INVESTMENT AGREEMENT
INVESTMENT
AGREEMENT (this "AGREEMENT"), dated as of August 15, 2007 by and between
Voiceserve, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and Dutchess Private
Equities Fund, Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the
"Investor").
WHEREAS,
the parties desire that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions contained
herein, the Investor shall invest up to Ten Million dollars ($10,000,000) to
purchase the Company's Common Stock, $.001 par value per share (the "Common
Stock");
WHEREAS,
such investments will be made in reliance upon the provisions of Section 4(2)
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), Rule 506 of
Regulation D, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and/or
upon
such other exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act as
may
be available with respect to any or all of the investments in Common Stock
to be
made hereunder; and
WHEREAS,
contemporaneously with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the parties
hereto are executing and delivering a Registration Rights Agreement
substantially in the form attached hereto (the "Registration Rights Agreement")
pursuant to which the Company has agreed to provide certain registration rights
under the 1933 Act, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and
applicable state securities laws.
NOW
THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals, which shall be considered
an integral part of this Agreement, the covenants and agreements set forth
hereafter, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and
sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Investor hereby
agree as follows:
SECTION
1. DEFINITIONS.
As
used
in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings
specified or indicated below, and such meanings shall be equally applicable
to
the singular and plural forms of such defined terms.
“1933
Act” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble of this
agreement.
“1934
Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as it may be
amended.
“Affiliate”
shall have the meaning specified in Section 5(H), below.
“Agreement”
shall mean this Investment Agreement.
1
“Best
Bid” shall mean the highest posted bid price of the Common Stock during a
given period of time.
“By-laws”
shall have the meaning specified in Section 4(C).
“Certificate
of Incorporation” shall have the meaning specified in Section 4(C).
“Closing”
shall have the meaning specified in Section 2(G).
“Closing
Date” shall mean no more than seven (7) Trading Days following the Put
Notice Date.
“Common
Stock” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble of this
Agreement.
“Control”
or “Controls” shall have the meaning specified in Section
5(H).
“Effective
Date” shall mean the date the SEC declares effective under the 1933 Act the
Registration Statement covering the Securities.
“Environmental
Laws” shall have the meaning specified in Section 4(M).
“Equity
Line Transaction Documents” shall mean this Agreement, the Registration
Rights Agreement.
“Execution
Date” shall mean the date indicated in the preamble to this
Agreement.
“Indemnities”
shall have the meaning specified in Section 11.
“Indemnified
Liabilities” shall have the meaning specified in Section 11.
“Ineffective
Period” shall mean any period of time that the Registration Statement or any
Supplemental Registration Statement (as defined in the Registration Rights
Agreement between the parties) becomes ineffective or unavailable for use for
the sale or resale, as applicable, of any or all of the Registrable Securities
(as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) for any reason (or in the
event the prospectus under either of the above is not current and deliverable)
during any time period required under the Registration Rights
Agreement.
“Investor”
shall have the meaning indicated in the preamble of this
Agreement.
“Material
Adverse Effect” shall have the meaning specified in Section
4(A).
2
“Maximum
Common Stock Issuance” shall have the meaning specified in Section
2(H).
“Minimum
Acceptable Price” with respect to any Put Notice Date shall mean seventy-five
percent (75%) of the lowest closing bid prices for the ten (10) Trading Day
period immediately preceding each Put Notice Date.
“Open
Market Adjustment Amount” shall have the meaning specified in Section
2(I).
"Open
Market Purchase" shall have the meaning specified in Section 2(I)
“Open
Market Share Purchase” shall have the meaning specified in Section
2(I).
“Open
Period” shall mean the period beginning on and including the Trading Day
immediately following the Effective Date and ending on the earlier to occur
of
(i)
the date which is thirty-six (36) months from the Effective
Date; or (ii)
termination of the Agreement in accordance with Section 9,
below.
“Pricing
Period” shall mean the period beginning on the Put Notice Date and ending on and
including the date that is five (5) Trading Days after such Put Notice
Date.
“Principal
Market” shall mean the American Stock Exchange, Inc., the National Association
of Securities Dealers, Inc. Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board, the NASDAQ National
Market System or the NASDAQ SmallCap Market, whichever is the principal market
on which the Common Stock is listed.
“Prospectus”
shall mean the prospectus, preliminary prospectus and supplemental prospectus
used in connection with the Registration Statement
“Purchase
Amount” shall mean the total amount being paid by the Investor on a particular
Closing Date to purchase the Securities.
“Purchase
Price” shall mean ninety-three percent (93%) of the lowest closing Best Bid
price of the Common Stock during the Pricing Period.
“Put”
shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(B)(1) hereof.
“Put
Amount” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(B)(1) hereof.
“Put
Notice” shall mean a written notice sent to the Investor by the Company stating
the Put Amount in U.S. dollars the Company intends to sell to the Investor
pursuant to the terms of the Agreement and stating the current number of
Shares
issued and outstanding on such date.
3
“Put
Notice Date” shall mean the Trading Day, as set forth below, immediately
following the day on which the Investor receives a Put Notice, however a Put
Notice shall be deemed delivered on (a) the Trading Day it is
received by facsimile or otherwise by the Investor if such notice is received
prior to 9:00 am Eastern Time, or (b) the immediately
succeeding Trading Day if it is received by facsimile or otherwise after 9:00
am
Eastern Time on a Trading Day. No Put Notice may be deemed delivered on a day
that is not a Trading Day.
“Put
Restriction” shall mean the days between the beginning of the Pricing Period
and Closing Date. During this time, the Company shall not be entitled to deliver
another Put Notice.
“Put
Shares Due” shall have the meaning specified in Section 2(I).
“Registration
Period” shall have the meaning specified in Section 5(C),
below.
“Registration
Rights Agreement” shall have the meaning set forth in the recitals,
above.
“Registration
Statement” means the registration statement of the Company filed under the
1933 Act covering the Common Stock issuable hereunder.
“Related
Party” shall have the meaning specified in Section 5(H). “Resolution”
shall have the meaning specified in Section 8(E). “SEC” shall mean the U.S.
Securities & Exchange Commission. “SEC Documents” shall have the
meaning specified in Section 4(F).
“Securities”
shall mean the shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to the terms of the
Agreement.
“Shares”
shall mean the shares of the Company’s Common Stock. “Subsidiaries”
shall have the meaning specified in Section 4(A).
“Trading
Day” shall mean any day on which the Principal Market for the Common Stock
is open for trading, from the hours of 9:30 am until 4:00 pm.
SECTION
2. PURCHASE AND SALE OF COMMON STOCK.
(A)
PURCHASE AND SALE OF COMMON STOCK. Subject to the terms and conditions set
forth
herein, the Company shall issue and sell to the Investor, and the
Investor shall purchase from the Company, up to that number of Shares having
an
aggregate Purchase Price of Ten Million dollars
($10,000,000).
4
(B) DELIVERY
OF PUT NOTICES.
(I)
Subject to the terms and conditions of the Equity Line Transaction Documents,
and from time to time during the Open Period, the Company may, in its sole
discretion, deliver a Put Notice to the Investor which states the dollar amount
(designated in U.S. Dollars) (the "Put Amount"), which the Company intends
to
sell to the Investor on a Closing Date (the "Put"). The Put Notice shall be
in
the form attached hereto as Exhibit C and incorporated herein by reference.
The
amount that the Company shall be entitled to Put to the Investor (the "Put
Amount") shall be equal to, at the Company's election, either: (A) Two Hundred
percent (200%) of the average daily volume (U.S. market only) of the Common
Stock for the Ten (10) Trading Days prior to the applicable Put Notice Date,
multiplied by the average of the three (3) daily closing bid prices immediately
preceding the Put Date, or (B) two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000).
During the Open Period, the Company shall not be entitled to submit a Put Notice
until after the previous Closing has been completed. The Purchase Price for
the
Common Stock identified in the Put Notice shall be equal to ninety-three percent
(93%) of the lowest closing Best Bid price of the Common Stock during the
Pricing Period.
(C) COMPANY’S
RIGHT TO WITHDRAWAL. The Company shall reserve the right, but not the
obligation, to withdraw that portion of the Put that is below the Minimum
Acceptable Price, by submitting to the Investor, in writing, a notice to cancel
that portion of the Put. Any shares above the Minimum Acceptable price due
to
the Investor shall be carried out by the Company under the terms of this
Agreement.
