CLEARONE INC - Annual Report: 2006 (Form 10-K)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-K
(Mark
One)
x ANNUAL
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
For
the
fiscal year ended June 30, 2006
OR
¨ TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
For
the
transition period from ________ to ________
Commission
file number 000-17219
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Utah
|
87-0398877
|
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of
incorporation
or organization)
|
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
No.)
|
1825
Research Way
Salt
Lake City, Utah 84119
(Address
of principal executive offices, including zip code)
(801)
975-7200
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
Securities
registered under Section 12(b) of the Act: None
Securities
registered under Section 12(g) of the Act: Common Stock, $0.001 par
value
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined
in
Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes
¨ No
x
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to
Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes
¨ No
x
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to
be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during
the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required
to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements
for
the past 90 days. Yes
x No
¨
Indicate
by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of
Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best
of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements
incorporated by reference in Part III of the Form 10-K or any amendment to
this
Form 10-K. ¨
1
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated
filer” and larger accelerated filer in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check
one):
Larger
Accelerated Filer ¨ Accelerated
Filer ¨ Non-Accelerated
Filer x
Indicate
by check mark whether the issuer is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2
of
the Securities Act.
Yes
¨ No
x
State
the
aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by
non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity
was
last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of
the
last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal
quarter. The aggregate market value of the 10,454,019 shares of voting common
stock held by non-affiliates was approximately $24,985,000 at December 31,
2005,
based on the $2.39 closing price for the Company’s common stock on the Pink
Sheets on such date.
APPLICABLE
ONLY TO REGISTRANTS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY
PROCEEDINGS
DURING THE PRECEDING FIVE YEARS
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports
required to be filed by Section 12, 13, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act
of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed
by a
court. Yes
¨ No
¨
(APPLICABLE
ONLY TO CORPORATE REGISTRANTS)
Indicate
the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common
stock, as of the latest practicable date. The number of shares of ClearOne
common stock outstanding as of August 31, 2006 was 12,184,727.
DOCUMENTS
INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
List
hereunder the following documents if incorporated by reference and the part
of
the Form 10-K (e.g.,
Part I,
Part II, etc.) into which the document is incorporated: (1) any annual report
to
security holders; (2) any proxy or information statement; and (3) any prospectus
filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) or (c) under the Securities Act of 1933. The
listed documents should be clearly described for identification purposes
(e.g.,
annual
report to security holders for fiscal year ended December 24,
1980).
Portions
of the definitive Proxy Statement to be delivered to shareholders in connection
with the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held November 20, 2006 are
incorporated by reference into Part III.
2
INDEX
PAGE
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4
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PART
I.
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ITEM
1.
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4
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ITEM
1A.
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16
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ITEM
1B.
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21
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ITEM
2.
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22
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ITEM
3.
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23
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ITEM
4.
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24
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PART
II.
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||
ITEM
5.
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25
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ITEM
6.
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26
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ITEM
7.
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29
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ITEM
7A.
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45
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ITEM
8.
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47
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ITEM
9.
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47
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ITEM
9A.
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47
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ITEM
9B.
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48
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PART
III.
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||
ITEM
10.
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49
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ITEM
11.
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49
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ITEM
12.
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49
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ITEM
13.
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49
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ITEM
14.
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49
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PART
IV.
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||
ITEM
15.
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50
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52
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3
This
report contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements reflect our views with respect
to future events based upon information available to us at this time. These
forward-looking statements are subject to uncertainties and other factors that
could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements.
Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of the words
“believe,” “may,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,”
“project,” “propose,” “plan,” “intend,” and similar words and expressions.
Examples of forward-looking statements are statements that describe the proposed
development, manufacturing, and sale of our products; statements that describe
our results of operations, pricing trends, the markets for our products, our
anticipated capital expenditures, our cost reduction and operational
restructuring initiatives, and regulatory developments; statements with regard
to the nature and extent of competition we may face in the future; statements
with respect to the sources of and need for future financing; and statements
with respect to future strategic plans, goals, and objectives. Forward-looking
statements are contained in this report under “Description of Business” included
in Item 1 of Part I, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations” and “Qualitative and Quantitative
Disclosures About Market Risk” included in Items 7 and 7A of Part II of this
Annual Report on Form 10-K. The forward-looking statements are based on present
circumstances and on our predictions respecting events that have not occurred,
that may not occur, or that may occur with different consequences and timing
than those now assumed or anticipated. Actual events or results may differ
materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements as a result
of
various factors, including the risk factors discussed in this report under
the
caption “Description of Business: Risk Factors.” These cautionary statements are
intended to be applicable to all related forward-looking statements wherever
they appear in this report. The cautionary statements contained or referred
to
in this report should also be considered in connection with any subsequent
written or oral forward-looking statements that may be issued by us or persons
acting on our behalf. Any forward-looking statements are made only as of the
date of this report and ClearOne assumes no obligation to update forward-looking
statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
PART I
References
in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to “ClearOne,” “we,” “us,” or “the Company”
refer to ClearOne Communications, Inc., a Utah corporation, and, unless the
context otherwise requires or is otherwise expressly stated, its
subsidiaries.
ITEM
1. BUSINESS
Overview
We
are an
audio conferencing products company. We develop, manufacture, market, and
service a comprehensive line of audio conferencing products, which range from
personal conferencing products to tabletop conferencing phones to professionally
installed audio systems. We also manufacture and sell conferencing furniture.
Until August 2006, we also sold document and education cameras. We have a strong
history of product innovation and plan to continue to apply our expertise in
audio engineering to developing innovative new products. We believe the
performance and reliability of our high-quality audio products create a natural
communications environment, which saves organizations of all sizes time and
money by enabling more effective and efficient communication.
Our
products are used by organizations of all sizes to accomplish effective group
communication. Our end-users range from some of the world’s largest and most
prestigious companies and institutions to small and medium-sized businesses,
educational institutions, and government organizations. We sell our products
to
these end-users primarily through a network of independent distributors who
in
turn sell our products to dealers, systems integrators, and value-added
resellers. The Company also sells products on a limited basis directly to
dealers, systems integrators, value-added resellers, and end-users.
Our
Internet website address is www.clearone.com.
Our
annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports
on
Form 8-K, and amendments to such reports are available, free of charge, on
our
Internet website under “ClearOne Info—Investor Relations—SEC,” as soon as
reasonably practicable after we file electronically such material with, or
furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
For
a
discussion of certain risks applicable to our business, results of operations,
financial position, and liquidity see the risk factors described in “Risk
Factors” below.
4
Business
Strategy
Our
goal
is to maintain our market leadership in the professional or installed segment
of
the audio conferencing systems market, while building market leadership in
the
tabletop conferencing space. In addition, we have created a new conferencing
category with the RAV™ platform that we call premium conferencing, and have also
taken a leadership role in defining the new personal conferencing space with
the
introduction of the Chat™ 50. We will continue to develop additional new
products as we build on what we believe to be the most complete audio
conferencing product line on the market. The principal components of our
strategy to achieve this goal are:
Provide
a superior conferencing experience
We
have
been developing audio technologies since 1981 and believe we have established
a
reputation for providing some of the highest quality group audio conferencing
solutions in the industry. Our proprietary audio signal processing technologies,
including Distributed Echo Cancellation®, have been the core of our professional
conferencing products and are the foundation for our new product development
in
other conferencing categories. We plan to build upon our reputation of being
a
market leader and continue to provide the highest quality products and
technologies to the customers and markets we serve.
Offer
greater value to our customers
To
provide our customers with audio conferencing products that can offer high
value, we are focused on listening to our customers and delivering products
to
meet their needs. By offering high quality products that are designed to solve
conferencing ease-of-use issues and are easy to install, configure, and
maintain, we believe we can provide greater value to our customers and enhance
business communications and decision-making. Specific feedback from our customer
and channel partners led to the development of the Converge 560 and 590
professional conferencing systems, which began shipping in November 2005;
similar feedback was also directly responsible for the creation of the Tabletop
Controller for the XAP® platform, which began shipping in March
2006.
Leverage
and extend ClearOne technology leadership and innovation
We
have
sharpened our focus on developing cutting edge audio conferencing products
and
are committed to incorporating the latest technologies into our new and existing
product lines. Key to this effort is adopting emerging technologies such as
Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”), wireless connectivity, the convergence of
voice and data networks, exploring new usage models for our premium and personal
audio conferencing technologies, and developing products based on
internationally-accepted standards and protocols. As an example, in February
2006 we began shipping our first VoIP tabletop conference phones called
MAXAttach IP™ and MAX IP™, which are based on the SIP signaling protocol. In
addition, the introduction of our Chat 50 personal speaker phone established
ClearOne as a technology leader and innovator in the personal conferencing
space, with its unmatched audio quality and multiple usage models.
Expand
and strengthen sales channels
We
have
made significant efforts to expand and strengthen domestic and international
sales channels through the addition of key distributors and dealers that expand
beyond our traditional audio-video (“AV”) channels that carry our professional
conferencing line. We have directed significant sales efforts toward channel
partners who are focused on the tabletop conferencing space. As a result, we
have enjoyed a considerable increase in our MAX® conference phone sales. We have
also strengthened our presence within the telephony reseller channel, which
is
best suited to sell our RAV premium conferencing systems and our new MAX IP
VoIP
conference phones. Also, with the introduction of the Chat 50, we signed up
a
number of the leading direct marketing resellers (“DMRs”), who are well situated
to fulfill broad demand for a high-volume product and also push the Chat 50
into
the enterprise space. We have also recently added resources to focus on the
audio conferencing opportunities in the federal government market.
5
Broaden
our product offerings
We
believe that we offer the industry’s most complete audio conferencing product
line:
· |
Professionally
installed audio conferencing systems that are used in executive
boardrooms, courtrooms, hospitals, and
auditoriums
|
· |
Premium
conferencing systems that integrate with video and web conferencing
systems
|
· |
Tabletop
conferencing phones used in conference rooms and
offices
|
· |
Personal
conferencing devices that enable hands-free audio communications
in new
ways that have never before been
possible
|
We
plan
to continue to broaden and expand our product offerings to meet the evolving
needs of our customers, address changes in the markets we currently serve,
and
effectively target new markets for our products.
Develop
strategic partnerships
To
stay
on the leading edge of product and market developments, we plan to continue
to
identify partners with expertise in areas strategic to our growth objectives.
We
will work to develop partnerships with leaders in markets complimentary to
conferencing who can benefit from our audio products and technologies and
through whom we can access new market growth opportunities.
Strengthen
existing customer relationships through dedicated support
We
have
developed outstanding technical and sales support teams that are dedicated
to
providing customers with the best available service and support. We believe
our
technical support is recognized as among the best in the industry and we will
continue to invest in the necessary resources to ensure that our customers
have
access to the information and support they need to be successful in using our
products. We also dedicate significant resources to providing product training
to our channel partners worldwide.
Markets
and Products
Our
business is primarily focused on audio conferencing. We also previously operated
in the conferencing services segment until July 1, 2004 (fiscal 2005), when
we
sold our conferencing services business to Clarinet, Inc., an affiliate of
American Teleconferencing Services, Ltd. doing business as Premiere Conferencing
(“Premiere”) and in the business services segment until March 4, 2005 (fiscal
2005), when we sold the remaining operations in that area to 6351352 Canada
Inc., a Canada corporation (the “6351352 Canada Inc.”). For additional financial
information about our segments, see Note 18 to Consolidated Financial
Statements, which are included in this report.
Products
Overview
The
performance and reliability of our high-quality audio conferencing products
enable effective and efficient communication between geographically separated
businesses, employees, and customers. We offer a full range of audio
conferencing products, from high-end, professionally installed audio
conferencing systems used in executive boardrooms, courtrooms, hospitals,
classrooms, and auditoriums, to premium conferencing systems that interface
with
video and web conferencing systems, to tabletop conference phones used in
conference rooms and offices, and to personal conferencing devices. Our audio
conferencing products feature our proprietary Distributed Echo Cancellation® and
noise cancellation technologies to enhance communication during a conference
call by eliminating echo and background noise. Most of our products also feature
proprietary audio processing technologies such as adaptive modeling and
first-microphone priority, which combine to deliver clear, crisp, full-duplex
audio. This enables natural communication between distant conferencing
participants similar to that of being in the same room.
We
believe the principal drivers of demand for audio conferencing products
are
· |
Increasing
availability of easy-to-use audio conferencing
equipment
|
· |
Improving
voice quality of audio conferencing systems compared to telephone
handset
speakerphones
|
· |
Trending
expansion of global, regional, and local corporate
enterprises
|
6
Other factors that we expect to have a significant impact
on
the demand for audio conferencing systems include:
· |
Availability
of a wider range of affordable audio conferencing products for small
businesses and home offices
|
· |
Growth
of distance learning and corporate training
programs
|
· |
Trend
toward deploying greater numbers of
teleworkers
|
· |
Decreases
in the amount of travel within most enterprises for routine
meetings
|
· |
Transition
to the Internet Protocol (“IP”) network from the traditional public
switched telephone network (“PSTN”) and the deployment of Voice over
Internet Protocol (“VoIP”)
applications
|
We
expect
these growth factors to be offset by direct competition from high-end telephone
handset speakerphones, new and existing competitors in the audio conferencing
space, the technological volatility of IP-based products, and continued
pressures on enterprises to reduce spending.
Professional
Audio Conferencing Products
We
have
been developing high-end, professionally installed audio conferencing products
since 1991 and believe we have established strong brand recognition for these
products worldwide. Our professional audio conferencing products include the
XAP® product line and Converge 560 and Converge 590 products. The PSR1212
product features similar technologies and is used for sound reinforcement
applications.
The
XAP
line includes our most powerful, feature-rich products, with the latest advances
in technology and functionality. It has more processing power than our legacy
Audio Perfect® products and contains noise cancellation technology in addition
to our Distributed Echo Cancellation technology found in the Audio Perfect
product line. The PSR1212 is a digital matrix mixer that provides advanced
audio
processing, microphone mixing, and routing for local sound
reinforcement.
The
XAP
and PSR1212 products are comprehensive audio processing systems designed to
excel in the most demanding acoustical environments and routing configurations.
These products are also used for integrating high-quality audio with video
and
web conferencing systems.
On
March
30, 2005, we formalized our decision to discontinue our Audio Perfect product
line. The last orders for our Audio Perfect products were received on June
30,
2005 and the last build of Audio Perfect products was during the first quarter
of fiscal 2006. We will continue to inventory parts for warranty and warranty
repair service and will continue to service these products for a five-year
period based on a two-year warranty and three-year repair period based on parts
availability.
In
November 2005, we introduced the Converge 560 and Converge 590 professional
conferencing systems. Our customers had asked for a professional audio solution
that was less expensive and would fit the budgetary requirements for a mid-range
conference room. The products are positioned between XAP and RAV, both in terms
of functionality and price, and are an excellent fit for rooms requiring
customized microphone and speaker configurations (up to 9 microphones can be
connected) along with connectivity to video and web conferencing systems. The
Converge products also offer speech lift to amplify a presenter’s voice in the
local room.
In
February 2006, ClearOne announced the new Tabletop Controller for the XAP
platform. This affordable solution gives XAP users the ability to easily start
and navigate an audio conference without the need for touch panel control
systems, which can be expensive, complex, or intimidating to users. The dial
pad
on the device resembles a telephone keypad for instant familiarity and users
can
dial a conference call as easily as dialing a telephone, with little or no
training required. The Tabletop Controller can cost thousands less than
touch-screen panel control systems and its simplified setup for the
user-definable keys can save customers programming time and expense as well.
Along with its sleek, functional design, this latest offering from ClearOne
delivers what we believe to be the most cost-effective, attractive and
easy-to-use control solution for XAP systems on the market.
7
At
June
2006’s InfoComm trade show, we showcased for the first time our upcoming
Converge Pro™ professional conferencing line, the eventual successor to our
industry-leading XAP platform. The products were well received by our channel
partners and customers and sent the message that we continue to innovate and
improve upon a very strong product line. We believe the Converge Pro products
will offer the next generation of audio processing technologies and will deliver
enhanced management capabilities, simplified configuration, and new flexibility
in matching specific conferencing application needs. These products are expected
to ship by the end of calendar 2006.
In
March
2006, Frost and Sullivan, an analyst group that focuses on the conferencing
industry, awarded ClearOne their 2006 Product Line Strategy Award. They
recognized us for our attention to customer needs, particularly in the
professional conferencing space, as we introduced the Converge™ 560 and 590
products, which were strategically positioned between our XAP and RAV products
in price and functionality.
Premium
Conferencing Systems
In
June
2004, we announced our RAV audio conferencing system and we started shipping
the
product in November 2004. RAV is a complete, out-of-the-box system that includes
an audio mixer, Bose® loudspeakers, microphones, and a wireless control device.
In February 2005, we introduced a wired control device as a part of our RAV
audio conferencing system offering. The RAV product uniquely combines the sound
quality of a professionally installed audio system with the simplicity of a
conference phone and can be easily connected to rich-media devices, such as
video or web conferencing systems, to deliver enhanced audio performance. RAV
is
strategically positioned between our professional and tabletop conferencing
systems in price and functionality, and fills an important audio conferencing
application need for rooms requiring integration of high-end audio quality
with
web or video conferencing.
RAV
offers many powerful audio processing technologies from our professional audio
conferencing products without the need for professional installation and
programming. It features Distributed Echo Cancellation, noise cancellation,
microphone gating, and a drag-and-drop graphical user interface for easy system
setup, control, and management.
Tabletop
Conferencing Phones
In
December 2003, we began shipping our MAX line of tabletop conferencing phones.
These phones incorporate the high-end echo cancellation, noise cancellation,
and
audio processing technologies found in our professional audio conferencing
products.
The
MAX
product line is comprised of the MAXAttach™ Wireless, MAX® Wireless, MAXAttach™,
MAX® EX, MAXAttach IP™, and MAX IP™ tabletop conferencing phones. MAX Wireless
was the industry’s first wireless conferencing phone on the market. Designed for
use in executive offices or small conference rooms with multiple participants,
MAX Wireless can be moved from room to room within 150 feet of its base station.
MAXAttach Wireless began shipping in May 2005 and is the industry’s first
dual-phone, completely wireless solution. This system gives customers tremendous
flexibility in covering larger conference room areas.
The
MAXAttach and MAX EX wired phones feature a unique capability - instead of
just
adding extension microphones for use in larger rooms, the phones can be daisy
chained together, up to a total of four phones. This provides even distribution
of microphones, loudspeakers, and controls for better sound quality and improved
user access in medium to large conference rooms. In addition, all MAXAttach
wired versions can be separated and used as single phones in smaller conference
rooms.
Our
latest additions to the MAX family are the MAXAttach IP and MAX IP, ClearOne’s
first VoIP conference phones, which are based on the industry-standard SIP
signaling protocol. These phones feature the same ability to daisy-chain up
to
four phones together, providing outstanding room coverage that other VoIP
conference phones on the market cannot match.
Personal
Conferencing Products
In
April
2006, ClearOne began shipping the Chat 50 personal speaker phone. This
revolutionary crossover technology delivers ClearOne’s trademark crystal-clear
full-duplex audio performance, and can be used in a variety of applications
with
a wide number of devices:
8
PCs
& Macs
|
VoIP
telephony applications such as Skype & Vonage; enterprise softphones,
audio for web-based videoconferencing applications; gaming; audio
playback
|
Cell
phones
|
Connects
to the 2.5mm headset jack for hands-free, full-duplex audio
conferencing
|
Telephones
|
Connects
to the headset jack (certain phone models) for hands-free, full-duplex
audio conferencing
|
iPods
& MP3 players
|
For
full-bandwidth audio playback
|
Desktop
video conferencing systems
|
For
hands-free, full-duplex audio conferencing
|
Through
public relations efforts by ClearOne, the Chat 50 has garnered significant
media
coverage and won PC Magazine’s Editors’ Choice Award.
The
Chat™
150 is the next product to join ClearOne’s personal conferencing category.
Introduced first at the June 2006 InfoComm trade show, the product offers many
of the same connectivity options as the Chat 50, but comes in a larger form
factor and features three microphones compared to the single microphone on
the
Chat 50. The Chat 150 connects to enterprise telephone handsets, PCs, and video
conferencing systems. ClearOne believes the primary opportunity for the Chat
150
is in connecting to the enterprise handset. Customers will now have the ability
to add a high-quality, full-duplex speaker phone to their handsets, and still
retain the full functionality that comes with today’s handsets, including access
to company directory, voicemail access, audio bridge functions, etc. The Chat
150 is expected to begin shipping by the end of calendar 2006.
Other
Products
We
complement our audio conferencing products with microphones,
conferencing-specific furniture, and until August 2006 document and education
cameras. Our AccuMic® microphones are designed to improve the audio quality for
audio, video, and web conferencing applications. They feature echo cancellation
and audio processing technologies and can be used with personal computers,
video
conferencing systems, or installed audio conferencing systems. Our cameras
can
be used in professional conferencing or educational settings. They make possible
the presentation of materials and images such as full-color documents, 3-D
objects and images from a variety of sources, including computers, microscopes,
and multimedia devices. Our wide selection of wood, metal, and laminate
conferencing furniture features audiovisual carts; plasma screen carts and
pedestals; and video conferencing carts, tables, cabinets, and podiums.
In
August
2006, we completed the sale of our document and educational camera manufacturing
and sales operations to a privately-held manufacturer of camera
solutions.
Marketing
and Sales
We
use a
two-tier channel distribution model, in which we primarily sell our products
directly to a worldwide network of independent audiovisual, information
technology, and telecommunications distributors, who then sell our products
to
independent systems integrators, dealers, and value-added resellers, who in
turn
work directly with the end-users of our products on product fulfillment and
installation. We also sell our products on a limited basis directly to certain
dealers, systems integrators, value-added resellers, and end-users.
9
In
fiscal
2006, approximately $26.9 million, or 71.5 percent, of our total product sales
were generated in the United States and product sales of approximately $10.7
million, or 28.5 percent, were generated outside the United States. Revenue
from
product customers outside of the United States accounted for approximately
28.5
percent of our total product sales from continuing operations for fiscal 2006,
25.9 percent for fiscal 2005, and 22.7 percent for fiscal 2004. We sell our
products in more than 70 countries worldwide. We anticipate that the portion
of
our total product revenue from international sales will continue to increase
as
we further enhance our focus on developing new products, establishing new
channel partners, strengthening our presence in key growth areas, complying
with
regional environmental regulatory standards, and improving product localization
with country-specific product documentation and marketing
materials.
Distributors
We
sell
our products directly to approximately 70 distributors throughout the world.
Distributors buy our products at a discount from list price and resell them
on a
non-exclusive basis to independent systems integrators, dealers, and value-added
resellers. Our distributors maintain their own inventory and accounts receivable
and are required to provide technical and non-technical support for our products
to the next level of distribution participants. We work with our distributors
to
establish appropriate inventory stocking levels. We also work with our
distributors to maintain relationships with our existing systems integrators,
dealers, and value-added resellers and to establish new distribution participant
relationships.
Independent
Integrators, Dealers, and Resellers
Our
distributors sell our products worldwide to approximately 1,000 independent
systems integrators, telephony value-added resellers, IT value-added resellers,
and PC dealers on a non-exclusive basis. While dealers, resellers, and systems
integrators all sell our products directly to the end-users, systems integrators
typically add significant value to each sale by combining our products with
products from other manufacturers as part of an integrated system solution.
Dealers and value-added resellers usually buy our products from distributors
and
may bundle our products with products from other manufacturers for resale to
the
end-user. We maintain close working ties in the field with our reseller partners
and offer them education and training on all of our products.
General
Marketing & Public Relations Activities
Much
of
our marketing effort is done in conjunction with our channel partners, who
provide leverage for ClearOne in reaching customers and prospective customers
worldwide. We also have a highly-focused public relations effort to get
editorial coverage on ClearOne’s products in industry and non-industry
publications alike. This effort has resulted in significant coverage as we
launched the Chat 50, including product reviews in PC
Magazine
(the
Chat 50 also won PC Magazine’s Editors’ Choice Award), Popular
Science, BusinessWeek, VAR Business,USA Today, multiple
regional newspapers, multiple online articles, and highlights on radio shows
such as Bloomberg Radio’s Bootcamp
and
Into
Tomorrow
with
Dave Graveline.
Trade
Shows and Industry Forums
We
regularly attend industry forums and exhibit our products at trade shows,
including:
· |
InfoComm
- the AV industry’s largest trade show. In June 2005, we launched our new
brand with the simultaneous release of our new website, product
collateral, and InfoComm booth. We received positive attention for
this
re-branding effort. In June 2006, we again had a strong presence
at
InfoComm, where we highlighted a significant number of new products,
including our new Converge Pro professional conferencing platform,
Chat
50, and Chat 150, MAXAttach IP and MAX IP, and the Tabletop Controller
for
XAP.
|
· |
National
Systems Contractors Association (“NSCA”) - this show focuses on the sound
reinforcement industry, and we highlight our professional conferencing
products.
|
In
addition, there are multiple regional and international shows that we attend
along with our channel partners. These shows provide exposure for ClearOne’s
brand and products to the wide audience of show attendees.
10
Customers
We
do not
believe that any end-user accounted for more than 10 percent of our total
revenue during fiscal 2006, 2005, or 2004. In fiscal 2006, product segment
revenues included sales to three distributors that represented approximately
56.2 percent of the segment’s revenues. (For additional financial information
about our segments or geographic areas, see Note 13 to Consolidated Financial
Statements, which is included in this report.) As discussed above, these
distributors facilitate product sales to a large number of resellers, and
subsequently to their end-users. Nevertheless, the loss of one or more
distributors could reduce revenues and have a material adverse effect on our
business and results of operations. As of June 30, 2006, our shipped orders
on
which we had not recognized revenues were $5.9 million and our backlog of
unshipped orders was $382,000.
Competition
The
conferencing products market is characterized by intense competition and rapidly
evolving technology. We compete with businesses having substantially greater
financial, research and product development, manufacturing, marketing, and
other
resources. If we are not able to continually design, manufacture, and
successfully market new or enhanced products or services that are comparable
or
superior to those provided by our competitors and at comparable or better
prices, we could experience pricing pressures and reduced sales, gross profit
margins, profits, and market share, each of which could have a materially
adverse effect on our business.
Our
competitors vary within each product category. We believe we compete
successfully as a result of the high quality of our products and technical
support services as well as the strength of our brand.
We
believe the principal factors driving sales are channel partnerships; marketing
efforts; sales programs; product design, quality, and functionality of products;
establishment of brand name recognition; pricing; access to and penetration
of
distribution channels; quality of customer support; and a significant customer
base.
In
the
professional audio conferencing systems and sound reinforcement markets, our
main competitors include Polycom, Biamp Systems, Lectrosonics, Peavey, Shure,
and Wide Band Solutions, with several other companies potentially poised to
enter the market. According to industry sources, during the 2003, 2004, and
2005
calendar year, we had the largest share of the installed segment of the
conferencing systems market, which we target with our professional audio
conferencing products. ClearOne uniquely contributed to the professional
conferencing space with the introduction of the Audio Perfect (“AP”) product
line a number of years ago and continued that tradition with the introduction
of
the XAP several years later. We believe we continue to enjoy a strong reputation
with the AV integrators and AV consultants for our product features, audio
quality, and technical support.
We
believe we created a new audio conferencing category with the introduction
of
the RAV platform, which we have called premium conferencing. RAV is a unique
product with capabilities we do not believe can be found on any other competing
system.
In
the
tabletop conferencing space, our primary competitors are Polycom, Aethra,
Konftel, LifeSize, Panasonic, and a number of other smaller manufacturers.
During the 2005 calendar year, we increased our market share position in the
tabletop market to take the number two position worldwide. We believe our MAX
products are more competitively priced than Polycom’s comparable products, and
we believe our unique ability to attach multiple phones together for increased
coverage has given us opportunities to solve customer problems that our
competition cannot currently solve.
The
new
personal conferencing space has seen a number of new entries. Our primary
competitors are Polycom, Actiontec, Iogear, mVox, Phoenix, and USRobotics.
We
believe that our Chat 50 and Chat 150 offer unique and distinct advantages
in
their superior audio performance and their abilities to connect to multiple
devices and to be used in multiple scenarios. The competitive products are
primarily USB devices only.
Our
microphones compete with the products of Audio Technica, Global Media, Harmon
Music, Shure, and others. Our conferencing furniture products compete primarily
with the products of Accuwood, Comlink, and Video Furniture International.
11
In
each
of the markets in which we compete, many of our competitors may have access
to
greater financial, technical, manufacturing, and marketing resources, and as
a
result they may respond more quickly or effectively to new technologies and
changes in customer preferences. No guarantees can be given that we can continue
to compete effectively in the markets we serve.
Regulatory
Environment
New
regulations regarding the materials used in manufacturing, the process of
disposing of electronic equipment, and the efficient use of energy have emerged
in the last few years. The first implementations of these regulations have
taken
place in Europe and have required significant effort from ClearOne to comply.
Other countries and U.S. states are currently considering similar regulations,
which could require additional resources and effort from ClearOne to
comply.
The
European Parliament has published a directive on the Restriction on Use of
Hazardous Substances Directive (the “RoHS Directive”), which restricts the use
of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment beginning
July 1, 2006. In order to comply with this directive, it has become necessary
to
re-design the majority of our products and switch over to components that do
not
contain the restricted substances, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. This
process involves procurement of the new compliant components, engineering effort
to design, develop, test and validate them, and re-submitting these re-designed
products for multiple country emissions, safety, and telephone line interface
compliance testing and approvals. This effort has consumed resources and time
on
product development, which will continue until the products have been updated.
During fiscal 2006, we spent approximately $300,000 or 3.5 percent of our total
research and product development expenses on RoHS Directive compliance efforts
with additional expenses in operations departments which are necessary to bring
these updated products into production.
To
date,
certain of our products have not been re-designed and are therefore
not-compliant with these environmental laws and regulations. Accordingly, sales
into the European market beginning July 1, 2006 may be negatively impacted
and
our results of operations could suffer. We anticipate that most of these product
re-designs and launches will be completed during the first half of fiscal 2007.
Additionally, certain of our products will not be re-designed. Our outsourced
manufacturers may hold us responsible for the cost of purchased components
that
become obsolete as a result of these re-design efforts. To the extent that
we
cannot manage these potential exposures to our current estimates, our results
of
operations could be negatively impacted. In addition, because this has
essentially become a worldwide issue for all electronics manufacturers who
wish
to sell into the European market, we have seen increased lead times for
compliant components because of the increased demand. This is an issue that
is
not unique to ClearOne, but also applies to all manufacturers exporting products
to the European Union.
The
European Parliament has also published a directive on Electronic and Electrical
Waste Management (the “WEEE Directive”), which makes producers of certain
electrical and electronic equipment financially responsible for collection,
reuse, recycling, treatment, and disposal of equipment placed on the European
Union market after August 13, 2005. We are currently compliant in terms of
the
labeling requirements and have finalized the recycling processes with the
appropriate entities within Europe. According to our understanding of the
directive, distributors of our product are deemed producers and must comply
with
this directive by contracting with a recycler for the recovery, recycling,
and
reuse of product.
The
California law regarding efficient use of energy goes into effect in July 2007
and will require re-design of power supplies in order to comply. ClearOne has
already begun this effort.
Seasonality
Our
audio
conferencing products revenue has historically been strongest during the second
and fourth quarters. Our camera product line revenue was usually strongest
during the third and fourth quarters. There can be no assurance that any
historic sales patterns will continue and, as a result, sales for any prior
quarter are not necessarily indicative of the sales to be expected in any future
quarter.
12
Product
Development
We
are
committed to research and product development and view our continued investment
in research and product development as a key ingredient to our long-term
business success. Our research and product development expenditures were
approximately $8.3 million in fiscal 2006, $5.3 million in fiscal 2005, and
$4.2
million in fiscal 2004.
Our
core
competencies in research and product development include many audio
technologies, including telephone echo cancellation, acoustic echo cancellation,
and noise cancellation. Our ability to use digital signal processing technology
to perform audio processing operations is also a core competency. We also have
in-house expertise in wireless technologies, VoIP, and software and network
application development. We believe that ongoing development of our core
technological competencies is vital to maintaining and increasing future sales
of our products and to enhancing new and existing products.
Manufacturing
Prior
to
June 20, 2005, we manufactured and assembled most of our products in our
manufacturing facility located at our corporate headquarters in Salt Lake City,
Utah. We also have an agreement with an offshore manufacturer for the
manufacture of other product lines. We manufactured our furniture product line
in our manufacturing facility located in Champlin, Minnesota until July 28,
2006
at which time we closed the manufacturing facility and outsourced the
manufacturing of furniture to two manufacturers.
