THEGLOBE COM INC - Quarter Report: 2006 March (Form 10-Q)
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
x
QUARTERLY REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D)
OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the
quarterly period ended March 31, 2006
OR
SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
FOR
THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM _______ TO _________
COMMISSION
FILE NO. 0-25053
THEGLOBE.COM,
INC.
(EXACT
NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)
STATE
OF DELAWARE
|
14-1782422
|
|
(STATE
OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF
|
(I.R.S.
EMPLOYER
|
|
INCORPORATION
OR ORGANIZATION)
|
IDENTIFICATION
NO.)
|
110
EAST BROWARD BOULEVARD, SUITE 1400
FORT
LAUDERDALE, FL. 33301
|
||
(ADDRESS
OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE
OFFICES)
|
||
(954)
769 - 5900
|
||
(Registrant's
telephone number, including area
code)
|
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. x
Yes o No
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated
filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (Check
one):
Large accelerated filer o |
Accelerated
filer o
|
Non-accelerated
filer x
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No x
The
number of shares outstanding of the Registrant's Common Stock, $.001 par value
(the "Common Stock") as of May 2, 2006 was 174,722,565.
THEGLOBE.COM,
INC.
FORM
10-Q
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
PART
I:
|
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
|
||
Item
1.
|
Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statements
|
||
|
Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2006 (unaudited)and
December 31,
2005
|
3
|
|
|
Unaudited
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three
months ended
March 31, 2006 and 2005
|
4
|
|
|
Unaudited
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the three
months ended
March 31, 2006 and 2005
|
5
|
|
|
Notes
to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
|
6
|
|
Item
2.
|
Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations
|
17
|
|
Item
3.
|
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
|
29
|
|
Item
4.
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
29
|
|
PART
II:
|
OTHER
INFORMATION
|
||
Item
1.
|
Legal
Proceedings
|
30
|
|
Item
1A.
|
Risk
Factors
|
30
|
|
Item
2.
|
Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
|
48
|
|
Item
3.
|
Defaults
Upon Senior Securities
|
49
|
|
Item
4.
|
Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
|
49
|
|
Item
5.
|
Other
Information
|
49
|
|
Item
6.
|
Exhibits
|
49
|
|
SIGNATURES
|
|
50
|
2
PART
I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
MARCH
31,
|
DECEMBER
31,
|
||||||
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
ASSETS
|
(UNAUDITED)
|
||||||
Current
Assets:
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$
|
12,379,881
|
$
|
16,480,660
|
|||
Restricted
cash
|
251,043
|
1,031,764
|
|||||
Accounts
receivable, less allowance for doubtful
|
|||||||
accounts
of approximately $38,000 and
|
|||||||
$128,000,
respectively
|
295,975
|
452,398
|
|||||
Inventory,
less reserves of approximately
$414,000
and $434,000, respectively
|
59,442
|
66,271
|
|||||
Prepaid
expenses
|
742,070
|
1,022,771
|
|||||
Other
current assets
|
153,217
|
146,889
|
|||||
Total
current assets
|
13,881,628
|
19,200,753
|
|||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
1,145,528
|
1,455,653
|
|||||
Intangible
assets
|
645,360
|
715,035
|
|||||
Other
assets
|
40,000
|
40,000
|
|||||
Total
assets
|
$
|
15,712,516
|
$
|
21,411,441
|
|||
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
|
|||||||
Current
Liabilities:
|
|||||||
Accounts
payable
|
$
|
2,460,970
|
$
|
2,564,988
|
|||
Accrued
expenses and other current liabilities
|
1,655,605
|
2,177,815
|
|||||
Income
taxes payable
|
—
|
806,406
|
|||||
Deferred
revenue
|
956,531
|
985,981
|
|||||
Notes
payable and current portion of long-term debt
|
3,417,446
|
3,428,447
|
|||||
Total
current liabilities
|
8,490,552
|
9,963,637
|
|||||
Long-term
liabilities
|
297,354
|
173,003
|
|||||
Total
liabilities
|
8,787,906
|
10,136,640
|
|||||
Stockholders'
Equity:
|
|||||||
Common
stock, $0.001 par value; 500,000,000 shares
|
|||||||
authorized;
174,722,565 and 174,373,091 shares
|
|||||||
issued
at March 31, 2006 and December 31, 2005,
|
|||||||
respectively
|
174,723
|
174,373
|
|||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
288,934,961
|
288,740,889
|
|||||
Escrow
shares
|
(750,000
|
)
|
(750,000
|
)
|
|||
Accumulated
deficit
|
(281,435,074
|
)
|
(276,890,461
|
)
|
|||
Total
stockholders' equity
|
6,924,610
|
11,274,801
|
|||||
Total
liabilities and stockholders' equity
|
$
|
15,712,516
|
$
|
21,411,441
|
See
notes
to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
3
THEGLOBE.COM, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
Three
Months Ended
March 31, |
|||||||
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
(UNAUDITED)
|
|||||||
Net
Revenue
|
$
|
701,157
|
$
|
648,484
|
|||
Operating
Expenses:
|
|||||||
Cost
of revenue
|
1,664,480
|
1,983,382
|
|||||
Sales
and marketing
|
935,028
|
781,275
|
|||||
Product
development
|
373,741
|
325,841
|
|||||
General
and administrative
|
2,088,777
|
1,633,247
|
|||||
Depreciation
|
305,125
|
285,931
|
|||||
Intangible
asset amortization
|
69,675
|
—
|
|||||
|
5,436,826
|
5,009,676
|
|||||
Operating
Loss from Continuing Operations
|
(4,735,669
|
)
|
(4,361,192
|
)
|
|||
Other
Income (Expense), net:
|
|||||||
Interest
income (expense), net
|
61,653
|
(4,517
|
)
|
||||
Other
income (expense), net
|
129,403
|
(229,288
|
)
|
||||
|
191,056
|
(233,805
|
)
|
||||
Loss
from Continuing Operations
|
|||||||
Before
Income Tax
|
(4,544,613
|
)
|
(4,594,997
|
)
|
|||
Income
Tax Benefit
|
—
|
(240,124
|
)
|
||||
Loss
from Continuing Operations
|
(4,544,613
|
)
|
(4,354,873
|
)
|
|||
Discontinued
Operations:
|
|||||||
Income
from operations
|
—
|
645,774
|
|||||
Tax
provision
|
—
|
256,474
|
|||||
Income
from Discontinued
|
|||||||
Operations
|
—
|
389,300
|
|||||
Net
Loss
|
$
|
(4,544,613
|
)
|
$
|
(3,965,573
|
)
|
|
Earnings
(Loss) Per Share -
|
|||||||
Basic
and Diluted:
|
|||||||
Continuing
Operations
|
$
|
(0.03
|
)
|
$
|
(0.02
|
)
|
|
Discontinued
Operations
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
—
|
|||
|
|||||||
Net
Loss
|
$
|
(0.03
|
)
|
$
|
(0.02
|
)
|
|
Weighted
Average Common Shares
|
|||||||
Outstanding
|
174,593,000
|
174,821,000
|
See
notes
to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
4
THEGLOBE.COM,
INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Three
Months Ended
March 31, |
|||||||
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
(UNAUDITED)
|
|||||||
Cash
Flows from Operating Activities:
|
|||||||
Net
loss
|
$
|
(4,544,613
|
)
|
$
|
(3,965,573
|
)
|
|
(Income)
from discontinued operations
|
—
|
(389,300 | ) | ||||
Net
loss from continuing operations
|
(4,544,613
|
)
|
(4,354,873
|
)
|
|||
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss from continuing
|
|||||||
operations
to net cash flows from operating activities:
|
|||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
374,800
|
285,931
|
|||||
Provision
for uncollectible accounts receivable
|
17,050
|
—
|
|||||
Reserve
against amounts loaned to Tralliance prior to
acquisition
|
—
|
230,000
|
|||||
Employee
stock compensation
|
81,769
|
37,334
|
|||||
Compensation
related to non-employee stock options
|
94,233
|
41,577
|
|||||
Other,
net
|
315
|
(173
|
)
|
||||
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities, net:
|
|||||||
Accounts
receivable, net
|
139,373
|
328,272
|
|||||
Inventory,
net
|
7,111
|
359,685
|
|||||
Prepaid
and other current assets
|
274,373
|
95,287
|
|||||
Accounts
payable
|
(104,018
|
)
|
528,422
|
||||
Accrued
expenses and other current liabilities
|
(522,210
|
)
|
(622,090
|
)
|
|||
Income
taxes payable
|
(806,406
|
)
|
—
|
||||
Deferred
revenue
|
94,901
|
(5,165
|
)
|
||||
|
|||||||
Net
cash flows from operating activities of continuing operations
|
(4,893,322
|
)
|
(3,075,793
|
)
|
|||
Net
cash flows from operating activities of discontinued operations
|
—
|
6,983
|
|||||
Net
cash flows from operating activities
|
(4,893,322
|
)
|
(3,068,810
|
)
|
|||
Cash
Flows from Investing Activities:
|
|||||||
Purchases
of property and equipment
|
—
|
(159,621
|
)
|
||||
Net
cash released from escrow
|
780,721
|
31,111
|
|||||
Amounts
loaned to Tralliance prior to acquisition
|
—
|
(230,000
|
)
|
||||
Other,
net
|
5,000
|
(39,400
|
)
|
||||
|
|||||||
Net
cash flows from investing activities of continuing operations
|
785,721
|
(397,910
|
)
|
||||
Purchases
of property and equipment by discontinued operation
|
—
|
(23,433
|
)
|
||||
Net
cash flows from investing activities
|
785,721
|
(421,343
|
)
|
||||
Cash
Flows from Financing Activities:
|
|||||||
Payments
on notes payable and long-term debt
|
(11,598
|
)
|
(30,912
|
)
|
|||
Proceeds
from exercise of common stock options and warrants
|
18,420
|
4,165
|
|||||
Net
cash flows from financing activities
|
6,822
|
(26,747
|
)
|
||||
Net
Decrease in Cash and Cash Equivalents
|
(4,100,779
|
)
|
(3,516,900
|
)
|
|||
|
|||||||
Cash
and Cash Equivalents, at beginning of period
|
16,480,660
|
6,734,793
|
|||||
Cash
and Cash Equivalents, at end of period
|
$
|
12,379,881
|
$
|
3,217,893
|
See
notes
to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
5
THEGLOBE.COM,
INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
(1)
ORGANIZATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
DESCRIPTION
OF THEGLOBE.COM
theglobe.com,
inc. (the "Company" or "theglobe") was incorporated on May 1, 1995 (inception)
and commenced operations on that date. Originally, theglobe.com was an online
community with registered members and users in the United States and abroad.
That product gave users the freedom to personalize their online experience
by
publishing their own content and by interacting with others having similar
interests. However, due to the deterioration of the online advertising market,
the Company was forced to restructure and ceased the operations of its online
community on August 15, 2001. The Company then sold most of its remaining online
and offline properties. The Company continues to operate its Computer Games
print magazine and the associated CGOnline website (www.cgonline.com), as well
as the computer games distribution business of Chips & Bits, Inc.
(www.chipsbits.com). On June 1, 2002, Chairman Michael S. Egan and Director
Edward A. Cespedes became Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company,
respectively.
On
November 14, 2002, the Company acquired certain Voice over Internet Protocol
("VoIP") assets and is now pursuing opportunities related to this acquisition.
In exchange for the assets, the Company issued warrants to acquire 1,750,000
shares of its Common Stock and an additional 425,000 warrants as part of an
earn-out structure upon the attainment of certain performance targets. The
earn-out performance targets were not achieved and the 425,000 earn-out warrants
expired on December 31, 2003.
On
May
28, 2003, the Company acquired Direct Partner Telecom, Inc. ("DPT"), a company
engaged in VoIP telephony services in exchange for 1,375,000 shares of the
Company's Common Stock and the issuance of warrants to acquire 500,000 shares
of
the Company's Common Stock. The Company acquired all of the physical assets
and
intellectual property of DPT and originally planned to continue to operate
the
company as a subsidiary and engage in the provision of VoIP services to other
telephony businesses on a wholesale transactional basis. In the first quarter
of
2004, the Company decided to suspend DPT's wholesale business and dedicate
the
DPT physical and intellectual assets to its retail VoIP business. The Company
has since employed DPT's physical assets in the build out of its VoIP network.
On
September 1, 2004, the Company acquired SendTec, Inc. ("SendTec"), a direct
response marketing services and technology company for a total purchase price
of
approximately $18.4 million. As more fully discussed in Note 3, "Discontinued
Operations - SendTec Inc.,” on October 31, 2005, the Company completed the sale
of all of the business and substantially all of the net assets of SendTec for
approximately $39.9 million in cash, subject to the finalization of certain
net
working capital adjustments. Effective March 31, 2006, $318,750 in cash was
released to the purchaser from funds held in escrow in settlement of such net
working capital adjustments.
As
more
fully discussed in Note 4, “Acquisition of Tralliance Corporation,” on May 9,
2005, the Company exercised its option to acquire Tralliance Corporation
(“Tralliance”), a company which had recently entered into an agreement to become
the registry for the “.travel” top-level Internet domain. The Company issued
2,000,000 shares of its Common Stock, warrants to acquire 475,000 shares of
its
Common Stock and paid $40,000 in cash to acquire Tralliance.
As
of
March 31, 2006, sources of the Company's revenue from continuing operations
were
derived principally from the operations of its games related businesses and
its
Internet services business. The Company's retail VoIP products and services
have
yet to produce any significant revenue.
PRINCIPLES
OF CONSOLIDATION
The
condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company
and its wholly-owned subsidiaries from their respective dates of acquisition.
All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated
in
consolidation.
UNAUDITED
INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The
unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company
as
of March 31, 2006 and for the three months ended March 31, 2006 and 2005
included herein have been prepared in accordance with the instructions for
Form
10-Q under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Article 10
of
Regulation S-X under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Certain information
and note disclosures normally included in consolidated financial statements
prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles have been
condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations relating to interim
condensed consolidated financial statements.
6
In
the
opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated
financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting only of normal
recurring adjustments, necessary to present fairly the financial position of
the
Company at March 31, 2006 and the results of its operations and its cash flows
for the three months ended March 31, 2006 and 2005. The results of operations
and cash flows for such periods are not necessarily indicative of results
expected for the full year or for any future period.
USE
OF
ESTIMATES
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates
and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities
and
the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial
statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting
period. These estimates and assumptions relate to estimates of collectibility
of
accounts receivable, the valuation of inventory, accruals, the valuations of
fair values of options and warrants, the impairment of long-lived assets and
other factors. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
CASH
AND
CASH EQUIVALENTS
Cash
equivalents consist of money market funds and highly liquid short-term
investments with qualified financial institutions. The Company considers all
highly liquid securities with original maturities of three months or less to
be
cash equivalents.
RESTRICTED
CASH
Included
in restricted cash in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet
at
March 31, 2006, was $250,000 of cash held in escrow in connection with the
October 31, 2005 sale of the SendTec business (see Note 3, “Discontinued
Operations - SendTec, Inc.” for further discussion). In addition, at March 31,
2006, restricted cash included $1,043 of cash held in escrow for purposes of
sweepstakes promotions conducted by the VoIP telephony division.
COMPREHENSIVE
INCOME (LOSS)
The
Company reports comprehensive income (loss) in accordance with SFAS No. 130,
"Reporting Comprehensive Income." Comprehensive income (loss) generally
represents all changes in stockholders' equity during the year except those
resulting from investments by, or distributions to, stockholders. The Company's
comprehensive loss was approximately $4.5 million and $4.0 million for the
three
months ended March 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively, which approximated the
Company's reported net loss.
INVENTORY
Inventories
are recorded on a first-in, first-out basis and valued at the lower of cost
or
market value. The Company's reserve for excess and obsolete inventory as of
March 31, 2006 and December 31, 2005, was approximately $414,000 and $434,000,
respectively.
The
Company manages its inventory levels based on internal forecasts of customer
demand for its products, which is difficult to predict and can fluctuate
substantially. In addition, the Company's inventories include high technology
items that are specialized in nature or subject to rapid obsolescence. If the
Company's demand forecast is greater than the actual customer demand for its
products, the Company may be required to record additional charges related
to
increases in its inventory valuation reserves in future periods. The value
of
inventories is also dependent on the Company's estimate of future average
selling prices, and, if projected average selling prices are over estimated,
the
Company may be required to further adjust its inventory value to reflect the
lower of cost or market.
7
CONCENTRATION
OF CREDIT RISK
Financial
instruments which subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist
primarily of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, marketable securities
and trade accounts receivable. The Company maintains its cash and cash
equivalents with various financial institutions and invests its funds among
a
diverse group of issuers and instruments. The Company performs ongoing credit
evaluations of its customers' financial condition and establishes an allowance
for doubtful accounts based upon factors surrounding the credit risk of
customers, historical trends and other information.
Concentration
of credit risk in the Company's Internet services and VoIP telephony services
divisions is generally limited due to the large number of customers in these
businesses. Two customers of the computer games division represented an
aggregate of approximately $74,000, or 25%, of net consolidated accounts
receivable as of March 31, 2006.
REVENUE
RECOGNITION
Continuing
Operations
COMPUTER
GAMES BUSINESSES
Advertising
revenue from the sale of print advertisements under short-term contracts in
the
Company's magazine publications are recognized at the on-sale date of the
magazines.
Newsstand
sales of the Company's magazine publications are recognized at the on-sale
date
of the magazines, net of provisions for estimated returns. Subscription revenue,
which is net of agency fees, is deferred when initially received and recognized
as income ratably over the subscription term.
Sales
of
games and related products from the Company's online store are recognized as
revenue when the product is shipped to the customer. Amounts billed to customers
for shipping and handling charges are included in net revenue. The Company
provides an allowance for returns of merchandise sold through its online store.
The allowance for returns provided to date has not been significant.
INTERNET
SERVICES
Internet
services revenue consists of registration fees for Internet domain
registrations, which generally have terms of one year, but may be up to ten
years. Such registration fees are reported net of transaction fees paid to
an
unrelated third party which serves as the registry operator for the Company.
Payments of registration fees are deferred when initially received and
recognized as revenue on a straight-line basis over the registration
terms.
VOIP
TELEPHONY SERVICES
VoIP
telephony services revenue represents fees charged to customers for voice
services and is recognized based on minutes of customer usage or as services
are
provided. The Company records payments received in advance for prepaid services
as deferred revenue until the related services are provided.
Discontinued
Operations
MARKETING
SERVICES
Revenue
from the distribution of Internet advertising was recognized when Internet
users
visited and completed actions at an advertiser's website. Revenue consisted
of
the gross value of billings to clients, including the recovery of costs incurred
to acquire online media required to execute client campaigns. Recorded revenue
was based upon reports generated by the Company's tracking software.
Revenue
derived from the purchase and tracking of direct response media, such as
television and radio commercials, was recognized on a net basis when the
associated media was aired. In many cases, the amount the Company billed to
clients significantly exceeded the amount of revenue that was earned due to
the
existence of various "pass-through" charges such as the cost of the television
and radio media. Amounts received in advance of media airings were deferred.
Revenue
generated from the production of direct response advertising programs, such
as
infomercials, was recognized on the completed contract method when such programs
were complete and available for airing. Production activities generally ranged
from eight to twelve weeks and the Company usually collected amounts in advance
and at various points throughout the production process. Amounts received from
customers prior to completion of commercials were included in deferred revenue
and direct costs associated with the production of commercials in process were
deferred.
8
NET
LOSS
PER SHARE
The
Company reports net loss per common share in accordance with SFAS No. 128,
"Computation of Earnings Per Share." In accordance with SFAS 128 and the SEC
Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 98, basic earnings per share is computed using
the
weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Common
equivalent shares consist of the incremental common shares issuable upon the
conversion of convertible preferred stock and convertible notes (using the
if-converted method), if any, and the shares issuable upon the exercise of
stock
options and warrants (using the treasury stock method). Common equivalent shares
are excluded from the calculation if their effect is anti-dilutive or if a
loss
from continuing operations is reported.
