TYHT Shineco Inc

THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF SHINECO, INC.

The undersigned stockholder of Shineco, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), hereby acknowledges receipt of the Notice of Special Meeting of Stockholders and the Proxy Statement, each dated July 5, 2022, and hereby appoints, if no person is specified, Xiqiao Liu as proxy, with full power of substitution, on behalf and in the name of the undersigned, to represent the undersigned at the special meeting of stockholders to be held on July 21, 2022, at 9:00 p.m. EST, at Room 3310, North Tower, Zhengda Center No.20, Jinhe East Rd, Chaoyang District, Beijing F4 100020 (the “Meeting”), or at any adjournment or postponement thereof, and to vote all shares of common stock which the undersigned would be entitled to vote if then and there personally present, on the matters set forth below (i) as specified by the undersigned below and (ii) in the discretion of any proxy upon such other business as may properly come before the Meeting, all as set forth in the Notice of the Special Meeting of Stockholders and in the Proxy Statement furnished herewith.

This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed herein by the undersigned stockholder. If no direction is made, this proxy will be voted “FOR” for Proposal No. 1 and Proposal No.2, and in the discretion of the proxy with respect to such other business as may properly come before the Meeting.

Continued and to be signed on reverse side

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Date:

ANNEX B

SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT

This SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is dated as of June 13, 2022 by and among Shineco, Inc., a Delaware company (the “Company”), and individuals listed in Exhibit B hereto and each affixes its signature on the signature page of this Agreement (each, a “Purchaser”; collectively, the “Purchasers”).

RECITALS

WHEREAS, the Company and the Purchasers are executing and delivering this Agreement in accordance with and in reliance upon the exemption from securities registration afforded by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) and/or Regulation S (“Regulation S”) as promulgated under the Securities Act;

WHEREAS, the Company is offering (the “Offering”) up to 2,354,500 shares of its common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), at a price of $ 2.12 per share to the Purchasers listed in Exhibit B, each of whom severally but not jointly enters into this Agreement and makes representations and warranties hereunder;

WHEREAS, each Purchaser is a “non-US person” as defined in Regulation S, acquiring the Shares solely for its own account for the purpose of investment;

NOW, THEREFORE, IN CONSIDERATION of the mutual covenants contained in this Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Purchaser hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

Purchase and Sale of the Shares

Section 1.1 Purchase Price and Closing.

ARTICLE II

Representations and Warranties

Section 2.1 Representations and Warranties of the Company and its Subsidiaries. The Company hereby represents and warrants to the Purchaser on behalf of itself, its Subsidiaries (the “Subsidiaries”), as of the date hereof as follows:

(a) Organization, Good Standing and Power. The Company is a corporation duly incorporated or otherwise organized; however as of the date of this Agreement, the Company is not in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or organization (as applicable).

(b) Corporate Power; Authority and Enforcement. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement, and to issue and sell the Shares in accordance with the terms hereof. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly and validly authorized by all necessary corporate action, and no further consent or authorization of the Company or stockholders is required. This Agreement constitutes, or shall constitute when executed and delivered, a valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation, conservatorship, receivership or similar laws relating to, or affecting generally the enforcement of, creditor’s rights and remedies or by other equitable principles of general application.

(c) Issuance of Shares. The Shares to be issued at the Closing shall have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and when paid for and issued in accordance with the terms hereof, shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

(d) Commission Documents. The Company has filed all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed by it with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission” or “SEC”) pursuant to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) within the past twelve months, including filings incorporated by reference therein (the “Commission Documents”). The Company has not provided to the Purchaser any material non-public information or other information which, according to applicable law, rule or regulation, was required to have been disclosed publicly by the Company but which has not been so disclosed, other than the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. At the time of the respective filings, each Commission Document complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder and other federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations applicable to such documents.

(e) No Integration. Assuming the accuracy of the Purchasers’ representations and warranties set forth in Section 2.2, neither the Company, nor any of its affiliates, nor any person acting on its or their behalf has, directly or indirectly, made any offers or sales of any securities or solicited any offers to buy any securities, under circumstances that would cause this Offering of the Shares to be integrated with prior offerings by the Company for purposes of (i) the Securities Act which would require the registration of any such securities under the Securities Act, or (ii) any applicable shareholder approval provisions of any trading market on which any of the securities of the Company are listed or designated.

Section 2.2 Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser. Each Purchaser, severally but not jointly, hereby makes the following representations and warranties to the Company as of the date hereof:

(a) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation by such Purchaser of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby or relating hereto do not and will not conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation of any agreement, indenture or instrument or obligation to which such Purchaser is a party or by which its properties or assets are bound, or result in a violation of any law, rule, or regulation, or any order, judgment or decree of any court or governmental agency applicable to such Purchaser or its properties (except for such conflicts, defaults and violations as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on such Purchaser). Such Purchaser is not required to obtain any consent, authorization or order of, or make any filing or registration with, any court or governmental agency in order for it to execute, deliver or perform any of its obligations under this Agreement, provided, that for purposes of the representation made in this sentence, such Purchaser is assuming and relying upon the accuracy of the relevant representations and agreements of the Company herein.

(b) Status of Purchaser. The Purchaser is a “non-US person” as defined in Regulation S. The Purchaser further makes the representations and warranties to the Company set forth on Exhibit A. Such Purchaser is not required to be registered as a broker-dealer under Section 15 of the Exchange Act and such Purchaser is not a broker-dealer, nor an affiliate of a broker-dealer.

