Page 41 of 50 Pages
EXHIBIT C
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this "Agreement"), dated as of December
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16, 1997, by and among IGEN International, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), and each of the entities whose names appear on the signature pages
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hereof. Such entities are each referred to herein as a "Purchaser" and,
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collectively, as the "Purchasers".
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The Company has agreed, on the terms and subject to the conditions set
forth in the Purchase Agreement of even date herewith (the "Purchase
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Agreement"), to issue and sell to each Purchaser shares (the "Preferred Shares")
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of the Company's Series B Convertible Preferred Stock (the "Preferred Stock").
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The Preferred Shares are convertible pursuant to the Company's Certificate of
Designation (the "Certificate") into shares (the "Conversion Shares") of the
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Company's Common Stock (the "Common Stock"). In order to induce the Purchasers
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to enter into the Purchase Agreement, the Company has agreed to provide certain
registration rights under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Securities Act"), and under applicable state securities laws. Capitalized terms
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used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the respective meanings set
forth in the Purchase Agreement.
In consideration of each Purchaser entering into the Purchase
Agreement, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and
sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:
1. DEFINITIONS.
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For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the
meanings specified:
(a) "Closing" shall have the meaning specified in the Purchase
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Agreement;
(b) "Registration Deadline" means the ninetieth (90th) day following
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Closing;
(c) "Holder" means any person owning or having the right to acquire,
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through conversion of Preferred Shares or otherwise, Registrable
Securities, including initially each Purchaser and thereafter any
permitted assignee thereof;
(d) "Register", "registered" and "registration" refer to a
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registration effected by preparing an d filing a registration
statement or statements in compliance with the Securities Act and
pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act ("Rule 415") or any
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successor rule providing for the offering of securities on a
continuous basis ("Registration Statement"), and the declaration or
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ordering of effectiveness of the Registration Statement by the
Securities and Exch ange Commission (the "Commission"); and
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(e) "Registrable Securities" means the Conversion Shares and the
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Dividend Payment Shares ( as defined in the Certificate), and any
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other shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to the terms of the
Certificate, whether as payment of a redemption price or otherwise,
and any shares of capital stock issued or issuable from time to time
(with any adjustments) in replacement of, in exchange for or otherwise
in respect of the Conversion Shares or the Dividend Payment Shares.
2. MANDATORY REGISTRATION.
----------------------
(a) On or before the forty-fifth (45th) day following Closing, the
Company shall prepare and file with the Commission a Registration Statement on
Form S-3 as a "shelf" registration statement under Rule 415 covering the resale
of at least 200% of the number of shares of Registrable Securities then issuable
on conversion of all of the Preferred Shares issued at the Closing. The
Registration Statement shall state, to the extent permitted by Rule 416 under
the Securities Act, that it also covers such indeterminate number of shares of
Common Stock as may be required to effect conversion of the Preferred Shares to
prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar events,
or by reason of changes in the Conversion Price in accordance with the terms of
the Certificate.
(b) The Company shall use its best efforts to cause the Registration
Statement to become effective as soon as practicable following the filing
thereof, but in no event later than the Registration Deadline, and shall submit
to the Commission, within five (5) business days after the Company learns that
no review of the Registration Statement will be made by the staff of the
Commission or that the staff of the Commission has no further comments on the
Registration Statement, as the case may be, a request for acceleration of the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement to a time and date not later than
forty-eight (48) hours after the submission of such request, and maintain the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement until the earlier to occur of (i)
the date on which all of the Registrable Securities have been sold pursuant to
the Registration Statement and (ii) the date on which all of the remaining
Registrable Securities (in the reasonable opinion of counsel to the Purchaser)
may be immediately sold to the public without registration and without regard to
the amount of Registrable Securities which may be sold by a Holder thereof at a
given time (the "Registration Period").
