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6-K 1 vpip20240402d_6k.htm FORM 6-K vpip20211111_6k.htm

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 6-K

 

Report of Foreign Private Issuer

Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16

under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

April 5, 2024

 

Commission File Number 001-37974

 

VIVOPOWER INTERNATIONAL PLC

(Translation of registrant’s name into English)

 

 

The Scalpel, 18th Floor, 52 Lime Street

London EC3M 7AF

United Kingdom

+44-203-667-5158

(Address of principal executive office)

 

 

 


 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F:

 

Form 20- F ☒   Form 40-F ☐

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ☐

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ☐

 


 



 


 

Update on Distribution Agreements

 

On April 5, 2024, VivoPower International PLC, a public limited company organized under the laws of England and Wales (the “Company”) entered into an Equity Distribution Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Chardan Capital Markets LLC, as sales agent (the “Agent”), under which the Company may, from time to time, sell ordinary shares of the Company, nominal value $0.12 per share (the “Shares”), having an aggregate offering price of up to $9,000,000 on terms set forth in the Agreement. Upon any sale of Shares pursuant to General Instruction I.B.5 of Form F-3, in no event will the aggregate market value of securities sold by the Company or on the Company’s behalf pursuant to General Instruction I.B.5 of Form F-3 during the 12 calendar month period immediately prior to, and including, the date of any such sale exceed one-third of the aggregate market value of the Company’s Shares held by non-affiliates.

 

Sale of Shares, if any, may be made by the Agent designated by the Company in a transaction notice by any method permitted by law deemed to be an “at the market” offering as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1993, as amended (the “Securities Act”), including sales made directly on or through the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”), the existing trading market for the Shares, or on any other existing trading market for the Shares, and, if expressly authorized by the Company, in negotiated transactions. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Agreement, the Agent will use commercially reasonable efforts, consistent with its normal trading and sales practices, to sell the Shares from time to time, based upon the Company’s instructions, subject to applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations, and the rules of Nasdaq.

 

The Company is not obligated to, and the Company cannot provide any assurance that it will, make any sales of the Shares under the Agreement. The Agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (i) the sale of Shares having an aggregate offering price of $9,000,000 or (ii) the termination by either the Agent or the Company upon the provision of ten (10) days written notice. The Agent shall have the right to terminate the Agreement if (i) any material adverse change occurs, (ii) the Company fails, refuses, or is unable to perform under the Agreement, provided, however, in the event of failure to deliver, the Agent’s right shall not arise for thirty (30) days from the date delivery was required, (iii) any other condition of the Agent’s obligations is not fulfilled, or (iv) any suspension or limitation of trading occurs.

 

The Company will pay the Agent a commission of 3% of the gross proceeds from the sale of Shares, and has provided the Agent with customary indemnification and contribution rights. Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company shall reimburse the Agent upon request for actual, reasonable and documented costs and expenses, including fees for legal counsel, up to an aggregate of $75,000. 

 

The description of the Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the Agreement which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 hereto and is incorporated by reference herein.

 

The opinion of the Company’s UK counsel regarding the validity of the Shares to be issued pursuant to the Agreement is also filed herewith as Exhibit 5.1. The opinion of the Company’s US counsel regarding the validity of the Shares to be issued pursuant to the Agreement is also filed herewith as Exhibit 5.2.

 

The consent of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm regarding the validity of the Shares to be issued pursuant to the Agreement is also filed herewith as Exhibit 23.1.

 

The Shares will be issued pursuant to: the Company’s registration statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-276509) (the “Registration Statement”), previously filed, which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 27, 2024; the base prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement; and the prospectus supplement dated April 5, 2024 filed by the Company with the SEC. This report shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the Shares in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such states.

 







 

This Form 6-K, including the exhibits hereto, is hereby incorporated by reference into the registration statements of the Company on Form S-8 (File Nos. 333-227810, 333-251546, 333-268720, 333-273520), Form F-3 (File No. 333-276509) and Form F-1 (File No. 333-267481) and to be a part thereof from the date on which this report on Form 6-K is filed, to the extent not superseded by documents or reports subsequently filed by the Company under the Securities Act, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 


 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibits.

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description

5.1

 

Opinion of Shoosmiths LLP

5.2   Opinion of Nummi & Associates PA

10.1

 

Equity Distribution Agreement, dated April 5, 2024, between VivoPower International PLC and Chardan Capital Markets LLC

23.1

 

Consent of PKF Littlejohn LLP

23.2

 

Consent of Shoosmiths LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)

 



 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

Date: April 5, 2024

 
   
   
  VivoPower International PLC
   
   
  /s/ Kevin Chin
  Kevin Chin
  Executive Chairman

 

 
EX-5.1 2 ex_649465.htm EXHIBIT 5.1 ex_649465.htm

Exhibit 5.1

 

 s1.jpg

 

 

 

VivoPower International PLC

The Scalpel

18th Floor

52 Lime Street

London

EC3M 7AF

 
     
     
     
     

Our Ref

ATP/M-00908237

 

Date

04 April 2024

 

 

 

Dear Sirs

 

VivoPower International PLC

 

We have acted as counsel to VivoPower International PLC (company number 09978410) (“Company”), a public limited company incorporated in England and Wales, in connection with the ATM agreement dated on or around the date of this Opinion Letter made between the Company and the Manager (the ATM Agreement), a copy of the registration statement dated 27 March 2024 on Form F-3 (Registration No. 333-251304) filed with the Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Registration Statement), and a copy of the prospectus supplement dated on or around the date of this Opinion Letter (the Prospectus Supplement).

 

For the purposes of this Opinion Letter, we have examined and relied upon such documents, records, certificates and other instruments as we, in our professional judgment, have deemed necessary or appropriate as a basis for the opinions and statements below. We have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of all natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, and the conformity to originals of all documents submitted to us as copies.

 

Ordinary Shares shall have the same meaning given to it in the ATM Agreement.

 

1

SCOPE OF OPINIONS

 

1.1

The opinions given in this Opinion Letter (the “Opinions”) are given only with respect to English law as published and applied by the courts of England and Wales at the date of this Opinion Letter.

 

1.2

We express no opinion on the laws of any other jurisdiction including, for the avoidance of doubt, European Union law, as it affects any jurisdiction other than England and Wales. No opinion is expressed as to any provision of the Documents (as defined below) that refer to specific laws or regulations of any jurisdiction other than England and Wales. To the extent that the laws of the United States of America or any other jurisdiction may be relevant to the subject matter of the Opinions, we have made no independent investigation of them and our opinion is subject to the effect of any such laws. We express no view on the validity of such matters.

 

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1.3

The Opinions are given only with respect to the matters expressly set out in paragraph 3.1 and shall not be construed as opinions as to any other matter. The Opinions do not cover the matters set out in paragraph 5.1.

 

1.4

The Opinions are given on the basis of the assumptions set out in paragraph 4. We have not taken any steps to investigate whether they are correct except as may be specified in paragraph 4.

 

1.5

The Opinions are subject to the qualifications listed in paragraph 5 and to any matters not disclosed to us.

 

1.6

By providing you with this Opinion Letter, we do not assume any obligation to notify you of future changes in law which may affect the Opinions or to otherwise update this Opinion Letter in any respect.

 

2

EXAMINATION OF DOCUMENTS AND SEARCHES

 

2.1

For the purpose of giving this Opinion Letter, we have examined the following documents (the “Documents”, each a “Document”):

 

 

2.1.1

the ATM Agreement;

 

 

2.1.2

the Registration Statement;

 

 

2.1.3

the Prospectus Supplement;

 

 

2.1.4

copy of the Company’s certificate of incorporation dated 1 February 2016 and copy current articles of association adopted pursuant to a special resolution of the Company’s shareholders passed on 20 August 2018 (the “Articles”);

 

 

2.1.5

a minute of the general meeting of the Company held on 6 October 2020 at which certain shareholder resolutions were passed, including the resolutions providing a general authority to allot ordinary shares in the Company and disapplying statutory pre-emption rights in respect of such allotment of shares or the grant of rights to subscribe for or convert into ordinary shares up to an aggregate nominal value of $180,000;

 

 

2.1.6

written resolutions of the board of directors of the Company passed on 11 December 2020 which resolved to approve the filing of the Registration Statement with the SEC, and written resolutions of the board of directors passed on 11 December 2020 which resolved to approve the allotment and disapplying statutory pre-emption rights in respect of the allotment of ordinary shares up to a subscription amount of $80,000,000;

 

 

2.1.7

a minute of the general meeting of the Company held on 18 December 2020 at which certain shareholder resolutions were passed, including the resolutions providing a general authority to allot ordinary shares in the Company and disapplying statutory pre-emption rights in respect of such allotment of ordinary shares or the grant of rights to subscribe for or convert into ordinary shares up to an aggregate nominal value of $180,000;

 

 

2.1.8

written resolutions of the board of directors passed on 9 October 2020 which resolved to approve the allotment of ordinary shares of $0.012 each up to an aggregate subscription amount of $34,500,000;

 

2

 

 

2.1.9

written resolutions of the board of directors passed on 14 October 2020 which resolved to approve the allotment of ordinary shares of $0.012 each up to an aggregate offering price of $5,750,000;

 

 

2.1.10

a minute of the general meeting of the Company held on 10 November 2022 at which certain shareholder resolutions were passed, including the resolutions providing a general authority to allot ordinary shares in the Company and disapplying statutory pre-emption rights in respect of such allotment of ordinary shares or the grant of rights to subscribe for or convert into ordinary shares up to an aggregate nominal value of $180,000;

 

 

2.1.11

shareholder resolutions passed on 6 July 2023 providing authority for the directors to consolidate and divide all of the Company’s existing ordinary shares of $0.012 each into such reduced number of ordinary shares of such increased nominal value as the Company’s board may determine at any time prior to 23 October 2023;

 

 

2.1.12

written resolutions of the board of directors passed on 2 October 2023 which resolved to approve the consolidation of the Company’s existing ordinary shares of $0.012 each into 2,578,826 ordinary shares of $0.12 each;

 

 

2.1.13

a minute of the general meeting of the Company held on 28 December 2023 at which certain shareholder resolutions were passed, including the resolutions providing a general authority to allot ordinary shares of $0.12 each in the capital of the Company and disapplying statutory pre-emption rights in respect of such allotment of ordinary shares or the grant of rights to subscribe for or convert into ordinary shares up to an aggregate nominal value of $3,600,000;

 

 

2.1.14

written resolutions of the board of directors of the Company passed on 2 January 2024 which resolved to approve the filing of the Registration Statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission;

 

 

2.1.15

written resolutions of the board of directors of the Company passed on 15 February 2024 which resolved to approve the filing of the Registration Statement, together with any new exhibits, with the Securities and Exchange Commission;

 

 

2.1.16

a certificate of good standing of the Company dated 03 April 2024;

 

 

2.1.17

at 12:55 on 03 April 2024 an online search of the public records on file and available for inspection at Companies House in respect of the Company;

 

 

2.1.18

at 11:16 on 02 April 2024 an online search of the Central Registry of Winding-up Petitions at the Companies Court in London in respect of the Company; and

 

 

2.1.19

a director’s certificate dated 03 April 2024 in which the directors confirmed that, amongst other things, no resolutions have been passed which render any part of this Opinion Letter untrue or invalid, and that there have been no resolutions of the directors or the shareholders of the Company to revoke any previous authorities provided to the directors to issue shares in the Company free of pre-emption rights.

 

2.2

Except as stated above, we have not examined any other documents or corporate or other records and we have not made any other searches, enquiries or investigations for the purpose of giving the Opinions.

 

3

 

3

OPINIONS

 

3.1

Based on and subject to the qualifications, assumptions and limitations set forth herein and subject to any matters not disclosed to us, we are of the opinion that:

 

 

3.1.1

the Company is a public limited company duly incorporated under English law, noting that our searches undertaken on 16 February 2024 revealed no order or resolution for the winding-up of the Company is pending, and no notice of the appointment of a receiver, administrative receiver or administrator in respect of it or any of its assets has been made; and

 

 

3.1.2

the Ordinary Shares will, when the names of the holders of such Ordinary Shares or their nominees are entered into the register of members of the Company and subject to the receipt by the Company of the aggregate issue price in respect of all the Ordinary Shares, be validly issued, fully paid and no further amount may be called thereon.

 

3.2

This Opinion Letter is for your benefit in connection with the Registration Statement, ATM Agreement, and Prospectus Supplement, and may be relied upon by you and by persons entitled to rely upon it pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Securities Act.

 

3.3

We consent to the filing of this Opinion Letter as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement, subject to paragraph 4.2 above (and without creating any assumption of duty on our part to any person other than the Company) and further consent to the reference to our name under the caption “Legal Matters” in the prospectus, which forms a part of the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby 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.

 

3.4

Our liability under this Opinion Letter is limited to $3,500,000 for any one claim or series of claims arising out of this Opinion Letter.

 

3.5

The Opinions are given only by Shoosmiths LLP, an English limited liability partnership, and no partner, member or employee of Shoosmiths LLP shall have any personal responsibility or owe any duty of care in relation to it.

 

4

ASSUMPTIONS

 

4.1

Documents

 

We have assumed:

 

 

4.1.1

the genuineness of all signatures and seals on the Documents (or on the relevant originals where we have examined copies) and the authenticity and completeness of those Documents;

 

 

4.1.2

the conformity to the original Documents of any Documents submitted to us as certified or uncertified copies or scans of the original Documents; and

 

 

4.1.3

that there have been no variations to any of the Documents provided to us or to the originals thereof and none of the Documents have been superseded or rescinded.

 

4.2

Other parties and laws

 

In relation to the other parties to the Documents and all laws other than those of England and Wales we have assumed:

 

 

4.2.1

the capacity, power and authority to execute and the due execution of the Documents by each party to it other than the Company (as a matter of English law);

 

4

 

 

4.2.2

that the obligations expressed to be assumed by each party to the Documents other than the Company under the Documents are valid and legally binding upon them (as a matter of English law);

 

 

4.2.3

that all obligations under the Documents are valid, legally binding upon, and enforceable against, the parties thereto as a matter of all relevant laws other than the laws of England and Wales;

 

 

4.2.4

no foreign law would affect any of the conclusions stated in this Opinion Letter;

 

 

4.2.5

due compliance by all relevant parties other than the Company with all matters (including, without limitation, the making of necessary filings, lodgements, registrations and notifications and the payment of stamp duties and other documentary taxes and charges) that govern or relate to the Documents or such parties;

 

 

4.2.6

where any consents, directions, authorisations, approvals or instructions have to be obtained under any law, regulation or practice for the performance of the Documents (other than any corporate authorisations, approvals and company law requirements the subject of this Opinion Letter), they have been obtained or that they will be forthcoming within any relevant period in order to be fully effective for such purpose; and

 

 

4.2.7

other than European Union Law as it affects the laws of England and Wales, there are no laws of any jurisdiction outside England and Wales which would, or might, affect the Opinions.

