S-8

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 24, 2018

Registration No. 333-                

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

ERYTECH Pharma S.A.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

France   Not applicable

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

Bâtiment Adénine, 60 Avenue Rockefeller

69008 Lyon France

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

 

 

2016 and 2017 Stock Option Plans

2016 and 2017 AGA (Free Share) Plans

BSA Subscription Plans

BSPCE Subscription Plans

(Full title of the plans)

ERYTECH Pharma Inc.

One Main Street, Suite 1150

Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142

+1 857 706 1585

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

 

 

Copies to:

 

Marc A. Recht

Brian F. Leaf

Courtney T. Thorne

Cooley LLP

500 Boylston Street

Boston, Massachusetts 02116

+1 617 937 6000

  

Arnaud Duhamel

Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I.

22, cours Albert ler

75008 Paris France

+33 1 40 75 00 00


 

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

 

Large accelerated filer      Accelerated filer  
Non-accelerated filer   ☒ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)    Smaller reporting company  

Emerging growth company

 

    

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

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

Title of Securities

to be Registered (1)

 

Amount

to be

Registered (2)

 

Proposed

Maximum

Offering Price

Per Share

 

Proposed

Maximum

Aggregate

Offering Price

 

Amount of

Registration Fee

Ordinary Shares, €0.10 nominal value per share

  642,639   $17.42 (3)(4)   $11,194,771.38   $1,393.75

Ordinary Shares, €0.10 nominal value per share

  537,301   $22.28 (5)   $11,971,066.28   $1,490.40

Options and Warrants and Rights to Purchase or Acquire Ordinary Shares

  1,179,940   N/A   N/A   N/A

Aggregate Registration Fee

              $2,884.15

 

 

(1) These ordinary shares of ERYTECH Pharma S.A. (the “Registrant”), €0.10 nominal value per share (“Ordinary Shares”), may be represented by the Registrant’s American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”), each of which represents one Ordinary Share. The Registrant’s ADSs issuable upon deposit of the Ordinary Shares registered hereby were registered pursuant to a separate registration statement on Form F-6 (File No. 333-201279), as amended.
(2) Pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this Registration Statement shall also cover any additional Ordinary Shares of the Registrant that become issuable under the Registrant’s 2016 and 2017 Stock Option Plans, 2016 and 2017 AGA (Free Share) Plans, BSA Subscription Plans, and BSPCE Subscription Plans by reason of any stock dividend, stock split, recapitalization or other similar transaction effected without receipt of consideration that increases the number of the Registrant’s outstanding Ordinary Shares.
(3) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(h) of the Securities Act on the basis of the weighted average exercise price of $17.42 per ordinary share (rounded up to the nearest cent), expressed in U.S. dollars based on the European Central Bank exchange rate on January 19, 2018 (€1.00=$1.2255).
(4) For those options or warrants outstanding under the Registrant’s 2016 and 2017 Stock Option Plans, BSA Subscription Plans or BSPCE Subscription Plans with an exercise price denominated in euros, such exercise price is expressed in U.S. dollars based on the European Central Bank exchange rate on January 19, 2018 (€1.00=$1.2255).
(5) Estimated in accordance with Rule 457(c) and Rule 457(h) of the Securities Act solely for purposes of calculating the registration fee, and is based upon the price of $22.28 per ADS, which was the average of the high and low prices of the Registrant’s ADSs as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market for January 19, 2018 (rounded up to the nearest cent).

 

 

 


PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

The information specified in Part I of Form S-8 is omitted from this Registration Statement in accordance with the provisions of Rule 428 under the Securities Act and the introductory note to Part I of Form S-8. The documents containing the information specified in Part I of Form S-8 will be delivered to the participant in the plans covered by this Registration Statement as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents By Reference.

The following documents, which have been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) by ERYTECH Pharma S.A. (the “Registrant”), are hereby incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement:

(a) the Registrant’s prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) on November 13, 2017, relating to the Registration Statement on Form F-1 originally filed on October 6, 2017, as amended (File No. 333-220867), which contains audited financial statements for the Registrant’s latest fiscal year for which such statements have been filed;

(b) the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 6-K filed with the Commission on December 8, 2017; and

(c) the descriptions of the Registrant’s American Depositary Shares and Ordinary Shares contained in the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission on November 7, 2017 (File No. 001-38281) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.

All documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act on or after the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all such securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.

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

Under no circumstances shall any information subsequently furnished on Form 6-K be deemed incorporated herein by reference unless such Form 6-K expressly provides to the contrary.

 

Item 4. Description of Securities.

Not applicable.

 

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

Not applicable.


Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Under French law, provisions of bylaws that limit the liability of directors are prohibited. However, French law allows sociétés anonymes to contract for and maintain liability insurance against civil liabilities incurred by any of their directors and officers involved in a third-party action, provided that they acted in good faith and within their capacities as directors or officers of the company. Criminal liability cannot be indemnified under French law, whether directly by the company or through liability insurance.

The Registrant has obtained directors and officers liability insurance for its directors and officers, which includes coverage against liability under the Securities Act. The Registrant has entered into agreements with its directors and executive officers to provide contractual indemnification. With certain exceptions and subject to limitations on indemnification under French law, these agreements provide for indemnification for damages and expenses including, among other things, attorneys’ fees, judgments and settlement amounts incurred by any of these individuals in any action or proceeding arising out of his or her actions in that capacity.

These agreements may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against the Registrant’s directors and executive officers for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and executive officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit the Registrant and its shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent the Registrant pays the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these insurance agreements.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant, the Registrant has been advised that, in the opinion of the Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.

 

Item 7. Exemption From Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.


Item 8. Exhibits.

 

          Incorporated by Reference

Exhibit

Number

  

Description

   Schedule
Form
     File
Number
     Exhibit     

Filing Date

  4.1+

   Bylaws of the Registrant (English translation)            

  4.2+

   Amended and Restated Deposit Agreement.            

  4.3+

   Form of American Depositary Receipt (included in Exhibit 4.2).            

  5.1+

   Opinion of Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I.            

23.1+

   Consent of KPMG S.A., independent registered public accounting firm.            

23.2+

   Consent of Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I. (included in Exhibit 5.1).            

24.1+

   Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of this Form S-8).            

99.1

   Summary of BSA Plans      F-1        333-220867        10.12      October 6, 2017

99.2

   Summary of BSPCE Plans      F-1        333-220867        10.13      October 6, 2017

99.3

   2016 Stock Option Plan (English translation)      F-1        333-220867        10.14      October 6, 2017

99.4

   2016 Free Share Plan (English translation)      F-1        333-220867        10.15      October 6, 2017

99.5+

   2017 Stock Option Plan (English translation)            

99.6+

   2017 Free Share Plan (English translation)            

 

+ Filed herewith.


Item 9. Undertakings.

(a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

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

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

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

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

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

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

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

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


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Lyon, France, on the 24th day of January, 2018.

 

ERYTECH Pharma S.A.
By:   /s/ Gil Beyen
  Name: Gil Beyen
  Title: Chief Executive Officer


POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Gil Beyen and Eric Soyer, and each or any one of them, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his or her substitutes or substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

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

 

Signature

  

Title

 

Date

/s/ Gil Beyen

Gil Beyen

  

Chief Executive Officer and

Chairman of the Board of Directors

(Principal Executive Officer)

 

January 24, 2018

/s/ Eric Soyer

Eric Soyer

  

Chief Financial Officer and

Chief Operating Officer

(Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)

 

January 24, 2018

/s/ Sven Andréasson

Sven Andréasson

  

Director

 

January 24, 2018

/s/ Philippe Archinard

Philippe Archinard, Ph.D.

  

Director

 

January 24, 2018

/s/ Allene Diaz

Allene Diaz

  

Director

 

January 24, 2018

/s/ Luc Dochez

Luc Dochez, Pharm.D.

  

Director

 

January 24, 2018

/s/ Martine Ortin George

Martine Ortin George, M.D.

  

Director

 

January 24, 2018

/s/ Hilde Windels

Hilde Windels

  

Director

 

January 24, 2018

Puglisi & Associates

    

By:   /s/ Donald J. Puglisi                                 

        Name: Donald J. Puglisi

        Title:   Managing Director

  

Authorized Representative in the United States

  January 24, 2018
EX-4.1

Exhibit 4.1

 

ERYTECH PHARMA

Corporation with a board of directors and a capital of 1,793,455.90 Euros

Head office: 60 avenue Rockefeller (69008) LYON

479 560 013 Lyon Trade and Companies Register

 

BY-LAWS

Updated by the Board of Directors on November 27, 2017

True copy certified by the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer

Gil BEYEN

 

Page 1 of 15


SECTION I

FORM - NAME - CORPORATE PURPOSE

HEAD OFFICE - DURATION

 

ARTICLE 1. FORM

The Company was established in the form of a French simplified limited company, by way of a private deed in Lyon on October 26, 2004.

The company was transformed into a corporation by decision of the Extraordinary General Meeting of September 29, 2005.

It exists and is shared between the owners of shares created after this date and all future shareholders, and is governed by laws and regulations in force, as well as by the present articles of incorporation.

 

ARTICLE 2. NAME

The Company’s name is:

ERYTECH PHARMA

In all deeds and documents created by the Company and intended for third parties, its name shall be immediately preceded or followed by the words “Société Anonyme” or the abbreviation “SA” and a declaration of its capital stock, head office, and registration number in the trade and companies register.

 

ARTICLE 3. CORPORATE PURPOSE

The Company has the purpose, in France and in any country, of:

 

  The research, manufacture, import, distribution, and marketing of experimental drugs, drugs, devices, and medical equipment;

 

  the provision of all advisory services associated therewith;

and generally, all financial, commercial, industrial, civil, property, or security-related transactions, such as may directly or indirectly relate to one of the purposes specified or such as may facilitate their fulfillment.

The Company may act directly or indirectly and perform all these operations in any country, on its own behalf and on behalf of third parties, either alone or with third parties in a joint venture, association, grouping, or company, through the creation of new companies, contributions, partnerships, subscription, purchase of company securities or rights, merger, alliance, joint venture companies, or the obtaining or provision, under lease or management, of any assets and rights or other items.

 

ARTICLE 4. HEAD OFFICE - BRANCHES

The Company’s head office is located at: 60, avenue Rockefeller (69008) LYON.

It may be transferred to any location within the same French département or to a neighboring département by way of a simple decision of the Board of Directors, subject to the ratification this decision by the next ordinary general meeting, and to any other location by virtue of a decision by an extraordinary general meeting, subject to legal provisions in force.

In the event of a transfer decided on by the Board of Directors in conformity with the law, the Board is authorized to modify the articles of incorporation accordingly.

 

ARTICLE 5. DURATION - FINANCIAL YEAR

The Company’s duration is set at 99 years from the date of its registration in the Trade and Companies Register, save in the event of extension or early dissolution.

The financial year begins on January 1 and ends on December 31.

 

Page 2 of 15


SECTION II

CAPITAL - SHARES

 

ARTICLE 6. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CAPITAL

All the original shares constituting the initial capital represent cash contributions and have been fully paid up, as showing on the certificate issued by the Banque Populaire Loire et Lyonnais – Agence Lyon Monplaisir, custodian of the funds.

The total amount paid by the shareholders, i.e., thirty-nine thousand, two hundred and sixteen (39,216) Euros, has been deposited into an account in the Company’s name at this bank.

In accordance with a resolution by the Combined General Meeting of December 31, 2004, the capital stock was increased to 41,770 Euros through the creation and issue of 2,554 new shares paid up in cash, for a nominal amount of 1 Euro each, fully paid up upon subscription.

In accordance with a resolution by the Extraordinary General Meeting of September 29, 2005, the capital stock was increased to 51,020 Euros through the creation and issue (i) of 6,266 new shares pursuant to share subscription warrants with a nominal value of 1 Euro each, which was fully paid up upon subscription, and (ii) 2,984 new shares paid up in cash, for a nominal value of 1 Euro each, fully paid up upon subscription.

In accordance with an Executive Board decision of October 3, 2006, the Company’s capital stock was increased by 13,127 Euros through the issue of 13,127 class “P” shares with a nominal value of 1 Euro, fully paid up upon subscription.

In accordance with an Executive Board decision of December 21, 2006, the Company’s capital stock was increased by 17,353 Euros through the issue of 17,353 class “O” shares with a nominal value of 1 Euro, fully paid up upon subscription.

In accordance with a resolution by the Combined General Meeting of December 22, 2006, the Company’s capital stock was increased by 54,333 Euros, through the issue of 54,333 class “A” shares with a nominal value of 1 Euro, fully paid up upon subscription.

In accordance with an Executive Board decision of January 23, 2008, the Company’s capital stock was increased by an amount of 54,333 Euros, through the creation of 54,333 new class A shares with a nominal value of 1 Euro, fully paid up upon subscription.

In accordance with an Executive Board decision of January 15, 2009, the Company’s capital stock was increased by an amount of 54,333 Euros, through the creation of 54,333 new class A shares with a nominal value of 1 Euro, fully paid up upon subscription.

In accordance with an Executive Board decision of July 16, 2010, the Company’s capital stock was increased by an amount of 63,283 Euros, through the creation of 63,283 new class A shares with a nominal value of 1 Euro, fully paid up upon subscription.

In accordance with an Executive Board decision of July 29, 2010, the Company’s capital stock was increased by an amount of 7,573 Euros, through the creation of 7,573 new class A shares with a nominal value of 1 Euro, fully paid up upon subscription.

In accordance with a resolution by the Combined General Meeting of April 2, 2013, all the share classes were canceled and the existing preferential shares were all converted into common shares. As such, the Company’s shares are all common shares.

In this same meeting, the nominal value of the Company’s shares was divided by 10.

In accordance with Executive Board decisions of April 30, 2013 recognizing the listing of the Company’s shares on the market NYSE Euronext Paris, the convertible bonds issued by the Company were converted into new shares. The Company’s capital stock was increased by an amount of 86,206.80 Euros, from 315,355 Euros to 401,561.80 Euros through the issue of 862,068 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with resolutions of the Combined General Meeting of April 2, 2013 granting delegations of power to the Executive Board, and in accordance with Executive Board decisions of April 4, 2013, April 12, 2013, and April 30, 2013 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount of 152,433.40 Euros, from 401,561.80 Euros to 553,995.20 Euros, through the issue of 1,524,334 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with resolutions of the Combined General Meeting of May 21, 2012 granting delegations of power to the Executive Board/Board of Directors, and in accordance with Board of Directors’ decisions of July 18, 2013 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount of 816 Euros, from 553,995.20 Euros to 554,811.20 Euros, through the issue of 8,160 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with resolutions of the Combined General Meeting of May 21, 2012 granting delegations of power to the Executive Board/Board of Directors, and in accordance with Board of Directors’ decisions of December 3, 2013 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount

 

Page 3 of 15


of 1,084 Euros, from 554,811.20 Euros to 555,895.20 Euros, through the issue of 10,840 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with resolutions of the Combined General Meeting of May 21, 2012 granting delegations of power to the Executive Board/Board of Directors, and in accordance with Board of Directors’ decisions of May 5, 2014 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount of 762 Euros, from 555,895.20 Euros to 556,657.20 Euros, through the issue of 7,620 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with resolutions of the Extraordinary General Meeting of May 21, 2012 and the Combined General Meeting of June 17, 2014 granting delegations of power to the Executive Board/Board of Directors, and in accordance with the Board of Directors’ decisions of December 4, 2014 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount of 131,618.90 Euros, from 556,657.20 Euros to 688,276.10 Euros, through the issue of 1,316,189 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with resolutions of the Extraordinary General Meeting of May 21, 2012 granting delegations of power to the Executive Board/Board of Directors, and in accordance with the Board of Directors’ decisions of June 23rd, 2015 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount of 653.00 Euros, from 688,276.10 Euros to 688,929.10 Euros, through the issue of 6,530 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with resolutions of the Combined General Meeting of May 21, 2012 and the Extraordinary General Meeting of April 2nd, 2013 granting delegations of power to the Executive Board/Board of Directors, and in accordance with the Board of Directors’ decisions of December 2nd, 2015 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount of 1,375 Euros, from 688,929,10 Euros to 690,304.10 Euros, through the issue of 13,750 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with resolutions of the Combined General Meeting of May 21, 2012 and the Extraordinary General Meeting of April 2nd, 2013 granting delegations of power to the Executive Board/Board of Directors, and in accordance with the Board of Directors’ decisions of December 2nd, 2015 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount of 649 Euros, from 690,304.10 Euros to 690,953.10 Euros, through the issue of 6,490 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with resolutions of the Combined General Meeting of June 23, 2015 granting delegations of power to the Board of Directors and in accordance with the Board of Directors’ decisions of December 2nd, 2015 and with the Chief Executive Officer’s decisions of December 3rd, 2015 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount of 94,000 Euros, from 690,953.10 Euros to 784,953.10 Euros, through the issue of 940,000 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with resolutions of the Combined General Meeting of May 21, 2012 granting delegations of power to the Executive Board/Board of Directors and in accordance with the Board of Directors’ decisions of January 10, 2016 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount of 7,508 Euros, from 784,953.10 Euros to 792,461.10 Euros, through the issue of 75,080 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with resolutions of the Combined General Meeting of May 21, 2012 and the General Meeting of April 2nd 2013 granting delegations of power to the Executive Board/Board of Directors and in accordance with the Board of Directors’ decisions of December 6, 2016 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount of 1,416 Euros, from 792,461.10 Euros to 793,877.10 Euros, through the issue of 14,160 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with resolutions of the Combined General Meeting of June 24, 2016 granting delegations of power to the Executive Board/Board of Directors and in accordance with the Board of Directors’ decisions of January 8, 2017 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount of 79,387.70 Euros, from 793,877.10 Euros to 873,264.80 Euros, through the issue of 793,877 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with resolutions of the Combined General Meeting of May 21, 2012 and the General Meeting of April 2nd 2013 granting delegations of power to the Executive Board/Board of Directors and in accordance with the Board of Directors’ decisions of April 12, 2017 making use of these delegations,

 

Page 4 of 15


the capital stock was increased by an amount of 800 Euros, from 873,264.80 Euros to 874,064.80 Euros, through the issue of 8,000 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with resolutions of the Combined General Meeting of June 24, 2016 granting delegations of power to the Executive Board/Board of Directors and in accordance with the Chief Executive Officer’s decision of April 19, 2017 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount of 300,000 Euros, from 874,064.80 Euros to 1,174,064.80 Euros, through the issue of 3,000,000 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with resolutions of the Extraordinary General Meeting of April 2, 2013 granting delegations of power to the Executive Board/Board of Directors, and in accordance with the decision of the Board of Directors of November 6, 2017 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount of 500 Euros, from 1,174,064.80 Euros to 1,174,564.80 Euros through the issue of 5,000 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with the resolutions of the Combined General Meeting of April 2, 2013 and June 24, 2016 granting delegations of authority to the Board of Directors, and pursuant to the decision of the Board of Directors on November 6, 2017 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount of 877.4 Euros from 1,174,564.80 Euros to 1,175,442.20 Euros, through the issue of 8,774 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euros.

In accordance with resolutions of the Combined General Meeting of June 27, 2017 granting delegations of power to the Board of Directors and in accordance with the Chief Executive Officer’s decision of November 14, 2017 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount of 537,403.30 Euros, from 1,175,442.20 Euros to 1,712,845,50 Euros, through the issue of

5,374,033 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

In accordance with resolutions of the Combined General Meeting of June 27, 2017 granting delegations of power to the Board of Directors and in accordance with the Board of Directors’ decision of November 27, 2017 making use of these delegations, the capital stock was increased by an amount of 80,610.40 Euros, from 1,712,845,50 Euros to 1,793,455,90 Euros, through the issue of

806,104 shares with a nominal value of 0.10 Euro.

 

ARTICLE 7. CAPITAL STOCK

The capital stock is set at an amount of one million, seven hundred and ninety-three thousand, four hundred and fifty-five Euros and ninety Euro cents (€1,793,455.90).

It is divided into eleven million, nine hundred and thirty-four thousand, five hundred and fifty-nine (17,934,559) shares with a nominal value of ten Eurocents (0.10) each, all in the same category and fully paid up.

 

ARTICLE 8. IDENTIFICATION OF SHAREHOLDERS

The Company remains informed on the composition of its shareholding structure in accordance with the conditions established by law. To this end, it may make use of established legal provisions on the identification of bearers of securities such as grant an immediate or future voting right in general shareholders’ meetings.

 

ARTICLE 9. CROSSING OF THRESHOLDS

All shareholders who come to hold or cease to hold, directly or indirectly, alone or jointly with another person, a number of shares or similar securities representing a portion of the capital or voting rights established by law must inform the Company of this, in accordance with the conditions established by the law and regulations.

Shareholders who have not respected these provisions shall be deprived of the voting rights attached to the shares exceeding the portion that should have been declared. The loss of voting rights shall apply to all shareholders’ meetings held up to the expiry of a two-year period following the date on which the declaration was normalized.

 

ARTICLE 10. INCREASES IN SHARE CAPITAL

 

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The share capital shall be increased by any means and according to any methods established by law.

An extraordinary general meeting, acting on a report by the Board of Directors, is the sole entity with competency to decide on a capital increase. It may delegate such competency or powers to the Board of Directors.

The shareholders have, proportionately to the amount of their shares, a preferential right to the subscription of shares issued by way of a cash contribution to perform a capital increase, a right that they may waive individually. An extraordinary general meeting may decide to withdraw this preferential subscription right under legally established conditions.

The right to the assignment of new shares to shareholders, following an incorporation of reserves, income, or issue premiums into the capital, belongs to the bare owner, without prejudice to the rights of the usufructuary.

 

ARTICLE 11. PAYMENT OF SHARES

All the original shares constituting the initial capital and representing cash contributions must be paid up in the amount of at least half their nominal value at the time of their subscription.

Shares subscribed during a cash-based capital increase must be paid up in the amount of at least one quarter of their nominal value at the time of their subscription and, where applicable, the entirety of the issue premium.

Payment of the remainder must take place on one or more occasions on the decision of the Board of Directors within a period of five years, i.e., this period starting on the day of registration in the Trade and Companies Register or, for a capital increase, on the day on which the capital increase became final.

Calls for funds shall be brought to the knowledge of subscribers by registered letter with confirmation of receipt sent at least fifteen days prior to the date established for each payment. Payments shall be made either at the head office or at any other location indicated to this end.

Any delays in the payment of sums owing on the share amount not paid up shall result, duly and without the need to proceed with any formalities whatsoever, in the payment of interest at the legal rate, starting on the due date, without prejudice to any personal action that the Company may exercise against the defaulting shareholder and the enforcement measures established by law.

 

ARTICLE 12. REDUCTION - AMORTIZATION OF THE SHARE CAPITAL

A reduction of the capital may be authorized or decided on in an extraordinary general meeting, which may delegate to the Board of Directors all powers to perform such reduction. In no case shall this harm the equal treatment of the shareholders.

A reduction in share capital for an amount below the legal minimum can only be decided pursuant to the suspensive condition of a capital increase intended to return the share capital to an amount at least equal to this minimum amount, except where the Company is transformed into another form of company.

In the event of non-compliance with these provisions, any interested parties may seek dissolution of the Company through the courts.

Nevertheless, the court cannot order its dissolution where, on the date on which it rules based on grounds, the situation has been normalized.

The capital may be liquidated in conformity with legal provisions. Liquidation of the capital may be decided in an extraordinary general meeting and must be performed using sums distributable in accordance with Article L. 232-11 of the Code of Commerce, by way of an equal reimbursement on each share of the same class. It shall not result in a reduction of the capital. Shares fully or partially liquidated shall lose the right to reimbursement at their nominal value, up to the amount of this liquidation. They shall retain all their other rights.

 

ARTICLE 13. SHARE TYPES

The shares are nominal, up to their full payment. When they are fully paid up, they may be nominal or bearer, as decided by the shareholders.

They shall give rise to the registration of an account opened pursuant to the conditions and methods established under current legal and regulatory provisions, by the issuing company or by a financial broker mentioned on paragraphs 2° to 7° of Article L.542-1 of the Code Monétaire et Financier.

 

ARTICLE 14. INDIVISIBILITY OF THE SHARES – BARE OWNERSHIP – USUFRUCT

Shares are indivisible in the eyes of the company. Indivisible co-owners of shares shall be represented in general meetings by one of the co-owners or by a joint representative of their choice. In default of an

 

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agreement between them on the choice of a representative, this representative shall be designated by order of the president of the commercial court, ruling in an interim order on the application of the co-owner first making such request.

The voting right attached to a share belongs to the usufructuary for ordinary general meetings and to the bare owner for extraordinary general meetings. However, the shareholders may agree amongst themselves on any other distribution for the exercise of a voting right in general meetings. In this case, they must bring their agreement to the knowledge of the Company by registered letter sent to the head office, the Company being required to respect this agreement for any general meetings held after the expiry of a one-month period following mailing of the registered letter, the postmark being considered proof of the mailing date.

The shareholder’s right to obtain the communication of company documents or to consult these documents may likewise be exercised by each co-owner of an undivided share, by the usufructuary, and the bare owner of shares.

 

ARTICLE 15. ASSIGNMENT AND TRANSFER OF SHARES

Shares can be freely traded, without prejudice to legal and regulatory provisions.

The ownership of shares issued in registered form shall result from their registration in the name of the owners on the registers held to this end. Shares that are designated as registered shares may only be traded on the market where they have first been placed in a management account with an authorized broker.

Shares that are not registered as necessarily being nominal may only be traded on the market where they are converted to bearer shares.

Ownership of bearer shares shall result from their registration in a bearer account with an authorized financial broker.

The assignment of nominal or bearer shares shall take place, with regard to third parties and the company, by an account-to-account transfer into the accounts of the issuing company or those of the authorized financial broker.

The transfer of shares, free or charge or following a death, shall likewise take place by an account-to-account transfer upon the provision of evidence supporting the change in legal conditions.

 

ARTICLE 16. RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS ATTACHED TO THE SHARES

Each share gives right to the profits, the company assets in a share proportional to the proportion of capital that it represents.

Except where the law or the articles of incorporation stipulate otherwise, each share confers on its owner a vote in the shareholders’ General Meetings.

All shareholders shall have the right to be informed of the Company’s performance and to obtain the communication of certain company documents at the times and in accordance with the conditions established by the law and regulations.

Shareholders shall only sustain losses up to the amount of their contributions.

The possession of a share requires due adherence to the decisions of general meetings and the present articles of incorporation. Assignment shall include all dividends matured and not paid or maturing in future, as well as any share in the reserve funds, save where provisions to the contrary are disclosed to the Company.

Whenever it is necessary to hold a certain number of shares to exercise a right, in the event of an exchange, regrouping, or assignment of title, or at the time of a capital increase or reduction, a merger, or any other operation, the shareholders holding a number of shares less than that required can only exercise these rights on the condition that they personally arrange to obtain the number of shares required.

SECTION III

ADMINISTRATION AND CONTROL OF THE COMPANY

 

ARTICLE 17. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

I. Appointment/removal of directors

 

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The Company is governed by a Board of Directors composed of at least three members and at most eighteen members, without prejudice to the derogation established by law in the event of merger.

The Board of Directors is composed by seeking a balanced representation of women and men.

During the life of the Company, directors shall be appointed, renewed, or removed in ordinary general meetings. They may always be re-elected.

The duration of a director position is three (3) years; this position ends at the end of the Ordinary General Meeting called to rule on the annual financial statements for the year just ended and held during the year in which their term of office expires.

A person cannot be appointed as director where, having surpassed seventy-five years of age, this person’s appointment has the effect of bringing the number of Board members having surpassed this age to more than one-third of the number of directors. Where this limit has been exceeded, the oldest director shall be deemed as having duly resigned.

Directors can be shareholders or non-shareholders of the Company.

A Company employee cannot be appointed director where his/her employment contract corresponds to an effective job. The number of directors tied to the Company by way of an employment contract cannot exceed one third of the directors in office.

II. Directors as legal persons

Directors may be natural persons or legal persons. In the latter case, upon its appointment, the legal person is required to designate a permanent representative, who is subject to the same conditions and obligations and who incurs the same civil and criminal liability as if this person was a director in his/her own name, without prejudice to the joint and several liability of the legal person that he/she represents. The permanent representative of a director as a legal entity is subject to the age conditions pertaining to directors as natural persons.

The term of office of the permanent representative designated by the legal person appointed as director is given to him/her for the duration of the latter’s term of office.

Where the legal person revokes the term of office of its permanent representative, the legal person is required to provide the Company, without delay and by registered letter, this revocation as well as the identify of its new permanent representative. The same is applicable in the event of the death or resignation of the permanent representative.

Designation of the permanent representative and discontinuation of his/her term of office are subject to the same publication formalities applicable as if he/she had been a director in his/her own name.

III. Vacancy, death, resignation

In the event of a vacancy, due to death or resignation, of one or more director positions, the Board of Directors may, between two general meetings, proceed with temporary appointments.

Where the number of directors has become lower than the legal minimum, the remaining directors shall immediately call an Ordinary General Meeting with a view to supplementing the Board’s numbers.

Temporary appointments made by the Board are subject to ratification at the next ordinary general meeting. In default of such ratification, the resolutions made and acts performed by the Board prior to this meeting shall no longer be considered valid.

In the event of absence of a director at more than four consecutive Board of Directors’ meetings, this director shall be considered as having duly resigned.

 

ARTICLE 18. ORGANIZATION OF THE BOARD

The Board of Directors shall elect a chairman from among its members, the chairman being a natural person, on penalty of invalidity of this appointment. It shall determine the chairman’s remuneration.

Any person older than seventy-five years of age may not be appointed chairman. Where the chairman in office comes to surpass this age, he/she shall be deemed as having duly resigned.

The chairman is appointed for a duration that cannot exceed that of his/her director mandate. He/she may be re-elected. The Board of Directors may remove the chairman at any time.

The Board may likewise appoint a Vice President from among its members who are natural persons, and he/she shall preside over Board meetings in the Chairman’s absence.

The Board may designate, within a maximum limit of two, one or more observers who are natural persons, directors or otherwise, and who are 65 years of age at most at the day of their appointment.

These observers are appointed for a duration of two years.

These observer positions shall be fulfilled free of charge. The observers shall be summoned to all meetings of the Board of Directors, and shall take part in deliberations for consultation purposes only.

 

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In its relations with the Board of Directors, the observers shall perform a general mission of consultation and supervision.

 

ARTICLE 19. BOARD DELIBERATIONS

The Board of Directors shall meet as often as the Company’s interests so require, upon summons by its chairman or the managing director. Where the Board has not met for more than two months, at least one third of the directors may request that the chairman, who is bound by this request, call a Board of Directors’ meeting on a specific agenda.

Summonses shall be given by any means, including verbally.

Meetings shall take place either at the headquarters or at any other location indicated in the summons.

The Board may only validly deliberate where half of its directors are present.

Decisions shall be made by the majority of members present or represented.

In the event of a tie, the meeting Chairman’s vote shall carry the decision.

Pursuant to the provisions of internal rules established by the Board of Directors, for calculation of the quorum and the majority, the directors participating in a Board meeting by videoconference or other means of telecommunications allowing for identification of the participants and guaranteeing their effective participation shall be deemed present, in compliance with current regulations.

This provision is not applicable for decisions on the annual financial statements, the consolidated financial statements, and preparation of the annual report and the group’s annual report.

 

ARTICLE 20. POWERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors determines the orientations of the Company’s activities and oversees their implementation. Without prejudice to the powers expressly assigned by law to the shareholders and within the limit of the corporate purpose, the Board of Directors is responsible for all matters relating to the successful operation of the Company and governs matters concerning the Company, through its resolutions.

In relations with third parties, the Company is committed by the actions of the Board of Directors including where not pertaining to the corporate object, except where it can prove that the third party knew that such action fell outside this purpose or that it could not be ignorant of such fact, given the circumstances, mere publication of the articles of incorporation not being sufficient to constitute such proof.

The Board of Directors shall perform the controls and verifications that it deems appropriate. Each director may arrange for the communication to him/her of all documents and information necessary to the fulfillment of his/her mission.

The Board of Directors may decide on the creation of a study committee responsible for studying matters that the Board of Directors or its Chairman submits to it.

 

ARTICLE 21. SENIOR MANAGEMENT

1 - Operating methods

General management is provided under its responsibility, by a natural person appointed by the Board of Directors and holding the title of managing director. This natural person may be the chairman of the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors chooses between two operating methods for the Senior Management.

The Board resolution relative to the choice of operating method for the executive division shall be carried by the majority of directors present or represented. Shareholders and third parties shall be informed of this choice in accordance with the conditions established under current regulations.

