Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2021

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Principles of Consolidation

The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. The Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries are: XImage Corporation, a California Corporation; ImageWare Systems ID Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (formerly Imaging Technology Corporation); I.W. Systems Canada Company, a Nova Scotia unlimited liability company; ImageWare Digital Photography Systems, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company (formerly Castleworks LLC); Digital Imaging International GmbH, a company formed under German laws; and Image Ware Mexico S de RL de CV, a company formed under Mexican laws. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.

Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expense during the reporting period. Significant estimates include the evaluation of our ability to continue as a going concern, the allowance for doubtful accounts receivable, assumptions used in the Black-Scholes model to calculate the fair value of share based payments, fair value of financial instruments issued with and affected by the Series D Preferred Financing, assumptions used in the application of revenue recognition policies, and assumptions used in the application of fair value methodologies to calculate the fair value of pension assets and obligations. Actual results could differ from estimates.

Receivable [Policy Text Block]

Accounts Receivable

In the normal course of business, the Company extends credit without collateral requirements to its customers that satisfy pre-defined credit criteria. Accounts receivable are recorded net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. Accounts receivable are considered delinquent when the due date on the invoice has passed. The Company records its allowance for doubtful accounts based upon its assessment of various factors. The Company considers historical experience, the age of the accounts receivable balances, the credit quality of its customers, current economic conditions and other factors that may affect customers’ ability to pay to determine the level of allowance required. Accounts receivable are written off against the allowance for doubtful accounts when all collection efforts by the Company have been unsuccessful.

Inventory, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Inventories

Finished goods inventories are stated at the lower of cost, determined using the average cost method, or net realizable value. See Note 4.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

For certain of the Company’s financial instruments, including accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued expense, and deferred revenue, the carrying amounts approximate fair value due to their relatively short maturities.

Lessee, Leases [Policy Text Block]

Lease Liabilities and Operating Lease Right-of-Use Assets

The Company is a party to certain contractual arrangements for office space which meet the definition of leases under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 842 - Leases (“ASC 842”). In accordance with ASC 842, the Company has determined that such arrangements are operating leases and accordingly the Company has, as of January 1, 2019, initially recorded operating lease right-of-use assets and related lease liability for the present value of the lease payments over the lease terms using the Company’s estimated weighted-average incremental borrowing rate of approximately 14.5% using a capital asset pricing model. The Company has utilized the practical expedient regarding lease and nonlease components and has combined such items into a single combined component. The Company has also utilized the practical expedient regarding leases of twelve months or less and has excluded such leases from its computation of lease liability and related right-of-use assets.

Revenue [Policy Text Block]

Revenue Recognition

In accordance with ASC 606, revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services.

The core principle of the standard is that we should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. To achieve that core principle, we apply the following five step model:

1. Identify the contract with the customer;

2. Identify the performance obligation in the contract;

3. Determine the transaction price;

4. Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and

5. Recognize revenue when (or as) each performance obligation is satisfied.

At contract inception, we assess the goods and services promised in a contract with a customer and identify as a performance obligation each promise to transfer to the customer either: (i) a good or service (or a bundle of goods or services) that is distinct, or (ii) a series of distinct goods or services that are substantially the same and that have the same pattern of transfer to the customer. We recognize revenue only when we satisfy a performance obligation by transferring a promised good or service to a customer.

Determining the timing of the satisfaction of performance obligations as well as the transaction price and the amounts allocated to performance obligations requires judgement.

We disclose disaggregation of our customer revenue by classes of similar products and services as follows:

• Software licensing and royalties;

• Sales of computer hardware and identification media;

• Services; and

• Post-contract customer support.

Software Licensing and Royalties

Software licenses consist of revenue from the sale of software for identity management applications. Our software licenses are functional intellectual property and typically provide customers with the right to use our software in perpetuity as it exists when made available to the customer. We recognize revenue from software licensing at a point in time upon delivery, provided all other revenue recognition criteria are met.

