Company: OCEA
Filing Date: 2025-04-08
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001641172-25-003155
Chunk: 3526

Company: Ocean Biomedical, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-04-08
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 3526
---
 could counterclaim that the patent covering our product candidate, as applicable, is invalid and/or unenforceable. In patent
litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity and/or unenforceability are commonplace, and there are numerous
grounds upon which a third-party can assert invalidity or unenforceability of a patent. Third parties may also raise similar claims before
administrative bodies in the United States or abroad, even outside the context of litigation. Such mechanisms include re-examination,
inter partes review, post grant review, and equivalent proceedings in foreign jurisdictions (e.g., opposition proceedings). Such proceedings
could result in revocation or amendment to our patents in such a way that they no longer cover our product candidates. The outcome following
legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability is unpredictable. With respect to the validity question, for example, we cannot be
certain that there is no invalidating prior art, of which we, our patent counsel and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution.
If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity and/or unenforceability, or if we are otherwise unable to adequately
protect our rights, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on our product candidates. Such a loss of
patent protection could have a material adverse impact on our business and our ability to commercialize or license our technology and
product candidates.

Likewise,
without taking into account any possible patent term adjustments or extensions, our current sublicensed patents sublicensed from Brown
University and Rhode Island Hospital may expire before, or soon after, our first product achieves marketing approval in the United States
or foreign jurisdictions. Upon the expiration of our current patents, we may lose the right to exclude others from practicing these inventions.
The expiration of these patents could also have a similar material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition
and prospects. We also have rights to pending patent applications covering our proprietary technologies or our product candidates, but
we cannot be assured that the USPTO or relevant foreign patent offices will grant any of these patent applications.

Changes
in patent law in the U.S. and in foreign jurisdictions could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability
to protect our products.

103

Changes
in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the United States could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding
the prosecution of patent applications and the enforcement or defense of issued patents.