2 - Senior Management

The Chief Executive Officer shall be a natural person selected from among the directors or elsewhere.

The duration of the managing director’s term of office is determined by the Board at the time of his/her appointment. However, where the managing director is a director, the duration of his/her term of office cannot exceed that of the director mandate.

Any person older than seventy years of age cannot be appointed as managing director. Where the managing director reaches this age limit, he/she shall be deemed as having duly resigned.

 

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The managing director may be removed by the Board of Directors at any time. Where the removal is decided without just cause, it may result in the payment of damages, save where the managing director holds the position of chairman of the Board of Directors.

The managing director is vested with the broadest of powers to act in all circumstances in the name of the Company. He shall exercise his powers within the limits of the corporate object and without prejudice to the powers that the law expressly assigns to the shareholders and to the Board of Directors.

He represents the Company in its relations with third parties. The Company is committed by the actions of the managing director including where not pertaining to the corporate object, save where it can prove that the third party knew that such action fell outside this object or that it could not be ignorant of such fact, given the circumstances, mere publication of the articles of incorporation not being sufficient to constitute such proof.

The Board of Directors may limit the powers of the Chief Executive Officer, but these limitations are not binding against third parties.

3 - Deputy Managing Director

Upon the proposal of the Chief Executive Officer that this position be assumed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors or by another person, the Board of Directors may appoint one or more natural persons assigned to assist the Chief Executive Officer, with the title of Deputy Managing Director.

The Board of Directors may choose the Deputy Managing Directors from among the directors or elsewhere, and cannot appoint more than five (5) persons.

The age limit is set at seventy (70) years of age. Where a deputy managing director reaches this age limit, he/she shall be deemed as having duly resigned.

The deputy managing directors may be removed at any time by the Board of Directors, upon such proposal by the managing director. Where such removal is decided on without just cause, it may result in the payment of damages.

Where the Chief Executive Officer ceases or is unable to perform his/her duties, the Deputy Managing Directors shall retain, except where decided otherwise by the Board, their duties and powers until the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer.

In accordance with the managing director, the Board of Directors shall determine the extent and duration of powers granted to the deputy managing directors. The deputy managing directors shall have, in relation to third parties, the same powers as the managing director.

 

ARTICLE 22. REMUNERATION OF DIRECTORS

1 - A general meeting may allocate to the directors, in remuneration for their activity and in the form of attendance fees, a fixed annual sum, the amount of which shall be reported under operating expenses and shall be maintained until a decision is made to the contrary. Its distribution among the directors shall be determined by the Board of Directors.

2 - The Board of Directors shall determine the remuneration for the chairman of the Board of Directors, the managing director, and the deputy managing directors. This remuneration may be fixed and/or proportional.

 

ARTICLE 23. PLURALITY OF TERMS OF OFFICE

The limitation on the plurality of terms of office as director and Chief Executive Officer applies in accordance with the conditions and subject to the derogations established by law.

 

ARTICLE 24. REGULATED AGREEMENTS

24.1 All regulated agreements taking place, directly or through a third party, between the Company and one of its directors, its managing director, one of its deputy managing directors, one of its shareholders holding a portion of the voting rights greater than 10% or, where relating to a shareholder company, the company controlling it as defined under Article L. 233-3 of the Code of Commerce, must be submitted for the prior authorization of the Board of Directors.

The same is likewise applicable for agreements in which one of the persons outlined in the previous paragraph has an indirect interest, and for agreements taking place between the Company and another company, where the managing director, one of the deputy managing directors, or one of the Company’s directors is the owner, shareholder with unlimited liability, manager, director, member of the supervisory board, or generally any director of this company.

 

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The prior authorization of the Board of Directors shall be supported by reasons justifying the Company’s interests in stipulating the agreement, and shall notably specify the financial conditions associated with this agreement.

Agreements stipulated and authorized during previous financial years, the fulfillment of which was continued into the last financial year, shall be examined each year by the Board of Directors and disclosed to the external auditors as established under the law.

The provisions of the preceding paragraphs shall not be applicable either to agreements relating to day-to-day operations stipulated under normal conditions or to agreements stipulated between two companies where one of these companies directly or indirectly holds the entirety of the other’s capital, where applicable after deducting the minimum number of shares required to satisfy the requirements of Article 1832 of the Civil Code and Articles L. 225-1 and L. 226-1 of the Code of Commerce.

24.2 The report outlined under Article L. 225-102 of the Code of Commerce mentions, save where these are agreements relating to day-to-day operations stipulated under normal conditions, agreements reached directly or through a third party and between, on one part and as applicable, the managing director, one of the deputy managing directors, one of the directors, or one of the shareholders holding a portion of voting rights greater than 10% of the Company’s capital and, on the other part, another company in which the Company directly or indirectly holds more than half the capital.”

 

ARTICLE 25. STATUTORY AUDITORS

One or more statutory auditors shall be appointed and shall perform their audit assignment in conformity with the law.

Their permanent assignment, to the exclusion of any involvement in the Company’s management, is to review the Company’s books and financial figures and to verify the accuracy and fairness of the corporate financial statements.

One or more deputy auditors shall be appointed, who shall be called upon to replace any statutory auditors in the event of an impediment, rejection, resignation, or death.

SECTION IV

SHAREHOLDERS’ MEETINGS

 

ARTICLE 26. NATURE OF THE MEETINGS

Shareholder decisions shall be made in General Meetings.

Ordinary General Meetings are those that are called to make all decisions that do not modify the articles of incorporation.

Extraordinary General Meetings are those called to decide on or authorize direct or indirect modifications to the articles of incorporation.

The resolutions of General Meetings create an obligation on all shareholders, including those who are absent, dissenting, or incompetent.

 

ARTICLE 27. SUMMONSES AND MEETINGS OF THE GENERAL SHAREHOLDERS

All shareholders have the right to participate in General Meetings or to arrange for their representation in accordance with the conditions established by law.

General Meetings are called either by the Board of Directors or by the statutory auditors, or by a representative designated by the President of the Commercial Court in an interim ruling on the application of one or more shareholders constituting at least one tenth of the capital or, in an emergency, on the application of the participative Management Committee.

Where the Company’s shares are admitted for trading on a regulated market or where all its shares are not nominal, it is required, at least thirty-five (35) days prior to any meeting, to publish in the French Bulletin des Annonces Légales Obligatoires (BALO) a meeting notice containing the information outlined in current regulations.

 

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The summons to a General Meeting is made by a notice in a newspaper authorized to publish legal notices in the French département where the headquarters is located, and a notice, furthermore, in the Bulletin des Annonces Légales et Obligatoires (BALO).

Nevertheless, the notices outlined in the previous paragraph may be replaced by a summons made, at the Company’s expense, by simple or registered letter sent to each shareholder. This summons may likewise be sent by a means of electronic telecommunications implemented in accordance with regulatory conditions.

Meetings shall take place at the headquarters or at any other location indicated in the notice of summons.

General Meetings shall be composed of all the shareholders, whatever the number of shares they hold.

Participation in the General Meetings, in any form whatsoever, is subject to the registration or recording of shares in accordance with the conditions and timelines established under current regulations.

A shareholder may arrange for his/her representation at general meetings by any natural or legal person of his/her choice, in conformity with legal provisions. Shareholders who are legal persons shall participate in meetings through their legal representatives or through any representative designated to this end.

Shareholders may likewise vote remotely in accordance with the methods established by the law and regulations, sending their remote voting form either in paper format or, on the decision of the Board of Directors, by a means of telecommunications.

The Board of Directors has the right to decide, at the time a meeting is called, whether the shareholders may participate and vote in any meetings by video conference or any other means of telecommunications or electronic transmission (including via the internet), in accordance with the conditions established by the law and regulations applicable at the time of its utilization. This decision shall be communicated in the meeting notice and the notice of summons published in the Bulletin des annonces légales obligatoires (BALO).

Shareholders who use, to this end and within the required time lines, the electronic voting form offered on the web site arranged by the coordinator of the shareholders’ meeting shall be considered equivalent to the shareholders present or represented. The submission and signature of the electronic form may be directly performed on this site through any process approved by the Board of Directors and meeting the conditions defined under the paragraph two, sentence one, Article 1316-4 of the French Civil Code, i.e., the usage of a reliable identification process guaranteeing a link with the form, notably such as consists of an identifier and a password.

The proxy or vote, thus expressed prior to the shareholders’ meeting by any means of telecommunications or electronic transmission, and the confirmation of receipt given therefor, shall be considered a submission irrevocable and binding on all parties, it being specified that, in the event of an assignment of shares taking place prior to the second (2nd) business day preceding the shareholders’ meeting, local Paris time, the Company shall consequently invalidate or modify, as applicable, the proxy or vote expressed prior to the meeting by any means of telecommunications.

 

ARTICLE 28. AGENDA

The agenda for Meetings is provided by the person issuing the summons.

One or more shareholders, representing at least the portion of share capital required and acting in accordance with the conditions and timeframes established by law, have the right to request, by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt or by electronic telecommunications, the inclusion of points or draft resolutions on a Meeting agenda.

The participative management committee may likewise request that draft resolutions be included on a Meeting agenda.

Shareholders’ meetings cannot deliberate on a matter that is not included on the agenda, which cannot be modified in the event of a second summons. Such meetings may nevertheless, in all circumstances, remove one or more members of the Board of Directors and proceed with their replacement.

 

ARTICLE 29. HOLDING OF MEETINGS - CHAIR COMMITTEE - MINUTES

Meetings shall be presided over by the chairman of the Board of Directors or, in his absence, by a deputy chairman or by a director specially deputy to this end by the Board. Failing this, the shareholders’ meeting shall itself designate a meeting chairman.

In the event of a summons by a statutory auditor or by an agent appointed by the court, the Meeting shall be presided over by the person issuing the summons.

 

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The two shareholders, present and accepting such duties, representing, both for themselves and as representatives, the largest number of votes shall act as scrutineers and vote counters.

The committee thus established shall designate a secretary, who may be taken from outside the members of the Meeting.

An attendance sheet shall be kept, in accordance with the conditions established by law.

Deliberations and resolutions of the General Meetings are recorded in minutes signed by the committee members and kept in a special register, in accordance with the law. Copies and extracts of these minutes shall be validly certified in accordance with the conditions established by law.

 

ARTICLE 30. QUORUM - VOTE

General Meetings, whether they are ordinary, extraordinary, or mixed, shall deliberate in accordance with the conditions for a quorum and majority as established in the provisions governing them, and shall exercise the powers assigned to them by the law.

The voting right attached to capital or dividend shares is proportional to the portion of capital that they represent. Each share gives the right to one vote.

A double voting right is nevertheless assigned, in accordance with legal conditions, to all shares fully paid up for which evidence is provided of nominal registration for at least two years in the name of the same shareholder, or in the name of a person holding such rights following a succession, a sharing of the community of property between spouses, or an inter vivos gift granted by a shareholder to his/her spouse or to a relative in the direct line of succession, or following a transfer resulting from a merger or a division of a shareholder company.

In the event of a capital increase through the incorporation of reserves, income, or issue premiums, the double voting right is granted, upon their issue, to nominal shares assigned free of charge to replace the previous shares already receiving such benefit.

The double voting right shall be duly withdrawn from any share having been converted to a bearer share or been subject to a transfer of ownership, except where this transfer results from a succession, a sharing of the community of property between spouses, or an inter vivos gift granted by a shareholder to his/her spouse or to a relative in the direct line of succession, or following a transfer resulting from a merger or a division of a shareholder company.

SECTION V

CORPORATE FINANCIAL YEAR - CORPORATE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -

ALLOCATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF PROFITS

 

ARTICLE 31. CORPORATE FINANCIAL YEAR

The corporate financial year is defined under Article 5.

 

ARTICLE 32. INVENTORY - ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

Regular accounts of Company operations shall be kept, in conformity with the law and commercial practices.

At the end of each financial year, the Board of Directors shall conduct an inventory of all the assets and liabilities. It shall also prepare the annual financial statements in conformity with the provisions of Part II, Book 1 of the Commercial Code.

It shall attach to the statement of financial position a statement of sureties, endorsements, and guarantees given by the Company and a statement of collateral pledged by it.

It shall prepare an annual report containing the information required by law.

The annual report shall include, where applicable, the Group’s annual report where the Company must prepare and publish consolidated financial statements as required law.

 

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Where applicable, the Board of Directors shall prepare accounting estimates as required by the law and regulations.

All these documents shall be provided to the auditor in accordance with legal and regulatory conditions.

 

ARTICLE 33. ALLOCATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF PROFITS

Amounts required by law for allocation to reserves shall be firstly withdrawn on the profits of each financial year, where applicable, decreased by prior losses.

As such, 5% of profits shall be allocated to establish the legal reserve; this allocation is no longer obligatory when this fund reaches ten percent of the capital stock; it shall resume its obligatory status where, for any reason, the legal reserve falls below this proportion.

The distributable profits are composed of the annual profits, less any prior losses and amounts allocated to reserves in application of the law or articles of incorporation, and increased by any profits carried forward.

From these profits, general meetings shall determine the portion assignable to shareholders in the form of a dividend, and may allocate any amounts such as it sees fit, to any funds whether optional, ordinary, or extraordinary, or to be carried forward.

However, in the event of a reduction in the capital, no distribution may be made to shareholders where the shareholders’ equity is or becomes, following such capital reduction, lower than the amount of the capital, increased by any reserves for which the law and the articles of incorporation prohibit distribution.

General meetings may decide on the distribution of amounts withdrawn from optional reserves, either to provide or to supplement a dividend, or by way of an exceptional distribution; in this case, the meeting’s decision shall expressly indicate the reserve items from which such withdrawal shall be made. However, dividends shall be given priority distribution over any distributable profits from the financial year.

Where existing and upon approval of the financial statements by the general meeting, losses shall be recorded in a special account to be offset by any profits in future financial years, until such losses have been completely discharged.

 

ARTICLE 34. PAYMENT OF DIVIDENDS

For all or part of a regularly distributed dividend or interim dividends, general meetings may grant shareholders an option between payment in cash or in shares, in accordance with legal conditions.

The methods for payment of dividends in cash shall be set by the general meeting or, failing this, by the Board of Directors.

 

ARTICLE 35. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY AT LESS THAN HALF THE CAPITAL STOCK

Where, due to losses identified in the accounting documents, the shareholders’ equity in the Company falls below half the capital stock, the Board of Directors is required, within four months following approval of the financial statements showing these losses, to call an extraordinary general meeting for the purpose of deciding whether early dissolution of the Company should take place.

Where dissolution is not decided on, the Company is required, at the latest by the end of the second financial year following that in which identification of the losses took place and subject to the provisions of Article L. 224-2 of the Commercial Code, to reduce its capital by an amount at least equal to that of the losses that could not be allocated to the reserves where, within this period, the shareholders’ equity has not been reestablished up to a value at least equal to half of the capital stock. In the event of non-fulfillment of these requirements, any interested party may seek dissolution of the Company through legal measures. However, the courts may not hand down a dissolution decision where, at the date on which the courts rule on the basis of substance, the situation has been regularized.

SECTION VI

DISSOLUTION - DISPUTES

 

ARTICLE 36. DISSOLUTION

 

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Upon expiry of the Company’s established duration or in the event of early dissolution, a general meeting shall decide on the liquidation methods and appoint one or more liquidators, whose powers it shall determine, and who shall perform their duties in compliance with the law.

 

ARTICLE 37. DISPUTES

All disputes such as may arise within the duration of the Company or after its dissolution during liquidation operations, either between the shareholders and the Company’s management and control bodies, or between the shareholders themselves, relative to business affairs or to the fulfillment of provisions of the articles of incorporation shall be decided on in conformity with the law and submitted to the jurisdiction of the competent courts.

 

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EX-4.2

Exhibit 4.2

 

 

 

ERYTECH PHARMA S.A.

AND

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON

                                                                                      As Depositary

AND

OWNERS AND HOLDERS OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

Amended and Restated Deposit Agreement

Dated as of November 9, 2017

 

 

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ARTICLE 1.

  DEFINITIONS      1  

SECTION 1.1.

 

American Depositary Shares

     2  

SECTION 1.2.

 

Commission

     2  

SECTION 1.3.

 

Company

     2  

SECTION 1.4.

 

Custodian

     2  

SECTION 1.5.

 

Delisting Event

     2  

SECTION 1.6.

 

Deliver; Surrender

     3  

SECTION 1.7.

 

Deposit Agreement

     3  

SECTION 1.8.

 

Depositary; Depositary’s Office

     3  

SECTION 1.9.

 

Deposited Securities

     4  

SECTION 1.10.

 

Disseminate

     4  

SECTION 1.11.

 

Dollars

     4  

SECTION 1.12.

 

DTC

     4  

SECTION 1.13.

 

Foreign Registrar

     4  

SECTION 1.14.

 

Holder

     4  

SECTION 1.15.

 

Insolvency Event

     5  

SECTION 1.16.

 

Owner

     5  

SECTION 1.17.

 

Receipts

     5  

SECTION 1.18.

 

Registrar

     5  

SECTION 1.19.

 

Replacement

     5  

SECTION 1.20.

 

Restricted Securities

     5  

SECTION 1.21.

 

Securities Act of 1933

     6  

SECTION 1.22.

 

Shares

     6  

SECTION 1.23.

 

SWIFT

     6  

SECTION 1.24.

 

Termination Option Event

     6  

ARTICLE 2.

 

FORM OF RECEIPTS, DEPOSIT OF SHARES, DELIVERY, TRANSFER AND SURRENDER OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

     6  

SECTION 2.1.

 

Form of Receipts; Registration and Transferability of American Depositary Shares

     6  

SECTION 2.2.

 

Deposit of Shares

     7  

SECTION 2.3.

 

Delivery of American Depositary Shares

     8  

SECTION 2.4.

 

Registration of Transfer of American Depositary Shares; Combination and Split-up of Receipts; Interchange of Certificated and Uncertificated American Depositary Shares

     9  

SECTION 2.5.

 

Surrender of American Depositary Shares and Withdrawal of Deposited Securities

     10  

 

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SECTION 2.6.

 

Limitations on Delivery, Transfer and Surrender of American Depositary Shares

     11  

SECTION 2.7.

 

Lost Receipts, etc.

     11  

SECTION 2.8.

 

Cancellation and Destruction of Surrendered Receipts

     12  

SECTION 2.9.

 

Pre-Release of American Depositary Shares

     12  

SECTION 2.10.

 

DTC Direct Registration System and Profile Modification System

     12  

ARTICLE 3.

 

CERTAIN OBLIGATIONS OF OWNERS AND HOLDERS OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

     13  

SECTION 3.1.

 

Filing Proofs, Certificates and Other Information

     13  

SECTION 3.2.

 

Liability of Owner for Taxes

     14  

SECTION 3.3.

 

Warranties on Deposit of Shares

     15  

SECTION 3.4.

 

Disclosure of Interests

     15  

ARTICLE 4.

 

THE DEPOSITED SECURITIES

     16  

SECTION 4.1.

 

Cash Distributions

     16  

SECTION 4.2.

 

Distributions Other Than Cash, Shares or Rights

     16  

SECTION 4.3.

 

Distributions in Shares

     17  

SECTION 4.4.

 

Rights

     18  

SECTION 4.5.

 

Conversion of Foreign Currency

     19  

SECTION 4.6.

 

Fixing of Record Date

     20  

SECTION 4.7.

 

Voting of Deposited Shares

     21  

SECTION 4.8.

 

Tender and Exchange Offers; Redemption, Replacement or Cancellation of Deposited Securities

     22  

SECTION 4.9.

 

Reports

     24  

SECTION 4.10.

 

Lists of Owners

     24  

SECTION 4.11.

 

Withholding

     24  

ARTICLE 5.

 

THE DEPOSITARY, THE CUSTODIANS AND THE COMPANY

     25  

SECTION 5.1.

 

Maintenance of Office and Transfer Books by the Depositary

     25  

SECTION 5.2.

 

Prevention or Delay in Performance by the Depositary or the Company

     25  

SECTION 5.3.

 

Obligations of the Depositary and the Company

     26  

SECTION 5.4.

 

Resignation and Removal of the Depositary

     27  

SECTION 5.5.

 

The Custodians

     28  

SECTION 5.6.

 

Notices and Reports

     28  

SECTION 5.7.

 

Distribution of Additional Shares, Rights, etc.

     29  

 

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SECTION 5.8.

 

Indemnification

     29  

SECTION 5.9.

 

Charges of Depositary

     30  

SECTION 5.10.

 

Retention of Depositary Documents

     31  

SECTION 5.11.

 

Exclusivity

     32  

ARTICLE 6.

 

AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION

     32  

SECTION 6.1.

 

Amendment

     32  

SECTION 6.2.

 

Termination

     32  

ARTICLE 7.

 

MISCELLANEOUS

     34  

SECTION 7.1.

 

Counterparts; Signatures

     34  

SECTION 7.2.

 

No Third Party Beneficiaries

     34  

SECTION 7.3.

 

Severability

     34  

SECTION 7.4.

 

Owners and Holders as Parties; Binding Effect

     34  

SECTION 7.5.

 

Notices

     34  

SECTION 7.6.

 

Appointment of Agent for Service of Process; Submission to Jurisdiction; Jury Trial Waiver

     35  

SECTION 7.7.

 

Waiver of Immunities

     36  

SECTION 7.8.

 

Governing Law

     36  

 

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AMENDED AND RESTATED DEPOSIT AGREEMENT

AMENDED AND RESTATED DEPOSIT AGREEMENT dated as of November 9, 2017 among ERYTECH PHARMA S.A., a company incorporated under the laws of France (herein called the Company), THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, a New York banking corporation (herein called the Depositary), and all Owners and Holders (each as hereinafter defined) from time to time of American Depositary Shares issued hereunder.

W I T N E S S E T H:

WHEREAS, the Company and the Depositary entered into a deposit agreement dated as of January 9, 2015 (the “Prior Deposit Agreement”) for the purposes stated in that agreement;

WHEREAS, the Company and the Depositary now wish to amend the Prior Deposit Agreement and the form of Receipt to reflect that the American Depositary Shares are listed on the Nasdaq Global Market and the Company has become a reporting company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and to provide additional disclosure language regarding the conversion of foreign currency;

WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide, as set forth in this Amended and Restated Deposit Agreement (herein called this Deposit Agreement), for the deposit of Shares (as hereinafter defined) of the Company from time to time with the Depositary or with the Custodian (as hereinafter defined) under this Deposit Agreement, for the creation of American Depositary Shares representing the Shares so deposited and for the execution and delivery of American Depositary Receipts evidencing the American Depositary Shares; and

WHEREAS, the American Depositary Receipts are to be substantially in the form of Exhibit A annexed to this Deposit Agreement, with appropriate insertions, modifications and omissions, as set forth in this Deposit Agreement;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises, it is agreed by and between the parties hereto that the Prior Deposit Agreement is hereby amended and restated as follows:

 

  ARTICLE 1. DEFINITIONS

The following definitions shall for all purposes, unless otherwise clearly indicated, apply to the respective terms used in this Deposit Agreement:

 

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SECTION 1.1.    American Depositary Shares.

The term “American Depositary Shares” shall mean the securities created under this Deposit Agreement representing rights with respect to the Deposited Securities. American Depositary Shares may be certificated securities evidenced by Receipts or uncertificated securities. The form of Receipt annexed as Exhibit A to this Deposit Agreement shall be the prospectus required under the Securities Act of 1933 for sales of both certificated and uncertificated American Depositary Shares. Except for those provisions of this Deposit Agreement that refer specifically to Receipts, all the provisions of this Deposit Agreement shall apply to both certificated and uncertificated American Depositary Shares.

Each American Depositary Share shall represent the number of Shares specified in Exhibit A to this Deposit Agreement, except that, if there is a distribution upon Deposited Securities covered by Section 4.3, a change in Deposited Securities covered by Section 4.8 with respect to which additional American Depositary Shares are not delivered or a sale of Deposited Securities under Section 3.2 or 4.8, each American Depositary Share shall thereafter represent the amount of Shares or other Deposited Securities that are then on deposit per American Depositary Share after giving effect to that distribution, change or sale.

SECTION 1.2.    Commission.

The term “Commission” shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States or any successor governmental agency in the United States.

SECTION 1.3.    Company.

The term “Company” shall mean ERYTECH Pharma S.A., a company incorporated under the laws of France, and its successors.

SECTION 1.4.    Custodian.

The term “Custodian” shall mean Société Générale, as custodian for the Depositary in Paris for the purposes of this Deposit Agreement, and any other firm or corporation the Depositary appoints under Section 5.5 as a substitute or additional custodian under this Deposit Agreement, and shall also mean all of them collectively.

SECTION 1.5.    Delisting Event.

A “Delisting Event” occurs if the American Depositary Shares are delisted from a securities exchange on which the American Depositary Shares were listed and the Company has not listed or applied to list the American Depositary Shares on any other securities exchange.

 

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SECTION 1.6.    Deliver; Surrender.

(a)    The term “deliver”, or its noun form, when used with respect to Shares or other Deposited Securities, shall mean (i) book-entry transfer of those Shares or other Deposited Securities to an account maintained by an institution authorized under applicable law to effect transfers of such securities designated by the person entitled to that delivery or (ii) physical transfer of certificates evidencing those Shares or other Deposited Securities registered in the name of, or duly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer to, the person entitled to that delivery.

(b)    The term “deliver”, or its noun form, when used with respect to American Depositary Shares, shall mean (i) registration of those American Depositary Shares in the name of DTC or its nominee and book-entry transfer of those American Depositary Shares to an account at DTC designated by the person entitled to that delivery, (ii) registration of those American Depositary Shares not evidenced by a Receipt on the books of the Depositary in the name requested by the person entitled to that delivery and mailing to that person of a statement confirming that registration or (iii) if requested by the person entitled to that delivery, execution and delivery at the Depositary’s Office to the person entitled to that delivery of one or more Receipts evidencing those American Depositary Shares registered in the name requested by that person.

(c)    The term “surrender”, when used with respect to American Depositary Shares, shall mean (i) one or more book-entry transfers of American Depositary Shares to the DTC account of the Depositary, (ii) delivery to the Depositary at its Office of an instruction to surrender American Depositary Shares not evidenced by a Receipt or (iii) surrender to the Depositary at its Office of one or more Receipts evidencing American Depositary Shares.

SECTION 1.7.    Deposit Agreement.

The term “Deposit Agreement” shall mean this Amended and Restated Deposit Agreement, as it may be amended from time to time in accordance with the provisions hereof.

SECTION 1.8.    Depositary; Depositarys Office.

The term “Depositary” shall mean The Bank of New York Mellon, a New York banking corporation, and any successor as depositary under this Deposit Agreement. The term “Office”, when used with respect to the Depositary, shall mean the office at which its depositary receipts business is administered, which, at the date of this Deposit Agreement, is located at 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286.

 

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SECTION 1.9.    Deposited Securities.

The term “Deposited Securities” as of any time shall mean Shares at such time deposited or deemed to be deposited under this Deposit Agreement, including without limitation, Shares that have not been successfully delivered upon surrender of American Depositary Shares, and any and all other securities, property and cash received by the Depositary or the Custodian in respect of Deposited Securities and at that time held under this Deposit Agreement.

SECTION 1.10.    Disseminate.

The term “Disseminate,” when referring to a notice or other information to be sent by the Depositary to Owners, shall mean (i) sending that information to Owners in paper form by mail or another means or (ii) with the consent of Owners, another procedure that has the effect of making the information available to Owners, which may include (A) sending the information by electronic mail or electronic messaging or (B) sending in paper form or by electronic mail or messaging a statement that the information is available and may be accessed by the Owner on an Internet website and that it will be sent in paper form upon request by the Owner, when that information is so available and is sent in paper form as promptly as practicable upon request.

SECTION 1.11.    Dollars.

The term “Dollars” shall mean United States dollars.

SECTION 1.12.    DTC.

The term “DTC” shall mean The Depository Trust Company or its successor.

SECTION 1.13.    Foreign Registrar.

The term “Foreign Registrar” shall mean the entity that carries out the duties of registrar for the Shares and any other agent of the Company for the transfer and registration of Shares, including, without limitation, any securities depository for the Shares.

SECTION 1.14.    Holder.

The term “Holder” shall mean any person holding a Receipt or a security entitlement or other interest in American Depositary Shares, whether for its own account or for the account of another person, but that is not the Owner of that Receipt or those American Depositary Shares.

 

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SECTION 1.15.    Insolvency Event.

An “Insolvency Event” occurs if the Company institutes proceedings to be adjudicated as bankrupt or insolvent, consents to the institution of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings against it, files a petition or answer or consent seeking reorganization or relief under any applicable law in respect of bankruptcy or insolvency, consents to the filing of any petition of that kind or to the appointment of a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian or sequestrator (or other similar official) of it or any substantial part of its property or makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or if information becomes publicly available indicating that unsecured claims against the Company are not expected to be paid.

SECTION 1.16.    Owner.

The term “Owner” shall mean the person in whose name American Depositary Shares are registered on the books of the Depositary maintained for that purpose.

SECTION 1.17.    Receipts.

The term “Receipts” shall mean the American Depositary Receipts issued under this Deposit Agreement evidencing certificated American Depositary Shares, as the same may be amended from time to time in accordance with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement.

SECTION 1.18.    Registrar.

The term “Registrar” shall mean any corporation or other entity that is appointed by the Depositary to register American Depositary Shares and transfers of American Depositary Shares as provided in this Deposit Agreement.

SECTION 1.19.    Replacement.

The term “Replacement” shall have the meaning assigned to it in Section 4.8.

SECTION 1.20.    Restricted Securities.

The term “Restricted Securities” shall mean Shares that (i) are “restricted securities,” as defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, except for Shares that could be resold in reliance on Rule 144 without any conditions, (ii) are beneficially owned by an officer, director (or person performing similar functions) or other affiliate of the Company, (iii) otherwise would require registration under the Securities Act of 1933 in connection with the public offer and sale thereof in the United States or (iv) are subject

 

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to other restrictions on sale or deposit under the laws of France, a shareholder agreement or the articles of association or similar document of the Company.

SECTION 1.21.    Securities Act of 1933.

The term “Securities Act of 1933” shall mean the United States Securities Act of 1933, as from time to time amended.

SECTION 1.22.    Shares.

The term “Shares” shall mean ordinary shares of the Company that are validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and nonassessable and that were not issued in violation of any pre-emptive or similar rights of the holders of outstanding securities of the Company; provided, however, that, if there shall occur any change in nominal or par value, a split-up or consolidation or any other reclassification or, upon the occurrence of an event described in Section 4.8, an exchange or conversion in respect of the Shares of the Company, the term “Shares” shall thereafter also mean the successor securities resulting from such change in nominal value, split-up or consolidation or such other reclassification or such exchange or conversion.

SECTION 1.23.    SWIFT.

The term “SWIFT” shall mean the financial messaging network operated by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or its successor.

SECTION 1.24.    Termination Option Event.

The term “Termination Option Event” shall mean an event of a kind defined as such in Section 4.1, 4.2 or 4.8.

 

ARTICLE 2. FORM OF RECEIPTS, DEPOSIT OF SHARES, DELIVERY, TRANSFER AND SURRENDER OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

SECTION 2.1.    Form of Receipts; Registration and Transferability of American Depositary Shares.

Definitive Receipts shall be substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit A to this Deposit Agreement, with appropriate insertions, modifications and omissions, as permitted under this Deposit Agreement. No Receipt shall be entitled to any benefits under this Deposit Agreement or be valid or obligatory for any purpose, unless that Receipt has been (i) executed by the Depositary by the manual signature of a duly authorized officer of the Depositary or (ii) executed by the facsimile signature of a duly authorized officer of the Depositary and countersigned by the manual signature of a duly authorized signatory of the Depositary or the Registrar or a co-registrar. The Depositary

 

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shall maintain books on which (x) each Receipt so executed and delivered as provided in this Deposit Agreement and each transfer of that Receipt and (y) all American Depositary Shares delivered as provided in this Deposit Agreement and all registrations of transfer of American Depositary Shares, shall be registered. A Receipt bearing the facsimile signature of a person that was at any time a proper officer of the Depositary shall, subject to the other provisions of this paragraph, bind the Depositary, even if that person was not a proper officer of the Depositary on the date of issuance of that Receipt.

The Receipts and statements confirming registration of American Depositary Shares may have incorporated in or attached to them such legends or recitals or modifications not inconsistent with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement as may be required by the Depositary or required to comply with any applicable law or regulations thereunder or with the rules and regulations of any securities exchange upon which American Depositary Shares may be listed or to conform with any usage with respect thereto, or to indicate any special limitations or restrictions to which any particular Receipts and American Depositary Shares are subject by reason of the date of issuance of the underlying Deposited Securities or otherwise.

