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 Korea against Beerenberg Services AS, Beerenberg Korea Ltd., and Bronx (China) Co., Ltd., are ongoing. The patent infringement case at the Seoul District Court and our appeal of the Korea Trade Commission decision at the Seoul Administrative Court remain stayed pending the outcome of our appeals of the Korean Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board decisions to the Korean IP High Court.
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. In July 2023, we filed a motion to compel arbitration, and in February 2024, the Court granted our motion and stayed the litigation pending arbitration. To the extent APN seeks to pursue claims in an arbitration proceeding, we intend to continue to vigorously defend this matter, including seeking our legal costs.
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. Since the filing of our Annual Report, there have been no material changes in our risk factors from those disclosed therein other than as described below.
Changes in U.S. trade policy and the impact of tariffs may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected by uncertainty and changes in U.S. trade policies, including tariffs, quotas, trade agreements or other trade restrictions imposed by the U.S. or other governments. For example, in April 2025, the U.S. government announced a 10% tariff on product imports from almost all countries and individualized higher tariffs on certain other countries, including a 145% tariff on product imports from China. Several tariff announcements have been followed by announcements of limited exemptions and temporary pauses. These actions have caused substantial uncertainty and volatility in financial markets and may result in retaliatory measures on U.S. goods.
Our business requires access to materials to manufacture our products, some of which we source from suppliers located outside the United States. Any imposition of or increase in tariffs or other restrictions on imports of materials on which our products rely, as well as corresponding price increases for such materials available domestically, if any, could increase our costs. We would likely be unable to pass all or any such cost increases on to our customers and such cost increases could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition, including our gross margin.
Tariffs or other trade restrictions may lead to continuing uncertainty and volatility in U.S. and global financial and economic conditions and commodity markets, declining consumer confidence, significant inflation and diminished expectations for the economy. Such conditions could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial position. Also, disruptions and volatility in the financial markets may lead to adverse changes in the availability, terms and cost of capital. Such adverse changes could increase our costs of capital and limit our access to external financing sources.
35
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.