ex41.htm


Exhibit 4.1


 


 


[FORM OF WARRANT]


 







 


SERIES [  ] COMMON STOCK PURCHASE WARRANT


 


TRELLIS EARTH PRODUCTS, INC.


 







 


  

 



	 Warrant Shares: _______ 	 	 	 Initial Exercise Date:  ______, 201[   ]





 




 


THIS COMMON STOCK PURCHASE WARRANT (the “Warrant”) certifies that, for value received, _____________ (the “Holder”) is entitled, upon the terms and subject to the limitations on exercise and the conditions hereinafter set forth, at any time or times on or after the date hereof (the “Exercisability Date”), but not after 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on ______, 2015 (the “Termination Date”), to subscribe for and purchase from Trellis Earth Products, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”), up to ______ shares (the “Warrant Shares”) of Common Stock. 


 


Section 1.    Definitions.  Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in that certain Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”), dated February   , 2012, by and between the Company and the Holder. This Warrant is one of a series of warrants issued by the Company as of the date hereof (individually, a “Warrant,” and collectively, the “Company Warrants”) pursuant to (i) Section 2 of the Purchase Agreement and (ii) the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File number 333-176970) (the “Registration Statement”).


 


Section 2.                      Exercise.


 


 


a) Exercise of Warrant.  Exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant may be made, in whole or in part, at any time or times on or after the Exercisability Date and on or before the Termination Date by delivery to the Company (or such other office or agency of the Company as it may designate by notice in writing to the registered Holder at the address of the Holder appearing on the books of the Company) of a duly executed facsimile copy of the Notice of Exercise annexed hereto; and, within three (3) Trading Days of the date said Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company, the Company shall have received payment of the aggregate Exercise Price of the shares thereby purchased by wire transfer or cashier’s check drawn on a United States bank or, if available, pursuant to the cashless exercise procedure specified in Section 2(c) below.  Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Holder shall not be required to physically surrender this Warrant to the Company until the Holder has purchased all of the Warrant Shares available hereunder and the Warrant has been exercised in full, in which case, the Holder shall surrender this Warrant to the Company for cancellation within three (3) Trading Days of the date the final Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company.  Partial exercises of this Warrant resulting in purchases of a portion of the total number of Warrant Shares available hereunder shall have the effect of lowering the outstanding number of Warrant Shares purchasable hereunder in an amount equal to the applicable number of Warrant Shares purchased.  The Holder and the Company shall maintain records showing the number of Warrant Shares purchased and the date of such purchases.  The Company shall deliver any objection to any Notice of Exercise within 2 Business Days of receipt of such notice.  The Holder and any assignee, by acceptance of this Warrant, acknowledge and agree that, by reason of the provisions of this paragraph, following the purchase of a portion of the Warrant Shares hereunder, the number of Warrant Shares available for purchase hereunder at any given time may be less than the amount stated on the face hereof.


 


b)  Exercise Price.  The exercise price per share of the Common Stock under this Warrant shall be $[        ], subject to adjustment hereunder (the “Exercise Price”).


 


c)  Cashless Exercise.  If at the time of exercise hereof there is no effective registration statement registering, or the prospectus contained therein is not available for the issuance of the Warrant Shares to the Holder, then this Warrant may also be exercised, in whole or in part, at such time by means of a “cashless exercise” in which the Holder shall be entitled to receive a certificate for the number of Warrant Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing [(A-B) (X)] by (A), where:


 


 


 




  





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 (A) = the VWAP on the Trading Day immediately preceding the date on which Holder elects to exercise this Warrant by means of a “cashless exercise,” as set forth in the applicable Notice of Exercise;












 



	  	
(B) = the Exercise Price of this Warrant, as adjusted hereunder; and












 



	  	
(X) = the number of Warrant Shares that would be issuable upon exercise of this Warrant in accordance with the terms of this Warrant if such exercise were by means of a cash exercise rather than a cashless exercise.












 


“VWAP” means, for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that applies: (a) if the Common Stock is then listed or quoted on a Trading Market, the daily volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the Trading Market on which the Common Stock is then listed or quoted as reported by Bloomberg L.P. (“Bloomberg”) (based on a Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:02 p.m. (New York City time)), (b)  if the OTC Bulletin Board is not a Trading Market, the volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest preceding date) on the OTC Bulletin Board, (c) if the Common Stock is not quoted for trading on the OTC Bulletin Board and if prices for the Common Stock are then reported by OTC Market Group, Inc. (or a similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price per share of the Common Stock so reported, or (d) in all other cases, the fair market value of a share of Common Stock as determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the Company and reasonably acceptable to the Holders of a majority in interest of the Securities then outstanding, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by the Company.


 


In the event the Registration Statement is effective at the time this Warrant is exercised, there is no circumstance that would require the Company to net cash settle this Warrant.


 


d) Mechanics of Exercise.


