Digimarc CORP - Annual Report: 2009 (Form 10-K)

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009

OR

For the transition period from                      to                     

Commission File Number 001-34108

DIGIMARC CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

9405 SW Gemini Drive, Beaverton, Oregon 97008

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(503) 469-4800

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: NONE

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 Section 15(d) of the 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 whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ¨    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 this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes  ¨    No  x

The aggregate market value of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the closing price for the common stock on The Nasdaq Global Market on the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed fiscal second quarter (June 30, 2009), was approximately $89 million. Shares of common stock beneficially held by each officer and director have been excluded from this computation because these persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for any other purposes.

As of February 17, 2010, 7,303,634 shares of the registrant’s common stock were outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s proxy statement pursuant to Regulation 14A (the “Proxy Statement”) for its 2010 annual meeting of stockholders are incorporated by reference into Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The registrant intends to file the Proxy Statement not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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PART I

Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to (i) “Digimarc,” “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Digimarc Corporation and (ii) “Old Digimarc” refers to the former Digimarc Corporation, which merged with and into a wholly owned subsidiary of L-1 Identity Solutions, Inc. (“L-1”) on August 13, 2008, and its consolidated subsidiaries (other than us).

All dollar amounts are in thousands, unless otherwise noted.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes trademarks and registered trademarks of Digimarc Corporation.

The following discussion of Digimarc’s business contains forward-looking statements relating to future events or the future financial performance of Digimarc. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Please see the discussion regarding forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K in Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, under the caption “Forward-Looking Statements.”

The following discussion of our business should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and other financial information appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The Separation of the Digital Watermarking Business from Old Digimarc

On August 1, 2008, Old Digimarc spun off its wholly owned subsidiary, DMRC LLC, which held all of the assets and liabilities of Old Digimarc’s Digital Watermarking Business.

Until August 1, 2008, we were a wholly owned subsidiary of DMRC LLC, which immediately prior to the spin-off was a wholly owned subsidiary of Old Digimarc. DMRC LLC was formed in Delaware on June 18, 2008, in anticipation of the spin-off of the Digital Watermarking Business. Prior to the spin-off, in a transaction which we refer to as the restructuring, Old Digimarc contributed all of the assets and liabilities related to its Digital Watermarking Business, together with all of Old Digimarc’s cash, including cash received upon the exercise of stock options, to DMRC LLC. The restructuring did not result in the loss of any significant Digital Watermarking Business customers or contracts.

Following the restructuring, all of the limited liability company interests of DMRC LLC were transferred to a newly created trust for the benefit of Old Digimarc record holders on the basis of one limited liability company interest of DMRC LLC for every three and one-half shares of Old Digimarc common stock held by the stockholder as of the spin-off record date and time. DMRC LLC then merged with and into DMRC Corporation, and each limited liability company interest of DMRC LLC was converted into one share of common stock of DMRC Corporation. After completion of the acquisition of Old Digimarc by L-1, DMRC Corporation changed its name to Digimarc Corporation. As a result, upon effectiveness of the Form 10 on October 16, 2008, each Old Digimarc record holder received one share of Digimarc common stock for every three and one-half shares of Old Digimarc common stock held by the stockholder as of the spin-off record date and time, and we became an independent, publicly-traded company owning and operating the Digital Watermarking Business.

Overview

Digimarc Corporation enables governments and enterprises around the world to give digital identities to media and objects that computers can sense and recognize and to which they can react. Our technology provides the means to embed persistent digital information, perceptible only to computers and digital devices, into all

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forms of media content. The unique digital identifier placed in media generally persists with it regardless of the distribution path and whether it is copied, manipulated or converted to a different format, and does not affect the quality of the content or the enjoyment or other traditional uses of it. Our technology permits computers and digital devices to quickly identify relevant data from vast amounts of media content.

Our technology, and those of our licensees, span the range of media content, enabling our customers and those of our partners to:

At the core of our intellectual property is a signal processing technology innovation known as “digital watermarking” which allows digital signals to be embedded in all forms of digitally designed, produced or distributed media content and some physical objects, including photographs, movies, music, television, personal identification documents, financial instruments, industrial parts and product packages. The digital signals can be detected and read by a wide range of computers, mobile phones, and other digital devices.

We provide technology-based solutions directly and through our licensees. Our proprietary technology has proven to be a powerful element of document security, giving rise to our long-term relationship with a consortium of central banks, which we refer to as the Central Banks, and many leading companies in the information technology industry. We and our licensees have successfully propagated digital watermarking in music, movies, television broadcasts, images and printed materials. Digital watermarks have been used in these applications to improve media rights and asset management, reduce piracy and counterfeiting losses, improve marketing programs, permit more efficient and effective distribution of valuable media content and enhance consumer entertainment and commercial experiences.

To protect our significant efforts in creating our technology, we have implemented an extensive intellectual property protection program that relies on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, and nondisclosure agreements and other contracts. We believe we have one of the world’s most extensive patent portfolios in the field of digital watermarking and related media enhancement innovations, with over 560 U.S. and foreign patents and more than 420 U.S. and foreign patent applications on file as of December 31, 2009.

Financial information about geographic areas is included in Note 4 of our financial statements.

History

We were formed in Delaware on June 18, 2008 by Old Digimarc to hold and operate Old Digimarc’s Digital Watermarking Business and to facilitate the separation of its Secure ID Business through the spin-off and the merger of Old Digimarc with L-1. Old Digimarc was founded to commercialize a signal processing innovation known as “digital watermarking.” Digital watermarking is a technology that allows our customers to embed digital data into any media content that is digitally processed at some point during its lifecycle. The technology

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can be applied to printed materials, video, audio, and images. The inclusion of these digital signals enables a wide range of improvements in security and media management, and new business models for distribution and consumption of media content. Over the years our technology and intellectual property portfolios have grown to encompass many related technologies.

Banknote counterfeit deterrence was the first commercially successful use of our technologies. Old Digimarc, in cooperation with the Central Banks, developed a system to use digital technologies to deter banknote counterfeiting. More recently, innovations based on Old Digimarc’s digital watermarking technology and experience have been leveraged to create new products to deter counterfeiting and tampering of driver licenses and other government-issued secure credentials. In parallel, Old Digimarc’s business partners, under patent or technology licenses from us, are delivering digital watermarking solutions to track and monitor the distribution of music, images, television and movies to consumers. In November of 2007, we announced a relationship with The Nielsen Company (US) LLC, or Nielsen, to license our patents in support of Nielsen’s audience measurement across more than 95% of the television shows broadcast in the United States and to provide development services for Nielsen’s new Digital Media Manager content identification and management system.

On July 1, 2009, we commenced operation of two joint ventures with Nielsen. In connection with these joint ventures, we terminated our agreement with Nielsen, dated as of October 1, 2007, to enter into the joint venture agreements, and entered into a new patent license agreement.