(c) Reliance on Exemptions. The Purchaser understands that the Shares are being offered and sold to the Purchaser in reliance upon specific exemptions from the registration requirements of United States federal and state securities laws and that the Company is relying upon the truth and accuracy of, and the Purchaser’s compliance with, the representations, warranties, agreements, acknowledgments and understandings of the Purchaser set forth herein in order to determine the availability of such exemptions and the eligibility of the Purchaser to acquire the Shares.

(d) Governmental Review. The Purchaser understands that no United States federal or state agency or any other government or governmental agency has passed upon or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Shares.

(e) Experience of Such Purchaser. Such Purchaser, either alone or together with its representatives, has such knowledge, sophistication and experience in business and financial matters so as to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment in the Shares, and has so evaluated the merits and risks of such investment. Such Purchaser is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Shares and, at the present time, is able to afford a complete loss of such investment.

(f) General Solicitation. Such Purchaser is not, to such Purchaser’s knowledge, purchasing the Shares as a result of any advertisement, article, notice or other communication regarding the Shares published in any newspaper, magazine or similar media or broadcast over television or radio or presented at any seminar or, to the knowledge of such Purchaser, any other general solicitation or general advertisement.

(g) Access to Information. Such Purchaser acknowledges that it has had the opportunity to review the transaction documents (including this Agreement, all exhibits and schedules thereto) and has been afforded, (i) the opportunity to ask such questions as it has deemed necessary of, and to receive answers from, representatives of the Company concerning the terms and conditions of the offering of the Shares and the merits and risks of investing in the Shares; (ii) access to information about the Company and its financial condition, results of operations, business, properties, management and prospects sufficient to enable it to evaluate its investment; and (iii) the opportunity to obtain such additional information that the Company possesses or can acquire without unreasonable effort or expense that is necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to the investment.

(h) Opportunity to Consult Counsel. Such Purchaser acknowledges that such Purchaser has read and fully understandings this Agreement that such Purchaser understands and acknowledges that the Company’s counsel does not represent the Purchaser and has no obligations to the Purchasers under his Agreement or otherwise. Such Purchaser acknowledges that Such Purchase has had sufficient opportunity to consult independent legal counsel concerning the provisions of this Agreement and entered into this Agreement intending to be legally bound. Such Purchasers are relying solely upon the advice of their own independent counsel.

ARTICLE III

OTHER AGREEMENTS OF THE PARTIES

Section 3.1 Transfer Restrictions.

(a) The Shares may only be disposed of in compliance with state and federal securities laws.

(b) The Purchasers agree to the imprinting, so long as is required by this Section 3.1, of a legend on any of the Shares in form substantially the same as the following:

“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE BEEN OFFERED IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION TO A PERSON WHO IS NOT A U.S. PERSON (AS DEFINED HEREIN) PURSUANT TO REGULATION S UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “1933 ACT”). NONE OF THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE 1933 ACT, OR ANY U.S. STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND, UNLESS SO REGISTERED, MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN THE UNITED STATES (AS DEFINED HEREIN) OR TO U.S. PERSONS EXCEPT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF REGULATION S UNDER THE 1933 ACT, PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE 1933 ACT, OR PURSUANT TO AN AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE 1933 ACT AND IN EACH CASE ONLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. IN ADDITION, HEDGING TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE CONDUCTED UNLESS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE 1933 ACT. “UNITED STATES” AND “U.S. PERSON” ARE AS DEFINED BY REGULATION S UNDER THE 1933 ACT.”

(c) The Company acknowledges and agrees that a Purchaser may from time to time pledge pursuant to a bona fide margin agreement with a registered broker-dealer or grant a security interest in some or all of the Shares to a financial institution that is an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act and, if required under the terms of such arrangement, such Purchaser may transfer pledged or secured Shares to the pledgees or secured parties. Such a pledge or transfer would not be subject to approval of the Company and no legal opinion of legal counsel of the pledgee, secured party or pledgor shall be required in connection therewith. Further, no notice shall be required of such pledge. At the appropriate Purchaser’s expense, the Company will execute and deliver such reasonable documentation as a pledgee or secured party of Shares may reasonably request in connection with a pledge or transfer of the Shares.

(d) Each Purchaser, severally and not jointly with the other Purchasers, agrees with the Company that such Purchaser will sell any Shares pursuant to either the registration requirements of the Securities Act, including any applicable prospectus delivery requirements, or an exemption therefrom, and that if Shares are sold pursuant to a Registration Statement, they will be sold in compliance with the plan of distribution set forth therein, and acknowledges that the removal of the restrictive legend the applicable Shares as set forth in this Section 3.1 is predicated upon the Company’s reliance upon this understanding.

ARTICLE IV

Miscellaneous

Section 4.1 Fees and Expenses. Except as otherwise set forth in this Agreement, each party shall pay the fees and expenses of its advisors, counsel, accountants and other experts, if any, and all other expenses, incurred by such party incident to the negotiation, preparation, execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement.

Section 4.2 Entire Agreement; Amendment. This Agreement contains the entire understanding and agreement of the parties with respect to the matters covered hereby and, except as specifically set forth herein, neither the Company nor any of the Purchaser makes any representations, warranty, covenant or undertaking with respect to such matters and they supersede all prior understandings and agreements with respect to said subject matter, all of which are merged herein. No provision of this Agreement may be waived or amended other than by a written instrument signed by the Company and the Purchaser, and no provision hereof may be waived other than by a written instrument signed by the party against whom enforcement of any such waiver is sought.