(D) INTENTIONALLY
OMITTED
(E) CONDITIONS
TO INVESTOR'S OBLIGATION TO PURCHASE SHARES. Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall not be entitled to deliver a
Put
Notice and the Investor shall not be obligated to purchase any Shares at a
Closing (as defined in Section 2(G)) unless each of the following conditions
are
satisfied:
(I) a
Registration Statement shall have been declared effective and shall remain
effective and available for the resale of all the Registrable Securities (as
defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) at all times until the Closing
with respect to the subject Put Notice;
(II) at
all
times during the period beginning on the related Put Notice Date and ending
on
and including the related Closing Date, the Common Stock shall have been listed
on the Principal Market and shall not have been suspended from trading thereon
for a period of two (2) consecutive Trading Days during the Open
Period and the Company shall not have been notified of any pending or threatened
proceeding or other action to suspend the trading of the Common
Stock;
5
(III) the
Company has complied with its obligations and is otherwise not in breach of
or
in default under, this Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement or any
other
agreement executed in connection herewith which has not been cured prior to
delivery of the Investor’s Put Notice Date;
(IV) no
injunction shall have been issued and remain in force, or action commenced
by a
governmental authority which has not been stayed or abandoned, prohibiting
the
purchase or the issuance of the Securities; and
(V)
the
issuance of the Securities will not violate any shareholder approval
requirements of the Principal Market.
If
any of
the events described in clauses (I) through (V) above occurs during a Pricing
Period, then the Investor shall have no obligation to purchase the Put Amount
of
Common Stock set forth in the applicable Put Notice.
(F) RESERVED
(G) MECHANICS
OF PURCHASE OF SHARES BY INVESTOR. Subject to the satisfaction of the conditions
set forth in Sections 2(E), 7 and 8, the closing of the purchase by the Investor
of Shares (a "Closing") shall occur on the date which is no later than seven
(7)
Trading Days following the applicable Put Notice Date (each a "Closing Date").
Prior to each Closing Date, (I) the Company shall deliver to the Investor
pursuant to this Agreement, certificates representing the Shares to be issued
to
the Investor on such date and registered in the name of the Investor; and (II)
the Investor shall deliver to the Company the Purchase Price to be paid for
such
Shares, determined as set forth in Section 2(B). In lieu of delivering physical
certificates representing the Securities and provided that the Company's
transfer agent then is participating in The Depository Trust Company ("DTC")
Fast Automated Securities Transfer ("FAST") program, upon request of the
Investor, the Company shall use all commercially reasonable efforts to cause
its
transfer agent to electronically transmit the Securities by crediting the
account of the Investor's prime broker (as specified by the Investor within
a
reasonably in advance of the Investor's notice) with DTC through its Deposit
Withdrawal Agent Commission ("DWAC") system.
The
Company understands that a delay in the issuance of Securities beyond the
Closing Date could result in economic damage to the Investor. After the
Effective Date, as compensation to the Investor for such loss, the Company
agrees to make late payments to the Investor for late issuance of Securities
(delivery of Securities after the applicable Closing Date) in accordance with
the following schedule (where "No. of Days Late" is defined as the number of
trading days beyond the Closing Date, with the Amounts being
cumulative.):
6
LATE
PAYMENT FOR EACH NO. OF DAYS LATE |
$10,000 WORTH OF COMMON STOCK |
1
|
$100
|
2
|
$200
|
3
|
$300
|
4
|
$400
|
5
|
$500
|
6
|
$600
|
7
|
$700
|
8
|
$800
|
9
|
$900
|
10
|
$1,000
|
Over
10
|
$1,000
+ $200 for each Business Day late beyond 10
days
|
The
Company shall make any payments incurred under this Section in immediately
available funds upon demand by the Investor. Nothing herein shall limit the
Investor's right to pursue actual damages for the Company's failure to issue
and
deliver the Securities to the Investor, except that such late payments shall
offset any such actual damages incurred by the Investor, and any Open Market
Adjustment Amount, as set forth below.
(H) OVERALL
LIMIT ON COMMON STOCK ISSUABLE. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to
the
contrary, if during the Open Period the Company becomes listed on an exchange
that limits the number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued without
shareholder approval, then the number of Shares issuable by the Company and
purchasable by the Investor, shall not exceed that number of the shares of
Common Stock that may be issuable without shareholder approval (the "Maximum
Common Stock Issuance"). If such issuance of shares of Common Stock could cause
a delisting on the Principal Market, then the Maximum Common Stock Issuance
shall first be approved by the Company's shareholders in accordance with
applicable law and the By-laws and Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation of the Company, if such issuance of shares of Common Stock could
cause a delisting on the Principal Market. The parties understand and agree
that
the Company's failure to seek or obtain such shareholder approval shall in
no
way adversely affect the validity and due authorization of the issuance and
sale
of Securities or the Investor's obligation in accordance with the terms and
conditions hereof to purchase a number of Shares in the aggregate up to the
Maximum Common Stock Issuance limitation, and that such approval pertains only
to the applicability of the Maximum Common Stock Issuance limitation provided
in
this Section 2(H).
(I) If,
by
the third (3rd) business day after the Closing Date, the Company fails to
deliver any portion of the shares of the Put to the Investor (the "Put Shares
Due") and the Investor purchases, in an open market transaction or otherwise,
shares of Common Stock necessary to make delivery of shares which would have
been delivered if the full amount of the shares to be delivered to the Investor
by the Company (the "Open Market Share Purchase") , then the Company shall
pay
to the Investor, in addition to any other amounts due to Investor pursuant
to
the Put, and not in lieu thereof, the Open Market Adjustment Amount (as defined
below).
7
The
"Open
Market Adjustment Amount" is the amount equal to the excess, if any, of (x)
the
Investor's total purchase price (including brokerage commissions, if any) for
the Open Market Share Purchase minus (y) the net proceeds (after brokerage
commissions, if any) received by the Investor from the sale of the Put Shares
Due. The Company shall pay the Open Market Adjustment Amount to the Investor
in
immediately available funds within five (5) business days of written demand
by
the Investor. By way of illustration and not in limitation of the foregoing,
if
the Investor purchases shares of Common Stock having a total purchase price
(including brokerage commissions) of $11,000 to cover an Open Market Purchase
with respect to shares of Common Stock it sold for net proceeds of $10,000,
the
Open Market Purchase Adjustment Amount which the Company will be required to
pay
to the Investor will be $1,000.
(J)
LIMITATION ON AMOUNT OF OWNERSHIP. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary
in
this Agreement, in no event shall the Investor be entitled to purchase that
number of Shares, which when added to the sum of the number of shares of Common
Stock beneficially owned (as such term is defined under Section 13(d) and Rule
1
3d-3 of the 1934 Act), by the Investor, would exceed 4.99% of the number of
shares of Common Stock outstanding on the Closing Date, as determined in
accordance with Rule 1 3d-1 (j) of the 1934 Act.
SECTION
3. INVESTOR'S REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS.
The
Investor represents and warrants to the Company, and covenants,
that:
(A) SOPHISTICATED
INVESTOR. The Investor has, by reason of its business and financial experience,
such knowledge, sophistication and experience in financial and business matters
and in making investment decisions of this type that it is capable of (I)
evaluating the merits and risks of an investment in the Securities and making
an
informed investment decision; (II) protecting its own interest; and (III)
bearing the economic risk of such investment for an indefinite period of
time.
(B) AUTHORIZATION;
ENFORCEMENT. This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed
and
delivered on behalf of the Investor and is a valid and binding agreement of
the
Investor enforceable against the Investor in accordance with its terms, subject
as to enforceability to general principles of equity and to applicable
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation and other
similar laws relating to, or affecting generally, the enforcement of applicable
creditors' rights and remedies.
(C)
SECTION 9 OF THE 1934 ACT. During the term of this Agreement, the Investor
will
comply with the provisions of Section 9 of the 1934 Act, and the rules
promulgated thereunder, with respect to transactions involving the Common Stock.
8
The
Investor agrees not to sell the Company's stock short, either directly or
indirectly through its affiliates, principals or advisors, the Company's common
stock during the term of this Agreement.
(D) ACCREDITED
INVESTOR. Investor is an "Accredited Investor" as that term is defined in Rule
501(a) of Regulation D of the 1933 Act.
(E) NO
CONFLICTS. The execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents
by the Investor and the consummation by the Investor of the transactions
contemplated hereby and thereby will not result in a violation of Partnership
Agreement or other organizational documents of the Investor.
(F) OPPORTUNITY
TO DISCUSS. The Investor has received all materials relating to the Company's
business, finance and operations which it has requested. The Investor has had
an
opportunity to discuss the business, management and financial affairs of the
Company with the Company's management.
(G) INVESTMENT
PURPOSES. The Investor is purchasing the Securities for its own account for
investment purposes and not with a view towards distribution and agrees to
resell or otherwise dispose of the Securities solely in accordance with the
registration provisions of the 1933 Act (or pursuant to an exemption from such
registration provisions).
