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Legal Proceedings
3 Months Ended
Sep. 27, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Legal Proceedings Legal Proceedings
Tax

For disclosures regarding the status of statutory notices of deficiency issued by the IRS with regard to tax years 2008 through 2015, see Note 12, Income Tax Expense.

Intellectual Property Litigation

On August 26, 2022, MR Technologies, GmbH (“MRT”) filed an action in the United States District Court for the Central District of California (the “Central District Court”) against the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Western Digital Technologies, Inc., alleging infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 9,978,413, 9,928,864, 11,133,031 and 11,138,997, each of which relate to hard disk drive media. As the case progressed, MRT dropped its claims with respect to U.S Patent Nos. 9,978,413 and 11,133,031, and the case proceeded to trial in July 2024 on the remaining two patents (together, the “MRT Patents”). The trial concluded on July 26, 2024, and the jury awarded MRT a lump sum of $262 million for use of the MRT Patents in the past and through their remaining lives. MRT also requested and was awarded prejudgment interest totaling $117 million in a judgment entered on August 15, 2024. In addition, MRT requested attorney’s fees and post-judgment interest.

In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, the Company recognized an aggregate liability for this matter of $384 million with $291 million recognized as an Operating expense under Litigation matter for the year ended June 28, 2024 and $93 million recognized as Other non-current assets for the patent licenses, to be amortized over their remaining lives. During the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the Company recognized incremental charges of $3 million related to plaintiff’s attorney’s fees in Operating expense under Litigation matter, $2 million of post-judgment interest in Other income (expense), net, and $9 million in Cost of revenue from the subsequent amortization of licenses related to this matter. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses, plans to file post-trial motions, and if not successful, plans to appeal the judgment and continue to defend itself vigorously.

On September 28, 2016, SPEX Technologies, Inc. (“SPEX”) filed a lawsuit in the Central District Court against the Company and two of the Company’s current or former wholly-owned subsidiaries, Western Digital Technologies, Inc. and HGST Inc., alleging infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,088,802 and 6,003,135, both of which allegedly relate to moving a security mechanism (e.g., the encrypting/decrypting mechanism) from a host computer or a separate device to a peripheral device that provides data storage. As the case progressed, SPEX dismissed its allegations relating to U.S. Patent No. 6,003,135 and narrowed its case to one claim under U.S. Patent No. 6,088,802 asserted against certain HDD products that may include certain encryption capabilities. The trial commenced on October 8, 2024, concluded on October 18, 2024, and the jury awarded SPEX damages of $316 million for the use of one claim of U.S. Patent No. 6,088,802 in the past, prior to its expiration in 2017. SPEX has also requested the court to award it prejudgment interest of $233 million and legal costs. The Company intends to contest the verdict and, based on available arguments, the Company believes the jury verdict and any prejudgment interest and legal costs will be reversed, amended or vacated when the Company files motions for judgment as a matter of law in the district court or presents its appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, if necessary. The Company therefore, believes a loss is not probable and has not accrued a liability as a result of the jury verdict or the request for prejudgment interest and legal costs in its financial statements as of September 27, 2024.

The ability to predict the ultimate outcome of these matters involves judgments, estimates and inherent uncertainties. The actual outcome of these matters could differ materially from management’s estimates.

Other Matters

In the normal course of business, the Company is subject to legal proceedings, lawsuits and other claims. Although the ultimate aggregate amount of probable monetary liability or financial impact with respect to these other matters is subject to many uncertainties, management believes that any monetary liability or financial impact to the Company from these matters, individually and in the aggregate, would not be material to the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. However, any monetary liability and financial impact to the Company from these matters could differ materially from management’s expectations.