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Goodwill and Intangible Assets
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]  
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
3.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
The change in the carrying value of goodwill for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 is as follows (in thousands):
Balance as of December 31, 2011
$
102,338

AdXpose, Inc. deferred tax adjustments
80

Translation adjustments
(82
)
Balance as of September 30, 2012
$
102,336


During the three months ended March 31, 2012, the Company recorded a reduction in its estimated amount of acquired deferred tax assets associated with the acquisition of AdXpose, Inc., that occurred in August 2011, with an offsetting adjustment to goodwill. During the third quarter of 2012, the Company finalized its purchase accounting for the acquisition of AdXpose, Inc., and no additional adjustments were recorded.
During the three months ended June 30, 2012, the Company noted a significant decline in revenues from ARSgroup (“ARS”), which the Company acquired in February 2010. As a result, the Company performed an impairment test of the long-lived assets of ARS. The long-lived assets of ARS consist of customer relationships and acquired methodologies and technology. The first step in testing the long-lived assets of ARS for impairment was to compare the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of ARS to the carrying value of ARS’s long-lived assets. Based on this analysis, the Company determined as of June 30, 2012 that the sum of the expected undiscounted cash flows to be generated from ARS was less than the carrying value of the ARS intangible assets. As such, the Company concluded that the ARS intangible assets were impaired as of June 30, 2012. To measure the amount of the impairment, the Company then estimated the fair value of the intangible assets as of June 30, 2012. In determining the fair value of the intangible assets, the Company prepared a discounted cash flow (“DCF”) analysis for each intangible asset. In preparing the DCF analysis, the Company used a combination of income approaches including the relief from royalty approach and the excess earnings approach. Determining fair value requires the exercise of significant judgment, including judgments about appropriate discount rates, terminal growth rates, royalty rates and the amount and timing of expected future cash flows. The cash flows employed in the DCF analysis were based on the Company’s most recent budgets, forecasts and business plans as well as growth rate assumptions for years beyond the current business plan period. Significant assumptions used include a discount rate of 18.5%, which is based on an assessment of the risk inherent in the future revenue streams and cash flows of ARS, as well as a royalty rate of 3.0%, which is based on an analysis of royalty rates in similar, market transactions. Based on the DCF analysis, the Company estimated the fair value of the intangible assets of ARS to be $2.5 million as of June 30, 2012, which resulted in an impairment charge of $3.3 million during the three months ended June 30, 2012. The impairment charge had a negative impact on income from continuing operations and net income of $3.3 million and an impact on earnings per share of $0.10 per share during the three and six months ended June 30, 2012 as well as the nine months ended September 30, 2012. In addition, these intangible assets will be amortized over a remaining estimated useful life of eighteen months, beginning July 1, 2012. During the three months ended September 30, 2012 there were no events or circumstances to indicate that the carrying amount of goodwill or intangible assets, including those of ARS, were not recoverable.

Certain of the Company’s intangible assets are recorded in euros, British Pounds and the local currencies of the Company’s South American subsidiaries, and therefore, the gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization are subject to foreign currency translation adjustments. The carrying values of the Company’s amortizable acquired intangible assets are as follows (in thousands):
 
 
 
September 30, 2012
 
December 31, 2011
 
 
Gross
Carrying
Amount
 
Accumulated
Amortization
 
Net
Carrying
Amount
 
Gross
Carrying
Amount
 
Accumulated
Amortization
 
Net
Carrying
Amount
Acquired methodologies/technology
 
$
8,360

 
$
(3,804
)
 
$
4,556

 
$
11,244

 
$
(3,307
)
 
$
7,937

Customer relationships
 
35,347

 
(9,868
)
 
25,479

 
38,157

 
(7,698
)
 
30,459

Panel
 
1,639

 
(1,015
)
 
624

 
1,615

 
(826
)
 
789

Intellectual property
 
13,571

 
(2,074
)
 
11,497

 
13,561

 
(918
)
 
12,643

Trade names
 
4,112

 
(3,541
)
 
571

 
4,107

 
(2,821
)
 
1,286

 
 
$
63,029

 
$
(20,302
)
 
$
42,727

 
$
68,684

 
$
(15,570
)
 
$
53,114


Amortization expense related to intangible assets was approximately $2.4 million and $7.0 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012, respectively, and $2.5 million and $6.9 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, respectively.
The weighted average remaining amortization period by major asset class as of September 30, 2012, is as follows:
 
 
(In years)
Acquired methodologies/technology
2.5
Customer relationships
6.9
Panel
2.7
Intellectual property
8.5
Trade names
2.7

The estimated future amortization of acquired intangible assets as of September 30, 2012 is as follows:
 
 
(In thousands)
2012
$
2,278

2013
8,984

2014
7,135

2015
6,133

2016
5,143

Thereafter
13,054

 
$
42,727