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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
 
Summary of future minimum lease payments for all operating leases
 
Minimum future payments under all operating leases as of September 30, 2014, are as follows (in thousands):
Payments due by period
 
 
2014 (remainder)
 
$
2,677

2015
 
10,714

2016
 
8,483

2017
 
4,224

2018
 
3,826

Thereafter
 
32,437

 
 
$
62,361

 

Rental expense for operating leases totaled $2.9 million and $2.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively and $8.7 million and $7.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. There is no estimated sublease income expected over the next five years.

On March 6, 2014 we entered into amendments to extend the leases on our corporate headquarters and a data center space from their previous expiration of June 30, 2016 to January 31, 2017. The minimum future payments due under these amended operating leases are included in the summary of future minimum lease payments for all operating leases in the table above.
Naming rights
During 2011, we entered into a six-year agreement with the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority ("OACCA") for the right to name the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum. Amounts shown below represent annual payments due OACCA for the naming rights. We have the right to terminate this agreement at our sole option, subject to payment of a termination fee.
Minimum future payments under naming rights agreement as of September 30, 2014, are as follows (in thousands):
Payments due by period:
 
 
2014 (remainder)
 
$
1,311

2015
 
1,351

2016
 
1,391

Thereafter
 

 
 
$
4,053


Technology
From time to time we enter into non-cancellable, long-term contractual agreements for technology services. Minimum future payments under these agreements as of September 30, 2014, are as follows (in thousands):
Payments due by period:
 
 
2014 (remainder)
 
$

2015
 
2,901

2016
 
1,683

Thereafter
 

 
 
$
4,584



Legal Proceedings
 
From time to time, we are involved in litigation concerning consumer protection, employment, intellectual property and other commercial matters related to the conduct and operation of our business and the sale of products on our Website. In connection with such litigation, we may be subject to significant damages. In some instances other parties may have contractual indemnification obligations to us. However, such contractual obligations may prove unenforceable or non-collectible, and in the event we cannot enforce or collect on indemnification obligations, we may bear the full responsibility for damages, fees and costs resulting from such litigation. We may also be subject to penalties and equitable remedies that could force us to alter important business practices. Such litigation could be costly and time consuming and could divert or distract our management and key personnel from our business operations. Due to the uncertainty of litigation and depending on the amount and the timing, an unfavorable resolution of some or all of these matters could materially affect our business, results of operations, financial position, or cash flows.
 
On February 2, 2007, along with five shareholder plaintiffs, we filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco against Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, Goldman Sachs & Co., Bear Stearns Companies, Inc., Bank of America Securities LLC, Bank of New York, Citigroup Inc., Credit Suisse (USA) Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc., and UBS Financial Services, Inc., and later amended the complaint to add Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. as a defendant. The suit alleged that the defendants, who controlled over 80% of the prime brokerage market, participated in an illegal stock market manipulation scheme and that the defendants had no intention of covering short sell orders with borrowed stock, as they are required to do, causing what are referred to as “fails to deliver” and that the defendants’ actions caused and continued to cause dramatic declines in the share price of our stock and that the amount of “fails to deliver” often exceeded our entire supply of outstanding shares. The suit accused the defendants of violations of California securities laws and common law and violations of California’s Unfair Business Practices Act. After it filed for bankruptcy on September 2008, we elected not to pursue our claims against Lehman Brothers Holdings. On July 23, 2009, the court sustained defendants’ demurrer to our amended causes of action for conversion and trespass to chattels. On December 15, 2010, we and the other plaintiffs in the case entered into a settlement agreement with certain of the defendants requiring these defendants to pay in the aggregate $4.5 million to plaintiffs. Other terms of settlement are confidential. At that time, remaining defendants in the suit were Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Goldman Sachs & Co., Goldman Sachs Execution & Clearing L.P., (“Goldman Defendants”) Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc., Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corporation (“Merrill Lynch Defendants), and Bank of America Securities LLC. On December 15, 2010, we filed a motion to amend our complaint against the Goldman and Merrill Lynch Defendants to add a cause of action based on the New Jersey Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act. Defendants challenged the RICO claim by demurrer and eventually the court sustained the demurrer. We thereafter entered a settlement agreement with Bank of America Securities LLC, the terms of which are confidential, and have dismissed the action as to that defendant. On August 19, 2011, the remaining defendants filed a motion for summary judgment. On January 10, 2012, the court granted the motion for summary judgment as to all remaining defendants and the judgment has been entered. We have appealed that decision and each side has appealed the trial court’s decisions regarding sealing of certain records in the case. The defendants applied to the court for reimbursement from us of their allowable court costs in the collective amount of $2.4 million. We challenged the application, and the court reduced the amount to $689,471, which will be payable only if we do not succeed on our appeal of the summary judgment. The Court of Appeal heard oral argument of all appeals on August 15, 2014. The Court of Appeal has not yet rendered a decision. The nature of the loss contingencies relating to any court costs ordered against us are described above.
 
