Clearwire 2009 Annual Report Download - page 47

We ma
yb
e una
bl
eto
p
rotect our inte
ll
ectua
lp
ro
p
ert
y
,w
h
ic
h
cou
ld
re
d
uce t
h
eva
l
ue o
f
our services an
d
o
ur brand
.
Our a
bili
t
y
to compete e
ff
ect
i
ve
ly d
epen
d
s on our a
bili
t
y
to protect our propr
i
etar
y
networ
k
an
d
s
y
stem
designs. We may not be able to safeguard and maintain our proprietary rights. We rely on patents, trademarks an
d
p
o
li
c
i
es an
d
proce
d
ures re
l
ate
d
to con
fid
ent
i
a
li
t
y
to protect our
i
nte
ll
ectua
l
propert
y
. Some o
f
our
i
nte
ll
ectua
l
p
ropert
y
,
h
owever,
i
s not covere
dby
an
y
o
f
t
h
ese protect
i
ons. An
yf
a
il
ure to protect our
i
nte
ll
ectua
l
propert
y
,
i
ncluding a failure to obtain requested patents or trademark registrations, may reduce the value of our services an
d
our
b
ran
d
or ma
y
resu
l
t
i
nt
h
e
l
oss o
f
r
igh
ts
i
nw
hi
c
h
we
h
ave
i
nveste
d
s
ig
n
ifi
cant t
i
me or costs.
Our pen
di
ng patent app
li
cat
i
ons may not
b
e grante
d
or,
i
nt
h
e case o
f
patents
i
ssue
d
or to
b
e
i
ssue
d
,t
h
ec
l
a
i
ms
allowed ma
y
not be sufficientl
y
broad to protect our intellectual propert
y
. Even if all of our patent applications wer
e
i
ssued and were sufficientl
y
broad, our patents ma
y
be challen
g
ed or invalidated. In addition, the United States
P
atent an
d
Tra
d
emar
k
O
ffi
ce may not grant
f
e
d
era
l
reg
i
strat
i
ons
b
ase
d
on our pen
di
ng tra
d
emar
k
app
li
cat
i
ons. Even
i
f federal re
g
istrations are
g
ranted, these trademark ri
g
hts ma
y
be challen
g
ed. Moreover, patent and trademar
k
applications filed in forei
g
n countries ma
y
be sub
j
ect to laws, rules and procedures that are substantiall
y
different
f
rom t
h
ose o
f
t
h
eUn
i
te
d
States, an
d
any
f
ore
i
gn patents may
b
e
diffi
cu
l
tan
d
expens
i
ve to o
b
ta
i
nan
d
en
f
orce. We
c
ou
ld
,t
h
ere
f
ore,
i
ncur su
b
stant
i
a
l
costs
i
n prosecut
i
n
g
patent an
d
tra
d
emar
ki
n
f
r
i
n
g
ement su
i
ts or ot
h
erw
i
s
e
p
rotectin
g
our intellectual propert
y
ri
g
hts.
We cou
ld b
esu
b
ject to c
l
aims t
h
at we
h
ave infringe
d
on t
h
e proprietary rig
h
ts of ot
h
ers, w
h
ic
h
c
l
aim
s
w
ould likely be costly to defend, could require us to pay damages and could limit our ability to us
e
necessary technologies in the future
.