 


 


i) Delivery of Certificates Upon Exercise.  Certificates for shares purchased hereunder shall be transmitted by the Transfer Agent to the Holder by crediting the account of the Holder’s prime broker with The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit or Withdrawal at Custodian system (“DWAC”) if the Company is then a participant in such system and either (A) there is an effective registration statement covering the issuance of the Warrant Shares to or resale of the Warrant Shares by Holder or (B) this Warrant is being exercised via cashless exercise, and otherwise by physical delivery to the address specified by the Holder in the Notice of Exercise by the date that is three (3) Trading Days after the latest of (A) the delivery to the Company of the Notice of Exercise, (B) surrender of this Warrant (if required) and (C) payment of the aggregate Exercise Price as set forth above (including by cashless exercise, if permitted) (such date, the “Warrant Share Delivery Date”).  This Warrant shall be deemed to have been properly exercised on the first date on which all of the foregoing have been delivered to the Company.  The Warrant Shares shall be deemed to have been issued, and Holder or any other person so designated to be named therein shall be deemed to have become a holder of record of such shares for all purposes, as of the date the Warrant has been exercised, with payment to the Company of the Exercise Price (or by cashless exercise, if permitted) and all taxes required to be paid by the Holder, if any, pursuant to Section 2(d)(vi) prior to the issuance of such shares, having been paid.


 


 


ii) Delivery of New Warrants Upon Exercise.  If this Warrant shall have been exercised in part, the Company shall, at the request of a Holder and upon surrender of this Warrant certificate, at the time of delivery of the certificate or certificates representing Warrant Shares, deliver to Holder a new Warrant evidencing the rights of Holder to purchase the unpurchased Warrant Shares called for by this Warrant, which new Warrant shall in all other respects be identical with this Warrant.


 


iii) Rescission Rights.  If the Company fails to cause the Transfer Agent to transmit to the Holder a certificate or the certificates representing the Warrant Shares pursuant to Section 2(d)(i) by the Warrant Share Delivery Date, then, the Holder will have the right to rescind such exercise as provided in the Purchase Agreement.


 


iv) Compensation for Buy-In on Failure to Timely Deliver Certificates Upon Exercise.  In addition to any other rights available to the Holder, if the Company fails to cause the Transfer Agent to transmit to the Holder a certificate or the certificates representing the Warrant Shares pursuant to an exercise on or before the Warrant Share Delivery Date, and if after such Warrant Share Delivery Date, the Holder is required by its broker to purchase (in an open market transaction or otherwise) or the Holder’s brokerage firm otherwise purchases, shares of Common Stock to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Holder of the Warrant Shares which the Holder anticipated receiving upon such exercise (a “Buy-In”), then the Company shall (A) pay in cash to the Holder the amount, if any, by which (x) the Holder’s total purchase price (including brokerage commissions, if any) for the shares of Common Stock so purchased exceeds (y) the amount obtained by multiplying (1) the number of Warrant Shares that the Company was required to deliver to the Holder in connection with the exercise at issue times (2) the price at which the sell order giving rise to such purchase obligation was executed, and (B) at the option of the Holder, either reinstate the portion of the Warrant and equivalent number of Warrant Shares for which such exercise was not honored (in which case such exercise shall be deemed rescinded) or deliver to the Holder the number of shares of Common Stock that would have been issued had the Company timely complied with its exercise and delivery obligations hereunder.  For example, if the Holder purchases Common Stock having a total purchase price of $11,000 to cover a Buy-In with respect to an attempted exercise of shares of Common Stock with an aggregate sale price giving rise to such purchase obligation of $10,000, under clause (A) of the immediately preceding sentence the Company shall be required to pay the Holder $1,000. The Holder shall provide the Company written notice indicating the amounts payable to the Holder in respect of the Buy-In and, upon request of the Company, evidence of the amount of such loss.  Nothing herein shall limit a Holder’s right to pursue any other remedies available to it hereunder, at law or in equity including, without limitation, a decree of specific performance and/or injunctive relief with respect to the Company’s failure to timely deliver certificates representing shares of Common Stock upon exercise of the Warrant as required pursuant to the terms hereof.


 


 




  





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v)  No Fractional Shares or Scrip.  No fractional shares or scrip representing fractional shares shall be issued upon the exercise of this Warrant, but rather the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued shall be rounded up to the nearest whole number. 


 


vi)  Charges, Taxes and Expenses.  Issuance of certificates for Warrant Shares shall be made without charge to the Holder for any issue or transfer tax or other incidental expense in respect of the issuance of such certificate, all of which transfer taxes and expenses shall be paid by the Company, and such certificates shall be issued in the name of the Holder or in such name or names as may be directed by the Holder; provided, however, that in the event certificates for Warrant Shares are to be issued in a name other than the name of the Holder, this Warrant when surrendered for exercise shall be accompanied by a written assignment of this Warrant substantially in the form attached hereto (the “Assignment Form”) duly executed by the Holder and the Company may require, as a condition thereto, the payment of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any transfer tax incidental thereto.


