|
Exhibit 4.1
SIPEX CORPORATION
and
WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION,
as Warrant Agent
WARRANT AGENT
AGREEMENT
Dated as of May 16,
2006
WARRANT AGENT
AGREEMENT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
|
|
|
| SECTION 1.
Appointment of Warrant Agent |
|
1 |
|
SECTION 2. Warrant
Certificates
|
|
1 |
|
SECTION 3. Execution of Warrant
Certificates
|
|
1 |
|
SECTION 4. Registration
|
|
2 |
|
SECTION 5. Registration of Transfers and
Exchanges
|
|
2 |
|
SECTION 6. Terms and Release of
Warrants
|
|
3 |
|
SECTION 7. Reservation of Warrant
Shares.
|
|
3 |
|
SECTION 8. Notices to Warrant
holders
|
|
3 |
|
SECTION 9. Merger, Consolidation or
Change of Name of Warrant Agent
|
|
3 |
|
SECTION 10. Warrant Agent
|
|
3 |
|
SECTION 11. Change of Warrant
Agent
|
|
5 |
|
SECTION 12. Notices to Company and
Warrant Agent
|
|
6 |
|
SECTION 13. Supplements and
Amendments
|
|
6 |
|
SECTION 14. Successors
|
|
7 |
|
SECTION 15. Termination
|
|
7 |
|
SECTION 16. Governing Law
|
|
7 |
|
SECTION 17. Benefits of This
Agreement
|
|
7 |
|
SECTION 18. Counterparts
|
|
7 |
|
SECTION 19. Conflicting Terms
|
|
8 |
| EXHIBIT |
A Form of Warrant Certificate |
WARRANT AGENT AGREEMENT
(“Warrant Agent Agreement”) dated as of May 16,
2006 between Sipex Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the
“Company”), and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association,
a national banking association organized and in good standing under
the laws of the United States, as Warrant Agent (the “Warrant
Agent”).
WHEREAS, the Company has
entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement dated May 16,
2006 (the “Securities Purchase Agreement”) by and
between the Company and the buyers listed in Exhibit A to the
Securities Purchase Agreement pursuant to which the Company
proposes to issue warrants to purchase common stock of the Company,
as hereinafter described (the “Warrants”), which in the
aggregate initially entitle the holders thereof to purchase
1,679,104 shares of Common Stock of the Company (the “Common
Stock” and with the Common Stock issuable on exercise of the
Warrants being referred to herein as the “Warrant
Shares”). Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined
herein have the meanings ascribed thereto in the Warrant
Certificate (as defined below).
WHEREAS, the Company desires
the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant
Agent is willing so to act, in connection with the transfer,
exchange and exercise of Warrants and other matters as provided
herein;
NOW, THEREFORE, in
consideration of the premises and the mutual agreements herein set
forth, the parties hereto agree as follows:
SECTION 1. Appointment of
Warrant Agent . The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent
to act as agent for the Company in accordance with the instructions
set forth hereinafter in this Agreement, and the Warrant Agent
hereby accepts such appointment. The Company may from time to time
appoint such Co-Warrant Agent(s) as it may deem necessary or
desirable upon ten (10) days’ prior written notice to
the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent shall have no duty to
supervise, and shall in no event be liable for, the acts or
omissions of any such Co-Warrant Agent(s).
SECTION 2. Warrant
Certificates . The certificates evidencing the Warrants (the
“Warrant Certificates”) to be delivered pursuant to
this Agreement shall be in registered form only and shall be
substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit A
attached hereto. The Warrant Certificates are hereby made a part of
this Agreement and the terms and conditions set forth therein are
hereby incorporated herein.
SECTION 3. Execution of
Warrant Certificates . Warrant Certificates shall be signed on
behalf of the Company by its Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive
Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President or a Vice President.
Each such signature upon the Warrant Certificates may be in the
form of a facsimile signature of the present or any future Chairman
of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer,
President, or a Vice President and may be imprinted or otherwise
reproduced on the Warrant Certificates and for that purpose the
Company may adopt and use the facsimile signature of any person who
shall have been Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer,
Chief Financial Officer, President, or a Vice President,
notwithstanding the fact that at the time the Warrant Certificates
shall be transferred or disposed of he or she shall have ceased to
hold such office.
