VirnetX Holding Corp - Quarter Report: 2010 June (Form 10-Q)
Table of Contents
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
þ | QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2010
OR
o | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
Commission file number 001-33852
VirnetX Holding Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) |
77-0390628 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
|
5615 Scotts Valley Drive, Suite 110 | ||
Scotts Valley, California (Address of Principal Executive Offices) |
95066 (Zip Code) |
(831) 438-8200
(Registrants Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
(Registrants Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Not applicable
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
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 Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such
shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to
such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its
corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted
pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period
that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes o No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated
filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of large
accelerated filer, accelerated filer and smaller reporting company in Rule 12b-2 of the
Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer o | Accelerated filer o | Non-accelerated filer o | Smaller reporting company þ | |||
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of
the Exchange Act). Yes o No þ
The number of shares outstanding of the Registrants Common Stock as of August 2, 2010 was
47,446,023.
VIRNETX HOLDING CORPORATION
INDEX
INDEX
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15 | ||||||||
15 | ||||||||
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17 | ||||||||
29 | ||||||||
30 | ||||||||
31 | ||||||||
Exhibit 10.1 | ||||||||
Exhibit 31.1 | ||||||||
Exhibit 31.2 | ||||||||
Exhibit 32.1 | ||||||||
Exhibit 32.2 |
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PART I FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
VIRNETX HOLDING CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
June 30, | December 31, | |||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
(Unaudited) | ||||||||
ASSETS |
||||||||
Current assets: |
||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 127,179,912 | $ | 2,011,470 | ||||
Accounts receivable, net |
7,717 | 6,842 | ||||||
Prepaid expense and other current assets |
61,601 | 43,863 | ||||||
Total current assets |
127,249,230 | 2,062,175 | ||||||
Property and equipment, net |
19,240 | 23,430 | ||||||
Intangible and other assets |
132,000 | 156,000 | ||||||
Total assets |
$ | 127,400,470 | $ | 2,241,605 | ||||
Current liabilities: |
||||||||
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities |
$ | 572,115 | $ | 4,478,325 | ||||
Income tax liability |
34,000,000 | | ||||||
Accrued dividend |
23,598,000 | | ||||||
Current portion of long-term obligation |
| 40,000 | ||||||
Total current liabilities |
58,170,115 | 4,518,325 | ||||||
Long-term obligation, net of current portion |
| 120,000 | ||||||
Commitments and contingencies |
||||||||
Stockholders equity (deficit): |
||||||||
Preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share |
||||||||
Authorized 10,000,000 shares issued and outstanding: 0 shares at
June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively |
| | ||||||
Common stock, par value $0.0001 per share |
||||||||
Authorized 100,000,000 shares, issued and outstanding: 47,195,477 shares
at June 30, 2010 and 39,750,927 at December
31, 2009, respectively |
4,720 | 3,975 | ||||||
Additional paid in capital |
52,297,611 | 33,730,217 | ||||||
Retained earnings (Deficit accumulated during the development stage) |
16,928,024 | (36,130,912 | ) | |||||
Total stockholders equity (deficit) |
69,230,355 | (2,396,720 | ) | |||||
Total liabilities and stockholders equity (deficit) |
$ | 127,400,470 | $ | 2,241,605 | ||||
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements
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VIRNETX HOLDING CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended | Three Months Ended | |||||||
June 30, 2010 | June 30, 2009 | |||||||
Revenue royalties |
$ | 200,023,392 | $ | 7,207 | ||||
Operating expense: |
||||||||
Royalty expense |
59,239,274 | | ||||||
Research and development |
1,227,688 | 220,558 | ||||||
General, selling and administrative |
24,455,057 | 3,714,995 | ||||||
Total operating expense |
(84,922,019 | ) | (3,935,553 | ) | ||||
Income (loss) from operations |
115,101,373 | (3,928,346 | ) | |||||
Interest and other income, net |
11,601 | 1,244 | ||||||
Income (loss) before taxes |
115,112,974 | (3,927,102 | ) | |||||
Income taxes |
34,000,000 | | ||||||
Net Income (loss) |
$ | 81,112,974 | $ | (3,927,102 | ) | |||
Basic earnings (loss) per share: |
$ | 1.83 | $ | (0.11 | ) | |||
Diluted earnings (loss) per share: |
$ | 1.72 | $ | (0.11 | ) | |||
Weighted average shares outstanding basic |
44,277,422 | 37,369,985 | ||||||
Weighted average shares outstanding dilutive |
47,266,249 | 37,369,985 | ||||||
Dividends declared per common share |
$ | 0.50 | $ | 0.00 |
Six Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||
June 30, 2010 | June 30, 2009 | |||||||
Revenue royalties |
$ | 200,044,161 | $ | 10,361 | ||||
Operating expense: |
||||||||
Royalty expense |
59,239,274 | | ||||||
Research and development |
1,749,923 | 442,257 | ||||||
General, selling and administrative |
28,410,942 | 6,901,684 | ||||||
Total operating expense |
(89,400,139 | ) | (7,343,941 | ) | ||||
Income (loss) from operations |
110,644,022 | (7,333,580 | ) | |||||
Interest and other income, net |
12,914 | 3,471 | ||||||
Income (loss) before taxes |
110,656,936 | (7,330,109 | ) | |||||
Income taxes |
34,000,000 | | ||||||
Net Income (loss) |
$ | 76,656,936 | $ | (7,330,109 | ) | |||
Basic earnings (loss) per share: |
$ | 1.79 | $ | (0.20 | ) | |||
Diluted earnings (loss) per share: |
$ | 1.69 | $ | (0.20 | ) | |||
Weighted average shares outstanding basic |
42,720,896 | 36,974,239 | ||||||
Weighted average shares outstanding dilutive |
45,248,343 | 36,974,239 | ||||||
Dividends declared per common share |
$ | 0.50 | $ | 0.00 |
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements
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VIRNETX HOLDING CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited)
Six Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||
June 30, 2010 | June 30, 2009 | |||||||
Cash flows from operating activities: |
||||||||
Net (loss) |
$ | 76,656,936 | $ | (7,330,109 | ) | |||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating
activities: |
||||||||
Stock-based compensation |
1,565,822 | 1,434,036 | ||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
29,794 | 19,738 | ||||||
Changes in assets and liabilities: |
||||||||
Receivables and other current assets |
(18,612 | ) | (24,574 | ) | ||||
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities |
30,093,790 | 2,537,993 | ||||||
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities |
108,327,730 | (3,362,916 | ) | |||||
Cash flows from investing activities: |
||||||||
Purchase of property and equipment |
(1,603 | ) | (3,429 | ) | ||||
Net cash used in investing activities |
(1,603 | ) | (3,429 | ) | ||||
Cash flows from financing activities: |
||||||||
Payment of royalty obligation less imputed interest |
(160,000 | ) | (44,000 | ) | ||||
Proceeds from exercise of options |
272,208 | | ||||||
Proceeds from exercise of warrants |
16,730,107 | | ||||||
Proceeds from sale of common stock |
| 3,367,925 | ||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
16,842,315 | 3,323,925 | ||||||
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents |
125,168,442 | (42,420 | ) | |||||
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period |
2,011,470 | 457,155 | ||||||
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period |
$ | 127,179,912 | $ | 414,735 | ||||
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: |
||||||||
Cash paid during the period for taxes |
$ | | $ | 2,173 | ||||
Cash paid during the period for interest |
$ | 10,000 | $ | 6,000 | ||||
Supplemental disclosure of noncash investing and
financing activities: |
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements
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VIRNETX HOLDING CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
Note 1 Basis of Presentation
Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements
prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP)
have been condensed or omitted. Results of operations for the interim periods presented are not
necessarily indicative of results which may be expected for any other interim period or for the
year as a whole. The accompanying unaudited interim financial statements include all adjustments
(consisting of normal recurring adjustments) which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for
a fair presentation. The information contained in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q should be
read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and related notes for the year ended
December 31, 2009 which are contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC), on March 31, 2010.
Note 2 Formation and Business of the Company
VirnetX Holding Corporation (we, us, our or the Company) is a company focused on
commercializing a patent portfolio for providing solutions for secure real-time communications such
as instant messaging, or IM, and voice over internet protocol, or VoIP.
In July 2007 we effected a merger between PASW, Inc., a company which had at the time of the
merger, publicly traded common stock with limited operations, and VirnetX, Inc., which became our
principal operating subsidiary. As a result of this merger, the former security holders of VirnetX,
Inc. came to own a majority of our outstanding common stock.
Our principal business activities to date are our efforts to commercialize our patent
portfolio, and our primary source of significant revenue has been from the Settlement and License
Agreement we entered into with Microsoft Corporation on May 14, 2010. We also conduct the
remaining activities of PASW, Inc., which are generally limited to the collection of royalties on
certain internet-based communications by a wholly owned Japanese subsidiary of PASW pursuant to the
terms of a single license agreement. The revenue generated by this agreement is not significant.
The company is no longer considered to be in the development stage as principal operations
have commenced and significant revenues have been recognized. As such, the cumulative amounts and
other additional disclosure required for development stage companies are omitted in the June 30,
2010 quarterly statements.
Note 3 Earnings Per Share
Basic earnings per share is based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding for a
period. Diluted earnings per share is based upon the weighted average number of shares and
potentially dilutive common shares outstanding. Potential common shares outstanding principally
include stock options, warrants, restricted stock and other equity awards under our stock plan.
Note 4 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the VirnetX Holding Company, a
development stage enterprise, and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions
have been eliminated.