On
June
20, 2005, we began transitioning the manufacturing of most of our products
to a
third-party manufacturer. On August 1, 2005, we entered into a definitive
Manufacturing Agreement pursuant to which we agreed to outsource our Salt Lake
City manufacturing operations to this third-party manufacturer (“TPM”). The
agreement is for an initial term of three years, which shall automatically
be
extended for successive and additional terms of one year each unless terminated
by either party upon 120 days advance notice at any time after the second
anniversary of the agreement. The agreement generally provides, among other
things, that TPM shall: (i) furnish the necessary personnel, material,
equipment, services, and facilities to be the exclusive manufacturer of
substantially all the products that were previously manufactured at our Salt
Lake City, Utah manufacturing facility and the non-exclusive manufacturer of
a
limited number of products, provided that the total cost to ClearOne (including
price, quality, logistic cost, and terms and conditions of purchase) is
competitive; (ii) provide repair service, warranty support, and proto-type
services for new product introduction on terms to be agreed upon by the parties;
(iii) purchase certain items of our manufacturing equipment; (iv) lease certain
other items of our manufacturing equipment and have a one-year option to
purchase such leased items; (v) have the right to lease our former manufacturing
employees from a third-party employee leasing company; and (vi) purchase the
parts and materials on hand and in transit at our cost for such items with
the
purchase price payable on a monthly basis when and if such parts and materials
are used by TPM. The parties also entered into a one-year sublease for
approximately 12,000 square feet of manufacturing space located in our
headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, which sublease may be terminated by either
party upon 90 days notice, and which TPM elected to terminate effective May
31,
2006. The agreement provides that products shall be manufactured pursuant to
purchase orders submitted by us at purchase prices to be agreed upon by the
parties, subject to adjustment based upon such factors as volume, long range
forecasts, change orders, etc. We also granted TPM a right of first refusal
to
manufacture new products developed by us at a cost to ClearOne (including price,
quality, logistic cost, and terms and conditions of purchase) that is
competitive.
We
believe the long-term benefits from our manufacturing outsourcing strategy
include:
· |
Avoidance
of a significant investment in upgrading our manufacturing
infrastructure;
|
· |
Achievement
of a rapid International Standards Organization certification of
our
products by partnering with an outsource manufacturer that was
International Standards Organization
certified;
|
· |
RoHS-compliant
manufacturing facilities;
|
· |
Scalability
in our manufacturing process without major investment or major
restructuring costs; and
|
· |
Achievement
of future cost reductions on manufacturing costs and inventory costs
based
upon increased economies of scale in material and
labor.
|
For
risks
associated with our manufacturing strategy please see “Risk Factors” in Item
1A.
13
Intellectual
Property and Other Proprietary Rights
We
believe that our success depends in part on our ability to protect our
proprietary rights. We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark,
and trade secret laws and confidentiality agreements and processes to protect
our proprietary rights. The laws of foreign countries may not protect our
intellectual property to the same degree as the laws of the United
States.
We
generally require our employees, customers, and potential distribution
participants to enter into confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements before
we disclose any confidential aspect of our technology, services, or business.
In
addition, our employees are required to assign to us any proprietary
information, inventions, or other technology created during the term of their
employment with us. However, these precautions may not be sufficient to protect
us from misappropriation or infringement of our intellectual
property.
We
currently have several patents that are issued, pending, or applied for that
cover our conferencing products and technologies. The expiration dates of issued
patents range from 2009 to 2010. We hold registered trademarks for ClearOne,
XAP, MAX, AccuMic, Audio Perfect, Distributed Echo Cancellation, Gentner, and
others. We have also filed for trademarks for RAV, Converge, Chat, and others.
Employees
Employees
of as
|
|||
June
30, 2006
|
June
30, 2005
|
June
30, 2004
|
|
Sales,
marketing, and
|
|||
customer
support
|
44
|
45
|
51
|
Product
development
|
49
|
43
|
41
|
Operations
support
|
17
|
20
|
40
|
Administration
|
17
|
18
|
29
|
Conferencing
services
|
-
|
-
|
76
|
OM
Video
|
-
|
-
|
27
|
Total
|
127
|
126
|
264
|
As
of
June 30, 2006, we had 127 employees, 123 of whom were employed on a full-time
basis, with 44 in sales, marketing, and customer support; 49 in product
development; 17 in operations support; and 17 in administration, including
finance. Of these employees, 102 were located in our Salt Lake City office,
19
in other U.S. locations, 4 in the United Kingdom and 2 in Asia. None of our
employees are subject to a collective bargaining agreement and we believe our
relationship with our employees is good. We occasionally hire contractors with
specific technology skill sets to meet project timelines.
Dispositions
During
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2001, we completed the sale of the assets of
the
remote control portion of our RFM/Broadcast
division
to Burk Technology, Inc. (“Burk”). During fiscal 2004, we sold our U.S.
audiovisual integration services business to M:Space, Inc. (“M.Space”). During
fiscal 2005, we sold our conferencing services segment to Premiere and we sold
our Canadian audiovisual integration services business to 6351352 Canada Inc.
Each disposition is summarized below and is discussed in detail in the footnotes
to the June 30, 2006 consolidated financial statements included in this
report.
Sale
of Assets to Burk Technology.
On April
12, 2001, we sold the assets of the remote control portion of our RFM/Broadcast
division to Burk, a privately held developer and manufacturer of broadcast
facility control systems products, for $750,000 in cash at closing, $1.8 million
in the form of a seven-year promissory note, with interest at the rate of 9.0
percent per year, and up to $700,000 as a commission over a period of up to
seven years. We realized a pre-tax gain on the sale of $1.3 million for fiscal
2006, $187,000 for fiscal 2005, and $93,000 for fiscal 2004.
14
On
August
22, 2005, we entered into a Mutual Release and Waiver Agreement with Burk
pursuant to which Burk paid us $1.3 million in full satisfaction of the
promissory note, which included a discount of $119,000. As part of the Mutual
Release and Waiver Agreement, we waived any right to future commission payments
from Burk and we granted mutual releases to one another with respect to claims
and liabilities. Accordingly, the total pre-tax gain on the sale was
approximately $2.4 million.
Sale
of our U.S. Audiovisual Integration Services. On
May 6,
2004, we sold certain assets of our U.S. audiovisual integration services
operations to M:Space for no cash compensation. M:Space is a privately held
audiovisual integration services company. In exchange for M:Space assuming
obligations for completion of certain customer contracts and satisfying
maintenance contract obligations to existing customers, we transferred to
M:Space certain assets including inventory valued at $573,000. We recognized
a
pre-tax loss on the sale of $276,000 during fiscal 2004.
Sale
of our Conferencing Services. In
April
2004, our Board of Directors appointed a committee to explore opportunities
to
sell the conferencing services business component. We decided to sell this
component primarily because of decreasing margins and investments in equipment
that we believed would have been required in the near future. On July 1, 2004,
we sold our conferencing services business segment to Premiere. Consideration
for the sale consisted of $21.3 million in cash. Of the purchase price $300,000
was placed into a working capital escrow account and an addition $1.0 million
was placed into an 18-month Indemnity Escrow account. We received the $300,000
working capital escrow funds approximately 90 days after the execution date
of
the contract. We received the $1.0 million in the Indemnity Escrow account
together with the $30,000 in related interest income in January 2006.
Additionally, $1.4 million of the proceeds was utilized to pay off equipment
leases pertaining to assets being conveyed to Premiere. We realized a pre-tax
gain on the sale of $1.0 million in fiscal 2006 and $17.4 million in fiscal
2005.
Sale
of OM Video - Canadian Audiovisual Integration
Services.
On
March
4, 2005, we sold all of the issued and outstanding stock of ClearOne
Communications of Canada, Inc. (“ClearOne Canada”) to 6351352 Canada Inc.
ClearOne Canada owned all the issued and outstanding stock of Stechyson
Electronics, Ltd., which conducts business under the name OM Video. We agreed
to
sell the stock of ClearOne Canada for $200,000 in cash; a $1.3 million note
payable over a 15-month period, with interest accruing on the unpaid balance
at
the rate of 5.3 percent per year; and contingent consideration ranging from
3.0
percent to 4.0 percent of related gross revenues over a five-year period. In
June 2005, we were advised that the new owners of OM Video had settled an action
brought by the former employer of certain of OM Video’s new owners and employees
alleging violation of non-competition agreements. The settlement reportedly
involved a cash payment and an agreement not to sell certain products for a
period of one year. Based on an analysis of the facts and circumstances that
existed at the end of fiscal 2005 and considering the guidance from Topic 5U
of
the SEC Rules and Regulations, “Gain Recognition on the Sale of a Business or
Operating Assets to a Highly Leveraged Entity,” the gain is being recognized as
cash is collected (as collection was not reasonably assured). The Company
realized a pre-tax gain on the sale of $350,000 for fiscal 2006 and $295,000
for
fiscal 2005. Through December 31, 2005, all payments had been received and
$854,000 of the promissory note remained outstanding; however, 6351352 Canada
Inc. failed to make any subsequent, required payments under the note receivable
until June 30, 2006, when we received a payment of $50,000. The note receivable
is in default and we are currently considering our collection
options.
15
ITEM
1A. RISK FACTORS
Investors
should carefully consider the risks described below. The risks described below
are not the only ones we face and there are risks that we are not presently
aware of or that we currently believe are immaterial that may also impair our
business operations. Any of these risks could harm our business. The trading
price of our common stock could decline significantly due to any of these risks,
and investors may lose all or part of their investment. In assessing these
risks, investors should also refer to the other information contained or
incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our
June
30, 2006 consolidated financial statements and related notes.
Risks
Relating to Our Business
We
face intense competition in all markets for our products and services; our
operating results will be adversely affected if we cannot compete effectively
against other companies.
As
described in more detail in the section entitled “Competition,” the markets for
our products and services are characterized by intense competition and pricing
pressures and rapid technological change. We compete with businesses having
substantially greater financial, research and product development,
manufacturing, marketing, and other resources. If we are not able to continually
design, manufacture, and successfully introduce new or enhanced products or
services that are comparable or superior to those provided by our competitors
and at comparable or better prices, we could experience pricing pressures and
reduced sales, gross profit margins, profits, and market share, each of which
could have a materially adverse effect on our business.
Difficulties
in estimating customer demand in our products segment could harm our profit
margins.
Orders
from our distributors and other distribution participants are based on demand
from end-users. Prospective end-user demand is difficult to measure. This means
that our revenues in any fiscal quarter could be adversely impacted by low
end-user demand, which could in turn negatively affect orders we receive from
distributors and dealers. Our expectations for both short- and long-term future
net revenues are based on our own estimates of future demand.
Revenues
for any particular time period are difficult to predict with any degree of
certainty. We usually ship products within a short time after we receive an
order; so consequently, unshipped backlog has not been a good indicator of
future revenues. We believe that the current level of backlog will fluctuate
dependent in part on our ability to forecast revenue mix and plan our
manufacturing accordingly. A significant portion of our customers’ orders are
received in the last month of the quarter. We budget the amount of our expenses
based on our revenue estimates. If our estimates of sales are not accurate
and
we experience unforeseen variability in our revenues and operating results,
we
may be unable to adjust our expense levels accordingly and our gross profit
and
results of operations will be adversely affected. Higher inventory levels or
stock shortages may also result from difficulties in estimating customer
demand.
Our
sales depend to a certain extent on government funding and
regulation.
In
the
audio conferencing products market, the revenues generated from sales of our
audio conferencing products for distance learning and courtroom facilities
are
dependent on government funding. In the event government funding for such
initiatives was reduced or became unavailable, our sales could be negatively
impacted. Additionally, many of our products are subject to governmental
regulations. New regulations could significantly impact sales in an adverse
manner.
Environmental
laws and regulations subject us to a number of risks and could result in
significant costs and impact on revenue
New
regulations regarding the materials used in manufacturing, the process of
disposing of electronic equipment, and the efficient use of energy have emerged
in the last few years. The first implementations of these regulations have
taken
place in Europe and have required significant effort from ClearOne to comply.
Other countries and U.S. states are currently considering similar regulations,
which could require additional resources and effort from ClearOne to
comply.
16
The
European Parliament has published the RoHS Directive, which restricts the use
of
certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment beginning
July 1, 2006. In order to comply with this directive, it has become necessary
to
re-design the majority of our products and switch over to components that do
not
contain the restricted substances, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. This
process involves procurement of the new compliant components, engineering effort
to design, develop, test, and validate them, and re-submitting these re-designed
products for multiple country emissions, safety, and telephone line interface
compliance testing and approvals. This effort has consumed resources and time
that would otherwise have been spent on new product development, which will
continue until the products have been updated.
To
date,
certain of our products have not been re-designed and are therefore
not-compliant with these environmental laws and regulations. Accordingly, sales
into the European market beginning July 1, 2006 may be negatively impacted
and
our results of operations could suffer. We anticipate that most of these product
re-designs and launches will be completed during the first half of fiscal 2007.
Additionally, certain of our products will not be re-designed. Our outsourced
manufacturers may hold us responsible for the cost of purchased components
that
become obsolete as a result of these re-design efforts. To the extent that
we
cannot manage these potential exposures to our current estimates, our results
of
operations could be negatively impacted. In addition, because this has
essentially become a worldwide issue for all electronics manufacturers who
wish
to sell into the European market, we have seen increased lead times for
compliant components because of the increased demand. This is an issue that
is
not unique to ClearOne, but also applies to many manufacturers exporting
products to the European Union.
The
European Parliament has also published the WEEE Directive, which makes producers
of certain electrical and electronic equipment financially responsible for
collection, reuse, recycling, treatment, and disposal of equipment placed on
the
European Union market after August 13, 2005. We are currently compliant in
terms
of the labeling requirements and have finalized the recycling processes with
the
appropriate entities within Europe. According to our understanding of the
directive, distributors of our product are deemed producers and must comply
with
this directive by contracting with a recycler for the recovery, recycling,
and
reuse of product.
The
California law regarding efficient use of energy goes into effect in July 2007
and will require re-design of power supplies in order to comply. ClearOne has
already begun this effort.
Product
development delays or defects could harm our competitive position and reduce
our
revenues.
We
have,
in the past, and may again experience, technical difficulties and delays with
the development and introduction of new products. Many of the products we
develop contain sophisticated and complicated circuitry and components, and
utilize manufacturing techniques involving new technologies. Potential
difficulties in the development process that could be experienced by us include
difficulty in:
· |
meeting
required specifications and regulatory standards;
|
· |
meeting
market expectations for
performance;
|
· |
hiring
and keeping a sufficient number of skilled developers;
|
· |
obtaining
prototype products at anticipated cost
levels;
|
· |
having
the ability to identify problems or product defects in the development
cycle; and
|
· |
achieving
necessary manufacturing efficiencies.
|
Once
new
products reach the market, they may have defects, or may be met by unanticipated
new competitive products, which could adversely affect market acceptance of
these products and our reputation. If we are not able to manage and minimize
such potential difficulties, our business and results of operations could be
negatively affected.
Our
profitability may be adversely affected by our continuing dependence on our
distribution channels.
We
market
our products primarily through a network of distributors who in turn sell our
products to systems integrators, dealers, and value-added resellers. All of
our
agreements with such distributors and other distribution participants are
non-exclusive, terminable at will by either party and generally short-term.
No
assurances can be given that any or all such distributors or other distribution
participants will continue their relationship with us. Distributors and to
a
lesser extent systems integrators, dealers, and value-added resellers cannot
easily be replaced and the loss of revenues and our inability to reduce expenses
to compensate for the loss of revenues could adversely affect our net revenues
and profit margins.
17
Although
we rely on our distribution channels to sell our products, our distributors
and
other distribution participants are not obligated to devote any specified amount
of time, resources, or efforts to the marketing of our products or to sell
a
specified number of our products. There are no prohibitions on distributors
or
other resellers offering products that are competitive with our products and
most do offer competitive products. The support of our products by distributors
and other distribution participants may depend on the competitive strength
of
our products and the price incentives we offer for their support. If our
distributors and other distribution participants are not committed to our
products, our revenues and profit margins may be adversely affected.
Reporting
of channel inventory by certain distributors.
We
defer
recognition of revenue from product sales to distributors until the return
privilege has expired, which approximates when product is sold-through to
customers of our distributors. We evaluate, at each quarter-end, the inventory
in the channel through information provided by certain of our distributors.
We
use this information along with our judgment and estimates to determine the
amount of inventory in the entire channel, for all customers and for all
inventory items, and the appropriate revenue and cost of goods sold associated
with those channel products. We cannot guarantee that the third party data,
as
reported, or that our assumptions and judgments regarding total channel
inventory revenue and cost of goods sold will be accurate.
We
depend on an outsourced manufacturing strategy.
In
August
2005, we entered into a manufacturing agreement with a manufacturing services
provider, to be the exclusive manufacturer of substantially all the products
that were previously manufactured at our Salt Lake City, Utah manufacturing
facility. This manufacturer is currently the primary manufacturer of many of
our
products. We also have an agreement with an offshore manufacturer for the
manufacture of other product lines. Additionally, in July 2006, we outsourced
the manufacturing of our furniture product lines to two manufacturers. If these
manufacturers experience difficulties in obtaining sufficient supplies of
components, component prices significantly exceed anticipated costs, an
interruption in their operations, or otherwise suffer capacity constraints,
we
would experience a delay in shipping these products which would have a negative
impact on our revenues. Should there be any disruption in services due to
natural disaster, economic or political difficulties, quarantines,
transportation restrictions, acts of terror, or other restrictions associated
with infectious diseases, or other similar events, or any other reason, such
disruption would have a material adverse effect on our business. Operating
in
the international environment exposes us to certain inherent risks, including
unexpected changes in regulatory requirements and tariffs, and potentially
adverse tax consequences, which could materially affect our results of
operations. Currently, we have no second source of manufacturing for
substantially all of our products.
The
cost
of delivered product from our contract manufacturers is a direct function of
their ability to buy components at a competitive price and to realize
efficiencies and economies of scale within their overall business structure.
If
they are unsuccessful in driving efficient cost models, our delivered costs
could rise, affecting our profitability and ability to compete. In addition,
if
the contract manufacturers are unable to achieve greater operational
efficiencies, delivery schedules for new product development and current product
delivery could be negatively impacted.
Product
obsolescence could harm demand for our products and could adversely affect
our
revenues and our results of operations.
Our
industry is subject to rapid and frequent technological innovations that could
render existing technologies in our products obsolete and thereby decrease
market demand for such products. If any of our products become slow-moving
or
obsolete and the recorded value of our inventory is greater than its market
value, we will be required to write down the value of our inventory to its
fair
market value, which would adversely affect our results of operations. In limited
circumstances, we are required to purchase components that our outsourced
manufacturers use to produce and assemble our products. Should technological
innovations render these components obsolete, we will be required to write
down
the value of this inventory, which could adversely affect our results of
operations.
18
If
we
are unable to protect our intellectual property rights or have insufficient
proprietary rights, our business would be materially impaired.
We
currently rely primarily on a combination of trade secrets, copyrights,
trademarks, patents, patents pending, and nondisclosure agreements to establish
and protect our proprietary rights in our products. No assurances can be given
that others will not independently develop similar technologies, or duplicate
or
design around aspects of our technology. In addition, we cannot assure that
any
patent or registered trademark owned by us will not be invalidated, circumvented
or challenged, or that the rights granted thereunder will provide competitive
advantages to us. Litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual
property rights. We believe our products and other proprietary rights do not
infringe upon any proprietary rights of third parties; however, we cannot assure
that third parties will not assert infringement claims in the future. Our
industry is characterized by vigorous protection of intellectual property
rights. Such claims and the resulting litigation are expensive and could divert
management’s attention, regardless of their merit. In the event of a claim, we
might be required to license third-party technology or redesign our products,
which may not be possible or economically feasible.
We
currently hold only a limited number of patents. To the extent that we have
patentable technology for which we have not filed patent applications, others
may be able to use such technology or even gain priority over us by patenting
such technology themselves.
International
sales account for a significant portion of our net revenue and risks inherent
in
international sales could harm our business.
International
sales represent a significant portion of our total product sales. For example,
international sales represented 28.5 percent of our total product sales from
continuing operations for fiscal 2006, 25.9 percent for fiscal 2005, and 22.7
percent for fiscal 2004. We anticipate that the portion of our total product
revenue from international sales will continue to increase as we further enhance
our focus on developing new products, establishing new distribution partners,
strengthening our presence in key growth areas, and improving product
localization with country-specific product documentation and marketing
materials. Our international business is subject to the financial and operating
risks of conducting business internationally, including:
· |
unexpected
changes in, or the imposition of, additional legislative or regulatory
requirements;
|
· |
unique
environmental regulations;
|
· |
fluctuating
exchange rates;
|
· |
tariffs
and other barriers;
|
· |
difficulties
in staffing and managing foreign sales operations;
|
· |
import
and export restrictions;
|
· |
greater
difficulties in accounts receivable collection and longer payment
cycles;
|
· |
potentially
adverse tax consequences;
|
· |
potential
hostilities and changes in diplomatic and trade
relationships;
|
· |
disruption
in services due to natural disaster, economic or political difficulties,
quarantines, transportation, or other restrictions associated with
infectious diseases.
|
Our
revenues in the international market are generally denominated in U.S. Dollars,
with the exception of sales through our wholly owned subsidiary, OM Video,
whose
sales were denominated in Canadian Dollars until March 4, 2005, when the
subsidiary was sold to a third party. Consolidation of OM Video’s financial
statements with ours, under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S.
GAAP”), required remeasurement of the amounts stated in OM Video’s financial
statements to U.S. Dollars, which was subject to exchange rate fluctuations.
We
do not undertake hedging activities that protect us against such
risks.
19
We
may not be able to hire and retain qualified key and highly-skilled technical
employees, which could affect our ability to compete effectively and may cause
our revenue and profitability to decline.
We
depend
on our ability to hire and retain qualified key and highly-skilled employees
to
manage, research and develop, market, and service new and existing products.
Competition for such key and highly-skilled employees is intense, and we may
not
be successful in attracting or retaining such personnel. To
succeed, we must hire and retain employees who are highly skilled in the rapidly
changing communications and Internet technologies. Individuals who have the
skills and can perform the services we need to provide our products and services
are in great demand. Because the competition for qualified employees in our
industry is intense, hiring and retaining employees with the skills we need
is
both time-consuming and expensive. We might not be able to hire enough skilled
employees or retain the employees we do hire. In
addition, provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related rules of
the
SEC impose heightened personal liability on some of our key employees. The
threat of such liability could make it more difficult to identify, hire and
retain qualified key and highly-skilled employees. We have relied on our ability
to grant stock options as a means of recruiting and retaining key employees.
Recent accounting regulations requiring the expensing of stock options will
impair our future ability to provide these incentives without incurring
associated compensation costs. Our
inability to hire and retain employees with the skills we seek could hinder
our
ability to sell our existing products, systems, or services or to develop new
products, systems, or services with a consequent adverse effect on our business,
results of operations, financial position, or liquidity.
Our
reliance on third-party technology or license agreements.
We
have
licensing agreements with various suppliers for software and hardware
incorporated into our products. These third-party licenses may not continue
to
be available to us on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. The termination
or impairment of these licenses could result in delays of current product
shipments or delays or reductions in new product introductions until equivalent
designs could be developed, licensed, and integrated, if at all possible, which
would have a material adverse effect on our business.
We
may have difficulty in collecting outstanding receivables.
We
grant
credit without requiring collateral to substantially all of our customers.
In
times of economic uncertainty, the risks relating to the granting of such credit
would typically increase. Although we monitor and mitigate the risks associated
with our credit policies, we cannot ensure that such mitigation will be
effective. We have experienced losses due to customers failing to meet their
obligations. Future losses could be significant and, if incurred, could harm
our
business and have a material adverse effect on our operating results and
financial position.
Interruptions
to our business could adversely affect our operations.
As
with
any company, our operations are at risk of being interrupted by earthquake,
fire, flood, and other natural and human-caused disasters, including disease
and
terrorist attacks. Our operations are also at risk of power loss,
telecommunications failure, and other infrastructure and technology based
problems. To help guard against such risks, we carry business interruption
loss
insurance with coverage of up to $5.4 million to help compensate us for losses
that may occur.
20
Risks
Relating to Our Company
Our
stock price fluctuates as a result of the conduct of our business and stock
market fluctuations.
The
market price of our common stock has experienced significant fluctuations and
may continue to fluctuate significantly. The market price of our common stock
may be significantly affected by a variety of factors, including:
· |
statements
or changes in opinions, ratings, or earnings estimates made by brokerage
firms or industry analysts relating to the market in which we do
business
or relating to us specifically;
|
· |
disparity
between our reported results and the projections of
analysts;
|
· |
the
shift in sales mix of products that we currently sell to a sales
mix of
lower-gross profit product
offerings;
|
· |
the
level and mix of inventory levels held by our
distributors;
|
· |
the
announcement of new products or product enhancements by us or our
competitors;
|
· |
technological
innovations by us or our
competitors;
|
· |
success
in meeting targeted availability dates for new or redesigned
products;
|
· |
the
ability to profitably and efficiently manage our supplies of products
and
key components;
|
· |
the
ability to maintain profitable relationships with our
customers;
|
· |
the
ability to maintain an appropriate cost
structure;
|
· |
quarterly
variations in our results of
operations;
|
· |
general
consumer confidence or general market conditions or market conditions
specific to technology industries;
|
· |
domestic
and international economic
conditions;
|
· |
the
adoption of the new accounting standard, SFAS No. 123R, “Share-Based
Payments,” which requires us to record compensation expense for certain
options issued before July 1, 2005 and for all options issued or
modified
after June 30, 2005;
|
· |
our
ability to report financial information in a timely manner;
and
|
· |
the
markets in which our stock is
traded.
|
We
have previously identified material weaknesses in our internal
controls.
Although
we have committed considerable resources to date to the reviews and remedies
over our disclosure and financial reporting internal controls, it will take
time
and additional expenditures to completely remediate any material weakness in
our
internal controls. We are always at risk that any future failure of our own
internal controls or the internal control at any of our outsourced manufacturers
or service providers could result in additional reported material weaknesses.
Any future failures of our internal controls could have a material impact on
our
market capitalization, results of operations, or financial position, or have
other adverse consequences.
Our
directors and officers own 19.0 percent of the Company and may exert significant
influence over us.
Our
officers and directors together have beneficial ownership of approximately
19.0
percent of our common stock (including options that are currently exercisable
or
exercisable within 60 days of August 31, 2006). With this significant holding
in
the aggregate, the officers and directors, acting together, could exert a
significant degree of influence over us and may be able to delay or prevent
a
change in control.
ITEM
1B. UNRESOLVED
STAFF
COMMENTS
Not
applicable.
21
ITEM
2. PROPERTIES
We
currently occupy three leased buildings or offices, all of which are used in
connection with the products segment of our business. The following table
presents our utilization of these spaces:
Location
|
Operations
|
Square
Footage
|
Status
|
Expiration
of Lease Agreement
|
Active
Leases at June 30, 2006
|
||||
Salt
Lake City, UT
|
Company
headquarters
|
39,760
|
Continuing
|
October
2006
|
Salt
Lake City, UT
|
Manufacturing
facility
|
12,000
|
Previously
subleased
|
October
2006
|
Champlin,
MN
|
Furniture
manufacturing
|
17,520
|
Continuing
|
September
2007
|
Berkshire,
|
||||
United
Kingdom
|
Sales
office
|
250
|
Continuing
|
90
days notice
|
Future
Leases
|
||||
Salt
Lake City, UT
|
Company
headquarters
|
36,279
|
Beginning
November 2006
|
December
2013
|
Terminated
Leases, i.e., per contract terms, sale of entity, or through early
termination
|
||||
Woburn,
MA
|
ClearOne,
Inc. acquisition
|
2,206
|
Early
buyout
|
September
2003
|
Golden
Valley, MN
|
U.S.
audiovisual installation services
|
25,523
|
Early
buyout
|
June
2004
|
Westmont,
IL
|
U.S.
audiovisual installation services
|
2,608
|
Lease
expired
|
July
2004
|
Nuremberg,
Germany
|
Sales
office
|
2,153
|
Early
buyout
|
December
2004
|
Ottawa,
Canada
|
Canadian
audiovisual installation services
|
16,190
|
Sold
entity
|
March
2005
|
Our
principal administrative, sales, marketing, customer support, and research
and
product development facility is located in our headquarters in Salt Lake City,
Utah. Most of our warehousing operations are also located in our Salt Lake
City
headquarters. We currently occupy a 51,760 square-foot facility under the terms
of an operating lease expiring in October 2006. Of the 51,760 square feet,
we
sublet 12,000 square feet to our domestic manufacturer until May 2006, as
discussed below. We believe the facility will be reasonably adequate to meet
our
needs through October 2006; however, we are moving our Company headquarters
in
late calendar 2006. Additionally, we are pursuing a warehousing location as
replacement for our current warehouse at our current company headquarters.
Prior
to the sale of our conferencing services business, this component conducted
its
business from our Salt Lake City headquarters and from July 1, 2004 through
February 28, 2005, we sublet 5,416 square feet of space in our headquarters
building to Premiere, the purchaser of our conferencing services business.
On
August
1, 2005, we entered into a one-year sublease with respect to the 12,000 square
foot manufacturing facility in our headquarters building in connection with
the
outsourcing of our manufacturing operations. This manufacturer paid rent in
the
amount of $11,040 per month through May 31, 2006 when the 90-day termination
clause was exercised.
Our
conference furniture manufacturing and warehousing operations have been
conducted from a facility totaling 17,520 square feet located in Champlin,
Minnesota until July 28, 2006, when we closed the manufacturing facility. The
lease agreement expires in September 2007. We are currently negotiating an
early
buyout of the lease.
Our
wholly owned United Kingdom subsidiary, ClearOne Communications Limited UK,
rents an office in Berkshire, England, consisting of 250 square feet. The office
space is rented under a managed office arrangement which requires 90 days notice
to terminate the agreement.
22
On
June
5, 2006, we entered into a new 86-month lease for our principal administrative,
sales, marketing, customer support, and research and product development
facility which will house our headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. Under the
terms of the new lease we will occupy a 36,279 square-foot facility which will
commence in November 2006. We believe the facility will be adequate to meet
our
needs for the current fiscal year and beyond.
We
leased
an office in Woburn, Massachusetts that we initially acquired through the
purchase of ClearOne, Inc. in July 2000. The facility consisted of 2,206 square
feet. We negotiated an early buyout of the lease effective September
2003.
Our
U.S.
audiovisual integration services operations were mainly conducted from a
facility totaling 25,523 square feet located in Golden Valley, Minnesota. We
leased these facilities under a lease agreement that expired in December 2004.
We negotiated an early buyout of the lease effective June 2004.
Our
U.S.
audiovisual integration services operations leased a sales office in Westmont,
Illinois pursuant to a lease that expired in July 2004. The facility consisted
of 2,608 square feet.
Our
wholly owned subsidiary, ClearOne Communications EuMEA, GmbH, leased an office
in Nuremberg, Germany, consisting of 200 square meters. This office was closed
in December 2004 and the lease was terminated.
Our
wholly owned subsidiary, ClearOne Communications of Canada, Inc. doing business
as OM Video, leased a facility in Ottawa, Canada consisting of 16,190 square
feet, in which our Canadian audiovisual integration services operations were
conducted. We leased this facility under a lease agreement that expired in
July
2005. As discussed herein, we sold this subsidiary in March 2005.
ITEM
3. LEGAL
PROCEEDINGS
In
addition to the legal proceedings described below, we are also involved from
time to time in various claims and other legal proceedings which arise in the
normal course of our business. Such matters are subject to many uncertainties
and outcomes that are not predictable. However, based on the information
available to us as of August 15, 2006 and after discussions with legal counsel,
we do not believe any such other proceedings will have a material, adverse
effect on our business, results of operations, financial position, or liquidity,
except as described below.
The
Shareholder Derivative Actions. Between
March and August 2003, four shareholder derivative actions were filed in
the Third Judicial District Court of Salt Lake County, State of Utah, by certain
shareholders of the Company against various present and past officers and
directors of the Company and against Ernst & Young. The complaints asserted
allegations similar to those asserted in the SEC complaint that was filed on
January 15, 2003 with regard to alleged improper revenue recognition practices
and the shareholders’ class action that was filed on June 30, 2003 and also
alleged that the defendant directors and officers violated their fiduciary
duties to the Company by causing or allowing the Company to recognize revenue
in
violation of U.S. GAAP and to issue materially misstated financial statements
and that Ernst & Young breached its professional responsibilities to the
Company and acted in violation of U.S. GAAP and generally accepted auditing
standards by failing to identify or prevent the alleged revenue recognition
violations and by issuing unqualified audit opinions with respect to the
Company’s fiscal 2002 and 2001 financial statements. One of these actions was
dismissed without prejudice on June 13, 2003. As to the other three
actions, our Board of Directors appointed a special litigation committee of
independent directors to evaluate the claims. That committee determined that
the
maintenance of the derivative proceedings against the individual defendants
was
not in the best interest of the Company. Accordingly, on December 12, 2003,
we
moved to dismiss those claims. In March 2004, our motions were granted, and
the derivative claims were dismissed with prejudice as to all defendants except
Ernst & Young. The Company was substituted as the plaintiff in the action
and is now pursuing in its own name the claims against Ernst & Young.
