UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
(cid:0)
⌧
FORM 40-F
REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
or
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13(a) OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013
Commission File Number 0-29898
Research In Motion Limited
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
Ontario
(Province or other Jurisdiction
of Incorporation or Organization)
3661
(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
Not Applicable
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No)
295 Phillip Street
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada, N2L 3W8
(519) 888-7465
(Address and telephone number of Registrant’s principal executive offices)
Research In Motion Corporation
5000 Riverside Drive, Suite 100E,
Irving, Texas, USA 75039
(972) 650-6126
(Name, address and telephone number of agent for service in the United States)
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Common Shares, without par value
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act:
None
For annual reports, indicate by check mark the information filed with this Form:
⌧
Annual information form
⌧
Audited annual financial statements
Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the Registrant’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the
period covered by this annual report.
The Registrant had 524,159,844 Common Shares outstanding as at March 2, 2013
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Exchange Act during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports) and
(2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
⌧
Yes
(cid:2)
No
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every
Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during
the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit and post such files).
⌧
(cid:2)
Yes
No
A. Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls and procedures are defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) as those
controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Registrant in reports filed or
submitted by it under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), is recorded, processed, summarized
and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms.
The Registrant’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have evaluated the Registrant’s disclosure controls and
procedures as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report and have determined that such disclosure controls and
procedures were effective. A discussion of the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures can be found in its Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013, included in
Exhibit No. 1.3 to this Annual Report, under the heading “Disclosure Controls and Procedures and Internal Controls – Disclosure
Controls and Procedures”.
B. Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
See Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the fiscal year ended March 2,
2013, included in Exhibit No. 1.3 to this Annual Report, under the heading “Disclosure Controls and Procedures and Internal Controls
– Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting”.
C. Attestation Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm
The attestation report of Ernst & Young LLP (“EY”) is included in EY’s report, dated March 28, 2013, to the shareholders of the
Registrant, which accompanies the Registrant’s audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013,
filed as Exhibit 1.2 to this Annual Report.
D. Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
See Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the fiscal year ended March 2,
2013, included in Exhibit No. 1.3 to this Annual Report, under the heading “Disclosure Controls and Procedures and Internal Controls
– Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting”.
E. Notice of Pension Fund Blackout Period
The Registrant was not required by Rule 104 of Regulation BTR to send any notice to any of its directors or executive officers
during the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013.
F. Audit Committee Financial Expert
The Registrant’s Board of Directors has determined that each of Barbara Stymiest, Claudia Kotchka, David Kerr and John
Richardson, individuals serving on the Audit and Risk Management Committee of the Registrant’s Board of Directors, is an audit
committee financial expert, within the meaning of General Instruction B(8)(a) of Form 40-F.
The Commission has indicated that the designation of a person as an audit committee financial expert does not make such
person an “expert” for any purpose, impose any duties, obligations or liability on such person that are greater than those imposed on
members of the Audit and Risk Management Committee and the Board of Directors who do not carry this designation or affect the
duties, obligations or liability of any other member of the Audit and Risk Management Committee or Board of Directors.
G. Code of Ethics
The Registrant’s Board of Directors has adopted a code of ethics (the “Code”) that applies to all directors, officers and
employees. A copy of the Code may be obtained at www.blackberry.com. The Registrant will provide a copy of the Code without
charge to any person that requests a copy by contacting the Corporate Secretary at the address that appears on the cover of this
Annual Report on Form 40-F.
H. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
Audit Fees
The aggregate fees billed by EY, the Company’s independent auditor, for the fiscal years ended March 2, 2013 and March 3,
2012, respectively, for professional services rendered by EY for the audit of the Company’s annual financial statements or services
that are normally provided by EY in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for such fiscal years were
$4,195,000 and $3,331,000 , respectively.
Audit-Related Fees
The aggregate fees billed by EY for the fiscal years ended March 2, 2013 and March 3, 2012, respectively, for assurance and
related services rendered by EY that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit review of the Company’s financial
statements and are not reported above as audit fees were $107,000 and $195,000. Professional services provided included procedures
related to the audit of new systems implemented.
Tax Fees
The aggregate fees billed by EY for the fiscal years ended March 2, 2013 and March 3, 2012, respectively, for professional
services rendered by EY for tax compliance, tax advice, tax planning and other services were $13,000 and $Nil respectively. Tax
services provided included international tax compliance engagements.
All Other Fees
There were no fees billed by EY for the fiscal years ended March 2, 2013 and March 3, 2012, except as described above.
Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
Since the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 on July 30, 2002, all audit and non-audit services performed by the
Registrant’s outside auditors are pre-approved by the Audit and Risk Management Committee of the Registrant.
I. Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
The Registrant is not a party to any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future
effect on its financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital
expenditures or capital resources that is material to investors.
J.
Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations
Tabular disclosure of the Registrant’s contractual obligations can be found in its Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013, included in Exhibit No. 1.3 to this Annual
Report, under the heading “Financial Condition — Aggregate Contractual Obligations”.
K.
Identification of Audit Committee
The Registrant has an Audit and Risk Management Committee comprised of four individuals: David Kerr (Chair), Barbara
Stymiest, John E. Richardson and Claudia Kotchka. Each of the members of the Audit and Risk Management Committee is
independent as that term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. (“Nasdaq”).
L. Critical Accounting Policies
A discussion of the Registrant’s critical accounting policies can be found in its Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013, included in Exhibit No. 1.3 to this Annual
Report, under the heading “Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates”.
M. Nasdaq Exemptions
On November 5, 2002, the Registrant requested an exemption from Nasdaq’s quorum requirements (which provide that a
quorum for a shareholder meeting of a Nasdaq-listed company must be at least 33-1/3% of the outstanding common shares of the
company) on the basis that such requirements were contrary to generally accepted business practices in Canada. The Registrant’s by-
laws provide that the quorum requirements for the transaction of business at any meeting of shareholders shall be two persons present
in person, each being a shareholder entitled to vote thereat or a duly appointed proxyholder or representative for a shareholder so
entitled, holding or representing not less than 20% of the issued shares of the Registrant, of the class or classes respectively (if there is
more than one class of shares outstanding at the time), enjoying voting rights at such meeting. The Registrant’s quorum requirements
comply with the requirements of the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) and are consistent with the quorum requirements of other
Canadian public companies. On November 25, 2002, based on the Registrant’s representations, Nasdaq granted the requested
exemption.
N.
Interactive Data File
The Registrant has submitted to the Commission, included in Exhibit 101 to this Annual Report, an Interactive Data File.
O. Mine Safety
The Registrant is not currently required to disclose the information required by Section 1503(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street
Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
UNDERTAKING AND CONSENT TO SERVICE OF PROCESS
A. Undertaking
The Registrant undertakes to make available, in person or by telephone, representatives to respond to inquiries made by the
Commission staff, and to furnish promptly, when requested to do so by the Commission staff, information relating to the securities in
relation to which the obligation to file an annual report on Form 40-F arises or transactions in said securities.
B. Consent to Service of Process
The Registrant has previously filed with the Commission a Form F-X in connection with its Common Shares.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Exchange Act, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for filing
on Form 40-F and has duly caused this annual report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly authorized.
SIGNATURE
Date: March 28, 2013
RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
/s/ Brian Bidulka
By:
Name: Brian Bidulka
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Exhibit
No.
EXHIBIT INDEX
Document
1.1
Annual Information Form for the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013, dated March 28, 2013.
1.2
1.3
Audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013, prepared in accordance with U.S.
generally accepted accounting principles.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the fiscal year
ended March 2, 2013.
23.1
Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.
31.1
32.1
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002.
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002.
101
Interactive Data File.
Exhibit 1.1
RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
295 Phillip Street
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada
N2L 3W8
Annual Information Form
For the fiscal year ended
March 2, 2013
DATE: March 28, 2013
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CORPORATE STRUCTURE
THE COMPANY
INTER-CORPORATE RELATIONSHIPS
GENERAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUSINESS
NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS
INDUSTRY BACKGROUND
SUCCESS FACTORS
STRATEGY
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS
INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
SALES, MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION
CUSTOMERS
COMPETITION
PRODUCT DESIGN, ENGINEERING AND RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
PRODUCTION
REGULATORY MATTERS
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS AND COSTS
EMPLOYEES
RISK FACTORS
DIVIDEND POLICY AND RECORD
DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL
COMMON SHARES
CLASS A COMMON SHARES
PREFERRED SHARES
MARKET FOR SECURITIES OF THE COMPANY
DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
INTEREST OF MANAGEMENT AND OTHERS IN MATERIAL TRANSACTIONS
TRANSFER AGENTS AND REGISTRARS
MATERIAL CONTRACTS
INTERESTS OF EXPERTS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
GLOSSARY
APPENDIX A
CHARTER OF THE AUDIT AND RISK MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE OF THE
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ANNUAL INFORMATION FORM
CERTAIN INTERPRETATION MATTERS
Unless the context otherwise requires, all references to the “Company” include Research In Motion Limited (doing business as
BlackBerry since January 30, 2013) and its subsidiaries. Certain industry terms have the meanings specified in the Glossary. All
dollar references, unless otherwise noted, are in United States dollars.
BlackBerry®, RIM®, Research In Motion®, BBM™, PlayBook™ and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of
Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the United States and countries around the world. All other trademarks
are the property of their respective owners.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Information Form (“AIF”) contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of certain securities laws, including
under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements
relating to:
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the Company’s expectations regarding new product initiatives and timing, including the BlackBerry 10 platform and BlackBerry
10 smartphones;
the Company’s plans, strategies and objectives, and the anticipated opportunities and challenges in fiscal 2014;
the Company’s expectations regarding the number of applications that will be available for BlackBerry 10 smartphones prior to
their launch;
anticipated demand for, and the Company’s plans and expectations relating to, programs to drive sell-through of the Company’s
BlackBerry 7 smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets;
the Company’s revenue, loss, unit shipment, gross margin, operating expense, net subscriber and inventory expectations for the
first quarter of fiscal 2014 and in subsequent fiscal quarters;
the Company’s expectations with respect to the sufficiency of its financial resources;
the Company’s ongoing efforts to streamline its operations and its expectations relating to the benefits of its Cost Optimization
and Resource Efficiency (“CORE”) program;
the Company’s plans and expectations regarding marketing and promotional programs;
the Company’s estimates of purchase obligations and other contractual commitments;
assumptions and expectations described in the Company’s critical accounting policies and estimates; and
the Company’s guidance practices in the future.
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The words “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “intend”, “believe”, “plan” and similar expressions are
intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by the
Company in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future
3
developments, as well as other factors that the Company believes are appropriate in the circumstances, including but not limited to,
the launch timing and success of BlackBerry 10, general economic conditions, product pricing levels and competitive intensity,
supply constraints, the Company’s expectations regarding its business, strategy, opportunities and prospects, including its ability to
implement meaningful changes to address its business challenges, and the Company’s expectations regarding the cash flow
generation of its business. Many factors could cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially
from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the following factors, most of
which are discussed in greater detail in the “Risk Factors” section of this AIF:
•
the Company’s ability to enhance its current products and services, or develop new products and services in a timely manner or
at competitive prices;
risks related to the Company’s ability to offset or mitigate the impact of the anticipated decline in the Company’s infrastructure
access fees on its consolidated revenue by developing an integrated services and software offering;
intense competition, rapid change and significant strategic alliances within the Company’s industry, including potential future
strategic transactions by its competitors or carrier partners, could weaken the Company’s competitive position or may require
the Company to reduce its prices to compete effectively;
the Company’s ability to establish new, and to build on existing relationships with its network carrier partners and distributors,
and its reliance on its network carrier partners to help promote the BlackBerry 10 platform and BlackBerry 10 smartphones;
the efficient and uninterrupted operation of the Company’s network operations center and the networks of its carrier partners,
and the risk of other business interruptions, including costs, potential liabilities, lost revenues and reputational damage
associated with service interruptions;
risks related to the Company’s ability to implement and to realize the anticipated benefits of its CORE program;
risks related to the Company’s ability to maintain its cash balance;
the occurrence or perception of a breach of the Company’s security measures, or an inappropriate disclosure of confidential or
personal information;
dependence on key personnel and the Company’s ability to attract and retain key personnel;
third-party claims for infringement of intellectual property rights by the Company and the outcome of any litigation with respect
thereto;
the Company’s ability to successfully obtain patent or other proprietary or statutory protection for its technologies and products;
the Company’s ability to expand and enhance BlackBerry World™;
®
potential liabilities or costs related to the collection, storage, transmission, use and disclosure of user and personal information;
the Company’s ability to manage inventory and asset risk;
the Company’s reliance on its suppliers for functional components, including the suppliers the Company has selected for its
BlackBerry 10 smartphones, and the risk that suppliers will not supply components on a timely basis or in sufficient quantities;
the Company’s ability to obtain rights to use software or components supplied by third parties;
the Company’s ability to successfully maintain and enhance its brand;
risks associated with the Company’s expanding foreign operations;
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restrictions on import and use of the Company’s products and services in certain countries due to encryption of the products and
services;
the Company’s ability to continue to adapt to recent management changes and headcount reductions;
reliance on strategic alliances and relationships with third-party network infrastructure developers, software platform vendors
and service platform vendors, including the Company’s ability to promote and advance the development of an ecosystem of
applications and services for the BlackBerry 10 smartphones and the BlackBerry PlayBook tablets;
the Company’s reliance on third-party manufacturers for certain products and its ability to manage its production and repair
process;
the continued quality and reliability of the Company’s products and services and the potential effect of defects in products and
services;
general commercial litigation, class action and other litigation claims, including purported class action claims relating to the
Company’s operations;
risks associated with litigation claims against the Company arising from the Company’s practice of providing forward-looking
guidance to its shareholders with respect to certain financial metrics, including the Company’s practice of updating previous
guidance where circumstances warrant;
potential charges relating to the impairment of long-lived assets recorded on the Company’s balance sheet;
risks as a result of actions of activist shareholders;
government regulation of wireless spectrum and radio frequencies;
reduced spending by customers due to the uncertainty of economic and geopolitical conditions;
risks associated with acquisitions, divestitures, investments and other business initiatives;
foreign exchange risks as the Company transacts globally in currencies other than the U.S. dollar;
regulation, certification and health risks, and risks relating to the misuse of the Company’s products;
tax liabilities, resulting from changes in tax laws or otherwise, associated with the Company’s worldwide operations;
market and credit risk associated with the Company’s cash, cash equivalents and short-term or long-term investments;
risks related to the failure of the Company’s suppliers, subcontractors, third-party distributors and representatives to use
acceptable ethical business practices or comply with applicable laws;
the potential impact of copyright levies in numerous countries;
the volatility of the market price of the Company’s common shares;
tax consequences for the Company’s shareholders in the United States if the Company is or was a passive foreign investment
company; and
the Company’s charter documents enable its directors to issue preferred shares which may prevent a takeover by a third party.
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On March 29, 2012, the Company announced that it will no longer provide specific, forward-looking quantitative guidance. However,
the Company remains committed to providing a high level of disclosure and transparency and will continue to provide commentary
that highlights the trends and uncertainties that the Company anticipates. Any statements that are forward-looking statements are
intended to enable the Company’s shareholders to view the anticipated performance and prospects of the Company from
management’s perspective at the time such statements are made, and they are subject to the risks that are inherent in all forward-
looking statements, as described above. These forward-looking statements are made by the Company in light of its experience, its
perception of historical and anticipated business trends, existing conditions in the business at the time and anticipated future
developments, including competition and new product initiatives and expected timing, as well as the Company’s current assessments
of the risk factors that affect its business, including those identified above, and the likely success of mitigation strategies relating to
such factors. These forward-looking statements are subject to the inherent risk of difficulties in forecasting the Company’s financial
results for future periods, particularly over longer periods, given the rapid technological changes, evolving industry standards, intense
competition and short product life cycles that characterize the wireless communications industry.
These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company’s forward-looking
statements. The Company has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
CORPORATE STRUCTURE
The Company
The Company was incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) (“OBCA”) on March 7, 1984 and commenced
operations at that time. The Company has amalgamated with several of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, the last amalgamation
occurring on February 24, 2003 through the filing of articles of amalgamation under the OBCA on February 24, 2003. The
Company’s registered and principal business office is 295 Phillip Street, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3W8, telephone: (519) 888-
7465, fax: (519) 888-6906.
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Inter-corporate Relationships
The Company has four material subsidiaries, of which all are wholly owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company.
Name of Subsidiary
Research In Motion Corporation
Research In Motion UK Limited
RIM Finance, LLC
Research In Motion Singapore Pte. Limited
Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization
Delaware, U.S.A.
England and Wales
Delaware, U.S.A.
Singapore
GENERAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUSINESS
A global leader in wireless innovation, the Company revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry
solution in 1999. Today, the Company aims to inspire the success of its millions of customers around the world by continuously
pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences.
Product and business developments that have influenced the general development of the Company’s business over the last three fiscal
years are as follows:
Fiscal 2013:
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Introduced the re-designed, re-engineered, and re-invented BlackBerry platform that creates a new and unique mobile
computing experience. Two new LTE-enabled smartphones powered by the BlackBerry 10 operating system, the
BlackBerry Z10 (all-touch) and BlackBerry Q10 (touch with physical keyboard), were introduced on January 30, 2013 at
events held simultaneously in New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Dubai, and Johannesburg;
Began to operate around the world under the iconic name BlackBerry, effective January 30, 2013. The Company will seek
shareholder approval to change the legal name of the Company to BlackBerry at the Company’s Annual and Special
Meeting to be held in July 2013;
Commenced trading under its new ticker symbols “BB” on The Toronto Stock Exchange and “BBRY” on the NASDAQ
Global Select Market, on February 4, 2013;
Introduced new services and features for BlackBerry 10 smartphones, including: BlackBerry Hub, BlackBerry Flow,
BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) voice calling and video chat, Time Shift, Story Maker and BlackBerry Remember;
Improved the BlackBerry World content distribution platform, now offering more than 100,000 BlackBerry 10
applications, and announced commitments to the BlackBerry 10 platform from many leading application providers
including Skype, Amazon and Rovio;
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Launched BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, the Company’s new enterprise mobility management solution. BlackBerry
Enterprise Service 10 brings together device management, industry leading security and mobile applications management
for pre-existing BlackBerry smartphones, BlackBerry PlayBook tablets and new BlackBerry 10 smartphones in a
consolidated solution. It also provides a single console for managing BlackBerry devices and devices running Google®
Android® and Apple® iOS® operating systems;
Launched the BlackBerry 10 Ready program to help enterprise customers prepare their environments for BlackBerry 10.
More than 3,500 unique companies have registered for the program;
Launched BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) Voice, a free update that allows customers to make free voice calls to other BBM
customers over a Wi-Fi connection;
Received FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) 140-2 certification for the BlackBerry 10 platform in November
2012;
Built outstanding momentum in the developer community through 44 BlackBerry Jam sessions in 37 countries, attracting
more than 9,300 attendees;
Commenced the CORE program to drive significant improvements and efficiencies across all functions in the Company’s
organization;
Surpassed the CORE objective of reducing operating costs by $1 billion compared to the Q4 FY12 run rate, one quarter
ahead of initial targets;
Selected by EnStream, a joint venture of Bell Mobility Inc., Rogers Wireless Partnership and TELUS Communications
Company, to provide its Secure Element Manager (SEM) solution to manage credentials on wireless handsets in Canada
that support Near Field Communication (NFC) Service. NFC is the technology that can make secure, convenient and
contactless mobile payments a reality for Canadian wireless handset users. BlackBerry’s SEM solution is designed to
securely manage credentials on SIM (subscriber identity module) cards installed in all types of mobile devices, including
BlackBerry smartphones, Android devices and Windows phones.
Launched affordable new BlackBerry 7 smartphones (the BlackBerry Curve 9300 series) for customers in several markets,
including: the U.S., Vietnam, Singapore, Kenya, Nigeria, Malaysia. South Africa, the Caribbean region, Latin America,
India, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Launched the BlackBerry 9620 in Mexico, the first BlackBerry 7 smartphone for the Nextel Evolution network.
Launched the BlackBerry Partners for enterprise portal to support independent software vendors, system integrators,
application hosters, professional services organizations as well as corporate developers looking to enable or deploy
BlackBerry 10 applications and services for enterprise customers.
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Launched the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with built-in support for cellular networks in August;
Appointed Kristian Tear as Chief Operating Officer. Frank Boulben as Chief Marketing Officer and Steve Zipperstein as
Chief Legal Officer; and
Announced that three new members joined the Company’s Board of Directors: Timothy Dattels, Richard “Dick” Lynch
and Bert Nordberg.
Fiscal 2012:
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Introduced the BlackBerry 7 portfolio, a new line up of smartphones running the powerful BlackBerry 7 Operating System;
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Introduced Near Field Communications (“NFC”) technology to several models of BlackBerry smartphones, enabling
BlackBerry smartphones to receive information and link to other NFC-enabled devices or BlackBerry Authentic
Accessories;
Introduced the cost optimization program designed to eliminate redundancies and reallocate resources to focus on areas
that offer the highest growth opportunities and alignment with the Company’s strategic objectives;
Successfully bid for the patent portfolio of Nortel Networks Corporation (“Nortel”) as a part of a consortium of companies,
making a strategic investment of approximately $779 million in order to significantly strengthen the Company’s
technology platform;
Grew the BlackBerry subscriber base to approximately 77 million users by the end of fiscal 2012, such that the Company
was the leading brand, leading device and/or leading brand on prepay positions in the United Kingdom, Netherlands,
Spain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa, Nigeria, Indonesia and Latin America (Source: GfK December 2011);
Enhanced the BlackBerry developer platform, and exceeded two billion BlackBerry World™ (now BlackBerry World™)
application downloads, with approximately six million downloads occurring each day;
Grew the global BBM user base to approximately 55 million active users as of March 3, 2012, with more than 325 socially
connected BlackBerry applications having been downloaded close to 60 million times. The Company also launched BBM
Music, a social music sharing and discovery service;
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Launched the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and, later in fiscal 2012, launched BlackBerry PlayBook Operating System
(“OS”) 2.0, a free software upgrade for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users that includes new features to enhance
productivity and communications, including built-in email, calendar and contacts intended to deliver a socially connected
BlackBerry experience;
Announced BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, the next generation enterprise mobile device management solution for
BlackBerry, Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, which was launched after the
Company’s fiscal year end, allows organizations to efficiently manage existing BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry
PlayBook tablets, as well as devices running Android and iOS operating systems;
Introduced BlackBerry Balance technology with BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, BlackBerry Enterprise Server and
BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express, allowing enterprise users to carry one device and view both work and personal
information in an integrated way while keeping the content separate and secure;
Launched new cloud services for small businesses with the BlackBerry Management Centre and enterprises with the
BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365;
The Company’s Board of Directors appointed Thorsten Heins as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company,
and appointed Barbara Stymiest as the independent Chair of the Board as part of governance changes implemented in the
fourth quarter of fiscal 2012; and
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Experienced additional changes to the Company’s Board of Directors and management following the fiscal year end,
including the resignations of Jim Balsillie from the Board and Jim Rowan, Chief Operating Officer for Global Operations,
as well as the retirement of David Yach, Chief Technology Officer, Software.
Fiscal 2011
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Introduced BlackBerry 6, a new operating system for BlackBerry smartphones that retained the trusted features that
distinguish the BlackBerry brand while delivering a powerful and simplified user experience;
Announced several new developer tools to make it easier for applications developers to create and monetize feature-rich
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applications on the BlackBerry platform including the BlackBerry Enterprise Application Development Platform; the next
generation BlackBerry Web Application Platform; BlackBerry WebWorks Platform for the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet
and BlackBerry smartphones; and BlackBerry Payment Service, BlackBerry Push Service, BlackBerry Advertising Service
and BBM Social Platform Software Developer Kits (SDKs);
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Launched a number of new smartphones including the BlackBerry Bold™ 9650, BlackBerry Bold™ 9780, BlackBerry
Curve™ 3G, BlackBerry Pearl™ 3G, BlackBerry Torch™, and the BlackBerry Style™;
Announced the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, the Company’s first professional-grade tablet, based on the BlackBerry Tablet
OS;
Introduced a number of new services, including BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express, BlackBerry Mobile Voice System 5
with Voice over Wi-Fi calling, BlackBerry Balance, and the BBM Mobile Gifting Platform;
Made a number of acquisitions, including QNX Software Systems which provides the technology behind the BlackBerry
10 OS and the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0;
Maintained strong growth in international markets with approximately 54.6% of BlackBerry users based outside of North
America; and
Saw ongoing strong adoption of BlackBerry service in prepaid markets around the world and BlackBerry becoming the
number one selling smartphone brand in the United States, Canada, Latin America Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phones
Quarterly Tracker – Final Data – Q4 2010) and the United Kingdom (Source: GfK RT, Smartphones, Volume Sales , 2010
and Q4 2010) for calendar 2010.
NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS
Overview
A global leader in wireless innovation, the Company revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry
solution in 1999. Today, the Company aims to inspire the success of its millions of customers around the world by continuously
pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, the Company operates offices in
North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Effective January 30, 2013, the Company began to operate around the world
under the iconic name BlackBerry. The Company will seek shareholder approval to change the legal name of the Company to
BlackBerry at the Company’s Annual and Special Meeting to be held in July 2013. On Monday, February 4, 2013, the Company
commenced trading under its new ticker symbols “BB” on The Toronto Stock Exchange and “BBRY” on the NASDAQ Global Select
Market.
The Company believes the global smartphone and tablet markets are still in their growth phases. Some of the Company’s main
competitors include Apple Inc., Google Inc., HTC Corporation, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Microsoft Corporation, Nokia
Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc.
and ZTE Corporation.
The Company maintains a strong balance sheet with negligible debt and approximately $2.9 billion in cash, cash equivalents and
investments as of March 2, 2013. In fiscal 2013, the Company had annual sales of $11.1 billion. Net loss from continuing operations
was $628 million, or $1.20 per share.
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Industry Background
The Wireless Communications Industry
The wireless communications industry involves the provisioning of wireless voice and data services using radio frequency
technologies (RF) on a variety of competing wireless networks. These networks are typically comprised of a distinct voice layer upon
which data transmission layers have been subsequently installed. The most widely deployed wireless voice and data networks include
GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSPA and CDMA/1xRTT/EVDO. The two primary international voice and data networks
GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSPA and CDMA/EVDO continue to be upgraded to offer greater speeds and increased abilities to support
subscriber concentration in the same and new RF spectrums. The rollout of these technologies is well underway and commercially
available in many markets around the world.
Fiscal 2013 saw the continued uptake and expansion of next generation ‘4G’ networks, including HSPA+, WiMax and LTE. These
networks offer a number of improvements over the previous generations, with improved download and upload speeds being the most
widely promoted. Wireless carriers in the United States have been aggressively deploying and marketing these “4G” networks.
Deployment of these networks remains relatively limited globally, but wireless operators in many international markets are expected
to move aggressively to these new networks in the coming years.
In addition to voice and data communications, the convergence of computing and personal entertainment capabilities is also occurring
on wireless communications devices across the industry. Most BlackBerry smartphones in the market today incorporate multimedia
capabilities that include music, video recording and playback, camera, and access to games, content and other applications.
Wireless Communications Industry Markets and Segments
Historically, the wireless communications market has been highly segmented. Where previously the market was segmented into
distinct enterprise and consumer/prosumer segments, the market has increasingly evolved in recent years and there is now significant
overlap between the segments. The enterprise market is now characterized by a combination of enterprise deployed devices and
devices that are purchased by consumers but also used in the corporate environment, commonly referred to as “Bring Your Own
Device” (“BYOD”). These consumer devices are supported in a corporate environment by IT departments for access to corporate
messaging and data applications. The Company has encountered challenges adapting to the BYOD movement as some IT
departments that previously required employees to use the BlackBerry wireless solution because of its emphasis on security and
reliability are permitting employees to choose devices offered by the Company’s competitors, who are increasingly promoting the
merits oft their own security and reliability. To capitalize on this market, the Company has introduced products to take advantage of
this market shift including BlackBerry 10 smartphones with BlackBerry
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Balance and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, which give IT departments the ability to securely monitor and control multiple OS
platforms, and securely protect corporate data on an employee’s personal smartphone or tablet.
Products designed for deployment by enterprise IT departments typically include a smartphone or tablet that is deployed in
conjunction with a behind-the-firewall messaging server. Consumer market offerings are chosen by the individual user and carrier and
may be chosen based on an affinity for a certain feature or capability such as browsing, multimedia functions, instant messaging,
games or other third-party applications. Enterprises that choose to support these consumer devices in their enterprise environment
typically deploy middleware to manage the messaging and security of enterprise data access.
The Company believes that the following factors influence commercial success in the wireless device and services market:
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integrated hardware, software and services platform;
intuitive interface and ease of use;
access to third party applications and content;
rich and efficient web-browsing experience;
extensive geographic coverage;
competitive pricing;
attractive industrial design;
trusted brand;
small size and light weight converged devices;
reasonable battery life;
multi-network support;
connectivity to enterprise email and applications;
efficient bandwidth use;
end-to-end security;
push-based outbound port architecture;
extensive customer care capabilities; and
connectivity to personal messaging, social networking, multimedia and other applications.
The Company believes that the barriers to entry to the wireless device and services market include the following:
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proprietary technology platform, including hardware, software and service expertise;
intellectual property rights;
existing strategic alliances and relationships;
existing customer and channel relationships;
access to components and established supplier relationships;
scarcity of highly qualified personnel;
significant capital requirements;
significant development costs and time-to-market;
manufacturing expertise;
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regulatory barriers, such as Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) approval and network certification; and
market and brand recognition of industry leaders.
Success Factors
Through development of an integrated hardware, software and service platform that support multiple wireless network standards, the
Company provides end-to-end wireless solutions for seamless access to information, including email, voice, instant messaging, short
message service (“SMS”), Internet and intranet-based browsing, multimedia content and features, and consumer and business
applications. The Company’s integration and focus of research and development in radio frequency, hardware and software design,
OS development, antenna design, circuit board design, integrated circuit design, power management, industrial design, and
manufacturing engineering result in cost-effective solutions that offer the ability to multi-task applications, a strong web browsing
experience, a compelling platform for third party application development, ease of use, small size and attractive design, efficient
bandwidth use, lengthy battery life, robust security and a significant return on investment to customers.
The Company believes that the following characteristics give the Company a competitive advantage and differentiate its products and
services from those of its competitors:
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Balancing IT and Consumer Demands. The Company has consistently developed products that balance end users’
demand for features with the demands of IT managers for security and manageability. The Company’s focus on business-
grade solutions has won the Company a market-leading role in the enterprise market, while at the same time, BlackBerry
continues to be widely embraced by consumers looking for robust smartphone features including instant messaging, email
multimedia, web browsing and enhanced voice features. The Company also intends to grow its leadership position by
offering IT departments tools that support the growing trend of BYOD to the corporate environment. To capitalize on this
market, the Company has introduced products such as BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 and BlackBerry Balance, which
give IT departments the ability to securely monitor multiple OS platforms using the Company’s existing infrastructure, and
securely protect corporate data on an employee’s personal smartphone or tablet.
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Intellectual Property Rights. The Company has sought to protect the technology that it has developed through a
combination of patent, copyright and trade secret protection as well as through contractual arrangements.
Strength of the BlackBerry Brand and Market Awareness. BlackBerry is a globally recognized, trusted smartphone brand
and continues to rank among the most recognizable brands worldwide. In certain markets, brand alone is a strong influence
on purchase decision.
Support for Multiple Carriers, Geographies and Network Protocols. The BlackBerry solution offers choice and
manageability for global customers. Through relationships
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with 650 wireless carriers and distribution partners in over 175 countries around the world, the Company is able to offer
customers their choice of carrier depending on their needs in a particular geography. In addition, BlackBerry smartphones
support many network protocols, including GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA, HSPA+, CDMA/1xRTT/Ev-DO and iDEN,
offering customers the best choice of carriers and network technologies for their particular region without changing the
underlying BlackBerry infrastructure. The Company will continue to launch new products for next generation networks,
such as 4G and LTE, as the deployment scale and the economies around these networks are established.
Growth of the BlackBerry App Ecosystem and Developer Community. An application-rich ecosystem is critical to
succeeding in the mobile smartphone and tablet marketplace, and the Company continues to build a large network of
thousands of commercial, independent and corporate software developers focussed on building consumer and enterprise
level applications for BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. The Company also expanded its
developer base and application catalogue through the development of BlackBerry tools for Android Apps. Through the
Company’s Android Player, Android developers can easily port Android applications to BlackBerry World. BlackBerry
World provides BlackBerry customers with a comprehensive electronic catalogue that aids in the discovery and
download/purchase of applications directly from their BlackBerry smartphone or tablet. Users can purchase applications
using their personal PayPal® account, credit card and through carrier billing. With more than 50 carriers around the world,
users are able to purchase applications and have the charge applied directly to their wireless carrier bill. The Company is
continuing to expand the reach and availability of its carrier billing service to more carriers and customers around the
world.
The Company believes it has generated significant momentum from developers in fiscal 2013 through a series of events
and seeding dev alpha testing devices. The BlackBerry Jam World Tour attracted more than 9,300 attendees with 44
sessions in 37 countries.
Access to Key Corporate Data Stores. BlackBerry Enterprise Server provides IT departments with the means to provide
wireless access to all four main corporate data stores from a single integrated platform. The BlackBerry wireless platform
is one of the only platforms in the market that provides access to corporate email and PIM, corporate voice PBX and
hybrid IP/PBX stores, real-time computing and corporate IM such as IBM SameTime and Microsoft Live Communications
Server, Microsoft Office Communications Server and enterprise applications such as customer relationship management
(“CRM”), and enterprise social networking and collaboration applications such as IBM Lotus Connections and IBM Lotus
Quickr.
Security. The BlackBerry platform was designed as an end-to-end solution with comprehensive security specifically for
enterprise access to email, PIM and other corporate information from a single wireless device. Through integration with
Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise, the BlackBerry wireless solution provides corporate
users with secure wireless access to their own corporate email rather
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than having to establish an additional email account. The Company’s security solution for enterprise customers includes
end-to-end data encryption for confidentiality, robust remote IT management and full application controls to allow
customers to address mobile malware. Inherent in the core platform is support for various Internet security standards such
as SSL and IPSec, multiple user authentication schemes, a secure boot ROM, signed API access and an embedded firewall.
In addition to the security built into the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution, the Company has developed a BlackBerry Smart
Card Reader which further enhances BlackBerry device security for a wide range of government users. BlackBerry
Enterprise Server Express has also been launched to provide enterprise grade security to the SME user free of charge. The
BlackBerry Enterprise Solution has passed rigorous security assessments by many of the leading security institutions
around the world, including Common Criteria EAL 4+ certification for BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 and BlackBerry
OS 5.0. BlackBerry was the first mobile platform to achieve Common Criteria EAL 4+ certification. The BlackBerry
Enterprise Solution has been certified by Fraunhofer Institute SIT, and has been approved for use under the CAPS program
in the United Kingdom. The solution has also had several FIPS-140 validations for its embedded encryption
module, including the latest encryption module that is part of the BlackBerry 6, BlackBerry 7.1, and PlayBook operating
systems.
ROI. The return on investment for the BlackBerry solution provides customers with rapid payback for their purchase. The
primary benefits include personal productivity and team workflow enhancements. The Company continues to launch new
IT administrator and end user features designed to lower the cost of buying, deploying and managing the BlackBerry
solution.
BlackBerry Outbound Port Architecture. The BlackBerry wireless solution uses a secure infrastructure that does not
require IT managers to compromise firewall security through the opening of an inbound firewall port. The BlackBerry
infrastructure offers a number of efficiency and security benefits to carriers and end-users. These benefits are outlined in
detail under “Competition.”
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Strategy
The Company’s vision is to be a leader in mobile computing. To achieve this vision, the Company’s strategy is based on the
following principles:
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Expanding BlackBerry to be a leading mobile computing company to encompass the smartphone, tablet, enterprise and
embedded markets.
Establishing BlackBerry amongst the top 3 mobile platform and driving further global growth to create value for
stakeholders.
Building on the successful launch of BlackBerry 10 by continuing to roll out BlackBerry 10 to customers around the world
while holding the position of BlackBerry 7 products for entry-level and low-cost markets.
Furthering the Company’s transformation by driving additional efficiencies, reducing complexity, increasing accountability
and fostering strategic organizational capabilities.
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The success of this strategy will be driven by:
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Successfully transitioning to BlackBerry 10, the Company’s next generation BlackBerry platform. The Company is
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focused on building upon its successful BlackBerry 10 introduction and establishing the BlackBerry 10 platform amongst the top
3 mobile platforms. The launch of BlackBerry 10 in January 2013 marked the beginning of the organization’s transition to
becoming a leading mobile computing organization. The Company expects the BlackBerry 10 OS will transition the
organization from mobile communications into true mobile computing and will power BlackBerry smartphones, tablets and
embedded solutions such as those found in advanced automotive electronics, including entertainment, communications and
navigation applications.
Leveraging and capitalizing on the embedded market. Over the past 30 years, QNX software has become a big part of
everyday life, with people encountering QNX-controlled systems while driving, shopping, watching television, using the
Internet, or even turning on a light. With its reliable characteristics, QNX software has been a preferred choice for life-critical
systems such as air traffic control systems, surgical equipment, and nuclear power plants. The QNX powerful multimedia
features can be found in a variety of products from in-dash radios and infotainment systems to casino gaming terminals. With
mobile computing continuing to rapidly integrate with embedded operating systems, the Company plans to leverage its powerful
BlackBerry 10 OS to provide even higher-performance applications for markets such as telecommunications, automotive,
medical instrumentation, automation and security.
Seek strategic alliances and relationships. BlackBerry intends to broaden the scope and continue to strengthen and develop its
strategic alliances. The Company may also consider new types of partnerships and relationships which could involve closer
collaboration with other technology leaders to affirm and enhance the Company’s competitive position as a primary mobile
device and solutions provider. Areas of strategic alliances and relationships include, but are not limited to, software application
developers and companies, global telecommunications carriers, intranet and Internet applications and portal companies, Internet
social networking providers, multimedia content providers, gaming platform vendors, consumer electronics retailers, microchip
and other manufacturers, and global systems integrators.
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Grow the BlackBerry App Ecosystem and developer community. An application-rich ecosystem is critical to succeeding in
the mobile smartphone and tablet marketplace, and BlackBerry intends to continue to invest in its network of thousands of
commercial, independent and corporate software developers focused on developing consumer and enterprise level applications
for BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. The Company also expanded its developer base and application
catalogue through the development of BlackBerry tools for Android Apps. Through the Company’s Android Player, Android
developers can easily port Android applications to BlackBerry World for BlackBerry PlayBook users, and BlackBerry 10
smartphones. The Company plans to continue to invest in this critical ecosystem to ensure developers are able to successfully
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monetize their efforts of creating consumer and enterprise applications that give BlackBerry users exciting and productive ways
to use their BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.
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Continue leveraging the BlackBerry brand internationally. With a global subscriber base of more than 76 million users as of
the end of fiscal 2013, BlackBerry is the number-one smartphone in many markets. With the popularity of services such as
BBM, the Company’s leading mobile social platform, BlackBerry smartphones are embraced internationally for both their user
experience and cost effectiveness for both carriers and customers. The Company plans to continue to invest to leverage its
capabilities and strong brand recognition in global markets with the most potential and value, and will implement strategies that
allow it to aggressively pursue subscriber growth and further solidify BlackBerry’s positioning as a top 3 mobile platform.
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Grow BlackBerry services capability. BlackBerry intends to grow its capabilities to expand its services beyond its current
offerings which include real-time data push services such as BBM, market-leading security and backend integration with carrier
systems.
Establish BlackBerry as a leader in Enterprise Mobility Management and expand vertical customer base. BlackBerry
intends to maintain its position as a market leader in the enterprise market through a variety of strategies including focused sales
and marketing efforts, the continued use of strategic alliances and relationships to promote the sale of its products and services,
as well as utilizing indirect sales and marketing teams. BlackBerry intends to become a leader in Enterprise Mobile Management
and has launched BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 with plans to support major mobile OS platforms including BlackBerry
smartphones and tablets, Android and iOS. These tools allow businesses to manage the growing IT trend of securely supporting
multiple devices and operating systems, as well as employees’ personal devices, within a single corporate IT infrastructure.
BlackBerry also intends to leverage its strengths and expand further into strategic vertical markets.
Achieve best in class operational metrics. BlackBerry intends to further simplify business processes and target areas of the
business where greater efficiencies can be achieved. The Company is focused on driving best in class operational metrics
through the implementation of broad efficiency programs across all functions in the organization. Through the Company’s
CORE program, the Company is targeting areas such as product lifecycle management, supply chain management and business
support services to achieve best in class operational metrics. In addition, the Company intends to continue transforming the
organizational culture to reduce complexities and increase accountabilities while aligning employees behind the BlackBerry
vision, mission and values.
Continue to invest in highly qualified personnel. BlackBerry believes that the quality and skills of its employees have been
key factors in its success to date. The Company intends to continue its recruiting strategies and operations worldwide to support
its product development and growth strategies and ensure the needed strategic capabilities are in place. BlackBerry intends to
retain, attract and develop employees to drive organizational performance and foster an environment of innovation, learning and
development for the Company’s talented workforce while ensuring a cost effective organization.
Targeted acquisition and investment strategy. BlackBerry continues to evaluate and purchase companies and make
investments in products that provide opportunities for growth or expansion of the BlackBerry value proposition. These may
include but are not limited to companies or products related to software, wireless solutions, security, and applications, among
others. The Company also intends to continue to purchase intellectual property (“IP”) in various forms and technologies when
appropriate opportunities arise.
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Products and Services
The Company’s primary revenue stream is generated by the BlackBerry wireless solution, comprised of smartphones and tablets,
service and software. BlackBerry service is provided through a combination of the Company’s NOC and the wireless networks of the
Company’s carrier partners.
The Company also generated other revenue from accessories, non-warranty repairs, BlackBerry World and gains and losses on
revenue hedge contracts.
The Company’s revenue mix from continuing operations for fiscal years 2013 and 2012 is as follows:
Revenue (U.S millions)
Devices
Service
Software
Other
March 2, 2013
March 3, 2012
$ 6,648
3,910
261
254
$11,073
60.0%
35.3%
2.4%
2.3%
100.0%
$13,794
4,074
318
237
$18,423
74.9%
22.1%
1.7%
1.3%
100.0%
BlackBerry Smartphones and Tablets
During fiscal 2013, the Company introduced new BlackBerry smartphones and tablets. During fiscal 2013, the Company continued to
position itself as an industry leader in Near Field Communications (“NFC”) and implemented this technology in a variety of its
smartphone models. NFC implementation resulted in a number of certifications and recognition from industry agencies and major
financial service providers.
BlackBerry smartphones are available from hundreds of carriers and indirect channels, through a range of distribution partners, and
are designed to operate on a variety of carrier networks, including HSPA/HSPA+/UMTS, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA/Ev-DO, and
iDEN.
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The following BlackBerry smartphones and tablets were introduced in fiscal 2013:
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4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and BlackBerry PlayBook 4G HSPA
3G Plus BlackBerry PlayBook tablet
BlackBerry Curve 9300 smartphone series
BlackBerry Curve 9220 smartphone
BlackBerry 9620 smartphone
BlackBerry Z10 smartphone
The company also introduced the BlackBerry Q10 smartphone that will be available in the first quarter of fiscal 2014.
BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10
BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 is the Company’s powerful, new enterprise mobility management solution. BlackBerry Enterprise
Service 10 brings together device management, industry leading security and mobile applications management for BlackBerry
smartphones, BlackBerry PlayBook tablets and new BlackBerry 10 smartphones in a consolidated solution. It also provides a single
console for managing BlackBerry, Android and iOS devices.
Revenue Recognition
The Company recognizes revenue when it is realized or realizable and earned. The Company considers revenue realized or realizable
and earned when it has persuasive evidence of an arrangement, the product has been delivered or the services have been provided to
the customer, the sales price is fixed or determinable and collection is reasonably assured. In addition to this general policy, the
following paragraphs describe the specific revenue recognition policies for each of the Company’s major categories of revenue.
Hardware
Revenue from the sale of BlackBerry wireless hardware products (e.g. BlackBerry® handheld devices and BlackBerry® PlayBook™
tablets) is recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the sales price is fixed or
determinable, and collection is probable. Product is considered delivered to the customer once it has been shipped and title and risk of
loss have been transferred. For most of the Company’s product sales, these criteria are met at the time the product is shipped. For
hardware products for which the software is deemed essential to the functionality of the hardware, the Company recognizes revenue
in accordance with general revenue recognition accounting guidance.
The Company records reductions to revenue for estimated commitments related to price protection, right of return and for customer
incentive programs. Price protection is accrued as a reduction to revenue based on estimates of price reductions provided the price
reduction can be reliably estimated or based on contractual caps and all other revenue recognition criteria have been met. The
Company also records reductions to revenue for a right of return based on contractual terms and conditions and, if the expected
product returns can be reasonably and
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reliably estimated, based on historical experience. Where a general right of return cannot be reasonably and reliably estimated, the
Company recognizes revenue when the product sells through the distribution channel. The estimated cost of customer incentive
programs is accrued as a reduction to revenue and is recognized at the later of the date at which the Company has sold the product or
the date at which the program is offered. If historical experience cannot support a breakage rate, the maximum rebate amount is
accrued and adjusted when the incentive programs end.
Service
Revenue from service is recognized rateably on a monthly basis when the service is provided. In instances where the Company bills
the customer prior to performing the service, the prebilling is recorded as deferred revenue. Service revenue also includes the
recognition of previously deferred revenue related to multi-element arrangements for non-software services and software upgrade
rights related to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablets and BlackBerry 10 devices.
Software
Revenue from licensed software is recognized at the inception of the license term and in accordance with industry-specific software
revenue recognition accounting guidance. When the fair value of a delivered element has not been established, the Company uses the
residual method to recognize revenue if the fair value of undelivered elements is determinable. Revenue from software maintenance,
unspecified upgrades and technical support contracts is recognized over the period that such items are delivered or those services are
provided.
Other
Other revenue consists of the sale of accessories and repair and maintenance contracts. Revenue is recognized when persuasive
evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the sales price is fixed or determinable, and collection is probable.
Shipping and Handling Costs
Amounts billed to customers related to shipping and handling are classified as revenue, and the Company’s shipping and handling
costs are included in cost of sales. Shipping and handling costs that cannot be reasonably attributed to certain customers are included
in selling, marketing and administration.
Multiple-Element Arrangements
The Company enters into revenue arrangements that may consist of multiple deliverables of its product and service offerings. The
Company’s typical multiple-element arrangements involve: (i) BlackBerry 7 or earlier handheld devices with services, (ii) BlackBerry
10 handheld devices with unspecified software upgrades on a when-and-if available basis along with undelivered non-software
services (iii) tablets with unspecified software upgrades on a when-and-if available basis and (iv) software with technical support
services.
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For the Company’s arrangements involving multiple deliverables of BlackBerry 7 or earlier handheld devices with services, the
consideration from the arrangement is allocated to each respective element based on its relative selling price, using vendor-specific
objective evidence of selling price (“VSOE”). In certain limited instances when the Company is unable to establish the selling price
using VSOE, the Company attempts to establish the selling price of each element based on acceptable third party evidence of selling
price (“TPE”); however, the Company is generally unable to reliably determine the selling prices of similar competitor products and
services on a stand-alone basis. In these instances, the Company uses best estimated selling price (“BESP”) in its allocation of
arrangement consideration. The objective of BESP is to determine the price at which the Company would transact a sale if the product
or service was sold on a stand-alone basis.
Beginning in January, 2013 the Company introduced its BlackBerry 10 devices which will use the Company’s network infrastructure
in a different manner than BlackBerry 7 or earlier devices. As a result, for arrangements involving multiple deliverables including the
BlackBerry 10 device and the essential operating system software, as well as unspecified upgrade rights and non-software services for
which the Company may not charge for separately, the consideration from the arrangement is allocated to each respective element
based on the relative selling price, using the Company’s BESP as the device and unspecified upgrade rights and non-software services
are no longer sold separately. The consideration for the delivered hardware and the related essential operating system software are
recognized at the time of sale provided that the four general revenue recognition criteria have been met. The consideration allocated to
the unspecified software upgrade rights and non-software services is deferred and recognized rateably over the 24-month estimated
life of the devices.
The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet includes the right to receive free unspecified software upgrade rights on a when-and-if available
basis. This upgrade right to the product’s embedded operating system software is considered an undelivered element at the time of
sale of the tablet and falls within the general revenue recognition guidance. The consideration from the arrangement is allocated to
each respective element based on its relative selling price. As the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet or the upgrade right are not sold on a
standalone basis and no TPE exists for these deliverables, the allocation of revenue is based on the Company’s BESPs. The
consideration for the delivered hardware and the related essential software operating system are recognized at the time of sale
provided that the four revenue recognition criteria have been met. The consideration allocated to the unspecified software upgrade
rights is deferred and recognized rateably over the 24-month estimated life of the tablets.
For arrangements involving multiple deliverables of software with technical support services, the revenue is recognized based on the
industry-specific software revenue recognition accounting guidance. If the Company is not able to determine VSOE for all of the
deliverables of the arrangement, but is able to obtain VSOE for all undelivered elements, revenue is allocated using the residual
method. Under the residual method, the amount of revenue allocated to delivered elements equals the total arrangement consideration
less the aggregate fair value of any undelivered elements. If VSOE of any undelivered software items does not exist, revenue from the
entire arrangement is initially deferred and recognized at the earlier of: (i) delivery of those elements for which VSOE did not exist;
or (ii) when VSOE can be established.
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The Company determines BESP for a product or service by considering multiple factors including, but not limited to, historical
pricing practices for similar offerings, market conditions, competitive landscape, internal costs, gross margin objectives and pricing
practices. The determination of BESP is made through consultation with and formal approval by, the Company’s management, taking
into consideration the Company’s marketing strategy. The Company regularly reviews VSOE, TPE and BESP, and maintains internal
controls over the establishment and updates of these estimates. Based on the above factors, the Company’s BESP for the unspecified
software upgrade right is $6 per BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and the Company’s BESP for the unspecified software upgrade right and
non-software services ranges from $10-$20 per BlackBerry 10 device.
Third Party Software Developers
The Company provides a feature rich open standards-based development platform which allows third party commercial and enterprise
software developers to build and deploy custom applications to run on BlackBerry smartphones. To facilitate this, the Company
provides a number of products and technologies to third party developers, wireless carriers and enterprise customers to enable them to
develop, distribute and manage these applications. For application development, the Company provides a suite of software
development tools for both BlackBerry smartphones and the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet enabling applications to be developed using
technologies such as Java, HTML5, Javascript®, Native C/C++/Qt with OpenGL® ES support, Adobe® Flash® and Adobe® AIR®.
BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 and BlackBerry 10 will run most Android Gingerbread 2.3.3 applications without any code changes.
The Company released BlackBerry 10 SDKs in fiscal 2013 built on open standards and open source wherever possible in order to
provide developers with a rich development experience. The Company also provides a variety of advanced services to application
developers to enable them to develop deeply integrated applications that leverage online network services. These advanced services
include the BlackBerry Messenger Social Apps Platform, Push Service, Payments Service, Advertising Service, Location Service,
Maps Services, Analytics Service and Scoreloop. Using these services, developers can create applications that take advantage of
integrated social networking services, push notifications, in-app payments and advertising, advanced location services, application
usage information, and social gaming features.
The Company embraces open standards and includes a variety of open source libraries out of the box including Lua, OpenAL,
cocos2d-x, and Box2D and has an open source repository that can be accessed at github.com/blackberry. The Company promotes an
open ecosystem that makes it easier for developers to target multiple platforms through partnerships with Appcelerator, Cordova,
dojo, jQuery Mobile, Marmalade, NME, Qt, and Sencha Touch.
For distribution and management of enterprise applications, the Company provides a suite of tools and technologies within the
BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 to enable secure and managed provisioning of applications to enterprise employees. BlackBerry
World allows organizations to offer employees easy access to a catalogue of trusted applications.
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For distribution of personal and consumer applications, the Company provides wireless carriers with the ability to distribute select
applications and rich media content to their customer base and also provides BlackBerry World as a direct storefront for BlackBerry
customers.
BlackBerry World is a content distribution storefront managed by the Company that enables developers to reach BlackBerry
subscribers around the world. Launched on April 1, 2009, BlackBerry World is now available in over 170 markets and supports 23
currencies and 33 languages. Over 6 million applications are downloaded daily with an aggregate of over 4 billion downloads to-date.
With the launch of BlackBerry 10 there are over 100,000 applications available for BlackBerry 10 and over 200,000 applications in
total. BlackBerry World provides BlackBerry smartphone and BlackBerry PlayBook users with a way to discover and
download/purchase applications directly from their BlackBerry smartphone or BlackBerry PlayBook. Users can purchase applications
using their personal PayPal® account, credit card and through carrier billing. With 57 carriers in 40 countries around the world, users
are able to purchase applications and have the charge applied directly to their wireless carrier bill. The Company is continuing to
expand the reach and availability of its carrier billing service to many more carriers and customers around the world.
Industry Associations
The Company is an active participant in numerous industry associations and standards bodies including:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
4G Americas
Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS)
American National Standards Institute
Bluetooth SIG
CDMA Development Group
Consumer Electronics Association
European Telecom Standards Institute
GlobalPlatform
GSM Association
IEEE (Professional Support Services for P1725)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
JEDEC
MIDI
MIPI: Mobile Industry Processor Interface
Open Mobile Alliance
Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)
TIA 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2
UPnP Forum (Universal Plug and Play)
Wi-Fi – Alliance
World Wide Web Consortium
The Company’s involvement with these and other associations includes standards development, government advocacy, joint
marketing, participation in conferences and trade shows, training, technology licensing by the Company and business development.
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Sales, Marketing and Distribution
The Company markets and sells its BlackBerry wireless solution primarily through global wireless communications carriers (carrier
partners) as well as through third party distribution channels which distribute the solution to end users. The Company has a number of
carrier-focused business units that support the sales and marketing efforts of the Company’s carrier partners through training,
technical account management and sales and marketing support. As of March 2, 2013, the Company’s marketing, sales and business
development, BlackBerry operations, customer support and technical support teams consisted of approximately 2,400 full time
employees.
Customers
The Company is dependent on a number of significant global carrier partner customers with respect to the sales of its products, both
in terms of the numbers of devices sold and the aggregate value of its sales.
While the Company sells to a variety of customers, no customer comprised more than 10% of accounts receivable as at March 2, 2013
(March 3, 2012 – one customer comprised 13%). There are no customers that comprised more than 10% of the Company’s revenue in
fiscal 2013 (March 3, 2012 – no customers that comprised more than 10%). The primary direct customers for the BlackBerry wireless
solution are wireless carriers.
The Company sells GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA/Ev-DO/Ev-DO Rev A, UMTS/HSPA, HSPA+ and iDEN devices and software to
carriers, who in turn bundle devices and software with airtime and sell a complete wireless solution to end customers. The Company
also sells devices through indirect channels and these devices are resold by a third party with or without a service plan from the
Company’s carrier partners. Software is licensed directly to end customers, although it is distributed by carriers, resellers and directly
through the Company. The Company’s BES supports multiple networks and devices, so that BlackBerry service from multiple
carriers can be deployed within an enterprise using the same BES software.
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The Company’s revenues by geographic region are as follows:
North America
Canada
United States
Europe, Middle East and Africa
United Kingdom
Other
Latin America
Asia Pacific
For the Fiscal Year Ended
March 3,
2012
March 2,
2013
$
661
2,235
2,896
1,238
3,264
4,502
6.0%
20.2%
26.2%
$ 1,260
4,182
5,442
6.8%
22.7%
29.5%
11.2%
29.5%
40.7%
1,919
5,743
7,662
10.4%
31.2%
41.6%
2,114
19.1%
2,646
14.4%
1,561
14.0%
2,673
14.5%
$11,073
100.0%
$18,423
100.0%
Competition
The Company is engaged in an industry that is highly competitive and rapidly evolving and, to date, no technology has been
exclusively or commercially adopted as the industry standard for wireless data communication. Accordingly, both the nature of
competition and the scope of the business opportunities afforded by this market are currently evolving, uncertain and highly
competitive.
While the Company has recently enjoyed rapid growth in many international markets such as Thailand, Indonesia, Spain, Latin
America, and others, particularly in the consumer segment, the Company has seen its global market share decline over the past
several years relative to companies such as Apple with its iOS ecosystem, and companies that build smartphones based on the
Android ecosystem, such as Samsung. In the United States, the Company has experienced a substantial decline in its largest market
and experienced a net decrease in its subscriber base. This decline is due to a variety of factors including consumer preferences for
devices with access to the broadest number of applications, such as those available in the iOS and Android environments. Market
share has also been impacted by the significant number of new Android-based competitors that have entered the market, and a
growing trend in enterprises to support multiple devices. In addition, the increased desire by carriers to sell devices that operate on
LTE networks has also impacted the Company’s market share, as these networks feature faster download speeds and allow carriers to
offer higher-value data plans. The Company’s first LTE devices are the BlackBerry 10 smartphones that were introduced on
January 30, 2013.