1
In case any officer of the
Company who shall have signed any of the Warrant Certificates shall
cease to be such officer before the Warrant Certificates so signed
shall be transferred or disposed of by the Company, such Warrant
Certificates nevertheless may be transferred or disposed of as
though such person had not ceased to be such officer of the
Company; and any Warrant Certificate may be signed on behalf of the
Company by any person who, at the actual date of the execution of
such Warrant Certificate, shall be a proper officer of the Company
to sign such Warrant Certificate, although at the date of the
execution of this Warrant Agent Agreement any such person was not
such officer.
Each Warrant Certificate
shall be dated the date such Warrant Certificate was authorized to
be transferred by the Company.
SECTION 4.
Registration . The Warrant Agent, on behalf of the Company,
shall hold any unregistered Warrants.
The Company and the Warrant
Agent may deem and treat the registered holder(s) of the Warrant
Certificates as the absolute owner(s) thereof (notwithstanding any
notation of ownership or other writing thereon made by anyone), for
all purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall
be affected by any notice to the contrary.
SECTION 5. Registration of
Transfers and Exchanges . The Warrant Agent shall from time to
time, subject to the limitations and on the terms and conditions
set forth in the Warrant Certificates, register the transfer of any
outstanding Warrant Certificates upon the records to be maintained
by it for that purpose, upon surrender thereof duly endorsed or
accompanied (if so required by the Company) by a written instrument
or instruments of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company,
duly executed by the registered holder or holders thereof or by the
duly appointed legal representative thereof or by a duly authorized
attorney. Upon any such registration of transfer, a new Warrant
Certificate shall be issued to the transferee(s) and the
surrendered Warrant Certificate shall be cancelled by the Warrant
Agent. Cancelled Warrant Certificates shall thereafter be disposed
of by the Warrant Agent in its customary manner.
Subject to the terms of the
Warrant Certificates, Warrant Certificates may be exchanged at the
option of the holder(s) thereof, when surrendered to the Warrant
Agent at its principal corporate trust office, which is currently
located at the address listed in Section 12 hereof, for
another Warrant Certificate or other Warrant Certificates of like
tenor and representing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants.
Any holder desiring to exchange a Warrant Certificate shall deliver
a written request to the Warrant Agent, and shall surrender, duly
endorsed or accompanied (if so required by the Warrant Agent) by a
written instrument or instruments of transfer in form satisfactory
to the Warrant Agent, the Warrant Certificate or Certificates to be
so exchanged. Warrant Certificates surrendered for exchange shall
be cancelled by the Warrant Agent. Such cancelled Warrant
Certificates shall then be disposed of by such Warrant Agent in its
customary manner.
The Warrant Agent is hereby
authorized to transfer, in accordance with the provisions of this
Section 5, the new Warrant Certificates required pursuant to
the provisions of this Section 5.
2
SECTION 6. Terms and
Exercise of Warrants . A Warrant may be exercised, subject to
the terms and conditions therein, upon surrender to the Company at
the principal corporate trust office of the Warrant Agent, which is
currently located at the address listed in Section 12
hereof.
The Warrant Agent may assume
that any Warrant presented for exercise is permitted to be so
exercised under applicable law and shall have no liability for
acting in reliance on such assumption. All Warrant Certificates
surrendered upon exercise of Warrants shall be canceled by the
Warrant Agent. Such canceled Warrant Certificates shall then be
disposed of by the Warrant Agent in its customary manner. The
Warrant Agent shall account promptly to the Company with respect to
Warrants exercised and concurrently pay to the Company all monies
received by the Warrant Agent for the purchase of the Warrant
Shares through the exercise of such Warrants to the extent such
Warrant is not exercised as a Cashless Exercise by the holder of
the Warrant pursuant to Section 2(e) of the
Warrant.
The Warrant Agent shall keep
copies of this Agreement and any notices given or received
hereunder available for inspection by the holders with reasonable
prior written notice during normal business hours at its corporate
trust office, which is currently located at the address listed in
Section 12 hereof.
SECTION 7. Reservation of
Warrant Shares . The Warrant Agent shall have no duty to verify
availability of any shares of Common Stock set aside pursuant to
Section 4(b) of the Warrant Certificates. The Company will
keep a copy of this Agreement on file with the Transfer Agent (used
hereinafter as such term is defined in the Warrant Certificates)
and with every subsequent transfer agent for any shares of the
Company’s Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the
rights of purchase represented by the Warrants. The Warrant Agent
is hereby irrevocably authorized to requisition from time to time
from such Transfer Agent the stock certificates required to honor
outstanding Warrants upon exercise thereof in accordance with the
terms of this Agreement. The Company will supply such Transfer
Agent with duly executed certificates for such purposes and will
provide or otherwise make available any cash which may be payable
as provided in Section 2 of the Warrant Certificates. The
Company will furnish such Transfer Agent a copy of all notices
filed with the Warrant Agent pursuant to Section 8
hereof.
