S-3 1 tm2132568d1_s3.htm FORM S-3

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 12, 2021

 

Registration No. 333-

 

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
 

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM S-3 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

 

Whole Earth Brands, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

  Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
          38-4101973
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)
 

 

125 S. Wacker Drive
Suite 3150
Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 840-6000

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

 

Ira Schlussel

125 S. Wacker Drive
Suite 3150
Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 840-3005

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

 

Copies to:

Christopher P. Giordano
Jon Venick
Stephen P. Alicanti

Sanjay M. Shirodkar
DLA Piper LLP (US)
1251 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10022
(212) 335-4500

APPROXIMATE DATE OF COMMENCEMENT OF PROPOSED SALE TO THE PUBLIC:
From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.

 

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box: ¨

 

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. x

 

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

 

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

  Large accelerated filer ¨   Accelerated filer x
  Non-accelerated filer ¨   Smaller reporting company ¨
        Emerging growth company x

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of Securities Act. ¨

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Title of each class of securities to be registered  Amount to be
registered(1)(2)
   Proposed maximum
offering price per
security(3)
   Proposed maximum
aggregate offering
price(3)(4)
   Amount of
registration
fee(5)
 
Common stock, par value $0.0001 per share                
Preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share                
Debt Securities                
Depositary Shares                
Warrants                
Subscription Rights                
Purchase Contracts                
Units                
Total  $       $250,000,000   $23,175 

​ 

(1)The securities registered hereunder include such indeterminate number of (a) shares of common stock, (b) shares of preferred stock, (c) debt securities, (d) depositary shares, (e) warrants to purchase common stock, preferred stock, debt securities or depositary shares of the registrant, (f) subscription rights to purchase common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, depositary shares, warrants or units consisting of some or all of these securities of the registrant, (g) purchase contracts, and (h) units consisting of some or all of these securities, as may be sold from time to time by the registrant. There are also being registered hereunder an indeterminate number of shares of common stock and preferred stock as shall be issuable upon conversion, exchange or exercise of any securities that provide for such issuance.

 

(2)Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, this registration statement shall also cover any additional shares of the registrant’s securities that become issuable by reason of any share splits, share dividends or similar transactions.

 

(3)The proposed maximum offering price per security and proposed maximum aggregate offering price per class of security will be determined from time to time by the registrant in connection with the issuance by the registrant of the securities registered hereunder and is not specified as to each class of security pursuant to General Instruction II.D. of Form S-3 under the Securities Act. Separate consideration may or may not be received for securities that are issuable on exercise, conversion or exchange of other securities, or that are issued in units.

 

(4)Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee. Subject to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, the aggregate maximum offering price of all securities issued by the registrant pursuant to this registration statement will not exceed $250,000,000.

 

(5)Calculated pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act.

 

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until this registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 

 

 

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED NOVEMBER 12, 2021

 

PROSPECTUS

 

$250,000,000
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Depositary Shares
Warrants
Subscription Rights
Purchase Contracts
Units

 

Whole Earth Brands, Inc.

 

We may issue securities from time to time in one or more offerings, in amounts, at prices and on terms determined at the time of offering. This prospectus describes the general terms of these securities and the general manner in which these securities will be offered. We will provide the specific terms of these securities in supplements to this prospectus, which will also describe the specific manner in which these securities will be offered and may also supplement, update or amend information contained in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement before you invest. The aggregate offering price of the securities we sell pursuant to this prospectus will not exceed $250,000,000.

 

The securities may be sold directly to you, through agents or through underwriters and dealers. If agents, underwriters or dealers are used to sell the securities, we will name them and describe their compensation in a prospectus supplement. The price to the public of those securities and the net proceeds we expect to receive from that sale will also be set forth in a prospectus supplement.

 

Investing in these securities involves risks that are described in the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page 8 of this prospectus.

 

Our common stock and warrants are listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbols “FREE” and “FREEW,” respectively. On November 11, 2021, the closing sale price of our common stock was $12.22 per share, and the closing sale price of our warrants was $1.60 per warrant. Each prospectus supplement will indicate whether the securities offered thereby will be listed on any securities exchange.

 

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

The date of this prospectus is                    , 2021.

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS 1
   
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION 3
   
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE 4
   
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS 5
   
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY 6
   
RISK FACTORS 8
   
USE OF PROCEEDS 9
   
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK 10
   
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES 13
   
DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES 20
   
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS 23
   
DESCRIPTION OF SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS 24
   
DESCRIPTION OF PURCHASE CONTRACTS 25
   
DESCRIPTION OF UNITS 26
   
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION 27
   
LEGAL MATTERS 29
   
EXPERTS 29

 

i

 

 

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

 

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) using a “shelf” registration process. By using a shelf registration process, we may from time to time sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings.

 

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities that may be offered. Each time we sell securities, we will provide one or more prospectus supplements that will contain specific information about the terms of the offering and the securities being offered. The prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may also add, update, or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference,” and any free writing prospectus that we may prepare and distribute.

 

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or in any free writing prospectus we may authorize to be delivered or made available to you. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representations other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectuses prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, nor provide any assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We will not make an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

This prospectus is dated as of the date set forth on the cover hereof. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or in any free writing prospectus we may authorize to be delivered or made available to you is accurate as of any date other than the date of such document. You should not assume that the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or in any free writing prospectus we may authorize to be delivered or made available to you is accurate as of any date other than the date of such incorporated document.

 

This prospectus includes market data and industry statistics and forecasts that are based on independent industry publications and other publicly available information. Although we believe these sources are reliable, we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this information and we have not independently verified this information. In addition, the market and industry data and forecasts that may be included in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any applicable free writing prospectus may involve estimates, assumptions and other risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on this information.

 

1 

 

 

Any statement made in this prospectus or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained or incorporated by reference in a prospectus supplement or in any other subsequently filed document that is also incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus modifies or supersedes that statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.

 

Unless otherwise stated in this report, or the context otherwise requires, references to “Whole Earth Brands,” the “Company,” “we,” or “our” refer to (i) Merisant Company (collectively with its subsidiaries, “Merisant”) and Mafco Worldwide LLC (collectively with its subsidiaries and affiliates, “Mafco Worldwide,” and together with Merisant, “Merisant and MAFCO”) for the period from January 1, 2020 through June 25, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019 prior to the consummation of the indirect acquisition of Merisant and MAFCO (the “Business Combination”), and (ii) Whole Earth Brands, Inc. and its subsidiaries for the period from June 26, 2020 through June 30, 2021 after the consummation of the Business Combination. Certain figures have been rounded for ease of presentation and may not sum due to rounding. When we refer to “you,” we mean the potential holders of our securities.

 

In this prospectus, we refer to our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, depositary shares, warrants, subscription rights, purchase contracts and units, collectively, as “securities.”

 

2 

 

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

 

The Company files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information filed electronically with the SEC, which is available at http://www.sec.gov. Unless specifically listed below, the information contained on the SEC’s website is not intended to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus and you should not consider that information a part of this prospectus.

 

The Company makes available free of charge through its website at http://www.wholeearthbrands.com its Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as soon as reasonably practicable after it electronically files with, or furnishes to, the SEC. Any information available on or through the Company’s website is not part of this prospectus, except to the extent it is expressly incorporated by reference herein as set forth under “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” below.