These financial statements reflect the historical results of VirnetX, Inc. and subsequent to
the merger date of July 5, 2007, the historical consolidated results of VirnetX Holding
Corporation.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America requires management 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 revenues and
expenses during the reported period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
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Revenue Recognition
We recognize revenue in accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin 104. We are a licensor of
software and generate revenue primarily from the one-time sale of licensed software. Generally,
revenue is recognized upon shipment of licensed software. For multiple element arrangements, the
license fee is allocated to the various elements based on fair value. This quarter, Microsoft
settlement includes a perpetual, fully-paid up license, so the revenue is recognized currently.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
We consider all highly liquid investments purchased with original maturities of three months
or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents.
Concentration of Credit Risk and Other Risks and Uncertainties
Our cash and cash equivalents are primarily maintained at two financial institutions in the
United States. Deposits held with this financial institution may exceed the amount of insurance
provided on such deposits. The balances are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
(FDIC). During the period ended June 30, 2010 we had, at times, funds that were uninsured. The
uninsured balance at June 30, 2010 was in excess of approximately $5,500,000. We have not
experienced any losses on our deposits of cash and cash equivalents.
Intangible Assets
We record intangible assets at cost, less accumulated amortization. Amortization of
intangible assets is provided over the estimated useful lives, which can range from 3 to 15 years,
on either a straight-line basis or as revenue is generated by the asset. This quarter, costs
incurred to defend the patent were expensed due to the uncertainty of additional revenue being
generated by those efforts.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
We identify and record impairment losses on intangible and other long-lived assets used in
operations when events and changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset
might not be recoverable. Recoverability is measured by comparison of the anticipated future net
undiscounted cash flows to the related assets carrying value. If such assets are considered to be
impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of
the assets exceeds the projected discounted future net cash flows arising from the asset.
Research and Development
Research and development costs include expenses paid to outside development consultants and
compensation related expenses for our engineering staff. Research and development costs are
expensed as incurred.
Income Taxes
We account for income taxes under the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred
tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial statement
and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the
differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established when
necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amounts expected to be realized.
Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes using the prospective method allowed by FIN 48.
The adoption of FIN 48 did not have a material impact on our financial statements.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Carrying amounts of our financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents, accounts
payable, notes payable, and accrued liabilities approximate their fair values due to their short
maturities.
Stock-Based Compensation
Our accounting for share-based compensation is in accordance with the fair value method which
requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense in the statement of operations for
all share-based payment awards made to employees and directors including employee stock-options
based on estimated fair values. Using the modified retrospective transition method of adopting
this standard, the financial statements presented herein reflect compensation expense for
stock-based awards as if the provisions of this standard had been applied from the date of
inception.
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In addition, as required we record stock and options granted to non-employees at fair value of
the consideration received or the fair value of the equity instruments issued as they vest over the
performance period.
Note 5 Patent Portfolio
As of June 30, 2010, we had 12 issued U.S. and eight issued foreign technology related
patents, in addition to pending U.S. and foreign patent applications. The terms of our issued U.S.
and foreign patents run through the period 2019 to 2024. Most of our issued patents were acquired
by our principal operating subsidiary, VirnetX, Inc., from Science Applications International
Corporation, or SAIC, pursuant to an Assignment Agreement dated December 21, 2006, and a Patent
License and Assignment Agreement dated August 12, 2005, as amended on November 2, 2006, including
documents prepared pursuant to the November amendment, and as further amended on March 12, 2008.
We are required to make payments to SAIC based on the revenue generated from our ownership or use
of the patents assigned to us by SAIC. Royalty amounts vary depending upon the type of revenue
generating activities, and certain royalty categories are subject to maximums and other
limitations. With respect to revenue-generating activities within our field of use, minimum annual
royalty payments of $50,000 were due beginning in 2008 but as of June 30, 2010 we have met our
maximum royalty payment. SAIC is also entitled under certain circumstances to receive a portion
of the proceeds from revenues, monies or any form of consideration paid to VirnetX for certain
acquisitions of VirnetX or from the settlement of certain patent infringement claims of ours.
Note 6 Income Taxes
The Company had pre-tax income during the six months ended June 30, 2010 for the first time
since inception. The components of income tax expense are as follows:
June 30, 2010 | June 30, 2009 | |||||||
Current |
$ | 34,000,000 | $ | 0 | ||||
Deferred |
0 | 0 | ||||||
Total |
$ | 34,000,000 | $ | 0 | ||||
A reconciliation of the federal statutory rate to the Companys effective rate was as follows:
June 30, 2010 | June 30, 2009 | |||||||
Tax provision (benefit at statutory rate |
$ | 37,500,000 | $ | (2,500,000 | ) | |||
State taxes, net of federal benefit |
6,000,000 | 0 | ||||||
Non deductible expenses |
500,000 | 400,000 | ||||||
Change in deferred tax allowance |
(10,000,000 | ) | 2,100,000 | |||||
Total |
$ | 34,000,000 | $ | 0 | ||||
Prior to the six months ended June 30, 2010, the tax benefit of the Companys net operating loss
carryforwards were fully reserved as utilization was uncertain.
Deferred tax benefit of
net operating loss carryforwards |
$ | 1,000,000 | $ | 10,500,000 | ||||
Research and development credits |
| 500,000 | ||||||
Subtotal |
1,000,000 | 11,000,000 | ||||||
Less utilitzation allowance |
(1,000,000 | ) | (11,000,000 | ) | ||||
Total |
$ | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||
Note 7 Commitments
We lease our office facility under a non-cancelable operating lease that was amended in 2008
and ends in 2012. We recognize rent expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.
Minimum Required | ||||
Lease Payments in | ||||
For the Year | Period | |||
July 1 through December 31, 2010 |
$ | 29,040 | ||
2011 |
59,242 | |||
2012 |
30,202 | |||
$ | 118,484 | |||
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Note 8 Stock Plan
In 2005, VirnetX, Inc. adopted the 2005 Stock Plan, which was assumed by us upon the closing
of the transaction between VirnetX Holding Corporation and VirnetX, Inc. on July 5, 2007. Our
Board of Directors renamed this plan the VirnetX Holding Corporation 2007 Stock Plan, or the Plan,
and our stockholders approved the Plan at our 2008 annual stockholders meeting. The Plan provides
for the issuance of up to 11,624,469 shares of our common stock. To the extent that any award
should expire, become un-exercisable or is otherwise forfeited, the shares subject to such award
will again become available for issuance under the Plan. The Plan provides for the granting of
stock options and stock purchase rights to our employees and consultants. Stock options granted
under the Plan may be incentive stock options or nonqualified stock options. Incentive stock
options, or ISOs, may only be granted to our employees (including officers and directors).
Nonqualified stock options, or NSOs, and stock purchase rights may be granted to our employees and
consultants.
The Plan will expire 10 years after it was approved by our Board of Directors. Options may be
granted under the Plan with an exercise price determined by our Board of Directors, provided,
however, that the exercise price of an ISO or NSO granted to one of our Named Executive Officers
shall not be less than 100% fair market value of the shares at the date of grant and the exercise
price of an ISO granted to a 10% stockholder shall not be less than 110% of the fair market value
of the shares on the date of grant.
There were 5,117,637 options outstanding at June 30, 2010 and 5,785,790 at December 31, 2009
with an average exercise price of $3.21 at June 30, 2010 and $2.57 at December 31, 2009. As of
June 30, 2010, there were 1,071,979 shares available to be granted under the Plan.
During the period January 1, 2010 through June 30, 2010, 1,013,403 options were exercised.
Note 9 Stock-Based Compensation
We account for equity instruments issued to employees in accordance with the fair value method
which requires that such issuances be recorded at their fair value on the grant date. The
recognition of the expense is subject to periodic adjustment as the underlying equity instrument
vests.
Stock-based compensation expense is included in general and administrative expense for the
period ended June 30, 2010. Total stock-based compensation expense was $1,565,822 and $1,434,036
for the six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
As of June 30, 2010, the unrecorded deferred stock-based compensation balance related to stock
options was $5,841,561, which will be amortized as expense over an estimated weighted average
vesting amortization period of approximately 1.6 years.
The fair value of each option grant was estimated on the date of grant using the following
weighted average assumptions:
Period Ended | Year Ended | |||||||
June 30, | December 31, | |||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
Volatility |
110% | 120% | ||||||
Risk-free interest rate |
3.20% | 2.93% | ||||||
Expected life |
7.0 years | 6.6 years | ||||||
Expected dividends |
0% | 0% |
The expected life was determined using the simplified method outlined in Staff Accounting
Bulletin 111, taking the average of the vesting term and the contractual term of the option.
Expected volatility of the stock options was based upon historical data and other relevant factors,
such as the volatility of comparable publicly-traded companies at a similar stage of life cycle.
We have not provided an estimate for forfeitures because we have no history of forfeited options
and believe that all outstanding options at June 30, 2010 will vest. In the future, we may change
this estimate based on actual and expected future forfeiture rates.
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Note 10 Warrants
In 2007 and 2009 we issued warrants to purchase shares of our common stock in public and
private securities offerings.
