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Commitments and Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2019
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) | 2019 |  | 2018 |  | 2017
Balance at beginning of period | $ | 276 |  |  | $ | 339 |  |  | $ | 134 |
Accruals for warranties issued during the period | 1,742 |  |  | 787 |  |  | 312 |
Settlements (in cash or in kind) during the period | (504 | ) |  | (850 | ) |  | (107 | )
Balance at end of period | $ | 1,514 |  |  | $ | 276 |  |  | $ | 339 |
Sale of Guangzhou Factory On September 26, 2016, we entered into an agreement to sell our Guangzhou manufacturing facility for RMB 320 million. 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. In April 2018, we and the buyer mutually agreed to terminate the sale. The mutually agreed termination took effect immediately with no incremental penalty or costs to either party. In connection with this termination, the deposit was returned to the buyer. On April 23, 2018, we entered into a new agreement to sell our Guangzhou manufacturing facility to a second buyer for RMB 339 million (approximately $51.4 million based on exchange rates in effect at the time of closing). On April 26, 2018, the second buyer paid to us a deposit of RMB 34 million (approximately $5.1 million based on exchange rates in effect at the time of closing), which under the terms of the agreement was nonrefundable. Upon receipt by the Governmental Agency of the second buyer’s application of approval of transfer, the second buyer was to pay to us RMB 237 million (approximately $35.8 million based on exchange rates in effect at the time of closing). Additionally, within two days after the second payment was made to us, the second buyer was to deposit the remaining consideration of RMB 68 million (approximately $10.3 million based on exchange rates in effect at the time of closing) into escrow, which was to be released to us upon the closing of the sale. Per the terms of the agreement, the sale was to be completed no later than June 30, 2018. On June 26, 2018, all conditions to closing were satisfied and the sale was completed, resulting in a pre-tax gain of $37.0 million ($32.1 million, net of income taxes). Other Restructuring Activities In the fourth quarter of 2018, we implemented a plan to relocate our corporate office from Santa Ana, California to Scottsdale, Arizona and to relocate our Asian engineering leadership, supply chain and customer support functions from Hong Kong to our other facilities in the PRC. In connection with these restructuring activities, we incurred severance costs o f $0.4 million and $0.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, which are included within selling, general and administrative expenses. Litigation 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 supplied to 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 product 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 to this ruling. On September 16, 2019, the appellate court ruled in our favor concluding that our original product did not infringe Ruwido's design rights. Ruwido subsequently filed an appeal of this decision with the Belgium Supreme Court. Our brief in opposition to Ruwido's appeal has been submitted and we are waiting to learn if the Supreme Court will hear Ruwido's appeal. In addition, Ruwido appealed the lower court's ruling against it with respect to its claims of infringement and unfair competition. Briefing is to be completed by the end of April 2020 and in May 2020 the court will set a date for oral hearing which we expect to be sometime in late 2020. Subsequent to the Court's ruling in September 2017 that our second product could not be added to the first case on the merits, Ruwido filed a separate case on the merits with respect to this second product, claiming that it too infringes the same patent at issue in the first suit. We have denied these claims. Presently, the oral hearing on the merits with respect to this matter is set for April 7, 2020. In September 2015, UEBV filed an Opposition with the EPO seeking to invalidate the one utility patent asserted against UEBV and Telenet by Ruwido. The hearing on this opposition was held in July 2017. During this hearing the panel requested additional information. We have assembled this additional information and the final hearing was scheduled for January 29, 2019. The EPO held this hearing on January 29 and 30, 2019 and revoked Ruwido's patent as originally filed. The EPO, however, maintained the patent in an amended form with a much narrower claim. On August 23, 2019, the EPO issued its written opinion. Both UEBV and Ruwido have appealed the EPO's decision and briefing is due by May 13, 2020. On September 5, 2018, we filed a lawsuit against Roku, Inc. ("Roku") in the United States District Court, Central District of California (Universal Electronics Inc. v. Roku, Inc.) alleging that Roku is willfully infringing nine of our patents that are in four patent families related to remote control set-up and touchscreen remotes. On December 5, 2018, we amended our complaint to add additional details supporting our infringement and willfulness allegations. We have alleged that this complaint relates to multiple Roku streaming players and components therefore and certain universal control devices, including but not limited to the Roku App, Roku TV, Roku Express, Roku Streaming Stick, Roku Ultra, Roku Premiere, Roku 4, Roku 3, Roku 2, Roku Enhanced Remote and any other Roku product that provides for the remote control of an external device such as a TV, audiovisual receiver, sound bar or Roku TV Wireless Speakers. Roku has answered our complaint with a general denial. In September and October, 2019, Roku filed Inter Party Review ("IPR") requests with the Patent Trial and Appeals Board (the "PTAB") on the nine patents at issue in this case, seeking to invalidate our patents. We will vigorously defend against the IPRs. As a further result of Roku filing the IPRs, the Court has stayed the underlying patent lawsuit pending the resolution of IPRs. We have filed our responses to Roku's IPR requests. We expect to learn if the PTAB will institute the IPRs or any of them during the second quarter of 2020. 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 consolidated 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, 2019 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, 2019, approximately 49 percent of our India subsidiary employees had qualified for eligibility. An individual must be employed by our India subsidiary for a minimum of five 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, 2019 and 2018 for the India Plan was not material. During the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, the net periodic benefit costs were also not material.

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