Item 1A.
Risk Factors
This Report
contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth
below. These risks and uncertainties are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also affect our business. If any of these known or unknown risks or
uncertainties actually occurs and have material adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations could be seriously harmed.
We have limited visibility into future sales, which makes it difficult to forecast our future operating results.
Because of our limited visibility into demand and channel inventory levels, our ability to accurately forecast our future revenues is limited. We sell our products and solutions globally to network
operators, service providers and others, primarily through our network of distributors, resellers and OEMs. We do not employ a direct sales force. Sales to distributors accounted for 98% and 92% of our revenues in the three months ended
September 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Generally, our distributors are not obligated to promote our products and solutions and are free to promote and sell the products and solutions of our competitors. We sell our products to our
distributors on a purchase order basis. Our distributors do not typically provide us with information about market demand for our products. Our operating expenses are fixed in the short-term and we may not be able to decrease our expenses in a
timely manner to offset any shortfall in revenues. If we under forecast demand, our ability to fulfill sales orders will be compromised and sales may be deferred or lost altogether as potential purchasers seek alternative solutions.
We are subject to risks associated with our distributors inventory management practices. Should any of our distributors fail to resell our
products in the period of time they anticipate or overstock inventories to address anticipated supply interruptions that do not occur, our revenues and operating results would suffer in future periods.
Our distributors are required to purchase and maintain their own inventories of our products and have no right to return the products they have purchased.
We do not receive information from the distributors regarding their inventory levels or their sales of our products. If our distributors are unable to sell an adequate amount of their inventories of our products, their financial condition may be
adversely affected, which could result in a decline in our sales to these distributors. Distributors with whom we do business may face issues maintaining sufficient working capital and liquidity or obtaining credit, which could impair their ability
to make timely payments to us. In addition, in the past we have experienced shortages of our products and our distributors have ordered quantities in excess of their anticipated near term demand to insulate themselves from supply interruptions. If,
in the future, some distributors decide to purchase more of our products than are required to satisfy customer demand in any particular quarter, inventories at these distributors would grow. These distributors likely would reduce future orders until
inventory levels realign with customer demand, which could adversely affect our revenues in a subsequent quarter.
We rely on a limited
number of distributors, and the loss of existing, or a need to add new, distributors may cause disruptions in our shipments, which may materially adversely affect our ability to sell our products and achieve our revenue forecasts and we may be
unable to sell inventory we have manufactured to meet expected demand in a timely manner, if at all.
Although we have a large number
of distributors who sell our products, we sell a substantial majority of our products through a limited number of these distributors. In the three months ended September 30, 2011, revenues from Distributor A and Distributor B represented 18%
and 16% of our revenues, respectively. In the three months ended September 30, 2010, revenues from Distributor A and Distributor B represented 16% and 21% of our revenues, respectively. We anticipate that we will continue to be dependent upon a
limited number of distributors for a significant portion of our revenues for the foreseeable future. The portion of our revenues attributable to a given distributor may also fluctuate in the future. Termination of a relationship with a major
distributor, either by us or by the distributor, could result in a temporary or permanent loss of revenues. We may not be successful in finding other suitable distributors on satisfactory terms, or at all, and this could adversely affect our ability
to sell in certain geographic markets or to certain network operators and service providers.
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Our operating results will vary over time and such fluctuations could cause the market price of our
common stock to decline.
Our quarterly operating results fluctuate significantly due to a variety of factors, many of which are
outside of our control, and we expect them to continue to do so. Our revenues were $79.2 million, $67.6 million, $51.2 million, $45.1 million and $34.1 million and our net income was $21.5 million, $18.1 million, $13.0 million, $11.0 million
and $7.6 million in the three months ended September 30, 2011, June 30, 2011, March 31, 2011, December 31, 2010 and September 30, 2010, respectively. Because revenues for any future period are not
predictable with any significant degree of certainty, you should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance. If our revenues or operating results fall below the expectations of investors or securities analysts or below
any estimates we may provide to the market, the price of our common shares would likely decline substantially. Factors that could cause our operating results and stock price to fluctuate include:
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varying demand for our products due to the financial and operating condition of our distributors and their customers, distributor inventory management
practices and general economic conditions;
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inability of our contract manufacturers and suppliers to meet our demand;
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success and timing of new product introductions by us and the performance of our products generally;
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announcements by us or our competitors regarding products, promotions or other transactions;
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costs related to responding to government inquiries related to regulatory compliance;
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our ability to control and reduce product costs;
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expenses of our entry into new markets, such as enterprise WLAN, video surveillance, and SCADA;
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commencement of litigation or adverse results in litigation;
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changes in the manner in which we sell products;
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increased warranty costs;
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volatility in foreign exchange rates, changes in interest rates and/or the availability and cost of financing or other working capital to our
distributors and their customers; and
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the impact of write downs of excess and obsolete inventory.
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In addition, our business may be subject to seasonality; however, our recent growth rates and timing of product introductions may have masked seasonal changes in demand. Although we have not perceived
seasonality to date, we may experience seasonality in the future.
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The networking, enterprise WLAN and video surveillance markets in which we compete are highly
competitive and competitive pressures from existing and new products and solutions may have a material adverse effect on our business, revenues, growth rates and market share.
The networking, enterprise WLAN and video surveillance markets in which we compete are highly competitive and are influenced by competitive factors including:
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total cost of ownership and return on investment associated with the solutions;
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simplicity of deployment and use of the solutions;
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ability to rapidly develop high performance integrated solutions;
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reliability and scalability of the solutions;
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market awareness of a particular brand;
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ability to provide secure access to wireless networks;
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ability to offer a suite of products and solutions;
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ability to allow centralized management of the solutions; and
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ability to provide quality product support.
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We expect competition to intensify in the future as other established and new companies introduce new products in the same markets we serve or intend to enter and as these markets continue to consolidate.
In particular, companies with successful, widely known brands may price their products aggressively to compete with ours. This competition could result in increased pricing pressure, reduced profit margins, increased sales and marketing expenses and
failure to increase, or the loss of, market share, any of which would likely seriously harm our business, operating results or financial condition. If we do not keep pace with product and technology advances, end users may switch to other suppliers
and our ability to sell our products may be impaired, which could harm our competitive position, revenues and prospects for growth.
A
number of our current or potential competitors have longer operating histories, greater brand recognition, larger customer bases and significantly greater financial, technical, sales, marketing and other resources than we do.
As we move into new markets for different types of equipment, our brand may not be as well known as incumbents in those markets. Potential customers may
prefer to purchase from their existing suppliers rather than a new supplier, regardless of product performance or features. In the integrated radio market, our competitors include Alvarion Ltd., Motorola Inc. and Trango Systems, Inc. and, in the
900MHz product market, Cisco Systems, Inc. and Proxim Inc. In the embedded radio market, our competitors include Mikrotīkls Ltd. and Senao Networks, Inc. In the backhaul market, our competitors include Ceragon Networks, Inc., DragonWave
Inc. and Mikrotīkls. In the CPE market, our competitors include Mikrotīkls, Ruckus Wireless, Inc. and TP-LINK Technologies CO., LTD. In the antenna market, we primarily compete with Andrew Corporation, PCTEL, Inc. and Radio Waves, Inc. In
the enterprise WLAN market, we primarily compete with Ruckus, Aruba Networks, Inc. and Cisco. In the video surveillance market, we primarily compete with Vivotek Inc., Axis Communications AB and Mobotix Corp. We expect increased competition from
other established and emerging companies if our market continues to develop and expand. As we enter new markets, we expect to face competition from incumbent and new market participants. In addition, some of our competitors have made acquisitions or
entered into partnerships or other strategic relationships with one another to offer a more comprehensive solution than they had offered individually. We expect this consolidation to continue as companies attempt to strengthen or maintain their
market positions in an evolving industry and as companies enter into partnerships or are acquired. Many of the companies driving this consolidation trend have significantly greater financial, technical and other resources than we do and are better
positioned to acquire and offer complementary products and technologies. The competitors resulting from these possible consolidations may create more compelling product offerings and be able to offer greater pricing flexibility, making it more
difficult for us to compete effectively, including on the basis of price, sales and marketing programs, technology or product functionality. Continued industry consolidation may adversely impact perceptions of the viability of smaller and even
medium-sized technology companies and, consequently, willingness to purchase from such companies. These pricing pressures and competition from more comprehensive solutions could impair our ability to sell our products profitably, if at all, which
could negatively affect our revenues and results of operations.
