Commitments and contingencies
Purchase Obligations
The Company has entered into non-cancelable arrangements with third parties, primarily related to cloud computing and other information technology services. As of December 31, 2025, future payments under these contractual obligations were as follows (in thousands):
| | | | | |
| 2026 | $ | 1,850 | |
| 2027 | $ | 1,408 | |
| 2028 | $ | 48 | |
| Thereafter | $ | — | |
| Total Purchase Obligations | $ | 3,306 | |
Legal proceedings
From time to time, the Company is involved in legal proceedings and claims. On August 14, 2024, Beckman Coulter, Inc. (“Beckman Coulter”) sued the Company in federal court in the District of Delaware, alleging that the Company’s Cytek Aurora flow cytometers, Aurora CS cell sorters, and Northern Lights and Northern Lights-CLC products infringe U.S. Patent Nos. 10,330,582 and 11,703,443, each titled “Flow Cytometer.” On October 7, 2024, the Company filed an answer denying any liability and including a counterclaim against Beckman Coulter for false marking. On October 28, 2024, Beckman Coulter filed an answer to the counterclaim, denying liability. On January 9, 2025, Beckman Coulter filed a first amended complaint, further alleging that the Company’s Cytek Aurora flow cytometers, Aurora CS cell sorters, and Northern Lights and Northern Lights-CLC products also infringe U.S. Patent Nos. 12,174,106 and 12,174,107, each of which is also titled “Flow Cytometer” and related to the earlier asserted patents. On February 6, 2025, the Company filed an answer to the first amended complaint, denying any liability and including a counterclaim against Beckman Coulter for false patent marking. On February 27, 2025, Beckman Coulter filed an answer to the counterclaim, denying liability. Claim
construction hearings were held on August 21, 2025 and September 17, 2025. At the second claim construction hearing, the court ordered Beckman Coulter to narrow the number of asserted claims, and Beckman Coulter has dropped all asserted claims from U.S. Patent No. 12,174,106. Briefing on dispositive motions is currently scheduled in March and April of 2026, and a trial is scheduled for August 17, 2026. The Company intends to vigorously defend itself and pursue available remedies.
The Company evaluates the status of each legal matter, if any, and assesses potential financial exposure. If the potential loss from any legal proceedings or litigation is considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated, the Company accrues a liability for the estimated loss. Significant judgment is required to determine the probability of a loss and whether the amount of the loss is reasonably estimated. The outcome of any proceeding is not determinable in advance. As a result, the assessment of a potential liability and the amount of accruals recorded are based on the information available at the time.