Warrant Activity As Of The Six Months Ended June 30, 2010
Warrant | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares of | Shares | |||||||||||||||||||||
Common Stock | Terminated/ | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issued Upon | Cancelled/ | |||||||||||||||||||||
Original | Exercise Price | Exercise | Expired | |||||||||||||||||||
Number of | per Share of | During the 6 | During the 6 | Exercisable | ||||||||||||||||||
Warrant | Common | Months Ended | Months Ended | at June 30, | Termination | |||||||||||||||||
Issued | Stock | June 30, 2010 | June 30, 2010 | 2010 | Date | |||||||||||||||||
300,000 | $ | 4.80 | (120,000 | ) | | 180,000 | December 2012 | |||||||||||||||
1,235,000 | $ | 2.00 | (1,233,741 | ) | (1,259 | ) | 0 | | ||||||||||||||
1,235,000 | $ | 3.00 | (1,157,027 | ) | | 77,973 | July 2010(1) | |||||||||||||||
1,235,000 | $ | 4.00 | (1,106,511 | ) | | 128,489 | July 2010(1) | |||||||||||||||
220,000 | $ | 1.80 | (220,000 | ) | | 0 | | |||||||||||||||
2,619,036 | (2) | $ | 3.93 | (2) | (212,926 | ) | | 2,406,110 | March 2015 | |||||||||||||
2,419,023 | $ | 0.01 | | (2,419,023 | ) | 0 | (3) | | ||||||||||||||
2,380,942 | $ | 2.52 | (2,380,942 | ) | | 0 | | |||||||||||||||
Total | (6,431,147 | ) | (2,420,282 | ) | 2,792,572 | |||||||||||||||||
(1) | Subject to call by us under certain conditions. |
|
(2) | The exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable pursuant to these warrants
do not reflect the impact of the Companys declaration of a special cash dividend to stockholders
of record on July 1, 2010. In certain situations, the exercise price and number of shares issuable pursuant to each outstanding Series I Warrant will be adjusted based on certain
price-based formulas. The foregoing description is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by,
the form of warrant filed with the SEC as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K on
September 3, 2009. |
|
(3) | These warrants were to become exercisable under certain conditions. Those conditions were
not met, and accordingly, these warrants terminated on January 14, 2010. |
During the six months ended June 30, 2010, we received aggregate proceeds from the exercise of
warrants of approximately $16,730,000.
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Note 11 Litigation
We commenced a patent infringement lawsuit against Microsoft Corporation in February 2007 and
a second patent infringement lawsuit in March 2010.
On May 14, 2010, we entered into a Settlement and License Agreement with Microsoft to settle
all claims asserted by us against Microsoft. Pursuant to the Microsoft Settlement, Microsoft paid
us $200,000,000 in June 2010 and we dismissed both lawsuits and granted Microsoft a worldwide,
irrevocable, nonexclusive, non-sub licensable fully paid up license under our patents. The license
will not impact our plans to operate a Secure Domain Name Service. The foregoing description of the
Microsoft settlement is not complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the complete
terms of the Settlement and License Agreement, by and between VirnetX, Inc. and the Microsoft
Corporation, dated as of May 14, 2010, a copy of which is attached to this Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2010 as Exhibit 10.01. We have requested confidential
treatment for certain portions of this agreement which have been redacted and provided separately
to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. On May 25, 2010 and June 1, 2010 all claims
asserted by us against Microsoft with respect to the Microsoft litigation were dismissed with
prejudice by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division.
On May 18, 2010, Microsoft filed notices with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, or USPTO,
to end its challenges, commenced in December 2009, of the validity of certain of our patents.
On June 16, 2010, the USPTO confirmed all our claims in our U.S. Patent No. 6,502,135 and U.S.
Patent No. 7,188,180 as patentable and valid and closed all reexamination proceedings for these
patents.
Note 12 Cash Dividend
On June 15, 2010, the Companys Board of Directors declared a special cash dividend of $0.50 per share
of the Companys common stock to holders of record on July 1, 2010. A total amount of $23.6 million was paid to stockholders on July 15, 2010 in connection with this special cash dividend.
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ITEM 2 MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including this Managements Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which provides a safe harbor for
statements about future events, products and future financial performance that are based on the
beliefs of, estimates made by and information currently available to our management. Except for
the historical information contained herein, the outcome of the events described in these
forward-looking statements is subject to risks and uncertainties. See Risk Factors for a
discussion of these risks and uncertainties. The following discussion should be read in
conjunction with and is qualified in its entirety by reference to our consolidated financial
statements included elsewhere in this report. Actual results and the outcome or timing of certain
events may differ significantly from those stated or implied by these forward-looking statements
due to the factors listed under Risk Factors, and from time to time in our other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. For this purpose, using the terms believe, expect,
expectation, anticipate, can, should, would, could, estimate, appear, based on,
may, intended, potential, indicate, are emerging and possible or similar statements are
forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results
and the outcome and timing of certain events to differ materially from those stated or implied by
these forward-looking statements. By making forward-looking statements, we have not assumed any
obligation to, and you should not expect us to, update or revise those statements because of new
information, future events or otherwise.
As used herein, we, us, our, or the Company means VirnetX Holding Corporation,
together with its consolidated subsidiaries where applicable.
Company Overview
We are developing and commercializing software and technology solutions for securing real-time
communications over the Internet. Our patented GABRIEL Connection Technology combines industry
standard encryption protocols with our patented techniques for automated domain name system, or
DNS, lookup mechanisms, enabling users to create a secure communication link using secure domain
names over wired or wireless (4G/LTE) networks. We also intend to establish the exclusive secure
domain name registry in the United States and other key markets around the world. Our software and
technology solutions provide the security platform required by next-generation Internet-based
applications such as instant messaging, or IM, voice over Internet protocol, or VoIP, mobile
services, streaming video, file transfer and remote desktop. Our technology generates secure
connections on a zero-click or single-click basis, significantly simplifying the deployment of
secure real-time communication solutions by eliminating the need for end users to enter any
encryption information.
Our portfolio of intellectual property is the foundation of our business model. We currently
have twelve patents in the United States and eight international patents, as well as several
pending U.S. and foreign patent applications. Our patent portfolio is primarily focused on
securing real-time communications over the Internet, as well as related services such as the
establishment and maintenance of a secure domain name registry. Our patented methods also have
additional applications in operating systems and network security. On December 2, 2009, we
declared to the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) that our U.S. and international patents
are or may be essential to Long Term Evolution (LTE) and 4G wireless specifications. We believe
that we will hold the majority of 4G essential patents related to Series 33 specifications that
define security standards for LTE/4G and are prepared to license the use of our patents for
incorporation into 4G related products such as chips, servers, smartphones, tablets, netbooks,
laptop computers, etc. Our employees include the core development team behind our patent portfolio,
technology and software. This team has worked together for over ten years and is the same team that
invented and developed this technology while working at Science Application International
Corporation, or SAIC. SAIC is a FORTUNE 500® scientific, engineering and technology applications
company that uses its deep domain knowledge to solve problems of vital importance to the nation and
the world, in national security, energy and the environment, critical infrastructure and health.
We acquired this patent portfolio in 2006, and it now serves as the foundation of our licensing
business and planned service offerings. We expect to continue to derive the majority of our
revenue from license fees and royalties associated with these patents. We also intend to continue
our research and development efforts to further strengthen and expand our patent portfolio, and
over time, we plan to leverage this portfolio to develop a product suite that can be sold to
original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, enterprise customers and developers.
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Microsoft Corporation is our first licensee and has been granted a worldwide, irrevocable,
nonexclusive, non-sublicenseable fully paid up license of our patents for Microsoft products. The
license will not impact our plans to operate a Secure Domain Name Service. We also intend to
license our patents and our GABRIEL Connection Technology to manufacturers of chips, servers,
smart phones, tablets, e-Readers, laptops, net books and other devices, within the IP-telephony,
mobility, fixed-mobile convergence and unified communications markets including 4G/LTE. The
leaders in these markets include Alcatel-Lucent, Apple Inc., Avaya Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc.,
Juniper Networks, Inc., LM Ericsson Telephone Company, Motorola, Inc., NEC Corporation, Nokia
Corporation, Nortel Networks Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Sony Ericsson Mobile
Communications AB, among others.
The beta testing of our GABRIEL Connection Technology has been progressing well and has now
become part of our Secure Domain Name Initiative (SDNI) that was announced on April 13, 2010. We
have been in active discussions with leading 4G/LTE companies (domain infrastructure providers,
chipset manufacturers, service providers, and others) to participate in a design pilot for
delivering to end-users and consumers of the Internet and mobile devices the needed and necessary
security requirements for the next generation 4G/LTE wireless networks. The pilot will implement
our patented Secure Domain Name and our GABRIEL Connection Technology.
We also intend to license our patent portfolio, technology and software, including our secure
domain name registry service, to domain infrastructure providers, communication service providers
as well as to system integrators. We believe that the market opportunity for our software and
technology solutions is large and expanding as secure domain names are now an integral part of
securing the next generation 4G/LTE wireless networks. All 4G mobile devices will require their own
individual and unique secure domain name and become part of a secure domain name registry. As part
of our licensing strategy, ipCapital Group, a leading advisor on licensing technology and
intellectual property, continues to assist us in building relationships with several major
potential licensees. Since its founding in 1998, ipCapital Group has supported the licensing
efforts of clients across a variety of technologies and markets, resulting in transactions
representing several hundred million dollars of value.
We intend to continue using an outsourced and leveraged model to maintain efficiency and
manage costs as we grow our licensing business by offering incentives to early licensing targets or
asserting our rights for use of our patents. We also intend to expand our design pilot in
participation with leading 4G/LTE companies (domain infrastructure providers, chipset
manufacturers, service providers, and others) and build our secure domain name registry.
