Disputes, Litigation and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Disputes, Litigation and Contingencies	Disputes, Litigation and Contingencies Shareholder Litigation In 2010, three shareholder derivative actions were filed, purportedly on behalf of the Company, asserting breach of duty and other claims against certain current and former officers and directors of the Company related to the United Nations oil-for-food program governing sales of goods into Iraq, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 and trade sanctions related to the U.S. government investigations disclosed in our SEC filings since 2007. Those shareholder derivative cases were filed in Harris County, Texas state court and consolidated under the caption Neff v. Brady, et al., No. 2010040764 (collectively referred to as the “Neff Case”). Other shareholder demand letters covering the same subject matter were received by the Company in early 2014, and a fourth shareholder derivative action was filed, purportedly on behalf of the Company, also asserting breach of duty and other claims against certain current and former officers and directors of the Company related to the same subject matter as the Neff Case. That case, captioned Erste-Sparinvest KAG v. Duroc-Danner, et al., No. 201420933 (Harris County, Texas) was consolidated into the Neff Case in September 2014. A motion to dismiss was granted May 15, 2015, and an appeal was filed on June 15, 2015. Following briefing and oral argument, on June 29, 2017, the Texas Court of Appeals denied in part and granted in part the shareholders’ appeal. The Court ruled that the shareholders lacked standing to bring claims that arose prior to the Company’s redomestication to Switzerland in 2009, and upheld the dismissal of those claims. The Court reversed as premature the trial court’s dismissal of claims arising after the redomestication and remanded to the trial court for further proceedings. On February 1, 2018, the individual defendants and nominal defendant Weatherford filed a motion for summary judgment on the remaining claims in the case. On February 13, 2018 the trial court dismissed with prejudice certain directors for lack of jurisdiction. The plaintiffs have appealed the jurisdictional ruling and the parties have jointly moved for a stay of the case during the pendency of the appeal. We cannot reliably predict the outcome of the remaining claims, including the amount of any possible loss. U.S. Government and Other Investigations The SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice investigated certain accounting issues associated with the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting for income taxes that was disclosed in a notification of late filing on Form 12b-25 filed on March 1, 2011 and in current reports on Form 8-K filed on February 21, 2012 and on July 24, 2012 and the subsequent restatements of our historical financial statements. As disclosed in the Form 8-K filed on September 27, 2016, the Company settled with the SEC without admitting or denying the findings of the SEC, by consenting to the entry of an administrative order that requires the Company to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of the anti-fraud provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 (as amended, the “Securities Act”), and the anti-fraud, reporting, books and records, and internal controls provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (as amended, the “Exchange Act”), and the rules promulgated thereunder. As part of the terms of the SEC settlement, the Company agreed to pay in installments a total civil monetary penalty of $140 million, beginning in the fourth quarter of 2016 and concluding in September 2017. In addition, certain reports and certifications regarding our tax internal controls were to be delivered to the SEC during the two years following the settlement. We completed and delivered the third and final report in April of 2018. Rapid Completions and Packers Plus Litigation Several subsidiaries of the Company are defendants in a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Rapid Completions LLC (“RC”) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas on July 31, 2015. RC claims that we and other defendants are liable for infringement of seven U.S. patents related to specific downhole completion equipment and the methods of using such equipment. These patents have been assigned to Packers Plus Energy Services, Inc., a Canadian corporation (“Packers Plus”), and purportedly exclusively licensed to RC. RC is seeking a permanent injunction against further alleged infringement, unspecified damages for infringement, supplemental and enhanced damages, and additional relief such as attorneys’ fees. The Company has filed a counterclaim against Packers Plus, seeking declarations of non-infringement, invalidity, and unenforceability of the four patents that remain asserted against the Company on the grounds of inequitable conduct. The Company is seeking attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in the lawsuit. The litigation was stayed, pending resolution of inter partes reviews (“IPR”) of each of the four patents before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). On February 22, 2018, the PTAB issued IPR decisions finding that all of the claims of the ‘505, ‘634, and ‘774 patents that were challenged by the Company in the IPRs are invalid. There is one more pending IPR relating to the ‘501 patent. Given the similarities among the four patents, the Company believes it will obtain a favorable outcome in the remaining IPR. RC has appealed the PTAB’s decisions. On October 14, 2015, Packers Plus and RC filed suit in Federal Court in Toronto, Canada against the Company and certain subsidiaries alleging infringement of a related Canadian patent and seeking unspecified damages and an accounting of the Company’s profits. Trial on the validity of the Canadian patent was completed in March 2017. On November 3, 2017, the Federal Court issued its decision, wherein it concluded that the defendants proved that the patent-in-suit was invalid and dismissed Packers Plus and RC’s claims of infringement. On January 5, 2018, Packers Plus and RC filed their Notice of Appeal. If one or more negative outcomes were to occur in either case, the impact to our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows could be material. Other Disputes and Litigation We are aware of various other disputes and potential claims and are a party in various litigation involving claims against us, some of which are covered by insurance. For claims, disputes and pending litigation in which we believe a negative outcome is probable and a loss can be reasonably estimated, we have recorded a liability for the expected loss. These liabilities are immaterial to our financial condition and results of operations. In addition we have certain claims, disputes and pending litigation for which we do not believe a negative outcome is probable or for which we can only estimate a range of liability. It is possible, however, that an unexpected judgment could be rendered against us, or we could decide to resolve a case or cases, that would result in liability that could be uninsured and beyond the amounts we currently have reserved and in some cases those losses could be material. If one or more negative outcomes were to occur relative to these matters, the aggregate impact to our financial condition could be material. Accrued litigation and settlements recorded in “Other Current Liabilities” on the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 were $47 million and $51 million, respectively. Other Contingencies We have minimum purchase commitments related to supply contracts and maintain a liability at March 31, 2018 of $47 million for expected penalties to be paid, of which $22 million is recorded in “Other Current Liabilities,” $25 million is recorded in “Other Non-Current Liabilities” on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Disputes, Litigation and Contingencies