23
The
Insurance Coverage Action. On
February 9, 2004, ClearOne and Edward Dallin Bagley (“Bagley”), a director
and significant shareholder of ClearOne, jointly filed an action in the United
States District Court for the District of Utah, Central Division, against
National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (“National
Union”) and Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
(“Lumbermens Mutual”), the carriers of certain prior period directors and
officers’ liability insurance policies, to recover the costs of defending and
resolving claims against certain of our present and former directors and
officers in connection with the SEC complaint filed on January 15, 2003, the
shareholders’ class action filed on June 30, 2003, and the shareholder
derivative actions described above, and seeking other damages resulting from
the
refusal of such carriers to timely pay the amounts owing under such liability
insurance policies. This action has been consolidated into a declaratory relief
action filed by one of the insurance carriers on February 6, 2004 against
ClearOne and certain of its current and former directors. In this action, the
insurers assert that they are entitled to rescind insurance coverage under
our
directors and officers’ liability insurance policies, $3.0 million of which was
provided by National Union and $2.0 million which was provided by Lumbermens
Mutual, based on alleged misstatements in our insurance applications. In
February 2005, we entered into a confidential settlement agreement with
Lumbermens Mutual pursuant to which ClearOne and Bagley received a lump-sum
cash
amount and the plaintiffs agreed to dismiss their claims against Lumbermens
Mutual with prejudice. The cash settlement is held in a segregated account
until
the claims involving National Union have been resolved, at which time the
amounts received in the action will be allocated between the Company and Bagley.
The amount distributed to the Company and Bagley will be determined based on
future negotiations between the Company and Bagley. The Company cannot currently
estimate the amount of the settlement which it will ultimately receive. Upon
determining the amount of the settlement which the Company will ultimately
receive, the Company will record this as a contingent gain. On October 21,
2005,
the court granted summary judgment in favor of National Union on its rescission
defense and accordingly entered a judgment dismissing all of the claims asserted
by ClearOne and Mr. Bagley. In connection with the summary judgment, the Company
has been ordered to pay approximately $59,000 in expenses. However, due to
the
Lumbermens Mutual cash proceeds discussed above and the appeal to the summary
judgment discussed below, this potential liability has not been recorded in
the
balance sheet as of June 30, 2006. On February 2, 2006, the Company and Mr.
Bagley filed an appeal to the summary judgment granted on October 21, 2005
and
intend to vigorously pursue the appeal and any follow-up proceedings regarding
their claims against National Union, although no assurances can be given that
they will be successful. The Company and Mr. Bagley have entered into a Joint
Prosecution and Defense Agreement in connection with the action and the Company
is paying all litigation expenses except litigation expenses which are solely
related to Mr. Bagley’s claims in the litigation. (See “Item 13. Certain
Relationships and Related Transactions”).
U.S.
Attorney’s Investigation. On
January 28, 2003, the Company was advised that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for
the District of Utah has begun an investigation stemming from the complaint
in
the SEC action that was filed on January 15, 2003. No pleadings have been filed
to date and the Company intends on cooperating fully with the U.S. Attorney’s
Office should any developments occur in the future.
No
matters were submitted to a vote of our security holders during fiscal
2006.
24
PART
II
Market
Information
From
April 21, 2003 until February 10, 2006, our common stock was quoted on an
unsolicited basis on the National Quotation Bureau’s Pink Sheets under the
symbol “CLRO.” On February 10, 2006, the Pink Sheets blocked the publication of
quotations for our common stock on its public website due to their enforcement
of a policy to block all non-current public filers and due to our failure to
file current public information. On August 28, 2006, the Company’s shares began
trading on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board under the trading symbol CLRO.OB.
The following table sets forth the high and low bid quotations for the common
stock for the last two fiscal years as provided by Pink Sheets.
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||||
High
|
Low
|
High
|
Low
|
||||||||||
First
Quarter
|
$
|
4.10
|
$
|
2.20
|
$
|
5.70
|
$
|
3.50
|
|||||
Second
Quarter
|
2.50
|
1.95
|
4.80
|
3.55
|
|||||||||
Third
Quarter
|
3.60
|
2.25
|
4.30
|
3.00
|
|||||||||
Fourth
Quarter
|
4.25
|
3.50
|
3.65
|
2.25
|
On
August
31, 2006, the high and low sales prices for our common stock on the
Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board were $3.35 and $3.10, respectively.
Shareholders
As
of
August 31, 2006, there were 12,184,727 shares of our common stock issued and
outstanding and held by approximately 604 shareholders of record. This number
counts each broker dealer and clearing corporation, who hold shares for their
customers, as a single shareholder.
Dividends
We
have
not paid a cash dividend on our common stock and do not anticipate doing so
in
the foreseeable future. We intend to retain earnings to fund future working
capital requirements, infrastructure needs, growth, product development, and
our
stock buy-back program.
Securities
Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans
We
currently have one equity compensation plan, our 1998 Stock Option Plan (the
“1998 Plan”), which provides for the grant of stock options to employees,
directors and consultants. As of June 30, 2006, there were 1,237,920 options
outstanding under the 1998 Plan with 959,956 options available for grant in
the
future. During the time the Company failed to remain current in its filing
of
periodic reports with the SEC, employees, executive officers, and directors
were
not allowed to exercise options under the 1998 Plan. The Company became current
with its required SEC filings on June 28, 2006.
25
The
following table sets forth information as of June 30, 2006 with respect to
compensation plans under which equity securities of ClearOne are authorized
for
issuance.
Number
of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options,
warrants,
and rights
|
Weighted-average
exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and
rights
|
Number
of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity
compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column
(a))
|
|
(a)
|
(b)
|
(c)
|
|
Equity
compensation
|
|||
plans
approved by
|
|||
security
holders
|
1,237,920
|
$6.12
|
959,956
|
Equity
compensation
|
|||
plans
not approved by
|
|||
security
holders
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Total
|
1,237,920
|
$6.12
|
959,956
|
Recent
Sales of Unregistered Securities: Use of Proceeds from Registered
Securities.
On
September 29, 2005, we completed our obligations under the settlement agreement
in the shareholders’ class action by issuing a total of 1,148,494 shares of our
common stock to the plaintiff class, including 228,000 shares previously issued
in November 2004, and paying an aggregate of $126,705 in cash in lieu of shares
to those members of the class who would otherwise have been entitled to receive
an odd-lot number of shares or who resided in states in which there was no
exemption available for the issuance of shares . The shares were issued in
reliance on the exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities
Act provided by Section 3(a)(10) thereof.
Issuer
Purchases of Equity Securities.
During
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006, ClearOne did not purchase any of its equity
securities.
Stock
Buy-Back Program.
On
August 31, 2006, the Company announced that its Board of Directors had approved
a stock buy-back program to purchase up $2,000,000 of the Company’s common stock
over the next 12 months on the open market. All repurchased shares will be
immediately retired. The stock buy-back program will expire in August 2007.
Employee
Stock Purchase Program.
We have
an Employee Stock Purchase Program (“ESPP”). A total of 500,000 shares of common
stock were reserved for issuance under the ESPP. During the fiscal year ended
June 30, 2006, no shares of common stock were issued under the ESPP and
compensation expense was $0. The program was suspended during fiscal 2003 due
to
the Company’s failure to remain current in its filing of periodic reports with
the SEC. We intend to reinstate this program in October 2006, as the Company
became current with its required filing of periodic reports with the SEC on
June
28, 2006.
ITEM
6. SELECTED
FINANCIAL DATA
The
following selected financial data has been derived from our audited consolidated
financial statements for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2006, 2005, 2004,
2003,
and 2002. The data in the table below has been adjusted to reflect discontinued
operations of a portion of our business services segment and our conferencing
services segment as held for sale. The information set forth below is not
necessarily indicative of results of future operations, and should be read
in
conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and related
notes thereto included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.
26
SELECTED
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share data)
Years
Ended June 30,
|
||||||||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
2003
|
2002
|
||||||||||||
Operating
results:
|
||||||||||||||||
Revenue
|
$
|
37,632
|
$
|
31,645
|
$
|
27,966
|
$
|
28,566
|
$
|
26,253
|
||||||
Costs
and expenses:
|
||||||||||||||||
Cost
of goods sold
|
19,284
|
14,951
|
16,379
|
18,115
|
13,884
|
|||||||||||
Marketing
and selling
|
7,866
|
9,070
|
8,497
|
7,070
|
7,010
|
|||||||||||
Research
and product development
|
8,299
|
5,305
|
4,237
|
3,281
|
3,810
|
|||||||||||
General
and administrative
|
5,108
|
5,489
|
6,767
|
5,915
|
4,376
|
|||||||||||
Settlement
in shareholders' class action
|
(1,205
|
)
|
(2,046
|
)
|
4,080
|
7,325
|
-
|
|||||||||
Impairment
losses
|
-
|
180
|
-
|
5,102
|
7,115
|
|||||||||||
Restructuring
charge
|
-
|
110
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||||
Operating
loss
|
(1,720
|
)
|
(1,414
|
)
|
(11,994
|
)
|
(18,242
|
)
|
(9,942
|
)
|
||||||
Other
income (expense), net
|
1,016
|
318
|
(261
|
)
|
48
|
288
|
||||||||||
Loss
from continuing operations before income taxes
|
(704
|
)
|
(1,096
|
)
|
(12,255
|
)
|
(18,194
|
)
|
(9,654
|
)
|
||||||
Benefit
(provision) for income taxes
|
870
|
3,248
|
736
|
1,352
|
173
|
|||||||||||
Income
(loss) from continuing operations
|
166
|
2,152
|
(11,519
|
)
|
(16,842
|
)
|
(9,481
|
)
|
||||||||
Income
(loss) from discontinued operations
|
1,930
|
13,923
|
1,632
|
(19,130
|
)
|
2,820
|
||||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$
|
2,096
|
$
|
16,075
|
$
|
(9,887
|
)
|
$
|
(35,972
|
)
|
$
|
(6,661
|
)
|
|||
Earnings
(loss) per common share:
|
||||||||||||||||
Basic
earnings (loss) from continuing operations
|
$
|
0.02
|
$
|
0.19
|
$
|
(1.04
|
)
|
$
|
(1.50
|
)
|
$
|
(0.99
|
)
|
|||
Diluted
earnings (loss) from continuing operations
|
$
|
0.01
|
$
|
0.17
|
$
|
(1.04
|
)
|
$
|
(1.50
|
)
|
$
|
(0.99
|
)
|
|||
Basic
earnings (loss) from discontinued operations
|
$
|
0.16
|
$
|
1.25
|
$
|
0.15
|
$
|
(1.71
|
)
|
$
|
0.30
|
|||||
Diluted
earnings (loss) from discontinued operations
|
$
|
0.16
|
$
|
1.13
|
$
|
0.15
|
$
|
(1.71
|
)
|
$
|
0.30
|
|||||
Basic
earnings (loss)
|
$
|
0.18
|
$
|
1.44
|
$
|
(0.89
|
)
|
$
|
(3.21
|
)
|
$
|
(0.69
|
)
|
|||
Diluted
earnings (loss)
|
$
|
0.17
|
$
|
1.30
|
$
|
(0.89
|
)
|
$
|
(3.21
|
)
|
$
|
(0.69
|
)
|
|||
Weighted
average shares outstanding:
|
||||||||||||||||
Basic
|
11,957,756
|
11,177,406
|
11,057,896
|
11,183,339
|
9,588,118
|
|||||||||||
Diluted
|
12,206,618
|
12,332,106
|
11,057,896
|
11,183,339
|
9,588,118
|
|||||||||||
As
of June 30,
|
||||||||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
2003
|
2002
|
||||||||||||
Financial
data:
|
||||||||||||||||
Current
assets
|
$
|
39,589
|
$
|
34,879
|
$
|
27,202
|
$
|
29,365
|
$
|
52,304
|
||||||
Property,
plant and equipment, net
|
1,647
|
2,805
|
4,027
|
4,320
|
4,678
|
|||||||||||
Total
assets
|
41,405
|
38,021
|
32,156
|
35,276
|
63,876
|
|||||||||||
Long-term
debt, net of current maturities
|
-
|
-
|
240
|
931
|
-
|
|||||||||||
Capital
leases, net of current maturities
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
9
|
41
|
|||||||||||
Total
shareholders' equity
|
30,412
|
24,911
|
9,006
|
18,743
|
53,892
|
27
Quarterly
Financial Data (Unaudited)
The
following table is a summary of unaudited quarterly financial information for
the years ended June 30, 2006, 2005 and 2004.
Fiscal
2006 Quarters Ended
|
||||||||||||||||
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share data)
|
||||||||||||||||
Sept.
30
|
Dec.
31
|
Mar.
31
|
June
30
|
Total
|
||||||||||||
Revenue
|
$
|
9,527
|
$
|
9,675
|
$
|
8,700
|
$
|
9,730
|
$
|
37,632
|
||||||
Cost
of goods sold
|
(4,645
|
)
|
(4,943
|
)
|
(4,625
|
)
|
(5,071
|
)
|
(19,284
|
)
|
||||||
Marketing
and selling
|
(1,812
|
)
|
(1,810
|
)
|
(1,920
|
)
|
(2,324
|
)
|
(7,866
|
)
|
||||||
Research
and product development
|
(1,799
|
)
|
(1,778
|
)
|
(2,201
|
)
|
(2,521
|
)
|
(8,299
|
)
|
||||||
General
and administrative
|
(1,771
|
)
|
(1,457
|
)
|
(1,060
|
)
|
(820
|
)
|
(5,108
|
)
|
||||||
Settlement
in shareholders' class action
|
1,205
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1,205
|
|||||||||||
Other
income (expense), net
|
166
|
191
|
237
|
422
|
1,016
|
|||||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations before income taxes
|
871
|
(122
|
)
|
(869
|
)
|
(584
|
)
|
(704
|
)
|
|||||||
Benefit
(provision) for income taxes
|
178
|
109
|
763
|
(180
|
)
|
870
|
||||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations
|
1,049
|
(13
|
)
|
(106
|
)
|
(764
|
)
|
166
|
||||||||
Income
from discontinued operations
|
938
|
94
|
646
|
252
|
1,930
|
|||||||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
1,987
|
$
|
81
|
$
|
540
|
$
|
(512
|
)
|
$
|
2,096
|
|||||
Basic
income (loss) earnings per common share:
|
||||||||||||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$
|
0.09
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
(0.01
|
)
|
$
|
(0.06
|
)
|
$
|
0.02
|
||||
Discontinued
operations
|
0.08
|
0.01
|
0.05
|
0.02
|
0.16
|
|||||||||||
Basic
income (loss) earnings per common share
|
$
|
0.18
|
$
|
0.01
|
$
|
0.04
|
$
|
(0.04
|
)
|
$
|
0.18
|
|||||
Diluted
income (loss) earnings per common share:
|
||||||||||||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$
|
0.09
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
(0.01
|
)
|
$
|
(0.06
|
)
|
$
|
0.01
|
||||
Discontinued
operations
|
0.08
|
0.01
|
0.05
|
0.02
|
0.16
|
|||||||||||
Diluted
income (loss) earnings per common share
|
$
|
0.16
|
$
|
0.01
|
$
|
0.04
|
$
|
(0.04
|
)
|
$
|
0.17
|
Fiscal
2005 Quarters Ended
|
||||||||||||||||
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share data)
|
||||||||||||||||
Sept.
30
|
Dec.
31
|
Mar.
31
|
June
30
|
Total
|
||||||||||||
Revenue
|
$
|
6,747
|
$
|
8,692
|
$
|
7,103
|
$
|
9,103
|
$
|
31,645
|
||||||
Cost
of goods sold
|
(3,797
|
)
|
(3,948
|
)
|
(3,180
|
)
|
(4,026
|
)
|
(14,951
|
)
|
||||||
Marketing
and selling
|
(2,086
|
)
|
(2,341
|
)
|
(2,151
|
)
|
(2,492
|
)
|
(9,070
|
)
|
||||||
Research
and product development
|
(1,105
|
)
|
(1,282
|
)
|
(1,423
|
)
|
(1,495
|
)
|
(5,305
|
)
|
||||||
General
and administrative
|
(1,435
|
)
|
(1,388
|
)
|
(1,287
|
)
|
(1,379
|
)
|
(5,489
|
)
|
||||||
Settlement
in shareholders' class action
|
1,020
|
734
|
855
|
(563
|
)
|
2,046
|
||||||||||
Impairment
losses
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(180
|
)
|
(180
|
)
|
|||||||||
Restructuring
charge
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(110
|
)
|
(110
|
)
|
|||||||||
Other
income (expense), net
|
34
|
64
|
95
|
125
|
318
|
|||||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations before income taxes
|
(622
|
)
|
531
|
12
|
(1,017
|
)
|
(1,096
|
)
|
||||||||
Benefit
(provision) for income taxes
|
232
|
(198
|
)
|
(5
|
)
|
3,219
|
3,248
|
|||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations
|
(390
|
)
|
333
|
7
|
2,202
|
2,152
|
||||||||||
Income
from discontinued operations
|
13,346
|
73
|
388
|
116
|
13,923
|
|||||||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
12,956
|
$
|
406
|
$
|
395
|
$
|
2,318
|
$
|
16,075
|
||||||
Basic
income (loss) earnings per common share:
|
||||||||||||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$
|
(0.04
|
)
|
$
|
0.03
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
0.20
|
$
|
0.19
|
|||||
Discontinued
operations
|
1.20
|
0.01
|
0.03
|
0.01
|
1.25
|
|||||||||||
Basic
income (loss) earnings per common share
|
$
|
1.16
|
$
|
0.04
|
$
|
0.03
|
$
|
0.21
|
$
|
1.44
|
||||||
Diluted
income (loss) earnings per common share:
|
||||||||||||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$
|
(0.03
|
)
|
$
|
0.02
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
0.18
|
$
|
0.17
|
|||||
Discontinued
operations
|
1.08
|
0.01
|
0.03
|
0.01
|
1.13
|
|||||||||||
Diluted
income (loss) earnings per common share
|
$
|
1.05
|
$
|
0.03
|
$
|
0.03
|
$
|
0.19
|
$
|
1.30
|
28
Fiscal
2004 Quarters Ended
|
||||||||||||||||
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share data)
|
||||||||||||||||
Sept.
30
|
Dec.
31
|
Mar.
31
|
June
30
|
Total
|
||||||||||||
Revenue
|
$
|
7,737
|
$
|
6,715
|
$
|
6,652
|
$
|
6,862
|
$
|
27,966
|
||||||
Cost
of goods sold
|
(5,165
|
)
|
(3,278
|
)
|
(4,392
|
)
|
(3,544
|
)
|
(16,379
|
)
|
||||||
Marketing
and selling
|
(2,012
|
)
|
(2,004
|
)
|
(2,129
|
)
|
(2,352
|
)
|
(8,497
|
)
|
||||||
Research
and product development
|
(925
|
)
|
(829
|
)
|
(1,112
|
)
|
(1,371
|
)
|
(4,237
|
)
|
||||||
General
and administrative
|
(1,583
|
)
|
(1,639
|
)
|
(1,738
|
)
|
(1,807
|
)
|
(6,767
|
)
|
||||||
Settlement
in shareholders' class action
|
-
|
(2,100
|
)
|
(3,240
|
)
|
1,260
|
(4,080
|
)
|
||||||||
Other
income (expense), net
|
1
|
(65
|
)
|
(2
|
)
|
(195
|
)
|
(261
|
)
|
|||||||
Loss
from continuing operations before income taxes
|
(1,947
|
)
|
(3,200
|
)
|
(5,961
|
)
|
(1,147
|
)
|
(12,255
|
)
|
||||||
Benefit
for income taxes
|
123
|
109
|
426
|
78
|
736
|
|||||||||||
Loss
from continuing operations
|
(1,824
|
)
|
(3,091
|
)
|
(5,535
|
)
|
(1,069
|
)
|
(11,519
|
)
|
||||||
Income
(loss) from discontinued operations
|
661
|
(66
|
)
|
690
|
347
|
1,632
|
||||||||||
Net
loss
|
$
|
(1,163
|
)
|
$
|
(3,157
|
)
|
$
|
(4,845
|
)
|
$
|
(722
|
)
|
$
|
(9,887
|
)
|
|
Basic
(loss) earnings per common share:
|
||||||||||||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$
|
(0.16
|
)
|
$
|
(0.28
|
)
|
$
|
(0.50
|
)
|
$
|
(0.10
|
)
|
$
|
(1.04
|
)
|
|
Discontinued
operations
|
0.06
|
-
|
0.06
|
0.03
|
0.15
|
|||||||||||
Basic
(loss) earnings per common share
|
$
|
(0.10
|
)
|
$
|
(0.28
|
)
|
$
|
(0.44
|
)
|
$
|
(0.07
|
)
|
$
|
(0.89
|
)
|
|
Diluted
(loss) earnings per common share:
|
||||||||||||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$
|
(0.16
|
)
|
$
|
(0.28
|
)
|
$
|
(0.50
|
)
|
$
|
(0.10
|
)
|
$
|
(1.04
|
)
|
|
Discontinued
operations
|
0.06
|
-
|
0.06
|
0.03
|
0.15
|
|||||||||||
Diluted
(loss) earnings per common share
|
$
|
(0.10
|
)
|
$
|
(0.28
|
)
|
$
|
(0.44
|
)
|
$
|
(0.07
|
)
|
$
|
(0.89
|
)
|
The
following discussion should be read in conjunction with our June 30, 2006
Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes to Consolidated Financial
Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This
discussion contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations
that involve risks and uncertainties, such as our plans, objectives,
expectations, and intentions, as set forth under “Disclosure Regarding
Forward-Looking Statements.” Our actual results and the timing of events could
differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements
as
a result of various factors, including those set forth in the following
discussion and under the caption “Risk Factors” in Item 1A and elsewhere in this
Annual Report on Form 10-K. Unless otherwise indicated, all references to a
year
reflect our fiscal year that ends on June 30.
CRITICAL
ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Our
discussion and analysis of our results of operations and financial position
are
based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared
in
conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. We review the
accounting policies used in reporting our financial results on a regular basis.
The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the
date
of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses
during the reporting period. We evaluate our assumptions and estimates on an
ongoing basis and may employ outside experts to assist in our evaluations.
We
believe that the estimates we use are reasonable; however, actual results could
differ from those estimates. Our significant accounting policies are described
in Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this
Annual Report on Form 10-K. We believe the following critical accounting
policies affect our more significant assumptions and estimates that we used
to
prepare our consolidated financial statements.
Revenue
and Associated Allowances for Revenue Adjustments and Doubtful
Accounts
Included
in continuing operations is product revenue, primarily from product sales to
distributors, dealers, and end-users. Product revenue is recognized when (i)
the
products are shipped and any right of return expires, (ii) persuasive evidence
of an arrangement exists, (iii) the price is fixed and determinable, and (iv)
collection is reasonably assured.
29
We
provide a right of return on product sales to distributors. Currently, we do
not
have sufficient historical return experience with our distributors that is
predictive of future events given historical excess levels of inventory in
the
distribution channel. Accordingly, revenue from product sales to distributors
is
not recognized until the return privilege has expired, which approximates when
product is sold-through to customers of the Company’s distributors (dealers,
system integrators, value-added resellers, and end-users) rather than when
the
product is initially shipped to a distributor. We evaluate, at each quarter-end,
the inventory in the channel through information provided by certain of our
distributors. The level of inventory in the channel will fluctuate up or down,
each quarter, based upon our distributors’ individual operations. Accordingly,
each quarter-end revenue deferral is calculated and recorded based upon the
underlying, estimated channel inventory at quarter-end. Although certain
distributors provide certain channel inventory amounts, we make judgments and
estimates with regard to the amount of inventory in the entire channel, for
all customers and for all channel inventory items, and the appropriate
revenue and cost of goods sold associated with those channel
products. Although these assumptions and judgments regarding total channel
inventory revenue and cost of goods sold could differ from actual
amounts, we believe that our calculations are indicative of actual levels of
inventory in the distribution channel. The amounts of deferred cost of
goods sold were included in consigned inventory. The following table details
the
amount of deferred revenue, cost of goods sold, and gross profit at each quarter
end for the 24-month period ended June 30, 2006 (in thousands).
Deferred
Revenue
|
Deferred
Cost of Goods Sold
|
Deferred
Gross Profit
|
||||||||
June
30, 2006
|
$
|
5,871
|
$
|
2,817
|
$
|
3,054
|
||||
March
31, 2006
|
5,355
|
2,443
|
2,912
|
|||||||
December
31, 2005
|
4,936
|
2,199
|
2,737
|
|||||||
September
30, 2005
|
4,848
|
2,373
|
2,475
|
|||||||
June
30, 2005
|
5,055
|
2,297
|
2,758
|
|||||||
March
31, 2005
|
5,456
|
2,321
|
3,135
|
|||||||
December
31, 2004
|
4,742
|
1,765
|
2,977
|
|||||||
September
30, 2004
|
5,617
|
1,920
|
3,697
|
|||||||
June
30, 2004
|
6,107
|
2,381
|
3,726
|
We
offer
rebates and market development funds to certain of our distributors,
dealers/resellers, and end-users based upon volume of product purchased by
them.
We record rebates as a reduction of revenue in accordance with Emerging Issues
Task Force (“EITF”) Issue No. 00-22, “Accounting for Points and Certain Other
Time-Based or Volume-Based Sales Incentive Offers, and Offers for Free Products
or Services to Be Delivered in the Future.” Beginning January 1, 2002, we
adopted EITF Issue No. 01-9, “Accounting for Consideration Given by a Vendor to
a Customer (Including a Reseller of the Vendor’s Products).” We continue to
record rebates as a reduction of revenue in the period revenue is
recognized.
We
offer
credit terms on the sale of our products to a majority of our customers and
perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers’ financial condition. We
maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting
from
the inability or unwillingness of our customers to make required payments based
upon our historical collection experience and expected collectibility of all
accounts receivable. Our actual bad debts in future periods may differ from
our
current estimates and the differences may be material, which may have an adverse
impact on our future accounts receivable and cash position.
Goodwill
and Purchased Intangibles
We
assess
the impairment of goodwill and other identifiable intangibles annually or
whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value
may
not be recoverable. Some factors we consider important which could trigger
an
impairment review include the following:
· |
Significant
underperformance relative to projected future operating
results;
|
· |
Significant
changes in the manner of our use of the acquired assets or the strategy
for our overall business; and
|
· |
Significant
negative industry or economic
trends.
|
30
If
we
determine that the carrying value of goodwill and other identified intangibles
may not be recoverable based upon the existence of one or more of the above
indicators of impairment, we would typically measure any impairment based on
a
projected discounted cash flow method using a discount rate determined by us
to
be commensurate
with the risk inherent in our current business model. We evaluate goodwill
for
impairment at least annually.
We
plan
to conduct our annual impairment tests in the fourth quarter of every fiscal
year, unless impairment indicators exist sooner. Screening for and assessing
whether impairment indicators exist or if events or changes in circumstances
have occurred, including market conditions, operating fundamentals, competition,
and general economic conditions, requires significant judgment. Additionally,
changes in the high-technology industry occur frequently and quickly. Therefore,
there can be no assurance that a charge to operations will not occur as a result
of future purchased intangible impairment tests.
Impairment
of Long-Lived Assets
We
assess
the impairment of long-lived assets, such as property and equipment and
definite-lived intangibles subject to amortization, annually or whenever events
or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may
not
be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by
a
comparison of the carrying amount of an asset or asset group to estimated future
undiscounted net cash flows of the related asset or group of assets over their
remaining lives. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future
undiscounted cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized for the amount
by
which the carrying amount exceeds the estimated fair value of the asset.
Impairment of long-lived assets is assessed at the lowest levels for which
there
are identifiable cash flows that are independent of other groups of assets.
The
impairment of long-lived assets requires judgments and estimates. If
circumstances change, such estimates could also change. Assets held for sale
are
reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value, less the estimated
costs to sell.
Accounting
for Income Taxes
We
are
subject to income taxes in both the United States and in certain non-U.S.
jurisdictions. We estimate our current tax position together with our future
tax
consequences attributable to temporary differences resulting from differing
treatment of items, such as deferred revenue, depreciation, and other reserves
for tax and accounting purposes. These temporary differences result in deferred
tax assets and liabilities. We must then assess the likelihood that our deferred
tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income, prior year carryback,
or future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences. To the extent
we
believe that recovery is not more likely than not, we establish a valuation
allowance against these deferred tax assets. Significant management judgment
is
required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets
and liabilities, and any valuation allowance recorded against our deferred
tax
assets. To the extent we establish a valuation allowance in a period, we must
include and expense the allowance within the tax provision in the consolidated
statement of operations. The reversal of a previously established valuation
allowance results in a benefit for income taxes.
Lower-of-Cost
or Market Adjustments and Reserves for Excess and Obsolete
Inventory
We
account for our inventory on a first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) basis, and make
appropriate adjustments on a quarterly basis to write-down the value of
inventory to the lower-of-cost or market.
In
order
to determine what, if any, inventory needs to be written down, we perform a
quarterly analysis of obsolete and slow-moving inventory. In general, we
write-down our excess and obsolete inventory by an amount that is equal to
the
difference between the cost of the inventory and its estimated market value
if
market value is less than cost, based upon assumptions about future product
life-cycles, product demand, and market conditions. Those items that are found
to have a supply in excess of our estimated demand are considered to be
slow-moving or obsolete and the appropriate reserve is made to write-down the
value of that inventory to its realizable value. These charges are recorded
in
cost of goods sold. At the point of the loss recognition, a new, lower-cost
basis for that inventory is established and subsequent changes in facts and
circumstances do not result in the restoration or increase in that newly
established cost basis. If there were to be a sudden and significant decrease
in
demand for our products, or if there were a higher incidence of inventory
obsolescence because of rapidly changing technology and customer requirements,
we could be required to increase our inventory allowances, and our gross profit
could be adversely affected.
31
Share-Based
Payment
Prior
to
June 30, 2005 and as permitted under the original Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation,” we accounted for our share-based payments following the
recognition and measurement principles of Accounting Principles Board Opinion
No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees,” as interpreted. Accordingly,
no share-based compensation expense had been reflected in our statements of
operations for unmodified option grants since (1) the exercise price equaled
the
market value of the underlying common stock on the grant date and (2) the
related number of shares to be granted upon exercise of the stock option was
fixed on the grant date.
In
December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued SFAS No.
123R, “Share-Based Payment.” SFAS No. 123R is a revision of SFAS No. 123. SFAS
No. 123R establishes standards for the accounting for transactions in which
an
entity exchanges its equity instruments for goods or services. Primarily, SFAS
No. 123R focuses on accounting for transactions in which an entity obtains
employee services in share-based payment transactions. It also addresses
transactions in which an entity incurs liabilities in exchange for goods or
services that are based on the fair value of the entity’s equity instruments or
that may be settled by the issuance of those equity instruments.
Under
SFAS No. 123R, we measure the cost of employee services received in exchange
for
an award of equity instruments based on the grant date fair value of the award
(with limited exceptions). That cost will be recognized over the period during
which an employee is required to provide service in exchange for the awards
-
the requisite service period (usually the vesting period). No compensation
cost
is recognized for equity instruments for which employees do not render the
requisite service. Therefore, if an employee does not ultimately render the
requisite service, the costs associated with the unvested options will not
be
recognized, cumulatively.
Effective
July 1, 2005, we adopted SFAS No. 123R and its fair value recognition provisions
using the modified prospective transition method. Under this transition method,
stock-based compensation cost recognized after July 1, 2005 includes the
straight-line basis compensation cost for (a) all share-based payments granted
prior to July 1, 2005, but not yet vested, based on the grant date fair values
used for the pro-forma disclosures under the original SFAS No. 123 and (b)
all
share-based payments granted or modified on or after July 1, 2005, in accordance
with the provisions of SFAS No. 123R.
Under
SFAS No. 123R, we recognize compensation cost net of an anticipated forfeiture
rate and recognize the associated compensation cost for those awards expected
to
vest on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. We use judgment
in determining the fair value of the share-based payments on the date of grant
using an option-pricing model with assumptions regarding a number of highly
complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited
to, the risk-free interest rate of the awards, the expected life of the awards,
the expected volatility over the term of the awards, the expected dividends
of
the awards, and an estimate of the amount of awards that are expected to be
forfeited. If assumptions change in the application of SFAS No. 123R in future
periods, the stock-based compensation cost ultimately recorded under SFAS No.
123R may differ significantly from what was recorded in the current
period.
SEASONALITY
Our
audio
conferencing products revenue has historically been strongest during our second
and fourth quarters. Our camera product line revenue was usually strongest
during the third and fourth quarters. There can be no assurance that any
historic sales patterns will continue and, as a result, sales for any prior
quarter are not necessarily indicative of the sales to be expected in any future
quarter.
BUSINESS
OVERVIEW
We
are an
audio conferencing products company. We develop, manufacture, market, and
service a comprehensive line of audio conferencing products, which range from
tabletop conferencing phones to professionally installed audio systems. We
believe we have a strong history of product innovation and plan to continue
to
apply our expertise in audio engineering to developing innovative new products.
The performance and reliability of our high-quality solutions create a natural
communication environment, which saves organizations of all sizes time and
money
by enabling more effective and efficient communication between geographically
separated businesses, employees, and customers.