Section 4.3 Notices. All notices, demands, consents, requests, instructions and other communications to be given or delivered or permitted under or by reason of the provisions of this Agreement or in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby shall be in writing and shall be deemed to be delivered and received by the intended recipient as follows: (i) if personally delivered, on the business day of such delivery (as evidenced by the receipt of the personal delivery service), (ii) if mailed certified or registered mail return receipt requested, two (2) business days after being mailed, (iii) if delivered by overnight courier (with all charges having been prepaid), on the business day of such delivery (as evidenced by the receipt of the overnight courier service of recognized standing), or (iv) if delivered by facsimile transmission, on the business day of such delivery if sent by 6:00 p.m. in the time zone of the recipient, or if sent after that time, on the next succeeding business day (as evidenced by the printed confirmation of delivery generated by the sending party’s telecopier machine). If any notice, demand, consent, request, instruction or other communication cannot be delivered because of a changed address of which no notice was given or the refusal to accept same, the notice, demand, consent, request, instruction or other communication shall be deemed received on the second business day the notice is sent (as evidenced by a sworn affidavit of the sender). All such notices, demands, consents, requests, instructions and other communications will be sent to the following addresses or facsimile numbers as applicable:

If to the Company:

Shineco, Inc.

Room 3310, North Tower, Zhengda Center;

No. 20, Jinhe East Road, Chaoyang District

Reijing, People’s Republic of China 10020

Attention: Secretary

Email: secretary@shineco.tech

with copies (which shall not constitute notice) to:

Sichenzia Ross Ference LLP

Address: 1185 Avenue of the Americas, 31st Floor

Attn: Huan Lou, Esq.

Email: hlou@SRF.law

If to Purchaser:

The address listed on Exhibit B

Any party hereto may from time to time change its address for notices by giving at least ten (10) days written notice of such changed address to the other party hereto.

Section 4.4 Waivers. No waiver by any party of any default with respect to any provision, condition or requirement of this Agreement shall be deemed to be a continuing waiver in the future or a waiver of any other provisions, condition or requirement hereof, nor shall any delay or omission of any party to exercise any right hereunder in any manner impair the exercise of any such right accruing to it thereafter.

Section 4.5 Successors and Assigns. This Agreement may not be assigned by a party hereto without the prior written consent of the Company or the Purchaser, as applicable, provided, however, that, subject to federal and state securities laws, a Purchaser may assign its rights and delegate its duties hereunder in whole or in part to an affiliate or to a third party acquiring all or substantially all of its Shares in a private transaction without the prior written consent of the Company or the other Purchaser, after notice duly given by such Purchaser to the Company provided, that no such assignment or obligation shall affect the obligations of such Purchaser hereunder and that such assignee agrees in writing to be bound, with respect to the transferred securities, by the provisions hereof that apply to the Purchaser. The provisions of this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the respective permitted successors and assigns of the parties. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer upon any party other than the parties hereto or their respective successors and assigns any rights, remedies, obligations or liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement, except as expressly provided in this Agreement.

Section 4.6 Governing Law. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of the this Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law thereof. Each party agrees that all legal proceedings concerning the interpretations, enforcement and defense of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (whether brought against a party hereto or its respective affiliates, directors, officers, shareholders, partners, members, employees or agents) shall be commenced exclusively in the state or federal courts sitting in the Borough of Manhattan, New York, New York Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the Borough of Manhattan, New York, New York for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein (including with respect to the enforcement of any this Agreement), and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is improper or is an inconvenient venue for such proceeding. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof via registered or certified mail or overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.

Section 4.7 Survival. The representations and warranties of the Company and the Purchaser shall survive the execution and delivery hereof and the Closing hereunder for a period of three (3) years following the Closing Date.

Section 4.8 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original and, all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same Agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other parties hereto, it being understood that all parties need not sign the same counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission, such signature shall create a valid binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) the same with the same force and effect as if such facsimile signature were the original thereof.

Section 4.9 Severability. The provisions of this Agreement are severable and, in the event that any court of competent jurisdiction shall determine that any one or more of the provisions or part of the provisions contained in this Agreement shall, for any reason, be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provision or part of a provision of this Agreement and such provision shall be reformed and construed as if such invalid or illegal or unenforceable provision, or part of such provision, had never been contained herein, so that such provisions would be valid, legal and enforceable to the maximum extent possible.

Section 4.10 Individual Capacity. Each Purchaser enters into this Agreement on its own capacity, and not as a group with other Purchasers. Each Purchaser, severally but not jointly, makes representations and warranties contained under this Agreement.

Exchange Cap. The Company shall not issue Common Stock to the Purchaser pursuant to the terms of this Agreement in an amount in excess of the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock which the Company may issue under the Agreement without breaching the Company’s obligations under the rules or regulations of the Nasdaq Capital Market

Section 4.11 Termination. This Agreement may be terminated prior to Closing by mutual written agreement of the Purchaser and the Company.

[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank; Signature Pages Follow]

[Signature Page of the Company]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized officer as of the date first above written.

[Signature Page of the Purchaser]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Purchaser has caused this Agreement to be duly executed individually or by its authorized officer or member as of the date first above written.

Number of Shares Purchase: 1,082,250

Total Purchase Price (“Subscription Amount”): ($) 2,294,370

Purchase Price Per Share: $ 2.12

Address and Contacts of Purchaser:

Telephone:

Email:

Number of Shares Purchase: 1,082,250

Total Purchase Price (“Subscription Amount”): ($) 2,294,370

Purchase Price Per Share: $ 2.12

Address and Contacts of Purchaser:

Telephone:

Email:

Number of Shares Purchase: 130,000

Total Purchase Price (“Subscription Amount”): ($) 275,600

Purchase Price Per Share: $ 2.12

Address and Contacts of Purchaser:

Telephone:

Email:

Number of Shares Purchase: 60,000

Total Purchase Price (“Subscription Amount”): ($) 127,200

Purchase Price Per Share: $ 2.12

Address and Contacts of Purchaser:

Telephone:

Email:

EXHIBIT A

NON U.S. PERSON REPRESENTATIONS

The Purchaser indicating that it is not a U.S. person, severally and not jointly, further represents and warrants to the Company as follows:

EXHIBIT B

LIST OF PURCHASERS

ANNEX C

SHINECO, INC.