American Depositary Shares evidenced by a Receipt, when the Receipt is properly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer, shall be transferable as certificated registered securities under the laws of the State of New York. American Depositary Shares not evidenced by Receipts shall be transferable as uncertificated registered securities under the laws of the State of New York. The Depositary, notwithstanding any notice to the contrary, may treat the Owner of American Depositary Shares as the absolute owner thereof for the purpose of determining the person entitled to distribution of dividends or other distributions or to any notice provided for in this Deposit Agreement and for all other purposes, and neither the Depositary nor the Company shall have any obligation or be subject to any liability under this Deposit Agreement to any Holder of American Depositary Shares (but only to the Owner of those American Depositary Shares).

SECTION 2.2.    Deposit of Shares.

Subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, Shares or evidence of rights to receive Shares may be deposited under this Deposit Agreement by delivery thereof to any Custodian, accompanied by any appropriate instruments or instructions for transfer, or endorsement, in form satisfactory to the Custodian.

As conditions of accepting Shares for deposit, the Depositary may require (i) any certification required by the Depositary or the Custodian in accordance with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement, (ii) a written order directing the Depositary to deliver to, or upon the written order of, the person or persons stated in that order American Depositary Shares representing those deposited Shares, (iii) evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that those Shares have been re-registered in the books of the Company or the Foreign Registrar in the name of the Depositary, a Custodian or a

 

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nominee of the Depositary or a Custodian, (iv) evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that any necessary approval has been granted by any governmental body in each applicable jurisdiction and (v) an agreement or assignment, or other instrument satisfactory to the Depositary, that provides for the prompt transfer to the Custodian of any dividend, or right to subscribe for additional Shares or to receive other property, that any person in whose name those Shares are or have been recorded may thereafter receive upon or in respect of those Shares, or, in lieu thereof, such agreement of indemnity or other agreement as shall be satisfactory to the Depositary.

At the request and risk and expense of a person proposing to deposit Shares, and for the account of that person, the Depositary may receive certificates for Shares to be deposited, together with the other instruments specified in this Section, for the purpose of forwarding those Share certificates to the Custodian for deposit under this Deposit Agreement.

The Depositary shall instruct each Custodian that, upon each delivery to a Custodian of a certificate or certificates for Shares to be deposited under this Deposit Agreement, together with the other documents specified in this Section, that Custodian shall, as soon as transfer and recordation can be accomplished, present that certificate or those certificates to the Company or the Foreign Registrar, if applicable, for transfer and recordation of the Shares being deposited in the name of the Depositary or its nominee or that Custodian or its nominee.

Deposited Securities shall be held by the Depositary or by a Custodian for the account and to the order of the Depositary or at such other place or places as the Depositary shall determine.

SECTION 2.3.    Delivery of American Depositary Shares.

The Depositary shall instruct each Custodian that, upon receipt by that Custodian of any deposit pursuant to Section 2.2, together with the other documents or evidence required under that Section, that Custodian shall notify the Depositary of that deposit and the person or persons to whom or upon whose written order American Depositary Shares are deliverable in respect thereof. Upon receiving a notice of a deposit from a Custodian, or upon the receipt of Shares or evidence of the right to receive Shares by the Depositary, the Depositary, subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, shall deliver, to or upon the order of the person or persons entitled thereto, the number of American Depositary Shares issuable in respect of that deposit, but only upon payment to the Depositary of the fees and expenses of the Depositary for the delivery of those American Depositary Shares as provided in Section 5.9, and of all taxes and governmental charges and fees payable in connection with that deposit and the transfer of the deposited Shares. However, the Depositary shall deliver only whole numbers of American Depositary Shares.

 

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SECTION 2.4.    Registration of Transfer of American Depositary Shares; Combination and Split-up of Receipts; Interchange of Certificated and Uncertificated American Depositary Shares.

The Depositary, subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, shall register a transfer of American Depositary Shares on its transfer books upon (i) in the case of certificated American Depositary Shares, surrender of the Receipt evidencing those American Depositary Shares, by the Owner or by a duly authorized attorney, properly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer or (ii) in the case of uncertificated American Depositary Shares, receipt from the Owner of a proper instruction (including, for the avoidance of doubt, instructions through DRS and Profile as provided in Section 2.10), and, in either case, duly stamped as may be required by the laws of the State of New York and of the United States of America. Upon registration of a transfer, the Depositary shall deliver the transferred American Depositary Shares to or upon the order of the person entitled thereto.

The Depositary, subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, shall upon surrender of a Receipt or Receipts for the purpose of effecting a split-up or combination of such Receipt or Receipts, execute and deliver a new Receipt or Receipts for any authorized number of American Depositary Shares requested, evidencing the same aggregate number of American Depositary Shares as the Receipt or Receipts surrendered.

The Depositary, upon surrender of certificated American Depositary Shares for the purpose of exchanging for uncertificated American Depositary Shares, shall cancel the Receipt evidencing those certificated American Depositary Shares and send the Owner a statement confirming that the Owner is the owner of the same number of uncertificated American Depositary Shares. The Depositary, upon receipt of a proper instruction (including, for the avoidance of doubt, instructions through DRS and Profile as provided in Section 2.10) from the Owner of uncertificated American Depositary Shares for the purpose of exchanging for certificated American Depositary Shares, shall cancel those uncertificated American Depositary Shares and register and deliver to the Owner a Receipt evidencing the same number of certificated American Depositary Shares.

The Depositary may appoint one or more co-transfer agents for the purpose of effecting registration of transfers of American Depositary Shares and combinations and split-ups of Receipts at designated transfer offices on behalf of the Depositary, and the Depositary shall notify the Company of any such appointment. In carrying out its functions, a co-transfer agent may require evidence of authority and compliance with applicable laws and other requirements by Owners or persons entitled to American Depositary Shares and will be entitled to protection and indemnity to the same extent as the Depositary.

 

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SECTION 2.5.    Surrender of American Depositary Shares and Withdrawal of Deposited Securities.

Upon surrender at the Depositary’s Office of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal of the Deposited Securities represented thereby and payment of the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of American Depositary Shares as provided in Section 5.9 and payment of all taxes and governmental charges payable in connection with that surrender and withdrawal of the Deposited Securities, and subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, the Owner of those American Depositary Shares shall be entitled to delivery (to the extent delivery can then be lawfully and practicably made), to or as instructed by that Owner, of the amount of Deposited Securities at the time represented by those American Depositary Shares, but not any money or other property as to which a record date for distribution to Owners has passed. That delivery shall be made, as provided in this Section, without unreasonable delay.

As a condition of accepting a surrender of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal of Deposited Securities, the Depositary may require (i) that each surrendered Receipt be properly endorsed in blank or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer in blank and (ii) that the surrendering Owner execute and deliver to the Depositary a written order directing the Depositary to cause the Deposited Securities being withdrawn to be delivered to or upon the written order of a person or persons designated in that order.

Thereupon, the Depositary shall direct the Custodian to deliver, subject to Sections 2.6, 3.1 and 3.2, the other terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement and local market rules and practices, to the surrendering Owner or to or upon the written order of the person or persons designated in the order delivered to the Depositary as above provided, the amount of Deposited Securities represented by the surrendered American Depositary Shares.

At the request, risk and expense of an Owner surrendering American Depositary Shares for withdrawal of Deposited Securities, and for the account of that Owner, the Depositary shall direct the Custodian to forward any cash or other property comprising, and forward a certificate or certificates, if applicable, and other proper documents of title, if any, for, the Deposited Securities represented by the surrendered American Depositary Shares to the Depositary for delivery at the Depositary’s Office or to another address specified in the order received from the surrendering Owner.

The Depositary shall direct the Custodian to make delivery of Deposited Securities and may charge the surrendering Owner a fee and the Depositary’s expenses for doing so.

 

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SECTION 2.6.    Limitations on Delivery, Transfer and Surrender of American Depositary Shares.

As a condition precedent to the delivery, registration of transfer or surrender of any American Depositary Shares or split-up or combination of any Receipt or withdrawal of any Deposited Securities, the Depositary, Custodian or Registrar may require payment from the depositor of Shares or the presenter of the Receipt or instruction for registration of transfer or surrender of American Depositary Shares not evidenced by a Receipt of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any tax or other governmental charge and any stock transfer or registration fee with respect thereto (including any such tax or charge and fee with respect to Shares being deposited or withdrawn) and payment of any applicable fees as provided in this Deposit Agreement, may require the production of proof satisfactory to it as to the identity and genuineness of any signature and may also require compliance with any regulations the Depositary may establish consistent with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement, including, without limitation, this Section 2.6.

The delivery of American Depositary Shares against deposit of Shares generally or against deposit of particular Shares may be suspended, or the registration of transfer of American Depositary Shares in particular instances may be refused, or the registration of transfer of outstanding American Depositary Shares generally may be suspended, during any period when the transfer books of the Depositary are closed, or if any such action is deemed necessary or advisable by the Depositary or the Company at any time or from time to time because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body or commission, or under any provision of this Deposit Agreement, or for any other reason. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Deposit Agreement, the surrender of outstanding American Depositary Shares and withdrawal of Deposited Securities may not be suspended, subject only to (i) temporary delays caused by closing the transfer books of the Depositary or the Company or the Foreign Registrar, if applicable, or the deposit of Shares in connection with voting at a shareholders’ meeting, or the payment of dividends, (ii) the payment of fees, taxes and similar charges, and (iii) compliance with any U.S. or foreign laws or governmental regulations relating to the American Depositary Shares or to the withdrawal of the Deposited Securities; in each case, the Depositary shall notify the Company as promptly as practicable of any such suspension or delay that is outside the ordinary course of business.

The Depositary shall not knowingly accept for deposit under this Deposit Agreement any Shares that, at the time of deposit, are Restricted Securities.

SECTION 2.7.    Lost Receipts, etc.

If a Receipt is mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen, the Depositary shall deliver to the Owner the American Depositary Shares evidenced by that Receipt in uncertificated form or, if requested by the Owner, execute and deliver a new Receipt of like tenor in exchange and substitution for such mutilated Receipt, upon surrender and

 

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cancellation of that mutilated Receipt, or in lieu of and in substitution for that destroyed, lost or stolen Receipt. However, before the Depositary will deliver American Depositary Shares in uncertificated form or execute and deliver a new Receipt, in substitution for a destroyed, lost or stolen Receipt, the Owner must (a) file with the Depositary (i) a request for that replacement before the Depositary has notice that the Receipt has been acquired by a bona fide purchaser and (ii) a sufficient indemnity bond and (b) satisfy any other reasonable requirements imposed by the Depositary.

SECTION 2.8.    Cancellation and Destruction of Surrendered Receipts.

The Depositary shall cancel all Receipts surrendered to it and is authorized to destroy Receipts so cancelled.

SECTION 2.9.    Pre-Release of American Depositary Shares.

Notwithstanding Section 2.3, and unless otherwise instructed in writing by the Company, the Depositary may deliver American Depositary Shares prior to the receipt of Shares pursuant to Section 2.2 (a “Pre-Release”). The Depositary may, pursuant to Section 2.5, deliver Shares upon the surrender of American Depositary Shares that have been Pre-Released, whether or not that surrender is prior to the termination of that Pre-Release or the Depositary knows that those American Depositary Shares have been Pre-Released. The Depositary may receive American Depositary Shares in lieu of Shares in satisfaction of a Pre-Release. Each Pre-Release must be (a) preceded or accompanied by a written representation from the person to whom American Depositary Shares or Shares are to be delivered, that such person, or its customer, owns the Shares or American Depositary Shares to be remitted, as the case may be, (b) at all times fully collateralized with cash or such other collateral as the Depositary deems appropriate, (c) terminable by the Depositary on not more than five (5) business days’ notice, and (d) subject to all indemnities and credit regulations that the Depositary deems appropriate. The number of American Depositary Shares outstanding at any time as a result of Pre-Release will not normally exceed thirty percent (30%) of all American Depositary Shares outstanding; provided, however, that the Depositary reserves the right to change or disregard that limit from time to time as it deems appropriate.

The Depositary may retain for its own account any compensation received by it in connection with Pre-Release.

SECTION 2.10.    DTC Direct Registration System and Profile Modification System.

(a)    Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2.4, the parties acknowledge that DTC’s Direct Registration System (“DRS”) and Profile Modification System (“Profile”) apply to the American Depositary Shares upon acceptance thereof to DRS by DTC. DRS is the system administered by DTC that facilitates interchange between registered holding of uncertificated securities and holding of security

 

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entitlements in those securities through DTC and a DTC participant. Profile is a required feature of DRS that allows a DTC participant, claiming to act on behalf of an Owner of American Depositary Shares, to direct the Depositary to register a transfer of those American Depositary Shares to DTC or its nominee and to deliver those American Depositary Shares to the DTC account of that DTC participant without receipt by the Depositary of prior authorization from the Owner to register that transfer.

(b)    In connection with DRS/Profile, the parties acknowledge that the Depositary will not determine whether the DTC participant that is claiming to be acting on behalf of an Owner in requesting a registration of transfer and delivery as described in paragraph (a) above has the actual authority to act on behalf of that Owner (notwithstanding any requirements under the Uniform Commercial Code). For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of Sections 5.3 and 5.8 apply to the matters arising from the use of the DRS/Profile. The parties agree that the Depositary’s reliance on and compliance with instructions received by the Depositary through the DRS/Profile system and otherwise in accordance with this Deposit Agreement shall not constitute negligence or bad faith on the part of the Depositary.

 

ARTICLE 3. CERTAIN OBLIGATIONS OF OWNERS AND HOLDERS OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

SECTION 3.1.    Filing Proofs, Certificates and Other Information.

Any person presenting Shares for deposit or any Owner or Holder may be required from time to time to file with the Depositary or the Custodian such proof of citizenship or residence, exchange control approval, or such information relating to the registration on the books of the Company or the Foreign Registrar, if applicable, to execute such certificates and to make such representations and warranties, as the Depositary may deem necessary or proper. The Depositary may withhold the delivery or registration of transfer of American Depositary Shares, the distribution of any dividend or other distribution or of the proceeds thereof or the delivery of any Deposited Securities until that proof or other information is filed or those certificates are executed or those representations and warranties are made.

Each Holder and Owner agrees to comply with requests from the Company pursuant to applicable law and regulations, the rules and requirements of the Euronext Paris stock exchange, the Nasdaq Global Market and of any other stock exchange on which the Shares or American Depositary Shares are, or may be, registered, traded or listed and any book-entry settlement system or the articles of association or similar document of the Company, which are made to provide information, inter alia, as to the capacity in which such Holder or Owner owns American Depositary Shares (and Shares, as the case may be) and regarding the identity of any other person(s) interested in such American Depositary Shares and the nature of such interest and various other matters, whether or not they are Holders or Owners at the time of such request. The Depositary agrees to use its reasonable efforts to forward, upon the request of the

 

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Company and at the Company’s expense (unless otherwise agreed between the Company and the Depositary), any such request from the Company to the Owners and to forward to the Company any such responses to such requests received by the Depositary, to the extent that disclosure is permitted under applicable law.

Holders and Owners of American Depositary Shares may be required from time to time, and in a timely manner, to file such proof of taxpayer status, residence and beneficial ownership (as applicable), to execute such certificates and to make such representations and warranties, or to provide any other information or documents, as the Company, the Depositary or the Custodian may deem necessary or proper to fulfill the Company’s, the Depositary’s or the Custodian’s obligations under applicable law.

SECTION 3.2.    Liability of Owner for Taxes.

If any tax or other governmental charge shall become payable by the Company, the Custodian or the Depositary with respect to or in connection with any American Depositary Shares or any Deposited Securities represented by any American Depositary Shares or in connection with a transaction to which Section 4.8 applies, that tax or other governmental charge shall be payable by the Owner of those American Depositary Shares to the Company or the Depositary (for further payment to the Custodian if applicable). The Depositary may refuse to register any transfer of those American Depositary Shares or any withdrawal of Deposited Securities represented by those American Depositary Shares until that payment is made, and may withhold any dividends or other distributions or the proceeds thereof, or may sell for the account of the Owner any part or all of the Deposited Securities represented by those American Depositary Shares and apply those dividends or other distributions or the net proceeds of any sale of that kind in payment of that tax or other governmental charge but, even after a sale of that kind, the Owner of those American Depositary Shares shall remain liable for any deficiency. The Depositary shall distribute any net proceeds of a sale made under this Section that are not used to pay taxes or governmental charges to the Owners entitled to them in accordance with Section 4.1. If the number of Shares represented by each American Depositary Share decreases as a result of a sale of Deposited Securities under this Section, the Depositary may call for surrender of the American Depositary Shares to be exchanged on a mandatory basis for a lesser number of American Depositary Shares and may sell American Depositary Shares to the extent necessary to avoid distributing fractions of American Depositary Shares in that exchange and distribute the net proceeds of that sale to the Owners entitled to them.

Every Holder and Owner agrees to indemnify the Depositary, the Company, the Custodian, and any of their respective agents, directors, officers, employees and affiliates (as such term is defined in Regulation C under the Securities Act of 1933) for, and to hold each of them harmless from, any claims by any governmental authority or any other entity or person with respect to taxes, additions to tax, penalties or interest arising out of any refund of taxes, reduced rate of withholding at source or other

 

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tax benefit obtained. The obligations of Holders and Owners of American Depositary Shares under this Section 3.2 of the Deposit Agreement shall survive any transfer of American Depositary Shares, any surrender of American Depositary Shares and withdrawal of Deposited Securities, as well as the termination of the Deposit Agreement.

SECTION 3.3.    Warranties on Deposit of Shares.

Every person depositing Shares under this Deposit Agreement shall be deemed thereby to represent and warrant that those Shares and each certificate therefor, if applicable, are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and were not issued in violation of any preemptive or similar rights of the holders of outstanding securities of the Company and that the person making that deposit is duly authorized so to do. Every depositing person shall also be deemed to represent that the Shares, at the time of deposit, are not Restricted Securities. All representations and warranties deemed made under this Section shall survive the deposit of Shares and delivery of American Depositary Shares.

SECTION 3.4.    Disclosure of Interests.

In order to comply with applicable laws and regulations or the articles of association or similar document of the Company, the Company may from time to time request each Owner and Holder to provide to the Depositary information relating to: (a) the capacity in which it holds American Depositary Shares, (b) the identity of any Holders or other persons or entities then or previously interested in those American Depositary Shares and the nature of those interests and (c) any other matter where disclosure of such matter is required for that compliance. Each Owner and Holder agrees to provide all information known to it in response to a request made pursuant to this Section. Each Holder consents to the disclosure by the Owner or any other Holder through which it holds American Depositary Shares, directly or indirectly, of all information responsive to a request made pursuant to this Section relating to that Holder that is known to that Owner or other Holder. The Depositary agrees to use reasonable efforts, at the Company’s expense (unless otherwise agreed between the Company and the Depositary), to comply with written instructions requesting that the Depositary forward any request authorized under this Section to the Owners and to forward to the Company any responses it receives in response to that request.

Each Owner and Holder of American Depositary Shares further agrees to comply with the laws and regulations of the United States and the Republic of France (if and to the extent applicable) with respect to the disclosure requirements regarding beneficial ownership of Shares, all as if the American Depositary Shares were the Shares represented thereby, which is deemed to include, inter alia, requirements to make notifications and filings within the required timeframes to the Company, to the Commission, to the French Autorité des Marchés Financiers and any other authorities in the United States or in the Republic of France. The Company reserves the right to instruct Holders to deliver their American Depositary Shares for cancellation and withdrawal of the Deposited Securities so as to permit the Company to deal directly with the Holder

 

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thereof as a holder of Shares and Holders agree to comply with such instructions. The Depositary agrees to cooperate with the Company in its efforts to inform Holders of the Company’s exercise of its rights under this paragraph and agrees to consult with, and provide reasonable assistance without risk, liability or expense on the part of the Depositary, to the Company on the manner or manners in which it may enforce such rights with respect to any Holder.

 

  ARTICLE 4. THE DEPOSITED SECURITIES

SECTION 4.1.    Cash Distributions.

Whenever the Depositary receives any cash dividend or other cash distribution on Deposited Securities, the Depositary shall, subject to the provisions of Section 4.5, convert that dividend or other distribution into Dollars and distribute the amount thus received (net of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9) to the Owners entitled thereto, in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares representing those Deposited Securities held by them respectively; provided, however, that if the Custodian or the Depositary shall be required to withhold and does withhold from that cash dividend or other cash distribution an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges, the amount distributed to the Owners of the American Depositary Shares representing those Deposited Securities shall be reduced accordingly. However, the depositary will not pay any Owner a fraction of one cent, but will round each Owner’s entitlement to the nearest whole cent.

The Company or its agent will remit to the appropriate governmental agency in each applicable jurisdiction all amounts withheld and owing to such agency. The Depositary will forward to the Company or its agent such information from its records as the Company may reasonably request to enable the Company or its agent to file necessary reports with governmental agencies.

If a cash distribution would represent a return of all or substantially all the value of the Deposited Securities underlying American Depositary Shares, the Depositary may require surrender of those American Depositary Shares and may require payment of or deduct the fee for surrender of American Depositary Shares (whether or not it is also requiring surrender of American Depositary Shares) as a condition of making that cash distribution. A distribution of that kind shall be a Termination Option Event.

SECTION 4.2.    Distributions Other Than Cash, Shares or Rights.

Subject to the provisions of Sections 4.11 and 5.9, whenever the Depositary receives any distribution other than a distribution described in Section 4.1, 4.3 or 4.4 on Deposited Securities (but not in exchange for or in conversion or in lieu of Deposited Securities), the Depositary shall cause the securities or property received by it

 

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to be distributed to the Owners entitled thereto, after deduction or upon payment of any fees and expenses of the Depositary and any taxes or other governmental charges, in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares representing such Deposited Securities held by them respectively, in any manner that the Depositary deems equitable and practicable for accomplishing that distribution (which may be a distribution of depositary shares representing the securities received); provided, however, that if in the opinion of the Depositary such distribution cannot be made proportionately among the Owners entitled thereto, or if for any other reason (including, but not limited to, any requirement that the Company or the Depositary withhold an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges or that securities received must be registered under the Securities Act of 1933 in order to be distributed to Owners or Holders) the Depositary, after consultation with the Company to the extent practicable, deems such distribution not to be lawful and feasible, the Depositary may adopt such other method as it may deem equitable and practicable for the purpose of effecting such distribution, including, but not limited to, the public or private sale of the securities or property thus received, or any part thereof, and distribution of the net proceeds of any such sale (net of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9) to the Owners entitled thereto, all in the manner and subject to the conditions set forth in Section 4.1. The Depositary may withhold any distribution of securities under this Section 4.2 if it has not received satisfactory assurances from the Company that the distribution does not require registration under the Securities Act of 1933. The Depositary may sell, by public or private sale, an amount of securities or other property it would otherwise distribute under this Section 4.2 that is sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in respect of that distribution.

If a distribution under this Section 4.2 would represent a return of all or substantially all the value of the Deposited Securities underlying American Depositary Shares, the Depositary may require surrender of those American Depositary Shares and may require payment of or deduct the fee for surrender of American Depositary Shares (whether or not it is also requiring surrender of American Depositary Shares) as a condition of making that distribution. A distribution of that kind shall be a Termination Option Event.

SECTION 4.3.    Distributions in Shares.

Whenever the Depositary receives any distribution on Deposited Securities consisting of a dividend in, or free distribution of, Shares, the Depositary may deliver to the Owners entitled thereto, in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares representing those Deposited Securities held by them respectively, an aggregate number of American Depositary Shares representing the amount of Shares received as that dividend or free distribution, subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement with respect to the deposit of Shares and issuance of American Depositary Shares, including withholding of any tax or governmental charge as provided in Section 4.11 and payment of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in

 

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Section 5.9 (and the Depositary may sell, by public or private sale, an amount of the Shares received (or American Depositary Shares representing those Shares) sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in respect of that distribution). In lieu of delivering fractional American Depositary Shares, the Depositary may sell the amount of Shares represented by the aggregate of those fractions (or American Depositary Shares representing those Shares) and distribute the net proceeds, all in the manner and subject to the conditions described in Section 4.1. If and to the extent that additional American Depositary Shares are not so delivered and Shares or American Depositary Shares are not so sold, each American Depositary Share shall thenceforth also represent the additional Shares distributed on the Deposited Securities represented thereby.

If the Company declares a distribution in which holders of Deposited Securities have a right to elect whether to receive cash, Shares or other securities or a combination of those things, or a right to elect to have a distribution sold on their behalf, the Depositary may, after consultation with the Company, make that right of election available for exercise by Owners in any manner the Depositary considers to be lawful and practical. As a condition of making a distribution election right available to Owners, the Depositary may require satisfactory assurances from the Company that doing so does not require registration of any securities under the Securities Act of 1933.

SECTION 4.4.    Rights.

(a)    If rights are granted to the Depositary in respect of deposited Shares to purchase additional Shares or other securities, the Company and the Depositary shall endeavor to consult as to the actions, if any, the Depositary should take in connection with that grant of rights. The Depositary may, to the extent deemed by it to be lawful and practical (i) if requested in writing by the Company, grant to all or certain Owners rights to instruct the Depositary to purchase the securities to which the rights relate and deliver those securities or American Depositary Shares representing those securities to Owners, (ii) if requested in writing by the Company, deliver the rights to or to the order of certain Owners, or (iii) sell the rights to the extent practicable and distribute the net proceeds of that sale to Owners entitled to those proceeds. To the extent rights are not exercised, delivered or disposed of under (i), (ii) or (iii) above, the Depositary shall permit the rights to lapse unexercised.

(b)    If the Depositary will act under (a)(i) above, the Company and the Depositary will enter into a separate agreement setting forth the conditions and procedures applicable to the particular offering. Upon instruction from an applicable Owner in the form the Depositary specified and upon payment by that Owner to the Depositary of an amount equal to the purchase price of the securities to be received upon the exercise of the rights, the Depositary shall, on behalf of that Owner, exercise the rights and purchase the securities. The purchased securities shall be delivered to, or as instructed by, the Depositary. The Depositary shall (i) deposit the purchased Shares under this Deposit Agreement and deliver American Depositary Shares representing

 

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those Shares to that Owner or (ii) deliver or cause the purchased Shares or other securities to be delivered to or to the order of that Owner. The Depositary will not act under (a)(i) above unless the offer and sale of the securities to which the rights relate are registered under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Depositary has received an opinion of United States counsel that is satisfactory to it to the effect that those securities may be sold and delivered to the applicable Owners without registration under the Securities Act of 1933.

(c)    If the Depositary will act under (a)(ii) above, the Company and the Depositary will enter into a separate agreement setting forth the conditions and procedures applicable to the particular offering. Upon (i) the request of an applicable Owner to deliver the rights allocable to the American Depositary Shares of that Owner to an account specified by that Owner to which the rights can be delivered and (ii) receipt of such documents as the Company and the Depositary agreed to require to comply with applicable law, the Depositary will deliver those rights as requested by that Owner.

(d)    If the Depositary will act under (a)(iii) above, the Depositary will use reasonable efforts to sell the rights in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by the applicable Owners and pay the net proceeds to the Owners otherwise entitled to the rights that were sold, upon an averaged or other practical basis without regard to any distinctions among such Owners because of exchange restrictions or the date of delivery of any American Depositary Shares or otherwise.

(e)    Payment or deduction of the fees of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9 and payment or deduction of the expenses of the Depositary and any applicable taxes or other governmental charges shall be conditions of any delivery of securities or payment of cash proceeds under this Section 4.4.

(f)    The Depositary shall not be responsible for any failure to determine that it may be lawful or feasible to make rights available to or exercise rights on behalf of Owners in general or any Owner in particular, or to sell rights.

SECTION 4.5.    Conversion of Foreign Currency.

Whenever the Depositary or the Custodian receives foreign currency, by way of dividends or other distributions or the net proceeds from the sale of securities, property or rights, and if at the time of the receipt thereof the foreign currency so received can in the judgment of the Depositary be converted on a reasonable basis into Dollars and the resulting Dollars transferred to the United States, the Depositary shall convert or cause to be converted by sale or in any other manner that it may determine that foreign currency into Dollars, and those Dollars shall be distributed to the Owners entitled thereto. A cash distribution may be made upon an averaged or other practicable basis without regard to any distinctions among Owners based on exchange restrictions, the date of delivery of any American Depositary Shares or otherwise and shall be net of

 

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any expenses of conversion into Dollars incurred by the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9.

If a conversion of foreign currency or the repatriation or distribution of Dollars can be effected only with the approval or license of any government or agency thereof, the Depositary may, but will not be required to, file an application for that approval or license.

If the Depositary, after consultation with the Company to the extent practicable, determines that in its judgment any foreign currency received by the Depositary or the Custodian is not convertible on a reasonable basis into Dollars transferable to the United States, or if any approval or license of any government or agency thereof that is required for such conversion is not filed or sought by the Depositary, or if any required approval or license is not obtained within a reasonable period as determined by the Depositary, the Depositary may distribute the foreign currency received by the Depositary to, or in its discretion may hold such foreign currency uninvested and without liability for interest thereon for the respective accounts of, the Owners entitled to receive the same.

If any conversion of foreign currency, in whole or in part, cannot be effected for distribution to some of the Owners entitled thereto, the Depositary may in its discretion make that conversion and distribution in Dollars to the extent practicable and permissible to the Owners entitled thereto and may distribute the balance of the foreign currency received by the Depositary to, or hold that balance uninvested and without liability for interest thereon for the account of, the Owners entitled thereto.

The Depositary may convert currency itself or through any of its affiliates and, in those cases, acts as principal for its own account and not as agent, advisor, broker or fiduciary on behalf of any other person and earns revenue, including, without limitation, transaction spreads, that it will retain for its own account. The revenue is based on, among other things, the difference between the exchange rate assigned to the currency conversion made under this Deposit Agreement and the rate that the Depositary or its affiliate receives when buying or selling foreign currency for its own account. The Depositary makes no representation that the exchange rate used or obtained in any currency conversion under this Deposit Agreement will be the most favorable rate that could be obtained at the time or that the method by which that rate will be determined will be the most favorable to Owners, subject to the Depositary’s obligations under Section 5.3. The methodology used to determine exchange rates used in currency conversions is available upon request.

SECTION 4.6.    Fixing of Record Date.

Whenever a cash dividend, cash distribution or any other distribution is made on Deposited Securities or rights to purchase Shares or other securities are issued with respect to Deposited Securities (which rights will be delivered to or exercised or

 

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sold on behalf of Owners in accordance with Section 4.4) or the Depositary receives notice that a distribution or issuance of that kind will be made, or whenever the Depositary receives notice that a meeting of holders of Shares will be held in respect of which the Company has requested the Depositary to send a notice under Section 4.7, or whenever the Depositary will assess a fee or charge against the Owners, or whenever the Depositary causes a change in the number of Shares that are represented by each American Depositary Share, or whenever the Depositary otherwise finds it necessary or convenient, the Depositary shall fix a record date, which shall be the same as, or as near as practicable to, any corresponding record date set by the Company with respect to Shares, (a) for the determination of the Owners (i) who shall be entitled to receive the benefit of that dividend or other distribution or those rights, (ii) who shall be entitled to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights at that meeting or (iii) who shall be responsible for that fee or charge or (iv) for any other purpose for which the record date was set, or (b) on or after which each American Depositary Share will represent the changed number of Shares. Subject to the provisions of Sections 4.1 through 4.5 and to the other terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, the Owners on a record date fixed by the Depositary shall be entitled to receive the amount distributable by the Depositary with respect to such dividend or other distribution or such rights or the net proceeds of sale thereof in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by them respectively, to give voting instructions or to act in respect of the other matter for which that record date was fixed, or be responsible for that fee or charge, as the case may be.

SECTION 4.7.    Voting of Deposited Shares.

(a)    Upon receipt of notice of any meeting of holders of Shares at which holders of Shares will be entitled to vote, if requested in writing by the Company, the Depositary shall, as soon as practicable thereafter, Disseminate to the Owners a notice, the form of which shall be in the sole discretion of the Depositary, that shall contain (a) the information contained in the notice of meeting received by the Depositary from the Company, (b) a statement that the Owners as of the close of business on a specified record date will be entitled, subject to any applicable provision of French law and of the articles of association or similar documents of the Company, to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the number of Shares represented by their respective American Depositary Shares (c) a statement as to the manner in which those instructions may be given and (d) the last date on which the Depositary will accept instructions (the “Instruction Cutoff Date”).