 


vii) Closing of Books.  The Company will not close its stockholder books or records in any manner which prevents the timely exercise of this Warrant, pursuant to the terms hereof.


 


e) Holder’s Exercise Limitations.  The Company shall not effect any exercise of this Warrant, and a Holder shall not have the right to exercise any portion of this Warrant, pursuant to Section 2 or otherwise, to the extent that after giving effect to such issuance after exercise as set forth on the applicable Notice of Exercise, the Holder (together with the Holder’s Affiliates, and any other Persons acting as a group together with the Holder or any of the Holder’s Affiliates), would beneficially own in excess of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation (as defined below).  For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by the Holder and its Affiliates shall include the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of this Warrant with respect to which such determination is being made, but shall exclude the number of shares of Common Stock which would be issuable upon (i) exercise of the remaining, nonexercised portion of this Warrant beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates and (ii) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or nonconverted portion of any other securities of the Company (including, without limitation, any other  Common Stock Equivalents) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein beneficially owned by the Holder or any of its Affiliates.  Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this Section 2(e), beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, it being acknowledged by the Holder that the Company is not representing to the Holder that such calculation is in compliance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the Holder is solely responsible for any schedules required to be filed in accordance therewith.   To the extent that the limitation contained in this Section 2(e) applies, the determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable shall be in the sole discretion of the Holder, and the submission of a Notice of Exercise shall be deemed to be the Holder’s determination of whether this Warrant is exercisable (in relation to other securities owned by the Holder together with any Affiliates) and of which portion of this Warrant is exercisable, in each case subject to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, and the Company shall have no obligation to verify or confirm the accuracy of such determination and shall have no liability for exercises of the Warrant that are not in compliance with the Beneficial Ownership Limitation.   In addition, a determination as to any group status as contemplated above shall be determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.  For purposes of this Section 2(e), in determining the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock, a Holder may rely on the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock as reflected in (A) the Company’s most recent periodic or annual report filed with the Commission, as the case may be, (B) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (C) a more recent written notice by the Company or the Transfer Agent setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding.  Upon the written or oral request of a Holder, the Company shall within one Trading Day confirm orally and in writing to the Holder the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding as established by (A), (B), or (C) above, as applicable.  In any case, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of securities of the Company, including this Warrant, by the Holder or its Affiliates since the date as of which such number of outstanding shares of Common Stock was reported.  The “Beneficial Ownership Limitation” shall be 4.99% of the number of shares of the Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of this Warrant.  The Holder, upon not less than 61 days’ prior notice to the Company, may increase or decrease the Beneficial Ownership Limitation provisions of this Section 2(e), provided that the Beneficial Ownership Limitation in no event exceeds 9.99% of the number of shares of the Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of this Warrant held by the Holder and the provisions of this Section 2(e) shall continue to apply.  Any such increase or decrease will not be effective until the 61st day after such notice is delivered to the Company and shall only be effective with respect to such Holder.  The provisions of this paragraph shall be construed and implemented in a manner otherwise than in strict conformity with the terms of this Section 2(e) to correct this paragraph (or any portion hereof) which may be defective or inconsistent with the intended Beneficial Ownership Limitation herein contained or to make changes or supplements necessary or desirable to properly give effect to such limitation. The limitations contained in this paragraph shall apply to a successor holder of this Warrant.


 


Section 3.     Certain Adjustments.


 


 


(a)           Stock Dividends and Splits. If the Company, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding: (i) pays a stock dividend or otherwise makes a distribution or distributions on shares of its Common Stock or any other equity or equity equivalent securities payable in shares of Common Stock (which, for avoidance of doubt, shall not include any shares of Common Stock issued by the Company upon exercise of this Warrant), (ii) subdivides outstanding shares of Common Stock into a larger number of shares, (iii) combines (including by way of reverse stock split) outstanding shares of Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, or (iv) issues by reclassification of shares of the Common Stock any shares of capital stock of the Company, then in each case the Exercise Price shall be multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator shall be the number of shares of Common Stock (excluding treasury shares, if any) outstanding immediately before such event and of which the denominator shall be the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event, and the number of shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant shall be proportionately adjusted such that the aggregate Exercise Price of this Warrant shall remain unchanged.  Any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 3(a) shall become effective immediately after the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to receive such dividend or distribution and shall become effective immediately after the effective date in the case of a subdivision, combination or re-classification.


