XML 26 R15.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.10.0.1
Commitments and Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments and Contingencies
Legal
The Company is, from time to time, party to various legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. For example, the Company is currently named as a defendant or co-defendant in some patent infringement lawsuits in the U.S. and is indirectly participating in other U.S. patent infringement actions pursuant to its contractual indemnification obligations to certain customers. Based on an evaluation of these matters and discussions with the Company’s intellectual property litigation counsel, the Company currently believes that liabilities arising from or sums paid in settlement of these existing matters, if any, would not have a material adverse effect on its consolidated results of operations or financial condition.
On May 27, 2015, a patent infringement action was brought against Novatel Wireless by Carucel Investments, L.P. (“Carucel”), a non-practicing entity (Carucel Investments, L.P. v. Novatel Wireless, Inc., et al., U.S.D.C. S.D. Florida, Civil Action No. 0:15-cv-61116-BB). The complaint alleged that certain MiFi mobile hotspots manufactured by Novatel Wireless infringed claims of patents owned by Carucel. On April 10, 2017, judgment was entered in favor of Novatel Wireless. Carucel filed to appeal certain orders in the litigation and on July 13, 2018, the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment.
On May 11, 2017, the Company initiated a lawsuit against the former stockholders of RER in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware seeking recovery of damages for civil conspiracy, fraud in the inducement, unjust enrichment and breach of fiduciary duty. On July 26, 2018, subsequent to the balance sheet date, the Company and the former stockholders of RER entered into a mutual general release and settlement agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”) pursuant to which the parties agreed to release all claims against each other and the Company agreed to (i) pay the former stockholders of RER $1.0 million in cash by August 17, 2018, (ii) immediately issue 500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock to the former stockholders of RER, (iii) within 12 months following the execution of the Settlement Agreement, deliver to the former stockholders of RER an additional $1.0 million in cash, common stock, or a combination thereof, at the Company’s option, (iv) within 24 months following the execution of the Settlement Agreement deliver to the former stockholders of RER an additional $1.0 million in cash, common stock, or a combination thereof, at the Company’s option, and (v) file one or more registration statements with respect to the resale of the shares of the Company’s common stock issued to the former stockholders of RER pursuant to the Settlement Agreement. On July 26, 2018, as a result of the Settlement Agreement, the Company’s acquisition-related liabilities of $21.1 million were reduced to approximately $4.0 million.
Indemnification
In the normal course of business, the Company periodically enters into agreements that require the Company to indemnify and defend its customers for, among other things, claims alleging that the Company’s products infringe third-party patents or other intellectual property rights. The Company’s maximum exposure under these indemnification provisions cannot be estimated but the Company does not believe that there are any matters individually or collectively that would have a material adverse effect on its consolidated results of operations or financial condition.