908 Devices Inc
For the period ended Dec 31, 2024. Filed Mar 7, 2025.
View on SEC.govAbout this filing
A company's yearly report to the SEC, with audited financial statements. It is the fullest account a company gives of its business, its finances and the risks it sees.
FY2024 · Filed Mar 7, 2025
What changed in Risk Factors?
Read the current filingPrevious report: 10-K
Period ended 2023-12-31; filed 2024-03-08.
0001558370-24-002818
Item 1A. Risk FactorsCurrent report: 10-K
Period ended 2024-12-31; filed 2025-03-07.
0001558370-25-002459
Item 1A. Risk FactorsThe baseline is this issuer’s latest earlier reporting period of the same form that was filed before the current report. A previous 10-Q is a different quarter, not a year-over-year comparison. Amendments are excluded.
Compared 234 previous paragraphs and 242 current paragraphs.
168 unchanged; 48 reworded; 7 added; 0 removed; 18 previous and 19 current paragraphs rearranged.
Tables are not compared: 100 previous and 100 current tables excluded. Dates, whitespace, punctuation and numbering changes are ignored; changes to financial figures remain significant.
A changed paragraph is not evidence that risk increased or decreased. An unchanged paragraph does not establish that risk stayed the same.
Added paragraphs (7)
Current report
At the federal level, failing to take appropriate steps to keep consumers’ personal information secure may constitute unfair acts or practices in or affecting commerce in violation of Section 5(a) of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act, 15 U.S.C § 45(a). The FTC expects a company’s data security measures to be reasonable and appropriate in light of the sensitivity and volume of consumer information it holds, the size and complexity of its business and the cost of available tools to improve security and reduce vulnerabilities.
Current report
Issues in the development and use of artificial intelligence, combined with an uncertain regulatory environment, may result in reputational harm, liability, or other adverse consequences to our business operations. As with many technological innovations, artificial intelligence presents risks and challenges that could impact our business. We may adopt and integrate generative artificial intelligence tools into our systems for specific use cases reviewed by legal and information security. The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence will require the application of significant resources to design, develop, test and maintain such systems to help ensure that artificial intelligence is implemented in accordance with applicable law and regulation and in a socially responsible manner and to minimize any real or perceived unintended harmful impacts. The use of certain artificial intelligence technologies can also give rise to intellectual property risks, including by disclosing or otherwise compromising our confidential or proprietary intellectual property, or by undermining our ability to assert or defend ownership rights in intellectual property created with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools.
Current report
A growing number of legislators and regulators are adopting laws and regulations and have focused enforcement efforts on the adoption of artificial intelligence, and use of such technologies in compliance with ethical standards and societal expectations. These developments may increase our compliance burden and costs in connection with use of artificial intelligence and lead to legal liability if we fail to meet evolving legal standards or if use of such technologies results in harms or other causes of action we did not predict. For example, the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act (“AI Act”) entered into force on August 1, 2024, with most provisions becoming effective on August 2, 2026. This legislation imposes significant obligations on providers and deployers of artificial intelligence systems, and encourages providers and deployers of artificial intelligence systems to account for EU ethical principles in their development and use of these systems. The scope of requirements depends on legal and risk determinations that rely on novel legal provisions that have not yet been interpreted by courts or regulators, and non-compliance can lead to significant fines.
Current report
Likewise, in the U.S., several states, including Colorado and California, passed laws that will take effect in 2026, to regulate various uses of artificial intelligence, including to make consequential decisions. In addition, various federal regulators have issued guidance and focused enforcement efforts on the use of AI in regulated sectors. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, for example, issued guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in medical devices, requiring detailed risk management and review processes to obtain approvals. If we develop or use AI systems governed by these laws or regulations, we will need to meet higher standards of data quality, transparency, monitoring and human oversight, and we would need to adhere to specific and potentially burdensome and costly ethical, accountability, and administrative requirements, with the potential for significant enforcement or litigation in the event of any perceived non-compliance.
Current report
Our vendors may in turn incorporate generative artificial intelligence tools into their offerings without disclosing this use to us, and the providers of these generative artificial intelligence tools may not meet existing or rapidly evolving regulatory or industry standards with respect to privacy and data protection and may inhibit our or our vendors’ ability to maintain an adequate level of service and experience. If we, our vendors, or our third-party partners experience an actual or perceived data breach or cyber security incident because of the use of generative artificial intelligence, we may lose valuable intellectual property and confidential information and our reputation and the public perception of the effectiveness of our security measures could be harmed. Further, bad actors around the world use increasingly
Current report
sophisticated methods, including the use of artificial intelligence, to engage in illegal activities involving the theft and misuse of personal information, confidential information, and intellectual property. Any of these outcomes could damage our reputation, result in the loss of valuable property and information, and adversely impact our business.
Current report
On April 29, 2024, we entered into an equity purchase agreement, with RedWave and the other parties thereto, pursuant to which we purchased all of the outstanding equity interests of RedWave. The purchase price included an initial payment of $45.0 million in cash and 1,497,171 unregistered shares of our common stock, which reflects closing adjustments relating to working capital, cash and debt adjustments. Approximately $4.5 million of cash consideration was placed into an indemnification escrow account until April 29, 2025 to settle certain claims for indemnification for breaches or inaccuracies in RedWave’s representations and warranties, covenants, and agreements. We may also be obligated to issue up to an additional 4,000,000 unregistered shares of our common stock as contingent consideration.
Reworded paragraphs (48)
Previous wording
Our global supply chain is large and complex. As a result, our operations and performance depend significantly on global and regional economic conditions. In addition to an adverse impact on demand for our products, uncertainty about, or a decline in, global or regional economic conditions can have a significant impact on our suppliers, manufacturers, logistics providers, channel partners, and other partners. Potential effects include financial instability; inability to obtain credit to finance operations; and insolvency.
Current wording
Our global supply chain is large and complex. As a result, our operations and performance depend significantly on global and regional economic conditions. In addition to an adverse impact on demand for our products, uncertainty about, or a decline in, global or regional economic conditions can have a significant impact on our suppliers,
Previous wording
Our operating expenses are heavily based on our anticipated product revenue growth, especially as we continue to invest significant resources in building out our sales and marketing channels and the development of future products. As a result, any shortfall in product revenue in relation to our expectations could cause significant changes in our operating
Current wording
Our operating expenses are heavily based on our anticipated product revenue growth, especially as we continue to invest significant resources in building out our sales and marketing channels and the development of future products. As a result, any shortfall in product revenue in relation to our expectations could cause significant changes in our operating results from period-to-period and could result in negative cash flow from operations and a decrease in the price of our common stock.
Previous wording
We sell our products in industries that are characterized by significant product enhancements and evolving industry standards. As a result, our customers’ needs are rapidly evolving. If we do not appropriately innovate and invest in new technologies, our offerings may become less desirable in the markets we serve, and our customers could move to new technologies offered by our competitors or make products themselves. To achieve market acceptance for our products, we must effectively anticipate customer requirements, and we must offer products that meet changing customer demands in a timely manner. Customers may require product features and capabilities that our current products do not have. Any of the current plans we have for future developments or enhancements are strategic in nature and not commitments to
Current wording
We sell our products in industries that are characterized by significant product enhancements and evolving industry standards. As a result, our customers’ needs are rapidly evolving. If we do not appropriately innovate and invest in new technologies, our offerings may become less desirable in the markets we serve, and our customers could move to new technologies offered by our competitors or make products themselves. To achieve market acceptance for our products, we must effectively anticipate customer requirements, and we must offer products that meet changing customer demands in a timely manner. Customers may require product features and capabilities that our current products do not have. Any of the current plans we have for future developments or enhancements are strategic in nature and not commitments to develop such capabilities for our customers. If we fail to develop products that satisfy customer requirements, our ability to create or increase demand for our products will be harmed.