Royalties consist of revenue from usage-based arrangements and guaranteed minimum-based arrangements. We recognize revenue for royalty arrangements at the later of (i) when the related sales occur, or (ii) when the performance obligation to which some or all of the royalty has been allocated has been satisfied.

Computer Hardware and Identification Media

We generate revenue from the sale of computer hardware and identification media. Revenue for these items is recognized upon delivery of these products to the customer, provided all other revenue recognition criteria are met.

Services

Services revenue is comprised primarily of software customization services, software integration services, system installation services and customer training. Revenue is generally recognized upon completion of services and customer acceptance provided all other revenue recognition criteria are met.

Post-Contract Customer Support (“PCS”)

Post contract customer support consists of maintenance on software and hardware for our identity management solutions. We recognize PCS revenue from periodic maintenance agreements. Revenue is generally recognized ratably over the respective maintenance periods provided no significant obligations remain. Costs related to such contracts are expensed as incurred.

Arrangements with Multiple Performance Obligations

A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer. In addition to selling software licenses, hardware and identification media, services and post-contract customer support on a standalone basis, certain contracts include multiple performance obligations. For such arrangements, we allocate revenue to each performance obligation based on our best estimate of the relative standalone selling price. The standalone selling price for a performance obligation is the price at which we would sell a promised good or service separately to a customer. The primary methods used to estimate standalone selling price are as follows: (i) the expected cost-plus margin approach, under which we forecast our expected costs of satisfying a performance obligation and then add an appropriate margin for that distinct good or service, and (ii) the percent discount off of list price approach.

Contract Costs

We recognize an asset for the incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a customer if we expect the benefit of those costs to be longer than one year. We apply a practical expedient to expense costs as incurred for costs to obtain a contract when the amortization period is one year or less. At September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we had capitalized incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a customer of approximately $0 and $65,000, respectively. We recorded no additional contract costs during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021. Additionally, we recognized approximately $121,000 and $366,000 in revenue during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectfully, that was related to contract costs at the beginning of the period.

Other Items

We do not offer rights of return for our products and services in the normal course of business.

Sales tax collected from customers is excluded from revenue.

The following table sets forth our disaggregated revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020: 

Net Revenue	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
(dollars in thousands)	2021		2020		2021		2020
Software and royalties	$	40	$	587	$	301	$	780
Hardware and consumables		20		13		76		75
Services		85		1,258		98		1,274
Maintenance		633		613		1,977		1,870
Total revenue	$	778	$	2,471	$	2,452	$	3,999

Concentration Risk, Credit Risk, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Customer Concentration

For the three months ended September 30, 2021, two customers accounted for approximately 53% or $411,000 of our total revenue and had trade receivables at September 30, 2021 of $93,000. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, two customers accounted for approximately 44% or $1,078,000 of our total revenue and had trade receivables at September 30, 2021 of $223,000.

For the three months ended September 30, 2020, two customers accounted for approximately 82% or $2,037,000 of our total revenue and had trade receivables at September 30, 2020 of $193,000. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, two customers accounted for approximately 65% or $2,588,000 of our total revenue and had trade receivables at September 30, 2020 of $193,000. 

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), or other standard setting bodies, which are adopted by us as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the Company’s management believes the impact of recently issued standards not yet effective will not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

FASB Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2020-06. In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-06 “Debt-Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging- Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity”. This ASU simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current U.S. GAAP. Consequently, more convertible debt instruments will be reported as a single liability instrument and more convertible preferred stock as a single equity instrument with no separate accounting for embedded conversion features. The ASU removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception, which will permit more equity contracts to qualify for it. The ASU also simplifies the diluted earnings per share (EPS) calculation in certain areas. This ASU is effective for public business entities, excluding entities eligible to be smaller reporting companies, for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, including interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other entities, the standard will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption will be permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact ASU 2020-06 will have on its consolidated financial statements.