2022 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

This 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) is intended as an incentive, to retain in the employment of and as directors, officers, consultants, advisors and employees to Shineco, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and any Subsidiary of the Company, within the meaning of Section 424(f) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), persons of training, experience and ability, to attract new directors, officers, consultants, advisors and employees whose services are considered valuable, to encourage the sense of proprietorship and to stimulate the active interest of such persons in the development and financial success of the Company and its Subsidiaries.

It is further intended that certain options granted pursuant to the Plan shall constitute incentive stock options within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code (the “Incentive Options”) while certain other options granted pursuant to the Plan shall be nonqualified stock options (the “Nonqualified Options”). Incentive Options and Nonqualified Options are hereinafter referred to collectively as “Options.”

The Company intends that the Plan meet the requirements of Rule 16b-3 (“Rule 16b-3”) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and that transactions of the type specified in subparagraphs (c) to (f) inclusive of Rule 16b-3 by officers and directors of the Company pursuant to the Plan will be exempt from the operation of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act. In all cases, the terms, provisions, conditions and limitations of the Plan shall be construed and interpreted consistent with the Company’s intent as stated in this Section 1.

The authority to manage the operation of and administer the Plan shall be vested in the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) or the Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) as delegated by the Board. The Board or Committee if so delegated by the Board shall be hereinafter referred to as the “Administrator.” To qualify as the Administrator, the Committee shall consist of and maintain two or more directors who are (i) “Independent Directors” (as such term is defined under the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market) and (ii) “Non-Employee Directors” (as such term is defined in Rule 16b-3), which shall serve at the pleasure of the Board. The Administrator subject to Sections 3, 5 and 6 hereof, shall have full power and authority to designate recipients of Options and restricted stock (“Restricted Stock”), and to determine the terms and conditions of the respective Option and Restricted Stock agreements (which need not be identical) and to interpret the provisions and supervise the administration of the Plan. The Administrator shall have the authority, without limitation, to designate which Options granted under the Plan shall be Incentive Options and which shall be Nonqualified Options. To the extent any Option does not qualify as an Incentive Option, it shall constitute a separate Nonqualified Option.

Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Administrator shall interpret the Plan and all Options and Restricted Stock (the “Securities”) granted under the Plan, shall make such rules as it deems necessary for the proper administration of the Plan, shall make all other determinations necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan and shall correct any defects or supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or in any Securities granted under the Plan in the manner and to the extent that the Administrator deems desirable to carry into effect the Plan or any Securities. The act or determination of a majority of the Administrator shall be the act or determination of the Administrator and any decision reduced to writing and signed by all of the members of the Administrator shall be fully effective as if it had been made by a majority of the Administrator at a meeting duly held for such purpose. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, any action taken or determination made by the Administrator pursuant to this and the other Sections of the Plan shall be conclusive on all parties.

In the event that for any reason the Committee is unable to act or if the Committee at the time of any grant, award or other acquisition under the Plan does not consist of two or more Non-Employee Directors, or if there shall be no such Committee, or if the Board otherwise determines to administer the Plan, then the Plan shall be administered by the Board and any such grant, award or other acquisition may be approved or ratified in any other manner contemplated by subparagraph (d) of Rule 16b-3.

The persons eligible for participation in the Plan as recipients of Options (the “Optionees”) or Restricted Stock (the “Grantees” and together with Optionees, the “Participants”) shall include directors, officers and employees of, and consultants and advisors to, the Company or any Subsidiary; provided that Incentive Options may only be granted to employees of the Company and any Subsidiary. In selecting Participants, and in determining the number of shares to be covered by each Option or award of Restricted Stock granted to Participants, the Administrator may consider any factors it deems relevant, including, without limitation, the office or position held by the Participant or the Participant’s relationship to the Company, the Participant’s degree of responsibility for and contribution to the growth and success of the Company or any Subsidiary, the Participant’s length of service, promotions and potential. A Participant who has been granted an Option or Restricted Stock hereunder may be granted an additional Option or Options, or Restricted Stock if the Administrator shall so determine.

Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 8 hereof, a maximum of 1,500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), shall be subject to the Plan. The shares of Common Stock subject to the Plan shall consist of unissued shares, treasury shares or previously issued shares held by any Subsidiary of the Company, and such number of shares of Common Stock shall be and is hereby reserved for such purpose. Any of such shares of Common Stock that may remain unissued and that are not subject to outstanding Options at the termination of the Plan shall cease to be reserved for the purposes of the Plan, but until termination of the Plan the Company shall at all times reserve a sufficient number of shares of Common Stock to meet the requirements of the Plan. Should any Securities expire or be canceled prior to its exercise, satisfaction of conditions or vesting in full, as applicable, or should the number of shares of Common Stock to be delivered upon the exercise or vesting in full of an Option or award of Restricted Stock be reduced for any reason, the shares of Common Stock theretofore subject to such Option or Restricted Stock, as applicable, may be subject to future Options or Restricted Stock under the Plan.

