Company: DHR
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000313616-25-000043
Chunk: 134

Company: DANAHER CORP /DE/
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 134
---
 retain and motivate talented employees.

The market for highly skilled workers and leaders in our industries, particularly in the areas of science, technology and management, is extremely competitive and expectations from qualified talent in many areas of the labor market have evolved and escalated recently.  In addition, in recent years we faced, and may continue to face, labor availability constraints and labor cost inflation in certain areas of our business.  If we are less successful in our recruiting efforts, if we cannot retain and motivate highly skilled workers and key leaders, or if we experience labor disputes or unionization, our business and financial statements may be adversely affected. 

Our restructuring actions and other cost reduction efforts can have long-term adverse effects on our business and financial statements.

In the past, we have implemented significant restructuring and other cost reduction activities across our businesses to adjust our cost structure, and we may engage in similar activities in the future.  These activities could diminish our resources and competitiveness, and delays or failures in implementing planned restructuring and other cost reduction activities may diminish the expected operational or financial benefits from such actions.  Any of the circumstances described above could adversely impact our business and financial statements.

23

Intellectual Property Risks

If we are unable to adequately protect our intellectual property, or if third-parties infringe our intellectual property rights, we may suffer competitive injury or expend significant resources enforcing our rights.  These risks are particularly pronounced in countries in which we do business that do not have levels of protection of intellectual property comparable to the United States.

Many of the markets we serve are technology-driven, and as a result intellectual property rights play a significant role in product development and differentiation.  We own numerous patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and other intellectual property and licenses to intellectual property owned by others, which in aggregate are important to our business.  The intellectual property rights that we obtain, however, are not always sufficiently broad and do not always provide us a significant competitive advantage, and patents may not be issued for pending or future patent applications owned by or licensed to us.  In addition, the steps that we and our licensors have taken to maintain and protect our intellectual property do not always prevent it from being challenged, invalidated, circumvented, designed-around or becoming subject to compulsory licensing.  In some circumstances, enforcement is not available to us because an infringer has a dominant intellectual property position or for other business reasons.  We also rely on nondisclosure and noncompetition agreements with employees, consultants and other parties to protect, in part, trade secrets and other proprietary rights