Previous wording
Without the timely introduction of new products, services and enhancements, our offerings will likely become less competitive over time, in which case our competitive position and operating results could suffer. Accordingly, we focus significant efforts and resources on the development and identification of new technologies, products and markets to further broaden our offerings. In addition, the development cycle for our products and technologies can take multiple years and require significant investment, including substantial research and development, development of different engineering and manufacturing workflows, and adjustments to our data and analytics infrastructure. Even if these efforts are successful, the product or enhancement may not perform as expected. The ultimate success of our new products depends, in large part, on the accuracy of our assessments of the long-term needs of the industries and markets we serve, and it is difficult to quickly change the design or function of a planned new product if the market need does not develop as anticipated. As a result, to the extent we fail to accurately forecast the needs of our customers and timely introduce new and innovative products or services, or fail to obtain desired levels of market acceptance, our business may suffer and our operating results could be adversely affected. The challenge of identifying market trends and customer needs is even more demanding for markets that we have recently entered, such as the bioprocessing market, or that we intend to enter in the future, such as the GxP quality assurance market. There is no certainty that we will effectively identify these trends and needs or introduce products that are successful.
Current wording
Without the timely introduction of new products, services and enhancements, our offerings will likely become less competitive over time, in which case our competitive position and operating results could suffer. Accordingly, we focus significant efforts and resources on the development and identification of new technologies, products and markets to further broaden our offerings. In addition, the development cycle for our products and technologies can take multiple years and require significant investment, including substantial research and development, development of different engineering and manufacturing workflows, and adjustments to our data and analytics infrastructure. Even if these efforts are successful, the product or enhancement may not perform as expected. The ultimate success of our new products depends, in large part, on the accuracy of our assessments of the long-term needs of the industries and markets we serve, and it is difficult to quickly change the design or function of a planned new product if the market need does not develop as anticipated. As a result, to the extent we fail to accurately forecast the needs of our customers and timely introduce new and innovative products or services, or fail to obtain desired levels of market acceptance, our business may suffer and our operating results could be adversely affected. The challenge of identifying market trends and customer needs is even more demanding for markets that we have recently entered, such as the bioprocessing market, or that we intend to
Previous wording
the level of our expectations or may choose to favor marketing the products of our competitors. If current or future channel partners do not perform adequately or we are unable to enter into effective arrangements with channel partners in particular geographic areas, we may not realize long-term international revenue growth.
Current wording
Most of our channel partner relationships are non-exclusive and permit such channel partners to distribute competing products. As such, our channel partners may not commit the necessary resources to market our products to the level of our expectations or may choose to favor marketing the products of our competitors. If current or future channel partners do not perform adequately or we are unable to enter into effective arrangements with channel partners in particular geographic areas, we may not realize long-term international revenue growth.
Previous wording
We face substantial competition from very large and experienced enterprises, both public and privately held, including Agilent Technologies, Bruker Corporation, Danaher Corporation, Inficon, Teledyne, Endress & Hauser, PerkinElmer, Shimadzu Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Waters Corp. Our competitors also include many smaller companies, including companies established to pursue new and emerging technologies. We also expect additional competition in the future from new and existing companies with whom we do not currently compete directly. As our industry evolves, our current and potential competitors may establish cooperative relationships among themselves or with third parties, including companies with whom we have partnerships and whose products interoperate with our own, that could acquire significant market share, which could adversely affect our business. Any of these competitive threats, alone or in combination with others, could seriously harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
Current wording
additional competition in the future from new and existing companies with whom we do not currently compete directly. As our industry evolves, our current and potential competitors may establish cooperative relationships among themselves or with third parties, including companies with whom we have partnerships and whose products interoperate with our own, that could acquire significant market share, which could adversely affect our business. Any of these competitive threats, alone or in combination with others, could seriously harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
Previous wording
In 2023, a majority of our product and service revenue was derived from sales of our handheld products, mainly the MX908. Today, this market consists primarily of first responders, firefighters, local, state and federal law enforcement, as well as military, customs and homeland security customers. Continued market acceptance of the products we sell to these organizations is critical to our future success, and the adoption of our products by these organizations worldwide is a key part of our growth strategy. If market demand for our MX908 product declines, if our products fail to maintain or achieve greater market acceptance, or if we fail to execute on our sales and customer service efforts in the field forensics market, we will not be able to grow our revenue sufficiently to achieve or maintain profitability.
Current wording
In 2024, a majority of our revenue was derived from sales of our handheld products. Today, this market consists primarily of first responders, firefighters, local, state and federal law enforcement, as well as military, customs and homeland security customers. Continued market acceptance of the products we sell to these organizations is critical to our future success, and the adoption of our products by these organizations worldwide is a key part of our growth strategy. If market demand for our MX908 product declines, if our products fail to maintain or achieve greater market acceptance, or if we fail to execute on our sales and customer service efforts in the field forensics market, we will not be able to grow our revenue sufficiently to achieve or maintain profitability.
Previous wording
product lines and our future success will partially depend on our ability to successfully commercialize these product lines. The life sciences scientific community is comprised of a small number of early adopters and key opinion leaders who significantly influence the rest of the community. The success of life sciences products is due, in large part, to acceptance by the scientific community and their adoption of certain products as best practice in the applicable field of research.
Current wording
We also are seeking to grow and derive a significant portion of our revenue from our desktop devices in the life science market, specifically the antibody therapeutics, cell and gene therapy and synthetic biology markets, including sales to biopharmaceutical companies and research institutions. We recently introduced our Maverick and Maven product lines and our future success will partially depend on our ability to successfully commercialize these product lines. The life sciences scientific community is comprised of a small number of early adopters and key opinion leaders who significantly influence the rest of the community. The success of life sciences products is due, in large part, to acceptance by the scientific community and their adoption of certain products as best practice in the applicable field of research.
Previous wording
The markets for our innovative new class of products are rapidly evolving, making it difficult to predict with any accuracy the sizes of the markets for our current and future solutions. Our estimates of the annual total addressable market for our current and future solutions are based on a number of internal and third party estimates and assumptions. In addition, our growth strategy involves launching new solutions and expanding sales of existing solutions into new markets in which we have limited or no experience. Sales of new or existing solutions into new market opportunities may take several years to develop and mature, and we cannot be certain that these market opportunities will develop as we expect. For example, new life sciences technology is often not adopted by the relevant market until a sufficient amount of research conducted using such technology has been published in peer-reviewed publications. While we believe our assumptions and the data underlying our estimates of the total annual addressable market for our solutions are reasonable, these assumptions and estimates may not be correct and the conditions supporting our assumptions or estimates, or those underlying the third party data we have used, may change at any time, thereby reducing the accuracy of our estimates. As a result, our estimates of the annual total addressable market for our solutions may be incorrect.
Current wording
The markets for our innovative new class of products are rapidly evolving, making it difficult to predict with any accuracy the sizes of the markets for our current and future solutions. Our estimates of the annual total addressable market for our current and future solutions are based on a number of internal and third party estimates and assumptions. In addition, our growth strategy involves launching new solutions and expanding sales of existing solutions into new markets in which we have limited or no experience. Sales of new or existing solutions into new market opportunities may take several years to develop and mature, and we cannot be certain that these market opportunities will develop as we expect. For example, new life sciences technology is often not adopted by the relevant market until a sufficient amount of research conducted using such technology has been published in peer-reviewed publications. While we
Previous wording
related to the evaluation of our products within the cell therapy and gene therapy markets. We seek to continue to prioritize opportunities and allocate our resources among our programs to maintain a balance between advancing near-term opportunities and exploring additional markets for our technology. However, due to the significant resources required for the development of workflows for new markets, we must make decisions regarding which markets to pursue and the amount of resources to allocate to each. Our decisions concerning the allocation of research, development, collaboration, management and financial resources toward particular markets or workflows may not lead to the development of any viable product and may divert resources away from better opportunities. Similarly, our potential decisions to delay, terminate or collaborate with third parties in respect of certain markets may subsequently also prove to be suboptimal and could cause us to miss valuable opportunities. In particular, if we are unable to develop additional relevant products and applications for markets such as antibody therapeutics, cell therapy or the synthetic biology market, it could slow or stop our business growth and negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Current wording
We believe our platform has potential applications across a wide range of markets and we have targeted certain markets in which we believe we have a higher probability of success or revenue opportunity or for which the path to commercialize products and realizing or achieving revenue is shorter. For example, we have entered into agreements regarding a specific government program opportunity to develop an aerosol vapor detector, and several engagements related to the evaluation of our products within the cell therapy and gene therapy markets. We seek to continue to prioritize opportunities and allocate our resources among our programs to maintain a balance between advancing near-term opportunities and exploring additional markets for our technology. However, due to the significant resources required for the development of workflows for new markets, we must make decisions regarding which markets to pursue and the amount of resources to allocate to each. Our decisions concerning the allocation of research, development, collaboration, management and financial resources toward particular markets or workflows may not lead to the development of any viable product and may divert resources away from better opportunities. Similarly, our potential decisions to delay, terminate or collaborate with third parties in respect of certain markets may subsequently also prove to be suboptimal and could cause us to miss valuable opportunities. In particular, if we are unable to develop additional relevant products and applications for markets such as antibody therapeutics, cell therapy or the synthetic biology market, it could slow or stop our business growth and negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Previous wording
We make our platform and devices, including our Maven, Maverick, MX908, Rebel and ZipChip Interface, available to customers as research-use-only, or RUO, products. Products that are labeled as RUO are exempt from compliance with most FDA requirements, including premarket clearance or approval, manufacturing requirements, and others. A product labeled RUO but which is actually intended for clinical diagnostic use may be viewed by the FDA as adulterated and misbranded under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, and subject to FDA enforcement action. The FDA has indicated that when determining the intended use of a product labeled RUO, the FDA will consider the totality of the circumstances surrounding distribution and use of the product, including how the product is marketed and to whom. The FDA could disagree with our assessment that our products are properly marketed as RUOs, or could conclude that products labeled as RUO are actually intended for clinical diagnostic use, and could take enforcement action against us, including requiring us to stop distribution of our products until we are in compliance with applicable regulations, which would reduce our revenue, increase our costs and adversely affect our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition. In the event that the FDA requires us to obtain marketing authorization of our RUO products in the future, there can be no assurance that the FDA will grant any clearance or approval requested by us in a timely manner, or at all. Furthermore, although we currently market our products as RUO, we may in the future make the decision to market them for clinical or diagnostic purposes, or may develop other different products intended for clinical or diagnostic purposes, which would result in the application of a more onerous set of regulatory requirements.
