RAMBUS INC - Quarter Report: 2010 June (Form 10-Q)
Table of Contents
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
(Mark One)
þ | QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2010
OR
o | 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: 000-22339
RAMBUS INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 94-3112828 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of | (I.R.S. Employer | |
incorporation or organization) | Identification No.) |
4440 El Camino Real, Los Altos, CA 94022
(Address of principal executive offices) (zip code)
(Address of principal executive offices) (zip code)
Registrants telephone number, including area code: (650) 947-5000
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 þ No o
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 (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months
(or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes
þ No o
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. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer þ | Accelerated filer o | Non-accelerated filer o | Smaller reporting company o | |||
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of
the Exchange Act). Yes o No þ
The number of shares outstanding of the registrants Common Stock, par value $.001 per share,
was 112,025,080 as of June 30, 2010.
RAMBUS INC.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION |
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Item 1. Financial Statements: |
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EX-3.3 | ||||||||
EX-31.1 | ||||||||
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EX-32.2 | ||||||||
EX-101 INSTANCE DOCUMENT | ||||||||
EX-101 SCHEMA DOCUMENT | ||||||||
EX-101 CALCULATION LINKBASE DOCUMENT | ||||||||
EX-101 LABELS LINKBASE DOCUMENT | ||||||||
EX-101 PRESENTATION LINKBASE DOCUMENT | ||||||||
EX-101 DEFINITION LINKBASE DOCUMENT |
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NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (Quarterly Report) contains forward-looking statements.
These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, predictions regarding the following
aspects of our future:
| Outcome and effect of current and potential future intellectual property litigation; | ||
| Litigation expenses; | ||
| Protection of intellectual property; | ||
| Amounts owed under licensing agreements; | ||
| Terms of our licenses; | ||
| Acquisitions, mergers or strategic transactions; | ||
| Indemnification and technical support obligations; | ||
| Success in the markets of our or our licensees products; | ||
| Sources of competition; | ||
| Operating results; | ||
| Research and development costs and improvements in technology; | ||
| Sources, amounts and concentration of revenue, including royalties; | ||
| Effects of changes in the economy and credit market on our industry and business; | ||
| Deterioration of financial health of commercial counterparties and their ability to meet their obligations to us; | ||
| Restructuring activities; | ||
| Growth in our business; | ||
| Product development; | ||
| Pricing policies of our licensees; | ||
| Success in renewing license agreements; | ||
| Engineering, marketing and general and administration expenses; | ||
| Contract revenue; | ||
| International licenses and operations, including our design facility in Bangalore, India; | ||
| Issuances of our securities, which could involve restrictive covenants or be dilutive to our existing stockholders; | ||
| Repurchases of our Common Stock pursuant to share repurchase programs; | ||
| Effective tax rates; | ||
| Realization of deferred tax assets/release of deferred tax valuation allowance; |
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| Methods, estimates and judgments in accounting policies; | ||
| Adoption of new accounting pronouncements; | ||
| Ability to identify, attract, motivate and retain qualified personnel; | ||
| Trading price of our Common Stock; | ||
| Corporate governance; | ||
| Consequences of the lawsuits related to the stock option investigation; | ||
| The level and terms of our outstanding debt; | ||
| Resolution of the governmental agency matters involving us; | ||
| Internal control environment; | ||
| Interest and other income, net; and | ||
| Likelihood of paying dividends or repurchasing stock. |
You can identify these and other forward-looking statements by the use of words such as may,
future, shall, should, expects, plans, anticipates, believes, estimates,
predicts, intends, potential, continue, or the negative of such terms, or other comparable
terminology. Forward-looking statements also include the assumptions underlying or relating to any
of the foregoing statements.
Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking
statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under Item 1A, Risk Factors.
All forward-looking statements included in this document are based on our assessment of information
available to us at this time. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
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RAMBUS INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Unaudited)
June 30, | December 31, | |||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
(In thousands, except shares | ||||||||
and par value) | ||||||||
ASSETS |
||||||||
Current assets: |
||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 334,536 | $ | 289,073 | ||||
Marketable securities |
263,073 | 171,120 | ||||||
Accounts receivable |
244 | 949 | ||||||
Prepaids and other current assets |
10,417 | 8,700 | ||||||
Deferred taxes |
654 | 129 | ||||||
Total current assets |
608,924 | 469,971 | ||||||
Restricted cash |
664 | 639 | ||||||
Deferred taxes |
1,558 | 2,034 | ||||||
Intangible assets, net |
25,153 | 21,660 | ||||||
Property and equipment, net |
39,016 | 38,966 | ||||||
Goodwill |
15,554 | 15,554 | ||||||
Other assets |
6,512 | 7,045 | ||||||
Total assets |
$ | 697,381 | $ | 555,869 | ||||
LIABILITIES |
||||||||
Current liabilities: |
||||||||
Accounts payable |
$ | 9,433 | $ | 8,972 | ||||
Accrued salaries and benefits |
18,926 | 6,435 | ||||||
Accrued litigation expenses |
3,032 | 5,147 | ||||||
Income taxes payable |
896 | 486 | ||||||
Other accrued liabilities |
5,994 | 4,020 | ||||||
Non-cash obligation for construction in progress |
25,900 | 25,100 | ||||||
Convertible notes |
| 136,032 | ||||||
Total current liabilities |
64,181 | 186,192 | ||||||
Convertible notes |
116,184 | 112,012 | ||||||
Long-term income taxes payable |
2,016 | 1,994 | ||||||
Other long-term liabilities |
958 | 344 | ||||||
Total liabilities |
183,339 | 300,542 | ||||||
Commitments and contingencies |
||||||||
Contingently redeemable common stock: |
||||||||
Outstanding: 4,788,125 shares at June 30, 2010 and no shares at December 31, 2009 |
113,500 | | ||||||
STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY |
||||||||
Convertible preferred stock, $.001 par value: |
||||||||
Authorized: 5,000,000 shares |
||||||||
Issued and outstanding: no shares at June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009 |
| | ||||||
Common stock, $.001 par value: |
||||||||
Authorized: 500,000,000 shares |
||||||||
Issued and outstanding: 112,025,080 shares at June 30, 2010 and 105,934,157 shares
at December 31, 2009 |
107 | 106 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
907,481 | 818,992 | ||||||
Accumulated deficit |
(506,872 | ) | (563,858 | ) | ||||
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net |
(174 | ) | 87 | |||||
Total stockholders equity |
400,542 | 255,327 | ||||||
Total liabilities, contingently redeemable common stock and stockholders equity |
$ | 697,381 | $ | 555,869 | ||||
See Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements
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RAMBUS INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
(In thousands, except per share amounts) | ||||||||||||||||
Revenue: |
||||||||||||||||
Royalties |
$ | 38,192 | $ | 24,759 | $ | 198,734 | $ | 50,928 | ||||||||
Contract revenue |
670 | 2,224 | 1,992 | 3,389 | ||||||||||||
Total revenue |
38,862 | 26,983 | 200,726 | 54,317 | ||||||||||||
Operating costs and expenses: |
||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenue* |
1,804 | 1,438 | 3,658 | 3,621 | ||||||||||||
Research and development* |
22,985 | 15,713 | 44,676 | 33,550 | ||||||||||||
Marketing, general and administrative* |
29,408 | 32,563 | 60,935 | 69,719 | ||||||||||||
Costs (recoveries) of restatement and related legal activities |
1,638 | (429 | ) | 2,164 | (14,068 | ) | ||||||||||
Gain from settlement |
(10,300 | ) | | (106,200 | ) | | ||||||||||
Total operating costs and expenses |
45,535 | 49,285 | 5,233 | 92,822 | ||||||||||||
Operating income (loss) |
(6,673 | ) | (22,302 | ) | 195,493 | (38,505 | ) | |||||||||
Interest income and other income, net |
316 | 1,173 | 741 | 2,613 | ||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(3,740 | ) | (2,817 | ) | (9,756 | ) | (5,487 | ) | ||||||||
Interest and other expense, net |
(3,424 | ) | (1,644 | ) | (9,015 | ) | (2,874 | ) | ||||||||
Income (loss) before income taxes |
(10,097 | ) | (23,946 | ) | 186,478 | (41,379 | ) | |||||||||
Provision for income taxes |
2,393 | 25 | 48,069 | 18 | ||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | (12,490 | ) | $ | (23,971 | ) | $ | 138,409 | $ | (41,397 | ) | |||||
Net income (loss) per share: |
||||||||||||||||
Basic |
$ | (0.11 | ) | $ | (0.23 | ) | $ | 1.22 | $ | (0.40 | ) | |||||
Diluted |
$ | (0.11 | ) | $ | (0.23 | ) | $ | 1.18 | $ | (0.40 | ) | |||||
Weighted average shares used in per share calculation |
||||||||||||||||
Basic |
113,321 | 104,675 | 113,227 | 104,536 | ||||||||||||
Diluted |
113,321 | 104,675 | 117,434 | 104,536 | ||||||||||||
|
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* Includes stock-based compensation: |
||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenue |
$ | 29 | $ | 233 | $ | 129 | $ | 623 | ||||||||
Research and development |
$ | 2,703 | $ | 2,214 | $ | 5,272 | $ | 4,954 | ||||||||
Marketing, general and administrative |
$ | 5,199 | $ | 5,403 | $ | 10,364 | $ | 10,692 |
See Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements
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RAMBUS INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
Six Months Ended | ||||||||
June 30, | ||||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
(In thousands) | ||||||||
Cash flows from operating activities: |
||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 138,409 | $ | (41,397 | ) | |||
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities: |
||||||||
Stock-based compensation |
15,765 | 16,269 | ||||||
Depreciation |
4,859 | 5,439 | ||||||
Amortization of intangible assets |
2,288 | 1,526 | ||||||
Non-cash interest expense and amortization of convertible debt issuance costs |
5,444 | 5,445 | ||||||
Deferred tax (benefit) provision |
(49 | ) | 69 | |||||
Loss on sale of marketable security |
72 | | ||||||
Impairment of investment |
| 164 | ||||||
Change in operating assets and liabilities: |
||||||||
Accounts receivable |
705 | (47 | ) | |||||
Prepaids and other assets |
(1,852 | ) | 360 | |||||
Accounts payable |
(325 | ) | 4,050 | |||||
Accrued salaries and benefits and other accrued liabilities |
12,832 | (4,234 | ) | |||||
Accrued litigation expenses |
(2,115 | ) | (5,673 | ) | ||||
Income taxes payable |
432 | (233 | ) | |||||
Increase in restricted cash |
(25 | ) | | |||||
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities |
176,440 | (18,262 | ) | |||||
Cash flows from investing activities: |
||||||||
Acquisition of businesses |
(2,000 | ) | | |||||
Acquisition of intangible assets |
(2,250 | ) | (1,550 | ) | ||||
Purchases of property and equipment |
(2,543 | ) | (1,510 | ) | ||||
Purchases of marketable securities |
(830,436 | ) | (97,008 | ) | ||||
Maturities of marketable securities |
736,632 | 164,165 | ||||||
Proceeds from sale of marketable security |
1,518 | | ||||||
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities |
(99,079 | ) | 64,097 | |||||
Cash flows from financing activities: |
||||||||
Payments under installment payment arrangement |
(1,150 | ) | | |||||
Proceeds received from issuance of contingently redeemable common stock and common stock pursuant
to the settlement agreement with Samsung |
192,000 | | ||||||
Repayment of convertible senior notes |
(136,950 | ) | | |||||
Repurchase and retirement of common stock |
(95,285 | ) | | |||||
Proceeds received from issuance of common stock under employee stock plans |
9,487 | 9,660 | ||||||
Proceeds from issuance of convertible senior notes |
| 150,000 | ||||||
Issuance costs related to the issuance of convertible senior notes |
| (3,750 | ) | |||||
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities |
(31,898 | ) | 155,910 | |||||
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents |
45,463 | 201,745 | ||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period |
289,073 | 116,241 | ||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period |
$ | 334,536 | $ | 317,986 | ||||
Non-cash investing and financing activities: |
||||||||
Increase in non-cash obligation for construction in progress |
$ | 800 | $ | | ||||
Intangible assets acquired under installment payment arrangement |
$ | 731 | $ | | ||||
Fixed assets acquired under installment payment arrangement in a business acquisition |
$ | 350 | $ | |
See Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements
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RAMBUS INC.
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Rambus
Inc. (Rambus or the Company) and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and
transactions have been eliminated in the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements.
Investments in entities with less than 20% ownership or in which the Company does not have the
ability to significantly influence the operations of the investee are being accounted for using the
cost method and are included in other assets.
In the opinion of management, the unaudited consolidated financial statements include all
adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring items) necessary to state fairly the financial
position and results of operations for each interim period presented. Interim results are not
necessarily indicative of results for a full year.
The unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the
rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) applicable to interim
financial information. Certain information and Note disclosures included in the financial
statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles have been omitted
in these interim statements pursuant to such SEC rules and regulations. The information included in
this Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes
thereto in Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The amounts reported for cash equivalents, marketable securities, accounts receivable,
accounts payable, and accrued liabilities are considered to approximate fair value based upon
comparable market information available at the respective balance sheet dates. The Company adopted
the fair value measurement statement (Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting
Standards Codification (ASC) 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures), effective January
1, 2008 for financial assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis. The statement applies
to all financial assets and financial liabilities that are being measured and reported on a fair
value basis and requires disclosure that establishes a framework for measuring fair value and
expands disclosure about fair value measurements. For the discussion regarding the impact of the
adoption of the statement on the Companys marketable securities, see Note 15, Fair Value of
Financial Instruments. Additionally, the Company has adopted the fair value option for financial
assets and financial liabilities, effective January 1, 2008, which permits an entity to choose to
measure many financial instruments and certain other items at fair value at specified election
dates. The Company has not elected the fair value option for financial instruments not already
carried at fair value.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash equivalents are highly liquid investments with original maturity of three months or less
at the date of purchase. The Company maintains its cash balances with high quality financial
institutions. The cash equivalent balances are invested in highly-rated and highly-liquid money
market securities.
Marketable Securities
Available-for-sale securities are carried at fair value, based on quoted market prices, with
the unrealized gains or losses reported, net of tax, in stockholders equity as part of accumulated
other comprehensive income (loss). The amortized cost of debt securities is adjusted for
amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts to maturity, both of which are included in
interest and other expense, net. Realized gains and losses are recorded on the specific
identification method and are included in interest income and other income, net. The Company
reviews its investments in marketable securities for possible other than temporary impairments on a
regular basis. If any loss on investment is believed to be a credit loss, a charge will be
recognized in operations. In evaluating whether a credit loss on a debt security has occurred, the
Company considers the following factors: 1) the Companys intent to sell the security, 2) if the
Company intends to hold the security, whether or not it is more likely than not that the Company
will be required to sell the security before recovery of the securitys amortized cost basis, and
3) even if the Company intends to hold the security, whether or not the Company expects the
security to recover the entire amortized cost basis. Due to the high credit quality and short term
nature of the
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Companys investments, there have been no credit losses recorded to date. The classification
of funds between short-term and long-term is based on whether the securities are available for use
in operations or other purposes.
Non-Marketable Securities
The Company has an investment in a non-marketable equity security of a private company which
is carried at cost. The Company monitors the investments for other-than-temporary impairment and
records appropriate reductions in carrying value when necessary. The non-marketable security is
classified as other non-current assets in the consolidated balance sheets.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In September 2009, the Emerging Issues Task Force (the EITF) reached final consensus under
ASU No. 2009-13 on the issue related to revenue arrangements with multiple deliverables. This issue
addresses how to determine whether an arrangement involving multiple deliverables contains more
than one unit of accounting and how arrangement consideration should be measured and allocated to
the separate units of accounting. This issue is effective for the Companys revenue arrangements
entered into or materially modified on or after January 1, 2011. The Company will evaluate the
impact of this issue on the Companys financial statements when reviewing its new or materially
modified revenue arrangements with multiple deliverables once this issue becomes effective.
3. Settlement Agreement with Samsung
On January 19, 2010, the Company, Samsung and certain related entities of Samsung entered into
a Settlement Agreement (the Settlement Agreement) to release all claims against each other with
respect to all outstanding litigation between them and certain other potential claims. Under the
Settlement Agreement, Samsung has paid the Company $200.0 million in cash in two installments in
the first quarter of 2010, and the parties released all claims against each other with respect to
all outstanding litigation between them and certain other potential claims. Pursuant to the
Settlement Agreement, the Company and Samsung entered into a Semiconductor Patent License Agreement
on January 19, 2010 (the License Agreement), under which Samsung licenses from the Company
non-exclusive rights to certain Rambus patents and has agreed to pay the Company cash amounts equal
to $25.0 million per quarter, commencing in the first quarter of 2010, subject to certain
adjustments and conditions, over the next five years, as described in more details below. In
addition, as part of the Settlement Agreement, Samsung purchased approximately 9.6 million shares
of common stock of Rambus for cash pursuant to the terms of a Stock Purchase Agreement dated
January 19, 2010 (the Stock Purchase Agreement), as described in more details below. Finally,
pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, the Company and Samsung signed a non-binding memorandum of
understanding relating to discussions around a new generation of memory technologies. On an
aggregate basis, Samsung is expected to make payments to the Company totaling approximately $900.0
million (subject to adjustments per the terms of the License Agreement) from these agreements
(collectively, Samsung Settlement), of which $450.0 million has been paid through June 30, 2010.
The remaining $450.0 million is expected to be paid in successive quarterly payments of
approximately $25.0 million (subject to adjustments per the terms of the License Agreement)
concluding in the three month period ending December 31, 2014.
Under the License Agreement, the Company has granted to Samsung and its subsidiaries (i) a
paid-up perpetual patent license for certain identified Samsung DRAM products (these Samsung DRAM
products generally include all existing DRAM products aside from the Rambus proprietary products)
and (ii) a five-year term patent license to all other semiconductor products. Each license is a
non-exclusive, non-transferable, royalty-bearing, worldwide patent license, without the right to
sublicense, solely under the applicable patent claims of Rambus for such licensed products, to make
(including have made), use, sell, offer for sale and/or import such licensed products until the
expiration or termination of the license pursuant to the terms of the License Agreement. The
License Agreement requires that Samsung pay the Company cash payments over the next five years of
(i) a fixed amount of $25.0 million each quarter during 2010 and the first two quarters of 2011,
and (ii) thereafter, $25.0 million adjusted up or down based on certain levels of Samsung revenue
for DRAM products licensed under the License Agreement for each quarter after 2010 and subject to a
minimum of $10.0 million and a maximum of $40.0 million for each quarter. In addition, additional
payments or certain adjustments to the payments by Samsung to the Company under the License
Agreement may be due for certain acquisitions of businesses or assets by Samsung involving licensed
products. The License Agreement and the licenses granted thereunder may be terminated upon a
material breach by a party of its obligations under the agreement, a bankruptcy event involving a
party or a change of control of Samsung subject to certain conditions.
Under the Stock Purchase Agreement, on January 19, 2010, Samsung purchased for cash from the
Company 9.6 million shares of common stock of the Company (the Shares) with certain restrictions
and put rights. The number of shares issued was based on a price per share equal to $20.885 (which
was the average of the open and close trading price of Rambus common stock on The
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NASDAQ Global Select Market on January 15, 2010, the last trading day prior to the date of the
Stock Purchase Agreement). The Shares represent approximately 8.3% of the total outstanding shares
of Rambus common stock after giving effect to the issuance thereof. The issuance of the Shares by
the Company to Samsung was made through a private transaction. The Stock Purchase Agreement
provides Samsung a one-time put right, beginning 18 months after the date of the Stock Purchase
Agreement and extending to 19 months after the date of the Stock Purchase Agreement, to elect to
put back to the Company up to 4.8 million of the Shares at the original issue price of $20.885 per
share (for an aggregate purchase price of up to $100.0 million).
The Stock Purchase Agreement prohibits the transfer of the Shares by Samsung for 18 months
after the date of the Stock Purchase Agreement, subject to certain exceptions. After expiration of
the transfer restriction period, the Stock Purchase Agreement provides that Samsung may transfer a
limited number of shares on a daily basis, provides Rambus with a right of first offer for proposed
transfers above such daily limits, and, if no sale occurs to Rambus under the right of first offer,
allows Samsung to transfer the Shares. Under the Stock Purchase Agreement, the Company has also
agreed that after the transfer restriction period, Samsung will have certain rights to register the
Shares for sale under the securities laws of the United States, subject to customary terms and
conditions.
In addition, until 18 months after the date of the Stock Purchase Agreement, subject to
customary exceptions, Samsung is subject to a standstill agreement that prohibits Samsung from,
among other things, acquiring additional shares of common stock of the Company, commencing or
endorsing any tender offer or exchange offer for shares of common stock of the Company,
participating in any solicitation of proxies with respect to voting any shares of common stock of
the Company, or announcing or submitting any proposal or offer concerning any extraordinary
transaction involving the Company. Samsung is also subject to a voting agreement under the Stock
Purchase Agreement that provides that Samsung will vote its Shares in favor of routine proposals
(related to election of directors, certain compensation matters, authorized share capital increases
and approval of the independent auditors) that are recommended by the Board of Directors of the
Company at any stockholder meeting. In all other matters, the voting agreement contained in the
Stock Purchase Agreement requires that Samsung vote its Shares in the same proportion as the votes
that are cast by all other holders of shares of common stock of the Company. The voting agreement
under the Stock Purchase Agreement terminates (i) with respect to Shares that Samsung transfers in
accordance with the provisions of the Stock Purchase Agreement, (ii) upon a change of control or
bankruptcy event involving the Company or (iii) when Samsung owns less than 3% of the outstanding
shares of common stock of the Company.
The Samsung Settlement is a multiple element arrangement for accounting purposes. For the
multiple element arrangement, the Company identified each element of the arrangement and determined
when those elements should be recognized. Using the accounting guidance from multiple element
revenue arrangements, the Company allocated the consideration to each element using the estimated
fair value of the elements. The Company considered several factors in determining the accounting
fair value of the elements of the Samsung Settlement which included a third party valuation using
an income approach, the Black-Scholes option pricing model and a residual approach (collectively
the Fair Value). The inputs and assumptions used in this valuation were from a market participant
perspective and included projected revenue, royalty rates, estimated discount rates, useful lives
and income tax rates, among others. The development of a number of these inputs and assumptions in
the model requires a significant amount of management judgment and is based upon a number of
factors, including the selection of industry comparables, market growth rates and other relevant
factors. Changes in any number of these assumptions may have had a substantial impact on the Fair
Value as assigned to each element. These inputs and assumptions represent managements best
estimates at the time of the transaction.
Based on the estimated Fair Value, the consideration of $900.0 million was allocated to the
following elements:
Estimated Fair | ||||
(in millions) | Value | |||
Settlement Agreement: |
||||
Antitrust litigation settlement |
$ | 85.0 | ||
Settlement of past infringement |
190.0 | |||
License Agreement |
385.0 | |||
Stock Purchase Agreement |
192.0 | |||
Memorandum of understanding (MOU) |
| |||
Residual value |
48.0 | |||
Total |
$ | 900.0 | ||
The consideration of $900.0 million will be recognized in the Companys financial statements
as follows:
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| $575.0 million as revenue which represented the estimated Fair Value of the settlement of past infringement ($190.0 million) from the resolution of the infringement litigation and the patent license agreement ($385.0 million); | ||
| $133.0 million to gain from settlement which represented the Fair Value of the resolution of the antitrust litigation ($85.0 million) and the residual value of other elements ($48.0 million) where specific fair value could not be determined, which included other claims and counter claims released; | ||
| $192.0 million related to the Stock Purchase Agreement which included contingently redeemable common stock due to the restrictions and contractual put rights associated with those shares ($113.5 million) and restricted common stock issued to Samsung ($78.5 million). |
During the first quarter of 2010, the Company received cash consideration of $425.0 million
from Samsung. The amount allocated to the common stock issued to Samsung was allocated to
contingently redeemable common stock ($113.5 million) and stockholders equity ($78.5 million). The
remaining $233.0 million was allocated between revenue ($137.1 million) and gain from settlement
($95.9 million) based on the remaining elements estimated Fair Value.
During the second quarter of 2010, the Company received cash consideration of $25.0 million
from Samsung. The amount was allocated between revenue ($14.7 million) and gain from settlement
($10.3 million) based on the estimated Fair Value for the remaining elements.
The remaining $450.0 million is expected to be paid in successive quarterly payments of
approximately $25.0 million (subject to adjustments per the terms of the License Agreement),
concluding in the last quarter of 2014.
The first half of 2010 and the remaining future cash receipts from the agreements with Samsung
are expected to be recognized as follows assuming no adjustments to the payments under the terms of
the agreements:
Six months | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ended June | Remainder | Estimated | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
30, 2010 | of 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | Fair Value | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(in millions) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 151.8 | $ | 29.4 | $ | 93.8 | $ | 100.0 | $ | 100.0 | $ | 100.0 | $ | 575.0 | ||||||||||||||
Gain from settlement |
106.2 | 20.6 | 6.2 | | | | 133.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Purchase of Rambus Common Stock |
192.0 | | | | | | 192.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 450.0 | $ | 50.0 | $ | 100.0 | $ | 100.0 | $ | 100.0 | $ | 100.0 | $ | 900.0 | ||||||||||||||
4. Revenue Recognition
Overview
The Company recognizes revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, it has
delivered the product or performed the service, the fee is fixed or determinable and collection is
reasonably assured. If any of these criteria are not met, the Company defers recognizing the
revenue until such time as all criteria are met. Determination of whether or not these criteria
have been met may require the Company to make judgments, assumptions and estimates based upon
current information and historical experience.
The Companys revenue consists of royalty revenue and contract revenue generated from
agreements with semiconductor companies, system companies and certain reseller arrangements.
Royalty revenue consists of patent license and technology license royalties. Contract revenue
consist of fixed license fees, fixed engineering fees and service fees associated with integration
of the Companys technology solutions into its customers products. Contract revenue may also
include support or maintenance. Reseller arrangements generally provide for the pass-through of a
percentage of the fees paid to the reseller by the resellers customer for use of the Companys
patent and technology licenses. The Company does not recognize revenue for these arrangements until
it has received notice of revenue earned by and paid to the reseller, accompanied by the
pass-through payment from the reseller. The Company does not pay commissions to the reseller for
these arrangements.
In addition, the Company may enter into certain settlements of patent infringement disputes.
The amount of consideration received upon any settlement (including but not limited to past royalty
payments, future royalty payments and punitive damages) is allocated to each element of the
settlement based on the estimated fair value of each element. In addition, revenues related to past
royalties are recognized upon execution of the agreement by both parties, provided that the amounts
are fixed or determinable, there are no significant obligations and collectability is reasonably
assured. The Company does not recognize any revenue prior to execution of the agreement since there
is no reliable basis on which it can estimate the amounts for royalties related to previous periods
or assess
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collectability. Elements that are related to royalty revenue in nature (including but not
limited to past royalty payments and future royalty payments) will be recorded as royalty revenue
in the consolidated statements of operations. Elements that are not related to royalty revenue in
nature (including but not limited to punitive damage and settlement) will be recorded as gain from
settlement which is reflected as a separate line item within the operating expenses section in the
consolidated statements of operations.
Many of the Companys licensees have the right to cancel their licenses. In such arrangements,
revenue is only recognized to the extent that is consistent with the cancellation provisions.
Cancellation provisions within such contracts generally provide for a prospective cancellation with
no refund of fees already remitted by customers for products provided and payment for services
rendered prior to the date of cancellation. Unbilled receivables represent enforceable claims and
are deemed collectible in connection with the Companys revenue recognition policy.
Royalty Revenue
The Company recognizes royalty revenue upon notification by its licensees and when deemed
collectible. The terms of the royalty agreements generally either require licensees to give the
Company notification and to pay the royalties within 60 days of the end of the quarter during which
the sales occur or are based on a fixed royalty that is due within 45 days of the end of the
quarter. The Company has two types of royalty revenue: (1) patent license royalties and (2)
technology license royalties.
Patent licenses. The Company licenses its broad portfolio of patented inventions to
semiconductor and systems companies who use these inventions in the development and manufacture of
their own products. Such licensing agreements may cover the license of part, or all, of the
Companys patent portfolio. The contractual terms of the agreements generally provide for payments
over an extended period of time. For the licensing agreements with fixed royalty payments, the
Company generally recognizes revenue from these arrangements as amounts become due. For the
licensing agreements with variable royalty payments which can be based on either a percentage of
sales or number of units sold, the Company earns royalties at the time that the licensees sales
occur. The Companys licensees, however, do not report and pay royalties owed for sales in any
given quarter until after the conclusion of that quarter. As the Company is unable to estimate the
licensees sales in any given quarter to determine the royalties due to the Company, the Company
recognizes royalty revenues based on royalties reported by licensees during the quarter and when
other revenue recognition criteria are met.
Technology licenses. The Company develops proprietary and industry-standard chip interface
products, such as RDRAMtm and XDRtm that the Company
provides to its customers under technology license agreements. These arrangements include
royalties, which can be based on either a percentage of sales or number of units sold. The Company
earns royalties on such licensed products sold worldwide by its licensees at the time that the
licensees sales occur. The Companys licensees, however, do not report and pay royalties owed for
sales in any given quarter until after the conclusion of that quarter. As the Company is unable to
estimate the licensees sales in any given quarter to determine the royalties due to the Company,
the Company recognizes royalty revenues based on royalties reported by licensees during the quarter
and when other revenue recognition criteria are met.
Contract Revenue
The Company generally recognizes revenue using percentage of completion for development
contracts related to licenses of its interface solutions, such as XDRtm and
FlexIOtm that involve significant engineering and integration services. For all
license and service agreements accounted for using the percentage-of-completion method, the Company
determines progress to completion using input measures based upon contract costs incurred compared
to the total costs including the remaining estimated cost to completion. Part of these contract
fees may be due upon the achievement of certain milestones, such as provision of certain
deliverables by the Company or production of chips by the licensee. The remaining fees may be due
on pre-determined dates and include significant up-front fees.