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New entrants and the introduction of other distribution models in our markets may harm our competitive
position.
The markets for development, distribution and sale of our products are rapidly evolving. New entrants seeking to gain market
share by introducing new technology and new products may make it more difficult for us to sell our products, and could create increased pricing pressure, reduced profit margins, increased sales and marketing expenses or the loss of market share or
expected market share, any of which may significantly harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
Historically, large,
integrated telecommunications equipment suppliers controlled access to the wireless broadband infrastructure equipment and network management software that could be used to extend the geographic reach of wireless internet networks. However, in
recent years, network operators and service providers have been able to purchase wireless broadband infrastructure equipment and purchase and implement network management applications from distributors, resellers and OEMs. Increased competition from
providers of wireless broadband equipment may result in fewer vendors providing complementary equipment, which could harm our business and revenues. Broadband equipment providers or system integrators may also offer wireless broadband infrastructure
equipment for free or as part of a bundled offering, which could force us to reduce our prices or change our selling model to remain competitive. If there is a major shift in the market such that network operators and service providers begin to use
closed network solutions that only operate with other equipment from the same vendor, we could experience a significant decline in sales because our products would not be interoperable with these proprietary standards.
We are subject to numerous U.S. export control and economic sanctions laws and a substantial majority of our sales are into countries outside of
the United States. Sales outside of the United States represented 69% and 71% of our revenues in the three months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Although we did not intend to do so, we have violated certain of these laws in
the past, and we cannot currently assess the nature and extent of any fines or other penalties, if any, that U.S. governmental agencies may impose against us or our employees for any such violations. Any fines, if materially different from our
estimates, or other penalties, could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.
Sale of certain of our
products into Iran, Cuba, Syria, the Sudan and North Korea is restricted or prohibited under U.S. export control and economic sanctions laws. In addition, certain of our products incorporate encryption components and may be exported from and outside
the United States only with the required authorization or eligibility for a license exception. Until early 2010, we lacked sufficient familiarity with the export control and sanctions laws and their applicability to our products. Our lack of
sufficient familiarity was largely due to our lean corporate infrastructure, the inexperience of our management team in these matters and the fact that our products are manufactured outside the United States and most of our products never enter the
United States. In early 2010, as a result of diligence undertaken in connection with the Summit transaction, we learned that our products could not be sold, directly or indirectly, into Iran and other countries subject to a U.S. embargo and we
learned that some of our products were listed on the Commerce Control List in the EAR, and require authorization from the U.S. Commerce Department, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), prior to export. We then began to evaluate the
export controls and sanctions applicable to our product sales and to take steps to comply with these laws. For instance, we revised our standard form distribution agreements to clearly articulate the restrictions imposed by export control and
sanctions laws governing business with embargoed countries, disabled downloads of our software by users in these countries, and obtained the required Commodity Classification Rulings for our encryption products as required by the EAR. In February
2011, our Audit Committee retained outside counsel to conduct a review of our export control compliance and possible sales of our products by third persons to embargoed countries. This review was conducted to fully respond to and cooperate with a
request for information from OEE, relating to two foreign companies and the export classification of our products and to ensure that we were in compliance with the export control and sanctions laws. The review was completed in April 2011 and we took
the actions described below as a result of our review. In May 2011, we filed a disclosure report regarding our findings as a result of this review with OEE. In August 2011, we received a warning letter from the OEE indicating that the OEE had
completed its investigation of us, was closing out the matter without issuing a penalty, had not referred the matters described below for criminal or administrative prosecution of us and closed the investigation of us. In June 2011, we also
filed a voluntary self-disclosure with OFAC, which disclosure is still pending.
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Transactions Involving Possible Sales of Products into Iran
Although we do not believe that we directly sold, exported or shipped our products into Iran or any other country subject to a U.S. embargo, we believe
our products have been sold into Iran by third parties. However, until early 2010, we did not prohibit our distributors from selling our products into Iran or any other country subject to a U.S. embargo.
From 2008 to early 2010, we had a distribution arrangement with a distributor (Distributor 1), in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
that gave this distributor exclusive jurisdiction over eleven countries in the Middle East, including Iran, as well as authorization to sell worldwide. Sales to Distributor 1 represented 7%, 6% and 4% of our revenues in fiscal 2009, fiscal 2010 and
fiscal 2011, respectively. We cannot determine which of our products Distributor 1 sold directly or indirectly to persons in Iran. At some point prior to February 2010, Distributor 1 requested that we list two resellers on our website as authorized
resellers of our products in Iran and we did so. We removed these resellers from our website in late February 2010 upon learning of restrictions under the U.S. embargo.
In early 2010, we began implementing policies prohibiting sales of our products into the countries subject to the U.S. embargo, revised our standard form distribution agreements to clearly articulate this
policy and disabled downloads of our software by users in these countries. We also entered into a new distribution agreement with Distributor 1 that excluded Iran as one of its territories and contained explicit covenants that Distributor 1 would
comply with U.S. export control and economic sanction laws, including a covenant not to sell our products into Iran.
From March 2010 until
February 2011, we continued doing business with Distributor 1 under the amended distribution agreement. However, we now believe that Distributor 1 continued to sell our products into Iran after February 2010 and that we overlooked emails from
Distributor 1 that included information about Distributor 1s possible activities related to shipping our products to Iran. In February 2011, we suspended sales of our products to Distributor 1 due to the information learned during our export
control review that indicated Distributor 1 may still be selling products into Iran. Also, during the export review we recently conducted, we learned that from December 2009 through February 2011, another distributor, Distributor 2, was selling our
products to a company in Iran. At the time of these transactions, we did not have a distribution agreement with Distributor 2 and we had not specifically instructed Distributor 2 that our products could not be sold into Iran. Distributor 2, a
distributor in Europe, received orders from an Iranian entity, placed those orders with us and instructed us to ship the products to a third party in the UAE. As such, we believed the products final destination was the UAE. Our records
indicate that we may have made up to 13 shipments to Distributor 2 involving an aggregate value of approximately $340,000 that may have been resold into Iran during this time. Prior to February 2011, we had not previously notified Distributor 2 of
our prohibition against sales of our products into Iran. In March 2011, upon learning that it was receiving orders from a company in Iran, we notified Distributor 2 that the end customer was in Iran and of our prohibition on sales to Iran and also
entered into a distribution agreement with Distributor 2. The agreement contains clear language requiring compliance with the export control and economic sanctions laws. We continue to sell products to Distributor 2, as we believe this issue has
been resolved and these sales did not represent a material portion of Distributor 2s business with us.
Export Classification of Our
Products
Following the Summit transaction, we began to research whether our products were subject to U.S. export controls and we hired
outside counsel to assist us with this analysis. We learned that a number of our products, although they are foreign produced and do not enter into the United States, may be considered encryption items under the EAR and required an encryption review
by BIS. In May 2010, we filed encryption reviews with BIS for our products, and we obtained the required Commodity Classification Rulings for our products between June 2010 and November 2010. We shipped our products prior to receiving these
rulings and these shipments appear to have violated the EAR. In addition, we used incorrect export authorizations on our shipping documents even after we received the required Commodity Classification Rulings.
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Accordingly, prior to May 2010, we did not fully comply with applicable encryption controls in the EAR,
despite having made foreign sales of such items, and continued to use incorrect export authorizations on shipping documents until February 2011, as we did not fully understand the scope of the requirements. In addition, throughout this period, we
lacked an effective compliance program with respect to these laws. We have implemented a significant number of policies and procedures and continue to implement further policies and procedures that will help us to comply with these laws.
Inquiry from U.S. Department of Commerces Office of Export Enforcement
In January 2011, OEE contacted us to request that we provide information related to our relationship with a logistics company in the UAE and with a company in Iran, as well as information on the export
classification of our products, neither of which are Distributor 1 or Distributor 2. As a result of this inquiry we, assisted by outside counsel, conducted a review of our export transactions from 2008 through March 2011 to not only gather
information responsive to OEEs request but also to review our overall compliance with export control and sanctions laws. It was in the course of this review that we identified the Iranian sales of Distributor 1 after February 2010 and the
Iranian sales of Distributor 2. Our review also found that while we had obtained required Commodity Classification Rulings for our products in June 2010 and November 2010, we did not advise our shipping personnel to change the export authorizations
used on our shipping documents until February 2011. During the course of our export control review, we also determined that we had failed to maintain adequate records for the five year period required by the EAR and the sanctions regulations due to
our lack of infrastructure and because it was prior to our transition to our system of record, NetSuite.