Current wording
We make our platform and devices, including our Maven, Maverick, MX908, ProtectIR, Rebel, ThreatID, XplorIR and ZipChip Interface, available to customers as research-use-only, or RUO, products. Products that are labeled as RUO are exempt from compliance with most FDA requirements, including premarket clearance or approval, manufacturing requirements, and others. A product labeled RUO but which is actually intended for clinical diagnostic use may be viewed by the FDA as adulterated and misbranded under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, and subject to FDA enforcement action. The FDA has indicated that when determining the intended use of a product labeled RUO, the FDA will consider the totality of the circumstances surrounding distribution and use of the product, including how the product is marketed and to whom. The FDA could disagree with our assessment that our products are properly marketed as RUOs, or could conclude that products labeled as RUO are actually intended for clinical diagnostic use, and could take enforcement action against us, including requiring us to stop distribution of our products until we are in compliance with applicable regulations, which would reduce our revenue, increase our costs and adversely affect our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition. In the event that the FDA requires us to obtain marketing authorization of our RUO products in the future, there can be no assurance that the FDA will grant any clearance or approval requested by us in a timely manner, or at all. Furthermore, although we currently market our products as RUO, we may in the future make the decision to market them for clinical or diagnostic purposes, or may develop other different products intended for clinical or diagnostic purposes, which would result in the application of a more onerous set of regulatory requirements.
Previous wording
As we continue to scale our business, we may find that certain of our products, certain customers or certain markets, including the biopharmaceutical market, may require a dedicated sales force or sales personnel with different experience than those whom we currently employ. Our continued growth will depend, in part, on attracting, retaining and motivating highly-trained sales personnel with the necessary scientific background and technical ability to understand
Current wording
As we continue to scale our business, we may find that certain of our products, certain customers or certain markets, including the biopharmaceutical market, may require a dedicated sales force or sales personnel with different experience than those whom we currently employ. Our continued growth will depend, in part, on attracting, retaining and motivating highly-trained sales personnel with the necessary scientific background and technical ability to understand our systems and effectively identify and sell to potential new customers. Identifying, recruiting and training additional qualified personnel will require significant time, expense and attention. In addition, the continued development of complementary software tools, such as our analysis tools and visualization software, requires us to compete for highly trained software engineers in the Boston area and for highly trained customer service personnel globally.
Previous wording
We rely on a limited number of suppliers for several key components utilized in the assembly of our products, and in some cases, such as the glass in our microfluidic chips, swab samplers, and sensors within our products, we rely on a single supplier for a particular component, subassembly or consumable. Although in many cases we use standard components for our products, in some cases, components may only be purchased from a limited number of suppliers. In particular, we are dependent on single suppliers for our Rebel and ZipChip autosampler subassemblies, our MX908 consumables, the Raman spectrometer and optical probe and fiber assemblies for Maverick, and our device subassembly for Maven. If, for any reason, our access to these products is limited or delayed, we would need to quickly identify and qualify an alternate source of products. Identifying and qualifying an alternate source may take time and involve
Current wording
We rely on a limited number of suppliers for several key components utilized in the assembly of our products, and in some cases, such as the glass in our microfluidic chips, swab samplers, and sensors within our products, we rely on a single supplier for a particular component, subassembly or consumable. Although in many cases we use standard components for our products, in some cases, components may only be purchased from a limited number of suppliers. In particular, we are dependent on single suppliers for our Rebel and ZipChip autosampler subassemblies, our MX908 consumables, the Raman spectrometer and optical probe and fiber assemblies for Maverick, and our device subassembly for Maven. The IR detector for our FTIR products is currently supplied by a single supplier. If, for any reason, our access to these products is limited or delayed, we would need to quickly identify and qualify an alternate source of products. Identifying and qualifying an alternate source may take time and involve additional expense, and there is no guarantee that the alternate source will perform as expected. If our customers experienced a shortage or delay in consumables, such as swab samplers, microfluidic chips, or assay kits, or if these consumables do not perform at the levels our customers expect, our business could be materially and adversely impacted.
Previous wording
In addition, we maintain relatively low inventory and acquire components based upon anticipated annual demand. Neither we nor our contract manufacturers enter into long-term supply contracts for these components, and none of our third party suppliers is obligated to supply products to us for any specific period or in any specific quantities, except as may be provided in a particular purchase order. We are not a major customer of many of our suppliers, and these suppliers may therefore give other customers’ needs higher priority than ours. Our industry has experienced component shortages and delivery delays in the past, and we may experience shortages or delays of critical components in the future as a result of strong demand in the industry or other factors. Many of the other components required to build our systems are also occasionally in short supply. Therefore, if shortages or delays arise, we may not be able to secure enough components at reasonable prices or of acceptable quality to build new products, resulting in an inability to meet customer demand or our own operating goals, which could adversely affect our customer relationships, business, operating results and financial condition.
Current wording
In addition, we maintain relatively low inventory and acquire components based upon anticipated annual demand. Neither we nor our contract manufacturers enter into long-term supply contracts for these components, and none of our third party suppliers is obligated to supply products to us for any specific period or in any specific quantities, except as may be provided in a particular purchase order. We are not a major customer of many of our suppliers, and these suppliers may therefore give other customers’ needs higher priority than ours. Our industry has experienced component shortages and delivery delays in the past, and we may experience shortages or delays of critical components in the future
Previous wording
If we experience a significant disruption in our information technology systems and infrastructure, or breaches or compromises of data security, our business could be adversely affected.
Current wording
If we experience a significant disruption in our information technology systems and infrastructure, or security breaches or compromises of data security, our business could be adversely affected.
