Filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration Statement No. 333-222488
Prospectus Supplement
(To prospectus dated January 9, 2018)
SPHERIX INCORPORATED
221,000 Shares of Common Stock
Pre-funded Warrants to Purchase 86,692 Shares of Common Stock
We are offering (i) 221,000 shares of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, for a purchase price equal to $2.60 per share, and (ii) pre-funded common stock purchase warrants to purchase up to 86,692 shares of common stock, at purchase price of $2.5999 per pre-funded warrant, which represents the per share purchase price, less a $0.0001 per share exercise price per pre-funded warrant, for aggregate gross proceeds of $799,991, pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. This prospectus supplement also relates to the offering of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the pre-funded warrants. The pre-funded warrants are being offered in lieu of shares of common stock that would otherwise result in the purchaser’s beneficial ownership exceeding 9.99% of our common stock. For a description of our common stock and our pre-funded warrants, see the section entitled “Description of Securities We Are Offering” beginning on page S-9 of this prospectus supplement.
Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market (NASDAQ) under the symbol “SPEX.” On May 29, 2019, the last reported sales price of our common stock on NASDAQ was $3.21 per share. Our pre-funded warrants will not be listed for trading on any national securities exchange.
As of May 29, 2019, the aggregate market value of our outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates was approximately $7,484,361 based on 2,013,396 outstanding shares of common stock, of which approximately 1,914,110 shares are held by non-affiliates, and a per share price of $3.91, based upon the closing sale price of our common stock on April 5, 2019. During the 12 calendar month period that ends on, and includes, the date of this prospectus supplement, we have not offered and sold any of our securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should read this prospectus supplement and the information incorporated herein by reference carefully before you make your investment decision. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-6 of this prospectus supplement.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus supplement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus supplement is May 31, 2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prospectus Supplement
Prospectus
You should rely only on the information we have provided or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.
This prospectus supplement and any later prospectus supplement is an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so.
You should assume that the information contained in this prospectus supplement and in any other prospectus supplement is accurate only as of their respective dates and that any information we have incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus supplement or any other prospective supplement for any sale of securities.
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
This document consists of two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this offering. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, gives more general information, some of which may not apply to this offering. Generally, when we refer only to the “prospectus,” we are referring to both parts combined. This prospectus supplement may add to, update or change information in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.
If information in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on this prospectus supplement. This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, any related free-writing prospectus and the documents incorporated into each by reference include important information about us, the shares being offered and other information you should know before investing in our securities.
You should rely only on this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, any related free-writing prospectus and the information incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or in any free writing prospectuses we have prepared. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information that is in addition to, or different from, that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or in any free writing prospectuses we have prepared. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not offering to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any free-writing prospectus is accurate as of any date other than as of the date of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any related free-writing prospectus, as the case may be, or in the case of the documents incorporated by reference, the date of such documents regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or any sale of our securities. Our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, and prospects may have changed since those dates.
Unless otherwise stated, all references to “us,” “our,” “SPEX,” “we,” the “Company” and similar designations refer to Spherix Incorporated. Our logo, trademarks and service marks are the property of Spherix Incorporated. Other trademarks or service marks appearing in this prospectus supplement are the property of their respective holders.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference herein may contain forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference herein, including statements regarding future events, our future financial performance, business strategy, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. We have attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminology including “anticipates,” “believes,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “should,” or “will” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Although we do not make forward looking statements unless we believe we have a reasonable basis for doing so, we cannot guarantee their accuracy. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including the risks outlined under “Risk Factors” or elsewhere in this prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference herein, which may cause our or our industry’s actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in a highly regulated, very competitive, and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all risk factors, nor can we address the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short term and long term business operations, and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed (i) in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, (ii) in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2019, (iii) in this prospectus supplement, and in particular, the risks discussed below and under the heading “Risk Factors” and (iv) those discussed in other documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 and notes incorporated by reference herein. We undertake no obligation to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this prospectus may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statement.
You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement, each of which applies only as of the date of this prospectus supplement. You are advised to consult any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our reports on Forms 10-Q, 8-K and 10-K filed with the SEC.
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This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus supplement. This summary does not contain all the information that you should consider before investing in our Company. You should carefully read the entire prospectus supplement, including all documents incorporated by reference herein. In particular, attention should be directed to our “Risk Factors,” “Information With Respect to the Company,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the financial statements and related notes thereto contained herein or otherwise incorporated by reference hereto, before making an investment decision.
Business Overview
We are a technology development company committed to the fostering of innovative ideas. Spherix Incorporated was formed in 1967 as a scientific research company and for much of our history pursued drug development including through Phase III clinical studies which were largely discontinued in 2012. In 2012 and 2013, we shifted our focus to being a firm that owns, develops, acquires and monetizes intellectual property assets. Such monetization included, but was not limited to, acquiring IP from patent holders in order to maximize the value of the patent holdings by conducting and managing a licensing campaign, commercializing the IP, or through the settlement and litigation of patents.
Our activities generally include the acquisition and development of patents through internal or external research and development. In addition, we seek to acquire existing rights to intellectual property through the acquisition of already issued patents and pending patent applications, both in the United States and abroad. We may alone, or in conjunction with others, develop products and processes associated with technology development and monetizing related intellectual property.
Since March 1, 2013, the Company has received limited funds from its IP monetization. In addition to our patent monetization efforts, since the fourth quarter of 2017, we have been transitioning to a technology development company. The Company made no investments in new IP during 2017 and 2018 and started the transition with its investment in Hoth Therapeutics, Inc. during the 3rd quarter of 2017, and with its agreement with DatChat, Inc. (“DatChat”) in March 2018 (which was subsequently terminated in August 2018).
Pursuant to a Share Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 15, 2019, the Company agreed to purchase: (i) 50,000 shares of CBM BioPharma, Inc. and (ii) certain securities and uncertificated rights of DatChat from an existing shareholder of CBM and DatChat for an aggregate purchase price of $350,000. The investment represents a 20% interest in CBM, and the securities and rights of DatChat that were purchased include: (a) a senior convertible note issued by DatChat with outstanding principal of $300,000, with an initial conversion rate of $0.20 per share (b) a warrant to purchase 2,250,000 shares of DatChat common stock at an initial exercise price of $0.20 per share, (c) an option to acquire an additional $300,000 senior convertible note and a warrant to purchase 1,500,000 shares of DatChat common stock, (d) a contingent option to purchase 500,000 shares of DatChat common stock from an existing DatChat stockholder, and (e) a contingent option to put 200,000 shares of DatChat common stock, subject to certain terms and conditions . The transaction is expected to close within 10 business days of the execution of the agreement.
In October 2018, the Company entered into an agreement and plan of merger, subject to shareholder approval, with CBM BioPharma, Inc. (“CBM”), a pharmaceutical company focusing on the development of cancer treatments, pursuant to which all shares of capital stock of CBM will be converted into the right to receive an aggregate of 3,529,411 shares of the Company’s common stock with CBM continuing as the surviving corporation in the merger.
On February 15, 2019, Hoth announced the pricing of its initial public offering (“IPO) of 1,250,000 shares of its common stock at an initial offering price to the public of $5.60 per share. All shares of common stock were offered by Hoth. In addition, Hoth granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 187,500 shares of common stock at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discount, to cover over-allotments, if any.
Hoth’s common stock commenced trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market, on February 15, 2019 under the ticker symbol “HOTH”. The IPO closed on February 20, 2019. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, the Company and its affiliates own approximately 19% of Hoth.
On May 15, 2019, the Company restructured the terms of its proposed merger with CBM as agreed to in an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated October 10, 2018 (the “CBM Merger Agreement”) and entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “APA”) with CBM, whereby the Company purchased CBM’s Purchased Assets (as defined in the APA), including, among other things, a license agreement relating to certain technologies in the areas of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acral lentiginous melanoma and pancreatic cancer, university contracts, and contracts with a chief scientist and an advisory board (the “Purchase” or “Asset Acquisition”).
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In connection with the execution of the APA, the CBM Merger Agreement was terminated and any and all termination fees thereunder have been waived.
As consideration for the Purchase, the Company agreed to pay aggregate consideration of $8,000,000 to CBM consisting of (i) the Stock Consideration comprised of (A) the Common Stock Consideration based on a per share purchase price of $3.61, subject to adjustment (the “Buyer Common Stock Price”), which ultimately limits CBM’s maximum voting control of the Company to 9.9% of the Company’s issued and outstanding Common Stock, and (B) such number of shares of nonvoting Series L convertible preferred stock as shall be equal to the Stock Consideration less the value of the shares of Common Stock comprising the Common Stock Consideration, with each share constituting the Stock Consideration valued at the Buyer Common Stock Price, and (ii) the Cash Consideration Amount, less the sum of (A) the amount of any Affiliate Receivables (as defined in the APA), (B) the amount of the outstanding Indebtedness (as defined in the APA) as of the Closing Date, if any, to the applicable creditor(s), (C) the amount of the unpaid Transaction Expenses (as defined in the APA) as of the Closing Date, if any, to the applicable payee, and (D) the amount of unpaid Transaction Bonuses (as defined in the APA), if any, to the recipients thereof. The Cash Consideration Amount from the Purchase Consideration is held back and becomes payable to CBM upon the consummation by the Company of the first Qualified Financing (as defined in the APA) after the Closing Date. Upon consummation of a Qualified Financing by the Company, the Company will retain the first $2,000,000 of gross proceeds received in connection with such Qualified Financing and CBM will receive 100% of the gross proceeds of such Qualified Financing received by the Company in excess of $2,000,000 as well as the gross proceeds of any subsequent equity financings by the Company until the Cash Consideration Amount is satisfied in full.
The Company is prohibited from issuing shares of Common Stock under the APA which, when aggregated with any other shares of Common Stock of the Company, would exceed 19.99% shares of Common Stock of the Company, unless and until shareholder approval of the issuance of the Common Stock is approved. Upon the execution of the APA, the Company and CBM agreed to terminate the Merger Agreement, including all schedules and exhibits thereto, and all ancillary agreements contemplated thereby, and waived the Termination Fee.
Additionally, at or prior to the Closing, the Company, the Stockholder Representative, and a mutually agreeable escrow agent (the “Escrow Agent”), shall enter into an Escrow Agreement, effective as of the Effective Time, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the parties (the “Escrow Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company shall deposit with the Escrow Agent 10% of the Stock Consideration (including any equity securities paid as dividends or distributions with respect to such shares or into which such shares are exchanged or converted, the “Escrow Shares”), to be held in a segregated escrow account (the “Escrow Account”) and disbursed by the Escrow Agent. Each stockholder of CBM (each, a “CBM Stockholder”) shall receive its pro rata share of the Stock Consideration based on their percentage ownership of CBM. The Escrow Shares shall serve as a security for, and a source of payment of, the indemnity rights of the Company indemnified parties.
The obligations of the Company and CBM to consummate the transaction are subject to: (a) all necessary approvals being obtained by relevant governmental authorities, third parties, and the shareholders of the Company and CBM, (b) the absence of any Law (as defined in the APA) being enacted, issued, promulgated, enforced or entered, or any Order (as defined in the APA) by a Governmental Authority which makes the transaction illegal, and (c) no pending Action (as defined in the APA) being brought by a third-party non-Affiliate (as defined in the APA) to enjoin or restrict the transaction; and (d) certain customary closing conditions, including but not limited to the accuracy of certain representations and warranties, the performance in all material respects of each parties’ obligations, agreements and covenants under the APA, and no Material Adverse Effect having occurred with respect to either the Company or CBM since the date of the APA.