 

4.3

Corporate actions and status

 

In relation to the Company, we have assumed:

 

 

4.3.1

that each resolution of the directors and shareholders of the Company certified as being true and accurate and provided to us in connection with the giving of the Opinions was duly passed by the required majority at a properly convened and quorate meeting of directors (or a duly authorised committee thereof) and of shareholders of the Company or otherwise in accordance with the constitutional documents of the Company and/or the Companies Act 2006;

 

 

4.3.2

that each person identified as a director or a secretary in any resolution of the directors of the Company was validly appointed as such and was in office at the date of the Documents;

 

 

4.3.3

that any provisions contained in the Companies Act 2006 and/or the articles of association of the Company relating to the declaration of directors’, interests or the power of interested directors to vote were duly observed;

 

 

4.3.4

that any restrictions in the articles of association of the Company on that Company’s and/or on its directors’ authority to guarantee will not be contravened by the entry into and performance by it of the Documents to which it is a party;

 

 

4.3.5

that the execution and delivery of the Documents by the Company and the exercise of its rights and performance of its obligations under the Documents will promote the success of the Company for the benefit of its members as a whole and that any guarantee contained in the Documents was given in good faith by the Company and for the purposes of carrying on its business and the directors of the Company have satisfied themselves, after due deliberation, as to the benefit that the Company will derive from the giving of any guarantee contained in the Documents;

 

5

 

 

4.3.6

that no step has been taken to wind up the Company nor to appoint a receiver, administrator or like officer in respect of the Company or any of its assets and that no voluntary arrangement has been proposed in respect of the Company; and

 

 

4.3.7

there are no agreements, letters or other arrangements having contractual effect which modify the terms of, or affect, the Documents or which render the Company incapable of or prohibit it from performing any of its obligations under the Documents and no provision of the Documents have been waived and there are no contractual or similar restrictions contained in any agreement or arrangement (other than the Documents) which are binding on the Company which would prohibit it from performing any of its obligations under the Documents.

 

4.4

Reliance on Documents

 

 

4.4.1

All Documents submitted to us as copies or certified copies are true and complete copies of the originals and such originals and all Documents submitted to us as originals are genuine and complete and all signatures (including electronic signatures), stamps and seals on the documents are genuine.

 

 

4.4.2

Each Document accurately records the agreement of the parties to it and has not been amended, varied, waived, superseded, rescinded, breached, revoked or terminated.

 

 

4.4.3

The Documents are in the form produced to the directors of the Company.

 

 

4.4.4

There have been no amendments to the articles of association of the Company since the date referred to in paragraph 2.1.4.

 

4.5

Execution

 

 

4.5.1

The Documents have been signed by or on behalf of each party to it by person(s) authorised by the relevant party to (in the presence of a witness where applicable).

 

 

4.5.2

The making of the signatures on the signature pages to the Documents was made or done in a manner recognised by law as valid and the Documents have remained intact since those signatures were made or affixed (as the case may be).

 

 

4.5.3

The Documents have been dated with the date on which it was signed and duly delivered by the parties to it (where applicable).

 

4.6

Searches

 

 

4.6.1

The information disclosed in response to the searches referred to in paragraph 2.1 of this Opinion Letter was accurate, complete and up to date at the time of those searches and those responses did not fail to disclose any matters which they should have disclosed and which were relevant for the purposes of this Opinion Letter. Since the date of those searches and enquiries there has been no alteration in the status of the Company as revealed in those searches.

 

6

 

 

4.6.2

No event has occurred in relation to the Company, such as the passing of a resolution for or the presentation of a petition or the taking of any other action for the winding-up of, or the appointment of a liquidator, administrator, administrative receiver or receiver of the Company, in respect of which a filing at the Companies Registry or at the Central Index of the Companies Court was required to be made and has not been made or has been made but has not at the date of the searches appeared on the relevant search result relating to the Company.

 

4.7

Other matters

 

 

4.7.1

None of the parties to the Documents are or will be seeking to achieve any purpose not apparent from the Documents which might render the Documents illegal or void.

 

 

4.7.2

Where any liability or obligation or right or benefit of a party to the Documents are dependent upon the satisfaction of conditions precedent, those conditions have been or will be duly and properly satisfied.

 

 

4.7.3

There is no other matter or document which would, or might, affect the Opinions and which was not revealed by the Documents.

 

5

QUALIFICATIONS

 

5.1

Matters not covered

 

 

5.1.1

We express no opinion as to matters of fact, opinion or intention.

 

 

5.1.2

No opinion is expressed as to any provision of the Documents to the extent it purports to declare or impose a trust, turnover or similar arrangement in relation to any payments or assets received.

 

 

5.1.3

Except to the extent expressly set out in the Opinions, we express no opinion as to any taxation, financial or accountancy matters or any liability to tax which may arise or be suffered as a result of, or in connection with, the Documents or any transaction relating to them.

 

 

5.1.4

We express no opinion as to whether any filings, clearances, notifications or disclosures are required under laws relating to anti-trust, competition, public procurement, state aid or national security.

 

5.2

Insolvency

 

 

5.2.1

The validity, performance and enforcement of the Documents may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, reorganisation or prescription or similar laws of general application relating to or affecting the rights of creditors.

 

 

5.2.2

Any provision in the Documents which confers, purports to confer or waives a right of set-off or similar right may be ineffective against a liquidator or creditor.

 

 

5.2.3

A power of attorney may, in limited circumstances, be revoked by the winding-up or dissolution of the donor company.

 

 

5.2.4

The searches and enquiries referred to in paragraph 2 of this Opinion Letter are not conclusively capable of revealing whether insolvency or similar procedures, or steps towards them, have been started against the Company.

 

7

 

5.3

Enforceability

 

 

5.3.1

Remedies such as specific performance or the issue of an injunction are available only at the discretion of the courts of England and Wales according to general principles of equity. Specific performance is not usually granted and an injunction is not usually issued where damages would be an adequate alternative.

 

 

5.3.2

The enforcement of any guarantee contained in the Documents may be subject to equitable defences relieving the guarantor from its obligations. The guarantor may be relieved from liability under any guarantee contained in the Documents by (a) the action or the lack of action by or by the conduct of the creditor or debtor in respect of any guaranteed obligations or any guarantee, security or other assurance against financial loss given in respect of such obligations or (b) any bad faith or misrepresentation on the part of such creditor.

 

 

5.3.3

Enforcement of claims arising pursuant to the Documents may become barred under the Limitation Act 1980 or may be subject to a defence of set-off or counterclaim.

 

 

5.3.4

Enforcement may be limited by the provisions of the laws of England and Wales applicable to agreements held to have been frustrated by events happening after execution of a document.

 

 

5.3.5

A party to a contract may be able to avoid its obligations under that contract (and may have other remedies) where it has been induced to enter into that contract by a misrepresentation and the courts of England and Wales will generally not enforce an obligation if there has been fraud.

 

 

5.3.6

In this letter “enforceable” means, in relation to an obligation, that it is of a type which the courts of England and Wales enforce. It does not mean that such obligation will be enforced in all circumstances in accordance with the terms of the relevant Document.

 

5.4

Discretion of courts

 

 

5.4.1

The courts of England and Wales may stay proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.

 

 

5.4.2

There could be circumstances in which the courts of England and Wales would not treat as conclusive those certificates and determinations which any of the Documents state are to be so treated.

 

 

5.4.3

The question whether or not any provisions of the Documents which may be invalid on account of illegality may be severed from the other provisions thereof in order to save those other provisions would be determined by the courts of England and Wales in their discretion.

 

5.5

Choice of law

 

 

5.5.1

An express choice of the laws of England and Wales will be subject to:

 

 

a)

mandatory provisions of European Community law where all other elements of the situation are located in one or more European Union member states; and

 

8

 

 

b)

the discretion of the courts of England and Wales to give effect to the mandatory provisions of law of the country where the obligations arising out of the contract are to be performed insofar as those provisions render performance of the contract unlawful.

 

 

5.5.2

An English court may refuse to accept jurisdiction if proceedings have been commenced in member state of the European Union, a related action is already pending in another member state of the European Union or the courts of another member state of the European Union has exclusive jurisdiction.

 

6

GENERAL

 

6.1

We have not investigated the laws of any country other than England and Wales and the Opinions are given only with respect to the laws of England and Wales as at the date of this letter. In issuing the Opinions we do not assume any obligation to notify or inform you of any developments subsequent to the date of this letter that might render its contents untrue or inaccurate in whole or in part at such later time.

 

6.2

Where any party to any Document is vested with a discretion or may determine a matter in its opinion, the laws of England and Wales may require that such discretion is exercised reasonably and for a proper purpose and/or that such opinion is formed in good faith based on reasonable grounds.

 

6.3

Whether any guarantee contained in any Document constitutes a primary obligation of the Company will depend upon its construction. In the absence of a clear statement that the obligations of the Company are of indemnity as well as guarantee the courts of England and Wales may not give effect to provisions seeking to impose primary liability on or to restrict the defences available to the Company in accordance with the terms of the Documents.

 

6.4

Any provisions excluding liability may be limited by law.

 

6.5

This Opinion Letter is given on the condition that it will be construed in accordance with English law and that each addressee submits to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales and waives any objection to the exercise of such jurisdiction in relation to any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Opinion Letter.

 

 

Yours faithfully

 

 

/s/ Shoosmiths LLP

 

SHOOSMITHS LLP

Dated: 04 April 2024

 

9
EX-5.2 3 ex_649466.htm EXHIBIT 5.2 ex_649466.htm

Exhibit 5.2

 

napalogo.jpg

 

Chardan Capital Markets LLC
17 State St #2130
New York

NY 10004

 

Date: 5 April 2024

Re: Legal Opinion

Firm Reference Matter: NAPA-VP-032720240666

 

VivoPower International PLC – Legal Opinion of U.S. Counsel

 

We have acted as Counsel to VivoPower International PLC, a public limited company incorporated in the United Kingdom, regarding the registration statement on Form F-3 filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act").

 

For the purpose of this Opinion Letter, we have examined and relied upon such documents, records, certificates, and other instruments as we, in our professional judgment, have deemed necessary or appropriate as a basis for the opinion and statements below. We have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of all natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, and the conformity to originals of all documents submitted to us as copies.

 

SCOPE OF OPINION

 

The opinion provided in this Opinion Letter (the "Opinion") is given solely regarding United States Securities laws as promulgated and applied by the United States Securities & Exchange Commission as of the date of this Opinion Letter. We express no opinion on the laws of any other jurisdiction. No opinion is expressed regarding any provision of the Documents (as defined below) that refer to specific laws or regulations of any jurisdiction other than the United States. The Opinion is given only with respect to the matters expressly set out herein and shall not be construed as opinion as to any other matter. The Opinion is subject to the qualifications listed herein and to any matters not disclosed to us. By providing you with this Opinion Letter, we do not assume any obligation to notify you of future changes in law which may affect the Opinion or to otherwise update this Opinion Letter in any respect.

 

BACKGROUND

 

The Registration Statement concerns the issuance and sale by the Company from time to time of ordinary shares, each having a nominal value of $0.12 (the “Offering Shares”); debt securities as detailed in the Registration Statement and Base Prospectus (the “Debt Securities”); warrants as detailed in the Registration Statement and Base Prospectus (the “Warrants”); rights as detailed in the Registration Statement and Base Prospectus (the “Rights”); and units as detailed in the Registration Statement and Base Prospectus (the “Units”), pursuant to the Registration Statement with the aggregate subscription amount not to exceed $18,000,000.

 








 

We note that the Registration Statement includes a prospectus (the “Base Prospectus”) relating to the Offering Shares, Debt Securities, Warrants, Rights, and Units to be offered, issued, and sold by the Company with the aggregate subscription amount not to exceed $18,000,000.

 

EXAMINATION OF DOCUMENTS AND SEARCHES

 

For the purpose of providing this Opinion Letter, we have examined the following documents (the "Documents", each a "Document"):

 

 

A copy of the registration statement on Form F-3 (Registration No. 333-276509) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act, as may be amended;

 

A copy of the Company's certificate of incorporation dated February 1, 2016, and copy current articles of association adopted pursuant to a special resolution of the Company's shareholders passed on August 20, 2018;

 

Minutes of the general meeting of the Company held on October 6, 2020, at which certain shareholder resolutions were passed, including the resolutions providing a general authority to allot ordinary shares in the Company and disapplying statutory pre-emption rights in respect of such allotment of shares or the grant of rights to subscribe for or convert into ordinary shares up to an aggregate nominal value of $180,000;

 

Written resolutions of the board of directors of the Company passed on December 11, 2020, which resolved to approve the filing of the Registration Statement with the SEC, and written resolutions of the board of directors passed on December 11, 2020, which resolved to approve the allotment and disapplying statutory preemption rights in respect of the allotment of ordinary shares up to a subscription amount of $80,000,000;

 

Minutes of the general meeting of the Company held on December 18, 2020, at which certain shareholder resolutions were passed, including the resolutions providing a general authority to allot ordinary shares in the Company and disapplying statutory pre-emption rights in respect of such allotment of ordinary shares or the grant of rights to subscribe for or convert into ordinary shares up to an aggregate nominal value of $180,000;

 

Written resolutions of the board of directors passed on October 9, 2020, which resolved to approve the allotment of ordinary shares of $0.012 each up to an aggregate subscription amount of $34,500,000;

 

Written resolutions of the board of directions passed on October 14, 2020, which resolved to approve the allotment of ordinary shares of $0.012 each up to an aggregate offering price of $5,750,000;

 

Minutes of the general meeting of the Company held on November 10, 2022, at which certain shareholder resolutions were passed, including the resolutions providing a general authority to allot ordinary shares in the Company and disapplying statutory pre-emption rights in respect of such allotment of ordinary shares or the grant of rights to subscribe for or convert into ordinary shares up to an aggregate nominal value of $180,000;

 

Shareholder resolutions passed on July 6, 2023, providing authority for the directors to consolidate and divide all of the Company's existing ordinary shares of $0.012 each into such reduced number of ordinary shares of such increased nominal value as the Company's board may determine at any time prior to October 23, 2023;

 

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Written resolutions of the board of directors passed on October 2, 2023, which resolved to approve the consolidation of the Company's existing ordinary shares of $0.012 each into 2,578,826 ordinary shares of $0.12 each;

 

Minutes of the general meeting of the Company held on December 28, 2023, at which certain shareholder resolutions were passed, including the resolutions providing a general authority to allot ordinary shares of $0.12 each in the capital of the Company and disapplying statutory pre-emption rights in respect of such allotment of ordinary shares or the grant of rights to subscribe for or convert into ordinary shares up to an aggregate nominal value of $3,600,000;

 

Written resolutions of the board of directors of the Company passed on January 2, 2024, which resolved to approve the filing of the Registration Statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission;

 

Written resolutions of the board of directors of the Company passed on February 15, 2024, which resolved to approve the filing of the Registration Statement, together with any new exhibits, with the Securities and Exchange Commission;

 

A certificate of good standing of the Company dated March 1, 2024.