Previous wording
malfunction, natural disasters and catastrophes (including hurricanes and earthquakes), terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures, or other disruptive events. Cyberattacks and other malicious internet-based activity continue to increase and cloud-based platform providers of services have been and are expected to continue to be targeted. In addition to traditional computer hackers, malicious code (such as viruses and worms), phishing attacks and social engineering, business email compromise, employee theft or misuse, denial-of-service attacks and sophisticated nation-state and nation-state supported actors now engage in attacks (including advanced persistent threat intrusions). Because the techniques used by threat actors who may attempt to penetrate and sabotage our computer systems or those of our vendors or partners change frequently and may not be recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques. Therefore, despite significant efforts to create security barriers to such threats, it is virtually impossible for us to entirely mitigate these risks. If our security measures or those of our vendors and partners are meaningfully compromised as a result of third party action, employee or customer error, malfeasance, stolen or fraudulently obtained log-in credentials, hostile foreign governments, industrial espionage, wire fraud or otherwise, our reputation and customer trust could be damaged, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be harmed and we could incur significant liability. If we were to experience a prolonged system disruption in our information technology systems and infrastructure or those of certain of our vendors, it could negatively impact our ability to serve our customers, which could adversely impact our business. If operations at our facilities were disrupted, it may cause a material disruption in our business if we are not capable of restoring functionality on an acceptable timeframe. In addition, our information technology systems (and those of our vendors and partners) are potentially vulnerable to data security compromises or breaches, whether by internal bad actors (e.g., employees) or external bad actors (attacks of which are becoming increasingly sophisticated, including social engineering and phishing scams), which could lead to the exposure of personal data, sensitive data and confidential information to unauthorized persons. Further, it is possible that unauthorized access to our data may be obtained through inadequate use of security controls by suppliers or other vendors. We rely on such third parties to implement effective security measures and identify and correct for any failures, deficiencies or breaches. Such data security compromises or breaches to our data, whether stored on our systems or on those of third parties, could lead to the loss of trade secrets or other intellectual property, or could lead to the exposure of personal …
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Current wording
security barriers to such threats, it is virtually impossible for us to entirely mitigate these risks. If our security measures or those of our vendors and partners are meaningfully compromised as a result of third party action, employee or customer error, malfeasance, stolen or fraudulently obtained log-in credentials, hostile foreign governments, industrial espionage, wire fraud or otherwise, our reputation and customer trust could be damaged, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be harmed and we could incur significant liability. If we were to experience a prolonged system disruption in our information technology systems and infrastructure or those of certain of our vendors, it could negatively impact our ability to serve our customers, which could adversely impact our business. If operations at our facilities were disrupted, it may cause a material disruption in our business if we are not capable of restoring functionality on an acceptable timeframe. In addition, our information technology systems (and those of our vendors and partners) are potentially vulnerable to data security compromises or breaches, whether by internal bad actors (e.g., employees) or external bad actors (attacks of which are becoming increasingly sophisticated, including social engineering and phishing scams), which could lead to the exposure of personal data, sensitive data and confidential information to unauthorized persons. Further, it is possible that unauthorized access to our data may be obtained through inadequate use of security controls by suppliers or other vendors. We rely on such third parties to implement effective security measures and identify and correct for any failures, deficiencies or breaches. Such data security compromises or breaches to our data, whether stored on our systems or on those of third parties, could lead to the loss of trade secrets or other intellectual property, or could lead to the exposure of personal information (including sensitive personal information) of our employees, customers and others, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition and results of operations.
Previous wording
The cost of investigating, mitigating and responding to potential data security breaches or compromises and complying with applicable breach notification obligations to individuals, regulators, partners and others can be significant. Our insurance policies may not be adequate to compensate us for the potential costs and other losses arising from such disruptions, failures or security breaches. In addition, such insurance may not be available to us in the future on economically reasonable terms, or at all. Further, defending a suit, regardless of its merit, could be costly, divert management attention and harm our reputation.
Current wording
The cost of investigating, mitigating and responding to potential data security breaches or compromises and complying with applicable breach notification obligations to individuals, regulators, partners and others can be significant. Our insurance policies, including our cybersecurity coverage, may not be adequate to compensate us for the potential costs and other losses arising from such disruptions, failures or security breaches. In addition, such insurance may not be available to us in the future on economically reasonable terms, or at all. Further, defending a suit, regardless of its merit, could be costly, divert management attention and harm our reputation.
Previous wording
For example, in California, the California Consumer Protection Act, or CCPA, which went into effect on January 1, 2020, established a comprehensive privacy framework for covered businesses by creating an expanded definition of personal information, establishing new data privacy rights for consumers in the State of California, imposing special rules on the collection of consumer data from minors, and creating a new and potentially severe statutory damages framework for violations of the CCPA and for businesses that fail to implement reasonable security procedures and practices to prevent data breaches. In addition, a ballot initiative, the California Privacy Rights Act, or CPRA, has been in effect since January 1, 2023 and has imposed additional obligations on companies covered by the legislation. The CPRA significantly modified the CCPA, including by expanding consumers’ rights with respect to certain sensitive personal information.
Current wording
privacy framework for covered businesses by creating an expanded definition of personal information, establishing new data privacy rights for consumers in the State of California, imposing special rules on the collection of consumer data from minors, and creating a new and potentially severe statutory damages framework for violations of the CCPA and for businesses that fail to implement reasonable security procedures and practices to prevent data breaches. In addition, a ballot initiative, the California Privacy Rights Act, or CPRA, has been in effect since January 1, 2023 and has imposed additional obligations on companies covered by the legislation. The CPRA significantly modified the CCPA, including by expanding consumers’ rights with respect to certain sensitive personal information.
Previous wording
Similar laws have been passed in numerous other states and other states have proposed similar new privacy laws. Such proposed legislation, if enacted, may add additional complexity, variation in requirements, restrictions and potential legal risk, require additional investment of resources in compliance programs, impact strategies and the availability of previously useful data and could result in increased compliance costs and/or changes in business practices and policies. The existence of comprehensive privacy laws in different states in the country would make our compliance obligations more complex and costly and may increase the likelihood that we may be subject to enforcement actions or otherwise incur liability for noncompliance. In addition, other states have proposed and/or passed legislation that regulates the privacy and/or security of certain specific types of information. For example, a small number of states have passed laws that regulate biometric data specifically. These various privacy and security laws may impact our business activities, including our identification of research subjects, relationships with business partners and ultimately the marketing and distribution of our products. State laws are changing rapidly and there is discussion in the U.S. Congress of a new comprehensive federal data privacy law to which we may likely become subject, if enacted.
Current wording
Similar laws have been passed in numerous other states and other states have proposed similar new privacy laws. Such proposed legislation, if enacted, may add additional complexity, variation in requirements, restrictions and potential legal risk, require additional investment of resources in compliance programs, impact strategies and the availability of previously useful data and could result in increased compliance costs and/or changes in business practices and policies. The existence of comprehensive privacy laws in different states in the country would make our compliance obligations more complex and costly and may increase the likelihood that we may be subject to enforcement actions or otherwise incur liability for noncompliance. In addition, other states have proposed and/or passed legislation that regulates the privacy and/or security of certain specific types of information. For example, a small number of states have passed laws that regulate biometric data specifically. These various privacy and security laws may impact our business activities, including our identification of research subjects, relationships with business partners and ultimately the marketing and distribution of our products. State laws are changing rapidly and there is discussion in the U.S. Congress of a new comprehensive federal data privacy laws to which we could become subject, if enacted.
Previous wording
For Europe, we are subject to the EU General Data Protection Regulation, or EU GDPR, and the UK equivalent of the same, the UK GDPR (collectively referred to as the GDPR), as well as other national data protection legislation in force in relevant European Economic Area, or EEA, Member States and the UK (including the UK Data Protection Act 2018) with respect to any collecting or processing of personal data (i) regarding individuals in the EEA and UK , and/or (ii) carried out in the context of the activities of an establishment in the EEA and UK. The GDPR places strict obligations on companies relating to their processing of personal data (for example, informing individuals of how their personal data is handled and how they can exercise their rights, ensuring a valid lawful basis for processing, mandatory data breach notification requirements, maintaining internal records, entering into data processing agreements with third parties, implementing appropriate security and data retention requirements). The GDPR also imposes strict rules on the transfer of personal data outside of the EEA and UK to countries that do not ensure an adequate level of protection, like the United States in certain circumstances unless valid GDPR transfer mechanisms and transfer impact assessments are put in place. Any inability to transfer personal data from the EEA and UK to the United States in compliance with data protection laws may impede our business operations and adversely affect our business and financial position.
