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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

NOTE 4 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Government Grants:

Microbot Israel has received grants from the Israeli Innovation Authority (“IIA”) for participation in research and development since 2013 through September 30, 2022 totaling approximately $1,500.

In addition, as a result of the agreement with CardioSert as described below in this Note 4, on January 4, 2018, Microbot Israel Microbot Israel took over the liability to repay CardioSert’s IIA grants in the aggregate amount of approximately $530.

In addition, as a result of the agreement with Nitiloop as described below in this Note 4, on October 6, 2022, Microbot Israel took over the liability to repay Nitiloop’s IIA grants in the aggregate amount of approximately $925.

In relation to the IIA grants described above, the Company is obligated to pay royalties amounting to 3.0%-3.5% of its future sales of the products relating to such grants.

The grants are linked to the exchange rate of the dollar to the New Israeli Shekel and bears interest of Libor per annum.

The repayment of the grants is contingent upon the successful completion of the Company’s research and development programs and generating sales. The Company has no obligation to repay these grants, if the project fails, is unsuccessful or aborted or if no sales are generated. The financial risk is assumed completely by the Government of Israel. The grants are received from the Government on a project-by-project basis.

TRDF Agreement:

Microbot Israel signed an agreement with the Technion Research and Development Foundation (“TRDF”) in June 2012 by which TRDF transferred to Microbot Israel a global, exclusive, royalty-bearing license (as amended, the License Agreement”). As partial consideration for the license, Microbot Israel shall pay TRDF royalties on net sales (between 1.5%-3.0%) and on sublicense income as detailed in the agreement.

Pursuant to the License Agreement, both parties agreed to extend the next development milestone for the Company’s Self Cleaning Shunt (SCS) project, which includes the First In Human milestone, until December 2024, and to continue to maintain the TipCat assets, which are still in a discovery phase, until December 2023. The Company in October 2022 suspended the SCS project while it evaluates alternatives for the SCS assets, which may include seeking buyers for the assets, entering into joint ventures or licensing arrangements, spinning off the assets into a new operating company or discontinuing the project altogether. The Company has certain obligations to seek to develop and commercialize the SCS and the TipCat assets under the License Agreement. At the time of filing of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the Company has been in discussions with TRDF with respect to the suspension of the SCS project, and the Company expects that if it is unsuccessful in entering into alternative arrangements for such assets, the Company will return such licensed assets to TRDF.

Agreement with CardioSert Ltd.:

On January 4, 2018, Microbot Israel entered into an agreement with CardioSert Ltd. (“CardioSert”) to acquire certain patent-protected technology owned by CardioSert (the “Technology”). Pursuant to the agreement, Microbot Israel made an initial payment of $50 to CardioSert and had 90-days to elect to complete the acquisition. At the end of the 90-day period, at Microbot Israel’s sole option, CardioSert was required to assign and transfer the Technology to Microbot Israel and Microbot Israel was required to pay to CardioSert additional amounts and securities as determined in the agreement.

On May 25, 2018, Microbot delivered an Exercise Notice to CardioSert Ltd., notifying it that Microbot elected to exercise the option to acquire the Technology owned by CardioSert and therefore made an additional cash payment of $250 and 6,738 shares of Common Stock estimated at $74.

The agreement may be terminated by Microbot Israel at any time for convenience upon 90-days’ notice. The agreement may be terminated by CardioSert in case the first commercial sale does not occur by the third anniversary of the date of signing of the agreement except if Microbot Israel has invested more than $2,000 in certain development stages, or the first commercial sale does not occur within 50 months. In each of the above termination events, or in case of breach by Microbot Israel, CardioSert shall have the right to buy back the Technology from Microbot Israel for $1.00, upon 60 days prior written notice, but only 1 year after such termination. Additionally, the agreement may be terminated by either party upon breach of the other (subject to cure). CardioSert agreed to assist Microbot Israel in the development of the Technology for a minimum of one year, for a monthly consultation fee of NIS 40,000 (or approximately US$11.29, based on an exchange rate of NIS 3.543 to the dollar) covering up to 60 consulting hours per month.

ATM Agreement:

On June 10, 2021, the Company entered into an At-the-Market Offering Agreement (the “ATM Agreement”) with H.C. Wainwright & Co. LLC (“Wainwright”), as sales agent, in connection with an “at the market offering” under which the Company may offer and sell, from time to time in its sole discretion, shares of its Common Stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $10,000 at market prices or as otherwise agreed with Wainwright. Any shares sold under the ATM Agreement from time to time will be offered and sold pursuant to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-3, which was initially filed on November 25, 2020 and which was declared effective by the SEC on December 4, 2020, and the related prospectus as supplemented by a prospectus supplement that the Company filed on June 10, 2021 (the “June 2021 Prospectus”). To date, we have not sold any shares of Common Stock pursuant to the ATM Agreement, and as of October 13, 2022, the Company suspended the ATM Agreement, which remains in full force and effect, and terminated the June 2021 Prospectus.

The offer and sale of the shares pursuant to the ATM Agreement, if any, will terminate upon the earlier of (a) the issuance and sale of all of the shares of Common Stock subject to the ATM Agreement or (b) the termination of the ATM Agreement by Wainwright or the Company pursuant to the terms thereof. The Company has no obligation to sell any of the shares and may at any time suspend offers under the ATM Agreement or terminate the ATM Agreement.

