l] Shares1 MagneGas Corporation PURCHASE AGREEMENT
Exhibit 1.1
[l] Shares1
MagneGas Corporation
[l], 2012
Northland Securities, Inc.
As representative of the several
Underwriters named in Schedule III hereto
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Ladies and Gentlemen:
MagneGas Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to sell to the several Underwriters named in Schedule III attached hereto (“you” or the “Underwriters”) an aggregate of [l] shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Company, and the stockholders of the Company named in Schedule II hereto (the “Selling Stockholders”) propose to sell to the several Underwriters an aggregate of [l] shares of Common Stock (collectively, the aggregate firm shares to be sold by the Company and the Selling Stockholders, the “Firm Shares”). The Company and the Selling Stockholders have also granted to the Underwriters an option to purchase up to [l] additional shares of Common Stock (the “Company Option Shares”) and [l] additional shares of Common Stock (the “Selling Stockholder Option Shares” and collectively with the Company Option Shares, the “Option Shares”), in each case on the terms and for the purposes set forth in Section 3 hereof. The Firm Shares and any Option Shares purchased pursuant to this Purchase Agreement are herein collectively called the “Securities.”
The Company hereby confirms its agreement with respect to the sale of the Securities to the Underwriters, for whom Northland Securities, Inc. is acting as representative (the “Representative”).
1. Registration Statement and Prospectus. A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-181775) (the “initial registration statement”) with respect to the Securities, including a preliminary form of prospectus, has been prepared by the Company in conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), and the rules and regulations (“Rules and Regulations”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) thereunder and has been filed with the Commission; one or more amendments to such registration statement have also been so prepared and have been, or will be, so filed; and, if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 462(b) of the Rules and Regulations to increase the size of the offering registered under the Act, the Company will prepare and file with the Commission a registration statement with respect to such increase pursuant to Rule 462(b) (the “additional registration statement”). Copies of such registration statements and amendments and each related preliminary prospectus have been delivered to you.
If the Company has elected not to rely upon Rule 430A of the Rules and Regulations, the Company has prepared and will promptly file an amendment to the registration statement and an amended prospectus. If the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 430A of the Rules and Regulations, it will prepare and file a prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Rules and Regulations that discloses the information previously omitted from the prospectus in reliance upon Rule 430A (“Rule 430A Information”). “Original Registration Statement” as of any time means the initial registration statement, in the form then filed with the Commission, including all amendments to the initial registration statement as of such time, the exhibits and any schedules thereto at such time, the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to the Rules and Regulations, all information contained in the additional registration statement (if any) and then deemed to be a part of the initial registration statement pursuant to the General Instructions of Form S-1 and all information (if any) included in a prospectus then deemed to be a part of the initial registration statement pursuant to Rule 430C of the Rules and Regulations or retroactively deemed to be a part of the initial registration statement pursuant to Rule 430A(b) of the Rules and Regulations. “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement” as of any time means the additional registration statement in the form then filed with the Commission, including the contents of the Original Registration Statement incorporated by reference therein and including all information (if any) included in a prospectus then deemed to be a part of the additional registration statement pursuant to Rule 430C or retroactively deemed to be a part of the additional registration statement pursuant to Rule 430A(b) and the documents incorporated by reference therein. “Registration Statement” as of any time means the Original Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement as of such time. For purposes of the foregoing definitions, information contained in a form of prospectus that is deemed retroactively to be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430A shall be considered to be included in the Registration Statement as of the time specified in Rule 430A. For purposes of this Agreement, “Effective Time” with respect to the Original Registration Statement or the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement means the date and time as of which such Registration Statement was declared effective by the Commission or has become effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b). “Registration Statement” without reference to a time means the Registration Statement as of its Effective Time. “Statutory Prospectus” as of any time means the prospectus included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that time, including any information in a prospectus deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430A or 430C. For purposes of the preceding sentence, information contained in a form of prospectus that is deemed retroactively to be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430A shall be considered to be included in the Statutory Prospectus as of the actual time that form of prospectus is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) and not retroactively. “Prospectus” means the Statutory Prospectus that discloses the public offering price and other final terms of the Securities and the offering and otherwise satisfies Section 10(a) of the Act. “Preliminary Prospectus” as of any time means any Statutory Prospectus included in the Registration Statement prior to the time it becomes or became effective under the Act and any prospectus that omits Rule 430A Information. All references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing, shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“▇▇▇▇▇”).
1 Plus an option to purchase up to [___,000] additional shares to cover over-allotments.
All references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or a Prospectus shall be deemed as of any time to include the documents incorporated therein by reference in accordance with the Rules and Regulations.
2. Representations and Warranties of the Company.
(a) The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the several Underwriters as follows:
(i) No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus has been issued by the Commission and each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof or the time of first use within the meaning of the Rules and Regulations, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations and did not 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; except that the foregoing shall not apply to statements in or omissions from any Preliminary Prospectus in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information furnished to the Company by you specifically for use in the preparation thereof, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by you consists of the information described as such in Section 6(f).
(ii) As of the time any part of each of the Original Registration Statement and the 462(b) Registration Statement (or any post-effective amendment thereto) became effective and at all other subsequent times until expiration of the Prospectus Delivery Period (as hereinafter defined), upon the filing or first use within the meaning of the Rules and Regulations of the Prospectus (or any supplement to the Prospectus) and at all other subsequent times until expiration of the Prospectus Delivery Period and at the First Closing Date and Second Closing Date, (A) the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (in each case, as so amended and/or supplemented) conformed or will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations, (B) the Registration Statement (as so amended) did not or will not include 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 not misleading, and (C) the Prospectus (as so supplemented) did not or will not include 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 light of the circumstances in which they are or were made, not misleading; except that each of the foregoing shall not apply to statements in or omissions from any such document in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information furnished to the Company by you specifically for use in the preparation thereof, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by you consists of the information described as such in Section 6(g). If the Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued, and, no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission.
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(iii) Neither (A) the Issuer General Free Writing Prospectus(es) issued at or prior to the Time of Sale and set forth on Schedule I, the information on Schedule IV, and the Statutory Prospectus, all considered together (collectively, the “Time of Sale Disclosure Package”), nor (B) any individual Issuer Limited-Use Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, includes or included as of the Time of Sale any untrue statement of a material fact or omit or omitted as of the Time of Sale to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any Statutory Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by you specifically for use therein; it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by you consists of the information described as such in Section 6(f). As used in this paragraph and elsewhere in this Agreement:
(1) “Time of Sale” means [l]:00 pm (Eastern time) on the date of this Agreement
(2) “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 under the Act, relating to the Securities that (A) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, or (B) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) under the Act because it contains a description of the Securities or of the offering that does not reflect the final terms or pursuant to Rule 433(d)(8)(ii) because it is a “bona fide electronic roadshow,” as defined in Rule 433 of the Rules and Regulations which is made available without restriction, in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g) under the Act.
(3) “Issuer General Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors, as evidenced by its being specified in Schedule I to this Agreement.
(4) “Issuer Linited-Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not an Issuer General Free Writing Prospectus.
(iv) (A) Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Securities or until any earlier date that the Company notified or notifies the Underwriters as described in Section 4(c)(ii), did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, any Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus. The foregoing sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by you specifically for use therein; it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by you consists of the information described as such in Section 6(f).
(B) (1) At the time of filing the Registration Statement and (2) at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act, including the Company or any subsidiary in the preceding three years not having been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor or having been made the subject of a judicial or administrative decree or order as described in Rule 405 (without taking account of any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an ineligible issuer), nor an “excluded issuer” as defined in Rule 164 under the Act.
(v) The financial statements of the Company, together with the related notes, set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and Prospectus comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and fairly present the financial condition of the Company as of the dates indicated and the results of operations and changes in cash flows for the periods therein specified in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States consistently applied throughout the periods involved; the supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement present fairly the information required to be stated therein; all non-GAAP financial information included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus complies with the requirements of Regulation G and Item 10 of Regulation S-K under the Act; and, except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no material off-balance sheet arrangements (as defined in Regulation S-K under the Act, Item 303(a)(4)(ii)) or any other relationships with unconsolidated entities or other persons, that may have a material current or, to the Company’s knowledge, material future effect on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, capital resources or significant components of revenue or expenses. No other financial statements or schedules are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package or the Prospectus. Drake & ▇▇▇▇▇ CPAs, which has expressed its opinion with respect to the financial statements and schedules filed as a part of the Registration Statement and included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, is (x) an independent public accounting firm within the meaning of the Act and the Rules and Regulations and(y) a registered public accounting firm (as defined in Section 2(a)(12) of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act of 2002 (the “▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act”)).
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(vi) The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation. The Company has full corporate power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as currently being carried on and as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and Prospectus, and is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in good standing in each jurisdiction in which it owns or leases real property or in which, to the Company’s knowledge, the conduct of its business makes such qualification necessary and in which the failure to so qualify would have a material adverse effect upon the business, prospects, management, properties, operations, condition (financial or otherwise) or results of operations of the Company (“Material Adverse Effect”).
(vii) Except as contemplated in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus, subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the Company has not incurred any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent, or entered into any material transactions, or declared or paid any dividends or made any distribution of any kind with respect to its capital stock; and there has not been any change in the capital stock (other than a change in the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock due to the issuance of shares upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants or upon the conversion of outstanding shares of convertible preferred stock), or any material change in the short-term or long-term debt, or any issuance of options, warrants, convertible securities or other rights to purchase the capital stock, of the Company, or any material adverse change in the condition (financial or otherwise), business, prospects, management, properties, operations or results of operations of the Company, taken as a whole (“Material Adverse Change”) or any development which could reasonably be expected to result in any Material Adverse Change.
(viii) Except as set forth in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus, there is not pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened or contemplated, any action, suit or proceeding (a) to which the Company is a party or (b) which has as the subject thereof any officer or director of the Company, any employee benefit plan sponsored by the Company or any property or assets owned or leased by the Company before or by any court or Governmental Authority (as defined below), or any arbitrator, which, individually or in the aggregate, might result in any Material Adverse Change, or would materially and adversely affect the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement or which are otherwise material in the context of the sale of the Securities. There are no current or, to the knowledge of the Company, pending, legal, governmental or regulatory actions, suits or proceedings (x) to which the Company is subject or (y) which has as the subject thereof any officer or director of the Company, any employee plan sponsored by the Company or any property or assets owned or leased by the Company, that are required to be described in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Disclosure Package and Prospectus by the Act or by the Rules and Regulations and that have not been so described.