32
DISCUSSION
OF OPERATIONS
Results
of Operations
The
following table sets forth certain items from our consolidated statements of
operations (in thousands of dollars) for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2006,
2005, and 2004, together with the percentage of total revenue which each such
item represents:
Year
Ended June 30,
|
|||||||||||||||||||
(in
thousands of dollars)
|
|||||||||||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
|||||||||||||||||
%
of
Revenue
|
%
of
Revenue
|
%
of
Revenue
|
|||||||||||||||||
Revenue
|
$
|
37,632
|
100.0%
|
|
$
|
31,645
|
100.0%
|
|
$
|
27,966
|
100.0%
|
|
|||||||
Cost
of goods sold
|
19,284
|
51.2%
|
|
14,951
|
47.2%
|
|
16,379
|
58.6%
|
|
||||||||||
Gross
profit
|
18,348
|
48.8%
|
|
16,694
|
52.8%
|
|
11,587
|
41.4%
|
|
||||||||||
Operating
expenses (benefit):
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Marketing
and selling
|
7,866
|
20.9%
|
|
9,070
|
28.7%
|
|
8,497
|
30.4%
|
|
||||||||||
Research
and product development
|
8,299
|
22.1%
|
|
5,305
|
16.8%
|
|
4,237
|
15.2%
|
|
||||||||||
General
and administrative
|
5,108
|
13.6%
|
|
5,489
|
17.3%
|
|
6,767
|
24.2%
|
|
||||||||||
Settlement
in shareholders' class action
|
(1,205
|
)
|
-3.2%
|
|
(2,046
|
)
|
-6.5%
|
|
4,080
|
14.6%
|
|
||||||||
Impairment
losses
|
-
|
0.0%
|
|
180
|
0.6%
|
|
-
|
0.0%
|
|
||||||||||
Restructuring
charge
|
-
|
0.0%
|
|
110
|
0.3%
|
|
-
|
0.0%
|
|
||||||||||
Total
operating expenses
|
20,068
|
53.3%
|
|
18,108
|
57.2%
|
|
23,581
|
84.3%
|
|
||||||||||
Operating
loss
|
(1,720
|
)
|
-4.6%
|
|
(1,414
|
)
|
-4.5%
|
|
(11,994
|
)
|
-42.9%
|
|
|||||||
Other
income (expense), net
|
1,016
|
2.7%
|
|
318
|
1.0%
|
|
(261
|
)
|
-0.9%
|
|
|||||||||
Loss
from continuing operations before income taxes
|
(704
|
)
|
-1.9%
|
|
(1,096
|
)
|
-3.5%
|
|
(12,255
|
)
|
-43.8%
|
|
|||||||
Benefit
for income taxes
|
870
|
2.3%
|
|
3,248
|
10.3%
|
|
736
|
2.6%
|
|
||||||||||
Income
(loss) from continuing operations
|
166
|
0.4%
|
|
2,152
|
6.8%
|
|
(11,519
|
)
|
-41.2%
|
|
|||||||||
Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax
|
1,930
|
5.1%
|
|
13,923
|
44.0%
|
|
1,632
|
5.8%
|
|
||||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$
|
2,096
|
5.6%
|
|
$
|
16,075
|
50.8%
|
|
$
|
(9,887
|
)
|
-35.4%
|
|
Our
revenue increased 34.6 percent over the three-year period from $28.0 million
in
fiscal 2004 to $37.6 million in fiscal 2006. During the fiscal year ended June
30, 2006, we introduced several new products, including the Converge™ 560/590
and Tabletop Controller for XAP in our professional conferencing product line
and the expansion of our MAX tabletop audio conferencing products with the
Max
IP and MaxAttach IP. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005, we introduced
several new products, including the RAV in our premium conferencing product
line
and the expansion of our MAX® tabletop audio conferencing product line with the
MaxAttach. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2004, we introduced several
new
products, including the XAP Net Control Interface in our professional
conferencing product line, the AccuMic PC for Personal Computers in our personal
conferencing product line, the Max Wireless and Max EX in our tabletop
conferencing product line, the Ceiling DocCam II in our camera product line,
and
the Titan Plasma Cart in our furniture product line. For the fiscal year ended
June 30, 2006 our settlement in shareholders’ class action expense (benefit)
decreased $841,000 from the same period in fiscal 2005 due to a quarterly
mark-to-market adjustment of the liability associated with our December 2003
settlement agreement, while research and development expense for the fiscal
year
ended June 30, 2006 increased primarily due to salaries and benefit-related
costs, including compensation cost related to SFAS No. 123R, over the same
period in fiscal 2005. Our marketing and selling costs decreased during the
fiscal year ended June 30, 2006 over the same period in fiscal 2005 primarily
due to the cost savings associated with reduced other marketing expenses and
the
closing of our Germany sales office. Our loss from continuing operations before
income taxes decreased approximately $392,000 for the fiscal year ended June
30,
2006 over the same period in fiscal 2005.
The
following is a discussion of our results of operations for our fiscal years
ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004. All items are discussed on a consolidated
basis.
33
Fiscal
Year Ended June 30, 2006 (“Fiscal 2006”)
Compared
to Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2005 (“Fiscal 2005”)
Revenue
Our
revenues were $37.6 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006 compared
to
revenues of $31.6 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005. Total
revenues increased $6.0 million, or 18.9 percent, for fiscal 2006 compared
to
fiscal 2005. The increase in revenue was mostly due to continued growth in
premium and tabletop conferencing products sales of approximately $3.6 million,
professional audio conferencing products sales of approximately $2.2 million,
and net sales in other product lines of approximately $175,000.
We
evaluate, at each quarter-end, the inventory in the channel through information
provided by certain of our distributors. The level of inventory in the
channel will fluctuate up or down, each quarter, based upon our distributors’
individual operations. Accordingly, each quarter-end revenue deferral is
calculated and recorded based upon the underlying, estimated channel inventory
at quarter-end. During the fiscal years ended June 30, 2006 and 2005, the
net change in deferred revenue based on the net movement of inventory in the
channel was a net (deferral) of ($816,000) and a net recognition $1.1 million
in
revenue, respectively. Approximately $700,000 of the net (deferral) during
fiscal 2006 related to the Company’s customers affected by the RoHS Directive
ordering additional product during the fourth quarter of 2006 in anticipation
of
an inability to get product after June 30, 2006 until the Company’s product
lines become compliant with the RoHS Directive.
The
following table indicates the number of individual unit shipments to our
distributors for certain of our product lines for the fiscal years ended June
30, 2006 and 2005. Due to our current revenue recognition policy, the figures
do
not tie directly to recognized revenues because revenues are recognized when
the
return rights lapse rather than at the time of shipment.
Year
Ended June 30,
|
||
(by
individual unit)
|
||
2006
|
2005
|
|
Professional
audio conferencing
|
13,212
|
10,786
|
Premium
and tabletop conferencing
|
25,283
|
11,782
|
Total
revenues from sales outside of the United States accounted for 28.5 percent
of
total revenue for fiscal 2006 and 25.9 percent of total revenue for fiscal
2005.
Costs
of Goods Sold and Gross Profit
Costs
of
goods sold (“COGS”) from the product segment includes expenses associated with
finished goods purchased from outsourced manufacturers, the manufacture of
our
products, including material and direct labor, our manufacturing and operations
organization, property and equipment depreciation, warranty expense, freight
expense, royalty payments, and the allocation of overhead expenses.
The
following table shows our COGS and gross profit together with each item’s amount
as a percentage of total revenue:
Year
Ended June 30,
|
|||||||||||||
(in
thousands of dollars)
|
|||||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||||
%
of
Revenue
|
%
of
Revenue
|
||||||||||||
Cost
of goods sold
|
$
|
19,284
|
51.2%
|
|
$
|
14,951
|
47.2%
|
|
|||||
Gross
profit
|
$
|
18,348
|
48.8%
|
|
$
|
16,694
|
52.8%
|
|
34
COGS
increased by approximately $4.3 million, or 29.0 percent, to $19.3 million
for
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006 compared with $15.0 million for the fiscal
year ended June 30, 2005. The increase in COGS from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2006
was primarily attributable to the mix and magnitude of the $6.0 million or
18.9
percent increase in total revenue partially offset by an incremental deferral
of
$604,000 more during fiscal 2006 versus fiscal 2005 in the deferred COGS where
return rights had not lapsed. We had a $431,000 increase in our write-off of
product inventory.
COGS
for
the fiscal years ended June 30, 2006 and 2005, includes $520,000 and ($84,000)
in net increases (decreases) related to the deferral of product revenue from
the
respective deferral at June 30, 2005 and 2004 because return rights had not
lapsed. Approximately $300,000 of the net increase during 2006 related to the
Company’s customers affected by the RoHS Directive ordering additional product
during the fourth quarter of 2006 in anticipation of an inability to get product
after June 30, 2006 until the Company’s product lines become compliant with the
RoHS Directive.
Our
gross
profit from continuing operations was $18.3 million, or 48.8 percent of revenue,
for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006 compared to $16.7 million, or 52.8
percent of revenue, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005. The increase in
gross profit of $1.7 million, or 9.9 percent, is mostly due to the $6.0 million,
or 18.9 percent, increase in revenue mix from sales of premium and tabletop
conferencing products and professional conferencing products partially offset
by
the change in deferred gross profit where return rights had not lapsed. Deferred
gross profit changed from a net increase in recognized gross profit of $968,000
during fiscal 2005 compared to a net (reduction) in recognized gross profit
of
($296,000) during fiscal 2006. The change in gross profit was also negatively
impacted by reduced prices on certain end-of-life products and the $431,000
increase in product inventory write-offs. During the past eight quarters, the
gross profit percentage has ranged from a high of 55.8 percent in the three
months ended June 30, 2005 to a low of 43.7 percent for the three months ended
September 30, 2004. We believe quarterly fluctuations will continue to occur
based upon actual product mix.
Operating
Expenses
Our
operating expenses were $20.1 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006,
an increase of $2.0 million, or 10.8 percent, from $18.1 million for the fiscal
year ended June 30, 2005. The increase in operating expenses is primarily
related to increased research and product development expenses, the reduced
benefit related to the settlement in the shareholders’ class action, and the
introduction of compensation cost related to SFAS No. 123R, partially offset
by
decreased spending in marketing and selling. The following is a more detailed
discussion of expenses related to marketing and selling, research and product
development, general and administrative, and settlement in shareholders’ class
action.
Marketing
and selling expenses.
Marketing and selling expenses include selling, customer service, and marketing
expenses such as employee-related costs, allocations of overhead expenses,
trade
shows, and other advertising and selling expenses. Total marketing and selling
expenses decreased $1.2 million, or 13.3 percent, to $7.9 million for the fiscal
year ended June 30, 2006 compared with the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005
expenses of $9.1 million. As a percentage of revenues, marketing and selling
expenses were 20.9 percent for fiscal 2006 and 28.7 percent for fiscal 2005.
The
decrease in marketing and selling expenses from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2006
was
primarily attributable to a decrease of approximately $820,000 of other
marketing and selling expenses and a decrease in our international sales offices
of approximately $580,000 partially offset by an increase in employee related
expenses of $100,000 and the addition of SFAS No. 123R compensation cost of
$99,000.
Research
and product development expenses.
Research
and product development expenses include research and development, product
management, engineering services, and test and application expenses, including
employee-related costs, outside services, expensed materials, depreciation,
and
an allocation of overhead expenses. Total research and product development
expenses increased $3.0 million, or 56.4 percent, to $8.3 million for the fiscal
year ended June 30, 2006 compared with the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005
expenses of $5.3 million. As a percentage of revenues, research and product
development expenses were 22.1 percent for fiscal 2006 and 16.8 percent for
fiscal 2005. The increase in product development expenses from the levels for
fiscal 2005 to the levels for fiscal 2006 was due to ongoing research and
product development efforts, expenditures related to bringing the Company’s
product offerings into compliance with the RoHS Directive, and the addition
of
SFAS No. 123R compensation cost of $203,000.
35
General
and administrative expenses.
General
and administrative expenses (“G&A expenses”) include employee-related costs,
professional service fees, allocations of overhead expenses, litigation costs,
including costs associated with the SEC investigation and subsequent litigation,
and corporate administrative costs, including finance and human resources.
Total
G&A expenses decreased $381,000, or 6.9 percent, to $5.1 million for the
fiscal year ended June 30, 2006 compared with the fiscal year ended June 30,
2005 expenses of $5.5 million. As a percentage of revenues, G&A expenses
were 13.6 percent for fiscal 2006 and 17.3 percent for fiscal 2005. A summary
of
our general and administrative expenses are as follows:
Year
Ended June 30,
|
|||||||
(in
thousands of dollars)
|
|||||||
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
Total
G&A before discontinued operations
|
$
|
5,108
|
$
|
5,742
|
|||
OM
Video G&A
|
-
|
(253
|
)
|
||||
Total
G&A from continuing operations
|
$
|
5,108
|
$
|
5,489
|
|||
Professional
fees (SEC investigation and subsequent litigation)
|
$
|
493
|
$
|
997
|
|||
Professional
fees (Other)
|
1,797
|
1,993
|
|||||
Compensation
cost related to SFAS No. 123R
|
756
|
-
|
|||||
Severance
payments to executives
|
93
|
-
|
|||||
Other
general and administrative expense
|
1,969
|
2,499
|
|||||
Total
G&A from continuing operations
|
$
|
5,108
|
$
|
5,489
|
We
attribute the decrease in G&A as a percentage of revenues to 13.6 percent
for fiscal 2006 from 17.3 percent for fiscal 2005 mostly due to a $530,000
decrease in other general and administrative expense, a $504,000 decrease in
SEC
investigation and subsequent litigation related professional fees, and $196,000
decrease in other professional fees, including accounting and audit fees,
partially offset by the addition of SFAS No. 123R compensation cost of $756,000
and an increase of $93,000 in severance payments to executives.
Settlement
in shareholders’ class action expense (benefit).
We
attribute the decrease in benefit for settlement in shareholders’ class action
expense as a percentage of revenue to (3.2) percent for the fiscal year ended
June 30, 2006 from (6.5) percent for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005 to
the
quarterly mark-to-market of the liability associated with the 1.2 million shares
of common stock that were issued in November 2004 (fiscal 2005) and September
2005 (fiscal 2006) to class members and their legal counsel as part of the
December 2003 (fiscal 2004) settlement agreement. This mark-to-market adjustment
of the stock to reflect the current liability amount associated with the 1.2
million shares was based upon the closing price of the Company’s common stock at
the end of each quarter through the date the shares were issued on September
29,
2005. Accordingly, we will no longer recognize any expense (benefit) associated
with these stock price fluctuations.
Operating
loss.
For the
fiscal year ended June 30, 2006, our operating loss increased $306,000, or
21.6
percent, to ($1.7 million) on revenue of $37.6 million, from an operating loss
of ($1.4 million) on revenue of $31.6 million for the fiscal year ended June
30,
2005. As discussed above, the factors mostly affecting this increase in
operating loss were an increase in research and product development expenses
of
$3.0 million and a decrease in settlement in shareholders’ class action benefit
of $841,000 partially offset by an increase in gross margin profit of $1.7
million, a decrease in marketing and selling expenses of $1.2 million, and
a
decrease in general and administrative expenses of $381,000. Additionally,
the
decrease in impairment losses and restructuring charge of $290,000 was related
to our decision to outsource our Salt Lake City manufacturing operations during
fiscal 2005.
Other
income (expense), net.
Other
income (expense), net, includes our interest income, interest expense, capital
gains, gain (loss) on the disposal of assets, and currency gain (loss). Other
income was $1.0 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006, an increase
of
$698,000, or 219.5 percent, from income of $318,000 for the fiscal year ended
June 30, 2005. The increase in other income for fiscal 2006 over the same period
in fiscal 2005 was primarily due to an increase in interest income associated
with our marketable securities and a decrease in interest expense related to
our
Oracle system-related note payable.
36
Loss
from continuing operations before income taxes.
Loss
from continuing operations decreased $392,000, or 35.8 percent to ($704,000)
for
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006 compared with the fiscal year ended June
30,
2005 loss from continuing operations of ($1.1 million). As a percentage of
revenues, loss from continuing operations was (1.9) percent for fiscal 2006
and
(3.5) percent for fiscal 2005. We attribute the change in loss from continuing
operations to the results of operations described above.
Benefit
for income taxes.
Benefit
for income taxes from continuing operations was $870,000 for the fiscal year
ended June 30, 2006 and $3.2 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005.
The decrease in the benefit is mostly due to the income from discontinued
operations during fiscal 2005 being larger than the similar income in fiscal
2006. The Company was able to partially decrease a portion of the valuation
allowance against deferred tax assets based upon this income from discontinued
operations. Given the Company’s history of consecutive years of losses from
continuing operations, we followed the guidance of SFAS No. 109, “Accounting
for Income Taxes,”
and
recorded a valuation allowance against certain deferred tax assets where it
is
not considered more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be
realized. As of June 30, 2006 and 2005, we have fully reserved against our
net
deferred tax assets.
Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax. Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax, includes the gain on the sale of
our
conferencing services business and the funds from the Indemnity Escrow account
from Premiere related to the sale of our conferencing services business which
was sold on July 1, 2004; income from discontinued operations related to our
Canadian audiovisual integration business (“OM Video”); the gain on the March 4,
2005 sale of OM Video; payments on our note receivable related to the sale
of OM
Video; and payments on our note receivable related to the sale to Burk. The
total income from discontinued operations was $1.9 million for the fiscal year
ended June 30, 2006, a decrease of $12.0 million or 86.1 percent, from $13.9
million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005.
We
received funds from the Indemnity Escrow account from Premiere, net of tax,
of
$729,000 for fiscal 2006 while we realized a gain, net of tax, on the sale
of
$13.4 million for fiscal 2005.
We
received payments on our OM Video note receivable, net of tax, of $248,000
for
fiscal 2006 while OM Video services income, net of tax, was $174,000 for fiscal
2005 and a gain on the sale of OM Video, net of tax, was $227,000 for the same
period in fiscal 2005. OM Video audiovisual integration services business
revenue was $3.8 million for fiscal 2005.
On
August
22, 2005 we entered into a Mutual Release and Waiver with Burk pursuant to
which
Burk paid us $1.3 million in full satisfaction of the promissory note, which
included a discount of $119,000. As part of the Mutual Release and Waiver
Agreement, we waived any right to future commission payments from Burk and
we
granted mutual releases to one another with respect to claims and liabilities.
We realized a gain, net of tax, of $953,000 for fiscal 2006. We received payment
on our Burk note receivable, net of tax, of $144,000 for fiscal
2005.
Fiscal
Year Ended June 30, 2005 (“Fiscal 2005”)
Compared
to Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2004 (“Fiscal 2004”)
Revenue
For
the
fiscal years ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, revenues by business segment were
as
follows:
Year
Ended June 30,
|
|||||||||||||
(in
thousands of dollars)
|
|||||||||||||
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||||||
%
of
Revenue
|
%
of
Revenue
|
||||||||||||
Product
|
$
|
31,645
|
100.0%
|
|
$
|
27,836
|
99.5%
|
|
|||||
Business
services
|
-
|
0.0%
|
|
130
|
0.5%
|
|
|||||||
Total
|
$
|
31,645
|
100.0%
|
|
$
|
27,966
|
100.0%
|
|
37
Product.
Product
revenue increased $3.8 million, or 13.7 percent, in fiscal 2005 compared to
fiscal 2004. The increase in revenue was primarily due to increased professional
audio conferencing products sales and the introduction of new products including
the MaxAttach and RAV products.
We
evaluate, at each quarter-end, the inventory in the channel through information
provided by certain of our distributors. The level of inventory in the
channel will fluctuate up or down, each quarter, based upon our distributors’
individual operations. Accordingly, each quarter-end revenue deferral is
calculated and recorded based upon the underlying, estimated channel inventory
at quarter-end. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005, the net change
in deferred revenue based on the net movement of inventory in the channel was
a
net recognition of $1.1 million.
The
following table indicates the number of individual unit shipments to our
distributors for certain of our product lines for the fiscal years ended June
30, 2005 and 2004. Due to our current revenue recognition policy, the figures
do
not tie directly to recognized revenues because revenues are recognized when
the
return rights lapse rather than at the time of shipment.
Year
Ended June 30,
|
||
(by
individual unit)
|
||
2005
|
2004
|
|
Professional
audio conferencing
|
10,786
|
10,576
|
Premium
and tabletop conferencing
|
11,782
|
9,813
|
Business
Services.
Business
services revenue decreased $130,000, or 100.0 percent, in fiscal 2005 compared
to fiscal 2004. During fiscal 2004, we recognized $130,000 in revenue due to
the
sale of a software license associated with our telephone interface products
to
Comrex.
Total
Revenue.
Total
revenue increased $3.7 million, or 13.2 percent, in fiscal 2005 compared to
fiscal 2004. The overall increase in revenue during fiscal 2005 was attributable
to our products segment. Product revenue from sales outside of the United States
accounted for 25.9 percent of total revenue for fiscal 2005 and 22.7 percent
of
total revenue for fiscal 2004.
Costs
of Goods Sold and Gross Profit
COGS
from
the product segment includes expenses associated with finished goods purchased
from outsourced manufacturers, the manufacture of our products, including
material and direct labor, our manufacturing and operations organization,
property and equipment depreciation, warranty expense, freight expense, royalty
payments, and the allocation of overhead expenses.
38
The
following table shows our COGS and gross profit together with each item’s amount
as a percentage of total revenue:
Year
Ended June 30,
|
|||||||||||||
(in
thousands of dollars)
|
|||||||||||||
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||||||
%
of
Revenue
|
%
of
Revenue
|
||||||||||||
Cost
of goods sold
|
|||||||||||||
Product
|
$
|
14,951
|
47.2%
|
|
$
|
16,379
|
58.6%
|
|
|||||
Business
services
|
-
|
0.0%
|
|
-
|
0.0%
|
|
|||||||
Total
|
$
|
14,951
|
47.2%
|
|
$
|
16,379
|
58.6%
|
|
|||||
Gross
profit
|
|||||||||||||
Product
|
$
|
16,694
|
52.8%
|
|
$
|
11,457
|
41.0%
|
|
|||||
Business
services
|
-
|
0.0%
|
|
130
|
0.4%
|
|
|||||||
Total
|
$
|
16,694
|
52.8%
|
|
$
|
11,587
|
41.4%
|
|
COGS
decreased by approximately $1.4 million, or 8.7 percent, to $15.0 million in
fiscal 2005 compared with $16.4 million in fiscal 2004. The decrease in COGS
from fiscal 2004 to fiscal 2005 was primarily attributable to a decrease in
our
obsolete product inventory write-offs of $2.4 million, a $777,000 decrease
in
our manufacturing absorption costs due to cost cutting and improving efficiency,
a $114,000 decrease in our inventory adjustments due to a higher emphasis on
inventory accuracy, partially offset by a $2.0 million increase in standard
COGS
from fiscal 2004 to fiscal 2005 due to higher product revenue and sales
mix.
COGS
for
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005, includes ($84,000) in net (decreases)
related to the deferral of product revenue from the deferral at June 30, 2004
because return rights had not lapsed.
Our
gross
profit from continuing operations was $16.7 million, or 52.8 percent of revenue,
for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005 compared to $11.6 million, or 41.4
percent of revenue, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2004. The increase in
gross profit of $5.1 million, or 44.1 percent, is mostly due to the $3.7
million, or 13.2 percent, increase in total revenue sales of professional
conferencing products and premium and tabletop conferencing products partially
offset by the change in deferred gross profit where return rights had not
lapsed. The increase in gross profit was also impacted by reduced inventory
write-offs, cost cutting, and improved efficiencies. Deferred gross profit
changed from a net increase in gross profit of $968,000 during fiscal 2005.
Operating
Expenses
Our
operating expenses were $18.1 million in fiscal 2005, a decrease of $5.5
million, or 23.2 percent, from $23.6 million in fiscal 2004. The decrease in
operating expenses from fiscal 2004 to fiscal 2005 is primarily related to
a
decrease in expenses related to the settlement in the shareholders’ class action
and other general and administrative expenses partially offset by increased
marketing and selling and research and product development employee-related
expenses. The following is a more detailed discussion of expenses related to
marketing and selling, research and product development, general and
administrative, settlement in shareholders’ class action, and impairment and
restructuring charges.
39
Marketing
and selling expenses.
Marketing and selling expenses include selling, customer service, and marketing
expenses such as employee-related costs, allocations of overhead expenses,
trade
shows, and other advertising and selling expenses. Total marketing and selling
expenses increased $573,000, or 6.7 percent, to $9.1 million in fiscal 2005
compared with fiscal 2004 expenses of $8.5 million. As a percentage of revenues,
marketing and selling expenses were 28.7 percent in fiscal 2005 and 30.4 percent
in fiscal 2004. The increase in marketing and selling expenses from fiscal
2004
to fiscal 2005 was primarily attributable to an increase in U.S. and Asia
employee-related expenses of $581,000 associated with the hiring of additional
sales positions and increased benefits-related costs, severance payments of
$175,000 to the former employees of the Germany office, as well as early buyout
costs on leased office space and automobiles of $78,000 associated with the
closure of our Germany office partially offset by a decrease of $193,000 in
our
marketing department due to a change in the non-employee related expense
structure of the department after the departure of our Vice-President of
Marketing.
Research
and product development expenses.
Research
and product development expenses include research and development, product
management, engineering services, and test and application expenses, including
employee-related costs, outside services, expensed materials, depreciation,
and
an allocation of overhead expenses. Total research and product development
expenses increased $1.1 million, or 25.2 percent, to $5.3 million in fiscal
2005
compared with fiscal 2004 expenses of $4.2 million. As a percentage of revenues,
research and product development expenses were 16.8 percent in fiscal 2005
and
15.2 percent in fiscal 2004. The increase in product development expenses from
fiscal 2004 to fiscal 2005 was due to an increase in salaries and
benefit-related costs of $1.3 million associated with the hiring of additional
personnel and development costs associated with new product development,
reflecting an average headcount of 31 and 39 for fiscal 2004 and 2005,
respectively, and an increase in depreciation expense of $69,000 associated
with
the purchase of computer hardware and software in relation to product
development, partially offset by a decrease research and development
material-related expense of $188,000 and a reduction in professional services
of
$87,000.
General
and administrative expenses.
G&A
expenses include employee-related costs, professional service fees, allocations
of overhead expenses, litigation costs, including costs associated with the
SEC
investigation and subsequent litigation, and corporate administrative costs,
including finance and human resources. Total G&A expenses decreased $1.3
million, or 18.9 percent, to $5.5 million in fiscal 2005 compared with fiscal
2004 expenses of $6.8 million. As a percentage of revenues, G&A expenses
were 17.3 percent in fiscal 2005 and 24.2 percent in fiscal 2004. A summary
of
our G&A expenses are as follows:
Year
Ended June 30,
|
|||||||
(in
thousands of dollars)
|
|||||||
2005
|
2004
|
||||||
Total
G&A before discontinued operations
|
$
|
5,742
|
$
|
9,703
|
|||
OM
Video G&A
|
(253
|
)
|
(1,113
|
)
|
|||
Conferencing
services G&A
|
-
|
(1,036
|
)
|
||||
U.S.
business services G&A
|
-
|
(787
|
)
|
||||
Total
G&A from continuing operations
|
$
|
5,489
|
$
|
6,767
|
|||
Professional
fees (SEC investigation and subsequent litigation)
|
$
|
997
|
$
|
936
|
|||
Professional
fees (Other)
|
1,993
|
1,944
|
|||||
Severance
payments to executives
|
-
|
544
|
|||||
Other
general and administrative expense
|
2,499
|
3,343
|
|||||
Total
G&A from continuing operations
|
$
|
5,489
|
$
|
6,767
|
We
attribute the decrease in G&A as a percentage of revenues to 17.3 percent in
2005 from 24.2 percent in 2004 to a decrease of $544,000 for severance payments
to executives partially offset by a $61,000 increase in professional fees
associated with the SEC investigation and subsequent litigation and a $49,000
increase in other professional fees, including accounting and audit fees. Other
G&A expense decreased an additional $844,000 mostly due to a reduction in
salaries and benefits-related costs of $771,000, reflecting an average headcount
of 33 and 19 for fiscal 2004 and 2005, respectively, as well as a decrease
in
directors and officers insurance premiums of $106,000.
40
Settlement
in shareholders’ class action expense.
We
attribute the decrease in settlement in shareholders’ class action expense as a
percentage of revenue to (6.5) percent in 2005 from 14.6 percent in 2004 to
a
$6.1 million reduction to a quarterly mark-to-market of the liability associated
with the 1.2 million shares of common stock that were issued in November 2004
(fiscal 2005) and September 2005 (fiscal 2006) to class members and their legal
counsel as part of the December 2003 (fiscal 2004) settlement agreement. This
mark-to-market of the stock to reflect the current liability amount associated
with the 1.2 million shares is based upon the closing price of the Company’s
common stock at the end of each quarter through the date the shares were issued
on September 29, 2005.
Impairment
and Restructuring charges.
During
fiscal 2005, we recorded an impairment charge of $180,000 and a restructuring
charge of $110,000, shown as a restructuring reserve on the balance sheet,
during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005 as a result of our outsourcing of
our
Salt Lake City manufacturing operations. The impairment charge consisted of
the
disposal of certain property and equipment of $180,000 that was not purchased
by
our domestic manufacturer and that we did not believe was likely to be sold.
The
restructuring charge consisted of severance and other employee termination
benefits of $70,000 related to a workforce reduction of approximately 20
employees who were transferred to an employment agency used by this manufacturer
to transition the workforce and charges of $40,000 related to our manufacturing
facilities that we would no longer use.
Operating
loss.
For
fiscal 2005, our operating loss decreased $10.6 million, or 88.2 percent, to
($1.4 million) on revenue of $31.6 million, from an operating loss of ($12.0
million) on revenue of $28.0 million in fiscal 2004. The factors affecting
this
decrease in operating loss were a decrease in general and administrative
expenses of $1.3 million, a decreased in settlement in shareholders’ class
action of $6.1 million, and an increase in gross profit of $5.1 million,
partially offset by an increase in research and product development expenses
of
$1.1 million, an increase in marketing and selling expenses of $573,000, and
a
restructuring and related impairment charge of $290,000 related to our decision
to outsource our U.S. product manufacturing.
Other
income (expense), net.
Other
income (expense), net, includes our interest income, interest expense, capital
gains, gain (loss) on the disposal of assets, and currency gain (loss). Other
income was $318,000 in fiscal 2005, an increase of $579,000, or 221.8 percent,
from expense of ($261,000) in fiscal 2004. The increase in other income in
fiscal 2005 was primarily due to an increase in interest income associated
with
our marketable securities, a decrease in interest expense related to our early
pay-off of the Oracle system-related note payable, and a loss of approximately
$113,000 on the disposal of certain property and equipment that was not repeated
in fiscal 2005.
Net
loss from continuing operations before income taxes.
Net loss
from continuing operations decreased $11.2 million, or 91.1 percent to $1.1
million in fiscal 2005 compared with fiscal 2004 net loss from continuing
operations of $12.3 million. As a percentage of revenues, net loss from
continuing operations was 3.5 percent in fiscal 2005 and 43.8 percent in fiscal
2004. We attribute the change in loss to the results of operations as described
above.
Benefit
for income taxes.
Benefit
for income taxes from continuing operations was $3.2 million in fiscal 2005
and
$736,000 in fiscal 2004. The benefit for income taxes from continuing operations
from fiscal 2005 resulted primarily from a change in the valuation allowance
of
$2.6 million attributable to continuing operations that offset gains from
discontinued operations and from the decrease in deferred tax assets. Certain
income and expenses in our consolidated statements of operations are either
not
includable or not deductible for income tax purposes. These items include
tax-exempt interest, research and development credits, sale of our investment
in
OM Video, impairment charges, certain meals and entertainment expenses, and
certain goodwill amortization. In addition, during fiscal 2005, the Company’s
net deferred tax assets decreased and, therefore, the valuation allowance needed
to offset this balance decreased creating a benefit to the Company’s tax
provision. Given the Company’s history of consecutive years of losses from
continuing operations, we followed the guidance of SFAS 109, “Accounting
for Income Taxes,”
and
recorded a valuation allowance against certain deferred tax assets where it
is
not considered more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be
realized. As of June 30, 2005 and 2004, we have fully reserved against our
net
deferred tax assets.
Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax. Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax, includes our Canadian audiovisual
integration services business which was sold on March 4, 2005, our conferencing
services segment which was sold on July 1, 2004, our U.S. audiovisual
integration services business which was sold on May 6, 2004, and payments
received on our note receivable and commissions related to the sale of our
remote control product line to Burk Technology in April 2001. The income from
discontinued operations was $13.9 million in fiscal 2005, an increase of $12.3
million or 753.1 percent, from $1.6 million in fiscal 2004.
41
OM
Video
audiovisual integration services business revenue was $3.8 million in fiscal
2005, a decrease of $2.1 million, from revenue of $5.9 million in fiscal 2004
due to revenue in fiscal 2005 being generated over an eight-month period versus
a twelve-month period in fiscal 2004. OM Video services income, net of tax,
was
$401,000 for fiscal 2005, an increase of $184,000, from income, net of tax,
of
$217,000 in fiscal 2004. The increase was mostly due to a $227,000 post-tax
gain
on the sale of OM Video being partially offset by decrease from post-tax income
of $43,000 in fiscal 2005 over fiscal 2004.
Conferencing
services business revenue was $0 in fiscal 2005, a decrease of $15.6 million,
from revenue of $15.6 million in fiscal 2004 due to the sale of conferencing
services on the first day of fiscal 2005. Conferencing services income, net
of
tax, was $13.4 million for fiscal 2005, an increase of $11.6 million, from
income, net of tax, of $1.8 million in fiscal 2004. The income, net of tax,
in
fiscal 2005 included the gain on disposal of discontinued operations, while
the
income, net of tax, in fiscal 2004 included income from discontinued
operations.