Recent Developments in the Three Months Ended June 30, 2010
On April 27, 2010, we entered into an engagement letter with McKool Smith, a professional
corporation, confirming McKool as our lead counsel in our lawsuit filed in March 2010 against
Microsoft, as the March 2010 Litigation. In the event of a judgment or settlement of the March 2010
Litigation, we agreed to pay McKool a portion of the total proceeds of the March 2010 Litigation,
and a portion of any judgment or settlement paid in our litigation against Microsoft filed in
February 2007, as the February 2007 Litigation. Under the April 2010 engagement letter, McKool
agreed to represent us at McKools standard hourly rates subject to a cap of $7.5 million, plus a
contingency fee. As a result of the March 2010 Litigation and February 2007 Litigation being
settled together in connection with the Settlement and License Agreement with Microsoft, as further
described below, the contingency fee payable to McKool was 10% of the settlement proceeds, plus
expenses.
On May 14, 2010, we entered into a Settlement and License Agreement with Microsoft to settle
all claims asserted by us against Microsoft in the Microsoft litigation, or the Microsoft
Settlement. Pursuant to the Microsoft Settlement, Microsoft agreed to make a one-time cash payment
of $200,000,000 to us in exchange for dismissing both lawsuits and a worldwide, irrevocable,
nonexclusive, non-sub licensable fully paid up license under our patents. The foregoing
description of the Microsoft Settlement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its
entirety by reference to the complete terms of the Settlement and License Agreement, by and between
VirnetX, Inc. and the Microsoft Corporation, dated as of May 14, 2010, a copy of which is attached
to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2010 as Exhibit 10.1. We have
submitted a request for confidential treatment for certain portions of the Microsoft Settlement Agreement. Those
portions have been redacted and have been provided separately to the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission.
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In connection with the Microsoft Settlement, on May 25, 2010 and June 1, 2010, the District
Court entered two Orders of Dismissal whereby all claims asserted by us against Microsoft with
respect to the Microsoft litigation were dismissed with prejudice. In addition, on May 18, 2010,
Microsoft filed Notices of Non-Participation with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or
USPTO, whereby Microsoft stated that it will not participate further in the Inter Partes
Reexamination of certain of our patents.
On June 16, 2010, the USPTO confirmed all our claims in our U.S. Patent No. 6,502,135 and U.S.
Patent No. 7,188,180 as patentable and valid and stated that it has closed all Reexamination
proceedings for these patents.
Subsequent Events
In June the Board of Directors declared a special cash dividend of $.50 per share to our
shareholders of record on July 1, 2010. In connection with the cash dividend, the Board of
Directors also approved a cash distribution to holders of stock options under our 2007 Stock Plan.
In connection with the July 15, 2010 payments, we paid out approximately $26,157,000 to our
stockholders and holders of our stock options.
On July 30, 2010, warrants issued in our January 2009 public offering representing 3,705,000
shares of our common stock expired. All warrants issued to public investors in connection with the
January 2009 offering have expired and are no longer outstanding.
Critical Accounting Policies
There were no material changes in the application of the Companys critical accounting
policies since the end of the most recent fiscal year. For further information, see the Critical
Accounting Policies section of Item 7, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December
31, 2009, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2010.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In January 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board required new disclosures about fair
value of financial instruments for interim and annual reporting periods. These new disclosures are
effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2009, except for
disclosures about purchase, sales, issuances and settlements of so-called Level 3 financial
instruments, which are effective for interim and annual reporting periods in fiscal years beginning
after December 15, 2010. Adoption is not expected to have a material effect on the Companys
consolidated financial statements.
For further information, see the Recent Accounting Pronouncements section of Item 7,
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, in our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009, filed with the SEC on March 31,
2010.
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Results of Operations
Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2010
Compared with Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2009
Compared with Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2009
Revenue Royalties
Revenue generated increased to $200,023,392 for the three months ended June 30, 2010, from
$7,207 for the three months ended June 30, 2009, and to $200,044,161 for the six months ended June
30, 2010, from $10,361 for the six months ended June 30, 2009. Our revenue in 2009 was solely
limited to the royalties earned under our single license agreement through our Japanese subsidiary.
We expect the revenue from this license to decrease substantially in the future. We do not intend
to seek additional licenses or other revenue through our Japanese subsidiary.
Our revenue in 2010 was largely attributable to the revenue generated from the Settlement and
License Agreement entered into with Microsoft Corporation on May 14, 2010. See Part II, Item 1
Legal Proceedings for additional information regarding the Microsoft Settlement.
Royalty Expense
Under our agreements with SAIC, we were obligated to pay SAIC 35% of the proceeds from the
settlement of litigation with Microsoft after reduction for costs, including legal fees and
expenses, incurred by us and SAIC in connection with the Microsoft litigation. In June we paid SAIC
$59,239,274 in connection with our obligations under the SAIC agreements. We remain obligated to
make future payments to SAIC equal to a portion of certain revenues we may generate in the future,
as described in our Report on Form 10-K dated December 31, 2009.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development costs include expenses paid to outside development consultants and
compensation related expenses for our engineering staff. Research and development costs are
expensed as incurred.
Our research and development expenses increased by $1,007,130 to $1,227,688 for the three
months ended June 30, 2010, from $220,558 for the three months ended June 30, 2009, and to
$1,749,923 for the six months ended June 30, 2010, from $442,257 for the six months ended June 30,
2009. This increase is primarily due to increased engineering activities for product development,
salary increase and bonuses paid in March 2010 as well as compensation paid to options holders as
of June 15, 2010.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses include management and administrative personnel,
as well as outside legal, accounting, and consulting services.
Our selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $20,740,062 to $24,455,057 for
the three months ended June 30, 2010 from $3,714,995 for the three month period ended June 30,
2009, and to $28,410,942 for the six months ended June 30, 2010, from $6,901,684 for the six months
ended June 30, 2009. The increase was primarily due to increased legal fees and expenses associated
with our Microsoft litigation and the settlement license agreement.
Within selling, general and administrative expenses, legal fees increased by $19,183,919 to
$21,548,727 for the three months ended June 30, 2010 from $2,364,808 for the three months ended
June 30, 2009, and to $23,665,206 for the six months ended June 30, 2010, from $4,221,197 for the
six months ended June 30, 2009. The increase in fees incurred was due primarily to fees and
expenses associated with our Microsoft litigation and the settlement license agreement.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of June 30, 2010, our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments totaled
$127,179,912.
In the quarter ended June 30, 2010, we received $200,000,000 in cash from Microsoft
Corporation in connection with our May 2010 settlement. We have paid $59,239,274 to SAIC, and
$20,000,000 to McKool Smith. In July 2010, we paid a special dividend to our common shareholders
aggregating $23,598,589. We expect to pay taxes on our taxable income for 2010 and have estimated
and accrued a $34,000,000 tax provision. As such, the proceeds of the Microsoft settlement
expected to be retained by us are approximately $63,000,000.
Before entering into the Microsoft Settlement, we allocated a large part of our cash and cash
equivalents to the fees and expenses associated with the Microsoft litigation. We expect to use
the net proceeds expected to be retained by us from the Microsoft settlement to be sufficient to
fund our operations and provide working capital for general corporate purposes for at least the
next 12 months. We expect to derive the majority of our future revenue from license fees and
royalties associated with our patent portfolio, technology and software.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
None.
ITEM 3 QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.
The primary objective of our investment activities is to preserve principal while at the same
time maximizing yields without significantly increasing risk. To achieve this objective, we intend
to invest in short-term, high-quality, interest-bearing securities. Our investments in debt
securities are subject to interest rate risk. To minimize our exposure to an adverse shift in
interest rates, we invest in short-term securities and maintain an average maturity of one year or
less. If interest rates were to instantaneously increase or decrease by 100 basis points, the
change in the fair market value of our short-term investment would not be a material amount to our
financial statements.
ITEM 4 CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.
(a) Disclosure controls and procedures. Our management, with the participation of our Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure
controls and procedures (as such items are defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, as of the end of the period
covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures as
of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report are effective to ensure that information
we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated
and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure, and that such
information is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in
the SECs rules and forms.
(b) Changes in internal control over financial reporting. There was no change in our internal
control over financial reporting during the quarter ended June 30, 2010 that has materially
affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial
reporting.
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PART II OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1 LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.
We commenced a patent infringement lawsuit against Microsoft Corporation on February 15, 2007,
the February 2007 lawsuit, by filing a complaint in the United States District Court for the
Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division, or the District Court. Pursuant to the complaint, we
alleged that Microsoft infringes two of our U.S. patents: U.S. Patent No. 6,502,135 B1, entitled
Agile Network Protocol for Secure Communications with Assured System Availability, and U.S.
Patent No. 6,839,759 B2, entitled Method for Establishing Secure Communication Link Between
Computers of Virtual Private Network Without User Entering Any Cryptographic Information. On April
5, 2007, we filed an amended complaint specifying certain accused products at issue and alleging
infringement of a third, recently issued U.S. patent: U.S. Patent No. 7,188,180 B2, entitled
Method for Establishing Secure Communication Link Between Computers of Virtual Private Network.
Microsoft answered the amended complaint and asserted counterclaims against us on May 4, 2007.
Microsoft counterclaimed for declarations that our patents are not infringed, are invalid and are
unenforceable. We filed a reply to Microsofts counterclaims on May 24, 2007. We have served our
infringement contentions directed to certain of Microsofts operating system and unified messaging
and collaboration applications. On March 31, 2008, Microsoft filed a motion to dismiss for lack of
standing, which was denied by the court pursuant to an order dated June 3, 2008. Also pursuant to
that court decision, on June 10, 2008, SAIC joined us in our lawsuit as a plaintiff. On November
19, 2008, the court granted our motion to amend our infringement contentions, permitting us to
provide increased specificity and citations to Microsofts proprietary documents and source code to
support our infringement case against Microsofts accused products, including, among other things,
Windows XP, Vista, Server 2003, Server 2008, Live Communication Server, Office Communication Server
and Office Communicator.
