REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

 

This Registration Rights Agreement (this “ Agreement ”) is made and entered into as of September 26, 2018, by and among Cellular Biomedicine Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), and Novartis Pharma AG, a company organized under the laws of Switzerland (the “ Purchaser ”).

 

               This Agreement is made pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, among the Company, Shanghai Cellular Biopharmaceutical Group Ltd. and the Purchaser (the “ Purchase Agreement ”).

 

               The Company and the Purchaser hereby agree as follows:

 

 

                Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein that are defined in the Purchase Agreement shall have the meanings given such terms in the Purchase Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

 

            “ Advice ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6(c).

 

“ Effectiveness Date ” means, with respect to the Registration Statement required to be filed hereunder, the 75 th calendar day following the date hereof (or, in the event of a substantive review by the Commission, the 105 th calendar day following the date hereof) (the “Outside Date”); provided , however , that in the event the Company is notified by the Commission that the Registration Statement will not be reviewed or is no longer subject to further review and comments, the Effectiveness Date as to the Registration Statement shall be the fifth Trading Day following the date on which the Company is so notified if such date precedes the dates otherwise required above, provided , further , that if the Commission notifies the Company that it will not review the Registration Statement or declare the Registration Statement effective until the Company files its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2018 (the “ 10-Q ”), the number of days from which the Company is so notified through the date the Company files its 10-Q shall be added to the Outside Date, and provided , further , that if such Effectiveness Date falls on a day that is not a Trading Day, then the Effectiveness Date shall be the next succeeding Trading Day.

 

“ Effectiveness Period ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(a).

 

“ Event ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(b).

 

“ Event Date ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(b).

 

“ Filing Date ” means, with respect to the Registration Statement required hereunder, the 15 th calendar day following the date hereof.

 

“ Holder ” or “ Holders ” means the holder or holders, as the case may be, from time to time of Registrable Securities.

 

“ Indemnified Party ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5(c).

 

“ Indemnifying Party ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5(c).

 

 

“ Losses ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5(a).

 

“ Plan of Distribution ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(a).

 

“ Prospectus ” means the prospectus included in the Registration Statement (including a prospectus that includes any information previously omitted from a prospectus filed as part of an effective registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act), as amended or supplemented by any prospectus supplement, with respect to the terms of the offering of any portion of the Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement, and all other amendments and supplements to the Prospectus, including post-effective amendments, and all material incorporated by reference or deemed to be incorporated by reference in such Prospectus.

 

“ Registrable Securities ” means, as of any date of determination, (a) all of the Shares, and (b) any securities issued or then issuable upon any stock split, dividend or other distribution, recapitalization or similar event with respect to the foregoing; provided, however , that any such Registrable Securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities (and the Company shall not be required to maintain the effectiveness of any, or file another, Registration Statement hereunder with respect thereto) for so long as (x)   the Registration Statement with respect to the sale of such Registrable Securities is declared effective by the SEC under the Securities Act and such Registrable Securities have been disposed of by the Holder in accordance with such effective Registration Statement, (y)   such Registrable Securities have been previously sold in accordance with Rule 144, or (z)   after such time as the Registrable Securities constitute 4.9% or less of the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company, such securities become eligible for resale without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions and without current public information pursuant to Rule 144 as set forth in a written opinion letter to such effect, addressed, delivered and acceptable to the Transfer Agent and the affected Holders, as reasonably determined by the Company, upon the advice of counsel to the Company.

 

“ Registration Statement ” means the registration statement required to be filed hereunder pursuant to Section 2(a), including the Prospectus, amendments and supplements to any such registration statement or Prospectus, including pre- and post-effective amendments, all exhibits thereto, and all material incorporated by reference or deemed to be incorporated by reference in such registration statement.

 

 “ Rule 415 ” means Rule 415 promulgated by the SEC pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the SEC having substantially the same purpose and effect as such Rule.

 

“ Rule 424 ” means Rule 424 promulgated by the SEC pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the SEC having substantially the same purpose and effect as such Rule.

 

“ Selling Stockholder Questionnaire ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(a).

 

 

“ SEC Guidance ” means (i) any publicly-available written or oral guidance of the SEC staff, or any comments, requirements or requests of the SEC staff and (ii) the Securities Act.

 

“ Trading Day ” means any day on which the Common Stock is traded on the Trading Market on which the Common Stock is then traded; provided , that “Trading Day” shall not include any day on which the Common Stock is scheduled to trade on such Trading Market for less than 4.5 hours or any day that the Common Stock is suspended from trading during the final hours of trading on such Trading Market (or, if such Trading Market does not designate in advance the closing time of trading on such Trading Market, then during the hour ending at 4:00:00 p.m., New York time).

