aclarion_ex44.htm

EXHIBIT 4.4
  
 DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES
 REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE
 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED
  
 As of March 31, 2021, Aclarion, Inc. had two classes of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Our shares of common stock are listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the trading symbol “ACON.” Our Warrants are listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the trading symbol “ACONW.”
  
 The following summary describes our common stock, our Warrants, and the material provisions of our certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, and of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”). Because the following is only a summary, it does not contain all of the information that may be important to you. For a complete description, you should refer to our certificate of incorporation, bylaws and form of Warrant filed as exhibits 3.1, 3.2 and 4.2, respectively, to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities Exchange Commission, of which this Exhibit 4.4 is a part. We encourage you to read those documents and the DGCL carefully.
  
 Authorized Capital Stock
  
 Our authorized capital stock consists of 200,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.1 per share, and 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.00001 per share.
  
 Common Stock
  
 The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders. The holders of our common stock do not have any cumulative voting rights. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably any dividends declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for that purpose, subject to any preferential dividend rights of any outstanding preferred stock. Our common stock has no preemptive rights, conversion rights or other subscription rights or redemption or sinking fund provisions.
  
 In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock will be entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of all debts and other liabilities and any liquidation preference of any outstanding preferred stock. Each outstanding share of common stock is duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
  
 Preferred stock
  
 Our board will have the authority, without further action by our stockholders, to issue up to 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof. These rights, preferences and privileges could include dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation preferences, sinking fund terms and the number of shares constituting, or the designation of, such series, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of common stock. The issuance of our preferred stock could adversely affect the voting power of holders of common stock and the likelihood that such holders will receive dividend payments and payments upon our liquidation. In addition, the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company or other corporate action.
  
 No shares of preferred stock are outstanding as of the date of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q with which this Exhibit 4.4 is filed as an exhibit.
  
 Anti-Takeover Effects of Delaware Law and Provisions of our Charter and our Bylaws
  
 Certain provisions of the DGCL and of our charter and our bylaws could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing another party from acquiring control of us and encouraging persons considering unsolicited tender offers or other unilateral takeover proposals to negotiate with our board of directors rather than pursue non-negotiated takeover attempts. These provisions include the items described below.
    
 	 
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 Delaware Anti-Takeover Statute
  
 We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that this stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. Under Section 203, a business combination between a corporation and an interested stockholder is prohibited unless it satisfies one of the following conditions:
  
 	  
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	before the stockholder became interested, our Board approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;
	  
	  
	  

	  
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	upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding, shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers, and employee stock plans, in some instances, but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder; or
	  
	  
	  

	  
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	at or after the time the stockholder became interested, the business combination was approved by our Board and authorized at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

   
 Section 203 defines a business combination to include:
  
 	  
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	any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder;
	  
	  
	  

	  
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	any sale, transfer, lease, pledge, exchange, mortgage or other disposition involving the interested stockholder of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation;
	  
	  
	  

	  
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	subject to exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder; or
	  
	  
	  

	  
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	the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits provided by or through the corporation.

   
 In general, Section 203 defines an interested stockholder as any entity or person beneficially owning 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation and any entity or person affiliated with or controlling or controlled by the entity or person.
  
 Board Composition and Filling Vacancies
  
 Our charter provides that stockholders may remove directors only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of our outstanding common stock. Our charter and bylaws authorize only our board of directors to fill vacant directorships, including newly created seats. In addition, the number of directors constituting our board of directors may only be set by a resolution adopted by a majority vote of our entire board of directors. These provisions would prevent a stockholder from increasing the size of our board of directors and then gaining control of our board of directors by filling the resulting vacancies with its own nominees. This makes it more difficult to change the composition of our board of directors but promotes continuity of management.
  
 No Written Consent of Stockholders
  
 Our charter and bylaws provides that all stockholder actions are required to be taken by a vote of the stockholders at an annual or special meeting, and that stockholders may not take any action by written consent in lieu of a meeting. This limit may lengthen the amount of time required to take stockholder actions and would prevent the amendment of our bylaws or removal of directors by our stockholders without holding a meeting of stockholders.
  
 Meetings of Stockholders
  
 Our charter and bylaws provide that only a majority of the members of our Board then in office, our Executive Chairman or our Chief Executive Officer may call special meetings of stockholders and only those matters set forth in the notice of the special meeting may be considered or acted upon at a special meeting of stockholders.
  
 Advance Notice Requirements
  
 Our bylaws provide advance notice procedures for stockholders seeking to bring matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of stockholders. Our bylaws also specify certain requirements regarding the form and content of a stockholder’s notice. These provisions might preclude our stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of stockholders if the proper procedures are not followed. We expect that these provisions might also discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company.
   
