WARRANT AGENCY AGREEMENT
Exhibit 4.4
WARRANT AGENCY AGREEMENT, dated as of [●], 2023 (“Agreement”), by and between Fresh Vine Wine, Inc., a Nevada corporation having its principal office at 00000 Xxxxxxx Xxxx. #0000, Xxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000 (the “Company”), and Computershare Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Computershare”), and its affiliate Computershare Trust Company, N.A., a federally chartered trust company (“Trust Company”, and together with Computershare, the “Warrant Agent”), each having a principal office and place of business at 000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxx 00000.
WHEREAS, the Company is engaged in a public rights offering (the “Offering”) pursuant to which the Company has distributed, at no charge, non-transferable subscription rights to purchase units (the “Units”) to each of the Company’s holders of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”);
WHEREAS, the Units consist of shares of Common Stock and warrants (collectively, the “Warrants”) to purchase shares of Common Stock, and the Company wishes to issue the Warrants in book entry form entitling the respective holders of the Warrants to purchase an aggregate of up to [●] shares of Common Stock upon the terms and subject to the conditions hereinafter set forth;
WHEREAS, the Common Stock and Warrants to be issued in connection with the Offering will be immediately separable and will be issued separately, but will be purchased together in the Offering;
WHEREAS, the Offering is being made pursuant to an effective registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-269082) (the “Registration Statement”); and
WHEREAS, the Company wishes the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing so to act, in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, exercise and replacement of the Warrants and, in the Warrant Agent’s capacity as the Company’s transfer agent, the delivery of the Warrant Shares (as defined below).
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual agreements herein set forth, the parties hereby agree as follows:
Section 1. Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings indicated:
“Business Day” means any day except any Saturday, any Sunday, any day which is a federal legal holiday in the United States or any day on which banking institutions in the State of New York are authorized or required by law or other governmental action to close.
“Close of Business” on any given date means 5:00 p.m., prevailing Eastern time, on such date; provided, however, that if such date is not a Business Day it means 5:00 p.m., prevailing Eastern time, on the next succeeding Business Day.
“Person” means an individual, corporation, association, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, unincorporated organization, government or political subdivision thereof or governmental agency or other entity.
“Warrant Certificate” means a certificate issued to a Holder (as defined below), representing such number of Warrant Shares as is indicated therein in the form of Exhibit 1 to this Agreement.
“Warrant Shares” means the shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants and issuable upon exercise of the Warrants.
All other capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning ascribed to such terms in the Warrant.
Section 2. Appointment of Warrant Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company in accordance with the express terms and conditions hereof (and no implied terms and conditions), and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment.
Section 3. Global Warrants.
(a) The Warrants shall be initially issuable in book-entry form. Unless otherwise instructed by the Company, all of the Warrants shall initially be represented by one or more book-entry form Warrants (the “Global Warrants”) deposited with the Warrant Agent and registered in the name of Cede & Co., a nominee of The Depository Trust Company (the “Depositary”), or as otherwise directed by the Depositary. Ownership of beneficial interests in the Warrants shall be shown on, and the transfer of such ownership shall be effected through, records maintained by (i) the Depositary or its nominee for each Global Warrant or (ii) institutions that have accounts with the Depositary (such institution, with respect to a Warrant in its account, a “Participant”).
(b) If the Depositary subsequently ceases to make its book-entry settlement system available for the Warrants, the Company may instruct the Warrant Agent in writing regarding other arrangements for book-entry settlement. In the event that the Warrants are not eligible for, or it is no longer necessary to have the Warrants available in, book-entry form, the Warrant Agent shall provide written instructions to the Depositary to deliver to the Warrant Agent for cancellation each Global Warrant, and the Company shall instruct the Warrant Agent in writing to deliver to each Holder a Warrant Certificate.
(c) A Holder has the right to elect at any time or from time to time a Warrant Exchange (as defined below) pursuant to a Warrant Certificate Request Notice (as defined below). Upon written notice by a Holder to the Warrant Agent for the exchange of some or all of such Holder’s Global Warrants for a Warrant Certificate evidencing the same number of Warrants, which request shall be in the form attached hereto as Annex A (a “Warrant Certificate Request Notice” and the date of delivery of such Warrant Certificate Request Notice by the Holder, the “Warrant Certificate Request Notice Date” and the deemed surrender upon delivery by the Holder of a number of Global Warrants for the same number of Warrants evidenced by a Warrant Certificate, a “Warrant Exchange”), the Warrant Agent shall promptly effect the Warrant Exchange and shall promptly issue and deliver to the Holder a Warrant Certificate for such number of Warrants in the name set forth in the Warrant Certificate Request Notice. Such Warrant Certificate shall be dated the original issue date of the Warrants and shall be executed by an authorized signatory of the Company. In connection with a Warrant Exchange, the Company agrees to deliver, or to direct the Warrant Agent to deliver, the Warrant Certificate to the Holder within three (3) Business Days of the Warrant Certificate Request Notice pursuant to the delivery instructions in the Warrant Certificate Request Notice (“Warrant Certificate Delivery Date”). The Company covenants and agrees that, upon the date of delivery of the Warrant Certificate Request Notice, the Holder shall be deemed to be the holder of the Warrant Certificate and, notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, the Warrant Certificate shall be deemed for all purposes to contain all of the terms and conditions of the Warrants evidenced by such Warrant Certificate and the terms of this Agreement (other than Section 3(c), which shall not apply to the Warrants evidenced by a Warrant Certificate).
