REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
Exhibit
4.1
THIS
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is dated as of December 5, 2005 (the
“Effective Date”) by Quintessence Photonics Corporation, a Delaware corporation,
and the investor listed on the signature page hereof (the “Investor”), in
connection with the purchase by the Investor of shares of the common stock
of
the Company (the “Common Shares”);
WHEREAS,
references herein to the “Company” refer to Quintessence Photonics Corporation
and, following the closing of the Reverse Merger, the publicly trading and
reporting company;
WHEREAS,
the Company has delivered to the Investor certain information about the Company
in a Private Placement Memorandum (the “Memorandum”), of which this Agreement is
an exhibit;
WHEREAS,
any undefined terms in this Agreement have the meaning ascribed to them in
the
Memorandum;
WHEREAS,
the Investor has entered into a Subscription Agreement (the “Subscription
Agreement”), pursuant to which the Investor is purchasing and the Company is
issuing and selling the Common Shares; and
WHEREAS,
the Company has agreed to grant the Investor certain registration rights in
connection with the purchase of the Common Shares as set forth
herein.
NOW
THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements contained
in
this Agreement and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and
sufficiency of which is acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:
1. Registration
Rights
(a) |
The
Company shall conduct two consecutive private offerings. The first
offering (the “First Offering”) shall be for a minimum of $500,000 and a
maximum of $4,000,000 with a 10% over-allotment option. The second
offering (the “Second Offering”) shall be up to the Second Offering
Maximum Limit. The “Second Offering Maximum Limit shall equal $6,000,000
with a 15% overallotment option.
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(b) |
The
Company shall prepare and file with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the “SEC”) within 60 calendar days after the final Closing of the Second
Offering a registration statement on Form SB-2 or other appropriate
registration statement form under the Securities Act of 1933 (the
“Registration Statement”), at the sole expense of the Company (except as
specifically provided in Section 1(d) hereof), in respect of the
Investor,
so as to permit a public resale of all Common Shares sold in the
First
Offering and Second Offering and the Common Shares underlying the
Warrants
sold in the First Offering (collectively, the “Registrable Securities”) in
the United States under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Act”) by the
Investor as selling stockholder and not as underwriter. Only shares
of
common stock (but including shares of common stock underlying warrants
or
convertible notes) may be registered under the Registration Statement.
The
Company will notify the Investor of the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement (the “Effective Date”) within three business
days.
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(c) |
The
Company will maintain the Registration Statement and any amendments
filed
under this Section 1 effective under the Act for a period of 16 months
from the Effective Date.
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(d) |
All
fees, disbursements and out-of-pocket expenses and costs incurred
by the
Company in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration
Statement and in complying with applicable securities and “blue sky” laws
(including, without limitation, all attorneys' fees of the Company,
registration, qualification, notification and filing fees, printing
expenses, escrow fees, blue sky fees and expenses, the reasonable
fees and
expenses of one counsel for the holders of Registrable Securities
not to
exceed $7,500, and the expense of any special audits incident to
or
required by any such registration) shall be borne by the Company.
The
Investor shall bear the cost of underwriting and/or brokerage discounts,
fees and commissions, if any, applicable to the Registrable Securities
being registered. The Company shall not be required to qualify Registrable
Securities in any state which will require an escrow or other restriction
relating to the Company and/or the sellers, or which will require
the
Company to qualify to do business in such state. The Company at its
expense will supply the Investor with copies of the applicable
Registration Statement and the prospectus included therein and other
related documents in such quantities as may be reasonably requested
by the
Investor.
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(e) |
If
at any time or from time to time after the Effective Date, the Company
notifies the Investor in writing of the existence of a Potential
Material
Event (as defined below), the Investor shall not offer or sell any
Registrable Securities or engage in any other transaction involving
or
relating to Registrable Securities, from the time of the giving of
notice
with respect to a Potential Material Event until the Investor receives
written notice from the Company that such Potential Material Event
either
has been disclosed to the public or no longer constitutes a Potential
Material Event.
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(f) |
“Potential
Material Event” means any of the following: (i) the possession by the
Company of material information not ripe for disclosure in a registration
statement, as determined in good faith by the Chief Executive Officer
or
the Board of Directors of the Company that disclosure of such information
in a Registration Statement would be detrimental to the business
and
affairs of the Company; or (ii) any material engagement or activity
by the
Company which would, in the good faith determination of the Chief
Executive Officer or the Board of Directors of the Company, be adversely
affected by disclosure in a registration statement at such time,
which
determination shall be accompanied by a good faith determination
by the
Chief Executive Officer or the Board of Directors of the Company
that the
applicable Registration Statement would be materially misleading
absent
the inclusion of such information; provided
that,
(i) the Company shall not use such right with respect to the Registration
Statement for more than an aggregate of 60 days in any 12-month period;
and (ii) the number of days the Company is required to keep the
Registration Statement effective shall be extended by the number
of days
for which the Company shall have used such
right.