 

“ Trading Market ” means any of the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Stock may be listed or quoted for trading: the NYSE MKT, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the New York Stock Exchange, or any successor to any of the foregoing.

 

 

(a)   On or prior to the Filing Date, the Company shall prepare and file with the SEC the Registration Statement covering the resale of all of the Registrable Securities that are not then registered on an effective Registration Statement for an offering to be made on a continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415. Each Registration Statement filed hereunder shall be on Form S-3 (except if the Company is not then eligible to register for resale the Registrable Securities on Form S-3, in which case such registration shall be on another appropriate form in accordance herewith, subject to the provisions of Section 2(c)) and shall contain (unless otherwise directed by at least 85% in interest of the Holders) substantially the “ Plan of Distribution ” attached hereto as Annex A and substantially the “ Selling Stockholders ” section attached hereto as Annex B ; provided , however , that no Holder shall be required to be named as an “underwriter” without such Holder’s express prior written consent, except that a Holder may be named as a “statutory underwriter” if such Holder is, or is affiliated with, a broker-dealer and states such fact in its Selling Stockholder Questionnaire. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Registration Statement filed under this Agreement (including under Section 3(c)) to be declared effective under the Securities Act as promptly as reasonably practicable after the filing thereof, but in any event no later than the applicable Effectiveness Date, and shall use commercially reasonable efforts to keep such Registration Statement continuously effective under the Securities Act until the date that all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement (i) have been sold, thereunder or pursuant to Rule 144, or (ii) may be sold without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions pursuant to Rule 144 and without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with the current public information requirement under Rule 144, as determined by the counsel to the Company pursuant to a written opinion letter to such effect, addressed and acceptable to the Transfer Agent and the affected Holders (the “ Effectiveness Period ”).   The Company shall telephonically request effectiveness of the Registration Statement as of 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on a Trading Day. The Company shall immediately notify the Holders via e-mail of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement on the same Trading Day that the Company telephonically confirms effectiveness with the SEC, which shall be the date requested for effectiveness of such Registration Statement. The Company shall, by 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on the Trading Day after the effective date of such Registration Statement, file a final Prospectus with the SEC as required by Rule 424. Failure to so notify the Holder within one (1) Trading Day of such notification of effectiveness or failure to file a final Prospectus as foresaid shall be deemed an Event under Section 2(b).

 

 

(b)     If:

 

 

 

 

 

 

(any such failure or breach being referred to as an “ Event ”) then, in addition to any other rights the Holders may have hereunder or under applicable Law, on each Event Date and on each monthly anniversary of each such Event Date (if the applicable Event shall not have been cured by such date) until the applicable Event is cured, the Company shall pay to each Holder an amount in cash, as partial liquidated damages and not as a penalty, equal to the product of 1.5% multiplied by the aggregate Purchase Price multiplied by the proportion of (A) the Shares held by such Holder for which the Registration Statement had not been declared effective to (B) the total number of Shares purchased pursuant to the Purchase Agreement. The parties agree that the maximum aggregate liquidated damages payable to a Holder under this Agreement shall be 9.0% of the aggregate Purchase Price. If the Company fails to pay any partial liquidated damages pursuant to this Section in full within seven days after the date payable, the Company will pay interest thereon at a rate of 18% per annum (or such lesser maximum amount that is permitted to be paid by applicable Law) to the Holder, accruing daily from the date such partial liquidated damages are due until such amounts, plus all such interest thereon, are paid in full. The partial liquidated damages pursuant to the terms hereof shall apply on a daily pro rata basis for any portion of a month prior to the cure of an Event. For purposes of this Agreement, the “ Event Date ” shall be (A) for purposes of clauses (i) and (iv), the date on which such Event occurs, (B) for purpose of clause (ii), the date on which such five Trading Day period is exceeded, (C) for purpose of clause (iii), the date which such ten calendar day period is exceeded , and (D) for purpose of clause (v), the date on which such 15 or 30 calendar day period, as applicable, is exceeded.

 

 

(c)   If Form S-3 is not available for the registration of the resale of Registrable Securities hereunder, the Company shall (i) register the resale of the Registrable Securities on another appropriate form and (ii) undertake to register the Registrable Securities on Form S-3 as soon as such form is available, provided that the Company shall maintain the effectiveness of the Registration Statement then in effect until such time as the Registration Statement on Form S-3 covering the Registrable Securities has been declared effective by the SEC.

 

(d)   Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, in no event shall the Company be permitted to name any Holder or affiliate of a Holder as any Underwriter without the prior written consent of such Holder, except that a Holder may be named as a “statutory underwriter” if such Holder is, or is affiliated with, a broker-dealer and states such fact in its Selling Stockholder Questionnaire.