Options granted under the Plan shall be subject to the following conditions and shall contain such additional terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Administrator shall deem desirable:

(a) Option Price. The purchase price of each share of Common Stock purchasable under an Incentive Option shall be determined by the Administrator at the time of grant, but shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value (as defined below) of such share of Common Stock on the date the Option is granted; provided, however, that with respect to an Optionee who, at the time such Incentive Option is granted, owns (within the meaning of Section 424(d) of the Code) more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or of any Subsidiary, the purchase price per share of Common Stock shall be at least 110% of the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the date of grant. The purchase price of each share of Common Stock purchasable under a Nonqualified Option shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of such share of Common Stock on the date the Option is granted. The exercise price for each Option shall be subject to adjustment as provided in Section 8 below. “Fair Market Value” means the closing price on the final trading day immediately prior to the grant date of the Common Stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market or other principal securities exchange on which shares of Common Stock are listed (if the shares of Common Stock are so listed), or, if not so listed, the mean between the closing bid and asked prices of publicly traded shares of Common Stock in the over the counter market, or, if such bid and asked prices shall not be available, as reported by any nationally recognized quotation service selected by the Company, or as determined by the Administrator in a manner consistent with the provisions of the Code. Anything in this Section 5(a) to the contrary notwithstanding, in no event shall the purchase price of a share of Common Stock be less than the minimum price permitted under the rules and policies of any national securities exchange on which the shares of Common Stock are listed.

(b) Option Term. The term of each Option shall be fixed by the Administrator, but no Option shall be exercisable more than ten years after the date such Option is granted and in the case of an Incentive Option granted to an Optionee who, at the time such Incentive Option is granted, owns (within the meaning of Section 424(d) of the Code) more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or of any Subsidiary, no such Incentive Option shall be exercisable more than five years after the date such Incentive Option is granted.

(c) Exercisability. Subject to Section 5(j) hereof, Options shall be exercisable at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Administrator at the time of grant; provided, however, that in the absence of any Option vesting periods designated by the Administrator at the time of grant, Options shall vest and become exercisable as to one-third of the total number of shares subject to the Option on each of the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of grant; and provided further that no Options shall be exercisable until such time as any vesting limitation required by Section 16 of the Exchange Act, and related rules, shall be satisfied if such limitation shall be required for continued validity of the exemption provided under Rule 16b-3(d)(3).

Upon the occurrence of a “Change in Control” (as hereinafter defined), the Administrator may accelerate the vesting and exercisability of outstanding Options, in whole or in part, as determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion. In its sole discretion, the Administrator may also determine that, upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, each outstanding Option shall terminate within a specified number of days after notice to the Optionee thereunder, and each such Optionee shall receive, with respect to each share of Common Stock subject to such Option, an amount equal to the excess of the Fair Market Value of such shares immediately prior to such Change in Control over the exercise price per share of such Option; such amount shall be payable in cash, in one or more kinds of property (including the property, if any, payable in the transaction) or a combination thereof, as the Administrator shall determine in its sole discretion.

For purposes of the Plan, unless otherwise defined in an employment agreement between the Company and the relevant Optionee, a Change in Control shall be deemed to have occurred if:

(i) a tender offer (or series of related offers) shall be made and consummated for the ownership of 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the Company, unless as a result of such tender offer more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the surviving or resulting corporation shall be owned in the aggregate by the stockholders of the Company (as of the time immediately prior to the commencement of such offer), any employee benefit plan of the Company or its Subsidiaries, and their affiliates;

(ii) the Company shall be merged or consolidated with another corporation, unless as a result of such merger or consolidation more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the surviving or resulting corporation shall be owned in the aggregate by the stockholders of the Company (as of the time immediately prior to such transaction), any employee benefit plan of the Company or its Subsidiaries, and their affiliates;

(iii) the Company shall sell substantially all of its assets to another corporation that is not wholly owned by the Company, unless as a result of such sale more than 50% of such assets shall be owned in the aggregate by the stockholders of the Company (as of the time immediately prior to such transaction), any employee benefit plan of the Company or its Subsidiaries and their affiliates; or

(iv) a Person (as defined below) shall acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the Company (whether directly, indirectly, beneficially or of record), unless as a result of such acquisition more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the surviving or resulting corporation shall be owned in the aggregate by the stockholders of the Company (as of the time immediately prior to the first acquisition of such securities by such Person), any employee benefit plan of the Company or its Subsidiaries, and their affiliates.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Change of Control is defined in an employment agreement between the Company and the relevant Optionee, then, with respect to such Optionee, Change of Control shall have the meaning ascribed to it in such employment agreement.

For purposes of this Section 5(c), ownership of voting securities shall take into account and shall include ownership as determined by applying the provisions of Rule 13d-3(d)(I)(i) (as in effect on the date hereof) under the Exchange Act. In addition, for such purposes, “Person” shall have the meaning given in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof; provided, however, that a Person shall not include (A) the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; (B) a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; (C) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering of such securities; or (D) a corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportion as their ownership of stock of the Company.

(d) Method of Exercise. Options to the extent then exercisable may be exercised in whole or in part at any time during the option period, by giving written notice to the Company specifying the number of shares of Common Stock to be purchased, accompanied by payment in full of the purchase price, in cash, or by check or such other instrument as may be acceptable to the Administrator. As determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion, at or after grant, payment in full or in part may be made at the election of the Optionee (i) in the form of Common Stock owned by the Optionee (based on the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock which is not the subject of any pledge or security interest, (ii) in the form of shares of Common Stock withheld by the Company from the shares of Common Stock otherwise to be received with such withheld shares of Common Stock having a Fair Market Value equal to the exercise price of the Option, or (iii) by a combination of the foregoing, such Fair Market Value determined by applying the principles set forth in Section 5(a), provided that the combined value of all cash and cash equivalents and the Fair Market Value of any shares surrendered to the Company is at least equal to such exercise price and except with respect to (ii) above, such method of payment will not cause a disqualifying disposition of all or a portion of the Common Stock received upon exercise of an Incentive Option. An Optionee shall have the right to dividends and other rights of a stockholder with respect to shares of Common Stock purchased upon exercise of an Option at such time as the Optionee (i) has given written notice of exercise and has paid in full for such shares, and (ii) has satisfied such conditions that may be imposed by the Company with respect to the withholding of taxes.