On July 30, 2009, the District Court issued its Markman Order in the Microsoft litigation. On
March 16, 2010, the jury awarded us a $105,750,000 verdict against Microsoft for infringing two of
our patents. The jury also found that Microsofts patent infringement was willful.
On March 17, 2010, we filed a new complaint against Microsoft, or the March 2010 lawsuit,
alleging infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,502,135 and 7,188,180 by Microsofts Windows 7 and
Windows Server 2008 R2 software products. We refer to the February 2007 lawsuit and the March 2010
lawsuit, collectively, as the Microsoft litigation.
In addition to the legal proceedings discussed above, in December 2009, Microsoft submitted a
reexamination request to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, to challenge the
validity of certain claims on certain of our patents at issue in connection with the Microsoft
litigation. In January 2010, the USPTO confirmed the validity of certain claims, while taking
non-final action on other of Microsofts claims.
On May 14, 2010, we entered into a Settlement and License Agreement with Microsoft to settle
all claims asserted by us against Microsoft in the Microsoft litigation, or the Microsoft
Settlement. Pursuant to the Microsoft Settlement, Microsoft agreed to make a one-time cash payment
of $200,000,000 to us in exchange for dismissing both lawsuits and a worldwide, irrevocable,
nonexclusive, non-sub licensable fully paid up license under our patents. The license will not
impact our plans to operate a Secure Domain Name Service. The foregoing description of the
Microsoft Settlement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference
to the complete terms of the Settlement and License Agreement, by and between VirnetX, Inc. and the
Microsoft Corporation, dated as of May 14, 2010, a copy of which is attached to this Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2010 as Exhibit 10.1. We have submitted a
request for confidential treatment for certain portions of the
Microsoft Settlement Agreement. Those portions
have been redacted and have been provided separately to the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission.
On May 25, 2010 and June 1, 2010, the District Court entered two Orders of Dismissal whereby
all claims asserted by us against Microsoft with respect to the Microsoft litigation were dismissed
with prejudice.
On May 18, 2010, Microsoft filed Notices of Non-Participation with the USPTO, whereby
Microsoft stated that it will not participate further in the Inter Partes Reexamination of certain
of our patents.
On June 16, 2010, the USPTO confirmed all our
claims in our U.S. Patent No. 6,502,135 and U.S. Patent No. 7,188,180 as patentable and valid and
stated that it has closed all Reexamination proceedings for these patents.
One or more potential intellectual property infringement claims may also be available to us
against certain other companies who have the resources to defend against any such claims. Although
we believe these potential claims are worth pursuing, commencing a lawsuit can be expensive and
time-consuming, and there is no assurance that we will prevail on such potential claims. In
addition, bringing a lawsuit may lead to potential counterclaims which may preclude our ability to
commercialize our initial products, which are currently in development.
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Currently, we are not a party to any other pending legal proceedings, and are not aware of any
proceeding threatened or contemplated against us by any governmental authority or other party.
ITEM 1A RISK FACTORS.
You should carefully consider the following material risks in addition to the other
information set forth in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q before making any investment in the
offered securities. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face.
Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be
immaterial may also adversely affect our business. If any of these risk factors occurs, you could
lose substantial value or your entire investment in the offered securities.
Risks Related to Our Business and Our Industry
We may or may not be able to capitalize on potential market opportunities related to our
licensing strategy or our patent portfolio.
Our business strategy calls for us to enter into licensing relationships with the leading
companies in our target market in order to reach a larger end-user base than we could reach through
direct sales and marketing efforts. Although we entered into a Settlement and License Agreement
with Microsoft Corporation, there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to
capitalize on our patent portfolio or any potential market opportunity in the foreseeable future.
We have engaged ipCapital Group to help develop our licensing strategy and to introduce us to five
potential strategic licensees of our technology. In connection with this engagement, we agreed to
pay ipCapital Group 10% of the royalties of each resulting licensing arrangement, up to an
aggregate maximum of $2 million per licensee, or $10 million in the aggregate. There can be no
assurance that we or ipCapital Group will be successful in these efforts. Our inability to generate
licensing revenues associated with the potential market opportunity could result from a number of
factors, including, but not limited to:
| our management team may not have sufficient bandwidth to successfully capitalize on all
of the opportunities identified by ipCapital Group; |
| we may not be successful in entering into licensing relationships with our targeted
customers on commercially acceptable terms; |
| the validity of certain claims of certain of our patents underlying our licensing
opportunity; and |
Our business plan for commercializing our patents and technology is new and unproven, and
therefore we can provide no assurance that we will be successful in pursuing it.
We intend to develop products to provide a security platform for real-time communications;
however, this is not a defined market. We expect to depend on our intellectual property licensing
fees for the majority of our revenues. Our ability to generate licensing fees is highly dependent
on mainstream market adoption of real-time communications based on SIP or using DNS lookup
protocols as well as customer adoption of our GABRIEL Communication Technology and our secure
domain name registry. We cannot assure you that customers will adopt our products and services, or
that we will succeed in building a profitable business based on our business plan.
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There has been increased competition for security solutions in the real-time communications
industry, as more companies seek to provide products and services similar to our proposed
products and services, and because larger and better-financed competitors may affect our ability
to operate our business and achieve profitability, our business may fail.
We expect competition for our products and services to be intense. We expect to compete
directly against other companies offering similar security products and services that will compete
directly with our proposed products and services. We also expect that we will compete against
established vendors within the IP-telephony, mobility, fixed-mobile convergence and unified
communications markets. These companies may incorporate other competitive technologies into their
product offerings, whether developed internally or by third parties. For the foreseeable future,
substantially all of our competitors are likely to be larger, better-financed companies that may
develop products superior to our proposed products, which could create significant competitive
advantages for those companies. Our future success depends on our ability to compete effectively
with our competitors. As a result, we may have difficulty competing with larger, established
competitor companies. Generally, these competitors have:
| substantially greater financial, technical and marketing resources; |
| a larger customer base; |
| better name recognition; and |
| more expansive product offerings. |
These competitors are likely to command a larger market share than us, which may enable them
to establish a stronger competitive position, in part, through greater marketing opportunities.
Further, our competitors may be able to respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies and
changes in user preferences and to devote greater resources to developing and operating networks of
affinity websites. These competitors may develop products or services that are comparable or
superior. If we fail to address competitive developments quickly and effectively, we may not be
able to remain a viable entity.
We may commence additional legal proceedings against third parties who we believe are
infringing on our intellectual property rights, and if we are forced to litigate to defend our
intellectual property rights, or to defend claims by third parties against us relating to
intellectual property rights, legal fees and court injunctions could adversely affect our
financial condition.
Disputes regarding the ownership of technologies and intellectual property rights are common
and we may have intellectual property infringement claims against parties similar to those that we
pursued against Microsoft Corporation. If we decide to commence actions against any additional
parties, doing so may be expensive and time-consuming, which may adversely affect our financial
condition and results of operations. Moreover, there can be no assurance that we would be
successful in these additional legal proceedings and the existence and outcome of any such
litigation could harm our business. In addition, commencing lawsuits may lead to potential
counterclaims which may preclude our ability to develop and commercialize our initial products.
If we are not able to adequately protect our patented rights, our operations would be
negatively impacted.
Our ability to compete largely depends on the superiority, uniqueness and value of our
technology and intellectual property. To protect our intellectual property rights, we rely on a
combination of patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret laws, confidentiality agreements with
our employees and third parties, and protective contractual provisions. Further, we can give no
assurances that infringement or invalidity claims (or claims for indemnification resulting from
infringement claims) will not be asserted or prosecuted against us or that any such assertions or
prosecutions will not materially adversely affect our business.
Regardless of whether these or any future claims are valid or can be successfully asserted,
defending against such claims could cause us to incur significant costs, could jeopardize or
substantially delay a successful outcome in any future litigation, and could divert resources away
from our other activities. In addition, assertion of infringement claims could result in
injunctions that prevent us from distributing our products. In addition to challenges against our
existing patents, any of the following could also reduce the value of our intellectual property
now, or in the future:
| our applications for patents, trademarks and copyrights relating to our business may not
be granted and, if granted, may be challenged or invalidated; |
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| issued trademarks, copyrights, or patents may not provide us with any competitive
advantages; |
| our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights may not be effective in
preventing misappropriation of our technology; or |
| our efforts may not prevent the development and design by others of products or
technologies similar to or competitive with, or superior to those we develop. |
In addition, we may not be able to effectively protect our intellectual property rights in
certain foreign countries where we may do business in the future or from which competitors may
operate. While we have numerous pending international patents, obtaining such patents will not
necessarily protect our technology or prevent our international competitors from developing similar
products or technologies. Our inability to adequately protect our patented rights would have a
negative impact on our operations and revenues.
In addition, legal standards relating to the validity, enforceability, and scope of protection
of intellectual property rights in Internet-related businesses are uncertain and still evolving.
Because of the growth of the Internet and Internet related businesses, patent applications are
continuously and simultaneously being filed in connection with Internet-related technology. There
are a significant number of U.S. and foreign patents and patent applications in our areas of
interest, and we believe that there has been, and is likely to continue to be, significant
litigation in the industry regarding patent and other intellectual property rights.
The burdens of being a public company may adversely affect our ability to pursue litigation.
As a public company, our management must devote substantial time, attention and financial
resources to comply with U.S. securities laws. This may have a material adverse affect on
managements ability to effectively and efficiently pursue litigation as well as our other business
initiatives. In addition, our disclosure obligations under U.S. securities laws require us to
disclose information publicly that will be available to future litigation opponents. We may, from
time to time, be required to disclose information that will have a material adverse affect on our
litigation strategies. This information may enable our litigation opponents to develop effective
litigation strategies that are contrary to our interests.
