RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities involves a number of very significant risks. You should carefully consider the following risks and uncertainties in addition to other information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus in evaluating our company and our business before making an investment decision about our company. Our business, operating results and financial condition could be seriously harmed as a result of the occurrence of any of the following risks. You could lose all or part of your investment due to any of these risks.

Risks Associated with Our Business and Industry

Lack of cash flow which may affect our ability to continue as a going concern.

Presently our operating cash flows are not sufficient to meet operating and capital expenses. Our business plan calls for continued research and development of our products and expansion of our market share. We will require additional financing to fund working capital and pay for operating expenses and capital requirements until we achieve a positive cash flow.

There is no assurance that actual cash requirements will not exceed our estimates. In particular, additional capital may be required in the event that:

• we incur delays and additional expenses as a result of technology failure;
• we are unable to create a substantial market for our products; or
• we incur any significant unanticipated expenses.

The occurrence of any of the aforementioned events could adversely affect our ability to meet our proposed business plans.

We depend on a mix of revenues and outside capital to pay for the continued development of our technology and the marketing of our products. Such outside capital may include the sale of additional stock and/or commercial borrowing. There can be no assurance that capital will continue to be available if necessary to meet these continuing development costs or, if the capital is available, that it will be on terms acceptable to us. Disruptions in financial markets and challenging economic conditions have and may continue to affect our ability to raise capital. The issuance of additional equity securities by us would result in a dilution, possibly a significant dilution, in the equity interests of our current stockholders. Obtaining commercial loans, assuming those loans would be available, will increase our liabilities and future cash commitments.

Our revenue, operating results and gross margin can fluctuate significantly and unpredictably from quarter-to-quarter and from year-to-year, and we expect that they will continue to do so, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

The rate at which our customers order our products, and the size of these orders, are highly variable and difficult to predict. In the past, we have experienced significant variability in our customer purchasing practices on a quarterly and annual basis, and we expect that this variability will continue, as a result of a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:

• demand for our products and the timing and size of customer orders;
• length of sales cycles, which may be extended by selling our products through channel partners;
• length of time of deployment of our products by our customers;
• customers’ budgetary constraints;
• competitive pressures; and
• general economic conditions.

As a result of this volatility in our customers’ purchasing practices, our revenue has historically fluctuated unpredictably on a quarterly and annual basis and we expect this to continue for the foreseeable future. Our budgeted expense levels depend in part on our expectations of future revenue. Because any substantial adjustment to expenses to account for lower levels of revenue is difficult and takes time, if our revenue declines, our operating expenses and general overhead would likely be high relative to revenue, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating margin and operating results.

We may be unable to predict subscription renewal rates and the impact these rates may have on our future revenue and operating results.

Some of our products and services are sold on a subscription basis that is generally month-to-month or one year in length. Our customers have no obligation to renew their subscriptions for our services after the expiration of their initial subscription period, and some customers elect not to renew. We cannot provide assurance that our subscriptions will be renewed at the same or higher level of service, for the same number of licenses or for the same duration of time, if at all. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to accurately predict future customer renewal rates. Our customers’ renewal rates may decline or fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, including their level of satisfaction with our services, our ability to continue to regularly add features and functionality, the reliability (including uptime) of our subscription services, the prices of our services, the prices of services offered by our competitors, mergers and acquisitions affecting our customer base, reductions in our customers’ spending levels or declines in customer activity as a result of economic downturns or uncertainty in financial markets. If our customers do not renew their subscriptions for our services or if they renew on terms less favorable to us, our revenue may decline.

If we are not able to manage our operating expenses, then our financial condition may be adversely affected.

Our operating expenses of $6,665,410 for the six months ended October 31, 2019 exceeded our revenue of $5,274,590 for the six months ended October 31, 2019. Our operating expenses of $15,931,665 for the year ended April 30, 2019 exceeded our revenue of $10,764,904 for the year ended April 30, 2019. Our ability to reach and maintain profitability is conditional upon our ability to manage our operating expenses. There is a risk that we will have to increase our operating expenses in the future. Factors that could cause our operating expenses to increase include our determination to spend more on sales and marketing in order to increase product sales or our determination that more research and development expenditures are required in order to keep our current software products competitive or in order to develop new products for the market. To the extent that our operating expenses increase without a corresponding increase in revenue, our financial condition would be adversely impacted.