The APA may be terminated (i) by mutual written consent of the Company and CBM, (ii) by written notice by the Company or CBM if any of the conditions to Closing (as defined in the APA) are not satisfied or waived by September 30, 2019 (unless a condition to Closing is due to breach or violation of the Company or CBM of any representation, warranty, covenant or obligation under the APA), (iii) by written notice by the Company or CBM if a Governmental Authority (as defined in the APA) has issued an Order (as defined in the APA) or taken action restraining, enjoining or prohibiting the transactions contemplated by the APA (unless a condition to Closing is due to breach or violation of the Company or CBM of any representation, warrant, covenant or obligation under the APA), (iv) by written notice of the Company if there is has been an incurable material breach by CBM of any of its representations, warranties, covenants or obligations, (v) by written notice of CBM if there is has been an incurable material breach by the Company of any of its representations, warranties, covenants or obligations, or (v) by written notice by the Buyer if there shall have been a Material Adverse Effect (as defined in the APA) on the Company following the date of the APA.
On May 10, 2019, the Company effected a reverse stock split of its outstanding shares of common stock at a ratio of one-for-4.25 (the “Reverse Stock Split”). The Reverse Stock Split, which was approved by the Company’s board of directors under authority granted by the Company’s stockholders at the Company’s 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on April 15, 2019, was consummated pursuant to a Certificate of Amendment filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware on May 9, 2019 (the “Certificate of Amendment”). The Reverse Stock Split was effective at 12:01 a.m., Eastern Standard Time, on May 10, 2019. Unless the context otherwise requires, all references in this prospectus supplement to shares of our common stock, including prices per share of our common stock, reflect the Reverse Stock Split.
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Recent Developments
On May 30, 2019, the Company entered into Amendment No. 1 (the “Amendment”) to the APA, pursuant to which the APA was amended to include a termination fee whereby, in the event that the APA is terminated on or prior to December 31, 2019 (i) by CBM as a result of a material breach by the Company of any of its representations, warranties, covenants or agreements under the APA, which such breach is not cured within 20 days after written notice by CBM to the Company, or (ii) by either the Company or CBM in the event that the issuance of the equity portion of the consideration to be paid to CBM by the Company pursuant to the APA is not approved by the Company’s stockholders at a duly held special meeting of the Company, the Company will issue to CBM or CBM’s designee an aggregate of 250,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock (the “Buyer Termination Fee”) within two business days of termination, it being understood that in no event will CBM be entitled to the Buyer Termination Fee on more than one occasion.
Corporate Information
Our principal executive offices are located at One Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020, our telephone number is (212) 745-1374, and our Internet website address www.spherix.com. The information on our website is not a part of, or incorporated in, this prospectus supplement.
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THE OFFERING
The following summary contains basic information about the offering and is not intended to be complete. It does not contain all the information that may be important to you. For a more complete understanding of the securities we are offering, you should read the section entitled “Description of Securities We Are Offering.”
Common stock we are offering |
221,000 shares. | |
Offering price of common stock | $2.60 per share. | |
Pre-funded warrants offered by us
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We are also offering pre-funded warrants to purchase up to 86,692 shares of common stock, in lieu of purchasing shares of common stock. The purchase price of each pre-funded warrants will equal the price per share in this offering, minus $0.0001, and the exercise price of each pre-funded warrants will be $0.0001 per share. Each pre-funded warrant will be exercisable immediately upon issuance and may be exercised at any time until all of the pre-funded warrants are exercised in full, except that a holder will not have the right to exercise any portion of the pre-funded warrants if the holder (together with its affiliates) would beneficially own in excess of 9.99%, of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the pre-funded warrants. This prospectus supplement also relates to the offering of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of such pre-funded warrants. See “Description of Securities We are Offering—Pre-Funded Warrants” for a discussion on the terms of the pre-funded warrants. | |
Offering price of pre-funded warrants |
$2.5999 per pre-funded warrant. | |
Common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering (including the shares of common stock underlying the pre-funded warrants) |
2,321,088 shares of common stock (assuming the exercise in full of the pre-funded warrants and the issuance in full of the shares of common stock underlying the pre-funded warrants). | |
Use of Proceeds | We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering for working capital and general corporate purposes. See “Use of Proceeds.” | |
Risk Factors | Your investment in our securities involves substantial risks. You should consider the “Risk Factors” and the “Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” included and incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the risk factors incorporated by reference from our filings with the SEC. | |
NASDAQ ticker symbol | Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “SPEX.” The pre-funded warrants will not be listed for trading on any national securities exchange. |
The number of shares of common stock shown above to be outstanding after this offering is based on the 2,013,396 shares outstanding as of May 29, 2019 and excludes as of such date:
• | 107,370 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options at a weighted average exercise price of $5.30 per share; |
• | 285,273 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants at a weighted average exercise price of $24.63 per share (without giving effect to any of the anti-dilution adjustment provisions thereof); |
• | 688 shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of our Series D and D-1 Preferred Stock; and |
• | 12,585 shares of our common stock to be reserved for potential future issuance pursuant to our 2012, 2013 and 2014 Equity Incentive Plans, combined. |
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THE SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT
On May 29, 2019, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with an accredited investor (the “Purchaser”) for the sale by the Company of 221,000 shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”) at a purchase price of $2.60 per share, and pre-funded common stock purchase warrants to purchase up to 86,692 shares of Common Stock (the “Warrants”) at a purchase price of $2.5999 per Warrant, which represents the per Share purchase price, less a $0.0001 per share exercise price for each of the Warrants. The Company sold the Shares and Warrants for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $799,991, which transaction is expected to close on May 31, 2019.
The Purchase Agreement contains customary representations and warranties of the Company, termination rights of the parties and certain covenants of the Company.
The Warrants are immediately exercisable for $0.0001 per share until exercised in full, except that a holder will not have the right to exercise any portion of the Warrant if the holder (together with its affiliates) would beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the Warrants. However, any holder may increase or decrease such percentage to any other percentage upon notice to the Company, but in no event in excess of 9.99%, provided that any increase in such percentage shall not be effective until 61 days after such notice. The Warrants may also be exercisable on a “cashless” basis.
The Company received net proceeds of approximately $799,991 from the sale of the Shares and Warrants. The net proceeds will be used for working capital purposes.
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Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before deciding whether to invest in our securities, you should carefully consider the risk factors we describe in this prospectus supplement and in any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you or in any report incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, or any Annual Report on Form 10-K or Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that is incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement after the date of this prospectus supplement. Although we discuss key risks in those risk factor descriptions, additional risks not currently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may impair our business. Our subsequent filings with the SEC may contain amended and updated discussions of significant risks. We cannot predict future risks or estimate the extent to which they may affect our financial performance.
Risks Related to This Offering
Management will have broad discretion as to the use of the net proceeds from this offering, and we may not use these proceeds effectively.
We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital and general corporate purposes. Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our common stock. Accordingly, you will be relying on the judgment of our management with regard to the use of these net proceeds, and you will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether the proceeds are being used appropriately. Our failure to apply these funds effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, delay the development of our product candidates and cause the price of our common stock to decline.
We do not anticipate declaring any cash dividends on our common stock which may adversely impact the market price of our stock.
During the last four years, we have not declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock and do not plan to pay any cash dividends in the near future. Investors must look solely to the potential for appreciation in the market price of the shares of our common stock to obtain a return on their investment.
Sales of a significant number of shares of our common stock in the public markets, or the perception that such sales could occur, could depress the market price of our common stock.
Sales of a significant number of shares of our common stock in the public markets, or the perception that such sales could occur could depress the market price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We cannot predict the effect that future sales of our common stock or the market perception that we are permitted to sell a significant number of our securities would have on the market price of our common stock.
The exercise of outstanding options and warrants to acquire shares of our common stock would cause dilution, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline.
In the past, we have issued options and warrants to acquire shares of our common stock. As of the date hereof, there were 107,370 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options at a weighted average exercise price of $5.30 per share and 285,273 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants at a weighted average exercise price of $24.63 per share, and we may issue additional options, warrants and other types of equity in the future as part of stock-based compensation, capital raising transactions or other strategic transactions. To the extent these options and warrants are ultimately exercised, existing holders of our common stock would experience dilution which may cause the price of our common stock to decline.
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Holders of pre-funded warrants purchased in this offering will have no rights as holders of common stock until such holders exercise their pre-funded warrants and acquire our common stock, except as set forth in the pre-funded warrants.
Until holders of pre-funded warrants acquire shares of our common stock upon exercise of the pre-funded warrants, holders of pre-funded warrants will have no rights with respect to the shares of our common stock underlying such pre-funded warrants, except as set forth in the pre-funded warrants. Upon exercise of the pre-funded warrants, the holders will be entitled to exercise the rights of a holder of common stock only as to matters for which the record date occurs after the exercise date.
There is no public market for the pre-funded warrants being offered in this offering.
There is no established public trading market for the pre-funded warrants being offered in this offering, and we do not expect a market to develop. In addition, we do not intend to apply to list the pre-funded warrants on any securities exchange or nationally recognized trading system, including Nasdaq. Without an active market, the liquidity of the pre-funded warrants will be limited.
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We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered by this prospectus supplement will be approximately $799,991. We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering for working capital and general corporate purposes. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, we cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses for the net proceeds we will have upon completion of the offering. Accordingly, we will retain broad discretion over the use of these proceeds.
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DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES WE ARE OFFERING
Common Stock
For a description of the common stock being offered hereby, please see “Description of Securities We May Offer” in the accompanying prospectus.
Pre-Funded Warrants
The following is a brief summary of certain terms and conditions of the pre-funded warrants being offered by this prospectus supplement. The following description is subject in all respects to the provisions contained in the Warrants.
Form
The Warrants will be issued as individual warrant certificates to the investors. The form of pre-funded warrant will be filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K that we will file with the SEC in connection with this offering.
Term
The Warrants do not have a termination date and will terminate only when they are exercised in full.
Exercisability
The Warrants are exercisable at any time after their original issuance. The Warrants will be exercisable, at the option of each holder, in whole or in part by delivering to us a duly executed exercise notice and by payment in full of the exercise price in immediately available funds for the number of shares of common stock purchased upon such exercise. In addition, the holder may elect to exercise the Warrants through a cashless exercise, in which the holder would receive upon such exercise the net number of shares of common stock determined according to the formula set forth in the Warrant. No fractional shares of common stock will be issued in connection with the exercise of a Warrant.
Exercise limitations
Under the Warrants, we may not effect the exercise of any Warrants, and a holder will not be entitled to exercise any portion of any pre-funded warrant, which, upon giving effect to such exercise, would cause the holder, together with its affiliates, to beneficially own more than 9.99% of the outstanding shares of our common stock immediately after such exercise, provided that a holder may increase or decrease such beneficial ownership limitation upon notice to us, but in no event in excess of 9.99%, provided that any increase in such beneficial ownership limitation shall not be effective until 61 days following notice to us.
Exercise price
The exercise price per share of our common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants is $0.0001 per share of common stock. The exercise price of the Warrants and the number of shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of certain stock dividends and distributions, stock splits, stock combinations, reclassifications or similar events affecting our common stock and also upon any distributions of assets, including cash, stock or other property to our stockholders.
Transferability
Subject to applicable laws, the Warrants may be offered for sale, sold, transferred or assigned without our consent.
Exchange listing
We do not plan on applying to list the Warrants on Nasdaq, any other national securities exchange or any other nationally recognized trading system.
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Fundamental transactions
In the event of a fundamental transaction, as described in the Warrants and generally including any reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification of our common stock, the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of our properties or assets, our consolidation or merger with or into another person, the acquisition of more than 50% of our outstanding common stock, or any person or group becoming the beneficial owner of 50% of the voting power represented by our outstanding common stock, upon consummation of such a fundamental transaction, the holders of the Warrants will be entitled to receive upon exercise of the Warrants the kind and amount of securities, cash or other property that the holders would have received had they exercised the Warrants immediately prior to such fundamental transaction without regard to any limitations on exercised contained in the Warrants.
