Company: WHWK
Filing Date: 2025-01-21
Form Type: PREM14A
Source: 0001193125-25-009599
Chunk: 438

Company: Whitehawk Therapeutics, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-01-21
Form: PREM14A
Chunk 438
---
 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 PGR, IPR, and derivation proceedings. An adverse determination in any such submission or proceeding could reduce the scope or
enforceability of, or invalidate, our patent rights, which could adversely affect our competitive position.

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. Thus, the Leahy-Smith Act and its implementation 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, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Changes in United States patent law, or laws in other countries, could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our product or product candidates.

As is the case with other pharmaceutical companies, our success is heavily dependent on intellectual
property, particularly patents. Obtaining and enforcing patents in the pharmaceutical industry involve a high degree of technological and legal complexity. Therefore, obtaining and enforcing pharmaceutical patents is costly, time consuming and
inherently uncertain. Changes in either the patent laws or in the interpretations of patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our intellectual property and may increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding
the prosecution of patent applications and the enforcement or defense of issued patents. We cannot predict the breadth of claims that may be allowed or enforced in our patents or in third-party patents. In addition, Congress or other foreign
legislative bodies may pass patent reform legislation that is unfavorable to us.

For example, the United States Supreme Court has ruled on several patent
cases in recent years, either narrowing the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances or weakening the rights of patent owners in

- 294 -

certain situations.