opgn-ex413_96.htm



Exhibit 4.13

DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES

REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

The following description sets forth certain material terms and provisions of the securities of OpGen Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our”) that are registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). This description also summarizes relevant provisions of Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”).  The following summary does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, the applicable provisions of the DGCL and our certificate of incorporation and our by-laws, copies of which are incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of which this Exhibit 4.13 is a part. We encourage you to read our certificate of incorporation, our by-laws and the applicable provisions of the DGCL for additional information.

Our common stock, par value $0.01 per share, trading symbol OPGN, and our Common Stock Warrants issued in our initial public offering in May 2012 (the “IPO Warrants”), trading symbol OPGNW are registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act.  

Authorized Capital Stock

As of December 31, 2019, our authorized capital stock consists of 50,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per  share, of which 7,690,572 shares are available for future issuance.  As of March 20, 2020, 11,930,236 shares of our common stock are issued and outstanding,

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. The Board of Directors are elected to a one year term; the Company does not have a staggered board. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably any dividends declared by the 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.

IPO Warrants

The IPO Warrants entitle the registered holder to purchase one share of common stock at a price equal to $3,300.00 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, immediately following the issuance of such IPO Warrants and terminate at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 8, 2020, or earlier upon the dissolution or winding up of the Company. 

The IPO Warrants were issued pursuant to a Warrant Agreement between us and our transfer agent as the Warrant Agent. The exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the IPO Warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances, including in the event of a stock dividend or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation.

The IPO Warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the applicable Warrant Certificate on or prior to the applicable expiration date at the offices of the Warrant Agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the Warrant Certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price, by certified or official bank check payable to us, unless such holders are willing to exercise their IPO Warrants on a cashless basis, as further described in this Warrant Agreement, for the number of IPO Warrants being exercised. Under the terms of the Warrant Agreement, we have agreed to use our reasonable best efforts to maintain the 





 

effectiveness of a registration statement and prospectus relating to common stock issuable upon exercise of the IPO Warrants until the expiration of the IPO Warrants. The IPO Warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of common stock or any voting rights until they exercise their IPO Warrants and receive shares of common stock. After the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the IPO Warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.

A holder may not exercise any portion of an IPO Warrant to the extent that the holder, together with its affiliates and any other person or entity acting as a group, would own more than 4.99% of the outstanding common stock after exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the IPO Warrant. The foregoing limitation on exercise shall not apply to any registered holder of an IPO Warrant who, together with his, her or its affiliates, and any persons acting as a group together with such registered holder and such registered holder’s affiliates, owned in excess of 4.99% immediately prior to the closing of the IPO. In addition, upon at least 61 days’ prior notice from the holder to us, the holder may waive such limitation.

No fractional shares of common stock will be issued upon exercise of the IPO Warrants. If, upon exercise of the IPO Warrant, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round to the nearest whole number of shares of common stock to be issued to the IPO Warrant holder. If multiple IPO Warrants are exercised by the holder at the same time, we will aggregate the number of whole shares issuable upon exercise of all the IPO Warrants.

Registration Rights

Investors’ Rights Agreement

Under the Third Amended and Restated Investors’ Rights Agreement, dated as of December 18, 2013, among the Company and certain investors, or the investors’ rights agreement, we granted registration rights to the holders of shares acquired prior to our initial public offering, or their permitted transferees. These rights are provided under the terms of the investors’ rights agreement, and include demand registration rights, short-form registration rights and piggyback registration rights. All fees, costs and expenses of underwritten registrations will be borne by us and all selling expenses, including underwriting discounts and selling commissions, will be borne by the holders of the shares being registered. The investors’ rights agreement contains customary cross-indemnification provisions, under which we are obligated to indemnify holders of registrable shares in the event of material misstatements or omissions in the registration statement attributable to us, and they are obligated to indemnify us for material misstatements or omissions attributable to them. The registration rights granted under the investors’ rights agreement will terminate at the earlier of the closing of a deemed liquidation event and when all of the holders of registrable securities are eligible to be sold without restrictions under Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act within any 90-day period.

Bridge Financing Registration Rights

In connection with a bridge financing transaction, the Company entered into a registration rights agreement with jVen Capital and with Merck Global Health Innovation Fund (“MGHIF”), pursuant to which the investors were granted certain demand registration rights and piggyback registration rights in connection with subsequent registered offerings of the Company’s common stock. The registrable securities include the shares of common stock underlying the warrants issued to jVen Capital and to MGHIF under the terms of  bridge financing promissory notes issued and repaid in 2017.

Anti-Takeover Effects of Our Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws and Delaware Law

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws include a number of provisions that may 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.

Meetings of Stockholders

 



 

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that only the Chair of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or a majority of the members of our board of directors then in office 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. Our bylaws limit the business that may be conducted at an annual meeting of stockholders to those matters properly brought before the meeting.

Advance Notice Requirements

Our bylaws establish advance notice procedures with regard to stockholder proposals relating to the nomination of candidates for election as directors or new business to be brought before meetings of our stockholders. These procedures provide that notice of stockholder proposals must be timely given in writing to our corporate secretary prior to the meeting at which the action is to be taken. Generally, to be timely, notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the annual meeting for the preceding year. Our bylaws specify the requirements as to form and content of all stockholders’ notices. These requirements may preclude stockholders from bringing matters before the stockholders at an annual or special meeting.

Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

Any amendment of our certificate of incorporation must first be approved by a majority of our board of directors, and if required by law or our certificate of incorporation, must thereafter be approved by a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, except that the amendment of the provisions relating to stockholder action, board composition, limitation of liability and the amendment of our certificate of incorporation must be approved by not less than 66 2/3% of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, and not less than 66 2/3% of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote thereon as a class. Our bylaws may be amended by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, subject to any limitations set forth in the bylaws; and may also be amended by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, or, if our board of directors recommends that the stockholders approve the amendment, by the affirmative vote of the majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, in each case voting together as a single class.

Undesignated Preferred Stock

Our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our stockholders, to issue from time to time 7,690,572 shares of preferred stock in one or more series. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock may enable our board of directors 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 of directors could cause shares of 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 certificate of incorporation grants our board of directors 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.

Exclusive Jurisdiction for Certain Actions

Our certificate of incorporation provides that, once our common stock is a “covered security,” unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have 

 



 

the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. The enforceability of similar exclusive forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could rule that this provision in our certificate of incorporation is inapplicable or unenforceable. In addition, this exclusive forum provision is intended to apply to claims arising under Delaware state law and would not apply to claims brought pursuant to the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. To the extent the provision could be construed to apply to such claims, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce the provision in such respect, and our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. 

Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law

We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. 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 of directors 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 of directors 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 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;




 


			
	
 
	
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subject to exceptions, any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; and




 


			
	
 
	
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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.

Listing

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “OPGN” and our IPO Warrants are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “OPGNW.”

 



 

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Philadelphia Stock Transfer, Inc. The transfer agent’s address is 2320 Haverford Rd., Suite 230, Ardmore, PA 19003.