Our level of indebtedness and debt service obligations could adversely affect our financial condition and may make it more difficult for us to fund our operations.

On October 10, 2018, as amended on July 10, 2019 and February 1, 2020, our company entered into a loan agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) with Wesley Clover International Corporation and KMB Trac Two Holdings Ltd. (collectively, the “Lenders”), pursuant to which the Lenders agreed to loan to our company an aggregate principal amount of up to $5,000,000. Wesley Clover International Corporation owns approximately 25.3% of our common shares and is controlled by the Chairman of our company, Terence Matthews and KMB Trac Two Holdings Ltd. is represented by Steven Bruk, a director of our company and Karen Bruk, Mr. Bruk’s spouse. KMB Trac Two Holdings Ltd., Steven Bruk and Karen Bruk own approximately 20.5% of our common shares. Pursuant to the terms of the Loan Agreement, the loan is unsecured and will be made available in multiple advances at the discretion of our company and will bear compound interest at a rate of 8% per year, payable monthly. The outstanding principal and any accrued interest may be prepaid without penalty and is to be fully repaid on the date that is 30 months after the first advance, which is April 11, 2021.

The loan is intended to be used for general working capital purposes. As of October 31, 2019, the principal balance of the loan payable was $4,000,000.

This indebtedness may create additional financing risk for us, particularly if our business or prevailing financial market conditions are not conducive to paying off or refinancing our outstanding debt obligations at maturity. This indebtedness could also have important negative consequences, including the fact that we will need to repay our indebtedness by making payments of interest and principal, which will reduce the amount of money available to finance our operations, our research and development efforts and other general corporate activities. To the extent additional debt (including without limitation the additional advances) is added to our current debt levels, the risks described above could increase.

We may not have cash available to us in an amount sufficient to enable us to make interest or principal payments on our indebtedness when due.

Failure to satisfy our current and future debt obligations under the Loan Agreement could result in an event of default and, as a result, the Lenders could accelerate all of the amounts due. In the event of an acceleration of amounts due under the Loan Agreement, as a result of an event of default, we may not have sufficient funds or may be unable to arrange for additional financing to repay our indebtedness.

We have negative cash flow from operating activities and the net proceeds from sales of securities may be used to fund anticipated negative cash flow from operating activities in future periods.

We had negative cash flow from operating activities of $3,443,379 for the most recently completed financial year ended April 30, 2019 and $970,719 for the six month period ended October 31, 2019. Our revenue decreased to $5,274,590 for the six months ended October 31, 2019 from $5,329,091 for the six months ended October 31, 2018, our revenue decreased to $10,764,904 for the year ended April 30, 2019 from $12,381,741 for the year ended April 30, 2018. Consequently, the net proceeds from sales of securities may be used to fund anticipated negative cash flow from operating activities in future periods. Furthermore, we may require additional financing in order to meet our operating cash flow and capital expenditure needs.

We face larger and better-financed competitors, which may affect our ability to achieve or maintain profitability.

Management is aware of similar products which compete directly with our products and some of the companies developing these similar products are larger and better-financed than us and may develop products superior to those of our company. In addition to price competition, increased competition may result in other aggressive business tactics from our competitors, such as:

• emphasizing their own size and perceived stability against our smaller size and narrower recognition;
• providing customers “one-stop shopping” options for the purchase of network equipment and application software;
• offering customers financing assistance;
• making early announcements of competing products and employing extensive marketing efforts; and
• asserting infringement of their intellectual property rights.

Such competition may potentially affect our profitability adversely.

A decline in the price of our common stock could affect our ability to raise further working capital and adversely impact our operations.

A prolonged decline in the price of our common stock could result in a reduction in the liquidity of our common stock and a reduction in our ability to raise capital, or a delisting from a stock exchange on which our common stock trades. Because our operations have been partially financed through the sale of equity securities, a decline in the price of our common stock could be especially detrimental to our liquidity and our continued operations. Any reduction in our ability to raise equity capital in the future would force us to reallocate funds from other planned uses and would have a significant negative effect on our business plans and operations, including our ability to develop new products and continue our current operations. If our stock price declines, there can be no assurance that we can raise additional capital or generate funds from operations sufficient to meet our obligations.

