INVESTOR RIGHTS
AGREEMENT
This Investor
Rights Agreement (this “ Agreement ”) is made
and entered into as of July 24, 2008 among AXS-One Inc., a Delaware
corporation (the “ Company ”), and each of the
purchasers executing this Agreement and listed on
Schedule 1 attached hereto (collectively, the
“Purchasers”).
This Agreement is
being entered into pursuant to the Convertible Note and Warrant
Purchase Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and among the
Company and the Purchasers (the “ Purchase Agreement
”).
The Company and
the Purchasers hereby agree as follows:
Capitalized terms
used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings given
such terms in the Purchase Agreement. As used in this Agreement,
the following terms shall have the following meanings:
“
Advice ” shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 3(m).
“
Affiliate ” means, with respect to any Person, any
other Person that directly or indirectly controls or is controlled
by or under common control with such Person. For the purposes of
this definition, “control,” when used with respect to
any Person, means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power
to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of
such Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by
contract or otherwise; and the terms of “affiliated,”
“controlling” and “controlled” have
meanings correlative to the foregoing.
“
Blackout Period ” shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 3(n).
“
Board ” shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 3(n).
“
Business Day ” means any day except Saturday, Sunday
and any day which shall be a legal holiday or a day on which
banking institutions in the State of New Jersey generally are
authorized or required by law or other government actions to
close.
“
Commission ” means the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
“ Common
Stock ” means the Company’s Common Stock, par value
$0.01 per share.
“
Conversion Shares ” means the shares of Common Stock
issuable upon conversion of the Notes purchased by the Purchasers
pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.
“
Effectiveness Date ” means, with respect to the
Initial Registration Statement required to be filed hereunder, the
60 th
calendar day following the Filing
Date (or, in the event of a “review” by the Commission,
the 90th calendar day following the Filing Date) and with respect
to any additional Registration Statements which may be required
pursuant
to
Section 3(b), the 60 th calendar day following the date on which an
additional Registration Statement is required to be filed
hereunder; provided , however , that in the event the
Company is notified by the Commission that one or more of the above
Registration Statements will not be reviewed or is no longer
subject to further review and comments, the Effectiveness Date as
to such Registration Statement shall be no later than the fifth
trading day following the date on which the Company is so notified
if such date precedes the dates otherwise required
above.
“
Effectiveness Period ” shall have the meaning set
forth in Section 2.
“
Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended.
“ Filing
Date ” means May 29, 2009 and, with respect to any
additional Registration Statements which may be required pursuant
to Section 3(b), the earliest practical date on which the
Company is permitted by SEC Guidance to file such additional
Registration Statement related to the Registrable
Securities.
“
Holder ” or “ Holders ” means the
holder or holders, as the case may be, from time to time of
Registrable Securities, including without limitation the Purchasers
and their assignees.
“
Indemnified Party ” shall have the meaning set forth
in Section 5(c).
“
Indemnifying Party ” shall have the meaning set forth
in Section 5(c).
“ Initial
Registration Statement ” means the initial Registration
Statement which includes the Initial Shares filed pursuant to this
Agreement.
“ Initial
Shares ” means a number of Registrable Securities equal
to the lesser of (i) the total number of Registrable Securities,
(ii) one-third of the number of issued and outstanding shares
of Common Stock that are held by non-affiliates of the Company on
the day immediately prior to the filing date of the Initial
Registration Statement and (iii) such lesser amount of
Registrable Securities as may be required by SEC
Guidance.
“
Losses ” shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 5(a).
“
Notes ” means the Series D 6% Secured Convertible
Promissory Notes issued to the Purchasers pursuant to the Purchase
Agreement.
“
Person ” means an individual or a corporation,
partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association,
joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company,
government (or an agency or political subdivision thereof) or other
entity of any kind.
“
Proceeding ” means an action, claim, suit,
investigation or proceeding (including, without limitation, an
investigation or partial proceeding, such as a deposition), whether
commenced or threatened.