Under the first joint venture, TVaura LLC, Digimarc and Nielsen engage in the development of copyright filtering solutions, royalty/audit solutions for online video and audio rights organizations, guilds or other organizations involved in the reconciliation of royalties, residuals and other payments, and other related products. Under the second joint venture, TVaura Mobile LLC, Digimarc and Nielsen engage in the development of certain enhanced television offerings, and other related products. We provide technical and development services to TVaura LLC’s business, and will continue to do so through the term of the joint venture. Digimarc and Nielsen each own approximately one half of each joint venture.

Customers and Business Partners

Our revenues are generated through commercial and government applications of our technology, including significant long-term contracts with the Central Banks, Nielsen and the joint venture, TVaura LLC. The remainder of our revenues are generated primarily from patent and technology license fees and royalties paid by commercial business partners providing media identification and management solutions to movie studios and music labels, television broadcasters, creative professionals and other customers around the world. Patent and technology licensing is expected to continue to contribute most of the revenues from our non-government customers for the foreseeable future.

As part of our work with government customers, we must comply with and are affected by laws and regulations relating to the award, administration and performance of government contracts. Government contract laws and regulations affect how we do business with our customers and, in some instances, impose added costs on our business.

In some instances, these laws and regulations impose terms or rights that are more favorable to the government than those typically available to commercial parties in negotiated transactions. For example, a government agency may terminate any of our contracts and, in general, subcontracts, at its convenience, as well as for default based on performance. Upon termination for convenience of a fixed-price type contract, we normally are entitled to receive the purchase price for delivered items, reimbursement for allowable costs for work-in-process and an allowance for profit on the contract or adjustment for loss if completion of performance would have resulted in a loss. Upon termination for convenience of a cost reimbursement contract, we normally are entitled to reimbursement of allowable costs plus a portion of the fee.

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In addition, our government contracts typically span one or more base years and multiple option years. A government agency generally has the right to not exercise option periods and may not exercise an option period if the agency is not satisfied with our performance on the contract.

Products and Services

We provide media identification and management solutions to commercial entities and government customers and license our technology to other solution providers. We license our technology primarily to commercial entities who use our technology and patented inventions to address opportunities in the media and entertainment industry. Our largest government customer is the Central Banks, with whom we have been developing, deploying, supporting and continuing to enhance a system to deter digital counterfeiting of currency using personal computers and digital reprographics for several years.

Commercial customers use a range of solutions from our business partners and us to identify, track, manage and protect content as it is distributed and consumed—either digitally or physically—and to enable new consumer applications to access networks and information from personal computers and mobile devices. Many movie studios, record labels, broadcasters, creative professionals and other customers rely on digital watermarking as a cost-effective means to:

Licensees of our technology or intellectual property include AquaMobile, Microsoft Corporation, The Nielsen Company, Civolution, Signum Technologies, Verance Corporation and Verimatrix, Inc.

Technology and Intellectual Property

We develop and patent intellectual property to differentiate our products and technology, mitigate infringement risks, and develop opportunities for licensing. Licensing of our technology is supported by a broad patent portfolio covering a wide range of methods, applications, system architectures and business processes.

Most of our patents relate to various methods for embedding digital information in video, audio, and images, whether the content is rendered in analog or digital formats. The digital information is generally embedded by making subtle modifications to the fundamental elements of the content itself, generally at a signal processing level. The changes necessary to embed this information are so subtle that they are generally not noticeable by people during normal use. Because the message is carried by the content itself, it is file-format independent. The embedded digital information generally survives most normal content transformation procedures, including compression, edits, rotation, scaling, re-sampling, file-format transformations, copying, scanning and printing.

Our patent portfolio contains a number of innovations in digital watermarking, pattern recognition (sometimes referred to as “fingerprinting”), digital rights management, and related fields. To protect our significant efforts in creating our technology, we have implemented an extensive intellectual property protection program that relies on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, and nondisclosure agreements and other contracts. As a result, we believe we have one of the world’s most extensive patent portfolios in digital watermarking and related fields, with over 560 U.S. and foreign patents and more than 420

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U.S. and foreign patent applications on file as of December 31, 2009. Separately, we own registered trademarks in both the U.S. and other countries and have applied for additional trademarks. We continue to develop and broaden our portfolio of patented technology in the fields of media identification and management technology and related applications and systems. We devote significant resources to developing and protecting our technology and continuously seek to identify and evaluate potential licensees for our patents.

Markets

Our technology is used in various media identification and management products and solutions supporting a variety of media objects, from movies and music, to banknotes and secure credentials. Each media object enabled by our technology creates the potential for several applications, such as:

We believe the market for these applications is in the early stages of development and that existing solutions represent only a small portion of the potential market for our products, services, and technology.

Competition

No single competitor or small number of competitors is dominant in our industry. Our competitors vary depending on the application of our products and services. Our business partners and we generally compete with non-digital watermarking technologies for the security or marketing budgets of the producers and distributors of media objects, documents, products and advertising. These alternatives include, among other things, encryption-based security systems and technologies and solutions based on fingerprinting and pattern recognition. Our competitive position within the digital watermarking industry is strong because of our large, high quality, sophisticated patent position in the proprietary technology of digital watermarking and our substantial and growing amount of intellectual property in related media security and management innovations that span basic technologies, applications, system designs, and business processes. Our intellectual property portfolio allows us to use proprietary technologies that are well regarded by our customers and partners and not available to our competitors. We compete with others in our industry based on the variety of features we offer and a traditional cost/benefit analysis of our technologies against alternative technologies and solutions. We anticipate that our competitive position within some markets may be affected by factors such as reluctance to adopt new technologies and by changes in government regulations.

Backlog

Based on projected commitments we have for the periods under contract with our respective customers, we anticipate our current contracts as of December 31, 2009 will generate an aggregate of approximately $42.2 million in revenue during the remaining terms of these contracts, currently through early 2014. We expect approximately $17.2 million of this amount to be recognized as revenue during 2010. Some factors that lead to increased backlog include:

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Some factors that lead to decreased backlog include:

The mix of these factors, among others, dictates whether our backlog increases or decreases for any given period. We do not assure that our backlog will result in actual revenue in any particular period, because the orders, awards and contracts included in our backlog may be subject to modification, cancellation or suspension. We may not realize revenue on certain contracts, orders or awards included in our backlog or the timing of any realization may change.

Employees

At December 31, 2009, we had 93 full-time employees, including 18 in sales, marketing, technical support and customer support; 51 in research, development and engineering; and 24 in finance, administration, information technology and legal. Our future success will depend, in part, on our ability to continue to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified technical and management personnel, for whom competition is intense. We do not anticipate material turnover at this time or in the reasonably foreseeable future, especially among our technical personnel.

Our employees are not covered by any collective bargaining agreement, and we have never experienced a work stoppage. We believe that our relations with our employees are good.

Available Information

We make available free of charge through our website at www.digimarc.com our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these and other reports filed or furnished by us pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as soon as reasonably practicable after we file these materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The following risks relate principally to our business and our status as a publicly-traded company. The risks and uncertainties described below are those risks of which we are aware, that we consider to be material to our business. If any of the following risks and uncertainties develops into actual events, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be affected by a number of factors, including the factors set forth below.