(e) Non-transferability of Options. Options are not transferable and may be exercised solely by the Optionee during his lifetime or after his death by the person or persons entitled thereto under his will or the laws of descent and distribution. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may permit a transfer of a Nonqualified Option to (i) a trust for the benefit of the Optionee, (ii) a member of the Optionee’s immediate family (or a trust for his or her benefit) or (iii) pursuant to a domestic relations order. Any attempt to transfer, assign, pledge or otherwise dispose of, or to subject to execution, attachment or similar process, any Option contrary to the provisions hereof shall be void and ineffective and shall give no right to the purported transferee.

(f) Termination by Death. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, if any Optionee’s employment with or service to the Company or any Subsidiary terminates by reason of death, the Option may thereafter be exercised, to the extent then exercisable (or on such accelerated basis as the Administrator shall determine at or after grant), by the legal representative of the estate or by the legatee of the Optionee under the will of the Optionee, for a period of one (1) year after the date of such death (or, if later, such time as the Option may be exercised pursuant to Section 14(d) hereof) or until the expiration of the stated term of such Option as provided under the Plan, whichever period is shorter.

(g) Termination by Reason of Disability. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, if any Optionee’s employment with or service to the Company or any Subsidiary terminates by reason of Disability (as defined below), then any Option held by such Optionee may thereafter be exercised, to the extent it was exercisable at the time of termination due to Disability (or on such accelerated basis as the Administrator shall determine at or after grant), but may not be exercised after ninety (90) days after the date of such termination of employment or service (or, if later, such time as the Option may be exercised pursuant to Section 14(d) hereof) or the expiration of the stated term of such Option, whichever period is shorter; provided, however, that, if the Optionee dies within such ninety (90) day period, any unexercised Option held by such Optionee shall thereafter be exercisable to the extent to which it was exercisable at the time of death for a period of one (1) year after the date of such death (or, if later, such time as the Option may be exercised pursuant to Section 14(d) hereof) or for the stated term of such Option, whichever period is shorter. “Disability” shall mean an Optionee’s total and permanent disability; provided, that if Disability is defined in an employment agreement between the Company and the relevant Optionee, then, with respect to such Optionee, Disability shall have the meaning ascribed to it in such employment agreement

(h) Termination by Reason of Retirement. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, if any Optionee’s employment with or service to the Company or any Subsidiary terminates by reason of Normal or Early Retirement (as such terms are defined below), any Option held by such Optionee may thereafter be exercised to the extent it was exercisable at the time of such Retirement (or on such accelerated basis as the Administrator shall determine at or after grant), but may not be exercised after ninety (90) days after the date of such termination of employment or service (or, if later, such time as the Option may be exercised pursuant to Section 14(d) hereof) or the expiration of the stated term of such Option, whichever date is earlier; provided, however, that, if the Optionee dies within such ninety (90) day period, any unexercised Option held by such Optionee shall thereafter be exercisable, to the extent to which it was exercisable at the time of death, for a period of one (1) year after the date of such death (or, if later, such time as the Option may be exercised pursuant to Section 14(d) hereof) or for the stated term of such Option, whichever period is shorter.

For purposes of this paragraph (h), “Normal Retirement” shall mean retirement from active employment with the Company or any Subsidiary on or after the normal retirement date specified in the applicable Company or Subsidiary pension plan or if no such pension plan, age 65, and “Early Retirement” shall mean retirement from active employment with the Company or any Subsidiary pursuant to the early retirement provisions of the applicable Company or Subsidiary pension plan or if no such pension plan, age 55.

(i) Other Terminations. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator upon grant, if any Optionee’s employment with or service to the Company or any Subsidiary is terminated by such Optionee for any reason other than death, Disability, Normal or Early Retirement or Good Reason (as defined below), the Option shall thereupon terminate, except that the portion of any Option that was exercisable on the date of such termination of employment or service may be exercised for the lesser of ninety (90) days after the date of termination (or, if later, such time as the Option may be exercised pursuant to Section 14(d) hereof) or the balance of such Option’s term, which ever period is shorter. The transfer of an Optionee from the employ of or service to the Company to the employ of or service to a Subsidiary, or vice versa, or from one Subsidiary to another, shall not be deemed to constitute a termination of employment or service for purposes of the Plan.

(i) In the event that the Optionee’s employment or service with the Company or any Subsidiary is terminated by the Company or such Subsidiary for “cause” any unexercised portion of any Option shall immediately terminate in its entirety. For purposes hereof, unless otherwise defined in an employment agreement between the Company and the relevant Optionee, “Cause” shall exist upon a good-faith determination by the Board, following a hearing before the Board at which an Optionee was represented by counsel and given an opportunity to be heard, that such Optionee has been accused of fraud, dishonesty or act detrimental to the interests of the Company or any Subsidiary of Company or that such Optionee has been accused of or convicted of an act of willful and material embezzlement or fraud against the Company or of a felony under any state or federal statute; provided, however, that it is specifically understood that “Cause” shall not include any act of commission or omission in the good-faith exercise of such Optionee’s business judgment as a director, officer or employee of the Company, as the case may be, or upon the advice of counsel to the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Cause is defined in an employment agreement between the Company and the relevant Optionee, then, with respect to such Optionee, Cause shall have the meaning ascribed to it in such employment agreement.