No rights as a stockholder
Except by virtue of such holder’s ownership of shares of our common stock, the holder of a Warrant does not have the rights or privileges of a holder of our common stock, including any voting rights, until the holder exercises the Warrant.
S-10 |
We are offering 221,000 shares of our common stock and pre-funded warrants to purchase up to 86,692 shares of common stock, pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Purchase Agreement.
Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, and subject to the terms and conditions therein, the Purchaser has agreed to purchase 221,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at a purchase price of $2.60 per share, and Warrants to purchase up to 86,692 shares of Common Stock at a purchase price of $2.5999 per Warrant, which represents the per Share purchase price, less a $0.0001 per share exercise price for each of the Warrants. The Company sold the Shares and Warrants for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $799,991, which transaction is expected to close on May 31, 2019.
We are registering the Shares, the Warrants and the shares of common stock underlying the Warrants. The Shares and when issued, the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, will be freely tradeable securities. The Shares will be listed for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market and when issued, the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants will be listed for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The Warrants will not be listed for trading on any national securities exchange.
The Warrants are immediately exercisable for $0.0001 per share until exercised in full, except that a holder will not have the right to exercise any portion of the Warrant if the holder (together with its affiliates) would beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the Warrants. However, any holder may increase or decrease such beneficial ownership limitation to any other percentage upon notice to the Company, but in no event in excess of 9.99%, provided that any increase in such beneficial ownership limitation shall not be effective until 61 days after such notice. The Warrants may also be exercisable on a “cashless” basis.
We expect to deliver the shares of our common stock being offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement on or about May 31, 2019.
We do not know of any existing agreements between any stockholder, broker, dealer, underwriter or agent relating to the sale or distribution of the Shares and Warrants.
This prospectus supplement shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the Shares and Warrants issuable to the Purchaser, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of the securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification of the securities under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction. We are not making the offering in any state or other jurisdiction in which it is unlawful to do so, nor are we distributing or accepting any offers to purchase any common stock from securityholders who are residents of those states or other jurisdictions or who are otherwise prohibited by federal, state or foreign laws or regulations from accepting such offers.
S-11 |
The validity of the securities offered by this prospectus supplement will be passed upon for us by Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, New York, New York.
Marcum LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, as set forth in their report dated March 12, 2019, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our consolidated financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Marcum LLP’s report, given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
This prospectus supplement is part of the registration statement on Form S-3 we filed with the SEC under the Securities Act and does not contain all the information set forth in the registration statement. Whenever a reference is made in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the reference may not be complete and you should refer to the exhibits that are a part of the registration statement or the exhibits to the reports or other documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement for a copy of such contract, agreement or other document. Because we are subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, we file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
We are “incorporating by reference” certain documents we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information in the documents incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus supplement. Statements contained in documents that we file with the SEC and that are incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement will automatically update and supersede information contained in this prospectus supplement, including information in previously filed documents or reports that have been incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, to the extent the new information differs from or is inconsistent with the old information. We have filed or may file the following documents with the SEC and they are incorporated herein by reference as of their respective dates of filing:
● | Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the SEC on March 12, 2019; |
● | Our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, as filed with the SEC on May 15, 2019; |
● | Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 17, 2019, February 6, 2019, April 16, 2019, May 9, 2019 and May 16, 2019; and |
● | The description of certain capital stock contained in our Registration Statement 8-A filed on January 30, 2013, as amended on June 12, 2017 and as it may further be amended from time to time. |
All documents that we filed with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, and 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of this registration statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this registration statement that indicates that all securities offered under this prospectus supplement have been sold, or that deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, will be deemed to be incorporated in this registration statement by reference and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.
Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement shall be deemed modified, superseded or replaced for purposes of this prospectus supplement to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus supplement, or in any subsequently filed document that also is deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, modifies, supersedes or replaces such statement. Any statement so modified, superseded or replaced shall not be deemed, except as so modified, superseded or replaced, to constitute a part of this prospectus supplement. None of the information that we disclose under Items 2.02 or 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K or any corresponding information, either furnished under Item 9.01 or included as an exhibit therein, that we may from time to time furnish to the SEC will be incorporated by reference into, or otherwise included in, this prospectus supplement, except as otherwise expressly set forth in the relevant document. Subject to the foregoing, all information appearing in this prospectus supplement is qualified in its entirety by the information appearing in the documents incorporated by reference.
You may requests, orally or in writing, a copy of these documents, which will be provided to you at no cost (other than exhibits, unless such exhibits are specifically incorporate by reference), by contacting Anthony Hayes, c/o Spherix Corporation, at Spherix Incorporated, at One Rockefeller Plaza, 11th Fl., New York, NY 10020. Our telephone number is (212) 745-1374. Information about us is also available at our website at http://www.spherix.com. However, the information in our website is not a part of this prospectus and is not incorporated by reference.
S-12 |
Prospectus
SPHERIX INCORPORATED
$30,000,000
COMMON STOCK
PREFERRED STOCK
PURCHASE CONTRACTS
WARRANTS
SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS
DEPOSITARY SHARES
DEBT SECURITIES
UNITS
● | common stock; |
● | preferred stock; |
● | purchase contracts; |
● | warrants to purchase our securities; |
● | subscription rights to purchase any of the foregoing securities; |
● | depositary shares; |
● | secured or unsecured debt securities consisting of notes, debentures or other evidences of indebtedness which may be senior debt securities, senior subordinated debt securities or subordinated debt securities, each of which may be convertible into equity securities; or |
● | units comprised of, or other combinations of, the foregoing securities. |
We may offer and sell these securities separately or together, in one or more series or classes and in amounts, at prices and on terms described in one or more offerings. We may offer securities through underwriting syndicates managed or co-managed by one or more underwriters or dealers, through agents or directly to purchasers. The prospectus supplement for each offering of securities will describe in detail the plan of distribution for that offering. For general information about the distribution of securities offered, please see “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus.
Each time our securities are offered, we will provide a prospectus supplement containing more specific information about the particular offering and attach it to this prospectus. The prospectus supplements may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. This prospectus may not be used to offer or sell securities without a prospectus supplement which includes a description of the method and terms of this offering.
Our common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “SPEX.” The last reported sale price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market on January 8, 2018 was $1.36 per share. The aggregate market value of our outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates is $8,428,883 based on 6,234,898 shares of outstanding common stock, of which 6,197,708 shares are held by non-affiliates, and a per share price of $1.36 which was the closing sale price of our common stock as quoted on the NASDAQ Capital Market on January 8, 2018. During the 12 calendar month period that ends on, and includes, the date of this prospectus, we have not offered and sold any of our securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3.
If we decide to seek a listing of any preferred stock, purchase contracts, warrants, subscriptions rights, depositary shares, debt securities or units offered by this prospectus, the related prospectus supplement will disclose the exchange or market on which the securities will be listed, if any, or where we have made an application for listing, if any.
Investing in our securities involves certain risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 6 and the risk factors in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is incorporated by reference herein, as well as in any other recently filed quarterly or current reports and, if any, in the relevant prospectus supplement. We urge you to carefully read this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement, together with the documents we incorporate by reference, describing the terms of these securities before investing.
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 January 19, 2018.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i |
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may offer and sell, either individually or in combination, in one or more offerings, any of the securities described in this prospectus, for total gross proceeds of up to $30,000,000. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer securities under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement to this prospectus that will contain more specific information about the terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings. The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you may also add, update or change any of the information contained in this prospectus or in the documents that we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
We urge you to read carefully this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectuses we have authorized for use in connection with a specific offering, together with the information incorporated herein by reference as described under the heading “Incorporation of Documents by Reference,” before investing in any of the securities being offered. You should rely only on the information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, along with the information contained in any free writing prospectuses we have authorized for use in connection with a specific offering. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different or additional information. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so.
The information appearing in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front of the document and any information we have incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus, or any sale of a security.
This prospectus contains summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described below under the section entitled “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
This prospectus contains, or incorporates by reference, trademarks, tradenames, service marks and service names of Spherix Incorporated.
1 |
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference herein may contain forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference herein, including statements regarding future events, our future financial performance, business strategy, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. We have attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminology including “anticipates,” “believes,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “should,” or “will” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Although we do not make forward looking statements unless we believe we have a reasonable basis for doing so, we cannot guarantee their accuracy. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including the risks outlined under “Risk Factors” or elsewhere in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein, which may cause our or our industry’s actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in a highly regulated, very competitive, and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all risk factors, nor can we address the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short term and long term business operations, and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in this prospectus, and in particular, the risks discussed below and under the heading “Risk Factors” and those discussed in other documents we file with the SEC. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 and notes incorporated by reference herein. We undertake no obligation to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this prospectus may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statement.
You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement, each of which applies only as of the date of this prospectus. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this prospectus to conform our statements to actual results or changed expectations.
Any forward-looking statement you read in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any document incorporated by reference reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, operating results, growth strategy and liquidity. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because such statements speak only as to the date when made. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future, except as otherwise required by applicable law. You are advised, however, to consult any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our reports on Forms 10-Q, 8-K and 10-K filed with the SEC. You should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all risk factors. Consequently, you should not consider any such list to be a complete set of all potential risks or uncertainties.
2 |
This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary does not contain all the information that you should consider before investing in our Company. You should carefully read the entire prospectus, including all documents incorporated by reference herein. In particular, attention should be directed to our “Risk Factors,” “Information With Respect to the Company,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the financial statements and related notes thereto contained herein or otherwise incorporated by reference hereto, before making an investment decision.
As used herein, and any amendment or supplement hereto, unless otherwise indicated, ”we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company,” or “Spherix” means Spherix Incorporated and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Unless otherwise indicated, all references in this prospectus to “dollars” or “$” refer to US dollars.
Business Overview
Spherix Incorporated is a technology development company committed to the fostering of innovative ideas. To that end, we own patented and unpatented intellectual property in the technology sphere. Spherix Incorporated was formed in 1967 as a scientific research company and for much of our history pursued drug development, including through Phase III clinical studies, which were largely discontinued in 2012. In 2012 and 2013, we shifted our focus to being a firm that owns, develops, acquires and monetizes intellectual property assets. Such monetization includes, but is not limited to, acquiring IP from patent holders in order to maximize the value of the patent holdings by conducting and managing a licensing campaign, commercializing the IP, or through the settlement and litigation of patents. We intend to generate revenues and related cash flows from the granting of intellectual property rights for the use of patented technologies that we own, that we manage for others, or that others manage on our behalf by agreement. To date, we have generated minimal revenues and no assurance can be provided that our business model will be successful.
In July 2013, we acquired 7 patents in the field of mobile communications from Rockstar Consortium US LP (“Rockstar”). This acquisition represented the first transaction believed to have been completed by Rockstar with any publicly traded company. Rockstar was launched in 2011 as an intellectual property licensing company to manage a patent portfolio related to the pre-bankruptcy technology and businesses of Nortel Networks (“Nortel”). Rockstar was formed by Apple, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Sony Corporation, Blackberry Limited and LM Ericsson Telephone Company.
In September 2013, we acquired North South Holdings, Inc. (“North South”) and its 222 patents in the fields of wireless communications, satellite, solar, and radio frequency and 2 patents in the field of pharmaceutical distribution. The 222 patents were developed by Harris Corporation, a leader in defense communications and electronics and acquired by North South prior to our acquisition of North South.
