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F-3

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 1, 2017

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form F-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

MERUS N.V.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Not Applicable

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

The Netherlands

Not Applicable

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

Yalelaan 62

3584 CM Utrecht

The Netherlands

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Cogency Global Inc.

10 E. 40^th Street, 10^th floor

New York, New York 10016

+1 800 221 0102

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Peter N. Handrinos, Esq.

Latham & Watkins LLP

200 Clarendon Street

Boston, Massachusetts 02116

+1 617 948 6000

Paul van der Bijl

NautaDutilh N.V.

Beethovenstraat 400

1082 PR Amsterdam

P.O. Box 7113

1007 JC Amsterdam

The Netherlands

+31 20 7171 000

Tom van Wijngaarden

Eversheds B.V.

De Cuserstraat 85a

1081 CN Amsterdam

P.O. Box 7902

1008 AC Amsterdam, The

Netherlands

+31 20 5600 600

APPROXIMATE DATE OF COMMENCEMENT OF PROPOSED SALE TO THE PUBLIC: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ☐

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. ☒

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.C. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective on filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.C. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.

Emerging growth company ☒

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

†	The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE



Title of each class of securities to be registered	Amount to be registered/proposed maximum offering price per unit/proposed maximum aggregate offering price	Amount of registration fee
Primary offering: Common shares, €0.09 nominal value per share	(1)(2)
Debt securities	(1)
Warrants	(1)
Units	(1)
Total primary offering	$250,000,000(3)	$28,975(4)
Secondary offering: Common shares, €0.09 nominal value per share	$61,664,000	$7,147(5)
Total registration fee		$36,122

(1)	An unspecified number of securities or aggregate principal amount, as applicable, is being registered as may from time to time be offered at unspecified prices.

(2)	Includes rights to acquire common shares of the Company under any shareholder rights plan then in effect, if applicable under the terms of any such plan.

(3)

Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee. No separate consideration will be received for common shares that are issued upon conversion of debt securities, or upon exercise of common share warrants registered hereunder. The aggregate maximum offering price of all securities issued by the registrant pursuant to this registration statement will not exceed $250,000,000.

(4)	With respect to the primary offering, the registration fee has been calculated in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

(5)	With respect to the secondary offering, the registration fee has been calculated in accordance with Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, based on the average of the high and low prices reported for the registrant’s common shares on May 26, 2017.

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This registration statement contains:

•

a base prospectus which covers the offering, issuance and sale by us of up to $250,000,000 in the aggregate of the registrant’s securities listed on the cover of such base prospectus and the offering and sale by a selling shareholder of up to 3,200,000 of our common shares, in each case from time to time in one or more offerings; and

•

a sales agreement prospectus supplement covering the offering by us of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $50,000,000 of our common shares that may be issued and sold under a sales agreement, dated June 1, 2017, between the registrant and Cowen and Company, LLC (the “Sales Agreement”).

The base prospectus immediately follows this explanatory note. The specific terms of any securities to be offered pursuant to the base prospectus will be specified in a prospectus supplement to the base prospectus. The sales agreement prospectus supplement immediately follows the base prospectus. The $50,000,000 of common shares that may be offered, issued and sold under the sales agreement prospectus supplement is included in the $250,000,000 of securities that may be offered, issued and sold by us under the base prospectus. Upon termination of the Sales Agreement, any portion of the $50,000,000 included in the sales agreement prospectus supplement that is not sold pursuant to the Sales Agreement will be available for sale in other offerings pursuant to the base prospectus.

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Subject to Completion, dated June 1, 2017.

PROSPECTUS

LOGO

$250,000,000

Common Shares

Debt Securities

Warrants

Units

3,200,000 Common Shares

Offered by the Selling Shareholder

We may offer and sell up to $250,000,000 in the aggregate of the securities identified above and the selling shareholder may offer and sell up to 3,200,000 of the common shares identified above, in each case from time to time in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale or other disposition of our common shares by the selling shareholder.

Each time we or the selling shareholder offer(s) and sell(s) or otherwise dispose(s) of the securities described in this prospectus, we or the selling shareholder will provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the offering and the amounts, prices and terms of the securities. The supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to the offering. You should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement before you invest in any of our securities.

We may offer and sell the securities described in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, or through a combination of these methods. In addition, the selling shareholder may offer and sell our common shares from time to time. If any underwriters, dealers or agents are involved in the sale of any of the securities, their names and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between or among them will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement. The selling shareholder will bear all commissions and discounts, if any, attributable to the sales of the common shares it holds. We will bear all other costs, expenses and fees in connection with the registration of the common shares it holds. See the sections of this prospectus entitled “About this Prospectus” and “Plan of Distribution” for more information. No securities may be sold without delivery of this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such securities.

INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES RISKS. SEE THE “RISK FACTORS” ON PAGE 3 OF THIS PROSPECTUS AND THE DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE INTO THIS PROSPECTUS CONCERNING FACTORS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES.

Our common shares are listed on The NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “MRUS.” On May 31, 2017, the last reported sale price of our common shares on The NASDAQ Global Market was $19.36 per share.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is , 2017.

TABLE OF CONTENTS


About This Prospectus			1

Presentation of Financial Information			1

About the Company			2

Risk Factors			3

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements			4

Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges and Preferred Share Dividends			5

Capitalization			6

Exchange Rate Information			7

Price History of Our Common Shares			8

Use of Proceeds			9

Description of Share Capital			10

Description of Debt Securities			30

Description of Warrants			38

Description of Units			40

Global Securities			41

Selling Shareholder			44

Taxation			45

Plan of Distribution			53

Exchange Controls			55

Material Changes			55

Expenses			55

Legal Matters			55

Experts			55

Enforcement of Civil Liabilities			56

Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference			57

Material Contracts			58

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is a part of a registration statement that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, utilizing a “shelf” registration process. By using a shelf registration statement, we may sell securities from time to time and in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $250,000,000 and the selling shareholder may, from time to time, sell up to 3,200,000 of our common shares in one or more offerings, as described in this prospectus. Each time that we or the selling shareholder offer and sell securities, we or the selling shareholder will provide a prospectus supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the securities being offered and sold and the specific terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, you should rely on the prospectus supplement. Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read both this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference.”

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and any issuer free writing prospectus. Neither we nor the selling shareholder have authorized any other person to provide you with different information or to make any representation other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. If any provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We and the selling shareholder will not make an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement to this prospectus is accurate as of the date on its respective cover, and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, unless we indicate otherwise. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

When we refer to “Merus,” “we,” “our,” “us” and the “Company” in this prospectus, we mean Merus N.V. and, where relevant or appropriate, its consolidated subsidiary, unless otherwise specified.

PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION

We report under International Financial Reporting Standards, or IFRS, as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or the IASB. None of the financial statements presented or incorporated by reference in this prospectus were prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. We present our financial statements in euros and in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB. We have made rounding adjustments to some of the figures included in this prospectus. Accordingly, numerical figures shown as totals in some tables may not be an arithmetic aggregation of the figures that preceded them. All references in this prospectus to “$” and “U.S. dollars” mean U.S. dollars and all references to “€” mean euros, unless otherwise noted.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

We are a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing innovative bispecific antibody therapeutics. Our pipeline of full-length human bispecific antibody candidates, which we refer to as Biclonics, are generated from our technology platform. By binding to two different antigens, or targets, Biclonics can be designed to simultaneously block receptors that drive tumor cell growth and survival and to mobilize the patient’s immune response by activating various killer cells to eradicate tumors. In our pre-clinical studies, our bispecific antibody candidates were effective in killing tumor cells, a result that we believe supports their potential efficacy in the treatment of cancer. We are in clinical development of MCLA-128 for the treatment of HER2-expressing solid tumors, MCLA-117 for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia, and MCLA-158 for the potential treatment of colorectal cancer. Additionally, we have several other bispecific antibody candidates in pre-clinical development that bind to combinations of immunomodulatory molecules, which we believe play a significant role in treating cancer.

Our principal executive offices are located at Yalelaan 62, 3584 CM Utrecht, the Netherlands. Our telephone number at this address is +31 30 253 8800.

Our website address is www.merus.nl. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of, and shall not be incorporated by reference into, this prospectus. We have included our website address as an inactive textual reference only.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering of our common shares, (2) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, (3) the last day of the fiscal year in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which will occur when the market value of our common shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of the second quarter of the fiscal year, and (4) the date on which we have issued more than an aggregate of $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.

RISK FACTORS

Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference from our most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and any subsequent Annual Reports on Form 20-F we file after the date of this prospectus, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in any applicable prospectus supplement before acquiring any of our securities. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in our securities.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “expect,” “should,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate” and “potential,” among others.

Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places in this prospectus and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our intent, belief or current expectations. Forward-looking statements are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various important factors, including, but not limited to, those referenced under the section titled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

•

the initiation, timing, progress and results of clinical trials of our bispecific antibody candidates, including statements regarding when results of such trials will be made public;

•

our plans to pursue research and development of our lead bispecific antibody candidate, MCLA-128, for the treatment of patients with various solid tumors;

•

our plans to pursue research and development of our second bispecific antibody candidate, MCLA-117, for the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia, or AML;

•

the potential advantages of MCLA-128 for the treatment of patients with various solid tumors;

•

the potential advantages of MCLA-117 for the treatment of patients with AML;

•

our expectations regarding the use of proceeds from this offering; and

•

other risk factors referenced under “Risk Factors” and included in the documents incorporated into this prospectus.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update them in light of new information or future developments or to release publicly any revisions to these statements in order to reflect later events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

You should read this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus completely and with the understanding that our actual results may differ materially from what we expect as expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. In light of the significant risks and uncertainties to which our forward-looking statements are subject, you should not place undue reliance on or regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified timeframe, or at all. We discuss many of these risks in greater detail in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus. For all forward-looking statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES AND PREFERRED SHARE DIVIDENDS

The following table sets forth our ratio of earnings to fixed charges and earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred share dividends for each of the periods indicated. For purposes of calculating the ratios in the table below, earnings consist of net loss plus fixed charges. Fixed charges include interest expensed, amortized debt discounts and an estimate of the interest within rental expense. You should read this table in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement.

2016

2015

2014

2013

Ratio of earnings (loss) to fixed charges (1) (2)

N/A

Ratio of earnings (loss) to combined fixed charges and preferred share dividends (1) (3)

N/A

(1)	Due to our losses for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the ratio coverage was less than 1:1.

(2)	We would have needed to generate additional earnings of $0.5 million, $0.2 million, $0.1 million, and $0.1 million, respectively, to cover our fixed charges in those periods.

(3)	We would have needed to generate additional earnings of $0.5 million, $0.2 million, $0.1 million, and $0.1 million, respectively, to cover our combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends in those periods.

CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and capitalization as of December 31, 2016 derived from our financial statements incorporated by reference into this prospectus:

•

on an actual basis; and

•

on an as-adjusted basis to give effect to (i) our receipt on February 23, 2017 of the $120.0 million upfront payment pursuant to our collaboration and license agreement with Incyte and (ii) the issuance and sale on January 23, 2017 to Incyte of 3.2 million common shares for an aggregate purchase price of $80.0 million.

The financial data in the following table should be read in conjunction with our financial data and related notes incorporated by reference into this prospectus.


(euro in thousands)	As of December 31, 2016
	Actual			As-Adjusted
Cash and cash equivalents(1)	€	56,917		€	244,846


Borrowings (including current portion)	€	486		€	0

Shareholders’ equity:
Issued capital:
Common shares(2)		1,448			1,736
Share premium(3)		139,878			213,308
Accumulated loss		(107,295	)		(107,295	)

Total equity (deficit)		34,031			107,749

Total capitalization	€	34,517		€	107,749

(1)	Adjustment includes impact of foreign currency exchange rates of $1.0573 per €1.00 on February 23, 2017 and $1.0748 per €1.00 on January 23, 2017.

(2)	Adjustment includes impact of 3.2 million common shares, nominal value €0.09 per share, issued on January 23, 2017.

(3)	Adjustment includes impact of $24.66 share premium on 3.2 million shares issued on January 23, 2017 at a foreign currency exchange rate of $1.0748 per €1.00.

The table above excludes:

•

1,394,844 common shares issuable upon the exercise of share options outstanding as of December 31, 2016 at a weighted average exercise price of €8.69 per share; and

•

418,453 common shares reserved for future issuance as of December 31, 2016 under our 2016 equity incentive plan, or the 2016 Plan, including common shares that may become available pursuant to provisions in the 2016 Plan that automatically increase the share reserve under the 2016 Plan.

EXCHANGE RATE INFORMATION

Our business is primarily conducted in the European Union, and we maintain our books and records in euros.

The following table presents information on the exchange rates between the euro and the U.S. dollar according to the European Central Bank for the periods indicated:


	Period end		Average for period		Low		High
	(euros per U.S. dollar)
Year Ended December 31:
2012		0.758		0.778		0.743		0.827
2013		0.725		0.753		0.724		0.783
2014		0.824		0.753		0.717		0.824
2015		0.919		0.901		0.830		0.948
2016		0.949		0.907		0.864		0.965


	Low		High
	(euros per U.S. dollar)
Month Ended:
December 31, 2016		0.929		0.965
January 31, 2017		0.930		0.963
February 28, 2017		0.925		0.951
March 31, 2017		0.918		0.951
April 30, 2017		0.915		0.945
May 31, 2017		0.889		0.921

PRICE HISTORY OF OUR COMMON SHARES

Our common shares have been listed on The NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “MRUS” since May 19, 2016. Prior to that date, there was no public trading market for our common shares. Our initial public offering was priced at $10.00 per common share on May 19, 2016. The following table sets forth for the periods indicated the high and low sales prices per common share as reported on The NASDAQ Global Market:


	Price Per Common Share
	High		Low
Year Ended December 31,
2016 (from May 19)	$	22.19	$	7.26
Quarter Ended
June 30, 2016 (from May 19)	$	10.74	$	7.26
September 30, 2016	$	16.98	$	7.96
December 31, 2016	$	22.19	$	13.13
March 31, 2017	$	33.63	$	20.55
April 1, 2017 through May 31, 2017	$	25.44	$	18.49
Month Ended
December 31, 2016	$	22.19	$	13.13
January 31, 2017	$	27.36	$	20.55
February 28, 2017	$	26.25	$	22.90
March 31, 2017	$	33.63	$	23.28
April 30, 2017	$	25.44	$	18.79
May 2017	$	22.80	$	18.49

On May 31, 2017, the last reported sale price of our common shares on The NASDAQ Global Market was $19.36 per share.

USE OF PROCEEDS

We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of common shares being offered by the selling shareholder.

The selling shareholder will pay any underwriting discounts and commissions and stock transfer taxes incurred by the selling shareholder for brokerage or legal services or any other expenses incurred by the selling shareholder in disposing of the common shares it holds. We will bear all other fees and expenses incurred in effecting the registration of the common shares it holds that are covered by this prospectus, including registration and filing fees, fees and expenses of our counsel and our independent registered public accountants.

DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL

Set forth below is a summary of certain information concerning our share capital as well as a description of certain provisions of our articles of association, the registration rights of certain of our shareholders, and relevant provisions of Dutch law. Because the following is only a summary, it does not contain all of the information that may be important to you. The summary includes certain references to and descriptions of material provisions of our articles of association, the share subscription agreement with Incyte, our registration rights agreement with certain shareholders and Dutch law in effect as of the date of this prospectus. The summary below does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to applicable Dutch law and our articles of association, the share subscription agreement with Incyte, and our registration rights agreement with certain shareholders, each of which are incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

General

We were incorporated on June 16, 2003 as a private company with limited liability (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) under Dutch law. In connection with the initial public offering of our common shares, we converted into a Dutch public company with limited liability (naamloze vennootschap).

We are registered with the Dutch Trade Register (handelsregister) under number 30189136. Our corporate seat is in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and our registered office is Yalelaan 62, 3584 CM Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Share Capital

Common Shares

As of May 31, 2017, our issued share capital was €1,745,307, comprised of 19,392,296 common shares, nominal value €0.09 per share. As of May 31, 2017, our authorized share capital comprised 45,000,000 common shares and 45,000,000 preferred shares.

Preferred Shares

On May 24, 2016, we entered into a call option agreement with an independent foundation (stichting) under Dutch law called Stichting Continuïteit Merus, or the Protective Foundation, pursuant to which the Protective Foundation would be allowed to acquire preferred shares up to 100% of our issued capital held by third parties immediately prior to the issuance of such preferred shares without approval by our general meeting of shareholders or our board of directors. As of May 31, 2017, there were no preferred shares outstanding, and we have no present plans to issue any preferred shares other than pursuant to an exercise by the Protective Foundation of its rights under the call option agreement.

History of Share Capital

Since January 1, 2013, our issued share capital has changed as provided below. Share numbers in this section reflect the 1-for-1.80 reverse share split that we effected on May 6, 2016.

On May 31, 2013, we issued 9,773 common shares upon the exercise of options by existing shareholders, directors or employees (through a special purpose vehicle called Stichting Administratiekantoor Merus, or STAK) for aggregate consideration of €44,974 in cash.

On September 16, 2013, we issued 4,163 common shares upon the exercise of options by existing shareholders, directors or employees (through the STAK) for aggregate consideration of €19,188 in cash.

On September 30, 2013, we issued 888,892 Class B preferred shares to certain investors for aggregate consideration of approximately €12.0 million in cash.

On July 14, 2014, we issued 9,955 common shares upon the exercise of options by existing shareholders, directors or employees (through the STAK) for aggregate consideration of €51,284 in cash.

On August 29, 2014, we issued 444,445 Class B preferred shares to certain investors for aggregate consideration of approximately €6.0 million in cash.

On January 26, 2015, we issued 492,514 Class B preferred shares to certain investors for aggregate consideration of €5.0 million in cash. In connection with this issuance of Class B preferred shares, we also issued an additional 844,834 of our Class B preferred shares pursuant to anti-dilution provisions included in the subscription agreement for the Class B preferred shares. These additional shares were issued for no cash consideration.

On August 21, 2015, we issued 4,149,884 Class C preferred shares to certain investors in exchange for aggregate consideration of approximately €49.7 million, which included the conversion of our existing €8.0 million convertible bridge loan and interest thereon into Class C preferred shares.

On March 16, 2016, we issued 12,107 common shares upon the exercise of options by the former Chairman of our board of directors (through the STAK) for aggregate consideration of €23,317 in cash.

On May 6, 2016, we effected a 1-for-1.80 reverse share split of our common shares and all classes of our preferred shares issued at that time.

On May 19, 2016, in connection with the listing of our common shares on The NASDAQ Global Market, or NASDAQ, we effected a conversion of all issued and outstanding preferred shares into 8,627,712 common shares, and we issued a total of 1,312,718 common shares to holders of our preferred shares in satisfaction of accrued and unpaid dividends.

On May 24, 2016, we issued 5,500,000 common shares upon the closing of the initial public offering of our common shares, or IPO, at a price per share of $10.00. On May 26, 2016, we issued 639,926 common shares upon the exercise in part of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares. We received aggregate net proceeds of $53.3 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by us, from our IPO and the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares.

On January 23, 2017, we issued 3,200,000 common shares to Incyte Corporation at price per share of $25.00, for an aggregate purchase price of $80.0 million.

In January 2017, we issued 96,816 common shares upon the exercise of options by directors, officers, and employees for aggregate consideration of €189,574 in cash and granted 214,096 restricted share units.

In February 2017, we issued 8,846 common shares upon the exercise of options by directors, officers, and employees for aggregate consideration of €18,865 in cash.

In May 2017, we issued 783 common shares upon the exercise of options by employees for aggregate consideration of €1,511 in cash.

Options

We have established equity incentive plans pursuant to which we have issued options to purchase common shares to employees and directors. As of May 31, 2017, there were options outstanding to purchase 2,420,514 common shares.

The table below summarizes our share options as of May 31, 2017 that we have granted to our directors and our employees pursuant to our equity incentive plans. Share options granted under the Merus B.V. 2010 Employee Option Plan have a term of eight years from grant date and share options granted under the Merus N.V. 2016 Incentive Award Plan have a term of ten years from grant date.


Share Options Granted Under the Merus B.V. 2010 Employee Option Plan
Grant Date	Number of Share Options		Exercise Price Per Share Option
September 4, 2012 (officers and employees)		43,650	€	1.93
October 18, 2012 (directors)		7,292	€	1.93
June 17, 2013 (employees)		10,493	€	1.93
June 17, 2014 (officers and employees)		34,786	€	1.93
July 17, 2014 (directors)		15,314	€	1.93
March 16, 2015 (officers and employees)		167,233	€	1.93
June 4, 2015 (directors)		36,944	€	5.94
August 21, 2015 (directors)		36,632	€	7.20
October 30, 2015 (officers and employees)		432,766	€	7.20
December 16, 2015 (officer)		98,085	€	7.20
March 21, 2016 (directors)		25,112	€	8.46

Share Options Granted Under the Merus N.V. 2016 Incentive Award Plan
Grant Date	Number of Share Options		Exercise Price Per Share Option
May 18, 2016 (directors)		68,000	€	8.87
October 29, 2016 (officer)		219,890	$	18.41
November 1, 2016 (officer)		183,241	$	16.80
January 1, 2017 (officers)		707,734	$	21.11
January 17, 2017 (employees)		74,450	$	24.00
February 15, 2017 (employee)		50,000	$	25.90
March 13, 2017 (employee)		20,000	$	29.29
March 27, 2017 (employee)		1,300	$	25.00
May 24, 2017 (directors)		33,900	$	18.23

Articles of Association

Set forth below is a summary of relevant information concerning our share capital and material provisions of our Articles of Association and applicable Dutch law. This summary does not constitute legal advice regarding those matters and should not be regarded as such.

Amendment of Articles of Association

The general meeting of shareholders can only resolve to amend the Articles of Association at the proposal of the board of directors. A resolution by the general meeting of shareholders to amend the Articles of Association requires a simple majority of the votes cast.

Company’s Shareholders’ Register

We must keep our shareholders’ register accurate and up-to-date. The board of directors keeps our shareholders’ register and records names and addresses of all holders of registered shares, showing the date on which the shares were acquired, the date of the acknowledgement of the transfer by or notification of the transfer to us as well as the amount paid on each share. The register also includes the names and addresses of those with a right to use and enjoyment in common shares belonging to another person (vruchtgebruik) or a pledge in respect of registered shares, as well as any other particulars which must be recorded in our shareholders’ register pursuant to Dutch law.

Corporate Objectives

Our corporate objectives are: (1) to develop products and services in the area of biotechnology, (2) to finance group companies or other parties, (3) to borrow, to lend to raise funds, including the issue of bonds, promissory notes or other financial instruments or evidence of indebtedness as well as to enter into agreements in connection with the aforementioned, (4) to supply advice and to render services to group companies and other parties, (5) to render guarantees, to bind us, to provide security, to warrant performance in any other way and to assume liability, whether jointly and severally or otherwise, in respect of obligations of group companies or other parties, (6) to incorporate, to participate in any way whatsoever in, to manage, to supervise and to hold any other interest in other entities, companies, partnerships and businesses, (7) to obtain, alienate, encumber, manage and exploit registered property and items of property in general, (8) to trade in currencies, securities and items of

property in general, (9) to develop and trade in patent, trademarks, licenses, know-how and other intellectual property rights, and (10) to perform any and all activity of an industrial, financial or commercial nature and to do anything which in the broadest sense is connected with or may be conducive to the above-mentioned objects.

Limitation on Liability and Indemnification Matters

Under Dutch law, directors may be held liable by us or by third parties for damages in the event of improper or negligent performance of their duties, including as a result of infringement of our Articles of Association or of certain provisions of the Dutch Civil Code. In certain circumstances, they may also incur additional specific civil and criminal liabilities. Directors and certain other officers are insured under an insurance policy taken out by us against damages resulting from their conduct when acting in the capacities as such directors or officers. In addition, our Articles of Association provide for indemnification of our current and former directors (and such other of our current or former officer or employee as designated by our board of directors), including reimbursement for reasonable legal fees and damages or fines based on acts or failures to act in their duties. No indemnification shall be given to an indemnified officer (1) if a competent court or arbitral tribunal has established, without possibility for appeal, that the acts or omissions of such indemnified officer that led to the financial losses, damages, expenses, suit, claim, action or legal proceedings resulted from either an improper performance of his or her duties as an officer of the company or an unlawful or illegal act, (2) to the extent that his or her financial losses, damages and expenses are covered by insurance and the insurer has settled, or has provided reimbursement for, these financial losses, damages and expenses (or has irrevocably undertaken to do so) and (3) in relation to proceedings brought by such indemnified officer against us, except for proceedings brought to enforce indemnification to which he or she is entitled pursuant to our Articles of Association or an agreement between such indemnified officer and us which has been approved by our board of directors. Furthermore, indemnification under our Articles of Association will generally not be available in instances of willful (opzettelijk), intentionally reckless (bewust roekeloos) or seriously culpable (ernstig verwijtbaar) conduct unless Dutch law provides otherwise.

Shareholders’ Meetings and Consents

General Meeting

General meetings of shareholders are held in Utrecht, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague or in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer (Schiphol Airport), all of which are in the Netherlands. The annual general meeting of shareholders must be held within six months of the end of each financial year. Additional extraordinary general meetings of shareholders may also be held, whenever considered appropriate by the board of directors. An additional extraordinary general meeting of shareholders must also be held within three months after our board of directors has considered it to be likely that our shareholders’ equity has decreased to an amount equal to or lower than half of our paid up and called up capital, in order to discuss the measures to be taken if so required. If our board of directors has failed to ensure the annual general meeting of shareholders or the mandatory extraordinary general meeting of shareholders is held, each shareholder or others with meeting rights under Dutch law may be authorized by the competent Dutch court in preliminary relief proceedings to do so.

Pursuant to Dutch law, one or more shareholders or others with meeting rights under Dutch law, who jointly represent at least one-tenth of the issued capital may request us to convene a general meeting, setting out in detail the matters to be discussed. If our board of directors has not taken the steps necessary to ensure that such meeting can be held within six weeks after the request, the requesting party/parties may, on their application, be authorized by the competent Dutch court in preliminary relief proceedings to convene a general meeting of shareholders.

General meetings of shareholders can be convened by a notice to be published in a Dutch daily newspaper with national circulation, which shall include an agenda stating the items to be voted and/or discussed and any other particulars required under Dutch law. The agenda shall include such items as have been included therein by the board of directors. The agenda shall also include such items requested by one or more shareholders or others with meeting rights under Dutch law, representing at least 3% of the issued share capital. Requests must be made in writing and received by us at least 60 days before the day of the meeting. No resolutions shall be adopted on items other than those which have been included in the agenda, unless by a unanimous vote of all shareholders and others with voting rights.

In accordance with the Dutch Corporate Governance Code, or DCGC, shareholders are expected to exercise the right of requesting the convening of a general meeting of shareholders or of putting an item on the agenda only after consulting the board of directors in that respect. If one or more shareholders intend to request that an item be put on the agenda that may result in a change in our strategy (e.g., the removal of directors), the board of directors should be given the opportunity to invoke a reasonable response time of up to 180 days after the board of directors is informed of the intentions of the shareholder(s). The board of directors should use this period for further deliberation, constructive consultation (in any event with the shareholder(s) who have made the request) and the exploration of alternatives. At the end of the response period, the board of directors should report its actions to the general meeting of shareholders. The response time may be invoked only once for any given general meeting of shareholders and may not be invoked for an agenda item in respect of which the response period has been invoked previously or for a general meeting of shareholders if a shareholder holds at least 75% of our issued share capital as a consequence of a successful public offer (irrespective of whether the offer was friendly or hostile).

The general meeting is presided over by the chairman of the board of directors. If no chairman has been elected or if he or she is not present at the meeting, the general meeting shall be presided over by the chief executive officer. If no chief executive officer has been elected or if he or she is not present at the meeting, the general meeting shall be presided over by another director present at the meeting. If no director is present at the meeting, the general meeting shall be presided over by any other person appointed by the general meeting. In each case, the person who should chair the general meeting pursuant to the rules described above may appoint another person to chair the general meeting instead. Directors may always attend a general meeting of shareholders. In these meetings, they have an advisory vote. The chairman of the meeting may decide at his or her discretion to admit other persons to the meeting.

All shareholders and others with meeting rights under Dutch law are authorized to attend the general meeting of shareholders, to address the meeting and, in so far as they have such right, to vote. For this purpose, those who have voting rights and/or meeting rights under Dutch law on the record date for a general meeting of shareholders (i.e., the 28th day prior to the meeting) and are recorded as such in a register designated by the board of directors shall be considered to have those rights, irrespective of whoever is entitled to the shares at the time of the general meeting of shareholders. The board of directors is free to determine, when convening a general meeting of shareholders, whether to apply a record date.

Quorum and Voting Requirements

Each common share and each preferred share carries the right to cast one vote at the general meeting of shareholders. This right can be exercised in person or by proxy. No vote may be cast at a general meeting of shareholders in respect of a share belonging to us or any of our subsidiaries or in respect of a share for which we or any of our subsidiaries holds the depository receipts. Persons with a right to the use and enjoyment of our shares held by another person and pledgees of shares belonging to us or our subsidiaries are not precluded from exercising their voting rights if the right to use and enjoyment or pledge was created before the relevant share belonged to us or one of our subsidiaries. We and our subsidiaries may not vote shares in respect of which we or any of our subsidiaries hold(s) a right of use and enjoyment or a pledge. Shares which cannot be voted pursuant to these rules will not be taken into account for the purpose of determining the number of votes cast, or the amount of the share capital that is represented, at a general meeting of shareholders.

In accordance with Dutch law and generally accepted business practices, our Articles of Association do not provide quorum requirements generally applicable to general meetings of shareholders. Quorum requirements will only apply pursuant to Dutch law in case of a limited number of situations. Decisions of the general meeting of shareholders are taken by a simple majority of votes cast, except where Dutch law or our Articles of Association provide for a qualified majority or unanimity.

Board of Directors

Election of Directors

Under our Articles of Association, the directors are appointed by the general meeting of shareholders upon nomination by our board of directors. However, the general meeting of shareholders may at all times overrule the

binding nomination by a resolution adopted by at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, provided such majority represents more than half of the issued share capital. If the general meeting of shareholders overrules the binding nomination, the board of directors shall make a new nomination. If the nomination comprises one candidate for a vacancy, a resolution concerning the nomination shall result in the appointment of the candidate, unless the nomination is overruled.

At a general meeting of shareholders, a resolution to appoint a director can only be passed in respect of candidates whose names are stated for that purpose in the agenda of that general meeting of shareholders or in the explanatory notes thereto. Upon the appointment of a person as a director, the general meeting of shareholders shall determine whether that person is appointed as executive director or as non-executive director.

Duties and Liabilities of Directors

Under Dutch law, the board of directors as a collective is responsible for our management, strategy, policy and operations. The executive directors manage our day-to-day business and operations and implement our strategy. The non-executive directors focus on the supervision on the policy and functioning of the performance of the duties of all directors and our general state of affairs. Each director has a statutory duty to act in the corporate interest of the company and its business. Under Dutch law, the corporate interest extends to the interests of all corporate stakeholders, such as shareholders, creditors, employees, customers and suppliers. The duty to act in the corporate interest of the company also applies in the event of a proposed sale or break-up of the company, provided that the circumstances generally dictate how such duty is to be applied and how the respective interests of various groups of stakeholders should be weighed. Any resolution of the board of directors regarding a material change in our identity or character requires approval of the general meeting of shareholders.

Dividends and Other Distributions

Amount Available for Distribution

As a Dutch public company with limited liability (naamloze vennootschap), we may only make distributions to the extent that our shareholders’ equity exceeds the sum of the paid-in and called-up share capital plus the reserves as required to be maintained by Dutch law. Under our Articles of Association, a dividend is first paid out of the profit, if available for distribution, with respect to any preferred shares. After that, the board of directors shall determine which part of the remaining profit shall be added to our reserves. After reservation by the board of directors of any profit, the remaining profit will be at the disposal of the general meeting of shareholders for distribution on our common shares. However, a distribution to the holders of common shares can only be resolved upon by the general meeting upon a proposal of the board of directors.

We may only make a distribution of dividends after the adoption of our annual accounts demonstrating that such distribution is legally permitted. The board of directors is permitted, subject to certain requirements, to declare interim dividends (or other interim distributions) without the approval of the general meeting of shareholders. The general meeting of shareholders, subject to certain requirements and a proposal to that effect made by the board of directors, may decide to make distributions from our distributable reserves. The board of directors, however, may resolve to charge amounts to be paid up on shares against our reserves, irrespective of whether those shares are issued to existing shareholders.

Dividends and other distributions shall be payable on such date and, if it concerns a distribution in cash, in such currency as determined by the board of directors. If it concerns a distribution in the form of assets, the board of directors shall determine the value attributed to such distribution for purposes of recording the distribution in our accounts with due observance of applicable law (including the applicable accounting principles). Claims to dividends and other distributions not paid within five years from the date that such dividends or distributions became payable, will lapse and any such amounts will be considered to have been forfeited to us (verjaring). For the purpose of calculating the amount or allocation of any distribution, shares held by us in our own capital shall not be taken into account. No distribution shall be made to us in respect of shares held by us in our own capital.

We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends for the foreseeable future.

Squeeze out Procedures

Under Dutch law, a shareholder who, alone or together with one or more group companies, for his/their own account contribute(s) at least 95% of our issued share capital may initiate proceedings against our minority shareholders jointly for the transfer of their shares to the claimant. The proceedings are held before the Enterprise Chamber of the Amsterdam court of Appeal, or Enterprise Chamber. The Enterprise Chamber may grant the claim for squeeze out in relation to all minority shareholders and will determine the price to be paid for the shares, if necessary after appointment of one or three experts who will offer an opinion to the Enterprise Chamber on the value to be paid for the shares of the minority shareholders. Once the order to transfer becomes final before the Enterprise Chamber, the shareholder acquiring the shares shall give written notice of the date and place of payment and the price to the holders of the shares to be acquired whose addresses are known to such shareholder. Unless the addresses of all of them are known to the acquiring shareholder, such shareholder is required to publish the same in a Dutch daily newspaper with a national circulation.

Protective measures

Under Dutch law, various protective measures are possible and permissible within the boundaries set by Dutch law and Dutch case law. Our governance arrangements include several provisions that may have the effect of making a takeover of our company more difficult or less attractive. In this respect, our general meeting of shareholders has granted the right to the Protective Foundation to acquire preferred shares pursuant to a call option agreement entered into on May 6, 2016, or the call option agreement. This call option is continuous in nature and can be exercised repeatedly on multiple occasions. If the Protective Foundation exercises the call option pursuant to the call option agreement, an amount of preferred shares up to 100% of our issued capital held by third parties immediately prior to the issuance of such preferred shares will be issued to the Protective Foundation. These preferred shares will be issued to the Protective Foundation under the obligation to pay up to 25% of their nominal value upon issuance. In order for the Protective Foundation to finance the issue price in relation to the preferred shares, the Protective Foundation intends to enter into a finance arrangement with a bank. As an alternative to securing financing with a bank, subject to applicable restrictions under Dutch law, the call option agreement provides that the Protective Foundation may request us (1) to provide, or cause our subsidiaries to provide, sufficient funding to the Protective Foundation to enable it to satisfy the payment obligation (or part thereof) in cash and/or (2) to charge an amount equal to the payment obligation (or part thereof) against our profits and/or reserves in satisfaction of such payment obligation. The Protective Foundation’s Articles of Association provide that it will promote and protect the best interests of us, our associated business and our stakeholders and opposing influences that conflict with these interests and threaten our strategy, continuity, independence and/or identity. These influences may include a third party acquiring a significant percentage of our common shares, the announcement of an unsolicited public offer for our common shares, other concentration of control over our common shares or any other form of undue pressure on us to alter our strategic policies. The Protective Foundation is structured to operate independently of us.

As indicated above, if the Protective Foundation would exercise its call option, the preferred shares to be issued pursuant thereto shall be issued against the obligation to pay up to 25% of their nominal value. The voting rights of our shares are based on nominal value and, as we expect our common shares to trade substantially in excess of nominal value, preferred shares issued at 25% of their nominal value can carry significant voting power for a substantially reduced price compared to the stock price of our common shares and thus can be used as a defensive measure. These preferred shares will have both a liquidation and dividend preference over our common shares and will accrue cash dividends at a pre-determined rate.

The Protective Foundation would be expected to require us to cancel its preferred shares once the perceived threat to the company and its stakeholders has been removed or sufficiently mitigated or neutralized. However, subject to the same limitations described above, the Protective Foundation would continue to have the right to exercise the call option in the future in response to a new threat to the interests of us, our business and our stakeholders from time to time.

In addition, our Articles of Association contain certain provisions which might have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control or otherwise discouraging a potential acquirer from attempting to obtain control of us. These provisions include:

•

requirements that certain shareholder matters, including the amendment of our Articles of Association may only be voted on by the general meeting of shareholders at the proposal of our board of directors;

•

a provision that our directors may only be removed by the general meeting of shareholders by a two-thirds majority of votes cast, provided such majority represents more than half of our issued share capital if such removal is not proposed by our board of directors; and

•

our directors being appointed on the basis of a binding nomination by our board of directors, which can only be overruled by the general meeting of shareholders by a resolution adopted by at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, provided such majority represents more than half of the issued share capital (in which case the board of directors shall make a new nomination).

Also, we have implemented staggered four-year terms of our directors, as a result of which only approximately one-fourth of our directors will be subject to election in any one year.

Comparison of Dutch Corporate Law and Our Articles of Association and U.S. Corporate Law

The following comparison between Dutch corporation law, which applies to us, and Delaware corporation law, the law under which many publicly listed corporations in the United States are incorporated, discusses additional matters not otherwise described in this prospectus. Although we believe this summary is materially accurate, the summary is subject to Dutch law, including Book 2 of the Dutch Civil Code, and Delaware corporation law, including the Delaware General Corporation Law.

Corporate Governance

Duties of Directors

The Netherlands. We have a one-tier board structure consisting of one or more executive directors and one or more non-executive directors. Under Dutch law, the board of directors as a collective is responsible for the management and the strategy, policy and operations of the company. See “—Board of Directors—Duties and Liabilities of Directors.”

Delaware. The board of directors bears the ultimate responsibility for managing the business and affairs of a corporation. In discharging this function, directors of a Delaware corporation owe fiduciary duties of care and loyalty to the corporation and to its stockholders. Delaware courts have decided that the directors of a Delaware corporation are required to exercise informed business judgment in the performance of their duties. Informed business judgment means that the directors have informed themselves of all material information reasonably available to them. Delaware courts have also imposed a heightened standard of conduct upon directors of a Delaware corporation who take any action designed to defeat a threatened change in control of the corporation. In addition, under Delaware law, when the board of directors of a Delaware corporation approves the sale or break-up of a corporation, the board of directors may, in certain circumstances, have a duty to obtain the highest value reasonably available to the stockholders.

Director Terms

The Netherlands. The DCGC provides the following best practice recommendations on the terms for directors’ service:

•

Executive directors should be appointed for a maximum period of four years, without limiting the number of consecutive terms executive directors may serve.

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Non-executive directors should be appointed for two consecutive periods of no more than four years. Thereafter, non-executive directors may be reappointed for a maximum of two consecutive periods of no more than two years, provided that any reappointment after an eight-year term of office should be disclosed and explained in the company’s annual board report.

Our executive director currently has an employment agreement with us for an indefinite period of time.

The general meeting of shareholders shall at all times be entitled to suspend or remove a director. Under our Articles of Association, the general meeting of shareholders may only adopt a resolution to suspend or remove such director by at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, provided such majority represents more than half of the issued share capital, unless the resolution is passed at the proposal of the board of directors, in which case a simple majority of the votes cast is sufficient.

Delaware. The Delaware General Corporation Law generally provides for a one-year term for directors, but permits directorships to be divided into up to three classes with up to three-year terms, with the years for each class expiring in different years, if permitted by the certificate of incorporation, an initial bylaw or a bylaw adopted by the stockholders. A director elected to serve a term on a “classified” board may not be removed by stockholders without cause. There is no limit in the number of terms a director may serve.

Director Vacancies

The Netherlands. Under Dutch law, directors are appointed and reappointed by the general meeting of shareholders. Under our Articles of Association, directors are appointed by the general meeting of shareholders upon the binding nomination by our board of directors. However, the general meeting of shareholders may at all times overrule the binding nomination by a resolution adopted by at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, provided such majority represents more than half of the issued share capital. If the general meeting of shareholders overrules the binding nomination, the board of directors shall make a new nomination. If the nomination comprises one candidate for a vacancy, a resolution concerning the nomination shall result in the appointment of the candidate, unless the nomination is overruled.

Under our Articles of Association, a resolution of the general meeting of shareholders to appoint a director can only be passed in respect of candidates whose names are stated for that purpose in the agenda of that general meeting of shareholders or in the explanatory notes thereto. Upon the appointment of a person as a director, the general meeting of shareholders shall determine whether that person is appointed as executive director or as non-executive director.

Delaware. The Delaware General Corporation Law provides that vacancies and newly created directorships may be filled by a majority of the directors then in office (even though less than a quorum) unless (i) otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation or (ii) the certificate of incorporation directs that a particular class of stock is to elect such director, in which case any other directors elected by such class, or a sole remaining director elected by such class, will fill such vacancy.

Conflict-of-Interest Transactions

The Netherlands. Under Dutch law and our Articles of Association, our directors shall not take part in any discussion or decision-making that involves a subject or transaction in relation to which he or she has a conflict of interest with us. Our Articles of Association provide that if as a result thereof no resolution of the board of directors can be adopted, the resolution can nonetheless be adopted by the board of directors as if none of the directors had a conflict of interest. In that case, each director is entitled to participate in the discussion and decision-making process and to cast a vote.

The DCGC provides the following best practice recommendations in relation to conflicts of interests:

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a director should report any potential conflict of interest in a transaction that is of material significance to the company and/or to such director to the other directors without delay, providing all relevant information in relation to the conflict;

•

the board of directors should then decide, outside the presence of the director concerned, whether there is a conflict of interest;

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transactions in which there is a conflict of interest with a director should be agreed on arms’ length terms; and

•

a decision to enter into such a transaction in which there is a conflict of interest with a director that is of material significance to the company and/or to such director shall require the approval of the board of directors, and such transactions should be disclosed in the company’s annual board report.

Delaware. The Delaware General Corporation Law generally permits transactions involving a Delaware corporation and an interested director of that corporation if:

•

the material facts as to the director’s relationship or interest are disclosed and a majority of disinterested directors consent;

•

the material facts are disclosed as to the director’s relationship or interest and a majority of shares entitled to vote thereon consent; or

•

the transaction is fair to the corporation at the time it is authorized by the board of directors, a committee of the board of directors or the stockholders.

Proxy Voting by Directors

The Netherlands. An absent director may issue a proxy for a specific board meeting but only to another director in writing (including in electronic form).

Delaware. A director of a Delaware corporation may not issue a proxy representing the director’s voting rights as a director.

Shareholder Rights

Voting Rights

The Netherlands. In accordance with Dutch law and our Articles of Association, each issued common share confers the right to cast one vote at the general meeting of shareholders. No vote may be cast at a general meeting of shareholders in respect of a share belonging to us or any of our subsidiaries or in respect of a share for which we or any of our subsidiaries holds the depository receipts. Persons with a right to the use and enjoyment of our shares held by another person and pledgees of shares belonging to us or our subsidiaries are not precluded from exercising their voting rights if the right to use and enjoyment or pledge was created before the relevant share belonged to us or one of our subsidiaries. We and our subsidiaries may not vote shares in respect of which we or any of our subsidiaries hold(s) a right of use and enjoyment or a pledge. Shares which cannot be voted pursuant to these rules will not be taken into account for the purpose of determining the number of votes cast, or the amount of the share capital that is represented, at a general meeting of shareholders.

For each general meeting of shareholders, the board of directors may apply a record date in order to establish which shareholders are entitled to attend and vote at the general meeting of shareholders. The record date and the manner in which shareholders can register and exercise their rights will be set out in the notice of the meeting.

Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, each stockholder is entitled to one vote per share of stock, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. In addition, the certificate of incorporation may provide for cumulative voting at all elections of directors of the corporation, or at elections held under specified circumstances. Either the certificate of incorporation or the bylaws may specify the number of shares and/or the amount of other securities that must be represented at a meeting in order to constitute a quorum, but in no event will a quorum consist of less than one third of the shares entitled to vote at a meeting.

Stockholders as of the record date for the meeting are entitled to vote at the meeting, and the board of directors may fix a record date that is no more than 60 nor less than 10 days before the date of the meeting, and if no record date is set then the record date is the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which notice is given, or if notice is waived then the record date is the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which

the meeting is held. The determination of the stockholders of record entitled to notice or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting, but the board of directors may fix a new record date for the adjourned meeting.

Shareholder Proposals

The Netherlands. Pursuant to our Articles of Association, extraordinary general meetings of shareholders will be held whenever required under Dutch law or whenever our board of directors deems such to be appropriate or necessary. Pursuant to Dutch law, one or more shareholders or others with meeting rights under Dutch law representing at least one-tenth of the issued share capital may request us to convene a general meeting, setting out in detail the matters to be discussed. If our board of directors has not taken the steps necessary to ensure that such meeting can be held within six weeks after the request, the requesting party/parties may, on their application, be authorized by the competent Dutch court in preliminary relief proceedings to convene a general meeting of shareholders.

Also, under our Articles of Association, the agenda for a general meeting of shareholders shall include such items requested by one or more shareholders, and others with meeting rights under Dutch law, representing at least 3% of the issued share capital. Requests must be made in writing and received by us at least 60 days before the day of the meeting. In accordance with the DCGC, shareholders are expected to exercise the right of requesting the convening of a general meeting of shareholders or of putting an item on the agenda only after consulting the board of directors in that respect. If one or more shareholders intend to request that an item be put on the agenda that may result in a change in our strategy (e.g., the removal of directors), the board of directors should be given the opportunity to invoke a reasonable response time of up to 180 days after the board of directors is informed of the intentions of the shareholder(s). The board of directors should use this period for further deliberation, constructive consultation (in any event with the shareholder(s) who have made the request) and the exploration of alternatives. At the end of the response period, the board of directors should report its actions to the general meeting of shareholders. The response time may be invoked only once for any given general meeting of shareholders and may not be invoked for an agenda item in respect of which the response period has been invoked previously or for a general meeting of shareholders if a shareholder holds at least 75% of our issued share capital as a consequence of a successful public offer (irrespective of whether the offer was friendly or hostile).

Delaware. Delaware law does not specifically grant stockholders the right to bring business before an annual or special meeting. However, if a Delaware corporation is subject to the SEC’s proxy rules, a stockholder who owns at least $2,000 in market value, or 1% of the corporation’s securities entitled to vote, may propose a matter for a vote at an annual or special meeting in accordance with those rules.

Action by Written Consent

The Netherlands. Our Articles of Association do not allow shareholders’ resolutions to be adopted in writing without holding a meeting of shareholders. However, holders of preferred shares may pass resolutions in writing instead of at a meeting by a unanimous vote of all shareholders concerned. These votes may be cast electronically.

Delaware. Although permitted by Delaware law, publicly listed companies do not typically permit stockholders of a corporation to take action by written consent.

Appraisal Rights

The Netherlands. The concept of appraisal rights is not known as such under Dutch law.

However, pursuant to Dutch law a shareholder who, alone or together with one or more group companies, for his/their own account contribute(s) at least 95% of our issued share capital may initiate proceedings against our minority shareholders jointly for the transfer of their shares to the claimant. See “—Shareholder Vote on Certain Reorganizations—The Netherlands.”

Furthermore, Dutch law provides that, to the extent that the acquiring company in a cross-border merger is organized under the laws of another Member State of the European Economic Area, a shareholder of a Dutch disappearing company who has voted against the cross-border merger may file a claim with the Dutch company for compensation. Such compensation is to be determined by one or more independent experts. The shares of such shareholder that are subject to such claim will cease to exist as of the moment of entry into effect of the cross-border merger.

Delaware. The Delaware General Corporation Law provides for stockholder appraisal rights, or the right to demand payment in cash of the judicially determined fair value of the stockholder’s shares, in connection with certain mergers and consolidations.

Shareholder Suits

The Netherlands. In the event a third party is liable to a Dutch company, only the company itself can bring a civil action against that party. The individual shareholders do not have the right to bring an action on behalf of the company. If individual shareholders bring an action for damages against such a third party in their name, a court will under normal circumstances dismiss such a claim. Only in the event that the cause for the liability of a third party to the company also constitutes a tortious act directly against a shareholder could that shareholder have an individual right of action against such third party in its own name. The Dutch Civil Code provides for the possibility to initiate actions collectively. A foundation or an association whose objective is to protect the rights of a group of persons having similar interests can institute a collective action. The collective action itself cannot result in an order for payment of monetary damages but may only result in a declaratory judgment (verklaring voor recht). In order to obtain compensation for damages, the foundation or association and the defendant may reach—often on the basis of such declaratory judgment—a settlement. A Dutch court may declare the settlement agreement binding upon all the injured parties with an opt-out choice for an individual injured party. An individual injured party may also itself institute a civil claim for damages.

Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a stockholder may bring a derivative action on behalf of the corporation to enforce the rights of the corporation. An individual also may commence a class action suit on behalf of himself and other similarly situated stockholders where the requirements for maintaining a class action under Delaware law have been met. A person may institute and maintain such a suit only if that person was a stockholder at the time of the transaction which is the subject of the suit. In addition, under Delaware case law, the plaintiff normally must be a stockholder at the time of the transaction that is the subject of the suit and throughout the duration of the derivative suit. Delaware law also requires that the derivative plaintiff make a demand on the directors of the corporation to assert the corporate claim before the suit may be prosecuted by the derivative plaintiff in court, unless such a demand would be futile.

Repurchase of Shares

The Netherlands. Under Dutch law, a limited liability company may not subscribe for newly issued shares in its own capital. A limited liability company may, however, subject to certain restrictions of Dutch law and its articles of association, acquire shares in its own capital. We may acquire fully paid shares in our own capital at any time for no valuable consideration. Furthermore, subject to certain provisions of Dutch law and our Articles of Association, we may repurchase fully paid shares in our own capital for valuable consideration to the extent that (i) such repurchase would not cause our shareholders’ equity to fall below an amount equal to the sum of the paid-up and called-up part of the issued share capital and the reserves we are required to maintain pursuant to applicable law and (ii) we would not as a result of such repurchase hold more than 50% of our own issued share capital, including shares held by our subsidiaries and shares in respect of which a pledge has been created in our favor.

Other than shares acquired for no valuable consideration, common shares may only be acquired following a resolution of our board of directors, acting pursuant to an authorization for the repurchase of shares granted by the general meeting of shareholders. An authorization by the general meeting of shareholders for the repurchase of shares can be granted for a maximum period of 18 months. Such authorization must specify the number and class of shares that may be acquired, the manner in which these shares may be acquired and the price range within which the shares may be acquired. At our annual general meeting of shareholders held on May 24, 2017, our board of directors was authorized, for a period of 18 months following the date of such meeting, to cause the repurchase of shares (or depository receipts for shares) by us of up to 10% of our issued share capital (determined as at the close of business on the date of that meeting), for a price per share not exceeding 110% of the average closing price of our common shares on NASDAQ for the five trading days prior to the date the acquisition is agreed upon by us.

No authorization of the general meeting of shareholders is required if common shares are acquired by us with the intention of transferring such common shares to our employees (including employees of our group companies) under an applicable employee stock purchase plan.

Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may purchase or redeem its own shares unless the capital of the corporation is impaired or the purchase or redemption would cause an impairment of the capital of the corporation. A Delaware corporation may, however, purchase or redeem out of capital any of its preferred shares or, if no preferred shares are outstanding, any of its own shares if such shares will be retired upon acquisition and the capital of the corporation will be reduced in accordance with specified limitations.

Protective Measures

The Netherlands. Under Dutch law, various protective measures are possible and permissible within the boundaries set by Dutch law and Dutch case law. Our governance arrangements include several provisions that may have the effect of making a takeover of our company more difficult or less attractive, including:

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the authorization of a class of preferred shares that can be issued to the Protective Foundation upon the exercise by the Protective Foundation of its call option, in such a manner as to dilute the voting interest of any potential acquirer or activist;

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the staggered four-year terms of our directors, as a result of which only approximately one-fourth of our directors will be subject to election in any one year;

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a provision that our directors may only be removed by the general meeting of shareholders by a two-thirds majority of votes cast, provided such majority represents more than half of our issued share capital, if such removal is not proposed by our board of directors;

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requirements that certain shareholder matters, including an amendment of our Articles of Association, may only be voted on by the general meeting of shareholders at the proposal of our board of directors.

Delaware. In addition to other aspects of Delaware law governing fiduciary duties of directors during a potential takeover, the Delaware General Corporation Law also contains a business combination statute that protects Delaware companies from hostile takeovers and from actions following the takeover by prohibiting some transactions once an acquirer has gained a significant holding in the corporation.

Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law prohibits “business combinations,” including mergers, sales and leases of assets, issuances of securities and similar transactions by a corporation or a subsidiary with an interested stockholder that beneficially owns 15% or more of a corporation’s voting stock, within three years after the person becomes an interested stockholder, unless:

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the transaction that will cause the person to become an interested stockholder is approved by the board of directors of the target prior to the transactions;

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after the completion of the transaction in which the person becomes an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder holds at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation not including shares owned by persons who are directors and officers of interested stockholders and shares owned by specified employee benefit plans; or

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after the person becomes an interested stockholder, the business combination is approved by the board of directors of the corporation and holders of at least 66.67% of the outstanding voting stock, excluding shares held by the interested stockholder.

A Delaware corporation may elect not to be governed by Section 203 by a provision contained in the original certificate of incorporation of the corporation or an amendment to the original certificate of incorporation or to the bylaws of the company, which amendment must be approved by a majority of the shares entitled to vote and may not be further amended by the board of directors of the corporation. Such an amendment is not effective until twelve months following its adoption.

Inspection of Books and Records

The Netherlands. The board of directors should provide the general meeting of shareholders with all information requested by the general meeting of shareholders, unless this would be contrary to an overriding interest of ours. If the board of directors invokes an overriding interest, it must give its reasons.

Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, any stockholder may inspect for any proper purpose certain of the corporation’s books and records during the corporation’s usual hours of business.

Removal of Directors

The Netherlands. The general meeting of shareholders shall at all times be entitled to suspend or remove a director. Under our Articles of Association, the general meeting of shareholders may only adopt a resolution to suspend or remove such a director by at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, provided such majority represents more than half of the issued share capital, unless the resolution is passed at the proposal of the board of directors, in which latter case a simple majority of the votes cast is sufficient.

Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, any director or the entire board of directors may be removed, with or without cause, by the holders of a majority of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors, except (i) unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise, in the case of a corporation whose board is classified, stockholders may effect such removal only for cause, or (ii) in the case of a corporation having cumulative voting, if less than the entire board is to be removed, no director may be removed without cause if the votes cast against his removal would be sufficient to elect him if then cumulatively voted at an election of the entire board of directors, or, if there are classes of directors, at an election of the class of directors of which he is a part.

Preemptive Rights

The Netherlands. Under Dutch law and our Articles of Association, in the event of an issuance of common shares, each holder of common shares will have a pro rata preemptive right in proportion to the aggregate nominal value of the common shares held by such holder (with the exception of common shares to be issued to our employees or employees of our group companies, common shares issued against a contribution other than in cash, or common shares issued to a party exercising a previously acquired right to subscribe for such common shares). Under our Articles of Association, the preemptive rights in respect of newly issued common shares may be restricted or excluded by a resolution of the general meeting of shareholders at the proposal of the board of directors.

The board of directors may restrict or exclude the preemptive rights in respect of newly issued common shares if it has been designated as the authorized body to do so by the general meeting of shareholders. Such designation can be granted for a period not exceeding five years. A resolution of the general meeting of shareholders to restrict or exclude the preemptive rights or to designate the board of directors as the authorized body to do so requires a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, if less than one half of our issued share capital is represented at the meeting.

At our annual general meeting of shareholders held on May 24, 2017, our board of directors was authorized for a period of five years from the date of such meeting to limit or exclude preemptive rights in connection with the issue of common shares or the granting of rights to subscribe for common shares pursuant to the use of the authorization also granted at such annual general meeting of shareholders to the board of directors to issue common shares and grant rights to subscribe for common shares up to 20% of our issued share capital (determined as at the close of business on the date of that meeting).

Under our Articles of Association, no preemptive rights apply in respect of preferred shares.

Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, stockholders have no preemptive rights to subscribe for additional issues of stock or to any security convertible into such stock unless, and to the extent that, such rights are expressly provided for in the certificate of incorporation.

Dividends

The Netherlands. Dutch law provides that dividends may be distributed after adoption of the annual accounts by the general meeting of shareholders from which it appears that such dividend distribution is allowed. Moreover, dividends, interim dividends (or other interim distributions) and distributions from distributable reserves may only be made to the extent that shareholders’ equity exceeds the amount of the paid-up and called-up part of the issued share capital and the reserves that must be maintained under Dutch law or the company’s articles of association.

Under our Articles of Association, a dividend is first paid out of the profit, if available for distribution, with respect to any preferred shares. After that, the board of directors shall determine which part of the remaining profit shall be added to our reserves. After reservation by the board of directors of any profit, the remaining profit will be at the disposal of the general meeting of shareholders for distribution on our common shares. However, a distribution to the holders of common shares can only be resolved upon by the general meeting at the proposal of the board of directors. We may only make a distribution of dividends after the adoption of our annual accounts demonstrating that such distribution is legally permitted. The board of directors is permitted, subject to certain requirements, to declare interim dividends (or other interim distributions) without the approval of the general meeting of shareholders. The general meeting of shareholders, subject to certain requirements and a proposal to that effect made by the board of directors, may decide to make distributions from our distributable reserves. The board of directors, however, may resolve to charge amounts to be paid up on shares against our reserves, irrespective of whether those shares are issued to existing shareholders.

Dividends and other distributions shall be payable on such date and, if it concerns a distribution in cash, in such currency as determined by the board of directors. If it concerns a distribution in the form of assets, the board of directors shall determine the value attributed to such distribution for purposes of recording the distribution in our accounts with due observance of applicable law (including the applicable accounting principles). Claims to dividends and other distribution not paid within five years from the date that such dividends or distributions became payable, will lapse and any such amounts will be considered to have been forfeited to us (verjaring). For the purpose of calculating the amount or allocation of any distribution, shares held by us in our own capital shall not be taken into account. No distribution shall be made to us in respect of shares held by us in our own capital.

Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a Delaware corporation may pay dividends out of its surplus (the excess of net assets over capital), or in case there is no surplus, out of its net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend is declared and/or the preceding fiscal year (provided that the amount of the capital of the corporation is not less than the aggregate amount of the capital represented by the issued and outstanding stock of all classes having a preference upon the distribution of assets). In determining the amount of surplus of a Delaware corporation, the assets of the corporation, including stock of subsidiaries owned by the corporation, must be valued at their fair market value as determined by the board of directors, without regard to their historical book value. Dividends may be paid in the form of common shares, property or cash.

Shareholder Vote on Certain Reorganizations

The Netherlands. Under Dutch law, the general meeting of shareholders must approve resolutions of the board of directors relating to a material change in the identity or the character of the company or the business of the company, which includes:

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a transfer of the business or virtually the entire business to a third party;

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the entry into or termination of a long-term cooperation of the company or a subsidiary with another legal entity or company or as a fully liable partner in a limited partnership or general partnership, if such cooperation or termination is of far-reaching significance for the company; and

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the acquisition or divestment by the company or a subsidiary of a participating interest in the capital of a company having a value of at least one-third of the amount of the company’s assets according to its statement of financial position and explanatory notes or, if the company prepares a consolidated statement of financial position, according to its consolidated statement of financial position and explanatory notes in the last adopted annual accounts of the company.

Under Dutch law, a shareholder who, alone or together with one or more group companies, for his/their own account contribute(s) at least 95% of a company’s issued share capital may initiate proceedings against the company’s minority shareholders jointly for the transfer of their shares to the claimant. The proceedings are held before the Enterprise Chamber, which may grant the claim for squeeze out in relation to all minority shareholders and will determine the price to be paid for the shares, if necessary after appointment of one or three experts who will offer an opinion to the Enterprise Chamber on the value to be paid for the shares of the minority shareholders. Once the order to transfer becomes final before the Enterprise Chamber, the shareholder acquiring the shares shall give written notice of the date and place of payment and the price to the holders of the shares to be acquired whose addresses are known to such shareholder. Unless the addresses of all of them are known to the acquiring shareholder, such shareholder is required to publish the same in a Dutch daily newspaper with a national circulation.

Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, the vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote thereon generally is necessary to approve a merger or consolidation or the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of a corporation. The Delaware General Corporation Law permits a corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a provision requiring for any corporate action the vote of a larger portion of the stock or of any class or series of stock than would otherwise be required.

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, no vote of the stockholders of a surviving corporation to a merger is needed, however, unless required by the certificate of incorporation, if (i) the agreement of merger does not amend in any respect the certificate of incorporation of the surviving corporation, (ii) the shares of stock of the surviving corporation are not changed in the merger and (iii) the number of shares of common stock of the surviving corporation into which any other shares, securities or obligations to be issued in the merger may be converted does not exceed 20% of the surviving corporation’s common stock outstanding immediately prior to the effective date of the merger. In addition, stockholders may not be entitled to vote in certain mergers with other corporations that own 90% or more of the outstanding shares of each class of stock of such corporation, but the stockholders will be entitled to appraisal rights.

Remuneration of Directors

The Netherlands. Under Dutch law, we must adopt a remuneration policy for our directors. Such remuneration policy, and changes thereto, shall be adopted by the general meeting of shareholders at the proposal of the board of directors. The board of directors determines the remuneration of the directors in accordance with the remuneration policy. Our executive directors may not participate in the discussions or decision-making regarding the remuneration of executive directors. A proposal by the board of directors with respect to remuneration schemes in the form of shares or rights to shares is submitted by the board of directors to the general meeting for its approval. This proposal must set out at least the maximum number of shares or rights to shares to be granted to the directors and the criteria for granting or amendment.

Our shareholders approved our Supervisory Board Member Compensation Program at a general meeting on May 6, 2016. At our annual general meeting of shareholders held on May 24, 2017, our shareholders approved amendments to such program, and the program was renamed the Non-Executive Director Compensation Program.

Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, the stockholders do not generally have the right to approve the compensation policy for directors or the senior management of the corporation, although certain aspects of executive compensation may be subject to stockholder vote due to the provisions of U.S. federal securities and tax law, as well as exchange requirements.

Dutch Corporate Governance Code

The DCGC contains both principles and best practice provisions for boards of directors, shareholders and general meetings of shareholders, financial reporting, auditors, disclosure, compliance and enforcement standards. A copy of the DCGC can be found on www.mccg.nl. As a listed Dutch company incorporated under Dutch law, we are subject to the DCGC and are required to disclose in our annual report, filed in the Netherlands, whether we comply with the provisions of the DCGC. If we do not comply with the provisions of the DCGC (for example, because of a conflicting NASDAQ requirement or otherwise), we must list the reasons for any deviation from the DCGC in our annual report.

We acknowledge the importance of good corporate governance. However, at this stage, we do not comply with all the provisions of the DCGC, to a large extent because such provisions conflict with or are inconsistent with the corporate governance rules of NASDAQ and U.S. securities laws that apply to us, or because such provisions do not reflect best practices of global companies listed on NASDAQ.

The discussions below summarize the most important differences between our governance structure and the principles and best practices of the DCGC:

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The company shall have an internal risk management and control system that is suitable for the company (section II.1.3 of the DCGC)

We are currently in the process of reviewing and implementing such internal risk management and control system that is suitable for us. We intend to comply with this best practice provision as soon as reasonably possible.

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The best practice provisions regarding the grant of options, such as that they shall, in any event, not be exercised in the first three years after the date of grant and the number of options to be granted shall be dependent on the achievement of challenging targets specified beforehand, (section II.2.4 and II.2.6 of the DCGC),

We do not intend to comply with all of the above requirements as we believe it is in the best interest of our company to attract and retain highly skilled directors on conditions based on market practice.

The options granted under our 2010 Employee Option Plan, or the 2010 Plan, vest in installments over a four-year period from the grant date. Twenty-five percent of the options vest on the first anniversary of the vesting commencement date, and the remaining 75% of the options vest in 36 monthly installments for each full month of continuous service provided by the option holder thereafter, such that 100% of the options shall become vested on the fourth anniversary of the vesting commencement date. The options granted are exercisable once vested. Options will lapse on the eighth anniversary of the date of grant. Upon the completion of our IPO, we stopped making grants under the 2010 Plan.

The options granted under the 2016 Plan are subject to vesting in accordance with the applicable award agreement and will be exercisable upon vesting. The term of options granted under the 2016 Plan may not be longer than ten years (or five years in the case of incentive stock options granted to certain significant shareholders).

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Shares granted to executive board members without financial consideration shall be retained for a period of at least five years or until at least the end of the employment, if this period is shorter (section II.2.5 of the DCGC.)

Consistent with market practice in the U.S., the primary trading jurisdiction of our common shares, and in order to further support our ability to attract and retain the right highly qualified candidates for a board position, options awarded to our executive directors as part of their remuneration are subject to time-based vesting. The 2016 Plan under which shares may be granted (including to executive directors) provides for the retention of shares for the time period specified in the applicable award agreement. We believe that shares held by the executive directors should be retained for a certain period, however, such period may be shorter than five years.

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Neither the exercise price of options granted nor the other conditions may be modified during the term of the options, except in so far as prompted by structural changes relating to the shares or the company in accordance with established market practice. (section II.2.7 of the DCGC).

In October 2015, the exercise price of options granted prior to January 2015 under the 2010 Option Plan was amended. In addition, in connection with the IPO, we amended the 2010 Option Plan to reflect that an option entails the right of the holder to directly purchase common shares rather than receive depositary receipts through a foundation set up for this purpose. The foundation was dissolved in connection with our becoming a public company. We continue to review our 2010 Option Plan and may make additional amendments.

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All board members, with the exception of not more than one person, shall be independent within the meaning of the DCGC (section III.2.1 of the DCGC).

Currently, one or more of our non-executive directors are not independent within the meaning of the DCGC due to being a shareholder representative or on other grounds. It is our view that given the nature of our business and the practice in our industry and considering our shareholder structure, it is justified that some of our non-executive directors be non-independent. We may need to deviate from the DCGC’s independence definition for non-executive directors either because such provisions conflict with or are inconsistent with the corporate governance rules of NASDAQ and U.S. securities laws that apply to us, or because such provisions do not reflect best practices of global companies listed on NASDAQ. We may need to further deviate from the DCGC’s independence definition for non-executive directors when looking for the most suitable candidates. For example, a future candidate may have particular knowledge of, or experience in our industry, but may not meet the definition of independence in the DCGC. As such background is very important to the efficacy of our board of directors, our board of directors may decide to nominate candidates for appointment who do not fully comply with the criteria as listed under best practice provision III.2.2 of the DCGC.

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A board member may not be granted any shares and/or rights to shares by way of remuneration. Any shares held by a board member in the company on whose board he sits are long-term investments (section III.7.1 of the DCGC).

In connection with our IPO, we adopted a Supervisory Board Compensation Program, which was amended at our annual general meeting of shareholders on May 24, 2017 and renamed our Non-Executive Director Compensation Program, which provides for cash and equity compensation to our non-executive directors. Although the DCGC discourages such remuneration, we believe that such remuneration is appropriate due to our listing on NASDAQ.

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The cancellation of the binding nature of a nomination for the appointment of a member of the board of directors and/or a resolution to remove a member of the board of directors by a simple majority of the votes cast (Section IV.1.1 of the DCGC)

Our Articles of Association provide that the binding nomination of the board of directors for the appointment of a director may be overruled by the general meeting with a majority of at least two-thirds of the votes cast, provided such majority represents more than half of the issued share capital. The removal of a director also requires a majority of two-thirds of the votes cast representing more than half of the issued share capital, unless the resolution is passed at the proposal of the board of directors, in which latter case a simple majority of the votes cast is sufficient.

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The company shall formulate an outline policy on bilateral contacts with the shareholders and publish this policy on its website (section IV.3.13 of the DCGC).

While we have no intent of entering into bilateral contracts with our shareholders, we are considering this topic, and if we believe such bilateral contracts should be entered into with shareholders, we shall formulate an outline policy and publish such policy on our website.

Listing

Our common shares are listed on The NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “MRUS.”

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The U.S. transfer agent and registrar for our common shares is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC.

Registration Rights Agreements

Registration Rights Agreement with Incyte

We agreed to file a registration statement to cover the resale of the common shares we issued to Incyte pursuant to the Share Subscription Agreement, dated December 20, 2016, between us and Incyte, or the Subscription Agreement, by June 1, 2017 and to use reasonable best efforts to have such registration statement declared effective. We also agreed to use our reasonable best efforts to keep the registration statement, of which this prospectus constitutes a part, effective until the earlier of (a) all of the common shares held by Incyte having been sold pursuant to an effective registration statement or in compliance with Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, (b) at such time when the common shares held by Incyte could, in the opinion of counsel satisfactory to us, be sold by Incyte in a single transaction under the terms of the Subscription Agreement and the volume and manner of sale limitations under Rule 144 of the Securities Act, and (c) at such time as the registration statement registering the common shares has been effective for 42 months following the lock-up period of the common shares as specified in the Subscription Agreement.

Registration Rights Agreement with Certain Investors

We have entered into a registration rights agreement, or the Registration Rights Agreement, with certain of our shareholders, pursuant to which such shareholders are entitled to the following rights with respect to the registration of their common shares for public resale under the Securities Act. The registration of common shares as a result of the following rights being exercised would enable their holders to trade these shares without restriction under the Securities Act when the applicable registration statement is declared effective.

Demand Registration Rights

If the holders of, at least, 30% of the registrable securities then outstanding request that we effect a registration with respect to all or part of their registrable securities, we may be required to register all or part of the registrable securities then outstanding. We are obligated to effect at most two registrations in response to these demand registration rights. If the holders requesting registration intend to distribute their shares by means of an underwriting, the managing underwriter of such offering has the right to limit the numbers of shares to be underwritten for reasons related to the marketing of the shares.

Piggyback Registration Rights

If we propose to register any of our common shares under the Securities Act, subject to certain exceptions, the holders of registrable securities are entitled to notice of the registration and to include their registrable securities in the registration. If our proposed registration involves an underwriting, the managing underwriter of such offering has the right to limit the number of shares to be underwritten for reasons related to the marketing of the shares. The holders of the registrable securities waived their right to have their shares registered on this registration statement.

Form F-3 Registration Rights

If the holders of our registrable securities then outstanding request that we effect a registration of some or all of their registrable securities and we are entitled under the Securities Act to register our common shares on a registration statement on Form F-3, we are obligated to effect such registration. We are not obligated to effect a registration pursuant to these F-3 registration rights if (i) the expected aggregate net proceeds from the sale of the registrable securities for which registration is requested is equal to or less than $1.0 million or (ii) if, within a given 12-month period, we have already effected two registrations on Form F-3 for the holders of registrable securities.

Expenses

Ordinarily, other than underwriting discounts and commissions, we are required to pay all expenses incurred by us related to any registration effected pursuant to the exercise of these registration rights. These expenses may include all registration and filing fees, printing expenses, fees and disbursements of our counsel, reasonable fees and disbursements of a counsel for the selling security holders and blue sky fees and expenses.

Termination of Registration Rights

The registration rights terminate upon the earlier of four years after the closing of our IPO, or, with respect to the registration rights of an individual holder, when the holder can sell all of such holder’s registrable securities in a three-month period without restriction under Rule 144 under the Securities Act.

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. When we offer to sell a particular series of debt securities, we will describe the specific terms of the series in a supplement to this prospectus. We will also indicate in the supplement to what extent the general terms and provisions described in this prospectus apply to a particular series of debt securities.

We may issue debt securities either separately, or together with, or upon the conversion or exercise of or in exchange for, other securities described in this prospectus. Debt securities may be our senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations and, unless otherwise specified in a supplement to this prospectus, the debt securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations and may be issued in one or more series.

The debt securities will be issued under an indenture. We have summarized select portions of the indenture below. The summary is not complete. The form of the indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement and you should read the indenture for provisions that may be important to you. In the summary below, we have included references to the section numbers of the indenture so that you can easily locate these provisions. Capitalized terms used in the summary and not defined herein have the meanings specified in the indenture.

As used in this section only, “Merus,” “we,” “our” or “us” refer to Merus N.V. excluding our subsidiary, unless expressly stated or the context otherwise requires.

General

The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of our board of directors and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a resolution of our board of directors, in an officer’s certificate or by a supplemental indenture. (Section 2.2) The particular terms of each series of debt securities will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to such series (including any pricing supplement or term sheet).

We can issue an unlimited amount of debt securities under the indenture that may be in one or more series with the same or various maturities, at par, at a premium, or at a discount. (Section 2.1) We will set forth in a prospectus supplement (including any pricing supplement or term sheet) relating to any series of debt securities being offered, the aggregate principal amount and the following terms of the debt securities, if applicable:

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the title and ranking of the debt securities (including the terms of any subordination provisions);

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the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount) at which we will sell the debt securities;

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any limit on the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities;

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the date or dates on which the principal of the securities of the series is payable;

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the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or the method used to determine the rate or rates (including any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the debt securities will bear interest, the date or dates from which interest will accrue, the date or dates on which interest will commence and be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable on any interest payment date;

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the place or places where principal of, and interest, if any, on the debt securities will be payable (and the method of such payment), where the securities of such series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, and where notices and demands to us in respect of the debt securities may be delivered;

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the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which we may redeem the debt securities;

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any obligation we have to redeem or purchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder of debt securities and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and in the terms and conditions upon which securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;

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the dates on which and the price or prices at which we will repurchase debt securities at the option of the holders of debt securities and other detailed terms and provisions of these repurchase obligations;

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the denominations in which the debt securities will be issued, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;

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whether the debt securities will be issued in the form of certificated debt securities or global debt securities;

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the portion of principal amount of the debt securities payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity date, if other than the principal amount;

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the currency of denomination of the debt securities, which may be United States Dollars or any foreign currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;

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the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of principal of, premium and interest on the debt securities will be made;

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if payments of principal of, premium or interest on the debt securities will be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which the debt securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to these payments will be determined;

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the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities will be determined, if these amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;

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any provisions relating to any security provided for the debt securities;

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any addition to, deletion of or change in the Events of Default described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities and any change in the acceleration provisions described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;

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any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;

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any depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents with respect to the debt securities;

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the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any debt securities of such series, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price and period, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange;

•

any other terms of the debt securities, which may supplement, modify or delete any provision of the indenture as it applies to that series, including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the securities; and

•

whether any of our direct or indirect subsidiaries will guarantee the debt securities of that series, including the terms of subordination, if any, of such guarantees. (Section 2.2)

We may issue debt securities that provide for an amount less than their stated principal amount to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of their maturity pursuant to the terms of the indenture. We will provide you with information on the federal income tax considerations and other special considerations applicable to any of these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

If we denominate the purchase price of any of the debt securities in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, or if the principal of and any premium and interest on any series of debt securities is payable in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, we will provide you with information on the restrictions, elections, general tax considerations, specific terms and other information with respect to that issue of debt securities and such foreign currency or currencies or foreign currency unit or units in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Transfer and Exchange

Each debt security will be represented by either one or more global securities registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company, or the Depositary, or a nominee of the Depositary (we will refer to any debt security represented by a global debt security as a “book-entry debt security”), or a certificate issued in definitive registered form (we will refer to any debt security represented by a certificated security as a “certificated debt security”) as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Except as set forth under the heading “Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System” below, book-entry debt securities will not be issuable in certificated form.

Certificated Debt Securities. You may transfer or exchange certificated debt securities at any office we maintain for this purpose in accordance with the terms of the indenture. (Section 2.4) No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of certificated debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with a transfer or exchange. (Section 2.7)

You may effect the transfer of certificated debt securities and the right to receive the principal of, premium and interest on certificated debt securities only by surrendering the certificate representing those certificated debt securities and either reissuance by us or the trustee of the certificate to the new holder or the issuance by us or the trustee of a new certificate to the new holder.

Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System. Each global debt security representing book-entry debt securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, the Depositary, and registered in the name of the Depositary or a nominee of the Depositary. See “Global Securities.”

Covenants

We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement any restrictive covenants applicable to any issue of debt securities. (Article IV)

No Protection in the Event of a Change of Control

Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions which may afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event we have a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change in control) which could adversely affect holders of debt securities.

Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

We may not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of our properties and assets to any person (a “successor person”) unless:

•

we are the surviving corporation or the successor person (if other than Merus) is a corporation organized and validly existing under the laws the Netherlands and expressly assumes our obligations on the debt securities and under the indenture; and

•

immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing.

Notwithstanding the above, any of our subsidiaries may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to us. (Section 5.1)

Events of Default

“Event of Default” means with respect to any series of debt securities, any of the following:

•

default in the payment of any interest upon any debt security of that series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of the payment is deposited by us with the trustee or with a paying agent prior to the expiration of the 30-day period);

•

default in the payment of principal of any security of that series at its maturity;

•

default in the performance or breach of any other covenant or warranty by us in the indenture (other than a covenant or warranty that has been included in the indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities other than that series), which default continues uncured for a period of 60 days after we receive written notice from the trustee or Merus and the trustee receive written notice from the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series as provided in the indenture;

•

certain voluntary or involuntary events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of Merus;

•

any other Event of Default provided with respect to debt securities of that series that is described in the applicable prospectus supplement. (Section 6.1)

No Event of Default with respect to a particular series of debt securities (except as to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) necessarily constitutes an Event of Default with respect to any other series of debt securities. (Section 6.1) The occurrence of certain Events of Default or an acceleration under the indenture may constitute an event of default under certain indebtedness of ours or our subsidiaries outstanding from time to time.

We will provide the trustee written notice of any Default or Event of Default within 30 days of becoming aware of the occurrence of such Default or Event of Default, which notice will describe in reasonable detail the status of such Default or Event of Default and what action we are taking or propose to take in respect thereof. (Section 6.1)

If an Event of Default with respect to debt securities of any series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may, by a notice in writing to us (and to the trustee if given by the holders), declare to be due and payable immediately the principal of (or, if the debt securities of that series are discount securities, that portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all debt securities of that series. In the case of an Event of Default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal (or such specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding debt securities will become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act

on the part of the trustee or any holder of outstanding debt securities. At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to debt securities of any series has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may rescind and annul the acceleration if all Events of Default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal and interest, if any, with respect to debt securities of that series, have been cured or waived as provided in the indenture. (Section 6.2) We refer you to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are discount securities for the particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of such discount securities upon the occurrence of an Event of Default.

The indenture provides that the trustee may refuse to perform any duty or exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture unless the trustee receives indemnity satisfactory to it against any cost, liability or expense which might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right or power. (Section 7.1(e)) Subject to certain rights of the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee with respect to the debt securities of that series. (Section 6.12)

No holder of any debt security of any series will have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to the indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any remedy under the indenture, unless:

•

that holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to debt securities of that series; and

•

the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, and offered indemnity or security satisfactory to the trustee, to the trustee to institute the proceeding as trustee, and the trustee has not received from the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series a direction inconsistent with that request and has failed to institute the proceeding within 60 days. (Section 6.7)

Notwithstanding any other provision in the indenture, the holder of any debt security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, premium and any interest on that debt security on or after the due dates expressed in that debt security and to institute suit for the enforcement of payment. (Section 6.8)

The indenture requires us, within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year, to furnish to the trustee a statement as to compliance with the indenture. (Section 4.3) If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the securities of any series and if it is known to a responsible officer of the trustee, the trustee shall mail to each Securityholder of the securities of that series notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a responsible officer of the trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default. The indenture provides that the trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any series of any Default or Event of Default (except in payment on any debt securities of that series) with respect to debt securities of that series if the trustee determines in good faith that withholding notice is in the interest of the holders of those debt securities. (Section 7.5)

Modification and Waiver

We and the trustee may modify, amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities of any series without the consent of any holder of any debt security:

•

to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;

•

to comply with covenants in the indenture described above under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets”;

•

to provide for uncertificated securities in addition to or in place of certificated securities;

•

to add guarantees with respect to debt securities of any series or secure debt securities of any series;

•

to surrender any of our rights or powers under the indenture;

•

to add covenants or events of default for the benefit of the holders of debt securities of any series;

•

to comply with the applicable procedures of the applicable depositary;

•

to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder of debt securities;

•

to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of debt securities of any series as permitted by the indenture;

•

to effect the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of any series and to add to or change any of the provisions of the indenture to provide for or facilitate administration by more than one trustee; or

•

to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act. (Section 9.1)

We may also modify and amend the indenture with the consent of the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the modifications or amendments. We may not make any modification or amendment without the consent of the holders of each affected debt security then outstanding if that amendment will:

•

reduce the amount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;

•

reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any debt security;

•

reduce the principal of or premium on or change the fixed maturity of any debt security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation with respect to any series of debt securities;

•

reduce the principal amount of discount securities payable upon acceleration of maturity;

•

waive a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or interest on any debt security (except a rescission of acceleration of the debt securities of any series by the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of that series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);

•

make the principal of or premium or interest on any debt security payable in currency other than that stated in the debt security;

•

make any change to certain provisions of the indenture relating to, among other things, the right of holders of debt securities to receive payment of the principal of, premium and interest on those debt securities and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment and to waivers or amendments; or

•

waive a redemption payment with respect to any debt security. (Section 9.3)

Except for certain specified provisions, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series waive our compliance with provisions of the indenture. (Section 9.2) The holders of a majority in principal amount of the

outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all the debt securities of such series waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or any interest on any debt security of that series; provided, however, that the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from the acceleration. (Section 6.13)

Defeasance of Debt Securities and Certain Covenants in Certain Circumstances

Legal Defeasance. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the debt securities of any series (subject to certain exceptions). We will be so discharged upon the deposit with the trustee, in trust, of money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money or U.S. government obligations in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities.

This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred. (Section 8.3)

Defeasance of Certain Covenants. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, upon compliance with certain conditions:

•

we may omit to comply with the covenant described under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets” and certain other covenants set forth in the indenture, as well as any additional covenants which may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement; and

•

any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute a Default or an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of that series (“covenant defeasance”).

The conditions include:

•

depositing with the trustee money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal of, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities; and

•

delivering to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and related covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related covenant defeasance had not occurred. (Section 8.4)

No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees or Stockholders

None of our past, present or future directors, officers, employees or shareholders, as such, will have any liability for any of our obligations under the debt securities or the indenture or for any claim based on, or in respect or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. By accepting a debt security, each holder waives and releases all such liability. This waiver and release is part of the consideration for the issue of the debt securities. However, this waiver and release may not be effective to waive liabilities under U.S. federal securities laws, and it is the view of the SEC that such a waiver is against public policy.

Governing Law

The indenture and the debt securities, including any claim or controversy arising out of or relating to the indenture or the securities, will be governed by the laws of the State of New York. (Section 10.10)

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

We may issue warrants for the purchase of our common shares or of debt securities. We may issue warrants independently or together with other securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and the investors or a warrant agent. The following summary of material provisions of the warrants and warrant agreements are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrant agreement and warrant certificate applicable to a particular series of warrants. The terms of any warrants offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, as well as the complete warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants.

The particular terms of any issue of warrants will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to the issue. Those terms may include:

•

the number of common shares purchasable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase such shares and the price at which such number of shares may be purchased upon such exercise;

•

the principal amount of debt securities that may be purchased upon exercise of a debt warrant and the exercise price for the warrants, which may be payable in cash, securities or other property;

•

the date, if any, on and after which the warrants and the related debt securities, or common shares will be separately transferable;

•

the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;

•

the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and the date on which the right will expire;

•

certain United States Federal income tax consequences and certain Dutch tax consequences applicable to the warrants; and

•

any additional terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures, and limitations relating to the exchange, exercise and settlement of the warrants.

Holders of equity warrants will not be entitled:

•

to vote, consent or receive dividends;

•

receive notice as shareholders with respect to any general meeting of shareholders for the election of our directors or any other matter; or

•

exercise any rights as shareholders of Merus.

Each warrant will entitle its holder to purchase the principal amount of debt securities or the number of common shares at the exercise price set forth in, or calculable as set forth in, the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to the specified time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

A holder of warrant certificates may exchange them for new warrant certificates of different denominations, present them for registration of transfer and exercise them at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Until any warrants to purchase debt securities are exercised, the holder of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the debt securities that can

be purchased upon exercise, including any rights to receive payments of principal, premium or interest on the underlying debt securities or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture. Until any warrants to purchase common shares are exercised, the holders of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the underlying common shares, including any rights to receive dividends or payments upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up on the common shares, if any.

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue units consisting of any combination of the other types of securities offered under this prospectus in one or more series. We may evidence each series of units by unit certificates that we will issue under a separate agreement. We may enter into unit agreements with a unit agent. Each unit agent will be a bank or trust company that we select. We will indicate the name and address of the unit agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of units.

The following description, together with the additional information included in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the general features of the units that we may offer under this prospectus. You should read any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you related to the series of units being offered, as well as the complete unit agreements that contain the terms of the units. Specific unit agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and we will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from another report that we file with the SEC, the form of each unit agreement relating to units offered under this prospectus.

If we offer any units, certain terms of that series of units will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, including, without limitation, the following, as applicable:

•

the title of the series of units;

•

identification and description of the separate constituent securities comprising the units;

•

the price or prices at which the units will be issued;

•

the date, if any, on and after which the constituent securities comprising the units will be separately transferable;

•

a discussion of certain United States federal income tax considerations and certain Dutch tax considerations applicable to the units; and

•

any other terms of the units and their constituent securities.

GLOBAL SECURITIES

Book-Entry, Delivery and Form

Unless we indicate differently in a prospectus supplement, the securities initially will be issued in book-entry form and represented by one or more global notes or global securities, or, collectively, global securities. The global securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, as depositary, or DTC, and registered in the name of Cede & Co., the nominee of DTC. Unless and until it is exchanged for individual certificates evidencing securities under the limited circumstances described below, a global security may not be transferred except as a whole by the depositary to its nominee or by the nominee to the depositary, or by the depositary or its nominee to a successor depositary or to a nominee of the successor depositary.

DTC has advised us that it is:

•

a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law;

•

a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law;

•

a member of the Federal Reserve System;

•

a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code; and

•

a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act.

DTC holds securities that its participants deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the settlement among its participants of securities transactions, such as transfers and pledges, in deposited securities through electronic computerized book-entry changes in participants’ accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. “Direct participants” in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, including underwriters, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other organizations. DTC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, or DTCC. DTCC is the holding company for DTC, National Securities Clearing Corporation and Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, all of which are registered clearing agencies. DTCC is owned by the users of its regulated subsidiaries. Access to the DTC system is also available to others, which we sometimes refer to as indirect participants, that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a direct participant, either directly or indirectly. The rules applicable to DTC and its participants are on file with the SEC.

Purchases of securities under the DTC system must be made by or through direct participants, which will receive a credit for the securities on DTC’s records. The ownership interest of the actual purchaser of a security, which we sometimes refer to as a beneficial owner, is in turn recorded on the direct and indirect participants’ records. Beneficial owners of securities will not receive written confirmation from DTC of their purchases. However, beneficial owners are expected to receive written confirmations providing details of their transactions, as well as periodic statements of their holdings, from the direct or indirect participants through which they purchased securities. Transfers of ownership interests in global securities are to be accomplished by entries made on the books of participants acting on behalf of beneficial owners. Beneficial owners will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in the global securities, except under the limited circumstances described below.

To facilitate subsequent transfers, all global securities deposited by direct participants with DTC will be registered in the name of DTC’s partnership nominee, Cede & Co., or such other name as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. The deposit of securities with DTC and their registration in the name of Cede & Co. or such other nominee will not change the beneficial ownership of the securities. DTC has no knowledge of the actual beneficial owners of the securities. DTC’s records reflect only the identity of the direct participants to whose accounts the securities are credited, which may or may not be the beneficial owners. The participants are responsible for keeping account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.

So long as the securities are in book-entry form, you will receive payments and may transfer securities only through the facilities of the depositary and its direct and indirect participants. We will maintain an office or agency

in the location specified in the prospectus supplement for the applicable securities, where notices and demands in respect of the securities and the indenture may be delivered to us and where certificated securities may be surrendered for payment, registration of transfer or exchange.

Conveyance of notices and other communications by DTC to direct participants, by direct participants to indirect participants and by direct participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners will be governed by arrangements among them, subject to any legal requirements in effect from time to time.

Redemption notices will be sent to DTC. If less than all of the securities of a particular series are being redeemed, DTC’s practice is to determine by lot the amount of the interest of each direct participant in the securities of such series to be redeemed.

Neither DTC nor Cede & Co. (or such other DTC nominee) will consent or vote with respect to the securities. Under its usual procedures, DTC will mail an omnibus proxy to us as soon as possible after the record date. The omnibus proxy assigns the consenting or voting rights of Cede & Co. to those direct participants to whose accounts the securities of such series are credited on the record date, identified in a listing attached to the omnibus proxy.

So long as securities are in book-entry form, we will make payments on those securities to the depositary or its nominee, as the registered owner of such securities, by wire transfer of immediately available funds. If securities are issued in definitive certificated form under the limited circumstances described below, we will have the option of making payments by check mailed to the addresses of the persons entitled to payment or by wire transfer to bank accounts in the United States designated in writing to the applicable trustee or other designated party at least 15 days before the applicable payment date by the persons entitled to payment, unless a shorter period is satisfactory to the applicable trustee or other designated party.

Redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments on the securities will be made to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. DTC’s practice is to credit direct participants’ accounts upon DTC’s receipt of funds and corresponding detail information from us on the payment date in accordance with their respective holdings shown on DTC records. Payments by participants to beneficial owners will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with securities held for the account of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name.” Those payments will be the responsibility of participants and not of DTC or us, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements in effect from time to time. Payment of redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC, is our responsibility, disbursement of payments to direct participants is the responsibility of DTC, and disbursement of payments to the beneficial owners is the responsibility of direct and indirect participants.

Except under the limited circumstances described below, purchasers of securities will not be entitled to have securities registered in their names and will not receive physical delivery of securities. Accordingly, each beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of DTC and its participants to exercise any rights under the securities and the indenture.

The laws of some jurisdictions may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of securities in definitive form. Those laws may impair the ability to transfer or pledge beneficial interests in securities.

DTC may discontinue providing its services as securities depositary with respect to the securities at any time by giving reasonable notice to us. Under such circumstances, in the event that a successor depositary is not obtained, securities certificates are required to be printed and delivered.

As noted above, beneficial owners of a particular series of securities generally will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in those securities. However, if:

•

DTC notifies us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as a depositary for the global security or securities representing such series of securities or if DTC ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act at a time when it is required to be registered and a successor depositary is not appointed within 90 days of the notification to us or of our becoming aware of DTC’s ceasing to be so registered, as the case may be;

•

we determine, in our sole discretion, not to have such securities represented by one or more global securities; or

•

an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing with respect to such series of securities,

we will prepare and deliver certificates for such securities in exchange for beneficial interests in the global securities. Any beneficial interest in a global security that is exchangeable under the circumstances described in the preceding sentence will be exchangeable for securities in definitive certificated form registered in the names that the depositary directs. It is expected that these directions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from its participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the global securities.

We have obtained the information in this section and elsewhere in this prospectus concerning DTC and DTC’s book-entry system from sources that are believed to be reliable, but we take no responsibility for the accuracy of this information.

SELLING SHAREHOLDER

On December 20, 2016, we entered into a Share Subscription Agreement, or the Subscription Agreement, with Incyte Corporation, whom we refer to in this prospectus as “Incyte” or the “selling shareholder.” Pursuant to the Subscription Agreement, on January 23, 2017, we issued and sold 3,200,000 of our common shares to Incyte.

We are registering the above-referenced common shares to permit Incyte and its pledgees, donees, transferees or other successors-in-interest that receive its shares after the date of this prospectus to resell or otherwise dispose of the shares in the manner contemplated under “Plan of Distribution” below.

Incyte has not, nor within the past three years has had, any position, office or other material relationship with us.

The following table sets forth the number of common shares beneficially owned by Incyte, the number of common shares that may be offered under this prospectus and the number of common shares beneficially owned by Incyte assuming all of the shares covered hereby are sold. The number of common shares in the column “Number of Shares Being Offered” represents all of the common shares that Incyte may offer hereunder. Incyte may sell some, all or none of its common shares. Pursuant to the Subscription Agreement, the common shares are subject to a lock-up period, during which time Incyte agreed not to sell or transfer any of the common shares, subject to certain specified exceptions. In addition, for three years following such lock-up period, Incyte agreed not to sell more than one-third of the common shares during any 12-month period or 10% of the common shares in any three-month period, subject to certain exceptions. Except as described herein, we do not know how long Incyte will hold the common shares before selling them and, subject to the limitations described in this prospectus, the common shares may be offered from time to time by Incyte.

The information set forth below is based upon information obtained from Incyte and upon information in our possession regarding the original issuance of the common shares. The percentage of shares owned after the offering is based on 19,392,296 common shares outstanding as of May 31, 2017, including the common shares covered hereby.

Name of Selling Shareholder

Shares Beneficially
Owned Prior to
Offering(1)

Number of
Shares
Being
Offered

Shares
Beneficially
Owned After
Offering(2)

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Incyte Corporation (3)

3,200,000

16.5

3,200,000

—

(1)

“Beneficial ownership” is a term broadly defined by the SEC in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, and includes more than the typical form of share ownership, that is, shares held in the person’s name. The term also includes what is referred to as “indirect ownership,” meaning ownership of shares as to which a person has or shares investment power. For purposes of this table, a person or group of persons is deemed to have “beneficial ownership” of any shares that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of May 31, 2017.

(2)	Assumes that all shares being registered in this prospectus are resold to third parties and that Incyte sells all common shares registered under this prospectus held by it.

(3)	The address of Incyte Corporation is 1801 Augustine Cut-off, Wilmington, DE 19803.

TAXATION

The following summary contains a description of certain material Dutch and U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common shares. Material U.S. federal income tax and Dutch tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of the debt securities, warrants, and units, will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Please note that this summary should not be considered a comprehensive description of all the tax considerations that may be relevant to the decision to purchase common shares. The summary is based upon the tax laws of the Netherlands and regulations thereunder and on the tax laws of the United States and regulations thereunder as of the date hereof, which are subject to change.

Material Dutch Tax Considerations

The following paragraphs summarize a number of material Dutch tax considerations relating to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common shares. The following is intended as general information only, and is in no way a comprehensive or complete description of all aspects of Dutch tax law that may be relevant for a holder or prospective holder of common shares and does not purport to deal with the tax consequences applicable to all categories of investors, some of which (such as trusts or similar arrangements) may be subject to special rules.

Prospective shareholders should consult their own tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of any acquisition, ownership or disposal of common shares in their particular circumstances.

The following summary is based on the Dutch tax law as applied and interpreted by case law, and as published and effective on the date hereof, including, for the avoidance of doubt, the tax rates and brackets applicable on the date hereof, without prejudice to any amendments introduced at a later date and implemented with or without retroactive effect.

For the purpose of this paragraph, “Dutch tax” shall mean tax of whatever nature levied by or on behalf of the Netherlands or any of its subdivisions or taxing authorities and “the Netherlands” means the part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in Europe.

This section does not describe the possible Dutch tax considerations or consequences that may be relevant to a holder of common shares:

•

who is an individual for whom the income or capital gains derived from the common shares is attributable to employment activities, the income from which is taxable in the Netherlands;

•

that is an entity that is, pursuant to the Dutch Corporate Income Tax Act 1969 (Wet op de vennootschapsbelasting 1969, or CITA), not subject to Dutch corporate income tax or is in full or in part exempt from Dutch corporate income tax (such as qualifying pension funds);

•

that is an investment institution (beleggingsinstelling) as defined in article 6a or 28 CITA;

•

that is entitled to the participation exemption (deelnemingsvrijstelling) with respect to the common shares as defined in article 13 CITA. Generally, a holding of common shares is considered to qualify as a participation for the participation exemption if it represents a holding of an interest of 5% or more of our nominal paid-up capital; or

•

who has, or that has, a substantial interest (aanmerkelijk belang) or deemed substantial interest (fictief aanmerkelijk belang) in our company as defined in chapter 4 of the Dutch Income Tax Act 2001 (Wet inkomstenbelasting 2001, or ITA). Generally speaking, a holder of securities in a company is considered to hold a substantial interest in such company, if such holder alone or, in the case of individuals, together with his or her partner (as defined in the ITA), directly or indirectly, holds (i) an interest of 5% or more of the total issued and outstanding capital of that company or of 5% or more of the issued and outstanding capital of a certain class of shares of that company; or (ii) rights to acquire, directly or

indirectly, such interest; or (iii) certain profit sharing rights in that company that relate to 5% or more of the company’s annual profits and/or to 5% or more of the company’s liquidation proceeds. A deemed substantial interest may arise if a substantial interest (or part thereof) in a company has been disposed of, or is deemed to have been disposed of, on a non-recognition basis.

Taxes on Income and Capital Gains

Dutch Residents

The description of certain Dutch tax consequences in this paragraph is only intended for holders of common shares that are either individuals who are resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands for Dutch income tax purposes, or Dutch Individuals, or entities that are subject to the CITA and are resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands for corporate income tax purposes, or Dutch Corporate Entities.