On September 23, 2009, SpeedTrack, Inc. sued us along with 27 other defendants in the United States District Court in the Northern District of California. We are alleged to have infringed a patent covering search and categorization software. We believe that certain third party vendors of products and services sold to us are contractually obligated to indemnify us in this action. On November 11, 2009, the parties stipulated to stay all proceedings in the case until resolution of a reexamination of the patent in question, and also until a previously filed infringement action against Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and other retailers resulted either in judgment or dismissal. Subsequently, the parties agreed to extend the time for defendants to answer until 21 days following a court order to lift the stay to which the parties stipulated. The United States Patent and Trademark Office resolved the reexamination of the patent in question in favor of SpeedTrack, Inc. The case remains stayed, pending the outcome and appeal of the infringement action against Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and other retailers. On February 22, 2012, the court in the Wal-Mart Stores case granted Wal-Mart Stores’ motion for summary judgment of non-infringement. The court also granted Speedtrack’s motion for summary judgment on patent validity. Speedtrack appealed, and the ruling was upheld. It is not known whether the summary judgments granted in the Wal-Mart Stores case will have an effect on the Speedtrack case in which we are named as one of the defendants. The nature of the loss contingencies relating to claims that have been asserted against us are described above. However no estimate of the loss or range of loss can be made. We intend to vigorously defend this action and pursue our indemnification rights with our vendors.

On September 29, 2010, a trustee in bankruptcy filed against us an adversary proceeding in the matter of In re: Petters Company, Inc., a case filed in United States Bankruptcy Court, in the District of Minnesota. The complaint alleges principal causes of action against us under various Bankruptcy Code sections and the Minnesota Fraudulent Transfer Act, to recover damages for alleged transfers of property from the Petters Company occurring prior to the filing of the case initially as a civil receivership in October 2008. The trustee’s complaint alleges such transfers occurred in at least one note transaction whereby we transferred at least $2.3 million and received in return transfers totaling at least $2.5 million. The case is in its discovery stages. We filed a motion to dismiss on statute of limitations and other grounds. The court consolidated the issues in our motion with issues raised by motion in similar trustee-filed cases. The court issued legal rulings on these consolidated legal issues, and has allowed portions of the case to proceed to the discovery stage. The nature of the loss contingencies relating to claims that have been asserted against us are described above. However, no estimate of the loss or range of loss can be made. We intend to vigorously defend this action.
 
On November 17, 2010, we were sued in the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, by District Attorneys for the California Counties of Alameda, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Santa Clara, Shasta and Sonoma County, and the County of Santa Cruz later joined the suit. These district attorneys sought damages and an injunction under claims for violations of California consumer protection laws, alleging we made untrue or misleading statements concerning our pricing, price reductions, sources of products and shipping charges. The complaint asked for damages in the amount of not less than $15 million. We tried the case in September 2013 before the judge of the court and made final arguments in December 2013. On January 3, 2014, the court issued a tentative ruling in favor of the District Attorneys, which became a final Statement of Decision on February 5, 2014. The decision provides for an injunction that prescribes disclosures necessary for certain types of price advertising and price reductions and imposes civil penalties of $3,500 per day for practices from March 2006 through September 2008, and $2,000 per day for September 2008 through September 2013, totaling $6.8 million. The court issued a Final Judgment February 19, 2014 reflecting the Court’s Statement of Decision. We have stipulated to Plaintiff’s reimbursement of costs in the amount of $111,500. We have appealed the decision and have secured a bond as required in the ruling in the amount of 150% of the penalty imposed in the matter until the ruling on the appeal. The appeal is in the briefing stages. No date has been set for oral argument. The nature of the loss contingencies relating to claims that have been asserted against us are described above. We intend to continue to vigorously pursue the appeal and defend this action.
 
On September 11, 2011, Droplets, Inc. filed suit against us and eight other defendants in the United States District Court in the Eastern District of Texas for infringement of a patent covering strings of programming code downloaded from a server to a client computer. We have answered the complaint. The case is in its discovery stages and has been scheduled for trial in January 2015. The nature of the loss contingencies relating to claims that have been asserted against us are described above. However, no estimate of the loss or range of loss can be made. We intend to vigorously defend this action and pursue our indemnification rights with our vendors.