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(c) If (A) the Registration Statement is not declared effective by
the Commission on or before the Registration Deadline, (B) after the
Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission, sales of
Registrable Securities cannot be made by a Holder under the Registration
Statement for any reason not within the exclusive control of such Holder (other
than such Registrable Securities as are then freely saleable pursuant to Rule
144(k) under the Securities Act), (C) the Common Stock is not included for
quotation on the Nasdaq Stock Market ("Nasdaq") or listed on the New York Stock
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Exchange or other national securities exchange at any time after the
Registration Deadline, the Company shall pay to each Holder an amount (a
"Registration Default Payment")equal to the lesser of (x) two percent (2%) per
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month and (y) the highest rate permitted by applicable law, times the
Liquidation Preference (as defined in the Certificate) of the Preferred Shares
held by such Holder, accruing daily and compounded monthly, from the
Registration Deadline or, where the Registration Statement has become effective,
from the date on which the Registration Statement lapses or is otherwise
unavailable, or the from the date on which Common Stock is no longer so quoted
or listed, until the date on which the Registration Statement is declared
effective or becomes available for sales of Registrable Securities or the date
on which the Common Stock is included for quotation on Nasdaq or such other
national securities exchange, as the case may be; provided, however, that if the
Registration Statement is not declared effective by the Registration Deadline,
and such delay is not due to a failure by the Company to use its best efforts to
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cause the Registration Statement to become effective, including without
limitation a failure to respond promptly to comments by the Commission on the
Registration Statement, the Registration Deadline shall be extended for an
additional thirty (30) days; and provided, further, that in no event shall the
aggregate of all Registration Default Payments made by the Company hereunder
exceed three million dollars ($3,000,000). The Registration Default Payments
paid or payable by the Company hereunder shall be in addition to any other
remedies available to a Holder at law or in equity or pursuant to the terms of
the Certificate or any other Transaction Document. Registration Default Payments
shall be made within five (5) days after the end of each period that gives rise
to such obligation, provided that, if any such period extends for more than
thirty (30) days, payments shall be made at the end of each thirty-day period.
3. PIGGYBACK REGISTRATION.
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If at any time prior to the expiration of the Registration Period, (i)
the Company proposes to register shares of Common Stock under the Securities Act
in connection with the public offering of such shares for cash (other than a
registration relating solely to the sale of securities to participants in a
Company stock plan or employee stock award or a registration on Form S-4 under
the Securities Act or any successor or similar form registering stock issuable
upon a reclassification, a business combination involving an exchange of
securities or an exchange offer for securities of the issuer or another entity)
(a "Proposed Registration") and (ii) a registration statement covering the sale
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of all of the Registrable Securities is not then effective and available for
sales thereof by the Holders, the Company shall, at such time, promptly give
each Holder written notice of such Proposed Registration. Each Holder shall have
thirty (30) days from its receipt of such notice to deliver to the Company a
written request specifying the amount of Registrable Securities that such Holder
intends to sell and such Holder's intended method of distribution. Upon receipt
of such request, the Company shall use its best efforts to cause all Registrable
Securities which the Company has been requested to register to be registered
under the Securities Act to the extent necessary to permit their sale or other
disposition in accordance with the intended methods of distribution specified in
the request of such Holder; provided, however, that the Company shall have the
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right to postpone or withdraw any registration effected pursuant to this Section
3 without obligation to the Holder. If, in connection with any underwritten
public offering for the account of the Company, the managing underwriter(s)
thereof shall impose a limitation on the number of shares of Common Stock which
may be included in the Registration Statement because, in such underwriter(s)'
judgment, marketing or other factors dictate such limitation is necessary to
facilitate public distributions, then the Company shall be obligated to include
in such Registration Statement only such limited portion of the Registrable
Securities with respect to which each Holder has requested inclusion hereunder
as such underwriter(s) shall permit. Any exclusion of Registrable Securities
shall be made pro rata among the Holders seeking to include Registrable
Securities in the Registration Statement, in proportion to the number of
Registrable Securities sought to be included by such Holders; provided, however,
that the Company shall not exclude any Registrable Securities unless the Company
has first excluded all outstanding securities, the holders of which are not
entitled to inclusion of such securities in such Registration Statement or are
not entitled to pro rata inclusion with the Registrable Securities; and
provided, further, however, that, after giving effect to the immediately
preceding proviso, any exclusion of Registrable Securities shall be made pro
rata with holders of other securities having the right to include such
securities in the Registration Statement.
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4. OBLIGATIONS OF THE COMPANY.
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In addition to performing its obligations hereunder, including those
pursuant to paragraphs 2(a) and 2(b) above, the Company shall:
(a) prepare and file with the Commission such amendments and
supplements to the Registration Statement and the prospectus used in connection
with the Registration Statement as may be necessary to comply with the
provisions of the Securities Act or to maintain the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement during the Registration Period, or as may be reasonably
requested by a Holder in order to incorporate information concerning such Holder
or such Holder's intended method of distribution;
(b) in the event that the number of shares available under the
Registration Statement filed by the Company hereunder is insufficient during any
period of three consecutive trading days to cover 150% of the Registrable
Securities then issued or issuable, the Company shall promptly amend the
Registration Statement, or file a new Registration Statement, or both, so as to
cover 200% of such Registrable Securities, in any event as soon as practicable,
but not later than the tenth business day following the last day of such three
day period. Any Registration Statement filed pursuant to this Section 4 shall
state that, to the extent permitted by Rule 416 under the Securities Act, such
Registration Statement also covers such indeterminate number of additional
shares of Common Stock as may become issuable upon conversion of the Debentures.