(ix) There are no statutes, regulations, contracts or documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus or required to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement by the Act or by the Rules and Regulations that have not been so described or filed.
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(x) This Agreement and the Underwriters’ Warrant (as defined below) have been duly authorized by the Company. This Agreement has been, and as of the applicable closing date the Underwriter’s Warrants will be, duly executed and delivered by the Company. This Agreement constitutes, and when issued, delivered and paid for in accordance with this Agreement the Underwriter’s Warrants will constitute a valid, legal and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as rights to indemnity hereunder may be limited by federal or state securities laws and except as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting the rights of creditors generally and subject to general principles of equity. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not (A) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company is subject, (B) result in any violation of the provisions of the Company’s charter or by-laws or (C) result in the violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule, regulation or decree of any court or arbitrator or federal, state, local or foreign governmental agency or regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties or assets (each, a “Governmental Authority”). No consent, approval, authorization or order of, or registration or filing with any Governmental Authority is required for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement or for the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, including the issuance or sale of the Securities by the Company, except such as may be required under the Act, the rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) or state securities or blue sky laws; and the Company has full power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby, including the authorization, issuance and sale of the Securities as contemplated by this Agreement.
(xi) All of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company, including the outstanding shares of Common Stock, are duly authorized and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, have been issued in compliance with all federal and state and foreign securities laws, were not issued in violation of or subject to any preemptive rights or other rights to subscribe for or purchase securities that have not been waived in writing (a copy of which has been delivered to counsel to the Representative), and the holders thereof are not subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; the Securities which may be sold hereunder by the Company and the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Underwriter’s Warrant have been duly authorized and, when issued, delivered and paid for in accordance with the terms of this Agreement or, if applicable, in accordance with the terms of the Underwriter’s Warrant, such shares will have been validly issued and will be fully paid and nonassessable, and the holders thereof, as well as the holders of the Underwriter’s Warrant, will not be subject to personal liability to the Company or its stockholders by reason of being such holders; and the capital stock of the Company, including the Common Stock and the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Underwriters’ Warrant, conforms to the description thereof in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus. Except as otherwise stated in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, in the Prospectus or as has been waived, there are no preemptive rights or other rights to subscribe for or to purchase, or any restriction upon the voting or transfer of, any shares of Common Stock pursuant to the Company’s charter, by-laws or any agreement or other instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus, neither the filing of the Registration Statement nor the offering or sale of the Securities as contemplated by this Agreement nor the issuance of the Underwriters’ Warrant gives rise to any rights for or relating to the registration of any shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company (collectively “Registration Rights”), and any person to whom the Company has granted Registration Rights has agreed not to exercise such rights until after expiration of the Lock-Up Period (as defined below). Except as described in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus, there are no options, warrants, agreements, contracts or other rights in existence to purchase or acquire from the Company any shares of the capital stock of the Company. The Company has an authorized and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus under the caption “Capitalization.” The Common Stock (including the Securities) conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The description of the Company’s stock option, stock bonus and other stock plans or arrangements, and the options or other rights granted thereunder, set forth in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus accurately and fairly presents the information required to be shown with respect to such plans, arrangements, options and rights.
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(xii) The Company holds, and is operating in compliance in all material respects with, all franchises, grants, authorizations, licenses, permits, easements, consents, certificates and orders of any Governmental Authority or self-regulatory body required for the conduct of its business and all such franchises, grants, authorizations, licenses, permits, easements, consents, certifications and orders are valid and in full force and effect except as such violation would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; and the Company has not received notice of any revocation or modification of any such franchise, grant, authorization, license, permit, easement, consent, certification or order or has reason to believe that any such franchise, grant, authorization, license, permit, easement, consent, certification or order will not be renewed in the ordinary course; and, the Company is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, regulations, orders and decrees except as such violation would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(xiii) Unless otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Disclosure Package or in the Prospectus, the Company has good and marketable title to all property (whether real or personal) described in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus as being owned by it, free and clear of all liens, claims, security interests, other encumbrances or defects except such as are described in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus. The property held under lease by the Company and is held by it under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with only such exceptions with respect to any particular lease as do not interfere in any material respect with the conduct of the business of the Company.
The Company owns, possesses, has a valid license to or can acquire on reasonable terms, all Intellectual Property necessary for the conduct of the Company’s business as now conducted or as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus to be conducted. Furthermore, (A) to the knowledge of the Company, there is no infringement, misappropriation or violation by third parties of any such Intellectual Property; (B) there is no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the Company’s rights in or to any such Intellectual Property, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (C) the Intellectual Property owned by the Company, and to the knowledge of the Company, the Intellectual Property licensed to the Company, has not been adjudged invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, and there is no pending or threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity or scope of any such Intellectual Property, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (D) there is no pending or threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company infringes, misappropriates or otherwise violates any Intellectual Property or other proprietary rights of others, the Company has not received any written notice of such claim and the Company is unaware of any other fact which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim; and (E) to the Company’s knowledge, no employee of the Company is in or has ever been in violation of any term of any employment contract, patent disclosure agreement, invention assignment agreement, non-competition agreement, non-solicitation agreement, nondisclosure agreement or any restrictive covenant to or with a former employer where the basis of such violation relates to such employee’s employment with the Company or actions undertaken by the employee while employed with the Company, except as such violation would not result in a Material Adverse Effect. “Intellectual Property” shall mean all patents, patent applications, trade and service marks, trade and service ▇▇▇▇ registrations, trade names, copyrights, licenses, inventions, trade secrets, domain names, technology, know-how and other intellectual property. All patent applications owned by the Company and filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (the “PTO”) or any foreign or international patent authority that have resulted in patents or currently pending applications that describe inventions necessary to conduct the business of the Company in the manner described in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package (collectively, the “Company Patent Applications”) have been or were duly and properly filed. The Company has complied with its duty of candor and disclosure to the PTO for the Company Patent Applications. The Company is not aware of any facts required to be disclosed to the PTO that were not disclosed to the PTO and which would preclude the grant of a patent for the Company Patent Applications. The Company has no knowledge of any facts which would preclude it from having clear title to the Company Patent Applications that have been identified by the Company as being exclusively owned by the Company.
(xiv) The Company is not in violation of its charter, by-laws or other organizational documents, or in breach of or otherwise in default, and no event has occurred which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default in the performance of any material obligation, agreement or condition contained in any bond, debenture, note, indenture, loan agreement or any other material contract, lease or other instrument to which it is subject or by which it may be bound, or to which any of the material property or assets of the Company is subject.
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(xv) The Company has timely filed all federal, state, local and foreign income and franchise tax returns required to be filed and are not in default in the payment of any taxes which were payable pursuant to said returns or any assessments with respect thereto, other than any which the Company is contesting in good faith. There is no pending dispute with any taxing authority relating to any of such returns, and the Company has no knowledge of any liability for any tax to be imposed upon the properties or assets of the Company for which there is not an adequate reserve reflected in the Company’s financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(xvi) The Company has not distributed and will not distribute any prospectus or other offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities other than any Preliminary Prospectus, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or other materials permitted by the Act to be distributed by the Company; provided, however, that, except as set forth on Schedule I, the Company has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act, except in accordance with the provisions of Section 4(r) of this Agreement.
(xvii) The Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and the Company has not received any notification that the Commission is currently contemplating terminating such registration or listing. Except as set forth in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, to the knowledge of the Company, no beneficial owners of the Company’s capital stock or subordinated debt who, together with their associated persons and affiliates, hold in the aggregate 10% or more of such capital stock or subordinated debt, have any direct or indirect association or affiliate with a FINRA member. The Company is currently in compliance in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the [l] for maintenance of inclusion of the Common Stock thereon.
(xviii) The Company has filed with the Commission all reports, proxy statements and other documents required by the Act, the Exchange Act, and the Rules and Regulations. All such documents filed by the Company with the Commission, as of the date they were filed, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the Rules and Regulations, and none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. The Company has not filed any documents with the Commission since the Commission’s close of business on the business day immediately prior to the date of this Agreement and prior to the execution of this Agreement, without giving notice to the Representative that such documents were filed.
(xix) Unless otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Disclosure Package or in the Prospectus, the Company, directly or indirectly, owns no capital stock or other equity or ownership or proprietary interest in any corporation, partnership, association, trust or other entity.
(xx) Unless otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Disclosure Package or in the Prospectus, the Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States and to maintain accountability for assets; (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 existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting is effective and none of the Company, its board of directors and audit committee is aware of any “significant deficiencies” or “material weaknesses” (each as defined by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board) in its internal control over financial reporting, or any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees of the Company who have a significant role in the Company’s internal controls; and since the end of the latest audited fiscal year, there has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
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(xxi) Other than as contemplated by this Agreement, the Company has not incurred any liability for any finder’s or broker’s fee or agent’s commission in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company’s board of directors has, subject to the exceptions, cure periods and the phase-in periods specified in the applicable stock exchange rules (“Exchange Rules”), validly appointed an audit committee to oversee internal accounting controls whose composition satisfies the applicable requirements of the Exchange Rules and the Company’s board of directors and/or the audit committee has adopted a charter that satisfies the requirements of the Exchange Rules.
(xxii) The Company carries, or is covered by, insurance from insurers with appropriately rated claims paying abilities in such amounts and covering such risks as is adequate for the conduct of its business and the value of its properties and as is customary for companies engaged in similar businesses in similar industries; all policies of insurance and any fidelity or surety bonds insuring the Company or its business, assets, employees, officers and directors is in full force and effect; the Company is in compliance with the terms of such policies and instruments in all material respects; there are no claims by the Company under any such policy or instrument as to which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights clause; the Company has not been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and the Company has no reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(xxiii) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities, will not be an “investment company,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(xxiv) The Company is in compliance with all applicable provisions of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(xxv) The Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act) and such controls and procedures are effective in ensuring that material information relating to the Company is made known to the principal executive officer and the principal financial officer. The Company has utilized such controls and procedures in preparing and evaluating the disclosures in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus.