(1) We have a history of losses and although we achieved profitability in 2008 we may not sustain profitability, particularly if we were to lose large contracts.

Old Digimarc’s Digital Watermarking Business had incurred significant net losses from inception. Old Digimarc’s accumulated deficit was $100 million as of December 31, 2007. For the combined periods January 1, 2008 through August 1, 2008 and August 2, 2008 through December 31, 2008 we generated net income of $1.5 million, which included net income reported in the financial statements for the period January 1 through August 1, 2008 which we generated net income of $1.4 million that were “carved out” from Old Digimarc’s consolidated financial statements and reflect assumptions and allocations made by Old Digimarc. Since the spin-off we have an accumulated deficit of $2.7 million as of December 31, 2009. Achieving profitability in the future will depend upon a variety of factors, including our ability to maintain and obtain more significant partnerships like those we have with the Central Banks and Nielsen, growth in revenues of our licensees, and our

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efficiency in executing our business strategy and capitalizing on new opportunities. Various adverse developments, including the loss of large contracts or cost overruns on our existing contracts, could have a negative effect on our revenues, margins and profitability.

(2) A small number of customers account for a substantial portion of our revenues and the loss of any large contract could materially disrupt our business.

Historically, we have derived a significant portion of our revenues from a limited number of customers. Two customers, the Bank for International Settlements, acting on behalf of the Central Banks, and Nielsen, including the joint ventures TVaura LLC and TVaura Mobile LLC, represented approximately 77% of our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2009. Most of our revenues come from long-term contracts generally having terms of three to five years, with some licenses for the life of the associated patents, which could be up to 20 years. Some contracts we enter into contain termination for convenience provisions. If we were to lose such a contract for any reason, our financial results could be adversely affected.

We expect to continue to depend upon a small number of customers for a significant portion of our revenues for the foreseeable future. The loss of, or decline in, orders or backlog from one or more major customers could reduce our revenues and have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

(3) A significant portion of our revenue is subject to commercial contracts and development of new markets that may involve unpredictable delays and other unexpected changes, which might limit our actual revenue in any given quarter or year.

We derive substantial portions of our revenue from commercial contracts tied to development schedules or development of new markets, which could shift for months, quarters or years as the needs of our customers and the markets in which they participate change. Government agencies and commercial customers also face budget pressures that introduce added uncertainty. Any shift in development schedules, the markets in which we or our licensees participate, or customer procurement processes, which are outside our control and may not be predictable, could result in delays in bookings forecasted for any particular period, could affect the predictability of our quarterly and annual results, and might limit our actual revenue in any given quarter or year, resulting in reduced and less predictable revenue and adversely affecting profitability.

(4) We have limited operating history as a separate public company and our historical financial information prior to the spin-off is not necessarily representative of the results we would have achieved as a separate publicly-traded company, and may not be a reliable indicator of our future results.

The predecessor financial statements have been “carved out” from Old Digimarc’s consolidated financial statements and reflect assumptions and allocations made by Old Digimarc. The predecessor financial statements do not fully represent what the predecessor’s financial position, results of operations and cash flow would have been had it operated as a stand-alone public company for the periods presented, or those that we expect to achieve in the future because, among other reasons, prior to the spin-off, the digital watermarking business was operated by Old Digimarc as part of a larger corporate organization. For the year ended December 31, 2009 we operated as a stand-alone company for the full year and, as expected, our operating costs on a stand-alone basis were higher than those allocated to the predecessor operations under the shared services methodology applied in the predecessor financial statements. As a result, the predecessor information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is not necessarily indicative of what our future financial position, results of operations and cash flow will be. For more information, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Although the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2009 provide a better understanding of our financial position, results of operations and cash flow as a stand-alone company, these financial statements may not be a reliable indicator of future results.

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(5) The market for our products is highly competitive and alternative technology or larger companies may undermine, limit or eliminate the market for our products’ technologies, which would decrease our revenue and profits.

The markets in which we compete for business are intensely competitive and rapidly evolving. We expect competition to continue from both existing competitors and new market entrants. We face competition from other companies and from alternative technology. Because the market solutions based on our technologies are still in an early stage of development, we also may face competition from unexpected sources.

Alternative technology that may directly or indirectly compete with particular applications of our watermarking technologies include:

In the competitive environment in which we operate, product generation, development and marketing processes relating to technology are uncertain and complex, requiring accurate prediction of demand as well as successful management of various development risks inherent in technology development. In light of these dependencies, it is possible that failure to successfully accommodate future changes in technologies related to our technology could have a long-term effect on our growth and results of operations.

New developments are expected to continue, and discoveries by others, including current and potential competitors, possibly could render our services and products noncompetitive. Moreover, because of rapid technological changes, we may be required to expend greater amounts of time and money than anticipated to develop new products and services, which in turn may require greater revenue streams from these products and services to cover developmental costs. Many of the companies that compete with us for some of our business, as well as other companies with whom we may compete in the future, are larger and may have greater technical, financial, marketing, and political resources than we do. These resources could enable these companies to initiate severe price cuts or take other measures in an effort to gain market share or otherwise impede our progress. We

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may be unable to compete successfully against current or future participants in our market or against alternative technologies, and the competitive pressures we face could decrease our revenue and profits in the future.

(6) The joint ventures agreements we entered into with Nielsen may not produce marketable products that will provide a return on investment on the initial cash contributions.

TVaura LLC is a jointly owned company that we established with Nielsen to focus on the discovery, development and commercialization of copyright filtering solutions, royalty/audit systems or products for online video and audio rights organizations, guilds or other organizations involved in reconciliation of royalties, residuals and other payments, and other related products. TVaura Mobile LLC is a jointly owned company that we established with Nielsen to focus on the discovery, development and commercialization of certain enhanced television offerings, and other related products.

As part of these joint ventures, we licensed to each of TVaura LLC and TVaura Mobile LLC all of our patents and technology not already subject to exclusive license grants to other licensees. The products contemplated by the joint ventures are still in the development stage, will require additional investment and oversight before they can be brought to market. If the joint ventures are successful in developing these products, the products will be new and untested, and they may not have a ready market.

We cannot predict how the market will react to our product offerings or any potential revenue that may or may not be realized. We are nonetheless committed to provide financial support to both joint ventures through October 2011, regardless of whether the joint ventures are successful in their product development efforts during that time. Our initial investment in these two joint ventures may result in neither product offerings nor a return on investment.

(7) Our joint venture transactions with Nielsen may not realize all of their intended benefits.