 

 

               In connection with the Company’s registration obligations hereunder, the Company shall:

 

(a)   Not less than five Trading Days prior to the filing of the Registration Statement and not less than three Trading Day prior to the filing of any related Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto (including any document that would be incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference, but not including (A) any Exchange Act filing or (B) any supplement or post-effective amendment to a registration statement that is not related to such Holder’s Registrable Securities), (i) furnish to each Holder copies of all such documents proposed to be filed, which documents (other than those incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference) will be subject to the review of such Holders, and (ii) cause Representatives to respond to such inquiries as shall be necessary, in the reasonable opinion of respective counsel to each Holder, to conduct a reasonable investigation within the meaning of the Securities Act. The Company shall not file the Registration Statement or any such Prospectus or any amendments or supplements thereto to which the Holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities shall reasonably object in good faith, provided that the Company is notified of such objection in writing no later than four Trading Days after the Holders have been so furnished copies of the Registration Statement or two Trading Days after the Holders have been so furnished copies of any related Prospectus or amendments or supplements thereto. As a condition for inclusion in any Registration Statement, each Holder agrees to furnish to the Company a completed questionnaire in the form attached to this Agreement as Annex B (a “ Selling Stockholder Questionnaire ”) on a date that is not less than two Trading Days prior to the Filing Date or by the end of the third Trading Day following the date on which such Holder receives draft materials in accordance with this Section.

 

 

(b)   (i) Prepare and file with the SEC such amendments, including post-effective amendments, to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus used in connection therewith (subject to any requirement that a post-effective amendment be declared effective by the SEC) as may be necessary to keep the Registration Statement continuously effective as to the applicable Registrable Securities for the Effectiveness Period, (ii) cause the related Prospectus to be amended or supplemented by any required Prospectus supplement (subject to the terms of this Agreement), and, as so supplemented or amended, to be filed pursuant to Rule 424, (iii) respond as promptly as reasonably practicable to any comments received from the SEC with respect to the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto and provide as promptly as reasonably practicable to the Holders true and complete copies of all correspondence from and to the SEC relating to the Registration Statement (provided that, the Company shall excise any information contained therein which would constitute material non-public information regarding the Company or any of its Subsidiaries), and (iv) comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act with respect to the disposition of all Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement during the applicable period in accordance (subject to the terms of this Agreement) with the intended methods of disposition by the Holders thereof set forth in such Registration Statement as so amended or in such Prospectus as so supplemented.

 

(c)   If, during the Effectiveness Period, the number of Registrable Securities at any time exceeds 100% of the number of shares of Common Stock then registered in the Registration Statement, file as soon as reasonably practicable, but in any case prior to the applicable Filing Date, an additional Registration Statement covering the resale by the Holders of not less than the number of such Registrable Securities.

 

(d)   Notify the Holders of Registrable Securities to be sold (which notice shall, pursuant to clauses (iii) through (vi) hereof, be accompanied by an instruction to suspend the use of the Prospectus until the requisite changes have been made) as promptly as reasonably practicable (and, in the case of (i)(A) below, not less than one Trading Day prior to such filing) and, if requested by any such Person, confirm such notice in writing no later than one Trading Day following the day:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(e)   Use its best efforts to avoid the issuance of, or, if issued, obtain the withdrawal of (i) any order stopping or suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, or (ii) any suspension of the qualification (or exemption from qualification) of any of the Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction, at the earliest practicable moment.

 

(f)   If requested by a Holder, furnish to such Holder, without charge, at least one conformed copy of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto, including financial statements and schedules, all documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference to the extent requested by such Person, and all exhibits to the extent requested by such Person (including those previously furnished or incorporated by reference) promptly after the filing of such documents with the SEC; provided , that any such item which is available on the EDGAR system (or successor thereto) need not be furnished in physical form.

 

 

(g)   Subject to the terms of this Agreement, consent to the use of such Prospectus and each amendment or supplement thereto by each of the selling Holders in connection with the offering and sale of the Registrable Securities covered by such Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, except after the giving of any notice pursuant to Section 3(d).

 

(h)    Prior to any resale of Registrable Securities by a Holder, use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify or cooperate with the selling Holders in connection with the registration or qualification (or exemption from the registration or qualification) of such Registrable Securities for the resale by the Holder under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions within the United States as any Holder reasonably requests in writing, to keep each registration or qualification (or exemption therefrom) effective during the Effectiveness Period and to do any and all other acts or things reasonably necessary to enable the disposition in such jurisdictions of the Registrable Securities covered by each Registration Statement; provided , that, the Company shall not be required to qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not then so qualified, subject the Company to any material tax in any such jurisdiction where it is not then so subject, or file a general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction.