When we attempt to implement our secure domain name registry services business, we may be
subject to government and industry regulation and oversight which may impede our ability to
achieve our business strategy.
The U.S. government has historically controlled the authoritative domain name system, or DNS,
root server since the inception of the Internet. On July 1, 1997, the President of the United
States directed the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to privatize the management of the domain name
system in a manner that increases competition and facilitates international participation in its
management.
On September 29, 2006, the U.S. Department of Commerce extended its delegation of authority by
entering into a new agreement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or
ICANN, a California non-profit corporation headquartered in Marina Del Rey, California. ICANN is
responsible for managing the accreditation of registry providers and registrars that manage the
assignment of top level domain names associated with the authoritative DNS root directory.
Although other DNS root directories are possible to create and manage privately without
accreditation from ICANN, the possibility of conflicting name and number assignments makes it less
likely that users would widely adopt a top level domain name associated with an alternative DNS
root directory provided by a non-ICANN-accredited registry service.
On June 26, 2008, ICANN announced that it will be relaxing its prior position and will begin
to issue generic top level domain names, or gTLDs, more broadly than it had previously. ICANN
expects to begin to take applications for gTLDs in April or May of 2009 with an application fee of
$100,000 or more per application. ICANN expects the first of these customized gTLDs to be issued
in the fourth quarter of 2009.
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We are currently evaluating whether we will apply to become an ICANN-accredited registry
provider with respect to one or more customized gTLDs, or create our own alternative DNS root
directory to manage the assignment of non-standard secure domain names. We have not yet begun
discussions with ICANN and we cannot assure you that we will be successful in obtaining ICANN
accreditation for our registry service on terms acceptable to us or at all. Whether or not we
obtain accreditation from ICANN, we will be subject to the ongoing risks arising out of the
delegation of the U.S. governments responsibilities for the domain name system to the U.S.
Department of Commerce and ICANN and the evolving government regulatory environment with respect to
domain name registry services.
The laws governing online secure communications are largely unsettled, and if we become subject
to various government regulations, costs associated with those regulations may materially
adversely affect our business.
The current regulatory environment for our services remains unclear. We can give no assurance
that our planned product offerings will be in compliance with local, state and/or U.S. federal laws
or other laws. Further, we can give no assurance that we will not unintentionally violate such
laws or that such laws will not be modified, or that new laws will be enacted in the future which
would cause us to be in violation of such laws.
VoIP services are not currently subject to all of the same regulations that apply to
traditional telephony. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has imposed some traditional
telephony requirements on VoIP such as disability access requirements and other obligations. It is
possible that federal and state legislatures may seek to impose increased fees and administrative
burdens on VoIP, data and video providers. Such regulations could result in substantial costs
depending on the technical changes required to accommodate the requirements, and any increased
costs could erode the pricing advantage over competing forms of communication and adversely affect
consumer adoption of VoIP products generally.
The use of the Internet and private IP networks to provide voice, video and other forms of
real-time, two-way communications services is a relatively recent development. Although the
provisioning of such services is currently permitted by U.S. law and is largely unregulated within
the United States, several foreign governments have adopted laws and/or regulations that could
restrict or prohibit the provisioning of voice communications services over the Internet or private
IP networks. More aggressive domestic or international regulation of the Internet in general, and
Internet telephony providers and services specifically, may materially and adversely affect our
business, financial condition, operating results and future prospects, particularly if increased
numbers of governments impose regulations restricting the use and sale of IP telephony services.
In addition to regulations addressing Internet telephony and broadband services, other
regulatory issues relating to the Internet in general could affect our ability to provide our
planned security solutions. Congress has adopted legislation that regulates certain aspects of the
Internet, including online content, user privacy, taxation, liability for third-party activities
and jurisdiction. In addition, a number of initiatives pending in Congress and state legislatures
would prohibit or restrict advertising or sale of certain products and services on the Internet,
which may have the effect of raising the cost of doing business on the Internet generally.
If we experience security breaches, we could be exposed to liability and our reputation and
business could suffer.
We will retain certain confidential customer information in our secure data centers and secure
domain name registry. It will be critical to our business strategy that our facilities and
infrastructure remain secure and are perceived by the marketplace to be secure. Our secure domain
name registry operations will also depend on our ability to maintain our computer and
telecommunications equipment in effective working order and to reasonably protect our systems
against interruption, and potentially depend on protection by other registrars in the shared
registration system. The secure domain name servers that we will operate will be critical hardware
to our registry services operations. Therefore, we expect to have to expend significant time and
money to maintain or increase the security of our facilities and infrastructure.
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Security technologies are constantly being tested by computer professionals, academics and
hackers. Advances in the techniques for attacking security solutions could make some or all of
our products obsolete or unmarketable. Likewise, if any of our products are found to have
significant security vulnerabilities, then we may
need to dedicate engineering and other resources to eliminate the vulnerabilities and to
repair or replace products already sold or licensed to our customers. Despite our security
measures, our infrastructure may be vulnerable to physical break-ins, computer viruses, attacks by
hackers or similar disruptive problems. It is possible that we may have to expend additional
financial and other resources to address such problems. Any physical or electronic break-in or
other security breach or compromise of the information stored at our secure data centers and domain
name registration systems may jeopardize the security of information stored on our premises or in
the computer systems and networks of our customers. In such an event, we could face significant
liability and customers could be reluctant to use our services. Such an occurrence could also
result in adverse publicity and therefore adversely affect the markets perception of the security
of electronic commerce and communications over IP networks as well as of the security or
reliability of our services.
Our business greatly depends on the growth of IM, VoIP, mobile services, streaming video, file
transfer and remote desktop and other next-generation Internet-based applications.
Next-generation Internet-based applications such as instant messaging, or IM, voice over
Internet protocol, or VoIP, mobile services, streaming video, file transfer and remote desktop may
not continue to gain widespread market acceptance. The Internet may ultimately prove not to be a
viable commercial marketplace for such applications for a number of reasons, including:
| unwillingness of consumers to shift to VoIP and use other such next-generation
Internet-based applications; |
| refusal to purchase security products to secure information transmitted through such
applications; |
| perception by the licensees of unsecure communication and data transfer; |
| lack of concern for privacy by licensees and users; |
| limitations on access and ease of use; |
| congestion leading to delayed or extended response times; |
| inadequate development of Internet infrastructure to keep pace with increased levels of
use; and |
| increased government regulations. |
If the market for IM, VoIP, mobile services, streaming video, file transfer and remote desktop
does not grow as anticipated, our business would be adversely affected.
The success of our products that secure IM, VoIP, mobile services, streaming video, file
transfer and remote desktop, among other real-time communications applications, depends on the
growth in the number of users, which in turn depends on the Internet gaining more widespread
acceptance as the basis for these real-time communications applications. These real-time
communications applications are still in early stages of market acceptance and we cannot assure you
that they will continue to develop a broader audience. For example, potential new users may view
VoIP as unattractive relative to traditional telephone services for a number of reasons, including
the need to purchase computer headsets or the perception that the price advantage for VoIP is
insufficient to justify the perceived inconvenience.
While the use of IM and other next-generation Internet-based applications has grown rapidly in
personal and professional use, there can be no assurance that users will pay to secure their use
of such applications.
Many services such as Microsoft, Yahoo! and America Online offer IM free of charge. However,
security solutions for these services are not free, and OEMs may not want to adopt such security
solutions if users of IM do not see the value and do not want to pay for such security solutions.
If personal and professional users of IM and other next-generation Internet-based solutions do not
want to pay for the security solutions, we will have difficulty marketing and selling our products
and technologies.
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We expect that we will experience long and unpredictable sales cycles, which may impact our
operating results.
We expect that our sales cycles will be long and unpredictable due to a number of
uncertainties such as:
| the need to educate potential customers about our patent rights and our product and
service capabilities; |
| customers willingness to invest potentially substantial resources and modify their
network infrastructures to take advantage of our products; |
| customers budgetary constraints; |
| the timing of customers budget cycles; and |
| delays caused by customers internal review processes. |
We expect that we will be substantially dependent on a concentrated number of customers. If we
are unable to establish, maintain or replace our relationships with customers and develop a
diversified customer base, our revenues may fluctuate and our growth may be limited.
We expect that for the foreseeable future, a significant portion of our revenues will be
generated from a limited number of customers. There can be no guarantee that we will be able to
obtain such customers, or if we do so, to sustain our revenue levels from these customers. If we
cannot establish, maintain or replace the limited group of customers that we anticipate will
generate a substantial majority revenues, or if they do not generate revenues at the levels or at
the times that we anticipate, our ability to maintain or grow our revenues will be adversely
affected.
If we do not successfully develop our planned products and services in a cost-effective manner
to customer demand in the rapidly evolving market for Internet and IP-based communications
services, our business may fail.
The market for communications services is characterized by rapidly changing technology,
evolving industry standards, changes in customer needs and frequent new service and product
introductions. We are currently focused on developing products to provide security solutions for
real-time communications. Our future success will depend, in part, on our ability to use new
technologies effectively, to continue to develop our technical expertise, to enhance our existing
services and to develop new services that meet changing customer needs on a timely and
cost-effective basis. We may not be able to adapt quickly enough to changing technology, customer
requirements and industry standards. If we fail to use new technologies effectively, to develop
our technical expertise and new services, or to enhance existing services on a timely basis, either
internally or through arrangements with third parties, our product and service offerings may fail
to meet customer needs, which would adversely affect our revenues and prospects for growth.