In connection with TVaura LLC and TVaura Mobile LLC, we may experience:

Moreover, each of TVaura LLC and TVaura Mobile LLC is operated as an independent company and governed by a members’ committee. We and Nielsen can elect an equal number of representatives to serve on each members’ committee. Each joint venture plans to develop contemplated products pursuant to an operating plan that is approved by the members’ committee. Since Nielsen has significant oversight and voting rights with respect to major business decisions of TVaura LLC and TVaura Mobile LLC, we do not have control over the joint ventures’ operations, including business decisions that may affect each joint venture’s profitability or success in meeting its objectives. For any of these reasons, or as a result of other factors, we may not realize the anticipated benefits of the joint ventures, and our participation in the joint ventures could adversely affect the results of our other business efforts.

(8) Disagreements between Nielsen and us regarding the strategy and priorities of the joint ventures or shortage of additional funding for the joint ventures may impede the development of joint venture products, which could negatively affect the value of our investment in TVaura LLC and TVaura Mobile LLC.

Any disagreements between Nielsen and us regarding a development decision or any other decision submitted to either joint venture’s members’ committee may cause significant delays in the development and

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commercialization of the particular joint venture’s products and technology and could negatively affect the value of our investment in the joint ventures. In addition, neither we nor Nielsen have any obligation to fund the joint ventures beyond the initial cash contributions provided in the joint venture agreements. If the joint ventures are unable to generate cash sufficient to develop and commercialize their products, and if additional funding is unavailable from us, Nielsen or third parties, we may not recognize the intended benefits of the joint ventures.

(9) We depend on our management and key employees for our future success. If we are not able to retain, hire or integrate these employees, we may not be able to meet our commitments.

Our success depends to a significant extent on the performance and continued service of our management and our intellectual property team. The loss of the services of any of these employees could limit our growth or undermine customer relationships.

Due to the high level of technical expertise that our industry requires, our ability to successfully develop, market, sell, license and support our products, services, and intellectual property depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of our key personnel in engineering, sales, marketing, operations, legal and licensing, many of whom would be difficult to replace. We believe our future success will depend in large part upon our ability to retain our current key employees and our ability to attract, integrate and retain these personnel in the future. It may not be practical for us to match the compensation some of our employees could garner at other employment. In addition, we may encounter difficulties in hiring and retaining employees because of concerns related to our financial performance. These circumstances may have a negative effect on the market price of our common stock, and employees and prospective employees may factor in the uncertainties relating to our stability and the value of any equity-based incentives in their decisions regarding employment opportunities and decide to leave our employ. Moreover, our business is based in large part on patented technology, which is unique and not generally known. New employees require substantial training, involving significant resources and management attention. Competition for experienced personnel in our business can be intense. If we do not succeed in attracting new, qualified personnel or in integrating, retaining and motivating our current personnel, our growth and ability to deliver products and services that our customers require may be hampered. Although our employees generally have executed agreements containing non-competition clauses, we do not assure you that a court would enforce all of the terms of these clauses or the clauses generally. If these clauses were not fully enforced, our employees could be able to freely join our competitors. Although we generally attempt to control access to and distribution of our proprietary information by our employees, we do not assure you that the confidential nature of our proprietary information will be maintained in the course of such future employment. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our financial and business prospects.

(10) If leading companies in our industry or standard-setting bodies or institutions downplay, minimize, or reject the use of our technology, deployment may be slowed and we may be unable to achieve revenue growth, particularly in the media and entertainment sectors.

Many of our business endeavors, such as our licensing of intellectual property in support of audio and video copy-control applications, can be impeded or frustrated by larger, more influential companies or by standard-setting bodies or institutions downplaying, minimizing or rejecting the value or use of our technology. A negative position by these companies, bodies or institutions, if taken, may result in obstacles for us that we would be incapable of overcoming and may block or impede the adoption of digital watermarking, particularly in the media and entertainment market. In addition, potential customers in the media and entertainment industry may delay or reject initiatives that relate to deployment of our technology. Such a development would make the achievement of our business objectives in this market difficult or impossible.

(11) If we are unable to respond to regulatory or industry standards effectively, or if we are unable to develop and integrate new technologies effectively, our growth and the development of our products and services could be delayed or limited.

Our future success will depend in part on our ability to enhance and improve the responsiveness, functionality and features of our products and services, and those of our business partners, in accordance with

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regulatory or industry standards. Our ability to remain competitive will depend in part on our ability to influence and respond to emerging industry and governmental standards in a timely and cost-effective manner. If we are unable to influence these or other standards or respond to these standards effectively, our growth and the development of various products and services could be delayed or limited.

Our market is characterized by new and evolving technologies. The success of our business will depend on our ability to develop and integrate new technologies effectively and address the increasingly sophisticated technological needs of our customers in a timely and cost-effective manner. Our ability to remain competitive will depend in part on our ability to:

We do not assure you that we will be successful in responding to these technological and industry challenges in a timely and cost-effective manner. If we are unable to develop or integrate new technologies effectively or respond to these changing needs, our margins could decrease, and our release of new products and services and the deployment of our watermarking technology could be adversely affected.

(12) We may need to retain additional employees or contract labor in the future in order to take advantage of new business opportunities arising from increased demand, which could increase costs and impede our ability to achieve or sustain profitability in the short term.

We have staffed our company with the intent of achieving and sustaining profitability. Our current staffing levels could affect our ability to respond to increased demand for our services. In addition, to meet any increased demand and take advantage of new business opportunities in the future, we may need to increase our workforce through additional employees or contract labor. Although we believe that increasing our workforce would potentially support anticipated growth and profitability, it would increase our costs. If we experience such an increase in costs, we may not succeed in achieving or sustaining profitability in the short term.

(13) Our future growth will depend to some extent on our successful implementation of our technology in solutions provided by third parties, including partners and suppliers.

Our business and strategy rely substantially on deployment of our technology by our licensees and other third-party software developers and original equipment manufacturers. For example, one form of our technology is commonly deployed in image editing applications to permit users of these products to read data embedded in imagery, and thereby identify ownership and discern the identities of image owners. Another form of our technology is used in our anti-counterfeiting products. Our technology is also being deployed as part of Digital Cinema systems to theatres around the world by companies that integrate technologies and subsystems. If third parties who include our technology in their products or otherwise license our intellectual property for use in their products cease to do so, or we fail to obtain other partners who will incorporate, embed, integrate or bundle our technology, or these partners are unsuccessful in their efforts, our efforts to expand deployment of our technology and increase licensing revenues would be adversely affected. Consequently, our ability to increase revenues would be adversely affected and we may suffer other adverse effects to our business. In addition, if our technology does not perform according to market expectations, our future sales would suffer as customers seek other providers.

(14) The current capital and credit market conditions may adversely affect our access to capital, cost of capital and business operations.

The general economic and capital market conditions in the U.S. and other parts of the world have deteriorated significantly over the last eighteen months and have adversely affected access to capital and

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increased the cost of capital. So long as these conditions continue or become worse, our future cost of debt and equity capital and our access to capital markets could be adversely affected. Any inability to obtain needed capital through adequate financing from debt or equity capital sources could force us to self-fund strategic initiatives or even forgo some opportunities, potentially harming our business operations and results. In addition, our ability to find investments that are both safe and liquid and that provide a reasonable return may be impaired. This could result in lower interest income, longer investment tenures or higher other-than-temporary impairments.

