As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 8, 2022.
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
AVROBIO, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | | | 81-0710585 |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | | | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
100 Technology Square
Sixth Floor
Cambridge, MA 02139
(Address of principal executive offices)
(617) 914-8420
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Geoff MacKay
President and Chief Executive Officer
100 Technology Square
Sixth Floor
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 914-8420
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
With copies to:
Mitchell Bloom, Esq. James Xu, Esq. Goodwin Procter LLP 100 Northern Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02210 (617) 570-1000 | | | Erik Ostrowski AVROBIO, Inc. 100 Technology Square Sixth Floor Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (617) 914-8420 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after this Registration Statement becomes effective.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box: ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box: ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer | | | ☐ | | | Accelerated filer | | | ☐ |
Non-accelerated filer | | | ☒ | | | Smaller reporting company | | | ☒ |
| | | | | Emerging growth company | | | ☒ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
THE REGISTRANT HEREBY AMENDS THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON SUCH DATE OR DATES AS MAY BE NECESSARY TO DELAY ITS EFFECTIVE DATE UNTIL THE REGISTRANT SHALL FILE A FURTHER AMENDMENT WHICH SPECIFICALLY STATES THAT THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT SHALL THEREAFTER BECOME EFFECTIVE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 8(a) OF THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT SHALL BECOME EFFECTIVE ON SUCH DATE AS THE COMMISSION ACTING PURSUANT TO SAID SECTION 8(a), MAY DETERMINE.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
This registration statement contains two prospectuses:
• | a base prospectus which covers the offering, issuance and sale by us of up to $250,000,000 in the aggregate of the securities identified above from time to time, subject to market conditions and prices, liquidity objectives and other investment considerations; and |
• | a sales agreement prospectus covering the offering, issuance and sale by us of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $50,000,000 of our common stock that may be issued and sold under a Sales Agreement entered into with Cowen and Company, LLC. |
The base prospectus immediately follows this explanatory note. The specific terms of any securities to be offered by us pursuant to the base prospectus will be specified in a prospectus supplement to the base prospectus. The specific terms of the securities to be issued and sold under the Sales Agreement are specified in the sales agreement prospectus that immediately follows the base prospectus. The $50,000,000 of common stock that may be offered, issued and sold under the sales agreement prospectus is included in the $250,000,000 of securities that may be offered, issued and sold by us pursuant to this registration statement. Upon termination of the Sales Agreement with Cowen and Company, LLC, any portion of the $50,000,000 included in the sales agreement prospectus that is not sold pursuant to the Sales Agreement will be available for sale in other offerings pursuant to the base prospectus and a corresponding prospectus supplement, and if no shares are sold under the Sales Agreement, the full $250,000,000 of securities may be sold in other offerings by us pursuant to the base prospectus and a corresponding prospectus supplement.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion | | | Dated November 8, 2022 |
PROSPECTUS
$250,000,000
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Warrants
Units
We may from time to time issue, in one or more series or classes, up to $250,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants and/or units, in any combination, together or separately, in one or more offerings in amounts at prices and on the terms that we will determine at the time of the offering and which will be set forth in a prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus.
We may offer these securities separately or together in units. Each time we sell securities described herein, we will provide prospective investors with a supplement to this prospectus that will specify the terms of the securities being offered. We may sell these securities to or through underwriters or dealers and also to other purchasers or through agents. We will set forth the names of any underwriters or agents, and any fees, conversions, or discount arrangements, in the accompanying prospectus supplement. We may not sell any securities under this prospectus without delivery of the applicable prospectus supplement. You should read this document and any prospectus supplement or amendment carefully before you invest in our securities.
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “AVRO.” On November 3, 2022, the closing price for our common stock, as reported on Nasdaq, was $0.675 per share. Our principal executive offices are located at 100 Technology Square, Sixth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139.
As of November 3, 2022, the aggregate market value of our outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates, or public float, was approximately $25.8 million, based on 43,774,088 shares of outstanding common stock, of which approximately 5.54 million shares were held by affiliates, and a price of $0.675 per share, which was the price at which our common stock was last sold on Nasdaq on such date. We have not offered any securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3 during the prior 12-calendar-month period that ends on and includes the date of this prospectus. Pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3, in no event will we sell securities registered on this registration statement in a public primary offering with a value exceeding more than one-third of our public float in any 12-month period so long as our public float remains below $75,000,000, or the Baby Shelf Limitation.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus beginning on page 2 and any applicable prospectus supplement, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is , 2022
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may from time to time sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings for an aggregate initial offering price of up to $250,000,000, subject to the Baby Shelf Limitation.
This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities described herein, we will provide one or more prospectus supplements that will contain specific information about the terms of the offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information” beginning on page 28 of this prospectus.
You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or in any related free writing prospectus filed by us with the SEC. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. This prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities described in the accompanying prospectus supplement or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy such securities in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement, the documents incorporated by reference and any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed materially since those dates.
THIS PROSPECTUS MAY NOT BE USED TO OFFER AND SELL SECURITIES UNLESS IT IS ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADDITIONAL PROSPECTUS OR A PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT.
As used in this prospectus, unless the context otherwise requires, references to the “company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to AVROBIO, Inc. and, where appropriate, our subsidiaries.
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Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks referenced below and described in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, as well as other information we include or incorporate by reference into this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, before making an investment decision. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected by the materialization of any of these risks, or by other risks that are not currently known to us. The trading price of our securities could decline due to the materialization of any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment. This prospectus and the documents incorporated herein by reference also contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including the risks described below and in the documents incorporated herein by reference, including (i) our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, which is on file with the SEC and is incorporated herein by reference, (ii) our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2022, June 30, 2022 and September 30, 2022 which are on file with the SEC and are incorporated herein by reference and (iii) other documents we file with the SEC that are deemed incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
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This prospectus, including the documents that we incorporate by reference, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Any statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and may be forward-looking. These statements are often, but are not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “aims,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “continue,” “could,” “designed to,” “estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “goal,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “possible,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “seeks,” “strives,” “should,” “will,” and similar expressions or the negative of these terms. Accordingly, these statements involve estimates, assumptions, risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in them. Any forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed throughout this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein, and in particular those factors referenced in the section “Risk Factors.”
This prospectus and the information and documents incorporated by reference herein contains forward-looking statements that are based on our management’s belief and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:
• | the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on our clinical trial programs, clinical supply and business generally, as well as our plans and expectations with respect to the timing and resumption of any development activities that were or may be temporarily paused as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; |
• | the timing, progress and results of preclinical studies and clinical trials for our programs and product candidates, including statements regarding the timing of initiation and completion of studies or trials and related preparatory work, the period during which the results of the trials will become available and our research and development programs; |
• | the existence or absence of side effects or other properties relating to our product candidates which could delay or prevent their regulatory approval, limit their commercial potential, or result in significant negative consequences following any potential marketing approval; |
• | the durability of effects from our product candidates; |
• | the timing, scope or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals; |
• | the anticipated regulatory pathway for our product candidates and planned interactions with regulatory agencies; |
• | our ability to develop and advance product candidates into, and successfully complete, clinical studies; |
• | our expectations regarding the size of the patient populations for our product candidates, if approved for commercial use; |
• | the implementation of our business model and our strategic plans for our business, product candidates, technology and plato platform; |
• | our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy; |
• | the pricing and reimbursement of our product candidates, if approved; |
• | the scalability and commercial viability of our manufacturing methods and processes, including our move to a closed, automated system; |
• | the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our product candidates, in particular, and gene therapy, in general; |
• | our ability to establish or maintain collaborations or strategic relationships or obtain additional funding; |
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• | our competitive position; |
• | the scope of protection we and/or our licensors are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering our current and future product candidates, as well as any statements as to whether we do or do not infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate any third-party intellectual property rights; |
• | our financial performance; |
• | our ability to retain the continued service of our key professionals and to identify, hire and retain additional qualified professionals; |
• | developments and projections relating to our competitors and our industry including other lentiviral or hematopoietic stem cell, or HSC, gene therapy companies; |
• | our expectations related to the use of our cash reserves; |
• | our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing; |
• | our ability to comply with the terms of our Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of November 2, 2021, with Silicon Valley Bank; |
• | our ability to avoid any findings of material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in the future; |
• | our ability to satisfy the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq, including a minimum bid price, and to maintain our common stock listing on Nasdaq or any stock exchange; |
• | the impact of laws and regulations, including without limitation recently enacted tax reform legislation; |
• | our expectations regarding the time during which we are an emerging growth company under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended, or the JOBS Act; and |
• | other risks and uncertainties, including those listed under the caption “Risk Factors.” |
This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference also contain estimates, projections and other information concerning our industry, our business, and the markets for certain diseases, including data regarding the estimated size of those markets, and the incidence and prevalence of certain medical conditions. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances reflected in this information. Unless otherwise expressly stated, we obtained this industry, business, market and other data from reports, research surveys, studies and similar data prepared by market research firms and other third parties, industry, medical and general publications, government data and similar sources.
You should read this prospectus and the documents that we incorporate by reference in this prospectus completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. The forward-looking statements in this prospectus and the documents we incorporate by reference herein represent our views as of their respective dates. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements except to the extent required by applicable law. You should, therefore, not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this prospectus.
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We are a leading clinical-stage gene therapy company with a shared purpose to free people from a lifetime of genetic disease. Our company is focused on developing potentially curative HSC gene therapies (which we sometimes refer to as ex vivo lentiviral gene therapies) to treat patients with rare diseases following a single dose treatment regimen. Our gene therapies employ HSCs that are harvested from the patient and then modified with a lentiviral vector to insert the equivalent of a functional copy of the gene that is mutated in the target disease. We believe that our approach, which is designed to transform stem cells from patients into therapeutic products, has the potential to provide curative benefit for a range of diseases. Our initial focus is on a group of rare genetic diseases referred to as lysosomal disorders, some of which today are primarily managed with enzyme replacement therapies, or ERTs. These lysosomal disorders have well-understood biologies, identified patient populations, established standards of care yet with significant unmet needs, and represent large market opportunities with approximately $3.4 billion in worldwide net sales in 2021.
Since its first clinical use in 2003, lentiviral gene therapy has been studied in several third parties’ clinical trials for rare diseases such as transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, or CALD, metachromatic leukodystrophy, or MLD, and adenosine deaminase severe combined immunodeficiency, or ADA-SCID. To date, hundreds of patients have been treated with lentiviral gene therapies in third parties’ and our rare disease clinical trials, and we believe the technology can be developed for other serious conditions based on a rigorous risk/benefit assessment. The ablation procedure, also known as the conditioning regimen, is typically an essential step in the ex vivo gene therapy treatment procedure and is administered prior to the gene therapy. We have worked to optimize the conditioning regimen through utilization of a precision busulfan dosing program, which we refer to as Target Concentration Intervention, or TCI. TCI is designed to enable careful titrating of exposure to the conditioning drug to a specific area under the curve, or AuC. The conditioning regimen utilized as part of our plato platform includes TCI to assess how rapidly the individual patient metabolizes the conditioning agent so physicians can adjust the dose as needed, with a goal of minimizing side effects from conditioning while maximizing the potential of durable engraftment. We believe our approach to conditioning has the potential to extend the reach of our gene therapies to a broad range of diseases as first-line therapies.
We are initially targeting rare lysosomal disorders in which the current standard of care provides the mechanistic proof that the enzymes or proteins produced endogenously following treatment with our gene therapies can offer benefit to patients. Typically, in lysosomal disorders, a gene mutation results in the deficiency or malfunctioning of an enzyme or other protein. This results in the inability of lysosomes to properly process cellular materials such as damaged organelles. As a result, substrates and their metabolites accumulate to toxic levels in the body’s cells and, in turn, disrupt the function of multiple tissues and organs. Gaucher disease (types 1 and 3), Hunter syndrome and Pompe disease are currently primarily managed by bi-weekly (or weekly in the case of Hunter syndrome), multi-hour infusions with ERTs that seek to exogenously replace the missing functional enzyme. However, given their pharmacokinetics, most ERTs typically remain in the plasma only for a short period of time and thus are not ideal because they are only dosed weekly or every two weeks. Cystinosis is currently treated with two oral formulations of cysteamine that must be taken orally every 12 or six hours, leading to significant pill burden and compliance challenges. Further, oral cysteamine treatment has no effect on ocular cystine crystal deposits, thus requiring patients to be treated with topical cysteamine eye drops which must be applied as frequently as each hour the patient is awake. These existing therapies manage, rather than cure, the underlying diseases and, as a result, patients continue to have disease progression. Further, the frequent, periodic and life-long dosing schedule required for ERTs and cysteamine results in significant costs for the healthcare system and is burdensome for the patient.
We believe our gene therapies leverage the well-understood mechanism of ERTs by transforming a patient’s own cells into a drug product that enables the patient to express functional enzyme or other protein and mirror the biology seen in an otherwise healthy individual. We believe that a single dose of our gene therapies may provide meaningful life-long benefit to these patients and potentially halt the progression of these diseases while also potentially providing significant health economic advantages.
plato: Our Commercially-Scalable Platform
In addition to developing first-line gene therapies, an important key to our strategy is to continuously improve our technology and production processes and to leverage these improvements across our gene therapies, if approved. Plato is designed to provide the foundation for the potential worldwide commercialization of our gene
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therapies. It is an ex vivo gene therapy platform incorporating multiple upgrades including a four-plasmid lentiviral vector designed to optimize vector copy number, transduction efficiency and resulting enzyme activity; a closed, automated manufacturing system designed to improve consistency and predictability of the drug product; and a personalized approach to conditioning. Plato has been used to dose a total of ten patients in our clinical trials, which includes six patients from our FAB-GT trial, and we intend to utilize the plato platform for all future patients enrolling in our company-sponsored clinical trials. We believe our plato platform may lead to better patient outcomes and will represent a significant advance in our industry towards achieving the quality and scale required for global commercialization of gene therapies.
Corporate History
We were formed as a corporation under the laws of the State of Delaware in November 2015 under the name AvroBio, Inc. Our corporate name was changed to AVROBIO, Inc. in June 2017. We completed our initial public offering in June 2018. Our executive offices are located at 100 Technology Square, Sixth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 and our telephone number is (617) 914-8420. Our website address is www.avrobio.com. We do not incorporate the information on or accessible through our website into this prospectus, and you should not consider any information on, or that can be accessed through, our website as part of this prospectus.
The trademarks, trade names and service marks appearing in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, the trademarks and trade names in this prospectus are referred to without the symbols ® and ™, but such references should not be construed as any indicator that their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, their rights thereto. Our common stock trades on Nasdaq under the symbol “AVRO.”
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company
We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. As an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of specified reduced disclosure and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include:
• | Only two years of audited financial statements in addition to any required unaudited interim financial statements with correspondingly reduced “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” disclosure; |
• | Reduced disclosure about our executive compensation arrangements; |
• | No advisory votes on executive compensation or golden parachute arrangements; |
• | Exemption from the auditor attestation requirement in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting; and |
• | An exemption from new or revised financial accounting standards until they would apply to private companies and from compliance with any new requirements adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board requiring mandatory audit firm rotation. |
We may take advantage of these exemptions for up to five years or such earlier time that we are no longer an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company on the date that is the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenues of $1.235 billion or more; (ii) the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of our initial public offering in June 2018; (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in nonconvertible debt during the previous three years; or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. We may choose to take advantage of some but not all of these exemptions. We have taken advantage of reduced reporting requirements in this prospectus. Accordingly, the information contained herein may be different from the information you receive from other public companies in which you hold stock. We have elected to avail ourselves of the exemption for the delayed adoption of certain accounting standards and, therefore, are not subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.
Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, we may still qualify as a “smaller reporting company” if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates is below $250 million (or $700 million if our annual revenue is less than $100 million) as of June 30 in any given year, which would allow us to take advantage of many of the same exemptions from disclosure requirements.
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We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of any securities offered under this prospectus for general corporate purposes unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. General corporate purposes may include research and development costs, including the conduct of one or more clinical trials and process development and manufacturing of our product candidates, potential strategic acquisitions of complementary businesses, services or technologies, expansion of our technology infrastructure and capabilities, repayment of debt, working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes. We may temporarily invest the net proceeds in a variety of capital preservation instruments, including investment grade, interest bearing instruments and U.S. government securities, until they are used for their stated purpose. We have not determined the amount of net proceeds to be used specifically for such purposes. As a result, management will retain broad discretion over the allocation of net proceeds.
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This prospectus contains summary descriptions of the securities we may offer from time to time. These summary descriptions are not meant to be complete descriptions of each security. The particular terms of any security will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities described herein, we will provide prospective investors with a supplement to this prospectus that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering, including the specific amounts, prices and terms of the securities offered.
We may sell the securities to or through underwriters, dealers or agents, directly to purchasers or through a combination of any of these methods of sale or as otherwise set forth below under “Plan of Distribution.” We, as well as any agents acting on our behalf, reserve the sole right to accept and to reject in whole or in part any proposed purchase of securities. Any prospectus supplement will set forth the names of any underwriters, dealers, agents or other entities involved in the sale of securities described in that prospectus supplement and any applicable fee, commission or discount arrangements with them.
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The following description of our common stock and preferred stock, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the common stock and preferred stock that we may offer under this prospectus. The following description of our capital stock does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, which are exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, and by applicable law. The terms of our common stock and preferred stock may also be affected by Delaware law.
General
Our authorized capital stock consists of 150,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, all of which shares of preferred stock are undesignated.
As of November 3, 2022, 43,774,088 shares of our common stock were outstanding.
Common Stock
The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders. The holders of our common stock do not have any cumulative voting rights. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably any dividends declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for that purpose, subject to any preferential dividend rights of any outstanding preferred stock. Our common stock has no preemptive rights, conversion rights or other subscription rights or redemption or sinking fund provisions.
In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock will be entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of all debts and other liabilities and any liquidation preference of any outstanding preferred stock. All outstanding shares are fully paid and non-assessable.
When we issue shares of common stock under this prospectus, the shares will be fully paid and non-assessable and will not have, or be subject to, any preemptive or similar rights.
Preferred Stock
Our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our stockholders, to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof. These rights, preferences and privileges could include dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation preferences, sinking fund terms and the number of shares constituting, or the designation of, such series, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of common stock. The issuance of our preferred stock could adversely affect the voting power of holders of common stock and the likelihood that such holders will receive dividend payments and payments upon our liquidation. In addition, the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company or other corporate action. The purpose of authorizing our board of directors to issue preferred stock in one or more series and determine the number of shares in the series and its rights and preferences is to eliminate delays associated with a stockholder vote on specific issuances. In addition, the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company or other corporate action. When we issue shares of preferred stock under this prospectus, the shares will be fully paid and non-assessable and will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights.
The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock may enable our board of directors to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. For example, if in the due exercise of its fiduciary obligations, our board of directors were to determine that a takeover proposal is not in the best interests of our stockholders, our board of directors could cause shares of preferred stock to be issued without stockholder approval in one or more private offerings or other transactions that might dilute the voting or other rights of the proposed acquirer or insurgent stockholder or stockholder group. In this regard, our certificate of incorporation grants our board of directors broad power to establish the rights and preferences of authorized and unissued shares of preferred stock. The issuance of shares of preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to holders of shares of common stock. The issuance may also adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of these holders and may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of us.
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Stock Options
As of September 30, 2022, there were outstanding options to purchase an aggregate of 8,083,363 shares of our common stock.
Registration Rights
As of November 1, 2022, the holders of 4,541,381 shares of our common stock are entitled to rights with respect to the registration of these securities under the Securities Act. These rights are provided under the terms of an investors’ rights agreement between us and holders of our preferred stock, which was subsequently converted into common stock in connection with our initial public offering in June 2018, or our IPO. The investors’ rights agreement includes demand registration rights, short-form registration rights and piggyback registration rights. All fees, costs and expenses of underwritten registrations under this agreement will be borne by us and all selling expenses, including underwriting discounts and selling commissions, will be borne by the holders of the shares being registered.
Demand Registration Rights
The holders of 4,541,381 shares of our common stock are entitled to demand registration rights. Under the terms of the investors’ rights agreement, we will be required, upon the written request of holders of at least 50% of these securities that would result in an aggregate offering price of at least $10.0 million, to file a registration statement and use commercially reasonable efforts to effect the registration of all or a portion of these shares for public resale. We are required to effect only two registrations pursuant to this provision of the investors’ rights agreement.
Short-Form Registration Rights
Pursuant to the investors’ rights agreement, if we are eligible to file a registration statement on Form S-3, upon the written request of holders of at least 25% of these securities at an aggregate offer price of at least $3.0 million, we will be required to use commercially reasonable efforts to effect a registration of such shares. We are required to effect only two registrations in any twelve-month period pursuant to this provision of the investors’ rights agreement. The right to have such shares registered on Form S-3 is further subject to other specified conditions and limitations.
Piggyback Registration Rights
Pursuant to the investors’ rights agreement, if we register any of our securities either for our own account or for the account of other security holders, the holders of these shares are entitled to include their shares in the registration. Subject to certain exceptions contained in the investors’ rights agreement, we and the underwriters may limit the number of shares included in the underwritten offering to the number of shares which we and the underwriters determine in our sole discretion will not jeopardize the success of the offering.
Indemnification
Our investors’ rights agreement contains customary cross-indemnification provisions, under which we are obligated to indemnify holders of registrable securities in the event of material misstatements or omissions in the registration statement attributable to us, and they are obligated to indemnify us for material misstatements or omissions attributable to them.
Expiration of Registration Rights
The demand registration rights and short form registration rights granted under the investors’ rights agreement will terminate on the earliest of (i) a deemed liquidation event, as defined in the investors’ rights agreement, (ii) the fifth anniversary of the completion of our IPO and (iii) when the holders’ shares may be sold without restriction pursuant to Rule 144 within a three-month period.
Anti-Takeover Effects of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and Delaware Law
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws includes a number of provisions that may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing another party from acquiring control of us and encouraging persons considering unsolicited tender offers or other unilateral takeover proposals to negotiate with our board of directors rather than pursue non-negotiated takeover attempts. These provisions include the items described below.
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Board Composition and Filling Vacancies
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides for the division of our board of directors into three classes serving staggered three-year terms, with one class being elected each year. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that directors may be removed only for cause and then only by the affirmative vote of the holders of two-thirds or more of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors. Furthermore, any vacancy on our board of directors, however occurring, including a vacancy resulting from an increase in the size of our board, may only be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of our directors then in office even if less than a quorum. The classification of directors, together with the limitations on removal of directors and treatment of vacancies, has the effect of making it more difficult for stockholders to change the composition of our board of directors.
No Written Consent of Stockholders
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that all stockholder actions are required to be taken by a vote of the stockholders at an annual or special meeting, and that stockholders may not take any action by written consent in lieu of a meeting. This limit may lengthen the amount of time required to take stockholder actions and would prevent the amendment of our bylaws or removal of directors by our stockholders without holding a meeting of stockholders.
Meetings of Stockholders
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that only a majority of the members of our board of directors then in office may call special meetings of stockholders and only those matters set forth in the notice of the special meeting may be considered or acted upon at a special meeting of stockholders. Our amended and restated bylaws limits the business that may be conducted at an annual meeting of stockholders to those matters properly brought before the meeting.
Advance Notice Requirements
Our amended and restated bylaws establishes advance notice procedures with regard to stockholder proposals relating to the nomination of candidates for election as directors or new business to be brought before meetings of our stockholders. These procedures provide that notice of stockholder proposals must be timely given in writing to our corporate secretary prior to the meeting at which the action is to be taken. Generally, to be timely, notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the annual meeting for the preceding year. Our bylaws specify the requirements as to form and content of all stockholders’ notices. These requirements may preclude stockholders from bringing matters before the stockholders at an annual or special meeting.
Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
Any amendment of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation must first be approved by a majority of our board of directors, and if required by law or our certificate of incorporation, must thereafter be approved by a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment and a majority of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote thereon as a class, except that the amendment of the provisions relating to stockholder action, board composition, limitation of liability and the amendment of our bylaws and certificate of incorporation must be approved by not less than two-thirds of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, and not less than two-thirds of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote thereon as a class. Our bylaws may be amended by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, subject to any limitations set forth in the bylaws; and may also be amended by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, or, if our board of directors recommends that the stockholders approve the amendment, by the affirmative vote of the majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, in each case voting together as a single class.
Undesignated Preferred Stock
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides for 10,000,000 authorized shares of preferred stock. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock may enable our board of directors to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. For
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example, if in the due exercise of its fiduciary obligations, our board of directors were to determine that a takeover proposal is not in the best interests of our stockholders, our board of directors could cause shares of preferred stock to be issued without stockholder approval in one or more private offerings or other transactions that might dilute the voting or other rights of the proposed acquirer or insurgent stockholder or stockholder group. In this regard, our certificate of incorporation grants our board of directors broad power to establish the rights and preferences of authorized and unissued shares of preferred stock. The issuance of shares of preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to holders of shares of common stock. The issuance may also adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of these holders and may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of us. There are no restrictions on our repurchase or redemption of shares of preferred stock while there is any arrearage in the payment of dividends or sinking fund installments.
Choice of Forum
Our amended and restated bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for any state law claim for (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of or based on a fiduciary duty owed by any of our current or former directors, officers or other employees to us or our stockholders; (3) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our current or former directors, officers, employees or stockholders arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws; or (4) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, or the Delaware Forum Provision. The Delaware Forum Provision will not apply to any causes of action arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act. Our amended and restated bylaws further provide that, unless we consent in writing to an alternative forum, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, or the Federal Forum Provision, as our principal executive offices are located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In addition, our amended and restated bylaws provide that any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock is deemed to have notice of and consented to the foregoing Delaware Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision; provided, however, that stockholders cannot and will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
We recognize that the Delaware Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision may impose additional litigation costs on stockholders in pursuing any such claims, particularly if the stockholders do not reside in or near the State of Delaware or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Additionally, these forum selection clauses in our amended and restated bylaws may limit our stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that they find favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and employees even though an action, if successful, might benefit our stockholders. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates a concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought concerning a duty or liability created by the securities laws, rules and regulations thereunder. While the Delaware Supreme Court and other state courts have upheld the validity of federal forum selection provisions purporting to require claims under the Securities Act be brought in federal court, there is uncertainty as to whether other courts will enforce our Federal Forum Provision. The Federal Forum Provision may also impose additional litigation costs on stockholders who assert the provision is unenforceable, and if the Federal Forum Provision is found to be unenforceable, we may incur additional costs with resolving such matters. The Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts may also reach different judgments or results than would other courts, including courts where a stockholder considering an action may be located or would otherwise choose to bring the action, and such judgments may be more or less favorable to us than our stockholders.
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Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law
We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that this stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. Under Section 203, a business combination between a corporation and an interested stockholder is prohibited unless it satisfies one of the following conditions:
• | before the stockholder became interested, our board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; |
• | upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding, shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers, and employee stock plans, in some instances, but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder; or |
• | at or after the time the stockholder became interested, the business combination was approved by our board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder. |
Section 203 defines a business combination to include:
• | any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder; |
• | any sale, transfer, lease, pledge or other disposition involving the interested stockholder of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation; |
• | subject to exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder; |
• | subject to exceptions, any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; and |
• | the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits provided by or through the corporation. |
In general, Section 203 defines an interested stockholder as any entity or person beneficially owning 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation and any entity or person affiliated with or controlling or controlled by the entity or person.
Nasdaq Global Select Market Listing
Our common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the trading symbol “AVRO.”
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A. The transfer agent and registrar’s address is 250 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021, and its telephone number is (800) 962-4284.
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We may offer debt securities which may be senior or subordinated. We refer to senior debt securities and subordinated debt securities collectively as debt securities. Each series of debt securities may have different terms. The following description summarizes the general terms and provisions of the debt securities. We will describe the specific terms of the debt securities and the extent, if any, to which the general provisions summarized below apply to any series of debt securities in the prospectus supplement relating to the series and any applicable free writing prospectus that we authorize to be delivered.
We may issue senior debt securities from time to time, in one or more series under a senior indenture to be entered into between us and a senior trustee to be named in a prospectus supplement, which we refer to as the senior trustee. We may issue subordinated debt securities from time to time, in one or more series under a subordinated indenture to be entered into between us and a subordinated trustee to be named in a prospectus supplement, which we refer to as the subordinated trustee. The forms of senior indenture and subordinated indenture are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Together, the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture are referred to as the indentures and, together, the senior trustee and the subordinated trustee are referred to as the trustees. This prospectus briefly outlines some of the provisions of the indentures. The following summary of the material provisions of the indentures is qualified in its entirety by the provisions of the indentures, including definitions of certain terms used in the indentures. Wherever we refer to particular sections or defined terms of the indentures, those sections or defined terms are incorporated by reference in this prospectus or the applicable prospectus supplement. You should review the indentures that are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part for additional information. As used in this prospectus, the term “debt securities” includes the debt securities being offered by this prospectus and all other debt securities issued by us under the indentures.
General
The indentures:
• | do not limit the amount of debt securities that we may issue; |
• | allow us to issue debt securities in one or more series; |
• | do not require us to issue all of the debt securities of a series at the same time; and |
• | allow us to reopen a series to issue additional debt securities without the consent of the holders of the debt securities of such series. |
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the senior debt securities will be unsubordinated obligations and will rank equally with all of our other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness. Payments on the subordinated debt securities will be subordinated to the prior payment in full of all of our senior indebtedness, as described under “—Subordination” and in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Each indenture provides that we may, but need not, designate more than one trustee under an indenture. Any trustee under an indenture may resign or be removed and a successor trustee may be appointed to act with respect to the series of debt securities administered by the resigning or removed trustee. If two or more persons are acting as trustee with respect to different series of debt securities, each trustee shall be a trustee of a trust under the applicable indenture separate and apart from the trust administered by any other trustee. Except as otherwise indicated in this prospectus, any action described in this prospectus to be taken by each trustee may be taken by each trustee with respect to, and only with respect to, the one or more series of debt securities for which it is trustee under the applicable indenture.
The prospectus supplement for each offering will provide the following terms, where applicable:
• | the title of the debt securities and whether they are senior or subordinated; |
• | the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities being offered, the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities outstanding as of the most recent practicable date and any limit on their aggregate principal amount, including the aggregate principal amount of debt securities authorized; |
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• | the price at which the debt securities will be issued, expressed as a percentage of the principal and, if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount thereof payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof or, if applicable, the portion of the principal amount of such debt securities that is convertible into common stock or other securities of ours or the method by which any such portion shall be determined; |
• | if convertible, the terms on which such debt securities are convertible, including the initial conversion price or rate and the conversion period and any applicable limitations on the ownership or transferability of common stock or other securities of ours received on conversion; |
• | the date or dates, or the method for determining the date or dates, on which the principal of the debt securities will be payable; |
• | the fixed or variable interest rate or rates of the debt securities, or the method by which the interest rate or rates is determined; |
• | the date or dates, or the method for determining the date or dates, from which interest will accrue; |
• | the dates on which interest will be payable; |
• | the record dates for interest payment dates, or the method by which such dates will be determined; |
• | the persons to whom interest will be payable; |
• | the place or places where the principal of, and any premium or make-whole amount, and interest on, the debt securities will be payable; |
• | where the debt securities may be surrendered for registration of transfer or conversion or exchange; |
• | the times, prices and other terms and conditions upon which we may redeem the debt securities; |
• | any obligation we have to redeem, repay or repurchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provision or at the option of holders of the debt securities, and the times and prices at which we must redeem, repay or repurchase the debt securities as a result of such obligation; |
• | the currency or currencies in which the debt securities are denominated and payable if other than United States dollars, which may be a foreign currency or units of two or more foreign currencies or a composite currency or currencies and the terms and conditions relating thereto, and the manner of determining the equivalent of such foreign currency in United States dollars; |
• | whether the principal of, and any premium or make-whole amount, or interest on, the debt securities of the series are to be payable, at our election or at the election of a holder, in a currency or currencies other than that in which the debt securities are denominated or stated to be payable, and other related terms and conditions; |
• | whether the debt securities will be in registered form, bearer form, or both, and (i) if in registered form, the person to whom any interest shall be payable, if other than the person in whose name the security is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest, or (ii) if in bearer form, the manner in which, or the person to whom, any interest on the security shall be payable if otherwise than upon presentation and surrender upon maturity; |
• | any restrictions applicable to the offer, sale or delivery of securities in bearer form and the terms upon which securities in bearer form of the series may be exchanged for securities in registered form of the series and vice versa, if permitted by applicable laws and regulations; |
• | whether any debt securities of the series are to be issuable initially in temporary global form and whether any debt securities of the series are to be issuable in permanent global form with or without coupons and, if so, whether beneficial owners of interests in any such permanent global security may, or shall be required to, exchange their interests for other debt securities of the series, and the manner in which interest shall be paid; |
• | the identity of the depositary for securities in registered form, if such series are to be issuable as a global security; |
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• | the applicability, if any, of the defeasance and covenant defeasance provisions described in this prospectus or in the applicable indenture; |
• | whether and under what circumstances we will pay any additional amounts on the debt securities in respect of any tax, assessment or governmental charge; |
• | whether and under what circumstances the debt securities being offered are convertible into common stock or other securities of ours, as the case may be, including the conversion price or rate and the manner or calculation thereof; |
• | the name of the applicable trustee and the nature of any material relationship with us or any of our affiliates, and the percentage of debt securities of the class necessary to require the trustee to take action; and |
• | any other terms of such debt securities not inconsistent with the provisions of the applicable indenture. |
We may issue debt securities that provide for less than the entire principal amount thereof to be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity of the debt securities. We refer to any such debt securities throughout this prospectus as “original issue discount securities.” The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the United States federal income tax consequences and other relevant considerations applicable to original issue discount securities.
Except as described under “—Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets” or as may be set forth in any prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions that (i) would limit our ability to incur indebtedness or (ii) would afford holders of debt securities protection in the event of (a) a highly leveraged or similar transaction involving us, or (b) a change of control or reorganization, restructuring, merger or similar transaction involving us that may adversely affect the holders of the debt securities. In the future, we may enter into transactions, such as the sale of all or substantially all of our assets or a merger or consolidation, that may have an adverse effect on our ability to service our indebtedness, including the debt securities, by, among other things, substantially reducing or eliminating our assets.
Our governing instruments do not define the term “substantially all” as it relates to the sale of assets. Additionally, Delaware cases interpreting the term “substantially all” rely upon the facts and circumstances of each particular case. Consequently, to determine whether a sale of “substantially all” of our assets has occurred, a holder of debt securities must review the financial and other information that we have disclosed to the public.
We will provide you with more information in the applicable prospectus supplement regarding any deletions, modifications, or additions to the events of default or covenants that are described below, including any addition of a covenant or other provision providing event risk or similar protection.
Payment
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the principal of, and any premium or make-whole amount, and interest on, any series of the debt securities will be payable by mailing a check to the address of the person entitled to it as it appears in the applicable register for the debt securities or by wire transfer of funds to that person at an account maintained within the United States.
All monies that we pay to a paying agent or a trustee for the payment of the principal of, and any premium or make-whole amount, or interest on, any debt security will be repaid to us if unclaimed at the end of two years after the obligation underlying payment becomes due and payable. After funds have been returned to us, the holder of the debt security may look only to us for payment, without payment of interest for the period which we hold the funds.
Denomination, Interest, Registration and Transfer
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities of any series will be issuable in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000.
Interest on the debt securities shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year composed of twelve 30-day months.
Subject to the limitations imposed upon debt securities that are evidenced by a computerized entry in the records of a depository company rather than by physical delivery of a note, a holder of debt securities of any series may:
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• | exchange them for any authorized denomination of other debt securities of the same series and of a like aggregate principal amount and kind upon surrender of such debt securities at the corporate trust office of the applicable trustee or at the office of any transfer agent that we designate for such purpose; and |
• | surrender them for registration of transfer or exchange at the corporate trust office of the applicable trustee or at the office of any transfer agent that we designate for such purpose. |
Every debt security surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange must be accompanied by a written instrument of transfer satisfactory to the applicable trustee or transfer agent. Payment of a service charge will not be required for any registration of transfer or exchange of any debt securities, but we or the trustee may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection therewith. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents for any series of debt securities.
Neither we, nor any trustee, will be required to:
• | issue, register the transfer of or exchange debt securities of any series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day that the notice of redemption of any debt securities selected for redemption is mailed and ending at the close of business on the day of such mailing; |
• | register the transfer of or exchange any debt security, or portion thereof, so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any debt security being redeemed in part; and |
• | issue, register the transfer of or exchange any debt security that has been surrendered for repayment at the option of the holder, except the portion, if any, of such debt security not to be so repaid. |
Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets
The indentures provide that we may, without the consent of the holders of any outstanding debt securities, (i) consolidate with, (ii) sell, lease or convey all or substantially all of our assets to, or (iii) merge with or into, any other entity provided that:
• | either we are the continuing entity, or the successor entity, if other than us, assumes the obligations (a) to pay the principal of, and any premium or make-whole amount, and interest on, all of the debt securities and (b) to duly perform and observe all of the covenants and conditions contained in the applicable indenture; |
• | after giving effect to the transaction, there is no event of default under the applicable indentures and no event which, after notice or the lapse of time, or both, would become such an event of default, occurs and continues; and |
• | an officers’ certificate and legal opinion covering such conditions are delivered to each applicable trustee. |
Events of Default, Notice and Waiver
Unless the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, when we refer to “events of default” as defined in the indentures with respect to any series of debt securities, we mean:
• | default in the payment of any installment of interest on any debt security of such series continuing for 90 days unless such date has been extended or deferred; |
• | default in the payment of principal of, or any premium or make-whole amount on, any debt security of such series when due and payable unless such date has been extended or deferred; |
• | default in the performance or breach of any covenant or warranty in the debt securities or in the indenture by us continuing for 90 days after written notice described below; |
• | bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, or court appointment of a receiver, liquidator or trustee of us; and |
• | any other event of default provided with respect to a particular series of debt securities. |
If an event of default occurs and is continuing with respect to debt securities of any series outstanding, then the applicable trustee or the holders of 25% or more in principal amount of the debt securities of that series will
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have the right to declare the principal amount of all the debt securities of that series to be due and payable. If the debt securities of that series are original issue discount securities or indexed securities, then the applicable trustee or the holders of 25% or more in principal amount of the debt securities of that series will have the right to declare the portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms thereof to be due and payable. However, at any time after such a declaration of acceleration has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the applicable trustee, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of outstanding debt securities of such series or of all debt securities then outstanding under the applicable indenture may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if:
• | we have deposited with the applicable trustee all required payments of the principal, any premium or make-whole amount, interest and, to the extent permitted by law, interest on overdue installment of interest, plus applicable fees, expenses, disbursements and advances of the applicable trustee; and |
• | all events of default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal, or a specified portion thereof, and any premium or make-whole amount, have been cured or waived. |
The indentures require each trustee to give notice to the holders of debt securities within the later of 90 days after an event of default and 30 days after the event of default is actually known to a responsible officer of such trustee, unless such default has been cured or waived. However, the trustee may withhold notice if specified persons of such trustee consider such withholding to be in the interest of the holders of debt securities.
The indentures provide that holders of debt securities of any series may not institute any proceedings, judicial or otherwise, with respect to such indenture or for any remedy under the indenture, unless the trustee fails to act for a period of 90 days after the trustee has received a written request to institute proceedings in respect of an event of default from the holders of 25% or more in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series, as well as an offer of indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the trustee. However, this provision will not prevent any holder of debt securities from instituting suit for the enforcement of payment of the principal of, and any premium or make-whole amount, and interest on, such debt securities at the respective due dates thereof.
The indentures provide that, subject to provisions in each indenture relating to its duties in the case of a default, a trustee has no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers at the request or direction of any holders of any series of debt securities then outstanding under the indenture, unless the holders have offered to the trustee reasonable security or indemnity. The holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series or of all debt securities then outstanding under an indenture shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the applicable trustee, or of exercising any trust or power conferred upon such trustee. However, a trustee may refuse to follow any direction which:
• | is in conflict with any law or the applicable indenture; |
• | may involve the trustee in personal liability; or |
• | may be unduly prejudicial to the holders of debt securities of the series not joining the proceeding. |
Within 120 days after the close of each fiscal year, we will be required to deliver to each trustee a certificate, signed by one of our several specified officers, stating whether or not that officer has knowledge of any default under the applicable indenture. If the officer has knowledge of any default, the notice must specify the nature and status of the default.
Modification of the Indentures
The indentures provide that modifications and amendments may be made only with the consent of the affected holders of a majority in principal amount of all outstanding debt securities issued under that indenture:
We and our respective trustee may make modifications and amendments of an indenture without the consent of any holder of debt securities for any of the following purposes:
• | to evidence the succession of another person to us as obligor under such indenture; |
• | to provide for uncertificated debt securities in addition to or in place of certificated debt securities; |
• | to add to our covenants for the benefit of the holders of all or any series of debt securities or to surrender any right or power conferred upon us in such indenture; |
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• | to add events of default for the benefit of the holders of all or any series of debt securities; |
• | to add to, delete from, or revise the conditions, limitations, and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms, or purposes of issue, authentication, and delivery of debt securities; |
• | to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any securityholder in any material respect; |
• | to establish the form or terms of debt securities of any series; |
• | to provide for the acceptance of appointment by a successor trustee or facilitate the administration of the trusts under an indenture by more than one trustee; or |
• | to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in an indenture, provided that such action shall not adversely affect the interests of holders of debt securities of any series issued under such indenture. |
Voting
The indentures provide that in determining whether the holders of the requisite principal amount of outstanding debt securities of a series have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver under the indentures or whether a quorum is present at a meeting of holders of debt securities, the principal amount of an original issue discount security that shall be deemed to be outstanding shall be the amount of the principal thereof that would be due and payable as of the date of such determination upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof.
Subordination
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, subordinated debt securities will be subject to the following subordination provisions.
Upon any distribution to our creditors in a liquidation, dissolution or reorganization, the payment of the principal of and interest on any subordinated debt securities will be subordinated to the extent provided in the applicable indenture in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all senior debt. However, our obligation to make payments of the principal of and interest on such subordinated debt securities otherwise will not be affected. No payment of principal or interest will be permitted to be made on subordinated debt securities at any time if a default on senior debt exists that permits the holders of such senior debt to accelerate its maturity and the default is the subject of judicial proceedings or we receive notice of the default. After all senior debt is paid in full and until the subordinated debt securities are paid in full, holders of subordinated debt securities will be subrogated to the rights of holders of senior debt to the extent that distributions otherwise payable to holders of subordinated debt securities have been applied to the payment of senior debt. The subordinated indenture will not restrict the amount of senior debt or other indebtedness of ours. As a result of these subordination provisions, in the event of a distribution of assets upon insolvency, holders of subordinated debt securities may recover less, ratably, than our general creditors.
No restrictions will be included in any indenture relating to subordinated debt securities upon the creation of additional senior debt.
If this prospectus is being delivered in connection with the offering of a series of subordinated debt securities, the accompanying prospectus supplement or the information incorporated in this prospectus by reference will set forth the approximate amount of senior debt outstanding as of the end of our most recent fiscal quarter.
Discharge, Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the indentures allow us to discharge our obligations to holders of any series of debt securities issued under any indenture when:
• | either (i) all securities of such series have already been delivered to the applicable trustee for cancellation; or (ii) all securities of such series have not already been delivered to the applicable trustee for cancellation but (a) have become due and payable, (b) will become due and payable within one year, or (c) if redeemable at our option, are to be redeemed within one year, and we have irrevocably deposited with the applicable trustee, in trust, funds in such currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which such debt securities are payable, an amount |
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sufficient to pay the entire indebtedness on such debt securities in respect of principal and any premium or make-whole amount, and interest to the date of such deposit if such debt securities have become due and payable or, if they have not, to the stated maturity or redemption date;
• | we have paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable; and |
• | an officers’ certificate and an opinion of counsel stating the conditions to discharging the debt securities have been satisfied has been delivered to the trustee. |
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the indentures provide that, upon our irrevocable deposit with the applicable trustee, in trust, of an amount, in such currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which such debt securities are payable at stated maturity, or government obligations, or both, applicable to such debt securities, which through the scheduled payment of principal and interest in accordance with their terms will provide money in an amount sufficient to pay the principal of, and any premium or make-whole amount, and interest on, such debt securities, and any mandatory sinking fund or analogous payments thereon, on the scheduled due dates therefor, the issuing company shall be released from its obligations with respect to such debt securities under the applicable indenture or, if provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, its obligations with respect to any other covenant, and any omission to comply with such obligations shall not constitute an event of default with respect to such debt securities.
Notwithstanding the above, we may not elect to defease and be discharged from the obligation to pay any additional amounts upon the occurrence of particular events of tax, assessment or governmental charge with respect to payments on such debt securities and the obligations to register the transfer or exchange of such debt securities, to replace temporary or mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen debt securities, to maintain an office or agency in respect of such debt securities, or to hold monies for payment in trust.
The applicable prospectus supplement may further describe the provisions, if any, permitting such defeasance or covenant defeasance, including any modifications to the provisions described above, with respect to the debt securities of or within a particular series.
Conversion Rights
The terms and conditions, if any, upon which the debt securities are convertible into common stock or other securities of ours will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms will include whether the debt securities are convertible into shares of common stock or other securities of ours, the conversion price, or manner of calculation thereof, the conversion period, provisions as to whether conversion will be at the issuing company’s option or the option of the holders, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion price and provisions affecting conversion in the event of the redemption of the debt securities and any restrictions on conversion.
No Recourse
No recourse shall be had under any obligation, covenant or agreement of ours in the senior indenture or any supplemental indenture, or in any of the debt securities or because of the creation of any indebtedness represented thereby, against any of our incorporators, stockholders, officers or directors, past, present or future, or of any predecessor or successor entity thereof under any law, statute or constitutional provision or by the enforcement of any assessment or by any legal or equitable proceeding or otherwise. Each holder, by accepting the debt securities, waives and releases all such liability.
Governing Law
The indentures and the debt securities will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act is applicable.
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The following description, together with the additional information we may include in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus and the related warrant agreements and warrant certificates. While the terms summarized below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer, we will describe the particular terms of any series of warrants in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. If we indicate in the prospectus supplement, the terms of any warrants offered under that prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. Specific warrant agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and will be incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement, which includes this prospectus.
General
We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities in one or more series. We may issue warrants independently or together with common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from these securities.
We will evidence each series of warrants by warrant certificates that we will issue under a separate warrant agreement. We will enter into the warrant agreement with a warrant agent. We will indicate the name and address of the warrant agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of warrants.
We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of warrants, including:
• | the offering price and aggregate number of warrants offered; |
• | the currency for which the warrants may be purchased; |
• | if applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each such security or each principal amount of such security; |
• | if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the related securities will be separately transferable; |
• | in the case of warrants to purchase debt securities, the principal amount of debt securities purchasable upon exercise of one warrant and the price at, and currency in which, this principal amount of debt securities may be purchased upon such exercise; |
• | in the case of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be, purchasable upon the exercise of one warrant and the price at which these shares may be purchased upon such exercise; |
• | the effect of any merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of our business on the warrant agreement and the warrants; |
• | the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants; |
• | any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the exercise price or number of securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants; |
• | the periods during which, and places at which, the warrants are exercisable; |
• | the manner of exercise; |
• | the dates on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and expire; |
• | the manner in which the warrant agreement and warrants may be modified; |
• | federal income tax consequences of holding or exercising the warrants; |
• | the terms of the securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants; and |
• | any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of or restrictions on the warrants. |
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We may issue units comprised of shares of common stock, shares of preferred stock, debt securities and warrants in any combination. We may issue units in such amounts and in as many distinct series as we wish. This section outlines certain provisions of the units that we may issue. If we issue units, they will be issued under one or more unit agreements to be entered into between us and a bank or other financial institution, as unit agent. The information described in this section may not be complete in all respects and is qualified entirely by reference to the unit agreement with respect to the units of any particular series. The specific terms of any series of units offered will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. If so described in a particular supplement, the specific terms of any series of units may differ from the general description of terms presented below. We urge you to read any prospectus supplement related to any series of units we may offer, as well as the complete unit agreement and unit certificate that contain the terms of the units. If we issue units, forms of unit agreements and unit certificates relating to such units will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement, which includes this prospectus.
Each unit that we may issue will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date. The applicable prospectus supplement may describe:
• | the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately; |
• | any provisions of the governing unit agreement; |
• | the price or prices at which such units will be issued; |
• | the applicable United States federal income tax considerations relating to the units; |
• | any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units; and |
• | any other terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units. |
The provisions described in this section, as well as those described under “Description of Capital Stock,” “Description of Debt Securities” and “Description of Warrants” will apply to the securities included in each unit, to the extent relevant and as may be updated in any prospectus supplements.
Issuance in Series
We may issue units in such amounts and in as many distinct series as we wish. This section summarizes terms of the units that apply generally to all series. Most of the financial and other specific terms of a particular series of units will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Unit Agreements
We will issue the units under one or more unit agreements to be entered into between us and a bank or other financial institution, as unit agent. We may add, replace or terminate unit agents from time to time. We will identify the unit agreement under which each series of units will be issued and the unit agent under that agreement in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The following provisions will generally apply to all unit agreements unless otherwise stated in the applicable prospectus supplement:
Modification without Consent
We and the applicable unit agent may amend any unit or unit agreement without the consent of any holder:
• | to cure any ambiguity, including modifying any provisions of the governing unit agreement that differ from those described below; |
• | to correct or supplement any defective or inconsistent provision; or |
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• | to make any other change that we believe is necessary or desirable and will not adversely affect the interests of the affected holders in any material respect. |
We do not need any approval to make changes that affect only units to be issued after the changes take effect. We may also make changes that do not adversely affect a particular unit in any material respect, even if they adversely affect other units in a material respect. In those cases, we do not need to obtain the approval of the holder of the unaffected unit; we need only obtain any required approvals from the holders of the affected units.
Modification with Consent
We may not amend any particular unit or a unit agreement with respect to any particular unit unless we obtain the consent of the holder of that unit, if the amendment would:
• | impair any right of the holder to exercise or enforce any right under a security included in the unit if the terms of that security require the consent of the holder to any changes that would impair the exercise or enforcement of that right; or |
• | reduce the percentage of outstanding units or any series or class the consent of whose holders is required to amend that series or class, or the applicable unit agreement with respect to that series or class, as described below. |
Any other change to a particular unit agreement and the units issued under that agreement would require the following approval:
• | If the change affects only the units of a particular series issued under that agreement, the change must be approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding units of that series; or |
• | If the change affects the units of more than one series issued under that agreement, it must be approved by the holders of a majority of all outstanding units of all series affected by the change, with the units of all the affected series voting together as one class for this purpose. |
These provisions regarding changes with majority approval also apply to changes affecting any securities issued under a unit agreement, as the governing document.
In each case, the required approval must be given by written consent.
Unit Agreements Will Not Be Qualified under Trust Indenture Act
No unit agreement will be qualified as an indenture, and no unit agent will be required to qualify as a trustee, under the Trust Indenture Act. Therefore, holders of units issued under unit agreements will not have the protections of the Trust Indenture Act with respect to their units.
Mergers and Similar Transactions Permitted; No Restrictive Covenants or Events of Default
The unit agreements will not restrict our ability to merge or consolidate with, or sell our assets to, another corporation or other entity or to engage in any other transactions. If at any time we merge or consolidate with, or sell our assets substantially as an entirety to, another corporation or other entity, the successor entity will succeed to and assume our obligations under the unit agreements. We will then be relieved of any further obligation under these agreements.