U.S.
audiovisual integration services business revenue was $0 in fiscal 2005, a
decrease of $3.6 million, from revenue of $3.6 million in fiscal 2004. Since
this segment was sold in May 2004, U.S. audiovisual integration services
business loss, net of tax, was $0 in fiscal 2005, a decrease of $399,000, from
a
loss, net of tax, of ($399,000) in fiscal 2004. There was no activity related
to
our U.S. audiovisual integration services business in fiscal 2005.
We
realized a gain, net of tax, on the Burk sale of $144,000 for fiscal 2005,
an
increased of $86,000, from a gain, net of tax, of $58,000 in fiscal 2004. The
increase was due to quarterly payments from Burk on the promissory
note.
SUBSEQUENT
EVENTS
Sale
of our Document and Educational Camera Manufacturing and Sales
Business.
On
August 23, 2006, we entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with Ken-A-Vision
Manufacturing Company, Inc. (“KAV”), a privately held manufacturer of camera
solutions for education, audio visual, research, and manufacturing applications,
to sell inventory, equipment, tools, and certain intellectual property
pertaining to our document and education camera product line. KAV also agreed
to assume certain warranty obligations with respect to historical Company
camera product sales. The purchase price, which was subject to adjustment based
upon the quantities of a mix of finished good inventory to be delivered to
KAV, as defined in the agreement, was $635,000. The sale closed on August 30,
2006.
LIQUIDITY
AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
As
of
June 30, 2006, our cash and cash equivalents were approximately $1.2 million
and
our marketable securities were approximately $20.6 million, which represented
an
overall increase of $4.1 million in our balances from June 30, 2005 which were
cash and cash equivalents of approximately $1.9 million and our marketable
securities of approximately $15.8 million. We had an overall increase of $11.7
million from our balances at June 30, 2004, which were cash and cash equivalents
of approximately $4.2 million and marketable securities totaling approximately
$1.8 million.
Net
cash
flows provided by operating activities were $2.2 million in fiscal 2006, an
increase of $2.5 million, from the net cash flows used in operating activities
of ($370,000) million in fiscal 2005. The increase was attributable to a
decrease of $4.8 million in cash used in changes in working capital partially
offset by a $143,000 decrease in cash provided by non-cash expenses, a decrease
in net income from continuing operations of $2.0 million, and a $168,000
decrease in cash provided by discontinued operations.
Net
cash
flows (used in) operating activities were ($370,000) in fiscal 2005, a decrease
of $1.5 million, from the net cash flows provided by operating activities of
$1.1 million in fiscal 2004. The decrease was attributable to a decrease of
$4.8
million in non-cash expenses from fiscal 2004, a decrease of $7.7 million in
cash provided by changes in working capital, and a $2.6 million decrease in
cash
provided by discontinued operations, partially offset by an increase in net
income from continuing operations of $13.7 million.
42
Net
cash
flows used in investing activities were $2.8 million in fiscal 2006, a decrease
of $1.8 million, from the net cash flows used in investing activities of $1.0
million in fiscal 2005. The change was primarily attributable to a decrease
in
net cash provided by discontinued operations of $12.2 million partially offset
by a decrease in the net (purchase) of marketable securities of approximately
$9.3 million, a decrease in the purchase of property and equipment of $912,000,
and an increase in the proceeds from the sale of property and equipment of
$222,000.
Net
cash
flows (used in) investing activities were ($1.0 million) in fiscal 2005, a
decrease of $472,000, from the net cash flows (used in) investing activities
of
($1.5 million) in fiscal 2004. The decrease was primarily attributable to an
increase in the net purchases of marketable securities of $14.2 million
partially offset by an increase in cash provided by discontinued investing
activities of $14.3 million.
We
did
not have any net cash flows (used in) financing activities in fiscal 2006,
a
decrease of $940,000, from the net cash flows (used in) financing activities
of
($940,000) in fiscal 2005. This increase was attributable to a $940,000 decrease
in cash used in payments on note payable and capital lease obligations.
Net
cash
flows (used in) financing activities were ($940,000) in fiscal 2005, a decrease
of $577,000, from the net cash flows (used in) financing activities of ($1.5
million) in fiscal 2004. This decrease was primarily attributable to a $770,000
decrease in cash used in discontinued operations offset by an increase of
payments on long-term debt and capital leases of $256,000.
We
have
no off-balance-sheet financing arrangements with related parties and no
unconsolidated subsidiaries. Contractual obligations related to our operating
leases at June 30, 2006 are summarized below (in thousands of
dollars):
Payments
Due by Period
|
||||||||||||||||
Contractual
Obligations
|
Total
|
One
year
or
less
|
Two
to
Three
Years
|
Four
to
Five
Years
|
After
Five
Years
|
|||||||||||
Operating
Leases
|
$
|
4,847
|
$
|
646
|
$
|
1,306
|
$
|
1,287
|
$
|
1,608
|
||||||
Total
Contractual
|
||||||||||||||||
Cash
Obligations
|
$
|
4,847
|
$
|
646
|
$
|
1,306
|
$
|
1,287
|
$
|
1,608
|
At
June
30, 2006, we had open purchase orders related to our contract manufacturers
and
other contractual obligations of approximately $4.3 million primarily related
to
inventory purchases.
We
have
non-cancellable, non-returnable, and long-lead time commitments with our
outsourced manufacturers and certain suppliers for inventory components that
will be used in production. Our exposure associated with these commitments
is
approximately $1.9 million. We also have certain commitments with our outsourced
manufacturers for raw material inventory that is used in production on an
on-going basis. Our exposure associated with this inventory is approximately
$900,000.
As
previously discussed, on March 4, 2005, we sold all of the issued and
outstanding stock of ClearOne Canada to 6351352 Canada Inc. ClearOne Canada
owned all the issued and outstanding stock of Stechyson Electronics, Ltd.,
which
conducts business under the name OM Video. For the first two quarters of fiscal
2006 and during all of fiscal 2005, we received total payments, including
interest, of $300,000 and $150,000, respectively, on the note receivable.
Through December 31, 2005, all payments had been received and $854,000 of the
promissory note remained outstanding; however, 6351352 Canada Inc. failed to
make any subsequent, required payments under the note receivable until June
30,
2006 when it paid $50,000. 6351352 Canada Inc. is in default and we are
currently considering our collection options.
As
discussed herein, on April 12, 2001, we sold the assets of the remote control
portion of our RFM/Broadcast division to Burk for $750,000 in cash at closing,
$1.8 million in the form of a seven-year promissory note, with interest at
the
rate of 9.0 percent per year, and up to $700,000 as a commission over a period
of up to seven years. On August 22, 2005, we entered into a Mutual Release
and
Waiver Agreement with Burk pursuant to which Burk paid us $1.3 million in full
satisfaction of the promissory note. We realized a pre-tax gain on the sale
of
$1.3 million for fiscal 2006, $187,000 for fiscal 2005, and $93,000 for fiscal
2004.
43
As
detailed elsewhere in this filing, on July 1, 2004, we sold our conferencing
services business segment to Premiere for $21.3 million. Of the purchase price,
$1.0 million was placed into an 18-month Indemnity Escrow account. We received
the $1.0 million in the Indemnity Escrow account in January 2006. We realized
a
pre-tax gain on the sale of $1.0 million for fiscal 2006 and $17.4 million
for
fiscal 2005.
Beginning
in January 2003 and continuing through the date of this report, we have incurred
significant costs with respect to the defense and settlement of legal
proceedings and the audits of our consolidated financial statements. Restatement
of fiscal 2002 and fiscal 2001 consolidated financial statements and the fiscal
2004 and fiscal 2003 audits were significantly more complex, time consuming,
and
expensive than we originally anticipated. The extended time commitment required
to complete the restatement of financial information continues to be costly
and
divert our resources, as well as have a material effect on our results of
operations. We paid $127,000 in fiscal 2006, $2.5 million in fiscal 2005, and
$2.5 million in fiscal 2004 in cash to settle the shareholders’ class action
lawsuit. We have incurred legal fees in the amount of approximately $1.9 million
from January 2003 through the date hereof and we have incurred audit and tax
fees in the amount of approximately $3.7 million from January 2004 through
the
date hereof.
During
fiscal 2006, we increased our research and development spending for new product
development, including the hiring of new engineering and support staff, as
well
as increased spending on software, hardware, prototype development and testing.
We have also invested in the introduction of new products, including the
Converge 560/590, the MaxAttach IP and Max IP, the Tabletop Controller for
XAP
Platform, as well as the Chat 50/150, and Converge Pro. We have also invested
approximately $300,000 on the RoHS Directive compliance efforts. We intend
to
invest capital resources into growth, improving our infrastructure, and a common
stock buy-back program. We do not currently anticipate using capital resources
for shareholder dividends or for significant acquisition
activities.
Our
principal source of funding for these and other expenses has been cash generated
from operations and from the sale of discontinued operations. We believe that
our working capital and cash flows from operating activities will be sufficient
to satisfy our operating and capital expenditure requirements through fiscal
2007.
ISSUED
BUT NOT YET ADOPTED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
Accounting
for Asset Retirement Obligations in the European Union
In
June
2005, the FASB issued a FASB Staff Position (“FSP”) interpreting SFAS No. 143,
“Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations,” specifically FSP No.
143-1,
“Accounting for Electronic Equipment Waste Obligations.” FSP
No.
143-1
addresses the accounting for obligations associated with Directive 2002/96/EC,
“Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment,” which was adopted by the European
Union (“EU”). The FSP provides guidance on how to account for the effects of the
Directive but only with respect to historical waste associated with products
placed on the market on or before August 13, 2005. FSP
No.
143-1
was
effective beginning with our fiscal 2006 financial statements. We do not believe
the adoption of FSP No. 143-1 had a material effect on our business, results
of
operations, financial position,
or
liquidity.
Inventory
Costs
In
November 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 151, “Inventory Costs - an amendment of
ARB No. 43”, which is the result of its efforts to converge U.S. accounting
standards for inventories with International Accounting Standards. SFAS No.
151
requires idle facility expenses, freight, handling costs, and wasted material
(spoilage) costs to be recognized as current-period charges. It also requires
that allocation of fixed production overheads to the costs of conversion be
based on the normal capacity of the production facilities. SFAS No. 151 was
effective beginning our fiscal 2006 financial statements. There was not a
significant impact on our business, results of operations, financial position,
or liquidity from the adoption of this standard.
44
Accounting
Changes and Error Corrections
In
May
2005, the FASB issued SFAS No. 154, “Accounting Changes and Error Corrections -
a Replacement of APB Opinion No. 20 and FASB Statement No. 3” in order to
converge U.S. Accounting Standards with International Accounting Standards.
SFAS
No. 154 changes the requirements for the accounting for and reporting of a
change in accounting principle. Previously, most voluntary changes in accounting
principles required recognition of a cumulative effect adjustment within net
income of the period of the change. SFAS No. 154 requires retrospective
application to prior periods’ financial statements, unless it is impracticable
to determine either the period-specific effects or the cumulative effect of
the
change. SFAS No. 154 is effective for accounting changes made in fiscal years
beginning after December 15, 2005; however, it does not change the transition
provisions of any existing accounting pronouncements. We do not believe the
adoption of SFAS No. 154 will have a material effect on our business, results
of
operations, financial position, or liquidity.
Other-Than-Temporary
Impairment
In
March
2004, the FASB issued Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) No. 03-01, “The
Meaning of Other-Than-Temporary Impairment and its Application to Certain
Investments,” which provides new guidance for assessing impairment losses on
debt and equity investments. The new impairment model applies to investments
accounted for under the cost or equity method and investments accounted for
under SFAS No. 115, “Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity
Securities.” EITF No. 03-01 also includes new disclosure requirements for cost
method investments and for all investments that are in an unrealized loss
position. In September 2004, the FASB delayed the accounting provisions of
EITF
No. 03-01; however the disclosure requirements remain effective. We do not
expect the adoption of this EITF, when the delay is suspended, to have a
material impact on our business, results of operations, financial position,
or
liquidity.
Accounting
for Uncertainty in Income Taxes - an interpretation of FASB Statement No.
109
In
June
2006, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in
Income Taxes-an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109” (“FIN 48”), which
clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in tax positions. Under FIN 48, the
tax
effects of a position should be recognized only if it is “more-likely-than-not”
to be sustained based solely on its technical merits as of the reporting date.
FIN 48 also requires significant new annual disclosures in the notes to the
financial statements. The effect of adjustments at adoption should be recorded
directly to beginning retaining earnings in the period of adoption and reported
as a change in accounting principle. Retroactive application is prohibited
under
FIN 48. We are required to adopt FIN 48 at the beginning of fiscal 2008. We
are
currently evaluating the impact of FIN 48 on our consolidated financial
statements.
Market
risk represents the risk of changes in the value of a financial instrument,
derivative or non-derivative, caused by fluctuations in interest rates, foreign
exchange rates, and equity prices. Changes in these factors could cause
fluctuations in the results of our operations and cash flows. In the ordinary
course of business, we are exposed to foreign currency and interest rate risks.
These risks primarily relate to the sale of products and services to foreign
customers and changes in interest rates on any interest-bearing investments
or
notes receivable, notes payable, or capital leases.
Our
investment securities consist primarily of shares in 28-day and 35-day local
municipal agency obligations that have a par value of $1.00. These certificates
have a rating of A or higher. Our investment securities also consist of shares
in triple-A rated short-term money market funds that typically invest in U.S.
Treasury, U.S. government agency, and highly rated corporate securities. Since
these funds are managed in a manner designed to maintain a $1.00 per share
market value, we do not expect any material changes in market values as a result
of increase or decrease in interest rates. A hypothetical one percent change
in
market interest rates over the next year on our marketable securities of $20.6
million at June 30, 2006 would not have a material effect on our business,
results of operations, financial position, or liquidity.
45
We
did
not have any notes payable and capital lease obligations as of June 30, 2006.
Accordingly, we do not have significant exposure to changing interest rates.
We
have not undertaken any additional actions to cover market interest rate market
risk and are not a party to any other interest rate market risk management
activities. We do not purchase or hold any derivative financial instruments.
A
hypothetical 10 percent change in market interest rates over the next year
would
not have a material effect on our business, results of operations, financial
position, or liquidity.
Although
our subsidiaries enter into transactions in currencies other than their
functional currency, foreign currency exposures arising from these transactions
are not material. The greatest foreign currency exposure arises from the
remeasurement of our net equity investment in our subsidiaries to U.S. dollars.
The primary currency to which we had exposure was the Canadian Dollar; however,
we sold our Canadian subsidiary on March 4, 2005 to a private investment group.
Accordingly, the fair value of our net foreign investments would not be
materially affected by a 10 percent adverse change in foreign currency exchange
rates from the June 30, 2006 levels.
46
The
response to this item is submitted as a separate section of this Form 10-K
beginning on page F-1.
None.
ITEM
9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
We
maintain disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure that information
required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Securities Exchange
Act
of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), is recorded, processed, summarized,
and reported within the required time periods and that such information is
accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive
Officer and Interim Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow for timely
decisions regarding required disclosure. The effectiveness of any system of
disclosure controls and procedures is subject to certain limitations, including
the exercise of judgment in designing, implementing, and evaluating the controls
and procedures, the assumptions used in identifying the likelihood of future
events, and the inability to eliminate improper conduct completely. A controls
system, no matter how well designed and operated, cannot provide absolute
assurance that the objectives of the controls system are met, and no evaluation
of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances
of fraud, if any, within a company have been detected. As a result, there can
be
no assurance that our disclosure controls and procedures will detect all errors
or fraud.
As
required by Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act, we have completed an evaluation,
under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including
the Chief Executive Officer and the Interim Chief Financial Officer, of the
effectiveness and the design and operation of our disclosure controls and
procedures as of June 30, 2006. Based upon this evaluation and as a result
of
the material weaknesses discussed below, our management, including the Chief
Executive Officer and the Interim Chief Financial Officer, has concluded that
our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of June 30, 2006.
Management nevertheless has concluded that the consolidated financial statements
included in this Form 10-K present fairly, in all material respects, our results
of operations and financial position for the periods presented in conformity
with generally accepted accounting principles.
A
material weakness is a control deficiency, or combination of control
deficiencies, that result in more than a remote likelihood that a material
misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented
or detected in a timely basis by management or employees in the normal course
of
performing their assigned functions. As of June 30, 2006, we identified the
following material weakness in our internal controls and
procedures:
· |
Ineffective
financial statement close process.
We have a material weakness in the timeliness of the monthly close
process
to effect a timely financial statement close. Accounting personnel
have
not been able to focus full attention to correcting this weakness
due to
their focus on the preparation, audit, and issuance for the restated
fiscal 2001, restated fiscal 2002, and fiscal 2003, 2004, and 2005
consolidated financial statements as well as the interim fiscal 2006
condensed consolidated financial
statements.
|
There
were no changes to any reported financial results that have been released by
us
in this or any other filings as a result of the above-described material
weakness; however, the following actions have continued in response to the
timeliness of the closing process noted above:
· |
Evaluation
of the staffing, organizational structure, systems, policies and
procedures, and other reporting processes, to improve the timeliness
of
closing these accounts and to enhance the timely review and
supervision.
|
47
We
have
committed resources to date to the reviews and remedies described above,
although certain of such items are on-going as of this filing date, and it
will
take time to realize the benefits. We believe that the steps taken to date,
along with certain other remediation plans we are currently undertaking,
including those described above, will address the material weakness that
affected our internal controls and procedures over financial reporting for
the
year ended June 30, 2006. We will continue our on-going evaluation and expect
to
improve our internal controls as necessary to assure their effectiveness.
Other
than as described above, since the evaluation date, there has been no change
in
our internal controls and procedures over financial reporting (as defined in
Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act) that has materially affected,
or
is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls and procedures
over financial reporting.
ITEM
9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
48
PART
III
Information
about our Directors may be found under the caption “Election of Directors” of
our Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held November
20, 2006 (the “Proxy Statement”). That information is incorporated herein by
reference.
The
information in the Proxy Statement set forth under the captions “Executive
Officers,” “Executive Compensation,” and “Director Compensation and Committees”
is incorporated herein by reference.
The
information in the Proxy Statement set forth under the caption “Compliance with
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act” is incorporated herein by
reference.
We
have
adopted the ClearOne Code of Ethics, a code that applies to each Company
officer, director, and employee. The ClearOne Code of Ethics is publicly
available on our website at www.clearone.com.
ITEM
11. EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
The
information in the Proxy Statement set forth under the caption “Executive
Compensation” and “Director Compensation and Committees” is incorporated herein
by reference.
ITEM
12. SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED
STOCKHOLDER
MATTERS
The
information in the Proxy Statement set forth under the caption “Stock Ownership
of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” is incorporated herein by
reference.
The
information set forth under the captions “Certain Relationships and Related
Transactions” of the Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by
reference.
Information
concerning principal accountant fees and services appears in the Proxy Statement
under the heading “Ratification of the Appointment of Principal Accountants” and
is incorporated herein by reference.
49
PART
IV
(a) 1. Financial
Statements
The
following financial statements are filed as part of this report in a separate
section of this Form 10-K beginning on page F-1.
Report
of
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm - Hansen Barnett &
Maxwell
Report
of
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm - KPMG LLP
Consolidated
Balance Sheets as of June 30, 2006 and 2005
Consolidated
Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) for fiscal years ended
June
30,
2006, 2005, and 2004
Consolidated
Statements of Shareholders’ Equity for fiscal years ended June 30, 2006, 2005,
and
2004
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows for fiscal years ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and
2004
Notes
to
Consolidated Financial Statements
2. Financial
Statement Schedules
All
schedules are omitted as the required information is inapplicable or the
information is presented in the consolidated financial statements and notes
thereto.
3. Exhibits
The
following documents are included as exhibits to this report.
Exhibit
|
SEC
Ref.
|
||
No.
|
No.
|
Title
of Document
|
Location
|
3.1
|
3
|
Articles
of Incorporation and amendments thereto
|
Incorp.
by reference1
|
3.2
|
3
|
Bylaws
|
Incorp.
by reference2
|
10.1
|
10
|
Employment
Separation Agreement between ClearOne Communications, Inc. and Frances
Flood, dated December 5, 2003.*
|
Incorp.
by reference5
|
10.2
|
10
|
Employment
Separation Agreement between ClearOne Communications, Inc. and Susie
Strohm, dated December 5, 2003.*
|
Incorp.
by reference5
|
10.6
|
10
|
Joint
Prosecution and Defense Agreement dated April 1, 2004 between ClearOne
Communications, Inc. Parsons Behle & Latimer, Edward Dallin Bagley and
Burbidge & Mitchell, and amendment thereto
|
Incorp.
by reference5
|
10.7
|
10
|
Asset
Purchase Agreement dated May 6, 2004 between ClearOne Communications,
Inc.
and M:SPACE, Inc.
|
Incorp.
by reference5
|
10.8
|
10
|
Asset
Purchase Agreement among Clarinet, Inc., American Teleconferencing
Services, Ltd. doing business as Premiere Conferencing, and ClearOne
Communications, Inc., dated July 1, 2004
|
Incorp.
by reference8
|
10.9
|
10
|
Stock
Purchase Agreement dated March 4, 2005 between 6351352 Canada Inc.
and
Gentner Ventures, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of ClearOne
Communications, Inc.
|
Incorp.
by reference5
|
10.10
|
10
|
Settlement
Agreement and Release between ClearOne Communications, Inc. and DeLonie
Call dated February 20, 2006*
|
Incorp.
by reference7
|
10.11
|
10
|
1990
Incentive Plan
|
Incorp.
by reference3
|
10.12
|
10
|
1998
Stock Option Plan
|
Incorp.
by reference4
|
50
10.13
|
10
|
Employment
Settlement Agreement and Release between ClearOne Communications,
Inc. and
Gregory Rand dated February 27, 2004*
|
Incorp.
by reference5
|
10.14
|
10
|
Employment
Settlement Agreement and Release between ClearOne Communications,
Inc. and
George Claffey dated April 6, 2004*
|
Incorp.
by reference5
|
10.15
|
10
|
Employment
Settlement Agreement and Release between ClearOne Communications,
Inc. and
Michael Keough dated June 16, 2004*
|
Incorp.
by reference5
|
10.16
|
10
|
Employment
Settlement Agreement and Release between ClearOne Communications,
Inc. and
Angelina Beitia dated July 15, 2004*
|
Incorp.
by reference5
|
10.17
|
10
|
Manufacturing
Agreement between ClearOne Communications, Inc. and Inovar, Inc.
dated
August 1, 2005
|
Incorp.
by reference6
|
10.18
|
10
|
Mutual
Release and Waiver between ClearOne Communications, Inc. and Burk
Technology, Inc. dated August 22, 2005
|
Incorp.
by reference6
|
10.19
|
10
|
Office
Lease between Edgewater Corporate Park, LLC and ClearOne Communications,
Inc. dated June 5, 2006
|
This
filing
|
14.1
|
14
|
Code
of Ethics, approved by the Board of Directors on August 23,
2006
|
This
filing
|
21
|
Subsidiaries
of the registrant
|
This
filing
|
|
31
|
Section
302 Certification of Chief Executive Officer
|
This
filing
|
|
31
|
Section
302 Certification of Interim Chief Financial Officer
|
This
filing
|
|
32
|
Section
1350 Certification of Chief Executive Officer
|
This
filing
|
|
32
|
Section
1350 Certification of Interim Chief Financial Officer
|
This
filing
|
|
99.1
|
99
|
Audit
Committee Charter, adopted November 18, 2004
|
Incorp.
by reference5
|
______________
*Constitutes
a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
1 Incorporated
by reference to the Registrant’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the fiscal
years ended June
30,
1989 and June 30, 1991.
2 Incorporated
by reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended June
30,
1993.
3 Incorporated
by reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal
year ended June
30,
1996.
4 Incorporated
by reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal
year ended June
30,
1998.
5 Incorporated
by reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended June
30,
2003.
6 Incorporated
by reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended June
30,
2004.
7 Incorporated
by reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended June
30,
2005.
8 Incorporated
by reference to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 1,
2004.
51
Pursuant
to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by
the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
|
||
September
14, 2006
|
By:
|
/s/
Zeynep Hakimoglu
|
Zeynep
Hakimoglu
|
||
President,
Chief Executive Officer, and
Director
|
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has
been
signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the
capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature
|
Title
|
Date
|
/s/
Zeynep Hakimoglu
|
President,
Chief Executive Officer, and Director
|
September
14, 2006
|
Zeynep
Hakimoglu
|
(Principal
Executive Officer)
|
|
/s/
Craig E. Peeples
|
Interim
Chief Financial Officer
|
September
14, 2006
|
Craig
E. Peeples
|
(Principal
Financial and Accounting Officer)
|
|
/s/
Edward Dallin Bagley
|
Chairman
of the Board of Directors
|
September
14, 2006
|
Edward
Dallin Bagley
|
||
/s/
Brad R. Baldwin
|
Director
|
September
14, 2006
|
Brad
R. Baldwin
|
||
/s/
Larry R. Hendricks
|
Director
|
September
14, 2006
|
Larry
R. Hendricks
|
||
/s/
Scott M. Huntsman
|
Director
|
September
14, 2006
|
Scott
M. Huntsman
|
||
/s/
Harry Spielberg
|
Director
|
September
14, 2006
|
Harry
Spielberg
|
52
ITEM
8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Index
to Consolidated Financial Statements
Page
|
|
|
F-2
|
|
F-3
|
|
F-4
|
|
F-5
|
Consolidated
Statements of Shareholders' Equity for fiscal
years ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004
|
F-7
|
|
F-8
|
|
F-10
|
F-1
Report
of
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm -
To
the
Board of Directors and the Shareholders
ClearOne
Communications, Inc.
We
have
audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of ClearOne Communications,
Inc. and subsidiaries as of June 30, 2006 and 2005, and the related consolidated
statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss), shareholders’ equity,
and cash flows for the years then ended. These consolidated financial statements
are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to
express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our
audits.
We
conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we
plan
and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the
financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes
examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures
in
the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting
principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as
evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our
audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In
our
opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly,
in all material respects, the financial position of ClearOne Communications,
Inc. and subsidiaries as of June 30, 2006 and 2005 and the results of their
operations and their cash flows for the years then ended in conformity with
U.S.
generally accepted accounting principles.
HANSEN
BARNETT & MAXWELL
Salt
Lake
City, Utah
August
21, 2006
F-2
Report
of
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm -
The
Board
of Directors and Shareholders
ClearOne
Communications, Inc.:
We
have
audited the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive
loss, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows of ClearOne Communications, Inc. and
subsidiaries for the year ended June 30, 2004. These consolidated financial
statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial
statements based on our audit.
We
conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we
plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial
statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining,
on a
test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial
statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used
and
significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall
financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a
reasonable basis for our opinion.