Section 4. Form of Warrant. The Warrants, together with the form of election to purchase Common Stock (the “Exercise Notice”) and the form of assignment to be printed on the reverse thereof, whether a Warrant Certificate or a Global Warrant, shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit 1 hereto.
Section 5. Countersignature and Registration. The Warrant Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Company by its Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary or other principal officer of the Company, either manually or by facsimile or electronic signature. The Warrant Certificates shall be countersigned by the Warrant Agent either manually or by facsimile or electronic signature and shall not be valid for any purpose unless so countersigned. In case any officer of the Company who shall have signed a Warrant Certificate shall cease to be such officer of the Company before countersignature by the Warrant Agent and issuance and delivery by the Company, such Warrant Certificate, nevertheless, may be countersigned by the Warrant Agent, issued and delivered with the same force and effect as though the person who signed such Warrant Certificate had not ceased to be such officer of the Company; and any Warrant Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Company by any person who, at the actual date of the execution of such Warrant Certificate, shall be a proper officer of the Company to sign such Warrant Certificate, although at the date of the execution of this Agreement any such person was not such an officer.
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The Warrant Agent will keep or cause to be kept, at one of its offices, or at the office of one of its agents, books for registration of original issuance and the registration of transfer of the Warrants issued hereunder (the “Warrant Register”). Such books shall show the names and addresses of the respective holders of the Warrants (the “Holders” which term shall include transferees, successors and assignees under the terms hereunder and, if the Warrants are held in “street name,” a Participant), the number of Warrant Shares evidenced by each Global Warrant or on the face of each Warrant Certificate and the date of each of such Warrant Certificate or Global Warrant. Any Person in whose name ownership of a beneficial interest in the Warrants evidenced by a Global Warrant is recorded in the records maintained by the Depository or its nominee shall be deemed the “beneficial owner” thereof, provided that all such beneficial interests shall be held through a Participant, which shall be the registered holder of such Warrants.
Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Warrant Certificate, the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the Person in whose name that Warrant shall be registered on the Warrant Register as the absolute owner of such Warrant for purposes of any exercise thereof, and for all other purposes. The Warrant Agent shall not be affected by any notice to the contrary. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein shall prevent the Warrant Agent or any agent of the Warrant Agent from giving effect to any written certification, proxy or other authorization furnished by the Depository governing the exercise of the rights of a holder of a beneficial interest in any Warrant. The rights of beneficial owners in a Warrant evidenced by the Global Warrant shall be exercised by the Holder or a Participant through the Depository’s system, except to the extent expressly set forth herein.
Section 6. Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange of Warrant Certificates; Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Warrant Certificates. Subject to the provisions of the Warrant and the last sentence of this first paragraph of Section 6 and subject to applicable law, rules or regulations, or any “stop transfer” instructions the Company may give to the Warrant Agent in writing, at any time after the closing date of the Offering, and at or prior to the Close of Business on the Termination Date, any Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates may be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged for another Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates, entitling the Holder to purchase a like number of shares of Common Stock as the Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates surrendered then entitled such Holder to purchase. Any Holder desiring to transfer, split up, combine or exchange any Warrant Certificate shall make such request in writing delivered to the Warrant Agent, and shall surrender the Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates, together with the required form of assignment and certificate duly executed and properly completed and such other documentation as the Warrant Agent may reasonably request, to be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged at the office of the Warrant Agent designated for such purposes. Any requested transfer of Warrants represented by a Warrant Certificate, shall be accompanied by reasonable evidence of authority of the party making such request that may be required by the Warrant Agent including but not limited to, the signature guarantee of a guarantor institution which is a participant in a signature guarantee program approved by the Securities Transfer Association, and any other reasonable evidence of authority that may be required by the Warrant Agent. Thereupon the Warrant Agent shall, subject to the last sentence of this first paragraph of Section 6, countersign and deliver to the Person entitled thereto any Warrant Certificate as so requested. The Company may require payment from the Holder of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with any transfer, split up, combination or exchange of Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall not have any duty or obligation to take any action under any section of this Agreement that requires the payment of taxes and/or charges unless and until it is satisfied that all such payments have been made.
Upon receipt by the Warrant Agent of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of a Warrant Certificate, which evidence shall include an affidavit of loss, or in the case of mutilated certificates, the certificate or portion thereof remaining, and, in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security in customary form and amount which shall include posting of an open penalty surety bond by or on behalf of the Holder satisfactory to the to the Warrant Agent and holding it and Company harmless, and satisfaction of any other reasonable requirements established by Section 8-405 of the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in the State of Nevada, and reimbursement to the Company and the Warrant Agent of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto, and upon surrender to the Warrant Agent and cancellation of the Warrant Certificate if mutilated, absent notice to Warrant Agent that such certificates have been acquired by a bona fide purchaser, the Company will make and deliver a new Warrant Certificate of like tenor to the Warrant Agent for delivery to the Holder in lieu of the Warrant Certificate so lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated.