Current wording
For Europe, we are subject to the EU General Data Protection Regulation, or EU GDPR, and the EU GDPR in such form as incorporated into the laws of the UK, the UK GDPR (collectively referred to as the GDPR), as well as other national data protection legislation in force in relevant European Economic Area, or EEA, Member States and the UK (including the UK Data Protection Act 2018) with respect to any collecting or processing of personal data (i) regarding individuals in the EEA and UK , and/or (ii) carried out in the context of the activities of an establishment in the EEA and UK. The GDPR places strict obligations on companies relating to their processing of personal data (for example, informing individuals of how their personal data is handled and how they can exercise their rights, ensuring a valid lawful basis or condition for processing, mandatory data breach notification requirements, maintaining internal records, entering into data processing agreements with third parties, implementing appropriate security and data retention requirements). The GDPR also imposes strict rules on the transfer of personal data outside of the EEA and UK to countries that do not ensure an adequate level of protection, like the United States in certain circumstances unless valid GDPR transfer mechanisms and transfer impact assessments are put in place. Any inability to transfer personal data from the EEA and UK to the United States in compliance with data protection laws may impede our business operations and adversely affect our business and financial position.
Previous wording
The UK’s data protection regime is independent from but aligned to the EU’s data protection regime. However, following the UK’s exit from the EU, or Brexit, there will be increasing scope for divergence in application, interpretation and enforcement of the data protection laws between these territories. For example, the UK Government has introduced a Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, or Data Reform Bill into the UK legislative process to reform the UK’s data protection regime following Brexit, which may have the effect of further altering the similarities between the UK and EEA data protection regimes. The respective provisions and enforcement of the EU GDPR and UK GDPR may further diverge in the future and create additional regulatory challenges and uncertainties. This lack of clarity on future UK laws and regulations and their interaction with EU laws and regulations could add legal risk, complexity and cost to our handling of European personal data and our privacy and data security compliance programs, and could require us to implement different compliance measures for the UK and the EEA.
Current wording
The UK’s data protection regime is independent from but aligned to the EU’s data protection regime. However, following the UK’s exit from the EU, or Brexit, there will be increasing scope for divergence in application, interpretation and enforcement of the data protection laws between these territories. For example, the UK Government introduced the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, which failed in the UK legislative process. A new Data (Use and Access) Bill, or UK Bill, has been introduced into parliament. If passed, the final version of the UK Bill may have the effect of further altering the similarities between the UK and EU data protection regime and threaten the UK adequacy decision from the EU Commission. This lack of clarity on future UK laws and regulations and their interaction with EU laws and regulations could add legal risk, complexity and cost to our handling of European personal data and our privacy and data security compliance programs, and could require us to implement different compliance measures for the UK and the EEA.
Previous wording
On August 4, 2023, we entered into a Default Waiver and First Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement, or the Amended 2022 Revolver, with Silicon Valley Bank, or the Lender, pursuant to which the Lender waived certain of its rights and remedies against us in connection with covenants requiring us to maintain all of our operating accounts, depository accounts and excess cash with the Lender, and pursuant to which the our Loan and Security Agreement with the Lender dated November 2, 2022 was amended. The Amended 2022 Revolver subjects us to various customary covenants, including requirements as to financial reporting and financial covenants (including a requirement that the amount of unrestricted and unencumbered cash minus advances under the Amended 2022 Revolver, is not less than the amount equal to the greater of (i) $10.0 million or (ii) nine (9) months of cash burn), and restrictions on our ability to change the principal nature of our business, dispose of our business or property, engage in any change of control transaction, merge or consolidate with any other entity or to acquire all or substantially all the capital stock or property of another entity, incur additional indebtedness or liens, pay dividends or make other distributions on capital stock, redeem our capital stock, engage in transactions with affiliates or otherwise encumber our intellectual property, in each case, subject to customary exceptions.
Current wording
covenants, including requirements as to financial reporting and financial covenants (including a requirement that the amount of unrestricted and unencumbered cash minus advances under the Amended 2022 Revolver, is not less than the amount equal to the greater of (i) $10.0 million or (ii) nine (9) months of cash burn), and restrictions on our ability to change the principal nature of our business, dispose of our business or property, engage in any change of control transaction, merge or consolidate with any other entity or to acquire all or substantially all the capital stock or property of another entity, incur additional indebtedness or liens, pay dividends or make other distributions on capital stock, redeem our capital stock, engage in transactions with affiliates or otherwise encumber our intellectual property, in each case, subject to customary exceptions.
Previous wording
The majority of our operations are currently conducted at a single location and any disruption at our facility could negatively impact our operations and increase our expenses.
Current wording
The majority of our operations are currently conducted at two locations and any disruption at either of these facilities could negatively impact our operations and increase our expenses.
Previous wording
Our headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts contains nearly all of our corporate and administrative functions, the majority of our research, and substantially all of our in-house manufacturing. A natural or other disaster, such as a fire or flood, could cause substantial delays in our operations, damage or destroy our manufacturing equipment or inventory, and cause us to incur additional expenses. The insurance we maintain against fires, floods and other natural disasters may not be adequate to cover our losses in any particular case. With or without insurance, damage to our manufacturing facility or our other property, or to any of our suppliers, due to fire, flood or other natural disaster or casualty event may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Current wording
Our headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts and our facility in Danbury, Connecticut contain nearly all of our corporate and administrative functions, the majority of our research, and substantially all of our in-house manufacturing. A natural or other disaster, such as a fire or flood, at either of these locations could cause substantial delays in our operations, damage or destroy our manufacturing equipment or inventory, and cause us to incur additional expenses. The insurance we maintain against fires, floods and other natural disasters may not be adequate to cover our losses in any particular case. With or without insurance, damage to our manufacturing facilities or our other property, or to any of our suppliers, due to fire, flood or other natural disaster or casualty event may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Previous wording
A significant percentage of our product and service revenues are generated from agencies and departments of the U.S. government. In addition, substantially all of our revenue from license and contracts revenue are derived from contracts or sub-contracts related to the U.S. government. We expect significant revenue from U.S. government contracts for the foreseeable future. There is considerable risk associated with deriving a material portion of our revenue from sales to the U.S. government, including the risks described below.
Current wording
A significant percentage of our revenue is generated from agencies and departments of the U.S. government. In addition, substantially all of our revenue from license and contracts revenue are derived from contracts or sub-contracts related to the U.S. government. We expect significant revenue from U.S. government contracts for the foreseeable future. There is considerable risk associated with deriving a material portion of our revenue from sales to the U.S. government, including the risks described below.
Previous wording
We derive a significant portion of our revenue from contracts that we have, either directly or through channel partners, with federal, state, local and foreign governments and government agencies, and we believe that the success and growth of our business will continue to depend on our successful procurement of government contracts. For example, we have historically derived, and expect to continue to derive, a significant portion of our revenue from sales to agencies of the U.S. federal government, either directly by us or through other channel partners.
Current wording
We derive a significant portion of our revenue from contracts that we have, either directly or through channel partners, with federal, state, local and foreign governments and government agencies, and we believe that the success and growth of our business will continue to depend on our successful procurement of government contracts. For
Previous wording
As a contractor and subcontractor to the U.S. government, we are subject to various laws and regulations that are more restrictive than those applicable to non-government contractors, including the Federal Acquisition Regulations and its supplements, which comprehensively regulate the formation, administration and performance of U.S. government contracts, and the Truth in Negotiations Act and various other laws, which require certain certifications and disclosures.