SECTION 8. Notices to
Warrant Agent . The Company shall cause to be filed with the
Warrant Agent a copy of every notice or other communication sent to
the registered holders of the Warrant Certificates pursuant to the
Warrant Certificates promptly upon delivery of any such notice or
communication to the registered holders of the Warrant
Certificates.
SECTION 9. Merger,
Consolidation or Change of Name of Warrant Agent . Any
corporation into which the Warrant Agent may be merged or with
which it may be consolidated, or any corporation resulting from any
merger or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent shall be a
party, or any corporation succeeding to all or substantially all
the corporate trust or agency business of the Warrant Agent, shall
be the successor to the Warrant Agent hereunder without the
execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of
any of the parties hereto, provided that such corporation would be
eligible for appointment as a successor warrant agent under the
provisions of Section 11 of this Agreement.
SECTION 10. Warrant
Agent . The Warrant Agent undertakes the duties and obligations
imposed by this Agreement (and no implied duties or obligations
shall be read into this
3
Agreement against the Warrant
Agent) upon the following terms and conditions, all of which the
Company and the holders of Warrants, by their acceptance thereof,
shall be bound:
(a) the Warrant Agent
may conclusively rely and shall be protected in acting upon any
resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report,
notice, request, consent, order, bond, note, coupon or other paper
or document believed by it in good faith to be genuine and to have
been signed or presented by the proper party or parties;
(b) any request,
direction, order or demand of the Company mentioned herein shall be
sufficiently evidenced by a certificate from the Company (unless
other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically
prescribed);
(c) the Warrant Agent
may consult with counsel of its selection, and any advice of such
counsel or opinion of counsel as to matters of law shall be full
and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action
taken or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in accordance
with such advice or opinion of counsel if such counsel was selected
with due care;
(d) the Warrant Agent
shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or
powers vested in it by this Warrant Agreement at the request, order
or direction of any of the holders of Warrant Certificates pursuant
to the provisions of this Warrant Agent Agreement, unless such
holders of Warrant Certificates shall have offered to the Warrant
Agent security or indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it against
the costs, expenses and liabilities which may be incurred therein
or thereby;
(e) the Warrant Agent
shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or
matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement,
instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent,
order, bond, debenture or other paper or document, but the Warrant
Agent, in its reasonable discretion, may make such further inquiry
or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit, and,
if the Warrant Agent shall determine to make such further inquiry
or investigation, it shall be entitled to examine the books,
records and premises of the Company, personally or by agent or
attorney; provided , however , that if the payment
within a reasonable time to the Warrant Agent of the costs,
expenses or liabilities likely to be incurred by it in the making
of such investigation is, in the opinion of the Warrant Agent, not
reasonably assured to the Warrant Agent by the security afforded to
it by the terms of this Warrant Agent Agreement, the Warrant Agent
may require indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the Warrant Agent
from the holders of Warrant Certificates against such expenses or
liability as a condition to so proceeding; the reasonable expenses
of every such examination shall be paid by the Company or, if paid
by the Warrant Agent or any predecessor Warrant Agent, shall be
repaid by the Company upon demand;
(f) the Warrant Agent
may execute any of the powers hereunder or perform any duties
hereunder either directly or by or through agents or attorneys and
the Warrant Agent shall not be responsible for any misconduct or
negligence on the part of any agent or attorney appointed by it
with due care hereunder;
(g) the Warrant Agent
shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered, or omitted to
be taken by it in good faith and reasonably believed by it to be
authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred
upon it by this Warrant Agent Agreement;
4
(h) the rights,
privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the
Warrant Agent, including, without limitation, its right to be
indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, the
Warrant Agent in each of its capacities hereunder, and to each
agent, custodian and other person employed to act
hereunder;
(i) the Warrant Agent
may request that the Company deliver a certificate of the Company
setting forth the names of individuals and/or titles of officers
authorized at such time to take specified actions pursuant to this
Warrant Agent Agreement, which such certificate may be signed by
any person authorized to sign an such certificate, including any
person specified as so authorized in any such certificate
previously delivered and not superseded; and
(j) the Warrant Agent
shall not at any time be under any duty or responsibility to any
holder of any Warrant Certificate to make or cause to be made any
adjustment of the Exercise Price or number of the Warrant Shares or
other securities or property deliverable as provided in this
Agreement, or to determine whether any facts exist which may
require any of such adjustments, or with respect to the nature or
extent of any such adjustments, when made, or with respect to the
method employed in making the same. The Warrant Agent shall not be
accountable with respect to the validity or value or the kind or
amount of any Warrant Shares or of any securities or property which
may at any time be issued or delivered upon the exercise of any
Warrant or with respect to whether any such Warrant Shares or other
securities will when issued be validly issued and fully paid and
nonassessable, and makes no representation with respect
thereto.
