As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 26, 2021

Registration No. 333-     

 

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM S-8

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

NETLIST, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   95-4812784
(State or other jurisdiction of   (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)   Identification No.)

 

175 Technology Drive, Suite 150

Irvine, CA 92618

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

 

Amended and Restated 2006 Equity Incentive Plan of Netlist, Inc.

Employment Inducement Stock Option Award

(Full title of the plans)

 

Chun K. Hong

President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board

175 Technology Drive, Suite 150 Irvine, CA 92618

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

(949) 435-0025

(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

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.

 

Large accelerated filer ¨   Accelerated filer ¨   Non-accelerated filer x   Smaller reporting company x
             
            Emerging growth company ¨

 

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 pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ¨

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of securities 

to be registered

  Amount to be
registered (1) 		    Proposed maximum
offering price
per share 		    Proposed maximum
aggregate
offering price 		    Amount of
registration fee 		 
Common Stock     1,200,000 (2)   $ 1.9050 (3)   $ 2,286,000     $ 249  
Common Stock     450,000 (4)     0.7736 (5)     348,120       38  
Total     1,650,000     $ —     $ 2,634,120     $ 287  

 

(1) Pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this registration statement covers any additional securities that may from time to time be offered or issued pursuant to the adjustment provisions of the above-referenced plan to prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.
(2) Represents shares of the common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Common Stock”), of Netlist, Inc. (the “Company”) available for issuance but not yet issued as of the date of this registration statement under the Amended and Restated 2006 Equity Incentive Plan of Netlist, Inc. (the “Plan”).
(3) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) and (h) under the Securities Act, based on the average of the high and low prices of the Common Stock as reported by the OTCQB on March 23, 2021.
(4)  Represents shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to an employment inducement stock option award (the “Inducement Award”) granted to Todd Levy. 
(5) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(h) under the Securities Act. The price of $0.7736 per share represents the exercise price per share for the Inducement Award granted to Mr. Levy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXPLANATORY NOTE

 

This registration statement on Form S-8 registers (i) 1,200,000 shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the Plan, and (ii) 450,000 shares of Common Stock that may be issued upon exercise of an Inducement Award granted outside the Plan.

 

With respect to the shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the Plan, this registration statement is filed pursuant to General Instruction E to Form S-8 to register an additional 1,200,000 shares of Common Stock that may be offered and sold under the Plan. Such shares became available for issuance under the Plan as of January 1, 2021 pursuant the terms of the Plan, which provides that the number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock issuable under the Plan automatically increases on the first day of each calendar year by the number of shares equal to the lesser of (i) 2.5% of the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock as of January 1 of such year and (ii) 1,200,000 shares of Common Stock. The Company hereby incorporates by reference (herein to the extent not otherwise amended or superseded by the contents hereof) into this registration statement the contents of the prior registration statements on Form S-8 relating to the Plan, filed with the Securities Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on:

 

December 18, 2006 (Commission File No. 333-139435), September 18, 2007 (Commission File No. 333-146141), June 13, 2008 (Commission File No. 333-151644), September 10, 2009 (Commission File No. 333-161832), April 6, 2010 (Commission File No. 333-165916), July 27, 2010 (Commission File No. 333-168330), April 21, 2011 (Commission File No. 333-173646), February 28, 2012 (Commission File No. 333-179776), February 10, 2014 (Commission File No. 333-193862), May 26, 2016 (Commission File No. 333-211658), November 17, 2017 (Commission File No. 333-221655), April 13, 2018 (Commission File No. 333-224287), March 22, 2019 (Commission File No. 333-230443) and March 10, 2020 (Commission File No. 333-237047)

 

With respect to the Common Stock subject to the Inducement Award, this registration statement is filed to register 450,000 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Inducement Award granted to Todd Levy pursuant to a Stock Option Agreement dated as of February 1, 2021 between the Company and Mr. Levy.

 

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PART I

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(A) PROSPECTUS

 

The documents containing the information specified in this Part I of Form S-8 (plan information and registrant information) will be sent or given to the employees as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act. In accordance with the note to Part I of Form S-8, such documents will not be filed with the Commission either as part of this registration statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act. These documents and the documents incorporated by reference pursuant to Item 3 of Part II of this registration statement, taken together, constitute the prospectus as required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

 

PART II

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

 

The following documents filed with the Commission are incorporated herein by reference as of their respective dates of filing, except for the portions thereof that are “furnished” rather than “filed” with the Commission:

 

· the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 2, 2021 filed with the Commission on March 26, 2021; and

 

· the description of the Common Stock contained in the Company’s registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission on August 14, 2020, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

 

All documents filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), after the date of this registration statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing such documents. 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 a statement contained in any subsequently filed document which also is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement.

 

Item 4. Description of Securities.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

 

The Company is incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware. Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) provides that a corporation may indemnify any persons who were, are or are threatened to be made, parties to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of such corporation), by reason of the fact that such person is or was an officer, director, employee or agent of such corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, provided such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the corporation’s best interests and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful.

 

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Section 145 of the DGCL further authorizes a corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise, against any liability asserted against him or her and incurred by him or her in any such capacity, arising out of his or her status as such, whether or not the corporation would otherwise have the power to indemnify him or her under Section 145 of the DGCL.

 

Pursuant to the Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, a director shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL. In addition, the Company’s Amended and Restated Bylaws, as amended, provide for indemnification of directors, officers, employees and agents by the Company as the indemnitor of first resort and to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law, and authorize the Company to purchase and maintain insurance to protect itself and any director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or another business entity against any expense, liability or loss, regardless of whether the Company would have the power to indemnify such person under its bylaws or Delaware law.