Shareholder Litigation

In 2010, three shareholder derivative actions were filed, purportedly on behalf of the Company, asserting breach of duty and other claims against certain current and former officers and directors of the Company related to the United Nations oil-for-food program governing sales of goods into Iraq, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 and trade sanctions related to the U.S. government investigations disclosed in our SEC filings since 2007. Those shareholder derivative cases were filed in Harris County, Texas state court and consolidated under the caption Neff v. Brady, et al., No. 2010040764 (collectively referred to as the “Neff Case”). Other shareholder demand letters covering the same subject matter were received by the Company in early 2014, and a fourth shareholder derivative action was filed, purportedly on behalf of the Company, also asserting breach of duty and other claims against certain current and former officers and directors of the Company related to the same subject matter as the Neff Case. That case, captioned Erste-Sparinvest KAG v. Duroc-Danner, et al., No. 201420933 (Harris County, Texas) was consolidated into the Neff Case in September 2014. A motion to dismiss was granted May 15, 2015, and an appeal was filed on June 15, 2015. Following briefing and oral argument, on June 29, 2017, the Texas Court of Appeals denied in part and granted in part the shareholders’ appeal. The Court ruled that the shareholders lacked standing to bring claims that arose prior to the Company’s redomestication to Switzerland in 2009, and upheld the dismissal of those claims. The Court reversed as premature the trial court’s dismissal of claims arising after the redomestication and remanded to the trial court for further proceedings. On February 1, 2018, the individual defendants and nominal defendant Weatherford filed a motion for summary judgment on the remaining claims in the case. On February 13, 2018 the trial court dismissed with prejudice certain directors for lack of jurisdiction. The plaintiffs have appealed the jurisdictional ruling and the parties have jointly moved for a stay of the case during the pendency of the appeal. We cannot reliably predict the outcome of the remaining claims, including the amount of any possible loss.