Unless and until such amendment or new Registration Statement becomes effective,
each Holder shall have the rights described in paragraph 2(c) above;
(c) secure the designation and quotation of the Registrable
Securities on the Nasdaq Stock Market or the listing thereof on the New York
Stock Exchange or the American Stock Exchange;
(d) furnish to each Holder such number of copies of the prospectus
included in such Registration Statement, including a preliminary prospectus, in
conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act, and such other documents
as such Holder may reasonably request in order to facilitate the disposition of
such Holder's Registrable Securities;
(e) use all commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify
the Registrable Securities under the securities or "blue sky" laws of such
jurisdictions within the United States as shall be reasonably requested from
time to time by a Holder, and do any and all other acts or things which may be
necessary or advisable to enable such Holder to consummate the public sale or
other disposition of the Registrable Securities in such jurisdictions; provided
that the Company shall not be required in connection therewith or as a condition
thereto to qualify to do business or to file a general consent to service of
process in any such jurisdiction;
(f) in the event of an underwritten public offering of the
Registrable Securities pursuant to Sections 2 or 3 hereof, enter into and
perform its obligations under an underwriting agreement, in usual and customary
form reasonably acceptable to the Company, with the managing underwriter of such
offering;
(g) notify each Holder immediately upon the occurrence of any event
as a result of which the prospectus included in such Registration Statement, as
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then in effect, contains an untrue statement of material fact or omits to state
a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading in light of the circumstances then existing,
and as promptly as practicable, prepare, file and furnish to each Holder a
reasonable number of copies of a supplement or an amendment to such prospectus
as may be necessary so that such prospectus does not contain an untrue statement
of material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein
or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in light of the
circumstances then existing;
(h) use all commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of
any stop order or other order suspending the effectiveness of such Registration
Statement and, if such an order is issued, to obtain the withdrawal thereof at
the earliest possible time and to notify each Holder of the issuance of such
order and the resolution thereof;
(i) furnish to each Holder, on the date that such Registration
Statement becomes effective, (x) an opinion, dated such date, of outside counsel
representing the Company (and reasonably acceptable to such Holder) addressed to
such Holder, regarding the effectiveness of the Registration Statement and the
absence of any stop order, and (y) in the case of an underwriting pursuant to
Sections 2 or 3 hereof, (A) an opinion, dated such date, of such outside
counsel, in form and substance as is customarily given to underwriters in an
underwritten public offering, and (B) a letter, dated such date, from the
Company's independent certified public accountants, in form and substance as is
customarily given by independent certified public accountants to underwriters in
an underwritten public offering, addressed to the underwriters, if any, and to
each Holder;
(j) provide each Holder and its representatives the opportunity to
conduct a reasonable inquiry of the Company's financial and other records during
normal business hours and make available its officers, directors and employees
for questions regarding information which such Holder may reasonably request in
order to fulfill any due diligence obligation on its part; and
(k) permit counsel for each Holder (at such Holder's expense) to
review such Registration Statement and all amendments and supplements thereto a
reasonable period of time prior to the filing thereof with the Commission.
5. OBLIGATIONS OF EACH HOLDER.
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In connection with the registration of the Registrable Securities
pursuant to the Registration Statement, each Holder shall:
(a) furnish to the Company in writing such information regarding
itself and the intended method of disposition of Registrable Securities as the
Company shall reasonably request in order to effect the registration thereof;
(b) upon receipt of any notice from the Company of the happening
of any event of the kind described in paragraph 4(g) or 4(h), immediately
discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities pursuant to the Registration
Statement until the filing of the supplement or amendment referred to in
paragraph 4(g) or withdrawal of the stop order referred to in paragraph 4(h);
and
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(c) in the event of an underwritten offering of the Registrable
Securities pursuant to Sections 2 or 3 hereof, enter into a customary and
reasonable underwriting agreement and execute such other documents as the
managing underwriter for such offering may reasonably request.
