Registration Rights Agreement
Exhibit A
This Registration Rights Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of June __, 2013, between GenSpera, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and each of the several purchasers signatory hereto (each such purchaser, a “Purchaser” and, collectively, the “Purchasers”).
This Agreement is made pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, between the Company and each Purchaser (the “Purchase Agreement”).
The Company and each Purchaser hereby agrees as follows.
1. | Definitions. |
Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein that are defined in the Purchase Agreement shall have the meanings given such terms in the Purchase Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
“Effectiveness Date” means, with respect to the Initial Registration Statement required to be filed hereunder, the 90th calendar day following the Filing Date (or if the First Closing occurs later than June 30, 2013, or in the event of a “full review” by the Commission, the 120 days following the Filing Date) and with respect to any additional Registration Statements which may be required pursuant to Section 2(c) or Section 3(c), the 90th calendar day following the date on which an additional Registration Statement is required to be filed hereunder (or, in the event of a “full review” by the Commission, the 120th calendar day following the date such additional Registration Statement is required to be filed hereunder); provided, however, that in the event the Company is notified by the Commission that one or more of the above Registration Statements will not be reviewed or is no longer subject to further review and comments, the Effectiveness Date as to such Registration Statement shall be the seventh Trading Day following the date on which the Company is so notified if such date precedes the dates otherwise required above, provided, further, if such Effectiveness Date falls on a day that is not a Trading Day, then the Effectiveness Date shall be the next succeeding Trading Day.
“FINRA” means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.
“Filing Date” means, with respect to the Initial Registration Statement required hereunder, the 45th calendar day following the Termination Date and, with respect to any additional Registration Statements which may be required pursuant to Section 2(c) or Section 3(c), the earliest practical date on which the Company is permitted by SEC Guidance to file such additional Registration Statement related to the Registrable Securities.
“First Closing” means the initial closing of the Simultaneous Offering.
“Holder” or “Holders” means the Purchaser or the Purchaser’s assigns, but solely to the extent that the subject Registrable Securities have not been transferred, sold or assigned pursuant to the Registration Statement or in the aftermarket.
“Prospectus” means the prospectus included in a Registration Statement (including, without limitation, a prospectus that includes any information previously omitted from a prospectus filed as part of an effective registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act), as amended or supplemented by any prospectus supplement, with respect to the terms of the offering of any portion of the Registrable Securities covered by a Registration Statement, and all other amendments and supplements to the Prospectus, including post-effective amendments, and all material incorporated by reference or deemed to be incorporated by reference in such Prospectus.
“Registrable Securities” means, as of any date of determination: (a) all of the Common Stock issued in the Offering, (b) all Warrant Shares (assuming on such date the Warrants are exercised in full), (c) any securities issued or then issuable upon any stock split, dividend or other distribution, recapitalization or similar event with respect to the foregoing, and (d) any shares of Common Stock issuable as partial liquidated damages pursuant to Section 2(f) of this Agreement; provided, however, that any such Registrable Securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities (and the Company shall not be required to maintain the effectiveness of any, or file another, Registration Statement hereunder with respect thereto) for so long as (a) a Registration Statement with respect to the sale of such Registrable Securities is declared effective by the Commission under the Securities Act and such Registrable Securities have been disposed of by the Holder in accordance with such effective Registration Statement, (b) such Registrable Securities have been previously sold in accordance with Rule 144 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, or (c) such securities become eligible for resale without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions and without current public information pursuant to Rule 144 as set forth in a written opinion letter issued by counsel to the Company to such effect, addressed, delivered and acceptable to the Transfer Agent and the affected Holders (assuming that such securities and any securities issuable upon exercise, conversion or exchange of which, or as a dividend upon which, such securities were issued or are issuable, were at no time held by any Affiliate of the Company), as reasonably determined by the Company, upon the advice of counsel to the Company.
“Registration Statement” means any registration statement required to be filed hereunder pursuant to Section 2(a), including (in each case) the Prospectus, amendments and supplements to any such registration statement or Prospectus, including pre- and post-effective amendments, all exhibits thereto, and all material incorporated by reference or deemed to be incorporated by reference in any such registration statement.