U.S. Government and Other Investigations

The SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice investigated certain accounting issues associated with the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting for income taxes that was disclosed in a notification of late filing on Form 12b-25 filed on March 1, 2011 and in current reports on Form 8-K filed on February 21, 2012 and on July 24, 2012 and the subsequent restatements of our historical financial statements. As disclosed in the Form 8-K filed on September 27, 2016, the Company settled with the SEC without admitting or denying the findings of the SEC, by consenting to the entry of an administrative order that requires the Company to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of the anti-fraud provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 (as amended, the “Securities Act”), and the anti-fraud, reporting, books and records, and internal controls provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (as amended, the “Exchange Act”), and the rules promulgated thereunder. As part of the terms of the SEC settlement, the Company agreed to pay in installments a total civil monetary penalty of $140 million, beginning in the fourth quarter of 2016 and concluding in September 2017. In addition, certain reports and certifications regarding our tax internal controls were to be delivered to the SEC during the two years following the settlement. We completed and delivered the third and final report in April of 2018.

Rapid Completions and Packers Plus Litigation

Several subsidiaries of the Company are defendants in a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Rapid Completions LLC (“RC”) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas on July 31, 2015. RC claims that we and other defendants are liable for infringement of seven U.S. patents related to specific downhole completion equipment and the methods of using such equipment. These patents have been assigned to Packers Plus Energy Services, Inc., a Canadian corporation (“Packers Plus”), and purportedly exclusively licensed to RC. RC is seeking a permanent injunction against further alleged infringement, unspecified damages for infringement, supplemental and enhanced damages, and additional relief such as attorneys’ fees. The Company has filed a counterclaim against Packers Plus, seeking declarations of non-infringement, invalidity, and unenforceability of the four patents that remain asserted against the Company on the grounds of inequitable conduct. The Company is seeking attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in the lawsuit. The litigation was stayed, pending resolution of inter partes reviews (“IPR”) of each of the four patents before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). On February 22, 2018, the PTAB issued IPR decisions finding that all of the claims of the ‘505, ‘634, and ‘774 patents that were challenged by the Company in the IPRs are invalid. There is one more pending IPR relating to the ‘501 patent. Given the similarities among the four patents, the Company believes it will obtain a favorable outcome in the remaining IPR. RC has appealed the PTAB’s decisions.

On October 14, 2015, Packers Plus and RC filed suit in Federal Court in Toronto, Canada against the Company and certain subsidiaries alleging infringement of a related Canadian patent and seeking unspecified damages and an accounting of the Company’s profits. Trial on the validity of the Canadian patent was completed in March 2017. On November 3, 2017, the Federal Court issued its decision, wherein it concluded that the defendants proved that the patent-in-suit was invalid and dismissed Packers Plus and RC’s claims of infringement. On January 5, 2018, Packers Plus and RC filed their Notice of Appeal.

If one or more negative outcomes were to occur in either case, the impact to our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows could be material.

Other Disputes and Litigation

We are aware of various other disputes and potential claims and are a party in various litigation involving claims against us, some of which are covered by insurance. For claims, disputes and pending litigation in which we believe a negative outcome is probable and a loss can be reasonably estimated, we have recorded a liability for the expected loss. These liabilities are immaterial to our financial condition and results of operations.

In addition we have certain claims, disputes and pending litigation for which we do not believe a negative outcome is probable or for which we can only estimate a range of liability. It is possible, however, that an unexpected judgment could be rendered against us, or we could decide to resolve a case or cases, that would result in liability that could be uninsured and beyond the amounts we currently have reserved and in some cases those losses could be material. If one or more negative outcomes were to occur relative to these matters, the aggregate impact to our financial condition could be material.

Accrued litigation and settlements recorded in “Other Current Liabilities” on the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 were $47 million and $51 million, respectively.

Other Contingencies

We have minimum purchase commitments related to supply contracts and maintain a liability at March 31, 2018 of $47 million for expected penalties to be paid, of which $22 million is recorded in “Other Current Liabilities,” $25 million is recorded in “Other Non-Current Liabilities” on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.