As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 14, 2020

 

Registration No. 333-
 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

_____________________

 

FORM S‑8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Under

The Securities Act of 1933

_____________________

 

Artelo Biosciences, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

_____________________

 

Nevada

 

33-1220924

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

 

888 Prospect Street, Suite 210

La Jolla, CA 92037

(760) 943-1689

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

_____________________

 

Artelo Biosciences, Inc. 2018 Equity Incentive Plan

(Full title of the plan)

 

Gregory D. Gorgas

Chief Executive Officer and President

888 Prospect Street, Suite 210

La Jolla, CA 92037

Telephone: (760) 943-1689

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

_____________________

 

Copies to:

Martin J. Waters

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C.

12235 El Camino Real

San Diego, CA 92130

Telephone: (858) 350-2300

Facsimile: (858) 350-2399

 

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

 

Large accelerated filer

¨

Accelerated filer

¨

Non-accelerated filer

x

Smaller reporting company

x

 

Emerging growth company

x

 

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

 

 
 
 
 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered

 

Amount

to be

Registered(1)

 

Proposed

Maximum

Offering

Price

Per Share

 

Proposed

Maximum

Aggregate

Offering

Price(3)

 

Amount of

Registration

Fee

 

Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share, reserved for issuance pursuant to the Artelo Biosciences, Inc. 2018 Equity Incentive Plan

 

375,000

(2) 

 

$

2.71

 

$

1,016,250

 

$

131.91

 

Total Registration Fee

 

$

1,016,250

 

$

131.91

___________

(1)

Pursuant to Rule 416(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement shall also cover any additional shares of the Registrant’s common stock that become issuable under the Artelo Biosciences, Inc. 2018 Equity Incentive Plan (“2018 Plan”) by reason of any stock dividend, stock split, recapitalization or other similar transaction effected without receipt of consideration that increases the number of the Registrant’s outstanding shares of common stock.

(2)

Represents 375,000 shares of common stock issued and reserved for issuance pursuant to future awards under the 2018 Plan as of the date of this Registration Statement.

(3)

Estimated in accordance with Rule 457(h) solely for purposes of calculating the total registration fee on the basis of $2.71, the average of the high and low prices of the Registrant’s common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market on January 13, 2020.

 

 
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PART I

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE PROSPECTUS

 

The information specified in Item 1 and Item 2 of Part I of Form S-8 is omitted from this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) in accordance with the provisions of Rule 428 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the introductory note to Part I of Form S-8. The documents containing the information specified in Part I of Form S-8 will be delivered to the participants in the equity benefit plans covered by this Registration Statement as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act.

 

PART II

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

 

Artelo Biosciences, Inc. (the “Registrant” or “Artelo”) hereby incorporates by reference into this Registration Statement the following documents previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”):

 

 

·

Artelo’s Amended Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019 filed on December 18, 2019;

 

 

 

 

·Artelo’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019 filed on November 25, 2019;

 

 

 

 

·

Artelo’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended November 30, 2019, filed on January 14, 2020;

 

 

 

 

·

Artelo’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 6, 2019 and December 6, 2019; and

 

 

 

 

·Artelo’s description of its common stock set forth in the registration statement on Form 8-A registering the common stock under Section 12 of the Exchange Act filed on June 21, 2019, including any amendments or reports filed for purposes of updating such description.
 

All documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act on or after the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement that indicates that all securities offered have been sold or that deregisters all securities then remaining unsold shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be part hereof from the date of filing of such documents; providedhowever, that documents or information deemed to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with the rules of the Commission shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed document which also is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

 

Item 4. Description of Securities.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

 

Not applicable.

 

 
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Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

 

The Registrant’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of the State of Nevada, any officer or director of the Registrant, who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that he/she is or was or has agreed to serve at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or while serving as a director or officer of the Corporation, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity. For the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing indemnification obligation includes, without limitation, claims for monetary damages against Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted under Section 78.7502 of the Nevada Revised Statutes as in existence on the date hereof.

 

The indemnification provided shall be from and against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in connection with such action, suit or proceeding and any appeal therefrom, but shall only be provided if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action, suit or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful.

 

In the case of any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the Corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he/she is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or while serving as a director or officer of the Corporation, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been adjudged to be liable to the Corporation unless, and only to the extent that, the Nevada courts or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Nevada courts or such other court shall deem proper.

 

 The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that he/she did not act in good faith and in a manner which Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful.

 

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

 

 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

 

Not applicable.

 

 
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Item 8. Exhibits.

 

See Exhibit Index immediately following the Signature Pages.

 

Item 9. Undertakings.

 

A.

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that:

 

 

(1)

It will file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

 

 

(i)

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

 

 

(ii)

To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 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) and (A)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

 

 

(2)

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

 

 

(3)

It will remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

B.

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

 

C.

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

 

 
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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of San Diego, State of California, on January 14, 2020.

 

 

ARTELO BIOSCIENCES, INC.

 

By:

/s/ Gregory D. Gorgas

 

Name:

Gregory D. Gorgas

 

Title:

President & Chief Executive Officer

 

Power of Attorney

 

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Gregory D. Gorgas, as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and re-substitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments), to this Registration Statement on Form S-8 with all exhibits thereto and all documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully for all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

 

Name

 

Title

 

Date

 

/s/ Gregory D. Gorgas

 

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

 

January 14, 2020

Gregory D. Gorgas

 

(Principal Executive Officer, Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)

 

/s/ Connie Matsui

 

Director, Chair of the Board

 

January 14, 2020

Connie Matsui

 

/s/ Steven Kelly

 

Director

 

January 14, 2020

Steven Kelly

 

/s/ Douglas Blayney

 

Director

 

January 14, 2020

Douglas Blayney

 

/s/ R. Martin Emanuele

 

Director

 

January 14, 2020

R. Martin Emanuele

 

/s/ John W. Beck

 

Director

 

January 14, 2020

John W. Beck

 

 
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INDEX TO EXHIBITS

 

Exhibit Number

Description

4.1

Specimen Common Stock Certificate of the Registrant.

4.2

Artelo Biosciences, Inc. 2018 Equity Incentive Plan and Forms of Award Agreement thereunder, (which are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibits 10.15 and 10.16 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-230658), filed with the Commission on June 20, 2019).

5.1

Opinion of Fennemore Craig, P.C.

23.1

Consent of MaloneBailey, LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.

23.2

Consent of Fennemore Craig, P.C. (contained in Exhibit 5.1 hereto).

24.1

Power of Attorney (contained on signature page hereto).

 

 

 
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