A provision for estimated losses on fixed price contracts is made, if necessary, in the period
in which the loss becomes probable and can be reasonably estimated. If the Company determines that
it is necessary to revise the estimates of the total costs required to complete a contract, the
total amount of revenue recognized over the life of the contract would not be affected. However, to
the extent the new assumptions regarding the total efforts necessary to complete a project are less
than the original assumptions, the contract fees would be recognized sooner than originally
expected. Conversely, if the newly estimated total efforts necessary to complete a project are
longer than the original assumptions, the contract fees will be recognized over a longer period. As
of June 30, 2010, the Company has accrued a liability of approximately $0.2 million related to
estimated loss contracts.
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If application of the percentage-of-completion method results in recognizable revenue prior to
an invoicing event under a customer contract, the Company will recognize the revenue and record an
unbilled receivable. Amounts invoiced to the Companys customers in excess of recognizable revenue
are recorded as deferred revenue. The timing and amounts invoiced to customers can vary
significantly depending on specific contract terms and can therefore have a significant impact on
deferred revenue or unbilled receivables in any given period.
The Company also recognizes revenue in accordance with software revenue recognition methods
for development contracts related to licenses of its chip interface products that involve
non-essential engineering services and post contract support (PCS). These software revenue
recognition methods apply to all entities that earn revenue on products containing software, where
software is not incidental to the product as a whole. Contract fees for the products and services
provided under these arrangements are comprised of license fees and engineering service fees which
are not essential to the functionality of the product. The Companys rates for PCS and for
engineering services are specific to each development contract and not standardized in terms of
rates or length. Because of these characteristics, the Company does not have a sufficient
population of contracts from which to derive vendor specific objective evidence for each of the
elements.
Therefore, after the Company delivers the product, if the only undelivered element is PCS, the
Company will recognize all revenue ratably over either the contractual PCS period or the period
during which PCS is expected to be provided. The Company reviews assumptions regarding the PCS
periods on a regular basis. If the Company determines that it is necessary to revise the estimates
of the support periods, the total amount of revenue to be recognized over the life of the contract
would not be affected.
5. Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Rambus comprehensive income (loss) consists of its net income (loss) plus other comprehensive
income (loss) consisting of unrealized gains and losses on marketable securities, net of taxes.
The components of comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, are as follows:
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
(In thousands) | 2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | ||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | (12,490 | ) | $ | (23,971 | ) | $ | 138,409 | $ | (41,397 | ) | |||||
Other comprehensive income (loss): |
||||||||||||||||
Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities, net of tax |
64 | 482 | (261 | ) | (55 | ) | ||||||||||
Total comprehensive income (loss) |
$ | (12,426 | ) | $ | (23,489 | ) | $ | 138,148 | $ | (41,452 | ) | |||||
6. Equity Incentive Plans and Stock-Based Compensation
Stock Option Plans
As of June 30, 2010, 5,522,821 shares of the 14,900,000 shares approved under the 2006 Plan
remain available for grant. The 2006 Plan is now the Companys only plan for providing stock-based
incentive compensation to eligible employees, executive officers, non-employee directors and
consultants.
A summary of shares available for grant under the Companys plans is as follows:
Shares Available | ||||
for Grant | ||||
Shares available as of December 31, 2009 |
7,462,394 | |||
Stock options granted |
(1,725,323 | ) | ||
Stock options forfeited |
868,117 | |||
Stock options expired under former plans |
(792,567 | ) | ||
Nonvested equity stock and stock units granted (1) |
(331,404 | ) | ||
Nonvested equity stock and stock units forfeited (1) |
41,604 | |||
Total available for grant as of June 30, 2010 |
5,522,821 | |||
(1) | For purposes of determining the number of shares available for grant under the 2006 Plan against the maximum number of shares authorized, each restricted stock granted reduces the number of shares available for grant by 1.5 shares and each restricted stock forfeited increases shares available for grant by 1.5 shares. |
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General Stock Option Information
The following table summarizes stock option activity under the 1997, 1999 and 2006 Plans for
the six months ended June 30, 2010 and information regarding stock options outstanding,
exercisable, and vested and expected to vest as of June 30, 2010.
Options Outstanding | ||||||||||||||||
Weighted | ||||||||||||||||
Weighted | Average | |||||||||||||||
Average | Remaining | Aggregate | ||||||||||||||
Number of | Exercise Price | Contractual | Intrinsic | |||||||||||||
Shares | Per Share | Term | Value | |||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts) | ||||||||||||||||
Outstanding as of December 31, 2009 |
14,456,110 | $ | 20.95 | |||||||||||||
Options granted |
1,725,323 | 22.79 | ||||||||||||||
Options exercised |
(515,856 | ) | 13.51 | |||||||||||||
Options forfeited |
(868,117 | ) | 43.68 | |||||||||||||
Outstanding as of June 30, 2010 |
14,797,460 | 20.09 | 5.71 | $ | 34,428 | |||||||||||
Vested or expected to vest at June 30, 2010 |
14,067,334 | 20.41 | 5.67 | 30,140 | ||||||||||||
Options exercisable at June 30, 2010 |
9,908,957 | 21.14 | 4.60 | 22,151 |
The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pre-tax intrinsic value
for in-the-money options at June 30, 2010, based on the $17.52 closing stock price of Rambus
Common Stock on June 30, 2010 on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, which would have been received by
the option holders had all option holders exercised their options as of that date. The total number
of in-the-money options outstanding and exercisable as of June 30, 2010 was 5,538,076 and
4,083,268, respectively.
Employee Stock Purchase Plans
Under the 2006 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), the Company issued 161,293 shares at a
price of $13.56 per share during the six months ended June 30, 2010. The Company issued 254,748
shares at a price of $8.06 per share during the six months ended June 30, 2009. As of June 30,
2010, 685,563 shares under the 2006 ESPP remained available for issuance.
Stock-Based Compensation
For the six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009, the Company maintained stock plans covering a
broad range of potential equity grants including stock options, nonvested equity stock and equity
stock units and performance based instruments. In addition, the Company sponsors an ESPP, whereby
eligible employees are entitled to purchase Common Stock semi-annually, by means of limited payroll
deductions, at a 15% discount from the fair market value of the Common Stock as of specific dates.
Stock Options
During the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, Rambus granted 138,350 and 1,725,323
stock options, respectively, with an estimated total grant-date fair value of $2.0 million and
$22.9 million, respectively. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, Rambus recorded
stock-based compensation related to stock options of $6.0 million and $11.7 million, respectively.
During the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, Rambus granted 33,844 and 1,383,613 stock
options, respectively, with an estimated total grant-date fair value of $0.3 million and $8.9
million, respectively. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, Rambus recorded
stock-based compensation related to stock options of $6.0 million and $12.6 million, respectively.
As of June 30, 2010, there was $44.9 million of total unrecognized compensation cost, net of
expected forfeitures, related to non-vested stock-based compensation arrangements granted under the
stock option plans. That cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 3.3
years. The total fair value of shares vested as of June 30, 2010 was $158.6 million.
The total intrinsic value of options exercised was $3.3 million and $5.2 million for the three
and six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively. The total intrinsic value of options exercised
was $0.9 million and $5.0 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, respectively.
Intrinsic value is the total value of exercised shares based on the price of the Companys common
stock at the time of exercise less the cash received from the employees to exercise the options.
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During the six months ended June 30, 2010, net proceeds from employee stock option exercises
totaled approximately $7.0 million.
Employee Stock Purchase Plans
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company recorded compensation expense
related to the ESPP of $0.4 million and $0.9 million, respectively. For the three and six months
ended June 30, 2009, the Company recorded compensation expense related to the ESPP of $0.5 million
and $1.0 million, respectively. As of June 30, 2010, there was $0.6 million of total unrecognized
compensation cost related to stock-based compensation arrangements granted under the ESPP. That
cost is expected to be recognized over four months.
There were no tax benefits realized as a result of employee stock option exercises, stock
purchase plan purchases, and vesting of equity stock and stock units for the three and six months
ended June 30, 2010 and 2009 calculated in accordance with accounting for share-based payments.
Valuation Assumptions
The fair value of stock awards is estimated as of the grant date using the
Black-Scholes-Merton (BSM) option-pricing model assuming a dividend yield of 0% and the
additional weighted-average assumptions as listed in the following tables:
Stock Option Plans | ||||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
Stock Option Plans |
||||||||||||||||
Expected stock price volatility |
69 | % | 94 | % | 61-69 | % | 94-96 | % | ||||||||
Risk free interest rate |
3.2 | % | 2.1 | % | 2.4-3.2 | % | 1.8-2.1 | % | ||||||||
Expected term (in years) |
6.1 | 5.8 | 5.9 6.1 | 5.3 5.8 | ||||||||||||
Weighted-average fair value of stock options granted |
$ | 14.38 | $ | 9.18 | $ | 13.27 | $ | 6.45 |
Employee Stock Purchase Plan | ||||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
Employee Stock Purchase Plan |
||||||||||||||||
Expected stock price volatility |
54 | % | 92 | % | 54 | % | 92 | % | ||||||||
Risk free interest rate |
0.3 | % | 0.3 | % | 0.3 | % | 0.3 | % | ||||||||
Expected term (in years) |
0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | ||||||||||||
Weighted-average fair value of
purchase rights granted under the
purchase plan |
$ | 7.46 | $ | 4.97 | $ | 7.46 | $ | 4.97 |
Nonvested Equity Stock and Stock Units
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company granted nonvested equity stock
units to certain officers and employees totaling 50,000 shares and 220,936 shares under the 2006
Plan, respectively. These awards have a service condition, generally a service period of four
years, except in the case of grants to directors, for which the service period is one year. The
nonvested equity stock units were valued at the date of grant giving them a fair value of
approximately $1.0 million and $4.9 million, respectively. The Company occasionally grants
nonvested equity stock units to its employees with vesting subject to the achievement of certain
performance conditions. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, the achievement of
certain performance conditions for certain performance equity stock units was considered probable,
and as a result, the Company recognized an immaterial amount of stock-based compensation expense
related to these performance stock units.
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company recorded stock-based
compensation expense of approximately $1.5 million and $3.1 million, respectively, related to all
outstanding unvested equity stock grants. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, the
Company recorded stock-based compensation expense of approximately $1.4 million and $2.7 million,
respectively, related to all outstanding unvested equity stock grants. Unrecognized stock-based
compensation related to all nonvested equity stock grants, net of estimated forfeitures, was
approximately $10.4 million at June 30, 2010. This is expected to be recognized over a weighted
average of 2.2 years.
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The following table reflects the activity related to nonvested equity stock and stock units
for the six months ended June 30, 2010:
Weighted- | ||||||||
Average | ||||||||
Grant-Date | ||||||||
Nonvested Equity Stock and Stock Units | Shares | Fair Value | ||||||
Nonvested at December 31, 2009 |
783,976 | $ | 16.24 | |||||
Granted |
220,936 | 22.38 | ||||||
Vested |
(125,977 | ) | 17.24 | |||||
Forfeited |
(27,736 | ) | 18.76 | |||||
Nonvested at June 30, 2010 |
851,199 | 17.60 | ||||||
7. Marketable Securities
Rambus invests its excess cash and cash equivalents primarily in U.S. government agency and
treasury notes, commercial paper, corporate notes and bonds, money market funds and municipal notes
and bonds that mature within three years.
All cash equivalents and marketable securities are classified as available-for-sale and are
summarized as follows:
June 30, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gross | Gross | Weighted | ||||||||||||||||||
Unrealized | Unrealized | Rate of | ||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | Fair Value | Amortized Cost | Gains | Losses | Return | |||||||||||||||
Money Market Funds |
$ | 330,211 | $ | 330,211 | $ | | $ | | 0.01 | % | ||||||||||
U.S. Government Bonds and Notes |
230,260 | 230,139 | 133 | (12 | ) | 0.42 | % | |||||||||||||
Corporate Notes, Bonds and Commercial Paper |
32,634 | 32,647 | 10 | (23 | ) | 0.47 | % | |||||||||||||
Corporate Securities |
179 | 172 | 7 | | 0.00 | % | ||||||||||||||
Total cash equivalents and marketable securities |
593,284 | 593,169 | 150 | (35 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Cash |
4,325 | 4,325 | | | ||||||||||||||||
Total cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities |
$ | 597,609 | $ | 597,494 | $ | 150 | $ | (35 | ) | |||||||||||
December 31, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gross | Gross | Weighted | ||||||||||||||||||
Unrealized | Unrealized | Rate of | ||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | Fair Value | Amortized Cost | Gains | Losses | Return | |||||||||||||||
Money Market Funds |
$ | 280,908 | $ | 280,908 | $ | | $ | | 0.01 | % | ||||||||||
U.S. Government Bonds and Notes |
138,829 | 138,521 | 377 | (69 | ) | 1.09 | % | |||||||||||||
Corporate Notes, Bonds and Commercial Paper |
32,291 | 32,222 | 70 | (1 | ) | 1.89 | % | |||||||||||||
Total cash equivalents and marketable securities |
452,028 | 451,651 | 447 | (70 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Cash |
8,165 | 8,165 | | | ||||||||||||||||
Total cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities |
$ | 460,193 | $ | 459,816 | $ | 447 | $ | (70 | ) | |||||||||||
Available-for-sale securities are reported at fair value on the balance sheets and classified
as follows:
June 30, | December 31, | |||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||
Cash equivalents |
$ | 330,211 | $ | 280,908 | ||||
Short term marketable securities |
263,073 | 171,120 | ||||||
Total cash equivalents and marketable securities |
593,284 | 452,028 | ||||||
Cash |
4,325 | 8,165 | ||||||
Total cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities |
$ | 597,609 | $ | 460,193 | ||||
The Company continues to invest in high quality, highly liquid debt securities that mature
within three years. The Company holds all of its marketable securities as available-for-sale, marks
them to market, and regularly reviews its portfolio to ensure adherence to its investment policy
and to monitor individual investments for risk analysis, proper valuation, and unrealized losses
that may be other than temporary. As of June 30, 2010, marketable debt securities with a fair value
of $59.2 million, which mature within one year, had insignificant unrealized losses. The Company
has no intent to sell, there is no requirement to sell and the Company believes that it can recover
the amortized cost of these investments. The Company has found no evidence of impairment due to
credit losses in its portfolio. Therefore, these unrealized losses were recorded in other
comprehensive income (loss). However, the Company cannot
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provide any assurance that its portfolio of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities
will not be impacted by adverse conditions in the financial markets, which may require the Company
in the future to record an impairment charge for credit losses which could adversely impact its
financial results.
The estimated fair value of cash equivalents and marketable securities classified by date of
contractual maturity and the associated unrealized gain, net, at June 30, 2010 and December 31,
2009 are as follows:
As of | Unrealized Gain, net | |||||||||||||||
June 30, | December 31, | June 30, | December 31, | |||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Contractual maturity: |
||||||||||||||||
Due within one year |
$ | 593,284 | $ | 419,054 | $ | 115 | $ | 250 | ||||||||
Due from one year through three years |
| 32,974 | | 127 | ||||||||||||
$ | 593,284 | $ | 452,028 | $ | 115 | $ | 377 | |||||||||
The unrealized gains, net, were insignificant in relation to the Companys total
available-for-sale portfolio. The unrealized gains, net, can be primarily attributed to a
combination of market conditions as well as the demand for and duration of the Companys U.S.
government bonds and notes. See Note 15, Fair Value of Financial Instruments, for fair value
discussion regarding the Companys cash equivalents and marketable securities.
8. Commitments and Contingencies
On December 15, 2009, the Company entered into a definitive triple net space lease agreement
with MT SPE, LLC (the Landlord) whereby the Company leases approximately 125,000 square feet of
office space located at 1050 Enterprise Way in Sunnyvale, California (the Sunnyvale Lease). The
office space will be used for the Companys corporate headquarters, as well as engineering,
marketing and administrative operations and activities. The Company plans to move to the new
premises in the second half of 2010 following completion of leasehold improvements. The Sunnyvale
Lease has a term of 120 months from the commencement date. The initial annual base rent is $3.7
million, subject to a full abatement of rent for the first six months of the Sunnyvale Lease
term. The annual base rent increases each year to certain fixed amounts over the course of the term
as set forth in the Sunnyvale Lease and will be $4.8 million in the tenth year. In addition to the
base rent, the Company will also pay operating expenses, insurance expenses, real estate taxes and
a management fee. The Company has two options to extend the Sunnyvale Lease for a period of 60
months each and a one-time option to terminate the Sunnyvale Lease after 84 months in exchange for
an early termination fee.
During the first quarter of 2010, the Company began a build-out of this facility and expects to
incur approximately $15.3 million in construction costs. Under the terms of the Sunnyvale Lease,
the landlord has agreed to reimburse the Company approximately $9.1 million of this amount. Because
certain improvements to be constructed by the Company are considered structural in nature and the
Company is responsible for any cost overruns, for accounting purposes the Company is treated as the
owner of the construction project for the effect of lessee involvement in asset construction.
Therefore, the Company has capitalized $25.1 million in property and equipment based on the
estimated fair value of the portion of the building that it will occupy with a corresponding
liability for construction in progress. The fair value was determined as of December 15, 2009 using
level 3 fair value inputs (See Note 15, Fair Value of Financial Instruments, for discussion on
level 3 inputs) and the cost approach which measures the value of an asset as the cost to
reconstruct or replace it with another asset of like utility.
Upon completion of construction, the Company will apply sale-leaseback accounting. At that
time, the Company will determine whether the lease will be treated as a capital or operating lease.
On March 8, 2010, the Company entered into a lease agreement with Fogg-Brecksville Development
Co. (the Ohio Landlord) for 24,814 square feet of space consisting of 7,158 square feet of office
area and 17,656 square feet of warehouse area, located in Brecksville, Ohio (the Ohio Lease). The
Company plans to move to the new premises in the third quarter of 2010 following completion of
leasehold improvements. The warehouse area will be converted into office space and manufacturing
space. The office space will be used for the Lighting and Display Technology (LDT) groups
engineering activities while the manufacturing space will be used for the manufacturer of
prototypes for the LDT group. The Ohio Lease has a term of 60 months from the commencement
date which is the earlier of (i) the date upon which the Company first takes occupancy of the premises once the
construction work is completed or (ii) the first day of the month following completion and notification by
the lessor to the Company of completion of construction of the building. The initial annual base rent is approximately $136,000. In addition to the base rent, the
Company will also pay operating expenses, insurance expenses, real estate taxes and a management
fee. The Company has an option to extend the Lease for an additional period of 60 months.
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During the first quarter of 2010, the Company began a build-out of this facility and expects
to incur approximately $1.6 million in construction costs. Because certain improvements to be
constructed by the Company are considered structural in nature and the Company is responsible for
any cost overruns, for accounting purposes the Company is treated as the owner of the construction
project for the effect of lessee involvement in asset construction. Therefore, the Company has
capitalized $0.8 million in property and equipment based on the estimated fair value of the portion
of the building that it will occupy with a corresponding liability for construction in progress.
The fair value was determined as of March 8, 2010 using level 3 fair value inputs and the cost
approach which measures the value of an asset as the cost to reconstruct or replace it with another
asset of like utility. Upon completion of construction in the third quarter of 2010, the Company
will account for the arrangement as a financing arrangement as sale-leaseback accounting cannot be
applied. The building will be reflected as an asset on the Companys balance sheets throughout the
term of the lease. The rental payments will be treated as interest expense recorded on a
straight-line basis over the term of the lease and the building will be depreciated on a
straight-line basis over a period of 15 years.. At the end of the lease term in 2015, the Company
has an option to renew the lease for an additional 60 months. Should the Company decide not to
renew the lease, the Company would reverse the net book value of the building and the corresponding
financing liability and record the difference as a gain.
On June 29, 2009, the Company entered into an Indenture by and between the Company and U.S.
Bank, National Association, as trustee, relating to the issuance by the Company of $150.0 million
aggregate principal amount of 5% convertible senior notes due June 15, 2014 (the 2014 Notes). On
July 10, 2009, an additional $22.5 million in aggregate principal amount of 2014 Notes were issued
as a result of the underwriters exercising their overallotment option. The aggregate principal
amount of the 2014 Notes outstanding as of June 30, 2010 was $172.5 million, offset by unamortized
debt discount of $56.3 million in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The debt discount
is currently being amortized over the remaining 48 months until maturity of the 2014 Notes on June
15, 2014. See Note 16, Convertible Notes, for additional details.
As of June 30, 2010, Rambus material contractual obligations are:
Remainder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | Total | of 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | Thereafter | |||||||||||||||||||||
Contractual obligations(1) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leases (2) |
$ | 48,300 | $ | 4,224 | $ | 4,905 | $ | 4,999 | $ | 4,449 | $ | 4,580 | $ | 25,143 | ||||||||||||||
Convertible notes |
172,500 | | | | | 172,500 | | |||||||||||||||||||||
Interest payments related to convertible notes |
34,120 | 4,313 | 8,625 | 8,625 | 8,625 | 3,932 | | |||||||||||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 254,920 | $ | 8,537 | $ | 13,530 | $ | 13,624 | $ | 13,074 | $ | 181,012 | $ | 25,143 | ||||||||||||||
(1) | The above table does not reflect possible payments in connection with uncertain tax benefits of approximately $10.6 million, including $8.6 million recorded as a reduction of long-term deferred tax assets and $2.0 million in long-term income taxes payable, as of June 30, 2010. As noted below in Note 10, Income Taxes, although it is possible that some of the unrecognized tax benefits could be settled within the next 12 months, the Company cannot reasonably estimate the outcome at this time. | |
(2) | Includes both the Sunnyvale Lease and Ohio Lease. |
Rent expense was approximately $1.8 million and $3.6 million for the three and six months
ended June 30, 2010, respectively. Rent expense was approximately $1.6 million and $3.2 million for
the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, respectively.
Deferred rent of $0.9 million as of June 30, 2010 was included primarily in other long-term
liabilities. Deferred rent of $0.7 million as of December 31, 2009 was included primarily in
current liabilities.
Indemnifications
The Company enters into standard license agreements in the ordinary course of business.
Although the Company does not indemnify most of its customers, there are times when an
indemnification is a necessary means of doing business. Indemnifications cover customers for losses
suffered or incurred by them as a result of any patent, copyright, or other intellectual property
infringement claim by any third party with respect to the Companys products. The maximum amount of
indemnification the Company could be required to make under these agreements is generally limited
to fees received by the Company.
Several securities fraud class actions, private lawsuits and shareholder derivative actions
were filed in state and federal courts against certain of the Companys current and former officers
and directors related to the stock option granting actions. As permitted under Delaware law, the
Company has agreements whereby its officers and directors are indemnified for certain events or
occurrences
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while the officer or director is, or was serving, at the Companys request in such capacity.
The term of the indemnification period is for the officers or directors term in such capacity.
The maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these
indemnification agreements is unlimited. The Company has a director and officer insurance policy
that reduces the Companys exposure and enables the Company to recover a portion of future amounts
to be paid. As a result of these indemnification agreements, the Company continues to make payments
on behalf of current and former officers. As of June 30, 2010, the Company had made payments of
approximately $13.7 million on their behalf, including $1.6 million in the quarter ended June 30,
2010. These payments were recorded under costs of restatement and related legal activities in the
consolidated statements of operations. The Company received approximately $5.3 million from the
former officers related to their settlement agreements with the Company in connection with the
derivative and class action lawsuits which was comprised of approximately $4.5 million in cash
received in the first quarter of 2009 as well as approximately 163,000 shares of the Companys
stock with a value of approximately $0.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2008. Additionally,
during the six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company received $0.1 million from insurance
settlements related to the defense of the Company, its directors and its officers which were
recorded under costs (recoveries) of restatement and related legal activities in the consolidated
statements of operations.
9. Stockholders Equity
Contingently Redeemable Common Stock
On January 19, 2010, pursuant to the terms of the Stock Purchase Agreement, Samsung purchased
for cash the Shares with certain restrictions and put rights. The issuance of the Shares by the
Company to Samsung was made through a private transaction. The Stock Purchase Agreement provides
Samsung a one-time put right, beginning 18 months after the date of the Stock Purchase Agreement
and extending to 19 months after the date of the Stock Purchase Agreement, to elect to put back to
the Company up to 4.8 million of the Shares at the original issue price of $20.885 per share (for
an aggregate purchase price of up to $100.0 million). The 4.8 million shares have been recorded, at
estimated Fair Value, as contingently redeemable common stock on the consolidated balance sheet as
of June 30, 2010.
The Stock Purchase Agreement prohibits the transfer of the Shares by Samsung for 18 months
after the date of the Stock Purchase Agreement, subject to certain exceptions. After expiration of
the transfer restriction period, the Stock Purchase Agreement provides that Samsung may transfer a
limited number of shares on a daily basis, provides the Company with a right of first offer for
proposed transfers above such daily limits, and, if no sale occurs to the Company under the right
of first offer, allows Samsung to transfer the Shares. Under the Stock Purchase Agreement, the
Company has also agreed that after the transfer restriction period, Samsung will have certain
rights to register the Shares for sale under the securities laws of the United States, subject to
customary terms and conditions.
The 9.6 million shares were accounted for as part of a multiple element arrangement where the
Fair Value was determined to be $192.0 million as follows:
| $113.5 million related to 4.8 million shares treated as contingently redeemable common stock due to the contractual put rights associated with those shares | ||
| $78.5 million related to the remaining 4.8 million shares treated as stockholders equity |
See Note 3, Settlement Agreement with Samsung, for further discussion.
Share Repurchase Program
In October 2001, the Companys Board of Directors (the Board) approved a share repurchase
program of its Common Stock, principally to reduce the dilutive effect of employee stock options.
Under this program, the Board approved the authorization to repurchase up to 19.0 million shares of
the Companys outstanding Common Stock over an undefined period of time. On February 25, 2010, the
Board approved a new share repurchase program authorizing the repurchase of up to an additional
12.5 million shares. Share repurchases under the program may be made through open market,
established plan or privately negotiated transactions in accordance with all applicable securities
laws, rules, and regulations. There is no expiration date applicable to the program. The new share
repurchase program replaces the program authorized in October 2001.
During the three months ended June 30, 2010, the Company repurchased approximately 3.0 million
shares of its Common Stock with an aggregate price of approximately $68.8 million. During the six
months ended June 30, 2010, the Company repurchased approximately 4.2 million shares of its Common
Stock with an aggregate price of approximately $95.3 million. As of June 30, 2010,
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the Company had repurchased a cumulative total of approximately 21.0 million shares of its
Common Stock with an aggregate price of approximately $329.0 million since the commencement of the
program in 2001. As of June 30, 2010, there remained an outstanding authorization to repurchase
approximately 10.5 million shares of the Companys outstanding Common Stock.
The Company records stock repurchases as a reduction to stockholders equity. The Company
records a portion of the purchase price of the repurchased shares as an increase to accumulated
deficit when the cost of the shares repurchased exceeds the average original proceeds per share
received from the issuance of Common Stock. During the six months ended June 30, 2010, the
cumulative price of the shares repurchased exceeded the proceeds received from the issuance of the
same number of shares. The excess of $81.4 million was recorded as an increase to accumulated
deficit for the six months ended June 30, 2010. During the six months ended June 30, 2009, the
Company did not repurchase any Common Stock.
10. Income Taxes
The effective tax rate for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 was (23.7)% and 25.8%,
respectively, which is lower than the U.S. statutory tax rate applied to the Companys net loss
primarily due to a full valuation allowance on its U.S. net deferred tax assets partially offset by
foreign withholding taxes and state alternative minimum taxes. The effective tax rate for the three
and six months ended June 30, 2009 was 0.1% for both periods which was lower than the U.S.
statutory tax rate applied to the Companys net loss primarily due to a full valuation allowance on
its U.S. net deferred tax assets, foreign income taxes and state income taxes, partially offset by
refundable research and development tax credits.
During the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company paid withholding taxes of
$4.1 million and $46.8 million, respectively, to the Korean tax authorities related to the payments
received under the Settlement Agreement and License Agreement with Samsung. The Company recorded a
provision for income taxes of $2.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010, which is
primarily comprised of the Korean withholding taxes offset by an alternative minimum tax benefit.
The Company recorded a provision for income taxes of $48.1 million for the six months ended June
30, 2010, which is primarily comprised of the Korean withholding taxes and state alternative
minimum taxes. As the Company continues to maintain a valuation allowance against its U.S. deferred
tax assets, the Companys tax provision is based primarily on the Korean withholding taxes and
state alternative minimum taxes.
As of June 30, 2010, the Companys consolidated balance sheet included net deferred tax
assets, before valuation allowance, of approximately $97.3 million, which consists of net operating
loss carryovers, tax credit carryovers, depreciation and amortization, employee stock-based
compensation expenses and certain liabilities, partially reduced by deferred tax liabilities
associated with the convertible debt instruments that may be settled in cash upon conversion,
including partial cash settlements. As of June 30, 2010, a valuation allowance of $95.1 million has
been recorded against the U.S. deferred tax assets. During the six months ended June 30, 2010, the
Company reduced its deferred tax assets from $153.1 million to $97.3 million, and reduced its
valuation allowance from $150.9 million to $95.1 million. This partial release of the valuation
allowance offset the U.S. tax provision for the six months ended June 30, 2010. Management
periodically evaluates the realizability of the Companys net deferred tax assets based on all
available evidence, both positive and negative. The realization of net deferred tax assets is
solely dependent on the Companys ability to generate sufficient future taxable income during
periods prior to the expiration of tax statutes to fully utilize these assets. The Company intends
to maintain the valuation allowance until sufficient positive evidence exists to support reversal
of the valuation allowance.
