cashier’s check drawn on a United States bank. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Warrant to the Company until the Holder has purchased all of the Warrant Shares available hereunder and the Warrant has been exercised in full, in which case, the Holder shall surrender this Warrant to the Company for cancellation within 3 Trading Days of the date the final Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company. Partial exercises of this Warrant resulting in purchases of a portion of the total number of Warrant Shares available hereunder shall have the effect of lowering the outstanding number of Warrant Shares purchasable hereunder in an amount equal to the applicable number of Warrant Shares purchased. The Holder and the Company shall maintain records showing the number of Warrant Shares purchased and the date of such purchases. In the event of any dispute or discrepancy, the records of the Company shall be controlling and determinative in the absence of manifest error.

 

ii. In lieu of the payment methods set forth in Section 2(a)(i) above, the Holder may elect to exchange all or some of this Warrant for shares of Common Stock equal to the value of the amount of the Warrant being exchanged on the date of exchange.  If Holder elects to exchange this Warrant as provided in this Section 2(a)(ii), Holder shall tender to the Company the Warrant for the amount being exchanged, along with written notice of Holder’s election to exchange some or all of the Warrant, and the Company shall issue to Holder the number of shares of the Common Stock computed using the following formula:

 

X =

Y (A-B)

 

  A

 

Where:   X = the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to Holder.
Y = the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable under the amount of the Warrant being exchanged (as adjusted to the date of such calculation).
A = the Fair Market Value of one share of the Common Stock on the date that the notice of exercise is received by the Company.
B = Exercise Price (as adjusted to the date of such calculation).

 

 

 

b)          Exercise Price. The exercise price per share of the Common Stock under this Warrant shall be $0.25 subject to adjustment hereunder (the “Exercise Price”).

 

c)          Exercise Limitations. Holder shall not have the right to exercise any portion of this Warrant, pursuant to Section 2 or otherwise, to the extent that after giving effect to such issuance after exercise, the Holder (together with the Holder’s affiliates, and any other person or entity acting as a group together with the Holder or any of the Holder’s affiliates), would beneficially own in excess of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation (as defined below). For purposes of this Section, beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Holder is solely responsible for any schedules required to be filed in accordance therewith. The Company shall have no obligation to verify or confirm the accuracy of such filings. In any case, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of securities of the Company, including this Warrant, by the Holder or its affiliates since the date as of which such number of outstanding shares of Common Stock was reported. The “Beneficial Ownership Limitation” shall be 4.99% of the number of shares of the Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant. The Holder, upon not less than 61 days’ prior notice to the Company, may increase or decrease the Beneficial Ownership Limitation provisions of this Section 2.3, provided that the Beneficial Ownership Limitation in no event exceeds 9.99% of the number of shares of the Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of Warrant Shares upon exercise of this Warrant held by the Holder and the provisions of this Section 2(c) shall continue to apply. Any such increase or decrease will not be effective until the 61st day after such notice is delivered to the Company. The limitations contained in this paragraph shall apply to a successor holder of this Warrant.

 

d)          Mechanics of Exercise.

 

i. Delivery of Certificates Upon Exercise. Certificates for shares purchased hereunder shall be transmitted by the Company’s transfer agent (the “Transfer Agent”) to the Holder by crediting the account of the Holder’s prime broker with the Depository Trust Company through its Deposit Withdrawal Agent Commission (“DWAC”) system if the Company is then a participant in such system and either (A) there is an effective registration statement permitting the resale of the Warrant Shares by the Holder or (B) the shares are eligible for resale without volume or manner-of-sale limitations pursuant to Rule 144, and otherwise by physical delivery of certificates to the address specified by the Holder in the Notice of Exercise within 4 Trading Days from the delivery to the Company of the Notice of Exercise Form, surrender of this Warrant (if required) and payment of the aggregate Exercise Price as set forth above (the “Warrant Share Delivery Date”). This Warrant shall be deemed to have been exercised on the date the Exercise Price is received by the Company. The Warrant Shares shall be deemed to have been issued, and Holder or any other person so designated to be named therein shall be deemed to have become a holder of record of such shares for all purposes, as of the date the Warrant has been exercised by payment to the Company of the Exercise Price and all taxes required to be paid by the Holder, if any, pursuant to Section 2(d)(vi) prior to the issuance of such shares, have been paid. If the Company is obligated to and fails for any reason to deliver to the Holder certificates evidencing the Warrant Shares subject to a Notice of Exercise by the Warrant Share Delivery Date, the Company shall pay to the Holder, in cash, as liquidated damages and not as a penalty, for each $1,000 of Warrant Shares subject to such exercise, $10 per Trading Day (increasing to $20 per Trading Day on the seventh Trading Day after such liquidated damages begin to accrue) for each Trading Day after such Warrant Share Delivery Date until such certificates are delivered.