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Section 7. Exercise of Warrants; Exercise Price; Termination Date.
(a) The Warrants shall be exercisable commencing on the Initial Exercise Date. The Warrants shall cease to be exercisable and shall terminate and become void, and all rights thereunder and under this Agreement shall cease, at or prior to the Close of Business on the Termination Date. Subject to the foregoing and to Section 7(b) below, the Holder of a Warrant may exercise the Warrant in whole or in part upon providing the items required by Section 7(c) below to the Warrant Agent at the office of the Warrant Agent designated for such purposes or to the office of one of its agents as may be designated by the Warrant Agent from time to time. In the case of the Holder of a Warrant Certificate, the Holder shall deliver the duly executed Exercise Notice and payment of the Exercise Price pursuant to Section 2(a) of the Warrant. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement, a holder whose interest in a Global Warrant is a beneficial interest in a Global Warrant held in book-entry form through the Depositary (or another established clearing corporation performing similar functions and subject to registration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), shall effect exercises by delivering to the Depositary (or such other clearing corporation, as applicable) the appropriate instruction form for exercise, complying with the procedures to effect exercise that are required by the Depositary (or such other clearing corporation, as applicable).
(b) Upon receipt of an Exercise Notice for a cashless exercise pursuant to Section 2(c) of the Warrant (each, a “Cashless Exercise”), the Warrant Agent will promptly notify the Company and the Company will promptly calculate and transmit to the Warrant Agent, and the Warrant Agent shall have no obligation under this Agreement to calculate, the number of Warrant Shares issuable in connection with such Cashless Exercise and deliver a copy of the Exercise Notice to the Warrant Agent, which shall issue such number of Warrant Shares in connection with such Cashless Exercise. The Warrant Agent shall have no duty or obligation to investigate or confirm whether the Company’s determination of the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued on such exercise, pursuant to this Section 7(b), is accurate or correct.
(c) Upon the exercise of the Warrant Certificate pursuant to the terms of Section 2 of the Warrant Certificate, accompanied by such other documentation as the Warrant Agent may reasonably request, the Warrant Agent shall use reasonable commercial efforts to cause the Warrant Shares underlying such Warrant Certificate or Global Warrant to be delivered to or upon the order of the Holder of such Warrant Certificate or Global Warrant, registered in such name or names as may be designated by such Holder, no later than the Warrant Share Delivery Date (as such term is defined in the Warrant Certificate). If the Company is then a participant in the DWAC system of the Depositary and either (A) there is an effective registration statement permitting the issuance of the Warrant Shares to or resale of the Warrant Shares by Holder or (B) the Warrant is being exercised via Cashless Exercise, then the certificates for Warrant Shares shall be transmitted by the Warrant Agent to the Holder by crediting the account of the Holder’s broker with the Depositary through its DWAC system. Notwithstanding anything else to the contrary in this Agreement, except in the case of a Cashless Exercise, if any Holder fails to duly deliver payment to the Warrant Agent of an amount equal to the aggregate Exercise Price of the Warrant Shares to be purchased upon exercise of such Holder’s Warrant as set forth in Section 7(a) hereof by the Warrant Share Delivery Date, the Warrant Agent will not obligated to deliver such Warrant Shares (via DWAC or otherwise) until following receipt of such payment, and the applicable Warrant Share Delivery Date shall be deemed extended by one day for each day (or part thereof) until such payment is delivered to the Warrant Agent. For purposes of clarity, the Company and Warrant Agent acknowledge and agree that, with respect to the terms of the Warrants, the Warrant Certificate or Global Warrant shall set forth the terms of the Warrants and, in the event of any conflict between the Warrant Certificate or the Global Warrant and this Agreement, the Warrant Certificate or the Global Warrant shall control; provided, however, that the express terms of this Agreement shall control and supersede any provision in a Warrant Certificate or a Global Warrant concerning the rights, duties, obligations, protections, immunities and liability of the Warrant Agent.
(d) The Warrant Agent shall forward funds received for Warrant exercises as soon as practicable after such funds are received, but in no event later than the 5th Business Day of the month following the month in which such funds are received, by wire transfer to an account designated by the Company to the Warrant Agent. All funds received by Computershare under this Agreement that are to be distributed or applied by Computershare in the performance of Services (the “Funds”) shall be held by Computershare as agent for the Company and deposited in one or more bank accounts to be maintained by Computershare in its name as agent for the Company. Until paid pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, Computershare will hold the Funds through such accounts in deposit accounts of commercial banks with Tier 1 capital exceeding $1 billion or with an average rating above investment grade by S&P (LT Local Issuer Credit Rating), Xxxxx’x (Long Term Rating) and Fitch Ratings, Inc. (LT Issuer Default Rating) (each as reported by Bloomberg Finance L.P.). The Warrant Agent shall have no responsibility or liability for any diminution of the Funds that may result from any deposit made by Computershare in accordance with this paragraph, including any losses resulting from a default by any bank, financial institution or other third party. Computershare may from time to time receive interest, dividends or other earnings in connection with such deposits. Computershare shall not be obligated to pay such interest, dividends or earnings to the Company, any holder or any other party.