The majority of our directors and officers are located outside the United States, with the result that it may be difficult for investors to enforce within the United States any judgments obtained against us or some of our directors or officers.

The majority of our directors and officers are nationals and/or residents of countries other than the United States, and all or a substantial portion of such persons' assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to enforce within the United States any judgments obtained against us or our officers or directors, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state thereof. Consequently, investors may be effectively prevented from pursuing remedies under United States federal securities laws against some of our directors or officers.

We may in the future be subject to damaging and disruptive intellectual property litigation that could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition, as well as the continued viability of our company.

We may be unaware of filed patent applications and issued patents that could relate to our products and services. Intellectual property litigation, if determined against us, could:

• result in the loss of a substantial number of existing customers or prohibit the acquisition of new customers;
• cause us to lose access to key distribution channels;
• result in substantial employee layoffs or risk the permanent loss of highly-valued employees;
• materially and adversely affect our brand in the market place and cause a substantial loss of goodwill;
• affect our ability to raise additional capital;
• cause our stock price to decline significantly; and
• lead to the bankruptcy or liquidation of our company.

Parties making claims of infringement may be able to obtain injunctive or other equitable relief that could effectively block our ability to provide our products or services and could cause us to pay substantial royalties, licensing fees or damages. The defense of any lawsuit could result in time-consuming and expensive litigation, regardless of the merits of such claims.

We could lose our competitive advantages if we are not able to protect any proprietary technology and intellectual property rights against infringement, and any related litigation could be time-consuming and costly.

Our success and ability to compete depends to a significant degree on our proprietary technology incorporated in our software. If any of our competitors copy or otherwise gain access to our proprietary technology or develops similar technologies independently, we would not be able to compete as effectively. We also consider our family of registered and unregistered trademarks including CounterPath, Bria, eyebeam, X-Lite, and Softphone.com invaluable to our ability to continue to develop and maintain the goodwill and recognition associated with our brand. The measures we take to protect the proprietary technology software, and other intellectual property rights, which presently are based upon a combination of patents, patents pending, copyright, trade secret and trademark laws, may not be adequate to prevent their unauthorized use. Further, the laws of foreign countries may provide inadequate protection of such intellectual property rights.

We may need to bring legal claims to enforce or protect such intellectual property rights. Any litigation, whether successful or unsuccessful, could result in substantial costs and divert resources from intended uses. In addition, notwithstanding any rights we have secured in our intellectual property, other persons may bring claims against us that we have infringed on their intellectual property rights, including claims based upon the content we license from third parties or claims that our intellectual property right interests are not valid. Any claims against us, with or without merit, could be time consuming and costly to defend or litigate, divert our attention and resources, result in the loss of goodwill associated with our service marks or require us to make changes to our website or other of our technologies.

Our products may become obsolete and unmarketable if we are unable to respond adequately to rapidly changing technology and customer demands.

Our industry is characterized by rapid changes in technology and customer demands. As a result, our products may quickly become obsolete and unmarketable. Our future success will depend on our ability to adapt to technological advances, anticipate customer demands, develop new products and enhance our current products on a timely and cost-effective basis. Further, our products must remain competitive with those of other companies with substantially greater resources. We may experience technical or other difficulties that could delay or prevent the development, introduction or marketing of new products or enhanced versions of existing products. Also, we may not be able to adapt new or enhanced services to emerging industry standards, and our new products may not be favorably received.

Unless we can establish broad market acceptance of our current products, our potential revenues may be significantly reduced.

We expect that a substantial portion of our future revenue will be derived from the sale of our software products. We expect that these product offerings and their extensions and derivatives will account for a majority of our revenue for the foreseeable future. Broad market acceptance of our software products is, therefore, critical to our future success and our ability to continue to generate revenues. Failure to achieve broad market acceptance of our software products as a result of competition, technological change, or otherwise, would significantly harm our business. Our future financial performance will depend primarily on the continued market acceptance of our current software product offerings and on the development, introduction and market acceptance of any future enhancements. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in marketing our current product offerings or any new product offerings, applications or enhancements, and any failure to do so would significantly harm our business.

Our use of open source software could impose limitations on our ability to commercialize our products.