 

This prospectus forms part of the registration statement filed by the Company with the SEC under the Securities Act. Whenever a reference is made in this prospectus to a contract or other document that is an exhibit to the registration statement, the reference is only a summary and you should refer to the exhibits that are a part of the registration statement for a copy of the contract or other document. You may review a copy of the registration statement and the documents incorporated by reference herein through the SEC’s website listed above.

 

3 

 

 

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

 

The SEC allows the Company to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means important information may be disclosed to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. Any information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus.

 

The Company incorporates by reference in this prospectus the documents set forth below that have been previously filed with the SEC as well as any filings the Company makes with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act on or after the date of this prospectus and before the termination of the applicable offering; provided, however, that, except as specifically provided below, we are not incorporating any documents or information deemed to have been furnished rather than filed in accordance with SEC rules:

 

·our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on March 16, 2021 (as amended by Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2021);

 

·our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on August 30, 2021 (to the extent incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K);

 

·our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on May 14, 2021, for the quarter ended June 30, 2021, filed with the SEC on August 9, 2021 and for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, filed with the SEC on November 9, 2021;

 

·our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on November 12, 2020 (as amended by the Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on January 13, 2021), February 8, 2021 (as amended by the Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on March 26, 2021), March 16, 2021, April 2, 2021, April 30, 2021, July 1, 2021, September 28, 2021, October 12, 2021 and November 12, 2021; and

 

·the description of our common stock contained in the registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on April 24, 2019, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

 

Any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference in this prospectus shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document that also is incorporated by reference in this prospectus modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus or any prospectus supplement.

 

Information furnished under Items 2.02 and 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company, including any related exhibits under Item 9.01, will not be incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

 

To obtain copies of these filings, see “Where You Can Find More Information.” You may also request a copy of these filings, at no cost, by writing or telephoning to the address and telephone number set forth below:

 

Whole Earth Brands, Inc.,
125 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 3150,
Chicago, Illinois 60606
(312) 840-6000

  

4 

 

  

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This prospectus (including documents incorporated by reference herein) contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act concerning us and other matters. These statements may discuss goals, intentions and expectations as to future plans, trends, events, results of operations or financial condition, or otherwise, based on current beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management.

 

Forward-looking statements may be accompanied by words such as “achieve,” “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “drive,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “future,” “grow,” “improve,” “increase,” “intend,” “may,” “outlook,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” or similar words, phrases or expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, our ability to achieve or maintain profitability; the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the duration, spread, severity, and any recurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the duration and scope of related government orders and restrictions, the impact on our employees, and the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on overall demand for our products; local, regional, national, and international economic conditions that have deteriorated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic including the risks of a global recession or a recession in one or more of our key markets, and the impact they may have on us and our customers and management’s assessment of that impact; extensive and evolving government regulations that impact the way we operate; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our suppliers, including disruptions and inefficiencies in the supply chain; our success in integrating the various operating companies constituting Merisant and MAFCO; our ability to integrate Wholesome and Swerve and achieve the anticipated benefits of the transactions in a timely manner or at all; and such other factors as discussed throughout, including in “Risk Factors” in this prospectus, in any applicable prospectus supplement and in the documents that are incorporated by reference herein.

 

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, our information may be incomplete or limited, and we cannot guarantee future results. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available in the future.

 

5 

 

  

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

 

This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus. Because it is only a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in our securities, and it is qualified in its entirety by, and should be read in conjunction with, the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement. You should read all such documents carefully, and you should pay special attention to the information contained under the caption entitled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement, in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, in any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in our other reports filed from time to time with the SEC, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, before deciding to buy our securities.

 

Unless otherwise specified, share calculations do not include any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding warrants to purchase common stock.

 

Overview

 

We are a global food company enabling healthier lifestyles and providing access to high-quality plant-based sweeteners, flavor enhancers and other foods through our diverse portfolio of trusted brands and delicious products. We operate a proven platform organized into two reportable segments.

 

·Branded CPG, comprised of our Merisant division of operating companies, Wholesome and Swerve, is a global CPG business focused on building a branded portfolio oriented toward serving customers seeking zero-calorie, low calorie, natural, no-sugar-added and plant-based products. Our Branded CPG products are sold under both our global flagship brands, as well as private label brands. Our global flagship brands include Whole Earth®, Pure Via®, Wholesome®, Swerve®, Canderel®, Equal®, and existing branded adjacencies.

 

·Flavors & Ingredients, comprised of our Mafco Worldwide division of operating companies, is a global, business-to-business focused operation with a long history as a trusted supplier of essential, functional ingredients to some of the CPG industry’s largest and most demanding customers. Our products provide a variety of solutions to its customers including flavor enhancement, flavor / aftertaste masking, moisturizing, product mouth feel modification and skin soothing characteristics. Our Flavors & Ingredients segment operates our licorice-derived products business.

 

Our platform can be leveraged to support new product development, distribution gains in North America, further geographic expansion and to pursue mergers and acquisitions activity. We will seek to expand our branded products platform through investment opportunities in the natural alternatives and clean label categories across the global consumer products industry. Over time, we will look to become a portfolio of brands that Open a World of Goodness™ to consumers and their families.

 

Emerging Growth Company

 

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

 

6 

 

 

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a registration statement under the Securities Act declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

 

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the closing of our initial public offering, (b) in which we have total annual revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common equity that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of the prior fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.

 

Corporate Information

 

We were originally formed as Act II Global Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company formed as a blank check company (“Act II”), which consummated its initial public offering in April 2019. On June 24, 2020, we domesticated into a Delaware corporation and changed our name from “Act II Global Acquisition Corp.” to “Whole Earth Brands, Inc.” On June 25, 2020, we consummated the remainder of the Business Combination and, in connection therewith, became (i) a successor issuer to Act II by operation of Rule 12g-3(a) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”); and (ii) the ultimate parent of Merisant and MAFCO.

 

Our principal executive offices are located at 125 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 3150, Chicago, IL 60606, and our telephone number is (312) 840-6000. We maintain a website at www.wholeearthbrands.com. The information contained on our website is not intended to form a part of, or be incorporated by reference into, this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

 

7 

 

 

RISK FACTORS

 

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risk factors and all of the other information included in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, including those in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents we file with the SEC, before making an investment decision. Our business, prospects, financial condition, or operating results could be harmed by any of these risks, as well as other risks not currently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial.

 

8 

 

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

Unless we inform you otherwise in a prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, we intend to use the net proceeds from the offering of securities under this prospectus for general corporate purposes. Any specific allocation of the net proceeds of an offering of securities to a specific purpose will be determined at the time of the offering and will be described in an accompanying prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus.

 

9 

 

 

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

 

The following summary of the material terms of our capital stock is not intended to be a complete summary of the rights and preferences of such securities, and is qualified by reference to our certificate of incorporation (the “certificate of incorporation”) and our bylaws (the “bylaws”), each of which are incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We urge to you read each of the certificate of incorporation and the bylaws described herein in their entirety for a complete description of the rights and preferences of such securities.

 

Authorized Capital Stock

 

The total amount of our authorized capital stock consists of 220,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. No shares of preferred stock are issued and outstanding.