 




  





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(b)           Subsequent Equity Sales. If the Company shall, during the period commencing on the date hereof through the second year anniversary, issue or sell (such issuance or sale, a “New Issuance”) any shares of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents at a price per share of Common Stock (the “New Issue Price”) that is less than the Exercise Price then in effect as of the record date or Issue Date (as defined below), as the case may be (the “Relevant Date”) (treating the price per share of Common Stock, in the case of the issuance of any Common Stock Equivalent, as equal to (x) the sum of the price for such Common Stock Equivalent plus any additional consideration payable (without regard to any anti-dilution adjustments) upon the conversion, exchange or exercise of such Common Stock Equivalent divided by (y) the number of shares of Common Stock initially underlying such Common Stock Equivalent), other than (i) issuances or sales for which an adjustment is made pursuant to another subsection of this Section 3 and (ii) issuances in connection with an Exempt Issuance, then, and in each such case, the Exercise Price then in effect shall be adjusted by multiplying the Exercise Price in effect on the day immediately prior to the Relevant Date by a fraction (I) the numerator of which shall be the sum of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on the Relevant Date plus the number of shares of Common Stock which the aggregate consideration received by the Company for the total number of such additional shares of Common Stock so issued would purchase at the Exercise Price on the Relevant Date (or, in the case of Common Stock Equivalents, the number of shares of Common Stock which the aggregate consideration received by the Company upon the issuance of such Common Stock Equivalents and receivable by the Company upon the conversion, exchange or exercise of such Common Stock Equivalents would purchase at the Exercise Price on the Relevant Date) and (II) the denominator of which shall be the sum of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on the Relevant Date plus the number of additional shares of Common Stock issued or to be issued (or, in the case of Common Stock Equivalents, the maximum number of shares of Common Stock into which such Common Stock Equivalents initially may convert, exchange or be exercised).  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Exercise Price shall not be reduced at such time if the amount of such reduction would be less than $0.01, but any such amount shall be carried forward, and a reduction will be made with respect to such amount at the time of, and together with, any subsequent reduction which, together with such amount and any other amounts so carried forward, equal $0.01 or more in the aggregate. The Company shall promptly notify the Holder in writing following the issuance of any Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents subject to this Section 3(b), indicating therein the applicable issuance price, or applicable reset price, exchange price, conversion price and other pricing terms (such notice the “New Issuance Notice”). For purposes of clarification, whether or not the Company provides a New Issuance Notice pursuant to this Section 3(b), upon the occurrence of any New Issuance, after the date of such New Issuance the Holder is entitled to receive a number of Warrant Shares based upon the provisions of this Section 3(b) regardless of whether the Holder accurately refers to the Exercise Price in the Notice of Exercise. Any adjustment pursuant to the preceding provisions of this Section 3(b) shall be made whenever such shares of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents are issued, and shall become effective retroactively (x) in the case of an issuance to the stockholders of the Company, as such, to a date immediately following the close of business on the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to receive such shares of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents and (y) in all other cases, on the date (the “Issue Date”) of such issuance.


 


(c)           Rights Upon Distribution of Assets.  If at any time or from time to time the holders of Common Stock of the Company (or any shares of stock or other securities at the time receivable upon the exercise of this Warrant) shall have received or become entitled to receive, without payment therefore:


 


i)  Common Stock or any shares of stock or other securities which are at any time directly or indirectly convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock, or any rights or options to subscribe for, purchase or otherwise acquire any of the foregoing by way of dividend or other distribution (other than a dividend or distribution covered in Section 3(a) above);


 


ii) any cash paid or payable otherwise than as a cash dividend; or


 


iii) Common Stock or additional stock or other securities or property (including cash) by way of spinoff, split-up, reclassification, combination of shares or similar corporate rearrangement (other than shares of Common Stock pursuant to Section 3(a) above), then and in each such case, the Holder hereof will, upon the exercise of this Warrant, be entitled to receive, in addition to the number of shares of Common Stock receivable thereupon, and without payment of any additional consideration therefor, the amount of stock and other securities and property (including cash in the cases referred to in clauses (ii) and (iii) above) which such Holder would hold on the date of such exercise had such Holder been the holder of record of such Common Stock as of the date on which holders of Common Stock received or became entitled to receive such shares or all other additional stock and other securities and property.


 