 

(i)   If requested by a Holder, cooperate with such Holder to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of certificates representing Registrable Securities to be delivered to a transferee pursuant to the Registration Statement, which certificates shall be free, to the extent permitted by the Purchase Agreement, of all restrictive legends, and to enable such Registrable Securities to be in such denominations and registered in such names as any such Holder may request.

 

(j)   Upon the occurrence of any event contemplated by Section 3(d), as promptly as reasonably practicable under the circumstances taking into account the Company’s good faith assessment of any adverse consequences to the Company and its stockholders of the premature disclosure of such event, prepare a supplement or amendment, including a post-effective amendment, to the Registration Statement or a supplement to the related Prospectus or any document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference, and file any other required document so that, as thereafter delivered, neither the Registration Statement nor such Prospectus will contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. If the Company notifies the Holders in accordance with clauses (iii) through (vi) of Section 3(d) above to suspend the use of any Prospectus until the requisite changes to such Prospectus have been made, then the Holders shall suspend use of such Prospectus. The Company will use its best efforts to ensure that the use of the Prospectus may be resumed as promptly as is practicable. The Company shall be entitled to exercise its right under this Section 3(j) to suspend the availability of the Registration Statement and Prospectus, subject to the payment of partial liquidated damages otherwise required pursuant to Section 2(b), for a period not to exceed 60 calendar days (which need not be consecutive days) in any 12-month period.

 

 

(k)   Otherwise use commercially reasonable efforts to comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the SEC under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, including, without limitation, Rule 172 under the Securities Act, file any final Prospectus, including any supplement or amendment thereof, with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act, promptly inform the Holders in writing if, at any time during the Effectiveness Period, the Company does not satisfy the conditions specified in Rule 172 and, as a result thereof, the Holders are required to deliver a Prospectus in connection with any disposition of Registrable Securities and take such other actions as may be reasonably necessary to facilitate the registration of the Registrable Securities hereunder.

 

(l)   The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain eligibility for use of Form S-3 (or any successor form thereto) for the registration of the resale of Registrable Securities.

 

(m)   The Company may require each selling Holder to furnish to the Company a certified statement as to the number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by such Holder and, if required by the SEC, the natural persons thereof that have voting and dispositive control over the shares. During any periods that the Company is unable to meet its obligations hereunder with respect to the registration of the Registrable Securities solely because any Holder fails to furnish such information within three Trading Days of the Company’s request, any liquidated damages that are accruing at such time as to such Holder only shall be tolled and any Event that may otherwise occur solely because of such delay shall be suspended as to such Holder only, until such information is delivered to the Company.

 

 

 

 

(a)   Indemnification by the Company . The Company shall, notwithstanding any termination of this Agreement, indemnify and hold harmless each Holder and the Holder’s Representatives, agents, brokers (including brokers who offer and sell Registrable Securities as principal as a result of a pledge or any failure to perform under a margin call of Common Stock), and investment advisors (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles, notwithstanding a lack of such title or any other title) of each of them, each Person who controls any such Holder (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act) and the officers, directors, members, stockholders, partners, agents and employees (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent title or any other title) of each such controlling Person, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, from and against any and all Losses, as incurred, arising out of or relating to (i) any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Prospectus or any form of prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto or in any preliminary prospectus, or arising out of or relating to any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of any Prospectus or supplement thereto, in light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading or (ii) any violation or alleged violation by the Company of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or any state securities Law, or any rule or regulation thereunder, in connection with the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, except to the extent, but only to the extent, that (A) such untrue statements or omissions are based solely upon information regarding such Holder furnished in writing to the Company by such Holder expressly for use therein, or to the extent that such information relates to such Holder or such Holder’s proposed method of distribution of Registrable Securities and was reviewed and expressly approved in writing by such Holder expressly for use in the Registration Statement, such Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto (it being understood that the Holder has approved Annex A hereto for this purpose) or (B) in the case of an occurrence of an event of the type specified in Section 3(d)(iii)-(vi), the use by such Holder of an outdated, defective or otherwise unavailable Prospectus after the Company has notified such Holder in writing that the Prospectus is outdated, defective or otherwise unavailable for use by such Holder and prior to the receipt by such Holder of the Advice contemplated in Section 6(c). No investigation by any Holder or knowledge by any Holder of any facts or circumstances shall affect the Company’s indemnification obligations under this Section 5(a). The Company shall notify the Holders promptly upon becoming aware of the institution, threat or assertion of any Proceeding arising from or in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of such indemnified person and shall survive the transfer of any Registrable Securities by any of the Holders in accordance with Section 6(g).

