Company: IMCR
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001671927-25-000006
Chunk: 152

Company: Immunocore Holdings plc
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 152
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 activities satisfy those diligence obligations;

•the inventorship and ownership of inventions and know-how resulting from the joint creation or use of intellectual property by our counterparty and us and our partners; and

•the priority of invention of patented technology.

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These agreements may be complex, and certain provisions in such agreements may be susceptible to multiple interpretations. The resolution of any contract interpretation disagreement that may arise could narrow what we believe to be the scope of our rights to the relevant intellectual property or technology, or increase what we believe to be our financial or other obligations under the relevant agreement, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects. Moreover, if disputes over intellectual property that we have licensed prevent or impair our ability to maintain our licensing arrangements on commercially acceptable terms, we may be unable to successfully develop and commercialize the affected product candidates. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions, results of operations, and prospects.

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

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on several patent cases in recent years with potential impact on the scope of patent protection and patent eligibility, depending on the types of claims being pursued, as well as on the ability of patent owners to defend and challenge patents. This may result in greater uncertainty with respect to obtaining and ascribing value to patents. Depending on actions by the U.S. Congress, the federal courts and the USPTO, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that would weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce patents that we have licensed or that we might obtain in the future. For example, recent decisions could impact how patent term adjustment, which often results in longer patent term, would be accorded for a particular patent.  Similarly, changes in patent law and regulations in other countries or jurisdictions or changes in the governmental bodies that enforce them or changes in how the relevant governmental authority enforces patent laws or regulations may affect our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce patents that we have licensed or that we may obtain in the future. For example, the landscape of European patent laws has also changed in recent years. In Europe, a new unitary patent system took effect June 1, 2023, which has the potential to significantly impact European patents, including those granted before