In May 2011, we filed a
self-disclosure with OEE and in June 2011, we filed one with OFAC regarding the compliance issues noted above. The disclosures address the above described findings and the remedial actions we have taken to date. However, the findings also indicate
that both Distributor 1 or Distributor 2 continued to sell, directly or indirectly, our products into Iran during the period from February 2010 through March 2011 and that we received various email communications from them indicating that they were
continuing to do so. Since January 2011, we have cooperated with OEE and, prior to our disclosure filing, we informally shared with the OEE the substance of our findings with respect to Distributor 1 and Distributor 2. From May 2011 to August 2011,
we provided additional information regarding our review and our findings to OEE to facilitate its investigation and OEE advised us in August 2011 that it had completed its investigation of us. In August 2011, we received a warning letter
from OEE stating that OEE had not referred the findings of our review for criminal or administrative prosecution of us and closed the investigation of us without penalty.
OFAC is still in the early stages of reviewing our voluntary disclosure. In our submission, we have provided OFAC with an explanation of the activities that led to the sales of our products in Iran and
the failure to comply with the EAR and OFAC sanctions. Although our OFAC and OEE voluntary disclosures covered similar sets of facts that led the OEE to resolve the case with the issuance of a warning letter, OFAC may conclude that our actions
resulted in violations of U.S. export control and economic sanctions laws and warrant the imposition of penalties that could include fines, termination of our ability to export our products, and/or referral for criminal prosecution. Any such fines
may be material to our financial results in the period in which they are imposed. The penalties may be imposed against us and/or our management. The maximum civil monetary penalty for the violations is up to $250,000 or twice the value of the
transaction, whichever is greater, per violation. Also, disclosure of our conduct and any fines or other action relating to this conduct could harm our reputation and indirectly have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and
financial condition. We cannot predict when OFAC will complete its review or decide upon the imposition of possible penalties.
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While we have now taken actions to ensure that export classification information is distributed to the
appropriate personnel in a timely manner and have adopted policies and procedures to promote our compliance with these laws and regulations, we have not yet obtained written distribution agreements with all our distributors that contain covenants
requiring compliance with U.S. export control and economic sanctions law; we have notified all of our distributors of their obligations and have obtained updated distribution agreements from distributors that account for about 90% of our revenue in
fiscal 2011. Our failure to amend all our distribution agreements and to implement more robust compliance controls immediately after the discovery of Iran-related sales activity in early 2010 may be aggravating factors that could impact the
imposition of penalties imposed on us or our management.
Based on the facts known to us to date, we recorded an expense of $1.6 million for
this export compliance matter in fiscal 2010, which represents managements estimated exposure for fines in accordance with applicable accounting literature. Should additional facts be discovered in the future and/or should actual fines or
other penalties substantially differ from our estimates, our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations would be materially negatively impacted.
We may also be subject to export control and economic sanctions laws of jurisdictions outside of the United States and a substantial majority of our sales are into countries outside of the United
States. If we fail to comply with those foreign export control and economic sanctions laws, we may be unable to sell our products and our business would be materially and adversely affected and our revenues would decline.
In addition to U.S. export regulations, various other countries regulate the import of certain encryption technology and products, and these laws could
limit our ability to distribute our products or our customers ability to implement our products in those countries. Changes in our products or changes in export and import regulations may create delays in the introduction of our products in
other countries, prevent our customers with international operations from deploying our products or, in some cases, prevent the transfer of our products to certain countries altogether. Any change in export or import regulations or related
legislation, shift in approach to the enforcement or scope of existing regulations, or change in the countries, persons or technologies targeted by such regulations, could negatively impact our ability to sell our products to existing customers or
the ability of our current and potential distributors, network operators and service providers outside the United States.
We may not be
able to enhance our products to keep pace with technological and market developments, or develop new products in a timely manner or at competitive prices.
The market for our wireless broadband networking equipment is emerging and is characterized by rapid technological change, evolving industry standards, frequent new product introductions and short product
life cycles. Our future success in keeping pace with technological developments, satisfying increasing network operator and service provider requirements and achieving product acceptance depends upon our ability to enhance our current products and
to continue to develop and introduce new product offerings and enhanced performance features and functionality on a timely basis at competitive prices. Our inability, for technological or other reasons, to enhance, develop, introduce or deliver
compelling products in a timely manner, or at all, in response to changing market conditions, technologies or network operator and service provider expectations could have a material adverse effect on our operating results if end users fail to
purchase our products. Our ability to compete successfully will depend in large measure on our ability to maintain a technically skilled development and engineering staff and to adapt to technological changes and advances in the industry, including
providing for the continued compatibility of our products with evolving industry standards and protocols and competitive network management environments.
Development and delivery schedules for our products are difficult to predict. We may fail to introduce new versions of our products in a timely fashion. If new releases of our products are delayed, our
distributors may curtail their efforts to market and promote our products and network operators and service providers may switch to competing products, any of which would result in a delay or loss of revenues and could harm our business. In
addition, we cannot assure you that the technologies and related products that we develop will be brought to market by us as quickly as anticipated or that they will achieve broad acceptance among network operators and service providers.
We rely on the Ubiquiti Community to generate awareness of, and demand for, our products. If participation in the Ubiquiti Community decreases
materially, or if negative information, justified or otherwise, spreads quickly through the community, we would need to incur substantial additional expenses to generate awareness of, and demand for, our products.
We believe a significant portion of our rapid growth to date has been driven by the diverse and actively engaged Ubiquiti Community and our business model
is predicated on the assumption that the Ubiquiti Community will continue to be actively engaged. Given our lack of a direct sales force and limited marketing expenditures, the viral marketing model enabled by the Ubiquiti Community is central to
the success of our business but is ultimately outside of our control. In light of the rapid spread of information within the Ubiquiti Community and the material influence such community has over product adoption by network operators and service
providers, any negative information about us or our products, whether or not justified, could quickly and materially decrease demand for our products and be difficult for us to overcome. If the members of the Ubiquiti Community were to reject our
products and solutions or adopt competitors products on a broad basis, our business, operating results and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected because we would need to incur substantial additional expenses to
generate awareness of, and demand for, our products.
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Our business and prospects depend on the strength of our brand. Failure to maintain and enhance our
brand would harm our ability to expand our base of distributors and the number of network operators and service providers who purchase our products.
Maintaining and enhancing the Ubiquiti brand is critical to expanding our base of distributors and the number of network operators and service providers who purchase our products. Maintaining and
enhancing our brand will depend largely on our ability to continue to develop and provide products and solutions that address the price-performance characteristics sought by network operators and service providers in underserved and underpenetrated
markets, which we may not do successfully. If we fail to promote and maintain our brand successfully, our ability to sustain and expand our business and enter new markets will suffer. Furthermore, if we fail to replicate the Ubiquiti Community in
other markets that we seek to enter, the strength of our brand in and beyond those markets could be adversely affected. Our brand may be impaired by a number of other factors, including product malfunctions and exploitation of our trademarks by
others without permission. Despite our efforts to protect our trademarks, we have been unsuccessful to date in obtaining a trademark registration from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the name of our company, Ubiquiti
Networks, and as a result, we only have common law trademark rights in the United States in our name. Any inability to effectively police our trademark rights against unauthorized uses by third parties could adversely impact the value of our
trademarks and our brand recognition. If we fail to maintain and enhance the Ubiquiti brand, or if we need to incur unanticipated expenses to establish the brand in new markets, our operating results would be negatively affected from reduced sales
and increased expenses related to strengthening our brand and our customers may be confused about which products are ours.
We rely on
the Ubiquiti Community to provide network operators and service providers with support to install, operate and maintain our products. Any inaccurate information regarding our products that is spread by the Ubiquiti Community could lead to a poor
user experience or dissatisfaction with our products.
As we offer limited technical support for our products, we rely on the Ubiquiti
Community to provide assistance and, in many cases documentation, to network operators and service providers for the installation, operation and maintenance of our products. Because we do not generate or control the information provided through the
Ubiquiti Community, inaccurate information regarding the installation, operation and maintenance of our products could be promulgated through forum postings by members of the Ubiquiti Community. Inaccurate information could lead to a poor customer
experience or dissatisfaction with our products, which could negatively impact our reputation and disrupt our sales. Although we moderate and review forum postings to learn of reported problems and assess the accuracy of advice provided by the
Ubiquiti Community, as our operations continue to grow, we may not have adequate time or resources to adequately monitor the quality of Ubiquiti Community information.
