Company: OCEA
Filing Date: 2025-04-08
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001641172-25-003155
Chunk: 2225

Company: Ocean Biomedical, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-04-08
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 2225
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 are successful, may result in substantial costs and distract
our management and other employees. We may not be able to prevent, alone or with our licensors, misappropriation of our trade secrets
or confidential information, particularly in countries where the laws may not protect those rights as fully as in the United States.

102

Furthermore,
because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some
of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. In addition, there could be public
announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive
these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our common stock.

Risks
Related to Intellectual Property Laws

Obtaining
and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements
imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.

Periodic
maintenance fees on any issued patent are due to be paid to the USPTO and foreign patent agencies in several stages over the lifetime
of the patent. The USPTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary,
fee payment and other provisions during the patent application process and following the issuance of a patent. While an inadvertent lapse
can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in
which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of
patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Noncompliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application
include, but are not limited to, failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees and failure
to properly legalize and submit formal documents. In certain circumstances, even inadvertent noncompliance events may permanently and
irrevocably jeopardize patent rights. In such an event, our competitors might be able to enter the market, which would have a material
adverse effect on our business.

Any
of our patents covering our product candidates could be found invalid or unenforceable if challenged in court or the USPTO.

If
we or one of our licensors initiate legal proceedings against a third-party to enforce a patent covering one of our product candidates,
the defendant