(xxvi) Each of the Company, its affiliates and any of their respective officers, directors, supervisors, managers, agents, or employees, has not violated, its participation in the offering will not violate, and the Company has instituted and maintains policies and procedures designed to ensure continued compliance with, each of the following laws: (a) anti-bribery laws, including but not limited to, any applicable law, rule, or regulation of any locality, including but not limited to any law, rule, or regulation promulgated to implement the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, signed December 17, 1997, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or any other law, rule or regulation of similar purposes and scope, (b) anti-money laundering laws, including but not limited to, applicable federal, state, international, foreign or other laws, regulations or government guidance regarding anti-money laundering, including, without limitation, Title 18 US. Code section 1956 and 1957, the Patriot Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, and international anti-money laundering principles or procedures by an intergovernmental group or organization, such as the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, of which the United States is a member and with which designation the United States representative to the group or organization continues to concur, all as amended, and any Executive order, directive, or regulation pursuant to the authority of any of the foregoing, or any orders or licenses issued thereunder or (c) laws and regulations imposing U.S. economic sanctions measures, including, but not limited to, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Trading with the Enemy Act, the United Nations Participation Act and the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Act, all as amended, and any Executive Order, directive, or regulation pursuant to the authority of any of the foregoing, including the regulations of the United States Treasury Department set forth under 31 CFR, Subtitle B, Chapter V, as amended, or any orders or licenses issued thereunder.
(xxvii) Neither the Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer or employee of the Company is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
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(xxviii) To the Company’s knowledge, no transaction has occurred between or among the Company, on the one hand, and any of the Company’s officers, directors or 5% stockholders or any affiliate or affiliates of any such officer, director or 5% stockholders that is required to be described that is not so described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The Company has not, directly or indirectly, extended or maintained credit, or arranged for the extension of credit, or renewed an extension of credit, in the form of a personal loan to or for any of its directors or executive officers in violation of applicable laws, including Section 402 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act.
(xxix) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company is not in violation of any statute, any rule, regulation, decision or order of any Governmental Authority or any court, domestic or foreign, relating to the use, disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or relating to the protection or restoration of the environment or human exposure to hazardous or toxic substances (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), owns or operates any real property contaminated with any substance that is subject to any environmental laws, is liable for any off-site disposal or contamination pursuant to any environmental laws, or is subject to any claim relating to any environmental laws, which violation, contamination, liability or claim would individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and the Company is not aware of any pending investigation which might lead to such a claim.
(xxx) The Company (A) is in compliance, in all material respects, with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws, rules, regulations, treaties, statutes and codes promulgated by any and all governmental authorities (including pursuant to the Occupational Health and Safety Act) relating to the protection of human health and safety in the workplace (“Occupational Laws”); (B) has received all material permits, licenses or other approvals required of it under applicable Occupational Laws to conduct its business as currently conducted; and (C) is in compliance, in all material respects, with all terms and conditions of such permit, license or approval. No action, proceeding, revocation proceeding, writ, injunction or claim is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company relating to Occupational Laws, and the Company does not have knowledge of any facts, circumstances or developments relating to its operations or cost accounting practices that could reasonably be expected to form the basis for or give rise to such actions, suits, investigations or proceedings.
(xxxi) (i) To the knowledge of the Company, no “prohibited transaction” as defined under Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code and not exempt under ERISA Section 408 and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder has occurred with respect to any Employee Benefit Plan. At no time has the Company or any ERISA Affiliate maintained, sponsored, participated in, contributed to or has or had any liability or obligation in respect of any Employee Benefit Plan subject to Part 3 of Subtitle B of Title I of ERISA, Title IV of ERISA, or Section 412 of the Code or any “multiemployer plan” as defined in Section 3(37) of ERISA or any multiple employer plan for which the Company or any ERISA Affiliate has incurred or could incur liability under Section 4063 or 4064 of ERISA. No Employee Benefit Plan provides or promises, or at any time provided or promised, retiree health, life insurance, or other retiree welfare benefits except as may be required by the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended, or similar state law. Each Employee Benefit Plan is and has been operated in material compliance with its terms and all applicable laws, including but not limited to ERISA and the Code and, to the knowledge of the Company, no event has occurred (including a “reportable event” as such term is defined in Section 4043 of ERISA) and no condition exists that would subject the Company or any ERISA Affiliate to any material tax, fine, lien, penalty or liability imposed by ERISA, the Code or other applicable law. Each Employee Benefit Plan intended to be qualified under Code Section 401(a) is so qualified and has a favorable determination or opinion letter from the IRS upon which it can rely, and any such determination or opinion letter remains in effect and has not been revoked; to the knowledge of the Company, nothing has occurred since the date of any such determination or opinion letter that is reasonably likely to adversely affect such qualification; (ii) with respect to each Foreign Benefit Plan, such Foreign Benefit Plan (A) if intended to qualify for special tax treatment, meets, in all material respects, the requirements for such treatment, and (B) if required to be funded, is funded to the extent required by applicable law, and with respect to all other Foreign Benefit Plans, adequate reserves therefore have been established on the accounting statements of the Company; (iii) the Company does not have any obligations under any collective bargaining agreement with any union and no organization efforts are underway with respect to Company employees. As used in this Agreement, “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; “Employee Benefit Plan” means any “employee benefit plan” within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA, including, without limitation, all stock purchase, stock option, stock-based severance, employment, change-in-control, medical, disability, fringe benefit, bonus, incentive, deferred compensation, employee loan and all other employee benefit plans, agreements, programs, policies or other arrangements, whether or not subject to ERISA, under which (A) any current or former employee, director or independent contractor of the Company has any present or future right to benefits and which are contributed to, sponsored by or maintained by the Company or (B) the Company has had or has any present or future obligation or liability; “ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended; “ERISA Affiliate” means any member of the company’s controlled group as defined in Code Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o); and “Foreign Benefit Plan” means any Employee Benefit Plan established, maintained or contributed to outside of the United States of America or which covers any employee working or residing outside of the United States.
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(xxxii) Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has not granted rights to develop, manufacture, produce, assemble, distribute, license, market or sell its products to any other person and is not bound by any agreement that affects the exclusive right of the Company to develop, manufacture, produce, assemble, distribute, license, market or sell its products.
(xxxiii) No labor problem or dispute with the employees of the Company exists or, to the Company’s knowledge, is threatened or imminent, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its principal suppliers, contractors or customers, that could have a Material Adverse Effect.
(xxxiv) Any third-party statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate in all material respects.
(xxxv) No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) made by the Company or any of its officers or directors contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or made available to the public generally since January 1, 2011, has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.
(b) Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company and delivered to you or to counsel for the Representative shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Underwriters as to the matters covered thereby.
2A. Representations and Warranties of the Selling Stockholders.
(a) Each of the Selling Stockholders severally and not jointly represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that:
(i) All consents, approvals, authorizations and orders necessary for the execution and delivery by such Selling Stockholder of this Agreement and the Power of Attorney and the Custody Agreement hereinafter referred to, and for the sale and delivery of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder, have been obtained; and such Selling Stockholder has full right, power and authority to enter into this Agreement, the Power of Attorney and the Custody Agreement to make the representations, warranties and agreements hereunder and thereunder and to sell, assign, transfer and deliver the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder.
(ii) The sale of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder and the compliance by such Selling Stockholder with all of the provisions of this Agreement, the Power of Attorney and the Custody Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or give rise to a right of termination under, or result in the acceleration of any obligations under, any statute, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which such Selling Stockholder is a party or by which such Selling Stockholder is bound or affected or to which any of the property or assets of such Selling Stockholder is subject or affected, nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws of such Selling Stockholder if such Selling Stockholder is a corporation, the partnership agreement of such Selling Stockholder if such Selling Stockholder is a partnership, or any other organizational and/or governing document of such Selling Stockholder if such Selling Stockholders is not a natural person, or any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over such Selling Stockholder or the property of such Selling Stockholder, except for such breaches, defaults or violations that would not have an adverse effect on the ability of such Selling Stockholder to perform its obligations under this Agreement.
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(iii) Such Selling Stockholder has, and immediately prior to each Time of Sale such Selling Stockholder will have, good and valid title to the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims (other than pursuant to the Custody Agreement (as defined herein)); and, upon delivery of such Securities and payment therefor pursuant hereto, good and valid title to such Securities, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims (other than pursuant to the Custody Agreement), will pass to the Underwriters.
(iv) Such Selling Stockholder has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action which is designed to or which has constituted or which might reasonably be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(v) Such Selling Stockholder is not prompted by any material nonpublic information concerning the Company or its subsidiaries which is not set forth in the Preliminary Prospectus to sell its Securities pursuant to this Agreement.
(vi) To the extent that any statements or omissions made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto are made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Selling Stockholder expressly for use therein, such Preliminary Prospectus and the Registration Statement did not, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, when they become effective or are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading based on the written information furnished to the Company by such Selling Stockholder expressly for use therein. The Company and the Underwriters acknowledge that the information provided by the Selling Stockholders in connection with preparing responses to the Directors and Executive Officers, Principal and Selling Stockholders and Certain Relationships and Related Transactions Sections of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and the Time of Sale Disclosure Package constitute the only written information furnished to the Company by the Selling Stockholders for use in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or amendment thereto for purposes of this Agreement.
(v) Each broadly available road show, if any, when considered together with the Preliminary Prospectus and Prospectus, does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the representations and warranties set forth in this paragraph are limited to statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Selling Stockholder expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto as set forth in Section 2A(a)(vi).
(vi) In order to document the Underwriters’ compliance with the reporting and withholding provisions of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 with respect to the transactions herein contemplated, such Selling Stockholder will deliver to the Representative prior to or at the first Time of Sale a properly completed and executed United States Treasury Department Form W-9 (or other applicable form or statement specified by Treasury Department regulations in lieu thereof).
(vii) Certificates in negotiable form representing all of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder have been placed in custody under a Custody Agreement, in the form heretofore furnished to you (the “Custody Agreement”), duly executed and delivered by such Selling Stockholder to the Company, as custodian (the “Custodian”), and such Selling Stockholder has duly executed and delivered a Power of Attorney, in the form heretofore furnished to you (the “Power of Attorney”), appointing ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, and each of them, as such Selling Stockholder’s attorneys-in-fact (the “Attorneys-in-Fact”) with authority to execute and deliver this Agreement on behalf of such Selling Stockholder, to determine the purchase price to be paid by the Underwriters to the Selling Stockholders as provided herein, to authorize the delivery of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder and otherwise to act on behalf of such Selling Stockholder in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Custody Agreement.