Despite increased competitive pressures in consumer segments, the Company remains a leader in enterprise mobility, with
deployments in over 90% of the Fortune 500 companies. BlackBerry
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smartphones in combination with the BlackBerry Enterprise Server set the standard in mobile enterprise for secure, reliable and
manageable mobile access to enterprise resources and applications. However, trends towards BYOD deployments, wherein some
companies are allowing employees to connect their own smartphones to corporate networks, have increased competitive pressure on
the Company in the enterprise market. New products and services such as BlackBerry 10 smartphones with BlackBerry Balance,
which allows for the secure co-existence of enterprise and corporate data on BlackBerry devices, and BlackBerry Enterprise Service
10, the Company’s next generation BES that supports Mobile Device Management (MDM) services for BlackBerry 10 smartphones
and PlayBook tablets as well as iOS and Android based devices through a unified BlackBerry administration console, demonstrate the
Company’s continued innovation and leadership and are intended to further solidify the Company’s position in the enterprise market.
Strategic relationships in the wireless data communications industry are also evolving. Specific infrastructure manufacturers, network
operators, content providers and other businesses within the industry may currently be customers of, suppliers to, strategic partners
with, or investors in other businesses. The Company is currently working with a number of businesses, some of which are direct
competitors with each other and others of which are current or potential competitors of the Company. It is unclear to what extent
network infrastructure developers, enterprise software vendors, PC or tablet vendors, key network operators or content providers and
others will seek to provide integrated wireless solutions, including access devices developed internally or through captive suppliers.
Providers of major mobile operating system platforms that compete with the Company’s BlackBerry platform include Apple Inc.
(iOS), Google Inc. (Android), Microsoft Inc. (Windows Phone), and Nokia Corporation (Symbian). In the wireless data
communications access market, the Company is aware of a number of suppliers of access devices for public wireless data networks,
including: Apple Inc.; Amazon Inc., Dell, Inc.; Fujitsu Limited; General Dynamics Corporation; Hitachi America, Ltd.; HTC
Corporation; Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.; LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company; Mitsubishi Corporation; Motorola
Mobility Holdings, Inc.; NEC Corporation; Nokia Corporation; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Sharp Corporation; Sony Corporation;
and ZTE Corporation. In addition, the Company faces competition from companies focused on providing middleware to facilitate
end-to-end wireless messaging solutions. Companies in this category include AirWatch LLC; BoxTone Inc.; Citrix Systems, Inc.,
Good Technologies; IBM Corporation; Microsoft Corporation; Mobile Iron Inc.; Notify Technology Corporation; Openwave Systems
Inc.; Seven Networks, Inc.; and Sybase, Inc. Some of the Company’s competitors have greater name recognition, larger customer
bases, and significantly greater financial, technical, marketing, public relations, sales, distribution and other resources than the
Company does.
A variety of approaches are being pursued as diverse handset and handheld vendors attempt to provide mobile access to corporate
data. These approaches include smartphones, superphones, other mobile data devices such as tablets and netbooks, a variety of
middleware offerings and other end-to-end integrated wireless solutions.
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A key aspect of competitive differentiation among industry participants involves the inclusion of a sophisticated NOC in the system
architecture. The Company pioneered the use of a sophisticated multi-node centralized architecture responsible for the routing of
messages to and from devices. The key benefits of the NOC are message delivery reliability, network utilization efficiency and
security. By isolating firewalls from the devices, NOCs avoid the need for numerous simultaneous inbound connections through the
firewall which is a significant security consideration for many IT managers. Other benefits of NOCs include eliminating the
opportunity for Denial of Service Attacks against the firewall, protecting against bad packets reaching devices, and enhancing service
quality by providing advanced compression and by acting as a buffer between the limited capacity of wireless networks and the
massive capacity of the wired environment.
It is important to note that some of the cost of operating the NOC is often charged directly to carriers by the solution vendor as has
historically been the case with the Company. Carriers typically include any infrastructure access fee within data plans at the same or
lower prices than data plans provided for solutions without NOCs partly because of the superior network efficiency of NOC-based
systems. As such, end users get a better performing solution with a superior security model at the same or lower cost to products
without NOCs.
PRODUCT DESIGN, ENGINEERING AND RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
The Company’s research and development (“R&D”) strategy seeks to provide broad market applications for products derived from its
technology base. As of March 2, 2013, the Company’s research and development team consisted of approximately 6,000 full time
employees. Research and development expense was approximately $1.5 billion in fiscal 2013, compared to $1.6 billion in fiscal 2012.
Efficiencies in board layout and component integration utilizing the latest in High Density Interconnection (“HDI”), component
packaging and attachment technology combined with proprietary software and firmware features allow the Company to customize its
core proprietary hardware designs to address new applications, network protocols and transmission frequencies. The Company’s radio
transceiver technology can be adapted to support multiple protocols in the wireless data communications market, supporting its
position as a primary supplier of wireless and related hardware and software products.
The Company has developed its own radio code stack and incorporates this radio code stack into the processors that are deployed in
BlackBerry smartphones. Additionally, QNX, a subsidiary of the Company, has developed a mobile computing platform utilizing the
unique micro kernel POSIX certified tablet OS. This OS supports the first generation of professional grade BlackBerry PlayBook
tablets and is the basis for BlackBerry 10 smartphones.
The development and support of the Company’s products require several key areas of expertise within the Company to be closely
integrated. The Company has recruited and developed teams with expertise in these required areas and the Company believes that the
integration and focus of these teams provides the Company with a significant competitive advantage. The following chart outlines
several of these key areas of expertise together with their design and user benefits.
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Key Area of Expertise
Application & User Interface
Technologies
Design and User Benefits
Fluid, user-friendly applications with hardware acceleration for maximum performance; deep
integration into core experience
Rich tooling enabling rapid development and superior user experience
Power Management
Firmware
Software Tools
Testing Software
Low power requirements – efficient battery consumption
Integration, customization – low cost, small size, efficient battery consumption
Software development kits – more applications available
Fast and thorough test/debug – low cost, better quality, improved service/support
Operating System Technologies
Product Design
RF Engineering
Display
Audio
Intelligent Antennas
Analog RF & Digital ASIC
High performance, scalable and secure platform spanning handsets, mobile computing,
automotive and embedded
Richer user experiences, common application ecosystem, embracing of open standards
Multi-tasking and rich developer environment
Award winning products / outstanding customer experience through software and user
interfaces
High performance radio – low cost, small size, efficient battery consumption, better coverage
High resolution bright displays with improved power characteristics
Improved audio quality in all environments through hardware and signal processing design.
Excellent multi-media capability
Effective radiated power – better coverage and efficient battery consumption
Integration – low cost, small size
The Company’s R&D efforts are focused primarily on the following areas:
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developing new devices for current and emerging wireless network technologies and market segments;
revolutionizing smartphones and tablets through the development of BlackBerry 10 OS;
developing core technology and platforms for next generation air interfaces and networks, including evolution of 3G and
4G wireless networks;
evolving the functionality, security and performance of its BlackBerry wireless solution and BlackBerry smartphones and
tablets;
building device software including operating systems, radio code, graphics and media frameworks, application runtimes,
networking technologies, and BlackBerry applications;
developing server and desktop software for enterprise and consumer environments;
developing infrastructure systems to provide the underlying support for wireless network and Internet connectivity;
providing a platform and tools for third party software developers and enterprises to write and wirelessly enable
applications;
improving manufacturing and testing technologies; and
developing accessories to be used with BlackBerry smartphones and tablets.
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The Company also engages in longer term fundamental research both directly and by selective funding of university research projects.
The Company endeavors to take advantage of specific government and academic financial assistance programs to support its research
activities where available.
The Company dedicates a major portion of its R&D investments to software for the BlackBerry wireless solution. This includes
device and platform software as well as device applications, server software and infrastructure with an emphasis on satisfying the
needs of both corporate IT departments and individual customers.
The Company has previously entered into two project development agreements with Technology Partnerships Canada (“TPC”),
which provided partial funding for certain research and development projects.
Funding received by the Company from TPC for the first agreement (TPC-1) totaled $3.9 million and was repayable in the form of
royalties of 2.2% on gross product revenues resulting from the project. The Company was obligated to pay royalties on all project
revenues up to a maximum of $6.1 million. The Company has fully repaid its obligations with respect to TPC-1.
The second agreement with TPC is for a development project (TPC-2) under which total contributions from TPC have been $23.3
million. The Company had fulfilled all prerequisite funding conditions and recorded all of the contributions as at February 28, 2004.
This contribution is repayable to TPC in the form of a royalty of 2.2% on gross business revenues, subject to the Company
maintaining a minimum number of Canadian employees and to certain annual maximum amounts through fiscal 2015, not exceeding
$45 million. The Company has recorded $4.9 million (CAD) on account of TPC royalty repayment expense with respect to TPC-2
obligation during fiscal 2013.
The Company also qualifies for investment tax credits (“ITC”) on eligible expenditures on account of Canadian scientific research
and experimental development. In fiscal 2013 the Company recognized the benefits of its ITCs in its consolidated statements of
operations as a reduction in income tax expense.
Intellectual Property
The policy of the Company is to apply for patents, acquire and/or seek other appropriate proprietary or statutory protection when it
develops valuable new or improved technology. The Company believes that the rapid pace of technological change in the
communications industry makes patent and trade secret protection important, and that this protection must be supported by other
means including the ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, new product introductions and frequent product enhancements.
The Company protects its technology through a combination of patents, designs, copyrights, trade secrets, confidentiality procedures
and contractual arrangements. The Company seeks to patent key concepts, components, protocols, processes and other inventions that
it considers to
30
have commercial value or that will likely give the Company a technological advantage. Although the Company applies for patent
protection primarily in Canada, Europe and the United States, the Company has filed, and will continue to file, patent applications in
other countries where there exists a strategic technological or business reason to do so. To broadly protect the Company’s inventions,
the Company has a team of in-house patent attorneys and also consults with outside patent attorneys who interact with employees,
review invention disclosures and prepare patent applications on a broad array of core technologies and competencies. As a result, the
Company owns rights to an array of patented and patent pending technologies relating to wireless communication technology.
It is the Company’s general practice to enter into confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements with its employees, consultants,
contract manufacturers, customers, potential customers and others to attempt to limit access to and distribution of its proprietary
information. In addition, the Company generally enters into agreements with employees that include an assignment to the Company
of all intellectual property developed in the course of employment.
The Company also enters into various types of licensing agreements related to technology and intellectual property rights. The
Company enters certain of these agreements to obtain rights that may be necessary to produce and sell products into the wireless
industry. The Company may also license its technology and intellectual property to third parties through various licensing
agreements.
Production
The Company outsources the majority of its manufacturing to specialized global Electronic Manufacturing Services (“EMS”)
companies who are positioned to meet the volumes, scale, cost and quality requirements of the Company. The Company strives to
reduce its risk and dependency on these companies by having various partners located in key geographical locations, thereby
increasing leverage on cost, quality and operational performance. Constant and immediate access to each manufacturing facility is
available upon the Company’s demand, and these facilities are regularly audited by Company personnel trained in this function. The
Company also operates a facility in Waterloo, Ontario that is approximately 242,000 square feet and is primarily focused on New
Product Introduction (“NPI”) and research and development related activities.
In the coming year, the Company expects to continue to evolve its supply chain model. The Company will also look to continue to
enhance its new product introduction and supply chain planning activities through further integration with internal research and
development activities.
The Company generally controls sourcing decisions for materials and services that are incorporated into Company products.
Outsourced manufacturing partners are responsible for transacting business on behalf of the Company with component suppliers,
but the Company generally negotiates pricing of these materials and services. Depending on market conditions, the Company may
order more or less of a particular material or service and when possible, attempts to source components from at least two suppliers
with a view to avoiding different types of supply disruption. Component availability and pricing of components may also be affected
by the volumes the Company generates, compared to the volumes a competitor may require. See
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also “Risk Factors - The Company relies on its suppliers to supply functional components and is exposed to the risks that these
suppliers will not supply components on a timely basis or of the desired quality; if the Company’s sales volumes decrease or do not
reach projected targets it may result in increased costs that could make its products less competitive.”
Regulatory Matters
In addition to the regulatory requirements applicable to any business, an access device manufacturer must obtain certification from
the radio/telecommunications regulatory authorities in most jurisdictions before commencing commercial sale of its products in those
jurisdictions. A significant competitive advantage exists for manufacturers with established businesses who have previously met the
certification requirements for their products and who are familiar with the regulatory process.
The Company’s products must be approved by the FCC before they can be used in commercial quantities in the United States. In
Canada, the relevant regulatory authority is Industry Canada. The European Community (“EC”) defines CE marking requirements
within the Radio and Telecommunication Terminal Equipment (“R&TTE”) Directive for use in EC member states. Regulatory
requirements are similar in other jurisdictions. All regulators require access devices to meet various standards, including limits with
respect to interference with other electronic equipment and safety standards with respect to human exposure to electromagnetic
radiation.
The Company’s BlackBerry wireless devices, which are made commercially available by the Company, meet FCC, Industry Canada,
and EC requirements. In addition, Company devices have obtained regulatory approvals required by other countries where such
products are made commercially available by the Company.
At the present time, the Company has the required regulatory certifications for its testing facilities which allow the Company to
perform all the testing required by the FCC, Industry Canada, and the EC. In addition, the Company can also perform some of the
testing which is required by other international regulatory authorities in some of the countries where the Company’s products are
commercially available.
Corporate Responsibility
The Company is committed to operating in a sustainable way that respects the environment, Company employees, the communities in
which the Company operates and the Company’s business partners around the world. Product sustainability efforts include
implementing design for environment principles, material selection processes, energy efficiency and packaging assessments as well as
product take back programs. Additionally, the Company has formalized a number of policies to reflect the Company’s commitment to
responsible business practices and issues a Corporate Responsibility (“CR”) report annually. The CR report as well as other
documents and policies relating to the Company’s efforts in this area can be viewed on the Company’s website.
32
Environmental Regulations and Costs
Some of the Company’s operations are subject to regulation under various provincial, federal, state and international laws relating to
environmental protection and the proliferation of hazardous substances. In parts of Europe and North America, the Company is
currently obligated to comply with substance restrictions, packaging regulations, energy efficiency ratings and certain product take-
back and recycling requirements. In addition, the Company may be required to comply with emerging substance restrictions and
product take-back requirements in other jurisdictions that would make the Company responsible for recycling and/or disposing of
products the Company has sold. These and other environmental laws may become more stringent over time, may be required in more
places of the Company’s business and may require the Company to incur substantial compliance costs.
Employees
As of March 2, 2013, the Company had approximately 12,700 full-time employees: approximately 5,500 in the product development
area; approximately 1,100 in sales and marketing; approximately 800 in customer care and technical support; approximately 1,400 in
manufacturing and supply chain; and approximately 3,900 in administration and business professional functions, which includes
information technology, BlackBerry network operations and service development, finance, legal, facilities and corporate
administration.
Facilities
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
The Company’s corporate headquarters and new product introduction manufacturing facilities are based in Waterloo. The Company’s
operations are housed primarily in two campus-style developments; the facilities include 27 buildings, 21 of which are owned for a
total square footage of 1,806,047 and 6 of which are leased, for a total square footage of 310,519. The central Waterloo campus
houses engineering, manufacturing as well as research and development groups. The Company’s corporate, administration and
finance operations are based out of the Company’s campus in north Waterloo, consisting of four newly constructed buildings. Two
owned facilities based in nearby Cambridge totaling 734,293 square feet are used for various global logistics and repair services
groups.
Canada - Other
The Company owns and occupies a 154,455 square foot facility in Ottawa, Ontario. Engineering and research and development
operations are the focus of this center. In addition, the Company leases 264,686 square feet, also used primarily for research and
development functions. In addition to two owned buildings which total 318,936 square feet, Mississauga, Ontario is home to two
leased facilities totaling 70,891 square feet. The Company owns a 160,000 square foot building in the Greater Halifax, Nova Scotia
area, out of which the Company runs a 112,000 square foot customer service operations center. Additionally in Eastern Canada, the
Company leases a 10,700 square foot building in Fredericton, New Brunswick. In Western Canada, the Company leases 4,507 square
feet in Vancouver, British Columbia. In total, the Company occupies 946,659 square feet in Canada, outside the Waterloo-
Cambridge, Ontario area.
USA & Latin America
The U.S. headquarters of the Company are composed of a campus-style complex of four buildings totaling 184,432 square feet
outside Dallas, Texas, housing certain sales, marketing,
33
legal, research and development, customer service operations and administrative activities. In Raleigh, North Carolina the Company
has a total of 56,812 square feet located within the CentreGreen campus. The Company leases an additional 491,139 square feet
throughout the United States, primarily for research and development. Sales and marketing and distribution activities in Latin and
South America are supported by approximately 19,800 square feet with locations in Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.
EMEA – Europe, Middle East & Africa
The Company’s operations in Europe are headquartered out of two locations in Slough, England comprising of 101,874 square feet in
total. Operations in Germany are comprised of six leased facilities totaling 136,096 square feet used for research & development and
sales. A number of other small offices are leased throughout Europe, totaling 130,122 square feet, which are used primarily for sales
and marketing activities.
Asia-Pacific
The Company has continued to expand operations in the Asia Pacific region. In China alone, the Company leases approximately
108,484 square feet, including space for research and development in Beijing. A number of small sales-based offices are also located
throughout China. As a whole, the Company operates out of Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia,
Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand with a total space of 190,133 square feet for sales and marketing activities and customer
operations support.
Globally, the Company operates a number of leased and owned datacenters totaling approximately 400,000 square feet of space.
Legal Proceedings
The Company is involved in litigation in the normal course of its business, both as a defendant and as a plaintiff. The Company is
subject to a variety of claims (including claims related to patent infringement, purported class actions and other claims in the normal
course of business) and may be subject to additional claims either directly or through indemnities against claims that it provides to
certain of its partners and customers. In particular, the industry in which the Company competes has many participants that own, or
claim to own, intellectual property, including participants that have been issued patents and may have filed patent applications or may
obtain additional patents and proprietary rights for technologies similar to those used by the Company in its products. The Company
has received, and may receive in the future, assertions and claims from third parties that the Company’s products infringe on their
patents or other intellectual property rights. Litigation has been and will likely continue to be necessary to determine the scope,
enforceability and validity of third-party proprietary rights or to establish the Company’s proprietary rights. Regardless of whether
claims against the Company have merit, those claims could be time-consuming to evaluate and defend, result in costly litigation,
divert management’s attention and resources, subject the Company to significant liabilities and could have the other effects that are
described in greater detail under “Risk Factors – Risks Related to Intellectual Property” and “Risk Factors - Risks Related to the
Company’s Business and its Industry - The Company is subject to general commercial litigation, class action and other litigation
claims as part of its operations, and it could suffer significant litigation expenses in
34
defending these claims and could be subject to significant damage awards or other remedies” in the Company’s Annual Information
Form for the fiscal year ended March 3, 2012, which is included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 40-F.
Management reviews all of the relevant facts for each claim and applies judgment in evaluating the likelihood and, if applicable, the
amount of any potential loss. Where it is considered probable for a material exposure to result and where the amount of the claim is
quantifiable, provisions for loss are made based on management’s assessment of the likely outcome. The Company does not provide
for claims that are considered unlikely to result in a significant loss, claims for which the outcome is not determinable or claims
where the amount of the loss cannot be reasonably estimated. Any settlements or awards under such claims are provided for when
reasonably determinable.
On June 20, 2008, St. Clair Intellectual Property Consultants, Inc. (“St. Clair”) filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the
Company and other defendants in the District of Delaware. The patents in suit include U.S. Patent Nos. 5,138,459; 6,094,219;
6,233,010 and 6,323,899. These patents are generally directed to image processing in digital cameras. On October 31, 2011, the court
held a hearing to address summary judgment motions filed by both sides. On March 26, 2012, the court granted the defendants’
motion for summary judgment. On April 20, 2012, St. Clair filed a notice of appeal. On May 16, 2012, the Company filed a motion to
dismiss the appeal because it was filed prior to dismissal of the district court action. The court issued a mandate on August 3, 2012,
dismissing the appeal as premature. On Friday, September 7, 2012, St. Clair re-filed its notice of appeal. Proceedings are ongoing.
On November 16, 2010, St. Clair filed a second complaint against the Company and other defendants in the District of Delaware. The
patents in suit include U.S. Patent Nos. 5,630,163; 5,710,929; 5,758,175; 5,892,959; 6,079,025 and 5,822,610. These patents are
generally directed to power management. The Complaint seeks an injunction and money damages. The court held a claim
construction hearing on December 16, 2011. On October 12, 2012, the court stayed the case pending final judgment in a case St. Clair
brought against other parties. No trial date is currently set. Proceedings are ongoing.
On October 31, 2008, Mformation Technologies, Inc. (“Mformation”) filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the Company in the
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The patents in suit include U.S. Patent Nos. 6,970,917 and
7,343,408. These patents are generally directed to remote device management functionality. A claim construction hearing was held on
November 20, 2009. On February 26, 2010, the court issued a claim construction order. A trial date was set for September 2011, but
then later vacated. On August 31, 2011, the court requested additional claim construction briefings. The court held a hearing on
September 26, 2011 for oral argument on the additional claim construction as well as motions for summary judgment and then took
the issues under advisement. On December 19, 2011, the court issued an order on the parties’ summary judgment motions and the
additional claim construction. Jury selection was completed on June 14, 2012, and trial began on June 19, 2012. On July 13, 2012, the
jury found that the Company had infringed the asserted patent claims, awarding damages of $147.2 million. On August 8, 2012,
Judge Ware overturned the jury verdict and granted judgment of non-infringement as a matter of law. On Sep. 5, 2012, Mformation
filed a motion for a new trial. On September 6, 2012, Mformation filed a notice of appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal
Circuit. However, the Federal Circuit deactivated the appeal while the motion for new trial was pending. On September 20, 2012, the
case was reassigned to Judge Edward M. Chen, in view of Judge Ware’s retirement from the bench. Judge Chen subsequently denied
Mformation’s motion for new trial on November 15, 2012. On December 4, 2012, the court denied Mformation’s motion for relief
from costs. The Federal Circuit reactivated the appeal on December 20, 2012 after Mformation filed a new notice of appeal. On
January 3, 2013, a new entity, Mformation Software Technologies, Inc. (“MST”), filed a motion to substitute parties, alleging that
Mformation had dissolved and that MST had assumed the rights, but not the liabilities, to the litigation. On January 14, 2013, the
Company filed an opposition to MST’s motion, combined with a motion to dismiss. Proceedings are ongoing.
On November 20, 2008, the Company filed a lawsuit for declaratory judgment of non-infringement, invalidity and unenforceability
against four Eastman Kodak (“Kodak”) patents in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (Dallas Division). The
patents in suit include U.S. Patent Nos. 5,493,335, 6,292,218 (“the ’218 Patent”) and 6,600,510 (“the ‘510 Patent”) which are
generally directed to digital camera technologies and U.S. Patent No. 5,226,161 which is directed to data sharing in applications.
Kodak counterclaimed for infringement of these same patents seeking an injunction and monetary damages. The claim
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construction hearing was held on March 23, 2010. On July 23, 2010, Kodak dismissed the ‘510 Patent from the case without
prejudice. The court set an initial trial date in December 2010. The court also ordered mediation to seek to settle the case. Mediation
was unsuccessful and on November 29, 2010 the court reset the trial date for August 1, 2011. On July 20, 2011, the court again reset
the trial date for the three-week docket beginning on March 5, 2012. On January 19, 2012, following federal rules, Judge Kinkeade
stayed the proceedings because Kodak declared bankruptcy. The Company filed an unopposed motion with the bankruptcy court to
lift the stay. On March 9, 2012, the bankruptcy court granted the Company’s motion to lift the stay of the case pending in the
Northern District of Texas. On May 29, 2012, a trial date was set in December 2012. On November 28, 2012, Judge Kinkeade reset
the trial to April 2013 based on a joint motion by both parties. The parties further agreed to a bench trial. On January 11, 2013, the
bankruptcy court approved Kodak’s sale of its digital imaging patent portfolio to a consortium of companies. Kodak completed the
sale on February 1, 2013. As part of the proceedings, the Company obtained a license to all the patents in suit. As a result, the
Company and Kodak jointly moved for dismissal on February 5, 2013. On Monday, February 11, 2013, the court dismissed and
closed the case with prejudice.
On January 14, 2010, Kodak filed a complaint with the ITC against the Company and Apple Inc. alleging infringement of the ‘218
Patent and requesting the ITC to issue orders prohibiting certain of the Company’s products from being imported into the U.S. and
sold in the U.S. On February 23, 2010, the ITC published a Notice of Investigation in the Federal Register. The Administrative Law
Judge (“ALJ”) set a trial date of September 1, 2010 and a target date for completion of the investigation by the ITC of May 23, 2011.
A claim construction hearing was held on May 24-25, 2010. The Chief Judge issued his claim construction order as an Initial
Determination on June 22, 2010. In accordance with the ALJ’s ruling, the trial was held and lasted for six days. On January 24, 2011,
the ALJ ruled that the Company’s products do not infringe the ‘218 Patent and that the only asserted claim is invalid as obvious.
Kodak and the ITC Staff separately petitioned for ITC review on February 7, 2011. The Company also filed a contingent petition for
review on February 7, 2011. On March 25, 2011, the ITC issued a public notice advising that the ITC would review Chief Judge
Luckern’s decision. The ITC delayed the target date for completion of the investigation by the ITC. The new target date was June 23,
2011. On July 8, 2011, the ITC issued an Opinion with its review of Chief Judge Luckern’s decision. The ITC remanded issues
concerning both infringement and validity. The remand proceedings were assigned to a different ALJ, ALJ Pender, as Chief Judge
Luckern retired from the bench. Acting Chief Judge Bullock initially set October 30, 2011 as the target date for the new ALJ to
determine how much additional time is necessary for the remand proceedings and to set a new final target date and later extended this
date to December 30, 2011. On December 16, 2011, ALJ Pender determined that he will reopen the record to permit limited
additional discovery and extended the target date to September 21, 2012 to allow time for the parties to complete this discovery and
remand briefing. On January 26, 2012, Judge Pender decided not to reopen the record due to fact that certain issues had become moot.
On May 21, 2012, Judge Pender issued his Initial Determination finding no violation of Section 337 of the Tariff Act. On June 4,
2012, Kodak filed a petition for review of Judge Pender’s Initial Determination and the Company filed a contingent petition for
review. On July 20, 2012, the Commission issued its Final Determination agreeing with Judge Pender’s finding of no violation of
Section 337. On Wednesday, August 7, 2012, Kodak filed a Notice of Appeal with the Federal Circuit. The
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Company filed a Motion to Intervene and a Petition for Review/Notice of Cross Appeal on September 6, 2012. On November 21,
2012, the Federal Circuit granted the Motion to Intervene and dismissed the Petition for Cross Appeal on procedural grounds. Kodak
completed the sale of its digital imaging patent portfolio on February 1, 2013, and as part of the proceedings, the Company obtained a
license to all the patents in suit, thus settling all outstanding litigation. On February 5, 2013, Kodak filed a motion to dismiss. The
court granted the motion on February 15, 2013.
On March 31, 2010, MobileMedia Ideas LLC (“MMI”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern
District of Texas (Marshall Division) alleging infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 5,479,476; 5,845,219; 6,055,439; 6,253,075;
6,427,078; RE.39231; 5,732,390; 5,737,394; 6,070,068; 6,389,301; 6,446,080; and 7,349,012. The patents are generally directed to
mobile telephone technologies including mobile telephone user interfaces, call control, speech signal transmission and imaging. The
complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages. The claim construction hearing was scheduled for January 11, 2012, and trial
was scheduled to begin July 12, 2012. On August 30, 2011, the case was transferred from the Eastern District of Texas to the
Northern District of Texas (Dallas). On November 4, 2011, MMI filed an amended complaint in the Northern District of Texas,
alleging infringement of four additional patents: U.S. Patent Nos. 5,490,170; 6,049,796; 6,871,048; and, 6,441,828. The amended
complaint seeks an injunction, monetary damages and other relief that the court may deem proper under the circumstances. On
March 9, 2012, the Court reset the trial date for February 4, 2013. On March 21, 2012, the court stayed the proceedings with respect
to U.S. Patent Nos. 5,479,476; 5,845,219; 6,055,439; 6,253,075; and 6,427,078. On April 16, 2012, the Company filed a motion to
stay the proceedings with respect to U.S. Patent No. 6,049,796. On May 4, 2012, the court granted the Company’s motion to stay
proceedings with respect to U.S. Patent No. 6,049,796. On January 17, 2013 the parties entered proposed scheduling orders including
proposed trial dates. On February 27, 2013, the court issued a claim construction order. The court has not yet entered a new schedule.
Proceedings are ongoing.
On June 30, 2010, Bandspeed Inc. (“Bandspeed”) filed a lawsuit against the Company as well as thirty-six other defendants in the
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (Marshall Division) alleging infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,027,418 and
7,570,614. The patents are generally directed to a method for selecting communication channels using frequency hopping. The
complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages. On August 15, 2011, the case was transferred from the Eastern District of
Texas to the Western District of Texas (Austin Division), where a lawsuit involving the same patents is currently pending against a
number of parties, including Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited (“CSR”). On December 15, 2011, the court issued an order requiring
Bandspeed to amend its complaint to identify all allegedly infringing products, and allow possible impleader of other chip
manufacturers or suppliers. On January 24, 2012, the court issued an order setting the deadline for impleader to February 23, 2012.
However, no other chip manufacturers or suppliers were impleaded. A trial had been scheduled to begin February 4, 2013, involving
Bandspeed and CSR only. On October 22, 2012, Bandspeed advised the court of a Settlement and License Agreement entered into
with CSR. On November 20, 2012, the court dismissed with prejudice all claims based on any defendant’s use of CSR Licensed
Products. At this time, no date for trial has been set with respect to any other defendant, including the Company. The court held a
Status Conference on January 11, 2013 and indicated that trial would be set for early November 2013. Proceedings are ongoing.
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On September 2, 2010, Innovative Sonic Limited filed lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for Eastern District of
Texas (Tyler Division) asserting infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,925,183; RE 40,077; and 7,436,795. The patents are generally
directed to window based polling and timing as well as security keys in a wireless communication system. The complaint seeks an
injunction and monetary damages. The claim construction hearing was scheduled for November 10, 2011, and trial was scheduled to
begin June 4, 2012. Subsequently, the case was transferred from the Eastern District of Texas to the Northern District of Texas
(Dallas Division). The Dallas court held a Markman hearing on June 11, 2012 and issued a claim construction order on October 17,
2012. Trial was scheduled to begin on March 4, 2013. On March 4, 2013, the court held a hearing, rescheduling trial for June 2013 to
permit Innovative Sonic to retain new counsel and to allow for additional discovery. Proceedings are ongoing.
On February 24, 2011, Golden Bridge Technology, Inc. (“Golden Bridge”) filed a lawsuit against the Company as well as over twenty
other defendants in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, asserting infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,574,267 and
7,359,427. These patents are generally directed to 3G wireless technologies. The complaint seeks an injunction and monetary
damages. On April 10, 2012, the court stayed the litigation pending resolution of Golden Bridge’s claims against Apple. On April 13,
2012, Golden Bridge Technology filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, asserting
infringement of U.S. Patent No. 6,574,267. The patent is generally directed to 4G wireless technology. On July 27, 2012, the court
stayed the litigation pending resolution of Golden Bridge’s claims against Apple. On May 8, 2012, Golden Bridge filed a lawsuit
against the Company as well as over twenty other defendants in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleging
infringement of U.S. Patent No. 6,075,793. On September 11, 2012, the court dismissed the complaint for improper joinder. On
September 18, 2012, Golden Bridge re-filed its complaint against all defendants, except Apple, in the U.S. District Court for the
District of Delaware. The complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages. The Company has not been served with this
complaint. On January 11, 2013, the District Court for the District of Delaware entered an Order that stayed the litigation until further
order of the court or until such time as final judgment is entered in the Apple Action with respect to Golden Bridge’s claims against
Apple or an order dismissing Apple is entered in the Apple Action.
On March 18, 2011, Imperium (IP) Holdings, Inc. (“Imperium”), filed a lawsuit against the Company as well as six other defendants
in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (Tyler Division) asserting infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,271,884;
6,838,651; 6,838,715; 7,064,768; and 7,109,535; however, only two of these patents have been asserted against the Company (U.S.
Patent Nos. 6,271,884; 6,838,715). The patents generally relate to imaging technology. The complaint seeks an injunction and
monetary damages. The claim construction was scheduled for May 31, 2012, and the trial was scheduled to begin January 7, 2013.
The claim construction was held on May 31, 2012, and the trial was re-scheduled for April 2013. On July 2, 2012 Imperium issued its
Claim Construction Order. On December 10, 2012, Imperium filed a motion to amend its complaint against the Company, asserting
U.S. Patent 6,838,651 as well as Willfulness as to infringement of U.S. Patent 6,271,884. On January 4, 2013, the court denied
Imperium’s motion. Imperium sought reconsideration on the motion, which was also denied. Proceedings are ongoing.
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On July 1, 2011, GPNE Corp. filed a lawsuit against the Company as well as nine other defendants in the U.S. District Court for the
District of Hawaii asserting infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,555,267; 7,570,594; and 7,792,492 which are generally directed to
GPRS technology. The complaint seeks monetary damages and other relief that the court may deem proper under the circumstances.
On March 9, 2012 the Company’s motion to transfer the case to Dallas was granted. The Dallas court has not scheduled a claim
construction hearing. Trial is scheduled to begin on May 4, 2014. The Company and GPNE settled all outstanding litigation on
January 31, 2013 for an amount immaterial to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The court dismissed the case with prejudice on
March 13, 2013.
On August 1, 2011, Tahir Mahmood (“Mahmood”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Southern
District of New York seeking correction of inventorship of U.S. Patent No. 6,219,694, which is generally directed to the Company’s
redirector technology; and, claims for conversion, unfair competition, and unjust enrichment. The complaint seeks correction of
inventorship, an injunction, monetary damages, punitive damages and other relief that the court may deem proper under the
circumstances. On May 16, 2012, the court granted the Company’s motion to dismiss the case with prejudice. The case was dismissed
on June 7, 2012. On July 6, 2012, Mahmood filed a Notice of Appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The parties
completed briefing the appeal on November 13, 2012.
On February 3, 2012, Mahmood filed a new lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New
York seeking correction of inventorship of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,386,588; 6,463,464; and, 6,389,457, as well as “such other RIM patents
the court may deem proper;” and, claims for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, unfair competition and unjust enrichment.
The complaint seeks correction of inventorship, injunctive relief, monetary damages, punitive damages and other relief that the court
may deem proper under the circumstances. On June 14, 2012, the Company filed a motion to dismiss the complaint. On October 25,
2012, the court granted the Company’s motion to dismiss the case with prejudice. On October 26, 2012, Mahmood filed a Notice of
Appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. On January 3, 2013, the Federal Circuit consolidated both cases. The
parties completed briefing the appeal on February 22, 2013. Proceedings are ongoing.
On August 26, 2011, Synchronoss Technologies, Inc. (“Synchronoss”) filed a lawsuit against NewBay Software, Ltd and NewBay
Software, Inc. (together, “NewBay”) in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Synchronoss alleges that NewBay
infringes U.S. Patent Nos. 6,671,757; 7,505,762; and, 7,587,446. The patents are generally directed to data synchronization and
transfer for mobile devices. The complaint seeks an injunction, monetary damages and other relief that the court may deem proper
under the circumstances. On April 27, 2012, Synchronoss filed an amended complaint, alleging infringement of two additional
patents: U.S. Patent Nos. 6,757,696 and 7,643,824. The amended complaint sought an injunction, monetary damages and other relief
that the court may deem proper under the circumstances. In December 2012 Synchronoss and the Company reached an agreement that
settled the claims in the lawsuit. On December 28, 2012 the Court dismissed the case with prejudice. The Company and Synchronoss
resolved all outstanding litigation on December 21, 2012 for an amount immaterial to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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On August 31, 2011, Openwave Systems Inc. (“Openwave”) filed a request that the ITC commence an investigation of alleged
unlawful importation by the Company and that the ITC issue orders prohibiting certain of the Company’s products from being
imported into the U.S. and sold in the U.S. Openwave alleges that the Company infringes U.S. Patents Nos. 6,233,608; 6,289,212;
6,405,037; 6,430,409; and 6,625,447. The patents are generally related to wireless data management. The claim construction hearing
was held on July 25-26, 2012. Trial has been set for October 15, 2012 and the target date is March 12, 2013. On May 29, 2012, the
ALJ re-set the initial determination date to be February 6, 2013 and re-set the target date for June 6, 2013. On October 12, 2012,
Openwave filed an unopposed motion to terminate the investigation in its entirety. That same day, the court issued an initial
determination terminating the investigation. On November 13, 2012, the investigation was terminated. Openwave also filed a
companion complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware regarding the same patents. On October 17, 2011 the
Delaware court stayed the case pending the ITC investigation. On December 28, 2012, the Delaware court issued an order lifting the
stay. The court has yet to issue a schedule. Proceedings are ongoing.
On September 7, 2011, Negotiated Data Solutions Inc. (“NData”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for
the Eastern District of Texas (Marshall Division) along with five other defendants asserting infringement of U.S. Patent Nos.
5,361,261; 5,533,018; 5,566,169; and 5,594,734, which are generally directed to isochronous capability or frame based transmission
of data. The complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages. A claim construction hearing occurred on December 5, 2012 and
the trial is set for July 1, 2013. The Company and NData settled all outstanding litigation on February 4, 2013 for an amount
immaterial to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The court dismissed the case with prejudice on February 19, 2013.
On September 12, 2011, WiAV Networks, LLC filed a lawsuit against the Company and one other defendant in the U.S. District
Court for the Northern District of Texas alleging infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,480,497 and 5,400,338. The patents are generally
directed to coordinate-based roaming node and a packet radio mesh network. The complaint seeks an injunction and monetary
damages. The Company answered the complaint on October 27, 2011. The claim construction hearing occurred on October 10, 2012,
and trial is scheduled to begin September 23, 2013. The court issued its claim construction Order on October 30, 2012. The Company
and WiAV Networks, LLC settled all outstanding litigation on January 11, 2013 for an amount immaterial to the Consolidated
Financial Statements. The court dismissed the case with prejudice on January 22, 2013.
On October 7, 2011, GrafTech International Holdings, Inc. (“GTI”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for
the Northern District of Texas (Dallas Division). GTI alleges that the Company infringes U.S. Patent Nos. 6,482,520 and 6,982,874
generally directed to exfoliated graphite sheets for heat dissipation. The Company filed its Answer on February 27, 2012. The
complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages. On September 17, 2012, the court granted the parties joint motion to
administratively close the case. Either party may request the court to reopen the case if it feels that settlement negotiations have hit an
impasse.
On November 17, 2011, Graphics Properties Holdings, Inc. (“GPH”) filed a complaint with the ITC against the Company along with
twelve other defendants. GPH alleges that the Company infringes U.S. Patent Nos., 6,650,327 (the “’327 Patent”) and 6,816,145 (the
“’145 Patent”) generally relating to display technology. GPH also alleges that the Company infringes U.S. Patent No. 5,717,881 (the
“’881 Patent”) generally relating to data processing. The complaint seeks orders prohibiting certain of the Company’s products from
being imported into the U.S. and sold in the U.S. Proceedings are ongoing. GPH withdrew the complaint and filed a new one
40
to correct deficiencies on March 5, 2012. Trial has been set for January 17, 2013, the initial determination is scheduled to be
completed by May 10, 2013 and the target date is September 10, 2013. On March 1, 2013, the ITC terminated the investigation.
On November 23, 2011, GPH filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, alleging
infringement of the ’327, ’145, and ’881 Patents. The complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages. On May 11, 2012, the
court issued an order staying the action against the Company pending the outcome of the ITC proceedings. On December 21, 2012,
the Company obtained a license grant for an amount immaterial to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The court dismissed the
case with prejudice on January 30, 2013.
On December 6, 2011, Advanced Video Technologies LLC (“AVT”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court
for the Southern District of New York. AVT alleges that the Company infringes U.S. Patent No. 5,781,788 generally directed to a
single-chip video codec. The complaint seeks an injunction, monetary damages and other relief that the court may deem proper under
the circumstances. A claim construction order was issued on February 1, 2013. No trial date is currently set. Proceedings are ongoing.
On January 20, 2012, WI-LAN USA, Inc. and WI-LAN, Inc. (together, “WI-LAN”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S.
District Court for the Southern District of Florida alleging infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 5,515,369 and 6,232,969. The patents are
generally directed to Bluetooth and character selection display interface. The complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages.
On February 21, 2012, WI-LAN filed an amendment to the complaint, alleging infringement of U.S. Patent No. 6,240,088. The patent
is generally directed to a message review feature. The Company’s answer was due on March 19, 2012 and was filed on March 19,
2012. For this suit, the court has set a trial date for February 24, 2014. A claim construction hearing will be rescheduled for late July
or early August 2013. Proceedings are ongoing. On December 11, 2012, Wi-LAN filed a second complaint against the Company. Wi-
LAN asserted that the Company infringes U.S. Patent No. 6,260,168 generally directed to Bluetooth technology. The complaint seeks
an injunction and monetary damages. For this suit, the court has set a trial date for November 11, 2013. Proceedings are ongoing.
On March 9, 2012, Iswitch, LLC (“Iswitch”) filed a complaint against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District
of Texas. Iswitch alleges that the Company infringes U.S. Patent No. 7,225,334 generally directed to voice over IP technology. The
complaint seeks monetary damages and all other relief to which the court may deem the Plaintiff be entitled. The court scheduled a
claim construction hearing for August 29, 2013 and trial is set to begin on November 10, 2014. Proceedings are ongoing
On March 15, 2012 Varia Holdings LLC (“Varia”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the District of
Delaware. The complaint alleges infringement of U.S. Patent No 7,167,731 generally directed to emoticon input technologies. The
complaint seeks monetary damages and any and all other relief to which Varia may be entitled. The Company answered the complaint
on June 18, 2012. The court scheduled a claim construction hearing for November 22, 2013. The court has stayed proceedings while
the parties negotiate settlement.
On March 30, 2012 Unifi Scientific Batteries, LLC (“USB”) sued the Company in the US District Court for the Eastern District of
Texas (Tyler Division), along with four other defendant groups including Samsung and Texas Instruments. USB asserted that the
Company infringes U.S. Patent 6,791,298 generally directed to battery charging technology. The complaint seeks money damages, an
injunction, and other relief that the court deems just and proper. The Company filed its answer on June 11, 2012. The Court scheduled
a claim construction hearing for January 9, 2014 and trial is set to begin on February 9, 2015. Proceedings are ongoing.
On April 2, 2012, NXP B.V. (“NXP”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
(Orlando Division). NXP asserted that the Company infringes U.S. Patent Nos. 7,330,455; 6,434,654; 6,501,420; 5,597,668;
5,639,697; and 5,763,955. NXP alleges that its patents are generally directed to certain wireless technologies including 802.11 and
GPS, as well as certain methods of manufacture for semiconductor devices. The complaint seeks monetary damages, an injunction,
and other relief that the court deems just and proper. The Company’s answer was due on May 30, 2012 and was filed on May 30,
2012. The court set trial for March 2014. Proceedings are ongoing.
On April 11, 2012, Touchscreen Gestures LLC (“Touchscreen”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the
Eastern District of Texas (Tyler Division). Touchscreen asserted that the Company infringes US Patent Nos. 7,184,031; 7,180,506;
7,190,356; and 7,319,457 generally directed towards touchscreen technology. The complaint seeks monetary damages, an injunction,
and other relief that the court deems just and proper. The court scheduled a claim construction hearing for December 5, 2013 and trial
is set to begin
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on April 6, 2015. On February 11, 2013, Touchscreen served amended infringement contentions where it added US Patent
No. 8,164,575 and did not include previously asserted US Patent No. 7,319,457. Proceedings are ongoing.
On April 25, 2012, Potter Voice Technologies LLC (“Potter”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the
District of Colorado, along with 14 other defendants. Potter alleged that the Company infringes U.S. Patent 5,729,659 allegedly
directed to voice command technology. The complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages. A claim construction hearing has
been scheduled for April 5, 2013. No trial date is currently set. Proceedings are ongoing.
On May 3, 2012, Hunts Point Ventures, Inc. (“Hunts Point”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the
Western District of Wisconsin alleging infringement of U.S. Patent No. 7,667,123, which generally relates to playlist technology. The
complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages. Trial had been set for November 4, 2013. On November 27, 2012, the case was
transferred from the Western District of Wisconsin to the Northern District of Texas (Dallas Division). The court dismissed the case
without prejudice on March 12, 2013 as no local counsel had filed an appearance for Hunts Point.
On May 29, 2012, Mobile Telecommunications Technologies LLC (“MTEL”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District
Court for the Northern District of Texas (Dallas Division) alleging infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 5,809,428; 5,754,946; 5,559,862;
5,894,506 and 5,581,804, some of which allegedly relate to certain aspects of handling failed delivery of wireless messages and others
allegedly relate to certain methods of transmitting large volumes of email messages. The complaint seeks an injunction and monetary
damages. The Company answered the complaint on August 22, 2012. A claim construction hearing has been scheduled for October 3,
2013 and trial has been set for June 9, 2014. Proceedings are ongoing.
On October 29, 2012, Softvault Systems, Inc. (“Softvault”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of California (San Jose Division). Softvault asserted that the Company infringes U.S. Patent Nos. 6,249,868 and
6,594,765 generally directed to a system for disabling devices to prevent unauthorized use. The complaint seeks an injunction,
monetary damages, and other relief that the court deems just and proper. The Company and Softvault settled all outstanding litigation
on February 12, 2013 for an amount immaterial to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The court dismissed the case with prejudice
on March 13, 2013.
On November 12, 2012, NovelPoint Tracking LLC (“NPT”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the
Eastern District of Texas (Marshall Division). The complaint asserts that the Company infringes U.S. Patent No. 6,442,485, allegedly
directed to automatic vehicle location, collision notification and synthetic voice technologies. The complaint seeks an injunction and
monetary damages. The Company filed an answer on February 27, 2013. Proceedings are ongoing.
On November 29, 2012, Arendi S.A.R.L. (“Arendi”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the District of
Delaware. The complaint alleges patent infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,917,843 (“the ‘843 patent”), 7,496,854 (“the ‘854 patent”)
and 8,306,993 (“the ‘993 patent”). Both the ‘843 patent and the ‘854 patent are entitled “Method, System and Computer Readable
Medium for Addressing Handling from a Computer Program,” and the ‘993 patent is entitled “Method, System and Computer
Readable Medium for Addressing Handling from an Operating System.” The complaint seeks damages, an injunction, costs and fees
and any other just relief. A scheduling conference has not been scheduled. Proceedings are ongoing.
On December 21, 2012, Mers Kutt filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
(Alexandria). Mr. Kutt asserted that the Company infringes
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U.S. Patent No. 5,506,981 generally directed to an accelerator board for enhancing computer system performance. The pro se
complaint sought monetary damages and other relief that the court deemed just and proper. On February 20, 2013 the court dismissed
the case without prejudice for lack of standing.
On December 28, 2012, Callwave Communications, LLC. (“Callwave”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District
Court for the District of Delaware. Callwave asserted that the Company infringes U.S. Patent Nos. 6,771,970 and 7,907,933 generally
directed to locating mobile devices and processing a payment over a network, respectively. The complaint seeks monetary damages
and other relief that the court deems just and proper. A scheduling conference has not been scheduled. Proceedings are ongoing.
On January 4, 2013, Steelhead Licensing LLC (“Steelhead”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the
District of Delaware. Steelhead asserted that the Company infringes U.S. Patent No. 5.491,834 generally directed to determining the
manner for performing a handover between base stations in a network. The complaint seeks monetary damages, an injunction, and
other relief that the court deems just and proper. On February 11, 2013 Plaintiff filed an amended complaint adding an allegation of
inducement. A scheduling conference has not been scheduled. Proceedings are ongoing.
On February 22, 2013, Maz Encryption Technologies LLC (“Maz”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for
the District of Delaware. Maz asserted that the Company infringes U.S. Patent No. 6,185,681 generally directed to encryption for an
electronic document management system. The complaint seeks an injunction, monetary damages, and other relief that the court deems
just and proper. A scheduling conference has not been scheduled. Proceedings are ongoing.
On March 15, 2013, Rembrandt Wireless Technologies, LP (“Rembrandt”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District
Court for the Eastern District of Texas (Marshall Division). Rembrandt asserted that the Company infringes U.S. Patent
No. 8,023,580 generally directed to communication using at least two modulation methods. The complaint seeks an injunction,
monetary damages, and other relief that the court deems just and proper.
Between May and August 2011, several purported class action lawsuits were filed against the Company and certain of its present or
former officers in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, two of which have been voluntarily dismissed. On
January 6, 2012, Judge Richard S. Sullivan consolidated the remaining three actions and appointed both lead plaintiff and counsel. On
April 5, 2012, plaintiff filed the Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint, alleging that during the period from December 16,
2010 through June 16, 2011, the Company and certain of its officers made materially false and misleading statements regarding the
Company’s financial condition and business prospects, and seek unspecified damages. Defendants have brought a motion to dismiss
the claim with prejudice, and filed its materials on June 4, 2012. Plaintiff filed its responding brief on August 3, 2012. Defendants
filed their reply brief on September 4, 2012. The Company’s motion to dismiss was argued on October 25, 2012 with judgment
reserved. Proceedings are ongoing.
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As of October 2011, several purported class action lawsuits were filed against the Company in various jurisdictions alleging that
subscribers to BlackBerry services had suffered losses during fiscal 2012 Service Interruption, one of which has been voluntarily
dismissed on May 29, 2012. The Company believes that class action proceedings in these circumstances are without merit and intends
to vigorously defend itself. In two of the cases the Company has negotiated a joint defence agreement with the co-defendants. In all
cases, proceedings are ongoing.
In July 2012, Meta4Hand Inc. (“M4HI”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the Court of Queen’s Bench, Alberta. The claim
alleges that the Company has used and continues to use M4HI’s trade secrets. The claim is seeking damages and other remedies. The
Company believes the claim has no merit and will vigorously defend itself. M4HI has not yet responded to the Company’s request for
more particulars. Proceedings are ongoing.
RISK FACTORS
Investors in the Company’s common shares should carefully consider the following risks, as well as the other information contained
in this AIF, and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the fiscal year ended
March 2, 2013. If any of the following risks actually occurs, the Company’s business could be materially harmed. The risks and
uncertainties described below are not the only ones the Company faces. Additional risks and uncertainties, including those of which
the Company is currently unaware or the Company currently deems immaterial, may also have a material adverse effect on the
Company’s business.
The Company may not be able to enhance its current products and services, or develop new products and services, in a
timely manner or at competitive prices.
The wireless communications industry is characterized by increasingly rapid technological change, evolving industry standards,
frequent new product introductions, frequent market price reductions, constant improvements in performance characteristics and short
product life cycles. To keep pace with technological developments, satisfy increasing customer requirements and achieve product
acceptance, the Company’s future success depends upon its ability to enhance its current products and services, to address competing
technologies and products developed by other companies, and to continue to develop and introduce new products and services
offering enhanced performance and functionality on a timely basis at competitive prices. In particular, the Company’s future success
continues to be significantly dependent on its ability to successfully complete its transition to its next-generation of BlackBerry 10
smartphones, which began with the launch of the first BlackBerry 10 smartphones in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013. The Company
is also focused on developing an integrated service offering that leverages the Company’s strengths such as BBM, security and
manageability and that will continue to generate service revenue and enable the Company to recover the costs associated with its
network infrastructure. The process of developing new technology is complex and uncertain, and involves time, substantial costs and
risks, which are further magnified when the development process involves a transition to a new technology platform, as is the case
with the Company’s QNX-based BlackBerry 10 mobile computing platform. The Company’s inability, for technological or other
reasons, some of which may be beyond the Company’s control, to enhance, develop and introduce products and services in a timely
manner, or at all, in response to changing market conditions or customer requirements could have a material adverse effect on the
Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition or could result in its products and services not achieving market
acceptance or becoming obsolete. In addition, if the Company fails to
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accurately predict emerging technological trends and the changing needs of customers and end users, or the features of its new
products and services, including its BlackBerry 10 smartphones, do not meet the expectations or achieve acceptance of its customers,
the Company’s business and prospects could be materially harmed.
The Company has encountered delays relating to new product introductions over the past two years, and delivering new products on a
timely basis has proven more challenging than the Company had anticipated. For example, in fiscal 2013, the introduction of the
Company’s first BlackBerry 10 smartphones were delayed, in part, because of complexities in the development and integration of a
completely new technology platform, which contributed to lower than expected unit shipments as customers worked through
inventory and awaited the launch of the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones. If the Company experiences further delays relating to the
launch of its BlackBerry 10 smartphones or other products or services, such delays could have a material adverse affect on the
Company’s business, results of operations, financial condition and future prospects.
There cannot be any assurance that the technologies and related hardware or software products and services that the Company
develops will be brought to market by it or network operators as quickly as anticipated or that they will achieve broad customer
acceptance among operators or end users. In the case of the Company’s BlackBerry 10 smartphones, there can be no assurance that
the Company’s existing BlackBerry 6 and BlackBerry 7 customers will migrate to the new BlackBerry 10 devices, which are offered
for sale at a higher price point than many of the Company’s older devices.
The Company’s ability to compete successfully will depend in large measure on its ability to maintain a technically skilled research
and development staff and to adapt to technological changes and advances in the industry, including providing for the continued
compatibility of its products and services with evolving industry standards and protocols and competitive network operating
environments.
The Company may not be able to offset or mitigate the impact of the anticipated decline in the Company’s infrastructure
access fees on its consolidated revenue by developing an integrated services and software offering.
The Company currently generates service revenue from billings to its BlackBerry subscriber account base that utilize BlackBerry 7
and prior BlackBerry operating systems primarily from a monthly infrastructure access fee (sometimes referred to as a “service access
fee” or “SAF”) charged to carriers or resellers, who in turn bill the BlackBerry subscriber. The SAF for consumer customers
historically has been much lower than the SAF for enterprise customers, who receive a higher level of value-added security,
encryption and other services by utilizing the Company’s BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) platform.
Many of the Company’s competitors do not charge a SAF or equivalent fee as they recover their infrastructure and services expense
in alternate manners. Thus, the Company has faced
45
growing pressure to reduce its existing SAF, especially for the consumer market. In response to these pressures, the Company has
been implementing certain price reduction programs in an effort to maintain and grow its subscriber base. While the Company
expects that existing consumer and enterprise subscribers using BlackBerry 7 and prior BlackBerry operating systems will continue
generating service revenue, the amount of those revenues is expected to decline in the coming quarters due to the ongoing price
reduction programs.
As customers transition to BlackBerry 10, the Company expects SAF revenue to decline further for consumer subscribers, but expects
to continue generating SAF revenue from enterprise customers who elect to utilize the BlackBerry 10 Enterprise Service and other
new services. The Company is focused on developing integrated BlackBerry 10 service offerings that leverage the Company’s
strengths such as BBM, security and manageability to generate new service revenue streams. Customers that require enhanced
services, including advanced security, mobile device management and other services, are expected to continue to generate monthly
service revenue. Other customers who do not utilize such services are expected to generate less or no service revenue. The Company
believes that offering alternative levels of service and pricing will better meet the needs of its customers. In addition, the Company
believes that by offering these services it will expand the size of its addressable market for recurring service revenue. This strategy
will help broaden the BlackBerry ecosystem over time, which will potentially give the Company and its application developers access
to a broader market into which to sell their respective services.
The Company expects the transition from BlackBerry 7 to BlackBerry 10 to be gradual, given that the Company has a diversified
global customer base, many of whom are in markets that are expected to transition more slowly to 4G wireless networks. As a result
of the changes and the pressure to reduce its SAF as described above, the Company anticipates further declines in service revenue in
the coming quarters, which could be significant. The Company cannot predict this anticipated rate of decline with any degree of
certainty, as it depends on a number of factors, including the outcome of negotiations with the Company’s carrier customers and
distribution partners, the rate at which current BlackBerry 6 and BlackBerry 7 customers migrate to Blackberry 10 and use only
standard BlackBerry services, the Company’s ability to attract existing and new enterprise customers to use the enhanced services
offered by BlackBerry 10, the Company’s ability to continue charging SAF for its BlackBerry 6 and BlackBerry 7 products, and the
Company’s ability to successfully develop over a transition period a compelling integrated services and software offering that
generates new service and software revenues from the BlackBerry 10 mobile computing platform.
However, if the Company is unable to develop a compelling integrated services offering that will mitigate the decline of service
revenue relating to SAF in the manner described above and enable the Company to recover the costs associated with its network
infrastructure, this could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.
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Intense competition, rapid change and significant strategic alliances within the Company’s industry, including potential
future strategic transactions by its competitors or carrier partners, could weaken the Company’s competitive position or
may require the Company to reduce its prices to compete effectively.
