Company: CERO
Filing Date: 2025-04-15
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001213900-25-032134
Chunk: 1676

Company: CERO THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-04-15
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 1676
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 that one or more of our patents is not valid or is unenforceable or may refuse
to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the technology in question. An
adverse result in any litigation or defense proceedings could put one or more of our patents at risk of being invalidated, held unenforceable
or interpreted narrowly and could put one or more of our pending patent applications at risk of not issuing. Defense of these claims,
regardless of their merit, would involve substantial litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of employee resources from
our business. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may have to pay substantial damages, including treble
damages and attorneys’ fees for willful infringement, obtain one or more licenses from third parties, pay royalties or redesign
our infringing products, which may be impossible or require substantial time and monetary expenditure.

Interference or derivation
proceedings provoked by third parties or brought by the USPTO may be necessary to determine the priority or provenance of inventions with
respect to our patents or patent applications or those of our prospective licensors. An unfavorable outcome could result in a loss of
our current patent rights and could require us to cease using the related technology or to attempt to license rights to it from the prevailing
party. Our business could be harmed if the prevailing party does not offer us a license on commercially reasonable terms. Litigation or
interference or derivation proceedings may result in a decision adverse to our interests and, even if we are successful, may result in
substantial costs and distract our management and other employees. We may not be able to prevent, alone or with our licensors, misappropriation
of our trade secrets or confidential information, particularly in countries where the laws may not protect those rights as fully as in
the United States.

Furthermore, because of the
substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential
information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. In addition, there could be public announcements of the
results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results
to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our Common Stock.

Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection
depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent
agencies, and our patent protection