SECTION 11. Change of
Warrant Agent . The Warrant Agent may at any time resign as
Warrant Agent upon written notice to the Company. If the Warrant
Agent shall resign or become incapable of acting as Warrant Agent,
the Company shall appoint a successor to such Warrant Agent. If the
Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of
thirty (30) days after it has been notified in writing of such
resignation or of such incapacity by the Warrant Agent or by the
registered holder of a Warrant Certificate, then the registered
holder of any Warrant Certificate or the Warrant Agent may apply,
at the expense of the Company, to any court of competent
jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor to the Warrant
Agent. Pending appointment of a successor to such Warrant Agent,
either by the Company or by such a court, the duties of the Warrant
Agent shall be carried out by the Company. The holders of a
majority of the unexercised Warrants shall be entitled at any time
to remove the Warrant Agent and appoint a successor to such Warrant
Agent. If a Successor Warrant Agent shall not have been appointed
within thirty (30) days of such removal, the Company may
appoint a successor to such Warrant Agent. If the Company shall
fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty
(30) days after the expiration of the thirty (30) day
period during which the holders of a majority of the unexercised
Warrants could appoint a successor Warrant Agent, then the
registered holder of any Warrant Certificate or the Warrant Agent
may apply, at the expense of the Company, to any court of competent
jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor to the Warrant
Agent. Such successor to the Warrant Agent need not be approved by
the Company or the former Warrant Agent. After appointment the
successor to the Warrant Agent shall be vested with the same
powers, rights, duties and responsibilities as if it had been
originally named as Warrant Agent without further act or deed; but
the former Warrant Agent, upon payment of all fees and expenses due
it and its agents and counsel, shall deliver and transfer to the
successor to the Warrant Agent any property at the time held by it
hereunder and execute and deliver any further
5
assurance, conveyance, act or deed
necessary for the purpose. Failure to give any notice provided for
in this Section 11, however, or any defect therein, shall not
affect the legality or validity of the appointment of a successor
to the Warrant Agent.
SECTION 12. Notices to
Company and Warrant Agent . Any notice or demand authorized by
this Agreement to be given or made by the Warrant Agent or by the
registered holder of any Warrant Certificate to or on the Company
shall be sufficiently given or made when and if deposited in the
mail, first class or registered, postage prepaid, addressed (until
another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Warrant
Agent), as follows:
|
|
|
|
Sipex Corporation
233 South Hillview Drive
|
|
|
Milpitas, California 95035
|
|
|
|
Attention:
|
|
Ray Wallin
Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice
President, Finance
|
In case the Company shall
fail to maintain such office or agency or shall fail to give such
notice of the location or of any change in the location thereof,
presentations may be made and notices and demands may be served at
the principal corporate trust office of the Warrant
Agent.
Any notice pursuant to this
Agreement to be given by the Company or by the registered holder(s)
of any Warrant Certificate to the Warrant Agent shall be
sufficiently given when and if deposited in the mail, first-class
or registered, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is
filed in writing by the Warrant Agent with the Company) to the
Warrant Agent as follows:
Well Fargo Bank, National
Association
707 Wilshire Blvd., 17
th
Floor
Los Angeles, CA
90017
Attention: Corporate Trust
Services
Fax: (213) 614-3355
SECTION 13. Supplements
and Amendments . The Company and the Warrant Agent may from
time to time supplement or amend this Agreement without the
approval of any holders of Warrant Certificates in order to cure
any ambiguity or to correct or supplement any provision contained
herein which may be defective or inconsistent with any other
provision herein, or to make any other provisions in regard to
matters or questions arising hereunder which the Company and the
Warrant Agent may deem necessary or desirable and which shall not
in any way adversely affect the interests of the holders of Warrant
Certificates. Upon the delivery of a certificate from an
appropriate officer of the Company which states that the proposed
supplement or amendment is in compliance with the terms of this
Section 13, the Warrant Agent shall execute such supplement or
amendment. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the
contrary, the prior written consent of the Warrant Agent must be
obtained in connection with any
6
supplement or amendment which alters the
rights or duties of the Warrant Agent. The Company and the Warrant
Agent may amend any provision herein with the consent of the
holders of a majority of the unexercised Warrants.