 

Preferred Stock

 

Our board of directors has authority to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more series, to fix for each such series such voting powers, designations, preferences, qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences for the issue of such series all to the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”). The issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of decreasing the trading price of our common stock, restricting dividends on our capital stock, diluting the voting power of our common stock, impairing the liquidation rights of our capital stock, or delaying or preventing a change in control our company.

 

Common Stock

 

General

 

Holders of our common stock are not entitled to preemptive or other similar subscription rights to purchase any of our securities. Our common stock is neither convertible nor redeemable. Unless our board of directors determines otherwise, we expect to issue all shares of our capital stock in uncertificated form.

 

Listing of Common Stock

 

Our common stock is currently listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “FREE.”

 

Voting Rights

 

Each holder of our common stock is entitled to one vote per share on each matter submitted to a vote of stockholders, as provided by the certificate of incorporation. Our bylaws provide that the holders of a majority of the capital stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote thereat, present in person or represented by proxy, will constitute a quorum at all meetings of the stockholders for the transaction of business. When a quorum is present, the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast is required to take action, unless otherwise specified by law, our bylaws or our certificate of incorporation, and except for the election of directors, which is determined by a plurality vote. There are no cumulative voting rights.

 

Dividend Rights

 

Each holder of shares of our common stock is entitled to the payment of dividends and other distributions as may be declared by our board of directors from time to time out of our assets or funds legally available for dividends or other distributions. These rights are subject to the preferential rights of the holders of our preferred stock, if any, and any contractual limitations on our ability to declare and pay dividends. Any dividends declared by our board of directors to the holders of the then outstanding shares of common stock shall be paid to the holders thereof pro rata in accordance with the number of shares of common stock held by each such holder as of the record date of such dividend.

 

Other Rights

 

Each holder of our common stock is subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any series of our preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.

 

10 

 

 

 

  

Liquidation Rights

 

If we are involved in voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs, or a similar event, each holder of our common stock will participate pro rata in all assets remaining after payment of liabilities, subject to prior distribution rights of our preferred stock, if any, then outstanding.

 

Anti-Takeover Effects of the Certificate of Incorporation and the Bylaws

 

Our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws contain provisions that may delay, defer or discourage another party from acquiring control of our company. We expect that these provisions, which are summarized below, will discourage coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of our company to first negotiate with our board of directors, which we believe may result in an improvement of the terms of any such acquisition in favor of our stockholders. However, they also give our board of directors the power to discourage mergers that some stockholders may favor.

 

Special Meetings of Stockholders

 

Our certificate of incorporation provides that a special meeting of stockholders may be called by the (a) the chairperson of our board of directors or (b) our board of directors.

 

Removal of Directors

 

Subject to applicable law, any director or the entire board of directors may be removed with or without cause, by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of our shares of capital stock of the Corporation then entitled to vote at an election of directors, voting together as a single class.

 

Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

 

The DGCL provides generally that the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding stock entitled to vote on amendments to a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws is required to approve such amendment, unless a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, as the case may be, requires a greater percentage. Our bylaws may be further amended, altered, changed or repealed by a majority vote of our board of directors.

 

Delaware Anti-Takeover Statute

 

Section 203 of the DGCL provides that if a person acquires 15% or more of the voting stock of a Delaware corporation, such person becomes an “interested stockholder” and may not engage in certain “business combinations” with such corporation for a period of three years from the time such person acquired 15% or more of such corporation’s voting stock, unless: (1) our board of directors of such corporation approves the acquisition of stock or the merger transaction before the time that the person becomes an interested stockholder, (2) the interested stockholder owns at least 85% of the outstanding voting stock of such corporation at the time the merger transaction commences (excluding voting stock owned by directors who are also officers and certain employee stock plans) or (3) the merger transaction is approved by our board of directors and at a meeting of stockholders, not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder. A Delaware corporation may elect in its certificate of incorporation or bylaws not to be governed by this particular Delaware law. Under our certificate of incorporation, we have not opted out of Section 203 of the DGCL.

 

Limitations on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors

 

Our certificate of incorporation limits the liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, and our bylaws provide that we will indemnify them to the fullest extent permitted by such law. We have entered into and expect to continue to enter into agreements to indemnify our directors, executive officers and other employees as determined by our board of directors. Under the terms of such indemnification agreements, we are required to indemnify each of our directors and officers, to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of the state of Delaware, if the basis of the indemnitee’s involvement was by reason of the fact that the indemnitee is or was our director or officer or was serving at our request in an official capacity for another entity. We must indemnify our officers and directors against all reasonable fees, expenses, charges and other costs of any type or nature whatsoever, including any and all expenses and obligations paid or incurred in connection with investigating, defending, being a witness in, participating in (including on appeal), or preparing to defend, be a witness or participate in any completed, actual, pending or threatened action, suit, claim or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, or establishing or enforcing a right to indemnification under the indemnification agreement. The indemnification agreements also require us, if so requested, to advance all reasonable fees, expenses, charges and other costs that such director or officer incurred, provided that such person will return any such advance if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to indemnification by us. Any claims for indemnification by our directors and officers may reduce our available funds to satisfy successful third-party claims against us and may reduce the amount of money available to us.

 

11 

 

 

Exclusive Jurisdiction of Certain Actions

 

Our certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name against our directors, officers or employees for breach of fiduciary duty, any provision of the DGCL, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws or other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our certificate of incorporation provides that the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. 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. Similarly, 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. 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.

 

Transfer Agent

 

The transfer agent for our common stock is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company.

 

12 

 

 

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

 

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. When we offer to sell a particular series of debt securities, we will describe the specific terms of the series in a supplement to this prospectus. We will also indicate in the supplement to what extent the general terms and provisions described in this prospectus apply to a particular series of debt securities.

 

We may issue debt securities either separately, or together with, or upon the conversion or exercise of or in exchange for, other securities described in this prospectus. Debt securities may be our senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations and, unless otherwise specified in a supplement to this prospectus, the debt securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations and may be issued in one or more series.

 

The debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and a trustee to be identified in an accompanying prospectus supplement. We have summarized select portions of the indenture below. The summary is not complete. The form of the indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and you should read the indenture for provisions that may be important to you. In the summary below, we have included references to the section numbers of the indenture so that you can easily locate these provisions. Capitalized terms used in the summary and not defined herein have the meanings specified in the indenture.

 

General

 

The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of our board of directors and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a resolution of our board of directors, in an officer’s certificate or by a supplemental indenture. The particular terms of each series of debt securities will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to such series (including any pricing supplement or term sheet).