“Rule 415” means Rule 415 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same purpose and effect as such Rule.
“SEC Guidance” means (i) any publicly-available written or oral guidance of the Commission staff, or any comments, requirements or requests of the Commission staff and (ii) the Securities Act.
“Termination Date” means (i) the date on which the $20 million has been raised pursuant to the Simultaneous Offering and the Purchase Agreement, or (ii) the termination of the Simultaneous Offering by the Company or the Placement Agent (the “Termination Date”).
2. | Resale Shelf Registration. |
(a) On or prior to each Filing Date, the Company shall prepare and file with the Commission a Registration Statement covering the resale of all of the Registrable Securities that are not then registered on an effective Registration Statement for an offering to be made on a continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable best efforts to cause a Registration Statement filed under this Agreement (including, without limitation, under Section 3(c)) to be declared effective under the Securities Act as promptly as possible after the filing thereof, but in any event no later than the applicable Effectiveness Date, and shall use its commercially reasonable best efforts to keep such Registration Statement continuously effective under the Securities Act until all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement (i) have been sold, thereunder or pursuant to Rule 144, or (ii) may be sold without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions pursuant to Rule 144 and without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with the current public information requirement under Rule 144, as determined by the counsel to the Company pursuant to a written opinion letter to such effect, addressed and acceptable to the Transfer Agent and the affected Holders (the “Effectiveness Period”). The Company shall file a final Prospectus with the Commission as required by Rule 424.
(b) Notwithstanding the registration obligations set forth in Section 2(a), if the Commission informs the Company that all of the Registrable Securities cannot, as a result of the application of Rule 415, be registered for resale as a secondary offering on a single registration statement, the Company agrees to promptly inform each of the Holders thereof and use its commercially reasonable efforts to file amendments to the Registration Statement as required by the Commission, covering the maximum number of Registrable Securities permitted to be registered by the Commission, on such other form available to register for resale the Registrable Securities as a secondary offering; provided, however, that prior to filing such amendment, the Company shall be obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to advocate with the Commission for the registration of all of the Registrable Securities in accordance with the SEC Guidance, including without limitation, “Compliance and Disclosure Interpretation 612.09”.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if the Commission or any SEC Guidance sets forth a limitation on the number of Registrable Securities permitted to be registered on a particular Registration Statement as a secondary offering, unless otherwise directed in writing by a Holder as to its Registrable Securities, the number of Registrable Securities to be registered on such Registration Statement will be reduced as follows: (i) first, the Company shall reduce or eliminate any securities to be included by any Person other than a Holder or the warrant shares set forth on Schedule 2(c) attached hereto; (ii) second, the Company shall reduce Registrable Securities represented by Warrant Shares and any warrant shares included on Schedule 2(c) (applied, in the case that if some Warrant Shares and warrant shares set forth on Schedule 2(c) may be registered, to the Holders and such other holders on a pro rata basis based on the total number of unregistered Warrant Shares issuable to such Holders and warrant shares issuable to the other holders); and (iii) third, the Company shall reduce Registrable Securities represented by shares of Common Stock issued in the Offering (applied, in the case that if some of such shares of Common Stock may be registered, to the Holders on a pro rata basis based on the total number of unregistered shares held by such Holders).
(d) In the event the Company amends the Registration Statement in accordance with the foregoing, the Holder shall be entitled to the rights set forth in Section 6(d) of this Agreement with respect to those Registrable Securities that were not registered for resale on the Registration Statement, as amended.
(e) Each Holder agrees to furnish to the Company a completed questionnaire in the form attached to this Agreement as Exhibit A (the “Selling Stockholder Questionnaire”) concurrently with the Holder’s subscription for the Registrable Securities.
(a) (i) Prepare and file with the Commission such amendments, including post-effective amendments, to a Registration Statement and the Prospectus used in connection therewith as may be necessary to keep a Registration Statement continuously effective as to the applicable Registrable Securities for the Effectiveness Period, (ii) cause the related Prospectus to be amended or supplemented by any required Prospectus supplement (subject to the terms of this Agreement), and, as so supplemented or amended, to be filed pursuant to Rule 424, (iii) respond as promptly as reasonably possible to any comments received from the Commission with respect to a Registration Statement or any amendment thereto, and (iv) comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) with respect to the disposition of all Registrable Securities covered by a Registration Statement during the applicable period in accordance (subject to the terms of this Agreement) with the intended methods of disposition by the Holders thereof set forth in such Registration Statement as so amended or in such Prospectus as so supplemented.