 

DILLIGENCE

 

At 6:05 PM on March 27, 2024, an online search of the records on file and available for inspection at the United States Securities & Exchange Commission’s EDGAR database; and a director's certificate dated March 1, 2024, in which the directors confirmed no resolutions have been passed which render any part of this Opinion Letter untrue or invalid, and that there have been no resolutions of the directors or the shareholders of the Company to revoke any previous authorities provided to the directors to issue shares in the Company free of pre-emption rights.

 

Except as stated above, we have not examined any other documents or corporate or other records and we have not made any other searches, inquiries, or investigations for the purpose of providing the Opinion.

 

OPINION

 

Based on and subject to the qualifications, assumptions, and limitations set forth herein and subject to any matters not disclosed to us, we are of the opinion that the Company is a public limited company duly incorporated under English law. Our searches undertaken on March 27, 2024, revealed no order or resolution for the winding-up of the Company is pending, and no notice of the appointment of a receiver, administrative receiver, or administrator in respect of it or any of its assets has been made, the Offering Shares will, when the names of the holders of such Offering Shares or their nominees are entered into the register of members of the Company and subject to the receipt by the Company of the aggregate issue price in respect of all the Offering Shares, be validly issued, fully paid and no further amount may be called thereon, the Debt Securities will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company at such time that the relevant forms and terms of the Debt Securities and their issuance have been approved by the Company and the Debt Securities have been executed and delivered by the Company, the Warrants will be valid and binding obligations of the Company at such time as the terms of the Warrants and their issuance have been approved by appropriate action of the Company and any applicable warrant agent, and the Warrants have been duly executed, authenticated, and delivered in accordance with the applicable warrant agreement, the Rights will be valid and binding obligations of the Company at such time as the terms of the Rights and their issuance have been approved by appropriate action of the Company, and the Rights have been duly executed, authenticated, and delivered in accordance with the applicable agreements; and the Units will be valid and binding obligations of the Company at such time as the terms of the Units and their issuance have been approved by appropriate action of the Company, and the Units have been duly executed, authenticated, and delivered in accordance with the applicable agreements.

 

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This Opinion Letter is for your benefit in connection with the Registration Statement and may be relied upon by you and by persons entitled to rely upon it pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Securities Act. This Opinion Letter is provided solely in connection with the registration of Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement and is not to be relied upon for any other purpose.

 

i.

The Registration Statement, Prospectus, and Prospectus Supplement comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder (in each case other than the financial statements and schedules and other company and financial data included or incorporated by reference therein, as to which we express no opinion). To our knowledge, the Company is not a party to any contract, agreement, or document of a character that is required to be filed as an exhibit to, or incorporated by reference in, the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus that has not been so filed, incorporated by reference, or described as required; provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing we have relied upon the judgment of the Company regarding the materiality of these contracts, agreements, or documents.

 

ii.

The Registration Statement was declared effective under the Securities Act on March 27th, 2024. The Prospectus Supplement will be filed by the Company with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act within the next two days. To our knowledge, based solely on our review of the portion of the SEC website pertaining to stop orders available at http://www.sec.gov /litigation/ stoporders.shtml, no stop order proceedings with respect thereto are pending or threatened under the Securities Act, pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act has been made in the manner and within the time period required by such Rule 424.

 

iii.

The execution and delivery of the Transaction Document by the Company, and the consummation by the Company of the transactions thereunder and performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder, do not and will not conflict with, result in any breach or violation of or constitute a default under (nor constitute any event which with notice, lapse of time or both would result in any breach of or constitute a default under) any Material Agreement or give rise to any right of termination or other right or the cancellation or acceleration of any right or obligation or loss of a benefit under, or give rise to the creation of any lien, encumbrance, security interest, claim, or charge upon any property or assets of the Company under any Material Agreement.

 

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iv.

The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares, will not be an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company,” as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

 

v.

Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, and the Prospectus Supplement, no Person has the right, pursuant to the terms of any Material Agreement, to cause the Company to register under the Securities Act any Class A ordinary shares or any other capital stock or other equity interest of the Company, or to include any such shares or interest in the Registration Statement or the offering contemplated thereby, whether as a result of the filing or effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the sale of the Shares as contemplated thereby or otherwise.

 

vi.

Other than as may be required under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, and the regulations under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, and the Trading Market, no consent, approval, authorization or filing with or order of the Trading Market, any U.S. federal or State of New York court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company is required, under the laws, rules and regulations of the United States of America and the State of New York for the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Document.

 

vii.

To our knowledge, the Company is in compliance with the material requirements of the listing rules of the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

We consent to the filing of this Opinion Letter with the Registration Statement subject to the caveats above (and without creating any assumption of duty on our part to any person other than the Company) and further consent to the reference to our name under the caption "Legal Matters" in the prospectus, which forms a part of the Registration Statement.

 

The Opinion is given only by Nummi & Associates, PA, a Florida Professional Association (“PA”), and no partner, member, or employee of Nummi & Associates, PA shall have any personal responsibility or owe any duty of care in relation to it.

 

ASSUMPTIONS

 

Documents

 

During the course of preparing this opinion, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures and seals on the Documents (or on the relevant originals where we have examined copies) and the authenticity and completeness of those Documents, the conformity to the original Documents of any Documents submitted to us as certified or uncertified copies or scans of the original Documents; and that there have been no variations to any of the Documents provided to us or to the originals thereof and none of the Documents have been superseded or rescinded.

 

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Other Parties and Laws

 

In relation to the other parties to the Documents and all laws other than those of the United States of America, we have assumed the capacity, power, and authority to execute and the due execution of the Documents by each party to it other than the Company, that the obligations expressed to be assumed by each party to the Documents other than the Company under the Documents are valid and legally binding upon them, that all obligations under the Documents are valid, legally binding upon, and enforceable against, the parties thereto as a matter of all relevant laws other than the laws of the United States of America, no foreign law would affect any of the conclusions stated in this Opinion Letter, due compliance by all relevant parties other than the Company with all matters (including, without limitation, the making of necessary filings, lodgments, registrations, and notifications and the payment of stamp duties and other documentary taxes and charges) that govern or relate to the Documents or such parties, where any consents, directions, authorizations, approvals or instructions have to be obtained under any law, regulation or practice for the performance of the Documents (other than any corporate authorizations, approvals, and company law requirements the subject of this Opinion Letter), they have been obtained or that they will be forthcoming within any relevant period in order to be fully effective for such purpose; and there are no laws of any jurisdiction outside the United States of America which would, or might, affect the Opinion.

 

Corporate Actions and Status

 

In relation to the Company, we have assumed that each resolution of the directors and shareholders of the Company certified as being true and accurate and provided to us in connection with the giving of the Opinion was duly passed by the required majority at a properly convened and quorate meeting of directors (or a duly authorized committee thereof) and of shareholders of the Company, that each person identified as a director or a secretary in any resolution of the directors of the Company was validly appointed as such and was in office at the date of the Documents, that any provisions contained in the laws of the United States of America Securities Act and/or the articles of association of the Company relating to the declaration of directors', interests or the power of interested directors to vote were duly observed, that any restrictions in the articles of association of the Company on that Company's and/or on its directors' authority to guarantee will not be contravened by the entry into and performance by it of the Documents to which it is a party, that the execution and delivery of the Documents by the Company and the exercise of its rights and performance of its obligations under the Documents will promote the success of the Company for the benefit of its members as a whole and that any guarantee contained in the Documents was given in good faith by the Company and for the purposes of carrying on its business and the directors of the Company have satisfied themselves, after due deliberation, as to the benefit that the Company will derive from the giving of any guarantee contained in the Documents, that no step has been taken to wind up the Company nor to appoint a receiver, administrator, or like officer in respect of the Company or any of its assets and that no voluntary arrangement has been proposed in respect of the Company; and there are no agreements, letters, or other arrangements having contractual effect which modify the terms of, or affect, the Documents or which render the Company incapable of or prohibit it from performing any of its obligations under the Documents and no provision of the Documents have been waived and there are no contractual or similar restrictions contained in any agreement or arrangement (other than the Documents) which are binding on the Company which would prohibit it from performing any of its obligations under the Documents.

 

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Reliance on Documents

 

All Documents submitted to us as copies or certified copies are true and complete copies of the originals and such originals and all Documents submitted to us as originals are genuine and complete and all signatures (including electronic signatures), stamps and seals on the documents are genuine. Each Document accurately records the agreement of the parties to it and has not been amended, varied, waived, superseded, rescinded, breached, revoked, or terminated. The Documents are in the form produced to the directors of the Company. There have been no amendments to the articles of association of the Company since March 27th, 2024.

 

Execution

 

The Documents have been signed by or on behalf of each party to it by person(s) authorized by the relevant party to (in the presence of a witness where applicable). The making of the signatures on the signature pages to the Documents was made or done in a manner recognized by law as valid and the Documents have remained intact since those signatures were made or affixed (as the case may be). The Documents have been dated with the date on which it was signed and duly delivered by the parties to it (where applicable).

 

Searches

 

The information disclosed in response to the searches performed on March 27th, 2024, of this Opinion Letter was accurate, complete, and up to date at the time of those searches and those responses did not fail to disclose any matters which they should have disclosed and which were relevant for the purposes of this Opinion Letter. Since the date of those searches and inquiries, there has been no alteration in the status of the Company as revealed in those searches. No event has occurred in relation to the Company, such as the passing of a resolution for or the presentation of a petition or the taking of any other action for the winding-up of, or the appointment of a liquidator, administrator, administrative receiver, or receiver of the Company was required to be made and has not been made or has been made but has not at the date of the searches appeared on the relevant search result relating to the Company.

 

Other matters

 

None of the parties to the Documents are or will be seeking to achieve any purpose not apparent from the Documents which might render the Documents illegal or void. Where any liability or obligation or right or benefit of a party to the Documents are dependent upon the satisfaction of conditions precedent, those conditions have been or will be duly and properly satisfied. There is no other matter or document that would, or might, affect the Opinion and which was not revealed by the Documents.

 

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QUALIFICATIONS

 

Matters Not Covered

 

We express no opinion as to matters of fact, opinion, or intention. No opinion is expressed as to any provision of the Documents to the extent it purports to declare or impose a trust, turnover or similar arrangement in relation to any payments or assets received. Except to the extent expressly set out in the Opinion, we express no opinion as to any taxation, financial, or accountancy matters or any liability to tax which may arise or be suffered as a result of, or in connection with, the Documents or any transaction relating to them. We express no opinion as to whether any filings, clearances, notifications or disclosures are required under laws relating to anti-trust, competition, public procurement, state aid or national security.

 

Insolvency

 

The validity, performance, and enforcement of the Documents may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, reorganization or prescription or similar laws of general application relating to or affecting the rights of creditors. Any provision in the Documents which confers, purports to confer or waives a right of set-off or similar right may be ineffective against a liquidator or creditor. A power of attorney may, in limited circumstances, be revoked by the winding-up or dissolution of the donor company. The searches and inquiries performed in conjunction with this Opinion Letter are not conclusively capable of revealing whether insolvency or similar procedures, or steps towards them, have been started against the Company.

 

Enforceability

 

Remedies such as specific performance or the issue of an injunction are available only at the discretion of the courts according to general principles of equity. Specific performance is not usually granted and an injunction is not usually issued where damages would be an adequate alternative. The enforcement of any guarantee contained in the Documents may be subject to equitable defenses relieving the guarantor from its obligations. The guarantor may be relieved from liability under any guarantee contained in the Documents by (a) the action or the lack of action by or by the conduct of the creditor or debtor in respect of any guaranteed obligations or any guarantee, security or other assurance against financial loss given in respect of such obligations or (b) any bad faith or misrepresentation on the part of such creditor. Enforcement of claims arising pursuant to the Documents may be barred under pertinent statutes of limitations or may be subject to a defense of set-off or counterclaim. A party to a contract may be able to avoid its obligations under that contract (and may have other remedies) where it has been induced to enter into that contract by a misrepresentation and the courts will generally not enforce an obligation if there has been fraud. In this letter "enforceable" means, in relation to an obligation, that it is of a type which the courts enforce. It does not mean that such obligation will be enforced in all circumstances in accordance with the terms of the relevant Document.

 

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Discretion of Courts

 

The courts may stay proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere. There could be circumstances in which the courts of the United States or the individual States themselves would not treat as conclusive those certificates and determinations which any of the Documents state are to be so treated. The question whether or not any provisions of the Documents which may be invalid on account of illegality may be severed from the other provisions thereof in order to save those other provisions would be determined by the courts in their discretion.

 

Choice of Law

 

A court may refuse to accept jurisdiction if proceedings have been commenced in another state of the United States, a related action is already pending in another state or the courts of another state have exclusive jurisdiction.

 

GENERAL

 

We have not investigated the laws of any country other than the United States and the Opinion is given only with respect to the laws of the United States as of the date of this letter. In issuing the Opinion, we do not assume any obligation to notify or inform you of any developments subsequent to the date of this letter that might render its contents untrue or inaccurate in whole or in part at such later time. Where any party to any Document is vested with a discretion or may determine a matter in its opinion, the laws may require that such discretion is exercised reasonably and for a proper purpose and/or that such opinion is formed in good faith based on reasonable grounds. Whether any guarantee contained in any Document constitutes a primary obligation of the Company will depend upon its construction. In the absence of a clear statement that the obligations of the Company are of indemnity as well as guarantee the courts may not give effect to provisions seeking to impose primary liability on or to restrict the defenses available to the Company in accordance with the terms of the Documents. Any provisions excluding liability may be limited by law.