 

We can issue an unlimited amount of debt securities under the indenture that may be in one or more series with the same or various maturities, at par, at a premium, or at a discount. We will set forth in a prospectus supplement (including any pricing supplement or term sheet) relating to any series of debt securities being offered the aggregate principal amount and the following terms of the debt securities, if applicable:

 

·the title and ranking of the debt securities (including the terms of any subordination provisions);

 

·the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount) at which we will sell the debt securities;

 

·any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities;

 

·the date or dates on which the principal of the securities of the series is payable;

 

·the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or the method used to determine the rate or rates (including any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the debt securities will bear interest, the date or dates from which interest will accrue, the date or dates on which interest will commence and be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable on any interest payment date;

 

·the place or places where principal of, and interest, if any, on the debt securities will be payable (and the method of such payment), where the securities of such series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, and where notices and demands to us in respect of the debt securities may be delivered;

 

·the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which we may redeem the debt securities;

 

·any obligation we have to redeem or purchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder of debt securities and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;

 

·the dates on which and the price or prices at which we will repurchase debt securities at the option of the holders of debt securities and other detailed terms and provisions of these repurchase obligations;

 

13 

 

 

·the denominations in which the debt securities will be issued, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;

 

·whether the debt securities will be issued in the form of certificated debt securities or global debt securities;

 

·the portion of principal amount of the debt securities payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity date, if other than the principal amount;

 

·the currency of denomination of the debt securities, which may be United States dollars or any foreign currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;

 

·the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of principal of, premium and interest on the debt securities will be made;

 

·if payments of principal of, premium or interest on the debt securities will be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which the debt securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to these payments will be determined;

 

·the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities will be determined, if these amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;

 

·any provisions relating to any security provided for the debt securities;

 

·any addition to, deletion of or change in the Events of Default described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities and any change in the acceleration provisions described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;

 

·any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;

 

·any depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents with respect to the debt securities;

 

·any other terms of the debt securities, which may supplement, modify or delete any provision of the indenture as it applies to that series, including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the securities; and

 

·whether any of our direct or indirect subsidiaries will guarantee the debt securities of that series, including the terms of subordination, if any, of such guarantees.

 

We may issue debt securities that provide for an amount less than their stated principal amount to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of their maturity pursuant to the terms of the indenture. We will provide you with information on the federal income tax considerations and other special considerations applicable to any of these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

If we denominate the purchase price of any of the debt securities in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, or if the principal of and any premium and interest on any series of debt securities is payable in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, we will provide you with information on the restrictions, elections, general tax considerations, specific terms and other information with respect to that issue of debt securities and such foreign currency or currencies or foreign currency unit or units in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

Transfer and Exchange

 

Each debt security will be represented by either one or more global securities registered in the name of a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, which we refer to as the depositary, or a nominee of the depositary (we will refer to any debt security represented by a global debt security as a “book-entry debt security”), or a certificate issued in definitive registered form (we will refer to any debt security represented by a certificated security as a “certificated debt security”) as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Except as set forth under the heading “Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System” below, book-entry debt securities will not be issuable in certificated form.

 

14 

 

 

Certificated Debt Securities

 

You may transfer or exchange certificated debt securities at any office we maintain for this purpose in accordance with the terms of the indenture. No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of certificated debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with a transfer or exchange.

 

You may effect the transfer of certificated debt securities and the right to receive the principal of, premium and interest on certificated debt securities only by surrendering the certificate representing those certificated debt securities and either reissuance by us or the trustee of the certificate to the new holder or the issuance by us or the trustee of a new certificate to the new holder.

 

Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System

 

Each global debt security representing book-entry debt securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, the depositary, and registered in the name of the depositary or a nominee of the depositary.

 

Covenants

 

We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement any restrictive covenants applicable to any issue of debt securities.

 

No Protection in the Event of a Change of Control

 

Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions which may afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event we have a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change in control) which could adversely affect holders of debt securities.

 

Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

 

We may not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of our properties and assets to any person, which we refer to as a successor person, unless:

 

·we are the surviving corporation or the successor person (if other than us) is a corporation organized and validly existing under the laws of any U.S. domestic jurisdiction and expressly assumes our obligations on the debt securities and under the indenture; and

 

·immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing.

 

Notwithstanding the above, any of our subsidiaries may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to us.

 

Events of Default

 

“Event of Default” means with respect to any series of debt securities, any of the following:

 

·default in the payment of any interest upon any debt security of that series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of the payment is deposited by us with the trustee or with a paying agent prior to the expiration of the 30-day period);

 

·default in the payment of principal of any security of that series at its maturity;

 

·default in the performance or breach of any other covenant or warranty by us in the indenture (other than a covenant or warranty that has been included in the indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities other than that series), which default continues uncured for a period of 60 days after we receive written notice from the trustee, or we and the trustee receive written notice from the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series as provided in the indenture;

 

·certain voluntary or involuntary events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of us; and

 

·any other Event of Default provided with respect to debt securities of that series that is described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

No Event of Default with respect to a particular series of debt securities (except as to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) necessarily constitutes an Event of Default with respect to any other series of debt securities. The occurrence of certain Events of Default or an acceleration under the indenture may constitute an event of default under certain indebtedness of ours or our subsidiaries outstanding from time to time.

 

15 

 

 

We will provide the trustee written notice of any Default or Event of Default within 30 days of becoming aware of the occurrence of such Default or Event of Default, which notice will describe in reasonable detail the status of such Default or Event of Default and what action we are taking or propose to take in respect thereof.

 

If an Event of Default with respect to debt securities of any series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may, by a notice in writing to us (and to the trustee if given by the holders), declare to be due and payable immediately the principal of (or, if the debt securities of that series are discount securities, that portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all debt securities of that series. In the case of an Event of Default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal (or such specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding debt securities will become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holder of outstanding debt securities. At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to debt securities of any series has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may rescind and annul the acceleration if all Events of Default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal and interest, if any, with respect to debt securities of that series, have been cured or waived as provided in the indenture. We refer you to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are discount securities for the particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of such discount securities upon the occurrence of an Event of Default.

 

The indenture provides that the trustee may refuse to perform any duty or exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture unless the trustee receives indemnity satisfactory to it against any cost, liability or expense which might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right or power. Subject to certain rights of the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee with respect to the debt securities of that series.

 

No holder of any debt security of any series will have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to the indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any remedy under the indenture, unless:

 

·that holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to debt securities of that series; and

 

·the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, and offered indemnity or security satisfactory to the trustee, to the trustee to institute the proceeding as trustee, and the trustee has not received from the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series a direction inconsistent with that request and has failed to institute the proceeding within 60 days.

 

Notwithstanding any other provision in the indenture, the holder of any debt security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, premium and any interest on that debt security on or after the due dates expressed in that debt security and to institute suit for the enforcement of payment.

 

The indenture requires us, within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year, to furnish to the trustee a statement as to compliance with the indenture. If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the securities of any series and if it is known to a responsible officer of the trustee, the trustee shall send to each securityholder of the securities of that series notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a responsible officer of the trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default. The indenture provides that the trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any series of any Default or Event of Default (except in payment on any debt securities of that series) with respect to debt securities of that series if the trustee determines in good faith that withholding notice is in the interest of the holders of those debt securities.

 

16 

 

 

Modification and Waiver

 

We and the trustee may modify, amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities of any series without the consent of any holder of any debt security:

 

·to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;

 

·to comply with covenants in the indenture described above under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets”;

 

·to provide for uncertificated securities in addition to or in place of certificated securities;

 

·to add guarantees with respect to debt securities of any series or secure debt securities of any series;

 

·to surrender any of our rights or powers under the indenture;

 

·to add covenants or events of default for the benefit of the holders of debt securities of any series;

 

·to comply with the applicable procedures of the applicable depositary;

 

·to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder of debt securities;

 

·to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of debt securities of any series as permitted by the indenture;

 

·to effect the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of any series and to add to or change any of the provisions of the indenture to provide for or facilitate administration by more than one trustee; or

 

·to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act.