Dutch Individuals

Dutch Individuals that derive or are deemed to derive any benefits from common shares (including any capital gains realized on the disposal of such common shares) which benefits are attributable to an enterprise from which the Dutch Individual derives profits, whether as an entrepreneur (ondernemer) or pursuant to a co-entitlement (medegerechtigde) to the net value of an enterprise, other than as a shareholder, are generally subject to Dutch income tax on those benefits at progressive rates with a maximum of 52%.

Dutch Individuals that derive or are deemed to derive any benefits from common shares (including any capital gains realized on the disposal of such common shares) that constitute benefits from miscellaneous activities (resultaat uit overige werkzaamheden), including, without limitation, activities which are beyond the scope of active portfolio investment activities (meer dan normaal, actief vermogensbeheer), are generally subject to Dutch income tax at progressive rates on such benefits with a maximum of 52%.

Dutch Individuals, whose common shares are not attributable to an enterprise, and whose common shares do not qualify as generating income from miscellaneous activities will be taxed under the regime for savings and investments (inkomen uit sparen en beleggen). Irrespective of the actual income and capital gains realized, the annual taxable benefit of all the assets and allowable liabilities of a Dutch Individual that are taxed under this regime, including the common shares, is set at a deemed return based on the fair market value of the assets reduced by the allowable liabilities on January 1 of each year. Depending on the aggregate amount of the fair market value of the assets reduced by the liabilities, the deemed return ranges from 2.87% up to 5.39% (2017). This deemed return is subject to income tax at a flat rate of 30%. Taxation only occurs if and to the extent the fair market value of the assets reduced by the liabilities exceeds a threshold (heffingvrij vermogen) of €25,000 (2017). The deemed return will be adjusted annually.

Dutch Corporate Entities

Dutch Corporate Entities are generally subject to corporate income tax on income, including capital gains, derived from the common shares. The first €200,000 profits are taxable at a rate of 20%, while any profits in excess of €200,000 are taxable at a rate of 25% (2017).

Non-Dutch Residents

Non-Dutch Individuals

A holder of common shares that is an individual and not a resident or deemed resident of the Netherlands, or Non-Dutch Individual, for Dutch tax purposes, will not be subject to any Dutch taxes on income or capital gains in respect of the acquisition, ownership or disposition of common shares, other than dividend withholding tax described below, unless:

•

the Non-Dutch Individual derives profits from an enterprise directly, or pursuant to a co-entitlement to the net value of such enterprise, other than as a holder of securities, which enterprise either is managed in the Netherlands or carried out, in whole or in part, through a permanent establishment (vaste inrichting), a deemed permanent establishment (fictieve vaste inrichting) or a permanent representative (vaste vertegenwoordiger) which is taxable in the Netherlands and to which the common shares are attributable; or

•

the Non-Dutch Individual derives benefits or is deemed to derive benefits from common shares that are taxable as benefits from miscellaneous activities in the Netherlands, including, without limitation, activities which are beyond the scope of active portfolio investment activities.

If either of the conditions above apply, income or capital gains in respect of dividends distributed by us or in respect of any capital gain realized on the disposal of common shares will in general be subject to Dutch income tax at the progressive rates with a maximum of 52%, on the understanding that such benefits derived as benefits from miscellaneous activities will only be taxable in the Netherlands if such activities are performed or deemed to be performed in the Netherlands.

Non-Dutch Corporate Entities

A holder of common shares, other than an individual, that is not a resident or deemed resident of the Netherlands for Dutch corporate income tax purposes, will not be subject to any Dutch taxes on income or capital gains in respect of the acquisition, ownership or disposition of common shares, other than dividend withholding tax described below, unless that holder of common shares derives profits from an enterprise directly, or pursuant to a co-entitlement to the net value of such enterprise other than as a holder of securities, which enterprise either is managed in the Netherlands or carried out, in whole or in part, through a permanent establishment or a permanent representative which is taxable in the Netherlands and to which the common shares are attributable.

If the condition above applies, income and capital gains derived from the common shares will, in general, be subject to Dutch corporate income tax. The first €200,000 profits are taxable at a rate of 20%, while any profits in excess of €200,000 are taxable at a rate of 25% (2017).

Dividend Withholding Tax

Dividends payments made by us are generally subject to a 15% Dutch dividend withholding tax. Generally, we are responsible for withholding the Dutch dividend withholding tax at source, while the tax is ultimately for the account of the shareholder. The term “dividend payments” includes, but is not limited to:

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distributions in cash or in kind, as well as deemed or constructive distributions and repayments of paid-in capital not recognized for Dutch withholding tax purposes;

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liquidation proceeds, proceeds of redemption of common shares, or proceeds of repurchase of common shares by us or one of our subsidiaries or other affiliated entity to the extent such proceeds exceed the average paid-in capital recognized for Dutch dividend withholding tax purposes;

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the par value of common shares issued to a holder of common shares or an increase of the par value of common shares, to the extent that it does not appear that a related contribution, recognized for Dutch dividend withholding tax purposes, has been made or will be made; and

•

partial repayment of paid-in capital recognized for Dutch dividend withholding tax purposes, if and to the extent that we have net profits (zuivere winst), unless:

•

the general meeting of the shareholders has resolved in advance to make such repayment; and

•

the par value of the common shares concerned has been reduced by a corresponding amount by way of an amendment of our articles of association.

The term “net profits” includes anticipated profits that have yet to be realized but that are reasonably certain and determinable.

In general, we will be required to remit all amounts withheld as Dutch dividend withholding tax to the Dutch tax authorities. However, under certain circumstances, we are allowed to reduce the amount to be remitted to the Dutch tax authorities by the lesser of:

•

3% of the portion of the distribution paid by us that is subject to Dutch dividend withholding tax; and

•

3% of the dividends and profit distributions, before deduction of foreign withholding taxes, received by us from qualifying foreign subsidiaries in the current calendar year (up to the date of the distribution by us) and the two preceding calendar years, as far as such dividends and profit distributions have not yet been taken into account for purposes of establishing the above mentioned reduction.

Although this reduction reduces the amount of Dutch dividend withholding tax that we are required to remit to the Dutch tax authorities, it does not reduce the amount of tax that we are required to withhold on Dividend Payments.

Dutch Individuals and Dutch Corporate Entities can generally credit Dutch dividend withholding tax against their personal income tax or corporate income tax liability. The same generally applies to holders of common shares that are neither resident nor deemed resident of the Netherlands if the common shares are attributable to a Dutch permanent establishment of such a non-resident holder of common shares to which the common shares are attributable.

Depending on the holder’s specific circumstances, a holder of our common shares that is neither resident nor deemed to be resident of the Netherlands, may be entitled to reductions or exemptions from or a full credit for Dutch dividend withholding tax pursuant to Dutch tax law, the laws of the European Union or treaties for avoidance of double taxation.

Due to legislation introduced to counteract the practice of dividend stripping, a reduction, exemption, credit or refund of Dutch dividend withholding tax is denied if the recipient of the Dividend Payment does not qualify as the beneficial owner (uiteindelijk gerechtigde) of that Dividend Payment. The anti-dividend stripping legislation generally targets situations in which shareholders retain their economic interest in common shares but reduce the withholding tax due on the Dividend Payment by entering into a transaction with another party with (mainly) that intent. It is not required for these rules to apply that the recipient of the Dividend Payment be aware that a dividend stripping transaction took place. The Dutch Ministry of Finance takes the position that the definition of beneficial ownership introduced by this legislation will also be applied in the context of a double taxation convention.

Gift Tax and Inheritance Tax

Dutch Residents

Gift or inheritance taxes will arise in the Netherlands with respect to a transfer of common shares by way of a gift by, or, on the death of, a holder of common shares who is resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands at the time of the gift or his/her death.

For purposes of Netherlands gift and inheritance taxes, amongst others, a person that holds Dutch nationality will be deemed to be resident in the Netherlands if that person has been resident in the Netherlands at any time during the 10 years preceding the date of the gift — in case of a gift under a condition precedent, the date of the fulfillment of the condition — or the date of the death of this person. Additionally, for purposes of Dutch gift tax, a person not holding Dutch nationality will be deemed to be resident in the Netherlands if that person has been resident in the Netherlands at any time during the 12 months preceding the date of the gift or - in case of a gift under a condition precedent - the date of the fulfillment of the condition. Applicable tax treaties may override the tax implications of deemed residency.

Non-Dutch Residents

No Dutch gift or inheritance tax will arise on the transfer of common shares by way of a gift by, or on the death of, a holder of common shares who is neither resident nor deemed to be resident in the Netherlands, unless:

•

in case of a gift of the common shares under a condition precedent (opschortende voorwaarde) by an individual who at the date of the gift was neither resident nor deemed to be resident in the Netherlands, such individual is resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands at the date of the fulfillment of the condition;

•

in case of a gift of the common shares by an individual who at the date of the gift or, in case of a gift under a condition precedent, at the date of the fulfillment of the condition, was neither resident nor deemed to be resident in the Netherlands, such individual dies within 180 days after the date of the gift or the fulfillment of the condition, while being resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands; or

•

the transfer is otherwise construed as a gift or inheritance made by, or on behalf of, a person who, at the time of the gift or death, is or is deemed to be resident in the Netherlands.

Furthermore, Dutch inheritance tax will arise in case of a gift under a condition precedent by an individual who, at the date of the gift, was neither resident nor deemed resident of the Netherlands, but at the date of his or her death was resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands, and the condition was fulfilled after the date of his or her death.

Value Added Tax

No Dutch value added tax will be due in the Netherlands by a holder of common shares in respect of payments made in consideration for the issue of common shares, or in respect of the transfer of common shares.

Other Taxes

No Dutch registration tax, stamp duty, or any other similar documentary tax or duty will be due in the Netherlands by a holder of common shares in respect of or in connection with the mere issue, transfer or delivery of the common shares.

Residency

A holder of common shares will not become, and will not be deemed to be, resident in the Netherlands for Dutch tax purposes merely by virtue of holding a common share or by virtue of the execution, performance and/or delivery of our common shares.

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for U.S. Holders

The following is a description of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences to the U.S. Holders described below of owning and disposing of common shares. It is not a comprehensive description of all tax considerations that may be relevant to a particular person’s decision to acquire securities. This discussion applies only to a U.S. Holder that holds common shares as a capital asset for tax purposes (generally, property held for investment). In addition, it does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant in light of a U.S. Holder’s particular circumstances, including state and local tax consequences, estate tax consequences, alternative minimum tax consequences, the potential application of the provisions of the Code known as the Medicare contribution tax, and tax consequences applicable to U.S. Holders subject to special rules, such as:

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certain financial institutions;

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a dealer in securities or currencies;

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dealers or traders in securities who use a mark-to-market method of tax accounting;

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persons holding common shares as part of a hedging transaction, “straddle,” wash sale, conversion transaction or integrated transaction or persons entering into a constructive sale with respect to the common shares;

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persons whose “functional currency” for U.S. federal income tax purposes is not the U.S. dollar;

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tax exempt entities, including “individual retirement accounts” and “Roth IRAs”;

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entities classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

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regulated investment companies or real estate investment trusts;

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an insurance company;

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persons who acquired our common shares pursuant to the exercise of an employee stock option or otherwise as compensation;

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persons that own or are deemed to own ten percent or more of our voting shares; and

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persons holding common shares in connection with a trade or business conducted outside the United States.

If an entity that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds common shares, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships holding common shares and partners in such partnerships are encouraged to consult their tax advisers as to the particular U.S. federal income tax consequences of holding and disposing of common shares.

The discussion is based on the Code, administrative pronouncements, judicial decisions, final, temporary and proposed Treasury Regulations, and the income tax treaty between the Netherlands and the United States (the “Treaty”) all as of the date hereof, changes to any of which may affect the tax consequences described herein—possibly with retroactive effect. This discussion does not take into account or address changes to United States tax law that may result from tax reforms that may be enacted in 2017 or thereafter.

A “U.S. Holder” is a holder who, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is a beneficial owner of common shares who is eligible for the benefits of the Treaty and is:

(1)

a citizen or individual resident of the United States;

(2)

a corporation, or other entity taxable as a corporation, created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state therein or the District of Columbia; or

(3)

an estate or trust the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source.

U.S. Holders are encouraged to consult their tax advisers concerning the U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of owning and disposing of common shares in their particular circumstances.

Taxation of Distributions

Subject to the discussion below under “Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules,” distributions paid on common shares, other than certain pro rata distributions of common shares, will generally be treated as dividends to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). Because we do not calculate our earnings and profits under U.S. federal income tax principles, we expect that distributions generally will be reported to U.S. Holders as dividends. Subject to applicable limitations, dividends paid to certain non-corporate U.S. Holders may be taxable at preferential rates applicable to “qualified dividend income.” The amount of a dividend will include any amounts withheld by us in respect of Dutch income taxes. The amount of the dividend will be treated as foreign-source dividend income to U.S. Holders and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally available to U.S. corporations under the Code. Dividends will be included in a U.S. Holder’s income on the date of the U.S. Holder’s actual or constructive receipt of the dividend. The amount of any dividend income paid in foreign currency will be the U.S. dollar amount calculated by reference to the exchange

rate in effect on the date of actual or constructive receipt, regardless of whether the payment is in fact converted into U.S. dollars. If the dividend is converted into U.S. dollars on the date of receipt, a U.S. Holder should not be required to recognize foreign currency gain or loss in respect of the dividend income. A U.S. Holder may have foreign currency gain or loss if the dividend is converted into U.S. dollars after the date of receipt. Such gain or loss would generally be treated as U.S.-source ordinary income or loss. The amount of any distribution of property other than cash (and other than certain pro rata distributions of common shares or rights to acquire common shares) will be the fair market value of such property on the date of distribution.

Subject to applicable limitations, some of which vary depending upon the U.S. Holder’s particular circumstances, Dutch income taxes withheld from dividends on common shares at a rate not exceeding the rate provided by the Treaty will be creditable against the U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability. The rules governing foreign tax credits are complex and U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisers regarding the creditability of foreign taxes in their particular circumstances. In lieu of claiming a foreign tax credit, U.S. Holders may, at their election, deduct foreign taxes, including any Dutch income tax, in computing their taxable income, subject to generally applicable limitations under U.S. law. An election to deduct foreign taxes instead of claiming foreign tax credits applies to all foreign taxes paid or accrued in the taxable year.

Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Shares

Subject to the discussion below under “Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules,” gain or loss realized on the sale or other taxable disposition of common shares will be capital gain or loss, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder held the common shares for more than one year. The amount of the gain or loss will equal the difference between the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the common shares disposed of and the amount realized on the disposition, in each case as determined in U.S. dollars. This gain or loss will generally be U.S.-source gain or loss for foreign tax credit purposes. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules

Based on the current and anticipated value of our assets, including goodwill, and the composition of our income, assets and operations, we do not believe we were a PFIC for our taxable year ended December 31, 2016. However, the application of the PFIC rules is subject to uncertainty in several respects, and we cannot assure holders of our common shares that the IRS will not take a contrary position. A non-U.S. corporation will be classified as a PFIC for any taxable year in which, after applying certain look-through rules, either:

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at least 75% of its gross income is passive income; or

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at least 50% of its gross assets (determined on the basis of a quarterly average) is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income.

We will be treated as owning our proportionate share of the assets and earning our proportionate share of the income of any other corporation in which we own, directly or indirectly, 25% or more (by value) of the equity.

A separate determination must be made after the close of each taxable year as to whether we are a PFIC for that year. As a result, our PFIC status may change. In particular, the total value of our assets for purposes of the asset test generally will be calculated using the market price of our common shares, which may fluctuate considerably. Fluctuations in the market price of our common shares may result in our being a PFIC for any taxable year. In addition, the composition of our income and assets is affected by how, and how quickly, we spend the cash we raise in any offering.

If we are classified as a PFIC in any year with respect to which a U.S. Holder owns the common shares, we will continue to be treated as a PFIC with respect to such U.S. Holder in all succeeding years during which the U.S. Holder owns the common shares, regardless of whether we continue to meet the tests described above unless (1) we cease to be a PFIC and (2) the U.S. Holder has made a “deemed sale” election under the PFIC rules.

If we are a PFIC for any taxable year, holders of our common shares will be subject to special tax rules with respect to any “excess distribution” that they receive and any gain they realize from a sale or other disposition (including a pledge) of common shares. Distributions that holders of our common shares receive in a taxable year that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions they received during the shorter of the three preceding taxable years or their holding period for the common shares will be treated as an excess distribution. Under these special tax rules:

•

the excess distribution or gain will be allocated ratably over their holding period for the common shares;

•

the amount allocated to the current taxable year, and any taxable year prior to the first taxable year in which we became a PFIC, will be treated as ordinary income; and

•

the amount allocated to each other year will be subject to the highest tax rate in effect for that year and the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the resulting tax attributable to each such year.

The tax liability for amounts allocated to years prior to the year of disposition or “excess distribution” cannot be offset by any net operating losses for such years, and gains (but not losses) realized on the sale of the common shares cannot be treated as capital, even if holders of our common shares hold the common shares as capital assets.

Certain elections may be available that would result in alternative treatments (such as mark-to-market treatment of the common shares). The adverse consequences of owning stock in a PFIC could be mitigated if a U.S. Holder makes a valid “qualified electing fund” election, or QEF election, which, among other things, would require a U.S. Holder to include currently in income its pro rata share of the PFIC’s net capital gain and ordinary earnings, based on earnings and profits as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We currently do no intend to provide the information necessary for a U.S. Holder to make a QEF election with respect to our common shares. Unless otherwise provided by the U.S. Treasury, each U.S. shareholder of a PFIC is required to file an annual report containing such information as the U.S. Treasury may require. A U.S. Holder’s failure to file the annual report will cause the statute of limitations for such U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax return to remain open with regard to the items required to be included in such report until three years after the U.S. Holder files the annual report, and, unless such failure is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, the statute of limitations for the U.S. Holder’s entire U.S. federal income tax return will remain open during such period.

If we are or become a PFIC, holders of our common shares should consult their tax advisors regarding any reporting requirements that may apply to them. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to the ownership and disposition of the common shares and the potential availability of a mark-to-market or QEF election.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

Payments of dividends and sales proceeds that are made within the United States or through certain U.S.-related financial intermediaries generally are subject to information reporting, and may be subject to backup withholding, unless (i) the U.S. Holder is a corporation or other exempt recipient or (ii) in the case of backup withholding, the U.S. Holder provides a correct taxpayer identification number and certifies that it is not subject to backup withholding.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to a U.S. Holder will be allowed as a credit against the holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle it to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Information with Respect to Foreign Financial Assets

Certain U.S. Holders who are individuals (and, under regulations, certain entities) may be required to report information relating to the common shares, subject to certain exceptions (including an exception for common shares held in accounts maintained by certain U.S. financial institutions). U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisers regarding their reporting obligations with respect to their ownership and disposition of the common shares.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We or the selling shareholder may sell the securities from time to time pursuant to underwritten public offerings, negotiated transactions, block trades or a combination of these methods or through underwriters or dealers, through agents and/or directly to one or more purchasers. The securities may be distributed from time to time in one or more transactions:

•

at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;

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at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

•

at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or

•

at negotiated prices.

Each time that we or the selling shareholder sell securities covered by this prospectus, we or the selling shareholder will provide a prospectus supplement or supplements that will describe the method of distribution and set forth the terms and conditions of the offering of such securities, including the offering price of the securities and the proceeds to us or the selling shareholder, if applicable.

Offers to purchase the securities being offered by this prospectus may be solicited directly. Agents may also be designated to solicit offers to purchase the securities from time to time. Any agent involved in the offer or sale of our securities will be identified in a prospectus supplement.

If a dealer is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, the securities will be sold to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale.

If an underwriter is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, an underwriting agreement will be executed with the underwriter at the time of sale and the name of any underwriter will be provided in the prospectus supplement that the underwriter will use to make resales of the securities to the public. In connection with the sale of the securities, we, or the selling shareholder, or the purchasers of securities for whom the underwriter may act as agent, may compensate the underwriter in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions. The underwriter may sell the securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for which they may act as agent. Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, an agent will be acting on a best efforts basis and a dealer will purchase securities as a principal, and may then resell the securities at varying prices to be determined by the dealer.

Any compensation paid to underwriters, dealers or agents in connection with the offering of the securities, and any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers will be provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. Underwriters, dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and any discounts and commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions. We may enter into agreements to indemnify underwriters, dealers and agents against civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments they may be required to make in respect thereof and to reimburse those persons for certain expenses.

Any common shares will be listed on The NASDAQ Global Market, but any other securities may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange. To facilitate the offering of securities, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the securities, which involve the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than were sold to them. In these circumstances, these persons would cover such over-allotments or short positions by making purchases in the open market or by exercising their over-allotment option, if

any. In addition, these persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the securities by bidding for or purchasing securities in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to dealers participating in the offering may be reclaimed if securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. These transactions may be discontinued at any time.

We may engage in at the market offerings into an existing trading market in accordance with Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act. In addition, we may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement so indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and, if not identified in this prospectus, will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a post-effective amendment). In addition, we may otherwise loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities short using this prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement. Such financial institution or other third party may transfer its economic short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a concurrent offering of other securities.

The specific terms of any lock-up provisions in respect of any given offering will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

In compliance with the guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, the maximum consideration or discount to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker dealer may not exceed 8% of the aggregate proceeds of the offering.

The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us, or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business for which they receive compensation.

EXCHANGE CONTROLS

Under the existing laws of the Netherlands, there are no exchange controls applicable to the transfer to persons outside of the Netherlands of dividends or other distributions with respect to, or of the proceeds from the sale of, shares of a Dutch company. However, payment of dividends by us may be restricted by sanctions and measures, including those concerning export control, pursuant to European Union regulations, the Dutch Sanctions Act 1977 (Sanctiewet 1977) or other legislation.

MATERIAL CHANGES

Except as described above or otherwise described in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 and in our Form 6-Ks incorporated by reference into this prospectus, no reportable material changes have occurred since December 31, 2016.

EXPENSES

The following is an estimate of the expenses (all of which are to be paid by us) that we may incur in connection with the securities being registered hereby, other than the SEC registration fee.


SEC registration fee	$	36,122
FINRA filing fee		38,000
Legal fees and expenses		(1	)
Accounting fees and expenses		(1	)
Printing expenses		(1	)
Miscellaneous expenses		(1	)

Total	$	(1	)

(1)	These fees are calculated based on the securities offered and the number of issuances and accordingly cannot be estimated at this time.

LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the debt securities and warrants and certain other matters will be passed upon for us by Latham & Watkins LLP. The validity of the common shares held by the selling shareholder will be passed upon for us by Eversheds B.V. with the address of De Cuserstraat 85a, 1081 CN Amsterdam, P.O. Box 7902, 1008 AC Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The validity of our common shares and certain other matters of Dutch law will be passed upon for us by NautaDutilh N.V. with its address at Beethovenstraat 400, 1082 PR Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for any underwriters, dealers or agents by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Merus N.V. as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2016, have been incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon the report of KPMG Accountants N.V., independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing. The registered offices of KPMG Accountants N.V. are located at Laan van Langerhuize 1, 1186 DS Amstelveen, the Netherlands.

ENFORCEMENT OF CIVIL LIABILITIES

We are incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands. Substantially all of our assets are located outside the United States. As of the date of this prospectus, the majority of our directors reside outside the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon such persons or to enforce against them or us in U.S. courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States.

The United States and the Netherlands currently do not have a treaty providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments, other than arbitration awards, in civil and commercial matters. Consequently, a final judgment for payment given by a court in the United States, whether or not predicated solely upon U.S. securities laws, would not automatically be recognized or enforceable in the Netherlands. In order to obtain a judgment which is enforceable in the Netherlands, the party in whose favor a final and conclusive judgment of the U.S. court has been rendered will be required to file its claim with a court of competent jurisdiction in the Netherlands. Under current practice, the courts of the Netherlands may be expected to render a judgment in accordance with the judgment of the relevant foreign court, provided that such judgment (i) is a final judgment and has been rendered by a court which has established its jurisdiction over the Dutch company on the basis of internationally accepted grounds of jurisdiction, (ii) has not been rendered in violation of elementary principles of fair trial, (iii) is not contrary to the public policy of the Netherlands and (iv) is not incompatible with (a) a prior judgment of a Netherlands court rendered in a dispute between the same parties, or (b) a prior judgment of a foreign court rendered in a dispute between the same parties, concerning the same subject matter and based on the same cause of action, provided that such prior judgment is capable of being recognized in the Netherlands. Dutch courts may deny the recognition and enforcement of punitive damages or other awards. Moreover, a Dutch court may reduce the amount of damages granted by a U.S. court and recognize damages only to the extent that they are necessary to compensate actual losses or damages. Enforcement and recognition of judgments of U.S. courts in the Netherlands are solely governed by the provisions of the Dutch Civil Procedure Code. If no leave to enforce is granted, claimants must litigate the claim again before a competent Dutch court.

Despite any generally recognized choice of law clause for a jurisdiction other than the Netherlands contained in an agreement, a court in the Netherlands (a) may apply overriding mandatory provisions of (i) Netherlands law and (ii) the law of the country where the obligations arising out of such agreement have to be or have been performed, in so far as those overriding mandatory provisions render the performance of such agreement unlawful, (b) may refuse application of a provision of the chosen law if application thereof is manifestly incompatible with the public policy (ordre public) of the Netherlands or the European Union, (c) may, in relation to the manner of performance of such agreement and the steps to be taken in the event of defective performance, have regard to the law of the country where performance of such agreement takes place and (d) will ignore the choice of law clause to the extent it relates to (i) an act of unfair competition or an act restricting free competition, (ii) infringement of an intellectual property right, or (iii) the proprietary aspects of a transfer of title or the granting of security and other proprietary rights.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Available Information

We are subject to the periodic reporting and other informational requirements of the Exchange Act. Under the Exchange Act, we file annual reports and other information with the SEC. As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from, among other things, the rules under the Exchange Act prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements and our officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

Information filed with the SEC by us can be inspected and copied at the Public Reference Room maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of this information by mail from the Public Reference Room of the SEC at prescribed rates. Further information on the operation of the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. can be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a web site that contains reports and information statements and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is www.sec.gov.

This prospectus and any prospectus supplement are part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Forms of the documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Statements in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. or through the SEC’s website, as provided above.

Incorporation by Reference

The SEC’s rules allow us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, and subsequent information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede that information. Any statement contained in a previously filed document incorporated by reference will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus modifies or replaces that statement.

This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement incorporate by reference the documents set forth below that have previously been filed with the SEC:

•

Our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2016, filed with the SEC on April 28, 2017.

•

Exhibit 99.2 to and the sections titled “Settlement Agreement with Chief Operating Officer” and “MCLA-117” of our Report on Form 6-K furnished with the SEC on June 1, 2017.

•

The description of our common shares contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on May 11, 2016, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

We are also incorporating by reference all subsequent annual reports on Form 20-F that we file with the SEC and certain reports on Form 6-K that we furnish to the SEC after the date of this prospectus (if they state that they are incorporated by reference into this prospectus) prior to the termination of this offering. In all cases, you should rely on the later information over different information included in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement.

Unless expressly incorporated by reference, nothing in this prospectus shall be deemed to incorporate by reference information furnished to, but not filed with, the SEC. Copies of all documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, other than exhibits to those documents unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference in this prospectus, will be provided at no cost to each person, including any beneficial owner, who receives a copy of this prospectus on the written or oral request of that person made to:

Merus N.V.

Yalelaan 62

3584 CM Utrecht

The Netherlands

+31 30 253 8800

MATERIAL CONTRACTS

Our material contracts are described in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference — Incorporation by Reference” above.

The information in this prospectus supplement is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus supplement is not an offer to sell these securities, and we are not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Subject to completion, dated June 1, 2017

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

$50,000,000

LOGO

Merus N.V.

Common Shares

We have entered into a sales agreement with Cowen and Company, LLC, or Cowen, relating to our common shares offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. In accordance with the terms of the sales agreement, we may offer and sell our common shares having an aggregate offering price of up to $50.0 million from time to time through Cowen acting as our agent.

Our common shares are listed on The NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “MRUS”. On May 31, 2017, the last reported sale price of our common shares was $19.36 per share.

Sales of our common shares, if any, under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus will be made in sales deemed to be “at the market offerings” as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. Cowen is not required to sell any specific amount of securities, but will act as our sales agent using commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices, on mutually agreed terms between Cowen and us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in any escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

The compensation to Cowen for sales of common shares sold pursuant to the sales agreement will be an amount equal to 3% of the gross proceeds of any common shares sold under the sales agreement. See “Plan of Distribution” beginning on page S-7 for additional information regarding the compensation to be paid to Cowen. In connection with the sale of the common shares on our behalf, Cowen will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of Cowen will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have also agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to Cowen with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

OUR BUSINESS AND AN INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMON SHARES INVOLVE SIGNIFICANT RISKS. THESE RISKS ARE DESCRIBED UNDER THE CAPTION “RISK FACTORS ” BEGINNING ON PAGE S-3 OF THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT AND IN THE DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE INTO THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Cowen

, 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS


ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT			S-i
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE			S-ii
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY			S-1
RISK FACTORS			S-3
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS			S-4
USE OF PROCEEDS			S-5
DILUTION			S-6
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION			S-7
LEGAL MATTERS			S-9
EXPERTS			S-9

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This prospectus supplement is part of a registration statement that we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, utilizing a “shelf” registration process, and relates to the offering of our common shares. Before buying any of the common shares that we are offering, we urge you to carefully read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus and all of the information incorporated by reference herein and therein, as well as the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference.” These documents contain important information that you should consider when making your investment decision.

We provide information to you about this offering of our common shares in two separate documents that are bound together: (1) this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific details regarding this offering; and (2) the accompanying base prospectus, which provides general information, some of which may not apply to this offering. Generally, when we refer to this “prospectus,” we are referring to both documents combined. If information in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with the accompanying base prospectus, you should rely on this prospectus supplement. To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus supplement, on the one hand, and the information contained in any document incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, on the other hand, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement. If any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date—for example, a document incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement—the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering. We have not, and Cowen has not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not, and Cowen is not, making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted or in which the person making that offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering, is accurate only as of the date of those respective documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering, in their entirety before making an investment decision.

When we refer to “Merus,” “we,” “our,” “us” and the “Company” in this prospectus supplement, we mean Merus N.V., unless otherwise specified.

We use our registered trademark, Merus and Biclonics in this prospectus supplement. This prospectus supplement also includes trademarks, tradenames and service marks that are the property of other organizations. Solely for convenience, trademarks and tradenames referred to in this prospectus supplement appear without the ^® and ™ symbols, but those references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or that the applicable owner will not assert its rights, to these trademarks and tradenames.

S-i

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Available Information

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus are part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Forms of the documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying base prospectus about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. or through the SEC’s website, as provided above.

Incorporation by Reference

The SEC’s rules allow us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus supplement, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus supplement, and subsequent information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede that information. Any statement contained in a previously filed document incorporated by reference will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus supplement to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus supplement modifies or replaces that statement.

This prospectus supplement incorporates by reference the documents set forth below that have previously been filed with the SEC:

∎

Our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2016, filed with the SEC on April 28, 2017.

∎

Exhibit 99.2 to and the sections titled “Settlement Agreement with Chief Operating Officer” and “MCLA-117” of our Report on Form 6-K furnished with the SEC on June 1, 2017.

∎

We are also incorporating by reference all subsequent annual reports on Form 20-F that we file with the SEC and certain reports on Form 6-K that we furnish to the SEC after the date of this prospectus (if they state that they are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement) prior to the termination of this offering. In all cases, you should rely on the later information over different information included in this prospectus supplement or any the accompanying base prospectus.

S-ii

Unless expressly incorporated by reference, nothing in this prospectus supplement shall be deemed to incorporate by reference information furnished to, but not filed with, the SEC. Copies of all documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, other than exhibits to those documents unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, will be provided at no cost to each person, including any beneficial owner, who receives a copy of this prospectus supplement on the written or oral request of that person made to:

Merus N.V.

Yalelaan 62

3584 CM Utrecht

The Netherlands

+31 30 253 8800

S-iii

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus and in the documents we incorporate by reference. This summary does not contain all of the information you should consider before making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus supplement carefully, especially the risks of investing in our common shares discussed under “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-3 of this prospectus supplement, along with our consolidated financial statements and notes to those consolidated financial statements and the other information incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement.

Overview

Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at Yalelaan 62, 3584 CM Utrecht, the Netherlands. Our telephone number at this address is +31 30 253 8800.

Our website address is www.merus.nl. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of, and shall not be incorporated by reference into, this prospectus supplement. We have included our website address as an inactive textual reference only.

Implications of Being an “Emerging Growth Company”

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other burdens that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include an exemption from the auditor attestation requirement in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

We will remain an emerging growth company and may take advantage of these provisions until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering of our common shares, (2) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, (3) the last day of the fiscal year in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which will occur when the market value of our common shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of the second quarter of the fiscal year, and (4) the date on which we have issued more than an aggregate of $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.

S-1

THE OFFERING


Common Shares Offered by Us		Common shares having an aggregate offering price of up to $50,000,000.

Manner of Offering		“At the market” offering that may be made from time to time through our sales agent, Cowen and Company, LLC. See “Plan of Distribution.”

Use of Proceeds		We currently intend to use the net proceeds of this offering to advance the clinical development of MCLA-128, MCLA-117 and our other bispecific antibody candidates and for working capital and general corporate purposes. See “Use of Proceeds.”

Risk Factors		You should read the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page S-3 of this prospectus supplement and the other information included in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus supplement for a discussion of certain factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in our common shares.

NASDAQ Global Market Symbol		MRUS

S-2

RISK FACTORS

Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors described below and in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2016 incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, and any amendment or update thereto reflected in subsequent filings with the SEC, including all other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.

Risks Relating to this Offering

If you purchase common shares sold in this offering, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value of your shares. In addition, we may issue additional equity or convertible debt securities in the future, which may result in additional dilution to you.

The price per share of our common shares being offered may be higher than the net tangible book value per share of our outstanding common shares prior to this offering. Assuming that an aggregate of 2,582,644 of our common shares are sold at an assumed offering price of $19.36 per share, the last reported sale price of our common shares on The NASDAQ Global Market on May 31, 2017, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $50.0 million, and after deducting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, new investors in this offering will incur immediate dilution of $14.76 per share. For a more detailed discussion of the foregoing, see the section entitled “Dilution” below. To the extent outstanding stock options or warrants are exercised, there will be further dilution to new investors. In addition, to the extent we need to raise additional capital in the future and we issue additional common shares or securities convertible or exchangeable for our common shares, our then existing stockholders may experience dilution and the new securities may have rights senior to those of our common shares offered in this offering.

We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may not use them effectively.

Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering, including for any of the purposes described in the section entitled “Use of Proceeds,” and you will not have the opportunity as part of your investment decision to assess whether the net proceeds are being used appropriately. Because of the number and variability of factors that will determine our use of the net proceeds from this offering, their ultimate use may vary substantially from their currently intended use. Our management might not apply our net proceeds in ways that ultimately increase the value of your investment. We expect to use the net proceeds from this offering to advance the clinical development of MCLA-128, MCLA-117 and our other bispecific antibody candidates and for working capital and general corporate purposes. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could harm our business. Pending their use, we plan to invest the net proceeds from this offering in short- and intermediate-term, interest-bearing obligations, investment-grade instruments, certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government. These investments may not yield a favorable return to our stockholders. If we do not invest or apply the net proceeds from this offering in ways that enhance stockholder value, we may fail to achieve expected financial results, which could cause our stock price to decline.

S-3

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering may contain statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Many of these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “expect,” “should,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate” and “potential,” among others.

Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our intent, belief or current expectations. Forward-looking statements are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various important factors, including, but not limited to, those referenced under the section titled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus supplement. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

∎

the initiation, timing, progress and results of clinical trials of our bispecific antibody candidates, including statements regarding when results of such trials will be made public;

∎

our plans to pursue research and development of our lead bispecific antibody candidate, MCLA-128, for the treatment of patients with various solid tumors;

∎

our plans to pursue research and development of our second bispecific antibody candidate, MCLA-117, for the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia, or AML;

∎

the potential advantages of MCLA-128 for the treatment of patients with various solid tumors;

∎

the potential advantages of MCLA-117 for the treatment of patients with AML;

∎

our expectations regarding the use of proceeds from this offering; and

∎

other risk factors referenced under “Risk Factors” and included in the documents incorporated into this prospectus.

You should read this prospectus, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering completely and with the understanding that our actual results may differ materially from what we expect as expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. In light of the significant risks and uncertainties to which our forward-looking statements are subject, you should not place undue reliance on or regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified timeframe, or at all. We discuss many of these risks in greater detail in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. For all forward-looking statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

S-4

USE OF PROCEEDS

We may issue and sell our common shares having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $50.0 million from time to time. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to close this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time.

We currently intend to use the net proceeds of this offering to advance the clinical development of MCLA-128, MCLA-117 and our other bispecific antibody candidates and for working capital and general corporate purposes.

The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including the progress of our clinical trials and other development efforts and other factors described under “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, as well as the amount of cash used in our operations. We may find it necessary or advisable to use the net proceeds for other purposes, and we will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds.

Pending the uses described above, we plan to invest the net proceeds from this offering in short- and intermediate-term, interest-bearing obligations, investment-grade instruments, certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government.

S-5

DILUTION

If you invest in our common shares, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the price per share you pay in this offering and the net tangible book value per share of our common shares immediately after this offering. Our net tangible book value of our common shares as of December 31, 2016 was approximately €33.7 million ($37.8 million), or approximately $2.35 per common share based upon 16,085,851 shares then outstanding. Net tangible book value per share is equal to our total tangible assets, less our total liabilities, divided by the total number of shares outstanding as of December 31, 2016.

After giving effect to the sale of our common shares in the aggregate amount of $50.0 million (€44.6 million) at an assumed offering price of $19.36 (€17.25) per share, the last reported sale price of our common shares on The NASDAQ Global Market on May 31, 2017, and after deducting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2016 would have been €76.6 million ($85.9 million), or $4.60 per common share. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $2.25 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $14.76 per share to new investors in this offering.

The following table illustrates this calculation on a per share basis. The as adjusted information is illustrative only and will adjust based on the actual price to the public, the actual number of shares sold and other terms of the offering determined at the time our common shares are sold pursuant to this prospectus supplement. The as adjusted information assumes that all of our common shares in the aggregate amount of $50.0 million is sold at the assumed offering price of $19.36 per share, the last reported sale price of our common shares on The NASDAQ Global Market on May 31, 2017. The shares sold in this offering, if any, will be sold from time to time at various prices.


Assumed public offering price per share		$	19.36
Net tangible book value per share as of December 31, 2016	$2.35
Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to the offering	2.25

As adjusted net tangible book value per share after giving effect to the offering			4.60

Dilution per share to new investors participating in the offering		$	14.76

The number of our common shares to be outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 16,085,851 common shares outstanding as of December 31, 2016. The number of shares outstanding as of December 31, 2016 excludes:

∎

1,394,844 common shares issuable upon the exercise of share options outstanding as of December 31, 2016 at a weighted average exercise price of €8.69 per share; and

∎

The foregoing table does not give effect to the exercise of any outstanding options or warrants. To the extent options and warrants are exercised, there may be further dilution to new investors.

In this section, translations from euros to U.S. dollars were made at the rate of €0.891 to $1.00, the official exchange rate quoted as of May 31, 2017 by the European Central Bank. Such U.S. dollar amounts are not necessarily indicative of the amounts of U.S. dollars that could actually have been purchased upon exchange of euros on May 31, 2017.

S-6

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We have entered into a sales agreement with Cowen, under which we may issue and sell from time to time up to $50.0 million of our common shares through Cowen as our sales agent. Sales of our common shares, if any, will be made at market prices by any method that is deemed to be an “at the market” offering as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act, including sales made directly on The NASDAQ Global Market or any other trading market for our common shares, or sales to or through a market maker other than on an exchange. If authorized by us in writing, Cowen may also sell our common shares by any other method permitted by law, including negotiated transactions, and Cowen may also purchase our common shares as principal.

Cowen will offer our common shares subject to the terms and conditions of the sales agreement on a daily basis or as otherwise agreed upon by us and Cowen. We will designate the maximum amount of common shares to be sold through Cowen on a daily basis or otherwise determine such maximum amount together with Cowen. Subject to the terms and conditions of the sales agreement, Cowen will use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell on our behalf all of the common shares requested to be sold by us. We may instruct Cowen not to sell common shares if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by us in any such instruction. Cowen or we may suspend the offering of our common shares being made through Cowen under the sales agreement upon proper notice to the other party. Cowen and we each have the right, by giving written notice as specified in the sales agreement, to terminate the sales agreement in each party’s sole discretion at any time.

The aggregate compensation payable to Cowen as sales agent equals 3.0% of the gross sales price of the shares sold through it pursuant to the sales agreement. We have also agreed to reimburse Cowen for actual outside legal expenses incurred by Cowen in connection with this offering, including Cowen’s FINRA counsel fees, in an amount up to $50,000. In accordance with FINRA Rule 5110 these reimbursed fees and expenses are deemed sales compensation to Cowen in connection with this offering. We estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by us, excluding commissions payable to Cowen under the sales agreement, will be approximately $336,300.

The remaining sales proceeds, after deducting any expenses payable by us and any transaction fees imposed by any governmental, regulatory, or self-regulatory organization in connection with the sales, will equal our net proceeds for the sale of such common shares.

Cowen will provide written confirmation to us following the close of trading on The NASDAQ Global Market on each day in which common shares are sold through it as sales agent under the sales agreement. Each confirmation will include the number of common shares sold through it as sales agent on that day, the volume weighted average price of the shares sold, the percentage of the daily trading volume and the net proceeds to us.

We will report at least quarterly the number of common shares sold through Cowen under the sales agreement, the net proceeds to us and the compensation paid by us to Cowen in connection with the sales of common shares.

Settlement for sales of common shares will occur, unless the parties agree otherwise, on the third business day that is also a trading day following the date on which any sales were made in return for payment of the net proceeds to us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

In connection with the sales of our common shares on our behalf, Cowen may be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation paid to Cowen may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed in the sales agreement to provide indemnification and contribution to Cowen against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As sales agent, Cowen will not engage in any transactions that stabilizes our common shares.

Our common shares are listed on The NASDAQ Global Market and trade under the symbol “MRUS.” The transfer agent of our common shares is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC.

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Cowen and/or its affiliates have provided, and may in the future provide, various investment banking and other financial services for us for which services they have received, and may in the future receive, customary fees.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area

No offering or sale of securities described in this prospectus is made into states or jurisdictions where such offer or sale would be unlawful. In particular, in relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area, the offer and sale of securities described in this prospectus does not comprise an offer to the public in that Member State other than (a) to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive (including the 2010 PD Amending Directive, to the extent implemented in the relevant Member State); (b) to fewer than 150 or, if the relevant Member State has not implemented the relevant provision of the 2010 PD Amending Directive, 100, natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), as permitted under the Prospectus Directive; or (c) in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, provided that such offer and sale shall not require us or the selling shareholder to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the Prospectus Directive. In addition, the offer and sale of securities described in this prospectus shall not be made in the Netherlands, unless in reliance on Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive and provided (a) such offer and sale is made exclusively to legal entities which are qualified investors (as defined in the Prospectus Directive) in the Netherlands; (b) a standard exemption logo and wording are disclosed as required by Article 5:20(5) of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act (Wet op het financieel toezicht, or the FSA); or (c) such offer is otherwise made in circumstances in which Article 5:20(5) FSA is not applicable. For the purpose of the preceding two sentences, the expressions (a) “an offer to the public” means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and sale of securities described in this prospectus so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase such securities, as the same may be varied in a Member State of the European Economic Area by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in such Member State; (b) “Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71/EC (including the 2010 PD Amending Directive, to the extent implemented in the relevant Member State of the European Economic Area) and includes any relevant implementing measure in the relevant Member State of the European Economic Area; and (c) “2010 PD Amending Directive” means Directive 2010/73/EU.

S-8

LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of our common shares and certain other matters of Dutch law will be passed upon for us by NautaDutilh N.V. with its address at Beethovenstraat 400, 1082 PR Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Certain matters of U.S. federal law will be passed upon for us by Latham & Watkins LLP. Covington & Burling LLP, New York, New York, is counsel for Cowen and Company, LLC in connection with this offering.

EXPERTS

S-9

$50,000,000

LOGO

Common Shares

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

Cowen

, 2017

PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 8. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Our current and former directors and such other current or former officer or employee of the Company or its group companies as designated by the board of directors have the benefit of the following indemnification provisions in our Articles of Association:

Indemnified officers shall be indemnified and held harmless for (in each case to the extent this relates to his or her position or former position with us, and in each case to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law):

(a)

any financial losses or damages incurred by such indemnified officer; and

(b)

any expense reasonably paid or incurred by such indemnified officer in connection with any threatened, pending or completed suit, claim, action or legal proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, in which he or she becomes involved.

There shall be no entitlement to indemnification as referred to above:

(a)

if a competent court or arbitral tribunal has established, without possibility for appeal, that the acts or omissions of such indemnified officer that led to the financial losses, damages, suit, claim, action or legal proceedings as described above results from either an improper performance of his or her duties as an officer of the Company or an unlawful or illegal act;

(b)

to the extent that his or her financial losses, damages and expenses are covered by an insurance and the insurer has settled, or has provided reimbursement for, these financial losses, damages and expenses (or has irrevocably undertaken to do so); or

(c)

in relation to proceedings brought by such indemnified officer against us, except for proceedings brought to enforce indemnification to which he or she is entitled pursuant to our Articles of Association or an agreement between such indemnified officer and us that has been approved by our board of directors

We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors. These indemnification agreements may require us, among other things, to indemnify our directors for judgments, settlements, fines, and some expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred by a director in any action or proceeding arising out of his or her service as a director, or any of our subsidiaries or any other company or enterprise to which the person provides services at our request.

Insofar as indemnification of liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to board members and senior management or persons controlling the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, the Registrant has been informed that, in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

Item 9. Exhibits.

(a) Exhibits

A list of exhibits filed with this registration statement on Form F-3 is set forth on the Exhibit Index and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 10. Undertakings.

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

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

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

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

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

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii), and (a)(1)(iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is a part of the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

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

(4) To file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement to include any financial statements required by Item 8.A. of Form 20-F at the start of any delayed offering or throughout a continuous offering. Financial statements and information otherwise required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933 need not be furnished, provided, that the registrant includes in the prospectus, by means of a post-effective amendment, financial statements required pursuant to this paragraph (a)(4) and other information necessary to ensure that all other information in the prospectus is at least as current as the date of those financial statements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to registration statements on Form F-3, a post-effective amendment need not be filed to include financial statements and information required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, or 3-19 of Regulation S-X if such financial statements and information are contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the Form F-3.

(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:

(A) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

(B) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to

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which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

(6) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of securities:

The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

(iv) Any other communications that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(h) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

(j) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act (the “Act”) in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the SEC under section 305(b)(2) of the Act.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form F-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Utrecht, the Netherlands on June 1, 2017.


MERUS N.V.

By:	/s/ Ton Logtenberg
	Name:	Ton Logtenberg
	Title:	Chief Executive Officer

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Ton Logtenberg and John Crowley and each of them, individually, as his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead in any and all capacities, in connection with this registration statement, including to sign in the name and on behalf of the undersigned, this registration statement and any and all amendments thereto, including post-effective amendments and registrations filed pursuant to Rule 462 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto such attorneys-in-fact and agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or his substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons on June 1, 2017 in the capacities indicated:


Name				Title

/s/ Ton Logtenberg				Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director (Principal Executive Officer)
Ton Logtenberg

/s/ John Crowley				Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)
John Crowley

/s/ Mark Iwicki				Chairman of the Board of Directors
Mark Iwicki				Chairman of the Board of Directors

/s/ Wolfgang Berthold				Non-Executive Director
Wolfgang Berthold				Non-Executive Director

/s/ Lionel Carnot				Non-Executive Director
Lionel Carnot				Non-Executive Director

/s/ John de Koning				Non-Executive Director
John de Koning				Non-Executive Director

/s/ Anand Mehra				Non-Executive Director
Anand Mehra				Non-Executive Director

/s/ Gregory Perry				Non-Executive Director
Gregory Perry				Non-Executive Director

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SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE

Pursuant to the Securities Act, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative in the United States of MERUS N.V. has signed this registration statement in New York, New York on June 1, 2017.


Authorized U.S. Representative

Cogency Global Inc.

By:	/s/ Colleen A. De Vries
	Name:	Colleen A. De Vries
	Title:	Senior VP on behalf of Cogency Global Inc.

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EXHIBIT INDEX

Incorporated by Reference to Filings Indicated

Exhibit
Number

Exhibit Description

Form

File No.

Exhibit
No.