The Company maintains liabilities for uncertain tax benefits within its non-current income
taxes payable accounts. These liabilities involve judgment and estimation and are monitored by
management based on the best information available including changes in tax regulations, the
outcome of relevant court cases and other information.
As of June 30, 2010, the Company had $10.6 million of unrecognized tax benefits, including
$7.6 million recorded as a reduction of long-term deferred tax assets, which is net of
approximately $1.0 million of federal tax benefit, and including $2.0 million in long-term income
taxes payable. If recognized, approximately $0.8 million would be recorded as an income tax
benefit. No benefit would be recorded for the remaining unrecognized tax benefits as the
recognition would require a corresponding increase in the valuation allowance. As of December 31,
2009, the Company had $10.4 million of unrecognized tax benefits, including $7.5 million recorded
as a reduction of long-term deferred tax assets, which is net of approximately $0.9 million of
federal tax benefits, and including $2.0 million in long-term income taxes payable.
Although it is possible that some of the unrecognized tax benefits could be settled within the
next 12 months, the Company cannot reasonably estimate the outcome at this time.
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The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions as a
component of the income tax provision (benefit). At June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, an
insignificant amount of interest and penalties are included in long-term income taxes payable.
The Company files U.S. federal income tax returns as well as income tax returns in various
states and foreign jurisdictions. The Company is currently under examination by the California
Franchise Tax Board for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003 and the years ended December 31, 2003
and 2004. Although the outcome of any tax audit is uncertain, the Company believes it has
adequately provided for any additional taxes that may be required to be paid as a result of such
examinations. If the Company determines that no payment will ultimately be required, the reversal
of these tax liabilities may result in tax benefits being recognized in the period when that
conclusion is reached. However, if an ultimate tax assessment exceeds the recorded tax liability
for that item, an additional tax provision may need to be recorded. The impact of such adjustments
in the Companys tax accounts could have a material impact on the consolidated results of
operations in future periods.
The Company is subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the tax
years ended 2006 through 2008. The Company is also subject to examination by the State of
California for tax years ended 2005 through 2008. In addition, any R&D credit and net operating
loss carryforwards generated in prior years and utilized in these or future years may also be
subject to examination by the IRS and the State of California. The Company is also subject to
examination in various other jurisdictions for various periods.
11. Earnings (Loss) Per Share
Basic earnings (loss) per share is calculated by dividing the net income (loss) by the
weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings (loss) per
share is calculated by dividing the earnings (loss) by the weighted average number of common shares
and potentially dilutive securities outstanding during the period. Potentially dilutive common
shares consist of incremental common shares issuable upon exercise of stock options, employee stock
purchases, restricted stock and restricted stock units, and shares issuable upon the conversion of
convertible notes. The dilutive effect of outstanding shares is reflected in diluted earnings per
share by application of the treasury stock method. This method includes consideration of the
amounts to be paid by the employees, the amount of excess tax benefits that would be recognized in
equity if the instrument was exercised and the amount of unrecognized stock-based compensation
related to future services. No potential dilutive common shares are included in the computation of
any diluted per share amount when a net loss is reported. As discussed in Note 3, Settlement
Agreement with Samsung, the Company reported approximately 4.8 million shares issued to Samsung as
contingently redeemable common stock due to the contractual put rights associated with those
shares. As such, the Company uses the two-class method for reporting earnings per share.
The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted income (loss) per share:
Three Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||||
(In thousands, except per share amounts) | ||||||||||||||||
CRCS* | Other CS** | CRCS* | Other CS** | |||||||||||||
Basic net loss per share: |
||||||||||||||||
Numerator: |
||||||||||||||||
Allocation of undistributed earnings |
$ | (528 | ) | $ | (11,962 | ) | $ | | $ | (23,971 | ) | |||||
Denominator: |
||||||||||||||||
Weighted-average common shares outstanding |
4,788 | 108,533 | | 104,675 | ||||||||||||
Basic net loss per share |
$ | (0.11 | ) | $ | (0.11 | ) | $ | | $ | (0.23 | ) | |||||
Diluted net loss per share: |
||||||||||||||||
Numerator: |
||||||||||||||||
Allocation of undistributed earnings for basic computation |
$ | (528 | ) | $ | (11,962 | ) | $ | | $ | (23,971 | ) | |||||
Reallocation of undistributed earnings |
| | | | ||||||||||||
Allocation of undistributed earnings for diluted computation |
$ | (528 | ) | $ | (11,962 | ) | $ | | $ | (23,971 | ) | |||||
Denominator: |
||||||||||||||||
Number of shares used in basic computation |
4,788 | 108,533 | | 104,675 | ||||||||||||
Dilutive potential shares from stock options, ESPP,
Convertible notes and nonvested equity stock and stock
units |
| | | | ||||||||||||
Number of shares used in diluted computation |
4,788 | 108,533 | | 104,675 | ||||||||||||
Diluted net loss per share |
$ | (0.11 | ) | $ | (0.11 | ) | $ | | $ | (0.23 | ) | |||||
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Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||||
(In thousands, except per share amounts) | ||||||||||||||||
CRCS* | Other CS** | CRCS* | Other CS** | |||||||||||||
Basic net income (loss) per share: |
||||||||||||||||
Numerator: |
||||||||||||||||
Allocation of undistributed earnings |
$ | 5,271 | $ | 133,138 | $ | | $ | (41,397 | ) | |||||||
Denominator: |
||||||||||||||||
Weighted-average common shares outstanding |
4,312 | 108,915 | | 104,536 | ||||||||||||
Basic net income (loss) per share |
$ | 1.22 | $ | 1.22 | $ | | $ | (0.40 | ) | |||||||
Diluted net income (loss) per share: |
||||||||||||||||
Numerator: |
||||||||||||||||
Allocation of undistributed earnings for basic computation |
$ | 5,271 | $ | 133,138 | $ | | $ | (41,397 | ) | |||||||
Reallocation of undistributed earnings |
(189 | ) | 189 | | | |||||||||||
Allocation of undistributed earnings for diluted computation |
$ | 5,082 | $ | 133,327 | $ | | $ | (41,397 | ) | |||||||
Denominator: |
||||||||||||||||
Number of shares used in basic computation |
4,312 | 108,915 | | 104,536 | ||||||||||||
Dilutive potential shares from stock options, ESPP,
Convertible notes and nonvested equity stock and stock
units |
| 4,207 | | | ||||||||||||
Number of shares used in diluted computation |
4,312 | 113,122 | | 104,536 | ||||||||||||
Diluted net income (loss) per share |
$ | 1.18 | $ | 1.18 | $ | | $ | (0.40 | ) | |||||||
* | CRCS Contingently Redeemable Common Stock | |
** | Other CS Common Stock other than CRCS |
For the three months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009, options to purchase approximately 6.3
million and 13.5 million shares, respectively, and for the six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009,
options to purchase approximately 6.3 million and 13.8 million shares, respectively, were excluded
from the calculation because they were anti-dilutive after considering proceeds from exercise,
taxes and related unrecognized stock-based compensation expense. For the three months ended June
30, 2010 and 2009, an additional 4.1 million and 1.2 million shares, respectively, and for the six
months ended June 30, 2009, an additional 0.7 million shares, including nonvested equity stock and
stock units, that would be dilutive have been excluded from the weighted average dilutive shares
because there were net losses for the periods.
12. Business Segments, Exports and Major Customers
Rambus has two operating segments: (1) the design, development and licensing of semiconductor
technology and (2) lighting and display technology. For reporting purpose, the two operating
segments have been combined as the assets and operating results of the lighting and display group
did not meet the annual quantitative thresholds for disclosure as of June 30, 2010.
Three customers accounted for 38%, 17% and 10%, respectively, of revenue in the three
months ended June 30, 2010. Five customers accounted for 26%, 15%, 14%, 13% and 12%, respectively,
of revenue in the three months ended June 30, 2009. One customer accounted for 76% of revenue in
the six months ended June 30, 2010. Five customers accounted for 25%, 15%, 14%, 12% and 12%,
respectively, of revenue in the six months ended June 30, 2009. Rambus expects that its revenue
concentration will decrease over time as Rambus licenses new customers.
Rambus licenses its technologies and patents to customers in multiple geographic regions.
Revenue from customers in the following geographic regions was recognized as follows:
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
(In thousands) | 2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | ||||||||||||
Japan |
$ | 18,837 | $ | 22,070 | $ | 37,873 | $ | 43,881 | ||||||||
Korea |
14,713 | 230 | 151,879 | 372 | ||||||||||||
North America |
5,292 | 4,624 | 10,777 | 9,892 | ||||||||||||
Asia-Pacific |
13 | 18 | 58 | 84 | ||||||||||||
Europe |
7 | 41 | 139 | 88 | ||||||||||||
$ | 38,862 | $ | 26,983 | $ | 200,726 | $ | 54,317 | |||||||||
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At June 30, 2010, of the $39.0 million of total property and equipment, approximately $37.6
million are located in the United States, $1.2 million are located in India and $0.2 million are
located in other foreign locations. At December 31, 2009, of the $39.0 million of total property
and equipment, approximately $37.1 million are located in the United States, $1.6 million are
located in India and $0.3 million were located in other foreign locations.
13. Amortizable Intangible Assets
The components of the Companys intangible assets as of June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009
were as follows:
As of June 30, 2010 | ||||||||||||
Gross Carrying | Accumulated | Net Carrying | ||||||||||
Amount | Amortization | Amount | ||||||||||
(In thousands) | ||||||||||||
Patents |
$ | 18,223 | $ | (7,846 | ) | $ | 10,377 | |||||
Intellectual property |
10,384 | (10,384 | ) | | ||||||||
Customer contracts and contractual relationships |
4,050 | (2,950 | ) | 1,100 | ||||||||
Existing technology |
17,550 | (3,874 | ) | 13,676 | ||||||||
Non-competition agreement |
100 | (100 | ) | | ||||||||
Total intangible assets |
$ | 50,307 | $ | (25,154 | ) | $ | 25,153 | |||||
As of December 31, 2009 | ||||||||||||
Gross Carrying | Accumulated | Net Carrying | ||||||||||
Amount | Amortization | Amount | ||||||||||
(In thousands) | ||||||||||||
Patents |
$ | 12,441 | $ | (6,876 | ) | $ | 5,565 | |||||
Intellectual property |
10,384 | (10,384 | ) | | ||||||||
Customer contracts and contractual relationships |
4,050 | (2,717 | ) | 1,333 | ||||||||
Existing technology |
17,550 | (2,788 | ) | 14,762 | ||||||||
Non-competition agreement |
100 | (100 | ) | | ||||||||
Total intangible assets |
$ | 44,525 | $ | (22,865 | ) | $ | 21,660 | |||||
Amortization expense for intangible assets for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010
was $1.2 million and $2.3 million, respectively. Amortization expense for intangible assets for the
three and six months ended June 30, 2009 was $0.7 million and $1.5 million, respectively.
As part of the Companys ongoing acquisition activities to broaden its technology portfolio,
the Company purchased patents for $3.8 million in two asset acquisitions during the first half of
2010. In addition, during the second quarter of 2010, the Company purchased patents for $2.0
million in a business combination for the same reasons.
The estimated future amortization expense of intangible assets as of June 30, 2010 was as
follows (amounts in thousands):
Years Ending December 31: | Amount | |||
2010 (remaining 6 months) |
$ | 2,488 | ||
2011 |
4,661 | |||
2012 |
4,388 | |||
2013 |
4,082 | |||
2014 |
3,182 | |||
Thereafter |
6,352 | |||
$ | 25,153 | |||
14. Litigation and Asserted Claims
Hynix Litigation
U.S District Court of the Northern District of California
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On August 29, 2000, Hynix (formerly Hyundai) and various subsidiaries filed suit against
Rambus in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint, as
amended and narrowed through motion practice, asserts claims for fraud, violations of federal
antitrust laws and deceptive practices in connection with Rambus participation in a standards
setting organization called JEDEC, and seeks a declaratory judgment that the Rambus patents-in-suit
are unenforceable, invalid and not infringed by Hynix, compensatory and punitive damages, and
attorneys fees. Rambus denied Hynixs claims and filed counterclaims for patent infringement
against Hynix.
The case was divided into three phases. In the first phase, Hynix tried its unclean hands
defense beginning on October 17, 2005 and concluding on November 1, 2005. In its January 4, 2006
Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, the court held that Hynixs unclean hands defense failed.
Among other things, the court found that Rambus did not adopt its document retention policy in bad
faith, did not engage in unlawful spoliation of evidence, and that while Rambus disposed of some
relevant documents pursuant to its document retention policy, Hynix was not prejudiced by the
destruction of Rambus documents. On January 19, 2009, Hynix filed a motion for reconsideration of
the courts unclean hands order and for summary judgment on the ground that the decision by the
Delaware court in the pending Micron-Rambus litigation (described below) should be given preclusive
effect. In its motion Hynix requested alternatively that the courts unclean hands order be
certified for appeal and that the remainder of the case be stayed. Rambus filed an opposition to
Hynixs motion on January 26, 2009, and a hearing was held on January 30, 2009. On February 3,
2009, the court denied Hynixs motions and restated its conclusions that Rambus had not anticipated
litigation until late 1999 and that Hynix had not demonstrated any prejudice from any alleged
destruction of evidence.
The second phase of the Hynix-Rambus trial on patent infringement, validity and damages
began on March 15, 2006, and was submitted to the jury on April 13, 2006. On April 24, 2006, the
jury returned a verdict in favor of Rambus on all issues and awarded Rambus a total of
approximately $307 million in damages, excluding prejudgment interest. Specifically, the jury found
that each of the ten selected patent claims was supported by the written description, and was not
anticipated or rendered obvious by prior art; therefore, none of the patent claims was invalid. The
jury also found that Hynix infringed all eight of the patent claims for which the jury was asked to
determine infringement; the court had previously determined on summary judgment that Hynix
infringed the other two claims at issue in the trial. On July 14, 2006, the court granted Hynixs
motion for a new trial on the issue of damages unless Rambus agreed to a reduction of the total
jury award to approximately $134 million. The court found that the record supported a maximum
royalty rate of 1% for SDR SDRAM and 4.25% for DDR SDRAM, which the court applied to the stipulated
U.S. sales of infringing Hynix products through December 31, 2005. On July 27, 2006, Rambus elected
remittitur of the jurys award to approximately $134 million. On August 30, 2006, the court awarded
Rambus prejudgment interest for the period June 23, 2000 through December 31, 2005. Hynix filed a
motion on July 7, 2008 to reduce the amount of remitted damages and any supplemental damages that
the court may award, as well as to limit the products that could be affected by any injunction that
the court may grant, on the grounds of patent exhaustion. Following a hearing on August 29, 2008,
the court denied Hynixs motion. In separate orders issued December 2, 2008, January 16, 2009, and
January 27, 2009, the court denied Hynixs post-trial motions for judgment as a matter of law and
new trial on infringement and validity.
On June 24, 2008, the court heard oral argument on Rambus motion to supplement the damages
award and for equitable relief related to Hynixs infringement of Rambus patents. On February 23,
2009, the court issued an order (1) granting Rambus motion for supplemental damages and
prejudgment interest for the period after December 31, 2005, at the same rates ordered for the
prior period; (2) denying Rambus motion for an injunction; and (3) ordering the parties to begin
negotiations regarding the terms of a compulsory license regarding Hynixs continued manufacture,
use, and sale of infringing devices.
The third phase of the Hynix-Rambus trial involved Hynixs affirmative JEDEC-related antitrust
and fraud allegations against Rambus. On April 24, 2007, the court ordered a coordinated trial of
certain common JEDEC-related claims alleged by the manufacturer parties (i.e., Hynix, Micron, Nanya
and Samsung) and defenses asserted by Rambus in Hynix v Rambus, Case No. C 00-20905 RMW, and three
other cases pending before the same court (Rambus Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. et al., Case
No. 05-02298 RMW, Rambus Inc. v. Hynix Semiconductor Inc., et al., Case No. 05-00334, and Rambus
Inc. v. Micron Technology, Inc., et al., Case No. C 06-00244 RMW, each described in further detail
below). On December 14, 2007, the court excused Samsung from the coordinated trial based on
Samsungs agreement to certain conditions, including trial of its claims against Rambus by the
court within six months following the conclusion of the coordinated trial. The coordinated trial
involving Rambus, Hynix, Micron and Nanya began on January 29, 2008, and was submitted to the jury
on March 25, 2008. On March 26, 2008, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Rambus and against
Hynix, Micron, and Nanya on each of their claims. Specifically, the jury found that Hynix, Micron,
and Nanya failed to meet their burden of proving that: (1) Rambus engaged in anticompetitive
conduct; (2) Rambus made important representations that it did not have any intellectual property
pertaining to the work of JEDEC and intended or reasonably expected that
the representations would be heard by or repeated to others including Hynix, Micron or Nanya;
(3) Rambus uttered deceptive half-
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truths about its intellectual property coverage or potential
coverage of products compliant with synchronous DRAM standards then being considered by JEDEC by
disclosing some facts but failing to disclose other important facts; or (4) JEDEC members shared a
clearly defined expectation that members would disclose relevant knowledge they had about patent
applications or the intent to file patent applications on technology being considered for adoption
as a JEDEC standard. Hynix, Micron, and Nanya filed motions for a new trial and for judgment on
certain of their equitable claims and defenses. A hearing on those motions was held on May 1, 2008.
A further hearing on the equitable claims and defenses was held on May 27, 2008. On July 24, 2008,
the court issued an order denying Hynix, Micron, and Nanyas motions for new trial.
On March 3, 2009, the court issued an order rejecting Hynix, Micron, and Nanyas equitable
claims and defenses that had been tried during the coordinated trial. The court concluded (among
other things) that (1) Rambus did not have an obligation to disclose pending or anticipated patent
applications and had sound reasons for not doing so; (2) the evidence supported the jurys finding
that JEDEC members did not share a clearly defined expectation that members would disclose relevant
knowledge they had about patent applications or the intent to file patent applications on
technology being considered for adoption as a JEDEC standard; (3) the written JEDEC disclosure
policies did not clearly require members to disclose information about patent applications and the
intent to file patent applications in the future; (4) there was no clearly understood or legally
enforceable agreement of JEDEC members to disclose information about patent applications or the
intent to seek patents relevant to standards being discussed at JEDEC; (5) during the time Rambus
attended JEDEC meetings, Rambus did not have any patent application pending that covered a JEDEC
standard, and none of the patents in suit was applied for until well after Rambus resigned from
JEDEC; (6) Rambuss conduct at JEDEC did not constitute an estoppel or waiver of its rights to
enforce its patents; (7) Hynix, Micron, and Nanya failed to carry their burden to prove their
asserted waiver and estoppel defenses not directly based on Rambuss conduct at JEDEC; (8) the
evidence did not support a finding of any material misrepresentation, half truths or fraudulent
concealment by Rambus related to JEDEC upon which Nanya relied; (9) the manufacturers failed to
establish that Rambus violated unfair competition law by its conduct before JEDEC; (10) the
evidence related to Rambuss patent prosecution did not establish that Rambus unduly delayed in
prosecuting the claims in suit; (11) Rambus did not unreasonably delay bringing its patent
infringement claims; and (12) there is no basis for any unclean hands defense or unenforceability
claim arising from Rambuss conduct.
On March 10, 2009, the court entered final judgment against Hynix in the amount of
approximately $397 million as follows: approximately $134 million for infringement through December
31, 2005; approximately $215 million for infringement from January 1, 2006 through January 31,
2009; and approximately $48 million in pre-judgment interest. Post-judgment interest is accruing at
the statutory rate. In addition, the judgment orders Hynix to pay Rambus royalties on net sales for
U.S. infringement after January 31, 2009 and before April 18, 2010 of 1% for SDR SDRAM and 4.25%
for DDR DDR2, DDR3, GDDR, GDDR2 and GDDR3 SDRAM memory devices. On April 9, 2009, Rambus submitted
its cost bill in the amount of approximately $0.85 million. On March 24, 2009, Hynix filed a motion
under Rule 62 seeking relief from the requirement that it post a supersedeas bond in the full
amount of the final judgment in order to stay its execution pending an appeal. Rambus filed a brief
opposing Hynixs motion on April 10, 2009. A hearing on Hynixs motion was heard on May 8, 2009. On
May 14, 2009, the court granted Hynixs motion in part and ordered that execution of the judgment
be stayed on the condition that, within 45 days, Hynix post a supersedeas bond in the amount of
$250 million and provide Rambus with documentation establishing a lien in Rambuss favor on
property owned by Hynix in Korea in the amount of the judgment not covered by the supersedeas bond.
The court also ordered that Hynix pay the ongoing royalties set forth in the final judgment into an
escrow account. Hynix posted the $250 million supersedeas bond on June 26, 2009. Hynix has
deposited amounts into the escrow account pursuant to the courts order regarding ongoing
royalties. The escrowed funds will be released only upon agreement of the parties or further court
order in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the escrow arrangement. On March 8,
2010, the court awarded costs to Rambus in the amount of approximately $0.76 million. That amount
plus accrued interest has been deposited by Hynix into the same escrow account into which ongoing
royalties have been deposited.
On April 6, 2009, Hynix filed its notice of appeal. On April 17, 2009, Rambus filed its notice
of cross appeal. Hynix filed a motion to dismiss Rambus cross-appeal on July 1, 2009, and Rambus
filed an opposition to Hynixs motion on July 15, 2009. On July 23, 2009, Rambus and Hynix filed a
joint motion to assign this appeal to the same panel hearing the appeal in the Micron Delaware case
(discussed below) and to coordinate oral arguments of the two appeals. On August 17, 2009, the
Federal Circuit issued an order 1) granting the joint motion to coordinate oral arguments of the
two appeals; and 2) denying Hynixs motion to dismiss Rambuss cross-appeal. On August 31, 2009,
Hynix filed its opening brief. On December 7, 2009, Rambus filed its answering and opening
cross-appeal brief. Hynixs reply and answering brief was filed February 16, 2010, and Rambuss
reply was filed February 23, 2010. Oral argument was held on April 5, 2010. On June 9, 2010, the
Federal Circuit issued an order that it will rehear oral argument in the coordinated appeals on the
basis of the parties original briefs. Oral argument is scheduled to be reheard on October 6, 2010.
Micron Litigation
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U.S District Court in Delaware: Case No. 00-792-SLR
On August 28, 2000, Micron filed suit against Rambus in the U.S. District Court for Delaware.
The suit asserts violations of federal antitrust laws, deceptive trade practices, breach of
contract, fraud and negligent misrepresentation in connection with Rambus participation in JEDEC.
Micron seeks a declaration of monopolization by Rambus, compensatory and punitive damages,
attorneys fees, a declaratory judgment that eight Rambus patents are invalid and not infringed,
and the award to Micron of a royalty-free license to the Rambus patents. Rambus has filed an answer
and counterclaims disputing Microns claims and asserting infringement by Micron of 12 U.S.
patents.
This case has been divided into three phases in the same general order as in the Hynix
00-20905 action: (1) unclean hands; (2) patent infringement; and (3) antitrust, equitable estoppel,
and other JEDEC-related issues. A bench trial on Microns unclean hands defense began on November
8, 2007 and concluded on November 15, 2007. The court ordered post-trial briefing on the issue of
when Rambus became obligated to preserve documents because it anticipated litigation. A hearing on
that issue was held on May 20, 2008. The court ordered further post-trial briefing on the remaining
issues from the unclean hands trial, and a hearing on those issues was held on September 19, 2008.
On January 9, 2009, the court issued an opinion in which it determined that Rambus had engaged
in spoliation of evidence by failing to suspend general implementation of a document retention
policy after the point at which the court determined that Rambus should have known litigation was
reasonably foreseeable. The court issued an accompanying order declaring the 12 patents in suit
unenforceable against Micron (the Delaware Order). On February 9, 2009, the court stayed all
other proceedings pending appeal of the Delaware Order. On February 10, 2009, judgment was entered
against Rambus and in favor of Micron on Rambus patent infringement claims and Microns
corresponding claims for declaratory relief. On March 11, 2009, Rambus filed its notice of appeal.
Rambus filed its opening brief on July 2, 2009. On July 24, 2009, Rambus filed a motion to assign
this appeal to the same panel hearing the appeal in the Hynix case (discussed above) and to
coordinate oral arguments of the two appeals. On August 8, 2009, Micron filed an opposition to
Rambuss motion to coordinate. On August 17, 2009, the Federal Circuit issued an order granting
Rambuss motion to coordinate oral arguments of the two appeals. On August 28, 2009, Micron filed
its answering brief. On October 14, 2009, Rambus filed its reply brief. Oral argument was held on
April 5, 2010. On June 9, 2010, the Federal Circuit issued an order that it will rehear oral
argument in the coordinated appeals on the basis of the parties original briefs. Oral argument is
scheduled to be reheard on October 6, 2010.
U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California
On January 13, 2006, Rambus filed suit against Micron in the U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of California. Rambus alleges that 14 Rambus patents are infringed by Microns
DDR2, DDR3, GDDR3, and other advanced memory products. Rambus seeks compensatory and punitive
damages, attorneys fees, and injunctive relief. Micron has denied Rambus allegations and is
alleging counterclaims for violations of federal antitrust laws, unfair trade practices, equitable
estoppel, fraud and negligent misrepresentation in connection with Rambus participation in JEDEC.
Micron seeks a declaration of monopolization by Rambus, injunctive relief, compensatory and
punitive damages, attorneys fees, and a declaratory judgment of invalidity, unenforceability, and
noninfringement of the 14 patents in suit.
As explained above, the court ordered a coordinated trial (without Samsung) of certain common
JEDEC-related claims and defenses asserted in Hynix v Rambus, Case No. C 00-20905 RMW, Rambus Inc.
v. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. et al., Case No. 05-02298 RMW, Rambus Inc. v. Hynix Semiconductor
Inc., et al., Case No. 05-00334, and Rambus Inc. v. Micron Technology, Inc., et al., Case No. C
06-00244 RMW. The coordinated trial involving Rambus, Hynix, Micron and Nanya began on January 29,
2008, and was submitted to the jury on March 25, 2008. On March 26, 2008, the jury returned a
verdict in favor of Rambus and against Hynix, Micron, and Nanya on each of their claims.
Specifically, the jury found that Hynix, Micron, and Nanya failed to meet their burden of proving
that: (1) Rambus engaged in anticompetitive conduct; (2) Rambus made important representations that
it did not have any intellectual property pertaining to the work of JEDEC and intended or
reasonably expected that the representations would be heard by or repeated to others including
Hynix, Micron or Nanya; (3) Rambus uttered deceptive half-truths about its intellectual property
coverage or potential coverage of products compliant with synchronous DRAM standards then being
considered by JEDEC by disclosing some facts but failing to disclose other important facts; or (4)
JEDEC members shared a clearly defined expectation that members would disclose relevant knowledge
they had about patent applications or the intent to file patent applications on technology being
considered for adoption as a JEDEC standard. Hynix, Micron, and Nanya filed motions for a new trial
and for judgment on certain of their equitable claims and defenses. A hearing on those motions was
held on May 1, 2008. A further hearing on the
equitable claims and defenses was held on May 27, 2008. On July 24, 2008, the court issued an
order denying Hynix, Micron, and Nanyas motions for new trial.
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On March 3, 2009, the court issued an order rejecting Hynix, Micron, and Nanyas equitable
claims and defenses that had been tried during the coordinated trial. The court concluded (among
other things) that (1) Rambus did not have an obligation to disclose pending or anticipated patent
applications and had sound reasons for not doing so; (2) the evidence supported the jurys finding
that JEDEC members did not share a clearly defined expectation that members would disclose relevant
knowledge they had about patent applications or the intent to file patent applications on
technology being considered for adoption as a JEDEC standard; (3) the written JEDEC disclosure
policies did not clearly require members to disclose information about patent applications and the
intent to file patent applications in the future; (4) there was no clearly understood or legally
enforceable agreement of JEDEC members to disclose information about patent applications or the
intent to seek patents relevant to standards being discussed at JEDEC; (5) during the time Rambus
attended JEDEC meetings, Rambus did not have any patent application pending that covered a JEDEC
standard, and none of the patents in suit was applied for until well after Rambus resigned from
JEDEC; (6) Rambuss conduct at JEDEC did not constitute an estoppel or waiver of its rights to
enforce its patents; (7) Hynix, Micron, and Nanya failed to carry their burden to prove their
asserted waiver and estoppel defenses not directly based on Rambuss conduct at JEDEC; (8) the
evidence did not support a finding of any material misrepresentation, half truths or fraudulent
concealment by Rambus related to JEDEC upon which Nanya relied; (9) the manufacturers failed to
establish that Rambus violated unfair competition law by its conduct before JEDEC; (10) the
evidence related to Rambuss patent prosecution did not establish that Rambus unduly delayed in
prosecuting the claims in suit; (11) Rambus did not unreasonably delay bringing its patent
infringement claims; and (12) there is no basis for any unclean hands defense or unenforceability
claim arising from Rambuss conduct.
In these cases (except for the Hynix 00-20905 action), a hearing on claim construction and the
parties cross-motions for summary judgment on infringement and validity was held on June 4 and 5,
2008. On July 10, 2008, the court issued its claim construction order relating to the
Farmwald/Horowitz patents in suit and denied Hynix, Micron, Nanya, and Samsungs (collectively, the
Manufacturers) motions for summary judgment of noninfringement and invalidity based on their
proposed claim construction. The court issued claim construction orders relating to the Ware
patents in suit on July 25 and August 27, 2008, and denied the Manufacturers motion for summary
judgment of noninfringement of certain claims. On September 4, 2008, at the courts direction,
Rambus elected to proceed to trial on 12 patent claims, each from the Farmwald/Horowitz family. On
September 16, 2008, Rambus granted a covenant not to assert any claim of patent infringement
against the Manufacturers under the Ware patents in suit (U.S. Patent Nos. 6,493,789 and
6,496,897), and each partys claims relating to those patents were dismissed with prejudice. On
November 21, 2008, the court entered an order clarifying certain aspects of its July 10, 2008,
claim construction order. On November 24, 2008, the court granted Rambus motion for summary
judgment of direct infringement with respect to claim 16 of Rambus U.S. Patent No. 6,266,285 by
the Manufacturers DDR2, DDR3, gDDR2, GDDR3, GDDR4 memory chip products (except for Nanyas DDR3
memory chip products). In the same order, the court denied the remainder of Rambus motion for
summary judgment of infringement.