Our profitability may decline as we expand into new product areas.
We receive a
substantial majority of our revenues from the sale of outdoor wireless networking equipment. We have limited experience in selling our products outside of our distribution model. As we expand into new product areas, such as enterprise WLAN or video
surveillance equipment, we may not be able to compete effectively with existing market participants and may not be able to realize a positive return on the investment we have made in these products or services. Entering these markets may result in
increased product development costs and our new products may have extended time to market relative to our current products. If our introduction of a new product is not successful or we are not able to achieve the revenues or margins we expect, our
operating results may be harmed and we may not recover our product development and marketing expenditures. We may also be required to add a direct sales force and customer support personnel to market and support new or existing products, which would
require us to accept substantially lower product margins or increase our operating expenses. Adding a direct sales force or customer support personnel could reduce our operating income and may not be successful.
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We rely on the Ubiquiti Community to provide our engineers with valuable feedback central to our
research and development processes and if the members of the Ubiquiti Community were to stop providing feedback, our internal research and development costs could increase.
We rely on the Ubiquiti Community to provide rapid and substantive feedback on the functionality and effectiveness of our products. The insights, problems and suggestions raised by the Ubiquiti Community
enable our engineers to quickly resolve issues with our existing products and improve functionality in subsequent product releases. For example, we developed AirSync in response to collocation interference issues that were described in forum
postings by members of the Ubiquiti Community. If the members of the Ubiquiti Community were to become less engaged or otherwise stopped providing valuable, timely feedback, our internal research and development costs and our time to market would
increase, which could cause us to incur additional expenses or make our products less attractive to network operators and service providers.
We rely on a limited number of contract manufacturers to produce, test and ship all of our products, and the failure to manage our relationships
with these parties successfully could adversely affect our ability to market and sell our products.
We retain contract manufacturers,
which are primarily located in China, to manufacture, control quality of and ship our products. We currently do not have long-term supply contracts with any of these contract manufacturers. Any significant change in our relationship with these
manufacturers could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. We make substantially all of our purchases from our contract manufacturers on a purchase order basis. Our contract manufacturers are not
required to manufacture our products for any specific period or in any specific quantity. We expect that it would take approximately three to six months to transition manufacturing, quality assurance and shipping services to new providers. Relying
on contract manufacturers for manufacturing, quality assurance and shipping also presents significant risks to us, including the inability of our contract manufacturers to:
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qualify appropriate component suppliers;
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manage capacity during periods of high demand;
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safeguard consigned materials;
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meet delivery schedules;
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assure the quality of our products;
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ensure adequate supplies of materials;
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protect our intellectual property; and
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deliver finished products at agreed upon prices.
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The ability and willingness of our contract manufacturers to perform is largely outside our control. For example, during mid-2009, the technology market was rebounding from the sharp economic contraction
that was experienced in 2008. Many suppliers and contract manufacturers were unprepared for the speed of the rebound. This led to significant component shortages and capacity constraints at contract manufacturers. During this time, our contract
manufacturers claimed difficulty in procuring components and extended our order lead times significantly, which forced us to extend the lead time for our distributors.
From time to time, we may change contract manufacturers, which may disrupt our ability to obtain our products in a timely manner. We believe that our orders may not represent a material portion of our
contract manufacturers total orders and, as a result, fulfilling our orders may not be a priority in the event our contract manufacturers are constrained in their abilities or resources to fulfill all of their customer obligations in a timely
manner. If any of our contract manufacturers suffers an interruption in its business, experiences delays, disruptions or quality control problems in its manufacturing operations or we have to change or add additional contract manufacturers, our
ability to ship products to our customers would be delayed and our revenues could become volatile and our cost of revenues may increase.
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We and our contract manufacturers purchase some components, subassemblies and products from a limited
number of suppliers. The loss of any of these suppliers may substantially disrupt our ability to obtain orders and fulfill sales as we design in and qualify new components.
We rely on third party components and technology to build and operate our products, and we rely on our contract manufacturers to obtain the components, subassemblies and products necessary for the
manufacture of our products. Shortages in components that we use in our products are possible, and our ability to predict the availability of such components is limited. In addition, we do not know what, if any, the impact will be of the earthquakes
and tsunami in Japan on our and our contract manufacturers ability to obtain raw materials and components used in the manufacture of our products. If shortages occur in the future, as they have in the past, our business, operating results and
financial condition would be materially adversely affected. Unpredictable price increases of such components due to market demand may occur. While components and supplies are generally available from a variety of sources, we and our contract
manufacturers currently depend on a single or limited number of suppliers for several components for our products. If our suppliers of these components or technology were to enter into exclusive relationships with other providers of networking
equipment or were to discontinue providing such components and technology to us and we were unable to replace them cost effectively, or at all, our ability to provide our products would be impaired. We and our contract manufacturers generally rely
on purchase orders rather than long-term contracts with these suppliers. As a result, even if available, we and our contract manufacturers may not be able to secure sufficient components at reasonable prices or of acceptable quality to build our
products in a timely manner. Therefore, we may be unable to meet customer demand for our products, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
We are dependent on Atheros for chipsets for our products and do not have short-term alternatives if Atheros were to terminate its agreement with
us, which could cause us to be unable to fulfill short-term demand and delay our ability to fulfill orders.
Substantially all of our
products currently include chipsets from Atheros Communications Inc. (Atheros). Our license agreement with Atheros may be terminated for convenience at the end of the annual contract term which is September 1, 2012 upon 90 days
prior written notice by either party. The termination of our license agreement with Atheros could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. To the extent we are unable to secure an adequate supply of
chipsets from Atheros, we would be required to redesign our products to incorporate components from alternative sources, a process which would cause significant delays and would adversely impact our revenues. In addition, Qualcomm Incorporated
(Qualcomm), recently acquired Atheros. Although Atheros recently became a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, Atheros existence as a legal entity continues and our license agreement continues to be in effect. In accordance with
the current terms of the agreement, Qualcomm, as Atheros parent entity, may choose to terminate the agreement without cause at the end of the annual contract term by giving us at least 90 days prior written notice before September 1,
2012. We do not stockpile sufficient chipsets to cover the time it would take to re-engineer our products to replace the Atheros chipsets. Furthermore, if we sought a suitable second source for Atheros chipsets in our products, there can be no
assurances that we would be able to successfully second source our chipsets on suitable terms, if at all. In any event, our use of chipsets from multiple sources may require us to significantly modify our product designs to accommodate these
different chipsets.
Our reliance on third party components and technology means that we may not be able to introduce new products that
include certain advanced features and functionality without obtaining technology licenses from third parties. For example, we currently rely upon a license from Atheros, whose chipsets are incorporated in substantially all of our products. This
process is critical to our ability to manufacture our products. Obtaining these licenses may be costly and may delay the introduction of such features and functionality, and these licenses may not be available on commercially favorable terms, or at
all. The inability to offer advanced features or functionality, or a delay in our introduction of new products, may adversely affect demand for our products and consequently, materially adversely affect our business, operating results and financial
condition.
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We base our inventory builds on our forecasts of future sales. If these forecasts are materially
inaccurate, we may overbuild inventory which we may be unable to sell in a timely manner or at all, or we may underbuild inventory, which may impair our customer relationships.
Our distributors typically provide us with purchase orders for delivery within 60 days. We provide our contract manufacturers forecasts of up to approximately five months of demand for long lead time
components. To the extent our forecasts are materially inaccurate because we do not receive anticipated purchase order volume, we may under or over build inventory. We may over or under forecast the distributors actual demand for our products
or the mix of products and the components associated with the building of our products. We have experienced volatility in orders with limited advanced notice, and we expect such volatility to occur in the future. If we are unable to meet any
increases in demand, our business, operating results and financial condition would be materially adversely affected and our reputation with our customers may be damaged. Conversely, if we over forecast demand, we may build excess inventory which
could materially adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.
We have limited experience and personnel to
manage our supply chain and our contract manufacturers, which may cause us to experience lower product margins, impair product quality and result in our inability to fulfill demand for our products and solutions.
