Company: BIAF
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001641172-25-001840
Chunk: 77

Company: bioAffinity Technologies, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 77
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 to infringement claims asserted by others.

We
cannot assure that diagnostic tests and therapeutic products based on our patents or intellectual property that we license from others
will not be challenged by a third-party claiming infringement of its proprietary rights. If we are not able to successfully defend patents
that may be issued to us, that we may acquire, or that we may license in the future, we may have to pay substantial damages or licensing
fees, possibly including treble damages, for past infringement.

We
may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents or other intellectual property, which could be expensive, time consuming,
and ultimately unsuccessful.

Competitors
may infringe our issued patents or other intellectual property. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, we intend to file infringement
claims, which can be expensive and time consuming. Any claims we assert against perceived infringers could provoke these parties to assert
counterclaims against us alleging that we infringe their intellectual property. In addition, in a patent infringement proceeding, a court
may decide that a patent of ours is invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, construe the patent’s claims narrowly, or refuse
to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the technology in question. An
adverse result in any litigation proceeding could put one or more of our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly,
which could adversely affect us.

 39 

If
we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed.

In
addition to seeking patents for some of our technology, we also intend to rely on trade secrets, including unpatented know-how, technology,
and other proprietary information, to maintain our competitive position. We have executed and will continue to seek to protect these
trade secrets, in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to them, such as
our employees, corporate collaborators, outside scientific collaborators, contract manufacturers, consultants, advisors, and other third
parties. We also have executed and will continue to seek to enter into confidentiality and invention or patent assignment agreements
with our employees and consultants. Despite these efforts, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose our proprietary
information, including our trade secrets, and we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches. Our trade secrets may
also be obtained by third parties by other means, such as breaches of our physical or