In addition, if we are unable, for technological, legal, financial or other reasons, to adapt
in a timely manner to changing market conditions or customer requirements, we could lose customers,
strategic alliances and market share. Sudden changes in user and customer requirements and
preferences, the frequent introduction of new products and services embodying new technologies and
the emergence of new industry standards and practices could render our existing products, services
and systems obsolete. The emerging nature of products and services in the technology and
communications industry and their rapid evolution will require that we continually improve the
performance, features and reliability of our products and services. Our success will depend, in
part, on our ability to:
| design, develop, launch and/or license our planned products, services and technologies
that address the increasingly sophisticated and varied needs of our prospective customers;
and |
| respond to technological advances and emerging industry standards and practices on a
cost-effective and timely basis. |
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The development of our planned products and services and other patented technology involves
significant technological and business risks and requires substantial expenditures and lead time.
We may be unable to use new technologies effectively. Updating our technology internally and
licensing new technology from third-parties may also require us to incur significant additional
expenditures.
If our products do not gain market acceptance, we may not be able to fund future operations.
A number of factors may affect the market acceptance of our planned products or any other
products we develop or acquire, including, among others:
| the price of our products relative to other products that seek to secure real-time
communication; |
| the perception by users of the effectiveness of our products; |
| our ability to fund our sales and marketing efforts; and |
| the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts. |
If our products do not gain market acceptance, we may not be able to fund future operations,
including the development of new products and/or our sales and marketing efforts for our current
products, which inability would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition
and operating results.
We may incur significant expenses and damages because of liability claims.
An actual or perceived breach of our security solutions could result in a product liability
claim against us. A substantial product liability claim against us could harm our operating
results and financial condition. In addition, any actual or perceived breach of our security
solution, whether or not caused by the failure of one of our products, could hurt our reputation
and cause potential customers to turn to our competitors products.
Our products are highly technical and may contain undetected errors, which could cause harm to
our reputation and adversely affect our business.
Our products are highly technical and complex and, when deployed, may contain errors or
defects. In addition, we rely on third parties for software development and technology services,
and there may be errors in the development processes used by our third party counterparts that may
adversely affect our end products. Despite testing, some errors in our products may only be
discovered after a product has been installed and used by customers. Any errors or defects
discovered in our products after commercial release could result in failure to achieve market
acceptance, loss of revenue or delay in revenue recognition, loss of customers and increased
service and warranty cost, any of which could adversely affect our business, operating results and
financial condition. In addition, we could face claims for product liability, tort or breach of
warranty, including claims relating to changes to our products made by our channel partners. The
performance of our products could have unforeseen or unknown adverse effects on the networks over
which they are delivered as well as on third-party applications and services that utilize our
services, which could result in legal claims against us, harming our business. Furthermore, we
expect to provide implementation, consulting and other technical services in connection with the
implementation and ongoing maintenance of our products, which typically involves working with
sophisticated software, computing and communications systems. We expect that our contracts with
customers will contain provisions relating to warranty disclaimers and liability limitations, which
may not be upheld. Defending a lawsuit, regardless of its merit, is costly and may divert
managements attention and adversely affect the markets perception of us and our products. In
addition, if our business liability insurance coverage proves inadequate or future coverage is
unavailable on acceptable terms or at all, our business, operating results and financial condition
could be adversely impacted.
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Malfunctions of third-party communications infrastructure, hardware and software expose us to a
variety of risks we cannot control.
In addition, our business will also depend upon the capacity, reliability and security of the
infrastructure owned by third parties that we will use to deploy our offerings. We have no control
over the operation, quality or maintenance of a significant portion of that infrastructure or
whether or not those third parties will upgrade or improve their equipment. We depend on these
companies to maintain the operational integrity of our connections. If one or more of these
companies is unable or unwilling to supply or expand its levels of service to us in the future, our
operations could be severely interrupted. Also, to the extent the number of users of networks
utilizing our future products suddenly increases, the technology platform and secure hosting
services which will be required to accommodate a higher volume of traffic may result in slower
response times or service interruptions. System interruptions or increases in response time could
result in a loss of potential or existing users and, if sustained or repeated, could reduce the
appeal of the networks to users. In addition, users depend on real-time communications; outages
caused by increased traffic could result in delays and system failures. These types of occurrences
could cause users to perceive that our solution does not function properly and could therefore
adversely affect our ability to attract and retain licensees, strategic partners and customers.
System failure or interruption or our failure to meet increasing demands on our systems could
harm our business.
The success of our license and service offerings will depend on the uninterrupted operation of
various systems, secure data centers and other computer and communication networks that we
establish. To the extent the number of users of networks utilizing our future products suddenly
increases, the technology platform and hosting services which will be required to accommodate a
higher volume of traffic may result in slower response times, service interruptions or delays or
system failures. Our systems and operations will also be vulnerable to damage or interruption
from:
| power loss, transmission cable cuts and other telecommunications failures; |
| damage or interruption caused by fire, earthquake, and other natural disasters; |
| computer viruses or software defects; and |
| physical or electronic break-ins, sabotage, intentional acts of vandalism, terrorist
attacks and other events beyond our control. |
System interruptions or failures and increases or delays in response time could result in a
loss of potential or existing users and, if sustained or repeated, could reduce the appeal of the
networks to users. These types of occurrences could cause users to perceive that our solution does
not function properly and could therefore adversely affect our ability to attract and retain
licensees, strategic partners and customers.
Any significant problem with our systems or operations could result in lost revenue, customer
dissatisfaction or lawsuits against us. A failure in the operation of our secure domain name
registration system could result in the inability of one or more registrars to register and
maintain secure domain names for a period of time. A failure in the operation or update of the
master directory that we plan to maintain could result in deletion or discontinuation of assigned
secure domain names for a period of time. The inability of the registrar systems we establish,
including our back office billing and collections infrastructure, and telecommunications systems to
meet the demands of an increasing number of secure domain name requests could result in substantial
degradation in our customer support service and our ability to process registration requests in a
timely manner.
Our ability to sell our solutions will be dependent on the quality of our technical support, and
our failure to deliver high-quality technical support services could have a material adverse
effect on our sales and results of operations.
If we do not effectively assist our customers in deploying our products, succeed in helping
our customers quickly resolve post-deployment issues and provide effective ongoing support, or if
potential customers perceive that we may not be able achieve to the foregoing, our ability to sell
our products would be adversely affected, and our reputation with potential customers could be
harmed. In addition, as we expand our operations internationally, our technical support team will
face additional challenges, including those associated with delivering support, training and
documentation in languages other than English. As a result, our failure to deliver and maintain
high-quality technical support services to our customers could result in customers choosing to use
our competitors products instead of ours in the future.
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Telephone carriers have petitioned governmental agencies to enforce regulatory tariffs, which,
if granted, would increase the cost of online communication, and such increase in cost may
impede the growth of online communication and adversely affect our business.
Use of the Internet has over-burdened existing telecommunications infrastructures, and many
high traffic areas have begun to experience interruptions in service. As a result, certain local
telephone carriers have petitioned governmental agencies to enforce regulatory tariffs on IP
telephony traffic that crosses over the traditional telephone networks. If any of these petitions
or the relief that they seek is granted, the costs of communicating via online could increase
substantially, potentially adversely affecting the growth in the use of online secure
communications. Any of these developments could have an adverse effect on our business.
The departure of Kendall Larsen, our Chief Executive Officer and President, and/or other key
personnel could compromise our ability to execute our strategic plan and may result in
additional severance costs to us.
Our success largely depends on the skills, experience and efforts of our key personnel,
including Kendall Larsen, our Chief Executive Officer and President. We have no employment
agreements with any of our key executives that prevent them from leaving us at any time. In
addition, we do not maintain key person life insurance for any of our officers or key employees.
The loss of Mr. Larsen, or our failure to retain other key personnel, would jeopardize our ability
to execute our strategic plan and materially harm our business.
We will need to recruit and retain additional qualified personnel to successfully grow our
business.
Our future success will depend in part on our ability to attract and retain qualified
operations, marketing and sales personnel as well as engineers. Inability to attract and retain
such personnel could adversely affect our business. Competition for engineering, sales, marketing
and executive personnel is intense, particularly in the technology and Internet sectors and in the
regions where our facilities are located. We can provide no assurance that we will attract or
retain such personnel.
Growth of internal operations and business may strain our financial resources.
We may need to significantly expand the scope of our operating and financial systems in order to
build our business. Our growth rate may place a significant strain on our financial resources for
a number of reasons, including, but not limited to, the following:
| the need for continued development of the financial and information management systems; |
| the need to manage relationships with future licensees, resellers, distributors and
strategic partners; |
| the need to hire and retain skilled management, technical and other personnel necessary
to support and manage our business; and |
| the need to train and manage our employee base. |
The addition of new infrastructure services, networks, vertical categories and affinity
websites and the attention they demand, may also strain our management resources. We cannot give
you any assurance that we will adequately address these risks and, if we do not, our ability to
successfully expand our business could be adversely affected.
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Failing to maintain the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting could
cause the cost related to remediation to increase and could cause our stock price to decline.
In the future, our management may identify deficiencies regarding the design and effectiveness
of our system of internal control over financial reporting that we engage in pursuant to Section
404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, as part of our periodic reporting obligations. Such
deficiencies could include those arising from turnover of qualified personnel or arising as a
result of acquisitions, which we may not be able to remediate in time to meet the continuing
reporting deadlines imposed by Section 404 and the costs of which may harm our results of
operations. In addition, if we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, as such
standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time; we may not be able to ensure
that our management can conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal controls. We
also may not be able to retain an independent registered public accounting firm with sufficient
resources to attest to and report on our internal controls in a timely manner. Moreover, our
registered public accounting firm may not agree with our managements future assessments and may
deem our controls ineffective if we are unable to remediate on a timely basis. If in the future we
are unable to assert that we maintain effective internal controls, our investors could lose
confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports which could cause our stock
price to decline.