 

 

 

ii. Delivery of New Warrants Upon Exercise. If this Warrant shall have been exercised in part, the Company shall, at the request of a Holder and upon surrender of this Warrant certificate, at the time of delivery of the certificate or certificates representing Warrant Shares, deliver to Holder a new Warrant evidencing the rights of Holder to purchase the unpurchased Warrant Shares called for by this Warrant, which new Warrant shall in all other respects be identical with this Warrant.

 

iii. Rescission Rights. If the Company fails to cause the Transfer Agent to transmit to the Holder a certificate or the certificates representing the Warrant Shares pursuant to Section 2(d)(i) by the Warrant Share Delivery Date, then the Holder will have the right to rescind such exercise.

 

iv.         Compensation for Buy-In on Failure to Timely Deliver Certificates Upon Exercise. In addition to any other rights available to the Holder, if the Company fails for any reason to deliver to the Holder such certificate or certificates by the Warrant Share Delivery Date, and if after such Warrant Share Delivery Date the Holder is required by its brokerage firm to purchase (in an open market transaction or otherwise), or the Holder’s brokerage firm otherwise purchases, shares of Common Stock to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Holder of the Warrant Shares which the Holder was entitled to receive upon the conversion relating to such Warrant Share Delivery Date (a “Buy-In”), then the Company shall (A) pay in cash to the Holder (in addition to any other remedies available to or elected by the Holder) the amount by which (x) the Holder’s total purchase price (including any brokerage commissions) for the Common Stock so purchased exceeds (y) the product of (1) the aggregate number of Warrant Shares that the Company was required to deliver to the Holder in connection with the exercise at issue multiplied by (2) the price at which the sell order giving rise to such purchase obligation was executed (including any brokerage commissions) and (B) at the option of the Holder, either reinstate the portion of the Warrant and equivalent number of Warrant Shares for which such exercise was not honored (in which case such exercise shall be deemed rescinded) or deliver to the Holder the number of shares of Common Stock that would have been issued had the Company timely complied with its exercise and delivery obligations hereunder. For example, if the Holder purchases Common Stock having a total purchase price of $11,000 to cover a Buy-In with respect to an attempted exercise of this Warrant with respect to which the sale price of the Warrant Shares (including any brokerage commissions) giving rise to such purchase obligation was a total of $10,000 under clause (A) of the immediately preceding sentence, the Company shall be required to pay the Holder $1,000. The Holder shall provide the Company written notice indicating the amounts payable to the Holder in respect of the Buy-In and, upon request of the Company, evidence of the amount of such loss. Nothing herein shall limit a Holder’s right to pursue any other remedies available to it hereunder, at law or in equity including, without limitation, a decree of specific performance and/or injunctive relief with respect to the Company’s failure to timely deliver certificates representing Warrant Shares upon exercise of this Warrant as required pursuant to the terms hereof.

 

 

 

v.    No Fractional Shares or Scrip. No fractional shares or scrip representing fractional shares shall be issued upon the exercise of this Warrant. As to any fraction of a share which Holder would otherwise be entitled to purchase upon such exercise, the Company shall, at its election, either pay a cash adjustment in respect of such final fraction in an amount equal to such fraction multiplied by the Exercise Price or round up to the next whole share.

 

vi.    Charges, Taxes and Expenses. Issuance of certificates for Warrant Shares shall be made without charge to the Holder for any issue or transfer tax or other incidental expense in respect of the issuance of such certificate, all of which taxes and expenses shall be paid by the Company, and such certificates shall be issued in the name of the Holder or in such name or names as may be directed by the Holder; provided, however, that in the event certificates for Warrant Shares are to be issued in a name other than the name of the Holder, this Warrant when surrendered for exercise shall be accompanied by the assignment form (“Assignment Form”) attached hereto as Exhibit B duly executed by the Holder and the Company may require, as a condition thereto, the payment of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any transfer tax incidental thereto.

