Cost Method Investment	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Cost Method Investment	(6) Cost Method Investment In 2000, in exchange for licenses to MicroStrategy software, the Company acquired approximately 1.7 million shares of common stock of a provider of online software for event management, web surveys, and event marketing (the “Investee”). The shares represented less than 5% of the total outstanding equity interests of the Investee at the date of the transaction. The Company accounted for this investment under the cost method of accounting and previously recorded a permanent impairment for this investment. In July 2011, the Company sold all of its equity interest in the Investee for approximately $3.4 million, which the Company recorded as a gain on sale of investment in the Company’s operating results for the quarter ended September 30, 2011. Sanju K. Bansal, the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company and the Company’s Executive Vice President, held approximately 10% of the total outstanding equity of the Investee and was also a member of the board of directors of the Investee as of the date of the July 2011 sale transaction.

Cost Method Investment

(6) Cost Method Investment

In 2000, in exchange for licenses to MicroStrategy software, the Company acquired approximately 1.7 million shares of common stock of a provider of online software for event management, web surveys, and event marketing (the “Investee”). The shares represented less than 5% of the total outstanding equity interests of the Investee at the date of the transaction. The Company accounted for this investment under the cost method of accounting and previously recorded a permanent impairment for this investment. In July 2011, the Company sold all of its equity interest in the Investee for approximately $3.4 million, which the Company recorded as a gain on sale of investment in the Company’s operating results for the quarter ended September 30, 2011. Sanju K. Bansal, the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company and the Company’s Executive Vice President, held approximately 10% of the total outstanding equity of the Investee and was also a member of the board of directors of the Investee as of the date of the July 2011 sale transaction.

The entire disclosure for investments accounted for under the cost-method. The carrying amount of such investments may be adjusted, for example, distributions in excess of cost (return of capital) or for other-than-temporary impairments. The cost method and lower-of-cost or market, an adaptation of the cost method, is generally followed for most investments in noncontrolled corporations, in some corporate joint ventures, and to a lesser extent in unconsolidated subsidiaries in which the entity does not have the ability to exercise significant influence.

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