(b) Notify the Placement Agent as promptly as reasonably possible (i) when the Registration Statement has become effective, (ii) of any request by the Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority for amendments or supplements to a Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional information, (iii) of the issuance by the Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of a Registration Statement covering any or all of the Registrable Securities or the initiation of any governmental action, litigation, hearing or other proceeding (“Proceedings”) for that purpose, and (iv) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction, or the initiation or threatening of any Proceeding for such purpose.
(c) Use its commercially reasonable best efforts to avoid the issuance of, or, if issued, obtain the withdrawal of (i) any order stopping or suspending the effectiveness of a Registration Statement, or (ii) any suspension of the qualification (or exemption from qualification) of any of the Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction, at the earliest practicable moment.
(d) Subject to the terms of this Agreement and applicable law, consent to the use of such Prospectus and each amendment or supplement thereto by each of the selling Holders in connection with the offering and sale of the Registrable Securities covered by such Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto.
(e) Prior to any resale of Registrable Securities by a Holder, use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify or cooperate with the selling Holders in connection with the registration or qualification (or exemption from the Registration or qualification) of such Registrable Securities for the resale by the Holder under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions within the United States as any Holder reasonably requests in writing, to keep each registration or qualification (or exemption therefrom) effective during the Effectiveness Period and to do any and all other acts or things reasonably necessary to enable the disposition in such jurisdictions of the Registrable Securities covered by each Registration Statement; provided, that, the Company shall not be required to qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not then so qualified, subject the Company to any material tax in any such jurisdiction where it is not then so subject or file a general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction.
(f) If requested by a Holder, cooperate with such Holder to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of certificates representing Registrable Securities to be delivered to a transferee pursuant to a Registration Statement, which certificates shall be free, to the extent permitted by the Purchase Agreement, of all restrictive legends, and to enable such Registrable Securities to be in such denominations and registered in such names as any such Holder may request.
(g) Comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the Commission.
(ii) An Indemnified Party shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such Proceeding and to participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Party or Parties unless: (1) the Indemnifying Party has agreed in writing to pay such fees and expenses, (2) the Indemnifying Party shall have failed promptly to assume the defense of such Proceeding and to employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Party in any such Proceeding, or (3) the named parties to any such Proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both such Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party, and counsel to the Indemnified Party shall reasonably believe that a material conflict of interest is likely to exist if the same counsel were to represent such Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party (in which case, if such Indemnified Party notifies the Indemnifying Party in writing that it elects to employ separate counsel at the expense of the Indemnifying Party, the Indemnifying Party shall not have the right to assume the defense thereof and the reasonable fees and expenses of no more than one separate counsel shall be at the expense of the Indemnifying Party). The Indemnifying Party shall not be liable for any settlement of any such Proceeding effected without its written consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. No Indemnifying Party shall, without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Party, effect any settlement of any pending Proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Party is a party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such Proceeding.
(iii) Subject to the terms of this Agreement, all reasonable fees and expenses of the Indemnified Party (including reasonable fees and expenses to the extent incurred in connection with investigating or preparing to defend such Proceeding in a manner not inconsistent with this Section) shall be paid to the Indemnified Party, as incurred, within ten Business Days of written notice thereof to the Indemnifying Party, provided that the Indemnified Party shall promptly reimburse the Indemnifying Party for that portion of such fees and expenses applicable to such actions for which such Indemnified Party is finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction (which determination is not subject to appeal or further review) not to be entitled to indemnification hereunder.
(ii) The parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 5(d) were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to in the immediately preceding paragraph. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5(d), no Holder shall be required to contribute pursuant to this Section 5(d), in the aggregate, any amount in excess of the amount by which the net proceeds actually received by such Holder from the sale of the Registrable Securities subject to the Proceeding exceeds the amount of any damages that such Holder has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.
