Warranty, Guarantees and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Jul. 29, 2012

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Warranty, Guarantees and Contingencies

Warranty, Guarantees and Contingencies

Warranty

Changes in the warranty reserves during the three and nine months ended July 29, 2012 and July 31, 2011 were as follows:

	Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
	July 29, 2012			July 31, 2011			July 29, 2012			July 31, 2011
	(In millions)
Beginning balance	$	152		$	184		$	168		$	155
Provisions for warranty	25			43			87			142
Consumption	(40		)	(39		)	(118		)	(109		)
Ending balance	$	137		$	188		$	137		$	188

Applied products are generally sold with a 12-month warranty period following installation. The provision for the estimated cost of warranty is recorded when revenue is recognized. Parts and labor are covered under the terms of the warranty agreement. The warranty provision is based on historical experience by product, configuration and geographic region. Quarterly warranty consumption is generally associated with sales that occurred during the preceding four quarters, and quarterly warranty provisions are generally related to the current quarter’s sales.

Guarantees

In the ordinary course of business, Applied provides standby letters of credit or other guarantee instruments to third parties as required for certain transactions initiated by either Applied or its subsidiaries. As of July 29, 2012, the maximum potential amount of future payments that Applied could be required to make under these guarantee agreements was approximately $45 million. Applied has not recorded any liability in connection with these guarantee agreements beyond that required to appropriately account for the underlying transaction being guaranteed. Applied does not believe, based on historical experience and information currently available, that it is probable that any amounts will be required to be paid under these guarantee agreements.

Applied also has agreements with various banks to facilitate subsidiary banking operations worldwide, including overdraft arrangements, issuance of bank guarantees, and letters of credit. As of July 29, 2012, Applied Materials, Inc. has provided parent guarantees to banks for approximately $181 million to cover these services.

Legal Matters

Jusung

Applied has been engaged in several lawsuits and patent and administrative proceedings with Jusung Engineering Co., Ltd. and/or Jusung Pacific Co., Ltd. (Jusung) in Taiwan and South Korea since 2003, and more recently in China, involving technology used in manufacturing liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Applied believes that it has meritorious claims and defenses against Jusung that it intends to pursue vigorously.

In 2004, Applied filed a complaint for patent infringement against Jusung in the Hsinchu District Court in Taiwan seeking damages and a permanent injunction for infringement of a patent related to chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment. Jusung filed a counterclaim against Applied. On December 31, 2010, the Hsinchu District Court dismissed both actions, and appeals by both parties remain pending at the Taiwan Intellectual Property Court. Jusung unsuccessfully sought invalidation of Applied's CVD patent in the Taiwanese Intellectual Property Office (TIPO). In September 2010, the Taipei Supreme Administrative Court dismissed Jusung's appeal of the TIPO's decision. In 2009, Jusung filed a second action with the TIPO seeking invalidation of Applied's CVD patent, which action remains pending.

In November 2009, Applied filed an action in China with the Patent Reexamination Board of the State Intellectual Property Office seeking to invalidate a Jusung patent related to separability of the transfer chamber on a CVD tool. The Patent Reexamination Board invalidated Jusung's patent in China and Jusung's appeal was dismissed by the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court. Jusung appealed this decision to the Beijing High People's Court and on June 20, 2012, the Court rejected Jusung's appeal.

Korea Criminal Proceedings

In February 2010, the Seoul Prosecutor’s Office for the Eastern District of Korea (the Prosecutor’s Office) indicted employees of several companies for the alleged improper receipt and use of confidential information belonging to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Samsung), a major Applied customer based in Korea. The Prosecutor’s Office did not name Applied or any of its subsidiaries as a party to the criminal action. The individuals charged included the former head of Applied Materials Korea (AMK), who at the time of the indictment was a vice president of Applied Materials, Inc., and certain other AMK employees. Hearings on these matters are ongoing in the Seoul Eastern District Court. Applied and Samsung entered into a settlement agreement effective as of November 1, 2010, to resolve potential civil claims related to this matter, which is separate from and does not affect the criminal proceedings.

From time to time, Applied receives notification from third parties, including customers and suppliers, seeking indemnification, litigation support, payment of money or other actions by Applied in connection with claims made against them. In addition, from time to time, Applied receives notification from third parties claiming that Applied may be or is infringing or misusing their intellectual property or other rights. Applied also is subject to various other legal proceedings and claims, both asserted and unasserted, that arise in the ordinary course of business.

Although the outcome of the above-described matters or these claims and proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty, Applied does not believe that any of these proceedings or other claims will have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

Environmental Matters

Liabilities for future remediation costs are recorded when environmental assessments and/or remedial efforts are probable and costs can be reasonably estimated. Environmental liabilities classified as current are included in accounts payable and accrued expenses with the non-current portion included in other liabilities. Generally, the timing of these accruals is based on the completion of a feasibility study or a commitment to a formal plan of action. Environmental liabilities are based on best estimates of probable undiscounted future costs based on currently available information. Should new information become available, the liability would be adjusted.

In connection with the acquisition of Varian, Applied assumed certain environmental liabilities, including environmental investigation and remediation costs. Environmental remediation costs incurred were not material for the three and nine months ended July 29, 2012. At July 29, 2012, Applied’s environmental liability was $9 million, of which $8 million was classified as non-current and included in other liabilities. As part of accounting for the acquisition of Varian, Applied performed a review and assessment of the assumed environmental liabilities. Management believes that the liability arising from environmental-related matters is not material to Applied’s consolidated financial position.

Prior to the acquisition, Varian had entered into a settlement agreement with an insurance company to pay a portion of the past and future environmental-related expenditures. Accordingly, as part of the acquisition, Applied recorded a receivable of $2 million as of July 29, 2012, which is included in other assets.