In
our
opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly,
in all material respects, the results of operations and cash flows of ClearOne
Communications, Inc. and subsidiaries for the year ended June 30, 2004 in
conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
KPMG
LLP
Salt
Lake
City, Utah
December
15, 2005
F-3
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
June
30,
|
|||||||
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
ASSETS
|
|||||||
Current
assets:
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$
|
1,240
|
$
|
1,892
|
|||
Marketable
securities
|
20,550
|
15,800
|
|||||
Accounts
receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of
$49 and $46, respectively
|
7,784
|
6,859
|
|||||
Inventories,
net
|
7,025
|
5,806
|
|||||
Income
tax receivable
|
2,607
|
3,952
|
|||||
Deferred
income taxes, net
|
128
|
270
|
|||||
Prepaid
expenses
|
255
|
300
|
|||||
Total
current assets
|
39,589
|
34,879
|
|||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
1,647
|
2,805
|
|||||
Intangibles,
net
|
154
|
322
|
|||||
Other
assets
|
15
|
15
|
|||||
Total
assets
|
$
|
41,405
|
$
|
38,021
|
|||
LIABILITIES
AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
|
|||||||
Current
liabilities:
|
|||||||
Accounts
payable
|
$
|
2,597
|
$
|
2,163
|
|||
Accrued
liabilities
|
2,397
|
5,622
|
|||||
Deferred
product revenue
|
5,871
|
5,055
|
|||||
Total
current liabilities
|
10,865
|
12,840
|
|||||
Deferred
income taxes, net
|
128
|
270
|
|||||
Total
liabilities
|
10,993
|
13,110
|
|||||
Commitments
and contingencies (see Notes 7 and 10)
|
|||||||
Shareholders'
equity:
|
|||||||
Common
stock, 50,000,000 shares authorized, par value $0.001,
|
|||||||
12,184,727
and 11,264,233 shares issued and outstanding, respectively
|
12
|
11
|
|||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
52,764
|
49,393
|
|||||
Deferred
compensation
|
-
|
(33
|
)
|
||||
Accumulated
deficit
|
(22,364
|
)
|
(24,460
|
)
|
|||
Total
shareholders' equity
|
30,412
|
24,911
|
|||||
Total
liabilities and shareholders' equity
|
$
|
41,405
|
$
|
38,021
|
|||
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial
statements
|
F-4
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Years
Ended June 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
Revenue:
|
||||||||||
Product
|
$
|
37,632
|
$
|
31,645
|
$
|
27,836
|
||||
Business
services
|
-
|
-
|
130
|
|||||||
Total
revenue
|
37,632
|
31,645
|
27,966
|
|||||||
Cost
of goods sold:
|
||||||||||
Product
|
18,603
|
14,701
|
13,683
|
|||||||
Product
inventory write-offs
|
681
|
250
|
2,696
|
|||||||
Total
cost of goods sold
|
19,284
|
14,951
|
16,379
|
|||||||
Gross
profit
|
18,348
|
16,694
|
11,587
|
|||||||
Operating
expenses:
|
||||||||||
Marketing
and selling
|
7,866
|
9,070
|
8,497
|
|||||||
Research
and product development
|
8,299
|
5,305
|
4,237
|
|||||||
General
and administrative
|
5,108
|
5,489
|
6,767
|
|||||||
Settlement
in shareholders' class action
|
(1,205
|
)
|
(2,046
|
)
|
4,080
|
|||||
Impairment
losses (see Note 20)
|
-
|
180
|
-
|
|||||||
Restructuring
charge (see Note 20)
|
-
|
110
|
-
|
|||||||
Total
operating expenses
|
20,068
|
18,108
|
23,581
|
|||||||
Operating
loss
|
(1,720
|
)
|
(1,414
|
)
|
(11,994
|
)
|
||||
Other
income (expense), net:
|
||||||||||
Interest
income
|
813
|
425
|
52
|
|||||||
Interest
expense
|
-
|
(104
|
)
|
(183
|
)
|
|||||
Other,
net
|
203
|
(3
|
)
|
(130
|
)
|
|||||
Total
other income (expense), net
|
1,016
|
318
|
(261
|
)
|
||||||
Loss
from continuing operations before income taxes
|
(704
|
)
|
(1,096
|
)
|
(12,255
|
)
|
||||
Benefit
for income taxes
|
870
|
3,248
|
736
|
|||||||
Income
(loss) from continuing operations
|
166
|
2,152
|
(11,519
|
)
|
||||||
Discontinued
operations:
|
||||||||||
Income
from discontinued operations
|
-
|
225
|
2,813
|
|||||||
Gain
(loss) on disposal of discontinued operations
|
2,726
|
17,851
|
(183
|
)
|
||||||
Income
tax provision
|
(796
|
)
|
(4,153
|
)
|
(998
|
)
|
||||
Income
from discontinued operations
|
1,930
|
13,923
|
1,632
|
|||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$
|
2,096
|
$
|
16,075
|
$
|
(9,887
|
)
|
|||
Comprehensive
income (loss):
|
||||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$
|
2,096
|
$
|
16,075
|
$
|
(9,887
|
)
|
|||
Foreign
currency translation adjustments
|
-
|
112
|
(8
|
)
|
||||||
Less:
reclassification adjustments for foreign currency
translation
|
||||||||||
adjustments
included in net income (loss)
|
-
|
(1,301
|
)
|
-
|
||||||
Comprehensive
income (loss):
|
$
|
2,096
|
$
|
14,886
|
$
|
(9,895
|
)
|
|||
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial
statements
|
F-5
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Years
Ended June 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
Basic
earnings (loss) per common share from continuing
operations
|
$
|
0.02
|
$
|
0.19
|
$
|
(1.04
|
)
|
|||
Diluted
earnings (loss) per common share from continuing
operations
|
$
|
0.01
|
$
|
0.17
|
$
|
(1.04
|
)
|
|||
Basic
earnings per common share from discontinued operations
|
$
|
0.16
|
$
|
1.25
|
$
|
0.15
|
||||
Diluted
earnings per common share from discontinued operations
|
$
|
0.16
|
$
|
1.13
|
$
|
0.15
|
||||
Basic
earnings (loss) per common share
|
$
|
0.18
|
$
|
1.44
|
$
|
(0.89
|
)
|
|||
Diluted
earnings (loss) per common share
|
$
|
0.17
|
$
|
1.30
|
$
|
(0.89
|
)
|
|||
Basic
weighted average shares outstanding
|
11,957,756
|
11,177,406
|
11,057,896
|
|||||||
Diluted
weighted average shares outstanding
|
12,206,618
|
12,332,106
|
11,057,896
|
|||||||
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial
statements
|
F-6
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Accumulated
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Additional
|
Other
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Common
Stock
|
Paid-In
|
Deferred
|
Comprehensive
|
Accumulated
|
Shareholders'
|
|||||||||||||||||
Shares
|
Amount
|
Capital
|
Compensation
|
Income
|
Deficit
|
Equity
|
||||||||||||||||
Balances
at June 30, 2003
|
11,086,733
|
$
|
11
|
$
|
48,258
|
$
|
(75
|
)
|
$
|
1,197
|
$
|
(30,648
|
)
|
$
|
18,743
|
|||||||
Repurchase
and retirement of Common
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares
per settlement agreements with
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
former
executive officers
|
(50,500
|
)
|
-
|
(63
|
)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(63
|
)
|
||||||||||||
Compensation
expense resulting
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
from
the modification of stock options
|
-
|
-
|
200
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
200
|
|||||||||||||||
Amortization
of deferred compensation
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
21
|
-
|
-
|
21
|
|||||||||||||||
Foreign
currency translation adjustments
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(8
|
)
|
-
|
(8
|
)
|
|||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(9,887
|
)
|
(9,887
|
)
|
|||||||||||||
Balances
at June 30, 2004
|
11,036,233
|
11
|
48,395
|
(54
|
)
|
1,189
|
(40,535
|
)
|
9,006
|
|||||||||||||
Issuance
of Common Shares related
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
to
shareholder settlement agreement
|
228,000
|
-
|
957
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
957
|
|||||||||||||||
Compensation
expense resulting from
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
the
modification of stock options
|
-
|
-
|
41
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
41
|
|||||||||||||||
Amortization
of deferred compensation
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
21
|
-
|
-
|
21
|
|||||||||||||||
Foreign
currency translation adjustments
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(1,189
|
)
|
-
|
(1,189
|
)
|
|||||||||||||
Net
income
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
16,075
|
16,075
|
|||||||||||||||
Balances
at June 30, 2005
|
11,264,233
|
11
|
49,393
|
(33
|
)
|
-
|
(24,460
|
)
|
24,911
|
|||||||||||||
Issuance
of Common Shares related to
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
shareholder
settlement agreement
|
920,494
|
1
|
2,263
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2,264
|
|||||||||||||||
Compensation
expense resulting from the
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
modification
of stock options
|
-
|
-
|
16
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
16
|
|||||||||||||||
Compensation
cost associated with
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
SFAS
No. 123R
|
-
|
-
|
1,092
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1,092
|
|||||||||||||||
SFAS
No. 123R transition expense
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
33
|
-
|
-
|
33
|
|||||||||||||||
Net
income
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2,096
|
2,096
|
|||||||||||||||
Balances
at June 30, 2006
|
12,184,727
|
$
|
12
|
$
|
52,764
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
(22,364
|
)
|
$
|
30,412
|
||||||||
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial
statements
|
F-7
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Years
Ended June 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
||||||||||
Net
income (loss) from continuing operations
|
$
|
166
|
$
|
2,152
|
$
|
(11,519
|
)
|
|||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income (loss) from continuing operations
|
||||||||||
to
net cash provided by operations:
|
||||||||||
Loss
on impairment of long-lived assets, goodwill, and
intangibles
|
-
|
180
|
-
|
|||||||
Depreciation
and amortization expense
|
1,557
|
2,366
|
1,934
|
|||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
-
|
-
|
3,079
|
|||||||
Stock-based
compensation
|
1,140
|
62
|
221
|
|||||||
Write-off
of inventory
|
681
|
250
|
2,696
|
|||||||
(Gain)
loss on disposal of assets and fixed assets write-offs
|
(237
|
)
|
(12
|
)
|
154
|
|||||
Provision
for doubtful accounts
|
3
|
46
|
24
|
|||||||
Purchase
accounting adjustment
|
-
|
395
|
-
|
|||||||
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities:
|
||||||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
(928
|
)
|
(692
|
)
|
(6,140
|
)
|
||||
Inventories
|
(1,900
|
)
|
15
|
(31
|
)
|
|||||
Prepaid
expenses and other assets
|
45
|
220
|
(296
|
)
|
||||||
Accounts
payable
|
434
|
233
|
399
|
|||||||
Restructuring
charge
|
-
|
110
|
-
|
|||||||
Accrued
liabilities
|
(960
|
)
|
(4,237
|
)
|
2,300
|
|||||
Income
taxes
|
1,345
|
(585
|
)
|
(609
|
)
|
|||||
Deferred
product revenue
|
816
|
(1,052
|
)
|
6,107
|
||||||
Net
change in other assets/liabilities
|
-
|
11
|
1
|
|||||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) continuing operating activities
|
2,162
|
(538
|
)
|
(1,680
|
)
|
|||||
Net
cash provided by discontinued operating activities
|
-
|
168
|
2,764
|
|||||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) operating activities
|
2,162
|
(370
|
)
|
1,084
|
||||||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
||||||||||
Restricted
cash
|
-
|
-
|
200
|
|||||||
Purchase
of property and equipment
|
(224
|
)
|
(1,136
|
)
|
(1,685
|
)
|
||||
Proceeds
from the sale of property and equipment
|
230
|
8
|
5
|
|||||||
Purchase
of marketable securities
|
(14,800
|
)
|
(47,100
|
)
|
(3,350
|
)
|
||||
Sale
of marketable securities
|
10,050
|
33,050
|
3,500
|
|||||||
Net
cash used in continuing investing activities
|
(4,744
|
)
|
(15,178
|
)
|
(1,330
|
)
|
||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) discontinued investing
activities
|
1,930
|
14,173
|
(147
|
)
|
||||||
Net
cash (used in) investing activities
|
(2,814
|
)
|
(1,005
|
)
|
(1,477
|
)
|
||||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
||||||||||
Principal
payments on capital lease obligations
|
-
|
(8
|
)
|
(32
|
)
|
|||||
Principal
payments on note payable
|
-
|
(932
|
)
|
(652
|
)
|
|||||
Purchase
and retirement of Common Shares
|
-
|
-
|
(63
|
)
|
||||||
Net
cash used in continuing financing activities
|
-
|
(940
|
)
|
(747
|
)
|
|||||
Net
cash used in discontinued financing activities
|
-
|
-
|
(770
|
)
|
||||||
Net
cash used in financing activities
|
-
|
(940
|
)
|
(1,517
|
)
|
|||||
Net
decrease in cash and cash equivalents
|
(652
|
)
|
(2,315
|
)
|
(1,910
|
)
|
||||
Effect
of foreign exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents
|
-
|
-
|
(7
|
)
|
||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
|
1,892
|
4,207
|
6,124
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at the end of the year
|
$
|
1,240
|
$
|
1,892
|
$
|
4,207
|
||||
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial
statements
|
F-8
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Years
Ended June 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
Supplemental
disclosure of cash flow information:
|
||||||||||
Cash
paid for interest
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
104
|
$
|
282
|
||||
Cash
paid (received) for income taxes
|
(1,419
|
)
|
1,117
|
(2,189
|
)
|
|||||
Supplemental
disclosure of non-cash financing activities:
|
||||||||||
Value
of common shares issued in shareholder settlement
|
$
|
2,264
|
$
|
957
|
$
|
-
|
||||
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial
statements
|
F-9
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
1. |
Organization
- Nature
of Operations
|
ClearOne
Communications, Inc., a Utah corporation, and its subsidiaries (collectively,
the “Company”) develop, manufacture, market, and service a comprehensive line of
audio conferencing products, which range from personal conferencing accessories
to tabletop conferencing phones to professionally installed audio systems.
The
Company’s solutions create a natural communication environment, designed to save
organizations time and money by enabling more effective and efficient
communication between geographically separated businesses, employees, and
customers.
The
Company’s end-user customers include large companies, government organizations,
educational institutions, and small and medium-sized businesses. The Company
mostly sells its products to these end-user customers through a two-tier
distribution network of independent distributors who then sell the products
to
dealers, including independent systems integrators and value-added resellers.
The Company also sells its products on a limited basis directly to certain
dealers, system integrators, value-added resellers, and end-users.
During
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2004, the Company decided to discontinue
operations of a portion of its business services segment and its conferencing
services segment. As discussed in Note 3, in May 2004, the Company sold certain
assets of its U.S. audiovisual integration services operations to M:Space,
Inc.
(“M:Space”). During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005, the Company sold its
conferencing services segment to Clarinet, Inc., an affiliate of American
Teleconferencing Services, Ltd. doing business as Premiere Conferencing
(“Premiere”) and the Company sold all of the issued and outstanding shares of
its Canadian subsidiary, ClearOne Communications of Canada, Inc. (“ClearOne
Canada”) to 6351352 Canada Inc., which is a portion of the Company’s business
services segment. ClearOne Canada owned all the issued and outstanding stock
of
Stechyson Electronics Ltd., which conducts business under the name of OM Video.
All of these operations and related net assets are presented in discontinued
operations and assets and liabilities held for sale in the accompanying
consolidated financial statements. Following the dispositions of these
operations, the Company has returned to its core competency of developing,
manufacturing, and marketing audio conferencing products.
2. |
Summary
of Significant Accounting
Policies
|
Consolidation
- These
consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of ClearOne
Communications, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, ClearOne Communications
EuMEA GmbH, ClearOne Communications Limited UK, E.mergent, Inc., and Gentner
Communications Ltd. - Ireland. The discontinued operations portion of these
consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of our
previously wholly owned subsidiaries, ClearOne Communications of Canada, Inc.
and OM Video, which were sold in March 2005. All intercompany accounts and
transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Pervasiveness
of Estimates
- The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles in the United States of America requires management to
make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the
date
of the financial statements and the reported amounts of sales and expenses
during the reporting periods. Key estimates in the accompanying consolidated
financial statements include, among others, revenue recognition, allowances
for
doubtful accounts and product returns, provisions for obsolete inventory,
valuation of long-lived assets, and deferred income tax asset valuation
allowances. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates.
Fair
Value of Financial Instruments
- The
carrying values of cash equivalents, marketable securities, accounts receivable,
accounts payable, and accrued liabilities all approximate fair value due to
the
relatively short-term maturities of these assets and liabilities.
F-10
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Foreign
Currency Translation -
The
functional currency for OM Video was the Canadian Dollar. Adjustments resulting
from the translation of OM Video amounts were recorded as accumulated other
comprehensive income (loss). The functional currency for the Company’s other
foreign subsidiaries was and is the U.S. Dollar. The results of operations
for
the Company’s other subsidiaries are recorded by the subsidiaries in Euro and
British Pound and remeasured in the U.S. Dollar. Assets and liabilities are
translated or remeasured into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate prevailing
on
the balance sheet date or the historical rate, as appropriate. Revenue and
expenses are translated or remeasured at average rates of exchange prevailing
during the period. The impact from remeasurement of our Germany and United
Kingdom entities is recorded in the accompanying consolidated statements of
operations.
Concentration
Risk
- The
Company depends on an outsource manufacturing strategy for its products. In
August 2005, the Company entered into a manufacturing agreement with a
third-party manufacturer (“TPM”). Under the manufacturing agreement, TPM became
the exclusive manufacturer of substantially all the products that were
previously manufactured at the Company’s Salt Lake City, Utah manufacturing
facility (see Note 20). If TPM experiences difficulties in obtaining sufficient
supplies of components, component prices become unreasonable, an interruption
in
its operations, or otherwise suffers capacity constraints, the Company would
experience a delay in shipping these products which would have a negative impact
on its revenues.
The
Company has an agreement with an offshore manufacturer for the manufacture
of
other product lines. Should there be any disruption in services due to natural
disaster, economic or political difficulties, quarantines or other restrictions
associated with infectious diseases, or other similar events, or any other
reason, such disruption would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s
business. A delay in shipping these products due to an interruption in the
manufacturer’s operations would have a negative impact on the Company’s
revenues. Operating in the international environment exposes the Company to
certain inherent risks, including unexpected changes in regulatory requirements
and tariffs, and potentially adverse tax consequences, which could materially
affect the Company’s results of operations. Currently, the Company has no second
source of manufacturing for a major portion of its products.
Cash
Equivalents
- The
Company considers all highly-liquid investments with a maturity of three months
or less, when purchased, to be cash equivalents. The Company places its
temporary cash investments with high-quality financial institutions. At times,
including at June 30, 2006 and 2005, such investments may be in excess of the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limit of $100.
Marketable
Securities
- The
Company’s marketable securities are classified as available-for-sale securities,
are carried at fair value which approximated cost, and were comprised of
municipal government auction rate notes that have original maturities of greater
than one year. As of June 30, 2006 and 2005 marketable securities totaled
$20,550 and $15,800, respectively. Management determines the appropriate
classifications of investments at the time of purchase, based on management’s
intent to use these investments during the normal operating cycle of the
business, and reevaluates such designation as of each balance sheet date.
The
Company considers highly liquid marketable securities with an effective maturity
to the Company of less than one year, and held as available-for-sale, to be
current assets. The Company defines effective maturity as the shorter of the
original maturity to the Company or the effective availability as a result
of
periodic auction or optional redemption features of these marketable securities.
Such investments are expected to be realized in cash or sold or consumed during
the normal operating cycles of the business. As of June 30, 2006 and 2005,
all
marketable securities were classified as current assets and consisted of
municipal government auction rate notes.
The
Company regularly monitors and evaluates the value of its marketable securities.
When assessing marketable securities for other-than-temporary declines in value,
the Company considers such factors, among other things, as how significant
the
decline in value is as a percentage of the original cost, how long the market
value of the investment has been less than its original cost, the collateral
supporting the investments, insurance policies which protect the Company’s
investment position, the interval between auction periods, whether or not there
have been any failed auctions, and the credit rating issued for the securities
by one or more of the major credit rating agencies. A decline in the market
value of any available-for-sale security below cost that is deemed to be
other-than-temporary results in a reduction in carrying amount to fair value.
The impairment is charged to earnings and a new cost basis for the security
is
established.
F-11
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
For
each
of the fiscal years ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004 realized gains and
losses upon the sale of available-for-sale securities were insignificant.
Unrealized holding gains and losses, net of the related tax effect on
available-for-sale securities, are excluded from earnings and are reported
as a
separate component of other comprehensive income until realized. Unrealized
gains and losses on available-for-sale securities are insignificant for all
periods and accordingly have not been recorded as a component of other
comprehensive income. The specific identification method is used to compute
the
realized gains and losses.
Accounts
Receivable
-
Accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount. Credit is granted
to
customers without requiring collateral. The allowance for doubtful accounts
is
the Company’s best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in the
Company’s existing accounts receivable. Management regularly analyzes accounts
receivable including current aging, historical write-off experience, customer
concentrations, customer creditworthiness, and current economic trends when
evaluating the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts. If the
assumptions that are used to determine the allowance for doubtful accounts
change, the Company may have to provide for a greater level of expense in the
future periods or reverse amounts provided in prior periods.
The
Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts activity for the fiscal years ended
June 30, 2006 and 2005 were as follows:
Description
|
Balance
at
Beginning
of
Period
|
Charged
to
Costs
and
Expenses
|
Deductions
|
Balance
at
End
of
Period
|
|||||||||
Year
ended June 30, 2005
|
$
|
24
|
$
|
46
|
$
|
(24
|
)
|
$
|
46
|
||||
Year
ended June 30, 2006
|
$
|
46
|
$
|
3
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
49
|
Inventories
-
Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market, with cost computed on
a
first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) basis. Inventoried costs include material, direct
engineering and production costs, and applicable overhead, not in excess of
estimated realizable value. Consideration is given to obsolescence, excessive
levels, deterioration, direct selling expenses, and other factors in evaluating
net realizable value. Consigned inventory includes product that has been
delivered to customers for which revenue recognition criteria have not been
met.
During the fiscal years ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, the Company
recorded inventory write-offs of $681, $250, and $2,696,
respectively.
Property
and Equipment
-
Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and
amortization. Costs associated with internally developed software are
capitalized in accordance with Statement of Position 98-1, “Accounting for the
Costs of Computer Software Developed or Obtained for Internal Use” (“SOP 98-1”).
Expenditures that materially increase values or capacities or extend useful
lives of property and equipment are capitalized. Routine maintenance, repairs,
and renewal costs are expensed as incurred. Gains or losses from the sale or
retirement of property and equipment are recorded in current operations and
the
related book value of the property is removed from property and equipment
accounts and the related accumulated depreciation and amortization accounts.
Estimated
useful lives are generally two to ten years. Depreciation and amortization
are
calculated over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets using the
straight-line method. Leasehold improvement amortization is computed using
the
straight-line method over the shorter of the lease term or the estimated useful
life of the related assets.
Intangibles
-
Definite-lived intangibles are subject to amortization. The Company uses the
straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the asset. The Company’s
intangible asset, consisting of patents, as of June 30, 2006 and 2005 were
determined to be definite-lived intangible assets.
F-12
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Impairment
of Long-Lived Assets
-
Long-lived assets, such as property, equipment, and definite-lived intangibles
subject to amortization, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes
in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be
recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a
comparison of the carrying amount of an asset or asset group to estimated future
undiscounted net cash flows of the related asset or group of assets over their
remaining lives. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future
undiscounted cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized for the amount
by
which the carrying amount exceeds the estimated fair value of the asset.
Impairment of long-lived assets is assessed at the lowest levels for which
there
are identifiable cash flows that are independent of other groups of assets.
The
impairment of long-lived assets requires judgments and estimates. If
circumstances change, such estimates could also change. The Company recognized
an impairment charge of long-lived assets of $180 during the year ended June
30,
2005 (see Note 20).
Revenue
Recognition
-
Included in continuing operations are two sources of revenue: (i) product
revenue, primarily from product sales to distributors, dealers, and end-users
and (ii) business services revenue, which includes maintenance and support
on
one software license agreement associated with our broadcast telephone interface
product line.
Product
revenue is recognized when (i) the products are shipped, (ii) persuasive
evidence of an arrangement exists, (iii) the price is fixed and determinable,
and (iv) collection is reasonably assured. Beginning in 2001, the Company
modified its sales channels to include distributors. These distributors were
generally thinly capitalized with little or no financial resources and did
not
have the wherewithal to pay for these products when delivered by the Company.
Furthermore, in a substantial number of cases, significant amounts of
inventories were returned or never paid for and the payment for product sold
(to
both distributors and non-distributors) was regularly subject to a final
negotiation between the Company and its customers. As a result of such
negotiations, the Company routinely agreed to significant concessions from
the
originally invoiced amounts to facilitate collection. These practices continued
to exist through the fiscal year ended June 30, 2003.
Accordingly,
amounts charged to both distributors and non-distributors were not considered
fixed and determinable or reasonably collectible until cash was collected and
thus, there was a delay in the Company’s recognition of revenue and related cost
of goods sold from the time of product shipment until invoices were paid. As
a
result, the June 30, 2003 balance sheet reflected no accounts receivable or
deferred revenue related to product sales. During the fiscal year ended June
30,
2004, the Company recognized $5,187 in revenues and $1,738 in cost of goods
sold
that were deferred in prior periods since cash had not been collected as of
the
end of the fiscal year ended June 30, 2003.
During
the fiscal years ended June 30, 2006, 2005 and 2004, the Company had in place
improved credit policies and procedures, an approval process for sales returns
and credit memos, processes for managing and monitoring channel inventory
levels, better trained staff, and discontinued the practice of frequently
granting significant concessions from the originally invoiced amount. As a
result of these improved policies and procedures, the Company extends credit
to
customers who it believes have the wherewithal to pay.
The
Company provides a right of return on product sales to distributors. Currently,
the Company does not have sufficient historical return experience with its
distributors that is predictive of future events given historical excess levels
of inventory in the distribution channel. Accordingly, revenue from product
sales to distributors is not recognized until the return privilege has expired,
which approximates when product is sold-through to customers of the Company’s
distributors (dealers, system integrators, value-added resellers, and end-users)
rather than when the product is initially shipped to a distributor. The Company
evaluates, at each quarter-end, the inventory in the channel through information
provided by certain distributors. The level of inventory in the channel
will fluctuate up or down, each quarter, based upon these distributors’
individual operations. Accordingly, each quarter-end revenue deferral is
calculated and recorded based upon the underlying, estimated channel inventory
at quarter-end. Although, certain distributors provide certain channel
inventory amounts, the Company makes judgments and estimates with regard to
the
amount of inventory in the entire channel, for all customers and for all
channel inventory items, and the appropriate revenue and cost of goods
sold associated with those channel products. Although
these assumptions and judgments regarding total channel inventory revenue
and cost of goods sold could differ from actual amounts, the Company
believes that its calculations are indicative of actual levels of inventory
in
the distribution channel. The amounts of deferred cost of goods sold were
included in consigned inventory. The following table details the amount of
deferred revenue, cost of goods sold, and gross profit at each fiscal year
end
for the three years in the period ended June 30, 2006.
F-13
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Deferred
Revenue
|
Deferred
Cost of Goods Sold
|
Deferred
Gross Profit
|
||||||||
June
30, 2006
|
$
|
5,871
|
$
|
2,817
|
$
|
3,054
|
||||
June
30, 2005
|
5,055
|
2,297
|
2,758
|
|||||||
June
30, 2004
|
6,107
|
2,381
|
3,726
|
The
Company offers rebates and market development funds to certain of its
distributors, dealers/resellers, and end-users based upon volume of product
purchased by them. The Company records rebates as a reduction of revenue in
accordance with Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) Issue No. 00-22, “Accounting
for Points and Certain Other Time-Based or Volume-Based Sales Incentive Offers,
and Offers for Free Products or Services to Be Delivered in the Future.” The
Company also follows EITF Issue No. 01-9, “Accounting for Consideration Given by
a Vendor to a Customer (Including a Reseller of the Vendor’s Products).” The
Company continues to record rebates as a reduction of revenue in the period
revenue is recognized.
The
Company provides advance replacement units to end-users on defective units
of
certain products within 90 days of purchase date by the end-user. Since the
purpose of these units are not revenue generating, the Company tracks the units
due from the end-user, valued at retail price, until the defective unit has
been
returned, but no receivable balance is maintained on the Company’s balance
sheet. The retail price value of in-transit advance replacement units was $75
and $81, as of June 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively.
Business
services activities, included in continuing operations, includes maintenance
and
support associated with one software license agreement with Comrex associated
with the broadcast telephone interface product line.
Business
services activities, which have been classified in discontinued operations,
involve designing and constructing conference systems under fixed-price
contracts. Revenues from fixed-priced construction contracts are recognized
on
the completed-contract method. This method is used because the typical contract
is completed in three months or less and the financial position and results
of
operations do not vary significantly from those which would result from use
of
the percentage-of-completion method. A contract is considered complete when
all
costs except insignificant items have been incurred and the installation is
operating according to specification or has been accepted by the customer.
Contract costs include all direct material and labor costs. Provisions for
estimated losses on uncompleted contracts are made in the period in which such
losses are determined.
Revenue
from maintenance contracts on conference systems is recognized on a
straight-line basis over the maintenance period pursuant to Financial Accounting
Standards Board (“FASB”) Technical Bulletin No. 90-1, “Accounting for Separately
Priced Extended Warranty and Product Maintenance Contracts.”
During
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2004, the Company sold its U.S. audiovisual
integration business services operations as discussed in Note 3. On March 4,
2005, the Company sold its Canadian audiovisual integration business services
operations as discussed in Note 3.
Conferencing
services revenue, which has been classified in discontinued operations,
primarily from full service conference calling and on-demand, reservationless
conference calling is recognized at the time of customer usage, and is based
upon minutes used. On July 1, 2004, the Company sold its conferencing services
business segment to Premiere as discussed in Note 3.
Shipping
and Handling Costs
-
Shipping and handling billed to customers is recorded as revenue. Shipping
and
handling costs are included in cost of goods sold.
F-14
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Warranty
Costs
- The
Company accrues for warranty costs based on estimated warranty return rates
and
estimated costs to repair. Factors that affect the Company’s warranty liability
include the number of units sold, historical and anticipated rates of warranty
returns, and repair cost. The Company reviews the adequacy of its recorded
warranty accrual on a quarterly basis.
Changes
in the Company’s warranty accrual during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2006
and 2005 were as follows:
Years
Ended June 30,
|
|||||||
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
Balance
at the beginning of year
|
$
|
126
|
$
|
108
|
|||
Accruals/additions
|
356
|
174
|
|||||
Usage
|
(313
|
)
|
(156
|
)
|
|||
Balance
at end of year
|
$
|
169
|
$
|
126
|
Advertising
-
The
Company expenses advertising costs as incurred. Advertising expenses consist
of
trade shows, magazine advertisements, and other forms of media. Advertising
expenses for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004 totaled $631,
$637, and $716, respectively, and are included in the caption Marketing and
Selling.
Research
and Product Development Costs
- The
Company expenses research and product development costs as incurred.
Income
Taxes
- The
Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes.
Under the asset and liability method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are
recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences
between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and
liabilities and their respective tax bases, and operating loss and tax credit
carry-forwards. These temporary differences will result in deductible or taxable
amounts in future years when the reported amounts of the assets or liabilities
are recovered or settled. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured
using
enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which
those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect
on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized
in
income in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance
is
provided when it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax
assets may not be realized. The Company evaluates the realizability of its
net
deferred tax assets on a quarterly basis and valuation allowances are provided,
as necessary. Adjustments to the valuation allowance will increase or decrease
the Company’s income tax provision or benefit.
F-15
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Earnings
Per Share
- The
following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings (loss)
per common share:
Years
Ended June 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
Numerator:
|
||||||||||
Income
(loss) from continuing operations
|
$
|
166
|
$
|
2,152
|
$
|
(11,519
|
)
|
|||
Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax
|
-
|
173
|
1,747
|
|||||||
Gain
(loss) on disposal of discontinued operations, net of tax
|
1,930
|
13,750
|
(115
|
)
|
||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$
|
2,096
|
$
|
16,075
|
$
|
(9,887
|
)
|
|||
Denominator:
|
||||||||||
Basic
weighted average shares
|
11,957,756
|
11,177,406
|
11,057,896
|
|||||||
Dilutive
common stock equivalents using treasury stock method
|
248,862
|
1,154,700
|
-
|
|||||||
Diluted
weighted average shares
|
12,206,618
|
12,332,106
|
11,057,896
|
|||||||
Basic
earnings (loss) per common share:
|
||||||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$
|
0.02
|
$
|
0.19
|
$
|
(1.04
|
)
|
|||
Discontinued
operations
|
-
|
0.02
|
0.16
|
|||||||
Disposal
of discontinued operations
|
0.16
|
1.23
|
(0.01
|
)
|
||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
0.18
|
1.44
|
(0.89
|
)
|
||||||
Diluted
earnings (loss) per common share:
|
||||||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$
|
0.01
|
$
|
0.17
|
$
|
(1.04
|
)
|
|||
Discontinued
operations
|
-
|
0.01
|
0.16
|
|||||||
Disposal
of discontinued operations
|
0.16
|
1.12
|
(0.01
|
)
|
||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
0.17
|
1.30
|
(0.89
|
)
|
Options
to purchase a weighted-average of 1,355,179, 1,397,239, and 1,433,187 shares
of
common stock were outstanding during fiscal 2006, 2005, and 2004, respectively,
but were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share as the
effect would be anti-dilutive. Warrants to purchase 150,000 shares of common
stock were outstanding as of June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, but were not
included in the computation of diluted earnings per share as the effect would
be
anti-dilutive. During fiscal 2004, the Company entered into a settlement
agreement related to the shareholders’ class action and agreed to issue 1.2
million shares of its common stock; however, certain of these shares were
settled in cash in lieu of common stock (see Note 10). The Company issued
228,000 shares in November 2004 and 920,494 shares in September 2005. These
shares are not included in the fiscal 2004 weighted average share calculations
as their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive.
Share-Based
Payment
- Prior
to June 30, 2005 and as permitted under the original Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation,” the Company accounted for its share-based payments following the
recognition and measurement principles of Accounting Principles Board Opinion
No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees,” as interpreted. Accordingly,
no share-based compensation expense had been reflected in the Company’s fiscal
2005 or 2004 consolidated statements of operations for unmodified option grants
since (1) the exercise price equaled the market value of the underlying common
stock on the grant date and (2) the related number of shares to be granted
upon
exercise of the stock option was fixed on the grant date.
F-16
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
If
the
compensation cost of its stock options had been determined consistent with
the
original SFAS No. 123, the Company’s net income and earnings per common share
and common share equivalent would have changed to the pro-forma amounts
indicated below:
Years
Ended June 30,
|
|||||||
2005
|
2004
|
||||||
Net
income (loss):
|
|||||||
As
reported
|
$
|
16,075
|
$
|
(9,887
|
)
|
||
Stock-based
employee compensation expense included in
|
|||||||
reported
net loss, net of income taxes
|
13
|
13
|
|||||
Stock-based
employee compensation expense determined
|
|||||||
under
the fair-value method for all awards, net of income taxes
|
(866
|
)
|
(439
|
)
|
|||
Pro
forma
|
$
|
15,222
|
$
|
(10,313
|
)
|
||
Basic
earnings (loss) per common share:
|
|||||||
As
reported
|
$
|
1.44
|
$
|
(0.89
|
)
|
||
Pro
forma
|
1.36
|
(0.93
|
)
|
||||
Diluted
earnings (loss) per common share:
|
|||||||
As
reported
|
$
|
1.30
|
$
|
(0.89
|
)
|
||
Pro
forma
|
1.23
|
(0.93
|
)
|
In
December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued SFAS No.
123R, “Share-Based Payment.” SFAS No. 123R is a revision of SFAS No. 123. SFAS
No. 123R establishes standards for the accounting for transactions in which
an
entity exchanges its equity instruments for goods or services. Primarily, SFAS
No. 123R focuses on accounting for transactions in which an entity obtains
employee services in share-based payment transactions. It also addresses
transactions in which an entity incurs liabilities in exchange for goods or
services that are based on the fair value of the entity’s equity instruments or
that may be settled by the issuance of those equity instruments.
SFAS
No.
123R requires the Company to measure the cost of employee services received
in
exchange for an award of equity instruments based on the grant date fair value
of the award (with limited exceptions). That cost will be recognized over the
period during which an employee is required to provide service in exchange
for
the awards - the requisite service period (usually the vesting period). No
compensation cost is recognized for equity instruments for which employees
do
not render the requisite service. Therefore, if an employee does not ultimately
render the requisite service, the costs associated with the unvested options
will not be recognized, cumulatively.
Effective
July 1, 2005, the Company adopted SFAS No. 123R and its fair value recognition
provisions using the modified prospective transition method. Under this
transition method, stock-based compensation cost recognized after July 1, 2005
includes the straight-line basis compensation cost for (a) all share-based
payments granted prior to July 1, 2005, but not yet vested, based on the grant
date fair values used for the pro-forma disclosures under the original SFAS
No.
123 and (b) all share-based payments granted or modified on or after July 1,
2005, in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 123R. See Note 12 for
information about the Company’s various share-based compensation plans, the
impact of adoption of SFAS No. 123R, and the assumptions used to calculate
the
fair value of share-based compensation.
If
assumptions change in the application of SFAS No. 123R in future periods, the
stock-based compensation cost ultimately recorded under SFAS No. 123R may differ
significantly from what was recorded in the current period.
F-17
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
Accounting
for Asset Retirement Obligations in the European Union
In
June
2005, the FASB issued a FASB Staff Position (“FSP”) interpreting SFAS No. 143,
“Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations,” specifically FSP No.
143-1,
“Accounting for Electronic Equipment Waste Obligations.” FSP
No.
143-1
addresses the accounting for obligations associated with Directive 2002/96/EC,
“Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment,” which was adopted by the European
Union (“EU”). The FSP provides guidance on how to account for the effects of the
Directive but only with respect to historical waste associated with products
placed on the market on or before August 13, 2005. FSP No. 143-1 was effective
beginning with the Company’s fiscal 2006 financial statements. The
Company does not believe the adoption of FSP No. 143-1 had a material effect
on
its business, results of operations, financial position, or
liquidity.
Inventory
Costs
In
November 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 151, “Inventory Costs - an Amendment of
ARB No. 43,” which is the result of its efforts to converge U.S. accounting
standards for inventories with International Accounting Standards. SFAS No.
151
requires idle facility expenses, freight, handling costs, and wasted material
(spoilage) costs to be recognized as current-period charges. It also requires
that allocation of fixed production overheads to the costs of conversion be
based on the normal capacity of the production facilities. SFAS No. 151 will
be
effective beginning with the Company’s fiscal 2006 financial statements. There
was not a significant impact on the Company’s business, results of operations,
financial position, or liquidity from the adoption of this
standard.
Accounting
Changes and Error Corrections
In
May
2005, the FASB issued SFAS No. 154, “Accounting Changes and Error Corrections -
a Replacement of APB Opinion No. 20 and FASB Statement No. 3” in order to
converge U.S. Accounting Standards with International Accounting Standards.