(15) The current economic downturn may impair the financial soundness of our licensees and customers, which could adversely affect our business operations.

As a result of the current economic downturn and macro-economic challenges currently affecting the economy of the U.S. and other parts of the world, our customers and licensees may be negatively affected in ways that reduce our revenues and margins, quality of receivables, and cash flow.

Our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2009 decreased approximately 4% from the combined Old Digimarc and Digimarc operations of the prior year, however, we have not experienced any negative effects on either the quality of our receivables or our cash flows. If the economic downturn continues, we may see further adverse effects on our licensees and customers, and ultimately our business operations.

(16) An increase in our operations outside of the U.S. subjects us to risks additional to those to which we are exposed in our domestic operations.

We believe that revenue from sales of products and services to commercial, governmental and other customers outside the U.S. could represent a growing percentage of our total revenue in the future. International sales and services are subject to a number of risks that can adversely affect our sales of products and services to customers outside of the U.S., including the following:

We do not have an extensive operational infrastructure for international business. We generally depend on local or international business partners and subcontractors for performance of substantial portions of our business. These factors may result in greater risk of performance problems or of reduced profitability with respect to our international programs in these markets. In addition, if foreign customers, in particular foreign government authorities, terminate or delay the implementation of our products and services, it may be difficult for us to recover our potential losses.

(17) The terms and conditions of our contracts could subject us to damages, losses and other expenses if we fail to meet delivery and other performance requirements.

Our service contracts typically include provisions imposing:

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To the extent these provisions involve performance over extended periods of time, risks of noncompliance may increase. From time to time we have experienced delays in system implementation, timely acceptance of programs, concerns regarding program performance and other contractual disputes. If we fail to meet contractual milestones or other performance requirements as promised, or to successfully resolve customer disputes, we could incur liability for damages, as well as increased costs, lower margins, or compensatory obligations in addition to other losses, such as harm to our reputation. Any unexpected increases in costs to meet our contractual obligations or any other requirements necessary to address claims and damages with regard to our customer contracts could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.

(18) Products deploying our technology could have unknown defects or errors, which may give rise to claims against us, divert application of our resources from other purposes or increase our project implementation and support costs.

Products and services as complex as those we offer or develop may contain undetected defects or errors. Furthermore, we often provide complex implementation, integration, customization, consulting and other technical services in connection with the implementation and ongoing maintenance of our products. Despite testing, defects or errors in our products and services may occur, which could result in delays in the development and implementation of products and systems, inability to meet customer requirements or expectations in a timely manner, loss of revenue or market share, increased implementation and support costs, failure to achieve market acceptance, diversion of development resources, injury to our reputation, increased insurance costs, increased service and warranty costs and warranty or breach of contract claims. Although we attempt to reduce the risk of losses resulting from warranty or breach of contract claims through warranty disclaimers and liability limitation clauses in our sales agreements when we can, these contractual provisions are sometimes not included and may not be enforceable in every instance. If a court refuses to enforce the liability-limiting provisions of our contracts for any reason, or if liabilities arise that were not contractually limited or adequately covered by insurance, the expense associated with defending these actions or paying the resultant claims could be significant.

(19) The security systems used in our product and service offerings may be circumvented or sabotaged by third parties, which could result in the disclosure of sensitive information or private personal information or cause other business interruptions that could damage our reputation and disrupt our business.

Our business relies on computers and other information technologies, both internal and at customer locations. The protective measures that we use may not prevent security breaches, and failure to prevent security breaches may disrupt our business, damage our reputation, and expose us to litigation and liability. A party who is able to circumvent security measures could misappropriate sensitive or proprietary information or materials or cause interruptions or otherwise damage our products, services and reputation, and the property of our customers. If unintended parties obtain sensitive data and information, or create bugs or viruses or otherwise sabotage the functionality of our systems, we may receive negative publicity, incur liability to our customers or lose the confidence of our customers, any of which may cause the termination or modification of our contracts. Further, our insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover losses and liabilities that may result from these events.

In addition, we may be required to expend significant capital and other resources to protect ourselves against the threat of security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by these breaches. Any protection or remedial measures may not be available at a reasonable price or at all, or may not be entirely effective if commenced.

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(20) We are subject to risks encountered by companies developing and relying upon new technologies, products and services for substantial amounts of their growth or revenue.

Our business and prospects must be considered in light of the risks and uncertainties to which companies with new and rapidly evolving technology, products and services are exposed. These risks include the following:

Some of our key technology and solutions from our patent or technology licensees are in the development stage. Consequently, products incorporating our technology and solutions are undergoing technological change and are in the early stage of introduction in the marketplace. Delays in the adoption of these products or adverse competitive developments may result in delays in the development of new revenue sources or the growth in our revenue. In addition, we may be required to incur unanticipated expenditures if product changes or improvements are required. Additionally, new industry standards might redefine the products that we or our licensees are able to sell, especially if these products are only in the prototype stage of development. If product changes or improvements are required, success in marketing these products by us or our licensees and achieving profitability from these products could be delayed or halted. We also may be required to fund any changes or improvements out of operating income, which could adversely affect our profitability.

(21) We may not be able to protect adequately our intellectual property, and we may be subject to infringement claims and other litigation, which could adversely affect our business.

Our success depends in part on licensing our proprietary technology. To protect our intellectual property portfolio, we rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret rights, confidentiality procedures and licensing arrangements. Unlicensed copying and use of our intellectual property or infringement of our intellectual property rights may result in the loss of revenue to us. Although we devote significant resources to developing and protecting our technologies, and periodically evaluate potential competitors of our technologies for infringement of our intellectual property rights, these infringements may nonetheless go undetected or may arise in the future.

We face risks associated with our patent position, including the potential need from time to time to engage in significant legal proceedings to enforce our patents, the possibility that the validity or enforceability of our patents may be challenged, and the possibility that third parties will be able to compete against us without infringing our patents. Budgetary concerns may cause us not to file or continue litigation against known infringers of our patent rights, or may cause us not to file for, or pursue, patent protection for all of our inventive technology in jurisdictions where they may have value. Some governmental entities that might infringe our intellectual property rights may enjoy sovereign immunity from such claims. Failure to reliably enforce our patent rights against infringers may make licensing more difficult. If we fail to protect our intellectual property rights and proprietary technology adequately, if there are changes in applicable laws that are adverse to our interests, or if we become involved in litigation relating to our intellectual property rights and proprietary technology or relating to the intellectual property rights of others, our business could be seriously harmed because the value ascribed to our intellectual property could diminish and result in a lower stock price, or we may incur significant costs in bringing legal proceedings against third parties who are infringing our patents.

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Effective protection of intellectual property rights may be unavailable or limited. Patent protection throughout the world is generally established on a country-by-country basis. We have applied for patent protection in the U.S and in various other countries. We do not assure you, however, that pending patents will be issued or that issued patents will be valid or enforceable. Failure to obtain these patents or failure to enforce those patents that are obtained may result in a loss of revenue to us. We do not assure you that the protection of our proprietary rights will be adequate or that our competitors will not independently develop similar technologies, duplicate our services or design around any of our patents or other intellectual property rights.

