Company: WHWK
Filing Date: 2025-01-21
Form Type: PREM14A
Source: 0001193125-25-009599
Chunk: 437

Company: Whitehawk Therapeutics, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-01-21
Form: PREM14A
Chunk 437
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 us to cease using the related technology or to attempt to license rights to us from the prevailing party. Our business could be harmed if
the prevailing party does not offer us a license on commercially reasonable terms. Our defense of derivation proceedings may fail and, even if successful, may result in substantial costs and distract our management and other employees. In addition,
the uncertainties associated with such proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our ability to raise the funds necessary to continue our clinical trials, continue our research programs, license necessary technology from third parties or
enter into development or manufacturing partnerships that would help us bring our product or product candidates to market.

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Patent reform legislation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications or those of our licensors and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents or those of our licensors.

On
September 16, 2011, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (the “Leahy-Smith Act”), was signed into law. The Leahy-Smith Act includes a number of significant changes to United States patent law. These include provisions that affect the
way patent applications will be prosecuted and may also affect patent litigation. In particular, under the Leahy-Smith Act, the United States transitioned in March 2013 to a “first inventor to file” system in which, assuming that other
requirements of patentability are met, the first inventor to file a patent application will be entitled to the patent regardless of whether a third party was first to invent the claimed invention. A third party that files a patent application in the
USPTO after March 2013 but before us could therefore be awarded a patent covering an invention of ours even if we had made the invention before it was made by such third party. This will require us to be cognizant going forward of the time from
invention to filing of a patent application. Furthermore, our ability to obtain and maintain valid and enforceable patents depends on whether the differences between our technology and the prior art allow our technology to be patentable over the
prior art. Since patent applications in the United States and most other countries are confidential for a period of time after filing or until issuance, we may not be certain that we or our licensors are the first to either file any patent
application related to our product or product candidates or invent any of the inventions claimed in the patents or patent applications.

The Leahy-Smith
Act also includes a number of significant changes that affect the way patent applications will be prosecuted and also may affect