(b)    Upon the written request of an Owner of American Depositary Shares, as of the date of the request or, if a record date was specified by the Depositary, as of that record date, received on or before any Instruction Cutoff Date established by the Depositary, the Depositary may, and if the Depositary sent a notice under the preceding paragraph shall, endeavor, in so far as practicable, to vote or cause to be voted the amount of deposited Shares represented by those American Depositary Shares in

 

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accordance with the instructions set forth in that request. The Depositary shall not vote or attempt to exercise the right to vote that attaches to the deposited Shares other than in accordance with instructions given by Owners and received by the Depositary.

(c)    There can be no assurance that Owners generally or any Owner in particular will receive the notice described in paragraph (a) above in time to enable Owners to give instructions to the Depositary prior to the Instruction Cutoff Date.

(d)    In order to give Owners a reasonable opportunity to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of voting rights relating to Shares, if the Company will request the Depositary to Disseminate a notice under paragraph (a) above, the Company shall give the Depositary notice of the meeting, details concerning the matters to be voted upon and copies of materials to be made available to holders of Shares in connection with the meeting not less than 30 days prior to the meeting date, except where under French law the notice period for such meeting is less than 30 days, in which case the Depositary shall upon receipt of the request use its commercially reasonable efforts to distribute to Owners the material described in the first paragraph of this Section 4.7 and carry out the further actions set forth in this Section 4.7.

Notwithstanding anything in this Section 4.7 to the contrary, the Depositary and the Company may modify, amend or adopt additional procedures from time to time as they determine may be necessary or appropriate.

Without prejudice to the Depositary’s rights under Section 2.9, the Depositary will take no action to impair the ability of the Custodian to vote the number of Shares (including the Shares held by the Depositary in registered form) necessary to carry out the instructions of all Owners under this Section 4.7.

SECTION 4.8.    Tender and Exchange Offers; Redemption, Replacement or Cancellation of Deposited Securities.

(a)    The Depositary shall not tender any Deposited Securities in response to any voluntary cash tender offer, exchange offer or similar offer made to holders of Deposited Securities (a “Voluntary Offer”) except when instructed in writing to do so by an Owner surrendering American Depositary Shares and subject to any conditions or procedures the Depositary may require.

(b)    If the Depositary receives a written notice that Deposited Securities have been redeemed for cash or otherwise purchased for cash in a transaction that is mandatory and binding on the Depositary as a holder of those Deposited Securities (a “Redemption”), the Depositary, at the expense of the Company (unless otherwise agreed between the Company and the Depositary), shall (i) if required, surrender Deposited Securities that have been redeemed to the issuer of those securities or its agent on the redemption date, (ii) Disseminate a notice to Owners (A) notifying them of that Redemption, (B) calling for surrender of a corresponding number of American

 

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Depositary Shares and (C) notifying them that the called American Depositary Shares have been converted into a right only to receive the money received by the Depositary upon that Redemption and those net proceeds shall be the Deposited Securities to which Owners of those converted American Depositary Shares shall be entitled upon surrenders of those American Depositary Shares in accordance with Section 2.5 or 6.2 and (iii) distribute the money received upon that Redemption to the Owners entitled to it upon surrender by them of called American Depositary Shares in accordance with Section 2.5 (and, for the avoidance of doubt, Owners shall not be entitled to receive that money under Section 4.1 or 4.2). If the Redemption affects less than all the Deposited Securities, the Depositary shall call for surrender a corresponding portion of the outstanding American Depositary Shares and only those American Depositary Shares will automatically be converted into a right to receive the net proceeds of the Redemption. The Depositary shall allocate the American Depositary Shares converted under the preceding sentence among the Owners pro-rata to their respective holdings of American Depositary Shares immediately prior to the Redemption, except that the allocations may be adjusted so that no fraction of a converted American Depositary Share is allocated to any Owner. A Redemption of all or substantially all of the Deposited Securities shall be a Termination Option Event.

(c)    If the Depositary is notified of or there occurs any change in nominal value or any subdivision, combination or any other reclassification of the Deposited Securities or any recapitalization, reorganization, sale of assets substantially as an entirety, merger or consolidation affecting the issuer of the Deposited Securities or to which it is a party that is mandatory and binding on the Depositary as a holder of Deposited Securities and as a result securities or other property have been or will be delivered in exchange, conversion, replacement or in lieu of, Deposited Securities (a “Replacement”), then (i) the Depositary shall, if required surrender the old Deposited Securities affected by that Replacement of Shares and hold, as new Deposited Securities under this Deposit Agreement, the new securities or other property delivered to it in that Replacement. However, the Depositary may elect to sell those new Deposited Securities if in the opinion of the Depositary, after consultation with the Company or its successor entity to the extent practicable, it is not lawful or not practical for it to hold those new Deposited Securities under this Deposit Agreement because those new Deposited Securities may not be distributed to Owners without registration under the Securities Act of 1933 or for any other reason, at public or private sale, at such places and on such terms as it deems proper and proceed as if those new Deposited Securities had been Redeemed under paragraph (b) above. A Replacement shall be a Termination Option Event.

(d)    In the case of a Replacement where the new Deposited Securities will continue to be held under this Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may call for the surrender of outstanding Receipts to be exchanged for new Receipts specifically describing the new Deposited Securities and the number of those new Deposited Securities represented by each American Depositary Share. If the number of Shares represented by each American Depositary Share decreases as a result of a Replacement,

 

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the Depositary may, after consultation with the Company to the extent practicable, call for surrender of the American Depositary Shares to be exchanged on a mandatory basis for a lesser number of American Depositary Shares and may sell American Depositary Shares to the extent necessary to avoid distributing fractions of American Depositary Shares in that exchange and distribute the net proceeds of that sale to the Owners entitled to them.

(e)    If there are no Deposited Securities with respect to American Depositary Shares, including if the Deposited Securities are cancelled, or the Deposited Securities with respect to American Depositary Shares have become apparently worthless, the Depositary may call for surrender of those American Depositary Shares or may cancel those American Depositary Shares, upon notice to Owners, and a Termination Option Event occurs.

SECTION 4.9.    Reports.

The Depositary shall make available for inspection by Owners at its Office any reports and communications, including any proxy solicitation material, received from the Company which are both (a) received by the Depositary as the holder of the Deposited Securities and (b) made generally available to the holders of those Deposited Securities by the Company. The Company shall furnish reports and communications, including any proxy soliciting material to which this Section applies, to the Depositary in English, to the extent those materials are required to be translated into English pursuant to any regulations of the Commission.

SECTION 4.10.    Lists of Owners.

Upon written request by the Company, the Depositary shall, at the expense of the Company (unless otherwise agreed between the Company and the Depositary), furnish to it a list, as of a recent date, of the names, addresses and American Depositary Share holdings of all Owners.

SECTION 4.11.    Withholding.

In the event that the Depositary determines that any distribution received or to be made by the Depositary (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) is subject to any tax or other governmental charge that the Depositary is obligated to withhold, the Depositary may sell, by public or private sale, all or a portion of the distributed property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) in the amounts and manner the Depositary deems necessary and practicable to pay those taxes or charges, and the Depositary shall distribute the net proceeds of that sale, after deduction of those taxes or charges, to the Owners entitled thereto in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by them respectively.

 

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None of the Company, the Depositary or the Custodian shall be liable for the failure by any Holder or Owner to obtain the benefits of credits on the basis of any tax withheld or paid against such Holder’s or Owner’s tax liability.

 

  ARTICLE 5. THE DEPOSITARY, THE CUSTODIANS AND THE COMPANY

SECTION 5.1.    Maintenance of Office and Transfer Books by the Depositary.

Until termination of this Deposit Agreement in accordance with its terms, the Depositary shall maintain facilities for the execution and delivery, registration, registration of transfers and surrender of American Depositary Shares in accordance with the provisions of this Deposit Agreement.

The Depositary shall keep books for the registration of American Depositary Shares, which shall be open for inspection by the Owners at the Depositary’s Office during regular business hours, provided that such inspection is not for the purpose of communicating with Owners in the interest of a business or object other than the business of the Company or a matter related to this Deposit Agreement or the American Depositary Shares.

The Depositary may close the transfer books, at any time or from time to time, when deemed expedient by it in connection with the performance of its duties under this Deposit Agreement (whereupon it shall notify the Company as promptly as practicable of any closure that is outside the ordinary course of business).

Subject to the provisions of Section 5.4, if the Company lists any American Depositary Shares on one or more stock exchanges in the United States, the Depositary shall act as Registrar or appoint a Registrar or one or more co-registrars for registry of those American Depositary Shares in accordance with any requirements of that exchange or those exchanges. The Depositary shall notify the Company of any such appointment.

SECTION 5.2.    Prevention or Delay in Performance by the Depositary or the Company.

Neither the Depositary nor the Company nor any of their respective directors, employees, agents or affiliates shall incur any liability to any Owner or Holder (i) if by reason of any provision of any present or future law or regulation of the United States or any other country, or of any governmental or regulatory authority or stock exchange, or by reason of any provision, present or future, of the articles of association or similar document of the Company, or by reason of any provision of any securities issued or distributed by the Company, or any offering or distribution thereof, or by reason of any act of God or war or terrorism or other circumstances beyond its control, the Depositary or the Company is prevented from, forbidden to or delayed in, or could be subject to any

 

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civil or criminal penalty on account of doing or performing and therefore does not do or perform, any act or thing that, by the terms of this Deposit Agreement or the Deposited Securities, it is provided shall be done or performed, (ii) by reason of any exercise of, or failure to exercise, any discretion provided for in this Deposit Agreement (including any determination by the Depositary to take, or not take, any action that this Deposit Agreement provides the Depositary may take), (iii) for the inability of any Owner or Holder to benefit from any distribution, offering, right or other benefit that is made available to holders of Deposited Securities but is not, under the terms of this Deposit Agreement, made available to Owners or Holders, or (iv) for any special, consequential, indirect or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of this Deposit Agreement. Where, by the terms of a distribution to which Section 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3 applies, or an offering to which Section 4.4 applies, or for any other reason, that distribution or offering may not be made available to Owners, and the Depositary may not dispose of that distribution or offering on behalf of Owners and make the net proceeds available to Owners, then the Depositary shall not make that distribution or offering available to Owners, and shall allow any rights, if applicable, to lapse.

SECTION 5.3.    Obligations of the Depositary and the Company.

The Company assumes no obligation nor shall it be subject to any liability under this Deposit Agreement to any Owner or Holder or any other persons (other than the Depositary), except that the Company agrees to perform its obligations specifically set forth in this Deposit Agreement without negligence or bad faith.

The Depositary assumes no obligation nor shall it be subject to any liability under this Deposit Agreement to any Owner or Holder (including, without limitation, liability with respect to the validity or worth of the Deposited Securities), except that the Depositary agrees to perform its obligations specifically set forth in this Deposit Agreement without negligence or bad faith.

Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall be under any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any Deposited Securities or in respect of the American Depositary Shares on behalf of any Owner or Holder or any other person.

Each of the Depositary and the Company may rely, and shall be protected in relying upon, any written notice, request, direction or other document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.

Neither the Depositary nor the Company, nor any of their respective affiliates (as such term is defined in Regulation C under the Securities Act of 1933) or agents, shall be liable for any action or non-action by it in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting Shares for deposit, any Owner or any other person believed by it in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information.

 

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The Depositary shall not be liable for any acts or omissions made by a successor depositary whether in connection with a previous act or omission of the Depositary or in connection with any matter arising wholly after the removal or resignation of the Depositary, provided that in connection with the issue out of which such potential liability arises the Depositary performed its obligations without negligence or bad faith while it acted as Depositary.

The Depositary shall not be liable for the acts or omissions of any securities depository, clearing agency or settlement system in connection with or arising out of book-entry settlement of American Depositary Shares or Deposited Securities or otherwise.

In the absence of bad faith on its part, the Depositary shall not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote any of the Deposited Securities, or for the manner in which any such vote is cast or the effect of any such vote.

Neither the Company nor the Depositary shall have any duty to make any determination or provide any information as to the tax status of the Company or any liability for any tax consequences that may be incurred by Owners or Holders as a result of owning or holding American Depositary Shares, including without limitation, tax consequences resulting from the Company (or any of its subsidiaries) being treated as a “Passive Foreign Investment Company” (“PFIC”) (in each case as defined in the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and the regulations issued thereunder) or otherwise. The Company may have been in the past and may be in the future a PFIC for U.S. Federal income tax purposes. Owners must consult their own tax advisers as to the potential application of the PFIC rules.

No disclaimer of liability under the Securities Act of 1933 is intended by any provision of this Deposit Agreement.

SECTION 5.4.    Resignation and Removal of the Depositary.

The Depositary may at any time resign as Depositary hereunder by written notice of its election so to do delivered to the Company, to become effective upon the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of that appointment as provided in this Section. The effect of resignation if a successor depositary is not appointed is provided for in Section 6.2.

The Depositary may at any time be removed by the Company by 120 days’ prior written notice of that removal, to become effective upon the later of (i) the 120th day after delivery of the notice to the Depositary and (ii) the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of its appointment as provided in this Section.

In case at any time the Depositary acting hereunder shall resign or be removed, the Company shall use its best efforts to appoint a successor depositary, which

 

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shall be a bank or trust company having an office in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York. Every successor depositary shall execute and deliver to its predecessor and to the Company an instrument in writing accepting its appointment hereunder, and thereupon such successor depositary, without any further act or deed, shall become fully vested with all the rights, powers, duties and obligations of its predecessor; but such predecessor, nevertheless, upon payment of all sums due it and on the written request of the Company shall execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor all rights and powers of such predecessor hereunder, shall duly assign, transfer and deliver all right, title and interest in the Deposited Securities to such successor and shall deliver to such successor a list of the Owners of all outstanding American Depositary Shares. Any such successor depositary shall promptly mail notice of its appointment to the Owners.

Any corporation or other entity into or with which the Depositary may be merged or consolidated shall be the successor of the Depositary without the execution or filing of any document or any further act.

SECTION 5.5.    The Custodians.

The Custodian shall be subject at all times and in all respects to the directions of the Depositary and shall be responsible solely to it. The Depositary in its discretion may at any time appoint a substitute or additional custodian or custodians, each of which shall thereafter be one of the Custodians under this Deposit Agreement. If the Depositary receives notice that a Custodian is resigning and, upon the effectiveness of that resignation there would be no Custodian acting under this Deposit Agreement, the Depositary shall, as promptly as practicable after receiving that notice, appoint a substitute custodian or custodians, each of which shall thereafter be a Custodian under this Deposit Agreement. The Depositary shall require any Custodian that resigns or is removed to deliver all Deposited Securities held by it to another Custodian.

SECTION 5.6.    Notices and Reports.

On or before the first date on which the Company gives notice, by publication or otherwise, of any meeting of holders of Shares or other Deposited Securities, or of any adjourned meeting of those holders, or of the taking of any action in respect of any cash or other distributions or the granting of any rights, the Company agrees to transmit to the Depositary and the Custodian a copy of the notice thereof in English but otherwise in the form given or to be given to holders of Shares or other Deposited Securities.

The Company will arrange for the translation into English, if not already in English, to the extent required pursuant to any regulations of the Commission, and the prompt transmittal by the Company to the Depositary and the Custodian of all notices and any other reports and communications which are made generally available by the Company to holders of its Shares. If requested in writing by the Company, the

 

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Depositary will Disseminate, at the Company’s expense unless otherwise agreed between the Company and the Depositary, those notices, reports and communications to all Owners or otherwise make them available to Owners in a manner that the Company specifies as substantially equivalent to the manner in which those communications are made available to holders of Shares and compliant with the requirements of any securities exchange on which the American Depositary Shares are listed. The Company will timely provide the Depositary with the quantity of such notices, reports, and communications, as requested by the Depositary from time to time, in order for the Depositary to effect that Dissemination.

The Company represents that as of the date of this Deposit Agreement, the statements in Article 11 of the Receipt with respect to the Company’s obligation to file periodic reports under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are true and correct. The Company agrees to promptly notify the Depositary upon becoming aware of any change in the truth of any of those statements.

SECTION 5.7.    Distribution of Additional Shares, Rights, etc.

If the Company or any affiliate of the Company determines to make any issuance or distribution of (1) additional Shares, (2) rights to subscribe for Shares, (3) securities convertible into Shares, or (4) rights to subscribe for such securities (each a “Distribution”), the Company shall notify the Depositary in writing in English as promptly as practicable and in any event before the Distribution starts and, if requested in writing by the Depositary, the Company shall promptly furnish to the Depositary either (i) evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that the Distribution is registered under the Securities Act of 1933 or (ii) a written opinion from U.S. counsel for the Company that is reasonably satisfactory to the Depositary, stating that the Distribution does not require, or, if made in the United States, would not require, registration under the Securities Act of 1933.

The Company agrees with the Depositary that neither the Company nor any company controlled by, controlling or under common control with the Company will at any time deposit any Shares that, at the time of deposit, are Restricted Securities.

SECTION 5.8.    Indemnification.

The Company agrees to indemnify the Depositary, its directors, employees, agents and affiliates and each Custodian against, and hold each of them harmless from, any liability or expense (including, but not limited to any reasonable fees and expenses incurred in seeking, enforcing or collecting such indemnity and the fees and expenses of counsel) which may arise out of or in connection with (a) any registration with the Commission of American Depositary Shares or Deposited Securities or the offer or sale thereof in the United States or (b) acts performed or omitted, pursuant to the provisions of or in connection with this Deposit Agreement and the American Depositary Shares, as the same may be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time, (i) by

 

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either the Depositary or a Custodian or their respective directors, employees, agents and affiliates, except for any liability or expense arising out of the negligence or bad faith of either of them, or (ii) by the Company or any of its directors, employees, agents and affiliates.

The Depositary agrees to indemnify the Company, its directors, officers, employees, agents and affiliates and hold them harmless from any liability or expense (including, but not limited to, the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) which may arise out of acts performed or omitted by the Depositary or any Custodian or their respective directors, employees, agents and affiliates due to their negligence or bad faith.

The obligations set forth in this Section 5.8 shall survive the termination of this Deposit Agreement and the succession or substitution of any party hereto.

Any person seeking indemnification hereunder (an “indemnified person”) shall notify the person from whom it is seeking indemnification (the “indemnifying person”) of the commencement of any indemnifiable action or claim promptly after such indemnified person becomes aware of such commencement (provided that the failure to make such notification shall not affect such indemnified person’s rights to seek indemnification except to the extent the indemnifying person is materially prejudiced by such failure) and shall consult in good faith with the indemnifying person as to the conduct of the defense of such action or claim that may give rise to an indemnity hereunder, which defense shall be reasonable in the circumstances. No indemnified person shall compromise or settle any action or claim that may give rise to an indemnity hereunder without the consent of the indemnifying person, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

SECTION 5.9.    Charges of Depositary.

The Company agrees to pay the fees and out-of-pocket expenses of the Depositary and those of any Registrar only in accordance with agreements in writing entered into between the Depositary and the Company from time to time or to the extent that the Company is a depositor of Shares or an Owner.

The following charges shall be incurred by any party depositing or withdrawing Shares or by any party surrendering American Depositary Shares or to whom American Depositary Shares are issued (including, without limitation, issuance pursuant to a stock dividend or stock split declared by the Company or an exchange of stock regarding the American Depositary Shares or Deposited Securities or a delivery of American Depositary Shares pursuant to Section 4.3), or by Owners, as applicable: (1) taxes and other governmental charges, (2) such registration fees as may from time to time be in effect for the registration of transfers of Shares generally on the Share register of the Company or Foreign Registrar and applicable to transfers of Shares to or from the name of the Depositary or its nominee or the Custodian or its nominee on the making of deposits or withdrawals hereunder, (3) such cable (including SWIFT) and facsimile

 

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transmission fees and expenses as are expressly provided in this Deposit Agreement, (4) such expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in the conversion of foreign currency pursuant to Section 4.5, (5) a fee of $5.00 or less per 100 American Depositary Shares (or portion thereof) for the delivery of American Depositary Shares pursuant to Section 2.3, 4.3 or 4.4 and the surrender of American Depositary Shares pursuant to Section 2.5 or 6.2, (6) a fee of $.05 or less per American Depositary Share (or portion thereof) for any cash distribution made pursuant to this Deposit Agreement, including, but not limited to Sections 4.1 through 4.4 and Section 4.8, (7) a fee for the distribution of securities pursuant to Section 4.2 or of rights pursuant to Section 4.4 (where the Depositary will not exercise or sell those rights on behalf of Owners), such fee being in an amount equal to the fee for the execution and delivery of American Depositary Shares referred to above which would have been charged as a result of the deposit of such securities under this Deposit Agreement (for purposes of this item 7 treating all such securities as if they were Shares) but which securities are instead distributed by the Depositary to Owners, (8) in addition to any fee charged under item 6 above, a fee of $.05 or less per American Depositary Share (or portion thereof) per annum for depositary services, which will be payable as provided in item 9 below, and (9) any other charges payable by the Depositary or the Custodian, any of the Depositary’s or Custodian’s agents or the agents of the Depositary’s or Custodian’s agents, in connection with the servicing of Shares or other Deposited Securities (which charges shall be assessed against Owners as of the date or dates set by the Depositary in accordance with Section 4.6 and shall be payable at the sole discretion of the Depositary by billing those Owners for those charges or by deducting those charges from one or more cash dividends or other cash distributions).

The Depositary may collect any of its fees by deduction from any cash distribution payable, or by selling a portion of any securities to be distributed, to Owners that are obligated to pay those fees.

In performing its duties under this Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may use brokers, dealers, foreign currency dealers or other service providers that are owned by or affiliated with the Depositary and that may earn or share fees, spreads or commissions.

The Depositary, subject to Section 2.9, may own and deal in any class of securities of the Company and its affiliates and in American Depositary Shares.

SECTION 5.10.    Retention of Depositary Documents.

The Depositary is authorized to destroy those documents, records, bills and other data compiled during the term of this Deposit Agreement at the times permitted by the laws or regulations governing the Depositary.

 

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SECTION 5.11.    Exclusivity.

Without prejudice to the Company’s rights under Section 5.4, the Company agrees not to appoint any other depositary for issuance of depositary shares, depositary receipts or any similar securities or instruments (for the avoidance of doubt, other than instruments or securities issued directly by the Company) in the United States so long as The Bank of New York Mellon is acting as Depositary under this Deposit Agreement.

 

  ARTICLE 6. AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION

SECTION 6.1.    Amendment.

The form of the Receipts and any provisions of this Deposit Agreement may at any time and from time to time be amended by agreement between the Company and the Depositary without the consent of Owners or Holders in any respect that they may deem necessary or desirable. Any amendment that would impose or increase any fees or charges (other than taxes and other governmental charges, registration fees, cable, telex or facsimile transmission costs, delivery costs or other such expenses), or that would otherwise prejudice any substantial existing right of Owners, shall, however, not become effective as to outstanding American Depositary Shares until the expiration of 30 days after notice of that amendment has been Disseminated to the Owners of outstanding American Depositary Shares. Every Owner and Holder, at the time any amendment so becomes effective, shall be deemed, by continuing to hold American Depositary Shares or any interest therein, to consent and agree to that amendment and to be bound by the Deposit Agreement as amended thereby. Upon the effectiveness of an amendment to the form of Receipt, including a change in the number of Shares represented by each American Depositary Share, the Depositary may call for surrender of Receipts to be replaced with new Receipts in the amended form or call for surrender of American Depositary Shares to effect that change of ratio. In no event shall any amendment impair the right of the Owner to surrender American Depositary Shares and receive delivery of the Deposited Securities represented thereby, except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of applicable law.

SECTION 6.2.    Termination.

(a)    The Company may terminate this Deposit Agreement by notice to the Depositary. The Depositary may terminate this Deposit Agreement if (i) at any time 60 days shall have expired after the Depositary delivered to the Company a written resignation notice and a successor depositary has not been appointed and accepted its appointment as provided in Section 5.4, (ii) an Insolvency Event or Delisting Event occurs with respect to the Company or (iii) a Termination Option Event has occurred or will occur. If a termination of the Deposit Agreement has been initiated by the Company or the Depositary, the Depositary shall Disseminate a notice of termination to the Owners of all American Depositary Shares then outstanding setting a date for termination (the

 

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Termination Date”), which shall be at least 90 days after the date of that notice, and this Deposit Agreement shall terminate on that Termination Date.

(b)    After the Termination Date, the Company shall be discharged from all obligations under this Deposit Agreement except for its obligations to the Depositary under Sections 5.8 and 5.9.

(c)    At any time after the Termination Date, the Depositary may sell the Deposited Securities then held under this Deposit Agreement and may thereafter hold uninvested the net proceeds of any such sale, together with any other cash then held by it hereunder, unsegregated and without liability for interest, for the pro rata benefit of the Owners of American Depositary Shares that remain outstanding, and those Owners will become general creditors of the Depositary with respect to those net proceeds. After making that sale, the Depositary shall be discharged from all obligations under this Deposit Agreement, except (i) to account for the net proceeds and other cash (after deducting, in each case, the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of American Depositary Shares, any expenses for the account of the Owner of such American Depositary Shares in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement and any applicable taxes or governmental charges) and (ii) for its obligations under Section 5.8 and (iii) to act as provided in the paragraph (d) below.

(d)    After the Termination Date, the Depositary shall continue to receive dividends and other distributions pertaining to Deposited Securities (that have not been sold), may sell rights and other property as provided in this Deposit Agreement and shall deliver Deposited Securities (or sale proceeds) upon surrender of American Depositary Shares (after payment or upon deduction, in each case, of the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of American Depositary Shares, any expenses for the account of the Owner of those American Depositary Shares in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement and any applicable taxes or governmental charges). However, after the Termination Date, (i) the Depositary may refuse to accept surrenders of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal of Deposited Securities (that have not been sold) if in its judgment the requested withdrawal would interfere with its efforts to sell the Deposited Securities, (ii) the Depositary will not be required to deliver cash proceeds of the sale of Deposited Securities until all Deposited Securities have been sold and (iii) the Depositary may discontinue the registration of transfers of American Depositary Shares and suspend the distribution of dividends and other distributions on Deposited Securities to the Owners and need not give any further notices or perform any further acts under this Deposit Agreement except as provided in this Section.

 

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  ARTICLE 7. MISCELLANEOUS

SECTION 7.1.    Counterparts; Signatures.

This Deposit Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of those counterparts shall constitute one and the same instrument. Copies of this Deposit Agreement shall be filed with the Depositary and the Custodians and shall be open to inspection by any Owner or Holder during regular business hours.

Any manual signature on this Deposit Agreement that is faxed, scanned or photocopied, and any electronic signature valid under the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, 15 U.S.C. § 7001, et. seq., shall for all purposes have the same validity, legal effect and admissibility in evidence as an original manual signature, and the parties hereby waive any objection to the contrary.

SECTION 7.2.    No Third Party Beneficiaries.

This Deposit Agreement is for the exclusive benefit of the parties and shall not be deemed to give any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim whatsoever to any other person.

SECTION 7.3.    Severability.

In case any one or more of the provisions contained in this Deposit Agreement or in a Receipt should be or become invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained in this Deposit Agreement or that Receipt shall in no way be affected, prejudiced or disturbed thereby.

SECTION 7.4.    Owners and Holders as Parties; Binding Effect.

The Owners and Holders from time to time shall be parties to this Deposit Agreement and shall be bound by all of the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement and of the Receipts by acceptance of American Depositary Shares or any interest therein.

SECTION 7.5.    Notices.

Any and all notices to be given to the Company shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if personally delivered or sent by domestic first class or international air mail or air courier or sent by facsimile transmission or email attaching a pdf or similar bit-mapped image of a signed writing, provided that receipt of the facsimile transmission or email has been confirmed by the recipient, addressed to ERYTECH Pharma S.A., 60 avenue Rockefeller, Bâtiment Adénine, 4ème étage, 69008

 

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Lyon, France, Attention: Gil Beyen, or any other place to which the Company may have transferred its principal office with notice to the Depositary.

Any and all notices to be given to the Depositary shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if in English and personally delivered or sent by first class domestic or international air mail or air courier or sent by facsimile transmission or email attaching a pdf or similar bit-mapped image of a signed writing, addressed to The Bank of New York Mellon, 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286, Attention: Depositary Receipt Administration, or any other place to which the Depositary may have transferred its Office with notice to the Company.

Delivery of a notice to the Company or Depositary by mail or air courier shall be deemed effected when deposited, postage prepaid, in a post-office letter box or received by an air courier service. Delivery of a notice to the Company or Depositary sent by facsimile transmission or email shall be deemed effected when the recipient acknowledges receipt of that notice.

A notice to be given to an Owner shall be deemed to have been duly given when Disseminated to that Owner. Dissemination in paper form will be effective when personally delivered or sent by first class domestic or international air mail or air courier, addressed to that Owner at the address of that Owner as it appears on the transfer books for American Depositary Shares of the Depositary, or, if that Owner has filed with the Depositary a written request that notices intended for that Owner be mailed to some other address, at the address designated in that request. Dissemination in electronic form will be effective when sent in the manner consented to by the Owner to the electronic address most recently provided by the Owner for that purpose.

SECTION 7.6.    Appointment of Agent for Service of Process; Submission to Jurisdiction; Jury Trial Waiver.

The Company hereby (i) designates and appoints the person named in Exhibit A to this Deposit Agreement, located in the United States, as the Company’s U.S. registered agent upon which process may be served in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to the Shares or Deposited Securities, the American Depositary Shares, the Receipts or this Deposit Agreement (a “Proceeding”), (ii) consents and submits to the jurisdiction of any state or federal court in the State of New York in which any Proceeding may be instituted and (iii) agrees that service of process upon said U.S. registered agent shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon the Company in any Proceeding. The Company agrees to deliver to the Depositary, upon the execution and delivery of this Deposit Agreement, a written acceptance by the above-named agent of its appointment as process agent. The Company further agrees to take any and all action, including the filing of any and all such documents and instruments, as may be necessary to continue that designation and appointment in full force and effect, or to appoint and maintain the appointment of another process agent located in the United States as required above, and to deliver to the Depositary a written acceptance by that

 

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agent of that appointment, for so long as any American Depositary Shares or Receipts remain outstanding or this Deposit Agreement remains in force. In the event the Company fails to maintain the designation and appointment of a process agent in the United States in full force and effect, the Company hereby waives personal service of process upon it and consents that a service of process in connection with a Proceeding may be made by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, directed to the Company at its address last specified for notices under this Deposit Agreement, and service so made shall be deemed completed five (5) days after the same shall have been so mailed.

EACH PARTY TO THIS DEPOSIT AGREEMENT (INCLUDING, FOR AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, EACH OWNER AND HOLDER) HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING AGAINST THE COMPANY AND/OR THE DEPOSITARY DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SHARES OR OTHER DEPOSITED SECURITIES, THE AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES OR THE RECEIPTS, THIS DEPOSIT AGREEMENT OR ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREIN OR THEREIN, OR THE BREACH HEREOF OR THEREOF, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY QUESTION REGARDING EXISTENCE, VALIDITY OR TERMINATION (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY).

SECTION 7.7.    Waiver of Immunities.

To the extent that the Company or any of its properties, assets or revenues may have or may hereafter become entitled to, or have attributed to it, any right of immunity, on the grounds of sovereignty or otherwise, from any legal action, suit or proceeding, from the giving of any relief in any respect thereof, from setoff or counterclaim, from the jurisdiction of any court, from service of process, from attachment upon or prior to judgment, from attachment in aid of execution or judgment, or from execution of judgment, or other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of any judgment, in any jurisdiction in which proceedings may at any time be commenced, with respect to its obligations, liabilities or any other matter under or arising out of or in connection with the Shares or Deposited Securities, the American Depositary Shares, the Receipts or this Deposit Agreement, the Company, to the fullest extent permitted by law, hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, and agrees not to plead or claim, any immunity of that kind and consents to relief and enforcement as provided above.

SECTION 7.8.    Governing Law.

This Deposit Agreement and the Receipts shall be interpreted in accordance with and all rights hereunder and thereunder and provisions hereof and thereof shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, ERYTECH PHARMA S.A. and THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON have duly executed this Deposit Agreement as of the day and year first set forth above and all Owners and Holders shall become parties hereto upon acceptance by them of American Depositary Shares or any interest therein.

 

ERYTECH PHARMA S.A.
By:  

/s/ Gil Beyen

  Name: Gil Beyen
  Title: Chief Executive Officer

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON,

  as Depositary

By:  

/s/ Robert W. Goad

  Name: Robert W. Goad
  Title: Managing Director


EXHIBIT A

                                                                                                                   AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

                                                                                                                   (Each American Depositary Share represents

                                                                                                                   one deposited Share)

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON

AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECEIPT

FOR ORDINARY SHARES OF

ERYTECH PHARMA S.A.