In December 2013, we acquired an additional 101 patents and patent applications from Rockstar in consideration for approximately $60 million of our securities consisting of common stock and preferred stock. The patents had been developed by Nortel and acquired by Rockstar following Nortel’s bankruptcy in 2011. The December 2013 acquisition included patents covering internet access and video and data transmission, among other things. We believe that many of these Nortel/Rockstar patents are standard essential patents, meaning they potentially cover various industry standards in wide use (although there is no assurance that a court or third-party would agree with such description).
Since our shift in focus to an intellectual property monetization platform, we have not generated any significant revenues. We have incurred losses from operations for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 of $8.6 million and $52.0 million, respectively. Our net income attributable to common stockholders was approximately $25.0 million, including $31.5 million of deemed capital contribution on extinguishment of preferred stock for the year ended December 31, 2016. Our accumulated deficit was $141.7 million at December 31, 2016.
On November 23, 2015, we and RPX Corporation (“RPX”) entered into a Patent License Agreement (the “RPX License Agreement”) under which the Company granted RPX the right to sublicense various patent license rights to certain RPX clients. The consideration to the Company included: (i) the transfer to the Company for cancellation of its remaining outstanding Series I Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series I Preferred Stock”) then held by RPX, as to which a $5,000,000 mandatory redemption payment would have been due from the Company on or by December 31, 2015; (ii) the transfer to the Company for cancellation of 13%, or 57,076 shares, of its Series H Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series H Preferred Stock”) then held by RPX, having a total carrying amount of $4,765,846 at the time the stock was issued to Rockstar; (iii) cancellation of the only outstanding security interest on 101 of the Company’s patents and patent applications acquired from Rockstar that originated at Nortel, which security interest had previously been transferred to RPX by Rockstar (“RPX Security Interest”); and (iv) $300,000 in cash to the Company.
In consideration of the above, we granted RPX the rights to grant: (i) to Juniper Networks, Inc. (“Juniper”), a non-sublicensable, non-transferrable sublicense solely to use the six patents that had been asserted against Juniper by the Company (“Asserted Patents”); and (ii) to Apple, Blackberry, Cisco, Google, Huawei, Ericsson, Microsoft and Sony, to the extent those parties did not already have licenses to our patents, a non-sublicensable, non-transferrable sublicense to use our existing portfolio. Prior to our ownership of the patents originating at Nortel, each of Apple, Blackberry, Ericsson, Microsoft and Sony had previously been granted full licenses to those patents. In addition, we separately granted Huawei a license with respect to Huawei’s network routers and switches. We also granted RPX the rights to grant Cisco and Google a sublicense under patents transferred to us through November 23, 2017. We have since dismissed our then-existing litigations against Cisco and Juniper and Cisco requested dismissal of its two petitions requesting inter partes re-examination (“IPR”) of certain of our patents at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
3 |
Further, we agreed, until May 23, 2016 (the “Standstill Period”) that: (a) we and RPX would engage in good faith negotiations for the grant of additional license rights to RPX’s other members in exchange for additional consideration to us; (b) we would not divest, transfer, or exclusively license any of our current patents; (c) neither RPX nor any RPX affiliate would challenge, or knowingly and intentionally assist others in challenging, the validity, enforceability, or patentability of any of our patents in any court or administrative agency having jurisdiction to consider the issue; and (d) we would not bring an action against current RPX clients for patent infringement.
Following the Standstill Period, as a result of the release of the RPX Security Interest, the patents may be leveraged, divested, transferred or exclusively licensed in a manner that is beneficial to us and our stockholders. We retained the right to bring claims under the patents at any time against other parties who are not licensees or beneficiaries under the RPX License. We also retained rights, following the Standstill Period, to bring claims under the patents against current RPX clients who did not become licensees or beneficiaries during the Standstill Period and, with respect to Juniper, under all of the patents other than the six Asserted Patents.
In March 2016, we entered into an agreement (which was subsequently amended in April and May 2016) with Equitable IP Corporation (“Equitable”) to facilitate the monetization of our patents (the “Monetization Agreement”). Pursuant to the Monetization Agreement, the Company is working together with Equitable to further develop and revise our ongoing litigation plan. See Note 4 to the Company’s audited financial statements for additional details surrounding the Monetization Agreement.
On May 23, 2016, we and RPX, entered into a second, separate Patent License Agreement (the “Second RPX License”) under which we granted RPX the right to sublicense various patent rights only to current RPX clients (as of May 23, 2016). In exchange for the rights we granted under the Second RPX License, we received the following consideration: (i) a cash payment made to us in May 2016 in the amount of $4,355,000; and (ii) cancellation of the remaining 381,967 shares of our outstanding Series H Convertible Preferred Stock currently held by RPX, having a total carrying amount of $31,894,244 at the time the stock was issued to Rockstar.
In consideration of the above, we granted RPX the rights to grant to its current clients: (i) a fully paid portfolio license, to the extent such parties did not already have licenses to the Company’s patents; (ii) a covenant-not-to-sue current RPX clients for supply of chipsets; (iii) a standstill of litigation involving any patents acquired in the next five years.
In connection with the Second RPX License, we also granted to Alcatel-Lucent a license to the portfolio acquired from North South.
Under a separate agreement between us and RPX, we granted RPX the ability to grant to VTech Telecommunications Ltd. (“VTech”) a sublicense for a fully paid portfolio license in exchange for an additional $20,000 in cash consideration.
The license granted under the terms of the RPX License described herein does not extend to entities/companies that are not clients of RPX and provide chipsets or other hardware to current RPX clients.
In January of 2017, we settled our patent litigation against Uniden Corporation and Uniden America Corporation (collectively “Uniden”) and granted Uniden a license limited to the patents we originally asserted against Uniden and VTech, including U.S. Patent Nos. 5,581,599 (the “599 Patent”); 5,752,195; 5,892,814; 6,614,899; and 6,965,614. On July 25, 2017, after full briefing and oral argument, the Federal Circuit issued an order affirming the PTAB’s decision relating to the ‘599 Patent.
Recent Developments
On June 30, 2017, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Hoth Therapeutics, Inc., a Nevada corporation (“Hoth”), for the purchase of an aggregate of 6,800,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 (the “Shares”), of Hoth, for a purchase price of $675,000. As of June 30, 2017, Hoth had a total of 17,000,000 shares of common stock issued and outstanding. Hoth is a development stage biopharmaceutical company focused on unique targeted therapeutics for patients suffering from indications such as atopic dermatitis, also known as eczema. Hoth’s primary asset is a sublicense agreement with Chelexa Biosciences, Inc. (“Chelexa”) pursuant to which Chelexa has granted Hoth an exclusive sublicense to use its BioLexa products for the treatment of eczema. Hoth intends to develop BioLexa’s applications in the aesthetic dermatology field to help treat and reduce post-procedure infections, accelerate healing and improve clinical outcomes for patients undergoing procedures. Hoth will be implementing FDA testing procedures for BioLexa. In addition to the Purchase Agreement, the Company and Hoth entered into a Registration Rights Agreement, pursuant to which Hoth is obligated to register for resale on a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, all of the shares, no later than June 30, 2018. Further, the Company, Hoth and Hoth’s existing shareholders have entered into a Shareholders Agreement, pursuant to which Spherix shall have a right to appoint one director to the board of directors of Hoth for so long as the Company holds at least 10% of the issued and outstanding common stock of Hoth.
On July 18, 2017, the Company entered into an underwriting agreement with Laidlaw & Company (UK) Ltd. with respect to the issuance and sale of an aggregate of 1,250,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, in a firm commitment underwritten public offering which closed on July 24, 2017. Each share was sold for a price of $2.00 for aggregate gross proceeds of $2,500,000, with net proceeds of approximately $2.1 million, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions (equivalent to 8% of gross proceeds) and estimated offering expenses.
4 |
Corporate Information
Our principal executive offices are located at One Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020, our telephone number is (212) 745-1374, and our Internet website address www.spherix.com. The information on our website is not a part of, or incorporated in, this prospectus supplement.
5 |
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before deciding whether to invest in our securities, you should carefully consider the risk factors we describe in any prospectus supplement and in any related free writing prospectus for a specific offering of securities, as well as those incorporated by reference into this prospectus or such prospectus supplement. You should also carefully consider other information contained and incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, including our financial statements and the related notes thereto incorporated by reference in this prospectus. The risks and uncertainties described in the applicable prospectus supplement and our other filings with the SEC incorporated by reference herein are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial may also adversely affect us. If any of the described risks occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially harmed. In such case, the value of our securities could decline and you may lose all or part of your investment.
6 |
Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from these sales for working capital and general corporate purposes, which includes, without limitation, investing in or acquiring companies that are synergistic with or complimentary to our technologies, licensing activities related to our current and future product candidates and working capital, the development of emerging technologies, investing in or acquiring companies that are developing emerging technologies, licensing activities, or the acquisition of other businesses. The amounts and timing of these expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including the development of our current business initiatives.
7 |
We may sell the securities from time to time to or through underwriters or dealers, through agents, or directly to one or more purchasers. A distribution of the securities offered by this prospectus may also be effected through the issuance of derivative securities, including without limitation, warrants, rights to purchase and subscriptions. In addition, the manner in which we may sell some or all of the securities covered by this prospectus includes, without limitation, through:
● | a block trade in which a broker-dealer will attempt to sell as agent, but may position or resell a portion of the block, as principal, in order to facilitate the transaction; |
● | purchases by a broker-dealer, as principal, and resale by the broker-dealer for its account; or |
● | ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which a broker solicits purchasers. |
A prospectus supplement or supplements with respect to each series of securities will describe the terms of the offering, including, to the extent applicable:
● | the terms of the offering; |
● | the name or names of the underwriters or agents and the amounts of securities underwritten or purchased by each of them, if any; |
● | the public offering price or purchase price of the securities or other consideration therefor, and the proceeds to be received by us from the sale; |
● | any delayed delivery requirements; |
● | any over-allotment options under which underwriters may purchase additional securities from us; |
● | any underwriting discounts or agency fees and other items constituting underwriters’ or agents’ compensation |
● | any discounts or concessions allowed or re-allowed or paid to dealers; and |
● | any securities exchange or market on which the securities may be listed. |
The offer and sale of the securities described in this prospectus by us, the underwriters or the third parties described above may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions, including privately negotiated transactions, either:
● | at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed; |
● | in an “at the market” offering within the meaning of Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act; |
● | at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or |
● | at negotiated prices. |
Only underwriters named in the prospectus supplement will be underwriters of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement.
Underwriters and Agents; Direct Sales
If underwriters are used in a sale, they will acquire the offered securities for their own account and may resell the offered securities from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. We may offer the securities to the public through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or by underwriters without a syndicate.
Unless the prospectus supplement states otherwise, the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to the conditions set forth in the applicable underwriting agreement. Subject to certain conditions, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement, other than securities covered by any over-allotment option. Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or re-allowed or paid to dealers may change from time to time. We may use underwriters with whom we have a material relationship. We will describe in the prospectus supplement, naming the underwriter, the nature of any such relationship.
We may sell securities directly or through agents we designate from time to time. We will name any agent involved in the offering and sale of securities, and we will describe any commissions we will pay the agent in the prospectus supplement. Unless the prospectus supplement states otherwise, our agent will act on a best-efforts basis for the period of its appointment.
We may authorize agents or underwriters to solicit offers by certain types of institutional investors to purchase securities from us at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. We will describe the conditions to these contracts and the commissions we must pay for solicitation of these contracts in the prospectus supplement.
Dealers
We may sell the offered securities to dealers as principals. The dealer may then resell such securities to the public either at varying prices to be determined by the dealer or at a fixed offering price agreed to with us at the time of resale.