 

We may also modify and amend the indenture with the consent of the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the modifications or amendments. We may not make any modification or amendment without the consent of the holders of each affected debt security then outstanding if that amendment will:

 

·reduce the amount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;

 

·reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any debt security;

 

·reduce the principal of or premium on or change the fixed maturity of any debt security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation with respect to any series of debt securities;

 

·reduce the principal amount of discount securities payable upon acceleration of maturity;

 

·waive a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or interest on any debt security (except a rescission of acceleration of the debt securities of any series by the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of that series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);

 

·make the principal of or premium or interest on any debt security payable in currency other than that stated in the debt security;

 

·make any change to certain provisions of the indenture relating to, among other things, the right of holders of debt securities to receive payment of the principal of, premium and interest on those debt securities and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment and to waivers or amendments; or

 

·waive a redemption payment with respect to any debt security.

 

Except for certain specified provisions, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series waive our compliance with provisions of the indenture. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all the debt securities of such series waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or any interest on any debt security of that series; provided, however, that the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from the acceleration.

 

17 

 

 

Defeasance of Debt Securities and Certain Covenants in Certain Circumstances

 

Legal Defeasance

 

The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the debt securities of any series (subject to certain exceptions). We will be so discharged upon the irrevocable deposit with the trustee, in trust, of money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money or U.S. government obligations in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities.

 

This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred.

 

Defeasance of Certain Covenants

 

The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, upon compliance with certain conditions:

 

·we may omit to comply with the covenant described under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets” and certain other covenants set forth in the indenture, as well as any additional covenants which may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement; and

 

·any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute a Default or an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of that series.

 

We refer to this as covenant defeasance. The conditions include:

 

·depositing with the trustee money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal of, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities;

 

·such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under the indenture or any other agreement to which we are a party;

 

·no Default or Event of Default with respect to the applicable series of debt securities shall have occurred or is continuing on the date of such deposit; and

 

·delivering to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and related covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related covenant defeasance had not occurred.

  

18 

 

 

No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees or Stockholders

 

None of our past, present or future directors, officers, employees or stockholders, as such, will have any liability for any of our obligations under the debt securities or the indenture or for any claim based on, or in respect or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. By accepting a debt security, each holder waives and releases all such liability. This waiver and release is part of the consideration for the issue of the debt securities. However, this waiver and release may not be effective to waive liabilities under U.S. federal securities laws, and it is the view of the SEC that such a waiver is against public policy.

 

Governing Law

 

The indenture and the debt securities, including any claim or controversy arising out of or relating to the indenture or the securities, will be governed by the laws of the State of New York.

 

The indenture will provide that we, the trustee and the holders of the debt securities (by their acceptance of the debt securities) irrevocably waive, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to the indenture, the debt securities or the transactions contemplated thereby.

 

The indenture will provide that any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon the indenture or the transactions contemplated thereby may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America located in the City of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the City of New York, and we, the trustee and the holder of the debt securities (by their acceptance of the debt securities) irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. The indenture will further provide that service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail (to the extent allowed under any applicable statute or rule of court) to such party’s address set forth in the indenture will be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The indenture will further provide that we, the trustee and the holders of the debt securities (by their acceptance of the debt securities) irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the courts specified above and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim any such suit, action or other proceeding has been brought in an inconvenient forum.

 

19 

 

 

DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES

 

General

 

We may, at our option, elect to offer fractional shares of preferred stock, or depositary shares, rather than full shares of preferred stock. If we do, we will issue to the public receipts, called depositary receipts, for depositary shares, each of which will represent a fraction, to be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, of a share of a particular series of preferred stock. Unless otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement, each owner of a depositary share will be entitled, in proportion to the applicable fractional interest in a share of preferred stock represented by the depositary share, to all the rights and preferences of the preferred stock represented by the depositary share. Those rights include dividend, voting, redemption, conversion and liquidation rights.

 

The shares of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares will be deposited with a bank or trust company selected by us to act as depositary under a deposit agreement between us, the depositary and the holders of the depositary receipts. The depositary will be the transfer agent, registrar and dividend disbursing agent for the depositary shares.

 

The depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts issued pursuant to the depositary agreement. Holders of depositary receipts agree to be bound by the deposit agreement, which requires holders to take certain actions such as filing proof of residence and paying certain charges.

 

The summary of terms of the depositary shares contained in this prospectus is not complete. You should refer to the form of the deposit agreement, the certificate of incorporation and the certificate of designation for the applicable series of preferred stock that are, or will be, filed with the SEC.

 

Dividends and Other Distributions

 

The depositary will distribute all cash dividends or other cash distributions, if any, received in respect of the preferred stock underlying the depositary shares to the record holders of depositary shares in proportion to the numbers of depositary shares owned by those holders on the relevant record date. The relevant record date for depositary shares will be the same date as the record date for the underlying preferred stock.

 

If there is a distribution other than in cash, the depositary will distribute property (including securities) received by it to the record holders of depositary shares, unless the depositary determines that it is not feasible to make the distribution. If this occurs, the depositary may, with our approval, adopt another method for the distribution, including selling the property and distributing the net proceeds from the sale to the holders.

 

Liquidation Preference

 

If a series of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares has a liquidation preference, in the event of the voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of us, holders of depositary shares will be entitled to receive the fraction of the liquidation preference accorded each share of the applicable series of preferred stock, as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

Withdrawal of Stock

 

Unless the related depositary shares have been previously called for redemption, upon surrender of the depositary receipts at the office of the depositary, the holder of the depositary shares will be entitled to delivery, at the office of the depositary to or upon his or her order, of the number of whole shares of the preferred stock and any money or other property represented by the depositary shares. If the depositary receipts delivered by the holder evidence a number of depositary shares in excess of the number of depositary shares representing the number of whole shares of preferred stock to be withdrawn, the depositary will deliver to the holder at the same time a new depositary receipt evidencing the excess number of depositary shares. In no event will the depositary deliver fractional shares of preferred stock upon surrender of depositary receipts. Holders of preferred stock thus withdrawn may not thereafter deposit those shares under the deposit agreement or receive depositary receipts evidencing depositary shares therefor.

 

Redemption of Depositary Shares

 

Whenever we redeem shares of preferred stock held by the depositary, the depositary will redeem as of the same redemption date the number of depositary shares representing shares of the preferred stock so redeemed, so long as we have paid in full to the depositary the redemption price of the preferred stock to be redeemed plus an amount equal to any accumulated and unpaid dividends on the preferred stock to the date fixed for redemption. The redemption price per depositary share will be equal to the redemption price and any other amounts per share payable on the preferred stock multiplied by the fraction of a share of preferred stock represented by one depositary share. If less than all the depositary shares are to be redeemed, the depositary shares to be redeemed will be selected by lot or pro rata or by any other equitable method as may be determined by the depositary.

 

20 

 

 

 

After the date fixed for redemption, depositary shares called for redemption will no longer be deemed to be outstanding and all rights of the holders of depositary shares will cease, except the right to receive the monies payable upon redemption and any money or other property to which the holders of the depositary shares were entitled upon redemption upon surrender to the depositary of the depositary receipts evidencing the depositary shares.