Due
to
the Company's net losses from continuing operations, the effect of potentially
dilutive securities or common stock equivalents that could be issued was
excluded from the diluted net loss per common share calculation due to the
anti-dilutive effect. Such potentially dilutive securities and common stock
equivalents consisted of the following for the periods ended March 31:
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
Options
to purchase common stock
|
15,699,000
|
15,605,000
|
|||||
Common
shares issuable upon exercise of warrants
|
7,276,000
|
20,782,000
|
|||||
Common
shares issuable upon conversion of Convertible Notes
|
68,000,000
|
--
|
|||||
Total
|
90,975,000
|
36,387,000
|
RECENT
ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
In
November 2005, the FASB issued final FASB Staff Position (“FSP”) FAS No. 123R-3,
“Transition Election Related to Accounting for the Tax Effects of Share-Based
Payment Awards.” The FSP provides an alternative method of calculating excess
tax benefits from the method defined in SFAS No. 123R for share-based payments.
A one-time election to adopt the transition method in this FSP is available
to
those entities adopting SFAS No. 123R using either the modified retrospective
or
modified prospective method. Up to one year from the initial adoption of SFAS
No. 123R or effective date of the FSP is provided to make this one-time
election. However, until an entity makes its election, it must follow the
guidance in SFAS No. 123R. The FSP is effective upon initial adoption of SFAS
No. 123R and became effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2006.
We
are currently evaluating the allowable methods for calculating excess tax
benefits and have not yet determined whether we will make a one-time election
to
adopt the transition method described in this FSP, nor the expected impact
on
our financial position or results of operations.
In
May
2005, the FASB issued SFAS No. 154, “Accounting for Changes and Error
Corrections, a Replacement of APB Opinion No. 20 and FASB Statement No. 3.” SFAS
No. 154 applies to all voluntary changes in accounting principles and requires
retrospective application to prior periods’ financial statements of changes in
accounting principles. This statement also requires that a change in
depreciation, amortization or depletion method for long-lived, non-financial
assets be accounted for as a change in accounting estimate effected by a change
in accounting principle. SFAS No. 154 carries forward without change the
guidance contained in APB Opinion No. 20 for reporting the correction of an
error in previously issued financial statements and a change in accounting
estimate. This statement is effective for accounting changes and corrections
of
errors made in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2005. The adoption
of
this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial
condition, results of operations or liquidity.
In
March
2005, the FASB issued Interpretation No. 47, "Accounting for Conditional Asset
Retirement Obligations," an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 143,
"Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations." The interpretation clarifies
that
the term conditional asset retirement obligation refers to a legal obligation
to
perform an asset retirement activity in which the timing and/or method of
settlement are conditional on a future event that may or may not be within
the
control of the entity. An entity is required to recognize a liability for the
fair value of a conditional asset retirement obligation if the fair value of
the
liability can be reasonably estimated. FIN 47 also clarifies when an entity
would have sufficient information to reasonably estimate the fair value of
an
asset retirement obligation. The effective date of this interpretation is no
later than the end of fiscal years ending after December 15, 2005. The Company
believes that currently it does not have any legal obligations to record an
asset retirement liability.
9
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 153, "Exchanges of Nonmonetary Assets,
an amendment of APB Opinion No. 29." SFAS No. 153 requires exchanges of
productive assets to be accounted for at fair value, rather than at carryover
basis, unless (1) neither the asset received nor the asset surrendered has
a
fair value that is determinable within reasonable limits or (2) the transactions
lack commercial substance. This statement is effective for nonmonetary asset
exchanges occurring in fiscal periods beginning after June 15, 2005. The
adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s
financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 123R, "Share-Based Payment." This
statement is a revision of SFAS No. 123, "Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation", supersedes Accounting Principles Board ("APB") Opinion No. 25,
"Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees" and amends SFAS No. 95, “Statement of
Cash Flows.” The statement eliminates the alternative to use the intrinsic value
method of accounting that was provided in SFAS No. 123, which generally resulted
in no compensation expense recorded in the financial statements related to
the
issuance of equity awards to employees. The statement also requires that the
cost resulting from all share-based payment transactions be recognized in the
financial statements. It establishes fair value as the measurement objective
in
accounting for share-based payment arrangements and generally requires all
companies to apply a fair-value-based measurement method in accounting for
share-based payment transactions with employees. In March 2005, the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) issued Staff Accounting Bulletin 107 which
describes the SEC staff’s expectations in determining the assumptions that
underlie the fair value estimates and discusses the interaction of SFAS No.
123R
with existing guidance. The Company has adopted SFAS No. 123R effective January
1, 2006, using the modified prospective application method in accordance with
the statement. This application requires the Company to record compensation
expense for all awards granted after the adoption date and for the unvested
portion of awards that are outstanding at the date of adoption. The Company
expects that the adoption of SFAS No. 123R will result in charges to operating
expense of continuing operations of approximately $194,000, $77,000 and $19,000,
in the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008, related to the unvested
portion of outstanding employee stock options at December 31, 2005.
In
November 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 151, "Inventory Costs - An Amendment
of
ARB No. 43, Chapter 4." SFAS No. 151 requires all companies to recognize a
current-period charge for abnormal amounts of idle facility expense, freight,
handling costs and wasted materials. This statement also requires that the
allocation of fixed production overhead to the costs of conversion be based
on
the normal capacity of the production facilities. SFAS No. 151 is effective
for
fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2005. The adoption of this statement
did
not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
RECLASSIFICATIONS
Certain
2005 amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2006 presentation. In
accordance with SFAS No. 144, “Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of
Long-Lived Assets”, the operations of SendTec have been accounted for in
accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 144 and the 2005 results of SendTec’s
operations have been included in income from discontinued
operations.
(2)
BASIS
OF PRESENTATION
The
accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared
in
accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States
of
America on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets
and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business.
Accordingly, the condensed consolidated financial statements do not include
any
adjustments relating to the recoverability of assets and classification of
liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue
as
a going concern. However, the Company has incurred net losses in the quarter
ended March 31, 2006 and in each fiscal year since its inception and has an
accumulated deficit of $281,435,074 as of March 31, 2006.
Based
upon the Company’s present cash resources and cash flow projections, management
believes the Company has sufficient liquidity to operate as a going concern
through at least the end of 2006. In order to assure its longer term financial
viability, the Company must complete the development of and successfully
implement a new strategic business plan. The Company’s new business plan may
include making certain changes which transform its unprofitable businesses
into
profitable ones, selling or otherwise disposing of businesses or components,
acquiring or internally developing new businesses, including Tralliance, and/or
raising additional equity capital. Because of uncertainties regarding the future
direction and financial performance of the Company, there can be no assurance
that the Company will be able to continue as a going concern beyond the end
of
2006.
10
(3)
DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS - SENDTEC, INC.
On
August
10, 2005, the Company entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with
RelationServe Media, Inc. ("RelationServe") whereby the Company agreed to sell
all of the business and substantially all of the net assets of its SendTec
marketing services subsidiary to RelationServe for $37,500,000 in cash, subject
to certain net working capital adjustments. On August 23, 2005, the Company
entered into Amendment No. 1 to the Asset Purchase Agreement with RelationServe
(the “1st
Amendment” and together with the original Asset Purchase Agreement, the
“Purchase Agreement”). On October 31, 2005, the Company completed the asset
sale. Including preliminary
adjustments to the purchase price, related to excess working capital of SendTec
as of the date of sale, the Company received an aggregate of approximately
$39,900,000 in cash pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.
In
accordance with the terms of an escrow agreement established as a source to
secure the Company’s indemnification obligations under the Purchase Agreement,
$1,000,000 of the purchase price and an aggregate of 2,272,727 shares of
theglobe’s unregistered Common Stock (valued at $750,000 pursuant to the terms
of the Purchase Agreement based upon the average closing price of the stock
in
the 10 day period preceding the closing of the sale) were placed into escrow
as
of the date of sale. On March 31, 2006, a partial release of $750,000 of the
escrowed cash was made to the Company pursuant to the terms of the escrow
agreement, less $318,750 of cash due to RelationServe in final settlement of
the
purchase price net working capital adjustments.
Results
of operations for SendTec have been reported separately as “Discontinued
Operations” in the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations
for the three months ended March 31, 2005. Summarized financial information
for
the Discontinued Operations of SendTec was as follows:
|
Three
Months Ended
|
|||
|
March
31, 2005
|
|||
|
||||
Net
revenue, net of intercompany eliminations
|
$
|
8,790,244
|
||
Income
from operations
|
$
|
645,774
|
||
Provision
for income taxes
|
256,474
|
|||
Income
from discontinued operations,
|
||||
net of tax
|
$
|
389,300
|
(4)
ACQUISITION OF TRALLIANCE CORPORATION
On
February 25, 2003, the Company entered into a Loan and Purchase Option
Agreement, as amended, with Tralliance, an Internet related business venture,
pursuant to which it agreed to fund, in the form of a loan, at the discretion
of
the Company, Tralliance's operating expenses and obtained the option to acquire
all of the outstanding capital stock of Tralliance in exchange for, when and
if
exercised, $40,000 in cash and the issuance of an aggregate of 2,000,000
unregistered restricted shares of the Company's Common Stock (the "Option").
The
Loan was secured by a lien on the assets of the venture. On May 5, 2005,
Tralliance and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN")
entered into an agreement designating Tralliance as the registry for the
".travel" top-level domain. On May 9, 2005, the Company exercised its option
to
acquire all of the outstanding capital stock of Tralliance. The purchase price
consisted of the issuance of 2,000,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock,
warrants to acquire 475,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock and $40,000 in
cash. The warrants are exercisable for a period of five years at an exercise
price of $0.11 per share. As part of the transaction, 10,000 shares of the
Company’s Common Stock were also issued to a third party in payment of a
finder's fee resulting from the acquisition. The Common Stock issued as a result
of the acquisition of Tralliance is entitled to certain "piggy-back"
registration rights. In addition, as part of the transaction, the Company agreed
to pay approximately $154,000 in outstanding liabilities of Tralliance
immediately after the closing of the acquisition.
11
The
preliminary Tralliance purchase price allocation was as follows:
Cash
|
$
|
54,000
|
||
Other
current assets
|
6,000
|
|||
Intangible
assets
|
790,000
|
|||
Assumed
liabilities
|
(370,000
|
)
|
||
Deferred
tax liability
|
(226,000
|
)
|
||
|
$
|
254,000
|
Upon
acquisition, the existing CEO and CFO of Tralliance (the “Executives”) entered
into employment agreements, which include certain non-compete provisions,
whereby each would agree to remain in the employ of Tralliance for a period of
two years in exchange for annual base compensation totaling $200,000 to each
officer. In addition, the Executives participate in an annual bonus pool based
upon the pre-tax income of the venture for a period of five years beginning
May
1, 2005.
The
value
assigned to the intangible assets acquired is being amortized on a straight-line
basis over a five year estimated useful life. Annual amortization expense of
the
intangible assets is estimated to be: $188,211 in 2006; $158,047 for each of
2007 through 2009 and $52,683 in 2010. The related accumulated amortization
as
of March 31, 2006 and December 31, 2005 was $144,877 and $75,201, respectively.
Amortization expense totaled $69,675 for the three months ended March 31, 2006,
respectively.
Advances
to Tralliance totaled $1,281,500 prior to its acquisition by the Company. Due
to
the uncertainty of the ultimate collectibility of the Loan, the Company had
historically provided a reserve equal to the full amount of the funds advanced
to Tralliance. For the three months ended March 31, 2005, additions to the
reserve of $230,000 were included in other expense in the accompanying condensed
consolidated statement of operations.
The
following pro forma condensed consolidated results of operations for the three
months ended March 31, 2005 assumes the acquisition of Tralliance occurred
as of
January 1, 2005. The pro forma information is not necessarily indicative of
what
the actual results of operations of the combined company would have been had
the
acquisition occurred on January 1, 2005, nor is it necessarily indicative of
future results.
PRO
FORMA RESULTS:
|
2005
|
|||
Three
months ended March 31,
|
||||
Net
revenue
|
$
|
648,000
|
||
Net
loss
|
(3,975,000
|
)
|
||
Basic
and diluted net loss per common share
|
$
|
(0.02
|
)
|
(5)
STOCK
OPTION PLANS
We
have
several stock option plans under which nonqualified stock options may be granted
to officers, directors, other employees, consultants and advisors of the
Company. In general, options granted under the Company’s stock option plans
expire after a ten-year period and generally vest no later than three years
from
the date of grant. Incentive options granted to stockholders who own greater
than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the
Company must be issued at 110% of the fair market value of the stock on the
date
the options are granted. As of March 31, 2006, there were approximately
7,320,000 shares available for grant under the Company’s stock option
plans.
A
total
of 1,110,000 stock options were granted during the three months ended March
31,
2006, with a weighted-average fair value of $0.27. During the three months
ended
March 31, 2005, a total of 111,000 stock options were issued with a
weighted-average fair value of $0.19.
Stock
option exercises during the three months ended March 31, 2006 and 2005, resulted
in cash inflows to the Company of $18,420 and $3,094, respectively. The
corresponding intrinsic value as of exercise date of the 349,474 and 218,226
stock options exercised during the three months ended March 31, 2006 and 2005,
was $119,628 and $46,369, respectively.
12
Stock
option activity during the three months ended March 31, 2006 was as
follows:
Total
|
Weighted
Average
|
||||||
Options
|
Exercise
Price
|
||||||
Outstanding
at January 1, 2006
|
15,373,103
|
$
|
0.46
|
||||
Granted
|
1,110,000
|
0.34
|
|||||
Exercised
|
(349,474
|
)
|
0.05
|
||||
Canceled
|
(434,603
|
)
|
0.20
|
||||
Outstanding
at March 31, 2006
|
15,699,026
|
$
|
0.46
|
||||
Options
exercisable at March 31, 2006
|
13,571,874
|
$
|
0.49
|
The
weighted-average remaining contractual terms of stock options outstanding and
stock options exercisable at March 31, 2006 was 7.7 years and 7.4 years,
respectively. The aggregate intrinsic value of options outstanding and stock
options exercisable at March 31, 2006 was approximately $2,491,000 and
$2,353,000, respectively.
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 123R, "Share-Based Payment." This
statement is a revision of SFAS No. 123, "Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation", supersedes Accounting Principles Board ("APB") Opinion No. 25,
"Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees" and amends SFAS No. 95, “Statement of
Cash Flows.” The statement eliminates the alternative to use the intrinsic value
method of accounting that was provided in SFAS No. 123, which generally resulted
in no compensation expense recorded in the financial statements related to
the
issuance of equity awards to employees. The statement also requires that the
cost resulting from all share-based payment transactions be recognized in the
financial statements. It establishes fair value as the measurement objective
in
accounting for share-based payment arrangements and generally requires all
companies to apply a fair-value-based measurement method in accounting for
share-based payment transactions with employees. The Company adopted SFAS No.
123R effective January 1, 2006, using the modified prospective
application method in accordance with the statement. This application requires
the Company to record compensation expense for all awards granted to employees
and directors after the adoption date and for the unvested portion of awards
that are outstanding at the date of adoption. The Company’s condensed
consolidated financial statements as of and for the three months ended March
31,
2006, reflect the impact of SFAS No. 123R. In accordance with the modified
prospective application method, the Company’s condensed consolidated financial
statements for prior periods have not been restated to reflect and do not
include the impact of SFAS No. 123R.
Prior
to
January 1, 2006, the Company had historically followed SFAS No. 123, "Accounting
for Stock-Based Compensation," which permitted entities to continue to apply
the
provisions of Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25 ("APB 25") and provide
pro forma net earnings (loss) disclosures for employee stock option grants
as if
the fair-value-based method defined in SFAS No. 123 had been applied. Under
this
method, compensation expense was recorded on the date of grant only if the
then
current market price of the underlying stock exceeded the exercise price. The
following table presents the Company's pro forma net loss for the three months
ended March 31, 2005, had the Company determined compensation cost based on
the
fair value at the grant date for all of its employee stock options issued under
SFAS No. 123:
Three
Months Ended March 31, 2005
|
||||
Net
loss - as reported
|
$
|
(3,965,573
|
)
|
|
|
||||
Add:
Stock-based employee compensation
|
||||
included
in net loss as reported
|
208,281
|
|||
Deduct:
Total stock-based employee
|
||||
compensation
expense determined under
|
||||
fair
value method for all awards
|
(296,708
|
)
|
||
Net
loss - pro forma
|
$
|
(4,054,000
|
)
|
|
|
||||
Basic
net loss per share - as reported
|
$
|
(0.02
|
)
|
|
Basic
net loss per share - pro forma
|
$
|
(0.02
|
)
|
13
Stock
compensation cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting
period. Stock compensation expense totaling $176,002 was charged to continuing
operations during the three months ended March 31, 2006, including $94,233
of
expense resulting from the vesting of non-employee stock options granted in
prior years and approximately $5,619 from the accelerated vesting of stock
options issued to terminated employees. A total of $76,150 of the total stock
compensation expense charged to continuing operations for the first quarter
of
2006 resulted from the adoption of SFAS No. 123R. During the three months ended
March 31, 2005, stock compensation expense of $78,911 charged to continuing
operations included $41,577 of expense related to non-employee stock options
and
$28,000 of expense related to the accelerated vesting of stock options issued
to
a terminated employee.
Stock
compensation expense totaling $171,494 for the three months ended March 31,
2005, was charged to income from the discontinued operations of the Company’s
SendTec subsidiary. The expense resulted primarily from the deferred
compensation attributable to the issuance of stock options in the Company’s
acquisition of SendTec.
At
March
31, 2006, there was approximately $525,000 of unrecognized compensation expense
related to unvested stock options, which is expected to be recognized over
a
weighted-average period of 1.3 years.
The
Company estimates the fair value of each stock option at the grant date by
using
the Black Scholes option-pricing model with the following weighted-average
assumptions used for grants in 2006: no dividend yield; an expected life of
three years; 150% expected volatility and a risk free interest rate of 4.00%.
The risk free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield in effect at
the
time of grant; the expected life is based on historical and expected exercise
behavior; and expected volatility is based on the historical volatility of
the
Company’s stock price, over a time period that is consistent with the expected
life of the option.
(6)
LITIGATION
On
and
after August 3, 2001 and as of the date of this filing, the Company is aware
that six putative shareholder class action lawsuits were filed against the
Company, certain of its current and former officers and directors (the
“Individual Defendants”), and several investment banks that were the
underwriters of the Company's initial public offering. The lawsuits were filed
in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The
lawsuits purport to be class actions filed on behalf of purchasers of the stock
of the Company during the period from November 12, 1998 through December 6,
2000. Plaintiffs allege that the underwriter defendants agreed to allocate
stock
in the Company's initial public offering to certain investors in exchange for
excessive and undisclosed commissions and agreements by those investors to
make
additional purchases of stock in the aftermarket at pre-determined prices.
Plaintiffs allege that the Prospectus for the Company's initial public offering
was false and misleading and in violation of the securities laws because it
did
not disclose these arrangements. On December 5, 2001, an amended complaint
was
filed in one of the actions, alleging the same conduct described above in
connection with the Company's November 23, 1998 initial public offering and
its
May 19, 1999 secondary offering. A Consolidated Amended Complaint, which is
now
the operative complaint, was filed in the Southern District of New York on
April
19, 2002. The action seeks damages in an unspecified amount. On February 19,
2003, a motion to dismiss all claims against the Company was denied by the
Court. On October 13, 2004, the Court certified a class in six of the
approximately 300 other nearly identical actions and noted that the decision
is
intended to provide strong guidance to all parties regarding class certification
in the remaining cases. Plaintiffs have not yet moved to certify a class in
theglobe.com case.