(d)           Fundamental Transaction. If, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding, (i) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another Person (but excluding a migratory merger effected solely for the purpose of changing the jurisdiction of incorporation of the Company), (ii) the Company, directly or indirectly, effects any sale, assignment, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of its assets in one or a series of related transactions, (iii) any, direct or indirect, purchase offer, tender offer or exchange offer (whether by the Company or another Person) is completed pursuant to which holders of Common Stock are permitted to sell, tender or exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property and has been accepted by the holders of 50% or more of the outstanding Common Stock, (iv) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any reclassification, reorganization or recapitalization of the Common Stock or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which the Common Stock is effectively converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash or property, (v) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions consummates a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination (including, without limitation, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off or scheme of arrangement) with another Person whereby such other Person acquires more than 50% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (not including any shares of Common Stock held by the other Person or other Persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the other Persons making or party to, such stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination) (each a “Fundamental Transaction”), then, upon any subsequent exercise of this Warrant, the Holder shall have the right to receive, for each Warrant Share that would have been issuable upon such exercise immediately prior to the occurrence of such Fundamental Transaction, at the option of the Holder (without regard to any limitation in Section 2(e) on the exercise of this Warrant), the number of shares of Common Stock of the successor or acquiring corporation or of the Company, if it is the surviving corporation, and any additional consideration (the “Alternate Consideration”) receivable as a result of such Fundamental Transaction by a holder of the number of shares of Common Stock for which this Warrant is exercisable immediately prior to such Fundamental Transaction (without regard to any limitation in Section 2(e) on the exercise of this Warrant).  For purposes of any such exercise, the determination of the Exercise Price shall be appropriately adjusted to apply to such Alternate Consideration based on the amount of Alternate Consideration issuable in respect of one share of Common Stock in such Fundamental Transaction, and the Company shall apportion the Exercise Price among the Alternate Consideration in a reasonable manner reflecting the relative value of any different components of the Alternate Consideration.  If holders of Common Stock are given any choice as to the securities, cash or property to be received in a Fundamental Transaction, then the Holder shall be given the same choice as to the Alternate Consideration it receives upon any exercise of this Warrant following such Fundamental Transaction.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in the event of a Fundamental Transaction that is (1) an all cash transaction, (2) a “Rule 13e-3 transaction” as defined in Rule 13e-3 under the Exchange Act, or (3) a Fundamental Transaction involving a person or entity not traded on a national securities exchange, the Company or any Successor Entity (as defined below) shall, at the Holder’s option, exercisable at any time concurrently with, or within 30 days after, the consummation of the Fundamental Transaction, purchase this Warrant from the Holder by paying to the Holder an amount of cash equal to the Black Scholes Value of the remaining unexercised portion of this Warrant on the date of the consummation of such Fundamental Transaction.  “Black Scholes Value” means the value of this Warrant based on the Black and Scholes Option Pricing Model obtained from the “OV” function on Bloomberg, L.P. (“Bloomberg”) determined as of the day of consummation of the applicable Fundamental Transaction for pricing purposes and reflecting (A) a risk-free interest rate corresponding to the U.S. Treasury rate for a period equal to the time between the date of the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction and the Termination Date, (B) an expected volatility equal to the greater of 100% and the 100 day volatility obtained from the HVT function on Bloomberg as of the Trading Day immediately following the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction, (C) the underlying price per share used in such calculation shall be the sum of the price per share being offered in cash, if any, plus the value of any non-cash consideration, if any, being offered in such Fundamental Transaction and (D) a remaining option time equal to the time between the date of the public announcement of the applicable Fundamental Transaction and the Termination Date. The Company shall cause any successor entity in a Fundamental Transaction in which the Company is not the survivor (the “Successor Entity”) to assume in writing all of the obligations of the Company under this Warrant and the other Transaction Documents in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3(e) pursuant to written agreements in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Holder and approved by the Holder (without unreasonable delay) prior to such Fundamental Transaction and shall, at the option of the Holder, deliver to the Holder in exchange for this Warrant a security of the Successor Entity evidenced by a written instrument substantially similar in form and substance to this Warrant which is exercisable for a corresponding number of shares of capital stock of such Successor Entity (or its parent entity) equivalent to the shares of Common Stock acquirable and receivable upon exercise of this Warrant (without regard to any limitations on the exercise of this Warrant) prior to such Fundamental Transaction, and with an exercise price which applies the exercise price hereunder to such shares of capital stock (but taking into account the relative value of the shares of Common Stock pursuant to such Fundamental Transaction and the value of such shares of capital stock, such number of shares of capital stock and such exercise price being for the purpose of protecting the economic value of this Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of such Fundamental Transaction), and which is reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Holder. Upon the occurrence of any such Fundamental Transaction, the Successor Entity shall succeed to, and be substituted for (so that from and after the date of such Fundamental Transaction, the provisions of this Warrant and the other Transaction Documents referring to the “Company” shall refer instead to the Successor Entity), and may exercise every right and power of the Company and shall assume all of the obligations of the Company under this Warrant and the other Transaction Documents with the same effect as if such Successor Entity had been named as the Company herein.


 




  





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(e)           Calculations. All calculations under this Section 3 shall be made to the nearest cent or the nearest 1/100th of a share, as the case may be. For purposes of this Section 3, the number of shares of Common Stock deemed to be issued and outstanding as of a given date shall be the sum of the number of shares of Common Stock (excluding treasury shares, if any) issued and outstanding.


 


(f)           Notice to Holder.


 


 


(i)           Adjustment to Exercise Price. Whenever the Exercise Price is adjusted pursuant to any provision of this Section 3, the Company shall promptly mail to the Holder a notice setting forth the Exercise Price after such adjustment and setting forth a brief statement of the facts requiring such adjustment.