In the ordinary course of building strategic business relationships with potential partners we may encounter companies that we believe are infringing on our patent portfolio. When we encounter these companies we believe are infringing, we try to negotiate a license to our patents. If we are unable to negotiate a license and continue to believe they are infringing on our patents, we may file a lawsuit and incur legal fees in the process.

We are the exclusive licensee under some third-party patents, and may need the assistance of these parties if we choose to enforce any of these patent rights. The cooperation of these third parties cannot be assured. Although we rely on some of these technologies for our products or for our licenses to third parties to date, the licensed patents have not been material to our operations.

As more companies engage in business activities relating to digital watermarking, and develop corresponding intellectual property rights, it is increasingly likely that claims may arise which assert that some of our products or services infringe upon other parties’ intellectual property rights. These claims could subject us to costly litigation, divert management resources and result in the invalidation of our intellectual property rights. These claims may require us to pay significant damages, cease production of infringing products, terminate our use of infringing technology or develop non-infringing technologies. In these circumstances, continued use of our technology may require that we acquire licenses to the intellectual property that is the subject of the alleged infringement, and we might not be able to obtain these licenses on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Our use of protected technology may result in liability that threatens our continuing operation.

Some of our contracts include provisions regarding our non-infringement of third-party intellectual property rights. As deployment of our technology increases, and more companies enter our markets, the likelihood of a third party lawsuit resulting from these provisions increases. If an infringement arose in a context governed by such a contract, we may have to refund to our customer amounts already paid to us or pay significant damages, or we may be sued by the party allegedly infringed upon. Similarly, as we seek to broaden the number of companies licensed under our patent portfolio, some may seek contractual assurances that we will pursue—by litigation if necessary—their competitors who use our patented technology but are not licensed to do so. Compliance with any such contract provisions may require that we pursue litigation where our costs exceed our likely recovery.

As part of our confidentiality procedures, we generally enter into non-disclosure agreements with our employees, directors, consultants and corporate partners, and attempt to control access to and distribution of our technology, solutions, documentation and other proprietary information. Despite these procedures, third parties could copy or otherwise obtain and make unauthorized use of our technology, solutions or other proprietary information or independently develop similar technologies, solutions or information. The steps that we have taken to prevent misappropriation of our solutions, technology or other proprietary information may not prevent their misappropriation.

(22) If our revenue models and pricing structures relating to products and services that are under development do not gain market acceptance, the products and services may fail to attract or retain customers and we may not be able to generate new or sustain existing revenue.

Some of our business involves embedding digital watermarks in traditional and digital media, including identification documents, secure documents, audio, video and imagery, and licensing our intellectual property. Our revenue stream is based primarily on a combination of development, consulting, subscription and license

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fees from copyright protection and counterfeit deterrence applications. We have not fully developed revenue models for some of our future digital watermarking applications and licensing endeavors. Because some of our products and services are not yet well-established in the marketplace, and because some of these products and services will not directly displace existing solutions, we cannot be certain that the pricing structure for these products and services will gain market acceptance or be sustainable over time or that the marketing for these products and services will be effective.

(23) We are involved in pending litigation and an adverse resolution of such litigation may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

From time to time in our normal course of business we are a party to various legal claims, actions and complaints. As part of our patent licensing program, we bring claims or counterclaims of patent infringement to enforce our patent rights. Given the uncertain nature of litigation generally, we are not able to estimate the amount or range of gain or loss that could result from an outcome of litigation. Litigation can be expensive, lengthy, and disruptive to normal business operations. The results of complex legal proceedings are often uncertain and difficult to predict. We could incur charges in excess of any currently established accruals and, to the extent available, excess liability insurance. We are a defendant in a pending declaratory judgment action brought by Arbitron, alleging that certain of our patents are invalid or not infringed. An unfavorable outcome in the Arbitron suit or any future legal proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. For additional information regarding the Arbitron lawsuit in which we are involved, see Item 3, Legal Proceedings, and Note 14, Commitments and Contingencies, to the accompanying financial statements.

RISK RELATED TO OUR CAPITAL STOCK

(24) Our common stock price may be volatile, and you could lose all or part of your investment in shares of our common stock.

The price of shares of our common stock may fluctuate as a result of changes in our operating performance or prospects and other factors. Some specific factors that may have a significant effect on the price of shares of our common stock include:

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(25) Our corporate governance documents, our rights agreement and Delaware law may delay or prevent an acquisition of us that stockholders may consider favorable, which could decrease the value of your shares.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and Delaware law contain provisions that could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us without the consent of our board of directors. These provisions include supermajority voting requirements for stockholders to amend our organizational documents and limitations on actions by our stockholders by written consent. In addition, our board of directors has the right to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could be used to dilute the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer. On July 31, 2008, our Board of Directors adopted a rights agreement pursuant to which one one-hundredth (¹/100) of a preferred stock purchase right will be issued for each outstanding share of our common stock. In general terms, our rights agreement works by imposing a significant penalty upon any person or group that acquires 15% or more of our outstanding common stock, without the approval of our Board of Directors. Delaware law also imposes some restrictions on mergers and other business combinations between any holder of 15% or more of our outstanding common stock and us. Although we believe these provisions protect our stockholders from coercive or otherwise unfair takeover tactics and thereby provide for an opportunity to receive a higher bid by requiring potential acquirers to negotiate with our board of directors, these provisions apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by some stockholders.

None.

We lease our principal administrative, marketing, research, and intellectual property development facility, which is approximately 46,000 square feet in size and located in Beaverton, Oregon. The lease will expire in August 2011 unless we exercise the renewal option for an additional five (5) years or renegotiate the terms of our lease agreement.

From time to time in our normal course of business we are a party to various legal claims, actions and complaints. On July 15, 2009, Digimarc notified Arbitron that its PPM technology may infringe Digimarc’s patents and provided examples of potential relevance of nine Digimarc patents. As a result, Arbitron filed a Declaratory Judgment action against us in the US District Court in Delaware on August 13, 2009 (Civil Action Number 1:2009cv00604). Arbitron is seeking a declaratory judgment that these nine patents are invalid and that Arbitron does not infringe these patents. In the Complaint, Arbitron refers to and attaches a copy of Digimarc’s July 15, 2009 letter Digimarc was served in December, 2009, which started the period for Digimarc’s answer. The parties stipulated to an extension of the due date of Digimarc’s answer to February 22, 2010.

None.

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PART II

Our common stock began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC in October 2008 under the symbol “DMRC.” The closing price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market was $15.49 on February 17, 2010. The following table lists the high and low sales prices of our common stock for the periods indicated, as reported by The Nasdaq Global Market.

At February 17, 2010, we had 180 stockholders of record of our common stock, as shown in the records of our transfer agent. Since many holders hold shares in “street name,” we believe that there is a significantly larger number of beneficial owners of our common stock than the number of record holders.