Filing
Date

Provided
Herewith

1.1*

Form of Underwriting Agreement

1.2

Sales Agreement, dated June 1, 2017, by and between the Registrant and Cowen and Company, LLC

4.1

Articles of Association, currently in effect (English translation)

4.2†

Share Subscription Agreement, dated December 20, 2016, by and between Merus N.V. and Incyte Corporation, as to certain matters related to registration rights

20-F

001-37773

4.13

4/28/17

4.3

Form of Indenture

4.4*

Form of Note

4.5*

Form of Warrant

4.6*

Form of Warrant Agreement

4.7*

Form of Unit Agreement

5.1

Opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP, U.S. counsel of the Registrant, as to the validity of the debt securities, warrants and units

5.2

Opinion of Eversheds B.V., as to the validity of the common shares of the selling shareholder

5.3

Opinion of NautaDutilh N.V., Dutch counsel of the Registrant, as to the validity of the common shares to be issued by the Registrant

5.4

Opinion of NautaDutilh N.V., Dutch counsel of the Registrant, as to the validity of the common shares to be issued by the Registrant under the Sales Agreement, dated June 1, 2017, by and between the Registrant and Cowen and Company, LLC

8.1

Opinion of Ernst & Young Belastingadviseurs LLP, tax counsel of the Registrant, as to Dutch tax matters

23.1

Consent of KPMG Accountants N.V.

23.2

Consent of Latham & Watkins LLP, U.S. counsel of the Registrant (included in Exhibit 5.1)

23.3

Consent of Eversheds B.V., (included in Exhibit 5.2)

Incorporated by Reference to Filings Indicated

Exhibit
Number

Exhibit Description

Form

File No.

Exhibit
No.

Filing
Date

Provided
Herewith

23.4

Consent of NautaDutilh N.V., Dutch counsel of the Registrant (included in Exhibit 5.3)

23.5

Consent of NautaDutilh N.V., Dutch counsel of the Registrant (included in Exhibit 5.4)

23.6

Consent of Ernst & Young Belastingadviseurs LLP, tax counsel of the Registrant (included in Exhibit 8.1)

24.1

Powers of attorney (included on signature page to the registration statement)

25.1**

Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1 under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, of Debt Trustee (to be filed prior to any issuance of Debt Securities)

†	Confidential treatment requested as to portions of the exhibit. Confidential materials omitted and filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

*	To be filed by amendment or incorporated by reference in connection with the offering of the securities.

**	To be filed in accordance with the requirements of Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939.

EX-1.2

Exhibit 1.2

MERUS N.V.

$50,000,000

COMMON SHARES

SALES AGREEMENT

June 1, 2017

Cowen and Company, LLC

599 Lexington Avenue

New York, NY 10022

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Merus N.V. (the “Company”), confirms its agreement (this “Agreement”) with Cowen and Company, LLC (“Cowen”), as follows:

1. Issuance and Sale of Shares. The Company agrees that, from time to time during the term of this Agreement, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, it may issue and sell through Cowen, acting as agent and/or principal, the Company’s common shares (the “Placement Shares”), nominal value €0.09 per share (the “Common Shares”), having an aggregate offering price of up to $50,000,000. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the parties hereto agree that compliance with the limitation set forth in this Section 1 on the number of Common Shares to be issued and sold under this Agreement shall be the sole responsibility of the Company, and Cowen shall have no obligation in connection with such compliance. The issuance and sale of Common Shares through Cowen will be effected pursuant to the Registration Statement (as defined below) filed by the Company and declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), although nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as requiring the Company to use the Registration Statement (as defined below) to issue the Common Shares.

The Company has filed or will file, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), with the Commission a registration statement on Form F-3, including a base prospectus, relating to certain securities, including the Common Shares, to be issued from time to time by the Company, and which incorporates by reference documents that the Company has filed or will file in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”). The Company has prepared a prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Placement Shares (the “Prospectus Supplement”) to the base prospectus included as part of such registration statement. The Company will furnish to Cowen, for use by Cowen, copies of the prospectus included as part of such registration statement, as supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement, relating to the Placement Shares. Except where the context otherwise requires, such registration statement, as

amended when it became effective, including all documents filed as part thereof or incorporated by reference therein, and including any information contained in a Prospectus (as defined below) subsequently filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act or deemed to be a part of such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B or 462(b) of the Securities Act, is herein called the “Registration Statement.” The base prospectus, including all documents incorporated therein by reference, included in the Registration Statement, as it may be supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement, in the form in which such prospectus and/or Prospectus Supplement have most recently been filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, together with any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 of the Securities Act regulations (“Rule 433”), relating to the Placement Shares that (i) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company or (ii) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i), in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g), is herein called the “Prospectus.” Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein, and any reference herein to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing after the execution hereof of any document with the Commission deemed to be incorporated by reference therein. For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or to any amendment or supplement thereto shall be deemed to include any copy filed with the Commission pursuant to the Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval System or any successor thereto (collectively, “EDGAR”).

2. Placements. Each time that the Company wishes to issue and sell Placement Shares hereunder (each, a “Placement”), it will notify Cowen by email notice (or other method mutually agreed to in writing by the parties) (a “Placement Notice”) containing the parameters in accordance with which it desires such Placement Shares to be sold, which shall at a minimum include the number of Placement Shares to be issued, the time period during which sales are requested to be made, any limitation on the number of Placement Shares that may be sold in any one Trading Day (as defined in Section 3) and any minimum price below which sales may not be made (provided that the minimum sales price shall be chosen by the Company, such that sales of Placement Shares cannot result in Net Proceeds (as defined below) payable to the Company being less than the nominal value of such Placement Shares), a form of which containing such minimum sales parameters necessary is attached hereto as Schedule 1. The Placement Notice shall originate from any of the individuals from the Company set forth on Schedule 2 (with a copy to each of the other individuals from the Company listed on such schedule), and shall be addressed to each of the individuals from Cowen set forth on Schedule 2, as such Schedule 2 may be amended in writing from time to time. The Placement Notice shall be effective upon receipt by Cowen unless and until (i) in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in Section 4, Cowen promptly declines to accept the terms contained therein for any reason, in its sole discretion, (ii) the entire amount of the Placement Shares thereunder have been sold, (iii) in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in Section 4, the Company suspends or terminates the Placement Notice for any reason in its sole discretion, (iv) the Company issues a subsequent Placement Notice with parameters explicitly superseding those in the earlier dated Placement Notice, or (v) this Agreement has been terminated under the provisions of Section 11. The amount of any discount, commission or other compensation to be paid by the Company to

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Cowen in connection with the sale of the Placement Shares shall be calculated in accordance with the terms set forth in Schedule 3. It is expressly acknowledged and agreed that neither the Company nor Cowen will have any obligation whatsoever with respect to a Placement or any Placement Shares unless and until the Company delivers a Placement Notice to Cowen and Cowen does not promptly decline such Placement Notice pursuant to the terms set forth above, and then only upon the terms specified therein and herein. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the terms of a Placement Notice, the terms of the Placement Notice will control.

3. Sale of Placement Shares by Cowen. Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, upon the Company’s delivery of a Placement Notice, and unless the sale of the Placement Shares described therein has been declined, suspended, or otherwise terminated in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, Cowen, for the period specified in the Placement Notice, will use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices and applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations and the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) to sell such Placement Shares up to the amount specified in such Placement Notice, and otherwise in accordance with the terms of such Placement Notice. Cowen will provide written confirmation to the Company (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the Company set forth on Schedule 2, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply) no later than the opening of the Trading Day (as defined below) immediately following the Trading Day on which it has made sales of Placement Shares hereunder setting forth the number of Placement Shares sold on such day, the volume-weighted average price of the Placement Shares sold, and the Net Proceeds (as defined below) payable to the Company. Subject to the terms of the Placement Notice, Cowen may sell Placement Shares by any method permitted by law deemed to be an “at the market” offering as defined in Rule 415 of the Securities Act, including without limitation sales made through Nasdaq or on any other existing trading market for the Common Shares. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 6(xx), Cowen shall not purchase Placement Shares for its own account as principal unless expressly authorized to do so by the Company in a Placement Notice. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) there can be no assurance that Cowen will be successful in selling Placement Shares, and (ii) Cowen will incur no liability or obligation to the Company or any other person or entity if it does not sell Placement Shares for any reason other than a failure by Cowen to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell such Placement Shares as required under this Section 3. For the purposes hereof, “Trading Day” means any day on which the Company’s Common Shares can be purchased and sold on the principal market on which the Common Shares are listed or quoted.

4. Suspension of Sales.

(a) The Company or Cowen may, upon notice to the other party in writing (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Schedule 2, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply) or by telephone (confirmed immediately by verifiable facsimile transmission or email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Schedule 2), suspend any sale of Placement Shares; provided, however, that such suspension shall not affect or impair either party’s obligations with respect to any Placement

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Shares sold hereunder prior to the receipt of such notice. Each of the parties agrees that no such notice under this Section 4 shall be effective against the other unless it is made to one of the individuals named on Schedule 2 hereto, as such schedule may be amended in writing from time to time.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, during any period in which the Company is in possession of material non-public information, the Company and Cowen agree that (i) no sale of Placement Shares will take place, (ii) the Company shall not request the sale of any Placement Shares, and (iii) Cowen shall not be obligated to sell or offer to sell any Placement Shares.

(c) If either Cowen or the Company has reason to believe that the exemptive provisions set forth in Rule 101(c)(1) of Regulation M under the Exchange Act are not satisfied with respect to the Common Shares, it shall promptly notify the other party, and Cowen may, at its sole discretion, suspend sales of the Placement Shares under this Agreement.

5. Settlement.

(a) Settlement of Placement Shares. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Placement Notice, settlement for sales of Placement Shares will occur on the third (3^rd) Trading Day (or such earlier day as is industry practice for regular-way trading) following the date on which such sales are made (each, a “Settlement Date” and the first such settlement date, the “First Delivery Date”). The amount of proceeds to be delivered to the Company on a Settlement Date against receipt of the Placement Shares sold (the “Net Proceeds”) will be equal to the aggregate sales price received by Cowen at which such Placement Shares were sold, after deduction for (i) Cowen’s commission, discount or other compensation for such sales payable by the Company pursuant to Section 2 hereof, (ii) any other amounts due and payable by the Company to Cowen hereunder pursuant to Section 7(g) (Expenses) hereof, and (iii) any transaction fees imposed by any governmental or self-regulatory organization in respect of such sales.

(b) Delivery of Placement Shares. On each Settlement Date, subject to delivery of the related Net Proceeds by Cowen to the Company, the Company will issue the Placement Shares being sold on such date to its transfer agent pursuant to a deed of issue (each, a “Deed of Issue”) and the Company will cause its transfer agent to electronically transfer such Placement Shares by crediting Cowen’s or its designee’s account (provided Cowen shall have given the Company written notice of such designee at least one (1) Trading Day prior to such Settlement Date) at The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit and Withdrawal at Custodian System (“DWAC”) or by such other means of delivery as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto which in all cases shall be freely tradeable, transferable, registered shares in good deliverable form. On each Settlement Date, Cowen will deliver the related Net Proceeds in same day funds to an account designated by the Company on, or prior to, the Settlement Date and in any event before the execution by the Company of the relevant Deed of Issue. Cowen shall be responsible for providing DWAC instructions or other instructions for delivery by other means with regard to the transfer of the Placement Shares being sold. The Company agrees that if the Company or its transfer agent (if applicable), defaults in its obligation to deliver duly authorized Placement Shares on a Settlement Date (other than as a result of a failure by Cowen to provide

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instructions for delivery), the Company agrees that in addition to and in no way limiting the rights and obligations set forth in Section 9(a) (Indemnification and Contribution) hereto, it will (i) hold Cowen harmless against any loss, claim, damage, or reasonable and documented expense (including reasonable and documented legal fees and expenses), as incurred, arising out of or in connection with such default by the Company and (ii) pay to Cowen (without duplication) any commission, discount, or other compensation to which it would otherwise have been entitled absent such default.

6. Representations and Warranties of the Company. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Prospectus Supplement, including in each case the documents incorporated therein by reference, the Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, Cowen that, unless such representation, warranty or agreement specifies a different time, as of the date of this Agreement, each Representation Date (as defined in Section 7(m)), each date on which a Placement Notice is given, and any date on which Placement Shares are sold hereunder:

(a) Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Company has prepared and filed or will file with the Commission a registration statement on Form F-3, including a related form of prospectus, for registration under the Securities Act of the offering and sale of the Placement Shares, and such Registration Statement, including any amendments thereto and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, has been or will be declared effective by the Commission under the Securities Act prior to the issuance of any Placement Notices by the Company. The Company has complied to the Commission’s satisfaction with all requests of the Commission for additional or supplemental information. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement is in effect and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, contemplated or threatened by the Commission. The Company meets the requirements for use of Form F-3 under the Securities Act. The sale of the Placement Shares hereunder meets the requirements of General Instruction I.B.1. of Form F-3.

(b) No Misstatement or Omission. The Prospectus when filed complied and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act. Each of the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the Prospectus and any post-effective amendments or supplements thereto, at the time each became effective and at each deemed effective date with respect to Cowen pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2) under the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Securities Act (the “Securities Act Regulations”) or its date, as applicable, complied and as of each of the Settlement Dates, if any, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act and did not and, as of each Settlement Date, if any, did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, as of its date, did not and, as of each of the Settlement Dates, if any, will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company makes no representations or warranties as to the information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment thereto, or

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the Prospectus (or any supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to Cowen furnished in writing to the Company by Cowen specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement, Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, any post-effective amendment thereto, or the Prospectus (or any supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by or on behalf of Cowen consists of the Agent’s Information.

(c) Offering Materials Furnished to Cowen. The Company has delivered to Cowen one complete copy of the Registration Statement and a copy of each consent and certificate of experts filed as a part thereof, and conformed copies of the Registration Statement (without exhibits) and the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, in such quantities and at such places as Cowen has reasonably requested.

(d) Emerging Growth Company. The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act. The Company agrees to notify Cowen promptly upon the Company ceasing to be an emerging growth company.

(e) Not an Ineligible Issuer. The Company is not an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405 of the rules and regulation of the Commission. The Company agrees to notify Cowen promptly upon the Company becoming an “ineligible issuer.”

(f) Distribution of Offering Material by the Company. The Company has not distributed and will not distribute, prior to the completion of Cowen’s distribution of the Placement Shares, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Placement Shares other than the Prospectus or the Registration Statement.

(g) Authorization of the Sales Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by, and is a valid and binding agreement of, the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as rights to indemnification hereunder may be limited by applicable law and except as the enforcement hereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general equitable principles.

(h) No Material Adverse Effect. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus, or in the Company’s reports filed with or furnished to the Commission, subsequent to the respective dates as of which such information is given, there has been no material adverse change that could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity (any such effect being referred to herein as a “Material Adverse Effect”); (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity, have not incurred any material liability or obligation, indirect, direct or contingent, not in the ordinary course of business nor entered into any material transaction or agreement not in the ordinary course of business: and (iii) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company or, except for regular quarterly dividends publicly announced by the Company or dividends paid to the Company or other subsidiaries, by any of its subsidiaries on any class of share capital or repurchase or redemption by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any class of share capital.

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(i) Free Writing Prospectuses. Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus does not include any information that conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus. The foregoing sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of Cowen specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by or on behalf of Cowen consists of the Agent’s Information.

(j) Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is chartered or organized with full corporate power and authority to own or lease, as the case may be, and to operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing under the laws of each jurisdiction which requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(k) Share Capital Matters. The Company’s share capital is as set forth in the Prospectus under the heading “Capitalization”; the share capital of the Company conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus; all of the issued and outstanding Common Shares have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and have been issued in compliance with federal and state securities laws; none of the outstanding Common Shares were issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities of the Company and, except as set forth in the Prospectus, no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue, or rights to convert any obligations into or exchange any securities for, share capital of or ownership interests in the Company are outstanding.

(l) Incorporation and Good Standing of the Company and its Subsidiaries. Each of the Company’s “subsidiaries” (for the purposes of this Agreement, as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) has been duly incorporated or organized, as the case may be, and is validly existing as a corporation, partnership or limited liability company, as applicable, in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization and has the power and authority (corporate or other) to own, lease and operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus, and is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing under the laws of each jurisdiction which requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. All of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity or ownership interests of each of the Company’s subsidiaries have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and are owned by the Company, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance or adverse claim. The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 8.1 to the Company’s most recently filed Annual Report on Form 20-F. None of the Company’s subsidiaries (a) have material assets or liabilities or (b) is considered a “significant subsidiary” (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X promulgated under the Securities Act).

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(m) Accuracy of Descriptions and Exhibits. There is no franchise, contract or other document of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or the documents incorporated therein by reference, or to be filed as an exhibit thereto, which is not described or filed as required; and the statements in the Prospectus under the headings “Taxation,” “Information on the Company—Intellectual Property,” “Information on the Company—Government Legislation and Regulation,” “Information on the Company—Legal Proceedings,” “Description of Share Capital—Articles of Association—Comparison of Dutch Corporate Law and Our Articles of Association and U.S. Corporate Law” and “Related Person Transactions” insofar as such statements summarize legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings discussed therein, are accurate and fair summaries of such legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings.

(n) Authorization of the Placement Shares. The Placement Shares have been duly authorized for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company against payment therefor pursuant to this Agreement and a Deed of Issue, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, any preemptive rights relating to the issuance and sale of the Placement Shares will be excluded prior to the issuance of such Placement Shares and the issuance and sale of the Placement Shares is not subject to any rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase the Placement Shares.

(o) Company Not an “Investment Company”. The Company has been advised of the rules and requirements under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Placement Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus, will not be, an “investment company” within the meaning of Investment Company Act.

(p) No Further Authorizations or Approval Required. No consent, approval, authorization, filing with or order of any court or governmental agency or body is required in connection with the transactions contemplated herein, except such as have been obtained under the Securities Act and such as may be required under the blue sky laws of any jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Placement Shares by Cowen in the manner contemplated herein and in the Prospectus.

(q) Corporate Approval; Non-Contravention. The Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Prospectus have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action; none of (i) the issue and sale of the Placement Shares, (ii) the consummation of any other of the transactions contemplated herein, or (iii) the fulfillment of the terms hereof will conflict with, result in a breach or violation of, or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to: (1) the articles of association of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (2) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or bound or to which its property is subject, or (3) any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties, except in clauses (2) and (3) hereof, where such conflict, breach, violation, or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

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(r) No Applicable Registration or Other Similar Rights. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, no holders of securities of the Company have rights to the registration of such securities under the Registration Statement. There are no persons with registration or other similar rights to have any securities registered for sale under the Registration Statement or included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement, except for such rights as have been duly waived.

(s) Preparation of the Financial Statements. The historical financial statements and schedules of the Company filed with the Commission as part of or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and included in the Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company as of the dates and for the periods indicated, comply as to form with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and have been prepared in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved (except as otherwise noted therein). The selected financial data set forth under the caption “Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges and Preferred Share Dividends” in the Prospectus fairly present in all material respects the information set forth therein on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements contained, incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement. The interactive date in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, when required to be filed by the Company under the Exchange Act, fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.

(t) No Material Actions or Proceedings. No action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries or its or their property is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, is threatened that (i) could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the performance of this Agreement or the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated hereby or (ii) could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Prospectus.

(u) Properties. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company and each of its subsidiaries owns or leases all such properties as are necessary to the conduct of its operations as presently conducted, except as, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(v) No Defaults. Neither the Company nor any subsidiary is in violation or default of (i) any provision of its articles of association, (ii) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which it is a party or bound or to which its property is subject, or (iii) any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties, except as, in clauses (ii) and (iii) hereof for violations or defaults that, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

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(w) Independent Accountants. KPMG Accountants N.V., who have certified financial statements of the Company and delivered their report with respect to the audited financial statements and schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, are independent public accountants with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act, the Securities Act Regulations, the Exchange Act, the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Exchange Act and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

(x) Transfer Taxes. There are no transfer taxes or other similar fees or charges under federal law or the laws of any state, or any political subdivision thereof, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance by the Company or sale by the Company of the Placement Shares, except for those as would not be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(y) Tax Law Compliance. The Company has filed all tax returns that are required to be filed or has requested extensions thereof, except in any case in which the failure to so file would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and has paid all taxes required to be paid by it and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against it, to the extent that any of the foregoing is due and payable, except for any such assessment, fine or penalty that is currently being contested in good faith or as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(z) Absence of Labor Disputes. No labor problem or dispute with the current or former employees of the Company exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is threatened or imminent that would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(aa) Insurance. The Company is insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are adequate and customary in the businesses in which it is engaged; the Company has not been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for, and there are no outstanding claims by the Company as to which any insurance company is denying liability; and the Company has no reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(bb) All Necessary Permits, etc. The Company possesses all material licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by all applicable authorities necessary to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (collectively, “Permits”), except where the failure to so possess would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has not received any written notice of proceedings from any applicable governmental or regulatory authority relating to the revocation or adverse modification of any such Permit which, individually or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

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(cc) Company’s Accounting System. The Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls (as defined under Rule 13-a15(f) of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act (the “Exchange Act Rules”)) sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences; and (v) the interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and is prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto. The Company’s internal accounting controls are effective and the Company is not aware of any material weakness in its internal accounting controls.

(dd) Disclosure Controls. The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act Rules) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management to allow timely decisions regarding disclosures. The Company has conducted evaluations of the effectiveness of their disclosure controls as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act.

(ee) No Price Stabilization or Manipulation. The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Placement Shares.

(ff) Related Party Transactions. There are no business relationships or related-party transactions involving the Company or any subsidiary or any other person required to be described in the Prospectus which have not been described as required.

(gg) Exchange Act Compliance. The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, at the time the Registration Statement became effective or they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act, and, when read together with the other information in the Prospectus, at the Settlement Dates, will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(hh) Compliance with Environmental Laws. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company (i) is in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (collectively, the “Environmental Laws”), (ii)

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has received and is in compliance with all permits, licenses or other approvals required of it under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct its business as it is currently being conducted, and (iii) has not received notice of any actual or potential liability under any Environmental Law. The Company has not been named as a “potentially responsible party” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended.

(ii) Compliance with ERISA. Except as could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, none of the following events has occurred or exists: (i) a failure by the Company to fulfill the obligations, if any, under the minimum funding standards of Section 302 of the United States Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder with respect to a Plan; (ii) an audit or investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or any other federal or state governmental agency or any foreign regulatory agency with respect to the employment or compensation of employees by the Company or a Plan; or (iii) any breach of any contractual obligation, or any violation of law or applicable qualification standards, with respect to the employment or compensation of employees by the Company. None of the following events has occurred or is reasonably likely to occur that could, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect: (i) a material increase in the aggregate amount of contributions required to be made to all Plans in the current fiscal year of the Company compared to the amount of such contributions made in the most recently completed fiscal year of the Company; (ii) a material increase in the “accumulated post-retirement benefit obligations” (within the meaning of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 106) of the Company compared to the amount of such obligations in the most recently completed fiscal year of the Company; or (iii) any event or condition giving rise to a liability under Title IV of ERISA. For purposes of this paragraph, the term “Plan” means a plan (within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA) subject to Title IV of ERISA with respect to which the Company may have any liability.

(jj) Compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley. There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, any of the Company’s officers and members of its board of directors, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith that are in effect, including Section 402 related to loans.

(kk) FINRA Compliance. All of the information provided to Cowen or to counsel for Cowen by the Company, its counsel, and to the knowledge of the Company, its officers, members of its board of directors and the holders of any securities (debt or equity) or options to acquire any securities of the Company in connection with the offering of the Placement Shares is true, complete, correct and compliant with the rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) and any letters, filings or other supplemental information provided to FINRA pursuant to FINRA Rules or NASD Conduct Rules is true, complete and correct.

(ll) No Unlawful Contributions or Other Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any director, officer, employee, agent, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any subsidiary has (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government officials or employees, political parties or campaigns, political party officials, or

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candidates for political office from corporate funds; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or any applicable anti-corruption laws, rules, or regulations of any other jurisdiction in which the Company or any subsidiary conducts business; or (iv) made any other unlawful bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment to any person.

(mm) Compliance with Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company and its subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority, body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending, or to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.

(nn) Compliance with OFAC.

(i)

Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, nor any director, officer or employee thereof, nor to the Company’s knowledge, any agent, affiliate, representative, or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by a Person that is: (i) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union (“EU”), Her Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”), or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor (ii) located, organized, or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of a U.S. government embargo (including, without limitation, Cuba, Iran, North Kora, Sudan, Syria and the Crimea).

(ii)

The Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the Net Proceeds, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such Net Proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person: (i) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions, or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of a U.S. government embargo; or (ii) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including Cowen).

(iii)

For the past five (5) years, the Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, and the Company and its subsidiaries are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any direct or indirect dealings or transactions with any Person that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions or any country or territory that, at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of a U.S. government embargo.

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(oo) Intellectual Property. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company owns, possesses, licenses or has other rights to use, on reasonable terms, all patents, patent applications, trade and service marks, trade and service mark registrations, trade names, copyrights, licenses, inventions, trade secrets, technology, know-how and other intellectual property (collectively, “Company Intellectual Property”) necessary for the conduct of the Company’s business as now conducted or as proposed in the Prospectus to be conducted. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (a) to the Company’s knowledge, there are no rights of third parties to any Company Intellectual Property, including no liens, security interests or other encumbrances; (b) to the Company’s knowledge, there is no material infringement by third parties of any Company Intellectual Property; (c) there is no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the Company’s rights in or to any Company Intellectual Property, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such action, suit, proceeding, or claim; (d) Company Intellectual Property has not been adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; (e) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others (excluding with respect to ordinary course interactions with patent authorities during patent prosecution) challenging the validity or scope of any Company Intellectual Property, including interferences, oppositions, reexaminations, or government proceedings, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such action, suit, proceeding, or claim; (f) there is no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company infringes, misappropriates, or otherwise violates, or would, upon the commercialization of any product or service described in the Prospectus infringe, misappropriate, or otherwise violate any patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of others, and, except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company is aware of no factual basis for any such action, suit, proceeding, or claim; (g) to the Company’s knowledge, no employee of the Company is in or has been in violation of any term of any employment contract, patent disclosure agreement, invention assignment agreement, non-competition agreement, non-solicitation agreement, nondisclosure agreement or any restrictive covenant to or with a former employer where the basis of such violation relates to such employee’s employment with the Company; (h) to the Company’s knowledge, there is no prior art that may render any issued patent held by the Company invalid; and (i) to the Company’s knowledge, the individuals substantively involved in the prosecution of the Company’s patents have disclosed all prior art of which the they are aware that may be material to the validity of a U.S. patent or to the patentability of a U.S. patent application has been disclosed to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and all such prior art has been disclosed to the patent office of other jurisdictions where required. All licenses to which the Company is a party relating to Company Intellectual Property are in full force and effect and the Company is not in violation of any term of such license.

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(pp) Regulatory Matters. Except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as applicable, the Company (i) is and at all times since January 1, 2013, has been in compliance with all statutes, rules and regulations in the United States, the EU or any other jurisdiction applicable to the ownership, testing, development, manufacture, packaging, processing, use, distribution, marketing, advertising, labeling, promotion, sale, offer for sale, storage, import, export or disposal of any product developed, manufactured or distributed by or for the Company, including, without limitation, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. § 301 et seq.), the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. § 201 et seq.), the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)), the civil False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. § 3729 et seq.), the administrative False Claims Law (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(a)), the Civil Monetary Penalties Law (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7a), the exclusion laws (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7), Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of March 31, 2004 laying down Community procedures for the authorization and supervision of medicinal products for human and veterinary use and establishing a European Medicines Agency, Directive 2001/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of November 6, 2001 on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use, the EU Member State laws implementing the provisions of Directive 2001/83/EC, and all applicable federal, state, local and all foreign criminal laws relating to health care fraud and abuse, including but not limited to 18 U.S.C. Sections 286, 287, 1347 and 1349, the Medicare statute (Title XVIII of the Social Security Act) and Medicaid statute (Title XIX of the Social Security Act), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. § 1320d et seq.), as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (42 U.S.C. § 17921 et seq.), the regulations promulgated pursuant to such laws, and all comparable local, state, federal, EU and foreign laws applicable to the Company (collectively, the “Applicable Laws”), except for such non-compliance as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; (ii) has not received any written notice from any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority alleging or asserting non-compliance with any Applicable Laws, except for such non-compliance as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect; (iii) has not received written notice of any claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action from any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority alleging that any product operation or activity is in violation of any Applicable Laws, which, individually or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding by such court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, has any such claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other such action been threatened; (iv) has filed, obtained, maintained or submitted all material reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments as required by any Applicable Laws and that all such reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments were complete and accurate on the date filed in all material respects (or were corrected or supplemented by a subsequent submission), except where the failure to so file, obtain, maintain or submit, or the failure of such reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments to be complete or accurate, or be corrected or supplemented by a subsequent submission, would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect; (v) is not a party to any corporate integrity agreements, monitoring agreements, consent decrees, settlement orders, or similar agreements with or imposed by any governmental or regulatory authority; and (vi) neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its employees, officers or supervisory or management board members has been excluded, suspended or debarred from

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participation in any U.S. federal health care program or human clinical research or foreign equivalents, or to the knowledge of the Company, is subject to a governmental inquiry, investigation, proceeding, or other similar action that could reasonably be expected to result in debarment, suspension, or exclusion.

(qq) Clinical Trials. The clinical trials and pre-clinical studies conducted by or on behalf of or sponsored by the Company, or in which the Company has participated, that are described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or the results of which are referred to in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as applicable, and are intended to be submitted to Regulatory Authorities as a basis for product approval, were and, if still pending, are being conducted in all material respects in accordance with all applicable statutes, rules and regulations of the United States Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”), and comparable drug regulatory agencies outside of the United States, including the European Medicines Agency and EU Member State Competent Authorities, to which they are subject (collectively, the “Regulatory Authorities”), including current Good Clinical Practices and Good Laboratory Practices; the descriptions in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus of the results of such studies and trials are accurate and complete in all material respects and fairly present the data derived from such studies and trials; the Company has no knowledge of any other studies or trials the results of which are materially inconsistent with or otherwise call into question the results described or referred to in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; the Company has not received any written notices, correspondence or other communication from the Regulatory Authorities or any other governmental agency requiring the termination or suspension of any clinical trials or pre-clinical studies that are described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or the results of which are referred to in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, and, to the Company’s knowledge, such termination or suspension has not been threatened.

(rr) Possession of Regulatory Permits. The Company possesses all Permits issued by the applicable Regulatory Authorities that are necessary for the conduct of its business as currently conducted as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, or to permit all clinical trials and nonclinical studies that have been conducted by or on behalf of the Company (“Regulatory Permits”), including, without limitation, all necessary FDA and applicable foreign regulatory agency Regulatory Permits, except where the failure to so possess would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; the Company is not in violation of, or in default under, any such Regulatory Permit, except for such violation or default as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect; and the Company has not received written notice from any Regulatory Authority of any revocation, suspension or material adverse modification of any such Regulatory Permit and, to the Company’s knowledge, there is no reason to believe that any such Regulatory Permit will not be renewed in the ordinary course. The Company has not received any warning letter, untitled letter or similar written correspondence or notice from any court or arbitrator or governmental or Regulatory Authority alleging or asserting non-compliance with any Regulatory Permits required by any such Applicable Laws, except for such alleged or asserted non-compliance as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(ss) No Marketing Approval. None of the Company’s product candidates have received marketing approval from any Regulatory Authority.

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(tt) Foreign Private Issuer Status. The Company is a “foreign private issuer” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act.

(uu) Listing. The Company is subject to and in compliance in all material respects with the reporting requirements of Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. The Common Shares are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) or Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act and are listed on the Nasdaq, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or reasonably likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Shares under the Exchange Act or delisting the Common Shares from Nasdaq, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission or Nasdaq is contemplating terminating such registration or listing.

(vv) Brokers. Except for Cowen, there is no broker, finder or other party that is entitled to receive from the Company any brokerage or finder’s fee or other fee or commission as a result of any transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

(ww) No Reliance. The Company has not relied upon Cowen or legal counsel for Cowen for any legal, tax or accounting advice in connection with the offering and sale of the Placement Shares.

(xx) Cowen Purchases. The Company acknowledges and agrees that Cowen has informed the Company that Cowen may, to the extent permitted under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, purchase and sell Common Shares for its own account while this Agreement is in effect, provided, that (i) no such purchase or sales shall take place while a Placement Notice is in effect (except to the extent Cowen may engage in sales of Placement Shares purchased or deemed purchased from the Company as a “riskless principal” or in a similar capacity) and (ii) the Company shall not be deemed to have authorized or consented to any such purchases or sales by Cowen.

(yy) Statistical and Market-Related Data. The statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate in all material respects.

(zz) Forward-Looking Statements. Each financial or operational projection or other “forward-looking statement” (as defined by Section 27A of the Securities Act or Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (i) was so included by the Company in good faith and with reasonable basis after due consideration by the Company of the underlying assumptions, estimates and other applicable facts and circumstances and (ii) is accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements identifying those factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statement. No such statement was made with the knowledge of an executive officer or director of the Company that it was false or misleading.

(aaa) Choice of Law. The choice of the laws of the State of New York as the governing law of this Agreement is a valid choice of law under the laws of the Netherlands and, subject to the provisions of EU Regulation No. 593/2008 relating to the law that is applicable to contractual obligations, will be honored by courts in the Netherlands except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. The Company has the power to submit, and pursuant to Section 16 of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the personal

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jurisdiction of each New York State and United States federal court sitting in The City of New York, New York (each, a “New York Court”) and has validly and irrevocably waived any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding brought in any such court; and the Company has the power to designate, appoint and empower an authorized agent for service of process in any action arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Registration Statement, , the Prospectus or the offering of the Placement Shares in any New York Court and service of process effected on such authorized agent will be effective to notify the Company of any action under this Agreement.

(bbb) No Immunity. Neither the Company nor any of its properties or assets has any immunity from the jurisdiction of any court or from any legal process (whether through service or notice, attachment prior to judgment, attachment in aid of execution or otherwise).

(ccc) Certificates. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company and delivered to Cowen or counsel for Cowen in connection with the offering of the Placement Shares shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company, as to matters covered thereby, to Cowen.

The Company acknowledges that Cowen and, for purposes of the opinions to be delivered pursuant to Section 7 hereof, counsel to the Company and counsel to Cowen, will rely upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the foregoing representations and hereby consents to such reliance.

7. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with Cowen that:

(a) Registration Statement Amendments. After the date of this Agreement and during any period in which a Prospectus relating to any Placement Shares is required to be delivered by Cowen under the Securities Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act), (i) the Company will notify Cowen promptly of the time when any subsequent amendment to the Registration Statement, other than documents incorporated by reference, has been filed with the Commission and/or has become effective or any subsequent supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and of any request by the Commission for any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional information (insofar as it relates to the transactions contemplated hereby), (ii) the Company will prepare and file with the Commission, promptly upon Cowen’s request, any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that, in Cowen’s reasonable opinion, may be necessary or advisable in connection with the distribution of the Placement Shares by Cowen (provided, however, that the failure of Cowen to make such request shall not relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder, or affect Cowen’s right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company in this Agreement and provided, further, that the only remedy Cowen shall have with respect to the failure by the Company to make such filing (other than Cowen’s rights under Section 9 hereof) will be to cease making sales under this Agreement until such amendment or supplement is filed); (iii) the Company will not file any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus, other than documents incorporated by reference, relating to the Placement Shares or a security convertible into the Placement Shares unless a copy thereof has been submitted to Cowen within a reasonable period of time before the filing and Cowen has not reasonably objected thereto (provided, however, that the failure of Cowen to make such objection shall not relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder, or affect Cowen’s right to rely on

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the representations and warranties made by the Company in this Agreement and provided, further, that the only remedy Cowen shall have with respect to the failure by the Company to provide Cowen any advance copy of such filing or to make such filing over the objection of Cowen (other than Cowen’s rights under Section 9 hereof) will be to cease making sales under this Agreement) and the Company will furnish to Cowen at the time of filing thereof a copy of any document that upon filing is deemed to be incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement or Prospectus, except for those documents available via EDGAR; and (iv) the Company will cause each amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, other than documents incorporated by reference, to be filed with the Commission as required pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act.

(b) Notice of Commission Stop Orders. The Company will advise Cowen, promptly after it receives notice or obtains knowledge thereof, of the issuance or threatened issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, of the suspension of the qualification of the Placement Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose; and it will promptly use its commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or to obtain its withdrawal if such a stop order should be issued.

(c) Delivery of Prospectus; Subsequent Changes. During any period in which a Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares is required to be delivered by Cowen under the Securities Act with respect to a pending sale of the Placement Shares, (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act), the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act, as from time to time in force, and to file on or before their respective due dates (taking into account any extensions available under the Exchange Act) all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, 15(d) or any other provision of or under the Exchange Act. If during such period any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then existing, not misleading, or if during such period it is necessary to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus to comply with the Securities Act, the Company will promptly notify Cowen to suspend the offering of Placement Shares during such period and the Company will promptly amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus (at the expense of the Company) so as to correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; provided, however, that the Company may delay the filing of any amendment or supplement, if in the judgment of the Company, it is in the best interest of the Company to do so.

(d) Listing of Placement Shares. During any period in which the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares is required to be delivered by Cowen under the Securities Act with respect to a pending sale of the Placement Shares (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act), the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Placement Shares to be listed on Nasdaq and to qualify the Placement Shares for sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as Cowen reasonably designates and to continue such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Placement Shares; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required in connection therewith to qualify as a foreign corporation or dealer in securities or file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction.

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(e) Delivery of Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Company will furnish to Cowen and its counsel (at the expense of the Company) copies of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (including all documents incorporated by reference therein) and all amendments and supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that are filed with the Commission during any period in which a Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares is required to be delivered under the Securities Act (including all documents filed with the Commission during such period that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein), in each case as soon as reasonably practicable and in such quantities as Cowen may from time to time reasonably request and, at Cowen’s request, will also furnish copies of the Prospectus to each exchange or market on which sales of the Placement Shares may be made; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to furnish any document (other than the Prospectus) to Cowen to the extent such document is available on EDGAR.

(f) Earnings Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders, including via a filing on EDGAR, as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than 15 months after the end of the Company’s current fiscal quarter, an earnings statement covering a 12-month period that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) and Rule 158 of the Securities Act.

(g) Expenses. The Company, whether or not the transactions contemplated hereunder are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, in accordance with the provisions of Section 11 hereunder, will pay the following expenses all incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including, but not limited to, (i) expenses relating to the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement and each amendment and supplement thereto, of each Prospectus and of each amendment and supplement thereto, (ii) expenses relating to the preparation, issuance and delivery of the Placement Shares, (iii) expenses relating to the qualification of the Placement Shares under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 7(d) of this Agreement, including filing fees (provided, however, that any fees or disbursements of counsel for Cowen in connection therewith shall be paid by Cowen except as set forth in (vii) below), (iv) expenses relating to the printing and delivery to Cowen of copies of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, and of this Agreement, (v) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing or qualification of the Placement Shares for trading on Nasdaq, (vi) the filing fees and expenses, if any, of the Commission, and (vii) the filing fees and associated legal expenses of Cowen’s outside counsel for filings with the FINRA Corporate Financing Department and other reasonable fees and disbursements of Cowen’s counsel (in the aggregate amount of up to $50,000).

(h) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the Net Proceeds as described in the Prospectus in the section entitled “Use of Proceeds.”

(i) Notice of Other Sales. During the pendency of any Placement Notice given hereunder, and for 5 trading days following the termination of any Placement Notice given hereunder, the Company shall provide Cowen notice as promptly as reasonably possible before it offers to sell, contracts to sell, sells, grants any option to sell or otherwise disposes of any

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Common Shares (other than Placement Shares offered pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement) or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Common Shares, warrants or any rights to purchase or acquire Common Shares; provided, that such notice shall not be required in connection with the (i) issuance, grant or sale of Common Shares, options to purchase Common Shares or Common Shares issuable upon the exercise of options or other equity awards pursuant to any stock option, stock bonus or other stock plan or arrangement described in the Prospectus, (ii) the issuance of securities in connection with an acquisition, merger or sale or purchase of assets (iii) the issuance of securities in connection with any joint venture, commercial or collaborative relationship or license agreement; (iv) the issuance or sale of Common Shares pursuant to any dividend reinvestment plan that the Company may adopt from time to time provided the implementation of such is disclosed to Cowen in advance or (v) any common shares issuable upon the exchange, conversion or redemption of securities or the exercise of warrants, options or other rights in effect or outstanding.

(j) Change of Circumstances. The Company will, at any time during a fiscal quarter in which the Company intends to tender a Placement Notice or sell Placement Shares, advise Cowen promptly after it shall have received notice or obtained knowledge thereof, of any information or fact that would alter or affect in any material respect any opinion, certificate, letter or other document provided to Cowen pursuant to this Agreement.

(k) Due Diligence Cooperation. The Company will cooperate with any reasonable due diligence review conducted by Cowen or its agents in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, providing information and making available documents and senior corporate officers, during regular business hours and at the Company’s principal offices, as Cowen may reasonably request.

(l) Required Filings Relating to Placement of Placement Shares. The Company agrees that on such dates as the Securities Act shall require, the Company will (i) file a prospectus supplement with the Commission under the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act (each and every filing under Rule 424(b), a “Filing Date”), which prospectus supplement will set forth, within the relevant period, the amount of Placement Shares sold through Cowen, the Net Proceeds to the Company and the compensation payable by the Company to Cowen with respect to such Placement Shares, and (ii) deliver such number of copies of each such prospectus supplement to each exchange or market on which such sales were effected as may be required by the rules or regulations of such exchange or market.

(m) Representation Dates; Certificate. On or prior to the First Delivery Date and each time the Company (i) files the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares or amends or supplements the Registration Statement or the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares (other than a prospectus supplement filed in accordance with Section 7(l) of this Agreement) by means of a post-effective amendment, sticker, or supplement but not by means of incorporation of document(s) by reference to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares; (ii) files an annual report on Form 20-F under the Exchange Act; or (iii) files a report on Form 6-K under the Exchange Act containing financial information which is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and Prospectus under the Exchange Act (each date of filing of one or more of the documents referred to in clauses (i) through (iii) shall be a “Representation Date”); the Company shall furnish Cowen with a certificate, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m) within three (3) Trading Days of any Representation Date if

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requested by Cowen. The requirement to provide a certificate under this Section 7(m) shall be automatically waived for any Representation Date occurring at a time at which no Placement Notice is pending, which waiver shall continue until the earlier to occur of the date the Company delivers a Placement Notice hereunder (which for such calendar quarter shall be considered a Representation Date) and the next occurring Representation Date; provided, however, that such waiver shall not apply for any Representation Date on which the Company files its annual report on Form 20-F. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company subsequently decides to sell Placement Shares following a Representation Date when the Company relied on such waiver and did not provide Cowen with a certificate under this Section 7(m), then before the Company delivers the Placement Notice or Cowen sells any Placement Shares, the Company shall provide Cowen with a certificate, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m), dated the date of the Placement Notice.

(n) Legal Opinions. On or prior to the First Delivery Date and within three (3) Trading Days of each Representation Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m) for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause to be furnished to Cowen a written opinion of (i) Latham & Watkins LLP, U.S. counsel for the Company (“U.S. Company Counsel”) and (ii) NautaDutilh N.V., counsel for the Company as to certain matters of Dutch law (“Dutch Company Counsel”), or other counsel reasonably satisfactory to Cowen, each in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Cowen and its counsel, dated the date that the opinions are required to be delivered, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented; provided, however, that in lieu of such opinions for subsequent Representation Dates, counsel may furnish Cowen with a letter (a “Reliance Letter”) to the effect that Cowen may rely on a prior opinion delivered under this Section 7(n) to the same extent as if it were dated the date of such letter (except that statements in such prior opinion shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented at such Representation Date).

(o) Comfort Letter. On or prior to the First Delivery Date and within three (3) Trading Days of each Representation Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m) for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause its independent accountants to furnish Cowen letters (the “Comfort Letters”), dated the date the Comfort Letter is delivered, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Cowen, (i) confirming that they are an independent registered public accounting firm within the meaning of the Securities Act and the PCAOB, (ii) stating, as of such date, the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters ordinarily covered by accountants’ “comfort letters” to Cowen in connection with registered public offerings (the first such letter, the “Initial Comfort Letter”) and (iii) updating the Initial Comfort Letter with any information that would have been included in the Initial Comfort Letter had it been given on such date and modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as amended and supplemented to the date of such letter.

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(p) Market Activities. The Company will not, directly or indirectly, (i) take any action designed to cause or result in, or that constitutes or might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Placement Shares or (ii) sell, bid for, or purchase the Common Shares to be issued and sold pursuant to this Agreement, or pay anyone any compensation for soliciting purchases of the Placement Shares other than Cowen; provided, however, that the Company may bid for and purchase its common shares in accordance with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act.

(q) Insurance. The Company and its subsidiaries shall maintain, or cause to be maintained, insurance in such amounts and covering such risks as is reasonable and customary for the business for which it is engaged.

(r) Compliance with Laws. The Company and each of its subsidiaries shall maintain, or cause to be maintained, all material environmental permits, licenses and other authorizations required by federal, state and local law in order to conduct their businesses as described in the Prospectus, and the Company and each of its subsidiaries shall conduct their businesses, or cause their businesses to be conducted, in substantial compliance with such permits, licenses and authorizations and with applicable environmental laws, except where the failure to maintain or be in compliance with such permits, licenses and authorizations could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(s) Investment Company Act. The Company will conduct its affairs in such a manner so as to reasonably ensure that neither it nor its subsidiaries will be or become, at any time prior to the termination of this Agreement, an “investment company,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act, assuming no change in the Commission’s current interpretation as to entities that are not considered an investment company.

(t) Securities Act and Exchange Act. The Company will use its best efforts to comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act as from time to time in force, so far as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of, or dealings in, the Placement Shares as contemplated by the provisions hereof and the Prospectus.

(u) No Offer to Sell. Other than the Prospectus and a free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) approved in advance by the Company and Cowen in its capacity as principal or agent hereunder, neither Cowen nor the Company (including its agents and representatives, other than Cowen in its capacity as such) will make, use, prepare, authorize, approve or refer to any written communication (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act), required to be filed with the Commission, that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy Common Shares hereunder.

(v) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company and its subsidiaries will use their best efforts to comply with all effective applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

8. Conditions to Cowen’s Obligations. The obligations of Cowen hereunder with respect to a Placement will be subject to the continuing accuracy and completeness of the representations and warranties made by the Company herein, to the due performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, to the completion by Cowen of a due diligence review satisfactory to Cowen in its reasonable judgment, and to the continuing satisfaction (or waiver by Cowen in its sole discretion) of the following additional conditions:

(a) Registration Statement Effective. The Registration Statement shall be effective and shall be available for (i) all sales of Placement Shares issued pursuant to all prior Placement Notices and (ii) the sale of all Placement Shares contemplated to be issued by any Placement Notice.

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(b) No Material Notices. None of the following events shall have occurred and be continuing: (i) receipt by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any request for additional information from the Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority during the period of effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the response to which would require any post-effective amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus; (ii) the issuance by the Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose; (iii) receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Placement Shares for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; or (iv) the occurrence of any event that makes any material statement made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any material document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference untrue in any material respect or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or such documents so that, in the case of the Registration Statement, it will not contain any materially untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and, that in the case of the Prospectus, it will not contain any materially untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(c) No Misstatement or Material Omission. Cowen shall not have advised the Company that the Registration Statement or Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, contains an untrue statement of fact that in Cowen’s reasonable opinion is material, or omits to state a fact that in Cowen’s opinion is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

(d) Material Changes. Except as contemplated in the Prospectus, or disclosed in the Company’s reports filed with the Commission, there shall not have been any material adverse change, on a consolidated basis, in the authorized share capital of the Company or any Material Adverse Effect or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, or any downgrading in or withdrawal of the rating assigned to any of the Company’s securities (other than asset backed securities) by any rating organization or a public announcement by any rating organization that it has under surveillance or review its rating of any of the Company’s securities (other than asset backed securities), the effect of which, in the case of any such action by a rating organization described above, in the reasonable judgment of Cowen (without relieving the Company of any obligation or liability it may otherwise have), is so material as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering of the Placement Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.

(e) Company Counsel Legal Opinions. Cowen shall have received the opinions or Reliance Letters, as applicable, of U.S. Company Counsel and Dutch Company Counsel required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(n) on or before the date on which such delivery of such opinion or Reliance Letter is required pursuant to Section 7(n).

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(f) Cowen Counsel Legal Opinion. Cowen shall have received from Covington & Burling LLP, counsel for Cowen, such opinion or opinions, on or before the date on which the delivery of the U.S. Company Counsel and Dutch Company Counsel legal opinions are required pursuant to Section 7(n), with respect to such matters as Cowen may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for enabling them to pass upon such matters.