We rely on our contract manufacturers to produce, test and ship all of our products. We also rely on our contract manufacturers to obtain the components,
subassemblies and products necessary for the manufacture of our products. We have limited experience and personnel to manage our relationships with our contract manufacturers and our supply chain. Inaccurately forecasting our demand for key
components, including the Atheros chipsets, could materially adversely affect our ability to build our products in a timely manner and our margins could decline. Any failure by us to effectively and proactively manage these relationships and
activities could result in material adverse effects on our business, operating results and financial condition. If we were required or choose to transition some of our supply chain activities from our contract manufacturers to within our
organization, we would be required to hire more experienced personnel and develop more supply chain policies and procedures. This transition could be lengthy and could cause significant delays in the production, testing and shipment of our products,
any of which may result in material adverse effects, including an increase in our costs and our ability to ship our products and solutions. We cannot assure you that we would ever be able to effectively complete any such transition.
If our contract manufacturers do not respect our intellectual property and trade secrets and if they or others produce competitive products
reducing our sales or causing customer confusion, our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
Because our contract manufacturers operate in China, where prosecution of intellectual property infringement and trade secret theft is more difficult than in the United States, certain of our contract
manufacturers, their affiliates, their other customers or their suppliers may attempt to use our intellectual property and trade secrets to manufacture our products for themselves or others without our knowledge. Although we attempt to enter into
agreements with our contract manufacturers to preclude them from using our intellectual property and trade secrets, we may be unsuccessful in monitoring and enforcing our intellectual property rights in China. We have in the past found and expect in
the future to find counterfeit goods in the market being sold as Ubiquiti products. Although we take steps to stop counterfeits, we may not be successful and network operators and service providers who purchase these counterfeit goods may have a bad
experience and our brand may be harmed. If such an impermissible use of our intellectual property or trade secrets were to occur, our ability to sell our products at competitive prices and to be the sole provider of our products may be adversely
affected and our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
If we lose the
services of our founder and chief executive officer, Robert J. Pera, other key members of our management team or key research and development employees, we would be required to replace these individuals and may incur additional expense to recruit
and employ these persons.
Our success and future growth depend on the skills, working relationships and continued services of our
management team and in particular, our founder and chief executive officer, Robert J. Pera. Our future performance will also depend on our ability to continue to retain our other senior management. We do not maintain key person insurance for any of
our personnel, except for a small policy with respect to Mr. Pera.
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Our business model relies in part on leanly staffed, independent and efficient research and development
teams. Our research and development personnel tend to be key contributors for a given platform and there is little overlap in knowledge and responsibilities. In the event that we are unable to retain the services of these key contributors, we may be
unable to bring our products to market in a timely manner, if at all, due to disruption in our development activities.
Our future success
will also depend on our ability to attract, retain and motivate skilled personnel in the United States and internationally. All of our employees work for us on an at will basis. Competition for personnel is intense in the networking equipment
industry, and particularly, for persons with specialized experience in areas such as antenna design and RF equipment. As a result, we may be unable to attract or retain qualified personnel. Our inability to attract and retain the necessary personnel
could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.
Our operating expenses will increase as we make further
expenditures to enhance and expand our operations in order to support additional growth in our business and public company reporting and compliance obligations.
Historically, we limited our investment in infrastructure but in the future, we expect our infrastructure investments to increase substantially to support our anticipated growth and as a result of our
becoming a public company. We are making significant investments in information systems, hiring more administrative personnel, using more professional services and expanding our operations outside the United States. We intend to make additional
investments in systems and personnel and continue to expand our operations to support anticipated growth in our business. In addition, we may determine the need in the future to build a direct sales force to market and sell our products or provide
additional resources or cooperative funds to our distributors. Such changes to our existing sales model would likely result in higher selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of our revenues. We expect our increased investments
to adversely affect operating income. We also expect to incur additional operating costs as a public reporting company. As a result of these factors, we expect our operating expenses to increase.
We have experienced rapid growth in recent periods. If we fail to manage our growth effectively and develop and implement appropriate control
systems, our business and financial performance may suffer.
We have substantially expanded our overall business, number of
distributors, headcount and operations in recent periods. We increased our number of full time equivalent employees from 22 as of June 30, 2008 to 102 as of September 30, 2011. During this same period, we made investments in our
information systems and significantly expanded our operations outside the United States, including an expansion of our research and development activities in Lithuania and Taiwan. Our expansion has placed, and our expected future growth will
continue to place, a significant strain on our managerial, administrative, operational, financial and other resources. Our business model reflects our decision to operate with minimal infrastructure and low support and administrative headcount, so
risks related to managing our growth are particularly salient and we may not have sufficient internal resources to adapt or respond to unexpected challenges. As a result of our focus on managing our rapid growth, we have not allocated sufficient
resources to complying with applicable regulatory and other requirements, such as spectrum operating regulations, export and embargoed countries regulations and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and our development of infrastructure designed to
identify and monitor our compliance with these regulatory and other compliance obligations is at an early stage. For example, we recently hired our first employee charged with complying with spectrum use requirements and we also recently hired a
chief counsel. Although we have put certain policies and procedures in place following the hiring of our chief financial officer in May 2010, certain of these policies have recently been adopted and our procedures have recently changed and we have
limited staff responsible for their implementation and enforcement. For example, we have recently put in place procedures to verify foreign buyers against U.S. disqualified persons lists and to identify the need for export licenses based on proposed
bills of material for new products. Furthermore, our employees who have the most contact with our distributors or who are involved with order entry have recently attended training regarding export controls sponsored by the BIS. If we are unable to
manage our growth successfully, or if our control systems do not operate effectively, our business and operating results will suffer.
We do not expect our historical growth rates to continue into the future.
From fiscal 2006 to fiscal 2011, we experienced a CAGR of our revenues of over 150%. We do not expect to sustain this growth rate in the future. Our growth rate to date has reflected our acquisition of
market share in a new market that was rapidly expanding, our introduction of products complementary to our initial offerings and our product pricing strategy designed to accelerate overall market penetration. Given our leadership role in, and the
increasing maturity of, the global wireless broadband market, we expect that our revenue growth will slow in the future as it tracks more closely, and is constrained by, the growth rates of the overall market. Although we intend to employ a strategy
consistent with our approach to wireless broadband networking as we seek to enter adjacent markets, such as enterprise WLAN, video surveillance, and SCADA, we cannot assure you that we will be successful in penetrating these markets in a manner that
achieves rapid revenue growth, or at all. If we are unable to maintain adequate revenue growth, we may not have sufficient resources to execute our business objectives and our share price may decline.
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A large percentage of our research and development operations are conducted in Illinois, Lithuania and
Taiwan and our ability to introduce new products and support our existing products cost effectively depends on our ability to manage these disparate development sites successfully.
Our success depends on our ability to enhance current products and develop new products rapidly and cost effectively. We currently have a number of our research and development personnel in Illinois,
Lithuania and Taiwan. We must successfully allocate product development activities across the various development centers and manage them in such a manner as to meet our time to market windows while maintaining product consistency and quality. We
could incur unexpected costs or delays in product development at these remote facilities that could impair our ability to meet market windows or cause us to forego certain new product opportunities.
We rely on third parties for financial and operational services essential to our ability to manage our business. A failure or disruption in these
services would materially and adversely affect our ability to manage our business effectively.
We currently use NetSuite to conduct
our order management and financial processes. The availability of this service is essential to the management of our business. As we expand our operations, we expect to utilize additional systems and service providers that may also be essential to
managing our business. Although the systems and services that we require are typically available from a number of providers, it is time consuming and costly to qualify and implement these relationships. Therefore, our ability to manage our business
would suffer if one or more of our providers suffer an interruption in their business, or experience delays, disruptions or quality control problems in their operations, or we have to change or add additional systems and services. We may not be able
to control the quality of the systems and services we receive from third party service providers, which could impair our ability to implement appropriate internal controls over financial reporting and may impact our business, operating results and
financial condition.
Failure to comply with the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and similar laws
associated with our activities outside the United States could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences.