On January 19, 2009, Micron filed a motion for summary judgment on the ground that the
Delaware Order should be given preclusive effect. Rambus filed an opposition to Microns motion on
January 26, 2009, and a hearing was held on January 30, 2009. On February 3, 2009, the court
entered a stay of this action pending resolution of Rambus appeal of the Delaware Order. Trial on
Rambus patent infringement claims is scheduled to begin on May 2, 2011.
European Patent Infringement Cases
In 2001, Rambus filed suit against Micron in Mannheim, Germany, for infringement of European
patent, EP 1 022 642. That suit has not been active. Two proceedings in Italy remain ongoing
relating to Rambuss claim that Micron is infringing European patent, EP 1 004 956, and Microns
purported claim resulting from a seizure of evidence in Italy in 2000 carried out by Rambus
pursuant to a court order.
DDR2, DDR3, gDDR2, GDDR3, GDDR4 Litigation (DDR2)
U.S District Court in the Northern District of California
On January 25, 2005, Rambus filed a patent infringement suit in the U.S. District Court for
the Northern District of California court against Hynix, Infineon, Nanya, and Inotera. Infineon and
Inotera were subsequently dismissed from this litigation and Samsung was added as a defendant.
Rambus alleges that certain of its patents are infringed by certain of the defendants SDRAM, DDR,
DDR2, DDR3, gDDR2, GDDR3, GDDR4 and other advanced memory products. Hynix, Samsung and Nanya have
denied Rambus claims
and asserted counterclaims against Rambus for, among other things, violations of federal
antitrust laws, unfair trade practices, equitable estoppel, and fraud in connection with Rambus
participation in JEDEC.
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As explained above, the court ordered a coordinated trial of certain common JEDEC-related
claims and defenses asserted in Hynix v Rambus, Case No. C 00-20905 RMW, Rambus Inc. v. Samsung
Electronics Co. Ltd. et al., Case No. 05-02298 RMW, Rambus Inc. v. Hynix Semiconductor Inc., et
al., Case No. 05-00334, and Rambus Inc. v. Micron Technology, Inc., et al., Case No. C 06-00244
RMW. The court subsequently excused Samsung from the coordinated trial on December 14, 2007, based
on Samsungs agreement to certain conditions, including trial of its claims against Rambus within
six months following the conclusion of the coordinated trial. The coordinated trial involving
Rambus, Hynix, Micron and Nanya began on January 29, 2008, and was submitted to the jury on March
25, 2008. On March 26, 2008, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Rambus and against Hynix,
Micron, and Nanya on each of their claims. Specifically, the jury found that Hynix, Micron, and
Nanya failed to meet their burden of proving that: (1) Rambus engaged in anticompetitive conduct;
(2) Rambus made important representations that it did not have any intellectual property pertaining
to the work of JEDEC and intended or reasonably expected that the representations would be heard by
or repeated to others including Hynix, Micron or Nanya; (3) Rambus uttered deceptive half- truths
about its intellectual property coverage or potential coverage of products compliant with
synchronous DRAM standards then being considered by JEDEC by disclosing some facts but failing to
disclose other important facts; or (4) JEDEC members shared a clearly defined expectation that
members would disclose relevant knowledge they had about patent applications or the intent to file
patent applications on technology being considered for adoption as a JEDEC standard. Hynix, Micron,
and Nanya filed motions for a new trial and for judgment on certain of their equitable claims and
defenses. A hearing on those motions was held on May 1, 2008. A further hearing on the equitable
claims and defenses was held on May 27, 2008. On July 24, 2008, the court issued an order denying
Hynix, Micron, and Nanyas motions for new trial.
On March 3, 2009, the court issued an order rejecting Hynix, Micron, and Nanyas equitable
claims and defenses that had been tried during the coordinated trial. The court concluded (among
other things) that (1) Rambus did not have an obligation to disclose pending or anticipated patent
applications and had sound reasons for not doing so; (2) the evidence supported the jurys finding
that JEDEC members did not share a clearly defined expectation that members would disclose relevant
knowledge they had about patent applications or the intent to file patent applications on
technology being considered for adoption as a JEDEC standard; (3) the written JEDEC disclosure
policies did not clearly require members to disclose information about patent applications and the
intent to file patent applications in the future; (4) there was no clearly understood or legally
enforceable agreement of JEDEC members to disclose information about patent applications or the
intent to seek patents relevant to standards being discussed at JEDEC; (5) during the time Rambus
attended JEDEC meetings, Rambus did not have any patent application pending that covered a JEDEC
standard, and none of the patents in suit was applied for until well after Rambus resigned from
JEDEC; (6) Rambuss conduct at JEDEC did not constitute an estoppel or waiver of its rights to
enforce its patents; (7) Hynix, Micron, and Nanya failed to carry their burden to prove their
asserted waiver and estoppel defenses not directly based on Rambuss conduct at JEDEC; (8) the
evidence did not support a finding of any material misrepresentation, half truths or fraudulent
concealment by Rambus related to JEDEC upon which Nanya relied; (9) the manufacturers failed to
establish that Rambus violated unfair competition law by its conduct before JEDEC; (10) the
evidence related to Rambuss patent prosecution did not establish that Rambus unduly delayed in
prosecuting the claims in suit; (11) Rambus did not unreasonably delay bringing its patent
infringement claims; and (12) there is no basis for any unclean hands defense or unenforceability
claim arising from Rambuss conduct.
In these cases (except for the Hynix 00-20905 action), a hearing on claim construction and the
parties cross-motions for summary judgment on infringement and validity was held on June 4 and 5,
2008. On July 10, 2008, the court issued its claim construction order relating to the
Farmwald/Horowitz patents in suit and denied the Manufacturers motions for summary judgment of
noninfringement and invalidity based on their proposed claim construction. The court issued claim
construction orders relating to the Ware patents in suit on July 25 and August 27, 2008, and denied
the Manufacturers motion for summary judgment of noninfringement of certain claims. On September
4, 2008, at the courts direction, Rambus elected to proceed to trial on 12 patent claims, each
from the Farmwald/Horowitz family. On September 16, 2008, Rambus granted a covenant not to assert
any claim of patent infringement against the Manufacturers under U.S. Patent Nos. 6,493,789 and
6,496,897, and each partys claims relating to those patents were dismissed with prejudice. On
November 21, 2008, the court entered an order clarifying certain aspects of its July 10, 2008,
claim construction order. On November 24, 2008, the court granted Rambuss motion for summary
judgment of direct infringement with respect to claim 16 of Rambuss U.S. Patent No. 6,266,285 by
the Manufacturers DDR2, DDR3, gDDR2, GDDR3, GDDR4 memory chip products (except for Nanyas DDR3
memory chip products). In the same order, the court denied the remainder of Rambuss motion for
summary judgment of infringement.
On January 19, 2009, Samsung, Nanya, and Hynix filed motions for summary judgment on the
ground that the Delaware Order should be given preclusive effect. Rambus filed opposition briefs to
these motions on January 26, 2009, and a hearing was held on
January 30, 2009. On February 3, 2009, the court entered a stay of this action pending
resolution of Rambus appeal of the Delaware Order. Trial on Rambus patent infringement claims is
scheduled to begin on May 2, 2011.
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On January 19, 2010, Rambus and Samsung entered into a Settlement Agreement pursuant to which
the parties released all claims against each other with respect to all outstanding litigation
between them and certain other potential claims. The Settlement Agreement is described in further
detail in Note 3, Settlement Agreement with Samsung. A stipulation and order of dismissal with
prejudice of claims between Rambus and Samsung was entered on February 11, 2010.
European Commission Competition Directorate-General
On or about April 22, 2003, Rambus was notified by the European Commission Competition
Directorate-General (Directorate) (the European Commission) that it had received complaints from
Infineon and Hynix. Rambus answered the ensuing requests for information prompted by those
complaints on June 16, 2003. Rambus obtained a copy of Infineons complaint to the European
Commission in late July 2003, and on October 8, 2003, at the request of the European Commission,
filed its response. The European Commission sent Rambus a further request for information on
December 22, 2006, which Rambus answered on January 26, 2007. On August 1, 2007, Rambus received a
statement of objections from the European Commission. The statement of objections alleges that
through Rambus participation in the JEDEC standards setting organization and subsequent conduct,
Rambus violated European Union competition law. Rambus filed a response to the statement of
objections on October 31, 2007, and a hearing was held on December 4 and 5, 2007.
On December 9, 2009, the European Commission announced that it has reached a final settlement
with Rambus to resolve the pending case. Under the terms of the settlement, the Commission made no
finding of liability, and no fine will be assessed against Rambus. Rambus commits to offer licenses
with maximum royalty rates for certain memory types and memory controllers on a forward-going basis
(the Commitment). The Commitment is expressly made without any admission by Rambus of the
allegations asserted against it. The Commitment also does not resolve any existing claims of
infringement prior to the signing of any license with a prospective licensee, nor does it release
or excuse any of the prospective licensees from damages or royalty obligations through the date of
signing a license. Rambus offers licenses with maximum royalty rates for five-year worldwide
licenses of 1.5% for DDR2, DDR3, GDDR3 and GDDR4 SDRAM memory types. Qualified licensees will enjoy
a royalty holiday for SDR and DDR DRAM devices, subject to compliance with the terms of the
license. In addition, Rambus offers licenses with maximum royalty rates for five-year worldwide
licenses of 1.5% per unit for SDR memory controllers through April 2010, dropping to 1.0%
thereafter, and royalty rates of 2.65% per unit for DDR, DDR2, DDR3, GDDR3 and GDDR4 memory
controllers through April 2010, then dropping to 2.0%. The Commitment to license at the above rates
remains valid for a period of five years from December 9, 2009. All royalty rates are applicable to
future shipments only and do not affect liability, if any, for damages or royalties that accrued up
to the time of the license grant.
On March 25, 2010, Hynix filed appeals with the General Court of the European Union
purporting to challenge the settlement and the European Commissions rejection of Hynixs
complaint. No decision has issued to date on Hynixs appeal.
Superior Court of California for the County of San Francisco
On May 5, 2004, Rambus filed a lawsuit against Micron, Hynix, Infineon and Siemens in San
Francisco Superior Court (the San Francisco court) seeking damages for conspiring to fix prices
(California Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 16720 et seq.), conspiring to monopolize under the Cartwright Act
(California Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 16720 et seq.), intentional interference with prospective economic
advantage, and unfair competition (California Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 17200 et seq.). This lawsuit
alleges that there were concerted efforts beginning in the 1990s to deter innovation in the DRAM
market and to boycott Rambus and/or deter market acceptance of Rambus RDRAM product. Subsequently,
Infineon and Siemens were dismissed from this action (as a result of a settlement with Infineon)
and three Samsung-related entities were added as defendants.
On January 19, 2010, Rambus and Samsung entered into a Settlement Agreement pursuant to which
the parties released all claims against each other with respect to all outstanding litigation
between them and certain other potential claims. The Settlement Agreement is described in further
detail in Note 3, Settlement Agreement with Samsung. A stipulation of dismissal with prejudice of
claims between Rambus and Samsung was filed on February 4, 2010.
Trial had been scheduled to begin on January 11, 2010. On January 13 and 21, 2010, a hearing
was held on Microns emergency request for a two-month continuance. At the conclusion of the
hearing, the request for continuance was granted. Trial is scheduled to commence on a date to be
determined.
Stock Option Investigation Related Claims
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On May 30, 2006, the Audit Committee commenced an internal investigation of the timing of past
stock option grants and related accounting issues.
On May 31, 2006, the first of three shareholder derivative actions was filed in the U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of California against Rambus (as a nominal defendant) and
certain current and former executives and board members. These actions have been consolidated for
all purposes under the caption, In re Rambus Inc. Derivative Litigation, Master File No.
C-06-3513-JF (N.D. Cal.), and Howard Chu and Gaetano Ruggieri were appointed lead plaintiffs. The
consolidated complaint, as amended, alleges violations of certain federal and state securities laws
as well as other state law causes of action. The complaint seeks disgorgement and damages in an
unspecified amount, unspecified equitable relief, and attorneys fees and costs.
On August 22, 2006, another shareholder derivative action was filed in Delaware Chancery Court
against Rambus (as a nominal defendant) and certain current and former executives and board members
(Bell v. Tate et al., 2366-N (Del. Chancery)). On May 16, 2008, this case was dismissed pursuant to
a notice filed by the plaintiff.
On August 30, 2007, another shareholder derivative action was filed in the U.S. District Court
for the Southern District of New York against Rambus (as a nominal defendant) and
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (Francl v. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP et al., No. 07-Civ. 7650 (GBD)).
On November 21, 2007, the New York court granted PricewaterhouseCoopers LLPs motion to transfer
the action to the Northern District of California.
On October 18, 2006, the Board of Directors formed a Special Litigation Committee (the SLC)
to evaluate potential claims or other actions arising from the stock option granting activities.
The Board of Directors appointed J. Thomas Bentley, Chairman of the Audit Committee, and Abraham
Sofaer, a retired federal judge and Chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee, both of whom joined
the Rambus Board of Directors in 2005, to comprise the SLC.
On August 24, 2007, the final written report setting forth the findings of the SLC was filed
with the court. As set forth in its report, the SLC determined that all claims should be terminated
and dismissed against the named defendants in In re Rambus Inc. Derivative Litigation with the
exception of claims against named defendant Ed Larsen, who served as Vice President, Human
Resources from September 1996 until December 1999, and then Senior Vice President, Administration
until July 2004. The SLC entered into settlement agreements with certain former officers of Rambus.
The aggregate value of the settlements to Rambus exceeds $5.3 million in cash as well as
substantial additional value to Rambus relating to the relinquishment of claims to over 2.7 million
stock options. On October 5, 2007, Rambus filed a motion to terminate in accordance with the SLCs
recommendations. Subsequently, the parties settled In re Rambus Inc. Derivative Litigation and
Francl v. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP et al., No. 07-Civ. 7650 (GBD). The settlement provided for a
payment by Rambus of $2.0 million and dismissal with prejudice of all claims against all
defendants, with the exception of claims against Ed Larsen, in these actions. The $2.0 million was
accrued for during the quarter ended June 30, 2008 within accrued litigation expenses and paid in
January 2009. A final approval hearing was held on January 16, 2009, and an order of final approval
was entered on January 20, 2009.
On July 17, 2006, the first of six class action lawsuits was filed in the U.S. District Court
for the Northern District of California against Rambus and certain current and former executives
and board members. These lawsuits were consolidated under the caption, In re Rambus Inc. Securities
Litigation, C-06-4346-JF (N.D. Cal.). The settlement of this action was preliminarily approved by
the court on March 5, 2008. Pursuant to the settlement agreement, Rambus paid $18.3 million into a
settlement fund on March 17, 2008. Some alleged class members requested exclusion from the
settlement. A final fairness hearing was held on May 14, 2008. That same day the court entered an
order granting final approval of the settlement agreement and entered judgment dismissing with
prejudice all claims against all defendants in the consolidated class action litigation.
On March 1, 2007, a pro se lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of California by two
alleged Rambus shareholders against Rambus, certain current and former executives and board
members, and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (Kelley et al. v. Rambus, Inc. et al. C-07-01238-JF (N.D.
Cal.)). This action was consolidated with a substantially identical pro se lawsuit filed by another
purported Rambus shareholder against the same parties. The consolidated complaint against Rambus
alleges violations of federal and state securities laws, and state law claims for fraud and breach
of fiduciary duty. Following several rounds of motions to dismiss, on April 17, 2008, the court
dismissed all claims with prejudice except for plaintiffs claims under sections 14(a) and 18(a) of
the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 as to which leave to amend was granted. On June 2, 2008,
plaintiffs filed an amended complaint containing substantially the same allegations as the prior
complaint although limited to claims under sections 14(a) and 18(a) of the Securities and
Exchange Act of 1934. Rambus motion to dismiss the amended complaint was heard on September
12, 2008. On December 9, 2008, the court granted Rambus motion and entered judgment in favor of
Rambus. Plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal on December 15, 2008. Plaintiffs filed their opening
brief on April 13, 2009. Rambus opposed on May 29, 2009, and plaintiffs filed a
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reply brief on June
12, 2009. On June 16, 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a
decision affirming the judgment in favor of Rambus.
On September 11, 2008, the same pro se plaintiffs filed a separate lawsuit in Santa Clara
County Superior Court against Rambus, certain current and former executives and board members, and
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (Kelley et al. v. Rambus, Inc. et al., Case No. 1-08-CV-122444). The
complaint alleges violations of certain California state securities statues as well as fraud and
negligent misrepresentation based on substantially the same underlying factual allegations
contained in the pro se lawsuit filed in federal court. On November 24, 2008, Rambus filed a motion
to dismiss or, in the alternative, stay this case in light of the first-filed federal action. On
January 12, 2009, Rambus filed a demurrer to plaintiffs complaint on the ground that it was barred
by the doctrine of claim preclusion. A hearing on Rambus motions was held on February 27, 2009.
The court granted Rambuss motion to stay the case pending the outcome of the appeal in the federal
action and denied the remainder of the motions without prejudice. In light of the appellate courts
decision in the federal action (described above) the stay has been lifted in order to allow the
plaintiffs to move for leave to file a second amended complaint and Rambus to file a further
demurrer to plaintiffs complaint on the ground that it is barred by the doctrine of claim
preclusion. Additionally, the Company will only record a contingent liability if it is probable
that a loss has been incurred and the amount is reasonably estimable.
On August 25, 2008, an amended complaint was filed by certain individuals and entities in
Santa Clara County Superior Court against Rambus, certain current and former executives and board
members, and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (Steele et al. v. Rambus Inc. et al., Case No.
1-08-CV-113682). The amended complaint alleges violations of certain California state securities
statues as well as fraud and negligent misrepresentation. On October 10, 2008, Rambus filed a
demurrer to the amended complaint. A hearing was held on January 9, 2009. On January 12, 2009, the
court sustained Rambus demurrer without prejudice. Plaintiffs filed a second amended complaint on
February 13, 2009, containing the same causes of action as the previous complaint. On March 17,
2009, Rambus filed a demurrer to the second amended complaint. A hearing was held on May 22, 2009.
On May 26, 2009, the court sustained in part and overruled in part Rambuss demurrer. On June 5,
2009, Rambus filed an answer denying plaintiffs remaining allegations. Discovery is ongoing.
Additionally, the Company will only record a contingent liability if it is probable that a loss has
been incurred and the amount is reasonably estimable.
NVIDIA Litigation
U.S District Court in the Northern District of California
On July 10, 2008, Rambus filed suit against NVIDIA Corporation (NVIDIA) in the U.S. District
Court for the Northern District of California alleging that NVIDIAs products with memory
controllers for SDR, DDR, DDRx, GDDR, and GDDRy (where DDRx and GDDRy includes at least DDR2, DDR3
and GDDR3) technologies infringe 17 patents. On September 16, 2008, Rambus granted a covenant not
to assert any claim of patent infringement against NVIDIA under U.S. Patent Nos. 6,493,789 and
6,496,897, accordingly 15 patents remain in suit. On December 30, 2008, the court granted NVIDIAs
motion to stay this case as to Rambus claims that NVIDIAs products infringe nine patents that are
also the subject of proceedings in front of the International Trade Commission (described below),
and denied NVIDIAs motion to stay the remainder of Rambus patent infringement claims. Certain
limited discovery is proceeding. A case management conference is scheduled for August 27, 2010.
On July 11, 2008, one day after Rambus filed suit, NVIDIA filed its own action against Rambus
in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina alleging that Rambus committed
antitrust violations of the Sherman Act; committed antitrust violations of North Carolina law; and
engaged in unfair and deceptive practices in violation of North Carolina law. NVIDIA seeks
injunctive relief, damages, and attorneys fees and costs. This case has been transferred and
consolidated into Rambuss patent infringement case. Rambus filed a motion to dismiss NVIDIAs
claims prior to transfer of the action to California, and no decision has issued to date.
International Trade Commission
On November 6, 2008, Rambus filed a complaint with the U. S. International Trade Commission
(the ITC) requesting the commencement of an investigation pertaining to NVIDIA products. The
complaint seeks an exclusion order barring the importation, sale for importation, or sale after
importation of products that infringe nine Rambus patents from the Ware and Barth families of
patents. The accused products include NVIDIA products that incorporate DDR, DDR2, DDR3, LPDDR,
GDDR, GDDR2, and
GDDR3 memory controllers, including graphics processors, and media and communications
processors. The complaint names NVIDIA as a proposed respondent, as well as companies whose
products incorporate accused NVIDIA products and are imported into the United States. Additional
respondents include: Asustek Computer Inc. and Asus Computer International, BFG Technologies,
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Biostar Microtech and Biostar Microtech International Corp., Diablotek Inc., EVGA Corp., G.B.T.
Inc. and Giga-Byte Technology Co., Hewlett-Packard, MSI Computer Corp. and Micro-Star International
Co., Palit Multimedia Inc. and Palit Microsystems Ltd., Pine Technology Holdings, and Sparkle
Computer Co.
On December 4, 2008, the ITC instituted the investigation. A hearing on claim construction was
held on March 24, 2009, and a claim construction order issued on June 22, 2009. On June 5, 2009,
Rambus moved to withdraw from the investigation four of the asserted patents and certain claims of
a fifth asserted patent in order to simplify the investigation, streamline the final hearing, and
conserve Commission resources. A final hearing before the administrative law judge was held October
13-20, 2009, and the parties submitted two rounds of post-hearing briefs.
On January 22, 2010, the administrative law judge issued a final initial determination holding
that the importation of the accused NVIDIA products violates section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930,
as amended, 19 U.S.C. § 1337 because they infringe seventeen claims of three asserted Barth
patents. The administrative law judge held that the accused NVIDIA products literally infringe all
asserted claims of each asserted Barth and Ware patent, that they infringe three asserted claims
under the doctrine of equivalents, that respondents contribute to and induce infringement of all
asserted claims, and that the asserted patents are not unenforceable due to unclean hands or
equitable estoppel. The administrative law judge held that the asserted Barth patents are not
invalid for anticipation or obviousness and are not obvious for double patenting. The
administrative law judge further held that, while the accused products infringed eight claims of
the two asserted Ware patents and that those patents are not unenforceable due to inequitable
conduct, no violation has occurred because the asserted Ware patents are invalid due to
anticipation and obviousness. The administrative law judge recommended that the ITC issue (1) a
limited exclusion order prohibiting the unlicensed importation of accused products by any
respondent; and (2) a cease and desist order prohibiting domestic respondents from engaging in
certain activities in the United States with respect to the accused products. On February 12, 2010,
the parties filed petitions asking the full Commission to review certain aspects of the final
initial determination.
On March 25, 2010, the ITC determined to review certain obviousness findings regarding the
Barth patents and certain obviousness and anticipation findings regarding the Ware patents. The
parties have submitted briefing on these issues and on the issue of remedy and bonding. On May 24,
2010, the ITC extended the target date for completion of the investigation by two days to May 26,
2010. On May 26, 2010, the ITC requested further briefing on the impact of the license between
Rambus and Samsung on the administrative law judges findings and conclusions, particularly on the
issue of patent exhaustion. On June 7, 2010 and June 15, 2010, the parties filed briefs as
requested by the ITC. On June 22, 2010, the ITC requested additional briefing to discuss the
relevance and effect with respect to the issue of patent exhaustion of a decision issued on May 27,
2010, by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in a case captioned Fujifilm
Corp. v. Benun. On June 25, 2010, the parties filed briefs as requested by the ITC. The final
determination from the ITC is due July 26, 2010.
On July 26, 2010, the ITC issued its final determination affirming the administrative law
judges initial determination with certain modifications to provide further analysis of issues
related to obviousness. The ITC found that respondents failed to demonstrate that Rambus patent
rights are exhausted with respect to accused products that incorporate Samsung memory. The ITC
issued (1) a limited exclusion order prohibiting the unlicensed importation by any respondent of
memory controller products and products incorporating a memory controller that infringe one or more
of the seventeen claims of three asserted Barth patents; and (2) a cease and desist order
prohibiting respondents with commercially significant inventories of infringing products in the
United States from importing, selling, marketing, advertising, distributing, offering for sale,
transferring (except for exportation), and soliciting U.S. agents or distributors for, memory
controller products and products incorporating a memory controller that infringe one or more of the
seventeen claims of three asserted Barth patents, in violation of 19 U.S.C. § 1337. The ITC
determined that the amount of the bond to permit importation during the sixty-day Presidential
review period is 2.65 percent of the entered value of the subject imports. The ITC denied
respondents request for stay and terminated the investigation.
Potential Future Litigation
In addition to the litigation described above, companies continue to adopt Rambus technologies
into various products. Rambus has notified many of these companies of their use of Rambus
technology and continues to evaluate how to proceed on these matters.
There can be no assurance that any ongoing or future litigation will be successful. Rambus
spends substantial company resources defending its intellectual property in litigation, which may
continue for the foreseeable future given the multiple pending litigations.
The outcomes of these litigations as well as any delay in their resolution could affect
Rambus ability to license its intellectual property in the future.
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The Company records a contingent liability when it is probable that a loss has been incurred
and the amount is reasonably estimable in accordance with accounting for contingencies.
15. Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value measurement statement defines fair value as the price that would be received
from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market
participants at the measurement date. When determining fair value, the Company considers the
principal or most advantageous market in which the Company would transact, and the Company
considers assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability, such
as inherent risk, transfer restrictions, and risk of non-performance.
The Companys financial instruments are measured and recorded at fair value, except for cost
method investments and convertible notes. The Companys non-financial assets, such as goodwill,
intangible assets, and property and equipment, are measured at fair value when there is an
indicator of impairment and recorded at fair value only when an impairment charge is recognized.
Fair Value Hierarchy
The fair value measurement statement requires disclosure that establishes a framework for
measuring fair value and expands disclosure about fair value measurements. The statement requires
fair value measurement be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:
Level 1: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement
date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities.
The Company uses unadjusted quotes to determine fair value. The financial assets in Level 1
include money market funds.
Level 2: Quoted prices in markets that are not active, or inputs which are observable, either
directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.
The Company uses observable pricing inputs including benchmark yields, reported trades, and
broker/dealer quotes. The financial assets in Level 2 include U.S. government bonds and notes,
corporate notes, commercial paper and municipal bonds and notes.
Level 3: Prices or valuation techniques that require inputs that are both significant to the
fair value measurement and unobservable (i.e., supported by little or no market activity).
The financial assets in Level 3 include a cost investment whose value is determined using
inputs that are both unobservable and significant to the fair value measurements.
The Company tests the pricing inputs by obtaining prices from two different sources for the
same security on a sample of its portfolio. The Company has not adjusted the pricing inputs it has
obtained. The following table presents the financial instruments that are carried at fair value and
summarizes the valuation of our cash equivalents and marketable securities by the above pricing
levels as of June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009:
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As of June 30, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||
Quoted | ||||||||||||||||
Market | Significant | |||||||||||||||
Prices in | Other | Significant | ||||||||||||||
Active | Observable | Unobservable | ||||||||||||||
Markets | Inputs | Inputs | ||||||||||||||
Total | (Level 1) | (Level 2) | (Level 3) | |||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Money market funds |
$ | 330,211 | $ | 330,211 | $ | | $ | | ||||||||
U.S. government bonds and notes |
230,260 | | 230,260 | | ||||||||||||
Corporate notes, bonds and commercial paper |
32,634 | | 32,634 | | ||||||||||||
Corporate securities |
179 | 179 | | | ||||||||||||
Total available-for-sale securities |
$ | 593,284 | $ | 330,390 | $ | 262,894 | $ | | ||||||||
As of December 31, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||
Quoted | ||||||||||||||||
Market | Significant | |||||||||||||||
Prices in | Other | Significant | ||||||||||||||
Active | Observable | Unobservable | ||||||||||||||
Markets | Inputs | Inputs | ||||||||||||||
Total | (Level 1) | (Level 2) | (Level 3) | |||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Money market funds |
$ | 280,908 | $ | 280,908 | $ | | $ | | ||||||||
U.S. government bonds and notes |
138,829 | | 138,829 | | ||||||||||||
Corporate notes, bonds and commercial paper |
32,291 | | 32,291 | | ||||||||||||
Total available-for-sale securities |
$ | 452,028 | $ | 280,908 | $ | 171,120 | $ | | ||||||||
The Company made an investment of $2.0 million in a non-marketable equity security of a
private company during the third quarter of 2009. The Company monitors the investment for
other-than-temporary impairment and record appropriate reductions in carrying value when necessary.
The Company evaluated the fair value of the investment in the non-marketable security as of June
30, 2010 and determined that there were no events that caused a decrease in its fair value below
the carrying cost.