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(viii) The Securities represented by the certificates held in custody for such Selling Stockholder under the Custody Agreement are for the benefit and coupled with and subject to the interests of the Underwriters, the Custodian, the Attorneys-in-Fact, each other Selling Stockholder and the Company; the arrangements made by such Selling Stockholder for such custody, and the appointment by such Selling Stockholder of the Attorneys-in-Fact by the Power of Attorney, are to that extent irrevocable; the obligations of the Selling Stockholders hereunder shall not be terminated by operation of law, whether by the death or incapacity of any individual Selling Stockholder or, in the case of an estate or trust, by the death or incapacity of any executor or trustee or the termination of such estate or trust, or in the case of a partnership or corporation, by the dissolution of such partnership or corporation, or by the occurrence of any other event; if any individual Selling Stockholder or any such executor or trustee should die or become incapacitated, or if any such estate or trust should be terminated, or if any such partnership or corporation should be dissolved, or if any other such event should occur, before the delivery of the Securities hereunder, certificates representing the Securities shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Selling Stockholders in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement and of the Custody Agreements; and actions taken by the Attorneys-in-Fact pursuant to the Powers of Attorney shall be as valid as if such death, incapacity, termination, dissolution or other event had not occurred, regardless of whether or not the Custodian, the Attorneys-in-Fact, or any of them, shall have received notice of such death, incapacity, termination, dissolution or other event.
(ix) Such Selling Stockholder has no knowledge of any material fact or condition not set forth in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Time of Sale Disclosure Package that has adversely affected, or may adversely affect, the business, properties, business prospects, condition (financial or otherwise) or results of operations of the Company. Such Selling Stockholder has no reason to believe that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 2 hereof are not true and correct.
3. Purchase, Sale and Delivery of Securities.
(a) On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company and the Selling Stockholders agree, severally and not jointly, to issue and sell the Firm Shares to the Underwriters, and the Underwriters agree to purchase from the Company and the Selling Stockholders the Firm Shares. The purchase price for each Firm Share will be $[l] per share. The obligation of each Underwriter to each of the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall be to purchase from each of the Company and the Selling Stockholders that number of Shares (to be adjusted by the Representative to avoid fractional shares) which represents the same proportion of the number of Shares to be sold by each of the Company and the Selling Stockholders pursuant to this Agreement as the number of Shares set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule III hereto represents to the total number of Shares to be purchased by all Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement. In making this Agreement, each Underwriter is contracting severally and not jointly; except as provided in paragraph (a) of this Section 3 and in Section 8 hereof, the agreement of each Underwriter is to purchase only the respective number of Shares specified in Schedule III.
The Firm Shares will be delivered by the Company and the Selling Stockholders to the Representative for the accounts of several Underwriters against payment of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of same day funds payable to the order of the Company and the Selling Stockholders at the offices of Northland Securities, Inc., ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, or such other location as may be mutually acceptable, at 9:00 a.m. Central time on the third (or if the Securities are priced, as contemplated by Rule 15c6-1(c) under the Exchange Act, after 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, the fourth) full business day following the date hereof, or at such other time and date as you and the Company determine pursuant to Rule 15c6-1(a) under the Exchange Act, such time and date of delivery being herein referred to as the “First Closing Date.” If the Representative so elects, delivery of the Firm Shares may be made by credit through full fast transfer to the account at The Depository Trust Company designated by the Representative. Certificates representing the Firm Shares in definitive form and in such denominations and registered in such names as you may request, upon at least two business days’ prior notice to the Company, or evidence of their issuance, will be made available for checking at a reasonable time preceding the First Closing Date at the offices of Northland Securities, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, or such other location as may be mutually acceptable.
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(b) On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company and the Selling Stockholders hereby grant, severally and not jointly, to the Underwriters an option to purchase all or any portion of the Option Shares at the same purchase price as the Firm Shares, for use solely in covering any over-allotments made by the Underwriters in the sale and distribution of the Firm Shares. The option granted hereunder may be exercised in whole or in part (on a pro rata basis) at any time (but not more than once) within 45 days after the effective date of this Agreement upon notice (confirmed in writing) by the Underwriters to the Company and the Selling Stockholders setting forth the aggregate number of Option Shares to which the Underwriters are exercising the option, the names and denominations in which the certificates for the Option Shares are to be registered and the date and time, as determined by you, when the Option Shares are to be delivered, such time and date being herein referred to as the “Second Closing” and “Second Closing Date”, respectively; provided, however, that the Second Closing Date shall not be earlier than the First Closing Date nor earlier than the second business day after the date on which the option shall have been exercised. On the Second Closing Date, the Company will issue and sell and the Selling Stockholders will sell to the Underwriters the number of Option Shares set forth in the notice referenced above, and each Underwriter will purchase such percentage of the Option Shares as is equal to the percentage of Firm Shares that such Underwriter is purchasing, as adjusted by the Representatives in such manner as they deem advisable to avoid fractional shares. No Option Shares shall be sold and delivered unless the Firm Shares previously have been, or simultaneously are, sold and delivered.
The Option Shares will be delivered by the Company and the Selling Stockholders to Representative for the accounts of several Underwriters against payment of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of same day funds payable to the order of the Company and the Selling Stockholders at the offices of Northland Securities, Inc., ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, or such other location as may be mutually acceptable at 9:00 a.m., Central time, on the Second Closing Date. If the Representative so elects, delivery of the Option Shares may be made by credit through full fast transfer to the account at The Depository Trust Company designated by the Representative. Certificates representing the Option Shares in definitive form and in such denominations and registered in such names as you may request, upon at least two business days’ prior notice to the Company, or evidence of their issuance, will be made available for checking at a reasonable time preceding the Second Closing Date at the offices of Northland Securities, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, or such other location as may be mutually acceptable.
(c) It is understood that you, individually and not as Representative of the several Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment to the Company or the Selling Stockholders, on behalf of any Underwriter for the Shares to be purchased by such Underwriter. Any such payment by you shall not relieve any such Underwriter of any of its obligations hereunder. Nothing herein contained shall constitute any of the Underwriters an unincorporated association or partner with the Company or any Selling Stockholder.
4. Covenants. The Company covenants and agrees with the Underwriters as follows:
(a) If the Original Registration Statement has not already been declared effective by the Commission, the Company will use its best efforts to cause the Original Registration Statement and any post-effective amendments thereto to become effective as promptly as possible; the Company will notify you promptly of the time when the Original Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment to the Original Registration Statement has become effective or any supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and of any request by the Commission for any amendment or supplement to the Original Registration Statement or Prospectus or additional information; if the Company has elected to rely on Rule 430A of the Rules and Regulations, the Company will prepare and file a Prospectus containing the information omitted therefrom pursuant to Rule 430A of the Rules and Regulations with the Commission within the time period required by, and otherwise in accordance with the provisions of, Rules 424(b) and 430A of the Rules and Regulations; if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 462(b) of the Rules and Regulations to increase the size of the offering registered under the Act and the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement has not yet been filed and become effective, the Company will prepare and file the Rule 462 Registration Statement with the Commission within the time period required by, and otherwise in accordance with the provisions of, Rule 462(b) and the Act; the Company will prepare and file with the Commission, promptly upon your request, any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that, in your opinion, may be necessary or advisable in connection with the distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters; and the Company will furnish the Representative and counsel for the Representative a copy of any proposed amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus and will not file any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus to which you shall reasonably object by notice to the Company after having been furnished a copy a reasonable time prior to the filing.
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(b) The Company will advise the Representative, promptly after it shall receive notice or obtain knowledge thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment thereto or preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose; and the Company will promptly use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or to obtain its withdrawal if such a stop order should be issued. Additionally, the Company agrees that it shall comply with the provisions of Rules 424(b) and 430A, as applicable, under the Act and will use its reasonable efforts to confirm that any filings made by the Company under Rule 424(b), Rule 433 or Rule 462 were received in a timely manner by the Commission.
(c) (i) Within the time during which a prospectus (assuming the absence of Rule 172) relating to the Securities is required to be delivered under the Act by the Underwriters or any dealer (the “Prospectus Delivery Period”), the Company will comply as far as it is able with all requirements imposed upon it by the Act, as now and hereafter amended, and by the Rules and Regulations, as from time to time in force, so far as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of or dealings in the Securities as contemplated by the provisions hereof, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. If during such period any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus (or if the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package) would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances then existing, not misleading, or if during such period it is necessary to amend the Registration Statement or supplement the Prospectus (or if the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective investors, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package) to comply with the Act, the Company will promptly notify you and will amend the Registration Statement or supplement the Prospectus (or, if the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package) (at the expense of the Company) so as to correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance.
(ii) If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, any Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus relating to the Securities or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company has promptly notified or promptly will notify the Representative and has promptly amended or will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission.
(d) The Company shall take or cause to be taken all necessary action to qualify the Securities for sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as you reasonably designate and to continue such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Securities, except that the Company shall not be required in connection therewith to qualify as a foreign corporation or to execute a general consent to service of process in any state.
(e) Upon written request from the Representative, the Company will furnish, at its own expense, to the Representative and counsel for the Representative copies of the Registration Statement (three of which will be signed and will include all consents and exhibits filed therewith), and to the Underwriters and any dealer each Preliminary Prospectus, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and all amendments and supplements to such documents, in each case as soon as available and in such quantities as you may from time to time reasonably request.
(f) During a period of two years commencing with the date hereof, the Company will furnish to the Underwriters who may so request in writing, copies of all periodic and special reports furnished to the stockholders of the Company and all information, documents and reports filed with the Commission, FINRA or any securities exchange (other than any such information, documents and reports that are filed with the Commission electronically via ▇▇▇▇▇ or any successor system), provided that such production shall not disclose material non-public information.
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(g) The Company will make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 months after the end of the Company’s current fiscal quarter, an earnings statement (which need not be audited) covering a 12-month period beginning after the effective date of the Original Registration Statement (or if later the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement) that shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158 of the Rules and Regulations.