(e) In case the Holder of any Warrant Certificate exercises fewer than all Warrants evidenced thereby and surrenders such Warrant Certificate in connection with such partial exercise, a new Warrant Certificate evidencing the number of Warrant Shares equivalent to the number of Warrant Shares remaining unexercised may be issued by the Warrant Agent to the Holder of such Warrant Certificate or to his duly authorized assigns in accordance with Section 2(d)(ii) of the Warrant, subject to the provisions of Section 6 hereof.
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(f) Cost Basis Information.
(1) In the event of a cash exercise of the Warrants, the Company hereby instructs the Warrant Agent to record cost basis for newly issued Warrant Shares to be equal to the Exercise Price.
(2) In the event of a Cashless Exercise, the Company shall provide cost basis for Warrant Shares issued pursuant to a cashless exercise at the time the Company confirms the number of Warrant Shares issuable in connection with the cashless exercise to the Warrant Agent pursuant to Section 7(b) hereof.
Section 8. Cancellation and Destruction of Warrant Certificates. All Warrant Certificates surrendered for the purpose of exercise, transfer, split up, combination or exchange shall, if surrendered to the Company or to any of its agents, be delivered to the Warrant Agent for cancellation or in canceled form, or, if surrendered to the Warrant Agent, shall be canceled by it, and no Warrant Certificates shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly permitted by any of the provisions of this Agreement or the Warrants. The Company shall deliver to the Warrant Agent for cancellation and retirement, and the Warrant Agent shall so cancel and retire, any other Warrant Certificate purchased or acquired by the Company otherwise than upon the exercise thereof. At the expense of the Company, the Warrant Agent shall deliver all canceled Warrant Certificates to the Company, or shall, at the written request of the Company, destroy such canceled Warrant Certificates, and in such case shall deliver a certificate of destruction thereof to the Company, subject to any applicable law, rule or regulation requiring the Warrant Agent to retain such canceled certificates.
Section 9. Certain Representations of the Company.
(a) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery hereof by the Warrant Agent, constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, and the Warrants have been duly authorized, executed and issued by the Company and, assuming due registration thereof by the Warrant Agent pursuant hereto and payment therefor by the Holders as provided in the Registration Statement, constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms and entitled to the benefits thereof; in each case except as enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally or by general equitable principles (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
(b) The Company covenants and agrees that it will cause to be reserved and kept available out of its authorized and unissued shares of Common Stock or, if applicable, its authorized and issued shares of Common Stock held in its treasury, free from preemptive rights, the number of shares of Common Stock that will be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants.
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(c) The Company shall provide an opinion of counsel prior to the effective date of this Agreement to set up a reserve of Warrants and related Warrant Shares. The opinion shall state that all Warrants or Warrant Shares, or the transactions in which they are being issued, as applicable, are: (i) registered, or are subject to a valid exemption from registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”) and all appropriate state securities law filings have been made with respect to the warrants or shares, or, alternatively, that the Warrants or the Warrant Shares are “covered securities” under Section 18 of the 1933 Act; and (ii) validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
Section 10. Common Stock Record Date. Each Holder shall be deemed to have become the holder of record for the Warrant Shares pursuant to Section 2(d)(i) of the Warrants.
Section 11. Adjustment of Exercise Price, Number of Shares of Common Stock or Number of the Company Warrants. The Exercise Price, the number of shares covered by each Warrant and the number of Warrants outstanding are subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in Section 3 of the Warrant (“Adjustment Events”). In the event that at any time, as a result of an adjustment made pursuant to Section 3 of the Warrant, the Holder of any Warrant thereafter exercised shall become entitled to receive any shares of capital stock of the Company other than shares of Common Stock, thereafter the number of such other shares so receivable upon exercise of any Warrant shall be subject to adjustment from time to time in a manner and on terms as nearly equivalent as practicable to the provisions with respect to the shares contained in Section 3 of the Warrant, and the provisions of Sections 7, 9 and 13 of this Agreement with respect to the shares of Common Stock shall apply on like terms to any such other shares. All Warrants originally issued by the Company subsequent to any adjustment made to the Exercise Price pursuant to the Warrant shall evidence the right to purchase, at the adjusted Exercise Price, the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable from time to time hereunder upon exercise of the Warrants, all subject to further adjustment as provided herein. The Company hereby agrees that it will provide the Warrant Agent with reasonable notice of Adjustment Events.
Section 12. Certification of Adjusted Exercise Price or Number of Shares of Common Stock. Whenever the Exercise Price or the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of each Warrant is adjusted as provided in Section 11 or 13, the Company shall (a) promptly prepare a certificate setting forth the Exercise Price of each Warrant as so adjusted, and a brief, detailed statement of the facts accounting for such adjustment, and (b) promptly file with the Warrant Agent and with each transfer agent for the Common Stock a copy of such certificate. The Company may instruct the Warrant Agent to send a notice including such brief, detailed statement of the facts accounting for the adjustment and a brief summary of any new or amended exercise terms to each Holder of a Warrant. If the Company requests the Warrant Agent to send such notices, it shall provide the Warrant Agent with a draft notice to be used for this purpose. The Warrant Agent shall be fully protected in relying on any such certificate and on any adjustment or statement therein contained and shall have no duty or liability with respect to, and shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any such adjustment or any such event unless and until it shall have received such certificate.
