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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

NOTE 2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Principles of Consolidation - The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Document Security System and its subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates - The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported and disclosed in the financial statements and the accompanying notes. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, including those related to the accounts and notes receivable, inventory, fair values of investments, recoverability of long-lived assets and goodwill, useful lives of intangible assets and property and equipment, contingencies fair values of options and warrants to purchase the Company’s common stock, deferred revenue and income taxes, substantial doubt about ability to continue as a going concern among others. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities.

Reclassifications - Certain amounts on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets for the year ended December 31, 2018 have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation.

Cash Equivalents - All highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less at the date of purchase are classified as cash equivalents. Amounts included in cash equivalents in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets are money market funds whose adjusted costs approximate fair value.

Accounts Receivable - The Company extends credit to its customers in the normal course of business. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations and generally do not require collateral. Payment terms are generally 30 days but up to net 105 for certain customers. The Company carries its trade accounts receivable at invoice amount less an allowance for doubtful accounts. On a periodic basis, the Company evaluates its accounts receivable and establishes an allowance for doubtful accounts based upon management’s estimates that include a review of the history of past write-offs and collections and an analysis of current credit conditions. At December 31, 2019, the Company established a reserve for doubtful accounts of approximately $41,000 ($50,000 – 2018). The Company does not accrue interest on past due accounts receivable.

Inventory - Inventories consist primarily of paper, plastic materials and cards, pre-printed security paper, paperboard and fully prepared packaging which and are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value on the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method. Packaging work-in-process and finished goods included the cost of materials, direct labor and overhead. At the closing of each reporting period, the Company evaluates its inventory in order to adjust the inventory balance for obsolete and slow moving items. No reserve was recorded at December 31, 2019 or 2018. Write-downs and write-offs are charged to cost of goods sold.

Property, Plant and Equipment - Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives or lease period of the assets whichever is shorter. Expenditures for renewals and betterments are capitalized. Expenditures for minor items, repairs and maintenance are charged to operations as incurred. Any gain or loss upon sale or retirement due to obsolescence is reflected in the operating results in the period the event takes place. Depreciation expense in 2019 was approximately $943,000 ($795,000 - 2018).

Investment - – In accordance with ASC 325-20, the Company records its investment in common stock of Singapore eDevelopment Limited at cost, less impairment as the fair market value of the investment is not readily determinable. The Company evaluates investment for indications of impairment at least annually.

Goodwill - Goodwill is the excess of cost of an acquired entity over the fair value of amounts assigned to assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination. Goodwill is subject to impairment testing at least annually and will be tested for impairment between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would indicate the carrying amount may be impaired. Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 350 provides an entity with the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If, after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, an entity determines it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then performing the two-step impairment test is unnecessary. If the two-step impairment test is necessary, a fair-value-based test is applied at the reporting unit level, which is generally one level below the operating segment level. The test compares the fair value of an entity’s reporting units to the carrying value of those reporting units. This test requires various judgments and estimates. The Company estimates the fair value of the reporting unit using a market approach in combination with a discounted operating cash flow approach. Impairment of goodwill is measured as the excess of the carrying amount of goodwill over the fair values of recognized and unrecognized assets and liabilities of the reporting unit. The Company performed its annual goodwill impairment test as of December 31, 2019, and no impairment was deemed necessary. At December 31, 2019 and 2018 the Company’s goodwill consisted of approximately $685,000 and $1,768,600 for Plastic Printing Professionals, and Premier Packaging Corp., respectively.

Other Intangible Assets and Patent Application Costs - Other intangible assets consist of costs associated with the application for patents, acquisition of patents and contractual rights to patents and trade secrets associated with the Company’s technologies. The Company’s patents and trade secrets are generally for document anti-counterfeiting and anti-scanning technologies and processes that form the basis of the Company’s document security business. Patent application costs are capitalized and amortized over the estimated useful life of the patent, which generally approximates its legal life. In addition, intangible assets include customer lists and non-compete agreements obtained because of acquisitions. Intangible asset amortization expense is classified as an operating expense. The Company believes that the decision to incur patent costs is discretionary as the associated products or services can be sold prior to or during the application process. The Company accounts for other intangible amortization as an operating expense, unless the underlying asset is directly associated with the production or delivery of a product. Subsequent to acquisition of patents and trade secrets, legal and associated costs incurred in prosecuting alleged infringements of the patents will be recognized as expense when incurred. Costs incurred to renew or extend the term of recognized intangible assets, including patent annuities and fees, and patent defense costs are expensed as incurred. To date, the amount of related amortization expense for other intangible assets directly attributable to revenue recognized is not material.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets - The Company monitors the carrying value of long-lived assets for potential impairment and tests the recoverability of such assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts may not be recoverable. If a change in circumstance occurs, the Company performs a test of recoverability by comparing the carrying value of the asset or asset group to its undiscounted expected future cash flows. If cash flows cannot be separately and independently identified for a single asset, the Company will determine whether impairment has occurred for the group of assets for which the Company can identify the projected cash flows. If the carrying values are in excess of undiscounted expected future cash flows, the Company measures any impairment by comparing the fair value of the asset or asset group to its carrying value.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments - Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Fair Value Measurement Topic of the FASB ASC establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include:

	●	Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets;

	●	Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and

	●	Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.