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(g) |
The
Investor will cooperate with the Company in all respects in connection
with this Agreement, including timely supplying all information reasonably
requested by the Company (which shall include all information regarding
the Investor and proposed manner of sale of the Registrable Securities
required to be disclosed in any Registration Statement) and executing
and
returning all documents reasonably requested in connection with the
registration and sale of the Registrable Securities. Any delay or
delays
caused by the Investor, or by any other purchaser of securities of
the
Company having registration rights similar to those contained herein,
by
failure to cooperate as required hereunder shall not constitute a
breach
or default of the Company under this Agreement.
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(h) |
Whenever
the Company is required by any of the provisions of this Agreement
to
effect the registration of any of the Registrable Securities under
the
Act, the Company shall (except as otherwise provided in this Agreement),
as expeditiously as possible, subject to the assistance and cooperation
as
reasonably required of the Investor with respect to each Registration
Statement:
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(i)
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register
and qualify the Registrable Securities covered by the Registration
Statement under such other securities or blue sky laws of such
jurisdictions as the Investor shall reasonably request (subject to
the
limitations set forth in Section 1(d) above), and do any and all
other
acts and things which may be necessary or advisable to enable the
Investor
to consummate the public sale or other disposition in such jurisdiction
of
the securities owned by the
Investor;
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(ii)
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cause
the Registrable Securities to be, and continue to be, quoted or listed
on
the National Association of Securities Dealers over the counter bulletin
board (or alternatively, a national securities exchange or automated
quotation system);
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(iii)
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notify
the Investor, at any time when a prospectus relating thereto covered
by
the Registration Statement is required to be delivered under the
Act, of
the happening of any event of which it has knowledge as a result
of which
the prospectus included in the Registration Statement, as then in
effect,
includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state
a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
the
statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances
then
existing, and the Company shall prepare and file a curative amendment
as
promptly as commercially reasonable;
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(iv)
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as
promptly as practicable after becoming aware of such event, notify
the
Investor, (or, in the event of an underwritten offering, the managing
underwriters) of the issuance by the SEC of any stop order or other
suspension of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement at
the
earliest possible time and take all lawful action to effect the
withdrawal, recession or removal of such stop order or other suspension;
and
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(v)
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provide
a transfer agent and registrar for all securities registered pursuant
to
the Registration Statement and a CUSIP number for all such
securities.
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(i)
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With
respect to any sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to a Registration
Statement filed pursuant to this Section 1, the Investor hereby covenants
with the Company not to make any sale of the Registrable Securities
without effectively causing the prospectus delivery requirements
under the
Act to be satisfied.
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(j)
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In
addition to the registration rights set forth in Section 1(b), if
the
Second Offering does not occur or is not completed or if the Registration
Statement described in Section 1(b) is not filed within 60 calendar
days
from the final Closing of the Second Offering, or otherwise declared
effective by the SEC, then the Investors shall also have certain
“piggyback” registration rights as
follows:
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(i) |
If
at any time after the issuance of the Registrable Securities, the
Company
shall file with the SEC a registration statement under the Act registering
any shares of equity securities and which could also include for
registration the Registrable Securities without additional undue
expense
in the reasonable discretion of the Company, the Company shall give
written notice to each Investor prior to such
filing.
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(ii) |
Within
20 calendar days after such notice from the Company, each Investor
shall
give written notice to the Company whether or not such Investor desires
to
have all of such Investor’s Registrable Securities included in the
registration statement. If any Investor fails to give such notice
within
such period, such Investor shall not have the right to have Investor’s
Registrable Securities registered pursuant to such registration statement.
If any Investor gives such notice, then the Company shall include
such
Investor’s Registrable Securities in the registration statement, at
Company’s sole cost and expense, subject to the remaining terms of this
Section 1(j).