 

vii.    Closing of Books. The Company will not close its shareholder books or records in any manner which prevents the timely exercise of this Warrant, pursuant to the terms hereof.

 

Section 3.          Certain Adjustments.

 

a)          Stock Dividends and Splits. If the Company, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding: (i) pays a stock dividend or otherwise make a distribution or distributions on shares of its Common Stock or any other equity or equity equivalent securities payable in shares of Common Stock (which, for avoidance of doubt, shall not include any Warrant Shares issued by the Company upon exercise of this Warrant), (ii) subdivides outstanding shares of Common Stock into a larger number of shares, (iii) combines (including by way of reverse stock split) outstanding shares of Common Stock into a smaller number of shares or (iv) issues by reclassification of shares of the Common Stock any shares of capital stock of the Company, then in each case the Exercise Price shall be multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator shall be the number of shares of Common Stock (excluding treasury shares, if any) outstanding immediately before such event and of which the denominator shall be the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the number of shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant shall be proportionately adjusted such that the aggregate Exercise Price of this Warrant shall remain unchanged. Any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 3(a) shall become effective immediately after the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to receive such dividend or distribution and shall become effective immediately after the effective date in the case of a subdivision, combination or re-classification.

 

 

 

b)          Subsequent Rights Offerings. In addition to any adjustments pursuant to the other subsections of this Section 3, if at any time the Company grants, issues or sells any Common Stock Equivalents or rights to purchase stock, warrants, securities or other property pro rata to the record holders of any class of shares of Common Stock (the “Purchase Rights”), then the Holder will be entitled to acquire, upon the terms applicable to such Purchase Rights, the aggregate Purchase Rights which the Holder could have acquired if the Holder had held the number of shares of Common Stock acquirable upon complete exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on exercise hereof, including without limitation, the Beneficial Ownership Limitation) immediately before the date on which a record is taken for the grant, issuance or sale of such Purchase Rights, or, if no such record is taken, the date as of which the record holders of shares of Common Stock are to be determined for the grant, issue or sale of such Purchase Rights (provided, however, to the extent that the Holder’s right to participate in any such Purchase Right would result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, then the Holder shall not be entitled to participate in such Purchase Right to such extent (or beneficial ownership of such shares of Common Stock as a result of such Purchase Right to such extent) and such Purchase Right to such extent shall be held in abeyance for the Holder until such time, if ever, as its right thereto would not result in the Holder exceeding the Beneficial Ownership Limitation).

 

c)          Pro Rata Distributions. If the Company, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding, shall distribute to all holders of Common Stock (and not to the Holder) evidences of its indebtedness or assets (including cash and cash dividends) or rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase any security other than the Common Stock, then in each such case the Exercise Price shall be adjusted by multiplying the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to the record date fixed for determination of stockholders entitled to receive such distribution by a fraction of which the denominator shall be the VWAP determined as of the record date mentioned above, and of which the numerator shall be such VWAP on such record date less the than per share fair market value at such record date of the portion of such assets or evidence of indebtedness or rights or warrants so distributed applicable to one outstanding share of the Common Stock as determined by the Board of Directors in good faith. In either case the adjustments shall be described in a statement provided to the Holder of the portion of assets or evidences of indebtedness so distributed or such subscription rights applicable to one share of Common Stock. Such adjustment shall be made whenever any such distribution is made and shall become effective immediately after the record date mentioned above.

 

 

 