We incorporate open source software into our products. Although we closely monitor our use of open source software, the terms of many open source software licenses have not been interpreted by U.S. courts, and there is a risk that such licenses could be construed in a manner that could impose unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to sell our products. In such event, we could be required to make our proprietary software generally available to third parties, including competitors, at no cost, to seek licenses from third parties to continue offering our products, to re-engineer our products or to discontinue the sale of our products in the event re-engineering cannot be accomplished on a timely basis or at all, any of which could adversely affect our revenues and operating expenses.

We may not be able to obtain necessary licenses of third-party technology on acceptable terms, or at all, which could delay product sales and development and adversely impact product quality.

We have incorporated third-party licensed technology into our current products. We anticipate that we are also likely to need to license additional technology from third-parties to develop new products or product enhancements in the future. Third-party licenses may not be available or continue to be available to us on commercially reasonable terms. The inability to retain any third-party licenses required in our current products or to obtain any new third-party licenses to develop new products and product enhancements could require us to obtain substitute technology of lower quality or performance standards or at greater cost, and delay or prevent us from making these products or enhancements, any of which could seriously harm the competitive position of our products.

Our products must interoperate with many different networks, software applications and hardware products, and this interoperability will depend on the continued prevalence of open standards.

Our products are designed to interoperate with our customers’ existing and planned networks, which have varied and complex specifications, utilize multiple protocol standards, software applications and products from numerous vendors and contain multiple products that have been added over time. As a result, we must attempt to ensure that our products interoperate effectively with these existing and planned networks. To meet these requirements, we have and must continue to undertake development and testing efforts that require significant capital and employee resources. We may not accomplish these development efforts quickly or cost-effectively, or at all. If our products do not interoperate effectively, installations could be delayed or orders for our products could be cancelled, which would harm our revenue, gross margins and our reputation, potentially resulting in the loss of existing and potential customers. The failure of our products to interoperate effectively with our customers’ networks may result in significant warranty, support and repair costs, divert the attention of our engineering personnel from our software development efforts and cause significant customer relations problems.

Additionally, the interoperability of our products with multiple different networks is significantly dependent on the continued prevalence of standards for IP multimedia services, such as SIP or Session Initiation Protocol. Some of our existing and potential competitors are network equipment providers who could potentially benefit from the deployment of their own proprietary non-standards-based architectures. If resistance to open standards by network equipment providers becomes prevalent, it could make it more difficult for our products to interoperate with our customers’ networks, which would have a material adverse effect on our ability to sell our products to service providers.

We are subject to the credit risk of our customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

We are subject to the credit risk of our customers. Businesses that are good credit risks at the time of sale may become bad credit risks over time. In times of economic recession, the number of our customers who default on payments owed to us tends to increase. If we fail to adequately assess and monitor our credit risks, we could experience longer payment cycles, increased collection costs and higher bad debt expense.

We are exposed to fluctuations in interest rates and exchange rates associated with foreign currencies.

A majority of our revenue activities are transacted in U.S. dollars. However, we are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate risk inherent in conducting business globally in numerous currencies, of which the most significant to our operations for the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2018 and the six months ended October 31, 2019 was the Canadian dollar. We are primarily exposed to a fluctuating Canadian dollar as our operating expenses are primarily denominated in Canadian dollars while our revenues are primarily denominated in U.S. dollars. We address certain financial exposures through a controlled program of risk management that includes the use of derivative financial instruments. Our company’s foreign currency risk management program includes foreign currency derivatives with cash flow hedge accounting designation that utilizes foreign currency forward contracts to hedge exposures to the variability in the U.S. dollar equivalent of anticipated non-U.S. dollar-denominated cash flows. These instruments generally have a maturity of less than one year. For these derivatives, our company reports the after-tax gain or loss from the effective portion of the hedge as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity and reclassifies it into earnings in the same period in which the hedged transaction affects earnings, and within the same line item on the consolidated statements of operations as the impact of the hedged transaction. There can be no assurance that our hedging program will not result in a negative impact on our earnings and earnings per share. We did not enter into any forward contracts for hedging purposes during the years ended April 30, 2019 and 2018 and the six months ended October 31, 2019.

Tax matters, including changes in tax rates, disagreements with taxing authorities and imposition of new taxes could impact our results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to income taxes as well as non-income-based taxes, such as payroll, sales, use, value added, net worth, property, withholding and franchise taxes in both the U.S. and various foreign jurisdictions. From time to time, we are also subject to reviews, examinations and audits by taxing authorities with respect to such income and non-income-based taxes inside and outside of the U.S. When a taxing authority disagrees with our tax positions, we could face additional tax liabilities, including interest and penalties. Payment of such additional amounts upon final settlement or adjudication of any disputes could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position.