 

The Company has entered into indemnification agreements with each of its directors and executive officers. These agreements will require the Company to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to the Company, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified. The Company also intends to enter into indemnification agreements with its future directors and executive officers.

 

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 8. Exhibits.

 

        Filed   Incorporated by Reference
Exhibit No.   Description   Herewith   Form   File No.   Exhibit   Filing Date
4.1   Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Netlist, Inc.       10-Q   001-33170   3.1   August 15, 2017
4.1.1   Certificate of Amendment to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Netlist, Inc.       10-Q   001-33170   3.1.1   August 15, 2017

4.1.2

  Certificate of Amendment to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Netlist, Inc.       8-K   001-33170   3.1   August 17, 2018
4.1.3   Certificate of Designation of the Series A Preferred Stock of Netlist, Inc.       10-Q   001-33170   3.1.2   August 15, 2017
4.2   Amended and Restated Bylaws of Netlist, Inc.       8-K   001-33170   3.1   December 20, 2012
4.2.1   Certificate of Amendment to Amended and Restated Bylaws of Netlist, Inc.       8-K   001-33170   3.1   December 29, 2017
4.3   Amended and Restated 2006 Equity Incentive Plan of Netlist, Inc.       10-K   001-33170   10.3   March 22, 2019
5.1   Opinion of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.   X                
23.1   Consent of KMJ Corbin & Company LLP   X                
23.2   Consent of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. (included in Exhibit 5.1).   X                
24.1   Power of Attorney (included on signature page hereto).   X                

 

Item 9. 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:

 

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(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 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) of this section 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 Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

 

(2) That, 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) 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.

 

(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 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 this 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, 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 Irvine, State of California, on March 26, 2021.

 

  NETLIST, INC.
   
  By: /s/ Chun K. Hong
    Chun K. Hong
    President, Chief Executive Officer and Sole Director

 

POWER OF ATTORNEY

 

We, the undersigned officers and director of Netlist, Inc., hereby severally constitute and appoint Chun K. Hong and Gail Sasaki, each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents with full power and authority to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) and supplements to this registration statement, and any additional registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act for the same offering contemplated by this registration statement, and to file the same, with exhibits and any and all other documents and instruments filed with respect thereto, with the Commission (or any other governmental or regulatory authority), granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority in the name and on behalf of each of the undersigned to do and to perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary or advisable to be done in order to effectuate the same as fully as to all intents and purposes as he might or could do if personally present, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and/or any of them or their or his substitute or 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.

 

Signature   Title   Date
         
/s/ Chun K. Hong   President, Chief Executive Officer and Sole Director   March 26, 2021
Chun K. Hong   (Principal Executive Officer)    
         
/s/ Gail Sasaki   Vice President and Chief Financial Officer   March 26, 2021
Gail Sasaki   (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)    
         

 

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Exhibit 5.1

 

3580 Carmel Mountain Road

Suite 300

San Diego, CA 92130

858 314 1500

mintz.com

 

 

March 26, 2021

 

Netlist, Inc.

175 Technology Drive, Suite 150

Irvine, California 92618

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

We have acted as legal counsel to Netlist, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the preparation and filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”), pursuant to which the Company is registering the issuance under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), of an aggregate of 1,650,000 shares (“Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Common Stock”), consisting of (i) 1,200,000 shares of Common Stock issuable in accordance with the terms of the Company’s Amended and Restated 2006 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) and (ii) 450,000 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Stock Option Agreement, dated as of February 1, 2021 between the Company and Todd Levyt outside of the Plan (the “Inducement Award”). This opinion is being rendered in connection with the filing of the Registration Statement with the Commission. All capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the respective meanings given to them in the Registration Statement.

 

In connection with this opinion, we have examined the Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws, each as amended to date and currently in effect; such other records of the corporate proceedings of the Company and certificates of the Company’s officers as we have deemed relevant; and the Registration Statement and the exhibits thereto.

 

In our examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies, the authenticity of the originals of such copies, and the truth and correctness of any representations and warranties contained therein. In addition, we have assumed that the Company will receive any required consideration in accordance with the terms of the Plan.

 

Our opinion expressed herein is limited to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and we express no opinion with respect to the laws of any other jurisdiction. No opinion is expressed herein with respect to the qualification of the Shares under the securities or blue sky laws of any state or any foreign jurisdiction.

 

Please note that we are opining only as to the matters expressly set forth herein, and no opinion should be inferred as to any other matters. This opinion is based upon currently existing statutes, rules, regulations and judicial decisions, and we disclaim any obligation to advise you of any change in any of these sources of law or subsequent legal or factual developments which might affect any matters or opinions set forth herein.

 

Based upon the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares, when issued and delivered in accordance with the terms of the Plan and the Inducement Award, as applicable, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

 

Boston       London       Los Angeles       New York       San Diego       San Francisco      Washington

Mintz, levin, cohn, ferris, glovsky and popeo, p.c.

 

 

 

 

Mintz, levin, cohn, ferris, glovsky and popeo, p.c.

 

March 26, 2021

Page 2

 

We understand that you wish to file this opinion with the Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K promulgated under the Securities Act, and we hereby consent thereto. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.

 

  Very truly yours,
   
  /s/ Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
   
  Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 23.1 

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of our report dated March 26, 2021, relating to the consolidated financial statements of Netlist, Inc. and subsidiaries as of January 2, 2021 and December 28, 2019 and for each of the years then ended, which report is included in Netlist, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 2, 2021.

 

/s/ KMJ Corbin & Company LLP

 

Irvine, California
March 26, 2021