The Company is engaged in an industry that is highly competitive and rapidly evolving, and has experienced, and expects to continue
to experience, intense competition from a number of companies. No technology has been exclusively or commercially adopted as the
industry standard for wireless communication. Accordingly, both the nature of the competition and the scope of the business
opportunities afforded by the market in which the Company competes are uncertain. The Company’s competitors, including new
market entrants, may implement new technologies before the Company does, and the number of new entrants in the wireless
communications industry can make it more difficult for the Company to differentiate its products and services. In addition, the
Company’s competitors may deliver new products and services earlier, or provide more attractively-priced, enhanced or better quality
products and services than the Company does, which may, among other things, increase pressure on the Company to discount pricing
on its existing and future products. In particular, BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablet sales and shipments in
fiscal 2013 were impacted by the Company’s aging product portfolio in an environment in which multiple competitors introduced
new devices, leading the Company to offer sales incentives as well as significant price reductions in order to drive sell-through for
BlackBerry 7 handheld devices.
The Company also expects that additional competition will develop, both from existing companies in the wireless communications
industry and from new entrants, as demand for wireless access products and services expands and as the market for these products and
services becomes more established. In addition, network infrastructure developers, independent software vendors, smartphone
vendors, PC, PDA and tablet vendors, Internet application vendors, key network operators, content providers and others may seek to
provide integrated wireless solutions that compete with the Company’s products and services. The impact of competition could result
in fewer customer orders, loss of market share and reduced gross and operating margins. In addition, customers that may question the
Company’s ability to compete or remain viable as a provider of mobile communications solutions over the longer term could decide
to replace the Company’s products and services with those of its competitors. There can be no assurance that the Company will be
able to compete successfully and withstand competitive pressures.
Some of the Company’s competitors have greater name recognition, larger customer bases and significantly greater financial,
technical, marketing, public relations, sales, distribution and other resources than the Company does, and such competitors have
increased their market share at the expense of the Company. This is particularly the case in the tablet segment where the Company
has faced challenges entering and in which there are many established computer and wireless communications industry participants
with significantly greater experience, infrastructure and distribution channels than the Company. The Company’s entry into the tablet
market has required and will continue to require significant investment to innovate and grow successfully. The Company’s
investments may not, however, result in technologies, products and services or combinations thereof that achieve or retain broad or
timely market acceptance or which are preferred by application developers, content providers and customers or consumers.
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In addition, to the extent that the Company licenses its technology to enable other device manufacturers or software developers to
equip their products with BlackBerry functionality, including the Company’s push technology, or use the Company’s network
infrastructure, such action may have the effect of impacting demand for the Company’s products and services, and the benefits of
such initiatives to the Company through the generation of alternate sources of revenue may not be realized in the manner anticipated
by the Company, or may not offset the competitive impact such actions could have on the Company’s business.
The intensely competitive market in which the Company conducts its business and the current economic uncertainty may require it to
continue to reduce its prices. The Company’s competitors, particularly some of those that utilize Google’s Android operating system,
have in the past, currently and may in the future offer deep discounts on certain products or services in an effort to capture or maintain
market share, to reduce inventory levels or to sell other products and services. As demonstrated by promotional activities the
Company undertook in fiscal 2013 to drive sell-through of the BlackBerry 7 smartphones to end customers, the Company has been,
and in the future may be, required to lower prices on its products or services or offer other favorable terms to compete successfully.
Such changes can result in reduced margins and reduced cash generation, may require the Company to record further inventory
provisions, and could adversely affect the Company’s results of operation and financial condition. The Company’s entry into the
consumer market has already had an impact on its pricing and this risk may further intensify due to the broader choice of
smartphones, tablets and other devices, products and services offered by multiple vendors in this market segment and the BYOD
strategies currently being utilized or considered by some of the Company’s enterprise customers.
The Company has encountered challenges due to the impact of BYOD strategies being adopted by some of its enterprise customers,
as some information technology departments that previously required employees to use the BlackBerry wireless solution because of
its emphasis on security and reliability are permitting employees to choose devices offered by the Company’s competitors, and this
has been reflected through a decrease in the Company’s enterprise subscriber growth rate. Also, some of the Company’s competitors
have increased their marketing efforts and focus on the enterprise market. To address this evolution of the market, the Company has
introduced products to provide manageability and scalability solutions including BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express, BlackBerry
Enterprise Service 10 (formerly BlackBerry Mobile Fusion) and BlackBerry Balance, which give IT departments the ability to
securely manage BlackBerry devices as well as device on other operating system platforms through a single interface and to securely
protect corporate data on an employee’s personal smartphone or tablet. The Company will also continue to seek partnerships that will
further enable the Company to have a complete BYOD offering. There can be no assurance that these new product offerings,
including the launch of BlackBerry 10 smartphones, will strengthen its position in the BYOD enterprise segment.
Changes in the competitive landscape as a result of mergers or strategic partnerships can also adversely affect the Company’s ability
to compete effectively. The Company’s competitors may establish or strengthen co-operative relationships with its carrier partners,
sales channel partners, suppliers or other parties with whom the Company has strategic relationships, thereby limiting the Company’s
ability to promote its products and services. The use of Google’s Android operating system by existing and emerging manufacturers,
as well as the acquisition of Motorola
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by Google, and the partnership of Microsoft and Nokia, are examples of such strategic relationships. Disruptions in the Company’s
business caused by these events could reduce revenue, result in a loss of market share, and adversely affect the Company’s business,
results of operations and financial condition.
The Company’s ability to compete successfully will also depend on its ability to control the costs associated with the development,
manufacture and marketing of new products. In order to drive demand for BlackBerry products and services in the United States prior
to and following the launch of the BlackBerry 10 smartphones, the Company continues to run a comprehensive marketing and
promotional program. There can be no assurance that such promotional activities will be successful.
The Company’s ability to sell the BlackBerry wireless solution is dependent on establishing and maintaining
relationships with network carriers and distributors.
The Company is dependent on its ability to establish, maintain and develop new relationships, and to build on existing relationships
with its network carrier partners, which the Company relies on to promote and deliver current and future products and services, and to
grow its subscriber base, particularly in the United States, Canada and Europe where the Company is dependent on a limited number
of network carriers. In addition, the Company’s ability to establish, maintain and expand its market reach is increasingly dependent on
establishing and maintaining distribution relationships with third party and indirect distributors. This is particularly the case in
emerging markets such as the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful
in establishing new relationships, or maintaining or advancing its existing relationships, with network carriers or distributors. Non-
performance by the Company under its contracts with network carriers or distributors may have significant adverse consequences that
may involve penalties to be paid by the Company for non-performance. If any significant customer discontinues its relationship with
the Company for any reason, or reduces or postpones current or expected purchase commitments for products and services, the
Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
Factors, some of which are largely within the control of network carriers and distributors, that are important to the success of the
BlackBerry wireless solution, future product and service revenue and the growth of the Company’s subscriber base, include:
•
•
•
•
the quality and coverage area of voice and data services offered by the carriers;
the degree to which carriers and distributors actively promote or subsidize the Company’s products and the size of the
subscriber base to which these efforts are directed;
the extent to which carriers and distributors offer and promote competitive products and services;
the continued generation of service revenues from billings to BlackBerry subscribers from infrastructure access fees that
are charged to a carrier or reseller, which the carrier or reseller in turn bills to the BlackBerry subscriber, and the
willingness of the carriers to pay such fees;
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the pricing and terms of voice and data plans that carriers will offer for use with the BlackBerry wireless solution,
including any subsidy programs;
sales growth of wireless devices, along with the related service, software and other revenues with respect to the BlackBerry
wireless solution;
significant numbers of new activations of BlackBerry subscriber accounts, as well as retention of existing ones;
the carriers’ interest in testing, and certifying in a timely manner, the Company’s products, including tablet devices, on
their networks;
network performance and required investments in upgrades;
future investments in evolving network technologies and support for new software technologies; and
continued support and distribution of the Company’s products and services if claims involving its products are filed against
its carriers and licensees as well as against the Company.
Most network carriers and distributors sell products and services of the Company’s competitors. If the Company’s competitors offer
their products and services to the carriers and distributors on more favorable contractual or business terms, have more products and
services available, or those products and services are, or are perceived to be, in higher demand by end users, or are more lucrative for
the carriers and distributors, there may be continued pressure on the Company to reduce the price of its products and services, or those
carriers and distributors may stop carrying the Company’s products or de-emphasize the sale of its products and services in favor of
the Company’s competitors, which would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and
financial condition. There can be no assurance that the network carriers and distributors will act in a manner that will promote the
success of the Company’s products and services.
The Company has a number of significant customers and large complex contracts with respect to sales of the majority of its products
and services. Revenue from network carriers represented approximately 63% of revenue for fiscal 2013, compared to approximately
62% of revenue for fiscal 2012. If any significant customer discontinues its relationship with the Company for any reason, or reduces
or postpones current or expected purchase commitments for the Company’s products and services, it could have a material adverse
effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition. One customer comprised 8% of accounts receivable
as at March 2, 2013 (March 3, 2012 – one customer comprised 13%). There are no customers that comprise more than 10% of the
Company’s fiscal 2013 revenue (similar to fiscal 2012 revenue). The Company’s ability to replace or find new large customers is
necessarily limited due to the limited number of wireless carriers and distributors in many territories.
The Company, in the normal course of business, monitors the financial condition of its customers and reviews the credit history of
each new customer. The Company establishes an allowance for doubtful accounts intended to correspond to the specific credit risk of
its customers, historical
50
trends, and economic circumstances. The Company’s allowances for doubtful accounts may prove to be inaccurate or insufficient. If
the Company experiences significant net bad debts expense for any reason, there could be a material adverse effect on the Company’s
business, results of operations and financial condition.
Network disruptions or other business interruptions could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business and
harm its reputation.
The BlackBerry service is provided through a combination of the Company’s network operations and the wireless networks of its
carrier partners. The Company’s operations rely to a significant degree on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of complex
technology systems and networks, which are in some cases integrated with those of third parties. The Company’s networks and
technology systems are potentially vulnerable to damage or interruption from a variety of sources, physical or logical, including
damage or interruption by fire, earthquake, power loss, telecommunications or computer systems failure, cyber attack, human error,
terrorist acts, war, and the threatened or actual suspension of BlackBerry service at the request of a government for alleged
noncompliance with local laws or other events. The increased number of third party applications on the Company’s network may also
enhance the risk of network disruption and cyber attack risk for the Company. There may also be system or network interruptions if
new or upgraded systems are defective or not installed properly. The Company continues to work to develop, implement and test its
Business Continuity Plan and there can be no assurance that the measures taken by the Company to date, or measures implemented by
the Company in connection with its Business Continuity Plan, to manage risks related to network disruptions or other business
interruptions will be adequate or that the redundancies built into the Company’s systems and network operations will work as planned
in the event of a disaster. As the Company’s subscriber base has grown, additional strain has been placed on the technology systems
and networks, thereby increasing the relative risk of a network disruption or other business interruption. The Company has
experienced network events in the past, and, any future outage in a network or system, or other unanticipated problem, that leads to an
interruption or disruption of the BlackBerry service, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of
operations and financial condition, and could adversely affect the Company’s longstanding reputation for reliability, thereby resulting
in end users purchasing products offered by its competitors if reliability is no longer considered a differentiating factor of the
BlackBerry wireless solution. As the Company moves to support more applications or services, the expense to establish and maintain
a resilient and secure network services capability may significantly increase.
In addition, poor performance in or any additional interruptions of the services that the Company delivers to its customers could delay
market acceptance of its products and services and expose it to costs or potential liabilities, including under service level agreements
(“SLAs”) with certain customers. The SLAs specify the events constituting “down time” and the actions that the Company will take
to rectify or respond to such down time, including in certain cases, the payment of financial penalties. For example, as a result of the
service interruption that occurred in October 2011, the Company lost service revenue and was required to pay penalties in the third
quarter of fiscal 2012, and continues to face class action suits and has received inquiries from consumer protection agencies.
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Risks related to the Company’s ability to sustain the benefits realized from the implementation of its cost optimization
and CORE programs and to continue to realize cost reductions in the future.
As part of the Company’s continuous effort to streamline its operations and increase efficiency, the Company commenced the CORE
program in March 2012, a Company-wide initiative with the objective of improving the Company’s operations. The program
included, among other things, the streamlining of the BlackBerry smartphone product portfolio to offer a smaller number of devices at
any given time, the optimization of the Company’s global manufacturing footprint to reduce complexity and improve delivery
performance, the outsourcing of global repair services, the alignment of the Company’s sales and marketing teams to leverage its
marketing efforts more effectively and a reduction in the number of layers of management to drive accelerated execution and decision
making, improve performance and increase the transparency of accountability.
The CORE program was targeted to drive at least $1.0 billion in savings by the end of fiscal 2013 based on the Company’s fourth
quarter 2012 run rate. As previously announced, the Company was able to achieve savings of approximately $1.0 billion as of its third
quarter of fiscal 2013, one quarter ahead of the target. The savings have been realized through lower material costs, working capital
improvements, greater efficiencies in manufacturing and supply chain management, overall headcount reductions and leveraging
third-party providers to assist in reducing indirect spending.
The Company has incurred significant costs in implementing the Cost Optimization Program and the CORE program, all of which has
had and may continue to have a significant effect on net income. There can be no guarantee that the cost reductions achieved under
either program can be sustained given the competitive nature of the Company’s industry, or that future initiatives designed to reduce
the Company’s spending will be successful or achieve any or all of the results desired or result in the optimal allocation of Company
resources. As part of the Company’s CORE program, the Company has significantly changed the way it manufactures its devices,
including the reduction of EMS partners it uses, the number of locations it manufactures from, how it provides after-market support
services and the suppliers it uses, among other charges to its supply chain, that could result in production delays, quality issues and
customer satisfaction issues which could significantly impact the Company’s future financial results.
The Company’s ability to maintain or increase its cash balance could be adversely affected by its ability to offer
competitive products and services in a timely manner at competitive prices and its ability to collect accounts receivables
in jurisdictions with foreign currency controls.
As of the end of fiscal 2013, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and investments of approximately $2.9 billion with negligible
indebtedness. The Company generates cash from sales of its products and services and investment income to fund its operations and
investments. The Company’s working capital requirements and cash flows historically have been, and are expected to continue to be,
subject to quarterly and yearly fluctuations, depending on such factors as timing and success of new product introductions, levels of
sales, returns on the Company’s investment portfolio, timing of deliveries and collection of receivables, inventory levels, capital
expenditures, operating expenses, and customer and supplier terms and conditions.
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The Company’s ability to maintain or increase its cash flow and working capital could be adversely affected if it is unable to
successfully drive adoption of its next-generation of BlackBerry 10 smartphones, the first of which was available for sale in certain
countries on January 31, 2013. In addition, if the Company fails to accurately predict emerging technological trends and the changing
needs of customers and end users, or the features of its new products and services, including its BlackBerry 10 smartphones, do not
meet the expectations or achieve acceptance of its customers, its cash flow, liquidity and financial condition could be materially
harmed. The Company believes that its liquidity position will be strongly influenced by end user adoption of its BlackBerry 10
smartphones, by the Company’s ability to sustain the benefits and cost savings achieved through its CORE program and by its ability
to mitigate declining revenues from infrastructure access fees.
The Company also conducts business in certain foreign jurisdictions that have legislation or regulations relating to the issuance of
cross border payments in US dollars, or in other currencies that will exit those countries. Examples of these countries with foreign
currency controls are Venezuela and Argentina, among others. The Company actively manages its exposure in these jurisdictions
based on the existing rules and regulations in place. If the rules or regulations relating to the payment of foreign currencies in these or
other countries change or if the countries devalue their currencies compared to other currencies, the Company may not be able to
collect the amounts owing for the delivery of products and services and this would have a negative impact on the Company’s cash
balance.
As of March 2, 2013, the Company has accounts receivables outstanding related to service access fees provided to wireless service
providers in Venezuela. The Company does not sell smartphones or tablets directly into the Venezuelan market, does not have foreign
operations in Venezuela and only invoices its services denominated in United States dollars (“USD”). On February 8, 2013, the
Venezuela government announced that, effective February 13, 2013, its currency, the Venezuelan Bolivar, would be devalued by 32%
of the USD equivalent. As of March 2, 2013, the Company has been successful in collecting its service revenues from wireless
service providers in Venezuela and will continue to closely monitor its efforts in future periods. As a result of the currency
devaluation and given the uncertainty around future changes to the Venezuela leadership, the Company could face additional
challenges in obtaining payment on its receivables if the Venezuela carriers cannot secure governmental approvals to buy and remit
USD for services provided.
If the Company is unable to maintain or increase its cash balance it may be required to raise additional funds through the issuance of
equity, debt or a combination of equity and debt, or may be required to reduce or delay capital expenditures, further reduce costs,
reallocate resources within the Company or consider other alternatives. Access to additional capital may not, however, be available on
terms acceptable to the Company or at all. Furthermore, any future equity offering could be dilutive to existing shareholders and any
drawdown on the Company’s existing credit facility or any future debt financing would require the Company to dedicate a portion of
its cash flow to payments on indebtedness, would require the Company to comply with restrictive covenants or to meet certain
financial tests, and would limit the Company’s flexibility in planning for or reacting to changes in its business. There can be no
assurance that the Company’s strategies will be successful or that it will be able to maintain or increase its cash balance.
The occurrence or perception of a breach of the Company’s security measures or an inappropriate disclosure of
confidential or personal information could harm its business.
The BlackBerry wireless solution frequently involves the transmission of business-critical, proprietary, confidential and personal
information of end users. Like many other companies, the Company has been in the past, and expects to be in the future, the target of
attempts by unauthorized third parties to access such information by breaching security measures that the Company or its partners
have implemented.
Attempts by outside parties to access confidential or personal information of companies or their customers have, unfortunately,
become commonplace. Unauthorized parties can attempt to
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breach a company’s security measures through the actions of outside parties (e.g., hacking or malware) or employee action (e.g.,
error, malfeasance, or otherwise), in an attempt to obtain access to confidential or personal information. Additionally, outside parties
may attempt to fraudulently induce employees, users, partners or customers to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to
confidential or personal information. Third party applications that are downloaded by a user on their BlackBerry smartphone or
BlackBerry PlayBook tablet could also increase the risk of a potential unauthorized access, misuse or misdirection of confidential or
personal information because some applications require access to such information.
If the security measures implemented by the Company or its partners are breached, or perceived to be breached, or if there is an
inappropriate disclosure or misdirection of confidential or personal information, including as a result of a security breach or virus
relating to hardware or software, the Company could be exposed to litigation, potential liability and regulatory sanctions. Even if the
Company was not held liable, a security breach or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or personal information (or the perception
that such a breach has occurred) could materially damage the Company’s reputation, which is built in large measure on the security
and reliability of the BlackBerry wireless solution, and even the perception of security vulnerabilities in the Company’s products or
services could lead some customers, particularly governmental customers, to reduce or delay future purchases or to purchase
competitive products or services.
In addition, the Company may be required to invest additional resources or change its products and services to protect itself against
damage caused by these actual or perceived disruptions or security breaches in the future and these actions may have a detrimental
impact, for example on cost, the user experience or compatibility with third party products and services. Since the techniques used to
obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and often are not recognized until
launched against a target, or may not be identified until a later time, the Company may not be able to anticipate these techniques, to
implement adequate preventative measures or to remedy them in a timely manner. The risk that these types of events could seriously
harm the Company’s business may increase as the Company expands the number of web-based products and services that it offers,
increases the number of countries where the Company operates, and expands its ecosystem to offer third party products and services
in conjunction with its own.
The Company’s future success depends on its continuing ability to attract new personnel and retain existing key
personnel, the loss of any of whom could adversely impact its business.
The Company’s success is largely dependent on its continuing ability to identify, attract, develop, motivate and retain skilled
employees, including members of its executive team. This is particularly the case in emerging markets where the Company does not
have an existing presence. Competition for highly skilled management, technical, research and development and other employees is
intense and increasing in the wireless communications industry. The Company’s restructuring activities (including headcount
reductions relating to its Cost Optimization Program and continuing efforts to streamline its operations and increase efficiency
through its CORE program), the Company’s governance changes, the challenges faced by the Company over the past two fiscal years
relating to delays in new product introductions, loss of market share, the Company’s share price performance (particularly for those
employees for
54
whom equity-based compensation has been a key element of their compensation), the perception of the effects of competition on the
Company’s future prospects, and other factors, may impact the Company’s ability to attract and retain employees. None of the
Company’s executive officers or key employees is bound by an employment agreement for any specific term. The Company does not
maintain key-person life insurance policies on any of its employees. The Company’s restructuring activities and general loss of key
employees could disrupt operations, impair the Company’s ability to compete effectively, impact the Company’s ability to
successfully execute its strategies (including the transition to its next generation BlackBerry 10 smartphones), and affect its ability to
address issues that may arise in the future as a result of a loss of institutional knowledge.
The Company may infringe on the intellectual property rights of others.
The Company’s commercial success depends upon the Company not infringing intellectual property rights owned by others. The
industry in which the Company competes has many participants that own, or claim to own, intellectual property, including
participants that have been issued patents and may have filed patent applications or may obtain additional patents and proprietary
rights for technologies similar to those used by the Company in its products. Some of these patents may grant very broad protection to
the third-party owners of the patents. Patents can be issued very rapidly and there is often a great deal of secrecy surrounding pending
patents. The Company cannot determine with certainty whether any existing third-party patents or the issuance of any new third-party
patents would require the Company to alter its technologies, pay for licenses or cease certain activities.
Third parties have asserted, and in the future may assert, intellectual property infringement claims against the Company and against
its customers and suppliers. The Company may be subject to these types of claims either directly or indirectly through indemnities
against these claims that it provides to certain customers, partners and suppliers. In addition, the Company could be exposed to
financial obligations to a third party, or to the risk of legal action that could impact the salability of the Company’s products, if one of
the Company’s providers of third-party applications or content or other suppliers fails to procure necessary intellectual property
rights. There can be no assurance that the Company’s attempts to negotiate favorable intellectual property indemnities with its
suppliers for infringement of third-party intellectual property rights will be successful or that a supplier’s indemnity will cover all
damages and losses suffered by the Company and its customers, partners and other suppliers due to infringing products, or that the
Company can secure a license, modification or replacement of a supplier’s products with non-infringing products that may otherwise
mitigate such damages and losses.
Many intellectual property infringement claims are brought by entities whose principal business model is to secure patent licensing-
based revenue from operating companies. As such entities do not typically generate their own products or services, the Company
cannot deter their patent infringement claims based on counterclaims that they infringe patents in the Company’s portfolio or by
entering into cross-licensing arrangements. Litigation and claims advanced in the ITC have been and will likely continue to be
necessary to determine the scope, enforceability and validity of third-party proprietary rights or to establish the Company’s
proprietary rights.
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Some of the Company’s competitors have, or are affiliated with companies having, substantially greater resources than the Company
has, and these competitors may be able to sustain the costs of complex intellectual property infringement litigation or other
proceedings to a greater degree and for longer periods of time than the Company can. Regardless of whether third-party claims that
the Company is infringing patents or other intellectual property rights have any merit, these claims could:
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adversely affect the Company’s relationships with its customers;
be time-consuming to evaluate and defend;
result in significant costs to defend the Company in litigation or other proceedings;
result in negative publicity for the Company;
divert management’s attention and resources;
cause product and software shipment delays or stoppages;
subject the Company to significant liabilities;
require the Company to enter into costly royalty or licensing agreements;
require the Company to develop possible workaround solutions that may be costly and disruptive to implement; and
require the Company to cease certain activities or to cease selling its products and services in certain markets.
In addition to being liable for potentially substantial damages relating to a patent or other intellectual property infringement action
against the Company or, in certain circumstances, the Company’s customers with respect to its products and services, the Company
may be prohibited from developing or commercializing certain technologies or products unless the Company obtains a license from
the holder of the patent or other intellectual property rights. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to obtain any
such license on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. If the Company does not obtain such a license, its business, results of
operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected and the Company could be required to cease related business
operations in some markets and restructure its business to focus on continuing operations in other markets.
The Company may not be able to obtain patents or other intellectual property protections necessary to secure its
proprietary technology and products.
The Company’s commercial success depends upon its ability to develop new or improved technologies and products, and to
successfully obtain or acquire patent or other proprietary or statutory protection for these technologies and products in Canada, the
United States and other countries. The Company seeks to patent concepts, components, protocols and other inventions that are
considered to have commercial value or that will likely yield a technological advantage. The Company owns rights to an array of
patented and patent pending technologies relating to wireless communication in the United States, Canada and other countries. The
Company continues to devote significant resources to protecting its proprietary technology. However, the Company may not be able
to continue to develop technology that is patentable, patents may not be issued in connection with the Company’s pending
applications and allowed claims by the Company may not be sufficient to protect its technology. Furthermore, any patents issued
could be challenged, invalidated or circumvented and may not provide proprietary protection or a competitive advantage.
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A number of the Company’s competitors and other third parties have been issued patents, and may have filed patent applications or
may obtain additional patents and proprietary rights, for technologies similar to those that the Company has made or may make in the
future. Public awareness of new technologies often lags behind actual discoveries, making it difficult or impossible to know all the
relevant, third-party patent applications at any particular time. For example, patent applications filed in the United States before
November 29, 2000, and even a small number filed after that date, are maintained in secrecy by the U.S. Patent Office until issued as
patents. Even the majority of applications filed after November 29, 2000 do not become public until 18 months after their first filing.
Consequently, the Company cannot be certain that it was the first to develop the technology covered by its pending patent
applications or that it was the first to file patent applications for the technology. In addition, the disclosure in the Company’s patent
applications may not be sufficient to meet the statutory requirements for patentability in all cases. As a result, there can be no
assurance that the Company’s patent applications will result in patents being issued.
Protection of the rights sought in published patent applications can be costly and uncertain and can involve complex legal and factual
questions. In addition, the laws of certain countries in which the Company’s products are sold or licensed do not protect intellectual
property rights to the same extent as the laws of Canada or the United States. Therefore, the breadth of allowed claims and the scope
of protection provided by the Company’s patents, and their enforceability, cannot be predicted. Even if the Company’s patents are
held to be enforceable, others may be able to design around these patents or develop products similar to the Company’s products that
do not infringe the Company’s patents.
In addition to patents, the Company relies on, among other things, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, confidentiality procedures
and contractual provisions to protect its proprietary rights. While the Company enters into confidentiality and non-disclosure
agreements with its employees, consultants, contract manufacturers, customers, potential customers and others to attempt to limit
access to and distribution of proprietary and confidential information, it is possible that:
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some or all of its confidentiality agreements will not be honored;
third parties will independently develop equivalent technology or misappropriate the Company’s technology or designs;
disputes will arise with the Company’s strategic partners, customers or others concerning the ownership of intellectual
property;
unauthorized disclosure or use of the Company’s intellectual property, including source code, know-how or trade secrets
will occur; or
contractual provisions may not be enforceable.
There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in protecting its intellectual property rights.
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The Company may not be successful in expanding or managing its BlackBerry World applications catalogue.
BlackBerry World, the Company’s comprehensive electronic content distribution platform, is available to customers in over 100
markets globally, with other markets to follow. The continued expansion of the catalogue of applications and other content on
BlackBerry World is an important element of the Company’s successful transition to its next-generation BlackBerry 10 smartphones
the success of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, and requires a substantial investment of internal resources for development of the
infrastructure, improvement of developer and consumer interfaces and advertising costs.
Decisions by customers to purchase the Company’s products are becoming increasingly based on the availability of top-rated third-
party software applications. The Company is dependent on third-party software developers to provide access to and develop content,
including applications, and services to enhance the user experience and maintain competitiveness and differentiation of BlackBerry
products in the marketplace. The availability and development of these applications and services will depend, in part, on perceptions
of the third-party software developers of the relative benefits of developing software for the Company’s products rather than or in
addition to those of its competitors, which may be adversely affected by further losses of market share, delays in the launch of
BlackBerry 10 smartphones in additional markets, and perceptions regarding the ability of the BlackBerry 10 smartphones and related
products to compete successfully in the wireless communications industry. The Company may not be successful in convincing
existing BlackBerry developers to develop additional applications or new developers to develop applications for the catalogue. Some
developers who have significant relationships with the Company’s competitors may be unwilling to develop applications for
BlackBerry products without valuable incentives from the Company, or at all. In addition, if the Company develops its own software
applications and services, such development may negatively affect the decisions of third-party developers to develop, maintain, and
upgrade similar or competitive applications. The loss of, or inability to maintain these relationships may affect the desirability of the
Company’s products and, hence, the Company’s revenue from the sale of its products, particularly to consumers. If the Company is
unable to successfully expand and manage the BlackBerry World applications catalogue, the success of the Company’s BlackBerry
10 smartphones and future products and services may be materially and adversely affected.
An expansion of the Company’s online commercial presence may also require significant additional investment in security measures
to protect the transmission of confidential data, including payment information, and to augment protection for the Company’s servers
and network. Any failure by the Company to implement adequate measures around security of payments, or security of confidential
or personal information of the end users of the Company’s products, could result in regulatory enforcement or potential litigation and
have a detrimental impact on the BlackBerry brand and the Company’s reputation. For example, failure by the Company to comply
with applicable laws, regulations and practices imposed or supported by the payment card industry relating to the security of
payments could result in sanctions by individual card providers (including prohibiting the Company from processing a card provider’s
card), regulatory sanctions, fines or litigation under applicable privacy laws or reputational damage. Applications may also require an
interface with third parties over which the Company has no control. If necessary third-party interfaces are not available to support the
applications, the Company may lose market share, and its business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely
affected.
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The collection, storage, transmission, use and disclosure of user data and personal information could give rise to
liabilities or additional costs as a result of laws, governmental regulations and carrier and other customer requirements
or differing views of personal privacy rights.
The Company transmits and stores a large volume of data, including personal information, in the course of supporting its BlackBerry
wireless solution. This information is increasingly subject to legislation and regulations in numerous jurisdictions around the world
that is intended to protect the privacy and security of personal information as well as the collection, storage, transmission, use and
disclosure of such information. In addition, a number of leading companies in the mobile communications industry, including the
Company, have agreed to privacy principles designed to prompt third-party application developers to conspicuously post privacy
policies with their applications.
The interpretation of privacy and data protection laws, and their application to the Internet and mobile communications, in a number
of jurisdictions is unclear and in a state of flux. There is a risk that these laws may be interpreted and applied in conflicting ways from
country to country and in a manner that is not consistent with the Company’s current data protection practices. Complying with these
varying international requirements could cause the Company to incur additional costs and change the Company’s business practices.
In addition, because the Company’s services are accessible worldwide, certain foreign jurisdictions may claim that the Company is
required to comply with their laws, even where the Company has no local entity, employees, or infrastructure.
The Company could be adversely affected if legislation or regulations are expanded to require changes in its business practices, if
governmental authorities in the jurisdictions in which the Company does business interpret or implement their legislation or
regulations in ways that negatively affect its business or if end users allege that their personal information is not collected, stored,
transmitted, used or disclosed appropriately or in accordance with the Company’s end user agreements and privacy policies or
applicable privacy and data protection laws. If the Company is required to allocate significant resources to modify its BlackBerry
wireless solution or its existing security procedures for the personal information that its transmits and stores, its business, results of
operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.
The Company’s network carriers or other customers, partners or members of its ecosystem may also have differing expectations or
impose particular requirements for the collection, storage, processing and transmittal of user data or personal information in
connection with the BlackBerry wireless solution. Such expectations or requirements could subject the Company to additional costs,
liabilities or negative publicity, and limit its future growth. In addition, governmental authorities may use the Company’s products to
access the personal data of individuals without Company’s involvement, for example, through so-called lawful intercept capability of
network infrastructure. Even perceptions that the Company’s products do not adequately protect users’ privacy or data collected by
Company, made available to Company or stored in or through the Company’s products or that they are being used by third parties to
access personal or consumer data could impair the Company’s sales or its reputation and brand value.
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In addition, laws in various countries relating to the liability of providers of online services for activities of their users and other third
parties are currently being tested by a number of claims, which include actions for invasion of privacy, libel, slander, and other tort
claims, unlawful activity, copyright and trademark infringement, and other theories based on the nature and content of the materials
searched, the ads posted, or the content generated by users. Certain jurisdictions are also testing the liability of providers of online
services for activities of their users and other third parties. Any court ruling that imposes liability on providers of online services for
activities of their users and other third parties could harm the Company’s business.
Certain governments are also imposing requirements for the filtering of content available to end users. These requirements vary
across varying jurisdictions and compliance with these requirements may be costly. Conversely, a failure to comply could result in
adverse publicity, a ban on the Company’s products and services as well as other regulatory sanctions.
The Company faces substantial inventory and other asset risk.
As the Company develops or announces new products and services, many of its older products and services will reach the end of their
life cycle. In addition, the Company may decide or may be required to discontinue sales of certain products or services, or not pursue
the development of certain products or services, as a result of such factors as expected demand, lower than expected sales, litigation
or government action. As the Company discontinues the manufacturing and sale of these products and services, the Company must
manage the liquidation of inventory, supplier commitments and customer expectations. In addition, the Company records a write-
down for product and component inventories that have become obsolete, can no longer be sold or exceed anticipated demand or net
realizable value, and accrues necessary cancellation fee reserves for orders of excess products and components. The Company also
reviews its long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changed circumstances indicate the carrying amount of an asset may
not be recoverable. If the Company determines that impairment has occurred, it records a write-down equal to the amount by which
the carrying value of the assets exceeds its fair market value. The Company’s financial condition and results of operations could be
materially and adversely affected in the future by the Company’s ability to manage its inventory levels and respond to short-term
shifts in customer demand patterns. No assurance can be given that the Company will not incur additional related charges with respect
to its existing or future products given the rapid and unpredictable pace of product obsolescence in the industries in which the
Company competes.
The Company must order components for its products and build inventory in advance of product announcements and shipments.
Components are normally acquired through a combination of purchase orders, supplier contracts, open orders and, where appropriate,
prepayments, in each case based on projected demand. Because the Company’s markets are volatile, competitive and subject to rapid
technology and price changes, there is a risk the Company will forecast incorrectly and order or produce excess or insufficient
inventories of components or products. The BlackBerry 10 launch in particular has required the Company to significantly increase its
component orders in order to meet the estimated anticipated demand for the new smartphones. Additional complexity and uncertainty
exists with the forecasting of the BlackBerry 10 product launch, which is based on the introduction of a new technology platform.
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The Company relies on its suppliers to supply functional components and is exposed to the risks that these suppliers will
not supply components on a timely basis or of the desired quality; if the Company’s sales volumes decrease or do not
reach projected targets, it may face increased costs that could make its products less competitive.
The Company’s manufacturing activity depends on obtaining adequate supplies of functional components, such as displays, semi-
conductors, batteries, printed circuit boards, plastics, tooling equipment and memory, on a timely basis. The Company purchases
components and licenses certain software used in the manufacture and operation of its products from a variety of sources. Some
components, including custom components, come from sole source suppliers. Some components are also becoming supply
constrained, in part due to the continuing convergence of the mobile communication industry and computer industry, and increased
competition. Some of the Company’s competitors have greater name recognition, larger customer bases and significantly greater
financial, sales, distribution and other resources and may receive preferential treatment from suppliers through allocations of scarce
components or lower pricing. Due to increased demand for electronic components, electronic component manufacturers are
experiencing shortages of certain components including displays and memory components. Certain key components such as displays
and memory are also subject to significant commodity price fluctuations. From time to time, the shortage and allocation of
components by electronic manufacturers have resulted in increased costs to the Company and delays in the Company’s suppliers
filling orders, and the Company may rely on these sources to meet the Company’s needs. Alternative sources of supply are not always
available. Moreover, the Company depends on, but has limited control over, the quality and reliability of the products supplied or
licensed to the Company. If the Company cannot manufacture and supply products due to a lack of components, or is unable to
redesign products using other components in a timely manner, the Company’s sales and operating results could be adversely affected.
A supplier could also increase pricing, discontinue or restrict supplying components or licensing software to the Company with or
without penalty. If a supplier discontinued or restricted supplying a component or licensing software, the Company’s sales and
operating results could be adversely affected by the resulting product manufacturing and delivery delays. In addition, if a component
supplier failed to meet the Company’s supplier standards, such as the Company’s product quality standards, and as a consequence
some of its products were unacceptable to the Company, the Company’s sales and operating results could be adversely affected. A
supplier could also file for bankruptcy or experience damage or interruption in its operations due to fire, earthquake, power loss, labor
disruptions, telecommunications or computer systems failure, the effects of the current economic downturn, human error, terrorist
acts, war or other events, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial
condition.
The Company generally uses rolling forecasts based on anticipated product orders to determine component requirements. Lead times
for materials and components vary significantly and depend on factors such as specific supplier requirements, contract terms, rapid
changes in technology, and current market demand for particular components. If the Company overestimates its component
requirements based on anticipated demand for its products, it may result in excess inventory,
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which would increase the risk of obsolescence, and financial penalties based on minimum volume commitments, which would
increase the manufacturing costs per unit of the Company’s products. If the Company underestimates component requirements, it may
have inadequate inventory, which could interrupt manufacturing operations and delay delivery of products. Any of these occurrences
could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.
The Company has negotiated favorable pricing terms with many of its suppliers, some of which have volume-based pricing. In the
case of volume-based pricing arrangements, the Company may experience higher than anticipated costs if current volume-based
purchase projections are not met. Some contracts have minimum purchase commitments and the Company may incur large financial
penalties or increased production costs if these commitments are not met. The BlackBerry 10 launch in particular has required the
Company to significantly increase its component orders in order to meet the estimated anticipated demand for the new smartphones.
Additional complexity and uncertainty exists with the forecasting of the BlackBerry 10 product launch, which is based on the
introduction of a new technology platform. The Company may also have unused production capacity if its current volume projections
are not met, increasing the Company’s production cost per unit. In addition, some contracts require the Company to agree to a flat fee
regardless of volumes, which can result in higher unit costs than anticipated if demand is lower than anticipated. In the future, as the
Company establishes new pricing terms, reduced demand for any of its products and services could negatively impact future pricing
from suppliers. Any of these outcomes may result in the Company’s products being more costly to manufacture and less competitive,
which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.
The Company may not be able to obtain rights to use software or components supplied by third parties.
The Company licenses certain software used in its products and operations from third parties, generally on a nonexclusive basis, and
the Company uses components from suppliers that are reliant on intellectual property used by such suppliers. The termination of any
of these licenses, or the failure of these licensors or suppliers to adequately maintain, protect or update their software or intellectual
property rights, could delay the Company’s ability to ship its products while the Company seeks to implement alternative technology
offered by other sources and could require significant unplanned investments on the Company’s part if the Company is forced to
develop alternative technology internally. In addition, alternative technology may not be available on commercially reasonable terms
from other sources. The Company has not entered into source code escrow agreements with every software supplier or third party
licensor. In the future, it may be necessary or desirable to obtain other third-party technology licenses relating to one or more of the
Company’s products or relating to current or future technologies to enhance the Company’s product offerings. The Company may not
be able to obtain licensing rights to the needed technology or components on commercially reasonable terms, if at all.
The Company’s business depends on a strong brand, and failing to maintain and enhance our brand would hurt our
ability to expand our base of users, customers and partners.
The brand identity that the Company has developed has significantly contributed to the success of its business. Maintaining and
enhancing the “BlackBerry” brand is critical to expanding the
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Company’s base of users, customers and partners. The Company believes that the importance of brand recognition will increase due
to the relatively low barriers to entry in the wireless communications industry. On January 30, 2013, the Company announced its
intention to adopt the name of its revolutionary BlackBerry product line to coincide with the launch of its new mobile computing
platform, BlackBerry 10. The move consolidates the Company’s brand into a single cohesive global presence. The corporate name of
the Company has not changed and the Company will do business as BlackBerry pending shareholder approval of the new corporate
name at the Company’s Annual General and Special Meeting in July 2013. The Company also plans to make significant
investmentsin marketing in cooperation with its U.S. carrier partners and its other global customers to promote and support the launch
of BlackBerry 10. The “BlackBerry” brand may be negatively impacted by a number of factors, including service outages, product
malfunctions, product performance not meeting expectations, a user experience which does not compare to that of the Company’s
competitors, data privacy and security issues, and perceptions of the value and future success of the Company’s products and services.
If the Company fails to maintain and enhance the “BlackBerry” brand, or if the Company incurs excessive expenses in this effort, the
Company’s business, results of operations, and financial condition will be materially and adversely affected.
The Company is subject to risks inherent in foreign operations.
Sales outside North America represented approximately 74% of the Company’s revenue in fiscal 2013 compared to 78% in fiscal
2012. The North American market, particularly the United States, has become increasingly competitive and the Company intends to
continue to pursue international market growth opportunities, such that international sales are likely to continue, at least in the near
future, to account for a significant portion of the Company’s revenue. The Company has committed, and intends to commit,
significant resources to its international operations and sales and marketing activities. The Company maintains offices in a number of
foreign jurisdictions, and expects to open additional offices in other countries. The Company has limited experience conducting
business in some of these jurisdictions outside of North America, and it may not be aware of all the factors that may affect its
business in foreign jurisdictions. The Company will be subject to a number of risks associated with its expanding international
business operations and sales and marketing activities that may increase liability, costs, lengthen sales cycles and require significant
management attention. These risks include:
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compliance with the laws of the United States, Canada and other countries that apply to the Company’s international
operations, including import and export legislation, lawful access and privacy laws (as discussed further below);
compliance with existing and emerging anti-corruption laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of the United
States, the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act of Canada and the UK Bribery Act;
increased reliance on third parties to establish and maintain foreign operations;
the complexities and expense of administering a business abroad;
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complications in compliance with, and unexpected changes in, foreign regulatory requirements, including requirements
relating to content filtering and requests from law enforcement authorities;
trading and investment policies;
consumer protection laws that impose additional obligations on the Company or restrict the Company’s ability to provide
limited warranty protection;
instability in economic or political conditions, including inflation, recession and actual or anticipated military conflicts,
social upheaval or political uncertainty;
foreign currency fluctuations;
foreign exchange controls and cash repatriation restrictions;
tariffs and other trade barriers;
difficulties in collecting accounts receivable;
potential adverse tax consequences;
uncertainties of laws and enforcement relating to the protection of intellectual property or secured technology;
litigation in foreign court systems;
unauthorized copying or use of the Company’s intellectual property, including software, know-how or trade secrets;
cultural and language differences;
difficulty in managing a geographically dispersed workforce in compliance with local laws and customs that vary from
country to country; and
other factors, depending upon the country involved.
There can be no assurance the policies and procedures implemented by the Company to address or mitigate these risks will be
successful, that Company personnel will comply with them or that the Company will not experience these factors in the future or that
they will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.
The Company is subject to government laws, regulations, orders, policies and restrictions, including on the sale of
products and services that use encryption technology.
Regulatory initiatives throughout the world can also create new and unforeseen regulatory obligations on the Company, its products
and services. Government regulations applicable to the
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Company’s products and services may provide opportunities for competitors or limit industry growth. For example, a change to the
regulatory classification of the Company’s products and services, such as content, taxation, and licensing requirements, could place
regulatory obligations commonly reserved for licensed telecommunications carriers or broadcasters on the Company. The impact of
these potential obligations vary based on the jurisdiction, but any such changes could impact whether the Company enters, maintains
or expands its presence in a particular market, and whether the Company must dedicate additional resources to comply with these
obligations.
Various countries have enacted laws and regulations, adopted controls, license or permit requirements, and restrictions on the export,
import, and use of products or services that contain encryption technology. In addition, from time to time, governmental agencies
have proposed additional requirements for encryption technology, such as requiring the escrow and governmental recovery of private
encryption keys. Restrictions on the sale or distribution of products or services containing encryption technology may prevent the
Company from selling or distributing the BlackBerry wireless solution in certain markets or may require the Company to make
changes to the encryption technology that is embedded in its products or services to comply with such restrictions. Government
restrictions, or changes to the Company’s products or services to comply with such restrictions, could delay or prevent the acceptance
and use of the Company’s products and services. Likewise, restrictions or perceived restrictions may adversely affect the marketing
and sales resources that network carriers and distributors may dedicate to the Company’s products and services.
Some of the Company’s competitors do not have the same level of encryption in their technology and some competitors may be
subject to less stringent controls on the export, import, and use of encryption technologies in certain markets. Also, several countries
have adopted legislation authorizing the circumvention of encryption measures in limited circumstances. These legislative provisions
could potentially be used by competitors to attempt to reverse engineer or find vulnerabilities in the Company’s products and services.
As a result, these competitors may be able to compete more effectively than the Company can in those markets. In addition, the
United States, Canada and other countries have imposed export controls that prohibit the export of encryption technology to certain
countries, entities and individuals. The Company’s failure to comply with export, import, and use laws and regulations concerning
encryption technology could subject the Company to sanctions and penalties, including fines, and suspension or revocation of export
or import privileges.
In addition, governments are increasingly imposing requirements on entities like the Company to facilitate controls over the content
that users have access to on their mobile devices. Examples include content filtering laws or laws designed to prevent a company’s
products or services from being used to infringe third party intellectual property such as copyright in artistic performances. Also,
numerous jurisdictions impose content filtering requirements to prevent access to content deemed restricted based on the norms and
laws of that particular jurisdiction. Furthermore, the Company may be required to pay copyright levies on products and services used
by consumers to copy or stream copyrighted works. Non-compliance with these legal requirements could result in fines,
imprisonment of local executives, and sanctions on the import and/or use of the Company’s products or services.
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In addition, restrictions on payments originating from certain countries that the Company conducts business in, such as Venezuela and
Argentina among others, may impact the timing or amount of money owed to the Company.
Certain members of the Company’s Board of Directors and management have recently changed, and the failure by the
Company to successfully adapt to these changes may adversely affect the Company’s business.
The Company has experienced a number of recent changes to its Board of Directors and management, including the appointment of
two new directors and the retirement of the Company’s Chief Information Officer, as well as other changes. In addition, in fiscal
2013, the Company hired a new Chief Operating Officer, a Chief Legal Officer and a Chief Marketing Officer. The Company’s
success depends on its ability to successfully adapt to these changes, to effectively integrate the Company’s new management team,
and to implement the strategies and achieve the goals outlined by the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. If the
Company’s Board and management team are unable to accomplish these business objectives, the Company’s ability to grow its
business and successfully meet its challenges could be adversely affected.
The Company’s business relies on its strategic alliances and relationships with third-party network infrastructure
developers, software platform vendors and service platform vendors.
The Company relies on wireless network infrastructure developers for access to emerging wireless data protocols. In addition, the
Company’s business is dependent on the development, deployment and maintenance by third parties of their wireless infrastructure
and on their sales of products and services that use the Company’s products. Market acceptance of the Company’s products also
depends on support from third-party software developers and the marketing efforts of value added resellers, Internet service providers
and computer manufacturers and distributors. The loss of, or inability to maintain, any of these relationships, or the failure of such
third parties to execute or effectively manage their own business plans, could result in delays or reductions in product shipments,
which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.
The Company has designed BES to be used with Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise. The functionality
of BlackBerry smartphones sold to corporate customers will depend on continued growth in the number of businesses that adopt
Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise as their email and server solutions. If the number of businesses that
adopt these platforms fails to grow or grows more slowly than the Company currently expects, or if Microsoft, IBM or Novell
discontinue products, delay or fail to release new or enhanced products, or announce new incompatible products or versions of
existing products, the Company’s revenues from BlackBerry enterprise customers could be materially adversely affected.
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The Company relies upon third parties to manufacture and repair its products and it is exposed to the risk that these
third parties may not be able to satisfy its manufacturing needs and repairs on a timely basis or to an appropriate
quality standard.
The Company outsources the majority of the manufacturing and repair of its products to third parties. The resources devoted by these
third parties to meet the Company’s manufacturing and repair requirements is not within the Company’s control and there can be no
assurance that manufacturing or repair problems will not occur in the future. Third party manufacturers, or other third parties to which
such third party manufacturers in turn outsource the Company’s manufacturing requirements, may not be able to satisfy the
Company’s manufacturing requirements on a timely basis, including by failing to meet scheduled production and delivery deadlines
or to meet the product quality requirements of the Company and its customers. Insufficient supply or an interruption or stoppage of
supply from such third party manufacturers or the Company’s inability to obtain additional or substitute manufacturers when and if
needed, and on a cost-effective basis, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and
financial condition.
The Company’s reliance on outsourcing its manufacturing requirements to third parties may involve a number of other risks,
including:
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an inability to obtain adequate manufacturing capacity and reduced control over delivery schedules and costs;
concerns regarding quality control, including in foreign jurisdictions where maintaining the integrity of the control
systems implemented by the Company may be more difficult to monitor and manage;
reduced control over the Company’s intellectual property;
increased risk of counterfeit and fraudulent activities giving rise to the availability of unauthorized devices; and
early termination of, or failure to renew, contractual arrangements.
The Company has its own production facility focused on new product introduction manufacturing and related manufacturing
processes. If the Company fails to effectively manage its manufacturing and manufacturing processes so that its products are
manufactured to meet quality standards, third party manufacturing may be adversely affected. The Company may experience
difficulties in increasing or decreasing production at third party facilities, implementing new processes and finding the most effective
and timely way to develop the best solutions to meet the technical requirements of its customers and of regulatory authorities. These
difficulties may increase as the Company continues to develop increasingly sophisticated products.
Defects in the Company’s products and services can be difficult to detect and remedy. If defects occur, they could have a
material adverse effect on the Company’s business.
The Company’s products and services are highly complex and sophisticated and may contain design defects, errors or security
vulnerabilities that are difficult to detect and correct. Design defects, errors or vulnerabilities may be found in products or services
after commencement of commercial shipments or provision of such services and, if discovered, the Company may not be able to
successfully correct such defects, errors or vulnerabilities in a timely manner or at all. The occurrence of defects, errors or
vulnerabilities in the Company’s products or services could result in the loss of or delay in customer or end user acceptance of its
products or services and may harm the Company’s reputation, and correcting such defects, errors or vulnerabilities in its products or
services could require significant expenditures by the Company, involving cost or time and effort of Company personnel.
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As the Company’s products are integrated into its customers’ networks and equipment, are used with third party applications and are
used to deliver confidential or personal information, the sale and support of these products and services may entail the risk of liability
due to product liability, warranty or other claims tied to the security of data. In addition, the failure of the Company’s products or
services to perform to end user expectations could give rise to product liability claims and warranty claims. The consequences of any
such defects, errors, vulnerabilities and claims could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations
and financial condition.
In some cases, if design defects, errors or vulnerabilities affect a product’s safety or regulatory compliance, then such product may
need to be recalled. Depending on the nature of the defect and the number of products, the Company may be forced to incur
substantial recall costs, in addition to the costs associated with the potential loss of future orders and the damage to the Company’s
reputation. Recalls involving regulatory agencies could also result in fines and additional costs. Finally, recalls could result in third-
party litigation, including class action litigation by persons alleging common harm resulting from the purchase of the Company’s
products.
The Company is subject to general commercial litigation, class action and other litigation claims as part of its operations,
and it could suffer significant litigation expenses in defending these claims and could be subject to significant damage
awards or other remedies.
In the course of its business, the Company receives general commercial claims related to the conduct of its business and the
performance of its products and services, employment claims and other litigation claims, which may potentially include claims
relating to improper use of or access to personal data. For example, as a result of the service interruption that occurred in October
2011, the Company is facing class action suits and has received inquiries from consumer protection agencies. Litigation resulting
from these claims could be costly and time-consuming and could divert the attention of management and key personnel from the
Company’s business operations. The complexity of the technology involved and the inherent uncertainty of commercial, class action,
employment and other litigation increases these risks. In recognition of these considerations, the Company may enter into material
settlements. If the Company is unsuccessful in its defense of material litigation claims or is unable to settle the claims, the Company
may be faced with significant monetary damages or injunctive relief against it that could have a material adverse effect on the
Company’s business, BlackBerry brand, results of operations and financial condition. Administrative or regulatory actions against the
Company or its employees could also have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, BlackBerry brand, results of
operations and financial condition.
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Risk associated with litigation claims against the Company arising from the Company’s practice of providing forward-
looking guidance to its shareholders with respect to certain financial metrics, including the Company’s practice of
updating previous guidance where circumstances warrant.
On March 29, 2012, the Company announced that it will no longer provide specific, forward-looking quantitative guidance. However,
the Company remains committed to providing a high level of disclosure and transparency and will continue to provide commentary
that highlights the trends and uncertainties that the Company anticipates. Any statements that are forward-looking statements are
intended to enable the Company’s shareholders to view the anticipated performance and prospects of the Company from
management’s perspective at the time such statements are made, and they are subject to the risks that are inherent in all forward-
looking statements, as described in this Annual Information Form under “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements”
and “Risk Factors”. These forward-looking statements are made by the Company in light of its experience, its perception of historical
and anticipated business trends, existing conditions in the business at the time and anticipated future developments, including
competition and new product initiatives and expected timing, as well as the Company’s current assessments of the risk factors that
affect its business and the likely success of mitigation strategies relating to such factors. These forward-looking statements are subject
to the inherent risk of difficulties in forecasting the Company’s financial results for future periods, particularly over longer periods,
given the rapid technological changes, evolving industry standards, intense competition and short product life cycles that characterize
the wireless communications industry.
Given the dynamics of the wireless communications industry, the Company’s financial results may not follow any past trends. In
particular, the Company’s entry into new markets or changes to the Company’s technology, such as its transition to the BlackBerry 10
mobile computing platform, can increase the difficulty of forecasting financial results. Significant unanticipated sales and marketing,
R&D, IT, professional and other costs, writedowns and impairment charges may be incurred or take place in a single quarter, which
can affect results. Additionally, many of the Company’s products are, among other things, subject to long development, new product
approval and certification, and sales cycles. In addition, the Company is engaged in an industry that is highly competitive and rapidly
evolving, and has experienced, and expects to continue to experience, intense competition from a number of companies. As a result, if
expected revenues are not realized as anticipated, if new product introductions are delayed or are not as well received by the market as
anticipated, or if operating expenses are higher than expected, the Company’s actual financial results could be materially adversely
affected. These factors can make it difficult to predict the Company’s financial results. Consequently, actual results may differ
materially from those expressed or implied by the Company’s forward-looking statements and may not meet the expectations of
analysts or investors, which can contribute to the volatility of the market price of the Company’s common shares. Despite the
Company’s cautions in each earnings release, earnings conference call and securities filing that contains forward-looking statements
that the risks relating to such statements should be considered carefully and that shareholders should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements, if results expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements are not realized, or the Company
updates its forward-looking statements at a later time, the Company may nevertheless be subject to potential securities litigation or
enforcement action.
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Between May and August 2011, several purported class action lawsuits were filed against the Company and certain of its current and
former officers in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, two of which have been voluntarily dismissed. The
plaintiffs have alleged that during the period from December 16, 2010 through June 16, 2011, the defendants made materially false
and misleading statements regarding the Company’s financial condition and business prospects, and seek unspecified damages.
Regardless of the Company’s views of the merits of this action or any similar actions that may be filed against the Company,
securities litigation is costly, time-consuming and may be unpredictable, and could divert the attention of management and key
personnel from the Company’s business operations. If the Company is unsuccessful in its defense of securities litigation claims or is
unable to settle the claims, the Company may be faced with significant monetary damages that could have a material adverse effect on
the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition. Administrative or regulatory actions against the Company or
its employees could also have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.
The Company may be required to record intangible asset impairment charges, which could adversely impact the
Company’s financial results
Under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”), the Company reviews its intangible assets for
impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable.
As at March 2, 2013, the Company’s long lived assets had a carrying value of approximately $5.8 billion. The assets represent items
such as the Company’s network infrastructure, owned office buildings and certain intellectual property, among others. The current
macroeconomic environment and competitive dynamics continue to be challenging to the Company’s business and the Company
cannot be certain of the duration of these conditions and their potential impact on the Company’s ability to generate sufficient cash
flows to fully recover the current carrying value of these assets. If it is determined that sufficient future cash flows do not exist to
support the current carrying value, the Company will be required to record an impairment charge for long lived assets in order to
adjust the value of these assets to the newly established estimated value.
Under GAAP, the Company is also required to evaluate its goodwill balance, if any, for impairment when events or changes in
circumstances indicate the carrying value may exceed its estimated fair value. The determination of fair values requires assumptions
and estimates of many critical factors, including, but not limited to: expected results of operations; macroeconomic conditions; the
Company’s share price and market capitalization; industry analyst expectations; control premiums; and the discount rates used in a
discounted cash flow analysis.
In the first quarter of fiscal 2013, the Company performed a goodwill impairment analysis and concluded that impairment existed.
Based on the results of that test, the Company recorded a goodwill impairment of $335 million and reported this amount as a separate
line item in its consolidated statements of operations.
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The Company’s business could be negatively affected as a result of actions of activist shareholders.