(ii) In the event that an Optionee is removed as a director, officer or employee by the Company at any time other than for “Cause” or resigns as a director, officer or employee for “Good Reason” the Option granted to such Optionee may be exercised by the Optionee, to the extent the Option was exercisable on the date such Optionee ceases to be a director, officer or employee. Such Option may be exercised at any time within one (1) year after the date the Optionee ceases to be a director, officer or employee (or, if later, such time as the Option may be exercised pursuant to Section 14(d) hereof), or the date on which the Option otherwise expires by its terms; whichever period is shorter, at which time the Option shall terminate; provided, however, if the Optionee dies before the Options terminate and are no longer exercisable, the terms and provisions of Section 5(f) shall control. For purposes of this Section 5(i), and unless otherwise defined in an employment agreement between the Company and the relevant Optionee, Good Reason shall exist upon the occurrence of the following:

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Good Reason is defined in an employment agreement between the Company and the relevant Optionee, then, with respect to such Optionee, Good Reason shall have the meaning ascribed to it in such employment agreement.

(j) Limit on Value of Incentive Option. The aggregate Fair Market Value, determined as of the date the Incentive Option is granted, of Common Stock for which Incentive Options are exercisable for the first time by any Optionee during any calendar year under the Plan (and/or any other stock option plans of the Company or any Subsidiary) shall not exceed $100,000. Should it be determined that an Incentive Stock Option granted under the Plan exceeds such maximum for any reason other than a failure in good faith to value the Stock subject to such option, the excess portion of such option shall be considered a Nonqualified Option. 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 Option as Incentive Stock Options under the Federal tax laws shall be applied on the basis of the order in which such Options are granted. If, for any reason, an entire Option does not qualify as an Incentive Stock Option by reason of exceeding such maximum, such Option shall be considered a Nonqualified Option.

Restricted Stock may be granted under this Plan aside from, or in association with, any other award and shall be subject to the following conditions and shall contain such additional terms and conditions (including provisions relating to the acceleration of vesting of Restricted Stock upon a Change of Control), not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Administrator shall deem desirable:

(a) Grantee rights. A Grantee shall have no rights to an award of Restricted Stock unless and until Grantee accepts the award within the period prescribed by the Administrator and, if the Administrator shall deem desirable, makes payment to the Company in cash, or by check or such other instrument as may be acceptable to the Administrator. After acceptance and issuance of a certificate or certificates, as provided for below, the Grantee shall have the rights of a stockholder with respect to Restricted Stock subject to the non-transferability and forfeiture restrictions described in Section 6(d) below.

(b) Issuance of Certificates. The Company shall issue in the Grantee’s name a certificate or certificates for the shares of Common Stock associated with the award promptly after the Grantee accepts such award.

(c) Delivery of Certificates. Unless otherwise provided, any certificate or certificates issued evidencing shares of Restricted Stock shall not be delivered to the Grantee until such shares are free of any restrictions specified by the Administrator at the time of grant.

(d) Forfeitability, Non-transferability of Restricted Stock. Shares of Restricted Stock are forfeitable until the terms of the Restricted Stock grant have been satisfied. Shares of Restricted Stock are not transferable until the date on which the Administrator has specified such restrictions have lapsed. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator at or after grant, distributions in the form of dividends or otherwise of additional shares or property in respect of shares of Restricted Stock shall be subject to the same restrictions as such shares of Restricted Stock.

(e) Change of Control. Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control as defined in Section 5(c), the Administrator may accelerate the vesting of outstanding Restricted Stock, in whole or in part, as determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion.

(f) Termination of Employment. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator at or after grant, in the event the Grantee ceases to be an employee or otherwise associated with the Company for any other reason, all shares of Restricted Stock theretofore awarded to him which are still subject to restrictions shall be forfeited and the Company shall have the right to complete the blank stock power. The Administrator may provide (on or after grant) that restrictions or forfeiture conditions relating to shares of Restricted Stock will be waived in whole or in part in the event of termination resulting from specified causes, and the Administrator may in other cases waive in whole or in part restrictions or forfeiture conditions relating to Restricted Stock.

No Securities shall be granted pursuant to the Plan on or after the date which is ten years from the effective date of the Plan, but Options and awards of Restricted Stock theretofore granted may extend beyond that date.

In the event of any merger, reorganization, consolidation, recapitalization, stock dividend, or other change in corporate structure affecting the Common Stock of the Company, the Administrator shall make an appropriate and equitable adjustment in the number and kind of shares reserved for issuance under the Plan and (A) in the number and option price of shares subject to outstanding Options granted under the Plan, to the end that after such event each Optionee’s proportionate interest shall be maintained (to the extent possible) as immediately before the occurrence of such event. The Administrator shall, to the extent feasible, make such other adjustments as may be required under the tax laws so that any Incentive Options previously granted shall not be deemed modified within the meaning of Section 424(h) of the Code. Appropriate adjustments shall also be made in the case of outstanding Restricted Stock granted under the Plan.

The adjustments described above will be made only to the extent consistent with continued qualification of the Option under Section 422 of the Code (in the case of an Incentive Option) and Section 409A of the Code.

Unless the Options and shares covered by the Plan have been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Company has determined that such registration is unnecessary, each person exercising or receiving Securities under the Plan may be required by the Company to give a representation in writing that he is acquiring the securities for his own account for investment and not with a view to, or for sale in connection with, the distribution of any part thereof. The Administrator may impose any additional or further restrictions on awards of Securities as shall be determined by the Administrator at the time of award.