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain future earnings, if any, to finance the future growth of our business.

In April 2009, the Board of Directors approved a stock repurchase program authorizing the purchase, at the discretion of management, of up to $5 million in shares of our common stock through either periodic open-market or private transactions at then-prevailing market prices over a period of up to two years through April 30, 2011. For the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2009, we have paid $1.6 million to repurchase 111,667 shares of outstanding common stock under this program since the program’s inception.

The following table sets forth information regarding purchases of our equity securities during the three-month period ended December 31, 2009:

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STOCK PERFORMANCE GRAPH

The following graph compares the performance of our common stock with the performance of (i) the Nasdaq U.S. Index and (ii) a peer group selected by us. The comparison assumes $100 was invested on October 17, 2008, the first day of trading in our common stock at the closing price on date and in each of the five indices at the closing price on that date and assumes reinvestment of any dividends. We have changed our peer group B from the companies included in the peer group listed in the December 31, 2008 stock performance graph to a peer group A consisting of security software and information technology industries. We believe that the companies in the new peer group, or Peer Group A, are more comparable to us in terms of line-of-business, market capitalization, revenues, and number of employees than are the companies in Peer Group B and, therefore, comprise a more appropriate peer group for purposes of comparing stock performance. The comparisons in the graph are based on historical data and are not indicative of, nor intended to forecast, future performance of our common stock.

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Companies included in the Peer Group A index of the stock performance graph are as follows:

Companies included in the Peer Group B index of the stock performance graph are as follows:

The selected financial data set forth below should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes to the financial statements and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” which are included elsewhere in this report. The following tables set forth our selected financial information as of and for each of the years in the five-year period ended December 31, 2009, which has been derived from (a) audited financial statements as of December 31, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, and 2005, and for the period August 2, 2008 through December 31, 2008 and years ended December 31, 2009, 2007, 2006 and 2005; and (b) unaudited financial information as of August 1, 2008 and for the period January 1, 2008 through August 1, 2008. In our opinion, the information derived from our unaudited financial statements is presented on a basis consistent with the information in our audited financial statements. The selected financial information presented may not reflect the results of operations or financial condition that would have resulted had we been operating as an independent, publicly-traded company during the periods presented, and is not necessarily indicative of our future performance as an independent company. See “Risk Factors.”

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Statement of Operations Data (1)

Balance Sheet Data (1)

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The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains forward-looking statements relating to future events or the future financial performance of Digimarc, which involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Please see the discussion regarding forward-looking statements included at the end of this discussion, under the caption “Forward-Looking Statements” and Item 1A, “Risk Factors” for a discussion of some of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements.

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and other financial information appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Overview

Digimarc Corporation enables governments and enterprises around the world to give digital identities to media and objects that computers can sense and recognize and to which they can react. Our technology provides the means to infuse persistent digital information, perceptible only to computers and digital devices, into all forms of media content. The unique digital identifier placed in media generally persists with it regardless of the distribution path and whether it is copied, manipulated or converted to a different format, and does not affect the quality of the content or the enjoyment or other traditional uses of it. Our technology permits computers and digital devices to quickly identify relevant data from vast amounts of media content.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“U.S. GAAP”) requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to bad debts, fixed assets, intangible assets, income taxes, long-term service contracts, marketable securities, and contingencies and litigation. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions we believe to be reasonable in the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

Some of our accounting policies require higher degrees of judgment than others in their application. These include revenue recognition on long-term service contracts, revenue recognition on license and subscription arrangements, impairments and estimation of useful lives of long-lived assets, contingencies and litigation, patent costs and stock- based compensation. We believe the following critical accounting policies affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements:

Basis of Accounting; Predecessor Financial Statements

The predecessor financial statements include certain accounts of Old Digimarc and the assets, liabilities and results of operations of Old Digimarc’s Digital Watermarking Business that were separated, or “carved-out,” from Old Digimarc. The operating expenses included in the predecessor financial statements include proportional allocations of various shared services common costs of Old Digimarc because specific identification of the expenses was not practicable. The common costs include expenses from Old Digimarc related to various operating shared services cost centers, including: executive, finance and accounting, human resources, legal, marketing, intellectual property, facilities and information technology. Management believes that the assumptions underlying the predecessor financial statements are reasonable. The cost allocation methods applied to certain shared services common cost centers include the following:

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Other key assumptions differing from the historical accounting of Old Digimarc:

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The financial information in the predecessor financial statements does not include all of the expenses that would have been incurred had the predecessor been a separate, stand-alone public entity. As such, the predecessor financial information does not reflect the financial position, results of operations and cash flows of Digimarc’s current business had the predecessor operated as a separate, stand-alone public entity during the periods presented in the predecessor financial statements. Additionally, the predecessor financial statements include proportional allocations of various shared services common costs of Old Digimarc because specific identification of these expenses was not practicable. Operating costs of Digimarc on a stand-alone basis have been higher than those allocated to the predecessor operations under the shared services methodology applied in the predecessor financial statements. Consequently, the financial position, results of operations and cash flows reflected in the predecessor financial statements may not be indicative of those that would have been achieved had the predecessor operated as a separate, stand-alone entity for the periods reflected in the predecessor financial statements.

Revenue recognition: Some customer arrangements encompass multiple deliverables, such as software, hardware sales, consumables sales, maintenance fees, and software development fees. We account for these arrangements in accordance with ASC 605 “Revenue Recognition” (formerly Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) Issue No. 00-21). If the deliverables meet the criteria in ASC 605, the deliverables are divided into separate units of accounting and revenue is allocated to the deliverables based on their relative fair values. The criteria specified in ASC 605 are as follows:

For our purposes, fair value is generally defined as the price at which a customer could purchase each of the elements independently from other vendors or as the price that we have sold the element separately to another customer. Management applies judgment to ensure appropriate application of ASC 605, including value

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allocation among multiple deliverables, determination of whether undelivered elements are essential to the functionality of delivered elements and timing of revenue recognition, among others. If management were to determine that undelivered elements were essential to the functionality of delivered elements, revenue recognition would be deferred until all elements were delivered.

Revenue is recognized in accordance with ASC 985 “Software” and SAB 104 when the following four criteria are met:

ASC 985 (formerly AICPA SOP No. 98-9) requires that revenue be recognized using the “residual method” in circumstances when vendor specific objective evidence (“VSOE”) exists only for undelivered elements. Under the residual method, revenue is recognized as follows: (1) the total fair value of undelivered elements, as indicated by VSOE, is deferred and subsequently recognized in accordance with the relevant sections of ASC 985, and (2) the difference between the total arrangement fee and the amount deferred for the undelivered elements is recognized as revenue related to the delivered elements.

Licensing and subscription revenues are paid in advance and recognized ratably over the term of the license or subscription period.

While we recognize revenue in accordance with the provisions outlined above, however, factors that may affect our ability to timely recognize revenue include delivery delays caused by us or our customers or untimely revenue reporting by our customers, particularly our cash basis customers.