Section 13. Fractional Shares of Common Stock.
(a) The Company shall not issue Warrants representing fractional shares or distribute a Global Warrant or Warrant Certificate that evidences fractional shares. Whenever any Warrant representing fractional shares would otherwise be required to be issued or distributed, the actual issuance or distribution shall reflect a rounding of such fraction in accordance with Section 2(d)(iv) of the Warrant.
(b) The Company shall not issue fractions of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of Warrants or distribute stock certificates that evidence fractional shares of Common Stock. Whenever any fraction of a share of Common Stock would otherwise be required to be issued or distributed, the actual issuance or distribution in respect thereof shall be made in accordance with Section 2(d)(iv) of the Warrant.
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Section 14. Conditions of the Warrant Agent’s Obligations. The Warrant Agent accepts its obligations herein set forth upon the express terms and conditions hereof, including the following to all of which the Company agrees and to all of which the rights hereunder of the Holders from time to time of the Warrant shall be subject:
(a) Compensation and Indemnification. The Company agrees promptly to pay the Warrant Agent the compensation in accordance with a fee schedule to be mutually agreed upon for all services rendered by the Warrant Agent and to reimburse the Warrant Agent for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable counsel fees) incurred in the preparation, delivery, negotiation, amendment, administration and execution of this Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties hereunder. The Company covenants and agrees to indemnify and to hold the Warrant Agent harmless against, any and all loss, liability, damage, judgment, fine, penalty, claim, demand, settlement, cost or expense (including, without limitation, the reasonable fees and expenses of legal counsel) that may be paid, incurred or suffered by it, or which it may become subject, without gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct on the part of the Warrant Agent (which gross negligence, bad faith, or willful misconduct must be determined by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction), for any action taken, suffered, or omitted to be taken by the Warrant Agent in connection with the exercise and performance of its duties under this Agreement, including the costs and expenses of defending against any claim of liability arising therefrom, directly or indirectly, or enforcing its rights hereunder. Provided the Warrant Agent has performed its duties as soon as commercially practicable, the Warrant Agent shall not be liable for the Company’s failure to timely deliver Warrant Shares pursuant to the terms of the Warrants, nor shall the Warrant Agent be liable for any liquidated damages or any other damages associated therewith. Neither party to this Agreement shall be liable to the other party for any consequential, indirect, special or incidental damages under any provisions of this Agreement or for any consequential, indirect, punitive, special or incidental damages arising out of any act or failure to act hereunder even if that party has been advised of or has foreseen the possibility of such damages Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, the Warrant Agent’s aggregate xxxxxxxxx during any term of this Agreement with respect to, arising from, or arising in connection with this Agreement, or from all services provided or omitted to be provided under this Agreement, whether in contract, or in tort, or otherwise, is limited to, and shall not exceed, the amounts paid hereunder by the Company to Warrant Agent as fees and charges, but not including reimbursable expenses, during the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event for which recovery from Warrant Agent is being sought. This paragraph shall survive the exercise or expiration of the Warrants, the termination of this Agreement and the resignation, replacement or removal of the Warrant Agent.
(b) Agent for the Company. In acting under this Agreement and in connection with the Warrant Certificates, the Warrant Agent is acting solely as agent of the Company and does not assume any obligations or relationship of agency or trust for or with any of the Holders of Warrant Certificates or beneficial owners of Warrants.
(c) Counsel. The Warrant Agent may consult with counsel satisfactory to it, which may include counsel for the Company, and the advice or opinion of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection to the Warrant Agent, and the Warrant Agent shall have no liability for or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in the absence of bad faith and in accordance with the advice or opinion of such counsel.
(d) Documents. The Warrant Agent shall be protected and shall incur no liability for or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it in reliance upon any Warrant Certificate, notice, direction, consent, certificate, affidavit, statement or other paper or document reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to have been presented or signed by the proper parties.
(e) Certain Transactions. The Warrant Agent, and its officers, directors and employees, may become the owner of, or acquire any interest in, the Warrants, with the same rights that it or they would have if it were not the Warrant Agent hereunder, and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, it or they may engage or be interested in any financial or other transaction with the Company and may act on, or as depositary, trustee or agent for, any committee or body of Holders of Warrants or other obligations of the Company as freely as if it were not the Warrant Agent hereunder. Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to prevent the Warrant Agent from acting as trustee under any indenture to which the Company is a party. Nothing herein shall preclude the Warrant Agent from acting in any other capacity for the Company or for any other legal entity.
(f) No Liability for Interest. Unless otherwise agreed with the Company, the Warrant Agent shall have no liability for interest on any monies at any time received by it pursuant to any of the provisions of this Agreement or of the Warrant Certificates.