The following table presents the financial instruments that are measured and carried at cost
on a nonrecurring basis as of June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009:
As of June 30, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Quoted | Impairment | |||||||||||||||||||
market | Significant | Charges for | ||||||||||||||||||
prices in | other | Significant | the Three | |||||||||||||||||
active | observable | unobservable | Months | |||||||||||||||||
Carrying | markets | inputs | inputs | Ended June | ||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | Value | (Level 1) | (Level 2) | (Level 3) | 30, 2010 | |||||||||||||||
Investment in non-marketable security |
$ | 2,000 | $ | | $ | | $ | 2,000 | $ | | ||||||||||
As of December 31, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Quoted | Impairment | |||||||||||||||||||
market | Significant | Charges for | ||||||||||||||||||
prices in | other | Significant | the Year | |||||||||||||||||
active | observable | unobservable | Ended | |||||||||||||||||
Carrying | markets | inputs | inputs | December | ||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | Value | (Level 1) | (Level 2) | (Level 3) | 31, 2009 | |||||||||||||||
Investment in non-marketable security |
$ | 2,000 | $ | | $ | | $ | 2,000 | $ | | ||||||||||
The following table presents the financial instruments that are not carried at fair value but
which require fair value disclosure as of June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009:
As of June 30, 2010 | As of December 31, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Face | Carrying | Face | Carrying | |||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | Value | Value | Fair Value | Value | Value | Fair Value | ||||||||||||||||||
5% Convertible Senior Notes due 2014 |
$ | 172,500 | $ | 116,184 | $ | 199,286 | $ | 172,500 | $ | 112,012 | $ | 261,160 | ||||||||||||
Zero Coupon Convertible Senior Notes due 2010 |
| | | 136,950 | 136,032 | 142,599 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total Convertible notes |
$ | 172,500 | $ | 116,184 | $ | 199,286 | $ | 309,450 | $ | 248,044 | $ | 403,759 | ||||||||||||
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The fair value of the convertible notes at each balance sheet date is determined based on
recent quoted market prices for these notes. As discussed in Note 16, Convertible Notes, as of
June 30, 2010, the convertible notes are carried at face value of $172.5 million less any
unamortized debt discount. The carrying value of other financial instruments, including cash,
accounts receivable, accounts payable and other payables, approximates fair value due to their
short maturities.
The Company monitors its investments for other than temporary losses by considering current
factors, including the economic environment, market conditions, operational performance and other
specific factors relating to the business underlying the investment, reductions in carrying values
when necessary and the Companys ability and intent to hold the investment for a period of time
which may be sufficient for anticipated recovery in the market. Any other than temporary loss is
reported under Interest and other income, net in the consolidated statement of operations. As of
June 30, 2010, the Company has not incurred any impairment loss on its investments. As of December
31, 2009, the Company recorded an impairment loss of $164,000 for one investment.
16. Convertible Notes
The Companys convertible notes are shown in the following table.
As of June 30, | As of December 31, | |||||||
(in thousands) | 2010 | 2009 | ||||||
5% Convertible Senior Notes due 2014 |
$ | 172,500 | $ | 172,500 | ||||
Zero Coupon Convertible Senior Notes due 2010 |
| 136,950 | ||||||
Total principal amount of convertible notes |
172,500 | 309,450 | ||||||
Unamortized discount |
(56,316 | ) | (61,406 | ) | ||||
Total convertible notes |
$ | 116,184 | $ | 248,044 | ||||
Less current portion |
| (136,032 | ) | |||||
Total long-term convertible notes |
$ | 116,184 | $ | 112,012 | ||||
5% Convertible Senior Notes due 2014. On June 29, 2009, the Company issued $150.0 million
aggregate principal amount of 5% convertible senior notes due June 15, 2014. As of the date of
issuance, the Company determined that the liability component of the 2014 Notes was approximately
$92.4 million and the equity component was approximately $57.6 million. On July 10, 2009, an
additional $22.5 million of the 2014 Notes were issued as a result of the underwriters exercising
their overallotment option. As of the date of issuance of the $22.5 million 2014 Notes, the Company
determined that the liability component was approximately $14.3 million and the equity component
was approximately $8.2 million. The unamortized discount related to the 2014 Notes is being
amortized to interest expense using the effective interest method over five years through June
2014.
The Company will pay cash interest at an annual rate of 5% of the principal amount at
issuance, payable semi-annually in arrears on June 15 and December 15 of each year, beginning on
December 15, 2009. In the second quarter of 2010, the Company made a payment of approximately $4.3
million related to the 2014 Notes. Issuance costs were approximately $5.1 million of which $3.2
million is related to the liability portion, which is being amortized to interest expense over five
years (the expected term of the debt), and $1.9 million is related to the equity portion. The 2014
Notes are the Companys general unsecured obligation, ranking equal in right of payment to all of
the Companys existing and future senior indebtedness, including the 2010 Notes, and are senior in
right of payment to any of the Companys future indebtedness that is expressly subordinated to the
2014 Notes.
The 2014 Notes are convertible into shares of the Companys Common Stock at an initial
conversion rate of 51.8 shares of Common Stock per $1,000 principal amount of 2014 Notes. This is
equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $19.31 per share of common stock.
Holders may surrender their 2014 Notes for conversion prior to March 15, 2014 only under the
following circumstances: (i) during any calendar quarter beginning after the calendar quarter
ending September 30, 2009, and only during such calendar quarter, if the closing sale price of the
Common Stock for 20 or more trading days in the period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on the
last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter exceeds 130% of the conversion price
in effect on the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter, (ii) during the
five business day period after any 10 consecutive trading day period in which the trading price per
$1,000 principal amount of 2014 Notes for each trading day of such 10 consecutive trading day
period was less than 98% of the product of the closing sale price of the Common Stock for such
trading day and the applicable conversion rate, (iii) upon the occurrence of specified
distributions to holders of the Common Stock, (iv) upon a fundamental change of the Company as
specified in the Indenture governing the 2014 Notes, or (v) if the Company calls any or all of the
2014 Notes for redemption, at any time prior to the close of business on the business day
immediately preceding the redemption date. On and after March 15, 2014, holders may convert their
2014 Notes at any time until the close of business on the third business day prior to the maturity
date, regardless of the foregoing circumstances.
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Upon conversion of the 2014 Notes, the Company will pay (i) cash equal to the lesser of the
aggregate principal amount and the conversion value of the 2014 Notes and (ii) shares of the
Companys Common Stock for the remainder, if any, of the Companys conversion obligation, in each
case based on a daily conversion value calculated on a proportionate basis for each trading day in
the 20 trading day conversion reference period as further specified in the Indenture.
The Company may not redeem the 2014 Notes at its option prior to June 15, 2012. At any time on
or after June 15, 2012, the Company will have the right, at its option, to redeem the 2014 Notes in
whole or in part for cash in an amount equal to 100% of the principal amount of the 2014 Notes to
be redeemed, together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, if the closing sale price of the
Common Stock for at least 20 of the 30 consecutive trading days immediately prior to any date the
Company gives a notice of redemption is greater than 130% of the conversion price on the date of
such notice.
Upon the occurrence of a fundamental change, holders may require the Company to repurchase
some or all of their 2014 Notes for cash at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the
2014 Notes being repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. In addition, upon the
occurrence of certain fundamental changes, as that term is defined in the Indenture, the Company
will, in certain circumstances, increase the conversion rate for 2014 Notes converted in connection
with such fundamental changes by a specified number of shares of Common Stock, not to exceed
15.5401 per $1,000 principal amount of the 2014 Notes.
The following events are considered Events of Default under the Indenture which may result
in the acceleration of the maturity of the 2014 Notes:
(1) | default in the payment when due of any principal of any of the 2014 Notes at maturity, upon redemption or upon exercise of a repurchase right or otherwise; |
(2) | default in the payment of any interest, including additional interest, if any, on any of the 2014 Notes, when the interest becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days; |
(3) | the Companys failure to deliver cash or cash and shares of Common Stock (including any additional shares deliverable as a result of a conversion in connection with a make-whole fundamental change) when required to be delivered upon the conversion of any 2014 Note; |
(4) | default in the Companys obligation to provide notice of the occurrence of a fundamental change when required by the Indenture; |
(5) | the Companys failure to comply with any of its other agreements in the 2014 Notes or the Indenture (other than those referred to in clauses (1) through (4) above) for 60 days after the Companys receipt of written notice to the Company of such default from the trustee or to the Company and the trustee of such default from holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the 2014 Notes then outstanding; |
(6) | the Companys failure to pay when due the principal of, or acceleration of, any indebtedness for money borrowed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries in excess of $30,000,000 principal amount, if such indebtedness is not discharged, or such acceleration is not annulled, by the end of a period of ten days after written notice to the Company by the trustee or to the Company and the trustee by the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the 2014 Notes then outstanding; and |
(7) | certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization relating to the Company or any of its material subsidiaries (as defined in the Indenture). |
If an event of default, other than an event of default in clause (7) above with respect to the
Company occurs and is continuing, either the trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate
principal amount of the 2014 Notes then outstanding may declare the principal amount of, and
accrued and unpaid interest, including additional interest, if any, on the 2014 Notes then
outstanding to be immediately due and payable. If an event of default described in clause (7) above
occurs with respect to the Company the principal amount of and accrued and unpaid interest,
including additional interest, if any, on the 2014 Notes will automatically become immediately due
and payable.
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Zero Coupon Convertible Senior Notes due 2010. On February 1, 2005, the Company issued $300.0
million aggregate principal amount of zero coupon convertible senior notes due February 1, 2010
(the 2010 Notes) to Credit Suisse First Boston LLC and Deutsche Bank Securities as initial
purchasers who then sold the 2010 Notes to institutional investors.
The 2010 Notes were unsecured senior obligations, ranking equally in right of payment with all
of Rambus existing and future unsecured senior indebtedness, and senior in right of payment to any
future indebtedness that is expressly subordinated to the 2010 Notes.
The 2010 Notes were convertible at any time prior to the close of business on the maturity
date into, in respect of each $1,000 principal of the 2010 Notes:
| cash in an amount equal to the lesser of |
(1) | the principal amount of each note to be converted and |
(2) | the conversion value, which is equal to (a) the applicable conversion rate, multiplied by (b) the applicable stock price, as defined. |
| if the conversion value is greater than the principal amount of each note, a number of shares of Rambus Common Stock (the net shares) equal to the sum of the daily share amounts, calculated as defined. However, in lieu of delivering net shares, Rambus, at its option, may deliver cash, or a combination of cash and shares of its Common Stock, with a value equal to the net shares amount. |
The initial conversion price was $26.84 per share of Common Stock (which represented an
initial conversion rate of 37.2585 shares of Rambus Common Stock per $1,000 principal amount of the
2010 Notes). The initial conversion price was subject to certain adjustments, as specified in the
indenture governing the 2010 Notes.
On February 1, 2010, the Company paid upon maturity the remaining $137.0 million in face value
of the 2010 Notes.
Additional paid-in capital at June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009 includes $63.9 million
related to the equity component of the 2014 Notes.
As of June 30, 2010, none of the conversion conditions were met related to the 2014 Notes.
Therefore, the classification of the entire equity component for the 2014 Notes in permanent equity
is appropriate as of June 30, 2010.
Interest expense related to the notes for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 and
2009 is as follows:
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
(In thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
2014 Notes coupon interest at a rate of 5% |
$ | 2,156 | $ | 42 | $ | 4,312 | $ | 42 | ||||||||
2014 Notes amortization of discount at an additional effective interest
rate of 11.7% |
1,584 | 53 | 4,486 | 53 | ||||||||||||
2010 Notes amortization of discount at an effective interest rate of 8.4% |
| 2,722 | 958 | 5,392 | ||||||||||||
Total interest expense |
$ | 3,740 | $ | 2,817 | $ | 9,756 | $ | 5,487 | ||||||||
During the second quarter of 2010, the Company adjusted its interest expense by approximately
$1.0 million due to the incorrect amortization of the non-cash debt discount related to the 2014
Notes. The Company concluded that the correction was not material to the previous or present
periods.
17. Acquisitions
During the second quarter of 2010, as part of the Companys ongoing acquisition activities to
broaden its technology portfolio, the Company acquired two businesses for $2.7 million and
purchased patents for $2.3 million. Of the $2.7 million used to acquire the two businesses, the
Company paid $2.4 million in cash and will pay the remaining $0.3 million later in 2010. For the
acquired businesses,
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$2.0 million and $0.7 million were related to patents and equipment, respectively. The
business combinations and patent acquisition were not significant to the financial statements.
During the first quarter of 2010, the Company purchased patents in an asset acquisition for
approximately $1.5 million as part of the Companys ongoing acquisition activities to broaden its
technology portfolio. The patent acquisition was not significant to the financial statements.
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Item 2. | Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements
relate to our expectations for future events and time periods. All statements other than statements
of historical fact are statements that could be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including
any statements regarding trends in future revenue or results of operations, gross margin or
operating margin, expenses, earnings or losses from operations, synergies or other financial items;
any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any
statements concerning developments, performance or industry ranking; any statements regarding
future economic conditions or performance; any statements regarding pending investigations, claims
or disputes; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying
any of the foregoing. Generally, the words anticipate, believes, plans, expects, future,
intends, may, should, estimates, predicts, potential, continue, projects and
similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements are based
on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions and are subject to risks, uncertainties and
changes in condition, significance, value and effect. As a result of the factors described herein,
and in the documents incorporated herein by reference, including, in particular, those factors
described under Risk Factors, we undertake no obligation to publicly disclose any revisions to
these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring subsequent to filing
this report with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Rambus, RDRAMtm
, XDRtm,
FlexIOtm
and FlexPhasetm
are trademarks or registered trademarks of Rambus Inc. Other
trademarks that may be mentioned in this annual report on Form 10-K are the property of their
respective owners.
Industry terminology, used widely throughout this annual report, has been abbreviated and, as
such, these abbreviations are defined below for your convenience:
Double Data Rate
|
DDR | |
Dynamic Random Access Memory
|
DRAM | |
Fully Buffered-Dual Inline Memory Module
|
FB-DIMM | |
Gigabits per second
|
Gb/s | |
Graphics Double Data Rate
|
GDDR | |
Input/Output
|
I/O | |
Light Emitting Diodes
|
LED | |
Lighting and Display Technology
|
LDT | |
Liquid Crystal Display
|
LCD | |
Peripheral Component Interconnect
|
PCI | |
Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory
|
RDRAMtm | |
Single Data Rate
|
SDR | |
Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory
|
SDRAM | |
eXtreme Data Rate
|
XDRtm |
From time to time we will refer to the abbreviated names of certain entities and, as such,
have provided a chart to indicate the full names of those entities for your convenience.
Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
|
AMD | |
ARM Holdings plc
|
ARM | |
Elpida Memory, Inc.
|
Elpida | |
Fujitsu Limited
|
Fujitsu | |
General Electric Company
|
GE | |
Global Lighting Technologies, Inc.
|
GLT | |
Hewlett-Packard Company
|
Hewlett-Packard | |
Hynix Semiconductor, Inc.
|
Hynix | |
Infineon Technologies AG
|
Infineon | |
Inotera Memories, Inc.
|
Inotera | |
Intel Corporation
|
Intel | |
International Business Machines Corporation
|
IBM | |
Joint Electronic Device Engineering Councils
|
JEDEC | |
Micron Technologies, Inc.
|
Micron | |
Nanya Technology Corporation
|
Nanya | |
NEC Electronics Corporation
|
NEC | |
NVIDIA Corporation
|
NVIDIA |
39
Table of Contents
Optical Internetworking Forum
|
OIF | |
Qimonda AG (formerly Infineons DRAM operations)
|
Qimonda | |
Panasonic Corporation
|
Panasonic | |
Peripheral Component Interconnect Special Interest Group
|
PCI-SIG | |
Renesas Electronics Corporation (formerly NEC Electronics
Corporation and Renesas Technology Corporation)
|
Renesas | |
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
|
Samsung | |
Sony Computer Electronics
|
Sony | |
Spansion, Inc.
|
Spansion | |
Texas Instruments Inc.
|
Texas Instruments | |
Toshiba Corporation
|
Toshiba |
40
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Business Overview
We are a premier intellectual property licensing company. Our primary focus is the design,
development and licensing chip interface technologies and architectures that are foundational to
nearly all digital electronics products. Our chip interface technologies aim to improve the
performance, power efficiency, time-to-market and cost-effectiveness of our customers
semiconductor and system products for computing, gaming and graphics, consumer electronics and
mobile applications. The key elements of our strategy are as follows:
Innovate: Develop and patent our innovative technology to provide fundamental competitive
advantage when incorporated into semiconductors and electronic systems.
Drive Adoption: Communicate the advantages of our patented innovations and technology to
the industry and encourage its adoption through demonstrations and incorporation in the products
of select customers.
Monetize: License our patented inventions and technology solutions to customers for use in
their semiconductor and system products.
In December 2009, we added lighting technology to our portfolio of solutions through the
acquisition of patented innovations and technology from GLT. This technology is complementary to
our chip interface technologies since it is intended to improve the visual capabilities, form
factor, power efficiency and cost effectiveness of backlighting of LCD displays in products for
computing, gaming and graphics, consumer electronics and mobile applications. Our new technology
also has significant potential to enable cost-effective and power-efficient LED-based general
lighting products.
As of June 30, 2010, our chip interface, lighting and other technologies are covered by
approximately 1020 U.S. and foreign patents. Additionally, we have approximately 740 patent
applications pending. These patents and patent applications cover important inventions in memory
and logic chip interfaces, optoelectronics and other technologies. Some of the patents and pending
patent applications are derived from a common parent patent application or are foreign counterpart
patent applications. We have a program to file applications for and obtain patents in the United
States and in selected foreign countries where we believe filing for such protection is
appropriate. In some instances, obtaining appropriate levels of protection may involve prosecuting
continuation and counterpart patent applications based on a common parent application. We believe
that our patented innovations provide our customers means to achieve higher performance, improved
power efficiency, lower risk, and greater cost-effectiveness in their semiconductor and system
products.
Our primary method of providing technology to our customers is through our patented
innovations. We license our broad portfolio of patented inventions to semiconductor and system
companies who use these inventions in the development and manufacture of their own products. Such
licensing agreements may cover the license of part, or all, of our patent portfolio. Patent license
agreements are generally royalty bearing.
We also develop a range of solutions including leadership (which are Rambus-proprietary
solutions widely licensed to our customers) and industry-standard solutions that we provide to our
customers under license for incorporation into their semiconductor and system products. Due to the
often complex nature of implementing state-of-the art technology, we offer engineering services to
our customers to help them successfully integrate our solutions into their semiconductors and
systems. These technology license agreements may have both a fixed price (non-recurring) component
and ongoing royalties. Engineering services are generally offered on a fixed price basis. Further,
under technology licenses, our customers may receive licenses to our patents necessary to implement
these solutions in their products with specific rights and restrictions to the applicable patents
elaborated in their individual contracts with us.
Royalties represent a substantial majority of our total revenue. We derive the majority of our
royalty revenue by licensing our broad portfolio of patents for chip interfaces to our customers.
Such licenses may cover part or all of our patent portfolio. Leading semiconductor and system
companies such as AMD, Fujitsu, Intel, Panasonic, Renesas, Samsung and Toshiba have licensed our
patents for use in their own products.
We also derive additional revenue by licensing a range of technology solutions including our
leadership architectures and industry-standard solutions to customers for use in their
semiconductor and system products. Our customers include leading companies such as Elpida, IBM,
Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba. Due to the complex nature of implementing our technologies,
we provide engineering services under certain of these licenses to help our customers successfully
integrate our technology solutions into their
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semiconductors and system products. Licensees also may receive, in addition to their
technology license agreements, patent licenses as necessary to implement the technology in their
products with specific rights and restrictions to the applicable patents elaborated in their
individual contracts.
The remainder of our revenue is contract services revenue which includes license fees and
engineering services fees. The timing and amounts invoiced to customers can vary significantly
depending on specific contract terms and can therefore have a significant impact on deferred
revenue or account receivables in any given period.
We intend to continue making significant expenditures associated with engineering, marketing,
general and administration including litigation expenses, and expect that these costs and expenses
will continue to be a significant percentage of revenue in future periods. Whether such expenses
increase or decrease as a percentage of revenue will be substantially dependent upon the rate at
which our revenue or expenses change.
Executive Summary
During the first quarter of 2010, we signed a significant settlement agreement with Samsung
bringing the Company into a profit position for the six month period ended June 30, 2010. See Note
3, Settlement Agreement with Samsung, of Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements of
this Form 10-Q for further discussion. We continue to pursue other revenue opportunities in order
to grow our revenue. In December 2009, we added lighting technology through the acquisition of
patented innovations and technology from GLT as part of our strategy to expand our patent portfolio
and diversify our business. In June 2010, we signed a broad licensing agreement for the use of our
patented lighting innovations with GE Lighting, a unit of GEs Appliances & Lighting business. We
also purchased patents and two small businesses as part of our ongoing acquisition activities to
broaden our technology portfolio during the second quarter of 2010.
Research and development continues to play a key role in our efforts to maintain product
innovations. Our engineering expenses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 increased
$7.7 million and $11.1 million, respectively, as compared to the same periods in 2009 primarily due
to the increase in headcount from our newly established LDT group in December 2009. As a percentage
of revenue, engineering expenses remained relatively flat and decreased for the three and six
months ended June 30, 2010, respectively, as compared to the same periods in 2009. The decrease for
the six month period was due to higher revenue primarily attributed to the settlement with Samsung.
Marketing, general and administrative expenses in aggregate decreased $3.2 million and $8.8
million, respectively, for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 as compared to the same
periods in 2009 primarily due to lower litigation expenses. Our higher revenue combined with the
decrease in marketing, general and administrative expenses, has caused marketing, general and
administrative expenses to decrease as a percentage of revenue. Additionally, for the three and six
months ended June 30, 2010, we incurred costs of restatement and related legal activities of $1.6
million and $2.2 million, respectively, primarily due to litigation expense associated with a
private shareholder lawsuit related to the 2006-2007 stock option investigation.
Trends
There are a number of trends that we expect may or will have a material impact on us in the
future, including global economic conditions with the resulting impact on sales, continuing pursuit
of litigation against companies that we believe have infringed our patented technologies and shifts
in our overall effective tax rate.
We have a high degree of revenue concentration, with our top five licensees representing
approximately 83% and 91% of our revenue for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010,
respectively. This compares with the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, in which revenue
from our top five licensees accounted for approximately 79% and 78% of our revenue, respectively.
As a result of our settlement with Samsung, Samsung is expected to account for a significant
portion of our ongoing licensing revenue in 2010. For the three months ended June 30, 2010, revenue
from Renesas, Samsung and Toshiba each accounted for 10% or more of our total revenue. For the six
months ended June 30, 2010, revenue from Samsung accounted for 10% or more of our total revenue.
For the three months ended June 30, 2009, revenue from AMD, Fujitsu, NEC, Sony and Toshiba each
accounted for 10% or more of our total revenue. For the six months ended June 30, 2009, revenue
from AMD, Fujitsu, NEC, Panasonic and Sony each accounted for 10% or more of our total revenue.
Many of our licensees have the right to cancel their licenses. The particular licensees which
account for revenue concentration have varied from period to period as a result of the addition of
new contracts, expiration of existing contracts, industry consolidation and the volumes and prices
at which the licensees have recently sold licensed semiconductors to system companies. These
variations
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are expected to continue in the foreseeable future, although we expect that our revenue
concentration will decrease over time as we license new customers.
The semiconductor industry is intensely competitive and highly cyclical. Our visibility with
respect to future sales is very limited at this time. To the extent that macroeconomic
fluctuations negatively affect our principal licensees, the demand for our technology may be
significantly and adversely impacted and we may experience substantial period-to-period
fluctuations in our operating results. The recent downturn in worldwide economic conditions also
threatens the financial health of our commercial counterparties, including companies with whom we
have entered into licensing arrangements, settlement agreements or that have been subject to
litigation judgments that provide for payments to us, and their ability to fulfill their financial
and other obligations to us. Some of our existing patent licensees have fixed royalty payments
which are not impacted by the recent economic downturn. Royalty payments from the remaining
licensees are related to variable royalty agreements which have been impacted by the recent
economic conditions. Current market indicators are mixed, but there are some recent signs of some
stabilization. However, there continue to be indications that global demand will not quickly
recover and may continue to contract for most, if not all, of 2010. Such lower demand levels may
adversely impact our revenue and profitability. See Item 1A, Risk Factors.
The royalties we receive are partly a function of the adoption of our chip interfaces by
system companies. Many system companies purchase semiconductors containing our chip interfaces from
our licensees and do not have a direct contractual relationship with us. Our licensees generally do
not provide us with details as to the identity or volume of licensed semiconductors purchased by
particular system companies. As a result, we face difficulty in analyzing the extent to which our
future revenue will be dependent upon particular system companies. System companies face intense
competitive pressure in their markets, which are characterized by extreme volatility, frequent new
product introductions and rapidly shifting consumer preferences. There can be no assurance as to
the unit volumes of licensed semiconductors that will be purchased by these companies in the future
or as to the level of royalty-bearing revenue that our licensees will receive from sales to these
companies. Additionally, there can be no assurance that a significant number of other system
companies will adopt our chip interfaces or that our dependence upon particular system companies
will decrease in the future. See Item 1A, Risk Factors.
Our revenue from companies headquartered outside of the United States accounted for
approximately 87% and 95% of our total revenue for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010,
respectively, as compared to 83% and 82% for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009,
respectively. We expect that revenue derived from international licensees will continue to
represent a significant portion of our total revenue in the future. To date, all of the revenue
from international licensees have been denominated in U.S. dollars. However, to the extent that
such licensees sales to their customers are not denominated in U.S. dollars, any royalties that we
receive as a result of such sales could be subject to fluctuations in currency exchange rates. In
addition, if the effective price of licensed semiconductors sold by our foreign licensees were to
increase as a result of fluctuations in the exchange rate of the relevant currencies, demand for
licensed semiconductors could fall, which in turn would reduce our royalties. We do not use
financial instruments to hedge foreign exchange rate risk.
For additional information concerning international revenue, see Note 12, Business Segments,
Exports and Major Customers, of Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements of this
Form 10-Q.
Engineering costs as a percentage of net sales remained relatively flat and decreased for the
three and six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively, as compared to the same periods in the
prior year. The decrease for the six month period was due to the higher revenue primarily
attributed to the settlement with Samsung. In the near term, we expect engineering costs to be
higher than in 2009 due primarily to the engineering activities in our newly established LDT group,
funding for our 2010 Corporate Incentive Plan (the 2010 CIP) and the bonus related to the Samsung
settlement. In addition, we intend to continue to make investments in the infrastructure and
technologies required to maintain our product innovations and leadership position in chip interface
technologies and, as a result, expenses are expected to increase.
Marketing, general and administrative expenses in the aggregate and as a percentage of net
sales decreased for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively, as compared to the
same periods in the prior year primarily due to lower litigation expenses as well as higher revenue
primarily attributed to the patent license revenue related to the settlement with Samsung.
Historically, we have been involved in significant litigation stemming from the unlicensed use of
our inventions. Our litigation expenses have been high and difficult to predict and we anticipate
future litigation expenses will continue to be significant, volatile and difficult to predict. If
we are successful in the litigation and/or related licensing, our revenue could be substantially
higher in the future; if we are unsuccessful, our revenue may not grow or may decrease.
Furthermore, our success in litigation matters pending before courts and regulatory bodies that
relate to our intellectual property rights have impacted and will likely continue to impact our
ability and the terms upon which we are able to negotiate new or renegotiate existing licenses for
our technology. We will continue to pursue
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litigation against those companies that have infringed our patented technologies, which in
turn will continue to increase marketing, general and administrative expenses as litigation
expenses will continue to increase until such litigation is resolved.
As we continue to pursue litigation and invest in research and development projects and if we
experience lower revenue from our licensees in the future, our cash from operations will be
negatively affected.
Results of Operations
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the percentage of total revenue
represented by certain items reflected in our unaudited consolidated statements of operations:
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
Revenue: |
||||||||||||||||
Royalties |
98.3 | % | 91.8 | % | 99.0 | % | 93.8 | % | ||||||||
Contract revenue |
1.7 | % | 8.2 | % | 1.0 | % | 6.2 | % | ||||||||
Total revenue |
100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | ||||||||
Operating costs and expenses: |
||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenue* |
4.7 | % | 5.3 | % | 1.8 | % | 6.7 | % | ||||||||
Research and development* |
59.1 | % | 58.2 | % | 22.3 | % | 61.8 | % | ||||||||
Marketing, general and administrative* |
75.7 | % | 120.7 | % | 30.3 | % | 128.3 | % | ||||||||
Costs (recoveries) of restatement and related legal activities |
4.2 | % | (1.6 | )% | 1.1 | % | (25.9 | )% | ||||||||
Gain from settlement |
(26.5 | )% | | % | (52.9 | )% | | % | ||||||||
Total operating costs and expenses |
117.2 | % | 182.6 | % | 2.6 | % | 170.9 | % | ||||||||
Operating income (loss) |
(17.2 | )% | (82.6 | )% | 97.4 | % | (70.9 | )% | ||||||||
Interest income and other income, net |
0.8 | % | 4.3 | % | 0.4 | % | 4.8 | % | ||||||||
Interest expense |
(9.6 | )% | (10.4 | )% | (4.9 | )% | (10.1 | )% | ||||||||
Interest and other expense, net |
(8.8 | )% | (6.1 | )% | (4.5 | )% | (5.3 | )% | ||||||||
Income (loss) before income taxes |
(26.0 | )% | (88.7 | )% | 92.9 | % | (76.2 | )% | ||||||||
Provision for income taxes |
6.1 | % | 0.1 | % | 23.9 | % | 0.0 | % | ||||||||
Net income (loss) |
(32.1 | )% | (88.8 | )% | 69.0 | % | (76.2 | )% | ||||||||
* | Includes stock-based compensation: |
Cost of revenue |
0.1 | % | 0.9 | % | 0.1 | % | 1.1 | % | ||||||||
Research and development |
7.0 | % | 8.2 | % | 2.6 | % | 9.1 | % | ||||||||
Marketing, general and administrative |
13.4 | % | 20.0 | % | 5.2 | % | 19.7 | % |
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Three Months | Six Months | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ended June 30, | Change in | Ended June 30, | Change in | |||||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in millions) | 2010 | 2009 | Percentage | 2010 | 2009 | Percentage | ||||||||||||||||||
Total Revenue |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Royalties |
$ | 38.2 | $ | 24.8 | 54.3 | % | $ | 198.7 | $ | 50.9 | 290.2 | % | ||||||||||||
Contract revenue |
0.7 | 2.2 | (69.9 | )% | 2.0 | 3.4 | (41.2 | )% | ||||||||||||||||
Total revenue |
$ | 38.9 | $ | 27.0 | 44.0 | % | $ | 200.7 | $ | 54.3 | 269.5 | % | ||||||||||||
Royalty Revenue
Patent Licenses
Our patent royalties increased approximately $13.6 million to $31.9 million for the three
months ended June 30, 2010 from $18.3 million for the same period in 2009. Our patent royalties
increased approximately $146.7 million to $185.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2010
from $38.3 million for the same period in 2009. The increase in both periods was primarily due to
the patent license revenue related to the settlement with Samsung in the first quarter of 2010. See
Note 3, Settlement Agreement with Samsung, of Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial
Statements of this Form 10-Q for further details.