 

(b)   Indemnification by Holders . Each Holder shall, severally and not jointly, indemnify and hold harmless the Company and its Representatives to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, from and against all Losses, as incurred, to the extent arising out of or based solely upon: any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Registration Statement, any Prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement thereto or in any preliminary prospectus, or arising out of or relating to any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of any Prospectus or supplement thereto, in light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading (i) to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or omission is contained in any information so furnished in writing by such Holder to the Company expressly for inclusion in such Registration Statement or such Prospectus or (ii) to the extent, but only to the extent, that such information relates to such Holder’s information provided in the Selling Stockholder Questionnaire or the proposed method of distribution of Registrable Securities and was reviewed and expressly approved in writing by such Holder expressly for use in the Registration Statement (it being understood that the Holder has approved Annex A hereto for this purpose), such Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto. In no event shall the liability of a selling Holder be greater in amount than the dollar amount of the proceeds (net of all expenses paid by such Holder in connection with any claim relating to this Section 5 and the amount of any damages such Holder has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue statement or omission) received by such Holder upon the sale of the Registrable Securities included in the Registration Statement giving rise to such indemnification obligation.

 

 

(c)   Conduct of Indemnification Proceedings . If any Proceeding shall be brought or asserted against any Person entitled to indemnity hereunder (an “ Indemnified Party ”), such Indemnified Party shall promptly notify the Person from whom indemnity is sought (the “ Indemnifying Party ”) in writing, and the Indemnifying Party shall have the right to assume the defense thereof, including the employment of counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Party and the payment of all reasonable fees and expenses incurred in connection with defense thereof; provided , that, the failure of any Indemnified Party to give such notice shall not relieve the Indemnifying Party of its obligations or liabilities pursuant to this Agreement, except (and only) to the extent that it shall be finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction (which determination is not subject to appeal or further review) that such failure shall have materially and adversely prejudiced the Indemnifying Party.

 

               An Indemnified Party shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such Proceeding and to participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Party or Parties unless: (i) the Indemnifying Party has agreed in writing to pay such fees and expenses, (ii) the Indemnifying Party shall have failed promptly to assume the defense of such Proceeding and to employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Party in any such Proceeding, or (iii) the named parties to any such Proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both such Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party, and counsel to the Indemnified Party shall reasonably believe that a material conflict of interest is likely to exist if the same counsel were to represent such Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party (in which case, if such Indemnified Party notifies the Indemnifying Party in writing that it elects to employ separate counsel at the expense of the Indemnifying Party, the Indemnifying Party shall not have the right to assume the defense thereof and the reasonable fees and expenses of no more than one separate counsel shall be at the expense of the Indemnifying Party). The Indemnifying Party shall not be liable for any settlement of any such Proceeding effected without its written consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. No Indemnifying Party shall, without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Party, effect any settlement of any pending Proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Party is a party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such Proceeding.

 

               Subject to the terms of this Agreement, all reasonable fees and expenses of the Indemnified Party (including reasonable fees and expenses to the extent incurred in connection with investigating or preparing to defend such Proceeding in a manner not inconsistent with this Section) shall be paid to the Indemnified Party, as incurred, within ten Trading Days of written notice thereof to the Indemnifying Party; provided , that, the Indemnified Party shall promptly reimburse the Indemnifying Party for that portion of such fees and expenses applicable to such actions for which such Indemnified Party is finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction (which determination is not subject to appeal or further review) not to be entitled to indemnification hereunder.

 

 

(d)   Contribution . If the indemnification under Section 5(a) or 5(b) is unavailable to an Indemnified Party or insufficient to hold an Indemnified Party harmless for any Losses, then each Indemnifying Party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Party, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the Indemnifying Party and Indemnified Party in connection with the actions, statements or omissions that resulted in such Losses as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of such Indemnifying Party and Indemnified Party shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any action in question, including any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission of a material fact, has been taken or made by, or relates to information supplied by, such Indemnifying Party or Indemnified Party, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such action, statement or omission. The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of any Losses shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in this Agreement, any reasonable attorneys’ or other reasonable fees or expenses incurred by such party in connection with any Proceeding to the extent such party would have been indemnified for such fees or expenses if the indemnification provided for in this Section was available to such party in accordance with its terms.

 

               The parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 5(d) were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to in the immediately preceding paragraph. In no event shall the contribution obligation of a Holder of Registrable Securities be greater in amount than the dollar amount of the proceeds (net of all expenses paid by such Holder in connection with any claim relating to this Section 5 and the amount of any damages such Holder has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission) received by it upon the sale of the Registrable Securities giving rise to such contribution obligation.