The unit agreements will not include any restrictions on our ability to put liens on our assets, nor will they restrict our ability to sell our assets. The unit agreements also will not provide for any events of default or remedies upon the occurrence of any events of default.
Governing Law
The unit agreements and the units will be governed by Delaware law.
Form, Exchange and Transfer
We will issue each unit in global—i.e., book-entry—form only. Units in book-entry form will be represented by a global security registered in the name of a depositary, which will be the holder of all the units represented by the global security. Those who own beneficial interests in a unit will do so through participants in the depositary’s
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system, and the rights of these indirect owners will be governed solely by the applicable procedures of the depositary and its participants. We will describe book-entry securities, and other terms regarding the issuance and registration of the units in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Each unit and all securities comprising the unit will be issued in the same form.
If we issue any units in registered, non-global form, the following will apply to them.
The units will be issued in the denominations stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Holders may exchange their units for units of smaller denominations or combined into fewer units of larger denominations, as long as the total amount is not changed.
• | Holders may exchange or transfer their units at the office of the unit agent. Holders may also replace lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated units at that office. We may appoint another entity to perform these functions or perform them ourselves. |
• | Holders will not be required to pay a service charge to transfer or exchange their units, but they may be required to pay for any tax or other governmental charge associated with the transfer or exchange. The transfer or exchange, and any replacement, will be made only if our transfer agent is satisfied with the holder’s proof of legal ownership. The transfer agent may also require an indemnity before replacing any units. |
• | If we have the right to redeem, accelerate or settle any units before their maturity, and we exercise our right as to less than all those units or other securities, we may block the exchange or transfer of those units during the period beginning 15 days before the day we mail the notice of exercise and ending on the day of that mailing, in order to freeze the list of holders to prepare the mailing. We may also refuse to register transfers of or exchange any unit selected for early settlement, except that we will continue to permit transfers and exchanges of the unsettled portion of any unit being partially settled. We may also block the transfer or exchange of any unit in this manner if the unit includes securities that are or may be selected for early settlement. |
Only the depositary will be entitled to transfer or exchange a unit in global form, since it will be the sole holder of the unit.
Payments and Notices
In making payments and giving notices with respect to our units, we will follow the procedures as described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
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We may sell the securities offered through this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, if required, in any of the following ways: (1) to or through underwriters or dealers, (2) directly to purchasers, including our affiliates, or to a single purchaser, (3) through agents, or (4) through a combination of any these methods. The securities may be distributed at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, market prices prevailing at the time of sale, prices related to the prevailing market prices, or negotiated prices, either:
• | on or through the facilities of Nasdaq or any other securities exchange or quotation or trading service on which such securities may be listed, quoted or traded at the time of sale; and/or |
• | to or through a market maker otherwise than on Nasdaq or such other securities exchanges or quotation or trading services. |
In addition, we may issue the securities as a dividend or distribution or in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders.
We may directly solicit offers to purchase securities, or agents may be designated to solicit such offers. In the prospectus supplement relating to such offering, we will name any agent that could be viewed as an underwriter under the Securities Act and describe any commissions that we must pay to any such agent. Any such agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment or, if indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, on a firm commitment basis. This prospectus may be used in connection with any offering of our securities through any of these methods or other methods described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Each prospectus supplement will describe the method of distribution of the securities and any applicable restrictions.
The prospectus supplement with respect to the securities of a particular series will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including the following:
• | the type and amount of securities we are offering; |
• | the name of the agent or any underwriters; |
• | the public offering or purchase price; |
• | any discounts and commissions to be allowed or paid to the agent or underwriters; |
• | all other items constituting underwriting compensation; |
• | any discounts and commissions to be allowed or paid to dealers; and |
• | any exchanges on which the securities will be listed. |
If any underwriters or agents are used in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we will enter into an underwriting agreement, sales agreement or other agreement with them at the time of sale to them, and we will set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such offering the names of the underwriters or agents and the terms of the related agreement with them.
In connection with the offering of securities, we may grant to the underwriters an option to purchase additional securities with an additional underwriting commission, as may be set forth in the accompanying prospectus supplement. If we grant any such option, the terms of such option will be set forth in the prospectus supplement for such securities.
If a dealer is used in the sale of the securities in respect of which the prospectus is delivered, we will sell such securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer, who may be deemed to be an “underwriter” as that term is defined in the Securities Act, may then resell such securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by such dealer at the time of resale.
If we offer securities in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders, we may enter into a standby underwriting agreement with dealers, acting as standby underwriters. We may pay the standby underwriters a commitment fee for the securities they commit to purchase on a standby basis. If we do not enter into a standby underwriting arrangement, we may retain a dealer-manager to manage a subscription rights offering for us.
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Agents, underwriters, dealers and other persons may be entitled under agreements which they may enter into with us to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.
If so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters or other persons acting as our agents to solicit offers by certain institutions to purchase securities from us pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date stated in the prospectus supplement. Each contract will be for an amount not less than, and the aggregate amount of securities sold pursuant to such contracts shall not be less nor more than, the respective amounts stated in the prospectus supplement. Institutions with whom the contracts, when authorized, may be made include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and other institutions, but shall in all cases be subject to our approval. Delayed delivery contracts will not be subject to any conditions except that:
• | the purchase by an institution of the securities covered under that contract shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of the jurisdiction to which that institution is subject; and |
• | if the securities are also being sold to underwriters acting as principals for their own account, the underwriters shall have purchased such securities not sold for delayed delivery. The underwriters and other persons acting as our agents will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of delayed delivery contracts. |
Offered securities may also be offered and sold, if so indicated in the prospectus supplement, in connection with a remarketing upon their purchase, in accordance with a redemption or repayment pursuant to their terms, or otherwise, by one or more remarketing firms, acting as principals for their own accounts or as agents for us. Any remarketing firm will be identified and the terms of its agreement, if any, with us and its compensation will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Remarketing firms may be deemed to be underwriters in connection with their remarketing of offered securities.
Certain agents, underwriters and dealers, and their associates and affiliates, may be customers of, have borrowing relationships with, engage in other transactions with, or perform services, including investment banking services, for us or one or more of our respective affiliates in the ordinary course of business.
In order to facilitate the offering of the securities, any underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities or any other securities the prices of which may be used to determine payments on such securities. Specifically, any underwriters may over allot in connection with the offering, creating a short position for their own accounts. In addition, to cover overallotments or to stabilize the price of the securities or of any such other securities, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, the securities or any such other securities in the open market. Finally, in any offering of the securities through a syndicate of underwriters, the underwriting syndicate may reclaim selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer for distributing the securities in the offering if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover syndicate short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities above independent market levels. Any such underwriters are not required to engage in these activities and may end any of these activities at any time.
We may engage in at the market offerings into an existing trading market in accordance with Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act. In addition, we may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement so indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and, if not identified in this prospectus, will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a post-effective amendment). In addition, we may otherwise loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities short using this prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement. Such financial institution or other third party may transfer its economic short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a concurrent offering of other securities.
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Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. The applicable prospectus supplement may provide that the original issue date for your securities may be more than two scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities. Accordingly, in such a case, if you wish to trade securities on any date prior to the second business day before the original issue date for your securities, you will be required, by virtue of the fact that your securities initially are expected to settle in more than two scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities, to make alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.
The securities may be new issues of securities and may have no established trading market. The securities may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange. We can make no assurance as to the liquidity of or the existence of trading market for any of the securities.
The specific terms of any lock-up provisions in respect of any given offering will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us, or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business for which they receive compensation.
The anticipated date of delivery of offered securities will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to each offer.
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Certain legal matters in connection with this offering will be passed upon for us by Goodwin Procter LLP, Boston, Massachusetts. Any underwriters will also be advised about the validity of the securities and other legal matters by their own counsel, which will be named in the prospectus supplement.
The consolidated financial statements of AVROBIO, Inc. appearing in AVROBIO, Inc.’s Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2021, have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such financial statements are, and audited financial statements to be included in subsequently filed documents will be, incorporated herein in reliance upon the report of Ernst & Young LLP pertaining to such financial statements (to the extent covered by consents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission) given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we have filed with the SEC. Certain information in the registration statement has been omitted from this prospectus in accordance with the rules of the SEC. We are subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance therewith, file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. These documents may be accessed through the SEC’s electronic data gathering, analysis and retrieval system, or EDGAR, via electronic means, including the SEC’s home page on the Internet (www.sec.gov).
We have the authority to designate and issue more than one class or series of stock having various preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends, qualifications, and terms and conditions of redemption. See “Description of Capital Stock.” We will furnish a full statement of the relative rights and preferences of each class or series of our stock which has been so designated and any restrictions on the ownership or transfer of our stock to any shareholder upon request and without charge. Written requests for such copies should be directed to Investor Relations, AVROBIO, Inc., 100 Technology Square, Sixth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, and our website is located at www.avrobio.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and, therefore, is not part of this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement.
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The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information and reports we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to these documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede the information already incorporated by reference. We are incorporating by reference the documents listed below, which we have already filed with the SEC, and any future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, including all filings made after the date of the filing of this registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of this registration statement, except as to any portion of any future report or document that is not deemed filed under such provisions, until we sell all of the securities:
• | our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 17, 2022; |
• | the information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 from our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A (other than information furnished rather than filed), which was filed with the SEC on April 27, 2022; |
• | our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on May 10, 2022, June 30, 2022, filed with the SEC on August, 9, 2022, and September 30, 2022, filed with the SEC on November 8, 2022; |
• | our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 7, 2022, our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 10, 2022, our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 29, 2022 (except for information contained therein which is furnished rather than filed) and our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 7, 2022; and |
• | the description of our common stock contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on June 18, 2018, including any amendments or reports filed for the purposes of updating this description, including Exhibit 4.3 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 16, 2020. |
Upon request, either orally or in writing, we will provide, without charge, to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus is delivered, a copy of the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with the prospectus. You may request a copy of these filings, and any exhibits we have specifically incorporated by reference as an exhibit in this prospectus, at no cost by writing us at the following address: Investor Relations, AVROBIO, Inc., 100 Technology Square, Sixth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, or via telephone at (617) 914-8420.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. We have incorporated exhibits into this registration statement. You should read the exhibits carefully for provisions that may be important to you.
You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or in the documents incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus or those documents.
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$250,000,000
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Warrants
Units
PROSPECTUS
, 2022
We have not authorized any dealer, salesperson or other person to give any information or represent anything not contained in this prospectus. You must not rely on any unauthorized information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus does not offer to sell any securities in any jurisdiction where it is unlawful. Neither the delivery of this prospectus, nor any sale made hereunder, shall create any implication that the information in this prospectus is correct after the date hereof.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
PROSPECTUS (Subject to Completion) | | | Dated November 8, 2022 |
Up to $50,000,000
Common Stock
We have entered into a Sales Agreement with Cowen and Company, LLC, or Cowen, relating to shares of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, offered by this prospectus. In accordance with the terms of the Sales Agreement, we may offer and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $50,000,000 from time to time through Cowen, acting as sales agent. Sales of the shares of common stock, if any, may be made on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, or Nasdaq, at market prices and such other sales as agreed upon by us and Cowen, as the case may be.
Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus will be made in sales deemed to be “at the market offerings” as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. Cowen is not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of securities, but will act as our sales agent using commercially reasonable efforts to sell on our behalf all of the shares of common stock requested to be sold by us, consistent with their normal trading and sales practices, on mutually agreed terms between Cowen and us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in any escrow, trust or similar arrangement.
Cowen will be entitled to compensation at a fixed commission rate of 3% of the gross sales price per common stock sold under the Sales Agreement. See “Plan of Distribution” beginning on page SA-27 for additional information regarding the compensation to be paid to Cowen. In connection with the sale of the common stock on our behalf, Cowen will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of Cowen will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have also agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to Cowen with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “AVRO.” On November 3, 2022, the closing price of our common stock, as reported on Nasdaq, was $0.675 per share. As of November 3, 2022, the aggregate market value of our outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates, or public float, was approximately $25.8 million, based on 43,774,088 shares of outstanding common stock, of which approximately 5.54 million shares were held by affiliates, and a price of $0.675 per share, which was the price at which our common stock was last sold on Nasdaq on such date. We have not offered any securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3 during the prior 12-calendar-month period that ends on and includes the date of this prospectus. Pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3, in no event will we sell securities covered hereby in a public primary offering with a value exceeding more than one-third of our public float in any 12-month period so long as our public float remains below $75,000,000.
We are an emerging growth company as that term is used in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended, or the JOBS Act, and, as such, have elected to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements for this prospectus and future filings.
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties referenced under the heading “Risk Factors” on page SA-7 of this prospectus and in the documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Cowen
The date of this Prospectus is , 2022
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We are responsible for the information contained and incorporated by reference in this prospectus and in any related free writing prospectus we prepare or authorize. We have not authorized anyone to give you any other information, and we take no responsibility for any other information that others may give you. If you are in a jurisdiction where offers to sell, or solicitations of offers to purchase, the securities offered by this documentation are unlawful, or if you are a person to whom it is unlawful to direct these types of activities, then the offer presented in this document does not extend to you. The information contained in this document speaks only as of the date of this document, unless the information specifically indicates that another date applies. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
This prospectus is part of a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. Under the shelf registration process, we may offer shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $50,000,000 from time to time under this prospectus at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of the offering.
If the information contained in this prospectus differs or varies from the information contained in any document incorporated by reference herein that was filed with the SEC before the date of this prospectus, you should rely on the information set forth in this prospectus. If any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date (for example, a subsequently filed document deemed incorporated by reference in this prospectus), the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.
You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We have not, and the sales agent has not, authorized anyone to provide you with information that is in addition to or different from that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or contained in any permitted free writing prospectuses we have authorized for use in connection with this offering. We and the sales agent take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may provide.
The information contained in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein is accurate only as of their respective dates, regardless of the time of delivery of any such document or the time of any sale of our common stock. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. It is important for you to read and consider all information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus in making your investment decision. You should read this prospectus, as well as the documents incorporated by reference herein, the additional information described under the section titled “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference” in this prospectus and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering, before investing in our common stock.
We further note that the representations, warranties and covenants made by us in any agreement that is filed as an exhibit to any document that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus were made solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, including, in some cases, for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties to such agreements, and should not be deemed to be a representation, warranty or covenant to you. Moreover, such representations, warranties or covenants were accurate only as of the date when made. Accordingly, such representations, warranties and covenants should not be relied on as accurately representing the current state of our affairs.
We use various trademarks and trade names in our business, including without limitation our corporate name and logo. All other trademarks or trade names referred to in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, the trademarks and trade names in this prospectus may be referred to without the ® and ™ symbols, but such references should not be construed as any indicator that their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, their rights thereto. This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein also contain estimates, projections and other information concerning our industry, our business, and the markets for certain diseases, including data regarding the estimated size of those markets, and the incidence and prevalence of certain medical conditions. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances reflected in this information. Unless otherwise expressly stated, we obtained this industry, business, market and other data from reports, research surveys, studies and similar data prepared by market research firms and other third parties, industry, medical and general publications, government data and similar sources.
We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of our common stock only in jurisdictions where such offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus and the offering of our common stock in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of our common
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stock and the distribution of this prospectus outside the United States. This prospectus does not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities offered by this prospectus by any person in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or solicitation.
As used in this prospectus, unless the context otherwise requires, references to the “company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to AVROBIO, Inc. and, where appropriate, our subsidiaries.
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This summary highlights selected information about us and this offering and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in our securities. Before investing in our common stock, you should carefully read the information contained and incorporated by reference in this prospectus, including the section titled “Risk Factors” and the financial statements and accompanying notes.
Company Overview
We are a leading clinical-stage gene therapy company with a shared purpose to free people from a lifetime of genetic disease. Our company is focused on developing potentially curative hematopoietic stem cell, or HSC, gene therapies (which we sometimes refer to as ex vivo lentiviral gene therapies) to treat patients with rare diseases following a single dose treatment regimen. Our gene therapies employ HSCs that are harvested from the patient and then modified with a lentiviral vector to insert the equivalent of a functional copy of the gene that is mutated in the target disease. We believe that our approach, which is designed to transform stem cells from patients into therapeutic products, has the potential to provide curative benefit for a range of diseases. Our initial focus is on a group of rare genetic diseases referred to as lysosomal disorders, some of which today are primarily managed with enzyme replacement therapies, or ERTs. These lysosomal disorders have well-understood biologies, identified patient populations, established standards of care yet with significant unmet needs, and represent large market opportunities with approximately $3.4 billion in worldwide net sales in 2021.
Since its first clinical use in 2003, lentiviral gene therapy has been studied in several third parties’ clinical trials for rare diseases such as transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, or CALD, metachromatic leukodystrophy, or MLD, and adenosine deaminase severe combined immunodeficiency, or ADA-SCID. To date, hundreds of patients have been treated with lentiviral gene therapies in third parties’ and our rare disease clinical trials, and we believe the technology can be developed for other serious conditions based on a rigorous risk/benefit assessment. The ablation procedure, also known as the conditioning regimen, is typically an essential step in the ex vivo gene therapy treatment procedure and is administered prior to the gene therapy. We have worked to optimize the conditioning regimen through utilization of a precision busulfan dosing program, which we refer to as Target Concentration Intervention, or TCI. TCI is designed to enable careful titrating of exposure to the conditioning drug to a specific area under the curve, or AuC. The conditioning regimen utilized as part of our plato platform includes TCI to assess how rapidly the individual patient metabolizes the conditioning agent so physicians can adjust the dose as needed, with a goal of minimizing side effects from conditioning while maximizing the potential of durable engraftment. We believe our approach to conditioning has the potential to extend the reach of our gene therapies to a broad range of diseases as first-line therapies.
We are initially targeting rare lysosomal disorders in which the current standard of care provides the mechanistic proof that the enzymes or proteins produced endogenously following treatment with our gene therapies can offer benefit to patients. Typically, in lysosomal disorders, a gene mutation results in the deficiency or malfunctioning of an enzyme or other protein. This results in the inability of lysosomes to properly process cellular materials such as damaged organelles. As a result, substrates and their metabolites accumulate to toxic levels in the body’s cells and, in turn, disrupt the function of multiple tissues and organs. Gaucher disease (types 1 and 3), Hunter syndrome and Pompe disease are currently primarily managed by bi-weekly (or weekly in the case of Hunter syndrome), multi-hour infusions with ERTs that seek to exogenously replace the missing functional enzyme. However, given their pharmacokinetics, most ERTs typically remain in the plasma only for a short period of time and thus are not ideal because they are only dosed weekly or every two weeks. Cystinosis is currently treated with two oral formulations of cysteamine that must be taken orally every 12 or six hours, leading to significant pill burden and compliance challenges. Further, oral cysteamine treatment has no effect on ocular cystine crystal deposits, thus requiring patients to be treated with topical cysteamine eye drops which must be applied as frequently as each hour the patient is awake. These existing therapies manage, rather than cure, the underlying diseases and, as a result, patients continue to have disease progression. Further, the frequent, periodic and life-long dosing schedule required for ERTs and cysteamine results in significant costs for the healthcare system and is burdensome for the patient.
We believe our gene therapies leverage the well-understood mechanism of ERTs by transforming a patient’s own cells into a drug product that enables the patient to express functional enzyme or other protein and mirror the
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biology seen in an otherwise healthy individual. We believe that a single dose of our gene therapies may provide meaningful life-long benefit to these patients and potentially halt the progression of these diseases while also potentially providing significant health economic advantages.
plato: Our Commercially-Scalable Platform
In addition to developing first-line gene therapies, an important key to our strategy is to continuously improve our technology and production processes and to leverage these improvements across our gene therapies, if approved. Plato is designed to provide the foundation for the potential worldwide commercialization of our gene therapies. It is an ex vivo gene therapy platform incorporating multiple upgrades including a four-plasmid lentiviral vector designed to optimize vector copy number, transduction efficiency and resulting enzyme activity; a closed, automated manufacturing system designed to improve consistency and predictability of the drug product; and a personalized approach to conditioning. Plato has been used to dose a total of ten patients in our clinical trials, which includes six patients from our FAB-GT trial, and we intend to utilize the plato platform for all future patients enrolling in our company-sponsored clinical trials. We believe our plato platform may lead to better patient outcomes and will represent a significant advance in our industry towards achieving the quality and scale required for global commercialization of gene therapies.
Corporate History
We were formed as a corporation under the laws of the State of Delaware in November 2015 under the name AvroBio, Inc. Our corporate name was changed to AVROBIO, Inc. in June 2017. We completed our initial public offering in June 2018. Our executive offices are located at 100 Technology Square, Sixth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 and our telephone number is (617) 914-8420. Our website address is www.avrobio.com. We do not incorporate the information on or accessible through our website into this prospectus, and you should not consider any information on, or that can be accessed through, our website as part of this prospectus. Our common stock trades on Nasdaq under the symbol “AVRO.”
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company
We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. As an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of specified reduced disclosure and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include:
• | Only two years of audited financial statements in addition to any required unaudited interim financial statements with correspondingly reduced “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” disclosure; |
• | Reduced disclosure about our executive compensation arrangements; |
• | No advisory votes on executive compensation or golden parachute arrangements; |
• | Exemption from the auditor attestation requirement in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting; and |
• | An exemption from new or revised financial accounting standards until they would apply to private companies and from compliance with any new requirements adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board requiring mandatory audit firm rotation. |
We may take advantage of these exemptions for up to five years or such earlier time that we are no longer an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company on the date that is the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenues of $1.235 billion or more; (ii) the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of our initial public offering in June 2018; (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in nonconvertible debt during the previous three years; or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. We may choose to take advantage of some but not all of these exemptions. We have taken advantage of reduced reporting requirements in this prospectus. Accordingly, the information contained herein may be different from the information you receive from other public companies in which you hold stock. We have elected to avail ourselves of the exemption for the delayed adoption of certain accounting standards and, therefore, are not subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.
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Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, we may still qualify as a “smaller reporting company” if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates is below $250 million (or $700 million if our annual revenue is less than $100 million) as of June 30 in any given year, which would allow us to take advantage of many of the same exemptions from disclosure requirements.
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Common stock offered by us
Shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $50,000,000.
Common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering
Up to 117,848,114 shares (as more fully described in the notes following this table), assuming sales of 74,074,074 shares of our common stock in this offering at an offering price of $0.675 per share, which was the last reported sale price of our common stock on Nasdaq on November 3, 2022. The actual number of shares issued will vary depending on how many shares of our common stock we choose to sell and the prices at which such sales occur.
Manner of offering
“At the market offering” that may be made from time to time on Nasdaq or other existing trading market for our common stock through our sales agent, Cowen. See “Plan of Distribution” on page SA-27 of this prospectus.
Use of proceeds
Our management will retain broad discretion regarding the allocation and use of the net proceeds. We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering primarily to fund activities relating to the advancement of our product candidates, and for other general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, research and development costs, potential strategic acquisitions of complementary businesses, services or technologies, expansion of our technology infrastructure and capabilities, repayment of debt, working capital and capital expenditures. See “Use of Proceeds” on page SA-14 of this prospectus.
Risk factors
Investing in our common stock involves significant risks. See “Risk Factors” on page SA-7 of this prospectus and under similar headings in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus for a discussion of the factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in our common stock.
The Nasdaq Global Select Market symbol
“AVRO”
All information in this prospectus related to the number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 43,774,040 shares of our common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2022. The number of shares outstanding as of September 30, 2022 as used throughout this prospectus, unless otherwise indicated, excludes:
• | 8,083,363 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of September 30, 2022 at a weighted-average exercise price of $9.05 per share; |
• | 870,536 shares of common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units outstanding as of September 30, 2022; |
• | 6,661,524 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2018 Stock Option and Incentive Plan; |
• | 1,467,026 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan; |
• | 752,048 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2019 Inducement Plan; and |
• | 1,637,000 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2020 Inducement Plan. |
Unless otherwise stated, all information contained in this prospectus assumes no exercise of stock options after September 30, 2022 and reflects an assumed public offering price of $0.675, which was the last reported sale price of our common stock on Nasdaq on November 3, 2022.
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Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risks described below and in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as any amendments thereto reflected in subsequent filings with the SEC, each of which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and all of the other information in this prospectus, including our financial statements and related notes incorporated by reference herein. If any of these risks are realized, or if other risks not currently known to us materialize, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties that are not yet identified or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects and could result in a complete loss of your investment.
Risks Related to This Offering and Our Common Stock
The market price of our common stock may be highly volatile, and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the offering price.
Our stock price is likely to be volatile. Since our initial public offering, or our IPO, in June 2018 through November 1, 2022, the trading price of our common stock has ranged from $53.70 to $0.56. The stock market in general, and the market for biopharmaceutical companies in particular, has experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, you may not be able to sell your common stock at or above the price at which you purchase shares. The market price for our common stock may be influenced by many factors, including:
• | the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; |
• | adverse results or delays in ongoing or planned preclinical studies or clinical trials; |
• | reports of adverse events in other gene therapy products or clinical studies of such products; |
• | an inability to obtain additional funding; |
• | failure by us to comply with the terms of our Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of November 2, 2021, with Silicon Valley Bank; |
• | failure by us to successfully develop and commercialize our product candidates; |
• | failure by us to maintain our existing strategic collaborations or enter into new collaborations; |
• | failure by us or our licensors and strategic partners to prosecute, maintain or enforce our intellectual property rights; |
• | changes in laws or regulations applicable to future products; |
• | an inability to obtain adequate product supply for our product candidates or the inability to do so at acceptable prices; |
• | adverse regulatory decisions; |
• | the introduction of new products, services or technologies by our competitors; |
• | failure by us to meet or exceed financial projections we may provide to the public; |
• | failure by us to meet or exceed the financial projections of the investment community; |
• | the perception of the pharmaceutical industry by the public, legislatures, regulators and the investment community; |
• | announcements of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments by us, our strategic partners or our competitors; |
• | disputes or other developments relating to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters and our ability to obtain patent protection for our technologies; |
• | additions or departures of key scientific or management personnel; |
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• | significant lawsuits, including patent or stockholder litigation; |
• | changes in the market valuations of similar companies; |
• | sales of our common stock by us or our stockholders in the future; and |
• | the trading volume of our common stock. |
In addition, companies trading in the stock market in general, and The Nasdaq Global Select Market in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of these companies. Broad market and industry factors may negatively affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance.
Our failure to meet Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements could result in a delisting of our common stock.
If we fail to satisfy the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq, such as the corporate governance requirements or the requirement to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1), or the Minimum Bid Price Requirement, Nasdaq may take steps to delist our common stock. Such a delisting would likely have a negative effect on the price of our common stock and would impair your ability to sell or purchase our common stock when you wish to do so. Any such delisting could also adversely impact our ability to raise additional capital or enter into strategic transactions.
On October 4, 2022, we received a written notice from the staff, or the Staff, of Nasdaq’s Listing Qualifications Department, notifying us that, for the 30 consecutive business day period between August 22, 2022 through October 3, 2022, our common stock had not complied with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement. Nasdaq’s written notice does not result in the immediate delisting of our common stock from Nasdaq.
In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the company has 180 calendar days, or until April 3, 2023, or the Compliance Date, to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement. According to the written notice, if, at any time during this 180-day period, the closing bid price for the common stock is at least $1.00 per share for a minimum of ten consecutive business days, the Staff will provide written confirmation of compliance and the common stock will remain listed on Nasdaq.
If we do not regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement by the Compliance Date, we may be eligible for an additional 180 calendar day compliance period. To qualify, we would be required to transfer our listing to The Nasdaq Capital Market and meet the continued listing requirement for the market value of publicly held shares and all other applicable initial listing standards for The Nasdaq Capital Market, with the exception of the Minimum Bid Price Requirement, and would need to provide written notice to Nasdaq of its intention to cure the deficiency during the additional 180-day compliance period, such as by effecting a reverse stock split, if necessary. If the Staff determines that we will not be able to cure the deficiency, then the Staff will provide us written notice that our common stock will be subject to delisting. At that time, we may appeal the Staff’s delisting determination to a Nasdaq Hearing Panel. There can no assurance that, if we receive a delisting notice and appeal the delisting determination by the Staff to the Nasdaq Hearing Panel, such appeal would be successful.
We intend to monitor the closing bid price of our common stock and may, if appropriate, consider available options to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement. However, we can provide no assurance that actions taken or not taken by us will restore compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements, stabilize the market price of our common stock, improve the liquidity of our common stock or prevent future non-compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements.
Additionally, if our common stock is not listed on, or becomes delisted from, Nasdaq for any reason, trading our common stock could be conducted only in the over-the-counter, or OTC, market or on an electronic bulletin board established for unlisted securities such as the OTC Bulletin Board, an inter-dealer automated quotation system for equity securities that is not a national securities exchange, and the liquidity and price of our common stock may be more limited than if we were quoted or listed on Nasdaq or another national securities exchange. In such circumstances, you may be unable to sell your common stock unless a market can be established or sustained.
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We could be subject to securities class action litigation.
In the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against a company following a decline in the market price of its securities. This risk is especially relevant for us because pharmaceutical companies have experienced significant stock price volatility in recent years. If we face such litigation, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could harm our business.
An active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained.
Prior to our IPO, there had been no public market for our common stock. Although our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, an active trading market for our shares may never be sustained. If an active market for our common stock is not sustained, it may be difficult for you to sell shares you purchase in this offering without depressing the market price for the shares, or at all.
An inactive trading market may also impair our ability to raise capital to continue to fund operations by selling additional shares and may impair our ability to acquire other companies or technologies by using our shares as consideration.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will likely depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. Although we have obtained research coverage from certain analysts, there can be no assurance that analysts will continue to cover us or provide favorable coverage. If one or more analysts downgrade our stock or change their opinion of our stock, our share price would likely decline. In addition, if one or more analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.
Concentration of ownership of our common stock among our existing executive officers, directors and principal stockholders may prevent new investors from influencing significant corporate decisions.
Based on shares outstanding as of November 3, 2022, our executive officers, directors, five percent stockholders and their affiliates beneficially owned approximately 27.55% of our voting stock. As a result, if these stockholders were to act together, they would be able to significantly influence all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, as well as our management and affairs. For example, these stockholders, acting together, may be able to influence elections of directors, amendments of our organizational documents, or approval of any merger, sale of assets, or other major corporate transaction. This may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our common stock that you may believe are in your best interest as one of our stockholders. Some of these persons or entities may have interests different than yours. For example, because many of these stockholders purchased their shares at prices substantially below the current trading price of our stock and have held their shares for a longer period, they may be more interested in selling our company to an acquirer than other investors or they may want us to pursue strategies that deviate from the interests of other stockholders.
We are an “emerging growth company,” and the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies may make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company,” or EGC, as defined in the JOBS Act. We will remain an EGC until the earliest of: (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenues of $1.235 billion or more; (ii) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the completion of our IPO; (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in nonconvertible debt during the previous three years; or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC, which means the first day of the year following the first year in which the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of June 30 in any given year. For so long as we remain an EGC, we are permitted and intend to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. These exemptions include:
• | not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404; |
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• | not being required to comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements; |
• | being permitted to provide only two years of audited financial statements, in addition to any required unaudited interim financial statements, with correspondingly reduced “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations” disclosure; |
• | reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation; and |
• | an exemption from the requirement to seek nonbinding advisory votes on executive compensation or golden parachute arrangements. |
We may choose to take advantage of some, but not all, of the available exemptions. We have taken advantage of reduced reporting burdens. In particular, we have not included all of the executive compensation information that would be required if we were not an EGC. We cannot predict whether investors will find our common stock less attractive if we rely on certain or all of these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.
In addition, the JOBS Act provides that an EGC may take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This allows an EGC to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of this exemption from new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, we will not be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.
Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, we may still qualify as a “smaller reporting company” if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates is below $250 million (or $700 million if our annual revenue is less than $100 million) as of June 30 in any given year, which would allow us to take advantage of many of the same exemptions from disclosure requirements.
If you purchase our common stock in this offering, you will incur immediate and substantial dilution in the book value of your shares.
Investors purchasing shares of common stock in this offering will pay a price per share that substantially exceeds the as adjusted book value per share of our tangible assets after subtracting our liabilities. As a result, investors purchasing shares of common stock in this offering will incur immediate dilution of $0.57 per share, based on the assumed offering price of $0.675 per share, which is the closing price of our common stock on November 3, 2022, and our as adjusted net tangible book value as of September 30, 2022. Further, based on these assumptions, investors purchasing shares of common stock in this offering will contribute approximately 63% of the total amount invested by stockholders since our inception, but will own only approximately 30% of the shares of common stock outstanding. For information on how the foregoing amounts were calculated, see “Dilution.”
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could cause our stock price to fall.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market or the perception that these sales might occur could depress the market price of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We are unable to predict the effect that such sales may have on the prevailing market price of our common stock. In addition, the sale of substantial amounts of our common stock could adversely impact its price. As of September 30, 2022, we had outstanding 43,774,040 shares of our common stock and options to purchase 8,083,363 shares of our common stock (of which 3,226,645 were exercisable as of that date). The sale or the availability for sale of a large number of shares of our common stock in the public market could cause the price of our common stock to decline.
We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may not use them effectively.
Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering, including for any of the purposes described in the section entitled “Use of Proceeds,” and you will not have the opportunity as part of your investment decision to assess whether the net proceeds are being used appropriately.
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Because of the number and variability of factors that will determine our use of the net proceeds from this offering, their ultimate use may vary substantially from their currently intended use. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could harm our business. Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds from this offering in short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing securities. These investments may not yield a favorable return to our stockholders.
We do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock, so any returns will be limited to the value of our stock.
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We currently anticipate that we will retain future earnings for the development, operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate declaring or paying any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Any return to stockholders will therefore be limited to the appreciation of their stock. For example, our Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of November 2, 2021, with Silicon Valley Bank restricts our ability to pay certain kinds of dividends or to make certain kinds of distributions on account of our capital stock, and we may enter into agreements in the future with similar restrictions. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.
The common stock offered hereby will be sold in “at the market offerings,” and investors who buy shares at different times will likely pay different prices.
Investors who purchase shares in this offering at different times will likely pay different prices, and so may experience different outcomes in their investment results. We will have discretion, subject to market demand, to vary the timing, prices and numbers of shares sold, and there is no minimum or maximum sales price. Investors may experience a decline in the value of their shares as a result of share sales made at prices lower than the prices they paid.
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This prospectus and the information and documents incorporated by reference herein, contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Any statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and may be forward-looking. These statements are often, but are not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “aims,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “continue,” “could,” “designed to,” “estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “goal,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “possible,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “seeks,” “strives,” “should,” “will,” and similar expressions or the negative of these terms. Accordingly, these statements involve estimates, assumptions, risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in them. Any forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed throughout this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein, and in particular those factors referenced in the section “Risk Factors.”
This prospectus, any related free writing prospectus and the information and documents incorporated by reference herein contain forward-looking statements that are based on our management’s belief and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:
• | the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on our clinical trial programs, clinical supply and business generally, as well as our plans and expectations with respect to the timing and resumption of any development activities that were or may be temporarily paused as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; |
• | the timing, progress and results of preclinical studies and clinical trials for our programs and product candidates, including statements regarding the timing of initiation and completion of studies or trials and related preparatory work, the period during which the results of the trials will become available and our research and development programs; |
• | the existence or absence of side effects or other properties relating to our product candidates which could delay or prevent their regulatory approval, limit their commercial potential, or result in significant negative consequences following any potential marketing approval; |
• | the durability of effects from our product candidates; |
• | the timing, scope or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals; |
• | the anticipated regulatory pathway for our product candidates and planned interactions with regulatory agencies; |
• | our ability to develop and advance product candidates into, and successfully complete, clinical studies; |
• | our expectations regarding the size of the patient populations for our product candidates, if approved for commercial use; |
• | the implementation of our business model and our strategic plans for our business, product candidates, technology and plato platform; |
• | our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy; |
• | the pricing and reimbursement of our product candidates, if approved; |
• | the scalability and commercial viability of our manufacturing methods and processes, including our move to a closed, automated system; |
• | the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our product candidates, in particular, and gene therapy, in general; |
• | our ability to establish or maintain collaborations or strategic relationships or obtain additional funding; |
• | our competitive position; |
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• | the scope of protection we and/or our licensors are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering our current and future product candidates, as well as any statements as to whether we do or do not infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate any third-party intellectual property rights; |
• | our financial performance; |
• | our ability to retain the continued service of our key professionals and to identify, hire and retain additional qualified professionals; |
• | developments and projections relating to our competitors and our industry including other lentiviral or HSC gene therapy companies; |
• | our expectations related to the use of our cash reserves; |
• | our expectations related to the use of proceeds from this offering; |
• | our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing; |
• | our ability to comply with the terms of our Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of November 2, 2021, with Silicon Valley Bank; |
• | our ability to avoid any findings of material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in the future; |
• | our ability to satisfy the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq, including a minimum bid price, and to maintain our common stock listing on Nasdaq or any stock exchange; |
• | the impact of laws and regulations, including without limitation recently enacted tax reform legislation; |
• | our expectations regarding the time during which we are an emerging growth company under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended, or the JOBS Act; and |
• | other risks and uncertainties, including those listed under the caption “Risk Factors.” |
These forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees of future performance due to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, without limitation the risk factors and cautionary statements described in other documents that we file from time to time with the SEC, specifically under “Item 1A: Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K, and the section of the prospectus titled “Risk Factors.”
The forward-looking statements in this prospectus, any related free writing prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference represent our views as of their respective dates. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements except to the extent required by applicable law. You should, therefore, not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the dates on which they were made.
This prospectus, any related free writing prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference also contain estimates, projections and other information concerning our industry, our business, and the markets for certain diseases, including data regarding the estimated size of those markets, and the incidence and prevalence of certain medical conditions. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances reflected in this information. Unless otherwise expressly stated, we obtained this industry, business, market and other data from reports, research surveys, studies and similar data prepared by market research firms and other third parties, industry, medical and general publications, government data and similar sources.
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We may issue and sell shares of our common stock having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $50,000,000 from time to time. The amount of proceeds from this offering will depend upon the number of shares of our common stock sold and the market price at which they are sold. There can be no assurance that we will be able to sell any shares under or fully utilize the sales agreement with Cowen as a source of financing. Therefore, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time.
We intend to use any net proceeds from this offering primarily to fund activities relating to the advancement of our product candidates, and for other general corporate purposes. General corporate purposes may include research and development costs, including the conduct of one or more clinical trials and process development and manufacturing of our product candidates, potential strategic acquisitions of complementary businesses, services or technologies, expansion of our technology infrastructure and capabilities, repayment of debt, working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes. We may temporarily invest the net proceeds in a variety of capital preservation instruments, including investment grade, interest bearing instruments and U.S. government securities, until they are used for their stated purpose. We have not determined the amount of net proceeds to be used specifically for such purposes. As a result, management will retain broad discretion over the allocation of net proceeds.
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We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings to support our operations and finance the growth and development of our business. We do not intend to pay cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. Any future determination related to dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other factors, our results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, business prospects and other factors our board of directors may deem relevant. Investors should not purchase our common stock with the expectation of receiving cash dividends.
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If you invest in our common stock in this offering, your ownership interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the public offering price per share of our common stock in this offering and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering. Our net tangible book value as of September 30, 2022 was approximately $97,918, or approximately $2.24 per share of common stock. Net tangible book value per share represents the amount of total tangible assets (total assets less intangible assets) less total liabilities, divided by the number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2022.
Dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors participating in this offering represents the difference between the amount per share paid by purchasers in this offering and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after giving effect to this offering. After giving effect to the assumed sale of 74,074,074 shares of our common stock in the aggregate amount of approximately $50,000,000 at an assumed offering price of $0.675 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on November 3, 2022, and after deduction of commissions and estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of September 30, 2022 would have been approximately $146,168, or approximately $1.24 per share of common stock. This represents an immediate decrease in net tangible book value of $1.00 per share of common stock to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $0.57 per share of common stock to investors participating in this offering at the assumed offering price.
Dilution per share to new investors is determined by subtracting as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering from the assumed public offering price per share paid by new investors. The following table illustrates this per share dilution:
Assumed offering price per share | | | $0.675 | | | |
Net tangible book value per share as of September 30, 2022 | | | $2.24 | | | |
Decrease in net tangible book value per share attributable to new investors attributable to this offering | | | 1.00 | | | |
As adjusted net tangible book value per share as of September 30, 2022, after giving effect to this offering | | | | | 1.24 | |
Dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors participating in this offering | | | | | $0.57 |
The table above assumes for illustrative purposes that an aggregate of 74,074,074 shares of our common stock are sold at a price of $0.675 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on Nasdaq on November 3, 2022, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $50,000,000. The shares sold in this offering, if any, will be sold from time to time at various prices. An increase of $0.50 per share in the price at which the shares are sold from the assumed offering price of $0.675 per share shown in the table above, assuming all of our common stock in the aggregate amount of approximately $50,000,000 is sold at that price, would result in an increase to our adjusted net tangible book value per share after the offering to $182,094 and an increase in the dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors in this offering to $0.37 after deducting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. A decrease of $0.50 per share in the price at which the shares are sold from the assumed offering price of $0.675 per share shown in the table above, assuming all of our common stock in the aggregate amount of approximately $50,000,000 is sold at that price, would result in a decrease to our adjusted net tangible book value per share after the offering to $110,242 and a decrease in the dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors in this offering to $0.76, after deducting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. This information is supplied for illustrative purposes only, and will adjust based on the actual offering prices, the actual number of shares that we offer and sell in this offering and other terms of each sale of shares in this offering.
The information above and in the foregoing table is based upon 43,774,040 shares of our common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2022. The information above and in the foregoing table excludes as of September 30, 2022:
• | 8,083,363 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of September 30, 2022 at a weighted-average exercise price of $9.05 per share; |
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• | 870,536 shares of common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units outstanding as of September 30, 2022; |
• | 6,661,524 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2018 Stock Option and Incentive Plan; |
• | 1,467,026 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan; |
• | 752,048 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2019 Inducement Plan; and |
• | 1,637,000 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2020 Inducement Plan. |
In addition, we may choose to raise additional capital in the future through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities due to market conditions or strategic considerations, even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent that any of our outstanding options are exercised, new options are issued under our equity incentive plans or we issue additional shares of common stock or other equity or convertible debt securities in the future, there will be further dilution to investors participating in this offering.
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The following discussion is a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations for non-U.S. holders (as defined below) with respect to their ownership and disposition of shares of our common stock issued pursuant to this offering. For purposes of this discussion, a non-U.S. holder means a beneficial owner of our common stock that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
• | a non-resident alien individual; |
• | a foreign corporation or any other foreign organization taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes; or |
• | a foreign estate or trust, the income of which is not subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis. |
This discussion does not address the tax treatment of partnerships or other entities that are pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes or persons that hold their common stock through partnerships or other pass-through entities. A partner in a partnership or other pass-through entity that will hold our common stock should consult his, her or its tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of acquiring, holding and disposing of our common stock through a partnership or other pass-through entity, as applicable.
This discussion is based on current provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which we refer to as the Code, existing and proposed U.S. Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, current administrative rulings and judicial decisions, all as in effect as of the date of this prospectus and all of which are subject to change or to differing interpretation, possibly with retroactive effect. Any such change or differing interpretation could alter the tax consequences to non-U.S. holders described in this prospectus. There can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service, which we refer to as the IRS, will not challenge one or more of the tax consequences described herein. We assume in this discussion that a non-U.S. holder holds shares of our common stock as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code, generally property held for investment.
This discussion does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be relevant to a particular non-U.S. holder in light of that non-U.S. holder’s individual circumstances nor does it address U.S. state, local or non-U.S. taxes, the alternative minimum tax, the rules regarding qualified small business stock within the meaning of Section 1202 of the Code, the Medicare tax on net investment income or any other aspect of any U.S. federal tax other than the income tax. This discussion also does not consider any specific facts or circumstances that may apply to a non-U.S. holder and does not address the special tax rules applicable to particular non-U.S. holders, such as:
• | insurance companies; |
• | tax-exempt or governmental organizations; |
• | financial institutions; |
• | brokers or dealers in securities; |
• | regulated investment companies; |
• | pension plans; |
• | “controlled foreign corporations,” “passive foreign investment companies,” and corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax; |
• | “qualified foreign pension funds” as defined in Section 897(I)(2) of the Code and entities all of the interests of which are held by qualified foreign pension funds; |
• | persons that have a functional currency other than the U.S. dollar; |
• | persons deemed to sell our common stock under the constructive sale provisions of the Code; |
• | persons that hold our common stock as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion transaction, synthetic security or other integrated investment; |
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• | persons who hold or receive our common stock pursuant to the exercise of any employee stock option or otherwise as compensation; and |
• | certain U.S. expatriates. |
This discussion is for general information only and is not tax advice. Accordingly, all prospective non-U.S. holders of our common stock should consult their tax advisors with respect to the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our common stock.
Distributions on Our Common Stock
As described in the “Risk Factors” section above, we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our capital stock in the foreseeable future. Distributions, if any, on our common stock will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. If a distribution exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits, the excess will be treated as a tax-free return of the non-U.S. holder’s investment, up to such holder’s tax basis in the common stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as capital gain, subject to the tax treatment described below in “Gain on Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of Our Common Stock.” Any such distributions will also be subject to the discussions below under the sections titled “Backup Withholding and Information Reporting” and “FATCA.”
Subject to the discussion in the following two paragraphs in this section, dividends paid to a non-U.S. holder generally will be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a 30% rate or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty between the United States and such holder’s country of residence.
Dividends that are treated as effectively connected with a trade or business conducted by a non-U.S. holder within the United States and, if an applicable income tax treaty so provides, that are attributable to a permanent establishment or a fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. holder within the United States, are generally exempt from the 30% withholding tax if the non-U.S. holder satisfies applicable certification and disclosure requirements. However, such U.S. effectively connected income, net of specified deductions and credits, is taxed at the same graduated U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to United States persons (as defined in the Code). Any U.S. effectively connected income received by a non-U.S. holder that is a corporation may also, under certain circumstances, be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty between the United States and such holder’s country of residence.
A non-U.S. holder of our common stock who claims the benefit of an applicable income tax treaty between the United States and such holder’s country of residence generally will be required to provide a properly executed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or successor form) to the applicable withholding agent and satisfy applicable certification and other requirements. Non-U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding their entitlement to benefits under a relevant income tax treaty. A non-U.S. holder that is eligible for a reduced rate of U.S. withholding tax under an income tax treaty may obtain a refund or credit of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing a U.S. tax return with the IRS.
Gain on Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of Our Common Stock
Subject to the discussions below under “Backup Withholding and Information Reporting” and “FATCA,” a non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to any U.S. federal income or withholding tax on any gain realized upon such holder’s sale or other taxable disposition of shares of our common stock unless:
• | the gain is effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business and, if an applicable income tax treaty so provides, is attributable to a permanent establishment or a fixed base maintained by such non-U.S. holder in the United States, in which case the non-U.S. holder generally will be taxed on a net income basis at the graduated U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to United States persons (as defined in the Code) and, if the non-U.S. holder is a foreign corporation, the branch profits tax described above in “Distributions on Our Common Stock” also may apply; |
• | the non-U.S. holder is a nonresident alien individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of the disposition and certain other conditions are met, in which case the non-U.S. holder will be subject to a 30% tax (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable |
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income tax treaty between the United States and such holder’s country of residence) on the net gain derived from the disposition, which may be offset by certain U.S. source capital losses of the non-U.S. holder, if any (even though the individual is not considered a resident of the United States), provided that the non-U.S. holder has timely filed U.S. federal income tax returns with respect to such losses; or
• | we are, or have been, at any time during the five-year period preceding such sale or other taxable disposition (or the non-U.S. holder’s holding period, if shorter) a U.S. real property holding corporation, unless our common stock is regularly traded on an established securities market and the non-U.S. holder holds no more than 5% of our outstanding common stock, directly or indirectly, actually or constructively, during the shorter of the 5-year period ending on the date of the disposition or the period that the non-U.S. holder held our common stock. Generally, a corporation is a U.S. real property holding corporation only if the fair market value of its U.S. real property interests equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of its worldwide real property interests plus its other assets used or held for use in a trade or business. Although there can be no assurance, we do not believe that we are, or have been, a U.S. real property holding corporation, or that we are likely to become one in the future. No assurance can be provided that our common stock will be regularly traded on an established securities market for purposes of the rules described above. |
Backup Withholding and Information Reporting
We must report annually to the IRS and to each non-U.S. holder the gross amount of the distributions on our common stock paid to such holder and the tax withheld, if any, with respect to such distributions. Non-U.S. holders may have to comply with specific certification procedures to establish that the holder is not a United States person (as defined in the Code) in order to avoid backup withholding at the applicable rate with respect to dividends on our common stock. Dividends paid to non-U.S. holders subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax, as described above in “Distributions on Our Common Stock,” generally will be exempt from U.S. backup withholding.
Information reporting and backup withholding will generally apply to the proceeds of a disposition of our common stock by a non-U.S. holder effected by or through the U.S. office of any broker, U.S. or foreign, unless the holder certifies its status as a non-U.S. holder and satisfies certain other requirements, or otherwise establishes an exemption. Generally, information reporting and backup withholding will not apply to a payment of disposition proceeds to a non-U.S. holder where the transaction is effected outside the United States through a non-U.S. office of a broker. However, for information reporting purposes, dispositions effected through a non-U.S. office of a broker with substantial U.S. ownership or operations generally will be treated in a manner similar to dispositions effected through a U.S. office of a broker.
Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the information reporting and backup withholding rules to them. Copies of information returns may be made available to the tax authorities of the country in which the non-U.S. holder resides or is incorporated under the provisions of a specific treaty or agreement. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules from a payment to a non-U.S. holder can be refunded or credited against the non-U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided that an appropriate claim is filed with the IRS in a timely manner.
FATCA
Provisions of the Code commonly referred to as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, generally impose a U.S. federal withholding tax at a rate of 30% on payments of dividends on our common stock paid to a foreign entity unless (i) if the foreign entity is a “foreign financial institution,” such foreign entity undertakes certain due diligence, reporting, withholding, and certification obligations, (ii) if the foreign entity is not a “foreign financial institution,” such foreign entity identifies certain of its U.S. investors, if any, or (iii) the foreign entity is otherwise exempt under FATCA. Such withholding may also apply to gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of our common stock, although under recently proposed U.S. Treasury Regulations, no withholding would apply to such gross proceeds. The preamble to the proposed regulations specifies that taxpayers (including withholding agents) are permitted to rely on the proposed regulations pending finalization. Under certain circumstances, a non-U.S. holder may be eligible for refunds or credits of this withholding tax. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country may modify the requirements described in this paragraph. Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the
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possible implications of this legislation on their investment in our common stock and the entities through which they hold our common stock, including, without limitation, the process and deadlines for meeting the applicable requirements to prevent the imposition of the 30% withholding tax under FATCA.
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The following description of our common stock and preferred stock summarizes the material terms and provisions of the common stock that we may offer under this prospectus. The following description of our capital stock does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, which are exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, and by applicable law. The terms of our common stock and preferred stock may also be affected by Delaware law.
General
Our authorized capital stock consists of 150,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, all of which shares of preferred stock are undesignated.
As of November 3, 2022, 43,774,088 shares of our common stock were outstanding.
Common Stock
The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders. The holders of our common stock do not have any cumulative voting rights. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably any dividends declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for that purpose, subject to any preferential dividend rights of any outstanding preferred stock. Our common stock has no preemptive rights, conversion rights or other subscription rights or redemption or sinking fund provisions.