d)          Fundamental Transaction. If, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding, (i) the Company effects any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another Person, (ii) the Company effects any sale of all or substantially all of its assets in one or a series of related transactions, (iii) any tender offer or exchange offer (whether by the Company or another Person) is completed pursuant to which holders of Common Stock are permitted to tender or exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property or (iv) the Company effects any reclassification of the Common Stock or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which the Common Stock is effectively converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property (each, a “Fundamental Transaction”), then, upon any subsequent exercise of this Warrant, the Holder shall have the right to receive, for each Warrant Share that would have been issuable upon such exercise immediately prior to the occurrence of such Fundamental Transaction, the number of shares of Common Stock of the successor or acquiring corporation or of the Company, if it is the surviving corporation, and any additional consideration (the “Alternate Consideration”) receivable as a result of such Fudamental Transaction by a holder of the number of shares of Common Stock for which this Warrant is exercisable immediately prior to such Fundamental Transaction. For purposes of any such exercise, the determination of the Exercise Price shall be appropriately adjusted to apply to such Alternate Consideration based on the amount of Alternate Consideration issuable in respect of one share of Common Stock in such Fundamental Transaction, and the Company shall apportion the Exercise Price among the Alternate Consideration in a reasonable manner reflecting the relative value of any different components of the Alternate Consideration. If holders of Common Stock are given any choice as to the securities, cash or property to be received in a Fundamental Transaction, then the Holder shall be given the same choice as to the Alternate Consideration it receives upon any exercise of this Warrant following such Fundamental Transaction. To the extent necessary to effectuate the foregoing provisions, any successor to the Company or surviving entity in such Fundamental Transaction shall issue to the Holder a new warrant consistent with the foregoing provisions and evidencing the Holder’s right to exercise such warrant into Alternate Consideration. The terms of any agreement pursuant to which a Fundamental Transaction is effected shall include terms requiring any such successor or surviving entity to comply with the provisions of this Section 3(d) and insuring that this Warrant (or any such replacement security) will be similarly adjusted upon any subsequent transaction analogous to a Fundamental Transaction. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in the event of a Fundamental Transaction that is (1) an all cash transaction, (2) a “Rule 13e-3 transaction” as defined in Rule 13e-3 under the Exchange Act, or (3) a Fundamental Transaction involving a person or entity not traded on a national securities exchange, the Company or any successor entity shall pay concurrently with the consummation of the Fundamental Transaction, and the Holder shall accept an amount of cash equal to the value of this Warrant as determined in accordance with the Black Scholes Option Pricing Model obtained from the “OV” function on Bloomberg L.P. using (A) a price per share of Common Stock equal to the VWAP of the Common Stock for the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of consummation of the applicable Fundamental Transaction, (B) a risk-free interest rate corresponding to the U.S. Treasury rate for a 30 day period immediately prior to the consummation of the applicable Fundamental Transaction, (C) an expected volatility equal to the 100 day volatility obtained from the “HVT” function on Bloomberg L.P. determined as of the Trading Day immediately following the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction and (D) a remaining option time equal to the time between the date of the public announcement of such transaction and the Termination Date; provided that in each case where Bloomberg L.P. data is being relied upon, Holder shall provide to the Company a copy of such information for the Company's records.

 

e)          If at any time until earliest of (1) the Termination Date, (2) the date that this Warrant is exercised in full or (3) the date that the Company’s shares of common stock are approved for an uplisting to a senior U.S. exchange such as The NASDAQ STOCK MARKET or the NYSE MKT, the Company issues or sells any additional shares of Common Stock (“Additional Shares of Common Stock”), excluding any shares of Common Stock sold in connection with an Exempt Issuance, for consideration per share of Common Stock that is less than $0.25 (as such amount may be adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination, reclassification or similar transaction after the date hereof) (a "Dilutive Issuance"), on the date of and immediately prior to the Dilutive Issuance, the Exercise Price, then in effect, will be reduced concurrently with the Dilutive Issuance to a price (rounded to the nearest cent) calculated by multiplying such Exercise Price by a fraction, of which (i) the numerator shall be the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on a fully diluted basis immediately prior to such Dilutive Issuance plus the number of shares of Common Stock which the aggregate consideration received or to be received by the Company for the total number of Additional Shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to the Dilutive Issuance would purchase at the Exercise Price; and (ii) the denominator shall be the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on a fully diluted basis immediately prior to such Dilutive Issuance plus the number of such Additional Shares of Common Stock so issued. The provisions of this Section 3(e) shall not operate to increase the Exercise Price

 

f)         Calculations. All calculations under this Section 3 shall be made to the nearest cent or the nearest 1/100th of a share, as the case may be. For purposes of this Section 3, the number of shares of Common Stock deemed to be issued and outstanding as of a given date shall be the sum of the number of shares of Common Stock (excluding treasury shares, if any) issued and outstanding.

 

 

 

g)          Notice to Holder.

 

i.            Adjustment to Exercise Price. Whenever the Exercise Price is adjusted pursuant to any provision of this Section 3, the Company shall promptly mail to the Holder a notice setting forth the Exercise Price after such adjustment and setting forth a brief statement of the facts requiring such adjustment.