(H) NO
REGISTRATION AS A DEALER. The Investor is not and will not be required to be
registered as a "dealer" under the 1934 Act, either as a result of its execution
and performance of its obligations under this Agreement or
otherwise.
(I) GOOD
STANDING. The Investor is a Limited Partnership, duly organized, validly
existing and in good standing in the Cayman Islands.
(J) TAX
LIABILITIES. The Investor understands that it is liable for its own tax
liabilities.
(K) REGULATION
M. The Investor will comply with Regulation M under the 1934 Act, if
applicable.
SECTION
4. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY.
Except
as
set forth in the Schedules attached hereto, or as disclosed on the Company's
SEC
Documents, the Company represents and warrants to the Investor
that:
(A)
ORGANIZATION AND QUALIFICATION. The Company is a corporation duly organized
and
validly existing in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware,
and
has the requisite corporate power and authorization to own its properties and
to
carry on its business as now being conducted.
9
Both
the
Company and the companies it owns or controls (“Subsidiaries”) are duly
qualified to do business and are in good standing in every jurisdiction in
which
its ownership of property or the nature of the business conducted by it makes
such qualification necessary, except to the extent that the failure to be so
qualified or be in good standing would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
As
used in this Agreement, "Material Adverse Effect" means any material adverse
effect on the business, properties, assets, operations, results of operations,
financial condition or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries, if any,
taken as a whole, or on the transactions contemplated hereby or by the
agreements and instruments to be entered into in connection herewith, or on
the
authority or ability of the Company to perform its obligations under the Equity
Line Transaction Documents (as defined in Section 1 and 4(B),
below).
(B)
AUTHORIZATION; ENFORCEMENT; COMPLIANCE WITH OTHER INSTRUMENTS.
(I) The
Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and
perform this Investment Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement
(collectively, the "Equity Line Transaction Documents"), and to issue the
Securities in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof.
(II) The
execution and delivery of the Equity Line Transaction Documents by the Company
and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby,
including without limitation the reservation for issuance and the issuance
of
the Securities pursuant to this Agreement, have been duly and validly authorized
by the Company's Board of Directors and no further consent or authorization
is
required by the Company, its Board of Directors, or its
shareholders.
(III) The
Equity Line Transaction Documents have been duly and validly executed and
delivered by the Company.
(IV) The
Equity Line Transaction Documents constitute the valid and binding obligations
of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms,
except as such enforceability may be limited by general principles of equity
or
applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation
or
similar laws relating to, or affecting generally, the enforcement of creditors'
rights and remedies.
(C)
CAPITALIZATION. As of the date hereof, the authorized capital stock of the
Company consists of 100,000,000 shares of Common Stock, $.001 par value per
share, of which as of the date hereof, 23,327,425 and 20,000,000 shares are
issued and outstanding respectively; 10,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock
authorized with no shares issued or outstanding; as of July 12, 2007, and 0
shares reserved for issuance pursuant to options, warrants and other convertible
securities. All of such outstanding shares have been, or upon issuance will
be,
validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable.
Except
as
disclosed in the Company's publicly available filings with the SEC:
10
(I)
no
shares of the Company's capital stock are subject to preemptive rights or any
other similar rights or any liens or encumbrances suffered or permitted by
the
Company; (II) there are no outstanding debt securities; (III) there are no
outstanding shares of capital stock, options, warrants, scrip, rights to
subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character whatsoever relating to,
or
securities or rights convertible into, any shares of capital stock of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or contracts, commitments, understandings
or
arrangements by which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is or may become
bound to issue additional shares of capital stock of the Company or any of
its
Subsidiaries or options, warrants, scrip, rights to subscribe to, calls or
commitments of any character whatsoever relating to, or securities or rights
convertible into, any shares of capital stock of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries; (IV) there are no agreements or arrangements under which the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries is obligated to register the sale of any
of
their securities under the 1933 Act (except the Registration Rights Agreement);
(V) there are no outstanding securities of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries which contain any redemption or similar provisions, and there
are
no contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries is or may become bound to redeem a security of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries; (VI) there are no securities or instruments
containing anti-dilution or similar provisions that will be triggered by the
issuance of the Securities as described in this Agreement; (VII) the Company
does not have any stock appreciation rights or "phantom stock" plans or
agreements or any similar plan or agreement; and (VIII) there is no dispute
as
to the classification of any shares of the Company's capital stock.
The
Company has furnished to the Investor, or the Investor has had access through
XXXXX to, true and correct copies of the Company's Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation, as in effect on the date hereof (the "Certificate
of Incorporation"), and the Company's By-laws, as in effect on the date hereof
(the "By-laws"), and the terms of all securities convertible into or exercisable
for Common Stock and the material rights of the holders thereof in respect
thereto.
(D)
ISSUANCE OF SHARES. The Company has reserved Shares for
issuance
pursuant to this Agreement, which have been duly authorized and reserved those
Shares for issuance (subject to adjustment pursuant to the Company's covenant
set forth in Section 5(F) below) pursuant to this Agreement. Upon issuance
in
accordance with this Agreement, the Securities will be validly issued, fully
paid for and non-assessable and free from all taxes, liens and charges with
respect to the issue thereof. In the event the Company cannot register a
sufficient number of Shares for issuance pursuant to this Agreement, the Company
will use its best efforts to authorize and reserve for issuance the number
of
Shares required for the Company to perform its obligations hereunder as soon
as
reasonably practicable.
11
(E)
NO
CONFLICTS. The execution, delivery and performance of the Equity Line
Transaction Documents by the Company and the consummation by the Company of
the
transactions contemplated hereby and thereby will not (I) result in a violation
of the Certificate of Incorporation, any Certificate of Designations,
Preferences and Rights of any outstanding series of preferred stock of the
Company or the By-laws; or (II) conflict with, or constitute a material default
(or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a material
default) under, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment,
acceleration or cancellation of, any material agreement, contract, indenture
mortgage, indebtedness or instrument to which the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries is a party, or to the Company's knowledge result in a violation
of
any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment or decree (including United States
federal and state securities laws and regulations and the rules and regulations
of the Principal Market or principal securities exchange or trading market
on
which the Common Stock is traded or listed) applicable to the Company or any
of
its Subsidiaries or by which any property or asset of the Company or any of
its
Subsidiaries is bound or affected. Except as disclosed in Schedule 4(e), neither
the Company nor its Subsidiaries is in violation of any term of, or in default
under, the Certificate of Incorporation, any Certificate of Designations,
Preferences and Rights of any outstanding series of preferred stock of the
Company or the Bylaws or their organizational charter or by-laws,
respectively, or any contract, agreement, mortgage, indebtedness, indenture,
instrument, judgment, decree or order or any statute, rule or regulation
applicable to the Company or its Subsidiaries, except for possible conflicts,
defaults, terminations, amendments, accelerations, cancellations and violations
that would not individually or in the aggregate have or constitute a Material
Adverse Effect. The business of the Company and its Subsidiaries is not being
conducted, and shall not be conducted, in violation of any law, statute,
ordinance, rule, order or regulation of any governmental authority or agency,
regulatory or self-regulatory agency, or court, except for possible violations
the sanctions for which either individually or in the aggregate would not have
a
Material Adverse Effect. Except as specifically contemplated by this Agreement
and as required under the 1933 Act or any securities laws of any states, to
the
Company's knowledge, the Company is not required to obtain any consent,
authorization, permit or order of, or make any filing or registration (except
the filing of a registration statement as outlined in the Registration Rights
Agreement between the Parties) with, any court, governmental authority or
agency, regulatory or self-regulatory agency or other third party in order
for
it to execute, deliver or perform any of its obligations under, or contemplated
by, the Equity Line Transaction Documents in accordance with the terms hereof
or
thereof. All consents, authorizations, permits, orders, filings and
registrations which the Company is required to obtain pursuant to the preceding
sentence have been obtained or effected on or prior to the date hereof and
are
in full force and effect as of the date hereof. Except as disclosed in Schedule
4(e), the Company and its Subsidiaries are unaware of any facts or circumstances
which might give rise to any of the foregoing. The Company is not, and will
not
be, in violation of the listing requirements of the Principal Market as in
effect on the date hereof and on each of the Closing Dates and
is
not aware of any facts which would reasonably lead to delisting of the Common
Stock by the Principal Market in the foreseeable future.
