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Commitments and Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2016
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Indemnifications We indemnify our directors and officers to the maximum extent permitted under the laws of the state of Delaware and we have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers. In addition, we insure our individual directors and officers against certain claims and attorney’s fees and related expenses incurred in connection with the defense of such claims. The amounts and types of coverage may vary from period to period as dictated by market conditions. Management is not aware of any matters that require indemnification of its officers or directors. Fair Price Provisions and Other Anti-Takeover Measures Our Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, contains certain provisions restricting business combinations with interested stockholders under certain circumstances and imposing higher voting requirements for the approval of certain transactions ("fair price" provisions). Any of these provisions may delay or prevent a change in control. The "fair price" provisions require that holders of at least two-thirds of our outstanding shares of voting stock approve certain business combinations and significant transactions with interested stockholders. Product Warranties Changes in the liability for product warranty claim costs were as follows:
| Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands) | 2016 |  | 2015 |  | 2014
Balance at beginning of period | $ | 35 |  |  | $ | 353 |  |  | $ | 41 |
Accruals for warranties issued during the period | 102 |  |  | 23 |  |  | 1,178 |
Settlements (in cash or in kind) during the period | (3 | ) |  | (341 | ) |  | (866 | )
Balance at end of period | $ | 134 |  |  | $ | 35 |  |  | $ | 353 |
Restructuring Activities and Sale of Guangzhou Factory In the first quarter of 2016, we implemented a plan to reduce our manufacturing costs by transitioning manufacturing activities from our southern-most China factory, located in the city of Guangzhou in the Guangdong province, to our other three China factories where labor rates are lower. As a result, we incurred severance costs of $4.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2016, which are included within selling, general and administrative expenses. We expect to incur additional severance costs of approximately $7 million as we continue to execute this transition over the next nine to 12 months. Because severance costs relate to involuntary terminations, we record the related liability at the communication date. At December 31, 2016, we had $2.7 million of unpaid severance costs included within accrued compensation. On September 26, 2016, we entered into an agreement to sell our Guangzhou manufacturing facility for RMB 320 million (approximately $46 million based on December 31, 2016 exchange rates). Under the terms of the agreement, we have up to 24 months to cease all operations within the facility. The closing of the sale will be subject to customary due diligence and local regulatory approval and is expected to be completed within approximately 28 months from the execution of the agreement. In accordance with the terms of the agreement, the buyer deposited 10% of the purchase price into an escrow account upon the execution of the agreement, which we have presented as long-term restricted cash in our consolidated balance sheet (also refer to Note 3). The remaining balance of the purchase price is to be placed into the escrow account prior to the closing of the sale and will be released to us upon closing. Litigation On March 2, 2012 and June 28, 2013, we filed two different lawsuits against Universal Remote Control, Inc. ("URC") alleging that URC, and in some cases its affiliated suppliers Ohsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Ohsung Electronics USA, Inc. (collectively "Ohsung"), were infringing on certain of our patents. In September 2015, the court awarded URC $4.6 million in attorneys' fees and costs related to the first lawsuit, which we accrued within selling, general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2015 and placed an equal amount into a surety bond (described in Note 3). In December 2016, in connection with these matters, we entered into a confidential Settlement, License and Release Agreement dated September 22, 2016 with URC and Ohsung (collectively the “URC Parties”) to settle all litigation matters (including the malicious prosecution litigation described below) between us and the URC Parties. By and during the term of this agreement, we and the URC Parties have dismissed all litigation matters and appeals with prejudice. Additionally, the URC Parties have received a limited paid up license to the technologies covered by the patents in this litigation and a limited covenant not to sue with respect to certain of URC's products existing as of the settlement date. As a result of the Settlement, License and Release Agreement, we accrued $2.0 million within selling, general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2016, bringing the total liability accrued in connection with the URC matters to $6.6 million at December 31, 2016. On January 30, 2017, we paid URC $6.6 million, and on February 10, 2017, the $4.6 million surety bond was returned to us. On April 28, 2016, URC filed a malicious prosecution lawsuit against us in the Superior Court of