6. INDEMNIFICATION.
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In the event that any Registrable Securities are included in a
Registration Statement under this Agreement:
(a) To the extent permitted by law, the Company shall indemnify and
hold harmless each Holder, the officers, directors, employees, agents and
representatives of such Holder, and each person, if any, who controls such
Holder within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act"), against any losses, claims, damages,
liabilities or reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (whether joint or several)
(collectively, including legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in
connection with investigating or defending same, "Losses"), insofar as any such
Losses arise out of or are based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement of a material fact contained in such Registration Statement, including
any preliminary prospectus or final prospectus contained therein or any
amendments or supplements thereto, or (ii) the omission or alleged omission to
state therein 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. The Company will reimburse such Holder, and each such
officer, director, employee, agent, representative or controlling person for any
legal or other expenses as reasonably incurred by any such entity or person in
connection with investigating or defending any Loss; provided, however, that the
foregoing indemnity shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any Loss if
such settlement is effected without the consent of the Company (which consent
shall not be unreasonably withheld), nor shall the Company be obligated to
indemnify any person for any Loss to the extent that such Loss arises out of or
is based upon and in conformity with written information furnished by such
person expressly for use in such Registration Statement; and provided, further,
that the Company shall not be required to indemnify any person to the extent
that any Loss results from such person selling Registrable Securities (i) to a
person to whom there was not sent or given, at or prior to the written
confirmation of the sale of such shares, a copy of the prospectus, as most
recently amended or supplemented, if the Company has previously furnished or
made available copies thereof or (ii) during any period following written notice
by the Company to such Holder of an event described in Section 4(g) or 4(h).
(b) To the extent permitted by law, each Holder, acting severally and
not jointly, shall indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the officers,
directors, employees, agents and representatives of the Company, and each
person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities
Act or the 1934 Act, against any Losses to the extent (and only to the extent)
that any such Losses arise out of or are based upon and in conformity with
written information furnished by such Holder expressly for use in such
Registration Statement; and such Holder will reimburse any legal or other
expenses as reasonably incurred by the Company and any such officer, director,
employee, agent, representative, or controlling person, in connection with
investigating or defending any such Loss; provided, however, that the foregoing
indemnity shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any such Loss if such
settlement is effected without the consent of such Holder, which consent shall
not be unreasonably withheld; provided, that, in no event shall any indemnity
under this subsection 6(b) exceed the net purchase price of securities sold by
such Holder under the Registration Statement.
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(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section
6 of notice of the commencement of any action (including any governmental
action), such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be
made against any indemnifying party under this Section 6, deliver to the
indemnifying party a written notice of the commencement thereof and the
indemnifying party shall have the right to participate in and to assume the
defense thereof with counsel mutually satisfactory to the parties; provided,
however, that an indemnified party shall have the right to retain its own
counsel, with the reasonably incurred fees and expenses of one such counsel to
be paid by the indemnifying party, if representation of such indemnified party
by the counsel retained by the indemnifying party would be inappropriate under
applicable standards of professional conduct due to actual or potential
conflicting interests between such indemnified party and any other party
represented by such counsel in such proceeding. The failure to deliver written
notice to the indemnifying party within a reasonable time of the commencement of
any such action, to the extent prejudicial to its ability to defend such action,
shall relieve such indemnifying party of any liability to the indemnified party
under this Section 6 with respect to such action, but the omission so to deliver
written notice to the indemnifying party will not relieve it of any liability
that it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 6 or
with respect to any other action.
(d) In the event that the indemnity provided in paragraph (a) or (b)
of this Section 6 is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified
party for any reason, the Company and each Holder agree, severally and not
jointly, to contribute to the aggregate Losses to which the Company or such
Holder may be subject in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the
relative fault of the Company and such Holder in connection with the statements
or omissions which resulted in such Losses; provided, however, that in no case
shall such Holder be responsible for any amount in excess of the net purchase
price of securities sold by it under the Registration Statement. Relative fault
shall be determined by reference to whether any alleged untrue statement or
omission relates to information provided by the Company or by such Holder. The
Company and each Holder agree that it would not be just and equitable if
contribution were determined by pro rata allocation or any other method of
allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred
to above. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph (d), no person guilty
of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the
Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who is not
guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 6,
each person who controls a Holder within the meaning of either the Securities
Act or the Exchange Act and each officer, director, employee, agent or
representative of such Holder shall have the same rights to contribution as such
Holder, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either
the Securities Act or the Exchange Act and each officer, director, employee,
agent or representative of the Company shall have the same rights to
contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the applicable terms and
conditions of this paragraph (d).