(iii) The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in this Section are in addition to any liability that the Indemnifying Parties may have to the Indemnified Parties.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Registration Rights Agreement as of the date first written above.
genspera, inc. | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
[SIGNATURE PAGE OF HOLDERS FOLLOWS]
[SIGNATURE PAGE OF HOLDERS TO GNSZ RRA]
Name of Holder: __________________________________
Signature of Authorized Signatory of Holder: ____________________________
Name of Authorized Signatory: ___________________________
Title of Authorized Signatory: ____________________________
[SIGNATURE PAGES CONTINUE]
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Exhibit A
genspera, inc.
Selling Stockholder Notice and Questionnaire
The undersigned beneficial owner of common stock (the “Registrable Securities”) of GenSpera, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), understands that the Company has filed or intends to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement (the “Registration Statement”) for the registration and resale under Rule 415 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), of the Registrable Securities, in accordance with the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) to which this document is annexed. A copy of the Registration Rights Agreement is available from the Company upon request at the address set forth below. All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed thereto in the Registration Rights Agreement.
Certain legal consequences arise from being named as a selling stockholder in the Registration Statement and the related prospectus. Accordingly, holders and beneficial owners of Registrable Securities are advised to consult their own securities law counsel regarding the consequences of being named or not being named as a selling stockholder in the Registration Statement and the related prospectus.
The undersigned beneficial owner (the “Selling Stockholder”) of Registrable Securities hereby elects to include the Registrable Securities owned by it in the Registration Statement.
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The undersigned hereby provides the following information to the Company and represents and warrants that such information is accurate:
QUESTIONNAIRE
1. | Name. |
(a) | Full Legal Name of Selling Stockholder | |
(b) | Full Legal Name of Registered Holder (if not the same as (a) above) through which Registrable Securities are held: | |
(c) | Full Legal Name of Natural Control Person (which means a natural person who directly or indirectly alone or with others has power to vote or dispose of the securities covered by this Questionnaire): | |
2. Address for Notices to Selling Stockholder:
Telephone: |
Fax: |
Contact Person: |
(a) | Are you a broker-dealer? |
Yes ¨ No ¨
(b) | If “yes” to Section 3(a), did you receive your Registrable Securities as compensation for investment banking services to the Company? |
Yes ¨ No £
Note: | If “no” to Section 3(b), the Commission’s staff has indicated that you should be identified as an underwriter in the Registration Statement. |
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(c) | Are you an affiliate of a broker-dealer? |
Yes ¨ No £
(d) | If you are an affiliate of a broker-dealer, do you certify that you purchased the Registrable Securities in the ordinary course of business, and at the time of the purchase of the Registrable Securities to be resold, you had no agreements or understandings, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute the Registrable Securities? |
Yes ¨ No ¨
Note: | If “no” to Section 3(d), the Commission’s staff has indicated that you should be identified as an underwriter in the Registration Statement. |
4. Beneficial Ownership of Securities of the Company Owned by the Selling Stockholder.
Except as set forth below in this Item 4, the undersigned is not the beneficial or registered owner of any securities of the Company other than the securities issuable pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.
(a) | Type and Amount of other securities beneficially owned by the Selling Stockholder: |
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5. Relationships with the Company:
Except as set forth below, neither the undersigned nor any of its affiliates, officers, directors or principal equity holders (owners of 5% of more of the equity securities of the undersigned) has held any position or office or has had any other material relationship with the Company (or its predecessors or affiliates) during the past three years.
State any exceptions here:
The undersigned agrees to promptly notify the Company of any inaccuracies or changes in the information provided herein that may occur subsequent to the date hereof at any time while the Registration Statement remains effective.
By signing below, the undersigned consents to the disclosure of the information contained herein in its answers to Items 1 through 5 and the inclusion of such information in the Registration Statement and the related prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto. The undersigned understands that such information will be relied upon by the Company in connection with the preparation or amendment of the Registration Statement and the related prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto.
Date: | Beneficial Owner: |
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
PLEASE FAX A COPY (OR EMAIL A .PDF COPY) OF THE COMPLETED AND EXECUTED NOTICE AND QUESTIONNAIRE, AND RETURN THE ORIGINAL BY OVERNIGHT MAIL, TO:
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