SECTION 14. Successors
. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the
benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to
the benefit of their respective successors and assigns
hereunder.
SECTION 15.
Termination . This Agreement will terminate on any earlier date
if all Warrants have been exercised or expired without exercise.
The provisions of Section 10 hereof shall survive such
termination.
SECTION 16. Governing Law
and Jurisdiction . This Agreement and each Warrant Certificate
issued hereunder shall be deemed to be a contract made under the
laws of the State of New York and for all purposes shall be
construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New
York without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law
provision or rule (whether of the State of New York or any other
jurisdictions) that would cause the application of the laws of any
jurisdictions other than the State of New York. Each party hereby
irrevocably submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the state
and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, Borough of
Manhattan, for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in
connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or
discussed herein, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to
assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not
personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such
suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum or
that the venue of such suit, action or proceeding is improper. Each
party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and
consents to process being served in any such suit, action or
proceeding by mailing a copy thereof to such party at the address
for such notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such
service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and
notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit
in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by
law. If any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid or
unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or
unenforceability shall not affect the validity or enforceability of
the remainder of this Agreement in that jurisdiction or the
validity or enforceability of any provision of this Agreement in
any other jurisdiction. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY
RIGHT IT MAY HAVE, AND AGREES NOT TO REQUEST, A JURY TRIAL FOR THE
ADJUDICATION OF ANY DISPUTE HEREUNDER OR IN CONNECTION HEREWITH OR
ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED
HEREBY.
SECTION 17. Benefits of
This Agreement . Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed
to give to any person or corporation other than the Company, the
Warrant Agent and the registered holders of the Warrant
Certificates any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under
this Agreement, and this Agreement shall be for the sole and
exclusive benefit of the Company, the Warrant Agent and the
registered holders of the Warrant Certificates.
SECTION 18.
Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in any number of
counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes
be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall
together constitute but one and the same instrument.
7
SECTION 19. Conflicting
Terms . In the event of any inconsistency or conflict between
the Warrants and this Agreement, the terms, conditions and
provisions of the Warrants shall govern and control.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the
parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed, as
of the day and year first above written.
SIPEX CORPORATION
|
|
|
| By: |
|
/s/ Clyde R.
Wallin
|
| Name: |
|
Clyde R.
Wallin |
| Title: |
|
Chief
Financial Officer and Secretary |
WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION,
as Warrant Agent
|
|
|
| By: |
|
/s/ Maddy Hall
|
| Name: |
|
Maddy
Hall |
| Title: |
|
Assistant
Vice President |
8
EXHIBIT A TO WARRANT AGENT
AGREEMENT
FORM OF
WARRANT
[THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH SHALL APPEAR ON
THE FACE OF EACH RESTRICTED WARRANT:]
THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS
WARRANT HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933,
AS AMENDED OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE SECURITIES MAY
NOT BE OFFERED FOR SALE, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED IN THE
ABSENCE OF AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FOR THE SECURITIES
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED OR APPLICABLE STATE
SECURITIES LAWS OR PURSUANT TO AN APPLICABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE
SECURITIES ACT OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE SECURITIES
MAY BE PLEDGED IN CONNECTION WITH A BONA FIDE MARGIN ACCOUNT OR
OTHER LOAN SECURED BY THE SECURITIES.
[THE COMPANY MAY PLACE THE FOLLOWING
PARAGRAPH ON THE FACE OF EACH WARRANT HELD BY OR TRANSFERRED TO AN
“AFFILIATE” (AS DEFINED IN RULE 501(B) OF
REGULATION D UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT) OF THE COMPANY:]
9
THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS
CERTIFICATE ARE HELD BY A PERSON WHO MAY BE DEEMED TO BE AN
AFFILIATE OF THE ISSUER FOR PURPOSES OF RULE 144 PROMULGATED
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES
ACT”), AND MAY BE SOLD ONLY IN COMPLIANCE WITH RULE 144
OR PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE
SECURITIES ACT.