(h) The Company and each of the Selling Stockholders, whether or not the transactions contemplated hereunder are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, will pay or cause to be paid a pro rata share (based on the number of Securities to be sold by the Company and such Selling Stockholder hereunder) (i) all expenses (including transfer taxes allocated to the respective transferees) incurred in connection with the delivery to the Underwriters of the Securities, (ii) all expenses and fees (including, without limitation, fees and expenses of the Company’s accountants and counsel but, except as otherwise provided below, not including fees of the Underwriter’s counsel) in connection with the preparation, printing, filing, delivery, and shipping of the Registration Statement (including the financial statements therein and all amendments, schedules, and exhibits thereto), the Custody Agreement, the Power of Attorney, closing documents, the Securities, each Preliminary Prospectus, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, and the printing, delivery, and shipping of this Agreement and other underwriting documents, including Blue Sky Memoranda (covering the states and other applicable jurisdictions), (iii) all filing fees and fees and disbursements of the Underwriters’ counsel incurred in connection with the qualification of the Securities for offering and sale by the Underwriter or by dealers under the securities or blue sky laws of the states and other jurisdictions which you shall designate, (iv) the filing fees incident to any required review and approval by FINRA of the terms of the sale of the Securities, (v) listing fees, if any, (vi) the cost and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations or any “roadshow” undertaken in connection with marketing of the Securities, and (vii) all reasonable, accountable travel and other out-of-pocket expenses of the Underwriter, including all reasonable, accountable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Representative, arising out of the offering contemplated by this Agreement, up to a maximum amount of $150,000. The Company will pay or cause to be paid: (i) the cost of preparing stock certificates; (ii) the cost and charges of the transfer agent or registrar for the Stock and (iii) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section. Each Selling Stockholder will pay or cause to be paid all costs and expenses incident to the performance of such Selling Stockholder’s obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section, including (i) any fees and expenses of counsel for such Selling Stockholder, the Attorneys-in-Fact and the Custodian, and (ii) all expenses and taxes incident to the sale and delivery of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder to the Underwriters hereunder. If this Agreement is terminated by the Representative pursuant to Section 9 hereof or if the sale of the Securities provided for herein is not consummated by reason of any failure, refusal or inability on the part of the Company to perform any agreement on its or their part to be performed, or because any other condition of the Underwriters’ obligations hereunder required to be fulfilled by the Company is not fulfilled, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters for all reasonable out-of-pocket accountable disbursements (including but not limited to fees and disbursements of counsel, printing expenses, travel expenses, postage, facsimile and telephone charges) incurred by the Underwriters in connection with their investigation, preparing to market and marketing the Securities or in contemplation of performing their obligations hereunder. The Underwriters may deem the Company to be the primary obligor with respect to all costs, fees and expenses to be paid by the Company and by the Selling Stockholders pursuant to this Section. It is understood, however, that the Company shall pay, or reimburse Selling Stockholders for, any fees and expenses otherwise payable under subsection (a) hereof. It is further understood, however, that the Company shall bear, and the Selling Stockholders shall not be required to pay or to reimburse the Company for, the cost of any other matters not directly relating to the sale and purchase of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement.
(i) Intentionally omitted.
(j) The Company will apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Securities to be sold by it hereunder for the purposes set forth in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus.
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(k) The Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Representative, from the date of execution of this Agreement and continuing to and including the date 90 days after the date of the Prospectus (the “Lock-Up Period”), (i) offer, pledge, announce the intention to sell, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or (ii) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, except (x) to the Representative pursuant to this Agreement, (y) pursuant to employee stock option or equity plans as existing on the date of this Agreement or (z) or upon the exercise of warrants or the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities outstanding as of the date of this Agreement in accordance with the terms of such securities as of the date hereof. The Company agrees not to accelerate the vesting of any option or warrant or the lapse of any repurchase right prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period. If (1) during the last 17 days of the Lock-Up Period, (a) the Company issues an earnings release, (b) the Company publicly announces material news or (c) a material event relating to the Company occurs; or (2) prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the Lock-Up Period, then the restrictions in this Agreement, unless otherwise waived by the Representative in writing, shall continue to apply until the expiration of the date that is 18 calendar days after the date on which (a) the Company issues the earnings release, (b) the Company publicly announces material news or (c) a material event relating to the Company occurs. The Company will provide the Representative and each stockholder subject to the Lock-Up Agreement (as defined below) with prior notice of any such announcement that gives rise to the extension of the Lock-Up Period.
(l) The Company has caused to be delivered to you prior to the date of this Agreement a letter, in the form of Exhibit A hereto (the “Lock-Up Agreement”), from each of the Company’s directors and officers and their respective affiliates, as well as the Selling Stockholders. The Company will enforce the terms of each Lock-Up Agreement and issue stop-transfer instructions to the transfer agent for the Common Stock with respect to any transaction or contemplated transaction that would constitute a breach of or default under the applicable Lock-Up Agreement.
(m) The Company has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or which might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, or which has constituted, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities, and has not effected any sales of Common Stock which are required to be disclosed in response to Item 701 of Regulation S-K under the Act which have not been so disclosed in the Registration Statement.
(n) The Company will not incur any liability for any finder’s or broker’s fee or agent’s commission in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.
(o) The Company will file on a timely basis with the Commission such periodic and special reports as required by the Rules and Regulations.
(p) The Company will maintain such controls and other procedures, including without limitation those required by Sections 302 and 906 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act and the applicable regulations thereunder, that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the Company's management, including its principal executive officer and its principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure, to ensure that material information relating to the Company is made known to them by others within those entities.
(q) The Company will comply with all applicable provisions of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act.
(r) The Company represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Representative, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 under the Act, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act, required to be filed with the Commission; provided that the prior written consent of the parties hereto shall be deemed to have been given in respect of the free writing prospectuses included in Schedule I. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Representative is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company represents that it has treated or agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rules 164 and 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely Commission filing where required, legending and record keeping. The Company represents that it has satisfied and agrees that it will satisfy the conditions in Rule 433 to avoid a requirement to file with the Commission any electronic roadshow.
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(s) On the First Closing Date, the Company shall sell to the Underwriters, for an aggregate purchase price of $50, warrants (the “Underwriters’ Warrant”) to purchase [l] shares of Common Stock in substantially the form attached hereto as Annex I. On the Second Closing Date, the Company shall sell to the Underwriters, for an aggregate purchase price of $50, an additional Underwriters’ Warrant to purchase a number of shares of Common Stock equal to 5.0% (rounded up to the nearest whole share) of the shares to be purchased by the Underwriters on such Second Closing Day in substantially the form attached hereto as Annex I.
5. Conditions of the Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy, as of the date hereof and at each of the First Closing Date and the Second Closing Date (as if made at such Closing Date), of and compliance with all representations, warranties and agreements of the Company contained herein, to the performance by the Company and the Selling Stockholders of their respective obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) The Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 5:00 p.m., Central time, on the date of this Agreement, or such later time and date as you shall approve and all filings required by Rules 424, 430A and 433 of the Rules and Regulations shall have been timely made (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) or Rule 164(b)); no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof or any amendment thereof, nor suspending or preventing the use of the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been issued; no proceedings for the issuance of such an order shall have been initiated or threatened; and any request of the Commission for additional information (to be included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or otherwise) shall have been complied with to your satisfaction.
(b) The Underwriters shall not have advised the Company that (i) the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto contains an untrue statement of a material fact which, in the Underwriters’ opinion, is material or omits to state a material fact which, in the Underwriters’ opinion, is required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or (ii) the Time of Sale Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus contains an untrue statement of material fact which, in the Underwriters’ opinion, is material, or omits to state a fact which, in the Underwriters’ opinion, is material and is required to be stated therein, or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading.
(c) Except as contemplated in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus, subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company shall not have incurred any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent, or entered into any material transactions, or declared or paid any dividends or made any distribution of any kind with respect to its capital stock; and there shall not have been any change in the capital stock (other than a change in the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock due to the issuance of shares upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants or outstanding convertible securities), or any material change in the short-term or long-term debt of the Company, or any issuance of options, warrants, convertible securities or other rights to purchase the capital stock of the Company, or any Material Adverse Change or any development involving a prospective Material Adverse Change (whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business), that, in your judgment, makes it impractical or inadvisable to offer or deliver the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus.
(d) On each Closing Date, there shall have been furnished to you the opinion of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, counsel for the Company, dated such Closing Date and addressed to you in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit B. On each Closing Date, there shall have been furnished to you the opinion of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇ P.A., intellectual property counsel for the Company, dated such Closing Date and addressed to you in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit C. On each Closing Date, there shall have been furnished to you the opinion of ▇▇▇▇ Law Group, counsel for the Selling Stockholders, dated such Closing Date and addressed to you in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit D.
(e) On each Closing Date, there shall have been furnished to you such opinion or opinions from Faegre ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, counsel for the Representative, dated such Closing Date and addressed to you, with respect to such matters as you reasonably may request, and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
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(f) On each Closing Date you shall have received a letter of Drake & ▇▇▇▇▇ CPAs, dated such date and addressed to you, confirming that it is an independent public accounting firm within the meaning of the Act and are in compliance with the applicable requirements relating to the qualifications of accountants under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X of the Commission, and stating, as of the date of such letter (or, with respect to matters involving changes or developments since the respective dates as of which specified financial information is given in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, as of a date not prior to the date hereof or more than five days prior to the date of such letter), the conclusions and findings of said firm with respect to the financial information and other matters covered by its letter delivered to you concurrently with the execution of this Agreement, and the effect of the letter so to be delivered on such Closing Date shall be to confirm the conclusions and findings set forth in such prior letter.
(g) On each Closing Date, there shall have been furnished to you a certificate, dated such Closing Date and addressed to you, signed by the chief executive officer and by the chief financial officer of the Company, to the effect that:
(i) The representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct as if made at and as of such Closing Date, and the Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to such Closing Date;
(ii) No stop order or other order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof or any amendment thereof or the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale, nor suspending or preventing the use of the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, has been issued, and no proceeding for that purpose has been instituted or, to the best of their knowledge, is contemplated by the Commission or any state or regulatory body; and
(iii) The signers of said certificate have carefully examined the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and any amendments thereof or supplements thereto, and (A) each part of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and any amendments thereof or supplements thereto contain, and contained when such part of the Registration Statement, or any amendment thereof, became effective, all statements and information required to be included therein, the Registration Statement, or any amendment thereof, does not contain and did not contain when such part of the Registration Statement, or any amendment thereof, became effective, any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, does not include and did not include as of its date or the time of first use within the meaning of the Rules and Regulations, any untrue statement of material fact or omit to state and did not omit to state as of its date or the time of first use within the meaning of the rules and Regulations a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (B) neither (1) the Time of Sale Disclosure Package nor (2) any individual Issuer Limited-Use Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, include, nor included as of the Time of Sale any untrue statement of a material fact or omits, or omitted as of the Time of Sale, to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (C) since the Time of Sale there has occurred no event required to be set forth in an amended or supplemented prospectus which has not been so set forth, (D) subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus, the Company has not incurred any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent, or entered into any material transactions, not in the ordinary course of business, or declared or paid any dividends or made any distribution of any kind with respect to its capital stock, and except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus, there has not been any change in the capital stock (other than a change in the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock due to the issuance of shares upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants or outstanding convertible securities), or any material change in the short-term or long-term debt, or any issuance of options, warrants, convertible securities or other rights to purchase the capital stock, of the Company or any other Material Adverse Change or any development which could reasonably be expected to result in any Material Adverse Change (whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business), and (E) except as stated in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus, there is not pending, or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened or contemplated, any action, suit or proceeding to which the Company is a party before or by any court, Governmental Agency or any arbitrator, which could reasonably be expected to result in any Material Adverse Change.
