Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
17. Commitments and Contingencies

Leases

The Company rents office space under leases that expire at various dates through 2023. Future annual minimum lease commitments under these operating leases were as follows:

 

         

Years ending December 31:

       

2012

    $ 3,398  

2013

    3,701  

2014

    4,414  

2015

    4,510  

2016

    4,706  

Thereafter

    21,268  
   

 

 

 
      $     41,997  
   

 

 

 

Rent expense for all operating leases for the years ended December 31, totaled:

 

                         
    Year ended December 31,  
    2011     2010     2009  

Rent expense

    $         2,930       $         2,469       $         2,465  
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Litigation

On November 23, 2009, the Company sued Fetter Logic, Inc. (“Fetter Logic”), a private company, and its chief executive officer seeking, among other things, unspecified damages for breaches of the investment agreement and operating agreement that the Company had entered into with Fetter Logic in December 2008 and a declaratory judgment that the Company owns certain rights in certain intellectual property. Fetter Logic asserted claims against the Company in a separate suit and in a counterclaim filed on November 30, 2009, for breaches of the investment agreement and operating agreement, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, breach of fiduciary duty, copyright infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets, an accounting, unjust enrichment and a declaratory judgment that Fetter Logic owns all rights in the contested intellectual property. Fetter Logic sought declaratory and injunctive relief, as well as unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Both cases arose out of (1) an investment agreement, pursuant to which the Company purchased shares in Fetter Logic for approximately $5,700, and (2) an operating agreement, under which the parties agreed to integrate their respective software applications and develop and sell joint product offerings. Fetter Logic alleged that the Company did not comply with the terms of the operating agreement to develop joint product offerings, but instead misappropriated Fetter Logic’s intellectual property to develop products for its own benefit.

In 2009, the Company reviewed its original investment in Fetter Logic to determine impairment and in conjunction with this review the Company estimated the fair value to be zero and accordingly recognized an impairment loss of $3,250 for the year ended December 31, 2009. This amount is included in impairment of investments in the consolidated statements of operations.

On July 8, 2010, the Company and Fetter Logic agreed to dismiss their respective lawsuits. As a result, the Company wrote off fees receivable, notes receivable and allowance for doubtful accounts totaling $2,283 in the year ended December 31, 2010. This amount is included in general and administration expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.

In connection with this settlement, none of the parties was required to make any payments to any other party, the Company relinquished its ownership interest in Fetter Logic, as well as operating receivables for services the Company provided during the term of the operating agreement and its rights under a promissory note issued to the Company in December 2009 in connection with its redemption of a portion of its ownership interest in Fetter Logic. In addition, the Company has the right to use any intellectual property developed or obtained by the Company in connection with the operating agreement. For the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company incurred legal fees of $1,933 and $601, respectively related to this matter.

The Company is also involved in other litigation arising in the ordinary course of its business. The Company does not believe that the outcome of any of these proceedings, individually or in the aggregate, would, if determined adversely to it, have a material adverse effect on its results of operations, financial condition, cash flows or business.