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(iii) |
If
the registration statement relates to an underwritten offering, and
the
underwriter shall determine in writing that the total number of shares
of
equity securities to be included in the offering, including the
Registrable Securities, shall exceed the amount which the underwriter
deems to be appropriate for the offering, the number of shares of
the
Registrable Securities shall be reduced in the same proportion as
the
remainder of the shares in the offering and such participating Investor’s
Registrable Securities included in such registration statement will
be
reduced proportionately. For this purpose, if other securities in
the
registration statement are derivative securities, their underlying
shares
shall be included in the computation. Each participating Investor
shall
enter into such agreements as may be reasonably required by the
underwriters and each Investor shall pay the underwriters commissions
relating to the sale of their respective Registrable
Securities.
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(iv) |
The
Investors shall have an unlimited number of opportunities to have
the
Registrable Securities registered under this Section 1(j) provided
that
the Company shall not be required to register any Registrable Security
or
keep any Registration Statement effective beyond such period set
forth in
Section 1(c).
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(v) |
The
Investor shall furnish in writing to the Company such information
as the
Company shall reasonably require in connection with a registration
statement.
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(k)
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The
Company acknowledges that there is no adequate remedy at law for
failure
by it to comply with the provisions of Section 1 of this Agreement
and
that such failure would not be adequately compensable in damages,
and
therefore agrees that its agreements contained in such Section 1
may be
specifically enforced. In the event that the Registration Statement
to be
filed by the Company pursuant to Section 1(b) above is not filed
with the
SEC within 60 days from the final Closing Date of the Second Offering
(the
“Registration Default”), then for every 30 day period or increment there
of that the Company is late in filing the Registration Statement,
the
Company shall issue to the Investor, as liquidated damages for such
failure and not as a penalty, additional Common Shares in whole share
increments equal to 1% of the Common Shares purchased by the Investor
in
the Offering until such Registration Statement has been filed. Such
issuance of Common Shares as liquidated damages shall be made to
the
Investor within five calendar days of demand, provided,
however,
that the issuance of Common Shares as liquidated damages shall not
relieve
the Company from its obligations to register the Registrable Securities
pursuant to this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary
contained herein, a failure of the Registration Statement to be declared
effective, to maintain the effectiveness of a filed Registration
Statement
or the ability of an Investor to use an otherwise effective Registration
Statement to effect resales of Securities shall not constitute a
Registration Default and shall not trigger the accrual of liquidated
damages hereunder.
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If
the Company does not pay the amount due as liquidated damages to
the
Investor as set forth above, the Company will pay the Investor’s
reasonable costs of collection, including attorneys’ fees, in addition to
the liquidated damages. The registration of the Registrable Securities
pursuant to this provision shall not affect or limit the Investor’s other
rights or remedies as set forth in this
Agreement.
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2. Indemnity
and Contribution
(a) |
The
Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Investor, its officers,
directors, employees, partners, legal counsel and accountants, and
each
person controlling such Investor within the meaning of Section 15
of the
Act, and each person who controls any underwriter within the meaning
of
Section 15 of the Act, from and against any losses, claims, damages,
expenses or liabilities (or actions or proceedings in respect thereof)
to
which such Investor or such other indemnified person may become subject
(including in settlement of litigation, whether commenced or threatened)
insofar as such losses, claims, damages, expenses or liabilities
(or
actions or proceedings in respect thereof) arise out of, or are based
upon, any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material
fact
or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact in the
Registration Statement, including all documents filed as a part thereof
and information deemed to be a part thereof, on the effective date
thereof, or any amendment or supplements thereto, or arise out of
any
failure by the Company to fulfill any undertaking or covenant included
in
the Registration Statement or to perform its obligations hereunder
or
under applicable law and the Company will, as incurred, reimburse
such
Investor, each of its respective officers, directors, employees,
partners,
legal counsel and accountants, and each person controlling such Investor,
and each person who controls any such underwriter, for any legal
or other
expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, defending or preparing
to
defend, settling, compromising or paying such action, proceeding
or claim;
provided,
however,
that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent
that
such loss, claim, damage, expense or liability (or action or proceeding
in
respect thereof) arises out of, or is based upon, (i) the failure
of any
Investor, or any of their agents, affiliates or persons acting on
their
behalf, to comply with the covenants and agreements contained in
this
Agreement with respect to the sale of Registrable Securities, (ii)
an
untrue statement or omission in such Registration Statement in reliance
upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the
Company
by an instrument duly executed by or on behalf of the Investor, or
any of
its agents, affiliates or persons acting on its behalf, and stated
to be
specifically for use in preparation of the Registration Statement
and not
corrected in a timely manner by the Investor in writing or (iii)
an untrue
statement or omission in any prospectus that is corrected in any
subsequent prospectus, or supplement or amendment thereto, that was
delivered to the Investor prior to the pertinent sale or sales by
such
Investor and not delivered by the Investor to the individual or entity
to
which it made such sale(s) prior to such
sale(s).