Strategic collaboration agreement with Stryker

On December 22, 2021, the Company entered into a strategic collaboration agreement for technology co-development with Stryker Corporation, acting through its Neurovascular Division. Pursuant to the agreement, the collaborative development program between the Company and Stryker aims to integrate certain of Stryker’s instruments with the Company’s LIBERTY^® Robotic System to address certain neurovascular procedures.

The activities contemplated by the agreement shall be specified in one or more development plans derived from the terms and conditions set forth in the agreement. Each party bears its own costs and expenses in connection with the performance of the agreement and its assigned development activities.

Each of the Company and Stryker shall retain its right, title and interest to its existing intellectual property. Jointly developed intellectual property shall be owned by a party, based on the nature of the intellectual property as it relates to each parties’ respective business, and licensed back to the other party pursuant to a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free, paid-up, nonexclusive, sub-licensable license. Jointly developed intellectual property that is not exclusively pertaining to one party’s business shall be jointly and equally owned by both the Company and Stryker.

The term of the agreement continues until the completion of the last development plan agreed upon, unless earlier terminated pursuant to the terms of the agreement. The companies conducted discussions to define the development plan in the first quarter of 2022. Preparations for development activities started in the second fiscal quarter of 2022, and development is expected to commence during the second half of 2022.

Each of the Company and Stryker are subject to customary terms regarding non-disclosure of the other’s confidential information, and are further subject to mutual indemnification obligations.

Acquisition of Nitiloop’s Assets

On October 6, 2022, Microbot Israel purchased substantially all of the assets, including intellectual property, devices, components and product related materials (the “Assets”), of Nitiloop Ltd., an Israeli limited liability company (“Nitiloop”). The Assets include intellectual property and technology in the field of intraluminal revascularization devices with anchoring mechanism and integrated microcatheter (the “Technology”) and the products or potential products incorporating the Technology owned by Nitiloop and designated by Nitiloop as “NovaCross”, “NovaCross Xtreme” and “NovaCross BTK” and any enhancements, modifications and improvements thereof (“Devices”). Microbot Israel did not assume any material liabilities of Nitiloop other than obligations Nitiloop has to the IIA and relating to certain renewal/maintenance fees for a European patent application. See Note 4 – Government Grants above.

In consideration for the acquisition of the Assets, Microbot Israel shall pay royalties to Nitiloop, which shall not, in the aggregate, exceed $8,000,000, as follows:

	●	Royalties at a rate of 3% of net revenue generated as a result of sales, license or other exploitation of the Devices; and
	●	Royalties at a rate of 1.5% of net revenue generated from the sale, license or other exploitation of commercialization of the technology as part of an integrated product.

Litigation:

Litigation Resulting from 2017 Financing

The Company lost its appeal of an adverse judgment in the lawsuit captioned Sabby Healthcare Master Fund Ltd. and Sabby Volatility Warrant Master Fund Ltd., Plaintiffs, against Microbot Medical Inc., Defendant, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York (Index No. 654581/2017). As a result, the Securities Purchase Agreement (the “SPA”) related to the Company’s June 8, 2017 equity financing (the “Financing”) was rescinded as it related to Sabby Healthcare Master Fund Ltd. and Sabby Volatility Warrant Master Fund Ltd. (“Sabby”), and the Company paid approximately $3,700 to Sabby in return for the 83,333 shares of Common Stock Sabby purchased pursuant to the SPA. Soon after, the Company was named as the defendant in a lawsuit captioned Empery Asset Master Ltd., Empery Tax Efficient, LP, Empery Tax Efficient II, LP, Hudson Bay Master Fund Ltd., Plaintiffs, against Microbot Medical Inc., Defendant, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York (Index No. 651182/2020). The complaint alleges, among other things, that the Company breached multiple representations and warranties contained in the SPA, of which the Plaintiffs participated, and fraudulently induced Plaintiffs into signing the SPA.

The complaint seeks rescission of the SPA and return of the Plaintiffs’ $6,750 purchase price with respect to the Financing. The Company filed a Motion to Dismiss on March 16, 2020, which was denied by decision and order entered on February 17, 2021. The parties presently are engaged in discovery. At this time no estimation of the potential outcome of the litigation can be made and as such, no allowance was recorded.

The Company’s management is unable to assess the likelihood that it would be successful in any trial with respect to the SPA or the Financing, having previously lost the Sabby lawsuit. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that if the Company goes to trial and ultimately loses, or if the Company decides to settle at any time, such an adverse outcome would not be material to the Company’s consolidated financial position.

Mona Litigation

On April 28, 2019, the Company brought an action against Alliance Investment Management, Ltd. (“Alliance”), later amended to include Joseph Mona (“Mona”) as a defendant, in the Southern District of New York under Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, to compel Alliance and Mona to disgorge short swing profits realized from purchases and sales of the Company’s securities within a period of less than six months. Mona answered the 16(b) claim the Company asserted against him by claiming various equitable defenses, and filed a counterclaim against the Company, claiming a net loss on trading Microbot stock of $151.

On March 31, 2021, a judgement was entered against Mona and in favor of the Company in the amount of $484. On April 27, 2021, Mona filed an appeal of the court’s judgment, which is pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

A settlement conference was held in May 2022. The parties were unable to reach a settlement at the conference.

Following the close of the discovery period, which ended on August 1, 2022, the Company requested permission to move for summary judgment. The Company’s request is pending.