 

Voting the Preferred Stock

 

Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of the preferred stock are entitled to vote, the depositary will mail the information contained in the notice of meeting to the record holders of the depositary receipts relating to that preferred stock. The record date for the depositary receipts relating to the preferred stock will be the same date as the record date for the preferred stock. Each record holder of the depositary shares on the record date will be entitled to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the number of shares of preferred stock represented by that holder’s depositary shares. The depositary will endeavor, insofar as practicable, to vote the number of shares of preferred stock represented by the depositary shares in accordance with those instructions, and we will agree to take all action that may be deemed necessary by the depositary in order to enable the depositary to do so. The depositary will not vote any shares of preferred stock except to the extent that it receives specific instructions from the holders of depositary shares representing that number of shares of preferred stock.

 

Charges of the Depositary

 

We will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental charges arising solely from the existence of the depositary arrangements. We will pay charges of the depositary in connection with the initial deposit of the preferred stock and any redemption of the preferred stock. Holders of depositary receipts will pay transfer, income and other taxes and governmental charges and such other charges (including those in connection with the receipt and distribution of dividends, the sale or exercise of rights, the withdrawal of the preferred stock and the transferring, splitting or grouping of depositary receipts) as are expressly provided in the deposit agreement to be for their accounts. If these charges have not been paid by the holders of depositary receipts, the depositary may refuse to transfer depositary shares, withhold dividends and distributions and sell the depositary shares evidenced by the depositary receipt.

 

Amendment and Termination of the Deposit Agreement

 

The form of depositary receipt evidencing the depositary shares and any provision of the deposit agreement may be amended by agreement between us and the depositary. However, any amendment that materially and adversely alters the rights of the holders of depositary shares, other than fee changes, will not be effective unless the amendment has been approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding depositary shares. The deposit agreement may be terminated by the depositary or us only if:

 

·all outstanding depositary shares have been redeemed; or

 

·there has been a final distribution of the preferred stock in connection with our dissolution and such distribution has been made to all the holders of depositary shares.

 

Resignation and Removal of Depositary

 

The depositary may resign at any time by delivering to us notice of its election to do so, and we may remove the depositary at any time. Any resignation or removal of the depositary will take effect upon our appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment. The successor depositary must be appointed within 60 days after delivery of the notice of resignation or removal and must be a bank or trust company having its principal office in the United States and having the requisite combined capital and surplus as set forth in the applicable agreement.

 

21

 

 

 

Notices

 

The depositary will forward to holders of depositary receipts all notices, reports and other communications, including proxy solicitation materials received from us, that are delivered to the depositary and that we are required to furnish to the holders of the preferred stock. In addition, the depositary will make available for inspection by holders of depositary receipts at the principal office of the depositary, and at such other places as it may from time to time deem advisable, any reports and communications we deliver to the depositary as the holder of preferred stock.

 

Limitation of Liability

 

Neither we nor the depositary will be liable if either is prevented or delayed by law or any circumstance beyond its control in performing its obligations. Our obligations and those of the depositary will be limited to performance in good faith of our and its duties thereunder. We and the depositary will not be obligated to prosecute or defend any legal proceeding in respect of any depositary shares or preferred stock unless satisfactory indemnity is furnished. We and the depositary may rely upon written advice of counsel or accountants, on information provided by persons presenting preferred stock for deposit, holders of depositary receipts or other persons believed to be competent to give such information and on documents believed to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.

 

22

 

 

 

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

 

We may issue additional warrants to purchase common stock, preferred stock and debt securities. Each such additional warrant will entitle the holder to purchase for cash a number of shares of common stock, preferred stock or the principal amount of debt securities at the exercise price as, in each case, will be described in, or can be determined from, the applicable prospectus supplement relating to the offered warrants.

 

Such additional warrants may be issued independently or together with any securities and may be attached to or separate from the securities. Such warrants will be issued under warrant agreements to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as warrant agent. You should read the particular terms of such warrants, which will be described in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The particular terms of any such warrants offered by any prospectus supplement, and the extent to which the general provisions summarized below may apply to the offered securities, will be described in the prospectus supplement.

 

A prospectus supplement relating to any new series of warrants being offered will include specific terms relating to the offering. They will include, where applicable:

 

·the title of the warrants;

 

·the aggregate number of warrants;

 

·the price or prices at which the warrants will be issued;

 

·the currency or currencies, including composite currencies or currency units, in which the price or prices of the warrants may be payable;

 

·the designation, number or aggregate principal amount and terms of the securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants, and the procedures and conditions relating to the exercise of the warrants;

 

·the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence, and the date on which the right will expire;

 

·the designation and terms of any related securities with which the warrants are issued, and the number of the warrants issued with each security;

 

·the date, if any, on and after which the warrants and the related securities will be separately transferable;

 

·the effect of any merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of our business on the warrant agreement and the warrants;

 

·the maximum or minimum number of warrants which may be exercised at any time; and

 

·if appropriate, a discussion of material United States federal income tax considerations.

 

23

 

 

 

DESCRIPTION OF SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS

 

We may issue subscription rights to purchase our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, depositary shares, warrants or units consisting of some or all of these securities. These subscription rights may be offered independently or together with any other security offered hereby and may or may not be transferable by the stockholder receiving the subscription rights in such offering. In connection with any offering of subscription rights, we may enter into a standby arrangement with one or more underwriters or other purchasers pursuant to which the underwriters or other purchasers may be required to purchase any securities remaining unsubscribed for after such offering.

 

The prospectus supplement relating to any subscription rights we offer, if any, will, to the extent applicable, include specific terms relating to the offering, including some or all of the following:

 

·the price, if any, for the subscription rights;

 

·the exercise price payable for our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, depositary shares, warrants or units consisting of some or all of these securities upon the exercise of the subscription rights;

 

·the number of subscription rights to be issued to each stockholder;

 

·the number and terms of our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, depositary shares, warrants or units consisting of some or all of these securities which may be purchased per each subscription right;

 

·the extent to which the subscription rights are transferable;

 

·any other terms of the subscription rights, including the terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the subscription rights;

 

·the date on which the right to exercise the subscription rights shall commence, and the date on which the subscription rights shall expire;

 

·the extent to which the subscription rights may include an over-subscription privilege with respect to unsubscribed securities or an over-allotment privilege to the extent the securities are fully subscribed; and

 

·if applicable, the material terms of any standby underwriting or purchase arrangement which may be entered into by us in connection with the offering of subscription rights.

 

The descriptions of the subscription rights in this prospectus and in any prospectus supplement are summaries of the material provisions of the applicable subscription right agreements. These descriptions do not restate those subscription right agreements in their entirety and may not contain all the information that you may find useful. We urge you to read the applicable subscription right agreements because they, and not the summaries, define your rights as holders of the subscription rights. For more information, please review the forms of the relevant subscription right agreements, which will be filed with the SEC promptly after the offering of subscription rights and will be available as described in the section of this prospectus captioned “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

24

 

 

 

DESCRIPTION OF PURCHASE CONTRACTS

 

The following description summarizes the general features of the purchase contracts that we may offer under this prospectus. Although the features we have summarized below will generally apply to any future purchase contracts we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any purchase contracts that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The specific terms of any purchase contracts may differ from the description provided below as a result of negotiations with third parties in connection with the issuance of those purchase contracts, as well as for other reasons. Because the terms of any purchase contracts we offer under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms we describe below, you should rely solely on information in the applicable prospectus supplement if that summary is different from the summary in this prospectus.