In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock will be entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of all debts and other liabilities and any liquidation preference of any outstanding preferred stock. The shares to be issued by us in this offering will be, when issued and paid for, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
Preferred Stock
Our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our stockholders, to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof. These rights, preferences and privileges could include dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation preferences, sinking fund terms and the number of shares constituting, or the designation of, such series, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of common stock. The issuance of our preferred stock could adversely affect the voting power of holders of common stock and the likelihood that such holders will receive dividend payments and payments upon our liquidation. In addition, the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company or other corporate action. As of September 30, 2022, no shares of preferred stock were outstanding.
Stock Options
As of September 30, 2022, there were outstanding options to purchase an aggregate of 8,083,363 shares of our common stock.
Registration Rights
As of November 1, 2022, the holders of 4,541,381 shares of our common stock are entitled to rights with respect to the registration of these securities under the Securities Act. These rights are provided under the terms of an investors’ rights agreement between us and holders of our preferred stock, which was subsequently converted into common stock in connection with our initial public offering in June 2018, or our IPO. The investors’ rights agreement includes demand registration rights, short-form registration rights and piggyback registration rights. All fees, costs and expenses of underwritten registrations under this agreement will be borne by us and all selling expenses, including underwriting discounts and selling commissions, will be borne by the holders of the shares being registered.
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Demand Registration Rights
The holders of 4,541,381 shares of our common stock are entitled to demand registration rights. Under the terms of the investors’ rights agreement, we will be required, upon the written request of holders of at least 50% of these securities that would result in an aggregate offering price of at least $10.0 million, to file a registration statement and use commercially reasonable efforts to effect the registration of all or a portion of these shares for public resale. We are required to effect only two registrations pursuant to this provision of the investors’ rights agreement.
Short-Form Registration Rights
Pursuant to the investors’ rights agreement, if we are eligible to file a registration statement on Form S-3, upon the written request of holders of at least 25% of these securities at an aggregate offer price of at least $3.0 million, we will be required to use commercially reasonable efforts to effect a registration of such shares. We are required to effect only two registrations in any twelve-month period pursuant to this provision of the investors’ rights agreement. The right to have such shares registered on Form S-3 is further subject to other specified conditions and limitations.
Piggyback Registration Rights
Pursuant to the investors’ rights agreement, if we register any of our securities either for our own account or for the account of other security holders, the holders of these shares are entitled to include their shares in the registration. Subject to certain exceptions contained in the investors’ rights agreement, we and the underwriters may limit the number of shares included in the underwritten offering to the number of shares which we and the underwriters determine in our sole discretion will not jeopardize the success of the offering.
Indemnification
Our investors’ rights agreement contains customary cross-indemnification provisions, under which we are obligated to indemnify holders of registrable securities in the event of material misstatements or omissions in the registration statement attributable to us, and they are obligated to indemnify us for material misstatements or omissions attributable to them.
Expiration of Registration Rights
The demand registration rights and short form registration rights granted under the investors’ rights agreement will terminate on the earliest of (i) a deemed liquidation event, as defined in the investors’ rights agreement, (ii) the fifth anniversary of the completion of our IPO and (iii) when the holders’ shares may be sold without restriction pursuant to Rule 144 within a three-month period.
Anti-Takeover Effects of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and Delaware Law
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws includes a number of provisions that may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing another party from acquiring control of us and encouraging persons considering unsolicited tender offers or other unilateral takeover proposals to negotiate with our board of directors rather than pursue non-negotiated takeover attempts. These provisions include the items described below.
Board Composition and Filling Vacancies
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides for the division of our board of directors into three classes serving staggered three-year terms, with one class being elected each year. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that directors may be removed only for cause and then only by the affirmative vote of the holders of two-thirds or more of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors. Furthermore, any vacancy on our board of directors, however occurring, including a vacancy resulting from an increase in the size of our board, may only be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of our directors then in office even if less than a quorum. The classification of directors, together with the limitations on removal of directors and treatment of vacancies, has the effect of making it more difficult for stockholders to change the composition of our board of directors.
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No Written Consent of Stockholders
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that all stockholder actions are required to be taken by a vote of the stockholders at an annual or special meeting, and that stockholders may not take any action by written consent in lieu of a meeting. This limit may lengthen the amount of time required to take stockholder actions and would prevent the amendment of our bylaws or removal of directors by our stockholders without holding a meeting of stockholders.
Meetings of Stockholders
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that only a majority of the members of our board of directors then in office may call special meetings of stockholders and only those matters set forth in the notice of the special meeting may be considered or acted upon at a special meeting of stockholders. Our amended and restated bylaws limits the business that may be conducted at an annual meeting of stockholders to those matters properly brought before the meeting.
Advance Notice Requirements
Our amended and restated bylaws establishes advance notice procedures with regard to stockholder proposals relating to the nomination of candidates for election as directors or new business to be brought before meetings of our stockholders. These procedures provide that notice of stockholder proposals must be timely given in writing to our corporate secretary prior to the meeting at which the action is to be taken. Generally, to be timely, notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the annual meeting for the preceding year. Our bylaws specify the requirements as to form and content of all stockholders’ notices. These requirements may preclude stockholders from bringing matters before the stockholders at an annual or special meeting.
Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
Any amendment of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation must first be approved by a majority of our board of directors, and if required by law or our certificate of incorporation, must thereafter be approved by a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment and a majority of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote thereon as a class, except that the amendment of the provisions relating to stockholder action, board composition, limitation of liability and the amendment of our bylaws and certificate of incorporation must be approved by not less than two-thirds of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, and not less than two-thirds of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote thereon as a class. Our bylaws may be amended by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, subject to any limitations set forth in the bylaws; and may also be amended by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, or, if our board of directors recommends that the stockholders approve the amendment, by the affirmative vote of the majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, in each case voting together as a single class.
Undesignated Preferred Stock
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides for 10,000,000 authorized shares of preferred stock. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock may enable our board of directors to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. For example, if in the due exercise of its fiduciary obligations, our board of directors were to determine that a takeover proposal is not in the best interests of our stockholders, our board of directors could cause shares of preferred stock to be issued without stockholder approval in one or more private offerings or other transactions that might dilute the voting or other rights of the proposed acquirer or insurgent stockholder or stockholder group. In this regard, our certificate of incorporation grants our board of directors broad power to establish the rights and preferences of authorized and unissued shares of preferred stock. The issuance of shares of preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to holders of shares of common stock. The issuance may also adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of these holders and may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of us. There are no restrictions on our repurchase or redemption of shares of preferred stock while there is any arrearage in the payment of dividends or sinking fund installments.
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Choice of Forum
Our amended and restated bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for any state law claim for (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of or based on a fiduciary duty owed by any of our current or former directors, officers or other employees to us or our stockholders; (3) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our current or former directors, officers, employees or stockholders arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws; or (4) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, or the Delaware Forum Provision. The Delaware Forum Provision will not apply to any causes of action arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act. Our amended and restated bylaws further provide that, unless we consent in writing to an alternative forum, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, or the Federal Forum Provision, as our principal executive offices are located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In addition, our amended and restated bylaws provide that any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock is deemed to have notice of and consented to the foregoing Delaware Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision; provided, however, that stockholders cannot and will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
We recognize that the Delaware Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision may impose additional litigation costs on stockholders in pursuing any such claims, particularly if the stockholders do not reside in or near the State of Delaware or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Additionally, these forum selection clauses in our amended and restated bylaws may limit our stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that they find favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and employees even though an action, if successful, might benefit our stockholders. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates a concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought concerning a duty or liability created by the securities laws, rules and regulations thereunder. While the Delaware Supreme Court and other state courts have upheld the validity of federal forum selection provisions purporting to require claims under the Securities Act be brought in federal court, there is uncertainty as to whether other courts will enforce our Federal Forum Provision. The Federal Forum Provision may also impose additional litigation costs on stockholders who assert the provision is unenforceable, and if the Federal Forum Provision is found to be unenforceable, we may incur additional costs with resolving such matters. The Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts may also reach different judgments or results than would other courts, including courts where a stockholder considering an action may be located or would otherwise choose to bring the action, and such judgments may be more or less favorable to us than our stockholders.
Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law
We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that this stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. Under Section 203, a business combination between a corporation and an interested stockholder is prohibited unless it satisfies one of the following conditions:
• | before the stockholder became interested, our board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; |
• | upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding, shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers, and employee stock plans, in some instances, but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder; or |
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• | at or after the time the stockholder became interested, the business combination was approved by our board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder. |
Section 203 defines a business combination to include:
• | any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder; |
• | any sale, transfer, lease, pledge or other disposition involving the interested stockholder of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation; |
• | subject to exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder; |
• | subject to exceptions, any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; and |
• | the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits provided by or through the corporation. |
In general, Section 203 defines an interested stockholder as any entity or person beneficially owning 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation and any entity or person affiliated with or controlling or controlled by the entity or person.
Nasdaq Global Select Market Listing
Our common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the trading symbol “AVRO.”
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A. The transfer agent and registrar’s address is 250 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021, and its telephone number is (800) 962-4284.
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We have entered into a sales agreement with Cowen, under which we may issue and sell from time to time up to $50,000,000 of our common stock through Cowen as our sales agent. Sales of our common stock, if any, will be made at market prices by any method that is deemed to be an “at the market” offering as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act, including sales made directly on Nasdaq or any other trading market for our common stock. If authorized by us in writing, Cowen may purchase shares of our common stock as principal.
Cowen will offer our common stock subject to the terms and conditions of the sales agreement on a daily basis or as otherwise agreed upon by us and Cowen. We will designate the maximum amount of common stock to be sold through Cowen on a daily basis or otherwise determine such maximum amount together with Cowen. Subject to the terms and conditions of the sales agreement, Cowen will use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell on our behalf all of the shares of common stock requested to be sold by us. We may instruct Cowen not to sell common stock if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by us in any such instruction. Cowen or we may suspend the offering of our common stock being made through Cowen under the sales agreement upon proper notice to the other party. We and Cowen each have the right, by giving written notice as specified in the sales agreement, to terminate the sales agreement in either party’s sole discretion at any time.
The aggregate compensation payable to Cowen as sales agent equals 3.0% of the gross sales price of the shares sold through Cowen pursuant to the sales agreement. We have also agreed to reimburse Cowen up to $75,000 of Cowen’s actual outside legal expenses incurred by Cowen in connection with this offering, and for certain other expenses, including Cowen’s FINRA counsel fees in an amount up to $10,000. We estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by us, excluding commissions payable to Cowen under the sales agreement, will be approximately $250,000.
The remaining sales proceeds, after deducting any expenses payable by us and any transaction fees imposed by any governmental, regulatory, or self-regulatory organization in connection with the sales, will equal our net proceeds for the sale of such common stock.
Cowen will provide written confirmation to us following the close of trading on Nasdaq on each day in which common stock is sold through it as sales agent under the sales agreement. Each confirmation will include the number of shares of common stock sold through it as sales agent on that day, the volume weighted average price of the shares sold, the percentage of the daily trading volume and the net proceeds to us.
We will report at least quarterly the number of shares of common stock sold through Cowen under the sales agreement, the net proceeds to us and the compensation paid by us to Cowen in connection with the sales of common stock.
Settlement for sales of common stock will occur, unless the parties agree otherwise, on the second trading day following the date on which any sales were made in return for payment of the net proceeds to us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement.
In connection with the sales of our common stock on our behalf, Cowen will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation paid to Cowen will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed in the sales agreement to provide indemnification and contribution to Cowen against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As sales agent, Cowen will not engage in any transaction that stabilizes our common stock.
Our common stock is listed on Nasdaq and trades under the symbol “AVRO.” The transfer agent of our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
Cowen and/or its affiliates have provided, and may in the future provide, various investment banking and other financial services for us for which services they have received and, may in the future receive, customary fees.
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Certain legal matters in connection with this offering and the validity of the securities offered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Goodwin Procter LLP, Boston, Massachusetts. Cowen and Company, LLC is being represented in connection with this offering by Ropes & Gray LLP, Boston, Massachusetts.
The consolidated financial statements of AVROBIO, Inc. appearing in AVROBIO, Inc.’s Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2021, have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such financial statements are, and audited financial statements to be included in subsequently filed documents will be, incorporated herein in reliance upon the report of Ernst & Young LLP pertaining to such financial statements (to the extent covered by consents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission) given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we have filed with the SEC. This prospectus, filed as part of the registration statement, does not contain all the information set forth in the registration statement and its exhibits and schedules, portions of which have been omitted as permitted by the rules and regulations of the SEC. For further information about us, we refer you to the registration statement and to its exhibits and schedules. Certain information in the registration statement has been omitted from this prospectus in accordance with the rules of the SEC.
We are subject to the reporting and information requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance therewith, file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. These documents may be accessed through the SEC’s electronic data gathering, analysis and retrieval system, or EDGAR, via electronic means, including the SEC’s home page on the Internet (www.sec.gov). Written requests for such copies should be directed to Investor Relations, AVROBIO, Inc., 100 Technology Square, Sixth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, and our website is located at www.avrobio.com.
We have the authority to designate and issue more than one class or series of stock having various preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends, qualifications, and terms and conditions of redemption. See “Description of Capital Stock.” We will furnish a full statement of the relative rights and preferences of each class or series of our stock which has been so designated and any restrictions on the ownership or transfer of our stock to any shareholder upon request and without charge. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and, therefore, is not part of this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement.
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The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information and reports we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to these documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede the information already incorporated by reference. We are incorporating by reference the documents listed below, which we have already filed with the SEC, and any future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act between the date of this prospectus and the termination of the offering, except as to any portion of any future report or document that is not deemed filed under such provisions:
• | our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 17, 2022; |
• | the information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 from our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A (other than information furnished rather than filed), which was filed with the SEC on April 27, 2022; |
• | our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on May 10, 2022, June 30, 2022, filed with the SEC on August, 9, 2022, and September 30, 2022, filed with the SEC on November 8, 2022; |
• | our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 7, 2022, our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 10, 2022, our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 29, 2022 (except for information contained therein which is furnished rather than filed) and our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 7, 2022; and |
• | the description of our common stock contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on June 18, 2018, including any amendments or reports filed for the purposes of updating this description, including Exhibit 4.3 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 16, 2020. |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless specifically stated to the contrary, information that we furnish (and that is not deemed “filed” with the SEC) under Items 2.02 and 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K, including the related exhibits under Item 9.01, is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
Any statement contained in a document that is incorporated by reference will be modified or superseded for all purposes to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus, or in any other document that is subsequently filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference into this prospectus, modifies or is contrary to that previous statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed a part of this prospectus, except as so modified or superseded. Since information that we later file with the SEC will update and supersede previously incorporated information, you should look at all of the SEC filings that we incorporate by reference to determine if any of the statements in this prospectus or in any documents previously incorporated by reference have been modified or superseded.
Upon request, either orally or in writing, we will provide, without charge, to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus is delivered, a copy of the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with the prospectus. You may request a copy of these filings, and any exhibits we have specifically incorporated by reference as an exhibit in this prospectus, at no cost by writing us at the following address: Investor Relations, AVROBIO, Inc., 100 Technology Square, Sixth Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, or via telephone at (617) 914-8420.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. We have incorporated exhibits into this registration statement. You should read the exhibits carefully for provisions that may be important to you.
You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or in the documents incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus or those documents.
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Part II-INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution
The expenses payable by AVROBIO, Inc., or the Registrant, in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities being registered (other than underwriting discounts and commissions, if any) are set forth below. Each item listed is estimated, except for the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, registration fee.
SEC registration fee | | | $19,291 |
FINRA filing fee | | | 26,758 |
Legal fees and expenses | | | * |
Accounting fees and expenses | | | * |
Printing fees and expenses | | | * |
Transfer agent and trustee fees | | | * |
Miscellaneous | | | * |
Total | | | $* |
* | Estimated expenses not presently known |
Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, authorizes a corporation to indemnify its directors and officers against liabilities arising out of actions, suits and proceedings to which they are made or threatened to be made a party by reason of the fact that they have served or are currently serving as a director or officer to a corporation. The indemnity may cover expenses (including attorneys’ fees) judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the director or officer in connection with any such action, suit or proceeding. Section 145 permits corporations to pay expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by directors and officers in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding. In addition, Section 145 provides that a corporation has the power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of its directors and officers against any liability asserted against them and incurred by them in their capacity as a director or officer, or arising out of their status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify the director or officer against such liability under Section 145.
We have adopted provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws that limit or eliminate the personal liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as it now exists or may in the future be amended. Consequently, a director will not be personally liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages or breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability for:
• | any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders; |
• | any act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; |
• | any unlawful payments related to dividends or unlawful stock purchases, redemptions or other distributions; or |
• | any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. |
These limitations of liability do not alter director liability under the federal securities laws and do not affect the availability of equitable remedies such as an injunction or rescission.
In addition, our bylaws provide that:
• | we will indemnify our directors, officers and, in the discretion of our board of directors, certain employees to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as it now exists or may in the future be amended; and |
• | we will advance reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees, to our directors and, in the discretion of our board of directors, to our officers and certain employees, in connection with legal proceedings relating to their service for or on behalf of us, subject to limited exceptions. |
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We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and our executive officers. These agreements provide that we will indemnify each of our directors and our executive officers and, at times, their affiliates to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. We will advance expenses, including attorneys’ fees (but excluding judgments, fines and settlement amounts), to each indemnified director or executive officer in connection with any proceeding in which indemnification is available and we will indemnify our directors and officers for any action or proceeding arising out of that person’s services as a director or officer brought on behalf of us or in furtherance of our rights. Additionally, certain of our directors or officers may have certain rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses or insurance provided by their affiliates or other third parties, which indemnification relates to and might apply to the same proceedings arising out of such director’s or officer’s services as a director referenced herein. Nonetheless, we have agreed in the indemnification agreements that our obligations to those same directors or officers are primary and any obligation of such affiliates or other third parties to advance expenses or to provide indemnification for the expenses or liabilities incurred by those directors are secondary.
We also maintain general liability insurance which covers certain liabilities of our directors and officers arising out of claims based on acts or omissions in their capacities as directors or officers, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act.
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Exhibit No. | | | Description |
1.1* | | | Form of Underwriting Agreement |
| | | Sales Agreement dated November 8, 2022 by and among the Registrant and Cowen and Company, LLC | |
| | | Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant, filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 25, 2018 (File No. 001-38537) and incorporated herein by reference | |
| | | Amended and Restated By-laws, filed as Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 25, 2018 (File No. 001-38537) and incorporated herein by reference | |
| | | Form of Specimen Common Stock Certificate, filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Second Amendment to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on June 11, 2018 (File No. 333-225213) and incorporated herein by reference | |
| | | Second Amended and Restated Investors’ Rights Agreement among the Registrant and certain of its stockholders, dated January 9, 2018, filed as Exhibit 4.2 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on May 25, 2018 (File No. 333-225213) and incorporated herein by reference | |
| | | Description of Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, filed as Exhibit 4.3 to the to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 16, 2020 (File No. 001-38537) and incorporated herein by reference | |
| | | Form of Senior Indenture between the Registrant and one or more trustees to be named | |
| | | Form of Subordinated Indenture between the Registrant and one or more trustees to be named | |
4.6* | | | Form of Certificate of Designations |
4.7* | | | Form of Warrant Agreements |
4.8* | | | Form of Unit Agreement and Unit Certificate |
4.9* | | | Form of Preferred Stock Certificate |
4.10 | | | |
| | | Opinion of Goodwin Procter LLP | |
| | | Opinion of Goodwin Procter LLP relating to the sales agreement prospectus | |
| | | Consent of Ernst & Young LLP | |
| | | Consent of Goodwin Procter LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1) | |
| | | Consent of Goodwin Procter LLP (included in Exhibit 5.2) | |
| | | Power of Attorney (included on the signature page to this registration statement) | |
25.1** | | | Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility of Trustee for Senior Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 |
25.2** | | | Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility of Trustee for Subordinated Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 |
| | | Filing Fee Table |
* | To be filed, if necessary, by amendment or as an exhibit to a document to be incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement, including a Current Report on Form 8-K. |
** | To be filed by amendment pursuant to Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939. |
+ | Filed herewith. |
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Item 17. Undertakings
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:
(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement; provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i), (1)(ii) and (1)(iii) of this section do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement;
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof;
(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering;
(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:
(i) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
(ii) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date;
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(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;
(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser;
(6) That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof;
(7) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue;
(8) That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective;
(9) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; and
(10) To file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Commission under Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939.
II-5
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of Cambridge, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on the 8th day of November, 2022.
| | | AVROBIO, INC. | ||||
| | | | | |||
| | | By: | | | /s/ Geoff MacKay | |
| | | | | Geoff MacKay President, Chief Executive Officer and Principal Executive Officer | ||
KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below hereby severally constitutes and appoints each of Geoff MacKay and Erik Ostrowski and each of them singly, as such person’s true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for such person and in such person’s name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any or all amendments (including, without limitation, post-effective amendments) to this registration statement (or any registration statement for the same offering that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933), and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and all documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto each said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as such person might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that any said attorney-in-fact and agent, or any substitute or substitutes of any of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
NAME | | | TITLE | | | DATE |
/s/ Geoff MacKay | | | Director, President, Chief Executive Officer, and Principal Executive Officer | | | November 8, 2022 |
Geoff MacKay | | |||||
| | | | | |||
/s/ Erik Ostrowski | | | Chief Financial Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer | | | November 8, 2022 |
Erik Ostrowski | | |||||
| | | | | |||
/s/ Bruce Booth | | | Chairman of the Board of Directors | | | November 8, 2022 |
Bruce Booth, D.Phil. | | |||||
| | | | | |||
/s/ Ian T. Clark | | | Director | | | November 8, 2022 |
Ian T. Clark | | |||||
| | | | | |||
/s/ Phillip B. Donenberg | | | Director | | | November 8, 2022 |
Phillip B. Donenberg | | |||||
| | | | | |||
/s/ Gail M. Farfel | | | Director | | | November 8, 2022 |
Gail M. Farfel, Ph.D. | | |||||
| | | | | |||
/s/ Annalisa Jenkins | | | Director | | | November 8, 2022 |
Annalisa Jenkins, M.B.B.S., F.R.C.P | | |||||
| | | | |
II-6
NAME | | | TITLE | | | DATE |
/s/ Christopher Paige | | | Director | | | November 8, 2022 |
Christopher Paige, Ph.D. | | |||||
| | | | | |||
/s/ Philip J. Vickers | | | Director | | | November 8, 2022 |
Philip J. Vickers, Ph.D. | |
II-7
Exhibit 1.2
$50,000,000
COMMON STOCK
SALES AGREEMENT
November 8, 2022
Cowen and Company, LLC
599 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Ladies and Gentlemen:
AVROBIO, Inc. (the “Company”) confirms its agreement (this “Agreement”) with Cowen and Company, LLC (“Cowen”), as follows:
1. Issuance and Sale of Shares. The Company agrees that, from time to time during the term of this Agreement, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, it may issue and sell through
Cowen, acting as agent and/or principal, shares (the “Placement Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”),
having an aggregate offering price of up to $50,000,000 (the “Maximum Amount”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the parties hereto agree that compliance with the limitation
set forth in this Section 1 on the number of shares of Common Stock issued and sold under this Agreement shall be the sole responsibility of the Company, and Cowen shall have no obligation in connection with such compliance. The issuance and
sale of Common Stock through Cowen will be effected pursuant to the Registration Statement (as defined below) filed by the Company and after such Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), although nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as requiring the Company to use the Registration Statement (as defined below) to issue the Common Stock.
The Company shall file, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”),
with the Commission a registration statement on Form S-3, including a base prospectus relating to certain securities, including Common Stock, to be issued from time to time by the Company, and which incorporates by reference documents that the
Company has filed or will file in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”). The
Company has prepared a prospectus specifically relating to the Placement Shares (the “Sales Prospectus”) to the base prospectus included as part of such registration statement, and shall, if necessary,
prepare a prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Placement Shares (the “Prospectus Supplement”) to the base prospectus included as part of such registration statement. The Company shall
furnish to Cowen, for use by Cowen, copies of the Sales Prospectus included as part of such registration statement, as supplemented from time to time by the Prospectus Supplement, if any, relating to the Placement Shares. Except where the context
otherwise requires, such registration statement, as amended when it becomes effective, and any post-effective amendment thereto, including all documents filed as part thereof or incorporated by reference therein, and including any information
contained in a Prospectus (as defined below) subsequently filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act or deemed to be a part of such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B or 462(b) of the Securities Act, or any
subsequent registration statement on Form S-3 filed pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act by the Company to cover any Placement Shares, is herein called the “Registration Statement.” The
base prospectus, including all documents incorporated therein by reference, included in the Registration Statement, as it may be supplemented by the Sales Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement, if any, in the form in which such prospectus, Sales
Prospectus and/or Prospectus Supplement have most recently been filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, together with any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 of the Securities
Act regulations (“Rule 433”), relating to the Placement Shares that (i) is consented to by Cowen, hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus,”
(ii) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company or (iii) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i), in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form
retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g), is herein called the “Prospectus.” Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto
shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein, and any reference herein to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer
to and include the filing after the execution hereof of any document with the Commission deemed to be incorporated by reference therein. For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or to any amendment
or supplement thereto shall be deemed to include any copy filed with the Commission via Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”).
2. Placements. Each time that the Company wishes to issue and sell the Placement Shares hereunder (each, a “Placement”), it will notify Cowen by email
notice (or other method mutually agreed to in writing by the parties) (a “Placement Notice”) containing the parameters in accordance with which it desires the Placement Shares to be sold, which shall at
a minimum include the number of Placement Shares to be issued, the time period during which sales are requested to be made, any limitation on the number of Placement Shares that may be sold in any one Trading Day (as defined in Section 3) and
any minimum price below which sales may not be made, a form of which containing such minimum sales parameters necessary is attached hereto as Schedule 1. The Placement Notice shall originate from any
of the individuals from the Company set forth on Schedule 2 (with a copy to each of the other individuals from the Company listed on such schedule), and shall be addressed to each of the individuals
from Cowen set forth on Schedule 2, as such Schedule 2 may be amended from time to time. The Placement Notice shall be effective upon receipt by Cowen
unless and until (i) in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in Section 4, Cowen declines to accept the terms contained therein for any reason, in its sole discretion, (ii) the entire amount of the Placement Shares thereunder
have been sold, (iii) in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in Section 4, the Company suspends or terminates the Placement Notice, for any reason, in its sole discretion, (iv) the Company issues a subsequent Placement Notice
with parameters superseding those on the earlier dated Placement Notice, or (v) this Agreement has been terminated under the provisions of Section 11. The amount of any discount, commission or other compensation to be paid by the Company to
Cowen in connection with the sale of the Placement Shares shall be calculated in accordance with the terms set forth in Schedule 3. It is expressly acknowledged and agreed that neither the Company nor
Cowen will have any obligation whatsoever with respect to a Placement or any Placement Shares unless and until the Company delivers a Placement Notice to Cowen and Cowen does not decline such Placement Notice pursuant to the terms set forth above,
and then only upon the terms specified therein and herein. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the terms of a Placement Notice, the terms of the Placement Notice will control.
3. Sale of Placement Shares by Cowen. Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, upon the Company’s delivery of a Placement Notice, and unless the sale of the Placement Shares described
therein has been declined, suspended, or otherwise terminated in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, Cowen, for the period specified in the Placement Notice, will use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and
sales practices and applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations and the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (“Nasdaq”) to sell such Placement Shares up to the amount specified, and
otherwise in accordance with the terms of such Placement Notice. Cowen will provide written confirmation to the Company (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the Company set forth on Schedule
2, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply) no later than the opening of the Trading Day (as defined below) immediately following the
Trading Day on which it has made sales of Placement Shares hereunder setting forth the number of Placement Shares sold on such day, the volume-weighted average price of the Placement Shares sold, and the Net Proceeds (as defined below) payable to the
Company. In the event the Company engages Cowen for a sale of Placement Shares that would constitute a “block” within the meaning of Rule 10b-18(a)(5) under the Exchange Act, the Company will provide Cowen, at Cowen’s request and upon reasonable
advance notice to the Company, on or prior to the Settlement Date (as defined below), the opinions of counsel, accountant’s letter and officers’ certificates set forth in Section 8 hereof, each dated the Settlement Date, and such other
documents and information as Cowen shall reasonably request. Cowen may sell Placement Shares by any method permitted by law deemed to be an “at the market” offering as defined in Rule 415 of the Securities Act, including without limitation sales
made through Nasdaq or on any other existing trading market for the Common Stock. Cowen shall not purchase Placement Shares for its own account as principal unless expressly authorized to do so by the Company in a Placement Notice. The Company
acknowledges and agrees that (i) there can be no assurance that Cowen will be successful in selling Placement Shares, and (ii) Cowen will incur no liability or obligation to the Company or any other person or entity if it does not sell Placement
Shares for any reason other than a failure by Cowen to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell such Placement Shares as required under this Section 3. For the purposes hereof, “Trading Day” means any day on which the Company’s Common Stock is purchased and sold on the principal market on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Company shall not offer, sell or deliver, or request the offer or sale, of any Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement and, by notice to Cowen given by
telephone (confirmed promptly by email), shall cancel any instructions for the offer or sale of any Placement Shares, and Cowen shall not be obligated to offer or sell any Placement Shares, (i) during any period in which the Company is, or could be
deemed to be, in possession of material non-public information, or (ii) at any time from and including the date on which the Company shall issue a press release containing, or shall otherwise publicly announce, its earnings, revenues or other results
of operations (an “Earnings Announcement”) through and including the time that the Company files a Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or an Annual Report on Form 10-K that includes consolidated financial
statements as of and for the same period or periods, as the case may be, covered by such Earnings Announcement.
4. Suspension of Sales.
(a) The Company or Cowen may, upon notice to the other party in writing (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Schedule
2, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply) or by telephone (confirmed immediately by verifiable facsimile transmission or email
correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Schedule 2), suspend any sale of Placement Shares; provided, however, that such suspension shall not affect or impair either party’s obligations with respect to any Placement Shares sold hereunder prior to the receipt of such notice. Each of the parties agrees that no such notice under this
Section 4 shall be effective against the other unless it is made to one of the individuals named on Schedule 2 hereto, as such schedule may be amended from time to time.
(b) If either Cowen or the Company has reason to believe that the exemptive provisions set forth in Rule 101(c)(1) of Regulation M under the Exchange Act are not satisfied with respect to the Common Stock, it
shall promptly notify the other party, and Cowen may, at its sole discretion, suspend sales of the Placement Shares under this Agreement.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, during any period in which the Registration Statement is not effective under the Securities Act, the Company shall promptly notify Cowen, the Company
shall not request the sale of any Placement Shares, and Cowen shall not be obligated to sell or offer to sell any Placement Shares. The requirement to promptly notify Cowen pursuant to this Section 4(c) shall be waived during any period in
which no Placement Notice is pending.
5. Settlement.
(a) Settlement of Placement Shares. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Placement Notice, settlement for sales of Placement Shares will occur on the second (2nd) Trading Day (or such earlier day
as is industry practice for regular-way trading) following the date on which such sales are made (each, a “Settlement Date” and the first such settlement date, the “First
Delivery Date”). The amount of proceeds to be delivered to the Company on a Settlement Date against receipt of the Placement Shares sold (the “Net Proceeds”) will be equal to the
aggregate sales price received by Cowen at which such Placement Shares were sold, after deduction for (i) Cowen’s commission, discount or other compensation for such sales payable by the Company pursuant to Section 2 hereof, (ii) any other
amounts due and payable by the Company to Cowen hereunder pursuant to Section 7(g) (Expenses) hereof, and (iii) any transaction fees imposed by any governmental or self-regulatory organization in respect of such sales.
(b) Delivery of Placement Shares. On or before each Settlement Date, the Company will, or will cause its transfer agent to, electronically transfer the Placement Shares being sold by crediting Cowen’s or
its designee’s account (provided Cowen shall have given the Company written notice of such designee prior to the Settlement Date) at The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit and Withdrawal at Custodian System or by such other means of
delivery as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto which in all cases shall be freely tradeable, transferable, registered shares in good deliverable form. On each Settlement Date, Cowen will deliver the related Net Proceeds in same day
funds to an account designated by the Company on, or prior to, the Settlement Date. The Company agrees that if the Company, or its transfer agent (if applicable), defaults in its obligation to deliver duly authorized Placement Shares on a Settlement
Date through no fault of Cowen, the Company agrees that in addition to and in no way limiting the rights and obligations set forth in Section 9(a) (Indemnification and Contribution) hereto, it will (i) hold Cowen harmless against any loss,
claim, damage, or reasonable and documented expense (including reasonable and documented legal fees and expenses), as incurred, arising out of or in connection with such default by the Company and (ii) pay to Cowen (without duplication) any
commission, discount, or other compensation to which it would otherwise have been entitled absent such default.
6. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, Cowen that, unless such representation, warrant or agreement specifies otherwise, as of (i) the
date of this Agreement, (ii) each Time of Sale (as defined below), (iii) each Settlement Date, and (iv) each Bring-Down Date (as defined below) (each date included in (i) through (iv), a “Representation Date”):
(a) Other than as of the date of this Agreement, the Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have been declared effective by the Commission under the Securities Act. The Company
shall have complied, to the Commission’s satisfaction, with all requests of the Commission for additional or supplemental information. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement
is in effect and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, contemplated or threatened by the Commission. The Company meets the requirements for use of Form S-3 under the Securities
Act. The sale of the Placement Shares hereunder meets the requirements of General Instruction I.B.1 or I.B.6. of Form S-3.
(b) The Prospectus when filed with the Commission will comply or complied and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act. Each of the Registration
Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the Prospectus and any post-effective amendments or supplements thereto, at the time it becomes effective or its date, as applicable, will comply or complied and as of each Representation Date, will
comply or complied in all material respects with the Securities Act and did not and, as of each Representation Date, did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein
or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. The Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, as of its date, did not and, at each Representation Date, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material
fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The representations and warranties set forth in the two immediately preceding sentences do not apply to statements
in or omissions from the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment thereto, or the Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements thereto, made in reliance upon and in conformity with information
relating to Agent’s Information (as defined below). There are no contracts or other documents required to be described in the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement which have not been described or filed as required. As
used herein, “Time of Sale” means with respect to each offering of Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement, the time of Cowen’s initial entry into contracts with purchasers for the sale of such
Placement Shares.
(c) The Company has delivered to Cowen one complete copy of the Registration Statement and a copy of each consent and certificate of experts filed as a part thereof, and conformed copies of the Registration
Statement (without exhibits) and the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, in such quantities and at such places as Cowen has reasonably requested. The Registration Statement, the Prospectus and any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus (to the extent
any such Permitted Free Writing Prospectus was required to be filed with the Commission) delivered to Cowen for use in connection with the public offering of the Placement Shares contemplated herein have been and will be identical to the versions of
such documents transmitted to the Commission for filing via EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
(d) The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act. The Company agrees to notify Cowen promptly upon the Company ceasing to be an emerging growth company.
(e) The Company currently is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 of the rules and regulation of the Commission. The Company agrees to notify Cowen promptly upon the Company becoming an
“ineligible issuer.”
(f) The Company has not distributed and will not distribute, prior to the completion of Cowen’s distribution of the Placement Shares, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the
Placement Shares other than the Prospectus or the Registration Statement.
(g) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by, and is a valid and binding agreement of, the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as rights to indemnification
hereunder may be limited by applicable law and except as the enforcement hereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general
equitable principles.
(h) The shares of Common Stock outstanding prior to the issuance of the Placement Shares have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
(i) The Placement Shares to be issued and sold by the Company hereunder have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered by the Company and paid for as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued,
fully paid and nonassessable and will conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus; and the issuance of the Placement Shares is not subject to any preemptive or similar rights that have
not been duly waived or satisfied.
(j) The Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has the corporate power and authority to own or lease
its property and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such
qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not reasonably be likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company and the Subsidiaries (as defined below), taken as a whole. The Company
does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year and other than (i)
those subsidiaries not required to be listed on Exhibit 21.1 by Item 601 of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act and (ii) those subsidiaries formed since the last day of the most recently ended fiscal year.
(k) Each of AVROBIO Inc., a Canadian corporation, AVROBIO Australia Pty Ltd, an Australian company, and AVROBIO Securities Corporation, a Massachusetts corporation (each a “Subsidiary”
and together, the “Subsidiaries”) has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has the corporate power and
authority to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing
of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not reasonably be likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole. All of
the issued shares of capital stock of each Subsidiary have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable (to the extent that such concepts are applicable in such jurisdiction) and are owned directly by the Company,
free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims, other than as disclosed in the Prospectus.
(l) The authorized capital stock of the Company conforms as to legal matters to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus.
(m) The execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, this Agreement will not contravene any provision of (i) applicable law, (ii) the certificate of
incorporation or by-laws of the Company, (iii) any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company or any Subsidiary that is material to the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (iv) any judgment, order or decree of any
governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or the Subsidiaries, except, in the case of clauses (i), (iii) and (iv), as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect
on the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or on the power and ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement. No consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any governmental body or
agency is required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, except such as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states or foreign jurisdictions or the rules and regulations of the
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) or The Nasdaq Global Select Market (the “Exchange”) in connection with the offer and sale of the Placement
Shares.
(n) There has not occurred any material adverse change, or any development that, singly or in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change in the condition, financial or
otherwise, or in the earnings, business, prospects or operations of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Prospectus (any such change is called a “Material Adverse Change”).
(o) There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company or
any Subsidiary is subject (i) other than proceedings accurately described in all material respects in the Prospectus and proceedings that would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as
a whole, or on the power or ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by the Prospectus or (ii) that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus and are not so described in all material respects. There are no statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the
Registration Statement that are not described in all material respects or filed as required.
(p) The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Placement Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus will not be, required to register as an
“investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(q) The Company and the Subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the
environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”), (ii) have received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable
Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (iii) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except where such noncompliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits,
licenses or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and the Subsidiaries,
taken as a whole.
(r) There are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with
Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties) which would, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect
on the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(s) Except as described in the Prospectus or as have been waived with respect to the Registration Statement, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such
person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company or to require the Company to include such securities with the Placement Shares registered pursuant to the
Registration Statement.
(t) Neither the Company nor the Subsidiaries or the Company’s controlled affiliates, nor any director, officer or employee thereof, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent or representative of the Company,
the Subsidiaries or controlled affiliates, has taken or will take any action in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization or approval of the payment, giving or receipt of money, property, gifts or anything else of value,
directly or indirectly, to any government official (including any officer or employee of a government or government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of
any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office) in order to influence official action, or to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws. The Company, the Subsidiaries and the
Company’s controlled affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws and have instituted and maintained and will continue to maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and achieve
compliance with such laws and with the representations and warranties contained herein. Neither the Company nor the Subsidiaries will use, directly or indirectly, the proceeds of the offering in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or
authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws.
(u) The operations of the Company and the Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of
the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of
jurisdictions where the Company or any Subsidiary conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any Subsidiary with respect to the
Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(v) (i) None of the Company, the Subsidiaries or any director, officer or employee thereof, or, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent, affiliate or representative of the Company or any Subsidiary, is an
individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by one or more Persons that are:
(A) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury or
other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), or
(B) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, the Crimea
Region of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria).
(ii) The Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any direct or indirect subsidiary, joint venture partner or other
Person:
(A) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions; or
(B) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
(iii) The Company and the Subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the
time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions.
(w) Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (i) the Company and the Subsidiaries have not incurred any material liability or
obligation, direct or contingent, nor entered into any material transaction; (ii) the Company has not purchased any of its outstanding capital stock (other than from its employees or other service providers in connection with the termination of their
service pursuant to equity compensation plans or agreements, as applicable, described in the Prospectus), nor declared, paid or otherwise made any dividend or distribution of any kind on its capital stock other than ordinary and customary dividends;
and (iii) there has not been any material change in the capital stock, short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company and the Subsidiaries, except in each case as described in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, respectively.
(x) The Company and the Subsidiaries do not own any real property. The Company and the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them which is material to the business of the
Company and the Subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Prospectus or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and
proposed to be made of such property by the Company and the Subsidiaries. Any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company or any Subsidiary are held by them, as applicable, under valid, subsisting and, to the Company’s knowledge,
enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and the Subsidiaries, in each case except as described in the
Prospectus.
(y) The Company and the Subsidiaries have valid, binding and enforceable rights or licenses under all patents, patent applications, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade
secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names and other intellectual property used in or necessary for the conduct of the business of the
Company and the Subsidiaries in the manner described in the Prospectus (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”), except as enforceability of any licenses may be limited by bankruptcy and other similar
laws affecting the rights of creditors generally and general principles of equity. To the knowledge of the Company, the patents, trademarks and copyrights, if any, included within the Intellectual Property are valid, enforceable and subsisting,
other than as disclosed in the Prospectus. (i) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is obligated to pay a material royalty, grant a license to or provide other material consideration to any third party in
connection with the Intellectual Property; (ii) neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any notice of any claim of infringement, misappropriation of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any of the Company’s or any
Subsidiary’s product candidates, processes or Intellectual Property; (iii) no action, suit, claim or other proceeding is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, is threatened, challenging the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s rights in or to any
Intellectual Property or challenging the validity, enforceability or scope of any Intellectual Property; (iv) except as disclosed in the Prospectus, none of the development, manufacture, sale or use of any of the discoveries, inventions, product
candidates or processes of the Company referred to in the Prospectus do or will infringe or violate any right or issued patent claim of any third party in any material respect; (v) no third party has any ownership right in or to any Intellectual
Property that is owned by the Company other than any co-owner of any patent constituting Intellectual Property who is listed on the records of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and any co-owner of any patent application constituting Intellectual
Property who is named in such patent application; (vi) except as disclosed in the Prospectus or as would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, the Intellectual Property
owned by the Company or any Subsidiary is free and clear of all liens or encumbrances; (vii) none of the technology employed by the Company or any Subsidiary in the conduct of the business in the manner described in the Prospectus has been obtained
or is being used by the Company or any Subsidiary in material violation of any contractual obligation binding on the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, upon any of its officers, consultants, directors or employees and (viii) the Company has
taken reasonable measures to protect its confidential information and trade secrets and to maintain and safeguard the Intellectual Property.
(z) To the knowledge of the Company, all patent and patent applications licensed to the Company or any Subsidiary have been duly and properly filed, prosecuted and maintained in all material respects.
(aa) The Company and the Subsidiaries have operated and currently are in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws, rules and regulations of the jurisdictions in which they are conducting
business. The Company and each Subsidiary (i) is and at all times has been in material compliance with all statutes, rules or regulations applicable to the ownership, testing, development, manufacture, packaging, processing, use, distribution,
marketing, labeling, promotion, sale, offer for sale, storage, import, export or disposal of any product candidate under development, manufactured or distributed by the Company (“Applicable Laws”); (ii)
has not received any FDA Form 483, notice of adverse finding, warning letter, untitled letter or other written correspondence or notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) or any other
federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authority alleging or asserting material noncompliance with any Applicable Laws or any licenses, certificates, approvals, clearances, authorizations, permits and supplements or amendments
thereto required by any Applicable Laws to conduct the Company’s business as described in the Prospectus (“Authorizations”); (iii) possesses all material Authorizations and such Authorizations are valid
and in full force and effect and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in material violation of any such Authorizations; (iv) has not received notice of any pending or completed claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement,
investigation, arbitration or other action from the FDA or any other federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authority or third party alleging that any product candidate operation or activity is in material violation of any
Applicable Laws or Authorizations and the Company has no knowledge that the FDA or any other federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authority or third party is considering any such claim, litigation, arbitration, action, suit,
investigation or proceeding; (v) has not received notice that the FDA or any other federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authority has taken, is taking or intends to take action to limit, suspend, modify or revoke any material
Authorizations and has no knowledge that the FDA or any other federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authority is considering such action; (vi) has filed, obtained, maintained or submitted all material reports, documents, forms,
notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments as required by any Applicable Laws or Authorizations and all such reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or
amendments were materially complete and correct on the date filed (or were corrected or supplemented by a subsequent submission) and (vii) has not, either voluntarily or involuntarily, initiated, conducted or issued or caused to be initiated,
conducted or issued, any recall, market withdrawal or replacement, safety alert, “dear doctor” letter or other notice or action relating to the alleged lack of safety or efficacy of any product candidate or any alleged product candidate defect or
violation and, to the Company’s knowledge, no third party has initiated, conducted or intends to initiate any such notice or action.
(bb) The studies, tests and preclinical and clinical trials conducted by the Company that are described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and, to the Company’s knowledge, those studies, tests and
preclinical and clinical trials conducted on behalf of the Company, were and, if still pending, are being conducted in all material respects in accordance with experimental protocols, procedures and controls pursuant to accepted professional
scientific standards and all Applicable Laws and Authorizations, including, without limitation, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. The descriptions of the results of such studies, tests and
trials contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus are accurate and complete and fairly present the data derived from such studies, tests and trials in all material respects. The Company is not aware of any studies, tests or trials,
the results of which the Company believes are materially inconsistent with the study, test or trial results described or referred to in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus when viewed in the context in which such results are described and
the clinical state of development. The Company has not received any notices or written correspondence from the FDA or any other federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authority requiring the termination, suspension or material
modification of any studies, tests or preclinical or clinical trials conducted by or on behalf of the Company.
(cc) The Company and each Subsidiary has filed and received approval of all Authorizations issued by, and have made all declarations and filings with, the FDA or any other federal, state, local or foreign
governmental or regulatory authority that are necessary for the ownership or lease of their respective properties or the conduct of their respective businesses as described in the Prospectus, or to permit all clinical and nonclinical studies and
trials conducted by or on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary, including, without limitation, all necessary FDA and applicable foreign regulatory agency approvals. The Company and each Subsidiary is in compliance with and are not in violation
of, or in default under, any such Authorization. To the knowledge of the Company, no event has occurred which allows, or after notice or lapse of time would allow, revocation, termination or modification of any Authorization or result in any other
material impairment of the rights of the holder of any Authorization and the Company does not have any reason to believe that any Authorization will not be renewed in the ordinary course. All Authorizations are in full force and effect.
(dd) Neither the Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any of its officers, directors or managing employees (as defined in 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-5(b)) is or has been excluded, suspended or debarred from
participation in any state or federal health care program, or made subject to any pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened or contemplated action which could reasonably be expected to result in such exclusion, suspension or debarment.
(ee) To the knowledge of the Company, the manufacturing facilities and operations of its suppliers are operated in compliance in all material respects with all Applicable Laws.
(ff) None of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s product candidates have received marketing approval from the FDA or any other federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authority.
(gg) No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary exists, except as described in the Prospectus, or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent. The Company is not aware of
any existing, threatened or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its principal suppliers, manufacturers or contractors that could have a material adverse effect on the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(hh) Except (i) as described in the Prospectus or (ii) as would not, singly or in the aggregate, have, or reasonably be expected to have, a material adverse effect on the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a
whole, each employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), that the Company or any member of its “Controlled
Group” (defined as any organization which is under common control with the Company within the meaning of Section 414 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)) sponsors or maintains
has been maintained in compliance with its terms and the requirements of any applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not limited to ERISA and the Code.
(ii) The Company and each Subsidiary is insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as, in the Company’s reasonable judgment, are prudent and
customary in the businesses in which they are engaged. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any reason to believe that it will not be able
to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse
effect on the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except as described in the Prospectus.
(jj) The Company and the Subsidiaries possess all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective
businesses, except where the failure to possess such certificates, authorizations or permits, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole,
and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authorization or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable
decision, ruling or finding, would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except as described in the Prospectus.
(kk) Ernst & Young LLP, which has certified certain financial statements of the Company and the Subsidiaries, is an independent public accountant as required by the Securities Act and the rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder and the rules and regulations of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (the “PCAOB”).
(ll) The consolidated financial statements of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, together with the related notes, present fairly in all material
respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries at the dates indicated therein and, in the case of the statements of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries,
for the periods specified therein. The consolidated financial statements of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the
Securities Act and have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except (i) the unaudited,
interim financial statements, which are subject to normal year-end adjustments and do not contain certain footnotes as permitted by the applicable rules of the Commission and (ii) as otherwise disclosed therein. Except as included therein, no
historical or pro forma financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus under the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder. To the extent included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, the pro forma financial information and the related notes thereto included or incorporated by reference therein have been prepared in
accordance with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act, and Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the Securities Act, to the extent applicable, and the assumptions underlying such pro forma financial
information are reasonable and are set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus in all material respects. All other information regarding the financial condition or results of operations of the Company or the Subsidiaries included or
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus has been derived from the accounting records of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries and presents fairly in all material respects the information shown thereby.
(mm) The Company and each Subsidiary maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or
specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted
only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences; and (v)
the interactive data in extensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement is accurate in all material respects. Except as described in the Prospectus, since the end of the Company’s most
recent audited fiscal year, there has been (i) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (ii) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has
materially adversely affected, or is reasonably likely to materially adversely affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
(nn) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, the Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the
Exchange Act. Such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within the
Company. The Company has conducted evaluations of the effectiveness of its disclosure controls and procedures as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act.
(oo) Except as described in the Prospectus, the Company has not sold, issued or distributed any shares of Common Stock during the six-month period preceding the date hereof, including any sales pursuant to Rule
144A under, or Regulations D or S of, the Securities Act, other than shares issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or other employee compensation plans or pursuant to outstanding options, rights or warrants.
(pp) To the knowledge of the Company, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any securities rated by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization,” as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(62)
of the Exchange Act.
(qq) The Company and each Subsidiary has filed all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns required to be filed by them through the date of this Agreement or have requested extensions thereof (except where
the failure to file would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect) and have paid all taxes required to be paid thereon (except for cases in which the failure to file or pay would not have a
material adverse effect, or, except as currently being contested in good faith and for which reserves required by GAAP have been created in the financial statements of the Company), and no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company
or any Subsidiary which has had (nor does the Company nor any Subsidiary have any notice or knowledge of any tax deficiency which could reasonably be expected to be determined adversely to the Company or the Subsidiaries and which could reasonably be
expected to have) a material adverse effect.
(rr) The Company and each Subsidiary has complied, and are presently in compliance, with its cybersecurity and privacy policies, to the extent such policies exist, and the Company’s and each Subsidiary’s (as
applicable) obligations to third-parties that have been specifically identified and expressly agreed to in writing by the Company (and each Subsidiary, as applicable) regarding the collection, use, transfer, storage, protection, disposal and
disclosure by the Company and each Subsidiary of personally identifiable information, except to the extent that the failure to do so would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect.
(ss) The interactive data in extensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has
been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.
(tt) The Company is subject to and in compliance in all material respects with the reporting requirements of Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. The Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section
12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act and is listed on the Exchange, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or reasonably likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act or delisting the
Common Stock from the Exchange, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission or the Exchange is contemplating terminating such registration or listing. All of the Placement Shares that have been or may be sold under this
Agreement have been approved for listing on the Exchange, subject to official notice of issuance; the Company has taken all necessary actions to ensure that, upon and at all times after the Exchange shall have approved the Placement Shares for
listing, it will be in compliance with all applicable corporate governance requirements set forth in the Exchange’s listing rules that are then in effect.
(uu) Other than the Subsidiaries, the Company, directly or indirectly, owns no capital stock or other equity or ownership or proprietary interest in any corporation, partnership, association, trust or other
entity.
