XML 36 R17.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.20.4
Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
Legal Proceedings
In the ordinary course of business, the Company is subject to proceedings, lawsuits, governmental investigations, claims and other matters, including those that relate to the environment, health and safety, employee benefits, export compliance, intellectual property, tax matters and other regulatory compliance and general matters. We are not currently a party to any litigation, nor are we aware of any pending or threatened litigation against us that we believe would materially affect our business, operating results, financial condition or cash flows, other than the following:
On June 19, 2018, the Company and certain of its subsidiaries filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against SAP SE, SAP America, Inc., and SAP Labs, LLC (collectively, "SAP"). In the lawsuit, the Company alleges, among other things, that SAP misappropriated certain of the Company’s trade secrets within the Company’s enterprise data analytics and warehousing products and used them to help develop, improve, introduce, and sell one or more competing products. The Company further alleges that SAP has employed anticompetitive practices using its substantial market position in the enterprise resource planning applications market to pressure the Company’s customers and prospective customers to use SAP’s one or more competing products and reduce or eliminate customers' and prospective customers' use of the Company's offerings. The Company seeks an injunction barring SAP’s alleged conduct, monetary damages, and other available legal and equitable relief. In July 2019, SAP filed patent infringement counterclaims against Teradata based on five of SAP’s U.S. patents (one of which has since been dismissed from the suit), and we are vigorously defending against these counterclaims. On August 31, 2020, the Company filed a second lawsuit against SAP in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. In this lawsuit as it currently stands, Teradata alleges infringement by SAP of four of Teradata’s U.S. patents and seeks an injunction barring SAP from further infringement, monetary damages, and other available legal and equitable relief. On February 16, 2021, SAP filed additional patent infringement counterclaims against Teradata based on six additional U.S. patents. On the same day, SAP also filed a lawsuit in Germany for infringement of a single German patent. Currently, it is not possible to determine the likelihood of a loss or a reasonably estimated range of loss, if any, pertaining to any of SAP’s patent counterclaims in the United States or its German lawsuit.
Guarantees and Product Warranties.
Guarantees associated with the Company’s business activities are reviewed for appropriateness and impact to the Company’s financial statements. Periodically, the Company’s customers enter into various leasing arrangements coordinated with a leasing company. In some instances, the Company guarantees the leasing company a minimum value at the end of the lease term on the leased equipment. As of December 31, 2020, the maximum future payment obligation of this guaranteed value and the associated liability balance was immaterial.
For customers that purchase hardware, the Company provides a standard manufacturer’s warranty and records, at the time of the sale, a corresponding estimated liability for potential warranty costs. The estimated liabilities for warranty costs are not material, given that most customers do not purchase hardware under the subscription model. The Company also offers extended and/or enhanced coverage to its customers in the form of maintenance contracts. Teradata accounts for these contracts by deferring the related maintenance revenue over the extended and/or enhanced coverage period. Costs associated with maintenance support are expensed as incurred.
In addition, the Company provides its customers with certain indemnification rights. In general, the Company agrees to indemnify the customer if a third party asserts patent or other infringement on the part of the customer for its use of the Company’s offerings. The Company has indemnification obligations under its charter and bylaws to its officers and directors, and has entered into indemnification agreements with the officers and directors of its subsidiaries. From time to time, the Company also enters into agreements in connection with its acquisition and divesture activities that include indemnification obligations by the Company. The fair value of these indemnification obligations is typically not readily determinable due to the conditional nature of the Company’s potential obligations and the specific facts and circumstances involved with each particular agreement. As such, the Company has generally not recorded a liability in connection with these indemnification arrangements. Historically, payments made by the Company under these types of agreements have not had a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
Concentrations of Risk. The Company is potentially subject to concentrations of credit risk on accounts receivable and financial instruments such as hedging instruments, and cash and cash equivalents. Credit risk includes the risk of nonperformance by counterparties. The maximum potential loss may exceed the amount recognized on the balance sheet. Exposure to credit risk is managed through credit approvals, credit limits, selecting major international financial institutions (as counterparties to hedging transactions) and monitoring procedures. Teradata’s business often involves large transactions with customers, and if one or more of those customers were to default in its obligations under applicable contractual arrangements, the Company could be exposed to potentially significant losses. However, management believes that the reserves for potential losses were adequate at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019.
The Company is also potentially subject to concentrations of supplier risk. Our hardware components are assembled exclusively by Flex Ltd. ("Flex"). Flex procures a wide variety of components used in the manufacturing process on behalf of the Company. Although many of these components are available from multiple sources, Teradata utilizes preferred supplier relationships to provide more consistent and optimal quality, cost and delivery. Typically, these preferred suppliers maintain alternative processes and/or facilities to ensure continuity of supply. Given the Company’s strategy to outsource its manufacturing activities to Flex and to source certain components from single suppliers, a disruption in production at Flex or at a supplier could impact the timing of customer shipments and/or Teradata’s operating results. In addition, a significant change in the forecasts to any of these preferred suppliers could result in purchase obligations for components that may be in excess of demand.