Publicly-traded companies have increasingly become subject to campaigns by investors seeking to advocate certain governance
changes or corporate actions such as financial restructuring, special dividends, share repurchases or even sales of assets or the entire
company. Activist shareholders have publicly advocated for certain governance and strategic changes at the Company in the past, and
the Company could be subject to additional shareholder activity or demands in the future. Given the challenges the Company has
encountered in its business in recent years, recent changes to the Company’s governance and strategic focus may not satisfy such
shareholders who may attempt to promote or effect further changes, or acquire control over the Company. Responding to proxy
contests, media campaigns and other actions by activist shareholders would be costly and time-consuming, disrupt the Company’s
operations and would divert the attention of the Company’s Board of Directors and senior management from the pursuit of its
business strategies, particularly its transition to the new BlackBerry 10 platform, which could adversely affect the Company’s results
of operations, financial condition and prospects. If individuals are elected to the Company’s Board of Directors with a specific agenda
to increase short-term shareholder value, it may adversely affect or undermine the Company’s ability to effectively implement the
Company’s plans. Perceived uncertainties as to the Company’s future direction as a result of shareholder activism could also result in
the loss of potential business opportunities, and may make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel and business
partners, to the detriment of the Company.
Government regulation of wireless spectrum and radio frequencies may provide opportunities for competitors or limit
industry growth.
The allocation of radio frequencies around the world is regulated by government bodies and there is limited spectrum available for
use in the delivery of wireless services. If there is insufficient spectrum allocated to the delivery of wireless communications services,
the Company’s growth and financial performance could be adversely impacted. In addition, deregulation of spectrum may allow new
wireless technologies to become viable, which could offer competition to the Company’s products and services. The Company
expects this risk will become increasingly significant as the Company endeavors to enter new foreign markets.
Reduced spending by customers due to the uncertainty of economic and geopolitical conditions may negatively affect the
Company.
Many of the end users of the BlackBerry wireless solution are directly affected by the current economic and geopolitical conditions
affecting the broader market. A slowdown in capital spending by end users of the Company’s products and services, coupled with
existing economic and geopolitical uncertainties globally and in the financial services or legal markets in particular, could
substantially reduce the demand for the Company’s products and services and adversely affect the Company’s business, results of
operations and financial condition.
Current and future conditions in the domestic and global economies remain uncertain, and it is difficult to estimate the level of
economic activity for the economy as a whole. It is even more difficult to estimate growth in various parts of the economy, including
the markets in which the
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Company participates. Because all components of the Company’s budgeting and forecasting are dependent upon estimates of
economic activity in the markets that the Company serves and demand for its products and services, economic uncertainties make it
difficult to estimate future income and expenditures.
Economic or geopolitical uncertainties may cause end users to reduce their IT budgets or reduce or cancel orders for the Company’s
products and services. For example, many end users of the BlackBerry wireless solution may not upgrade their devices or may
postpone the replacement of their devices or the purchase of their first device, or may purchase less costly products and services
offered by the Company’s competitors due to more limited financial resources or out of concern for economic uncertainty. Network
carriers may further reduce device subsidies that they offer to end users or attempt to extend the periods of contracts that obligate end
users to use a certain device. Any such developments could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, results of
operations and financial condition.
In addition, acts of terrorism and the outbreak of hostilities and armed conflicts within or between countries have created and may
continue to create uncertainties that may affect the global economy and could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s
business, results of operations and financial condition.
Acquisitions, divestitures, investments and other business initiatives may negatively affect the Company’s results of
operations.
The Company has acquired, and continues to seek out opportunities to acquire or invest in, businesses, assets, products, services and
technologies that expand, complement or are otherwise related to the Company’s business or provide opportunities for growth. These
activities create risks such as the need to integrate and manage the businesses, personnel, and products acquired with the business,
personnel and products of the Company, the challenges in achieving strategic objectives, cost savings and other benefits from
acquisitions, the potential loss of key employees of the acquired business at the time of the acquisition or upon the termination of their
non-compete covenants or obligations, additional demands on the Company’s management, resources, systems, procedures and
controls, disruption of the Company’s ongoing business, and diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns. Such
acquisitions, investments or other business collaborations may involve significant commitments of financial and other resources of
the Company. An acquisition may have an adverse effect on the Company’s cash position if all or a portion of the purchase price is
paid in cash, and common shares issuable in an acquisition would dilute the percentage ownership of the Company’s existing
shareholders. Any such activity may not be successful in generating revenue, income or other returns to the Company, and the
financial or other resources committed to such activities will not be available to the Company for other purposes. In addition, the
acquisitions may involve unanticipated costs and liabilities, including possible litigation and new or increased regulatory exposure,
that are not covered by the indemnity or escrow provisions, if any, of the acquisition agreement.
As business circumstances dictate, the Company may also decide to divest itself of assets or businesses. For example, in fiscal 2013,
the Company divested NewBay Software Limited, an entity that the Company had acquired in November 2011. The Company has
only limited
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experience with sales of assets or businesses and may not be successful in identifying or managing the risks involved in any
divestiture, including its ability to obtain a reasonable purchase price for the assets, potential liabilities that may continue to apply to
the Company following the divestiture, potential tax implications, employee issues or other matters. The Company’s inability to
address these risks could adversely affect the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.
The Company is exposed to fluctuations in foreign currencies.
The Company is exposed to foreign exchange risk as a result of transactions in currencies other than its U.S. dollar functional
currency. The majority of the Company’s revenue and purchases of raw materials are denominated in U.S. dollars. However, some
revenue, a substantial portion of operating costs, including salaries and manufacturing overhead, as well as capital expenditures, are
incurred in other currencies, primarily Canadian dollars, Euros and British Pounds. If the Canadian dollar appreciates relative to the
U.S. dollar, the Company’s Canadian dollar denominated expenses will increase when converted to U.S. dollars for financial
reporting purposes. If the Euro depreciates relative to the U.S. dollar, the Company’s Euro denominated revenues will decrease when
translated to U.S. dollars for financial reporting purposes. Foreign exchange rate fluctuations may materially affect the Company’s
results of operations in future periods. For more details, please refer to the discussion of foreign exchange and income taxes in
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013.
The Company is subject to regulation and certification risks that could negatively affect its business, and is also subject
to allegations of possible health or other risks relating to the use or misuse of the Company’s products, or lawsuits and
publicity related to such allegations.
The Company must comply with a variety of laws, standards and other requirements governing, among other things, health and
safety, hazardous materials usage, packaging and environmental matters, and its products must obtain regulatory approvals and satisfy
other regulatory concerns in the various jurisdictions in which they are manufactured or sold. For example, the Company’s products
must be approved by the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) before they can be used in commercial quantities in the
United States. The FCC requires that access devices meet various standards, including safety standards with respect to human
exposure to electromagnetic radiation and basic signal leakage. Regulatory requirements in Canada, Europe, Asia and other
jurisdictions must also be met. Although the Company’s products and solutions are designed to meet relevant safety standards and
recommendations globally, when used as directed, any perceived risk of adverse health effects of wireless communication devices
could materially adversely affect the Company through a reduction in sales. The failure to comply with regulatory requirements can
subject the Company to regulatory and/or civil liability, additional costs (including fines) and reputational harm, and in severe cases
prevent it from selling its products in certain jurisdictions.
As a result of varying and developing regulatory requirements throughout the world, the Company faces increasingly complex
procurement and design challenges, which, among other things, require the Company to incur additional costs identifying suppliers
and contract
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manufacturers who can provide, and otherwise obtain, compliant materials, parts and end products and to re-design its products so
that the products comply with the many requirements applicable to them. There can be no assurance that the costs of complying with
and the liabilities arising from current and future health and safety, environmental (including climate change regulation) and other
laws, standards and regulatory requirements (including legislation relating to certain minerals that are used in the wireless
communications industry) will not adversely affect the Company’s business, results of operations or financial condition.
In fiscal 2013, the SEC adopted new disclosure requirements implementing Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and
Consumer Protection Act of 2010 for manufacturers of products containing certain minerals that are mined from the Democratic
Republic of Congo and adjoining countries. These so-called “conflict minerals” are commonly found in metals used in the
manufacture of certain of the Company’s products. The implementation of these new regulations, which require initial conflicts
minerals disclosure from public companies in the United States on or before May 31, 2014, may limit the sourcing and availability, or
may increase the costs, of some of the metals used in the manufacture of the Company’s products. The regulations may also reduce
the number of suppliers who provide conflict-free metals, and may affect the Company’s ability to obtain products in sufficient
quantities or at competitive prices. Also, since the Company’s supply chain is complex, the Company may face reputational
challenges if the Company is unable to sufficiently verify the origins for all metals used in the Company’s products through the due
diligence procedures that the Company implements.
In addition to complying with regulatory requirements, product manufacturers must obtain certification from the networks upon
which their products operate. Failure to maintain regulatory approvals or network certifications for the Company’s current products or
a failure to obtain required regulatory approvals or network certifications for any new products on a timely basis could have a
material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.
There has also been public speculation about possible health risks to individuals from exposure to electromagnetic fields or radio
frequency energy from the use of mobile devices. Government agencies, international health organizations, industry associations and
other scientific bodies continue to conduct research on the topic, and there can be no assurance that future studies, irrespective of their
scientific basis, will not suggest a link between electromagnetic fields from mobile devices and adverse health effects. Mobile device
manufacturers and cellular services providers have been named in lawsuits alleging that the use of mobile devices poses a risk to
human health and that radio emissions have caused or contributed to the development of brain tumors. Other users of mobile devices
with multimedia functions, such as MP3 players, have claimed that the use of such products has contributed to or resulted in hearing
loss or other adverse health effects. In addition, users of the Company’s products who disregard the Company’s warnings about using
the products while operating a motor vehicle or who use after-market accessories, such as batteries, that are not subject to the
Company’s quality control procedures may also be at risk of bodily harm. The perception of risk to human health or other risks could
adversely affect the demand for the Company’s products and allegations of risks relating to the Company’s products could result in
litigation, which could distract management or result in liabilities for the Company, regardless of the merit of such claims.
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The Company’s worldwide operations subject it to income, indirect and other taxes in many jurisdictions, and the
Company must exercise significant judgment in order to estimate its worldwide financial provision for income and other
taxes. There can be no assurances that the Company’s historical provisions and accruals for income and other taxes will
be adequate.
The Company is subject to income, indirect (such as sales tax, sales and use tax and value-added tax) and other taxes in Canada and
numerous foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining its worldwide liability for income, indirect and other
taxes, as well as potential penalties and interest. In the ordinary course of the Company’s business, there are many transactions and
calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Although the Company believes that its tax estimates are reasonable,
there can be no assurances that the final determination of any tax audits will not be materially different from that which is reflected in
historical income, indirect and other tax provisions and accruals. Should additional taxes or penalties and interest be assessed as a
result of an audit, litigation or changes in tax laws, there could be a material adverse effect on the Company’s current and future
results and financial condition. In addition, there is a risk of recoverability of future deferred tax assets.
The Company’s future effective tax rate will depend on the relative profitability of the Company’s domestic and foreign operations,
the statutory tax rates and taxation laws of the related tax jurisdictions, the tax treaties between the countries in which the Company
operates, the timing of the release, if any, of the valuation allowance, and the relative proportion of research and development
incentives to the Company’s profitability.
A significant portion of the Company’s assets are held in cash, cash equivalents, short-term or long-term investments, all
of which are subject to market and credit risk.
The Company had total cash, cash equivalents and investments of $2.9 billion as at March 2, 2013, compared to $2.1 billion as at
March 3, 2012. Cash equivalents, short term and other investments are invested primarily in debt securities of varying maturities.
Consequently, the Company is exposed to interest rate risk and its results of operations may be adversely affected by changes in
interest rates. The fair value of short term and other investments, as well as the investment income derived from the investment
portfolio, will fluctuate with changes in prevailing interest rates.
Additionally, the Company is exposed to market and credit risk on its investment portfolio. While the Company’s investment policies
include investing in liquid, investment-grade securities and limiting investments in any single issuer, there can be no assurance that
such investment policies will reduce or eliminate market or credit risks. See “Financial Condition” in Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condi and Results of Operations for fiscal 2013 for a discussion of certain liquidity issues relating to the
Company’s investments in auction rate securities, structured investment vehicles and fixed income securities maintained in an
investment account with State Street Bank and Trust Company for investments held in the United States and with State Street Trust
Company Canada for investments held in Canada.
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Failure of the Company’s suppliers, subcontractors, third-party distributors and representatives to use acceptable
ethical business practices or to comply with applicable laws could negatively impact the Company’s business.
The Company expects its suppliers and subcontractors to operate in compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations regarding
working conditions, labor and employment practices, environmental compliance, anti-corruption (including the Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act of the United States, the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act of Canada and the UK Bribery Act), and patent and
trademark licensing as detailed in the Company’s Supplier Code of Conduct. However, the Company does not directly control their
labor and other business practices. If one of the Company’s suppliers or subcontractors violates applicable labor, anti-corruption or
other laws, or implements labor or other business practices that are regarded as unethical, or if a supplier or subcontractor fails to
comply with procedures designed by the Company to adhere to existing or proposed regulations, the shipment of finished products to
the Company could be interrupted, orders could be canceled, relationships could be terminated, the Company’s reputation could be
damaged, and the Company may be subject to liability. Any of these events could have a negative impact on the Company’s business,
results of operations and financial condition.
Copyright levies in numerous countries for the sale of products may negatively impact the Company’s business.
The Company faces the possibility of copyright levies from collecting societies in European and other countries for the sale of
products such as BlackBerry smartphones and tablets that might be used for the private copying of copyright protected works. The
collecting societies argue that copyright levies should apply to such products because they include audio/video recording
functionality, such as an MP3 player or storage capability, despite the fact that such products are not primarily intended to act as a
recording device. If these levies are imposed, the Company’s financial results may be negatively impacted. Furthermore, the
Company may be required to pay copyright levies on products and services used by consumers to copy or stream copyrighted works.
Non-compliance with these legal requirements could result in fines, imprisonment of local executives, and sanctions on the import
and/or use of the Company’s products or services.
The market price of the Company’s common shares is volatile.
The market price of the Company’s outstanding common shares has been and continues to be volatile due in part to highly volatile
markets generally, particularly for technology company shares. A variety of events, including news announcements by the Company
or its competitors, trading volume, general market trends for technology companies and other factors, could result in wide fluctuations
in the market price for its common shares. The Company’s share price may also be affected by factors such as the performance of
other technology companies, increasing market share of such companies, announcements by or results of the Company’s competitors,
results of existing or potential litigation, updates to forward-looking financial guidance, announcements regarding new products and
services and market rumors.
The Company’s financial results are difficult to forecast and such results may not meet the expectations of analysts or investors,
which would contribute to the volatility of the market price
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of the Company’s common shares. The Company’s financial results may not follow any past trends. In particular, the Company’s
entry into new markets and its introduction of new products may increase the difficulty of forecasting financial results. The
Company’s sales may also be impacted by current economic factors which more significantly impact other industry sectors, such as
the financial, government and legal services sectors and increased adoption in those sectors of products of the Company’s
competitors. These sectors have represented the Company’s largest end user concentration to date.
The Company’s operating expenses are based on anticipated revenue levels, are relatively fixed in the short term to medium term and
are incurred throughout the quarter; thus, fluctuations in operating profit are likely. Significant unanticipated sales and marketing,
R&D, IT, professional and other costs may be incurred in a single quarter which will affect results. Additionally, many of the
Company’s products are subject to long sales cycles. As a result, if expected revenues are not realized as anticipated, or if operating
expenses are higher than expected, the Company’s financial results could be materially adversely affected. These factors can make it
difficult to predict the Company’s financial results. Difficulties forecasting financial results over longer periods increase significantly
given the rapid technological changes, evolving industry standards, intense competition and short product life cycles that characterize
the wireless communications industry.
In addition, a carrier may instruct the Company to deactivate a subscriber account, in which case the Company ceases billing the
carrier with respect to such account from the date of its deactivation. On a quarterly basis, the Company may make an estimate of
pending deactivations for certain carriers that do not use a fully-integrated provisioning system. It is, however, each carrier’s
responsibility to report changes to its subscriber account status on a timely basis to the Company. The Company’s failure to meet the
expectations of analysts or investors as a result of difficulties in predicting changes in its subscriber base may further contribute to the
volatility of the market price of its common shares.
There could be adverse tax consequence for the Company’s shareholders in the United States if the Company is or was a
passive foreign investment company.
Under U.S. federal income tax laws, if a company is, or for any past period was, a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”),
there could be adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. shareholders even if the Company is no longer a PFIC. The
determination of whether the Company is a PFIC is a factual determination made annually based on various facts and circumstances
and thus is subject to change, and the principles and methodology used in determining whether a company is a PFIC are subject to
interpretation. While the Company does not believe that it is currently or has been a PFIC, there can be no assurances that the
Company was not a PFIC in the past and will not be a PFIC in the future. U.S. shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors
concerning U.S. federal income tax consequences of holding the Company’s common shares if the Company is or has been
considered a PFIC.
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The Company’s charter documents enable its directors to issue preferred shares which may prevent a takeover by a
third party.
The Company’s authorized share capital consists of an unlimited number of common shares, an unlimited number of class A common
shares and an unlimited number of preferred shares, issuable in one or more series. The Company’s Board of Directors has the
authority to issue preferred shares and determine the price, designation, rights, preferences, privileges, restrictions and conditions,
including dividend rights, of these shares without any further vote or action by shareholders. The rights of the holders of common
shares will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of holders of any preferred shares that may be issued in the
future. The Company’s ability to issue preferred shares could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire a majority of the
Company’s outstanding voting shares, the effect of which may be to deprive the Company’s shareholders of a control premium that
might otherwise be realized in connection with an acquisition of the Company.
DIVIDEND POLICY AND RECORD
The Company has not paid any cash dividends on its common shares during the last three fiscal years. The Company will consider
paying dividends on its common shares in the future when circumstances permit, having regard to, among other things, the
Company’s earnings, cash flows and financial requirements, as well as relevant legal and business considerations.
DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL
The Company’s authorized share capital consists of an unlimited number of voting common shares without par value, an unlimited
number of non-voting, redeemable, retractable class A common shares without par value, and an unlimited number of non-voting,
cumulative, redeemable, retractable preferred shares without par value, issuable in series. Only common shares are issued and
outstanding.
Common Shares
Each common share is entitled to one vote at meetings of the shareholders and to receive dividends if, as and when declared by the
board of directors. Dividends which the board of directors determine to declare and pay shall be declared and paid in equal amounts
per share on the common shares and class A common shares at the time outstanding without preference or distinction. Subject to the
rights of holders of shares of any class of share ranking prior to the class A common shares and common shares, holders of class A
common shares and common shares are entitled to receive the Company’s remaining assets ratably on a per share basis without
preference or distinction in the event that it is liquidated, dissolved or wound-up.
Class A Common Shares
The holders of class A common shares are not entitled to receive notice of or attend or vote at any meeting of the Company’s
shareholders, except as provided by applicable law. Each such holder is entitled to receive notice of and to attend any meetings of
shareholders called for the purpose of authorizing the dissolution or the sale, lease or exchange of all or substantially all of
78
the Company’s property other than in the ordinary course of business and, at any such meeting, shall be entitled to one vote in respect
of each class A common share on any resolution to approve such dissolution, sale, lease or exchange. Dividends are to be declared
and paid in equal amounts per share on all the class A common shares and the common shares without preference or distinction. The
Company authorized for issuance the class A common shares when the Company was a private company to permit employees to
participate in equity ownership. Class A common shares previously issued by the Company to such employees were converted on a
one-for-one basis into common shares in December 1996 at the time that the Company became a reporting issuer in the Province of
Ontario by filing a prospectus with respect to a special warrant offering completed in the Province of Ontario in 1997. At this time,
the Company has no plans to issue further class A common shares. Subject to the rights of holders of any class of share ranking prior
to the class A common shares and common shares, in the event that the Company is liquidated, dissolved or wound-up, holders of
class A common shares and common shares are entitled to receive the remaining assets ratably on a per share basis without preference
or distinction.
Preferred Shares
The holders of preferred shares are not entitled to receive notice of or to attend or vote at any meeting of the Company’s shareholders,
except as provided by applicable law. Preferred shares may be issued in one or more series and, with respect to the payment of
dividends and the distribution of assets in the event that the Company is liquidated, dissolved or wound-up, rank prior to the common
shares and the class A common shares. The Company’s board of directors has the authority to issue series of preferred shares and
determine the price, number, designation, rights, privileges, restrictions and conditions, including dividend rights, of each series
without any further vote or action by shareholders. The holders of preferred shares do not have pre-emptive rights to subscribe to any
issue of the Company’s securities. At this time there are no preferred shares outstanding and the Company has no plans to issue any
preferred shares.
MARKET FOR SECURITIES OF THE COMPANY
The Company’s common shares are listed and posted for trading on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “BB” and are
listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “BBRY”. The volume of trading and price ranges of the Company’s
common shares on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and the Toronto Stock Exchange during the previous fiscal year are set out in
the following table:
Month
March 2012
April 2012
May 2012
June 2012
July 2012
August 2012
September 2012
October 2012
November 2012
December 2012
January 2013
February 2013
Price Range
(CDN $)
$12.80-$14.90
$12.53-$14.95
$10.30-$14.27
$7.48-$11.31
$6.66-$8.48
$6.52-$8.43
$6.10-$8.05
$7.15-$8.30
$8.03-$12.20
$10.50-$14.00
$11.27-$18.49
$12.86-$17.25
79
Common Shares – TSX
Common Shares – NASDAQ
Price Range
(US $)
Average Daily
Volume
2,617,709 $12.83-$14.92
2,162,005 $12.55-$14.99
2,197,150 $10.01-$14.42
$7.34-$11.09
2,084,405
$6.56-$8.32
2,863,233
$6.61-$8.49
2,097,000
$6.22-$8.20
3,430,732
$7.27-$8.45
2,008,505
5,478,505
$8.01-$12.30
6,293,528 $10.59-$14.21
9,226,045 $11.40-$18.32
7,922,942 $12.15-$17.22
Average Daily
Volume
21,359,923
20,649,955
18,414,764
20,821,533
21,898,533
16,953,270
31,296,605
18,713,910
40,480,129
46,564,185
74,480,576
66,196,147
DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
As at the date hereof, the Company currently has a board of directors comprised of twelve persons. Pursuant to a special resolution of
shareholders, the directors are authorized from time to time to increase the size of the board of directors, and to fix the number of
directors, up to the maximum of 15 persons, as currently provided under the articles of the Company, without the prior consent of the
shareholders.
The following table sets forth the name, municipality of residence and, except as provided below, principal occupation during the last
five years of each of the Company’s directors and executive officers as of March 2, 2013. Each director is elected at the annual
meeting of shareholders to serve until the next annual meeting or until a successor is elected or appointed.
On December 20, 2012, the Company announced the retirement of Robin Bienfait, Chief Information Officer.
(3) (4) (6)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Name, Municipality of Residence and Present Principal Occupation
Thorsten Heins
(3) (4)
Waterloo, Ontario
President and Chief Executive Officer, BlackBerry
Barbara Stymiest, FCPA, FCA
Toronto, Ontario
Corporate Director
Mike Lazaridis
Waterloo, Ontario
Corporate Director
Timothy Dattels
(3) (4)
San Francisco, CA
Senior Partner, TPG Capital, LP
David Kerr, CPA, CA
Toronto, Ontario
Managing Partner, Edper Financial Group
Claudia Kotchka, CPA
Cincinnati, Ohio
Corporate Director
(1) (2) (3)
(1) (3) (4)
80
Director
Since
2012
Position(s) with
the Company
Director, President and
Chief Executive Officer
2007
Director, Chair
1984
Director, Vice Chair
2012
Director
2007
Director
2011
Director
(3)
(2) (3)
(2) (3)
(1) (2) (3)
Richard Lynch
New Hope, Pennsylvania
President, FB Associates, LLC
Roger Martin
(3) (4)
Toronto, Ontario
Dean, The Rotman School of Management
Bert Nordberg
Malmo, Sweden
Corporate Director
John Richardson, FCPA, FCA
Toronto, Ontario
Corporate Director
Prem Watsa
Toronto, Ontario
Chief Executive Officer, Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited
John Wetmore
Toronto, Ontario
Corporate Director
Brian Bidulka, CPA, CA
Burlington, Ontario
Chief Financial Officer, BlackBerry
Frank Boulben
New York, New York
Chief Marketing Officer, BlackBerry
Kristian Tear
Waterloo, Ontario
Chief Operating Officer, BlackBerry
Steve Zipperstein
Santa Barbara, California
Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary, BlackBerry
(2) (3)
2013
Director
2007
Director
2013
Director
2003
Director
2012
Director
2007
Director
N/A
Chief Financial Officer
N/A
Chief Marketing Officer
N/A
Chief Operating Officer
N/A
Chief Legal Officer &
Corporate Secretary
Notes:
1
Member of the Audit and Risk Management Committee.
2
Member of the Compensation, Nomination and Governance Committee.
3
Member of Strategic Planning Committee.
4
Member of the Innovation Committee.
5
Chair of the Board of Directors
On March 28, 2013, the Company announced that Mr. Lazaridis will resign as Vice Chair and as a director of the Company
effective May 1, 2013.
6
As at March 2, 2013, the above directors and executive officers of the Company beneficially owned, or controlled or directed, directly
or indirectly, approximately 30 million common shares of the Company representing approximately 6% of the issued and outstanding
common shares of the Company. In addition, as of such date, Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (“Fairfax”) and certain of its
wholly-owned or controlled subsidiaries beneficially owned approximately 52 million common shares of the Company (the “Fairfax
Shares”) representing approximately 10%
81
of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company. Prem Watsa, a director of the Company, is the Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of Fairfax and may be deemed under applicable U.S. securities laws to beneficially own the Fairfax Shares by
virtue of his position at Fairfax.
During the past five years, each of the directors and executive officers of the Company has been engaged in their current principal
occupation as specified above except: Mr. Thorsten Heins who prior to January 2012 was Chief Operating Officer, Product & Sales
and formerly was Senior Vice President, Handheld Business Unit of the Company, previous to that he was Chief Technology Officer
of Siemens’ Communications Division; Mr. Mike Lazaridis who prior to 2012 was President, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-
Chair of the Company; Ms. Barbara Stymiest who prior to 2012 was a member of the Group Executive, Royal Bank of Canada;
Ms. Claudia Kotchka who prior to 2009 was Vice President, Design Innovation & Strategy, Proctor & Gamble; Mr. Richard Lynch
who prior to 2011 was Executive Vice President, Strategic Technology Initiatives, Verizon Communications Inc., and prior to that
Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Verizon Communications Inc.; Mr. Bert Nordberg who prior to 2012 was
President and Chief Executive Officer, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, and prior to that Executive Vice President, LM
Ericsson Inc.; Mr. Brian Bidulka who prior to December 2009 was Chief Accounting Officer of the Company; Mr. Frank Boulben
who prior to June 2012 was Executive Vice President for Strategy, Marketing and Sales, LightSquared, and prior to that he was
Global Director of Commercial Strategy, Vodafone Group; Mr. Kristian Tear who prior to August 2012 was Executive Vice
President, Sony Mobile Communications AB; and Mr. Steve Zipperstein who prior to July 2012 was Vice President, General Counsel
and Corporate Secretary for Verizon Wireless.
The Company’s Board of Directors has four standing committees: an Audit and Risk Management Committee, Compensation
Nomination and Governance Committee, Strategic Planning Committee and Innovation Committee, the members of which are noted
above. The Company does not have an Executive Committee.
Cease Trade Orders, Bankruptcies, Penalties or Sanctions
Other than set out below, none of the directors or executive officers is, as at the date of this AIF, or was within 10 years before the
date of the AIF, a director or chief executive officer or chief financial officer of any company (including the Company) that:
a) was subject to an order (as defined in National Instrument 51-102F2 of the Canadian Securities Administrators) that was
issued while the director or executive officer was acting in the capacity as director, chief executive officer or chief financial
officer; or
b) was subject to an order that was issued after the director or executive officer ceased to be a director, chief executive officer,
or chief financial officer, and which resulted from an event that occurred while that person was acting in the capacity as a
director, chief executive officer, or chief financial officer.
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Other than as set out below, none of the directors, executive officers or a shareholder holding a sufficient number of securities of the
Company to affect materially the control of the Company,
a)
b)
is, at the date of this Annual Information Form, or has been within 10 years before the date of this AIF, a director or
executive officer of any company (including the Company) that, while that person was acting in that capacity, or within a
year of that person ceasing to act in that capacity, became bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to
bankruptcy or insolvency or was subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors or had
a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold its assets; or
has, within the 10 years before this AIF, become bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or
insolvency, or become subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors, or had a
receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold the assets of the director, executive officer or shareholder.
On November 7, 2006, as a result of the Company failing to file its second quarter financial statements for fiscal 2007 before the
statutory filing deadline of October 17, 2006 a management cease trade order (the “MCTO”) was issued by the OSC that applied to
Messrs. Lazaridis, Richardson and Bidulka as well as certain of the Company’s other senior officers and certain insiders of the
Company. The MCTO prohibited trading in the Company’s securities by its senior officers, directors and certain insiders during the
time that the MCTO was in effect. The MCTO was revoked on May 23, 2007 after the required securities filings were made by the
Company with the OSC.
In February 2009, the Company and certain of its officers and directors entered into settlement agreements with the OSC and SEC to
resolve the OSC and SEC investigations relating to the Company’s historical stock option granting practices. For a detailed discussion
of these settlements, see the sections entitled “Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements – OSC Settlement”
and “Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements – SEC Settlement” in the MD&A for the fiscal year ended February 28,
2009, which can be found under the Company’s profile on www.sedar.com.
Mr. Boulben was an officer of LightSquared Company from March 2010 until April 2012. On May 14, 2012, LightSquared
announced that it had commenced voluntarily reorganization cases under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. On May 18, 2012,
the Ontario Superior Court of Justice granted an initial recognition order under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act
recognizing LightSquared’s Chapter 11 proceedings.
Audit and Risk Management Committee
The Audit and Risk Management Committee’s purpose is to provide assistance to the Board in fulfilling its legal and fiduciary
obligations with respect to matters involving the accounting, auditing, financial reporting, internal control, and legal compliance and
risk management functions of the Company and its subsidiaries. It is the objective of the Audit and Risk Management Committee to
maintain free and open means of communications among the Board, the independent auditors and the financial and senior
management of the Company.
83
The full text of the Audit and Risk Management Committee’s Charter is included as Appendix A to this Annual Information Form.
Mr. Kerr, Ms. Kotchka, Ms. Stymiest and Mr. Richardson are the members of the Committee, each of whom is a director of the
Company and independent and financially literate under Sections 1.4 and 1.5 of National Instrument 52-110 of the Canadian
Securities Administrators-Audit Committees and the rules and regulations of the NASDAQ Stock Market. The members of the Audit
and Risk Management Committee bring significant skill and experience to their responsibilities including professional experience in
accounting, business and finance. The specific education and experience of each member that is relevant to the performance of his or
her responsibilities as such member of the Audit and Risk Management Committee are set out below:
David Kerr, B.Sc., CPA, CA (Chair) – Mr. Kerr has a B.Sc. from McGill University. Mr. Kerr is Managing Partner of Edper
Financial Corporation, a financial management company. From July 2002, to August 2006, Mr. Kerr was Chairman of Falconbridge
Limited (formally Noranda Inc.) and prior to that he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Falconbridge Limited. Mr. Kerr is
a director of Brookfield Asset Management Inc.; Sun Life Financial Corporation; Halmont Properties Corporation; the Toronto
Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation; and the Special Olympics Canada Foundation.
Claudia Kotchka, B.B.A., CPA – Ms. Kotchka has a B.B.A., Cum Laude, from Ohio University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Ms. Kotchka held various executive roles during her 31 year career at Procter & Gamble, including Vice-President, Design
Innovation & Strategy from 2001 to 2009. Ms. Kotchka is an independent consultant to Fortune 500 companies on innovation,
strategy and design and is also a speaker at conferences and forums on design and innovation and has been a guest lecturer at business
school and universities. She is a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Smithsonian Design Museum and an Advisor with Stanford
University Institute of Design. She has also served on a number of charitable organizations including as a member of the United Way
Women’s Leadership Council, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the Audubon Society and Reading for Life.
Barbara Stymiest, FCPA, FCA – Ms. Stymiest has an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario
and FCA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. From 2004 to 2011, Ms. Stymiest held various senior management
positions in the Royal Bank of Canada and served as a member of the Group Executive responsible for the overall strategic direction
of the company. Prior to this, Ms. Stymiest held positions as Chief Executive Officer at TSX Group Inc., Executive Vice-President &
CFO at BMO Nesbitt Burns and Partner of Ernst & Young LLP. Ms. Stymiest is currently a Director of George Weston Limited, Sun
Life Financial Inc., University Health Network and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.
John Richardson, B. Comm., MBA, FCPA, FCA – Mr. Richardson has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of
Toronto, an MBA from the Harvard Business School and FCA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.
Mr. Richardson was appointed Chairman of the Ontario Pension Board in July 2004 and retired at the end of his three year term on
June 30, 2007. He was a former senior partner of Clarkson Gordon & Co; Executive Vice President of
84
Lonvest Corporation (now London Insurance Group Inc.); President of Great Lakes Power, Deputy Chairman of London Insurance
Groups Inc.; Chairman, President and CEO of Wellington Insurance; and Chairman of London Guarantee Insurance Company.
Mr. Richardson was a past board member with the Insurance Bureau of Canada and the Facility Association. Mr. Richardson is
currently Chairman of Boiler Inspection and Insurance Co. Limited, and a Director of Armtec Infrastructure Inc.
The Board has also determined that each of Mr. Kerr, Ms. Stymiest and Mr. Richardson is an audit committee financial expert within
the meaning of General Instruction B(8)(a) of Form 40-F under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The SEC has
indicated that the designation of a person as an audit committee financial expert does not make such person an “expert” for any
purpose, impose any duties, obligations or liability on such person that are greater than those imposed on members of the Audit
Committee and the Board who do not carry this designation or affect the duties, obligations or liability of any other member of the
audit committee or the Board.
As set out in the Audit and Risk Management Committee’s charter, the committee is responsible for pre-approving all non-audit
services to be provided to the Company by its independent external auditor. The Company’s practice requires senior management to
report to the Audit and Risk Management Committee any provision of services by the auditors and requires consideration as to
whether the provision of the services other than audit services is compatible with maintaining the auditor’s independence. All audit
and audit-related services are pre-approved by the Audit and Risk Management Committee.
Audit Fees
The aggregate fees billed by Ernst & Young LLP (EY) chartered accountants, the Company’s independent external auditor, for the
fiscal years ended March 2, 2013 and March 3, 2012, respectively, for professional services rendered by EY for the audit of the
Company’s annual financial statements or services that are normally provided by EY in connection with statutory and regulatory
filings or engagements for such fiscal years were $4,195,000 and $3,331,000 respectively.
Audit-Related Fees
The aggregate fees billed by EY for the fiscal years ended March 2, 2013 and March 3, 2012, respectively, for assurance and related
services rendered by EY that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit review of the Company’s financial statements and
are not reported above as audit fees were $107,000 and $195,000.
Tax Fees
The aggregate fees billed by EY for the fiscal years ended March 2, 2013 and March 3, 2012, respectively, for professional services
rendered by EY for tax compliance, tax advice, tax planning and other services were $13,000 and $Nil respectively. Tax services
provided included international tax compliance engagements.
85
INTEREST OF MANAGEMENT AND OTHERS IN MATERIAL TRANSACTIONS
To the Company’s knowledge, there were no directors or executive officers or any associate or affiliate of a director or executive
officer with a material interest in any transaction within the three most recently completed financial years or during the current
financial year that has materially affected or is reasonably expected to materially affect the Company.
TRANSFER AGENTS AND REGISTRARS
The Company’s transfer agent and registrar in Canada is Computershare Investor Services Inc. of Canada, 100 University Ave., 9
th
Fl., Toronto, Ontario M5J 2Y1. The co-transfer agent and registrar for the common shares in the United States is Computershare
Trust Company, Inc. at its offices in Denver, Colorado.
MATERIAL CONTRACTS
Other than as noted below, the Company has not entered into any material contracts, on or after January 1, 2002, that are required to
be filed pursuant to NI 51-102 of the Canadian Securities Administrators. The Company has entered into a licensing and settlement
agreement with NTP, Inc. (the “Settlement and Licensing Agreements”) both of which can be found under the Company’s profile on
www.sedar.com. The Settlement and Licensing Agreements are summarized in the Company’s material change report filed on
SEDAR on March 10, 2006, which is incorporated by reference in the AIF.
INTERESTS OF EXPERTS
Ernst & Young LLP, Chartered Accountants, Licensed Public Accountants, is the external auditor who prepared the Independent
Auditors’ Report to Shareholders in respect of the audited annual consolidated financial statements of the Company for the year
ended March 2, 2013 and the Report to Shareholders of an Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on the Company’s
internal controls over financial reporting. Ernst & Young LLP is independent with respect to the Company within the meaning of the
Rules of Professional Conduct of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and applicable securities laws.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Additional information related to the Company can be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Additional financial information is provided in the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and the Company’s
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the year ended March 2, 2013, which
can be found at www.sedar.com.
Additional information, including directors’ and officers’ remuneration and indebtedness to the Company, principal holders of the
securities of the Company and securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans, is contained in the Company’s
most recent management information circular.
86
GLOSSARY
Set forth below are certain terms defined as they are used in this annual information form:
1xRTT
3G wireless
4G wireless
Single carrier (1X) Radio Transmission Technology. 1xRTT is the first phase in CDMA’s evolution to third-
generation (3G) technology. 1xRTT networks should allow for greater network capacity (more users; fewer dropped
calls) high bit rate packet data transfer.
Third generation (3G) wireless. Third generation wireless is a global framework that is implemented regionally in
Europe (UMTS), North America (CDMA2000) and Japan (NTT DoCoMo). 3G is designed for high-speed wireless
multimedia data and voice. It plans to offer high-quality audio and video and advanced global roaming, which means
users would be able to go anywhere and automatically be handed off to whatever wireless system is available.
Fourth generation (4G) wireless. Fourth generation is successor to 3G and 2G standards. The nomenclature of the
generations generally refers to a change in the fundamental nature of the service. The first was the move from analogue
to digital (2G), which was followed by multi-media support (3G) and now 4G, which refers to all IP packet-switched
networks and increases in data speeds.
Analog
Analog transmission uses energy waves to transmit information. In the case of wireless voice transmission, the sound
waves of a human voice are converted directly to specific, continuously variable characteristics of a radio wave.
Broadcast and telephone transmission have typically used analog technology.
API
Application Programming Interface.
ASIC
BlackBerry
Authentic
Accessories
Application Specific Integrated Circuit.
A range of BlackBerry approved accessories that enhance a user’s product experience through personalization and
convenience. This includes carrying, protection, audio, and power solutions
Bluetooth®
Bluetooth is a specification for the use of low-power radio communications to wirelessly link phones, computers and
other network devices over short distances.
CDMA
Code Division Multiple Access. A method for transmitting simultaneous signals over a shared portion of the spectrum.
The foremost application of CDMA is the digital cellular phone technology from QUALCOMM that operates in the
800MHz band and 1.9GHz PCS band. Unlike GSM and TDMA, which divides the spectrum into different time slots,
CDMA uses a spread spectrum technique to assign a code to each conversation.
Common
Criteria
Certification
An internationally approved set of security standards that provide an independent and objective validation of the
security of a particular IT solution or product. This certification is accepted by 25 countries under the Common
Criteria Recognition Agreement which includes the US, Canada, Germany, France and many others.
87
CRM
Denial of
Service
Attack
Digital
EDGE
EMS
Firewall
Firmware
GPRS
GPS
GSM
HDI
HSPA
Customer Relationship Management. Customer relationship management is strategy for managing a company’s
interactions with customers and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate and synchronize
business processes—principally sales related activities, but also those for marketing, customer service, and technical
support.
An attack designed to flood a network with unnecessary traffic in order to prevent legitimate users of a system from
having access.
A way of processing information by storing it as binary numbers. A digital circuit is either on or off, and a digital
signal is either present or absent. Contrast with analog.
See 3G Wireless.
Electronics Manufacturing Services. Is a term used for companies that design, test, manufacture, distribute, and
provide return/repair services for electronic components and assemblies for original equipment manufacturers
(OEMs).
A technological barrier designed to prevent unauthorized or unwanted communications between sections of a
computer network.
Computer programming instructions that are stored in a read-only memory unit, including flash, ROM, PROM,
EPROM and EEPROM, rather than being implemented through software.
General Packet Radio Service. An enhancement to the GSM (see below) mobile communications system that supports
data packets. GPRS enables continuous flows of IP data packets over the system for such applications as Web
browsing and data access. GPRS differs from GSM’s short messaging service, which is limited to messages of 160
bytes in length.
Global Positioning System.
Global System for Mobile Communications. A digital cellular phone technology based on TDMA that is the
predominant system in Europe, but is also used around the world. Operating in the 900MHz and 1.8GHz bands in
Europe and the 1.9GHz PCS band in the U.S., GSM defines the entire cellular system, not just the air interface (i.e.
TDMA, CDMA). GSM phones use a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) smart card that contains user account
information.
High Density Interconnect. A measure of the average amount of circuitry package in a given area of assembly.
High-Speed Packet Access. A family of radio interface standards that will improve the speed and accuracy of traffic
over cellular networks. HSPA builds on the existing WCDMA technology that has already been deployed to allow
carriers to offer better speeds and larger bandwidth intensive services like streaming audio and video.
Hybrid PBXs
Hybrid PBXs support both traditional Time Division Multiplexed (TDM) phones to VoIP, easing the transition from
TDM to VoIP.
iDEN
Integrated Digital Enhanced Network. A wireless communications technology from Motorola that provides support
for voice, data, short messages (SMS) and dispatch radio (two-way radio) in one phone. Operating in the 800MHz and
1.5GHz bands and based on TDMA, iDEN
88
uses Motorola’s VSELP (Vector Sum Excited Linear Predictors) vocoder for voice compression and QAM modulation
to deliver 64 Kbps over a 25 kHz channel. Each 25 kHz channel can be divided six times to transmit any mix of voice,
data, dispatch or text message. Used by various carriers around the globe, Nextel Communications provides nationwide
coverage in the U.S.
Instant Messaging. A medium which enables two or more people to communicate in real time utilizing typed text over
an electronic network.
Intellectual Property. Intangible property that is the result of creativity (such as patents or trademarks or copyrights).
Internet Protocol Security. Allows for the securing of IP communications by authenticating and encrypting IP packet of
a communication exchange from host-to-host.
Internet Service Provider. A business that supplies Internet connectivity services to individuals, businesses and other
organizations.
Income Tax Credit.
An object-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. Java was designed to be secure and
platform-neutral such that it can be run on any type of platform, making Java a useful language for programming
Internet applications.
™
Long Term Evolution is a wireless communication standard of high-speed data for smartphones and data terminals
Mobile Voice Service. BlackBerry MVS converges office desk phones and BlackBerry® smartphones, extending the
same mobility advantages the BlackBerry® Enterprise Solution provides for wireless email and data to voice
communications.
Near Field Communication. Technology that allows smartphones and similar devices to link together through radio
communication, when tapping them together, or bringing them into close proximity.
Network Operations Centre. A central location for network management. It functions as a control centre for network
monitoring, analysis and accounting.
Private Branch Exchange. A private telephone network used within an enterprise. Users share a fixed number of
outside lines instead of being provided with one outside line for each individual user. This allows for use of extensions
as opposed to direct dial numbers.
IM
IP
IPSec
ISP
ITC
Java
LTE
MVS
NFC
NOC
PBX
PDA
Personal digital assistant. A hand held portable microcomputer.
PIM
Packet-
Switched
Network
Prosumer
Personal Information Management.
A network in which the data to be transmitted is divided into standard-sized packets, each of which is given the
receiver’s address. Each of the packets that make up the transmission travels separately; packets do not have to travel
in sequence or by the same paths. When all the packets have arrived at their destination, the receiver reassembles them
into the original message.
Prosumer refers to ‘professional consumers’. The prosumer is typically looking to purchase and use professional-level
equipment for both their business and personal lives.
89
BlackBerry Prosumer is a hosted wireless email solution for professional consumers and does not include access to the
BlackBerry Enterprise Server solution.
QWERTY
The modern-day keyboard layout on English-language computer and typewriter keyboards. It takes its name from the
first six characters seen in the far left of the keyboard’s top row of letters.
ROM
SDK
SME
SMS
SSL
Read Only Memory. A class of storage media used in computers and other electronic devices. Once data has been
written to a ROM chip, it cannot be removed and can only be read.
Software Developers Kit. A set of software routines and utilities used to help programmers write an application.
Small and Medium-sized Enterprise.
Short Message Service. A text message service that enables short messages of generally no more than 140-160
characters in length to be sent and transmitted from a wireless device and is broadly supported on cellular phones. SMS
was introduced in the GSM system and later supported by all other digital-based mobile communications systems.
Secure Sockets Layer. Protocols that provide security to Internet communications by encrypting the segments of
network connections.
UMTS
See 3G wireless.
Virtual pre-
load
An icon or program sent wirelessly to a user’s device without the end user initiating the transfer.
WCDMA See 3G wireless.
Wi-Fi
Wireless Fidelity. A generic term for referring to wireless network components that run on the Wi-Fi Alliances IEEE
802.11 wireless standards. The standard was created so that manufacturers could produce wireless equipment that
would be compatible with one another.
90
APPENDIX A
CHARTER OF THE AUDIT AND RISK MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE OF THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED AS ADOPTED BY
THE BOARD ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
1. AUTHORITY
The Audit and Risk Management Committee (the “Committee”) of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Research In Motion
Limited (the “Corporation”) is established pursuant to Section 5.03 of the Corporation’s By-law No. A3 and Section 158 of the
Ontario Business Corporations Act. The Committee shall be comprised of three or more directors as determined from time to time by
resolution of the Board. Consistent with the appointment of other Board committees, the members of the Committee shall be
appointed by the Board at the annual organizational meeting of the Board or at such other time as may be determined by the Board,
and shall serve until the earlier of (i) the death of the member; or (ii) the resignation, disqualification or removal of the member from
the Committee or from the Board. The Chair of the Committee shall be a member of the Committee designated by the Board,
provided that if the Board does not so designate a Chair, the members of the Committee, by majority vote, may designate a Chair. The
duties of the Chair are included in Annex A.
The presence in person or by telephone of a majority of the Committee’s members shall constitute a quorum for any meeting of the
Committee. All actions of the Committee will require the vote of a majority of its members present at a meeting of the Committee at
which a quorum is present. Any decision or determination of the Committee reduced to writing and signed by all members of the
Committee who would have been entitled to vote on such decision or determination at a meeting of the Committee shall be fully as
effective as if it had been made at a meeting duly called and held.
2.
PURPOSE OF THE COMMITTEE
The Committee’s purpose is to provide assistance to the Board in fulfilling its legal and fiduciary obligations with respect to matters
involving the accounting, auditing, financial reporting, internal control and legal compliance functions of the Corporation and its
subsidiaries as well as the oversight of the risk performance and audit function, including risk management frameworks, principles
and policies to ensure that management is effectively managing the Corporation’s risks. It is the objective of the Committee to
maintain free and open means of communication among the Board, the independent auditors and the financial and senior management
of the Corporation.
3. COMPOSITION OF THE COMMITTEE
Each member of the Committee shall be an “independent” director within the meaning of Section 301 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”), the rules promulgated thereunder
91
by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market and National Instrument 52-110
“Audit Committees” of the securities regulators in Canada , and, as such, shall be free from any relationship that may interfere with
the exercise of his or her independent judgment as a member of the Committee.
All members of the Committee shall be financially literate at the time of their election to the Committee. “Financial literacy” shall be
determined by the Board in the exercise of its business judgment, and shall include the ability to read and understand a set of financial
statements that present a breadth and level of complexity of accounting issues that are generally comparable to the breadth and
complexity of issues that can be reasonably expected to be raised by the Corporation’s financial statements. At least one member of
the Committee shall be an “audit committee financial expert” with the meaning of Section 407 of Sarbanes-Oxley and the rules
promulgated thereunder by the SEC. Members of the Committee may not serve, in the aggregate, on more than 3 audit committees of
public companies, unless the Board has determined that such service will not impair the member’s ability to serve on the Committee.
Committee members, if they or the Board deem it appropriate, may enhance their understanding of finance and accounting by
participating in educational programs conducted by the Corporation or an outside consultant or firm. At least annually, the Committee
shall review its performance and the contribution of each of its members. This review will be completed on a confidential basis in
conjunction with the annual Board performance review process.
4. MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE
The Committee shall meet with such frequency and at such intervals as it shall determine is necessary to carry out its duties and
responsibilities. The Chair or any member of the Committee may call meetings of the Committee by notifying the Corporate
Secretary of the Corporation. Notice of meetings may be done through any efficient communication medium (i.e. email, facsimile,
mail, etc.) provided the notification is capable of being received at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the meeting. Each
member of the Committee shall be responsible for providing up-to-date contact information to the Corporate Secretary to ensure
efficient and timely communication. All independent directors may attend Committee meetings, provided that directors who are not
members of the Committee shall not be entitled to vote, nor shall their attendance be counted as part of the quorum of the Committee.
As part of its purpose to foster open communications, the Committee shall meet at least annually with management and the
Corporation’s independent auditors in separate executive sessions to discuss any matters that the Committee or each of these groups
or persons believe should be discussed privately. The Committee will have unrestricted access to management and employees of the
Corporation in order to carry out its duties and responsibilities. In addition, the Committee should meet or confer with the
independent auditors and management to review the Corporation’s financial statements, MD&A, annual and interim earnings press
releases and related filings prior to their public release and filing with the Ontario Securities Commission (“OSC”), the SEC or any
other regulatory body. The Chair should work with the Chief Financial Officer and management to establish the agendas for
Committee meetings. The Committee, in its discretion, may ask members of management or others to attend its meetings (or portions
thereof) and to provide pertinent information as necessary.
92
Minutes of the Committee will be recorded and maintained by the Corporate Secretary and presented to the Committee at the next
Committee meeting for approval. The Corporate Secretary, or his/her designate as approved by the Committee Chair, shall act as
secretary for the meetings. For in camera sessions of the Committee without management present, minutes will be recorded and
maintained by the Chair of the Committee or his/her designate. Each member of the Board will have access to the minutes of the
Committee’s meetings, regardless of whether he or she is a member of the Committee, and the Chair shall report to the Board at its
next meeting on the activities, findings and recommendations of the Committee following each meeting. Minutes relating to in
camera sessions may be provided to Board members with the consent of the Chair.
5. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMITTEE
The Committee is responsible for the oversight of the Corporation’s accounting, financial reporting and risk management processes,
including (i) the Corporation’s internal controls, and the nomination and appointment (subject to Board and shareholder approval),
compensation, retention, evaluation and oversight of the work of the Corporation’s independent auditors engaged for the purpose of
preparing or issuing an audit report or related work or performing other audit, review or attest services for the Corporation, and
(ii) the oversight of the Corporation’s Risk Performance and Audit Group (“RPA Group”) as more particularly detailed below. The
independent auditors and the RPA Group, through the leader of the RPA Group or his/her designee must report and otherwise
communicate directly to the Committee and are accountable to the Committee. The Committee’s oversight responsibilities include the
authority to approve all audit engagement fees and terms, as well as all permitted non-audit engagements and resolution of
disagreements between management and the independent auditors regarding financial reporting as well as oversight of the annual
audit plan of the RPA Group. The Committee shall take such actions as it may deem necessary to satisfy itself that the Corporation’s
auditors are independent of management within the meaning of applicable law.
93
While there is no “blueprint” to be followed by the Committee in carrying out its duties and responsibilities, the following should be
considered within the authority of the Committee:
Selection and Evaluation of External Auditors
(1) Make recommendations to the Board as to the selection of the firm of independent public accountants to audit the books and
accounts of the Corporation and its subsidiaries for each fiscal year;
(2) Review and approve the Corporation’s independent auditors’ annual engagement letter, including the proposed fees
contained therein;
(3) Review the performance of the Corporation’s independent auditors, including the lead partner, discuss the timing and process
for implementing the rotation of the lead partner, and make recommendations to the Board regarding the replacement or termination
of the independent auditors when circumstances warrant;
(4) Oversee the independence of the Corporation’s independent auditors by, among other things:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
requiring the independent auditors to deliver to the Committee on a periodic basis a formal written statement
delineating all relationships between the independent auditors and the Corporation;
reviewing and approving hiring policies concerning partners, employees and former partners and employees of the
present and former independent auditors; and
actively engaging in a dialogue with the independent auditors with respect to any disclosed relationships or services
that may impact the objectivity and independence of the independent auditors and taking appropriate action to
satisfy itself of the auditors’ independence;
(5) Instruct the Corporation’s independent auditors that:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
they are ultimately accountable to the Committee;
they must report directly to the Committee; and
the Committee is responsible for the appointment (subject to Board and shareholder approval), compensation,
retention, evaluation and oversight of the Corporation’s independent auditors;
(6) Review and pre-approve all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors to the
Corporation, including tax services;
Oversight of Annual Audit and Quarterly Reviews
(1) Review and accept, if appropriate, the annual audit plan of the Corporation’s independent auditors, including the scope of
audit activities, and monitor such plan’s progress and results during the year;
(2) Confirm through private discussions with the Corporation’s independent auditors and the Corporation’s management that no
management restrictions are being placed on the scope of the independent auditors’ work;
(3) Review the results of the year-end audit of the Corporation, including (as applicable):
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
the audit reports on the Corporation’s financial statements and management’s assessment of internal control over
financial reporting, the published financial statements, the management representation letter, the “Memorandum
Regarding Accounting Procedures and Internal Control” or similar memorandum prepared by the Corporation’s
independent auditors, any other pertinent reports and management’s responses concerning such memorandum;
the qualitative judgments of the independent auditors about the appropriateness, not just the acceptability, of
accounting principles and financial disclosure practices used or proposed to be adopted by the Corporation and,
particularly, about the degree of aggressiveness or conservatism of its accounting principles and underlying
estimates;
the selection and application of the Corporation’s critical accounting policies;
the methods used to account for significant unusual transactions;
the effect of significant accounting policies in controversial or emerging areas for which there is a lack of
authoritative guidance or consensus;
(vi) management’s process for formulating sensitive accounting estimates and the reasonableness of these estimates;
(vii)
significant recorded and unrecorded audit adjustments;
(viii) any material accounting issues among management, the RPA Group (as defined below) and the independent
auditors; and
(ix)
other matters required to be communicated to the Committee under applicable auditing standards by the independent
auditors;
(4) Review the Corporation’s interim financial statements and quarterly earnings press releases and report thereon to the Board
before such documents are approved by the Board and disclosed to the public;
(5) Review with management and the Corporation’s independent auditors such accounting policies (and changes therein) of the
Corporation, including any financial reporting issues which could have a material impact on the Corporation’s financial statements, as
are deemed appropriate for review by the Committee prior to any year-end filings with the SEC, the OSC or other regulatory body;
Oversight of Risk Management
(1) Require management to identify and review with the Committee a portfolio view of the major areas of risk facing the
Corporation and management’s strategies to manage those risks;
(2) Review, at least annually, management’s risk appetite;
(3) At least annually, review in light of risk appetite, the Corporation’s enterprise risk management process, including key
policies and procedures for the effective identification, assessment, monitoring and control of the Corporation’s principal risks and
the Corporation’s compliance with such policies and procedures;
(4) Require, at least quarterly, management to update the Committee on any material or noteworthy changes relating to (1)-(3),
immediately above, and the activities of the Corporation’s Risk Management and Compliance Council;
(5) Consult periodically with the Compensation, Nomination and Governance Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee
on risk management matters within their respective purview;
(6) Encourage an open and constructive risk dialogue between the Board and management on areas relating to risk management;
Oversight of the RPA Group and Quarterly Reviews
(1) Review the Committee’s level of involvement and interaction with the Corporation’s RPA Group, including the Committee’s
line of authority and role in appointing and compensating employees in the RPA Group;
(2) Review and advise on the appointment, replacement, reassignment, or dismissal of the leader of the RPA Group;
(3) Review the performance, effectiveness, degree of independence and objectivity of the RPA Group and the adequacy of its
audit process;
(4) Review RPA Group reports, as well as management’s response to such reports, and review and approve the annual audit plan
of the RPA Group, including the proposed audit universe, priorities, staffing, and, on a quarterly basis, the status of the audit plan and
the then current assessment and management of risk;
(5) Review the effectiveness of the RPA Group’s methodology relating to its assessment of risks to the Corporation, including
the factors considered and the relative weighting of such factors, and consider changes in management’s assessment of risks;
(6) Review with management the progress and results of all RPA Group projects, approve procedures for implementing accepted
recommendations, and, when deemed necessary or appropriate by the Committee, direct the Corporation’s Co-Chief Executive
Officer to assign additional audit projects to the leader of the RPA Group;
(7) Meet privately with the leader of the RPA Group to discuss any areas of concern, and to confirm that (i) significant issues are
brought to the Committee’s attention, (ii) the principal risks of the Corporation’s business have been identified by management and
appropriate policies and systems have been implemented to manage such risks, and (iii) the integrity of the Company’s internal
control and management information systems are satisfactory;
Oversight of Financial Reporting Process and Internal Controls
(1) Review the adequacy and effectiveness of the Corporation’s accounting and internal control policies and procedures through
inquiry and discussions with the Corporation’s independent auditors and management of the Corporation;
(2) Review with management the Corporation’s administrative, operational and accounting internal controls and internal control
over financial reporting, including controls and security of the computerized information systems, and evaluate whether the
Corporation is operating in accordance with its prescribed policies, procedures and codes of conduct;
(3) Review with management and the independent auditors any reportable conditions and material weaknesses affecting the
Corporation’s internal control and financial reporting;
(4) Receive periodic reports from the Corporation’s independent auditors and management of the Corporation to assess the
impact on the Corporation of significant accounting or financial reporting developments proposed by the Canadian Institute of
Chartered Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC,
the OSC or other regulatory body, or any other significant accounting or financial reporting related matters that may have a bearing
on the Corporation;
(5) Establish and maintain free and open means of communication between and among the Board, the Committee, the
Corporation’s independent auditors, the RPA Group and management;
Other Matters
(1) Meet at least annually with the general counsel, and outside counsel when appropriate, to review legal and regulatory
matters, including any matters that may have a material impact on the financial statements of the Corporation;
(2) Review the Corporation’s policies relating to the avoidance of conflicts of interest and review and approve related party
transactions as required by the Corporation’s Code of Business Standards and Principles and applicable laws and listing rules, as well
as policies and procedures with respect to officers’ expense accounts and perquisites. The Committee shall consider the results of any
review of these policies and procedures by the Corporation’s independent auditors;
(3) Oversee, review, and periodically update the Corporation’s Code of Business Standards and Principles and the Corporation’s
system to monitor compliance with and enforcement of the Code of Business Standards and Principles;
(4) Review and approve capital and operating expenditure limits on an annual basis and review and approval of any exceptions
to such limits proposed by the Corporation from time to time;
(5) Oversee areas under the responsibility of management, including the examination of securities trading by insiders;
(6) Conduct or authorize investigations into any matters within the Committee’s scope of responsibilities, including retaining
outside counsel or other consultants or experts for this purpose;
(7) Establish procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Corporation regarding accounting,
internal controls or auditing matters and the confidential, anonymous submission by employees of the Corporation of concerns
regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters; and
(8) Perform such additional activities, and consider such other matters, within the scope of its responsibilities, as the Committee
or the Board deems necessary or appropriate.