The carrying amounts reported in the balance sheet of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, prepaids, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate fair value because of the immediate or short-term maturity of these financial instruments. The fair value of notes receivable approximates their carrying value as the stated or discounted rates of the notes do not reflect recent market conditions. The fair value of revolving credit lines notes payable and long-term debt approximates their carrying value as the stated or discounted rates of the debt reflect recent market conditions. Derivative instruments, as discussed below, are recorded as assets and liabilities at estimated fair value based on available market information. The fair value of investments carried at cost less impairment; however, the fair value is not considered readily determinable based on the lack of liquidity for the shares owned.

Derivative Instruments - The Company maintains an overall interest rate risk management strategy that may incorporate the use of interest rate swap contracts to minimize significant fluctuations in earnings that are caused by interest rate volatility. The Company had an interest rate swap that changes variable rates into fixed rates on one Citizens Bank term loan relating to the Company’s subsidiary, Premier Packaging. This swap qualified as a Level 2 fair value financial instrument. This swap agreement was not held for trading purposes and the Company did not intend to sell this derivative swap financial instrument. The Company recorded the interest swap agreement on the balance sheet at fair value because the agreement qualifies as a cash flow hedge under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Gains and losses on these instruments are recorded in other comprehensive loss until the underlying transaction is recorded in earnings. When the hedged item was realized, gains or losses are reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss (“AOCI”) to the consolidated statement of operations. The valuations of the interest rate swap has been derived from proprietary models of Citizens Bank, N.A (Citizens), based upon recognized financial principles and reasonable estimates about relevant future market conditions and may reflect certain other financial factors such as anticipated profit or hedging, transactional, and other costs. The notional amounts of the swap decreased over the life of the agreements. The Company would be exposed to a credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the counter parties to the interest rate swap agreements. The Company did not anticipate non-performance by the counter parties. The swap was settled in September 2019 with the effect of the settlement of an approximate loss of $22,000 recorded in other comprehensive income in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss).

Share-Based Payments - Compensation cost for stock awards are measured at fair value and the Company recognizes compensation expense over the service period for which awards are expected to vest. The Company uses the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model for determining the estimated fair value for stock-based awards. The Black-Scholes-Merton model requires the use of subjective assumptions which determine the fair value of stock-based awards, including the option’s expected term and the price volatility of the underlying stock. For equity instruments issued to consultants and vendors in exchange for goods and services the Company determines the measurement date for the fair value of the equity instruments issued at the earlier of (i) the date at which a commitment for performance by the consultant or vendor is reached or (ii) the date at which the consultant or vendor’s performance is complete. In the case of equity instruments issued to consultants, the fair value of the equity instrument is recognized over the term of the consulting agreement.

Revenue Recognition - Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted Topic 606 using the modified retrospective approach and applied the guidance to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. Adoption of Topic 606 did not impact the timing of revenue recognition in the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements for the current or prior interim or annual periods.

The Company sells printed products including packaging printing and fabrication, commercial and security printing and plastic cards and badges, including cards and badges integrated with technology such as RFID and smart chips. The Company also provides information technology services and digital authentication products and services to its customers. The Company recognizes its products and services revenue based on when the title passes to the customer or when the service is completed and accepted by the customer. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for shipped product or service provided. Sales and other taxes billed and collected from customers are excluded from revenue. Customers, including distributors, do not have a general right of return. The Company also derives revenue from royalties from third parties which are typically based on licensees’ net sales of products that utilize the Company’s technology, or on a per item usage of the technology on the customers’ printed products. The Company recognizes license revenue at the time it is reported by the licensee. From time to time, the Company generates license revenues through litigation settlements. For these, the Company recognizes revenue upon the execution of the agreement, when collectability is reasonably assured, or upon receipt of the minimum upfront fee for term agreement renewals, and when all other revenue recognition criteria have been met.

As of December 31, 2019, the Company had no unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts with an original expected duration of greater than one year. Pursuant to Topic 606, the Company has applied the practical expedient with respect to disclosure of the deferral and future expected timing of revenue recognition for transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations. The Company elected the practical expedient allowing it to not recognize as a contract asset the commission paid to its salesforce on the sale of its products as an incremental cost of obtaining a contract with a customer but rather recognize such commission as expense when incurred as the amortization period of the asset that the Company would have otherwise recognized is one year or less.