 

ii.         Notice to Allow Exercise by Holder. If (A) the Company shall declare a dividend (or any other distribution in whatever form) on the Common Stock, (B) the Company shall declare a special nonrecurring cash dividend on or a redemption of the Common Stock, (C) the Company shall authorize the granting to all holders of the Common Stock rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase any shares of capital stock of any class or of any rights, (D) the approval of any shareholders of the Company shall be required in connection with any reclassification of the Common Stock, any consolidation or merger to which the Company is a party, any sale or transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, of any compulsory share exchange whereby the Common Stock is converted into other securities, cash or property, or (E) the Company shall authorize the voluntary or involuntary dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the affairs of the Company, then, in each case, the Company shall cause to be mailed to the Holder at its last address as it shall appear upon the Warrant Register of the Company, at least 20 calendar days prior to the applicable record or effective date hereinafter specified, a notice stating (x) the date on which a record is to be taken for the purpose of such dividend, distribution, redemption, rights or warrants, or if a record is not to be taken, the date as of which the holders of the Common Stock of record to be entitled to such dividend, distributions, redemption, rights or warrants are to be determined or (y) the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange is expected to become effective or close, and the date as of which it is expected that holders of the Common Stock of record shall be entitled to exchange their shares of the Common Stock for securities, cash or other property deliverable upon such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange; provided that the failure to mail such notice or any defect therein or in the mailing thereof shall not affect the validity of the corporate action required to be specified in such notice. The Holder is entitled to exercise this Warrant during the period commencing on the date of such notice to the effective date of the event triggering such notice.

 

Section 4.          Transfer of Warrant.

 

a)          Transferability. The Holder of this Warrant agrees by his, her or its acceptance hereof, that such Holder will not: (a) sell, transfer, assign, pledge or hypothecate this Warrant for a period of one hundred eighty (180) days following the date on which the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-211674) of the Company was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Effective Date”) to anyone other than: (i) Laidlaw & Company (UK) Ltd., or (ii) a bona fide officer or partner of Laidlaw & Company (UK) Ltd., in each case in accordance with FINRA Conduct Rule 5110(g)(1), or (b) cause this Warrant or the securities issuable hereunder to be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of this Warrant or the securities hereunder, except as provided for in FINRA Conduct Rule 5110(g)(2). On and after one hundred eighty (180) days after the Effective Date, transfers to others may be made subject to compliance with or exemptions from applicable securities laws.

 

 

 

b)          Subject to compliance with any applicable securities laws and the conditions set forth in Section 4(a) herein, this Warrant and all rights hereunder (including, without limitation, any registration rights) are transferable, in whole or in part, upon surrender of this Warrant at the principal office of the Company or its designated agent, together with a written assignment of this Warrant substantially in the form attached hereto duly executed by the Holder or its agent or attorney and funds sufficient to pay any transfer taxes payable upon the making of such transfer. Upon such surrender and, if required, such payment, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in the name of the assignee or assignees, as applicable, and in the denomination or denominations specified in such instrument of assignment, and shall issue to the assignor a new Warrant evidencing the portion of this Warrant not so assigned, and this Warrant shall promptly be cancelled. The Warrant, if properly assigned, may be exercised by a new holder for the purchase of Warrant Shares without having a new Warrant issued.

 

c)    New Warrants. This Warrant may be divided or combined with other Warrants upon presentation hereof at the aforesaid office of the Company, together with a written notice specifying the names and denominations in which new Warrants are to be issued, signed by the Holder or its agent or attorney. Subject to compliance with Section 4(a), as to any transfer which may be involved in such division or combination, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in exchange for the Warrant or Warrants to be divided or combined in accordance with such notice. All Warrants issued on transfers or exchanges shall be dated the Initial Exercise Date and shall be identical with this Warrant except as to the number of Warrant Shares issuable pursuant thereto.

 

d)    Warrant Register. The Company shall register this Warrant, upon records to be maintained by the Company for that purpose (the “Warrant Register”), in the name of the record Holder hereof from time to time. The Company may deem and treat the registered Holder of this Warrant as the absolute owner hereof for the purpose of any exercise hereof or any distribution to the Holder, and for all other purposes, absent actual notice to the contrary.

 

e)    Transfer Restrictions. If, at the time of the surrender of this Warrant in connection with any transfer of this Warrant, the transfer of this Warrant shall not be either (i) registered pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act and under applicable state securities or blue sky laws or (ii) eligible for resale without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions pursuant to Rule 144, the Company may require, as a condition of allowing such transfer, that the Holder or transferee of this Warrant, as the case may be, comply with the provisions hereof.