The
Company has approved a settlement agreement and related agreements which set
forth the terms of a settlement between the Company, the Individual Defendants,
the plaintiff class and the vast majority of the other approximately 300 issuer
defendants. Among other provisions, the settlement provides for a release of
the
Company and the Individual Defendants for the conduct alleged in the action
to
be wrongful. The Company would agree to undertake certain responsibilities,
including agreeing to assign away, not assert, or release certain potential
claims the Company may have against its underwriters. The settlement agreement
also provides a guaranteed recovery of $1 billion to plaintiffs for the cases
relating to all of the approximately 300 issuers. To the extent that the
underwriter defendants settle all of the cases for at least $1 billion, no
payment will be required under the issuers’ settlement agreement. To the extent
that the underwriter defendants settle for less than $1 billion, the issuers
are
required to make up the difference. It is anticipated that any potential
financial obligation of the Company to plaintiffs pursuant to the terms of
the
settlement agreement and related agreements will be covered by existing
insurance. The Company currently is not aware of any material limitations on
the
expected recovery of any potential financial obligation to plaintiffs from
its
insurance carriers. Its carriers are solvent, and the company is not aware
of
any uncertainties as to the legal sufficiency of an insurance claim with respect
to any recovery by plaintiffs. Therefore, we do not expect that the settlement
will involve any payment by the Company. If material limitations on the expected
recovery of any potential financial obligation to the plaintiffs from the
Company's insurance carriers should arise, the Company's maximum financial
obligation to plaintiffs pursuant to the settlement agreement would be less
than
$3.4 million. On
February 15, 2005, the Court granted preliminary approval of the settlement
agreement, subject to certain modifications consistent with its opinion. Those
modifications have been made. There is no assurance that the court will grant
final approval to the settlement. If
the
settlement agreement is not approved and the Company is found liable, we are
unable to estimate or predict the potential damages that might be awarded,
whether such damages would be greater than the Company’s insurance coverage, and
whether such damages would have a material impact on our results of operations
or financial condition in any future period.
14
On
October 4, 2005, Sprint Communications Company, L.P. (“Sprint”) filed a
Complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas against
theglobe, theglobe’s subsidiary, tglo.com (formerly known as voiceglo Holdings,
Inc. or “voiceglo”), and Vonage Holdings Corp. (“Vonage”). On October 12, 2005,
Sprint filed a First Amended Complaint naming Vonage America, Inc. (“Vonage
America”) as an additional defendant. Neither theglobe nor voiceglo has any
affiliation with Vonage or Vonage America. Sprint alleges that theglobe and
voiceglo have made unauthorized use of “inventions” described and claimed in
seven patents held by Sprint. Sprint seeks monetary and injunctive relief for
this alleged infringement. On November 21, 2005, theglobe and voiceglo filed
an
Answer to Sprint’s First Amended Complaint, denying infringement and interposing
affirmative defenses, including that each of the asserted patents is invalid.
voiceglo has counterclaimed against Sprint for a declaratory judgment of
non-infringement and invalidity. On January 18, 2006, the court issued a
Scheduling Order calling for, among other things, discovery to be completed
by
December 29, 2006, and for trial to commence August 7, 2007. It is not possible
to predict the outcome of this litigation with any certainty or whether a
decision adverse to theglobe or voiceglo would have a material adverse affect
on
our developing VoIP business and the financial condition, results of operations,
and prospects of theglobe generally.
The
Company is currently a party to certain other legal proceedings, claims and
disputes arising in the ordinary course of business, including those noted
above. The Company currently believes that the ultimate outcome of these other
matters, individually and in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse
affect on the Company's financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
However, because of the nature and inherent uncertainties of legal proceedings,
should the outcome of these matters be unfavorable, the Company's business,
financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially
and adversely affected.
(7)
SEGMENTS AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
The
Company applies the provisions of SFAS No. 131, "Disclosures About Segments
of
an Enterprise and Related Information," which establishes annual and interim
reporting standards for operating segments of a company. SFAS No. 131 requires
disclosures of selected segment-related financial information about products,
major customers and geographic areas. Effective with the May 9, 2005 acquisition
of Tralliance, the Company was organized in four operating segments for purposes
of making operating decisions and assessing performance: the computer games
division, the Internet services division, the VoIP telephony services division
and the marketing services division. The computer games division currently
consists of the operations of the Company's Computer Games magazine publication
and the associated website and the operations of Chips & Bits, Inc., its
games distribution business. The Internet services division consists of the
newly acquired operations of Tralliance. The VoIP telephony services division
is
principally involved in the development of telecommunications services over
the
Internet for use by consumers. The marketing services division consisted of
the
discontinued operations of the Company's subsidiary, SendTec which was sold
effective October 31, 2005 and has been excluded from the segment data presented
below.
The
chief
operating decision maker evaluates performance, makes operating decisions and
allocates resources based on financial data of each segment. Where appropriate,
the Company charges specific costs to each segment where they can be identified.
Certain items are maintained at the Company's corporate headquarters
("Corporate") and are not presently allocated to the segments. Corporate
expenses primarily include personnel costs related to executives and certain
support staff and professional fees. Corporate assets principally consist of
cash and cash equivalents. Subsequent to its acquisition on September 1, 2004,
SendTec provided various intersegment marketing services to the Company's VoIP
telephony services division. Prior to the acquisition of SendTec, there were
no
intersegment transactions. The accounting policies of the segments are the
same
as those for the Company as a whole.
15
The
following table presents financial information regarding the Company's different
segments:
|
Three
Months Ended
|
||||||
|
March
31,
|
||||||
|
2006
|
2005
|
|||||
NET
REVENUE FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS:
|
|||||||
Computer
games
|
$
|
366,920
|
$
|
561,392
|
|||
Internet
services
|
313,613
|
--
|
|||||
VoIP
telephony services
|
20,624
|
87,092
|
|||||
|
$
|
701,157
|
$
|
648,484
|
|||
OPERATING
LOSS FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS:
|
|||||||
Computer
games
|
$
|
(304,213
|
)
|
$
|
(315,154
|
)
|
|
Internet
services
|
(981,122
|
)
|
--
|
||||
VoIP
telephony services
|
(2,673,107
|
)
|
(3,322,862
|
)
|
|||
Corporate
expenses
|
(777,227
|
)
|
(723,176
|
)
|
|||
Operating
loss from continuing operations
|
(4,735,669
|
)
|
(4,361,192
|
)
|
|||
Other
income (expense), net
|
191,056
|
(233,805
|
)
|
||||
Loss
from continuing operations before income tax
|
$
|
(4,544,613
|
)
|
$
|
(4,594,997
|
)
|
|
DEPRECIATION
AND AMORTIZATION OF CONTINUING
OPERATIONS:
|
|||||||
Computer
games
|
$
|
6,988
|
$
|
7,719
|
|||
Internet
services
|
78,726
|
--
|
|||||
VoIP
telephony services
|
280,528
|
268,633
|
|||||
Corporate
expenses
|
8,558
|
9,579
|
|||||
|
$
|
374,800
|
$
|
285,931
|
|||
|
March
31,
|
December
31,
|
|||||
|
2006
|
2005
|
|||||
IDENTIFIABLE
ASSETS:
|
|||||||
Computer
games
|
$
|
434,264
|
$
|
637,417
|
|||
Internet
services
|
788,194
|
1,161,344
|
|||||
VoIP
telephony services
|
1,317,403
|
1,817,809
|
|||||
Corporate
assets*
|
13,172,655
|
17,794,871
|
|||||
|
$
|
15,712,516
|
$ |
21,411,441
|
*
Corporate assets include cash held at subsidiaries for purposes of the
presentation above.
16
FORWARD
LOOKING STATEMENTS
This
Form
10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal
securities laws that relate to future events or our future financial
performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by
terminology, such as "may," "will," "should," "could," "expect," "plan,"
"anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "project," "predict," "intend," "potential"
or "continue" or the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology,
although not all forward-looking statements contain such terms. In addition,
these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements
regarding:
o |
implementing
our business plans;
|
o |
marketing
and commercialization of our existing products and those products
under
development;
|
o |
plans
for future products and services and for enhancements of existing
products
and services;
|
o |
our
ability to implement cost-reduction programs;
|
o |
potential
governmental regulation and taxation;
|
o |
the
outcome of any pending litigation;
|
o |
our
intellectual property;
|
o |
our
estimates of future revenue and profitability;
|
o |
our
estimates or expectations of continued losses;
|
o |
our
expectations regarding future expenses, including cost of revenue,
product
development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative
expenses;
|
o |
difficulty
or inability to raise additional financing, if needed, on terms acceptable
to us;
|
o |
our
estimates regarding our capital requirements and our needs for additional
financing;
|
o |
attracting
and retaining customers and employees;
|
o |
rapid
technological changes in our industry and relevant markets;
|
o |
sources
of revenue and anticipated revenue;
|
o |
plans
for future acquisitions and entering new lines of business;
|
o |
plans
for divestitures or spin-offs of certain businesses or assets;
|
o |
competition
in our market; and
|
o |
our
ability to continue to operate as a going concern.
|
These
statements are only predictions. Although we believe that the expectations
reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot
guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.
We
are not required to and do not intend to update any of the forward-looking
statements after the date of this Form 10-Q or to conform these statements
to
actual results. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the
forward-looking events discussed in this Form 10-Q might not occur. Actual
results, levels of activity, performance, achievements and events may vary
significantly from those implied by the forward-looking statements. A
description of risks that could cause our results to vary appears under "Risk
Factors" and elsewhere in this Form 10-Q. The following discussion should be
read together in conjunction with the accompanying unaudited condensed
consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto and the audited
consolidated financial statements and notes to those statements contained in
the
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005.
17
OVERVIEW
As
of
March 31, 2006, theglobe.com, inc. (the "Company" or "theglobe") managed three
primary lines of business. One line of business consists of our historical
network of three wholly-owned operations, each of which specializes in the
games
business by delivering games information and selling games in the United States
and abroad. These operations are: our print publication business, which consists
of Computer Games magazine; our online website business, which consists of
our
Computer Games Online website (www.cgonline.com), which is the online
counterpart to our magazine publication; and our Chips & Bits, Inc.
(www.chipsbits.com) games distribution company ("Chips & Bits"). The second
line of business consists of our Internet Services business, Tralliance
Corporation (“Tralliance”), a company which is the registry for the “.travel”
top-level Internet domain. We acquired Tralliance on May 9, 2005. Our third
line
of business, Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP") telephony services, includes
tglo.com, inc. (formerly known as voiceglo Holdings, Inc.), a wholly-owned
subsidiary of theglobe that offers VoIP-based phone services. The term VoIP
refers to a category of hardware and software that enables people to use the
Internet to make phone calls.
We
sold
the business and substantially all of the net assets of our marketing services
technology business, SendTec, Inc. (“SendTec”) on October 31, 2005. The results
of operations of SendTec have been reflected as “discontinued operations” within
our condensed consolidated financial statements for the 2005
period.
As
of
March 31, 2006, sources of our revenue from continuing operations were derived
principally from the operations of our computer games related businesses and
our
Internet services business. Our VoIP products and services have yet to produce
any significant revenue.
BASIS
OF PRESENTATION OF CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
Our
condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America
on
a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the
satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. Accordingly,
our
condensed consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments
relating to the recoverability of assets and classification of liabilities
that
might be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going
concern.
DESCRIPTION
OF BUSINESS---CONTINUING OPERATIONS
OUR
COMPUTER GAMES BUSINESS
In
February 2000, the Company entered the computer games business by acquiring
Computer Games Magazine, its associated website, CGOnline, and Chips & Bits,
a games distribution business.
Computer
Games Magazine is a consumer print magazine for personal computer (“PC”) gamers.
As a leading consumer print publication for PC games, Computer Games Magazine
boasts: a reputation for being a reliable, trusted, and engaging games magazine;
more editorial, tips and hints than most other similar magazines; a
knowledgeable editorial staff providing increased editorial integrity and
content; and broad-based editorial coverage.
CGOnline
(www.cgonline.com)
is the
online counterpart to Computer Games magazine. CGOnline is a source of free
computer games news and information for the sophisticated gamer, featuring
news,
reviews and previews. Features of CGOnline include: game industry news;
truthful, concise reviews; first looks, tips and hints; multiple content links;
thousands of archived files; and easy access to game buying.
Chips
& Bits (www.chipsbits.com)
is a
games distribution business that attracts customers in the United States and
abroad. Chips & Bits covers all the major game platforms available,
including Macintosh, Window-based PCs, Sony PlayStation, Sony PlayStation2,
Microsoft’s Xbox, Nintendo 64, Nintendo’s GameCube, Nintendo’s Game Boy, and
Sega Dreamcast, among others.
OUR
INTERNET SERVICES BUSINESS
Tralliance,
headquartered in New York City, was incorporated in 2002 to develop products
and
services to enhance online commerce between consumers and the travel and tourism
industries, including administration of the “.travel” top-level domain. In
February 2003, theglobe entered into a Loan and Purchase Option Agreement,
as
amended, with Tralliance in which theglobe agreed to fund, in the form of a
loan, at the discretion of theglobe, Tralliance’s operating expenses and
obtained the option to acquire all of the outstanding capital stock of
Tralliance. On May 5, 2005, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (“ICANN”) and Tralliance entered into a contract whereby Tralliance was
designated as the exclusive registry for the “.travel” top-level domain for an
initial period of ten years. Renewal of the ICANN contract beyond the initial
ten year term is conditioned upon the negotiation of renewal terms reasonably
acceptable to ICANN. Additionally, we have agreed to engage in good faith
negotiations at regular intervals throughout the term of our contract (at least
once every three years) regarding possible changes to the provisions of the
contract, including changes in the fees and payments that we are required to
make to ICANN. In the event that we materially and fundamentally breach the
contract and fail to cure such breach within thirty days of notice, ICANN has
the right to immediately terminate our contract. Effective May 9, 2005, theglobe
exercised its option to purchase Tralliance.
18
The
establishment of the “.travel” top-level domain enables businesses,
organizations, governmental agencies and other enterprises that operate within
the travel and tourism industry to establish a unique Internet domain name
from
which to communicate and conduct commerce. An Internet domain name is made
up of
a top-level domain and a second-level domain. For example, in the domain name
“companyX.travel”, “companyX” is the second-level domain and “.travel” is the
top-level domain. As the registry for the “.travel” top-level domain, Tralliance
is responsible for maintaining the master database of all second-level “.travel”
domain names and their corresponding Internet Protocol (“IP”)
addresses.
To
facilitate the “.travel” domain name registration process, Tralliance has
entered into contracts with a number of registrars. These registrars act as
intermediaries between Tralliance and customers (referred to as registrants)
seeking to register “.travel” domain names. The registrars handle the billing
and collection of registration fees, customer service and technical management
of the registration database. Registrants can register “.travel” domain names
for terms of one year (minimum) up to 10 years (maximum). The registrars retain
a portion of the registration fee collected by them as their compensation and
remit the remainder, presently $80 per domain name per year, of the registration
fee to Tralliance.
In
order
to register a “.travel” domain name, a registrant must first be verified as
being eligible (“authenticated”) by virtue of being a valid participant in the
travel industry. Additionally, eligibility data is required to be updated and
reviewed annually, subsequent to initial registration. Once authenticated,
a
registrant is only permitted to register “.travel” domain names that are
publicly used or associated with the registrant’s business or organization.
Tralliance has entered into contracts with a number of travel associations
or
other independent organizations (“authentication providers”) whereby, in
consideration for the payment of fixed and/or variable fees, all required
authentication procedures are performed by such authentication providers.
Tralliance has also outsourced various other registry operations, database
maintenance and policy formulation functions to certain other independent
businesses or organizations in consideration for the payment of certain fixed
and/or variable fees.
In
launching the “.travel” top-level domain registry, Tralliance adopted a phased
approach consisting of three distinct stages. During the third quarter of 2005,
Tralliance implemented phase one, which consisted of a pre-authentication of
a
limited group of potential registrants. During the fourth quarter of 2005,
Tralliance implemented phase two, which involved the registration of the limited
group of registrants who had been pre-authenticated. It was during this limited
registration phase that Tralliance initially began collecting registration
fees
from its “.travel” registrars. In January 2006, Tralliance commenced the final
phase of its launch, which culminated in live “.travel” registry
operations.
During
the first quarter of 2006, Tralliance also began to offer consumers access
to
the “.travel” directory (the “Directory”). The Directory is a global online
resource of travel data designed to precisely match the travel products and
services of authenticated “.travel” registrants with consumers on a worldwide
basis. Users can access the Directory via the Tralliance website, or by typing
www.directory.travel
into
their web browser. All authenticated “.travel” registrants are offered the
opportunity to include their specific travel profiles and products in the
Directory, free of charge. It is anticipated that the Directory will become
more
useful to consumers over time, as additional travel businesses and organizations
become “.travel” registrants and load their travel profiles into the Directory.
OUR
VOIP TELEPHONY BUSINESS
During
the third quarter of 2003, the Company launched its first suite of consumer
and
business level VoIP services. The Company launched its browser-based VoIP
product during the first quarter of 2004. These services allow consumers and
enterprises to communicate using VoIP technology for dramatically reduced
pricing compared to traditional telephony networks. The services also offer
traditional telephony features such as voicemail, caller ID, call forwarding,
and call waiting for no additional cost to the consumer, as well as incremental
services that are not currently supported by the public switched telephone
network ("PSTN") like the ability to use numbers remotely and voicemail to
email
services. In the fourth quarter of 2004, the Company announced an "instant
messenger" or "IM" related application which enables users to chat via voice
or
text across multiple platforms using their preferred instant messenger service.
During the second quarter of 2005, the Company released a number of new VoIP
products and features which allow users to communicate via mobile phones,
traditional land line phones and/or computers. During the fourth quarter of
2005, the Company launched its new tglo.com website (www.tglo.com)
along
with a new linked online community website called tglo Friends (www.tglofriends.com).
The
Company continues to develop and test certain new VoIP products and features
and
to terminate and/or modify certain existing product offerings.
19
The
Company’s retail VoIP service plans include both “peer-to-peer” plans, for which
subscribers can make calls free of charge over the Internet to other
subscribers, and “paid” plans which involve interconnection with the PSTN and
for which subscribers are charged certain fixed and/or variable service
charges.
During
2003 through 2005, the Company attempted to market and distribute its VoIP
retail products through various direct and indirect sales channels including
Internet advertising, structured customer referral programs, network marketing,
television infomercials and partnerships with third party national retailers.
None of the marketing and sales programs implemented during these years were
successful in generating a significant number of “paid” plan customers or
revenue. The Company’s marketing efforts during this period of time achieved
limited successes in developing a “peer-to-peer” subscriber base of free service
plan users. We currently derive no revenue from our “peer-to-peer” customer
base.
At
the
present time, the Company intends to devote substantially all of its near-term
marketing efforts in 2006 to continuing to expand its “peer-to-peer”, or free
service plan, customer base and to develop ways to monetize such customer base
once it reaches sufficient critical mass. To that end, the Company currently
plans to add new “peer-to-peer” subscribers mainly through further developing
and improving its own online community website (www.tglofriends.com)
and
also by entering into marketing arrangements with other third party online
community website enterprises.
DESCRIPTION
OF BUSINESS---DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS
DISCONTINUED
OPERATIONS OF OUR MARKETING SERVICES BUSINESS
As
a
result of our sale of the business and substantially all of the net assets
of
SendTec, our former marketing services technology business, on October 31,
2005,
the results of operations of SendTec have been reported separately as
“Discontinued Operations” for the three months ended March 31,
2005.
On
September 1, 2004, the Company acquired SendTec, a direct response marketing
services and technology company. SendTec provided clients a complete offering
of
direct marketing products and services to help their clients market their
products both on the Internet (“online”) and through traditional media channels
such as television, radio and print advertising (“offline”). SendTec was
organized into two primary product line divisions: the DirectNet Advertising
Division, which provided digital marketing services; and the Creative South
Division, which provided creative production and media buying services.