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(h) On each Closing Date, there shall have been furnished to you a certificate, dated such Closing Date and addressed to you, signed by the Selling Stockholder, to the effect that the representations and warranties of the Selling Stockholder in this Agreement are true and correct as if made at and as of such Closing Date, and the Selling Stockholder has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to such Closing Date.
(i) The Representative shall have received all of the Lock-Up Agreements referenced in Section 4.
(j) The Company shall have furnished to you and counsel for the Representative such additional documents, certificates and evidence as you or they may have reasonably requested.
(k) FINRA shall have raised no objection to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.
(l) The Firm Shares or the Option Shares (as applicable) to be delivered on such Closing Date will have been approved for listing on the [l].
All such opinions, certificates, letters and other documents will be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are satisfactory in form and substance to you and counsel for the Representative. The Company will furnish you with such conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and other documents as you shall reasonably request.
6. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters from and against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which the Underwriters may become subject, under the Act or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company), insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based on any inaccuracy in the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein or any failure of the Company to perform its obligations hereunder or under the law in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, including the 430A Information and any other information deemed to be a part of the Registration Statement at the time of effectiveness and at any subsequent time pursuant to the Rules and Regulations, if applicable, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any materials or information provided to investors by, or with the approval of, the Company in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Common Stock (“Marketing Materials”), including any roadshow or investor presentations made to investors by the Company (whether in person or electronically), or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse the Underwriters for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by it in connection with investigating or defending against such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any Marketing Materials, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by you specifically for use in the preparation thereof; it being understood and agreed that the only information furnished by you consists of the information described as such in Section 6(g).
(b) The Underwriters will indemnify and hold harmless the Company and each Selling Stockholder from and against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the Act or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Underwriters), insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by you specifically for use in the preparation thereof (it being understood and agreed that the only information furnished by you consists of the information described as such in Section 6(g)), and will reimburse the Company and any Selling Stockholder for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company and the Selling Stockholder in connection with investigating or defending against any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred.
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(c) Each of the Selling Stockholders will, severally and not jointly, indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters from and against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which the Underwriters may become subject, under the Act or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company), insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based on any inaccuracy in the representations and warranties of the Selling Stockholders contained herein or any failure of the Selling Stockholder to perform its obligations hereunder or under the law in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, including the 430A Information and any other information deemed to be a part of the Registration Statement at the time of effectiveness and at any subsequent time pursuant to the Rules and Regulations, if applicable, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any Marketing Materials, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse the Underwriters for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by it in connection with investigating or defending against such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Selling Stockholder will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any Marketing Materials, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company and the Underwriters specifically for use in the preparation thereof; it being understood and agreed that the only information furnished by you consists of the information described as such in Section 6(g).
(d) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a), (b) or (c) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve the indemnifying party from any liability that it may have to any indemnified party except to the extent such indemnifying party has been materially prejudiced by such failure (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses). In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party, and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that it shall wish, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party, and after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of the indemnifying party’s election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation; provided, however, that if, in the sole judgment of the Representative, it is advisable for the Underwriters to be represented by separate counsel, the Representative shall have the right to employ a single counsel (in addition to local c ounsel) to represent the Underwriters, in which event the reasonable fees and expenses of such separate counsel shall be borne by the indemnifying party or parties and reimbursed to the Underwriter as incurred. An indemnifying party shall not be obligated under any settlement agreement relating to any action under this Section 6 to which it has not agreed in writing. In addition, no indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed), effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party for all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and does not include a statement as to, or an admission of, fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of an indemnified party.
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(e) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 6 is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a), (b) or (c) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in subsection (a), (b) or (c) above, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling Stockholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Securities or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company and the Selling Stockholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling Stockholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the Selling Stockholders bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company and the Selling Stockholders on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other and the parties’ relevant intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The Company, the Selling Stockholders and the Representative agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this subsection (e) were to be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in the first sentence of this subsection (e). The amount paid by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in the first sentence of this subsection (e) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending against any action or claim which is the subject of this subsection (e). Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (e), the Underwriters shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages that the Underwriters have 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 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
(f) The obligations of the Company and the Selling Stockholders under this Section 6 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company and the respective Selling Stockholders may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls the Underwriters within the meaning of the Act; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section 6 shall be in addition to any liability that the Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each director of the Company (including any person who, with his consent, is named in the Registration Statement as about to become a director of the Company), to each officer of the Company who has signed the Registration Statement and to each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Act.
(g) The Underwriters severally confirm and the Company acknowledges that the statements with respect to the public offering of the Securities by the Underwriters set forth in the second paragraph and in the list of the number of Firm Shares purchased by the Underwriter, under the caption “Underwriting” in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus are correct and constitute the only information concerning the Underwriters furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of the Underwriters specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus.
(h) The liability of each Selling Stockholder under the indemnity and contribution provisions of this Section 6 shall be limited to an amount equal to the initial public offering price of the Securities sold by such Selling Stockholder, less the underwriting discount, as set forth on the front cover page of the Prospectus.
7. Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery. All representations, warranties, and agreements of the Company and the Selling Stockholders herein or in certificates delivered pursuant hereto, and the agreements of the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders contained in Section 6 hereof, shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Underwriters or any controlling person thereof, or the Company or any of its officers, directors, or controlling persons, or the Selling Stockholders or any of their respective controlling persons, and shall survive delivery of, and payment for, the Securities to and by the Underwriters hereunder.
8. Substitution of Underwriters.
(a) If any Underwriter shall fail to take up and pay for the amount of Shares agreed by such Underwriter or Underwriters to be purchased hereunder, upon tender of such Shares in accordance with the terms hereof, and the amount of Shares not purchased does not aggregate more than 10% of the total amount of Shares set forth in Schedule III hereto, the remaining Underwriter shall be obligated to take up and pay for (in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations hereunder as set forth in Schedule III hereto except as may otherwise be determined by you) the Shares that the withdrawing or defaulting Underwriter agreed but failed to purchase.
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(b) If any Underwriter shall fail to take up and pay for the amount of Shares agreed by such Underwriter or Underwriters to be purchased hereunder, upon tender of such Shares in accordance with the terms hereof, and the amount of Shares not purchased aggregates more than 10% of the total amount of Shares set forth in Schedule III hereto, and arrangements satisfactory to you for the purchase of such Shares by other persons are not made within 36 hours thereafter, this Agreement shall terminate. In the event of any such termination neither the Company nor any Selling Stockholder shall be under any liability to any Underwriter (except to the extent provided in Section 4(h) and Section 6 hereof) nor shall any Underwriter (other than an Underwriter who shall have failed, otherwise than for some reason permitted under this Agreement, to purchase the amount of Shares agreed by such Underwriter to be purchased hereunder) be under any liability to the Company or the Selling Stockholders (except to the extent provided in Section 6 hereof).
(c) If Shares to which a default relates are to be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters or by any other party or parties, the Representative or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date for not more than seven business days in order that the necessary changes in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package, in the Prospectus or in any other documents, as well as any other arrangements, may be effected. As used herein, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section 8.
(d) No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability, if any, in respect of such default.
9. Termination.
(a) You shall have the right to terminate this Agreement by giving notice to the Company and the Selling Stockholders as hereinafter specified at any time at or prior to the First Closing Date, and the option referred to in Section 3(b), if exercised, may be cancelled at any time prior to the Second Closing Date, if (i) the Company or the Selling Stockholders shall have failed, refused or been unable, at or prior to such Closing Date, to perform any agreement on its part to be performed hereunder, (ii) any other condition of the Underwriters’ obligations hereunder is not fulfilled, (iii) trading of any securities of the Company shall have been suspended or materially limited on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market, (iv) trading on the NASDAQ Stock Market, New York Stock Exchange or the NYSE MTK exchange shall have been wholly suspended, (v) minimum or maximum prices for trading shall have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities shall have been required, on the NASDAQ Stock Market, New York Stock Exchange or the NYSE MKT exchange, by such exchange or by order of the Commission or any other Governmental Authority, (vi) a banking moratorium shall have been declared by federal or state authorities, or (vii) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis that, in your judgment, is material and adverse and makes it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the completion of the sale of and payment for the Securities. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 4(h) and Section 6 hereof shall at all times be effective.
(b) If you elect to terminate this Agreement as provided in this Section, the Company shall be notified promptly by you by telephone, confirmed by letter.
10. Default by the Company or the Selling Stockholders. If the Company or any Selling Stockholder shall fail at the First Closing Date to sell and deliver the number of Securities which it is obligated to sell hereunder, then this Agreement shall terminate without any liability on the part of the Underwriters. No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve the Company or Selling Stockholder so defaulting from liability, if any, in respect of such default.
11. Notices. Except as otherwise provided herein, all communications hereunder shall be in writing and, if to the Underwriters, shall be mailed or delivered to Northland Securities, Inc., ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇; if to the Company, shall be mailed or delivered to it at ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Attention: Chief Executive Officer; or in each case to such other address as the person to be notified may have requested in writing and, if to any Selling Stockholder shall be mailed or delivered to such Selling Stockholder at its address set forth in Schedule II hereto. Any party to this Agreement may change such address for notices by sending to the parties to this Agreement written notice of a new address for such purpose.
-22-
12. Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns and the controlling persons, officers and directors referred to in Section 6. Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give to any other person, firm or corporation any legal or equitable remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. The term “successors and assigns” as herein used shall not include any purchaser of any of the Securities from the Underwriters.