(INCORPORATED UNDER THE LAWS OF FRANCE)

The Bank of New York Mellon, as depositary (hereinafter called the “Depositary”), hereby certifies that                                                              , or registered assigns IS THE OWNER OF                                         

AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

representing deposited ordinary shares (herein called “Shares”) of ERYTECH Pharma S.A., incorporated under the laws of France (herein called the “Company”). At the date hereof, each American Depositary Share represents one Share deposited or subject to deposit under the Deposit Agreement (as such term is hereinafter defined) with a custodian for the Depositary (herein called the “Custodian”) that, as of the date of the Deposit Agreement, was Société Générale located in Paris. The Depositary’s Office is located at a different address than its principal executive office. Its Office is located at 101 Barclay Street, New York, N.Y. 10286, and its principal executive office is located at One Wall Street, New York, N.Y. 10286.

THE DEPOSITARY’S OFFICE ADDRESS IS

101 BARCLAY STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10286

 

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1. THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT.

This American Depositary Receipt is one of an issue (herein called “Receipts”), all issued and to be issued upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Amended and Restated Deposit Agreement dated as of November 9, 2017 (herein called the “Deposit Agreement”) among the Company, the Depositary, and all Owners and Holders from time to time of American Depositary Shares issued thereunder, each of whom by accepting American Depositary Shares agrees to become a party thereto and become bound by all the terms and conditions thereof. The Deposit Agreement sets forth the rights of Owners and Holders and the rights and duties of the Depositary in respect of the Shares deposited thereunder and any and all other securities, property and cash from time to time received in respect of those Shares and held thereunder (those Shares, securities, property, and cash are herein called “Deposited Securities”). Copies of the Deposit Agreement are on file at the Depositary’s Office in New York City and at the office of the Custodian.

The statements made on the face and reverse of this Receipt are summaries of certain provisions of the Deposit Agreement and are qualified by and subject to the detailed provisions of the Deposit Agreement, to which reference is hereby made. Capitalized terms defined in the Deposit Agreement and not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Deposit Agreement.

 

2. SURRENDER OF RECEIPTS AND WITHDRAWAL OF SHARES.

Upon surrender at the Depositary’s Office of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal of the Deposited Securities represented thereby and payment of the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of American Depositary Shares as provided in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement and payment of all taxes and governmental charges payable in connection with that surrender and withdrawal of the Deposited Securities, and subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement, the Owner of those American Depositary Shares shall be entitled to delivery (to the extent delivery can then be lawfully and practicably made), to or as instructed by that Owner, of the amount of Deposited Securities at the time represented by those American Depositary Shares. That delivery will be made, at the office of the Custodian, except that, at the request, risk and expense of the surrendering Owner, and for the account of that Owner, the Depositary shall direct the Custodian to forward any cash or other property comprising, and forward a certificate or certificates, if applicable, and other proper documents of title, if any, for, the Deposited Securities represented by the surrendered American Depositary Shares to the Depositary for delivery at the Depositary’s Office or to another address specified in the order received from the surrendering Owner. The Depositary shall direct the Custodian with respect to delivery of Deposited Securities and may charge the surrendering Owner a fee and its expenses for doing so.

 

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3. REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES; COMBINATION AND SPLIT-UP OF RECEIPTS; INTERCHANGE OF CERTIFICATED AND UNCERTIFICATED AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES.

The Depositary, subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, shall register a transfer of American Depositary Shares on its transfer books upon (i) in the case of certificated American Depositary Shares, surrender of the Receipt evidencing those American Depositary Shares, by the Owner or by a duly authorized attorney, properly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer or (ii) in the case of uncertificated American Depositary Shares, receipt from the Owner of a proper instruction (including, for the avoidance of doubt, instructions through DRS and Profile as provided in Section 2.10 of that Agreement), and, in either case, duly stamped as may be required by the laws of the State of New York and of the United States of America. Upon registration of a transfer, the Depositary shall deliver the transferred American Depositary Shares to or upon the order of the person entitled thereto.

The Depositary, subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, shall upon surrender of a Receipt or Receipts for the purpose of effecting a split-up or combination of such Receipt or Receipts, execute and deliver a new Receipt or Receipts for any authorized number of American Depositary Shares requested, evidencing the same aggregate number of American Depositary Shares as the Receipt or Receipts surrendered.

The Depositary, upon surrender of certificated American Depositary Shares for the purpose of exchanging for uncertificated American Depositary Shares, shall cancel the Receipt evidencing those certificated American Depositary Shares and send the Owner a statement confirming that the Owner is the owner of the same number of uncertificated American Depositary Shares. The Depositary, upon receipt of a proper instruction (including, for the avoidance of doubt, instructions through DRS and Profile as provided in Section 2.10 of the Deposit Agreement) from the Owner of uncertificated American Depositary Shares for the purpose of exchanging for certificated American Depositary Shares, shall cancel those uncertificated American Depositary Shares and register and deliver to the Owner a Receipt evidencing the same number of certificated American Depositary Shares.

As a condition precedent to the delivery, registration of transfer, or surrender of any American Depositary Shares or split-up or combination of any Receipt or withdrawal of any Deposited Securities, the Depositary, the Custodian, or Registrar may require payment from the depositor of the Shares or the presenter of the Receipt or instruction for registration of transfer or surrender of American Depositary Shares not evidenced by a Receipt of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any tax or other governmental charge and any stock transfer or registration fee with respect thereto (including any such tax or charge and fee with respect to Shares being deposited or withdrawn) and payment of any

 

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applicable fees as provided in the Deposit Agreement, may require the production of proof satisfactory to it as to the identity and genuineness of any signature and may also require compliance with any regulations the Depositary may establish consistent with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement.

The delivery of American Depositary Shares against deposit of Shares generally or against deposit of particular Shares may be suspended, or the registration of transfer of American Depositary Shares in particular instances may be refused, or the registration of transfer of outstanding American Depositary Shares generally may be suspended, during any period when the transfer books of the Depositary are closed, or if any such action is deemed necessary or advisable by the Depositary or the Company at any time or from time to time because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body or commission, or under any provision of the Deposit Agreement, or for any other reason. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Deposit Agreement or this Receipt, the surrender of outstanding American Depositary Shares and withdrawal of Deposited Securities may not be suspended subject only to (i) temporary delays caused by closing the transfer books of the Depositary or the Company or the Foreign Registrar, if applicable, or the deposit of Shares in connection with voting at a shareholders’ meeting, or the payment of dividends, (ii) the payment of fees, taxes and similar charges, and (iii) compliance with any U.S. or foreign laws or governmental regulations relating to the American Depositary Shares or to the withdrawal of the Deposited Securities; in each case, the Depositary shall notify the Company as promptly as practicable of any such suspension or delay that is outside the ordinary course of business.

The Depositary shall not knowingly accept for deposit under the Deposit Agreement any Shares that, at the time of deposit, are Restricted Securities.

 

4. LIABILITY OF OWNER FOR TAXES.

If any tax or other governmental charge shall become payable with respect to or in connection with any American Depositary Shares or any Deposited Securities represented by any American Depositary Shares or in connection with a transaction to which Section 4.8 of the Deposit Agreement applies, that tax or other governmental charge shall be payable by the Owner to the Company or the Depositary (for further payment to the Custodian if applicable). The Depositary may refuse to register any transfer of those American Depositary Shares or any withdrawal of Deposited Securities represented by those American Depositary Shares until that payment is made, and may withhold any dividends or other distributions or the proceeds thereof, or may sell for the account of the Owner any part or all of the Deposited Securities represented by those American Depositary Shares, and may apply those dividends or other distributions or the net proceeds of any sale of that kind in payment of that tax or other governmental charge but, even after a sale of that kind, the Owner shall remain liable for any deficiency. The Depositary shall distribute any net proceeds of a sale made under Section 3.2 of the Deposit Agreement that are not used to pay taxes or governmental charges to the Owners

 

A-3


entitled to them in accordance with Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement. If the number of Shares represented by each American Depositary Share decreases as a result of a sale of Deposited Securities under Section 3.2 of the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may call for surrender of the American Depositary Shares to be exchanged on a mandatory basis for a lesser number of American Depositary Shares and may sell American Depositary Shares to the extent necessary to avoid distributing fractions of American Depositary Shares in that exchange and distribute the net proceeds of that sale to the Owners entitled to them.

Every Holder and Owner agrees to indemnify the Depositary, the Company, the Custodian, and any of their respective agents, directors, officers, employees and affiliates (as such term is defined in Regulation C under the Securities Act of 1933) for, and to hold each of them harmless from, any claims by any governmental authority or any other entity or person with respect to taxes, additions to tax, penalties or interest arising out of any refund of taxes, reduced rate of withholding at source or other tax benefit obtained. The obligations of Holders and Owners of American Depositary Shares under Section 3.2 of the Deposit Agreement shall survive any transfer of American Depositary Shares, any surrender of American Depositary Shares and withdrawal of Deposited Securities, as well as the termination of the Deposit Agreement

 

5. WARRANTIES ON DEPOSIT OF SHARES.

Every person depositing Shares under the Deposit Agreement shall be deemed thereby to represent and warrant, that those Shares and each certificate therefor, if applicable, are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and were not issued in violation of any preemptive or similar rights of the holders of outstanding securities of the Company and that the person making that deposit is duly authorized so to do. Every depositing person shall also be deemed to represent that the Shares, at the time of deposit, are not Restricted Securities. All representations and warranties deemed made under Section 3.3 of the Deposit Agreement shall survive the deposit of Shares and delivery of American Depositary Shares.

 

6. FILING PROOFS, CERTIFICATES, AND OTHER INFORMATION.

Any person presenting Shares for deposit or any Owner or Holder may be required from time to time to file with the Depositary or the Custodian such proof of citizenship or residence, exchange control approval, or such information relating to the registration on the books of the Company or the Foreign Registrar, if applicable, to execute such certificates and to make such representations and warranties, as the Depositary may deem necessary or proper. The Depositary may withhold the delivery or registration of transfer of any American Depositary Shares, the distribution of any dividend or other distribution or of the proceeds thereof or the delivery of any Deposited Securities until that proof or other information is filed or those certificates are executed or those representations and warranties are made. Each Holder and Owner agrees to comply with requests from the Company pursuant to applicable law and regulations, the rules and

 

A-4


requirements of the Euronext Paris stock exchange, the Nasdaq Global Market and of any other stock exchange on which the Shares or American Depositary Shares are, or may be, registered, traded or listed and any book-entry settlement system or the articles of association or similar document of the Company, which are made to provide information, inter alia, as to the capacity in which such Holder or Owner owns American Depositary Shares (and Shares, as the case may be) and regarding the identity of any other person(s) interested in such American Depositary Shares and the nature of such interest and various other matters, whether or not they are Holders or Owners at the time of such request. The Depositary agrees to use its reasonable efforts to forward, upon the request of the Company and at the Company’s expense (unless otherwise agreed between the Company and the Depositary), any such request from the Company to the Owners and to forward to the Company any such responses to such requests received by the Depositary, to the extent that disclosure is permitted under applicable law.

Holders and Owners of American Depositary Shares may be required from time to time, and in a timely manner, to file such proof of taxpayer status, residence and beneficial ownership (as applicable), to execute such certificates and to make such representations and warranties, or to provide any other information or documents, as the Company, the Depositary or the Custodian may deem necessary or proper to fulfill the Company’s, the Depositary’s or the Custodian’s obligations under applicable law.

As conditions of accepting Shares for deposit, the Depositary may require (i) any certification required by the Depositary or the Custodian in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, (ii) a written order directing the Depositary to deliver to, or upon the written order of, the person or persons stated in that order, the number of American Depositary Shares representing those Deposited Shares (iii) evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that those Shares have been re-registered in the books of the Company or the Foreign Registrar in the name of the Depositary, a Custodian or a nominee of the Depositary or a Custodian, (iv) evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that any necessary approval has been granted by any governmental body in each applicable jurisdiction and (v) an agreement or assignment, or other instrument satisfactory to the Depositary, that provides for the prompt transfer to the Custodian of any dividend, or right to subscribe for additional Shares or to receive other property, that any person in whose name those Shares are or have been recorded may thereafter receive upon or in respect of those Shares, or, in lieu thereof, such agreement of indemnity or other agreement as shall be satisfactory to the Depositary.

 

7. CHARGES OF DEPOSITARY.

The following charges shall be incurred by any party depositing or withdrawing Shares or by any party surrendering American Depositary Shares or to whom American Depositary Shares are issued (including, without limitation, issuance pursuant to a stock dividend or stock split declared by the Company or an exchange of stock regarding the American Depositary Shares or Deposited Securities or a delivery of American

 

A-5


Depositary Shares pursuant to Section 4.3 of the Deposit Agreement), or by Owners, as applicable: (1) taxes and other governmental charges, (2) such registration fees as may from time to time be in effect for the registration of transfers of Shares generally on the Share register of the Company or Foreign Registrar and applicable to transfers of Shares to or from the name of the Depositary or its nominee or the Custodian or its nominee on the making of deposits or withdrawals hereunder, (3) such cable (including SWIFT) and facsimile transmission fees and expenses as are expressly provided in the Deposit Agreement, (4) such expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in the conversion of foreign currency pursuant to Section 4.5 of the Deposit Agreement, (5) a fee of $5.00 or less per 100 American Depositary Shares (or portion thereof) for the delivery of American Depositary Shares pursuant to Section 2.3, 4.3 or 4.4 of the Deposit Agreement and the surrender of American Depositary Shares pursuant to Section 2.5 or 6.2 of the Deposit Agreement, (6) a fee of $.05 or less per American Depositary Share (or portion thereof) for any cash distribution made pursuant to the Deposit Agreement, including, but not limited to Sections 4.1 through 4.4 and 4.8 of the Deposit Agreement, (7) a fee for the distribution of securities pursuant to Section 4.2 of the Deposit Agreement or of rights pursuant to Section 4.4 of that Agreement (where the Depositary will not exercise or sell those rights on behalf of Owners), such fee being in an amount equal to the fee for the execution and delivery of American Depositary Shares referred to above which would have been charged as a result of the deposit of such securities under the Deposit Agreement (for purposes of this item 7 treating all such securities as if they were Shares) but which securities are instead distributed by the Depositary to Owners, (8) in addition to any fee charged under item 6, a fee of $.05 or less per American Depositary Share (or portion thereof) per annum for depositary services, which will be payable as provided in item 9 below, and (9) any other charges payable by the Depositary or the Custodian, any of the Depositary’s or Custodian’s agents or the agents of the Depositary’s or Custodian’s agents, in connection with the servicing of Shares or other Deposited Securities (which charges shall be assessed against Owners as of the date or dates set by the Depositary in accordance with Section 4.6 of the Deposit Agreement and shall be payable at the sole discretion of the Depositary by billing those Owners for those charges or by deducting those charges from one or more cash dividends or other cash distributions).

The Depositary may collect any of its fees by deduction from any cash distribution payable, or by selling a portion of any securities to be distributed, to Owners that are obligated to pay those fees.

In performing its duties under this Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may use brokers, dealers, foreign currency dealers or other service providers that are owned by or affiliated with the Depositary and that may earn or share fees, spreads or commissions.

The Depositary, subject to Article 8 hereof, may own and deal in any class of securities of the Company and its affiliates and in American Depositary Shares.

 

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From time to time, the Depositary may make payments to the Company to reimburse the Company for costs and expenses generally arising out of establishment and maintenance of the American Depositary Shares program, waive fees and expenses for services provided by the Depositary or share revenue from the fees collected from Owners or Holders. In performing its duties under the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may use brokers, dealers or other service providers that are affiliates of the Depositary and that may earn or share fees and commissions.

 

8. PRE-RELEASE OF RECEIPTS.

Notwithstanding Section 2.3 of the Deposit Agreement, and unless otherwise instructed in writing by the Company, the Depositary may deliver American Depositary Shares prior to the receipt of Shares pursuant to Section 2.2 of the Deposit Agreement (a “Pre-Release”). The Depositary may, pursuant to Section 2.5 of the Deposit Agreement, deliver Shares upon the surrender of American Depositary Shares that have been Pre-Released, whether or not that surrender is prior to the termination of that Pre-Release or the Depositary knows that those American Depositary Shares have been Pre-Released. The Depositary may receive American Depositary Shares in lieu of Shares in satisfaction of a Pre-Release. Each Pre-Release must be (a) preceded or accompanied by a written representation from the person to whom American Depositary Shares or Shares are to be delivered, that such person, or its customer, owns the Shares or American Depositary Shares to be remitted, as the case may be, (b) at all times fully collateralized with cash or such other collateral as the Depositary deems appropriate, (c) terminable by the Depositary on not more than five (5) business days’ notice, and (d) subject to all indemnities and credit regulations that the Depositary deems appropriate. The number of American Depositary Shares outstanding at any time as a result of Pre-Release will not normally exceed thirty percent (30%) of all American Depositary Shares outstanding; provided, however, that the Depositary reserves the right to change or disregard that limit from time to time as it deems appropriate.

The Depositary may retain for its own account any compensation received by it in connection with Pre-Release.

 

9. TITLE TO AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES.

It is a condition of the American Depositary Shares, and every successive Owner and Holder of American Depositary Shares, by accepting or holding the same consents and agrees that American Depositary Shares evidenced by a Receipt, when the Receipt is properly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer, shall be transferable as certificated registered securities under the laws of the State of New York, and that American Depositary Shares not evidenced by Receipts shall be transferable as uncertificated registered securities under the laws of the State of New York. The Depositary, notwithstanding any notice to the contrary, may treat the Owner of American Depositary Shares as the absolute owner thereof for the purpose of determining the person entitled to distribution of dividends or other distributions or to any notice provided

 

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for in the Deposit Agreement and for all other purposes, and neither the Depositary nor the Company shall have any obligation or be subject to any liability under the Deposit Agreement to any Holder of American Depositary Shares, but only to the Owner.

 

10. VALIDITY OF RECEIPT.

This Receipt shall not be entitled to any benefits under the Deposit Agreement or be valid or obligatory for any purpose, unless this Receipt shall have been (i) executed by the Depositary by the manual signature of a duly authorized officer of the Depositary or (ii) executed by the facsimile signature of a duly authorized officer of the Depositary and countersigned by the manual signature of a duly authorized signatory of the Depositary or the Registrar or a co-registrar.

 

11. REPORTS; INSPECTION OF TRANSFER BOOKS.

The Company is subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and, accordingly, files certain reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Those reports will be available for inspection and copying through the Commission’s EDGAR system or at public reference facilities maintained by the Commission in Washington, D.C.

The Depositary will make available for inspection by Owners at its Office any reports, notices and other communications, including any proxy soliciting material, received from the Company which are both (a) received by the Depositary as the holder of the Deposited Securities and (b) made generally available to the holders of those Deposited Securities by the Company. The Company shall furnish reports and communications, including any proxy soliciting material to which Section 4.9 of the Deposit Agreement applies, to the Depositary in English, to the extent such materials are required to be translated into English pursuant to any regulations of the Commission.

The Depositary will keep books for the registration of American Depositary Shares and transfers of American Depositary Shares, which shall be open for inspection by the Owners at the Depositary’s Office during regular business hours, provided that such inspection shall not be for the purpose of communicating with Owners in the interest of a business or object other than the business of the Company or a matter related to the Deposit Agreement or the American Depositary Shares.

 

12. DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS.

Whenever the Depositary receives any cash dividend or other cash distribution on Deposited Securities, the Depositary will, if at the time of receipt thereof any amounts received in a foreign currency can in the judgment of the Depositary be converted on a reasonable basis into Dollars transferable to the United States, and subject to the Deposit Agreement, convert that dividend or other cash distribution into Dollars and distribute the amount thus received (net of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as

 

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provided in Article 7 hereof and Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement) to the Owners entitled thereto; provided, however, that if the Custodian or the Depositary is required to withhold and does withhold from that cash dividend or other cash distribution an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges, the amount distributed to the Owners of the American Depositary Shares representing those Deposited Securities shall be reduced accordingly. If a cash distribution would represent a return of all or substantially all the value of the Deposited Securities underlying American Depositary Shares, the Depositary may require surrender of those American Depositary Shares and may require payment of or deduct the fee for surrender of American Depositary Shares (whether or not it is also requiring surrender of American Depositary Shares) as a condition of making that cash distribution. A distribution of that kind shall be a Termination Option Event.

Subject to the provisions of Section 4.11 and 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement, whenever the Depositary receives any distribution other than a distribution described in Section 4.1, 4.3 or 4.4 of the Deposit Agreement on Deposited Securities (but not in exchange for or in conversion or in lieu of Deposited Securities), the Depositary will cause the securities or property received by it to be distributed to the Owners entitled thereto, after deduction or upon payment of any fees and expenses of the Depositary and any taxes or other governmental charges, in any manner that the Depositary deems equitable and practicable for accomplishing that distribution (which may be a distribution of depositary shares representing the securities received); provided, however, that if in the opinion of the Depositary such distribution cannot be made proportionately among the Owners of Receipts entitled thereto, or if for any other reason the Depositary, after consultation with the Company to the extent practicable, deems such distribution not to be lawful and feasible, the Depositary may adopt such other method as it may deem equitable and practicable for the purpose of effecting such distribution, including, but not limited to, the public or private sale of the securities or property thus received, or any part thereof, and distribution of the net proceeds of any such sale (net of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Article 7 hereof and Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement) to the Owners entitled thereto all in the manner and subject to the conditions set forth in Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary may withhold any distribution of securities under Section 4.2 of the Deposit Agreement if it has not received satisfactory assurances from the Company that the distribution does not require registration under the Securities Act of 1933. The Depositary may sell, by public or private sale, an amount of securities or other property it would otherwise distribute under this Article that is sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in respect of that distribution. If a distribution under Section 4.2 of the Deposit Agreement would represent a return of all of substantially all the value of the Deposited Securities underlying American Depositary Shares, the Depositary may require surrender of those American Depositary Shares and may require payment of or deduct the fee for surrender of American Depositary Shares (whether or not it is also requiring surrender of American Depositary Shares) as a condition of making that distribution. A distribution of that kind shall be a Termination Option Event.

 

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Whenever the Depositary receives any distribution consisting of a dividend in, or free distribution of, Shares, the Depositary may deliver to the Owners entitled thereto, an aggregate number of American Depositary Shares representing the amount of Shares received as that dividend or free distribution, subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement with respect to the deposit of Shares and after deduction or upon issuance of American Depositary Shares, including the withholding of any tax or other governmental charge as provided in Section 4.11 of the Deposit Agreement and the payment of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Article 7 hereof and Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement (and the Depositary may sell, by public or private sale, an amount of Shares received (or American Depositary Shares representing those Shares) sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in respect of that distribution). In lieu of delivering fractional American Depositary Shares, the Depositary may sell the amount of Shares represented by the aggregate of those fractions (or American Depositary Shares representing those Shares) and distribute the net proceeds, all in the manner and subject to the conditions described in Section 4.1of the Deposit Agreement. If and to the extent that additional American Depositary Shares are not so delivered and Shares or American Depositary Shares are not sold, each American Depositary Share shall thenceforth also represent the additional Shares distributed on the Deposited Securities represented thereby.

If the Company declares a distribution in which holders of Deposited Securities have a right to elect whether to receive cash, Shares or other securities or a combination of those things, or a right to elect to have a distribution sold on their behalf, the Depositary may, after consultation with the Company, make that right of election available for exercise by Owners any manner the Depositary considers to be lawful and practical. As a condition of making a distribution election right available to Owners, the Depositary may require satisfactory assurances from the Company that doing so does not require registration of any securities under the Securities Act of 1933.

In the event that the Depositary determines that any distribution received or to be made by the Depositary (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) is subject to any tax or other governmental charge that the Depositary is obligated to withhold, the Depositary may sell, by public or private sale, all or a portion of the distributed property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) in the amounts and manner the Depositary deems necessary and practicable to pay any those taxes or charges, and the Depositary shall distribute the net proceeds of that sale, after deduction of those taxes or charges, to the Owners entitled thereto in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by them respectively.

None of the Company, the Depositary or the Custodian shall be liable for the failure by any Holder or Owner to obtain the benefits of credits on the basis of any tax withheld or paid against such Holder’s or Owner’s tax liability.

 

13. RIGHTS.

 

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(a)    If rights are granted to the Depositary in respect of deposited Shares to purchase additional Shares or other securities, the Company and the Depositary shall endeavor to consult as to the actions, if any, the Depositary should take in connection with that grant of rights. The Depositary may, to the extent deemed by it to be lawful and practical (i) if requested in writing by the Company, grant to all or certain Owners rights to instruct the Depositary to purchase the securities to which the rights relate and deliver those securities or American Depositary Shares representing those securities to Owners, (ii) if requested in writing by the Company, deliver the rights to or to the order of certain Owners, or (iii) sell the rights to the extent practicable and distribute the net proceeds of that sale to Owners entitled to those proceeds. To the extent rights are not exercised, delivered or disposed of under (i), (ii) or (iii) above, the Depositary shall permit the rights to lapse unexercised.

(b)    If the Depositary will act under (a)(i) above, the Company and the Depositary will enter into a separate agreement setting forth the conditions and procedures applicable to the particular offering. Upon instruction from an applicable Owner in the form the Depositary specified and upon payment by that Owner to the Depositary of an amount equal to the purchase price of the securities to be received upon the exercise of the rights, the Depositary shall, on behalf of that Owner, exercise the rights and purchase the securities. The purchased securities shall be delivered to, or as instructed by, the Depositary. The Depositary shall (i) deposit the purchased Shares under the Deposit Agreement and deliver American Depositary Shares representing those Shares to that Owner or (ii) deliver or cause the purchased Shares or other securities to be delivered to or to the order of that Owner. The Depositary will not act under (a)(i) above unless the offer and sale of the securities to which the rights relate are registered under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Depositary has received an opinion of United States counsel that is satisfactory to it to the effect that those securities may be sold and delivered to the applicable Owners without registration under the Securities Act of 1933.

(c)    If the Depositary will act under (a)(ii) above, the Company and the Depositary will enter into a separate agreement setting forth the conditions and procedures applicable to the particular offering. Upon (i) the request of an applicable Owner to deliver the rights allocable to the American Depositary Shares of that Owner to an account specified by that Owner to which the rights can be delivered and (ii) receipt of such documents as the Company and the Depositary agreed to require to comply with applicable law, the Depositary will deliver those rights as requested by that Owner.

(d)    If the Depositary will act under (a)(iii) above, the Depositary will use reasonable efforts to sell the rights in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by the applicable Owners and pay the net proceeds to the Owners otherwise entitled to the rights that were sold, upon an averaged or other practical basis without regard to any distinctions among such Owners because of exchange restrictions or the date of delivery of any American Depositary Shares or otherwise.

 

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(e)    Payment or deduction of the fee of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement and payment or deduction of the expenses of the Depositary and any applicable taxes or other governmental charges shall be conditions of any delivery of securities or payment of cash proceeds under Section 4.4 of that Agreement.

(f)    The Depositary shall not be responsible for any failure to determine that it may be lawful or feasible to make rights available to or exercise rights on behalf of Owners in general or any Owner in particular , or to sell rights.

 

14. CONVERSION OF FOREIGN CURRENCY.

Whenever the Depositary or the Custodian receives foreign currency, by way of dividends or other distributions or the net proceeds from the sale of securities, property or rights, and if at the time of the receipt thereof the foreign currency so received can in the judgment of the Depositary be converted on a reasonable basis into Dollars and the resulting Dollars transferred to the United States, the Depositary shall convert or cause to be converted by sale or in any other manner that it may determine that foreign currency into Dollars, and those Dollars shall be distributed to the Owners entitled thereto. A cash distribution may be made upon an averaged or other practicable basis without regard to any distinctions among Owners based on exchange restrictions, the date of delivery of any American Depositary Shares or otherwise and shall be net of any expenses of conversion into Dollars incurred by the Depositary as provided in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement.

If a conversion of foreign currency or the repatriation or distribution of Dollars can be effected only with the approval or license of any government or agency thereof, the Depositary may, but will not be required to, file an application for that approval or license.

If the Depositary, after consultation with the Company to the extent practicable, determines that in its judgment any foreign currency received by the Depositary or the Custodian is not convertible on a reasonable basis into Dollars transferable to the United States, or if any approval or license of any government or agency thereof that is required for such conversion is not filed or sought by the Depositary, or if any required approval or license is not obtained within a reasonable period as determined by the Depositary, the Depositary may distribute the foreign currency received by the Depositary to, or in its discretion may hold such foreign currency uninvested and without liability for interest thereon for the respective accounts of, the Owners entitled to receive the same.

If any conversion of foreign currency, in whole or in part, cannot be effected for distribution to some of the Owners entitled thereto, the Depositary may in its discretion make that conversion and distribution in Dollars to the extent practicable and permissible to the Owners entitled thereto and may distribute the balance of the foreign currency

 

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received by the Depositary to, or hold that balance uninvested and without liability for interest thereon for the account of, the Owners entitled thereto.

The Depositary may convert currency itself or through any of its affiliates and, in those cases, acts as principal for its own account and not as agent, advisor, broker or fiduciary on behalf of any other person and earns revenue, including, without limitation, transaction spreads, that it will retain for its own account. The revenue is based on, among other things, the difference between the exchange rate assigned to the currency conversion made under this Deposit Agreement and the rate that the Depositary or its affiliate receives when buying or selling foreign currency for its own account. The Depositary makes no representation that the exchange rate used or obtained in any currency conversion under this Deposit Agreement will be the most favorable rate that could be obtained at the time or that the method by which that rate will be determined will be the most favorable to Owners, subject to the Depositary’s obligations under Section 5.3. The methodology used to determine exchange rates used in currency conversions is available upon request.

 

15. RECORD DATES.

Whenever a cash dividend, cash distribution or any other distribution is made on Deposited Securities or rights to purchase Shares or other securities are issued with respect to Deposited Securities (which rights will delivered to or exercised or sold on behalf of Owners in accordance with Section 4.4 of the Deposit Agreement) or the Depositary receives notice that a distribution or issuance of that kind will be made, or whenever the Depositary receives notice that a meeting of holders of Shares will be held in respect of which the Company has requested the Depositary to send a notice under Section 4.7 of the Deposit Agreement, or whenever the Depositary will assess a fee or charge against the Owners, or whenever for any reason the Depositary causes a change in the number of Shares that are represented by each American Depositary Share, or whenever the Depositary otherwise finds it necessary or convenient, the Depositary shall fix a record date, which shall be the same as, or as near as practicable to, any corresponding record date set by the Company with respect to Shares, (a) for the determination of the Owners (i) who shall be entitled to receive the benefit of that dividend or other distribution or those rights, (ii) who shall be entitled to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights at that meeting, (iii) who shall be responsible for that fee or charge or (iv) for any other purpose for which the record date was set, or (b) on or after which each American Depositary Share will represent the changed number of Shares. Subject to the provisions of Sections 4.1 through 4.5 of the Deposit Agreement and to the other terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, the Owners on a record date fixed by the Depositary shall be entitled to receive the amount distributable by the Depositary with respect to that dividend or other distribution or those rights or the net proceeds of sale thereof in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by them respectively, to give voting instructions or to act in respect of the other matter for which that record date was fixed, or be responsible for that fee or charge, as the case may be.

 

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16. VOTING OF DEPOSITED SHARES.

(a)    Upon receipt of notice of any meeting of holders of Shares at which holders of Shares will be entitled to vote, if requested in writing by the Company, the Depositary shall, as soon as practicable thereafter, Disseminate to the Owners a notice, the form of which shall be in the sole discretion of the Depositary, that shall contain (a) the information contained in the notice of meeting received by the Depositary from the Company, (b) a statement that the Owners as of the close of business on a specified record date will be entitled, subject to any applicable provision of French law and of the articles of association or similar documents of the Company, to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the number of Shares represented by their respective American Depositary Shares (c) a statement as to the manner in which those instructions may be given and (d) the last date on which the Depositary will accept instructions (the “Instruction Cutoff Date”).

(b)    Upon the written request of an Owner of American Depositary Shares, as of the date of the request or, if a record date was specified by the Depositary, as of that record date, received on or before any Instruction Cutoff Date established by the Depositary, the Depositary may, and if the Depositary sent a notice under the preceding paragraph shall, endeavor, in so far as practicable, to vote or cause to be voted the amount of deposited Shares represented by those American Depositary Shares in accordance with the instructions set forth in that request. The Depositary shall not vote or attempt to exercise the right to vote that attaches to the deposited Securities other than in accordance with instructions given by Owners and received by the Depositary.

(c)    There can be no assurance that Owners generally or any Owner in particular will receive the notice described in paragraph (a) above in time to enable Owners to give instructions to the Depositary prior to the Instruction Cutoff Date.