Sales Commissions

Sales commissions are expensed as incurred for contracts with an expected duration of one year or less. There were no sales commissions capitalized as of December 31, 2019.

Shipping and Handling Costs

Costs incurred by the Company related to shipping and handling are included in cost of products sold. Amounts charged to customers pertaining to these costs are reflected as revenue.

Costs of revenue - Costs of revenue includes all direct cost of the Company’s packaging, commercial and security printing and plastic ID card sales, primarily, paper, plastic, inks, dies, and other consumables, and direct labor, transportation and manufacturing facility costs. In addition, this category includes all direct costs associated with the Company’s technology sales, services and licensing including hardware and software that is resold, third-party fees, and fees paid to inventors or others as a result of technology licenses or settlements, if any. Costs of revenue recorded in the DSS Technology Management group include contingent legal fees, inventor royalties, legal, consulting and other professional fees directly related to the Company’s patent monetization, litigation and licensing activities. Amortization of patent costs and acquired technology are included in depreciation and amortization on the consolidated statement of operations. Costs of revenue do not include expenses related to product development, integration, and support. These costs are included in research and development, which is a component of selling, general and administrative expenses on the consolidated statement of operations. Legal costs are included in selling, general and administrative.

Contingent Legal Expenses - Contingent legal fees are expensed in the consolidated statements of operations in the period that the related revenues are recognized. In instances where there are no recoveries from potential infringers, no contingent legal fees are paid; however, the Company may be liable for certain out of pocket legal costs incurred pursuant to the underlying legal services agreement that will be paid out from the proceeds from settlements or licenses that arise pursuant to an enforcement action, which will be expensed as legal fees in the period in which the payment of such fees is probable. Any unamortized patent acquisition costs will be expensed in the period a conclusion is reached in an enforcement action that does not yield future royalties potential.

Advertising Costs – Generally consist of online, keyword advertising with Google with additional amounts spent on certain print media in targeted industry publications. Advertising costs were approximately $81,000 in 2018 ($67,000 – 2018).

Research and Development - Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development costs consist primarily of third-party research costs and consulting costs. The Company recognized a credit in 2019 of approximately $12,000 primarily due to receipt of the anticipated $33,000 refund on development costs for the development of proprietary blockchain solutions for the Company’s AuthentiGuard product line. In comparison, the Company spent approximately $146,000 and on research and development during 2018 primarily toward the development of the Company’s AuthentiGuard product line.

Income Taxes - The Company recognizes estimated income taxes payable or refundable on income tax returns for the current year and for the estimated future tax effect attributable to temporary differences and carry-forwards. Measurement of deferred income items is based on enacted tax laws including tax rates, with the measurement of deferred income tax assets being reduced by available tax benefits not expected to be realized. We recognize penalties and accrued interest related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense.

Earnings Per Common Share - The Company presents basic and diluted earnings per share. Basic earnings per share reflect the actual weighted average of shares issued and outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share are computed including the number of additional shares that would have been outstanding if dilutive potential shares had been issued and is calculated utilizing the treasury stock method. In a loss period, the calculation for basic and diluted earnings per share is the same, as the impact of potential common shares is anti-dilutive.

As of December 31, 2019, and 2018, there were 1,798,221 and 2,212,773, respectively, of common stock share equivalents potentially issuable under options, warrants, and restricted stock agreements that could potentially dilute basic earnings per share in the future. For the twelve-months ended December 31, 2019, equivalents were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share since their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive. For the twelve-months ended December 31, 2018, based on the average market price of the Company’s common stock during that period of $1.27, 206,429 common stock equivalents were added to the basic shares outstanding to calculate dilutive earnings per share.

Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Comprehensive income (loss) is defined as the change in equity of the Company during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources. It consists of net income (loss) and other income and losses affecting stockholders’ equity that, under U.S. GAAP, are excluded from net income (loss). The change in fair value of interest rate swaps was the only item impacting accumulated other comprehensive loss for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Concentration of Credit Risk - The Company maintains its cash in bank deposit accounts, which at times may exceed federally insured limits. The Company believes it is not exposed to any significant credit risk as a result of any non-performance by the financial institutions.

During 2019, two customers accounted for 45% of our consolidated revenue. As of December 31, 2019, these two customers accounted for 49% of our consolidated trade accounts receivable balance. As of December 31, 2018, these two customers accounted for 44% of our consolidated revenue and 38% of our consolidated trade accounts receivable balance.