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(g) No Liability for Invalidity. The Warrant Agent shall have no liability with respect to any invalidity of this Agreement or any of the Warrant Certificates (except as to the Warrant Agent’s countersignature thereon).
(h) No Responsibility for Representations. The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible for any of the recitals, statement of facts or representations herein or in the Warrant Certificates (except as to the Warrant Agent’s countersignature thereon) or be required to verify the same, all of which are made solely by the Company.
(i) No Implied Obligations. The Warrant Agent shall be obligated to perform only such duties as are herein and in the Warrants specifically set forth and no implied duties or obligations shall be read into this Agreement or the Warrants against the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent shall not be under any obligation to take any action hereunder which may tend to involve it in any expense or liability, the payment of which within a reasonable time or adequate indemnification is not, in its reasonable opinion, assured to it. The Warrant Agent shall not be accountable or under any duty or responsibility for the use by the Company of any of the Warrants authenticated by the Warrant Agent and delivered by it to the Company pursuant to this Agreement or for the application by the Company of the proceeds of the Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by the Company in the performance of its covenants or agreements contained herein or in the Warrants or in the case of the receipt of any written demand from a Holder of a Warrant with respect to such default, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any duty or responsibility to initiate or attempt to initiate any proceedings at law.
(j) Signature Guarantee. A party requesting transfer of Warrants or the Warrant Shares must provide any evidence of authority that may be required by the Warrant Agent, including but not limited to, a signature guarantee from an eligible guarantor institution participating in a signature guarantee program approved by the Securities Transfer Association.
Section 15. Purchase or Consolidation or Change of Name of Warrant Agent. Any Person into which the Warrant Agent or any successor Warrant Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated, or any Person resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent or any successor Warrant Agent shall be party, or any Person succeeding to the corporate trust, stock transfer or shareholder services business of the Warrant Agent or any successor Warrant Agent, shall be the successor to the Warrant Agent under this Agreement without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto, provided that such corporation would be eligible for appointment as a successor Warrant Agent under the provisions of Section 17. In case at the time such successor Warrant Agent shall succeed to the agency created by this Agreement any of the Warrants shall have been countersigned but not delivered, any such successor Warrant Agent may adopt the countersignature of the predecessor Warrant Agent and deliver such Warrants so countersigned; and in case at that time any of the Warrants shall not have been countersigned, any successor Warrant Agent may countersign such Warrants either in the name of the predecessor Warrant Agent or in the name of the successor Warrant Agent; and in all such cases such Warrants shall have the full force provided in the Warrants and in this Agreement.
In case at any time the name of the Warrant Agent shall be changed and at such time any of the Warrants shall have been countersigned but not delivered, the Warrant Agent may adopt the countersignature under its prior name and deliver Warrants so countersigned; and in case at that time any of the Warrants shall not have been countersigned, the Warrant Agent may countersign such Warrants either in its prior name or in its changed name; and in all such cases such Warrants shall have the full force provided in the Warrants and in this Agreement.
Section 16. Duties of Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent undertakes the duties and obligations imposed by this Agreement upon the following express terms and conditions (and no implied duties or obligations shall be read into this Agreement against the Warrant Agent), by all of which the Company, by its acceptance hereof, shall be bound:
(a) Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement the Warrant Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a certificate signed by the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer or Secretary of the Company; and such certificate shall be full authentication to the Warrant Agent for any action taken or suffered by it under the provisions of this Agreement in reliance upon such certificate. The Warrant Agent shall not be liable and shall be indemnified by the Company for any action taken or omitted by the Warrant Agent in reliance upon any such Company certificate. The Warrant Agent shall not be held to have notice of any change of authority of any person until receipt of written notice thereof from the Company.
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(b) Subject to Section 14, the Warrant Agent shall be liable hereunder for a breach by it of this Agreement as a result of its own gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct (which gross negligence, bad faith and willful misconduct must be determined by a final non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction).
(c) The Warrant Agent shall not be under any responsibility in respect of the validity of this Agreement or the execution and delivery hereof (except the due execution hereof by the Warrant Agent) or in respect of the validity or execution of any Warrant (except its countersignature thereof); nor shall it be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant; nor shall it be responsible for the adjustment of the Exercise Price or the making of any change in the number of shares of Common Stock required under the provisions of Section 11 or 13 or responsible for the manner, method or amount of any such change or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment or change (but not limiting the Warrant Agent’s duties herein set forth upon the exercise of Warrants evidenced by Warrant Certificates after actual notice of any adjustment of the Exercise Price); nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any shares of Common Stock will, when issued, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
(d) From time to time, the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer or Secretary of the Company may provide Warrant Agent with instructions concerning the services performed by the Warrant Agent hereunder. In addition, at any time Warrant Agent may apply to these officers for instruction, and may consult with legal counsel for Warrant Agent or Company with respect to any matter arising in connection with the services to be performed by the Warrant Agent under this Agreement. Warrant Agent and its agents and subcontractors shall not be liable and shall be indemnified by Company for any action taken or omitted by Warrant Agent in reliance upon any Company instructions or upon the advice or opinion of such counsel, provided Warrant Agent carries out such instructions or advice without gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct (which gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct must be determined by a final, non-appealable judgement of a court of competent jurisdiction). Warrant Agent shall not be held to have notice of any change of authority of any person, until receipt of written notice thereof from Company.