13. Absence of Fiduciary Relationship. The Company and the Selling Stockholders acknowledge and agree that: (a) the Underwriters have been retained solely to act as an in connection with the sale of the Securities and that no fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship between the Company, the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters have been created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, irrespective of whether the Underwriters have advised or are advising the Company or the Selling Stockholders on other matters; (b) the price and other terms of the Securities set forth in this Agreement were established by the Company and the Selling Stockholders following discussions and arms-length negotiations with the Underwriters and the Company and the Selling Stockholders are capable of evaluating and understanding and understand and accepts the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; (c) it has been advised that the Underwriters and its affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and the Selling Stockholders and that the Underwriters have no obligation to disclose such interest and transactions to the Company by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship; (d) it has been advised that the Representative is acting, in respect of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, solely for the benefit of the Underwriters, and not on behalf of the Company or the Selling Stockholders; (e) it waives to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against the Underwriter for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and agrees that the Representative shall have no liability (whether direct or indirect) to the Company in respect of such a fiduciary duty claim on behalf of or in right of the Company, including stockholders, employees or creditors of the Company or the Selling Stockholders and their respective owner, beneficiaries, trustees and controlling persons.
14. Dealings. In all dealings with any Selling Stockholder hereunder, you and the Company shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of such Selling Stockholder made or given by any or all of the Attorneys-in-Fact for such Selling Stockholder.
15. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
16. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts and, if executed in more than one counterpart, the executed counterparts shall each be deemed to be an original and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.
17. General Provisions. Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof, except for the provisions of that certain letter agreement dated on or about August 4, 2011 between the Company and the Representative, as amended from time to time, that are not otherwise addressed herein. This Agreement may not be amended or modified unless in writing by all of the parties hereto, and no condition herein (express or implied) may be waived unless waived in writing by each party whom the condition is meant to benefit. The Section headings herein are for the convenience of the parties only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement. In case any provision in this Agreement shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby. This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto by facsimile or .pdf signature and in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument. Each of the Company, the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters hereby waive any right it may have to trial by jury in respect of any claim based upon or arising out of this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
[Signature Page Follows]
-23-
Please sign and return to the Company the enclosed duplicates of this letter whereupon this letter will become a binding agreement between the Company and the Underwriters in accordance with its terms. Any person executing and delivering this Agreement as Attorney-in-Fact for a Selling Stockholder represents by so doing that he has been duly appointed as Attorney-in-Fact by such Selling Stockholder pursuant to a validly existing and binding Power-of-Attorney which authorizes such Attorney-in-Fact to take such action.
Very truly yours,
MagneGas Corporation
By _____________________________________
Name ___________________________________
Title ____________________________________
Selling Stockholders
By _____________________________________
Attorney-in-Fact
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
_________________________________________
Confirmed as of the date first
above mentioned, on behalf of itself and the
other several Underwriters named in Schedule III hereto.
Northland Securities, Inc.
By __________________________________________
Title:
-24-
SCHEDULE I
Issuer General Free Writing Prospectuses
None
-25-
SCHEDULE II
|
Total Number of
Firm Shares
to be Sold
|
Number of Optional
Shares to be
Sold if
Maximum Option
Exercised
|
||
|
The Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
|
|||
|
The Selling Stockholders:
|
|||
|
Global Alpha, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
|
|||
|
▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
|
|||
|
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
|
|||
|
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
|
|
(a)
|
The Selling Stockholders are represented by ▇▇▇▇ Law Group and have appointed ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, and each of them, as the Attorneys-in-Fact for the Selling Stockholders.
|
-26-
SCHEDULE III
|
Underwriter
|
Number of Firm Shares
|
Number of Option Shares
|
|
Northland Securities, Inc.
|
[ l ]
|
[ l ]
|
|
MLV & Co. LLC
|
[ l ]
|
[ l ]
|
|
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
|
[ l ]
|
[ l ]
|
-27-
SCHEDULE IV
Pricing Information
|
Price to the public:
Price to the underwriter:
Number of Firm Shares:
Number of Option Shares:
|
$[ l ] per share
$[ l ] per share
[ l ] Firm Shares
[ l ] Option Shares
|
-28-
EXHIBIT A
Form of Lock-Up Agreement
____________________, 2012
Northland Securities, Inc.
As representatives of the underwriters named
in Schedule I to the Purchase Agreement
referred to below
c/o Northland Securities, Inc.
▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Dear Sirs:
As an inducement to the underwriters (the “Underwriters”) to execute a purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) providing for a public offering (the “Offering”) of common stock (the “Common Stock”), of MagneGas Corporation and any successor (by merger or otherwise) thereto (the “Company”), the undersigned hereby agrees that without, in each case, the prior written consent of Northland Securities, Inc. (the “Representative”) during the period specified in the second succeeding paragraph (the “Lock-Up Period”), the undersigned will not: (1) offer, pledge, announce the intention to sell, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into, exercisable or exchangeable for or that represent the right to receive Common Stock (including without limitation, Common Stock which may be deemed to be beneficially owned by the undersigned in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and securities which may be issued upon exercise of a stock option or warrant) whether now owned or hereafter acquired (the “Undersigned’s Securities”); (2) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Undersigned’s Securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise; (3) make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any Common Stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock; or (4) publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing.
The undersigned agrees that the foregoing restrictions preclude the undersigned from engaging in any hedging or other transaction which is designed to or which reasonably could be expected to lead to or result in a sale or disposition of the Undersigned’s Securities even if such Securities would be disposed of by someone other than the undersigned. Such prohibited hedging or other transactions would include without limitation any short sale or any purchase, sale or grant of any right (including without limitation any put or call option) with respect to any of the Undersigned’s Securities or with respect to any security that includes, relates to, or derives any significant part of its value from such Securities.
The initial Lock-Up Period will commence on the date of this Agreement and continue and include the date 90 days after the date of the final prospectus used to sell Common Stock in the Offering pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, to which you are or expect to become parties; provided, however, that if (1) during the last 17 days of the initial Lock-Up Period, the Company releases earnings results or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs or (2) prior to the expiration of the initial Lock-Up Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the initial Lock-Up Period, then in each case the initial Lock-Up Period will be extended until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the date of release of such earnings results or material news, or the occurrence of such material event, as applicable, unless the Representative, waives, in writing, such extension.
-29-
The undersigned hereby acknowledges that the Company will be requested to agree in the Purchase Agreement to provide written notice to the undersigned of any event that would result in an extension of the Lock-Up Period pursuant to the previous paragraph and agrees that any such notice properly delivered will be deemed to have been given to, and received by, the undersigned. The undersigned further agrees that, prior to engaging in any transaction or taking any other action that is subject to the terms of this Agreement during the period from the date of this Agreement to and including the 34th day following the expiration of the initial Lock-Up Period, it will give notice thereof to the Company and will not consummate such transaction or take any such action unless it has received written confirmation from the Company that the Lock-Up Period (as may have been extended pursuant to the previous paragraph) has expired.
If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, (i) the Representative agrees that, at least three business days before the effective date of any release or waiver of the foregoing restrictions in connection with a transfer of shares of Common Stock, the Representative will notify the Company of the impending release or waiver, and (ii) the Company has agreed in the Purchase Agreement to announce the impending release or waiver by issuing a press release through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver. Any release or waiver granted by the Representative hereunder to any such officer or director shall only be effective two business days after the publication date of such press release. The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if both (a) the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer not for consideration, and (b) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms described in this letter that are applicable to the transferor, to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of the transfer. The undersigned further agrees that the foregoing provisions shall be equally applicable to any issuer-directed Common Stock that the undersigned may purchase in the offering.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the undersigned may transfer the Undersigned’s Securities (i) as a bona fide gift or gifts, (ii) to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or the immediate family of the undersigned, (iii) if the undersigned is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity (1) transfers to another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity that is a direct or indirect affiliate (as defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended) of the undersigned or (2) distributions of shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into or exercisable for Common Stock to limited partners, limited liability company members or stockholders of the undersigned, (iv) if the undersigned is a trust, transfers to the beneficiary of such trust, (v) transfers by testate succession or intestate succession or (vi) pursuant to the Purchase Agreement in connection with this Offering; provided, in the case of clauses (i)-(v), that (x) such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value, (y) the transferee agrees in writing with the Underwriters to be bound by the terms of this Lock-Up Agreement, and (z) no filing by any party under Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), shall be required or shall be made voluntarily in connection with such transfer. For purposes of this Agreement, “immediate family” shall mean any relationship by blood, marriage or adoption, nor more remote than first cousin.
In addition, the foregoing restrictions shall not apply to (i) the registration of the offer and sale of the Undersigned’s Securities as contemplated by the Purchase Agreement, and as designated below, (ii) the exercise of stock options granted pursuant to the Company’s equity incentive plans; provided that it shall apply to any of the Undersigned’s Securities issued upon such exercise, or (iii) the establishment of any contract, instruction or plan (a “Plan”) that satisfies all of the requirements of Rule 10b5-1(c)(1)(i)(B) under the Exchange Act; provided that no sales of the Undersigned’s Securities shall be made pursuant to such a Plan prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period (as such may have been extended pursuant to the provisions hereof), and such a Plan may only be established if no public announcement of the establishment or existence thereof and no filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission or other regulatory authority in respect thereof or transactions thereunder or contemplated thereby, by the undersigned, the Company or any other person, shall be required, and no such announcement or filing is made voluntarily, by the undersigned, the Company or any other person, prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period (as such may have been extended pursuant to the provisions hereof).
In furtherance of the foregoing, the Company and its transfer agent and registrar are hereby authorized to decline to make any transfer of shares of Common Stock if such transfer would constitute a violation or breach of this Agreement.
-30-
The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to enter into this Agreement and that upon request, the undersigned will execute and additional documents necessary to ensure the validity or enforcement of this Agreement. All authority herein conferred or agreed to be conferred and any obligations of the undersigned shall be binding upon the successors, assigns, heirs or personal representatives of the undersigned.
The undersigned understands that the undersigned shall be released from all obligations under this Agreement if (i) the Company notifies the Underwriters that it does not intend to proceed with the Offering, (ii) the Purchase Agreement does not become effective, or if the Purchase Agreement (other than the provisions thereof which survive termination) shall terminate or be terminated prior to payment for and delivery of the Common Stock to be sold thereunder, or (iii) the Offering is not completed by November 30, 2012.
The undersigned understands that the Underwriters are entering into the Purchase Agreement and proceeding with the Offering in reliance upon this Agreement.