In March 2010, AMD elected to exercise its right to renew the Rambus-AMD Patent License
Agreement through the third quarter of 2015. The license fee during the renewal period will be
determined at the end of 2010. The original term of AMDs agreement runs through the end of
September 2010.
We are in negotiations with some existing licensees regarding renewals, as some of the
existing patent license agreements have recently expired or will expire in 2010. In the event that
negotiations for patent license renewal with some of these licensees are not signed before the end
of the third quarter of 2010, our revenue from patent royalties may be lower than anticipated. We
expect patent royalties will continue to vary from period to period based on our success in adding
new licensees, as well as the level of variation in our licensees reported shipment volumes, sales
price and mix, offset in part by the proportion of licensee payments that are fixed.
Technology Licenses
Royalties from technology licenses decreased approximately $0.2 million to $6.3 million for
the three months ended June 30, 2010 from $6.5 million for the same period in 2009. The decrease
was primarily due to lower royalties from RDRAMTM controllers in the second quarter of
2010 due to a one-time catch-up royalty payment for the Sony PlayStation®2 product in
the second quarter of 2009, partially offset by higher royalties reported from increased shipments
related to DDR2 technologies and higher royalties from XDRtm DRAM associated
with increased shipments of the Sony PlayStation®3 product in the second quarter of
2010.
Royalties from technology licenses increased approximately $1.1 million to $13.7 million for
the six months ended June 30, 2010 from $12.6 million for the same period in 2009. The increase was
primarily due to higher royalties reported from increased shipments related to DDR2 technologies
and higher royalties from XDRtm DRAM associated with increased shipments of the
Sony PlayStation®3 product, partially offset by lower royalties from RDRAMTM
controllers in the first half of 2010 due to a one-time catch-up royalty payment for the Sony
PlayStation®2 product in the second quarter of 2009.
In the future, we expect technology royalties will continue to vary from period to period
based on our licensees shipment volumes, sales prices, and product mix.
Contract Revenue
Contract revenue decreased approximately $1.5 million to $0.7 million for the three months
ended June 30, 2010 from $2.2 million for the same period in 2009. Contract revenue decreased
approximately $1.4 million to $2.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2010 from $3.4 million
for the same period in 2009. The decrease in both periods was primarily due to the completion of a
$1.1 million industry standard chip interface contract in the second quarter of 2009.
We believe that contract revenue recognized will continue to fluctuate over time based on our
ongoing contractual requirements, the amount of work performed, the timing of completing
engineering deliverables, and by changes to work required, as well as new technology development
contracts booked in the future.
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Engineering costs:
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||||||||||
June 30, | Change in | June 30, | Change in | |||||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in millions) | 2010 | 2009 | Percentage | 2010 | 2009 | Percentage | ||||||||||||||||||
Engineering costs |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenue |
$ | 1.8 | $ | 1.2 | 47.4 | % | $ | 3.5 | $ | 3.0 | 17.8 | % | ||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation |
0.0 | 0.2 | (87.7 | )% | 0.1 | 0.6 | (79.4 | )% | ||||||||||||||||
Total cost of revenue |
1.8 | 1.4 | 25.5 | % | 3.6 | 3.6 | 1.0 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Research and development |
20.3 | 13.5 | 50.3 | % | 39.4 | 28.6 | 37.8 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation |
2.7 | 2.2 | 22.1 | % | 5.3 | 5.0 | 6.4 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Total research and
development |
23.0 | 15.7 | 46.3 | % | 44.7 | 33.6 | 33.2 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Total engineering costs |
$ | 24.8 | $ | 17.1 | 44.5 | % | $ | 48.3 | $ | 37.2 | 30.0 | % | ||||||||||||
Total engineering costs increased 44.5% and 30.0% for the three and six months ended June 30,
2010, respectively, as compared to the same periods in 2009 primarily due to the increase in
headcount from our newly established LDT group, funding for our 2010 CIP, the bonus related to the
Samsung settlement, increase in patent research related costs and additional amortization expense
related to intangible assets acquired from GLT.
In the near term, we expect engineering costs to be higher than in 2009 due primarily to the
engineering activities in our newly established LDT group as well as funding for our 2010 CIP and
the bonus related to the Samsung settlement. In addition, we intend to continue to make investments
in the infrastructure and technologies required to maintain our product innovation and leadership
position in chip interface technologies and, as a result, costs are expected to increase.
Marketing, general and administrative costs:
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||||||||||
June 30, | Change in | June 30, | Change in | |||||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in millions) | 2010 | 2009 | Percentage | 2010 | 2009 | Percentage | ||||||||||||||||||
Marketing, general
and administrative
costs |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marketing, general and
administrative costs |
$ | 19.0 | $ | 12.2 | 56.5 | % | $ | 38.3 | $ | 26.0 | 47.2 | % | ||||||||||||
Litigation expense |
5.2 | 15.0 | (65.3 | )% | 12.2 | 33.0 | (62.9 | )% | ||||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation |
5.2 | 5.4 | (3.8 | )% | 10.4 | 10.7 | (3.1 | )% | ||||||||||||||||
Total marketing,
general and
administrative costs |
$ | 29.4 | $ | 32.6 | (9.7 | )% | $ | 60.9 | $ | 69.7 | (12.6 | )% | ||||||||||||
Total marketing, general and administrative costs decreased 12.6% and 9.7% for the three and
six months ended June 30, 2010 as compared to the same periods in 2009 due primarily to the
decreased litigation expenses related to ongoing major cases. Non-litigation related marketing,
general and administrative costs increased for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010
primarily due to increased headcount in corporate development commencing in 2009 as a result of our
strategic initiatives to identify and acquire additional technology opportunities, funding for our
2010 CIP, the bonus related to the Samsung settlement, increased marketing expenses related to
trade shows, increased consulting fees and increased general legal expenses.
In the future, marketing, general and administrative costs will vary from period to period
based on the trade shows, advertising, legal, acquisition and other marketing and administrative
activities undertaken, and the change in sales, marketing and administrative headcount in any given
period. Litigation expenses are expected to vary from period to period due to the variability of
litigation activities.
Gain from settlement:
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||||||||||
June 30, | Change in | June 30, | Change in | |||||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in millions) | 2010 | 2009 | Percentage | 2010 | 2009 | Percentage | ||||||||||||||||||
Gain from settlement |
$ | 10.3 | $ | | NM* | $ | 106.2 | $ | | NM* | ||||||||||||||
* | NM percentage is not meaningful as the change is too large |
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The settlement with Samsung is a multiple element arrangement for accounting purposes. For a
multiple element arrangement, the Company is required to determine the fair value of the elements.
The Company considered several factors in determining the accounting fair value of the elements of
the settlement with Samsung which included a third party valuation using an income approach, the
Black-Scholes option pricing model and a residual approach (collectively the Fair Value). Gain
from settlement of $10.3 million and $106.2 million in the three and six months ended June 30,
2010, respectively, represents the Fair Value of the cash consideration allocated to the resolution
of the antitrust litigation settlement and the residual value of other elements.
Costs (recoveries) of restatement and related legal activities:
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||||||||||
June 30, | Change in | June 30, | Change in | |||||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in millions) | 2010 | 2009 | Percentage | 2010 | 2009 | Percentage | ||||||||||||||||||
Costs
(recoveries) of
restatement and
related legal
activities |
$ | 1.6 | $ | (0.4 | ) | NM* | $ | 2.2 | $ | (14.1 | ) | NM* | ||||||||||||
* | NM percentage is not meaningful as the change is too large |
Costs (recoveries) of restatement and related legal activities consist primarily of
investigation, audit, legal and other professional fees related to the 2006-2007 stock option
investigation and the filing of the restated financial statements and related litigation.
Costs of restatement and related legal activities were $1.6 million for the three months ended
June 30, 2010 primarily due to litigation expense associated with a private shareholder lawsuit
related to the 2006-2007 stock option investigation. As compared to the same period in 2009, the
increase in costs in 2010 was primarily due to the absence of reimbursements of $1.9 million from
the insurance carriers in connection with the derivative and class action lawsuits. We recorded
the $1.9 million as a recovery of costs of restatement and related legal activities for the three
months ended June 30, 2009.
Costs of restatement and related legal activities were $2.2 million for the six months ended
June 30, 2010 primarily due to litigation expense associated with a private shareholder lawsuit
related to the 2006-2007 stock option investigation. As compared to the same period in 2009, the
increase in costs in 2010 was primarily due to the absence of reimbursements of $11.9 million from
the insurance carriers in 2009, and the receipt of $4.5 million from former executives as part of
their settlement agreements with us in connection with the derivative and class action lawsuits.
The $16.4 million was recorded as a recovery of costs of restatement and related legal activities
for the six months ended June 30, 2009. Until all the litigation and related issues are resolved,
we anticipate that there could be additional amounts relating to these matters in the future.
Interest and other expense, net:
Three Months | Six Months | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ended June 30, | Change in | Ended June 30, | Change in | |||||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in millions) | 2010 | 2009 | Percentage | 2010 | 2009 | Percentage | ||||||||||||||||||
Interest income
and other income,
net |
$ | 0.3 | $ | 1.2 | (73.1 | )% | $ | 0.7 | $ | 2.6 | (71.6 | )% | ||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(3.7 | ) | (2.8 | ) | 32.8 | % | (9.7 | ) | (5.5 | ) | 77.8 | % | ||||||||||||
Interest and other
expense, net |
$ | (3.4 | ) | $ | (1.6 | ) | 108.3 | % | $ | (9.0 | ) | $ | (2.9 | ) | 213.7 | % | ||||||||
* | NM percentage is not meaningful as the change is too large |
Interest income and other income, net consists primarily of interest income generated from
investments in high quality fixed income securities. The decrease in interest and other income,
net, for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 as compared to the same periods in 2009 was
primarily due to lower yields on invested balances.
Interest expense primarily consists of non-cash interest expense related to the amortization
of the debt discount on the 2010 Notes, which were repaid during the first quarter of 2010, and the
2014 Notes as well as the coupon interest related to the 2014 Notes.
During the second quarter of 2010, the Company adjusted its interest expense by approximately
$1.0 million due to the incorrect amortization of the non-cash debt discount related to the 2014
Notes. We concluded that the correction was not material to the
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previous or present periods.
We expect interest expense to be higher in 2010 as the 2014 Notes were outstanding for only
six months in 2009 and increase steadily as the 2014 Notes reach maturity. See Note 16,
Convertible Notes, of Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements of this Form 10-Q.
Provision for income taxes:
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||||||||||
June 30, | Change in | June 30, | Change in | |||||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in millions) | 2010 | 2009 | Percentage | 2010 | 2009 | Percentage | ||||||||||||||||||
Provision for income taxes |
$ | 2.4 | $ | 0.0 | NM | $ | 48.1 | $ | 0.0 | NM | ||||||||||||||
Effective tax rate |
(23.7 | )% | (0.1 | )% | 25.8 | % | (0.1 | )% |
* | NM percentage is not meaningful as the change is too large |
Our effective tax rate for the three months ended June 30, 2010 is lower than the U.S.
statutory tax rate applied to our net loss due to a full valuation allowance on our U.S. net
deferred tax assets, partially offset by foreign withholding taxes and state alternative minimum
taxes. Our effective tax rate for the six months ended June 30, 2010 is lower than the U.S.
statutory tax rate applied to our net income due to a full valuation allowance on our U.S. net
deferred tax assets, partially offset by foreign withholding taxes and state alternative minimum
taxes. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, we paid withholding taxes of $4.1
million and $46.8 million, respectively, to the Korean tax authorities related to the payments
received under the settlement with Samsung. We recorded a provision for income taxes of $2.4
million and $48.1 million, respectively, for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, which is
primarily comprised of the Korean taxes and state alternative minimum taxes. As we continue to
maintain a valuation allowance against our U.S. deferred tax assets, our tax provision is based
primarily on the Korean withholding taxes and state alternative minimum taxes.
Our effective tax rate for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009 is lower than the U.S.
statutory tax rate applied to our net loss due to a full valuation allowance on our U.S. net
deferred tax assets, foreign income taxes and state income taxes, partially offset by refundable
research and development tax credits.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of | ||||||||
June 30, | December 31, | |||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
(In millions) | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 334.5 | $ | 289.1 | ||||
Marketable securities |
263.1 | 171.1 | ||||||
Total cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities |
$ | 597.6 | $ | 460.2 | ||||
Six Months Ended | ||||||||
June 30, | ||||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
(In millions) | ||||||||
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities |
$ | 176.4 | $ | (18.3 | ) | |||
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities |
$ | (99.1 | ) | $ | 64.1 | |||
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities |
$ | (31.9 | ) | $ | 155.9 |
Liquidity
Our management continues to believe that total cash, cash equivalents and marketable
securities will continue at adequate levels to finance our operations, projected capital
expenditures and commitments for the next twelve months. Cash needs for the first half of 2010 were
funded primarily from operating activities due to the settlement with Samsung as well as financing
activities due to proceeds from issuance of common stock pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement
with Samsung and from the issuance of common stock under our equity incentive plans.
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Operating Activities
Cash provided by operating activities of $176.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2010
was primarily attributable to the net income, which included revenue and gain related to the
settlement with Samsung, adjusted for non-cash items, including stock-based compensation expense,
non-cash interest expense and depreciation/amortization expense. Changes in operating assets and
liabilities for the six months ended June 30, 2010 primarily included increases in accrued salaries
due to the 2010 CIP and the bonus related to the Samsung settlement offset by decreases in accrued
litigation.
Cash used in operating activities of $18.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was
primarily attributable to the net loss adjusted for non-cash items, including stock-based
compensation expense, non-cash interest expense and depreciation/amortization expense. Changes in
operating assets and liabilities for the six months ended June 30, 2009 primarily included
decreases in accrued litigation expenses due to recognition of proceeds of $5.0 million from an
insurance company related to the derivative and class action lawsuits offset by increases in
accounts payable due to the timing of vendor payments.
Investing Activities
Cash used in investing activities of approximately $99.1 million for the six months ended June
30, 2010 primarily consisted of purchases of available-for-sale marketable securities of $830.4
million, partially offset by proceeds from the maturities of available-for-sale marketable
securities of $736.6 million and proceeds from sale of a marketable security of $1.5 million. In
the second quarter of 2010, we purchased patents and businesses for an aggregate amount of $4.3
million. In addition, we paid $2.5 million to acquire property and equipment, primarily leasehold
improvements for our new offices as well as computer and machinery equipment.
Cash provided by investing activities of approximately $64.1 million for the six months ended
June 30, 2009 primarily consisted of proceeds from the maturities of available-for-sale marketable
securities of $164.2 million, partially offset by purchases of available-for-sale marketable
securities of $97.0 million. In addition, we paid $1.6 million to acquire intangible assets and
$1.5 million to acquire property and equipment, primarily computer software licenses.
Financing Activities
Cash used in financing activities was $31.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2010 due
primarily to the payment upon maturity of $137.0 million in face value of the 2010 Notes and stock
repurchased with an aggregate price of $95.3 million under our share repurchase program, offset by
proceeds received of $192.0 million from the issuance of common stock pursuant to the Stock
Purchase Agreement with Samsung and $9.5 million from issuance of common stock under equity
incentive plans. We also made payments totaling $1.2 million under installment payment plans to
acquire intangible assets and equipment.
Cash provided by financing activities was $155.9 million for the six months ended June 30,
2009. We received $146.3 million from the issuance of the 2014 Notes during the period. Proceeds
received from the issuance of common stock under equity incentive plans totaled approximately $9.7
million.
We currently anticipate that existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities
balances and cash flows from operations will be adequate to meet our cash needs for at least the
next 12 months. We do not anticipate any liquidity constraints as a result of either the current
credit environment or investment fair value fluctuations. Additionally, we have the intent and
ability to hold our debt investments that have unrealized losses in accumulated other comprehensive
income for a sufficient period of time to allow for recovery of the principal amounts invested. We
continually monitor the credit risk in our portfolio and mitigate our credit risk exposures in
accordance with our policies. As described elsewhere in this Managements Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, we are
involved in ongoing litigation related to our intellectual property and our past stock option
investigation. Any adverse settlements or judgments in any of this litigation could have a material
adverse impact on our results of operations, cash balances and cash flows in the period in which
such events occur.
Contractual Obligations
On December 15, 2009, we entered into a definitive triple net space lease agreement with MT
SPE, LLC (the Landlord) whereby we lease approximately 125,000 square feet of office space
located at 1050 Enterprise Way in Sunnyvale, California (the Sunnyvale Lease). The office space
will be used for our corporate headquarters, as well as engineering, marketing and administrative
operations and activities. We plan to move to the new premises in the second half of 2010 following
completion of leasehold improvements. The
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Sunnyvale Lease has a term of 120 months from the commencement date. The initial annual base
rent is $3.7 million, subject to a full abatement of rent for the first six months of the Sunnyvale
Lease term. The annual base rent increases each year to certain fixed amounts over the course of
the term as set forth in the Sunnyvale Lease and will be $4.8 million in the tenth year. In
addition to the base rent, we will also pay operating expenses, insurance expenses, real estate
taxes and a management fee. We have two options to extend the Sunnyvale Lease for a period of 60
months each and a one-time option to terminate the Sunnyvale Lease after 84 months in exchange for
an early termination fee.
During the first quarter of 2010, we began a build-out of this facility and expect to incur
approximately $15.3 million in construction costs. Under the terms of the Sunnyvale Lease, the
landlord has agreed to reimburse us approximately $9.1 million of this amount. Because certain
improvements to be constructed by us are considered structural in nature and we are responsible for
any cost overruns, for accounting purposes we are treated as the owner of the construction project
for the effect of lessee involvement in asset construction. Therefore, we have capitalized
$25.1 million in property and equipment based on the estimated fair value of the portion of the
building that we will occupy with a corresponding liability for construction in progress. The fair
value was determined as of December 31, 2009 using level 3 fair value inputs (defined as prices or
valuation techniques that require inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement
and unobservable (i.e., supported by little or no market activity)) and the cost approach which
measures the value of an asset as the cost to reconstruct or replace it with another asset of like
utility.
Upon completion of construction, we will apply sale-leaseback accounting. At that time, we
will determine whether the lease will be treated as a capital or operating lease.
On March 8, 2010, we entered into a lease agreement with Fogg-Brecksville Development Co. (the
Ohio Landlord) for 24,814 square feet of space consisting of 7,158 square feet of office area and
17,656 square feet of warehouse area, located in Brecksville, Ohio (the Ohio Lease). We plan to
move to the new premises in the third quarter of 2010 following completion of leasehold
improvements. The warehouse area will be converted into office space and manufacturing space. The
office space will be used for the LDT groups engineering activities while the manufacturing space
will be used for the manufacturer of prototypes for the LDT group. The Ohio Lease has a term of 60
months from the commencement date which is the earlier of (i) the date upon which we first take occupancy of the premises once the
construction work is completed or (ii) the first day of the month following completion and notification by
the lessor to us of completion of construction of the building. The initial annual base rent is approximately $136,000. In
addition to the base rent, we will also pay operating expenses, insurance expenses, real estate
taxes and a management fee. We have an option to extend the Lease for an additional period of 60
months.
During the first quarter of 2010, we began a build-out of this facility and expect to incur
approximately $1.6 million in construction costs. Because certain improvements to be constructed by
us are considered structural in nature and we are responsible for any cost overruns, for accounting
purposes we are treated as the owner of the construction project for the effect of lessee
involvement in asset construction. Therefore, we have capitalized $0.8 million in property and
equipment based on the estimated fair value of the portion of the building that it will occupy with
a corresponding liability for construction in progress. The fair value was determined as of March
31, 2010 using level 3 fair value inputs and the cost approach which measures the value of an asset
as the cost to reconstruct or replace it with another asset of like utility. Upon completion of
construction in the third quarter of 2010, we will account for the arrangement as a financing
arrangement as sale-leaseback accounting cannot be applied. The building will be reflected as an
asset on our balance sheets throughout the term of the lease. The rental payments will be treated
as interest expense recorded on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease and the building
will be depreciated on a straight-line basis over a period of 15 years. At the end of the lease
term in 2015, we have an option to renew the lease for an additional 60 months. Should we decide
not to renew the lease, we would reverse the net book value of the building and the corresponding
financing liability and record the difference as a gain.
On June 29, 2009, we entered into an Indenture with U.S. Bank, National Association, as
trustee, relating to the issuance by us of $150.0 million aggregate principal amount of the 2014
Notes. On July 10, 2009, an additional $22.5 million in aggregate principal amount of 2014 Notes
were issued as a result of the underwriters exercising their overallotment option. The aggregate
principal amount of the 2014 Notes outstanding as of March 31, 2010 was $172.5 million, offset by
unamortized debt discount of $56.3 million in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The
debt discount is currently being amortized over the remaining 48 months until maturity of the 2014
Notes on June 15, 2014. See Note 16, Convertible Notes, of Notes to Unaudited Consolidated
Financial Statements of this Form 10-Q for additional details.
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As of June 30, 2010, our material contractual obligations are:
Remainder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | Total | of 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | Thereafter | |||||||||||||||||||||
Contractual obligations(1) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leases (2) |
$ | 48,300 | $ | 4,224 | $ | 4,905 | $ | 4,999 | $ | 4,449 | $ | 4,580 | $ | 25,143 | ||||||||||||||
Convertible notes |
172,500 | | | | | 172,500 | | |||||||||||||||||||||
Interest payments related to convertible notes |
34,120 | 4,313 | 8,625 | 8,625 | 8,625 | 3,932 | | |||||||||||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 254,920 | $ | 8,537 | $ | 13,530 | $ | 13,624 | $ | 13,074 | $ | 181,012 | $ | 25,143 | ||||||||||||||
(1) | The above table does not reflect possible payments in connection with uncertain tax benefits of approximately $10.6 million, including $8.6 million recorded as a reduction of long-term deferred tax assets and $2.0 million in long-term income taxes payable, as of June 30, 2010. Although it is possible that some of the unrecognized tax benefits could be settled within the next 12 months, the Company cannot reasonably estimate the outcome at this time. | |
(2) | Includes both the Sunnyvale Lease and Ohio Lease. |
Contingently Redeemable Common Stock
On January 19, 2010, pursuant to the terms of a Stock Purchase Agreement (the Stock Purchase
Agreement), Samsung purchased for cash from us 9.6 million shares of our common stock (the
Shares) with certain restrictions and put rights. The issuance of the Shares by us to Samsung was
made through a private transaction. The Stock Purchase Agreement provides Samsung a one-time put
right, beginning 18 months after the date of the Stock Purchase Agreement and extending to 19
months after the date of the Stock Purchase Agreement, to elect to put back to us up to 4.8 million
of the Shares at the original issue price of $20.885 per share (for an aggregate purchase price of
up to $100.0 million). The 4.8 million shares have been recorded, at estimated Fair Value, as
contingently redeemable common stock on the consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2010.
The Stock Purchase Agreement prohibits the transfer of the Shares by Samsung for 18 months
after the date of the Stock Purchase Agreement, subject to certain exceptions. After expiration of
the transfer restriction period, the Stock Purchase Agreement provides that Samsung may transfer a
limited number of shares on a daily basis, provides us with a right of first offer for proposed
transfers above such daily limits, and, if no sale occurs to us under the right of first offer,
allows Samsung to transfer the Shares. Under the Stock Purchase Agreement, we have also agreed that
after the transfer restriction period, Samsung will have certain rights to register the Shares for
sale under the securities laws of the United States, subject to customary terms and conditions.
The 9.6 million shares were accounted for as part of a multiple element arrangement where
their respective Fair Value was determined to be $192.0 million. The $192.0 million was further
allocated as follows:
| $113.5 million related to 4.8 million shares treated as contingently redeemable common stock due to the contractual put rights associated with those shares | ||
| $78.5 million related to the remaining 4.8 million shares treated as stockholders equity |
See Note 3, Settlement Agreement with Samsung, of Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial
Statements of this Form 10-Q for further discussion.
Share Repurchase Program
In October 2001, our Board of Directors (the Board) approved a share repurchase program of
our Common Stock, principally to reduce the dilutive effect of employee stock options. Under this
program, the Board approved the authorization to repurchase up to 19.0 million shares of our
outstanding Common Stock over an undefined period of time. On February 25, 2010, the Board approved
a new share repurchase program authorizing the repurchase of up to an additional 12.5 million
shares. Share repurchases under the program may be made through open market, established plan or
privately negotiated transactions in accordance with all applicable securities laws, rules, and
regulations. There is no expiration date applicable to the program. The new share repurchase
program replaces the program authorized in October 2001.
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During the three months ended June 30, 2010, we repurchased approximately 3.0 million shares
of our Common Stock with an aggregate price of approximately $68.8 million. During the six months
ended June 30, 2010, we repurchased approximately 4.2 million shares of our Common Stock with an
aggregate price of approximately $95.3 million. As of June 30, 2010, we had repurchased a
cumulative total of approximately 21.0 million shares of our Common Stock with an aggregate price
of approximately $329.0 million since the commencement of the program in 2001. As of June 30, 2010,
there remained an outstanding authorization to repurchase approximately 10.5 million shares of our
outstanding Common Stock.
We record stock repurchases as a reduction to stockholders equity. We record a portion of the
purchase price of the repurchased shares as an increase to accumulated deficit when the cost of the
shares repurchased exceeds the average original proceeds per share received from the issuance of
Common Stock. During the six months ended June 30, 2010, the cumulative price of the shares
repurchased exceeded the proceeds received from the issuance of the same number of shares. The
excess of $81.4 million was recorded as an increase to accumulated deficit for the six months ended
June 30, 2010. During the six months ended June 30, 2009, we did not repurchase any Common Stock.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based
upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements
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 ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to revenue recognition,
investments, income taxes, litigation and other contingencies. We base our estimates on historical
experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the
circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values
of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may
differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Our critical accounting
estimates include those regarding (1) revenue recognition, (2) litigation and settlements, (3)
income taxes, (4) stock-based compensation, (5) marketable securities, (6) non-marketable
securities and (7) convertible notes. For a discussion of our critical accounting estimates, see
Item 7. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2009.
Revenue Recognition
Overview
We recognize revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, we have delivered the
product or performed the service, the fee is fixed or determinable and collection is reasonably
assured. If any of these criteria are not met, we defer recognizing the revenue until such time as
all criteria are met. Determination of whether or not these criteria have been met may require us
to make judgments, assumptions and estimates based upon current information and historical
experience.
Our revenue consists of royalty revenue and contract revenue generated from agreements with
semiconductor companies, system companies and certain reseller arrangements. Royalty revenue
consists of patent license and technology license royalties. Contract revenue consist of fixed
license fees, fixed engineering fees and service fees associated with integration of our technology
solutions into our customers products. Contract revenue may also include support or maintenance.
Reseller arrangements generally provide for the pass-through of a percentage of the fees paid to
the reseller by the resellers customer for use of our patent and technology licenses. We do not
recognize revenue for these arrangements until we have received notice of revenue earned by and
paid to the reseller, accompanied by the pass-through payment from the reseller. We do not pay
commissions to the reseller for these arrangements.
In addition, we may enter into certain settlements of patent infringement disputes. The amount
of consideration received upon any settlement (including but not limited to past royalty payments,
future royalty payments and punitive damages) is allocated to each element of the settlement based
on the Fair Value of each element. In addition, revenues related to past royalties are recognized
upon execution of the agreement by both parties, provided that the amounts are fixed or
determinable, there are no significant obligations and collectability is reasonably assured. We do
not recognize any revenues prior to execution of the agreement since there is no reliable basis on
which we can estimate the amounts for royalties related to previous periods or assess
collectability. Elements that are related to royalty revenue in nature (including but not limited
to past royalty payments and future royalty payments) will be recorded as royalty revenue in the
consolidated statements of operations. Elements that are not related to royalty revenue in nature
(including
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but not limited to punitive damage and settlement) will be recorded as gain from settlement
which is reflected as a separate line item within the operating expenses section in the
consolidated statements of operations.
Many of our licensees have the right to cancel their licenses. In such arrangements, revenue
is only recognized to the extent that is consistent with the cancellation provisions. Cancellation
provisions within such contracts generally provide for a prospective cancellation with no refund of
fees already remitted by customers for products provided and payment for services rendered prior to
the date of cancellation. Unbilled receivables represent enforceable claims and are deemed
collectible in connection with our revenue recognition policy.
Royalty Revenue
We recognize royalty revenue upon notification by our licensees and when deemed collectible.