(g) Comfort Letter. Cowen shall have received the Comfort Letter required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(o) on or before the date on which such delivery of such Comfort Letter is required pursuant to Section 7(o).

(h) Representation Certificate. Cowen shall have received the certificate required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(m) on or before the date on which delivery of such certificate is required pursuant to Section 7(m).

(i) Secretary’s Certificate. On or prior to the First Delivery Date, Cowen shall have received a certificate, signed on behalf of the Company by its corporate Secretary, in form and substance satisfactory to Cowen and its counsel.

(j) No Suspension. Trading in the Common Shares shall not have been suspended on Nasdaq.

(k) Other Materials. On each date on which the Company is required to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 7(m), the Company shall have furnished to Cowen such appropriate further information, certificates and documents as Cowen may have reasonably requested. All such opinions, certificates, letters and other documents shall have been in compliance with the provisions hereof. The Company will furnish Cowen with such conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and other documents as Cowen shall have reasonably requested.

(l) Securities Act Filings Made. All filings with the Commission required by Rule 424 under the Securities Act to have been filed prior to the issuance of any Placement Notice hereunder shall have been made within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 424.

(m) Approval for Listing. The Placement Shares shall either have been (i) approved for listing on Nasdaq, subject only to notice of issuance, or (ii) the Company shall have filed an application for listing of the Placement Shares on Nasdaq at, or prior to, the issuance of any Placement Notice.

(n) No Termination Event. There shall not have occurred any event that would permit Cowen to terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 11(a).

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9. Indemnification and Contribution.

(a) Company Indemnification. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Cowen, the directors, officers, partners, employees and agents of Cowen and each person, if any, who (i) controls Cowen within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, or (ii) is controlled by or is under common control with Cowen (a “Cowen Affiliate”) from and against any and all losses, claims, liabilities, expenses and damages (including, but not limited to, any and all reasonable investigative, legal and other expenses incurred in connection with, and any and all amounts paid in settlement (in accordance with Section 9(c)) of, any action, suit or proceeding between any of the indemnified parties and any indemnifying parties or between any indemnified party and any third party, or otherwise, or any claim asserted), as and when incurred, to which Cowen, or any such person, may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, liabilities, expenses or damages arise out of or are based, directly or indirectly, on (x) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or in any free writing prospectus or in any application or other document executed by or on behalf of the Company in connection with this Agreement or based on written information furnished by or on behalf of the Company filed in any jurisdiction in order to qualify the Placement Shares under the securities laws thereof or filed with the Commission, (y) the omission or alleged omission to state in any such document a material fact required to be stated in it or necessary to make the statements in it not misleading or (z) any breach by any of the indemnifying parties of any of their respective representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement; provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to the extent that such loss, claim, liability, expense or damage arises from the sale of the Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement and is caused directly or indirectly by an untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Agent’s Information. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that the Company might otherwise have.

(b) Cowen Indemnification. Cowen agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and its directors and each officer of the Company that signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who (i) controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or (ii) is controlled by or is under common control with the Company (a “Company Affiliate”) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in Section 9(a), as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendments thereto) or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with the Agent’s Information.

(c) Procedure. Any party that proposes to assert the right to be indemnified under this Section 9 will, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim is to be made against an indemnifying party or parties under this Section 9, notify each such indemnifying party of the commencement of such action, enclosing a copy of all papers served, but the omission so to notify such indemnifying party will not relieve the indemnifying party from (i) any liability that it might have to any indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 9 and (ii) any liability that it may have to any indemnified party under the foregoing provision of this Section 9 unless, and only to the extent

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that, such omission results in the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses by the indemnifying party. If any such action is brought against any indemnified party and it notifies the indemnifying party of its commencement, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in and, to the extent that it elects by delivering written notice to the indemnified party promptly after receiving notice of the commencement of the action from the indemnified party, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense of the action, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, and after notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense, the indemnifying party will not be liable to the indemnified party for any legal or other expenses except as provided below and except for the reasonable costs of investigation subsequently incurred by the indemnified party in connection with the defense. The indemnified party will have the right to employ its own counsel in any such action, but the fees, expenses and other charges of such counsel will be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (1) the employment of counsel by the indemnified party has been authorized in writing by the indemnifying party, (2) the indemnified party has reasonably concluded (based on advice of counsel) that there may be legal defenses available to it or other indemnified parties that are different from or in addition to those available to the indemnifying party, (3) a conflict or potential conflict exists (based on advice of counsel to the indemnified party) between the indemnified party and the indemnifying party (in which case the indemnifying party will not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party) or (4) the indemnifying party has not in fact employed counsel to assume the defense of such action within a reasonable time after receiving notice of the commencement of the action, in each of which cases the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel will be at the expense of the indemnifying party or parties. It is understood that the indemnifying party or parties shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of more than one separate firm admitted to practice in such jurisdiction at any one time for all such indemnified party or parties. All such fees, disbursements and other charges will be reimbursed by the indemnifying party promptly as they are incurred after the indemnifying party receives a written invoice relating to such fees, disbursements and other charges in reasonable detail. An indemnifying party will not, in any event, be liable for any settlement of any action or claim effected without its written consent. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of each indemnified party, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in any pending or threatened claim, action or proceeding relating to the matters contemplated by this Section 9 (whether or not any indemnified party is a party thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising or that may arise out of such claim, action or proceeding.

(d) Contribution. In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for in the foregoing paragraphs of this Section 9 is applicable in accordance with its terms but for any reason is held to be unavailable from the Company or Cowen, the Company and Cowen will contribute to the total losses, claims, liabilities, expenses and damages (including any investigative, legal and other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with, and any amount paid in settlement of, any action, suit or proceeding or any claim asserted, but after deducting any contribution received by the Company from persons other than Cowen, such as persons who control the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act, officers of the Company who signed the Registration Statement and directors of the Company, who also may be liable for contribution) to which the Company and

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Cowen may be subject in such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and Cowen on the other. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and Cowen on the other hand shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total Net Proceeds from the sale of the Placement Shares (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total compensation received by Cowen from the sale of Placement Shares on behalf of the Company. If, but only if, the allocation provided by the foregoing sentence is not permitted by applicable law, the allocation of contribution shall be made in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in the foregoing sentence but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and Cowen, on the other, with respect to the statements or omission that resulted in such loss, claim, liability, expense or damage, or action in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations with respect to such offering. Such relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or Cowen, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and Cowen agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section 9(d) were to be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to herein. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the loss, claim, liability, expense, or damage, or action in respect thereof, referred to above in this Section 9(d) shall be deemed to include, for the purpose of this Section 9(d), any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim to the extent consistent with Section 9(c) hereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 9(d), Cowen shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the commissions received by it under this Agreement and no person found guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) will be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 9(d), any person who controls a party to this Agreement within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any officers, directors, partners, employees or agents of Cowen, will have the same rights to contribution as that party, and each officer or director of the Company who signed the Registration Statement will have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the provisions hereof. Any party entitled to contribution, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim for contribution may be made under this Section 9(d), will notify any such party or parties from whom contribution may be sought, but the omission to so notify will not relieve that party or parties from whom contribution may be sought from any other obligation it or they may have under this Section 9(d) except to the extent that the failure to so notify such other party materially prejudiced the substantive rights or defenses of the party from whom contribution is sought. Except for a settlement entered into pursuant to the last sentence of Section 9(c) hereof, no party will be liable for contribution with respect to any action or claim settled without its written consent if such consent is required pursuant to Section 9(c) hereof.

10. Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery. The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in Section 9 of this Agreement and all representations and warranties of the Company herein or in certificates delivered pursuant hereto shall survive, as of their respective dates, regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of Cowen, any controlling persons, or the Company (or any of their respective officers, directors or controlling persons), (ii) delivery and acceptance of the Placement Shares and payment therefor or (iii) any termination of this Agreement.

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11. Termination.

(a) Cowen shall have the right by giving notice as hereinafter specified at any time to terminate this Agreement if (i) any Material Adverse Effect, or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect has occurred that, in the reasonable judgment of Cowen, may materially impair the ability of Cowen to sell the Placement Shares hereunder, (ii) the Company shall have failed, refused or been unable to perform any agreement on its part to be performed hereunder; provided, however, in the case of any failure of the Company to deliver (or cause another person to deliver) any certification, opinion, or letter required under Sections 7(m), 7(n), or 7(o), Cowen’s right to terminate shall not arise unless such failure to deliver (or cause to be delivered) continues for more than thirty (30) days from the date such delivery was required; (iii) any other condition of Cowen’s obligations hereunder is not fulfilled, or (iv), any suspension or limitation of trading in the Placement Shares or in securities generally on Nasdaq shall have occurred. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 7(g) (Expenses), Section 9 (Indemnification and Contribution), Section 10 (Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery), Section 16 (Applicable Law; Consent to Jurisdiction) and Section 17 (Waiver of Jury Trial) hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination. If Cowen elects to terminate this Agreement as provided in this Section 11(a), Cowen shall provide the required notice as specified in Section 12 (Notices).

(b) The Company shall have the right, by giving ten (10) days’ notice as hereinafter specified to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 16 and Section 17 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.

(c) Cowen shall have the right, by giving ten (10) days notice as hereinafter specified to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 16 and Section 17 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.

(d) Unless earlier terminated pursuant to this Section 11, this Agreement shall automatically terminate upon the issuance and sale of all of the Placement Shares through Cowen on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein; provided that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 16 and Section 17 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.

(e) This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect unless terminated pursuant to Sections 11(a), (b), (c), or (d) above or otherwise by mutual agreement of the parties; provided, however, that any such termination by mutual agreement shall in all cases be deemed to provide that Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 16 and Section 17 shall remain in full force and effect.

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(f) Any termination of this Agreement shall be effective on the date specified in such notice of termination; provided, however, that such termination shall not be effective until the close of business on the date of receipt of such notice by Cowen or the Company, as the case may be. If such termination shall occur prior to the Settlement Date for any sale of Placement Shares, such Placement Shares shall settle in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. Upon termination of this Agreement, the Company shall not have liability to Cowen for any discount, commission or other compensation with respect to any Placement Shares not otherwise sold by Cowen under this Agreement, except with respect to reimbursement of expenses pursuant to Section 7(g).

12. Notices. All notices or other communications required or permitted to be given by any party to any other party pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be in writing, unless otherwise specified in this Agreement, and if sent to Cowen, shall be delivered to Cowen at Cowen and Company, LLC, 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022, fax no. 646-562-1124, Attention: General Counsel with a copy to Covington & Burling LLP, fax no. 646-441-9111, attention: Eric W. Blanchard ; or if sent to the Company, shall be delivered to Merus N.V., Yalelaan 62, 3584 CM Utrecht, the Netherlands, attention: Ton Logtenberg, Chief Executive Officer with a copy to Latham & Watkins LLP, 200 Clarendon Street, 27^th Floor, Boston, MA 02116, fax no. 617-948-6001, attention: Peter Handrinos and with a copy to NautaDutilh N.V., by email to paul.vanderbijl@nautadutilh.com, attention: Paul van der Bijl. Each party to this Agreement may change such address for notices by sending to the parties to this Agreement written notice of a new address for such purpose. Each such notice or other communication shall be deemed given (i) when delivered personally or by verifiable facsimile transmission (with an original to follow) on or before 4:30 p.m., New York City time, on a Business Day (as defined below), or, if such day is not a Business Day on the next succeeding Business Day, (ii) on the next Business Day after timely delivery to a nationally-recognized overnight courier and (iii) on the Business Day actually received if deposited in the U.S. mail (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid). For purposes of this Agreement, “Business Day” shall mean any day on which the Nasdaq and commercial banks in the City of New York are open for business. An electronic notice (“Electronic Notice”) shall be deemed written notice for purposes of this Section 12 if sent to the electronic mail address specified by the receiving party under separate cover and confirmed by such receiving party in writing (including via email or fax). Any party receiving Electronic Notice may request and shall be entitled to receive the notice on paper, in a nonelectronic form (“Nonelectronic Notice”) which shall be sent to the requesting party within ten (10) days of receipt of the written request for Nonelectronic Notice.

13. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Company and Cowen and their respective successors and the affiliates, controlling persons, officers and directors referred to in Section 9 hereof. References to any of the parties contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to include the successors and permitted assigns of such party. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer upon any party other than the parties hereto or their respective successors and permitted assigns any rights, remedies, obligations or liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement, except as expressly provided in this Agreement. Neither party may assign its rights or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party; provided, however, that Cowen may assign its rights and obligations hereunder to an affiliate of Cowen without obtaining the Company’s consent, so long as such affiliate is a registered broker-dealer.

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14. Adjustments for Share Splits. The parties acknowledge and agree that all share-related numbers contained in this Agreement shall be adjusted to take into account any share split, share dividend or similar event effected with respect to the Common Shares.

15. Entire Agreement; Amendment; Severability. This Agreement (including all schedules and exhibits attached hereto and Placement Notices issued pursuant hereto) constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all other prior and contemporaneous agreements and undertakings, both written and oral, among the parties hereto with regard to the subject matter hereof. Neither this Agreement nor any term hereof may be amended except pursuant to a written instrument executed by the Company and Cowen. In the event that any one or more of the provisions contained herein, or the application thereof in any circumstance, is held invalid, illegal or unenforceable as written by a court of competent jurisdiction, then such provision shall be given full force and effect to the fullest possible extent that it is valid, legal and enforceable, and the remainder of the terms and provisions herein shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable term or provision was not contained herein, but only to the extent that giving effect to such provision and the remainder of the terms and provisions hereof shall be in accordance with the intent of the parties as reflected in this Agreement.

16. Applicable Law; Consent to Jurisdiction; Currency Provisions. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed in such state. Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (“Related Proceedings”) may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America located in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (except for proceedings instituted in regard to the enforcement of a judgment of any such court (a “Related Judgment”), as to which such jurisdiction is non-exclusive) of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. The Company and each other party not located in the United States has irrevocably appointed Cogency Global Inc., which currently maintains a New York City office at 10 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016, United States of America, as its agent to receive service of process or other legal summons for purposes of any such suit, action or proceeding that may be instituted in any state or federal court in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York, United States of America.

With respect to any Related Proceeding, each party irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, all immunity (whether on the basis of sovereignty or otherwise) from jurisdiction, service of process, attachment (both before and after judgment) and execution to which it might otherwise be entitled in the Specified Courts, and with respect to any Related Judgment, each party waives any such immunity in the Specified Courts or any other court of competent jurisdiction, and will not raise or claim or cause to be pleaded any such immunity at or in respect of any such Related Proceeding or Related Judgment, including, without limitation, any immunity pursuant to the United States Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976, as amended.

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The obligations of the Company pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any sum due to Cowen shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency other than United States dollars, not be discharged until the first business day, following receipt by Cowen of any sum adjudged to be so due in such other currency, on which Cowen may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase United States dollars with such other currency. If the United States dollars so purchased are less than the sum originally due to Cowen in United States dollars hereunder, the Company agrees as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify Cowen against such loss. If the United States dollars so purchased are greater than the sum originally due to Cowen hereunder, Cowen agrees to pay to the Company an amount equal to the excess of the dollars so purchased over the sum originally due to Cowen hereunder.

All payments made by the Company under this Agreement shall be made free and clear of any withholding or deduction for or on account of any present or future taxes, duties, assessments or governmental charges of whatever nature (including any amounts that result from the payment of fees, compensation or reimbursement of costs contemplated by this Agreement) imposed or levied by or on behalf of the Netherlands or by any department, agency or other political subdivision or any taxing authority thereof or therein, and all interest, penalties or similar liabilities with respect thereto (collectively, “Dutch Taxes”), unless such deduction or withholding is required by law. If any Dutch Taxes are required by law to be deducted or withheld by the Company in connection with such payment or repurchase, the Company will increase the amount to be paid to Cowen so that the full amount of such payment is received by Cowen, provided that the Company will not be required to pay any such additional amounts to the extent that the obligation to withhold or deduct any amounts arises as a result of any present or former connection between Cowen and the relevant jurisdiction other than any such connection arising solely as a result of the transaction described in this agreement.

17. Waiver of Jury Trial. The Company and Cowen each hereby irrevocably waives any right it may have to a trial by jury in respect of any claim based upon or arising out of this Agreement or any transaction contemplated hereby.

18. Absence of Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that:

(a) Cowen has been retained solely to act as sales agent in connection with the sale of the Placement Shares and that no fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship between the Company and Cowen has been created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, irrespective of whether Cowen has advised or is advising the Company on other matters;

(b) the Company is capable of evaluating and understanding and understands and accepts the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;

(c) the Company has been advised that Cowen and its affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and that Cowen has no obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship; and

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(d) the Company waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against Cowen, for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty and agrees that Cowen shall have no liability (whether direct or indirect) to the Company in respect of such a fiduciary claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on behalf of or in right of the Company, including shareholders, partners, employees or creditors of the Company.

19. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed Agreement by one party to the other may be made by facsimile or electronic transmission.

20. Definitions. As used in this Agreement, the following term has the meaning set forth below:

(a) “Agent’s Information” means, solely the following information in the Prospectus: the third sentence in the eighth paragraph under the caption “Plan of Distribution” in the Prospectus; and

(b) “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means as issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433.

[Remainder of Page Intentionally Blank]

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If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Company and Cowen, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding agreement between the Company and Cowen.


Very truly yours,

COWEN AND COMPANY, LLC

By:		/s/ Robert Sine
		Name: Robert Sine
		Title: Managing Director

ACCEPTED as of the date first-above written:

MERUS N.V.

By:		/s/ Ton Logtenberg
Name:		Ton Logtenberg
Title:		Chief Executive Officer

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SCHEDULE 1

FORM OF PLACEMENT NOTICE

From:

[ ]

Cc:

[ ]

To:

[ ]

Subject:

Cowen at the Market Offering—Placement Notice

Gentlemen:

Pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the Sales Agreement between Merus N.V. (the “Company”), and Cowen and Company, LLC (“Cowen”) dated [ ](the “Agreement”), I hereby request on behalf of the Company that Cowen sell up to [ ] of the Company’s common shares, nominal value €0.09 per share, at a minimum market price of $ per share. Sales should begin on the date of this Notice and shall continue until [DATE] [all shares are sold] [the aggregate sales price of the shares reaches $ ].

SCHEDULE 2

Company

Ton Logtenberg, Chief Executive Officer (t.logtenberg@merus.nl)

John Crowley, Chief Financial Officer (j.crowley@merus.nl)

Cowen

Robert Sine, Managing Director

William Follis, Director

SCHEDULE 3

Compensation

Cowen shall be paid compensation equal to 3% of the gross proceeds from the sales of Common Shares pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.

Exhibit 7(m)

OFFICER CERTIFICATE

The undersigned, the duly qualified and elected , of Merus N.V. (“Company”), a company incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands, does hereby certify in such capacity and on behalf of the Company, pursuant to Section 7(m) of the Sales Agreement dated , 2017 (the “Sales Agreement”) between the Company and Cowen and Company, LLC, that to the knowledge of the undersigned.

(i) The representations and warranties of the Company in Section 6 of the Sales Agreement (A) to the extent such representations and warranties are subject to qualifications and exceptions contained therein relating to materiality or Material Adverse Effect, are true and correct on and as of the date hereof with the same force and effect as if expressly made on and as of the date hereof, except for those representations and warranties that speak solely as of a specific date and which were true and correct as of such date, and (B) to the extent such representations and warranties are not subject to any qualifications or exceptions, are true and correct in all material respects as of the date hereof as if made on and as of the date hereof with the same force and effect as if expressly made on and as of the date hereof except for those representations and warranties that speak solely as of a specific date and which were true and correct as of such date; and

(ii) The Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied pursuant to the Sales Agreement at or prior to the date hereof.


By:
		Name:
		Title:

Date:

EX-4.1

Exhibit 4.1

LOGO

This is a translation into English of the official Dutch version of the deed of amendment to the

articles of association of a limited liability company under Dutch law. Definitions included in

Article 1 below appear in the English alphabetical order, but will appear in the Dutch

alphabetical order in the official Dutch version. In the event of a conflict between the English

and

Dutch texts, the Dutch text shall prevail.

DEED OF AMENDMENT TO THE ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

MERUS N.V.

On this day, the twenty-ninth day of May two thousand and seventeen, appeared before me, Wijnand Hendrik Bossenbroek, civil law notary at Amsterdam:

Paul Cornelis Simon van der Bijl, employed at the offices of me, civil law notary, located at 1082 PR Amsterdam, Beethovenstraat 400, born in Haarlemmermeer on the twenty-sixth day of January nineteen hundred and eighty.

The person appearing declared that the general meeting of shareholders of Merus N.V., a limited liability company, having its corporate seat in Utrecht (address: 3584 CM Utrecht, Yalelaan 62, trade register number: 30189136) (the “Company”), at the annual general meeting of shareholders held on the twenty-fourth day of May two thousand and seventeen, decided, among other things, to amend the Company’s articles of association in their entirety.

A copy of the minutes of the abovementioned meeting (the “Minutes”) will be attached to this Deed as an annex.

The Company’s articles of association were most recently amended by a deed executed on the nineteenth day of May two thousand and sixteen before Freerk Volders, civil law notary at Rotterdam.

In order to carry out the abovementioned decision to amend the articles of association, the person appearing declared that he was hereby amending the Company’s articles of association in their entirety, as set out below:

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION

Article 1

1.1

In these articles of association the following definitions shall apply:


Article		An article of these articles of association.

Board of Directors		The Company’s board of directors.

Board Rules		The internal rules applicable to the Board of Directors, as drawn up by the Board of Directors.

CEO		The Company’s chief executive officer.

Chairman		The chairman of the Board of Directors.

Class Meeting		The meeting of holders of shares of a certain class.

Company		The company to which these articles of association pertain.

DCC		The Dutch Civil Code.

Director		A member of the Board of Directors.

EURIBOR		The EURIBOR interest rate, as published by Thomson Reuters or another institution chosen by the Board of Directors, for loans with a maturity of three, six, nine or twelve months, whichever has had the highest mathematical average over the financial year (or the relevant part thereof) in respect of which the relevant distribution is made, but in any event no less than zero percent.

Executive Director		An executive Director.

General Meeting		The Company’s general meeting of shareholders.

Group Company		An entity or partnership which is organisationally connected with the Company in an economic unit within the meaning of Section 2:24b DCC.

Indemnified Officer		A current or former Director and such other current or former officer or employee of the Company or its Group Companies as designated by the Board of Directors.

Meeting Rights		With respect to the Company, the rights attributed by law

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		to the holders of depository receipts issued for shares with a company’s cooperation, including the right to attend and address a General Meeting.

Non-Executive Director		A non-executive Director.

Person with Meeting Rights		A shareholder, a usufructuary or pledgee with voting rights or a holder of depository receipts for shares issued with the Company’s cooperation.

Preferred Distribution		A distribution on the preferred shares for an amount equal to the Preferred Interest Rate calculated over the aggregate amount paid up on those preferred shares, whereby: a. any amount paid up on those preferred shares (including as a result of an issue of preferred shares) during the financial year (or the relevant part thereof) in respect of which the distribution is made shall only be taken into account proportionate to the number of days that elapsed during that financial year (or the relevant part thereof) after the payment was made on those preferred shares; b. any reduction of the aggregate amount paid up on preferred shares during the financial year (or the relevant part thereof) in respect of which the distribution is made shall be taken into account proportionate to the number of days that elapsed during that financial year (or the relevant part thereof) until such reduction was effected; and c. if the distribution is made in respect of part of a financial year, the amount of the distribution shall be proportionate to the number of days that elapsed during that part of the financial year.

Preferred Interest Rate		The mathematical average, calculated over the financial year (or the relevant part thereof) in respect of which a distribution is made on preferred shares, of the relevant EURIBOR interest rate, plus a margin not exceeding five hundred basis points (500bps) to be determined by the Board of Directors each time when, or before, preferred shares are issued without preferred shares already forming part of the Company’s issued share capital.

Registration Date		The date of registration for a General Meeting as provided by law.

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Simple Majority		More than half of the votes cast.

Subsidiary		A subsidiary of the Company within the meaning of Section 2:24a DCC, including: a. an entity in whose general meeting the Company or one or more of its Subsidiaries can exercise, whether or not by virtue of an agreement with other parties with voting rights, individually or collectively, more than half of the voting rights; and b. an entity of which the Company or one or more of its Subsidiaries are members or shareholders and can appoint or dismiss, whether or not by virtue of an agreement with other parties with voting rights, individually or collectively, more than half of the managing directors or of the supervisory directors, even if all parties with voting rights cast their votes.

1.2

Unless the context requires otherwise, references to “shares” or “shareholders” without further specification are to any class of shares or to the holders thereof, respectively.

1.3

References to statutory provisions are to those provisions as they are in force from time to time.

1.4

Terms that are defined in the singular have a corresponding meaning in the plural.

1.5

Words denoting a gender include each other gender.

1.6

Except as otherwise required by law, the terms “written” and “in writing” include the use of electronic means of communication.

NAME AND OFFICIAL SEAT

Article 2

2.1

The Company is a limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) and its name is Merus N.V.

2.2

The Company has its official seat in Utrecht.

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OBJECTS

Article 3

The Company’s objects are:

a.	to develop products and services in the area of biotechnology;

b.	to finance Group Companies or other parties;

c.	to borrow, to lend to raise funds, including the issue of bonds, promissory notes or other financial instruments or evidence of indebtedness as well as to enter into agreements in connection with the aforementioned;

d.	to supply advice and to render services to Group Companies or other parties;

e.	to render guarantees, to bind the Company, to provide security, to warrant performance in any other way and to assume liability, whether jointly and severally or otherwise, in respect of obligations of Group Companies or other parties;

f.	to incorporate, to participate in any way whatsoever in, to manage, to supervise and to hold any other interest in other entities, companies, partnerships and businesses;

g.	to obtain, alienate, encumber, manage and exploit registered property and items of property in general;

h.	to trade in currencies, securities and items of property in general;

i.	to develop and trade in patent, trademarks, licenses, know-how and other industrial property rights; and

j.	to perform any and all activity of industrial, financial or commercial nature and to do anything which, in the widest sense of the word, is connected with or may be conducive to the objects described above.

SHARES - AUTHORISED SHARE CAPITAL AND DEPOSITORY RECEIPTS

Article 4

4.1

The Company’s authorised share capital amounts to eight million one hundred thousand euro (EUR 8,100,000).

4.2

The authorised share capital is divided into:

forty-five million (45,000,000) common shares; and

forty-five million (45,000,000) preferred shares,

each having a nominal value of nine eurocents (EUR 0.09).

4.3

The Board of Directors may resolve that one or more shares are divided into such number of fractional shares as may be determined by the Board of Directors. Unless specified differently, the provisions of these articles of association concerning shares and shareholders apply mutatis mutandis to fractional shares and the holders thereof, respectively.

4.4

The Company may cooperate with the issue of depository receipts for shares in its capital.

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SHARES - FORM OF SHARES AND SHARE REGISTER

Article 5

5.1

All shares are registered shares, provided that the Board of Directors may resolve that one or more common shares are bearer shares, represented by physical share certificates.

5.2

The Board of Directors is not required to comply with a request made by a shareholder to convert one or more of his registered shares into bearer shares or vice versa. If the Board of Directors resolves to grant such a request, the shareholder concerned shall be charged for the costs of such conversion.

5.3

Registered shares shall be numbered consecutively, starting from 1 for each class of shares.

5.4

The Board of Directors shall keep a register setting out the names and addresses of all holders of registered shares and all holders of a usufruct or pledge in respect of such shares. The register shall also set out any other particulars that must be included in the register pursuant to applicable law. Part of the register may be kept outside the Netherlands to comply with applicable local law or pursuant to stock exchange rules.

5.5

Shareholders, usufructuaries and pledgees whose particulars must be set out in the register shall provide the Board of Directors with the necessary particulars in a timely fashion. Any consequences of not, or incorrectly, notifying such particulars shall be borne by the party concerned.

5.6

All notifications may be sent to shareholders, usufructuaries and pledgees whose particulars must be set out in the register at their respective addresses as set out in the register.

5.7

If the Board of Directors has resolved that one or more common shares are bearer shares, share certificates shall be issued for such bearer shares in such form as the Board of Directors may determine. Share certificates may represent one or more bearer shares. Each share certificate shall be signed by or on behalf of a Director.

5.8

The holder of evidence of a bearer share may request the Company to provide him with a duplicate for a missing share certificate. The Company shall only provide such duplicate:

if the party making the request can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Board of Directors, that such party is indeed entitled to receive such duplicate; and

if a period of four weeks has elapsed after having published the request on the Company’s website, without any objection to such request having been received by the Company within that period.

5.9

If an objection as referred to in Article 5.8 paragraph b. has been received by the Company in a timely fashion, the Company shall only provide the duplicate to the party who requested such duplicate after having been provided with a copy of a binding advice or court order to provide such duplicate, without the Company being required to investigate the competence of the relevant arbitrators or court, as the case may be, or the validity of such binding advice or judgment, as the case may be.

5.10

Upon a duplicate of a share certificate for a bearer share having been provided by the Company, such duplicate shall replace the original share certificate and no rights can be derived any longer from the share certificate thus replaced.

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SHARES - ISSUE

Article 6

6.1

Shares can be issued pursuant to a resolution of the General Meeting or of another body authorised by the General Meeting for this purpose for a specified period not exceeding five years. When granting such authorisation, the number of shares that may be issued must be specified. The authorisation may be extended, in each case for a period not exceeding five years. Unless stipulated differently when granting the authorisation, the authorisation cannot be revoked. For as long as and to the extent that another body has been authorised to resolve to issue shares, the General Meeting shall not have this authority.

6.2

Article 6.1 applies mutatis mutandis to the granting of rights to subscribe for shares, but does not apply in respect of issuing shares to a party exercising a previously acquired right to subscribe for shares.

6.3

The Company may not subscribe for shares in its own capital.

SHARES - PRE-EMPTION RIGHTS

Article 7

7.1

Upon an issue of shares, each holder of common shares shall have a pre-emption right in proportion to the aggregate nominal value of his common shares. No pre-emption rights are attached to preferred shares.

7.2

In deviation of Article 7.1, holders of common shares do not have pre-emption rights in respect of:

preferred shares;

shares issued against non-cash contribution; or

shares issued to employees of the Company or of a Group Company.

7.3

The Company shall announce an issue with pre-emption rights and the period during which those rights can be exercised in the State Gazette and in a daily newspaper with national distribution, unless all shares are registered shares and the announcement is sent in writing to all shareholders at the addresses submitted by them.

7.4

Pre-emption rights may be exercised for a period of at least two weeks after the date of announcement in the State Gazette or after the announcement was sent to the shareholders.

7.5

Pre-emption rights may be limited or excluded by a resolution of the General Meeting or of the body authorised as referred to in Article 6.1, if that body was authorised by the

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General Meeting for this purpose for a specified period not exceeding five years. The authorisation may be extended, in each case for a period not exceeding five years. Unless stipulated differently when granting the authorisation, the authorisation cannot be revoked. For as long as and to the extent that another body has been authorised to resolve to limit or exclude pre-emption rights, the General Meeting shall not have this authority.

7.6

A resolution of the General Meeting to limit or exclude pre-emption rights, or to grant an authorisation as referred to in Article 7.5, shall require a majority of at least two thirds of the votes cast if less than half of the issued share capital is represented at the General Meeting.

7.7

The preceding provisions of this Article 7 apply mutatis mutandis to the granting of rights to subscribe for shares, but do not apply in respect of issuing shares to a party exercising a previously acquired right to subscribe for shares.

SHARES - PAYMENT

Article 8

8.1

Without prejudice to Article 8.2, the nominal value of a share and, if the share is subscribed for at a higher price, the difference between these amounts must be paid up upon subscription for that share. However, it may be stipulated that part of the nominal value of a preferred share, not exceeding three quarters thereof, need not be paid up until the Company has called for payment. The Company shall observe a reasonable notice period of at least one month with respect to any such call for payment.

8.2

Parties who professionally place shares for their own account may be allowed by virtue of an agreement to pay up less than the nominal value of the shares subscribed for by them, provided that at least ninety-four percent (94%) of this amount is paid up in cash ultimately upon subscription for those shares.

8.3

Shares must be paid up in cash, except to the extent that payment by means of a contribution in another form has been agreed.

8.4

Payment in a currency other than the euro may only be made with the Company’s consent. Where such a payment is made, the payment obligation is satisfied for the amount in euro for which the paid amount can be freely exchanged. Without prejudice to the last sentence of Section 2:80a(3) DCC, the date of the payment determines the exchange rate.

SHARES - FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Article 9

9.1

The Company may not provide security, give a price guarantee, warrant performance in any other way or commit itself jointly and severally or otherwise with or for others with a view to the subscription for or acquisition of shares or depository receipts for shares in its capital by others. This prohibition applies equally to Subsidiaries.

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9.2

The Company and its Subsidiaries may not provide loans with a view to the subscription for or acquisition of shares or depository receipts for shares in the Company’s capital by others, unless the Board of Directors resolves to do so and Section 2:98c DCC is observed.

9.3

The preceding provisions of this Article 9 do not apply if shares or depository receipts for shares are subscribed for or acquired by or for employees of the Company or of a Group Company.

SHARES - ACQUISITION OF OWN SHARES

Article 10

10.1

The acquisition by the Company of shares in its own capital which have not been fully paid up shall be null and void.

10.2

The Company may only acquire fully paid up shares in its own capital for no consideration or if and to the extent that the General Meeting has authorised the Board of Directors for this purpose and all other relevant statutory requirements of Section 2:98 DCC are observed.

10.3

An authorisation as referred to in Article 10.2 remains valid for no longer than eighteen months. When granting such authorisation, the General Meeting shall determine the number of shares that may be acquired, how they may be acquired and within which range the acquisition price must be. An authorisation shall not be required for the Company to acquire common shares in its own capital in order to transfer them to employees of the Company or of a Group Company pursuant to an arrangement applicable to them, provided that these common shares are included on the price list of a stock exchange.

10.4

Without prejudice to Articles 10.1 through 10.3, the Company may acquire shares in its own capital for cash consideration or for consideration satisfied in the form of assets. In the case of a consideration being satisfied in the form of assets, the value thereof, as determined by the Board of Directors, must be within the range stipulated by the General Meeting as referred to in Article 10.3.

10.5

The previous provisions of this Article 10 do not apply to shares acquired by the Company under universal title of succession.

10.6

In this Article 10, references to shares include depository receipts for shares.

SHARES - REDUCTION OF ISSUED SHARE CAPITAL

Article 11

11.1

The General Meeting can resolve to reduce the Company’s issued share capital by cancelling

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shares or by reducing the nominal value of shares by virtue of an amendment to these articles of association. The resolution must designate the shares to which the resolution relates and it must provide for the implementation of the resolution.

11.2

A resolution to cancel shares may only relate to:

shares held by the Company itself or in respect of which the Company holds the depository receipts; and

all preferred shares, with repayment of the amounts paid up in respect thereof and provided that, to the extent allowed under Articles 30.1 and 30.6, a distribution is made on those preferred shares, in proportion to the amounts paid up on those preferred shares, immediately prior to such cancellation becoming effective, for an aggregate amount of:

the total of all Preferred Distributions (or parts thereof) in relation to financial years prior to the financial year in which the cancellation occurs, to the extent that these should have been distributed but have not yet been distributed as described in Article 32.1; and

ii.

the Preferred Distribution calculated in respect of the part of the financial year in which the cancellation occurs, for the number of days that have elapsed during such part of the financial year.

11.3

A resolution of the General Meeting to reduce the Company’s issued share capital shall require a majority of at least two thirds of the votes cast if less than half of the issued share capital is represented at the General Meeting.

11.4

If a resolution of the General Meeting to reduce the Company’s issued share capital relates to preferred shares, such resolution shall always require the prior or simultaneous approval of the Class Meeting of preferred shares.

SHARES - ISSUE AND TRANSFER REQUIREMENTS

Article 12

12.1

Except as otherwise provided or allowed by Dutch law, the issue or transfer of a share shall require a deed to that effect and, in the case of a transfer and unless the Company itself is a party to the transaction, acknowledgement of the transfer by the Company.

12.2

The acknowledgement shall be set out in the deed or shall be made in such other manner as prescribed by law.

12.3

For as long as common shares are admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ Stock Market or on any other regulated stock exchange operating in the United States of America, the laws of the State of New York shall apply to the property law aspects of the common shares reflected in the register administered by the relevant transfer agent.

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SHARES - USUFRUCT AND PLEDGE

Article 13

13.1

Shares can be encumbered with a usufruct or pledge. The creation of a pledge on preferred shares shall require the prior approval of the Board of Directors.

13.2

The voting rights attached to a share which is subject to a usufruct or pledge vest in the shareholder concerned.

13.3

In deviation of Article 13.2:

the holder of a usufruct or pledge on common shares shall have the voting rights attached thereto if this was provided when the usufruct or pledge was created; and

the holder of a usufruct or pledge on preferred shares shall have the voting rights attached thereto if this was provided when the usufruct or pledge was created and this was approved by the Board of Directors.

13.4

Shareholders without voting rights and usufructuaries and pledgees with voting rights will have Meeting Rights. Usufructuaries and pledgees without voting rights shall not have Meeting Rights.

SHARES - TRANSFER RESTRICTIONS

Article 14

14.1

A transfer of preferred shares shall require the prior approval of the Board of Directors. A shareholder wishing to transfer preferred shares must first request the Board of Directors to grant such approval. A transfer of common shares is not subject to transfer restrictions under these articles of association.

14.2

A transfer of the preferred shares to which the request for approval relates must take place within three months after the approval of the Board of Directors has been granted or is deemed to have been granted pursuant to Article 14.3.

14.3

The approval of the Board of Directors shall be deemed to have been granted:

if no resolution granting or denying the approval has been passed by the Board of Directors within three months after the Company has received the request for approval; or

if the Board of Directors, when denying the approval, does not notify the requesting shareholder of the identity of one or more interested parties willing to purchase the relevant preferred shares.

14.4

If the Board of Directors denies the approval and notifies the requesting shareholder of the identity of one or more interested parties, the requesting shareholder shall notify the Board of Directors within two weeks after having received such notice whether:

he withdraws his request for approval, in which case the requesting shareholder cannot transfer the relevant preferred shares; or

he accepts the interested party(ies), in which case the requesting shareholder shall promptly enter into negotiations with the interested party(ies) regarding the price to be paid for the relevant preferred shares.

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If the requesting shareholder does not notify the Board of Directors of his choice in a timely fashion, he shall be deemed to have withdrawn his request for approval, in which case he cannot transfer the relevant preferred shares.

14.5

If an agreement is reached in the negotiations referred to in Article 14.4 paragraph b. within two weeks after the end of the period referred to in Article 14.4, the relevant preferred shares shall be transferred for the agreed price within three months after such agreement having been reached. If no agreement is reached in these negotiations in a timely fashion:

the requesting shareholder shall promptly notify the Board of Directors thereof; and

the price to be paid for the relevant preferred shares shall be equal to the value thereof, as determined by one or more independent experts to be appointed by the requesting shareholder and the interested party(ies) by mutual agreement.

14.6

If no agreement is reached on the appointment of the independent expert(s) as referred to in Article 14.5 paragraph b. within two weeks after the end of the period referred to in Article 14.5:

the requesting shareholder shall promptly notify the Board of Directors thereof; and

the requesting shareholder shall promptly request the president of the district court in whose district the Company has its official seat to appoint three independent experts to determine the value of the relevant preferred shares.

14.7

If and when the value of the relevant preferred shares has been determined by the independent expert(s), irrespective of whether he/they was/were appointed by mutual agreement or by the president of the relevant district court, the requesting shareholder shall promptly notify the Board of Directors of the value so determined. The Board of Directors shall then promptly inform the interested party(ies) of such value, following which the/each interested party may withdraw from the sale procedure by giving notice thereof the Board of Directors within two weeks.

14.8

If any interested party withdraws from the sale procedure in accordance with Article 14.7, the Board of Directors:

shall promptly inform the requesting shareholder and the other interested party(ies), if any, thereof; and

shall give the opportunity to the/each other interested party, if any, to declare to

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the Board of Directors and the requesting shareholder, within two weeks, his willingness to acquire the preferred shares having become available as a result of the withdrawal, for the price determined by the independent expert(s) (with the Board of Directors being entitled to determine the allocation of such preferred shares among any such willing interested party(ies) at its absolute discretion).

14.9

If it becomes apparent to the Board of Directors that all relevant preferred shares can be transferred to one or more interested parties for the price determined by the independent expert(s), the Board of Directors shall promptly notify the requesting shareholder and such interested party(ies) thereof. Within three months after sending such notice the relevant preferred shares shall be transferred.

14.10

If it becomes apparent to the Board of Directors that not all relevant preferred shares can be transferred to one or more interested parties for the price determined by the independent expert(s):

the Board of Directors shall promptly notify the requesting shareholder thereof; and

the requesting shareholder shall be free to transfer all relevant preferred shares, provided that the transfer takes place within three months after having received the notice referred to in paragraph a.

14.11

The Company may only be an interested party under this Article 14 with the consent of the requesting shareholder.

14.12

All notices given pursuant to this Article 14 shall be provided in writing.

14.13

The preceding provisions of this Article 14 do not apply:

to the extent that a shareholder is under a statutory obligation to transfer preferred shares to a previous holder thereof;

if it concerns a transfer in connection with an enforcement of a pledge pursuant to Section 3:248 DCC in conjunction with Section 3:250 or 3:251 DCC; or

if it concerns a transfer to the Company, except in the case that the Company acts as an interested party pursuant to Article 14.11.

14.14

This Article 14 applies mutatis mutandis in case of a transfer of rights to subscribe for preferred shares.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS - COMPOSITION

Article 15

15.1

The Company has a Board of Directors consisting of:

one or more Executive Directors, being primarily charged with the Company’s day-to-day operations; and

one or more Non-Executive Directors, being primarily charged with the supervision of the performance of the duties of the Directors.

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The Board of Directors shall be composed of individuals.

15.2

The Board of Directors shall determine the number of Executive Directors and the number of Non-Executive Directors.

15.3

The Board of Directors shall elect an Executive Director to be the CEO. The Board of Directors may dismiss the CEO, provided that the CEO so dismissed shall subsequently continue his term of office as an Executive Director without having the title of CEO.

15.4

The Board of Directors shall elect a Non-Executive Director to be the Chairman. The Board of Directors may dismiss the Chairman, provided that the Chairman so dismissed shall subsequently continue his term of office as a Non-Executive Director without having the title of Chairman.

15.5

If a Director is absent or incapacitated, he may be replaced temporarily by a person whom the Board of Directors has designated for that purpose and, until then, the other Director(s) shall be charged with the management of the Company. If all Directors are absent or incapacitated, the management of the Company shall be attributed to the person who most recently ceased to hold office as the CEO. If such former CEO is unwilling or unable to accept that position, the management of the Company shall be attributed to the person who most recently ceased to hold office as the Chairman. If such former Chairman is also unwilling or unable to accept that position, the management of the Company shall be attributed to one or more persons whom the General Meeting has designated for that purpose. The person(s) charged with the management of the Company in this manner, may designate one or more persons to be charged with the management of the Company in addition to, or together with, such person(s).

15.6

A Director shall be considered to be unable to act within the meaning of Article 15.5:

in a period during which the Company has not been able to contact him (including as a result of illness), provided that such period lasted longer than five consecutive days (or such other period as determined by the Board of Directors on the basis of the facts and circumstances at hand);

during his suspension; or

in the deliberations and decision-making of the Board of Directors on matters in relation to which he has declared to have, or in relation to which the Board of Directors has established that he has, a conflict of interests as described in Article 18.7.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS - APPOINTMENT, SUSPENSION AND DISMISSAL

Article 16

16.1

The General Meeting shall appoint the Directors and may at any time suspend or dismiss any Director. In addition, the Board of Directors may at any time suspend an Executive Director.

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16.2

The General Meeting can only appoint Directors upon a nomination by the Board of Directors. The General Meeting may at any time resolve to render such nomination to be non-binding by a majority of at least two thirds of the votes cast representing more than half of the issued share capital. If a nomination is rendered non-binding, a new nomination shall be made by the Board of Directors. If the nomination comprises one candidate for a vacancy, a resolution concerning the nomination shall result in the appointment of the candidate, unless the nomination is rendered non-binding. A second meeting as referred to in Section 2:120(3) DCC cannot be convened.

16.3

At a General Meeting, a resolution to appoint a Director can only be passed in respect of candidates whose names are stated for that purpose in the agenda of that General Meeting or the explanatory notes thereto.

16.4

Upon the appointment of a person as a Director, the General Meeting shall determine whether that person is appointed as Executive Director or as Non-Executive Director.

16.5

A resolution of the General Meeting to suspend or dismiss a Director shall require a majority of at least two thirds of the votes cast representing more than half of the issued share capital, unless the resolution is passed at the proposal of the Board of Directors. A second meeting as referred to in Section 2:120(3) DCC cannot be convened.

16.6

If a Director is suspended and the General Meeting does not resolve to dismiss him within three months from the date of such suspension, the suspension shall lapse.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS - DUTIES AND ORGANISATION

Article 17

17.1

The Board of Directors is charged with the management of the Company, subject to the restrictions contained in these articles of association. In performing their duties, Directors shall be guided by the interests of the Company and of the business connected with it.

17.2

The Board of Directors shall draw up Board Rules concerning its organisation, decision-making and other internal matters, with due observance of these articles of association. In performing their duties, the Directors shall act in compliance with the Board Rules.

17.3

The Directors may allocate their duties amongst themselves in or pursuant to the Board Rules or otherwise pursuant to resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors, provided that:

the Executive Directors shall be charged with the Company’s day-to-day operations;

the task of supervising the performance of the duties of the Directors cannot be taken away from the Non-Executive Directors;

the Chairman must be a Non-Executive Director; and

the making of proposals for the appointment of a Director and the determination of the compensation of the Executive Directors cannot be allocated to an Executive Director.

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17.4

The Board of Directors may determine in writing, in or pursuant to the Board Rules or otherwise pursuant to resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors, that one or more Directors can validly pass resolutions in respect of matters which fall under his/their duties.

17.5

The Board of Directors shall establish the committees which the Company is required to have and otherwise such committees as are deemed to be appropriate by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall draw up (and/or include in the Board Rules) rules concerning the organisation, decision-making and other internal matters of its committees.

17.6

The Board of Directors may perform the legal acts referred to in Section 2:94(1) DCC without the prior approval of the General Meeting.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS - DECISION-MAKING

Article 18

18.1

Without prejudice to Article 18.5, each Director may cast one vote in the decision-making of the Board of Directors.

18.2

A Director can be represented by another Director holding a written proxy for the purpose of the deliberations and the decision-making of the Board of Directors.

18.3

Resolutions of the Board of Directors and resolutions of the group of Non-Executive Directors shall be passed, irrespective of whether this occurs at a meeting or otherwise, by Simple Majority unless the Board Rules provide differently.

18.4

Invalid votes, blank votes and abstentions shall not be counted as votes cast.

18.5

Where there is a tie in any vote of the Board of Directors, the Chairman shall have a casting vote, provided that there are at least three Directors in office. Otherwise, the relevant resolution shall not have been passed.

18.6

The Executive Directors shall not participate in the decision-making concerning the determination of the compensation of Executive Directors.

18.7

A Director shall not participate in the deliberations and decision-making of the Board of Directors on a matter in relation to which he has a direct or indirect personal interest which conflicts with the interests of the Company and of the business connected with it. If, as a result thereof, no resolution can be passed by the Board of Directors, the resolution may nevertheless be passed by the Board of Directors as if none of the Directors has a conflict of interests as described in the previous sentence.

18.8

Meetings of the Board of Directors can be held through audio-communication facilities, unless a Director objects thereto.

18.9

Resolutions of the Board of Directors may, instead of at a meeting, be passed in writing, provided that all Directors are familiar with the resolution to be passed and none of them objects to this decision-making process. Articles 18.1 through 18.7 apply mutatis mutandis.

LOGO

18.10

The approval of the General Meeting is required for resolutions of the Board of Directors concerning a material change to the identity or the character of the Company or the business, including in any event:

transferring the business or materially all of the business to a third party;

entering into or terminating a long-lasting alliance of the Company or of a Subsidiary either with another entity or company, or as a fully liable partner of a limited partnership or general partnership, if this alliance or termination is of significant importance for the Company; and

acquiring or disposing of an interest in the capital of a company by the Company or by a Subsidiary with a value of at least one third of the value of the assets, according to the balance sheet with explanatory notes or, if the Company prepares a consolidated balance sheet, according to the consolidated balance sheet with explanatory notes in the Company’s most recently adopted annual accounts.

18.11

The absence of the approval of the General Meeting of a resolution as referred to in Article 18.10 shall result in the relevant resolution being null and void pursuant to Section 2:14(1) DCC but shall not affect the powers of representation of the Board of Directors or of the Directors.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS - COMPENSATION

Article 19

19.1

The General Meeting shall determine the Company’s policy concerning the compensation of the Board of Directors with due observance of the relevant statutory requirements.

