Company: MWA
Filing Date: 2025-11-19
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001350593-25-000066
Chunk: 287

Company: Mueller Water Products, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-11-19
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 287
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, which may result in additional expense and the diversion of resources to respond to these claims.  Finally, for those products in our portfolio that rely on patent protection, once a patent has expired the product is further subjected to competition.  Products under patent protection potentially generate significantly higher sales and earnings than those not protected by patents.  If we fail to successfully enforce our intellectual property rights or register new patents, our competitive position could suffer, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

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Table of ContentsIndex to Financial Statements

If we do not successfully maintain our information and technology networks, including the security of those networks, our operations could be disrupted and unanticipated increases in costs and/or decreases in sales could result.

We rely on various information technology systems, some of which are controlled by outside service providers, to manage key aspects of our operations.  The proper functioning of our information technology systems is important to the successful operation of our business.  If critical information technology systems fail, or are otherwise unavailable, our ability to manufacture products, process orders, track credit risk, identify business opportunities, maintain proper levels of inventories, collect accounts receivable, pay expenses and otherwise manage our business would be adversely affected.

We depend on the Internet and our information technology infrastructure for electronic communications among our locations around the world and among our personnel, suppliers and customers.  Cyber and other data security breaches of this infrastructure can create system disruptions, shutdowns or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information.  Likewise, if we or our service providers are unable to prevent future cybersecurity incidents, our operations could be disrupted, or we may suffer financial, reputational or other harm.  We continue to incur costs in connection with efforts to investigate potential threats, assess relevant impacts, enhance our data security and protect against unauthorized access to, or manipulation of, our systems and data.  Despite incurring these costs, we may not be able to prevent future cyber incidents.  Further, customers and third-party providers increasingly demand rigorous contractual provisions regarding privacy, cybersecurity, data protection, confidentiality and intellectual property, which may also increase our overall compliance burden and related costs.

We may fail to effectively manage confidential data, which could harm our reputation, result in substantial additional costs and subject us to litigation.

As we grow our technology-enabled products, services and solutions, we continue to accumulate increasing volumes of customer data.  In addition, we store personal information in connection with our human resources operations.  Our efforts to protect this information may be unsuccessful as a result of