In addition, we are directly and indirectly affected by new tax legislation and regulation and the interpretation of tax laws and regulations worldwide. Changes in legislation, regulation or interpretation of existing laws and regulations in the U.S. and other jurisdictions where we are subject to taxation could increase our taxes and have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

If a security breach or cyberattack of our IT networks and systems, or any of our products, occurs, our operations could be interrupted, our products and services may be perceived as vulnerable, and our brand and reputation could be damaged, which could reduce revenue, increase expenses, and expose us to legal claims or regulatory actions.

Cybersecurity refers to the combination of technologies, processes, and procedures established to protect information technology systems and data from unauthorized access, attack, or damage. We are subject to cybersecurity risks. Information cybersecurity risks have significantly increased in recent years and, while we have not experienced any material losses relating to cyber-attacks or other information security breaches, we could suffer such losses in the future. Our computer systems, software and networks may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses or other malicious code and other events that could have a security impact. If one or more of such events occur, this potentially could jeopardize confidential and other information, including nonpublic personal information and sensitive business data, processed and stored in, and transmitted through, our computer systems and networks, or otherwise cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations or the operations of our customers or counterparties. This could result in significant losses, reputational damage, litigation, regulatory fines or penalties, or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Privacy and information security laws and regulation changes, and compliance with those changes, may result in cost increases due to system changes and the development of new administrative processes. In the future, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective measures and to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures arising from operational and security risks. In addition, we may be subject to litigation and financial losses that are not fully insured.

Risks Associated with Our Securities

We are not in compliance with the Nasdaq continued listing requirements. If we are unable to comply with the continued listing requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market, our common stock could be delisted, which could affect our common stock’s market price and liquidity and reduce our ability to raise capital.

On December 16, 2019, we received a letter from the listing qualifications department staff of the NASDAQ Stock Market notifying us that the stockholders' equity of $1,922,675 as reported in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended October 31, 2019 was below the minimum stockholders' equity of $2,500,000. The minimum stockholders' equity of $2,500,000 is required for continued listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market as set forth in NASDAQ listing rule 5550(b)(1), and as of December 13, 2019, we do not meet the alternatives of market value of listed securities or net income from continuing operations. We were provided 45 calendar days, or until January 30, 2020, to submit a plan to regain compliance with the minimum stockholders' equity standard. On January 28, 2020, we made application for an extension of up to 165 calendar days from the date of the notification letter to regain compliance with the minimum stockholders' equity standard and the extension was granted for 136 calendar days by NASDAQ on February 10, 2020. Because our operations have been partially financed through the sale of equity securities, the delisting from NASDAQ for failure to regain compliance with the continued listing requirements of NASDAQ within the extension period could be especially detrimental to our ability to raise additional financing through public or private sales of equity securities. Any reduction in our ability to raise equity capital in the future could force us to reallocate funds from other planned uses and could have a significant negative effect on our business plans and operations, including our ability to develop new products and continue our current operations. In addition, delisting could significantly affect the ability of investors to trade our securities and could negatively affect the value and liquidity of our common stock. Delisting could also have other negative results, including the potential loss of confidence by employees, the loss of institutional investor interest and fewer business development opportunities.

Our directors control a substantial number of shares of our common stock, decreasing your influence on stockholder decisions.

Based on the 5,957,585 shares of common stock that were issued and outstanding as of October 31, 2019, our directors owned approximately 50% of our outstanding common stock. As a result, our directors as a group could have a significant influence in delaying, deferring or preventing any potential change in control of our company; they will be able to strongly influence the actions of our board of directors even if they were to cease being directors of our company and can effectively control the outcome of actions brought to our stockholders for approval. Such a high level of ownership may adversely affect the exercise of your voting and other stockholder rights.

We do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future.

We do not intend to declare dividends for the foreseeable future, as we anticipate that we will reinvest any future earnings in the development and growth of our business. Therefore, investors will not receive any funds unless they sell their common stock, and stockholders may be unable to sell their shares on favorable terms. We cannot assure you of a positive return on investment or that you will not lose the entire amount of your investment in our common stock.