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Institutional Purchasers
We may authorize agents, dealers or underwriters to solicit certain institutional investors to purchase offered securities on a delayed delivery basis pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified future date. The applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials, as the case may be, will provide the details of any such arrangement, including the offering price and commissions payable on the solicitations.
We will enter into such delayed contracts only with institutional purchasers that we approve. These institutions may include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies and educational and charitable institutions.
Indemnification; Other Relationships
We may provide agents, underwriters, dealers and remarketing firms with indemnification against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribution with respect to payments that the agents or underwriters may make with respect to these liabilities. Agents, underwriters, dealers and remarketing firms, and their affiliates, may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us in the ordinary course of business. This includes commercial banking and investment banking transactions.
Market-Making; Stabilization and Other Transactions
There is currently no market for any of the offered securities, other than our common stock, which is quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market. If the offered securities are traded after their initial issuance, they may trade at a discount from their initial offering price, depending upon prevailing interest rates, the market for similar securities and other factors. While it is possible that an underwriter could inform us that it intends to make a market in the offered securities, such underwriter would not be obligated to do so, and any such market-making could be discontinued at any time without notice. Therefore, no assurance can be given as to whether an active trading market will develop for the offered securities. We have no current plans for listing of the debt securities, preferred stock, warrants or subscription rights on any securities exchange or quotation system; any such listing with respect to any particular debt securities, preferred stock, warrants or subscription rights will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials, as the case may be.
Any underwriter may engage in over-allotment, stabilizing transactions, short-covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Over-allotment involves sales in excess of the offering size, which create a short position. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum price. Syndicate-covering or other short-covering transactions involve purchases of the securities, either through exercise of the over-allotment option or in the open market after the distribution is completed, to cover short positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer are purchased in a stabilizing or covering transaction to cover short positions. Those activities may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would otherwise be. If commenced, the underwriters may discontinue any of the activities at any time.
Any underwriters or agents that are qualified market makers on the Nasdaq Capital Market may engage in passive market making transactions in our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act, during the business day prior to the pricing of the offering, before the commencement of offers or sales of our common stock. Passive market makers must comply with applicable volume and price limitations and must be identified as passive market makers. In general, a passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid for such security; if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, however, the passive market maker’s bid must then be lowered when certain purchase limits are exceeded. Passive market making may stabilize the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.
Fees and Commissions
If 5% or more of the net proceeds of any offering of securities made under this prospectus will be received by a FINRA member participating in the offering or affiliates or associated persons of such FINRA member, the offering will be conducted in accordance with FINRA Rule 5121.
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DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER
General
This prospectus describes the general terms of our capital stock. The following description is not complete and may not contain all the information you should consider before investing in our capital stock. For a more detailed description of these securities, you should read the applicable provisions of Delaware law and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, referred to herein as our certificate of incorporation, and our amended and restated bylaws, referred to herein as our bylaws. When we offer to sell a particular series of these securities, we will describe the specific terms of the series in a supplement to this prospectus. Accordingly, for a description of the terms of any series of securities, you must refer to both the prospectus supplement relating to that series and the description of the securities described in this prospectus. To the extent the information contained in the prospectus supplement differs from this summary description, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement.
The total number of shares of capital stock we are authorized to issue is 150,000,000 shares, of which (a) 100,000,000 are common stock and (b) 50,000,000 are preferred stock.
We, directly or through agents, dealers or underwriters designated from time to time, may offer, issue and sell, together or separately, up to $30,000,000 in the aggregate of:
● | common stock; |
● | preferred stock; |
● | purchase contracts; |
● | warrants to purchase our securities; |
● | subscription rights to purchase our securities; |
● | depositary shares; |
● | secured or unsecured debt securities consisting of notes, debentures or other evidences of indebtedness which may be senior debt securities, senior subordinated debt securities or subordinated debt securities, each of which may be convertible into equity securities; or |
● | units comprised of, or other combinations of, the foregoing securities. |
We may issue the debt securities as exchangeable for or convertible into shares of common stock, preferred stock or other securities that may be sold by us pursuant to this prospectus or any combination of the foregoing. The preferred stock may also be exchangeable for and/or convertible into shares of common stock, another series of preferred stock or other securities that may be sold by us pursuant to this prospectus or any combination of the foregoing. When a particular series of securities is offered, a supplement to this prospectus will be delivered with this prospectus, which will set forth the terms of the offering and sale of the offered securities.
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
On April 24, 2014, we filed an Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, which was previously approved by our stockholders at our annual meeting held on February 6, 2014. The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, among other things, increased our authorized number of shares of common stock to 200,000,000 shares from 50,000,000 shares.
Additionally, on April 23, 2014, we filed a Certificate of Elimination with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware eliminating our Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, Series E Convertible Preferred Stock and Series F Convertible Preferred Stock and returning them to authorized but undesignated shares of our preferred stock.
On March 4, 2016, the Company implemented a reverse stock split with a ratio of 1-for-19. The par value and other terms of the common stock were not affected by the reverse stock split. In addition, the amendment to the Company’s certificate of incorporation that effected the reverse stock split simultaneously reduced the number of authorized shares of common stock from 200,000,000 to 100,000,000.
Common Stock
As of January 8, 2018, there were 6,234,910 shares of common stock issued and 6,234,898 shares of common stock outstanding, held of record by approximately 121 stockholders. Subject to preferential rights with respect to any outstanding preferred stock, all outstanding shares of common stock are of the same class and have equal rights and attributes.
Subject to the rights of the preferred stock, holders of common stock are entitled to receive such dividends as are declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for the payment of dividends. We presently intend to retain any earnings to fund the development of our business. Accordingly, we do not anticipate paying any dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. Any future determination as to declaration and payment of dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors.
In the event of the liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the Company, each outstanding share of our common stock will be entitled to share equally in any of our assets remaining after payment of or provision for our debts and other liabilities.
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Holders of common stock are entitled to one vote per share on matters to be voted upon by stockholders. There is no cumulative voting for the election of directors, which means that the holders of shares entitled to exercise more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting rights in the election of directors are able to elect all of the directors.
Holders of common stock have no preemptive rights to subscribe for or to purchase any additional shares of common stock or other obligations convertible into shares of common stock which we may issue after the date of this prospectus.
All of the outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and non-assessable. Holders of our common stock are not liable for further calls or assessments.
The rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate in the future.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is VStock Transfer, LLC, with an address at 18 Lafayette Place, Woodmere, NY 11598.
Listing
Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “SPEX”. We have not applied to list our common stock on any other exchange or quotation system.
Limitations on Directors’ Liability
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions indemnifying our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law.
In addition, as permitted by Delaware law, our certificate of incorporation provides that no director will be liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages for breach of the director’s fiduciary duty as a director. The effect of this provision is to restrict our rights and the rights of our stockholders in derivative suits to recover monetary damages against a director for breach of the director’s fiduciary duty as a director, except that a director will be personally liable for:
● | any breach of his or her duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders; |
● | acts or omissions not in good faith which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; |
● | the payment of dividends or the redemption or purchase of stock in violation of Delaware law; or |
● | any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. |
This provision does not affect a director’s liability under the federal securities laws.
To the extent that our directors, officers and controlling persons are indemnified under the provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or Delaware law against liabilities arising under the Securities Act, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, our Shareholder Rights Plan, and Delaware Law that May Have an Anti-Takeover Effect
Certain provisions set forth in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, our Amended and Restated Shareholder Rights Plan, and Delaware law could have the effect of discouraging potential acquisition proposals or making a tender offer or delaying or preventing a change in control, including changes a stockholder might consider favorable. Such provisions may also prevent or frustrate attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our management.
Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
In particular, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, among other things:
● | authorize our board of directors to issue, without further action by the stockholders, up to 50,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock; | |
● | provide that stockholders must provide advance notice to nominate persons for election to our board of directors or submit proposals for consideration at stockholder meetings; |
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● | specify that special meetings of our stockholders can be called only by our board of directors or by any officer instructed by the board of directors to a call a special meeting; | |
● | provide that vacancies on the board of directors may be filled by a majority of directors in office, although less than a quorum, or by the sole remaining director; and | |
● | provide the board of directors with the ability to alter the bylaws without stockholder approval. |
Shareholder Rights Plan
On January 1, 2013, and as amended and restated on June 9, 2017, we adopted a stockholder rights plan in which rights to purchase shares of Series A Preferred Stock were distributed as a dividend at the rate of one right for each share of common stock. The rights are designed to guard against partial tender offers and other abusive and coercive tactics that might be used in an attempt to gain control of Spherix or to deprive our stockholders of their interest in the long-term value of Spherix. These rights seek to achieve these goals by forcing a potential acquirer to negotiate with our board of directors (or go to court to try to force the Board of Directors to redeem the rights), because only the Board of Directors can redeem the rights and allow the potential acquirer to acquire our shares without suffering very significant dilution. However, these rights also could deter or prevent transactions that stockholders deem to be in their interests, and could reduce the price that investors or an acquirer might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock.
Each right entitles the registered holder to purchase one nineteen-hundredth of a share (a “Unit”) of our Series A Preferred Stock. Each Unit of Series A Preferred Stock will be entitled to an aggregate dividend of 100 times the dividend declared per share of common stock. In the event of liquidation, the holders of the Units of Series A Preferred Stock will be entitled to an aggregate payment of 100 times the payment made per share of common stock. Each Unit of Series A Preferred Stock will have 100 votes, voting together with the common stock. Finally, in the event of any merger, consolidation or other transaction in which shares of common stock are exchanged, each Unit of Series A Preferred Stock will be entitled to receive 100 times the amount received per share of common stock. These rights are protected by customary anti-dilution provisions.
The rights will be exercisable only if a person or group acquires ten percent (10%) or more of our common stock (subject to certain exceptions stated in the plan) or announces a tender offer the consummation of which would result in ownership by a person or group of ten percent (10%) or more of our common stock. Our board of directors may redeem the rights at a price of $0.001 per right. The stockholder rights plan provides that the rights will expire at the close of business on December 31, 2020 unless the expiration date is extended or unless the rights are earlier redeemed or exchanged by the Company.
Delaware Takeover Statute
Section 203 of the DGCL prohibits a Delaware corporation that is a public company from engaging in any “business combination” (as defined below) with any “interested stockholder” (defined generally as an entity or person beneficially owning 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation and any entity or person affiliated with such entity or person) for a period of three years following the date that such stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:
● | before such date, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; | |
● | upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding those shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or | |
● | on or subsequent to such date, the business combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66-2/3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder. |
Section 203 of the DCGL defines “business combination” to include:
● | any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder; | |
● | any sale, transfer, pledge or other disposition of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation involving the interested stockholder; | |
● | subject to certain exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder; | |
● | any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; or | |
● | the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits provided by or through the corporation. |
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Preferred Stock
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation empowers our board of directors, without action by our shareholders, to issue up to 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock from time to time in one or more series, which preferred stock may be offered by this prospectus and supplements thereto.
The Delaware General Corporation Law provides that the holders of preferred stock will have the right to vote separately as a class on any proposal involving fundamental changes in the rights of holders of that preferred stock. This right is in addition to any voting rights provided for in the applicable certificate of designation.