 

This Opinion Letter is given on the condition that it will be construed in accordance with U.S law and that each addressee submits to the jurisdiction of the courts of the United States and waives any objection to the exercise of such jurisdiction in relation to any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Opinion Letter.

 

Sincerely,

 

/S/ Nummi & Associates, PA

 

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FLORIDA: 210 22nd Ave. NE, Unit 13, Saint Petersburg Florida 33704 Main: (727) 313-2280 – COLORADO: 13570 Meadowgrass Drive, Suite 100,

Colorado Springs Colorado 80921 Main: (813) 727-3673

 
EX-10.1 4 ex_649467.htm EXHIBIT 10.1 ex_649467.htm

Exhibit 10.1

 

 

AT THE MARKET OFFERING AGREEMENT

 

April 5, 2024

 

Chardan Capital Markets
17 State Street, 21st Fl

New York, NY 10004

 

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Vivopower International PLC, a corporation organized under the laws of England and Wales (the “Company”), confirms its agreement (this “Agreement”) with Chardan Capital Markets LLC (the “Sole Manager” or “Manager”)

 

1.    Definitions. The terms that follow, when used in this Agreement and any Terms Agreement, shall have the meanings indicated.

 

“Accountants” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4(m).

 

“Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.

 

“Action” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(p).

 

“Affiliate” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(o).

 

“Applicable Time” shall mean, with respect to any Shares, the time of sale of such Shares pursuant to this Agreement or any relevant Terms Agreement.

 

“Base Prospectus” shall mean the base prospectus relating to the Shares contained in the Registration Statement at the Execution Time.

 

“Board” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(b)(iii).

 

“Broker Fee” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(b)(v).

 

“Business Day” shall mean any day other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in The City of New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed; provided, however, that, for purposes of clarity, commercial banks shall not be deemed to be authorized or required by law to remain closed due to “stay at home”, “shelter-in-place”, “non-essential employee” or any other similar orders or restrictions or the closure of any physical branch locations at the direction of any governmental authority so long as the electronic funds transfer systems (including for wire transfers) of commercial banks in The City of New York generally are open for use by customers on such day.

 







 

 

“Commission” shall mean the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

“Company UK Counsel” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4(l).

 

“Company US Counsel” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4(l).

 

“Manager” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(b)(i).

 

“DTC” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(b)(vii).

 

“Effective Date” shall mean each date and time that the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment or amendments thereto became or becomes effective.

 

“Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.

 

“Execution Time” shall mean the date and time that this Agreement is executed and delivered by the parties hereto.

 

“Filing Date” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4(w).

 

“Free Writing Prospectus” shall mean a free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 405.

 

“IFRS” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(m).

 

“Incorporated Documents” shall mean the documents or portions thereof filed with the Commission on or prior to the Effective Date that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and any documents or portions thereof filed with the Commission after the Effective Date that are deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.

 

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“Intellectual Property Rights” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(v).

 

“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” shall mean an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433.

 

“Losses” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 7(d).

 

“Material Adverse Effect” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(b).

 

“Material Permits” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(t).

 

“Net Proceeds” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(b)(v).

 

“Ordinary Shares” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2.

 

“Ordinary Share Equivalents” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(g).

 

“Permitted Free Writing Prospectus” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4(g).

 

“Placement” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(c).

 

“Proceeding” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(b).

 

“Prospectus” shall mean the Base Prospectus, as supplemented by the most recently filed Prospectus Supplement (if any).

 

“Prospectus Supplement” shall mean each prospectus supplement relating to the Shares prepared and filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) from time to time.

 

“Registration Statement” shall mean the shelf registration statement (File Number 333-276509 on Form F-3, including exhibits and financial statements and any prospectus supplement relating to the Shares that is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) and deemed part of such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B, as amended on each Effective Date and, in the event any post-effective amendment thereto becomes effective, shall also mean such registration statement as so amended.

 

“Representation Date” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4(k).

 

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“Required Approvals” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(e).

 

“Rule 158”, “Rule 164”, “Rule 172”, “Rule 173”, “Rule 405”, “Rule 415”, “Rule 424”, “Rule 430B” and “Rule 433” refer to such rules under the Act.

 

“Sales Notice” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(b)(i).

 

“SEC Reports” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(m).

 

“Settlement Date” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(b)(vii).

 

“Subsidiary” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(a).

 

“Terms Agreement” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(a).

 

“Time of Delivery” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(c).

 

“Trading Day” means a day on which the Trading Market is open for trading.

 

“Trading Market” means the Nasdaq Capital Market.

 

2.    Sale and Delivery of Shares. The Company proposes to issue and sell through or to the Manager, as sales agent and/or principal, up to $9 million of the Company’s ordinary shares (the “Shares”), nominal value $0.12 per share (“Ordinary Shares”), from time to time during the term of this Agreement and on the terms set forth herein; provided, however, that in no event shall the Company issue or sell through the Manager such number of Shares that (a) exceeds the number or dollar amount of Ordinary Shares registered on the Registration Statement, pursuant to which the offering is being made, (b) exceeds the number of authorized but unissued Ordinary Shares or (c) would cause the Company or the offering of the Shares to not satisfy the eligibility and transaction requirements for use of Form F-3 (including, if applicable, General Instruction I.B.6 of Registration Statement on Form F-3 (the lesser of (a), (b) and (c), the “Maximum Amount”)). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the parties hereto agree that compliance with the limitations set forth in this Section 2 on the number and aggregate sales price of Shares issued and sold under this Agreement shall be the sole responsibility of the Company and that the Manager shall have no obligation in connection with such compliance.

 

(a)    Appointment of Manager as Selling Agents; Terms Agreement. For purposes of selling the Shares through the Manager, the Company hereby appoints the Manager as exclusive agent of the Company for the purpose of selling the Shares of the Company pursuant to this Agreement and the Manager agrees to use their commercially reasonable efforts to sell the Shares on the terms and subject to the conditions stated herein. The Company agrees that, whenever it determines to sell the Shares directly to a Manager as principal, it will enter into a separate agreement (each, a “Terms Agreement”) in substantially the form of Annex I hereto, relating to such sale in accordance with Section 2 of this Agreement.

 

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(b)    Agent Sales. Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company will issue and agrees to sell Shares from time to time through the Manager, acting as sales agent, and the Manager agrees to use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell, as sales agent for the Company, on the following terms:

 

(i)    The Shares are to be sold on a daily basis or otherwise as shall be agreed to by the Company and the Manager on any day that(A) is a Trading Day, (B) the Company has instructed the Manager by telephone (confirmed promptly by electronic mail) to make such sales (“Sales Notice”) and (C) the Company has satisfied its obligations under Section 6 of this Agreement. The Company will designate the maximum amount of the Shares to be sold by the Manager daily (subject to the limitations set forth in Section 2(d)) and the minimum price per Share at which such Shares may be sold. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Manager shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell on a particular day all of the Shares for the sale by the Company on such day. The gross sales price of the Shares sold under this Section 2(b) shall be the market price for the Ordinary Shares sold by the Manager under this Section 2(b) on the Trading Market at the time of sale of such Shares.

 

(ii)    The Company acknowledges and agrees that (A) there can be no assurance that the Manager will be successful in selling the Shares, (B) the Manager will incur no liability or obligation to the Company or any other person or entity if it does not sell the Shares for any reason other than a failure by the Manager to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices and applicable law and regulations to sell such Shares as required under this Agreement, and (C) the Manager shall be under no obligation to purchase Shares on a principal basis pursuant to this Agreement, except as otherwise specifically agreed by the Manager and the Company pursuant to a Terms Agreement.

 

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(iii)    The Company shall not authorize the issuance and sale of, and the Manager shall not be obligated to use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell, any Shares at a price lower than the minimum price therefor from time to time by the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”), or a duly authorized committee thereof, or such duly authorized officers of the Company, and notified to the Manager in writing. The Company or the Manager may, upon notice to the other party hereto by telephone (confirmed promptly by electronic mail), suspend the offering of the Shares for any reason and at any time; provided, however, that such suspension or termination shall not affect or impair the parties’ respective obligations with respect to the Shares sold hereunder prior to the giving of such notice.

 

(iv)    The Manager may sell Shares by any method permitted by law deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415 under the Act, including without limitation sales made directly on the Trading Market, on any other existing trading market for the Ordinary Shares or to or through a market maker. The Manager may also sell Shares in privately negotiated transactions, provided that the Manager receives the Company’s prior written approval for any sales in privately negotiated transactions and if so provided in the “Plan of Distribution” section of the Prospectus Supplement or a supplement to the Prospectus Supplement or a new Prospectus Supplement disclosing the terms of such privately negotiated transaction.

 

(v)    The compensation to the Manager for sales of the Shares under this Section 2(b) shall be a placement fee of 3.0% of the gross sales price of the Shares sold pursuant to this Section 2(b) (“Broker Fee”). The foregoing rate of compensation shall not apply when the Manager acts as principal, in which case the Company may sell Shares to the Manager as principal at a price agreed upon at the relevant Applicable Time pursuant to a Terms Agreement. The remaining proceeds, after deduction of the Broker Fee and deduction of any transaction fees imposed by any clearing firm, execution broker, or governmental or self-regulatory organization in respect of such sales, shall constitute the net proceeds to the Company for such Shares (the “Net Proceeds”).

 

(vi)    The Manager shall provide written confirmation (which may be by electronic mail) to the Company following the close of trading on the Trading Market each day in which the Shares are sold under this Section 2(b) setting forth the number of the Shares sold on such day, the aggregate gross sales proceeds and the Net Proceeds to the Company, and the compensation payable by the Company to the Manager with respect to such sales.

 

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(vii)    Settlement for sales of the Shares pursuant to this Section 2(b) will occur at 10:00 a.m. (New York City time), or at such time as the Company and the Manager may mutually agree, on the second Business Day following the sale of the Shares pursuant to the Sales Notice (each such day, a “Settlement Date”). On the Settlement Date, the Company shall issue and deliver the number of Shares sold pursuant to the Sales Notice to the Manager’s account at The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) via the DWAC system. On each Settlement Date, the Manager shall deliver the related Net Proceeds from the sale of the Shares to the Company. If the Company or its transfer agent (if applicable) shall default on its obligation to deliver the Shares on any Settlement Date, the Company shall (A) indemnify and hold the Manager harmless against any loss, claim or damage arising from or as a result of such default by the Company and (B) pay the Manager any commission to which it would otherwise be entitled absent such default.

 

(viii)    At each Applicable Time, Settlement Date, Representation Date and Filing Date, the Company shall be deemed to have affirmed each representation and warranty contained in this Agreement as if such representation and warranty were made as of such date, modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended as of such date. Any obligation of the Manager to use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell the Shares on behalf of the Company shall be subject to the continuing accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein, to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the continuing satisfaction of the additional conditions specified in Section 6 of this Agreement.

 

(ix)    If the Company shall declare or make any dividend or other distribution of its assets (or rights to acquire its assets) to holders of Ordinary Shares, by way of return of capital or otherwise (including, without limitation, any distribution of cash, stock or other securities, property or options by way of a dividend, spin off, reclassification, corporate rearrangement, scheme of arrangement or other similar transaction) (a “Distribution” and the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to receive the Distribution, the “Record Date”), the Company hereby covenants that, in connection with any sales of Shares pursuant to a Sales Notice on the Record Date, the Company covenants and agrees that the Company shall issue and deliver such Shares to the Manager on the Record Date and the Record Date shall be the Settlement Date and the Company shall cover any additional costs of the Manager in connection with the delivery of Shares on the Record Date.

 

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(c)    Term Sales. If the Company wishes to sell the Shares pursuant to this Agreement but other than as set forth in Section 2(b) of this Agreement (each, a “Placement”), the Company will notify the Manager of the proposed terms of such Placement. If the Manager, acting as principal, wishes to accept such proposed terms (which it may decline to do for any reason in its sole discretion) or, following discussions with the Company wishes to accept amended terms, the Manager and the Company will enter into a Terms Agreement setting forth the terms of such Placement. The terms set forth in a Terms Agreement will not be binding on the Company or the Manager unless and until the Company and the Manager have each executed such Terms Agreement accepting all of the terms of such Terms Agreement. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the terms of a Terms Agreement, the terms of such Terms Agreement will control. A Terms Agreement may also specify certain provisions relating to the reoffering of such Shares by the Manager. The commitment of the Manager to purchase the Shares pursuant to any Terms Agreement shall be deemed to have been made on the basis of the representations and warranties of the Company herein contained and shall be subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth. Each Terms Agreement shall specify the number of the Shares to be purchased by the Manager pursuant thereto, the price to be paid to the Company for such Shares, any provisions relating to rights of, and default by, underwriters acting together with the Manager in the reoffering of the Shares, and the time and date (each such time and date being referred to herein as a “Time of Delivery”) and place of delivery of and payment for such Shares. Such Terms Agreement shall also specify any requirements for opinions of counsel, accountants’ letters and officers’ certificates pursuant to Section 6 of this Agreement and any other information or documents required by the Manager.

 

(d)    Maximum Number of Shares. Under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Shares if, after giving effect to the sale of such Shares, the aggregate amount of Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement would exceed the lesser of (A) together with all sales of Shares under this Agreement, the Maximum Amount, (B) the amount available for offer and sale under the currently effective Registration Statement and (C) the amount authorized from time to time to be issued and sold under this Agreement by the Board, a duly authorized committee thereof or a duly authorized executive committee, and notified to the Manager in writing. Under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Shares pursuant to this Agreement at a price lower than the minimum price authorized from time to time by the Board, a duly authorized committee thereof or a duly authorized executive officer, and notified to the Manager in writing. Further, under no circumstances shall the Company cause or permit the aggregate offering amount of Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement to exceed the Maximum Amount.

 

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(e)    Regulation M Notice. Unless the exceptive provisions set forth in Rule 101(c)(1) of Regulation M under the Exchange Act are satisfied with respect to the Shares, the Company shall give the Manager at least one Business Day’s prior notice of its intent to sell any Shares in order to allow the Manager time to comply with Regulation M.

 

(f)    No Short Sale. During the term of this Agreement, neither the Manager nor any of its affiliates or subsidiaries shall, for its own account, engage in (i) any short sale of any security of the Company or (ii) any sale of any security of the Company that the Manager does not own or any sale which is consummated by the delivery of a security of the Company borrowed by, or for the account of, the Manager. Notwithstanding the foregoing, these restrictions shall not apply to bona fide transactions executed by the Manager or any of its affiliates or subsidiaries on behalf and at the direction of any third-party customer accounts.