(e) The Warrant Agent may execute and exercise any of the rights or powers hereby vested in it or perform any duty hereunder either itself or by or through its attorney or agents, and the Warrant Agent shall not be answerable or accountable for any act, default, neglect or misconduct of any such attorney or agents or for any loss to the Company resulting from any such act, default, neglect or misconduct, provided reasonable care was exercised in the selection and continued employment thereof.
(f) The Warrant Agent shall forward funds received for Warrant exercises as promptly as practicable following such receipt and in no event later than the fifth Business Day of the following month after such funds are received by the Warrant Agent by wire transfer to an account designated by the Company.
(g) This Section 16 shall survive the exercise or expiration of the Warrants, the termination of this Agreement and the resignation, replacement or removal of the Warrant Agent.
Section 17. Change of Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent may resign and be discharged from its duties under this Agreement upon 30 days’ notice in writing sent to the Company and, and in the event that the Warrant Agent or one of its affiliates is not also the transfer agent for the Common Stock, to each transfer agent of the Common Stock known to the Warrant Agent, and to the Holders of the Warrant Certificates. In the event the transfer agency relationship in effect between the Company and the Warrant Agent terminates, the Warrant Agent will be deemed to have resigned automatically and be discharged from its duties under this Agreement as of the effective date of such termination, and the Company shall be responsible for sending any required notice prescribed in this Section 17. The Company may remove the Warrant Agent or any successor Warrant Agent upon 30 days’ notice in writing, sent to the Warrant Agent or successor Warrant Agent, as the case may be, and to each transfer agent of the Common Stock, and to the Holders of the Warrant Certificates. If the Warrant Agent shall resign or be removed or shall otherwise become incapable of acting, the Company shall appoint a successor to the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of 30 days after such removal or after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the resigning or incapacitated Warrant Agent or by the Holder of a Warrant Certificate (who shall, with such notice, submit his Warrant Certificate for inspection by the Company), then the Holder of any Warrant Certificate may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a new Warrant Agent. After appointment, the successor Warrant Agent shall be vested with the same powers, rights, duties and responsibilities as if it had been originally named as Warrant Agent without further act or deed; but the predecessor Warrant Agent shall deliver and transfer to the successor Warrant Agent any property at the time held by it hereunder, and execute and deliver any further assurance, conveyance, act or deed necessary for the purpose; provided, that, such predecessor Warrant Agent shall not be required to make any additional expenditure or assume any additional liability in connection with the foregoing. Not later than the effective date of any such appointment, the Company shall file notice thereof in writing with the predecessor Warrant Agent and each transfer agent of the Common Stock, and send a notice thereof in writing to the Holders of the Warrant Certificates. However, failure to give any notice provided for in this Section 17, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of the resignation or removal of the Warrant Agent or the appointment of the successor Warrant Agent, as the case may be.
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Section 18. Issuance of New Warrants. Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this Agreement or of the Warrants to the contrary, the Company may, at its option, issue a new Global Warrant or Warrant Certificates, if any, evidencing Warrants in such form as may be approved by its Board of Directors to reflect any adjustment or change in the Exercise Price per share and the number or kind or class of shares of stock or other securities or property purchasable under the Global Warrant or Warrant Certificate, if any, made in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
Section 19. Notices. Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made (i) by the Warrant Agent or by the Holder of any Warrants to or on the Company, (ii) subject to the provisions of Section 17, by the Company or by the Holder of any Warrants to or on the Warrant Agent or (iii) by the Company or the Warrant Agent to the Holder of any Warrant, may be delivered personally, by facsimile, e-mail (except with respect to the Warrant Agent) or sent by a nationally recognized overnight courier service to each recipient at the facsimile number or address of such recipient appearing below or on the books of the Company or the Warrant Agent, as applicable, and shall be deemed given and effective on the earliest of (i) the time of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile (with confirmation) or e-mail at the facsimile number or e-mail address, as applicable, as provided in this Section prior to 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any date, (ii) the next Business Day after the time of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile (with confirmation) or e-mail at the facsimile number or e-mail as provided in this Section on a day that is not a Business Day or later than 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any Business Day, (iii) when deposited with postage prepaid, if sent by U.S. nationally recognized overnight courier service, or (iv) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such notice is required to be given.
(a) | If to the Company, to: |
11000 Xxxxxxx Xxxx. #0000
Minnetonka, MN 55305
Attention: Chief Financial Officer
Facsimile number:
E-mail address:
(b) | If to the Warrant Agent, to: |
Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
150 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Canton, Massachusetts 02021
Attention: Client Services
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(c) If to the Holder of any Warrant, to the address, facsimile number or e-mail address of such Holder as shown on the registry books of the Company. Any notice required to be delivered by the Company to the Holder of any Warrant may be given by the Warrant Agent on behalf of the Company. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, where this Agreement provides for notice of any event to a Holder of any Warrant Certificate, for a Global Warrant, such notice shall be sufficiently given if given to the Depositary (or its designee) pursuant to the procedures of the Depositary or its designee.