Continuing Operations and Going Concern – The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern. This basis of accounting contemplates the recovery of our assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. These consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the specific amounts and classifications of assets and liabilities, which might be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going concern. While the Company has approximately $1.1 million in cash and cash equivalents, and a positive working capital position of approximately $3.2 million as of December 31, 2019, the Company has incurred negative cash flows from operating and investing activities over the past two years. To continue as a going concern, on June 5, 2019, the Company entered into an underwriting agreement with Aegis Capital Corp., acting as representative of the several underwriters, which provided for the issuance and sale by the Company in an underwritten public offering (the “Offering”) of 11,200,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. The Company also granted the Underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 1,680,000 additional shares of the Company’s common stock on the same terms and conditions for the purpose of covering any over-allotments in connection with the Offering (519,186 shares were exercised on July 18, 2019.) The net offering proceeds to the Company was approximately $5.0 million, inclusive of the July 18, 2019 transaction and after deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and other offering expenses. Also, on February 25, 2020, Company entered into an underwriting agreement with Aegis Capital Corp., acting as representative of the several underwriters, which provided for the issuance and sale by the Company in an underwritten public offering (the “Offering”) of 25,555,556 shares (inclusive of 3,333,333 over-allotment that was exercised immediately) of the Company’s common stock. The net offering proceeds (inclusive of the over-allotment exercise) to the Company approximated $4.0 million.

The expected use of cash for operations in 2020 will be primarily for funding operating losses, working capital, legal expenses associated with intellectual property related litigation, and the costs associated with the global roll-out of the Company’s AuthentiGuard product line. The Company will also use these funds to make capital improvements at its two manufacturing facilities to increase production capacity and create efficiencies, as well as to diversify its revenue streams and take advantage of profit opportunities.

The Company’s management intends to take actions necessary to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans concerning these matters includes, among other things, continued growth among our operating segments including international expansion of our AuthentiGuard product, and tightly controlling operating costs and reducing spending growth rates wherever possible to return to profitability.

We believe that our $1.1 million in aggregate cash and equivalents as of December 31, 2019 as well as the $4.0 million raised on February 25, 2020 will allow us to fund our four operating segments current and planned operations through March 2021. Based on this, we have concluded that substantial doubt of our ability to continue as a going concern has been alleviated.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements –

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02 and its related amendments which introduced Leases (Topic 842, or “ASC 842”), a new comprehensive lease accounting model that supersedes the current lease guidance under Leases (Topic 840). The new accounting standard requires lessees to recognize right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and corresponding lease liabilities for all leases with lease terms of greater than 12 months. It also changes the definition of a lease and expands the disclosure requirements of lease arrangements. In July 2018, the FASB added a transition option for implementation that allows companies to continue to use the legacy guidance in ASC 840, Leases, including its disclosure requirements, in the comparative periods presented in the year of adoption. The Company adopted the guidance effective January 1, 2019. The Company elected the transition package of three practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance and elected the optional transition method that allows for a cumulative-effect adjustment in the period of adoption, without a restatement of prior periods. Further, the Company elected a short-term lease exception policy, permitting the Company to not apply the recognition requirements of this standard to short-term leases (i.e. leases with terms of 12 months or less). As a result of the adoption, the Company adjusted its beginning balance as of January 1, 2019 by recording operating lease ROU asset and liabilities through a cumulative-effect adjustment. The adoption impacted the accompanying consolidated balance sheet, but did not have an impact on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss).

At the inception of a contractual arrangement, the Company determines whether the contract contains a lease by assessing whether there is an identified asset and whether the contract conveys the right to control the use of the identified asset in exchange for consideration over a period of time. If both criteria are met, the Company calculates the associated lease liability and corresponding ROU assets upon lease commencement using a discount rate based on a credit adjusted secured borrowing rate commensurate with the term of the lease. The Company records lease liabilities within current or noncurrent liabilities based upon the length of time associated with the lease payments. The operating lease ROU assets includes any lease payments made and excludes lease incentives and initial direct costs incurred, if any, and are recorded as noncurrent assets. Lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. Lease expense for minimum lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The impact of the adoption of ASC 842 on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of January 1, 2019 was a right-of-use asset and a lease liability of approximately $1,443,800.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, “Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326)”, which requires entities to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. This replaces the existing incurred loss model and is applicable to the measurement of credit losses on financial assets measured at amortized cost. This guidance is effective for the Company for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2022. The Company is currently assessing the impact that adopting this new accounting standard will have on our consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, “Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350) – Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment”, which eliminates the two-step process that required identification of potential impairment and a separate measure of the actual impairment. The annual assessment of goodwill impairment will be determined by using the difference between the carrying amount and the fair value of the reporting unit. The standards update is effective for goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company is currently assessing the impact that adopting this new accounting standard will have on its Consolidated Financial Statements and plans to adopt ASU 2017-04 in the first quarter of 2020.