(vv) Except for Cowen, there is no broker, finder or other party that is entitled to receive from the Company any brokerage or finder’s fee or other fee or commission as a result of the sale of Placement Shares
pursuant to this Agreement.
(ww) The Company has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that might be reasonably expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any
security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Placement Shares.
(xx) The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, complied and will comply in all material respects
with the requirements of the Exchange Act, and, when read together with the other information in the Prospectus, at each Representation Date, will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(yy) There are no business relationships or related-party transactions involving the Company or any Subsidiary or any other person required to be described in the Prospectus which have not been described as
required.
(zz) Except as described in the Prospectus, there are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees or indebtedness by the Company
to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company or any of the members of any of them.
(aaa) The Company has not relied upon Cowen or legal counsel for Cowen for any legal, tax or accounting advice in connection with the offering and sale of the Placement Shares.
(bbb) Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries, and, to the Company’s knowledge, each of their affiliates and any director, officer, agent or employee of, or other person associated with or acting on behalf of,
the Company has acted at all times in compliance with applicable Export and Import Laws (as defined below) and there are no claims, complaints, charges, investigations or proceedings pending or expected or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened
between the Company or any of the Subsidiaries and any Governmental Authority under any Export or Import Laws. The term “Export and Import Laws” means the Arms Export Control Act, the International
Traffic in Arms Regulations, the Export Administration Act of 1979, as amended, the Export Administration Regulations, and all other laws and regulations of the United States government regulating the provision of services to non-U.S. parties or the
export and import of articles or information from and to the United States of America, and all similar laws and regulations of any foreign government regulating the provision of services to parties not of the foreign country or the export and import
of articles and information from and to the foreign country to parties not of the foreign country.
Any certificate signed by an officer of the Company and delivered to Cowen or to counsel for Cowen shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company to Cowen as to the matters set forth therein.
The Company acknowledges that Cowen and, for purposes of the opinions to be delivered pursuant to Section 7 hereof, counsel to the Company and counsel to Cowen, will rely upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the foregoing representations
and hereby consents to such reliance.
7. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with Cowen that:
(a) Registration Statement Amendments. After the date of this Agreement and during any period in which a Prospectus relating to any Placement Shares is required to be delivered by Cowen under the
Securities Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act), (i) the Company will notify Cowen promptly of the time when any subsequent amendment to the Registration Statement,
other than documents incorporated by reference, has been filed with the Commission and/or has become effective or any subsequent supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and of any request by the Commission for any amendment or supplement to the
Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional information, insofar as it relates to the Placement Shares or the transactions by this Agreement, (ii) the Company will prepare and file with the Commission, promptly upon Cowen’s reasonable
request, any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus, insofar as it relates to the Placement Shares or the transactions by this Agreement, that, in Cowen’s reasonable opinion, may be necessary or advisable to comply with
law in connection with the distribution of the Placement Shares by Cowen (provided, however, that the failure of Cowen to make such request shall not relieve the
Company of any obligation or liability hereunder, or affect Cowen’s right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company in this Agreement); (iii) the Company will not file any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement
or Prospectus, other than documents incorporated by reference, relating to the Placement Shares or a security convertible into the Placement Shares unless a copy thereof has been submitted to Cowen within a reasonable period of time before the filing
and Cowen has not reasonably objected in writing thereto within two (2) Business Days (provided, however, that (A) the failure of Cowen to make such objection shall not
relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder, or affect Cowen’s right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company in this Agreement, (B) the Company has no obligation to provide Cowen any advance copy of such
filing or to provide Cowen an opportunity to object to such filing if the filing does not name Cowen and does not relate to the transaction herein provided, and (C) the only remedy Cowen shall have with respect to the failure by the Company to
provide Cowen with such copy of the filing of such amendment or supplement despite Cowen’s objection shall be to cease making sales under this Agreement) and the Company will furnish to Cowen at the time of filing thereof a copy of any document that
upon filing is deemed to be incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement or Prospectus, except for those documents available via EDGAR; (iv) the Company will cause each amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, other than documents
incorporated by reference, to be filed with the Commission as required pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act, and (v) prior to the termination of this Agreement, the Company will notify Cowen if at any time the
Registration Statement shall no longer be effective as a result of the passage of time pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act or otherwise. Prior to the initial sale of any Placement Shares, the Company shall file a final Prospectus pursuant
to Rule 424(b) relating to the Placement Shares.
(b) Notice of Commission Stop Orders. The Company will advise Cowen, promptly after it receives notice or obtains knowledge thereof, of the issuance or threatened issuance by the Commission of any stop
order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, of the suspension of the qualification of the Placement Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose; and
it will promptly use its commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or to obtain its withdrawal if such a stop order should be issued.
(c) Delivery of Prospectus; Subsequent Changes. During any period in which a Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares is required to be delivered by Cowen under the Securities Act with respect to a
pending sale of the Placement Shares, (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act), the Company will comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act, as from
time to time in force, and to file on or before their respective due dates all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, 15(d) or any
other provision of or under the Exchange Act. If during such period any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then existing, not misleading, or if during such period it is necessary to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus to comply with the Securities Act, the Company
will promptly notify Cowen to suspend the offering of Placement Shares during such period and the Company will promptly amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus (at the expense of the Company) so as to correct such statement or
omission or effect such compliance.
(d) Listing of Placement Shares. During any period in which the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares is required to be delivered by Cowen under the Securities Act with respect to a pending sale of
the Placement Shares (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act), the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Placement Shares to be listed on Nasdaq and
to qualify the Placement Shares for sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as Cowen reasonably designates and to continue such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Placement Shares; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required in connection therewith to qualify as a foreign corporation or dealer in securities or file a general consent to
service of process in any jurisdiction.
(e) Delivery of Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Company will furnish to Cowen and its counsel (at the expense of the Company) copies of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (including
all documents incorporated by reference therein) and all amendments and supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that are filed with the Commission during any period in which a Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares is required to
be delivered under the Securities Act (including all documents filed with the Commission during such period that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein), in each case as soon as reasonably practicable and in such quantities as Cowen may
from time to time reasonably request and, at Cowen’s request, will also furnish copies of the Prospectus to each exchange or market on which sales of the Placement Shares may be made; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to furnish any document (other than the Prospectus) to Cowen to the extent such document is available on EDGAR.
(f) Earnings Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than 15 months after the end of the Company’s current fiscal
quarter, an earnings statement covering a 12-month period that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) and Rule 158 of the Securities Act which requirement may be satisfied by publicly filing the required information on EDGAR.
(g) Expenses. The Company, whether or not the transactions contemplated hereunder are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, in accordance with the provisions of Section 11 hereunder, will
pay the following expenses all incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including, but not limited to, expenses relating to (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement and each amendment and supplement
thereto, of each Prospectus and of each amendment and supplement thereto, (ii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the Placement Shares, (iii) the qualification of the Placement Shares under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of
Section 7(d) of this Agreement, including filing fees (provided, however, that any fees or disbursements of counsel for Cowen in connection therewith shall be
paid by Cowen except as set forth in (vii) below), (iv) the printing and delivery to Cowen of copies of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, and of this Agreement, (v) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing
or qualification of the Placement Shares for trading on Nasdaq, (vi) the filing fees and expenses, if any, of the Commission, (vii) the filing fees and associated legal expenses of Cowen’s outside counsel for filings with the FINRA Corporate
Financing Department, such legal expense reimbursement not to exceed $10,000 in the aggregate and (viii) the reasonable fees and disbursements of Cowen’s counsel in an amount not to exceed $75,000 in connection with the entry into this Agreement and
the Registration Statement.
(h) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the Net Proceeds as described in the Prospectus in the section entitled “Use of Proceeds.”
(i) Notice of Other Sales. During the pendency of any Placement Notice given hereunder, and for three (3) trading days following the termination of any Placement Notice given hereunder, the Company shall
provide Cowen notice as promptly as reasonably possible before it offers to sell, contracts to sell, sells, grants any option to sell or otherwise disposes of any shares of Common Stock (other than Placement Shares offered pursuant to the provisions
of this Agreement) or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock, warrants or any rights to purchase or acquire Common Stock; provided, that such notice shall not be required in connection
with (i) the issuance, grant or sale of Common Stock, options to purchase shares of Common Stock or Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of options or other equity awards pursuant to any stock option, stock bonus or other stock plan or arrangement
described in the Prospectus or pursuant to any qualifying inducement award under Nasdaq rules, (ii) the issuance of securities in connection with an acquisition, merger or sale or purchase of assets, (iii) the issuance or sale of Common Stock
pursuant to any dividend reinvestment plan that the Company may adopt from time to time provided the implementation of such is disclosed to Cowen in advance, (iv) the issuance or sale of any shares of common stock issuable upon the exchange,
conversion or redemption of securities or the exercise of warrants, options or other rights in effect or outstanding, or (v) the issuance or sale of shares of Common Stock, or securities convertible into or exercisable for Common Stock, offered and
sold in a privately negotiated transaction to vendors, customers, investors, strategic partners or potential strategic partners, collaborators, joint venturers, equipment leasing providers, financial institutions or other lenders in connection with
debt arrangements, or in connection with a merger, acquisition or similar activities, and otherwise conducted in a manner so as not to be integrated with the offering of Common Stock hereby. For avoidance of doubt, nothing herein shall be construed
to restrict the Company’s ability, or require the Company to provide notice to Cowen, to file a registration statement with the Commission.
(j) Change of Circumstances. The Company will, at any time during a fiscal quarter in which the Company intends to tender a Placement Notice or sell Placement Shares, advise Cowen promptly after it shall
have received notice or obtained knowledge thereof, of any information or fact that would alter or affect in any material respect any opinion, certificate, letter or other document provided to Cowen pursuant to this Agreement.
(k) Due Diligence Cooperation. The Company will cooperate with any reasonable due diligence review conducted by Cowen or its agents in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including,
without limitation, providing information and making available documents and senior corporate officers, during regular business hours and at the Company’s principal offices, as Cowen may reasonably request.
(l) Required Filings Relating to Placement of Placement Shares. The Company agrees that on such dates as the Securities Act shall require, the Company will (i) file a prospectus supplement with the
Commission under the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act (each and every filing under Rule 424(b), a “Filing Date”), which prospectus supplement will set forth, within the
relevant period, the amount of Placement Shares sold through Cowen, the Net Proceeds to the Company and the compensation payable by the Company to Cowen with respect to such Placement Shares (provided that the Company may satisfy its obligations
under this Section 7(l)(i) by effecting a filing in accordance with the Exchange Act with respect to such information), and (ii) deliver such number of copies of each such prospectus supplement to each exchange or market on which such sales
were effected as may be required by the rules or regulations of such exchange or market. The Company shall disclose in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and in its Annual Report on Form 10-K, the number of the Placement Shares sold through Cowen
under this Agreement, and the gross proceeds and Net Proceeds to the Company from the sale of the Placement Shares and the compensation paid by the Company with respect to sales of the Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement during the relevant
quarter or, in the case of an Annual Report on Form 10-K, during the fiscal year covered by such Annual Report and the fourth quarter of such fiscal year.
(m) Representation Dates; Certificate. On or prior to the First Delivery Date and each time the Company (i) files the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares or amends or supplements the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares (other than a prospectus supplement filed in accordance with Section 7(l) of this Agreement or filed solely for the purpose of reducing the amount of Placement Shares that may be
sold pursuant to this Agreement or suspending the sale of Placement Shares under this Agreement) by means of a post-effective amendment, sticker, or supplement but not by means of incorporation of document(s) by reference to the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares; (ii) files an Annual Report on Form 10-K under the Exchange Act (the “10-K Representation Date”); (iii) files its quarterly reports on Form
10-Q under the Exchange Act; or (iv) files a current report on Form 8-K containing amended financial information (other than an earnings release and other than information “furnished” pursuant to Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K) under the Exchange Act
and Cowen reasonably determines that the information contained in such current report on Form 8-K is material (each date of filing of one or more of the documents referred to in clauses (i) through (iv) shall be a “Bring-Down
Date”), the Company shall furnish Cowen with a certificate, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m) within three (3) Trading Days of any Bring-Down Date, if requested by Cowen. The requirement to provide a certificate
under this Section 7(m) shall be waived for any Bring-Down Date occurring at a time at which no Placement Notice is pending, which waiver shall continue until the earlier to occur of the date the Company delivers a Placement Notice hereunder
(which for such calendar quarter shall be considered a Bring-Down Date) and the next occurring Bring-Down Date; provided, however, that such waiver shall not apply for any Bring-Down Date on which the Company
files its Annual Report on Form 10-K. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company subsequently decides to sell Placement Shares following a Bring-Down Date when the Company relied on such waiver and did not provide Cowen with a certificate under
this Section 7(m), then before the Company delivers the Placement Notice or Cowen sells any Placement Shares, the Company shall provide Cowen with a certificate, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m), dated the date of the
Placement Notice.
(n) Corporate Legal Opinion. On or prior to the First Delivery Date and within three (3) Trading Days of each Bring-Down Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate in
the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m) for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause to be furnished to Cowen a written opinion and negative assurance letter of Goodwin Procter LLP (collectively with Company IP Counsel (as
defined below), “Company Counsel”), or other counsel reasonably satisfactory to Cowen, in form and substance satisfactory to Cowen and its counsel, dated the date that such certificate is required to be
delivered, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented; provided, however, that the Company
shall be required to furnish to Cowen no more than one opinion or negative assurance letter from Company Counsel per quarter, and provided further that in lieu of such opinions and negative assurance letters
for subsequent Bring-Down Dates, counsel may furnish Cowen with a letter (a “Reliance Letter”) to the effect that Cowen may rely on a prior opinion or negative assurance letter delivered under this Section
7(n) to the same extent as if it were dated the date of such Reliance Letter (except that statements in such prior opinion or negative assurance letter shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented at such Bring-Down Date).
(o) Intellectual Property Opinion. On or prior to the First Delivery Date and within three (3) Trading Days of each 10-K Representation Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a
certificate in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m) for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause to be furnished to Cowen a written opinion and negative assurance letter of Clark + Elbing LLP (“Company IP Counsel”), or other counsel reasonably satisfactory to Cowen, in form and substance satisfactory to Cowen and its counsel, with respect to intellectual property matters, dated the date that such certificate is
required to be delivered, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented; provided, however, that
in lieu of such opinions and negative assurance letters for subsequent 10-K Representation Dates, counsel may furnish Cowen with a Reliance Letter to the effect that Cowen may rely on a prior opinion or negative assurance letter delivered under this
Section 7(o) to the same extent as if it were dated the date of such Reliance Letter (except that statements in such prior opinion or negative assurance letter shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as
amended or supplemented at such Representation Date).
(p) Comfort Letter. On or prior to the First Delivery Date and within three (3) Trading Days of each Bring-Down Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate in the form
attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m) for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause its independent accountants to furnish Cowen letters (the “Comfort Letters”), dated the date the
Comfort Letter is delivered, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Cowen, (i) confirming that they are an independent registered public accounting firm within the meaning of the Securities Act and the PCAOB, (ii) stating, as of such date,
the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters ordinarily covered by accountants’ “comfort letters” to Cowen in connection with registered public offerings (the first such letter, the “Initial Comfort Letter”) and (iii) updating the Initial Comfort Letter with any information that would have been included in the Initial Comfort Letter had it been given on such date and modified as
necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as amended and supplemented to the date of such letter.
(q) Market Activities. The Company will not, directly or indirectly, (i) take any action designed to cause or result in, or that constitutes or would reasonably be expected to constitute, the
stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Placement Shares or (ii) sell, bid for, or purchase the Placement Shares, or pay anyone any compensation for soliciting purchases of the
Placement Shares other than Cowen; provided, however, that the Company may bid for and purchase shares of its Common Stock in accordance with Rule 10b-18 under the
Exchange Act.
(r) Insurance. The Company and its subsidiaries shall maintain, or cause to be maintained, insurance in such amounts and covering such risks as is reasonable and customary for the business for which it
is engaged.
(s) Compliance with Laws. The Company and each of its subsidiaries shall maintain, or cause to be maintained, all material environmental permits, licenses and other authorizations required by federal,
state and local law in order to conduct their businesses as described in the Prospectus, and the Company and each of its subsidiaries shall conduct their businesses, or cause their businesses to be conducted, in substantial compliance with such
permits, licenses and authorizations and with applicable Environmental Laws, except where the failure to maintain or be in compliance with such permits, licenses and authorizations could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
Change.
(t) Investment Company Act. The Company will conduct its affairs in such a manner so as to reasonably ensure that neither it nor its subsidiaries will be or become, at any time prior to the termination
of this Agreement, an “investment company,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, assuming no change in the Commission’s current interpretation as to entities that are not considered an investment company.
(u) Securities Act and Exchange Act. The Company will use its best efforts to comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act as from time to time in force, so far
as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of, or dealings in, the Placement Shares as contemplated by the provisions hereof and the Prospectus.
(v) No Offer to Sell. Other than a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, neither Cowen nor the Company (including its agents and representatives, other than Cowen in its capacity as such) will make, use,
prepare, authorize, approve or refer to any written communication (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act), required to be filed with the Commission, that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy Common Stock
hereunder.
(w) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company and its subsidiaries will use their best efforts to comply with all effective and applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
(x) Affirmation. Each Placement Notice delivered by the Company to Cowen shall be deemed to be (i) an affirmation that the representations, warranties and agreements of the Company herein contained and
contained in any certificate delivered to Cowen pursuant hereto are true and correct at the time of delivery of such Placement Notice, and (ii) an undertaking that such representations, warranties and agreements will be true and correct on any
applicable Time of Sale and Settlement Date, as though made at and as of each such time (it being understood that such representations, warranties and agreements shall relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and
supplemented to the time of such Placement Notice acceptance).
(y) Renewal. If immediately prior to the third anniversary (the “Renewal Deadline”) of the initial effective date of the Registration Statement, the
aggregate gross sales price of Placement Shares sold by the Company is less than the Maximum Amount and this Agreement has not expired or been terminated, the Company will, prior to the Renewal Deadline, file, if it has not already done so and is
eligible to do so, a new shelf registration statement relating to the Placement Shares, in a form satisfactory to Cowen, and, if not automatically effective, will use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to be declared effective
within 60 days after the Renewal Deadline. The Company will take all other action necessary or appropriate to permit the issuance and sale of the Placement Shares to continue as contemplated in the expired registration statement relating to the
Placement Shares. References herein to the Registration Statement shall include such new shelf registration statement.
8. Conditions to Cowen’s Obligations. The obligations of Cowen hereunder with respect to a Placement will be subject to the continuing accuracy and completeness of the representations and warranties made
by the Company herein, to the due performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, to the completion by Cowen of a due diligence review satisfactory to Cowen in its reasonable judgment, and to the continuing satisfaction (or waiver by Cowen
in its sole discretion) of the following additional conditions:
(a) Registration Statement Effective. The Registration Statement shall be effective and shall be available for (i) all sales of Placement Shares issued pursuant to all prior Placement Notices and (ii)
the sale of all Placement Shares contemplated to be issued by any Placement Notice.
(b) No Material Notices. None of the following events shall have occurred and be continuing: (i) receipt by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any request for additional information from the
Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority during the period of effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the response to which would require any post-effective amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus; (ii) the issuance by the Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose; (iii) receipt by
the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Placement Shares for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; or
(iv) the occurrence of any event that makes any material statement made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any material document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference untrue in any material respect or that
requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement, related Prospectus or such documents so that, in the case of the Registration Statement, it will not contain any materially untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and, that in the case of the Prospectus, it will not contain any materially untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(c) No Misstatement or Material Omission. Cowen shall not have advised the Company that the Registration Statement or Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, contains an untrue statement of
fact that in Cowen’s reasonable opinion is material, or omits to state a fact that in Cowen’s opinion is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
(d) Material Changes. Except as contemplated in the Prospectus, or disclosed in the Company’s reports filed with the Commission, there shall not have been any Material Adverse Change, on a consolidated
basis, in the authorized capital stock of the Company or any Material Adverse Change or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, or any downgrading in or withdrawal of the rating assigned to any of the
Company’s securities (other than asset backed securities) by any rating organization or a public announcement by any rating organization that it has under surveillance or review its rating of any of the Company’s securities (other than asset backed
securities), the effect of which, in the case of any such action by a rating organization described above, in the reasonable judgment of Cowen (without relieving the Company of any obligation or liability it may otherwise have), is so material as to
make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering of the Placement Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.
(e) Company Counsel Legal Opinions. Cowen shall have received the opinions of Company Counsel required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(n) and Section 7(o) on or before the date on
which such delivery of such opinions is required pursuant to Section 7(n) and Section 7(o).
(f) Cowen Counsel Legal Opinion. Cowen shall have received from Ropes & Gray LLP, counsel for Cowen, such opinion or opinions, on or before the date on which the delivery of the Company Counsel legal
opinions are required pursuant to Section 7(n) and Section 7(o), with respect to such matters as Cowen may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for enabling them to
pass upon such matters.
(g) Comfort Letter. Cowen shall have received the Comfort Letter required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(p) on or before the date on which such delivery of such Comfort Letter is required
pursuant to Section 7(p).
(h) Representation Certificate. Cowen shall have received the certificate required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(m) on or before the date on which delivery of such certificate is required
pursuant to Section 7(n).
(i) Secretary’s Certificate. On or prior to the First Delivery Date, Cowen shall have received a certificate, signed on behalf of the Company by its corporate Secretary, in form and substance reasonably
satisfactory to Cowen and its counsel.
(j) No Suspension. Trading in the Common Stock shall not have been suspended on Nasdaq.
(k) Other Materials. On each date on which the Company is required to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 7(m), the Company shall have furnished to Cowen such appropriate further
information, certificates and documents as Cowen may have reasonably requested. All such opinions, certificates, letters and other documents shall have been in compliance with the provisions hereof. The Company will furnish Cowen with such
conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and other documents as Cowen shall have reasonably requested.
(l) Securities Act Filings Made. All filings with the Commission required by Rule 424 under the Securities Act to have been filed prior to the issuance of any Placement Notice hereunder shall have been
made within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 424.
(m) Approval for Listing. The Placement Shares shall either have been (i) approved for listing on Nasdaq, subject only to notice of issuance, or (ii) the Company shall have filed an application for
listing of the Placement Shares on Nasdaq at, or prior to, the issuance of any Placement Notice.
(n) No Termination Event. There shall not have occurred any event that would permit Cowen to terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 11(a).
9. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) Company Indemnification. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Cowen, the directors, officers, partners, employees and agents of Cowen and each person, if any, who (i) controls Cowen
within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, or (ii) is controlled by or is under common control with Cowen (a “Cowen Affiliate”) from and against any and all
losses, claims, liabilities, expenses and damages (including, but not limited to, any and all reasonable investigative, legal and other expenses incurred in connection with, and any and all amounts paid in settlement (in accordance with Section
9(c)) of, any action, suit or proceeding between any of the indemnified parties and any indemnifying parties or between any indemnified party and any third party, or otherwise, or any claim asserted), as and when incurred, to which Cowen, or
any such person, may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, liabilities, expenses or damages arise out of or are
based, directly or indirectly, on (x) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or in
any free writing prospectus or in any application or other document executed by or on behalf of the Company or based on written information furnished by or on behalf of the Company filed in any jurisdiction in order to qualify the Common Stock under
the securities laws thereof or filed with the Commission, (y) the omission or alleged omission to state in any such document a material fact required to be stated in it or necessary to make the statements in it not misleading or (z) any breach by any
of the indemnifying parties of any of their respective representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement; provided, however, that this indemnity
agreement shall not apply to the extent that such loss, claim, liability, expense or damage arises from the sale of the Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement and is caused directly or indirectly by an untrue statement or omission made in
reliance upon and in conformity with the Agent’s Information. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that the Company might otherwise have.
(b) Cowen Indemnification. Cowen agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and its directors and each officer of the Company that signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who
(i) controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or (ii) is controlled by or is under common control with the Company (a “Company Affiliate”)
against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in Section 9(a), as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the
Registration Statement (or any amendments thereto) or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with the Agent’s Information.
(c) Procedure. Any party that proposes to assert the right to be indemnified under this Section 9 will, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in
respect of which a claim is to be made against an indemnifying party or parties under this Section 9, notify each such indemnifying party of the commencement of such action, enclosing a copy of all papers served, but the omission so to notify
such indemnifying party will not relieve the indemnifying party from (i) any liability that it might have to any indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 9 and (ii) any liability that it may have to any indemnified party under the
foregoing provision of this Section 9 unless, and only to the extent that, such omission results in the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses by the indemnifying party. If any such action is brought against any indemnified party and
it notifies the indemnifying party of its commencement, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in and, to the extent that it elects by delivering written notice to the indemnified party promptly after receiving notice of the
commencement of the action from the indemnified party, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense of the action, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, and after notice from the
indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense, the indemnifying party will not be liable to the indemnified party for any legal or other expenses except as provided below and except for the reasonable costs of
investigation subsequently incurred by the indemnified party in connection with the defense. The indemnified party will have the right to employ its own counsel in any such action, but the fees, expenses and other charges of such counsel will be at
the expense of such indemnified party unless (1) the employment of counsel by the indemnified party has been authorized in writing by the indemnifying party, (2) the indemnified party has reasonably concluded (based on advice of counsel) that there
may be legal defenses available to it or other indemnified parties that are different from or in addition to those available to the indemnifying party, (3) a conflict or potential conflict exists (based on advice of counsel to the indemnified party)
between the indemnified party and the indemnifying party (in which case the indemnifying party will not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party) or (4) the indemnifying party has not in fact employed
counsel to assume the defense of such action within a reasonable time after receiving notice of the commencement of the action, in each of which cases the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel will be at the expense of the
indemnifying party or parties. It is understood that the indemnifying party or parties shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of
more than one separate firm admitted to practice in such jurisdiction at any one time for all such indemnified party or parties. All such fees, disbursements and other charges will be reimbursed by the indemnifying party promptly as they are
incurred. An indemnifying party will not, in any event, be liable for any settlement of any action or claim effected without its written consent. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of each indemnified party, settle or
compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in any pending or threatened claim, action or proceeding relating to the matters contemplated by this Section 9 (whether or not any indemnified party is a party thereto), unless such
settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising or that may arise out of such claim, action or proceeding.
(d) Contribution. In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for in the foregoing paragraphs of this Section 9 is applicable in
accordance with its terms but for any reason is held to be unavailable from the Company or Cowen, the Company and Cowen will contribute to the total losses, claims, liabilities, expenses and damages (including any investigative, legal and other
expenses reasonably incurred in connection with, and any amount paid in settlement of, any action, suit or proceeding or any claim asserted, but after deducting any contribution received by the Company from persons other than Cowen, such as persons
who control the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act, officers of the Company who signed the Registration Statement and directors of the Company, who also may be liable for contribution) to which the Company and Cowen may be subject in
such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and Cowen on the other. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and Cowen on the other hand shall be deemed to be
in the same proportion as the total Net Proceeds from the sale of the Placement Shares (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total compensation received by Cowen from the sale of Placement Shares on behalf of the Company.
If, but only if, the allocation provided by the foregoing sentence is not permitted by applicable law, the allocation of contribution shall be made in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in the
foregoing sentence but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and Cowen, on the other, with respect to the statements or omission that resulted in such loss, claim, liability, expense or damage, or action in respect thereof, as well
as any other relevant equitable considerations with respect to such offering. Such relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged
omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or Cowen, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company
and Cowen agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section 9(d) were to be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable
considerations referred to herein. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the loss, claim, liability, expense, or damage, or action in respect thereof, referred to above in this Section 9(d) shall be deemed to
include, for the purpose of this Section 9(d), any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim to the extent consistent with Section 9(c)
hereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 9(d), Cowen shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the commissions received by it under this Agreement and no person found guilty of fraudulent
misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) will be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 9(d), any person who
controls a party to this Agreement within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any officers, directors, partners, employees or agents of Cowen, will have the same rights to contribution as that party, and each officer of the Company who signed the
Registration Statement and each director of the Company will have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the provisions hereof. Any party entitled to contribution, promptly after receipt of written notice of
commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim for contribution may be made under this Section 9(d), will notify in writing any such party or parties from whom contribution may be sought, but the omission to so
notify will not relieve that party or parties from whom contribution may be sought from any other obligation it or they may have under this Section 9(d) except to the extent that the failure to so notify such other party materially prejudiced
the substantive rights or defenses of the party from whom contribution is sought. Except for a settlement entered into pursuant to the last sentence of Section 9(c) hereof, no party will be liable for contribution with respect to any action
or claim settled without its written consent if such consent is required pursuant to Section 9(c) hereof.
10. Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery. The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in Section 9 of this Agreement and all representations and warranties of the Company
herein or in certificates delivered pursuant hereto shall survive, as of their respective dates, regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of Cowen, any controlling persons, or the Company (or any of their respective officers,
directors or controlling persons), (ii) delivery and acceptance of the Placement Shares and payment therefor or (iii) any termination of this Agreement.
11. Termination.
(a) Cowen shall have the right by giving notice as hereinafter specified at any time to terminate this Agreement if (i) any Material Adverse Change, or any development that could reasonably be expected to result
in a Material Adverse Change has occurred that, in the reasonable judgment of Cowen, may materially impair the ability of Cowen to sell the Placement Shares hereunder, (ii) the Company shall have failed, refused or been unable to perform any
agreement on its part to be performed hereunder; provided, however, in the case of any failure of the Company to deliver (or cause another person to deliver) any certification, opinion, or letter required
under Sections 7(m), 7(n), 7(o) or 7(p), Cowen’s right to terminate shall not arise unless such failure to deliver (or cause to be delivered) continues for more than thirty (30) days from the date such delivery
was required; or (iii) any other condition of Cowen’s obligations hereunder is not fulfilled, or (iv), any suspension or limitation of trading in the Placement Shares or in securities generally on Nasdaq shall have occurred. Any such termination
shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 7(g) (Expenses), Section 9 (Indemnification and Contribution), Section 10 (Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery), Section
16 (Applicable Law; Consent to Jurisdiction) and Section 17 (Waiver of Jury Trial) hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination. If Cowen elects to terminate this Agreement as provided in this Section
11(a), Cowen shall provide the required notice as specified in Section 12 (Notices).
(b) The Company shall have the right, by giving ten (10) days notice as hereinafter specified to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement. Any such
termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 16 and Section 17 hereof shall remain in full force and effect
notwithstanding such termination.
(c) Cowen shall have the right, by giving ten (10) days notice as hereinafter specified to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement. Any such termination
shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 16 and Section 17 hereof shall remain in full force and effect
notwithstanding such termination.
(d) Unless earlier terminated pursuant to this Section 11, this Agreement shall automatically terminate upon the issuance and sale of all of the Placement Shares through Cowen on the terms and subject to
the conditions set forth herein; provided that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 16 and Section 17 hereof shall remain in full force and
effect notwithstanding such termination.
(e) This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect unless terminated pursuant to Sections 11(a), (b), (c), or (d) above or otherwise by mutual agreement of the parties; provided, however, that any such termination by mutual agreement shall in all cases be deemed to provide that Section 7(g),
Section 9, Section 10, Section 16 and Section 17 shall remain in full force and effect.
(f) Any termination of this Agreement shall be effective on the date specified in such notice of termination; provided, however,
that such termination shall not be effective until the close of business on the date of receipt of such notice by Cowen or the Company, as the case may be. If such termination shall occur prior to the Settlement Date for any sale of Placement
Shares, such Placement Shares shall settle in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
(g) Subject to the additional limitations set forth in Section 7 of this Agreement, in the event of termination of this Agreement by the Company prior to the sale of any Placement Shares, Cowen shall be
entitled only to reimbursement of its out-of-pocket expenses actually incurred.
12. Notices. All notices or other communications required or permitted to be given by any party to any other party pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be in writing, unless otherwise specified
in this Agreement, and if sent to Cowen, shall be delivered to Cowen at Cowen and Company, LLC, 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022, fax no. 646-562-1130, Attention: General Counsel; or if sent to the Company, shall be delivered to AVROBIO,
Inc., 100 Technology Square, Sixth Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139, attention: Geoff MacKay, President and Chief Executive Officer, with a copy to Goodwin Procter LLP, attention: Mitchell S. Bloom. Each party to this Agreement may change such address for
notices by sending to the parties to this Agreement written notice of a new address for such purpose. Each such notice or other communication shall be deemed given (i) when delivered personally or by verifiable facsimile transmission (with an
original to follow) on or before 4:30 p.m., New York City time, on a Business Day (as defined below), or, if such day is not a Business Day on the next succeeding Business Day, (ii) on the next Business Day after timely delivery to a
nationally-recognized overnight courier, (iii) on the Business Day actually received if deposited in the U.S. mail (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid) and (iv) when
delivered by electronic communication (“Electronic Notice”), at the time the party sending Electronic Notice receives verification of receipt by the receiving party, other than via automatic reply. For
purposes of this Agreement, “Business Day” shall mean any day on which the Nasdaq and commercial banks in the City of New York are open for business.
13. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Company and Cowen and their respective successors and the affiliates, controlling persons, officers and
directors referred to in Section 9 hereof. References to any of the parties contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to include the successors and permitted assigns of such party. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is
intended to confer upon any party other than the parties hereto or their respective successors and permitted assigns any rights, remedies, obligations or liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement, except as expressly provided in this
Agreement. Neither party may assign its rights or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party; provided, however, that
Cowen may assign its rights and obligations hereunder to an affiliate of Cowen without obtaining the Company’s consent.
14. Adjustments for Share Splits. The parties acknowledge and agree that all share-related numbers contained in this Agreement shall be adjusted to take into account any share split, share dividend or
similar event effected with respect to the Common Stock.
15. Entire Agreement; Amendment; Severability. This Agreement (including all schedules and exhibits attached hereto and Placement Notices issued pursuant hereto) constitutes the entire agreement and
supersedes all other prior and contemporaneous agreements and undertakings, both written and oral, among the parties hereto with regard to the subject matter hereof. Neither this Agreement nor any term hereof may be amended except pursuant to a
written instrument executed by the Company and Cowen. In the event that any one or more of the provisions contained herein, or the application thereof in any circumstance, is held invalid, illegal or unenforceable as written by a court of competent
jurisdiction, then such provision shall be given full force and effect to the fullest possible extent that it is valid, legal and enforceable, and the remainder of the terms and provisions herein shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or
unenforceable term or provision was not contained herein, but only to the extent that giving effect to such provision and the remainder of the terms and provisions hereof shall be in accordance with the intent of the parties as reflected in this
Agreement.
16. Applicable Law; Consent to Jurisdiction. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the internal laws of the State of New York without regard to the principles of
conflicts of laws. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, borough of Manhattan, for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection with any
transaction contemplated hereby, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is
brought in an inconvenient forum or that the venue of such suit, action or proceeding is improper. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by
mailing a copy thereof (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and
notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law.
17. Waiver of Jury Trial. The Company and Cowen each hereby irrevocably waives any right it may have to a trial by jury in respect of any claim based upon or arising out of this Agreement or any
transaction contemplated hereby.
18. Absence of Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that:
(a) Cowen has been retained solely to act as an arm’s length contractual counterparty to the Company in connection with the sale of the Placement Shares and that no fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship
between the Company and Cowen has been created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, irrespective of whether Cowen has advised or is advising the Company on other matters;
(b) the Company is capable of evaluating and understanding and understands and accepts the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
(c) the Company has been advised that Cowen and its affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and that Cowen has no obligation to
disclose such interests and transactions to the Company by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship; and
(d) the Company waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against Cowen, for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty and agrees that Cowen shall have no
liability (whether direct or indirect) to the Company in respect of such a fiduciary claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on behalf of or in right of the Company, including stockholders, partners, employees or creditors of the
Company.
19. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery
of an executed Agreement by one party to the other may be made by facsimile or electronic transmission.
20. Definitions. As used in this Agreement, the following term has the meaning set forth below:
(a) “Agent’s Information” means, solely the following information in the Prospectus: the third sentence of the eighth paragraph under the caption “Plan of Distribution”
in the Prospectus.
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Blank]
If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Company and Cowen, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding agreement between the Company and Cowen.
|
Very truly yours,
|
|||
|
COWEN AND COMPANY, LLC
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|||
|
By:
|
/s/ Michael Murphy
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||
|
Name:
|
Michael Murphy
|
||
|
Title:
|
Managing Director
|
||
|
ACCEPTED as of the date first-above written:
|
|||
|
AVROBIO, INC.
|
|||
|
By:
|
/s/ Geoff MacKay
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||
|
Name:
|
Geoff MacKay
|
||
|
Title:
|
President and Chief Executive Officer
|
||
SCHEDULE 1
FORM OF PLACEMENT NOTICE
|
From:
|
[ ____]
|
|
Cc:
|
[ ____]
|
|
To:
|
[ ____]
|
|
Subject:
|
Cowen at the Market Offering—Placement Notice
|
Gentlemen:
Pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the Sales Agreement between AVROBIO, Inc. (the “Company”) and Cowen and Company, LLC (“Cowen”), dated November 8, 2022 (the “Agreement”), I hereby request on
behalf of the Company that Cowen sell up to [_] shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, at a minimum market price of $ _____ per share. Sales should begin on the date of this Notice and shall
continue until [DATE] [all shares are sold].
SCHEDULE 2
AVROBIO, Inc.
Geoff MacKay – President and Chief Executive Officer
Erik Ostrowski – Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Steven Avruch – Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
Cowen and Company, LLC
Michael J. Murphy – Managing Director
Adriano Pierroz – Vice President
Madeleine Stow – Associate
SCHEDULE 3
Compensation
Cowen shall be paid compensation equal to 3% of the gross proceeds from the sales of Placement Shares pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.
Exhibit 7(m)
OFFICER CERTIFICATE
The undersigned, the duly qualified and elected ______________, of AVROBIO, Inc. (“Company”), a Delaware corporation, does hereby
certify in such capacity and on behalf of the Company, pursuant to Section 7(m) of the Sales Agreement dated November 8, 2022 (the “Sales Agreement”) between the Company and Cowen and Company,
LLC, that to the best of the knowledge of the undersigned.
(i) The representations and warranties of the Company in Section 6 of the Sales Agreement (A) to the extent such representations and warranties are subject to qualifications and exceptions contained
therein relating to materiality or Material Adverse Change, are true and correct on and as of the date hereof with the same force and effect as if expressly made on and as of the date hereof, except for those representations and warranties that speak
solely as of a specific date and which were true and correct as of such date, and (B) to the extent such representations and warranties are not subject to any qualifications or exceptions, are true and correct in all material respects as of the date
hereof as if made on and as of the date hereof with the same force and effect as if expressly made on and as of the date hereof except for those representations and warranties that speak solely as of a specific date and which were true and correct as
of such date; and
(ii) The Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied pursuant to the Sales Agreement at or prior to the date hereof.
Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Sales Agreement.
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By: | ||||
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Name:
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Title:
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| Date: |
|||||
Exhibit 4.4
AVROBIO, INC.,
Issuer
AND
[TRUSTEE],
Trustee
INDENTURE
Dated as of [•], 20[•]
Senior Debt Securities
TABLE OF CONTENTS1
|
ARTICLE 1 DEFINITIONS
|
1
|
|
|
Section 1.01
|
Definitions of Terms
|
1
|
|
ARTICLE 2 ISSUE, DESCRIPTION, TERMS, EXECUTION, REGISTRATION AND EXCHANGE OF
SECURITIES
|
5
|
|
|
Section 2.01
|
Designation and Terms of Securities
|
5
|
|
Section 2.02
|
Form of Securities and Trustee’s Certificate
|
8
|
|
Section 2.03
|
Denominations: Provisions for Payment
|
8
|
|
Section 2.04
|
Execution and Authentications
|
10
|
|
Section 2.05
|
Registration of Transfer and Exchange
|
11
|
|
Section 2.06
|
Temporary Securities
|
12
|
|
Section 2.07
|
Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Securities
|
13
|
|
Section 2.08
|
Cancellation
|
13
|
|
Section 2.09
|
Benefits of Indenture
|
14
|
|
Section 2.10
|
Authenticating Agent
|
14
|
|
Section 2.11
|
Global Securities
|
14
|
|
ARTICLE 3 REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES AND SINKING FUND PROVISIONS
|
15
|
|
|
Section 3.01
|
Redemption
|
15
|
|
Section 3.02
|
Notice of Redemption
|
16
|
|
Section 3.03
|
Payment Upon Redemption
|
17
|
|
Section 3.04
|
Sinking Fund
|
17
|
|
Section 3.05
|
Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities
|
17
|
|
Section 3.06
|
Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund
|
18
|
|
ARTICLE 4 COVENANTS
|
18 | |
|
Section 4.01
|
Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest
|
18
|
|
Section 4.02
|
Maintenance of Office or Agency
|
18
|
|
Section 4.03
|
Paying Agents
|
19
|
|
Section 4.04
|
Appointment to Fill Vacancy in Office of Trustee
|
20
|
|
Section 4.05
|
Compliance with Consolidation Provisions
|
20
|
|
ARTICLE 5 SECURITYHOLDERS’ LISTS AND REPORTS BY THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE
|
20
|
|
|
Section 5.01
|
Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Securityholders
|
20
|
|
Section 5.02
|
Preservation Of Information; Communications With Securityholders
|
20
|
|
Section 5.03
|
Reports by the Company
|
21
|
|
Section 5.04
|
Reports by the Trustee
|
21
|
|
ARTICLE 6 REMEDIES OF THE TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS ON EVENT OF DEFAULT
|
22
|
|
|
Section 6.01
|
Events of Default
|
22
|
|
Section 6.02
|
Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee
|
24
|
|
1
|
This Table of Contents does not constitute part of the Indenture and shall not have any bearing on the interpretation of any of its terms or provisions.
|
i
|
Section 6.03
|
Application of Moneys Collected
|
25
|
|
Section 6.04
|
Limitation on Suits
|
25
|
|
Section 6.05
|
Rights and Remedies Cumulative; Delay or Omission Not Waiver
|
26
|
|
Section 6.06
|
Control by Securityholders
|
27
|
|
Section 6.07
|
Undertaking to Pay Costs
|
27
|
|
ARTICLE 7 CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE
|
28
|
|
|
Section 7.01
|
Certain Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee
|
28
|
|
Section 7.02
|
Certain Rights of Trustee
|
29
|
|
Section 7.03
|
Trustee Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance or Securities
|
30
|
|
Section 7.04
|
May Hold Securities
|
31
|
|
Section 7.05
|
Moneys Held in Trust
|
31
|
|
Section 7.06
|
Compensation and Reimbursement
|
31
|
|
Section 7.07
|
Reliance on Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel
|
32
|
|
Section 7.08
|
Disqualification; Conflicting Interests
|
32
|
|
Section 7.09
|
Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility
|
32
|
|
Section 7.10
|
Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor
|
33
|
|
Section 7.11
|
Acceptance of Appointment By Successor
|
34
|
|
Section 7.12
|
Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business
|
35
|
|
Section 7.13
|
Preferential Collection of Claims Against the Company
|
35
|
|
Section 7.14
|
Notice of Default
|
35
|
|
ARTICLE 8 CONCERNING THE SECURITYHOLDERS
|
36
|
|
|
Section 8.01
|
Evidence of Action by Securityholders
|
36
|
|
Section 8.02
|
Proof of Execution by Securityholders
|
36
|
|
Section 8.03
|
Who May be Deemed Owners
|
37
|
|
Section 8.04
|
Certain Securities Owned by Company Disregarded
|
37
|
|
Section 8.05
|
Actions Binding on Future Securityholders
|
37
|
|
ARTICLE 9 SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
|
38
|
|
|
Section 9.01
|
Supplemental Indentures Without the Consent of Securityholders
|
38
|
|
Section 9.02
|
Supplemental Indentures With Consent of Securityholders
|
39
|
|
Section 9.03
|
Effect of Supplemental Indentures
|
39
|
|
Section 9.04
|
Securities Affected by Supplemental Indentures
|
40
|
|
Section 9.05
|
Execution of Supplemental Indentures
|
40
|
|
ARTICLE 10 SUCCESSOR ENTITY
|
41
|
|
|
Section 10.01
|
Company May Consolidate, Etc
|
41
|
|
Section 10.02
|
Successor Entity Substituted
|
41
|
|
ARTICLE 11 SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE
|
42
|
|
|
Section 11.01
|
Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture
|
42
|
|
Section 11.02
|
Discharge of Obligations
|
42
|
|
Section 11.03
|
Deposited Moneys to be Held in Trust
|
42
|
|
Section 11.04
|
Payment of Moneys Held by Paying Agents
|
43
|
|
Section 11.05
|
Repayment to Company
|
43
|
ii
|
ARTICLE 12 IMMUNITY OF INCORPORATORS, STOCKHOLDERS, OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
|
43
|
|
|
Section 12.01
|
No Recourse
|
43
|
|
ARTICLE 13 MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
|
44
|
|
|
Section 13.01
|
Effect on Successors and Assigns
|
44
|
|
Section 13.02
|
Actions by Successor
|
44
|
|
Section 13.03
|
Surrender of Company Powers
|
44
|
|
Section 13.04
|
Notices
|
44
|
|
Section 13.05
|
Governing Law; Jury Trial Waiver
|
44
|
|
Section 13.06
|
Treatment of Securities as Debt
|
45
|
|
Section 13.07
|
Certificates and Opinions as to Conditions Precedent
|
45
|
|
Section 13.08
|
Payments on Business Days
|
45
|
|
Section 13.09
|
Conflict with Trust Indenture Act
|
45
|
|
Section 13.10
|
Counterparts
|
46
|
|
Section 13.11
|
Separability
|
46
|
|
Section 13.12
|
Compliance Certificates
|
46
|
|
Section 13.13
|
USA PATRIOT ACT
|
46
|
|
Section 13.14
|
Calculations
|
46
|
|
TRUST INDENTURE ACT CROSS-REFERENCE TABLE
|
A-1
|
|
iii
INDENTURE
INDENTURE, dated as of [•], 20[•], among AVROBIO, INC., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and [TRUSTEE] as trustee
(the “Trustee”):
WHEREAS, for its lawful corporate purposes, the Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture to provide for the issuance of debt securities (hereinafter referred to as the “Securities”),
in an unlimited aggregate principal amount to be issued from time to time in one or more series as in this Indenture provided, as registered Securities without coupons, to be authenticated by the certificate of the Trustee;
WHEREAS, to provide the terms and conditions upon which the Securities are to be authenticated, issued and delivered, the Company has duly authorized the execution of this Indenture; and
WHEREAS, all things necessary to make this Indenture a valid and binding agreement of the Company, in accordance with its terms, have been done.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the purchase of the Securities by the holders thereof, it is mutually covenanted and agreed as follows for the equal and ratable benefit of the holders of Securities:
ARTICLE 1
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.01 Definitions of Terms.
The terms defined in this Section (except as in this Indenture or any indenture supplemental hereto otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires) for all purposes of this
Indenture and of any indenture supplemental hereto shall have the respective meanings specified in this Section and shall include the plural as well as the singular. All other terms used in this Indenture that are defined in the Trust Indenture Act of
1939, as amended, or that are by reference in such Act defined in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (except as herein or any indenture supplemental hereto otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires), shall have the
meanings assigned to such terms in said Trust Indenture Act and in said Securities Act as in force at the date of the execution of this instrument.
“Authenticating Agent” means an authenticating agent with respect to all or any of the series of Securities appointed by the Trustee pursuant to Section 2.10.
“Bankruptcy Law” means Title 11, U.S. Code, or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors.
“Board of Directors” means the Board of Directors (or the functional equivalent thereof) of the Company or any duly authorized committee of such Board.
“Board Resolution” means a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been duly adopted by the Board of
Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification and delivered to the Trustee.
“Business Day” means, with respect to any series of Securities, any day other than a day on which federal or state banking institutions in the Borough of
Manhattan, the City of New York, or at a place of payment, are authorized or obligated by law, executive order or regulation to close.
“Commission” means the Securities and Exchange Commission, as from time to time constituted, created under the Exchange Act, or, if at any time after the
execution of this instrument such Commission is not existing and performing the duties now assigned to it under the Trust Indenture Act, then the body performing such duties at such time.
“Company” means AVROBIO, Inc., a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, and, subject to the provisions of Article
10, shall also include its successors and assigns.
“Company Order” means a written order of the Company, signed by an Officer of the Company, and delivered to the Trustee.
“Corporate Trust Office” means the office of the Trustee at which, at any particular time, its corporate trust business shall be administered, which office at
the date hereof is located at .
“Custodian” means any receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or similar official under any Bankruptcy Law.
“Defaulted Interest” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.03.
“Depositary” means, with respect to Securities of any series for which the Company shall determine that such Securities will be issued as a Global Security, The
Depository Trust Company, another clearing agency, or any successor registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act, or other applicable statute or regulation, which, in each case, shall be designated by the Company pursuant to either Section
2.01 or 2.11.
“Event of Default” means, with respect to Securities of a particular series, any event specified in Section 6.01, continued for the period of time, if
any, therein designated.
“Exchange Act” means the United States Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission thereunder.
“Global Security” means a Security issued to evidence all or a part of any series of Securities which is executed by the Company and authenticated and delivered
by the Trustee to the Depositary or pursuant to the Depositary’s instruction, all in accordance with the Indenture, which shall be registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee.
2
“Governmental Obligations” means securities that are (a) direct obligations of the United States of America for the payment of which its full faith and credit is
pledged or (b) obligations of a Person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the United States of America, the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States
of America that, in either case, are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof at any time prior to the stated maturity of the applicable series of Securities, and shall also include a depositary receipt issued by a bank or trust
company as custodian with respect to any such Governmental Obligation or a specific payment of principal of or interest on any such Governmental Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of such depositary receipt; provided, however, that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depositary receipt
from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the Governmental Obligation or the specific payment of principal of or interest on the Governmental Obligation evidenced by such depositary receipt.
“herein”, “hereof” and “hereunder”, and other words of similar import, refer to
this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other subdivision.
“Indenture” means this instrument as originally executed or as it may from time to time be supplemented or amended by one or more indentures supplemental hereto
entered into in accordance with the terms hereof and shall include the terms of particular series of Securities established as contemplated by Section 2.01.
“Interest Payment Date”, when used with respect to any installment of interest on a Security of a particular series, means the date specified in such Security or
in a Board Resolution or in an indenture supplemental hereto with respect to such series as the fixed date on which an installment of interest with respect to Securities of that series is due and payable.
“Officer” means, with respect to the Company, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, a Chief Executive Officer, a President, a Chief Financial Officer, a Chief
Operating Officer, any Executive Vice President, any Senior Vice President, any Vice President, the Treasurer or any Assistant Treasurer, the Controller or any Assistant Controller or the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary.
“Officer’s Certificate” means a certificate signed by any Officer. Each such certificate shall include the statements provided for in Section 13.07, if
and to the extent required by the provisions thereof.
“Opinion of Counsel” means an opinion in writing subject to customary exceptions of legal counsel, who may be an employee of or counsel for the Company, that is
delivered to the Trustee in accordance with the terms hereof. Each such opinion shall include the statements provided for in Section 13.07, if and to the extent required by the provisions thereof.
3
“Outstanding”, when used with reference to Securities of any series, means, subject to the provisions of Section 8.04, as of any particular time, all
Securities of that series theretofore authenticated and delivered by the Trustee under this Indenture, except (a) Securities theretofore canceled by the Trustee or any paying agent, or delivered to the Trustee or any paying agent for cancellation or
that have previously been canceled; (b) Securities or portions thereof for the payment or redemption of which moneys or Governmental Obligations in the necessary amount shall have been deposited in trust with the Trustee or with any paying agent (other
than the Company) or shall have been set aside and segregated in trust by the Company (if the Company shall act as its own paying agent); provided, however, that if
such Securities or portions of such Securities are to be redeemed prior to the maturity thereof, notice of such redemption shall have been given as provided in Article 3, or provision satisfactory to the Trustee shall have been made for giving
such notice; and (c) Securities in lieu of or in substitution for which other Securities shall have been authenticated and delivered pursuant to the terms of Section 2.07.
“Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, joint-stock company, limited liability company, association, trust, unincorporated
organization, any other entity or organization, including a government or political subdivision or an agency or instrumentality thereof.
“Predecessor Security” of any particular Security means every previous Security evidencing all or a portion of the same debt as that evidenced by such particular
Security; and, for the purposes of this definition, any Security authenticated and delivered under Section 2.07 in lieu of a lost, destroyed or stolen Security shall be deemed to evidence the same debt as the lost, destroyed or stolen Security.
“Responsible Officer” when used with respect to the Trustee means any officer within the corporate trust department of the Trustee, including any vice president,
assistant vice president, assistant secretary, assistant treasurer, trust officer or any other officer of the Trustee who customarily performs functions similar to those performed by the Persons who at the time shall be such officers, respectively, or
to whom any corporate trust matter relating to this Indenture is referred because of such person’s knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject and, in each case, who shall have direct responsibility for the administration of this Indenture
(which, for the avoidance of doubt, includes without limitation any supplemental indenture hereto).
“Securities” has the meaning stated in the first recital of this Indenture and more particularly means any Securities authenticated and delivered under this
Indenture.
“Securityholder”, “holder”, “registered holder”, or other similar term, means the
Person or Persons in whose name or names a particular Security is registered on the Security Register kept for that purpose in accordance with the terms of this Indenture.
“Security Register” and “Security Registrar” shall have the meanings as set forth in Section 2.05.
“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person:
(1) any corporation or company a majority of whose capital stock with voting power, under ordinary circumstances, to
elect directors is, at the date of determination, directly or indirectly, owned by such Person (a “subsidiary”), by one or more subsidiaries of such Person or by such Person and one or more subsidiaries of such
Person;
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(2) a partnership in which such Person or a subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a general
partner of such partnership; or
(3) any partnership, limited liability company or other Person in which such Person, a subsidiary of such Person or such
Person and one or more subsidiaries of such Person, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, have (x) at least a majority ownership interest or (y) the power to elect or appoint or direct the election or appointment of the managing
partner or member of such Person or, if applicable, a majority of the directors or other governing body of such Person.
“Trustee” means , and, subject to the provisions of Article 7, shall also include its successors and assigns, and, if at any time there is
more than one Person acting in such capacity hereunder, “Trustee” shall mean each such Person. The term “Trustee” as used with respect to a particular series of the Securities shall mean the trustee with respect to that series.
“Trust Indenture Act” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended and in effect from time to time.
“U.S. dollar” or “$” means the lawful currency of the United States of America.
ARTICLE 2
ISSUE, DESCRIPTION, TERMS, EXECUTION, REGISTRATION AND
EXCHANGE OF SECURITIES
Section 2.01 Designation and Terms of Securities.
(a) The aggregate principal amount of Securities that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited. The
Securities may be issued in one or more series up to the aggregate principal amount of Securities of that series from time to time authorized by or pursuant to a Board Resolution or pursuant to one or more indentures supplemental hereto. Prior to
the initial issuance of Securities of any series, there shall be established in or pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officer’s Certificate or established in one or more indentures supplemental hereto:
(1) the title of the Securities of the series (which shall distinguish the Securities of that series from all other Securities);
(2) any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of that series which may be authenticated and
delivered under this Indenture (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Securities of that series);
(3) the date or dates on which the principal of the Securities of the series is payable;
(4) if the price (expressed as a percentage of the aggregate principal amount thereof) at which such Securities will be
issued is a price other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount thereof payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof, or if applicable, the portion of the principal amount of such Securities that is
convertible into another security or the method by which any such portion shall be determined;
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(5) the rate or rates at which the Securities of the series shall bear interest or the manner of calculation of such
rate or rates, if any;
(6) the date or dates from which such interest shall accrue, the Interest Payment Dates on which such interest will be
payable or the manner of determination of such Interest Payment Dates, the place(s) of payment, and the record date for the determination of holders to whom interest is payable on any such Interest Payment Dates or the manner of determination of such
record dates;
(7) the right, if any, to extend the interest payment periods and the duration of such extension;
(8) the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which Securities
of the series may be redeemed, converted or exchanged, in whole or in part;
(9) the obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem or purchase Securities of the series pursuant to any sinking fund,
mandatory redemption, or analogous provisions (including payments made in cash in satisfaction of future sinking fund obligations) or at the option of a holder thereof and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which, and the
terms and conditions upon which, Securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;
(10) the form of the Securities of the series including the form of the Certificate of Authentication for such series;
(11) if other than minimum denominations of one thousand U.S. dollars ($1,000) or any integral multiple of $1,000 thereof,
the denominations in which the Securities of the series shall be issuable;
(12) any and all other terms (including terms, to the extent applicable, relating to any auction or remarketing of the
Securities of that series and any security for the obligations of the Company with respect to such Securities) with respect to such series (which terms shall not be inconsistent with the terms of this Indenture, as amended by any supplemental
indenture) including any terms which may be required by or advisable under United States laws or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of Securities of that series;
(13) whether the Securities of the series shall be issued in whole or in part in the form of a Global Security or
Securities; the terms and conditions, if any, upon which such Global Security or Securities may be exchanged in whole or in part for other individual Securities; and the Depositary for such Global Security or Securities;
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(14) whether the Securities will be convertible into or exchangeable for shares of common stock, preferred stock or other
securities of the Company or any other Person and, if so, the terms and conditions upon which such Securities will be so convertible or exchangeable, including the conversion or exchange price, as applicable, or how it will be calculated and may be
adjusted, any mandatory or optional (at the Company’s option or the holders’ option) conversion or exchange features, and the applicable conversion or exchange period;
(15) if other than the full principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of Securities of the series
which shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.01;
(16) any additional or alternative Events of Default;
(17) additional or alternative covenants (which may include, among other restrictions, restrictions on the Company’s
ability or the ability of the Company’s Subsidiaries to: incur additional indebtedness; issue additional securities; create liens; pay dividends or make distributions in respect of the capital stock of the Company or the Company’s Subsidiaries;
redeem capital stock; place restrictions on the Company’s Subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends, make distributions or transfer assets; make investments or other restricted payments; sell or otherwise dispose of assets; enter into sale-leaseback
transactions; engage in transactions with stockholders or affiliates; issue or sell stock of the Company’s Subsidiaries; or effect a consolidation or merger) or financial covenants (which may include, among other financial covenants, financial
covenants that require the Company and its Subsidiaries to maintain specified interest coverage, fixed charge, cash flow-based, asset-based or other financial ratios) provided for with respect to the Securities of the series;
(18) the currency or currencies, including composite currencies, in which payment of the principal of (and premium, if
any) and interest, if any, on such Securities shall be payable (if other than the currency of the United States of America), which unless otherwise specified shall be the currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal
tender for payment of public or private debts;
(19) if the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest, if any, on such Securities is to be payable, at the election
of the Company or any holder thereof, in a coin or currency other than that in which such Securities are stated to be payable, then the period or periods within which, and the terms and conditions upon which, such election may be made;
(20) whether interest will be payable in cash or additional Securities at the Company’s or the Securityholders’ option and
the terms and conditions upon which the election may be made;
(21) the terms and conditions, if any, upon which the Company shall pay amounts in addition to the stated interest,
premium, if any and principal amounts of the Securities of the series to any Securityholder that is not a “United States person” for federal tax purposes;
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(22) additional or alternative provisions, if any, related to defeasance and discharge of the offered Securities;
(23) the applicability of any guarantees;
(24) any restrictions on transfer, sale or assignment of the Securities of the series; and
(25) any other terms of the series.
All Securities of any one series shall be substantially identical except as may otherwise be provided in or pursuant to any such Board Resolution or in any indentures supplemental hereto.
If any of the terms of the series are established by action taken pursuant to a Board Resolution of the Company, a copy of an appropriate record of such action shall be certified by the secretary or an
assistant secretary of the Company and delivered to the Trustee at or prior to the delivery of the Officer’s Certificate of the Company setting forth the terms of the series.
Securities of any particular series may be issued at various times, with different dates on which the principal or any installment of principal is payable, with different rates of interest, if any, or
different methods by which rates of interest may be determined, with different dates on which such interest may be payable and with different redemption dates.
Section 2.02 Form of Securities and Trustee’s Certificate.
The Securities of any series and the Trustee’s certificate of authentication to be borne by such Securities shall be substantially of the tenor and purport as set forth in one or more indentures
supplemental hereto or as provided in a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officer’s Certificate, and they may have such letters, numbers or other marks of identification or designation and such legends or endorsements printed, lithographed or
engraved thereon as the Company may deem appropriate and as are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture, or as may be required to comply with any law or with any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any rule or regulation of
any securities exchange on which Securities of that series may be listed, or to conform to usage.
Section 2.03 Denominations: Provisions for Payment.
The Securities shall be issuable as registered Securities and in the minimum denominations of one thousand U.S. dollars ($1,000) or any integral multiple of $1,000 thereof, subject to Section
2.01(a)(11). The Securities of a particular series shall bear interest payable on the dates and at the rate specified with respect to that series. Subject to Section 2.01(a)(18), the principal of and the interest on the Securities of any
series, as well as any premium thereon in case of redemption thereof prior to maturity, shall be payable in the coin or currency of the United States of America that at the time is legal tender for public and private debt, at the office or agency of
the Company maintained for that purpose. Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication. Interest on the Securities shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year composed of twelve 30-day months.
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The interest installment on any Security that is payable, and is punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date for Securities of that series shall be paid to the Person in whose
name said Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest installment. In the event that any Security of a particular series or portion thereof is called for
redemption and the redemption date is subsequent to a regular record date with respect to any Interest Payment Date and prior to such Interest Payment Date, interest on such Security will be paid upon presentation and surrender of such Security as
provided in Section 3.03.
Any interest on any Security that is payable, but is not punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date for Securities of the same series (herein called “Defaulted Interest”) shall forthwith cease to be payable to the registered holder on the relevant regular record date by virtue of having been such holder; and such Defaulted Interest shall be paid by the Company, at its election, as
provided in clause (1) or clause (2) below:
(1) The Company may elect to make payment of any Defaulted Interest on Securities to the Persons in whose names such
Securities (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest, which shall be fixed in the following manner: the Company shall notify the Trustee
in writing of the amount of Defaulted Interest proposed to be paid on each such Security and the date of the proposed payment, and at the same time the Company shall deposit with the Trustee an amount of money equal to the aggregate amount proposed
to be paid in respect of such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for such deposit prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled
to such Defaulted Interest as in this clause provided. Thereupon the Company shall fix a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest which shall not be more than 15 nor less than 10 days prior to the date of the proposed payment
and not less than 10 days after the receipt by the Trustee of the notice of the proposed payment. The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee in writing of such special record date and in such notice, instruct the Trustee to send such notice to
holders, in the name and at the expense of the Company, shall cause notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the special record date therefor to be sent electronically or mailed, first class postage prepaid, to each
Securityholder at his or her address as it appears in the Security Register (as hereinafter defined), not less than 10 days prior to such special record date. Notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the special record date
therefor having been sent as aforesaid, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to the Persons in whose names such Securities (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered on such special record date.
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(2) The Company may make or cause to be made payment of any Defaulted Interest on any Securities in any other lawful
manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which such Securities may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, if, after notice given by the Company to the Trustee of the proposed payment
pursuant to this clause, such manner of payment shall be deemed practicable by the Trustee.
Unless otherwise set forth in a Board Resolution or one or more indentures supplemental hereto establishing the terms of any series of Securities pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof, the term
“regular record date” as used in this Section with respect to a series of Securities and any Interest Payment Date for such series shall mean either (i) the fifteenth day of the month immediately preceding the month in which an Interest Payment Date
established for such series pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof shall occur, if such Interest Payment Date is the first day of a month, or (ii) the first day of the month in which an Interest Payment Date established for such series pursuant to Section
2.01 hereof shall occur, if such Interest Payment Date is the fifteenth day of a month, whether or not such date is a Business Day.
Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section, each Security of a series delivered under this Indenture upon transfer of or in exchange for or in lieu of any other Security of such series shall
carry the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to accrue, that were carried by such other Security.
Section 2.04 Execution and Authentications.
The Securities shall be signed on behalf of the Company by one of its Officers. Signatures may be in the form of a manual or facsimile signature.
The Company may use the facsimile signature of any Person who shall have been an Officer, notwithstanding the fact that at the time the Securities shall be authenticated and delivered or disposed of
such Person shall have ceased to be such an officer of the Company. The Securities may contain such notations, legends or endorsements required by law, stock exchange rule or usage. Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication by the
Trustee.
A Security shall not be valid until authenticated manually by an authorized signatory of the Trustee, or by an Authenticating Agent. Such signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Security so
authenticated has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder and that the holder is entitled to the benefits of this Indenture. At any time and from time to time after the execution and delivery of this Indenture, the Company may deliver
Securities of any series executed by the Company to the Trustee for authentication, together with a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of such Securities, signed by an Officer, and the Trustee in accordance with such Company Order shall
authenticate and deliver such Securities.
In authenticating such Securities and accepting the additional responsibilities under this Indenture in relation to such Securities, the Trustee shall receive, and (subject to Section 7.01)
shall be fully protected in conclusively relying upon, an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel stating that the form and terms thereof have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture, that all conditions precedent
in connection with the issuance, authentication and delivery of such Securities have been met and that such Securities are legal, valid and binding obligations against the Company, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to
customary exceptions and qualifications.
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The Trustee shall not be required to authenticate such Securities if the issue of such Securities pursuant to this Indenture will affect the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under the
Securities and this Indenture or otherwise in a manner that is not reasonably acceptable to the Trustee.
Section 2.05 Registration of Transfer and Exchange.
(a) Securities of any series may be exchanged upon presentation thereof at the office or agency of the Company designated for such purpose,
for other Securities of such series of authorized denominations, and for a like aggregate principal amount, upon payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge in relation thereto, all as provided in this Section. In
respect of any Securities so surrendered for exchange, the Company shall execute, the Trustee shall authenticate and such office or agency shall deliver in exchange therefor the Security or Securities of the same series that the Securityholder making
the exchange shall be entitled to receive, bearing numbers not contemporaneously outstanding.
(b) The Company shall keep, or cause to be kept, at its office or agency designated for such purpose a register or registers (herein
referred to as the “Security Register”) in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the Company shall register the Securities and the transfers of Securities as in this Article
provided and which at all reasonable times shall be open for inspection by the Trustee. The registrar for the purpose of registering Securities and transfer of Securities as herein provided shall be appointed as authorized by Board Resolution (the “Security Registrar”).
Upon surrender for transfer of any Security at the office or agency of the Company designated for such purpose, the Company shall execute, the Trustee shall authenticate and such office or agency shall
deliver in the name of the transferee or transferees a new Security or Securities of the same series as the Security presented for a like aggregate principal amount.
All Securities presented or surrendered for exchange or registration of transfer, as provided in this Section, shall be accompanied (if so required by the Company or the Security Registrar) by a
written instrument or instruments of transfer, in form satisfactory to the Company or the Security Registrar, duly executed by the registered holder or by such holder’s duly authorized attorney in writing.
(c) Except as provided pursuant to Section 2.01 pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officer’s Certificate, or
established in one or more indentures supplemental to this Indenture, no service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Securities, or issue of new Securities in case of partial redemption of any series, but the Company
may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge in relation thereto, other than exchanges pursuant to Section 2.06, Section 3.03(b) and Section 9.04 not involving any transfer.
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(d) The Company shall not be required (i) to issue, exchange or register the transfer of any Securities during a period beginning at the
opening of business 15 days before the day of the mailing of a notice of redemption of less than all the Outstanding Securities of the same series and ending at the close of business on the day of such mailing, nor (ii) to register the transfer of or
exchange any Securities of any series or portions thereof called for redemption, other than the unredeemed portion of any such Securities being redeemed in part. The provisions of this Section 2.05 are, with respect to any Global Security,
subject to Section 2.11 hereof.
The Trustee shall have no obligation or duty to monitor, determine or inquire as to compliance with any restrictions on transfer imposed under this Indenture or under applicable law with respect to any
transfer of any interest in any Security (including any transfers between or among depositary participants or beneficial owners of interests in any Global Security) other than to require delivery of such certificates and other documentation or evidence
as are expressly required by, and to do so if and when expressly required by the terms of, this Indenture, and to examine the same to determine substantial compliance as to form with the express requirements hereof.
Neither the Trustee nor any Agent shall have any responsibility or liability for any actions taken or not taken by the Depositary.
Section 2.06 Temporary Securities.
Pending the preparation of definitive Securities of any series, the Company may execute, and the Trustee shall, upon receipt of a Company Order, authenticate and deliver, temporary Securities (printed,
lithographed or typewritten) of any authorized denomination. Such temporary Securities shall be substantially in the form of the definitive Securities in lieu of which they are issued, but with such omissions, insertions and variations as may be
appropriate for temporary Securities, all as may be determined by the Company. Every temporary Security of any series shall be executed by the Company and be authenticated by the Trustee upon the same conditions and in substantially the same manner,
and with like effect, as the definitive Securities of such series. Without unnecessary delay the Company will execute and will furnish definitive Securities of such series and thereupon any or all temporary Securities of such series may be surrendered
in exchange therefor (without charge to the holders), at the office or agency of the Company designated for the purpose, and the Trustee shall, upon receipt of a Company Order, authenticate and such office or agency shall deliver in exchange for such
temporary Securities an equal aggregate principal amount of definitive Securities of such series, unless the Company advises the Trustee to the effect that definitive Securities need not be executed and furnished until further notice from the Company.
Until so exchanged, the temporary Securities of such series shall be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Securities of such series authenticated and delivered hereunder.
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Section 2.07 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Securities.
In case any temporary or definitive Security shall become mutilated or be destroyed, lost or stolen, the Company (subject to the next succeeding sentence) shall execute, and upon receipt of a Company
Order the Trustee (subject as aforesaid) shall authenticate and deliver, a new Security of the same series, bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, in exchange and substitution for the mutilated Security, or in lieu of and in substitution
for the Security so destroyed, lost or stolen. In every case the applicant for a substituted Security shall furnish to the Company and the Trustee such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them harmless, and, in every case
of destruction, loss or theft, the applicant shall also furnish to the Company and the Trustee evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of the applicant’s Security and of the ownership thereof. The Trustee may authenticate any
such substituted Security and deliver the same upon receipt of a Company Order. Upon the issuance of any substituted Security, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in
relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.
In case any Security that has or is about to become due and payable, whether upon maturity of the Securities of a series or upon declaration or otherwise shall become mutilated or be destroyed, lost or
stolen, the Company may, instead of issuing a substitute Security, pay or authorize the payment of the same (without surrender thereof except in the case of a mutilated Security) if the applicant for such payment shall furnish to the Company and the
Trustee such security or indemnity as they may require to save them harmless, and, in case of destruction, loss or theft, evidence to the satisfaction of the Company and the Trustee of the destruction, loss or theft of such Security and of the
ownership thereof.
Every replacement Security issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall constitute an additional contractual obligation of the Company whether or not the mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen
Security shall be found at any time, or be enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of the same series duly issued hereunder. All Securities shall
be held and owned upon the express condition that the foregoing provisions are exclusive with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities, and shall preclude (to the extent lawful) any and all other rights
or remedies, notwithstanding any law or statute existing or hereafter enacted to the contrary with respect to the replacement or payment of negotiable instruments or other securities without their surrender.
Section 2.08 Cancellation.
All Securities surrendered for the purpose of payment, redemption, exchange or registration of transfer shall, if surrendered to the Company or any paying agent, be delivered to the Trustee for
cancellation, or, if surrendered to the Trustee, shall be cancelled by it, and no Securities shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly required or permitted by any of the provisions of this Indenture. On written request of the Company at the
time of such surrender, the Trustee shall deliver to the Company evidence of cancellation for such canceled Securities held by the Trustee. The Trustee shall cancel and dispose of canceled Securities in accordance with its standard procedures and
deliver a certificate of disposition to the Company. If the Company shall otherwise acquire any of the Securities, however, such acquisition shall not operate as a redemption or satisfaction of the indebtedness represented by such Securities unless
and until the same are delivered to the Trustee for cancellation.
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Section 2.09 Benefits of Indenture.
Nothing in this Indenture or in the Securities, express or implied, shall give or be construed to give to any Person, other than the parties hereto and the holders of the Securities any legal or
equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Indenture, or under any covenant, condition or provision herein contained; all such covenants, conditions and provisions being for the sole benefit of the parties hereto and of the holders of
the Securities.
Section 2.10 Authenticating Agent.
So long as any of the Securities of any series remain Outstanding there may be an Authenticating Agent for any or all such series of Securities which the Trustee shall have the right to appoint. Said
Authenticating Agent shall be authorized to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate Securities of such series issued upon exchange, transfer or partial redemption thereof, and Securities so authenticated shall be entitled to the benefits of this
Indenture and shall be valid and obligatory for all purposes as if authenticated by the Trustee hereunder. All references in this Indenture to the authentication of Securities by the Trustee shall be deemed to include authentication by an
Authenticating Agent for such series. Each Authenticating Agent shall be acceptable to the Company and shall be a corporation that has a combined capital and surplus, as most recently reported or determined by it, sufficient under the laws of any
jurisdiction under which it is organized or in which it is doing business to conduct a trust business, and that is otherwise authorized under such laws to conduct such business and is subject to supervision or examination by federal or state
authorities. If at any time any Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with these provisions, it shall resign immediately.
Any Authenticating Agent may at any time resign by giving written notice of resignation to the Trustee and to the Company. The Trustee may at any time (and upon request by the Company shall) terminate
the agency of any Authenticating Agent by giving written notice of termination to such Authenticating Agent and to the Company. Upon resignation, termination or cessation of eligibility of any Authenticating Agent, the Trustee may appoint an eligible
successor Authenticating Agent acceptable to the Company. Any successor Authenticating Agent, upon acceptance of its appointment hereunder, shall become vested with all the rights, powers and duties of its predecessor hereunder as if originally named
as an Authenticating Agent pursuant hereto.
Section 2.11 Global Securities.
(a) If the Company shall establish pursuant to Section 2.01 that the Securities of a particular series are to be issued as a Global
Security, then the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall, in accordance with Section 2.04, authenticate and deliver, a Global Security that (i) shall represent, and shall be denominated in an amount equal to the aggregate principal
amount of, all of the Outstanding Securities of such series, (ii) shall be registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee, (iii) shall be delivered by the Trustee to the Depositary or held by it, pursuant to the Depositary’s instruction and
(iv) shall bear a legend substantially to the following effect: “Except as otherwise provided in Section 2.11 of the Indenture, this Security may be transferred, in whole but not in part, only to another nominee of the Depositary or to a
successor Depositary or to a nominee of such successor Depositary.”
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2.05, the Global Security of a series may be transferred, in whole but not in part
and in the manner provided in Section 2.05, only to another nominee of the Depositary for such series, or to a successor Depositary for such series selected or approved by the Company or to a nominee of such successor Depositary.
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(c) If at any time the Depositary for a series of the Securities notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as
Depositary for such series or if at any time the Depositary for such series shall no longer be registered or in good standing under the Exchange Act, or other applicable statute or regulation, and a successor Depositary for such series is not
appointed by the Company within 90 days after the Company receives such notice or becomes aware of such condition, as the case may be, or if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the Company has received a request from the Depositary
or from the Trustee, this Section 2.11 shall no longer be applicable to the Securities of such series and the Company will execute, and subject to Section 2.04, the Trustee will authenticate and deliver the Securities of such series
in definitive registered form without coupons, in authorized denominations, and in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security of such series in exchange for such Global Security. In addition, the Company may
at any time determine that the Securities of any series shall no longer be represented by a Global Security and that the provisions of this Section 2.11 shall no longer apply to the Securities of such series. In such event the Company will
execute and, subject to Section 2.04, the Trustee, upon receipt of an Officer’s Certificate and a Company Order evidencing such determination by the Company, will authenticate and deliver the Securities of such series in definitive registered
form without coupons, in authorized denominations, and in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security of such series in exchange for such Global Security. Upon the exchange of the Global Security for such
Securities in definitive registered form without coupons, in authorized denominations, the Global Security shall be canceled by the Trustee. Such Securities in definitive registered form issued in exchange for the Global Security pursuant to this Section
2.11(c) shall be registered in such names and in such authorized denominations as the Depositary, pursuant to instructions from its direct or indirect participants or otherwise, shall instruct the Trustee in writing. The Trustee shall deliver
such Securities to the Depositary for delivery to the Persons in whose names such Securities are so registered.
ARTICLE 3
REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES AND SINKING FUND PROVISIONS
Section 3.01 Redemption.
The Company may redeem the Securities of any series issued hereunder on and after the dates and in accordance with the terms established for such series pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof.
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Section 3.02 Notice of Redemption.
(a) In case the Company shall desire to exercise such right to redeem all or, as the case may be, a portion of the Securities of any series
in accordance with any right the Company reserved for itself to do so pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof, the Company shall, or shall cause the Trustee (upon 5 Business Days written notice, unless a shorter period shall be satisfactory to the
Trustee) to, give notice of such redemption to holders of the Securities of such series to be redeemed by mailing, electronically or by first class postage prepaid mail, a notice of such redemption not less than 15 days and not more than 90 days,
except that redemption notices may be sent more than 90 days prior to the redemption date if the notice is issued in connection with a defeasance of the Securities or a satisfaction and discharge, before the date fixed for redemption of that series
to such holders (with a copy to the Trustee) at their last addresses as they shall appear upon the Security Register, unless a shorter period is specified in the Securities to be redeemed. Any notice that is mailed in the manner herein provided
shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given, whether or not the registered holder receives the notice. In any case, failure duly to give such notice to the holder of any Security of any series designated for redemption in whole or in
part, or any defect in the notice, shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the redemption of any other Securities of such series or any other series. In the case of any redemption of Securities prior to the expiration of any restriction
on such redemption provided in the terms of such Securities or elsewhere in this Indenture, the Company shall furnish the Trustee with an Officer’s Certificate evidencing compliance with any such restriction.
Each such notice of redemption shall specify the date fixed for redemption, if applicable, any record date with respect to such redemption and the redemption price at which Securities of that series
are to be redeemed, and shall state that payment of the redemption price of such Securities to be redeemed will be made at the office or agency of the Company, upon presentation and surrender of such Securities, that interest accrued to the date fixed
for redemption will be paid as specified in said notice, that from and after said date interest will cease to accrue and that the redemption is from a sinking fund, if such is the case. If less than all the Securities of a series are to be redeemed,
the notice to the holders of Securities of that series to be redeemed in part shall specify the particular Securities to be so redeemed.
In case any Security is to be redeemed in part only, the notice that relates to such Security shall state the portion of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed, and shall state that on and after
the redemption date, upon surrender of such Security, a new Security or Securities of such series in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion thereof will be issued.
(b) If less than all the Securities of a series are to be redeemed, the Company shall give the Trustee at least 20 days’ notice (unless a
shorter notice shall be satisfactory to the Trustee) in advance of the date fixed for redemption as to the aggregate principal amount of Securities of the series to be redeemed, and thereupon the Trustee shall select, by lot or in such other manner
as it shall deem appropriate and fair in its discretion (and subject to the applicable procedures of the Depositary) and that may provide for the selection of a portion or portions (equal to one thousand U.S. dollars ($1,000) or any integral multiple
thereof) of the principal amount of such Securities of a denomination larger than $1,000, the Securities to be redeemed and shall thereafter promptly notify the Company in writing of the numbers of the Securities to be redeemed, in whole or in part.
The Company may, if and whenever it shall so elect, by delivery of instructions signed on its behalf by an Officer, instruct the Trustee or any paying agent to call all or any part of the Securities of a particular series for redemption and to send
notice of redemption in the manner set forth in this Section, such notice to be in the name and at the expense of the Company. In any case in which notice of redemption is to be sent by the Trustee or any such paying agent, the Company shall deliver
or cause to be delivered to, or permit to remain with, the Trustee or such paying agent, as the case may be, such Security Register, transfer books or other records, or suitable copies or extracts therefrom, sufficient to enable the Trustee or such
paying agent to give any notice by mail that may be required under the provisions of this Section.
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Section 3.03 Payment Upon Redemption.
(a) If the giving of notice of redemption shall have been completed as above provided, the Securities or portions of Securities of the
series to be redeemed specified in such notice shall become due and payable on the date and at the place stated in such notice at the applicable redemption price, together with interest accrued to the date fixed for redemption and interest on such
Securities or portions of Securities shall cease to accrue on and after the date fixed for redemption, unless the Company shall default in the payment of such redemption price and accrued interest with respect to any such Security or portion
thereof. On presentation and surrender of such Securities on or after the date fixed for redemption at the place of payment specified in the notice, said Securities shall be paid and redeemed at the applicable redemption price for such series,
together with interest accrued thereon to the date fixed for redemption (but if the date fixed for redemption is an interest payment date, the interest installment payable on such date shall be payable to the registered holder at the close of
business on the applicable record date pursuant to Section 2.03).
(b) Upon presentation of any physical Security of such series that is to be redeemed in part only, the Company shall execute and the
Trustee shall authenticate and the office or agency where the Security is presented shall deliver to the holder thereof, at the expense of the Company, a new Security of the same series of authorized denominations in principal amount equal to the
unredeemed portion of the Security so presented.
Section 3.04 Sinking Fund.
The provisions of Sections 3.04, 3.05 and 3.06 shall be applicable to any sinking fund for the retirement of Securities of a series, except as otherwise specified as
contemplated by Section 2.01 for Securities of such series.
The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as a “mandatory sinking fund payment,” and any payment in excess of such
minimum amount provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as an “optional sinking fund payment”. If provided for by the terms of Securities of any series, the cash amount of any sinking fund payment may be subject to
reduction as provided in Section 3.05. Each sinking fund payment shall be applied to the redemption of Securities of any series as provided for by the terms of Securities of such series.
Section 3.05 Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities.
The Company (i) may deliver Outstanding Securities of a series and (ii) may apply as a credit Securities of a series that have been redeemed either at the election of the Company pursuant to the terms
of such Securities or through the application of permitted optional sinking fund payments pursuant to the terms of such Securities, in each case in satisfaction of all or any part of any sinking fund payment with respect to the Securities of such
series required to be made pursuant to the terms of such Securities as provided for by the terms of such series, provided that such Securities have not been previously so credited. Such Securities shall be
received and credited for such purpose by the Trustee at the redemption price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such sinking fund payment shall be reduced accordingly.
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Section 3.06 Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund.
Not less than 45 days prior to each sinking fund payment date for any series of Securities (unless a shorter period shall be satisfactory to the Trustee), the Company will deliver to the Trustee an
Officer’s Certificate specifying the amount of the next ensuing sinking fund payment for that series pursuant to the terms of the series, the portion thereof, if any, that is to be satisfied by delivering and crediting Securities of that series
pursuant to Section 3.05 and the basis for such credit and will, together with such Officer’s Certificate, deliver to the Trustee any Securities to be so delivered. Not less than 30 days before each such sinking fund payment date the Trustee
shall select the Securities to be redeemed upon such sinking fund payment date in the manner specified in Section 3.02 and cause notice of the redemption thereof to be given in the name of and at the expense of the Company in the manner
provided in Section 3.02. Such notice having been duly given, the redemption of such Securities shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Section 3.03.
ARTICLE 4
COVENANTS
Section 4.01 Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest.
The Company will duly and punctually pay or cause to be paid the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on the Securities of that series at the time and place and in the manner provided herein
and established with respect to such Securities. Payments of principal on the physical Securities may be made at the time provided herein and established with respect to such Securities by U.S. dollar check drawn on and mailed to the address of the
Securityholder entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the Security Register, or U.S. dollar wire transfer to, a U.S. dollar account if such Securityholder shall have furnished wire instructions to the Trustee no later than 15 days prior to
the relevant payment date. Payments of interest on the Securities may be made at the time provided herein and established with respect to such Securities by U.S. dollar check mailed to the address of the Securityholder entitled thereto as such address
shall appear in the Security Register, or U.S. dollar wire transfer to an account in the United States if such Securityholder shall have furnished wire instructions in writing to the Security Registrar and the Trustee no later than 15 days prior to the
relevant payment date.
Section 4.02 Maintenance of Office or Agency.
So long as any series of the Securities remain Outstanding, the Company agrees to maintain an office or agency with respect to each such series and at such other location or locations as may be
designated as provided in this Section 4.02, where (i) Securities of that series may be presented for payment, (ii) Securities of that series may be presented as herein above authorized for registration of transfer and exchange, and (iii)
notices in respect of the Securities of that series and this Indenture may be given or made, such designation to continue with respect to such office or agency until the Company shall, by written notice in an Officer’s Certificate and delivered to the
Trustee, designate some other office or agency for such purposes or any of them. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required office or agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations and
notices may be made at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and the Company hereby appoints the Trustee as its agent to receive all such presentations and notices; provided, however, the Trustee shall not be considered an agent of the Company for
service of process.
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Section 4.03 Paying Agents.
(a) If the Company shall appoint one or more paying agents for all or any series of the Securities, other than the Trustee, the Company
will cause each such paying agent to execute and deliver to the Trustee an instrument in which such agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provisions of this Section:
(1) that it will hold all sums held by it as such agent for the payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) or
interest on the Securities of that series (whether such sums have been paid to it by the Company or by any other obligor of such Securities) in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto;
(2) that it will give the Trustee notice of any failure by the Company (or by any other obligor of such Securities) to
make any payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on the Securities of that series when the same shall be due and payable;
(3) that it will, at any time during the continuance of any failure referred to in the preceding paragraph (a)(2) above,
upon the written request of the Trustee, forthwith pay to the Trustee all sums so held in trust by such paying agent;
(4) that upon any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, readjustment, arrangement,
composition or judicial proceedings affecting the Company, the Trustee will automatically be the Paying Agent; and
(5) that it will perform all other duties of paying agent as set forth in this Indenture.
(b) If the Company shall act as its own paying agent with respect to any series of the Securities, it will on or before each due date of
the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on Securities of that series, set aside, segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto a sum sufficient to pay such principal (and premium, if any) or interest so
becoming due on Securities of that series until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise disposed of as herein provided and will promptly notify the Trustee of such action, or any failure (by it or any other obligor on such Securities) to
take such action. Whenever the Company shall have one or more paying agents for any series of Securities, it will, prior to each due date of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on any Securities of that series, deposit with the paying
agent a sum sufficient to pay the principal (and premium, if any) or interest so becoming due, such sum to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such principal, premium or interest, and (unless such paying agent is the Trustee)
the Company will promptly notify the Trustee of this action or failure so to act.
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(c) Notwithstanding anything in this Section to the contrary, (i) the agreement to hold sums in trust as provided in this Section is
subject to the provisions of Section 11.05, and (ii) the Company may at any time, for the purpose of obtaining the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture or for any other purpose, pay, or direct any paying agent to pay, to the Trustee
all sums held in trust by the Company or such paying agent, such sums to be held by the Trustee upon the same terms and conditions as those upon which such sums were held by the Company or such paying agent; and, upon such payment by the Company or
any paying agent to the Trustee, the Company or such paying agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such money.
(d) The Company initially appoints the Trustee at its Corporate Trust Office as its paying agent with respect to the Securities.
Section 4.04 Appointment to Fill Vacancy in Office of Trustee.
The Company, whenever necessary to avoid or fill a vacancy in the office of Trustee, will appoint, in the manner provided in Section 7.10, a Trustee, so that there shall at all times be a
Trustee hereunder.
Section 4.05 Compliance with Consolidation Provisions.
The Company will not, while any of the Securities remain Outstanding, consolidate with or merge into any other Person, in either case where the Company is not the survivor of such transaction, or sell
or convey all or substantially all of its property to any other Person unless the provisions of Article 10 hereof are complied with.
ARTICLE 5
SECURITYHOLDERS’ LISTS AND REPORTS BY THE COMPANY
AND THE TRUSTEE
Section 5.01 Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Securityholders.
The Company will furnish or cause to be furnished to the Trustee (a) within 5 days after each regular record date (as defined in Section 2.03) a list, in such form as the Trustee may
reasonably require, of the names and addresses of the holders of each series of Securities as of such regular record date, provided that the Company shall not be obligated to furnish or cause to be furnished
such list at any time that the list shall not differ in any respect from the most recent list furnished to the Trustee by the Company and (b) at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing within 30 days after the receipt by the Company of
any such request, a list of similar form and content as of a date not more than 15 days prior to the time such list is furnished; provided, however, that, in either
case, no such list need be furnished for any series for which the Trustee shall be the Security Registrar.
Section 5.02 Preservation Of Information; Communications With Securityholders.
(a) The Trustee shall preserve, in as current a form as is reasonably practicable, all information as to the names and addresses of the
holders of Securities contained in the most recent list furnished to it as provided in Section 5.01 and as to the names and addresses of holders of Securities received by the Trustee in its capacity as Security Registrar (if acting in such
capacity).
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(b) The Trustee may destroy any list furnished to it as provided in Section 5.01 upon receipt of a new list so furnished.
(c) Securityholders may communicate as provided in Section 312(b) of the Trust Indenture Act with other Securityholders with respect to
their rights under this Indenture or under the Securities, and, in connection with any such communications, the Trustee shall satisfy its obligations under Section 312(b) of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the provisions of Section
312(b) of the Trust Indenture Act.
Section 5.03 Reports by the Company.
(a) The Company covenants and agrees to provide (which delivery may be via electronic mail) to the Trustee within 30 days, after the
Company files the same with the Commission, copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents and other reports (or copies of such portions of any of the foregoing as the Commission may from time to time by rules and regulations
prescribe) that the Company is required to file with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act; provided, however, the Company
shall not be required to deliver to the Trustee any materials for which the Company has sought and received confidential treatment by the Commission; and provided further, that so long as such filings by
the Company are available on the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (EDGAR), or Interactive Data Electronic Applications (IDEA), or any successor system, such filings shall be deemed to have been filed with the
Trustee for purposes hereof without any further action required by the Company; provided that an electronic link to such filing, together with an electronic notice of such filing have been sent to the
Trustee it being understood that the Trustee shall have no responsibility to determine whether such filings have been made. For the avoidance of doubt, a failure by the Company to file annual reports, information and other reports with the
Commission within the time period prescribed thereof by the Commission shall not be deemed a breach of this Section 5.03.
(b) Delivery of reports, information and documents to the Trustee under Section 5.03 is for informational purposes only and the
information and the Trustee’s receipt of the foregoing shall not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein, or determinable from information contained therein including the Company’s compliance with any of their covenants
thereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on an Officer’s Certificate).
Section 5.04 Reports by the Trustee.
(a) If required by Section 313(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, the Trustee, within sixty (60) days after each May 15, commencing the
calendar year after the year in which the first Securities are issued hereunder, shall transmit by mail, first class postage prepaid, to the Securityholders, as their names and addresses appear upon the Security Register, a brief report dated as of
such May 15, which complies with Section 313(a) of the Trust Indenture Act.
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(b) The Trustee shall comply with Section 313(b) and 313(c) of the Trust Indenture Act.
(c) A copy of each such report shall, at the time of such transmission to Securityholders, be filed by the Trustee with the Company,
with each securities exchange upon which any Securities are listed (if so listed) and also with the Commission. The Company agrees to notify the Trustee in writing when any Securities become listed on any securities exchange or of any delisting
thereof.
ARTICLE 6
REMEDIES OF THE TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS ON
EVENT OF DEFAULT
Section 6.01 Events of Default.
(a) Whenever used herein with respect to Securities of a particular series, “Event of Default”
means any one or more of the following events that has occurred and is continuing:
(1) the Company defaults in the payment of any installment of interest upon any of the Securities of that series, as
and when the same shall become due and payable, and such default continues for a period of 90 days; provided, however, that a valid extension of an interest payment
period by the Company in accordance with the terms of any indenture supplemental hereto shall not constitute a default in the payment of interest for this purpose;
(2) the Company defaults in the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any, on) any of the Securities of that
series as and when the same shall become due and payable whether at maturity, upon redemption, by declaration or otherwise, or in any payment required by any sinking or analogous fund established with respect to that series; provided, however, that a valid extension of the maturity of such Securities in accordance with the terms of any indenture supplemental hereto shall not constitute a
default in the payment of principal or premium, if any;
(3) the Company fails to observe or perform any other of its covenants or agreements with respect to that series
contained in this Indenture or otherwise established with respect to that series of Securities pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof (other than a covenant or agreement that has been expressly included in this Indenture solely for the benefit of
one or more series of Securities other than such series) for a period of 90 days after the date on which written notice of such failure, requiring the same to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of
Default” hereunder, shall have been given to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Securities of that series at the time Outstanding;
(4) the Company pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law (i) commences a voluntary case, (ii) consents
to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case, (iii) consents to the appointment of a Custodian of it or for all or substantially all of its property or (iv) makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors; or
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(5) a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order under any Bankruptcy Law that (i) is for relief against the
Company in an involuntary case, (ii) appoints a Custodian of the Company for all or substantially all of its property or (iii) orders the liquidation of the Company, and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 90 days.
(b) In each and every such case (other than an Event of Default specified in clause (4) or clause (5) above), unless the principal of all
the Securities of that series shall have already become due and payable, either the Trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of that series then Outstanding hereunder, by notice in writing to the
Company (and to the Trustee if given by such Securityholders), may declare the principal of (and premium, if any, on) and accrued and unpaid interest on all the Securities of that series to be due and payable immediately, and upon any such
declaration the same shall become and shall be immediately due and payable. If an Event of Default specified in clause (4) or clause (5) above occurs, the principal of and accrued and unpaid interest on all the Securities of that series shall
automatically be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or the holders of the Securities.
(c) At any time after the principal of (and premium, if any, on) and accrued and unpaid interest on the Securities of that series shall
have been so declared due and payable, and before any judgment or decree for the payment of the moneys due shall have been obtained or entered as hereinafter provided, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of
that series then Outstanding hereunder, by written notice to the Company and the Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if: (i) the Company has paid or deposited with the Trustee a sum sufficient to pay all matured
installments of interest upon all the Securities of that series and the principal of (and premium, if any, on) any and all Securities of that series that shall have become due otherwise than by acceleration (with interest upon such principal and
premium, if any, and, to the extent that such payment is enforceable under applicable law, upon overdue installments of interest, at the rate per annum expressed in the Securities of that series to the date of such payment or deposit) and the
amount payable to the Trustee under Section 7.06, and (ii) any and all Events of Default under the Indenture with respect to such series, other than the nonpayment of principal on (and premium, if any, on) and accrued and unpaid interest on
Securities of that series that shall not have become due by their terms, shall have been remedied or waived as provided in Section 6.06.
No such rescission and annulment shall extend to or shall affect any subsequent default or impair any right consequent thereon.
(d) In case the Trustee shall have proceeded to enforce any right with respect to Securities of that series under this Indenture and such
proceedings shall have been discontinued or abandoned because of such rescission or annulment or for any other reason or shall have been determined adversely to the Trustee, then and in every such case, subject to any determination in such
proceedings, the Company and the Trustee shall be restored respectively to their former positions and rights hereunder, and all rights, remedies and powers of the Company and the Trustee shall continue as though no such proceedings had been taken.
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Section 6.02 Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee.
(a) The Company covenants that if an Event of Default described in Section 6.01(a) or 6.01(b) shall have occurred with respect to the
Securities of any series, the Company will pay to the Trustee, for the benefit of the holders of the Securities of that series, the whole amount that then shall have been become due and payable on all such Securities for principal (and premium, if
any) or interest, or both, as the case may be, with interest upon the overdue principal (and premium, if any) and (to the extent that payment of such interest is enforceable under applicable law) upon overdue installments of interest at the rate
per annum expressed in the Securities of that series; and, in addition thereto, such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, and the amount payable to the Trustee under Section 7.06.
(b) If the Company shall fail to pay such amounts forthwith upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express
trust, shall be entitled and empowered to institute any action or proceedings at law or in equity for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, and may prosecute any such action or proceeding to judgment or final decree, and may enforce any
such judgment or final decree against the Company or other obligor upon the Securities of that series and collect the moneys adjudged or decreed to be payable in the manner provided by law or equity out of the property of the Company or other
obligor upon the Securities of that series, wherever situated.
(c) In case of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, readjustment, arrangement, composition or
judicial proceedings affecting the Company, or its creditors or property, irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand pursuant to this Section 6.02, the Trustee shall have power to intervene in such proceedings and take any
action therein that may be permitted by the court and shall (except as may be otherwise provided by law) be entitled to file such proofs of claim and other papers and documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the
Trustee and of the holders of Securities of such series allowed for the entire amount due and payable by the Company under the Indenture at the date of institution of such proceedings and for any additional amount that may become due and payable by
the Company after such date, and to collect and receive any moneys or other property payable or deliverable on any such claim, and to distribute the same after the deduction of the amount payable to the Trustee under Section 7.06; and any
receiver, assignee or trustee in bankruptcy or reorganization is hereby authorized by each of the holders of Securities of such series to make such payments to the Trustee, and, in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such
payments directly to such Securityholders, to pay to the Trustee any amount due it under Section 7.06.
(d) All rights of action and of asserting claims under this Indenture, or under any of the terms established with respect to Securities
of that series, may be enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of such Securities, or the production thereof at any trial or other proceeding relative thereto, and any such suit or proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought
in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery of judgment shall, after provision for payment to the Trustee of any amounts due under Section 7.06, be for the ratable benefit of the holders of the Securities of such
series.
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In case of an Event of Default hereunder, the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce the rights vested in it by this Indenture by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the
Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce any of such rights, either at law or in equity or in bankruptcy or otherwise, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement contained in the Indenture or in aid of the
exercise of any power granted in this Indenture, or to enforce any other legal or equitable right vested in the Trustee by this Indenture or by law.
Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Securityholder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or
composition affecting the Securities of that series or the rights of any holder thereof or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Securityholder in any such proceeding.
Section 6.03 Application of Moneys Collected.
Any moneys or properties collected by the Trustee pursuant to this Article with respect to a particular series of Securities shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the
Trustee and, in case of the distribution of such moneys on account of principal (or premium, if any) or interest, upon presentation of the Securities of that series, and notation thereon of the payment, if only partially paid, and upon surrender
thereof if fully paid:
FIRST: To the payment of reasonable costs and expenses of collection and of all amounts payable to the Trustee, its agents and attorneys under this Indenture;
SECOND: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid upon Securities of such series for principal (and premium, if any) and interest, in respect of which or for the benefit of which such money has been collected, ratably, without
preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due and payable on such Securities for principal (and premium, if any) and interest, respectively; and
THIRD: To the payment of the remainder, if any, to the Company or any other Person lawfully entitled thereto.
Section 6.04 Limitation on Suits.
No holder of any Security of any series shall have any right by virtue or by availing of any provision of this Indenture to institute any suit, action or proceeding in equity or at law upon or under
or with respect to this Indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any other remedy hereunder, unless (i) such holder previously shall have given to the Trustee written notice of an Event of Default and of the continuance
thereof with respect to the Securities of such series specifying such Event of Default, as hereinbefore provided; (ii) the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such series then Outstanding shall have made
written request upon the Trustee to institute such action, suit or proceeding in its own name as Trustee hereunder; (iii) such holder or holders shall have offered to the Trustee such indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it as it may require against
the costs, expenses, claims and liabilities to be incurred therein or thereby; (iv) the Trustee for 90 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity, shall have failed to institute any such action, suit or proceeding and (v)
during such 90 day period, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities of that series do not give the Trustee a direction inconsistent with the request.
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Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary or any other provisions of this Indenture, the right of any holder of any Security to receive payment of the principal of (and premium, if
any) and interest on such Security, as therein provided, on or after the respective due dates expressed in such Security (or in the case of redemption, on the redemption date), or to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after
such respective dates or redemption date, shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of such holder and by accepting a Security hereunder it is expressly understood, intended and covenanted by the taker and holder of every Security of such
series with every other such taker and holder and the Trustee, that no one or more holders of Securities of such series shall have any right in any manner whatsoever by virtue or by availing of any provision of this Indenture to affect, disturb or
prejudice the rights of the holders of any other of such Securities, or to obtain or seek to obtain priority over or preference to any other such holder, or to enforce any right under this Indenture (it being understood that the Trustee does not have
an affirmative duty to ascertain whether or not such actions or forbearances are unduly prejudicial to such holders), except in the manner herein provided and for the equal, ratable and common benefit of all holders of Securities of such series. For
the protection and enforcement of the provisions of this Section, each and every Securityholder and the Trustee shall be entitled to such relief as can be given either at law or in equity.
Section 6.05 Rights and Remedies Cumulative; Delay or Omission Not Waiver.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in Section 2.07, all powers and remedies given by this Article to the Trustee or to the
Securityholders shall, to the extent permitted by law, be deemed cumulative and not exclusive of any other powers and remedies available to the Trustee or the holders of the Securities, by judicial proceedings or otherwise, to enforce the
performance or observance of the covenants and agreements contained in this Indenture or otherwise established with respect to such Securities.
(b) No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any holder of any of the Securities to exercise any right or power accruing upon any Event
of Default occurring and continuing as aforesaid shall impair any such right or power, or shall be construed to be a waiver of any such default or an acquiescence therein; and, subject to the provisions of Section 6.04, every power and
remedy given by this Article or by law to the Trustee or the Securityholders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as shall be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by the Securityholders.
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Section 6.06 Control by Securityholders.
The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding, determined in accordance with Section 8.04, shall have the right to direct the
time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee with respect to such series; provided, however, that such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture or subject the Trustee in its sole discretion to personal liability. The Trustee shall have the right to decline to
follow any such direction if the Trustee in good faith shall determine that the proceeding so directed, subject to the Trustee’s duties under the Trust Indenture Act, would involve the Trustee in personal liability or might be unduly prejudicial to
the Securityholders not involved in the proceeding. Prior to taking any action under this Indenture, the Trustee shall be entitled to indemnity or security satisfactory to it against loss, liability or expense that may be caused by taking such
action. The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding affected thereby, determined in accordance with Section 8.04, may on behalf of the holders of all of the Securities of
such series waive any past default in the performance of any of the covenants contained herein or established pursuant to Section 2.01 with respect to such series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, or
premium, if any, or interest on, any of the Securities of that series as and when the same shall become due by the terms of such Securities otherwise than by acceleration (unless such default has been cured and a sum sufficient to pay all matured
installments of interest and principal and any premium has been deposited with the Trustee (in accordance with Section 6.01(c)). Upon any such waiver, the default covered thereby shall be deemed to be cured for all purposes of this Indenture
and the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Securities of such series shall be restored to their former positions and rights hereunder, respectively; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or impair any right
consequent thereon.
Section 6.07 Undertaking to Pay Costs.
All parties to this Indenture agree, and each holder of any Securities by such holder’s acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may in its discretion require, in any suit
for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and
that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, against any party litigant in such suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; but
the provisions of this Section shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Securityholder, or group of Securityholders, holding more than 10% in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any
series, or to any suit instituted by any Securityholder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on any Security of such series, on or after the respective due dates expressed in such Security or
established pursuant to this Indenture.
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ARTICLE 7
CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE
Section 7.01 Certain Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee.