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(b) |
The
Investor agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company from and
against any losses, claims, damages, expenses or liabilities (or
actions
or proceedings in respect thereof) to which the Company may become
subject
(under the Act or otherwise) insofar as such losses, claims, damages,
expenses or liabilities (or actions or proceedings in respect thereof)
arise out of, or are based upon (i) the failure of the Investor or
any of
its agents, affiliates or persons acting on its behalf, to comply
with the
covenants and agreements contained in this Agreement with respect
to the
sale of Registrable Securities; or (ii) an untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement of a material fact or omission to state a material
fact
in the Registration Statement in reliance upon and in conformity
with
written information furnished to the Company by an instrument duly
executed by or on behalf of such Investor and stated to be specifically
for use in preparation of the Registration Statement; provided,
however,
that the Investor shall not be liable in any such case for (i) any
untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement or omission in any prospectus
or
Registration Statement which statement has been corrected, in writing,
by
such Investor and delivered to the Company before the sale from which
such
loss occurred; or (ii) an untrue statement or omission in any prospectus
that is corrected in any subsequent prospectus, or supplement or
amendment
thereto, that was delivered to the Investor prior to the pertinent
sale or
sales by the Investor and delivered by the Investor to the individual
or
entity to which it made such sale(s) prior to such sale(s), and the
Investor, severally and not jointly, will, as incurred, reimburse
the
Company for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in
investigating, defending or preparing to defend any such action,
proceeding or claim. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Investor
shall not
be liable or required to indemnify the Company in the aggregate for
any
amount in excess of the net amount received by the Investor from
the sale
of the Registrable Securities, to which such loss, claim, damage,
expense
or liability (or action proceeding in respect thereof)
relates.
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(c) |
Promptly
after receipt by any indemnified person of a notice of a claim or
the
beginning of any action in respect of which indemnity is to be sought
against an indemnifying person pursuant to this Section 2, such
indemnified person shall notify the indemnifying person in writing
of such
claim or of the commencement of such action and, subject to the provisions
hereinafter stated, in case any such action shall be brought against
an
indemnified person, the indemnifying person shall be entitled to
participate therein, and, to the extent that it shall wish, to assume
the
defense thereof. After notice from the indemnifying person to such
indemnified person of the indemnifying person’s election to assume the
defense thereof, the indemnifying person shall not be liable to such
indemnified person for any legal expenses subsequently incurred by
such
indemnified person in connection with the defense thereof; provided,
however,
that if there exists or shall exist a conflict of interest that would,
in
the opinion of counsel to the indemnified party, make it inappropriate
under applicable laws or codes of professional responsibility for
the same
counsel to represent both the indemnified person and such indemnifying
person or any affiliate or associate thereof, the indemnified person
shall
be entitled to retain its own counsel at the expense of such indemnifying
person; provided,
further,
that the indemnifying person shall not be obligated to assume the
expenses
of more than one counsel to represent all indemnified persons. In
the
event of such separate counsel, such counsel shall agree to reasonably
cooperate.
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(d) |
If
the indemnification provided for in this Section 2 is unavailable
or
insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection
(a) or
(b) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages, expenses or
liabilities (or actions or proceedings in respect thereof) referred
to
therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount
paid
or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses,
claims,
damages, expenses or liabilities (or actions or proceedings in respect
thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative
fault of the Company on the one hand and the Investor, or its agents,
affiliates or persons acting on its behalf, on the other in connection
with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims,
damages, expenses or liabilities (or actions or proceedings in respect
thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.
The
relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things,
whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
or the
omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to
information supplied by the Company on the one hand or the Investor,
or
its agents, affiliates or persons acting on its behalf, on the other
and
the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and
opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The
Company
and the Investor agree that it would not be just and equitable if
contribution pursuant to this subsection (d) were determined by any
other
method of allocation which does not take into account the equitable
considerations referred to above in this subsection (d). The amount
paid
or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims,
damages, expenses or liabilities (or actions or proceedings in respect
thereof) referred to above in this subsection (d) shall be deemed
to
include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such
indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any
such
action or claim. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation
(within
the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution
from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
In any event, the Investor shall not be liable or required to contribute
to the Company in the aggregate for any amount in excess of the net
amount
received by the Investor from the sale of its Registrable
Securities.
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3. Miscellaneous
(a)
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Severability.
