United states securities and exchange commission

Intellectual Property
The Company currently holds a broad collection of intellectual property rights relating to certain aspects of its hardware devices, 
accessories, software and services. This includes patents, designs, copyrights, trademarks and other forms of intellectual 
property rights in the U.S. and various foreign countries. Although the Company believes the ownership of such intellectual 
property rights is an important factor in differentiating its business and that its success does depend in part on such ownership, 
the Company relies primarily on the innovative skills, technical competence and marketing abilities of its personnel.
The Company regularly files patent, design, copyright and trademark applications to protect innovations arising from its research, 
development, design and marketing, and is currently pursuing thousands of applications around the world. Over time, the 
Company has accumulated a large portfolio of issued and registered intellectual property rights around the world. No single 
intellectual property right is solely responsible for protecting the Company’s products and services. The Company believes the 
duration of its intellectual property rights is adequate relative to the expected lives of its products and services.
In addition to Company-owned intellectual property, many of the Company’s products and services are designed to include 
intellectual property owned by third parties. It may be necessary in the future to seek or renew licenses relating to various 
aspects of the Company’s products, processes and services. While the Company has generally been able to obtain such 
licenses on commercially reasonable terms in the past, there is no guarantee that such licenses could be obtained in the future 
on reasonable terms or at all.
Apple Inc. | 2022 Form 10-K | 3

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Business Seasonality and Product Introductions
The Company has historically experienced higher net sales in its first quarter compared to other quarters in its fiscal year due in 
part to seasonal holiday demand. Additionally, new product and service introductions can significantly impact net sales, cost of 
sales and operating expenses. The timing of product introductions can also impact the Company’s net sales to its indirect 
distribution channels as these channels are filled with new inventory following a product launch, and channel inventory of an 
older product often declines as the launch of a newer product approaches. Net sales can also be affected when consumers and 
distributors anticipate a product introduction.