On March 1, 2012, H-W Technology, L.C. filed suit against us in the United States District Court in the Northern District of Texas for infringement of a patent entitled “Internet Protocol (IP) Phone with Search and Advertising Capability.” On January 28, 2013, we filed a motion for summary judgment for invalidity on two claims of the patent. On September 23, 2013, the court granted the motion. H-W Technology appealed and on July 11, 2014, the appeals court upheld the lower court decision. H-W Technology did not contest the decision on further appeal. Our application to the court for court-ordered reimbursement of our legal fees and costs was denied. The case is now concluded.

On July 16, 2012, Digitech Image Technologies, LLC filed against us and 45 other defendants in the United States District Court for the Central District of California for infringement of a patent covering the imaging technology that facilitates prediction of color and location within digital cameras. The initial case was dismissed, but in September 2012, Digitech filed a new complaint on the same infringement claims. Subsequently, the court granted a motion for summary judgment on invalidity of the patent and entered judgment for us. Digitech appealed, and on July 11, 2014 the appeals court upheld the invalidity judgment. The case is now concluded.

On July 19, 2012, Data Carriers, LLC filed suit against us in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware for infringement of a patent covering the “autocomplete” features of our website. We answered the complaint, and on August 20, 2014, Data Carriers voluntarily dismissed its case with prejudice without any payment from us.
 
On February 11, 2013, RPost Holdings, Inc., RPost Communications Limited, and RMail Limited, filed suit against us in the United States District Court in Eastern District of Texas for infringement of patents covering products and services that verify the delivery and integrity of email messages. We tendered defense of the case to an indemnitor which accepted the defense. We answered the complaint. The case is in its early stages. The nature of the loss contingencies relating to claims that have been asserted against us are described above. However, no estimate of the loss or range of loss can be made. We intend to vigorously defend this action and pursue our indemnification rights with our vendors.

On August 16, 2013, Online News Link LLC, filed suit against us in the United States District Court in District of Delaware for infringement of patents covering data distribution systems that can make downloading data fast and efficient. We answered the complaint, and on September 24, 2014, Online News voluntarily dismissed its case with prejudice without any payment from us.

On January 31, 2014, Guardian Media Technologies LTD filed suit against us in the United States District Court in the Eastern District of Texas for infringement of patents covering parental control features in DVD players and televisions. The suit relates to two prior lawsuits with Guardian filed in 2008, and in 2013, which were previously dismissed. We have requested indemnification from pertinent vendors. The case is in its discovery stages. The nature of the loss contingencies relating to claims that have been asserted against us are described above. However, no estimate of the loss or range of loss can be made. We intend to vigorously defend this action and pursue any indemnification rights with our vendors.
 
On September 30, 2013, Altaf Nazerali filed suit against us in the Supreme Court of British Columbia for vicarious liability for defamation, liable and slander. The suit relates to alleged representations about Nazerali found on the website www.deepcapture.com. The suit alleges that the representations were made by our Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Byrne, and two other employees. The case is in its early stages. The nature of the loss contingencies relating to claims that have been asserted against us are described above. However, no estimate of the loss or range of loss can be made.

In June of 2013, William French filed suit against us and 46 other defendants under seal in the Superior Court of the State of Delaware. The filing was unsealed on March 24, 2014. French brought the action on Delaware’s behalf for violations of Delaware’s unclaimed property laws and for recovery of the unredeemed gift card value allegedly attributable to Delaware residents. French’s complaint alleges that we, and other defendants, knowingly refused to fulfill obligations under Delaware's Abandoned Property Law by failing to report and deliver unclaimed gift card funds to the State of Delaware, and knowingly made, used or caused to be made or used, false statements and records to conceal, avoid or decrease an obligation to pay or transmit money to Delaware in violation of the Delaware False Claims and Reporting Act. The complaint seeks an injunction, monetary damages (including treble damages) penalties, and attorneys' fees and costs. The case is in its early stages. The nature of the loss contingencies relating to claims that have been asserted against us are described above. However, no estimate of the loss or range of loss can be made.

We establish liabilities when a particular contingency is probable and estimable. At September 30, 2014, we have accrued $8.2 million in light of these probable and estimable liabilities. It is reasonably possible that the actual losses may exceed our accrued liabilities. We have other contingencies which are reasonably possible; however, the reasonably possible exposure to losses cannot currently be estimated.