EX-4.3 2 kartoon_ex0403.htm DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

EXHIBIT 4.3

DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES
REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

As of March 26, 2025, Kartoon Studios, Inc. (“we,” “us” or the “Company”) had two classes of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”): (1) common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Common Stock”), which is registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and listed on the NYSE American LLC; and (2) Series C Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Series C Preferred Stock”), which is registered under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act.

General

The following is a description of the material terms of our capital stock. This is a summary only and does not purport to be complete. It is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to our Articles of Incorporation, as amended, and our Bylaws, as amended, each of which are incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K to which this description is an exhibit.

Authorized Capital Stock

Our authorized capital stock consists of 200,000,000 shares of capital stock, of which 190,000,000 are shares of Common Stock, and 10,000,000 are shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share.

Common Stock

The holders of our Common Stock are entitled to one vote per share. In addition, the holders of our Common Stock will be entitled to receive ratably such dividends, if any, as may be declared by our Board of Directors out of legally available funds; however, the current policy of our Board of Directors is to retain earnings, if any, for operations and growth. Upon liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, the holders of our Common Stock will be entitled to share ratably in all assets that are legally available for distribution. The holders of our Common Stock will have no preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of our Common Stock will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any series of preferred stock, which may be designated solely by action of our Board of Directors and issued in the future.

Preferred Stock

Our Board of Directors is authorized, subject to any limitations prescribed by law, without further vote or action by our stockholders, to issue from time to time shares of preferred stock in one or more series. Each series of preferred stock will have such number of shares, designations, preferences, voting powers, qualifications and special or relative rights or privileges as shall be determined by our Board of Directors, which may include, among others, dividend rights, voting rights, liquidation preferences, conversion rights and preemptive rights.

Series C Preferred Stock

On September 21, 2023, our Board of Directors designated Fifty Thousand (50,000) shares of our preferred stock as Series C Preferred Stock and declared a dividend of one one-thousandth of a share of Series C Preferred Stock for each outstanding share of Common Stock. The preferences, rights, limitations and other matters relating to the Series C Preferred Stock are set forth in a Certificate of Designation of Series C Preferred Stock (the “Series C Certificate of Designation”).

General; Transferability. Shares of Series C Preferred Stock will be uncertificated and represented in book-entry form. No shares of Series C Preferred Stock may be transferred by the holder thereof except in connection with a transfer by such holder of any shares of Common Stock held by such holder, in which case a number of one one-thousandths (1/1,000ths) of a share of Series C Preferred Stock equal to the number of shares of Common Stock to be transferred by such holder will be automatically transferred to the transferee of such shares of Common Stock.

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Voting Rights. Each share of Series C Preferred Stock will entitle the holder thereof to 1,000,000 votes per share (and, for the avoidance of doubt, each fraction of a share of Series C Preferred Stock will have a ratable number of votes). Thus, each one-thousandth of a share of Series C Preferred Stock would entitle the holder thereof to 1,000 votes. The outstanding shares of Series C Preferred Stock will vote together with the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company as a single class exclusively with respect to (1) any proposal to adopt an amendment to our Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of Common Stock from 40,000,000 shares to 190,000,000 shares and to reflect a corresponding increase in the total number of shares the Company is authorized to issue from 50,000,000 shares to 200,000,000 shares (the “Authorized Share Increase”), and (2) any proposal to adjourn any meeting of stockholders called for the purpose of voting on the Authorized Share Increase (the “Adjournment Proposal”). The Series C Preferred Stock will not be entitled to vote on any other matter, except to the extent required under Chapter 78 of the Nevada Revised Statues.

Unless otherwise provided on any applicable proxy or ballot with respect to the voting on the Authorized Share Increase or the Adjournment Proposal, the vote of each share of Series C Preferred Stock (or fraction thereof) entitled to vote on the Authorized Share Increase and the Adjournment Proposal brought before any meeting of stockholders held to vote on such matters shall be cast in the same manner as the vote, if any, of the share of Common Stock (or fraction thereof) in respect of which such share of Series C Preferred Stock (or fraction thereof) was issued as a dividend is cast on the Authorized Share Increase and the Adjournment Proposal, and the proxy or ballot with respect to shares of Common Stock held by any holder on whose behalf such proxy or ballot is submitted will be deemed to include all shares of Series C Preferred Stock (or fraction thereof) held by such holder. Holders of Series C Preferred Stock will not receive a separate ballot or proxy to cast votes with respect to the Series C Preferred Stock on the Authorized Share Increase or the Adjournment Proposal brought before any meeting of stockholders held to vote on such matters.