 

3.    Representations and Warranties. Except as set forth in the SEC Reports, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Incorporated Documents, the Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Manager at the Execution Time and on each such time the following representations and warranties are repeated or deemed to be made pursuant to this Agreement, as set forth below.

 

(a)    Subsidiaries. All of the direct and indirect subsidiaries (individually, a “Subsidiary”) of the Company are set forth on Exhibit A of this Agreement. The Company owns, directly or indirectly, all of the capital stock or other equity interests of each Subsidiary free and clear of any “Liens” (which for purposes of this Agreement shall mean a lien, charge, security interest, encumbrance, right of first refusal, preemptive right or other restriction), and all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of each Subsidiary are validly issued and are fully paid, non-assessable and free of preemptive and similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities.

 

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(b)    Organization and Qualification. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries is an entity duly incorporated or otherwise organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with the requisite power and authority to own and use its properties and assets and to carry on its business as currently conducted. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries has all necessary authorizations, approvals, orders, licenses, certificates and permits of and from all governmental regulatory officials and bodies that it needs as of the date of this Agreement to conduct its business purpose in all material respects as described in the Registration Statement and SEC Reports and to own or lease its properties. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation nor default of any of the provisions of its respective certificate or articles of association or other organizational or charter documents. Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries is duly qualified to conduct business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation or other entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted or property owned by it makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, as the case may be, would not have or reasonably be expected to result in: (i) a material adverse effect on the legality, validity or enforceability of this Agreement, (ii) a material adverse effect on the results of operations, assets, business, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, any Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus or the Incorporated Documents, or (iii) a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to perform in any material respect on a timely basis its obligations under this Agreement (any of (i), (ii) or (iii), a “Material Adverse Effect”) and no “Proceeding” (which for purposes of this Agreement shall mean any action, claim, suit, investigation or proceeding (including, without limitation, an informal investigation or partial proceeding, such as a deposition), whether commenced or threatened) has been instituted in any such jurisdiction revoking, limiting or curtailing or seeking to revoke, limit or curtail such power and authority or qualification.

 

(c)    Authorization and Enforcement. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder. The execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Company and no further action is required by the Company, the Board or the Company’s shareholders in connection herewith other than in connection with the Required Approvals. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute the valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.

 

(d)    No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the issuance and sale of the Shares and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby do not and will not (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s certificate or articles of association or other organizational or charter documents, or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the properties or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, anti-dilution or similar adjustments, acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time or both) of, any agreement, credit facility, debt or other instrument (evidencing a Company or Subsidiary debt or otherwise) or other understanding to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which any property or asset of the Company or any Subsidiary is bound or affected, or (iii) subject to the Required Approvals, conflict with or result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction of any court or governmental authority to which the Company or a Subsidiary is subject (including federal and state securities laws and regulations), or by which any property or asset of the Company or a Subsidiary is bound or affected; except in the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), such as would not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(e)    Filings, Consents and Approvals. The Company is not required to obtain any consent, waiver, authorization or order of, give any notice to, or make any filing or registration with, any court or other federal, state, local or other governmental authority or other “Person” (defined as an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind, including the Trading Market) in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, other than (i) the filings required by this Agreement, (ii) the filing with the Commission of the Prospectus Supplement, (iii) the filing of notice with the Trading Market for the listing of the Shares for trading thereon, and (iv) such filings as are required to be made under applicable state securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) (collectively, the “Required Approvals”).

 

(f)    Issuance of Shares. The Shares are duly authorized and, when issued and paid for in accordance with this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens imposed by the Company. The Company has reserved from its duly authorized capital stock of the maximum aggregate number of Shares authorized for issuance by the Board pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. The issuance by the Company of the Shares has been registered under the Act and all of the Shares are freely transferable and tradable by the purchasers thereof without restriction (other than any restrictions arising solely from an act or omission of such a purchaser). The Shares are being issued pursuant to the Registration Statement and the issuance of the Shares has been registered by the Company under the Act. The “Plan of Distribution” section within the Registration Statement permits the issuance and sale of the Shares as contemplated by this Agreement. Upon receipt of the Shares, the purchasers of such Shares will have good and marketable title to such Shares and the Shares will be freely tradable on the Trading Market.

 

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(g)    Capitalization. The capitalization of the Company is as set forth in the SEC Reports. The Company has not issued any capital stock since its most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act, other than pursuant to the exercise of employee stock options and the grant of awards under the Company’s incentive equity plans and pursuant to the conversion and/or exercise of securities exercisable, exchangeable or convertible into Ordinary Shares (“Ordinary Shares Equivalents”) outstanding as of the date of the most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act. No Person has any right of first refusal, preemptive right, right of participation, or any similar right to participate in the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Except as set forth in the SEC Reports, there are no outstanding options, warrants, scrip rights to subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character whatsoever relating to, or securities, rights or obligations convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or giving any Person any right to subscribe for or acquire, any Ordinary Shares or the capital stock of any Subsidiary, or contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any Subsidiary is or may become bound to issue additional Ordinary Shares or Ordinary Shares Equivalents or capital stock of any Subsidiary. The issuance and sale of the Shares will not obligate the Company or any Subsidiary to issue Ordinary Shares or other securities to any Person. There are no outstanding securities or instruments of the Company or any Subsidiary with any provision that adjusts the exercise, conversion, exchange or reset price of such security or instrument upon an issuance of securities by the Company or any Subsidiary. There are no outstanding securities or instruments of the Company or any Subsidiary that contain any mandatory redemption or similar provisions, and there are no contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any Subsidiary is or may become bound to redeem a security of the Company or such Subsidiary. The Company has not issued any stock appreciation rights and does not have any “phantom stock” plans or agreements or any similar plan or agreement. All of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, have been issued in compliance with all federal and state securities laws, and none of such outstanding shares was issued in violation of any preemptive rights or similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities. No further approval or authorization of any shareholder, the Board or others is required for the issuance and sale of the Shares. Except as set forth in the SEC Reports, there are no shareholder agreements, voting agreements or other similar agreements with respect to the Company’s capital stock to which the Company is a party or, to the knowledge of the Company, between or among any of the Company’s shareholders.

 

(h)    Registration Statement. The Company meets the requirements for use of Form F-3 under the Act and has prepared and filed with the Commission the Registration Statement, including a related Base Prospectus, for registration under the Act of the offering and sale of the Shares. Such Registration Statement is effective and available for the offer and sale of the Shares as of the date hereof. As filed, the Base Prospectus contains all information required by the Act and the rules thereunder, and, except to the extent the Manager shall agree in writing to a modification, shall be in all substantive respects in the form furnished to the Manager prior to the Execution Time or prior to any such time this representation is repeated or deemed to be made. The Registration Statement, at the Execution Time, each such time this representation is repeated or deemed to be made, and at all times during which a prospectus is required by the Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172, 173 or any similar rule) in connection with any offer or sale of the Shares, meets the requirements set forth in Rule 415(a)(1)(x). The initial Effective Date of the Registration Statement was not earlier than the date three years before the Execution Time. The Company meets the transaction requirements with respect to the aggregate market value of securities being sold pursuant to this offering and during the twelve (12) months prior to this offering, as set forth in General Instruction I.B.6 of Form F-3, if applicable.

 

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(i)    Accuracy of Incorporated Documents. The Incorporated Documents, when they were filed with the Commission, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules thereunder, and none of the Incorporated Documents, when they were filed with the Commission, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus, when such documents are filed with the Commission, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules thereunder, as applicable, and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

 

(j)    Ineligible Issuer. (i) At the earliest time after the filing of the Registration Statement that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2)) of the Shares and (ii) as of the Execution Time and on each such time this representation is repeated or deemed to be made (with such date being used as the determination date for purposes of this clause (ii)), the Company was not and is not an Ineligible Issuer (as defined in Rule 405), without taking account of any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an Ineligible Issuer

 

(k)    Free Writing Prospectus. The Company will not prepare, use or refer to, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses.

 

(l)    Proceedings Related to Registration Statement. The Registration Statement is not the subject of a pending proceeding or examination under Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the Act, and the Company is not the subject of a pending proceeding under Section 8A of the Act in connection with the offering of the Shares. The Company has not received any notice that the Commission has issued or intends to issue a stop-order with respect to the Registration Statement or that the Commission otherwise has suspended or withdrawn the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, either temporarily or permanently, or intends or has threatened in writing to do so.

 

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(m)    SEC Reports. The Company has filed all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by the Company under the Act and the Exchange Act, including pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) thereof, for the twelve (12) months preceding the date hereof (or such shorter period as the Company was required by law or regulation to file such material) (the foregoing materials, including the exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein, together with the Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement, being collectively referred to herein as the “SEC Reports”) on a timely basis or has received a valid extension of such time of filing and has filed any such SEC Reports prior to the expiration of any such extension. As of their respective dates, the SEC Reports complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and none of the SEC Reports, when filed, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The financial statements of the Company included in the SEC Reports comply in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the rules and regulations of the Commission with respect thereto as in effect at the time of filing. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS Accounting Standards developed by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (“IFRS”), except as may be otherwise specified in such financial statements or the notes thereto and except that unaudited financial statements may not contain all footnotes required by IFRS, and fairly present in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of and for the dates thereof and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended, subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal, immaterial, year-end audit adjustments.

 

(n)      [RESERVED]

 

(o)    Material Changes; Undisclosed Events, Liabilities or Developments. Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included within the SEC Reports, except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, (i) there has been no event, occurrence or development that has had or that would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) the Company has not incurred any liabilities (contingent or otherwise) other than (A) trade payables and accrued expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (B) liabilities not required to be reflected in the Company’s financial statements pursuant to IFRS or disclosed in filings made with the Commission, (iii) the Company has not altered its method of accounting, (iv) the Company has not declared or made any dividend or distribution of cash or other property to its shareholders or purchased, redeemed or made any agreements to purchase or redeem any shares of its capital stock and (v) the Company has not issued any equity securities to any officer, director or “Affiliate” (defined as any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person, as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 144 under the Act), except pursuant to existing Company stock option plans. The Company does not have pending before the Commission any request for confidential treatment of information. Except for the issuance of the Shares contemplated by this Agreement, no event, liability, fact, circumstance, occurrence or development has occurred or exists or is reasonably expected to occur or exist with respect to the Company or its Subsidiaries or their respective businesses, prospects, properties, operations, assets or financial condition that would be required to be disclosed by the Company under applicable securities laws at the time this representation is made or deemed made that has not been publicly disclosed at least 1 Trading Day prior to the date that this representation is made.

 

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(p)    Litigation. Except as set forth in the SEC Reports, there is no action, suit, inquiry, notice of violation, proceeding or investigation pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the Company, any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties before or by any court, arbitrator, governmental or administrative agency or regulatory authority (federal, state, county, local or foreign) (collectively, an “Action”). None of the Actions set forth in the SEC Reports, (i) adversely affects or challenges the legality, validity or enforceability of this Agreement or the Shares or (ii) would, if there were an unfavorable decision, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor any director or officer thereof, is or has been the subject of any Action involving a claim of violation of or liability under federal or state securities laws or a claim of breach of fiduciary duty. There has not been, and to the knowledge of the Company, there is not pending or contemplated, any investigation by the Commission involving the Company or any current or former director or officer of the Company. The Commission has not issued any stop order or other order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement filed by the Company or any Subsidiary under the Exchange Act or the Act.

 

(q)    Labor Relations. No labor dispute exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent with respect to any of the employees of the Company, which would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. None of the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ employees is a member of a union that relates to such employee’s relationship with the Company or such Subsidiary, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to a collective bargaining agreement, and the Company and its Subsidiaries believe that their relationships with their employees are good. To the knowledge of the Company, no executive officer of the Company or any Subsidiary, is, or is now expected to be, in violation of any material term of any employment contract, confidentiality, disclosure or proprietary information agreement or non-competition agreement, or any other contract or agreement or any restrictive covenant in favor of any third party, and the continued employment of each such executive officer does not subject the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any liability with respect to any of the foregoing matters. The Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with all U.S. federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations relating to employment and employment practices, terms and conditions of employment and wages and hours, except where the failure to be in compliance would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(r)    Compliance. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary: (i) is in default under or in violation of (and no event has occurred that has not been waived that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would result in a default by the Company or any Subsidiary under), nor has the Company or any Subsidiary received notice of a claim that it is in default under or that it is in violation of, any indenture, loan or credit agreement or any other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties is bound (whether or not such default or violation has been waived), (ii) is in violation of any judgment, decree or order of any court, arbitrator or other governmental authority or (iii) is or has been during the last two (2) years in violation of any statute, rule, ordinance or regulation of any governmental authority, including without limitation all foreign, federal, state and local laws relating to taxes, environmental protection, occupational health and safety, product quality and safety and employment and labor matters, except in each case as would not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(s)    Environmental Laws. The Company and its Subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with all federal, state, local and foreign laws relating to pollution or protection of human health or the environment (including ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata), including laws relating to emissions, discharges, releases or threatened releases of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, or toxic or hazardous substances or wastes (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) into the environment, or otherwise relating to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials, as well as all authorizations, codes, decrees, demands, or demand letters, injunctions, judgments, licenses, notices or notice letters, orders, permits, plans or regulations, issued, entered, promulgated or approved thereunder (“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 where in each clause (i), (ii) and (iii), the failure to so comply would be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(t)    Regulatory Permits. The Company and the Subsidiaries possess all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses as described in the SEC Reports, except where the failure to possess such permits would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect (“Material Permits”), and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any Material Permit.

 

(u)    Title to Assets. The Company and the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property owned by them and good and marketable title in all personal property owned by them that is material to the business of the Company and the Subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all Liens, except for (i) Liens as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and the Subsidiaries, (ii) Liens for the payment of federal, state or other taxes, for which appropriate reserves have been made therefor in accordance with IFRS and, the payment of which is neither delinquent nor subject to penalties, and (ii) Liens that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Any real property and facilities held under lease by the Company and the Subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with which the Company and the Subsidiaries are in compliance in all material respects.