If we expand into international markets, our inexperience outside the United States would
increase the risk that our international expansion efforts will not be successful, which would
in turn limit our prospects for growth.
We may explore expanding our business to outside the United States. Expansion into
international markets requires significant management attention and financial resources. In
addition, we may face the following risks associated with any expansion outside the United States:
| challenges caused by distance, language and cultural differences; |
| legal, legislative and regulatory restrictions; |
| currency exchange rate fluctuations; |
| economic instability; |
| longer payment cycles in some countries; |
| credit risk and higher levels of payment fraud; |
| potentially adverse tax consequences; and |
| other higher costs associated with doing business internationally. |
These risks could harm our international expansion efforts, which would in turn harm our
business prospects.
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Risks Related to Our Stock
We do not intend to pay regular future dividends on our common stock and thus stockholders must
look to appreciation of our common stock to realize a gain on their investments.
Although we paid a special cash dividend to holders of our common stock with a record date of
July 1, 2010, we do not have any plans to continue paying dividends in the foreseeable future.
Instead, we currently intend to retain any future earnings for funding growth. Our future dividend
policy is within the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon various factors,
including our business, financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, and
investment opportunities. Accordingly, stockholders must look solely to appreciation of our common
stock to realize a gain on their investment. This appreciation may not occur.
The exercise of our outstanding warrants may result in a dilution of our current stockholders
voting power and an increase in the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public
market which may negatively impact the market price of our stock.
The exercise of some or all of our outstanding warrants could significantly dilute the
ownership interests of our existing stockholders. As of July 30, 2010, we had outstanding warrants
to purchase an aggregate of 2,814,002 shares of common stock, including (i) the warrant to purchase
180,000 shares of common stock issued to the underwriter of our December 2007 sale of common shares
and warrants, (ii) the warrants to purchase 2,634,002 shares of common stock (as adjusted as a
result of the declaration of a special cash dividend on July 1, 2010) underlying the Series I
Warrants issued pursuant to our September 2009 private placement transaction. See Note 10
Warrants to the financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional information
regarding the adjustment feature of the Series I Warrants. To the extent outstanding warrants are
exercised, additional shares of common stock will be issued, and such issuance may dilute existing
stockholders and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market.
Additionally, the issuance of up to 3,090,254 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of
vested stock options and other stock awards outstanding as of July 30, 2010 pursuant to our stock
incentive plan may further dilute our existing stockholders voting interest.
In addition to the dilutive effects described above, the exercise of those securities would
lead to a potential increase in the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market.
Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market could adversely affect the market
price of our shares.
Trading in our common stock is limited and the price of our common stock may be subject to
substantial volatility, particularly in light of the instability in the financial and capital
markets.
Our common stock is listed on NYSE Amex, but its daily trading volume has been limited, sporadic
and volatile. Over the past year the market price of our common stock has experienced significant
fluctuations. Between December 31, 2008 and June 30, 2010, the reported last sale price for our
common stock has ranged from $7.00 to $1.06 per share. We expect the price of our common stock to
continue to be volatile as a result of a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the
following:
| developments in any then-outstanding litigation; |
| quarterly variations in our operating results; |
| large purchases or sales of common stock; |
| actual or anticipated announcements of new products or services by us or competitors; |
| general conditions in the markets in which we compete; and |
| economic and financial conditions. |
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Because ownership of our common shares is concentrated, investors may have minimal influence on
stockholder decisions.
As of June 30, 2010, our executive officers and directors beneficially owned an aggregate of
9,426,120 shares, or approximately 20% of our then outstanding common stock. In addition, a group
of stockholders that, as of December 31, 2007, held 4,766,666 shares, or approximately 12% of our
then outstanding common stock, have entered into a voting agreement with us that requires them to
vote all of their shares of our voting stock in favor of the director nominees approved by our
Board of Directors at each director election going forward, and in a manner that is proportional to
the votes cast by all other voting shares as to any other matters submitted to the stockholders for
a vote. As a result, our existing officers and directors could significantly influence stockholder
actions of which you disapprove or that are contrary to your interests. This ability to exercise
significant influence could prevent or significantly delay another company from acquiring or
merging with us.
Securities analysts may not cover our common stock and this may have a negative impact on our
common stocks market price.
The trading market for our common stock may depend on the research and reports that securities
analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. There
is no guarantee that securities analysts will cover our common stock. If securities analysts do
not cover our common stock, the lack of research coverage may adversely affect our common stocks
market price. If we are covered by securities analysts, and our stock is downgraded, our stock
price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases to cover us or fails to
publish regularly reports on us, we could lose or fail to gain visibility in the financial markets,
which could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
Our protective provisions could make it difficult for a third party to successfully acquire
us even if you would like to sell your shares to them.
We have a number of protective provisions that could delay, discourage or prevent a third
party from acquiring control of us without the approval of our Board of Directors. Our protective
provisions include:
| A staggered Board of Directors: This means that only one or two directors (since we
have a five-person Board of Directors) will be up for election at any given annual meeting.
This has the effect of delaying the ability of stockholders to effect a change in control
of us since it would take two annual meetings to effectively replace at least three
directors which represents a majority of the Board of Directors. |
| Blank check preferred stock: Our Board of Directors has the authority to establish the
rights, preferences and privileges of our 10,000,000 authorized, but unissued, shares of
preferred stock. Therefore, this stock may be issued at the discretion of our Board of
Directors with preferences over your shares of our common stock in a manner that is
materially dilutive to existing stockholders. In addition, blank check preferred stock can
be used to create a poison pill which is designed to deter a hostile bidder from buying a
controlling interest in our stock without the approval of our Board of Directors. We have
not adopted such a poison pill; but our Board of Directors has the ability to do so in
the future, very rapidly and without stockholder approval. |
| Advance notice requirements for director nominations and for new business to be brought
up at stockholder meetings: Stockholders wishing to submit director nominations or raise
matters to a vote of the stockholders must provide notice to us within very specific date
windows and in very specific form in order to have the matter voted on at a stockholder
meeting. This has the effect of giving our Board of Directors and management more time to
react to stockholder proposals generally and could also have the effect of disregarding a
stockholder proposal or deferring it to a subsequent meeting to the extent such proposal is
not raised properly. |
| No stockholder actions by written consent: No stockholder or group of stockholders may
take actions rapidly and without prior notice to our Board of Directors and management or
to the minority stockholders. Along with the advance notice requirements described above,
this provision also gives our Board of Directors and management more time to react to
proposed stockholder actions. |
| Super majority requirement for stockholder amendments to the By-laws: Stockholder
proposals to alter or amend our By-laws or to adopt new By-laws can only be approved by the
affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding shares. |
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| Elimination of the ability of stockholders to call a special meeting of the
stockholders: Only the Board of Directors or management can call special meetings of the
stockholders. This could mean that stockholders, even those who represent a significant
block of our shares, may need to wait for the annual meeting before nominating directors or
raising other business proposals to be voted on by the stockholders. |
In addition, the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporate Law govern us.
These provisions may prohibit large stockholders, in particular those owning 15% or more of our
outstanding voting stock, from merging or combining with us for a certain period of time.
These and other provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our
By-laws and under Delaware law could discourage potential takeover attempts, reduce the price that
investors might be willing to pay for shares of our common stock in the future and result in the
market price being lower than it would be without these provisions.
Our business and ability to grow are subject to risks associated with the ongoing financial
crisis and weak global economy.
The continuing turmoil in the financial markets and weak global economy impacts our ability to
enter into licensing and other customer agreements. Further, these conditions and uncertainty
about future economic conditions make it challenging for us to forecast our operating results, make
business decisions and identify the risks that may affect our business, financial condition and
results of operations. If we are not able to timely and appropriately adapt to changes resulting
from the difficult macroeconomic environment, our business, financial condition, and results of
operations may be significantly negatively affected.
ITEM 2 UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS.
We had no issuance of unregistered securities during the three months ended June 30, 2010.
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ITEM 6 EXHIBITS.
Exhibit | ||||
Number | Description | |||
10.1 | Settlement and License Agreement, by and between Microsoft
Corporation, a Washington corporation, and VirnetX, Inc., a
Delaware corporation.(1) |
|||
31.1 | Certification of the President and Chief Executive Officer
pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
|||
31.2 | Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section
302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
|||
32.1 | Certification of the President and 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.* |
(1) | Pursuant to a request for confidential treatment, portions of
Exhibit 10.1 have been redacted and have been provided separately to the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission. |
|
* | Furnished herewith. |
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Table of Contents
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly
caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
VIRNETX HOLDING CORPORATION |
||||
By: | /s/ Kendall Larsen | |||
Kendall Larsen | ||||
Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) | ||||
By: | /s/ William E. Sliney | |||
William E. Sliney | ||||
Chief Financial Officer (Principal Accounting and Financial Officer) |
Date: August 9, 2010
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Table of Contents
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit | ||||
Number | Description | |||
10.1 | Settlement and License Agreement, by and between Microsoft
Corporation, a Washington corporation, and VirnetX, Inc., a
Delaware corporation.(1) |
|||
31.1 | Certification of the President and Chief Executive Officer
pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
|||
31.2 | Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section
302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
|||
32.1 | Certification of the President and 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.* |
(1) | Pursuant to a request for confidential treatment, portions of
the Exhibit have been redacted and have been provided separately to the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission. |
|
* | Furnished herewith. |
32