We will fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of the preferred stock of each series in the certificate of designation relating to that series. We will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from a current report on Form 8-K that we file with the SEC, the form of any certificate of designation that describes the terms of the series of preferred stock we are offering before the issuance of the related series of preferred stock. This description will include any or all of the following, as required:
● | the title and stated value; |
● | the number of shares we are offering; |
● | the liquidation preference per share; |
● | the purchase price; |
● | the dividend rate, period and payment date and method of calculation for dividends; |
● | whether dividends will be cumulative or non-cumulative and, if cumulative, the date from which dividends will accumulate; |
● | any contractual limitations on our ability to declare, set aside or pay any dividends; |
● | the procedures for any auction and remarketing, if any; |
● | the provisions for a sinking fund, if any; |
● | the provisions for redemption or repurchase, if applicable, and any restrictions on our ability to exercise those redemption and repurchase rights; |
● | any listing of the preferred stock on any securities exchange or market; |
● | whether the preferred stock will be convertible into our common stock, and, if applicable, the conversion price, or how it will be calculated, and the conversion period; |
● | whether the preferred stock will be exchangeable into debt securities, and, if applicable, the exchange price, or how it will be calculated, and the exchange period; |
● | voting rights, if any, of the preferred stock; |
● | preemptive rights, if any; |
● | restrictions on transfer, sale or other assignment, if any; |
● | whether interests in the preferred stock will be represented by depositary shares; |
● | a discussion of any material or special United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the preferred stock; |
● | the relative ranking and preferences of the preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights if we liquidate, dissolve or wind up our affairs; |
● | any limitations on issuance of any class or series of preferred stock ranking senior to or on a parity with the series of preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights if we liquidate, dissolve or wind up our affairs; and |
● | any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the preferred stock. |
If we issue shares of preferred stock under this prospectus, after receipt of payment therefor, the shares will be fully paid and non-assessable.
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Our board of directors may authorize the issuance of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of our common stock. Preferred stock could be issued quickly with terms designed to delay or prevent a change in control of our Company or make removal of management more difficult. Additionally, the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of decreasing the market price of our common stock.
Existing Preferred Stock
The Company had designated separate series of its capital stock as of September 30, 2017, December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 as summarized below:
Number
of Shares Issued and Outstanding as of | ||||||||||||||||||
September 30, 2017 | December
31, 2016 | December 31, 2015 | Par Value | Conversion Ratio | ||||||||||||||
Series “A” | — | — | — | $ | 0.0001 | N/A | ||||||||||||
Series “C” | — | — | — | 0.0001 | 0.05:1 | |||||||||||||
Series “D” | 4,725 | 4,725 | 4,725 | 0.0001 | 0.53:1 | |||||||||||||
Series “D-1” | 834 | 834 | 834 | 0.0001 | 0.53:1 | |||||||||||||
Series “F-1” | — | — | — | 0.0001 | 0.05:1 | |||||||||||||
Series “H” | — | — | 381,967 | 0.0001 | 0.53:1 | |||||||||||||
Series “I” | — | — | — | 0.0001 | 1.05:1 | |||||||||||||
Series “J” | — | — | — | 0.0001 | 0.05:1 | |||||||||||||
Series “K” | — | — | 1,240 | 0.0001 | 263.16:1 |
On April 23, 2014, the Company filed a Certificate of Elimination with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware eliminating its Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, Series E Convertible Preferred Stock and Series F Convertible Preferred Stock and returning them to authorized but undesignated shares of preferred stock. No shares of the foregoing series of preferred stock are outstanding as of the date hereof.
The Company previously designated, authorized and issued shares of Series C Preferred Stock, Series F-1 Preferred Stock, Series H Preferred Stock, Series I Preferred Stock and Series J Preferred Stock that have since been converted into shares of the Company’s common stock or have been cancelled and are no longer outstanding.
Series A Preferred Stock
Our board of directors has designated 500,000 shares of our preferred stock as Series A Participating Preferred Stock (“Series A Preferred Stock”).
On January 1, 2013, and as amended and restated on June 9, 2017, we adopted a stockholder rights plan in which rights to purchase shares of Series A Preferred Stock were distributed as a dividend at the rate of one right for each share of common stock. The rights are designed to guard against partial tender offers and other abusive and coercive tactics that might be used in an attempt to gain control of Spherix or to deprive our stockholders of their interest in the long-term value of Spherix. These rights seek to achieve these goals by forcing a potential acquirer to negotiate with our board of directors (or go to court to try to force the Board of Directors to redeem the rights), because only the Board of Directors can redeem the rights and allow the potential acquirer to acquire our shares without suffering very significant dilution. However, these rights also could deter or prevent transactions that stockholders deem to be in their interests, and could reduce the price that investors or an acquirer might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock.
Each right entitles the registered holder to purchase one one-hundredth of a share (a “Unit”) of our Series A Preferred Stock. Each Unit of Series A Preferred Stock will be entitled to an aggregate dividend of 100 times the dividend declared per share of common stock. In the event of liquidation, the holders of the Units of Series A Preferred Stock will be entitled to an aggregate payment of 100 times the payment made per share of common stock. Each Unit of Series A Preferred Stock will have 100 votes, voting together with the common stock. Finally, in the event of any merger, consolidation or other transaction in which shares of common stock are exchanged, each Unit of Series A Preferred Stock will be entitled to receive 100 times the amount received per share of common stock. These rights are protected by customary anti-dilution provisions.
The rights will be exercisable only if a person or group acquires ten percent (10%) or more of our common stock (subject to certain exceptions stated in the plan) or announces a tender offer the consummation of which would result in ownership by a person or group of ten percent (10%) or more of our common stock. Our board of directors may redeem the rights at a price of $0.001 per right. The rights will expire at the close of business on December 31, 2020 unless the expiration date is extended or unless the rights are earlier redeemed or exchanged by the Company.
As of September 30, 2017, December 2016, and December 2015, no shares of Series A Preferred Stock were issued and outstanding.
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Series D Convertible Preferred Stock
In connection with the acquisition of North South’s patent portfolio in September 2013, the Company issued 1,379,685 shares of its Series D Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series D Preferred Stock”) to the stockholders of North South. Each share of Series D Preferred Stock has a stated value of $0.0001 per share and is convertible into ten-nineteenths of a share of common stock. Upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company’s business, each holder of Series D Preferred Stock shall be entitled to receive, for each share of Series D Preferred Stock held, a preferential amount in cash equal to the greater of (i) the stated value or (ii) the amount the holder would receive as a holder of common stock on an “as converted” basis. Each holder of Series D Preferred Stock shall be entitled to vote on all matters submitted to its stockholders and shall be entitled to such number of votes equal to the number of shares of common stock such shares of Series D Preferred Stock are convertible into at such time, taking into account the beneficial ownership limitations set forth in the governing Certificate of Designation and the conversion limitations described below. At no time may shares of Series D Preferred Stock be converted if such conversion would cause the holder to hold in excess of 4.99% of issued and outstanding common stock, subject to an increase in such limitation up to 9.99% of the issued and outstanding common stock on 61 days’ written notice to the Company. The conversion ratio of the Series D Preferred Stock is subject to adjustment in the event of stock splits, stock dividends, combination of shares and similar recapitalization transactions.
As of September 30, 2017, December 2016, and December 2015, 4,725 shares of Series D Preferred Stock remained issued and outstanding.
Series D-1 Convertible Preferred Stock
The Company’s Series D-1 Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series D-1 Preferred Stock”) was established on November 22, 2013. Each share of Series D-1 Preferred Stock has a stated value of $0.0001 per share and is convertible into ten-nineteenths of a share of common stock. Upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company’s business, each holder of Series D-1 Preferred Stock shall be entitled to receive, for each share of Series D-1 Preferred Stock held, a preferential amount in cash equal to the greater of (i) the stated value or (ii) the amount the holder would receive as a holder of common stock on an “as converted” basis. Each holder of Series D-1 Preferred Stock shall be entitled to vote on all matters submitted to the Company’s stockholders and shall be entitled to such number of votes equal to the number of shares of common stock such shares of Series D-1 Preferred Stock are convertible into at such time, taking into account the beneficial ownership limitations set forth in the governing Certificate of Designation. At no time may shares of Series D-1 Preferred Stock be converted if such conversion would cause the holder to hold in excess of 9.99% of issued and outstanding common stock. The conversion ratio of the Series D-1 Preferred Stock is subject to adjustment in the event of stock splits, stock dividends, combination of shares and similar recapitalization transactions. The Company commenced an exchange with holders of Series D Convertible Preferred Stock pursuant to which the holders of the Company’s outstanding shares of Series D Preferred Stock acquired in the Merger could exchange such shares for shares of the Company’s Series D-1 Preferred Stock on a one-for-one basis.
As of September 30, 2017, December 2016, and December 2015, 834 shares of Series D-1 Preferred Stock remained issued and outstanding.
Purchase Contracts
We may issue purchase contracts, representing contracts obligating holders to purchase from us, and us to sell to the holders, a specific or varying number of common stock, preferred stock, warrants, depositary shares, debt securities, warrants or any combination of the above, 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 common stock, preferred stock, warrants, depositary shares, debt securities, or any combination of the above. The price of the securities and other property subject to the purchase contracts may be fixed at the time the purchase contracts are issued or may be determined by reference to a specific formula set forth in the purchase contracts. The purchase contracts may be issued separately or as a part of a unit that consists of (a) a purchase contract and (b) one or more of the other securities that may be sold by us pursuant to this prospectus or any combination of the foregoing, which may secure the holders’ obligations to purchase the securities under the purchase contract. The purchase contracts may require us to make periodic payments to the holders or require the holders to make periodic payments to us. These payments may be unsecured or prefunded and may be paid on a current or on a deferred basis. The purchase contracts may require holders to secure their obligations under the contracts in a manner specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.
We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from a current report on Form 8-K that we file with the SEC, forms of the purchase contracts and purchase contract agreement, if any. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any purchase contracts in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered, including, to the extent applicable, the following:
● | 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; |
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● | any acceleration, cancellation, termination or other provisions relating to the settlement of the purchase contracts; and |
● | whether the purchase contracts will be issued in fully registered or global form. |
Warrants
We may issue warrants to purchase our securities or other rights, including rights to receive payment in cash or securities based on the value, rate or price of one or more specified commodities, currencies, securities or indices, or any combination of the foregoing. Warrants may be issued independently or together with any other securities that may be sold by us pursuant to this prospectus or any combination of the foregoing and may be attached to, or separate from, such securities. To the extent warrants that we issue are to be publicly-traded, each series of such warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a warrant agent.
We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from a current report on Form 8-K that we file with the SEC, forms of the warrant and warrant agreement, if any. The prospectus supplement relating to any warrants that we may offer will contain the specific terms of the warrants and a description of the material provisions of the applicable warrant agreement, if any. These terms may include the following:
● | the title of the warrants; |
● | the price or prices at which the warrants will be issued; |
● | the designation, amount and terms of the securities or other rights for which the warrants are exercisable; |
● | the designation and terms of the other securities, if any, with which the warrants are to be issued and the number of warrants issued with each other security; |
● | the aggregate number of warrants; |
● | any provisions for adjustment of the number or amount of securities receivable upon exercise of the warrants or the exercise price of the warrants; |
● | the price or prices at which the securities or other rights purchasable upon exercise of the warrants may be purchased; |
● | if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the securities or other rights purchasable upon exercise of the warrants will be separately transferable; |
● | a discussion of any material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable 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 maximum or minimum number of warrants that may be exercised at any time; |
● | information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any; and |
● | any other terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the warrants. |
Exercise of Warrants. Each warrant will entitle the holder of warrants to purchase the amount of securities or other rights, at the exercise price stated or determinable in the prospectus supplement for the warrants. Warrants may be exercised at any time up to the close of business on the expiration date shown in the applicable prospectus supplement, unless otherwise specified in such prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, if applicable, unexercised warrants will become void. Warrants may be exercised in the manner described in the applicable prospectus supplement. When the warrant holder makes the payment and properly completes and signs the warrant certificate at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent, if any, or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will, as soon as possible, forward the securities or other rights that the warrant holder has purchased. If the warrant holder exercises less than all of the warrants represented by the warrant certificate, we will issue a new warrant certificate for the remaining warrants.