 

We will incorporate by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part the form of any purchase contract that we may offer under this prospectus before the sale of the related purchase contract. We urge you to read any applicable prospectus supplement related to specific purchase contracts being offered, as well as the complete instruments that contain the terms of the securities that are subject to those purchase contracts. Certain of those instruments, or forms of those instruments, have been filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and supplements to those instruments or forms may be incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part from reports we file with the SEC.

 

We may issue purchase contracts, including contracts obligating holders to purchase from us, and for us to sell to holders, a specific or variable number of our securities at a future date or dates. Alternatively, the purchase contracts may obligate us to purchase from holders, and obligate holders to sell to us, a specific or varying number of our securities.

 

If we offer any purchase contracts, certain terms of that series of purchase contracts will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, including, without limitation, the following:

 

·the price of the securities or other property subject to the purchase contracts (which may be determined by reference to a specific formula described in the purchase contracts);

 

·whether the purchase contracts are issued separately, or as a part of units each consisting of a purchase contract and one or more of our other securities, including U.S. Treasury securities, securing the holder’s obligations under the purchase contract;

 

·any requirement for us to make periodic payments to holders or vice versa, and whether the payments are unsecured or pre-funded;

 

·any provisions relating to any security provided for the purchase contracts;

 

·whether the purchase contracts obligate the holder or us to purchase or sell, or both purchase and sell, the securities subject to purchase under the purchase contract, and the nature and amount of each of those securities, or the method of determining those amounts;

 

·whether the purchase contracts are to be prepaid or not;

 

·whether the purchase contracts are to be settled by delivery, or by reference or linkage to the value, performance or level of the securities subject to purchase under the purchase contract;

 

·any acceleration, cancellation, termination or other provisions relating to the settlement of the purchase contracts;

 

·a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the purchase contracts;

 

·whether the purchase contracts will be issued in fully registered or global form; and

 

·any other terms of the purchase contracts and any securities subject to such purchase contracts.

 

25

 

 

 

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

 

We may issue units comprising two or more securities described in this prospectus in any combination. For example, we might issue units consisting of a combination of debt securities and warrants to purchase common stock. The following description sets forth certain general terms and provisions of the units that we may offer pursuant to this prospectus. The particular terms of the units and the extent, if any, to which the general terms and provisions may apply to the units so offered will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit also is the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. Units will be issued pursuant to the terms of a unit agreement, which may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately at any time or at any time before a specified date. A copy of the forms of the unit agreement and the unit certificate relating to any particular issue of units will be filed with the SEC each time we issue units, and you should read those documents for provisions that may be important to you. For more information on how you can obtain copies of the forms of the unit agreement and the related unit certificate, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

The prospectus supplement relating to any particular issuance of units will describe the terms of those units, including, to the extent applicable, the following:

 

·the designation and terms of the units and the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately;

 

·any provision for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units; and

 

·whether the units will be issued in fully registered or global form.

 


26

 

 

 

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

 

We may sell securities:

 

·through underwriters;

 

·through dealers;

 

·through agents;

 

·directly to purchasers; or

 

·through a combination of any of these methods of sale.

 

In addition, we may issue the securities as a dividend or distribution or in a subscription rights offering to our existing securityholders.

 

We may directly solicit offers to purchase securities or agents may be designated to solicit such offers. We will, in the prospectus supplement relating to such offering, name any agent that could be viewed as an underwriter under the Securities Act and describe any commissions that we must pay. Any such agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment or, if indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, on a firm commitment basis. This prospectus may be used in connection with any offering of our securities through any of these methods or other methods described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

The distribution of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions:

 

·at a fixed price or prices that may be changed from time to time;

 

·at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

 

·at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or

 

·at negotiated prices.

 

Each prospectus supplement will describe the method of distribution of the securities and any applicable restrictions.

 

The prospectus supplement with respect to the securities of a particular series will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including the following:

 

·the name of the agent or any underwriters;

 

·the public offering or purchase price;

 

·any discounts and commissions to be allowed or paid to the agent or underwriters;

 

·all other items constituting underwriting compensation;

 

·any discounts and commissions to be allowed or paid to dealers; and

 

·any exchanges on which the securities will be listed.

 

27

 

 

 

If any underwriters or agents are utilized in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we will enter into an underwriting agreement or other agreement with them at the time of sale to them, and we will set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such offering the names of the underwriters or agents and the terms of the related agreement with them.

 

If a dealer is utilized in the sale of the securities in respect of which the prospectus is delivered, we will sell such securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell such securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by such dealer at the time of resale.

 

If we offer securities in a subscription rights offering to our existing securityholders, we may enter into a standby underwriting agreement with dealers, acting as standby underwriters. We may pay the standby underwriters a commitment fee for the securities they commit to purchase on a standby basis. If we do not enter into a standby underwriting arrangement, we may retain a dealer-manager to manage a subscription rights offering for us.

 

Agents, underwriters, dealers and other persons may be entitled under agreements that they may enter into with us to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

 

If so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters or other persons acting as our agents to solicit offers by certain institutions to purchase securities from us pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date stated in the prospectus supplement. Each contract will be for an amount not less than, and the aggregate amount of securities sold pursuant to such contracts shall not be less nor more than, the respective amounts stated in the prospectus supplement. Institutions with whom the contracts, when authorized, may be made include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and other institutions, but shall in all cases be subject to our approval. Delayed delivery contracts will not be subject to any conditions except that:

 

·the purchase by an institution of the securities covered under that contract shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of the jurisdiction to which that institution is subject; and

 

·if the securities are also being sold to underwriters acting as principals for their own account, the underwriters shall have purchased such securities not sold for delayed delivery.

 

The underwriters and other persons acting as agents will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of delayed delivery contracts.

 

Certain agents, underwriters and dealers, and their associates and affiliates may be customers of, have borrowing relationships with, engage in other transactions with, and/or perform services, including investment banking services, for us or one or more of our respective affiliates in the ordinary course of business.

 

In order to facilitate the offering of the securities, any underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities or any other securities the prices of which may be used to determine payments on such securities. Specifically, any underwriters may over-allot in connection with the offering, creating a short position for their own accounts. In addition, to cover over-allotments or to stabilize the price of the securities or of any such other securities, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, the securities or any such other securities in the open market. Finally, in any offering of the securities through a syndicate of underwriters, the underwriting syndicate may reclaim selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer for distributing the securities in the offering if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover syndicate short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities above independent market levels. Any such underwriters are not required to engage in these activities and may end any of these activities at any time.

 

Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. The applicable prospectus supplement may provide that the original issue date for your securities may be more than two scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities. Accordingly, in such a case, if you wish to trade securities on any date prior to the third business day before the original issue date for your securities, you will be required, by virtue of the fact that your securities initially are expected to settle in more than three scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities, to make alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.

 

The securities may be new issues of securities and may have no established trading market. The securities may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange. We can make no assurance as to the liquidity of or the existence of trading markets for any of the securities.