(e) The obligations of the Company and each Holder under this Section
6 shall survive the conversion or redemption, if any, of the Preferred Shares,
the completion of any offering of Registrable Securities pursuant to a
Registration Statement under this Agreement, or otherwise.
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7. REPORTS.
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With a view to making available to each Holder the benefits of Rule
144 under the Securities Act ("Rule 144") and any other similar rule or
regulation of the Commission that may at any time permit such Holder to sell
securities of the Company to the public without registration, the Company agrees
to:
(a) make and keep public information available, as those terms are
understood and defined in Rule 144;
(b) file with the Commission in a timely manner all reports and other
documents required of the Company under the Securities Act and the 1934 Act; and
(c) furnish to such Holder, so long as such Holder owns any
Registrable Securities, forthwith upon request (i) a written statement by the
Company, if true, that it has complied with the reporting requirements of Rule
144, the Securities Act and the 1934 Act, (ii) a copy of the most recent annual
or quarterly report of the Company and such other reports and documents so filed
by the Company, and (iii) such other information as may be reasonably requested
in availing such Holder of any rule or regulation of the Commission which
permits the selling of any such securities without registration.
8. MISCELLANEOUS.
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(a) Expenses of Registration. All expenses, other than underwriting
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discounts and commissions and fees and expenses of counsel to each Holder,
incurred in connection with the registrations, filings or qualifications
described herein, including (without limitation) all registration, filing and
qualification fees, printers' and accounting fees, the fees and disbursements of
counsel for the Company, and the fees and disbursements incurred in connection
with the opinion and letter described in paragraph 4(i) hereof, shall be borne
by the Company.
(b) Amendment; Waiver. Any provision of this Agreement may be amended
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only pursuant to a written instrument executed by the Company and
Holders of two-thirds (2/3) of the outstanding Registrable
Securities. Any waiver of the provisions of this Agreement may be
made only pursuant to a written instrument executed by the party
against whom enforcement is sought. Any amendment or waiver
effected in accordance with this paragraph shall be binding upon
each Holder, each future Holder, and the Company. The failure of
any party to exercise any right or remedy under this Agreement or
otherwise, or the delay by any party in exercising such right or
remedy, shall not operate as a waiver thereof.
(c) Notices. Any notice, demand or request required or permitted to
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be given by any party to any other party pursuant to the terms of
this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed given (i)
when delivered personally or by verifiable facsimile transmission
(with an original to follow) on or before 5:00 p.m., eastern
time, on a business day or, if such day is not a business day, on
the next succeeding business day, (ii) on the next business day
after timely delivery to a nationally-recognized overnight
courier and (iii) on the third business day after deposit in the
U.S. mail (certified or registered mail, return receipt
requested, postage prepaid), addressed to the parties as follows:
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If to the Company:
IGEN International, Inc.
00000 Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
Attn: Messrs. Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Xx. Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Fax:
with a copy to:
Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx & Xxxxxxxxx
0000 X Xxxxxx, X.X.
Xxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
Attn: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx, Esq.
Fax: 000-000-0000
and if to any Holder, to such address as shall be designated by such Holder in
writing to the Company.
(d) Termination. This Agreement shall terminate on the earlier to
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occur of (a) the end of the Registration Period and (b) the date on which all of
the Registrable Securities have been publicly distributed; but any such
termination shall be without prejudice to (i) the parties' rights and
obligations arising from breaches of this Agreement occurring prior to such
termination and (ii) the indemnification and contribution obligations under this
Agreement.
(e) Assignment. The rights of a Holder hereunder shall be assigned
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automatically to any transferee of the Preferred Shares or Registrable
Securities from such Holder as long as: (i) the Company is, within a reasonable
period of time following such transfer, furnished with written notice of the
name and address of such transferee, (ii) the transferee agrees in writing with
the Company to be bound by all of the provisions hereof and (iii) such transfer
is made in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Purchase Agreement
and the Certificate.
(f) Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more
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counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which
together shall be deemed one and the same instrument. This Agreement, once
executed by a party, may be delivered to any other party hereto by facsimile
transmission.
(g) Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed
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in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without regard to the
conflict of laws provisions thereof.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this Agreement as of
the date first-above written.
IGEN INTERNATIONAL, INC.
By: __________________________
Name:
Title:
PURCHASER NAME: ______________________________
By: _________________________
Name:
Title:
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