With respect to the exercise of its duties and responsibilities, the Committee should:
(1) exercise reasonable diligence in gathering and considering all material information;
(2) remain flexible, so that it may be in a position to best react or respond to changing circumstances or conditions;
(3) understand and weigh alternative courses of conduct that may be available;
(4) focus on weighing the benefit versus harm to the Corporation and its shareholders when considering alternative
recommendations or courses of action;
(5) if the Committee deems it appropriate, secure independent expert advice and understand the expert’s findings and the basis
for such findings, including retaining independent counsel, accountants or others to assist the Committee in fulfilling its duties and
responsibilities; and
(6) provide management, the Corporation’s independent auditors and the RPA Group with appropriate opportunities to meet
privately with the Committee.
Nothing in this Charter is intended, or should be determined, to impose on any member of the Committee a standard of care or
diligence that is in any way more onerous or extensive than the standard to which all members of the Board are subject at law. The
essence of the Committee’s responsibilities is to monitor and review the activities described in this Charter to gain reasonable
assurance, but not to ensure, that such activities are being conducted properly and effectively by the Corporation.
6.
FUNDING
The Committee’s effectiveness may be compromised if it is dependent on management’s discretion to compensate the independent
auditors or the advisors employed by the Committee. Consequently, the Corporation shall provide for appropriate funding, as
determined by the Committee, for payment of any compensation (1) to any independent auditors engaged for the purpose of rendering
or issuing an audit report or related work or performing other audit, review or attest services for the Corporation, and (2) to any
independent counsel or other advisors employed by the Committee.
7. DISCLOSURE AND REVIEW OF CHARTER
The Charter shall be (1) published in the Corporation’s annual report, information circular or annual information form of the
Corporation as required by law, and (2) be posted in an up-to-date format on the Corporation’s web site. The Committee should
review and reassess annually the adequacy of this Charter.
* * *
While the Committee has the duties and responsibilities set forth in this Charter, the Committee is not responsible for planning or
conducting the audit or for determining whether the Corporation’s consolidated financial statements are complete and accurate and
are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Similarly, it is not the responsibility of the Committee to ensure that
the Corporation complies with all laws and regulations.
ANNEX A
(Duties and Responsibilities of the Chair)
In addition to the duties and responsibilities set out in the Board of Directors Mandate and this Charter, the Chair will:
1.
Provide overall leadership to enhance the effectiveness of the Committee, including:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Recommend and oversee the appropriate structure, composition, membership, and activities delegated to the Committee;
Chair all meetings of the Committee at which the Chair is in attendance and manage the meeting agenda so that appropriate
time and consideration can be given to the agenda items;
Lead discussions, foster candor among meeting participants and encourage Committee members to ask questions of senior
management, its advisors and advisors of the Committee, and express viewpoints during meetings;
Schedule and set the agenda for Committee meetings with input from other Committee members, the Committee’s
advisors, the Lead Director of the Board of Directors, the Co-CEOs, the Corporate Secretary and senior management as
appropriate and consider, on a proactive basis, emerging matters that should be addressed by the Committee;
Facilitate the timely, accurate and proper flow of information to and from the Committee and, with input from Committee
members, maintain an open dialogue with the Corporate Secretary regarding the timeliness, quantity, quality and
completeness of information provided by senior management and advisors to the Committee;
Arrange for management, internal personnel, external advisors, and others to attend and present at Committee meetings as
appropriate;
g. Arrange sufficient time during Committee meetings to fully discuss agenda items and, as appropriate, defer matters that
require more information or time for discussion to a subsequent meeting;
h.
i.
j.
k.
In cooperation with the Corporate Secretary, identify, monitor and report back to the Committee on the status of matters
requiring action by senior management or the Committee following the meeting with a view to ensuring that matters are
acted upon in a timely manner;
Review draft minutes of Committee meetings prior to their presentation to the Committee for approval and ensure that
minutes are reviewed and approved by the Committee in accordance with this Charter;
Carry out the responsibilities and duties of the Committee, as outlined in this Charter, and
Review the Committee charter and duties and responsibilities with Committee members at least annually.
2.
3.
Foster responsible decision-making by the Committee and its individual members.
Provide for in-camera sessions at all scheduled meetings of the Committee without management present and, as appropriate,
without the Corporate Secretary present.
4.
5.
Following each meeting of the Committee, report to the Board of Directors on the activities, findings and any recommendations
of the Committee.
Perform such other duties, within the scope of its duties and responsibilities be assigned by the Board of Directors.
Exhibit 1.2
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT OF REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of Research In Motion Limited
We have audited the accompanying consolidated financial statements of Research In Motion Limited [the “Company”], which are
comprised of the consolidated balance sheets as at March 2, 2013 and March 3, 2012, the consolidated statements of operations,
comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the years ended March 2, 2013, March 3, 2012, and
February 26, 2011, and a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information.
Management’s responsibility for the consolidated financial statements
Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these consolidated financial statements in accordance with
United States generally accepted accounting principles, and for such internal control as management determines is necessary to enable
the preparation of consolidated financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
Auditors’ responsibility
Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits in
accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards and the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Board (United States). Those standards require that we comply with ethical requirements and plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free from material misstatement.
An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial
statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditors’ judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement
of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditors consider
internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the consolidated financial statements in order to design
audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the
amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements, evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the
reasonableness of accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated
financial statements.
We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained in our audits is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit
opinion.
Opinion
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as at
March 2, 2013 and March 3, 2012, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years ended March 2, 2013,
March 3, 2012, and February 26, 2011, in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles.
Other matter
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of March 2, 2013, based on the criteria established in Internal Control —
Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated
March 28, 2013 expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Kitchener, Canada,
March 28, 2013.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Chartered Accountants
Licensed Public Accountants
REPORT OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of Research In Motion Limited
We have audited Research In Motion Limited’s [the “Company”] internal control over financial reporting as of March 2, 2013,
based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of
the Treadway Commission (the COSO criteria). The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control
over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. Our responsibility is to
express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those
standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over
financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over
financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of
internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances.
We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability
of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with United States generally
accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that
[1] pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the
assets of the Company; [2] provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial
statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being
made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the Company; and [3] provide reasonable assurance
regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a
material effect on the consolidated financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections
of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in
conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of March 2,
2013, based on the COSO criteria.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the
consolidated balance sheets of the Company as at March 2, 2013 and March 3, 2012, and the consolidated statements of operations,
comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the years ended March 2, 2013, March 3, 2012 and
February 26, 2011 of the Company and our report dated March 28, 2013 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Kitchener, Canada,
March 28, 2013.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Chartered Accountants
Licensed Public Accountants
MANAGEMENT’S RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL REPORTING
To the Shareholders of Research In Motion Limited
Management of Research In Motion Limited is responsible for the preparation and presentation of the Consolidated Financial
Statements and all of the financial information in this Annual Report. The Consolidated Financial Statements were prepared in
accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles and include certain amounts based upon estimates and
judgments required for such preparation. The financial information appearing throughout this Annual Report is consistent with the
Consolidated Financial Statements. The Consolidated Financial Statements have been reviewed by the Audit and Risk Management
Committee and approved by the Board of Directors of Research In Motion Limited.
In fulfilling its responsibility for the reliability and integrity of financial information, management has developed and maintains
systems of accounting and internal controls and budgeting procedures. Management believes these systems and controls provide
reasonable assurance that assets are safeguarded, transactions are executed in accordance with management’s authorization and
financial records are reliable for the preparation of accurate and timely Consolidated Financial Statements.
The Company’s Audit and Risk Management Committee of the Board of Directors, which consists entirely of non-management
independent directors, usually meets two times per fiscal quarter with management and the independent registered public accounting
firm to ensure that each is discharging its respective responsibilities, to review the Consolidated Financial Statements and either the
quarterly review engagement report or the independent registered public accounting firm’s report and to discuss significant financial
reporting issues and auditing matters. The Company’s external registered public accounting firm has full and unrestricted access to
the Audit and Risk Management Committee to discuss audit findings, financial reporting and other related matters. The Audit and
Risk Management Committee reports its findings to the Board of Directors for consideration when the Board approves the
Consolidated Financial Statements for issuance to the shareholders.
The Consolidated Financial Statements for fiscal 2013, fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2011 have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP,
the independent registered public accounting firm appointed by the shareholders, in accordance with Canadian generally accepted
auditing standards and the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).
/s/ Thorsten Heins
Thorsten Heins
President & CEO
Waterloo, Ontario
March 28, 2013
Research In Motion Limited
Incorporated under the Laws of Ontario
(United States dollars, in millions)
Consolidated Balance Sheets
Assets
Current
Cash and cash equivalents
Short-term investments
Accounts receivable, net
Other receivables
Inventories
Income taxes receivable
Other current assets
Deferred income tax asset
Assets held for sale
Long-term investments
Property, plant and equipment, net
Goodwill
Intangible assets, net
Liabilities
Current
Accounts payable
Accrued liabilities
Deferred revenue
Deferred income tax liability
Income taxes payable
Shareholders’ Equity
Capital stock and additional paid-in capital
Preferred shares: authorized unlimited number of non-voting, cumulative, redeemable and
retractable
Common shares: authorized unlimited number of non-voting, redeemable, retractable Class A
common shares and unlimited number of voting common shares
Issued - 524,159,844 voting common shares (March 3, 2012 - 524,159,844)
Treasury stock
March 2, 2013 - 9,019,617 (March 3, 2012 - 8,711,010)
Retained earnings
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
On behalf of the Board:
Thorsten Heins
Director
Barbara Stymiest
Director
As At
March 2,
2013
March 3,
2012
$ 1,549 $ 1,527
247
3,062
496
1,027
135
365
197
15
7,071
1,105
2,353
272
603
597
469
139
14
7,101
221
337
2,395
2,733
—
304
3,448
3,286
$13,165 $13,731
$ 1,064 $
1,842
542
3,448
744
2,382
263
3,389
245
12
3,705
232
10
3,631
—
—
2,431
2,446
(234)
7,267
(4)
9,460
(299)
7,913
40
10,100
$13,165 $13,731
Research In Motion Limited
(United States dollars, in millions)
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity
Balance as at February 27, 2010
Net income
Other comprehensive loss
Shares issued:
Exercise of stock options
Stock-based compensation
Tax deficiencies related to stock-based
compensation
Purchase of treasury stock
Treasury stock vested
Common shares repurchased
Balance as at February 26, 2011
Net income
Other comprehensive income
Shares issued:
Exercise of stock options
Stock-based compensation
Tax deficiencies related to stock-based
compensation
Purchase of treasury stock
Treasury stock vested
Balance as at March 3, 2012
Net loss
Other comprehensive loss
Shares issued:
Stock-based compensation
Tax deficiencies related to stock-based
compensation
Purchase of treasury stock
Treasury stock vested
Balance as at March 2, 2013
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income (Loss)
$
51
Capital Stock
and Additional
Paid-In Capital
$
2,372
Treasury
Stock
$
(94)
—
—
67
72
(1)
—
(10)
(141)
2,359
—
—
9
97
(2)
—
(17)
2,446
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
(76)
10
—
(160)
—
—
—
—
—
(156)
17
(299)
—
—
Retained
Earnings
$ 5,274
3,411
—
—
—
—
—
—
(1,936)
6,749
1,164
—
—
—
—
—
—
7,913
(646)
—
86
—
—
(11)
—
(90)
2,431
—
(25)
90
$ (234)
—
—
—
$ 7,267
$
$
Total
$ 7,603
3,411
(61)
67
72
(1)
(76)
—
(2,077)
8,938
1,164
50
9
97
(2)
(156)
—
10,100
(646)
(44)
86
(11)
(25)
—
$ 9,460
—
(61)
—
—
—
—
—
—
(10)
—
50
—
—
—
—
—
40
—
(44)
—
—
—
—
(4)
Research In Motion Limited
(United States dollars, in millions, except per share data)
Consolidated Statements of Operations
Revenue
Hardware and other
Service and software
Cost of sales
Hardware and other
Service and software
Gross margin
Operating expenses
Research and development
Selling, marketing and administration
Amortization
Impairment of goodwill
Operating income (loss)
Investment income, net
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes
Provision for (recovery of) income taxes
Income (loss) from continuing operations
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax
Net income (loss)
Earnings (loss) per share
Basic earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations
Basic loss per share from discontinued operations
Total basic earnings (loss) per share
Diluted earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations
Diluted loss per share from discontinued operations
Total diluted earnings (loss) per share
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
March 2,
2013
For the Year Ended
March 3,
2012
February 26,
2011
$ 6,902
4,171
11,073
$14,031
4,392
18,423
$ 16,416
3,491
19,907
7,060
579
7,639
11,217
631
11,848
10,516
566
11,082
3,434
6,575
8,825
1,509
2,111
714
335
4,669
(1,235)
15
(1,220)
1,556
2,600
567
355
5,078
1,497
21
1,518
(592)
347
(628)
1,171
(18)
(7)
1,351
2,400
438
-
4,189
4,636
8
4,644
1,233
3,411
-
$ (646)
$ 1,164
$
3,411
$ (1.20)
(0.03)
$ (1.23)
$ (1.20)
(0.03)
$ (1.23)
$ 2.23
(0.01)
$ 2.22
$ 2.23
(0.01)
$ 2.22
$
$
$
$
6.36
-
6.36
6.34
-
6.34
Research In Motion Limited
(United States dollars, in millions, except per share data)
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Net income (loss)
Other comprehensive income (loss)
Net change in unrealized losses on available-for-sale investments
Net change in fair value of derivatives designated as cash flow hedges during the year,
net of income taxes of $3 million (March 3, 2012 - income taxes of $4 million;
February 26, 2011 - income tax recovery of $7 million)
Amounts reclassified to net income (loss) during the year, net of income taxes of $18
million (March 3, 2012 - income tax recovery of $14 million; February 26, 2011 -
income taxes of $16 million)
Other comprehensive income (loss)
Comprehensive income (loss)
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
March 2,
2013
$ (646)
For the Year Ended
March 3,
2012
$1,164
February 26,
2011
3,411
$
-
(3)
(2)
11
14
(20)
(55)
(44)
39
50
(39)
(61)
$ (690)
$1,214
$
3,350
Research In Motion Limited
(United States dollars, in millions)
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Cash flows from operating activities
Income (loss) from continuing operations
Loss from discontinued operations
Net income (loss)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:
Amortization
Deferred income taxes
Income taxes payable
Stock-based compensation
Impairment of goodwill
Other
Net changes in working capital items
Net cash provided by operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisition of long-term investments
Proceeds on sale or maturity of long-term investments
Acquisition of property, plant and equipment
Acquisition of intangible assets
Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired
Acquisition of short-term investments
Proceeds on sale or maturity of short-term investments
Net cash used in investing activities
Cash flows from financing activities
Issuance of common shares
Tax deficiencies related to stock-based compensation
Purchase of treasury stock
Common shares repurchased
Net cash used in financing activities
Effect of foreign exchange gain (loss) on cash and cash equivalents
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents for the year
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
March 2,
2013
For the Year Ended
March 3,
2012
February 26,
2011
$ (628)
(18)
(646)
$ 1,171
(7)
1,164
$
3,411
—
3,411
1,918
87
2
86
335
36
485
2,303
(296)
227
(413)
(1,005)
(60)
(1,472)
779
(2,240)
—
(11)
(25)
—
(36)
(5)
22
1,527
$ 1,549
1,523
(5)
(21)
97
355
9
(210)
2,912
(355)
376
(902)
(2,217)
(226)
(250)
550
(3,024)
9
(2)
(156)
—
(149)
(3)
(264)
1,791
$ 1,527
927
92
2
72
—
1
(496)
4,009
(784)
893
(1,039)
(557)
(494)
(503)
786
(1,698)
67
(1)
(76)
(2,077)
(2,087)
16
240
1,551
1,791
$
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
1.
RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Research In Motion Limited (the “Company”) is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions
for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that
support multiple wireless network standards, The Company provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to information,
including email, voice, instant messaging, short message service, Internet and intranet-based applications and browsing. The
Company’s technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and
services through software development kits, wireless connectivity to data and third-party support programs. The Company’s
portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations and millions
of consumers around the world and include the BlackBerry® wireless solution, the BlackBerry Wireless Handheld™ product
line, the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, software development tools and other software and hardware. The Company’s sales
and marketing efforts include collaboration with strategic partners and distribution channels, as well as its own supporting sales
and marketing teams, to promote the sale of its products and services. The Company was incorporated on March 7, 1984 under
the Ontario Business Corporations Act. The Company’s shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol
“BB” and on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “BBRY”.
Basis of presentation and preparation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of all subsidiaries of the Company with intercompany transactions
and balances eliminated on consolidation. All of the Company’s subsidiaries are wholly-owned. These consolidated financial
statements have been prepared by management in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S.
GAAP”) on a basis consistent for all periods presented except as described in note 2. Certain of the comparative figures have
been reclassified to conform to the current year’s presentation.
The Company’s fiscal year end date is the 52 or 53 weeks ending on the last Saturday of February, or the first Saturday of
March. The fiscal years ending March 2, 2013 and February 26, 2011 comprise 52 weeks and the fiscal year ended March 3,
2012 comprises 53 weeks.
The significant accounting policies used in these U.S. GAAP consolidated financial statements are as follows:
Use of estimates
The preparation of the consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions with respect
to the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities.
Significant areas requiring the use of management estimates relate to the determination of reserves for various litigation claims,
provisions for excess and obsolete inventories and liabilities for purchase commitments with contract manufacturers and
suppliers, provisions for warranty, revenue related estimates including vendor-specific objective evidence of selling price
(“VSOE”), best estimated selling price (“BESP”), right of return and customer incentive commitments, royalties, implied fair
value of goodwill, amortization expense, fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business combinations,
provision for income taxes, realization of deferred income tax assets and the related components of the valuation allowance,
allowance for doubtful accounts, and the fair values of financial instruments. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
1
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
Foreign currency translation
The U.S. dollar is the functional and reporting currency of the Company. Foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities of
the Company and all of its subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars. Accordingly, monetary assets and liabilities are translated
using the exchange rates in effect at the consolidated balance sheet dates and revenues and expenses are translated at the rates of
exchange prevailing when the transactions occurred. Remeasurement adjustments are included in income. Non-monetary assets
and liabilities are translated at historical exchange rates.
Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents consist of balances with banks and liquid investments with maturities of three months or less at the
date of acquisition.
Accounts receivable, net
The accounts receivable balance which reflects invoiced and accrued revenue is presented net of an allowance for doubtful
accounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts reflects estimates of probable losses in accounts receivables. The Company is
dependent on a number of significant customers and on large complex contracts with respect to sales of the majority of its
products, software and services. The Company expects the majority of its accounts receivable balances to continue to come from
large customers as it sells the majority of its devices and software products and service relay access through network carriers and
resellers rather than directly.
The Company evaluates the collectability of its accounts receivables based upon a combination of factors on a periodic basis
such as specific credit risk of its customers, historical trends and economic circumstances. The Company, in the normal course
of business, monitors the financial condition of its customers and reviews the credit history of each new customer. When the
Company becomes aware of a specific customer’s inability to meet its financial obligations to the Company (such as in the case
of bankruptcy filings or material deterioration in the customer’s operating results or financial position, and payment
experiences), the Company records a specific bad debt provision to reduce the customer’s related accounts receivable to its
estimated net realizable value. If circumstances related to specific customers change, the Company’s estimates of the
recoverability of accounts receivables balances could be further adjusted. The allowance for doubtful accounts as at March 2,
2013 is $17 million (March 3, 2012 - $16 million).
While the Company sells its products and services to a variety of customers, there were no customers that comprised more than
10% of the Company’s revenue in fiscal 2013 (March 3, 2012 – no customers that comprised more than 10%; February 26, 2011
– two customers comprised 11% each). There was one customer that comprised 8.2% of accounts receivable as at March 2, 2013
(March 3, 2012 – one customer comprised 13%).
Investments
The Company’s cash equivalents and investments, other than cost method investments of $4 million (March 3, 2012 - $37
million) and equity method investments of $46 million (March 3, 2012 - $48 million), consist of money market and other debt
securities, which are classified as available-for-sale for accounting purposes and are carried at fair value with unrealized gains
and losses net of related income taxes recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income until such investments mature or
are sold. The Company uses the specific identification method of determining the cost basis in computing realized gains or
losses on available-for-sale investments
2
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
which are recorded in investment income. In the event of a decline in value which is other-than-temporary, the investment is
written down to fair value with a charge to income. The Company does not exercise significant influence with respect to any of
these investments.
Investments with maturities of one year or less, as well as any investments that management intends to hold for less than one
year, are classified as short-term investments. Investments with maturities in excess of one year are classified as long-term
investments.
The Company assesses individual investments that are in an unrealized loss position to determine whether the unrealized loss is
other-than-temporary. The Company makes this assessment by considering available evidence, including changes in general
market conditions, specific industry and individual company data, the length of time and the extent to which the fair value has
been less than cost, the financial condition, the near-term prospects of the individual investment and the Company’s intent and
ability to hold the investment. In the event that a decline in the fair value of an investment occurs and the decline in value is
considered to be other-than-temporary, an impairment charge is recorded in investment income equal to the difference between
the cost basis and the fair value of the individual investment at the consolidated balance sheet date of the reporting period for
which the assessment was made. The fair value of the investment then becomes the new cost basis of the investment.
If a debt security’s market value is below its amortized cost and the Company either intends to sell the security or it is more
likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the security before its anticipated recovery, the Company records an
other-than-temporary impairment charge to investment income for the entire amount of the impairment. For other-than-
temporary impairments on debt securities that the Company does not intend to sell and it is not more likely than not that the
entity will be required to sell the security before its anticipated recovery, the Company would separate the other-than-temporary
impairment into the amount representing the credit loss and the amount related to all other factors. The Company would record
the other-than-temporary impairment related to the credit loss as a charge to investment income and the remaining other-than-
temporary impairment would be recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income.
Derivative financial instruments
The Company uses derivative financial instruments, including forward contracts and options, to hedge certain foreign currency
exposures. The Company does not use derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes.
The Company records all derivative instruments at fair value on the consolidated balance sheets. The fair value of these
instruments is calculated based on notional and exercise values, transaction rates, market quoted currency spot rates, forward
points and interest rate yield curves. The accounting for changes in the fair value of a derivative depends on the intended use of
the derivative instrument and the resulting designation.
For derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges, the effective portion of the derivative’s gain or loss is initially
reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income, net of tax, and subsequently reclassified into income in
the same period or periods in which the hedged item affects income. The ineffective portion of the derivative’s gain or loss is
recognized in current income. In order for the Company to receive hedge accounting treatment, the cash flow hedge must be
highly effective in offsetting changes in the fair value of the hedged item and the relationship between the hedging instrument
and the associated hedged item must be formally documented at the inception of the hedge relationship. Hedge effectiveness is
formally assessed, both at hedge inception and on an ongoing basis, to determine whether the derivatives used in hedging
transactions are highly effective in offsetting changes in the value of the hedged items and whether they are expected to continue
to be highly effective in future periods.
3
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The Company formally documents relationships between hedging instruments and associated hedged items. This documentation
includes: identification of the specific foreign currency asset, liability or forecasted transaction being hedged; the nature of the
risk being hedged; the hedge objective; and the method of assessing hedge effectiveness. If an anticipated transaction is deemed
no longer likely to occur, the corresponding derivative instrument is de-designated as a hedge and any associated unrealized
gains and losses in accumulated other comprehensive income are recognized in income at that time. Any future changes in the
fair value of the instrument are recognized in current income. The Company did not reclassify any losses from accumulated
other comprehensive income (loss) into income as a result of the de-designation of any derivative instrument as a hedge during
fiscal 2013 (fiscal 2012 – nil).
For any derivative instruments that do not meet the requirements for hedge accounting, or for any derivative instruments for
which hedge accounting is not elected, the changes in fair value of the instruments are recognized in income in the current
period and will generally offset the changes in the U.S. dollar value of the associated asset, liability, or forecasted transaction.
Inventories
Raw materials are stated at the lower of cost and replacement cost. Work in process and finished goods inventories are stated at
the lower of cost and net realizable value. Cost includes the cost of materials plus direct labour applied to the product and the
applicable share of manufacturing overhead. Cost is determined on a first-in-first-out basis.
Property, plant and equipment, net
Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated amortization. No amortization is provided for construction in
progress until the assets are ready for use. Amortization is provided using the following rates and methods:
Buildings, leasehold improvements and other
BlackBerry operations and other information technology
Manufacturing equipment, research and development
equipment and tooling
Furniture and fixtures
Straight-line over terms between 5 and 40 years
Straight-line over terms between 3 and 5 years
Straight-line over terms between 2 and 8 years
Declining balance at 20% per annum
Goodwill
Goodwill represents the excess of the acquisition price over the fair value of identifiable net assets acquired. Goodwill is
allocated at the date of the business combination. Goodwill is not amortized, but is tested for impairment annually, during the
fourth quarter, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate the asset may be impaired. These events and
circumstances may include a significant change in legal factors or in the business climate, a significant decline in the Company’s
share price, an adverse action of assessment by a regulator, unanticipated competition, a loss of key personnel, significant
disposal activity and the testing of recoverability for a significant asset group.
The Company consists of a single reporting unit. The impairment test is carried out in two steps. In the first step, the carrying
amount of the reporting unit including goodwill is compared with its fair value. The estimated fair value is determined utilizing a
market-based approach, based on the quoted market price of the Company’s stock in an active market, adjusted by an
appropriate control premium. When the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, goodwill of the reporting unit
is considered to be impaired and the second step is necessary.
4
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
In the second step of the goodwill impairment test, the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill is compared with its
carrying amount to measure the amount of the impairment loss, if any. The implied fair value of goodwill is determined in the
same manner as the value of goodwill is determined in a business combination using the fair value of the reporting unit as if it
were the acquisition price. When the carrying amount of the reporting unit’s goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of the
goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to the excess and is presented as a separate line item in the
consolidated statements of operations. Establishing an implied fair value of goodwill requires the Company to make estimates
for key inputs into complex valuation models and to apply significant judgment in the selection of estimates, assumptions and
methodologies required to complete the analysis. Areas of judgment include, but are not limited to, development of multi-year
business cash flow forecasts, the selection of discount rates and the identification and valuation of unrecorded assets.
Intangible assets
Intangible assets with definite lives are stated at cost less accumulated amortization. The Company is currently amortizing its
intangible assets with finite lives over periods generally ranging between two to ten years.
Impairment of long-lived assets
The Company reviews long-lived assets such as property, plant and equipment and intangible assets with finite useful lives for
impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the total
of the expected undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset, a loss is recognized for the excess
of the carrying amount over the fair value of the asset.
Assets held for sale and discontinued operations
Assets held for sale and related liabilities are reported separately on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets at the lower of
their carrying value and fair value less costs to sell, if material. If the carrying value exceeds the fair value less costs to sell, a
loss is recognized. Assets classified as held for sale are no longer amortized. Comparative figures are reclassified to conform to
the current year’s presentation.
When the Company has disposed of or classified as held for sale a component of the entity, and certain criteria are met, the
results of operations of the component, including any loss recognized, are reported separately on the consolidated statements of
operations as discontinued operations. Discontinued operations are presented if the component’s operations and cash flows have
been, or will be, eliminated from the Company and the Company will not have significant continuing involvement in the
operations of the component after the disposal. Earnings (loss) per share amounts for both continuing operations and
discontinued operations are presented separately on the consolidated statements of operations and income (loss) from continuing
operations and loss from discontinued operations are reported separately on the consolidated statements of cash flows.
Comparative figures are reclassified to conform to the current year’s presentation.
Income taxes
The Company uses the liability method of income tax allocation to account for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and
liabilities are recognized based upon temporary differences between the financial reporting and income tax bases of assets and
liabilities, and measured using enacted income tax rates and laws that will be in
5
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
effect when the differences are expected to reverse. The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce deferred income tax
assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. The Company considers both positive evidence and negative
evidence, to determine whether, based upon the weight of that evidence, a valuation allowance is required. Judgment is required
in considering the relative impact of negative and positive evidence.
Significant judgment is also required in evaluating the Company’s uncertain income tax positions and provisions for income
taxes. Liabilities for uncertain income tax positions are recognized based on a two-step approach. The first step is to evaluate
whether an income tax position has met the recognition threshold by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates
that it is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination. The second step is to measure the income tax position that has
met the recognition threshold as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon settlement. The
Company continually assesses the likelihood and amount of potential adjustments and adjusts the income tax provisions, income
taxes payable and deferred income taxes in the period in which the facts that give rise to a revision become known. The
Company recognizes interest and penalties related to uncertain income tax positions as interest expense, which is then netted and
reported within investment income.
The Company uses the flow-through method to account for investment tax credits (“ITCs”) earned on eligible scientific research
and experimental development expenditures. Under this method, the ITCs are recognized as a reduction to income tax expense.
Revenue Recognition
The Company recognizes revenue when it is realized or realizable and earned. The Company considers revenue realized or
realizable and earned when it has persuasive evidence of an arrangement, the product has been delivered or the services have
been provided to the customer, the sales price is fixed or determinable and collection is reasonably assured. In addition to this
general policy, the following paragraphs describe the specific revenue recognition policies for each of the Company’s major
categories of revenue.
Hardware
Revenue from the sale of BlackBerry wireless hardware products (e.g. BlackBerry® handheld devices and BlackBerry®
PlayBook™ tablets) is recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the sales price is
fixed or determinable, and collection is probable. Product is considered delivered to the customer once it has been shipped and
title and risk of loss have been transferred. For most of the Company’s product sales, these criteria are met at the time the
product is shipped. For hardware products for which the software is deemed essential to the functionality of the hardware, the
Company recognizes revenue in accordance with general revenue recognition accounting guidance.
The Company records reductions to revenue for estimated commitments related to price protection, right of return and for
customer incentive programs. Price protection is accrued as a reduction to revenue based on estimates of price reductions
provided the price reduction can be reliably estimated or based on contractual caps and all other revenue recognition criteria
have been met. The Company also records reductions to revenue for a right of return based on contractual terms and conditions
and, if the expected product returns can be reasonably and reliably estimated, based on historical experience. Where a general
right of return cannot be reasonably and reliably estimated, the Company recognizes revenue when the product sells through the
distribution channel. The estimated cost of customer incentive programs is accrued as a reduction to revenue and is recognized
at the later of the date at which the Company has sold the product or the date at which the program is offered. If historical
experience cannot support a breakage rate, the maximum rebate amount is accrued and adjusted when the incentive programs
end.
6
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
Service
Revenue from service is recognized rateably on a monthly basis when the service is provided. In instances where the Company
bills the customer prior to performing the service, the prebilling is recorded as deferred revenue. Service revenue also includes
the recognition of previously deferred revenue related to multi-element arrangements for non-software services and software
upgrade rights related to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablets and BlackBerry 10 devices.
Software
Revenue from licensed software is recognized at the inception of the license term and in accordance with industry-specific
software revenue recognition accounting guidance. When the fair value of a delivered element has not been established, the
Company uses the residual method to recognize revenue if the fair value of undelivered elements is determinable. Revenue from
software maintenance, unspecified upgrades and technical support contracts is recognized over the period that such items are
delivered or those services are provided.
Other
Other revenue consists of the sale of accessories and repair and maintenance contracts. Revenue is recognized when persuasive
evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the sales price is fixed or determinable, and collection is probable.
Shipping and Handling Costs
Amounts billed to customers related to shipping and handling are classified as revenue, and the Company’s shipping and
handling costs are included in cost of sales. Shipping and handling costs that cannot be reasonably attributed to certain
customers are included in selling, marketing and administration.
Multiple-Element Arrangements
The Company enters into revenue arrangements that may consist of multiple deliverables of its product and service offerings.
The Company’s typical multiple-element arrangements involve: (i) certain BlackBerry 7 or earlier handheld devices with
services, (ii) BlackBerry 10 handheld devices with unspecified software upgrades on a when-and-if available basis along with
undelivered non-software services (iii) tablets with unspecified software upgrades on a when-and-if available basis and
(iv) software with technical support services.
For the Company’s arrangements involving multiple deliverables of BlackBerry 7 or earlier handheld devices with services, the
consideration from the arrangement is allocated to each respective element based on its relative selling price, using vendor-
specific objective evidence of selling price (“VSOE”). In certain limited instances when the Company is unable to establish the
selling price using VSOE, the Company attempts to establish the selling price of each element based on acceptable third party
evidence of selling price (“TPE”); however, the Company is generally unable to reliably determine the selling prices of similar
competitor products and services on a stand-alone basis. In these instances, the Company uses best estimated selling price
(“BESP”) in its allocation of arrangement consideration. The objective of BESP is to determine the price at which the Company
would transact a sale if the product or service was sold on a stand-alone basis.
7
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
Beginning in January, 2013 the Company introduced its BlackBerry 10 devices which will use the Company’s network
infrastructure in a different manner than BlackBerry 7 or earlier devices. As a result, for arrangements involving multiple
deliverables including the BlackBerry 10 device and the essential operating system software, as well as unspecified upgrade
rights and non-software services for which the Company may not charge for separately, the consideration from the arrangement
is allocated to each respective element based on the relative selling price, using the Company’s BESP as the device, unspecified
upgrade rights and non-software services are no longer sold separately. The consideration for the delivered hardware and the
related essential operating system software are recognized at the time of sale provided that the four general revenue recognition
criteria have been met. The consideration allocated to the unspecified software upgrade rights and non-software services is
deferred and recognized rateably over the 24-month estimated life of the devices.
The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet includes the right to receive free unspecified software upgrade rights on a when-and-if
available basis. This upgrade right to the product’s embedded operating system software is considered an undelivered element at
the time of sale of the tablet and falls within the general revenue recognition guidance. The consideration from the arrangement
is allocated to each respective element based on its relative selling price. As the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet or the upgrade right
are not sold on a standalone basis and no TPE exists for these deliverables, the allocation of revenue is based on the Company’s
BESPs. The consideration for the delivered hardware and the related essential software operating system are recognized at the
time of sale provided that the four revenue recognition criteria have been met. The consideration allocated to the unspecified
software upgrade rights is deferred and recognized rateably over the 24-month estimated life of the tablets.
For arrangements involving multiple deliverables of software with technical support services, the revenue is recognized based on
the industry-specific software revenue recognition accounting guidance. If the Company is not able to determine VSOE for all of
the deliverables of the arrangement, but is able to obtain VSOE for all undelivered elements, revenue is allocated using the
residual method. Under the residual method, the amount of revenue allocated to delivered elements equals the total arrangement
consideration less the aggregate fair value of any undelivered elements. If VSOE of any undelivered software items does not
exist, revenue from the entire arrangement is initially deferred and recognized at the earlier of: (i) delivery of those elements for
which VSOE did not exist; or (ii) when VSOE can be established.
The Company determines BESP for a product or service by considering multiple factors including, but not limited to, historical
pricing practices for similar offerings, market conditions, competitive landscape, internal costs, gross margin objectives and
pricing practices. The determination of BESP is made through consultation with and formal approval by, the Company’s
management, taking into consideration the Company’s marketing strategy. The Company regularly reviews VSOE, TPE and
BESP, and maintains internal controls over the establishment and updates of these estimates. Based on the above factors, the
Company’s BESP for the unspecified software upgrade right is $6 per BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and the Company’s BESP for
the unspecified software upgrade right and non-software services ranges from $10-$20 per BlackBerry 10 device.
Research and development
Research costs are expensed as incurred. Development costs for BlackBerry devices and licensed software to be sold, leased or
otherwise marketed are subject to capitalization beginning when a product’s technological feasibility has been established and
ending when a product is available for general release to customers. The Company’s products are generally released soon after
technological feasibility has been established and therefore costs incurred subsequent to achievement of technological feasibility
are not significant and have been expensed as incurred.
8
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
Comprehensive income
Comprehensive income is defined as the change in net assets of a business enterprise during a period from transactions and other
events and circumstances from non-owner sources and includes all changes in equity during a period except those resulting from
investments by owners and distributions to owners. The Company’s reportable items of comprehensive income are cash flow
hedges as described in note 15 and changes in the fair value of available-for-sale investments as described in note 5. Realized
gains or losses on available-for-sale investments are reclassified into investment income using the specific identification basis.
Earnings (loss) per share
Earnings (loss) per share is calculated based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the year.
The treasury stock method is used for the calculation of the dilutive effect of stock options.
Stock-based compensation plans
The Company has stock-based compensation plans, which are described in note 9(b) to the consolidated financial statements.
The Company has an incentive stock option plan for officers and employees of the Company or its subsidiaries. Under the terms
of the plan, as revised in fiscal 2008, no stock options may be granted to independent directors. The Company measures stock-
based compensation expense at the grant date based on the award’s fair value as calculated by the Black-Scholes-Merton
(“BSM”) option-pricing model and is recognized rateably over the vesting period. The BSM model requires various judgmental
assumptions including volatility and expected option life. In addition, judgment is also applied in estimating the amount of
stock-based awards that are expected to be forfeited, and if actual results differ significantly from these estimates, stock-based
compensation expense and our results of operations would be impacted.
Any consideration paid by employees on exercise of stock options plus any recorded stock-based compensation within
additional paid-in capital related to that stock option is credited to capital stock.
The Company has a Restricted Share Unit Plan (the “RSU Plan”) under which eligible participants include any officer or
employee of the Company or its subsidiaries. At the Company’s discretion, Restricted Share Units (“RSUs”) are redeemed for
either common shares issued by the Company, common shares purchased on the open market by a trustee selected by the
Company or the cash equivalent on the vesting dates established by the Board of Directors or the Compensation, Nomination
and Governance Committee of the Board of Directors. The RSUs vest over a three-year period, either on the third anniversary
date, in equal installments or 25% per year in years one and two and 50% in year three on each anniversary date over the vesting
period. The Company classifies RSUs as equity instruments as the Company has the ability and intent to settle the awards in
common shares. The compensation expense is calculated based on the fair value of each RSU as determined by the closing value
of the Company’s common shares on the business day of the grant date. The Company recognizes compensation expense over
the vesting period of the RSU.
Upon issuance of RSU, common shares for which RSUs may be exchanged will be purchased on the open market by a trustee
selected and funded by the Company or new common shares will be issued by the Company. The trustee has been appointed to
settle the Company’s obligation to deliver shares to individuals upon vesting. In addition, upon vesting, the trustee is required to
sell enough shares to cover the individual recipient’s minimum statutory withholding tax requirement, with the remaining shares
delivered to the individual. As the Company is considered to be the primary beneficiary of the trust, the trust is considered a
variable interest entity and is consolidated by the Company.
9
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The Company has a Deferred Share Unit Plan (the “DSU Plan”), adopted by the Board of Directors on December 20, 2007,
under which each independent director will be credited with Deferred Share Units (“DSUs”) in satisfaction of all or a portion of
the cash fees otherwise payable to them for serving as a director of the Company. Grants under the DSU plan replace the stock
option awards that were historically granted to independent members of the Board of Directors. At a minimum, 60% of each
independent director’s annual retainer will be satisfied in the form of DSUs. The director can elect to receive the remaining 40%
in any combination of cash and DSUs. Within a specified period after such a director ceases to be a director, DSUs will be
redeemed for cash with the redemption value of each DSU equal to the weighted average trading price of the Company’s shares
over the five trading days preceding the redemption date. Alternatively, subject to receipt of shareholder approval, the Company
may elect to redeem DSUs by way of shares purchased on the open market or issued by the Company.
DSUs are accounted for as liability-classified awards and are awarded on a quarterly basis. These awards are measured at their
fair value on the date of issuance and remeasured at each reporting period until settlement.
Warranty
The Company provides for the estimated costs of product warranties at the time revenue is recognized. BlackBerry devices are
generally covered by a time-limited warranty for varying periods of time. The Company’s warranty obligation is affected by
product failure rates, differences in warranty periods, regulatory developments with respect to warranty obligations in the
countries in which the Company carries on business, freight expense, and material usage and other related repair costs.
The Company’s estimates of costs are based upon historical experience and expectations of future return rates and unit warranty
repair costs. If the Company experiences increased or decreased warranty activity, or increased or decreased costs associated
with servicing those obligations, revisions to the estimated warranty liability would be recognized in the reporting period when
such revisions are made.
Advertising costs
The Company expenses all advertising costs as incurred. These costs are included in selling, marketing and administration.
2.
ADOPTION OF ACCOUNTING POLICIES
In September 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued authoritative guidance to simplify how
entities, both public and non-public, test goodwill for impairment. The guidance amends previous literature by permitting an
entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less
than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test.
Under previous guidance, an entity was required to test goodwill for impairment, on at least an annual basis, by comparing the
fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill (step one). If the fair value of the reporting unit is less
than its carrying amount, then the second step of the test must be performed to measure the amount of the impairment loss, if
any. Under the new authoritative guidance, an entity is not required to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit unless the entity
determines that it is more likely than not that its fair value is less than its carrying value. The new authoritative guidance became
effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal
10
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
years beginning on or after December 15, 2011, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted the guidance in the first
quarter of fiscal 2013. The adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations, financial condition
or disclosures.
In June 2011, the FASB issued authoritative guidance which is expected to improve the comparability, consistency, and
transparency of financial reporting as well as increase the prominence of items reported in other comprehensive income. The
guidance amends previous literature by eliminating the option to present components of other comprehensive income as part of
the consolidated statement of changes in shareholders’ equity, among other amendments. The guidance now provides entities
with the option to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other
comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive
statements. In addition, the amended guidance requires entities to present on the face of the financial statements reclassification
adjustments for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income to net income in the statement(s) where the
components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income are presented. The new authoritative guidance
became effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning on or after December 15, 2011 and is
to be applied retrospectively, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted the guidance in the first quarter of fiscal
2013, and as a result, has chosen to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the
components of other comprehensive income in two separate but consecutive statements.
In May 2011, the FASB, as a result of work performed with the International Accounting Standards Board, issued authoritative
guidance to achieve common fair value measurement and disclosure requirements in U.S. GAAP and International Financial
Reporting Standards (“IFRS”). The guidance is expected to improve the comparability of fair value measurements presented and
disclosed in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and IFRS. The guidance presents certain amendments
to clarify existing fair value measurements and disclosure requirements such as clarifying the application of the highest and best
use and valuation premise concepts, measuring the fair value of an instrument classified in a reporting entity’s shareholders’
equity and clarifying that a reporting entity should disclose quantitative information about the unobservable inputs used in a fair
value measurement that is categorized within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. Furthermore, the guidance amends previous
literature by requiring additional disclosures about fair value measurements, specifically requesting more information about the
valuation processes used for fair value measurements categorized within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy as well as presenting
sensitivity of the fair value measurements to changes in unobservable inputs in Level 3 valuations. The guidance also amends
previous literature around measuring the fair value of financial instruments that are managed within a portfolio as well as the
application of premiums and discounts in a fair value measurement. The new authoritative guidance became effective for interim
and annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2011. The Company adopted the guidance in the first quarter of fiscal
2013. The adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial condition. Additional
disclosure has been added to note 3 to present the significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of each of
the Level 3 assets as well as the impact on the fair value measurement resulting from a significant increase or decrease in each
input in isolation.
3.
RECENTLY ISSUED PRONOUNCEMENTS
In February 2013, the FASB issued authoritative guidance to improve the reporting of reclassifications out of accumulated other
comprehensive income. The guidance requires an entity to report the effect of significant reclassifications out of accumulated
other comprehensive income on the respective line items in net income if the amount being reclassified is required under U.S.
GAAP to be reclassified in its entirety to net income. For other amounts that are not required under U.S. GAAP to be
reclassified in their entirety to net income in the same reporting period, an entity is required to cross-reference other disclosures
required under U.S. GAAP that provide
11
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
additional detail about those amounts. The new authoritative guidance will become effective for annual and interim reporting
periods beginning on or after December 15, 2012, with early adoption permitted. The Company will adopt the guidance in the
first quarter of fiscal 2014 and is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on its results of
operations, financial condition and disclosures.
4.
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND INVESTMENTS
The components of cash, cash equivalents and investments were as follows:
Cost Basis
Unrealized
Gains
Unrealized
Losses
Other-than-
temporary
Impairment
Fair Value
Cash and
Cash
Equivalents
Short-term
Investments
Long-term
Investments
As at March 2, 2013
Bank balances
Money market funds
Bankers’ acceptances/Bearer
deposit notes
$
Non-U.S. government promissory
notes
Term deposits/certificates
Commercial paper
Non-U.S. treasury bills/notes
U.S. treasury bills/notes
U.S. government sponsored
enterprise notes
Non-U.S. government sponsored
enterprise notes
Corporate notes/bonds
Asset-backed securities
Auction rate securities
Other investments
As at March 3, 2012
Bank balances
Money market funds
Bankers’ acceptances
Term deposits/certificates
Commercial paper
Non-U.S. treasury bills/notes
U.S. treasury bills/notes
U.S. government sponsored
enterprise notes
Non-U.S. government sponsored
enterprise notes
Corporate notes/bonds
Asset-backed securities
Auction rate securities
Other investments
431 $ — $ —
—
—
5
— $
—
431 $
5
431 $ — $ —
—
—
5
114
—
—
—
114
114
—
50
157
629
282
619
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
50
157
629
282
619
50
132
534
233
—
—
25
95
49
602
156
—
—
—
156
10
146
26
217
102
41
50
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
(6)
—
26
218
102
36
50
26
14
—
—
—
—
186
2
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
17
—
—
18
100
36
50
$ 2,879 $
2 $ — $
(6) $ 2,875 $ 1,549 $ 1,105 $
221
$
453 $ — $ — $ — $
5
284
217
402
71
114
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
453 $
5
284
217
402
71
114
453 $ — $ —
—
—
—
—
—
42
—
—
15
47
—
32
5
284
202
355
71
40
127
—
—
—
127
91
24
18
165
109
41
120
—
1
—
1
—
—
—
—
—
—
$ 2,126 $
2 $ — $
12
—
—
—
(6)
(11)
(17) $ 2,111 $ 1,527 $
10
16
—
—
—
18
166
109
36
109
8
121
—
—
—
247 $
12
—
29
109
36
109
337
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
There were realized gains on available-for-sale securities for the year ended March 2, 2013 of $11 million ($1 million for the
year ended March 3, 2012; $2 million for the year ended February 26, 2011), representing the sale of a portion of the Company’s
claim on Lehman Brothers International (Europe) (“LBIE”) trust assets on which an other-than-temporary impairment charge
had been recorded in fiscal 2011.
Realized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities comprise the following:
Realized gains
Realized losses
Net realized gains
For the year ended
March 2,
March 3,
2013
11
—
11
$
$
2012
1
—
1
$
$
February 26,
2011
$
$
2
—
2
The contractual maturities of available-for-sale investments as at March 2, 2013 were as follows:
Due in one year or less
Due in one to five years
Due after five years
No fixed maturity date
Cost Basis
$ 2,218
134
35
5
$ 2,392
Fair Value
$ 2,219
134
36
5
$ 2,394
As at March 2, 2013 and March 3, 2012, the Company had no investments with continuous unrealized losses.
The Company engages in limited securities lending to generate fee income. Collateral, which exceeds the market value of the
loaned securities, is retained by the Company until the underlying security has been returned to the Company. As at March 2,
2013, the Company did not have any securities on loan (March 3, 2012 - nil).
During fiscal 2011, the Company recognized an other-than-temporary impairment charge on its auction rate securities in the
amount of $6 million as a result of the lack of continuing liquidity in these securities. In valuing these securities, the Company
used a multi-year investment horizon and considered the underlying risk of the securities and the current market interest rate
environment. The Company has the ability and intent to hold these securities until such time that market liquidity returns to
normal levels, and does not consider the principal or interest amounts on these securities to be materially at risk. The Company
has not recorded any additional impairment on its auction rate securities as of March 3, 2012 or March 2, 2013. As there is
uncertainty as to when market liquidity for auction rate securities will return to normal, the Company has classified the auction
rate securities as long-term investments on the consolidated balance sheet as at March 3, 2012 and March 2, 2013.
During fiscal 2011, the Company also recognized an other-than-temporary impairment charge of $11 million against a portion of
its claim on LBIE trust assets. These assets were represented by principal and interest payments from matured investments that
were originally held at LBIE at the time of bankruptcy. On October 30, 2012, the Company sold its claim on these assets at par
value, recovering the other-than-temporary impairment charge taken during fiscal 2011. The recovery is included within
investment income. This sale represented a significant transfer out of assets classified as Level 3 and is presented as such in
Note 5 to the financial statements.
13
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
5.
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
The Company defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly
transaction between market participants at the measurement date. When determining the fair value measurements for assets and
liabilities required to be recorded at fair value, the Company considers the principal or most advantageous market in which it
would transact and considers assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability such as inherent
risk, non-performance risk and credit risk. The Company applies the following fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs
used in the valuation methodologies in measuring fair value into three levels:
•
Level 1 - Unadjusted quoted prices at the measurement date for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.
Level 2 - Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets and
liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active; or
other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.
Level 3 - Significant unobservable inputs which are supported by little or no market activity.
•
•
The fair value hierarchy also requires the Company to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of
unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.
The carrying amounts of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivables, other receivables, accounts payable
and accrued liabilities approximate fair value due to their short maturities.
In determining the fair value of investments held, the Company primarily relies on an independent third party valuator for the
fair valuation of securities. Pricing inputs used by the independent third party valuator are generally received from two primary
vendors. The pricing inputs are reviewed for completeness and accuracy, within a set tolerance level, on a daily basis by the
third party valuator. The Company also reviews and understands the inputs used in the valuation process and assesses the pricing
of the securities for reasonableness.
The fair values of money market funds were derived from quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
For bankers’ acceptances/bearer deposit notes, non-U.S. government promissory notes, term deposits/certificates and
commercial paper, the independent third party utilizes amortized cost, as the short-term nature of the securities approximates fair
value. For non-U.S. treasury bills/notes, U.S. treasury bills/notes, U.S. government sponsored enterprise notes, non-U.S.
government sponsored enterprise notes, corporate notes/bonds (other than those classified as Level 3) and asset-backed
securities, the independent third party provides fair values determined from quoted prices that it obtains from vendors. The
Company then corroborates the fair values received from the independent third party against the results of its internal valuation
in order to corroborate the pricing provided by the independent third party.
The Company corroborates the fair values provided by the independent third party for bankers’ acceptances/bearer deposit notes
by comparing those provided against fair values determined by the Company utilizing quoted prices from vendors for identical
securities, or the market prices of similar securities adjusted for observable inputs such as differences in maturity dates, interest
rates, and credit ratings. The bankers’ acceptances/bearer deposit notes held by the Company are all issued by major banking
organizations and have investment grade ratings.
14
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The Company corroborates the fair values provided by the independent third party for non-U.S. government promissory notes by
comparing those provided against fair values determined by the Company utilizing quoted prices from vendors for identical
securities, or the market prices of similar securities adjusted for observable inputs such as differences in maturity dates, interest
rates and credit ratings. The non-U.S. government promissory notes held by the Company are issued by the Canadian Wheat
Board and all have investment grade ratings
The Company corroborates the fair values provided by the independent third party for term deposits/certificates by comparing
those provided against fair values determined by the Company utilizing quoted prices from vendors for identical securities, or
the market prices of similar securities adjusted for observable inputs such as differences in maturity dates, interest rates and
credit ratings. The term deposits/certificates held by the Company are all issued by major banking organizations and have
investment grade ratings.
The Company corroborates the fair values provided by the independent third party for commercial paper by comparing those
provided against fair values determined by the Company utilizing quoted prices from vendors for identical securities, or the
market prices of similar securities adjusted for observable inputs such as differences in maturity dates, interest rates, dealer
placed rates and credit ratings. The commercial paper held by the Company are all issued by major financing, corporate or
capital organizations and have investment grade ratings.
The Company corroborates the fair values provided by the independent third party for non-U.S. treasury bills/notes by
comparing those provided against fair values determined by the Company utilizing quoted prices from vendors for identical
securities, or the market prices of similar securities adjusted for observable inputs such as differences in maturity dates, interest
rates and credit rating. All non-U.S. treasury bills/notes held by the Company are issued by the federal and/or provincial
governments of Canada and have investment grade ratings.
The Company corroborates the fair values provided by the independent third party for U.S. treasury bills/notes by comparing
those provided against fair values determined by the Company utilizing quoted prices from vendors for identical securities as
provided by U.S. government bond dealers. All U.S. treasury bills/notes held by the Company are issued by the United States
Department of the Treasury and have investment grade ratings.
The Company corroborates the fair values provided by the independent third party for U.S. government sponsored enterprise
notes by comparing those provided against fair values determined by the Company utilizing quoted prices from vendors for
identical securities as provided by U.S. government bond dealers or prices as provided by the published index of U.S. Agency
securities. The U.S. government sponsored enterprise notes held by the Company are primarily agency notes and collateralized
mortgage obligations issued and backed by government organizations such as the Federal Farm Credit and Federal Home Loan
Banks and all have investment grade ratings.
The Company corroborates the fair values provided by the independent third party for non-U.S. government sponsored
enterprise notes by comparing those provided against fair values determined by the Company utilizing quoted prices from
vendors for identical securities, or the market prices of similar securities adjusted for observable inputs such as differences in
maturity dates, interest rates and credit ratings. The non-U.S. government sponsored enterprise notes held by the Company are
primarily issued by investment banks backed by countries across the globe and all have investment grade ratings.
15
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The Company corroborates the fair values provided by the independent third party for corporate notes/bonds (other than those
classified as Level 3) by comparing those provided against fair values determined by the Company utilizing quoted prices from
vendors for identical securities, or the market prices of similar securities adjusted for observable inputs such as differences in
maturity dates, interest rates, yield curves, swap rates, credit ratings, industry comparable trades and spread history. The
corporate notes/bonds held by the Company are all issued by major corporate organizations and have investment grade ratings.
The Company corroborates the fair values provided by the independent third party for asset-backed securities by comparing
those provided against fair values determined by the Company utilizing quoted prices from vendors for identical securities, or
the market prices of similar securities adjusted for observable inputs such as differences in swap rates and spreads, credit ratings,
pricing changes relative to asset class, priority in capital structure, principal payment windows, and maturity dates. All asset-
backed securities held by the Company are issued by government or consumer agencies and are primarily backed by commercial
automobile and equipment loans and leases. All asset-backed securities held by the Company have investment grade ratings.
Fair values for all investment categories provided by the independent third party that are in excess of 0.5% from the fair values
determined by the Company are communicated to the third party for consideration of reasonableness. The independent third
party considers the information provided by the Company before determining whether a change in the original pricing is
warranted.
The fair values of corporate notes/bonds classified as Level 3, which represent investments in securities for which there is not an
active market, are estimated using a discounted cash flow pricing methodology incorporating unobservable inputs such as
anticipated monthly interest and principal payments received, existing and estimated defaults, and collateral value. The
corporate notes/bonds classified as Level 3 held by the Company consist of securities received in a payment-in-kind distribution
from a former structured investment vehicle.