Existing Warrants
A summary of warrant activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 is presented below:
Warrants | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Total Intrinsic Value | Weighted
Average Remaining Contractual Life (in years) | ||||||||||||||
Outstanding as of December 31, 2016 | 1,250,311 | $ | 9.21 | $ | — | 3.91 | |||||||||||
Expired | (557 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Outstanding as of September 30, 2017 | 1,249,754 | $ | 8.98 | 3.17 | |||||||||||||
Exercisable as of September 30, 2017 | 1,249,754 | $ | 8.98 | $ | — | 3.17 |
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Subscription Rights
We may issue rights to purchase our securities. The rights may or may not be transferable by the persons purchasing or receiving the rights. In connection with any rights offering, we may enter into a standby underwriting or other arrangement with one or more underwriters or other persons pursuant to which such underwriters or other persons would purchase any offered securities remaining unsubscribed for after such rights offering. In connection with a rights offering to holders of our capital stock a prospectus supplement will be distributed to such holders on the record date for receiving rights in the rights offering set by us.
We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from a current report on Form 8-K that we file with the SEC, forms of the subscription rights, standby underwriting agreement or other agreements, if any. The prospectus supplement relating to any rights that we offer will include specific terms relating to the offering, including, among other matters:
● | the date of determining the security holders entitled to the rights distribution; |
● | the aggregate number of rights issued and the aggregate amount of securities purchasable upon exercise of the rights; |
● | the exercise price; |
● | the conditions to completion of the rights offering; |
● | the date on which the right to exercise the rights will commence and the date on which the rights will expire; and |
● | any applicable federal income tax considerations. |
Each right would entitle the holder of the rights to purchase the principal amount of securities at the exercise price set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Rights may be exercised at any time up to the close of business on the expiration date for the rights provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, all unexercised rights will become void.
Holders may exercise rights as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Upon receipt of payment and the rights certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the rights agent, if any, or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will, as soon as practicable, forward the securities purchasable upon exercise of the rights. If less than all of the rights issued in any rights offering are exercised, we may offer any unsubscribed securities directly to persons other than stockholders, to or through agents, underwriters or dealers or through a combination of such methods, including pursuant to standby underwriting arrangements, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Depositary Shares
General. We may offer fractional shares of preferred stock, rather than full shares of preferred stock. If we decide to offer fractional shares of our preferred stock, we will issue receipts for depositary shares. Each depositary share will represent a fraction of a share of a particular series of our preferred stock, and the applicable prospectus supplement will indicate that fraction. The shares of preferred stock represented by depositary shares will be deposited under a deposit agreement between us and a depositary that is a bank or trust company that meets certain requirements and is selected by us. The depositary will be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement. Each owner of a depositary share will be entitled to all of the rights and preferences of the preferred stock represented by the depositary share. The depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts issued pursuant to the deposit agreement. Depositary receipts will be distributed to those persons purchasing the fractional shares of our preferred stock in accordance with the terms of the offering. We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from a current report on Form 8-K that we file with the SEC, forms of the deposit agreement, form of certificate of designation of underlying preferred stock, form of depositary receipts and any other related agreements.
Dividends and Other Distributions. The depositary will distribute all cash dividends or other cash distributions received by it in respect of the preferred stock to the record holders of depositary shares relating to such preferred shares in proportion to the numbers of depositary shares held on the relevant record date.
In the event of a distribution other than in cash, the depositary will distribute securities or property received by it to the record holders of depositary shares in proportion to the numbers of depositary shares held on the relevant record date, unless the depositary determines that it is not feasible to make such distribution. In that case, the depositary may make the distribution by such method as it deems equitable and practicable. One such possible method is for the depositary to sell the securities or property and then distribute the net proceeds from the sale as provided in the case of a cash distribution.
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Redemption of Depositary Shares. Whenever we redeem the preferred stock, the depositary will redeem a number of depositary shares representing the same number of shares of preferred stock so redeemed. If fewer than all of the depositary shares are to be redeemed, the depositary shares to be redeemed will be selected by lot, pro rata or by any other equitable method as the depositary may determine.
Voting of Underlying Shares. Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of our preferred stock of any series are entitled to vote, the depositary will mail the information contained in the notice of the meeting to the record holders of the depositary shares relating to that series of 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 represented by the number of shares of preferred stock underlying the holder’s depositary shares. The depositary will endeavor, to the extent it is practical to do so, to vote the number of whole shares of preferred stock underlying such depositary shares in accordance with such instructions. We will agree to take all action that the depositary may deem reasonably necessary in order to enable the depositary to do so. To the extent the depositary does not receive specific instructions from the holders of depositary shares relating to such preferred shares, it will abstain from voting such shares of preferred stock.
Withdrawal of Shares. Upon surrender of depositary receipts representing any number of whole shares at the depositary’s office, unless the related depositary shares previously have been called for redemption, the holder of the depositary shares evidenced by the depositary receipts will be entitled to delivery of the number of whole shares of the related series of preferred stock and all money and other property, if any, underlying such depositary shares. However, once such an exchange is made, the preferred stock cannot thereafter be re-deposited in exchange for depositary shares. Holders of depositary shares will be entitled to receive whole shares of the related series of preferred stock on the basis set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. If the depositary receipts delivered by the holder evidence a number of depositary shares representing more than the number of whole shares of preferred stock of the related series 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.
Amendment and Termination of Depositary Agreement. The form of depositary receipt evidencing the depositary shares and any provision of the applicable depositary agreement may at any time be amended by agreement between us and the depositary. We may, with the consent of the depositary, amend the depositary agreement from time to time in any manner that we desire. However, if the amendment would materially and adversely alter the rights of the existing holders of depositary shares, the amendment would need to be approved by the holders of at least a majority of the depositary shares then outstanding.
The depositary agreement may be terminated by us or the depositary if:
● | all outstanding depositary shares have been redeemed; or |
● | there has been a final distribution in respect of the shares of preferred stock of the applicable series in connection with our liquidation, dissolution or winding up and such distribution has been made to the holders of depositary receipts. |
Resignation and Removal of Depositary. The depositary may resign at any time by delivering to us notice of its election to do so. We may remove a depositary at any time. Any resignation or removal will take effect upon the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of appointment.
Charges of Depositary. We will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental charges arising solely from the existence of any depositary arrangements. We will pay all charges of each depositary in connection with the initial deposit of the preferred shares of any series, the initial issuance of the depositary shares, any redemption of such preferred shares and any withdrawals of such preferred shares by holders of depositary shares. Holders of depositary shares will be required to pay any other transfer taxes.
Notices. Each depositary will forward to the holders of the applicable depositary shares all notices, reports and communications from us which are delivered to such depositary and which we are required to furnish the holders of the preferred stock represented by such depositary shares.
Miscellaneous. The depositary agreement may contain provisions that limit our liability and the liability of the depositary to the holders of depositary shares. Both the depositary and we are also entitled to an indemnity from the holders of the depositary shares prior to bringing, or defending against, any legal proceeding. We or any depositary may rely upon written advice of counsel or accountants, or information provided by persons presenting preferred shares for deposit, holders of depositary shares or other persons believed by us to be competent and on documents believed by us or them to be genuine.
Debt Securities
As used in this prospectus, the term “debt securities” means the debentures, notes, bonds and other evidences of indebtedness that we may issue from time to time. The debt securities will either be senior debt securities, senior subordinated debt or subordinated debt securities. We may also issue convertible debt securities. Debt securities may be issued under an indenture (which we refer to herein as an Indenture), which are contracts entered into between us and a trustee to be named therein. The Indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. We may issue debt securities and incur additional indebtedness other than through the offering of debt securities pursuant to this prospectus. It is likely that convertible debt securities will not be issued under an Indenture.
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The debt securities may be fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a secured or unsecured senior or subordinated basis by one or more guarantors, if any. The obligations of any guarantor under its guarantee will be limited as necessary to prevent that guarantee from constituting a fraudulent conveyance under applicable law. In the event that any series of debt securities will be subordinated to other indebtedness that we have outstanding or may incur, the terms of the subordination will be set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the subordinated debt securities.
We may issue debt securities from time to time in one or more series, in each case with the same or various maturities, at par or at a discount. Unless indicated in a prospectus supplement, we may issue additional debt securities of a particular series without the consent of the holders of the debt securities of such series outstanding at the time of the issuance. Any such additional debt securities, together with all other outstanding debt securities of that series, will constitute a single series of debt securities under the applicable Indenture and will be equal in ranking.
Should an Indenture relate to unsecured indebtedness, in the event of a bankruptcy or other liquidation event involving a distribution of assets to satisfy our outstanding indebtedness or an event of default under a loan agreement relating to secured indebtedness of our company or its subsidiaries, the holders of such secured indebtedness, if any, would be entitled to receive payment of principal and interest prior to payments on the unsecured indebtedness issued under an Indenture.
Each prospectus supplement will describe the terms relating to the specific series of debt securities. These terms will include some or all of the following:
● | the title of debt securities and whether the debt securities are senior or subordinated; |
● | any limit on the aggregate principal amount of debt securities of such series; |
● | the percentage of the principal amount at which the debt securities of any series will be issued; |
● | the ability to issue additional debt securities of the same series; |
● | the purchase price for the debt securities and the denominations of the debt securities; |
● | the specific designation of the series of debt securities being offered; |
● | the maturity date or dates of the debt securities and the date or dates upon which the debt securities are payable and the rate or rates at which the debt securities of the series shall bear interest, if any, which may be fixed or variable, or the method by which such rate shall be determined; |
● | the basis for calculating interest; |
● | the date or dates from which any interest will accrue or the method by which such date or dates will be determined; |
● | the duration of any deferral period, including the period during which interest payment periods may be extended; |
● | whether the amount of payments of principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on the debt securities may be determined with reference to any index, formula or other method, such as one or more currencies, commodities, equity indices or other indices, and the manner of determining the amount of such payments; |
● | the dates on which we will pay interest on the debt securities and the regular record date for determining who is entitled to the interest payable on any interest payment date; |
● | the place or places where the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on the debt securities will be payable, where any securities may be surrendered for registration of transfer, exchange or conversion, as applicable, and notices and demands may be delivered to or upon us pursuant to the applicable Indenture; |
● | the rate or rates of amortization of the debt securities; |
● | any terms for the attachment to the debt securities of warrants, options or other rights to purchase or sell our securities; |
● | if the debt securities will be secured by any collateral and, if so, a general description of the collateral and the terms and provisions of such collateral security, pledge or other agreements; |
● | if we possess the option to do so, the periods within which and the prices at which we may redeem the debt securities, in whole or in part, pursuant to optional redemption provisions, and the other terms and conditions of any such provisions; |
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● | our obligation or discretion, if any, to redeem, repay or purchase debt securities by making periodic payments to a sinking fund or through an analogous provision or at the option of holders of the debt securities, and the period or periods within which and the price or prices at which we will redeem, repay or purchase the debt securities, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation, and the other terms and conditions of such obligation; |
● | the terms and conditions, if any, regarding the option or mandatory conversion or exchange of debt securities; |
● | the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which any debt securities of the series may be redeemed, in whole or in part at our option and, if other than by a board resolution, the manner in which any election by us to redeem the debt securities shall be evidenced; |
● | any restriction or condition on the transferability of the debt securities of a particular series; |
● | the portion, or methods of determining the portion, of the principal amount of the debt securities which we must pay upon the acceleration of the maturity of the debt securities in connection with any event of default; |
● | the currency or currencies in which the debt securities will be denominated and in which principal, any premium and any interest will or may be payable or a description of any units based on or relating to a currency or currencies in which the debt securities will be denominated; |
● | provisions, if any, granting special rights to holders of the debt securities upon the occurrence of specified events; |
● | any deletions from, modifications of or additions to the events of default or our covenants with respect to the applicable series of debt securities, and whether or not such events of default or covenants are consistent with those contained in the applicable Indenture; |
● | any limitation on our ability to incur debt, redeem stock, sell our assets or other restrictions; |
● | the application, if any, of the terms of the applicable Indenture relating to defeasance and covenant defeasance (which terms are described below) to the debt securities; |
● | what subordination provisions will apply to the debt securities; |
● | the terms, if any, upon which the holders may convert or exchange the debt securities into or for our securities or property; |
● | whether we are issuing the debt securities in whole or in part in global form; |
● | any change in the right of the trustee or the requisite holders of debt securities to declare the principal amount thereof due and payable because of an event of default; |
● | the depositary for global or certificated debt securities, if any; |
● | any material federal income tax consequences applicable to the debt securities, including any debt securities denominated and made payable, as described in the prospectus supplements, in foreign currencies, or units based on or related to foreign currencies; |
● | any right we may have to satisfy, discharge and defease our obligations under the debt securities, or terminate or eliminate restrictive covenants or events of default in the Indentures, by depositing money or U.S. government obligations with the trustee of the Indentures; |
● | the names of any trustees, depositories, authenticating or paying agents, transfer agents or registrars or other agents with respect to the debt securities; |
● | to whom any interest on any debt security shall be payable, if other than the person in whose name the security is registered, on the record date for such interest, the extent to which, or the manner in which, any interest payable on a temporary global debt security will be paid; |
● | if the principal of or any premium or interest on any debt securities is to be payable in one or more currencies or currency units other than as stated, the currency, currencies or currency units in which it shall be paid and the periods within and terms and conditions upon which such election is to be made and the amounts payable (or the manner in which such amount shall be determined); |
● | the portion of the principal amount of any debt securities which shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity of the debt securities pursuant to the applicable Indenture; |
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● | if the principal amount payable at the stated maturity of any debt security of the series will not be determinable as of any one or more dates prior to the stated maturity, the amount which shall be deemed to be the principal amount of such debt securities as of any such date for any purpose, including the principal amount thereof which shall be due and payable upon any maturity other than the stated maturity or which shall be deemed to be outstanding as of any date prior to the stated maturity (or, in any such case, the manner in which such amount deemed to be the principal amount shall be determined); and |
● | any other specific terms of the debt securities, including any modifications to the events of default under the debt securities and any other terms which may be required by or advisable under applicable laws or regulations. |
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, we do not anticipate the debt securities will be listed on any securities exchange. Holders of the debt securities may present registered debt securities for exchange or transfer in the manner described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Except as limited by the applicable Indenture, we will provide these services without charge, other than any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with the exchange or transfer.