 

Section 5.          Miscellaneous.

 

a)    No Rights as Shareholder Until Exercise. This Warrant does not entitle the Holder to any voting rights or other rights as a shareholder of the Company prior to the exercise hereof.

 

b)    Loss, Theft, Destruction or Mutilation of Warrant. The Company covenants that upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Warrant or any stock certificate relating to the Warrant Shares, and in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to it (which, in the case of the Warrant, shall not include the posting of any bond), and upon surrender and cancellation of such Warrant or stock certificate, if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Warrant or stock certificate of like tenor and dated as of such cancellation, in lieu of such Warrant or stock certificate.

 

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c)    Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, etc. If the last or appointed day for the taking of any action or the expiration of any right required or granted herein shall not be a Business Day, then, such action may be taken or such right may be exercised on the next succeeding Business Day.

 

d)    Authorized Shares.

 

The Company covenants that, during the period the Warrant is outstanding, it will reserve from its authorized and unissued Common Stock one hundred (100%) of the number of shares to provide for the issuance of the Warrant Shares upon the exercise of any purchase rights under this Warrant. In case such amount of Common Stock is insufficient at any time, the Company shall call and hold a special meeting to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock. Management of the Company shall recommend to shareholders to vote in favor of increasing the number of authorized shares of common stock.

 

The Company further covenants that its issuance of this Warrant shall constitute full authority to its officers who are charged with the duty of executing stock certificates to execute and issue the necessary certificates for the Warrant Shares upon the exercise of the purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company will take all such reasonable action as may be necessary to assure that such Warrant Shares may be issued as provided herein without violation of any applicable law or regulation, or of any requirements of the Trading Market upon which the Common Stock may be listed. The Company covenants that all Warrant Shares which may be issued upon the exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant will, upon exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free from all taxes, liens and charges created by the Company in respect of the issue thereof (other than taxes in respect of any transfer occurring contemporaneously with such issue).

 

Except and to the extent as waived or consented to by the Holder, the Company shall not by any action, including, without limitation, amending its amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended or through any reorganization, transfer of assets, consolidation, merger, dissolution, issue or sale of securities or any other voluntary action, avoid or seek to avoid the observance or performance of any of the terms of this Warrant, but will at all times in good faith assist in the carrying out of all such terms and in the taking of all such actions as may be necessary or appropriate to protect the rights of Holder as set forth in this Warrant against impairment. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will (i) not increase the par value of any Warrant Shares above the amount payable therefor upon such exercise immediately prior to such increase in par value, (ii) take all such action as may be necessary or appropriate in order that the Company may validly and legally issue fully paid and nonassessable Warrant Shares upon the exercise of this Warrant and (iii) use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all such authorizations, exemptions or consents from any public regulatory body having jurisdiction thereof, as may be, necessary to enable the Company to perform its obligations under this Warrant.

 

Before taking any action which would result in an adjustment in the number of Warrant Shares for which this Warrant is exercisable or in the Exercise Price, the Company shall obtain all such authorizations or exemptions thereof, or consents thereto, as may be necessary from any public regulatory body or bodies having jurisdiction thereof.

 

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e)    Jurisdiction. This Warrant shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York without regard to the conflict of laws principles of the State of New York or any other jurisdiction.

 

f)    Restrictions. The Holder acknowledges that the Warrant Shares acquired upon the exercise of this Warrant, if not registered, will have restrictions upon resale imposed by state and federal securities laws.

 

g)    Nonwaiver and Expenses. No course of dealing or any delay or failure to exercise any right hereunder on the part of Holder shall operate as a waiver of such right or otherwise prejudice Holder’s rights, powers or remedies, notwithstanding the fact that all rights hereunder terminate on the Termination Date. If the Company willfully and knowingly fails to comply with any provision of this Warrant, which results in any material damages to the Holder, the Company shall pay to Holder such amounts as shall be sufficient to cover any costs and expenses including, but not limited to, reasonable attorneys’ fees, including those of appellate proceedings, incurred by Holder in collecting any amounts due pursuant hereto or in otherwise enforcing any of its rights, powers or remedies hereunder.