19.2

The compensation of Directors shall be determined by the Board of Directors with due observance of the policy referred to in Article 19.1.

19.3

The Board of Directors shall submit proposals concerning arrangements in the form of shares or rights to subscribe for shares to the General Meeting for approval. This proposal must at least include the number of shares or rights to subscribe for shares that may be awarded to the Board of Directors and which criteria apply for such awards or changes thereto. The absence of the approval of the General Meeting shall not affect the powers of representation.

LOGO

BOARD OF DIRECTORS - REPRESENTATION

Article 20

20.1

The Board of Directors is entitled to represent the Company.

20.2

The power to represent the Company also vests in the CEO individually, as well as in any other two Executive Directors acting jointly.

20.3

The Company may grant powers of attorney to represent the Company and determine the scope of such powers of attorney. If a power of attorney is granted to an individual, the Board of Directors may grant an appropriate title to such person.

INDEMNITY

Article 21

21.1

The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless each of its Indemnified Officers against:

any financial losses or damages incurred by such Indemnified Officer; and

any expense reasonably paid or incurred by such Indemnified Officer in connection with any threatened, pending or completed suit, claim, action or legal proceedings of a civil, criminal, administrative, investigative or other nature, formal or informal, in which he becomes involved,

to the extent this relates to his current or former position with the Company and/or a Group Company and in each case to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

21.2

No indemnification shall be given to an Indemnified Officer:

if a competent court or arbitral tribunal has established, without possibility for appeal, that the acts or omissions of such Indemnified Officer that led to the financial losses, damages, expenses, suit, claim, action or legal proceedings as described in Article 21.1 result from either an improper performance of his duties as an officer of the Company or an unlawful or illegal act;

to the extent that his financial losses, damages and expenses are covered under an insurance and the relevant insurer has settled, or has provided reimbursement for, these financial losses, damages and expenses (or has irrevocably undertaken to do so); or

in relation to proceedings brought by such Indemnified Officer against the Company, except for proceedings brought to enforce indemnification to which he is entitled pursuant to these articles of association or an agreement between such Indemnified Officer and the Company which has been approved by the Board of Directors.

21.3

The Board of Directors may stipulate additional terms, conditions and restrictions in relation to the indemnification referred to in Article 21.1.

LOGO

GENERAL MEETING - CONVENING AND HOLDING MEETINGS

Article 22

22.1

Annually, at least one General Meeting shall be held. This annual General Meeting shall be held within six months after the end of the Company’s financial year.

22.2

A General Meeting shall also be held:

within three months after the Board of Directors has considered it to be likely that the Company’s equity has decreased to an amount equal to or lower than half of its paid up and called up capital, in order to discuss the measures to be taken if so required; and

whenever the Board of Directors so decides.

22.3

General Meetings must be held in the place where the Company has its official seat or in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam or Schiphol (Haarlemmermeer).

22.4

If the Board of Directors has failed to ensure that a General Meeting as referred to in Articles 22.1 or 22.2 paragraph a. is held, each Person with Meeting Rights may be authorised by the court in preliminary relief proceedings to do so.

22.5

One or more Persons with Meeting Rights who collectively represent at least the part of the Company’s issued share capital prescribed by law for this purpose may request the Board of Directors in writing to convene a General Meeting, setting out in detail the matters to be discussed. If the Board of Directors has not taken the steps necessary to ensure that the General Meeting could be held within the relevant statutory period after the request, the requesting Person(s) with Meeting Rights may be authorised, at his/their request, by the court in preliminary relief proceedings to convene a General Meeting.

22.6

Any matter of which the discussion has been requested in writing by one or more Persons with Meeting Rights who, individually or collectively, represent at least the part of the Company’s issued share capital prescribed by law for this purpose shall be included in the convening notice or announced in the same manner, if the Company has received the substantiated request or a proposal for a resolution no later than on the sixtieth day prior to that of the General Meeting.

22.7

A General Meeting must be convened with due observance of the relevant statutory minimum convening period.

22.8

All Persons with Meeting Rights must be convened for the General Meeting in accordance with applicable law. The holders of registered shares may be convened for the General Meeting by means of convening letters sent to the addresses of those shareholders in accordance with Article 5.6. The previous sentence does not prejudice the possibility of sending a convening notice by electronic means in accordance with Section 2:113(4) DCC.

LOGO

GENERAL MEETING - PROCEDURAL RULES

Article 23

23.1

The General Meeting shall be chaired by one of the following individuals, taking into account the following order of priority:

by the Chairman, if there is a Chairman and he is present at the General Meeting;

by the CEO, if there is a CEO and he is present at the General Meeting;

by another Director who is chosen by the Directors present at the General Meeting from their midst; or

by another person appointed by the General Meeting.

The person who should chair the General Meeting pursuant to paragraphs a. through d. may appoint another person to chair the General Meeting instead of him.

23.2

The chairman of the General Meeting shall appoint another person present at the General Meeting to act as secretary and to minute the proceedings at the General Meeting. The minutes of a General Meeting shall be adopted by the chairman of that General Meeting or by the Board of Directors. Where an official report of the proceedings is drawn up by a civil law notary, no minutes need to be prepared. Every Director may instruct a civil law notary to draw up such an official report at the Company’s expense.

23.3

The chairman of the General Meeting shall decide on the admittance to the General Meeting of persons other than:

the persons who have Meeting Rights at that General Meeting, or their proxyholders; and

those who have a statutory right to attend that General Meeting on other grounds.

23.4

The holder of a written proxy from a Person with Meeting Rights who is entitled to attend a General Meeting shall only be admitted to that General Meeting if the proxy is determined to be acceptable by the chairman of that General Meeting.

23.5

The Company may direct that any person, before being admitted to a General Meeting, identify himself by means of a valid passport or driver’s license and/or should be submitted to such security arrangements as the Company may consider to be appropriate under the given circumstances. Persons who do not comply with these requirements may be refused entry to the General Meeting.

23.6

The chairman of the General Meeting has the right to eject any person from the General Meeting if he considers that person to disrupt the orderly proceedings at the General Meeting.

23.7

The General Meeting may be conducted in a language other than the Dutch language, if so determined by the chairman of the General Meeting.

23.8

The chairman of the General Meeting may limit the amount of time that persons present at the General Meeting are allowed to take in addressing the General Meeting and the number of questions they are allowed to raise, with a view to safeguarding the orderly proceedings at the General Meeting. The chairman of the General Meeting may also adjourn the meeting if he considers that this shall safeguard the orderly proceedings at the General Meeting.

LOGO

GENERAL MEETING - EXERCISE OF MEETING AND VOTING RIGHTS

Article 24

24.1

Each Person with Meeting Rights has the right to attend, address and, if applicable, vote at General Meetings, whether in person or represented by the holder of a written proxy. Holders of fractional shares together constituting the nominal value of a share of the relevant class shall exercise these rights collectively, whether through one of them or through the holder of a written proxy.

24.2

The Board of Directors may decide that each Person with Meeting Rights is entitled, whether in person or represented by the holder of a written proxy, to participate in, address and, if applicable, vote at the General Meeting by electronic means of communication. For the purpose of applying the preceding sentence it must be possible, by electronic means of communication, for the Person with Meeting Rights to be identified, to observe in real time the proceedings at the General Meeting and, if applicable, to vote. The Board of Directors may impose conditions on the use of the electronic means of communication, provided that these conditions are reasonable and necessary for the identification of the Person with Meeting Rights and the reliability and security of the communication. Such conditions must be announced in the convening notice.

24.3

The Board of Directors can also decide that votes cast through electronic means of communication or by means of a letter prior to the General Meeting are considered to be votes that are cast during the General Meeting. These votes shall not be cast prior to the Registration Date.

24.4

For the purpose of Articles 24.1 through 24.3, those who have voting rights and/or Meeting Rights on the Registration Date and are recorded as such in a register designated by the Board of Directors shall be considered to have those rights, irrespective of whoever is entitled to the shares or depository receipts at the time of the General Meeting. Unless Dutch law requires otherwise, the Board of Directors is free to determine, when convening a General Meeting, whether the previous sentence applies.

24.5

Each Person with Meeting Rights must notify the Company in writing of his identity and his intention to attend the General Meeting. This notice must be received by the Company ultimately on the seventh day prior to the General Meeting, unless indicated otherwise when such General Meeting is convened. Persons with Meeting Rights that have not complied with this requirement may be refused entry to the General

LOGO

Meeting. When a General Meeting is convened the Board of Directors may stipulate not to apply the previous provisions of this Article 24.5 in respect of the exercise of Meeting Rights and/or voting rights attached to preferred shares at such General Meeting.

GENERAL MEETING - DECISION-MAKING

Article 25

25.1

Each share, irrespective of which class it concerns, shall give the right to cast one vote at the General Meeting. Fractional shares of a certain class, if any, collectively constituting the nominal value of a share of that class shall be considered to be equivalent to such a share.

25.2

No vote may be cast at a General Meeting in respect of a share belonging to the Company or a Subsidiary or in respect of a share for which any of them holds the depository receipts. Usufructuaries and pledgees of shares belonging to the Company or its Subsidiaries are not, however, precluded from exercising their voting rights if the usufruct or pledge was created before the relevant share belonged to the Company or a Subsidiary. Neither the Company nor a Subsidiary may vote shares in respect of which it holds a usufruct or a pledge.

25.3

Unless a greater majority is required by law or by these articles of association, all resolutions of the General Meeting shall be passed by Simple Majority.

25.4

Invalid votes, blank votes and abstentions shall not be counted as votes cast. Shares in respect of which an invalid or blank vote has been cast and shares in respect of which an abstention has been made shall be taken into account when determining the part of the issued share capital that is represented at a General Meeting.

25.5

Where there is a tie in any vote of the General Meeting, the relevant resolution shall not have been passed.

25.6

The chairman of the General Meeting shall decide on the method of voting and the voting procedure at the General Meeting.

25.7

The determination during the General Meeting made by the chairman of that General Meeting with regard to the results of a vote shall be decisive. If the accuracy of the chairman’s determination is contested immediately after it has been made, a new vote shall take place if the majority of the General Meeting so requires or, where the original vote did not take place by response to a roll call or in writing, if any party with voting rights who is present so requires. The legal consequences of the original vote shall lapse as a result of the new vote.

25.8

The Board of Directors shall keep a record of the resolutions passed. The record shall be available at the Company’s office for inspection by Persons with Meeting Rights. Each of them shall, upon request, be provided with a copy of or extract from the record, at no more than the cost price.

25.9

The Directors shall, in that capacity, have an advisory vote at the General Meetings.

LOGO

GENERAL MEETING - SPECIAL RESOLUTIONS

Article 26

26.1

The following resolutions can only be passed by the General Meeting at the proposal of the Board of Directors:

the issue of shares or the granting of rights to subscribe for shares;

the limitation or exclusion of pre-emption rights;

the designation or granting of an authorisation as referred to in Articles 6.1, 7.5 and 10.2, respectively;

the reduction of the Company’s issued share capital;

the granting of an approval as referred to in Article 18.10;

the making of a distribution from the Company’s profits or reserves on the common shares;

the making of a distribution in the form of shares in the Company’s capital or in the form of assets, instead of in cash;

the amendment of these articles of association;

the entering into of a merger or demerger;

the instruction of the Board of Directors to apply for the Company’s bankruptcy; and

the Company’s dissolution.

26.2

For purposes of Article 26.1, a resolution shall not be considered to have been proposed by the Board of Directors if such resolution has been included in the convening notice or announced in the same manner by or at the request of one or more Persons with Meeting Rights pursuant to Articles 22.5 and/or 22.6, unless the Board of Directors has expressly indicated its support of such resolution in the agenda of the General Meeting concerned or in the explanatory notes thereto.

CLASS MEETINGS

Article 27

27.1

A Class Meeting shall be held whenever a resolution of that Class Meeting is required by Dutch law or under these articles of association and otherwise whenever the Board of Directors so decides.

27.2

Without prejudice to Article 27.1, for Class Meetings of common shares, the provisions concerning the convening of, drawing up of the agenda for, holding of and decision-making by the General Meeting apply mutatis mutandis.

LOGO

27.3

For Class Meetings of preferred shares, the following shall apply:

Articles 22.3, 22.8, 23.3, 25.1, 25.2 through 25.9 apply mutatis mutandis;

a Class Meeting must be convened no later than on the eighth day prior to that of the meeting;

a Class Meeting shall appoint its own chairman; and

where the rules laid down by these articles of association in relation to the convening, location of or drawing up of the agenda for a Class Meeting have not been complied with, legally valid resolutions may still be passed by that Class Meeting by a unanimous vote at a meeting at which all shares of the relevant class are represented.

27.4

Holders of preferred shares may pass resolutions in writing instead of at a meeting by a unanimous vote of all shareholders concerned. The votes may be cast electronically.

REPORTING - FINANCIAL YEAR, ANNUAL ACCOUNTS AND MANAGEMENT REPORT

Article 28

28.1

The Company’s financial year shall coincide with the calendar year.

28.2

Annually, within the relevant statutory period, the Board of Directors shall prepare the annual accounts and the management report and deposit them at the Company’s office for inspection by the shareholders.

28.3

The annual accounts shall be signed by the Directors. If any of their signatures is missing, this shall be mentioned, stating the reasons.

28.4

The Company shall ensure that the annual accounts, the management report and the particulars to be added pursuant to Section 2:392(1) DCC shall be available at its offices as from the convening of the General Meeting at which they are to be discussed. The Persons with Meeting Rights are entitled to inspect such documents at that location and to obtain a copy at no cost.

28.5

The annual accounts shall be adopted by the General Meeting.

REPORTING - AUDIT

Article 29

29.1

The General Meeting shall instruct an auditor as referred to in Section 2:393 DCC to audit the annual accounts. Where the General Meeting fails to do so, the Board of Directors shall be authorised.

LOGO

29.2

The instruction may be revoked by the General Meeting and, if the Board of Directors has granted the instruction, by the Board of Directors. The instruction can only be revoked for well-founded reasons; a difference of opinion regarding the reporting or auditing methods shall not constitute such a reason.

DISTRIBUTIONS - GENERAL

Article 30

30.1

A distribution can only be made to the extent that the Company’s equity exceeds the amount of the paid up and called up part of its capital plus the reserves which must be maintained by law.

30.2

No entitlement to distributions is attached to preferred shares, other than as described in Articles 11.2, 32.1 and 33.3.

30.3

Distributions shall be made in proportion to the aggregate nominal value of the shares . In deviation of the previous sentence, distributions on preferred shares (or to the former holders of preferred shares) shall be made in proportion to the amounts paid up (or formerly paid up) on those preferred shares.

30.4

The parties entitled to a distribution shall be the relevant shareholders, usufructuaries and pledgees, as the case may be, at a date to be determined by the Board of Directors for that purpose. This date shall not be earlier than the date on which the distribution was announced.

30.5

The General Meeting may resolve, subject to Article 26, that all or part of such distribution, instead of being made in cash, shall be made in the form of shares in the Company’s capital or in the form of the Company’s assets.

30.6

The Board of Directors may resolve to make interim distributions, provided that it appears from interim accounts to be prepared in accordance with Section 2:105(4) DCC that the requirement referred to in Article 30.1 has been met and, if it concerns an interim distribution of profits, taking into account the order of priority described in Article 32.1.

30.7

A distribution shall be payable on such date and, if it concerns a distribution in cash, in such currency as determined by the Board of Directors. If it concerns a distribution in the form of the Company’s assets, the Board of Directors shall determine the value attributed to such distribution for purposes of recording the distribution in the Company’s accounts with due observance of applicable law (including the applicable accounting principles).

30.8

A claim for payment of a distribution shall lapse after five years have expired after the distribution became payable.

30.9

For the purpose of calculating the amount or allocation of any distribution, shares held by the Company in its own capital shall not be taken into account. No distribution shall be made to the Company in respect of shares held by it in its own capital.

LOGO

DISTRIBUTIONS - RESERVES

Article 31

31.1

All reserves maintained by the Company shall be attached exclusively to the common shares.

31.2

Subject to Article 26, the General Meeting is authorised to resolve to make a distribution from the Company’s reserves.

31.3

Without prejudice to Articles 31.4 and 32.2, distributions from a reserve shall be made exclusively on the class of shares to which such reserve is attached.

31.4

The Board of Directors may resolve to charge amounts to be paid up on shares against the Company’s reserves, irrespective of whether those shares are issued to existing shareholders.

DISTRIBUTIONS - PROFITS

Article 32

32.1

Subject to Article 30.1, the profits shown in the Company’s annual accounts in respect of a financial year shall be appropriated as follows, and in the following order of priority:

to the extent that any preferred shares have been cancelled without the distribution described in Article 11.2 paragraph b. having been paid in full and without any such deficit subsequently having been paid in full as described in this Article 32.1 or Article 32.2, an amount equal to any such (remaining) deficit shall be distributed to those who held those preferred shares at the moment of such cancellation becoming effective;

to the extent that any Preferred Distribution (or part thereof) in relation to previous financial years has not yet been paid in full as described in this Article 32.1 or Article 32.2, an amount equal to any such (remaining) deficit shall be distributed on the preferred shares;

the Preferred Distribution shall be distributed on the preferred shares in respect of the financial year to which the annual accounts pertain;

the Board of Directors shall determine which part of the remaining profits shall be added to the Company’s reserves; and

subject Article 26, the remaining profits shall be at the disposal of the General Meeting for distribution on the common shares.

32.2

To the extent that the distributions described in Article 32.1 paragraphs a. through c. (or any part thereof) cannot be paid out of the profits shown in the annual accounts, any such deficit shall be distributed from the Company’s reserves, subject to Articles 30.1 and 30.6.

LOGO

32.3

Without prejudice to Article 30.1, a distribution of profits shall be made after the adoption of the annual accounts that show that such distribution is allowed.

DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION

Article 33

33.1

In the event of the Company being dissolved, the liquidation shall be effected by the Board of Directors, unless the General Meeting decides otherwise.

33.2

To the extent possible, these articles of association shall remain in effect during the liquidation.

33.3

To the extent that any assets remain after payment of all of the Company’s debts, those assets shall be distributed as follows, and in the following order of priority:

the amounts paid up on the preferred shares shall be repaid on such preferred shares;

to the extent that any preferred shares have been cancelled without the distribution described in Article 11.2 paragraph b. having been paid in full and without any such deficit subsequently having been paid in full as described in Articles 32.1 and 32.2, an amount equal to any such (remaining) deficit shall be distributed to those who held those preferred shares at the moment of such cancellation becoming effective;

to the extent that any Preferred Distribution (or part thereof) in relation to financial years prior to the financial year in which the distribution referred to in paragraph a. occurs has not yet been paid in full as described in Articles 32.1 and 32.2, an amount equal to any such (remaining) deficit shall be distributed on the preferred shares;

the Preferred Distribution shall be paid on the preferred shares calculated in respect of the part of the financial year in which the distribution referred to in paragraph a. is made, for the number of days that have already elapsed during such part of the financial year; and

any remaining assets shall be distributed to the holders of common shares.

33.4

After the Company has ceased to exist, its books, records and other information carriers shall be kept for the period prescribed by law by the person designated for that purpose in the resolution of the General Meeting to dissolve the Company. Where the General Meeting has not designated such a person, the liquidators shall do so.

FINAL STATEMENTS

Finally, the person appearing declared that:

•

as evidenced by the Minutes, he has been authorised to execute this Deed; and

•

upon the execution of this Deed, the Company’s issued share capital amounted to one million seven hundred forty-five thousand two hundred thirty-six euro and seventeen eurocents (EUR 1,745,236.17).

The person appearing is known to me, civil law notary.

This Deed was executed in Amsterdam on the date mentioned in its heading.

After I, civil law notary, had conveyed and explained the contents of the Deed in substance to the person appearing, he declared that he had taken note of the contents of the Deed, was in agreement with the contents and did not wish them to be read out in full. Following a partial reading, the Deed was signed by the person appearing and by me, civil law notary.

EX-4.3

Exhibit 4.3

MERUS N.V.

INDENTURE

Dated as of [ ], 20[ ]

[ ]

Trustee

TABLE OF CONTENTS


		Page
ARTICLE I. DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE			1
Section 1.1.	Definitions		1
Section 1.2.	Other Definitions		4
Section 1.3.	Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act		5
Section 1.4.	Rules of Construction		5

ARTICLE II. THE SECURITIES			5
Section 2.1.	Issuable in Series		5
Section 2.2.	Establishment of Terms of Series of Securities		6
Section 2.3.	Execution and Authentication		8
Section 2.4.	Registrar and Paying Agent		9
Section 2.5.	Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust		10
Section 2.6.	Securityholder Lists		10
Section 2.7.	Transfer and Exchange		10
Section 2.8.	Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities		11
Section 2.9.	Outstanding Securities		12
Section 2.10.	Treasury Securities		12
Section 2.11.	Temporary Securities		12
Section 2.12.	Cancellation		13
Section 2.13.	Defaulted Interest		13
Section 2.14.	Global Securities		13
Section 2.15.	CUSIP Numbers		15

ARTICLE III. REDEMPTION			15
Section 3.1.	Notice to Trustee		15
Section 3.2.	Selection of Securities to be Redeemed		15
Section 3.3.	Notice of Redemption		16
Section 3.4.	Effect of Notice of Redemption		16
Section 3.5.	Deposit of Redemption Price		17
Section 3.6.	Securities Redeemed in Part		17

ARTICLE IV. COVENANTS			17
Section 4.1.	Payment of Principal and Interest		17
Section 4.2.	SEC Reports		17
Section 4.3.	Compliance Certificate		18
Section 4.4.	Stay, Extension and Usury Laws		18

ARTICLE V. SUCCESSORS			18
Section 5.1.	When Company May Merge, Etc.		18
Section 5.2.	Successor Corporation Substituted		19

ARTICLE VI. DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES			19
Section 6.1.	Events of Default		19


Section 6.2.	Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment	20
Section 6.3.	Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee	21
Section 6.4.	Trustee May File Proofs of Claim	22
Section 6.5.	Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities	22
Section 6.6.	Application of Money Collected	23
Section 6.7.	Limitation on Suits	23
Section 6.8.	Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal and Interest	24
Section 6.9.	Restoration of Rights and Remedies	24
Section 6.10.	Rights and Remedies Cumulative	24
Section 6.11.	Delay or Omission Not Waiver	24
Section 6.12.	Control by Holders	24
Section 6.13.	Waiver of Past Defaults	25
Section 6.14.	Undertaking for Costs	25

ARTICLE VII. TRUSTEE		26
Section 7.1.	Duties of Trustee	26
Section 7.2.	Rights of Trustee	27
Section 7.3.	Individual Rights of Trustee	28
Section 7.4.	Trustee’s Disclaimer	28
Section 7.5.	Notice of Defaults	28
Section 7.6.	Reports by Trustee to Holders	29
Section 7.7.	Compensation and Indemnity	29
Section 7.8.	Replacement of Trustee	30
Section 7.9.	Successor Trustee by Merger, Etc.	31
Section 7.10.	Eligibility; Disqualification	31
Section 7.11.	Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company	31

ARTICLE VIII. SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE; DEFEASANCE		31
Section 8.1.	Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture	31
Section 8.2.	Application of Trust Funds; Indemnification	32
Section 8.3.	Legal Defeasance of Securities of any Series	33
Section 8.4.	Covenant Defeasance	34
Section 8.5.	Repayment to Company	35
Section 8.6.	Reinstatement	36

ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENTS AND WAIVERS		36
Section 9.1.	Without Consent of Holders	36
Section 9.2.	With Consent of Holders	37
Section 9.3.	Limitations	37
Section 9.4.	Compliance with Trust Indenture Act	38
Section 9.5.	Revocation and Effect of Consents	38
Section 9.6.	Notation on or Exchange of Securities	38
Section 9.7.	Trustee Protected	39

ARTICLE X. MISCELLANEOUS		39
Section 10.1.	Trust Indenture Act Controls	39
Section 10.2.	Notices	39


Section 10.3.	Communication by Holders with Other Holders	40
Section 10.4.	Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent	40
Section 10.5.	Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion	41
Section 10.6.	Rules by Trustee and Agents	41
Section 10.7.	Legal Holidays	41
Section 10.8.	No Recourse Against Others	41
Section 10.9.	Counterparts	41
Section 10.10.	Governing Law; Waiver of Jury Trial; Consent to Jurisdiction	42
Section 10.11.	No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements	42
Section 10.12.	Successors	42
Section 10.13.	Severability	43
Section 10.14.	Table of Contents, Headings, Etc.	43
Section 10.15.	Securities in a Foreign Currency	43
Section 10.16.	Judgment Currency	43
Section 10.17.	Force Majeure	44
Section 10.18.	U.S.A. Patriot Act	44

ARTICLE XI. SINKING FUNDS		44
Section 11.1.	Applicability of Article	44
Section 11.2.	Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities	45
Section 11.3.	Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund	45

iii

MERUS N.V.

Reconciliation and tie between Trust Indenture Act of 1939 and

Indenture, dated as of [ ], 20[ ]


§ 310(a)(1)				7.10
(a)(2)				7.10
(a)(3)				Not Applicable
(a)(4)				Not Applicable
(a)(5)				7.10
(b)				7.10
§ 311(a)				7.11
(b)				7.11
(c)				Not Applicable
§ 312(a)				2.6
(b)				10.3
(c)				10.3
§ 313(a)				7.6
(b)(1)				7.6
(b)(2)				7.6
(c)(1)				7.6
(d)				7.6
§ 314(a)				4.2, 10.5
(b)				Not Applicable
(c)(1)				10.4
(c)(2)				10.4
(c)(3)				Not Applicable
(d)				Not Applicable
(e)				10.5
(f)				Not Applicable
§ 315(a)				7.1
(b)				7.5
(c)				7.1
(d)				7.1
(e)				6.14
§ 316(a)				2.10
(a)(1)(A)				6.12
(a)(1)(B)				6.13
(b)				6.8
§ 317(a)(1)				6.3
(a)(2)				6.4
(b)				2.5
§ 318(a)				10.1

Note: This reconciliation and tie shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be part of the Indenture.

Indenture dated as of [ ], 20[ ] between Merus N.V., a public company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands (“Company”), and [ ] (“Trustee”).

Each party agrees as follows for the benefit of the other party and for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders of the Securities issued under this Indenture.

ARTICLE I.

DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Section 1.1. Definitions.

“Additional Amounts” means any additional amounts which are required hereby or by any Security, under circumstances specified herein or therein, to be paid by the Company in respect of certain taxes imposed on Holders specified herein or therein and which are owing to such Holders.

“Affiliate” of any specified person means any other person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under common control with such specified person. For the purposes of this definition, “control” (including, with correlative meanings, the terms “controlled by” and “under common control with”), as used with respect to any person, shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such person, whether through the ownership of voting securities or by agreement or otherwise.

“Agent” means any Registrar, Paying Agent or Notice Agent.

“Board of Directors” means the board of directors of the Company or any duly authorized committee thereof.

“Board Resolution” means a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been adopted by the Board of Directors or pursuant to authorization by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of the certificate and delivered to the Trustee.

“Business Day” means any day except a Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday in The City of New York, New York (or in connection with any payment, the place of payment) on which banking institutions are authorized or required by law, regulation or executive order to close.

“Capital Stock” means any and all shares, interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated) of corporate stock.

“Company” means the party named as such above until a successor replaces it and thereafter means the successor.

“Company Order” means a written order signed in the name of the Company by an Officer.

“Corporate Trust Office” means the office of the Trustee at which at any particular time its corporate trust business related to this Indenture shall be principally administered.

“Default” means any event which is, or after notice or passage of time or both would be, an Event of Default.

“Depositary” means, with respect to the Securities of any Series issuable or issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities, the person designated as Depositary for such Series by the Company, which Depositary shall be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act; and if at any time there is more than one such person, “Depositary” as used with respect to the Securities of any Series shall mean the Depositary with respect to the Securities of such Series.

“Discount Security” means any Security that provides for an amount less than the stated principal amount thereof to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2.

“Dollars” and “$” means the currency of The United States of America.

“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

“Foreign Currency” means any currency or currency unit issued by a government other than the government of The United States of America.

“Foreign Government Obligations” means, with respect to Securities of any Series that are denominated in a Foreign Currency, direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed by, the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency for the payment of which obligations its full faith and credit is pledged and which are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof.

“GAAP” means accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other statements by such other entity as have been approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession, which are in effect as of the date of determination.

“Global Security” or “Global Securities” means a Security or Securities, as the case may be, in the form established pursuant to Section 2.2 evidencing all or part of a Series of Securities, issued to the Depositary for such Series or its nominee, and registered in the name of such Depositary or nominee.

“Holder” or “Securityholder” means a person in whose name a Security is registered.

“Indenture” means this Indenture as amended or supplemented from time to time and shall include the form and terms of particular Series of Securities established as contemplated hereunder.

“interest” with respect to any Discount Security which by its terms bears interest only after Maturity, means interest payable after Maturity.

“Maturity,” when used with respect to any Security, means the date on which the principal of such Security becomes due and payable as therein or herein provided, whether at the Stated Maturity or by declaration of acceleration, call for redemption or otherwise.

“Officer” means the Chief Executive Officer, President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer or any Assistant Treasurer, the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary, and any Vice President of the Company.

“Officer’s Certificate” means a certificate signed by any Officer.

“Opinion of Counsel” means a written opinion of legal counsel who is acceptable to the Trustee. The counsel may be an employee of or counsel to the Company. The opinion may contain customary limitations, conditions and exceptions.

“person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, limited liability company, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof.

“principal” of a Security means the principal of the Security plus, when appropriate, the premium, if any, on, and any Additional Amounts in respect of, the Security.

“Responsible Officer” means any officer of the Trustee in its Corporate Trust Office having responsibility for administration of this Indenture and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom any corporate trust matter is referred because of his or her knowledge of and familiarity with a particular subject.

“SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“Securities” means the debentures, notes or other debt instruments of the Company of any Series authenticated and delivered under this Indenture.

“Series” or “Series of Securities” means each series of debentures, notes or other debt instruments of the Company created pursuant to Sections 2.1 and 2.2 hereof.

“Stated Maturity” when used with respect to any Security, means the date specified in such Security as the fixed date on which the principal of such Security or interest is due and payable.

“Subsidiary” of any specified person means any corporation, association or other business entity of which more than 50% of the total voting power of shares of Capital Stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that person or a combination thereof.

“TIA” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (15 U.S. Code §§ 77aaa-77bbbb) as in effect on the date of this Indenture; provided, however, that in the event the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 is amended after such date, “TIA” means, to the extent required by any such amendment, the Trust Indenture Act as so amended.

“Trustee” means the person named as the “Trustee” in the first paragraph of this instrument until a successor Trustee shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Trustee” shall mean or include each person who is then a Trustee hereunder, and if at any time there is more than one such person, “Trustee” as used with respect to the Securities of any Series shall mean the Trustee with respect to Securities of that Series.

“U.S. Government Obligations” means securities which are direct obligations of, or guaranteed by, The United States of America for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged and which are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof, and shall also include a depositary receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such U.S. Government Obligation or a specific payment of interest on or principal of any such U.S. Government Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of a depository receipt, provided that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depositary receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the U.S. Government Obligation evidenced by such depositary receipt.

Section 1.2. Other Definitions.


TERM	DEFINED IN SECTION
“Bankruptcy Law”		6.1
“Custodian”		6.1
“Event of Default”		6.1
“Judgment Currency”		10.16
“Legal Holiday”		10.7
“mandatory sinking fund payment”		11.1
“New York Banking Day”		10.16
“Notice Agent”		2.4
“optional sinking fund payment”		11.1
“Paying Agent”		2.4
“Registrar”		2.4
“Required Currency”		10.16
“Specified Courts”		10.10
“successor person”		5.1

Section 1.3. Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act.

Whenever this Indenture refers to a provision of the TIA, the provision is incorporated by reference in and made a part of this Indenture. The following TIA terms used in this Indenture have the following meanings:

“Commission” means the SEC.

“indenture securities” means the Securities.

“indenture security holder” means a Securityholder.

“indenture to be qualified” means this Indenture.

“indenture trustee” or “institutional trustee” means the Trustee.

“obligor” on the indenture securities means the Company and any successor obligor upon the Securities.

All other terms used in this Indenture that are defined by the TIA, defined by TIA reference to another statute or defined by SEC rule under the TIA and not otherwise defined herein are used herein as so defined.

Section 1.4. Rules of Construction.

Unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) a term has the meaning assigned to it;

(b) an accounting term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned to it in accordance with GAAP;

(d) words in the singular include the plural, and in the plural include the singular; and

(e) provisions apply to successive events and transactions.

ARTICLE II.

THE SECURITIES

Section 2.1. Issuable in Series.

The aggregate principal amount of Securities that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited. The Securities may be issued in one or more Series. All Securities of a Series shall be identical except as may be set forth or determined in the manner provided in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture or an Officer’s Certificate detailing the adoption of the terms thereof pursuant to authority granted under a Board

Resolution. In the case of Securities of a Series to be issued from time to time, the Board Resolution, Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture detailing the adoption of the terms thereof pursuant to authority granted under a Board Resolution may provide for the method by which specified terms (such as interest rate, maturity date, record date or date from which interest shall accrue) are to be determined. Securities may differ between Series in respect of any matters, provided that all Series of Securities shall be equally and ratably entitled to the benefits of the Indenture.

Section 2.2. Establishment of Terms of Series of Securities.

At or prior to the issuance of any Securities within a Series, the following shall be established (as to the Series generally, in the case of Subsection 2.2.1 and either as to such Securities within the Series or as to the Series generally in the case of Subsections 2.2.2 through 2.2.23) by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate:

2.2.1. the title (which shall distinguish the Securities of that particular Series from the Securities of any other Series) and ranking (including the terms of any subordination provisions) of the Series;

2.2.2. the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount thereof) at which the Securities of the Series will be issued;

2.2.3. any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of the Series which may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Securities of the Series pursuant to Section 2.7, 2.8, 2.11, 3.6 or 9.6);

2.2.4. the date or dates on which the principal of the Securities of the Series is payable;

2.2.5. the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or, if applicable, the method used to determine such rate or rates (including, but not limited to, any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the Securities of the Series shall bear interest, if any, the date or dates from which such interest, if any, shall accrue, the date or dates on which such interest, if any, shall commence and be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable on any interest payment date;

2.2.6. the place or places where the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series shall be payable, where the Securities of such Series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of such Series and this Indenture may be delivered, and the method of such payment, if by wire transfer, mail or other means;

2.2.7. if applicable, the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which the Securities of the Series may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company;

2.2.8. the obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem or purchase the Securities of the Series pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a Holder thereof and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which Securities of the Series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;

2.2.9. the dates, if any, on which and the price or prices at which the Securities of the Series will be repurchased by the Company at the option of the Holders thereof and other detailed terms and provisions of such repurchase obligations;

2.2.10. if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof, the denominations in which the Securities of the Series shall be issuable;

2.2.11. the forms of the Securities of the Series and whether the Securities will be issuable as Global Securities;

2.2.12. if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of the Securities of the Series that shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2;

2.2.13. the currency of denomination of the Securities of the Series, which may be Dollars or any Foreign Currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;

2.2.14. the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series will be made;

2.2.15. if payments of principal of or interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series are to be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which such Securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to such payments will be determined;

2.2.16. the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of or interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series will be determined, if such amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;

2.2.17. the provisions, if any, relating to any security provided for the Securities of the Series;

2.2.18. any addition to, deletion of or change in the Events of Default which applies to any Securities of the Series and any change in the right of the Trustee or the requisite Holders of such Securities to declare the principal amount thereof due and payable pursuant to Section 6.2;

2.2.19. any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants set forth in Articles IV or V which applies to Securities of the Series;

2.2.20. any Depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents with respect to Securities of such Series if other than those appointed herein;

2.2.21. the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any Securities of such Series, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price, the conversion or exchange period, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, at the option of the Holders thereof or at the option of the Company, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion price or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange if such Series of Securities are redeemed;

2.2.22. any other terms of the Series (which may supplement, modify or delete any provision of this Indenture insofar as it applies to such Series), including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of Securities of that Series; and

2.2.23. whether any of the Company’s direct or indirect Subsidiaries will guarantee the Securities of that Series, including the terms of subordination, if any, of such guarantees.

All Securities of any one Series need not be issued at the same time and may be issued from time to time, consistent with the terms of this Indenture, if so provided by or pursuant to the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate referred to above.

Section 2.3. Execution and Authentication.

An Officer shall sign the Securities for the Company by manual or facsimile signature.

If an Officer whose signature is on a Security no longer holds that office at the time the Security is authenticated, the Security shall nevertheless be valid.

A Security shall not be valid until authenticated by the manual signature of the Trustee or an authenticating agent. The signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Security has been authenticated under this Indenture.

The Trustee shall at any time, and from time to time, authenticate Securities for original issue in the principal amount provided in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate, upon receipt by the Trustee of a Company Order. Each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication.

The aggregate principal amount of Securities of any Series outstanding at any time may not exceed any limit upon the maximum principal amount for such Series set forth in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2, except as provided in Section 2.8.

Prior to the issuance of Securities of any Series, the Trustee shall have received and (subject to Section 7.2) shall be fully protected in relying on: (a) the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate establishing the form of the Securities of that Series or of Securities within that Series and the terms of the Securities of that Series or of Securities within that Series, (b) an Officer’s Certificate complying with Section 10.4, and (c) an Opinion of Counsel complying with Section 10.4.

The Trustee shall have the right to decline to authenticate and deliver any Securities of such Series: (a) if the Trustee, being advised by counsel, determines that such action may not be taken lawfully; or (b) if the Trustee in good faith by its board of directors or trustees, executive committee or a trust committee of directors and/or vice-presidents or a committee of Responsible Officers shall determine that such action would expose the Trustee to personal liability to Holders of any then outstanding Series of Securities.

The Trustee may appoint an authenticating agent acceptable to the Company to authenticate Securities. An authenticating agent may authenticate Securities whenever the Trustee may do so. Each reference in this Indenture to authentication by the Trustee includes authentication by such agent. An authenticating agent has the same rights as an Agent to deal with the Company or an Affiliate of the Company.

Section 2.4. Registrar and Paying Agent.

The Company shall maintain, with respect to each Series of Securities, at the place or places specified with respect to such Series pursuant to Section 2.2, an office or agency where Securities of such Series may be presented or surrendered for payment (“Paying Agent”), where Securities of such Series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange (“Registrar”) and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of such Series and this Indenture may be delivered (“Notice Agent”). The Registrar shall keep a register with respect to each Series of Securities and to their transfer and exchange. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the name and address, and any change in the name or address, of each Registrar, Paying Agent or Notice Agent. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required Registrar, Paying Agent or Notice Agent or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the name and address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and the Company hereby appoints the Trustee as its agent to receive all such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands; provided, however, that any appointment of the Trustee as the Notice Agent shall exclude the appointment of the Trustee or any office of the Trustee as an agent to receive the service of legal process on the Company.

The Company may also from time to time designate one or more co-registrars, additional paying agents or additional notice agents and may from time to time rescind such designations; provided, however, that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligations to maintain a Registrar, Paying Agent and Notice Agent in each place so specified pursuant to Section 2.2 for Securities of any Series for such purposes. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the name or address of any such co-registrar, additional paying agent or additional notice agent. The term “Registrar” includes any co-registrar; the term “Paying Agent” includes any additional paying agent; and the term “Notice Agent” includes any additional notice agent. The Company or any of its Affiliates may serve as Registrar or Paying Agent.

The Company hereby appoints the Trustee the initial Registrar, Paying Agent and Notice Agent for each Series unless another Registrar, Paying Agent or Notice Agent, as the case may be, is appointed prior to the time Securities of that Series are first issued.

Section 2.5. Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust.

The Company shall require each Paying Agent other than the Trustee to agree in writing that the Paying Agent will hold in trust, for the benefit of Securityholders of any Series of Securities, or the Trustee, all money held by the Paying Agent for the payment of principal of or interest on the Series of Securities, and will notify the Trustee in writing of any default by the Company in making any such payment. While any such default continues, the Trustee may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. The Company at any time may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. Upon payment over to the Trustee, the Paying Agent (if other than the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company) shall have no further liability for the money. If the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company acts as Paying Agent, it shall segregate and hold in a separate trust fund for the benefit of Securityholders of any Series of Securities all money held by it as Paying Agent. Upon any bankruptcy, reorganization or similar proceeding with respect to the Company, the Trustee shall serve as Paying Agent for the Securities.

Section 2.6. Securityholder Lists.

The Trustee shall preserve in as current a form as is reasonably practicable the most recent list available to it of the names and addresses of Securityholders of each Series of Securities and shall otherwise comply with TIA § 312(a). If the Trustee is not the Registrar, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee at least ten days before each interest payment date and at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing a list, in such form and as of such date as the Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of Securityholders of each Series of Securities.

Section 2.7. Transfer and Exchange.

Where Securities of a Series are presented to the Registrar or a co-registrar with a request to register a transfer or to exchange them for an equal principal amount of Securities of the same Series, the Registrar shall register the transfer or make the exchange if its requirements for such transactions are met. To permit registrations of transfers and exchanges, the Trustee shall authenticate Securities at the Registrar’s request. No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange (except as otherwise expressly permitted herein), but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any transfer tax or similar governmental charge payable in connection therewith (other than any such transfer tax or similar governmental charge payable upon exchanges pursuant to Sections 2.11, 3.6 or 9.6).

Neither the Company nor the Registrar shall be required (a) to issue, register the transfer of, or exchange Securities of any Series for the period beginning at the opening of

business fifteen days immediately preceding the sending of a notice of redemption of Securities of that Series selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day such notice is sent, or (b) to register the transfer of or exchange Securities of any Series selected, called or being called for redemption as a whole or the portion being redeemed of any such Securities selected, called or being called for redemption in part.

Section 2.8. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities.

If any mutilated Security is surrendered to the Trustee, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a new Security of the same Series and of like tenor and principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding.

If there shall be delivered to the Company and the Trustee (i) evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Security and (ii) such security or indemnity bond as may be required by each of them to hold itself and any of its agents harmless, then, in the absence of notice to the Company or the Trustee that such Security has been acquired by a bona fide purchaser, the Company shall execute and upon receipt of a Company Order the Trustee shall authenticate and make available for delivery, in lieu of any such destroyed, lost or stolen Security, a new Security of the same Series and of like tenor and principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding.

In case any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security has become or is about to become due and payable, the Company in its discretion may, instead of issuing a new Security, pay such Security.

Upon the issuance of any new Security under this Section, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.

Every new Security of any Series issued pursuant to this Section in lieu of any destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall constitute an original additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be at any time enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of that Series duly issued hereunder.

The provisions of this Section are exclusive and shall preclude (to the extent lawful) all other rights and remedies with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities.

Section 2.9. Outstanding Securities.

The Securities outstanding at any time are all the Securities authenticated by the Trustee except for those canceled by it, those delivered to it for cancellation, those reductions in the interest on a Global Security effected by the Trustee in accordance with the provisions hereof and those described in this Section as not outstanding.

If a Security is replaced pursuant to Section 2.8, it ceases to be outstanding until the Trustee receives proof satisfactory to it that the replaced Security is held by a bona fide purchaser.

If the Paying Agent (other than the Company, a Subsidiary of the Company or an Affiliate of the Company) holds on the Maturity of Securities of a Series money sufficient to pay such Securities payable on that date, then on and after that date such Securities of the Series cease to be outstanding and interest on them ceases to accrue.

The Company may purchase or otherwise acquire the Securities, whether by open market purchases, negotiated transactions or otherwise. A Security does not cease to be outstanding because the Company or an Affiliate of the Company holds the Security (but see Section 2.10 below).

In determining whether the Holders of the requisite principal amount of outstanding Securities have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver hereunder, the principal amount of a Discount Security that shall be deemed to be outstanding for such purposes shall be the amount of the principal thereof that would be due and payable as of the date of such determination upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 6.2.

Section 2.10. Treasury Securities.

In determining whether the Holders of the required principal amount of Securities of a Series have concurred in any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver, Securities of a Series owned by the Company or any Affiliate of the Company shall be disregarded, except that for the purposes of determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying on any such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver only Securities of a Series that a Responsible Officer of the Trustee knows are so owned shall be so disregarded.

Section 2.11. Temporary Securities.

Until definitive Securities are ready for delivery, the Company may prepare and the Trustee shall authenticate temporary Securities upon a Company Order. Temporary Securities shall be substantially in the form of definitive Securities but may have variations that the Company considers appropriate for temporary Securities. Without unreasonable delay, the Company shall prepare and the Trustee upon receipt of a Company Order shall authenticate definitive Securities of the same Series and date of maturity in exchange for temporary Securities. Until so exchanged, temporary securities shall have the same rights under this Indenture as the definitive Securities.

Section 2.12. Cancellation.

The Company at any time may deliver Securities to the Trustee for cancellation. The Registrar and the Paying Agent shall forward to the Trustee any Securities surrendered to them for registration of transfer, exchange or payment. The Trustee shall cancel all Securities surrendered for transfer, exchange, payment, replacement or cancellation and shall destroy such canceled Securities (subject to the record retention requirement of the Exchange Act and the Trustee) and deliver a certificate of such cancellation to the Company upon written request of the Company. The Company may not issue new Securities to replace Securities that it has paid or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation.

Section 2.13. Defaulted Interest.

If the Company defaults in a payment of interest on a Series of Securities, it shall pay the defaulted interest, plus, to the extent permitted by law, any interest payable on the defaulted interest, to the persons who are Securityholders of the Series on a subsequent special record date. The Company shall fix the record date and payment date. At least 10 days before the special record date, the Company shall send to the Trustee and to each Securityholder of the Series a notice that states the special record date, the payment date and the amount of interest to be paid. The Company may pay defaulted interest in any other lawful manner.

Section 2.14. Global Securities.

2.14.1. Terms of Securities. A Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate shall establish whether the Securities of a Series shall be issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities and the Depositary for such Global Security or Securities.

2.14.2. Transfer and Exchange. Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary contained in Section 2.7 of the Indenture and in addition thereto, any Global Security shall be exchangeable pursuant to Section 2.7 of the Indenture for Securities registered in the names of Holders other than the Depositary for such Security or its nominee only if (i) such Depositary notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as Depositary for such Global Security or if at any time such Depositary ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, and, in either case, the Company fails to appoint a successor Depositary registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act within 90 days of such event or (ii) the Company executes and delivers to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate to the effect that such Global Security shall be so exchangeable. Any Global Security that is exchangeable pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be exchangeable for Securities registered in such names as the Depositary shall direct in writing in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Global Security with like tenor and terms.

Except as provided in this Section 2.14.2, a Global Security may not be transferred except as a whole by the Depositary with respect to such Global Security to a nominee of such Depositary, by a nominee of such Depositary to such Depositary or another nominee of such Depositary or by the Depositary or any such nominee to a successor Depositary or a nominee of such a successor Depositary.

2.14.3. Legends. Any Global Security issued hereunder shall bear a legend in substantially the following form:

“THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AND IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY. THIS SECURITY IS EXCHANGEABLE FOR SECURITIES REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF A PERSON OTHER THAN THE DEPOSITARY OR ITS NOMINEE ONLY IN THE LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED IN THE INDENTURE, AND MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT AS A WHOLE BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY.”

In addition, so long as the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) is the Depositary, each Global Note registered in the name of DTC or its nominee shall bear a legend in substantially the following form:

“UNLESS THIS GLOBAL NOTE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY, A NEW YORK CORPORATION (“DTC”), TO THE COMPANY OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY GLOBAL NOTE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (AND ANY PAYMENT IS MADE TO CEDE & CO. OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.”

2.14.4. Acts of Holders. The Depositary, as a Holder, may appoint agents and otherwise authorize participants to give or take any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action which a Holder is entitled to give or take under the Indenture.

2.14.5. Payments. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Indenture, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 2.2, payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on any Global Security shall be made to the Holder thereof.

2.14.6. Consents, Declaration and Directions. The Company, the Trustee and any Agent shall treat a person as the Holder of such principal amount of outstanding Securities of such Series represented by a Global Security as shall be specified in a written statement of the Depositary or by the applicable procedures of such Depositary with respect to such Global Security, for purposes of obtaining any consents, declarations, waivers or directions required to be given by the Holders pursuant to this Indenture.

Section 2.15. CUSIP Numbers.

The Company in issuing the Securities may use “CUSIP” numbers (if then generally in use), and, if so, the Trustee shall use “CUSIP” numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders; provided that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Securities or as contained in any notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other elements of identification printed on the Securities, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers.

ARTICLE III.

REDEMPTION

Section 3.1. Notice to Trustee.