 	 
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 Amendment to our Charter and Bylaws
  
 The DGCL, provides, generally, that the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares entitled to vote on any matter is required to amend a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, unless a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, as the case may be, requires a greater percentage. Our bylaws may be amended or repealed by a majority vote of our board of directors or the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the votes that all our stockholders would be entitled to cast in an annual election of directors. In addition, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the votes that all our stockholders would be entitled to cast in an election of directors is required to amend or repeal or to adopt certain provisions of our charter.
  
 Undesignated preferred stock
  
 Our charter provides for 20,000,000 authorized shares of preferred stock. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock may enable our board to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. For example, if in the due exercise of its fiduciary obligations, our board of directors were to determine that a takeover proposal is not in the best interests of our stockholders, our board could cause shares of convertible preferred stock to be issued without stockholder approval in one or more private offerings or other transactions that might dilute the voting or other rights of the proposed acquirer or insurgent stockholder or stockholder group. In this regard, our charter grants our board broad power to establish the rights and preferences of authorized and unissued shares of preferred stock. The issuance of shares of preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to holders of shares of common stock. The issuance may also adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of these holders and may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of us.
  
 Choice of Forum
  
 Our charter provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for the following types of actions or proceedings: any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of the Company to the Company or the Company’s stockholders, any action asserting a claim against the Company arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or the Company’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or any action asserting a claim against the Company governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Our charter also provides that unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Despite the fact that the certificate of incorporation provides for this exclusive forum provision to be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Section 27 of the Exchange Act, creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder and Section 22 of the Securities Act, creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, this provision of the Company’s certificate of incorporation would not apply to claims brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act, or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. However, there is uncertainty as to whether a Delaware court would enforce the exclusive federal forum provisions for Securities Act claims and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and rules and regulations thereunder.
  
 Unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act.
  
 Warrants
  
 Each Warrant represents the right to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $ 4.35. The Warrants are exercisable beginning April 21, 2022 will terminate on the 5th anniversary date the Warrants are first exercisable. The exercise price and number of shares for which each Warrant may be exercised is subject to adjustment in the event of stock dividends, stock splits, reorganizations or similar events affecting our common stock.
  
 Holders of the Warrants may exercise their Warrants to purchase shares of our common stock on or before the termination date by delivering an exercise notice, appropriately completed and duly signed. Payment of the exercise price for the number of shares for which the Warrants are being exercised must be made within two trading days following such exercise. In the event that the registration statement relating to the Warrant shares (the “Warrant Shares”) is not effective, a holder of Warrants may only exercise its Warrants for a net number of Warrant Shares pursuant to the cashless exercise procedures specified in the Warrants. Warrants may be exercised in whole or in part, and any portion of a Warrant not exercised prior to the termination date shall be and become void and of no value. The absence of an effective registration statement or applicable exemption from registration does not alleviate our obligation to deliver common stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant.
  
 Upon the holder’s exercise of a Warrant, we will issue the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrant within three trading days of our receipt of notice of exercise, subject to timely payment of the aggregate exercise price therefor.
  
 	 
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 The shares of common stock issuable on exercise of the Warrants will be, when issued in accordance with the Warrants, duly and validly authorized, issued and fully paid and non-assessable. We will authorize and reserve at least that number of shares of common stock equal to the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of all outstanding warrants.
  
 If, at any time a Warrant is outstanding, we consummate any fundamental transaction, as described in the Warrants and generally including any consolidation or merger into another corporation, the consummation of a transaction whereby another entity acquires more than 50% of our outstanding common stock, or the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, or other transaction in which our common stock is converted into or exchanged for other securities or other consideration, the holder of any Warrants will thereafter receive upon exercise of the Warrants, the securities or other consideration to which a holder of the number of shares of common stock then deliverable upon the exercise or conversion of such Warrants would have been entitled upon such consolidation or merger or other transaction.
  
 The Warrants are not exercisable by their holder to the extent (but only to the extent) that such holder or any of its affiliates would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% of our common stock.
  
 Amendments and waivers of the terms of the Warrants require the written consent of the holder of such Warrants and us. The Warrants will be issued in book-entry form under a warrant agent agreement between V-Stock Transfer Company, Inc. as warrant agent, and us, and shall initially be represented by one or more book-entry certificates deposited with The Depository Trust Company, or DTC, and registered in the name of Cede & Co., a nominee of DTC, or as otherwise directed by DTC.
  
 You should review a copy of the warrant agent agreement and the form of the Warrants, each of which are included as exhibits to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities Exchange Commission, of which this Exhibit 4.3 is a part.
  
 Transfer Agent, Registrar, Warrant Agent
  
 The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock and the warrant agent for our Warrants is VStock Transfer LLC, 18 Lafayette Place, Woodmere, NY 11598.
   
 	 
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