Additionally, its proprietary iFactz technology provided software tracking
solutions that benefited both the DirectNet Advertising and Creative South
businesses.
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS
The
nature of our business has significantly changed from 2005 to 2006. On October
31, 2005, we completed the sale of substantially all of the net assets and
the
business of SendTec, Inc. (“SendTec”), our former marketing services technology
business. Also, on May 9, 2005, the Company entered into another line of
business, Internet services, when it exercised its option to acquire Tralliance
Corporation ("Tralliance"), a company which had recently been designated as
the
registry for the ".travel" top-level Internet domain. The results of Tralliance
have been included in the Company's consolidated operating results from its
date
of acquisition. Primarily, as a result of the acquisition of Tralliance and
the
sale of SendTec, our results of operations for the three months ended March
31,
2006, are not necessarily comparable to our results of operations for the three
months ended March 31, 2005.
20
THREE
MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2006 COMPARED TO THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31,
2005
CONTINUING
OPERATIONS
NET
REVENUE. Net revenue totaled $701 thousand for the three months ended March
31,
2006 as compared to $648 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2005,
an
increase of approximately 8% from the prior year period.
Three
months ended March 31,
|
2006
|
2005
|
|||||
Computer
games
|
$
|
366,920
|
$
|
561,392
|
|||
Internet
services
|
313,613
|
--
|
|||||
VoIP
telephony services
|
20,624
|
87,092
|
|||||
|
$
|
701,157
|
$
|
648,484
|
Advertising
revenue from the sale of print advertisements in the magazines published by
our
computer games business declined $126 thousand, or 32%, in the 2006 first
quarter as compared to the same quarter of the prior year. Sales of electronic
games and related products through Chips & Bits, Inc., our Internet-based
retail distribution subsidiary, decreased $58 thousand, or 67%, in the 2006
first quarter as compared to the first quarter of 2005.
Our
Internet services business, Tralliance, contributed $314 thousand in net revenue
during the first quarter of 2006. Tralliance, which was acquired in May 2005,
began collecting fees for Internet domain name registrations in October 2005.
Net revenue attributable to domain name registrations is recognized as revenue
on a straight-line basis over the term of the registrations.
Three months ended: |
Cost
of
Revenue
|
Sales
and
Marketing
|
Product Development
|
General
and
Administrative
|
Depreciation
and
Amortization
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||
March 31, 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||
Computer
games
|
$
|
251,583
|
$
|
146,990
|
$
|
129,851
|
$
|
135,721
|
$
|
6,988
|
$
|
671,133
|
|||||||
Internet
services
|
130,159
|
579,231
|
—
|
506,619
|
78,726
|
1,294,735
|
|||||||||||||
VoIP
telephony services
|
1,282,738
|
208,807
|
243,890
|
677,768
|
280,528
|
2,693,731
|
|||||||||||||
Corporate
expenses
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
768,669
|
8,558
|
777,227
|
|||||||||||||
|
$
|
1,664,480
|
$
|
935,028
|
$
|
373,741
|
$
|
2,088,777
|
$
|
374,800
|
$
|
5,436,826
|
|||||||
Cost
of
Revenue
|
Sales
and
Marketing
|
Product Development |
General
and
Administrative
|
Depreciation
and
Amortization
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||
March
31, 2005
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Computer
games
|
$
|
491,567
|
$
|
85,683
|
$
|
155,139
|
$
|
136,438
|
$
|
7,719
|
$ |
876,546
|
|||||||
VoIP
telephony services
|
1,491,815
|
695,592
|
170,702
|
783,212
|
268,633
|
3,409,954
|
|||||||||||||
Corporate
expenses
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
713,597
|
9,579
|
723,176
|
|||||||||||||
|
$
|
1,983,382
|
$
|
781,275
|
$
|
325,841
|
$
|
1,633,247
|
$
|
285,931
|
$
|
5,009,676
|
COST
OF
REVENUE. Cost of revenue totaled $1.7 million for the three months ended March
31, 2006, a decline of $319 thousand from the $2.0 million reported for the
three months ended March 31, 2005.
Cost
of
revenue related to our computer games business segment consists primarily of
printing costs of our games magazine, Internet connection charges, personnel
costs, maintenance cost of website equipment and the costs of merchandise sold
and shipping fees in connection with our online store. Approximately $159
thousand, of the total $240 thousand decrease in cost of revenue of our computer
games segment as compared to the first quarter of 2005 resulted from lower
printing, paper and freight costs associated with the production of our magazine
publications. We have reduced the total number of copies printed for each issue
in the first quarter of 2006 as compared to the first quarter of 2005. The
overall decline in net revenue of our computer games business segment as
discussed above also contributed to the decrease in cost of revenue of that
business segment as compared to the first quarter of 2005.
21
Cost
of
revenue of our VoIP telephony services business segment is principally comprised
of carrier transport and circuit interconnection costs, as well as personnel
and
consulting costs incurred in support of our Internet telecommunications network.
The $209 thousand decline in cost of revenue of our VoIP telephony services
division as compared to the 2005 first quarter was due principally to a decrease
in headcount of personnel supporting our Internet telecommunications network.
Cost
of
revenue of our Internet services division consists primarily of fees paid to
third party service providers which provide outsourced services, including
verification of registration eligibility, maintenance of the “.travel” directory
of consumer-oriented registrant travel data, as well as other services. Fees
for
some of these services vary based on transaction levels. Fees incurred for
outsourced services are generally deferred and amortized to cost of revenue
over
the term of the related domain name registration.
SALES
AND
MARKETING. Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of salaries and
related expenses of sales and marketing personnel, commissions, advertising
and
marketing costs, public relations expenses and promotional activities. Sales
and
marketing expenses totaled $935 thousand for the three months ended March 31,
2006 versus $781 thousand for the same period in 2005. Tralliance, our new
Internet services business, incurred $579 thousand of sales and marketing
expenses during the 2006 first quarter, consisting primarily of advertising,
public relations, promotional and trade show costs incurred in launching the
“.travel” top-level domain registry. Sales and marketing expenses of the VoIP
telephony services business segment decreased $487 thousand, or 70%, from the
first quarter of 2005. During the first quarter of 2005, the Company reevaluated
its existing VoIP telephony services business plan and began the process of
terminating and/or modifying certain of its existing product offerings and
marketing programs. The Company also began to develop and test certain new
VoIP
products and features. As a result, the VoIP telephony services business segment
has significantly reduced its sales and marketing spending and presently intends
to continue to limit its sales and marketing spending during the remainder
of
2006.
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT. Product development expenses include salaries and related personnel
costs; expenses incurred in connection with website development, testing and
upgrades; editorial and content costs; and costs incurred in the development
of
our VoIP telephony products. Product development expenses totaled $374 thousand
in the first quarter of 2006 as compared to $326 thousand in the first quarter
of 2005.
GENERAL
AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES. General and administrative expenses consist
primarily of salaries and other personnel costs related to management, finance
and accounting functions, facilities, outside legal and professional fees,
information-technology consulting, directors and officers insurance, bad debt
expenses and general corporate overhead costs. General and administrative
expenses totaled $2.1 million in the first quarter of 2006 as compared to $1.6
million for the same quarter of the prior year. The $456 thousand increase
in
consolidated general and administrative expenses as compared to the 2005 first
quarter was primarily attributable to the $507 thousand of general and
administrative expenses incurred by Tralliance, our new Internet services
business. Travel-related costs involved in increasing awareness of the “.travel”
top-level domain incurred by Tralliance and personnel costs represented
approximately 38% and 31% of the total general and administrative costs of
the
Internet services segment, respectively. As discussed in Note 5, “Stock Option
Plans,” of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, we adopted
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123R (“SFAS No. 123R”) effective
January 1, 2006 using the modified prospective application method. SFAS No.
123R
generally requires all companies to apply a fair-value-based measurement method
in accounting for share-based payment transactions with employees and to
recognize the related cost in its financial statements. As a result, general
and
administrative expenses of the corporate division for the first quarter of
2006
included approximately $76 thousand of stock compensation expense recognized
in
accordance with the requirements of SFAS No. 123R. Prior to January 1, 2006,
we
accounted for employee stock options pursuant to Accounting Principles Board
Opinion No. 25 and financial results in the accompanying condensed consolidated
financial statements for prior periods have not been restated to give effect
to
the provisions of SFAS No. 123R. At March 31, 2006, there was approximately
$525,000 of unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock options,
which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.3
years.
22
DEPRECIATION
AND AMORTIZATION. Depreciation and amortization expense totaled $375 thousand
for the three months ended March 31, 2006 as compared to $286 thousand for
the
three months ended March 31, 2005. The increase in this expense category as
compared to the same quarter of 2005 resulted principally from the $79 thousand
of depreciation and intangible asset amortization expenses incurred by our
Internet services business.
OTHER
INCOME (EXPENSE), NET. Other income, net, totaled $191 thousand for the first
quarter of 2006. In January 2006, we sold our Now Playing magazine
publication and the related website resulting in a net gain of approximately
$130 thousand. In addition, net interest income increased by approximately
$66
thousand in comparison to the first quarter of 2005. The cash proceeds received
from the sale of our marketing services business, SendTec, Inc., in the fourth
quarter of 2005 resulted in higher levels of funds available for investment
in
short-term securities during the first quarter of 2006 as compared to the same
period of the prior year. Total other expense, net, of $234 thousand was
reported for the first quarter of 2005, which consisted principally of reserves
against amounts loaned by the Company to Tralliance prior to its
acquisition.
INCOME
TAXES. No tax benefit was recorded for the first quarter of 2006 as we recorded
a 100% valuation allowance against our otherwise recognizable deferred tax
assets due to the uncertainty surrounding the timing or ultimate realization
of
the benefits of our net operating loss carryforwards in future periods. As
of
December 31, 2005, the Company had net operating loss carryforwards available
for U.S. tax purposes of approximately $147 million. These carryforwards expire
through 2025. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 imposes substantial restrictions on
the
utilization of net operating losses and tax credits in the event of an
"ownership change" of a corporation. Due to various significant changes in
our
ownership interests, as defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended, commencing in August 1997 through our most recent issuance of
convertible notes in July 2005, and assuming conversion of such notes, we may
have substantially limited or eliminated the availability of our net operating
loss carryforwards. There can be no assurance that we will be able to utilize
any net operating loss carryforwards in the future. During the first quarter
of
2005, an income tax benefit of approximately $240 thousand was recognized for
continuing operations which served to offset the income tax provision of $256
thousand recorded for discontinued operations.
DISCONTINUED
OPERATIONS
Income
from discontinued operations, net of income taxes totaled $389 thousand in
the
first quarter of 2005. As a result of the Company’s October 2005 sale of its
SendTec marketing services business, the results of SendTec’s operations have
been reported as discontinued operations in the accompanying condensed
consolidated statement of operations for the three months ended March 31,
2005.
LIQUIDITY
AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
CASH
FLOW ITEMS
As
of
March 31, 2006, we had approximately $12.4 million in cash and cash equivalents
as compared to $16.5 million as of December 31, 2005. Net cash used in operating
activities of continuing operations was $4.9 million and $3.1 million, for
the
three months ended March 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively. The
increase in net cash used in operating activities of continuing operations
of
approximately $1.8 million as compared to the same quarter in 2005 resulted
principally from the Company’s payment of its 2005 income tax liabilities, as
well as an unfavorable accounts payable change compared to the prior year during
the first quarter of 2006.
Net
cash
and cash equivalents of $786 thousand were provided by investing activities
of
continuing operations during the first quarter of 2006. As a result of the
October 2005 sale of the SendTec business, we were required to place $1.0
million of cash in an escrow account to secure our indemnification obligations.
On March 31, 2006, pursuant to the related escrow agreement, $750 thousand
of
the escrow funds were released to the Company. The remaining $31 thousand in
escrow funds released during the first quarter of 2006 represented funds which
had been held in escrow in connection with sweepstakes promotions conducted
by
the VoIP telephony services division. During the first quarter of 2005, we
used
a total of $398 thousand in investing activities of continuing operations,
including $160 thousand of capital expenditures and $230 thousand of loans
to
Tralliance prior to its acquisition by the Company.
Financing
activities provided net cash and cash equivalents of $7 thousand during the
2006
first quarter as compared to a use of $27 thousand during the same quarter
of
the prior year. Payments on debt outstanding totaled $12 thousand and $31
thousand during the first quarters of 2006 and 2005, respectively. Proceeds
from
the exercise of stock options and warrants totaled $18 thousand during the
first
quarter of 2006 and $4 thousand during the first quarter of 2005.
23
FUTURE
CAPITAL NEEDS
The
Company continues to incur substantial consolidated net losses and management
believes the Company will continue to be unprofitable and use cash in its
operations for the foreseeable future. The Company's consolidated net losses
and
cash usage during its recent past and projected future periods relate primarily
to the operation of its VoIP telephony services business and to a lesser extent
to corporate overhead expenses and operations of its Internet services and
computer games businesses.
In
order
to offer our VoIP services, we have invested substantial time, capital and
other
resources on the development of our VoIP network. Our inability to generate
any
significant telephony revenue, and the fixed costs of operating our VoIP
network, as well as marketing and other variable costs, has resulted in the
Company incurring substantial losses during 2003, 2004, 2005 and the first
quarter of 2006. In an effort to reduce the excess capacity of our VoIP network
and to decrease the Company’s net losses, we recently developed a plan to
reconfigure, phase-out and eliminate certain components of our VoIP network.
The
implementation of this plan, which was completed in April 2006, is expected
to
reduce the ongoing costs and expenses of operating our VoIP network by
approximately $300 thousand per month. The implementation of this plan, which
involved the renegotiation and/or termination of certain network agreements,
also reduced minimum amounts payable for network data center and carrier circuit
interconnection service expenses to be incurred during the next twelve months,
exclusive of regulatory taxes, fees and charges, to approximately $800 thousand
as of March 31, 2006, (down from $1.1 million as of December 31, 2005).
Management
believes that it will be difficult to develop, grow and transform its VoIP
business into profitability without the investment of significant additional
capital and/or the development of mutually beneficial third-party strategic
relationships. Accordingly, we have engaged financial advisors to assist the
Company and are presently seeking out prospective parties who would be
interested in either acquiring all or part of our VoIP business or alternatively
partnering with the Company by making strategic investments in our Common Stock.
While the Company pursues a prospective purchaser for its VoIP business or
a
strategic investor and/or business partner, it plans to continue to improve
the
quality of the products, services and operations of its VoIP business, while
at
the same time seeking to limit the losses and cash usage attributable to its
VoIP business operations. The Company does not presently intend to expend funds
in excess of $200 thousand in 2006 for VoIP capital expenditures or
advertising programs.
During
2005, the Company’s computer games business recognized certain incremental
losses in connection with attempts to broaden and expand its business beyond
games and into other areas of the entertainment industry. In developing its
2006
business plan, the Company decided to abort its diversification efforts and
to
refocus its strategy back to operating and improving its traditional games-based
businesses. In this regard, the computer games division has recently completed
the implementation of a number of revenue enhancement and cost-reduction
programs geared mainly toward achieving profitability and positioning its
computer games businesses for future growth.
Tralliance,
the Company’s Internet services business, began collecting fees related to its
“.travel” registry business in October 2005. Having emerged from its development
stage, Tralliance has recently completed a phased launch of its “.travel”
registry business, including implementation of initial advertising programs.
Tralliance is also in the process of developing its marketing plan for fiscal
2006, the implementation of which may require substantial cash
expenditures.
As
of May
2, 2006, the Company’s total cash and cash equivalents balance was approximately
$11.5 million, inclusive of $250 thousand held in escrow to secure the Company’s
indemnification obligations related to the sale of the SendTec business. We
believe that the Company’s current net cash and cash equivalents balance will
provide sufficient liquidity to enable the Company to operate its remaining
businesses on a going concern basis through at least the end of 2006. However,
in order to ensure its longer term financial viability, the Company must
complete the development of and successfully implement a new strategic business
plan. Our new business plan may involve making certain changes to achieve
profitability of existing businesses or may instead result in decisions to
sell
or dispose of certain businesses or components. Additionally, we may use a
portion of our net cash balance to enter into one or more new businesses,
through either acquisitions or internal development. The Company currently
has
no access to credit facilities with traditional third party lenders and its
longer term viability will be determined mainly by its ability to successfully
execute its existing and future business plans. Because of uncertainties
regarding the future direction and financial performance of the Company, there
can be no assurance that the Company will be able to continue as a going concern
beyond the end of 2006.
24
The
shares of our Common Stock were delisted from the NASDAQ national market in
April 2001 and are now traded in the over-the-counter market on what is commonly
referred to as the electronic bulletin board or OTCBB. Since the trading price
of our Common Stock is less than $5.00 per share, trading in our Common Stock
may also become subject to the requirements of Rule 15g-9 of the Exchange Act
if
our net tangible assets should fall below $2.0 million. Under Rule 15g-9,
brokers who recommend penny stocks to persons who are not established customers
and accredited investors, as defined in the Exchange Act, must satisfy special
sales practice requirements, including requirements that they make an
individualized written suitability determination for the purchaser; and receive
the purchaser's written consent prior to the transaction. The Securities
Enforcement Remedies and Penny Stock Reform Act of 1990 also requires additional
disclosures in connection with any trades involving a penny stock, including
the
delivery, prior to any penny stock transaction, of a disclosure schedule
explaining the penny stock market and the risks associated with that market.
Such requirements may severely limit the market liquidity of our Common Stock
and the ability of purchasers of our equity securities to sell their securities
in the secondary market. We may also incur additional costs under state blue
sky
laws if we sell equity due to our delisting.
EFFECTS
OF INFLATION
Due
to
relatively low levels of inflation in 2006 and 2005, inflation has not had
a
significant effect on our results of operations since inception.
MANAGEMENT'S
DISCUSSION OF CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
The
preparation of our financial statements in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America requires us to make estimates
and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities
and
disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial
statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting
period. Our estimates, judgments and assumptions are continually evaluated
based
on available information and experience. Because of the use of estimates
inherent in the financial reporting process, actual results could differ from
those estimates.
Certain
of our accounting policies require higher degrees of judgment than others in
their application. These include revenue recognition, valuation of customer
receivables, valuation of inventories, valuation of goodwill, intangible assets
and other long-lived assets and capitalization of computer software costs.
Our
accounting policies and procedures related to these areas are summarized below.
REVENUE
RECOGNITION
The
Company's revenue from continuing operations was derived principally from the
sale of print advertisements under short-term contracts in our magazine
publication; through the sale of our magazine publication through newsstands
and
subscriptions; from the sale of video games and related products through our
online store Chips & Bits; from the sale of Internet domain registrations
and from the sale of VoIP telephony services. There is no certainty that events
beyond anyone's control such as economic downturns or significant decreases
in
the demand for our services and products will not occur and accordingly, cause
significant decreases in revenue.
COMPUTER
GAMES BUSINESSES
Advertising
revenue for the Company's magazine publication is recognized at the on-sale
date
of the magazine.
Newsstand
sales of the Company's magazine publication are recognized at the on-sale date
of the magazine, net of provisions for estimated returns. Subscription revenue,
which is net of agency fees, is deferred when initially received and recognized
as income ratably over the subscription term.
Sales
of
video games and related products from the online store are recognized as revenue
when the product is shipped to the customer. Amounts billed to customers for
shipping and handling charges are included in net revenue. The Company provides
an allowance for returns of merchandise sold through its online store. The
allowance provided to date has not been significant.
INTERNET
SERVICES
Internet
services net revenue consists of registration fees for Internet domain
registrations, which generally have terms of one year, but may be up to ten
years. Such registration fees are reported net of transaction fees paid to
an
unrelated third party which serves as the registry operator for the Company.