The Company may, with respect to any Series of Securities, reserve the right to redeem and pay the Series of Securities or may covenant to redeem and pay the Series of Securities or any part thereof prior to the Stated Maturity thereof at such time and on such terms as provided for in such Securities. If a Series of Securities is redeemable and the Company wants or is obligated to redeem prior to the Stated Maturity thereof all or part of the Series of Securities pursuant to the terms of such Securities, it shall notify the Trustee in writing of the redemption date and the principal amount of Series of Securities to be redeemed. The Company shall give the notice at least 15 days before the redemption date, unless a shorter period is satisfactory to the Trustee.

Section 3.2. Selection of Securities to be Redeemed.

Unless otherwise indicated for a particular Series by a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, if less than all the Securities of a Series are to be redeemed, the Securities of the Series to be redeemed will be selected as follows: (a) if the Securities are in the form of Global Securities, in accordance with the procedures of the Depositary, (b) if the Securities are listed on any national securities exchange, in compliance with the requirements of the principal national securities exchange, if any, on which the Securities are listed, or (c) if not otherwise provided for under clause (a) or (b) in the manner that the Trustee deems fair and appropriate, including by lot or other method, unless otherwise required by law or applicable stock exchange requirements, subject, in the case of Global Securities, to the applicable rules and procedures of the Depositary. The Securities to be redeemed shall be selected from Securities of the Series outstanding not previously called for redemption. Portions of the principal of Securities of the Series that have denominations larger than $1,000 may be selected for redemption. Securities of the Series and portions of them it selected for redemption shall be in amounts of $1,000 or whole multiples of $1,000 or, with respect to Securities of any Series issuable in other denominations pursuant to Section 2.2.10, the minimum principal denomination for each Series and the authorized integral multiples thereof. Provisions of this Indenture that apply to Securities of a Series called for redemption also apply to portions of Securities of that Series called for redemption.

Section 3.3. Notice of Redemption.

Unless otherwise indicated for a particular Series by Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, at least 15 days but not more than 60 days before a redemption date, the Company shall send or cause to be sent by first-class mail or electronically, in accordance with the procedures of the Depositary, a notice of redemption to each Holder whose Securities are to be redeemed.

The notice shall identify the Securities of the Series to be redeemed and shall state:

(a) the redemption date;

(b) the redemption price;

(d) if any Securities are being redeemed in part, the portion of the principal amount of such Securities to be redeemed and that, after the redemption date and upon surrender of such Security, a new Security or Securities in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the original Security shall be issued in the name of the Holder thereof upon cancellation of the original Security;

(e) that Securities of the Series called for redemption must be surrendered to the Paying Agent to collect the redemption price;

(f) that interest on Securities of the Series called for redemption ceases to accrue on and after the redemption date unless the Company defaults in the deposit of the redemption price;

(g) the CUSIP number, if any; and

(h) any other information as may be required by the terms of the particular Series or the Securities of a Series being redeemed.

At the Company’s request, the Trustee shall give the notice of redemption in the Company’s name and at its expense, provided, however, that the Company has delivered to the Trustee, at least 10 days (unless a shorter time shall be acceptable to the Trustee) prior to the notice date, an Officer’s Certificate requesting that the Trustee give such notice and setting forth the information to be stated in such notice.

Section 3.4. Effect of Notice of Redemption.

Once notice of redemption is sent as provided in Section 3.3, Securities of a Series called for redemption become due and payable on the redemption date and at the redemption price. Except as otherwise provided in the supplemental indenture, Board Resolution or Officer’s Certificate for a Series, a notice of redemption may not be conditional. Upon surrender to the Paying Agent, such Securities shall be paid at the redemption price plus accrued interest to the redemption date.

Section 3.5. Deposit of Redemption Price.

On or before 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the redemption date, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the redemption price of and accrued interest, if any, on all Securities to be redeemed on that date.

Section 3.6. Securities Redeemed in Part.

Upon surrender of a Security that is redeemed in part, the Trustee shall authenticate for the Holder a new Security of the same Series and the same maturity equal in principal amount to the unredeemed portion of the Security surrendered.

ARTICLE IV.

COVENANTS

Section 4.1. Payment of Principal and Interest.

The Company covenants and agrees for the benefit of the Holders of each Series of Securities that it will duly and punctually pay the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of that Series in accordance with the terms of such Securities and this Indenture. On or before 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the applicable payment date, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the principal of and interest, if any, on the Securities of each Series in accordance with the terms of such Securities and this Indenture.

Section 4.2. SEC Reports.

To the extent any Securities of a Series are outstanding, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee within 15 days after it files them with the SEC copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents, and other reports (or copies of such portions of any of the foregoing as the SEC may by rules and regulations prescribe) which the Company is required to file with the SEC pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. The Company also shall comply with the other provisions of TIA § 314(a). Reports, information and documents filed with the SEC via the EDGAR system will be deemed to be delivered to the Trustee as of the time of such filing via EDGAR for purposes of this Section 4.2.

Delivery of reports, information and documents to the Trustee under this Section 4.2 are for informational purposes only and the Trustee’s receipt of the foregoing shall not constitute constructive or actual notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Company’s compliance with any of their covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on Officer’s Certificates).

Section 4.3. Compliance Certificate.

To the extent any Securities of a Series are outstanding, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Company, an Officer’s Certificate stating that a review of the activities of the Company and its Subsidiaries during the preceding fiscal year has been made under the supervision of the signing Officers with a view to determining whether the Company has kept, observed, performed and fulfilled its obligations under this Indenture, and further stating, as to each such Officer signing such certificate, that to the best of his/her knowledge the Company has kept, observed, performed and fulfilled each and every covenant contained in this Indenture and is not in default in the performance or observance of any of the terms, provisions and conditions hereof (or, if a Default or Event of Default shall have occurred, describing all such Defaults or Events of Default of which the Officer may have knowledge).

Section 4.4. Stay, Extension and Usury Laws.

The Company covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it will not at any time insist upon, plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any stay, extension or usury law wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, which may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture or the Securities; and the Company (to the extent it may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waives all benefit or advantage of any such law and covenants that it will not, by resort to any such law, hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law has been enacted.

ARTICLE V.

SUCCESSORS

Section 5.1. When Company May Merge, Etc.

The Company shall not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of its properties and assets to, any person (a “successor person”) unless:

(a) the Company is the surviving corporation or the successor person (if other than the Company) is a corporation organized and validly existing under the laws of the Netherlands and expressly assumes the Company’s obligations on the Securities and under this Indenture; and

(b) immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing.

The Company shall deliver to the Trustee prior to the consummation of the proposed transaction an Officer’s Certificate to the foregoing effect and an Opinion of Counsel stating that the proposed transaction and any supplemental indenture comply with this Indenture.

Notwithstanding the above, any Subsidiary of the Company may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to the Company. Neither an Officer’s Certificate nor an Opinion of Counsel shall be required to be delivered in connection therewith.

Section 5.2. Successor Corporation Substituted.

Upon any consolidation or merger, or any sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company in accordance with Section 5.1, the successor corporation formed by such consolidation or into or with which the Company is merged or to which such sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, the Company under this Indenture with the same effect as if such successor person has been named as the Company herein; provided, however, that the predecessor Company in the case of a sale, conveyance or other disposition (other than a lease) shall be released from all obligations and covenants under this Indenture and the Securities.

ARTICLE VI.

DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES

Section 6.1. Events of Default.

“Event of Default,” wherever used herein with respect to Securities of any Series, means any one of the following events, unless in the establishing Board Resolution, supplemental indenture or Officer’s Certificate, it is provided that such Series shall not have the benefit of said Event of Default:

(a) default in the payment of any interest on any Security of that Series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of such payment is deposited by the Company with the Trustee or with a Paying Agent prior to 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the 30^th day of such period); or

(b) default in the payment of principal of any Security of that Series at its Maturity; or

(c) default in the performance or breach of any covenant or warranty of the Company in this Indenture (other than defaults pursuant to paragraphs (a) or (b) above or pursuant to a covenant or warranty that has been included in this Indenture solely for the benefit of Series of Securities other than that Series), which default continues uncured for a period of 60 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder; or

(d) the Company pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law:

(i) commences a voluntary case,

(ii) consents to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case,

(iii) consents to the appointment of a Custodian of it or for all or substantially all of its property,

(iv) makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors, or

(v) generally is unable to pay its debts as the same become due; or

(e) a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order or decree under any Bankruptcy Law that:

(i) is for relief against the Company in an involuntary case,

(ii) appoints a Custodian of the Company or for all or substantially all of its property, or

(iii) orders the liquidation of the Company,

and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 60 days; or

(f) any other Event of Default provided with respect to Securities of that Series, which is specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate, in accordance with Section 2.2.18.

The term “Bankruptcy Law” means the relevant law in the Netherlands relating to the capability of a debtor to pay its debts, the debtor’s over-indebtedness or lack of assets to cover a debtor’s outstanding debt or relating to moratorium, bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership, winding up, examinership, liquidation, reorganization or relief of debtors (including, without limitation, the Dutch bankruptcy act (Faillissementswet)) or any amendment to, succession to or change in any such law. The term “Custodian” means any receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or similar official under any Bankruptcy Law.

The Company will provide the Trustee written notice of any Default or Event of Default within 30 days of becoming aware of the occurrence of such Default or Event of Default, which notice will describe in reasonable detail the status of such Default or Event of Default and what action the Company is taking or proposes to take in respect thereof.

Section 6.2. Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment.

If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any Series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing (other than an Event of Default referred to in Section 6.1(d) or (e)) then in every such case the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series may declare the principal amount (or, if any Securities of that Series are Discount Securities, such portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of such Securities) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all of the Securities of that Series to be due and payable immediately, by a notice in writing to the

Company (and to the Trustee if given by Holders), and upon any such declaration such principal amount (or specified amount) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, shall become immediately due and payable. If an Event of Default specified in Section 6.1(d) or (e) shall occur, the principal amount (or specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding Securities shall ipso facto become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the Trustee or any Holder.

At any time after such a declaration of acceleration with respect to any Series has been made and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the Trustee as hereinafter in this Article provided, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series, by written notice to the Company and the Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if all Events of Default with respect to Securities of that Series, other than the non-payment of the principal and interest, if any, of Securities of that Series which have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in Section 6.13.

No such rescission shall affect any subsequent Default or impair any right consequent thereon.

Section 6.3. Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee.

The Company covenants that if

(a) default is made in the payment of any interest on any Security when such interest becomes due and payable and such default continues for a period of 30 days, or

(b) default is made in the payment of principal of any Security at the Maturity thereof, or

then, the Company will, upon demand of the Trustee, pay to it, for the benefit of the Holders of such Securities, the whole amount then due and payable on such Securities for principal and interest and, to the extent that payment of such interest shall be legally enforceable, interest on any overdue principal and any overdue interest at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in such Securities, and, in addition thereto, such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including the compensation, reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel.

If the Company fails to pay such amounts forthwith upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, may institute a judicial proceeding for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, may prosecute such proceeding to judgment or final decree and may enforce the same against the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities and collect the moneys adjudged or deemed to be payable in the manner provided by law out of the property of the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities, wherever situated.

If an Event of Default with respect to any Securities of any Series occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce its rights and the rights of the Holders of Securities of such Series by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce any such rights, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement in this Indenture or in aid of the exercise of any power granted herein, or to enforce any other proper remedy.

Section 6.4. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim.

In case of the pendency of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, composition or other judicial proceeding relative to the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or the property of the Company or of such other obligor or their creditors, the Trustee (irrespective of whether the principal of the Securities shall then be due and payable as therein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand on the Company for the payment of overdue principal or interest) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise,

(a) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Securities and to file such other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the compensation, reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel) and of the Holders allowed in such judicial proceeding, and

(b) to collect and receive any moneys or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same,

and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Holder to make such payments to the Trustee and, in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Holders, to pay to the Trustee any amount due it for the compensation, reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Trustee under Section 7.7.

Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Securities or the rights of any Holder thereof or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder in any such proceeding.

Section 6.5. Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities.

All rights of action and claims under this Indenture or the Securities may be prosecuted and enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of the Securities or the production thereof in any proceeding relating thereto, and any such proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery of judgment shall, after provision for the payment of the compensation, reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, be for the ratable benefit of the Holders of the Securities in respect of which such judgment has been recovered.

Section 6.6. Application of Money Collected.

Any money or property collected by the Trustee pursuant to this Article shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee and, in case of the distribution of such money or property on account of principal or interest, upon presentation of the Securities and the notation thereon of the payment if only partially paid and upon surrender thereof if fully paid:

First: To the payment of all amounts due the Trustee under Section 7.7; and

Second: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid for principal of and interest on the Securities in respect of which or for the benefit of which such money has been collected, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due and payable on such Securities for principal and interest, respectively; and

Third: To the Company.

Section 6.7. Limitation on Suits.

No Holder of any Security of any Series shall have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to this Indenture, or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any other remedy hereunder, unless

(a) such Holder has previously given written notice to the Trustee of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities of that Series;

(b) the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series shall have made written request to the Trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default in its own name as Trustee hereunder;

(c) such Holder or Holders have offered to the Trustee indemnity or security satisfactory to the Trustee against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by the Trustee in compliance with such request;

(d) the Trustee for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity has failed to institute any such proceeding; and

(e) no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given to the Trustee during such 60-day period by the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of that Series;

it being understood, intended and expressly covenanted by the Holder of every Security with every other Holder and the Trustee that no one or more of such Holders shall have any right in any manner whatever by virtue of, or by availing of, any provision of this Indenture to affect,

disturb or prejudice the rights of any other of such Holders, or to obtain or to seek to obtain priority or preference over any other of such Holders or to enforce any right under this Indenture, except in the manner herein provided and for the equal and ratable benefit of all such Holders of the applicable Series.

Section 6.8. Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal and Interest.

Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, the Holder of any Security shall have the right, which is absolute and unconditional, to receive payment of the principal of and interest, if any, on such Security on the Maturity of such Security, including the Stated Maturity expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on the redemption date) and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment, and such rights shall not be impaired without the consent of such Holder.

Section 6.9. Restoration of Rights and Remedies.

If the Trustee or any Holder has instituted any proceeding to enforce any right or remedy under this Indenture and such proceeding has been discontinued or abandoned for any reason, or has been determined adversely to the Trustee or to such Holder, then and in every such case, subject to any determination in such proceeding, the Company, the Trustee and the Holders shall be restored severally and respectively to their former positions hereunder and thereafter all rights and remedies of the Trustee and the Holders shall continue as though no such proceeding had been instituted.

Section 6.10. Rights and Remedies Cumulative.

Except as otherwise provided with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities in Section 2.8, no right or remedy herein conferred upon or reserved to the Trustee or to the Holders is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every right and remedy shall, to the extent permitted by law, be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall not, to the extent permitted by law, prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other appropriate right or remedy.

Section 6.11. Delay or Omission Not Waiver.

No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any Holder of any Securities to exercise any right or remedy accruing upon any Event of Default shall impair any such right or remedy or constitute a waiver of any such Event of Default or an acquiescence therein. Every right and remedy given by this Article or by law to the Trustee or to the Holders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as may be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by the Holders, as the case may be.

Section 6.12. Control by Holders.

The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee, with respect to the Securities of such Series, provided that

(a) such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture,

(b) the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the Trustee which is not inconsistent with such direction,

(c) subject to the provisions of Section 7.1, the Trustee shall have the right to decline to follow any such direction if the Trustee in good faith shall, by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, determine that the proceeding so directed would involve the Trustee in personal liability, and

(d) prior to taking any action as directed under this Section 6.12, the Trustee shall be entitled to indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.

Section 6.13. Waiver of Past Defaults.

The Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series may on behalf of the Holders of all the Securities of such Series, by written notice to the Trustee and the Company, waive any past Default hereunder with respect to such Series and its consequences, except a Default in the payment of the principal of or interest on any Security of such Series (provided, however, that the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from such acceleration). Upon any such waiver, such Default shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default or impair any right consequent thereon.

Section 6.14. Undertaking for Costs.

All parties to this Indenture agree, and each Holder of any Security by his acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may in its discretion require, in any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken, suffered or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, against any party litigant in such suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; but the provisions of this Section shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Company, to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Holder, or group of Holders, holding in the aggregate more than 10% in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series, or to any suit instituted by any Holder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of or interest on any Security on or after the Maturity of such Security, including the Stated Maturity expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on the redemption date).

ARTICLE VII.

TRUSTEE

Section 7.1. Duties of Trustee.

(a) If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee shall exercise the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.

(b) Except during the continuance of an Event of Default:

(i) The Trustee need perform only those duties that are specifically set forth in this Indenture and no others.

(ii) In the absence of bad faith on its part, the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon Officer’s Certificates or Opinions of Counsel furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; however, in the case of any such Officer’s Certificates or Opinions of Counsel which by any provisions hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall examine such Officer’s Certificates and Opinions of Counsel to determine whether or not they conform to the form requirements of this Indenture.

(c) The Trustee may not be relieved from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act or its own willful misconduct, except that:

(i) This paragraph does not limit the effect of paragraph (b) of this Section.

(ii) The Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer, unless it is proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts.

(iii) The Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it with respect to Securities of any Series in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of such Series relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee, under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such Series in accordance with Section 6.12.

(d) Every provision of this Indenture that in any way relates to the Trustee is subject to paragraph (a), (b) and (c) of this Section.

(e) The Trustee may refuse to perform any duty or exercise any right or power unless it receives indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right or power.

(f) The Trustee shall not be liable for interest on any money received by it except as the Trustee may agree in writing with the Company. Money held in trust by the Trustee need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.

(g) No provision of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties, or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers, if adequate indemnity against such risk is not assured to the Trustee in its satisfaction.

(h) The Paying Agent, the Registrar and any authenticating agent shall be entitled to the protections and immunities as are set forth in paragraphs (e), (f) and (g) of this Section and in Section 7.2, each with respect to the Trustee.

Section 7.2. Rights of Trustee.

(a) The Trustee may rely on and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any document (whether in its original or facsimile form) believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper person. The Trustee need not investigate any fact or matter stated in the document.

(b) Before the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, it may require an Officer’s Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel or both. The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in reliance on such Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel.

(c) The Trustee may act through agents and shall not be responsible for the misconduct or negligence of any agent appointed with due care. No Depositary shall be deemed an agent of the Trustee and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any act or omission by any Depositary.

(d) The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith which it believes to be authorized or within its rights or powers, provided that the Trustee’s conduct does not constitute willful misconduct or negligence.

(e) The Trustee may consult with counsel and the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder without willful misconduct or negligence, and in reliance thereon.

(f) The Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders of Securities unless such Holders shall have offered to the Trustee security or indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.

(g) The Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document, but the Trustee, in its discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit.

(h) The Trustee shall not be deemed to have notice of any Default or Event of Default unless a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has actual knowledge thereof or unless written notice of any event which is in fact such a default is received by the Trustee at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and such notice references the Securities generally or the Securities of a particular Series and this Indenture.

(i) In no event shall the Trustee be liable to any person for special, punitive, indirect, consequential or incidental loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost profits), even if the Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage.

(j) The permissive right of the Trustee to take the actions permitted by this Indenture shall not be construed as an obligation or duty to do so.

Section 7.3. Individual Rights of Trustee.

The Trustee in its individual or any other capacity may become the owner or pledgee of Securities and may otherwise deal with the Company or an Affiliate of the Company with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee. Any Agent may do the same with like rights. The Trustee is also subject to Sections 7.10 and 7.11.

Section 7.4. Trustee’s Disclaimer.

The Trustee makes no representation as to the validity or adequacy of this Indenture or the Securities, it shall not be accountable for the Company’s use of the proceeds from the Securities, and it shall not be responsible for any statement in the Securities other than its authentication.

Section 7.5. Notice of Defaults.

If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the Securities of any Series and if it is known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, the Trustee shall send to each Securityholder of the Securities of that Series notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default. Except in the case of a Default or Event of Default in payment of principal of or interest on any Security of any Series, the Trustee may withhold the notice if and so long as its corporate trust committee or a committee of its Responsible Officers in good faith determines that withholding the notice is in the interests of Securityholders of that Series.

Section 7.6. Reports by Trustee to Holders.

Within 60 days after each [ ] commencing [ ],[ ], the Trustee shall transmit by mail to all Securityholders, as their names and addresses appear on the register kept by the Registrar, a brief report dated as of such anniversary date, in accordance with, and to the extent required under, TIA § 313.

A copy of each report at the time of its mailing to Securityholders of any Series shall be filed with the SEC and each national securities exchange on which the Securities of that Series are listed. The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee in writing when Securities of any Series are listed on any national securities exchange.

Section 7.7. Compensation and Indemnity.

The Company shall pay to the Trustee from time to time compensation for its services as the Company and the Trustee shall from time to time agree upon in writing. The Trustee’s compensation shall not be limited by any law on compensation of a trustee of an express trust. The Company shall reimburse the Trustee upon request for all reasonable out of pocket expenses incurred by it. Such expenses shall include the reasonable compensation and expenses of the Trustee’s agents and counsel.

The Company shall indemnify each of the Trustee and any predecessor Trustee (including for the cost of defending itself) against any cost, expense or liability, including taxes (other than taxes based upon, measured by or determined by the income of the Trustee) incurred by it except as set forth in the next paragraph in the performance of its duties under this Indenture as Trustee or Agent. The Trustee shall notify the Company promptly of any claim for which it may seek indemnity. Failure by the Trustee to so notify the Company shall not relieve the Company of its obligations hereunder, unless and to the extent that the Company is materially prejudiced thereby. The Company shall defend the claim and the Trustee shall cooperate in the defense. The Trustee may have one separate counsel and the Company shall pay the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel. The Company need not pay for any settlement made without its consent, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld. This indemnification shall apply to officers, directors, employees, shareholders and agents of the Trustee.

The Company need not reimburse any expense or indemnify against any loss or liability incurred by the Trustee or by any officer, director, employee, shareholder or agent of the Trustee through willful misconduct or negligence.

To secure the Company’s payment obligations in this Section, the Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Securities of any Series on all money or property held or collected by the Trustee, except that held in trust to pay principal of and interest on particular Securities of that Series.

When the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services after an Event of Default specified in Section 6.1(d) or (e) occurs, the expenses and the compensation for the services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any Bankruptcy Law.

The provisions of this Section shall survive the termination of this Indenture.

Section 7.8. Replacement of Trustee.

A resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor Trustee shall become effective only upon the successor Trustee’s acceptance of appointment as provided in this Section.

The Trustee may resign with respect to the Securities of one or more Series by so notifying the Company at least 30 days prior to the date of the proposed resignation. The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities of any Series may remove the Trustee with respect to that Series by so notifying the Trustee and the Company. The Company may remove the Trustee with respect to Securities of one or more Series if:

(a) the Trustee fails to comply with Section 7.10;

(b) the Trustee is adjudged a bankrupt or an insolvent or an order for relief is entered with respect to the Trustee under any Bankruptcy Law;

(d) the Trustee becomes incapable of acting.

If the Trustee resigns or is removed or if a vacancy exists in the office of Trustee for any reason, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor Trustee. Within one year after the successor Trustee takes office, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Securities may appoint a successor Trustee to replace the successor Trustee appointed by the Company.

If a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any one or more Series does not take office within 60 days after the retiring Trustee resigns or is removed, the retiring Trustee, the Company or the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the Securities of the applicable Series may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee.

A successor Trustee shall deliver a written acceptance of its appointment to the retiring Trustee and to the Company. Immediately after that, the retiring Trustee shall transfer all property held by it as Trustee to the successor Trustee subject to the lien provided for in Section 7.7, the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective, and the successor Trustee shall have all the rights, powers and duties of the Trustee with respect to each Series of Securities for which it is acting as Trustee under this Indenture. A successor Trustee shall mail a notice of its succession to each Securityholder of each such Series. Notwithstanding replacement of the Trustee pursuant to this Section 7.8, the Company’s obligations under Section 7.7 hereof shall continue for the benefit of the retiring Trustee with respect to expenses and liabilities incurred by it for actions taken or omitted to be taken in accordance with its rights, powers and duties under this Indenture prior to such replacement.

Section 7.9. Successor Trustee by Merger, Etc.

If the Trustee consolidates with, merges or converts into, or transfers all or substantially all of its corporate trust business to, another corporation, the successor corporation without any further act shall be the successor Trustee, subject to Section 7.10.

Section 7.10. Eligibility; Disqualification.

This Indenture shall always have a Trustee who satisfies the requirements of TIA § 310(a)(1), (2) and (5). The Trustee shall always have a combined capital and surplus of at least $25,000,000 as set forth in its most recent published annual report of condition. The Trustee shall comply with TIA § 310(b).

Section 7.11. Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company.

The Trustee is subject to TIA § 311(a), excluding any creditor relationship listed in TIA § 311(b). A Trustee who has resigned or been removed shall be subject to TIA § 311(a) to the extent indicated.

ARTICLE VIII.

SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE; DEFEASANCE

Section 8.1. Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture.

This Indenture shall upon Company Order be discharged with respect to the Securities of any Series and cease to be of further effect as to all Securities of such Series (except as hereinafter provided in this Section 8.1), and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall execute instruments acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, when

(a) either

(i) all Securities of such Series theretofore authenticated and delivered (other than Securities that have been destroyed, lost or stolen and that have been replaced or paid) have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or

(ii) all such Securities of such Series not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation

(1) have become due and payable by reason of sending a notice of redemption or otherwise, or

(2) will become due and payable at their Stated Maturity within one year, or

(3) have been called for redemption or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of redemption by the Trustee in the name, and at the expense, of the Company, or

(4) are deemed paid and discharged pursuant to Section 8.3, as applicable;

and the Company, in the case of (1), (2) or (3) above, shall have irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds in trust an amount of money or U.S. Government Obligations, which amount shall be sufficient for the purpose of paying and discharging each installment of principal (including mandatory sinking fund or analogous payments) of and interest on all the Securities of such Series on the dates such installments of principal or interest are due;

(b) the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company; and

(c) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for relating to the satisfaction and discharge contemplated by this Section have been complied with.

Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, the obligations of the Company to the Trustee under Section 7.7, and, if money shall have been deposited with the Trustee pursuant to clause (a) of this Section, the provisions of Sections 2.4, 2.7, 2.8, 8.2 and 8.5 shall survive.

Section 8.2. Application of Trust Funds; Indemnification.

(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 8.5, all money and U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 8.1, 8.3 or 8.4 and all money received by the Trustee in respect of U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 8.1, 8.3 or 8.4, shall be held in trust and applied by it, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including the Company acting as its own Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the persons entitled thereto, of the principal and interest for whose payment such money has been deposited with or received by the Trustee or to make mandatory sinking fund payments or analogous payments as contemplated by Sections 8.1, 8.3 or 8.4.

(b) The Company shall pay and shall indemnify the Trustee against any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations deposited pursuant to Sections 8.1, 8.3 or 8.4 or the interest and principal received in respect of such obligations other than any payable by or on behalf of Holders.

(c) The Trustee shall deliver or pay to the Company from time to time upon Company Order any U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations or money held by it as provided in Sections 8.3 or 8.4 which, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent certified public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, are then in

excess of the amount thereof which then would have been required to be deposited for the purpose for which such U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations or money were deposited or received. This provision shall not authorize the sale by the Trustee of any U.S. Government Obligations or Foreign Government Obligations held under this Indenture.

Section 8.3. Legal Defeasance of Securities of any Series.

Unless this Section 8.3 is otherwise specified, pursuant to Section 2.2, to be inapplicable to Securities of any Series, the Company shall be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire indebtedness on all the outstanding Securities of any Series on the 91st day after the date of the deposit referred to in subparagraph (d) hereof, and the provisions of this Indenture, as it relates to such outstanding Securities of such Series, shall no longer be in effect (and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall, upon receipt of a Company Order, execute instruments acknowledging the same), except as to:

(a) the rights of Holders of Securities of such Series to receive, from the trust funds described in subparagraph (d) hereof, (i) payment of the principal of and each installment of principal of and interest on the outstanding Securities of such Series on the Maturity of such principal or installment of principal or interest and (ii) the benefit of any mandatory sinking fund payments applicable to the Securities of such Series on the day on which such payments are due and payable in accordance with the terms of this Indenture and the Securities of such Series;

(b) the provisions of Sections 2.4, 2.5, 2.7, 2.8, 7.7, 8.2, 8.3, 8.5 and 8.6; and

(c) the rights, powers, trusts and immunities of the Trustee hereunder and the Company’s obligations in connection therewith;

provided that, the following conditions shall have been satisfied:

(d) the Company shall have irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited (except as provided in Section 8.2(c)) with the Trustee as trust funds specifically pledged as security for and dedicated solely to the benefit of the Holders of such Securities (i) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in Dollars, cash in Dollars and/or U.S. Government Obligations, or (ii) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in a Foreign Currency (other than a composite currency), money and/or Foreign Government Obligations, which through the payment of interest and principal in respect thereof in accordance with their terms, will provide (and without reinvestment and assuming no tax liability will be imposed on such Trustee), not later than one day before the due date of any payment of money, an amount in cash, sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge each installment of principal of and interest, on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of all the Securities of such Series on the dates such installments of principal or interest and such sinking fund payments are due;

(e) such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound;

(f) no Default or Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such Series shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit or during the period ending on the 91st day after such date;

(g) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that (i) the Company has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling, or (ii) since the date of execution of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable Federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such Opinion of Counsel shall confirm that, the Holders of the Securities of such Series will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amount and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred;

(h) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating that the deposit was not made by the Company with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any other creditors of the Company; and

(i) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for relating to the defeasance contemplated by this Section have been complied with.

Section 8.4. Covenant Defeasance.

Unless this Section 8.4 is otherwise specified pursuant to Section 2.2 to be inapplicable to Securities of any Series, the Company may omit to comply with respect to the Securities of any Series with any term, provision or condition set forth under Sections 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 and 5.1 and, unless otherwise specified therein, any additional covenants specified in a supplemental indenture for such Series of Securities or a Board Resolution or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 (and the failure to comply with any such covenants shall not constitute a Default or Event of Default with respect to such Series under Section 6.1) and the occurrence of any event specified in a supplemental indenture for such Series of Securities or a Board Resolution or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 and designated as an Event of Default shall not constitute a Default or Event of Default hereunder, with respect to the Securities of such Series, but, except as specified above, the remainder of this Indenture and such Securities will be unaffected thereby; provided that the following conditions shall have been satisfied:

(a) with reference to this Section 8.4, the Company has irrevocably deposited or caused to be irrevocably deposited (except as provided in Section 8.2(c)) with the Trustee as trust funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments specifically pledged as security for, and dedicated solely to, the benefit of the Holders of

such Securities (i) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in Dollars, cash in Dollars and/or U.S. Government Obligations, or (ii) in the case of Securities of such Series denominated in a Foreign Currency (other than a composite currency), money and/or Foreign Government Obligations, which through the payment of interest and principal in respect thereof in accordance with their terms, will provide (and without reinvestment and assuming no tax liability will be imposed on such Trustee), not later than one day before the due date of any payment of money, an amount in cash, sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent certified public accountants or investment bank expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge each installment of principal (including mandatory sinking fund or analogous payments) of and interest on all the Securities of such Series on the dates such installments of principal or interest are due;

(b) such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, this Indenture or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound;

(c) no Default or Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such Series shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit;

(d) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that (i) the company has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling, or (ii) since the date of execution of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable Federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such Opinion of Counsel shall confirm, subject to customary exclusions, that the Holders of the Securities of such Series will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit, covenant defeasance and discharge and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amount and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such deposit, covenant defeasance and discharge had not occurred;

(e) The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating the deposit was not made by the Company with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any other creditors of the Company; and

(f) The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to the covenant defeasance contemplated by this Section have been complied with.

Section 8.5. Repayment to Company.

Subject to applicable abandoned property law, the Trustee and the Paying Agent shall pay to the Company upon request any money held by them for the payment of principal and interest that remains unclaimed for two years. After that, Securityholders entitled to the money must look to the Company for payment as general creditors unless an applicable abandoned property law designates another person.

Section 8.6. Reinstatement.

If the Trustee or the Paying Agent is unable to apply any money deposited with respect to Securities of any Series in accordance with Section 8.1 by reason of any legal proceeding or by reason of any order or judgment of any court or governmental authority enjoining, restraining or otherwise prohibiting such application, the obligations of the Company under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such Series and under the Securities of such Series shall be revived and reinstated as though no deposit had occurred pursuant to Section 8.1 until such time as the Trustee or the Paying Agent is permitted to apply all such money in accordance with Section 8.1; provided, however, that if the Company has made any payment of principal of or interest on or any Additional Amounts with respect to any Securities because of the reinstatement of its obligations, the Company shall be subrogated to the rights of the Holders of such Securities to receive such payment from the money or U.S. Government Obligations held by the Trustee or Paying Agent after payment in full to the Holders.

ARTICLE IX.

AMENDMENTS AND WAIVERS

Section 9.1. Without Consent of Holders.

The Company and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture or the Securities of one or more Series without the consent of any Securityholder:

(a) to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;

(b) to comply with Article V;

(d) to add guarantees with respect to Securities of any Series or secure Securities of any Series;

(e) to surrender any of the Company’s rights or powers under this Indenture;

(f) to add covenants or events of default for the benefit of the holders of Securities of any Series;

(g) to comply with the applicable procedures of the applicable depositary;

(h) to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any Securityholder;

(i) to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of Securities of any Series as permitted by this Indenture;

(j) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more Series and to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee; or

(k) to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of this Indenture under the TIA.

Section 9.2. With Consent of Holders.

The Company and the Trustee may enter into a supplemental indenture with the written consent of the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of each Series affected by such supplemental indenture (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for the Securities of such Series), for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the Securityholders of each such Series. Except as provided in Section 6.13, the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of any Series by notice to the Trustee (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for the Securities of such Series) may waive compliance by the Company with any provision of this Indenture or the Securities with respect to such Series.

It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Holders of Securities under this Section 9.2 to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture or waiver, but it shall be sufficient if such consent approves the substance thereof. After a supplemental indenture or waiver under this section becomes effective, the Company shall send to the Holders of Securities affected thereby, a notice briefly describing the supplemental indenture or waiver. Any failure by the Company to send such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such supplemental indenture or waiver.

Section 9.3. Limitations.

Without the consent of each Securityholder affected, an amendment or waiver may not:

(a) reduce the principal amount of Securities whose Holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;

(b) reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any Security;

(c) reduce the principal or change the Stated Maturity of any Security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation;

(d) reduce the principal amount of Discount Securities payable upon acceleration of the maturity thereof;

(e) waive a Default or Event of Default in the payment of the principal of or interest, if any, on any Security (except a rescission of acceleration of the Securities of any Series by the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Securities of such Series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);

(f) make the principal of or interest, if any, on any Security payable in any currency other than that stated in the Security;

(g) make any change in Sections 6.8, 6.13 or 9.3 (this sentence); or

(h) waive a redemption payment with respect to any Security, provided that such redemption is made at the Company’s option.

Section 9.4. Compliance with Trust Indenture Act.

Every amendment to this Indenture or the Securities of one or more Series shall be set forth in a supplemental indenture hereto that complies with the TIA as then in effect.

Section 9.5. Revocation and Effect of Consents.

Until an amendment is set forth in a supplemental indenture or a waiver becomes effective, a consent to it by a Holder of a Security is a continuing consent by the Holder and every subsequent Holder of a Security or portion of a Security that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Security, even if notation of the consent is not made on any Security. However, any such Holder or subsequent Holder may revoke the consent as to his Security or portion of a Security if the Trustee receives the notice of revocation before the date of the supplemental indenture or the date the waiver becomes effective.

Any amendment or waiver once effective shall bind every Securityholder of each Series affected by such amendment or waiver unless it is of the type described in any of clauses (a) through (h) of Section 9.3. In that case, the amendment or waiver shall bind each Holder of a Security who has consented to it and every subsequent Holder of a Security or portion of a Security that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Security.

The Company may, but shall not be obligated to, fix a record date for the purpose of determining the Holders entitled to give their consent or take any other action described above or required or permitted to be taken pursuant to this Indenture. If a record date is fixed, then notwithstanding the second immediately preceding paragraph, those Persons who were Holders at such record date (or their duly designated proxies), and only those persons, shall be entitled to give such consent or to revoke any consent previously given or take any such action, whether or not such Persons continue to be Holders after such record date. No such consent shall be valid or effective for more than 120 days after such record date.

Section 9.6. Notation on or Exchange of Securities.

The Company or the Trustee may place an appropriate notation about an amendment or waiver on any Security of any Series thereafter authenticated. The Company in exchange for Securities of that Series may issue and the Trustee shall authenticate upon receipt of a Company Order in accordance with Section 2.3 new Securities of that Series that reflect the amendment or waiver.

Section 9.7. Trustee Protected.

In executing, or accepting the additional trusts created by, any supplemental indenture permitted by this Article or the modifications thereby of the trusts created by this Indenture, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive, and (subject to Section 7.1) shall be fully protected in relying upon, an Officer’s Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel or both complying with Section 10.4. The Trustee shall sign all supplemental indentures upon delivery of such an Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel or both, except that the Trustee need not sign any supplemental indenture that adversely affects its rights, duties, liabilities or immunities under this Indenture.

ARTICLE X.

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 10.1. Trust Indenture Act Controls.

If any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies, or conflicts with another provision which is required or deemed to be included in this Indenture by the TIA, such required or deemed provision shall control.

Section 10.2. Notices.

Any notice or communication by the Company or the Trustee to the other, or by a Holder to the Company or the Trustee, is duly given if in writing and delivered in person or mailed by first-class mail (registered or certified, return receipt requested), facsimile transmission, email or overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery, to the others’ address:

if to the Company:

Merus N.V.

Yalelaan 62

3584 CM Utrecht

The Netherlands

Attention: Ton Logtenberg, Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: +31 30 253 8800

with a copy to:

Latham & Watkins LLP

200 Clarendon Street, 27^th Floor

Boston, MA 02116

Attention: Peter N. Handrinos

Telephone: (617) 880-4500

if to the Trustee:

[ ]

Attention: [ ]

Telephone: [ ]

with a copy to:

[ ]

Attention: [ ]

Telephone: [ ]

The Company or the Trustee by notice to the other may designate additional or different addresses for subsequent notices or communications.

Any notice or communication to a Securityholder shall be sent electronically or by first-class mail to his, her or its address shown on the register kept by the Registrar, in accordance with the procedures of the Depositary. Failure to send a notice or communication to a Securityholder of any Series or any defect in it shall not affect its sufficiency with respect to other Securityholders of that or any other Series.

If a notice or communication is sent or published in the manner provided above, within the time prescribed, it is duly given, whether or not the Securityholder receives it.

If the Company sends a notice or communication to Securityholders, it shall send a copy to the Trustee and each Agent at the same time.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture or any Security, where this Indenture or any Security provides for notice of any event (including any notice of redemption) to a Holder of a Global Security (whether by mail or otherwise), such notice shall be sufficiently given to the Depositary for such Security (or its designee) pursuant to the customary procedures of such Depositary.

Section 10.3. Communication by Holders with Other Holders.

Securityholders of any Series may communicate pursuant to TIA § 312(b) with other Securityholders of that Series or any other Series with respect to their rights under this Indenture or the Securities of that Series or all Series. The Company, the Trustee, the Registrar and anyone else shall have the protection of TIA § 312(c).

Section 10.4. Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent.

Upon any request or application by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee:

(a) an Officer’s Certificate stating that, in the opinion of the signers, all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been complied with; and

(b) an Opinion of Counsel stating that, in the opinion of such counsel, all such conditions precedent have been complied with.

Section 10.5. Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion.

Each certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture (other than a certificate provided pursuant to TIA § 314(a)(4)) shall comply with the provisions of TIA § 314(e) and shall include:

(a) a statement that the person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition;

(b) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based;

(c) a statement that, in the opinion of such person, he has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and

(d) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of such person, such condition or covenant has been complied with.

Section 10.6. Rules by Trustee and Agents.

The Trustee may make reasonable rules for action by or a meeting of Securityholders of one or more Series. Any Agent may make reasonable rules and set reasonable requirements for its functions.

Section 10.7. Legal Holidays.

A “Legal Holiday” is any day that is not a Business Day. If a payment date is a Legal Holiday at a place of payment, payment may be made at that place on the next succeeding day that is not a Legal Holiday, and no interest shall accrue for the intervening period.

Section 10.8. No Recourse Against Others.

A director, officer, employee or stockholder (past or present), as such, of the Company shall not have any liability for any obligations of the Company under the Securities or the Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of or by reason of such obligations or their creation. Each Securityholder by accepting a Security waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for the issue of the Securities.

Section 10.9. Counterparts.

This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts and by the parties hereto in separate 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. The

exchange of copies of this Indenture and of signature pages by facsimile or PDF transmission shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Indenture as to the parties hereto and may be used in lieu of the original Indenture for all purposes. Signatures of the parties hereto transmitted by facsimile or PDF shall be deemed to be their original signatures for all purposes.

Section 10.10. Governing Law; Waiver of Jury Trial; Consent to Jurisdiction.

THIS INDENTURE AND THE SECURITIES, INCLUDING ANY CLAIM OR CONTROVERSY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE INDENTURE OR THE SECURITIES, SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

THE COMPANY, THE TRUSTEE AND THE HOLDERS (BY THEIR ACCEPTANCE OF THE SECURITIES) EACH HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVE, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE, THE NOTES OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY.

Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Indenture or the transactions contemplated hereby may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America located in the City of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the City of New York (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and each party irrevocably submits to the non exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail (to the extent allowed under any applicable statute or rule of court) to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The Company, the Trustee and the Holders (by their acceptance of the Securities) each hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim any such suit, action or other proceeding has been brought in an inconvenient forum.

Section 10.11. No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements.

This Indenture may not be used to interpret another indenture, loan or debt agreement of the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company. Any such indenture, loan or debt agreement may not be used to interpret this Indenture.

Section 10.12. Successors.

All agreements of the Company in this Indenture and the Securities shall bind its successor. All agreements of the Trustee in this Indenture shall bind its successor.

Section 10.13. Severability.

In case any provision in this Indenture or in the Securities shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

Section 10.14. Table of Contents, Headings, Etc.

The Table of Contents, Cross Reference Table, and headings of the Articles and Sections of this Indenture have been inserted for convenience of reference only, are not to be considered a part hereof, and shall in no way modify or restrict any of the terms or provisions hereof.

Section 10.15. Securities in a Foreign Currency.

Unless otherwise specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 of this Indenture with respect to a particular Series of Securities, whenever for purposes of this Indenture any action may be taken by the Holders of a specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of Securities of all Series or all Series affected by a particular action at the time outstanding and, at such time, there are outstanding Securities of any Series which are denominated in more than one currency, then the principal amount of Securities of such Series which shall be deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of taking such action shall be determined by converting any such other currency into a currency that is designated upon issuance of any particular Series of Securities. Unless otherwise specified in a Board Resolution, a supplemental indenture hereto or an Officer’s Certificate delivered pursuant to Section 2.2 of this Indenture with respect to a particular Series of Securities, such conversion shall be at the spot rate for the purchase of the designated currency as published in The Financial Times in the “Currency Rates” section (or, if The Financial Times is no longer published, or if such information is no longer available in The Financial Times, such source as may be selected in good faith by the Company) on any date of determination. The provisions of this paragraph shall apply in determining the equivalent principal amount in respect of Securities of a Series denominated in currency other than Dollars in connection with any action taken by Holders of Securities pursuant to the terms of this Indenture.

All decisions and determinations provided for in the preceding paragraph shall, in the absence of manifest error, to the extent permitted by law, be conclusive for all purposes and irrevocably binding upon the Trustee and all Holders.

Section 10.16. Judgment Currency.

The Company agrees, to the fullest extent that it may effectively do so under applicable law, that (a) if for the purpose of obtaining judgment in any court it is necessary to convert the sum due in respect of the principal of or interest or other amount on the Securities of any Series (the “Required Currency”) into a currency in which a judgment will be rendered (the “Judgment Currency”), the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Trustee could purchase in The City of New York the Required Currency with the Judgment Currency on the day on which final unappealable judgment is entered, unless such day is not a New York Banking Day, then the rate of exchange used shall be

the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Trustee could purchase in The City of New York the Required Currency with the Judgment Currency on the New York Banking Day preceding the day on which final unappealable judgment is entered and (b) its obligations under this Indenture to make payments in the Required Currency (i) shall not be discharged or satisfied by any tender, any recovery pursuant to any judgment (whether or not entered in accordance with subsection (a)), in any currency other than the Required Currency, except to the extent that such tender or recovery shall result in the actual receipt, by the payee, of the full amount of the Required Currency expressed to be payable in respect of such payments, (ii) shall be enforceable as an alternative or additional cause of action for the purpose of recovering in the Required Currency the amount, if any, by which such actual receipt shall fall short of the full amount of the Required Currency so expressed to be payable, and (iii) shall not be affected by judgment being obtained for any other sum due under this Indenture. For purposes of the foregoing, “New York Banking Day” means any day except a Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday in The City of New York on which banking institutions are authorized or required by law, regulation or executive order to close.

Section 10.17. Force Majeure.

In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including, without limitation, strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services, it being understood that the Trustee shall use reasonable best efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the banking industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances.

Section 10.18. U.S.A. Patriot Act.

The parties hereto acknowledge that in accordance with Section 326 of the U.S.A. Patriot Act, the Trustee is required to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person or legal entity that establishes a relationship or opens an account with the Trustee. The parties to this Indenture agree that they will provide the Trustee with such information as it may request in order for the Trustee to satisfy the requirements of the U.S.A. Patriot Act.

ARTICLE XI.

SINKING FUNDS

Section 11.1. Applicability of Article.

The provisions of this Article shall be applicable to any sinking fund for the retirement of the Securities of a Series if so provided by the terms of such Securities pursuant to Section 2.2 and except as otherwise permitted or required by any form of Security of such Series issued pursuant to this Indenture.

The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of the Securities of any Series is herein referred to as a “mandatory sinking fund payment” and any other amount provided for by the terms of Securities of such Series is herein referred to as an

“optional sinking fund payment.” If provided for by the terms of Securities of any Series, the cash amount of any sinking fund payment may be subject to reduction as provided in Section 11.2. Each sinking fund payment shall be applied to the redemption of Securities of any Series as provided for by the terms of the Securities of such Series.

Section 11.2. Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities.

The Company may, in satisfaction of all or any part of any sinking fund payment with respect to the Securities of any Series to be made pursuant to the terms of such Securities (1) deliver outstanding Securities of such Series to which such sinking fund payment is applicable (other than any of such Securities previously called for mandatory sinking fund redemption) and (2) apply as credit Securities of such Series to which such sinking fund payment is applicable and which have been repurchased by the Company or redeemed either at the election of the Company pursuant to the terms of such Series of Securities (except pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund) or through the application of permitted optional sinking fund payments or other optional redemptions pursuant to the terms of such Securities, provided that such Securities have not been previously so credited. Such Securities shall be received by the Trustee, together with an Officer’s Certificate with respect thereto, not later than 15 days prior to the date on which the Trustee begins the process of selecting Securities for redemption, and shall be credited for such purpose by the Trustee at the price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such sinking fund payment shall be reduced accordingly. If as a result of the delivery or credit of Securities in lieu of cash payments pursuant to this Section 11.2, the principal amount of Securities of such Series to be redeemed in order to exhaust the aforesaid cash payment shall be less than $100,000, the Trustee need not call Securities of such Series for redemption, except upon receipt of a Company Order that such action be taken, and such cash payment shall be held by the Trustee or a Paying Agent and applied to the next succeeding sinking fund payment, provided, however, that the Trustee or such Paying Agent shall from time to time upon receipt of a Company Order pay over and deliver to the Company any cash payment so being held by the Trustee or such Paying Agent upon delivery by the Company to the Trustee of Securities of that Series purchased by the Company having an unpaid principal amount equal to the cash payment required to be released to the Company.

Section 11.3. Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund.

Not less than 45 days (unless otherwise indicated in the Board Resolution, supplemental indenture hereto or Officer’s Certificate in respect of a particular Series of Securities) prior to each sinking fund payment date for any Series of Securities, the Company will deliver to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate specifying the amount of the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment for that Series pursuant to the terms of that Series, the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by payment of cash and the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by delivering and crediting of Securities of that Series pursuant to Section 11.2, and the optional amount, if any, to be added in cash to the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment, and the Company shall thereupon be obligated to pay the amount therein specified. Not less than 30 days (unless otherwise indicated in the Board Resolution, Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture in respect of a particular Series of Securities) before each such sinking fund payment date the Securities to be redeemed upon such sinking fund payment date will be

selected in the manner specified in Section 3.2 and the Company shall send or cause to be sent a notice of the redemption thereof to be given in the name of and at the expense of the Company in the manner provided in and in accordance with Section 3.3. Such notice having been duly given, the redemption of such Securities shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Sections 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.


MERUS N.V.