The terms of the royalty agreements generally either require licensees to give us notification and
to pay the royalties within 60 days of the end of the quarter during which the sales occur or are
based on a fixed royalty that is due within 45 days of the end of the quarter. We have two types of
royalty revenue: (1) patent license royalties and (2) technology license royalties.
Patent licenses. We license our broad portfolio of patented inventions to semiconductor and
systems companies who use these inventions in the development and manufacture of their own
products. Such licensing agreements may cover the license of part, or all, of our patent portfolio.
The contractual terms of the agreements generally provide for payments over an extended period of
time. For the licensing agreements with fixed royalty payments, we generally recognize revenue from
these arrangements as amounts become due. For the licensing agreements with variable royalty
payments which can be based on either a percentage of sales or number of units sold, we earn
royalties at the time that the licensees sales occur. Our licensees, however, do not report and
pay royalties owed for sales in any given quarter until after the conclusion of that quarter. As we
are unable to estimate the licensees sales in any given quarter to determine the royalties due to
us, we recognize royalty revenues based on royalties reported by licensees during the quarter and
when other revenue recognition criteria are met.
Technology licenses. We develop proprietary and industry-standard chip interface products,
such as RDRAMtm and XDRtm that we provide to our customers
under technology license agreements. These arrangements include royalties, which can be based on
either a percentage of sales or number of units sold. We earn royalties on such licensed products
sold worldwide by our licensees at the time that the licensees sales occur. Our licensees,
however, do not report and pay royalties owed for sales in any given quarter until after the
conclusion of that quarter. As we are unable to estimate the licensees sales in any given quarter
to determine the royalties due to us, we recognize royalty revenues based on royalties reported by
licensees during the quarter and when other revenue recognition criteria are met.
Contract Revenue
We generally recognize revenue using percentage of completion for development contracts
related to licenses of our interface solutions, such as XDRtm and
FlexIOtm that involve significant engineering and integration services. For all
license and service agreements accounted for using the percentage-of-completion method, we
determine progress to completion using input measures based upon contract costs incurred. Prior to
the first quarter of 2008, we determined progress to completion using labor-hours incurred. The
change to input measures better reflects the overall gross margin over the life of the contract.
This change did not have a significant impact on our results of operations. We have evaluated use
of output measures versus input measures and have determined that our output is not sufficiently
uniform with respect to cost, time and effort per unit of output to use output measures as a
measure of progress to completion. Part of these contract fees may be due upon the achievement of
certain milestones, such as provision of certain deliverables by us or production of chips by the
licensee. The remaining fees may be due on pre-determined dates and include significant up-front
fees.
A provision for estimated losses on fixed price contracts is made, if necessary, in the period
in which the loss becomes probable and can be reasonably estimated. If we determine that it is
necessary to revise the estimates of the total costs required to complete a contract, the total
amount of revenue recognized over the life of the contract would not be affected. However, to the
extent the new assumptions regarding the total efforts necessary to complete a project are less
than the original assumptions, the contract fees would be recognized sooner than originally
expected. Conversely, if the newly estimated total efforts necessary to complete a project are
longer than the original assumptions, the contract fees will be recognized over a longer period.
If application of the percentage-of-completion method results in recognizable revenue prior to
an invoicing event under a customer contract, we will recognize the revenue and record an unbilled
receivable. Amounts invoiced to our customers in excess of
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recognizable revenue are recorded as deferred revenue. The timing and amounts invoiced to
customers can vary significantly depending on specific contract terms and can therefore have a
significant impact on deferred revenue or unbilled receivables in any given period.
We also recognize revenue for development contracts related to licenses of our chip interface
products that involve non-essential engineering services and post contract support (PCS). These
SOPs apply to all entities that earn revenue on products containing software, where software is not
incidental to the product as a whole. Contract fees for the products and services provided under
these arrangements are comprised of license fees and engineering service fees which are not
essential to the functionality of the product. Our rates for PCS and for engineering services are
specific to each development contract and not standardized in terms of rates or length. Because of
these characteristics, we do not have a sufficient population of contracts from which to derive
vendor specific objective evidence for each of the elements.
Therefore, after we deliver the product, if the only undelivered element is PCS, we will
recognize all revenue ratably over either the contractual PCS period or the period during which PCS
is expected to be provided. We review assumptions regarding the PCS periods on a regular basis. If
we determine that it is necessary to revise the estimates of the support periods, the total amount
of revenue to be recognized over the life of the contract would not be affected.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2 Recent Accounting Pronouncements of Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial
Statements of this Form 10-Q for discussion of recent accounting pronouncements including the
respective expected dates of adoption.
Item 3. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk |
We are exposed to financial market risks, primarily arising from the effect of interest rate
fluctuations on our investment portfolio. Interest rate fluctuation may arise from changes in the
markets view of the quality of the security issuer, the overall economic outlook, and the time to
maturity of our portfolio. We mitigate this risk by investing only in high quality, highly liquid
instruments. Securities with original maturities of one year or less must be rated by two of the
three industry standard rating agencies as follows: A1 by Standard & Poors, P1 by Moodys and/or
F-1 by Fitch. Securities with original maturities of greater than one year must be rated by two of
the following industry standard rating agencies as follows: AA- by Standard & Poors, Aa3 by
Moodys and/or AA- by Fitch. By corporate policy, we limit the amount of exposure to $15.0 million
or 10% of the portfolio, whichever is lower, for any one non-U.S. Government issuer. A single U.S.
Agency can represent up to 25% of the portfolio. No more than 20% of the total portfolio may be
invested in the securities of an industry sector, with money market fund investments evaluated
separately. Our policy requires that at least 10% of the portfolio be in securities with a maturity
of 90 days or less. We may make investments in U.S. Treasuries, U.S. Agencies, corporate bonds and
municipal bonds and notes with maturities up to 36 months. However, the bias of our investment
portfolio is shorter maturities. All investments must be U.S. dollar denominated.
We invest our cash equivalents and marketable securities in a variety of U.S. dollar financial
instruments such as Treasuries, Government Agencies, Commercial Paper and Corporate Notes. Our
policy specifically prohibits trading securities for the sole purposes of realizing trading
profits. However, we may liquidate a portion of our portfolio if we experience unforeseen liquidity
requirements. In such a case if the environment has been one of rising interest rates we may
experience a realized loss, similarly, if the environment has been one of declining interest rates
we may experience a realized gain. As of June 30, 2010, we had an investment portfolio of fixed
income marketable securities of $593.3 million including cash equivalents. If market interest rates
were to increase immediately and uniformly by 1.0% from the levels as of June 30, 2010, the fair
value of the portfolio would decline by approximately $1.1 million. Actual results may differ
materially from this sensitivity analysis.
The table below summarizes the book value, fair value, unrealized gains (losses) and related
weighted average interest rates for our cash equivalents and marketable securities portfolio as of
June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009:
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June 30, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gross | Gross | Weighted | ||||||||||||||||||
Unrealized | Unrealized | Rate of | ||||||||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | Fair Value | Amortized Cost | Gains | Losses | Return | |||||||||||||||
Money Market Funds |
$ | 330,211 | $ | 330,211 | $ | | $ | | 0.01 | % | ||||||||||
U.S. Government Bonds and Notes |
230,260 | 230,139 | 133 | (12 | ) | 0.42 | % | |||||||||||||
Corporate Notes, Bonds and Commercial Paper |
32,634 | 32,647 | 10 | (23 | ) | 0.47 | % | |||||||||||||
Corporate Securities |
179 | 172 | 7 | | 0.00 | % | ||||||||||||||
Total cash equivalents and marketable securities |
593,284 | 593,169 | 150 | (35 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Cash |
4,325 | 4,325 | | | ||||||||||||||||
Total cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities |
$ | 597,609 | $ | 597,494 | $ | 150 | $ | (35 | ) | |||||||||||
December 31, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gross | Gross | Weighted | ||||||||||||||||||
Unrealized | Unrealized | Rate of | ||||||||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | Fair Value | Amortized Cost | Gains | Losses | Return | |||||||||||||||
Money Market Funds |
$ | 280,908 | $ | 280,908 | $ | | $ | | 0.01 | % | ||||||||||
U.S. Government Bonds and Notes |
138,829 | 138,521 | 377 | (69 | ) | 1.09 | % | |||||||||||||
Corporate Notes, Bonds and Commercial Paper |
32,291 | 32,222 | 70 | (1 | ) | 1.89 | % | |||||||||||||
Total cash equivalents and marketable securities |
452,028 | 451,651 | 447 | (70 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Cash |
8,165 | 8,165 | | | ||||||||||||||||
Total cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities |
$ | 460,193 | $ | 459,816 | $ | 447 | $ | (70 | ) | |||||||||||
The fair value of our convertible notes is subject to interest rate risk, market risk and
other factors due to the convertible feature. The fair value of the convertible notes will
generally increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. In addition, the
fair value of the convertible notes will generally increase as our common stock prices increase and
decrease as the stock prices fall. The interest and market value changes affect the fair value of
our convertible notes but do not impact our financial position, cash flows or results of operations
due to the fixed nature of the debt obligation. Additionally, we do not carry the convertible notes
at fair value. We present the fair value of the convertible notes for required disclosure purposes.
The following table summarizes certain information related to our 2014 Notes as of June 30, 2010:
Fair Value Given a | Fair Value Given a | |||||||||||
10% | 10% | |||||||||||
Increase in Market | Decrease in Market | |||||||||||
(in thousands) | Fair Value | Prices | Prices | |||||||||
5% Convertible Senior Notes due 2014
|
$ | 199,286 | $ | 219,215 | $ | 179,357 |
We invoice our customers in U.S. dollars. Although the fluctuation of currency exchange rates
may impact our customers, and thus indirectly impact us, we do not attempt to hedge this indirect
and speculative risk. Our overseas operations consist primarily of one design center in India and
small business development offices in Germany, Japan and Taiwan. We monitor our foreign currency
exposure; however, as of June 30, 2010, we believe our foreign currency exposure is not material
enough to warrant foreign currency hedging.
Item 4. | Controls and Procedures |
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to
be disclosed in the reports we file or submit pursuant to the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934
as amended (Exchange Act) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods
specified in the rules and forms of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and that such
information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required
disclosure.
Management, with the participation of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer,
evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures
as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act as of the end of the period covered
by this report. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
have concluded that, as of June 30, 2010, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
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In December 2009, the Company formed the new LDT group, in connection with acquisition of
certain technology and a portfolio of advanced lighting and optoelectronics patents from Global
Lighting Technologies. As a result, we have begun integrating the processes and systems relating to
the new group into our existing system of internal control over financial reporting. Except for the
processes, systems and controls relating to the integration of the LDT group, there have not been
any changes in the Companys internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended
June 30, 2010 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, its
internal control over financial reporting. All of the other smaller business acquisitions during
the year have been integrated into our existing business processes, systems and controls.
PART IIOTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. | Legal Proceedings |
The information required by this item regarding legal proceedings is incorporated by reference
to the information set forth in Note 14 Litigation and Asserted Claims of Notes to Unaudited
Consolidated Financial Statements of this Form 10-Q.
Item 1A. | Risk Factors |
Because of the following factors, as well as other variables affecting our operating results,
past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical
trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods. See also Special Note
Regarding Forward-Looking Statements elsewhere in this report.
Risks Associated With Our Business, Industry and Market Conditions
If market leaders do not adopt our innovations, our results of operations could decline.
An important part of our strategy is to penetrate our target market segments by working with
leaders in those market segments. This strategy is designed to encourage other participants in
those segments to follow such leaders in adopting our innovations. If a high profile industry
participant adopts our innovations but fails to achieve success with its products or adopts and
achieves success with a competing technology, our reputation and sales could be adversely affected.
For example, if our commercial relationships with Samsung do not achieve success, our reputation
could be adversely affected given the market position of Samsung as a leading memory manufacturer.
In addition, some industry participants have adopted, and others may in the future adopt, a
strategy of disparaging our memory solutions adopted by their competitors or a strategy of
otherwise undermining the market adoption of our solutions.
We target system companies to adopt our chip interface technologies, particularly those that
develop and market high volume business and consumer products, which were traditionally focused on
PCs, including PC graphics processors, and video game consoles, and now include HDTVs, cellular and
digital phones, PDAs, digital cameras and other consumer electronics that incorporate all varieties
of memory and chip interfaces. In particular, our strategy includes gaining acceptance of our
technology in high volume consumer applications, including video game consoles, such as the Sony
PlayStation®3, HDTVs and set top boxes. As we diversify our technologies, such as
through the establishment of our LDT group, we will seek out other target markets in and related to
computing, gaming and graphics, consumer electronics, mobile and general lighting applications. We
are subject to many risks beyond our control that influence whether or not a potential licensee or
partner company will adopt our technologies, including, among others:
| competition faced by a company in its particular industry; | ||
| the timely introduction and market acceptance of a companys products; | ||
| the engineering, sales and marketing and management capabilities of a company; | ||
| technical challenges unrelated to our innovations faced by a company in developing its products; | ||
| the financial and other resources of a company; |
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| the supply of semiconductors from our memory and chip interface licensees in sufficient quantities and at commercially attractive prices; | ||
| the ability to establish the prices at which the chips containing our chip interfaces are made available to system companies; and | ||
| the degree to which our licensees promote our innovations to their customers. |
There can be no assurance that consumer products that currently use our technology will
continue to do so, nor can there be any assurance that the consumer products that incorporate our
technology will be successful in their markets in order to generate expected royalties, nor can
there be any assurance that any of our technologies selected for licensing will be implemented in a
commercially developed or distributed product. If any of these events occur and market leaders do
not successfully adopt our technologies, our strategy may not be successful and, as a result, our
results of operations could decline.
We have traditionally operated in an industry that is highly cyclical and in which the number of
our potential customers may be in decline as a result of industry consolidation, and we face
intense competition in all of our target markets that may cause our results of operations to
suffer.
The semiconductor industry is intensely competitive and has been impacted by price erosion,
rapid technological change, short product life cycles, cyclical market patterns and increasing
foreign and domestic competition. As the semiconductor industry is highly cyclical, significant
economic downturns characterized by diminished demand, erosion of average selling prices,
production overcapacity and production capacity constraints could affect the semiconductor
industry. We have just experienced such a period of economic downturn. As a result, we may achieve
a reduced number of licenses, tightening of customers operating budgets, difficulty or inability
of our customers to pay our licensing fees, extensions of the approval process for new licenses and
consolidation among our customers, all of which may adversely affect the demand for our technology
and may cause us to experience substantial period-to-period fluctuations in our operating results.
Many of our customers operate in industries that have experienced significant declines as a
result of the recent economic downturn. In particular, DRAM manufacturers, which make up a majority
of our existing and potential licensees, have suffered material losses and other adverse effects to
their businesses. These factors may result in industry consolidation as companies seek to reduce
costs and improve profitability through business combinations. Consolidation among our existing
DRAM and other customers may result in loss of revenues under existing license agreements.
Consolidation among companies in the DRAM and other industries within which we license our
technology may reduce the number of future licensees for our products and services. In either case,
consolidation in the DRAM and other industries in which we operate may negatively impact our
short-term and long-term business prospects, licensing revenues and results of operations.
We face competition from semiconductor and intellectual property companies who provide their
own DDR memory chip interface technology and solutions. In addition, most DRAM manufacturers,
including our XDRtm licensees, produce versions of DRAM such as SDR, DDRx,
GDDRx SDRAM and LPDDRx which compete with XDRtm chips. We believe that our
principal competition for memory chip interfaces may come from our licensees and prospective
licensees, some of which are evaluating and developing products based on technologies that they
contend or may contend will not require a license from us. In addition, our competitors are also
taking a system approach similar to ours in seeking to solve the application needs of system
companies. Many of these companies are larger and may have better access to financial, technical
and other resources than we possess. Wider applications of other developing memory technologies,
including FLASH memory, may also pose competition to our licensed memory solutions.
JEDEC has standardized what it calls extensions of DDR, known as DDR2 and DDR3. Other efforts
are underway to create other products including those sometimes referred to as GDDR4 and GDDR5, as
well as new ways to integrate products such as system-in-package DRAM. To the extent that these
alternatives might provide comparable system performance at lower or similar cost than
XDRtm memory chips, or are perceived to require the payment of no or lower
royalties, or to the extent other factors influence the industry, our licensees and prospective
licensees may adopt and promote alternative technologies. Even to the extent we determine that such
alternative technologies infringe our patents, there can be no assurance that we would be able to
negotiate agreements that would result in royalties being paid to us without litigation, which
could be costly and the results of which would be uncertain.
Our newly established LDT group faces competition from system and subsystem providers of
backlighting and general lighting solutions, some of which have substantial resources and
operations.
If for any of these reasons we cannot effectively compete in these primary market segments,
our results of operations could suffer.
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If our new LDT group does not succeed, our results of operations may be adversely affected.
The future success of our new LDT group, formed in connection with the December 2009
acquisition of certain technology and a portfolio of advanced lighting and optoelectronics patents
of Global Lighting Technologies, depends on our ability to improve the visual capabilities, form
factor, power efficiency and cost-effectiveness of backlighting of LCD displays in products for
computing, gaming and graphics, consumer electronics, mobile and general lighting applications. We
will need to keep pace with rapid changes in advanced lighting and optoelectronics technology,
changing consumer requirements, new product introductions and evolving industry standards, any of
which could render our existing technology obsolete if we fail to respond in a timely manner. The
extent to which companies in the general lighting industry adopt solid state lighting and license
our lighting technologies, and the timing of such adoption and licensing, if it occurs at all, is
subject to many factors beyond our control and is not predictable by us. We are subject to many
risks beyond our control that influence whether or not a potential licensee or partner company will
adopt and license our lighting technologies.
The development, application and licensing of new backlit lighting technologies is a complex
process subject to a number of uncertainties, including the integration of our LDT group into the
rest of our company and the small size of the LDT group. Our competitors have significant
marketing, workforce, financial and other resources and longer operating history which could make
acceptance of our lighting technologies more difficult. If others develop innovative proprietary
lighting technology that is superior to ours or if we fail to accurately anticipate technology and
market trends, respond on a timely basis with our own new enhancements and technology, and achieve
broad market acceptance of these enhancements and technology, our competitive position may be
harmed and our operating results may be adversely affected.
In order to grow, we may have to invest more resources in research and development than
anticipated, which could increase our operating expenses and negatively impact our operating
results.
If new competitors, technological advances by existing competitors, our entry into new
markets, and/or development of new technologies or other competitive factors require us to invest
significantly greater resources than anticipated in our research and development efforts, our
operating expenses would increase. For the six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009, research and
development expenses were $44.7 million and $33.6 million, respectively, including
stock-compensation of approximately $5.3 million and $5.0 million, respectively. If we are required
to invest significantly greater resources than anticipated in research and development efforts
without an increase in revenue, especially with respect to our new LDT group and any other new
technologies that we pursue outside of our core memory and chip interface technologies, our
operating results could decline. Research and development expenses are likely to fluctuate from
time to time to the extent we make periodic incremental investments in research and development,
including as a result of our investment in new technologies, and these investments may be
independent of our level of revenue. In order to grow, which may include entering new markets
and/or developing new technologies, we anticipate that we will continue to devote substantial
resources to research and development. We expect these expenses to increase in absolute dollars in
the foreseeable future due to the increased complexity and the greater number of products under
development as well as selectively hiring additional employees.
Our revenue is concentrated in a few customers, and if we lose any of these customers, our revenue
may decrease substantially.
We have a high degree of revenue concentration. As a result of our settlement with Samsung,
Samsung is expected to account for a significant portion of our ongoing licensing revenue
commencing in 2010. Our top five licensees represented approximately 91% and 78% of our revenues
for the six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively. For the six months ended June 30,
2010, revenue from Samsung accounted for 10% or more of our total revenue. For the six months ended
June 30, 2009, revenue from AMD, Fujitsu, NEC, Panasonic and Sony each accounted for 10% or more of
our total revenue. We expect to continue to experience significant revenue concentration for the
foreseeable future.
In addition, some of our commercial agreements require us to provide certain customers with
the lowest royalty rate that we provide to other customers for similar technologies, volumes and
schedules. These clauses may limit our ability to effectively price differently among our
customers, to respond quickly to market forces, or otherwise to compete on the basis of price. The
particular licensees which account for revenue concentration have varied from period to period as a
result of the addition of new contracts, expiration of existing contracts, industry consolidation,
the expiration of deferred revenue schedules under existing contracts, and the volumes and prices
at which the licensees have recently sold licensed semiconductors to system companies. These
variations are expected to continue in the foreseeable future, although we anticipate that revenue
will continue to be concentrated in a limited number of licensees.
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We are in negotiations with licensees and prospective licensees to reach patent license
agreements for DRAM devices and DRAM controllers. We expect that patent license royalties will
continue to vary from period to period based on our success in renewing existing license agreements
and adding new licensees, as well as the level of variation in our licensees reported shipment
volumes, sales price and mix, offset in part by the proportion of licensee payments that are fixed.
A number of our significant license agreements are scheduled to expire throughout 2010, including
certain ones that accounted for more than 10% of our revenue in the year ended December 31, 2009.
We are currently in discussions with those licensees whose agreements are scheduled to expire in
2010. However, we cannot provide any assurance that we will reach agreement on renewal terms or
that the royalty rates we will be entitled to receive under the new agreements will be as favorable
to us as our current agreements. If we are unsuccessful in renewing any of these patent license
agreements, our results of operations may decline significantly.
Weak global economic conditions may adversely affect demand for our products and services.
Our operations and performance depend significantly on worldwide economic conditions, and the
U.S. and world economies continue to experience weak economic conditions. Uncertainty about global
economic conditions poses a risk as consumers and businesses may postpone spending in response to
tighter credit, negative financial news and declines in income or asset values, which could have a
material negative effect on the demand for the products of our licensees in the foreseeable future.
Other factors that could influence demand include continuing increases in fuel and energy costs,
competitive pressures, including pricing pressures, from companies that have competing products,
changes in the credit market, conditions in the residential real estate and mortgage markets,
consumer confidence, and other macroeconomic factors affecting consumer spending behavior. If our
licensees experience reduced demand for their products as a result of economic conditions or
otherwise, our business and results of operations could be harmed.
If our counterparties are unable to fulfill their financial and other obligations to us, our
business and results of operations may be affected adversely.
Any downturn in economic conditions could threaten the financial health of our counterparties,
including companies with whom we have entered into licensing arrangements, settlement agreements,
or that have been subject to litigation judgments that provide for payments to us, and their
ability to fulfill their financial and other obligations to us. Economic downturns such as the one
we are currently experiencing lead to financial pressures on our counterparties and may eventually
lead to bankruptcy proceedings or other attempts to avoid financial obligations that are due to us
under licenses, settlement agreements or litigation judgments. Because bankruptcy courts have the
power to modify or cancel contracts of the petitioner which remain subject to future performance
and alter or discharge payment obligations related to pre-petition debts, we may receive less than
all of the payments that we would otherwise be entitled to receive from any such counterparty as a
result of a bankruptcy proceedings.
In 2009, two of our counterparties, Qimonda and Spansion, were subject to insolvency
proceedings in their applicable jurisdictions as a result of a downturn in business. Qimonda, which
was a party to a settlement and licensing agreement with us, is under the process of being
liquidated under its German insolvency proceeding. As part of the process, the administrator for
Qimondas insolvency informed us that our license agreement was terminated. Under the license
agreement, if we entered into licenses with certain other DRAM manufacturers, Qimonda would have
been required to make certain additional payments to us up to an aggregate of $100.0 million. Given
the status of Qimondas liquidation and the notice of termination of the license agreement, we do
not believe that even if we satisfied the conditions for additional payments, we will obtain any
future payment from Qimonda or the successors to its business. Spansion, which was one of our
licensees that owed us an immaterial amount at the time of its insolvency, has now exited its
voluntary Chapter 11 reorganization.
If we are unable to collect all of such payments owed to us, or if other of our counterparties
enter into bankruptcy or otherwise seek to renegotiate their financial obligations to us as a
result of the deterioration of their financial health, our business and results of operations may
be affected adversely.
Our business and operating results may be harmed if we undertake any restructuring activities or if
we are unable to manage growth in our business.
From time to time, we may undertake to restructure our business. There are several factors
that could cause a restructuring to have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and
results of operations. These include potential disruption of our operations, the development of our
technology, the deliveries to our customers and other aspects of our business. Employee morale and
productivity could also suffer and we may lose employees whom we want to keep. Loss of sales,
service and engineering talent, in particular, could damage our business. Any restructuring would
require substantial management time and attention and may divert
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management from other important work. Employee reductions or other restructuring activities
also cause us to incur restructuring and related expenses such as severance expenses. Moreover, we
could encounter delays in executing any restructuring plans, which could cause further disruption
and additional unanticipated expense.
Our business historically experienced periods of rapid growth that placed significant demands
on our managerial, operational and financial resources. In the event that we return to such a
period of growth, whether through internal expansion or acquisitions of other businesses or
technologies, we would need to improve and expand our management, operational and financial systems
and controls. We also would need to expand, train and manage our employee base. We cannot assure
you that in connection with any such growth we will be able to timely and effectively meet demand
and maintain the quality standards required by our existing and potential customers and licensees.
If we ineffectively manage our growth or we are unsuccessful in recruiting and retaining personnel,
our business and operating results will be harmed.
If we cannot respond to rapid technological change in our target markets by developing new
innovations in a timely and cost-effective manner, our operating results will suffer.
We derive most of our revenue from our chip interface technologies that we have patented. We
expect that this dependence on our fundamental technology will continue for the foreseeable future.
The semiconductor industry is characterized by rapid technological change, with new generations of
semiconductors being introduced periodically and with ongoing improvements. The introduction or
market acceptance of competing chip interfaces that render our chip interfaces less desirable or
obsolete would have a rapid and material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and
financial condition. The announcement of new chip interfaces by us could cause licensees or system
companies to delay or defer entering into arrangements for the use of our current chip interfaces,
which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of
operations. We are dependent on the semiconductor industry to develop test solutions that are
adequate to test our chip interfaces and to supply such test solutions to our customers and us.
Our continued success depends on our ability to introduce and patent enhancements and new
generations of our chip interface technologies that keep pace with other changes in the
semiconductor industry and which achieve rapid market acceptance. We must continually devote
significant engineering resources to addressing the ever increasing need for higher speed chip
interfaces associated with increases in the speed of microprocessors and other controllers. The
technical innovations that are required for us to be successful are inherently complex and require
long development cycles, and there can be no assurance that our development efforts will ultimately
be successful. In addition, these innovations must be:
| completed before changes in the semiconductor industry render them obsolete; | ||
| available when system companies require these innovations; and | ||
| sufficiently compelling to cause semiconductor manufacturers to enter into licensing arrangements with us for these new technologies. |
Significant technological innovations generally require a substantial investment before their
commercial viability can be determined, and this concept applies to all of our target markets.
There can be no assurance that we have accurately estimated the amount of resources required to
complete our innovation efforts, or that we will have, or be able to expend, sufficient resources
required for the development of our innovations. In addition, there is market risk associated with
these products for which we develop technological innovations, and there can be no assurance that
unit volumes, and their associated royalties, will occur. If our technology fails to capture or
maintain a portion of the high volume target consumer market, our business results could suffer.
Some of our revenue is subject to the pricing policies of our licensees over whom we have no
control.
We have no control over our licensees pricing of their products and there can be no assurance
that licensee products using or containing our chip interfaces will be competitively priced or will
sell in significant volumes. One important requirement for our memory chip interfaces is for any
premium charged by our licensees in the price of memory and controller chips over alternatives to
be reasonable in comparison to the perceived benefits of the chip interfaces. If the benefits of
our technology do not match the price premium charged by our licensees, the resulting decline in
sales of products incorporating our technology could harm our operating results.
Our licensing cycle is lengthy and costly and our marketing and licensing efforts may be
unsuccessful.
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The process of persuading customers to adopt and license our chip interface and other
technologies can be lengthy and, even if successful, there can be no assurance that our
technologies will be used in a product that is ultimately brought to market, achieves commercial
acceptance, or results in significant royalties to us. We generally incur significant marketing and
sales expenses prior to entering into our license agreements, generating a license fee and
establishing a royalty stream from each licensee. The length of time it takes to establish a new
licensing relationship can take many months or even years. In addition, our ongoing intellectual
property litigation and regulatory actions have and will likely continue to have an impact on our
ability to enter into new licenses and renewals of licenses. As such, we may incur costs in any
particular period before any associated revenue stream begins, if at all. If our marketing and
sales efforts are very lengthy or unsuccessful, then we may face a material adverse effect on our
business and results of operations as a result of delay or failure to obtain royalties.
Future revenue is difficult to predict for several reasons, and our failure to predict revenue
accurately may cause us to miss analysts estimates and result in our stock price declining.
Our lengthy and costly license negotiation cycle and our ongoing intellectual property
litigation make our future revenue difficult to predict because we may not be successful in
entering into licenses with our customers on our estimated timelines and we are reliant on the
litigation timelines for any results or settlements, such as our January 2010 settlement with
Samsung.
While some of our license agreements provide for fixed, quarterly royalty payments, many of
our license agreements provide for volume-based royalties, and may also be subject to caps on
royalties in a given period. The sales volume and prices of our licensees products in any given
period can be difficult to predict. As a result, our actual results may differ substantially from
analyst estimates or our forecasts in any given quarter.
In addition, a portion of our revenue comes from development and support services provided to
our licensees. Depending upon the nature of the services, a portion of the related revenue may be
recognized ratably over the support period, or may be recognized according to contract accounting.
Contract revenue accounting may result in deferral of the service fees to the completion of the
contract, or may be recognized over the period in which services are performed on a
percentage-of-completion basis. There can be no assurance that the product development schedule for
these projects will not be changed or delayed. All of these factors make it difficult to predict
future licensing revenue and may result in our missing previously announced earnings guidance or
analysts estimates which would likely cause our stock price to decline.
