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Related Party Transactions
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Related Party Transactions
Note 10—Related Party Transactions
 
A director of the Company is a partner in a law firm that acts as counsel to the Company. The Company incurred legal fees and expenses to the law firm in the amount of approximately $3.1 million in 2015, $3.2 million in 2016 and $2.2 million in 2017. As of December 31, 2016 and 2017, legal fees and reimbursable expenses of $1.6 million and $0.5 million, respectively, were payable to this law firm.

The owner of NantWorks, the Company’s DreamPlay Toys joint venture partner, beneficially owns 8.9% of the Company’s outstanding common stock. Pursuant to the joint venture agreements, the Company is obligated to pay NantWorks a preferred return on joint venture sales.
 
For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, preferred returns of $0.7 million, nil and nil, respectively, were earned and payable to NantWorks. Pursuant to the amended Toy Services Agreement, NantWorks is entitled to receive a renewal fee in the amount $1.2 million payable in installments of $0.8 million paid on the effective date of the renewal in 2015 and $0.2 million on or before each of August 1, 2016 and 2017. As of December 31, 2016 and 2017, the Company has a receivable from NantWorks in the amount of $0.6 million and nil, respectively. In addition, the Company previously leased office space from NantWorks. Rent expense, including common area maintenance and parking, for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 was $0.1 million, nil and nil, respectively.

In November 2014, the Company entered into a joint venture with Meisheng Cultural & Creative Corp., Ltd., for the purpose of providing certain JAKKS licensed and non-licensed toys and consumer products to agreed-upon territories of the People’s Republic of China. The joint venture includes a subsidiary in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone that sells, distributes and markets these products, which include dolls, plush, role play products, action figures, costumes, seasonal items, technology and app-enhanced toys, based on top entertainment licenses and JAKKS’ own proprietary brands. The Company owns fifty-one percent of the joint venture and consolidates the joint venture since control rests with the Company. The non-controlling interest’s share of the income (loss) from the joint venture for the year 2016 and 2017 was $6,000 and 57,000, respectively.

In October 2016, the Company entered into a joint venture with Hong Kong Meisheng Cultural Company Limited, a Hong Kong-based subsidiary of Meisheng (“HK Meisheng”), for the purpose of creating and developing original, multiplatform content for children including new short-form series and original shows. JAKKS and HK Meisheng each own fifty percent of the joint venture and will jointly own the content. JAKKS will retain merchandising rights for kids’ consumer products in all markets except China, which Meisheng will oversee through the Company’s existing distribution joint venture. The non-controlling interest’s share of the loss from the joint venture for year ended December 31, 2017 was nil. As of April 27, 2017, Hong Kong Meisheng Cultural Company Limited beneficially owns more than 10% of the Company’s outstanding common stock.
 
In March 2017, the Company entered into an agreement to issue 3,660,891 shares of its common stock at an aggregate price of $19.3 million to a Hong Kong affiliate of its China joint venture partner. After their shareholder and China regulatory approval, the transaction closed on April 27, 2017. Upon the closing, the Company added a representative of Meisheng as a non-employee director and issued 13,319 shares of restricted stock at a value of $0.1 million, which vest in January 2018.
 
A director of the Company is a portfolio manager at Oasis Management. In August 2017, the Company agreed with Oasis Management and Oasis Investments II Master Fund Ltd., the holder of approximately $21.5 million face amount of its 4.25% convertible senior notes due in 2018, to exchange and extend the maturity date of these notes to November 1, 2020. The transaction closed on November 7, 2017 (see Note 12).