COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES |
12 Months Ended |
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Mar. 31, 2020 | |
| Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Commitments to Purchase Inventory
The Company uses contract manufacturers for our manufacturing operations. Under these arrangements, the contract manufacturer procures inventory to manufacture products based upon our forecast of customer demand. The Company has similar arrangements with certain other suppliers. The Company is responsible for the financial impact on the supplier or contract manufacturer of any reduction or product mix shift in the forecast relative to materials that the third party had already purchased under a prior forecast. Such a variance in forecasted demand could require a cash payment for inventory in excess of current customer demand or for costs of excess or obsolete inventory. As of March 31, 2020, the Company had issued non-cancelable commitments for $19.5 million to purchase inventory from our contract manufacturers and suppliers.
Legal Proceedings
On July, 22 2016, Realtime Data LLC d/b/a IXO (“Realtime Data”) filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Quantum in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, alleging infringement of U.S. Patents Nos. 7,161,506, 7,378,992, 7,415,530, 8,643,513, 9,054,728, and 9,116,908. The lawsuit has been transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California for further proceedings. Realtime Data asserts that we have incorporated Realtime Data’s patented technology into our compression products and services. Realtime Data seeks unspecified monetary damages and other relief that the Court deems appropriate. On July 31, 2017, the District Court stayed proceedings in this litigation pending decision in Inter Partes Review proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board relating to the Realtime patents. In those proceedings the asserted claims of the ’506 patent, the ’992 patent, and the ’513 patent were found unpatentable. In addition on July 19, 2019, all claims of the ’728 patent, the ’530 patent, and the ’908 patent were found invalid under 35 U.S.C. § 101 by Judge Connolly in the District of Delaware. The stay remains in effect pending Realtime’s appeal of those rulings. We believe the probability that this lawsuit will have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition is remote.
Indemnifications
The Company has certain financial guarantees, both express and implied, related to product liability and potential infringement of intellectual property. Other than certain product warranty liabilities recorded as of March 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company did not record a liability associated with these guarantees, as the Company has little, or no history of costs associated with such indemnification requirements. Contingent liabilities associated with product liability may be mitigated by insurance coverage that the Company maintains.
In the normal course of business to facilitate transactions of the Company’s services and products, the Company indemnifies certain parties with respect to certain matters. The Company has agreed to hold certain parties harmless against losses arising from a breach of representations or covenants, or out of intellectual property infringement or other claims made against certain parties. These agreements may limit the time within which an indemnification claim can be made and the amount of the claim. In addition, the Company has entered into indemnification agreements with its officers and directors, and the Company’s bylaws contains similar indemnification obligations to its agents. It is not possible to determine the maximum potential amount under these indemnification agreements due to the limited history of the Company’s indemnification claims, and the unique facts and circumstances involved in each particular agreement. Historically, payments made by the Company under these agreements have not had a material impact on its operating results, financial position, or cash flows.
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