The purpose of the company is the acquisition, holding, management, exploitation and disposal of intellectual property rights, as well as the acquisition, holding, management, exploitation and disposal of participations in domestic and foreign companies, with the exception of participations in companies whose acquisition is subject to authorization under the Federal Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad. The company may participate in other companies, acquire, exploit, manage and dispose of real estate and intellectual property rights, establish subsidiaries and branches in Switzerland and abroad, and perform all legal acts that may be necessary or suitable to promote its purpose or the development of group companies. The company may grant direct or indirect financing to third parties, including companies in which it has a direct or indirect interest, or to its direct or indirect subsidiaries, or to companies in which such subsidiaries have a direct or indirect interest, whether by way of loans or other financing, including within the framework of cash pooling agreements, and may provide security of any kind for their obligations, including by way of pledges on or fiduciary transfers of the company's assets, or by way of guarantees of any kind, whether against payment or not. In pursuing its corporate purpose, the company may take into account the interests of the group companies.