 


 


(ii)           Notice to Allow Exercise by Holder. If during the term in which this Warrant may be exercised by the Holder (A) the Company shall declare a dividend (or any other distribution in whatever form) on the Common Stock, (B) the Company shall declare a special nonrecurring cash dividend on or a redemption of the Common Stock, (C) the Company shall authorize the granting to all holders of the Common Stock rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase any shares of capital stock of any class or of any rights, (D) the approval of any stockholders of the Company shall be required in connection with any reclassification of the Common Stock, any consolidation or merger to which the Company is a party, any sale or transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or any compulsory share exchange whereby the Common Stock is converted into other securities, cash or property, or (E) the Company shall authorize the voluntary or involuntary dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the affairs of the Company, then, in each case, the Company shall cause to be mailed to the Holder at its last address as it shall appear upon the Warrant Register of the Company, at least 20 calendar days prior to the applicable record or effective date hereinafter specified, a notice stating (x) the date on which a record is to be taken for the purpose of such dividend, distribution, redemption, rights or warrants, or if a record is not to be taken, the date as of which the holders of the Common Stock of record to be entitled to such dividend, distributions, redemption, rights or warrants are to be determined or (y) the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange is expected to become effective or close, and the date as of which it is expected that holders of the Common Stock of record shall be entitled to exchange their shares of the Common Stock for securities, cash or other property deliverable upon such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or share exchange; provided that the failure to mail such notice or any defect therein or in the mailing thereof shall not affect the validity of the corporate action required to be specified in such notice.  To the extent that any notice provided hereunder constitutes, or contains, material, non-public information regarding the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, the Company shall simultaneously file such notice with the Commission pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K.  The Holder shall remain entitled to exercise this Warrant during the period commencing on the date of such notice to the effective date of the event triggering such notice except as may otherwise be expressly set forth herein.


 


 


 


Section 4.       Transfer of Warrant.


 


 


(a)           Transferability.  Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, this Warrant and all rights hereunder (including, without limitation, any registration rights) are transferable, in whole or in part, upon surrender of this Warrant at the principal office of the Company or its designated agent, together with the Assignment Form duly executed by the Holder or its agent or attorney and funds sufficient to pay any transfer taxes payable upon the making of such transfer.  Upon such surrender and, if required, such payment, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in the name of the assignee or assignees, as applicable, and in the denomination or denominations specified in such instrument of assignment, and shall issue to the assignor a new Warrant evidencing the portion of this Warrant not so assigned, and this Warrant shall promptly be cancelled.  The Warrant, if properly assigned in accordance herewith, may be exercised by a new holder for the purchase of Warrant Shares without having a new Warrant issued. 


 


 


(b)           New Warrants. This Warrant may be divided or combined with other Warrants upon presentation hereof at the aforesaid office of the Company, together with a written notice specifying the names and denominations in which new Warrants are to be issued, signed by the Holder or its agent or attorney.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, in no event shall this Warrant be subdivided into units of less than 1,000 Warrant Shares and such new Warrants shall not be further subdivided. Subject to compliance with Section 4(a), as to any transfer which may be involved in such division or combination, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in exchange for the Warrant or Warrants to be divided or combined in accordance with such notice. All Warrants issued on transfers or exchanges shall include reference to the initial issuance date set forth on the first page of this Warrant and shall be identical with this Warrant except as to the number of Warrant Shares issuable pursuant thereto.


 


 


(c)           Warrant Register. The Company shall register this Warrant, upon records to be maintained by the Company for that purpose (the “Warrant Register”), in the name of the record Holder hereof from time to time.  The Company may deem and treat the registered Holder of this Warrant as the absolute owner hereof for the purpose of any exercise hereof or any distribution to the Holder, and for all other purposes, absent actual notice to the contrary.


 


 


(d)           Understandings or Arrangements.  Such Holder is acquiring this Warrant as principal for its own account and has no direct or indirect arrangement or understandings with any other persons to distribute or regarding the distribution of such Warrant (this representation and warranty not limiting such Holder’s right to sell the Warrant pursuant to the Registration Statement or otherwise in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws.) Such Holder is acquiring this Warrant hereunder in the ordinary course of its business.


 


 


 




  





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(e)           Cancellation; Payment of Expenses.  Upon the surrender of this Warrant in connection with any transfer, exchange, or replacement as provided in this Section 4, this Warrant shall be promptly canceled by the Company.  The Company shall pay all taxes (other than securities transfer taxes) and all other expenses (other than legal expenses, if any, incurred by the Holder) and charges payable in connection with the preparation, execution, and delivery of Warrants pursuant to this Section 4.


 


Section 5.               Miscellaneous. 