(a) The Company may make such provisions as it may deem appropriate, consistent with applicable law, in connection with any Securities granted under the Plan with respect to the withholding of any taxes (including income or employment taxes) or any other tax matters.

(b) If any Grantee, in connection with the acquisition of Restricted Stock, makes the election permitted under Section 83(b) of the Code (that is, an election to include in gross income in the year of transfer the amounts specified in Section 83(b)), such Grantee shall notify the Company of the election with the Internal Revenue Service pursuant to regulations issued under the authority of Code Section 83(b).

(c) If any Grantee shall make any disposition of shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to the exercise of an Incentive Option under the circumstances described in Section 421(b) of the Code (relating to certain disqualifying dispositions), such Grantee shall notify the Company of such disposition within ten (10) days hereof.

The Plan shall be effective on July 21, 2022 when the Plan was approved by majority vote of the Company’s stockholders on July 21, 2022.

The Board may amend, suspend, or terminate the Plan, except that no amendment shall be made that would impair the rights of any Participant under Securities theretofore granted without the Participant’s consent, and except that no amendment shall be made which, without the approval of the stockholders of the Company would:

(a) materially increase the number of shares that may be issued under the Plan, except as is provided in Section 8;

(b) materially increase the benefits accruing to the Participants under the Plan;

(c) materially modify the requirements as to eligibility for participation in the Plan;

(d) decrease the exercise price of an Incentive Option to less than 100% of the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the date of grant thereof or the exercise price of a Nonqualified Option to less than 100% of the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the date of grant thereof;

(e) extend the term of any Option beyond that provided for in Section 5(b);

(f) except as otherwise provided in Sections 5(d) and 8 hereof, reduce the exercise price of outstanding Options or effect repricing through cancellations and re-grants of new Options;

(g) increase the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued or issuable under the Plan to an amount that is equal to or in excess of 19.99% of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding before the issuance of the stock or securities; or

(h) otherwise require stockholder approval pursuant to the rules and regulations of the NASDAQ Stock Market.

Subject to the forgoing, the Administrator may amend the terms of any Option theretofore granted, prospectively or retrospectively, but no such amendment shall impair the rights of any Optionee without the Optionee’s consent.

It is the intention of the Board that the Plan comply strictly with the provisions of Section 409A of the Code and Treasury Regulations and other Internal Revenue Service guidance promulgated thereunder (the “Section 409A Rules”) and the Administrator shall exercise its discretion in granting awards hereunder (and the terms of such awards), accordingly. The Plan and any grant of an award hereunder may be amended from time to time (without, in the case of an award, the consent of the Participant) as may be necessary or appropriate to comply with the Section 409A Rules.

The Plan, and the grant and exercise or conversion, as applicable, of Securities hereunder, and the obligation of the Company to issue and deliver shares under such Securities shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules and regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental agencies, national securities exchanges and interdealer quotation systems as may be required.

(a) Certificates. All certificates for shares of Common Stock delivered under the Plan shall be subject to such stop transfer orders and other restrictions as the Administrator may deem advisable under the rules, regulations and other requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or other securities commission having jurisdiction, any applicable Federal or state securities law, any stock exchange or interdealer quotation system upon which the Common Stock is then listed or traded and the Administrator may cause a legend or legends to be placed on any such certificates to make appropriate reference to such restrictions.

(b) Employment Matters. Neither the adoption of the Plan nor any grant or award under the Plan shall confer upon any Participant who is an employee of the Company or any Subsidiary any right to continued employment or, in the case of a Participant who is a director, continued service as a director, with the Company or a Subsidiary, as the case may be, nor shall it interfere in any way with the right of the Company or any Subsidiary to terminate the employment of any of its employees, the service of any of its directors or the retention of any of its consultants or advisors at any time.

(c) Limitation of Liability. No member of the Administrator, or any officer or employee of the Company acting on behalf of the Administrator, shall be personally liable for any action, determination or interpretation taken or made in good faith with respect to the Plan, and all members of the Administrator and each and any officer or employee of the Company acting on their behalf shall, to the extent permitted by law, be fully indemnified and protected by the Company in respect of any such action, determination or interpretation.

(d) Registration of Stock. Notwithstanding any other provision in the Plan, no Option may be exercised unless and until the Common Stock to be issued upon the exercise thereof has been registered under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, or are, in the opinion of counsel to the Company, exempt from such registration in the United States. The Company shall not be under any obligation to register under applicable federal or state securities laws any Common Stock to be issued upon the exercise of an Option granted hereunder in order to permit the exercise of an Option and the issuance and sale of the Common Stock subject to such Option, although the Company may in its sole discretion register such Common Stock at such time as the Company shall determine. If the Company chooses to comply with such an exemption from registration, the Common Stock issued under the Plan may, at the direction of the Administrator, bear an appropriate restrictive legend restricting the transfer or pledge of the Common Stock represented thereby, and the Administrator may also give appropriate stop transfer instructions with respect to such Common Stock to the Company’s transfer agent.

The Administrator’s determinations under the Plan, including, without limitation, (i) the determination of the Participants to receive awards, (ii) the form, amount and timing of such awards, (iii) the terms and provisions of such awards and (ii) the agreements evidencing the same, need not be uniform and may be made by it selectively among Participants who receive, or who are eligible to receive, awards under the Plan, whether or not such Participants are similarly situated.

The validity, construction, and effect of the Plan and any rules and regulations relating to the Plan shall be determined in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to principles of conflicts of laws, and applicable federal law.