and required to comply with onerous conditions or restrictions on these solutions, which could disrupt the distribution and sale of these solutions. In addition, there have been claims challenging the ownership rights in of open source software against companies that incorporate open source software into their products, and the licensors of such open source software provide no warranties or indemnities with respect to such claims. In any of these events, we and our customers could be required to seek licenses from third parties in order to continue offering our products, and to re-engineer our products or discontinue the sale of our products in the event re-engineering cannot be accomplished on a timely basis. We and our customers may also be subject to suits by parties claiming infringement due to the reliance by our solutions on certain open source software, and such litigation could be costly for us to defend or subject us to an injunction. Any of the foregoing could require us to devote additional research and development resources to re-engineer our solutions, could result in customer dissatisfaction, and may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We may be the subject of litigation which, if adversely determined, could harm our business and operating results.
Our business is subject to regulation by various federal, state, local and foreign governmental agencies, including agencies responsible for monitoring and enforcing employment and labor laws, workplace safety, product safety, environmental laws, consumer protection laws, anti-bribery laws, import/export controls, federal securities laws and tax laws and regulations. Noncompliance with applicable regulations or requirements could subject us to investigations, sanctions, mandatory product recalls, enforcement actions, disgorgement of profits, fines, damages and civil and criminal penalties or injunctions. We are, and may in the future be, subject to legal claims arising in the normal course of business, including patent, copyright, trade secret, commercial, product liability, employment, class action, whistleblower and other litigation and claims. An unfavorable outcome on any litigation matter could require that we pay substantial damages. In addition, we may decide to settle any litigation, which could cause us to incur significant costs.
The outcome of litigation and other claims or lawsuits is intrinsically uncertain. Management’s view of the litigation might also change in the future. Actual outcomes of litigation and other claims or lawsuits could differ from the assessments made by management in prior periods, which are the basis for our accounting for these litigations and claims under GAAP. A settlement or an unfavorable outcome on any litigation matter could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, reputation, financial position or cash flows. In addition, responding to any action will likely result in a significant diversion of management’s attention and resources and an increase in professional fees. Enforcement actions and sanctions could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
In connection with the operation of our business, we collect, store, transfer and otherwise process certain personal data and personally identifiable information. As a result, our business is subject to a variety of federal, state, foreign government and industry regulations, as well as self-regulation, related to privacy, data security and data protection. Our actual or perceived failure to protect personal data and other information could have an adverse effect on our business.
Privacy, data protection and security have become significant issues in the United States, Europe and in other jurisdictions where we offer our products. The regulatory frameworks for privacy, data protection and information security issues worldwide are rapidly evolving, being tested in courts, likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future and may result in ever-increasing regulatory and public scrutiny as well as escalating levels of enforcement and sanctions. Federal, state, and foreign government bodies and agencies have in the past adopted, and may in the future adopt, new laws and regulations or may make amendments to existing laws and regulations affecting data protection, data privacy and/or security, including collection, use, retention, protection, disclosure, transfer and other processing of personal data and other information. Industry organizations also regularly adopt and advocate for new standards in these areas.
Moreover, evolving and changing definitions of personal data and personal information, within the European Union, the United States and elsewhere, especially relating to classification of IP addresses, machine identification, location data and other information, may limit or inhibit our ability to operate or expand our business, including limiting strategic partnerships that may involve the sharing of data. Any perception of privacy, data protection, or data security concerns or an inability to comply with applicable laws, regulations, policies, industry standards, contractual obligations or other legal obligations, even if unfounded, may result in additional cost and liability to us, harm our reputation and