Section 20. Supplements and Amendments. The Company and the Warrant Agent may from time to time supplement or amend this Agreement without the approval of any Holders of Warrants in order to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision contained herein which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provisions herein, or to make any other provisions with regard to matters or questions arising hereunder which the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem necessary or desirable and which shall not adversely affect the interests of the Holders of the Warrants in any material respect. As a condition precedent to the Warrant Agent’s execution of any amendment, the Company shall deliver to the Warrant Agent a certificate from a duly authorized officer of the Company that states that the proposed amendment complies with the terms of this Section 20. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Warrant Agent shall not be required to execute any amendment to this Agreement that it has determined would adversely affect its own rights, duties, obligations or immunities under this Agreement. No amendment to this Warrant Agent Agreement shall be effective unless duly executed by the Warrant Agent.
Section 21. Successors. All covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns hereunder.
Section 22. Benefits of this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to give any Person other than the Company, the Holders of Warrants and the Warrant Agent any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Agreement; but this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Company, the Warrant Agent and the Holders of the Warrants.
Section 23. Governing Law. This Agreement and each Warrant issued hereunder shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the internal laws of the State of New York without giving effect to the conflicts of law principles thereof. The Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and the appellate courts thereof, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. The Company hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenience forum.
Section 24. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. A signature to this Agreement transmitted electronically shall have the same authority, effect, and enforceability as an original signature.
Section 25. Captions. The captions of the sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience only and shall not control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions hereof.
Section 26. Force Majeure. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, Warrant Agent shall not be liable for any delays or failures in performance resulting from acts beyond its reasonable control including, without limitation, acts of God, terrorist acts, epidemics, pandemics, shortage of supply, breakdowns or malfunctions, interruptions or malfunction of computer facilities, or loss of data due to power failures or mechanical difficulties with information storage or retrieval systems, labor difficulties, war, or civil unrest.
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Section 27. Confidentiality. The Warrant Agent and the Company agree that all books, records, information and data pertaining to the business of the other party, including inter alia, personal, non-public warrant holder information, which are exchanged or received pursuant to the negotiation or the carrying out of this Agreement including the fees for services set forth in the attached schedule shall remain confidential, and shall not be voluntarily disclosed to any other person, except as may be required by law, including, without limitation, pursuant to subpoenas from state or federal government authorities (e.g., in divorce and criminal actions). However, each party may disclose relevant aspects of the other party’s confidential information to its officers, affiliates, agents, subcontractors and employees to the extent reasonably necessary to perform its duties and obligations under this Agreement and such disclosure is not prohibited by applicable law.
Section 28. Further Assurance. The Company shall perform, acknowledge and deliver or cause to be performed, acknowledged and delivered all such further and other acts, documents, instruments and assurances as may be reasonably required by the Warrant Agent for the carrying out or performing by the Warrant Agent of the provisions of this Agreement.
Section 29. Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated; provided, however, that if such excluded provision shall affect the rights, immunities, liabilities, duties or obligations of the Warrant Agent, the Warrant Agent shall be entitled to resign immediately upon written notice to the Company.
[Signature Page to Follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.
FRESH VINE WINE, INC. | ||
By: | ||
Name: Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx | ||
Title: Chief Financial Officer | ||
COMPUTERSHARE INC. AND | ||
COMPUTERSHARE TRUST COMPANY, N. A. | ||
ON BEHALF OF BOTH ENTITIES: | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
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Annex A: Form of Warrant Certificate Request Notice
WARRANT CERTIFICATE REQUEST NOTICE
To: Computershare Inc. and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as Warrant Agent for Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (the “Company”)
The undersigned Holder of Warrants to Purchase Common Stock (“Warrants”) in the form of Global Warrants issued by the Company hereby elects to receive a Warrant Certificate evidencing the Warrants held by the Holder as specified below:
1. | Name of Holder of Warrants in form of Global Warrants:_____________________ |
2. | Name of Holder in Warrant Certificate (if different from name of Holder of Warrants in form of Global Warrants):_____________________ |
3. | Number of Warrants in name of Holder in form of Global Warrants: |
4. | Number of Warrants for which Warrant Certificate shall be issued: |
5. | Number of Warrants in name of Holder in form of Global Warrants after issuance of Warrant Certificate, if any:_____________________ |
6. | Warrant Certificate shall be delivered to the following address: |
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
The undersigned hereby acknowledges and agrees that, in connection with this Warrant Exchange and the issuance of the Warrant Certificate, the Holder is deemed to have surrendered the number of Warrant Shares in form of Global Warrants in the name of the Holder equal to the number of Warrant Shares evidenced by the Warrant Certificate.
[SIGNATURE OF HOLDER]
Name of Investor:________________________________________________________
Signature of Authorized Signatory of Investor if Investor Is an Entity: ________________
Name of Authorized Signatory:______________________________________________
Title of Authorized Signatory:_______________________________________________
Date: _________________________________________________________________
Signature of Authorized Signatory of Investor if Investor Is an Individual:
___________________________________________________________________________
Date: __________________________________________________________________
Exhibit 1: Form of Warrant
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