Basanite (BASA) Risk Analysis

Any patents we have obtained or will obtain, may be challenged by re-examination, or otherwise invalidated or eventually found unenforceable. Both the patent application process and the process of managing patent disputes can be time consuming and expensive. If we were to initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent related to one of our products, the defendant in such litigation could counterclaim that our patent is invalid and/or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the U.S., defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity and/or unenforceability are commonplace, as are validity challenges by the defendant against the subject patent or other patents before the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO"). Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty, obviousness or non-enablement, failure to meet the written description requirement, indefiniteness, and/or failure to claim patent eligible subject matter. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent intentionally withheld material information from the USPTO, or made a misleading statement, during prosecution. Additional grounds for an unenforceability assertion include an allegation of misuse or anticompetitive use of patent rights, and an allegation of incorrect inventorship with deceptive intent. Third parties may also raise similar claims before the USPTO even outside the context of litigation. The outcome is unpredictable following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability. With respect to the validity question, for example, and even though we've had a third party conduct a search of the subject matter and provide a right to proceed, we cannot be certain that no invalidating prior art existed of which we and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. These assertions may also be based on information known to us or the USPTO. If a defendant or third party were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity and/or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the claims of the challenged patent. Such a loss of patent protection would or could have a material adverse impact on our business. The standards that the USPTO (and foreign equivalents) use to grant patents are not always applied predictably or uniformly and can change. There is also no uniform, worldwide policy regarding the subject matter and scope of claims granted or allowable in device patents. Accordingly, we do not know the degree of future protection for our proprietary rights or the breadth of claims that will be allowed in any patents issued to us or to others. However, there can be no assurance that our technology will not be found in the future to infringe upon the rights of others or be infringed upon by others. Moreover, patent applications are in some cases maintained in secrecy until patents are issued. The publication of discoveries in the scientific or patent literature frequently occurs substantially later than the date on which the underlying discoveries were made, and patent applications were filed. Because patents can take many years to issue, there may be currently pending applications of which we are unaware that may later result in issued patents that our products or product candidates infringe. For example, pending applications may exist that provide support or can be amended to provide support for a claim that results in an issued patent that our product infringes. In such a case, others may assert infringement claims against us, and should we be found to infringe upon their patents, or otherwise impermissibly utilize their intellectual property, we might be forced to pay damages, potentially including treble damages, if we are found to have willfully infringed on such parties' patent rights. In addition to any damages, we might have to pay, we may be required to obtain licenses from the holders of this intellectual property. We may fail to obtain any of these licenses or intellectual property rights on commercially reasonable terms. Even if we are able to obtain a license, it may be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us. In that event, we may be required to expend significant time and resources to develop or license replacement technology. If we are unable to do so, we may be unable to develop or commercialize the affected products, which could materially harm our business and the third parties owning such intellectual property rights could seek either an injunction prohibiting our sales, or, with respect to our sales, an obligation on our part to pay royalties and/or other forms of compensation. Conversely, we may not always be able to successfully pursue our claims against others that infringe upon our technology. Thus, the proprietary nature of our technology or technology licensed by us may not provide adequate protection against competitors. In addition to patents, we rely on trademarks to protect the recognition of our company and products in the marketplace. We also rely on trade secrets, know-how, and proprietary knowledge that we seek to protect, in part, through confidentiality agreements with employees, consultants and others. We cannot assure you that our proprietary information will not be shared, our confidentiality agreements will not be breached, that we will have adequate remedies for any breach, or that our trade secrets will not otherwise become known to or independently developed by competitors.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to protect our proprietary rights to the technologies used in our products and our proprietary scientific protocols. We depend heavily upon confidentiality agreements with our current and former officers, employees, consultants, and subcontractors to maintain the proprietary nature of our technology and our manufacturing processes. These measures may not afford us complete or even sufficient protection and may not afford an adequate remedy in the event of an unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. If we fail to protect and/or maintain our intellectual property, third parties may be able to compete more effectively against us, we may lose our technological or competitive advantage, and/or we may incur substantial litigation costs in our attempts to recover or restrict use of our intellectual property. In addition, others may independently develop technology similar to ours, otherwise avoiding the confidentiality agreements, or produce patents that would materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our business plan will be driven in material part by our ability to enter into contracts funded by federal, state and local governmental agencies. Our contracts with these governmental agencies would generally be subject to specific procurement regulations, contract provisions and a variety of socioeconomic requirements relating to their formation, administration, performance, and accounting and often include express or implied certifications of compliance. Further, government contracts typically provide for termination at the convenience of the customer with requirements to pay us for work performed through the date of termination. We may be subject to claims for civil or criminal fraud for actual or alleged violations of these various governmental regulations, requirements, or statutes. Further, if we fail to comply with any of these various governmental regulations, requirements, or statutes or if we have a substantial number of accumulated Occupational Safety and Health Administration or similar workplace safety violations, any government contracts to which we are a party could be terminated, and we could be suspended from government contracting or subcontracting, including federally funded projects at the state level. Even if we have not violated these various governmental regulations, requirements or statutes, allegations of violations could harm our reputation and require us to incur material costs to defend any such allegations or lawsuits. Should one or more of these events occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Various statutes to which our operations are or may in the future be subject, including laws prescribing a minimum wage and regulating overtime and working conditions, provide for mandatory suspension and/or debarment of contractors in certain circumstances involving statutory violations. In addition, the federal and various state statutes provide for discretionary suspension and/or debarment in certain circumstances, including as a result of being convicted of, or being found civilly liable for, fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public contract or subcontract. The scope and duration of any suspension or debarment may vary depending upon the facts of a particular case and the statutory or regulatory grounds for debarment. Any suspension or debarment from government contracting could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We currently market and sell BasaFlex on a very limited basis, mainly through distribution partners but also directly. We plan to significantly increase the scope of our sales and marketing activities, as we grow to include approvals and new material specifications with all major federal, state and local agencies and design-build firms. In particular, we are seeking to develop concrete industry partnerships, targeting large concrete manufacturers and contractors. For specific marketing purposes, we have begun to develop industry specific educational materials, such as white papers and other collaterals to further educate our markets on the use and value of our products versus traditional steel rebar. We are participating in industry committees and associations such as ASTM International (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials) and the Advisory Council of Managing Agents (known as ACMA). The commercial success of BasaFlex™ and our other basalt fiber products ultimately depends upon a number of factors, including ultimate material acceptance and necessary specifications required to drive demand generation. BasaFlex™ and our other products may not gain significant increased market acceptance in the construction industry. While positive customer experiences can be a significant driver of future sales, it is impossible to influence the way this information is transmitted and received amongst participants in the construction industry. In addition, we may not be able to establish or maintain a suitable sales force or enter into or maintain satisfactory marketing and distribution arrangements with others. Our marketing and sales efforts may not be successful in increasing awareness and sales of BasaFlex or our other products. Furthermore, other marketing efforts like advertising, trade shows and educational seminars may not increase revenue to the extent we currently anticipate.