Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2013
Commitments And Contingencies  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

[1] Legal Fees:

Dovel & Luner, LLP provides legal services to the Company with respect to its patent litigation commenced in May 2013 against Apple, Inc., Microsoft, Inc. and other major vendors of document system software and computer systems in the United States District Court of Texas, Tyler Division for infringement of U.S. Patent No. 6,006,227. The terms of our agreement with Dovel & Luner LLP provide for legal fees on a contingency basis ranging from 25% to 40% of the net recovery (after deduction of expenses) depending upon the stage of proceeding in which a result (settlement or judgment) is achieved, subject to certain agreed upon contingency fee caps depending upon the amount of the net recovery. The Company is responsible for a certain portion of the expenses incurred with respect to the litigation. 

Dovel & Luner, LLP provides legal services to the Company with respect to the Company’s pending patent litigation against eleven (11) data networking equipment manufacturers filed in September 2011 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler (See Note D[1]). The terms of the Company’s agreement with Dovel & Luner LLP essentially provides for legal fees on a full contingency basis ranging from 12.5% to 35% (with certain exceptions) of the net recovery (after deduction for expenses) depending on the stage of the preceding in which a result (settlement or judgment) is achieved. For the nine month periods ended September 30, 2013 and September 30, 2012, the Company accrued aggregate legal fees with respect to the litigation of $181,000 and $297,000, respectively, to Dovel & Luner, LLP. The Company is responsible for a certain portion of the expenses incurred with respect to the litigation.

Dovel & Luner, LLP provided legal services to the Company with respect to the litigation settled in July 2010 against several major data networking equipment manufacturers (See Note D[3] hereof). The terms of the Company’s agreement with Dovel & Luner, LLP with respect to this litigation provided for legal fees of a maximum aggregate cash payment of $1.5 million plus a contingency fee of 24% (based on the settlement being achieved at the trial stage). Because of the royalty payments payable quarterly by Cisco in accordance with the Company’s settlement and license agreement with Cisco (See Note D[3]), the Company has an obligation to pay Dovel & Luner 24% of such royalties received. During the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, the Company incurred aggregate legal fees to Dovel & Luner, LLP of approximately $1,479,000 and $1,581,000, respectively, with respect to the aforementioned litigation.

With respect to the Company’s litigation against D-Link, which was settled in May 2007, the Company utilized the legal services of Blank Rome, LLP on a full contingency basis. In accordance with the Company’s contingency fee agreement with Blank Rome LLP, once the Company recovers its expenses related to the litigation (which was recovered in the first quarter of 2013), the Company is obligated to pay legal fees to Blank Rome LLP equal to 25% of the royalty revenue received by the Company from its license agreement with D-Link. During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, the Company accrued legal fees to Blank Rome of $24,000.

[2] Patent Acquisitions:

 

On February 28, 2013, the Company completed the acquisition of four (4) patents (as well as a pending patent application) from Dr. Ingemar Cox, a technology leader in digital watermarking content identification, digital rights management and related technologies, for a purchase price of $1,000,000 in cash and 403,226 shares of the Company’s common stock. In addition, the Company is obligated to pay Dr. Cox 12.5% of the net proceeds (after deduction of expenses) generated by the Company from licensing, sale or enforcement of the patents. As of September 30, 2013, the Company has filed seven (7) additional related patent applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office seeking patent protection based upon the original patent application filed in 2000.

On May 21, 2013, the Company’s newly formed subsidiary, Mirror Worlds Technologies, LLC, acquired all of the patents previously owned by Mirror Worlds, LLC (which subsequently changed its name to Looking Glass LLC), consisting of nine (9) issued United States patents and five (5) pending applications covering foundational technologies that enable unified search and indexing, displaying and archiving of documents in a computer system. As consideration for the patent acquisition, the Company paid Mirror Worlds, LLC $3,000,000 in cash, and issued 5-year warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,750,000 shares of the Company’s common stock (875,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.40 per share and 875,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $2.10 per share). As part of the acquisition, the Company also entered into an agreement with Recognition Interface, LLC (Recognition”), an entity that financed the commercialization of the patent portfolio prior to its sale to Mirror Worlds, LLC and also retained an interest in the licensing proceeds of the patent portfolio held by Mirror Worlds, LLC. Pursuant to the terms of the Company’s agreement with Recognition, Recognition received (i) 5-year warrants to purchase 250,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at $1.40 per share, and (ii) 5-year warrants to purchase 250,000 shares of common stock at $2.10 per share. Recognition also received from the Company an interest in the net proceeds realized from the monetization of the patent portfolio as follows: (i) 10% of the first $125 million of net proceeds, (ii) 15% of the next $125 million of net proceeds, and (iii) 20% of any portion of the net proceeds in excess of $250 million. In addition, Abacus and Associates, Inc. (“Abacus”), an investment entity affiliated with Recognition, received a 60-day warrant to purchase 500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at $2.05 per share. In accordance with the Company’s agreement with Recognition, as a result of the exercise of the 60-day warrant by Abacus in July 2013, additional warrants to purchase an aggregate of 250,000 shares (125,000 shares at an exercise price of $2.10 per share and 125,000 shares at an exercise price of $1.40 per share) of the Company’s common stock were issued to Recognition.

 

[3] Amended Patent Purchase Agreement:

 

On January 18, 2005, the Company and Merlot Communications, Inc., the successor of which is BAXL Technologies, Inc. (the “Seller”), amended the Patent Purchase Agreement originally entered into in November 2003 (the "Amendment") pursuant to which the Company paid an additional purchase price of $500,000 to Seller for the restructuring of future contingent payments to Seller from the licensing or sale of the patents (including the Remote Power Patent and the QoS family of patents). The Amendment provided for future contingent payments by the Company to Seller of $1.0 million upon achievement of $25 million of Net Royalties (as defined) which payment was accrued in 2011 and subsequently paid, an additional $1.0 million upon achievement of $50 million of Net Royalties and an additional $500,000 upon achievement of $62.5 million of Net Royalties from the licensing or sale of the patents acquired from Seller.

 

[4] Services Agreement:

Pursuant to an agreement, dated November 30, 2004, between the Company and ThinkFire Services USA, Ltd. (“ThinkFire”), the Company is obligated to pay ThinkFire fees from royalty payments received from certain licensees in consideration for services performed on behalf of the Company. During the nine month periods ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, the Company accrued fees of approximately $77,000 and $73,000, respectively, with respect to its obligation to ThinkFire.

[5] Lease Agreement:

The Company currently leases office space in New York City at a cost of $3,500 per month which lease expires on November 30, 2013.

 

On June 16, 2011, the Company entered into a four-year lease agreement commencing July 18, 2011 to rent office space, consisting of approximately 2,400 square feet, for offices in New Canaan, Connecticut. In accordance with the lease, the Company pays a base rent of $6,400 per month for the first two years, $6,800 per month for the third year and $7,000 per month for the fourth year. The base rent is subject to annual adjustments to reflect increases in real estate taxes and operating expenses. The Company also entered into a one year sublease (which expired in July 2012 and was not extended) at a base rent of $3,700 per month to sublet approximately 50% of the space to a third party.