CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP) 8-K Other Events

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): June 25, 2019

CRISPR THERAPEUTICS AG

(Exact Name of Company as Specified in Charter)

Switzerland	001-37923	Not Applicable
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

Baarerstrasse 14

6300 Zug

Switzerland

+41 61 228 7800

(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

Not applicable

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR240.14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR240.14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class	Trading Symbol	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Shares, CHF 0.03 par value	CRSP	NASDAQ Stock Market LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 or Rule12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Emerging growth company  ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Item 8.01 Other Events.

On June 25, 2019, CRISPR Therapeutics AG (the “Company”) received notification that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (the “USPTO”)has initiated an interference proceeding at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (the “PTAB”) between certain pending US patent applicationsco-owned by the University of California, the University of Vienna and Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier (collectively, the “CVC Group”) and certain patents and a patent application currently owned by the Broad Institute, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (collectively “Broad”), all of which are related to the single guide format of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology in eukaryotic cells. CRISPR Therapeutics has an exclusive worldwide license in the field of human therapeutics to Dr. Charpentier’s rights as aco-owner of the CVC portfolio. Specifically, the PTAB has declared Patent Interference No. 106,115 (the “’115 Interference”) between the CVC Group’s pending US Patent Application Nos. 15/947,680; 15/947,700; 15/947,718; 15/981,807; 15/981,808; 15/981,809; 16/136,159; 16/136,165; 16/136,168; and 16/136,175, and the Broad’s US Patent Nos. 8,697,359; 8,771,945; 8,795,965; 8,865,406; 8,871,445; 8,889,356; 8,895,308; 8,906,616; 8,932,814; 8,945,839; 8,993,233; 8,999,641; 9,840,713, and US Patent Application No. 14/704,551. Six (6) new US patents have issued to the CVC Group since June 2018, and none of those issued patents are involved in the ’115 Interference.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	CRISPR THERAPEUTICS AG
Date: June 26, 2019	By:	/s/ Samarth Kulkarni
		Samarth Kulkarni
		Chief Executive Officer