The provisions of this Agreement are severable, so that the invalidity
or
unenforceability of any provision of this Agreement shall not affect
the
validity or enforceability of any other term or provision of this
Agreement, which shall remain in full force and
effect.
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(b)
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Specific
Performance.
In addition to any and all other remedies that may be available at
law in
the event of any breach of this Agreement, the Company and the Investor
shall be entitled to specific performance of the agreements and
obligations of the other parties hereunder and to such other injunctive
or
other equitable relief as may be granted by a court of competent
jurisdiction.
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(c)
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Governing
Law.
This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed and enforced in
accordance with, the laws of the State of California (without reference
to
the conflicts of law provisions
thereof).
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(d)
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Notices.
All notices, requests, consents, and other communications under this
Agreement shall be in writing and shall be delivered by hand, sent
via a
reputable nationwide overnight courier service, mailed by first class
certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid,
or by email or fax communication as
follows:
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(i) in
the
case of Investor, to the address set forth on the signature page below or such
other address as the Investor may provide to the Company;
(ii) in
the case of the Company, to the Company at
Quintessence
Photonics Corporation
00000
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx,
XX 00000
Facsimile:
(000) 000-0000
With
a
copy to:
Xxxx
X.
Hong, Esq.
XXXXXXXXXX
& XXXXX LLP
00000
Xxxxxxxx Xxxx., Xxxxx 000
Xxx
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000
Facsimile:
(000) 000-0000
Any
notice or request required or permitted by the provisions hereof shall be deemed
given to and received when delivered in hand or by courier, telecopier (with
confirmation) or email, or certified or registered mail (with receipt) at the
address designated in this Section 3(d). Any party hereto may designate a change
of address by written notice to the other parties given at least ten days before
such change is to become effective for purposes of this Agreement.
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(e)
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Complete
Agreement.
This Agreement together with the Subscription Agreement and the Memorandum
constitutes the entire agreement among the parties with respect to
the
subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements, understandings
and negotiations, both written and oral, among the parties or any
of them
with respect to the subject matter of this
Agreement.
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(f)
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Counterparts
and Facsimile.
This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each
of
which shall be deemed to be an original, and all of which together
shall
constitute one Agreement binding on all the parties hereto. The parties
are entitled to rely on delivery of a facsimile copy of this Agreement
and
delivery of such executed Agreement shall be legally effective to
create a
valid and binding agreement between the Company and the Investor
in
accordance with the terms hereof.
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(g)
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Captions.
Captions of sections have been added only for convenience and shall
not be
deemed to be a part of this
Agreement.
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(h)
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Future
Assurances:
Each of the parties hereto will from time to time execute and deliver
all
such further documents and instruments and do all acts and things
as the
other party may, either before or after the Closing, reasonably require
to
effectively carry out or better evidence or perfect the full intent
and
meaning of this Agreement.
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(i)
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Attorneys
Fees.
In
the event any Party hereto shall commence legal proceedings against
the
other to enforce the terms hereof, or to declare rights hereunder,
as the
result of a breach of any covenant or condition of this Agreement,
the
prevailing party in any such proceeding shall be entitled to recover
from
the losing party its costs of suit, including reasonable attorneys'
fees,
as may be fixed by the court.
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(j)
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Due
Dates.
If the obligations of any party become due on a Saturday, Sunday
or
national holiday at which the SEC is closed, then the obligation
shall
become due on the next business day
thereafter.
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(k)
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Modification
and Waiver.
No modification or waiver of any term hereof shall be effective unless
in
writing, signed by both parties; provided that, Investor shall be
bound by
any modification of a term accepted by holders of a majority of
Registrable Securities in each Registration Rights Agreement between
each
of such holders and the Company.
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IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been executed by the parties hereto as
of
the day and year first above written.
QUINTESSENCE PHOTONICS CORPORATION | ||
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BY: Xxxxxxx Xxxxx |
||
ITS: CEO |
10
Signature
Page
between
Quintessence Photonics Corporation
and
Certain Investors
Investor | Individual Investors | |
Date:______________________________________ | _____________________________________ | |
Signature* | ||
Address:____________________________________ | _____________________________________ | |
____________________________________ | Name | |
Telephone No.:________________________________ | _____________________________________ | |
Signature* | ||
Fax No.:_____________________________________ | _____________________________________ | |
Name | ||
E-mail address:________________________________ | *Joint tenants both sign | |
Entity Investors | ||
_____________________________________ | ||
Name of Entity | ||
By_____________________________________ | ||
Name___________________________________ | ||
Title____________________________________ |
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