C
ompetitors or other persons ma
y
have independentl
y
developed or patented technolo
g
ies or processes that are
s
ubstantiall
y
equivalent or superior to ours or that are necessar
y
to permit us to deplo
y
and operate our network,
w
h
et
h
er
b
ase
d
on
l
egacy or mo
bil
eW
i
MAX tec
h
no
l
ogy, or to o
ff
er a
ddi
t
i
ona
l
serv
i
ces, suc
h
as VoIP, or compet
i
tor
s
m
a
y
develop or patent such technolo
g
ies or processes in the future. These persons ma
y
claim that our services an
d
p
roducts infrin
g
e on these patents or other proprietar
y
ri
g
hts. For instance, certain third parties claim that the
y
hol
d
p
atents re
l
at
i
ng to certa
i
n aspects o
f
mo
bil
eW
i
MAX an
d
VoIP tec
h
no
l
ogy. T
h
ese t
hi
r
d
part
i
es may see
k
to en
f
orce
t
hese patent ri
g
hts a
g
ainst the operators of mobile WiMAX networks and VoIP telephon
y
service providers, such as
us. Defendin
g
a
g
ainst infrin
g
ement claims can be time consumin
g
, distractin
g
and costl
y
, even if the claims prove t
o
b
ew
i
t
h
out mer
i
t. I
f
we are
f
oun
d
to
b
e
i
n
f
r
i
ng
i
ng t
h
e propr
i
etary r
i
g
h
ts o
f
at
hi
r
d
party, we cou
ld b
een
j
o
i
ne
df
ro
m
us
i
n
g
suc
h
t
hi
r
d
part
y
’s r
igh
ts, ma
yb
e requ
i
re
d
to pa
y
su
b
stant
i
a
l
ro
y
a
l
t
i
es an
dd
ama
g
es, an
d
ma
y
no
l
on
g
er
b
ea
bl
e
t
o use the intellectual propert
y
sub
j
ect to such ri
g
hts on acceptable terms or at all. Failure to obtain licenses t
o
i
ntellectual property held by third parties on reasonable terms, or at all, could delay or prevent the development o
r
d
ep
l
o
y
ment o
f
our serv
i
ces an
d
cou
ld
cause us to expen
d
s
ig
n
ifi
cant resources to
d
eve
l
op or acqu
i
re non-
i
n
f
r
i
n
gi
n
g
i
ntellectual propert
y.
Our
b
usiness wi
ll d
e
p
en
d
on a strong
b
ran
d
,an
d
i
f
we
d
o not
d
eve
l
o
p
, maintain an
d
en
h
ance our
b
ran
d
s,
o
ur ability to attract and retain subscribers may be impaired and our business and operating results ma
y
b
ea
d
verse
ly
a
ff
ecte
d.
We believe that our brands will be a critical part of our business. Developin
g
, maintainin
g
and enhancin
g
our
b
ran
d
s may requ
i
re us to ma
k
esu
b
stant
i
a
li
nvestments w
i
t
h
no assurance t
h
at t
h
ese
i
nvestments w
ill b
e success
f
u
l.
I
f
we
f
a
il
to
d
eve
l
op, promote an
d
ma
i
nta
i
n strong
b
ran
d
s, or
if
we
i
ncur s
i
gn
ifi
cant expenses to promote t
h
e
b
ran
d
s
and are still unsuccessful in maintainin
g
a stron
g
brand, our business, prospects, operatin
g
results and financial
c
on
di
t
i
on may
b
ea
d
verse
l
ya
ff
ecte
d
. We ant
i
c
i
pate t
h
at
d
eve
l
op
i
ng, ma
i
nta
i
n
i
ng an
d
en
h
anc
i
ng our
b
ran
d
sw
ill
b
ecome
i
ncreas
i
ng
l
y
i
mportant,
diffi
cu
l
tan
d
expens
i
ve now t
h
at we are
f
ocuse
d
on promot
i
ng an
d
mar
k
et
i
ng ou
r
4G services under the CLEAR
TM
R
brand
.
Our
b
usinesses outsi
d
et
h
e Unite
d
States o
p
erate in a com
p
etitive environment
d
i
ff
erent t
h
an t
he
e
nvironment wit
h
in t
h
e Unite
d
States. An
yd
i
ff
icu
l
ties in managing t
h
ese
b
usinesses cou
ld
occu
py a
d
isproportionate amount of our management’s attention and disrupt our operations
.
We operate or
h
o
ld
spectrum outs
id
eo
f
t
h
eUn
i
te
d
States t
h
rou
gh
our su
b
s
idi
ar
i
es
i
nBe
lgi
um, Ire
l
an
d
,
G
ermany, Poland and Spain and an investment in Mexico. Subject to the limitations imposed by the Equityholders
’
3
7