Current wording
As a contractor and subcontractor to the U.S. government, we are subject to various laws and regulations that are more restrictive than those applicable to non-government contractors, including the Federal Acquisition Regulations and
Previous wording
invalidate a patent claim, a third party could potentially provide evidence in a USPTO proceeding sufficient for the USPTO to hold a claim invalid, even though the same evidence would be insufficient to invalidate the claim if first presented in a district court action. Accordingly, a third party may attempt to use the USPTO procedures to invalidate our patent claims that would not have been invalidated if first challenged by the third party as a defendant in a district court action. Therefore, the America Invents Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our owned or in-bound licensed patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our owned or in-bound licensed issued patents, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Current wording
The America Invents Act also includes a number of significant changes that affect the way patent applications are prosecuted and also affects patent litigation. These include allowing third party submission of prior art to the USPTO during patent prosecution and additional procedures to attack the validity of a patent by USPTO administered post-grant proceedings, including post-grant review, inter partes review and derivation proceedings. Because of a lower evidentiary standard in USPTO proceedings compared to the evidentiary standard in United States federal courts necessary to invalidate a patent claim, a third party could potentially provide evidence in a USPTO proceeding sufficient for the USPTO to hold a claim invalid, even though the same evidence would be insufficient to invalidate the claim if first presented in a district court action. Accordingly, a third party may attempt to use the USPTO procedures to invalidate our patent claims that would not have been invalidated if first challenged by the third party as a defendant in a district court action. Therefore, the America Invents Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our owned or in-bound licensed patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our owned or in-bound licensed issued patents, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Previous wording
Furthermore, we have adopted a strategy of seeking limited patent protection both in the United States and in foreign countries with respect to the technologies used in or relating to our products. We do not know whether any of our pending patent applications will result in the issuance of patents or whether the examination process will require us to narrow our claims, and even if patents are issued, they may be contested, circumvented or invalidated over the course of our business. Moreover, the rights granted under any issued patents may not provide us with proprietary protection or competitive advantages, and, as with any technology, competitors may be able to develop and obtain patents for technologies that are similar to or superior to our technologies. If that happens, we may need to license these technologies and we may not be able to obtain licenses on reasonable terms, if at all, thereby causing great harm to our business. Additionally, the determination that a patent application or patent claim meets all of the requirements for patentability is a subjective determination based on the application of law and jurisprudence. The ultimate determination
Current wording
Furthermore, we have adopted a strategy of seeking limited patent protection both in the United States and in foreign countries with respect to the technologies used in or relating to our products. We do not know whether any of our pending patent applications will result in the issuance of patents or whether the examination process will require us to narrow our claims, and even if patents are issued, they may be contested, circumvented or invalidated over the course of our business. Moreover, the rights granted under any issued patents may not provide us with proprietary protection or competitive advantages, and, as with any technology, competitors may be able to develop and obtain patents for technologies that are similar to or superior to our technologies. If that happens, we may need to license these technologies and we may not be able to obtain licenses on reasonable terms, if at all, thereby causing great harm to our business. Additionally, the determination that a patent application or patent claim meets all of the requirements for patentability is a subjective determination based on the application of law and jurisprudence. The ultimate determination by the USPTO or by a court or other trier of fact in the U.S., or corresponding foreign national patent offices or courts, on whether a claim meets all requirements of patentability cannot be assured. Accordingly, we cannot predict the breadth of claims that may be allowed or enforced in our patents or patent applications, in our licensed patents or patent applications or in third party patents.
Previous wording
Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on our products in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United States can be less extensive than those in the United States. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, and we may encounter difficulties in protecting and defending such rights in foreign jurisdictions. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in some or all countries outside the United States, or from selling or importing products made using our inventions in and into the United States or other jurisdictions. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and may also export infringing products to territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These products may compete with our products. Our patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing. In addition, certain countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to other parties. Furthermore, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against other parties, including government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, the patent owner may have limited remedies, which could materially diminish the value of any patents.
Current wording
Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on our products in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United States can be less extensive than those in the United States. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, and we may encounter difficulties in protecting and defending such rights in foreign jurisdictions. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in some or all countries outside the United States, or from selling or importing products made using our inventions in and into the United States or other jurisdictions. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and may also export infringing products to territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These products may compete with our products. Our patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to
Previous wording
Certain customer agreements contain provisions permitting the customer to become a party to, or a beneficiary of, a technology escrow agreement under which we place proprietary know-how and source code for our products in escrow with a third party. Under these escrow agreements, the know-how and source code to the applicable product may be released to the customer, typically for its use to further develop, maintain, modify and enhance the product, upon the occurrence of specified events, such as our filing for bankruptcy and breaching our representations, warranties or
Current wording
Certain customer agreements contain provisions permitting the customer to become a party to, or a beneficiary of, a technology escrow agreement under which we place proprietary know-how and source code for our products in escrow with a third party. Under these escrow agreements, the know-how and source code to the applicable product may be released to the customer, typically for its use to further develop, maintain, modify and enhance the product, upon the occurrence of specified events, such as our filing for bankruptcy and breaching our representations, warranties or covenants of our agreements with our customers. Disclosing this know-how and source code may limit the intellectual property protection we can obtain or maintain for that know-how or source code or the products embodying or containing that know-how or source code, and may facilitate intellectual property infringement claims against us. Each of these could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Previous wording
We may not be aware of all third party intellectual property rights potentially relating to our products. Publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically not published until approximately 18 months after filing or, in some cases, not until such patent applications issue as patents. Moreover, we may not search for or identify all relevant third party patents or we may incorrectly interpret the relevance, scope or expiration of a third party patent of which we are aware. We might not have been the first to make the inventions covered by each of our pending patent applications and we might not have been the first to file patent applications for these inventions. To determine the priority of these inventions, we may have to participate in interference proceedings, derivation proceedings or other post-grant proceedings declared by the USPTO that could result in substantial cost to us. The outcome of such proceedings is uncertain. No assurance can be given that other patent applications will not have priority over our patent applications. In addition, changes to the patent laws of the United States allow for various post-grant opposition proceedings that have not been extensively tested, and their outcome is therefore uncertain. Furthermore, if third parties bring these proceedings against our patents, we could experience significant costs and management distraction.
Current wording
We may not be aware of all third party intellectual property rights potentially relating to our products. Publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically not published until approximately 18 months after filing or, in some cases, not until such patent applications issue as patents. Moreover, we may not search for or identify all relevant third party patents or we may incorrectly interpret the relevance, scope or expiration of a third party patent of which we are aware. We might not have been the first to make the inventions covered by each of our pending patent applications and we might not have been the first to file patent applications for these inventions. To determine the priority of these
Previous wording
In recent years, there has been significant litigation in the United States involving intellectual property rights. We may in the future be, involved with litigation or actions at the USPTO or a foreign patent office with various third parties that claim we or our partners or customers using our solutions and services have misappropriated or misused other parties’ intellectual property rights. We expect that the number of such claims may increase as the number of our systems, workflows, consumables and kits, and the level of competition in our industry segments, grow. Any infringement claim, regardless of its validity, could harm our business by, among other things, resulting in time-consuming and costly litigation, diverting management’s time and attention from the development of the business, requiring the payment of monetary damages (including treble damages, attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses) or royalty payments, or result in potential or existing customers delaying purchases of our products or entering into engagements with us pending resolution of the dispute.
Current wording
In recent years, there has been significant litigation in the United States involving intellectual property rights. We may in the future be, involved with litigation or actions at the USPTO or a foreign patent office with various third parties that claim we or our partners or customers using our solutions and services have misappropriated or misused other parties’ intellectual property rights. We expect that the number of such claims may increase as the number of our systems, workflows, consumables and kits, and the level of competition in our industry segments, grow. Any infringement claim, regardless of its validity, could harm our business by, among other things, resulting in time-consuming and costly litigation, diverting management’s time and attention from the development of the business, requiring the payment of monetary damages (including treble damages, attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses) or royalty
Previous wording
award of substantial damages against us, including treble damages, attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses if we are found to have willfully infringed. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may be required to pay damages and ongoing royalties, and obtain one or more licenses from third parties, or be prohibited from selling certain products or services. We may not be able to obtain these licenses on acceptable or commercially reasonable terms, if at all, or these licenses may be non-exclusive, which could result in our competitors gaining access to the same intellectual property. In addition, we could encounter delays and incur significant costs, in product or service introductions while we attempt to develop alternative products or services, or redesign our products or services, to avoid infringing third party patents or proprietary rights. Defense of any lawsuit or failure to obtain any of these licenses or to develop a workaround could prevent us from commercializing products or services, and the prohibition of sale or the threat of the prohibition of sale of any of our products or services could materially affect our business and our ability to gain market acceptance for our products or services.
Current wording
There can be no assurance that we will prevail in any suit initiated against us by third parties, successfully settle or otherwise resolve patent infringement claims. Third parties making claims against us may be able to obtain injunctive or other relief, which could block our ability to develop, commercialize and sell products or services, and could result in the award of substantial damages against us, including treble damages, attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses if we are found to have willfully infringed. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may be required to pay damages and ongoing royalties, and obtain one or more licenses from third parties, or be prohibited from selling certain products or services. We may not be able to obtain these licenses on acceptable or commercially reasonable terms, if at all, or these licenses may be non-exclusive, which could result in our competitors gaining access to the same intellectual property. In addition, we could encounter delays and incur significant costs, in product or service introductions while we attempt to develop alternative products or services, or redesign our products or services, to avoid infringing third party patents or proprietary rights. Defense of any lawsuit or failure to obtain any of these licenses or to develop a workaround could prevent us from commercializing products or services, and the prohibition of sale or the threat of the prohibition of sale of any of our products or services could materially affect our business and our ability to gain market acceptance for our products or services.