SFAS
No. 154 changes the requirements for the accounting for and reporting of a
change in accounting principle. Previously, most voluntary changes in accounting
principles required recognition of a cumulative effect adjustment within net
income of the period of the change. SFAS No. 154 requires retrospective
application to prior periods’ financial statements, unless it is impracticable
to determine either the period-specific effects or the cumulative effect of
the
change. SFAS No. 154 is effective for accounting changes made in fiscal years
beginning after December 15, 2005; however, it does not change the transition
provisions of any existing accounting pronouncements. The Company does not
believe that the adoption of SFAS No. 154 will have a material effect on its
business, results of operations, financial position, or liquidity.
Other-Than-Temporary
Impairment
In
March
2004, the FASB issued EITF No. 03-01, “The Meaning of Other-Than-Temporary
Impairment and its Application to Certain Investments,” which provides new
guidance for assessing impairment losses on debt and equity investments. The
new
impairment model applies to investments accounted for under the cost or equity
method and investments accounted for under SFAS No. 115, “Accounting for Certain
Investments in Debt and Equity Securities.” EITF No. 03-01 also includes new
disclosure requirements for cost method investments and for all investments
that
are in an unrealized loss position. In September 2004, the FASB delayed the
accounting provisions of EITF No. 03-01; however the disclosure requirements
remain effective. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this EITF,
when the delay is suspended, will have a material impact on its business,
results of operations, financial position, or liquidity.
In
June
2006, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in
Income Taxes-an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109” (“FIN 48”), which
clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in tax positions. Under FIN 48, the
tax
effects of a position should be recognized only if it is “more-likely-than-not”
to be sustained based solely on its technical merits as of the reporting date.
FIN 48 also requires significant new annual disclosures in the notes to the
financial statements. The effect of adjustments at adoption should be recorded
directly to beginning retaining earnings in the period of adoption and reported
as a change in accounting principle. Retroactive application is prohibited
under
FIN 48. The Company is required to adopt FIN 48 at the beginning of fiscal
2008.
The Company is currently evaluating the impact of FIN 48 on its consolidated
financial statements.
F-18
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Reclassifications
Certain
reclassifications have been made to the prior years’ consolidated financial
statements and notes to consolidated financial statements to conform to the
current year’s presentation.
3. |
Discontinued
Operations
|
During
fiscal 2004, the Company completed the sale of its U.S. audiovisual integration
services to M:Space. During fiscal 2005, the Company completed the sale of
its
conferencing services business component to Premiere and its Canadian
audiovisual integration services to 6351352 Canada Inc. During fiscal 2006,
the
Company received the $1,000 Indemnity Escrow payment from Premiere, certain
payments on the note receivable from the new owners of OM Video, and full
satisfaction of the promissory note with Burk Technology, Inc. (“Burk”).
Accordingly, the results of operations and the financial position of each of
these components have been reclassified in the accompanying consolidated
financial statements as discontinued operations. Summary operating results
of
the discontinued operations are as follows:
Years
Ended June 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
Income
(loss) from discontinued operations
|
||||||||||
U.S.
audiovisual integration services
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
(360
|
)
|
|||
Conferencing
services business
|
-
|
-
|
2,800
|
|||||||
OM
Video
|
-
|
225
|
373
|
|||||||
Total
income from discontinued operations
|
-
|
225
|
2,813
|
|||||||
Gain
(loss) on disposal of discontinued operations
|
||||||||||
U.S.
audiovisual integration services
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
(276
|
)
|
|||
Conferencing
services business
|
1,030
|
17,369
|
-
|
|||||||
OM
Video
|
350
|
295
|
-
|
|||||||
Burk
Technology
|
1,346
|
187
|
93
|
|||||||
Total
gain (loss) on disposal of discontinued operations
|
2,726
|
17,851
|
(183
|
)
|
||||||
Income
tax (provision) benefit
|
||||||||||
U.S.
audiovisual integration services
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
237
|
||||
Conferencing
services business
|
(301
|
)
|
(3,991
|
)
|
(1,044
|
)
|
||||
OM
Video
|
(102
|
)
|
(119
|
)
|
(156
|
)
|
||||
Burk
Technology
|
(393
|
)
|
(43
|
)
|
(35
|
)
|
||||
Total
income tax (provision) benefit
|
(796
|
)
|
(4,153
|
)
|
(998
|
)
|
||||
Total
income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income
taxes
|
||||||||||
U.S.
audiovisual integration services
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
(399
|
)
|
|||
Conferencing
services business
|
729
|
13,378
|
1,756
|
|||||||
OM
Video
|
248
|
401
|
217
|
|||||||
Burk
Technology
|
953
|
144
|
58
|
|||||||
Total
income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes
|
$
|
1,930
|
$
|
13,923
|
$
|
1,632
|
F-19
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
U.S.
Audiovisual Integration Services
During
the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended June 30, 2003, the Company decided
to stop pursuing new U.S. business services contracts and impaired the U.S.
acquired business services assets. The Company did not prepare any formal
disposition plan at that time and existing customers continued to be serviced.
During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004, the Company decided to sell this
component as many of the existing Company systems integrators and value-added
resellers perceived the Company’s entry into the business services arena as a
threat since the Company began competing against these same customers for sales,
as well as the Company’s desire to return to its core competency in the audio
conferencing products segment. U.S. audiovisual integration services revenues,
reported in discontinued operations, for the year ended June 30, 2004 were
$3,597. The U.S. audiovisual integration services pre-tax loss, reported in
discontinued operations, for the year ended June 30, 2004 were
$360.
On
May 6,
2004, the Company sold certain assets of its U.S. audiovisual integration
services operations to M:Space for no cash compensation. M:Space is a privately
held audiovisual integration services company. In exchange for M:Space assuming
obligations for completion of certain customer contracts and satisfying
maintenance contract obligations to existing customers, the Company transferred
to M:Space certain assets including inventory valued at $573. The Company
realized a pre-tax loss on the sale of $276 for the fiscal year ended June
30,
2004.
Summary
operating results of the discontinued operations are as follows:
Year
Ended June 30,
|
||||
2004
|
||||
Revenue
- business services
|
$
|
3,597
|
||
Cost
of goods sold - business services
|
2,648
|
|||
Gross
profit
|
949
|
|||
Marketing
and selling expenses
|
522
|
|||
General
and administrative expenses
|
787
|
|||
Impairment
losses
|
-
|
|||
Loss
before income taxes
|
(360
|
)
|
||
Loss
on disposal of discontinued operations
|
(276
|
)
|
||
Benefit
for income taxes
|
237
|
|||
Loss
from discontinued operations, net of income taxes
|
$
|
(399
|
)
|
Conferencing
Services
In
April
2004, the Company’s Board of Directors appointed a committee to explore sales
opportunities to sell the conferencing services business component. The Company
decided to sell this component primarily because of decreasing margins and
investments in equipment that would have been required in the near future.
Conferencing services revenues, reported in discontinued operations, for the
year ended June 30, 2004 were $15,578. Conferencing services pre-tax income,
reported in discontinued operations, for the year ended June 30, 2004 were
$2,800.
On
July
1, 2004, the Company sold its conferencing services business component to
Premiere. Consideration for the sale consisted of $21,300 in cash. Of the
purchase price, $300 was placed into a working capital escrow account and an
additional $1,000 was placed into an 18-month Indemnity Escrow account. The
Company received the $300 working capital escrow funds approximately 90 days
after the execution date of the contract. The Company received the $1,000 in
the
Indemnity Escrow account together with the $30 in related interest income in
January 2006. Additionally, $1,365 of the proceeds was utilized to pay off
equipment leases pertaining to assets being conveyed to Premiere. The Company
realized a pre-tax gain on the sale of $1,030 and $17,369 during the fiscal
years ended June 30, 2006 and 2005.
F-20
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Summary
operating results of the discontinued operations are as follows:
Years
Ended June 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
Revenue
- conferencing services
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
15,578
|
||||
Cost
of goods sold - conferencing services
|
-
|
-
|
7,844
|
|||||||
Gross
profit
|
-
|
-
|
7,734
|
|||||||
Marketing
and selling expenses
|
-
|
-
|
3,799
|
|||||||
General
and administrative expenses
|
-
|
-
|
1,036
|
|||||||
Other
expense, net
|
-
|
-
|
99
|
|||||||
Income
before income taxes
|
-
|
-
|
2,800
|
|||||||
Gain
on disposal of discontinued operations
|
1,030
|
17,369
|
-
|
|||||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
(301
|
)
|
(3,991
|
)
|
(1,044
|
)
|
||||
Income
from discontinued operations, net of income taxes
|
$
|
729
|
$
|
13,378
|
$
|
1,756
|
OM
Video
In
December 2004, a group of investors approached the Company about a possible
purchase of OM Video. On January 27, 2005, the Company’s Board of Directors
authorized its Chief Executive Officer to continue discussions regarding a
stock
sale of OM Video, its Canadian audiovisual integration services business
component. The Company decided to sell this component after it deemphasized
Canadian Business Services contracts. OM Video revenues, reported in
discontinued operations, for the years ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004
were
$0, $3,805, and $5,928, respectively. OM Video pre-tax income (loss), reported
in discontinued operations, for the years ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004,
were $0, $225, and $373, respectively.
On
March
4, 2005, the Company sold all of the issued and outstanding stock of its
Canadian subsidiary, ClearOne Canada to 6351352 Canada Inc., a Canada
corporation. ClearOne Canada owned all the issued and outstanding stock of
Stechyson Electronics, Ltd., which conducts business under the name OM Video.
The Company agreed to sell the stock of ClearOne Canada for $200 in cash; a
$1,256 note receivable over a 15-month period, with interest accruing on the
unpaid balance at the rate of 5.3 percent per year; and contingent consideration
ranging from 3.0 percent to 4.0 percent of related gross revenues over a
five-year period. In June 2005, the Company was advised that the new owners
of
OM Video had settled an action brought by the former employer of certain of
OM
Video’s new owners and employees alleging violation of non-competition
agreements. The settlement reportedly involved a cash payment and an agreement
not to sell certain products for a period of one year. Based on an analysis
of
the facts and circumstances that existed at the end of fiscal 2005, and
considering the guidance from Topic 5U of the SEC Rules and Regulations, “Gain
Recognition on the Sale of a Business or Operating Assets to a Highly Leveraged
Entity,” the gain is being recognized as cash is collected (as collection was
not reasonably assured). The Company realized a pre-tax gain on the sale of
$350
and $295 during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2006 and 2005.
Through
December 31, 2005, all payments had been received and $854 of the promissory
note remained outstanding; however, the purchasers of OM Video failed to make
any subsequent, required payments under the note receivable until June 30,
2006,
when the Company received a payment of $50. The note receivable is in default
and the Company is currently considering its collection options.
F-21
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Summary
operating results of the discontinued operations are as follows:
Years
Ended June 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
Revenue
- business services
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
3,805
|
$
|
5,928
|
||||
Cost
of goods sold - business services
|
-
|
3,038
|
4,052
|
|||||||
Gross
profit
|
-
|
767
|
1,876
|
|||||||
Marketing
and selling expenses
|
-
|
289
|
390
|
|||||||
General
and administrative expenses
|
-
|
253
|
1,113
|
|||||||
Income
before income taxes
|
-
|
225
|
373
|
|||||||
Gain
on disposal of discontinued operations
|
350
|
295
|
-
|
|||||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
(102
|
)
|
(119
|
)
|
(156
|
)
|
||||
Income
from discontinued operations, net of income taxes
|
$
|
248
|
$
|
401
|
$
|
217
|
Burk
Technology
On
April
12, 2001, the Company sold the assets of the remote control portion of the
RFM/Broadcast division to Burk, a privately held developer and manufacturer
of
broadcast facility control systems products. The Company retained the accounts
payable of the remote control portion of the RFM/Broadcast division. Burk
assumed obligations for unfilled customer orders and for satisfying warranty
obligations to existing customers and for inventory sold to Burk. However,
the
Company retained certain warranty obligations to Burk to ensure that all of
the
assets sold to Burk were in good operating condition and repair.
Consideration
for the sale consisted of $750 in cash at closing, $1,750 in the form of a
seven-year promissory note, with interest at the rate of nine percent per year,
and up to $700 as a commission over a period of up to seven years. The payments
on the promissory note could be deferred based upon Burk not meeting net
quarterly sales levels established within the agreement. The promissory note
was
secured by a subordinate security interest in the personal property of Burk.
Based on an analysis of the facts and circumstances that existed on April 12,
2001, and considering the guidance from Topic 5U of the SEC Rules and
Regulations, “Gain Recognition on the Sale of a Business or Operating Assets to
a Highly Leveraged Entity,” the gain is being recognized as cash is collected
(as collection was not reasonably assured and the Company had contingent
liabilities to Burk at closing). The commission was based upon future net sales
of Burk over base sales established within the agreement. The Company realized
a
gain on the sale of $1,346, $187, and $93 for the fiscal years ended June 30,
2006, 2005, and 2004, respectively.
On
August
22, 2005, the Company entered into a Mutual Release and Waiver Agreement with
Burk pursuant to which Burk paid the Company $1,346 in full satisfaction of
the
promissory note, which included a discount of $119. As part of the Mutual
Release and Waiver Agreement, the Company waived any right to future commission
payments from Burk. Additionally, Burk and the Company granted mutual releases
to one another with respect to future claims and liabilities. Accordingly,
the
total pre-tax gain on the disposal of discontinued operations, related to Burk,
was approximately $2,419.
F-22
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
4. |
Inventories
|
Inventories,
net of reserves, consist of the following as of June 30, 2006 and 2005:
As
of June 30,
|
|||||||
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
Raw
materials
|
$
|
600
|
$
|
1,804
|
|||
Finished
goods
|
3,608
|
1,705
|
|||||
Consigned
inventory
|
2,817
|
2,297
|
|||||
Total
inventory
|
$
|
7,025
|
$
|
5,806
|
Consigned
inventory represents inventory at distributors and other customers where revenue
recognition criteria have not been achieved.
5. |
Property
and Equipment
|
Major
classifications of property and equipment and estimated useful lives are as
follows as of June 30, 2006 and 2005:
Estimated
|
As
of June 30,
|
|||||||||
useful
lives
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||
Office
furniture and equipment
|
3
to 10 years
|
$
|
7,458
|
$
|
7,522
|
|||||
Leasehold
improvements
|
2
to 5 years
|
974
|
924
|
|||||||
Manufacturing
and test equipment
|
2
to 10 years
|
1,184
|
1,049
|
|||||||
9,616
|
9,495
|
|||||||||
Accumulated
depreciation and amortization
|
(7,969
|
)
|
(6,690
|
)
|
||||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
$
|
1,647
|
$
|
2,805
|
6. |
Other
Intangible Assets
|
Acquired
Intangibles
Amortization
of intangible assets was $168, $184, and $115 for the years ended June 30,
2006,
2005, and 2004, respectively. Amortization of costs related to patents was
reported in product cost of goods sold.
The
following table presents the Company’s intangible assets as of June 30, 2006 and
2005:
As
of June 30,
|
||||||||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
|||||||||||||||
Gross
|
Accumulated
|
Gross
|
Accumulated
|
|||||||||||||
Useful
Life
|
Value
|
Amortization
|
Value
|
Amortization
|
||||||||||||
Patents
|
5
years
|
$
|
1,060
|
$
|
(906
|
)
|
$
|
1,060
|
$
|
(738
|
)
|
F-23
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
During
June 2004, the Company decided to no longer invest additional research and
development related to the camera products and a change was made to the
estimated useful life of the camera-related patent from fifteen years to five
years. Estimated future amortization expense is as follows:
Years
Ending June 30,
|
||||
2007
|
$
|
154
|
||
Thereafter
|
-
|
|||
Total
estimated amortization expense
|
$
|
154
|
7. |
Leases
|
The
Company has no capital leases with financing companies as of June 30, 2006;
however, the Company has noncancelable operating leases related to
facilities.
The
Company prepaid the remaining $8 balance of the capital lease in October 2004.
Depreciation expense for assets recorded under capital leases was $0, $2, and
$5
for the years ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, respectively.
Certain
operating leases contain rent escalation clauses based on the consumer price
index. Rental expense is recognized on a straight-line basis. Rental expense,
which was composed of minimum payments under operating lease obligations, was
$416 (net of $110 in sublease payments - See Note 20), $607, and $1,786 for
the
years ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, respectively.
On
June
5, 2006, the Company entered into a new 62-month lease for its new principal
administrative, sales, marketing, customer support, and research and development
location which will house its corporate headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Under the terms of the new lease, the Company will occupy a 36,279 square-foot
facility which will commence in November 2006.
Future
minimum lease payments under noncancelable operating leases with initial terms
of one year or more are as follows as of June 30, 2006:
Years
Ending June 30,
|
||||
2007
|
$
|
646
|
||
2008
|
663
|
|||
2009
|
643
|
|||
2010
and thereafter
|
2,895
|
|||
Total
minimum lease payments
|
$
|
4,847
|
8. |
Note
Payable
|
On
October 14, 2002, the Company entered into a note payable in the amount of
$2,000. The note payable encompassed previous expenditures related to our Oracle
Enterprise Resource Planning implementation. The term of the note was 36 months
with monthly payments of $60 and an interest rate of 5.8 percent. The Company
pre-paid the remaining $769 balance of the note payable in October
2004.
F-24
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
9. |
Accrued
Liabilities
|
Accrued
liabilities consist of the following as of June 30, 2006 and 2005:
As
of June 30,
|
|||||||
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
Accrued
salaries and other compensation
|
$
|
1,150
|
$
|
977
|
|||
Other
accrued liabilities
|
1,247
|
1,049
|
|||||
Class
action settlement
|
-
|
3,596
|
|||||
Total
|
$
|
2,397
|
$
|
5,622
|
10. |
Commitments
and Contingencies
|
The
Company establishes contingent liabilities when a particular contingency is
both
probable and estimable. For the contingencies noted below the Company has
accrued amounts considered probable and estimable. The Company is not aware
of
pending claims or assessments, other than as described below, which may have
a
material adverse impact on the Company’s financial position or results of
operations.
Outsource
Manufacturer.
On
August 11, 2003, the Company entered into a manufacturing agreement with an
international outsource manufacturer related to the outsourced manufacturing
of
certain of its products. The manufacturing agreement established annual volume
commitments. In the event annual volume commitments are not met, the Company
will be subject to a tooling amortization charge for the difference between
the
Company’s volume commitment and its actual product purchases. For the calendar
year ended December 31, 2004, the Company was also responsible for prepayment
of
$274 in certain raw material inventory related to the annual volume commitment.
As of June 30, 2006, $30 of the prepayment remained outstanding. The Company
is
also obligated to repurchase all raw materials sold to the international
outsource manufacturer.
On
August
1, 2005, the Company entered into a manufacturing agreement with a domestic
outsource manufacturer related to the outsourced manufacturing of certain of
its
products. The raw materials owned by the Company were consigned to the
manufacturer at August 1, 2005 in the amount of $2,285. The consigned raw
material balance at June 30, 2006 was $530. The agreement established annual
volume commitments and forecasting requirements. When the manufacturer procures
materials for the forecast and actual orders do not meet the forecast, the
Company is responsible to advance to the manufacturer the value of the inventory
greater than a 90 day supply. The amount advanced to the domestic manufacturer
at June 30, 2006 was $851. The consigned raw material balance and the amount
advanced to the domestic manufacturer, net of estimated reserves, is included
in
raw materials.
Legal
Proceedings.
In
addition to the legal proceedings described below, the Company is also involved
from time to time in various claims and other legal proceedings which arise
in
the normal course of business. Such matters are subject to many uncertainties
and outcomes that are not predictable. However, based on the information
available to the Company as of August 15, 2006 and after discussions with legal
counsel, the Company does not believe any such other proceedings will have
a
material, adverse effect on its business, results of operations, financial
position, or liquidity, except as described below.
The
SEC Action.
On
January 15, 2003, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filed a civil
complaint against the Company; Frances Flood, then the Company’s Chairman, Chief
Executive Officer, and President; and Susie Strohm, then the Company’s Chief
Financial Officer. The complaint alleged that from the quarter ended March
31,
2001, the defendants engaged in a program of inflating the Company’s revenues,
net income, and accounts receivable by engaging in improper revenue recognition
in violation of generally accepted accounting standards (“GAAP”) and Section
17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Sections 10(b), 13(a), and 13(b) of
the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and various regulations promulgated thereunder.
Following the filing of the complaint, the Company placed Ms. Flood and Ms.
Strohm on administrative leave and they subsequently resigned from their
positions with the Company. On December 4, 2003, the Company settled the SEC
action by entering into a consent decree in which, without admitting or denying
the allegations of the complaint, it consented to the entry of a permanent
injunction prohibiting future securities law violations. No fine or penalty
was
assessed against the Company as part of the settlement.
F-25
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
U.S.
Attorney’s Investigation. On
January 28, 2003, the Company was advised that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for
the District of Utah had begun an investigation stemming from the complaint
in
the SEC action described above. No pleadings have been filed to date and the
Company intends on cooperating fully with the U.S. Attorney’s Office should any
developments occur in the future.
The
Whistleblower Action.
On
February 11, 2003, the Company’s former Vice President of Sales filed a
whistleblower claim with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(“OSHA”) under the employee protection provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
alleging that the Company had wrongfully terminated his employment for reporting
the Company’s alleged improper revenue recognition practices to the SEC in
December 2002, which precipitated the SEC action against the Company. In
February 2004, OSHA issued a preliminary order in favor of the former officer,
ordering that he be reinstated with back pay, lost benefits, and attorney’s
fees. The former officer had also filed a separate lawsuit against the Company
in the United States District Court for the District of Utah, Central Division,
alleging various employment discrimination claims. In May 2004, the
Administrative Law Judge approved a settlement agreement with the former officer
pursuant to which he released the Company from all claims asserted by him in
the
OSHA proceeding and the federal court action in exchange for a cash payment
by
the Company. The settlement did not have a material impact on the Company's
results of operations or financial condition.
The
Shareholders’ Class Action.
On
June 30, 2003, a consolidated complaint was filed against the Company,
eight present or former officers and directors of the Company, and Ernst &
Young LLP (“Ernst & Young”), the Company’s former independent public
accountants, by a class consisting of purchasers of the Company’s common stock
during the period from April 17, 2001 through January 15, 2003. The action
followed the consolidation of several previously filed class action complaints
and the appointment of lead counsel for the class. The allegations in the
complaint were essentially the same as those contained in the SEC complaint
described above. On December 4, 2003, the Company, on behalf of itself and
all
other defendants with the exception of Ernst & Young, entered into a
settlement agreement with the class pursuant to which the Company agreed to
pay
the class $5,000 and to issue the class 1.2 million shares of its common stock.
The cash payment was made in two equal installments, the first on November
10,
2003 and the second on January 14, 2005. On May 23, 2005, the court order was
amended to require the Company to pay cash in lieu of stock to those members
of
the class who would otherwise have been entitled to receive fewer than 100
shares of stock. On September 29, 2005, the Company completed its obligations
under the settlement agreement by issuing a total of 1,148,494 shares of the
Company’s common stock to the plaintiff class, including 228,000 shares
previously issued in November 2004, and the Company paid an aggregate of $127
in
cash in lieu of shares to those members of the class who would otherwise have
been entitled to receive an odd-lot number of shares or who resided in states
in
which there was no exemption available for the issuance of shares. The cash
payments were calculated on the basis of $2.46 per share which was equal to
the
higher of (i) the closing price for the Company’s common stock as reported by
the Pink Sheets on the business day prior to the date the shares were mailed,
or
(ii) the average closing price over the five trading days prior to such mailing
date.
On
a
quarterly basis, the Company revalued the un-issued shares to the closing price
of the stock on the later of the date the shares were mailed or the last day
of
the quarter. During fiscal 2006 and 2005, the Company received a benefit of
approximately $1,205 and $2,046, respectively, while during fiscal 2004 the
Company incurred an expense of approximately $4,080 related to the revaluation
of the 1.2 million shares of the Company’s common stock that were issued in
November 2004 and September 2005.
The
Shareholder Derivative Actions.
Between
March and August 2003, four shareholder derivative actions were filed by
certain shareholders of the Company against various present and past officers
and directors of the Company and against Ernst & Young. The complaints
asserted allegations similar to those asserted in the SEC complaint and
shareholders’ class action described above and also alleged that the defendant
directors and officers violated their fiduciary duties to the Company by causing
or allowing the Company to recognize revenue in violation of GAAP and to issue
materially misstated financial statements and that Ernst & Young breached
its professional responsibilities to the Company and acted in violation of
GAAP
by failing to identify or prevent the alleged revenue recognition violations
and
by issuing unqualified audit opinions with respect to the Company’s fiscal 2002
and 2001 financial statements. One of these actions was dismissed without
prejudice on June 13, 2003. As to the other three actions, the Company’s
Board of Directors appointed a special litigation committee of independent
directors to evaluate the claims. That committee determined that the maintenance
of the derivative proceedings against the individual defendants was not in
the
best interest of the Company. Accordingly, on December 12, 2003, the Company
moved to dismiss those claims. In March 2004, the Company’s motions were
granted, and the derivative claims were dismissed with prejudice as to all
defendants except Ernst & Young. The Company was substituted as the
plaintiff in the action and is now pursuing in its own name the claims against
Ernst & Young.
F-26
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Employment
Separation Agreements.
On
December 5, 2003, the Company entered into employment separation agreements
with
Frances Flood, the Company’s former Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and
President, and Susie Strohm, the Company’s former Chief Financial Officer, which
generally provided that these individuals would resign from their positions
and
employment with the Company, and the Company would make one-time, lump-sum
payments in consideration of their surrender and delivery to the Company of
shares of the Company’s common stock and Company stock options and their release
of claims against the Company. Ms. Flood and Ms. Strohm also agreed to cooperate
with the Company in the SEC action and related proceedings and the Company
agreed to continue to indemnify such persons for attorneys fees incurred in
the
SEC action and related proceedings, subject to the limitations imposed by Utah
law. The Company also released any existing claims against such persons except
such claims as to which indemnification would not be permitted by Utah law.
The
agreement with Ms. Flood provided for a payment to her of $350 and her surrender
and delivery to the Company of 35,000 shares of the Company’s common stock and
706,434 stock options (461,433 of which were vested). The agreement with Ms.
Strohm provided for a payment to her of $75 and her surrender and delivery
to
the Company of 15,500 shares of the Company’s common stock and 268,464 stock
options (171,963 of which were vested) (see Note 14).
Indemnification
of Officers and Directors.
The
Company’s by-laws and the Utah Revised Business Corporation Act provide for
indemnification of directors and officers against reasonable expenses incurred
by such persons in connection with civil or criminal actions or proceedings
to
which they have been made parties because they are or were directors or officers
of the Company or its subsidiaries. Indemnification is permitted if the person
satisfies the required standards of conduct. The litigation matters described
above involved certain of the Company’s current and former directors and
officers, all of whom are covered by the aforementioned indemnity and if
applicable, certain prior period insurance policies. The Company has indemnified
such persons for legal expenses incurred by them in such actions and, as
discussed below, has sought reimbursement from its insurance carriers. However,
as also discussed below, the Company cannot predict with certainty the extent
to
which the Company will recover the indemnification payments from its insurers.
The
Insurance Coverage Action. On
February 9, 2004, the Company and Edward Dallin Bagley, the Chairman of the
Board of Directors and a significant shareholder of the Company, jointly filed
an action against National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania (“National Union”) and Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company of
Berkeley Heights, New Jersey (“Lumbermens Mutual”), the carriers of certain
prior period directors and officers’ liability insurance policies, to recover
the costs of defending and resolving claims against certain of the Company’s
present and former directors and officers in connection with the SEC complaint,
the shareholders’ class action, and the shareholder derivative actions described
above, and seeking other damages resulting from the refusal of such carriers
to
timely pay the amounts owing under such liability insurance policies. This
action has been consolidated into a declaratory relief action filed by one
of
the insurance carriers on February 6, 2004 against the Company and certain
of
its current and former directors. In this action, the insurers assert that
they
are entitled to rescind insurance coverage under our directors and officers
liability insurance policies, $3,000 of which was provided by National Union
and
$2,000 of which was provided by Lumbermens Mutual, based on alleged
misstatements in the Company’s insurance applications. In February 2005, the
Company entered into a confidential settlement agreement with Lumbermens Mutual
pursuant to which the Company and Mr. Bagley received a lump-sum cash amount
and
the plaintiffs agreed to dismiss their claims against Lumbermens Mutual with
prejudice. The cash settlement is held in a segregated account until the claims
involving National Union have been resolved, at which time the amounts received
in the action will be allocated between the Company and Mr. Bagley. The amount
distributed to the Company and Mr. Bagley will be determined based on future
negotiations between the Company and Mr. Bagley. The Company cannot currently
estimate the amount of the settlement which it will ultimately receive. Upon
determining the amount of the settlement which the Company will ultimately
receive, the Company will record this as a contingent gain. None of the cash
held in the segregated account is recorded as an asset at June 30, 2006. On
October 21, 2005, the court granted summary judgment in favor of National Union
on its rescission defense and accordingly entered a judgment dismissing all
of
the claims asserted by the Company and Mr. Bagley. In connection with the
summary judgment, the Company has been ordered to pay approximately $59 in
expenses. However, due to the Lumbermans Mutual cash proceeds discussed above
and the appeal to the summary judgment discussed below, this potential liability
has not been recorded in the balance sheet as of June 30, 2006. On February
2,
2006, the Company and Mr. Bagley filed an appeal to the summary judgment granted
on October 21, 2005 and intend to vigorously pursue the appeal and any follow-up
proceedings regarding their claims against National Union, although no
assurances can be given that they will be successful. The Company and Mr. Bagley
have entered into a Joint Prosecution and Defense Agreement in connection with
the action and the Company is paying all litigation expenses except litigation
expenses which are solely related to Mr. Bagley’s claims in the litigation. The
Company has recognized and continues to recognize the expenses incurred related
to this action at the dates incurred.
F-27
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
The
Pacific Technology & Telecommunications Collection Action.
On
August 12, 2003, the Company initiated a commercial arbitration proceeding
against Pacific Technology & Telecommunications (“PT&T”), a former
distributor, seeking to collect approximately $1,754 that PT&T owed the
Company for inventory it purchased and received but did not pay for. PT&T
denied the Company’s claim and asserted counterclaims. Subsequently, on
April 20, 2004, PT&T filed for protection under Chapter 7 of the United
States Bankruptcy Code, which had the effect of staying the proceeding.
Following PT&T’s bankruptcy filing, the Company successfully negotiated a
settlement with the bankruptcy trustee. Under the settlement, which has been
approved by the bankruptcy court, the Company paid $25 and obtained the right
to
recover all unsold Company inventory held by PT&T and the right to pursue on
the basis of an assignment any claims that PT&T may have against any of its
own officers or directors, subject, however, to a maximum recovery of $800.
The
Company is currently in the process of investigating whether any such claims
exist and, if so, whether it would be in the Company’s best interest to pursue
them given the anticipated legal expenses and the uncertainties of being able
to
collect any resulting favorable judgment. The settlement also resulted in the
release and dismissal with prejudice of all of PT&T’s claims against the
Company. To date, the Company has not recovered any inventory held by PT&T.
11. |
Shareholders’
Equity
|
Private
Placement
On
December 11, 2001, the Company closed a private placement of 1,500,000 shares
of
common stock. Gross proceeds from the private placement were $25,500, before
costs and expenses associated with this transaction, which totaled $1,665.
In
connection with this private placement, the Company issued warrants to purchase
150,000 shares of its common stock at $17.00 per share to its financial advisor.
Such warrants vested immediately and were valued at $1,556 using the
Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions: expected
dividend yield of 0 percent, risk-free interest rate of 4.4 percent, expected
price volatility of 68.0 percent, and contractual life of five years. The
warrants expire on November 27, 2006. All warrants were outstanding as of June
30, 2006.
Stock
Repurchase Program
During
October 2002, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a stock repurchase
program to purchase up to 1,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock over
the following 12 months on the open market or in private transactions. During
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2003, the Company repurchased 125,000 shares
on
the open market for $430. All repurchased shares were immediately retired.
The
stock repurchase program expired in October 2003 and no additional shares were
repurchased.
Stock
Buy-Back Program
During
August 2006, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a stock buy-back program
to purchase up $2,000 of the Company’s common stock over the next 12 months on
the open market. All repurchased shares will be immediately retired. The stock
buy-back program will expire in August 2007.
12. |
Share-Based
Payment
|
The
Company’s share-based compensation primarily consists of the following
plans:
On
June
30, 2006, the Company had two share-based compensation plans, one which expired
on December 15, 2005, and one which remained active, which are described below.
The compensation cost that has been charged against income for those plans
was
$1.1 million for fiscal 2006. The total income tax benefit recognized in the
income statement for share-based compensation arrangements was $264,000 for
fiscal 2006.
F-28
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
The
Company’s 1990 Incentive Plan (the “1990 Plan”) had shares of common stock
available for issuance to employees and directors. Provisions of the 1990 Plan
included the granting of stock options. Generally, stock options vested over
a
five-year period at 10 percent, 15 percent, 20 percent, 25 percent, and 30
percent per year. Certain other stock options vested in full after eight years.
During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006, the 30,750 options outstanding
under
the 1990 Plan as of June 30, 2005 expired and were canceled. As of June 30,
2006, there were no options outstanding under the 1990 Plan and no additional
options were available for grant under such plan.