12
(F) SEC
DOCUMENTS; FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. As of the date hereof, the Company has filed
all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be
filed by it with the SEC pursuant to the reporting requirements of the 1934
Act
(all of the foregoing filed prior to the date hereof and all exhibits included
therein and financial statements and schedules thereto and documents
incorporated by reference therein being hereinafter referred to as the "SEC
Documents"). The Company has delivered to the Investor or its representatives,
or they have had access through XXXXX to, true and complete copies of the SEC
Documents. As of their respective filing dates, the SEC Documents complied
in
all material respects with the requirements of the 1934 Act and the rules and
regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder applicable to the SEC Documents,
and none of the SEC Documents, at the time they were filed with the SEC,
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,
in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. As
of
their respective dates, the financial statements of the Company included in
the
SEC Documents complied as to form in all material respects with applicable
accounting requirements and the published rules and regulations of the SEC
with
respect thereto. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance
with
generally accepted accounting principles, by a firm that is a member of the
Public Companies Accounting Oversight Board ("PCAOB") consistently applied,
during the periods involved (except (I) as may be otherwise indicated in such
financial statements or the notes thereto, or (II) in the case of unaudited
interim statements, to the extent they may exclude footnotes or may be condensed
or summary statements) and fairly present in all material respects the financial
position of the Company as of the dates thereof and the results of its
operations and cash flows for the periods then ended (subject, in the case
of
unaudited statements, to normal year-end audit adjustments). No other written
information provided by or on behalf of the Company to the Investor which is
not
included in the SEC Documents, including, without limitation, information
referred to in Section 4(D) of this Agreement, contains any untrue statement
of
a material fact or omits to state any material fact necessary to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstance under which they are or
were made, not misleading. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries
or
any of their officers, directors, employees or agents have provided the Investor
with any material, nonpublic information which was not publicly disclosed prior
to the date hereof and any material, nonpublic information provided to the
Investor by the Company or its Subsidiaries or any of their officers, directors,
employees or agents prior to any Closing Date shall be publicly disclosed by
the
Company prior to such Closing Date.
(G) ABSENCE
OF CERTAIN CHANGES. Except as otherwise set forth in the SEC Documents, the
Company does not intend to change the business operations of the Company in
any
material way.
13
The
Company has not taken any steps,
and does not currently expect to take any steps, to seek protection pursuant
to
any bankruptcy law nor does the Company or its Subsidiaries have any knowledge
or reason to believe that its creditors intend to initiate involuntary
bankruptcy proceedings.
(H) ABSENCE
OF LITIGATION AND/OR REGULATORY PROCEEDINGS. Except as set forth in the SEC
Documents, there is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before
or by any court, public board, government agency, self-regulatory organization
or body pending or, to the knowledge of the executive officers of Company or
any
of its Subsidiaries, threatened against or affecting the Company, the Common
Stock or any of the Company's Subsidiaries or any of the Company's or the
Company's Subsidiaries' officers or directors in their capacities as such,
in
which an adverse decision could have a Material Adverse Effect.
(I) ACKNOWLEDGMENT
REGARDING INVESTOR'S PURCHASE OF SHARES. The Company acknowledges and agrees
that the Investor is acting solely in the capacity of an arm's length purchaser
with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated
hereby and thereby. The Company further acknowledges that the Investor is not
acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary of the Company (or in any similar
capacity) with respect to the Equity Line Transaction Documents and the
transactions contemplated hereby and thereby and any advice given by the
Investor or any of its respective representatives or agents in connection with
the Equity Line Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby
and thereby is merely incidental to the Investor's purchase of the Securities,
and is not being relied on by the Company. The Company further represents to
the
Investor that the Company's decision to enter into the Equity Line Transaction
Documents has been based solely on the independent evaluation by the Company
and
its representatives.
(J) NO
UNDISCLOSED EVENTS, LIABILITIES, DEVELOPMENTS OR CIRCUMSTANCES. Except as set
forth in the SEC Documents, as of the date hereof, no event, liability,
development or circumstance has occurred or exists, or to the Company's
knowledge is contemplated to occur, with respect to the Company or its
Subsidiaries or their respective business, properties, assets, prospects,
operations or financial condition, that would be required to be disclosed by
the
Company under applicable securities laws on a registration statement filed
with
the SEC relating to an issuance and sale by the Company of its Common Stock
and
which has not been publicly announced.
(K) EMPLOYEE
RELATIONS. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is involved in any
union labor dispute nor, to the knowledge of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, is any such dispute threatened. Neither the Company nor any of
its
Subsidiaries is a party to a collective bargaining agreement, and the Company
and its Subsidiaries believe that relations with their employees are good.
No
executive officer (as defined in Rule 501(f) of the 0000 Xxx) has notified
the
Company that such officer intends to leave the Company's employ or otherwise
terminate such officer's employment with the Company.
14
(L) INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY RIGHTS. The Company and its Subsidiaries own or possess adequate rights
or licenses to use all trademarks, trade names, service marks, service xxxx
registrations, service names, patents, patent rights, copyrights, inventions,
licenses, approvals, governmental authorizations, trade secrets and rights
necessary to conduct their respective businesses as now conducted. Except as
set
forth in the SEC Documents, none of the Company's trademarks, trade names,
service marks, service xxxx registrations, service names, patents, patent
rights, copyrights, inventions, licenses, approvals, government authorizations,
trade secrets or other intellectual property rights necessary to conduct its
business as now or as proposed to be conducted have expired or terminated,
or
are expected to expire or terminate within two (2) years from the date of this
Agreement. The Company and its Subsidiaries do not have any knowledge of any
infringement by the Company or its Subsidiaries of trademark, trade name rights,
patents, patent rights, copyrights, inventions, licenses, service names, service
marks, service xxxx registrations, trade secret or other similar rights of
others, or of any such development of similar or identical trade secrets or
technical information by others and, except as set forth in the SEC Documents,
there is no claim, action or proceeding being made or brought against, or to
the
Company's knowledge, being threatened against, the Company or its Subsidiaries
regarding trademark, trade name, patents, patent rights, invention, copyright,
license, service names, service marks, service xxxx registrations, trade secret
or other infringement; and the Company and its Subsidiaries are unaware of
any
facts or circumstances which might give rise to any of the foregoing. The
Company and its Subsidiaries have taken commercially reasonable security
measures to protect the secrecy, confidentiality and value of all of their
intellectual properties.
(M) ENVIRONMENTAL
LAWS. The Company and its Subsidiaries (I) are, to the knowledge of the
management and directors of the Company and its Subsidiaries, in compliance
with
any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations
relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or
hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants
("Environmental Laws"); (II) have, to the knowledge of the management and
directors of the Company, received all permits, licenses or other approvals
required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective
businesses; and (III) are in compliance, to the knowledge of the management
and
directors of the Company, with all terms and conditions of any such permit,
license or approval where, in each of the three (3) foregoing cases, the failure
to so comply would have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse
Effect.
(N)
TITLE. The Company and its Subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all
personal property owned by them which is material to the business of the Company
and its Subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances
and defects except such as are described in the SEC Documents or such as do
not
materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the
use
made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries.
15
Any
real
property and facilities held under lease by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases
with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere with the use
made
and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its
Subsidiaries.
(O) INSURANCE.
Each of the Company's Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized
financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts
as
management of the Company reasonably believes to be prudent and customary in
the
businesses in which the Company and its Subsidiaries are engaged. Neither the
Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has been refused any insurance coverage
sought or applied for and neither the Company nor its Subsidiaries has any
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.
(P) REGULATORY
PERMITS. The Company and its Subsidiaries have in full force and effect all
certificates, approvals, authorizations and permits from the appropriate
federal, state, local or foreign regulatory authorities and comparable foreign
regulatory agencies, necessary to own, lease or operate their respective
properties and assets and conduct their respective businesses, and neither
the
Company nor any such Subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating
to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, approval,
authorization or permit, except for such certificates, approvals, authorizations
or permits which if not obtained, or such revocations or modifications which,
would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(Q) INTERNAL
ACCOUNTING CONTROLS. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries maintain a system
of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance
that
(I) transactions are executed in accordance with management's general or
specific authorizations; (II) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit
preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles by a firm with membership to the PCAOB and to maintain
asset accountability; (III) access to assets is permitted only in accordance
with management's general or specific authorization; and (IV) the recorded
accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable
intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any
differences.
(R) NO
MATERIALLY ADVERSE CONTRACTS, ETC. Neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries is subject to any charter, corporate or other legal restriction,
or
any judgment, decree, order, rule or regulation which in the judgment of the
Company's officers has or is expected in the future to have a Material Adverse
Effect.
16
Neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to any contract or agreement
which in the judgment of the Company's officers has or is expected to have
a
Material Adverse Effect.