 


 


(a)           No Rights as Stockholder Until Exercise.  Except as otherwise provided herein, this Warrant does not entitle the Holder to any voting rights, including, without limitation, any right to consent to any corporate action (whether any reorganization, issue of stock, reclassification of stock, consolidation, merger, conveyance or otherwise) nor any right to receive notice of meetings, nor does it entitle the Holder to any right to receive dividends or subscription rights, or any other rights as a stockholder of the Company prior to the exercise hereof as set forth in Section 2(d)(i).


 


 


(b)           Loss, Theft, Destruction or Mutilation of Warrant. The Company covenants that upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Warrant or any stock certificate relating to the Warrant Shares, and in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to it, and upon surrender and cancellation of such Warrant or stock certificate, if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Warrant or stock certificate of like tenor and dated as of such cancellation, in lieu of such Warrant or stock certificate. 


 


 


(c)           Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, etc.  If the last or appointed day for the taking of any action or the expiration of any right required or granted herein shall not be a Business Day, then, such action may be taken or such right may be exercised on the next succeeding Business Day. 


 


 


(d)           Authorized Shares.  The Company covenants that, during the period the Warrant is outstanding, it will reserve from its authorized and unissued Common Stock a sufficient number of shares to provide for the issuance of the Warrant Shares upon the exercise of any purchase rights under this Warrant.  The Company further covenants that its issuance of this Warrant shall constitute full authority to its officers who are charged with the duty of executing stock certificates to execute and issue the necessary certificates for the Warrant Shares upon the exercise of the purchase rights under this Warrant.  The Company will take all such reasonable action as may be necessary to assure that such Warrant Shares may be issued as provided herein without violation of any applicable law or regulation, or of any requirements of the Trading Market upon which the Common Stock may be listed.  The Company covenants that all Warrant Shares which may be issued upon the exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant will, upon exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant and payment for such Warrant Shares in accordance herewith, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free from all taxes, liens and charges created by the Company in respect of the issue thereof (other than taxes in respect of any transfer occurring contemporaneously with such issue).


 


If the Company’s Common Stock is listed as of the date of this Warrant, or if so listed in the future, the Company shall maintain its listing of its Common Stock on each national securities exchange or automated quotation system, as the case may be, and shall maintain such listing of any other shares of capital stock of the Company issuable upon the exercise of this Warrant if and so long as any shares of the same class shall be listed on such national securities exchange or automated quotation system.


 


Except and to the extent as waived or consented to by the Holder, the Company shall not by any action, including, without limitation, amending its certificate of incorporation or through any reorganization, transfer of assets, consolidation, merger, dissolution, issue or sale of securities or any other voluntary action, avoid or seek to avoid the observance or performance of any of the terms of this Warrant, but will at all times in good faith assist in the carrying out of all such terms and in the taking of all such actions as may be necessary or appropriate to protect the rights of Holder as set forth in this Warrant against impairment.  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will (i) not increase the par value of any Warrant Shares above the amount payable therefor upon such exercise immediately prior to such increase in par value, (ii) take all such action as may be necessary or appropriate in order that the Company may validly and legally issue fully paid and nonassessable Warrant Shares upon the exercise of this Warrant and (iii) use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all such authorizations, exemptions or consents from any public regulatory body having jurisdiction thereof, as may be, necessary to enable the Company to perform its obligations under this Warrant. 


 


Before taking any action which would result in an adjustment in the number of Warrant Shares for which this Warrant is exercisable or in the Exercise Price, the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain all such authorizations or exemptions thereof, or consents thereto, as may be necessary from any public regulatory body or bodies having jurisdiction thereof. 


 


 


(e)           Jurisdiction. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Warrant shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of the Purchase Agreement.


 


 


(f)           Restrictions.  The Holder acknowledges that the Warrant Shares acquired upon the exercise of this Warrant, if not registered, and the Holder does not utilize cashless exercise, will have restrictions upon resale imposed by state and federal securities laws.  


 


 


(g)           Nonwaiver and Expenses.  No course of dealing or any delay or failure to exercise any right hereunder on the part of Holder shall operate as a waiver of such right or otherwise prejudice Holder’s rights, powers or remedies.  Without limiting any other provision of this Warrant or the Purchase Agreement, if the Company willfully and knowingly fails to comply with any provision of this Warrant, which results in any material damages to the Holder, the Company shall pay to Holder such amounts as shall be sufficient to cover any costs and expenses including, but not limited to, reasonable attorneys’ fees, including those of appellate proceedings, incurred by Holder in collecting any amounts due pursuant hereto or in otherwise enforcing any of its rights, powers or remedies hereunder. 


 


 


(h)           Notices.  Any notice, request or other document required or permitted to be given or delivered to the Holder by the Company shall be delivered in accordance with the notice provisions of the Purchase Agreement.  


 


 


 


 




  





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(i)           Limitation of Liability.  No provision hereof, in the absence of any affirmative action by Holder to exercise this Warrant to purchase Warrant Shares, and no enumeration herein of the rights or privileges of Holder, shall give rise to any liability of Holder for the purchase price of any Common Stock or as a stockholder of the Company, whether such liability is asserted by the Company or by creditors of the Company.  


