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Collaborative Research, Development, and License Agreements
3 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2024
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Collaborative Research, Development, and License Agreements

Note 6. Collaborative Research, Development, and License Agreements

License Agreements

BICO Group AB

From June 2021 to February 2022, certain patents owned or sublicensed by the Company became the subject of inter partes review proceedings filed by Cellink AB and its subsidiaries (collectively, “BICO Group AB”). The Company and BICO Group AB were also engaged in litigation regarding patent infringement during the same time period. On February 22, 2022, the Company and BICO Group AB signed a settlement and patent license agreement (“License Agreement”) to close all matters noted above. In addition to closing all legal matters and patent disputes noted above, as part of the agreement, the Company agreed to grant a non-exclusive license to BICO Group AB to use the Company’s aforementioned patents for its business operations of manufacturing and selling bioprinters as well as bioinks. The Company concluded that the nature of the license granted represents functional intellectual property.

As part of the License Agreement, BICO Group AB agreed to pay the Company ongoing sales-based royalties (based on percentages of BICO Group AB’s net sales) for the use of the granted license. The sales-based royalties became effective beginning on February 22, 2022, the effective date of the License Agreement, and continue until the expiration of the last surviving licensed patent. As the sales-based royalties are required to be paid 45 days after the end of every quarter, there is variable consideration that must be estimated to determine royalty revenue within a given reporting period. Once actual revenue earned is determined in the following fiscal quarter, an adjustment is made from the previously estimated amount. For the three months ended June 30, 2024, the Company recorded $31,000 of royalty revenue based on sales-based royalties from the License Agreement. Royalty revenue presented on the Statements of Operations and Other Comprehensive Loss is $25,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2024, due to a decrease adjustment related to the prior quarter.

Also as part of the License Agreement, certain patents involved in the agreement are sublicensed by the Company from the University of Missouri and Clemson University. See below for further information.

University of Missouri

In March 2009, the Company entered into a license agreement with the Curators of the University of Missouri ("University of Missouri") to in-license certain technology and intellectual property relating to self-assembling cell aggregates and intermediate cellular units. The Company received the exclusive worldwide rights to commercialize products comprising this technology for all fields of use. The Company is required to pay the University of Missouri royalties ranging from 1% to 3% of net sales of covered tissue products, and of the fair market value of covered tissues transferred internally for use in the Company’s commercial service business, depending on the level of net sales achieved by the Company each year.

On December 5, 2022, the Company amended the license agreement with the University of Missouri, whereby the Company agreed to pay a single, up-front payment of $50,000 to the University of Missouri in exchange for the aforementioned licensed intellectual property to be fully paid up by the Company. As a result, the Company will continue to have rights to the licensed intellectual property until its expiration, but will no longer owe minimum annual royalty payments, royalty payments based on net sales, or any other payments (other than patent annuities and any prosecution costs) in the future.

Clemson University

In May 2011, the Company entered into a license agreement with Clemson University Research Foundation ("CURF") to in-license certain technology and intellectual property relating to ink-jet printing of viable cells. The Company received the exclusive worldwide rights to commercialize products comprising this technology for all fields of use. The Company is required to pay CURF royalties ranging from 1.5% to 3% of net sales of covered tissue products and the fair market value of covered tissues transferred internally for use in the Company’s commercial service business, depending on the level of net sales reached each year. The license agreement terminates upon expiration of the patents licensed, which expired in May 2024, and is subject to certain conditions as defined in the license agreement. Minimum annual royalty payments of $20,000 were due for two years beginning in calendar 2014, and $40,000 per year beginning in calendar 2016. Royalty payments of $40,000 were made in each of the years ended March 31, 2024 and 2023. The annual minimum royalty is creditable against royalties owed during the same calendar year. As the licensed patents expired in May 2024, there will be no further royalty payments owed.

 

In addition to the annual royalties noted above, CURF is owed 40% of all payments including but not limited to, upfront payments, license fees, issue fees, maintenance fees, and milestone payments received from third parties, including sublicensees, in consideration for sublicensing rights to licensed products. However, per the agreement, in the event that the Company defends the technology by litigation, it can offset any royalties due by legal expenses incurred. As of June 30, 2024, the Company’s legal expenses exceeded royalties owed from the upfront payment and sales-based royalties related to the license agreement. Therefore, no royalty expense to

CURF was recorded for the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. No royalty expense related to sales-based royalties has been recorded to date.