Debt securities may bear interest at a fixed rate or a variable rate as specified in the prospectus supplement. In addition, if specified in the prospectus supplement, we may sell debt securities bearing no interest or interest a t a rate that at the time of issuance is below the prevailing market rate, or at a discount below their stated principal amount. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement any special federal income tax considerations applicable to these discounted debt securities.
We may issue debt securities with the principal amount payable on any principal payment date, or the amount of interest payable on any interest payment date, to be determined by referring to one or more currency exchange rates, commodity prices, equity indices or other factors. Holders of such debt securities may receive a principal amount on any principal payment date, or interest payments on any interest payment date, that are greater or less than the amount of principal or interest otherwise payable on such dates, depending upon the value on such dates of applicable currency, commodity, equity index or other factors. The applicable prospectus supplement will contain information as to how we will determine the amount of principal or interest payable on any date, as well as the currencies, commodities, equity indices or other factors to which the amount payable on that date relates and certain additional tax considerations.
Units
We may issue units consisting of any combination of the other types of securities offered under this prospectus in one or more series. We may evidence each series of units by unit certificates that we may issue under a separate agreement. We may enter into unit agreements with a unit agent. Each unit agent, if any, may be a bank or trust company that we select. We will indicate the name and address of the unit agent, if any, in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of units. Specific unit agreements, if any, will contain additional important terms and provisions. We will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from a current report that we file with the SEC, the form of unit and the form of each unit agreement, if any, relating to units offered under this prospectus.
If we offer any units, certain terms of that series of units will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, including, without limitation, the following, as applicable
● | the title of the series of units; |
● | identification and description of the separate constituent securities comprising the units; |
● | the price or prices at which the units will be issued; |
● | the date, if any, on and after which the constituent securities comprising the units will be separately transferable; |
● | a discussion of certain United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the units; and |
● | any other material terms of the units and their constituent securities. |
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Each security may be represented either by a certificate issued in definitive form to a particular investor or by one or more global securities representing the entire issuance of securities. Certificated securities in definitive form and global securities will be issued in registered form. Definitive securities name you or your nominee as the owner of the security, and in order to transfer or exchange these securities or to receive payments other than interest or other interim payments, you or your nominee must physically deliver the securities to the trustee, registrar, paying agent or other agent, as applicable. Global securities name a depositary or its nominee as the owner of the debt securities, warrants or units represented by these global securities. The depositary maintains a computerized system that will reflect each investor’s beneficial ownership of the securities through an account maintained by the investor with its broker/dealer, bank, trust company or other representative, as we explain more fully below.
Registered Global Securities
We may issue the securities in the form of one or more fully registered global securities that will be deposited with a depositary or its nominee identified in the applicable prospectus supplement and registered in the name of that depositary or nominee. In those cases, one or more registered global securities will be issued in a denomination or aggregate denominations equal to the portion of the aggregate principal or face amount of the securities to be represented by registered global securities. Unless and until it is exchanged in whole for securities in definitive registered form, a registered global security may not be transferred except as a whole by and among the depositary for the registered global security, the nominees of the depositary or any successors of the depositary or those nominees.
The specific terms of the depositary arrangement with respect to any securities to be represented by a registered global security will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to those securities. We anticipate that the following provisions will apply to all depositary arrangements.
Ownership of beneficial interests in a registered global security will be limited to persons, called participants, that have accounts with the depositary or persons that may hold interests through participants. Upon the issuance of a registered global security, the depositary will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the participants’ accounts with the respective principal or face amounts of the securities beneficially owned by the participants. Any dealers, underwriters or agents participating in the distribution of the securities will designate the accounts to be credited. Ownership of beneficial interests in a registered global security will be shown on, and the transfer of ownership interests will be effected only through, records maintained by the depositary, with respect to interests of participants, and on the records of participants, with respect to interests of persons holding through participants. The laws of some states may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of these securities in definitive form. These laws may impair your ability to own, transfer or pledge beneficial interests in registered global securities.
So long as the depositary, or its nominee, is the registered owner of a registered global security, that depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole owner or holder of the securities represented by the registered global security for all purposes under the applicable indenture, warrant agreement or unit agreement.
Except as described below, owners of beneficial interests in a registered global security will not be entitled to have the securities represented by the registered global security registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of the securities in definitive form and will not be considered the owners or holders of the securities under the applicable indenture, warrant agreement or unit agreement. Accordingly, each person owning a beneficial interest in a registered global security must rely on the procedures of the depositary for that registered global security and, if that person is not a participant, on the procedures of the participant through which the person owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a holder under the applicable indenture, warrant agreement or unit agreement. We understand that under existing industry practices, if we request any action of holders or if an owner of a beneficial interest in a registered global security desires to give or take any action that a holder is entitled to give or take under the applicable indenture, warrant agreement or unit agreement, the depositary for the registered global security would authorize the participants holding the relevant beneficial interests to give or take that action, and the participants would authorize beneficial owners owning through them to give or take that action or would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners holding through them.
Payments to holders with respect to securities represented by a registered global security registered in the name of a depositary or its nominee will be made to the depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owner of the registered global security. None of the Company, the trustees, the warrant agents, the unit agents or any other agent of the Company, agent of the trustees, the warrant agents or unit agents will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in the registered global security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to those beneficial ownership interests.
We expect that the depositary for any of the securities represented by a registered global security, upon receipt of any payment of principal, premium, interest or other payment or distribution to holders of that registered global security, will immediately credit participants’ accounts in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in that registered global security as shown on the records of the depositary. We also expect that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in a registered global security held through participants will be governed by standing customer instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with the securities held for the accounts of customers or registered in “street name,” and will be the responsibility of those participants.
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If the depositary for any of these securities represented by a registered global security is at any time unwilling or unable to continue as depositary or ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act and a successor depositary registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act is not appointed by us within 90 days, we will issue securities in definitive form in exchange for the registered global security that had been held by the depositary. Any securities issued in definitive form in exchange for a registered global security will be registered in the name or names that the depositary gives to the relevant trustee, warrant agent, unit agent or other relevant agent of ours or theirs. It is expected that the depositary’s instructions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the registered global security that had been held by the depositary.
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Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the validity of the securities offered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, New York, New York. If legal matters in connection with offerings made by this prospectus are passed on by counsel for the underwriters, dealers or agents, if any, that counsel will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The consolidated financial statements of Spherix Incorporated and subsidiaries as of and for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 have been incorporated by reference in the registration statement in reliance upon the report of Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We file annual, quarter and periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission using the Commission’s EDGAR system. You may inspect these documents and copy information from them at the Commission’s offices at public reference room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the public reference room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The Commission maintains a web site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the Commission. The address of such site is http//www.sec.gov.
INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
We are “incorporating by reference” in this prospectus certain documents we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information in the documents incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus. Statements contained in documents that we file with the SEC and that are incorporated by reference in this prospectus will automatically update and supersede information contained in this prospectus, including information in previously filed documents or reports that have been incorporated by reference in this prospectus, to the extent the new information differs from or is inconsistent with the old information. We have filed or may file the following documents with the SEC and they are incorporated herein by reference as of their respective dates of filing.
1. | Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2017; |
2. | Our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2017, June 30, 2017 September 30, 2017, as filed with the SEC on May 12, 2017, August 11, 2017 and November 14, 2017, respectively; |
3. | Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on February 9, 2017, March 15, 2017, June 12, 2017, June 20, 2017, July 3, 2017, July 24, 2017, October 25, 2017 and December 13, 2017; and |
4. | The description of certain capital stock contained in our Registration Statement 8-A filed on January 30, 2013, as amended on June 12, 2017 and as it may further be amended from time to time. |
All documents that we filed with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, and 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of this registration statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this registration statement that indicates that all securities offered under this prospectus have been sold, or that deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, will be deemed to be incorporated in this registration statement by reference and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.
Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus shall be deemed modified, superseded or replaced for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus, or in any subsequently filed document that also is deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus, modifies, supersedes or replaces such statement. Any statement so modified, superseded or replaced shall not be deemed, except as so modified, superseded or replaced, to constitute a part of this prospectus. None of the information that we disclose under Items 2.02 or 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K or any corresponding information, either furnished under Item 9.01 or included as an exhibit therein, that we may from time to time furnish to the SEC will be incorporated by reference into, or otherwise included in, this prospectus, except as otherwise expressly set forth in the relevant document. Subject to the foregoing, all information appearing in this prospectus is qualified in its entirety by the information appearing in the documents incorporated by reference.
You may requests, orally or in writing, a copy of these documents, which will be provided to you at no cost (other than exhibits, unless such exhibits are specifically incorporate by reference), by contacting Anthony Hayes, c/o Spherix Corporation, at Spherix Incorporated , at One Rockefeller Plaza, 11th Fl., New York, NY 10020. Our telephone number is (212) 745-1374. Information about us is also available at our website at http://www.spherix.com. However, the information in our website is not a part of this prospectus and is not incorporated by reference.
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SPHERIX INCORPORATED
221,000 Shares of Common Stock
Pre-funded Warrants to Purchase 86,692 Shares of Common Stock
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
May 31, 2019