The exercise of all or any number of outstanding stock options or the issuance of other stock-based awards or any issuance of shares to raise funds may dilute your holding of shares of our common stock.

If the holders of outstanding stock options and deferred share units exercise or settle all of their vested stock options and deferred share units as at October 31, 2019, then we would be required to issue an additional 1,153,786 shares of our common stock, which would represent approximately 16% of our issued and outstanding common stock after such issuances. The exercise of any or all outstanding stock options that are exercisable below market price will result in dilution to the interests of other holders of our common stock.

We may in the future grant to certain or all of our directors, officers, insiders and key employees stock options to purchase the shares of our common stock, bonus shares and other stock based compensation as non-cash incentives to such persons. Subject to applicable stock exchange rules, if any, we may grant these stock options and other stock based compensation at exercise prices equal to or less than market prices, and we may grant them when the market for our securities is depressed. The issuance of any additional shares of common stock or securities convertible into common stock will cause our existing stockholders to experience dilution of their holding of our common stock.

In addition, stockholders could suffer dilution in their net book value per share depending on the price at which such securities are sold. Such issuance may cause a reduction in the proportionate ownership and voting power of all other stockholders. The dilution may result in a decline in the price of our shares of common stock or a change in the control of our company.

We may be considered a “penny stock.” Penny stock rules will limit the ability of our stockholders to sell their shares of common stock.

The SEC has adopted regulations which generally define “penny stock” to be any equity security that has a market price (as defined) less than $5.00 per share or an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. In addition, since our common stock commenced trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market below the $4.00 minimum bid price per share requirement, our common stock would be considered a penny stock if we fail to satisfy the net tangible assets and revenue tests in Rule 3a51-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Our securities may be covered by the penny stock rules, which impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell to persons other than established customers and “accredited investors”. The term “accredited investor” refers generally to institutions with assets in excess of $5,000,000 or individuals with a net worth in excess of $1,000,000 or annual income exceeding $200,000 or $300,000 jointly with their spouse. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from the rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document in a form prepared by the SEC which provides information about penny stocks and the nature and level of risks in the penny stock market. The broker-dealer also must provide the customer with current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson in the transaction and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer's account. The bid and offer quotations, and the broker-dealer and salesperson compensation information, must be given to the customer orally or in writing prior to effecting the transaction and must be given to the customer in writing before or with the customer's confirmation.

In addition, the penny stock rules require that prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from these rules, the broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser's written agreement to the transaction. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in the secondary market for the stock that is subject to these penny stock rules. Consequently, these penny stock rules may affect the ability of broker-dealers to trade our securities. We believe that the penny stock rules discourage investor interest in and limit the marketability of our common stock.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, has adopted sales practice requirements, which may limit a stockholder's ability to buy and/or sell shares of our common stock.

The FINRA has adopted rules that require that in recommending an investment to a customer, a broker-dealer must have reasonable grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for that customer. Prior to recommending speculative low priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer's financial status, tax status, investment objectives and other information. Under interpretations of these rules, FINRA believes that there is a high probability that speculative low priced securities will not be suitable for at least some customers. The FINRA requirements make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our common stock, which may limit your ability to buy and sell our stock and have an adverse effect on the market for its shares.

Securities analysts may not publish favorable research or reports about our business or may publish no information which could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us and our business. We do not control these analyst reports. As a relatively small public company, we may be slow to attract research coverage and the analysts who publish information about our common stock will have had relatively little experience with our company, which could affect their ability to accurately forecast our results and make it more likely that we fail to meet their estimates. If any of the analysts who cover us issue an adverse opinion regarding our stock price, our stock price may decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports covering us, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

An adverse rating of our debt securities may cause their trading price to fall.

If a rating agency rates our debt securities, if any, it may assign them a low rating. Rating agencies also may lower ratings on our debt securities, if any, in the future. If rating agencies assign a lower-than-expected rating or reduce, or indicate that they may reduce, their ratings in the future, the trading price of our debt securities, if any, could significantly decline.

We cannot assure you that an active trading market will develop for the securities. 

There is currently no public market for any of our securities other than our common stock. We do not know if an active market will develop for our other securities, if any, or if developed, whether such a market will continue. If an active market is not developed or maintained, the market price and the liquidity of our other securities, if any, may be adversely affected.