(d)    In order to give Owners a reasonable opportunity to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of voting rights relating to Shares, if the Company will request the Depositary to Disseminate a notice under paragraph (a) above, the Company shall give the Depositary notice of the meeting, details concerning the matters to be voted upon and copies of materials to be made available to holders of Shares in connection with the meeting not less than 30 days prior to the meeting date, in which case the Depositary shall upon receipt of the request use its commercially reasonable efforts to distribute to Owners the material described in the first paragraph of Section 4.7 of the Deposit Agreement and carry out the further actions set forth in Section 4.7 of the Deposit Agreement.

Notwithstanding anything in Section 4.7 of the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, the Depositary and the Company may modify, amend or adopt additional procedures from time to time as they determine may be necessary or appropriate.

 

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Without prejudice to the Depositary’s rights under Section 2.9, the Depositary will take no action to impair the ability of the Custodian to vote the number of Shares (including the Shares held by the Depositary in registered form) necessary to carry out the instructions of all Owners under this Section 4.7.

 

17. TENDER AND EXCHANGE OFFERS; REDEMPTION, REPLACEMENT OR CANCELLATION OF DEPOSITED SECURITIES.

(a)    The Depositary shall not tender any Deposited Securities in response to any voluntary cash tender offer, exchange offer or similar offer made to holders of Deposited Securities (a “Voluntary Offer”) except (i) when instructed in writing to do so by an Owner surrendering American Depositary Shares and subject to any conditions or procedures the Depositary may require.

(b)    If the Depositary receives a written notice that Deposited Securities have been redeemed for cash or otherwise purchased for cash in a transaction that is mandatory and binding on the Depositary as a holder of those Deposited Securities (a “Redemption”), the Depositary, at the expense of the Company (unless otherwise agreed between the Company and the Depositary), shall (i) if required, surrender Deposited Securities that have been redeemed to the issuer of those securities or its agent on the redemption date, (ii) Disseminate a notice to Owners (A) notifying them of that Redemption, (B) calling for surrender of a corresponding number of American Depositary Shares and (C) notifying them that the called American Depositary Shares have been converted into a right only to receive the money received by the Depositary upon that Redemption and those net proceeds shall be the Deposited Securities to which Owners of those converted American Depositary Shares shall be entitled upon surrenders of those American Depositary Shares in accordance with Section 2.5 or 6.2 of the Deposit Agreement and (iii) distribute the money received upon that Redemption to the Owners entitled to it upon surrender by them of called American Depositary Shares in accordance with Section 2.5 of that Agreement (and, for the avoidance of doubt, Owners shall not be entitled to receive that money or other property under Section 4.1 or 4.2 of that Agreement). If the Redemption affects less than all the Deposited Securities, the Depositary shall call for surrender a corresponding portion of the outstanding American Depositary Shares and only those American Depositary Shares will automatically be converted into a right to receive the net proceeds of the Redemption. The Depositary shall allocate the American Depositary Shares converted under the preceding sentence among the Owners pro-rata to their respective holdings of American Depositary Shares immediately prior to the Redemption, except that the allocations may be adjusted so that no fraction of a converted American Depositary Share is allocated to any Owner. A Redemption of all or substantially all of the Deposited Securities shall be a Termination Option Event.

(c)    If the Depositary is notified of or there occurs any change in nominal value or any subdivision, combination or any other reclassification of the Deposited

 

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Securities or any recapitalization, reorganization, sale of assets substantially as an entirety, merger or consolidation affecting the issuer of the Deposited Securities or to which it is a party that is mandatory and binding on the Depositary as a holder of Deposited Securities and as a result securities or other property have been or will be delivered in exchange, conversion, replacement or in lieu of, Deposited Securities (a “Replacement”), then (i) the Depositary shall, if required surrender the old Deposited Securities affected by that Replacement of Shares and hold, as new Deposited Securities under the Deposit Agreement, the new securities or other property delivered to it in that Replacement. However, the Depositary may elect to sell those new Deposited Securities if in the opinion of the Depositary, after consultation with the Company or its successor entity to the extent practicable, it is not lawful or not practical for it to hold those new Deposited Securities under the Deposit Agreement because those new Deposited Securities may not be distributed to Owners without registration under the Securities Act of 1933 or for any other reason, at public or private sale, at such places and on such terms as it deems proper and proceed as if those new Deposited Securities had been Redeemed under paragraph (b) above. A Replacement shall be a Termination Option Event.

(d)    In the case of a Replacement where the new Deposited Securities will continue to be held under the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may call for the surrender of outstanding Receipts to be exchanged for new Receipts specifically describing the new Deposited Securities and the number of those new Deposited Securities represented by each American Depositary Share. If the number of Shares represented by each American Depositary Share decreases as a result of a Replacement, the Depositary may, after consultation with the Company to the extent practicable, call for surrender of the American Depositary Shares to be exchanged on a mandatory basis for a lesser number of American Depositary and may sell American Depositary Shares to the extent necessary to avoid distributing fractions of American Depositary Shares in that exchange and distribute the net proceeds of that sale to the Owners entitled to them.

(e)    If there are no Deposited Securities with respect to American Depositary Shares, including if the Deposited Securities are cancelled, or the Deposited Securities with respect to American Depositary Shares become apparently worthless, the Depositary may call for surrender of those American Depositary Shares or may cancel those American Depositary Shares, upon notice to Owners, and a Termination Option Event occurs.

 

18. LIABILITY OF THE COMPANY AND DEPOSITARY.

Neither the Depositary nor the Company nor any of their respective directors, employees, agents or affiliates shall incur any liability to any Owner or Holder, (i) if by reason of any provision of any present or future law or regulation of the United States or any other country, or of any governmental or regulatory authority, or by reason of any provision, present or future, of the articles of association or any similar document of the Company, or by reason of any provision of any securities issued or distributed by the

 

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Company, or any offering or distribution thereof, or by reason of any act of God or war or terrorism or other circumstances beyond its control, the Depositary or the Company is prevented from, forbidden to or delayed in, or could be subject to any civil or criminal penalty on account of doing or performing and therefore does not do or perform, any act or thing that, by the terms of the Deposit Agreement or Deposited Securities, it is provided shall be done or performed, (ii) by reason of any exercise of, or failure to exercise, any discretion provided for in the Deposit Agreement (including any determination by the Depositary to take, or not take, any action that the Deposit Agreement provides the Depositary may take), (iii) for the inability of any Owner or Holder to benefit from any distribution, offering, right or other benefit that is made available to holders of Deposited Securities but is not, under the terms of the Deposit Agreement, made available to Owners or Holders, or (iv) for any special, consequential, indirect or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of the Deposit Agreement. Where, by the terms of a distribution to which Section 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3 of the Deposit Agreement applies, or an offering to which Section 4.4 of the Deposit Agreement applies, that distribution or offering may not be made available to Owners of Receipts, and the Depositary may not dispose of that distribution or offering on behalf of such Owners and make the net proceeds available to Owners, then the Depositary shall not make that distribution or offering available to Owners, and shall allow any rights, if applicable, to lapse.

Neither the Company nor the Depositary assumes any obligation or shall be subject to any liability under the Deposit Agreement to Owners or Holders, except that they agree to perform their obligations specifically set forth in the Deposit Agreement without negligence or bad faith. The Depositary shall not be subject to any liability with respect to the validity or worth of the Deposited Securities. Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall be under any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit, or other proceeding in respect of any Deposited Securities or in respect of the American Depositary Shares, on behalf of any Owner or Holder or other person. Each of the Depositary and the Company may rely, and shall be protected in relying upon, any written notice, request, direction or other document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties. Neither the Depositary nor the Company, nor any of their respective affiliates (as such term is defined in Regulation C under the Securities Act of 1933) or agents, shall be liable for any action or non-action by it in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting Shares for deposit, any Owner or Holder, or any other person believed by it in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information. The Depositary shall not be liable for any acts or omissions made by a successor depositary whether in connection with a previous act or omission of the Depositary or in connection with a matter arising wholly after the removal or resignation of the Depositary, provided that in connection with the issue out of which such potential liability arises, the Depositary performed its obligations without negligence or bad faith while it acted as Depositary. The Depositary shall not be liable for the acts or omissions of any securities depository, clearing agency or settlement system in connection with or arising out of book-entry

 

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settlement of American Depositary Shares or Deposited Securities or otherwise. In the absence of bad faith on its part, the Depositary shall not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote any of the Deposited Securities or for the manner in which any such vote is cast or the effect of any such vote. Each of the Depositary and the Company may rely, and shall be protected in acting upon, any written notice, request, direction or other document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties. Neither the Company nor the Depositary shall have any duty to make any determination or provide any information as to the tax status of the Company or any liability for any tax consequences that may be incurred by Owners or Holders as a result of owning or holding American Depositary Shares, including without limitation, tax consequences resulting from the Company (or any of its subsidiaries) being treated as a “Passive Foreign Investment Company” (“PFIC”) (in each case as defined in the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and the regulations issued thereunder) or otherwise. The Company may have been in the past and may be in the future a PFIC for U.S. Federal income tax purposes. Owners must consult their own tax advisers as to the potential application of the PFIC rules. No disclaimer of liability under the Securities Act of 1933 is intended by any provision of the Deposit Agreement.

 

19. RESIGNATION AND REMOVAL OF THE DEPOSITARY; APPOINTMENT OF SUCCESSOR CUSTODIAN.

The Depositary may at any time resign as Depositary under the Deposit Agreement by written notice of its election so to do delivered to the Company, to become effective upon the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment as provided in the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary may at any time be removed by the Company by 120 days’ prior written notice of that removal, to become effective upon the later of (i) the 120th day after delivery of the notice to the Depositary and (ii) the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of its appointment as provided in the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary in its discretion may at any time appoint a substitute or additional custodian or custodians.

 

20. AMENDMENT.

The form of the Receipts and any provisions of the Deposit Agreement may at any time and from time to time be amended by agreement between the Company and the Depositary without the consent of Owners or Holders in any respect which they may deem necessary or desirable. Any amendment that would shall impose or increase any fees or charges (other than taxes and other governmental charges, registration fees, cable, telex or facsimile transmission costs, delivery costs or other such expenses), or that would otherwise prejudice any substantial existing right of Owners, shall, however, not become effective as to outstanding American Depositary Shares until the expiration of 30 days after notice of that amendment has been Disseminated to the Owners of outstanding American Depositary Shares. Every Owner and Holder, at the time any amendment so becomes effective, shall be deemed, by continuing to hold American Depositary Shares

 

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or any interest therein, to consent and agree to that amendment and to be bound by the Deposit Agreement as amended thereby. Upon the effectiveness of an amendment to the form of Receipt, including a change in the number of Shares represented by each American Depositary Share, the Depositary may call for surrender of Receipts to be replaced with new Receipts in the amended form or call for surrender of American Depositary Shares to effect that change of ratio. In no event shall any amendment impair the right of the Owner to surrender American Depositary Shares and receive delivery of the Deposited Securities represented thereby, except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of applicable law.

 

21. TERMINATION OF DEPOSIT AGREEMENT.

(a)    The Company may terminate the Deposit Agreement by notice to the Depositary. The Depositary may terminate this Deposit Agreement if (i) at any time 60 days shall have expired after the Depositary delivered to the Company a written resignation notice and a successor depositary has not been appointed and accepted its appointment as provided in Section 5.4 of that Agreement, (ii) an Insolvency Event or Delisting Event occurs with respect to the Company or (iii) a Termination Option Event has occurred or will occur. If a termination of the Deposit Agreement has been initiated by the Company or the Depositary, the Depositary shall Disseminate a notice of termination to the Owners of all American Depositary Shares then outstanding setting a date for termination (the “Termination Date”), which shall be at least 90 days after the date of that notice, and the Deposit Agreement shall terminate on that Termination Date.

(b)    After the Termination Date, the Company shall be discharged from all obligations under the Deposit Agreement except for its obligations to the Depositary under Sections 5.8 and 5.9 of that Agreement.

(c)    At any time after the Termination Date, the Depositary may sell the Deposited Securities then held under the Deposit Agreement and may thereafter hold uninvested the net proceeds of any such sale, together with any other cash then held by it hereunder, unsegregated and without liability for interest, for the pro rata benefit of the Owners of American Depositary Shares that remain outstanding, and those Owners will become general creditors of the Depositary with respect to those net proceeds. After making that sale, the Depositary shall be discharged from all obligations under the Deposit Agreement, except (i) to account for the net proceeds and other cash (after deducting, in each case, the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of American Depositary Shares, any expenses for the account of the Owner of such American Depositary Shares in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement and any applicable taxes or governmental charges) and (ii) for its obligations under Section 5.8 of that Agreement and (iii) to act as provided in the paragraph (d) below.

(d)    After the Termination Date, the Depositary shall continue to receive dividends and other distributions pertaining to Deposited Securities (that have not been sold), may sell rights and other property as provided in the Deposit Agreement and shall

 

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deliver Deposited Securities (or sale proceeds) upon surrender of American Depositary Shares (after payment or upon deduction, in each case, of the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of American Depositary Shares, any expenses for the account of the Owner of those American Depositary Shares in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement and any applicable taxes or governmental charges). However, after the Termination Date, (i) the Depositary may refuse to accept surrenders of American Depositary Shares for the purpose of withdrawal of Deposited Securities (that have not been sold) if in its judgment the requested withdrawal would interfere with its efforts to sell the Deposited Securities, (ii) the Depositary will not be required to deliver cash proceeds of the sale of Deposited Securities until all Deposited Securities have been sold and (iii) the Depositary may discontinue the registration of transfers of American Depositary Shares and suspend the distribution of dividends and other distributions on Deposited Securities to the Owners and need not give any further notices or perform any further acts under the Deposit Agreement except as provided in Section 6.2 of that Agreement.

 

22. DTC DIRECT REGISTRATION SYSTEM AND PROFILE MODIFICATION SYSTEM.

(a)    Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2.4 of the Deposit Agreement, the parties acknowledge that DTC’s Direct Registration System (“DRS”) and Profile Modification System (“Profile”) apply to the American Depositary Shares upon acceptance thereof to DRS by DTC. DRS is the system administered by DTC that facilitates interchange between registered holding of uncertificated securities and holding of security entitlements in those securities through DTC and a DTC participant. Profile is a required feature of DRS that allows a DTC participant, claiming to act on behalf of an Owner of American Depositary Shares, to direct the Depositary to register a transfer of those American Depositary Shares to DTC or its nominee and to deliver those American Depositary Shares to the DTC account of that DTC participant without receipt by the Depositary of prior authorization from the Owner to register that transfer.

(b)    In connection with DRS/Profile, the parties acknowledge that the Depositary will not determine whether the DTC participant that is claiming to be acting on behalf of an Owner in requesting registration of transfer and delivery described in paragraph (a) above has the actual authority to act on behalf of that Owner (notwithstanding any requirements under the Uniform Commercial Code). For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of Sections 5.3 and 5.8 of the Deposit Agreement apply to the matters arising from the use of the DRS/Profile. The parties agree that the Depositary’s reliance on and compliance with instructions received by the Depositary through the DRS/Profile system and otherwise in accordance with the Deposit Agreement, shall not constitute negligence or bad faith on the part of the Depositary.

 

23. APPOINTMENT OF AGENT FOR SERVICE OF PROCESS; SUBMISSION TO JURISDICTION; JURY TRIAL WAIVER; WAIVER OF IMMUNITIES.

 

A-20


The Company has (i) appointed CorpoMax, Inc., 2915 Ogletown Road, Newark, DE 19713, as the Company’s U.S. registered agent upon which process may be served in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to the Shares or Deposited Securities, the American Depositary Shares, the Receipts or this Agreement, (ii) consented and submitted to the jurisdiction of any state or federal court in the State of New York in which any such suit or proceeding may be instituted, and (iii) agreed that service of process upon said U.S. registered agent shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon the Company in any such suit or proceeding.

EACH PARTY TO THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT (INCLUDING, FOR AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, EACH OWNER AND HOLDER) THEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING AGAINST THE COMPANY AND/OR THE DEPOSITARY DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SHARES OR OTHER DEPOSITED SECURITIES, THE AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES OR THE RECEIPTS, THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT OR ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREIN OR THEREIN, OR THE BREACH HEREOF OR THEREOF, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY QUESTION REGARDING EXISTENCE, VALIDITY OR TERMINATION (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY).

To the extent that the Company or any of its properties, assets or revenues may have or hereafter become entitled to, or have attributed to it, any right of immunity, on the grounds of sovereignty or otherwise, from any legal action, suit or proceeding, from the giving of any relief in any respect thereof, from setoff or counterclaim, from the jurisdiction of any court, from service of process, from attachment upon or prior to judgment, from attachment in aid of execution or judgment, or other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of any judgment, in any jurisdiction in which proceedings may at any time be commenced, with respect to its obligations, liabilities or any other matter under or arising out of or in connection with the Shares or Deposited Securities, the American Depositary Shares, the Receipts or the Deposit Agreement, the Company, to the fullest extent permitted by law, hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, and agrees not to plead or claim, any such immunity and consents to such relief and enforcement.

 

24. DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS.

In order to comply with applicable laws and regulations or the articles of association or similar document of the Company, the Company may from time to time request each Owner and Holder to provide to the Depositary information relating to: (a) the capacity in which it holds American Depositary Shares, (b) the identity of any Holders or other persons or entities then or previously interested in those American Depositary Shares and the nature of those interests and (c) any other matter where

 

A-21


disclosure of such matter is required for that compliance. Each Owner and Holder agrees to provide all information known to it in response to a request made pursuant to this Section. Each Holder consents to the disclosure by the Owner or other Holder through which it holds American Depositary Shares, directly or indirectly, of all information responsive to a request made pursuant to this Section relating to that Holder that is known to that Owner or other Holder. The Depositary agrees to use reasonable efforts, at the Company’s expense (unless otherwise agreed between the Company and the Depositary), to comply with written instructions requesting that the Depositary forward any request authorized under this Section to the Owners and to forward to the Company any responses it receives in response to that request.

Each Owner and Holder of American Depositary Shares further agrees to comply with the laws and regulations of the United States and the Republic of France (if and to the extent applicable) with respect to the disclosure requirements regarding beneficial ownership of Shares, all as if the American Depositary Shares were the Shares represented thereby, which is deemed to include, inter alia, requirements to make notifications and filings within the required timeframes to the Company, to the Commision, to the French Autorité des Marchés Financiers and any other authorities in the United States or in the Republic of France. The Company reserves the right to instruct Holders to deliver their American Depositary Shares for cancellation and withdrawal of the Deposited Securities so as to permit the Company to deal directly with the Holder thereof as a holder of Shares and Holders agree to comply with such instructions. The Depositary agrees to cooperate with the Company in its efforts to inform Holders of the Company’s exercise of its rights under this paragraph and agrees to consult with, and provide reasonable assistance without risk, liability or expense on the part of the Depositary, to the Company on the manner or manners in which it may enforce such rights with respect to any Holder.

 

A-22

EX-5.1

LOGO

Exhibit 5.1

January 24, 2018

ERYTECH Pharma S.A.

Bâtiment Adénine

60 avenue Rockefeller

69008 Lyon

France

Re: Registration Statement on Form S-8 of ERYTECH Pharma S.A.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We are acting as special French counsel for ERYTECH Pharma S.A. (the “Company”), a French société anonyme, in connection with the filing of the Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) relating to the registration of up to 1,179,940 ordinary shares of the Company, par value €0.10 per share (the “Shares”) pursuant to the Company’s 2016 and 2017 Stock Option Plans, 2016 and 2017 AGA (Free Share) Plans, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017 BSA Subscription Plans and 2012 and 2014 BSPCE Subscription Plans (collectively, the “Plans”).

In connection with the opinion expressed herein, we have examined such documents, records and matters of law as we have deemed relevant or necessary for purposes of such opinion. We have assumed the genuineness and authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals and the conformity to originals of all documents submitted to us as copies thereof. In rendering this opinion, as to certain factual matters, we have, with your consent, relied upon oral and written representations of officers of the Company with respect to the accuracy of the factual matters addressed in such representations. Based on the foregoing, and subject to the further limitations, qualifications and assumptions set forth herein, we are of the opinion that the Shares that may be issued pursuant to the Plans have been duly authorized by the relevant extraordinary general meetings of the Company’s shareholders and, when issued in accordance with the respective Plans and against payment of due consideration therefor (to the extent applicable), will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

The opinion expressed herein is limited to the laws of France as currently in effect, and we express no opinion as to the effect of the laws of any other jurisdiction. We have assumed that the Company will take no action inconsistent with the Plans and the resolutions authorizing the Company to issue the Shares. We have also assumed, for any future awards under the Plans, that (1) the resolutions authorizing the Company to issue the Shares pursuant to the respective Plans and the applicable award agreements will be in full force and effect on the date of such awards and (2) such future awards will be approved by the Board of Directors of the Company in accordance with applicable law and with the terms of the relevant Plan. We do not undertake or accept any obligation to update this opinion to reflect subsequent changes in French law or factual matters arising after the date of effectiveness of this Registration Statement.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement filed by the Company to effect registration of the Shares to be issued and sold pursuant to each Plan under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”). In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are included in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated thereunder.

Very truly yours,

/s/ Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I.

 

LOGO

EX-23.1

Exhibit 23.1

 

LOGO

 

 

KPMG Audit

51 rue de Saint-Cyr

CS 60409

69338 Lyon Cedex 9

Lyon

  

 

Téléphone : +33 (0)4 37 64 76 00

Télécopie : +33 (0)4 37 64 76 09

Site internet : www.kpmg.fr

 

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors

ERYTECH Pharma S.A.

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this registration statement on Form S-8 of ERYTECH Pharma S.A. of our report dated July 5, 2017, with respect to the consolidated statements of financial position of ERYTECH Pharma S.A. and its subsidiary as of December 31, 2015 and 2016, and the related consolidated statements of income (loss), comprehensive income (loss), changes in shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2016, which report appears in the prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by ERYTECH Pharma S.A. on November 13, 2017 pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, and to the reference to our firm under the heading “Experts” in such prospectus.

 

Lyon, January 24, 2018

KPMG Audit

Department of KPMG S.A.

/s/ Sara Righenzi de Villers

 

Sara Righenzi de Villers

Partner

 

KPMG S.A.,

société française membre du réseau KPMG

constitué de cabinets indépendants adhérents de

KPMG Internatinal Cooperative, une entité de droit suisse.

  

Société anonyme d’expertise

comptable et de commissariat

aux comptes à directoire et

conseil de surveillance.

Inscrite au Tableau de l’Ordre

à Paris sous le n° 14-30080101

et à la Compagnie Régionale

des Commissaires aux Comptes

de Versailles.

  

Siège social :

KPMG S.A.

Tour Eqho

2 avenue Gambetta

92066 Paris la Défense Cedex

Capital : 5 497 100 €.

Code APE 6920Z

775 726 417 R.C.S. Nanterre

TVA Union Européenne

FR 77 775 726 417

EX-99.5

Exhibit 99.5

Plan Option 2017

ERYTECH PHARMA SA

2017 STOCK OPTION PLAN

 

Page 1 of 26


SUMMARY

 

1.

 

Purposes of the plan

     3  

2.

 

Definitions

     3  

3.

 

Shares Subject to the Plan

     8  

4.

 

Administration of the Plan

     8  

5.

 

Limitations

     10  

6.

 

Term of plan

     10  

7.

 

Term of Option

     10  

8.

 

Options Exercise Price and Consideration

     10  

9.

 

Exercise of Option

     12  

10.

 

Non-Transferability of Options

     14  

11.

 

Adjustments Upon Changes in Capitalization, Dissolution, Merger or Asset Sale

     14  

12.

 

Grant

     16  

13.

 

Amendment and Termination of the Plan

     16  

14.

 

Conditions Upon Issuance of Shares

     16  

15.

 

Liability of Company

     17  

16.

 

Shareholders’ Approval

     17  

17.

 

Law, Jurisdiction and Language

     17  


ERYTECH PHARMA SA

2017 STOCK OPTION PLAN

In accordance with the authorization granted by the extraordinary general shareholders’ meeting of June 27, 2017, the Board of Directors decided on June 27, 2017, in compliance with the provisions of Articles L. 225-177 et seq. of the French Commercial Code, to adopt the 2017 stock option plan of ERYTECH PHARMA SA, the terms and conditions of which are set out below.

 

1. PURPOSES OF THE PLAN

The purposes of the Plan are:

 

  to attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial responsibility;

 

  to provide additional incentive to Beneficiaries; and

 

  to promote the success of the Company’s business.

Options granted under the Plan to U.S. Beneficiaries are intended to be Incentive Stock Options and shall comply in all respects with Applicable Laws in order to benefit from available tax advantages.

Options granted under the Plan to UK Beneficiaries are intended to be Non-Statutory Stock Options governed by the provisions of Schedule 1 of the Plan as to comply in all respect with Applicable Laws in order to benefit from available tax advantages. In the case of any inconsistency between the provisions of the Plan and the provisions of Schedule 1 the provisions of Schedule 1 of the Plan shall prevail.

 

2. DEFINITIONS

 

Administrator    means the Board of Directors which shall administer the Plan in accordance with Section 4 of the Plan.
Affiliated Company   

means a company which conforms to the criteria set forth in Article L. 225-180 of the Law as follows:

 

•   companies of which at least ten per cent (10%) of the share capital or voting rights is held directly or indirectly by the Company;

 

•   companies which own directly or indirectly at least ten per cent (10%) of the share capital or voting rights of the Company; and

 

•   companies of which at least fifty per cent (50%) of the share capital or voting rights is held directly or indirectly by a company which owns directly or indirectly at least fifty percent (50%) of the share capital or voting rights of the Company

 

Page 3 of 26


Applicable Laws    means for the legal requirements relating to the administration of stock option plans under U.S. state corporate laws, U.S. federal and state securities laws and the Code and the applicable laws of any foreign country or jurisdiction where Options are, or will be, granted under the Plan
Beneficiary    means the general manager (directeur général) and the deputy general managers (directeurs généraux délégués) of the Company subject to the employees’ tax regime, as well as any individual employed by the Company or by any Affiliated Company. For the avoidance of doubt, it is specified that holding a position as a director of the Company of as a director of an Affiliated Company (whether remunerated or not) shall not be deemed to constitute an employment relationship
Board of Directors    means the board of directors of the Company
Code    means the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
Company    means ERYTECH PHARMA SA, a corporation organized under the laws of the Republic of France
Continuous Status as a Beneficiary   

means as regards the general manager or the deputy general manager subject to the employee’s tax regime, that the term of their office has not been terminated and, as regards an employee, that the employment relationship between the Beneficiary and the Company or any Affiliated Company has not been terminated. For purposes of the Plan, an Optionee shall be deemed to cease Continuous Status as a Beneficiary immediately upon the occurrence of either of the following events:

 

the Optionee no longer performs services as an employee for the Company or any Affiliated Company, or

 

the entity for which the Optionee is performing such services ceases to remain an Affiliated Company, even though the Optionee may subsequently continue to perform services for that entity.

 

Page 4 of 26


  

Continuous Status as a Beneficiary shall not be deemed to cease during a period of military leave, sick leave or other personal leave approved by the Company; provided, however, that for a leave which exceeds three (3) months, Continuous Status as a Beneficiary shall be deemed, for purposes of determining the period within which any outstanding option held by the Optionee in question may be exercised as an Incentive Stock Option, to cease on the first day immediately following the expiration of such three (3)-month period, unless that Optionee is provided with the right to return to employment following such leave either by statute or by written contract.

 

Except to the extent otherwise required by law or expressly authorized by the Administrator or by the Company’s written policy on leaves of absence, no employment credit shall be given for vesting purposes for any period the Optionee is on a leave of absence

Date of Dismissal    means the date the employee received its dismissal letter
Date of Grant    means the date of the decision of the Board of Directors to grant the Options
Disability    means a disability corresponding to the second or the third categories of Article L. 341-4 of the French Social Security Code or pursuant to any similar provision applicable to a foreign Affiliated Company or, if the Optionee is a U.S. Beneficiary, the inability of the Optionee to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment and shall be determined by the Administrator on the basis of such medical evidence as the Administrator deems warranted under the circumstances
Employee    means an individual who is in the employ of the Company (or any Parent or Subsidiary), subject to the control and direction of the employer entity as to both the work to be performed and the manner and method of performance
Exchange Act    means the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended

 

Page 5 of 26


Fair Market Value   means the value for one Share as determined in good faith by the Administrator, according to the terms of the Shareholders Authorization and the following provisions:
 

1)  

  the Board of Directors may determine the Fair Market Value of a Share by reference to the closing sales price of one share on the regulated market on which the Company is listed for the day prior to the day of the decision of the Board of Directors to grant the options.
 

2)  

  however, the Fair Market Value of a Share shall in no case be less than nighty-five per cent (95%) of the average of the closing sales price for a share as quoted on said stock exchange market during the twenty market trading days prior to the day of the Board of Directors’ decision to grant the options,
 

3)  

  it being specified that, when an Option entitles the holder to purchase shares previously repurchased by the Company, the exercise price, notwithstanding the above provisions and in accordance with applicable law, may not be less than 95% of the average purchase price paid by the Company for all shares so previously repurchased.
  This price settled for the subscription or purchase of share shall not be modified during the period in which the option may be exercised. However, if the Company makes one of the operations mentioned in article L. 225-181 of French Commercial Code, it must take all necessary measures to protect the Optionee’s interests in the conditions provided for by article L. 228-99 of the French Commercial Code. In case of issuance of securities granting the stock access, as well as in case of the Company’s merger or scission, the Board of Directors may decide, for a limited period of time, to suspend the exercisability of the Options
Incentive Stock Option   means an Option intended to qualify as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder
Law   means French Commercial Code

 

Page 6 of 26


Non-Statutory Stock Option    means, for this Agreement, an Option that is not an Incentive Stock Option
Notice of Grant    means a written notice evidencing the main terms and conditions of an individual Option grant. The Notice of Grant is part of the Option Agreement
Option    means an option to purchase or subscribe Shares granted pursuant to the Plan
Optionee    means a Beneficiary who holds at least one outstanding Option
Option Agreement    means a written agreement entered into between the Company and an Optionee evidencing the terms and conditions of an individual Option grant. The Option Agreement is subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan
Option Exchange Program    means a program pursuant to which the Administrator may effect, at any time and from time to time, with the consent of the affected option holders, the cancellation of any or all outstanding options under the Plan and to grant in substitution therefor new options covering the same or different number of shares of common stock but with an exercise price per share based on the Fair Market Value per share of common stock on the new option grant date
Parent    means a “parent corporation”, whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code
Plan    means the 2017 Stock Option Plan as authorized by the Board of Directors on June 27, 2017
Retirement    means, pursuant to article L. 1237-5 of the French labor code, the retirement, upon the employer’s decision, at full rate of an employee who has reached the age giving right to retirement, or any similar provision applicable to a foreign Affiliated Company
Share    means a share of the Company
Share Capital    means the issued and paid up capital of the Company
Shareholders Authorization    means the authorization given by the shareholders of the Company in the ordinary and extraordinary general meeting held on June 27, 2017 as increased or amended from time to time by a further general

 

Page 7 of 26


   meeting of the shareholders permitting the Board of Directors to grant Stock Options
Subsidiary    means a “subsidiary corporation”, whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code
U.K. Beneficiary    means a Beneficiary of the Company or an Affiliated Company resident in the United Kingdom for tax purposes, or otherwise subject to United Kingdom taxation
U.S. Beneficiary    means a Beneficiary of the Company or an Affiliated Company residing in the United States or otherwise subject to United States laws and regulations
10% Shareholder    means the owner of stock (as determined under Code Section 424(d)) possessing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company (or any Parent or Subsidiary)

 

3. SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN

Subject to the provisions of Section 11 of the Plan and pursuant to the Shareholder Authorization, the maximum aggregate number of Shares which may be optioned and issued under the Plan is equal to 300,000 with a nominal value of 30,000.00 Euro, adjusted to take into account any operation of split or grouping of shares, being provided that the total number of Shares that can be issued by the Company under this Plan and the share warrants and free shares plans adopted by the Board of Director on June 27, 2017 shall not exceed 420,000.

Should the Option expire or become unexercisable for any reason without having been exercised in full, the unsubscribed Shares which were subject thereto shall, unless the Plan shall have been terminated, become available for future grant under the Plan.

 

4. ADMINISTRATION OF THE PLAN

 

4.1 Procedure

The Plan shall be administered by the Administrator.