“
Prospectus ” means the prospectus included in any
Registration Statement
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(including,
without limitation, a prospectus that includes any information
previously omitted from a prospectus filed as part of an effective
registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A promulgated
under the Securities Act), as amended or supplemented by any
prospectus supplement, with respect to the terms of the offering of
any portion of the Registrable Securities covered by such
Registration Statement, and all other amendments and supplements to
the Prospectus, including post-effective amendments, and all
material incorporated by reference in such Prospectus.
“
Registrable Securities ” means (a) the Conversion
Shares and the Warrant Shares (without regard to any limitations on
beneficial ownership contained in the Note or the Warrants) or
other securities issued or issuable to each Purchaser or its
transferee or designee (i) upon conversion of the Notes and/or
upon exercise of the Warrants, or (ii) upon any dividend or
distribution with respect to, any exchange for or any replacement
of such Notes, Conversion Shares, Warrants or Warrant Shares or
(iii) upon any conversion, exercise or exchange of any
securities issued in connection with any such distribution,
exchange or replacement; (b) securities issued or issuable
upon any stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization or similar
event with respect to the foregoing; and (c) any other
security issued as a dividend or other distribution with respect
to, in exchange for, in replacement or redemption of, or in
reduction of the liquidation value of, any of the securities
referred to in the preceding clauses; provided, however, that such
securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities when such
securities have been sold to or through a broker or dealer or
underwriter in a public distribution or a public securities
transaction or when such securities may be sold without any volume
limitations pursuant to Rule 144 as determined by the counsel
to the Company pursuant to a written opinion letter, addressed to
the Company’s transfer agent to such effect as described in
Section 2 of this Agreement.
“
Registration Statement ” means the registration
statements and any additional registration statements contemplated
by Section 2, including (in each case) the Prospectus,
amendments and supplements to such registration statement or
Prospectus, including pre- and post-effective amendments, all
exhibits thereto, and all material incorporated by reference in
such registration statement.
“
Rule 144 ” means Rule 144 promulgated by the
Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be
amended from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation
hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same
effect as such Rule.
“
Rule 415 ” means Rule 415 promulgated by the
Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be
amended from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation
hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same
effect as such Rule.
“
Rule 424 ” means Rule 424 promulgated by the
Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be
amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or
regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially
the same purpose and effect as such Rule.
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“ SEC
Guidance ” means (i) any written or oral guidance,
comments, requirements or requests of the Commission staff and
(ii) the Securities Act.
“
Securities Act ” means the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended.
“
Warrants ” means the Common Stock purchase warrants
issued pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.
“ Warrant
Shares ” means the shares of Common Stock issuable upon
the exercise of the Warrants issued or to be issued to the
Purchasers or their assignees or designees in connection with the
offering consummated under the Purchase Agreement.
2.
Registration . Not later than the Filing Date, the Company
shall prepare and file with the Commission an Initial Registration
Statement for the resale of all or such maximum portion of the
Registrable Securities as permitted by SEC Guidance (provided that
the Company shall use diligent efforts to advocate with the
Commission for the registration of all of the Registrable
Securities in accordance with the SEC Guidance, including without
limitation, the Manual of Publicly Available Telephone
Interpretations D.29) that are not then registered on an effective
Registration Statement for an offering to be made on a continuous
basis pursuant to Rule 415. The Registration Statement shall
be on Form S-3 (or if such form is not available to the Company on
another form appropriate for such registration in accordance
herewith). The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to
cause the Registration Statement to be declared effective under the
Securities Act not later than the Effectiveness Date (including
filing with the Commission a request for acceleration of
effectiveness in accordance with Rule 461 promulgated under
the Securities Act within five (5) Business Days of the date
that the Company is notified (orally or in writing, whichever is
earlier) by the Commission that a Registration Statement will not
be “reviewed,” or not be subject to further review) and
to keep such Registration Statement continuously effective under
the Securities Act until such date as is the earlier of
(x) the date when all Registrable Securities covered by such
Registration Statement have been sold or (y) with respect to
such Holder, such time as all Registrable Securities held by such
Holder may be sold without volume limitations pursuant to
Rule 144 as determined by the counsel to the Company pursuant
to a written opinion letter, addressed to the Company’s
transfer agent to such effect (the “ Effectiveness
Period ”). For purposes of the obligations of the Company
under this Agreement, no Registration Statement shall be considered
“effective” with respect to any Registrable Securities
unless such Registration Statement lists the Holders of such
Registrable Securities as “Selling Stockholders” and
includes such other information as is required to be disclosed with
respect to such Holders to permit them to sell their Registrable
Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement, unless any such
Holder is not included as a “Selling Stockholder”
pursuant to Section 3(m). Such Registration Statement also
shall cover, to the extent allowable under the Securities Act and
the Rules promulgated thereunder (including Securities Act
Rule 416), such indeterminate number of additional shares of
Common Stock resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or
similar transactions with respect to the Registrable Securities.
Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other provision of this
Agreement, if any SEC Guidance sets forth a limitation on the
number of Registrable Securities permitted to be registered on a
particular Registration Statement (and notwithstanding that the
Company used diligent efforts to advocate with the Commission
for
4
the
registration of all or a greater portion of Registrable
Securities), unless otherwise directed in writing by a Holder as to
its Registrable Securities or unless otherwise required by SEC
Guidance, the number of Registrable Securities to be registered on
such Registration Statement will first be reduced by Registrable
Securities represented by Conversion Shares (on a pro rata basis
based on the total number of unregistered Conversion Shares held by
the Holders, to the extent permitted by SEC Guidance) and next by
Registrable Securities represented by Warrant Shares (applied, in
the case that some Warrant Shares may be registered, to the Holders
on a pro rata basis based on the total number of unregistered
Warrant Shares held by such Holders, to the extent permitted by SEC
Guidance); provided, however, that, prior to any reduction in the
number of Registrable Securities included in a Registration
Statement as set forth in this sentence, the number of shares of
Common Stock that are not Registrable Securities and which shall
have been included on such Registration Statement shall be reduced
by up to 100%, if such reduction will permit the registration of
additional Registrable Securities.
3.
Registration Procedures .
In connection with
the Company’s registration obligations hereunder, the Company
shall:
(a) Prepare
and file with the Commission on or prior to the Filing Date, a
Registration Statement on Form S-3 (or if such form is not
available to the Company on another form appropriate for such
registration in accordance herewith) (which shall include a Plan of
Distribution substantially in the form of Exhibit A
attached hereto), and cause the Registration Statement to become
effective and remain effective as provided herein; provided,
however, that not less than three (3) Business Days prior to
the filing of the Registration Statement or any related Prospectus
or any amendment or supplement thereto, the Company shall
(i) furnish to the Holders or their counsel, copies of all
such documents proposed to be filed, which documents (other than
those incorporated by reference) will be subject to the review of
the Holders or their counsel, and (ii) at the request of any Holder
cause its officers and directors, counsel and independent certified
public accountants to respond to such inquiries as shall be
necessary, in the reasonable opinion of counsel to such Holders, to
conduct a reasonable investigation within the meaning of the
Securities Act. The Company shall not file the Registration
Statement or any such Prospectus or any amendments or supplements
thereto to which the Holders of a majority of the Registrable
Securities or their counsel shall reasonably object within three
(3) Business Days after their receipt thereof. In the event of
any such objection, the Holders shall provide the Company with any
requested revisions to such prospectus or supplement within two
(2) Business Days of such objection.
