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Note 2 - Current and Future Operations, Liquidity, and Capital Resources
12 Months Ended
Jan. 31, 2017
Notes to Financial Statements  
Going Concern [Text Block]
2.
Current and Future Operations, Liquidity and Capital Resources
 
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue to operate as a going concern, which contemplates that we will realize our assets and satisfy our liabilities and commitments in the ordinary course of business. As of
January
31,
2017,
we had working capital of approximately
$0.2
million, which is not sufficient to fund our operations over the next
twelve
months. We have ceased traditional operations and are currently generating no revenues. Our ability to continue to operate as a going concern is highly dependent on our ability to successfully resolve our current litigation, monetize our portfolio of patents, generate positive cash flows and/or obtain borrowings or raise capital to meet our liquidity needs. However, there are no assurances that sufficient cash flows can be generated through our patent monetization efforts, and we currently have no commitments for additional financing, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain requisite financing on acceptable terms, if at all. These factors raise substantial doubt regarding the Company’s ability to continue to operate as a going concern. The accompanying financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to this uncertainty.
 
Our business is currently focused on potentially realizing value from our ongoing or future IP enforcement actions and other litigation as well as further exploring opportunities to expand, protect, and monetize our patent portfolio, including through the potential sale or licensing of some of all of our patent portfolio
 
On
February
3,
2015,
we filed a lawsuit against Apple, Inc. (“Apple”) for patent infringement. The complaint alleges that Apple products sold in the United States utilizing the Apple Lightning® power supply adapter system, including most iPad®, iPhone®, and iPod® products, infringe the Company’s patented intellectual property. In
September
of
2015,
Apple filed a petition with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (the “PTAB”) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office requesting Inter Partes Review of our U.S. Patent No.
8,492,933
B2
(the
“933
Patent”). On
February
22,
2017,
the PTAB issued its finding, ruling that Apple had shown, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the claims made by us under the
933
Patent are unpatentable under United States law. We plan to appeal the PTAB’s ruling to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. We estimate that the appeals process will require approximately
12
months to run its course and that we
may
require incremental financing in order to pursue the appeal to conclusion. We currently have no commitments for any additional financing and there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain requisite financing on acceptable terms, if at all.
 
On
February
13,
2015,
we filed a lawsuit against Best Buy for patent infringement under the patent laws of the United States. The complaint alleges that certain Best Buy power charging products sold in the United States under the Rocketfish brand infringe the Company’s patented intellectual property.  Best Buy’s supplier Battery Biz filed a petition with the PTAB requesting an Inter Partes Review. Their request was granted. The parties subsequently settled resulting in a dismissal of the action against Best Buy and termination of the Inter Partes Review.
 
We have and will continue to analyze alternatives to build and/or preserve value for our stakeholders, including, but not limited to, exploring additional investment and incremental financing from current and/or new investors, the engagement of advisors to assist in exploring strategic options for us as well as identifying potential partnerships for the purpose of monetizing some or all of our patent portfolio and past, present, and future infringement claims. However, there can be no assurances that we will be successful in identifying and/or implementing any of these alternatives, or if implemented, that any of these alternatives will successfully preserve or increase shareholder value.
 
We believe that our patent portfolio covering key technical aspects of our products could potentially generate a future revenue stream based upon royalties paid to us by others for the use of some or all of our patents in
third
party products. We continue to explore opportunities to expand, protect, and monetize our patent portfolio, including through the sale or licensing of our patent portfolio. We
may
or
may
not resume our traditional activities of producing innovative charging solutions for battery powered devices. There are no assurances that any of these potential opportunities or activities will occur or be successful.