Dividend Rights. The holders of Series C Preferred Stock, as such, will not be entitled to receive dividends of any kind.

Liquidation Preference. The Series C Preferred Stock will rank senior to the Common Stock as to any distribution of assets upon a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, whether voluntarily or involuntarily (a “Dissolution”). Upon any Dissolution, each holder of outstanding shares of Series C Preferred Stock will be entitled to be paid out of the assets of the Company available for distribution to stockholders, prior and in preference to any distribution to the holders of Common Stock, an amount in cash equal to $0.001 per outstanding share of Series C Preferred Stock.

Redemption. All shares of Series C Preferred Stock that are not duly voted by proxy prior to the opening of any meeting of stockholders held to vote on the Authorized Share Increase and the Adjournment Proposal, in the manner as specifically described in the definitive proxy statement (as may be amended and supplemented) filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and made available to the stockholders in connection with such meeting, will automatically be redeemed in whole, but not in part, by the Company as of immediately prior to the opening of such meeting (the “Initial Redemption Time”) without further action on the part of the Company or the holder of shares of Series C Preferred Stock (the “Initial Redemption”). Any outstanding shares of Series C Preferred Stock that have not been redeemed pursuant to an Initial Redemption will be redeemed in whole, but not in part, automatically upon the approval by the Company’s stockholders of the Authorized Share Increase at any meeting of stockholders held for the purpose of voting on such proposals. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may, in its sole discretion and at any time, order redemption of all, but not part, of the outstanding shares of Series C Preferred Stock by delivering written notice of redemption to each holder of record of outstanding shares of Series C Preferred Stock not less than two (2) days prior to the redemption date specified in such notice.

Each share of Series C Preferred Stock redeemed in any redemption described above will be redeemed in consideration for the right to receive an amount equal to $0.01 in cash for each ten whole shares of Series C Preferred Stock that are “beneficially owned” by the “beneficial owner” (as such terms are defined in the Series C Certificate of Designation) thereof as of immediately prior to the applicable redemption time and redeemed pursuant to such redemption. However, the redemption consideration in respect of the shares of Series C Preferred Stock (or fractions thereof) redeemed in any redemption described above: (i) will entitle the former beneficial owners of less than ten whole shares of Series C Preferred Stock redeemed in any redemption to no cash payment in respect thereof and (y) will, in the case of a former beneficial owner of a number of shares of Series C Preferred Stock (or fractions thereof) redeemed pursuant to any redemption that is not equal to a whole number that is a multiple of ten, entitle such beneficial owner to the same cash payment, if any, in respect of such redemption as would have been payable in such redemption to such beneficial owner if the number of shares (or fractions thereof) beneficially owned by such beneficial owner and redeemed pursuant to such redemption were rounded down to the nearest whole number that is a multiple of ten (such, that for example, the former beneficial owner of 25 shares of Series C Preferred Stock redeemed pursuant to any redemption will be entitled to receive the same cash payment in respect of such redemption as would have been payable to the former beneficial owner of 20 shares of Series C Preferred Stock redeemed pursuant to such redemption).

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Miscellaneous. The Series C Preferred Stock is not convertible into, or exchangeable for, shares of any other class or series of stock or other securities of the Company. The Series C Preferred Stock has no stated maturity and is not subject to any sinking fund. The Series C Preferred Stock is not subject to any restriction on the redemption or repurchase of shares by the Company while there is any arrearage in the payment of dividends or sinking fund installments.

Nevada Anti-Takeover Law and Certain Charter and Bylaw Provisions

Some features of the Nevada Revised Statutes, which are further described below, may have the effect of deterring third parties from making takeover bids for control of our company or may be used to hinder or delay a takeover bid. This would decrease the chance that our stockholders would realize a premium over market price for their shares of Common Stock as a result of a takeover bid.