(S) TAX
STATUS. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries has made or filed all United
States federal and state income and all other tax returns, reports and
declarations required by any jurisdiction to which it is subject (unless and
only to the extent that the Company and each of its Subsidiaries has set aside
on its books provisions reasonably adequate for the payment of all unpaid and
unreported taxes) and has paid all taxes and other governmental assessments
and
charges that are material in amount, shown or determined to be due on such
returns, reports and declarations, except those being contested in good faith
and has set aside on its books provision reasonably adequate for the payment
of
all taxes for periods subsequent to the periods to which such returns, reports
or declarations apply. There are no unpaid taxes in any material amount claimed
to be due by the taxing authority of any jurisdiction, and the officers of
the
Company know of no basis for any such claim.
(T) CERTAIN
TRANSACTIONS. Except as set forth in the SEC Documents filed at least ten (10)
days prior to the date hereof and except for arm's length transactions pursuant
to which the Company makes payments in the ordinary course of business upon
terms no less favorable than the Company could obtain from disinterested third
parties and other than the grant of stock options disclosed in the SEC
Documents, none of the officers, directors, or employees of the Company is
presently a party to any transaction with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
(other than for services as employees, officers and directors), including any
contract, agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of
services to or by, providing for rental of real or personal property to or
from,
or otherwise requiring payments to or from any officer, director or such
employee or, to the knowledge of the Company, any corporation, partnership,
trust or other entity in which any officer, director, or any such employee
has a
substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee or
partner.
(U)
DILUTIVE EFFECT. The Company understands and acknowledges that the number of
shares of Common Stock issuable upon purchases pursuant to this Agreement will
increase in certain circumstances including, but not necessarily limited to,
the
circumstance wherein the trading price of the Common Stock declines during
the
period between the Effective Date and the end of the Open Period. The Company's
executive officers and directors have studied and fully understand the nature
of
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and recognize that they have
a
potential dilutive effect on the shareholders of the Company. The Board of
Directors of the Company has concluded, in its good faith business judgment,
and
with full understanding of the implications, that such issuance is in the best
interests of the Company. The Company specifically acknowledges that, subject
to
such limitations as are expressly set forth in the Equity Line Transaction
Documents, its obligation to issue shares of Common Stock upon purchases
pursuant to this Agreement is absolute and unconditionalregardless
of the dilutive effect that such issuance may have on the ownership interests
of
other shareholders of the Company.
17
(V) LOCK-UP.
The Company shall cause its officers, insiders, directors, and affiliates or
other related parties under control of the Company, to refrain from selling
Common Stock during each Pricing Period.
(W) NO
GENERAL SOLICITATION. Neither the Company, nor any of its affiliates, nor any
person acting on its behalf, has engaged in any form of general solicitation
or
general advertising (within the meaning of Regulation D) in connection with
the
offer or sale of the Common Stock to be offered as set forth in this
Agreement.
(X)
NO
BROKERS, FINDERS OR FINANCIAL ADVISORY FEES OR COMMISSIONS. No brokers, finders
or financial advisory fees or commissions will be payable by the Company, its
agents or Subsidiaries, with respect to the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement, except as otherwise disclosed in this Agreement.
SECTION
5. COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY
(A) BEST
EFFORTS. The Company shall use all commercially reasonable efforts to timely
satisfy each of the conditions set forth in Section 7 of this
Agreement.
(B) BLUE
SKY.
The Company shall, at its sole cost and expense, on or before each of the
Closing Dates, take such action as the Company shall reasonably determine is
necessary to qualify the Securities for, or obtain exemption for the Securities
for, sale to the Investor at each of the Closings pursuant to this Agreement
under applicable securities or "Blue Sky" laws of such states of the United
States, as reasonably specified by the Investor, and shall provide evidence
of
any such action so taken to the Investor on or prior to the Closing
Date.
(C) REPORTING
STATUS. Until one of the following occurs, the Company shall file all reports
required to be filed with the SEC pursuant to the 1934 Act, and the Company
shall not terminate its status, or take an action or fail to take any action,
which would terminate its status as a reporting company under the 1934 Act:
(i)
this Agreement terminates pursuant to Section 9 and the Investor has the right
to sell all of the Securities without restrictions pursuant to Rule 144(k)
promulgated under the 1933 Act, or such other exemption (ii) the date on which
the Investor has sold all the Securities and this Agreement has been terminated
pursuant to Section 9.
(D) USE
OF
PROCEEDS. The Company will use the proceeds from the sale of the Shares
(excluding amounts paid by the Company for fees as set forth in the Equity
Line
Transaction Documents) for general corporate and working capital purposes and
acquisitions or assets, businesses or operations or for other purposes
that the Board of Directors, in its good xxxxx xxxx to be in the best interest
of the Company.
18
(E) FINANCIAL
INFORMATION. During the Open Period, the Company agrees to make available to
the
Investor via XXXXX or other electronic means the following documents and
information on the forms set forth: (I) within five (5) Trading Days after
the
filing thereof with the SEC, a copy of its Annual Reports on Form 10-KSB, its
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-QSB, any Current Reports on Form 8-K and any
Registration Statements or amendments filed pursuant to the 1933 Act; (II)
copies of any notices and other information made available or given to the
shareholders of the Company generally, contemporaneously with the making
available or giving thereof to the shareholders; and (III) within two (2)
calendar days of filing or delivery thereof, copies of all documents filed
with,
and all correspondence sent to, the Principal Market, any securities exchange
or
market, or the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., unless such
information is material nonpublic information.
(F) RESERVATION
OF SHARES. The Company shall take all action necessary to at all times have
authorized, and reserved for the purpose of issuance, a sufficient number of
shares of Common Stock to provide for the issuance of the Securities to the
Investor as required hereunder. In the event that the Company determines that
it
does not have a sufficient number of authorized shares of Common Stock to
reserve and keep available for issuance as described in this Section 5(F),
the
Company shall use all commercially reasonable efforts to increase the number
of
authorized shares of Common Stock by seeking shareholder approval for the
authorization of such additional shares.
(G)
LISTING. The Company shall promptly secure and maintain the listing of all
of
the Registrable Securities (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement)
on
the Principal Market and each other national securities exchange and automated
quotation system, if any, upon which shares of Common Stock are then listed
(subject to official notice of issuance) and shall maintain, such listing of
all
Registrable Securities from time to time issuable under the terms of the Equity
Line Transaction Documents. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries
shall take any action which would be reasonably expected to result in the
delisting or suspension of the Common Stock on the Principal Market (excluding
suspensions of not more than one (1) trading day resulting from business
announcements by the Company). The Company shall promptly provide to the
Investor copies of any notices it receives from the Principal Market regarding
the continued eligibility of the Common Stock for listing on such automated
quotation system or securities exchange. The Company shall pay all fees and
expenses in connection with satisfying its obligations under this Section
5(G).
19
(H) TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES. The Company shall not,
and
shall cause each of its Subsidiaries not to, enter into, amend, modify or
supplement, or permit any Subsidiary to enter into, amend, modify or supplement,
any
agreement,
transaction, commitment or arrangement with any of its or any Subsidiary's
officers, directors, persons who were officers or directors at any time during
the previous two (2) years, shareholders who beneficially own 5% or more
of the
Common Stock, or Affiliates or with any individual related by blood, marriage
or
adoption to any such individual or with any entity in which any such entity
or
individual owns a 5% or more beneficial interest (each a "Related Party"),
except for (I) customary employment arrangements and benefit programs on
reasonable terms, (II) any agreement, transaction, commitment or arrangement
on
an arms-length basis on terms no less favorable than terms which would have
been
obtainable from a disinterested third party other than such Related Party,
or
(III) any agreement, transaction, commitment or arrangement which is approved
by
a majority of the disinterested directors of the Company. For purposes hereof,
any director who is also an officer of the Company or any Subsidiary of the
Company shall not be a disinterested director with respect to any such
agreement, transaction, commitment or arrangement. "Affiliate" for purposes
hereof means, with respect to any person or entity, another person or entity
that, directly or indirectly, (I) has a 5% or more equity interest in that
person or entity, (II) has 5% or more common ownership with that person or
entity, (III) controls that person or entity, or (IV) is under common control
with that person or entity. "Control" or "Controls" for purposes hereof means
that a person or entity has the power, directly or indirectly, to conduct
or
govern the policies of another person or entity.
(I) FILING
OF
FORM 8-K. On or before the date which is four (4) Trading Days after the
Execution Date, the Company shall file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the
SEC
describing the terms of the transaction contemplated by the Equity Line
Transaction Documents in the form required by the 1934 Act, if such filing
is
required.
(J) CORPORATE
EXISTENCE. The Company shall use all commercially reasonable efforts to preserve
and continue the corporate existence of the Company.