SIPEX CORPORATION
WARRANT TO PURCHASE COMMON
STOCK
Warrant No.: [
] Number of Shares: [
]
CUSIP No.: [
] (subject to adjustment)
Date of Issuance:
May ,
2006
Sipex Corporation, a Delaware
corporation (the “Company”), hereby certifies that, for
good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of
which are hereby acknowledged,
, the
registered holder hereof or its permitted assigns is entitled,
subject to the terms and conditions set forth below, to purchase
from the Company upon surrender of this Warrant (as defined below),
at any time or times on or after the date hereof, but not after
5:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on the Expiration Date (as
defined below),
fully paid
nonassessable shares of Common Stock (as defined below) of the
Company at the Exercise Price per share provided in
Section 1(c) of this Warrant, subject to adjustment as
provided below. Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall
have the same meanings assigned to them in the Securities Purchase
Agreement dated as of May 16, 2006, by and between the Company
and the parties listed on the Schedule of Buyers attached thereto
as Exhibit A (as such agreement may be amended, supplemented
and modified from time to time as provided in such agreement, the
“Securities Purchase Agreement”).
This Warrant (as defined
below) is one of a series of Warrants issued in connection with the
transactions described in (i) the Securities Purchase
Agreement and (ii) certain other related documents and
agreements including, without limitation, the Transaction Documents
(as defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement). The Warrant
Shares (as defined below) issued upon exercise of this Warrant and
the holder hereof and thereof shall be entitled to all of the
rights and privileges set forth in the Transaction Documents. The
Warrants are issued under and pursuant to a Warrant Agent Agreement
dated as of May 16, 2006 (herein called the “Warrant
Agent Agreement”), between the Company and Wells Fargo Bank,
National Association (herein called the “Warrant
Agent”).
Section 1. Definitions . The
following terms as used in this Warrant shall have the following
meanings:
(a) “Bloomberg” means Bloomberg Financial
Markets.
(b) “Business
Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or other day
on which commercial banks in the City of New York are required by
law or executive order to remain closed.
10
(c) “Common
Stock” means (i) the common stock, $0.01 par value per
share, of the Company, and (ii) any capital stock into which
such Common Stock shall have been changed or any capital stock
resulting from a reclassification of such Common Stock.
(e) “Exercise
Price” shall be equal to $3.216, subject to further
adjustment as hereinafter provided.
(f) “Expiration
Date” means May 16, 2011, or, if such date does not fall
on a Trading Day, then the next Trading Day.
(g) “Person”
means an individual, a limited liability company, a partnership, a
joint venture, a corporation, a joint stock company, a trust, an
unincorporated organization or association and a government or any
department or agency thereof.
(h) “Principal
Market” shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the
Securities Purchase Agreement.
(i) “Registration
Rights Agreement” means that certain Registration Rights
Agreement, dated as of May 16, 2006, among the Company and the
initial purchasers of the Notes and the Warrants as such agreement
may be amended, supplemented and modified from time to time in a
writing signed by all of the signatories thereto.
(j) “Securities
Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the
rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
(k) “Successor
Entity” means the Person formed by, resulting from or
surviving any Fundamental Transaction or the Person with which such
Fundamental Transaction shall have been entered into.
(l) “Trading
Day” shall mean (x) a day on which the Principal Market
is open for business or (y) if the applicable security is not
so listed on a Principal Market or admitted for trading or
quotation, a Business Day.
(m) “Warrant” means this Warrant and the other
warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to the
Securities Purchase Agreement and all warrants issued in exchange,
transfer or replacement thereof.
(n) “Warrant
Shares” means all shares of Common Stock issuable upon
exercise of the Warrants.
Section 2. Exercise of
Warrant.