As a
substantial majority of our revenues is and will be from jurisdictions outside of the United States, we face significant risks if we fail to comply with the FCPA and other laws that prohibit improper payments or offers of payment to foreign
governments and their officials and political parties by us and other business entities for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. In many foreign countries, particularly in countries with developing economies, which represent our principal
markets, it may be a local custom that businesses operating in such countries engage in business practices that are prohibited by the FCPA or other laws and regulations. Although we have implemented a company policy requiring our employees and
consultants to comply with the FCPA and similar laws, we have a limited number of employees engaged in sales so we have not conducted formal FCPA compliance training. We have not engaged in training of our distributors and resellers and are in the
process of amending our distributor agreements to provide clear requirements for our distributors and resellers compliance with U.S. laws, including the FCPA, therefore there can be no assurance that all of our employees, and agents, as
well as those companies to which we outsource certain of our business operations, will not take actions in violation of our policies, for which we may be ultimately held responsible. We have not historically entered into written agreements with our
distributors and resellers and to the extent we did, those agreements did not clearly state our expectations for our distributors and resellers compliance with U.S. law. As a result of our focus on managing our rapid growth, our development of
infrastructure designed to identify FCPA matters and monitor compliance is at an early stage. Any violation of FCPA and related policies could result in severe criminal or civil sanctions and suspension or debarment from U.S. government contracting,
which could have a material and adverse effect on our reputation, business, operating results and financial condition.
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Our products rely on the availability of unlicensed RF spectrum and if such spectrum were to become
unavailable through overuse or licensing, the performance of our products could suffer and our revenues from their sales could decrease.
Our products operate in unlicensed RF spectrum, which is used by a wide range of consumer devices such as cordless phones, baby monitors, and microwave
ovens, and is becoming increasingly crowded. If such spectrum usage continues to increase through the proliferation of consumer electronics and products competitive with ours, the resultant higher levels of clutter and interference in the bands of
operation our products use could decrease the effectiveness of our products, which could adversely affect our ability to sell our products and our business could be further harmed if currently unlicensed RF spectrum becomes licensed in the United
States or elsewhere. Network operators and service providers that use our products may be unable to obtain licenses for RF spectrum at reasonable prices or at all. Even if the unlicensed spectrum remains unlicensed, existing and new government
regulations may require we make changes in our products. For example, to provide products for network operators and service providers who utilize unlicensed RF spectrum, we may be required to limit their ability to use our products in licensed RF
spectrum. The operation of our products by network operators or service providers in the United States or elsewhere in a manner not in compliance with local law could result in fines, operational disruption, or harm to our reputation.
The complexity of our products could result in unforeseen delays or expenses caused by undetected defects or bugs, which could reduce the market
acceptance of our new products, damage our reputation with current or prospective customers and adversely affect our operating costs.
Our products may contain defects and bugs when they are first introduced or as new versions are released. We have focused, and intend to focus in the
future, on getting our new products to market quickly. Due to our rapid product introductions, defects and bugs that may be contained in our products may not yet have manifested. We have in the past experienced, and may in the future experience,
defects and bugs. If any of our products contains material defects or bugs, or has reliability, quality or compatibility problems, we may not be able to successfully correct these problems. Consequently, our reputation may be damaged and network
operators or service providers may be reluctant to buy our products, which could materially and adversely affect our ability to retain existing network operators or service providers and attract new network operators or service providers. In
addition, these defects or bugs could interrupt or delay sales to our distributors. If any of these problems is not found until after we have commenced commercial production and distribution of a new product, we may be required to incur additional
development costs and product recall, repair or replacement costs. These problems may also result in claims against us by our network operators, service providers or others. As a result, our operating costs could be adversely affected.
We may become subject to warranty claims, product liability and product recalls.
From time to time, we may become subject to warranty or product liability claims that may require us to make significant expenditures to defend these claims or pay damage awards. In the event of a
warranty claim, we may also incur costs if we compensate the affected network operator or service provider. We also may incur costs and expenses relating to a recall of one or more of our products. The process of identifying recalled products that
have been widely distributed may be lengthy and require significant resources and we may incur significant replacement costs, contract damage claims from our network operators or service providers and harm to our reputation. Costs or payments made
in connection with warranty and product liability claims and product recalls could cause our operating results to decline and harm our brand.
We operate in an industry with extensive intellectual property litigation. Claims of infringement against us or our suppliers may cause us to incur
substantial expenses to defend ourselves and could impair our ability to sell our products if an adverse outcome were to occur.
Our
commercial success depends in part upon us and our component suppliers not infringing intellectual property rights owned by others and being able to resolve claims of intellectual property infringement without major financial expenditures. We
operate in an industry with extensive intellectual property litigation and it is not uncommon for suppliers of certain components of our products, such as chipsets, to be involved in infringement lawsuits by or against third parties. Many industry
participants that own, or claim to own, intellectual property aggressively assert their rights, and our key component suppliers are often targets of such assertions. In addition, the network operators and service providers, whom we agree in certain
circumstances to indemnify for intellectual property infringement claims related to our products, may be targets of such assertions. We cannot determine with certainty whether any existing or future third party intellectual property rights would
require us to alter our technologies, obtain licenses or cease certain activities.
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We have received, and may in the future receive, claims from third parties asserting intellectual property
infringement and other related claims. Future litigation may be necessary to defend ourselves and demand indemnification from our suppliers, if appropriate, by determining the scope, enforceability and validity of third party proprietary rights or
to establish our own proprietary rights. Some of our competitors may have substantially greater resources than we do and may be able to sustain the costs of complex intellectual property litigation to a greater degree and for longer periods of time
than we could. In addition, patent holding companies that focus solely on extracting royalties and settlements by enforcing patent rights may target our component suppliers, us or our network operators and service providers. These companies
typically have little or no product revenues and therefore our patents may provide little or no deterrence against such companies filing patent infringement lawsuits against us or our network operators and service providers. For example, we have
received correspondence from two patent holding companies who assert that we infringe certain patents related to wireless communication technologies. We have reviewed the patents which were specifically referenced in the correspondence and believe
that these patents are either invalid or not infringed by us. However, we cannot assure you that a court adjudicating a claim that we infringe these patents would rule in our favor should these patent holding companies file suit against us. We
believe that in the event of a claim we may be entitled to seek indemnification from our suppliers. However, we cannot provide any assurances that if we seek such indemnification, we will receive it. Regardless of whether claims that we are
infringing patents, trademarks or other intellectual property rights have any merit, these claims can be time consuming and costly to evaluate and defend and could:
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adversely affect our relationships with our current or future network operators and service providers or suppliers;
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cause delays or stoppages in the shipment of our products, or cause us to modify or redesign our products;
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cause us to incur significant expenses in defending claims brought against us, for which we may not be able to obtain indemnification, if applicable,
from our suppliers;
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divert managements attention and resources;
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subject us to significant damages or settlements;
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require us to enter into settlements, royalty or licensing agreements on unfavorable terms; or
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require us to cease certain activities.
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Moreover, even if some of our contract manufacturers are obligated to indemnify us, these contract manufacturers may contest their obligations to indemnify us, or their available assets or indemnity
obligation may not be sufficient to cover our losses.
In addition to liability for monetary damages against us or, in certain circumstances,
our network operators and service providers, we may be prohibited from developing, commercializing or continuing to provide certain of our products unless we obtain licenses from the holders of the patents or other intellectual property rights. We
cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain any such licenses on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. If we do not obtain such licenses, our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected and we
could, for example, be required to cease offering our products or be required to materially alter our products, which could involve substantial costs and time to develop.
For information regarding our trademarks, see the risk factor above titled Our business and prospects depend on the strength of our brand. Failure to maintain and enhance our brand would harm our
ability to expand our base of distributors and the number of network operators and service providers who purchase our products.
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Our distributors, network operators and service providers may expect us to indemnify them for
intellectual property infringement claims, damages caused by defective products and other losses.
Our distributors, network operators
and service providers may expect us to indemnify them for losses suffered or incurred in connection with our products, including as a result of intellectual property infringement, damages caused by defects and damages caused by viruses, worms and
other malicious software, although our agreements with them may not, in all cases, require us to provide this indemnification. In order to satisfy these parties demands for indemnification and the maximum potential amount of future payments we
could be required to make may be substantial or unlimited and could materially harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
We may in the future agree to defend and indemnify our distributors, network operators and service providers, irrespective of whether we believe that we
have an obligation to indemnify them or whether we believe that our services and products infringe the asserted intellectual property rights. Alternatively, we may reject certain of these indemnity demands, which may lead to disputes with a
distributor, network operator or service provider and may negatively impact our relationships with the party demanding indemnification or result in litigation against us. Our distributors, network operators and service providers may also claim that
any rejection of their indemnity demands constitutes a material breach of our agreements with them, allowing them to terminate such agreements. If, as a result of indemnity demands, substantial payments are required, our relationships with our
distributors, network operators and service providers are negatively impacted or if any of our material agreements is terminated, our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
If we fail to protect our intellectual property rights adequately, our ability to compete effectively or to defend ourselves from litigation could
be impaired, which could reduce our revenues and increase our costs.