(b) (i) Prepare
and file with the Commission such amendments, including
post-effective amendments, to the Registration Statement as may be
necessary to keep the Registration Statement continuously effective
as to the applicable Registrable Securities for the Effectiveness
Period and to the extent any Registrable Securities are not
included in such Registration Statement for reasons other than the
failure of the Holder to comply with Section 3(m) hereof, shall
prepare and file with the Commission such amendments to the
Registration Statement or such additional Registration Statements
as are appropriate in order
5
to register for
resale under the Securities Act all Registrable Securities;
(ii) cause the related Prospectus to be amended or
supplemented by any required Prospectus supplement, and as so
supplemented or amended to be filed pursuant to Rule 424 (or
any similar provisions then in force) promulgated under the
Securities Act; (iii) respond as promptly as reasonably
practicable to any comments received from the Commission with
respect to the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto and
as promptly as reasonably practicable provide the Holders true and
complete copies of all correspondence from and to the Commission
relating to the Registration Statement, but not, without the prior
written consent of the Holders, any comments that would result in
the disclosure to the Holders of material and non-public
information concerning the Company; and (iv) comply in all
material respects with the provisions of the Securities Act and the
Exchange Act with respect to the disposition of all Registrable
Securities covered by the Registration Statement during the
applicable period in accordance with the intended methods of
disposition by the Holders thereof set forth in the Registration
Statement as so amended or in such Prospectus as so
supplemented.
(c) Notify
Holders of Registrable Securities to be sold as promptly as
reasonably practicable (A) when a Prospectus or any Prospectus
supplement or post-effective amendment to the Registration
Statement is proposed to be filed; (B) when the Commission
notifies the Company whether there will be a “review”
of such Registration Statement and whenever the Commission comments
in writing on such Registration Statement; and (C) with
respect to the Registration Statement or any post-effective
amendment, when the same has become effective, and after the
effectiveness thereof: (i) of any request by the Commission or
any other Federal or state governmental authority for amendments or
supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus or for
additional information; (ii) of the issuance by the Commission
of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement covering any or all of the Registrable Securities or the
initiation of any Proceedings for that purpose; (iii) of the
receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the
suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of
any of the Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction, or
the initiation or threatening of any Proceeding for such purpose;
and (iv) if the financial statements included in the
Registration Statement become ineligible for inclusion therein or
of the occurrence of any event that makes any statement made in the
Registration Statement or Prospectus or any document incorporated
or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference untrue in any
material respect or that requires any revisions to the Registration
Statement, Prospectus or other documents so that, in the case of
the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as the case may be,
it will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit
to state any material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Without
limitation to any remedies to which the Holders may be entitled
under this Agreement, if any of the events described in
Section 3(c)(C)(i), 3(c)(C)(ii), 3(c)(C)(iii) or 3(c)(C)(iv)
occur, the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to respond
to and correct the event.
(d) Use its
reasonable best efforts to avoid the issuance of, or, if issued,
use reasonable best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of,
(i) any order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement or (ii) any suspension of the qualification (or
exemption from qualification) of any of the Registrable Securities
for sale in any jurisdiction, at the earliest practicable
time.
6
(e) If
requested by any Holder of Registrable Securities,
(i) promptly incorporate in a Prospectus supplement or
post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement such
information as the Company reasonably agrees should be included
therein and (ii) make all required filings of such Prospectus
supplement or such post-effective amendment as soon as reasonably
practicable after the Company has received notification of the
matters to be incorporated in such Prospectus supplement or
post-effective amendment.
(f) Furnish
to each Holder, without charge, at least one conformed copy of each
Registration Statement and each amendment thereto, including
financial statements and schedules, and all exhibits to the extent
requested by such Person (including those previously furnished or
incorporated by reference) promptly after the filing of such
documents with the Commission.
(g) Promptly
deliver to each Holder, without charge, as many copies of the
Prospectus or Prospectuses (including each form of prospectus) and
each amendment or supplement thereto as such Persons may reasonably
request; and the Company hereby consents to the use of such
Prospectus and each amendment or supplement thereto by each of the
selling Holders in connection with the offering and sale of the
Registrable Securities covered by such Prospectus and any amendment
or supplement thereto.
(h) Prior to
any public offering of Registrable Securities, use its reasonable
best efforts to register or qualify or cooperate with the selling
Holders in connection with the registration or qualification (or
exemption from such registration or qualification) of such
Registrable Securities for offer and sale under the securities or
Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions within the United States as any
Holder requests in writing, to keep each such registration or
qualification (or exemption therefrom) effective during the
Effectiveness Period and to do any and all other acts or things
necessary or advisable to enable the disposition in such
jurisdictions of the Registrable Securities covered by a
Registration Statement; provided, however, that the Company shall
not be required to qualify generally to do business in any
jurisdiction where it is not then so qualified or to take any
action that would subject it to general service of process in any
jurisdiction where it is not then so subject or subject the Company
to any material tax in any such jurisdiction where it is not then
so subject.