Previous wording
We use open source software in connection with our products and services. Companies that incorporate open source software into their products have, from time to time, faced claims challenging their use of open source software and compliance with open source license terms. As a result, we could be subject to lawsuits and other allegations by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open source software or claiming noncompliance with open source licensing terms. Some open source software licenses require users who distribute software containing open source software to publicly disclose all or part of the source code to the licensee’s software that incorporates, links or uses such open source software, and make available to third parties for no cost, any derivative works of the open source code created by the licensee, which could include the licensee’s own valuable proprietary code. While we monitor our use of open source software and try to ensure that none is used in a manner that would require us to disclose our proprietary source code or that would otherwise breach the terms of an open source agreement, such use could inadvertently occur, or could be claimed to have occurred, in part because open source license terms can be ambiguous. Legal precedent in this area is not well established and any actual or claimed requirement to disclose our proprietary source code or pay damages for breach of contract could harm our business and could help third parties, including our competitors, develop products and services that are similar to or better than ours. Any of the foregoing could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Current wording
licensing terms. Some open source software licenses require users who distribute software containing open source software to publicly disclose all or part of the source code to the licensee’s software that incorporates, links or uses such open source software, and make available to third parties for no cost, any derivative works of the open source code created by the licensee, which could include the licensee’s own valuable proprietary code. While we monitor our use of open source software and try to ensure that none is used in a manner that would require us to disclose our proprietary source code or that would otherwise breach the terms of an open source agreement, such use could inadvertently occur, or could be claimed to have occurred, in part because open source license terms can be ambiguous. Legal precedent in this area is not well established and any actual or claimed requirement to disclose our proprietary source code or pay damages for breach of contract could harm our business and could help third parties, including our competitors, develop products and services that are similar to or better than ours. Any of the foregoing could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Previous wording
In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. In particular, we must perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal control over financial reporting to allow management and, after we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” our independent registered public accounting firm to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404. Our testing, or the subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm, may reveal deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses. Our compliance with Section 404 requires that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management efforts, including hiring additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting
Current wording
In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. In particular, we must perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal control over financial reporting to allow management and, after we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” our independent registered public accounting firm to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404. Our testing, or the subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm, may reveal deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses. Our compliance with Section 404 requires that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management efforts, including hiring additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge. Moreover, if we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, or if we or our independent registered public accounting firm identifies deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, the market price of our stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by Nasdaq, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.
Previous wording
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation specifies that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the sole and exclusive forum for most legal actions involving actions brought against us by stockholders; provided that, if and only if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware dismisses any such action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, such action may be brought in another state or federal court sitting in the State of Delaware. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action against us or any of our directors, officers, employees or agents and arising under the Securities Act. We believe these provisions may benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law and federal securities laws by chancellors and judges, as applicable, particularly experienced in resolving corporate disputes, efficient administration of cases on a more expedited schedule relative to other forums and protection against the burdens of multi-forum litigation. However, these provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. The choice of forum provision requiring that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware be the exclusive forum for certain actions would not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act.
Current wording
actions involving actions brought against us by stockholders; provided that, if and only if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware dismisses any such action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, such action may be brought in another state or federal court sitting in the State of Delaware. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action against us or any of our directors, officers, employees or agents and arising under the Securities Act. We believe these provisions may benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law and federal securities laws by chancellors and judges, as applicable, particularly experienced in resolving corporate disputes, efficient administration of cases on a more expedited schedule relative to other forums and protection against the burdens of multi-forum litigation. However, these provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. The choice of forum provision requiring that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware be the exclusive forum for certain actions would not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act.
Previous wording
of incorporation or fourth amended and restated bylaws; (4) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws; or (5) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, or the Delaware Forum Provision. The Delaware Forum Provision would not apply to any causes of action arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act. Our amended and restated bylaws further provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts shall be the sole and exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, or the Federal Forum Provision, as our headquarters are located in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition, our amended and restated bylaws provide that any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock is deemed to have notice of and consented to the Delaware Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision; provided, however, that stockholders cannot and will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Current wording
Pursuant to our fourth amended and restated bylaws, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the sole and exclusive forum for state law claims for (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, or other employees to us or our stockholders; (3) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law or our sixth amended and restated certificate of incorporation or fourth amended and restated bylaws; (4) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws; or (5) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, or the Delaware Forum Provision. The Delaware Forum Provision would not apply to any causes of action arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act. Our amended and restated bylaws further provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts shall be the sole and exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, or the Federal Forum Provision, as our headquarters are located in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition, our amended and restated bylaws provide that any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock is deemed to have notice of and consented to the Delaware Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision; provided, however, that stockholders cannot and will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
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The Delaware Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision in our bylaws may impose additional litigation costs on stockholders in pursuing any such claims. Additionally, these forum selection clauses may limit our stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that they find favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage the filing of lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and employees, even though an action, if successful, might benefit our stockholders. In addition, while the Delaware Supreme Court ruled in March 2020 that federal forum selection provisions purporting to require claims under the Securities Act be brought in federal court are “facially valid” under Delaware law, there is uncertainty as to whether other courts will enforce our Federal Forum Provision. If the Federal Forum Provision is found to be unenforceable, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters. The Federal Forum Provision may also impose additional litigation costs on stockholders who assert that the provision is not enforceable or invalid. The Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts may also reach different judgments or results than would other courts, including courts where a stockholder considering an action may be located or would otherwise choose to bring the action, and such judgments may be more or less favorable to us than to our stockholders.
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The Delaware Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision in our bylaws may impose additional litigation costs on stockholders in pursuing any such claims. Additionally, these forum selection clauses may limit our stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that they find favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage the filing of lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and employees, even though an action, if successful, might benefit our stockholders. In addition, while the Delaware Supreme Court ruled in March 2020 that federal forum selection provisions purporting to require claims under the Securities Act be brought in federal court are “facially valid” under Delaware law, there is uncertainty as to whether other courts will enforce our Federal Forum Provision. If the Federal Forum Provision is found to be unenforceable, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters. The Federal Forum Provision may also impose additional litigation costs on stockholders who assert that the provision is not enforceable or invalid. The Court of Chancery of the
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We provide a one-year assurance-type warranty on our products and consumables. Existing and future warranties place us at the risk of incurring future repair and/or replacement costs. At the time revenue is recognized, we establish an accrual for estimated warranty expenses based on historical data and trends. We exercise judgment in estimating the expected product warranty costs, using data such as the actual and projected product failure rates, estimated repair costs, freight, material, labor and overhead costs. While we believe that historical experience provides a reliable basis for estimating such warranty costs, unforeseen quality issues or component failure rates could result in future costs in excess of such estimates, or alternatively, improved quality and reliability in our products and consumables could result in actual expenses that are below those currently estimated. Substantial amounts of warranty claims could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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We provide a one-year assurance-type warranty on our products and consumables. Existing and future warranties place us at the risk of incurring future repair and/or replacement costs. At the time revenue is recognized, we establish an accrual for estimated warranty expenses based on historical data and trends. We exercise judgment in estimating the expected product warranty costs, using data such as the actual and projected product failure rates, estimated repair costs, freight, material, labor and overhead costs. While we believe that historical experience provides a reliable basis for estimating such warranty costs, unforeseen quality issues or component failure rates could result in future costs in excess
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manufacturers, logistics providers, channel partners, and other partners. Potential effects include financial instability; inability to obtain credit to finance operations; and insolvency.
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enter in the future, such as the GxP quality assurance market. There is no certainty that we will effectively identify these trends and needs or introduce products that are successful.
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We face substantial competition from very large and experienced enterprises, both public and privately held, including Agilent Technologies, Bruker Corporation, Danaher Corporation, Inficon, Teledyne, Endress & Hauser, PerkinElmer, Shimadzu Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Waters Corp. Our competitors also include many smaller companies, including companies established to pursue new and emerging technologies. We also expect
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believe our assumptions and the data underlying our estimates of the total annual addressable market for our solutions are reasonable, these assumptions and estimates may not be correct and the conditions supporting our assumptions or estimates, or those underlying the third party data we have used, may change at any time, thereby reducing the accuracy of our estimates. As a result, our estimates of the annual total addressable market for our solutions may be incorrect.