We rely primarily on patent, copyright, trademark and trade
secret laws, as well as confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements and other methods, to protect our proprietary technologies and know-how. The prospective rights sought in our pending patent applications may not be meaningful or provide us with
any commercial advantage and they could be opposed, contested, circumvented or designed around by our competitors or be declared invalid or unenforceable in judicial or administrative proceedings. Any failure of our patents to adequately protect our
technology might make it easier for our competitors to offer similar products or technologies. In addition, patents may not issue from any of our current or future applications.
Monitoring unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and costly. Unauthorized use of our intellectual property has occurred in the past and may occur in the future without our knowledge.
The steps we have taken may not prevent unauthorized use of our intellectual property. Further, we may not be able to detect unauthorized use of, or take appropriate steps to enforce our intellectual property rights. Our competitors may also
independently develop similar technology. Our failure to effectively protect our intellectual property could reduce the value of our technology in licensing arrangements or in cross-licensing negotiations, and could impair our ability to compete.
Any failure by us to meaningfully protect our intellectual property could result in competitors offering products that incorporate our most technologically advanced features, which could seriously reduce demand for our products. We may in the future
need to initiate infringement claims or litigation. Litigation, whether we are a plaintiff or a defendant, can be expensive and time-consuming and may divert the efforts of our technical staff and managerial personnel, which could result in lower
revenues and higher expenses, whether or not such litigation results in a determination favorable to us.
Enforcement of our
intellectual property rights abroad, particularly in China, is limited and it is often difficult to protect and enforce such rights.
Patent protection outside the United States is generally not as comprehensive as in the United States and may not protect our intellectual property in
some countries where our products are sold or may be sold in the future. Even if patents are granted outside the United States, effective enforcement in those countries may not be available. Many companies have encountered substantial intellectual
property infringement in countries where we sell, or intend to sell, products or have our products manufactured.
In particular, the legal
regime relating to intellectual property rights in China is limited and it is often difficult to protect and enforce such rights. The regulatory scheme for enforcing Chinas intellectual property laws may not be as developed as regulatory
schemes in other countries. Any advancement of an intellectual property enforcement claim through Chinas regulatory scheme may require an extensive amount of time, allowing intellectual property infringers to continue largely unimpeded, to our
commercial detriment in the Chinese and other export markets. In addition, rules of evidence may be unclear, inconsistent or difficult to comply with, making it difficult to prove infringement of our intellectual property rights. As a result,
enforcement cases involving technology, such as copyright infringement of software code, or unauthorized manufacture or sale of products containing patented inventions, may be difficult or not possible to sustain.
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These factors may make it increasingly complicated for us to enforce our intellectual property rights
against parties misappropriating or copying our technology or products without our authorization, allowing competing enterprises to harm our business in the Chinese or other export markets by affecting the pricing for our products, reducing our own
sales and diluting our brand or product quality reputation.
Confidentiality agreements with employees and others may not adequately
prevent disclosure of our trade secrets and other proprietary information.
We have devoted substantial resources to the development of
our proprietary technology and trade secrets. In order to protect our proprietary technology and trade secrets, we rely in part on confidentiality agreements with our employees, licensees, independent contractors and other advisors. These agreements
may not effectively prevent disclosure of our trade secrets and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of our trade secrets. In addition, others may independently discover trade secrets and proprietary
information, and in such cases we could not assert any trade secret rights against such parties. Costly and time consuming litigation could be necessary to determine and enforce the scope of our proprietary rights, and failure to obtain or maintain
trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive business position.
Although we primarily rely on confidentiality agreements to
protect our trade secrets, we have failed to obtain such agreements from certain of our former employees due to administrative oversights, including those who participated in the development of certain of our products. Our employment policies
require these former employees to continue to protect our trade secrets and to assign to us any intellectual property related to their activities on our behalf. However, we may have difficulty enforcing these rights, which could reduce our
competitive differentiation and result in lost sales and customer confusion.
We use open source software in our products that may
subject our firmware to general release or require us to re-engineer our products and the firmware contained therein, which may cause harm to our business.
We use open source software in our products, including in connection with our proprietary software, and may use more open source software in the future. From time to time, there have been claims
challenging the ownership of open source software against companies that incorporate open source software into their products. As a result, we could be subject to suits by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open source software.
Some open source licenses contain requirements that we make available source code for modifications or derivative works we create based upon the open source software and that we license such modifications or derivative works under the terms of a
particular open source license or other license granting third parties certain rights of further use. If we combine our proprietary firmware or other software with open source software in a certain manner, we could, under certain of the open source
licenses, be required to release our proprietary source code publicly or license such source code on unfavorable terms or at no cost. In addition to risks related to license requirements, usage of open source software can lead to greater risks than
use of third party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide warranties or controls on origin of the software. Open source license terms relating to the disclosure of source code in modifications or derivative works to
the open source software are often ambiguous and few if any courts in jurisdictions applicable to us have interpreted such terms. As a result, many of the risks associated with usage of open source software cannot be eliminated, and could, if not
properly addressed, negatively affect our business. We currently disclose or plan to disclose the source code for certain of our proprietary software in an effort to comply with the terms of the licenses applicable to the open source software that
we use, and we believe that such disclosure represents the entirety of our source code disclosure obligations under these licenses. However, if we were found to have inappropriately used open source software, we may be required to release our
proprietary source code, re-engineer our firmware or other software, discontinue the sale of our products in the event re-engineering cannot be accomplished on a timely basis or take other remedial action that may divert resources away from our
development efforts, any of which could adversely increase our expenses and delay our ability to release our products for sale.
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Our business is susceptible to risks associated with operations outside of the United States.
As of September 30, 2011, we had international operations in Hong Kong, Lithuania, Taiwan and India. We also sell to distributors
outside the United States and for the three months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, our revenues from sales outside the United States were 69% and 71%, respectively. Our operations outside the United States subject us to risks that we have
not generally faced in the United States. These include:
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the burdens of complying with a wide variety of U.S. laws applicable to export controls, foreign operations, foreign laws and different legal
standards;
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fluctuations in currency exchange rates;
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unexpected changes in foreign regulatory requirements;
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difficulties in managing the staffing of remote operations;
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potentially adverse tax consequences, including the complexities of foreign value added tax systems, restrictions on the repatriation of earnings and
changes in tax rates;
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dependence on distributors in various countries with different pricing policies, inventory management and forecasting practices;
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reduced or varied protection for intellectual property rights in some countries;
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demand for reliable wireless broadband networks in those countries;
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requirements that we comply with local telecommunication regulations in those countries;
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increased financial accounting and reporting burdens and complexity;
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political, social and economic instability in some jurisdictions; and
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terrorist attacks and security concerns in general.
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If any of these risks were to come to fruition, it could negatively affect our business outside the United States and, consequently, our operating results. Additionally, operating in markets outside the
United States requires significant management attention and financial resources. We cannot be certain that the investment and additional resources required to establish, acquire or integrate operations in other countries will produce desired levels
of revenues or profitability.
Our contract manufacturers, shipping points and certain administrative and research and development
operations are located in areas likely to be subject to natural disasters or other events that could stop us from having our products made or shipped or could result in a substantial delay in our production or development activities.
Our manufacturing capacity may be reduced or eliminated at one or more facilities because our manufacturing, assembly, testing and
shipping contractors are all located in southern China, the majority of our products are shipped from Hong Kong and we have research and development offices in Taiwan and California. Our principal executive offices are also located in California.
The risk of earthquakes, typhoons and other natural disasters in these geographic areas is significant due to the proximity of major earthquake fault lines. Southern China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are also subject to typhoons and other Pacific storms.
Earthquakes, fire, flooding or other natural disasters in California, southern China, Hong Kong or Taiwan, or political unrest, war, labor strikes, work stoppages or public health crises, in countries where our or our contractors facilities
are located could result in the disruption of our development, manufacturing, assembly, testing or shipping capacity. Any disruption resulting from these events could cause significant delays in product development or shipments of our products until
we are able to shift our development, manufacturing, assembly or testing from the affected contractor to another third party vendor or our research and development activities to another location. We cannot assure you that alternative capacity could
be obtained on favorable terms, if at all.