Net
registration fee revenue is recognized on a straight line basis over the term
of
the registration.
25
VOIP
TELEPHONY SERVICES
VoIP
telephony services revenue represents fees charged to customers for voice
services and is recognized based on minutes of customer usage or as services
are
provided. The Company records payments received in advance for prepaid services
as deferred revenue until the related services are provided.
DISCONTINUED
OPERATIONS---MARKETING SERVICES
Revenue
from the distribution of Internet advertising was recognized when Internet
users
visited and completed actions at an advertiser's website. Revenue consisted
of
the gross value of billings to clients, including the recovery of costs incurred
to acquire online media required to execute client campaigns. Recorded revenue
was based upon reports generated by the Company's tracking software.
Revenue
derived from the purchase and tracking of direct response media, such as
television and radio commercials, was recognized on a net basis when the
associated media was aired. In many cases, the amount the Company billed to
clients significantly exceeded the amount of revenue that was earned due to
the
existence of various "pass-through" charges such as the cost of the television
and radio media. Amounts received in advance of media airings were deferred.
Revenue
generated from the production of direct response advertising programs, such
as
infomercials, was recognized on the completed contract method when such programs
were complete and available for airing. Production activities generally ranged
from eight to twelve weeks and the Company usually collected amounts in advance
and at various points throughout the production process. Amounts received from
customers prior to completion of commercials were included in deferred revenue
and direct costs associated with the production of commercials in process were
deferred.
VALUATION
OF CUSTOMER RECEIVABLES
Provisions
for the allowance for doubtful accounts are made based on historical loss
experience adjusted for specific credit risks. Measurement of such losses
requires consideration of the Company's historical loss experience, judgments
about customer credit risk, and the need to adjust for current economic
conditions.
VALUATION
OF INVENTORIES
Inventories
are recorded on a first-in, first-out basis and valued at the lower of cost
or
market value. We generally manage our inventory levels based on internal
forecasts of customer demand for our products, which is difficult to predict
and
can fluctuate substantially. Our inventories include high technology items
that
are specialized in nature or subject to rapid obsolescence. If our demand
forecast is greater than the actual customer demand for our products, we may
be
required to record charges related to increases in our inventory valuation
reserves. The value of our inventory is also dependent on our estimate of future
average selling prices, and, if our projected average selling prices are over
estimated, we may be required to adjust our inventory value to reflect the
lower
of cost or market.
GOODWILL
AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS
In
June
2001, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards ("SFAS") No. 141, "Business Combinations" and
SFAS No. 142, "Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets." SFAS No. 141 requires
that
certain acquired intangible assets in a business combination be recognized
as
assets separate from goodwill. SFAS No. 142 requires that goodwill and other
intangibles with indefinite lives should no longer be amortized, but rather
tested for impairment annually or on an interim basis if events or circumstances
indicate that the fair value of the asset has decreased below its carrying
value.
Our
policy calls for the assessment of the potential impairment of goodwill and
other identifiable intangibles with indefinite lives whenever events or changes
in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable or
at
least on an annual basis. Some factors we consider important which could trigger
an impairment review include the following:
26
o
|
significant
under-performance relative to historical, expected or projected future
operating results;
|
o |
significant
changes in the manner of our use of the acquired assets or the strategy
for our overall business; and
|
o |
significant
negative industry or economic trends.
|
When
we
determine that the carrying value of goodwill or other identified intangibles
with indefinite lives may not be recoverable, we measure any impairment based
on
a projected discounted cash flow method.
LONG-LIVED
ASSETS
Historically,
the Company's long-lived assets, other than goodwill, have primarily consisted
of property and equipment, capitalized costs of internal-use software, values
attributable to covenants not to compete, acquired technology and patent costs.
Long-lived
assets held and used by the Company and intangible assets with determinable
lives are reviewed for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate
that
the carrying amount of assets may not be recoverable in accordance with SFAS
No.
144, "Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets." We
evaluate recoverability of assets to be held and used by comparing the carrying
amount of the assets, or the appropriate grouping of assets, to an estimate
of
undiscounted future cash flows to be generated by the assets, or asset group.
If
such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized
is
measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the
fair value of the assets. Fair values are based on quoted market values, if
available. If quoted market prices are not available, the estimate of fair
value
may be based on the discounted value of the estimated future cash flows
attributable to the assets, or other valuation techniques deemed reasonable
in
the circumstances.
CAPITALIZATION
OF COMPUTER SOFTWARE COSTS
The
Company capitalizes the cost of internal-use software which has a useful life
in
excess of one year in accordance with Statement of Position No. 98-1,
"Accounting for the Costs of Computer Software Developed or Obtained for
Internal Use." Subsequent additions, modifications, or upgrades to internal-use
software are capitalized only to the extent that they allow the software to
perform a task it previously did not perform. Software maintenance and training
costs are expensed in the period in which they are incurred. Capitalized
computer software costs are amortized using the straight-line method over the
expected useful life, or three years.
IMPACT
OF RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
In
November 2005, the FASB issued final FASB Staff Position (“FSP”) FAS No. 123R-3,
“Transition Election Related to Accounting for the Tax Effects of Share-Based
Payment Awards.” The FSP provides an alternative method of calculating excess
tax benefits from the method defined in SFAS No. 123R for share-based payments.
A one-time election to adopt the transition method in this FSP is available
to
those entities adopting SFAS No. 123R using either the modified retrospective
or
modified prospective method. Up to one year from the initial adoption of SFAS
No. 123R or effective date of the FSP is provided to make this one-time
election. However, until an entity makes its election, it must follow the
guidance in SFAS No. 123R. The FSP is effective upon initial adoption of SFAS
No. 123R and became effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2006.
We
are currently evaluating the allowable methods for calculating excess tax
benefits and have not yet determined whether we will make a one-time election
to
adopt the transition method described in this FSP, nor the expected impact
on
our financial position or results of operations.
In
May
2005, the FASB issued SFAS No. 154, “Accounting for Changes and Error
Corrections, a Replacement of APB Opinion No. 20 and FASB Statement No. 3.” SFAS
No. 154 applies to all voluntary changes in accounting principles and requires
retrospective application to prior periods’ financial statements of changes in
accounting principles. This statement also requires that a change in
depreciation, amortization or depletion method for long-lived, non-financial
assets be accounted for as a change in accounting estimate effected by a change
in accounting principle. SFAS No. 154 carries forward without change the
guidance contained in APB Opinion No. 20 for reporting the correction of an
error in previously issued financial statements and a change in accounting
estimate. This statement is effective for accounting changes and corrections
of
errors made in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2005. The adoption
of
this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial
condition, results of operations or liquidity.
27
In
March
2005, the FASB issued Interpretation No. 47, "Accounting for Conditional Asset
Retirement Obligations," an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 143,
"Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations." The interpretation clarifies
that
the term conditional asset retirement obligation refers to a legal obligation
to
perform an asset retirement activity in which the timing and/or method of
settlement are conditional on a future event that may or may not be within
the
control of the entity. An entity is required to recognize a liability for the
fair value of a conditional asset retirement obligation if the fair value of
the
liability can be reasonably estimated. FIN 47 also clarifies when an entity
would have sufficient information to reasonably estimate the fair value of
an
asset retirement obligation. The effective date of this interpretation is no
later than the end of fiscal years ending after December 15, 2005. The Company
believes that currently it does not have any legal obligations to record an
asset retirement liability.
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 153, "Exchanges of Nonmonetary Assets,
an amendment of APB Opinion No. 29." SFAS No. 153 requires exchanges of
productive assets to be accounted for at fair value, rather than at carryover
basis, unless (1) neither the asset received nor the asset surrendered has
a
fair value that is determinable within reasonable limits or (2) the transactions
lack commercial substance. This statement is effective for nonmonetary asset
exchanges occurring in fiscal periods beginning after June 15, 2005. The
adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s
financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 123R, "Share-Based Payment." This
statement is a revision of SFAS No. 123, "Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation", supersedes Accounting Principles Board ("APB") Opinion No. 25,
"Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees" and amends SFAS No. 95, “Statement of
Cash Flows.” The statement eliminates the alternative to use the intrinsic value
method of accounting that was provided in SFAS No. 123, which generally resulted
in no compensation expense recorded in the financial statements related to
the
issuance of equity awards to employees. The statement also requires that the
cost resulting from all share-based payment transactions be recognized in the
financial statements. It establishes fair value as the measurement objective
in
accounting for share-based payment arrangements and generally requires all
companies to apply a fair-value-based measurement method in accounting for
share-based payment transactions with employees. In March 2005, the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) issued Staff Accounting Bulletin 107 which
describes the SEC staff’s expectations in determining the assumptions that
underlie the fair value estimates and discusses the interaction of SFAS No.
123R
with existing guidance. The Company has adopted SFAS No. 123R effective January
1, 2006, using the modified prospective application method in accordance with
the statement. This application requires the Company to record compensation
expense for all awards granted after the adoption date and for the unvested
portion of awards that are outstanding at the date of adoption. The Company
expects that the adoption of SFAS No. 123R will result in charges to operating
expense of continuing operations of approximately $194,000, $77,000 and $19,000,
in the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008, related to the unvested
portion of outstanding employee stock options at December 31, 2005.
In
November 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 151, "Inventory Costs - An Amendment
of
ARB No. 43, Chapter 4." SFAS No. 151 requires all companies to recognize a
current-period charge for abnormal amounts of idle facility expense, freight,
handling costs and wasted materials. This statement also requires that the
allocation of fixed production overhead to the costs of conversion be based
on
the normal capacity of the production facilities. SFAS No. 151 is effective
for
fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2005. The adoption of this statement
did
not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In
December 2003, the FASB issued FIN No. 46-R "Consolidation of Variable Interest
Entities." FIN 46-R, which modifies certain provisions and effective dates
of
FIN 46, sets forth the criteria to be used in determining whether an investment
in a variable interest entity should be consolidated. These provisions are
based
on the general premise that if a company controls another entity through
interests other than voting interests, that company should consolidate the
controlled entity. The Company believes that currently it does not have any
material arrangements that meet the definition of a variable interest entity
which would require consolidation.
28
Interest
Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of a security
resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates. Investments
that
we classify as cash and cash equivalents have original maturities of three
months or less and therefore, are not affected in any material respect by
changes in market interest rates. At March 31, 2006,
debt
outstanding includes $3.4 million of fixed rate instruments with an aggregate
average interest rate of 10.00% and $17,446 of variable rate instruments with
an
aggregate average interest rate of 7.91%. All debt outstanding as of the end
of
the first quarter of 2006 is either due on demand or matures within the next
twelve months.
Foreign
Currency Risk. We transact business in U.S. dollars. Our exposure to changes
in
foreign currency rates has been limited to a related party obligation payable
in
Canadian dollars, which totals $17,446 (U.S.) at March 31, 2006. Foreign
currency exchange rate fluctuations do not have a material effect on our results
of operations.
We
maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure (1)
that
information required to be disclosed by us in the reports we file or submit
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"),
is
recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified
in the Securities and Exchange Commission's ("SEC") rules and forms, and (2)
that this information is accumulated and communicated to management, including
our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to
allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and
evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that
any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can
provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives,
and management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating
the
cost benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.
Our
Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have evaluated the effectiveness
of our disclosure controls and procedures as of March 31, 2006. Based on that
evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer have
concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective in alerting
them in a timely manner to material information regarding us (including our
consolidated subsidiaries) that is required to be included in our periodic
reports to the SEC.
Our
management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief
Financial Officer, have evaluated any change in our internal control over
financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended March 31, 2006 that
has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our
internal control over financial reporting, and have determined there to be
no
reportable changes.
29
See
Note
6, "Litigation," of the Financial Statements included in this Report.
In
addition to the other information in this report, the following factors should
be carefully considered in evaluating our business and prospects.
RISKS
RELATING TO OUR BUSINESS GENERALLY
WE
HAVE A HISTORY OF OPERATING LOSSES AND EXPECT TO CONTINUE TO INCUR LOSSES.
Since
our
inception, we have incurred net losses each year and we expect that we will
continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future. We had losses from
continuing operations, net of applicable income tax benefits, of approximately
$13.3 million, $24.9 million and $11.0 million for the years ended December
31,
2005, 2004 and 2003, respectively. We incurred a net loss from continuing
operations of approximately $4.5 million for the three months ended March 31,
2006. The principal causes of our losses are likely to continue to be:
o |
costs
resulting from the operation of our businesses;
|
o |
costs
relating to entering new business lines;
|
o |
failure
to generate sufficient revenue; and
|
o |
selling,
general and administrative expenses.
|
Although
we have restructured our businesses, including most recently as a result of
the
sale of our SendTec marketing services business, we still expect to continue
to
incur losses as we continue to develop our VoIP telephony services business
and
our Internet services business and while we explore a number of strategic
alternatives for our businesses, including continuing to operate the businesses,
selling certain businesses or assets, or acquiring or developing additional
businesses or complementary products. At the present time, none of our business
lines operate at a profit.
WE
MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CONTINUE AS A GOING CONCERN ON A LONG-TERM BASIS.
We
received a report from our independent accountants, relating to our December
31,
2005 audited financial statements, containing a paragraph stating that our
recurring losses from operations and our accumulated deficit subject the Company
to certain liquidity and profitability considerations. The Company continues
to
incur substantial consolidated net losses and management believes the Company
will continue to be unprofitable and use cash in its operations for the
foreseeable future. Based upon the Company’s present cash resources and cash
flow projections, management believes that the Company has sufficient liquidity
to operate as a going concern through at least the end of 2006.
In
order
to assure its longer term financial viability, the Company must complete the
development of and successfully implement a new strategic business plan. The
Company’s new business plan may include making certain changes which transform
its unprofitable businesses into profitable ones, selling or otherwise disposing
of businesses or components, acquiring or internally developing new businesses,
including Tralliance, and/or raising additional equity capital. There can be
no
assurance that the Company will be successful in taking any of the above actions
which would enable it to continue as a going concern beyond the end of 2006
(see
the “Liquidity and Capital Resources” section of Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for further
details).
30
OUR
ENTRY INTO NEW LINES OF BUSINESS, AS WELL AS POTENTIAL FUTURE ACQUISITIONS,
JOINT VENTURES OR STRATEGIC TRANSACTIONS ENTAILS NUMEROUS RISKS AND
UNCERTAINTIES.
During
our recent past, we have entered into a number of new business lines through
acquisitions: VoIP telephony services, marketing services and Internet services.
We may also enter into new or different lines of business, as determined by
management and our Board of Directors. Our acquisitions, as well as any future
acquisitions or joint ventures could result, and in some instances have resulted
in numerous risks and uncertainties, including:
o |
potentially
dilutive issuances of equity securities, which may be issued at the
time
of the transaction or in the future if certain performance or other
criteria are met or not met, as the case may be. These securities
may be
freely tradable in the public market or subject to registration rights
which could require us to publicly register a large amount of our
Common
Stock, which could have a material adverse effect on our stock price;
|
o |
diversion
of management's attention and resources from our existing businesses;
|
o |
significant
write-offs if we determine that the business acquisition does not
fit or
perform up to expectations;
|
o |
the
incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities or impairment charges
related to goodwill and other long-lived assets;
|
o |
difficulties
in the assimilation of operations, personnel, technologies, products
and
information systems of the acquired companies;
|
o |
regulatory
and tax risks relating to the new or acquired business;
|
o |
the
risks of entering geographic and business markets in which we have
no or
limited prior experience;
|
o |
the
risk that the acquired business will not perform as expected; and
|
o |
material
decreases in short-term or long-term liquidity.
|
OUR
NET OPERATING LOSS CARRYFORWARDS MAY BE LIMITED.
As
of
December 31, 2005, we had net operating loss carryforwards potentially available
for U.S. tax purposes of approximately $147 million. These carryforwards expire
through 2025. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 imposes substantial restrictions on
the
utilization of net operating losses and tax credits in the event of an
"ownership change" of a corporation. Due to various significant changes in
our
ownership interests, as defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended, commencing in August 1997 through our most recent issuance of
convertible notes in July 2005, and assuming conversion of such notes, we may
have substantially limited or eliminated the availability of our net operating
loss carryforwards. There can be no assurance that we will be able to utilize
any net operating loss carryforwards in the future.
WE
DEPEND ON THE CONTINUED GROWTH IN THE USE AND COMMERCIAL VIABILITY OF THE
INTERNET.
Our
VoIP
telephony services business, Internet services business and computer games
businesses are substantially dependent upon the continued growth in the general
use of the Internet. Internet and electronic commerce growth may be inhibited
for a number of reasons, including:
o |
inadequate
network infrastructure;
|
o |
security
and authentication concerns;
|
o |
inadequate
quality and availability of cost-effective, high-speed service;
|
o |
general
economic and business downturns; and
|
o |
catastrophic
events, including war and terrorism.
|
31
As
web
usage grows, the Internet infrastructure may not be able to support the demands
placed on it by this growth or its performance and reliability may decline.
Websites have experienced interruptions in their service as a result of outages
and other delays occurring throughout the Internet network infrastructure.
If
these outages or delays frequently occur in the future, web usage, as well
as
usage of our services, could grow more slowly or decline. Also, the Internet's
commercial viability may be significantly hampered due to:
o |
delays
in the development or adoption of new operating and technical standards
and performance improvements required to handle increased levels
of
activity;
|
o |
increased
government regulation;
|
o |
potential
governmental taxation of such services; and
|
o |
insufficient
availability of telecommunications services which could result in
slower
response times and adversely affect usage of the Internet.
|
WE
MAY FACE INCREASED GOVERNMENT REGULATION, TAXATION AND LEGAL UNCERTAINTIES
IN
OUR INDUSTRY, BOTH DOMESTICALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY, WHICH COULD NEGATIVELY
IMPACT OUR FINANCIAL CONDITION AND/OR OUR RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
There
are
an increasing number of federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations
pertaining to the Internet and telecommunications. In addition, a number of
federal, state, local and foreign legislative and regulatory proposals are
under
consideration. Laws and regulations have been and will likely continue to be
adopted with respect to the Internet relating to, among other things, fees
and
taxation of VoIP telephony services, liability for information retrieved from
or
transmitted over the Internet, online content regulation, user privacy, data
protection, pricing, content, copyrights, distribution, electronic contracts
and
other communications, consumer protection, public safety issues like enhanced
911 emergency service ("E911"), the Communications Assistance for Law
Enforcement Act of 1994, the provision of online payment services, broadband
residential Internet access, and the characteristics and quality of products
and
services.
Changes
in tax laws relating to electronic commerce could materially affect our
business, prospects and financial condition. One or more states or foreign
countries may seek to impose sales or other tax collection obligations on
out-of-jurisdiction companies that engage in electronic commerce. A successful
assertion by one or more states or foreign countries that we should collect
sales or other taxes on services could result in substantial tax liabilities
for
past sales, decrease our ability to compete with traditional telephony, and
otherwise harm our business.
Currently,
decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court restrict the imposition of obligations
to
collect state and local sales and use taxes with respect to electronic commerce.
However, a number of states, as well as the U.S. Congress, have been considering
various initiatives that could limit or supersede the Supreme Court's position
regarding sales and use taxes on electronic commerce. If any of these
initiatives addressed the Supreme Court's constitutional concerns and resulted
in a reversal of its current position, we could be required to collect sales
and
use taxes. The imposition by state and local governments of various taxes upon
electronic commerce could create administrative burdens for us and could
adversely affect our VoIP business operations, and ultimately our financial
condition, operating results and future prospects.
Regardless
of the type of state tax imposed, the threshold issue involving state taxation
of any transaction is always whether sufficient nexus, or contact, exists
between the taxing entity and the taxpayer or the transaction to which the
tax
is being applied. The concept of nexus is constantly changing and no bright
line
exists that would sufficiently alert a business as to whether it is subject
to
tax in a specific jurisdiction. All states which have attempted to tax Internet
access or online services have done so by asserting that the sale of such
telecommunications services, information services, data processing services
or
other type of transaction is subject to tax in that particular state.