 

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(v)    Intellectual Property. The Company and the Subsidiaries have, or have rights to use, all material patents, patent applications, trademarks, trademark applications, service marks, trade names, trade secrets, inventions, copyrights, licenses and other intellectual property rights and similar rights necessary or required for use in connection with their respective businesses as described in the SEC Reports and which the failure to so have could have a Material Adverse Effect (collectively, the “Intellectual Property Rights”). None of, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received a notice (written or otherwise) that any of, the Intellectual Property Rights has expired, terminated or been abandoned, or is expected to expire or terminate or be abandoned, within two (2) years from the date of this Agreement. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included within the SEC Reports, a written notice of a claim or otherwise has any knowledge that the Intellectual Property Rights violate or infringe upon the rights of any Person, except as could not have or reasonably be expected to not have a Material Adverse Effect. To the knowledge of the Company, all such Intellectual Property Rights are enforceable and there is no existing infringement by another Person of any of the Intellectual Property Rights. The Company and its Subsidiaries have taken reasonable security measures to protect the secrecy, confidentiality and value of all of their intellectual properties, except where failure to do so would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(w)    Insurance. The Company and the Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which the Company and the Subsidiaries are engaged, including, but not limited to, directors and officers insurance coverage. 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 without a significant increase in cost.

 

(x)    Affiliate Transactions. Except as set forth in the SEC Reports, none of the officers or directors of the Company or any Subsidiary and, to the knowledge of the Company, none of the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary is presently a party to any transaction with the Company or any Subsidiary (other than for services as employees, officers and directors), including any contract, agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of services to or by, providing for rental of real or personal property to or from, providing for the borrowing of money from or lending of money to or otherwise requiring payments to or from any officer, director or such employee or, to the knowledge of the Company, any entity in which any officer, director, or any such employee has a substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee, shareholder, member or partner, in each case in excess of $120,000 other than for (i) payment of salary or consulting fees for services rendered, (ii) reimbursement for expenses incurred on behalf of the Company and (iii) other employee benefits, including stock option agreements under any stock option plan of the Company.

 

(y)    Certain Fees. Other than payments to be made to the Manager, no brokerage or finder’s fees or commissions are or will be payable by the Company or any Subsidiary to any broker, financial advisor or consultant, finder, placement agent, investment banker, bank or other Person with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The Manager shall have no obligation with respect to any fees or with respect to any claims made by or on behalf of other Persons for fees of a type contemplated in this Section that may be due in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

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(aa)    No Other Sales Agency Agreement. The Company has not entered into any other sales agency agreements or other similar arrangements with any agent or any other representative in respect of at the market offerings of the Shares.

 

(bb)    [RESERVED]

 

(cc)    Listing and Maintenance Requirements. The Ordinary Shares are listed on the Trading Market and the issuance of the Shares as contemplated by this Agreement does not contravene the rules and regulations of the Trading Market. The Ordinary Shares are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or which to its knowledge is likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Ordinary Shares under the Exchange Act nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission is contemplating terminating such registration. The Company has not, in the twelve (12) months preceding the date hereof, received notice from any Trading Market on which the Ordinary Shares are or have been listed or quoted to the effect that the Company is not in compliance with the listing or maintenance requirements of such Trading Market. The Company is, and has no reason to believe that it will not in the foreseeable future continue to be, in compliance with all such listing and maintenance requirements. The Ordinary Shares are currently eligible for electronic transfer through the Depository Trust Company or another established clearing corporation and the Company is current in payment of the fees to the Depository Trust Company (or such other established clearing corporation) in connection with such electronic transfer.

 

(dd)   Application of Takeover Protections. The Company and the Board have taken all necessary action, if any, in order to render inapplicable any control share acquisition, business combination, poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement) or other similar anti-takeover provision under the Company’s certificate of incorporation (or similar charter documents) or the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation that is or could become applicable to the Shares.

 

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(ee)    Solvency. Based on the consolidated financial condition of the Company as of the date hereof, (i) the fair saleable value of the Company’s assets exceeds the amount that will be required to be paid on or in respect of the Company’s existing debts and other liabilities (including known contingent liabilities) as they mature, (ii) the Company’s assets do not constitute unreasonably small capital to carry on its business as now conducted and as proposed to be conducted including its capital needs taking into account the particular capital requirements of the business conducted by the Company, consolidated and projected capital requirements and capital availability thereof, and (iii) the current cash flow of the Company, together with the proceeds the Company would receive, were it to liquidate all of its assets, after taking into account all anticipated uses of the cash, would be sufficient to pay all amounts on or in respect of its liabilities when such amounts are required to be paid. The Company does not intend to incur debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature (taking into account the timing and amounts of cash to be payable on or in respect of its debt). The Company has no knowledge of any facts or circumstances which lead it to believe that it will file for reorganization or liquidation under the bankruptcy or reorganization laws of any jurisdiction within one year from the date hereof. The SEC Reports sets forth as of the date hereof all outstanding secured and unsecured Indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiary, or for which the Company or any Subsidiary has commitments. For the purposes of this Agreement, “Indebtedness” means (x) any liabilities for borrowed money or amounts owed in excess of $50,000 (other than trade accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of business), (y) all guaranties, endorsements and other contingent obligations in respect of indebtedness of others, whether or not the same are or should be reflected in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet (or the notes thereto), except guaranties by endorsement of negotiable instruments for deposit or collection or similar transactions in the ordinary course of business; and (z) the present value of any lease payments in excess of $50,000 due under leases required to be capitalized in accordance with IFRS. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in default with respect to any Indebtedness.

 

(ff)    Tax Status. Except for matters that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its Subsidiaries each (i) has made or filed all United States federal, state and local income and all foreign income and franchise tax returns, reports and declarations required by any jurisdiction to which it is subject, (ii) has paid all taxes and other governmental assessments and charges that are material in amount, shown or determined to be due on such returns, reports and declarations and (iii) has set aside on its books provision reasonably adequate for the payment of all material taxes for periods subsequent to the periods to which such returns, reports or declarations apply. There are no unpaid taxes in any material amount claimed to be due by the taxing authority of any jurisdiction, and the officers of the Company or of any Subsidiary know of no basis for any such claim.

 

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(gg)    Foreign Corrupt Practices. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor to the knowledge of the Company or any Subsidiary, any agent or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary, has (i) directly or indirectly, used any funds for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses related to foreign or domestic political activity, (ii) made any unlawful payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to any foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds, (iii) failed to disclose fully any contribution made by the Company or any Subsidiary (or made by any person acting on its behalf of which the Company is aware) which is in violation of law, or (iv) violated in any material respect any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.

 

(hh)    Accountants. The Company’s accounting firm is set forth in the SEC Reports. To the knowledge and belief of the Company, such accounting firm (i) is a registered public accounting firm as required by the Exchange Act and (ii) shall express its opinion with respect to the financial statements to be included in the Company’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023.

 

(ii)    Regulation M Compliance. The Company has not, and to its knowledge no one acting on its behalf has, (i) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Shares, (ii) sold, bid for, purchased, or, paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the Shares, or (iii) paid or agreed to pay to any Person any compensation for soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company, other than, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), compensation paid to the Manager in connection with the Shares.

 

(jj)    [RESERVED]

 

(kk)  Stock Option Plans. Each stock option granted by the Company under the Company’s stock option plan was granted (i) in accordance with the terms of the Company’s stock option plan and (ii) with an exercise price at least equal to the fair market value of the Ordinary Shares on the date such stock option would be considered granted under IFRS and applicable law. No stock option granted under the Company’s stock option plan has been backdated. The Company has not knowingly granted, and there is no and has been no Company policy or practice to knowingly grant, stock options prior to, or otherwise knowingly coordinate the grant of stock options with, the release or other public announcement of material information regarding the Company or its Subsidiaries or their financial results or prospects.

 

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(ll)   Cybersecurity. Except for matters that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (i) (x) there has been no security breach or other compromise of or relating to any of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data (including the data of its respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained by or on behalf of it), equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”) and (y) the Company and the Subsidiaries have not been notified of, and has no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any security breach or other compromise to its IT Systems and Data; (ii) the Company and the Subsidiaries are presently in compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification; (iii) the Company and the Subsidiaries have implemented and maintained commercially reasonable safeguards to maintain and protect its material confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all IT Systems and Data; and (iv) the Company and the Subsidiaries have implemented backup and disaster recovery technology consistent with industry standards and practices.

 

(mm)  Office of Foreign Assets Control. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary nor, to the Company's knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any Subsidiary is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”).

 

(nn)    U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation. The Company is not and has never been a U.S. real property holding corporation within the meaning of Section 897 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the Company shall so certify upon the Manager’s request.

 

(oo)    Bank Holding Company Act. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates is subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”) and to regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”). Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates owns or controls, directly or indirectly, five percent (5%) or more of the outstanding shares of any class of voting securities or twenty-five percent or more of the total equity of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates exercises a controlling influence over the management or policies of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve.

 

(pp)    Money Laundering. The operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with applicable financial record-keeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, applicable money laundering statutes and applicable rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”), and no Action 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 Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company or any Subsidiary, threatened.

 

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(qq)   FINRA Member Shareholders. There are no affiliations with any FINRA member firm among the Company’s officers, directors or, to the knowledge of the Company, any five percent (5%) or greater shareholder of the Company, except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, any Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus.

 

4.    Agreements. The Company agrees with the Manager that:

 

(a)    Right to Review Amendments and Supplements to Registration Statement and Prospectus. During any period when the delivery of a prospectus relating to the Shares is required (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172, 173 or any similar rule) to be delivered under the Act in connection with the offering or the sale of Shares, the Company will not file any amendment to the Registration Statement or supplement (including any Prospectus Supplement) to the Base Prospectus unless the Company has furnished to the Manager a copy for its review prior to filing and will not file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Manager reasonably objects. The Company has properly completed the Prospectus, in a form approved by the Manager, and filed such Prospectus, as amended at the Execution Time, with the Commission pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) by the Execution Time and will cause any supplement to the Prospectus to be properly completed, in a form approved by the Manager, and will file such supplement with the Commission pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) within the time period prescribed thereby and will provide evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Manager of such timely filing. The Company will promptly advise the Manager (i) when the Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, shall have been filed (if required) with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b), (ii) when, during any period when the delivery of a prospectus (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172, 173 or any similar rule) is required under the Act in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares, any amendment to the Registration Statement shall have been filed or become effective (other than any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act), (iii) of any request by the Commission or its staff for any amendment of the Registration Statement, or for any supplement to the Prospectus or for any additional information, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any notice objecting to its use or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for that purpose and (v) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for sale in any jurisdiction or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose. The Company will use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order or the occurrence of any such suspension or objection to the use of the Registration Statement and, upon such issuance, occurrence or notice of objection, to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal of such stop order or relief from such occurrence or objection, including, if necessary, by filing an amendment to the Registration Statement or a new registration statement and using its best efforts to have such amendment or new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable.

 

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(b)    Subsequent Events. If, at any time on or after an Applicable Time but prior to the related Settlement Date, any event occurs as a result of which the Registration Statement or Prospectus would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made or the circumstances then prevailing not misleading, the Company will (i) notify promptly the Manager so that any use of the Registration Statement or Prospectus may cease until such are amended or supplemented; (ii) amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus to correct such statement or omission; and (iii) supply any amendment or supplement to the Manager in such quantities as the Manager may reasonably request.

 

(c)    Notification of Subsequent Filings. During any period when the delivery of a prospectus relating to the Shares is required (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172, 173 or any similar rule) to be delivered under the Act, any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as then supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made not misleading, or if it shall be necessary to amend the Registration Statement, file a new registration statement or supplement the Prospectus to comply with the Act or the Exchange Act or the respective rules thereunder, including in connection with use or delivery of the Prospectus, the Company promptly will (i) notify the Manager of any such event, (ii) subject to Section 4(a), prepare and file with the Commission an amendment or supplement or new registration statement which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance, (iii) use its best efforts to have any amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable in order to avoid any disruption in use of the Prospectus and (iv) supply any supplemented Prospectus to the Manager in such quantities as the Manager may reasonably request.

 

(d)    Earnings Statements. As soon as practicable, the Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Manager an earnings statement or statements of the Company and its Subsidiaries which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158.

 

(e)    Delivery of Registration Statement. Upon the request of a Manager, the Company will furnish to such Manager and counsel for such Manager, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto) and, so long as delivery of a prospectus by such Manager or dealer may be required by the Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172, 173 or any similar rule), as many copies of the Prospectus and any supplement thereto as such Manager may reasonably request. The Company will pay the expenses of printing or other production of all documents relating to the offering.

 

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(f)    Qualification of Shares. The Company will arrange, if necessary, for the qualification of the Shares for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Manager may designate and will maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Shares; provided that in no event shall the Company be obligated to qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or to take any action that would subject it to service of process in suits, other than those arising out of the offering or sale of the Shares, in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject.

 

(g)    Free Writing Prospectus. The Company agrees that, and the Manager agrees with the Company that, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405) required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433.

 

(h)    Subsequent Equity Issuances. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary will offer, sell, issue, contract to sell, contract to issue or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any other Ordinary Shares or any Ordinary Shares Equivalents (other than the Shares) during the term of this Agreement without the prior written consent of the Manager (i) without giving the Manager at least three Business Days’ prior written notice specifying the nature of the proposed transaction and the date of such proposed transaction and (ii) unless the Manager suspends acting under this Agreement for such period of time requested by the Company or as deemed appropriate by the Manager in light of the proposed transaction; provided, however, that the Company may issue and sell Ordinary Shares pursuant to any employee equity incentive plan, stock ownership plan or dividend reinvestment plan of the Company, or pursuant to the operating agreement of any Subsidiary in effect at the Execution Time and the Company may issue Ordinary Shares issuable upon the conversion or exercise of Ordinary Shares Equivalents outstanding at the Execution Time.

 

(i)    Market Manipulation. Until the termination of this Agreement, the Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation in violation of the Act, Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares or otherwise violate any provision of Regulation M under the Exchange Act.

 

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(j)    Notification of Incorrect Certificate. The Company will, at any time during the term of this Agreement, as supplemented from time to time, advise the Manager immediately after it shall have received notice or obtained knowledge thereof, of any information or fact that would alter or affect any opinion, certificate, letter and other document provided to the Manager pursuant to Section 6 herein.