The fair value of auction rate securities is estimated using a discounted cash flow model incorporating estimated weighted-
average lives based on contractual terms, assumptions concerning liquidity, and credit adjustments of the security sponsor to
determine timing and amount of future cash flows. Some of these inputs are unobservable.
The fair values of currency forward contracts and currency option contracts have been determined using notional and exercise
values, transaction rates, market quoted currency spot rates, forward points and interest rate yield curves. For currency forward
contracts and currency option contracts, the estimates presented herein are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that the
Company could realize in a current market exchange. Changes in assumptions could have a significant effect on the estimates.
16
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The following table presents the Company’s assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis:
As at March 2, 2013
Assets
Available-for-sale investments
Money market funds
Bankers’ acceptances/Bearer deposit notes
Non-U.S. government promissory notes
Term deposits/certificates
Commercial paper
Non-U.S. treasury bills/notes
U.S. treasury bills/notes
U.S. government sponsored enterprise notes
Non-U.S. government sponsored enterprise notes
Corporate notes/bonds
Asset-backed securities
Auction rate securities
Total available-for-sale investments
Currency forward contracts
Currency option contracts
Total assets
Liabilities
Currency forward contracts
Currency option contracts
Total liabilities
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Total
5 $ — $ — $
$
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
5
—
—
$
5
114
50
157
629
282
619
156
26
218
102
36
2,394
56
3
5 $2,407 $ 41 $2,453
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
5
—
36
41
—
—
114
50
157
629
282
619
156
26
213
102
—
2,348
56
3
$ — $
—
$ — $
24 $ — $
11
35 $ — $
—
24
11
35
17
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
As at March 3, 2012
Assets
Available-for-sale investments
Money market funds
Bankers’ acceptances
Term deposits/certificates
Commercial paper
Non-U.S. treasury bills/notes
U.S. treasury bills/notes
U.S. government sponsored enterprise notes
Non-U.S. government sponsored enterprise notes
Corporate notes/bonds
Asset-backed securities
Auction rate securities
Other investments
Total available-for-sale investments
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Total
5 $ — $ — $
$
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
5
284
217
402
71
114
127
18
159
109
—
—
1,501
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
7
—
36
25
68
5
284
217
402
71
114
127
18
166
109
36
25
1,574
Currency forward contracts
Currency option contracts
Total assets
Liabilities
Currency forward contracts
Currency option contracts
Total liabilities
—
—
$
55
17
5 $1,573 $ 68 $1,646
—
—
55
17
$ — $
—
$ — $
34 $ — $
1
35 $ — $
—
34
1
35
18
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The following table summarizes the changes in fair value of the Company’s Level 3 assets for the years ended March 3, 2012
and March 2, 2013:
Balance at February 26, 2011
Change in market values
Principal repayments received
Balance at March 3, 2012
Sale of Level 3 assets
Principal repayments
Balance at March 2, 2013
Level 3
$ 71
1
(4)
68
(25)
(2)
$ 41
The Company recognizes transfers in and out of levels within the fair value hierarchy at the end of the reporting period in which
the actual event or change in circumstance occurred. During the year ended March 2, 2013, there was a significant transfer out
of Level 3 assets in the amount of $25 million, representing the sale of the Company’s unsecured claim on assets held at LBIE at
the time of LBIE’s bankruptcy.
The Company’s Level 3 assets are comprised of auction rate securities and corporate notes/bonds consisting of securities
received in a payment-in-kind distribution from a former structured investment vehicle.
The auction rate securities are valued using a discounted cash flow method incorporating both observable and unobservable
inputs. The unobservable inputs utilized in the valuation are the estimated weighted-average life of each security based on its
contractual details and expected paydown schedule based upon the underlying collateral, the value of the underlying collateral
which would be realized in the event of a waterfall event, an estimate of the likelihood of a waterfall event and an estimate of the
likelihood of a permanent auction suspension. Significant changes in these unobservable inputs would result in significantly
different fair value measurements. Generally, a change in the assumption used for the probability of a waterfall event is
accompanied by a directionally opposite change in the assumption used for the probability of a permanent suspension. A
waterfall event occurs if the funded reserves of the securities become insufficient to make the interest payments, resulting in the
disbursement of the securities’ underlying collateral, the value which is currently greater than the fair value of the securities, to
the security holders.
The corporate notes/bonds are valued using a discounted cash flow method incorporating both observable and unobservable
inputs. The unobservable inputs utilized in the valuation are the anticipated future monthly principal and interest payments, an
estimated rate of decrease of those payments, the value of the underlying collateral, the number of securities currently in
technical default as grouped by the underlying collateral, an estimated average recovery rate of those securities and assumptions
surrounding additional defaults. Significant changes in these unobservable inputs would result in significantly different fair
value measurements. Generally, a change in the assumption used for the anticipated monthly payments is accompanied by a
directionally similar change in the average recovery rate and a directionally opposite change in the yearly decrease in payments
and additional defaults assumptions.
19
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The following table presents the significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of each of the above Level 3
assets, as well as the impact on the fair value measurement resulting from a significant increase or decrease in each input in
isolation:
As at March 2, 2013
Auction rate
securities
Fair
Value
$ 36
Valuation
Technique
Discounted
cash flow Weighted-average life
Unobservable Input
Range (weighted average)
Effect of Significant
Increase/(Decrease) in
Input on Fair Value
10 - 21 years (16 years)
(Decrease)/increase
Collateral value (as a % of fair value)
103 - 137% (116%)
Increase/(decrease)
Probability of waterfall event
5 - 10% (8%)
Increase/(decrease)
Probability of permanent suspension
of auction
5 - 10% (8%)
(Decrease)/increase
Corporate
bonds/notes
$ 5
Discounted
cash flow
Anticipated monthly principal and
interest payments
Yearly decrease in payments
Collateral value (as a % of fair value)
Current securities in technical
default, by collateral grouping
Average recovery rate of securities in
technical default
$0.2 million
Increase/(decrease)
10%
193%
(Decrease)/increase
Increase/(decrease)
0 - 100% (19%)
(Decrease)/increase
30%
Increase/(decrease)
Additional defaults assumption
0 - 44% (18%)
(Decrease)/increase
6.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS DETAILS
Inventories
Inventories were comprised of the following:
Raw materials
Work in process
Finished goods
Provision for excess and obsolete inventories
20
As at
March 2,
2013
$ 588
371
78
(434)
March 3,
2012
$ 771
520
167
(431)
$ 603
$1,027
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
Property, plant and equipment, net
Property, plant and equipment were comprised of the following:
Cost
Land
Buildings, leasehold improvements and other
BlackBerry operations and other information technology
Manufacturing equipment, research and development equipment and
tooling
Furniture and fixtures
Accumulated amortization
Net book value
As at
March 2,
2013
March 3,
2012
$ 129
1,392
2,440
$ 129
1,386
2,194
486
570
5,017
2,622
$2,395
524
529
4,762
2,029
$2,733
As at March 2, 2013, the carrying amount of assets under construction was $109 million (March 3, 2012 - $392 million). Of this
amount, $62 million was included in buildings, leasehold improvements and other (March 3, 2012 - $241 million); $36 million
was included in BlackBerry operations and other information technology (March 3, 2012 - $132 million); $11 million was
included in manufacturing equipment, research and development equipment, and tooling (March 3, 2012 - $15 million); and
$0.4 million was included in furniture and fixtures (March 3, 2012 - $4).
For the year ended March 2, 2013, amortization expense related to property, plant and equipment was $721 million (March 3,
2012 - $660 million; February 26, 2011 - $497 million).
21
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
Intangible assets, net
Intangible assets were comprised of the following:
Acquired technology
Intellectual property
Acquired technology
Intellectual property
Cost
$ 455
4,382
$4,837
Cost
$ 397
4,217
$4,614
As at March 2, 2013
Accumulated
Amortization
262
1,127
Net Book
Value
$ 193
3,255
1,389
$ 3,448
As at March 3, 2012
Accumulated
Amortization
182
1,146
Net Book
Value
$ 215
3,071
1,328
$ 3,286
$
$
$
$
During fiscal 2013, the additions to intangible assets primarily consisted of payments relating to amended or renewed licensing
agreements, as well as agreements with third parties for the use of intellectual property, software, messaging services and other
BlackBerry related features, as well as intangible assets associated with the business acquisitions discussed in note 7.
During fiscal 2012, a consortium of certain technology companies, of which the Company is a part, emerged as the winning
bidder for all of Nortel’s remaining patents and patent applications for a cash purchase price of $4.5 billion. The Company’s
portion of the purchase consideration is approximately $775 million. The purchase includes more than 6,000 patents and patent
applications spanning wireless, wireless 4G, data networking, voice, internet and other patents. The majority of the Company’s
portion of the purchase consideration was recorded as intangible assets as at March 3, 2012.
For the year ended March 2, 2013, amortization expense related to intangible assets was $1.2 billion (March 3, 2012 - $863
million; February 26, 2011 - $430 million). Total additions to intangible assets in fiscal 2013 were $1.2 billion (2012 - $2.4
billion).
Based on the carrying value of the identified intangible assets as at March 2, 2013 and assuming no subsequent impairment of
the underlying assets, the annual amortization expense for each of the succeeding years is expected to be as follows: 2014 - $1.2
billion; 2015 - $656 million; 2016 - $363 million; 2017 - $320 million; and 2018 - $272 million.
The weighted-average remaining useful life of the acquired technology is 3.2 years (2012 - 2.9 years).
22
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
Goodwill
Changes to the carrying amount of goodwill during the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013 were as follows:
Balance as at February 26, 2011
Goodwill acquired through business combinations during the year
Balance as at March 3, 2012
Goodwill acquired through business combinations during the year
Goodwill impairment charge
Balance as at March 2, 2013
Gross
Amount
Accumulated
Impairment
Losses
Net
Amount
508
151
659
31
—
—
508
(355)
(355)
—
(335)
(204)
304
31
(335)
$ 690
$
(690)
$ —
The Company performed a goodwill impairment analysis during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 and concluded that impairment
existed. Based on the results of that test, the Company recorded a goodwill impairment charge of $355 million in the fourth
quarter of fiscal 2012.
Due to business conditions and a continued significant decline in the Company’s market capitalization, the Company concluded
that goodwill impairment indicators existed and an interim goodwill impairment assessment was required in the first quarter of
fiscal 2013. In the first step of the goodwill impairment test, the estimated fair value of the Company was determined utilizing a
market-based approach and the Company’s market capitalization was used as a key input for the determination of fair value of
the Company. The Company’s market capitalization was determined by multiplying the number of shares outstanding as at
June 2, 2012 by the average closing market price of the Company’s common shares over the preceding five-day period. The
Company used
23
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
this duration in order to incorporate the inherent market fluctuations that may affect any individual closing price of the
Company’s shares. The Company believes that market capitalization alone does not capture the fair value of the business as a
whole, or the substantial value that an acquirer would obtain from its ability to obtain control of the business. Consequently, the
Company developed an estimate for the control premium that a marketplace participant might pay to acquire control of the
business in an arm’s-length transaction. The determination of the control premium requires significant judgment and the
Company observed recent market transactions as a guide to establish a range of reasonably possible control premiums to
estimate the Company’s fair value. The Company believes that the main factors leading to the impairment were a significant
decline in its share price, which was influenced by delays in new product introductions, intense competition within the
Company’s industry and a sustained decline in the Company’s performance. The result of this analysis concluded that the
carrying value of the Company exceeded its estimated fair value as at the balance sheet date of the first quarter of fiscal 2013,
and as such, the second step of the goodwill impairment test was performed.
In the second step of the impairment test, the impairment loss was measured by estimating the implied fair value of the
Company’s goodwill and comparing it with its carrying value. Using the Company’s fair value determined in the first step of the
goodwill impairment test as the acquisition price in a hypothetical acquisition of the Company, the implied fair value of
goodwill was calculated as the residual amount of the acquisition price after allocations made to the fair value of net assets,
including working capital, property, plant and equipment and both recognized and unrecognized intangible assets. Based on the
results of the second step of the goodwill impairment test, it was concluded that the carrying value of goodwill was impaired.
Consequently, the Company recorded a goodwill impairment charge of $335 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2013 to write-
off the entire carrying value of its goodwill, and reported this amount as a separate line item in the consolidated statements of
operations.
Accrued liabilities
Accrued liabilities were comprised of the following:
Marketing costs
Vendor inventory liabilities
Warranty
Royalties
Carrier liabilities
Other
$
99
130
318
501
141
653
As at
March 2,
2013
March 3,
2012
$ 367
279
408
382
524
422
Other accrued liabilities, as noted in the above table, include, among other things, salaries and payroll withholding taxes, none of
which are greater than 5% of the current liabilities balance.
$1,842
$2,382
24
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
7.
BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS
On March 8, 2012, the Company purchased for cash consideration 88% of the shares of Paratek Microwave Inc. (“Paratek”),
representing all remaining shares of Paratek which were not previously held by the Company. Immediately prior to the
acquisition date, the Company owned a 12% interest in Paratek. The non-controlling interest had a carrying value of $20 million
and was re-measured at a fair value of $20 million, and resulted in no gain or loss. The valuation was based on the application of
a minority interest discount to the aggregate purchase consideration paid and then allocating the implied value of Paratek, on a
minority interest basis, across the shares outstanding. The acquired technology will be incorporated into the Company’s products
to enhance radio frequency tuning technologies.
During fiscal 2012, the Company purchased for cash consideration 100% of the shares of a company whose technology will be
incorporated into the Company’s proprietary technology.
During fiscal 2012, the Company purchased for cash consideration 100% of the shares of a company whose technology is being
incorporated into an application on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.
During fiscal 2012, the Company purchased for cash consideration 100% of the shares of a company whose technology offers a
customizable and cross-platform social mobile gaming developer tool kit.
During fiscal 2012, the Company purchased for cash consideration 100% of the shares of a company whose technology will
provide a multi-platform BlackBerry Enterprise Solution for managing and securing mobile devices for enterprises and
government organizations.
During fiscal 2012, the Company purchased for cash consideration certain assets of a company whose acquired technology will
be incorporated into the Company’s products to enhance calendar scheduling capabilities.
During fiscal 2012, the Company purchased for cash consideration 100% of the shares of a company whose technology is being
incorporated into the Company’s developer tools.
The acquisitions were accounted for using the acquisition method whereby identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed
were measured at their fair values as of the date of acquisition. The excess of the acquisition price over such fair value, if any, is
recorded as goodwill, which is not expected to be deductible for tax purposes. In-process research and development is charged to
amortization expense immediately after acquisition. The Company includes the operating results of each acquired business in the
consolidated financial statements from the date of acquisition.
25
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The following table summarizes the estimated fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the date of acquisition
for fiscal 2013, fiscal 2012:
Assets purchased
Current assets
Property, plant and equipment
Other assets
Customer relationship intangible
Acquired technology
In-process research and development
Deferred income tax asset
Goodwill
(1)
Liabilities assumed
Deferred income tax liability
Net non-cash assets acquired
Cash acquired
Purchase price
Consideration
Cash consideration
Fair value of equity interest previously held
Contingent consideration
(2)
For the year ended
March 2,
2013
March 3,
2012
$
4
2
4
10
96
—
39
31
186
(23)
(38)
(61)
$
12
3
6
16
72
5
4
151
269
29
9
38
125
231
1
6
$ 126
$ 237
$
93
20
13
$ 232
—
5
$ 126
$ 237
(1)
(2)
Goodwill represents the excess of the acquisition price over the fair value of net assets acquired, which is not expected to be
deductible for tax purposes when goodwill results from share purchases. None of the goodwill resulting from certain assets
purchased in fiscal 2013 is expected to be deductible for tax purposes ($10 million of goodwill resulting from certain assets
purchased in fiscal 2012 is expected to be deductible for tax purposes). The entire goodwill balance was included in the goodwill
impairment charges incurred in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 and the first quarter of fiscal 2013, as discussed in note 6.
The Company has agreed to additional consideration contingent upon the retention of key employees for a period of 24 months
from the acquisition date.
The weighted-average amortization period of the acquired technology related to the business acquisition completed during the
year ended March 2, 2013 is approximately 4.3 years (March 3, 2012 – 3.4 years).
26
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
Pro forma results of operations for the acquisitions have not been presented because the effects of the operations, individually or
in aggregate, are not considered to be material to the Company’s consolidated results.
8.
INCOME TAXES
The difference between the amount of the provision for (recovery of) income taxes and the amount computed by multiplying
income from continuing operations before income taxes by the statutory Canadian tax rate is reconciled as follows:
Statutory Canadian tax rate
March 2,
2013
For the year ended
March 3,
2012
February 26,
2011
26.6%
28.0%
30.5%
Expected provision for (recovery of) income taxes from continuing
operations
$ (324)
$ 425
$
1,414
Differences in income taxes resulting from:
Investment tax credits
Canadian tax rate differences
Manufacturing and processing activities
Change in unrecognized income tax benefits
Non-deductible goodwill impairment
Foreign tax rate differences
Other differences
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes:
Canadian
Foreign
27
(127)
(125)
—
(116)
84
6
10
(138)
—
(21)
—
90
12
(21)
(138)
—
(71)
—
—
15
13
$ (592)
$ 347
$
1,233
March 2,
2013
For the year ended
March 3,
2012
February 26,
2011
$(1,365)
145
$ 1,272
246
$(1,220)
$ 1,518
$
$
4,279
364
4,643
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The provision for (recovery of) income taxes from continuing operations consists of the following:
Current
Deferred
Canadian
Foreign
Canadian
Foreign
Provision for (recovery of) income taxes
For the year ended
March 2,
2013
March 3,
2012
February 26,
2011
$ (760)
88
$ 176
181
68
12
$ (592)
34
(44)
$ 347
$
$
1,059
83
57
34
1,233
Deferred income tax assets and liabilities consist of the following temporary differences:
Assets
Non-deductible reserves
Tax loss carryforwards
Unrealized losses on financial instruments
Other tax carryforwards
Deferred income tax assets
Liabilities
Property, plant and equipment
Research and development
Unrealized gains on financial instruments
Deferred income tax liabilities
Net deferred income tax liability
Deferred income tax asset - current
Deferred income tax liability - long-term
28
As at
March 2,
2013
$ 182
28
2
—
March 3,
2012
$ 216
30
—
30
212
276
(287)
(31)
—
(318)
(282)
(17)
(12)
(311)
$ (106)
$ (35)
$ 139
(245)
$ 197
(232)
$ (106)
$ (35)
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The Company determined that it is more likely than not that it can realize its deferred income tax assets. Accordingly, no
valuation allowance is required on its deferred income tax assets as at March 2, 2013 (March 3, 2012 - nil). The Company will
continue to evaluate and examine the valuation allowance on a regular basis, and when required, the valuation allowance may be
adjusted.
The Company has not provided for Canadian deferred income taxes or foreign withholding taxes that would apply on the
distribution of the income of its non-Canadian subsidiaries, as this income is intended to be reinvested indefinitely. As at
March 2, 2013, the cumulative amount of earnings upon which income taxes have not been provided is approximately $1.3
billion. The amount of unrecognized deferred tax liability related to these earnings is estimated to be approximately $60 million.
The Company’s total unrecognized income tax benefits as at March 2, 2013 and March 3, 2012 were $29 million and $146
million, respectively. The decrease in unrecognized income tax benefits primarily relates to the effective settlement of uncertain
income tax positions in the third quarter of fiscal 2013 that resulted from the restructuring of the Company’s international
operations. A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized income tax benefits that, if recognized, would
affect the Company’s effective income tax rate is as follows:
Unrecognized income tax benefits, opening balance
Increase for income tax positions of prior years
Increase for income tax positions of current year
Settlement of tax positions
Expiration of statute of limitations
Other
Unrecognized income tax benefits, ending balance
March 2,
2013
$ 146
9
2
(152)
—
24
29
$
March 3,
2012
$ 164
15
—
(8)
(24)
(1)
$ 146
February 26,
2011
$
$
161
8
—
(2)
—
(3)
164
As at March 2, 2013, all of the unrecognized income tax benefits of $29 million have been netted against current income taxes
payable and other non-current income taxes payable on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.
A summary of open tax years by major jurisdiction is presented below:
Jurisdiction
Canada
(1)
United States
(2)
United Kingdom
Fiscal 2009 - 2013
Fiscal 2012 - 2013
Fiscal 2010 - 2013
(1)
(2)
Includes federal as well as provincial jurisdictions.
Pertains to federal tax years. Certain state jurisdictions remain open from fiscal 2009 through fiscal 2013.
The Company is subject to ongoing examination by tax authorities in the jurisdictions in which it operates. The Company
regularly assesses the status of these examinations and the potential for adverse outcomes to determine the adequacy of the
provision for income taxes as well as the provisions for indirect and other taxes and related penalties and interest. The Company
believes it is reasonably possible that approximately $17 million of its gross unrecognized income tax benefits will be realized in
the next twelve months. The Company has other non-
29
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
Canadian income tax audits pending. While the final resolution of these audits is uncertain, the Company believes the ultimate
resolution of these audits will not have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position, liquidity or results of
operations.
The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized income tax benefits as interest expense, which is netted
and reported within investment income. The amount of interest accrued as at March 2, 2013 was approximately $6 million
(March 3, 2012 – approximately $6 million). The amount of penalties accrued as at March 2, 2013 was nominal
(March 3, 2012 – nil).
9.
CAPITAL STOCK
(a) Capital stock
The Company is authorized to issue an unlimited number of non-voting, redeemable, retractable Class A common shares, an
unlimited number of voting common shares and an unlimited number of non-voting, cumulative, redeemable, retractable
preferred shares. At March 2, 2013 and March 3, 2012, there were no Class A common shares or preferred shares outstanding.
30
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The following details the changes in issued and outstanding common shares for the three years ended March 2, 2013:
Common shares outstanding as at February 27, 2010
Exercise of stock options
Stock-based compensation
Tax deficiencies related to stock-based compensation
Purchase of treasury stock
Treasury stock vested
Common shares repurchased
Common shares outstanding as at February 26, 2011
Exercise of stock options
Stock-based compensation
Tax deficiencies related to stock-based compensation
Purchase of treasury stock
Treasury stock vested
Common shares outstanding as at March 3, 2012
Exercise of stock options
Stock-based compensation
Tax deficiencies related to stock-based compensation
Purchase of treasury stock
Treasury stock vested
Common shares outstanding as at March 2, 2013
Capital Stock and
Additional Paid-In Capital
Stock
Outstanding
(000’s)
Amount
Treasury Stock
Stock
Outstanding
(000’s)
Amount
557,329
$2,372
1,459
$ (94)
3,737
—
—
—
2
(37,199)
523,869
291
—
—
—
—
67
72
(1)
—
(10)
(141)
2,359
9
97
(2)
—
(17)
—
—
—
1,471
(177)
—
2,753
—
—
—
6,317
(359)
—
—
—
(76)
10
—
(160)
—
—
—
(156)
17
524,160
2,446
8,711
(299)
—
—
—
—
—
524,160
—
86
(11)
—
(90)
$2,431
—
—
—
3,006
(2,697)
9,020
—
—
—
(25)
90
$ (234)
The Company had 524 million voting common shares outstanding, 7.2 million options to purchase voting common shares,
15.1 million RSUs and 0.3 million DSUs outstanding as at March 26, 2013.
(b) Stock-based compensation
Stock Option Plan
The Company recorded a charge to income and a credit to paid-in-capital of approximately $8 million in fiscal 2013 (fiscal 2012
- $27 million; fiscal 2011 - $31 million) in relation to stock-based compensation expense.
The Company has presented excess tax deficiencies from the exercise of stock-based compensation awards as a financing
activity in the consolidated statements of cash flows.
31
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
Stock options previously granted under the plan generally vest over a period of three years to a maximum of five years and are
generally exercisable over a period of five years to a maximum of seven years from the grant date. The Company issues new
shares to satisfy stock option exercises. There are five million shares in the equity pool available for future grants under the
Company’s equity plans as at March 2, 2013.
A summary of option activity since February 27, 2010 is shown below:
Balance as at February 27, 2010
Exercised during the year
Forfeited/cancelled/expired during the year
Balance as at February 26, 2011
Exercised during the year
Forfeited/cancelled/expired during the year
Balance as at March 3, 2012
Granted during the year
Forfeited/cancelled/expired during the year
Balance as at March 2, 2013
Vested and expected to vest as at
March 2, 2013
Exercisable as at March 2, 2013
Options Outstanding
Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Life in Years
Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
(millions)
Number
(000’s)
9,023
$ 44.18
(3,737)
(676)
17.83
46.08
4,610
$ 70.36
(291)
(701)
29.70
64.58
3,618
$ 73.86
5,288
(1,646)
7.86
60.86
7,260
$ 27.53
3.51
6,869
$ 28.60
3.45
$
$
29
27
2,073
$ 74.76
0.91
$ —
The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pre-tax intrinsic value (the aggregate difference between the
closing stock price of the Company’s common shares on March 2, 2013 and the exercise price for in-the-money options) that
would have been received by the option holders if all in-the-money options had been exercised on March 2, 2013. During fiscal
2013, there were no options exercised.
32
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
A summary of unvested stock options since March 3, 2012 is shown below:
Balance as at March 3, 2012
Granted during the year
Vested during the year
Forfeited during the year
Balance as at March 2, 2013
Options Outstanding
Number
(000’s)
599
5,288
(339)
(361)
5,187
Weighted-Average
Grant Date Fair
Value
$
$
41.53
4.20
41.43
23.68
4.71
As at March 2, 2013, there was $20 million of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to unvested stock
options which will be expensed over the vesting period, which, on a weighted-average basis, results in a period of approximately
1.7 years. The total fair value of stock options vested during the year ended March 2, 2013 was $14 million.
Cash received from the stock options exercised for the year ended March 2, 2013 was nil (March 2, 2013 - $9 million;
February 26, 2011 - $67 million). Tax deficiencies incurred by the Company related to the stock options exercised was $1
million at March 2, 2013 (March 3, 2012 – tax deficiency of $2 million; February 26, 2011 – tax deficiency of $1 million).
During the year ended March 2, 2013, there were 5,288,040 stock options granted (March 3, 2012 and February 26, 2011 - there
were no stock options granted). The weighted-average fair value of these grants was calculated using the Black-Scholes Merton
option-pricing model with the following assumptions:
Weighted-average grant date fair value of stock options granted during the
periods
Assumptions:
Risk-free interest rates
Expected life in years
Expected dividend yield
Volatility
March 2,
2013
$ 4.20
0.5%
4.25
0%
69.5%
The Company has no current expectation of paying cash dividends on its common shares. The risk-free interest rates utilized
during the life of the stock options are based on a U.S. Treasury security for an equivalent period. The Company estimates the
volatility of its common shares at the date of grant based on a combination of the implied volatility of publicly traded options on
its common shares, and historical volatility, as the Company believes that this is a better indicator of expected volatility going
forward. The expected life of stock options granted under the plan is based on historical exercise patterns, which the Company
believes are representative of future exercise patterns.
33
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
Restricted Share Unit Plan
The Company recorded compensation expense with respect to RSUs of approximately $78 million in the year ended March 2,
2013 (March 3, 2012 - $70 million; February 26, 2011 - $42 million).
A summary of RSU activity since March 3, 2012 is shown below:
RSUs Outstanding
Weighted-
Average
Grant Date
Fair Value
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Life in Years
Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
(millions)
Number
(000’s)
Balance as at February 27, 2010
Granted during the year
Vested during the year
Cancelled during the year
Balance as at February 26, 2011
Granted during the year
Vested during the year
Cancelled during the year
Balance as at March 3, 2012
Granted during the year
Vested during the year
Cancelled during the year
Balance as at March 2, 2013
1,449
$ 66.09
1,532
(177)
(101)
50.45
67.64
58.34
2,703
$ 57.40
7,093
(359)
(842)
25.33
60.42
45.73
8,595
$ 31.96
11,189
(2,697)
(1,902)
7.94
38.96
25.46
15,185
$ 13.83
1.59
$
201
The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pre-tax intrinsic value (the aggregate closing share price of
the Company’s common shares on March 2, 2013) that would have been received by RSU holders if all RSUs had been vested
on March 2, 2013.
Tax deficiencies incurred by the Company related to the RSUs vested was $10 million for the year ended March 2, 2013
(March 3, 2012 - nil; February 26, 2011 - nil).
In order to comply with its obligation to deliver shares upon vesting, the Company purchases shares via a trustee selected by the
Company or issues new common shares. During the year ended March 2, 2013 the Company purchased 3,005,670 common
shares for total cash consideration of approximately $25 million (March 3, 2012 - 6,316,780 common shares were purchased for
total cash consideration of approximately $156 million). These purchased shares are classified as treasury stock for accounting
purposes and included in the shareholders’ equity section of the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
As at March 2, 2013, there was $150 million of unrecognized compensation expense related to RSUs that will be expensed over
the vesting period, which, on a weighted-average basis, results in a period of approximately 1.49 years.
34
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
During the year ended March 2, 2013, there were 11,189,498 RSUs granted (March 3, 2012 – 7,092,729 RSUs were granted), of
which 6,897,616 will be settled upon vesting by the issuance of new common shares.
Deferred Share Unit Plan
The Company issued 190,612 DSUs in the year ended March 2, 2013. There were 0.3 million DSUs outstanding as at March 2,
2013 (March 3, 2012 – 0.1 million). The Company had a liability of $4.3 million in relation to the DSU plan as at March 2, 2013
(March 3, 2012 - $2 million).
10. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
(a) Credit facility
On September 25, 2012, the Company replaced its existing $500 million senior unsecured revolving credit facility with a
syndicate of commercial banks with a $500 million senior secured revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) for working capital
and general corporate purposes with the same syndicate. The Facility, which is subject to certain financial covenants, expires on
September 6, 2013, is secured by accounts receivable and inventory of the Company and certain of its subsidiaries. The
Company has provided collateral of approximately $6 million for its outstanding letters of credit as of March 2, 2013. The
collateral is held with one of the Company’s banking partners and is recorded within short-term investments.
(b) Lease commitments
The Company is committed to future minimum annual lease payments related to real estate operating leases as follows:
For the fiscal years ending
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
Thereafter
$ 67
43
36
31
29
46
$252
For the year ended March 2, 2013, the Company incurred rental expense of $91 million (March 3, 2012 - $91 million;
February 26, 2011 - $68 million).
35
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
(c) Litigation
The Company is involved in litigation in the normal course of its business, both as a defendant and as a plaintiff. The Company
is subject to a variety of claims (including claims related to patent infringement, purported class actions and other claims in the
normal course of business) and may be subject to additional claims either directly or through indemnities against claims that it
provides to certain of its partners and customers. In particular, the industry in which the Company competes has many
participants that own, or claim to own, intellectual property, including participants that have been issued patents and may have
filed patent applications or may obtain additional patents and proprietary rights for technologies similar to those used by the
Company in its products. The Company has received, and may receive in the future, assertions and claims from third parties that
the Company’s products infringe on their patents or other intellectual property rights. Litigation has been and will likely
continue to be necessary to determine the scope, enforceability and validity of third-party proprietary rights or to establish the
Company’s proprietary rights. Regardless of whether claims against the Company have merit, those claims could be time-
consuming to evaluate and defend, result in costly litigation, divert management’s attention and resources, subject the Company
to significant liabilities and could have the other effects that are described in greater detail under “Risk Factors – Risks Related
to Intellectual Property” and “Risk Factors - Risks Related to the Company’s Business and its Industry - The Company is subject
to general commercial litigation, class action and other litigation claims as part of its operations, and it could suffer significant
litigation expenses in defending these claims and could be subject to significant damage awards or other remedies” in the
Company’s unaudited Annual Information Form for the fiscal year ended March 3, 2013, which is included in the Company’s
Annual Report on Form 40-F.
Management reviews all of the relevant facts for each claim and applies judgment in evaluating the likelihood and, if applicable,
the amount of any potential loss. Where it is considered probable for a material exposure to result and where the amount of the
claim is quantifiable, provisions for loss are made based on management’s assessment of the likely outcome. The Company does
not provide for claims that are considered unlikely to result in a significant loss, claims for which the outcome is not
determinable or claims where the amount of the loss cannot be reasonably estimated. Any settlements or awards under such
claims are provided for when reasonably determinable.
Additional lawsuits and claims, including purported class actions and derivative actions, may be filed or made based upon the
Company’s historical stock option granting practices. Management assesses such claims and where considered likely to result in
a material exposure and, where the amount of the claim is quantifiable, provisions for loss are made based on management’s
assessment of the likely outcome. The Company does not provide for claims that are considered unlikely to result in a significant
loss, claims for which the outcome is not determinable or claims where the amount of the loss cannot be reasonably estimated.
Any settlements or awards under such claims are provided for when reasonably determinable.
See the “Legal Proceedings and Regulatory Action” section of the Company’s unaudited Annual Information Form for
additional unaudited information regarding the Company’s legal proceedings, which is included in the Company’s Annual
Report on Form 40-F and “Legal Proceedings” in the unaudited Management’s Discussion and Analysis of financial condition
and results of operations for fiscal 2013.
(d) Concentrations in certain areas of the Company’s business
The Company attempts to ensure that most components essential to the Company’s business are generally available from
multiple sources, however certain components are currently obtained from limited sources within a competitive market which
subjects the Company to significant supply, availability and pricing risks. Many components are at times subject to industry-
wide shortages and significant commodity pricing fluctuations
36
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
including those that are available from multiple sources. In addition, the Company has entered into various agreements for the
supply of components, the manufacturing of its products and agreements that allow the Company to use intellectual property
owned by other companies; however, there can be no guarantee that the Company will be able to extend or renew these
agreements on similar terms, or at all. Therefore, the Company remains subject to significant risks of supply shortages,
intellectual property litigation risk as well as potential price increases that can materially adversely affect its financial condition
and operating results.
The Company also uses some custom components that are not common to the rest of the industry, and new products introduced
by the Company often utilize custom components available from only one source for a period of time. When a component or
product uses new technologies, initial capacity constraints may exist until the suppliers’ yields have matured or manufacturing
capacity has increased. If the Company’s supply of components for a new or existing product were delayed or constrained the
Company’s financial condition and operating results could be materially adversely affected. Further, if the Company was not
able to find an alternative source for the necessary quantities, the Company’s business and financial performance could also be
materially adversely affected. Continued availability of these components at acceptable prices, or at all, may be affected if those
suppliers concentrated on the production of common components instead of components customized to meet the Company’s
requirements.
Substantially all of the Company’s hardware products are manufactured by outsourcing partners that are located primarily in
Europe, Asia or Mexico. A significant concentration of this manufacturing is currently performed by a small number of
outsourcing partners. Although the Company works closely with its outsourcing partners on manufacturing schedules, the
Company’s operating results could be adversely affected if its outsourcing partners were unable to meet their production
commitments.
(e)
Indemnifications
The Company enters into certain agreements that contain indemnification provisions under which the Company could be subject
to costs and damages, including in the event of an infringement claim against the Company or an indemnified third party. Such
intellectual property infringement indemnification clauses are generally not subject to any dollar limits and remain in effect for
the term of the Company’s agreements. To date, the Company has not encountered material costs as a result of such
indemnifications.
The Company has entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and executive officers. Under these agreements, the
Company agreed, subject to applicable law, to indemnify its directors and executive officers against all costs, charges and
expenses reasonably incurred by such individuals in respect of any civil, criminal or administrative action which could arise by
reason of their status as directors or officers. The Company maintains liability insurance coverage for the benefit of its directors
and executive officers to reduce its exposure to such obligations. The Company has not encountered material costs as a result of
such indemnifications in the current year. See the Company’s Management Information Circular for fiscal 2012 for additional
information regarding the Company’s indemnification agreements with its directors and executive officers.
37
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
11. COST OPTIMIZATION PROGRAMS
Fiscal 2013 Cost Optimization and Resource Efficiency (“CORE”) Program
In March 2012, the Company commenced the CORE program with the objective of improving the Company’s operations and
increasing efficiency. The program includes, among other things, the streamlining of the BlackBerry smartphone product
portfolio, the optimization of the Company’s global manufacturing footprint, the outsourcing of global repair services, the
alignment of the Company’s sales and marketing teams and a reduction in the number of layers of management. On June 28,
2012, the Company announced that it would be reducing its global workforce across all functions by approximately 5,000
employees, representing approximately 30% of the total global workforce, and that all impacted employees would receive
severance packages and outplacement support. The Company incurred approximately $220 million in total pre-tax charges
related to the CORE program in the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013, related to employee termination benefits, facilities costs
and manufacturing network simplification costs. Other charges and cash costs may occur as programs are implemented or
changes are completed.
The following table sets forth the activity in the Company’s CORE program for fiscal 2013:
Balance as at March 3, 2012
Charges incurred
Cash payments made
Balance as at March 2, 2013
The CORE charges incurred in fiscal 2013 were as follows:
Cost of sales
Research and development
Selling, marketing and administration
Total program charge
Employee
Termination
Benefits
$ —
123
(114)
9
$
Facilities
Costs
$ —
32
(14)
18
$
Manufacturing
Costs
$
$
—
65
(63)
2
Total
$ —
220
(191)
$ 29
$ 96
27
97
$220
There were no CORE charges incurred during fiscal 2012 or 2011.
As part of the CORE program, the Company has decided to sell certain redundant assets and discontinue certain operations to
drive cost savings and efficiencies in the Company. As a result, in fiscal 2013 certain property, plant and equipment assets have
been classified as held for sale on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, valued at $14 million, the lower of carrying value
and fair value less costs to sell. Assets held for sale are expected to be sold within the next twelve months.
In December 2012 the Company sold 100% of the shares of its wholly-owned subsidiary, NewBay Software Limited
(“NewBay”). As a result, the Company has recognized a loss on disposal of $3 million, which is included in the loss from
discontinued operations line on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations for fiscal 2013.
38
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The following table sets forth the components of the Company’s loss from discontinued operations presented on its consolidated
statements of operations:
Revenues from discontinued operations
Loss from discontinued operations, before tax
Loss on disposal of discontinued operation
Income tax recovery
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax
For the year ended
March 2,
2013
March 3,
2012
$
33
$
12
(20)
(3)
5
$ (18)
(7)
—
—
(7)
$
Carrying values of significant assets and liabilities of NewBay at the time of sale include property, plant and equipment and
intangible assets of $41 million (March 3, 2012 - $51 million), current assets of $15 million (March 3, 2012 – $32 million) and
accrued liabilities of $13 million (March 3, 2012 - $19 million).
Fiscal 2012 Cost Optimization Program
In June 2011, the Company initiated a cost optimization program (the “2012 Cost Optimization Program”) that included a global
workforce reduction of approximately 2,000 employees, representing approximately 10% of the global workforce. The
Company incurred approximately $125 million in total pre-tax charges related to the 2012 Cost Optimization Program in fiscal
2012. All of the pre-tax charges were related to one-time employee termination benefits and the identification of redundant
facilities. During fiscal 2013, the Company made cash payments related to employee termination benefits and facilities costs, as
shown in the table below. No further charges are expected to be incurred under this plan.
The following table sets forth the activity in the Company’s 2012 Cost Optimization Program for fiscal 2013:
Balance as at March 3, 2012
Cash payments made
Balance as at March 2, 2013
There were no cost optimization charges incurred during fiscal 2011.
39
Employee
Termination
Benefits
$
$
10
(10)
—
Facilities
Costs
44
(24)
$
$
Total
$ 54
(34)
20
$ 20
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
12. PRODUCT WARRANTY
The Company estimates its warranty costs at the time of revenue recognition based on historical experience and expectations of
future return rates and unit warranty repair costs. The warranty accrual balance is reviewed quarterly to establish that it
materially reflects the remaining obligation based on the anticipated future expenditures over the balance of the obligation
period. Adjustments are made when the actual warranty claim experience differs from estimates. The warranty accrual is
included in accrued liabilities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
The change in the Company’s warranty expense and actual warranty experience from February 27, 2010 to March 2, 2013 as
well as the accrued warranty obligations are set forth in the following table:
Accrued warranty obligations as at February 27, 2010
Actual warranty experience during fiscal 2011
Fiscal 2011 warranty provision
Adjustments for changes in estimate
Accrued warranty obligations as at February 26, 2011
Actual warranty experience during fiscal 2012
Fiscal 2012 warranty provision
Adjustments for changes in estimate
Accrued warranty obligations as at March 3, 2012
Actual warranty experience during fiscal 2013
Fiscal 2013 warranty provision
Adjustments for changes in estimate
Accrued warranty obligations as at March 2, 2013
40
$ 252
(657)
806
58
459
(685)
622
12
408
(474)
392
(8)
$ 318
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
13. EARNINGS (LOSS) PER SHARE
The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share:
Net income (loss) for basic and diluted earnings (loss) per
share available to common shareholders from continuing
operations
Net loss for basic and diluted loss per share available to
common shareholders from discontinued operations
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding (000’s) -
basic
Effect of dilutive securities (000’s) - stock-based
compensation
March 2,
2013
For the year ended
March 3,
2012
February 26,
2011
$
$
(628)
$ 1,171
$
3,411
(18)
$
(7)
$ —
524,160
524,101
535,986
—
89
2,344
Weighted-average number of shares and assumed conversions
(000’s) - diluted
524,160
524,190
538,330
Earnings (loss) per share - reported Basic earnings (loss) per
share from continuing operations
Basic loss per share from discontinued operations
Total basic earnings (loss) per share
Diluted earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations
Diluted loss per share from discontinued operations
Total diluted earnings (loss) per share
$
(1.20)
$
$
(0.03)
(1.23)
(1.20)
(0.03)
$
(1.23)
$
$
$
$
2.23
(0.01)
2.22
2.23
(0.01)
2.22
$
$
$
$
6.36
—
6.36
6.34
—
6.34
As discussed in the stock-based compensation note above, during fiscal 2013 there were 6,897,616 RSUs granted that will be
settled upon vesting by the issuance of new common shares. These RSUs were not incorporated into the calculation of diluted
earnings per share for fiscal 2013 as to do so would have been antidilutive; however, these securities may have a dilutive effect
on earnings (loss) per share in future periods.
41
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
14. ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
The components of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) are as follows:
Accumulated net unrealized gains on available-for-sale
investments
Accumulated net unrealized gains (losses) on derivative
instruments designated as cash flow hedges
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)
March 2,
2013
$
$
2
(6)
(4)
As at
March 3,
2012
$
2
38
$
40
February 26,
2011
$
$
5
(15)
(10)
15. DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
The notional amounts and fair values of financial instruments outstanding were as follows:
Assets (Liabilities)
Currency forward contracts - asset
Currency option contracts - asset
Currency forward contracts - liability
Currency option contracts - liability
Assets (Liabilities)
Currency forward contracts - asset
Currency option contracts - asset
Currency forward contracts - liability
Currency option contracts - liability
As at March 2, 2013
Notional
Amount
$2,356
309
1,332
426
Estimated
Fair Value
$
57
2
(24)
(11)
As at March 3, 2012
Notional
Amount
$1,608
608
2,155
480
Estimated
Fair Value
$
55
17
(34)
(1)
Foreign Exchange
The Company uses derivative instruments to manage exposures to foreign exchange risk resulting from transactions in
currencies other than its functional currency, the U.S. dollar. The Company’s currency risk management objective in holding
derivative instruments is to reduce the volatility of current and future income as a result of changes in foreign currency exchange
rates. To limit its exposure to adverse movements in foreign currency exchange rates, the Company enters into foreign currency
forward and option contracts. The Company does not use derivative instruments for speculative purposes.
42
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The majority of the Company’s revenues for the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013 were transacted in U.S. dollars. However,
portions of the revenues are denominated in Canadian dollars, Euros, and British Pounds. Purchases of raw materials are
primarily transacted in U.S. dollars. Other expenses, consisting of the majority of salaries, certain operating costs and
manufacturing overhead are incurred primarily in Canadian dollars. The Company enters into forward and option contracts to
hedge portions of these anticipated transactions to reduce the volatility on income associated with the foreign currency
exposures. The Company also enters into forward and option contracts to reduce the effects of foreign exchange gains and losses
resulting from the revaluation of certain foreign currency monetary assets and liabilities. At March 2, 2013 approximately 19%
of cash and cash equivalents, 29% of accounts receivables and 5% of accounts payable and accrued liabilities are denominated
in foreign currencies (March 3, 2012 – 38%, 30% and 11%).
The Company records all derivative instruments at fair value on the consolidated balance sheets. The fair value of these
instruments is calculated based on notional and exercise values, transaction rates, market quoted currency spot rates, forward
points and interest rate yield curves. The accounting for changes in the fair value of a derivative depends on the intended use of
the derivative instrument and whether it is designated as a hedge.
The Company’s accounting policies for these instruments outline the criteria to be met in order to designate a derivative
instrument as a hedge and the methods for evaluating hedge effectiveness. Hedge effectiveness is formally assessed, both at
hedge inception and on an ongoing basis, to determine whether the derivatives used in hedging transactions are highly effective
in offsetting changes in the value of the hedged items. If an anticipated transaction is deemed no longer likely to occur, the
corresponding derivative instrument is de-designated as a hedge and any associated deferred gains and losses in accumulated
other comprehensive income are recognized in income at that time. Any future changes in the fair value of the instrument are
recognized in current income.
For any derivative instruments that do not meet the requirements for hedge accounting, or for any derivative instrument for
which hedge accounting is not elected, the changes in fair value of the instruments are recognized in income in the current
period and will generally offset the changes in the fair value of the associated asset, liability, or forecasted transaction.
The Company enters into forward and option contracts to hedge exposures relating to foreign currency anticipated transactions.
These contracts have been designated as cash flow hedges, with the effective portion of the change in fair value initially
recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income and subsequently reclassified to income in the period in which the cash
flows from the associated hedged transactions affect income. Any ineffective portion of the change in fair value of the cash flow
hedge is recognized in current period income. For fiscal year ended March 2, 2013, there was $8 million in realized gains on
forward contracts which were ineffective upon maturity (fiscal year ended March 3, 2012 - $2 million in realized losses). As at
March 2, 2013 and March 3, 2012, the outstanding derivatives designated as cash flow hedges were considered to be fully
effective. The maturity dates of these instruments range from March 2013 to February 2014. As at March 2, 2013, the net
unrealized loss on these forward and option contracts was $8 million (March 3, 2012 - net unrealized gain of $51 million).
Unrealized gains associated with these contracts were recorded in other current assets and accumulated other comprehensive
income (loss). Unrealized losses were recorded in accrued liabilities and accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). As at
March 2, 2013, the Company estimates that approximately $8 million of net unrealized losses on these forward and option
contracts will be reclassified into income within the next twelve months.
43
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The following table shows the fair values of derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges on the consolidated balance
sheets:
Currency forward contracts - asset
Currency option contracts - asset
Currency forward contracts - liability
Currency option contracts - liability
March 2, 2013
Balance Sheet
Classification
Other current assets
Other current assets
Accrued liabilities
Accrued liabilities
As at
Fair Value
$
March 3, 2012
Balance Sheet
Classification
13 Other current assets
2 Other current assets
10 Accrued liabilities
10 Accrued liabilities
Fair Value
42
$
17
6
1
The following table shows the impact of derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges on the consolidated statements
of operations and the consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the year ended March 2, 2013:
Currency forward contracts
Currency option contracts
Currency forward contracts
Currency option contracts
Currency forward contracts
Currency option contracts
Currency forward contracts
Currency option contracts
Currency forward contracts
Amount of Gain (Loss)
Recognized in OCI on
Derivative Instruments
(Effective Portion)
$
7
(10)
(1)
—
(2)
—
(1)
(1)
Location of Gain (Loss) Reclassified
from Accumulated OCI into Income
(Effective Portion)
Revenue
Revenue
Cost of sales
Cost of sales
Selling, marketing and
administration
Selling, marketing and
administration
Research and development
Research and development
Amount of Gain (Loss)
Reclassified from Accumulated
OCI into Income
(Effective Portion)
$
52
(5)
5
—
5
—
11
(1)
Amount of Gain (Loss)
Recognized in Income on
Derivative Instruments
(Ineffective Portion)
$
—
Location of Gain (Loss) Reclassified
from Accumulated OCI into Income
(Ineffective Portion)
Selling, marketing and
administration
Amount of Gain (Loss)
Reclassified from Accumulated
OCI into Income
(Ineffective Portion)
$
8
44
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The following table shows the impact of derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges on the consolidated statement of
operations for the year ended March 3, 2012:
Amount of Gain (Loss)
Recognized in OCI on
Derivative Instruments
(Effective Portion)
$
Currency forward contracts
Currency option contracts
Currency forward contracts
Currency option contracts
Currency forward contracts
Currency option contracts
Currency forward contracts
Currency option contracts
16
8
5
1
6
2
10
3
Location of Gain (Loss) Reclassified
from Accumulated OCI into Income
(Effective Portion)
Revenue
Revenue
Cost of sales
Cost of sales
Selling, marketing and
administration
Selling, marketing and
administration
Research and development
Research and development
Amount of Gain (Loss)
Reclassified from Accumulated
OCI into Income
(Effective Portion)
$
(83)
(3)
11
—
12
—
15
—
Currency forward
contracts
Amount of Gain (Loss)
Recognized in Income on
Derivative Instruments
(Ineffective Portion)
$
—
Location of Gain (Loss) Reclassified
from Accumulated OCI into Income
(Ineffective Portion)
Selling, marketing and
administration
Amount of Gain (Loss)
Reclassified from Accumulated
OCI into Income
(Ineffective Portion)
$
(2)
As part of its currency risk management strategy, the Company may maintain net monetary asset and/or liability balances in
foreign currencies. The Company enters into foreign exchange forward contracts to hedge certain monetary assets and liabilities
that are exposed to foreign currency risk. The principal currencies hedged include the Canadian dollar, Euro, and British Pound.
These contracts are not subject to hedge accounting, and any realized and unrealized gains or losses are recognized in income
each period, offsetting the change in the U.S. dollar value of the asset or liability. The maturity dates of these instruments range
from March 2013 to September 2013. As at March 2, 2013, net unrealized gains of $29 million were recorded in respect of these
instruments (March 3, 2012 - net unrealized losses of $14 million). Unrealized gains associated with these contracts were
recorded in other current assets and selling, marketing and administration expenses. Unrealized losses were recorded in accrued
liabilities and selling, marketing and administration expenses.
45
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The following table shows the fair values of derivative instruments that are not subject to hedge accounting on the consolidated
balance sheets:
Currency forward contracts - asset
Currency option contracts - asset
Currency forward contracts - liability
Currency option contracts - liability
March 2, 2013
Balance Sheet
Classification
Other current assets
Other current assets
Accrued liabilities
Accrued liabilities
As at
March 3, 2012
Balance Sheet
Classification
Fair Value
$
44 Other current assets
— Other current assets
14 Accrued liabilities
1 Accrued liabilities
Fair Value
13
$
—
28
—
The following table shows the impact of derivative instruments that are not subject to hedge accounting on the consolidated
statement of operations for the year ended March 2, 2013:
Location of Gain (Loss) Recognized in
Income on Derivative Instruments
Amount of Gain (Loss) in Income on
Derivative Instruments
Currency forward contracts
Currency option contracts
Selling, marketing and
administration
Selling, marketing and
administration
$
38
8
The following table shows the impact of derivative instruments that are not subject to hedge accounting on the consolidated
statement of operations for the year ended March 3, 2012:
Location of Gain (Loss) Recognized in
Income on Derivative Instruments
Amount of Gain (Loss) in Income on
Derivative Instruments
Currency forward contracts
Currency option contracts
Selling, marketing and
administration
Selling, marketing and
administration
$
(74)
4
Credit Risk
The Company is exposed to credit risk on derivative financial instruments arising from the potential for counterparties to default
on their contractual obligations. The Company mitigates this risk by limiting counterparties to highly rated financial institutions
and by continuously monitoring their creditworthiness. The Company’s exposure to credit loss and market risk will vary over
time as a function of currency exchange rates. The Company measures its counterparty credit exposure as a percentage of the
total fair value of the applicable derivative instruments. Where the net fair value of derivative instruments with any counterparty
is negative, the Company deems the credit exposure to that counterparty to be nil. As at March 2, 2013, the maximum credit
exposure to a single counterparty, measured as a percentage of the total fair value of derivative instruments with net unrealized
gains, was 29% (March 3, 2012 - 30%; February 26, 2011 - 59%). As at March 2, 2013, the Company had a total credit risk
exposure across all counterparties with outstanding or unsettled foreign exchange derivative instruments of $35 million on a
notional value of $1.8 billion (March 3, 2012 - $40 million total risk exposure on a notional value of $1.6 billion).
The Company maintains Credit Support Annexes (“CSAs”) with several of its counterparties. These CSAs require that the
outstanding net position of all contracts to be made whole by the paying or receiving of collateral to or from the counterparties
on a daily basis, subject to exposure and transfer thresholds. As at March 2, 2013, the Company was holding $5 million of
collateral from counterparties, approximating the fair value of those contracts. As with the derivatives recorded in an unrealized
gain position, this amount is recorded in other current assets.
46
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
The Company is exposed to market and credit risk on its investment portfolio. The Company reduces this risk by investing in
liquid, investment grade securities and by limiting exposure to any one entity or group of related entities. As at March 2, 2013,
no single issuer represented more than 22% of the total cash, cash equivalents and investments (March 3, 2012 - no single issuer
represented more than 9% of the total cash and cash equivalents and investments).
Interest Rate Risk
Cash and cash equivalents and investments are invested in certain instruments of varying maturities. Consequently, the
Company is exposed to interest rate risk as a result of holding investments of varying maturities. The fair value of investments,
as well as the investment income derived from the investment portfolio, will fluctuate with changes in prevailing interest rates.
The Company does not currently utilize interest rate derivative instruments to hedge its investment portfolio.
16. SEGMENT DISCLOSURES
The Company is organized and managed as a single reportable operating segment. The Company currently sells an integrated
BlackBerry wireless communications platform solution, which includes the sale of BlackBerry handheld devices and the
provision of data communication, compression and security infrastructure services, which enable BlackBerry handheld wireless
devices to send and receive wireless messages and data. For enterprise customers, the Company currently sells an integrated
BlackBerry Enterprise Server software solution that gives corporate and government customers the ability to set and enforce
specific information technology policies to manage their BlackBerry handheld wireless devices when the data services pass
through BlackBerry’s Relay and Provisioning infrastructure.
Revenue from continuing operations, classified by major geographic segments in which the Company’s customers are located,
was as follows:
North America
Canada
United States
Europe, Middle East and Africa
United Kingdom
Other
Latin America
Asia Pacific
March 2,
2013
For the year ended
March 3,
2012
February 26,
2011
$
661
2,235
2,896
6.0% $ 1,260 6.8% $ 1,408
7,823
4,182 22.7%
20.2%
9,231
5,442 29.5%
26.2%
7.1%
39.3%
46.4%
1,238
3,264
4,502
11.2%
29.5%
40.7%
1,919 10.4%
5,743 31.2%
7,662 41.6%
2,218
3,867
6,085
11.1%
19.4%
30.5%
2,114
19.1%
2,646 14.4%
2,738
13.8%
1,561
14.0%
2,673 14.5%
1,853
9.3%
$11,073 100.0% $18,423 100.0% $19,907 100.0%
47
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
Revenue mix
Devices
Service
Software
Other
Property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill
Canada
United States
United Kingdom
Other
Total assets
Canada
United States
United Kingdom
Other
48
March 2,
2013
For the year ended
March 3,
2012
February 26,
2011
$ 6,648
3,910
261
254
$11,073
$13,794
4,074
318
237
$18,423
$ 15,956
3,197
294
460
$ 19,907
As at
March 2,
2013
March 3,
2012
$ 5,160
468
30
185
$ 5,843
$ 5,367
555
37
364
$ 6,323
$ 8,252
1,713
1,071
2,129
$13,165
$ 8,693
2,337
1,554
1,147
$13,731
Research In Motion Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated
17. CASH FLOW INFORMATION
(a) Cash flows resulting from net changes in working capital items are as follows:
Accounts receivable
Other receivables
Inventories
Income taxes receivable
Other current assets
Accounts payable
Accrued liabilities
Income taxes payable
Deferred revenue
For the year ended
March 2,
2013
$ 709
218
426
(463)
(177)
296
(803)
—
279
$ 485
March 3,
2012
$ 898
(168)
(409)
(135)
(143)
(90)
(135)
(179)
151
$ (210)
February 26,
2011
$ (1,352)
(117)
42
—
54
216
539
82
40
(496)
$
(b) Certain statement of cash flow information related to interest and income taxes paid is summarized as follows:
Interest paid during the year
Income taxes paid during the year
(c) Additional information
For the year ended
March 2,
2013
$ —
$ (283)
March 3,
2012
$ —
$ 684
February 26,
2011
$ —
1,053
$
Advertising expense, which includes media, agency and promotional expenses totalling $925 million (March 3, 2012 - $864
million; February 26, 2011 - $1.1 billion) is included in selling, marketing and administration expenses for the fiscal year ended
March 2, 2013.
Selling, marketing and administration expense for the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013 included $87 million with respect to
foreign exchange gains (March 3, 2012 – loss of $40 million; February 26, 2011 – loss of $5 million).
49
RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
Exhibit 1.3
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE THREE MONTHS AND FISCAL YEAR ENDED MARCH 2, 2013
March 28, 2013
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) should be read
together with the audited consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes (the “Consolidated Financial Statements”) of
Research In Motion Limited (the “Company”) for the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013. The Consolidated Financial Statements are
presented in U.S. dollars and have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S.
