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Commitments and Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies | NOTE 7 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES The Company accounts for its rentals that include renewal options, annual rent escalation clauses, minimum franchise payments and maintenance related to displays under the guidance in ASC 840. The Company considers its non-cancelable contracts that enable it to display advertising on buses, bus shelters, trains, etc. to be leases in accordance with the guidance in ASC 840-10. These contracts may contain minimum annual franchise payments which generally escalate each year. The Company accounts for these minimum franchise payments on a straight-line basis. If the rental increases are not scheduled in the lease, such as an increase based on subsequent changes in the index or rate, those rents are considered contingent rentals and are recorded as expense when accruable. Other contracts may contain a variable rent component based on revenue. The Company accounts for these variable components as contingent rentals and records these payments as expense when accruable. No single contract or lease is material to the Company’s operations. The Company accounts for annual rent escalation clauses included in the lease term on a straight-line basis under the guidance in ASC 840-20-25. The Company considers renewal periods in determining its lease terms if at inception of the lease there is reasonable assurance the lease will be renewed. Expenditures for maintenance are charged to operations as incurred, whereas expenditures for renewal and betterments are capitalized. The Company leases office space, certain broadcasting facilities, equipment and the majority of the land occupied by its outdoor advertising structures under long-term operating leases. The Company accounts for these leases in accordance with the policies described above. The Company’s contracts with municipal bodies or private companies relating to street furniture, billboards, transit and malls generally require the Company to build bus stops, kiosks and other public amenities or advertising structures during the term of the contract. The Company owns these structures and is generally allowed to advertise on them for the remaining term of the contract. Once the Company has built the structure, the cost is capitalized and expensed over the shorter of the economic life of the asset or the remaining life of the contract. In addition, the Company has commitments relating to required purchases of property, plant and equipment under certain street furniture contracts. Certain of the Company’s contracts contain penalties for not fulfilling its commitments related to its obligations to build bus stops, kiosks and other public amenities or advertising structures. Historically, any such penalties have not materially impacted the Company’s financial position or results of operations. Certain acquisition agreements include deferred consideration payments based on performance requirements by the seller typically involving the completion of a development or obtaining appropriate permits that enable the Company to construct additional advertising displays. At December 31, 2014, the Company believes its maximum aggregate contingency, which is subject to performance requirements by the seller, is approximately $30.0 million. As the contingencies have not been met or resolved as of December 31, 2014, these amounts are not recorded. As of December 31, 2014, the Company’s future minimum rental commitments under non-cancelable operating lease agreements with terms in excess of one year, minimum payments under non-cancelable contracts in excess of one year, capital expenditure commitments and employment/talent contracts consist of the following:
(In thousands) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Capital |  |  |  |
|  | Non-Cancelable Operating Leases |  |  | Non-Cancelable Contracts |  |  | Expenditure Commitments |  |  | Employment/Talent Contracts |
2015 |  | $ | 435,118 |  |  | $ | 593,123 |  |  | $ | 55,968 |  |  | $ | 80,442 |
2016 |  |  | 347,487 |  |  |  | 437,022 |  |  |  | 70,385 |  |  |  | 75,760 |
2017 |  |  | 302,876 |  |  |  | 262,368 |  |  |  | 67,053 |  |  |  | 31,673 |
2018 |  |  | 269,697 |  |  |  | 240,128 |  |  |  | 922 |  |  |  | 11,069 |
2019 |  |  | 243,096 |  |  |  | 171,562 |  |  |  | 757 |  |  |  | - |
Thereafter |  |  | 1,325,171 |  |  |  | 336,120 |  |  |  | 14,402 |  |  |  | - |
Total |  | $ | 2,923,445 |  |  | $ | 2,040,323 |  |  | $ | 209,487 |  |  | $ | 198,944 |
Rent expense charged to operations for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $1.17 billion, $1.16 billion and $1.14 billion, respectively. In various areas in which the Company operates, outdoor advertising is the object of restrictive and, in some cases, prohibitive zoning and other regulatory provisions, either enacted or proposed. The impact to the Company of loss of displays due to governmental action has been somewhat mitigated by Federal and state laws mandating compensation for such loss and constitutional restraints. The Company and its subsidiaries are involved in certain legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business and, as required, have accrued an estimate of the probable costs for the resolution of those claims for which the occurrence of loss is probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. These estimates have been developed in consultation with counsel and are based upon an analysis of potential results, assuming a combination of litigation and settlement strategies. It is possible, however, that future results of operations for any particular period could be materially affected by changes in the Company’s assumptions or the effectiveness of its strategies related to these proceedings. Additionally, due to the inherent uncertainty of litigation, there can be no assurance that the resolution of any particular claim or proceeding would not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations. Although the Company is involved in a variety of legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business, a large portion of its litigation arises in the following contexts: commercial disputes; defamation matters; employment and benefits related claims; governmental fines; intellectual property claims; and tax disputes. Los Angeles Litigation In 2008, Summit Media, LLC, one of the Company’s competitors, sued the City of Los Angeles (the “City”), Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. and CBS Outdoor in Los Angeles Superior Court (Case No. BS116611) challenging the validity of a settlement agreement that had been entered into in November 2006 among the parties and pursuant to which Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. had taken down existing billboards and converted 83 existing signs from static displays to digital displays. In 2009 the Los Angeles Superior Court ruled that the settlement agreement constituted an ultra vires act of the City, and nullified its existence. After further proceedings, on April 12, 2013 the Los Angeles Superior Court invalidated 82 digital modernization permits issued to Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. (77 of which displays were operating at the time of the ruling), and Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. was required to turn off the electrical power to all affected digital displays on April 15, 2013. The digital display structures remain intact but digital displays are currently prohibited in the City. Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. is seeking permits under the existing City sign code to either wrap the LED faces with vinyl or convert the LED faces to traditional static signs, and has obtained a number of such permits. Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. is also pursuing a new ordinance to permit digital signage in the City.

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