Impairments and estimation of useful lives of long-lived assets: We periodically assess long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable, in accordance with the provisions of ASC 360 “Property, Plant and Equipment” (formerly SFAS No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets). This statement requires that long-lived assets and certain identifiable intangibles be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in

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circumstances indicate that the carrying amount 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 to future net undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. Fair value is determined based on discounted cash flows or appraised values, depending on the nature of the asset. Also, we periodically review the useful lives of long-lived assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the useful life may have changed. If the estimated useful lives of the assets do change, we adjust the depreciation or amortization period to a shorter or longer period, based on the circumstances identified.

Contingencies and litigation: We periodically evaluate all pending or threatened contingencies or commitments, if any, that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our operations or financial position. We assess the probability of an adverse outcome and determine if it is remote, reasonably possible or probable as defined in accordance with the provisions of ASC 450 “Contingencies” (formerly SFAS No. 5, Accounting for Contingencies). If information available prior to the issuance of our financial statements indicates that it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred at the date of our financial statements, and the amount of the loss, or the range of probable loss can be reasonably estimated, then the loss is accrued and charged to operations. If no accrual is made for a loss contingency because one or both of the conditions pursuant to ASC 450 are not met, but the probability of an adverse outcome is at least reasonably possible, we will disclose the nature of the contingency and provide an estimate of the possible loss or range of loss, or state that such an estimate cannot be made.

Patent Costs: Costs associated with the application and award of patents in the U.S. and various other countries are capitalized and amortized on a straight-line basis over the term of the patents as determined at award date, which varies depending on the pendency period of the application, generally approximating seventeen years. Capitalized patent costs include internal legal labor, professional legal fees, government filing fees and translation fees related to obtaining the Company’s patent portfolio. These costs were expensed in the predecessor financial statements.

Costs associated with the maintenance and annuity fees of patents are accounted for as prepaid assets at the time of payment and amortized over the respective periods, generally from one to four years. These costs were expensed in the predecessor financial statements.

These patent costs are capitalized based on our determination that the related patents provide value through the life of the patent. However, we may subsequently determine a patent should be abandoned or has been impaired which the accumulated cost, including maintenance fees, would be written off. Through December 31, 2009, abandonment or write-offs have not been material either individually or in the aggregate.

Stock-based compensation: We account for stock-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718 (formerly SFAS No. 123(R), Share-Based Payment (Revised 2004)), which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation for all stock-based awards made to employees and directors including stock options and employee stock purchases under a stock purchase plan based on estimated fair values. We use the Black-Scholes option pricing model as our method of valuation for stock- based awards. Our determination of the fair value of stock-based awards on the date of grant using an option pricing model is affected by our stock price as well as assumptions regarding a number of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited, to the expected life of the award, our expected stock price, volatility over the term of the award and actual and projected exercise behaviors. Although the fair value of stock-based awards is determined in accordance with ASC 718, the Black-Scholes option pricing model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions, and other reasonable assumptions could provide differing results. If we have low volatility, we would have a corresponding lower fair value of the stock-based award than if we had a higher volatility. The fair value of restricted stock awards granted is based on the fair market value of our common stock on the date of the grant (measurement date), and is being recognized over the vesting period of the related restricted stock using the straight-line method.

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Results of Operations—the Year Ended December 31, 2009 (successor) compared to the Periods January 1, 2008 through August 1, 2008 (predecessor) and August 2, 2008 through December 31, 2008 (successor)

The following tables present our statements of operations data for the periods indicated.

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Our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2009 decreased 4% to $19.1 million from $19.8 million compared to the combined periods January 1, 2008 through August 1, 2008 and August 2, 2008 through December 31, 2008. The decrease was primarily the result of lower license and royalty revenues from a few of our customers based on a combination of contractual revenue provisions, lower royalty reporting from our licensees whose revenues were lower and receipt of cash from our cash basis customers whose revenues are non-linear in nature, coupled with the effect of general economic conditions, offset in part by increased project work from the consortium of Central Banks. In addition, we incurred higher operating expenses for the periods during which we operated as a stand-alone company.

Revenue

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We derive our revenue primarily from:

Service. Service revenue consists primarily of software development and consulting services. The majority of service revenue arrangements are structured as time and materials consulting agreements, or fixed price consulting agreements. The majority of our services revenue is derived from contracts with the Central Banks, Nielsen, the joint venture TVaura LLC and other government agencies. The agreements range from several months to several years in length, and our longer term contracts are subject to work plans that are reviewed and agreed upon at least annually. These contracts generally provide for billing hours worked at predetermined rates and, to a lesser extent, for cost reimbursement for third party costs and services. Increases or decreases in the services provided under these contracts are generally subject to both volume and price changes. The volume of work is generally negotiated at least annually and can be modified as the customer’s needs arise. We also have provisions in our longer term contracts that allow for specific hourly rate price increases on an annual basis to account for cost of living variables. Contracts with other government agencies are generally shorter term in nature, are less linear in billings and less predictable than our longer terms contracts because the contracts with other government agencies are subject to government budgets and funding.

The increase in service revenue for the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to the combined periods January 1, 2008 through August 1, 2008 and August 2, 2008 through December 31, 2008, was due primarily to increased revenue from additional program work from the Central Banks and government contract revenues that are non-linear in nature, offset in part by lower consulting revenues from Nielsen, including the revenues from the joint venture TVaura LLC, where we were engaged at an accelerated level of services in the initial year of the contract with Nielsen.

License and subscription. License revenue originates primarily from licensing our technology and patents where we receive royalties as our income stream. Subscription revenue consists primarily of royalty revenue from the sale of our web-based subscriptions related to various software products, which are more recurring in nature. Revenues from our licensed products have minimal associated direct costs, and thus are highly profitable.

The decrease in license and subscription revenue for the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to the combined periods January 1, 2008 through August 1, 2008 and August 2, 2008 through December 31, 2008, was due primarily to lower royalty reporting and lower receipts of cash from our cash basis customers largely as a result of general economic conditions.

We anticipate revenue growth in 2010 from our existing customers and from new customers as we expand the marketing and monetization of our intellectual property portfolio.

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Revenue by Geography

Domestic revenue decreased for the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to the combined periods January 1, 2008 through August 1, 2008 and August 2, 2008 through December 31, 2008, due primarily to lower revenues from Nielsen, including the revenues from the joint venture TVaura LLC, and to a lesser extent lower revenues from our royalty reporting licensees.

International revenue slightly increased for the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to the combined periods January 1, 2008 through August 1, 2008 and August 2, 2008 through December 31, 2008, due primarily to increased revenue from the Central Banks, offset by lower revenues from our royalty reporting licensees.

Cost of Revenue

Service. Cost of service revenue primarily includes costs that are allocated from research, development, engineering and sales and marketing that relate directly to performing services under our customer contracts, and to a lesser extent direct costs of program delivery for both personnel and operating expenses. Allocated costs include: