FORM 10-K

14 consultants, joint ventures, business partners, subcontractors or suppliers, even if prohibited by our policies, could have an adverse effect on our business and reputation. We are subject to increasing compliance risks that could adversely affect our operating results. As a global business, we are subject to laws and regulations in the U.S. and other countries in which we operate. Our increased focus on international sales and global operations requires importing and exporting goods and technology, some of which have military applications subjecting them to more stringent import-export controls across international borders on a regular basis. For example, we sometimes initially must obtain licenses and authorizations from various U.S. Government agencies before we are permitted to sell certain of our aerospace and defense products outside the U.S. Both U.S. and foreign laws and regulations applicable to us have been increasing in scope and complexity. For example, both U.S. and foreign governments and government agencies regulate the aviation industry, and they may impose new regulations with additional aircraft security or other requirements or restrictions, including, for example, restrictions and/or fees related to carbon emissions levels. Changes in environmental and climate change laws and regulations, including laws relating to greenhouse gas emissions, could lead to the necessity for new or additional investment in product designs or manufacturing processes and could increase environmental compliance expenditures, including costs to defend regulatory reviews. New or changing laws and regulations or related interpretation and policies could increase our costs of doing business, affect how we conduct our operations, adversely impact demand for our products, and/or limit our ability to sell our products and services. Compliance with laws and regulations of increasing scope and complexity is even more challenging in our current business environment in which reducing our operating costs is often necessary to remain competitive. In addition, a violation of U.S. and/or foreign laws by one of our employees or business partners could subject us or our employees to civil or criminal penalties, including material monetary fines, or other adverse actions, such as denial of import or export privileges and/or debarment as a government contractor which could damage our reputation and have an adverse effect on our business. We are subject to legal proceedings and other claims. We are subject to legal proceedings and other claims arising out of the conduct of our business, including proceedings and claims relating to commercial and financial transactions; government contracts; alleged lack of compliance with applicable laws and regulations; production partners; product liability; patent and trademark infringement; employment disputes; and environmental, safety and health matters. Due to the nature of our manufacturing business, we may be subject to liability claims arising from accidents involving our products, including claims for serious personal injuries or death caused by weather or by pilot, driver or user error. In the case of litigation matters for which reserves have not been established because the loss is not deemed probable, it is reasonably possible that such claims could be decided against us and could require us to pay damages or make other expenditures in amounts that are not presently estimable. In addition, we cannot be certain that our reserves are adequate and that our insurance coverage will be sufficient to cover one or more substantial claims. Furthermore, we may not be able to obtain insurance coverage at acceptable levels and costs in the future. Litigation is inherently unpredictable, and we could incur judgments, receive adverse arbitration awards or enter into settlements for current or future claims that could adversely affect our financial position or our results of operations in any particular period. Intellectual property infringement claims of others and the inability to protect our intellectual property rights could harm our business and our customers. Intellectual property infringement claims may be asserted by third parties against us or our customers. Any related indemnification payments or legal costs we may be obliged to pay on behalf of our businesses, our customers or other third parties could be costly. In addition, we own the rights to many patents, trademarks, brand names, trade names and trade secrets that are important to our business. The inability to enforce these intellectual property rights may have an adverse effect on our results of operations. Additionally, our intellectual property could be at risk due to various cybersecurity threats. Certain of our products are subject to laws regulating consumer products and could be subject to repurchase or recall as a result of safety issues. As a distributor of consumer products in the U.S., certain of our products also are subject to the Consumer Product Safety Act, which empowers the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to exclude from the market products that are found to be unsafe or hazardous. Under certain circumstances, the CPSC could require us to repair, replace or refund the purchase price of one or more of our products, or potentially even discontinue entire product lines, or we may voluntarily do so, but within strictures recommended by the CPSC. The CPSC also can impose fines or penalties on a manufacturer for non-compliance with its requirements. Furthermore, failure to timely notify the CPSC of a potential safety hazard can result in significant fines being assessed against us. Any repurchases or recalls of our products or an imposition of fines or penalties could be costly to us and could damage the reputation or the value of our brands. Additionally, laws regulating certain consumer products exist in some states, as well as in other countries in which we sell our products, and more restrictive laws and regulations may be adopted in the future. The increasing costs of certain employee and retiree benefits could adversely affect our results. Our earnings and cash flow may be adversely impacted by the amount of income or expense we expend or record for employee benefit plans. This is particularly true for our defined benefit pension plans, where required contributions to those plans and related