SEC Form S-8 filed by American Battery Technology Company

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 30, 2025

Registration No. 333-       

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

American Battery Technology Company

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

100 Washington Street, Suite 100

Reno, NV 89503

(775) 473-4744

(Address of Principal Executive Offices, Including Zip Code)

American Battery Technology Company 2021 Equity Incentive Plan

(Full Title of the Plan)

Ryan Melsert

Chief Executive Officer

c/o American Battery Technology Company

100 Washington Street, Suite 100

Reno, NV 89503

(775) 473-4744

(Name, Address, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)

With a copy to:

Amy Bowler

Holland & Hart LLP

555 17th Street, Suite 3200

 Denver, CO 80202

Phone: (303) 290-1086

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.

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. ☐

This Registration Statement will become effective upon filing in accordance with Rule 462(a) under the Securities Act.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”), relating to the American Battery Technology Company 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), is being filed pursuant to General Instruction E to Form S-8, for the purpose of registering 8,439,238 shares (the “Shares”) of the common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), of American Battery Technology Company (the “Registrant”). The Shares are securities of the same class and relate to the same employee benefit plan for which a Registration Statement on Form S-8 has previously been filed and is effective. Accordingly, this Registration Statement incorporates by reference the contents of the Registration Statement on Form S-8, File No. 333-257800, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on July 9, 2021, and the Registration Statement on Form S-8, File No. 333-283557, filed with the SEC on December 2, 2024. The information required by Part II is omitted, except as supplemented by the information set forth below.

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

All information required by Part I of Form S-8 to be contained in the Section 10(a) prospectus is omitted from this Registration Statement in accordance with Rule 428 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the Note to Part I of Form S-8. The document(s) containing the information specified in Part I will be delivered to participants in the equity compensation plan covered by this Registration Statement as required by Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The Registrant hereby incorporates by reference in this Registration Statement the following documents, which are on file with the SEC (other than any portions of the Current Reports on Form 8-K that were furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K or other applicable SEC rules):

All documents filed by the Registrant with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, are deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the respective dates of filing of such documents (such documents, and the documents enumerated above, being hereinafter referred to as “Incorporated Documents”).

Any statement contained in an Incorporated Document 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 Incorporated Document 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.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

The elimination of monetary liability against our directors, officers and employees under Nevada law and the existence of indemnification rights for or obligations to our directors, officers and employees may result in substantial expenditures by us and may discourage lawsuits against our directors, officers and employees.

Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation contain a provision permitting us to eliminate the personal liability of our directors to us and our stockholders for damages for the breach of a fiduciary duty as a director or officer to the extent provided by Nevada law. We may also have contractual indemnification obligations under any future employment agreements with our officers. The foregoing indemnification obligations could result in our incurring substantial expenditures to cover the cost of settlement or damage awards against directors and officers, which we may be unable to recoup. These provisions and the resulting costs may also discourage us from bringing a lawsuit against directors and officers for breaches of their fiduciary duties, and may similarly discourage the filing of derivative litigation by our stockholders against our directors and officers even though such actions, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders.

Nevada Law

Section 78.7502 of the Nevada Revised Statutes permits a corporation to indemnify any person 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, except an action by or in the right of the corporation, by reason of the fact that he 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, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the action, suit or proceeding if he:

(a) is not liable pursuant to Nevada Revised Statute 78.138, or

(b) acted in good faith and in a manner which he 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 no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful.

In addition, Section 78.7502 permits a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to 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 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, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses, including amounts paid in settlement and attorneys’ fees actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense or settlement of the action or suit if he:

(a) is not liable pursuant to Nevada Revised Statute 78.138; or

(b) acted in good faith and in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation.

To the extent that a director, officer, employee or agent of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to above, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter, the corporation is required to indemnify him against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense.

Section 78.751 of the Nevada Revised Statutes provides that such indemnification may also include payment by the Company of expenses incurred in defending a civil or criminal action or proceeding in advance of the final disposition of such action or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by the person indemnified to repay such payment if he shall be ultimately found not to be entitled to indemnification under Section 78.751. Indemnification may be provided even though the person to be indemnified is no longer a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or such other entities.

Section 78.752 of the Nevada Revised Statutes allows a corporation to purchase and maintain insurance or make other financial arrangements 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, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise for any liability asserted against him and liability and expenses incurred by him in his capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the corporation has the authority to indemnify him against such liability and expenses.

Other financial arrangements made by the corporation pursuant to Section 78.752 may include the following:

(a) the creation of a trust fund;

(b) the establishment of a program of self-insurance;

(c) the securing of its obligations of indemnification by granting a security interest or other lien on any assets of the corporation; and

(d) the establishment of a letter of credit, guaranty or surety.

No financial arrangement made pursuant to Section 78.752 may provide protection for a person adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction, after exhaustion of all appeals, to be liable for intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of law, except with respect to the advancement of expenses or indemnification ordered by a court.

Any discretionary indemnification pursuant to Section 78.7502 of the Nevada Revised Statutes, unless ordered by a court or advanced pursuant to an undertaking to repay the amount if it is determined by a court that the indemnified party is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation, may be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances. The determination must be made:

(a) by the stockholders;

(b) by the board of directors by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to the action, suit or proceeding;

(c) if a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to the action, suit or proceeding so orders, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or

(d) if a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to the action, suit or proceeding cannot be obtained, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion.

Subsection 7 of Section 78.138 of the Nevada Revised Statutes provides that, subject to certain very limited statutory exceptions, a director or officer is not individually liable to the corporation or its stockholders or creditors for any damages as a result of any act or failure to act in his or her capacity as a director or officer, unless it is proven that the act or failure to act constituted a breach of his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer and such breach of those duties involved intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of law. The statutory standard of liability established by Section 78.138 controls even if there is a provision in the corporation’s articles of incorporation unless a provision in the corporation’s articles of incorporation provides for greater individual liability.

Charter Provisions and Other Arrangements

Pursuant to the provisions of Nevada Revised Statutes, we have adopted the following indemnification provisions in our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation for our directors and officers:

Officers and directors shall have no personal liability to the corporation of its stockholders for damages for breach of fiduciary duty as an officer or director. This provision does not eliminate or limit the liability of an officer or director for acts or omissions which involve intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of law or the payment of distributions in violation of Nevada Revised Statute 78.300.

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 SEC 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.

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

Item 8. Exhibits.

*Filed herewith.

Item 9. Undertakings.

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) 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 SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

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 Reno, State of Nevada, on the 30th day of May, 2025.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

We, the undersigned officers and directors of American Battery Technology Company, hereby severally constitute and appoint Ryan Melsert our true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and re-substitution, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement (or any other registration statement for the same offering that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933), and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other 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 or 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 attorney-in-fact and agent, 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, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.