A
handful
of states impose taxes on computer services, data processing services,
information services and other similar types of services. Some of these states
have asserted that Internet access and/or online information services are
subject to these taxes.
Most
states have telecommunications sales or gross receipts taxes imposed on
interstate calls or transmissions of data. A sizable minority tax only
intrastate calls. Although these taxes were enacted long before the birth of
electronic commerce and VoIP, several states have asserted that Internet access
and/or online information services are subject to these taxes.
32
For
example, in the 2005 Florida legislative session, Florida incorporated into
the
tax imposed by Chapter 202, Florida Statutes, (the Communications Services
Tax)
language which establishes tax nexus in Florida for VoIP. The Florida
legislature inserted this language to protect the scope of the tax base for
the
Communications Services Tax. The language could have the effect of imposing
the
Communications Services Tax on VoIP services not based in the state of Florida.
The
Florida legislature borrowed the language that it used to amend the Florida
Statute from the national Streamlined Sales Tax Project. This project is being
touted by many states as a proposed tax simplification plan. If adopted by
other
states, the language included in the Florida law could have a far reaching
effect in many states in the United States.
Moreover,
the applicability to the Internet of existing laws governing issues such as
intellectual property ownership and infringement, copyright, trademark, trade
secret, obscenity, libel, employment and personal privacy is uncertain and
developing. It is not clear how existing laws governing issues such as property
ownership, sales and other taxes, libel, and personal privacy apply to the
Internet and electronic commerce. Any new legislation or regulation, or the
application or interpretation of existing laws or regulations, may decrease
the
growth in the use of the Internet or VoIP telephony services, may impose
additional burdens on electronic commerce or may alter how we do business.
This
could decrease the demand for our existing or proposed services, increase our
cost of doing business, increase the costs of products sold through the Internet
or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, plans, prospects,
results of operations and financial condition.
WE
RELY ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND PROPRIETARY RIGHTS.
We
regard
substantial elements of our websites and underlying technology, as well as
certain assets relating to our VoIP business and other opportunities we are
investigating, as proprietary and attempt to protect them by relying on
intellectual property laws and restrictions on disclosure. We also generally
enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees and consultants. In
connection with our license agreements with third parties, we generally seek
to
control access to and distribution of our technology and other proprietary
information. Despite these precautions, it may be possible for a third party
to
copy or otherwise obtain and use our proprietary information without
authorization or to develop similar technology independently. Thus, we cannot
assure you that the steps taken by us will prevent misappropriation or
infringement of our proprietary information, which could have an adverse effect
on our business. In addition, our competitors may independently develop similar
technology, duplicate our products, or design around our intellectual property
rights.
We
pursue
the registration of our trademarks in the United States and, in some cases,
internationally. We have been awarded and are also seeking additional patent
protection for certain VoIP assets which we acquired or which we have developed.
However, effective intellectual property protection may not be available in
every country in which our services are distributed or made available through
the Internet. Policing unauthorized use of our proprietary information is
difficult. Legal standards relating to the validity, enforceability and scope
of
protection of proprietary rights in Internet related businesses are also
uncertain and still evolving. We cannot assure you about the future viability
or
value of any of our proprietary rights.
Litigation
may be necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights
or to
determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. However,
we may not have sufficient funds or personnel to adequately litigate or
otherwise protect our rights. Furthermore, we cannot assure you that our
business activities and product offerings will not infringe upon the proprietary
rights of others, or that other parties will not assert infringement claims
against us, including claims related to providing hyperlinks to websites
operated by third parties or providing advertising on a keyword basis that
links
a specific search term entered by a user to the appearance of a particular
advertisement. Moreover, from time to time, third parties have asserted and
may
in the future assert claims of alleged infringement by us of their intellectual
property rights. Sprint recently filed one such lawsuit which remains pending
against us and our tglo.com, inc. subsidiary (formerly known as voiceglo
Holdings, Inc.) alleging infringement by us. Any litigation claims or
counterclaims could impair our business because they could:
o |
be
time-consuming;
|
o |
result
in significant costs;
|
o |
subject
us to significant liability for damages;
|
33
o |
result
in invalidation of our proprietary rights;
|
o |
divert
management's attention;
|
o |
cause
product release delays; or
|
o |
require
us to redesign our products or require us to enter into royalty or
licensing agreements that may not be available on terms acceptable
to us,
or at all.
|
We
license from third parties various technologies incorporated into our products,
networks and sites. We cannot assure you that these third-party technology
licenses will continue to be available to us on commercially reasonable terms.
Additionally, we cannot assure you that the third parties from which we license
our technology will be able to defend our proprietary rights successfully
against claims of infringement. As a result, our inability to obtain any of
these technology licenses could result in delays or reductions in the
introduction of new products and services or could adversely affect the
performance of our existing products and services until equivalent technology
can be identified, licensed and integrated.
The
regulation of domain names in the United States and in foreign countries may
change. Regulatory bodies could establish and have established additional
top-level domains, could appoint additional domain name registrars or could
modify the requirements for holding domain names, any or all of which may dilute
the strength of our names or our “.travel” domain registry business. We may not
acquire or maintain our domain names in all of the countries in which our
websites may be accessed, or for any or all of the top-level domain names that
may be introduced. The relationship between regulations governing domain names
and laws protecting proprietary rights is unclear. Therefore, we may not be
able
to prevent third parties from acquiring domain names that infringe or otherwise
decrease the value of our trademarks and other proprietary rights.
WE
MAY BE UNSUCCESSFUL IN ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING BRAND AWARENESS; BRAND
IDENTITY IS CRITICAL TO OUR COMPANY.
Our
success in the markets in which we operate will depend on our ability to create
and maintain brand awareness for our product offerings. This has in some cases
required, and may continue to require, a significant amount of capital to allow
us to market our products and establish brand recognition and customer loyalty.
Many of our competitors are larger than us and have substantially greater
financial resources. Additionally, many of the companies offering VoIP services
have already established their brand identity within the marketplace. We can
offer no assurances that we will be successful in establishing awareness of
our
brand allowing us to compete in the VoIP market.
If
we
fail to promote and maintain our various brands or our businesses' brand values
are diluted, our businesses, operating results, financial condition, and our
ability to attract buyers for any of our businesses could be materially
adversely affected. The importance of brand recognition will continue to
increase because low barriers of entry to the industries in which we operate
may
result in an increased number of direct competitors. To promote our brands,
we
may be required to continue to increase our financial commitment to creating
and
maintaining brand awareness. We may not generate a corresponding increase in
revenue to justify these costs.
OUR
QUARTERLY OPERATING RESULTS FLUCTUATE.
Due
to
our significant change in operations, including the entry into new lines of
business and disposition of other lines of business, our historical quarterly
operating results are not necessarily reflective of future results. The factors
that will cause our quarterly operating results to fluctuate in the future
include:
o |
acquisitions
of new businesses or sales of our businesses or assets;
|
o |
changes
in the number of sales or technical employees;
|
o |
the
level of traffic on our websites;
|
o |
the
overall demand for Internet telephony services, print and Internet
advertising and electronic commerce;
|
o |
the
addition or loss of advertising clients of our computer games businesses,
subscribers to our magazine, “.travel” domain name registrants, VoIP
customers and electronic commerce partners on our websites;
|
34
o |
overall
usage and acceptance of the Internet;
|
o |
seasonal
trends in advertising and electronic commerce sales and member usage
in
our businesses;
|
o |
costs
relating to the implementation or cessation of marketing plans for
our
various lines of business;
|
o |
other
costs relating to the maintenance of our operations;
|
o |
the
restructuring of our business;
|
o |
failure
to generate significant revenues and profit margins from new products
and
services; and
|
o |
competition
from others providing services similar to ours.
|
OUR
LIMITED OPERATING HISTORY MAKES FINANCIAL FORECASTING DIFFICULT. OUR
INEXPERIENCE IN THE VOIP TELEPHONY BUSINESS AND INTERNET SERVICES BUSINESS
WILL
MAKE FINANCIAL FORECASTING EVEN MORE DIFFICULT.
We
have a
limited operating history for you to use in evaluating our prospects and us,
particularly as it pertains to our VoIP and Internet services businesses. Our
prospects should be considered in light of the risks encountered by companies
operating in new and rapidly evolving markets like ours. We may not successfully
address these risks. For example, we may not be able to:
o |
maintain
or increase levels of user traffic on our e-commerce websites;
|
o |
attract
customers to our VoIP telephony service;
|
o |
generate
and maintain adequate levels of “.travel” domain name registrations;
|
o |
adequately
forecast anticipated customer purchase and usage of our retail VoIP
products;
|
o |
maintain
or increase advertising revenue for our magazine;
|
o |
adapt
to meet changes in our markets and competitive developments; and
|
o |
identify,
attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel.
|
OUR
MANAGEMENT TEAM IS INEXPERIENCED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF A LARGE OPERATING COMPANY.
Only
our
Chairman has had experience managing a large operating company. Accordingly,
we
cannot assure you that:
o |
our
key employees will be able to work together effectively as a team;
|
o |
we
will be able to retain the remaining members of our management team;
|
o |
we
will be able to hire, train and manage our employee base;
|
o |
our
systems, procedures or controls will be adequate to support our
operations; and
|
o |
our
management will be able to achieve the rapid execution necessary
to fully
exploit the market opportunity for our products and services.
|
WE
DEPEND ON HIGHLY QUALIFIED TECHNICAL AND MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL.
Our
future success also depends on our continuing ability to attract, retain and
motivate highly qualified technical expertise and managerial personnel necessary
to operate our businesses. We may need to give retention bonuses and stock
incentives to certain employees to keep them, which can be costly to us. The
loss of the services of members of our management team or other key personnel
could harm our business. Our future success depends to a significant extent
on
the continued service of key management, client service, product development,
sales and technical personnel. We do not maintain key person life insurance
on
any of our executive officers and do not intend to purchase any in the future.
Although we generally enter into non-competition agreements with our key
employees, our business could be harmed if one or more of our officers or key
employees decided to join a competitor or otherwise compete with us.
35
We
may be
unable to attract, assimilate or retain highly qualified technical and
managerial personnel in the future. Wages for managerial and technical employees
are increasing and are expected to continue to increase in the future. We have
from time to time in the past experienced, and could continue to experience
in
the future if we need to hire any additional personnel, difficulty in hiring
and
retaining highly skilled employees with appropriate qualifications. If we were
unable to attract and retain the technical and managerial personnel necessary
to
support and grow our businesses, our businesses would likely be materially
and
adversely affected.
OUR
OFFICERS, INCLUDING OUR CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRESIDENT
HAVE
OTHER INTERESTS AND TIME COMMITMENTS; WE HAVE CONFLICTS OF INTEREST WITH SOME
OF
OUR DIRECTORS; ALL OF OUR DIRECTORS ARE EMPLOYEES OR STOCKHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY
OR AFFILIATES OF OUR LARGEST STOCKHOLDER.
Because
our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Michael Egan, is an officer or
director of other companies, we have to compete for his time. Mr. Egan became
our Chief Executive Officer effective June 1, 2002. Mr. Egan is also the
controlling investor of Dancing Bear Investments, Inc., an entity controlled
by
Mr. Egan, which is our largest stockholder. Mr. Egan has not committed to devote
any specific percentage of his business time with us. Accordingly, we compete
with Dancing Bear Investments, Inc. and Mr. Egan's other related entities for
his time.
Our
President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer and Director, Mr. Edward A.
Cespedes, is also an officer or director of other companies. Accordingly, we
must compete for his time. Mr. Cespedes is an officer or director of various
privately held entities and is also affiliated with Dancing Bear Investments,
Inc.
Our
Vice
President of Finance and Director, Ms. Robin Lebowitz is also affiliated with
Dancing Bear Investments, Inc. She is also an officer or director of other
companies or entities controlled by Mr. Egan and Mr. Cespedes.
Due
to
the relationships with his related entities, Mr. Egan will have an inherent
conflict of interest in making any decision related to transactions between
the
related entities and us, including investment in our securities. Furthermore,
the Company's Board of Directors presently is comprised entirely of individuals
which are employees of theglobe, and therefore are not "independent." We intend
to review related party transactions in the future on a case-by-case basis.
WE
RELY ON THIRD PARTY OUTSOURCED HOSTING FACILITIES OVER WHICH WE HAVE LIMITED
CONTROL.
Our
principal servers are located in areas throughout the eastern region of the
United States primarily at third party outsourced hosting facilities. Our
operations depend on the ability to protect our systems against damage from
unexpected events, including fire, power loss, water damage, telecommunications
failures and vandalism. Any disruption in our Internet access could have a
material adverse effect on us. In addition, computer viruses, electronic
break-ins or other similar disruptive problems could also materially adversely
affect our businesses. Our reputation, theglobe.com brand and the brands of
our
individual businesses could be materially and adversely affected by any problems
experienced by our websites, databases or our supporting information technology
networks. We may not have insurance to adequately compensate us for any losses
that may occur due to any failures or interruptions in our systems. We do not
presently have any secondary off-site systems or a formal disaster recovery
plan.
HACKERS
MAY ATTEMPT TO PENETRATE OUR SECURITY SYSTEM; ONLINE SECURITY BREACHES COULD
HARM OUR BUSINESS.
Consumer
and supplier confidence in our businesses depends on maintaining relevant
security features. Substantial or ongoing security breaches on our systems
or
other Internet-based systems could significantly harm our business. We incur
substantial expenses protecting against and remedying security breaches.
Security breaches also could damage our reputation and expose us to a risk
of
loss or litigation. Experienced programmers or "hackers" have successfully
penetrated our systems and we expect that these attempts will continue to occur
from time to time. Because a hacker who is able to penetrate our network
security could misappropriate proprietary or confidential information (including
customer billing information) or cause interruptions in our products and
services, we may have to expend significant capital and resources to protect
against or to alleviate problems caused by these hackers. Additionally, we
may
not have a timely remedy against a hacker who is able to penetrate our network
security. Such security breaches could materially adversely affect our company.
In addition, the transmission of computer viruses resulting from hackers or
otherwise could expose us to significant liability. Our insurance may not be
adequate to reimburse us for losses caused by security breaches. We also face
risks associated with security breaches affecting third parties with whom we
have relationships.
36
WE
MAY BE EXPOSED TO LIABILITY FOR INFORMATION RETRIEVED FROM OR TRANSMITTED OVER
THE INTERNET.
Users
may
access content on our websites or the websites of our distribution partners
or
other third parties through website links or other means, and they may download
content and subsequently transmit this content to others over the Internet.
This
could result in claims against us based on a variety of theories, including
defamation, obscenity, negligence, copyright infringement, trademark
infringement or the wrongful actions of third parties. Other theories may be
brought based on the nature, publication and distribution of our content or
based on errors or false or misleading information provided on our websites.
Claims have been brought against online services in the past and we have
received inquiries from third parties regarding these matters. Such claims
could
be material in the future.
WE
MAY BE EXPOSED TO LIABILITY FOR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES SOLD OVER THE INTERNET,
INCLUDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES SOLD BY OTHERS.
We
enter
into agreements with commerce partners and sponsors under which, in some cases,
we are entitled to receive a share of revenue from the purchase of goods and
services through direct links from our sites. We sell products directly to
consumers which may expose us to additional legal risks, regulations by local,
state, federal and foreign authorities and potential liabilities to consumers
of
these products and services, even if we do not ourselves provide these products
or services. We cannot assure you that any indemnification that may be provided
to us in some of these agreements with these parties will be adequate. Even
if
these claims do not result in our liability, we could incur significant costs
in
investigating and defending against these claims. The imposition of potential
liability for information carried on or disseminated through our systems could
require us to implement measures to reduce our exposure to liability. Those
measures may require the expenditure of substantial resources and limit the
attractiveness of our services. Additionally, our insurance policies may not
cover all potential liabilities to which we are exposed.
WE
ARE A PARTY TO LITIGATION MATTERS THAT MAY SUBJECT US TO SIGNIFICANT LIABILITY
AND BE TIME CONSUMING AND EXPENSIVE.
We
are
currently a party to litigation. At this time we cannot reasonably estimate
the
range of any loss or damages resulting from any of the pending lawsuits due
to
uncertainty regarding the ultimate outcome. The defense of any litigation may
be
expensive and divert management's attention from day-to-day operations. An
adverse outcome in any litigation could materially and adversely affect our
results of operations and financial position and may utilize a significant
portion of our cash resources.
WE
MAY NOT BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT SECTION 404 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT ON A TIMELY
BASIS.
The
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), as directed by Section 404 of
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, adopted rules generally requiring each public company
to
include a report of management on the company's internal controls over financial
reporting in its annual report on Form 10-K that contains an assessment by
management of the effectiveness of the company's internal controls over
financial reporting. In addition, the company's independent registered public
accounting firm must attest to and report on management's assessment of the
effectiveness of the company's internal controls over financial reporting.
This
requirement will first apply to our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ending December 31, 2007.
We
have
not yet developed a Section 404 implementation plan. We have in the past
discovered, and may in the future discover, areas of our internal controls
that
need improvement. How companies should be implementing these new requirements
including internal control reforms to comply with Section 404's requirements,
and how independent auditors will apply these requirements and test companies'
internal controls, is still reasonably uncertain.
37
We
expect
that we will need to hire and/or engage additional personnel and incur
incremental costs in order to complete the work required by Section 404. There
can be no assurance that we will be able to complete a Section 404 plan on
a
timely basis. The Company's liquidity position in 2006 and 2007 may also impact
our ability to adequately fund our Section 404 efforts.
Even
if
we timely complete a Section 404 plan, we may not be able to conclude that
our
internal controls over financial reporting are effective, or in the event that
we conclude that our internal controls are effective, our independent
accountants may disagree with our assessment and may issue a report that is
qualified. This could subject the Company to regulatory scrutiny and a loss
of
public confidence in our internal controls. In addition, any failure to
implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in
their implementation, could harm the Company's operating results or cause the
Company to fail to meet its reporting obligations.
RISKS
RELATING TO OUR VOIP TELEPHONY BUSINESS
WE
ARE UNABLE TO PREDICT THE VOLUME OF USAGE AND OUR CAPACITY NEEDS FOR OUR VOIP
BUSINESS; DISADVANTAGEOUS CONTRACTS HAVE REDUCED OUR OPERATING MARGINS AND
MAY
CONTINUE TO ADVERSELY AFFECT OUR LIQUIDITY AND FINANCIAL CONDITION.
We
entered into a number of agreements (generally for initial terms of one year,
with the terms of several agreements extending beyond one year) for leased
communications transmission capacity and data center facilities with various
carriers and other third parties. In April 2006, we completed the implementation
of a plan to reconfigure, phase-out and eliminate certain components of our
VoIP
network. Although the implementation of this plan, which involved the
renegotiation and/or termination of certain network agreements, is expected
to
reduce the ongoing costs of operating our VoIP network by approximately $300
thousand per month, the minimum amounts payable under these agreements and
the
underlying current capacity of our VoIP network still greatly exceeds our
current estimates of customer demand and usage for the foreseeable future.
If we
are not able to generate sufficient levels of VoIP telephony revenue, or
alternatively further reduce our network operating costs in future periods,
our
liquidity and financial condition could be materially and adversely impacted.
THE
VOIP MARKET IS SUBJECT TO RAPID TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE AND WE WILL NEED TO DEPEND
ON NEW PRODUCT INTRODUCTIONS AND INNOVATIONS IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH, MAINTAIN
AND
GROW OUR BUSINESS.