 

(k)    Certification of Accuracy of Disclosure. Upon commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement (and upon the recommencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement following the termination of a suspension of sales hereunder lasting more than 30 Trading Days), and each time that (i) the Registration Statement or Prospectus shall be amended or supplemented, other than by means of Incorporated Documents, (ii) the Company files its Annual Report on Form 20-F under the Exchange Act, (iii) the Company files a Current Report on Form 6-K containing interim financial statements or amended financial information (other than information that is furnished and not filed), if the Manager reasonably determines that the information in such Form 6-K is material, or (iv) the Shares are delivered to the Manager as principal at the Time of Delivery pursuant to a Terms Agreement (such commencement or recommencement date and each such date referred to in (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) above, a "Representation Date”), unless waived by the Manager, the Company shall furnish or cause to be furnished to the Manager forthwith a certificate dated and delivered on the Representation Date, in form reasonably satisfactory to the Manager to the effect that the statements contained in the certificate referred to in Section 6 of this Agreement which were last furnished to the Manager are true and correct at the Representation Date, as though made at and as of such date (except that such statements shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented to such date) or, in lieu of such certificate, a certificate of the same tenor as the certificate referred to in said Section 6, modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented to the date of delivery of such certificate. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the requirement to deliver the certificate is hereby deemed waived for any Representation Date occurring at a time at which no Sales Notice is pending. If the Company subsequently decides to sell Shares following a Representation Date when the Company relied on such deemed waiver and did not provide the Manager with the certificate required by this section, then before the Company delivers the Sales Notice or a Manager sells any Shares, the Company shall deliver the certificate required by this section. In such event, the date of such Sales Notice shall be deemed a Representation Date.

 

(l)    Bring Down Opinions; Negative Assurance. At each Representation Date, unless waived by the Manager or deemed waived, the Company shall furnish or cause to be furnished forthwith to the Manager and to counsel to the Manager a written opinion of United States counsel to the Company (“US Company Counsel”) and United Kingdom counsel to the Company (“UK Company Counsel”) addressed to the Manager and dated and delivered on such Representation Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Manager, including a negative assurance representation. The requirement to furnish or cause to be furnished an opinion (but not with respect to a negative assurance representation) under this Section 4(l) shall be waived for any Representation Date other than a Representation Date on which a material amendment to the Registration Statement or Prospectus is made or the Company files its Annual Report on Form 20-F or a material amendment thereto under the Exchange Act, unless the Manager reasonably requests such deliverable required this Section 4(l) in connection with a Representation Date, upon which request such deliverable shall be deliverable hereunder.

 

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(m)    Auditor Bring Down “Comfort” Letter. At each Representation Date, unless waived by the Manager or deemed waived, the Company shall cause (1) the Company’s auditors (the “Accountants”), or other independent accountants satisfactory to the Manager forthwith to furnish the Manager a letter, and (2) the Chief Financial Officer or Group Finance Director or Principal Accounting Officer of the Company forthwith to furnish the Manager a certificate, in each case dated on such Representation Date, in form satisfactory to the Manager, of the same tenor as the letters and certificate referred to in Section 6 of this Agreement but modified to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as amended and supplemented to the date of such letters and certificate; provided, however, that the Company will not be required to cause the Accountants to furnish such letters to the Manager in connection with the filing of a Current Report on Form 6-K unless (i) such Current Report on Form 6-K is filed at any time during which a prospectus relating to the Shares is required to be delivered under the Act and (ii) the Manager has requested such letter based upon the event or events reported in such Current Report on Form 6-K. The requirement to furnish or cause to be furnished a “comfort” letter under this Section 4(m) shall be waived for any Representation Date other than a Representation Date on which a material amendment to the Registration Statement or Prospectus is made or the Company files its Annual Report on Form 20-F or a material amendment thereto under the Exchange Act, unless the Manager reasonably requests the deliverables required by this Section 4(m) in connection with a Representation Date, upon which request such deliverable shall be deliverable hereunder.

 

(n)    Due Diligence Session. Upon commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement (and upon the recommencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement following the termination of a suspension of sales hereunder lasting more than 30 Trading Days), and at each Representation Date, the Company will conduct a due diligence session, in form and substance, reasonably satisfactory to the Manager, which shall include representatives of management and Accountants. The Company shall cooperate timely with any reasonable due diligence request from or review conducted by the Manager or its agents from time to time in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including, without limitation, providing information and available documents and access to appropriate corporate officers and the Company’s agents during regular business hours, and timely furnishing or causing to be furnished such certificates, letters and opinions from the Company, its officers and its agents, as the Manager may reasonably request.

 

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(o)    Acknowledgment of Trading. The Company consents to the Manager trading in the Ordinary Shares for the Manager’s own account and for the account of its clients at the same time as sales of the Shares occur pursuant to this Agreement or pursuant to a Terms Agreement.

 

(p)    Disclosure of Shares Sold. The Company will disclose in its Annual Reports on Form 20-F or on Form 6-K when disclosing interim financial reports, as applicable, the number of Shares sold through the Manager under this Agreement, the Net Proceeds to the Company and the compensation paid by the Company with respect to sales of Shares pursuant to this Agreement during the relevant period; and, if required by any subsequent change in Commission policy or request, more frequently by means of a Current Report on Form 6-K or a further Prospectus Supplement.

 

(q)    Rescission Right. If to the knowledge of the Company, the conditions set forth in Section 6 shall not have been satisfied as of the applicable Settlement Date, the Company will offer to any person who has agreed to purchase Shares from the Company as the result of an offer to purchase solicited by the Manager the right to refuse to purchase and pay for such Shares.

 

(r)    Bring Down of Representations and Warranties. Each delivery of a Sales Notice hereunder and each execution and delivery by the Company of a Terms Agreement, shall be deemed to be an affirmation to the Manager that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in or made pursuant to this Agreement are true and correct as of the date of such Sales Notice or of such Terms Agreement as though made at and as of such date, and an undertaking that such representations and warranties will be true and correct as of the Settlement Date for the Shares relating to such Sales Notice or as of the Time of Delivery relating to such sale, as the case may be, as though made at and as of such date (except that such representations and warranties shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented relating to such Shares).

 

(s)    Reservation of Shares. The Company shall ensure that there are at all times sufficient Ordinary Shares to provide for the issuance, free of any preemptive rights, out of its authorized but unissued Ordinary Shares or Ordinary Shares held in treasury, of the maximum aggregate number of Shares authorized for issuance by the Board pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Shares to be listed for trading on the Trading Market and to maintain such listing.

 

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(t)    Obligation Under Exchange Act. During any period when the delivery of a prospectus relating to the Shares is required (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172, 173 or any similar rule) to be delivered under the Act, the Company will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act within the time periods required by the Exchange Act and the regulations thereunder.

 

(u)    DTC Facility. The Company shall cooperate with the Manager and use its reasonable efforts to permit the Shares to be eligible for clearance and settlement through the facilities of DTC.

 

(v)    Use of Proceeds. The Company will apply the Net Proceeds from the sale of the Shares in the manner set forth in the Prospectus.

 

(w)    Filing of Prospectus Supplement. If required, on the date of filing of each of the Company’s Annual Reports on Form 20-F or Current Report on Form 6-K to disclose interim financials, but not later than the due date for each such Annual Report on Form 20-F or form 6-K, respectively, the Company will file a prospectus supplement with the Commission under the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) (the date of such filing, if required, a “Filing Date”), which prospectus supplement will set forth, with regard to such quarter, the number of the Shares sold through the Manager as agent pursuant to Section 2(b) of this Agreement, the Net Proceeds to the Company and the compensation paid by the Company with respect to such sales of the Shares pursuant to Section 2(b) of this Agreement and deliver such number of copies of each such prospectus supplement to the Trading Market as are required by such exchange. If any sales are made pursuant to this Agreement which are not made in “at the market” offerings as defined in Rule 415, including, without limitation, any Placement pursuant to a Terms Agreement, the Company shall file a Prospectus Supplement describing the terms of such transaction, the amount of Shares sold, the price thereof, the Manager’ compensation, and such other information as may be required pursuant to Rule 424 and Rule 430B, as applicable, within the time required by Rule 424.

 

(x)    Additional Registration Statement. To the extent that the Registration Statement is not available for the sales of the Shares as contemplated by this Agreement, the Company shall file a new registration statement with respect to any additional Ordinary Shares necessary to complete such sales of the Shares and shall cause such registration statement to become effective as promptly as practicable. After the effectiveness of any such registration statement, all references to “Registration Statement” included in this Agreement shall be deemed to include such new registration statement, including all documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form F-3, and all references to “Base Prospectus” included in this Agreement shall be deemed to include the final form of prospectus, including all documents incorporated therein by reference, included in any such registration statement at the time such registration statement became effective.

 

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5.    Payment of Expenses. The Company agrees to pay the costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated, including without limitation: (i) the preparation, printing or reproduction and filing with the Commission of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits thereto), the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and each amendment or supplement to any of them; (ii) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery (including postage, air freight charges and charges for counting and packaging) of such copies of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and all amendments or supplements to any of them, as may, in each case, be reasonably requested for use in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares; (iii) the preparation, printing, authentication, issuance and delivery of certificates for the Shares, including any stamp or transfer taxes in connection with the original issuance and sale of the Shares; (iv) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery of this Agreement, any blue sky memorandum and all other agreements or documents printed (or reproduced) and delivered in connection with the offering of the Shares; (v) the registration of the Shares under the Exchange Act, if applicable, and the listing of the Shares on the Trading Market; (vi) any registration or qualification of the Shares for offer and sale under the securities or blue sky laws of the several states (including filing fees and the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for the Manager relating to such registration and qualification); (vii) the transportation and other expenses incurred by or on behalf of Company representatives in connection with presentations to prospective purchasers of the Shares; (viii) the fees and expenses of the Company’s accountants and the fees and expenses of counsel (including local and special counsel) for the Company; (ix) the filing fee under FINRA Rule 5110; (x) the reasonable fees and expenses of the Manager and Manager’s counsel, not to exceed $75,000 for the first twelve (12) months following the execution of this Agreement, subject to the underlying invoices and time sheets being provided; and (xi) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder.

 

6.    Conditions to the Obligations of the Manager. The obligations of the Manager under this Agreement and any Terms Agreement shall be subject to (i) the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company contained herein as of the Execution Time, each Representation Date, and as of each Applicable Time, Settlement Date and Time of Delivery, (ii) the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and (iii) the following additional conditions:

 

(a)    Filing of Prospectus Supplement. The Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, required by Rule 424 to be filed with the Commission have been filed in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) with respect to any sale of Shares; each Prospectus Supplement shall have been filed in the manner required by Rule 424(b) within the time period required hereunder and under the Act; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice objecting to its use shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or threatened.

 

29

 

(b)    Delivery of Opinion. As of the Execution Time and as of each Representation Date, unless waived, the Company shall have caused the US Company Counsel and UK Company Counsel to furnish to the Manager, to the extent requested by the Manager and upon reasonable advance notice in connection with any offering of the Shares, its opinion and negative assurance statement, dated as of such date and addressed to the Manager in form and substance acceptable to the Manager.

 

(c)    Delivery of Officer’s Certificate. As of the Execution Time and as of each Representation Date, unless waived, the Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to the Manager, to the extent requested by the Manager and upon reasonable advance notice in connection with any offering of the Shares, a certificate of the Company signed by the Chief Executive Officer or the President and the principal financial or accounting officer of the Company, dated as of such date, to the effect that the signers of such certificate have carefully examined the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Prospectus Supplement and any documents incorporated by reference therein and any supplements or amendments thereto and this Agreement and that:

 

(i)    the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct on and as of such date with the same effect as if made on such date and the Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to such date;

 

(ii)    no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice objecting to its use has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened; and

 

(iii)    since the date of the most recent financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Incorporated Documents, there has been no Material Adverse Effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, business or properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

 

30

 

(d)    Delivery of Accountants’ “Comfort” Letter. As of the Execution Time and as of each Representation Date, unless waived, the Company shall have requested and caused the Accountants to have furnished to the Manager, to the extent requested by the Manager and upon reasonable advance notice in connection with any offering of the Shares, letters (which may refer to letters previously delivered to the Manager), dated as of such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Manager, confirming that they are independent accountants within the meaning of the Act and the Exchange Act and the respective applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission thereunder and that they have performed a review of any unaudited interim financial information of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and provide customary “comfort” as to such review in form and substance satisfactory to the Manager.

 

(e)    No Material Adverse Event. Since the respective dates as of which information is disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Incorporated Documents, except as otherwise stated therein, there shall not have been any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, business or properties of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Incorporated Documents (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto) the effect of which, in any such case, is, in the sole judgment of the Manager, so material and adverse as to make it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Shares as contemplated by the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereof), the Incorporated Documents and the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto).

 

(f)    Payment of All Fees. The Company shall have paid the required Commission filing fees relating to the Shares within the time period required by Rule 456(b)(1)(i) of the Act without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of the Act and, if applicable, shall have updated the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in accordance with Rule 456(b)(1)(ii) either in a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or on the cover page of a prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b).

 

(g)    No FINRA Objections. FINRA shall not have raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the terms and arrangements under this Agreement.

 

(h)    Shares Listed on Trading Market. The Shares shall have been listed and admitted and authorized for trading on the Trading Market, and satisfactory evidence of such actions shall have been provided to the Manager.

 

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(i)    Other Assurances. Prior to each Settlement Date and Time of Delivery, as applicable, the Company shall have furnished to the Manager such further information, certificates and documents as the Manager may reasonably request.

 

If any of the conditions specified in this Section 6 shall not have been fulfilled when and as provided in this Agreement, or if any of the opinions and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall not be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Manager and counsel for the Manager, this Agreement and all obligations of the Manager hereunder may be canceled at, or at any time prior to, any Settlement Date or Time of Delivery, as applicable, by the Manager. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the Company in writing or by telephone and confirmed in writing by electronic mail.

 

The documents required to be delivered by this Section 6 shall be delivered to the office of Louis Taubman of Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li LLC, counsel for the Manager, email: ltaubman@htflawyers.com, on each such date as provided in this Agreement.

 

7.     Indemnification and Contribution.

 

(a)    Indemnification by Company. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Manager, the directors, officers, employees and agents of the Manager and each person who controls the Manager within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which they or any of them may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or other Federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement for the registration of the Shares as originally filed or in any amendment thereof, or in the Base Prospectus, any Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or in any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or result from or relate to any breach of any of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements made by the Company in this Agreement, and agrees to reimburse each such indemnified party for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made therein in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Manager specifically for inclusion therein. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that the Company may otherwise have.

 

32

 

(b)    Indemnification by the Manager. The Manager agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the Registration Statement, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act, to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Company to the Manager, but only with reference to written information relating to such Manager furnished to the Company by such Manager specifically for inclusion in the documents referred to in the foregoing indemnity; provided, however, that in no case shall a Manager be responsible for any amount in excess of the Broker Fee applicable to the Shares and paid hereunder to such Manager. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which the Manager may otherwise have.