GAAP”). All financial information in this MD&A is presented in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise indicated.
The Company has prepared this MD&A with reference to National Instrument 51-102 “Continuous Disclosure Obligations” of the
Canadian Securities Administrators. Under the U.S./Canada Multijurisdictional Disclosure System, the Company is permitted to
prepare this MD&A in accordance with the disclosure requirements of Canada, which are different from those of the United States.
This MD&A provides information for the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013 and up to and including March 28, 2013.
Additional information about the Company, including the Company’s Annual Information Form, which is included in the Company’s
Annual Report on Form 40-F, can be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s
(“SEC”) website at www.sec.gov.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This MD&A contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of certain securities laws, including under the U.S. Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements relating to:
•
the Company’s expectations regarding new product initiatives and timing, including the BlackBerry 10 platform and BlackBerry
10 smartphones;
the Company’s plans and expectations regarding new service offerings, and assumptions regarding its service revenue model;
the Company’s plans, strategies and objectives, and the anticipated opportunities and challenges in fiscal 2014;
anticipated demand for, and the Company’s plans and expectations relating to, programs to drive sell-through of the Company’s
BlackBerry 7 smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets;
the Company’s expectations regarding financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2014;
the Company’s expectations with respect to the sufficiency of its financial resources;
•
•
•
•
•
•
the Company’s ongoing efforts to streamline its operations and its expectations relating to the benefits of its Cost Optimization
and Resource Efficiency (“CORE”) program and similar strategies;
•
the Company’s plans and expectations regarding marketing and promotional programs;
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
•
•
the Company’s estimates of purchase obligations and other contractual commitments; and
assumptions and expectations described in the Company’s critical accounting policies and estimates.
The words “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “intend”, “believe”, “plan” and similar expressions are
intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by the
Company in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as
well as other factors that the Company believes are appropriate in the circumstances, including but not limited to, the launch timing
and success of products based on the BlackBerry 10 platform, general economic conditions, product pricing levels and competitive
intensity, supply constraints, the Company’s expectations regarding its business, strategy, opportunities and prospects, including its
ability to implement meaningful changes to address its business challenges, and the Company’s expectations regarding the cash flow
generation of its business. Many factors could cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially
from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the following factors, most of
which are discussed in greater detail in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Annual Information Form, which is included in
the Company’s Annual Report on Form 40-F:
•
the Company’s ability to enhance its current products and services, or develop new products and services in a timely manner or
at competitive prices, including risks related to new product introductions;
•
•
•
•
risks related to the Company’s ability to offset or mitigate the impact of the anticipated decline in the Company’s infrastructure
access fees on its consolidated revenue by developing an integrated services and software offering;
intense competition, rapid change and significant strategic alliances within the Company’s industry, including potential future
strategic transactions by its competitors or carrier partners, which could weaken the Company’s competitive position or may
require the Company to reduce its prices to compete effectively;
the Company’s ability to establish new, and to build on existing relationships with its network carrier partners and distributors,
and its reliance on its network carrier partners to help promote the BlackBerry 10 platform and BlackBerry 10 smartphones;
the efficient and uninterrupted operation of the Company’s network operations center and the networks of its carrier partners,
and the risk of other business interruptions, including costs, potential liabilities, lost revenues and reputational damage
associated with service interruptions;
•
risks related to the Company’s ability to implement and to realize the anticipated benefits of its CORE program and to continue
to realize cost reductions in the future;
•
risks related to the Company’s ability to maintain or increase its cash balance;
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the occurrence or perception of a breach of the Company’s security measures, or an inappropriate disclosure of confidential or
personal information;
dependence on key personnel and the Company’s ability to attract and retain key personnel;
third-party claims for infringement of intellectual property rights by the Company and the outcome of any litigation with respect
thereto;
the Company’s ability to successfully obtain patent or other proprietary or statutory protection for its technologies and products;
the Company’s ability to expand and manage BlackBerry World™;
®
potential liabilities or costs related to the collection, storage, transmission, use and disclosure of user and personal information;
the Company’s ability to manage inventory and asset risk;
2
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
•
the Company’s reliance on its suppliers for functional components, including the suppliers the Company has selected for its
BlackBerry 10 smartphones, and the risk that suppliers will not supply components on a timely basis, in sufficient quantities or
of the desired quality;
the Company’s ability to obtain rights to use software or components supplied by third parties;
the Company’s ability to successfully maintain and enhance its brand;
risks associated with the Company’s foreign operations, including risks related to recent political and economic developments in
Venezuela;
restrictions on import and use of the Company’s products and services in certain countries due to encryption of the products and
services;
the Company’s ability to continue to adapt to recent Board and management changes and headcount reductions;
reliance on strategic alliances and relationships with third-party network infrastructure developers, software platform vendors
and service platform vendors, including the Company’s ability to promote and advance the development of an ecosystem of
applications and services for the BlackBerry 10 platform;
the Company’s reliance on third-party manufacturers for certain products and its ability to manage its production and repair
process;
the continued quality and reliability of the Company’s products and services and the potential effect of defects in products and
services;
general commercial litigation, class action and other litigation claims, including purported class action claims relating to the
Company’s operations;
risks associated with litigation claims against the Company arising from the Company’s practice of providing forward-looking
guidance to its shareholders with respect to certain financial metrics, including the Company’s practice of updating previous
guidance where circumstances warrant;
potential charges relating to the impairment of intangible assets recorded on the Company’s balance sheet;
risks as a result of actions of activist shareholders;
government regulation of wireless spectrum and radio frequencies;
reduced spending by customers due to the uncertainty of economic and geopolitical conditions;
risks associated with acquisitions, investments and other business initiatives;
foreign exchange risks as the Company transacts globally in currencies other than the U.S. dollar;
regulation, certification and health risks, and risks relating to the misuse of the Company’s products;
tax liabilities, resulting from changes in tax laws or otherwise, associated with the Company’s worldwide operations;
market and credit risk associated with the Company’s cash, cash equivalents and short-term or long-term investments;
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
risks related to the failure of the Company’s suppliers, subcontractors, third-party distributors and representatives to use
acceptable ethical business practices or comply with applicable laws;
3
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
•
•
•
the potential impact of copyright levies in numerous countries;
the Company’s ability to manage its past growth and its ongoing development of service and support operations; and
costs and other burdens associated with recently-adopted regulations regarding conflict minerals.
On March 29, 2012, the Company announced that it will no longer provide specific, forward-looking quantitative guidance. However,
the Company remains committed to providing a high level of disclosure and transparency and will continue to provide commentary
that highlights the trends and uncertainties that the Company anticipates. Any statements that are forward-looking statements are
intended to enable the Company’s shareholders to view the anticipated performance and prospects of the Company from
management’s perspective at the time such statements are made, and they are subject to the risks that are inherent in all forward-
looking statements, as described above. These forward-looking statements are made by the Company in light of its experience, its
perception of historical and anticipated business trends, existing conditions in the business at the time and anticipated future
developments, including competition and new product initiatives and expected timing, as well as the Company’s current assessments
of the risk factors that affect its business, including those identified above, and the likely success of mitigation strategies relating to
such factors. These forward-looking statements are subject to the inherent risk of difficulties in forecasting the Company’s financial
results for future periods, particularly over longer periods, given the rapid technological changes, evolving industry standards, intense
competition and short product life cycles that characterize the wireless communications industry.
These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company’s forward-looking
statements. The Company has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
Overview
A global leader in wireless innovation, the Company revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry
solution in 1999. Today, the Company aims to inspire the success of its millions of customers around the world by continuously
pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, the Company operates offices in
North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Effective January 30, 2013, the Company began to operate around the world
under the iconic name BlackBerry. The Company will seek shareholder approval to change the legal name of the Company to
BlackBerry at the Company’s next Annual and Special Meeting. The Company’s common shares are listed on the NASDAQ Global
Select Market (NASDAQ: BBRY) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BB).
With the BlackBerry platform, the Company believes it offers a market-leading wireless communications experience with push-based
connectivity, industry-leading security and enterprise manageability, excellent radio performance and differentiated social
applications, such as BlackBerry Messenger (“BBM”), that provide immediacy, productivity and collaboration. The wireless
communications market has increasingly evolved in recent years and there is significant overlap between consumer and enterprise
segments. The
4
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
enterprise market is currently characterized by a combination of enterprise-deployed devices and devices that are purchased by
consumers but also used in the corporate environment, commonly referred to as “Bring Your Own Device” (“BYOD”). The Company
has encountered challenges adapting to the BYOD movement as some information technology (“IT”) departments that previously
required employees to use the BlackBerry wireless solution because of its emphasis on security and reliability are permitting
employees to choose devices offered by the Company’s competitors, who are increasingly promoting the merits of their own security
and reliability, and this has impacted the Company’s enterprise subscriber account base. To address this evolution of the market, the
Company has introduced products including its first BlackBerry 10 smartphones with BlackBerry Balance and BlackBerry Enterprise
Service 10, which give IT departments the ability to securely manage BlackBerry devices and other operating system platforms
through a single unified interface and to securely protect corporate data on an employee’s personal smartphone or tablet. The
Company expects that with the introduction of BlackBerry 10 smartphones, which began in certain markets in the fourth quarter of
fiscal 2013 and will continue in the first quarter of fiscal 2014, its position in the BYOD enterprise market will strengthen and the
Company will also continue to seek partnerships that will further enable the Company to have a complete BYOD offering.
BlackBerry is the leading smartphone in several markets around the world. The primary regions experiencing recent growth for the
Company include Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Company has experienced a decline in revenue and market share, particularly
in the United States. Intense competition is negatively impacting the Company’s results in that market, as did the lack of a Long Term
Evolution (“LTE”) product and high-end consumer offering prior to the launch of the first BlackBerry 10 smartphone in the United
States on March 22, 2013. The decline can also be attributed to consumer preferences for devices with access to the broadest number
of applications, such as those available in the iOS and Android environments. Market share has also been impacted by the significant
number of new Android-based competitors that have entered the market. In addition, the increased desire by carriers to sell devices
that operate on the new, faster LTE networks being built has also impacted the Company’s market share, as these networks feature
faster download speeds and allow carriers to offer higher-value data plans. The Company’s first LTE smartphones were launched
with the introduction of the Company’s first BlackBerry 10 smartphones in certain markets in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 and in
the United States on March 22, 2013. Some of the Company’s main competitors include Apple Inc., Google Inc., Samsung
Electronics Co., Ltd, HTC Corporation, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd, Microsoft Corporation, Nokia Corporation and ZTE
Corporation.
BlackBerry World, the Company’s comprehensive electronic content distribution catalogue, is available to customers in over 100
markets globally, with other markets to follow. The continued expansion of the catalogue of applications and other content is an
important element of the Company’s successful transition to its next-generation BlackBerry 10 smartphones and the success of the
BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, and requires a substantial investment of internal resources for development of the infrastructure,
improvement of developer and consumer interfaces and advertising costs. There are over 100,000 applications available for
BlackBerry 10 smartphones and over 200,000 applications in total available through BlackBerry World.
The Company currently has a strong balance sheet with negligible debt and approximately $2.9 billion in cash, cash equivalents and
investments as of March 2, 2013. In fiscal 2013, the Company had annual sales of $11.1 billion and the Company incurred a net loss
from continuing operations of $628 million, or $1.20 per share diluted.
The Company made a number of strategic acquisitions in recent years including QNX Software Systems (“QNX”), Certicom, Torch
Mobile, The Astonishing Tribe, Gist and Tungle that are intended to accelerate the
5
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Company’s ability to innovate and deliver compelling products to market. In June 2011, the Company also participated in a
successful bid for the Nortel Networks Corporation (“Nortel”) patent portfolio as a part of a consortium of companies. The Nortel
patents obtained eliminated the Company’s exposure to those patents and are expected to strengthen the Company’s patent portfolio
and its position in respect of patent litigation and licensing.
Operational and Strategic Review
The Company is in the ongoing process of completing the largest platform and organizational transition in its history, with a view to
better position the Company to achieve growth and to continue to be a leading company in the wireless communications industry. The
Company’s fiscal 2013 results reflect the product and platform transition underway, ongoing market challenges and the competitive
dynamics across many markets. As part of its ongoing efforts, the Company has continued its operational and strategic review, which
includes re-evaluating its product portfolio, operations, manufacturing and research and development strategy. In fiscal 2013, the
Company implemented various initiatives as part of its operational and strategic review, and has now substantially completed its
anticipated headcount reductions previously announced in an effort to align the Company’s cost structure to enable it to move through
this transition and deliver on long-term stakeholder value. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and RBC Capital Markets continue to act for
the Company in reviewing the Company’s business and financial performance. They have been tasked with helping the Company
with its operational and strategic review and evaluating the relative merits and feasibility of various financial strategies, including
opportunities to leverage the BlackBerry platform through partnerships, licensing opportunities and strategic business model
alternatives. During fiscal 2013, the Company also implemented major changes throughout the organization, which it believes have
made the Company leaner and more nimble and are intended to provide a solid foundation for continued innovation and execution.
Sources of Revenue
The Company’s primary revenue stream is generated by the BlackBerry wireless solution, which includes sales of BlackBerry
®
handheld devices and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets, services and software. The BlackBerry wireless solution provides users with a
wireless extension of their work and personal email accounts, including Microsoft Outlook , IBM Lotus Notes , Novell
®
GroupWise and many ISP email services.
®
®
®
®
®
The Company generates hardware revenues from sales, primarily to carriers and distributors, of BlackBerry handheld devices, which
provide users with the ability to send and receive wireless messages and data. The Company’s BlackBerry handheld devices also
incorporate a mobile phone, web-browsing and multimedia capabilities and enable the use of data functions such as calendar, address
book, task and memo lists and other functions associated with personal organizers. During fiscal 2013, the Company continued to
launch new BlackBerry handheld devices that incorporate the BlackBerry 7 operating system as well as continuing major BlackBerry
7 upgrade programs in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. As part of the Company’s ongoing operational and
strategic review, the Company intends to streamline the BlackBerry smartphone product portfolio to offer a smaller number of
devices in market at any given time. The successful launch and customer adoption of the Company’s next-generation BlackBerry 10
platform and the delivery of high quality, full-featured BlackBerry 10 smartphones remain the Company’s number one priority. The
Company held the official BlackBerry 10 launch event on January 30, 2013, and the first BlackBerry 10 smartphones were introduced
into the market on January 31, 2013 in the United Kingdom and February 5, 2013 in Canada. More recently, the Company launched
the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone in the United States with AT&T on March 22, 2013 and with T-Mobile and Verizon soon thereafter.
The Company also announced that the BlackBerry Q10 smartphone will be launched in international markets beginning in April
2013.
6
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The BlackBerry 10 mobile computing platform is a re-designed, re-engineered, and re-invented BlackBerry platform that creates a
new and unique mobile computing experience. The Company’s first two BlackBerry 10 products, the LTE-enabled BlackBerry Z10
and BlackBerry Q10 smartphones, offer a faster, smarter and smoother experience. The Company also launched the BlackBerry
Enterprise Service 10, the Company’s new enterprise mobility management solution. BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 brings
together device management, industry leading security and mobile applications management for BlackBerry smartphones, including
the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets in a consolidated solution. It also provides a single console
for managing BlackBerry, Android and iOS devices. To assist enterprise customers with the transition to BlackBerry Enterprise
Service 10, the Company launched the BlackBerry 10 Ready program to help enterprise customers prepare their environments for
BlackBerry 10. To date, more than 3,500 unique companies have registered for the program. The Company intends to leverage the
early success of BlackBerry 10 by intensifying its strategic focus on opportunities in mobile computing verticals such as auto,
industrial, networking, healthcare, security and defense applications, expanding its secure network infrastructure for uses beyond
those currently deployed by BlackBerry and through potential licensing opportunities.
The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet represents the Company’s first tablet product and features the BlackBerry Tablet Operating System
based on technology resulting from the Company’s acquisition of QNX. In fiscal 2013, the Company launched the 3G plus
BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, the Company’s first LTE product. The Company has
undertaken a high level of promotional activity in retail-channels to drive sell-through of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to end
customers as a result of intense competition in the tablet market. The Company sold out of the 16G BlackBerry PlayBook tablets in
the second quarter of fiscal 2013 and is continuing to sell its 32G and 64G units as well as the 3G plus BlackBerry PlayBook tablet
and 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.
The Company currently generates service revenue from billings to its BlackBerry subscriber base that utilize BlackBerry 7 and prior
BlackBerry operating systems primarily from a monthly infrastructure access fee (sometimes referred to as a “service access fee” or
“SAF”) charged to carriers or resellers, who in turn bill the BlackBerry subscriber. The SAF for consumer customers historically has
been much lower than the SAF for enterprise customers, who receive a higher level of value-added security, encryption and other
services by utilizing the Company’s BlackBerry Enterprise Service (“BES”) platform.
Many of the Company’s competitors do not charge a SAF or equivalent fee as they recover their infrastructure and services expense
in alternate manners. Thus, the Company has faced growing pressure to reduce its existing SAF, especially for the consumer
market. In response to these pressures, the Company has been implementing certain price reduction programs in an effort to maintain
and grow its subscriber base. While the Company expects that existing consumer and enterprise subscribers using BlackBerry 7 and
prior BlackBerry operating systems will continue generating service revenue, the amount of those revenues is expected to decline
gradually in the coming quarters due to the ongoing price reduction programs.
As customers transition to BlackBerry 10, the Company expects SAF revenue to gradually decline further for consumer subscribers,
but expects to continue generating SAF revenue from enterprise customers who elect to utilize the BlackBerry 10 Enterprise Service
and other new services. The Company is focused on developing integrated BlackBerry 10 service offerings that leverage the
Company’s strengths such as BBM, security and
7
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
manageability to generate new service revenue streams. The areas the Company plans to leverage for new service offerings include:
new services for the Company’s strong BBM base; possible licensing of the BlackBerry 10 platform; the creation of cross-platform
offerings; services that leverage BlackBerry’s social media community; advanced security tools and additional enterprise services.
Customers that require enhanced services, including advanced security, mobile device management and other services, are expected
to continue to generate monthly service revenue. Other customers who do not utilize such services are expected to generate less or no
service revenue. The Company believes that offering alternative levels of service and pricing will better meet the needs of its
customers. In addition, the Company believes that by offering these services it will expand the size of its addressable market for
recurring service revenue. This strategy will help broaden the BlackBerry ecosystem over time, which will potentially give the
Company and its application developers access to a broader market into which to sell their respective services.
The Company expects the transition from BlackBerry 7 to BlackBerry 10 to be gradual, given that the Company has a diversified
global customer base, many of whom are in markets that are expected to transition more slowly to 4G wireless networks. As a result
of the changes and the pressure to reduce its SAF as described above, the Company anticipates further declines in service revenue in
the coming quarters, which could be significant. The Company cannot predict this anticipated rate of decline with any degree of
certainty, as it depends on a number of factors, including the outcome of negotiations with the Company’s carrier customers and
distribution partners, the rate at which current BlackBerry 6 and BlackBerry 7 customers migrate to BlackBerry 10 and use only
standard BlackBerry services, the Company’s ability to attract existing and new enterprise customers to use the enhanced services
offered by BlackBerry 10, the Company’s ability to continue charging SAF for its BlackBerry 6 and BlackBerry 7 products, and the
Company’s ability to successfully develop over a transition period a compelling integrated services and software offering that
generates new service and software revenues from the BlackBerry 10 mobile computing platform. The Company anticipates a single
digit percentage decline in service revenue in the first quarter of fiscal 2014, the impact of which is expected to be partially offset by
cost savings related to the CORE program.
Prior to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, the Company identified the BlackBerry subscriber account base as the total of all subscriber
accounts that had an active status at the end of a reporting period. Each carrier instructed the Company to create subscriber accounts
and determine whether each subscriber account should have an active status. Each carrier is charged a service fee for each BlackBerry
6 and BlackBerry 7 subscriber account each month, with substantially all of such service fees having no regard to the amount of data
traffic that the subscriber account passes over the BlackBerry architecture. If a carrier instructed the Company to deactivate a
subscriber account, then the Company no longer included that subscriber account in its BlackBerry subscriber account base and
ceased billing the carrier with respect to such account from the date of notification of its deactivation. It is each carrier’s contractual
responsibility to report changes to its subscriber account status on a timely basis to the Company. The number of subscriber accounts
is a non-financial metric and is intended to highlight the change in the Company’s subscriber base and should not be relied upon as an
indicator of the Company’s financial performance.
To reflect the changes described above, and to better address possible future strategies and service and software revenue opportunities
related to an integrated services and software offering for the BlackBerry 10 mobile computing platform, starting in the fourth quarter
of fiscal 2013, the Company has adjusted the methodology it uses to calculate the size of its subscriber base. Rather than calculating
the total of all subscriber accounts that have an active status at the end of a reporting period and for which infrastructure access fees
are thereby generated, the Company currently identifies its BlackBerry subscriber base as the total of all BlackBerry subscriber
accounts that are provisioned to access BlackBerry services, regardless of whether the Company is receiving infrastructure access fees
from each such subscriber in any given month. The Company believes this change will better reflect the base of BlackBerry users that
may contribute to service revenues in the future, whether solely through infrastructure access fees or the integrated service and
software offering being developed.
8
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
An important part of the Company’s BlackBerry wireless solution is the software that is installed at the corporate or small- and
medium-size enterprise server level, and in some cases, on personal computers. Software revenues include fees from (i) licensing the
Company’s BES software; (ii) BlackBerry Client Access Licenses (“CALs”), which are charged for each subscriber using the
BlackBerry service via a BES; (iii) maintenance and upgrades to software; and (iv) technical support.
®
Revenues are also generated from non-warranty repairs and sales of accessories.
Cost Optimization and Resource Efficiency
As part of the Company’s ongoing effort to streamline its operations and increase efficiency, the Company commenced the CORE
program in March 2012. The CORE program is a Company-wide initiative with the objective of improving the Company’s
operations. The program includes, among other things, the streamlining of the BlackBerry smartphone product portfolio to offer a
smaller number of devices in market at any given time, the optimization of the Company’s global manufacturing footprint to reduce
complexity and improve delivery performance, the outsourcing of global repair services, the alignment of the Company’s sales and
marketing teams to prioritize marketing efforts to effectively leverage its marketing windows and a reduction in the number of layers
of management to reduce complexity, drive accelerated execution and decision making, improve performance and increase the
transparency of accountability. The Company previously announced that the CORE program was targeted to drive at least $1.0 billion
in savings by the end of fiscal 2013 based on the Company’s fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 run rate. As previously reported, as of the
end of third quarter of fiscal 2013, the Company had achieved savings of over $1.0 billion and continued to generate additional
savings in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013. The Company has also implemented plans to sustain the savings realized in fiscal 2013
throughout fiscal 2014. The savings have been realized through lower material costs, working capital improvements, greater
efficiencies in manufacturing and supply chain management, workforce optimization and leveraging third-party providers to assist in
reducing indirect spending. As the CORE management team has been reviewing all aspects of the business, the Company continues to
identify more opportunities to streamline cost and drive efficiencies. As a result of the timing of the BlackBerry 10 launch, which
began in certain countries on January 31, 2013, the increasingly competitive environment as well as the identification of additional
cost saving and efficiency opportunities, the Company will continue to execute on the mandate of the CORE program throughout
fiscal 2014 and expects to realize additional cost savings and benefits to come from its more efficient cost base as volumes of
BlackBerry 10 products increase. In connection with the continuing initiatives to be executed by the CORE program, the Company
intends to avoid reductions that would negatively impact key programs such as BlackBerry 10, customer support and BlackBerry
service levels.
As part of the CORE program and the strategic review process, the Company has been reviewing all aspects of its operations,
including the sale of certain assets. In fiscal 2013, certain assets were classified as held for sale and are presented separately on the
Company’s consolidated balance sheet until they are disposed of. Assets held for sale include businesses, property, plant and
equipment that are expected to be sold within the next twelve months.
In December 2012 the Company sold 100% of the shares of its wholly-owned subsidiary, NewBay Software Limited (“NewBay”). As
a result, the Company has recognized a loss on disposal of $3 million, which is included in the discontinued operations line on the
Company’s consolidated statements of operations for fiscal 2013. As part of the transaction, the Company also resolved outstanding
litigation with Synchronoss, as further described in the “Legal Proceedings” section of this MD&A. Results of discontinued
operations are reflected in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations as discontinued operations.
9
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
To date, these CORE initiatives have included:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
a global workforce reduction of approximately 5,000 employees. The Company has substantially completed all of its
planned headcount reductions as of March 28, 2013;
a reduction in the number of layers of management to reduce complexity and drive better clarity, efficiency and
accountability across the organization;
the continued streamlining of the Company’s supply chain, which include moving from four manufacturing providers to
two and reducing manufacturing sites from ten to four;
outsourcing the Company’s global repair services and re-engineering the Company’s spare parts processes;
a focus on reducing the Company’s product costs from suppliers;
targeted use of resources in the Company’s sales and marketing initiatives to more effectively leverage marketing windows
and prioritize marketing efforts and spend in regions that offer the highest opportunity and return; and
further outsourcing of non-core functions as determined during the implementation of the CORE program.
The Company expects to continue to drive cost reductions over the coming fiscal quarters through a continuation of the CORE
program. The Company had initially reported that it expected to incur pre-tax restructuring related charges of approximately $350
million by the end of fiscal 2013; however the Company actually incurred $220 million in pre-tax restructuring costs in fiscal 2013,
primarily associated with the global workforce reduction. Other charges will likely occur as the Company continues to execute on the
CORE program mandate throughout fiscal 2014.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
As noted above, the Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and information
contained in this MD&A is presented on that basis. On March 28, 2013, the Company announced financial results for fiscal 2013,
which included certain non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted net loss from continuing operations and adjusted diluted
loss per share from continuing operations that exclude the impact of pre-tax restructuring charges of $220 million related to the
CORE program, a pre-tax goodwill impairment charge of $335 million and an income tax benefit of $166 million related to the
settlement of uncertain tax positions, including related interest and foreign exchange gains, the Company recorded in fiscal 2013.
Similar non-GAAP financial measures were included in the Company’s presentation of its financial results for the fourth quarter of
fiscal 2013. The term “non-GAAP financial measure” is used to refer to a numerical measure of a company’s historical or future
financial performance, financial position or cash flows that: (i) excludes amounts, or is subject to adjustments that have the effect of
excluding amounts, that are included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S.
GAAP in a company’s statement of income, balance sheet or statement of cash flows; or (ii) includes amounts, or is subject to
adjustments that have the effect of including amounts, that are excluded from the most directly comparable measure so calculated and
presented. The Company believes that presenting non-GAAP financial measures that exclude the impact of those items enables it and
its shareholders to better assess the Company’s operating performance relative to its consolidated financial results in prior and future
periods and improves the comparability of the information presented. Readers are cautioned that adjusted net loss, adjusted diluted
loss per share and similar measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by U.S. GAAP and are therefore unlikely to be
comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in
the context of the U.S. GAAP results, which are described in this MD&A. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to
the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures was included in the Company’s press release, dated March 28, 2013.
10
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Fiscal 2013 Operating Results – Executive Summary
The following table sets forth certain consolidated statement of operations data, which is expressed in millions of dollars, for the
periods indicated, except for share and per share amounts, as well as certain consolidated balance sheet data, as at March 2,
2013, March 3, 2012, and February 26, 2011, which is expressed in millions of dollars.
11
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
(5)
(1,4)
Revenue
Cost of sales
Gross margin
Operating expenses
March 2, 2013
$
11,073
7,639
3,434
As at and for the Fiscal Year Ended
Change
March 3, 2012
2013/2012
(in millions, except for share and per share amounts)
$ (7,350)
$
(4,209)
(3,141)
18,423
11,848
6,575
$
19,907
11,082
8,825
February 26, 2011
Change
2012/2011
$ (1,484)
766
(2,250)
205
200
129
355
889
(3,139)
1,351
2,400
438
—
4,189
4,636
8
13
1,509
2,111
714
335
4,669
(1,235)
15
1,556
2,600
567
355
5,078
1,497
21
(47)
(489)
147
(20)
(409)
(2,732)
(6)
(1,220)
1,518
(2,738)
4,644
(3,126)
(592)
(628)
(18)
(646)
(1.20)
(0.03)
(1.23)
(1.20)
(0.03)
(1.23)
$
$
$
$
$
524,160
524,160
$
$
$
$
13,165
3,705
257
9,460
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
347
1,171
(7)
1,164
(939)
(1,799)
(11)
$ (1,810)
2.23
(0.01)
2.22
2.23
(0.01)
2.22
524,101
524,190
13,731
3,631
242
10,100
$ (566)
74
$
$
15
$ (640)
1,233
3,411
—
3,411
(886)
(2,240)
(7)
$ (2,247)
6.36
—
6.36
6.34
—
6.34
535,986
538,330
12,875
3,937
307
8,938
$
856
$ (306)
$
(65)
$ 1,162
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
Research and development
Selling, marketing and administration
Amortization
Impairment of Goodwill
(2)(6)
(1)
(1)(3)
Operating income (loss)
Investment income (loss)
Income (loss) from continuing operations before
income taxes
(3)
Provision for (recovery of) income taxes
Income (loss) from continuing operations
Loss from discontinued operations
Net income (loss)
Basic earnings (loss) per share
Basic earnings (loss) per share from continuing
operations
Basic loss per share from discontinued operations
Total basic earnings (loss) per share
Diluted earnings (loss) per share
Diluted earnings (loss) per share from continuing
operations
Diluted loss per share from discontinued operations
Total diluted earnings (loss) per share
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding
(000’s)
Basic
Diluted
Total assets
Total liabilities
Total long-term liabilities
Shareholders’ equity
(1) Cost of sales, research and development and selling, marketing and administration expenses included approximately $220
million in total pre-tax charges related to the Company’s CORE program to streamline operations across the Company during
fiscal 2013. Included in cost of sales, research and development, and selling, marketing and administration expenses for fiscal
2013, was approximately $96 million, $27 million and $97 million, respectively, of charges related to the CORE program. See
“Overview – Cost Optimization and Resource Efficiency”.
12
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
(2) During the first quarter of fiscal 2013 the Company performed a goodwill impairment test and based on the results of that test,
the Company recorded a pre-tax goodwill impairment charge of approximately $335 million (the “Q1 Goodwill Impairment
Charge”).
(3) During fiscal 2013 the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $166 million related to the settlement of uncertain tax
positions, including related interest and foreign exchange gains.
(4) During fiscal 2012, the Company recorded pre-tax provisions on its inventory of BlackBerry PlayBooks of approximately $485
million (the “PlayBook Inventory Provision”) and BlackBerry 7 smartphones of approximately $267 million (the “Q4
BlackBerry7 Inventory Provision”).
(5) During fiscal 2012, the Company experienced a service interruption which resulted in the loss of service revenue and the
payment of penalties of approximately $54 million related to the unavailability of the Company’s network (the “Q3 Service
Interruption”).
(6) During fiscal 2012, the Company performed a goodwill impairment test and based on the results of that test, the Company
recorded a pre-tax goodwill impairment charge (the “Q4 Goodwill Impairment Charge”) of approximately $355 million.
The following table sets forth certain consolidated statement of operations data expressed as a percentage of revenue for the periods
indicated:
Revenue
Cost of sales
Gross margin
Operating expenses
Research and development
Selling, marketing and administration
Amortization
Impairment of Goodwill
Operating income (loss)
Investment income
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income
taxes
Provision for (recovery of) income taxes
Income (loss) from continuing operations
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax
Net income (loss)
March 2,
2013
100.0%
69.0%
31.0%
March 3,
2012
100.0%
64.3%
35.7%
Change
2013/2012
—
4.7%
(4.7%)
February 26,
2011
100.0%
55.7%
44.3%
Change
2012/2011
—
8.6%
(8.6%)
8.4%
14.1%
3.1%
1.9%
27.5%
8.2%
0.1%
8.3%
1.9%
6.4%
—
6.4%
5.2%
5.0%
3.3%
1.1%
14.6%
(19.3%)
—
(19.3%)
(7.2%)
(12.1%)
(0.2%)
(12.3%)
6.8%
12.1%
2.2%
—
21.1%
23.2%
—
23.2%
6.2%
17.0%
—
17.0%
1.6%
2.0%
0.9%
1.9%
6.4%
(15.0%)
0.1%
(14.9%)
(4.3%)
(10.6%)
—
(10.6%)
13.6%
19.1%
6.4%
3.0%
42.1%
(11.1%)
0.1%
(11.0%)
(5.3%)
(5.7%)
(0.2%)
(5.9%)
13
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Revenue from continuing operations for fiscal 2013 was $11.1 billion, a decrease of approximately $7.4 billion, or 39.9%, from $18.4
billion in fiscal 2012. Hardware revenue decreased by $7.1 billion, or 51.8%, to $6.6 billion, primarily due to lower shipment
volumes and lower average selling prices. The lower shipment volumes were a result of the Company’s aging product portfolio in a
very competitive environment in which multiple competitors introduced new devices beginning in early fiscal 2013. The lower
average selling prices were due to the continuation of pricing initiatives to drive sell-through for BlackBerry 7 handheld devices, in
advance of the launch of BlackBerry 10 smartphones. The number of BlackBerry handheld devices shipped decreased by
approximately 20.9 million, or 42.7%, to approximately 28.1 million in fiscal 2013, compared to approximately 49.0 million in fiscal
2012. The number of BlackBerry PlayBook tablets shipped during fiscal 2013 was approximately 1.1 million, representing a decrease
of 0.2 million compared to 1.3 million in fiscal 2012. Service revenue decreased by $164 million to $3.9 billion in fiscal 2013, which
was primarily attributable to a decrease in subscriber accounts and a reduction in infrastructure access fees compared to fiscal 2012.
Software revenue decreased by $57 million in fiscal 2013 to $261 million as a result of a decrease in CALs and maintenance revenue.
Other revenue increased by $17 million to $254 million in fiscal 2013 compared to fiscal 2012, which was primarily attributable to
gains on revenue hedging instruments and IP licensing, partially offset by decreases in non-warranty repair revenues and accessories.
The Company’s net loss from continuing operations for fiscal 2013 was $628 million, a decrease of $1.8 billion compared to net
income of $1.2 billion in fiscal 2012. The decrease takes into account the impact of an income tax benefit of $166 million related to
the settlement of uncertain tax positions, including related interest and foreign exchange gains, restructuring charges of $220 million
related to the CORE program and the Q1 Goodwill Impairment Charge of $335 million incurred in fiscal 2013, as well as the impacts
of the PlayBook Inventory Provision, the Q4 Goodwill Impairment Charge the Q4 BlackBerry 7 Inventory Provision, the Q3 Service
Interruption and restructuring charges of $125 million related to the Company’s previous cost optimization program incurred in fiscal
2012. The decrease is primarily attributable to a decrease in the Company’s gross margin, partially offset by a reduction in operating
expenses and a recovery of income taxes. The Company’s consolidated gross margin in fiscal 2013 was negatively impacted by the
lower shipment volumes due to the Company’s aging product portfolio in a very competitive environment in which multiple
competitors introduced new devices beginning in early fiscal 2013 as well as the continuation of pricing initiatives to drive sell-
through for BlackBerry 7 handheld devices and the impact of allocating certain fixed costs, including licensing costs, to lower
shipment volumes, compared to fiscal 2012. The decrease in gross margin was partially offset by the higher average selling prices of
BlackBerry 10 devices shipped, favorable renegotiations of key contracts associated with elements of the Company’s hardware
business and benefits from a leaner and re-architected supply chain.
Basic and diluted loss per share from continuing operations were both $1.20 in fiscal 2013 compared to basic and diluted earnings per
share (“EPS”) from continuing operations of $2.23 in fiscal 2012, which reflects the impact of an income tax benefit of $166 million
related to the settlement of uncertain tax positions, including related interest and foreign exchange gains, and charges of $220 million
related to the CORE program and the Q1 Goodwill Impairment Charge of $335 million incurred in fiscal 2013, as well as the impacts
of the PlayBook Inventory Provision, the Q4 Goodwill Impairment Charge the Q4 BlackBerry 7 Inventory Provision, the Q3 Service
Interruption and restructuring charges of $125 million related to the Company’s previous cost optimization program incurred in fiscal
2012.
The Company expects to increase its marketing spending in relation to the global launch of BlackBerry 10 during the first quarter of
fiscal 2014 by approximately 50% compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013. However, the Company expects to approach
breakeven financial results in the first quarter of fiscal 2014 as a result of its lower cost base, more efficient supply chain and
improved hardware margins.
14
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
A more comprehensive analysis of these factors is contained in “Results of Continuing Operations”.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
General
The preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions with respect to
the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. These
estimates and assumptions are based upon management’s historical experience and are believed by management to be reasonable
under the circumstances. Such estimates and assumptions are evaluated on an ongoing basis and form the basis for making judgments
about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results could differ from
these estimates.
The Company’s critical accounting policies and estimates have been reviewed and discussed with the Company’s Audit & Risk
Management Committee and are set out below. The Company’s significant accounting policies are described in Note 1 to the
Consolidated Financial Statements. Except as noted below, there have not been any changes to the Company’s critical accounting
policies and estimates during the past three fiscal years.
Revenue Recognition
The Company recognizes revenue when it is realized or realizable and earned. The Company considers revenue realized or realizable
and earned when it has persuasive evidence of an arrangement, the product has been delivered or the services have been provided to
the customer, the sales price is fixed or determinable and collection is reasonably assured. In addition to this general policy, the
following paragraphs describe the specific revenue recognition policies for each of the Company’s major categories of revenue.
Hardware
Revenue from the sale of BlackBerry wireless hardware products (e.g. BlackBerry handheld devices and BlackBerry PlayBook™
tablets) is recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the sales price is fixed or
determinable, and collection is probable. Product is considered delivered to the customer once it has been shipped and title and risk of
loss have been transferred. For most of the Company’s product sales, these criteria are met at the time the product is shipped. For
hardware products for which the software is deemed essential to the functionality of the hardware, the Company recognizes revenue
in accordance with general revenue recognition accounting guidance.
®
®
15
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The Company records reductions to revenue for estimated commitments related to price protection, right of return and for customer
incentive programs. Price protection is accrued as a reduction to revenue based on estimates of price reductions provided the price
reduction can be reliably estimated or based on contractual caps and all other revenue recognition criteria have been met. The
Company also records reductions to revenue for a right of return based on contractual terms and conditions and, if the expected
product returns can be reasonably and reliably estimated, based on historical experience. Where a general right of return cannot be
reasonably and reliably estimated, the Company recognizes revenue when the product sells through the distribution channel. The
estimated cost of customer incentive programs is accrued as a reduction to revenue and is recognized at the later of the date at which
the Company has sold the product or the date at which the program is offered. If historical experience cannot support a breakage rate,
the maximum rebate amount is accrued and adjusted when the incentive programs end.
Service
Revenue from service is recognized rateably on a monthly basis when the service is provided. In instances where the Company bills
the customer prior to performing the service, the prebilling is recorded as deferred revenue. Service revenue also includes the
recognition of previously deferred revenue related to multi-element arrangements for non-software services and software upgrade
rights related to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablets and BlackBerry 10 devices.
Software
Revenue from licensed software is recognized at the inception of the license term and in accordance with industry-specific software
revenue recognition accounting guidance. When the fair value of a delivered element has not been established, the Company uses the
residual method to recognize revenue if the fair value of undelivered elements is determinable. Revenue from software maintenance,
unspecified upgrades and technical support contracts is recognized over the period that such items are delivered or those services are
provided.
Other
Other revenue consists of the sale of accessories and repair and maintenance contracts. Revenue is recognized when persuasive
evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the sales price is fixed or determinable, and collection is probable.
Shipping and Handling Costs
Amounts billed to customers related to shipping and handling are classified as revenue, and the Company’s shipping and handling
costs are included in cost of sales. Shipping and handling costs that cannot be reasonably attributed to certain customers are included
in selling, marketing and administration.
Multiple-Element Arrangements
The Company enters into revenue arrangements that may consist of multiple deliverables of its product and service offerings. The
Company’s typical multiple-element arrangements involve: (i) BlackBerry 7 or earlier handheld devices with services, (ii) BlackBerry
10 handheld devices with unspecified software upgrades on a when-and-if available basis along with undelivered non-software
services (iii) tablets with unspecified software upgrades on a when-and-if available basis and (iv) software with technical support
services.
16
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
For the Company’s arrangements involving multiple deliverables of BlackBerry 7 or earlier handheld devices with services, the
consideration from the arrangement is allocated to each respective element based on its relative selling price, using vendor-specific
objective evidence of selling price (“VSOE”). In certain limited instances when the Company is unable to establish the selling price
using VSOE, the Company attempts to establish the selling price of each element based on acceptable third party evidence of selling
price (“TPE”); however, the Company is generally unable to reliably determine the selling prices of similar competitor products and
services on a stand-alone basis. In these instances, the Company uses best estimated selling price (“BESP”) in its allocation of
arrangement consideration. The objective of BESP is to determine the price at which the Company would transact a sale if the product
or service was sold on a stand-alone basis.
Beginning in January, 2013 the Company introduced its BlackBerry 10 devices which use the Company’s network infrastructure in a
different manner than BlackBerry 7 or earlier devices. As a result, for arrangements involving multiple deliverables including the
BlackBerry 10 device and the essential operating system software, as well as unspecified upgrade rights and non-software services for
which the Company may not charge for separately, the consideration from the arrangement is allocated to each respective element
based on the relative selling price, using the Company’s BESP as the device, unspecified upgrade rights and non-software services are
no longer sold separately. The consideration for the delivered hardware and the related essential operating system software are
recognized at the time of sale provided that the four general revenue recognition criteria have been met. The consideration allocated to
the unspecified software upgrade rights and non-software services is deferred and recognized rateably over the 24-month estimated
life of the devices.
The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet includes the right to receive free unspecified software upgrade rights on a when-and-if available
basis. This upgrade right to the product’s embedded operating system software is considered an undelivered element at the time of
sale of the tablet and falls within the general revenue recognition guidance. The consideration from the arrangement is allocated to
each respective element based on its relative selling price. As the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet or the upgrade right are not sold on a
standalone basis and no TPE exists for these deliverables, the allocation of revenue is based on the Company’s BESPs. The
consideration for the delivered hardware and the related essential software operating system are recognized at the time of sale
provided that the four revenue recognition criteria have been met. The consideration allocated to the unspecified software upgrade
rights is deferred and recognized rateably over the 24-month estimated life of the tablets.
For arrangements involving multiple deliverables of software with technical support services, the revenue is recognized based on the
industry-specific software revenue recognition accounting guidance. If the Company is not able to determine VSOE for all of the
deliverables of the arrangement, but is able to obtain VSOE for all undelivered elements, revenue is allocated using the residual
method. Under the residual method, the amount of revenue allocated to delivered elements equals the total arrangement consideration
less the aggregate fair value of any undelivered elements. If VSOE of any undelivered software items does not exist, revenue from the
entire arrangement is initially deferred and recognized at the earlier of: (i) delivery of those elements for which VSOE did not exist;
or (ii) when VSOE can be established.
17
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The Company determines BESP for a product or service by considering multiple factors including, but not limited to, historical
pricing practices for similar offerings, market conditions, competitive landscape, internal costs, gross margin objectives and pricing
practices. The determination of BESP is made through consultation with and formal approval by, the Company’s management, taking
into consideration the Company’s marketing strategy. The Company regularly reviews VSOE, TPE and BESP, and maintains internal
controls over the establishment and updates of these estimates. Based on the above factors, the Company’s BESP for the unspecified
software upgrade right is $6 per BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and the Company’s BESP for the unspecified software upgrade right and
non-software services ranges from $10-$20 per BlackBerry 10 device.
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts and Bad Debt Expense
The Company has historically been dependent on an increasing number of significant telecommunication carriers and distribution
partners and on large more complex contracts with respect to sales of the majority of its products and services. The Company expects
increasing accounts receivable balances with its large customers to continue as it sells an increasing number of its wireless devices
and software products and service relay access through network carriers and resellers rather than directly.
The Company evaluates the collectability of its accounts receivables based upon a combination of factors on a periodic basis, such as
specific credit risk of its customers, historical trends and economic circumstances. The Company, in the normal course of business,
monitors the financial condition of its customers and reviews the credit history of each new customer. When the Company becomes
aware of a specific customer’s inability to meet its financial obligations to the Company (such as in the case of bankruptcy filings or
material deterioration in the customer’s operating results or financial position, and payment experiences), the Company records a
specific bad debt provision to reduce the customer’s related accounts receivable to its estimated net realizable value. If circumstances
related to specific customers change, the Company’s estimates of the recoverability of accounts receivables balances could be further
adjusted.
Inventories and Inventory Purchase Commitments
Raw materials are stated at the lower of cost and replacement cost. Work in process and finished goods inventories are stated at the
lower of cost and net realizable value. Cost includes the cost of materials plus direct labor applied to the product and the applicable
share of manufacturing overhead. Cost is determined on a first-in-first-out basis.
The Company’s policy for the valuation of inventory, including the determination of obsolete or excess inventory, requires
management to estimate the future demand for the Company’s products within specific time horizons. Inventory purchases and
purchase commitments are based upon such forecasts of future demand and scheduled rollout of new products. The business
environment in which the Company operates is subject to rapid changes in technology and customer demand. The Company performs
an assessment of inventory during each reporting period, which includes a review of, among other factors, demand requirements,
component part purchase commitments of the Company and certain key suppliers, product life cycle and development plans,
component cost trends, product pricing and quality issues. If customer demand subsequently differs from the Company’s forecasts,
requirements for inventory write-offs that differ from the Company’s estimates could become necessary. If management believes that
demand no longer allows the Company to sell inventories above cost or at all, such inventory is written down to net realizable value
or excess inventory is written off.
18
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Goodwill
Goodwill represents the excess of the acquisition price over the fair value of identifiable net assets acquired. Goodwill is allocated as
at the date of the business combination. Goodwill is not amortized, but is tested for impairment annually, during the fourth quarter, or
more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate the asset may be impaired. These events and circumstances may
include a significant change in legal factors or in the business climate, a significant decline in the Company’s share price, an adverse
action of assessment by a regulator, unanticipated competition, a loss of key personnel, significant disposal activity and the testing of
recoverability for a significant asset group.
The Company consists of a single reporting unit. The impairment test is carried out in two steps. In the first step, the carrying amount
of the reporting unit including goodwill is compared with its fair value. The estimated fair value is determined utilizing a market-
based approach, based on the quoted market price of the Company’s stock in an active market, adjusted by an appropriate control
premium. When the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, goodwill of the reporting unit is considered to be
impaired, and the second step is necessary.
In the second step of the goodwill impairment test, the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill is compared with its
carrying amount to measure the amount of the impairment loss, if any. The implied fair value of goodwill is determined in the same
manner as the value of goodwill is determined in a business combination using the fair value of the reporting unit as if it were the
acquisition price. When the carrying amount of the reporting unit’s goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of the goodwill, an
impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to the excess and is presented as a separate line item in the consolidated statements
of operations. Establishing an implied fair value of goodwill requires the Company to make estimates for key inputs into complex
valuation models and to apply significant judgment in the selection of estimates, assumptions and methodologies required to complete
the analysis. Areas of judgment include, but are not limited to, development of multi-year business cash flow forecasts, the selection
of discount rates and the identification and valuation of unrecorded assets.
Intangible Assets
Intangible assets with definite lives are stated at cost less accumulated amortization. The Company is currently amortizing its
intangible assets with finite lives over periods generally ranging between two to ten years.
The Company reviews long-lived assets such as property, plant and equipment and intangible assets with finite useful lives for
impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the total of the
expected undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset, a loss is recognized for the excess of the
carrying amount over the fair value of the asset.
The useful lives of intangible assets are evaluated quarterly to determine if events or circumstances warrant a revision to their
remaining period of amortization. Legal, regulatory and contractual factors, the effects of obsolescence, demand, competition and
other economic factors are potential indicators that the useful life of an intangible asset may be revised. See “Cautionary Note
Regarding Forwarding-Looking Statements – Potential charges relating to the impairment of long-lived assets recorded on the
Company’s balance sheet”.
19
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Litigation
The Company is involved in litigation in the normal course of its business. The Company may be subject to claims (including claims
related to patent infringement, purported class actions and derivative actions) either directly or through indemnities against claims that
it provides to certain of its partners. Management reviews all of the relevant facts for each claim and applies judgment in evaluating
the likelihood and, if applicable, the amount of any potential loss. Where it is considered likely for a material exposure to result and
where the amount of the claim is quantifiable, provisions for loss are made based on management’s assessment of the likely outcome.
The Company does not provide for claims that are considered unlikely to result in a significant loss, claims for which the outcome is
not determinable or claims where the amount of the loss cannot be reasonably estimated. Any settlements or awards under such
claims are provided for when reasonably determinable. For further details on legal matters, see “Legal Proceedings” below.
Royalties
The Company recognizes its liability for royalties in accordance with the terms of existing license agreements. Where license
agreements are not yet finalized, the Company recognizes its current estimates of the obligation in accrued liabilities in the
Consolidated Financial Statements. When the license agreements are subsequently finalized, the estimate is revised accordingly.
Management’s estimates of royalty rates are based on the Company’s historical licensing activities, royalty payment experience and
forward-looking expectations.
Warranty
The Company provides for the estimated costs of product warranties at the time revenue is recognized. BlackBerry devices are
generally covered by a time-limited warranty for varying periods of time. The Company’s warranty obligation is affected by product
failure rates, differences in warranty periods, regulatory developments with respect to warranty obligations in the countries in which
the Company carries on business, freight expense, and material usage and other related repair costs.
The Company’s estimates of costs are based upon historical experience and expectations of future return rates and unit warranty
repair costs. If the Company experiences increased or decreased warranty activity, or increased or decreased costs associated with
servicing those obligations, revisions to the estimated warranty liability would be recognized in the reporting period when such
revisions are made. For further details on the Company’s warranty expense experience and estimates for fiscal 2013, refer to Note 12
to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Income Sensitivity
The Company estimates that a 10% change to either the current average unit warranty repair cost or the current average warranty
return rate, measured against the device sales volumes currently under warranty as at March 2, 2013, would have resulted in
adjustments to warranty expense and pre-tax income of approximately $79 million, or 6.5% of consolidated annual net income (loss).
20
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Investments
The Company’s cash equivalents and investments, other than cost method investments of $4 million and equity method investments
of $48 million, consist of money market and other debt securities, and are classified as available-for-sale for accounting purposes and
are carried at fair value with unrealized gains and losses recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income until such investments
mature or are sold. The Company uses the specific identification method of determining the cost basis in computing realized gains or
losses on available-for-sale investments which are recorded in investment income. In the event of a decline in value which is other
than temporary, the investment is written down to fair value with a charge to income.
The Company defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly
transaction between market participants at the measurement date. When determining the fair value measurements for assets and
liabilities required to be recorded at fair value, the Company considers the principal or most advantageous market in which it would
transact and considers assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, such as inherent risk, non-
performance risk and credit risk. The Company applies the following fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in the
valuation methodologies in measuring fair value into three levels:
•
•
•
Level 1 - Unadjusted quoted prices at the measurement date for identical assets or liabilities in active markets;
Level 2 - Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets and
liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active; or
other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data; and
Level 3 - Significant unobservable inputs which are supported by little or no market activity.
The fair value hierarchy also requires the Company to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable
inputs when measuring fair value.
The carrying amounts of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, other receivables, accounts payable and
accrued liabilities approximate fair value due to their short maturities.
In determining the fair value of investments held, the Company primarily relies on an independent third party valuator for the fair
valuation of securities. Pricing inputs used by the independent third party valuator are generally received from two primary vendors.
The pricing inputs are reviewed for completeness and accuracy, within a set tolerance level, on a daily basis by the independent third
party valuator. The Company also reviews and understands the inputs used in the valuation process and assesses the pricing of the
securities for reasonableness.
For further details on the valuation methods and inputs used by the Company to determine the fair value of its investments, refer to
Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Given the current market conditions and economic uncertainties, management exercises significant judgment in determining the fair
value of the Company’s investments and the investment’s classification level within the three-tier fair value hierarchy. As at March 2,
2013, the Company had approximately 98% of its available-for-sale investments measured at fair value classified in Level 2.
21
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The Company regularly assesses declines in the value of individual investments for impairment to determine whether the decline is
other-than-temporary. The Company makes this assessment by considering available evidence, including changes in general market
conditions, specific industry and individual company data, the length of time and the extent to which the market value has been less
than cost, the financial condition, the near-term prospects of the individual investment and the Company’s intent and ability to hold
the investments to maturity. In the event that a decline in the fair value of an investment occurs and the decline in value is considered
to be other-than-temporary, an impairment charge is recorded in investment income equal to the difference between the cost basis and
the fair value of the individual investment at the balance sheet date of the reporting period for which the assessment was made. The
Company’s assessment on whether an investment is other-than-temporarily impaired or not, could change due to new developments
or changes in assumptions or risks to any particular investment.
For further details on the Company’s investments and fair value conclusions, refer to Note 4 and Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial
Statements.
Income Taxes
The Company uses the liability method of income tax allocation to account for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and
liabilities are recognized based upon temporary differences between the financial reporting and income tax bases of assets and
liabilities, and measured using enacted income tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse.
The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce deferred income tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be
realized. The Company considers both positive evidence and negative evidence, to determine whether, based upon the weight of that
evidence, a valuation allowance is required. Judgment is required in considering the relative impact of negative and positive evidence.
Significant judgment is also required in evaluating the Company’s uncertain income tax positions and provisions for income taxes.
Liabilities for uncertain income tax positions are recognized based on a two-step approach. The first step is to evaluate whether an
income tax position has met the recognition threshold by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more
likely than not to be sustained upon examination. The second step is to measure the income tax position that has met the recognition
threshold as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon settlement. The Company continually assesses the
likelihood and amount of potential adjustments and adjusts the income tax provisions, income taxes payable and deferred income
taxes in the period in which the facts that give rise to a revision become known. The Company recognizes interest and penalties
related to uncertain income tax positions as interest expense, which is then netted and reported within investment income.
The Company uses the flow-through method to account for investment tax credits (“ITCs”) earned on eligible scientific research and
experimental development expenditures. Under this method, the ITCs are recognized as a reduction to income tax expense.
The Company’s provision for income taxes is based on a number of estimates and assumptions as determined by management and is
calculated in each of the jurisdictions in which it conducts business. The Company’s consolidated income tax rates have differed from
statutory rates primarily due to the tax impact of ITCs,
22
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
carrying operating losses back to prior periods with higher effective income tax rates, changes in the amount of unrecognized income
tax benefits, manufacturing activities, the amount of net income earned in Canada versus other operating jurisdictions and the rate of
taxes payable in respect of those other operating jurisdictions, the timing of reversal of temporary differences and the rate of taxes
applied on these differences, permanent differences including non-deductible stock compensation and the impact of foreign
exchange. The Company enters into transactions and arrangements in the ordinary course of business in which the income tax
treatment is not entirely certain. In particular, certain countries in which it operates could seek to tax a greater share of income than
has been provided. The final outcome of any audits by taxation authorities may differ from estimates and assumptions used in
determining the Company’s consolidated income tax provision and accruals, which could result in a material effect on the
consolidated income tax provision and the net income for the period in which such determinations are made.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company has stock-based compensation plans, which are described in note 9(b) to the consolidated financial statements.
The Company has an incentive stock option plan for officers and employees of the Company or its subsidiaries. Under the terms of
the plan, as revised in fiscal 2008, no stock options may be granted to independent directors. The Company measures stock-based
compensation expense at the grant date based on the award’s fair value as calculated by the Black-Scholes-Merton (“BSM”) option-
pricing model and is recognized rateably over the vesting period. The BSM model requires various judgmental assumptions including
volatility and expected option life. In addition, judgment is also applied in estimating the amount of stock-based awards that are
expected to be forfeited, and if actual results differ significantly from these estimates, stock-based compensation expense and our
results of operations would be impacted.
Any consideration paid by employees on exercise of stock options plus any recorded stock-based compensation within additional
paid-in capital related to that stock option is credited to capital stock.
The Company has a Restricted Share Unit Plan (the “RSU Plan”) under which eligible participants include any officer or employee of
the Company or its subsidiaries. At the Company’s discretion, Restricted Share Units (“RSUs”) are redeemed for either common
shares issued by the Company, common shares purchased on the open market by a trustee selected by the Company or the cash
equivalent on the vesting dates established by the Board of Directors or the Compensation, Nomination and Governance Committee
of the Board of Directors. The RSUs vest over a three-year period, either on the third anniversary date, in equal installments or
25% per year in years one and two and 50% in year three on each anniversary date over the vesting period. The Company classifies
RSUs as equity instruments as the Company has the ability and intent to settle the awards in common shares. The compensation
expense is calculated based on the fair value of each RSU as determined by the closing value of the Company’s common shares on
the business day of the grant date. The Company recognizes compensation expense over the vesting period of the RSU.