VoIP
is
an emerging market that is characterized by rapid changes in customer
requirements, frequent introductions of new and enhanced products, and
continuing and rapid technological advances. To enter and compete successfully
in this emerging market, we must continually design, develop and sell new and
enhanced VoIP products and services that provide increasingly higher levels
of
performance and reliability at lower costs. These new and enhanced products
must
take advantage of technological advancements and changes, and respond to new
customer requirements. Our success in designing, developing and selling such
products and services will depend on a variety of factors, including:
o |
access
to sufficient capital to complete our development efforts;
|
o |
the
identification of market demand for new products;
|
o |
the
determination of appropriate product inventory levels;
|
o |
product
and feature selection;
|
o |
timely
implementation of product design and development;
|
o |
product
performance;
|
o |
cost-effectiveness
of products under development;
|
o |
securing
effective sources of equipment supply; and
|
o |
success
of promotional efforts and our efforts to create brand recognition.
|
38
Additionally,
we may also be required to collaborate with third parties to develop our
products and may not be able to do so on a timely and cost-effective basis,
if
at all. If we are unable, due to resource constraints or technological or other
reasons, to develop and introduce new or enhanced products in a timely manner
or
if such new or enhanced products do not achieve sufficient market acceptance,
our operating results will suffer and our business will not grow.
OUR
ABILITY AND PLANS TO PROVIDE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES AT ATTRACTIVE RATES
ARISE IN LARGE PART FROM THE FACT THAT VOIP SERVICES ARE NOT CURRENTLY SUBJECT
TO THE SAME REGULATION OR TAXATION AS TRADITIONAL TELEPHONY.
In
the
United States, the Federal Communications Commission (the "FCC") has so far
declined to make a general conclusion that all forms of VoIP services constitute
telecommunications services (rather than information services). Because their
services are not currently regulated to the same extent as telecommunications
services, some VoIP providers, such as the Company, can currently avoid paying
certain charges and incurring certain costs and expenses that traditional
telephone companies must pay and incur. Many traditional telephone operators
are
lobbying the FCC and the states to regulate VoIP on the same or similar basis
as
traditional telephone services. The FCC and several states are examining this
issue.
On
March
10, 2004, the FCC released its IP-Enabled Services Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
which included guidelines and questions upon which it is seeking public comment
to determine what regulation, if any, will govern companies that provide VoIP
services. Specifically, the FCC has expressed an intention to further examine
the question of whether certain forms of phone-to-phone VoIP services are
information services or telecommunications services. The two classifications
are
treated differently in several respects, with certain information services
being
regulated to a lesser degree than telecommunications services. The FCC has
noted
that certain forms of phone-to-phone VoIP services bear many of the same
characteristics as more traditional voice telecommunications services and lack
the characteristics that would render them information services.
In
addition to regulation by the FCC, we currently face potential regulation by
state governments and their respective agencies. Although VoIP services are
presently largely unregulated by the state governments, such state governments
and their regulatory authorities may assert jurisdiction over the provision
of
intrastate IP communications services where they believe that their
telecommunications regulations are broad enough to cover regulation of IP
services. A number of state regulators have recently taken the position that
VoIP providers are telecommunications providers and must register as such within
their states. VoIP operators have resisted such registration on the position
that VoIP is not, and should not be, subject to such regulations because VoIP
is
an information service, not a telecommunications service and because VoIP is
interstate in nature, not intrastate. Various state regulatory authorities
have
initiated proceedings to examine the regulatory status of Internet telephony
services and, in several cases, rulings have been obtained to the effect that
the use of the Internet to provide certain interstate services does not exempt
an entity from paying intrastate access charges in the jurisdictions in
question. The FCC has stated in at least one case that multiple state regulatory
regimes could violate the Commerce Clause because of the unavoidable effect
that
regulation on an intrastate component would have on interstate use of the
service. However, we cannot predict the ultimate impact of this ruling or
whether the facts of that case are so unique as to be inapplicable to our VoIP
operations. As state governments, courts, and regulatory authorities continue
to
examine the regulatory status of Internet telephony services, they could render
decisions or adopt regulations affecting providers of VoIP or requiring such
providers to pay intrastate access charges or to make contributions to universal
service funding. Should the FCC determine to regulate IP services, states may
decide to follow the FCC's lead and impose additional obligations as
well.
If
providers of VoIP services, such as the Company, become subject to additional
regulation by the FCC or any state regulatory agencies, the cost of complying
with such additional regulation would likely increase the costs of providing
such services. In addition, the FCC or any such state agencies may impose new
surcharges, taxes, fees and/or other charges upon providers or users of VoIP
services. Such charges could include, among others, access charges payable
to
local exchange carriers to carry and terminate traffic, contributions to the
Universal Service Fund or other charges. Such new charges would likely increase
our cost of VoIP operations and, to the extent that any or all of them are
passed along to our VoIP customers, they could adversely affect our revenues
from our VoIP services. Accordingly, more aggressive state and/or federal
regulation of Internet telephony providers and VoIP services may adversely
affect our VoIP business operations, and ultimately our financial condition,
operating results and future prospects.
39
RECENT
REGULATORY ENACTMENTS BY THE FCC REQUIRE US TO PROVIDE ENHANCED EMERGENCY 911
DIALING CAPABILITIES TO SUBSCRIBERS OF OUR INTERCONNECTED VOIP SERVICES AND
TO
COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANCE FOR LAW
ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 1994. THESE REQUIREMENTS WILL RESULT IN INCREASED COSTS
AND
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH OUR DELIVERY OF INTERCONNECTED VOIP SERVICES, INCLUDING
DISCONTINUATION OF SUCH SERVICES WITH RESPECT TO A POTENTIALLY MATERIAL PORTION
OF OUR INTERCONNECTED VOIP SUBSCRIBERS.
On
June
3, 2005, the FCC released the "IP-Enabled Services and E911 Requirements for
IP-Enabled Service Providers, First Report and Order and Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking" (the "E911 Order"). The E911 Order requires, among other things,
that providers of "Interconnected VoIP Service" ("Interconnected VoIP
Providers") supply enhanced emergency 911 dialing capabilities ("E911") to
their
subscribers no later than 120 days from the effective date of the E911 Order.
The effective date of the E911 Order is July 29, 2005. Additionally, the E911
Order requires
each Interconnected VoIP Provider to file with the FCC a compliance letter
on or
before November 28, 2005 detailing its compliance with the above E911
requirements. For purposes of the E911 Order, "Interconnected VoIP Service"
is
defined as a VoIP service that: (1) enables real-time, two-way voice
communications; (2) requires a broadband connection from the user’s location;
(3) requires Internet protocol-compatible customer premises equipment; and
(4)
permits users generally to receive calls that originate on the public switched
telephone network and to terminate calls to the public switched telephone
network.
As
part
of the E911 capabilities required to be provided pursuant to the E911 Order,
Interconnected VoIP Providers are required to mimic the E911 emergency calling
capabilities offered by traditional landline phone companies. Specifically,
all
Interconnected VoIP Providers must deliver 911 calls to the appropriate local
public safety answering point ("PSAP"), along with call back number and location
information with respect to the user making the 911 call. Such E911 capabilities
must be included in the basic service offering of the Interconnected VoIP
Providers; it cannot be an optional or extra feature. The PSAP delivery
obligation, including call back number and location information, must be
provided regardless of whether the service is "fixed," such as where the service
is being provided to a fixed location via wireline technology, or "nomadic,"
such as where the service is being provided to a mobile location via wireless
technology. In some cases, the requirement to provide location information
to
the appropriate PSAP relies on the user to self-report his or her location.
The
E911 Order, however, provides that the FCC intends, through a future order,
to
adopt an advanced E911 solution for interconnected VoIP services that must
include a method for determining a user’s location without assistance from the
user as well as firm implementation deadlines for that solution.
Additionally,
the E911 Order required that, by July 29, 2005 (the effective date of the E911
Order), each Interconnected VoIP Provider must have: (1) specifically advised
every new and existing subscriber, prominently and in plain language, of the
circumstances under which the E911 capabilities service may not be available
through its VoIP services or may in some way be limited by comparison to
traditional landline E911 services; (2) obtained and kept a record of
affirmative acknowledgement from all subscribers, both new and existing, of
having received and understood the advisory described in the preceding item
(1);
and (3) distributed to its existing subscribers warning stickers or other
appropriate labels warning subscribers if E911 service may be limited or not
available and instructing the subscriber to place them on or near the equipment
used in conjunction with the provider's VoIP services. We complied with the
requirements set forth in the preceding items (1) and (3). However, despite
engaging in significant efforts, as of August 10, 2005, we had received the
affirmative acknowledgements required by the preceding item (2) from less than
15% of our Interconnected VoIP Service subscribers.
On
July
26, 2005, noting the efforts made by Interconnected VoIP Providers to comply
with the E911 Order's affirmative acknowledgement requirement, the Enforcement
Bureau of the FCC (the "EB") released a Public Notice communicating that, until
August 30, 2005, it would not initiate enforcement action against any
Interconnected VoIP Provider with respect to such affirmative acknowledgement
requirement on the condition that the provider file a detailed report with
the
FCC by August 10, 2005. The Public Notice provided that the report must set
forth certain specific information relating to the provider's efforts to comply
with the requirements of the E911 Order. Furthermore, the EB stated its
expectation that that if an Interconnected VoIP Provider had not received such
affirmative acknowledgements from 100% of its existing subscribers by August
29,
2005, then the Interconnected VoIP Provider would disconnect, no later than
August 30, 2005, all subscribers from whom it has not received such
acknowledgements.
On
August
26, 2005, the EB released another Public Notice communicating that it would
not,
until September 28, 2005, initiate enforcement action regarding the affirmative
acknowledgement requirement against any provider that: (1) previously filed
the
compliance report required by the July 26 Public Notice on or before August
10,
2005; and (2) filed two separate updated reports with the FCC by September
1,
2005 and September 22, 2005 containing certain additional required information
relating to such provider's compliance efforts with respect to the E911 Order's
requirements. The EB further stated in the second Public Notice its expectation
that, during the additional period of time afforded by the extension, all
Interconnected VoIP Providers that qualified for such extension would continue
to use all means available to them to obtain affirmative acknowledgements from
all of their subscribers.
40
On
September 27, 2005, the EB released a third Public Notice communicating that
it
would not seek enforcement action regarding the affirmative acknowledgement
requirement against any provider that had received acknowledgements from at
least 90% of their applicable VoIP subscribers. Furthermore, the EB communicated
in the third Public Notice that, with respect to any providers that had not
received acknowledgements from at least 90% of their applicable VoIP
subscribers, the EB would not initiate enforcement action regarding the
affirmative acknowledgement requirement until October 31, 2005, provided that
such providers filed a status report regarding their respective compliance
efforts by October 25, 2005.
Although
we have engaged in efforts to comply with all of the requirements of the E911
Order, as of November 28, 2005 and as of December 31, 2005, we were not able
to
provide the E911 capabilities required by the E911 Order to our Interconnected
VoIP Service subscribers. Moreover, we did not file the compliance letter with
respect to our compliance efforts on November 28, 2005 as required by the E911
Order. The Company did comply with the reporting requirements of the EB's Public
Notices issued on July 26, 2005, August 26, 2005 and September 27, 2005.
Accordingly, the Company qualified for the September 28, 2005 and October 31,
2005 extensions with respect to the E911 Order's requirement to obtain the
required acknowledgements from our Interconnected VoIP Service subscribers.
As
of May
2, 2006, we have notified all of the Company’s existing customers of products
that are subject to the E911 Order that these products are being discontinued.
The Company believes that its remaining products are not subject to the E911
Order. If, in the future, the Company decides to deliver products that are
subject to the E911 Order, it will use its best efforts to implement appropriate
solutions at that time. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2005 and the
three months ended March 31, 2006, our aggregate net revenues for VoIP services,
including, without limitation, revenue for Interconnected VoIP Services, totaled
approximately $249,000, or 10%, and approximately $21,000, or 3%, of the
Company's aggregate net revenue from continuing operations, respectively. Even
assuming our full compliance with the E911 Order, such compliance and our
efforts to achieve such compliance, would increase our cost of doing business
in
the VoIP arena.
In
addition to the E911 Order, on September 23, 2005, the FCC released a First
Report and Order and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the "CALEA Order") in which
it concluded that providers of "Interconnected VoIP Service" constitute
telecommunications carriers for purposes of the Communications Assistance for
Law Enforcement Act of 1994 ("CALEA") even when those providers are not
telecommunications carriers under the Communications Act of 1934. CALEA requires
telecommunications carriers to assist law enforcement officials in executing
electronic surveillance pursuant to court order or other lawful authorization
and requires carriers to design or modify their systems to ensure that
lawfully-authorized electronic surveillance can be performed. For purposes
of
the CALEA Order, the term "Interconnected VoIP Service" is defined in the same
way as it is defined in the E911 Order. Accordingly, Interconnected VoIP
Providers are now required to comply with all of the requirements of CALEA
no
later than 18 months from the effective date of the CALEA Order. The FCC notes
in the CALEA Order that it will release another order that will address separate
questions regarding the assistance capabilities required of the Interconnected
VoIP Providers. The CALEA Order provides that such subsequent order will
address, among other matters, issues such as compliance extensions and
exemptions, cost recovery, identification of future services and entities
subject to CALEA, and enforcement. The Company is currently evaluating how
and
to what extent it will need to modify its technology infrastructure and systems
in order to timely comply with the requirements of the CALEA Order. However,
any
such compliance efforts are likely to increase our costs of providing our
Interconnected VoIP Services and adversely affect our results of operations
from
such services.
We
cannot
predict whether in the future the FCC or any state or other regulatory agencies
will expand their regulations, or implement new ones, so as to include VoIP
services other than Interconnected VoIP Services within the scope of such
regulations.
41
OUR
ABILITY TO OFFER VOIP SERVICES OUTSIDE THE U.S. IS ALSO SUBJECT TO THE LOCAL
REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT, WHICH MAY BE COMPLICATED AND OFTEN
UNCERTAIN.
Although
the use of private IP networks to provide voice services over the Internet
is
currently permitted by United States federal law and largely unregulated within
the United States, several foreign governments have adopted laws and/or
regulations that could restrict or prohibit the provision of voice
communications services over the Internet or private IP networks. The regulatory
treatment of IP communications outside the United States varies significantly
from country to country. Some countries currently impose little or no regulation
on Internet telephony services, as in the United States. Other countries,
including those in which the governments prohibit or limit competition for
traditional voice telephony services, generally do not permit Internet telephony
services or strictly limit the terms under which those services may be provided.
Still other countries regulate Internet telephony services like traditional
voice telephony services, requiring Internet telephony companies to make various
telecommunications service contributions and pay other taxes.
Internationally,
the European Union has also enacted several directives relating to the Internet.
The European Union has, for example, adopted a directive that imposes
restrictions on the collection and use of personal data. Under the directive,
citizens of the European Union are guaranteed rights to access their data,
rights to know where the data originated, rights to have inaccurate data
rectified, rights to recourse in the event of unlawful processing and rights
to
withhold permission to use their data for direct marketing. The directive could,
among other things, affect U.S. companies that collect or transmit information
over the Internet from individuals in European Union member states, and will
impose restrictions that are more stringent than current Internet privacy
standards in the U.S. In particular, companies with offices located in European
Union countries will not be allowed to send personal information to countries
that do not maintain adequate standards of privacy. Compliance with these laws
is both necessary and difficult. Failure to comply could subject us to lawsuits,
fines, criminal penalties, statutory damages, adverse publicity, and other
losses that could harm our business. Changes to existing laws or the passage
of
new laws intended to address these privacy and data protection and retention
issues could directly affect the way we do business or could create uncertainty
on the Internet. This could reduce demand for our services, increase the cost
of
doing business as a result of litigation costs or increased service or delivery
costs, or otherwise harm our business.
Other
laws that reference the Internet, such as the European Union's Directive on
Distance Selling and Electronic Commerce has begun to be interpreted by the
courts and implemented by the European Union member states, but their
applicability and scope remain somewhat uncertain. Regulatory agencies or courts
may claim or hold that we or our users are either subject to licensure or
prohibited from conducting our business in their jurisdiction, either with
respect to our services in general, or with respect to certain categories or
items of our services. In addition, because our services are accessible
worldwide, and we facilitate VoIP telephony services to users worldwide, foreign
jurisdictions may claim that we are required to comply with their laws. For
example, the Australian high court has ruled that a U.S. website in certain
circumstances must comply with Australian laws regarding libel. As we expand
our
international activities, we become obligated to comply with the laws of the
countries in which we operate. Laws regulating Internet companies outside of
the
U.S. may be less favorable than those in the U.S., giving greater rights to
consumers, content owners, and users. Compliance may be more costly or may
require us to change our business practices or restrict our service offerings
relative to those in the U.S. Our failure to comply with foreign laws could
subject us to penalties ranging from criminal prosecution to bans on our
services.
NEW
LAWS AND REGULATIONS AFFECTING THE INTERNET GENERALLY MAY INCREASE OUR COSTS
OF
COMPLIANCE AND DOING BUSINESS, DECREASE THE GROWTH IN INTERNET USE, DECREASE
THE
DEMAND FOR OUR SERVICES OR OTHERWISE HAVE A MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT ON OUR
BUSINESS.
Today,
there are still relatively few laws specifically directed towards online
services. However, due to the increasing popularity and use of the Internet
and
online services, many laws and regulations relating to the Internet are being
debated at all levels of governments around the world and it is possible that
such laws and regulations will be adopted. It is not clear how existing laws
governing issues such as property ownership, copyrights and other intellectual
property issues, taxation, libel and defamation, obscenity, and personal privacy
apply to online businesses. The vast majority of these laws were adopted prior
to the advent of the Internet and related technologies and, as a result, do
not
contemplate or address the unique issues of the Internet and related
technologies. In the United States, Congress has recently adopted legislation
that regulates certain aspects of the Internet, including online content, user
privacy and taxation. In addition, Congress and other federal entities are
considering other legislative and regulatory proposals that would further
regulate the Internet. Congress has, for example, considered legislation on
a
wide range of issues including Internet spamming, database privacy, gambling,
pornography and child protection, Internet fraud, privacy and digital
signatures. For example, Congress recently passed and the President signed
into
law several proposals that have been made at the U.S. state and local level
that
would impose additional taxes on the sale of goods and services through the
Internet. These proposals, if adopted, could substantially impair the growth
of
e-commerce, and could diminish our opportunity to derive financial benefit
from
our activities. For example, in December 2004, the U.S. federal government
enacted the Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act (the "ITNA"). While the ITNA
generally extends through November 2007 the moratorium on taxes on Internet
access and multiple and discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce, it does
not
affect the imposition of tax on a charge for voice or similar service utilizing
Internet Protocol or any successor protocol. In addition, the ITNA does not
prohibit federal, state, or local authorities from collecting taxes on our
income or from collecting taxes that are due under existing tax rules.
42
Various
states have adopted and are considering Internet-related legislation. Increased
U.S. regulation of the Internet, including Internet tracking technologies,
may
slow its growth, particularly if other governments follow suit, which may
negatively impact the cost of doing business over the Internet and materially
adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and
future prospects. Legislation has also been proposed that would clarify the
regulatory status of VoIP service. The Company has no way of knowing whether
legislation will pass or what form it might take. Domain names have been the
subject of significant trademark litigation in the United States and
internationally. The current system for registering, allocating and managing
domain names has been the subject of litigation and may be altered in the
future. The regulation of domain names in the United States and in foreign
countries may change. Regulatory bodies are anticipated to establish additional
top-level domains and may appoint additional domain name registrars or modify
the requirements for holding domain names, any or all of which may dilute the
strength of our names. We may not acquire or maintain our domain names in all
of
the countries in which our websites may be accessed, or for any or all of the
top-level domain names that may be introduced.
THE
INTERNET TELEPHONY BUSINESS IS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE AND ALSO COMPETES WITH
TRADITIONAL AND CELLULAR TELEPHONY PROVIDERS.