By:
		Name:
		Its:

[ ], as Trustee

By:
		Name:
		Its:

EX-5.1

Exhibit 5.1

53rd at Third

885 Third Avenue

New York, New York 10022-4834

Tel: +1.212.906.1200 Fax: +1.212.751.4864

www.lw.com

FIRM / AFFILIATE OFFICES


	Barcelona	Moscow
	Beijing	Munich
	Boston	New York
	Brussels	Orange County
	Century City	Paris
	Chicago	Riyadh
	Dubai	Rome
	Düsseldorf	San Diego
June 1, 2017	Frankfurt	San Francisco
	Hamburg	Seoul
	Hong Kong	Shanghai
	Houston	Silicon Valley
	London	Singapore
	Los Angeles	Tokyo
Merus N.V.	Madrid	Washington, D.C.
Yalelaan 62	Milan
3584 CM Utrecht	File No. 057345-0001
The Netherlands

Re: Registration Statement on Form F-3

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as special counsel to Merus N.V., a Dutch public company with limited liability (the “Company”), in connection with its filing on the date hereof with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) of a registration statement on Form F-3 (the “Registration Statement”), including a base prospectus (the “Base Prospectus”), which provides that it will be supplemented by one or more prospectus supplements (each such prospectus supplement, together with the Base Prospectus, a “Prospectus”), under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), relating to the registration for the issue and sale by the Company of up to $250,000,000 offering price of (i) common shares of the Company, nominal value €0.09 per share (the “Common Shares”) (ii) one or more series of the Company’s debt securities (collectively, “Debt Securities”) to be issued under an indenture to be entered into between the Company, as issuer, and a trustee (a form of which is included as Exhibit 4.3 to the Registration Statement) and one or more board resolutions, supplements thereto or officer’s certificates thereunder (such indenture, together with the applicable board resolution, supplement or officer’s certificate pertaining to the applicable series of Debt Securities, the “Applicable Indenture”), (iii) warrants (“Warrants”), and (iv) units (“Units”). The Debt Securities, Common Shares, Warrants and Units, plus any additional Debt Securities, Common Shares, Warrants and Units that may be registered pursuant to any subsequent registration statement that the Company may hereafter file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act in connection with the offering by the Company contemplated by the Registration Statement, are referred to herein collectively as the “Securities.”

This opinion is being furnished in connection with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Act, and no opinion is expressed herein as to any matter pertaining to the contents of the Registration Statement or related applicable Prospectus, other than as expressly stated herein with respect to the issue of the Debt Securities, Warrants and Units.

June 1, 2017

Page 2

LOGO

As such counsel, we have examined such matters of fact and questions of law as we have considered appropriate for purposes of this letter. With your consent, we have relied upon certificates and other assurances of officers of the Company and others as to factual matters without having independently verified such factual matters. We are opining herein as to the internal laws of the State of New York, and we express no opinion with respect to the applicability thereto, or the effect thereon, of the laws of any other jurisdiction or as to any matters of municipal law or the laws of any local agencies within any state.

Subject to the foregoing and the other matters set forth herein, it is our opinion that, as of the date hereof:

1. When the Applicable Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and when the specific terms of a particular series of Debt Securities have been duly established in accordance with the terms of the Applicable Indenture and authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company and such Debt Securities have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of the Applicable Indenture and in the manner contemplated by the applicable Prospectus and by such corporate action, such Debt Securities will be the legally valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms.

2. When the applicable warrant agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and when the specific terms of a particular issuance of Warrants have been duly established in accordance with the terms of the applicable warrant agreement and authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and such Warrants have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of the applicable warrant agreement and in the manner contemplated by the applicable Prospectus and by such corporate action (assuming the securities issuable upon exercise of such Warrants have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance by all necessary corporate action), such Warrants will be the legally valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms.

3. When the applicable unit agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and when the specific terms of a particular issuance of Units have been duly authorized in accordance with the terms of the applicable unit agreement and authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and such Units have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of the applicable unit agreement and in the manner contemplated by the applicable Prospectus and by such corporate action (assuming the securities issuable upon exercise of such Units have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance by all necessary corporate action), such Units will be legally valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms.

June 1, 2017

Page 3

LOGO

Our opinions are subject to: (i) the effect of bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, preference, fraudulent transfer, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors; (ii) the effect of general principles of equity, whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law (including the possible unavailability of specific performance or injunctive relief), concepts of materiality, reasonableness, good faith and fair dealing, and the discretion of the court before which a proceeding is brought; (iii) the invalidity under certain circumstances under law or court decisions of provisions providing for the indemnification of or contribution to a party with respect to a liability where such indemnification or contribution is contrary to public policy; and (iv) we express no opinion as to (a) any provision for liquidated damages, default interest, late charges, monetary penalties, make-whole premiums or other economic remedies to the extent such provisions are deemed to constitute a penalty, (b) consents to, or restrictions upon, governing law, jurisdiction, venue, arbitration, remedies, or judicial relief, (c) waivers of rights or defenses, (d) any provision requiring the payment of attorneys’ fees, where such payment is contrary to law or public policy, (e) any provision permitting, upon acceleration of any Debt Securities, collection of that portion of the stated principal amount thereof which might be determined to constitute unearned interest thereon, (f) the creation, validity, attachment, perfection, or priority of any lien or security interest, (g) advance waivers of claims, defenses, rights granted by law, or notice, opportunity for hearing, evidentiary requirements, statutes of limitation, trial by jury or at law, or other procedural rights, (h) waivers of broadly or vaguely stated rights, (i) provisions for exclusivity, election or cumulation of rights or remedies, (j) provisions authorizing or validating conclusive or discretionary determinations, (k) grants of setoff rights, (l) proxies, powers and trusts, (m) provisions prohibiting, restricting, or requiring consent to assignment or transfer of any right or property, (n) any provision to the extent it requires that a claim with respect to a security denominated in other than U.S. dollars (or a judgment in respect of such a claim) be converted into U.S. dollars at a rate of exchange at a particular date, to the extent applicable law otherwise provides, and (o) the severability, if invalid, of provisions to the foregoing effect.

With your consent, we have assumed (a) that each of the Debt Securities, Warrants and Units and the Applicable Indenture, warrant agreements and unit agreements governing such Securities (collectively, the “Documents”) will be governed by the internal laws of the State of New York, (b) that each of the Documents has been or will be duly authorized, executed and delivered by the parties thereto, (c) that each of the Documents constitutes or will constitute legally valid and binding obligations of the parties thereto other than the Company, enforceable against each of them in accordance with their respective terms, and (d) that the status of each of the Documents as legally valid and binding obligations of the parties will not be affected by any (i) breaches of, or defaults under, agreements or instruments, (ii) violations of statutes, rules, regulations or court or governmental orders, or (iii) failures to obtain required consents, approvals or authorizations from, or to make required registrations, declarations or filings with, governmental authorities.

This opinion is for your benefit in connection with the Registration Statement and may be relied upon by you and by persons entitled to rely upon it pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Act. We consent to your filing this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our firm contained in the Prospectus under the heading “Legal Matters.” We further consent to the incorporation by reference of this letter and consent into any registration

June 1, 2017

Page 4

LOGO

statement or post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act with respect to the Securities. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

Very truly yours,

/s/ Latham & Watkins LLP

EX-5.2

Exhibit 5.2


		Eversheds Sutherland
		De Cuserstraat 85a
		1081 CN Amsterdam
		Postbus/PO Box 7902
		1008 AC Amsterdam
		The Netherlands

		T: +31 20 5600 600
		F: +31 20 5600 500 eversheds-sutherland.nl

Personal and confidential

Merus N.V.

Attn. Ton Logtenberg (CEO)

Yalelaan 62

3584 CM Utrecht

The Netherlands

1 June 2017

Dear Sir/Madam,

Registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of common shares in the capital of the Issuer (as defined below).

1. Introduction

We have acted as counsel as to matters of Netherlands law to Merus N.V., a public company incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands having its registered office (statutaire zetel) in Utrecht, the Netherlands and its principal place of business at Yalelaan 62, 3584 CM Utrecht, the Netherlands (the “Issuer”) in connection with the filing with the SEC on 1 June 2017 of a Form F-3 Registration Statement by the Company (the “Registration Statement”), including a base prospectus, which provides that it will be supplemented by one or more prospectus supplements, with respect to the validity of 3,200,000 issued common shares in the share capital of the Company with a nominal value of EUR 0.09 per share issued to a stockholder of the Company (the “Common Shares”).

Certain terms used in this opinion letter and not defined above are defined in Annex 1 (Definitions).

2. Dutch Law

This opinion letter is limited to Dutch law in effect on the date of this opinion letter. It (including all terms used in it) is to be construed in accordance with Dutch law.

3. Scope of Inquiry

For the purpose of this opinion letter, we have examined, and relied upon the accuracy of the factual statements and compliance with the undertakings in, the following documents:

3.1

A copy of the Registration Statement.

3.2

A copy of:

(a)

the Issuer’s deed of incorporation and articles of association as provided by the Chamber of Commerce;

(b)

the Excerpt; and

(c)

the Shareholders Register.

3.3

A copy of:

(a)

the Management Board Resolution;

(b)

the Shareholders Resolution; and

(c)

the Supervisory Board Resolution.

Eversheds Sutherland is a member of Eversheds Sutherland (Europe) Limited.

Eversheds Sutherland is a trade name of Eversheds Sutherland B.V., having its registered office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and registered in the Trade Register under number 34172642. All our services are based on an engagement agreement with Eversheds Sutherland B.V. and are subject to our general terms and conditions, including a limitation of liability. The general terms and conditions are available on our website: www.eversheds-sutherland.nl and filed with the Chamber of Commerce in Amsterdam. A copy will be sent to you free of charge upon request. Attorney-trust account ING Bank NL14INGB0662764102. Eversheds Sutherland B.V. Notariaat kwaliteitsrekening ING Bank NL84INGB0664375952.

Date: 1 June 2017

Page: 2

3.4 The form of:

(a)

the Deed of Conversion;

(b)

the Deed of Issuance.

In addition, we have examined such documents, and performed such other investigations, as we considered necessary for the purpose of this opinion letter.

Our examination has been limited to the text of the documents mentioned in paragraph 3 of this opinion letter.

4. Assumptions

For the purpose of this opinion, we have made the following assumptions:

4.1

(a)	Each copy document conforms to the original and each original is genuine and complete.

(b)	Each signature is the genuine signature of the individual concerned.

4.3	The Registration Statement has been or will have been filed with the SEC in the form referred to in this opinion letter.

4.4	The Deed of Conversion has been executed in the form referred to in this opinion letter.

4.5	The Common Shares have been validly accepted by the subscriber for them.

5. Opinion

Based on the documents and investigations referred to and the assumptions made in paragraphs 3 and 4, we are of the following opinion:

5.1

The Common Shares have been validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable.¹

6. Reliance

6.1

This opinion is an exhibit to the Registration Statement and may be relied upon for the purpose of the Registration. It may not be supplied, and its contents or existence may not be disclosed to any person other than as an Exhibit to (and therefore together with) the Registration Statement and may not be relied upon for any purpose other than the Registration.

6.2

Each person relying on this opinion agrees, in so relying, that only Eversheds Sutherland B.V. shall have any liability in connection with this opinion letter, that this opinion letter and all liability and other matters relating to this opinion letter shall be governed exclusively by Dutch law and that the Dutch courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute relating to this opinion letter.

6.3

The Issuer may:

(a)	file this opinion letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement; and

(b)	refer to Eversheds Sutherland B.V. giving this opinion in the prospectus included in the Registration Statement.

In this opinion, “nonassessable” – which term has no equivalent in Dutch – means, in relation to a share, that the issuer of the share has no right to require the holder of the share to pay to the issuer any amount (in addition to the amount required for the share to be fully paid) solely as a result of his shareholdership.

Date: 1 June 2017

Page: 3

Yours faithfully,

/s/ Tom van Wijngaarden

Tom van Wijngaarden

For

Eversheds Sutherland B.V.

Date: 1 June 2017

Page: 4

Annex 1 – Definitions

In this opinion:

“Chamber of Commerce” means the Chamber of Commerce (kamer van koophandel) of the place where the Issuer has its principal place of business;

“Deed of Conversion” means the deed of conversion and amendment of the articles of association dated 19 May 2016, whereby Merus B.V. was converted to Merus N.V.;

“Deed of Issuance” means the deed of issuance dated 23 January 2017, providing for the issue of the Common Shares;

“Dutch law” means the law directly applicable in the Netherlands;

“Excerpt” means a trade register excerpt relating to the Issuer provided by the Chamber of Commerce and dated at the date of this opinion letter;

“Management Board Resolution” an electronic copy of the executed written resolution of the management board of the Issuer, dated 19 December 2016 evidencing, inter alia, its authorization of the Issuer to issue the Common Shares and to exclude the pre-emptive rights in relation to the issue of the Common Shares;

“Registration” means the registration of the Common Shares with the SEC under the Securities Act;

“SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission;

“Securities Act” means the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended;

“Shareholders Register” means the Issuer’s shareholders register;

“Shareholders Resolution” an electronic copy of the written resolution of the general meeting of the Issuer, dated 6 May 2016 evidencing, inter alia, the authorisation of the management board, subject to approval of the supervisory board, to issue the Common Shares and exclude any pre-emptive rights in relation to the issue of the Common Shares;

“Supervisory Board Resolution” an electronic copy of the executed written resolution of the supervisory board of directors of the Issuer, dated 19 December 2016 evidencing, inter alia, its approval of the Management Board Resolution; and

“the Netherlands” means the part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in Europe.

EX-5.3

Exhibit 5.3


ADVOCATEN ● NOTARISSEN ● BELASTINGADVISEURS

P.O. Box 7113
1007 JC Amsterdam Strawinskylaan 1999 1077 XV Amsterdam T +31 20 71 71 000 F +31 20 71 71 111		Amsterdam, June 1, 2017. To the Company


		Ladies and Gentlemen:

		We have acted as legal counsel as to Netherlands law to the Company in connection with the Offering. This opinion letter is rendered to you in order to be filed with the SEC as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.

		Capitalised terms used in this opinion letter have the meanings set forth in Exhibit A. The section headings used in this opinion letter are for convenience of reference only and are not to affect its construction or to be taken into consideration in its interpretation.

		This opinion letter is addressed solely to you. This opinion letter is strictly limited to the matters stated in it and may not be read as extending by implication to any matters not specifically referred to in it. Nothing in this opinion letter should be taken as expressing an opinion in respect of any representations or warranties, or other information, contained in any document.

		In rendering the opinions expressed in this opinion letter, we have exclusively reviewed and relied upon a draft of the Deed of Issue and pdf copies or drafts of the Corporate Documents and we have assumed that the Deed of Issue shall be entered into for bona fide commercial reasons. We have not investigated or verified any factual matter disclosed to us in the course of our review.

		This opinion letter sets out our opinion on certain matters of the laws with general applicability of the Netherlands, and, insofar as they are directly applicable in the Netherlands, of the European Union, as at today’s date and as presently interpreted under published authoritative case law of the Netherlands courts, the General Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union. We do not express any opinion on Netherlands or European competition law, tax law or regulatory law. No undertaking is assumed on our part to revise, update or amend this opinion letter in connection with or to notify or inform you of, any developments and/or changes of Netherlands law subsequent to today’s date.

Amsterdam

Brussels

London

Luxemburg

New York

Rotterdam

This communication is confidential and may be subject to professional privilege. All legal relationships are subject to NautaDutilh N.V.’s general terms and conditions (see https://www.nautadutilh.com/terms), which apply mutatis mutandis to our relationship with third parties relying on statements of NautaDutilh N.V., include a limitation of liability clause, have been filed with the Rotterdam District Court and will be provided free of charge upon request. NautaDutilh N.V.; corporate seat Rotterdam; trade register no. 24338323.


		The opinions expressed in this opinion letter are to be construed and interpreted in accordance with Netherlands law. This opinion letter is based on the condition that you accept and agree that (i) the competent courts at Amsterdam, the Netherlands, have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any issues of interpretation or liability arising out of or in connection with this opinion letter, (ii) any legal relationship arising out of or in connection with this opinion letter (whether contractual or non-contractual), including the above submission to jurisdiction, is governed by Netherlands law and shall be subject to the general terms and conditions of NautaDutilh, (iii) any liability arising out of or in connection with this opinion letter shall be limited to the amount which is paid out under NautaDutilh’s insurance policy in the matter concerned and (iv) no person other than NautaDutilh may be held liable in connection with this opinion letter.

		In this opinion letter, legal concepts are expressed in English terms. The Netherlands legal concepts concerned may not be identical in meaning to the concepts described by the English terms as they exist under the law of other jurisdictions. In the event of a conflict or inconsistency, the relevant expression shall be deemed to refer only to the Netherlands legal concepts described by the English terms.

		For the purposes of this opinion letter, we have assumed that:


		a.		drafts of documents reviewed by us will be signed in the form of those drafts, each copy of a document conforms to the original, each original is authentic, and each signature is the genuine signature of the individual purported to have placed that signature;

		b.		the Registration Statement has been or shall be filed with, and has been or, prior to the Relevant Moment, shall be declared effective by, the SEC in the form of the draft reviewed by us;

		c.		the Deed of Incorporation and the Deed of Conversion are valid notarial deeds and the Deed of Incorporation has been executed on the basis of a valid declaration of no objection (verklaring van geen bezwaar);

		d.		(i) the number of Offer Shares shall not exceed the number of Common Shares that may be issued under the Company’s authorized share capital as included in the Articles of Association and (ii) the authorization granted by the Company’s general meeting of shareholders on May 24, 2017, to the Board of Directors to resolve upon issuances of Common Shares is sufficient to issue the Offer Shares pursuant to the Resolutions;

		e.		(i) except for the Board Rules no internal regulations (reglementen) have been adopted by any corporate body of the Company which would affect the resolutions recorded in the Resolutions and (ii) the Articles of Association are the Company’s articles of association currently in force;


		f.		the Company has not (i) been dissolved (ontbonden), (ii) ceased to exist pursuant to a merger (fusie) or a division (splitsing), (iii) been converted (omgezet) into another legal form, either national or foreign (except pursuant to the Deed of Conversion), (iv) had its assets placed under administration (onder bewind gesteld), (v) been declared bankrupt (failliet verklaard), (vi) been granted a suspension of payments (surseance van betaling verleend), or (vii) been made subject to similar proceedings in any jurisdiction or otherwise been limited in its power to dispose of its assets;

		g.		the resolutions recorded in the Resolutions are in full force and effect, the factual statements made and the confirmations given in the Resolutions and the Deeds of Issue are complete and correct and the Resolutions correctly reflect the resolutions recorded therein;

		h.		no works council (ondernemingsraad) has been established or is in the process of being established with respect to the business of the Company;

		i.		none of the members of the Board of Directors has a direct or indirect personal interest which conflicts with the interest of the Company and the business connected with it in respect of any of the resolutions recorded in the respective Resolutions or the matters contemplated thereby;

		j.		the Deed of Issue has been validly signed and executed on behalf of the Company;

		k.		the Offering, to the extent made in the Netherlands, has been, is and will be made in conformity with the FSA and the rules promulgated thereunder;

		l.		at the Relevant Moment, each of the assumptions made in this opinion letter will be correct in all aspects by reference to the facts and circumstances then existing; and

		m.		none of the opinions stated in this opinion letter will be affected by any foreign law.

		Based upon and subject to the foregoing and subject to the qualifications set forth in this opinion letter and to any matters, documents or events not disclosed to us, we express the following opinions:

		Corporate Status

		1.		The Company has been duly incorporated as a besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid and is validly existing as a naamloze vennootschap.


				Offer Shares

		2.		Subject to receipt by the Company of payment in full for the Offer Shares as provided for in the Deed of Issue, and when issued and accepted in accordance with the Resolutions and the Deed of Issue, the Offer Shares shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

		The opinions expressed above are subject to the following qualifications:

		A.		Opinion 1 must not be read to imply that the Company cannot be dissolved (ontbonden). A company such as the Company may be dissolved, inter alia by the competent court at the request of the company’s board of directors, any interested party (belanghebbende) or the public prosecution office in certain circumstances, such as when there are certain defects in the incorporation of the company. Any such dissolution will not have retro-active effect.

		B.		Pursuant to Section 2:7 NCC, any transaction entered into by a legal entity may be nullified by the legal entity itself or its liquidator in bankruptcy proceedings (curator) if the objects of that entity were transgressed by the transaction and the other party to the transaction knew or should have known this without independent investigation (wist of zonder eigen onderzoek moest weten). The Netherlands Supreme Court (Hoge Raad der Nederlanden) has ruled that in determining whether the objects of a legal entity are transgressed, not only the description of the objects in that legal entity’s articles of association (statuten) is decisive, but all (relevant) circumstances must be taken into account, in particular whether the interests of the legal entity were served by the transaction. Based on the objects clause contained in the Articles of Association, we have no reason to believe that, by entering into the Deed of Issue, the Company would transgress the description of the objects contained in its Articles of Association. However, we cannot assess whether there are other relevant circumstances that must be taken into account, in particular whether the interests of the Company are served by entering into the Deed of Issue since this is a matter of fact.

		C.		Pursuant to Section 2:98c NCC, a naamloze vennootschap may grant loans (leningen verstrekken) only in accordance with the restrictions set out in Section 2:98c NCC, and may not provide security (zekerheid stellen),


	give a price guarantee (koersgarantie geven) or otherwise bind itself, whether jointly and severally or otherwise with or for third parties (zich op andere wijze sterk maken of zich hoofdelijk of anderszins naast of voor anderen verbinden) with a view to (met het oog op) the subscription or acquisition by third parties of shares in its share capital or depository receipts. This prohibition also applies to its subsidiaries (dochtervennootschappen). It is generally assumed that a transaction entered into in violation of Section 2:98c NCC is null and void (nietig). Based on the content of the Deed of Issue, we have no reason to believe that the Company or its subsidiaries will violate Section 2:98c NCC in connection with the issue of the Offer Shares. However, we cannot confirm this definitively, since the determination of whether a company (or a subsidiary) has provided security, has given a price guarantee or has otherwise bound itself, with a view to the subscription or acquisition by third parties of shares in its share capital or depository receipts, as described above, is a matter of fact.

D.	The opinions expressed in this opinion letter may be limited or affected by:

	a.	any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganisation, moratorium or other similar laws or procedures now or hereafter in effect, relating to or affecting the enforcement or protection of creditors’ rights generally;

	b.	the provisions of fraudulent preference and fraudulent conveyance (Actio Pauliana) and similar rights available in other jurisdictions to liquidators in bankruptcy proceedings or creditors;

	c.	claims based on tort (onrechtmatige daad);

	d.	sanctions and measures, including but not limited to those concerning export control, pursuant to European Union regulations, under the Sanctions Act 1977 (Sanctiewet 1977) or other legislation;

	e.	the Anti-Boycott Regulation and related legislation; and

	f.	the rules of force majeure (niet toerekenbare tekortkoming), reasonableness and fairness (redelijkheid en billijkheid), suspension (opschorting), dissolution (ontbinding), unforeseen circumstances (onvoorziene omstandigheden) and vitiated consent (i.e., duress (bedreiging), fraud (bedrog), abuse of circumstances (misbruik van omstandigheden) and error (dwaling)) or a difference of intention (wil) and declaration (verklaring).


		E.		The term “non-assessable” has no equivalent in the Dutch language and for purposes of this opinion letter such term should be interpreted to mean that a holder of a share will not by reason of merely being such a holder be subject to assessment or calls by the Company or its creditors for further payment on such share.

		F.		This opinion letter does not purport to express any opinion or view on the operational rules and procedures of any clearing or settlement system or agency.

		We consent to the filing of this opinion letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and also consent to the reference to NautaDutilh in the Registration Statement under the caption “Legal Matters”.

		Sincerely yours, /s/ NautaDutilh N.V. NautaDutilh N.V.


		EXHIBIT A LIST OF DEFINITIONS

		“Anti-Boycott Regulation”		The Council Regulation (EC) No 2271/96 of 22 November 1996 on protecting against the effects of the extra-territorial application of legislation adopted by a third country, and actions based thereon or resulting therefrom.

		“Articles of Association”		The articles of association (statuten) of the Company as they read after the execution of a deed of amendment, dated May 29, 2017.

		“Board of Directors”		The Company’s board of directors (bestuur).

		“Board Rules”		The internal rules of the Board of Directors, as published on the Company’s website on the date of this opinion letter.

		“Commercial Register”		The Netherlands Commercial Register (handelsregister).

		“Common Shares”		Common shares in the Company’s capital, with a nominal value of EUR 0.09 each.

		“Company”		Merus N.V., a public company with limited liability (naamloze vennootschap), registered with the Commercial Register under number 30189136.

		“Corporate Documents”		The documents listed in Exhibit B.

		“Deed of Conversion”		The deed of conversion and amendment to the articles of association of the Company, dated May 19, 2016.

		“Deed of Incorporation”		The deed of incorporation (akte van oprichting) of the Company, dated June 16, 2003.

		“Deed of Issue”		The deed of issue of Offer Shares with reference 82041717 M 21514653.

		“Exhibit”		An exhibit to this opinion letter.

		“FSA”		The Netherlands Financial Supervision Act (Wet op het financieel toezicht).


“NautaDutilh”	NautaDutilh N.V.

“NCC”	The Netherlands Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek).

“the Netherlands”	The European territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

“Offering”	The offering, issuance and sale of the Offer Shares pursuant to the Registration Statement.

“Offer Shares”	The Common Shares issuable by the Company pursuant to the Registration Statement and a base prospectus, as such base prospectus may be supplemented by one or more prospectus supplements, filed with the Registration Statement and for an aggregate offering price of up to USD 250,000,000.

“Registration Statement”	The Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-3 filed with the SEC in connection with the Offering on the date of this opinion letter.

“Relevant Moment”	Each time that Offer Shares are issued.

“Resolutions”	i.	the minutes of the general meeting of shareholders of the Company, held on May 24, 2017;

	ii.	the written resolution of the Board of Directors, dated June 1, 2017; and

	iii.	the draft written resolution of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer with reference 82041717 M 21514914.

“SEC”	The United States Securities and Exchange Commission.


		EXHIBIT B LIST OF CORPORATE DOCUMENTS

		1.		the Deed of Incorporation;

		2.		the Deed of Conversion;

		3.		the Articles of Association;

		4.		the Resolutions; and

		5.		the Registration Statement.

EX-5.4

Exhibit 5.4

ADVOCATEN ● NOTARISSEN ● BELASTINGADVISEURS

P.O. Box 7113

1007 JC Amsterdam

Strawinskylaan 1999

1077 XV Amsterdam

T +31 20 71 71 000

F +31 20 71 71 111

Amsterdam, June 1, 2017.

To the Company

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as legal counsel as to Netherlands law to the Company in connection with the Offering. This opinion letter is rendered to you in order to be filed with the SEC as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.

Capitalised terms used in this opinion letter have the meanings set forth in Exhibit A. The section headings used in this opinion letter are for convenience of reference only and are not to affect its construction or to be taken into consideration in its interpretation.

This opinion letter is addressed solely to you. This opinion letter is strictly limited to the matters stated in it and may not be read as extending by implication to any matters not specifically referred to in it. Nothing in this opinion letter should be taken as expressing an opinion in respect of any representations or warranties, or other information, contained in any document.

In rendering the opinions expressed in this opinion letter, we have exclusively reviewed and relied upon a draft of the Deed of Issue and pdf copies or drafts of the Corporate Documents and we have assumed that the Deed of Issue shall be entered into for bona fide commercial reasons. We have not investigated or verified any factual matter disclosed to us in the course of our review.

This opinion letter sets out our opinion on certain matters of the laws with general applicability of the Netherlands, and, insofar as they are directly applicable in the Netherlands, of the European Union, as at today’s date and as presently interpreted under published authoritative case law of the Netherlands courts, the General Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union. We do not express any opinion on Netherlands or European competition law, tax law or regulatory law. No undertaking is assumed on our part to revise, update or amend this opinion letter in connection with or to notify or inform you of, any developments and/or changes of Netherlands law subsequent to today’s date.

Amsterdam

Brussels

London

Luxemburg

New York

Rotterdam

This communication is confidential and may be subject to professional privilege. All legal relationships are subject to NautaDutilh N.V.‘s general terms and conditions (see https://www.nautadutilh.com/terms), which apply mutatis mutandis to our relationship with third parties relying on statements of NautaDutilh N.V., include a limitation of liability clause, have been filed with the Rotterdam District Court and will be provided free of charge upon request. NautaDutilh N.V.; corporate seat Rotterdam; trade register no. 24338323.

The opinions expressed in this opinion letter are to be construed and interpreted in accordance with Netherlands law. This opinion letter is based on the condition that you accept and agree that (i) the competent courts at Amsterdam, the Netherlands, have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any issues of interpretation or liability arising out of or in connection with this opinion letter, (ii) any legal relationship arising out of or in connection with this opinion letter (whether contractual or non-contractual), including the above submission to jurisdiction, is governed by Netherlands law and shall be subject to the general terms and conditions of NautaDutilh, (iii) any liability arising out of or in connection with this opinion letter shall be limited to the amount which is paid out under NautaDutilh’s insurance policy in the matter concerned and (iv) no person other than NautaDutilh may be held liable in connection with this opinion letter.

In this opinion letter, legal concepts are expressed in English terms. The Netherlands legal concepts concerned may not be identical in meaning to the concepts described by the English terms as they exist under the law of other jurisdictions. In the event of a conflict or inconsistency, the relevant expression shall be deemed to refer only to the Netherlands legal concepts described by the English terms.

For the purposes of this opinion letter, we have assumed that:

drafts of documents reviewed by us will be signed in the form of those drafts, each copy of a document conforms to the original, each original is authentic, and each signature is the genuine signature of the individual purported to have placed that signature;

the Registration Statement has been or shall be filed with, and has been or, prior to the Relevant Moment, shall be declared effective by, the SEC in the form of the draft reviewed by us;

the Deed of Incorporation and the Deed of Conversion are valid notarial deeds and the Deed of Incorporation has been executed on the basis of a valid declaration of no objection (verklaring van geen bezwaar);

(i) the number of Offer Shares shall not exceed the number of Common Shares that may be issued under the Company’s authorized share capital as included in the Articles of Association and (ii) the authorization granted by the Company’s general meeting of shareholders on May 24, 2017, to the Board of Directors to resolve upon issuances of Common Shares is sufficient to issue the Offer Shares pursuant to the Resolutions;

(i) except for the Board Rules no internal regulations (reglementen) have been adopted by any corporate body of the Company which would affect the resolutions recorded in the Resolutions and (ii) the Articles of Association are the Company’s articles of association currently in force;

the Company has not (i) been dissolved (ontbonden), (ii) ceased to exist pursuant to a merger (fusie) or a division (splitsing), (iii) been converted (omgezet) into another legal form, either national or foreign (except pursuant to the Deed of Conversion), (iv) had its assets placed under administration (onder bewind gesteld), (v) been declared bankrupt (failliet verklaard), (vi) been granted a suspension of payments (surseance van betaling verleend), or (vii) been made subject to similar proceedings in any jurisdiction or otherwise been limited in its power to dispose of its assets;

the resolutions recorded in the Resolutions are in full force and effect, the factual statements made and the confirmations given in the Resolutions and the Deeds of Issue are complete and correct and the Resolutions correctly reflect the resolutions recorded therein;

no works council (ondernemingsraad) has been established or is in the process of being established with respect to the business of the Company;

none of the members of the Board of Directors has a direct or indirect personal interest which conflicts with the interest of the Company and the business connected with it in respect of any of the resolutions recorded in the respective Resolutions or the matters contemplated thereby;

the Deed of Issue has been validly signed and executed on behalf of the Company;

the Offering, to the extent made in the Netherlands, has been, is and will be made in conformity with the FSA and the rules promulgated thereunder;

at the Relevant Moment, each of the assumptions made in this opinion letter will be correct in all aspects by reference to the facts and circumstances then existing; and

none of the opinions stated in this opinion letter will be affected by any foreign law.

Based upon and subject to the foregoing and subject to the qualifications set forth in this opinion letter and to any matters, documents or events not disclosed to us, we express the following opinions:

Corporate Status

The Company has been duly incorporated as a besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid and is validly existing as a naamloze vennootschap.

Offer Shares

Subject to receipt by the Company of payment in full for the Offer Shares as provided for in the Deed of Issue, and when issued and accepted in accordance with the Resolutions and the Deed of Issue, the Offer Shares shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

The opinions expressed above are subject to the following qualifications:

Opinion 1 must not be read to imply that the Company cannot be dissolved (ontbonden). A company such as the Company may be dissolved, inter alia by the competent court at the request of the company’s board of directors, any interested party (belanghebbende) or the public prosecution office in certain circumstances, such as when there are certain defects in the incorporation of the company. Any such dissolution will not have retro-active effect.

Pursuant to Section 2:7 NCC, any transaction entered into by a legal entity may be nullified by the legal entity itself or its liquidator in bankruptcy proceedings (curator) if the objects of that entity were transgressed by the transaction and the other party to the transaction knew or should have known this without independent investigation (wist of zonder eigen onderzoek moest weten). The Netherlands Supreme Court (Hoge Raad der Nederlanden) has ruled that in determining whether the objects of a legal entity are transgressed, not only the description of the objects in that legal entity’s articles of association (statuten) is decisive, but all (relevant) circumstances must be taken into account, in particular whether the interests of the legal entity were served by the transaction. Based on the objects clause contained in the Articles of Association, we have no reason to believe that, by entering into the Deed of Issue, the Company would transgress the description of the objects contained in its Articles of Association. However, we cannot assess whether there are other relevant circumstances that must be taken into account, in particular whether the interests of the Company are served by entering into the Deed of Issue since this is a matter of fact.

Pursuant to Section 2:98c NCC, a naamloze vennootschap may grant loans (leningen verstrekken) only in accordance with the restrictions set out in Section 2:98c NCC, and may not provide security (zekerheid stellen),

give a price guarantee (koersgarantie geven) or otherwise bind itself, whether jointly and severally or otherwise with or for third parties (zich op andere wijze sterk maken of zich hoofdelijk of anderszins naast of voor anderen verbinden) with a view to (met het oog op) the subscription or acquisition by third parties of shares in its share capital or depository receipts. This prohibition also applies to its subsidiaries (dochtervennootschappen). It is generally assumed that a transaction entered into in violation of Section 2:98c NCC is null and void (nietig). Based on the content of the Deed of Issue, we have no reason to believe that the Company or its subsidiaries will violate Section 2:98c NCC in connection with the issue of the Offer Shares. However, we cannot confirm this definitively, since the determination of whether a company (or a subsidiary) has provided security, has given a price guarantee or has otherwise bound itself, with a view to the subscription or acquisition by third parties of shares in its share capital or depository receipts, as described above, is a matter of fact.

The opinions expressed in this opinion letter may be limited or affected by:

any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganisation, moratorium or other similar laws or procedures now or hereafter in effect, relating to or affecting the enforcement or protection of creditors’ rights generally;

the provisions of fraudulent preference and fraudulent conveyance (Actio Pauliana) and similar rights available in other jurisdictions to liquidators in bankruptcy proceedings or creditors;

claims based on tort (onrechtmatige daad);

sanctions and measures, including but not limited to those concerning export control, pursuant to European Union regulations, under the Sanctions Act 1977 (Sanctiewet 1977) or other legislation;

the Anti-Boycott Regulation and related legislation; and

the rules of force majeure (niet toerekenbare tekortkoming), reasonableness and fairness (redelijkheid en billijkheid), suspension (opschorting), dissolution (ontbinding), unforeseen circumstances (onvoorziene omstandigheden) and vitiated consent (i.e., duress (bedreiging), fraud (bedrog), abuse of circumstances (misbruik van omstandigheden) and error (dwaling)) or a difference of intention (wil) and declaration (verklaring).

The term “non-assessable” has no equivalent in the Dutch language and for purposes of this opinion letter such term should be interpreted to mean that a holder of a share will not by reason of merely being such a holder be subject to assessment or calls by the Company or its creditors for further payment on such share.

This opinion letter does not purport to express any opinion or view on the operational rules and procedures of any clearing or settlement system or agency.

We consent to the filing of this opinion letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and also consent to the reference to NautaDutilh in the Registration Statement under the caption “Legal Matters”.

Sincerely yours,

/s/ NautaDutilh N.V.

NautaDutilh N.V.


		EXHIBIT A
		LIST OF DEFINITIONS

		“Anti-Boycott Regulation”		The Council Regulation (EC) No 2271/96 of 22 November 1996 on protecting against the effects of the extra-territorial application of legislation adopted by a third country, and actions based thereon or resulting therefrom.

		“Articles of Association”		The articles of association (statuten) of the Company as they read after the execution of a deed of amendment, dated May 29, 2017.

		“Board of Directors”		The Company’s board of directors (bestuur).

		“Board Rules”		The internal rules of the Board of Directors, as published on the Company’s website on the date of this opinion letter.

		“Commercial Register”		The Netherlands Commercial Register (handelsregister).

		“Common Shares”		Common shares in the Company’s capital, with a nominal value of EUR 0.09 each.

		“Company”		Merus N.V., a public company with limited liability (naamloze vennootschap), registered with the Commercial Register under number 30189136.

		“Corporate Documents”		The documents listed in Exhibit B.

		“Deed of Conversion”		The deed of conversion and amendment to the articles of association of the Company, dated May 19, 2016.

		“Deed of Incorporation”		The deed of incorporation (akte van oprichting) of the Company, dated June 16, 2003.

		“Deed of Issue”		The deed of issue of Offer Shares with reference 82041717 M 21514653.

		“Exhibit”		An exhibit to this opinion letter.

		“FSA”		The Netherlands Financial Supervision Act (Wet op het financieel toezicht).



		“NautaDutilh”		NautaDutilh N.V.

		“NCC”		The Netherlands Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek).

		“the Netherlands”		The European territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

		“Offering”		The offering, issuance and sale of the Offer Shares pursuant to the Registration Statement.

		“Offer Shares”		The Common Shares issuable by the Company pursuant to the Registration Statement, a base prospectus and a prospectus supplement filed with the Registration Statement and the Sales Agreement for an aggregate offering price of up to USD 50,000,000.

		“Registration Statement”		The Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-3 filed with the SEC in connection with the Offering on the date of this opinion letter.

		“Relevant Moment”		Each time that Offer Shares are issued.

		“Resolutions”		i. the minutes of the general meeting of shareholders of the Company, held on May 24, 2017; ii. the written resolution of the Board of Directors, dated June 1, 2017; iii. the draft written resolution of the Company’s pricing committee with reference 82041717 M 21539441; and iv. the draft written resolution of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer with reference 82041717 M 21514914.

		“Sales Agreement”		That certain Sales Agreement relating to Common Shares entered into between the Company and Cowen and Company, LLC in the form attached to the Registration Statement as an Exhibit.

		“SEC”		The United States Securities and Exchange Commission.


		EXHIBIT B
		LIST OF CORPORATE DOCUMENTS

		1.		the Deed of Incorporation;

		2.		the Deed of Conversion;

		3.		the Articles of Association;

		4.		the Resolutions; and

		5.		the Registration Statement.

EX-8.1

Exhibit 8.1

LOGO

SENT BY EMAIL

To the management of Merus N.V.

Amsterdam, June 1, 2017

Merus N.V.: opinion with respect to the Dutch taxation paragraph as included in the F-3 form of Merus N.V.

Dear Sirs,

You have requested us to render an opinion with respect to certain Dutch tax aspects in connection with the offering, issuance and sale of common shares in Merus N.V.

More specifically you wish to receive our opinion on the following issues:

a base prospectus (hereinafter: ‘Base Prospectus’) which covers the offering, issuance and sale of up to $ 250,000,000 in the aggregate of the securities listed on the cover of such Base Prospectus and the offering and sale by a selling shareholder of 3,200,000 of common shares of Merus N.V., in each case from time to time in one or more offerings; and

ii.

a sales agreement prospectus supplement (hereinafter: ‘Prospectus Supplement’) covering the offering of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $ 50,000,000 of common shares of Merus N.V. that may be issued and sold under a sales agreement with Cowen and Company, LLC.

In giving our opinion we have examined and relied on the F-3 form as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 1, 2017 (hereinafter: ‘F-3 Form’). Terms used in this opinion letter have the same meaning as ascribed to them in the F-3 Form.

In the Taxation paragraph of the F-3 Form (page 45 up to and including 49), the following is included with respect to Dutch tax aspects:

Material Dutch Tax Considerations

Ernst & Young Belastingadviseurs LLP is a limited liability partnership incorporated under the laws of England and Wales and registered with Companies House under number OC335596. The term partner in relation to Ernst & Young Belastingadviseurs LLP is used to refer to (the representative of) a member of Ernst & Young Belastingadviseurs LLP. Ernst & Young Belastingadviseurs LLP has its registered office at 6 More London Place, London, SE1 2DA, United Kingdom, its principal place of business at Boompjes 258, 3011 XZ Rotterdam, the Netherlands and is registered with the Chamber of Commerce Rotterdam number 24432939. Our services are subject to general terms and conditions, which contain a limitation of liability clause.

Prospective shareholders should consult their own tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of any acquisition, ownership or disposal of common shares in their particular circumstances.

This section does not describe the possible Dutch tax considerations or consequences that may be relevant to a holder of common shares:

•

who is an individual for whom the income or capital gains derived from the common shares is attributable to employment activities, the income from which is taxable in the Netherlands;

•

that is an entity that is, pursuant to the Dutch Corporate Income Tax Act 1969 (Wet op de vennootschapsbelasting 1969, or CITA), not subject to Dutch corporate income tax or is in full or in part exempt from Dutch corporate income tax (such as qualifying pension funds);

•

that is an investment institution (beleggingsinstelling) as defined in article 6a or 28 CITA;

•

that is entitled to the participation exemption (deelnemingsvrijstelling) with respect to the common shares as defined in article 13 CITA. Generally, a holding of common shares is considered to qualify as a participation for the participation exemption if it represents a holding of an interest of 5% or more of our nominal paid-up capital; or

•

who has, or that has, a substantial interest (aanmerkelijk belang) or deemed substantial interest (fictief aanmerkelijk belang) in our company as defined in chapter 4 of the Dutch Income Tax Act 2001 (Wet inkomstenbelasting 2001, or ITA). Generally speaking, a holder of securities in a company is considered to hold a substantial interest in such company, if such holder alone or, in the case of individuals, together with his or her partner (as defined in the ITA), directly or indirectly, holds (i) an interest of 5% or more of the total issued and outstanding capital of that company or of 5% or more of the issued and outstanding capital of a certain class of shares of that company; or (ii) rights to acquire, directly or indirectly, such interest; or (iii) certain profit sharing rights in that company that relate to 5% or more of the company’s annual profits and/or to 5% or more of the company’s liquidation proceeds. A deemed substantial interest may arise if a substantial interest (or part thereof) in a company has been disposed of, or is deemed to have been disposed of, on a non-recognition basis.

Taxes on Income and Capital Gains

Dutch Residents

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Dutch Individuals

Dutch Individuals that derive or are deemed to derive any benefits from common shares (including any capital gains realized on the disposal of such common shares) which benefits are attributable to an enterprise from which the Dutch Individual derives profits, whether as an entrepreneur (ondernemer) or pursuant to a co-entitlement (medegerechtigde) to the net value of an enterprise, other than as a shareholder, are generally subject to Dutch income tax on those benefits at progressive rates with a maximum of 52%.

Dutch Individuals that derive or are deemed to derive any benefits from common shares (including any capital gains realized on the disposal of such common shares) that constitute benefits from miscellaneous activities (resultaat uit overige werkzaamheden), including, without limitation, activities which are beyond the scope of active portfolio investment activities (meer dan normaal, actief vermogensbeheer), are generally subject to Dutch income tax at progressive rates on such benefits with a maximum of 52%.

Dutch Individuals, whose common shares are not attributable to an enterprise, and whose common shares do not qualify as generating income from miscellaneous activities will be taxed under the regime for savings and investments (inkomen uit sparen en beleggen). Irrespective of the actual income and capital gains realized, the annual taxable benefit of all the assets and allowable liabilities of a Dutch Individual that are taxed under this regime, including the common shares, is set at a deemed return based on the fair market value of the assets reduced by the allowable liabilities on January 1 of each year. Depending on the aggregate amount of the fair market value of the assets reduced by the liabilities, the deemed return ranges from 2.87% up to 5.39% (2017). This deemed return is subject to income tax at a flat rate of 30%. Taxation only occurs if and to the extent the fair market value of the assets reduced by the liabilities exceeds a threshold (heffingvrij vermogen) of €25,000 (2017). The deemed return will be adjusted annually.

Dutch Corporate Entities

Non-Dutch Residents

Non-Dutch Individuals

•

the Non-Dutch Individual derives profits from an enterprise directly, or pursuant to a co-entitlement to the net value of such enterprise, other than as a holder of securities, which enterprise either is managed in the Netherlands or carried out, in whole or in part, through a permanent establishment (vaste inrichting), a deemed permanent establishment (fictieve vaste inrichting) or a permanent representative (vaste vertegenwoordiger) which is taxable in the Netherlands and to which the common shares are attributable; or

•

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Non-Dutch Corporate Entities

Dividend Withholding Tax

•

distributions in cash or in kind, as well as deemed or constructive distributions and repayments of paid-in capital not recognized for Dutch withholding tax purposes;

•

partial repayment of paid-in capital recognized for Dutch dividend withholding tax purposes, if and to the extent that we have net profits (zuivere winst), unless:

•

the general meeting of the shareholders has resolved in advance to make such repayment; and

•

the par value of the common shares concerned has been reduced by a corresponding amount by way of an amendment of our articles of association.

The term “net profits” includes anticipated profits that have yet to be realized but that are reasonably certain and determinable.

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•

3% of the portion of the distribution paid by us that is subject to Dutch dividend withholding tax; and

•

Due to legislation introduced to counteract the practice of dividend stripping, a reduction, exemption, credit or refund of Dutch dividend withholding tax is denied if the recipient of the Dividend Payment does not qualify as the beneficial owner (uiteindelijk gerechtigde) of that Dividend Payment. The anti-dividend stripping legislation generally targets situations in which shareholders retain their economic interest in common shares but reduce the withholding tax due on the Dividend Payment by entering into a transaction with another party with (mainly) that intent. It is not required for these rules to apply that the recipient of the Dividend Payment be aware that a dividend stripping transaction took place. The Dutch Ministry of Finance takes the position that the definition of beneficial ownership introduced by this legislation will also be applied in the context of a double taxation convention.

Gift Tax and Inheritance Tax

Dutch Residents

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Non-Dutch Residents

•

in case of a gift of the common shares under a condition precedent (opschortende voorwaarde) by an individual who at the date of the gift was neither resident nor deemed to be resident in the Netherlands, such individual is resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands at the date of the fulfillment of the condition;

•

the transfer is otherwise construed as a gift or inheritance made by, or on behalf of, a person who, at the time of the gift or death, is or is deemed to be resident in the Netherlands.

Value Added Tax

Other Taxes

Residency

Based upon our review of the above, our assumptions as set out below and our analysis of the Dutch tax law as we have considered necessary or appropriate, we are of the opinion that the Dutch tax considerations as described in the Taxation paragraph, as far as it concerns Dutch corporate tax law, are correct.

In rendering our opinion we have assumed that the Base Prospectus and Prospectus Supplement relates to the offering, issuance and/or sale of common shares in Merus N.V.

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Final remarks

This opinion is limited to matters of Dutch corporate tax law as it stands at the date hereof and as such laws are interpreted in the published case law of the courts in the Netherlands. We disclaim any duty to keep you informed about any change in law applicable to the facts presented. This opinion is based on assumed facts as they are presented to us and the accurateness of which we have not verified.

This opinion is solely addressed to Merus N.V. and may not be relied upon by any other person, firm, company or institution without our prior written consent.

In this opinion, Dutch legal concepts are sometimes expressed in English terms and not in their original Dutch terms. These concepts may not be identical to the concepts designated by the same English term, as they exist under the laws of jurisdictions other than the Netherlands. This opinion may, therefore, only be relied upon under the express condition that any issues of interpretation or liability arising hereunder will be governed by and construed under Dutch law and be brought before a Dutch court. Any liability for this opinion is governed and limited by our general terms and conditions. Any liability for this opinion is governed and limited by our general terms and conditions and the engagement agreement concluded with Merus NV on 10 August 2015.

This opinion is strictly limited to the matters stated herein and may not be read as extending by implication to any other matters not specifically referred to herein. Nothing in this opinion should be taken as expressing an opinion in respect of any representations or warranties or other information or any document examined in connection with the opinion except as expressly confirmed herein.

Yours sincerely,

On behalf of Ernst & Young Belastingadviseurs LLP,


/s/ Dick Hoogenberg				/s/ Rudolf de Vries

Dick Hoogenberg				Rudolf de Vries
Partner				Partner

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EX-23.1

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors of Merus N.V.:

We consent to the use of our report incorporated by reference herein and to the reference to our firm under the heading “Experts” in the prospectus.

/s/ KPMG Accountants N.V.

Amstelveen, the Netherlands

1 June 2017