Company: HCWB
Filing Date: 2025-04-28
Form Type: DRS
Source: 0000950123-25-003769
Chunk: 73

Company: HCW Biologics Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-04-28
Form: DRS
Chunk 73
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thereon being unenforceable. Inventorship disputes may arise from conflicting views regarding the contributions of

42

Confidential Treatment Requested by HCW Biologics Inc.

Pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83

different individuals named as inventors, the effects of foreign laws where foreign nationals are involved in the development of the subject matter of the patent, conflicting obligations of third
parties involved in developing our product candidates or as a result of questions regarding co-ownership of potential joint inventions. Litigation may be necessary to resolve these and other claims challenging inventorship and/or ownership.
Alternatively, or additionally, we may enter into agreements to clarify the scope of our rights in such intellectual property. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual
property rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or right to use, valuable intellectual property. Such an outcome could have a material adverse effect on our business. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could
result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and other employees.

We may rely on trade secret and proprietary know-how, which can be difficult to trace and enforce and, 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 and product candidates, we may rely on trade secrets and/or confidential know-how to
protect our technology, especially where patent protection is believed to be of limited value, to maintain our competitive position with respect to our research programs and product candidates. Elements of our product candidates, including processes
for their preparation and manufacture, may involve proprietary know-how, information, or technology that is not covered by patents, and thus for these aspects we may consider trade secrets and know-how to be our primary intellectual property. Any
disclosure, either intentional or unintentional, by our employees or by other third parties of our trade secrets or proprietary information could enable competitors to duplicate or surpass our technological achievements, thus adversely eroding our
competitive position in our market. Further, monitoring unauthorized uses and disclosures is difficult, and we do not know whether the steps we have taken to protect our internally developed technology will be effective. Enforcing a claim that a
third party illegally obtained and is using trade secrets and/or confidential know-how is also expensive, time-consuming, and unpredictable.

The enforceability of confidentiality agreements may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The laws of some