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Commitments and contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and contingencies

17. Commitments and contingencies

(a) Operating lease commitments

The Company recorded rental expenses of $365 and $11 for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. As of December 31, 2015, future minimum rental payments under non-cancellable operating leases having initial or remaining lease terms of more than one year are as follows:

 

(In thousands)       
Year    December 31, 2015  

2016

   $ 879   

2017

     758   

2018

     229   

2019

     207   

2020

     213   

2021 and thereafter

     408   
  

 

 

 
   $ 2,694   
  

 

 

 

(b) Capital commitment

The Company incurred data costs of $924 and $41 for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, under certain non-cancellable data licensing agreements. As of December 31, 2015, material capital commitments under non-cancellable data licensing agreements of our Information Service segment were $11,414, shown as follows:

 

(In thousands)       
Year    December 31, 2015  

2016

   $ 2,433   

2017

     2,798   

2018

     2,663   

2019

     2,270   

2020

     1,250   

2021 and thereafter

     —     
  

 

 

 
   $ 11,414   
  

 

 

 

(c) Employment agreements

We have employment agreements with certain executives, mainly including our executive chairman, chief executive officer, president and chief operating officer, etc., which provide for compensation and certain other benefits and for severance payments under certain circumstances.

(d) Contingency

The Company is not currently a party to any legal proceeding, investigation or claim which, in the opinion of the management, is likely to have a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition or results of operations. Accordingly, no provision was

made for any claims as of December 31, 2015 and 2014. Legal fees associated with such legal proceedings, are expensed as incurred, or capitalized as discussed in Note 9. The amount capitalized is disclosed in Note 8.

On October 27, 2014, TransUnion Risk and Alternative Data Solutions, Inc. (“TRADS”) filed a Complaint for Declaratory Judgment against Interactive Data, among other parties, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Florida, regarding a dispute over ownership of certain intellectual property purchased by TBO, the Purchased IP, from Ole Poulsen, the Company’s Chief Science Officer. TRADS has since dropped Interactive Data as a party, and added TBO and Ole Poulsen. On June 10, 2015, over TRADS’ objections, the court granted TBO’s motion to expand the scope of discovery to include, among other things, whether TRADS is a good faith purchaser of any of the Purchased IP, free of any fraud or misconduct by or on behalf of TRADS, and whether there was a fraud on the court by TRADS. On February 22, 2016, TBO and Mr. Poulsen filed a motion for summary judgment seeking judgment in their favor on all claims based upon, among other things, TRADS having committed a fraud on the court. Briefing on that motion will be completed on April 8, 2016. Trial is scheduled to begin May 16, 2016. As of the date of this report, this case is ongoing.

 

On October 23, 2014, TRADS filed a Complaint and Motion for Temporary Injunction, in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court in and for Palm Beach County, Florida, against James Reilly, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company, seeking relief for alleged violation of a noncompetition agreement. On February 5, 2015, after the presentation of TRADS’ case, the court denied TRADS’ motion for a temporary injunction to prohibit Mr. Reilly from continuing employment with TBO. TRADS appealed that order, and on December 2, 2015, the Fourth District Court of Appeal reversed the order denying the temporary injunction and remanded for Mr. Reilly to present his case opposing the preliminary injunction. Mr. Reilly has appealed that order to the Supreme Court of Florida. The Supreme Court of Florida has not yet decided if it will accept jurisdiction of the appeal. A calendar call is scheduled in the case on March 18, 2016 to set a hearing date on TRADS’ motion for temporary injunction. As of the date of this report, this case is ongoing.

On November 26, 2014, TRADS filed a Complaint and Motion for Preliminary Injunction, in the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, against Daniel MacLachlan, former Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of TBO, seeking relief for alleged violation of a noncompetition agreement. On February 10, 2015, the court granted TRADS’ motion for preliminary injunction against Mr. MacLachlan’s continued employment with TBO. That preliminary ruling was appealed and, on August 27, 2015, the appellate court vacated the injunction and remanded the case to the lower court for reconsideration. On October 29, 2015, the lower court reinstated the injunction through February 10, 2016. The preliminary injunction has now expired, and Mr. MacLachlan resumed performing services for the Company on February 11, 2016. On February 22, 2016, Mr. MacLachlan filed a motion for partial summary judgment seeking judgment in his favor on both of TRADS’ claims. Briefing on that motion is not yet complete. On March 15, 2016, the court dismissed TRADS’ claim for injunctive relief as moot, pursuant to a joint stipulation of the parties. As of the date of this report, this case is ongoing.

On July 28, 2015, TRADS filed a Complaint and Motion for Preliminary Injunction in the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, against Surya Challa, Vice President of Technology of TBO, seeking relief for an alleged violation of a noncompetition agreement. The hearing on TRADS’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction was held on February 19, 2016. The court has not yet issued a ruling on that motion. As of the date of this report, this case is ongoing.

In addition to the foregoing, we may be involved in litigation from time to time in the ordinary course of business. We do not believe that the ultimate resolution of any such matters will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. However, the results of such matters cannot be predicted with certainty and we cannot assure you that the ultimate resolution of any legal or administrative proceeding or dispute will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.