Item 1. Legal Proceedings
Item 1. Legal Proceedings.
We are involved in various legal claims and proceedings in the normal course of operations. We believe the outcome of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or liquidity, except as described in Part 1, Item 3. “Legal Proceedings” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K. Since the filing of our Form 10-K, there have been no material changes in our legal proceedings from those disclosed therein, other than as noted below.
Our patent infringement proceedings in Italy against of AMA S.p.A. and AMA Composites S.r.l. (collectively, AMA) are ongoing. In July 2023, the technical experts appointed by the judge issued a report finding key claims of our process patents valid and infringed by the aerogel products manufactured by Nano Tech Co., Ltd. and sold by AMA.
Our patent infringement proceedings in Korea against Beerenberg Services AS, Beerenberg Korea Ltd., and Bronx (China) Co., Ltd. (collectively, “Beerenberg”) at the Seoul District Court and Korea Trade Commission (KTC) are ongoing. Beerenberg Korea Ltd. and Bronx (China) Co., Ltd. have confirmed in their answers to the KTC investigation that the accused infringing products are manufactured in China by Bronx (China) Co., Ltd. and imported into Korea by Beerenberg Korea Ltd.
In August and September 2023, LG Chem Ltd. filed oppositions at the Korean Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board and at the Japanese Patent Office against one of the Korean patents we are asserting against Beerenberg in Korea and a Japanese counterpart of the Korean patents. We intend to vigorously defend the validity of these patents.
In October 2022, we were served with a summons from Aerogels Poland Nanotechnology LLC (“APN”), a former distributor of our products in Poland with whom we previously terminated our distribution agreements because of APN’s failure to pay amounts due to us. The summons asserts causes of action for declaratory judgment, breach of contract, breach of implied contract, equitable estoppel and fraud, and states that plaintiffs will seek declaratory judgment, actual and liquidated damages in the sum of $20 million, in addition to attorneys’ fees. We were not served with any complaint at the time the summons was served. In December 2022, we filed a notice of appearance in New York County Supreme Court and a demand upon plaintiffs to file and serve a complaint. In March 2023, plaintiffs filed a complaint asserting various causes of action consistent with those set forth in the October 2022 summons, and a demand for monetary damages and other relief in excess of $16 million. On June 30, 2023, we filed a motion for an order to compel arbitration, seeking dismissal of certain claims, and for attorney’s fees. We intend to vigorously defend this matter.
Item 1A. Ri sk Factors.
The ownership of our common stock involves a number of risks and uncertainties. When evaluating the Company and our business before making an investment decision regarding our securities, potential investors should carefully consider the risk factors and uncertainties described in Part 1, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K. Since the filing of our Form 10-K, there have been no material changes in our risk factors from those disclosed therein, other than as provided below.
We are engaging third-party contract manufacturers in China to supply our energy industrial products beginning in 2024. If such contract manufacturers are unable to manufacture and deliver a sufficient quantity of high-quality products on a timely and cost-efficient basis, our net revenue and business operations may be harmed and our reputation may suffer.
We are engaging one or more contract manufacturers in China for supply of our energy industrial products beginning in 2024, which we believe will enable us to achieve a target revenue capacity of approximately $550.0 million in 2024 and prior to the completion and start-up of our planned second manufacturing plant. If our contract manufacturers are unable to deliver the required aerogel product on a timely basis, we may experience delays in delivering our finished aerogel product to customers in the energy industrial market. In addition, because our third party contract manufacturers have manufacturing facilities in China, their ability to provide us with adequate supplies of high-quality products on a timely and cost-efficient basis is subject to a number of additional risks and uncertainties, including political, social and economic instability and other factors that could impact the shipment of supplies. If our manufacturers are unable to provide us with adequate supplies of high-quality aerogel products on a timely and cost-efficient basis, our operations could be disrupted and our revenue and business operations may suffer. Moreover, if our third-party contract manufacturers cannot consistently produce high-quality products that are free of defects, we may experience a loss of customers, which may also reduce our revenues and may harm our reputation and brand. Furthermore, our third-party contract manufacturers may become subject to various supply chain disruptions, including but not limited as a result of COVID-19, other pandemics or public health crises, and geopolitical disputes and conflicts, any of which could slow or halt the delivery of products to us and increase the price of certain materials due to resulting increases in costs of raw materials and shipping costs.
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Our potential inability to adequately protect our intellectual property as a result of engaging contract manufacturers in China for the supply of our aerogel products for our customers in the energy industrial market could negatively impact our performance.
In connection with our engagement of contract manufacturers in China, we expect to implement customary manufacturer safeguards onsite, such as the use of confidentiality agreements with employees, to protect our proprietary information and technologies during the manufacturing process of our aerogel products for the energy industrial market. However, these safeguards may not effectively prevent unauthorized use of such information and technical know-how, or prevent the contract manufacturer from retaining them. Although the courts in China are increasing and broadening their protection of intellectual property rights, the legal regime governing intellectual property rights in China is relatively immature and it is often difficult to create and enforce intellectual property rights or protect trade secrets there. We face risks that our proprietary information may not be afforded the same protection in China as it is in countries with well-developed intellectual property laws, and local laws may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights in China, and failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive business position. In the event that the third-party contract manufacturer of our proprietary aerogel product misappropriates our intellectual property, our business, prospects and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
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