(K)
NOTICE OF CERTAIN EVENTS AFFECTING REGISTRATION; SUSPENSION OF RIGHT TO MAKE
A
PUT. The Company shall promptly notify the Investor upon the occurrence of
any
of the following events in respect of a Registration Statement or related
prospectus in respect of an offering of the Securities: (I) receipt of any
request for additional information by the SEC or any other federal or state
governmental authority during the period of effectiveness of the Registration
Statement for amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or related
prospectus; (II) the issuance by the SEC or any other federal or state
governmental authority of any stop order suspending
20
(IV)
the
happening of any event that makes any statement made in such Registration
Statement or related prospectus or any document incorporated or deemed to be
incorporated therein by reference untrue in any material respect or that
requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement, related
prospectus or documents so that, in the case of a Registration Statement, it
will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading, and that in the case of the related prospectus, it
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, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading; and (V) the Company's reasonable determination that a post-effective
amendment to the Registration Statement would be appropriate, and the Company
shall promptly make available to Investor any such supplement or amendment
to
the related prospectus. The Company shall not deliver to Investor any Put Notice
during the continuation of any of the foregoing events in this Section
5(K).
(L)
REIMBURSEMENT. If (I) the Investor becomes involved in any capacity in any
action, proceeding or investigation brought by any shareholder of the Company,
in connection with or as a result of the consummation of the transactions
contemplated by the Equity Line Transaction Documents, or if the Investor is
impleaded in any such action, proceeding or investigation by any person (other
than as a result of a breach of the Investor’s representations and warranties
set forth in this Agreement); or (II) the Investor becomes involved in any
capacity in any action, proceeding or investigation brought by the SEC against
or involving the Company or in connection with or as a result of the
consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Equity Line Transaction
Documents (other than as a result of a breach of the Investor’s representations
and warranties set forth in this Agreement), or if this Investor is impleaded
in
any such action, proceeding or investigation by any person, then in any such
case, the Company will reimburse the Investor for its reasonable legal and
other
expenses (including the cost of any investigation and preparation) incurred
in
connection therewith, as such expenses are incurred. In addition, other than
with respect to any matter in which the Investor is a named party, the Company
will pay to the Investor the charges, as reasonably determined by the Investor,
for the time of any officers or employees of the Investor devoted to appearing
and preparing to appear as witnesses, assisting in preparation for hearings,
trials or pretrial matters, or otherwise with respect to inquiries, hearing,
trials, and other proceedings relating to the subject matter of this Agreement.
The reimbursement obligations of the Company under this section shall be in
addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have, shall extend
upon the same terms and conditions to any affiliates of the Investor that are
actually named in such action, proceeding or investigation, and partners,
directors, agents, employees, attorneys, accountants, auditors and controlling
persons (if any), as the case may be, of Investor and any such affiliate, and
shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of any successors of the Company,
the Investor and any such affiliate and any such person.
21
(M) TRANSFER
AGENT. Upon effectiveness of the Registration Statement, and for so long as
the
Registration Statement is effective, the Company shall deliver instructions
to
its transfer agent to issue Shares to the Investor that are covered for resale
by the Registration Statement free of restrictive legends.
(N) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
OF TERMS. The Company hereby represents and warrants to the Investor that:
(i)
it is voluntarily entering into this Agreement of its own freewill, (ii) it
is
not entering this Agreement under economic duress, (iii) the terms of this
Agreement are reasonable and fair to the Company, and (iv) the Company has
had
independent legal counsel of its own choosing review this Agreement, advise
the
Company with respect to this Agreement, and represent the Company in connection
with this Agreement.
SECTION
6. INTENTIONALLY OMITTED
SECTION
7. CONDITIONS OF THE COMPANY'S OBLIGATION TO SELL.
The
obligation hereunder of the Company to issue and sell the Securities to the
Investor is further subject to the satisfaction, at or before each Closing
Date,
of each of the following conditions set forth below. These conditions are for
the Company's sole benefit and may be waived by the Company at any time in
its
sole discretion.
(A) The
Investor shall have executed this Agreement and the Registration Rights
Agreement and delivered the same to the Company.
(B) The
Investor shall have delivered to the Company the Purchase Price for the
Securities being purchased by the Investor between the end of the Pricing Period
and the Closing Date via a Put Settlement Sheet (hereto attached as Exhibit
D).
After receipt of confirmation of delivery of such Securities to the Investor,
the Investor, by wire transfer of immediately available funds pursuant to the
wire instructions provided by the Company will disburse the funds constituting
the Purchase Amount.
(C)
No
statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall
have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by any court or governmental
authority of competent jurisdiction which prohibits the consummation of any
of
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
SECTION
8. FURTHER CONDITIONS OF THE INVESTOR'S OBLIGATION TO PURCHASE.
The
obligation of the Investor hereunder to purchase Shares is subject to the
satisfaction, on or before each Closing Date, of each of the following
conditions set forth below.
22
(A) The
Company shall have executed the Equity Line Transaction Documents and delivered
the same to the Investor.
(B) The
Common Stock shall be authorized for quotation on the Principal Market and
trading in the Common Stock shall not have been suspended by the Principal
Market or the SEC, at any time beginning on the date hereof and through and
including the respective Closing Date (excluding suspensions of not more than
one (1) Trading Day resulting from business announcements by the Company,
provided that such suspensions occur prior to the Company's delivery of the
Put
Notice related to such Closing).
(C) The
representations and warranties of the Company shall be true and correct as
of
the date when made and as of the applicable Closing Date as though made at
that
time and the Company shall have performed, satisfied and complied with the
covenants, agreements and conditions required by the Equity Line Transaction
Documents to be performed, satisfied or complied with by the Company on or
before such Closing Date. The Investor may request an update as of such Closing
Date regarding the representation contained in Section 4(C) above.
(D) The
Company shall have executed and delivered to the Investor the certificates
representing, or have executed electronic book-entry transfer of, the Securities
(in such denominations as the Investor shall request) being purchased by the
Investor at such Closing.
(E) The
Board
of Directors of the Company shall have adopted resolutions consistent with
Section 4(B)(II) above (the "Resolutions") and such Resolutions shall not have
been amended or rescinded prior to such Closing Date.
(F) Reserved
(G) No
statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall
have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by any court or governmental
authority of competent jurisdiction which prohibits the consummation of any
of
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(H) The
Registration Statement shall be effective on each Closing Date and no stop
order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration statement shall be in effect
or
to the Company's knowledge shall be pending or threatened. Furthermore, on
each
Closing Date (I) neither the Company nor the Investor shall have received notice
that the SEC has issued or intends to issue a stop order with respect to such
Registration Statement or that the SEC otherwise has suspended or withdrawn
the
effectiveness of such Registration Statement, either temporarily or permanently,
or intends or has threatened to do so (unless the SEC's concerns have been
addressed and Investor is reasonably satisfied that the SEC no longer is
considering or intends to take such action), and (II) no other suspension
of the use or withdrawal of the effectiveness of such Registration Statement
or
related prospectus shall exist.
23
(I) At
the
time of each Closing, the Registration Statement (including information or
documents incorporated by reference therein) and any amendments or supplements
thereto shall 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 or which would require public disclosure
or an
update supplement to the prospectus.
(J) If
applicable, the shareholders of the Company shall have approved the issuance
of
any Shares in excess of the Maximum Common Stock Issuance in accordance with
Section 2(H) or the Company shall have obtained appropriate approval pursuant
to
the requirements of Delaware law and the Company’s Articles of Incorporation and
By-laws.
(K) The
conditions to such Closing set forth in Section 2(E) shall have been satisfied
on or before such Closing Date.
(L) The
Company shall have certified to the Investor the number of Shares of Common
Stock outstanding when a Put Notice is given to the Investor. The Company's
delivery of a Put Notice to the Investor constitutes the Company's certification
of the existence of the necessary number of shares of Common Stock reserved
for
issuance.
SECTION
9. TERMINATION. This Agreement shall terminate upon any of the following
events:
(I) when
the
Investor has purchased an aggregate of Ten Million dollars ($10,000,000) in
the
Common Stock of the Company pursuant to this Agreement; or,
(II) on
the
date which is thirty-six (36) months after the Effective Date; or,
(III)
upon written notice of the Company to the Investor. Any and all shares, or
penalties, if any, due under this Agreement shall be immediately payable and
due
upon termination of the Line.
SECTION
10. SUSPENSION
This
Agreement shall be suspended upon any of the following events, and shall remain
suspended until such event is rectified:
(I)
the
trading of the Common Stock is suspended by the SEC, the Principal Market or
the
NASD for a period of two (2) consecutive Trading Days during the Open Period;
or,
(II)
The
Common Stock ceases to be registered under the 1934 Act or listed or traded
on
the Principal Market. Immediately upon the occurrence of one of the
above-described events, the Company shall send written notice of such event
to
the Investor.