(i) Cooperate
with the Holders to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery
of certificates representing Registrable Securities to be sold
pursuant to a Registration Statement, which certificates shall be
free, to the extent permitted by applicable law and the Purchase
Agreement, of all restrictive legends, and to enable such
Registrable Securities to be in such denominations and registered
in such names as any Holder may request at least two
(2) Business Days prior to any sale of Registrable
Securities.
(j) Following
the occurrence of any event contemplated by
Section 3(c)(C)(iv), as promptly as possible, prepare a
supplement or amendment, including a post-effective amendment, to
the Registration Statement or a supplement to the related
Prospectus or any document incorporated or deemed to be
incorporated therein by reference, and file any other required
document so that, as thereafter delivered, neither the Registration
Statement nor such Prospectus will contain an untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material
7
fact required
to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein,
in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading.
(k) Cause all
Registrable Securities relating to such Registration Statement to
be listed on any United States securities exchange, quotation
system, market or over-the-counter bulletin board on which similar
securities issued by the Company are then listed.
(l) Comply in
all material respects with all applicable rules and regulations of
the Commission with respect to the Registration
Statement.
(m) Request
each selling Holder to furnish to the Company information regarding
such Holder and the distribution of such Registrable Securities as
is required by law or the Commission to be disclosed in the
Registration Statement, and the Company may exclude from such
registration the Registrable Securities of any such Holder who
fails to furnish such information within a reasonable time prior to
the filing of each Registration Statement, supplemented Prospectus
and/or amended Registration Statement.
If the
Registration Statement refers to any Holder by name or otherwise as
the holder of any securities of the Company, then such Holder shall
have the right to require (if such reference to such Holder by name
or otherwise is not required by the Securities Act or any similar
federal statute then in force) the deletion of the reference to
such Holder in any amendment or supplement to the Registration
Statement filed or prepared subsequent to the time that such
reference ceases to be required.
Each Holder agrees
by its acquisition of such Registrable Securities that, upon
receipt of a notice from the Company of the occurrence of any event
of the kind described in Section 3(c)(C)(i), 3(c)(C)(ii),
3(c)(C)(iii), 3(c)(C)(iv), or 3(n), such Holder will forthwith
discontinue disposition of such Registrable Securities under the
Registration Statement until such Holder’s receipt of the
copies of the supplemented Prospectus and/or amended Registration
Statement contemplated by Section 3(j), or until it is advised in
writing (the “Advice”) by the Company that the use of
the applicable Prospectus may be resumed, and, in either case, has
received copies of any additional or supplemental filings that are
incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in such
Prospectus or Registration Statement.
(n) If
(i) there is material non-public information regarding the
Company which the Company’s Board of Directors (the
“Board”) reasonably determines not to be in the
Company’s best interest to disclose and which the Company is
not otherwise required to disclose, or (ii) there is a
significant business opportunity (including, but not limited to,
the acquisition or disposition of assets (other than in the
ordinary course of business) or any merger, consolidation, tender
offer or other similar transaction) available to the Company which
the Board reasonably determines not to be in the Company’s
best interest to disclose and which the Company would be required
to disclose under the Registration Statement, then the Company may
(i) postpone or suspend filing or effectiveness of a
registration statement or (ii) notify the Holders that the
Registration Statement may not be used in connection with any sales
of the Company’s securities, in each case, for a period not
to exceed 30 consecutive days, provided that the Company may not
postpone or suspend its
8
obligation
under this Section 3(n) for more than 60 days in the aggregate
during any 12 month period (each, a “Blackout
Period”).
4.
Registration Expenses .
All fees and
expenses incident to the performance of or compliance with this
Agreement by the Company shall be borne by the Company whether or
not the Registration Statement is filed or becomes effective and
whether or not any Registrable Securities are sold pursuant to the
Registration Statement. The fees and expenses referred to in
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