Our quarterly and annual operating results are unpredictable and fluctuate, which may cause our
stock price to be volatile and decline.
Since many of our revenue components fluctuate and are difficult to predict, and our expenses
are largely independent of revenue in any particular period, it is difficult for us to accurately
forecast revenue and profitability. Factors other than those set forth above, which are beyond our
ability to control or assess in advance, that could cause our operating results to fluctuate
include:
| semiconductor and system companies acceptance of our chip interface products; | ||
| the success of high volume consumer applications, such as the Sony PlayStation® 3; | ||
| the dependence of our royalties upon fluctuating sales volumes and prices of licensed chips that include our technology; | ||
| the seasonal shipment patterns of systems incorporating our chip interface products; | ||
| the loss of any strategic relationships with system companies or licensees; | ||
| semiconductor or system companies discontinuing major products incorporating our chip interfaces; | ||
| the unpredictability of litigation results or settlements and the timing and amount of any litigation expenses; | ||
| changes in our customers development schedules and levels of expenditure on research and development; | ||
| our licensees terminating or failing to make payments under their current contracts or seeking to modify such contracts, whether voluntarily or as a result of financial difficulties; |
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| the results of our efforts to expand into new target markets, such as with our LDT group; | ||
| changes in our strategies, including changes in our licensing focus and/or acquisitions of companies with business models or target markets different from our own; and | ||
| changes in the economy and credit market and their effects upon demand for our technology and the products of our licensees. |
We believe that royalties will continue to represent a majority of total revenue for the
foreseeable future. For the six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009, royalties accounted for 99%
and 94%, respectively, of our total revenue. Royalties are generally recognized in the quarter in
which we receive a report from a licensee regarding the sale of licensed chips in the prior
quarter; however, royalties are recognized only if collectability is assured. As a result of these
uncertainties and effects being outside of our control, royalty revenue is difficult to predict and
makes it difficult to develop accurate financial forecasts, which could cause our stock price to
become volatile and decline.
A substantial portion of our revenue is derived from sources outside of the United States and this
revenue and our business generally are subject to risks related to international operations that
are often beyond our control.
For the six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009, revenue from our sales to international
customers constituted approximately 95% and 82% of our total revenue, respectively. As a result of
our continued focus on international markets, we expect that future revenue derived from
international sources will continue to represent a significant portion of our total revenue.
To date, all of the revenue from international licensees has been denominated in U.S. dollars.
However, to the extent that such licensees sales to systems companies are not denominated in U.S.
dollars, any royalties which are based as a percentage of the customers sales that we receive as a
result of such sales could be subject to fluctuations in currency exchange rates. In addition, if
the effective price of licensed semiconductors sold by our foreign licensees were to increase as a
result of fluctuations in the exchange rate of the relevant currencies, demand for licensed
semiconductors could fall, which in turn would reduce our royalties. We do not use financial
instruments to hedge foreign exchange rate risk.
We currently have international operations in India (design), Japan (business development),
Taiwan (business development) and Germany (business development). Our international operations and
revenue are subject to a variety of risks which are beyond our control, including:
| export controls, tariffs, import and licensing restrictions and other trade barriers; | ||
| profits, if any, earned abroad being subject to local tax laws and not being repatriated to the United States or, if repatriation is possible, limited in amount; | ||
| treatment of revenue from international sources and changes to tax codes, including being subject to foreign tax laws and being liable for paying withholding, income or other taxes in foreign jurisdictions; | ||
| foreign government regulations and changes in these regulations; | ||
| social, political and economic instability; | ||
| lack of protection of our intellectual property and other contract rights by jurisdictions in which we may do business to the same extent as the laws of the United States; | ||
| changes in diplomatic and trade relationships; | ||
| cultural differences in the conduct of business both with licensees and in conducting business in our international facilities and international sales offices; | ||
| operating centers outside the United States; | ||
| hiring, maintaining and managing a workforce remotely and under various legal systems; and |
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| geo-political issues. |
We and our licensees are subject to many of the risks described above with respect to
companies which are located in different countries, particularly home video game console, PC and
other consumer electronics manufacturers located in Asia and elsewhere. There can be no assurance
that one or more of the risks associated with our international operations could not result in a
material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We have in the past and may in the future make acquisitions or enter into mergers, strategic
transactions or other arrangements that could cause our business to suffer.
As part of our strategic initiatives, we have completed, currently are evaluating, and expect
to continue to engage in, investments in or acquisitions of companies, products or technologies,
and the entry into strategic transactions or other arrangements. These acquisitions, investments,
transactions or arrangements are likely to range in size, some of which may be significant. After
completing an acquisition, including the December 2009 acquisition of technology and a patent
portfolio from Global Lighting Technologies and our smaller business acquisitions during the six
month period ending June 30, 2010, we may experience difficulty integrating that companys or
divisions personnel and operations, which could negatively affect our operating results. In
addition:
| the key personnel of the acquired entity or business may decide not to work for us or may not perform according to our expectations; | ||
| we may experience additional legal, financial and accounting challenges and complexities in areas such as licensing, tax planning, cash management and financial reporting; | ||
| our ongoing business may be disrupted or receive insufficient management attention; | ||
| we may not be able to recognize the financial benefits we anticipated and/or we may suffer losses, both with respect to our ongoing business and the acquired entity or business; | ||
| our increasing international presence resulting from acquisitions may increase our exposure to international currency, tax and political risks; and | ||
| our lack of experience in new markets, products or technologies may cause us to fail to recognize the forecasted financial and strategic benefits of the acquisition. |
In connection with our strategic initiatives related to future acquisitions or mergers,
strategic transactions or other arrangements, we may incur substantial expenses regardless of
whether any transactions occur. Further, the risks described above may be exacerbated as a result
of managing multiple acquisitions simultaneously. In addition, we may be required to assume the
liabilities of the companies we acquire. By assuming the liabilities, we may incur liabilities such
as those related to intellectual property infringement or indemnification of customers of acquired
businesses for similar claims, which could materially and adversely affect our business. We may
have to incur debt or issue equity securities to pay for any future acquisition, the issuance of
which could involve restrictive covenants or be dilutive to our existing stockholders.
Unanticipated changes in our tax rates or in the tax laws and regulations could expose us to
additional income tax liabilities which could affect our operating results and financial condition.
We are subject to income taxes in both the United States and various foreign jurisdictions.
Significant judgment is required in determining our worldwide provision (or benefit) for income
taxes and, in the ordinary course of business, there are many transactions and calculations where
the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Our effective tax rate could be adversely affected by
changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the
valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in tax laws and regulations as well as
other factors. Our tax determinations are regularly subject to audit by tax authorities and
developments in those audits could adversely affect our income tax provision. Although we believe
that our tax estimates are reasonable, the final determination of tax audits or tax disputes may be
different from what is reflected in our historical income tax provisions which could affect our
operating results.
Our results of operations could vary as a result of the methods, estimates and judgments we use in
applying our accounting policies.
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The methods, estimates and judgments we use in applying our accounting policies have a
significant impact on our results of operations, including the reported amounts of assets,
liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, as
described elsewhere in this report. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those
related to revenue recognition, such as percentage-of-completion contracts, investments, income
taxes, litigation, goodwill and intangibles, and other contingencies. Such methods, estimates, and
judgments are, by their nature, subject to substantial risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, and
factors may arise over time that lead us to change our methods, estimates, and judgments. In
addition, actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Changes in those methods, estimates, and judgments could significantly affect our results of
operations. In particular, the measurement of share-based compensation expense requires us to use
valuation methodologies and a number of assumptions, estimates, and conclusions regarding matters
such as expected forfeitures, expected volatility of our share price, and the exercise behavior of
our employees. Changes in these factors may affect both our reported results (including cost of
contract revenue, research and development expenses, marketing, general and administrative expenses
and our effective tax rate) and any forward-looking projections we make that incorporate
projections of share-based compensation expense. Furthermore, there are no means, under applicable
accounting principles, to compare and adjust our reported expense if and when we learn about
additional information that may affect the estimates that we previously made, with the exception of
changes in expected forfeitures of share-based awards. Factors may arise that lead us to change our
estimates and assumptions with respect to future share-based compensation arrangements, resulting
in variability in our share-based compensation expense over time.
If we are unable to attract and retain qualified personnel, our business and operations could
suffer.
Our success is dependent upon our ability to identify, attract, compensate, motivate and
retain qualified personnel, especially engineers, who can enhance our existing technologies and
introduce new technologies. Competition for qualified personnel, particularly those with
significant industry experience, is intense, in particular in the San Francisco Bay Area where we
are headquartered and in the area of Bangalore, India where we have a design center. We are also
dependent upon our senior management personnel. The loss of the services of any of our senior
management personnel, or key sales personnel in critical markets, or critical members of staff, or
of a significant number of our engineers could be disruptive to our development efforts or business
relationships and could cause our business and operations to suffer.
Our operations are subject to risks of natural disasters, acts of war, terrorism or widespread
illness at our domestic and international locations, any one of which could result in a business
stoppage and negatively affect our operating results.
Our business operations depend on our ability to maintain and protect our facility, computer
systems and personnel, which are primarily located in the San Francisco Bay Area. The San Francisco
Bay Area is in close proximity to known earthquake fault zones. Our facility and transportation for
our employees are susceptible to damage from earthquakes and other natural disasters such as fires,
floods and similar events. Should an earthquake or other catastrophes, such as fires, floods, power
loss, communication failure or similar events disable our facilities, we do not have readily
available alternative facilities from which we could conduct our business, which stoppage could
have a negative effect on our operating results. Acts of terrorism, widespread illness and war
could also have a negative effect at our international and domestic facilities.
Risks Related to Corporate Governance and Capitalization Matters
The price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly, which may make it difficult for holders
to resell their shares when desired or at attractive prices.
Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol RMBS. The
trading price of our common stock has been subject to wide fluctuations which we expect to continue
in the future in response to, among other things, the following:
| new litigation or developments in current litigation, including an unfavorable outcome to us from court proceedings relating to our litigation with Hynix, Micron, Nanya and NVIDIA and reaction to any settlements that we enter into with former litigants, such as Samsung; | ||
| any progress, or lack of progress, real or perceived, in the development of products that incorporate our innovations; |
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| our signing or not signing new licensees; | ||
| announcements of our technological innovations or new products by us, our licensees or our competitors; | ||
| positive or negative reports by securities analysts as to our expected financial results; | ||
| developments with respect to patents or proprietary rights and other events or factors; | ||
| trading activity related to our share repurchase plans; and | ||
| issuance of additional securities by us, such as our issuance of approximately 9.6 million shares of common stock to Samsung in connection with our settlement agreement in January 2010. |
In addition, the stock market in general, and prices for companies in our industry in
particular, have experienced extreme volatility that often has been unrelated to the operating
performance of such companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect
the price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. Because our outstanding
senior convertible notes are convertible into shares of our common stock, volatility or depressed
prices of our common stock could have a similar effect on the trading price of our notes. In
addition, the existence of the notes may encourage short selling in our common stock by market
participants because the conversion of the notes could depress the price of our common stock. Sales
of substantial amounts of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that
those sales may occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. In addition,
lack of positive performance in our stock price may adversely affect our ability to retain key
employees.
Compliance with changing regulation of corporate governance and public disclosure may result in
additional expenses.
Changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public
disclosure, including new Securities and Exchange Commission, regulations and NASDAQ rules, have
historically created uncertainty for companies such as ours. Any new or changed laws, regulations
and standards are subject to varying interpretations in many cases due to their lack of
specificity, and as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is
provided by regulatory and governing bodies, which could result in continuing uncertainty regarding
compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance
practices. Any new investment of resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards,
may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and
attention from revenue generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply
with new or changed laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by
regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to practice, our reputation may be harmed
and our business and operations would suffer.
We have been party to, and may in the future be subject to, lawsuits relating to securities law
matters which may result in unfavorable outcomes and significant judgments, settlements and legal
expenses which could cause our business, financial condition and results of operations to suffer.
In connection with our stock option investigation, we and certain of our current and former
officers and directors, as well as our current auditors, were subject to several stockholder
derivative actions, securities fraud class actions and/or individual lawsuits filed in federal
court against us and certain of our current and former officers and directors. The complaints
generally allege that the defendants violated the federal and state securities laws and state law
claims for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty. While we have settled the derivative and securities
fraud class actions, the individual lawsuits continue to be adjudicated. For more information about
the historic litigation described above, see Note 14, Litigation and Asserted Claims, of Notes to
Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements of this Form 10-Q. The amount of time to resolve these
current and any future lawsuits is uncertain, and these matters could require significant
management and financial resources which could otherwise be devoted to the operation of our
business. Although we have expensed or accrued for certain liabilities that we believe will result
from certain of these actions, the actual costs and expenses to defend and satisfy all of these
lawsuits and any potential future litigation may exceed our current estimated accruals, possibly
significantly. Unfavorable outcomes and significant judgments, settlements and legal expenses in
litigation related to our past and any future securities law claims could have material adverse
impacts on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and the trading
price of our common stock.
We are leveraged financially, which could adversely affect our ability to adjust our business to
respond to competitive pressures and to obtain sufficient funds to satisfy our future research and
development needs, and to defend our intellectual property.
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We have indebtedness. In 2009, we issued $172.5 million aggregate principal amount of our 2014
Notes. The degree to which we are leveraged could have important consequences, including, but not
limited to, the following:
| our ability to obtain additional financing in the future for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, litigation, general corporate or other purposes may be limited; | ||
| a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations will be dedicated to the payment of the principal of our indebtedness as we are required to pay the principal amount of our 2014 Notes in cash upon conversion if specified conditions are met or when due; | ||
| if upon any conversion of our 2014 Notes we are required to satisfy our conversion obligation with shares of our common stock or we are required to pay a make-whole premium with shares of our common stock, our existing stockholders interest in us would be diluted; and | ||
| we may be more vulnerable to economic downturns, less able to withstand competitive pressures and less flexible in responding to changing business and economic conditions. |
A failure to comply with the covenants and other provisions of our debt instruments could
result in events of default under such instruments, which could permit acceleration of all of our
notes. Any required repayment of our notes as a result of a fundamental change or other
acceleration would lower our current cash on hand such that we would not have those funds available
for use in our business.
If we are at any time unable to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to service our
indebtedness when payment is due, we may be required to attempt to renegotiate the terms of the
instruments relating to the indebtedness, seek to refinance all or a portion of the indebtedness or
obtain additional financing. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully
renegotiate such terms, that any such refinancing would be possible or that any additional
financing could be obtained on terms that are favorable or acceptable to us.
If securities or industry analysts change their recommendations regarding our stock adversely, our
stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock is influenced by the research and reports that
industry or securities analysts publish about us, our business or our market. If one or more of the
analysts who cover us change their recommendation regarding our stock adversely, our stock price
would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our company or fails to
regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn
could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
Our restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws,our stockholder rights plan, Delaware law and
our outstanding convertible notes contain provisions that could discourage transactions resulting
in a change in control, which may negatively affect the market price of our common stock.
Our restated certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, our stockholder rights plan and
Delaware law contain provisions that might enable our management to discourage, delay or prevent a
change in control. In addition, these provisions could limit the price that investors would be
willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. Pursuant to such provisions:
| our board of directors is authorized, without prior stockholder approval, to create and issue preferred stock, commonly referred to as blank check preferred stock, with rights senior to those of common stock; | ||
| our board of directors is staggered into two classes, only one of which is elected at each annual meeting; | ||
| stockholder action by written consent is prohibited; | ||
| nominations for election to our board of directors and the submission of matters to be acted upon by stockholders at a meeting are subject to advance notice requirements; |
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| certain provisions in our bylaws and certificate of incorporation such as notice to stockholders, the ability to call a stockholder meeting, advance notice requirements and action of stockholders by written consent may only be amended with the approval of stockholders holding 66 2/3% of our outstanding voting stock; | ||
| our stockholders have no authority to call special meetings of stockholders; and | ||
| our board of directors is expressly authorized to make, alter or repeal our bylaws. |
In addition, the provisions in our stockholder rights plan could make it more difficult for a
potential acquirer to consummate an acquisition of our company. We are also subject to Section 203
of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which provides, subject to enumerated exceptions, that if
a person acquires 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock, the person is an interested
stockholder and may not engage in any business combination with us for a period of three years
from the time the person acquired 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock.
Certain provisions of our outstanding convertible notes could make it more difficult or more
expensive for a third party to acquire us. Upon the occurrence of certain transactions constituting
a fundamental change, holders of the notes will have the right, at their option, to require us to
repurchase, at a cash repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount plus accrued and
unpaid interest on the notes, all or a portion of their notes. We may also be required to issue
additional shares of our common stock upon conversion of such notes in the event of certain
fundamental changes.
Litigation, Regulation and Business Risks Related to our Intellectual Property
We face current and potential adverse determinations in litigation stemming from our efforts to
protect and enforce our patents and intellectual property, which could broadly impact our
intellectual property rights, distract our management and cause a substantial decline in our
revenue and stock price.
We seek to diligently protect our intellectual property rights. In connection with the
extension of our licensing program to SDR SDRAM-compatible and DDR SDRAM-compatible products, we
became involved in litigation related to such efforts against different parties in multiple
jurisdictions. In each of these cases, we have claimed infringement of certain of our patents,
while the manufacturers of such products have generally sought damages and a determination that the
patents in suit are invalid, unenforceable, and not infringed. Among other things, the opposing
parties have alleged that certain of our patents are unenforceable because we engaged in document
spoliation, litigation misconduct and/or acted improperly during our 1991 to 1995 participation in
the JEDEC standard setting organization (including allegations of antitrust violations and unfair
competition). See Note 14, Litigation and Asserted Claims, of Notes to Unaudited Consolidated
Financial Statements of this Form 10-Q.
There can be no assurance that any or all of the opposing parties will not succeed, either at
the trial or appellate level, with such claims or counterclaims against us or that they will not in
some other way establish broad defenses against our patents, achieve conflicting results, or
otherwise avoid or delay paying royalties for the use of our patented technology. Moreover, there
is a risk that if one party prevails against us, other parties could use the adverse result to
defeat or limit our claims against them; conversely, there can be no assurance that if we prevail
against one party, we will succeed against other parties on similar claims, defenses, or
counterclaims. In addition, there is the risk that the pending litigations and other circumstances
may cause us to accept less than what we now believe to be fair consideration in settlement.
Any of these matters, whether or not determined in our favor or settled by us, is costly, may
cause delays (including delays in negotiating licenses with other actual or potential licensees),
will tend to discourage future design partners, will tend to impair adoption of our existing
technologies and divert the efforts and attention of our management and technical personnel from
other business operations. In addition, we may be unsuccessful in our litigation if we have
difficulty obtaining the cooperation of former employees and agents who were involved in our
business during the relevant periods related to our litigation and are now needed to assist in
cases or testify on our behalf. Furthermore, any adverse determination or other resolution in
litigation could result in our losing certain rights beyond the rights at issue in a particular
case, including, among other things: our being effectively barred from suing others for violating
certain or all of our intellectual property rights; our patents being held invalid or unenforceable
or not infringed; our being subjected to significant liabilities; our being required to seek
licenses from third parties; our being prevented from licensing our patented technology; or our
being required to renegotiate with current licensees on a temporary or permanent basis. Even if we
are successful in our litigation, or any settlement of such litigation, there is no guarantee that
the applicable opposing parties will be able to pay any damages awards timely or at all as a result
of financial difficulties or otherwise. Delay or any or all of these adverse results could cause a
substantial decline in our revenue and stock price.
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An adverse resolution by or with a governmental agency could result in severe limitations on our
ability to protect and license our intellectual property, and would cause our revenue to decline
substantially.
From time to time, we are subject to proceedings by government agencies, such as our Federal
Trade Commission and European Commission proceedings over the past several years. These proceedings
may result in adverse determinations against us or in other outcomes that could limit our ability
to enforce or license our intellectual property, and could cause our revenue to decline
substantially.
In addition, third parties have and may attempt to use adverse findings by a government agency
to limit our ability to enforce or license our patents in private litigations, to challenge or
otherwise act against us with respect to such government agency proceedings, such as the attempts
by Hynix to appeal our settlement with the European Commission, and to assert claims for monetary
damages against us. Although we have successfully defeated certain attempts to do so, there can be
no assurance that other third parties will not be successful in the future or that additional
claims or actions arising out of adverse findings by a government agency will not be asserted
against us.
Further, third parties have sought and may seek review and reconsideration of the
patentability of inventions claimed in certain of our patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office (PTO) and/or the European Patent Office (the EPO). Currently, we are subject to several
re-examination proceedings, including proceedings initiated by Hynix, Micron and NVIDIA as a
defensive action in connection with our litigation against those companies. An adverse decision by
the PTO or EPO could invalidate some or all of these patent claims and could also result in
additional adverse consequences affecting other related U.S. or European patents, including in our
intellectual property litigation. If a sufficient number of such patents are impaired, our ability
to enforce or license our intellectual property would be significantly weakened and this could
cause our revenue to decline substantially.
The pendency of any governmental agency acting as described above may impair our ability to
enforce or license our patents or collect royalties from existing or potential licensees, as our
litigation opponents may attempt to use such proceedings to delay or otherwise impair any pending
cases and our existing or potential licensees may await the final outcome of any proceedings before
agreeing to new licenses or pay royalties.
Litigation or other third-party claims of intellectual property infringement could require us to
expend substantial resources and could prevent us from developing or licensing our technology on a
cost-effective basis.
Our research and development programs are in highly competitive fields in which numerous third
parties have issued patents and patent applications with claims closely related to the subject
matter of our programs. We have also been named in the past, and may in the future be named, as a
defendant in lawsuits claiming that our technology infringes upon the intellectual property rights
of third parties. In the event of a third-party claim or a successful infringement action against
us, we may be required to pay substantial damages, to stop developing and licensing our infringing
technology, to develop non-infringing technology, and to obtain licenses, which could result in our
paying substantial royalties or our granting of cross licenses to our technologies. Threatened or
ongoing third-party claims or infringement actions may prevent us from pursuing additional
development and licensing arrangements for some period. For example, we may discontinue
negotiations with certain customers for additional licensing of our patents due to the uncertainty
caused by our ongoing litigation on the terms of such licenses or of the terms of such licenses on
our litigation. We may not be able to obtain licenses from other parties at a reasonable cost, or
at all, which could cause us to expend substantial resources, or result in delays in, or the
cancellation of, new product.
If we are unable to successfully protect our inventions through the issuance and enforcement of
patents, our operating results could be adversely affected.
We have an active program to protect our proprietary inventions through the filing of patents.
There can be no assurance, however, that:
| any current or future U.S. or foreign patent applications will be approved and not be challenged by third parties; | ||
| our issued patents will protect our intellectual property and not be challenged by third parties; | ||
| the validity of our patents will be upheld; | ||
| our patents will not be declared unenforceable; |
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| the patents of others will not have an adverse effect on our ability to do business; | ||
| Congress or the U.S. courts or foreign countries will not change the nature or scope of rights afforded patents or patent owners or alter in an adverse way the process for seeking patents; | ||
| changes in law will not be implemented that will affect our ability to protect and enforce our patents and other intellectual property; | ||
| new legal theories and strategies utilized by our competitors will not be successful; | ||
| others will not independently develop similar or competing chip interfaces or design around any patents that may be issued to us; or | ||
| factors such as difficulty in obtaining cooperation from inventors, pre-existing challenges or litigation, or license or other contract issues will not present additional challenges in securing protection with respect to patents and other intellectual property that we acquire. |
If any of the above were to occur, our operating results could be adversely affected.
Our inability to protect and own the intellectual property we create would cause our business to
suffer.
We rely primarily on a combination of license, development and nondisclosure agreements,
trademark, trade secret and copyright law, and contractual provisions to protect our non-patentable
intellectual property rights. If we fail to protect these intellectual property rights, our
licensees and others may seek to use our technology without the payment of license fees and
royalties, which could weaken our competitive position, reduce our operating results and increase
the likelihood of costly litigation. The growth of our business depends in large part on the use of
our intellectual property in the products of third party manufacturers, and our ability to enforce
intellectual property rights against them to obtain appropriate compensation. In addition,
effective trade secret protection may be unavailable or limited in certain foreign countries.
Although we intend to protect our rights vigorously, if we fail to do so, our business will suffer.
We rely upon the accuracy of our licensees recordkeeping, and any inaccuracies or payment disputes
for amounts owed to us under our licensing agreements may harm our results of operations.
Many of our license agreements require our licensees to document the manufacture and sale of
products that incorporate our technology and report this data to us on a quarterly basis. While
licenses with such terms give us the right to audit books and records of our licensees to verify
this information, audits rarely are undertaken because they can be expensive, time consuming, and
potentially detrimental to our ongoing business relationship with our licensees. Therefore, we
typically rely on the accuracy of the reports from licensees without independently verifying the
information in them. Our failure to audit our licensees books and records may result in our
receiving more or less royalty revenue than we are entitled to under the terms of our license
agreements. If we conduct royalty audits in the future, such audits may trigger disagreements over
contract terms with our licensees and such disagreements could hamper customer relations, divert
the efforts and attention of our management from normal operations and impact our business
operations and financial condition.
Any dispute regarding our intellectual property may require us to indemnify certain licensees, the
cost of which could severely hamper our business operations and financial condition.
In any potential dispute involving our patents or other intellectual property, our licensees
could also become the target of litigation. While we generally do not indemnify our licensees, some
of our license agreements provide limited indemnities, and some require us to provide technical
support and information to a licensee that is involved in litigation involving use of our
technology. In addition, we may agree to indemnify others in the future. Any of these
indemnification and support obligations could result in substantial expenses. In addition to the
time and expense required for us to indemnify or supply such support to our licensees, a licensees
development, marketing and sales of licensed semiconductors could be severely disrupted or shut
down as a result of litigation, which in turn could severely hamper our business operations and
financial condition as a result of lower or no royalty payments.
Item 2. | Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds |
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Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
Total Number | Maximum | |||||||||||||||||||
of Shares | Number of | |||||||||||||||||||
Purchased as | Shares that | |||||||||||||||||||
Part of | May Yet be | |||||||||||||||||||
Publicly | Purchased | |||||||||||||||||||
Total Number | Announced | Average | Under the | |||||||||||||||||
of Shares | Plans or | Price Paid | Plans or | |||||||||||||||||
Period | Purchased | Programs | Total Paid | per Share | Programs | |||||||||||||||
Cumulative shares repurchased as of 12/31/2009 |
16,810,950 | 16,810,950 | $ | 233,756,155 | $ | 13.90 | 2,240,913 | |||||||||||||
Additional authorization |
12,500,000 | |||||||||||||||||||
14,740,913 | ||||||||||||||||||||
2/1/2010 - 2/28/2010 |
1,233,287 | 1,233,287 | $ | 26,472,746 | $ | 21.47 | 13,507,626 | |||||||||||||
4/1/2010 - 4/30/2010 |
519,895 | 519,895 | $ | 12,715,797 | $ | 24.46 | 12,987,731 | |||||||||||||
5/1/2010 - 5/31/2010 |
1,793,068 | 1,793,068 | $ | 42,502,150 | $ | 23.70 | 11,194,663 | |||||||||||||
6/1/2010 - 6/30/2010 |
686,000 | 686,000 | $ | 13,594,241 | $ | 19.82 | 10,508,663 | |||||||||||||
Cumulative shares repurchased as of 6/30/2010 |
21,043,200 | 21,043,200 | $ | 329,041,090 | $ | 15.64 | ||||||||||||||
In October 2001, our Board of Directors (the Board) approved a share repurchase program of
our Common Stock, principally to reduce the dilutive effect of employee stock options. Under this
program, the Board approved the authorization to repurchase up to 19.0 million shares of our
outstanding Common Stock over an undefined period of time. On February 25, 2010, the Board approved
a new share repurchase program authorizing the repurchase of up to an additional 12.5 million
shares. Share repurchases under the program may be made through open market, established plan or
privately negotiated transactions in accordance with all applicable securities laws, rules, and
regulations. There is no expiration date applicable to the program. The new share repurchase
program replaces the program authorized in October 2001.
During the six months ended June 30, 2010, we repurchased approximately 4.2 million shares of
our Common Stock with an aggregate price of approximately $95.3 million. As of June 30, 2010, we
had repurchased a cumulative total of approximately 21.0 million shares of our Common Stock with an
aggregate price of approximately $329.0 million since the commencement of the program in 2001. As
of June 30, 2010, there remained an outstanding authorization to repurchase approximately
10.5 million shares of our outstanding Common Stock.
Item 3. | Defaults Upon Senior Securities |
Not Applicable
Item 4. | Reserved |
Item 5. | Other Information |
Not Applicable
Item 6. | Exhibits |
Refer to the Exhibit Index of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q.
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SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements 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.
RAMBUS INC. |
||||
Date: July 30, 2010 | By: | /s/ Satish Rishi | ||
Satish Rishi | ||||
Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer |
||||
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INDEX TO EXHIBITS
Exhibit | ||||
Number | Description of Document | |||
3.1 | (1) | Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Registrant filed May 29, 1997. |
||
3.2 | (2) | Certificate of Amendment of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Registrant filed June 14, 2000. |
||
3.3 | Amended and Restated Bylaws of Registrant dated April 29, 2010. |
|||
31.1 | Certification of Principal Executive Officer, pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and Rule 15d-14(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
|||
31.2 | Certification of Principal Financial Officer, pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and Rule 15d-14(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
|||
32.1 | Certification of Principal Executive Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to
Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
|||
32.2 | Certification of Principal Financial Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to
Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
(1) | Incorporated by reference to the Form 10-K filed on December 15, 1997. | |
(2) | Incorporated by reference to the Form 10-Q filed on May 4, 2001. |
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