24
SECTION
11. INDEMNIFICATION.
In
consideration of the parties mutual obligations set forth in the Transaction
Documents, each of the parties (in such capacity, an "Indemnitor") shall defend,
protect, indemnify and hold harmless the other and all of the other party's
shareholders, officers, directors, employees, counsel, and direct or indirect
investors and any of the foregoing person's agents or other representatives
(including, without limitation, those retained in connection with the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement) (collectively, the "Indemnitees")
from and against any and all actions, causes of action, suits, claims, losses,
costs, penalties, fees, liabilities and damages, and reasonable expenses in
connection therewith (irrespective of whether any such Indemnitee is a party
to
the action for which indemnification hereunder is sought), and including
reasonable attorneys' fees and disbursements (the "Indemnified Liabilities"),
incurred by any Indemnitee as a result of, or arising out of, or relating to
(I)
any misrepresentation or breach of any representation or warranty made by the
Indemnitor or any other certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby
or thereby; (II) any breach of any covenant, agreement or obligation of the
Indemnitor contained in the Equity Line Transaction Documents or any other
certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby or thereby; or (III)
any
cause of action, suit or claim brought or made against such Indemnitee by a
third party and arising out of or resulting from the execution, delivery,
performance or enforcement of the Equity Line Transaction Documents or any
other
certificate, instrument or document contemplated hereby or thereby, except
insofar as any such misrepresentation, breach or any untrue statement, alleged
untrue statement, omission or alleged omission is made in reliance upon and
in
conformity with information furnished to Indemnitor which is specifically
intended for use in the preparation of any such Registration Statement,
preliminary prospectus, prospectus or amendments to the prospectus. To the
extent that the foregoing undertaking by the Indemnitor may be unenforceable
for
any reason, the Indemnitor shall make the maximum contribution to the payment
and satisfaction of each of the Indemnified Liabilities which is permissible
under applicable law. The indemnity provisions contained herein shall be in
addition to any cause of action or similar rights Indemnitor may have, and
any
liabilities the Indemnitor or the Indemnitees may be subject to.
SECTION
12. GOVERNING LAW; DISPUTES SUBMITTED TO ARBITRATION.
All
disputes arising under this agreement shall be governed by and interpreted
in
accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard
to
principles of conflict of laws. The parties to this agreement will submit all
disputes arising under this agreement to arbitration in Boston, Massachusetts
before a single arbitrator of the American Arbitration Association
(“AAA”).
25
The
arbitrator shall be selected by application of the rules of the AAA, or by
mutual agreement of the parties, except that such arbitrator shall be an
attorney admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. No
party
to this agreement will challenge the jurisdiction or venue provisions as
provided in this section. No party to this agreement will challenge the
jurisdiction or venue provisions as provided in this section. Nothing contained
herein shall prevent the party from obtaining an injunction.
(B) LEGAL
FEES; AND MISCELLANEOUS FEES. Except as otherwise set forth in the Equity Line
Transaction Documents, each party shall pay the fees and expenses of its
advisers, counsel, the accountants and other experts, if any, and all other
expenses incurred by such party incident to the negotiation, preparation,
execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement. Any attorneys' fees
and
expenses incurred by either the Company or the Investor in connection with
the
preparation, negotiation, execution and delivery of any amendments to this
Agreement or relating to the enforcement of the rights of any party, after
the
occurrence of any breach of the terms of this Agreement by another party or
any
default by another party in respect of the transactions contemplated hereunder,
shall be paid on demand by the party which breached the Agreement and/or
defaulted, as the case may be. The Company shall pay all stamp and other taxes
and duties levied in connection with the issuance of any
Securities.
(C) COUNTERPARTS.
This Agreement may be executed in two or more identical counterparts, all of
which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective
when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other
party; provided that a facsimile signature shall be considered due execution
and
shall be binding upon the signatory thereto with the same force and effect
as if
the signature were an original signature.
(D) HEADINGS;
SINGULAR/PLURAL. The headings of this Agreement are for convenience of reference
and shall not form part of, or affect the interpretation of, this Agreement.
Whenever required by the context of this Agreement, the singular shall include
the plural and masculine shall include the feminine.
(E) SEVERABILITY.
If any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid or unenforceable in any
jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect the validity
or enforceability of the remainder of this Agreement in that jurisdiction or
the
validity or enforceability of any provision of this Agreement in any other
jurisdiction.
(F)
ENTIRE AGREEMENT; AMENDMENTS. This Agreement is the FINAL AGREEMENT between
the
Company and the Investor with respect to the terms and conditions set forth
herein, and, the terms of this Agreement may not be contradicted by evidence
of
prior, contemporaneous, or subsequent oral agreements of the Parties.
26
No
provision of this Agreement may be amended other than by an instrument in
writing signed by the Company and the Investor, and no provision hereof may
be
waived other than by an instrument in writing signed by the party against whom
enforcement is sought. The execution and delivery of the Equity Line Transaction
Documents shall not alter the force and effect of any other agreements between
the Parties, and the obligations under those agreements.
(G) NOTICES.
Any notices or other communications required or permitted to be given under
the
terms of this Agreement must be in writing and will be deemed to have been
delivered (I) upon receipt, when delivered personally; (II) upon receipt, when
sent by facsimile (provided confirmation of transmission is mechanically or
electronically generated and kept on file by the sending party); or (III) one
(1) day after deposit with a nationally recognized overnight delivery service,
in each case properly addressed to the party to receive the same. The addresses
and facsimile numbers for such communications shall be:
If
to the Company:
Voiceserve,
Inc.
Cavendish
House
000
Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxxx XX0 0XX
Telephone:
x00 000 000 0000 Facsimile:
If
to the Investor:
Dutchess
Private Equities Fund, Ltd.,
00
Xxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0
Xxxxxx,
XX 00000
Telephone:
000-000-0000
Facsimile:
000-000-0000
Each
party shall provide five (5) days prior written notice to the other party of
any
change in address or facsimile number.
(H) NO
ASSIGNMENT. This Agreement may not be assigned.
(I) NO
THIRD
PARTY BENEFICIARIES. This Agreement is intended for the benefit of the parties
hereto and is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced
by, any other person, except that the Company acknowledges that the rights
of
the Investor may be enforced by its general partner.
(J) SURVIVAL.
The representations and warranties of the Company and the Investor contained
in
Sections 2 and 3, the agreements and covenants set forth in
Sections 4 and 5, and the indemnification provisions set forth in Section 11,
shall survive each of the Closings and the termination of this
Agreement.
27
(K) PUBLICITY.
The Company and the Investor shall consult with each other in issuing any press
releases or otherwise making public statements with respect to the transactions
contemplated hereby and no party shall issue any such press release or otherwise
make any such public statement without the prior consent of the other party,
which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed, except that no
prior consent shall be required if such disclosure is required by law, in which
such case the disclosing party shall provide the other party with prior notice
of such public statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall
not
publicly disclose the name of the Investor without the prior consent of the
Investor, except to the extent required by law. The Investor acknowledges that
this Agreement and all or part of the Equity Line Transaction Documents may
be
deemed to be "material contracts" as that term is defined by Item 601(b)(10)
of
Regulation S-B, and that the Company may therefore be required to file such
documents as exhibits to reports or registration statements filed under the
1933
Act or the 1934 Act. The Investor further agrees that the status of such
documents and materials as material contracts shall be determined solely by
the
Company, in consultation with its counsel.
(L) FURTHER
ASSURANCES. Each party shall do and perform, or cause to be done and performed,
all such further acts and things, and shall execute and deliver all such other
agreements, certificates, instruments and documents, as the other party may
reasonably request in order to carry out the intent and accomplish the purposes
of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated
hereby.
(M)
PLACEMENT AGENT. If it determined by the Company or the SEC that a placement
agent is needed to complete the transaction, the Company agrees to pay a
registered broker dealer, to act as placement agent, a percentage of the Put
Amount on each draw toward the fee as outlined in the Placement Agent Agreement.
The Investor shall have no obligation with respect to any fees or with respect
to any claims made by or on behalf of other persons or entities for fees of
a
type contemplated in this Section that may be due in connection with the
transactions contemplated by the Equity Line Transaction Documents. The Company
shall indemnify and hold harmless the Investor, their employees, officers,
directors, agents, and partners, and their respective affiliates, from and
against all claims, losses, damages, costs (including the costs of preparation
and attorney's fees) and expenses incurred in respect of any such claimed or
existing fees, as such fees and expenses are incurred.
28
(O) REMEDIES.
The Investor shall have all rights and remedies set forth in this Agreement
and
the Registration Rights Agreement and all rights and remedies which such holders
have been granted at any time under any other agreement or contract and all
of
the rights which the Investor has by law. Any person having any rights under
any
provision of this Agreement shall be entitled to enforce such rights
specifically (without posting a bond or other security), to recover damages
by
reason of any default or breach of any provision of this Agreement, including
the recovery of reasonable attorneys fees and costs, and to exercise all other
rights granted by law.
(P) PAYMENT
SET ASIDE. To the extent that the Company makes a payment or payments to the
Investor hereunder or under the Registration Rights Agreement or the Investor
enforces or exercises its rights hereunder or thereunder, and such payment
or
payments or the proceeds of such enforcement or exercise or any part thereof
are
subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside,
recovered from, disgorged by or are required to be refunded, repaid or otherwise
restored to the Company, a trustee, receiver or any other person under any
law
(including, without limitation, any bankruptcy law, state or federal law, common
law or equitable cause of action), then to the extent of any such restoration
the obligation or part thereof originally intended to be satisfied shall be
revived and continued in full force and effect as if such payment had not been
made or such enforcement or setoff had not occurred.
(Q)
PRICING OF COMMON STOCK. For purposes of this Agreement, the bid price of the
Common Stock shall be as reported on Bloomberg.
SECTION
13. NON-DISCLOSURE OF NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION.
(a) The
Company shall not disclose non-public information to the Investor, its advisors,
or its representatives.
(b) Nothing
herein shall require the Company to disclose non-public information to the
Investor or its advisors or representatives, and the Company represents that
it
does not disseminate non-public information to any investors who purchase stock
in the Company in a public offering, to money managers or to securities
analysts, provided, however, that notwithstanding anything herein to the
contrary, the Company will, as hereinabove provided, immediately notify the
advisors and representatives of the Investor and, if any, underwriters, of
any
event or the existence of any circumstance (without any obligation to disclose
the specific event or circumstance) of which it becomes aware, constituting
nonpublic information (whether or not requested of the Company specifically
or generally during the course of due diligence by such persons or entities),
which, if not disclosed in the prospectus included in the Registration Statement
would cause such prospectus to include a material misstatement or to omit a
material fact required to be stated therein in order to make the statements,
therein, in light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading.
29
Nothing
contained in this Section 13 shall be construed to mean that such persons
orentities other than the Investor (without the written consent of the Investor
prior to disclosure of such information) may not obtain non-public information
in the course of conducting due diligence in accordance with the terms of this
Agreement and nothing herein shall prevent any such persons or entities from
notifying the Company of their opinion that based on such due diligence by
such
persons or entities, that the Registration Statement contains an untrue
statement of material fact or omits a material fact required to be stated in
the
Registration Statement or necessary to make the statements contained therein,
in
light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading.
ARTICLE
14 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS OF THE PARTIES.
Notwithstanding
anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the parties hereto hereby
acknowledge and agree to the following: (i) the Investor makes no
representations or covenants that it will not engage in trading in the
securities of the Company, other than the Investor will not sell short the
Company's common stock at any time during this Agreement; (ii) the Company
shall, by 8:30 a.m. Boston Time on the trading day following the date hereof,
file a current report on Form 8-K disclosing the material terms of the
transactions contemplated hereby and in the other Equity Line Transaction
Documents; (iii) the Company has not and shall not provide material non-public
information to the Investor unless prior thereto the Investor shall have
executed a written agreement regarding the confidentiality and use of such
information; and (iv) the Company understands and confirms that the Investor
will be relying on the acknowledgements set forth in clauses (i) through (iii)
above if the Investor effects any transactions in the securities of the
Company.
30
SIGNATURE
PAGE OF INVESTMENT AGREEMENT
Your
signature on this Signature Page evidences your agreement to be bound by the
terms and conditions of the Investment Agreement and the Registration Rights
Agreement as of the date first written above.
The
undersigned signatory hereby certifies that he has read and understands the
Investment Agreement, and the representations made by the undersigned in this
Investment Agreement are true and accurate, and agrees to be bound by its
terms.
DUTCHESS
PRIVATE EQUITIES FUND, LTD.
By:
_______________________
Xxxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxxx, Director
VOICESERVE,
INC.
By:
_______________________
Xxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx, President
31
LIST
OF EXHIBITS
EXHIBIT
A Registration
Rights Agreement
EXHIBIT
B Opinion
of Company's Counsel
EXHIBIT
C Put
Notice
EXHIBIT
D Put
Settlement Sheet
32
LIST
OF SCHEDULES
Schedule
4(a) Subsidiaries
33
EXHIBIT
A
34
FORM
OF
NOTICE OF EFFECTIVENESS OF REGISTRATION STATEMENT
Date:___________________________
[TRANSFER
AGENT]
Re: Voiceserve,
Inc.
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
We
are
counsel to Voiceserve, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and
have represented the Company in connection with that certain Investment
Agreement (the "Investment Agreement") entered into by and among the
Company and____________________________ (the
"Investor") pursuant to which the Company has agreed
to
issue to the Investor shares of the Company's common stock, $.001 par value
per
share (the "Common Stock") on the terms and conditions set forth in the
Investment Agreement. Pursuant to the Investment Agreement, the Company also
has
entered into a Registration Rights Agreement with the Investor (the
"Registration Rights Agreement") pursuant to which the Company agreed, among
other things, to register the Registrable Securities (as defined in the
Registration Rights Agreement), including the shares of Common Stock issued
or
issuable under the Investment Agreement under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "1933 Act"). In connection with the Company's obligations
under
the
Registration Rights Agreement, on___, 2006, the Company filed
a
Registration Statement on Form S- ___ (File No. 333-) (the "Registration
Statement") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") relating
to
the Registrable Securities which names the Investor as a selling shareholder
thereunder.
In
connection with the foregoing, we advise you that [a member of the SEC's staff
has advised us by telephone that the SEC has entered an order declaring the
Registration Statement effective] [the Registration Statement has become
effective] under the 1933 Act at [enter the time of effectiveness] on
[enter the date of effectiveness] and to the best of our knowledge, after
telephonic inquiry of a member of the SEC’s staff, no stop order suspending its
effectiveness has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose are pending
before, or threatened by, the SEC and the Registrable Securities are available
for resale under the 1933 Act pursuant to the Registration
Statement.
Very
truly yours,
[Company
Counsel]
35
Date:
RE:
Put
Notice Number ________________________
Dear
Xx.
Xxxxxxxx,
This
is
to inform you that as of today, Voiceserve, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), hereby elects to exercise its right pursuant to the Investment
Agreement to require Dutchess Private Equities Fund, Ltd. to purchase shares
of
its common stock. The Company hereby certifies that:
The
amount of this put is
$ _______________________________________ .
The
Pricing Period runs
from ______________________________________ until __________________________.
The
current number of shares issued and outstanding as of the Company
are:
The
number of shares currently available for issuance on the SB-2 for the Equity
Line are:
_____________________________________________
Regards,
_______________________________
Xxxxxxx
Bibelman, CEO Voiceserve, Inc.
36
PUT
SETTLEMENT SHEET
Date:
Dear
Mr.
Bibelman,
Pursuant
to the Put given by Voiceserve, Inc., to Dutchess Private Equities Fund, Ltd.
on ___________________200_, we are now submitting the amount of
common
shares for you to issue to Dutchess.
Please
have a certificate bearing no restrictive legend totaling
shares
issued to Dutchess Private Equities Fund, Ltd. immediately and send via DWAC
to
the following account:
XXXXXX
If
not
DWAC eligible, please send FedEx Priority Overnight to:
XXXXXX
Once
these shares are received by us, we will have the funds wired to the
Company.
Regards,
Xxxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxxx
37
DATE
|
PRICE
|
Date
of Day 1
|
Closing
Bid of Day 1
|
Date
of Day 2
|
Closing
Bid of Day 2
|
Date
of Day 3
|
Closing
Bid of Day 3
|
Date
of Day 4
|
Closing
Bid of Day 4
|
Date
of Day 5
|
Closing
Bid of Day 5
|
LOWEST
1 (ONE)
CLOSING BID IN PRICING PERIOD
_____________
PUT
AMOUNT
_____________
AMOUNT
WIRED TO
COMPANY
_____________
PURCHASE
PRICE (93)%
(NINETY-THREE PERCENT))
_____________
AMOUNT
OF SHARES
DUE
_____________
,
The
undersigned has completed this Put as of this ___th day of 200_.
VOICESERVE,
INC.
_______________________________________
Xxxxxxx
Bibelman, CEO
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
SCHEDULE
4(t) CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS
45