 


 


(j)           Remedies.  The Holder, in addition to being entitled to exercise all rights granted by law, including recovery of damages, will be entitled to specific performance of its rights under this Warrant.  The Company agrees that monetary damages would not be adequate compensation for any loss incurred by reason of a breach by it of the provisions of this Warrant and hereby agrees to waive and not to assert the defense in any action for specific performance that a remedy at law would be adequate.  


 


(k)           Successors and Assigns.  Subject to applicable securities laws, this Warrant and the rights and obligations evidenced hereby shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and permitted assigns of the Company and the successors and permitted assigns of Holder.  The provisions of this Warrant are intended to be for the benefit of any Holder from time to time of this Warrant and shall be enforceable by the Holder or holder of Warrant Shares. 


 


(l)           Amendment.  This Warrant may be modified or amended or the provisions hereof waived with the written consent of the Company and Holders holding Warrants at least equal to 50% of the Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of all then outstanding Warrants. 


 


(m)           Severability.  Wherever possible, each provision of this Warrant shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Warrant shall be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such provisions or the remaining provisions of this Warrant. 


 


(n)           Headings.  The headings used in this Warrant are for the convenience of reference only and shall not, for any purpose, be deemed a part of this Warrant.


 


(o)           Delivery of Common Stock by Electronic Transfer.  In lieu of delivering physical certificates representing the Common Stock issuable upon exercise, provided the Company’s transfer agent is participating in the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) Fast Automated Securities Transfer program and the Company has activated such programs, upon request of the Holder and its compliance with the provisions contained in Section 2, the Company shall use its best efforts to cause its transfer agent to electronically transmit the Common Stock issuable upon exercise to the Holder by crediting the account of Holder’s Prime Broker with DTC through its Deposit Withdrawal Agent Commission system.


 


(p)           Facsimile Signature.                                           This Warrant may be issued to the Holder containing a facsimile signature of the President or Chief Executive Officer of the Company; which facsimile signature the Company acknowledges and agrees shall have the same validity and enforceability as those the same were a ribbon original signature.


 


 


 







 


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


 







 


(Signature Pages Follow)


 







 




  





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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Warrant to be executed by its officer thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above indicated.


 


 




	 	 
TRELLIS EARTH PRODUCTS, INC.

	 
	 	 	 	 
	
 

	
By: 

	/s/ 	 
	 	 	Name: William Collins	 
	 	 	Title: Chief Executive Officer	 
	 	 	 	 












 


 




  





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NOTICE OF EXERCISE


 







 


TO:           TRELLIS EARTH PRODUCTS, INC.


 







 


(1)      The undersigned hereby elects to purchase ________ Warrant Shares of the Company pursuant to the terms of the attached Warrant (only if exercised in full), and tenders herewith payment of the exercise price in full, together with all applicable transfer taxes, if any.


 


(2)      Payment shall take the form of (check applicable box):


 


[  ] in lawful money of the United States; or 


 


[  ] [if permitted] the cancellation of such number of Warrant Shares as is necessary, in accordance with the formula set forth in subsection 2(c), to exercise this Warrant with respect to the maximum number of Warrant Shares purchasable pursuant to the cashless exercise procedure set forth in subsection 2(c).


 


(3)      Please issue a certificate or certificates representing said Warrant Shares in the name of the undersigned registered holder:


 


____________________________


 


 


The Warrant Shares shall be delivered to the following DWAC Account Number or by physical delivery of a certificate to:


 


____________________________


 


 


____________________________


 


 


____________________________


 







 


[SIGNATURE OF HOLDER]


 







 


Name of Investing Entity: _____________________________________________________


 


Signature of Authorized Signatory of Investing Entity:  _______________________________


 


Name of Authorized Signatory: _________________________________________________


 


Title of Authorized Signatory: __________________________________________________


 


Date: _____________________________________________________________________


 









  





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ASSIGNMENT FORM


 







 


(To assign the foregoing warrant, execute


 


this form and supply required information.


 


Do not use this form to exercise the warrant.)


 







 


FOR VALUE RECEIVED, [____] all of or [_______] shares of the foregoing Warrant and all rights evidenced thereby are hereby assigned to


 


 


_______________________________________________ whose address is


 


_______________________________________________________________.


 


_______________________________________________________________


 


 


Dated:  ______________, _______


 







 


Holder’s Signature:                              _____________________________


 


Holder’s Address:                                _____________________________


 


Signature Guaranteed:  ____________________________________________________________


 


 


NOTE:  The signature to this Assignment Form must correspond with the name as it appears on the face of the Warrant, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever, and must be guaranteed by a bank or trust company.  Officers of corporations and those acting in a fiduciary or other representative capacity should file proper evidence of authority to assign the foregoing Warrant.


 







 


 


 


 


 


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