UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
Of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
June 7, 2022
Date of report (date of earliest event reported)
RocketFuel Blockchain, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
| Nevada | | Commission File No. 033-17773-NY | | 90-1188745 |
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) | | (Commission File Number) | | (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
3651 Lindell Road, Suite D565, Las Vegas, NV, 89103
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(424) 256-8560
(Registrant’s Telephone Number)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2 below):
| | ☐ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
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| | ☐ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
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| | ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
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| | ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of Each Class | | Trading Symbol(s) | | Name of each exchange on which registered |
| None | | None | | None |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
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 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
On October 8, 2020, we filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Joseph Page, our former director and chief technology officer. On January 13, 2021, the case was transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, Las Vegas Division. The causes of action included securities fraud under Federal and California law; fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, negligent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment under California law; and violation of California Business and Professions Code §17200 et seq.
We sought injunctive and declaratory relief as well as damages of at least $5.1 million. On May 29, 2019, Mr. Page resigned from our board. After his resignation, we retained independent patent counsel to review our patent applications. In connection with this review, we discovered certain deficiencies in some of the applications and in their assignments to us. We determined that all of the applications had been abandoned. Based on this review, we decided to refile three of our applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which we did in May 2020. It is our belief that the three newly filed patent applications cover and/or disclose the same subject matter as we disclosed in the five original patent applications. In this case, our rights may be subject to any intervening patent applications made after the dates of the original applications. In the lawsuit, we are alleging that Mr. Page was aware of the abandonments when he assigned the patents to RocketFuel Blockchain Company (“RBC”), a private corporation that he controlled, and that he failed to disclose to us the abandonments when we acquired RBC in exchange for shares of our Common Stock. Mr. Page has filed an answer denying our clams and has asserted cross- and counterclaims against us and several of our shareholders alleging breach of contract and fraud. In September 2021, Mr. Page voluntarily dismissed without prejudice all of the counterclaims against the shareholders.
On June 7, 2022 we entered into a definitive settlement agreement with Mr. Page, pursuant to which the parties to the lawsuit and a related suit brought by Mr. Page against our counsel agreed to dismiss the lawsuits with prejudice and to provide each other with a general release and covenant not to sue.
Pursuant to the settlement agreement, Mr. Page agreed to return to us 3,600,394 shares of our common stock, which will be cancelled and returned to our treasury. As a result, our outstanding shares of common stock will be reduced by approximately 11.3 percent.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits
(d) Exhibits.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| Dated: June 13, 2022 | RocketFuel Blockchain, Inc. |
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| | By: | /s/ Bennett J. Yankowitz |
| | | Bennett J. Yankowitz |
| | | Chief Financial Officer |