(a) The Trustee, prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of a series and after the curing of all
Events of Default with respect to the Securities of that series that may have occurred, shall undertake to perform with respect to the Securities of such series such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and
no implied covenants shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee. In case an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of a series has occurred (that has not been cured or waived), the Trustee shall exercise with respect to
Securities of that series such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s
own affairs.
(b) No provision of this Indenture shall be construed to relieve the Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own
negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:
(1) prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of a series and after the curing or
waiving of all such Events of Default with respect to that series that may have occurred:
(A) the duties and obligations of the Trustee shall with respect to the Securities of such series be determined solely
by the express provisions of this Indenture, and the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to the Securities of such series except for the performance of such duties and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied
covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee; and
(B) in the absence of willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee, the Trustee may with respect to the Securities of
such series conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon any certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; but in the case
of any such certificates or opinions that by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this
Indenture (but need not confirm or investigate the accuracy of mathematical calculations or other facts stated therein);
(2) the Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer or
Responsible Officers of the Trustee, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;
(3) the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in
accordance with the direction of the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the
Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of that series; and
(4) none of the provisions contained in this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or
otherwise incur personal or financial liability in the performance of any of its duties or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers if there is reasonable ground for believing that the repayment of such funds or liability is not reasonably
assured to it under the terms of this Indenture or adequate indemnity against such risk is not reasonably assured to it.
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Section 7.02 Certain Rights of Trustee.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 7.01:
(a) The Trustee may rely and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement,
instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, approval, bond, security or other paper or document or other evidence of indebtedness believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.
The Trustee need not investigate any fact or matter stated in the document. The Trustee shall receive and retain financial reports and statements of the Company to the extent provided herein, but shall have no duty to review or analyze such
reports or statements to determine compliance with covenants or other obligations of the Company;
(b) Any request, direction, order or demand of the Company mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by a Board Resolution or an
instrument signed in the name of the Company by any authorized Officer of the Company (unless other evidence in respect thereof is specifically prescribed herein);
(c) The Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection and the advice of such counsel or, if requested, any Opinion of Counsel shall
be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken or suffered or omitted hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon;
(d) The Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request, order
or direction of any of the Securityholders pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture, unless such Securityholders shall have offered (and if requested, provided) to the Trustee security or indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs,
expenses, claims and liabilities that may be incurred therein or thereby;
(e) The Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith and believed by it to be authorized
or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture;
(f) The Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement,
instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, approval, bond, security, or other papers or documents or other evidence of indebtedness, unless requested in writing so to do by the holders of not less than a majority in principal
amount of the Outstanding Securities of the particular series affected thereby (determined as provided in Section 8.04); provided, however, that if the
payment within a reasonable time to the Trustee of the costs, expenses, claims or liabilities likely to be incurred by it in the making of such investigation is, in the opinion of the Trustee, not reasonably assured to the Trustee by the security
afforded to it by the terms of this Indenture, the Trustee may require indemnity or security satisfactory to it against such costs, expenses, claims or liabilities as a condition to so proceeding. The reasonable expense of every such examination
shall be paid by the Company or, if paid by the Trustee, shall be repaid by the Company upon demand;
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(g) The Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents
or attorneys and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any agent or attorney appointed with due care by it hereunder;
(h) In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder
arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including, without limitation, strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of
God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services; it being understood that the Trustee shall use reasonable efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the banking
industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances;
(i) In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for special, punitive, indirect, or consequential loss or damage of any kind
whatsoever (including, but not limited to, loss of profit) irrespective of whether the Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action;
(j) The permissive rights of the Trustee enumerated herein shall not be construed as duties;
(k) The Trustee may request that the Company deliver a certificate setting forth the names of individuals and/or titles of officers
authorized at such time to take specified actions pursuant to this Indenture; and
(l) The Trustee shall not be required to give any bond or surety in respect of the performance of its powers and duties hereunder.
In addition, the Trustee shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any Default or Event of Default until a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall have received written notification in the manner set
forth in this Indenture, and such notice references the Securities and this Indenture or a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall have obtained actual knowledge.
Section 7.03 Trustee Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance or Securities.
(a) The recitals contained herein and in the Securities shall be taken as the statements of the Company, and the Trustee assumes no
responsibility for the correctness of the same.
(b) The Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Indenture or of the Securities.
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(c) The Trustee shall not be accountable for the use or application by the Company of any of the Securities or of the proceeds of such
Securities, or for the use or application of any moneys paid over by the Trustee in accordance with any provision of this Indenture or established pursuant to Section 2.01, or for the use or application of any moneys received by any paying
agent other than the Trustee.
Section 7.04 May Hold Securities.
The Trustee or any paying agent or Security Registrar, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Securities with the same rights it would have if it were not
Trustee, paying agent or Security Registrar.
Section 7.05 Moneys Held in Trust.
Subject to the provisions of Section 11.05, all moneys received by the Trustee shall, until used or applied as herein provided, be held in trust for the purposes for which they were received,
but need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. The Trustee shall be under no liability for interest on any moneys received by it hereunder except such as it may agree in writing with the Company to pay thereon.
Section 7.06 Compensation and Reimbursement.
(a) The Company covenants and agrees to pay to the Trustee, and the Trustee shall be entitled to, such compensation (which shall not be
limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust) as the Company and the Trustee may from time to time agree in writing, for all services rendered by it in the execution of the trusts hereby created and
in the exercise and performance of any of the powers and duties hereunder of the Trustee, and, except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the Company will pay or reimburse the Trustee upon its request for all reasonable and documented expenses,
disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Trustee in accordance with any of the provisions of this Indenture (including the reasonable and documented fees and the expenses and disbursements of its counsel and of all Persons not regularly
in its employ), except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may arise from its negligence or willful misconduct. The Company also covenants to indemnify the Trustee (and its officers, agents, directors and employees) for, and to hold it
harmless against, any documented loss, liability or expense, including reasonable and documented attorneys’ fees, incurred without negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee and arising out of or in connection with the acceptance
or administration of this trust, including the reasonable and documented costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim of liability in the premises (whether asserted by the Company, or any holder or any other Person) or liability in
connection with the exercise or performance of any of its powers or duties hereunder, or in connection with enforcing the provisions of this Section.
(b) The obligations of the Company under this Section to compensate and indemnify the Trustee and to pay or reimburse the Trustee for
reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances shall constitute additional indebtedness hereunder. Such additional indebtedness shall be secured by a lien prior to that of the Securities upon all property and funds held or collected by the
Trustee as such, except funds held in trust for the benefit of the holders of particular Securities.
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(c) To ensure the Company’s payment obligations in this Section, the Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Securities on all funds or
property held or collected by the Trustee, except that held in trust to pay principal of, premium, if any, or interest on particular Securities. When the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services in connection with an Event of Default specified
in Section 6.01(a)(4) or (5), the expenses (including the reasonable fees and expenses of its counsel) and the compensation for services in connection therewith are to constitute expenses of administration under any Bankruptcy Law.
The provisions of this Section 7.06 shall survive the termination of this Indenture and the earlier resignation or removal of the Trustee.
Section 7.07 Reliance on Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 7.01, whenever in the administration of the provisions of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it reasonably necessary or desirable that a matter be
proved or established prior to taking or suffering or omitting to take any action hereunder, such matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of negligence or willful misconduct on the part
of the Trustee, be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by an Officer’s Certificate and Opinion of Counsel delivered to the Trustee and such certificate and opinion, in the absence of negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the
Trustee, shall be full warrant to the Trustee for any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it under the provisions of this Indenture upon the faith thereof.
Section 7.08 Disqualification; Conflicting Interests.
If the Trustee has or shall acquire any “conflicting interest” within the meaning of Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act, the Trustee and the Company shall in all respects comply with the
provisions of Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act.
Section 7.09 Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility.
There shall at all times be a Trustee with respect to the Securities issued hereunder which shall at all times be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of
America or any state or territory thereof or of the District of Columbia, or a corporation or other Person permitted to act as trustee by the Commission, authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers, having a combined capital and
surplus of at least fifty million U.S. dollars ($50,000,000), and subject to supervision or examination by federal, state, territorial, or District of Columbia authority.
If such corporation or other Person publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of the aforesaid supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes
of this Section, the combined capital and surplus of such corporation or other Person shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published. The Company may not, nor may any Person
directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company, serve as Trustee. In case at any time the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, the Trustee shall resign
immediately in the manner and with the effect specified in Section 7.10.
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Section 7.10 Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor.
(a) The Trustee or any successor hereafter appointed may at any time resign with respect to the Securities of one or more series by
giving written notice thereof to the Company and by transmitting notice of resignation by electronic mail, or by first class postage prepaid mail, to the Securityholders of such series, as their names and addresses appear upon the Security
Register. Upon receiving such notice of resignation, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor trustee with respect to Securities of such series by written instrument, in duplicate, executed by order of the Board of Directors, one copy of
which instrument shall be delivered to the resigning Trustee and one copy to the successor trustee. If no successor trustee shall have been so appointed and have accepted appointment within 30 days after the mailing of such notice of resignation,
the resigning Trustee may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to Securities of such series, or any Securityholder of that series who has been a bona fide holder of a Security or
Securities for at least six months may on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any such court for the appointment of a successor trustee. Such court may thereupon after such notice, if any, as it may deem proper and
prescribe, appoint a successor trustee.
(b) In case at any time any one of the following shall occur:
(i) the Trustee shall fail to comply with the provisions of Section 7.08 after written request therefor by
the Company or by any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Security or Securities for at least six months; or
(ii) the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of Section 7.09 and shall fail
to resign after written request therefor by the Company or by any such Securityholder; or
(iii) the Trustee shall become incapable of acting, or shall be adjudged a bankrupt or insolvent, or commence a
voluntary bankruptcy proceeding, or a receiver of the Trustee or of its property shall be appointed or consented to, or any public officer shall take charge or control of the Trustee or of its property or affairs for the purpose of rehabilitation,
conservation or liquidation;
then, in any such case, the Company may remove the Trustee with respect to all Securities and appoint a successor trustee by written instrument, in duplicate, executed by order of the Board of Directors, one copy of
which instrument shall be delivered to the Trustee so removed and one copy to the successor trustee, or any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Security or Securities for at least six months may, on behalf of that holder and all
others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee and the appointment of a successor trustee. Such court may thereupon after such notice, if any, as it may deem proper and prescribe, remove the
Trustee and appoint a successor trustee.
(c) The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding may at any time
remove the Trustee with respect to such series by so notifying the Trustee and the Company and may appoint a successor Trustee for such series with the consent of the Company.
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(d) Any resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the Securities of a series pursuant
to any of the provisions of this Section shall become effective upon acceptance of appointment by the successor trustee as provided in Section 7.11.
(e) Any successor trustee appointed pursuant to this Section may be appointed with respect to the Securities of one or more series or all
of such series, and at any time there shall be only one Trustee with respect to the Securities of any particular series.
Section 7.11 Acceptance of Appointment By Successor.
(a) In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor trustee with respect to all Securities, every such successor trustee so appointed
shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the Company and to the retiring Trustee an instrument accepting such appointment, and thereupon the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective and such successor trustee, without
any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee; but, on the request of the Company or the successor trustee, such retiring Trustee shall, upon full payment of any
amount then due it pursuant to Section 7.06, execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor trustee all the rights, powers, and trusts of the retiring Trustee and shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor
trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder.
(b) In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more (but not all) series, the
Company, the retiring Trustee and each successor trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more series shall execute and deliver an indenture supplemental hereto wherein each successor trustee shall accept such appointment and which (i)
shall contain such provisions as shall be necessary or desirable to transfer and confirm to, and to vest in, each successor trustee all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those
series to which the appointment of such successor trustee relates, (ii) shall contain such provisions as shall be deemed necessary or desirable to confirm that all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the
Securities of that or those series as to which the retiring Trustee is not retiring shall continue to be vested in the retiring Trustee, and (iii) shall add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for
or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee, it being understood that nothing herein or in such supplemental indenture shall constitute such Trustees co-trustees of the same trust, that each such Trustee shall
be trustee of a trust or trusts hereunder separate and apart from any trust or trusts hereunder administered by any other such Trustee and that no Trustee shall be responsible for any act or failure to act on the part of any other Trustee
hereunder; and upon the execution and delivery of such supplemental indenture the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective to the extent provided therein, such retiring Trustee shall with respect to the Securities of
that or those series to which the appointment of such successor trustee relates have no further responsibility for the exercise of rights and powers or for the performance of the duties and obligations vested in the Trustee under this Indenture,
and each such successor trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment
of such successor trustee relates; but, on request of the Company or any successor trustee, such retiring Trustee shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor trustee, to the extent contemplated by such supplemental indenture, the
property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor trustee relates.
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(c) Upon request of any such successor trustee, the Company shall execute any and all instruments for more fully and certainly vesting in
and confirming to such successor trustee all such rights, powers and trusts referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section, as the case may be.
(d) No successor trustee shall accept its appointment unless at the time of such acceptance such successor trustee shall be qualified and
eligible under this Article.
(e) Upon acceptance of appointment by a successor trustee as provided in this Section, the Company shall transmit notice of the
succession of such trustee hereunder by mail, first class postage prepaid, to the Securityholders, as their names and addresses appear upon the Security Register. If the Company fails to transmit such notice within ten days after acceptance of
appointment by the successor trustee, the successor trustee shall cause such notice to be transmitted at the expense of the Company.
Section 7.12 Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business.
Any corporation into which the Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any corporation resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Trustee
shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to the corporate trust business of the Trustee, including the administration of the trust created by this Indenture, shall be the successor of the Trustee hereunder, provided
that such corporation shall be qualified under the provisions of Section 7.08 and eligible under the provisions of Section 7.09, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto,
anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding. In case any Securities shall have been authenticated, but not delivered, by the Trustee then in office, any successor by merger, conversion or consolidation to such authenticating Trustee may adopt
such authentication and deliver the Securities so authenticated with the same effect as if such successor Trustee had itself authenticated such Securities.
Section 7.13 Preferential Collection of Claims Against the Company.
The Trustee shall comply with Section 311(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, excluding any creditor relationship described in Section 311(b) of the Trust Indenture Act. A Trustee who has resigned or
been removed shall be subject to Section 311(a) of the Trust Indenture Act to the extent included therein.
Section 7.14 Notice of Default.
If any Event of Default occurs and is continuing and if such Event of Default is actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, the Trustee shall send to each Securityholder in the manner
and to the extent provided in Section 313(c) of the Trust Indenture Act notice of the Event of Default within the later of 90 days after it occurs and 30 days after it is actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee or written notice of it
is received by the Trustee, unless such Event of Default has been cured; provided, however, that, except in the case of a default in the payment of the principal of
(or premium, if any) or interest on any Security, the Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as it in good faith determines that the withholding of such notice is in the interest of the Securityholders.
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ARTICLE 8
CONCERNING THE SECURITYHOLDERS
Section 8.01 Evidence of Action by Securityholders.
Whenever in this Indenture it is provided that the holders of a majority or specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of a
particular series may take any action (including the making of any demand or request, the giving of any notice, consent or waiver or the taking of any other action), the fact that at the time of taking any such action the holders of such majority or
specified percentage of that series have joined therein may be evidenced by any instrument or any number of instruments of similar tenor executed by such holders of Securities of that series in person or by agent or proxy appointed in writing.
If the Company shall solicit from the Securityholders of any series any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action, the Company may, at its option, as
evidenced by an Officer’s Certificate, fix in advance a record date for such series for the determination of Securityholders entitled to give such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action, but the Company
shall have no obligation to do so. If such a record date is fixed, such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action may be given before or after the record date, but only the Securityholders of record at the
close of business on the record date shall be deemed to be Securityholders for the purposes of determining whether Securityholders of the requisite proportion of Outstanding Securities of that series have authorized or agreed or consented to such
request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action, and for that purpose the Outstanding Securities of that series shall be computed as of the record date; provided, however, that no such authorization, agreement or consent by such Securityholders on the record date shall be deemed effective unless it shall become effective pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture not
later than six months after the record date.
Section 8.02 Proof of Execution by Securityholders.
Subject to the provisions of Section 7.01, proof of the execution of any instrument by a Securityholder (such proof will not require notarization) or his agent or proxy and proof of the
holding by any Person of any of the Securities shall be sufficient if made in the following manner:
(a) The fact and date of the execution by any such Person of any instrument may be proved in any reasonable manner acceptable to the
Trustee.
(b) The ownership of Securities shall be proved by the Security Register of such Securities or by a certificate of the Security Registrar
thereof. The Trustee may require such additional proof of any matter referred to in this Section as it shall deem necessary.
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Section 8.03 Who May be Deemed Owners.
Prior to the due presentment for registration of transfer of any Security, the Company, the Trustee, any paying agent and any Security Registrar may deem and treat the Person in whose name such
Security shall be registered upon the books of the Security Registrar as the absolute owner of such Security (whether or not such Security shall be overdue and notwithstanding any notice of ownership or writing thereon made by anyone other than the
Security Registrar) for the purpose of receiving payment of or on account of the principal of, premium, if any, and (subject to Section 2.03) interest on such Security and for all other purposes; and neither the Company nor the Trustee nor
any paying agent nor any Security Registrar shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.
Section 8.04 Certain Securities Owned by Company Disregarded.
In determining whether the holders of the requisite aggregate principal amount of Securities of a particular series have concurred in any direction, consent, demand, authorization, notice or waiver
under this Indenture, the Securities of that series that are owned by the Company or any other obligor on the Securities of that series or by any Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under common control with the Company or
any other obligor on the Securities of that series shall be disregarded and deemed not to be Outstanding for the purpose of any such determination, except that for the purpose of determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying on any
such direction, consent or waiver, only Securities of such series that a Responsible Officer of the Trustee actually knows are so owned shall be so disregarded. The Securities so owned that have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as
Outstanding for the purposes of this Section, if the pledgee shall establish to the satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee’s right so to act with respect to such Securities and that the pledgee is not a Person directly or indirectly controlling or
controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with the Company or any such other obligor. In case of a dispute as to such right, any decision by the Trustee taken upon the advice of counsel shall be full protection to the Trustee.
Section 8.05 Actions Binding on Future Securityholders.
At any time prior to (but not after) the evidencing to the Trustee, as provided in Section 8.01, of the taking of any action by the holders of the majority or percentage in aggregate
principal amount of the Securities of a particular series specified in this Indenture in connection with such action, any holder of a Security of that series that is shown by the evidence to be included in the Securities the holders of which have
consented to such action may, by filing written notice with the Trustee, and upon proof of holding as provided in Section 8.02, revoke such action so far as concerns such Security. Except as aforesaid any such action taken by the holder of
any Security shall be conclusive and binding upon such holder and upon all future holders and owners of such Security, and of any Security issued in exchange therefor, on registration of transfer thereof or in place thereof, irrespective of whether
or not any notation in regard thereto is made upon such Security. Any action taken by the holders of the majority or percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of a particular series specified in this Indenture in connection with
such action shall be conclusively binding upon the Company, the Trustee and the holders of all the Securities of that series.
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ARTICLE 9
SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
Section 9.01 Supplemental Indentures Without the Consent of Securityholders.
In addition to any supplemental indenture otherwise authorized by this Indenture, the Company and the Trustee may from time to time and at any time enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental
hereto (which shall conform to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act as then in effect), without the consent of the Securityholders at any time Outstanding, for one or more of the following purposes:
(a) to cure any ambiguity, defect, or inconsistency herein or in the Securities of any series;
(b) to comply with Article 10;
(c) to provide for uncertificated Securities in addition to or in place of certificated Securities;
(d) to add to the covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions relating to the Company for the benefit of the holders of all or any
series of Securities (and if such covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions are to be for the benefit of less than all series of Securities, stating that such covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions are expressly being included
solely for the benefit of such series), to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and the continuance, of a default in any such additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions an Event of Default, or to surrender any right or power
herein conferred upon the Company;
(e) to add to, delete from, or revise the conditions, limitations, and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms, or purposes of
issue, authentication, and delivery of Securities, as herein set forth;
(f) to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any Securityholder in any material respect;
(g) to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the Securities of any series as provided in Section
2.01, to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of this Indenture or any series of Securities, or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of Securities;
(h) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor trustee or to appoint a separate trustee with
respect to any series; or
(i) to comply with any requirements of the Commission or any successor in connection with the qualification of this Indenture under the
Trust Indenture Act.
The Trustee is hereby authorized to join with the Company in the execution of any such supplemental indenture, and to make any further appropriate agreements and stipulations that may be therein
contained, but the Trustee shall not be obligated to enter into any such supplemental indenture that affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.
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Any supplemental indenture authorized by the provisions of this Section may be executed by the Company and the Trustee without the consent of the holders of any of the Securities at the time
Outstanding, notwithstanding any of the provisions of Section 9.02.
Section 9.02 Supplemental Indentures With Consent of Securityholders.
With the consent (evidenced as provided in Section 8.01) of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of each series affected by such
supplemental indenture or indentures at the time Outstanding, the Company, when authorized by a Board Resolution, and the Trustee may from time to time and at any time enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto (which shall conform to
the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act as then in effect) for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any manner
not covered by Section 9.01 the rights of the holders of the Securities of such series under this Indenture; provided, however, that no such supplemental
indenture shall, without the consent of the holders of each Security then Outstanding and affected thereby, (a) extend the fixed maturity of any Securities of any series, or reduce the principal amount thereof, or reduce the rate or extend the time
of payment of interest thereon, or reduce any premium payable upon the redemption thereof or (b) reduce the aforesaid percentage of Securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any such supplemental indenture.
It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Securityholders of any series affected thereby under this Section to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture, but it shall
be sufficient if such consent shall approve the substance thereof. The Trustee shall not be obligated to enter into any such supplemental indenture that affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.
Section 9.03 Effect of Supplemental Indentures.
Upon the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article or of Section 10.01, this Indenture shall, with respect to such series only, be and be deemed to be
modified and amended in accordance therewith and the respective rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities under this Indenture of the Trustee, the Company and the holders of Securities of the series affected thereby shall
thereafter be determined, exercised and enforced hereunder subject in all respects to such modifications and amendments, and all the terms and conditions of any such supplemental indenture shall be and be deemed to be part of the terms and conditions
of this Indenture for any and all purposes with respect to such series.
39
Section 9.04 Securities Affected by Supplemental Indentures.
Securities of any series affected by a supplemental indenture, authenticated and delivered after the execution of such supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article or of Section
10.01, may bear a notation in form approved by the Company, provided such form meets the requirements of any securities exchange upon which such series may be listed, as to any matter provided for in such supplemental indenture. If the
Company shall so determine, new Securities of that series so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, to any modification of this Indenture contained in any such supplemental indenture may be prepared by the Company,
authenticated by the Trustee and delivered in exchange for the Securities of that series then Outstanding.
Section 9.05 Execution of Supplemental Indentures.
Upon the request of the Company, accompanied by its Board Resolutions authorizing the execution of any such supplemental indenture, and upon the filing with the Trustee of evidence of the consent of
Securityholders required to consent thereto as aforesaid, the Trustee shall join with the Company in the execution of such supplemental indenture unless such supplemental indenture affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this
Indenture or otherwise, in which case the Trustee may in its discretion but shall not be obligated to enter into such supplemental indenture. The Trustee shall receive an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel as conclusive evidence that
any supplemental indenture executed pursuant to this Article is authorized or permitted by the terms of this Article and that all conditions precedent to the execution of the supplemental indenture have been complied with and with respect to such
Opinion of Counsel, that such supplemental indenture is the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against each of them in accordance with its terms, subject to customary exceptions and qualifications.
Promptly after the execution by the Company and the Trustee of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article, the Company shall transmit by electronic mail, or by first class
mail, postage prepaid, a notice, setting forth in general terms the substance of such supplemental indenture, to the Securityholders of all series affected thereby as their names and addresses appear upon the Security Register. Any failure of the
Company to mail, or cause the mailing of, such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such supplemental indenture.
40
ARTICLE 10
SUCCESSOR ENTITY
Section 10.01 Company May Consolidate, Etc.
Nothing contained in this Indenture shall prevent any consolidation or merger of the Company with or into any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company) or successive consolidations or
mergers in which the Company or its successor or successors shall be a party or parties, or shall prevent any sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition of the property of the Company or its successor or successors as an entirety, or
substantially as an entirety, to any other corporation (whether or not affiliated with the Company or its successor or successors) authorized to acquire and operate the same; provided, however, (a) the Company hereby covenants and agrees that, upon any such consolidation or merger (in each case, if the Company is not the survivor of such transaction), sale, conveyance, transfer or other
disposition, the due and punctual payment of the principal of (premium, if any) and interest on all of the Securities of all series in accordance with the terms of each series, according to their tenor, and the due and punctual performance and
observance of all the covenants and conditions of this Indenture with respect to each series or established with respect to such series pursuant to Section 2.01 to be kept or performed by the Company shall be expressly assumed, by
supplemental indenture (which shall conform to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act, as then in effect) executed and delivered to the Trustee by the entity formed by such consolidation, or into which the Company shall have been merged, or by the
entity which shall have acquired such property and (b) in the event that the Securities of any series then Outstanding are convertible into or exchangeable for shares of common stock or other securities of the Company, such entity shall, by such
supplemental indenture, make provision so that the Securityholders of Securities of that series shall thereafter be entitled to receive upon conversion or exchange of such Securities the number of securities or property to which a holder of the
number of shares of common stock or other securities of the Company deliverable upon conversion or exchange of those Securities would have been entitled had such conversion or exchange occurred immediately prior to such consolidation, merger, sale,
conveyance, transfer or other disposition. If the Company is not the surviving entity of any such transaction, the Company or the continuing entity agrees to deliver to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and Opinion of Counsel stating that the
transaction and the supplemental indenture complies with this Section 10.01 and that all conditions precedent herein relating to the transaction have been satisfied.
Section 10.02 Successor Entity Substituted.
(a) In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition and upon the assumption by the successor
entity by supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee, of the obligations set forth under Section 10.01 on all of the Securities of all series Outstanding, such successor entity shall succeed to and be substituted for the
Company with the same effect as if it had been named as the Company herein, and thereupon the predecessor corporation shall be relieved of all obligations and covenants under this Indenture and the Securities.
(b) In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, such changes in phraseology and form (but
not in substance) may be made in the Securities thereafter to be issued as may be appropriate.
(c) Nothing contained in this Article shall require any action by the Company in the case of a consolidation or merger of any Person into
the Company where the Company is the survivor of such transaction, or the acquisition by the Company, by purchase or otherwise, of all or any part of the property of any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company).
41
ARTICLE 11
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE
Section 11.01 Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture.
If at any time: (a) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee for cancellation all Securities of a series theretofore authenticated and not delivered to the Trustee for cancellation (other
than any Securities that shall have been destroyed, lost or stolen and that shall have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 2.07 and Securities for whose payment money or Governmental Obligations have theretofore been deposited in
trust or segregated and held in trust by the Company and thereupon repaid to the Company or discharged from such trust, as provided in Section 11.05); or (b) all such Securities of a particular series not theretofore delivered to the Trustee
for cancellation shall have become due and payable, or are by their terms to become due and payable within one year or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of
redemption, and the Company shall deposit or cause to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds the entire amount in moneys or Governmental Obligations or a combination thereof, sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of
independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay at maturity or upon redemption all Securities of that series not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, including principal
(and premium, if any) and interest due or to become due to such date of maturity or date fixed for redemption, as the case may be, and if the Company shall also pay or cause to be paid all other sums payable hereunder with respect to such series by
the Company then this Indenture shall thereupon cease to be of further effect with respect to such series except for the provisions of Sections 2.03, 2.05, 2.07, 4.01, 4.02, 4.03 and 7.10, that
shall survive until the date of maturity or redemption date, as the case may be, and Sections 7.06 and 11.05, that shall survive to such date and thereafter, and the Trustee, on demand of the Company and at the cost and expense of the
Company shall execute such instruments reasonably requested by the Company acknowledging satisfaction of and discharging this Indenture with respect to such series.
Section 11.02 Discharge of Obligations.
If at any time all such Securities of a particular series not heretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation or that have not become due and payable as described in Section 11.01 shall
have been paid by the Company by depositing irrevocably with the Trustee as trust funds moneys or an amount of Governmental Obligations sufficient to pay at maturity or upon redemption all such Securities of that series not theretofore delivered to
the Trustee for cancellation, including principal (and premium, if any) and interest due or to become due to such date of maturity or date fixed for redemption, as the case may be, and if the Company shall also pay or cause to be paid all other sums
payable hereunder by the Company with respect to such series, then after the date such moneys or Governmental Obligations, as the case may be, are deposited with the Trustee the obligations of the Company under this Indenture with respect to such
series shall cease to be of further effect except for the provisions of Sections 2.03, 2.05, 2.07, 4.01, 4.02, 4.03, 7.06, 7.10 and 11.05 hereof that shall survive until such
Securities shall mature and be paid.
Thereafter, Sections 7.06 and 11.05 shall survive.
Section 11.03 Deposited Moneys to be Held in Trust.
All moneys or Governmental Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Sections 11.01 or 11.02 shall be held in trust and shall be available for payment as due, either directly
or through any paying agent (including the Company acting as its own paying agent), to the holders of the particular series of Securities for the payment or redemption of which such moneys or Governmental Obligations have been deposited with the
Trustee.
42
Section 11.04 Payment of Moneys Held by Paying Agents.
In connection with the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture all moneys or Governmental Obligations then held by any paying agent under the provisions of this Indenture shall, upon demand of
the Company, be paid to the Trustee and thereupon such paying agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such moneys or Governmental Obligations.
Section 11.05 Repayment to Company.
Any moneys or Governmental Obligations deposited with any paying agent or the Trustee, or then held by the Company, in trust for payment of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on the
Securities of a particular series that are not applied but remain unclaimed by the holders of such Securities for at least two years after the date upon which the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on such Securities shall have
respectively become due and payable, or such other shorter period set forth in applicable escheat or abandoned or unclaimed property law, shall be repaid to the Company on May 31 of each year or upon the Company’s request or (if then held by the
Company) shall be discharged from such trust; and thereupon the paying agent and the Trustee shall be released from all further liability with respect to such moneys or Governmental Obligations, and the holder of any of the Securities entitled to
receive such payment shall thereafter, as a general creditor, look only to the Company for the payment thereof.
ARTICLE 12
IMMUNITY OF INCORPORATORS, STOCKHOLDERS, OFFICERS
AND DIRECTORS
Section 12.01 No Recourse.
No recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of this Indenture, or of any Security, or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, shall be had against any
incorporator, stockholder, officer or director, past, present or future as such, of the Company or of any predecessor or successor corporation, either directly or through the Company or any such predecessor or successor corporation, whether by virtue
of any constitution, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise; it being expressly understood that this Indenture and the obligations issued hereunder are solely corporate obligations, and that no such
personal liability whatever shall attach to, or is or shall be incurred by, the incorporators, stockholders, officers or directors as such, of the Company or of any predecessor or successor corporation, or any of them, because of the creation of the
indebtedness hereby authorized, or under or by reason of the obligations, covenants or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any of the Securities or implied therefrom; and that any and all such personal liability of every name and nature,
either at common law or in equity or by constitution or statute, of, and any and all such rights and claims against, every such incorporator, stockholder, officer or director as such, because of the creation of the indebtedness hereby authorized, or
under or by reason of the obligations, covenants or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any of the Securities or implied therefrom, are hereby expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as a consideration for, the execution of this
Indenture and the issuance of such Securities.
43
ARTICLE 13
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Section 13.01 Effect on Successors and Assigns.
All the covenants, stipulations, promises and agreements in this Indenture made by or on behalf of the Company shall bind its successors and assigns, whether so expressed or not.
Section 13.02 Actions by Successor.
Any act or proceeding by any provision of this Indenture authorized or required to be done or performed by any board, committee or officer of the Company shall and may be done and performed with like
force and effect by the corresponding board, committee or officer of any corporation that shall at the time be the lawful successor of the Company.
Section 13.03 Surrender of Company Powers.
The Company by instrument in writing executed by authority of its Board of Directors and delivered to the Trustee may surrender any of the powers reserved to the Company, and thereupon such power so
surrendered shall terminate both as to the Company and as to any successor corporation.
Section 13.04 Notices.
Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, any notice, request or demand that by any provision of this Indenture is required or permitted to be given, made or served by the Trustee or by the
holders of Securities or by any other Person pursuant to this Indenture to or on the Company may be given or served by any standard form of telecommunication or by being deposited in first class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address
is filed in writing by the Company with the Trustee), as follows: [__]. Any notice, election, request or demand by the Company or any Securityholder or by any other Person pursuant to this Indenture to or upon the Trustee shall be deemed to have
been sufficiently given or made, for all purposes, if given or made in writing at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, where reference herein is made to notice of any event (including notice of
redemption) to a Securityholder of Global Securities, whether by mail or otherwise, such notice shall be sufficiently given when delivered to the Depositary (or its designee) pursuant to the customary procedures of the Depositary.
Section 13.05 Governing Law; Jury Trial Waiver.
THIS INDENTURE AND EACH SECURITY, AND ANY CLAIM, CONTROVERSY OR DISPUTE ARISING UNDER OR RELATED TO THIS INDENTURE AND EACH SECURITY, SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS
OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (WITHOUT REGARD TO THE CONFLICTS OF LAWS PROVISIONS THEREOF). EACH OF THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL
PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE, THE SECURITIES OR THE TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
44
Section 13.06 Treatment of Securities as Debt.
It is intended that the Securities will be treated as indebtedness and not as equity for federal income tax purposes. The provisions of this Indenture shall be interpreted to further this intention.
Section 13.07 Certificates and Opinions as to Conditions Precedent.
(a) Upon any application or demand by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under any of the provisions of this Indenture, the
Company shall furnish to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating that all covenants and conditions precedent provided for in this Indenture (other than the certificate to be delivered pursuant to Section 13.12) relating to the proposed
action have been complied with and an Opinion of Counsel stating that in the opinion of such counsel all such covenants and conditions precedent have been complied with.
(b) Each certificate or opinion provided for in this Indenture and delivered to the Trustee with respect to compliance with a condition
or covenant in this Indenture shall include (i) a statement that the Person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition; (ii) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the
statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based; (iii) a statement that, in the opinion of such Person, he has made such examination or investigation as is reasonably necessary to enable him to express an informed opinion
as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and (iv) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of such Person, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
Section 13.08 Payments on Business Days.
Except as provided pursuant to Section 2.01 pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officer’s Certificate, or established in one or more indentures supplemental to this Indenture,
in any case where the date that principal of, interest and/or premium, if any, on any Security is due or otherwise payable shall not be a Business Day or is a day on which the banking institutions in the city of the office of the Paying Agent are
authorized or obligated by law to close or be closed, then payment of principal, premium, if any, and/or interest may be made on the next succeeding day that is a Business Day and is not a day on which the banking institutions in the city of the
office of the Paying Agent are authorized or obligated by law to close or be closed with the same force and effect as if made on the nominal date of maturity or redemption, and no interest shall accrue for the period after such nominal date.
Section 13.09 Conflict with Trust Indenture Act.
If and to the extent that any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies or conflicts with the duties imposed by Sections 310 to 317, inclusive, of the Trust Indenture Act, such imposed duties
shall control.
45
Section 13.10 Counterparts.
This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. The exchange of
copies of this Indenture and of signature pages by facsimile or PDF transmission shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Indenture as to the parties hereto and may be used in lieu of the original Indenture for all purposes.
Signatures of the parties hereto transmitted by facsimile or PDF shall be deemed to be their original signatures for all purposes.
Section 13.11 Separability.
In case any one or more of the provisions contained in this Indenture or in the Securities of any series shall for any reason be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such
invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provisions of this Indenture or of such Securities, but this Indenture and such Securities shall be construed as if such invalid or illegal or unenforceable provision had never
been contained herein or therein.
Section 13.12 Compliance Certificates.
The Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year during which any Securities of any series were outstanding, an Officer’s Certificate stating whether or not
the signers know of any Event of Default that occurred during such fiscal year. Such certificate shall contain a certification from the principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer of the Company that a
review has been conducted of the activities of the Company and the Company’s performance under this Indenture and that the Company has complied with all conditions and covenants under this Indenture. For purposes of this Section 13.12, such
compliance shall be determined without regard to any period of grace or requirement of notice provided under this Indenture. If the officer of the Company signing such certificate has knowledge of such an Event of Default, the certificate shall
describe any such Event of Default and its status.
Section 13.13 USA PATRIOT ACT.
The parties hereto acknowledge that in accordance with Section 326 of the USA PATRIOT Act, the Trustee, like all financial institutions and in order to help fight the funding of terrorism and money
laundering, is required to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person or legal entity that establishes a relationship or opens an account with the Trustee. The parties to this Indenture agree that they will provide the
Trustee with such information as it may request in order for the Trustee to satisfy the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act.
Section 13.14 Calculations.
It is understood that the Trustee nor the Paying Agent shall have no responsibility for any calculations hereunder and shall be entitled to conclusively rely on the calculations of the Company
without any independent verification or investigation.
46
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed all as of the day and year first above written.
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AVROBIO, INC., as Issuer
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||
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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[TRUSTEE], as Trustee
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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Signature Page to Form of Indenture
TRUST INDENTURE ACT CROSS-REFERENCE TABLE2
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Section of Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended
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Section of Indenture
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|
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310(a)
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7.09
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|
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310(b)
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7.08
7.10
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|
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310(c)
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Inapplicable
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311(a)
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7.13
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311(b)
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7.13
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311(c)
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Inapplicable
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|
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312(a)
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5.01
5.02(a)
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312(b)
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5.02(c)
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|
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312(c)
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5.02(c)
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313(a)
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5.04(a)
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313(b)
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5.04(b)
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313(c)
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5.04(a)
5.04(b)
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|
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313(d)
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5.04(c)
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|
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314(a)
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5.03
13.12
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314(b)
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Inapplicable
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314(c)
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13.07(a)
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|
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314(d)
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Inapplicable
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314(e)
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13.07(b)
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314(f)
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Inapplicable
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315(a)
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7.01(a)
7.01(b)
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315(b)
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7.14
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315(c)
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7.01(a)
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315(d)
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7.01(b)
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315(e)
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6.07
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316(a)
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6.06
8.04
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|
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316(b)
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6.04
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|
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316(c)
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8.01
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|
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317(a)
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6.02
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317(b)
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4.03
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|
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318(a)
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13.09
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2
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This Cross-Reference Table does not constitute part of the Indenture and shall not have any bearing on the interpretation of any of its terms or provisions.
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A-1
Exhibit 4.5
AVROBIO, INC.,
Issuer
AND
[TRUSTEE],
Trustee
INDENTURE
Dated as of [•], 20[•]
Subordinated Debt Securities
TABLE OF CONTENTS1
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ARTICLE 1 DEFINITIONS
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1
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Section 1.01
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Definitions of Terms
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1
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ARTICLE 2 ISSUE, DESCRIPTION,
TERMS, EXECUTION, REGISTRATION AND EXCHANGE OF SECURITIES
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5
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||
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Section 2.01
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Designation and Terms of Securities
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5
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Section 2.02
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Form of Securities and Trustee’s Certificate
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8
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Section 2.03
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Denominations: Provisions for Payment
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8
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Section 2.04
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Execution and Authentications
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10
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Section 2.05
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Registration of Transfer and Exchange
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11
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Section 2.06
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Temporary Securities
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12
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Section 2.07
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Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Securities
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13
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Section 2.08
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Cancellation
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13
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Section 2.09
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Benefits of Indenture
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14
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Section 2.10
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Authenticating Agent
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14
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Section 2.11
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Global Securities
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14
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ARTICLE 3 REDEMPTION OF
SECURITIES AND SINKING FUND PROVISIONS
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15
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Section 3.01
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Redemption
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15
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Section 3.02
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Notice of Redemption
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16
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Section 3.03
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Payment Upon Redemption
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17
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Section 3.04
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Sinking Fund
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17
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Section 3.05
|
Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities
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18
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Section 3.06
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Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund
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18
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ARTICLE 4 COVENANTS
|
18
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||
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Section 4.01
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Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest
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18
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Section 4.02
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Maintenance of Office or Agency
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19
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Section 4.03
|
Paying Agents
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19
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Section 4.04
|
Appointment to Fill Vacancy in Office of Trustee
|
20
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Section 4.05
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Compliance with Consolidation Provisions
|
20
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ARTICLE 5 SECURITYHOLDERS’
LISTS AND REPORTS BY THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE
|
20
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||
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Section 5.01
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Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Securityholders
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20
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Section 5.02
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Preservation Of Information; Communications With Securityholders
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21
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Section 5.03
|
Reports by the Company
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21
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Section 5.04
|
Reports by the Trustee
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22
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ARTICLE 6 REMEDIES OF THE
TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS ON EVENT OF DEFAULT
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22
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||
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Section 6.01
|
Events of Default
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22
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Section 6.02
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Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee
|
24
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|
|
1
|
This Table of Contents does not constitute part of the Indenture and shall not have any bearing on the interpretation of any of its terms or provisions.
|
i
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Section 6.03
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Application of Moneys Collected
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25
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Section 6.04
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Limitation on Suits
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26
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Section 6.05
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Rights and Remedies Cumulative; Delay or Omission Not Waiver
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26
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Section 6.06
|
Control by Securityholders
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27
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Section 6.07
|
Undertaking to Pay Costs
|
27
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ARTICLE 7 CONCERNING THE
TRUSTEE
|
28
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||
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Section 7.01
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Certain Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee
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28
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Section 7.02
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Certain Rights of Trustee
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29
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Section 7.03
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Trustee Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance or Securities
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30
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Section 7.04
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May Hold Securities
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31
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Section 7.05
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Moneys Held in Trust
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31
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Section 7.06
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Compensation and Reimbursement
|
31
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Section 7.07
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Reliance on Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel
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32
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Section 7.08
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Disqualification; Conflicting Interests
|
32
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Section 7.09
|
Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility
|
32
|
|
|
Section 7.10
|
Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor
|
33
|
|
|
Section 7.11
|
Acceptance of Appointment By Successor
|
34
|
|
|
Section 7.12
|
Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business
|
35
|
|
|
Section 7.13
|
Preferential Collection of Claims Against the Company
|
35
|
|
|
Section 7.14
|
Notice of Default
|
36
|
|
|
ARTICLE 8 CONCERNING THE
SECURITYHOLDERS
|
36
|
||
|
Section 8.01
|
Evidence of Action by Securityholders
|
36
|
|
|
Section 8.02
|
Proof of Execution by Securityholders
|
36
|
|
|
Section 8.03
|
Who May be Deemed Owners
|
37
|
|
|
Section 8.04
|
Certain Securities Owned by Company Disregarded
|
37
|
|
|
Section 8.05
|
Actions Binding on Future Securityholders
|
37
|
|
|
ARTICLE 9 SUPPLEMENTAL
INDENTURES
|
38
|
||
|
Section 9.01
|
Supplemental Indentures Without the Consent of Securityholders
|
38
|
|
|
Section 9.02
|
Supplemental Indentures With Consent of Securityholders
|
39
|
|
|
Section 9.03
|
Effect of Supplemental Indentures
|
39
|
|
|
Section 9.04
|
Securities Affected by Supplemental Indentures
|
40
|
|
|
Section 9.05
|
Execution of Supplemental Indentures
|
40
|
|
|
ARTICLE 10 SUCCESSOR ENTITY
|
41
|
||
|
Section 10.01
|
Company May Consolidate, Etc
|
41
|
|
|
Section 10.02
|
Successor Entity Substituted
|
41
|
|
|
ARTICLE 11 SATISFACTION AND
DISCHARGE
|
42
|
||
|
Section 11.01
|
Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture
|
42
|
|
|
Section 11.02
|
Discharge of Obligations
|
42
|
|
|
Section 11.03
|
Deposited Moneys to be Held in Trust
|
43
|
|
|
Section 11.04
|
Payment of Moneys Held by Paying Agents
|
43
|
|
|
Section 11.05
|
Repayment to Company
|
43
|
|
ii
|
ARTICLE 12 IMMUNITY OF
INCORPORATORS, STOCKHOLDERS, OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
|
43
|
||
|
Section 12.01
|
No Recourse
|
44
|
|
|
ARTICLE 13 MISCELLANEOUS
PROVISIONS
|
44
|
||
|
Section 13.01
|
Effect on Successors and Assigns
|
44
|
|
|
Section 13.02
|
Actions by Successor
|
44
|
|
|
Section 13.03
|
Surrender of Company Powers
|
44
|
|
|
Section 13.04
|
Notices
|
44
|
|
|
Section 13.05
|
Governing Law; Jury Trial Waiver
|
45
|
|
|
Section 13.06
|
Treatment of Securities as Debt
|
45
|
|
|
Section 13.07
|
Certificates and Opinions as to Conditions Precedent
|
45
|
|
|
Section 13.08
|
Payments on Business Days
|
45
|
|
|
Section 13.09
|
Conflict with Trust Indenture Act
|
46
|
|
|
Section 13.10
|
Counterparts
|
46
|
|
|
Section 13.11
|
Separability
|
46
|
|
|
Section 13.12
|
Compliance Certificates
|
46
|
|
|
Section 13.13
|
USA PATRIOT ACT
|
46
|
|
|
Section 13.14
|
Calculations
|
47
|
|
|
TRUST INDENTURE ACT CROSS-REFERENCE TABLE
|
A-1
|
||
iii
INDENTURE
INDENTURE, dated as of [•], 20[•], among AVROBIO, INC., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and [TRUSTEE]
as trustee (the “Trustee”):
WHEREAS, for its lawful corporate purposes, the Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture to provide for the issuance of subordinated debt securities (hereinafter referred to as the “Securities”), in an unlimited aggregate principal amount to be issued from time to time in one or more series as in this Indenture provided, as registered Securities without coupons, to be authenticated by the
certificate of the Trustee;
WHEREAS, to provide the terms and conditions upon which the Securities are to be authenticated, issued and delivered, the Company has duly authorized the execution of this Indenture; and
WHEREAS, all things necessary to make this Indenture a valid and binding agreement of the Company, in accordance with its terms, have been done.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the purchase of the Securities by the holders thereof, it is mutually covenanted and agreed as follows for the equal and ratable benefit of the holders of Securities:
ARTICLE 1
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.01 Definitions of Terms.
The terms defined in this Section (except as in this Indenture or any indenture supplemental hereto otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires) for all purposes of this
Indenture and of any indenture supplemental hereto shall have the respective meanings specified in this Section and shall include the plural as well as the singular. All other terms used in this Indenture that are defined in the Trust Indenture
Act of 1939, as amended, or that are by reference in such Act defined in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (except as herein or any indenture supplemental hereto otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires), shall
have the meanings assigned to such terms in said Trust Indenture Act and in said Securities Act as in force at the date of the execution of this instrument.
“Authenticating Agent” means an authenticating agent with respect to all or any of the series of Securities appointed by the Trustee pursuant to Section
2.10.
“Bankruptcy Law” means Title 11, U.S. Code, or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors.
“Board of Directors” means the Board of Directors (or the functional equivalent thereof) of the Company or any duly authorized committee of such Board.
“Board Resolution” means a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been duly adopted by the Board of
Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification and delivered to the Trustee.
“Business Day” means, with respect to any series of Securities, any day other than a day on which federal or state banking institutions in the Borough of
Manhattan, the City of New York, or at a place of payment, are authorized or obligated by law, executive order or regulation to close.
“Commission” means the Securities and Exchange Commission, as from time to time constituted, created under the Exchange Act, or, if at any time after the execution of this
instrument such Commission is not existing and performing the duties now assigned to it under the Trust Indenture Act, then the body performing such duties at such time.
“Company” means AVROBIO, Inc., a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, and, subject to the provisions of Article
10, shall also include its successors and assigns.
“Company Order” means a written order of the Company, signed by an Officer of the Company, and delivered to the Trustee.
“Corporate Trust Office” means the office of the Trustee at which, at any particular time, its corporate trust business shall be administered, which office
at the date hereof is located at .
“Custodian” means any receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or similar official under any Bankruptcy Law.
“Defaulted Interest” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.03.
“Depositary” means, with respect to Securities of any series for which the Company shall determine that such Securities will be issued as a Global Security,
The Depository Trust Company, another clearing agency, or any successor registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act, or other applicable statute or regulation, which, in each case, shall be designated by the Company pursuant to either Section
2.01 or 2.11.
“Event of Default” means, with respect to Securities of a particular series, any event specified in Section 6.01, continued for the period of time,
if any, therein designated.
“Exchange Act” means the United States Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission
thereunder.
“Global Security” means a Security issued to evidence all or a part of any series of Securities which is executed by the Company and authenticated and
delivered by the Trustee to the Depositary or pursuant to the Depositary’s instruction, all in accordance with the Indenture, which shall be registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee.
2
“Governmental Obligations” means securities that are (a) direct obligations of the United States of America for the payment of which its full faith and
credit is pledged or (b) obligations of a Person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the United States of America, the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the
United States of America that, in either case, are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof at any time prior to the stated maturity of the applicable series of Securities, and shall also include a depositary receipt issued by
a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such Governmental Obligation or a specific payment of principal of or interest on any such Governmental Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of such depositary
receipt; provided, however, that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such
depositary receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the Governmental Obligation or the specific payment of principal of or interest on the Governmental Obligation evidenced by such depositary receipt.
“herein”, “hereof” and “hereunder”, and other words of similar import, refer
to this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other subdivision.
“Indenture” means this instrument as originally executed or as it may from time to time be supplemented or amended by one or more indentures supplemental
hereto entered into in accordance with the terms hereof and shall include the terms of particular series of Securities established as contemplated by Section 2.01.
“Interest Payment Date”, when used with respect to any installment of interest on a Security of a particular series, means the date specified in such
Security or in a Board Resolution or in an indenture supplemental hereto with respect to such series as the fixed date on which an installment of interest with respect to Securities of that series is due and payable.
“Officer” means, with respect to the Company, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, a Chief Executive Officer, a President, a Chief Financial Officer, a
Chief Operating Officer, any Executive Vice President, any Senior Vice President, any Vice President, the Treasurer or any Assistant Treasurer, the Controller or any Assistant Controller or the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary.
“Officer’s Certificate” means a certificate signed by any Officer. Each such certificate shall include the statements provided for in Section 13.07,
if and to the extent required by the provisions thereof.
“Opinion of Counsel” means an opinion in writing subject to customary exceptions of legal counsel, who may be an employee of or counsel for the Company, that
is delivered to the Trustee in accordance with the terms hereof. Each such opinion shall include the statements provided for in Section 13.07, if and to the extent required by the provisions thereof.
3
“Outstanding”, when used with reference to Securities of any series, means, subject to the provisions of Section 8.04, as of any particular time, all
Securities of that series theretofore authenticated and delivered by the Trustee under this Indenture, except (a) Securities theretofore canceled by the Trustee or any paying agent, or delivered to the Trustee or any paying agent for cancellation
or that have previously been canceled; (b) Securities or portions thereof for the payment or redemption of which moneys or Governmental Obligations in the necessary amount shall have been deposited in trust with the Trustee or with any paying agent
(other than the Company) or shall have been set aside and segregated in trust by the Company (if the Company shall act as its own paying agent); provided, however,
that if such Securities or portions of such Securities are to be redeemed prior to the maturity thereof, notice of such redemption shall have been given as provided in Article 3, or provision satisfactory to the Trustee shall have been made
for giving such notice; and (c) Securities in lieu of or in substitution for which other Securities shall have been authenticated and delivered pursuant to the terms of Section 2.07.
“Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, joint-stock company, limited liability company, association, trust, unincorporated
organization, any other entity or organization, including a government or political subdivision or an agency or instrumentality thereof.
