The purpose of the company is the development and/or acquisition, holding and management of a portfolio of patents or other intellectual property of any kind or origin, and the granting of franchises for patents or intellectual property that it has developed and/or acquired or licensed. It may acquire or hold investments and participations in any form, in Swiss and foreign companies, or other economic units, and acquire or transfer shares, bonds, debentures, or promissory notes and other securities of any kind by purchase, subscription, or otherwise. It may participate in the establishment, development, management, and control of a company or enterprise. It may borrow funds in any form and proceed to the issuance of bonds, debentures, promissory notes, and similar securities by private placement. The company may establish branches and subsidiaries, both domestically and abroad, participate in other companies, assume representations, and conduct any business activity and enter into contracts of any kind that may be conducive to the company's purpose or that are directly or indirectly related to the company's purpose. The company may acquire, hold, manage, encumber, and sell real estate both domestically and abroad, except for transactions prohibited by the Federal Law on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad (BewG). The company is part of a group and may consider the interests of the group in pursuing its corporate purpose. In particular, the company may grant loans and other direct or indirect financings to its direct and indirect subsidiaries and to third parties, including its direct and indirect shareholders and their direct and indirect subsidiaries, within the framework of cash pooling agreements (including zero balancing), and provide security for the liabilities of these parties in any form, including by pledging or fiduciary transfer of the company's assets or guarantees of any kind. This may also be done without consideration, on preferential terms, without interest, excluding the profit motive of the company and/or assuming clustering risks.