 

h)    Notices. Any notice, request or other document required or permitted to be given or delivered to the Holder by the Company shall be delivered at the following address:

 

Laidlaw & Company (UK) Ltd.

546 Fifth Avenue

New York, New York 10036

 

i)    in accordance with the notice provisions of the Amended Engagement Agreement.

 

j)    Limitation of Liability. No provision hereof, in the absence of any affirmative action by Holder to exercise this Warrant to purchase Warrant Shares, and no enumeration herein of the rights or privileges of Holder, shall give rise to any liability of Holder for the purchase price of any Common Stock or as a shareholder of the Company, whether such liability is asserted by the Company or by creditors of the Company.

 

k)    Remedies. The Holder, in addition to being entitled to exercise all rights granted by law, including recovery of damages, will be entitled to specific performance of its rights under this Warrant. The Company agrees that monetary damages would not be adequate compensation for any loss incurred by reason of a breach by it of the provisions of this Warrant and hereby agrees to waive and not to assert the defense in any action for specific performance that a remedy at law would be adequate.

 

l)     Successors and Assigns. Subject to applicable securities laws, this Warrant and the rights and obligations evidenced hereby shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors of the Company and the successors and permitted assigns of Holder. The provisions of this Warrant are intended to be for the benefit of all Holders from time to time of this Warrant and shall be enforceable by the Holder or holder of Warrant Shares.

 

m)    Amendment. This Warrant may be modified or amended or the provisions hereof waived with the written consent of the Company and the Holder.

 

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n)    Severability. Wherever possible, each provision of this Warrant shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Warrant shall be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such provisions or the remaining provisions of this Warrant.

 

o)    Headings. The headings used in this Warrant are for the convenience of reference only and shall not, for any purpose, be deemed a part of this Warrant.

 

[Signature Page Follows.]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Warrant to be executed by its officer thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above indicated.

 

PROTEA BIOSCIENCES GROUP, INC.  
   
By:    
  Name: Steve Turner  
  Title:   Chief Executive Officer  

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

NOTICE OF EXERCISE

 

TO: PROTEA BIOSCIENCES GROUP, INC.

 

The undersigned is the Holder of Warrant No. _______ (the “Warrant”) issued by Protea Biosciences Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”). Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined have the respective meanings set forth in the Warrant.

 

The Warrant is currently exercisable to purchase a total of ______________ Warrant Shares.

 

The undersigned Holder hereby exercises its right to purchase _________________ Warrant Shares pursuant to the Warrant.

 

The Holder intends that payment of the Exercise Price shall be made as (check one):

 

____ “Cash Exercise” under Section 2(a)(i)

 

____ “Cashless Exercise” under Section 2(a)(ii)

 

If the holder has elected a Cash Exercise, the holder shall pay the sum of $____________ to the Company in accordance with the terms of the Warrant.

 

Pursuant to this exercise, the Company shall deliver to the holder _______________ Warrant Shares in accordance with the terms of the Warrant.

 

Following this exercise, the Warrant shall be exercisable to purchase a total of ______________ Warrant Shares.

 

Please issue a certificate or certificates representing said Warrant Shares in the name of the undersigned or in the name specified hereto: _______________________________________________.

 

The Warrant Shares shall be delivered to the following DWAC Account Number or by physical delivery of a certificate to:_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

 

Name of Investing Entity:_______________________________________________________________

 

Signature of Authorized Signatory of Investing Entity: ________________________________________

 

Name of Authorized Signatory: __________________________________________________________

 

Title of Authorized Signatory: ___________________________________________________________

 

Date: _______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT B

 

ASSIGNMENT FORM

 

(To assign the foregoing warrant, execute
this form and supply required information.
Do not use this form to exercise the warrant.)

 

FOR VALUE RECEIVED, [____] all of or [_______] shares of the foregoing Warrant and all rights evidenced thereby are hereby assigned to

 

_______________________________________________ whose address is

 

_______________________________________________________________.

 

_______________________________________________________________

 

Dated: ______________, _______

 

  Holder’s Signature: _____________________________
     
  Holder’s Address: _____________________________
     
    _____________________________

 

Signature Guaranteed: ___________________________________________

 

NOTE: The signature to this Assignment Form must correspond with the name as it appears on the face of the Warrant, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever, and must be guaranteed by a bank or trust company. Officers of corporations and those acting in a fiduciary or other representative capacity should file proper evidence of authority to assign the foregoing Warrant.