 

The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in this Section are in addition to any liability that the Indemnifying Parties may have to the Indemnified Parties.

 

 

 

(a)   Remedies . In the event of a breach by the Company or by a Holder of any of their respective obligations under this Agreement, each Holder or the Company, as the case may be, in addition to being entitled to exercise all rights granted by law and under this Agreement, including recovery of damages, shall be entitled to seek specific performance of its rights under this Agreement. Each of the Company and each Holder agrees that monetary damages would not provide adequate compensation for any losses incurred by reason of a breach by it of any of the provisions of this Agreement and hereby further agrees that, in the event of any action for specific performance in respect of such breach, it shall not assert or shall waive the defense that a remedy at law would be adequate.

 

 

(b)   No Piggyback on Registrations; Prohibition on Filing Other Registration Statements . Neither the Company nor any of its security holders (other than the Holders in such capacity pursuant hereto) may include securities of the Company in any Registration Statements other than the Registrable Securities. For the avoidance of doubt, the previous sentence shall not apply to any securities issued pursuant to that certain Controlled Equity Offering SM Sales Agreement, dated March 22, 2016, by and between the Company and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. to the extent that such securities have been registered as of the date hereof on the Company’s registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-210337), which was declared effective on June 17, 2016. The Company shall not file any other registration statements, other than a registration statement on Form S-4 or Form S-8, or their then-equivalents, until the date that the Registration Statement has been declared effective by the SEC.

 

(c)   Discontinued Disposition . By its acquisition of Registrable Securities, each Holder agrees that, upon receipt of a notice from the Company of the occurrence of any event of the kind described in Section 3(d)(iii) through (vi), such Holder will forthwith discontinue disposition of such Registrable Securities under the Registration Statement until it is advised in writing (the “ Advice ”) by the Company that the use of the applicable Prospectus (as it may have been supplemented or amended) may be resumed. The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that the use of the Prospectus may be resumed as promptly as is practicable. The Company agrees and acknowledges that any periods during which the Holder is required to discontinue the disposition of the Registrable Securities hereunder shall be subject to the provisions of Section 2(b).

 

(d)   Piggy-Back Registrations . If, at any time during the Effectiveness Period, there is not an effective Registration Statement covering all of the Registrable Securities and the Company shall determine to prepare and file with the SEC a registration statement relating to an offering for its own account or the account of others under the Securities Act of any of its equity securities, other than on Form S-4 or Form S-8 (each as promulgated under the Securities Act) or their then-equivalents relating to equity securities to be issued solely in connection with any acquisition of any entity or business or equity securities issuable in connection with the Company’s employee Benefit Plans, then the Company shall deliver to each Holder a written notice of such determination and, if within 15 days after the date of the delivery of such notice, any such Holder shall so request in writing, the Company shall include in such registration statement all or any part of such Registrable Securities such Holder requests to be registered; provided , however , that the Company shall not be required to provide notice or otherwise register any Registrable Securities pursuant to this Section 6(d) that are eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144 (without volume restrictions or current public information requirements) promulgated by the SEC pursuant to the Securities Act or that are the subject of a then-effective Registration Statement that is available for resales or other dispositions by such Holder; and provided , further , that if the Company intends to file a registration statement in connection with an underwritten public offering (an “ Underwritten Offering ”), and the managing underwriter has advised the Company in good faith that the inclusion of all of the Registrable Securities requested to be included by the Holders participating in such Underwritten Public Offering (including pursuant to this Section 6(d)) shall be limited due to market conditions, the order of priority of the securities to be included in such offering shall be: (i) first, the primary securities to be included in such Underwritten Offering; (ii) second, any securities that the Holders request to include in such Registration Statement, on a pro rata basis, based on the number of requested securities; and (iii) any other securities that are requested to be included in such Registration Statement on a pro rata basis, based on the number of requested securities.

