XML 28 R18.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.22.2
Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

11. Commitments and Contingencies

Litigation and Contingencies Related to Use of Intellectual Property

From time to time, the Company may become subject to legal proceedings, claims and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. For example, third parties might allege that the Company or its collaborators are infringing their patent rights or that the Company is otherwise violating their intellectual property rights. Such third parties may resort to litigation against the Company or its collaborators, which the Company has agreed to indemnify. With respect to some of these patents, the Company expects that it will be required to obtain licenses and could be required to pay license fees or royalties, or both. These licenses may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. A costly license, or inability to obtain a necessary license, would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. The Company accrues contingent liabilities when it is probable that future expenditures will be made and such expenditures can be reasonably estimated.

In June 2022, the Company announced that it filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts against Pfizer, Inc. seeking damages for infringement of U.S. Patent No. 11,358,953 (the ’953 Patent) in the manufacture, use and sale of Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral, Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir tablets; ritonavir tablets). The United States Patent and Trademark Office awarded the '953 Patent to the Company in June 2022 based on the Company's July 2020 patent application describing coronavirus protease inhibitors invented by the Company. The Company is seeking fair compensation for Pfizer’s use of a coronavirus protease inhibitor claimed in the ‘953 patent. The Company records all legal expenses associated with the patent infringement suit as incurred in the consolidated statements of operations.

The Company currently is not a party to any other litigation.

Indemnification Agreements

In the ordinary course of business, the Company may provide indemnifications of varying scope and terms to customers, vendors, lessors, business partners, and other parties with respect to certain matters including, but not limited to, losses arising out of breach of such agreements or from services to be provided to the Company, or from intellectual property infringement claims made by third parties. In addition, the Company has entered into indemnification agreements with members of its board of directors and its executive officers that will require the Company, among other things, to indemnify them against certain liabilities that may arise by reason of their status or service as directors or officers. The maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these indemnification agreements is, in many cases, unlimited. To date, the Company has not incurred any material costs as a result of such indemnifications. In addition, the Company maintains officers and directors insurance coverage. The Company does not believe that the outcome of any claims under indemnification arrangements will have a material effect on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows, and it has not accrued any liabilities related to such obligations in its financial statements as of June 30, 2022.