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Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2021
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees | 8. Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees
| (a) | Commitments
In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into contractual agreements with third parties that include non-cancellable payment obligations, for which it is liable in future periods. These arrangements can include terms binding the Company to minimum payments and/or penalties if it terminates the agreement for any reason other than an event of default as described by the agreement.
| (b) | Contingencies and guarantees
The Company is involved in lawsuits, claims, and proceedings, including those identified below, which arise in the ordinary course of business. Management is required to assess the likelihood of any adverse judgments or outcomes related to these legal contingencies, as well as potential ranges of probable or reasonably possible losses. The Company records a provision for a liability when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. The determination of the amount of any liability recorded or disclosed is reviewed at least quarterly based on a careful analysis of each individual exposure with, in some cases, the assistance of outside legal counsel, taking into account the impact of negotiations, settlements, rulings, and other pertinent information related to the case. The amount of liabilities recorded or disclosed for these contingencies may change in the future due to changes in management’s judgments resulting from new developments or changes in settlement strategy. Any resulting adjustment to the liabilities recorded by the Company could have a material adverse effect on its results of operations, cash flows, and financial position in the period or periods in which such changes in judgment occur. The Company believes it has adequate provisions for any such matters. The Company expenses legal costs relating to its lawsuits, claims and proceedings as incurred. (i)In January 2004, the Company and IMAX Theatre Services Ltd., a subsidiary of the Company, commenced an arbitration seeking damages before the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (the “ICC”) with respect to the breach by Electronic Media Limited (“EML”) of its December 2000 agreement with the Company. In June 2004, the Company commenced a related arbitration before the ICC against EML’s affiliate, E-City Entertainment (I) PVT Limited (“E-City”). On March 27, 2008, the arbitration panel issued a final award in favor of the Company in the amount of $11.3 million, consisting of past and future rents owed to the Company, plus interest and costs, as well as an additional $2,512 each day in interest from October 1, 2007 until the date the award is paid. In July 2008, E-City commenced a proceeding in Mumbai, India seeking an order that the ICC award may not be recognized in India and on June 10, 2013, the Bombay High Court ruled that it had jurisdiction over the proceeding filed by E-City. The Company appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court of India, and on March 10, 2017, the Supreme Court set aside the Bombay High Court’s judgment and dismissed E-City’s petition. On March 29, 2017, the Company filed an Execution Application in the Bombay High Court seeking to enforce the ICC award against E-City and several related parties, which award the Company calculates to be $24.2 million, inclusive of interest, as of September 30, 2021. That matter is currently pending. The Company has also taken steps to enforce the ICC final award outside of India. In December 2011, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice issued an order recognizing the final award and requiring E-City to pay the Company $30,000 to cover the costs of the application, and in May 2012, the New York Supreme Court recognized the Canadian judgment and entered it as a New York judgment. The Company intends to continue pursuing its rights and seeking to enforce the award, although no assurances can be given with respect to the ultimate outcome. (ii)On November 11, 2013, Giencourt Investments, S.A. (“Giencourt”) initiated arbitration before the International Centre for Dispute Resolution in Miami, Florida, based on alleged breaches by the Company of its theater agreement and related license agreement with Giencourt. On February 7, 2017, the panel issued a Partial Final Award and on July 21, 2017, the panel issued a Final Award (collectively, the “Award”), which held that the parties had reached a binding settlement, and therefore the panel did not reach a decision regarding the merits of the dispute. On December 3, 2020, the District Judge entered a final judgment (the “Final Judgment”) against the Company in the total amount of $11.3 million as damages under the Award. As of December 31, 2020, the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets includes a liability within Accrued and Other Liabilities of $11.3 million related to the Final Judgment, consisting of $7.2 million related to amounts previously collected from or owed to Giencourt principally in respect of theater systems that were not delivered and $4.1 million recorded within Legal Judgment and Arbitration Awards in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations during the year ended December 31, 2020 in respect of the remaining amounts owed under the Final Judgment. On June 23, 2021, the Company entered into a final settlement agreement with Giencourt to fully resolve all disputes between the parties in the United States and Ontario (the “Settlement Agreement”). In the second quarter of 2021, the Company paid Giencourt $9.5 million as required by the terms of the Settlement Agreement. As a result of the Settlement Agreement, the Final Judgment has been vacated, all litigation between the parties in all jurisdictions has been dismissed and full and final releases have been exchanged by the parties. Accordingly, upon entry in the Settlement Agreement on June 23, 2021, the remaining $1.8 million liability recorded within Accrued and Other Liabilities was reversed and a corresponding $1.8 million benefit was recorded in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations within Legal Judgment and Arbitration Awards. (iii)In addition to the matters described above, the Company is currently involved in other legal proceedings or governmental inquiries which, in the opinion of the Company’s management, will not materially affect the Company’s financial position or future operating results, although no assurance can be given with respect to the ultimate outcome of any such proceedings. (iv)In the normal course of business, the Company enters into agreements that may contain features that meet the definition of a guarantee. A guarantee is a contract (including an indemnity) that contingently requires the Company to make payments (either in cash, financial instruments, other assets, shares of its stock or provision of services) to a third party based on (a) changes in an underlying interest rate, foreign exchange rate, equity or commodity instrument, index or other variable, that is related to an asset, a liability or an equity security of the counterparty, (b) failure of another party to perform under an obligating agreement or (c) failure of another third party to pay its indebtedness when due.
| (c) | Financial Guarantees
Certain subsidiaries of the Company have provided significant financial guarantees to third parties under the Credit Agreement.
| (d) | Product Warranties
The Company’s accrual for product warranties, which is recorded within Accrued and Other Liabilities in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, was $nil and less than $0.1 million as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.
| (e) | Director/Officer Indemnifications
The Company’s by-laws contain an indemnification of its directors/officers, former directors/officers and persons who have acted at its request to be a director/officer of an entity in which the Company is a shareholder or creditor, to indemnify them, to the extent permitted by the Canada Business Corporations Act, against expenses (including legal fees), judgments, fines and any amounts actually and reasonably incurred by them in connection with any action, suit or proceeding in which the directors and/or officers are sued as a result of their service, if they acted honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the Company. In addition, the Company has entered into indemnification agreements with each of its directors in order to effectuate the foregoing. The nature of the indemnification prevents the Company from making a reasonable estimate of the maximum potential amount it could be required to pay to counterparties. The Company has purchased directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. No amount has been accrued in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, with respect to this indemnity.
| (f) | Other Indemnification Agreements
In the normal course of the Company’s operations, the Company provides indemnifications to counterparties in transactions such as: IMAX Theater Systems lease and sale agreements and the supervision of installation or servicing of IMAX Theater Systems; film production, exhibition and distribution agreements; real property lease agreements; and employment agreements. These indemnification agreements require the Company to compensate the counterparties for costs incurred as a result of litigation claims that may be suffered by the counterparty as a consequence of the transaction or the Company’s breach or non-performance under these agreements. While the terms of these indemnification agreements vary based upon the contract, they normally extend for the life of the agreements. A small number of agreements do not provide for any limit on the maximum potential amount of indemnification; however, virtually all of the IMAX Theater System lease and sale agreements limit such maximum potential liability to the purchase price of the system. The fact that the maximum potential amount of indemnification required by the Company is not specified in some cases prevents the Company from making a reasonable estimate of the maximum potential amount it could be required to pay to counterparties. Historically, the Company has not made any significant payments under such indemnifications and no amounts have been accrued in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements with respect to the contingent aspect of these indemnities.

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