This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.
| Very truly yours,
________________________________________ Printed Name of Holder
By: ____________________________________
Signature
_______________________________________
Printed Name of Person Signing (and indicate capacity of person signing if
signing as custodian, trustee, or on behalf of
an entity)
_____________________________________
Number of Shares being sold in the Offering
|
-31-
EXHIBIT B
FORM OF OPINION OF COMPANY’S COUNSEL
TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 5(D)
|
1.
|
The Company is a corporation, duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with the corporate power and authority to own its property and to conduct its business as described in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not have a material adverse effect on the Company;
|
|
2.
|
The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and the authorized capital stock of the Company conforms as to legal matters to the description thereof contained in each of the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
|
|
3.
|
The shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to the issuance of the Securities to be sold by the Company have been duly authorized and are validly issued, and non assessable, and, to our knowledge, are fully paid;
|
|
4.
|
The Securities, as well as the Underwriter’s Warrant to be sold by the Company have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered and paid for in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non assessable, and the issuance of such shares will not be subject to any preemptive rights contained in the certificate of incorporation or by-laws of the Company, or, to our knowledge, any preemptive or similar rights contained in any other agreement or instrument binding upon the Company. The shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Underwriter’s Warrant have been reserved for issuance and, when issued in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement and the applicable warrant and upon payment of the exercise price therefor, will be validly issued, fully paid and non assessable, and the issuance of such shares of Common Stock will not be subject to any preemptive rights contained in the certificate of incorporation or by-laws of the Company, or, to our knowledge, any preemptive or similar rights contained in any other agreement or instrument binding upon the Company;
|
|
6.
|
The Underwriting Agreement has been duly authorized by all requisite corporate action, executed and delivered by the Company;
|
|
7.
|
Neither the execution and delivery by the Company of, nor the performance by the Company of its obligations under, the Underwriting Agreement will (i) contravene the provision of any applicable law or any applicable rule or regulation of any governmental authority or regulatory body (other than state securities and Blue Sky laws, as to which we express no opinion) or the certificate of incorporation or by laws of the Company, (ii) result in a breach of or default under any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or any document incorporated by reference therein (other than any violation of or conflict with any financial tests and financial covenants set forth in such agreements as to which we express no opinion), or (iii) contravene any court or administrative judgments, orders or decrees known to us of any governmental body, regulatory or administrative agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company;
|
|
8.
|
No approval, authorization, consent or order of or filing with any governmental or regulatory body or agency, or of or with any self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority, or approval of the Company’s stockholders, is required in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities, the Underwriter’s Warrant or the shares issuable upon exercise of the Underwriter’s Warrant or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement, except such as have been obtained or made and such as may be required under the Act, the rules of the [l], FINRA, or state securities or Blue Sky laws;
|
|
9.
|
The statements relating to legal matters, documents or proceedings included in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, under the captions “Risk Factors,” “Business,” “Legal Proceedings,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Management,” “Executive Compensation,” “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions,” “Management,” “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management,” and “Description of Capital Stock,” as well as in the Registration Statement in Items 14 and 15, in each case, insofar as such statements constitute a summary of documents or proceedings referred to therein or matters of law, fairly summarize in all material respects the information called for with respect to such matters, documents or proceedings, in so far as such information as summarized is known to us;
|
-32-
|
10.
|
To our knowledge, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or overtly threatened to which the Company is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company is subject that are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package or the Prospectus and are not so described or any statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not so described or filed as required;
|
|
11.
|
The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and shares issuable upon exercise of the Underwriter’s Warrant and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus will not be, required to register as an “investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; and
|
|
12.
|
(A) in the opinion of such counsel (1) each document filed pursuant to the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (except for the financial statements and financial schedules and other financial and statistical data derived from the financial statements or schedules contained or incorporated by reference therein or omitted therefrom, as to which we express no opinion or belief) appeared on its face to be appropriately responsive as of its filing date in all material respects to the requirements as to form of the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder; and (2) the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (except for the financial statements and financial schedules and other financial and statistical data derived from the financial statements or schedules contained or incorporated by reference therein or omitted therefrom, as to which we express no opinion or belief) appear on their face to be appropriately responsive in all material respects to the requirements as to form of the Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and (B) nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that (1) the Registration Statement or the prospectus included therein (except for the financial statements and financial schedules and other financial and statistical data included therein, as to which we need not express any belief) at the time the Registration Statement became effective for purposes of Section 11 of the Securities Act (as such section relates to the Underwriters) contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (2) the Time of Sale Prospectus (except for the financial statements and financial schedules and other financial and statistical data included therein, as to which we need not express any belief) as of the Time of Sale or, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, as of the Closing Date contained or contains any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading or (3) the Prospectus (except for the financial statements and financial schedules and other financial and statistical data included therein, as to which we need not express any belief) as of its date or, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, as of the Closing Date contained or contains any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
|
-33-
EXHIBIT C
FORM OF OPINION OF COMPANY’S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY COUNSEL
TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 5(D)
|
1.
|
To our knowledge, the Company owns or possesses all Intellectual Property rights currently employed by it in connection with the business now operated by it except where the failure to own or possess such Intellectual Property rights would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
|
|
2.
|
To our knowledge, the Company has not received any notice of infringement of Intellectual Property rights, any notice of conflict with asserted Intellectual Property rights, or any correspondence concerning Intellectual Property rights from a third party.
|
|
3.
|
To our knowledge, (a) the Company is not infringing or otherwise violating any Intellectual Property rights of others, and (b) there are no infringements by others of any of the Company’s Intellectual Property rights, which in our judgment could affect materially the use thereof by the Company.
|
|
4.
|
To our knowledge, except for proceedings initiated by the Company in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“PTO”) and certain foreign patent offices relating to patent and trademark prosecution, (a) there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending relating to any Intellectual Property rights of the Company, and (b) no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities, the Company, or others.
|
|
5.
|
We are not aware of any contracts or other documents relating to the Company’s Intellectual Property rights of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement that have not been so described or filed as required.
|
|
6.
|
We have no knowledge of any facts that would preclude the Company from having valid license rights or clear title to the patents or patent applications referenced in the S-1 Registration Statement, Amendment thereto, or the Prospectus. We have no knowledge that the Company lacks any rights or licenses to use all patents and other material intangible property and assets necessary to conduct the business now conducted or proposed to be conducted by the Company as described in the Form S-1 Registration Statement and the Prospectus. We are unaware of any facts that form a basis for a finding of unenforceability or invalidity of any of the Company’s Intellectual Property rights.
|
|
7.
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We are not aware of any material fact with respect to the patent applications of the Company that would (a) preclude the issuance of patents with respect to such applications or (b) lead such counsel to conclude that such patents, when issued, would not be valid and enforceable in accordance with applicable regulations. However, it is our experience that the scope of claims which might issue on a patent application frequently changes during prosecution of an application and we can give no assurances that any currently pending claim will issue as filed.
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8.
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To our knowledge, each inventor named in a patent application of, each attorney who prepares or prosecutes patent applications for, and other persons involved in the preparation or prosecution of patent applications who are associated with the inventor or assignee of the patent application of the Company have complied with the PTO’s duty of candor and disclosure for the patent applications of the Company.
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9.
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We have reviewed those portions of the Form S-1 Registration Statement and the Prospectus that concern the Intellectual Property, including without limitation the statements in the Registration Statement, Amendment thereto, and the Prospectus under the headings “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property” and “Business—Intellectual Property” and it is our opinion that they are accurate and complete statements or summaries in all material respects and present fairly the information required to be shown therein.
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10.
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Nothing has come to our attention that would lead us to believe that the information regarding Intellectual Property matters described in (a) the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof (including any regulatory information omitted from the Registration Statement at the time it became effective but that is deemed to be part of and included in the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430A), when such part became effective (including each deemed effective date with respect to the Underwriters pursuant to the Securities Act) and as of the date hereof, contained or contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (b) the Time of Sale Prospectus, as of the date of this Opinion, contained or contains an untrue statement of material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or (c) the Prospectus (as of its date and as of the date hereof), as amended or supplemented, contained or contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
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EXHIBIT D
FORM OF OPINION OF COUNSEL FOR SELLING SHAREHOLDERS
TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 5(D)
1. Each Selling Stockholder that is not a natural person has the corporate right and power, and all authorization and approval required by law, to enter into the Underwriting Agreement and the Custody Agreement and Power of Attorney of such Selling Stockholder and to sell, transfer and deliver the Securities to be sold by each Selling Stockholder or a security entitlement in respect of such Securities.
2. The Underwriting Agreement, Custody Agreement and the Power of Attorney of each Selling Stockholder have been duly authorized by each Selling Stockholder that is not a natural person and have been duly executed and delivered by or on behalf of each Selling Stockholder, and the Underwriting Agreement, Custody Agreement and the Power of Attorney of each Selling Stockholder constitute valid and binding agreements of each Selling Stockholder, enforceable against such Selling Stockholder in accordance with their terms.
3. The execution, delivery and performance by each Selling Stockholder of the Underwriting Agreement, the Custody Agreement and the Power of Attorney, and sale of each Selling Stockholder’s Securities pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, will not violate (a) any Florida, Delaware, New York or federal statute, rule or regulation or any other statute, rule or regulation that, in our experience, is typically applicable to transactions of the nature contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement, Custody Agreement and Power of Attorney and is applicable to each Selling Stockholder, (b) the provisions of the organizational documents of such Selling Stockholder identified on Exhibit A hereto or (c) any court order, judgment or decree, if any, listed on Exhibit B hereto, and no consent, approval, license or exemption by, authorization or order of, or filing, recordation, registration or qualification with, any governmental body or agency is required for the execution and delivery by each Selling Stockholder of the Underwriting Agreement, the Power of Attorney and the Custody Agreement, the performance of each Selling Stockholder’s obligations under the Power of Attorney and the Custody Agreement required to be performed on or prior to the date hereof or the sale of each Selling Stockholder’s Securities under the Underwriting Agreement, except such as have been obtained and made under the Act and such as may be required under state or foreign securities laws or pursuant to the rules of FINRA.
4. Assuming that The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) indicates by book entry that the Securities to be sold by the Selling Stockholders are credited to the securities accounts of each Underwriter maintained with DTC and each Underwriter makes payment for such Securities as provided in the Underwriting Agreement, in each case without notice of any adverse claim (within the meaning of Sections 8-105 and 8-502 of the New York Uniform Commercial Code (the “UCC”), such Underwriter will acquire a security entitlement (as that term is defined in the UCC) with respect to the Securities credited to its securities account and no action based on an adverse claim (within the meaning of Section 8-502 of the UCC) may be asserted against such Underwriter with respect to such Securities.
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