 

28

 

 

 

LEGAL MATTERS

 

The validity of the shares of common stock and warrants offered hereby will be passed upon for us by DLA Piper LLP (US). Additional legal matters may be passed on for us, or any underwriters, dealers, or agents by counsel we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

EXPERTS

 

The consolidated and combined financial statements of Whole Earth Brands, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) appearing in the Company’s Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2020 (Successor) and 2019 (Predecessor), the related consolidated and combined statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), equity and cash flows for the period from June 26, 2020 through December 31, 2020 (Successor) and the period from January 1, 2020 through June 25, 2020 (Predecessor), and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2019 (Predecessor), have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon, included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated and combined financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

The combined balance sheets of Swerve, L.L.C. and Swerve IP, L.L.C. as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the related combined statements of income and member’s equity, and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2019, incorporated by reference herein, have been audited by Postlethwaite & Netterville, APAC, independent auditors, as set forth in their report incorporated by reference herein, and are incorporated by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

The audited consolidated financial statements of WSO Investments, Inc. as of August 28, 2020 and August 30, 2019 and for the years then ended, incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement have been so incorporated by reference in reliance upon the report of Grant Thornton LLP, independent certified public accountants, upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

29

 

 

Part II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

Item 14.   Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

 

The following is an estimate of the expenses (all of which are to be paid by the registrant) that we may incur in connection with the securities being registered hereby, other than underwriting discounts and commissions.

 

Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee   $23,175 
Stock exchange and other listing fees   $(1) 
Accounting fees and expenses   $(1) 
Legal fees and expenses   $(1) 
Financial printing and miscellaneous expenses   $(1) 
Total   $23,175 

 

(1)These expenses are calculated in part based on the number of issuances and the amount of securities offered and accordingly cannot be estimated at this time. The applicable prospectus will set forth the estimated amount of fees and expenses payable in connection with any offering of securities.

 

Item 15.   Indemnification of Directors and Officers

 

Subsection (a) of Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”) empowers a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or who is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful.

 

Subsection (b) of Section 145 empowers a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person acted in any of the capacities set forth above, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

 

Section 145 further provides that to the extent a director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 145, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith; that indemnification provided for by Section 145 shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which the indemnified party may be entitled; and the indemnification provided for by Section 145 shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of such person’s heirs, executors and administrators. Section 145 also empowers the corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liabilities under Section 145.

 

II-1

 

 

Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL provides that a corporation’s certificate of incorporation may contain a provision eliminating or limiting the personal liability of a director to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, provided that such provision shall not eliminate or limit the liability of a director (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the DGCL, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

 

Any underwriting agreement or distribution agreement that the registrant enters into with any underwriters or agents involved in the offering or sale of any securities registered hereby may require such underwriters or dealers to indemnify the registrant, some or all of its directors and officers and its controlling persons, if any, for specified liabilities, which may include liabilities under the Securities Act.

 

Additionally, our certificate of incorporation limits the liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, and our bylaws provide that we will indemnify them to the fullest extent permitted by such law. We have entered into and expect to continue to enter into agreements to indemnify our directors, executive officers and other employees as determined by our board of directors. Under the terms of such indemnification agreements, we required to indemnify each of our directors and officers, to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of the state of Delaware, if the basis of the indemnitee’s involvement was by reason of the fact that the indemnitee is or was our director or officer or was serving at our request in an official capacity for another entity. We must indemnify our officers and directors against all reasonable fees, expenses, charges and other costs of any type or nature whatsoever, including any and all expenses and obligations paid or incurred in connection with investigating, defending, being a witness in, participating in (including on appeal), or preparing to defend, be a witness or participate in any completed, actual, pending or threatened action, suit, claim or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, or establishing or enforcing a right to indemnification under the indemnification agreement. The indemnification agreements also require us, if so requested, to advance all reasonable fees, expenses, charges and other costs that such director or officer incurred, provided that such person will return any such advance if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to indemnification by us. Any claims for indemnification by our directors and officers may reduce our available funds to satisfy successful third-party claims against us and may reduce the amount of money available to us.

 

Item 16.   Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

 

See the Exhibit Index attached to this registration statement, which Exhibit Index is incorporated by reference herein.

 

Item 17.   Undertakings.

 

(a)The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

 

(1)To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

 

(i)To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

 

(ii)To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;

 

II-2 

 

 

(iii)To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.

 

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii), and (a)(1)(iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is a part of the registration statement.

 

(2)That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(3)To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

(4)That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser:

 

(i)Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

 

(ii)Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

 

(5)That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities:

 

The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

 

(i)Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

 

(ii)Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

 

(iii)The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

 

II-3 

 

 

(iv)Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

 

(b)The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(c)Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer, or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit, or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question of whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

(d)The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the SEC under section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act.

 

II-4 

 

 

Exhibit Index.

 

Exhibit
No.
  Description
1.1**   Form of Underwriting Agreement
     
4.1   Specimen Common Stock Certificate of Whole Earth Brands, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.5 of Act II’s Form S-4 (File No. 333-236459), filed with the SEC on May 11, 2020).
     
4.2**   Form of Preferred Stock Certificate
     
4.3*   Form of Indenture
     
4.4**   Form of Debt Security
     
4.5**   Form of Depositary Agreement
     
4.6**   Form of Warrant Agreement
     
4.7**   Form of Subscription Agreement
     
4.8**   Form of Purchase Contract Agreement
     
4.9**   Form of Unit Agreement
     
4.10**   Form of Unit
     
5.1*   Opinion of DLA Piper LLP (US).
     
23.1*   Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm of the Company.

 

II-5 

 

 

23.2*   Consent of Postlethwaite & Netterville, APAC, independent auditors of Swerve.
     
23.3*   Consent of Grant Thornton LLP, independent certified public accountants of Wholesome.
     
23.4*   Consent of DLA Piper LLP (US) (included as part of Exhibit 5.1).
     
24.1   Power of Attorney (included on the signature page hereto).
     
25.1**   Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility of Trustee for Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939

 

 

 

Schedules to this exhibit have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Registration S-K. The registrant hereby agrees to furnish a copy of any omitted schedules to the SEC upon request.

 

#Certain schedules and exhibits to this agreement have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K. A copy of any omitted schedule and/or exhibit will be furnished supplementally to the SEC upon request.

 

*Filed herewith.

 

**To be filed, if applicable, by amendment or incorporated by reference pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

II-6 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized in the City of Chicago, State of Illinois, on November 12, 2021.

 

  WHOLE EARTH BRANDS, INC.
   
  By: /s/ Brian Litman
    Name: Brian Litman
    Title: Chief Accounting Officer
      (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) 

 

II-7 

 

 

POWER OF ATTORNEY

 

Each of the undersigned, whose signature appears below, hereby constitutes and appoints Albert Manzone and Brian Litman, and each of them, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any or all amendments to this registration statement and to file the same with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing necessary or appropriate to be done with respect to this registration statement or any amendments hereto in the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or his or their substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

SIGNATURE   TITLE   DATE
         
/s/ Albert Manzone       Chief Executive Officer and Director   November 12, 2021
Albert Manzone   (Principal Executive Officer)    
         
/s/ Brian Litman       Chief Accounting Officer   November 12, 2021
Brian Litman   (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)    
         
/s/ Irwin D. Simon       Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors   November 12, 2021
Irwin D. Simon        
         
/s/ Anuraag Agarwal       Director   November 12, 2021
Anuraag Agarwal        
         
/s/ Steven M. Cohen      Director   November 12, 2021
Steven M. Cohen        
         
/s/ Denise Faltischek      Director   November 12, 2021
Denise Faltischek        
         
/s/ Ira J. Lamel      Director   November 12, 2021
Ira J. Lamel        
         
/s/ John M. McMillin       Director   November 12, 2021
John M. McMillin        

 

II-8