“Predecessor Security” of any particular Security means every previous Security evidencing all or a portion of the same debt as that evidenced by such
particular Security; and, for the purposes of this definition, any Security authenticated and delivered under Section 2.07 in lieu of a lost, destroyed or stolen Security shall be deemed to evidence the same debt as the lost, destroyed or
stolen Security.
“Responsible Officer” when used with respect to the Trustee means any officer within the corporate trust department of the Trustee, including any vice
president, assistant vice president, assistant secretary, assistant treasurer, trust officer or any other officer of the Trustee who customarily performs functions similar to those performed by the Persons who at the time shall be such officers,
respectively, or to whom any corporate trust matter relating to this Indenture is referred because of such person’s knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject and, in each case, who shall have direct responsibility for the
administration of this Indenture (which, for the avoidance of doubt, includes without limitation any supplemental indenture hereto).
“Securities” has the meaning stated in the first recital of this Indenture and more particularly means any Securities authenticated and delivered under this
Indenture.
“Securityholder”, “holder”, “registered holder”, or other similar term, means
the Person or Persons in whose name or names a particular Security is registered on the Security Register kept for that purpose in accordance with the terms of this Indenture.
“Security Register” and “Security Registrar” shall have the meanings as set forth in Section 2.05.
“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person:
(1) any corporation or company a majority of whose capital stock with voting power, under ordinary circumstances,
to elect directors is, at the date of determination, directly or indirectly, owned by such Person (a “subsidiary”), by one or more subsidiaries of such Person or by such Person and one or more subsidiaries
of such Person;
4
(2) a partnership in which such Person or a subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a general
partner of such partnership; or
(3) any partnership, limited liability company or other Person in which such Person, a subsidiary of such Person
or such Person and one or more subsidiaries of such Person, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, have (x) at least a majority ownership interest or (y) the power to elect or appoint or direct the election or appointment of the
managing partner or member of such Person or, if applicable, a majority of the directors or other governing body of such Person.
“Trustee” means , and, subject to the provisions of Article 7, shall also include its successors and assigns, and, if at any time there
is more than one Person acting in such capacity hereunder, “Trustee” shall mean each such Person. The term “Trustee” as used with respect to a particular series of the Securities shall mean the trustee with respect to that series.
“Trust Indenture Act” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended and in effect from time to time.
“U.S. dollar” or “$” means the lawful currency of the United States of America.
ARTICLE 2
ISSUE, DESCRIPTION, TERMS, EXECUTION, REGISTRATION AND
EXCHANGE OF SECURITIES
Section 2.01 Designation and Terms of Securities.
(a) The aggregate principal amount of Securities that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited. The
Securities may be issued in one or more series up to the aggregate principal amount of Securities of that series from time to time authorized by or pursuant to a Board Resolution or pursuant to one or more indentures supplemental hereto. Prior
to the initial issuance of Securities of any series, there shall be established in or pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officer’s Certificate or established in one or more indentures supplemental hereto:
(1) the title of the Securities of the series (which shall distinguish the Securities of that series from all other Securities);
(2) any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of that series which may be authenticated and
delivered under this Indenture (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Securities of that series);
(3) the date or dates on which the principal of the Securities of the series is payable;
(4) if the price (expressed as a percentage of the aggregate principal amount thereof) at which such Securities
will be issued is a price other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount thereof payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof, or if applicable, the portion of the principal amount of such
Securities that is convertible into another security or the method by which any such portion shall be determined;
5
(5) the rate or rates at which the Securities of the series shall bear interest or the manner of calculation of
such rate or rates, if any;
(6) the date or dates from which such interest shall accrue, the Interest Payment Dates on which such interest
will be payable or the manner of determination of such Interest Payment Dates, the place(s) of payment, and the record date for the determination of holders to whom interest is payable on any such Interest Payment Dates or the manner of
determination of such record dates;
(7) the right, if any, to extend the interest payment periods and the duration of such extension;
(8) the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which
Securities of the series may be redeemed, converted or exchanged, in whole or in part;
(9) the obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem or purchase Securities of the series pursuant to any sinking
fund, mandatory redemption, or analogous provisions (including payments made in cash in satisfaction of future sinking fund obligations) or at the option of a holder thereof and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which,
and the terms and conditions upon which, Securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;
(10) the form of the Securities of the series including the form of the Certificate of Authentication for such
series;
(11) if other than minimum denominations of one thousand U.S. dollars ($1,000) or any integral multiple of $1,000
thereof, the denominations in which the Securities of the series shall be issuable;
(12) any and all other terms (including terms, to the extent applicable, relating to any auction or remarketing of
the Securities of that series and any security for the obligations of the Company with respect to such Securities) with respect to such series (which terms shall not be inconsistent with the terms of this Indenture, as amended by any supplemental
indenture) including any terms which may be required by or advisable under United States laws or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of Securities of that series;
(13) whether the Securities of the series shall be issued in whole or in part in the form of a Global Security or
Securities; the terms and conditions, if any, upon which such Global Security or Securities may be exchanged in whole or in part for other individual Securities; and the Depositary for such Global Security or Securities;
6
(14) whether the Securities will be convertible into or exchangeable for shares of common stock, preferred stock
or other securities of the Company or any other Person and, if so, the terms and conditions upon which such Securities will be so convertible or exchangeable, including the conversion or exchange price, as applicable, or how it will be calculated
and may be adjusted, any mandatory or optional (at the Company’s option or the holders’ option) conversion or exchange features, and the applicable conversion or exchange period;
(15) if other than the full principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of Securities of the
series which shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.01;
(16) any additional or alternative Events of Default;
(17) additional or alternative covenants (which may include, among other restrictions, restrictions on the
Company’s ability or the ability of the Company’s Subsidiaries to: incur additional indebtedness; issue additional securities; create liens; pay dividends or make distributions in respect of the capital stock of the Company or the Company’s
Subsidiaries; redeem capital stock; place restrictions on the Company’s Subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends, make distributions or transfer assets; make investments or other restricted payments; sell or otherwise dispose of assets; enter into
sale-leaseback transactions; engage in transactions with stockholders or affiliates; issue or sell stock of the Company’s Subsidiaries; or effect a consolidation or merger) or financial covenants (which may include, among other financial
covenants, financial covenants that require the Company and its Subsidiaries to maintain specified interest coverage, fixed charge, cash flow-based, asset-based or other financial ratios) provided for with respect to the Securities of the series;
(18) the currency or currencies, including composite currencies, in which payment of the principal of (and
premium, if any) and interest, if any, on such Securities shall be payable (if other than the currency of the United States of America), which unless otherwise specified shall be the currency of the United States of America as at the time of
payment is legal tender for payment of public or private debts;
(19) if the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest, if any, on such Securities is to be payable, at the
election of the Company or any holder thereof, in a coin or currency other than that in which such Securities are stated to be payable, then the period or periods within which, and the terms and conditions upon which, such election may be made;
(20) whether interest will be payable in cash or additional Securities at the Company’s or the Securityholders’
option and the terms and conditions upon which the election may be made;
(21) the terms and conditions, if any, upon which the Company shall pay amounts in addition to the stated
interest, premium, if any and principal amounts of the Securities of the series to any Securityholder that is not a “United States person” for federal tax purposes;
7
(22) additional or alternative provisions, if any, related to defeasance and discharge of the offered Securities;
(23) the applicability of any guarantees;
(24) any restrictions on transfer, sale or assignment of the Securities of the series; and
(25) any other terms of the series.
All Securities of any one series shall be substantially identical except as may otherwise be provided in or pursuant to any such Board Resolution or in any indentures supplemental hereto.
If any of the terms of the series are established by action taken pursuant to a Board Resolution of the Company, a copy of an appropriate record of such action shall be certified by the secretary
or an assistant secretary of the Company and delivered to the Trustee at or prior to the delivery of the Officer’s Certificate of the Company setting forth the terms of the series.
Securities of any particular series may be issued at various times, with different dates on which the principal or any installment of principal is payable, with different rates of interest, if any,
or different methods by which rates of interest may be determined, with different dates on which such interest may be payable and with different redemption dates.
Section 2.02 Form of Securities and Trustee’s Certificate.
The Securities of any series and the Trustee’s certificate of authentication to be borne by such Securities shall be substantially of the tenor and purport as set forth in one or more indentures
supplemental hereto or as provided in a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officer’s Certificate, and they may have such letters, numbers or other marks of identification or designation and such legends or endorsements printed, lithographed or
engraved thereon as the Company may deem appropriate and as are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture, or as may be required to comply with any law or with any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any rule or regulation
of any securities exchange on which Securities of that series may be listed, or to conform to usage.
Section 2.03 Denominations: Provisions for Payment.
The Securities shall be issuable as registered Securities and in the minimum denominations of one thousand U.S. dollars ($1,000) or any integral multiple of $1,000 thereof, subject to Section
2.01(a)(11). The Securities of a particular series shall bear interest payable on the dates and at the rate specified with respect to that series. Subject to Section 2.01(a)(18), the principal of and the interest on the Securities of any
series, as well as any premium thereon in case of redemption thereof prior to maturity, shall be payable in the coin or currency of the United States of America that at the time is legal tender for public and private debt, at the office or agency
of the Company maintained for that purpose. Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication. Interest on the Securities shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year composed of twelve 30-day months.
8
The interest installment on any Security that is payable, and is punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date for Securities of that series shall be paid to the Person in
whose name said Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest installment. In the event that any Security of a particular series or portion thereof is called
for redemption and the redemption date is subsequent to a regular record date with respect to any Interest Payment Date and prior to such Interest Payment Date, interest on such Security will be paid upon presentation and surrender of such Security
as provided in Section 3.03.
Any interest on any Security that is payable, but is not punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date for Securities of the same series (herein called “Defaulted Interest”) shall forthwith cease to be payable to the registered holder on the relevant regular record date by virtue of having been such holder; and such Defaulted Interest shall be paid by the
Company, at its election, as provided in clause (1) or clause (2) below:
(1) The Company may elect to make payment of any Defaulted Interest on Securities to the Persons in whose names
such Securities (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest, which shall be fixed in the following manner: the Company shall notify the
Trustee in writing of the amount of Defaulted Interest proposed to be paid on each such Security and the date of the proposed payment, and at the same time the Company shall deposit with the Trustee an amount of money equal to the aggregate
amount proposed to be paid in respect of such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for such deposit prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of
the Persons entitled to such Defaulted Interest as in this clause provided. Thereupon the Company shall fix a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest which shall not be more than 15 nor less than 10 days prior to the date
of the proposed payment and not less than 10 days after the receipt by the Trustee of the notice of the proposed payment. The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee in writing of such special record date and in such notice, instruct the
Trustee to send such notice to holders, in the name and at the expense of the Company, shall cause notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the special record date therefor to be sent electronically or mailed, first class
postage prepaid, to each Securityholder at his or her address as it appears in the Security Register (as hereinafter defined), not less than 10 days prior to such special record date. Notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and
the special record date therefor having been sent as aforesaid, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to the Persons in whose names such Securities (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered on such special record date.
(2) The Company may make or cause to be made payment of any Defaulted Interest on any Securities in any other
lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which such Securities may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, if, after notice given by the Company to the Trustee of the proposed
payment pursuant to this clause, such manner of payment shall be deemed practicable by the Trustee.
9
Unless otherwise set forth in a Board Resolution or one or more indentures supplemental hereto establishing the terms of any series of Securities pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof, the term
“regular record date” as used in this Section with respect to a series of Securities and any Interest Payment Date for such series shall mean either (i) the fifteenth day of the month immediately preceding the month in which an Interest Payment
Date established for such series pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof shall occur, if such Interest Payment Date is the first day of a month, or (ii) the first day of the month in which an Interest Payment Date established for such series
pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof shall occur, if such Interest Payment Date is the fifteenth day of a month, whether or not such date is a Business Day.
Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section, each Security of a series delivered under this Indenture upon transfer of or in exchange for or in lieu of any other Security of such series
shall carry the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to accrue, that were carried by such other Security.
Section 2.04 Execution and Authentications.
The Securities shall be signed on behalf of the Company by one of its Officers. Signatures may be in the form of a manual or facsimile signature.
The Company may use the facsimile signature of any Person who shall have been an Officer, notwithstanding the fact that at the time the Securities shall be authenticated and delivered or disposed
of such Person shall have ceased to be such an officer of the Company. The Securities may contain such notations, legends or endorsements required by law, stock exchange rule or usage. Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication
by the Trustee.
A Security shall not be valid until authenticated manually by an authorized signatory of the Trustee, or by an Authenticating Agent. Such signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Security
so authenticated has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder and that the holder is entitled to the benefits of this Indenture. At any time and from time to time after the execution and delivery of this Indenture, the Company may deliver
Securities of any series executed by the Company to the Trustee for authentication, together with a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of such Securities, signed by an Officer, and the Trustee in accordance with such Company Order
shall authenticate and deliver such Securities.
In authenticating such Securities and accepting the additional responsibilities under this Indenture in relation to such Securities, the Trustee shall receive, and (subject to Section 7.01)
shall be fully protected in conclusively relying upon, an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel stating that the form and terms thereof have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture, that all conditions
precedent in connection with the issuance, authentication and delivery of such Securities have been met and that such Securities are legal, valid and binding obligations against the Company, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms,
subject to customary exceptions and qualifications.
10
The Trustee shall not be required to authenticate such Securities if the issue of such Securities pursuant to this Indenture will affect the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under the
Securities and this Indenture or otherwise in a manner that is not reasonably acceptable to the Trustee.
Section 2.05 Registration of Transfer and Exchange.
(a) Securities of any series may be exchanged upon presentation thereof at the office or agency of the Company designated for such
purpose, for other Securities of such series of authorized denominations, and for a like aggregate principal amount, upon payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge in relation thereto, all as provided in this
Section. In respect of any Securities so surrendered for exchange, the Company shall execute, the Trustee shall authenticate and such office or agency shall deliver in exchange therefor the Security or Securities of the same series that the
Securityholder making the exchange shall be entitled to receive, bearing numbers not contemporaneously outstanding.
(b) The Company shall keep, or cause to be kept, at its office or agency designated for such purpose a register or registers (herein
referred to as the “Security Register”) in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the Company shall register the Securities and the transfers of Securities as in this Article
provided and which at all reasonable times shall be open for inspection by the Trustee. The registrar for the purpose of registering Securities and transfer of Securities as herein provided shall be appointed as authorized by Board Resolution
(the “Security Registrar”).
Upon surrender for transfer of any Security at the office or agency of the Company designated for such purpose, the Company shall execute, the Trustee shall authenticate and such office or agency
shall deliver in the name of the transferee or transferees a new Security or Securities of the same series as the Security presented for a like aggregate principal amount.
All Securities presented or surrendered for exchange or registration of transfer, as provided in this Section, shall be accompanied (if so required by the Company or the Security Registrar) by a
written instrument or instruments of transfer, in form satisfactory to the Company or the Security Registrar, duly executed by the registered holder or by such holder’s duly authorized attorney in writing.
(c) Except as provided pursuant to Section 2.01 pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officer’s Certificate, or
established in one or more indentures supplemental to this Indenture, no service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Securities, or issue of new Securities in case of partial redemption of any series, but the
Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge in relation thereto, other than exchanges pursuant to Section 2.06, Section 3.03(b) and Section 9.04 not involving any transfer.
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(d) The Company shall not be required (i) to issue, exchange or register the transfer of any Securities during a period beginning at
the opening of business 15 days before the day of the mailing of a notice of redemption of less than all the Outstanding Securities of the same series and ending at the close of business on the day of such mailing, nor (ii) to register the
transfer of or exchange any Securities of any series or portions thereof called for redemption, other than the unredeemed portion of any such Securities being redeemed in part. The provisions of this Section 2.05 are, with respect to any
Global Security, subject to Section 2.11 hereof.
The Trustee shall have no obligation or duty to monitor, determine or inquire as to compliance with any restrictions on transfer imposed under this Indenture or under applicable law with respect to
any transfer of any interest in any Security (including any transfers between or among depositary participants or beneficial owners of interests in any Global Security) other than to require delivery of such certificates and other documentation or
evidence as are expressly required by, and to do so if and when expressly required by the terms of, this Indenture, and to examine the same to determine substantial compliance as to form with the express requirements hereof.
Neither the Trustee nor any Agent shall have any responsibility or liability for any actions taken or not taken by the Depositary.
Section 2.06 Temporary Securities.
Pending the preparation of definitive Securities of any series, the Company may execute, and the Trustee shall, upon receipt of a Company Order, authenticate and deliver, temporary Securities
(printed, lithographed or typewritten) of any authorized denomination. Such temporary Securities shall be substantially in the form of the definitive Securities in lieu of which they are issued, but with such omissions, insertions and variations
as may be appropriate for temporary Securities, all as may be determined by the Company. Every temporary Security of any series shall be executed by the Company and be authenticated by the Trustee upon the same conditions and in substantially the
same manner, and with like effect, as the definitive Securities of such series. Without unnecessary delay the Company will execute and will furnish definitive Securities of such series and thereupon any or all temporary Securities of such series
may be surrendered in exchange therefor (without charge to the holders), at the office or agency of the Company designated for the purpose, and the Trustee shall, upon receipt of a Company Order, authenticate and such office or agency shall deliver
in exchange for such temporary Securities an equal aggregate principal amount of definitive Securities of such series, unless the Company advises the Trustee to the effect that definitive Securities need not be executed and furnished until further
notice from the Company. Until so exchanged, the temporary Securities of such series shall be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Securities of such series authenticated and delivered hereunder.
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Section 2.07 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Securities.
In case any temporary or definitive Security shall become mutilated or be destroyed, lost or stolen, the Company (subject to the next succeeding sentence) shall execute, and upon receipt of a
Company Order the Trustee (subject as aforesaid) shall authenticate and deliver, a new Security of the same series, bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, in exchange and substitution for the mutilated Security, or in lieu of and in
substitution for the Security so destroyed, lost or stolen. In every case the applicant for a substituted Security shall furnish to the Company and the Trustee such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them harmless,
and, in every case of destruction, loss or theft, the applicant shall also furnish to the Company and the Trustee evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of the applicant’s Security and of the ownership thereof. The
Trustee may authenticate any such substituted Security and deliver the same upon receipt of a Company Order. Upon the issuance of any substituted Security, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other
governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.
In case any Security that has or is about to become due and payable, whether upon maturity of the Securities of a series or upon declaration or otherwise shall become mutilated or be destroyed,
lost or stolen, the Company may, instead of issuing a substitute Security, pay or authorize the payment of the same (without surrender thereof except in the case of a mutilated Security) if the applicant for such payment shall furnish to the
Company and the Trustee such security or indemnity as they may require to save them harmless, and, in case of destruction, loss or theft, evidence to the satisfaction of the Company and the Trustee of the destruction, loss or theft of such Security
and of the ownership thereof.
Every replacement Security issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall constitute an additional contractual obligation of the Company whether or not the mutilated, destroyed, lost or
stolen Security shall be found at any time, or be enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of the same series duly issued hereunder. All
Securities shall be held and owned upon the express condition that the foregoing provisions are exclusive with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities, and shall preclude (to the extent lawful) any
and all other rights or remedies, notwithstanding any law or statute existing or hereafter enacted to the contrary with respect to the replacement or payment of negotiable instruments or other securities without their surrender.
Section 2.08 Cancellation.
All Securities surrendered for the purpose of payment, redemption, exchange or registration of transfer shall, if surrendered to the Company or any paying agent, be delivered to the Trustee for
cancellation, or, if surrendered to the Trustee, shall be cancelled by it, and no Securities shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly required or permitted by any of the provisions of this Indenture. On written request of the Company at
the time of such surrender, the Trustee shall deliver to the Company evidence of cancellation for such canceled Securities held by the Trustee. The Trustee shall cancel and dispose of canceled Securities in accordance with its standard procedures
and deliver a certificate of disposition to the Company. If the Company shall otherwise acquire any of the Securities, however, such acquisition shall not operate as a redemption or satisfaction of the indebtedness represented by such Securities
unless and until the same are delivered to the Trustee for cancellation.
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Section 2.09 Benefits of Indenture.
Nothing in this Indenture or in the Securities, express or implied, shall give or be construed to give to any Person, other than the parties hereto and the holders of the Securities (and, with
respect to the provisions of Article 14, the holders of any indebtedness of the Company to which the Securities of any series are subordinated) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Indenture, or under
any covenant, condition or provision herein contained; all such covenants, conditions and provisions being for the sole benefit of the parties hereto and of the holders of the Securities (and, with respect to the provisions of Article 14,
the holders of any indebtedness of the Company to which the Securities of any series are subordinated).
Section 2.10 Authenticating Agent.
So long as any of the Securities of any series remain Outstanding there may be an Authenticating Agent for any or all such series of Securities which the Trustee shall have the right to appoint.
Said Authenticating Agent shall be authorized to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate Securities of such series issued upon exchange, transfer or partial redemption thereof, and Securities so authenticated shall be entitled to the benefits
of this Indenture and shall be valid and obligatory for all purposes as if authenticated by the Trustee hereunder. All references in this Indenture to the authentication of Securities by the Trustee shall be deemed to include authentication by an
Authenticating Agent for such series. Each Authenticating Agent shall be acceptable to the Company and shall be a corporation that has a combined capital and surplus, as most recently reported or determined by it, sufficient under the laws of any
jurisdiction under which it is organized or in which it is doing business to conduct a trust business, and that is otherwise authorized under such laws to conduct such business and is subject to supervision or examination by federal or state
authorities. If at any time any Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with these provisions, it shall resign immediately.
Any Authenticating Agent may at any time resign by giving written notice of resignation to the Trustee and to the Company. The Trustee may at any time (and upon request by the Company shall)
terminate the agency of any Authenticating Agent by giving written notice of termination to such Authenticating Agent and to the Company. Upon resignation, termination or cessation of eligibility of any Authenticating Agent, the Trustee may
appoint an eligible successor Authenticating Agent acceptable to the Company. Any successor Authenticating Agent, upon acceptance of its appointment hereunder, shall become vested with all the rights, powers and duties of its predecessor hereunder
as if originally named as an Authenticating Agent pursuant hereto.
Section 2.11 Global Securities.
(a) If the Company shall establish pursuant to Section 2.01 that the Securities of a particular series are to be issued as a
Global Security, then the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall, in accordance with Section 2.04, authenticate and deliver, a Global Security that (i) shall represent, and shall be denominated in an amount equal to the aggregate
principal amount of, all of the Outstanding Securities of such series, (ii) shall be registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee, (iii) shall be delivered by the Trustee to the Depositary or held by it, pursuant to the Depositary’s
instruction and (iv) shall bear a legend substantially to the following effect: “Except as otherwise provided in Section 2.11 of the Indenture, this Security may be transferred, in whole but not in part, only to another nominee of the
Depositary or to a successor Depositary or to a nominee of such successor Depositary.”
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(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2.05, the Global Security of a series may be transferred, in whole but not in
part and in the manner provided in Section 2.05, only to another nominee of the Depositary for such series, or to a successor Depositary for such series selected or approved by the Company or to a nominee of such successor Depositary.
(c) If at any time the Depositary for a series of the Securities notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as
Depositary for such series or if at any time the Depositary for such series shall no longer be registered or in good standing under the Exchange Act, or other applicable statute or regulation, and a successor Depositary for such series is not
appointed by the Company within 90 days after the Company receives such notice or becomes aware of such condition, as the case may be, or if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the Company has received a request from the
Depositary or from the Trustee, this Section 2.11 shall no longer be applicable to the Securities of such series and the Company will execute, and subject to Section 2.04, the Trustee will authenticate and deliver the Securities
of such series in definitive registered form without coupons, in authorized denominations, and in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security of such series in exchange for such Global Security. In
addition, the Company may at any time determine that the Securities of any series shall no longer be represented by a Global Security and that the provisions of this Section 2.11 shall no longer apply to the Securities of such series. In
such event the Company will execute and, subject to Section 2.04, the Trustee, upon receipt of an Officer’s Certificate and a Company Order evidencing such determination by the Company, will authenticate and deliver the Securities of such
series in definitive registered form without coupons, in authorized denominations, and in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security of such series in exchange for such Global Security. Upon the exchange
of the Global Security for such Securities in definitive registered form without coupons, in authorized denominations, the Global Security shall be canceled by the Trustee. Such Securities in definitive registered form issued in exchange for the
Global Security pursuant to this Section 2.11(c) shall be registered in such names and in such authorized denominations as the Depositary, pursuant to instructions from its direct or indirect participants or otherwise, shall instruct the
Trustee in writing. The Trustee shall deliver such Securities to the Depositary for delivery to the Persons in whose names such Securities are so registered.
ARTICLE 3
REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES AND SINKING FUND PROVISIONS
Section 3.01 Redemption.
The Company may redeem the Securities of any series issued hereunder on and after the dates and in accordance with the terms established for such series pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof.
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Section 3.02 Notice of Redemption.
(a) In case the Company shall desire to exercise such right to redeem all or, as the case may be, a portion of the Securities of any
series in accordance with any right the Company reserved for itself to do so pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof, the Company shall, or shall cause the Trustee (upon 5 Business Days written notice, unless a shorter period shall be
satisfactory to the Trustee) to, give notice of such redemption to holders of the Securities of such series to be redeemed by mailing, electronically or by first class postage prepaid mail, a notice of such redemption not less than 15 days and
not more than 90 days, except that redemption notices may be sent more than 90 days prior to the redemption date if the notice is issued in connection with a defeasance of the Securities or a satisfaction and discharge, before the date fixed for
redemption of that series to such holders (with a copy to the Trustee) at their last addresses as they shall appear upon the Security Register, unless a shorter period is specified in the Securities to be redeemed. Any notice that is mailed in
the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given, whether or not the registered holder receives the notice. In any case, failure duly to give such notice to the holder of any Security of any series designated for
redemption in whole or in part, or any defect in the notice, shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the redemption of any other Securities of such series or any other series. In the case of any redemption of Securities prior to the
expiration of any restriction on such redemption provided in the terms of such Securities or elsewhere in this Indenture, the Company shall furnish the Trustee with an Officer’s Certificate evidencing compliance with any such restriction.
Each such notice of redemption shall specify the date fixed for redemption, if applicable, any record date with respect to such redemption and the redemption price at which Securities of that
series are to be redeemed, and shall state that payment of the redemption price of such Securities to be redeemed will be made at the office or agency of the Company, upon presentation and surrender of such Securities, that interest accrued to the
date fixed for redemption will be paid as specified in said notice, that from and after said date interest will cease to accrue and that the redemption is from a sinking fund, if such is the case. If less than all the Securities of a series are to
be redeemed, the notice to the holders of Securities of that series to be redeemed in part shall specify the particular Securities to be so redeemed.
In case any Security is to be redeemed in part only, the notice that relates to such Security shall state the portion of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed, and shall state that on and
after the redemption date, upon surrender of such Security, a new Security or Securities of such series in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion thereof will be issued.
(b) If less than all the Securities of a series are to be redeemed, the Company shall give the Trustee at least 20 days’ notice
(unless a shorter notice shall be satisfactory to the Trustee) in advance of the date fixed for redemption as to the aggregate principal amount of Securities of the series to be redeemed, and thereupon the Trustee shall select, by lot or in such
other manner as it shall deem appropriate and fair in its discretion (and subject to the applicable procedures of the Depositary) and that may provide for the selection of a portion or portions (equal to one thousand U.S. dollars ($1,000) or any
integral multiple thereof) of the principal amount of such Securities of a denomination larger than $1,000, the Securities to be redeemed and shall thereafter promptly notify the Company in writing of the numbers of the Securities to be redeemed,
in whole or in part. The Company may, if and whenever it shall so elect, by delivery of instructions signed on its behalf by an Officer, instruct the Trustee or any paying agent to call all or any part of the Securities of a particular series for
redemption and to send notice of redemption in the manner set forth in this Section, such notice to be in the name and at the expense of the Company. In any case in which notice of redemption is to be sent by the Trustee or any such paying
agent, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to, or permit to remain with, the Trustee or such paying agent, as the case may be, such Security Register, transfer books or other records, or suitable copies or extracts therefrom,
sufficient to enable the Trustee or such paying agent to give any notice by mail that may be required under the provisions of this Section.
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Section 3.03 Payment Upon Redemption.
(a) If the giving of notice of redemption shall have been completed as above provided, the Securities or portions of Securities of
the series to be redeemed specified in such notice shall become due and payable on the date and at the place stated in such notice at the applicable redemption price, together with interest accrued to the date fixed for redemption and interest on
such Securities or portions of Securities shall cease to accrue on and after the date fixed for redemption, unless the Company shall default in the payment of such redemption price and accrued interest with respect to any such Security or portion
thereof. On presentation and surrender of such Securities on or after the date fixed for redemption at the place of payment specified in the notice, said Securities shall be paid and redeemed at the applicable redemption price for such series,
together with interest accrued thereon to the date fixed for redemption (but if the date fixed for redemption is an interest payment date, the interest installment payable on such date shall be payable to the registered holder at the close of
business on the applicable record date pursuant to Section 2.03).
(b) Upon presentation of any physical Security of such series that is to be redeemed in part only, the Company shall execute and the
Trustee shall authenticate and the office or agency where the Security is presented shall deliver to the holder thereof, at the expense of the Company, a new Security of the same series of authorized denominations in principal amount equal to the
unredeemed portion of the Security so presented.
Section 3.04 Sinking Fund.
The provisions of Sections 3.04, 3.05 and 3.06 shall be applicable to any sinking fund for the retirement of Securities of a series, except as otherwise specified as
contemplated by Section 2.01 for Securities of such series.
The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as a “mandatory sinking fund payment,” and any payment in excess of such
minimum amount provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as an “optional sinking fund payment”. If provided for by the terms of Securities of any series, the cash amount of any sinking fund payment may be subject
to reduction as provided in Section 3.05. Each sinking fund payment shall be applied to the redemption of Securities of any series as provided for by the terms of Securities of such series.
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Section 3.05 Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities.
The Company (i) may deliver Outstanding Securities of a series and (ii) may apply as a credit Securities of a series that have been redeemed either at the election of the Company pursuant to the
terms of such Securities or through the application of permitted optional sinking fund payments pursuant to the terms of such Securities, in each case in satisfaction of all or any part of any sinking fund payment with respect to the Securities of
such series required to be made pursuant to the terms of such Securities as provided for by the terms of such series, provided that such Securities have not been previously so credited. Such Securities
shall be received and credited for such purpose by the Trustee at the redemption price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such sinking fund payment shall be reduced accordingly.
Section 3.06 Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund.
Not less than 45 days prior to each sinking fund payment date for any series of Securities (unless a shorter period shall be satisfactory to the Trustee), the Company will deliver to the Trustee an
Officer’s Certificate specifying the amount of the next ensuing sinking fund payment for that series pursuant to the terms of the series, the portion thereof, if any, that is to be satisfied by delivering and crediting Securities of that series
pursuant to Section 3.05 and the basis for such credit and will, together with such Officer’s Certificate, deliver to the Trustee any Securities to be so delivered. Not less than 30 days before each such sinking fund payment date the
Trustee shall select the Securities to be redeemed upon such sinking fund payment date in the manner specified in Section 3.02 and cause notice of the redemption thereof to be given in the name of and at the expense of the Company in the
manner provided in Section 3.02. Such notice having been duly given, the redemption of such Securities shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Section 3.03.
ARTICLE 4
COVENANTS
Section 4.01 Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest.
The Company will duly and punctually pay or cause to be paid the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on the Securities of that series at the time and place and in the manner provided
herein and established with respect to such Securities. Payments of principal on the physical Securities may be made at the time provided herein and established with respect to such Securities by U.S. dollar check drawn on and mailed to the
address of the Securityholder entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the Security Register, or U.S. dollar wire transfer to, a U.S. dollar account if such Securityholder shall have furnished wire instructions to the Trustee no later than
15 days prior to the relevant payment date. Payments of interest on the Securities may be made at the time provided herein and established with respect to such Securities by U.S. dollar check mailed to the address of the Securityholder entitled
thereto as such address shall appear in the Security Register, or U.S. dollar wire transfer to an account in the United States if such Securityholder shall have furnished wire instructions in writing to the Security Registrar and the Trustee no
later than 15 days prior to the relevant payment date.
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Section 4.02 Maintenance of Office or Agency.
So long as any series of the Securities remain Outstanding, the Company agrees to maintain an office or agency with respect to each such series and at such other location or locations as may be
designated as provided in this Section 4.02, where (i) Securities of that series may be presented for payment, (ii) Securities of that series may be presented as herein above authorized for registration of transfer and exchange, and (iii)
notices in respect of the Securities of that series and this Indenture may be given or made, such designation to continue with respect to such office or agency until the Company shall, by written notice in an Officer’s Certificate and delivered to
the Trustee, designate some other office or agency for such purposes or any of them. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required office or agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such
presentations and notices may be made at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and the Company hereby appoints the Trustee as its agent to receive all such presentations and notices; provided, however, the Trustee shall not be considered an
agent of the Company for service of process.
Section 4.03 Paying Agents.
(a) If the Company shall appoint one or more paying agents for all or any series of the Securities, other than the Trustee, the
Company will cause each such paying agent to execute and deliver to the Trustee an instrument in which such agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provisions of this Section:
(1) that it will hold all sums held by it as such agent for the payment of the principal of (and premium, if any)
or interest on the Securities of that series (whether such sums have been paid to it by the Company or by any other obligor of such Securities) in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto;
(2) that it will give the Trustee notice of any failure by the Company (or by any other obligor of such
Securities) to make any payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on the Securities of that series when the same shall be due and payable;
(3) that it will, at any time during the continuance of any failure referred to in the preceding paragraph (a)(2)
above, upon the written request of the Trustee, forthwith pay to the Trustee all sums so held in trust by such paying agent;
(4) that upon any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, readjustment, arrangement,
composition or judicial proceedings affecting the Company, the Trustee will automatically be the Paying Agent; and
(5) that it will perform all other duties of paying agent as set forth in this Indenture.
(b) If the Company shall act as its own paying agent with respect to any series of the Securities, it will on or before each due date
of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on Securities of that series, set aside, segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto a sum sufficient to pay such principal (and premium, if any) or interest so
becoming due on Securities of that series until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise disposed of as herein provided and will promptly notify the Trustee of such action, or any failure (by it or any other obligor on such
Securities) to take such action. Whenever the Company shall have one or more paying agents for any series of Securities, it will, prior to each due date of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on any Securities of that series,
deposit with the paying agent a sum sufficient to pay the principal (and premium, if any) or interest so becoming due, such sum to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such principal, premium or interest, and (unless such
paying agent is the Trustee) the Company will promptly notify the Trustee of this action or failure so to act.
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(c) Notwithstanding anything in this Section to the contrary, (i) the agreement to hold sums in trust as provided in this Section is
subject to the provisions of Section 11.05, and (ii) the Company may at any time, for the purpose of obtaining the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture or for any other purpose, pay, or direct any paying agent to pay, to the
Trustee all sums held in trust by the Company or such paying agent, such sums to be held by the Trustee upon the same terms and conditions as those upon which such sums were held by the Company or such paying agent; and, upon such payment by the
Company or any paying agent to the Trustee, the Company or such paying agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such money.
(d) The Company initially appoints the Trustee at its Corporate Trust Office as its paying agent with respect to the Securities.
Section 4.04 Appointment to Fill Vacancy in Office of Trustee.
The Company, whenever necessary to avoid or fill a vacancy in the office of Trustee, will appoint, in the manner provided in Section 7.10, a Trustee, so that there shall at all times be a
Trustee hereunder.
Section 4.05 Compliance with Consolidation Provisions.
The Company will not, while any of the Securities remain Outstanding, consolidate with or merge into any other Person, in either case where the Company is not the survivor of such transaction, or
sell or convey all or substantially all of its property to any other Person unless the provisions of Article 10 hereof are complied with.
ARTICLE 5
SECURITYHOLDERS’ LISTS AND REPORTS BY THE COMPANY
AND THE TRUSTEE
Section 5.01 Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Securityholders.
The Company will furnish or cause to be furnished to the Trustee (a) within 5 days after each regular record date (as defined in Section 2.03) a list, in such form as the Trustee may
reasonably require, of the names and addresses of the holders of each series of Securities as of such regular record date, provided that the Company shall not be obligated to furnish or cause to be
furnished such list at any time that the list shall not differ in any respect from the most recent list furnished to the Trustee by the Company and (b) at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing within 30 days after the receipt by
the Company of any such request, a list of similar form and content as of a date not more than 15 days prior to the time such list is furnished; provided, however,
that, in either case, no such list need be furnished for any series for which the Trustee shall be the Security Registrar.
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Section 5.02 Preservation Of Information; Communications With Securityholders.
(a) The Trustee shall preserve, in as current a form as is reasonably practicable, all information as to the names and addresses of
the holders of Securities contained in the most recent list furnished to it as provided in Section 5.01 and as to the names and addresses of holders of Securities received by the Trustee in its capacity as Security Registrar (if acting in
such capacity).
(b) The Trustee may destroy any list furnished to it as provided in Section 5.01 upon receipt of a new list so furnished.
(c) Securityholders may communicate as provided in Section 312(b) of the Trust Indenture Act with other Securityholders with respect
to their rights under this Indenture or under the Securities, and, in connection with any such communications, the Trustee shall satisfy its obligations under Section 312(b) of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the provisions of Section
312(b) of the Trust Indenture Act.
Section 5.03 Reports by the Company.
(a) The Company covenants and agrees to provide (which delivery may be via electronic mail) to the Trustee within 30 days, after the
Company files the same with the Commission, copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents and other reports (or copies of such portions of any of the foregoing as the Commission may from time to time by rules and regulations
prescribe) that the Company is required to file with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act; provided, however, the Company
shall not be required to deliver to the Trustee any materials for which the Company has sought and received confidential treatment by the Commission; and provided further, that so long as such filings by
the Company are available on the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (EDGAR), or Interactive Data Electronic Applications (IDEA), or any successor system, such filings shall be deemed to have been filed with the
Trustee for purposes hereof without any further action required by the Company; provided that an electronic link to such filing, together with an electronic notice of such filing have been sent to the
Trustee it being understood that the Trustee shall have no responsibility to determine whether such filings have been made. For the avoidance of doubt, a failure by the Company to file annual reports, information and other reports with the
Commission within the time period prescribed thereof by the Commission shall not be deemed a breach of this Section 5.03.
(b) Delivery of reports, information and documents to the Trustee under Section 5.03 is for informational purposes only and
the information and the Trustee’s receipt of the foregoing shall not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein, or determinable from information contained therein including the Company’s compliance with any of their
covenants thereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on an Officer’s Certificate).
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Section 5.04 Reports by the Trustee.
(a) If required by Section 313(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, the Trustee, within sixty (60) days after each May 15, commencing the
calendar year after the year in which the first Securities are issued hereunder, shall transmit by mail, first class postage prepaid, to the Securityholders, as their names and addresses appear upon the Security Register, a brief report dated as
of such May 15, which complies with Section 313(a) of the Trust Indenture Act.
(b) The Trustee shall comply with Section 313(b) and 313(c) of the Trust Indenture Act.
(c) A copy of each such report shall, at the time of such transmission to Securityholders, be filed by the Trustee with the Company,
with each securities exchange upon which any Securities are listed (if so listed) and also with the Commission. The Company agrees to notify the Trustee in writing when any Securities become listed on any securities exchange or of any delisting
thereof.
ARTICLE 6
REMEDIES OF THE TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS ON
EVENT OF DEFAULT
Section 6.01 Events of Default.
(a) Whenever used herein with respect to Securities of a particular series, “Event of Default”
means any one or more of the following events that has occurred and is continuing:
(1) the Company defaults in the payment of any installment of interest upon any of the Securities of that series,
as and when the same shall become due and payable, and such default continues for a period of 90 days; provided, however, that a valid extension of an interest
payment period by the Company in accordance with the terms of any indenture supplemental hereto shall not constitute a default in the payment of interest for this purpose;
(2) the Company defaults in the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any, on) any of the Securities of
that series as and when the same shall become due and payable whether at maturity, upon redemption, by declaration or otherwise, or in any payment required by any sinking or analogous fund established with respect to that series; provided, however, that a valid extension of the maturity of such Securities in accordance with the terms of any indenture supplemental hereto shall not constitute a
default in the payment of principal or premium, if any;
(3) the Company fails to observe or perform any other of its covenants or agreements with respect to that series
contained in this Indenture or otherwise established with respect to that series of Securities pursuant to Section 2.01 hereof (other than a covenant or agreement that has been expressly included in this Indenture solely for the benefit
of one or more series of Securities other than such series) for a period of 90 days after the date on which written notice of such failure, requiring the same to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice
of Default” hereunder, shall have been given to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Securities of that series at the time Outstanding;
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(4) the Company pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law (i) commences a voluntary case, (ii)
consents to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case, (iii) consents to the appointment of a Custodian of it or for all or substantially all of its property or (iv) makes a general assignment for the benefit of its
creditors; or
(5) a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order under any Bankruptcy Law that (i) is for relief against the
Company in an involuntary case, (ii) appoints a Custodian of the Company for all or substantially all of its property or (iii) orders the liquidation of the Company, and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 90 days.
(b) In each and every such case (other than an Event of Default specified in clause (4) or clause (5) above), unless the principal of
all the Securities of that series shall have already become due and payable, either the Trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of that series then Outstanding hereunder, by notice in writing to
the Company (and to the Trustee if given by such Securityholders), may declare the principal of (and premium, if any, on) and accrued and unpaid interest on all the Securities of that series to be due and payable immediately, and upon any such
declaration the same shall become and shall be immediately due and payable. If an Event of Default specified in clause (4) or clause (5) above occurs, the principal of and accrued and unpaid interest on all the Securities of that series shall
automatically be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or the holders of the Securities.
(c) At any time after the principal of (and premium, if any, on) and accrued and unpaid interest on the Securities of that series
shall have been so declared due and payable, and before any judgment or decree for the payment of the moneys due shall have been obtained or entered as hereinafter provided, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the
Securities of that series then Outstanding hereunder, by written notice to the Company and the Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if: (i) the Company has paid or deposited with the Trustee a sum sufficient to
pay all matured installments of interest upon all the Securities of that series and the principal of (and premium, if any, on) any and all Securities of that series that shall have become due otherwise than by acceleration (with interest upon
such principal and premium, if any, and, to the extent that such payment is enforceable under applicable law, upon overdue installments of interest, at the rate per annum expressed in the Securities of that series to the date of such payment or
deposit) and the amount payable to the Trustee under Section 7.06, and (ii) any and all Events of Default under the Indenture with respect to such series, other than the nonpayment of principal on (and premium, if any, on) and accrued and
unpaid interest on Securities of that series that shall not have become due by their terms, shall have been remedied or waived as provided in Section 6.06.
No such rescission and annulment shall extend to or shall affect any subsequent default or impair any right consequent thereon.
(d) In case the Trustee shall have proceeded to enforce any right with respect to Securities of that series under this Indenture and
such proceedings shall have been discontinued or abandoned because of such rescission or annulment or for any other reason or shall have been determined adversely to the Trustee, then and in every such case, subject to any determination in such
proceedings, the Company and the Trustee shall be restored respectively to their former positions and rights hereunder, and all rights, remedies and powers of the Company and the Trustee shall continue as though no such proceedings had been
taken.
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Section 6.02 Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee.
(a) The Company covenants that if an Event of Default described in Section 6.01(a) or 6.01(b) shall have occurred with respect to the
Securities of any series, the Company will pay to the Trustee, for the benefit of the holders of the Securities of that series, the whole amount that then shall have been become due and payable on all such Securities for principal (and premium,
if any) or interest, or both, as the case may be, with interest upon the overdue principal (and premium, if any) and (to the extent that payment of such interest is enforceable under applicable law) upon overdue installments of interest at the
rate per annum expressed in the Securities of that series; and, in addition thereto, such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, and the amount payable to the Trustee under Section 7.06.
(b) If the Company shall fail to pay such amounts forthwith upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an
express trust, shall be entitled and empowered to institute any action or proceedings at law or in equity for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, and may prosecute any such action or proceeding to judgment or final decree, and may
enforce any such judgment or final decree against the Company or other obligor upon the Securities of that series and collect the moneys adjudged or decreed to be payable in the manner provided by law or equity out of the property of the Company
or other obligor upon the Securities of that series, wherever situated.
(c) In case of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, readjustment, arrangement, composition or
judicial proceedings affecting the Company, or its creditors or property, irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand pursuant to this Section 6.02, the Trustee shall have power to intervene in such proceedings and take any
action therein that may be permitted by the court and shall (except as may be otherwise provided by law) be entitled to file such proofs of claim and other papers and documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the
Trustee and of the holders of Securities of such series allowed for the entire amount due and payable by the Company under the Indenture at the date of institution of such proceedings and for any additional amount that may become due and payable
by the Company after such date, and to collect and receive any moneys or other property payable or deliverable on any such claim, and to distribute the same after the deduction of the amount payable to the Trustee under Section 7.06; and
any receiver, assignee or trustee in bankruptcy or reorganization is hereby authorized by each of the holders of Securities of such series to make such payments to the Trustee, and, in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of
such payments directly to such Securityholders, to pay to the Trustee any amount due it under Section 7.06.
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(d) All rights of action and of asserting claims under this Indenture, or under any of the terms established with respect to
Securities of that series, may be enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of such Securities, or the production thereof at any trial or other proceeding relative thereto, and any such suit or proceeding instituted by the Trustee
shall be brought in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery of judgment shall, after provision for payment to the Trustee of any amounts due under Section 7.06, be for the ratable benefit of the holders of the
Securities of such series.
In case of an Event of Default hereunder, the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce the rights vested in it by this Indenture by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the
Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce any of such rights, either at law or in equity or in bankruptcy or otherwise, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement contained in the Indenture or in aid of the
exercise of any power granted in this Indenture, or to enforce any other legal or equitable right vested in the Trustee by this Indenture or by law.
Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Securityholder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment
or composition affecting the Securities of that series or the rights of any holder thereof or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Securityholder in any such proceeding.
Section 6.03 Application of Moneys Collected.
Any moneys or properties collected by the Trustee pursuant to this Article with respect to a particular series of Securities shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by
the Trustee and, in case of the distribution of such moneys on account of principal (or premium, if any) or interest, upon presentation of the Securities of that series, and notation thereon of the payment, if only partially paid, and upon
surrender thereof if fully paid:
FIRST: To the payment of all indebtedness of the Company to which such series of Securities is subordinated to the extent required by Section 7.06 and any subordination terms of the series specified as contemplated
by Article 14;
SECOND: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid upon Securities of such series for principal (and premium, if any) and interest, in respect of which or for the benefit of which such money has been collected,
ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due and payable on such Securities for principal (and premium, if any) and interest, respectively; and
THIRD: To the payment of the remainder, if any, to the Company or any other Person lawfully entitled thereto.
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Section 6.04 Limitation on Suits.
No holder of any Security of any series shall have any right by virtue or by availing of any provision of this Indenture to institute any suit, action or proceeding in equity or at law upon or
under or with respect to this Indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any other remedy hereunder, unless (i) such holder previously shall have given to the Trustee written notice of an Event of Default and of the
continuance thereof with respect to the Securities of such series specifying such Event of Default, as hereinbefore provided; (ii) the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such series then Outstanding
shall have made written request upon the Trustee to institute such action, suit or proceeding in its own name as Trustee hereunder; (iii) such holder or holders shall have offered to the Trustee such indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it as it
may require against the costs, expenses, claims and liabilities to be incurred therein or thereby; (iv) the Trustee for 90 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity, shall have failed to institute any such action, suit
or proceeding and (v) during such 90 day period, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities of that series do not give the Trustee a direction inconsistent with the request.
Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary or any other provisions of this Indenture, the right of any holder of any Security to receive payment of the principal of (and premium, if
any) and interest on such Security, as therein provided, on or after the respective due dates expressed in such Security (or in the case of redemption, on the redemption date), or to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or
after such respective dates or redemption date, shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of such holder and by accepting a Security hereunder it is expressly understood, intended and covenanted by the taker and holder of every Security
of such series with every other such taker and holder and the Trustee, that no one or more holders of Securities of such series shall have any right in any manner whatsoever by virtue or by availing of any provision of this Indenture to affect,
disturb or prejudice the rights of the holders of any other of such Securities, or to obtain or seek to obtain priority over or preference to any other such holder, or to enforce any right under this Indenture (it being understood that the Trustee
does not have an affirmative duty to ascertain whether or not such actions or forbearances are unduly prejudicial to such holders), except in the manner herein provided and for the equal, ratable and common benefit of all holders of Securities of
such series. For the protection and enforcement of the provisions of this Section, each and every Securityholder and the Trustee shall be entitled to such relief as can be given either at law or in equity.
Section 6.05 Rights and Remedies Cumulative; Delay or Omission Not Waiver.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in Section 2.07, all powers and remedies given by this Article to the Trustee or to the
Securityholders shall, to the extent permitted by law, be deemed cumulative and not exclusive of any other powers and remedies available to the Trustee or the holders of the Securities, by judicial proceedings or otherwise, to enforce the
performance or observance of the covenants and agreements contained in this Indenture or otherwise established with respect to such Securities.
(b) No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any holder of any of the Securities to exercise any right or power accruing upon any
Event of Default occurring and continuing as aforesaid shall impair any such right or power, or shall be construed to be a waiver of any such default or an acquiescence therein; and, subject to the provisions of Section 6.04, every power
and remedy given by this Article or by law to the Trustee or the Securityholders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as shall be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by the Securityholders.
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Section 6.06 Control by Securityholders.
The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding, determined in accordance with Section 8.04, shall have the right to direct
the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee with respect to such series; provided, however, that such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture or subject the Trustee in its sole discretion to personal liability. The Trustee shall have the right to decline
to follow any such direction if the Trustee in good faith shall determine that the proceeding so directed, subject to the Trustee’s duties under the Trust Indenture Act, would involve the Trustee in personal liability or might be unduly prejudicial
to the Securityholders not involved in the proceeding. Prior to taking any action under this Indenture, the Trustee shall be entitled to indemnity or security satisfactory to it against loss, liability or expense that may be caused by taking such
action. The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding affected thereby, determined in accordance with Section 8.04, may on behalf of the holders of all of the Securities of
such series waive any past default in the performance of any of the covenants contained herein or established pursuant to Section 2.01 with respect to such series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, or
premium, if any, or interest on, any of the Securities of that series as and when the same shall become due by the terms of such Securities otherwise than by acceleration (unless such default has been cured and a sum sufficient to pay all matured
installments of interest and principal and any premium has been deposited with the Trustee (in accordance with Section 6.01(c)). Upon any such waiver, the default covered thereby shall be deemed to be cured for all purposes of this
Indenture and the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Securities of such series shall be restored to their former positions and rights hereunder, respectively; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or impair any
right consequent thereon.
Section 6.07 Undertaking to Pay Costs.
All parties to this Indenture agree, and each holder of any Securities by such holder’s acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may in its discretion require, in any suit
for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and
that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, against any party litigant in such suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; but
the provisions of this Section shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Securityholder, or group of Securityholders, holding more than 10% in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of
any series, or to any suit instituted by any Securityholder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on any Security of such series, on or after the respective due dates expressed in such Security or
established pursuant to this Indenture.
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ARTICLE 7
CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE
Section 7.01 Certain Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee.
