XML 49 R16.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v2.4.0.6
Subsequent Events
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Subsequent Events [Abstract]  
Subsequent Events

11. Subsequent Events

On December 1, 2011, Research Affiliates, LLC filed suit against the Company in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, alleging that the fundamentally weighted investment methodology the Company employs infringes three of plaintiff’s patents, and seeking both unspecified monetary damages and an injunction to prevent further infringement.

On November 7, 2012, Research Affiliates, LLC agreed to withdraw its patent infringement suit against the Company and the Company agreed to withdraw its counterclaims and entered into a settlement agreement. Under the settlement, all parties will exchange releases for all existing claims. The other material terms of the settlement are as follows:

 

   

Research Affiliates has agreed not to sue WisdomTree for any future claims arising under any current patents held by Research Affiliates, as well as any future patents relating to fundamentally-weighted indexes and strategies that may issue under existing or future patent applications that may be filed by Research Affiliates within the next eight years, subject to reduction by up to three years if Research Affiliates is acquired. The covenant not to sue extends to service providers and customers of WisdomTree in connection with WisdomTree’s products and services.

 

   

WisdomTree has agreed not to sue Research Affiliates for any future claims arising under any current patents held by WisdomTree, as well as any future patents relating to fundamentally-weighted indexes and strategies that may issue under existing or future patent applications that may be filed by WisdomTree within the next eight years, subject to reduction by up to three years if WisdomTree is acquired. The covenant not to sue extends to service providers and customers of Research Affiliates in connection with Research Affiliates’ products and services.

 

   

Research Affiliates and WisdomTree have agreed that the covenants not to sue do not include a right under each party’s patents to copy the other party’s methodologies. They have further agreed that it is not copying if Research Affiliates introduces an index or strategy that uses at least three fundamental factors to weight its indexes and they are not predominantly dividend- or earnings-weighted, or WisdomTree introduces an index or strategy that is weighted by less than three fundamental factors.

 

   

The parties have also agreed not to challenge the other party’s patents or patent applications.

 

   

Research Affiliates has agreed to a one-time payment of $0.7 million to WisdomTree. WisdomTree and the other defendants are not required to make any current or future payments to Research Affiliates.

All other terms of the settlement are confidential and the settlement will not affect the current methodologies and fees for WisdomTree ETFs.

The Company’s insurance carrier has agreed to fund a significant majority of the cost of defending this patent infringement lawsuit, subject to a $0.3 million deductible and a reservation of rights. As of September 30, 2012, the Company incurred $2.9 million of legal defense and other associated costs and its insurance carrier has agreed to reimburse $2.3 million leading to a net amount of $0.7 million in net costs the Company incurred during the nine months ended September 30, 2012.

On October 25, 2012, the Company and BNY Mellon agreed to the early expiration of their joint venture related to the Company’s currency and certain fixed income ETFs, which will now end on December 31, 2012. The Company entered into a new fee arrangement with BNY Mellon effective January 1, 2013.