The
long
distance telephony market and the Internet telephony market are highly
competitive. There are several large and numerous small competitors and we
expect to face continuing competition based on price and/or service offerings
from existing competitors and new market entrants in the future. The principal
competitive factors in our market include price, quality of service, breadth
of
geographic presence, customer service, reliability, network size and capacity,
and the availability of enhanced communications services. Our competitors
include major and emerging telecommunications carriers in the U.S. and abroad.
Financial difficulties in the past several years of many telecommunications
providers are rapidly altering the number, identity and competitiveness of
the
marketplace. Many of the competitors for our current and planned VoIP service
offerings have substantially greater financial, technical and marketing
resources, larger customer bases, longer operating histories, greater name
recognition and more established relationships in the industry than we have.
As
a result, certain of these competitors may be able to adopt more aggressive
pricing policies which could hinder our ability to market our voice services.
During
the past several years, a number of companies have introduced services that
make
Internet telephony or voice services over the Internet available to businesses
and consumers. All major telecommunications companies, including entities like
AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, either presently or potentially compete or can
compete directly with us. Other Internet telephony service providers, such
as
Skype, Net2Phone, Vonage, Go2Call and deltathree, also focus on a retail
customer base and compete with us. These companies may offer the kinds of voice
services we currently offer or intend to offer in the future. In addition,
companies currently in related markets have begun to provide voice over the
Internet services or adapt their products to enable voice over the Internet
services. These related companies may potentially migrate into the Internet
telephony market as direct competitors. A number of cable operators have also
begun to offer VoIP telephony services via cable modems which provide access
to
the Internet. These companies, which tend to be large entities with substantial
resources, generally have large budgets available for research and development,
and therefore may further enhance the quality and acceptance of the transmission
of voice over the Internet. AOL, Google and Yahoo! also now offer new services
that have features similar to some of our products and services. We also compete
with cellular telephony providers.
PRICING
PRESSURES AND INCREASING USE OF VOIP TECHNOLOGY MAY LESSEN OUR COMPETITIVE
PRICING ADVANTAGE.
One
of
the main competitive advantages of our current and planned VoIP service
offerings is the ability to provide discounted local and long distance telephony
services by taking advantage of cost savings achieved by carrying voice traffic
employing VoIP technology, as compared to carrying calls over traditional
networks. In recent years, the price of telephone service has fallen. The price
of telephone service may continue to fall for various reasons, including the
adoption of VoIP technology by other communications carriers. Many carriers
have
adopted pricing plans such that the rates that they charge are not always
substantially higher than the rates that VoIP providers charge for similar
service. In addition, other providers of long distance services are offering
unlimited or nearly unlimited use of some of their services for increasingly
lower monthly rates.
43
IF
WE DO NOT DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS FOR VOIP PRODUCTS, WE
MAY
NOT BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY MARKET ANY OF OUR VOIP PRODUCTS.
Our
success in the VoIP market is partly dependent on our ability to forge
marketing, engineering and carrier partnerships. VoIP communication systems
are
extremely complex and no single company possesses all the technology components
needed to build a complete end-to-end solution. We will likely need to enter
into partnerships to augment our development programs and to assist us in
marketing complete solutions to our targeted customers. We may not be able
to
develop such partnerships in the course of our operations and product
development. Even if we do establish the necessary partnerships, we may not
be
able to adequately capitalize on these partnerships to aid in the success of
our
business.
THE
FAILURE OF VOIP NETWORKS TO MEET THE RELIABILITY AND QUALITY STANDARDS REQUIRED
FOR VOICE COMMUNICATIONS COULD RENDER OUR PRODUCTS OBSOLETE.
Circuit-switched
telephony networks feature very high reliability, with a guaranteed quality
of
service. In addition, such networks have imperceptible delay and consistently
satisfactory audio quality. VoIP networks will not be a viable alternative
to
traditional circuit switched telephony unless they can provide reliability
and
quality consistent with these standards.
ONLINE
CREDIT CARD FRAUD CAN HARM OUR BUSINESS.
The
sale
of our products and services over the Internet exposes us to credit card fraud
risks. Many of our products and services, including our VoIP services, can
be
ordered or established (in the case of new accounts) over the Internet using
a
major credit card for payment. As is prevalent in retail telecommunications
and
Internet services industries, we are exposed to the risk that some of these
credit card accounts are stolen or otherwise fraudulently obtained. In general,
we are not able to recover fraudulent credit card charges from such accounts.
In
addition to the loss of revenue from such fraudulent credit card use, we also
remain liable to third parties whose products or services are engaged by us
(such as termination fees due telecommunications providers) in connection with
the services which we provide. In addition, depending upon the level of credit
card fraud we experience, we may become ineligible to accept the credit cards
of
certain issuers. We are currently authorized to accept Discover, together with
Visa and MasterCard (which are both covered by a single merchant agreement
with
us). Visa/MasterCard constitutes the primary credit card used by our VoIP
customers. The loss of eligibility for acceptance of Visa/MasterCard could
significantly and adversely affect our business. During 2004, we updated our
fraud controls and will attempt to manage fraud risks through our internal
controls and our monitoring and blocking systems. If those efforts are not
successful, fraud could cause our revenue to decline significantly and our
business, financial condition and results of operations to be materially and
adversely affected.
RISKS
RELATING TO OUR COMPUTER GAMES BUSINESS
WE
HAVE HISTORICALLY RELIED SUBSTANTIALLY ON ADVERTISING REVENUES, WHICH COULD
DECLINE IN THE FUTURE.
We
historically derived a substantial portion of our revenues from the sale of
advertisements, primarily in our Computer Games Magazine. Our games business
model and our ability to generate sufficient future levels of print and online
advertising revenues are highly dependent on the print circulation of our
magazine, as well as the amount of traffic on our websites and our ability
to
properly monetize website traffic. Print and online advertising market volumes
have declined in the past and may decline in the future, which could have a
material adverse effect on us. Many advertisers have been experiencing financial
difficulties which could further negatively impact our revenues and our ability
to collect our receivables. For these reasons, we cannot assure you that our
current advertisers will continue to purchase advertisements from us or that
we
will be successful in selling advertising to new advertisers.
44
THE
MARKET SITUATION CONTINUES TO BE A CHALLENGE FOR CHIPS & BITS DUE TO
ADVANCES IN CONSOLE AND ONLINE GAMES, WHICH HAVE LOWER MARGINS AND TRADITIONALLY
LESS SALES LOYALTY TO CHIPS & BITS.
Our
subsidiary, Chips & Bits depends on major releases in the Personal Computer
(“PC”) market for the majority of sales and profits. Advances in technology and
the game industry’s increased focus on console and online game platforms, such
as Xbox, PlayStation and GameCube, has dramatically reduced the number of major
PC releases, which resulted in significant declines in revenues and gross
margins for Chips & Bits. Because of the large installed base of personal
computers, revenue and gross margin percentages may fluctuate with changes
in
the PC game market. However, we are unable to predict when, if ever, there
will
be a turnaround in the PC game market, or if we will be successful in adequately
increasing our future sales of non-PC games.
WE
MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPETE IN THE ELECTRONIC COMMERCE MARKETPLACE.
The
games
marketplace has become increasingly competitive due to acquisitions, strategic
partnerships and the continued consolidation of a previously fragmented
industry. In addition, an increasing number of major retailers have increased
the selection of video games offered by both their traditional “bricks and
mortar” locations and their online commerce sites, resulting in increased
competition. Our Chips & Bits subsidiary may not be able to compete
successfully in this highly competitive marketplace.
We
also
face many uncertainties, which may affect our ability to generate electronic
commerce revenues and profits, including:
o |
our
ability to obtain new customers at a reasonable cost, retain existing
customers and encourage repeat purchases;
|
o |
the
likelihood that both online and retail purchasing trends may rapidly
change;
|
o |
the
level of product returns;
|
o |
merchandise
shipping costs and delivery times;
|
o |
our
ability to manage inventory levels;
|
o |
our
ability to secure and maintain relationships with vendors; and
|
o |
the
possibility that our vendors may sell their products through other
sites.
|
Additionally,
if use of the Internet for electronic commerce does not continue to grow, our
business and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected.
INTENSE
COMPETITION FOR ELECTRONIC COMMERCE REVENUES HAS RESULTED IN DOWNWARD PRESSURE
ON GROSS MARGINS.
Due
to
the ability of consumers to easily compare prices of similar products or
services on competing websites and consumers’ potential preference for competing
website’s user interface, gross margins for electronic commerce transactions,
which are narrower than for advertising businesses, may further narrow in the
future and, accordingly, our revenues and profits from electronic commerce
arrangements may be materially and adversely affected.
OUR
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE BUSINESS MAY RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT LIABILITY CLAIMS AGAINST
US.
Consumers
may sue us if any of the products that we sell are defective, fail to perform
properly or injure the user. Consumers are also increasingly seeking to impose
liability on game manufacturers and distributors based upon the content of
the
games and the alleged affect of such content on behavior. Liability claims
could
require us to spend significant time and money in litigation or to pay
significant damages. As a result, any claims, whether or not successful, could
seriously damage our reputation and our business.
45
RISKS
RELATING TO OUR INTERNET SERVICES BUSINESS
OUR
CONTRACT TO SERVE AS THE REGISTRY FOR THE “.TRAVEL” TOP-LEVEL DOMAIN MAY BE
TERMINATED EARLY, WHICH WOULD LIKELY DO IRREPARABLE HARM TO OUR NEWLY DEVELOPING
INTERNET SERVICES BUSINESS.
Our
contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (“ICANN”)
to serve as the registry for the “.travel” top-level Internet domain is for an
initial term of ten years. Additionally, we have agreed to engage in good faith
negotiations at regular intervals throughout the term of our contract (at least
once every three years) regarding possible changes to the provisions of the
contract, including changes in the fees and payments that we are required to
make to ICANN. In the event that we materially and fundamentally breach the
contract and fail to cure such breach within thirty days of notice, ICANN has
the right to immediately terminate our contract.
Should
our “.travel” registry contract be terminated early by ICANN, we would likely
permanently shutdown our Internet services business. Further, we could be held
liable to pay additional fees or financial damages to ICANN or certain of our
related subcontractors and, in certain limited circumstances, to pay punitive,
exemplary or other damages to ICANN. Any such developments could have a material
adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
OUR
BUSINESS COULD BE MATERIALLY HARMED IF IN THE FUTURE THE ADMINISTRATION AND
OPERATION OF THE INTERNET NO LONGER RELIES UPON THE EXISTING DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM.
The
domain name registration industry continues to develop and adapt to changing
technology. This development may include changes in the administration or
operation of the Internet, including the creation and institution of alternate
systems for directing Internet traffic without the use of the existing domain
name system. The widespread acceptance of any alternative systems could
eliminate the need to register a domain name to establish an online presence
and
could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results
of operations.
WE
OUTSOURCE CERTAIN OPERATIONS WHICH EXPOSES US TO RISKS RELATED TO OUR THIRD
PARTY VENDORS.
We
do not
develop and maintain all of the products and services that we offer. We offer
most of our services to our customers through various third party service
providers engaged to perform these services on our behalf and also outsource
most of our operations to third parties. Accordingly, we are dependent, in
part,
on the services of third party service providers, which may raise concerns
by
our customers regarding our ability to control the services we offer them if
certain elements are managed by another company. In the event that these service
providers fail to maintain adequate levels of support, do not provide high
quality service, discontinue their lines of business, cease or reduce operations
or terminate their contracts with us, our business, operations and customer
relations may be impacted negatively and we may be required to pursue
replacement third party relationships, which we may not be able to obtain on
as
favorable terms or at all. If a problem should arise with a provider,
transitioning services and data from one provider to another can often be a
complicated and time consuming process and we cannot assure that if we need
to
switch from a provider we would be able to do so without significant
disruptions, or at all. If we were unable to complete a transition to a new
provider on a timely basis, or at all, we could be forced to either temporarily
or permanently discontinue certain services which may disrupt services to our
customers. Any failure to provide services would have a negative impact on
our
revenue, profitability and financial condition and could materially harm our
Internet services business.
REGULATORY
AND STATUTORY CHANGES COULD HARM OUR INTERNET SERVICES BUSINESS.
We
cannot
predict with any certainty the effect that new governmental or regulatory
policies, including changes in consumer privacy policies or industry reaction
to
those policies, will have on our domain name registry business. Additionally,
ICANN’s limited resources may seriously affect its ability to carry out its
mandate or could force ICANN to impose additional fees on registries. Changes
in
governmental or regulatory statutes or policies could cause decreases in future
revenue and increases in future costs which could have a material adverse effect
on the development of our domain name registry business.
46
RISKS
RELATING TO OUR COMMON STOCK
THE
VOLUME OF SHARES AVAILABLE FOR FUTURE SALE IN THE OPEN MARKET COULD DRIVE DOWN
THE PRICE OF OUR STOCK OR KEEP OUR STOCK PRICE FROM IMPROVING, EVEN IF OUR
FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE IMPROVES.
As
of May
2, 2006, we had issued and outstanding approximately 174.7 million shares,
of
which approximately 70.1 million shares were freely tradable over the public
markets. There is limited trading volume in our shares and we are now traded
only in the over-the-counter market. Most of our outstanding restricted shares
of Common Stock were issued more than one year ago and are therefore eligible
to
be resold over the public markets pursuant to Rule 144 promulgated under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Sales
of
significant amounts of Common Stock in the public market in the future, the
perception that sales will occur or the registration of additional shares
pursuant to existing contractual obligations could materially and adversely
drive down the price of our stock. In addition, such factors could adversely
affect the ability of the market price of the Common Stock to increase even
if
our business prospects were to improve. Substantially all of our stockholders
holding restricted securities, including shares issuable upon the exercise
of
warrants or the conversion of the Convertible Notes to acquire our Common Stock
(which are convertible into 68 million shares), have registration rights under
various conditions and will become available for resale in the future.
In
addition, as of March 31, 2006, there were outstanding options to purchase
approximately 15.7 million shares of our Common Stock, which become eligible
for
sale in the public market from time to time depending on vesting and the
expiration of lock-up agreements. The shares issuable upon exercise of these
options are registered under the Securities Act and consequently, subject to
certain volume restrictions as to shares issuable to executive officers, will
be
freely tradable.
Also
as
of May 2, 2006, we had issued and outstanding warrants to acquire approximately
7.3 million shares of our Common Stock. Many of the outstanding instruments
representing the warrants contain anti-dilution provisions pursuant to which
the
exercise prices and number of shares issuable upon exercise may be adjusted.
OUR
CHAIRMAN MAY CONTROL US.
Michael
S. Egan, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, beneficially owns or
controls, directly or indirectly, approximately 140.7 million shares of our
Common Stock as of May 2, 2006, which in the aggregate represents approximately
57% of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock (treating
as outstanding for this purpose the shares of Common Stock issuable upon
exercise and/or conversion of the options, Convertible Notes and warrants owned
by Mr. Egan or his affiliates). Accordingly, Mr. Egan will be able to exercise
significant influence over, if not control, any stockholder vote.
DELISTING
OF OUR COMMON STOCK MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR INVESTORS TO SELL SHARES. THIS
MAY POTENTIALLY LEAD TO FUTURE MARKET DECLINES.
The
shares of our Common Stock were delisted from the NASDAQ national market in
April 2001 and are now traded in the over-the-counter market on what is commonly
referred to as the electronic bulletin board or "OTCBB." As a result, an
investor may find it more difficult to dispose of or obtain accurate quotations
as to the market value of the securities. The delisting has made trading our
shares more difficult for investors, potentially leading to further declines
in
share price and making it less likely our stock price will increase. It has
also
made it more difficult for us to raise additional capital. We may also incur
additional costs under state blue-sky laws if we sell equity due to our
delisting.
OUR
COMMON STOCK MAY BECOME SUBJECT TO CERTAIN "PENNY STOCK" RULES WHICH MAY MAKE
IT
A LESS ATTRACTIVE INVESTMENT.
Since
the
trading price of our Common Stock is less than $5.00 per share, trading in
our
Common Stock would be subject to the requirements of Rule 15g-9 of the Exchange
Act if our net tangible assets were to fall below $2.0 million. Under Rule
15g-9, brokers who recommend penny stocks to persons who are not established
customers and accredited investors, as defined in the Exchange Act, must satisfy
special sales practice requirements, including requirements that they make
an
individualized written suitability determination for the purchaser; and receive
the purchaser's written consent prior to the transaction. The Securities
Enforcement Remedies and Penny Stock Reform Act of 1990 also requires additional
disclosures in connection with any trades involving a penny stock, including
the
delivery, prior to any penny stock transaction, of a disclosure schedule
explaining the penny stock market and the risks associated with that market.
Such requirements may severely limit the market liquidity of our Common Stock
and the ability of purchasers of our equity securities to sell their securities
in the secondary market. For all of these reasons, an investment in our equity
securities may not be attractive to our potential investors.
47
ANTI-TAKEOVER
PROVISIONS AFFECTING US COULD PREVENT OR DELAY A CHANGE OF CONTROL.
Provisions
of our charter, by-laws and stockholder rights plan and provisions of applicable
Delaware law may:
o |
have
the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control
of our
Company;
|
o |
discourage
bids of our Common Stock at a premium over the market price; or
|
o |
adversely
affect the market price of, and the voting and other rights of the
holders
of, our Common Stock.
|
Certain
Delaware laws could have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a
change in control of our Company. One of these laws prohibits us from engaging
in a business combination with any interested stockholder for a period of three
years from the date the person became an interested stockholder, unless various
conditions are met. In addition, provisions of our charter and by-laws, and
the
significant amount of Common Stock held by our current executive officers,
directors and affiliates, could together have the effect of discouraging
potential takeover attempts or making it more difficult for stockholders to
change management. In addition, the employment contracts of our Chairman and
CEO, President and Vice President of Finance provide for substantial lump sum
payments ranging from 2 (for the Vice President) to 10 times (for each of the
Chairman and President) of their respective average combined salaries and
bonuses (together with the continuation of various benefits for extended
periods) in the event of their termination without cause or a termination by
the
executive for “good reason,” which is conclusively presumed in the event of a
“change-in-control” (as such terms are defined in such agreements).
OUR
STOCK PRICE IS VOLATILE AND MAY DECLINE.
The
trading price of our Common Stock has been volatile and may continue to be
volatile in response to various factors, including:
o |
the
performance and public acceptance of our new product lines;
|
o |
quarterly
variations in our operating results;
|
o |
competitive
announcements;
|
o |
sales
of any of our businesses, including the recent sale of our SendTec
business;
|
o |
the
operating and stock price performance of other companies that investors
may deem comparable to us;
|
o |
news
relating to trends in our markets; and
|
o |
disposition
or entry into new lines of business and acquisitions of businesses,
including our Tralliance acquisition.
|
The
market price of our Common Stock could also decline as a result of unforeseen
factors. The stock market has experienced significant price and volume
fluctuations, and the market prices of technology companies, particularly
Internet related companies, have been highly volatile. Our stock is also more
volatile due to the limited trading volume and the high number of shares
eligible for trading in the market.
ITEM
2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
(a)
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities.
None.
(b)
Use
of Proceeds From Sales of Registered Securities.
Not
applicable.
48
None.
None.
None.
31.1 |
Certification
of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and Rule
15d-14(a).
|
31.2 |
Certification
of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and Rule
15d-14(a).
|
32.1 |
Certification
of the Chief 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 the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350
as
adopted pursuant to Section 906 of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
49
Pursuant
to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by
the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Dated: May 10, 2006 | theglobe.com, inc. | |
|
|
|
By: | /s/ Michael S. Egan | |
Michael S. Egan |
||
Chief
Executive Officer
(Principal Executive
Officer)
|
By: | /s/ Edward A. Cespedes | |
Edward A. Cespedes |
||
President
and
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal
Financial Officer)
|
50
31.1 |
Certification
of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and Rule
15d-14(a).
|
31.2 |
Certification
of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and Rule
15d-14(a).
|
32.1 |
Certification
of the Chief 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 the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350
as
adopted pursuant to Section 906 of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
51