 

(c)    Indemnification Procedures. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 7 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section 7, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the failure so to notify the indemnifying party (i) will not relieve it from liability under paragraph (a) or (b) above unless and to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantial rights and defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from any obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification obligation provided in paragraph (a) or (b) above. The indemnifying party shall be entitled to appoint counsel of the indemnifying party’s choice at the indemnifying party’s expense to represent the indemnified party in any action for which indemnification is sought (in which case the indemnifying party shall not thereafter be responsible for the fees and expenses of any separate counsel retained by the indemnified party or parties except as set forth below); provided, however, that such counsel shall be reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party. Notwithstanding the indemnifying party’s election to appoint counsel to represent the indemnified party in an action, the indemnified party shall have the right to employ separate counsel (including local counsel), and the indemnifying party shall bear the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of such separate counsel if (i) the use of counsel chosen by the indemnifying party to represent the indemnified party would present such counsel with a conflict of interest (based on the reasonable advice of counsel to the indemnified party), (ii) the actual or potential defendants in, or targets of, any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded (based on the reasonable advice of counsel to the indemnified party) that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties which are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, (iii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of the institution of such action or (iv) the indemnifying party shall authorize the indemnified party to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party. An indemnifying party will not, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties to such claim or action) unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding. No indemnifying party shall be liable for any settlement of any action or claim affected without its written consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.

 

33

 

(d)    Contribution. In the event that the indemnity provided in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of this Section 7 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party for any reason, the Company and Manager, severally and not jointly, agree to contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating or defending the same) (collectively “Losses”) to which the Company and the Manager may be subject in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and by such Manager on the other from the offering of the Shares; provided, however, that in no case shall a Manager be responsible for any amount in excess of the Broker Fee applicable to the Shares and paid hereunder. If the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for any reason, the Company and Manager, severally and not jointly, shall contribute in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of such Manager on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such Losses as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. Benefits received by the Company shall be deemed to be equal to the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by it, and benefits received by such Manager shall be deemed to be equal to the Broker Fee applicable to the Shares and paid hereunder as determined by this Agreement to such Manager. Relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any untrue or any alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information provided by the Company on the one hand or the Manager on the other, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The Company and the Manager agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution were determined by pro rata allocation or any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph (d), no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 7, each person who controls the Manager within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act and each director, officer, employee and agent of the Manager shall have the same rights to contribution as such Manager, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act, each officer of the Company who shall have signed the Registration Statement and each director of the Company shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the applicable terms and conditions of this paragraph (d).

 

34

 

8.     Termination.

 

(a)    The Company shall have the right, by giving written notice as hereinafter specified, to terminate the provisions of this Agreement relating to the solicitation of offers to purchase the Shares in its sole discretion at any time upon five (5) Business Days’ prior written notice. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that (i) with respect to any pending sale, through a Manager for the Company, the obligations of the Company, including in respect of compensation of the Manager, shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding the termination and (ii) the provisions of Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, the second sentence of 13 and 14 of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.

 

(b)    The Manager shall have the right, by giving written notice as hereinafter specified, to terminate the provisions of this Agreement relating to the solicitation of offers to purchase the Shares in its sole discretion at any time. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, the second sentence of 13 and 14 of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.

 

(c)    This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect until the earlier of February 15, 2025 such date that this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Sections 8(a) or (b) above or otherwise by mutual agreement of the parties, provided that any such termination by mutual agreement shall in all cases be deemed to provide that Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, the second sentence of 13 and 14 shall remain in full force and effect.

 

(d)    Any termination of this Agreement by the Manager shall be effective on the date specified in such notice of termination, provided that such termination shall not be effective until the close of business on the date of receipt of such notice by the Manager or the Company, as the case may be. If such termination shall occur prior to the Settlement Date or Time of Delivery for any sale of the Shares, such sale of the Shares shall settle in accordance with the provisions of Section 2(b) of this Agreement.

 

35

 

(e)    In the case of any purchase of Shares by the Manager pursuant to a Terms Agreement, the obligations of the Manager pursuant to such Terms Agreement shall be subject to termination, in the absolute discretion of the Manager, by prompt oral notice given to the Company prior to the Time of Delivery relating to such Shares, if any, and confirmed promptly by electronic mail, if since the time of execution of the Terms Agreement and prior to such delivery and payment, (i) trading in the Ordinary Shares shall have been suspended by the Commission or the Trading Market or trading in securities generally on the Trading Market shall have been suspended or limited or minimum prices shall have been established on such exchange, (ii) a banking moratorium shall have been declared either by Federal or New York State authorities or (iii) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war, or other calamity or crisis the effect of which on financial markets is such as to make it, in the sole judgment of the Manager, impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Shares as contemplated by the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto).

 

9.    Representations and Indemnities to Survive. The respective agreements, representations, warranties, indemnities and other statements of the Company or its officers and the Manager set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by the Manager or the Company or any of the officers, directors, employees, agents or controlling persons referred to in Section 7, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Shares.

 

10.    Notices. All communications hereunder will be in writing and effective only on receipt, and will be mailed, delivered, or e-mailed to the addresses of the Company and the Manager, as applicable, set forth on the signature page hereto and with a copy to counsel, for information purposes only, as set forth below.

 

If notice is being sent to the Manager, a copy shall also be sent to

 

Hunter Taubman Fisher & Li LLC
950 Third Ave., 19th Floor

New York, NY 10022 Telephone: (917) 512-0827 Attention: Louis Taubman E-mail: ltaubman@htflawyers.com If notice is being sent to the Company, a copy shall also be sent to

 

36

 

 

Nummi & Associates PA
210 22nd Ave. NE, Unit 13
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704
Telephone: 813-727-3673
Attention: Richard Nummi
E-Mail: rnummi@nummilaw.com

 

 

11.    Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers, directors, employees, agents and controlling persons referred to in Section 7, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.

 

12.    No Fiduciary Duty. The Company hereby acknowledges that (a) the purchase and sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the Manager and any affiliate through which it may be acting, on the other, (b) the Manager is acting solely as sales agent and/or principal in connection with the purchase and sale of the Company’s securities and not as a fiduciary of the Company and (c) the Company’s engagement of the Manager in connection with the offering and the process leading up to the offering is as independent contractors and not in any other capacity. Furthermore, the Company agrees that it is solely responsible for making its own judgments in connection with the offering (irrespective of whether the Manager has advised or is currently advising the Company on related or other matters). The Company agrees that it will not claim that the Manager has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owe an agency, fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.

 

37

 

13.    Integration. This Agreement and any Terms Agreement supersede all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Manager with respect to the subject matter hereof. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the letter agreement, dated August 23, 2023, by and between the Company and the Manager shall continue to be effective and the terms therein shall continue to survive and be enforceable by the Manager in accordance with its terms, provided that, in the event of a conflict between the terms of the letter agreement and this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall prevail.

 

14.    Amendments; Waivers. No provision of this Agreement may be waived, modified, supplemented or amended except in a written instrument signed, in the case of an amendment, by the Company and the Manager. No waiver of any default with respect to any provision, condition or requirement of this Agreement shall be deemed to be a continuing waiver in the future or a waiver of any subsequent default or a waiver of any other provision, condition or requirement hereof, nor shall any delay or omission of any party to exercise any right hereunder in any manner impair the exercise of any such right.

 

15.    Applicable Law. This Agreement and any Terms Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to contracts made and to be performed within the State of New York. Each of the Company and each of the Manager: (i) agrees that any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall be instituted exclusively in New York Supreme Court, County of New York, or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, (ii) waives any objection which it may have or hereafter to the venue of any such suit, action or proceeding, and (iii) irrevocably consents to the jurisdiction of the New York Supreme Court, County of New York, and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in any such suit, action or proceeding. Each of the Company and the Manager further agrees to accept and acknowledge service of any and all process which may be served in any such suit, action or proceeding in the New York Supreme Court, County of New York, or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and agrees that service of process upon the Company mailed by certified mail to the Company’s address shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon the Company, in any such suit, action or proceeding, and service of process upon the Manager mailed by certified mail to the Manager’s address shall be deemed in every respect effective service process upon such Manager, in any such suit, action or proceeding. If either party shall commence an action or proceeding to enforce any provision of this Agreement, then the prevailing party in such action or proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other party for its reasonable attorney’s fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such action or proceeding.

 

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16.    WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. THE COMPANY 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 AGREEMENT, ANY TERMS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY.

 

17.    Counterparts. This Agreement and any Terms Agreement may be signed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement, which may be delivered in .pdf file via e-mail.

 

***************************

 

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18.    Headings. The section headings used in this Agreement and any Terms Agreement are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

 

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to us the enclosed duplicate hereof, whereupon this letter and your acceptance shall represent a binding agreement among the Company and the Manager.

 

 

Very truly yours,

 

VivoPower International PLC

 

 

By:   /s/ Kevin Chin                                          

Name: Kevin Chin

Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

Address for Notice:

 

The Scalpel, 18th Floor, 52 Lime Street,

London EC3M 7AF

 

 

 

The foregoing Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted as of the date first written above.

 

 

MANAGER

CHARDAN CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC

 

 

By:       /s/ George Kaufman                                     

Name: George Kaufman

 

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Form of Terms Agreement ANNEX I

VIVOPOWER INTERNATIONAL PLC

TERMS AGREEMENT

 

Dear Sirs:

 

Title: Head of Investment Banking VivoPower International PLC. (the “Company”) proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein and in the At The Market Offering Agreement, dated April 5, 2024 (the “At The Market Offering Agreement”), between the Company and Chardan Capital Markets LLC as Each (as defined therein), to issue and sell to the Manager the securities specified in the Schedule I hereto (the “Purchased Shares”).

 

Each of the provisions of the At The Market Offering Agreement not specifically related to the solicitation by the Manager, as agent of the Company, of offers to purchase securities is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and shall be deemed to be part of this Terms Agreement to the same extent as if such provisions had been set forth in full herein. Each of the representations and warranties set forth therein shall be deemed to have been made at and as of the date of this Terms Agreement and the Time of Delivery, except that each representation and warranty in Section 3 of the At The Market Offering Agreement which makes reference to the Prospectus (as therein defined) shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty as of the date of the At The Market Offering Agreement in relation to the Prospectus, and also a representation and warranty as of the date of this Terms Agreement and the Time of Delivery in relation to the Prospectus as amended and supplemented to relate to the Purchased Shares.

 

An amendment to the Registration Statement (as defined in the At The Market Offering Agreement), or a supplement to the Prospectus, as the case may be, relating to the Purchased Shares, in the form heretofore delivered to the Manager is now proposed to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein and in the At The Market Offering Agreement which are incorporated herein by reference, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the Manager and the latter agrees to purchase from the Company the number of shares of the Purchased Shares at the time and place and at the purchase price set forth in the Schedule I hereto.

 

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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return to us a counterpart hereof, whereupon this Terms Agreement, including those provisions of the At The Market Offering Agreement incorporated herein by reference, shall constitute a binding agreement between the Manager and the Company.

 

 

 

VivoPower International PLC

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

 

Name:

 

 

 

Title:

 

 

ACCEPTED as of the date first written above.

 

MANAGER

 

CHARDAN CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC

 

By:                                                                                                   

Name:

Title:

 

 

 

42

 

Exhibit A

 

 

 

Subsidiaries

 

Incorporated % Owned Purpose

 

VivoPower International PLC

 

 

England

 

 

n.a.

 

 

Overall Holding Company

 

 

VivoPower International Services Limited

 

 

Jersey

 

 

100%

 

 

Operating company

 

 

VivoPower USA, LLC

 

 

United States

 

 

100%

 

 

Operating company

 

 

VivoPower US-NC-31, LLC

 

 

United States

 

 

100%

 

 

Dormant

 

 

VivoPower US-NC-47, LLC

 

 

United States

 

 

100%

 

 

Dormant

 

 

VivoPower (USA) Development, LLC

 

 

United States

 

 

100%

 

 

Holding company

 

 

Caret, LLC (formerly Innovative Solar Ventures I, LLC)

 

 

United States

 

 

100%

 

 

Operating company

 

 

Caret Decimal, LLC

 

 

United States

 

 

100%

 

 

Operating company

 

 

VivoPower Pty Ltd

 

 

Australia

 

 

100%

 

 

Operating company

 

 

Aevitas O Holdings Pty Ltd

 

 

Australia

 

 

100%

 

 

Holding company

 

 

Aevitas Group Limited

 

 

Australia

 

 

100%

 

 

Holding company

 

 

Aevitas Holdings Pty Ltd

 

 

Australia

 

 

100%

 

 

Holding company

 

 

Electrical Engineering Group Pty Limited

 

 

Australia

 

 

100%

 

 

Holding company

 

 

Kenshaw Solar Pty Ltd (formerly J.A. Martin Electrical Pty Limited)

 

 

Australia

 

 

100%

 

 

Operating company

 

 

Kenshaw Electrical Pty Limited

 

 

Australia

 

 

100%

 

 

Operating company

 

 

Tembo Technologies Pty Ltd

 

 

Australia

 

 

100%

 

 

Operating company

 

 

Tembo EV Pty Ltd

 

 

Australia

 

 

100%

 

 

Operating company

 

 

V.V.P. Holdings Inc

 

 

Philippines

 

 

40%

 

 

Dormant

 

 

Tembo e-LV B.V.

 

 

Netherlands

 

 

100%

 

 

Holding company

 

 

Tembo 4x4 e-LV B.V.

 

 

Netherlands

 

 

100%

 

 

Operating company

 

 

FD 4x4 Centre B.V.

 

 

Netherlands

 

 

100%

 

 

Operating company

 

 

Tembo EUV Solutions B.V.

 

 

Netherlands

 

 

100%

 

 

Holding company

 

 

 

 

 

43
EX-23.1 5 ex_649468.htm EXHIBIT 23.1 ex_306779.htm

Exhibit 23.1

 

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form F-3, including the base prospectus contained therein and the prospectus supplement dated April 5, 2024 (registration no. 333-276509) of VivoPower International PLC of our report dated October 2, 2023 relating to the financial statements, which appears in VivoPower International PLC’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended June 30, 2023. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ PKF Littlejohn LLP 

 

15 Westferry Circus

 

 

 

Canary Wharf

 

PKF Littlejohn LLP 

 

London E14 4HD 

 

 

 

 

 

April 5, 2024