Company: APPF
Filing Date: 2025-02-06
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001433195-25-000013
Chunk: 7

Company: APPFOLIO INC
Filing Date: 2025-02-06
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 7
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 some of our competitors may have greater financial, technical and other resources, greater name recognition and larger sales and marketing budgets; therefore, we may not always compare favorably with respect to some or all of the foregoing factors. Further, the barrier to entry for competition in one or more areas we serve may be low, which could lead to competition from new entrants who solve similar problems in different ways.

Intellectual Property

We rely on a combination of patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, confidentiality procedures and contractual restrictions to establish and protect our proprietary rights in our services. We may pursue additional patent protection to the extent we believe it would be beneficial and cost-effective.

We control access to our proprietary technology by entering into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with our employees and contractors, and confidentiality agreements with third parties. We also limit access to certain confidential information or trade secret information, including our source code, to those who have a need for such access. Despite our precautions, it may be possible for unauthorized third parties to copy our products and use information that we regard as proprietary to create products and services that compete with ours.

5

Government Regulation

Our business activities are subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations. In addition, certain of our services (such as our tenant screening and risk mitigation services) are highly regulated or intended to be used in connection with other highly regulated activities. Some of the federal laws and regulations to which our products and services are subject include, without limitation:

•the Fair Housing Act;

•the Fair Credit Reporting Act (the "FCRA");

•the Americans with Disabilities Act;

•the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act; and

•the Federal Trade Commission Act.

State law equivalents of the foregoing, plus various state regulations related to insurance licensing and solicitation and privacy also apply to certain of our services. In addition, our services are subject to changing federal and state laws and regulations, the application or interpretation of which is not clear in some jurisdictions. Moreover, federal and state legislatures and regulatory agencies have indicated they are focused on protecting tenants. This focus may result in the introduction of new laws and regulations that are directly applicable to our business. We have implemented various programs, processes and controls focused on compliance with applicable laws and regulations throughout our business; however, there is no guarantee that we will not be subject to fines, penalties or other regulatory actions in one or more jurisdictions, or be required to adjust our business practices to accommodate future regulatory requirements.

See Item 1A, "Risk Factors"