The
Company also has a 1998 Stock Option Plan (the “1998 Plan”). Provisions of the
1998 Plan include the granting of 2,500,000 incentive and non-qualified stock
options. Options may be granted to directors, officers, and key employees and
may be granted upon such terms as the Board of Directors, in their sole
discretion, determine. Through December 1999, 1,066,000 options were granted
that would cliff vest after 9.8 years; however, such vesting was accelerated
for
637,089 of these options upon meeting certain earnings per share goals through
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2003. Subsequent to December 1999 and through
June 2002, 1,248,250 options were granted that would cliff vest after 6.0 years;
however, such vesting was accelerated for 300,494 of these options upon meeting
certain earnings per share goals through the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005.
As
of June 30, 2006, 53,600 options of the 1,066,000 options that cliff vest after
9.8 years remain outstanding. As of June 30, 2006, 202,060 options of the
1,248,250 options that cliff vest after 6.0 years remain
outstanding.
Of
the
options granted subsequent to June 2002, all vesting schedules are based on
3 or
4-year vesting schedules, with either one-third or one-fourth vesting on the
first anniversary and the remaining options vesting ratably over the remainder
of the vesting term. Generally, directors and officers have 3-year vesting
schedules and all other employees have 4-year vesting schedules. Additionally,
in the event of a change in control or the occurrence of a corporate transaction
all directors and officers’ unvested options shall vest and become exercisable
immediately prior to the event or closing of the transaction. All options
outstanding as of June 30, 2006 had contractual lives of ten years. Under the
1998 Plan, 2,500,000 shares were authorized for grant. The 1998 Plan expires
June 10, 2008, or when all the shares available under the plan have been issued
if this occurs earlier. As of June 30, 2006, there were 1,237,920 options
outstanding under the 1998 Plan, which includes the cliff vesting and 3 or
4-year vesting options discussed above, and 959,956 options available for grant
in the future.
In
addition to the two stock option plans, the Company has an Employee Stock
Purchase Plan (“ESPP”). Employees can purchase common stock through payroll
deductions of up to 10 percent of their base pay. Amounts deducted and
accumulated by the employees are used to purchase shares of common stock on
the
last day of each month. The Company contributes to the account of the employee
one share of common stock for every nine shares purchased by the employee under
the ESPP. The program was suspended during fiscal 2003 due to the Company’s
failure to remain current in its filing of periodic reports with the
SEC.
Prior
to
July 1, 2005, the Company accounted for compensation expense associated with
its
stock options under the intrinsic value method in Accounting Principles Board
(“APB”) Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees.” Accordingly,
no compensation cost has been recognized for the Company’s unmodified stock
options in its consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended
June
30, 2005 or 2004.
Effective
July 1, 2005, the Company adopted SFAS No. 123R, “Share-Based Payment.” The
Company adopted the fair value recognition provisions of SFAS No. 123R using
the
modified prospective transition method. Under this transition method,
stock-based compensation cost recognized beginning July 1, 2005 includes the
straight-line compensation cost for (a) all share-based payments granted prior
to July 1, 2005, but not yet vested, based on the grant date fair values used
in
the pro-forma disclosures under the original SFAS No. 123 and (b) all
share-based payments granted on or after July 1, 2005, in accordance with the
provisions of SFAS No. 123R.
The
Company uses judgment in determining the fair value of the share-based payments
on the date of grant using an option-pricing model with assumptions regarding
a
number of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables include,
but
are not limited to, the risk-free interest rate of the awards, the expected
life
of the awards, the expected volatility over the term of the awards, the expected
dividends of the awards, and an estimate of the amount of awards that are
expected to be forfeited. The Company used the Black-Scholes option pricing
model to determine the fair value of share-based payments granted under SFAS
No.
123R and the original SFAS No. 123.
F-29
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
In
applying the Black-Scholes methodology to the options granted during the fiscal
years ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, the Company used the following
assumptions:
Fiscal
Year Ended
|
|||
June
30,
|
June
30,
|
June
30,
|
|
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
|
Risk-free
interest rate, average
|
4.4%
|
4.0%
|
3.2%
|
Expected
option life, average
|
5.9
years
|
5.8
years
|
5.2
years
|
Expected
price volatility, average
|
87.2%
|
91.8%
|
91.2%
|
Expected
dividend yield
|
0.0%
|
0.0%
|
0.0%
|
Expected
annual forfeiture rate
|
10.0%
|
0.0%
|
0.0%
|
The
risk-free interest rate is determined using the U.S. Treasury rate in effect
as
of the date of the grant, based on the expected life of the stock option. The
expected life of the stock option is determined using historical data. The
expected price volatility is determined using a weighted average of daily
historical volatility of the Company’s stock price over the corresponding
expected option life. The Company does not currently intend to distribute any
dividend payments to shareholders. Under SFAS No. 123R, the Company recognizes
compensation cost net of an expected forfeiture rate and recognized the
associated compensation cost for only those awards expected to vest on a
straight-line basis over the underlying requisite service period. The Company
estimated the forfeiture rates based on its historical experience and
expectations about future forfeitures. The Company determined the annual
forfeiture rate for options that will cliff vest after 9.8 or 6.0 years to
be
38.0 percent and the annual forfeiture rate for options that vest on 3 or 4-year
vesting schedules to be 10.0 percent.
During
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006, the adoption of SFAS No. 123R resulted
in
incremental, pre-tax, stock-based compensation cost of $1.1 million. For the
fiscal year ended June 30, 2006, the Company expensed $49 in cost of goods
sold,
$99 in marketing and selling, $203 in research and product development expense,
$756 in general and administrative, and $34 in other income (expense) related
to
the transition to SFAS No. 123R. The stock-based compensation cost associated
with adoption of SFAS No. 123R increased net operating loss for the fiscal
year
ended June 30, 2006 by $1,107, decreased net income by $877, and reduced basic
and diluted earnings per share by $0.07 per share. The total income tax
provision (benefit) related to share-based compensation for the fiscal year
ended June 30, 2006 was ($264) and is shown as a cash flow from operating
activities in our cash flow statement.
Year
Ended June 30, 2006
|
|||||||
(in
thousands)
|
|||||||
SFAS
|
|||||||
No.
123R
|
|||||||
Compensation
|
|||||||
As
Reported
|
Expense
|
||||||
Revenue
|
$
|
37,632
|
$
|
-
|
|||
Cost
of goods sold
|
19,284
|
(49
|
)
|
||||
Gross
profit
|
18,348
|
49
|
|||||
Operating
expenses:
|
|||||||
Marketing
and selling
|
7,866
|
(99
|
)
|
||||
Research
and product development
|
8,299
|
(203
|
)
|
||||
General
and administrative
|
5,108
|
(756
|
)
|
||||
Settlement
in shareholders' class action
|
(1,205
|
)
|
-
|
||||
Total
operating expenses
|
20,068
|
(1,058
|
)
|
||||
Operating
loss
|
(1,720
|
)
|
1,107
|
||||
Other
income, net
|
1,016
|
34
|
|||||
Loss
from continuing operations before income taxes
|
(704
|
)
|
1,141
|
||||
Benefit
for income taxes
|
870
|
(264
|
)
|
||||
Income
from continuing operations
|
166
|
877
|
|||||
Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax
|
1,930
|
-
|
|||||
Net
income
|
$
|
2,096
|
$
|
877
|
|||
Basic
earnings (loss) per common share:
|
|||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$
|
0.02
|
$
|
0.07
|
|||
Discontinued
operations
|
0.16
|
-
|
|||||
Net
income
|
0.18
|
0.07
|
|||||
Diluted
earnings (loss) per common share:
|
|||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$
|
0.01
|
$
|
0.07
|
|||
Discontinued
operations
|
0.16
|
-
|
|||||
Net
income
|
0.17
|
0.07
|
F-30
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
The
following table shows the stock option activity for the fiscal year ended June
30, 2006.
Stock
Options
|
Number
of Shares
|
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
|
Weighted
Remaining Contractual Term (years)
|
Aggregate
Intrinsic Value
|
|||||||||
Outstanding
at June 30, 2003
|
1,972,756
|
$
|
6.12
|
||||||||||
Granted
|
1,118,250
|
4.37
|
|||||||||||
Expired
and canceled
|
(813,137
|
)
|
3.47
|
||||||||||
Forfeited
prior to vesting
|
(844,682
|
)
|
5.93
|
||||||||||
Exercised
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||||
Outstanding
at June 30, 2004
|
1,433,187
|
6.37
|
|||||||||||
Granted
|
450,500
|
4.77
|
|||||||||||
Expired
and canceled
|
(87,600
|
)
|
2.71
|
||||||||||
Forfeited
prior to vesting
|
(302,975
|
)
|
5.88
|
||||||||||
Exercised
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||||
Outstanding
at June 30, 2005
|
1,493,112
|
6.21
|
|||||||||||
Granted
|
29,000
|
2.63
|
|||||||||||
Expired
and canceled
|
(118,353
|
)
|
3.55
|
||||||||||
Forfeited
prior to vesting
|
(165,839
|
)
|
8.11
|
||||||||||
Exercised
|
-
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
|||||||||
Outstanding
at June 30, 2006
|
1,237,920
|
$
|
6.12
|
5.8
years
|
$
|
135
|
|||||||
Exercisable
|
917,696
|
$ |
6.18
|
5.2
years
|
$
|
90
|
The
following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding as of
June 30, 2006:
Options
Outstanding
|
Options
Exercisable
|
|||||||||||||||
Exercise
Price Range
|
Number
of Shares
|
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
|
Weighted
Average Contractual Term (Years)
|
Options
Exercisable
|
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
|
|||||||||||
$0.00
to $4.00
|
592,839
|
$
|
3.38
|
6.2
years
|
461,116
|
$
|
3.39
|
|||||||||
$4.01
to $8.00
|
395,744
|
5.80
|
7.0
years
|
273,379
|
5.87
|
|||||||||||
$8.01
to $12.00
|
89,941
|
11.13
|
3.8
years
|
38,004
|
10.89
|
|||||||||||
$12.01
to $16.00
|
156,961
|
14.23
|
2.2
years
|
143,354
|
14.33
|
|||||||||||
$16.01
to $20.00
|
2,435
|
17.66
|
1.9
years
|
1,843
|
17.60
|
|||||||||||
Total
|
1,237,920
|
$
|
6.12
|
5.8
years
|
917,696
|
$
|
6.18
|
F-31
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
The
following table summarized information about non-vesting stock options
outstanding as of June 30, 2006:
Non-vested
Shares
|
Number
of Shares
|
Weighted
Average Grant Date Fair Value
|
|||||
Non-vested
at June 30, 2005
|
802,400
|
$
|
4.73
|
||||
Granted
|
29,000
|
1.96
|
|||||
Vested
|
(345,337
|
)
|
4.23
|
||||
Forfeited
prior to vesting
|
(165,839
|
)
|
5.93
|
||||
Non-vested
at June 30, 2006
|
320,224
|
$
|
4.39
|
No
stock
options were exercised during fiscal 2006, 2005, and 2004 and accordingly,
the
total intrinsic value of stock options exercised was $0.
As
of
June 30, 2006, the total compensation cost related to unvested stock options
not
yet recognized and before the affect of any forfeitures was $973,000, which
is
expected to be recognized over the next 3.9 years on a straight-line
basis.
The
total fair value of shares vested during the years ended June 30, 2006, was
$1.5
million.
The
weighted-average estimated grant date fair value of the stock options granted
during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004 was $1.96, $3.63,
and
$3.29 per share, respectively.
Due
to
the Company’s failure to remain current in its filing of periodic reports with
the SEC during fiscal 2004, 2005, and most of 2006, employees, executive
officers, and directors were not allowed to exercise options under the 1998
Plan. Since December 2003, individual grants that had been affected by this
situation were modified to extend the exercise period of the option through
the
date the Company became current in its filings with the SEC and options again
become exercisable. Since July 1, 2003, modifications of stock option grants
include (i) the extension of the post-service exercise period of vested options
held by persons who have ceased to remain employed by the Company; (ii) the
extension of the option exercise period for maturing options that were fully
vested and unexercised; (iii) the acceleration of vesting schedule for certain
key employees whose employment terminated due to the sale of the conferencing
services business to Premiere; and (iv) the acceleration of vesting schedule
for
one former officer at termination. For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2006,
2005, and 2004, the Company modified stock options related to 8, 32, and 20
employees, respectively. Compensation cost is recognized immediately for options
that are fully vested on the date of modification. During the fiscal years
ended
June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, the Company expensed $16, $41, and $200,
respectively, in compensation cost associated with these modifications. The
$16
of costs associated with modifications in fiscal 2006 are included in the $1,141
of SFAS No. 123R compensation expense disclosed above for the fiscal year ended
June 30, 2006.
13. |
Significant
Customers
|
During
the fiscal years ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, revenues in the Company’s
product segment included sales to three different distributors that represented
more than 10 percent each. The following table summarizes the percentage of
total revenue for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and
2004:
Product
Segment Revenues
|
|||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
|
Customer
A
|
24.6%
|
28.0%
|
27.4%
|
Customer
B
|
16.6%
|
19.2%
|
18.3%
|
Customer
C
|
15.0%
|
16.0%
|
18.6%
|
Total
|
56.2%
|
63.2%
|
64.3%
|
F-32
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
The
following table summarizes the percentage of total gross accounts receivable
for
the fiscal years ended June 30, 2006 and 2005:
Gross
Accounts Receivable
|
||
2006
|
2005
|
|
Customer
A
|
19.4%
|
29.4%
|
Customer
B
|
16.1%
|
18.7%
|
Customer
C
|
11.9%
|
13.9%
|
Total
|
47.4%
|
62.0%
|
These
distributors facilitate product sales to a large number of end-users, none
of
which is known to account for more than 10 percent of the Company’s revenue from
product sales. Nevertheless, the loss of one or more distributors could reduce
revenues and have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business and
results of operations.
14. |
Severance
Charges
|
During
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2004, the Company recorded a total of $182 in
severance associated with settlement agreements and releases with three former
executive officers in connection with the cessation of their employment. Such
costs were included in operating expenses during the year ended June 30, 2004.
The Company paid these amounts during the years ended June 30, 2004 and 2005.
Additionally and in connection with the employment separation agreements between
the Company and Ms. Flood and the Company and Ms. Strohm, the Company recorded
compensation expense of $306 and $56, respectively (see Note 10).
During
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005, the Company recorded a total of $100 in
severance associated with the severance agreement with one of the Company’s
former Vice-Presidents, on July 15, 2004 and a total of $175 in severance
associated with the closing of the Germany office. Such costs were included
in
operating expenses during the year ended June 30, 2005.
During
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006, the Company entered into a settlement
agreement and release with its former Vice-President - Human Resources in
connection with the cessation of her employment, which generally provided for
her resignation from her position and employment with the Company, the payment
of severance, and a general release of claims against the Company by her. On
February 20, 2006, an agreement was entered into which generally provided for
a
severance payment of $93 and her surrender and delivery to the Company of
145,000 stock options (86,853 of which were vested).
15. |
Retirement
Savings and Profit Sharing Plan
|
The
Company has a 401(k) retirement savings and profit sharing plan to which it
makes discretionary matching contributions, as authorized by the Board of
Directors. All full-time employees who are at least 21 years of age and have
a
minimum of sixty days of service with the Company are eligible to participate
in
the plan. Matching contributions are 20 percent up to 6 percent of the
employee’s earnings, paid bi-weekly. The Company’s retirement plan contribution
expense for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004 totaled $61,
$53, and $30, respectively.
F-33
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
16. |
Income
Taxes
|
Loss
from
continuing operations before income taxes consisted of the
following:
Years
Ended June 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
U.S.
|
$
|
(752
|
)
|
$
|
(1,148
|
)
|
$
|
(12,438
|
)
|
|
Non-U.S.
|
48
|
52
|
183
|
|||||||
$
|
(704
|
)
|
$
|
(1,096
|
)
|
$
|
(12,255
|
)
|
The
benefit (provision) for income taxes on income from continuing operations
consisted of the following:
Years
Ended June 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
Current:
|
||||||||||
U.S.
Federal
|
$
|
770
|
$
|
2,845
|
$
|
3,698
|
||||
U.S.
State
|
102
|
423
|
163
|
|||||||
Non-U.S.
|
(2
|
)
|
(20
|
)
|
(46
|
)
|
||||
Total
current
|
$
|
870
|
$
|
3,248
|
$
|
3,815
|
||||
Deferred:
|
||||||||||
U.S.
Federal
|
(619
|
)
|
(2,236
|
)
|
666
|
|||||
U.S.
State
|
73
|
(337
|
)
|
440
|
||||||
Non-U.S.
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||
Change
in deferred before valuation allowance
|
(546
|
)
|
(2,573
|
)
|
1,106
|
|||||
Decrease
(increase) in valuation allowance
|
546
|
2,573
|
(4,185
|
)
|
||||||
Total
deferred
|
-
|
-
|
(3,079
|
)
|
||||||
Benefit
for income taxes
|
$
|
870
|
$
|
3,248
|
$
|
736
|
F-34
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
The
following table presents the principal reasons for the difference between the
actual effective income tax rate and the expected U.S. federal statutory income
tax rate of 34.0 percent on income from continuing operations:
Years
Ended June 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
U.S.
federal statutory income tax rate at 34.0 percent
|
$
|
240
|
$
|
373
|
$
|
4,167
|
||||
State
income tax (provision) benefit, net of federal income
|
||||||||||
tax
effect
|
67
|
(3
|
)
|
75
|
||||||
Research
and development credit
|
72
|
188
|
108
|
|||||||
Foreign
earnings or losses taxed at different rates
|
14
|
(3
|
)
|
(10
|
)
|
|||||
Non-deductible
SFAS No. 123R compensation expense
|
(143
|
)
|
-
|
-
|
||||||
Change
in valuation allowance
|
546
|
2,573
|
(4,185
|
)
|
||||||
Valuation
allowance change attributable to state tax impact
|
||||||||||
and
other
|
(105
|
)
|
-
|
436
|
||||||
Non-deductible
items and other
|
179
|
120
|
145
|
|||||||
Benefit
for income taxes
|
$
|
870
|
$
|
3,248
|
$
|
736
|
Deferred
income taxes are determined based on the differences between the financial
reporting and income tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted income
tax rates expected to apply when the differences are expected to be settled
or
realized. As of June 30, 2006 and 2005, significant components of the net U.S.
deferred income tax assets and liabilities were as follows:
As
of June 30,
|
|||||||
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
Deferred
income tax assets:
|
|||||||
Deferred
revenue
|
$
|
1,191
|
$
|
1,086
|
|||
Basis
difference in intangible assets
|
885
|
922
|
|||||
Inventory
reserve
|
873
|
757
|
|||||
Net
operating loss carryforwards
|
799
|
786
|
|||||
Accumulated
research and development credits
|
591
|
333
|
|||||
Alternative
minimum tax credits
|
409
|
355
|
|||||
Accrued
liabilities
|
321
|
1,649
|
|||||
Deductible
SFAS No. 123R compensation expense
|
268
|
-
|
|||||
Allowance
for sales returns and doubtful accounts
|
19
|
18
|
|||||
Installment
sale of discontinued operations
|
-
|
172
|
|||||
Other
|
281
|
266
|
|||||
Subtotal
|
5,637
|
6,344
|
|||||
Valuation
allowance
|
(5,369
|
)
|
(5,909
|
)
|
|||
Deferred
income tax assets
|
268
|
435
|
|||||
Deferred
income tax liabilities:
|
|||||||
Difference
in property and equipment basis
|
(268
|
)
|
(435
|
)
|
|||
Deferred
income tax liabilities
|
(268
|
)
|
(435
|
)
|
|||
Net
deferred income tax assets
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
F-35
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Deferred
income tax assets and liabilities were netted by income tax jurisdiction and
were reported in the consolidated balance sheets as of June 30, 2006 and 2005,
as follows:
As
of June 30,
|
|||||||
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
Current
deferred income tax assets
|
$
|
128
|
$
|
270
|
|||
Long-term
deferred income tax assets
|
-
|
-
|
|||||
Current
deferred income tax liabilities
|
-
|
-
|
|||||
Long-term
deferred income tax liabilities
|
(128
|
)
|
(270
|
)
|
|||
Net
deferred income tax assets
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
The
Company has not provided for U.S. deferred income taxes or foreign withholding
taxes on the undistributed earnings of its non-U.S. subsidiaries since these
earnings are intended to be reinvested indefinitely and therefore, the foreign
currency translation adjustment included in other comprehensive income has
not
been tax effected. It is not practical to estimate the amount of additional
taxes that might be payable on such undistributed earnings. Total undistributed
earnings from foreign subsidiaries were $427, $367, and $559 for the fiscal
years ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, respectively.
As
of
June 30, 2006, the Company had research credit and alternative minimum tax
credit carryforwards for U.S. federal income tax reporting purposes of $269,
and
$409, respectively, which will begin to expire in 2025. As of June 30, 2006,
the
Company also had state net operating loss (“NOL”) and research and development
tax credit carryforwards of approximately $15,981 and $323, respectively, which
expire depending on the rules of the various states to which the carryovers
relate. The Company also has a NOL carryforward in its Irish subsidiary.
However, the Company is in the process of closing its Irish subsidiary and
does
not anticipate ever being able to use these losses and has not separately
reported these amounts.
The
Internal Revenue Code contains provisions that reduce or limit the availability
and utilization of NOL and credit carryforwards if certain changes in ownership
have taken place. The Company has not determined if it has undergone an
ownership change under these provisions. If the Company has undergone an
ownership change under these rules, the Company’s ability to utilize its NOLs
and credit carryovers may be limited. However, as a result of an ownership
change associated with the acquisition of E.mergent, utilization of E.mergent’s
NOL and research and development credit carryfowards arising prior to the
ownership change date were limited to an amount not to exceed the value of
E.mergent on the ownership change date multiplied by the federal long-term
tax-exempt rate. If the annual limitation of $1,088 is not utilized in any
particular year, it will remain available on a cumulative basis through the
expiration date of the applicable NOL and credit carryforwards. During the
year
ended June 30, 2005, the Company was able to utilize E.mergent’s federal NOL and
research and development credit carryforwards.
SFAS
No.
109, “Accounting
for Income Taxes,”
requires
that a valuation allowance be established when it is more likely than not that
all or a portion of a deferred tax asset will not be realized.
Valuation allowances were recorded in fiscal 2006, 2005, and 2004 due to the
uncertainty of realization of the assets based upon a number of factors,
including lack of profitability from continuing operations in recent years.
For
the years ended June 30, 2006 and 2005, the Company has recorded a valuation
allowance against all of its net deferred tax assets. A full valuation allowance
was recorded based on the Company’s lack of cumulative profitability from
continuing operations in recent years. The Company believes it is more likely
than not that all of the net deferred tax assets will not be realized.
The
net
change in the Company’s domestic valuation allowance was a decrease of $540 and
$3,598 for the years ended June 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively, and an increase
of $4,255 the year ended June 30, 2004.
F-36
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
17. |
Related-Party
Transactions
|
Edward
Dallin Bagley, Chairman of the Board of Directors and significant shareholder
of
the Company, served as a consultant to the Company from November 2002 through
January 2004 and was paid $5 per month for his services. He consulted with
Company’s management on mergers and financial matters on an as needed basis. Mr.
Bagley’s services were performed pursuant to an oral agreement, the terms of
which were approved by the Board of Directors.
The
Company and Mr. Bagley jointly filed an action against National Union and
Lumbermens Mutual. For additional discussion see Note 10 under The
Insurance Coverage Action.
At
June
30, 2004, the Company had an intercompany loan due from OM Video in the amount
of $200. The loan was provided as working capital. The balance due was paid
during fiscal 2005.
18. |
Segment
and Geographic Information
|
During
the fiscal years ended June 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, the Company included
in
continuing operations two operating segments - products and business services.
The Company’s Chief Executive Officer and senior management rely on internal
management reports that provide financial and operational information by
operating segment. The Company’s management makes financial decisions and
allocates resources based on the information it received from these internal
management reports. The business services segment was established in fiscal
2002
as a result of the acquisition of E.mergent in late fiscal 2002 and included
certain operations of E.mergent, the operations of OM Video, and one software
license agreement associated with the broadcast telephone interface product
line. During fiscal 2004, the Company sold its business services-related
E.mergent operations. During fiscal 2005, the Company sold its Canadian business
services-related OM Video operations and accordingly these operations have
been
omitted from these disclosures (see Note 3). Because of the changes in the
Company’s operations and the information being provided to the Company’s Chief
Executive Officer, the segment disclosures for fiscal 2005 and 2004 have
been reclassified to incorporate these changes.
The
Company’s segments are strategic business units that offer products and services
to satisfy different customer needs. They are managed separately because each
segment requires focus and attention on its market and distribution channel.
The
products segment includes products for audio conferencing products, video
conferencing ancillary products, and sound reinforcement products. The business
services segment included one software license agreement with Comrex associated
with the broadcast telephone interface product line, a perpetual software
license to use the Company’s technology, along with one free year of maintenance
and support.
The
accounting policies of the reportable segments are the same as those described
in the summary of significant accounting policies. For operating segments,
segment profit (loss) is measured based on income from continuing operations
before provision (benefit) for income taxes. Other income (expense), net is
unallocated.
The
United States was the only country to contribute more than 10 percent of total
revenues in each fiscal year. The Company’s revenues are substantially
denominated in U.S. dollars and are summarized geographically as follows (in
thousands):
Years
Ended June 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
United
States
|
$
|
26,911
|
$
|
23,464
|
$
|
21,654
|
||||
All
other countries
|
10,721
|
8,181
|
6,312
|
|||||||
Total
|
$
|
37,632
|
$
|
31,645
|
$
|
27,966
|
The
Company’s long-lived assets, net of accumulated depreciation, located outside of
the United States are $0, $0, and $33, for the fiscal years ended June 30,
2006,
2005, and 2004, respectively.
F-37
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
The
following tables summarize the Company’s segment information:
Product
|
Business
Services
|
Total
|
||||||||
2006:
|
||||||||||
Revenue
|
$
|
37,632
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
37,632
|
||||
Gross
profit
|
18,348
|
-
|
18,348
|
|||||||
2005:
|
||||||||||
Revenue
|
$
|
31,645
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
31,645
|
||||
Gross
profit
|
16,694
|
-
|
16,694
|
|||||||
2004:
|
||||||||||
Revenue
|
$
|
27,836
|
$
|
130
|
$
|
27,966
|
||||
Gross
profit
|
11,457
|
130
|
11,587
|
The
reconciliation of segment information to the Company’s consolidated totals is as
follows (in thousands):
Year
Ended June 30, 2006
|
||||||||||
Product
|
Corporate
|
Total
|
||||||||
Gross
profit
|
$
|
18,348
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
18,348
|
||||
Marketing
and selling expense
|
(7,866
|
)
|
-
|
(7,866
|
)
|
|||||
Research
and product development expense
|
(8,299
|
)
|
-
|
(8,299
|
)
|
|||||
General
and administrative expense
|
-
|
(5,108
|
)
|
(5,108
|
)
|
|||||
Settlement
in shareholders' class action
|
-
|
1,205
|
1,205
|
|||||||
Interest
income
|
-
|
813
|
813
|
|||||||
Other
income (expense), net
|
-
|
203
|
203
|
|||||||
Benefit
for income taxes
|
-
|
870
|
870
|
|||||||
Total
income from continuing operations
|
$
|
2,183
|
$
|
(2,017
|
)
|
$
|
166
|
|||
Depreciation
and amortization expense
|
$
|
1,557
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
1,557
|
||||
Identifiable
assets
|
$
|
16,866
|
$
|
24,539
|
$
|
41,405
|
F-38
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Year
Ended June 30, 2005
|
||||||||||
Product
|
Corporate
|
Total
|
||||||||
Gross
profit
|
$
|
16,694
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
16,694
|
||||
Marketing
and selling expense
|
(9,070
|
)
|
-
|
(9,070
|
)
|
|||||
Research
and product development expense
|
(5,305
|
)
|
-
|
(5,305
|
)
|
|||||
General
and administrative expense
|
-
|
(5,489
|
)
|
(5,489
|
)
|
|||||
Settlement
in shareholders' class action
|
-
|
2,046
|
2,046
|
|||||||
Impairment
charge (see Note 20)
|
(180
|
)
|
-
|
(180
|
)
|
|||||
Restructuring
charge (see Note 20)
|
(110
|
)
|
-
|
(110
|
)
|
|||||
Interest
income
|
-
|
425
|
425
|
|||||||
Interest
expense
|
-
|
(104
|
)
|
(104
|
)
|
|||||
Other
income (expense), net
|
-
|
(3
|
)
|
(3
|
)
|
|||||
Benefit
for income taxes
|
-
|
3,248
|
3,248
|
|||||||
Total
income from continuing operations
|
$
|
2,029
|
$
|
123
|
$
|
2,152
|
||||
Depreciation
and amortization expense
|
$
|
2,366
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
2,366
|
||||
Identifiable
assets
|
$
|
16,092
|
$
|
21,929
|
$
|
38,021
|
Year
Ended June 30, 2004
|
|||||||||||||
Product
|
Business
Services
|
Corporate
|
Total
|
||||||||||
Gross
profit
|
$
|
11,457
|
$
|
130
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
11,587
|
|||||
Marketing
and selling expense
|
(8,497
|
)
|
-
|
-
|
(8,497
|
)
|
|||||||
Research
and product development expense
|
(4,237
|
)
|
-
|
-
|
(4,237
|
)
|
|||||||
General
and administrative expense
|
-
|
-
|
(6,767
|
)
|
(6,767
|
)
|
|||||||
Settlement
in shareholders' class action
|
-
|
-
|
(4,080
|
)
|
(4,080
|
)
|
|||||||
Interest
income
|
-
|
-
|
52
|
52
|
|||||||||
Interest
expense
|
-
|
-
|
(183
|
)
|
(183
|
)
|
|||||||
Other
income (expense), net
|
-
|
-
|
(130
|
)
|
(130
|
)
|
|||||||
Benefit
for income taxes
|
-
|
-
|
736
|
736
|
|||||||||
Total
income from continuing operations
|
$
|
(1,277
|
)
|
$
|
130
|
$
|
(10,372
|
)
|
$
|
(11,519
|
)
|
||
Depreciation
and amortization expense
|
$
|
1,934
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
1,934
|
|||||
Identifiable
assets
|
$
|
17,732
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
9,951
|
$
|
27,683
|
19. |
Closing
of Germany Office
|
During
December 2004, the Company closed its Germany office and consolidated its
activity with the United Kingdom office. Costs associated with closing the
Germany office totaled $305 in fiscal 2005 and included operating leases and
severance payments.
F-39
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
20. |
Manufacturing
Transition
|
In
May
2005, the Company approved an impairment action and a restructuring action
in
connection with its decision to outsource its Salt Lake City manufacturing
operations. These actions were intended to improve the overall cost structure
for the product segment by focusing resources on other strategic areas of the
business. The Company recorded an impairment charge of $180 and a restructuring
charge of $110 during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005 as a result of these
actions. These charges are disclosed separately in the accompanying consolidated
statements of operations. The impairment charge consisted of an immediate
impairment of certain property and equipment of $180 that had value to the
Company while it manufactured product but that was not purchased by TPM and
at
the time were not considered likely to be sold. These assets would have remained
in service had the Company not outsourced its manufacturing operations. The
restructuring charge also consisted of severance and other employee termination
benefits of $70 related to a workforce reduction of approximately 20 employees
who were transferred to an employment agency used by TPM to transition the
workforce and a charge of $40 related to the operating lease for the Company’s
manufacturing facilities that would no longer be used by the Company. All
severance payments were paid by December 31, 2005.
On
August
1, 2005, the Company entered into a one-year sublease with TPM with respect
to
the 12,000 square foot manufacturing facility in its headquarters building
in
connection with the outsourcing of its manufacturing operations. Either party
could terminate the lease for any reason upon 90 days written notice. The
subtenant paid $11 per month. On March 2, 2006, the subtenant provided the
Company with written notice of its intent to terminate the lease on May 31,
2006. Total sublease payments totaled $110.
The
following table summarizes the Company’s restructuring charges for the fiscal
years
ended
June 30, 2006 and 2005:
Severance
|
Manufacturing
Facilities Lease
|
Total
|
||||||||
Balance
at 06/30/2004
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
||||
Restructuring
charge
|
70
|
40
|
110
|
|||||||
Utilized
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||
Balance
at 06/30/2005
|
$
|
70
|
$
|
40
|
$
|
110
|
||||
Utilized
|
(70
|
)
|
(107
|
)
|
(177
|
)
|
||||
Sublease
payments received
|
-
|
110
|
110
|
|||||||
Balance
at 06/30/2006
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
43
|
$
|
43
|
21. |
Subsequent
Events (Unaudited)
|
Sale
of our Document and Educational Camera Manufacturing and Sales
Business.
On
August 23, 2006, the Company entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with
Ken-A-Vision Manufacturing Company, Inc. (“KAV”), a privately held manufacturer
of camera solutions for education, audio visual, research, and manufacturing
applications, to sell inventory, equipment, tools, and certain intellectual
property pertaining to its document and education camera product line. KAV
also
agreed to assume certain warranty obligations with respect to historical
Company camera product sales. The purchase price, which was subject to
adjustment based upon the quantities of a mix of finished good inventory to
be delivered to KAV, as defined in the agreement, was $635. The sale closed
on
August 30, 2006.
F-40