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New safety regulations or changes in existing safety regulations related to our products may result in
unanticipated costs or liabilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition and future sales, and could place additional burdens on the operations of our business.
Radio emissions are subject to regulation in the United States and the other countries in which we do business. In the United States, various federal
agencies including the Center for Devices and Radiological Health of the Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Communications Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and various state agencies have promulgated regulations
that concern the use of radio/electromagnetic emissions standards. Member countries of the EU have enacted similar standards concerning electrical safety and electromagnetic compatibility and emissions standards. If any of our products becomes
subject to new regulations or if any of our products becomes specifically regulated by additional government entities, compliance with such regulations could become more burdensome, and we may be unable to ship our products or they may cost
substantially more to produce, which would reduce our revenues and increase our cost of revenues.
We may be subject to certain tax
liabilities if we fail to classify our employees and consultants correctly.
We may incorrectly classify certain employees and
consultants in the United States and elsewhere. If we fail to classify consultants as employees or to classify all services that a specified individual may have provided as being done in the course of that individuals employment, we may incur
tax liabilities for taxes we under withhold and under pay and/or for social insurance contributions. In addition, the consultants and employees affected by the misclassification could seek indemnification from us for any taxes or social insurance
contributions they may owe as a result of the misclassification.
Unfavorable tax law changes, an unfavorable government review of our
tax returns, changes in our geographic earnings mix, or imposition of withholding taxes on repatriated earnings could adversely affect our effective tax rate and our operating results.
We conduct operations in multiple jurisdictions and therefore our effective tax rate is influenced by the amounts of income and expense attributed to each such jurisdiction. If such amounts were to change
so as to increase the amounts of our net income subject to taxation in higher tax jurisdictions, or if we were to commence operations in jurisdictions assessing relatively higher tax rates, our effective tax rate could be adversely affected.
Historically, we have earned a significant amount of our operating income from outside the United States in low tax rate jurisdictions. The continued availability of these rates is dependent on how we conduct our business operation across all tax
jurisdictions. We are subject to periodic audits or other reviews by tax authorities in the jurisdictions in which we conduct our activities and there is a risk that tax authorities could challenge our assertion that we have conducted our business
operations appropriately in order to benefit in these lower tax rate jurisdictions. In addition, there are possible tax proposals that are being considered by the U.S. Congress or the legislative bodies in foreign jurisdictions that could affect our
tax rate, the carrying value of deferred tax assets or our other tax liabilities. We cannot predict the form or timing of potential legislative changes, but any newly enacted tax law could have a material adverse impact on our tax provision, net
income and cash flow. In the event of an unfavorable outcome, this may result in additional tax liabilities or other adjustments to our historical results. In addition, we may determine that it is advisable from time to time to repatriate earnings
from non-U.S. subsidiaries under circumstances that could give rise to imposition of potentially significant withholding taxes by the jurisdictions in which such amounts were earned and substantial tax liabilities in the United States. In addition,
we may not receive the benefit of any offsetting tax credits, which also could adversely impact our effective tax rate. As of September 30, 2011, we held $43.2 million of our $52.6 million of cash and cash equivalents in accounts of our
subsidiaries outside of the United States and we will incur significant tax liabilities if we want to repatriate those amounts.
Although we
believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the ultimate tax outcome may materially differ from the tax amounts recorded in our consolidated financial statements and may materially affect our income tax provision, net income or cash flows in the
period or periods for which such determination is made.
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Government regulations designed to protect consumer privacy may make it difficult for us to sell our
products.
Our products may transmit and store personal information. This information is increasingly subject to legislation and
regulations in numerous jurisdictions around the world. This government action is typically intended to protect the privacy and security of personal information that is collected, stored and transmitted in or from the governing jurisdiction. In
addition, because various foreign jurisdictions have different laws and regulations concerning the storage and transmission of personal information, we may face unknown requirements that pose compliance challenges in new geographic markets that we
seek to enter. Such variation could subject us to costs, delayed product launches, liabilities or negative publicity that could impair our ability to expand our operations into some countries and therefore limit our future growth.
As privacy and data protection have become more sensitive issues, we may also become exposed to potential liabilities as a result of differing views on
the privacy of personal information. These and other privacy concerns could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, our attempts to protect the privacy of customer data may fail if our encryption is
inadequate or fails to operate as expected.
We cannot predict our future capital needs and we may not be able to obtain additional
financing to fund our operations.
We may need to raise additional funds in the future. Any required additional financing may not be
available on terms acceptable to us, or at all. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities or convertible debt, investors may experience significant dilution of their ownership interest, and the newly issued securities may have rights
senior to those of the holders of our common stock. If we raise additional funds by obtaining loans from third parties, we will incur interest expense and may have to comply with covenants and secure that debt obligation with our assets. If
additional financing is not available when required or on acceptable terms, we may have to scale back our operations or limit our production activities. As a result, we may not be able to expand our business, develop or enhance our products, take
advantage of business opportunities or respond to competitive pressures, which could result in lower revenues and reduce the competitiveness of our products.
Our existing credit facilities preclude us from entering into additional credit agreements, other than in limited circumstances, and, as a result, we may be required to issue equity securities rather than
obtain additional debt financing.
If we are unable to integrate future acquisitions successfully, our operating results and prospects
could be harmed.
We have not made any acquisitions to date. In the future, we may make acquisitions to improve or expand our product
offerings. Our future acquisition strategy will depend on our ability to identify, negotiate, complete and integrate acquisitions. Mergers and acquisitions are inherently risky and any mergers and acquisitions we complete may not be successful. Any
mergers and acquisitions we may pursue would involve numerous risks, including the following:
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difficulties in integrating and managing the operations, technologies and products of the companies we acquire, particularly in light of our lean
organizational structure;
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diversion of our managements attention from normal daily operation of our business;
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our inability to maintain the key business relationships and the brand equity of the businesses we acquire;
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our inability to retain key personnel of the acquired company, particularly in light of the demands we place on individual contributors;
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uncertainty of entry into markets in which we have limited or no prior experience and in which competitors have stronger market positions;
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our dependence on unfamiliar affiliates and partners of the companies we acquire;
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insufficient revenues to offset our increased expenses associated with acquisitions;
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our responsibility for the liabilities of the businesses we acquire, including those which we may not anticipate; and
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our inability to maintain internal standards, controls, procedures and policies, particularly in light of our lean organizational structure.
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We may be unable to secure the equity or debt funding necessary to finance future acquisitions on terms that are acceptable
to us. Completing acquisitions could consume significant amounts of cash. If we finance acquisitions by issuing equity or convertible debt securities, our existing stockholders will likely experience dilution, and if we finance future acquisitions
with debt funding, we will incur interest expense and may have to comply with covenants and secure that debt obligation with our assets.
If we experience material weaknesses in the future, as we have in the past, or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls
in the future, we may not be able to accurately report our financial condition or results of operations which may adversely affect investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our common stock.
As a result of becoming a public company, we will be required, under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on,
among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting beginning with the filing of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2013. This assessment will need to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified
by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency or combination of deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material
misstatement of a companys annual and interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
We are in the
early stages of further enhancing our process of compiling the computer system and process documentation necessary to perform the evaluation needed to comply with Section 404. We may not be able to complete our evaluation, testing and any
required remediation in a timely fashion. During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal controls are
effective. We have in the past identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, and although we have remediated the material weaknesses identified we cannot assure you that there will not be material weaknesses in our
internal controls in the future. If we are unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which would cause the price
of our common stock to decline.
In connection with our fiscal 2009 audit, our independent registered public accounting firm identified a
material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to our ability to account for income taxes in accordance with GAAP. Subsequently, during fiscal 2010, we identified two other material weaknesses in our internal control over
financial reporting. The first related to our ability to account for inventory and prepaid advances made to our contract manufacturers in accordance with GAAP. The second related to our ability to account for taxes and other amounts due on payments
to our employees in foreign jurisdictions.
We have taken steps to address the material weaknesses as disclosed in the preceding paragraph,
including hiring a chief financial officer, a corporate controller and other accounting personnel, forming an audit committee and implementing additional financial accounting controls and procedures. As a result of these actions, we believe that
these material weaknesses have been remediated. However, we have not completed the necessary documentation and testing procedures under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and cannot assure you that we will be able to implement and maintain
an effective internal control over financial reporting in the future. Any failure to maintain such controls could severely inhibit our ability to accurately report our financial condition or results of operations.
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