 

 

(e)   Amendments and Waivers . The provisions of this Agreement, including the provisions of this sentence, may not be amended, modified or supplemented, and waivers or consents to departures from the provisions hereof may not be given, unless the same shall be in writing and signed by the Company and the Holders of 51% or more of the then-outstanding Registrable Securities, provided that, if any amendment, modification or waiver disproportionately and adversely impacts a Holder (or group of Holders), the consent of such disproportionately impacted Holder (or group of Holders) shall be required. If the Registration Statement does not register all of the Registrable Securities pursuant to a waiver or amendment done in compliance with the previous sentence, then the number of Registrable Securities to be registered for each Holder shall be reduced pro rata among all Holders and each Holder shall have the right to designate which of its Registrable Securities shall be omitted from such Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a waiver or consent to depart from the provisions hereof with respect to a matter that relates exclusively to the rights of a Holder or some Holders and that does not directly or indirectly affect the rights of other Holders may be given only by such Holder or Holders of all of the Registrable Securities to which such waiver or consent relates; provided , however , that the provisions of this sentence may not be amended, modified, or supplemented except in accordance with the provisions of the first sentence of this Section 6(e). No consideration shall be offered or paid to any Person to amend or consent to a waiver or modification of any provision of this Agreement unless the same consideration also is offered to all of the similarly-situated parties to this Agreement.

 

(f)   Notices . Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries required or permitted to be provided hereunder shall be delivered as set forth in the Purchase Agreement.

 

(g)   Successors and Assigns . This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and permitted assigns of each of the parties and shall inure to the benefit of each Holder. The Company may not assign (except by merger) its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of all of the Holders of the then-outstanding Registrable Securities. Each Holder may assign their respective rights hereunder in the manner and to the Persons as permitted under Section 11.7 of the Purchase Agreement.

 

(h)   No Inconsistent Agreements . Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has entered, as of the date hereof, nor shall the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, on or after the date of this Agreement, enter into any agreement with respect to its securities, that would have the effect of impairing the rights granted to the Holders in this Agreement or otherwise conflicts with the provisions hereof. Except as set forth on Schedule 6(h) , neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has previously entered into any agreement granting any registration rights with respect to any of its securities to any Person that have not been satisfied in full.

 

(i)   Execution and Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, all of which when taken together shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party, it being understood that both parties need not sign the same counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission or by e-mail delivery of a “.pdf” format data file, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such facsimile or “.pdf” signature page were an original thereof.

 

 

(j)   Governing Law; Enforcement . All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Agreement shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of the Purchase Agreement, including Sections 10.11, 10.12, 10.13 and 10.14 thereof.

 

(k)   Cumulative Remedies . The remedies provided herein are cumulative and not exclusive of any other remedies provided by Law.

 

(l)   Severability . If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions set forth herein shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated, and the parties hereto shall use their commercially reasonable efforts to find and employ an alternative means to achieve the same or substantially the same result as that contemplated by such term, provision, covenant or restriction. It is hereby stipulated and declared to be the intention of the parties that they would have executed the remaining terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions without including any of such that may be hereafter declared invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable.

 

(m)   Interpretation . This Agreement shall be interpreted in accordance with the provisions of Section 10.3 of the Purchase Agreement.

 

(n)   Independent Nature of Holders’ Obligations and Rights . The obligations of each Holder hereunder are several and not joint with the obligations of any other Holder hereunder, and no Holder shall be responsible in any way for the performance of the obligations of any other Holder hereunder. Nothing contained herein or in any other agreement or document delivered at any closing, and no action taken by any Holder pursuant hereto or thereto, shall be deemed to constitute the Holders as a partnership, an association, a joint venture or any other kind of group or entity, or create a presumption that the Holders are in any way acting in concert or as a group or entity with respect to such obligations or the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any other matters, and the Company acknowledges that the Holders are not acting in concert or as a group, and the Company shall not assert any such claim, with respect to such obligations or transactions. Each Holder shall be entitled to protect and enforce its rights, including without limitation the rights arising out of this Agreement, and it shall not be necessary for any other Holder to be joined as an additional party in any proceeding for such purpose. The use of a single agreement with respect to the obligations of the Company contained was solely in the control of the Company, not the action or decision of any Holder, and was done solely for the convenience of the Company and not because it was required or requested to do so by any Holder. It is expressly understood and agreed that each provision contained in this Agreement is between the Company and a Holder, solely, and not between the Company and the Holders collectively and not between and among Holders.

 (Signature Pages Follow)

 

               IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed and delivered this Registration Rights Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

CELLULAR BIOMEDICINE GROUP, INC.

By: /s/ Bizuo (Tony) Liu       Name: Bizuo (Tony) Liu       Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE OF PURCHASER FOLLOWS]

 

 

NOVARTIS PHARMA AG

By: /s/ Teresa Jose      Name: Teresa Jose      Title: CFO, Oncology

By: /s/ Liz Barrett      Name: Liz Barrett      Title: CEO, Novartis Oncology

 

 

 

 

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

 

We are registering the shares of common stock on behalf of the Selling Stockholders. Each Selling Stockholder and any of their pledgees, assignees and successors-in-interest may, from time to time, sell any or all of their securities covered hereby on the principal Trading Market or any other stock exchange, market or trading facility on which the securities are traded or in private transactions. These sales may be at fixed or negotiated prices. A Selling Stockholder may use any one or more of the following methods when selling securities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Selling Stockholders may also sell securities under Rule 144 or any other exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), if available, rather than under this prospectus.