 

4.2 Powers of the Administrator

Subject to the provisions of the Law, the Shareholders Authorization, the Plan, and the Applicable Laws, the Administrator shall have the authority, in its discretion:

 

Page 8 of 26


  1) to determine the Fair Market Value of the Shares, in accordance with Section 1 of the Plan;

 

  2) to determine the Beneficiaries to whom Options may be granted hereunder;

 

  3) to select the Beneficiaries and determine whether and to what extent Options are granted hereunder;

 

  4) to approve or amend forms of agreement for use under the Plan;

 

  5) to determine the terms and conditions of any Options granted hereunder. Such terms and conditions include, but are not limited to, the exercise price, the time or times when Options may be exercised (which may be based on performance criteria), any vesting acceleration or waiver of forfeiture restrictions, and any restriction or limitation regarding any Option or the Shares relating thereto, based in each case on such factors as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, shall determine; it being specified that the Administrator’s discretion remains subject to the rules and limitations set forth in this Plan and in the Law;

 

  6) to construe and interpret the terms of the Plan and Options granted pursuant to the Plan;

 

  7) to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan, including rules and regulations relating to sub-plans established for the purpose of qualifying for preferred tax treatment under foreign tax laws;

 

  8) to modify or amend each Option (subject to the provisions of Section 13.3 of the Plan), including the discretionary authority to extend the post-termination exercise period of Options after the termination of employment or the end of the term of office, longer than is otherwise provided for in the Plan or the award agreement;

 

  9) to authorize any person to execute on behalf of the Company any instrument required to effect the grant of an Option previously granted by the Administrator;

 

  10) to implement an Option Exchange Program;

 

  11) to determine the terms and restrictions applicable to Options; and

 

  12) to make all other determinations deemed necessary or appropriate for administering the Plan.

 

4.3 Effect of Administrator’s Decision

The Administrator’s decisions, determinations and interpretations shall be final and binding on all Optionees.

 

Page 9 of 26


5. LIMITATIONS

 

5.1 In the case of U.S. Beneficiaries, each Option shall be designated in the Notice of Grant as an “Incentive Stock Option” and may only be granted to employees.

The aggregate Fair Market Value of the Shares (determined as of the respective date or dates of grant) for which one or more options granted under the Plan or any other stock option program of the Company (or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company) may for the first time become exercisable as Incentive Stock Option in any one calendar year shall not exceed U.S. $100,000. To the extent the Employee holds two (2) or more such options which become exercisable for the first time in the same calendar year, the foregoing limitation on the exercisability of such options as Incentive Options shall be applied on the basis of the order in which such options are granted, except to the extent otherwise provided under applicable law or regulation.

 

5.2 The Options are governed by Articles L. 225-177 et seq. of the Law. They are not part of the employment agreement or of the office which has allowed the Optionee to be granted the Option. Neither does it constitute an element of the Optionee’s compensation.

Neither the Plan nor any Option shall confer upon an Optionee any right with respect to continuing the Optionee’s employment or his term of office with the Company or any Affiliated Company, nor shall they interfere in any way with the Optionee’s right or the Company’s or Affiliated Company’s right, as the case may be, to terminate such employment or such term of office at any time, with or without cause.

 

6. TERM OF PLAN

Subject to the approval of the shareholders of the Company in accordance with Section 16 of the Plan, the Plan shall be effective and Options may be granted as of June 27, 2017, the date of the Plan’s adoption by the Board of Directors. It shall continue in effect until the date of termination of the last Option in force, unless terminated earlier under Section 13 of the Plan.

 

7. TERM OF OPTION

The term of each Option shall be stated in the Notice of Grant but shall not be in excess of ten (10) years from the Date of Grant in accordance with the Shareholders Authorization. If any Employee to whom an Incentive Stock Option is granted is a 10% Shareholder, then the option term shall not exceed five (5) years measured from the Date of Grant.

 

8. OPTIONS EXERCISE PRICE AND CONSIDERATION

 

8.1 Subscription or purchase Price

The per Share subscription or purchase price for the Shares to be issued or sold pursuant to exercise of an Option shall be 100% of the Fair Market Value per

 

Page 10 of 26


Share on the Date of Grant, and 110% for any options granted to shareholders owning 10% or more interest in the corporation.

 

8.2 Waiting Period and Exercise Dates

At the time an Option is granted, the Administrator shall fix the period within which the Option may be exercised and shall determine any conditions which must be satisfied before the Option may be exercised. In so doing, the Administrator may specify that an Option may not be exercised until the completion of a service period with the Company or an Affiliated Company, and in any event, an Incentive Stock Option may not be exercised within two years of its grant and a Non-Statutory Stock Option granted to UK Beneficiaries may not be exercised within three years of its grant.

 

8.3 Vesting Schedule

Generally, and subject to the value limitation in Section 5.1 above and in Schedule 1, the Options may be exercised by their holder on the basis of the following initial vesting schedule, except for Non-Statutory Stock Option granted to UK Beneficiaries for which the earliest date of exercise of the Option may not be earlier than the third anniversary of the date of grant as set forth in Schedule 1:

 

    2/3% of the Shares subject to the Option shall vest on the second anniversary of the Vesting Commencement Date, provided that the holder is still employed by the Company, and

 

    1/3% of the Shares subject to the Option shall vest on the third anniversary of the Vesting Commencement Date, provided that the holder is still employed by the Company.

 

8.4 Form of Consideration

The consideration to be paid for the Shares to be issued or purchased upon exercise of Options, including the method of payment, shall be determined by the Administrator. Such consideration shall consist entirely of an amount in Euro corresponding to the subscription or purchase price which may be paid in one or more of the following forms as determined by the Administrator and specified in the Option Agreement:

 

  (a) wire transfer; or

 

  (b) check; or

 

  (c) offset with receivables over the Company, or

 

  (d) any combination of the foregoing methods of payment.

Where the exercise of an Option would lead the Company to be liable for any payment, whether due to fees, taxes or to charges of any nature whatsoever, in place of the Optionee, such Option shall be deemed duly exercised when the

 

Page 11 of 26


full payment for the Shares with respect to which the Option is exercised is executed by the Optionee and the Optionee provides the Company with either the receipt stating the payment by the Optionee of any such fee, tax or charge, as above described that would otherwise be paid by the Company upon exercise of the Option, in place of the Optionee or, the full payment, under the same conditions, of any amount due to the exercise of the Option to be borne by the Company.

 

9. EXERCISE OF OPTION

 

9.1 Procedure for Exercise; Rights as a Shareholder

Any Option granted hereunder shall be exercisable according to the terms of the Plan and at such times and under such conditions as determined by the Administrator and set forth in the Option Agreement.

An Option may not be exercised for a fraction of a Share.

An Option shall be deemed exercised when the Company receives: (i) written notice of exercise (in accordance with the provisions of the Option Agreement) together with a share subscription or purchase form (bulletin de souscription ou d’achat) duly executed by the person entitled to exercise the Option, and (ii) full payment for the Shares with respect to which the Option is exercised. Full payment may consist of any consideration and method of payment authorized by the Administrator and permitted by the Option Agreement and the Plan. Shares issued or sold upon exercise of an Option shall be sold to or issued in the name of the Optionee, or if requested, in the name of the Optionee and his or her spouse.

Where the exercise of an Option would lead the Company to be liable for any payment, whether due to fees, taxes or to charges of any nature whatsoever, in place of the Optionee, such Option shall be deemed duly exercised when the full payment for the Shares with respect to which the Option is exercised is executed by the Optionee and the Optionee provides the Company with either the receipt stating the payment by the Optionee of any such fee, tax or charge, as above described that would otherwise be paid by the Company upon exercise of the Option, in place of the Optionee or, the full payment, under the same conditions, of any amount due to the exercise of the Option to be borne by the Company.

Upon exercise of an Option, the Shares issued or sold to the Optionee shall be assimilated with all other Shares of the Company and shall be entitled to dividends paid on such shares as from the exercise of the Option.

In the event that a Beneficiary infringes one of the above mentioned commitments, such Beneficiary shall be liable for any consequences resulting from such infringement for the Company and undertakes to indemnify the Company in respect of all amounts payable by the Company in connection with such infringement.

 

Page 12 of 26


Granting of an Option in any manner shall result in a decrease in the number of Shares which thereafter may be available for purposes of the Plan, by the number of Shares subject to the Option.

 

9.2 Termination of the Optionee’s Continuous Status as Beneficiary

The following provisions shall govern the exercise of any Options held by the Optionee at the time of cessation of Continuous Status as a Beneficiary or death:

 

  1) Upon termination of an Optionee’s Continuous Status as a Beneficiary, other than upon the Optionee’s death or Disability, the Optionee may exercise his or her Option, but only within such period of time as is specified in the Notice of Grant, and only for the vested part of the Options (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Notice of Grant). Unless a longer period is specified in the Notice of Grant, the Option shall remain exercisable for one (1) month following the Optionee’s termination of Continuous Status as a Beneficiary.

 

  2) In the event that an Optionee’s Continuous Status as a Beneficiary terminates as a result of the Optionee’s Disability, the Optionee may exercise his or her Option at any time within six (6) months from the date of such termination and only for the vested part of the Options, (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Notice of Grant).

 

  3) In the event of the death of an Optionee during the term of the Option, the Option may be exercised at any time within six (6) months following the date of death, and twelve (12) months in the case of UK Beneficiaries, and only for the part of the Options vested at the time of death, by the Optionee’s estate or by a person who acquired the right to exercise the Option by bequest or inheritance,

 

  4) During the applicable post-termination exercise period, the Option may not be exercised in the aggregate for more than the number of Shares for which the Option is exercisable on the date of the Optionee’s cessation of Continuous Status as a Beneficiary. The Option shall not become exercisable for any additional Shares under the Option following the Optionee’s cessation of Continuous Status as a Beneficiary, except to the extent (if any) specifically authorized by the Administrator in its sole discretion pursuant to an express written agreement with the Optionee. Upon the expiration of the applicable exercise period or (if earlier) upon the expiration of the option term, the Option shall terminate and cease to be outstanding.

 

  5) Any Option which is left unexercised by reason of termination of the Beneficiary’s Continuous Status, death or disability shall revert to the Plan.

 

Page 13 of 26


10. NON-TRANSFERABILITY OF OPTIONS

 

(a) An Option may not be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated, transferred or disposed of in any manner other than by will or by laws of descent or distribution and may be exercised, during the lifetime of the Optionee, only by the Optionee.

 

(b) Prior to the date the Company first becomes subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the 1934 Act, outstanding Options under the Plan, together with the Shares subject to those Options during the period prior to exercise, shall not be the subject of any short position, put equivalent position (as such term is defined in Rule 16a-1(h) under the 1934 Act) or call equivalent position (as such term is defined Rule 16a-1(b) of the 1934 Act).

 

11. ADJUSTMENTS UPON CHANGES IN CAPITALIZATION, DISSOLUTION, MERGER OR ASSET SALE

 

11.1 Changes in capitalization

In the event of the carrying out by the Company of any of the financial operations pursuant to Article L 225-181 of the Law as follows:

 

    amortization or reduction of the share capital,

 

    amendment of the allocation of profits,

 

    distribution of free shares,

 

    capitalization of reserves, profits, issuance premiums,

 

    the issuance of shares or securities giving right to shares to be subscribed for in cash or by set-off of existing indebtedness offered exclusively to the shareholders;

the Company shall take the required measures to protect the interest of the Beneficiaries in the conditions set forth in article L. 228-99 of the Law and in accordance with Applicable Laws.

 

11.2 Dissolution or Liquidation

In the event of the proposed dissolution or liquidation of the Company, to the extent that an Option has not been previously exercised, it will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed action. The Administrator may, in the exercise of its sole discretion in such instances, declare that any Option shall terminate as of a date determined by the Administrator and give each Optionee the right to exercise his or her Option as to Shares for which the Option would not otherwise be exercisable.

 

Page 14 of 26


11.3 Merger or Asset or Shares Sale

In the event of the signing of a merger agreement by way of the absorption of the Company by another company, or in the event of a Bid likely to result in a Change of Control or a Bid submitted following to a Change of Control (hereinafter, in each case, an “Operation”), each outstanding Option shall be assumed or an equivalent option or right shall be substituted by the successor corporation or an affiliated company of the successor corporation.

In the event that the successor corporation, or an affiliated company of the successor corporation, refuses to assume or substitute for the Option, the Option shall vest and become exercisable in full immediately prior to the effective date of the Operation, should the Administrator decide so.

Immediately after the effective date of the Operation, all outstanding Options shall terminate and cease to be outstanding except to the extent assumed by the successor corporation or an affiliated company of the successor corporation.

For the purposes of this paragraph, the Option shall be considered assumed if, following the Operation, the Option confers the right to purchase, for each Share subject to the Option immediately prior to the merger or sale of assets, the consideration (whether stock, cash, or other securities or property) received in the Operation by holders of stock for each Share held on the effective date of the transaction (and if holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares); provided, however, that if such consideration received in the Operation was not solely common stock of the successor corporation, or its Parent, the Administrator may, with the consent of the successor corporation, provide for the consideration to be received upon the exercise of the Option for each Share subject to the Option, to be solely common stock of the successor corporation or its Parent equal in Fair Market Value to the per share consideration received by holders of Shares in the Operation.

Change of Control” refers to the event to which one or several persons acting in concert hold more than 50% of the Company’s voting rights or share capital.

Bid” refers to any bid (purchase, exchange, mixed, etc.) dealing with all the shares of the Company (i) subject to a conformity decision by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, (ii) recommended or endorsed by the Board of Directors of the Company and, (iii) if it is subject to the normal legal procedure, having had a favorable outcome.

 

Page 15 of 26


12. GRANT

 

12.1 The Date of Grant of an Option shall be, for all purposes, the date on which the Administrator decides to grant such Option. Notice of Grant shall be provided to each Optionee within a reasonable time after the Date of Grant.

 

12.2 Except as provided by Law, in the event of any tax liability arising on account of the Grant of the Options, the liability to pay such taxes shall be that of the Beneficiary alone. The Company’s obligation to deliver Shares upon the exercise of any Options granted under the Plan shall be subject to the satisfaction of all applicable income, employment and other tax withholding requirements.

The Beneficiary shall enter into such agreements of indemnity and execute any and all documents as the Company may specify for this purpose, if so required at the time of the Grant and at any other time at the discretion of the Company, on such terms and conditions as the Company may think fit, for recovery of the tax due, from the Beneficiary.

 

13. AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION OF THE PLAN

 

13.1 Amendment and Termination

The Administrator may at any time amend, alter, suspend or terminate the Plan.

 

13.2 Shareholders’ approval

The Company shall obtain the shareholders’ approval of any Plan amendment to the extent necessary and desirable to comply with Applicable Laws (including the requirements of any exchange or quotation system on which Shares may then be listed or quoted). Such shareholders’ approval, if required, shall be obtained in such a manner and to such a degree as is required by the applicable law, rule or regulation.

 

13.3 Effect of amendment or termination

No amendment, alteration, suspension or termination of the Plan shall impair the rights of any Optionee, unless mutually agreed otherwise between the Optionee and the Administrator, which agreement must be in writing and signed by the Optionee and the Company.

 

14. CONDITIONS UPON ISSUANCE OF SHARES

 

14.1 Legal Compliance

The implementation of the Plan, the granting of Options under the Plan and the issuance of Shares pursuant to the exercise of an Option shall be subject to compliance with all relevant provisions of law including, without limitation, the Law, the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Exchange Act, the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, Applicable Laws and the

 

Page 16 of 26


requirements of any stock exchange or quotation system upon which the Shares may then be listed or quoted.

 

14.2 Investment Representations

As a condition to the exercise of an Option by a Beneficiary, the Company may require representations from any person exercising Options if, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, such representations are required.

 

15. LIABILITY OF COMPANY

 

15.1 The inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by any counsel to the Company to be necessary to the lawful issuance or sale of any Shares hereunder, shall relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such Shares as to which such requisite authority shall not have been obtained.

 

15.2 In addition, the Company and its Affiliated Companies may not be held responsible in any way if the Beneficiary for any other reason not attributable to the Company or its Affiliated Companies was not able to exercise the Options or acquire the Shares.

 

16. SHAREHOLDERS’ APPROVAL

The Plan shall be subject to further approval by the shareholders of the Company within twelve (12) months of the date the Plan is adopted by the Board of Directors. Such shareholder approval shall be obtained in the manner and to the degree required under the Law and Applicable Laws.

 

17. LAW, JURISDICTION AND LANGUAGE

This Plan shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of France. The relevant court of the registered office of the Company shall be exclusively competent to determine any claim or dispute arising in connection herewith.

The grant of Options under this Plan shall entitle the Company to require the Beneficiary to comply with such requirements of law as may be necessary in the Options of the Company from time to time.

*

*    *    *

 

Page 17 of 26


ERYTECH PHARMA

STOCK OPTION GRANT AGREEMENT

PART I

NOTICE OF STOCK OPTION GRANT

[Optionee’s Name and Address]

You have been granted Options to subscribe Shares of the Company, subject to the terms and conditions of the 2017 Stock Option Plan (the “Plan”) and this Option Agreement. Options are governed by Articles L. 225-177 and following of the French Commercial Code. They are not part of the employment agreement or of the office which has allowed the Optionee to be granted the Options. Neither does it constitute an element of the Optionee’s compensation. Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms in this Option Agreement shall have the meaning assigned to them in the Plan.

 

Grant Number(1) :

 
 

 

 

 

Date of Grant(2) :

 
 

 

 

 

Vesting Commencement Date(3) :

 
 

 

 

 

Exercise Price per Share:

    EUR                                        

Total Number of Shares Granted:

 
 

 

 

 

Total Exercise Price:

    EUR                                          

Type of Options(4) :

    [Incentive Stock Option]  

Term/Expiration Date(5) :

 
 

 

 

 

Where the exercise of an Option, as described under Article 9.1 of the Plan, would lead the Company to be liable for any payment, whether due to fees, taxes or to charges of any nature whatsoever, in place of the Optionee, such Option shall be deemed duly exercised when the full payment for the Shares with respect to which the Option is exercised is executed by the Optionee and the Optionee provides the Company with either the receipt stating the payment by the Optionee of any such fee, tax or charge, as above described that would otherwise be paid by the Company upon exercise of the Option, in place of the Optionee or, the full payment, under the same conditions, of any amount due to the exercise of the Option to be borne by the Company.

In the event that you infringe one of the above mentioned commitments, you shall be liable for any consequences resulting from such infringement for the Company and undertake to indemnify the Company in respect of all amounts payable by the Company in connection with such infringement.

 

1. Validity of the Options

The Options will be valid as from the Date of Grant.

 

 

(1)  reference number to be allocated by the Company, if it wishes so
(2)  date of the management board meeting having allocated the Option
(3)  date chosen by the management board as the date of beginning of the vesting schedule or, if not, date of granting of the Option by the management board
(4) for U.S. Beneficiaries only
(5) date of termination of the Option (article 7 of the Plan)

 

Page 18 of 26


2. Vesting Schedule

The Options may be exercised by their holder, subject to the value limitation provided in Section 5.1 of the Plan, on the basis of the following initial vesting schedule:

 

  2/3% of the Shares subject to the Option shall vest on the second anniversary of the Vesting Commencement Date, provided the holder is still employed by the Company and

 

  1/3% of the Shares subject to the Option shall vest on the third anniversary of the Vesting Commencement Date, provided the holder is still employed by the Company.

For purposes of this Agreement, “Vesting Commencement Date” shall mean the date of grant of the Option.

Except as may be specifically stated herein, the holder must be employed on a vesting date for vesting to occur. There shall be no proportionate or partial vesting in the period prior to each vesting date and all vesting shall occur only on the appropriate vesting date.

The right of exercise shall be cumulative so that to the extent the Option is not exercised in any period to the maximum extent permissible it shall continue to be exercisable, in whole or in part, with respect to all Shares for which it is vested until the earlier of the final exercise date or the termination of this Option under the Plan.

It is specified that the number of Shares which may be subscribed pursuant to the exercise of Options pursuant to the above vesting schedule will always be rounded down to the nearest full number of Shares.

If the Beneficiary fails to exercise the Options in whole or in part within the said period of ten (10) years, the Options will lapse automatically.

 

3. Operation

As an exception to the above,

 

  in the event of the signing of a merger agreement by way of the absorption of the Company by another company, or in the event of a Bid likely to result in a Change of Control or a Bid submitted following to a Change of Control (an “Operation”), then vesting of the Options will be accelerated in part immediately prior to the effective date of the Operation so that 100% of the Options that are not vested as of such date pursuant to this Option Agreement shall become exercisable as of such date and may be exercised for the Shares subject to those accelerated Options as vested shares.

 

  If the Options are to be assumed by the successor corporation (or an affiliated company thereof) in connection with the Operation, then the Optionee shall continue, over his or her period of Continuous Status as a Beneficiary following the Operation to vest in the remaining unvested Options in one or more installments in accordance with the Vesting Schedule specified above.

 

4. Termination Period

 

Page 19 of 26


The Options may be exercised for one (1) month after termination of the Optionee’s Continuous Status as a Beneficiary, to the extent the Options are exercisable at the time of termination.

Upon the death of the Optionee, the Options may be exercised during a period of six (6) months as provided in the Plan. Upon the Disability of the Optionee, the Options may be exercised during a period of six (6) months as provided in the Plan. In no event may the Options be exercised after the Term/Expiration Date.

Save as provided in the Plan, in no event shall the Options be exercised later than the Term/Expiration Date as provided above. Should the Options expire or become unexercisable for any reason without having been exercised in full, the unsubscribed Shares which were subject thereto shall, unless the Plan shall have been terminated, become available for future grant under the Plan.

By his signature and the signature of the Company’s representative below, the Optionee and the Company agree that this Option is granted under and governed by the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Option Agreement. The Optionee has reviewed the Plan and this Option Agreement in their entirely, has had the opportunity to obtain the advice of counsel prior to executing this Option Agreement and fully understands all provisions of the Plan and Option Agreement. The Optionee agrees to be bound by the terms of the Plan, the terms of the Option as set forth in this Option Agreement. The Optionee hereby agrees to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Administrator upon any questions relating to the Plan and Option Agreement. The Optionee further agrees to notify the Company upon any change in the residence address indicated below.

 

Page 20 of 26


ERYTECH PHARMA

STOCK OPTION GRANT AGREEMENT

PART II

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

 

1. Grant of Option

 

1.1 The Administrator of the Plan hereby grants to the Optionee named in the Notice of Grant attached as Part I of this Agreement (the “Optionee”), [                    ] options (the “Options”) to subscribe the number of Shares, as set forth in the Notice of Grant, at the exercise price per Share set forth in the Notice of Grant (the “Exercise Price”), subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference.

In the event of a conflict between the terms and conditions of the Plan and the terms and conditions of this Option Agreement, the terms and conditions of the Plan shall prevail.

 

1.2 The Option will be valid as from the Date of Grant.

 

1.3 Except as provided by Law, in the event of any tax liability arising on account of the Grant of the Options, the liability to pay such taxes shall be that of the Beneficiary alone. The Beneficiary shall enter into such agreements of indemnity and execute any and all documents as the Company may specify for this purpose, if so required at the time of the Grant and at any other time at the discretion of the Company, on such terms and conditions as the Company may think fit, for recovery of the tax due, from the business associate.

 

2. Exercise of Option

 

2.1 Right to Exercise

This Option is exercisable during its term in accordance with the Vesting Schedule set out in the Notice of Grant and the applicable provisions of the Plan and this Option Agreement. In the event of the Optionee’s death, Disability or other termination of Optionee’s Continuous Status as a Beneficiary, the exercisability of the Option is governed by the applicable provisions of the Plan and this Option Agreement.

 

2.2 Method of Exercise

This Option is exercisable by delivery of an exercise notice, in the form attached hereto (the “Exercise Notice”), comprising a share subscription form (bulletin de souscription) which shall state the election to exercise the Option, the number of Shares in respect of which the Option is being exercised (the “Exercised Shares”), and such other representations and agreements as may be required by the Company pursuant to the provisions of the Plan. The Exercise Notice shall

 

Page 21 of 26


be signed by the Optionee and shall be delivered in person or by certified mail to the Company or its designated representative or by facsimile message to be immediately confirmed by certified mail to the Company or by any other electronic means as might be agreed upon between the Company and the bank appointed to manage the Plan. The Exercise Notice shall be accompanied by payment of the aggregate Exercise Price as to all Exercised Shares. The Optionee must make appropriate arrangements with the Company (or Affiliated Company employing the Optionee) for the satisfaction of all applicable income and employment tax withholding requirements applicable to the Option exercise. This Option shall be deemed to be exercised upon receipt by the Company of such fully executed Exercise Notice accompanied by the proof of payment of such aggregate Exercise Price and withholding taxes.

No Shares shall be issued pursuant to the exercise of this Option unless such issuance and exercise complies with all relevant provisions of law as set out under Section 14(a) of the Plan.

Upon exercise of an Option, the Shares issued to the Optionee shall be assimilated with all other Shares of the Company and shall be entitled to dividends for the fiscal year in course during which the Option is exercised.

 

3. Method of Payment

Payment of the aggregate Exercise Price shall be by any of the following, or a combination thereof, at the election of the Optionee and, in any case, subject to its acceptance by the bank appointed to manage the Plan:

 

  (a) wire transfer with the execution of the corresponding exchange contract; or

 

  (a) check;

 

  (b) if the Optionee is not a U.S. Beneficiary, offset between receivables; or

 

  (c) any combination of the foregoing methods of payment.

Where the exercise of an Option would lead the Company to be liable for any payment, whether due to fees, taxes or to charges of any nature whatsoever, in place of the Optionee, such Option shall be deemed duly exercised when (a) the full payment for the Shares with respect to which the Option is exercised is executed by the Optionee and (b) the Optionee provides the Company with either (i) the receipt stating the payment by the Optionee of any such fee, tax or charge, as above described that would otherwise be paid by the Company upon exercise of the Option, in place of the Optionee or, (ii) the full payment, under the same conditions, of any amount due to the exercise of the Option to be borne by the Company.

The Company and its Affiliated Companies may not be held responsible in any way if the Beneficiary for any reason not attributable to the Company or its Affiliated Companies was not able to exercise the Option or purchase the Shares. The payment for the purchase of the shares shall be made by the Optionee under his/her own responsibility according to these Terms and Conditions.

 

Page 22 of 26


4. Non-Transferability of Option

This Option may not be transferred in any manner otherwise than by will or by the laws of descent or distribution and may be exercised during the lifetime of the Optionee only by the Optionee. The terms of the Plan and this Option Agreement shall be binding upon the executors, administrators, heirs, successors and assigns of the Optionee.

 

5. Term of Option

Subject as provided in the Plan, this Option may be exercised only within the term set out in the Notice of Grant, and may be exercised during such term only in accordance with the Plan and the terms of this Option Agreement.

 

6. Additional Terms Applicable to an Incentive Stock Options

For the Incentive Stock Options, the following terms and conditions shall also apply to the grant:

 

  1) This Option shall cease to qualify for favorable tax treatment as an Incentive Stock Option if (and to the extent) this Option is exercised for one or more Shares: (i) more than three (3) months after the date the Optionee ceases to be an Employee for any reason other than death or Permanent Disability or (ii) more than twelve (12) months after the date the Optionee ceases to be an Employee by reason of Permanent Disability.

 

  2) No installment under this Option shall qualify for favorable tax treatment as an Incentive Stock Option if (and to the extent) the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined at the Date of Grant) of the Shares for which such installment first becomes exercisable hereunder would, when added to the aggregate value (determined as of the respective date or dates of grant) of any earlier installments of the Shares and any other securities for which this Option or any other Incentive Stock Options granted to the Optionee prior to the Date of Grant (whether under the Plan or any other option plan of the Company or any Subsidiary) first become exercisable during the same calendar year, exceed One Hundred Thousand U.S. Dollars (U.S. $100,000) in the aggregate. Should such One Hundred Thousand Dollar ($100,000) limitation be exceeded in any calendar year, this Option shall nevertheless become exercisable for the excess shares in such calendar year as a Non-Statutory Stock Option. Optionee hereby acknowledges that there is no assurance that the Option will, in fact, be treated as an Incentive Stock Option under Section 422 of the Code. By executing this Grant Agreement, Optionee acknowledges and agrees that Optionee is solely responsible for the satisfaction of any applicable taxes that may be imposed on Optionee that arise as a result of the grant, vesting or exercise of the Option.

Should the Optionee hold, in addition to this Option, one or more other options to purchase Shares which become exercisable for the first time in the same calendar year as this Option, then for purposes of the foregoing limitations on

 

Page 23 of 26


the exercisability of such options as Incentive Stock Options, this Option and each of those other options shall be deemed to become first exercisable in that calendar year on the basis of the chronological order in which they were granted, except to the extent otherwise provided under applicable law or regulation.

For this purpose, Permanent Disability shall mean the inability of the Optionee to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that is expected to result in death or has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of twelve (12) months or more.

 

7. Entire Agreement - Governing Law

The Plan is incorporated herein by reference. The Plan and this Option Agreement constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede in their entirety all prior undertakings and agreements of the Company and Optionee with respect to the subject matter hereof, and may not be modified adversely to the Optionee’s interest except by means of a writing signed by the Company and Optionee. This agreement is governed by the laws of the Republic of France.

Any claim or dispute arising under the Plan or this Agreement shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the court competent for the place of the registered office of the Company.

 

OPTIONEE     ERYTECH PHARMA SA

 

    By:  

                                          

Signature      

 

    Title:  

                                          

Print Name      

 

     
Residence Address      

 

     

 

Page 24 of 26


EXHIBIT A

ERYTECH PHARMA

A French Société Anonyme having a share capital of EUR.[        ]

Registered office : [                    ]

[            ] R.C.S. [            ]

2017 STOCK OPTION PLAN

EXERCISE NOTICE

(Share subscription form)

ERYTECH PHARMA

[                    ]

[                    ]

France                                                                                                                   [            ], [        ]

Attention: [                    ]

1.    Exercise of Option. Effective as of today,             ,         , the undersigned (“Optionee”) hereby elects to subscribe                      (                ) shares (the “Shares”) of ERYTECH PHARMA SA (the “Company”) under and pursuant to the Company’s 2017 Stock Option Plan (the “Plan”) adopted by the Board of Directors on [            ] 2017 and the Stock Option Agreement dated             ,          (the “Option Agreement”). The subscription price for the Shares shall be EUR.         , as required by the Option Agreement.

2.    Delivery of Payment. Optionee herewith delivers to the Company the full subscription price for the Shares.

3.    Representations of Optionee. The Optionee acknowledges that Optionee has received, read and understood the Plan and the Option Agreement and agrees to abide by and be bound by their terms and conditions.

4.    Rights as Shareholder. Until the issuance (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company) of the Shares, the Optionee shall have, as an Optionee, no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a shareholder shall exist with respect to the Option. No adjustment will be made for rights in respect of which the record date is prior to the issuance date for the Shares, except as provided in Section 11 of the Plan.

5.    Tax consultation. The Optionee understands that Optionee may suffer adverse tax consequences as a result of Optionee’s subscription or disposition of the Shares. Optionee represents that Optionee has consulted with any tax consultants Optionee deems advisable in connection with the subscription or disposition of the Shares. The Optionee is not relying on the Company for any tax advice.

6.    Entire Agreement; Governing Law. The Plan and Option Agreement are incorporated herein by reference. This Exercise Notice, the Plan and the Option Agreement constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede in their

 

Page 25 of 26


entirety all prior undertakings and agreements of the Company and Optionee with respect to the subject matter hereof, and may not be modified adversely to the Optionee’s interest except by means of a writing signed by the Company and Optionee. This agreement is governed by the laws of the Republic of France.

*

*    *

This Exercise notice is delivered in two originals one of which shall be returned

to the Optionee.

 

Submitted by:     Accepted by:
OPTIONEE (*)     ERYTECH PHARMA

 

   

 

Signature     Signature

 

    Its:  

                                              

Print Name      
Address:      

 

     

 

 

(*) The signature of the Optionee must be preceded by the following manuscript mention “accepted for formal and irrevocable subscription of [                ] Shares”.