(a) Subject to the terms
and conditions hereof, including the early termination of this
Warrant pursuant to Section 3(b) of this Warrant, this
Warrant may be exercised by the holder hereof then registered on
the books of the Company, in whole or in part, at any time on any
Business Day on or after the opening of business on the date hereof
and prior to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the Expiration Date by
(i) delivery of a written notice, in the form of the
subscription notice attached as Exhibit A hereto or a
reasonable facsimile thereof (the “Exercise Notice”),
to the Company at the principal corporate trust office of the
Warrant Agent and to the Company’s designated transfer agent
(the “Transfer Agent”), of such holder’s election
to
11
exercise all or a portion of this
Warrant, which notice shall specify the number of Warrant Shares to
be purchased, (ii) (A) payment to the Warrant Agent of an
amount equal to the Exercise Price multiplied by the number of
Warrant Shares as to which this Warrant is being exercised (the
“Aggregate Exercise Price”) in cash or delivery of a
certified check or bank draft payable to the order of the Warrant
Agent or wire transfer of immediately available funds or
(B) notification to the Company at the principal corporate
trust office of the Warrant Agent and to the Transfer Agent that
this Warrant is being exercised pursuant to a Cashless Exercise (as
defined in Section 2(e) of this Warrant), and (iii) the
surrender of this Warrant to a common carrier for overnight
delivery to the Warrant Agent as soon as practicable following such
date (or an indemnification undertaking or other form of security
reasonably satisfactory to the Company with respect to this Warrant
in the case of its loss, theft or destruction, or an affidavit of
lost Warrant, in accordance with Section 11); provided,
however, that if such Warrant Shares are to be issued in any name
other than that of the registered holder of this Warrant, such
issuance shall be deemed a transfer and the provisions of
Section 8 of this Warrant shall be applicable. In the event of
any exercise of the rights represented by this Warrant in
compliance with this Section 2(a), the Company shall, as soon
as practicable, but in no event later than the third Business Day
(the “Warrant Share Delivery Date”) following the date
of receipt by the Warrant Agent of the Exercise Notice, the
Aggregate Exercise Price (or notice of Cashless Exercise) and this
Warrant (or an indemnification undertaking or other form of
security reasonably satisfactory to the Company with respect to
this Warrant in the case of its loss, theft or destruction, or an
affidavit of lost Warrant, in accordance with Section 11) (the
“Exercise Delivery Documents”), (A) in the case of
a public resale of such Warrant Shares, at the holder’s
request, to credit such aggregate number of shares of Common Stock
to which the holder shall be entitled to the holder’s or its
designee’s balance account with The Depository Trust Company
(“DTC”) through its Deposit Withdrawal At Custodian
system to the extent then eligible to be deposited with DTC under
the rules of such depositary or (B) to issue and deliver to
the address as specified in the Exercise Notice, a certificate or
certificates in such denominations as may be requested by the
holder in the Exercise Notice, registered in the name of the holder
or its designee, for the number of shares of Common Stock to which
the holder shall be entitled upon such exercise. Upon delivery of
the Exercise Delivery Documents, the holder of this Warrant shall
be deemed for all corporate purposes to have become the holder of
record of the Warrant Shares with respect to which this Warrant has
been exercised, irrespective of the date of delivery of this
Warrant as required by clause (iii) above or the certificates
evidencing such Warrant Shares. In the case of a dispute as to the
determination of the Exercise Price or the arithmetic calculation
of the number of Warrant Shares, the Company shall promptly issue
to the holder the number of shares of Common Stock that is not
disputed and shall submit the disputed determination or arithmetic
calculation to the holder via facsimile within two
(2) Business Days after receipt of the holder’s Exercise
Notice. If the holder and the Company are unable to agree upon the
determination of the Exercise Price or arithmetic calculation of
the number of Warrant Shares within two (2) Business Days of
such disputed determination or arithmetic calculation being
submitted to the holder, then the Company shall immediately submit
via facsimile (i) the disputed determination of the Exercise
Price or the Average Price (as defined in Section 9(f) of this
Warrant) to an independent, reputable investment banking firm
selected jointly by the Company and the holder or (ii) the
disputed arithmetic calculation of the number of Warrant Shares to
its independent, outside auditor. The Company shall cause the
investment banking firm to perform the determination or calculation
and notify the Company and the holder of the results no
later
12
than ten (10) Business Days from
the time it receives the disputed determination or calculation.
Such investment banking firm’s calculation shall be deemed
conclusive absent demonstrable error. All fees and expenses of such
determinations shall be borne solely by the Company.
(b) Unless the rights
represented by this Warrant shall have expired or shall have been
fully exercised, the Company shall, as soon as practicable but in
no event later than five (5) Business Days after any exercise
(the “Warrant Delivery Date”) and at its own expense,
issue a new Warrant identical in all respects to this Warrant
exercised except it shall represent rights to purchase the number
of Warrant Shares purchasable immediately prior to such exercise
under this Warrant, less the number of Warrant Shares with respect
to which this Warrant is exercised.
(c) Notwithstanding
anything contained in this Warrant to the contrary, the Company
shall not be required to issue fractions of shares of Common Stock
upon exercise of this Warrant or to distribute certificates which
evidence such fractional shares. If more than one Warrant shall be
presented for exercise in full at the same time by the same holder,
the number of full shares of Common Stock which shall be issuable
upon the exercise thereof shall be computed on the basis of the
aggregate number of shares of Common Stock purchasable on exercise
of all Warrants so presented. In lieu of any fractional shares,
there shall be paid to the holder an amount of cash equal to the
same fraction of the current market value of a share of Common
Stock. For purposes of this Section 2(c) of this Warrant,
the current market value of a share of Common Stock shall be the
Average Price of a share of Common Stock for the Trading Day
immediately prior to the date of such exercise or if not listed on
a Principal Market, then as determined in good faith by a majority
of the Company’s Board of Directors, whose determination
shall be final, binding and conclusive.