Acquisition of Controlling Interest

The Nevada Revised Statutes contain provisions governing acquisition of a controlling interest of a Nevada corporation. These provisions provide generally that any person or entity that acquires a certain percentage of the outstanding voting shares of a Nevada corporation may be denied voting rights with respect to the acquired shares, unless the holders of a majority of the voting power of the corporation, excluding shares as to which any of such acquiring person or entity, an officer or a director of the corporation, or an employee of the corporation exercises voting rights, elect to restore such voting rights in whole or in part. These provisions apply whenever a person or entity acquires shares that, but for the operation of these provisions, would bring voting power of such person or entity in the election of directors within any of the following three ranges:

| · | 20% or more but less than 33 1/3%;

| · | 33 1/3% or more but less than or equal to 50%; or

| · | more than 50%.

The stockholders or board of directors of a corporation may elect to exempt the stock of the corporation from these provisions through adoption of a provision to that effect in the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation.

These provisions are applicable only to a Nevada corporation, which:

| · | has 200 or more stockholders of record, at least 100 of whom have addresses in Nevada appearing on the stock ledger of the corporation; and

| · | does business in Nevada directly or through an affiliated corporation.

On November 20, 2013, we amended our bylaws to provide that the provisions of NRS 78.378 and 78.3793 (“Acquisition of a Controlling Interest”) shall not apply to the Company or to any acquisition of a controlling interest in the Company by any existing or future stockholder.

Combination with Interested Stockholder

The Nevada Revised Statutes contain provisions governing combination of a Nevada corporation that has 200 or more stockholders of record with an interested stockholder. As of March 26, 2025, we had approximately 191 stockholders of record, not including persons or entities that hold our stock in nominee or “street name” through various brokerage firms.

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A corporation affected by these provisions may not engage in a combination within two years after the interested stockholder first became an interested stockholder, unless either (i) the combination or transaction by which the interested stockholder first became an interested stockholder is approved by the board of directors before the interested stockholder first became an interested stockholder, or (ii) the combination is approved by the board of directors and by the affirmative vote of the corporation’s stockholders representing at least 60% of the outstanding voting power of the corporation not beneficially owned by the interested stockholder or the interested stockholder’s affiliates. Generally, if approval is not obtained, then after the expiration of the two-year period, the business combination may be consummated with the approval of the board of directors of the combination or transaction by which the interested stockholder first became an interested stockholder before the person became an interested stockholder, or a majority of the voting power held by disinterested stockholders, or if the consideration to be received per share by disinterested stockholders is at least equal to the highest of:

| · | the highest price per share paid by the interested stockholder within the two years immediately preceding the date of the announcement of the combination or within two years immediately before, or in the transaction in which he, she or it became an interested stockholder, whichever is higher;

| · | the market value per share on the date of announcement of the combination or the date the person became an interested stockholder, whichever is higher; or

| · | if higher for the holders of preferred stock, the highest liquidation value of the preferred stock, if any.

Generally, these provisions define an interested stockholder as a person who is the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 10% or more of the voting power of the outstanding voting shares of a corporation. Generally, these provisions define combination to include any merger or consolidation with an interested stockholder, or any sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition, in one transaction or a series of transactions, with an interested stockholder of assets of the corporation having:

| · | an aggregate market value equal to 5% or more of the aggregate market value of the assets of the corporation;

| · | an aggregate market value equal to 5% or more of the aggregate market value of all outstanding shares of the corporation; or

| · | representing 10% or more of the earning power or net income of the corporation.

Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws

Pursuant to our Articles of Incorporation, the existence of authorized but unissued common stock and undesignated preferred stock may enable our Board of Directors to make more difficult or to discourage an attempt to obtain control of our Company by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise, and thereby to protect the continuity of management. If, in the due exercise of its fiduciary obligations, the Board of Directors were to determine that a takeover proposal was not in our best interest, such shares could be issued by the Board of Directors without stockholder approval in one or more transactions that might prevent or render more difficult or costly the completion of the takeover transaction by diluting the voting or other rights of the proposed acquirer or insurgent stockholder group, by putting a substantial voting block in institutional or other hands that might undertake to support the position of the incumbent Board of Directors, by effecting an acquisition that might complicate or preclude the takeover, or otherwise.

In addition, our Articles of Incorporation grants our Board of Directors broad power to establish the rights and preferences of authorized and unissued shares of preferred stock. The issuance of shares of preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to holders of shares of common stock. The issuance also may adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of those holders and may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of our Company.

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