 

Broker-dealers engaged by the Selling Stockholders may arrange for other broker-dealers to participate in sales. Broker-dealers may receive commissions or discounts from the Selling Stockholders (or, if any broker-dealer acts as agent for the purchaser of securities, from the purchaser) in amounts to be negotiated, but, except as set forth in a supplement to this Prospectus, in the case of an agency transaction not in excess of a customary brokerage commission in compliance with FINRA Rule 2440; and in the case of a principal transaction a markup or markdown in compliance with FINRA IM-2440.

 

In connection with the sale of the securities or interests therein, the Selling Stockholders may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions, which may in turn engage in short sales of the securities in the course of hedging the positions they assume. The Selling Stockholders may also sell securities short and deliver these securities to close out their short positions, or loan or pledge the securities to broker-dealers that in turn may sell these securities. The Selling Stockholders may also enter into option or other transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions or create one or more derivative securities which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of securities offered by this prospectus, which securities such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this prospectus (as supplemented or amended to reflect such transaction).

 

 

The Selling Stockholders and any broker-dealers or agents that are involved in selling the securities may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act in connection with such sales. In such event, any commissions received by such broker-dealers or agents and any profit on the resale of the securities purchased by them may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts under the Securities Act. Each Selling Stockholder has informed the Company that it does not have any written or oral agreement or understanding, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute the securities.

 

The Company is required to pay certain fees and expenses incurred by the Company incident to the registration of the securities. The Company has agreed to indemnify the Selling Stockholders against certain losses, claims, damages and liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

 

We agreed to keep this prospectus effective until the date that (i) the securities constitute 4.9% or less of the outstanding shares of common stock of the Company and may be resold by the Selling Stockholders without registration and without regard to any volume or manner-of-sale limitations by reason of Rule 144, without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with the current public information under Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any other rule of similar effect or (ii) all of the securities have been sold pursuant to this prospectus or Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any other rule of similar effect. The resale securities will be sold only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers if required under applicable state securities laws. In addition, in certain states, the resale securities covered hereby may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.

 

Under applicable rules and regulations under the Exchange Act, any person engaged in the distribution of the resale securities may not simultaneously engage in market making activities with respect to the common stock for the applicable restricted period, as defined in Regulation M, prior to the commencement of the distribution. In addition, the Selling Stockholders will be subject to applicable provisions of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, including Regulation M, which may limit the timing of purchases and sales of the common stock by the Selling Stockholders or any other person. We will make copies of this prospectus available to the Selling Stockholders and have informed them of the need to deliver a copy of this prospectus to each purchaser at or prior to the time of the sale (including by compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act).

 

 

Annex B

 

SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

 

The common stock being offered by the selling shareholders are those previously issued to the selling shareholders, and those issuable to the selling shareholders, upon exercise of the warrants. For additional information regarding the issuances of those shares of common stock and warrants, see "Private Placement of Common Shares" above. We are registering the shares of common stock in order to permit the selling shareholders to offer the shares for resale from time to time. [Description of the relationship between any selling shareholders and the Company to be provided.]

 

The table below lists the selling shareholders and other information regarding the beneficial ownership of the shares of common stock by each of the selling shareholders. The second column lists the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by each selling shareholder, based on its ownership of the shares of common stock, as of ________, 2018, assuming exercise of the warrants held by the selling shareholders on that date, without regard to any limitations on exercises.

 

The third column lists the shares of common stock being offered by this prospectus by the selling shareholders.

 

In accordance with the terms of a registration rights agreement with the selling shareholders, this prospectus generally covers the resale of the number of shares of common stock issued to the selling shareholders in the __________________.   The fourth column assumes the sale of all of the shares offered by the selling shareholders pursuant to this prospectus.

 

The selling shareholders may sell all, some or none of their shares in this offering. See "Plan of Distribution."

 

 

 

EXHIBIT 4

 

Selling Stockholder Questionnaire

 

 

[attached hereto]

 

Broker-Dealer Status .

 

 

Is the Selling Securityholder a broker-dealer?

___ Yes

___ No

 

 

If the answer to Section 7(a) is “yes,” did the Selling Securityholder receive the Registrable Securities as compensation for investment banking services to the Company? Note: If the answer to 7(b) is "no," SEC guidance has indicated that the Selling Securityholder should be identified as an underwriter in the Registration Statement.

___ Yes

___ No

___N/A