 

Page 26 of 26

EX-99.6

Exhibit 99.6

2017 AGA Plan

Erytech Pharma

Public limited company with a capital of €1,174,064.80

Headquarters: 60, avenue Rockefeller, 69008 Lyon

Lyon Trade Register 479 560 013

 

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE BONUS SHARE

ALLOCATION PLAN

 

 

Adopted by the Board of Directors on June 27, 2017

 

Page 1 of 15


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

1)

 

GENERAL PROVISIONS

     3  

2)

 

PURPOSE OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

     3  

3)

 

DEFINITIONS

     3  

4)

 

SHARES GOVERNED BY THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

     4  

5)

 

ADMINISTRATION OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

     4  

6)

 

LIMITATIONS

     5  

7)

 

DURATION OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

     5  

8)

 

BONUS SHARES ALLOCATION

     5  

9)

 

SCHEDULE OF BONUS SHARE ALLOCATION

     6  

10)

 

ALLOCATION CRITERIA AND CONDITIONS

     9  

11)

 

MERGER, DE-MERGER, PARTIAL CONTRIBUTION OF ASSETS, DISSOLUTION, LIQUIDATION, SALE AND OTHER EVENTS

     10  

12)

 

CHANGES TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

     10  

13)

 

TAX AND SOCIAL SECURITY TREATMENT

     11  

14)

 

LIABILITY OF THE COMPANY

     11  

15)

 

PREVENTION OF INSIDER TRADING

     11  

16)

 

INTERPRETATION

     12  

17)

 

APPLICABLE LAW – JURISDICTION

     12  

 

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1) GENERAL PROVISIONS

A bonus share allocation plan is a mechanism by which a company allots at no cost a certain number of its existing or future shares to employees and corporate officers who meet the conditions defined in Article L. 225-197-1, II of the French Commercial Code, and to employees and corporate officers of the companies or groups related to the Company as this term is used in Article L. 225-197-2, 1 of the French Commercial Code.

Based on the authorization granted under Resolution 35 of the Combined Shareholders’ Meeting of Erytech Pharma, a joint stock company with share capital of €1,174,064.80 and headquarters at 60, avenue Rockefeller, 69008 Lyon, registered with the Trade Register of Lyon under number 479 560 013 (the “Company”) on June 27, 2017, the Board of Directors decided at its June 27, 2017 meeting to adopt the terms and conditions (the “Terms and Conditions”) governing the allocation of bonus shares of the Company to the Beneficiaries (as this term is defined below), under the stipulations of Articles L. 225-197-1 et seq. of the Commercial Code, which shall regulate said allocation of bonus shares according to the terms and conditions set forth below.

Except where otherwise decided by the Board of Directors, the Terms and Conditions shall be applicable to all bonus share allocations that may be approved by the Board of Directors on the basis of Resolution 28 adopted by the Combined Shareholders’ Meeting of June 27, 2017.

 

2) PURPOSE OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Through the allocations of bonus shares, the Company wishes to attract and retain high quality employees to work in positions of responsibility, to provide additional motivation to the Beneficiaries and thus to make them partners in the development of the Group.

 

3) DEFINITIONS

 

Share    means one or more shares of the Company.
Initial Allocation    means any decision made by the Board of Directors to allot Bonus Shares to a given Beneficiary which grants to this Beneficiary the right to receive all or some of said Bonus Shares at the end of each Vesting Period, provided that all requirements of the Terms and Conditions have been met.
Definitive Allocation    means the allocation that occurs at the end of a Vesting Period, after which a Beneficiary becomes the effective and definitive owner of all or some of the Shares comprising the relevant Tranche.
Authorization of Shareholders    means the authorization to grant Bonus Shares given to the Board of Directors by the Erytech Pharma shareholders at the Combined Shareholders’ Meeting on June 27, 2017 as amended by a subsequent shareholders’ meeting, if appropriate.
Beneficiary    means an Eligible Person to whom at least one Share has been granted pursuant to the Terms and Conditions.
Initial Allocation Date    means the date on which the Board of Directors grants Bonus Share allocations and is the starting date of the Vesting Period.
“Final Allocation Date”    means the date on which each Beneficiary shall effectively acquire all or some of the granted Shares at the end of a Vesting Period.
Eligible Person    means a corporate officer (Chairman, Chief Executive Officer or Chief Operating Officer of the Company), or an Employee of the Company or of an Affiliated Company who meets the conditions stipulated in Articles L. 225-197-1 to L. 225-197-5 of the French Commercial Code and satisfies the terms and criteria defined by the Board of Directors in its decision dated June 27, 2017.
Manager    means the Board of Directors of the Company, which administers the Terms and Conditions in accordance with Article 5 of these Terms and Conditions.
Disability    means a disability of the Beneficiary which corresponds to the second or third category stipulated in Article L.341-4 of the Social Security Code.

 

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Group    designates the Group composed of the Company and the Affiliated Companies.
Vesting Periods    means the periods defined in Article 9.1.1, which each begin to run from the Initial allocation Date, during which Beneficiaries do not yet own the Shares granted to them but are owners of a conditional, future claim against the Company.
Retention Periods    means the periods during which Beneficiaries may not Assign Shares that have been definitively awarded pursuant to Article 9.3 of the Terms and Conditions.
Terms and Conditions    means this 2017 AGA Plan as adopted by the Manager on June 27, 2017.
Employee    means an individual person who is employed by the Company or any Affiliated Company and subject to the direction and control of the employing entity in the performance and conduct of the work to be accomplished.
Company    means Erytech Pharma, a French Limited Liability Company.
Affiliated Company   

means a company that meets the criteria stipulated in Article L.225-197-2, I of the French Commercial Code:

 

companies or economic interest groups in which the Company holds at least 10% of the capital or voting rights, either directly or indirectly;

 

companies or economic interest groups that directly or indirectly hold at least 10% of the capital or voting rights in the Company;

 

companies or economic interest groups in which at least 50% of the capital or voting rights is held, either directly or indirectly, by a company that itself holds, directly or indirectly, at least 50% of the capital of the Company.

Assign    means the act of transferring, even temporarily, the ownership, co-ownership, bare ownership or beneficial interest in any manner whatsoever, including through a pledge or lease of shares.

 

4) SHARES GOVERNED BY THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Subject to the application of Article 14 of the Terms and Conditions and in accordance with the Authorization of the Shareholders, the maximum number of Shares in an Initial Allocation under the Terms and Conditions is 300,000 Shares with a par value of €0.10, adjusted if applicable to take into account any split or reverse split of the Shares, divided into the three tranches (the “Tranches“) described below:

 

i. Tranche 1: 100,000 Shares;

 

ii. Tranche 2: 100,000 Shares, increased by the total number of Shares not definitively awarded to the Beneficiaries for Tranche 1; and

 

iii. Tranche 3: 100,000 Shares, increased by the total number of Shares not definitively awarded to Beneficiaries for Tranche 2;

with the stipulation that the total number of capital increases that may be performed pursuant to plans to award bonus shares, equity warrants and stock options adopted by the Board of Directors on June 27, 2017 may not exceed the threshold of 420.000 shares of common stock.

 

5) ADMINISTRATION OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

 

  a. Administration

The Terms and Conditions are administered by the Manager

 

  b. Powers of the Manager

Within the limits of the provisions of the French Commercial Code, the Shareholder Authorization and the Terms and Conditions, the Manager has discretionary power to:

 

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i. determine the Eligible Persons to whom Bonus Shares shall be granted and to decide on the number of Bonus Shares to be granted to each of them in each Tranche;

 

ii. determine the terms and conditions of any Initial Allocation;

 

iii. analyze and interpret the terms of the Terms and Conditions;

 

iv. determine, amend or cancel any provision of the Terms and Conditions; and

 

v. make any necessary or timely decision in the administration of the Terms and Conditions.

 

  c. Impact of the Manager’s Decisions

The decisions and interpretations made by the Manager are final and are binding on all Beneficiaries.

 

  6) LIMITATIONS

 

a. The Bonus Shares allocated are governed by Articles L. 225-197-1 to L. 225-197-5 of the French Commercial Code. They do not in any manner whatsoever constitute an element of the employment contract or corporate office or compensation of the Beneficiary in question.

Neither the Terms and Conditions, nor any Bonus Share granted shall grant a Beneficiary the right to continued employment in the Company or Affiliated Company, or the continuation of a corporate office in the Company, and do not in any way limit the right that the Beneficiary, the Company or an Affiliated Company may have to terminate under any circumstance this employment or corporate office, with or without cause.

 

b. In accordance with Article L. 225-197-1 II of the French Commercial Code, no Bonus Share may be granted to an Eligible Person who directly owns, at the time of the Bonus Share allocation, over 10% of the capital of the Company, or for whom the allocation would raise his stake to more than 10% of the share capital of the Company.

 

c. In addition, in application of Article L. 225-197-1 I of the French Commercial Code, the total number of Bonus Shares to be granted may not exceed 10% of the share capital.

 

  7) DURATION OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Using the Shareholders’ Authorization and the powers granted to it by said Authorization, the Board of Directors, in its Tuesday, June 27, 2017 decision, approved the Terms and Conditions that took effect on Tuesday, June 27, 2017, and the Bonus Shares may be granted from that date. The Bonus Shares may be granted until the expiration of a period of thirty-eight (38) months from the Shareholders’ Authorization. Unless the Terms and Conditions are canceled early pursuant to Article 12, they shall remain in effect until the expiration of the Retention Period of the last Bonus Share granted.

 

  8) BONUS SHARES ALLOCATION

 

  a. Allocation decision

The Manager may decide to allot Bonus Shares to Eligible Persons at any time up to the limits of the Shareholders’ Authorization and the duration of the Terms and Conditions stipulated in Article 7 above.

 

  b. Allocation of Shares and Acceptance by Beneficiaries

Each Eligible Person is informed of an Initial Allocation by letter indicating (i) the number of Bonus Shares granted to him/her for each Tranche; (ii) the duration of each Vesting Period, (iii) the duration of the Retention Periods, (iv) the conditions and criteria to be met for the allocation to become final at the end of each Vesting Period; and (v) all responsibilities of the Eligible Person. A copy of the Terms and Conditions shall be attached to this notification letter. A model of the notification letter appears in Appendix A of the Terms and Conditions.

 

Page 5 of 15


This notification letter is sent to the Beneficiary by registered mail with return receipt requested or hand delivered to the Beneficiary by the Manager or any other duly authorized person, and the Beneficiary acknowledges receipt.

If a Beneficiary wishes to take advantage of the Initial Allocation, he/she must indicate approval to the Company by sending, via registered mail with return receipt requested or hand delivery to the Manager, the second copy of the notification of the Initial Allocation to the Company, with his or her signature under the heading “Bon pour Acceptation” (“Approved”) within thirty (30) days from receipt of the notification of the Initial Allocation.

If this is not done, the Initial Allocation shall expire.

The acceptance of the Terms and Conditions by Beneficiaries is deemed acceptance of all provisions therein.

 

  9) SCHEDULE OF BONUS SHARE ALLOCATION

 

  a. Vesting Periods

 

  i. Duration of Vesting Periods

The Initial Allocation to Beneficiaries will not become final:

 

  i. for Shares granted in Tranche 1: until the end of a Vesting Period of one (1) year from the Initial Allocation decision made by the Manager;

 

  ii. for Shares granted in Tranche 2: until the end of a Vesting Period of two (2) years from the Initial Allocation decision made by the Manager;

 

  iii. for Shares granted in Tranche 3: until the end of a Vesting Period of three (3) years from the Initial Allocation decision made by the Manager;

provided that, during the entire Vesting Period in question, the Beneficiary has retained the status of Eligible Person and has complied with the Allocation criteria set out in Article 10 below.

Pursuant to Article L. 225-197-3 of the French Commercial Code, the rights arising from the Initial Allocation may not be assigned or transferred by any means until the end of the Vesting Period in question.

Therefore, in the event of resignation, departure or retirement, termination of an employment contact of a Beneficiary by mutual agreement with the company concerned, or dismissal, withdrawal or non-renewal of the corporate position of a Beneficiary during a Vesting Period, for any reason, the Beneficiary shall lose any right to the Final Allocation and may not claim any compensation in this respect, except where previously decided to the contrary by the Manager.

 

  ii. Termination of a Beneficiary and/or dismissal and/or non-renewal of the Beneficiary’s corporate positions during the Vesting Period

 

  a) If a Beneficiary holds an employment contract only, the loss of the right to the Final Allocation shall occur on the date of receipt (or of the first presentation) of the notification of dismissal, notwithstanding (i) the possible existence of an advance notice period, whether given or not, (ii) any dispute by the Beneficiary of his dismissal and/or the causes of the dismissal, and (iii) any legal decision that may call into question the legitimacy of the dismissal.

 

Page 6 of 15


  b) If a Beneficiary holds a corporate office only, the loss of the right to the Final Allocation shall occur on the date of the meeting of the competent corporate entity that decided to dismiss or replace the Beneficiary in his corporate position if the Beneficiary was present at the meeting, or as of the date the Beneficiary received notification of this decision if the Beneficiary did not attend the meeting, notwithstanding (i) the possible existence of an advance notice period, whether given or not, (ii) any dispute by the Beneficiary of his dismissal and/or the causes of the dismissal, and (iii) any legal decision that may call into question the legitimacy of the dismissal.

 

  c) If a Beneficiary holds both an employment contract and a corporate office and loses these two positions simultaneously or successively, the loss of the right to the Final Allocation shall begin on the date of receipt of the last of the two notifications described in the previous paragraphs.

 

  iii. Resignation during the Vesting Period

If the Beneficiary resigns as an employee, if he is only an employee, or as a corporate officer, if only a corporate officer, or resigns from his/her position as employee and corporate officer simultaneously or successively if the Beneficiary holds both positions concurrently, the loss of the right to the Final Allocation shall occur:

 

    if the Beneficiary is an employee or corporate officer only, on the date the Company receives the Beneficiary’s letter of resignation or the date it is hand delivered to a duly authorized representative of the company that employs him/her; or

 

    if the Beneficiary is both an employee and a corporate officer, on the date the first letter of resignation is received by the Company or is hand delivered to a duly authorized representative of the company that employs him/her;

notwithstanding the possible existence of advance notice, whether given or not.

 

  iv. Termination by mutual agreement of the Beneficiary and the company that employs the Beneficiary during the Vesting Period

If an employment contract is terminated by mutual agreement of the Beneficiary and the company that employs him/her (including conventional termination) if the Beneficiary is an employee only, or if an employment contract is terminated by mutual agreement of the Beneficiary and the company that employs him/her, and there is a simultaneous or successive resignation or dismissal from his/her corporate office if the Beneficiary held both positions, the Beneficiary shall lose his/her right to the Final Allocation as of the first date an agreement is signed terminating the Beneficiary’s position as an employee (or the date on which the administration approved the conventional termination), or the date of receipt of the notification of termination of the corporate office or the date such office was resigned.

 

  v. Retirement of a Beneficiary during the Vesting Period, death, disability

In the event of the retirement of a Beneficiary during a Vesting Period, the Beneficiary shall lose the right to the Final Allocation as of the date of departure.

However, as an exception to the preceding:

 

  i. if the company that employs the Beneficiary forces the Beneficiary to retire during a Vesting Period in compliance with legal and regulatory provisions, the Beneficiary shall retain his/her right to the Final Allocation at the end of the Vesting Period, provided they comply with the rules for each Vesting Period;

 

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  ii. in the event of the death of a Beneficiary during the Vesting Period, heirs may request the Final Allocation within a period of six (6) months after the death;

 

  iii. in the case of disability, a Beneficiary may request the Final Allocation of the Shares within a period of six (6) months of the event resulting in the disability.

 

  vi. It is specified that, during Vesting Periods, Beneficiaries are not owners of the Shares and have no related rights. In particular, they cannot collect nor have a right to dividends, have no voting rights, and have no right to the information communicated to shareholders attached to the Shares.

 

  b. Delivery of the Securities

At the end of each Vesting Period, provided the Beneficiaries have met the vesting conditions and criteria defined in Article 10 below, the Company shall transfer and inform the Beneficiaries of the number of shares definitively granted as determined by the Board of Directors. A sample notification letter is provided in Appendix B of the Terms and Conditions.

 

  c. Retention periods of the Shares

 

  i. If the Beneficiary is a corporate officer

As of the Final Allocation of the Shares, the Beneficiary must hold:

 

  i. all Shares vested in Tranche 1 for a Retention Period of one (1) year; and

 

  ii. at least ten per cent (10%) of the aggregate number of vested Shares in each of the Tranches until the termination of his or her position.

It is specified that no Retention Period is required for the vested Shares granted in Tranche 2 or Tranche 3, subject to the stipulations of paragraph (ii) above.

 

  ii. If the Beneficiary is not a corporate officer

As of the Final Allocation of the Shares, the Beneficiary must hold all vested Shares in Tranche 1 for a Retention Period of one (1) year.

No Retention Period is required for the vested Shares in Tranche 2 or Tranche 3.

 

  iii. Vested shares must be recorded in registered form in an account noting this holding restriction, as appropriate.

However, the Shareholders’ Meeting stipulated, provided that the transfer of the Shares vested before the end date stated in the preceding paragraph does not compromise the Preferential Treatment as defined in Article 13 of this document, that Shares vested shall be freely transferable, in compliance with the bylaws of the Company and regulations governing companies whose shares are listed on a regulated market, in the event of:

 

  i. the Disability of the Beneficiary as provided for under Article L. 225-197-1, I para. 6 of the French Commercial Code, or

 

  ii. the death of the Beneficiary, via his/her heirs pursuant to Article L.225-197-3, para. 2 of the same Code.

 

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  iv. A Beneficiary holds the status of shareholder as soon as the Shares are vested and throughout the Retention Period. Therefore, a Beneficiary may exercise the rights attached to the Bonus Shares during the Retention Period.

At the end of the Retention Period, the vested Shares may be freely transferred by the Beneficiary, subject to the Company’s bylaws and the regulations governing companies whose shares are listed on a regulated market.

 

10) ALLOCATION CRITERIA AND CONDITIONS

 

  a. Criteria and conditions

The Vesting of the Shares depends on compliance with the following two conditions set by the Manager, which must be confirmed at the end of each Vesting Period:

 

  i. Beneficiaries must maintain the status of Eligible Persons throughout the entire Vesting Period in question; and

 

  ii. the achievement of a performance target based on the increase in the price of the Company’s share between the Initial Allocation Date and the Final Allocation Date of the Shares, determined using the following formula:

T = (ERYPi / ERYP2017) - 1

in which:

T: is the rate of achievement of the performance targets, expressed as a percentage. is the average of the closing prices of the Company’s share for the 40 days preceding the Initial Allocation Date.

ERYPi: is the average of the closing prices of the Company’s share for the 40 days preceding the Final Allocation Date.

 

  b. Measuring performance

The rate of achievement of performance objectives, measured by the Manager at the end of each Vesting Period, is used to determine the number of Shares to be definitively granted to Beneficiaries in a Tranche at the end of each Vesting Period, by multiplying the number of Shares initially granted for the Tranche by the rate of achievement of the performance objectives.

If the rate of achievement of the performance objectives is less than or equal to 0%, no Share shall be definitively granted to a given Beneficiary for that Tranche, whereas if the rate of achievement of the performance objectives is equal to or greater than 100%, all of the Shares initially granted to a given Beneficiary for that Tranche shall be definitively granted.

When the number of Bonus Shares obtained is not a whole number, the number of Shares definitively granted shall be rounded down to the closest whole number.

 

  c. Measurement of performance in the event of an anticipated transfer of control  

As an exception to the above, in the event of a merger by absorption of the Company by another company or in the event of an Offer, after the Tranche 1 Vesting period, that is likely to result in a Change of Control or that is filed following a Change of Control (designated hereinafter in each case as an “Operation”), all the Shares initially granted and not yet vested on that date shall be automatically and definitively granted early by the Board of Directors of the Company

Change of Control” designates the event by which one or more persons acting in concert come to hold more than 50% of the capital or voting rights of the Company.

 

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Offer” designates any public offer (tender offer, exchange, combined, etc.) for all of the Company’s shares (i) which has been filed with the French Autorité des marchés financiers, (ii) has been declared compliant by the French Autorité des marchés financiers, (iii) has been recommended or approved by the Board of Directors of the Company and, (iv) if it has been subject to the normal procedure rules, has been positive.

 

11) MERGER, DE-MERGER, PARTIAL CONTRIBUTION OF ASSETS, DISSOLUTION, LIQUIDATION, SALE AND OTHER EVENTS

In the case of transactions affecting the Company that could directly or indirectly impact the Terms and Conditions, such as merger, de-merger, partial contribution of assets, dissolution followed by liquidation or not, the sale of shares composing the capital of the Company, or in the event of an Offer during the Vesting Period of Tranche 1 and, in general, in the event of a restructuring that affects the Company (such operations are hereinafter designated as “Restructuring of the Company”), the Manager may, at its sole discretion:

 

  (i) simply keep the Terms and Conditions in effect, provided that the Company retains its legal personality; or

 

  (ii) cancel the Terms and Conditions and, if the shares have already been awarded, pay the Beneficiaries an indemnity in an amount equal to the value of the Shares on the date of cancellation of the Terms and Conditions; it is emphasized as needed that no indemnity or compensation shall be due to the Beneficiaries if the cancellation of the Terms and Conditions decided on by the Company is the result of any legal or regulatory amendment applicable to bonus share allocations, including changes that would make such allocations more costly for the Company than on the date of implementation of the Terms and Conditions; or

 

  (iii) carry out an exchange of the Bonus Shares granted under the Terms and Conditions for new similar shares (or for any other equivalent right) that have identical features, provided that this exchange is performed in the context of a transaction approved or authorized by the collectivity of shareholders or any competent entity of the Company, in accordance with the law and the bylaws of the Company; or

 

  (iv) generally, make any change to the Terms and Conditions which the Manager deems appropriate in order to take into consideration the Restructuring of the Company, as long as the rights of the Beneficiaries are not negatively impacted by such a change.

 

12) CHANGES TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

 

  a. Change

The Manager may amend the provisions of these Terms and Conditions, suspend them or terminate them at any time.

 

  b. Consequences of a Change or Cancellation

No change, alteration, suspension or cancellation of the Terms and Conditions may reduce the rights of a Beneficiary without the agreement of the Beneficiary, unless said change results from a legislative or regulatory provision that has recently taken effect or from any other enforceable provision imposed on the Company or an Affiliated Company.

Beneficiaries shall be informed of any change in the Terms and Conditions that impacts the rights they enjoy under these Terms and Conditions. This notification to Beneficiaries may be done individually or by any other means the Board of Directors deems sufficient and appropriate.

 

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  c. Management

The management of the Terms and Conditions is assigned to the Manager. However, the Manager reserves the option of transferring management of the Terms and Conditions to any financial institution, in which case said institution shall inform the Beneficiaries.

 

13) TAX AND SOCIAL SECURITY TREATMENT

The Beneficiary shall pay all taxes and withholding for which he/she is responsible under the tax rules in in effect on the due date of said taxes and withholding.

The tax and social security rules applicable to bonus share allocations differ depending on the nationality and country of residence of the Beneficiaries. Both the Beneficiary and his/her employer may be subject to reporting and/or contribution requirements because of the Initial Allocation and/or Final Allocation, and/or the sale of the Shares. The Beneficiary assumes sole responsibility for compliance with income tax and social security reporting and contributions incumbent on them because of the aforementioned events.

However, if the Company or an Affiliated Company must pay taxes, social security contributions, or any other similar charge, in the name and on behalf of the Beneficiary because of the Initial and/or Final Allocation, the Beneficiary expressly authorizes his or her employer, the Company or any agent designated for this purpose to deduct these amounts from the Beneficiary’s compensation, or, if applicable, from the proceeds from the sale of the Shares. The Company reserves the right to suspend delivery of the Shares vested by a Beneficiary until he/she has paid all amounts for which he/she is responsible or until the method of payment of these sums has been agreed with the Company or Affiliated Company concerned.

Likewise, on an exceptional basis, the Company may suspend delivery of vested Shares to one or more Beneficiaries at the end of a Vesting Period if local formalities in the country or countries concerned have not been completed.

All information on the tax treatment applicable to the Beneficiary under the Terms and Conditions, which is transmitted by the Company to the Beneficiary, is provided for information purposes only and may not be construed as comprehensive by the Beneficiary. In particular, this type of information cannot cover the diversity of tax and personal situations of the Beneficiaries. Each Beneficiary should consult with advisors of his or her choice to analyze their personal situation. In particular, Beneficiaries are informed that, in the case of an international transfer within the Group that results in a change of tax residence and/or liability for a social security plan, occurring between the Initial Allocation Date and the sale of the Shares, the Beneficiary may be responsible for reporting and/or contribution obligations in different countries. As appropriate, the Beneficiary’s tax obligations may be proportional to the period during which the Beneficiary has been a tax resident in a specific country.

 

14) LIABILITY OF THE COMPANY

Neither the Company nor its Affiliated Companies may be held liable under any circumstance if, for any reason not chargeable to the Company or its Affiliated Companies, a Beneficiary is unable to vest the Shares granted to him/her.

 

15) PREVENTION OF INSIDER TRADING

All Beneficiaries must, under their sole, full and entire responsibility, comply with the regulations on insider trading and insider dealing and comply with the prevention mechanisms implemented by the Group.

All persons are required to refrain from buying and selling the shares of a listed company, or from transmitting information with the same intent, when they are party to “privileged” information, meaning information that has not yet been published and that may have an influence on the market price of a given share. Persons who break this rule are liable for legal

 

Page 11 of 15


and financial sanctions. This rule applies to Beneficiaries who receive Shares under these Terms and Conditions, particularly with regard to a decision to sell these Shares.

The Board of Directors of the Company wishes to expressly point out to each Beneficiary the regulations in force concerning persons in possession of “privileged” information.

Furthermore, in accordance with Article L. 225-197-1 of the French Commercial Code, the Shares may not be sold:

 

  within ten market trading days prior to and three market trading days following the publication date of the consolidated financial statements, or, if no consolidated statement is published, the publication date of the Company’s annual financial statements;

 

  during the period between the date on which the Company’s management bodies learn information which, if it were made public, could significantly impact the Company’s share price, and the date ten market trading days after the date on which this information is made public.

 

16) INTERPRETATION

If a term or condition of these Terms and Conditions is considered null and void under the laws of a Beneficiary’s place of residence, the Terms and Conditions shall be interpreted with regard to such a Beneficiary as if they did not contain the term or condition in question. Any other term or condition of these Terms and Conditions that is valid shall remain in effect and must be interpreted and applied in such a way as to comply with the Terms and Conditions to the greatest extent possible.

 

17) APPLICABLE LAW – JURISDICTION

The Terms and Conditions are governed by French law, in particular by the provisions of Articles L. 225-197-1 et seq. of the French Commercial Code.

Any dispute arising from these Terms and Conditions shall fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent court within the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals for the location of the Company’s headquarters.

The Bonus Share Allocation pursuant to these Terms and Conditions authorizes the Company to request at any time that Beneficiaries comply with all legislative and regulatory provisions governing these Bonus Shares.

 

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APPENDIX A

MODEL OF LETTER FOR NOTIFICATION OF INITIAL ALLOCATION

Erytech Pharma

Limited liability company (société anonyme) with share capital of €1,174,064.80

Headquarters: 60, avenue Rockefeller, 69008 Lyon

Lyon Trade Register 479 560 013

Lyon, []

Beneficiary name

Dear Sir or Madam,

We are honored to inform you that the Board of Directors of the Company has decided to allot Bonus Shares of the Company to you in accordance with the provisions of the terms and conditions of the bonus shares allocation plan, a copy of which is attached hereto in Appendix 1 (the “Terms and Conditions”).

The capitalized terms not defined in this document have the meaning attributed to them in the Terms and Conditions.

These Bonus Shares have been allocated under the provisions of Articles L. 225-197-1 et seq. of the French Commercial Code.

By decision of the Board of Directors, you have been allocated on []:

[●] ([]) Shares of the Company for Tranche 1;

[●] ([]) Shares of the Company for Tranche 2, increased by the total number of Shares not yet vested and allocated in Tranche 1; and

[●] ([]) Shares of the Company for Tranche 3, increased by the total number of Shares not yet vested and allocated in Tranche 2;

under the conditions set forth in these Terms and Conditions and summarized below.

 

  1. Vesting Periods

The Initial Allocation shall become final only at the end of the following Vesting Periods, subject to compliance with the allocation criteria and conditions set forth below at the end of each of the Vesting Periods:

one (1) year beginning on [] for Tranche 1;

two (2) years beginning on [] for Tranche 2; and

three (3) years beginning on [] for Tranche 3.

 

  2. Allocation criteria and conditions

The Final Allocation assumes that you have met the following conditions and criteria for each Vesting Period, which are described more fully in Articles 9 and 10 of the Terms and Conditions:

You must have been connected to the Company by a corporate office, or to the Company or an Affiliated Company through a permanent or temporary employment contract or a professional training contract throughout the entire Vesting Period in question.

In the event of resignation, dismissal or removal during a Vesting Period, for any reason, you will lose any right to the Final Allocation and may not claim any indemnity in this respect.

In the event of resignation, the loss of the right to the Final Allocation shall occur on the date of receipt by the Company or the relevant Affiliated Company of your letter of resignation or on the date it is hand delivered to a duly authorized representative of the company that employs you, notwithstanding the possible existence of prior notice, whether given or not.

In the event of dismissal or removal, the loss of the right to the Final Allocation shall occur on the date of receipt (or of the first presentation) of the letter of notification of dismissal or removal, notwithstanding (i) the possible existence of prior notice, whether given or not, (ii) any challenge to your dismissal or removal and/or the grounds of the dismissal or removal, and (iii) any legal decision that may call into question the justification of the dismissal or removal.

However, as an exception to the preceding:

 

  (i) if you retire or are laid off for economic reasons during a Vesting Period, you shall retain your right to the Final Allocation at the end of the Vesting Period, provided you comply with the rules for each Vesting Period;

 

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  (ii) in the event of the death or disability during a Vesting Period, your heirs or assigns may request the Final Allocation within a period of six (6) months from the date of your death or disability;

The achievement of a performance target based on the increase in the price of the Company’s share between the Initial Allocation Date and the Final Allocation Date of the Shares, determined using the following formula:

T = (ERYPi / ERYP2017) - 1

in which:

T: is the rate of achievement of the performance targets, expressed as a percentage.

ERYP2017: is the average of the closing prices of the Company’s share for the 40 days preceding the Initial Allocation Date.

ERYPi: is the average of the closing prices of the Company’s share for the 40 days preceding the Final Allocation Date.

At the end of each Vesting Period, subject to compliance with the criteria and achievement of the conditions defined above, the Company will transfer a defined number of Shares to you in accordance with Article 10 of the Terms and Conditions. Accordingly, you will become a shareholder of the Company on these dates.

 

  3. Retention period

As of the Final Allocation of the Shares, you agree to hold all said Shares for a Retention Period of one (1) year for Tranche 1. No Retention Period is required for Shares that have been vested to you for Tranche 2 or Tranche 3, subject to the holding commitments applicable to corporate officers, as detailed more fully in Article 9.3 of these Terms and Conditions.

For this purpose, the Bonus Shares granted must be recorded in registered form in an account that notes this restriction.

You shall have the status of shareholder once the Shares are vested and throughout the Retention Period, notwithstanding the obligation to hold your shares. As such, you may exercise the rights attached to the Bonus Shares granted to you during the Retention Period, in particular the right to information, the right to attend Shareholders’ Meetings, the right to vote, the right to dividends and the preemptive subscription right.

At the end of the aforementioned Retention Period, the Bonus Shares granted shall be available to you and may be freely transferred.

Your acceptance of the Initial Allocation under the conditions stated above implies agreement to all the terms of these Terms and Conditions.

If you wish to accept this Initial Allocation, please sign the two copies of the Initial Allocation notification, keeping one for your records and returning the other to the Company.

Sincerely yours,

 

      Approved (Bon pour acceptation)
 

 

   

 

  []     [Beneficiary’s name]
  Appendix 1: Terms and Conditions    

 

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APPENDIX B

MODEL OF LETTER FOR NOTIFICATION OF FINAL ALLOCATION

Erytech Pharma

Public limited company (société anonyme) with share capital of €1,174,064.80

Headquarters: 60, avenue Rockefeller, 69008 Lyon

Lyon Trade Register 479 560 013

Lyon, []

Beneficiary name

We are honored to inform you that, following deliberations on [], the Board of Directors of the Company, ruling by delegation of authority granted by the Combined Shareholders’ Meeting of Tuesday, June 27, 2017, in the context of the bonus share allocation plan set up by the Company, has made the final allocation to you of []([]) shares of the Company for Tranche [1 / 2 / 3].

These shares were registered on today’s date in an individual shareholder’s account of the Company opened in your name.

[We remind you that, in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the bonus share allocation plan adopted by the Board of Directors on [], all of the [] shares vested to you for Tranche 1 are non-transferable for a period of one (1) year from this date.]

The value of these shares is approximately [] euros as of this date.

[The Board of Directors of the Company has set 10% of the number of bonus shares granted to you (i.e. [] shares) as the number of bonus shares that you must retain until the end of your duties as a corporate officer of the Company, pursuant to Article L. 225-197-1-II of the French Commercial Code.]

Sincerely yours,

 

     Approved (Bon pour acceptation)

 

    

 

[]      [Beneficiary’s name]

 

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