(a) The Trustee, prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of a series and after the curing of
all Events of Default with respect to the Securities of that series that may have occurred, shall undertake to perform with respect to the Securities of such series such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Indenture,
and no implied covenants shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee. In case an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of a series has occurred (that has not been cured or waived), the Trustee shall exercise with respect to
Securities of that series such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s
own affairs.
(b) No provision of this Indenture shall be construed to relieve the Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own
negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:
(1) prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of a series and after the
curing or waiving of all such Events of Default with respect to that series that may have occurred:
(A) the duties and obligations of the Trustee shall with respect to the Securities of such series be determined
solely by the express provisions of this Indenture, and the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to the Securities of such series except for the performance of such duties and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and
no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee; and
(B) in the absence of willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee, the Trustee may with respect to the
Securities of such series conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon any certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture;
but in the case of any such certificates or opinions that by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform to the
requirements of this Indenture (but need not confirm or investigate the accuracy of mathematical calculations or other facts stated therein);
(2) the Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer or
Responsible Officers of the Trustee, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;
(3) the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith
in accordance with the direction of the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available
to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of that series; and
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(4) none of the provisions contained in this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds
or otherwise incur personal or financial liability in the performance of any of its duties or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers if there is reasonable ground for believing that the repayment of such funds or liability is not
reasonably assured to it under the terms of this Indenture or adequate indemnity against such risk is not reasonably assured to it.
Section 7.02 Certain Rights of Trustee.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 7.01:
(a) The Trustee may rely and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement,
instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, approval, bond, security or other paper or document or other evidence of indebtedness believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.
The Trustee need not investigate any fact or matter stated in the document. The Trustee shall receive and retain financial reports and statements of the Company to the extent provided herein, but shall have no duty to review or analyze such
reports or statements to determine compliance with covenants or other obligations of the Company;
(b) Any request, direction, order or demand of the Company mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by a Board Resolution or
an instrument signed in the name of the Company by any authorized Officer of the Company (unless other evidence in respect thereof is specifically prescribed herein);
(c) The Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection and the advice of such counsel or, if requested, any Opinion of Counsel
shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken or suffered or omitted hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon;
(d) The Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request,
order or direction of any of the Securityholders pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture, unless such Securityholders shall have offered (and if requested, provided) to the Trustee security or indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs,
expenses, claims and liabilities that may be incurred therein or thereby;
(e) The Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith and believed by it to be
authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture;
(f) The Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate,
statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, approval, bond, security, or other papers or documents or other evidence of indebtedness, unless requested in writing so to do by the holders of not less than a majority in
principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of the particular series affected thereby (determined as provided in Section 8.04); provided, however, that
if the payment within a reasonable time to the Trustee of the costs, expenses, claims or liabilities likely to be incurred by it in the making of such investigation is, in the opinion of the Trustee, not reasonably assured to the Trustee by the
security afforded to it by the terms of this Indenture, the Trustee may require indemnity or security satisfactory to it against such costs, expenses, claims or liabilities as a condition to so proceeding. The reasonable expense of every such
examination shall be paid by the Company or, if paid by the Trustee, shall be repaid by the Company upon demand;
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(g) The Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through
agents or attorneys and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any agent or attorney appointed with due care by it hereunder;
(h) In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder
arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including, without limitation, strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts
of God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services; it being understood that the Trustee shall use reasonable efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the
banking industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances;
(i) In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for special, punitive, indirect, or consequential loss or damage of any
kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, loss of profit) irrespective of whether the Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action;
(j) The permissive rights of the Trustee enumerated herein shall not be construed as duties;
(k) The Trustee may request that the Company deliver a certificate setting forth the names of individuals and/or titles of officers
authorized at such time to take specified actions pursuant to this Indenture; and
(l) The Trustee shall not be required to give any bond or surety in respect of the performance of its powers and duties hereunder.
In addition, the Trustee shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any Default or Event of Default until a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall have received written notification in the manner
set forth in this Indenture, and such notice references the Securities and this Indenture or a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall have obtained actual knowledge.
Section 7.03 Trustee Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance or Securities.
(a) The recitals contained herein and in the Securities shall be taken as the statements of the Company, and the Trustee assumes no
responsibility for the correctness of the same.
(b) The Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Indenture or of the Securities.
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(c) The Trustee shall not be accountable for the use or application by the Company of any of the Securities or of the proceeds of
such Securities, or for the use or application of any moneys paid over by the Trustee in accordance with any provision of this Indenture or established pursuant to Section 2.01, or for the use or application of any moneys received by any
paying agent other than the Trustee.
Section 7.04 May Hold Securities.
The Trustee or any paying agent or Security Registrar, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Securities with the same rights it would have if it were not
Trustee, paying agent or Security Registrar.
Section 7.05 Moneys Held in Trust.
Subject to the provisions of Section 11.05, all moneys received by the Trustee shall, until used or applied as herein provided, be held in trust for the purposes for which they were
received, but need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. The Trustee shall be under no liability for interest on any moneys received by it hereunder except such as it may agree in writing with the Company to pay
thereon.
Section 7.06 Compensation and Reimbursement.
(a) The Company covenants and agrees to pay to the Trustee, and the Trustee shall be entitled to, such compensation (which shall not
be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust) as the Company and the Trustee may from time to time agree in writing, for all services rendered by it in the execution of the trusts hereby
created and in the exercise and performance of any of the powers and duties hereunder of the Trustee, and, except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the Company will pay or reimburse the Trustee upon its request for all reasonable and
documented expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Trustee in accordance with any of the provisions of this Indenture (including the reasonable and documented fees and the expenses and disbursements of its counsel and of all
Persons not regularly in its employ), except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may arise from its negligence or willful misconduct. The Company also covenants to indemnify the Trustee (and its officers, agents, directors and
employees) for, and to hold it harmless against, any documented loss, liability or expense, including reasonable and documented attorneys’ fees, incurred without negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee and arising out of or in
connection with the acceptance or administration of this trust, including the reasonable and documented costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim of liability in the premises (whether asserted by the Company, or any holder or any
other Person) or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of its powers or duties hereunder, or in connection with enforcing the provisions of this Section.
(b) The obligations of the Company under this Section to compensate and indemnify the Trustee and to pay or reimburse the Trustee for
reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances shall constitute indebtedness of the Company to which the Securities are subordinated. Such additional indebtedness shall be secured by a lien prior to that of the Securities upon all property and
funds held or collected by the Trustee as such, except funds held in trust for the benefit of the holders of particular Securities.
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(c) To ensure the Company’s payment obligations in this Section, the Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Securities on all funds
or property held or collected by the Trustee, except that held in trust to pay principal of, premium, if any, or interest on particular Securities. When the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services in connection with an Event of Default
specified in Section 6.01(a)(4) or (5), the expenses (including the reasonable fees and expenses of its counsel) and the compensation for services in connection therewith are to constitute expenses of administration under any
Bankruptcy Law. The provisions of this Section 7.06 shall survive the termination of this Indenture and the earlier resignation or removal of the Trustee.
Section 7.07 Reliance on Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 7.01, whenever in the administration of the provisions of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it reasonably necessary or desirable that a matter be
proved or established prior to taking or suffering or omitting to take any action hereunder, such matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of negligence or willful misconduct on the
part of the Trustee, be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by an Officer’s Certificate and Opinion of Counsel delivered to the Trustee and such certificate and opinion, in the absence of negligence or willful misconduct on the part of
the Trustee, shall be full warrant to the Trustee for any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it under the provisions of this Indenture upon the faith thereof.
Section 7.08 Disqualification; Conflicting Interests.
If the Trustee has or shall acquire any “conflicting interest” within the meaning of Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act, the Trustee and the Company shall in all respects comply with the
provisions of Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act.
Section 7.09 Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility.
There shall at all times be a Trustee with respect to the Securities issued hereunder which shall at all times be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of
America or any state or territory thereof or of the District of Columbia, or a corporation or other Person permitted to act as trustee by the Commission, authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers, having a combined capital and
surplus of at least fifty million U.S. dollars ($50,000,000), and subject to supervision or examination by federal, state, territorial, or District of Columbia authority.
If such corporation or other Person publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of the aforesaid supervising or examining authority, then for the
purposes of this Section, the combined capital and surplus of such corporation or other Person shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published. The Company may not, nor may
any Person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company, serve as Trustee. In case at any time the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, the Trustee
shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect specified in Section 7.10.
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Section 7.10 Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor.
(a) The Trustee or any successor hereafter appointed may at any time resign with respect to the Securities of one or more series by
giving written notice thereof to the Company and by transmitting notice of resignation by electronic mail, or by first class postage prepaid mail, to the Securityholders of such series, as their names and addresses appear upon the Security
Register. Upon receiving such notice of resignation, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor trustee with respect to Securities of such series by written instrument, in duplicate, executed by order of the Board of Directors, one copy of
which instrument shall be delivered to the resigning Trustee and one copy to the successor trustee. If no successor trustee shall have been so appointed and have accepted appointment within 30 days after the mailing of such notice of
resignation, the resigning Trustee may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to Securities of such series, or any Securityholder of that series who has been a bona fide holder of a
Security or Securities for at least six months may on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any such court for the appointment of a successor trustee. Such court may thereupon after such notice, if any, as it may deem
proper and prescribe, appoint a successor trustee.
(b) In case at any time any one of the following shall occur:
(i) the Trustee shall fail to comply with the provisions of Section 7.08 after written request therefor
by the Company or by any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Security or Securities for at least six months; or
(ii) the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of Section 7.09 and shall
fail to resign after written request therefor by the Company or by any such Securityholder; or
(iii) the Trustee shall become incapable of acting, or shall be adjudged a bankrupt or insolvent, or commence a
voluntary bankruptcy proceeding, or a receiver of the Trustee or of its property shall be appointed or consented to, or any public officer shall take charge or control of the Trustee or of its property or affairs for the purpose of
rehabilitation, conservation or liquidation;
then, in any such case, the Company may remove the Trustee with respect to all Securities and appoint a successor trustee by written instrument, in duplicate, executed by order of the Board of Directors, one copy of
which instrument shall be delivered to the Trustee so removed and one copy to the successor trustee, or any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Security or Securities for at least six months may, on behalf of that holder and all
others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee and the appointment of a successor trustee. Such court may thereupon after such notice, if any, as it may deem proper and prescribe, remove the
Trustee and appoint a successor trustee.
(c) The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding may at any time
remove the Trustee with respect to such series by so notifying the Trustee and the Company and may appoint a successor Trustee for such series with the consent of the Company.
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(d) Any resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the Securities of a series
pursuant to any of the provisions of this Section shall become effective upon acceptance of appointment by the successor trustee as provided in Section 7.11.
(e) Any successor trustee appointed pursuant to this Section may be appointed with respect to the Securities of one or more series or
all of such series, and at any time there shall be only one Trustee with respect to the Securities of any particular series.
Section 7.11 Acceptance of Appointment By Successor.
(a) In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor trustee with respect to all Securities, every such successor trustee so
appointed shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the Company and to the retiring Trustee an instrument accepting such appointment, and thereupon the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective and such successor
trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee; but, on the request of the Company or the successor trustee, such retiring Trustee shall, upon full
payment of any amount then due it pursuant to Section 7.06, execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor trustee all the rights, powers, and trusts of the retiring Trustee and shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to
such successor trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder.
(b) In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more (but not all) series,
the Company, the retiring Trustee and each successor trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more series shall execute and deliver an indenture supplemental hereto wherein each successor trustee shall accept such appointment and which
(i) shall contain such provisions as shall be necessary or desirable to transfer and confirm to, and to vest in, each successor trustee all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or
those series to which the appointment of such successor trustee relates, (ii) shall contain such provisions as shall be deemed necessary or desirable to confirm that all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect
to the Securities of that or those series as to which the retiring Trustee is not retiring shall continue to be vested in the retiring Trustee, and (iii) shall add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to
provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee, it being understood that nothing herein or in such supplemental indenture shall constitute such Trustees co-trustees of the same trust, that each such
Trustee shall be trustee of a trust or trusts hereunder separate and apart from any trust or trusts hereunder administered by any other such Trustee and that no Trustee shall be responsible for any act or failure to act on the part of any other
Trustee hereunder; and upon the execution and delivery of such supplemental indenture the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective to the extent provided therein, such retiring Trustee shall with respect to the
Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor trustee relates have no further responsibility for the exercise of rights and powers or for the performance of the duties and obligations vested in the Trustee under
this Indenture, and each such successor trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series to
which the appointment of such successor trustee relates; but, on request of the Company or any successor trustee, such retiring Trustee shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor trustee, to the extent contemplated by such
supplemental indenture, the property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor trustee relates.
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(c) Upon request of any such successor trustee, the Company shall execute any and all instruments for more fully and certainly
vesting in and confirming to such successor trustee all such rights, powers and trusts referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section, as the case may be.
(d) No successor trustee shall accept its appointment unless at the time of such acceptance such successor trustee shall be qualified
and eligible under this Article.
(e) Upon acceptance of appointment by a successor trustee as provided in this Section, the Company shall transmit notice of the
succession of such trustee hereunder by mail, first class postage prepaid, to the Securityholders, as their names and addresses appear upon the Security Register. If the Company fails to transmit such notice within ten days after acceptance of
appointment by the successor trustee, the successor trustee shall cause such notice to be transmitted at the expense of the Company.
Section 7.12 Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business.
Any corporation into which the Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any corporation resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the
Trustee shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to the corporate trust business of the Trustee, including the administration of the trust created by this Indenture, shall be the successor of the Trustee hereunder, provided that such corporation shall be qualified under the provisions of Section 7.08 and eligible under the provisions of Section 7.09, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part
of any of the parties hereto, anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding. In case any Securities shall have been authenticated, but not delivered, by the Trustee then in office, any successor by merger, conversion or consolidation to such
authenticating Trustee may adopt such authentication and deliver the Securities so authenticated with the same effect as if such successor Trustee had itself authenticated such Securities.
Section 7.13 Preferential Collection of Claims Against the Company.
The Trustee shall comply with Section 311(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, excluding any creditor relationship described in Section 311(b) of the Trust Indenture Act. A Trustee who has resigned or
been removed shall be subject to Section 311(a) of the Trust Indenture Act to the extent included therein.
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Section 7.14 Notice of Default.
If any Event of Default occurs and is continuing and if such Event of Default is actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, the Trustee shall send to each Securityholder in the manner
and to the extent provided in Section 313(c) of the Trust Indenture Act notice of the Event of Default within the later of 90 days after it occurs and 30 days after it is actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee or written notice of
it is received by the Trustee, unless such Event of Default has been cured; provided, however, that, except in the case of a default in the payment of the principal
of (or premium, if any) or interest on any Security, the Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as it in good faith determines that the withholding of such notice is in the interest of the Securityholders.
ARTICLE 8
CONCERNING THE SECURITYHOLDERS
Section 8.01 Evidence of Action by Securityholders.
Whenever in this Indenture it is provided that the holders of a majority or specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of a
particular series may take any action (including the making of any demand or request, the giving of any notice, consent or waiver or the taking of any other action), the fact that at the time of taking any such action the holders of such majority
or specified percentage of that series have joined therein may be evidenced by any instrument or any number of instruments of similar tenor executed by such holders of Securities of that series in person or by agent or proxy appointed in writing.
If the Company shall solicit from the Securityholders of any series any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action, the Company may, at its option, as
evidenced by an Officer’s Certificate, fix in advance a record date for such series for the determination of Securityholders entitled to give such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action, but the Company
shall have no obligation to do so. If such a record date is fixed, such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action may be given before or after the record date, but only the Securityholders of record at the
close of business on the record date shall be deemed to be Securityholders for the purposes of determining whether Securityholders of the requisite proportion of Outstanding Securities of that series have authorized or agreed or consented to such
request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action, and for that purpose the Outstanding Securities of that series shall be computed as of the record date; provided, however, that no such authorization, agreement or consent by such Securityholders on the record date shall be deemed effective unless it shall become effective pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture not
later than six months after the record date.
Section 8.02 Proof of Execution by Securityholders.
Subject to the provisions of Section 7.01, proof of the execution of any instrument by a Securityholder (such proof will not require notarization) or his agent or proxy and proof of the
holding by any Person of any of the Securities shall be sufficient if made in the following manner:
(a) The fact and date of the execution by any such Person of any instrument may be proved in any reasonable manner acceptable to the
Trustee.
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(b) The ownership of Securities shall be proved by the Security Register of such Securities or by a certificate of the Security
Registrar thereof. The Trustee may require such additional proof of any matter referred to in this Section as it shall deem necessary.
Section 8.03 Who May be Deemed Owners.
Prior to the due presentment for registration of transfer of any Security, the Company, the Trustee, any paying agent and any Security Registrar may deem and treat the Person in whose name such
Security shall be registered upon the books of the Security Registrar as the absolute owner of such Security (whether or not such Security shall be overdue and notwithstanding any notice of ownership or writing thereon made by anyone other than the
Security Registrar) for the purpose of receiving payment of or on account of the principal of, premium, if any, and (subject to Section 2.03) interest on such Security and for all other purposes; and neither the Company nor the Trustee nor
any paying agent nor any Security Registrar shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.
Section 8.04 Certain Securities Owned by Company Disregarded.
In determining whether the holders of the requisite aggregate principal amount of Securities of a particular series have concurred in any direction, consent, demand, authorization, notice or waiver
under this Indenture, the Securities of that series that are owned by the Company or any other obligor on the Securities of that series or by any Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under common control with the Company or
any other obligor on the Securities of that series shall be disregarded and deemed not to be Outstanding for the purpose of any such determination, except that for the purpose of determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying on any
such direction, consent or waiver, only Securities of such series that a Responsible Officer of the Trustee actually knows are so owned shall be so disregarded. The Securities so owned that have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as
Outstanding for the purposes of this Section, if the pledgee shall establish to the satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee’s right so to act with respect to such Securities and that the pledgee is not a Person directly or indirectly controlling or
controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with the Company or any such other obligor. In case of a dispute as to such right, any decision by the Trustee taken upon the advice of counsel shall be full protection to the Trustee.
Section 8.05 Actions Binding on Future Securityholders.
At any time prior to (but not after) the evidencing to the Trustee, as provided in Section 8.01, of the taking of any action by the holders of the majority or percentage in aggregate
principal amount of the Securities of a particular series specified in this Indenture in connection with such action, any holder of a Security of that series that is shown by the evidence to be included in the Securities the holders of which have
consented to such action may, by filing written notice with the Trustee, and upon proof of holding as provided in Section 8.02, revoke such action so far as concerns such Security. Except as aforesaid any such action taken by the holder of
any Security shall be conclusive and binding upon such holder and upon all future holders and owners of such Security, and of any Security issued in exchange therefor, on registration of transfer thereof or in place thereof, irrespective of whether
or not any notation in regard thereto is made upon such Security. Any action taken by the holders of the majority or percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of a particular series specified in this Indenture in connection with
such action shall be conclusively binding upon the Company, the Trustee and the holders of all the Securities of that series.
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ARTICLE 9
SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
Section 9.01 Supplemental Indentures Without the Consent of Securityholders.
In addition to any supplemental indenture otherwise authorized by this Indenture, the Company and the Trustee may from time to time and at any time enter into an indenture or indentures
supplemental hereto (which shall conform to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act as then in effect), without the consent of the Securityholders at any time Outstanding, for one or more of the following purposes:
(a) to cure any ambiguity, defect, or inconsistency herein or in the Securities of any series;
(b) to comply with Article 10;
(c) to provide for uncertificated Securities in addition to or in place of certificated Securities;
(d) to add to the covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions relating to the Company for the benefit of the holders of all or
any series of Securities (and if such covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions are to be for the benefit of less than all series of Securities, stating that such covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions are expressly being
included solely for the benefit of such series), to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and the continuance, of a default in any such additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions an Event of Default, or to surrender any right
or power herein conferred upon the Company;
(e) to add to, delete from, or revise the conditions, limitations, and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms, or purposes of
issue, authentication, and delivery of Securities, as herein set forth;
(f) to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any Securityholder in any material respect;
(g) to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the Securities of any series as provided in Section
2.01, to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of this Indenture or any series of Securities, or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of Securities;
(h) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor trustee or to appoint a separate trustee with
respect to any series; or
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(i) to comply with any requirements of the Commission or any successor in connection with the qualification of this Indenture under
the Trust Indenture Act.
The Trustee is hereby authorized to join with the Company in the execution of any such supplemental indenture, and to make any further appropriate agreements and stipulations that may be therein
contained, but the Trustee shall not be obligated to enter into any such supplemental indenture that affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.
Any supplemental indenture authorized by the provisions of this Section may be executed by the Company and the Trustee without the consent of the holders of any of the Securities at the time
Outstanding, notwithstanding any of the provisions of Section 9.02.
Section 9.02 Supplemental Indentures With Consent of Securityholders.
With the consent (evidenced as provided in Section 8.01) of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of each series affected by such
supplemental indenture or indentures at the time Outstanding, the Company, when authorized by a Board Resolution, and the Trustee may from time to time and at any time enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto (which shall conform
to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act as then in effect) for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any
manner not covered by Section 9.01 the rights of the holders of the Securities of such series under this Indenture; provided, however, that no such
supplemental indenture shall, without the consent of the holders of each Security then Outstanding and affected thereby, (a) extend the fixed maturity of any Securities of any series, or reduce the principal amount thereof, or reduce the rate or
extend the time of payment of interest thereon, or reduce any premium payable upon the redemption thereof or (b) reduce the aforesaid percentage of Securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any such supplemental indenture.
It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Securityholders of any series affected thereby under this Section to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture, but it
shall be sufficient if such consent shall approve the substance thereof. The Trustee shall not be obligated to enter into any such supplemental indenture that affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.
Section 9.03 Effect of Supplemental Indentures.
Upon the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article or of Section 10.01, this Indenture shall, with respect to such series only, be and be deemed to
be modified and amended in accordance therewith and the respective rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities under this Indenture of the Trustee, the Company and the holders of Securities of the series affected thereby shall
thereafter be determined, exercised and enforced hereunder subject in all respects to such modifications and amendments, and all the terms and conditions of any such supplemental indenture shall be and be deemed to be part of the terms and
conditions of this Indenture for any and all purposes with respect to such series.
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Section 9.04 Securities Affected by Supplemental Indentures.
Securities of any series affected by a supplemental indenture, authenticated and delivered after the execution of such supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article or of Section
10.01, may bear a notation in form approved by the Company, provided such form meets the requirements of any securities exchange upon which such series may be listed, as to any matter provided for in such supplemental indenture. If the
Company shall so determine, new Securities of that series so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, to any modification of this Indenture contained in any such supplemental indenture may be prepared by the Company,
authenticated by the Trustee and delivered in exchange for the Securities of that series then Outstanding.
Section 9.05 Execution of Supplemental Indentures.
Upon the request of the Company, accompanied by its Board Resolutions authorizing the execution of any such supplemental indenture, and upon the filing with the Trustee of evidence of the consent
of Securityholders required to consent thereto as aforesaid, the Trustee shall join with the Company in the execution of such supplemental indenture unless such supplemental indenture affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under
this Indenture or otherwise, in which case the Trustee may in its discretion but shall not be obligated to enter into such supplemental indenture. The Trustee shall receive an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel as conclusive evidence
that any supplemental indenture executed pursuant to this Article is authorized or permitted by the terms of this Article and that all conditions precedent to the execution of the supplemental indenture have been complied with and with respect to
such Opinion of Counsel, that such supplemental indenture is the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against each of them in accordance with its terms, subject to customary exceptions and qualifications.
Promptly after the execution by the Company and the Trustee of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article, the Company shall transmit by electronic mail, or by first
class mail, postage prepaid, a notice, setting forth in general terms the substance of such supplemental indenture, to the Securityholders of all series affected thereby as their names and addresses appear upon the Security Register. Any failure
of the Company to mail, or cause the mailing of, such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such supplemental indenture.
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ARTICLE 10
SUCCESSOR ENTITY
Section 10.01 Company May Consolidate, Etc.
Nothing contained in this Indenture shall prevent any consolidation or merger of the Company with or into any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company) or successive consolidations
or mergers in which the Company or its successor or successors shall be a party or parties, or shall prevent any sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition of the property of the Company or its successor or successors as an entirety, or
substantially as an entirety, to any other corporation (whether or not affiliated with the Company or its successor or successors) authorized to acquire and operate the same; provided, however, (a) the Company hereby covenants and agrees that, upon any such consolidation or merger (in each case, if the Company is not the survivor of such transaction), sale, conveyance, transfer or other
disposition, the due and punctual payment of the principal of (premium, if any) and interest on all of the Securities of all series in accordance with the terms of each series, according to their tenor, and the due and punctual performance and
observance of all the covenants and conditions of this Indenture with respect to each series or established with respect to such series pursuant to Section 2.01 to be kept or performed by the Company shall be expressly assumed, by
supplemental indenture (which shall conform to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act, as then in effect) executed and delivered to the Trustee by the entity formed by such consolidation, or into which the Company shall have been merged, or by
the entity which shall have acquired such property and (b) in the event that the Securities of any series then Outstanding are convertible into or exchangeable for shares of common stock or other securities of the Company, such entity shall, by
such supplemental indenture, make provision so that the Securityholders of Securities of that series shall thereafter be entitled to receive upon conversion or exchange of such Securities the number of securities or property to which a holder of
the number of shares of common stock or other securities of the Company deliverable upon conversion or exchange of those Securities would have been entitled had such conversion or exchange occurred immediately prior to such consolidation, merger,
sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition. If the Company is not the surviving entity of any such transaction, the Company or the continuing entity agrees to deliver to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and Opinion of Counsel stating that
the transaction and the supplemental indenture complies with this Section 10.01 and that all conditions precedent herein relating to the transaction have been satisfied.
Section 10.02 Successor Entity Substituted.
(a) In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition and upon the assumption by the
successor entity by supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee, of the obligations set forth under Section 10.01 on all of the Securities of all series Outstanding, such successor entity shall succeed to and be
substituted for the Company with the same effect as if it had been named as the Company herein, and thereupon the predecessor corporation shall be relieved of all obligations and covenants under this Indenture and the Securities.
(b) In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, such changes in phraseology and form
(but not in substance) may be made in the Securities thereafter to be issued as may be appropriate.
(c) Nothing contained in this Article shall require any action by the Company in the case of a consolidation or merger of any Person
into the Company where the Company is the survivor of such transaction, or the acquisition by the Company, by purchase or otherwise, of all or any part of the property of any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company).
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ARTICLE 11
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE
Section 11.01 Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture.
If at any time: (a) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee for cancellation all Securities of a series theretofore authenticated and not delivered to the Trustee for cancellation (other
than any Securities that shall have been destroyed, lost or stolen and that shall have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 2.07 and Securities for whose payment money or Governmental Obligations have theretofore been deposited in
trust or segregated and held in trust by the Company and thereupon repaid to the Company or discharged from such trust, as provided in Section 11.05); or (b) all such Securities of a particular series not theretofore delivered to the
Trustee for cancellation shall have become due and payable, or are by their terms to become due and payable within one year or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice
of redemption, and the Company shall deposit or cause to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds the entire amount in moneys or Governmental Obligations or a combination thereof, sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of
independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay at maturity or upon redemption all Securities of that series not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, including principal
(and premium, if any) and interest due or to become due to such date of maturity or date fixed for redemption, as the case may be, and if the Company shall also pay or cause to be paid all other sums payable hereunder with respect to such series by
the Company then this Indenture shall thereupon cease to be of further effect with respect to such series except for the provisions of Sections 2.03, 2.05, 2.07, 4.01, 4.02, 4.03 and 7.10,
that shall survive until the date of maturity or redemption date, as the case may be, and Sections 7.06 and 11.05, that shall survive to such date and thereafter, and the Trustee, on demand of the Company and at the cost and expense
of the Company shall execute such instruments reasonably requested by the Company acknowledging satisfaction of and discharging this Indenture with respect to such series.
Section 11.02 Discharge of Obligations.
If at any time all such Securities of a particular series not heretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation or that have not become due and payable as described in Section 11.01
shall have been paid by the Company by depositing irrevocably with the Trustee as trust funds moneys or an amount of Governmental Obligations sufficient to pay at maturity or upon redemption all such Securities of that series not theretofore
delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, including principal (and premium, if any) and interest due or to become due to such date of maturity or date fixed for redemption, as the case may be, and if the Company shall also pay or cause to be paid
all other sums payable hereunder by the Company with respect to such series, then after the date such moneys or Governmental Obligations, as the case may be, are deposited with the Trustee the obligations of the Company under this Indenture with
respect to such series shall cease to be of further effect except for the provisions of Sections 2.03, 2.05, 2.07, 4.01, 4.02, 4.03, 7.06, 7.10 and 11.05 hereof that shall
survive until such Securities shall mature and be paid.
Thereafter, Sections 7.06 and 11.05 shall survive.
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Section 11.03 Deposited Moneys to be Held in Trust.
All moneys or Governmental Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Sections 11.01 or 11.02 shall be held in trust and shall be available for payment as due, either
directly or through any paying agent (including the Company acting as its own paying agent), to the holders of the particular series of Securities for the payment or redemption of which such moneys or Governmental Obligations have been deposited
with the Trustee.
Section 11.04 Payment of Moneys Held by Paying Agents.
In connection with the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture all moneys or Governmental Obligations then held by any paying agent under the provisions of this Indenture shall, upon demand of
the Company, be paid to the Trustee and thereupon such paying agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such moneys or Governmental Obligations.
Section 11.05 Repayment to Company.
Any moneys or Governmental Obligations deposited with any paying agent or the Trustee, or then held by the Company, in trust for payment of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on the
Securities of a particular series that are not applied but remain unclaimed by the holders of such Securities for at least two years after the date upon which the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on such Securities shall have
respectively become due and payable, or such other shorter period set forth in applicable escheat or abandoned or unclaimed property law, shall be repaid to the Company on May 31 of each year or upon the Company’s request or (if then held by the
Company) shall be discharged from such trust; and thereupon the paying agent and the Trustee shall be released from all further liability with respect to such moneys or Governmental Obligations, and the holder of any of the Securities entitled to
receive such payment shall thereafter, as a general creditor, look only to the Company for the payment thereof.
ARTICLE 12
IMMUNITY OF INCORPORATORS, STOCKHOLDERS, OFFICERS
AND DIRECTORS
Section 12.01 No Recourse.
No recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of this Indenture, or of any Security, or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, shall be had against any
incorporator, stockholder, officer or director, past, present or future as such, of the Company or of any predecessor or successor corporation, either directly or through the Company or any such predecessor or successor corporation, whether by
virtue of any constitution, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise; it being expressly understood that this Indenture and the obligations issued hereunder are solely corporate obligations, and that
no such personal liability whatever shall attach to, or is or shall be incurred by, the incorporators, stockholders, officers or directors as such, of the Company or of any predecessor or successor corporation, or any of them, because of the
creation of the indebtedness hereby authorized, or under or by reason of the obligations, covenants or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any of the Securities or implied therefrom; and that any and all such personal liability of every
name and nature, either at common law or in equity or by constitution or statute, of, and any and all such rights and claims against, every such incorporator, stockholder, officer or director as such, because of the creation of the indebtedness
hereby authorized, or under or by reason of the obligations, covenants or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any of the Securities or implied therefrom, are hereby expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as a consideration
for, the execution of this Indenture and the issuance of such Securities.
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ARTICLE 13
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Section 13.01 Effect on Successors and Assigns.
All the covenants, stipulations, promises and agreements in this Indenture made by or on behalf of the Company shall bind its successors and assigns, whether so expressed or not.
Section 13.02 Actions by Successor.
Any act or proceeding by any provision of this Indenture authorized or required to be done or performed by any board, committee or officer of the Company shall and may be done and performed with
like force and effect by the corresponding board, committee or officer of any corporation that shall at the time be the lawful successor of the Company.
Section 13.03 Surrender of Company Powers.
The Company by instrument in writing executed by authority of its Board of Directors and delivered to the Trustee may surrender any of the powers reserved to the Company, and thereupon such power
so surrendered shall terminate both as to the Company and as to any successor corporation.
Section 13.04 Notices.
Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, any notice, request or demand that by any provision of this Indenture is required or permitted to be given, made or served by the Trustee or by the
holders of Securities or by any other Person pursuant to this Indenture to or on the Company may be given or served by any standard form of telecommunication or by being deposited in first class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another
address is filed in writing by the Company with the Trustee), as follows: [__]. Any notice, election, request or demand by the Company or any Securityholder or by any other Person pursuant to this Indenture to or upon the Trustee shall be deemed
to have been sufficiently given or made, for all purposes, if given or made in writing at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, where reference herein is made to notice of any event (including
notice of redemption) to a Securityholder of Global Securities, whether by mail or otherwise, such notice shall be sufficiently given when delivered to the Depositary (or its designee) pursuant to the customary procedures of the Depositary.
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Section 13.05 Governing Law; Jury Trial Waiver.
THIS INDENTURE AND EACH SECURITY, AND ANY CLAIM, CONTROVERSY OR DISPUTE ARISING UNDER OR RELATED TO THIS INDENTURE AND EACH SECURITY, SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE
LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (WITHOUT REGARD TO THE CONFLICTS OF LAWS PROVISIONS THEREOF). EACH OF THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY
LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE, THE SECURITIES OR THE TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
Section 13.06 Treatment of Securities as Debt.
It is intended that the Securities will be treated as indebtedness and not as equity for federal income tax purposes. The provisions of this Indenture shall be interpreted to further this
intention.
Section 13.07 Certificates and Opinions as to Conditions Precedent.
(a) Upon any application or demand by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under any of the provisions of this Indenture,
the Company shall furnish to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating that all covenants and conditions precedent provided for in this Indenture (other than the certificate to be delivered pursuant to Section 13.12) relating to the
proposed action have been complied with and an Opinion of Counsel stating that in the opinion of such counsel all such covenants and conditions precedent have been complied with.
(b) Each certificate or opinion provided for in this Indenture and delivered to the Trustee with respect to compliance with a
condition or covenant in this Indenture shall include (i) a statement that the Person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition; (ii) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation
upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based; (iii) a statement that, in the opinion of such Person, he has made such examination or investigation as is reasonably necessary to enable him to express an
informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and (iv) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of such Person, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
Section 13.08 Payments on Business Days.
Except as provided pursuant to Section 2.01 pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth in an Officer’s Certificate, or established in one or more indentures supplemental to this
Indenture, in any case where the date that principal of, interest and/or premium, if any, on any Security is due or otherwise payable shall not be a Business Day or is a day on which the banking institutions in the city of the office of the Paying
Agent are authorized or obligated by law to close or be closed, then payment of principal, premium, if any, and/or interest may be made on the next succeeding day that is a Business Day and is not a day on which the banking institutions in the city
of the office of the Paying Agent are authorized or obligated by law to close or be closed with the same force and effect as if made on the nominal date of maturity or redemption, and no interest shall accrue for the period after such nominal date.
45
Section 13.09 Conflict with Trust Indenture Act.
If and to the extent that any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies or conflicts with the duties imposed by Sections 310 to 317, inclusive, of the Trust Indenture Act, such imposed duties
shall control.
Section 13.10 Counterparts.
This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. The exchange of
copies of this Indenture and of signature pages by facsimile or PDF transmission shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Indenture as to the parties hereto and may be used in lieu of the original Indenture for all purposes.
Signatures of the parties hereto transmitted by facsimile or PDF shall be deemed to be their original signatures for all purposes.
Section 13.11 Separability.
In case any one or more of the provisions contained in this Indenture or in the Securities of any series shall for any reason be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such
invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provisions of this Indenture or of such Securities, but this Indenture and such Securities shall be construed as if such invalid or illegal or unenforceable provision had never
been contained herein or therein.
Section 13.12 Compliance Certificates.
The Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year during which any Securities of any series were outstanding, an Officer’s Certificate stating whether or
not the signers know of any Event of Default that occurred during such fiscal year. Such certificate shall contain a certification from the principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer of the Company
that a review has been conducted of the activities of the Company and the Company’s performance under this Indenture and that the Company has complied with all conditions and covenants under this Indenture. For purposes of this Section 13.12,
such compliance shall be determined without regard to any period of grace or requirement of notice provided under this Indenture. If the officer of the Company signing such certificate has knowledge of such an Event of Default, the certificate
shall describe any such Event of Default and its status.
Section 13.13 USA PATRIOT ACT.
The parties hereto acknowledge that in accordance with Section 326 of the USA PATRIOT Act, the Trustee, like all financial institutions and in order to help fight the funding of terrorism and money
laundering, is required to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person or legal entity that establishes a relationship or opens an account with the Trustee. The parties to this Indenture agree that they will provide the
Trustee with such information as it may request in order for the Trustee to satisfy the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act.
46
Section 13.14 Calculations.
It is understood that the Trustee nor the Paying Agent shall have no responsibility for any calculations hereunder and shall be entitled to conclusively rely on the calculations of the Company
without any independent verification or investigation.
ARTICLE 14
SUBORDINATION OF SECURITIES
Section 14.01 Subordination Terms.
The payment by the Company of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on any series of Securities issued hereunder shall be subordinated to the extent set forth in an indenture supplemental
hereto relating to such series.
47
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed all as of the day and year first above written.
|
AVROBIO, INC., as Issuer
|
||
|
By:
|
||
|
Name:
|
||
|
Title:
|
||
|
[TRUSTEE], as Trustee
|
||
|
By:
|
||
|
Name:
|
||
|
Title:
|
||
Signature Page to Form of Indenture
TRUST INDENTURE ACT CROSS-REFERENCE TABLE2
|
Section of Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended
|
Section of Indenture
|
||
|
310(a)
|
7.09
|
||
|
310(b)
|
7.08
7.10
|
||
|
310(c)
|
Inapplicable
|
||
|
311(a)
|
7.13
|
||
|
311(b)
|
7.13
|
||
|
311(c)
|
Inapplicable
|
||
|
312(a)
|
5.01
5.02(a)
|
||
|
312(b)
|
5.02(c)
|
||
|
312(c)
|
5.02(c)
|
||
|
313(a)
|
5.04(a)
|
||
|
313(b)
|
5.04(b)
|
||
|
313(c)
|
5.04(a)
5.04(b)
|
||
|
313(d)
|
5.04(c)
|
||
|
314(a)
|
5.03
13.12
|
||
|
314(b)
|
Inapplicable
|
||
|
314(c)
|
13.07(a)
|
||
|
314(d)
|
Inapplicable
|
||
|
314(e)
|
13.07(b)
|
||
|
314(f)
|
Inapplicable
|
||
|
315(a)
|
7.01(a)
7.01(b)
|
||
|
315(b)
|
7.14
|
||
|
315(c)
|
7.01(a)
|
||
|
315(d)
|
7.01(b)
|
||
|
315(e)
|
6.07
|
||
|
316(a)
|
6.06
8.04
|
||
|
316(b)
|
6.04
|
||
|
316(c)
|
8.01
|
||
|
317(a)
|
6.02
|
||
|
317(b)
|
4.03
|
||
|
318(a)
|
13.09
|
|
2
|
This Cross-Reference Table does not constitute part of the Indenture and shall not have any bearing on the interpretation of any of its terms or provisions.
|
A-1
Exhibit 5.1
[GOODWIN LETTERHEAD]
November 8, 2022
AVROBIO, Inc.
100 Technology Square
Sixth Floor
Cambridge, MA 02139
Re: Securities Being Registered under Registration Statement on Form S-3
We have acted as counsel to you in connection with your filing of a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (as amended or supplemented, the “Registration
Statement”) pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to the offering by AVROBIO, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), of up to $250,000,000 of any combination of (i) common
stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Company, (ii) preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (the “Preferred Stock”), (iii) debt securities of the
Company (“Debt Securities”), (iv) warrants to purchase Common Stock, Preferred Stock and/or Debt Securities (“Warrants”) and (v) units comprised of
Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Debt Securities and Warrants in any combination (“Units”). The Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Debt Securities, Warrants and Units are sometimes referred to collectively herein as the “Securities.” Securities
may be issued in an unspecified number (with respect to Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Warrants and Units) or in an unspecified principal amount (with respect to Debt Securities). The Registration Statement provides that the Securities may be
offered separately or together, in separate series, in amounts, at prices and on terms to be set forth in one or more prospectus supplements to the prospectus contained in the Registration Statement.
We have reviewed such documents and made such examination of law as we have deemed appropriate to give the opinions set forth below. We have relied,
without independent verification, on certificates of public officials and, as to matters of fact material to the opinions set forth below, on certificates of officers of the Company.
The opinions set forth below are limited to the Delaware General Corporation Law and the law of New York.
For purposes of the opinions set forth below, without limiting any other exceptions or qualifications set forth herein, we have assumed that (i) each of
the Debt Securities, Warrants and Units, and the indentures, warrant agreements, unit agreements and other agreements governing Securities offered pursuant to the Registration Statement will be governed by the internal law of New York and (ii) after
the issuance of any Securities offered pursuant to the Registration Statement, the total number of issued shares of Common Stock or Preferred Stock, as applicable, together with the total number of shares of such stock issuable upon the exercise,
exchange, conversion or settlement, as the case may be, of any exercisable, exchangeable or convertible security (including without limitation any Unit), as the case may be, then outstanding, will not exceed the total number of authorized shares of
Common Stock or Preferred Stock, as applicable, available for issuance under the Company’s certificate of incorporation as then in effect (the “Charter”).
AVROBIO, Inc.
November 8, 2022
Page 2
November 8, 2022
Page 2
For purposes of the opinions set forth below, we refer to the following as the “Future Authorization and Issuance” of Securities:
|
•
|
with respect to any of the Securities, (a) the authorization by the Company of the amount, terms and issuance of such Securities (the “Authorization”) and
(b) the issuance of such Securities in accordance with the Authorization therefor upon the receipt by the Company of the consideration (which, in the case of shares of Common Stock or Preferred Stock, is not less than the par value of such
shares) to be paid therefor in accordance with the Authorization;
|
|
•
|
with respect to Preferred Stock, (a) the establishment of the terms of such Preferred Stock by the Company in conformity with the Charter and applicable law and
(b) the execution, acknowledgement and filing with the Delaware Secretary of State, and the effectiveness of, a certificate of designations to the Charter setting forth the terms of such Preferred Stock in accordance with the Charter and
applicable law;
|
|
•
|
with respect to Debt Securities, (a) the authorization, execution and delivery of the indenture or a supplemental indenture relating to such Securities by the
Company and the trustee thereunder and/or (b) the establishment of the terms of such Securities by the Company in conformity with the applicable indenture or supplemental indenture and applicable law, and (c) the execution, authentication
and issuance of such Securities in accordance with the applicable indenture or supplemental indenture and applicable law; and
|
|
•
|
with respect to Warrants or Units, (a) the authorization, execution and delivery by the Company
and the other parties thereto of any agreement under which such Securities are to be issued and (b) the establishment of
the terms of such Securities and the issuance of such Securities in conformity with those terms, the terms of any applicable agreement and applicable law.
|
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the additional qualifications set forth below, we are of the opinion that:
1. Upon the Future Authorization and Issuance of shares of Common Stock, such shares of Common Stock will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
AVROBIO, Inc.
November 8, 2022
Page 3
November 8, 2022
Page 3
2. Upon the Future Authorization and Issuance of shares of Preferred Stock, such shares
of Preferred Stock will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
3. Upon the Future Authorization and Issuance of Debt Securities, such Debt Securities
will be valid and binding obligations of the Company.
4. Upon the Future Authorization and Issuance of Warrants, such Warrants will be valid and binding obligations of the Company.
5. Upon the Future Authorization and Issuance of Units, such Units
will be valid and binding obligations of the Company.
The opinions expressed above are subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws of general
application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and to general principles of equity.
This opinion letter and the opinions it contains shall be interpreted in accordance with the Core Opinion Principles as published in 74 Business Lawyer 815 (Summer 2019).
We hereby consent to the inclusion of this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement and to the references to our firm under the caption “Legal
Matters” in the Registration Statement. In giving our consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
|
Very truly yours,
|
|
| /s/ Goodwin Procter llp |
|
|
GOODWIN PROCTER LLP
|
Exhibit 5.2
[GOODWIN LETTERHEAD]
November 8, 2022
AVROBIO, Inc.
100 Technology Square
Sixth Floor
Cambridge, MA 02139
Re: Securities Registered under Registration Statement on Form S-3
We have acted as counsel to you in connection with your filing of a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (as amended or supplemented, the “Registration
Statement”) filed on November 8, 2022 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to the registration of the offering by
AVROBIO, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”) of up to $250,000,000 of any combination of securities of the types specified therein. Reference is made to our opinion letter dated November 8, 2022 and included as Exhibit 5.1 to the
Registration Statement. We are delivering this supplemental opinion letter in connection with the sales agreement prospectus (the “Prospectus”) contained in the Registration Statement. The Prospectus relates to the offering by the Company of
up to $50,000,000 in shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), covered by the Registration Statement. The Shares are being offered and sold by the sales agent named in, and
pursuant to, the sales agreement between the Company and such sales agent.
We have reviewed such documents and made such examination of law as we have deemed appropriate to give the opinion set forth below. We have relied,
without independent verification, on certificates of public officials and, as to matters of fact material to the opinion set forth below, on certificates of officers of the Company.
For purposes of the opinion set forth below, we have assumed that the Shares are issued for a price per share equal to or greater than the minimum price
authorized by the Company’s board of directors prior to the date hereof (the “Minimum Price”) and that no event occurs that causes the number of authorized shares of Common Stock available for issuance by the Company to be less than the number
of then unissued Shares that may be issued for the Minimum Price.
For purposes of the opinion set forth below, we refer to the following as “Future Approval and Issuance”: (a) the approval by the Company’s board of
directors (or a duly authorized committee of the board of directors) of the issuance of the Shares (the “Approval”) and (b) the issuance of the Shares in accordance with the Approval and the receipt by the Company of the consideration (which
shall not be less than the par value of such Shares) to be paid in accordance with the Approval.
The opinion set forth below is limited to the Delaware General Corporation Law.
AVROBIO, Inc.
November 8, 2022
Page 2
November 8, 2022
Page 2
Based on the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares have been duly authorized and, upon Future Approval and Issuance, will be validly issued,
fully paid and nonassessable.
This opinion is being furnished to you for submission to the Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. We hereby consent to the filing of
this opinion letter as Exhibit 5.2 to the Registration Statement and the reference to our firm under the caption “Legal Matters” in the Registration Statement. In giving our consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose
consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
|
Very truly yours,
|
|
| /s/ Goodwin Procter llp |
|
|
GOODWIN PROCTER LLP
|
Exhibit 23.1
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
We consent to the reference to our firm under the caption “Experts” in this Registration Statement (Form S-3) and related Prospectus of AVROBIO, Inc. for
the registration of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants and units, and to the incorporation by reference therein of our report dated March 17, 2022, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of AVROBIO, Inc.,
included in its Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
November 8, 2022
Exhibit 107
Calculation of Filing Fee Table
S-3
(Form Type)
AVROBIO, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Table 1: Newly Registered Securities and Carry Forward Securities
|
Security
Type
|
Security
Class
Title
|
Fee
Calculation
or
Carry
Forward
Rule
|
Amount
Registered (1)
|
Proposed
Maximum
Offering
Price
Per Unit (2)
|
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering
Price (3)
|
Fee
Rate
|
Amount
of
Registration
Fee
|
Carry
Forward
Form Type
|
Carry
Forward
File Number
|
Carry
Forward
Initial
effective
date
|
Filing Fee
Previously Paid
In Connection
with Unsold
Securities
to be
Carried
Forward
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Newly Registered Securities
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Fees
to Be
Paid
|
Equity
|
Common stock, par value $0.0001 per share
|
457(o)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Equity
|
Preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share
|
457(o)
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Debt
|
Debt securities
|
457(o)
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Other
|
Warrants
|
457(o)
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Other
|
Units
|
457(o)
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Unallocated (Universal) Shelf
|
(1)
|
|
457(o)
|
|
$
|
175,050,000
|
0.00011020
|
$
|
19,290.51
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Fees
Previously
Paid
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Carry Forward Securities
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Carry Forward
Securities
|
Equity
|
Common stock, par value $0.0001 per share
|
415(a)(6)
|
|
S-3
|
333-235641
|
01/14/2020
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Equity
|
Preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share
|
415(a)(6)
|
S-3
|
333-235641
|
01/14/2020
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Debt | Debt securities |
415(a)(6) |
S-3 |
333-235641 |
01/14/2020
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | Warrants | 415(a)(6) |
S-3 |
333-235641 |
01/14/2020 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | Units |
415(a)(6) |
S-3 |
333-235641 | 01/14/2020 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Unallocated (Universal)
Shelf
|
415(a)(6) |
$ | 74,950,000 |
(4) |
S-3 |
333-235641 |
01/14/2020 |
$ | 9,728.51 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Offering Amounts | $ | 250,000,000 |
$ | 19,290.51 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Fees Previously Paid | -- |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Fee Offsets | -- |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net Fee Due | $ | 19,290.51 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
(1)
|
The amount to be registered consists of up to $250,000,000 of an indeterminate amount of common stock, preferred
stock, debt securities, warrants and/or units. There is also being registered hereunder such currently indeterminate number of (i) shares of common stock or other securities of the registrant as may be issued upon conversion of, or in
exchange for, convertible or exchangeable debt securities and/or preferred stock registered hereby, or (ii) shares of preferred stock, common stock, debt securities or units as may be issued upon exercise of warrants registered hereby, as
the case may be. Any securities registered hereunder may be sold separately or as units with the other securities registered hereunder. The securities registered hereunder also
include an indeterminate number of securities as may be issued pursuant to anti-dilution provisions of any of such securities. In addition, pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this
registration statement also covers any additional securities that may be offered or issued in connection with any stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.
|
|
(2)
|
The proposed maximum aggregate offering price per unit will be determined from time to time by the registrant in connection with the issuance by the registrant of the securities registered hereunder and is
not specified as to each class of security pursuant to Instruction 2.A.ii.b. to Item 16(b) of Form S-3 under the Securities Act.
|
|
(3)
|
Estimated solely for purposes of computing the registration fee. No separate consideration will be received for (i) common stock or other securities of the registrant that may be issued upon conversion of, or
in exchange for, convertible or exchangeable debt securities and/or preferred stock registered hereby, or (ii) preferred stock, common stock, debt securities or units that may be issued upon exercise of warrants registered hereby, as the
case may be.
|
|
(4)
|
Pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act, securities with a maximum aggregate price of $74,950,000 registered hereunder are unsold securities (the “Unsold Securities”) previously covered by the
registrant’s registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-235641) which was initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 20, 2019 and became effective on January 14, 2020 (the “Prior Registration Statement”),
and are included in this registration statement. The registrant paid a filing fee of $9,728.51 (calculated at the filing fee rate in effect at the time of the filing of the Prior Registration Statement) relating to the Unsold Securities
under the Prior Registration Statement, and no additional filing fee is due with respect to the Unsold Securities in connection with the filing of this registration statement. During the grace period afforded by Rule 415(a)(5) under the
Securities Act, the registrant may continue to offer and sell under the Prior Registration Statement the Unsold Securities being registered hereunder. To the extent that, after the filing date hereof and prior to the effectiveness of this
registration statement, the registrant sells any Unsold Securities under the Prior Registration Statement, the registrant will identify in a pre-effective amendment to this registration statement the updated number of Unsold Securities from
the Prior Registration Statement to be included in this registration statement pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) and the updated amount of new securities to be registered on this registration statement. Pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) under the
Securities Act, the offering of Unsold Securities under the Prior Registration Statement will be deemed terminated as of the date of effectiveness of this registration statement.
|