(d) If the Company shall
fail for any reason or for no reason (except in the case of a
dispute as to the Exercise Price or the Average Price which is
being resolved in accordance with Section 2(a) of this
Warrant) to issue to the holder within three (3) Business Days
of receipt of the Exercise Delivery Documents, a certificate for
the number of shares of Common Stock to which the holder is
entitled or to credit the holder’s or its designee’s
balance account with DTC, in accordance with Section 2 of this
Warrant, for such number of shares of Common Stock to which the
holder is entitled upon the holder’s exercise of this Warrant
or a new Warrant for the number of shares of Common Stock to which
such holder is entitled pursuant to Section 2(b) of this
Warrant, the Company shall, in addition to any other remedies under
this Warrant or the Securities Purchase Agreement or otherwise
available to such holder, including any indemnification under
Section 8 of the Securities Purchase Agreement, pay as
additional damages in cash to such holder on each day after the
Warrant Share Delivery Date if such exercise is not timely effected
and/or each day after the Warrant Delivery Date if such Warrant is
not delivered, as the case may be, an amount equal to two percent
(2.0%) per month multiplied by the product of (I) the sum
of the number of shares of Common Stock not issued to the holder on
or prior to the Warrant Share Delivery Date and to which such
holder is entitled and, in the event the Company has failed to
deliver a Warrant to the holder on or prior to the Warrant Delivery
Date and to which such holder is entitled, the number of shares of
Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrant as of the
Warrant Delivery Date and (II) the Closing Price of the Common
Stock on the Warrant Share Delivery Date, in the case of failure to
deliver Common Stock, or on the Warrant Delivery Date, in the case
of failure to deliver a Warrant, provided that if the Common Stock
is not listed on a Principal Market, then the Closing Price shall
be as determined in good faith by a majority of the Company’s
Board of Directors.
13
(e) Notwithstanding
anything contained herein to the contrary, the holder of this
Warrant may, at its election exercised in its sole discretion,
exercise this Warrant as to all or a portion of the Warrant Shares
and, in lieu of making the cash payment otherwise contemplated to
be made to the Company upon such exercise in payment of the
Aggregate Exercise Price, elect instead to receive upon such
exercise the “Net Number” of shares of Common Stock
determined according to the following formula (a “Cashless
Exercise”):
Net Number = (A x B)
— (A x C)
B
For purposes of the foregoing
formula:
A= the total number of shares
with respect to which this Warrant is then being
exercised.
B= the Current Market Price
of the Common Stock on the Trading Day immediately preceding the
date of the Exercise Notice.
C= the Exercise Price then in
effect for the applicable Warrant Shares at the time of such
exercise.
(f) [INCLUDE THE
FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH ONLY IF HOLDER HAS ELECTED TO BE GOVERNED BY
SECTION 2(k)(A) OF THE SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT:]
The Company shall not effect
the exercise of this Warrant, and the Holder shall not have the
right to exercise this Warrant, to the extent that after giving
effect to such exercise (x) the number of shares of Common
Stock beneficially owned by such holder (together with such
holder’s affiliates) (other than the shares which would
otherwise be deemed beneficially owned except for being subject to
a limitation on exercise analogous to the limitation contained in
this Section 2(f)) plus (y) the number of shares of
Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of such Warrants would be
equal to or exceed 9.99% of the number of shares of Common Stock
then issued and outstanding (after giving effect to such exercise),
it being the intent of the Company and the holder that the holder
not be deemed at any time to have the power to vote or dispose of
greater than 9.99% of the number of shares of Common Stock issued
and outstanding. As used herein, beneficial ownership shall be
determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder. To the extent that the limitation contained
in this Section 2(f) applies (and without limiting any rights
the Company may otherwise have), the Company may rely on the
holder’s determination of whether the Warrants are
exercisable pursuant to the terms hereof, the Company having no
obligation whatsoever to verify or confirm the accuracy of such
determination, and the submission of the Exercise Notice by the
holder shall be deemed to be the holder’s representation that
the Warrants specified therein are exercisable pursuant to the
terms hereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to restrict
the right of a holder to exercise the Warrants at such time as the
exercise thereof will not violate the provisions of this
Section 2(f).
|