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as a result of strong demand in the industry or other factors. Many of the other components required to build our systems are also occasionally in short supply. Therefore, if shortages or delays arise, we may not be able to secure enough components at reasonable prices or of acceptable quality to build new products, resulting in an inability to meet customer demand or our own operating goals, which could adversely affect our customer relationships, business, operating results and financial condition.
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We rely on information technology systems to keep financial records, facilitate our research and development initiatives, manage our manufacturing operations, maintain quality control, fulfill customer orders, maintain corporate records, communicate with staff and external parties and operate other critical functions. Our information technology systems and infrastructure are potentially vulnerable to breakdown or damage or interruption or otherwise may sustain damage from malicious intrusion and computer viruses, data breaches, phishing attacks, cybercriminals, system malfunction, natural disasters and catastrophes (including hurricanes and earthquakes), terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures, or other disruptive events. Cyberattacks and other malicious internet-based activity continue to increase and cloud-based platform providers of services have been and are expected to continue to be targeted. We, like others in our industry, have experienced and expect to continue to experience threats to our information systems and infrastructure. In addition to traditional computer hackers, malicious code (such as viruses and worms), phishing attacks and social engineering, business email compromise, employee theft or misuse, denial-of-service attacks and sophisticated nation-state and nation-state supported actors now engage in attacks (including advanced persistent threat intrusions). Because the techniques used by threat actors who may attempt to penetrate and sabotage our computer systems or those of our vendors or partners change frequently and may not be recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques. Therefore, despite significant efforts to create
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In addition, certain state laws govern privacy and security of personal information. For example, in California, the California Consumer Protection Act, or CCPA, which went into effect on January 1, 2020, established a comprehensive
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On August 4, 2023, we entered into a Default Waiver and First Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement, or the Amended 2022 Revolver, with Silicon Valley Bank, or the Lender, pursuant to which the Lender waived certain of its rights and remedies against us in connection with covenants requiring us to maintain all of our operating accounts, depository accounts and excess cash with the Lender, and pursuant to which the our Loan and Security Agreement with the Lender dated November 2, 2022 was amended. The Amended 2022 Revolver subjects us to various customary
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example, we have historically derived, and expect to continue to derive, a significant portion of our revenue from sales to agencies of the U.S. federal government, either directly by us or through other channel partners.
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its supplements, which comprehensively regulate the formation, administration and performance of U.S. government contracts, and the Truth in Negotiations Act and various other laws, which require certain certifications and disclosures.
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prevent them from competing. In addition, certain countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to other parties. Furthermore, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against other parties, including government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, the patent owner may have limited remedies, which could materially diminish the value of any patents.
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payments, or result in potential or existing customers delaying purchases of our products or entering into engagements with us pending resolution of the dispute.
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We use open source software in connection with our products and services. Companies that incorporate open source software into their products have, from time to time, faced claims challenging their use of open source software and compliance with open source license terms. As a result, we could be subject to lawsuits and other allegations by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open source software or claiming noncompliance with open source
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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation specifies that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the sole and exclusive forum for most legal
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State of Delaware and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts may also reach different judgments or results than would other courts, including courts where a stockholder considering an action may be located or would otherwise choose to bring the action, and such judgments may be more or less favorable to us than to our stockholders.
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of such estimates, or alternatively, improved quality and reliability in our products and consumables could result in actual expenses that are below those currently estimated. Substantial amounts of warranty claims could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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We are subject to the FCPA, which among other things prohibits companies and their intermediaries from making payments in violation of law to non-U.S. government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or securing any other improper advantage. We have engaged independent channel partners in the past and currently use independent channel partners to sell our products outside of the United States. Our reliance on independent channel
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obtain additional funding could prevent us from making expenditures that may be required to grow or maintain our operations.
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Under legislation enacted in 2017, informally titled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as modified by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, unused federal net operating losses, or NOLs, generated in tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, will not expire and may be carried forward indefinitely, and generally may not be carried back to prior taxable years, except that under the CARES Act, net operating losses generated in 2018, 2019 and 2020 may be carried back five taxable years. Additionally, the deductibility of such federal NOLs in tax years beginning after December 31, 2020, is limited to 80% of taxable income. It is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or the CARES Act. In addition, under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal
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results from period-to-period and could result in negative cash flow from operations and a decrease in the price of our common stock.
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develop such capabilities for our customers. If we fail to develop products that satisfy customer requirements, our ability to create or increase demand for our products will be harmed.
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Most of our channel partner relationships are non-exclusive and permit such channel partners to distribute competing products. As such, our channel partners may not commit the necessary resources to market our products to
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We also are seeking to grow and derive a significant portion of our revenue from our desktop devices in the life science market, specifically the antibody therapeutics, cell and gene therapy and synthetic biology markets, including sales to biopharmaceutical companies and research institutions. We recently introduced our Maverick and Maven
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We believe our platform has potential applications across a wide range of markets and we have targeted certain markets in which we believe we have a higher probability of success or revenue opportunity or for which the path to commercialize products and realizing or achieving revenue is shorter. For example, we have entered into agreements regarding a specific government program opportunity to develop an aerosol vapor detector, and several engagements
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our systems and effectively identify and sell to potential new customers. Identifying, recruiting and training additional qualified personnel will require significant time, expense and attention. In addition, the continued development of complementary software tools, such as our analysis tools and visualization software, requires us to compete for highly trained software engineers in the Boston area and for highly trained customer service personnel globally.
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additional expense, and there is no guarantee that the alternate source will perform as expected. If our customers experienced a shortage or delay in consumables, such as swab samplers, microfluidic chips, or assay kits, or if these consumables do not perform at the levels our customers expect, our business could be materially and adversely impacted.
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We rely on information technology systems to keep financial records, facilitate our research and development initiatives, manage our manufacturing operations, maintain quality control, fulfill customer orders, maintain corporate records, communicate with staff and external parties and operate other critical functions. Our information technology systems and infrastructure are potentially vulnerable to breakdown or damage or interruption or otherwise may sustain damage from malicious intrusion and computer viruses, data breaches, phishing attacks, cybercriminals, system
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The America Invents Act also includes a number of significant changes that affect the way patent applications are prosecuted and also affects patent litigation. These include allowing third party submission of prior art to the USPTO during patent prosecution and additional procedures to attack the validity of a patent by USPTO administered post-grant proceedings, including post-grant review, inter partes review and derivation proceedings. Because of a lower evidentiary standard in USPTO proceedings compared to the evidentiary standard in United States federal courts necessary to
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by the USPTO or by a court or other trier of fact in the U.S., or corresponding foreign national patent offices or courts, on whether a claim meets all requirements of patentability cannot be assured. Accordingly, we cannot predict the breadth of claims that may be allowed or enforced in our patents or patent applications, in our licensed patents or patent applications or in third party patents.
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covenants of our agreements with our customers. Disclosing this know-how and source code may limit the intellectual property protection we can obtain or maintain for that know-how or source code or the products embodying or containing that know-how or source code, and may facilitate intellectual property infringement claims against us. Each of these could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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There can be no assurance that we will prevail in any suit initiated against us by third parties, successfully settle or otherwise resolve patent infringement claims. Third parties making claims against us may be able to obtain injunctive or other relief, which could block our ability to develop, commercialize and sell products or services, and could result in the
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knowledge. Moreover, if we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, or if we or our independent registered public accounting firm identifies deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, the market price of our stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by Nasdaq, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.
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Pursuant to our fourth amended and restated bylaws, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the sole and exclusive forum for state law claims for (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, or other employees to us or our stockholders; (3) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law or our sixth amended and restated certificate
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decreased use of our products by, or in our decreased ability to export or sell our products to, existing or potential customers with international operations.
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additional acquisitions on favorable terms, if at all. Any prior acquisitions we have made or future acquisitions we make could subject us to a number of risks, including:
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We offer our customers the option to purchase extended warranty and service for regular system maintenance and system optimization on a fixed fee basis. We generally recognize revenue from our extended warranty and service plans ratably over the contract terms, which typically range from one additional year to four additional years and could in
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Internal Revenue Service or other taxing authority disagrees with the positions taken on our tax returns, we could have additional tax liability, including interest and penalties. If material, payment of such additional amounts upon final adjudication of any disputes could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position.