California, County of Orange (Universal Remote Control, Inc. v. Universal Electronics Inc., 30-2016-00849239-CU-BT-CJC). This lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice by URC as part of the overall Settlement, License and Release Agreement discussed above. On or about June 10, 2015, FM Marketing GmbH ("FMH") and Ruwido Austria GmbH ("Ruwido") filed a Summons in Summary Proceedings in Belgium court against one of our subsidiaries, Universal Electronics BV ("UEBV"), and one of its customers, Telenet N.V. ("Telenet"), claiming that one of the products UEBV supplies Telenet violates two design patents and one utility patent owned by FMH and/or Ruwido. By this summons, FMH and Ruwido sought to enjoin Telenet and UEBV from continued distribution and use of the products at issue. After the September 29, 2015 hearing, the court issued its ruling in our and Telenet’s favor, rejecting FMH and Ruwido’s request entirely. On October 22, 2015, Ruwido filed its notice of appeal in this ruling. The parties have fully briefed the appeal and on February 15, 2016, the appellate court heard oral arguments. While awaiting the appellate court’s ruling, we requested and received permission to submit additional filings in support of our position. As such, the court set a new date for all new filings to be submitted and set a status conference for March 2017. In addition, in September 2015, UEBV filed an Opposition with the European Patent Office seeking to invalidate the one utility patent asserted against UEBV and Telenet by Ruwido. The hearing on this opposition has been set for July 2017. Finally, on or about February 9, 2016, Ruwido filed a writ of summons for proceeding on the merits with respect to asserted patents. UEBV and Telenet have replied, denying all of Ruwido's allegations and we intend to vigorously defend against these claims. A hearing on this matter occurred in February 2017 with the court allowing the parties to submit additional filings to further support their respective positions. A further hearing has been scheduled for early summer 2017. On January 26, 2017, OpenTV, Inc., Naga USA, Inc., Nagravision SA, and Kudelski SA (collectively, the “Kudelski Group”) filed a request with the U.S. International Trade Commission (“ITC”) to institute an investigation pursuant to Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended concerning certain remote control devices we supply Comcast Corporation (“Comcast”) to which the ITC agreed to accept this request. By this request, the Kudelski Group will seek exclusion of certain digital television set-top boxes, remote control devices, and components thereof imported into the United States by Comcast and/or various of its subsidiaries, ARRIS International plc and/or various of its subsidiaries, and us and/or certain of our subsidiaries. We deny the allegations made by the Kudelski Group against us and we intend to vigorously defend against them. There are no other material pending legal proceedings to which we or any of our subsidiaries is a party or of which our respective property is the subject. However, as is typical in our industry and to the nature and kind of business in which we are engaged, from time to time, various claims, charges and litigation are asserted or commenced by third parties against us or by us against third parties arising from or related to product liability, infringement of patent or other intellectual property rights, breach of warranty, contractual relations, or employee relations. The amounts claimed may be substantial but may not bear any reasonable relationship to the merits of the claims or the extent of any real risk of court awards assessed against us or in our favor. However, no assurances can be made as to the outcome of any of these matters, nor can we estimate the range of potential losses to us. In our opinion, final judgments, if any, which might be rendered against us in potential or pending litigation would not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. Moreover, we believe that our products do not infringe any third parties' patents or other intellectual property rights. We maintain directors' and officers' liability insurance which insures our individual directors and officers against certain claims, as well as attorney's fees and related expenses incurred in connection with the defense of such claims. Defined Benefit Plan Our subsidiary in India maintains a defined benefit pension plan ("India Plan") for local employees, which is consistent with local statutes and practices. The pension plan was adequately funded on December 31, 2016 based on its latest actuarial report. The India Plan has an independent external manager that advises us of the appropriate funding contribution requirements to which we comply. At December 31, 2016, approximately 47 percent of our India subsidiary employees had qualified for eligibility. An individual must be employed by our India subsidiary for a minimum of 5 years before becoming eligible. Upon the termination, resignation or retirement of an eligible employee, we are liable to pay the employee an amount equal to 15 days salary for each full year of service completed. The total amount of liability outstanding at December 31, 2016 and 2015 for the India Plan was not material. During the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015, and 2014, the net periodic benefit costs were also not material.

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