Upon the issuance of RSUs, common shares for which RSUs may be exchanged will be purchased on the open market by a trustee
selected and funded by the Company or new common shares will be issued by the Company. The trustee has been appointed to settle
the Company’s obligation to deliver shares to individuals upon vesting. In addition, upon vesting, the trustee is required to sell
enough shares to cover the individual recipient’s minimum statutory withholding tax requirement, with the remaining shares delivered
to the individual. As the Company is considered to be the primary beneficiary of the trust, the trust is considered a variable interest
entity and is consolidated by the Company.
23
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The Company has a Deferred Share Unit Plan (the “DSU Plan”), adopted by the Board of Directors on December 20, 2007, under
which each non-executive director will be credited with Deferred Share Units (“DSUs”) in satisfaction of all or a portion of the cash
fees otherwise payable to them for serving as a director of the Company. Grants under the DSU Plan replace the stock option awards
that were historically granted to non-executive members of the Board of Directors. At a minimum, 60% of each non-executive
director’s annual retainer will be satisfied in the form of DSUs. The director can elect to receive the remaining 40% in any
combination of cash and DSUs. Within a specified period after such a director ceases to be a director, DSUs will be redeemed for
cash with the redemption value of each DSU equal to the weighted average trading price of the Company’s shares over the five
trading days preceding the redemption date. Alternatively, subject to receipt of shareholder approval, the Company may elect to
redeem DSUs by way of shares purchased on the open market or issued by the Company.
DSUs are accounted for as liability-classified awards and are awarded on a quarterly basis. These awards are measured at their fair
value on the date of issuance, and remeasured at each reporting period, until settlement.
Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations
Assets held for sale and related liabilities are reported separately on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets at the lower of their
carrying value and fair value less costs to sell, if material. If the carrying value exceeds the fair value less costs to sell, a loss is
recognized. Assets classified as held for sale are no longer amortized. Comparative figures are reclassified to conform to the current
year’s presentation.
When the Company has disposed of or classified as held for sale a component of the entity, and certain criteria are met, the results of
operations of the component, including any loss recognized, are reported separately on the consolidated statements of operations as
discontinued operations. Discontinued operations are presented if the component’s operations and cash flows have been, or will be,
eliminated from the Company and the Company will not have significant continuing involvement in the operations of the component
after the disposal. Earnings (loss) per share amounts for both continuing operations and discontinued operations are presented
separately on the consolidated statements of operations and income (loss) from continuing operations and loss from discontinued
operations are reported separately on the consolidated statements of cash flows. Comparative figures are reclassified to conform to the
current year’s presentation.
The Company applies judgment in determining whether the criteria for presentation of discontinued operations have been met and
uses estimates in the determination of the fair value less costs to sell of the assets held for sale. Should any of the estimates change, or
if the actual proceeds of disposal differ from the estimate, it could have a material impact on earnings.
Impact of Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Implemented
In February 2013, the FASB issued authoritative guidance to improve the reporting of reclassifications out of accumulated other
comprehensive income. The guidance requires an entity to report the effect of significant reclassifications out of accumulated other
comprehensive income on the respective line items in net income if
24
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
the amount being reclassified is required under U.S. GAAP to be reclassified in its entirety to net income. For other amounts that are
not required under U.S. GAAP to be reclassified in their entirety to net income in the same reporting period, an entity is required to
cross-reference other disclosures required under U.S. GAAP that provide additional detail about those amounts. The new authoritative
guidance will become effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning on or after December 15, 2012, with early
adoption permitted. The Company will adopt the guidance in the first quarter of fiscal 2014 and is currently evaluating the impact that
the adoption of this guidance will have on its results of operations, financial condition and disclosures.
Results of Continuing Operations
Fiscal year ended March 2, 2013 compared to fiscal year ended March 3, 2012
Revenue
Revenue from continuing operations for fiscal 2013 was $11.1 billion, a decrease of approximately $7.4 billion, or 39.9%, from $18.4
billion in fiscal 2012.
Comparative breakdowns of the significant revenue categories and geographic regions are set forth in the following table:
Millions of BlackBerry handheld devices shipped
Millions of BlackBerry PlayBook tablets shipped
Revenue (in millions)
Hardware
Service
Software
Other
Revenue by Geography (in millions)
North America
Europe, Middle East and Africa
Latin America
Asia Pacific
For the Fiscal Year Ended
March 2, 2013
28.1
1.1
March 3, 2012
49.0
1.3
Change Fiscal
2013/2012
(20.9)
(0.2)
(42.7%)
(15.4%)
$ 6,648
3,910
261
254
60.0% $13,794 74.9% $(7,146)
(164)
4,074 22.1%
35.3%
(57)
318 1.7%
2.4%
17
237 1.3%
2.3%
$11,073 100.0% $18,423 100.0% $(7,350)
(51.8%)
(4.0%)
(17.9%)
7.2%
(39.9%)
$ 2,896
4,502
2,114
1,561
26.2% $ 5,442 29.5% $(2,546)
(3,160)
7,662 41.6%
40.7%
(532)
2,646 14.4%
19.1%
(1,112)
2,673 14.5%
14.0%
$11,073 100.0% $18,423 100.0% $(7,350)
(46.8%)
(41.2%)
(20.1%)
(41.6%)
(39.9%)
25
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Hardware revenue was $6.6 billion, or 60.0% of consolidated revenue, in fiscal 2013 compared to $13.8 billion, or 74.9% of
consolidated revenue, in fiscal 2012, representing a decrease of 51.8%. This decrease in hardware revenue over the prior fiscal year
was primarily attributable to a decrease in the volume of BlackBerry handheld devices shipped by approximately 20.9 million, or
42.7%, to approximately 28.1 million BlackBerry handheld devices in fiscal 2013, compared to approximately 49.0 million
BlackBerry handheld devices shipped in fiscal 2012. The decline in the volume of BlackBerry devices shipped was primarily a result
of decreased demand for the Company’s aging product portfolio in a very competitive environment in which multiple competitors
introduced new devices beginning in early fiscal 2013. The Company introduced the first BlackBerry 10 smartphones in certain
countries starting on January 31, 2013. The overall decrease in revenue in fiscal 2013 is also attributable to a decrease in average
selling prices of BlackBerry 7 handheld devices in fiscal 2013 compared to fiscal 2012 due to the continuation of pricing initiatives to
drive sell-through, partially offset by the higher average selling prices of BlackBerry 10 devices. However, the impact of BlackBerry
10 smartphone sales on total revenue for fiscal 2013 is modest since they were only available in certain markets for one month or less
prior to the end of fiscal 2013. Delays in the introduction of the BlackBerry 10 smartphones resulted in certain of the current
BlackBerry 7 product line being in the market for over one year, which contributed to declining unit shipments and a loss of market
share in fiscal 2013 as some customers either awaited the launch of the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones or switched to devices of our
competitors. The initial early global demand for the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone has been better than the Company anticipated. The
Company only recently started selling the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone in the United States and the launch is meeting the Company’s
early expectations. BlackBerry 10 smartphones are being launched in phases and will continue over the next several quarters with
various devices and all the major carriers. The Company announced that the BlackBerry Q10 smartphone will be launched in
international markets beginning in April 2013, and the Company intends to launch lower costs versions of BlackBerry 10
smartphones later this year.
The number of BlackBerry PlayBook tablets shipped during fiscal 2013 was approximately 1.1 million, representing a decrease of
0.2 million units compared to the prior fiscal year. Overall, BlackBerry PlayBook tablet shipments have experienced lower than
anticipated sell-through to end users due mainly to intense competition in the tablet market, especially in the United States. During
fiscal 2013, the Company continued its ongoing promotional activities to encourage sell-through of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.
The Company sold out of the 16G BlackBerry PlayBook tablets in the second quarter of fiscal 2013 and is continuing to sell its 32G
and 64G units as well as the 3G plus BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, which launched in fiscal
2013.
Service revenue decreased by $164 million, or 4.0%, to $3.9 billion, or 35.3% of consolidated revenue, in fiscal 2013, compared to
$4.1 billion, or 22.1% of consolidated revenue, in fiscal 2012. The decrease in service revenue is primarily due to the net decrease in
BlackBerry subscriber accounts. The total BlackBerry subscriber base was approximately 76 million as at the end of fiscal 2013, a
decrease of approximately 1 million since the end of fiscal 2012. The decrease in service revenue also reflects a decrease in average
revenue per user (“ARPU”). The decrease in ARPU resulted from recent pricing reduction programs implemented by the Company to
maintain the subscriber base as well as a shift in the mix of the Company’s subscriber base from higher tiered unlimited plans to
prepaid and lower tiered plans. BlackBerry tiered service plans continued to drive growth in the Company’s subscriber base in fiscal
2013, specifically outside North America. The Company anticipates a single digit percentage decline in service revenue in the first
quarter of fiscal 2014, the impact of which is expected to be partially offset by cost savings related to the CORE program. Service
revenues will continue to be generated by current and future users of BlackBerry 7 devices and the Company plans to continue to sell
and launch new BlackBerry 7 devices in certain markets outside of the United States in fiscal 2014. As the business migrates to
BlackBerry 10, the Company plans to enhance the business offering with new value-creating services including new services for the
Company’s strong BBM base; possible licensing of the BlackBerry 10 platform; the creation of cross-platform offerings; services that
leverage BlackBerry’s social media community; advanced security tools and additional enterprise services. Please refer to the
“Overview – Sources of Revenue” section for further discussion of service revenue and the Company’s subscriber base.
26
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Software revenue, which includes fees from licensed BES software, CALs, technical support, maintenance and upgrades decreased by
$57 million, or 17.9%, to $261 million, or 2.4% of consolidated revenue, in fiscal 2013, compared to $318 million, or 1.7% of
consolidated revenue, in fiscal 2012. This decrease was primarily attributable to a decrease in CALs and maintenance revenue.
Other revenue, which includes non-warranty repairs, accessories, licensing revenues and gains and losses on revenue hedging
instruments, increased by $17 million to $254 million in fiscal 2013 compared to $237 million in fiscal 2012. The majority of the
increase was attributable to increases in gains on revenue hedging instruments and IP licensing, partially offset by decreases in non-
warranty repair revenues and accessories revenue. See “Market Risk of Financial Instruments - Foreign Exchange” for additional
information on the Company’s hedging instruments.
The Company has encountered challenges adapting to the BYOD movement as some IT departments that previously required
employees to use the BlackBerry wireless solution because of its emphasis on security and reliability are permitting employees to
choose devices offered by the Company’s competitors who are increasingly promoting the merits of their own security and reliability,
and this has impacted the Company’s enterprise subscriber account base. To address this evolution of the market, the Company has
introduced products including its first BlackBerry 10 smartphones with BlackBerry Balance and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10,
which give IT departments the ability to securely manage BlackBerry devices and other operating system platforms through a single
unified interface and to securely protect corporate data on an employee’s personal smartphone or tablet. The Company expects that
with the introduction of BlackBerry 10 smartphones, which began in certain markets in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 and will
continue in the first quarter of fiscal 2014, its position in the BYOD enterprise market will strengthen and the Company will also
continue to seek partnerships that will further enable the Company to have a complete BYOD offering.
Revenues in North America were $2.9 billion or 26.2% of consolidated revenue in fiscal 2013, reflecting a decrease of $2.5 billion
compared to $5.4 billion, or 29.5% of consolidated revenue in fiscal 2012. The decrease is primarily attributable to a decrease in
revenue from the United States, which represented approximately 20% of total consolidated revenue in fiscal 2013, compared to 23%
of total consolidated revenue in fiscal 2012, as a result of shifts in the competitive dynamics within the United States, an aging in-
market product portfolio, as well as growth in international markets compared to fiscal 2012. While the Company’s BlackBerry 7
upgrade program has been well received by many of its customers, revenues in the United States have continued to decline and
subscriber attrition has remained high due to the intense competition faced by the Company in this market, the lack of an LTE
smartphone product and a high-end consumer offering prior to the launch of the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone on March 22, 2013, as
well as consumer preferences for devices with access to the broadest number of applications, such as those available in the iOS and
Android environments. To address this, the Company worked with developers to ensure that a broad spectrum of applications
including games, multimedia, productivity, enterprise and social media applications would be available on BlackBerry 10
smartphones prior to their introduction, which began in certain countries in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 and in the United States
on March 22, 2013. Sales in the United States have also been impacted by the significant number of new Android-based competitors
that have entered the market. In addition, the increased desire by carriers to sell devices that operate on the new, faster LTE networks
being built has also impacted the Company’s market share in the United States, as these networks feature faster download speeds and
enable carriers to offer higher-value data plans. The Company’s first LTE smartphones are the BlackBerry 10 smartphones, which
were recently made available in the United States, as noted above.
27
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Revenues in Europe, Middle East and Africa were $4.5 billion or 40.7% of consolidated revenue in fiscal 2013, reflecting a decrease
of $3.2 billion compared to $7.7 billion or 41.6% of consolidated revenue in fiscal 2012. The Company’s largest market in this
region, the United Kingdom, represented approximately 11% of total consolidated revenue, an increase of 1% from fiscal 2012. The
United Kingdom was also the first country to introduce the Company’s BlackBerry 10 smartphones into market on January 31, 2013.
Some of the larger markets comprising this region include South Africa, France and United Arab Emirates. Subscriber accounts in
Europe, Middle East and Africa have remained stable, marginally increasing by 1% since the end of fiscal 2012. In addition to the
United Kingdom, the Company has launched the BlackBerry Z10 in many countries in this region in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013
including South Africa, Nigeria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Switzerland, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Iraq
and Pakistan and will continue to launch BlackBerry 10 devices in additional countries in the first and second quarters of fiscal 2014.
Revenues in Latin America were $2.1 billion or 19.1% of consolidated revenue in fiscal 2013, reflecting a decrease of $532 million
compared to $2.6 billion or 14.4% of consolidated revenue in fiscal 2012. Some of the larger markets comprising this region include
Venezuela and Mexico. Subscriber accounts in Latin America have increased by 17% since fiscal 2012. The Company launched its
first BlackBerry 10 devices in the region in Mexico on March 23, 2013.
Revenues in Asia Pacific were $1.6 billion or 14.0% of consolidated revenue in fiscal 2013, reflecting a decrease of $1.1 billion
compared to $2.7 billion or 14.5% of consolidated revenue in fiscal 2012. Some of the larger markets comprising this region include
Indonesia and India. Subscriber accounts in Asia Pacific have increased by 36% since the end of fiscal 2012. In the fourth quarter of
fiscal 2013, the Company has launched the BlackBerry Z10 in many countries in this region including Indonesia, India, Malaysia and
Singapore and will continue to launch BlackBerry 10 devices in additional countries in the first and second quarters of fiscal 2014.
Gross Margin
Consolidated gross margin from continuing operations decreased by $3.1 billion, to $3.4 billion, or 31.0% of consolidated revenue, in
fiscal 2013, compared to $6.6 billion, or 35.7% of consolidated revenue, in fiscal 2012. Excluding the impact of charges related to the
CORE program incurred in fiscal 2013, of which $96 million was attributable to cost of sales, and the impacts of the PlayBook
Inventory Provision, BlackBerry 7 Inventory Provision, the Q3 Service Interruption and charges related to the Company’s previous
cost optimization program, of which $14 million were attributable to cost of sales, that were incurred in fiscal 2012, gross margin
decreased by $3.9 billion.
The $3.9 billion decrease in consolidated gross margin was primarily attributable to the lower volume of BlackBerry handheld
devices shipped as a result of the Company’s aging product portfolio in a very competitive environment in which multiple
competitors introduced new devices beginning in early fiscal 2013
28
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
and lower average selling prices of BlackBerry 7 devices due to the continuation of pricing initiatives to drive sell-through. The
decrease in gross margin was partially offset by the higher average selling prices of BlackBerry 10 devices shipped, favorable
renegotiations of key contracts associated with elements of the Company’s hardware business and benefits from a leaner and re-
architected supply chain.
Operating Expenses
The table below presents a comparison of research and development, selling, marketing and administration, and amortization expense
from continuing operations for fiscal 2013 compared to fiscal 2012.
Revenue
Operating expenses
Research and development
Selling, marketing and administration
Amortization
Impairment of Goodwill
Total
(1)
(1)
March 2, 2013
% of
Revenue
For the Fiscal Year Ended
(in millions)
March 3, 2012
% of
Revenue
Change Fiscal 2013/2012
% of
Change
$11,073
$18,423
$ (7,350)
(39.9%)
$ 1,509
2,111
714
335
$ 4,669
13.6% $ 1,556
2,600
19.1%
567
6.4%
355
3.0%
42.1% $ 5,078
8.4% $
14.1%
3.1%
1.9%
27.5% $
(47)
(489)
147
(20)
(409)
(3.0%)
(18.8%)
25.9%
(5.6%)
(8.1%)
(1)
Research and development and selling, marketing and administration expenses for fiscal 2013 included charges of
approximately $27 million and $97 million, respectively, related to the Cost Optimization Program.
Operating expenses decreased by $409 million, or 8.1%, to $4.7 billion or 42.1% of consolidated revenue in fiscal 2013, compared to
$5.1 billion or 27.5% of consolidated revenue in fiscal 2012, reflecting the lower consolidated revenue in fiscal 2013. Excluding the
impact of the Q1 Goodwill Impairment Charge and charges incurred as part of the CORE program during fiscal 2013, of which $124
million were attributable to operating expenditures, and the Q1 Goodwill Impairment Charge and charges incurred as part of the
Company’s previous cost optimization program during fiscal 2012, of which $111 million were attributed to operating expenditures,
operating expenses decreased by $402 million. This decrease was primarily attributable to decreased marketing costs, an increase in
foreign exchange gains and cost savings related to vendor contracts and a net reduction in headcount related costs driven by the
CORE program compared to fiscal 2012.
29
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses consist primarily of salaries and benefits for technical personnel, new product development
costs, travel, office and building infrastructure costs and other employee costs.
Research and development expenses decreased by $47 million, or 3.0%, to $1.5 billion in fiscal 2013, compared to $1.6 billion in
fiscal 2012. Excluding the impact of charges incurred as part of the CORE program during fiscal 2013, of which $27 million were
attributable to research and development expenditures, and the charges incurred as part of the Company’s previous cost optimization
program during fiscal 2012, of which $23 million were attributed to research and development expenditures, research and
development expenses decreased by $51 million. This decrease was primarily attributable to a reduction in materials costs due to
fewer new product introductions as well as a net reduction in headcount related costs driven by the CORE program compared to fiscal
2012. Research and development related headcount decreased by approximately 9%, compared to fiscal 2012.
Selling, Marketing and Administration Expenses
Selling, marketing and administration expenses consist primarily of marketing, advertising and promotion, salaries and benefits,
external advisory fees, information technology costs, office and related staffing infrastructure costs and travel expenses.
Selling, marketing and administration expenses decreased by $489 million, or 18.8%, to $2.1 billion in fiscal 2013 compared to $2.6
billion in fiscal 2012. Excluding the impact of charges incurred as part of the CORE program during fiscal 2013, of which $97 million
was attributable to selling, marketing and administration expenditures, and the charges incurred as part of the Company’s previous
cost optimization program during fiscal 2012, of which $88 million was attributable to selling marketing and administration
expenditures, selling, marketing and administration expenses decreased by $498 million. This decrease was primarily attributable to
decreased marketing costs, an increase in foreign exchange gains and cost savings related to vendor contracts and a net reduction in
headcount related costs driven by the CORE program compared to fiscal 2012. Headcount related to selling, marketing and
administration functions decreased by approximately 33%, as compared to fiscal 2012.
30
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Amortization Expense
The table below presents a comparison of amortization expense relating to property, plant and equipment and intangible assets
recorded as amortization or cost of sales from continuing operations for fiscal 2013 compared to fiscal 2012. Intangible assets are
comprised of patents, licenses and acquired technology.
For the Fiscal Year Ended
(in millions)
Included in Amortization
March 3,
March 2,
Included in Cost of sales
March 3,
March 2,
Property, plant and equipment
Intangible assets
Total
2013
2012 Change
2012 Change
$ 402 $ 359 $ 43 $ 319 $ 301 $ 18
223
$ 714 $ 567 $ 147 $1,193 $ 952 $ 241
874
651
208
104
312
2013
Amortization
Amortization expense relating to certain property, plant and equipment and intangible assets increased by $147 million to $714
million for fiscal 2013, compared to $567 million for fiscal 2012, which primarily reflects the impact of certain property, plant and
equipment and intangible asset additions made over the last four quarters.
Cost of sales
Amortization expense relating to certain property, plant and equipment and intangible assets employed in the Company’s
manufacturing operations and BlackBerry service operations increased by $241 million to $1.2 billion for fiscal 2013, compared to
$952 million for fiscal 2012. This increase primarily reflects the impact of renewed or amended licensing agreements and certain
property, plant and equipment asset additions made over the last four quarters.
Impairment of Goodwill
Goodwill represents the excess of an acquisition price over the fair value of identifiable net assets acquired. Goodwill is tested for
impairment annually, through a two step process, in the fourth quarter of each fiscal year, or more frequently if events or changes in
circumstances indicate that goodwill is more likely than not impaired.
The Company performed a goodwill impairment analysis during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 and concluded that impairment
existed. Based on the results of that test, the Company recorded the Q4 Goodwill Impairment Charge of $355 million.
Due to business conditions and a continued significant decline in the Company’s market capitalization, the Company concluded that
goodwill impairment indicators existed and an interim goodwill impairment assessment was required for the first quarter of fiscal
2013. The Company used a two-step impairment test to identify potential goodwill impairment and measured the amount of the
goodwill impairment loss to be recognized. In the first step, the fair value of the Company was determined using the Company’s
average
31
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
market capitalization for the preceding five days from the impairment test date, plus a reasonable control premium, which was
established based on recent market transactions. The results from the first step of the goodwill impairment test demonstrated that the
carrying value of the Company exceeded its estimated fair value as at the balance sheet date and therefore the second step of the
goodwill impairment test was performed.
In the second step of the impairment test, the Company calculated the impairment loss by estimating the implied fair value of
goodwill and comparing it with its carrying value. Using the fair value determined in the first step as the acquisition price, the implied
fair value of goodwill was calculated as the residual amount of the acquisition price after allocations made to the fair value of net
assets, including recognized and unrecognized intangible assets. Based on the results of the second step of the goodwill impairment
test, it was concluded that the carrying value of goodwill was impaired. Consequently, the Company recorded the Q1 Goodwill
Impairment Charge of $335 million, which eliminated the remaining carrying value of its goodwill, and reported this amount as a
separate line item in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
The Company’s share price and control premium are significant factors in assessing the Company’s fair value for purposes of the
goodwill impairment assessment. The Company’s share price can be affected by, among other things, changes in industry or market
conditions, including the effect of competition, changes in the Company’s results of operations, and changes in the Company’s
forecasts or market expectations relating to future results. See “Risk Factors – The market price of the Company’s common shares is
volatile” in the Company’s Annual Information Form.
Investment Income
Investment income decreased by $6 million to $15 million in fiscal 2013, from $21 million in fiscal 2012. The decrease in investment
income is the result of decreases in the company’s average yield on its investments, the recording of the Company’s portion of
investment losses in its equity-based investments, and the accrual of interest expenses for other tax matters, offset by a gain on the
sale of the Company’s claim on Lehman Brothers International (Europe) (“LBIE”) trust assets which had previously been impaired in
fiscal 2011. See “Financial Condition - Liquidity and Capital Resources”.
Income Taxes
For fiscal 2013, the Company’s income tax recovery from continuing operations was $592 million, resulting in an effective income
tax recovery rate of approximately 48.5%, compared to income tax expense of $347 million and an effective income tax rate of
approximately 22.9% for the prior fiscal year. The Company’s effective income tax recovery rate reflects the geographic mix of
earnings in jurisdictions with different income tax rates. The higher effective income tax recovery rate in fiscal 2013 primarily reflects
the favourable impacts of the $152 million effective settlement of uncertain income tax positions in the third quarter of fiscal 2013
that resulted from prior restructuring of the Company’s international operations, carrying operating losses back to prior periods with
higher effective income tax rates and the effect of income tax incentives on earnings offset by the unfavourable impact of the Q1
Goodwill Impairment Charge.
32
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Net Income (Loss)
The Company’s net loss from continuing operations for fiscal 2013 was $628 million, a decrease of $1.8 billion compared to net
income of $1.2 billion in fiscal 2012. The decrease takes into account the impact of an income tax benefit of $166 million related to
the settlement of uncertain tax positions, including related interest and foreign exchange gains, restructuring charges of $220 million
related to the CORE program and the Q1 Goodwill Impairment Charge of $335 million incurred in fiscal 2013, as well as the impacts
of the PlayBook Inventory Provision, the Q4 Goodwill Impairment Charge the Q4 BlackBerry 7 Inventory Provision, the Q3 Service
Interruption and restructuring charges of $125 million related to the Company’s previous cost optimization program incurred in fiscal
2012. The decrease is primarily attributable to a decrease in the Company’s gross margin, partially offset by a reduction in operating
expenses and a recovery of income taxes. The Company’s consolidated gross margin in fiscal 2013 was negatively impacted by the
lower shipment volumes due to the Company’s aging product portfolio in a very competitive environment in which multiple
competitors introduced new devices beginning in early fiscal 2013 as well as the continuation of pricing initiatives to drive sell-
through for BlackBerry 7 handheld devices and the impact of allocating certain fixed costs, including licensing costs, to lower
shipment volumes, compared to fiscal 2012. The decrease in gross margin was partially offset by the higher average selling prices
of BlackBerry 10 devices shipped, favorable renegotiations of key contracts associated with elements of the Company’s hardware
business and benefits from a leaner and re-architected supply chain.
Basic and diluted loss per share from continuing operations were both $1.20 in fiscal 2013, compared to basic and diluted EPS from
continuing operations of $2.23 in fiscal 2012.
The weighted average number of shares outstanding was 524 million common shares for basic and diluted loss per share for the fiscal
year ended March 2, 2013 and the fiscal year ended March 3, 2012.
The Company expects to increase its marketing spending in relation to the global launch of BlackBerry 10 during the first quarter of
fiscal 2014 by approximately 50% compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013. However, the Company expects to approach
breakeven financial results in the first quarter of fiscal 2014 as a result of its lower cost base, more efficient supply chain and
improved hardware margins. This outlook excludes the impact of charges related to the CORE program. Further, sales of BlackBerry
7 devices may be impacted as some customers may alter purchasing decisions toward BlackBerry 10 devices. See “Cautionary Note
Regarding Forward-Looking Statements”.
Common Shares Outstanding
On March 26, 2013, there were 524 million voting common shares, options to purchase 7.2 million voting common shares,
15.1 million restricted share units and 0.3 million deferred share units outstanding.
The Company has not paid any cash dividends during the last three fiscal years.
33
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Fiscal year end March 3, 2012 compared to fiscal year ended February 26, 2011
Revenue
Revenue from continuing operations for fiscal 2012 was $18.4 billion, a decrease of approximately $1.5 billion, or 7.5%, from $19.9
billion in fiscal 2011.
Comparative breakdowns of the significant revenue categories and geographic regions are set forth in the following table:
Millions of BlackBerry handheld devices shipped
Millions of BlackBerry PlayBook tablets shipped
Revenue (in millions)
Hardware
Service
(1)
Software
Other
For the Fiscal Year Ended
March 3, 2012
49.0
1.3
February 26, 2011
52.3
—
Change Fiscal
2012/2011
(3.3)
1.3 —
(6.3%)
$13,794
4,074
318
237
74.9% $15,956 80.2% $(2,162)
877
3,197 16.1%
22.1%
24
294 1.5%
1.7%
(223)
460 2.2%
1.3%
$18,423 100.0% $19,907 100.0% $(1,484)
(13.5%)
27.4%
8.2%
(48.5%)
(7.5%)
(1)
During the third quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company experienced the Q3 Service Interruption, which resulted in the loss of
service revenue and the payment of penalties of approximately $54 million related to the unavailability of the Company’s
network.
Hardware revenue decreased by $2.2 billion, or 13.5%, to $13.8 billion, or 74.9% of consolidated revenue, in fiscal 2012 compared to
$16.0 billion or 80.2% of consolidated revenue in fiscal 2011. This decrease in hardware revenue over the prior fiscal year was
attributable to the mix of BlackBerry handheld devices sold during fiscal 2012, which were made up of devices that have lower
average selling prices compared to those sold in fiscal 2011, as well as a lower volume of handheld shipments. The Company shipped
approximately 49.0 million BlackBerry handheld devices in fiscal 2012 compared to 52.3 million devices in fiscal 2011. The decrease
in the number of BlackBerry handheld devices was due to a number of factors, principally increased competition in the Company’s
industry, particularly in the United States, as well as delays in new product introductions. In the first quarter of fiscal 2012, the
Company observed that its then-existing portfolio of BlackBerry handheld devices had been in market for close to a year and
delivering new products on a timely basis had been more challenging than the Company had anticipated. The Company had been
making progress on a development path for the next generation of BlackBerry handheld devices when it determined it needed to make
more significant upgrades to both hardware and software to address the impact of increasing competition in the smartphone market,
particularly in the United States. Consequently, the Company made the
34
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
decision to develop a new single hardware platform and the BlackBerry 7 operating system for its high-end BlackBerry lineup. These
changes, among other things, affected both the hardware and software timelines and pushed out entry into carrier certification labs. As
noted in the “Risk Factors” section of The Company’s Annual Information Form, there are always risks and uncertainties in new
product development and these changes presented extra challenges to carrier lab entry and the certification process. The mix of
BlackBerry handheld devices in the first and second quarters of fiscal 2012 were heavily weighted towards its BlackBerry 6 handheld
devices, particularly at the low end of the range, which had lower average selling prices and contribution margin than its BlackBerry
7 products. The Company also observed lower than expected shipments of its BlackBerry 6 handheld devices as customers worked
through inventory and awaited the launch of the BlackBerry 7 handheld devices. However, delays in the product introduction
timelines for its BlackBerry 7 handhelds devices also excluded the Company from some of the back-to-school programs it had
expected to be a part of, which resulted in lower than anticipated shipments, revenue and earnings in the second quarter of fiscal
2012. While the BlackBerry Bold 9900 was well received by customers, certain other BlackBerry 7 product sales in fiscal 2012 were
lower than expected due to competitive launches, the Q3 Service Interruption and BlackBerry 7 product launch delays.
Outside of North America, overall performance was strong although competitive shifts are making growth in international markets
increasingly more challenging, and the Company was not satisfied with the performance of the business in the United States, as
described in further detail below.
Contributing to hardware revenue in fiscal 2012 was the launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in the first quarter of the fiscal
year. The number of BlackBerry PlayBook tablets shipped during fiscal 2012 was 1.0 million units. BlackBerry PlayBook tablet
shipments were lower than anticipated during fiscal 2012 due to lower than anticipated sell-through to end users caused by several
factors, including intense competition in the tablet market, especially in the United States, and shifts in the competitive dynamics of
the market, as well as a delay in the release of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software until February 2012. During the second half of
fiscal 2012, the Company increased its promotional activity to encourage sell-through of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.
Service revenue increased by $877 million, or 27.4%, to $4.1 billion or 22.1% of consolidated revenue in fiscal 2012, compared to
$3.2 billion, or 16.1% of consolidated revenue in fiscal 2011, reflecting the Company’s increase in net new BlackBerry subscriber
accounts since the end of fiscal 2011. Partially offsetting this increase was the loss of revenue and penalty charges associated with the
Q3 Service Interruption totaling approximately $54 million. BlackBerry tiered service plans continued to drive growth in the
Company’s subscriber base, specifically in the Company’s international markets, including Indonesia, South Africa and Venezuela.
The international growth was offset by particularly weak results in fiscal 2012 in the United States where the Company experienced a
net decrease in its subscriber base.
Software revenue includes fees from licensed BES software, CALs, technical support, maintenance and upgrades. Software revenue
increased by $24 million, or 8.2%, to $318 million in fiscal 2012 from $294 million in fiscal 2011. The increase was primarily
attributable to an increase in software upgrades and revenue from acquisitions, and this was partially offset by a decrease in BES,
CALs and software licensing revenue.
Other revenue, which includes non-warranty repairs, accessories and gains and losses on revenue hedging instruments, decreased by
$223 million to $237 million in fiscal 2012 compared to $460 million in fiscal 2011. The majority of the decrease was attributable to
decreases in non-warranty repairs and losses realized from revenue hedging. See “Market Risk of Financial Instruments – Foreign
Exchange” for additional information on the Company’s hedging instruments.
35
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Sales outside the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada comprised approximately 60% of the total consolidated revenue
during fiscal 2012. Sales in the United States represented approximately 23% of total consolidated revenue during the year, a decrease
as a percentage of total consolidated revenue compared to the prior year resulting from factors described above, shifts in the
competitive dynamics within the United States, an increase of in-life products that makes up the Company’s product mix, as well as
growth in international markets compared to fiscal 2011. Sales in the United Kingdom represented approximately 10% of total
consolidated revenue and sales in Canada represented the remainder. During fiscal 2012, the Company experienced a significant
decrease in its share of the smartphone market in the United States compared to fiscal 2011. Intense competition, the lack of an LTE
product and a high-end consumer offering in the United States is negatively impacting the Company’s results in that market. The
Company has also encountered challenges due to the impact of BYOD strategies being adopted by some of its enterprise customers,
as some IT departments that previously required employees to use the BlackBerry wireless solution because of its emphasis on
security and reliability are permitting employees to choose devices offered by the Company’s competitors.
Gross Margin
Consolidated gross margin from continuing operations decreased by $2.2 billion, or approximately 25.5%, to $6.6 billion, or 35.7% of
consolidated revenue, in fiscal 2012, compared to $8.8 billion, or 44.3% of consolidated revenue, in fiscal 2011.
During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company recorded the Q4 BlackBerry Inventory Provision consisting of pre-tax charges
of approximately $267 million, or approximately $197 million after-tax, relating primarily to certain BlackBerry 7 products with its
current portfolio of hardware devices. The non-cash charges represent the Company’s estimates of provisions required to sell through
existing inventory in the channel based on estimated inventory levels of certain BlackBerry 7 products, as well as related vendor
liabilities as of March 3, 2012. The Company also experienced a decrease in its forward-looking demand relating to certain
BlackBerry 7 products and as such, recorded a reduction in the carrying value of its inventory, and increased its estimate of the excess
inventory and contractual liabilities with its manufacturing partners for units or materials relating to those products.
Excluding the impact of the charges related to the Q4 BlackBerry 7 Inventory Provision, the Cost Optimization Program, the
PlayBook Inventory Provision and the charges related to the Q3 Service Interruption, consolidated gross margin decreased by $1.4
billion compared to fiscal 2011. The decline in consolidated gross margin percentage was primarily attributable to the decreased
number of BlackBerry handheld device shipments in fiscal 2012 compared to fiscal 2011, as well as the mix of BlackBerry handheld
devices sold during fiscal 2012, which were weighted towards in-life products with lower average selling prices and gross margins.
The impact of the BlackBerry PlayBook sell-through programs conducted during the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2012 further
contributed to the year-over-year decline in the consolidated gross margin. The overall decline was partially offset by an increase in
service revenue as a result of additional subscriber accounts, which comprised 22.1% of the total revenue mix for fiscal 2012
compared to 16.1% in fiscal 2011. Gross margin percentage for BlackBerry handheld devices and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets are
generally lower than the Company’s consolidated gross margin percentage.
36
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Operating Expenses
The table below presents a comparison of research and development, selling, marketing and administration, amortization and
litigation expenses for fiscal 2012 compared to fiscal 2011.
Revenue
Operating expenses
Research and development
Selling, marketing and administration
Amortization
Impairment of Goodwill
Total
(1)
(1)
For the Fiscal Year Ended
(in millions)
March 3, 2012
February 26, 2011
Change Fiscal 2012/2011
% of
Revenue
% of
Revenue
% of
Change
$18,423
$19,907
$ (1,484)
(7%)
$ 1,556
2,600
567
355
$ 5,078
14.1%
3.1%
1.9%
8.4% $ 1,351
2,400
438
-
27.5% $ 4,189
6.8% $
12.1%
2.2%
-
21.1% $
205
200
129
355
889
15.2%
8.3%
29.5%
100.0%
21.2%
(1)
Research and development and selling, marketing and administration expenses for fiscal 2012 included charges of
approximately $23 million and $88 million, respectively, related to the Cost Optimization Program.
Total operating expenses for fiscal 2012 as a percentage of revenue increased by 6.4% to 27.5% of revenue compared to fiscal 2011.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenditures consist primarily of salaries and benefits for technical personnel, new product development
costs, travel, office and building infrastructure costs and other employee costs.
Research and development expenditures increased by $205 million to $1.6 billion, or 8.4% of revenue, in fiscal 2012, compared to
$1.4 billion, or 6.8% of revenue, in fiscal 2011. Excluding the impact of the charges related to the Cost Optimization Program, of
which $23 million was attributable to research and development expenditures related primarily to employee termination benefits,
research and development expenses increased by $185 million compared to fiscal 2011. The majority of the increase during fiscal
2012 compared to fiscal 2011 was attributable to higher materials usage, as well as an increase in salaries and benefits due to an
increase in personnel associated with research and development activities.
37
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Selling, Marketing and Administration Expenses
Selling, marketing and administration expenses consist primarily of salaries and benefits, marketing, advertising and promotion,
external advisory fees, information technology costs, office and related staffing infrastructure costs and travel expenses.
Selling, marketing and administration expenses increased by $200 million to $2.6 billion for fiscal 2012 compared to $2.4 billion for
fiscal 2011. As a percentage of revenue, selling, marketing and administration expenses increased to 14.1% in fiscal 2012 versus
12.1% in fiscal 2011. The increase in selling, marketing and administration expenses also reflects the impact of approximately $88
million relating to the Cost Optimization Program, which consisted of $53 million related to the identification and elimination of
redundant facilities and $35 million related to employee termination benefits. Excluding the impact of the Cost Optimization
Program, the $116 million increase in selling, marketing and administration expenses was attributable to an increase in foreign
exchange losses, bad debt expenses, and consulting fees.
Amortization Expense
The table below presents a comparison of amortization expense relating to property, plant and equipment and intangible assets
recorded as amortization or cost of sales for fiscal 2012 compared to fiscal 2011. Intangible assets are comprised of intellectual
property and acquired technology.
For the Fiscal Year Ended
(in millions)
Property, plant and equipment
Intangible assets
Total
March 3,
Included in Amortization
February 26,
2012
March 3,
Included in Cost of sales
February 26,
2012
2012
$ 359 $
208
$ 567 $
Change
2012
272 $ 87 $ 301 $
166
438 $ 129 $ 952 $
651
42
Change
225 $ 76
264
387
489 $ 463
Amortization
Amortization expense relating to certain property, plant and equipment and intangible assets increased by $129 million to $567
million for fiscal 2012 compared to $438 million for fiscal 2011, which primarily reflects the impact of certain property, plant and
equipment and intangible asset additions made during fiscal 2012.
Cost of sales
Amortization expense relating to certain property, plant and equipment and intangible assets employed in the Company’s
manufacturing operations and BlackBerry service operations increased by $463 million to $952 million for fiscal 2012 compared to
$489 million for fiscal 2011. This primarily reflects the impact of certain intangible asset additions made during the latter part of
fiscal 2011.
38
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Impairment of Goodwill
As stated under “Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates – Goodwill”, goodwill represents the excess of the acquisition price over
the fair value of identifiable net assets acquired. Goodwill is tested annually, through a two step process, for impairment in the fourth
quarter of each fiscal year, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that goodwill is more likely than not
impaired. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company used the two-step impairment test to identify potential goodwill
impairment and measure the amount of the goodwill impairment loss to be recognized. In the first step, the fair value of the Company
was determined using the Company’s average market capitalization for the preceding five days from the impairment test date, plus a
reasonable control premium, which was established based on recent market transactions. The results from the first step of the
goodwill impairment test demonstrated that the carrying value of the Company exceeded its estimated fair value as at the balance
sheet date and therefore the second step of the goodwill impairment test was performed.
In the second step of the impairment test, the Company calculated the impairment loss by estimating the implied fair value of
goodwill and comparing it with its carrying value. Using the fair value determined in the first step as the acquisition price, the implied
fair value of goodwill was calculated as the residual amount of the acquisition price after allocations made to the fair value of net
assets, including recognized and unrecognized intangible assets. Based on the results of the second step of the goodwill impairment
test, it was concluded that the carrying value of goodwill was impaired. Consequently, the Company recorded a goodwill impairment
of $355 million, $346 million after tax, and reported this amount as a separate line item in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
As described above, the Company’s share price and control premium are significant factors in assessing the Company’s fair value for
purposes of the goodwill impairment assessment. The Company’s share price can be affected by, among other things, changes in
industry or market conditions, including the effect of competition, changes in our results of operations, and changes in the Company’s
forecasts or market expectations relating to future results. See “Risk Factors – The market price of the Company’s common shares is
volatile” in the Company’s Annual Information Form.
Investment Income
Investment income increased by $13 million to $21 million in fiscal 2012 from $8 million in fiscal 2011. Investment income in fiscal
2011 includes $17 million in impairment losses on the Company’s auction rate securities and Lehman Brothers trust assets, without
which investment income would have been $25 million. Excluding the impairment losses, the decrease primarily reflects the decrease
in the Company’s average cash, cash equivalents and investment balances compared to fiscal 2011, as well as a decrease in the
average yield due compared to fiscal 2011. See “Financial Condition - Liquidity and Capital Resources”.
Income Taxes
For fiscal 2012, the Company’s income tax expense was $347 million, resulting in an effective tax rate of 22.9% compared to income
tax expense of $1.2 billion and an effective tax rate of 26.6% for fiscal 2011. The Company’s lower effective tax rate in fiscal 2012
reflects the geographic mix of earnings in jurisdictions with different tax rates, the favourable resolution of uncertain tax positions,
and the higher proportional effect of tax incentives on earnings offset by the unfavourable impact of an impairment charge relating to
non-deductible goodwill.
39
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Net Income
Net income decreased by $2.2 billion to $1.2 billion in fiscal 2012 compared to net income of $3.4 billion in the prior fiscal year.
Excluding the impact of charges related to the Q4 Goodwill Impairment Charge, the Q4 BlackBerry7 Inventory Provision, the Cost
Optimization Program, the PlayBook Inventory Provision and the charges related to the Q3 Service Interruption, net income
decreased by $1.2 billion compared to fiscal 2011. The $1.2 billion decrease in net income primarily reflects a decrease in the
Company’s gross margin, which was negatively impacted by the decreased number of BlackBerry handheld device shipments in
fiscal 2012 compared to fiscal 2011, as well as a change in the mix of BlackBerry handheld devices sold, which were weighted
towards products with lower average selling prices and gross margins. In addition, an increase in operating expenses in the amount of
$534 million also contributed to the decrease in net income compared to fiscal 2011. The impact of the BlackBerry PlayBook sell-
through programs conducted during the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2012 further contributed to the year-over-year decline in the
consolidated gross margin. This decrease was partially offset by an increase in service revenue as a result of additional subscriber
accounts, as well as a decrease of $886 million in the provision for income taxes.
Basic and diluted EPS from continuing operations was $2.23 in fiscal 2012, a decrease of approximately 65% compared to $6.36
basic EPS and $6.34 diluted EPS from continuing operations in fiscal 2011.
The weighted average number of common shares outstanding was 524 million common shares for both basic and diluted EPS for the
fiscal year ended March 3, 2012 compared to 536 million common shares for basic EPS and 538 million common shares for diluted
EPS for the fiscal year ended February 26, 2011.
Common Shares Outstanding
On April 4, 2012, there were 524 million voting common shares, options to purchase 4 million voting common shares, 8 million
restricted share units and 0.1 million deferred share units outstanding.
The Company has not paid any cash dividends during the last three fiscal years.
40
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Summary Results of Operations
Three months ended March 2, 2013 compared to the three months ended March 3, 2012
The following table sets forth certain unaudited consolidated statement of operations data, which is expressed in millions of dollars,
except for share and per share amounts and as a percentage of revenue, for the three months ended March 2, 2013 and March 3, 2012:
Revenue
Cost of sales
Gross margin
Operating expenses
Research and development
Selling, marketing and administration
Amortization
Impairment of Goodwill
Operating loss
Investment income (loss)
Loss from continuing operations before income taxes
Recovery of income taxes
Income (loss) from continuing operations
Income (loss) from discontinued operations
Net income (loss)
Basic earnings (loss) per share
Basic earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations
Basic earnings (loss) per share from discontinued operations
Total basic earnings (loss) per share
Diluted earnings (loss) per share
Diluted earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations
Diluted earnings (loss) per share from discontinued operations
Total diluted earnings (loss) per share
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding (000’s)
Basic
Diluted
For the Three Months Ended
March 2, 2013
March 3, 2012
Change Fiscal
2013/2012
$ 2,678
1,603
1,075
(in million, except for share and per share amounts)
100.0%
$ 4,181
66.5%
2,781
33.5%
1,400
100.0%
59.9%
40.1%
$
(1,503)
(1,178)
(325)
9.2%
15.5%
3.5%
8.5%
36.7%
(3.2%)
0.1%
(3.1%)
(0.3%)
(2.8%)
(0.2%)
(3.0%)
$
(3)
(123)
33
(355)
(448)
123
(11)
112
(100)
212
11
223
383
523
181
—
1,087
(12)
(6)
(18)
(112)
94
4
98
0.18
0.01
0.19
0.18
0.01
0.19
$
$
$
$
$
524,160
527,222
41
14.3%
19.5%
6.8%
0.0%
40.6%
(0.4%)
(0.2%)
(0.6%)
(4.2%)
3.6%
0.1%
3.7%
386
646
148
355
1,535
(135)
5
(130)
(12)
(118)
(7)
(125)
(0.23)
(0.01)
(0.24)
(0.23)
(0.01)
(0.24)
$
$
$
$
$
524,139
524,139
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Revenue
Revenue from continuing operations for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 was $2.7 billion, a decrease of approximately $1.5 billion, or
36.0%, from $4.2 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012.
Comparative breakdowns of the significant revenue categories are set forth in the following table:
Millions of BlackBerry handheld devices sold
Millions of BlackBerry PlayBook tablets sold
Revenue (in millions)
Hardware
Service
Software
Other
For the Three Months Ended
March 2, 2013
6.0
0.4
March 3, 2012
11.1
0.5
Change Q4 Fiscal
2013/2012
(5.1)
(0.1)
(45.9%)
(20.0%)
$1,640
947
63
28
61.2% $2,866 68.5% $(1,226)
(186)
1,133 27.1%
35.4%
(17)
80 1.9%
2.4%
(74)
102 2.5%
1.0%
$2,678 100.0% $4,181 100.0% $(1,503)
(42.8%)
(16.4%)
(21.3%)
(72.5%)
(35.9%)
Hardware revenue was $1.6 billion, or 61.2% of consolidated revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, compared to $2.9 billion,
or 68.5% of consolidated revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, representing a decrease of 42.8%. This decrease in hardware
revenue over the comparable prior fiscal year period was a result of decreased BlackBerry handheld device shipments due to the
Company’s aging product portfolio in a very competitive environment in which multiple competitors introduced new devices
beginning in early fiscal 2013, partially offset by the higher average selling prices of BlackBerry 10 devices. In the fourth quarter of
fiscal 2013, 6.0 million BlackBerry handheld devices were shipped, which decreased from 11.1 million in the same period in the prior
fiscal year due to a number of factors, primarily reflecting the ongoing market challenges, the intense competition the Company is
facing across many of its markets, particularly in the United States, as well as the platform and product transition the Company has
been undertaking. The Company introduced the first BlackBerry 10 smartphones into market in certain countries on January 31, 2013
in major centres such as Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia, among others.
The number of BlackBerry PlayBook tablets shipped during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 was approximately 0.4 million,
representing decrease of 0.1 million units compared to the same period in the prior fiscal year. Overall, BlackBerry PlayBook tablet
shipments have experienced lower than anticipated sell-through to end users due mainly to intense competition in the tablet market,
especially in the United States. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, the Company continued its ongoing promotional activities to
encourage sell-through of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. The Company sold out of the 16G BlackBerry PlayBook tablets in the
second quarter of fiscal 2013 and is continuing to sell its 32G and 64G units as well as the 3G plus BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and
4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, which launched in the second quarter of fiscal 2013.
42
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Service revenue decreased by $186 million, or 16.4%, to $947 million, or 35.4% of consolidated revenue, in the fourth quarter of
fiscal 2013, compared to $1.1 billion, or 27.1% of consolidated revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012. The decrease in service
revenue reflects the Company’s net decrease in BlackBerry subscriber accounts since the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, as well as a
decrease in ARPU. The decrease in ARPU resulted from recent pricing reduction programs implemented by the Company to maintain
the subscriber base as well as a shift in the mix of the Company’s subscriber base from higher tiered unlimited plans to prepaid and
lower tiered plans. The total BlackBerry subscriber base was approximately 76 million as at the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal
2013, reflecting a decrease of approximately 3 million subscriber accounts since the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2013. The
decrease in the subscriber accounts reflects decreases in the North America and EMEA regions, offset by increases in APAC and
LATAM in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014. Please refer to the “Overview – Sources of Revenue” section for further discussion of
service revenue and the Company’s subscriber base.
Software revenue, which includes fees from licensed BES software, CALs, technical support, maintenance and upgrades decreased by
$17 million, or 21.3%, to $63 million, or 2.4% of consolidated revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, compared to $80 million,
or 1.9% of consolidated revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012. This decrease was primarily attributable to a decrease in CALs
and maintenance revenue.
Other revenue, which includes non-warranty repairs, accessories, licensing revenues and gains and losses on revenue hedging
instruments, decreased by $74 million to $28 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 compared to $102 million in the fourth
quarter of fiscal 2012. The decrease was primarily attributable to losses on revenue hedging instruments as well as decreases in non-
warranty repair revenues and accessories. See “Market Risk of Financial Instruments – Foreign Exchange” for additional information
on the Company’s hedging instruments.
Gross Margin
Consolidated gross margin from continuing operations decreased by $325 million, or 23.2%, to $1.1 billion, or 40.1% of consolidated
revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, compared to $1.4 billion, or 33.4% of consolidated revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal
2012. Excluding the impact of charges related to the CORE program incurred in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, of which a recovery
of $4 million was attributable to cost of sales, as well as the impact of the PlayBook Inventory Provision and the BB7 Inventory
Provision incurred in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, gross margin decreased by $1.1 billion. Gross margin percentage in the fourth
quarter of fiscal 2013 reflects the higher average selling prices and gross margins of BlackBerry 10 devices shipped as well as cost
reductions generated by the CORE program.
The $1.1 billion decrease in consolidated gross margin was primarily attributable to the lower volume of BlackBerry handheld
devices shipped as a result of the Company’s aging product portfolio in a very competitive environment in which multiple
competitors introduced new devices beginning early in fiscal 2013 and the impact of allocating certain fixed costs, including licensing
costs, to lower shipment volumes. The decrease was partially offset by the higher average selling prices and gross margins of
BlackBerry 10 devices sold in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013.
Operating Expenses
The table below presents a comparison of research and development, selling, marketing and administration, and amortization
expenses for the quarter ended March 2, 2013, compared to the quarter ended December 1,
43
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
2012 and the quarter ended March 3, 2012. The Company believes that it is meaningful to also provide a comparison between the
fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 and the third quarter of fiscal 2013 given that the Company’s quarterly operating results vary
substantially.
Revenue
Operating expenses
Research and development
Selling, marketing and administration
Amortization
Impairment of Goodwill
Total
For the Three Months Ended
(in millions)
March 2, 2013
December 1, 2012
March 3, 2012
% of
Revenue
% of
Revenue
% of
Revenue
$2,678
$2,727
$4,181
$ 383
523
181
— —
$1,087
14.3% $ 393
487
19.5%
180
6.8%
—
40.6% $1,060
14.4% $ 386
646
17.9%
148
6.6%
—
355
38.9% $1,535
9.2%
15.5%
3.5%
8.5%
36.7%
Operating expenses increased by $27 million, or 2.5%, to $1.09 billion, or 40.6% of revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013,
compared to $1.06 billion, or 38.9% of revenue, in the third quarter of fiscal 2013, primarily attributable to an increase in advertising
and promotion spend related to the launch of BlackBerry 10 devices, partially offset by a reduction in headcount related to the CORE
program.
Operating expenses decreased by $448 million, or 29.2%, compared to $1.5 billion or 36.7% of revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal
2012, reflecting the lower consolidated revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013. Excluding the impact of charges incurred as part
of the CORE program during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, of which $33 million were attributable to operating expenditures and
the Q4 Goodwill Impairment Charge incurred in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, operating expenses decreased by $126 million. This
decrease was due to cost savings related to vendor contracts and a net reduction in headcount related costs driven by the CORE
program compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012.
Research and Development Expense
Research and development expenses decreased by $10 million to $383 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 compared to $393
million in the third quarter of fiscal 2013. Excluding the impact of charges related to the CORE program incurred during the fourth
quarter of fiscal 2013 of $3 million and the charges related to the CORE program incurred during the third quarter of fiscal 2013 of $4
million, that were attributable to research and development expenditures, research and development expenses decreased by $9
million, which was primarily attributable to a decrease in research and development device costs related to the launch of BlackBerry
10 and a reduction in headcount. Research and development related headcount decreased by approximately 3%, compared to the third
quarter of fiscal 2013.
Research and development expenses decreased by $3 million or 1% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 compared to $386 million in
the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012. Excluding the impact of charges incurred as part of the CORE program during the fourth quarter of
fiscal 2013, of which $3 million were attributable to
44
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
research and development expenditures, research and development expenses decreased by $6 million. This decrease was primarily
attributable to a reduction in materials costs due to fewer new product introductions as well as a net reduction in headcount related
costs driven by the CORE program compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012. Research and development related headcount
decreased by approximately 9%, compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012.
Selling, Marketing and Administration Expenses
Selling, marketing and administration expenses increased by $36 million to $523 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 compared
to $487 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2013. Excluding the impact of charges related to the CORE program incurred during the
fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, of which $30 million was attributable to selling, marketing and administration expenditures, and the
charges incurred as part of the CORE program during the third quarter of fiscal 2013, of which $19 million was attributable to selling,
marketing and administration, selling marketing and administration expenses increased by $25 million. The $25 million increase was
primarily attributable to increased advertising and promotion spend related to the launch of BlackBerry 10 devices, partially offset by
reductions in bonus levels and headcount compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2013. Selling, marketing and administration related
headcount decreased by approximately 11%, compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2013.
Selling, marketing and administration expenses decreased by $123 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 compared to $646
million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012. Excluding the impact of charges incurred as part of the CORE program during the fourth
quarter of fiscal 2013, of which $30 million was attributable to selling, marketing and administration expenditures and the Q4
Goodwill Impairment Charge incurred in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, selling, marketing and administration expenses decreased
by $153 million. This decrease was primarily attributable to cost savings related to vendor contracts and a net reduction in headcount
related costs driven by the CORE program compared to the fourth quarter fiscal 2012. Headcount related to selling, marketing and
administration functions decreased by approximately 33%, as compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012.
45
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Amortization Expense
The table below presents a comparison of amortization expense relating to property, plant and equipment and intangible assets
recorded as amortization or cost of sales for the quarter ended March 2, 2013 compared to the quarter ended March 3, 2012.
Intangible assets are comprised of intellectual property and acquired technology.
For the Three Months Ended
(in millions)
Included in Amortization
March 3,
March 2,
Included in Cost of sales
March 3,
March 2,
Property, plant and equipment
Intangible assets
Total
2012 Change
2013
$ 103 $
2012 Change
77 $ —
(24)
$ 181 $ 148 $ 33 $ 213 $ 237 $ (24)
94 $
54
9 $
24
136
160
77 $
2013
78
Amortization
Amortization expense relating to certain property, plant and equipment and certain intangible assets increased by $33 million to $181
million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 compared to $148 million for the comparable period in fiscal 2012, which primarily
reflects the impact of certain property, plant and equipment and intangible asset additions made during fiscal 2013.
Cost of sales
Amortization expense relating to certain property, plant and equipment and certain intangible assets employed in the Company’s
manufacturing operations and BlackBerry service operations decreased by $24 million to $213 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal
2013 compared to $237 million for the comparable period in fiscal 2012. The increase primarily reflects the impact of certain
property, plant and equipment and intangible asset additions made during fiscal 2013.
Investment Income
Investment income decreased by $11 million to a loss of $6 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 from a gain of $5 million in
the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012. The decrease in investment income is a result of decreases in the Company’s average yield on its
investments, the recording of the Company’s portion of investment losses in its equity-based investments, and the accrual of interest
expenses for other tax matters. See “Financial Condition - Liquidity and Capital Resources”.
Income Taxes
For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, the Company’s income tax recovery from continuing operations was $112 million, resulting in
an effective income tax recovery rate of 638.9% compared to income tax recovery of $12 million and an effective income tax
recovery rate of 9.2% for the same period last year. The
46
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Company’s effective income tax recovery rate reflects the geographic mix of earnings in jurisdictions with different income tax rates.
The higher effective income tax recovery rate in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 primarily reflects the favourable impacts of carrying
operating losses back to prior periods with higher effective income tax rates, the effect of income tax incentives on earnings including
the extension of the US Federal R&D credit that was enacted in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 and the goodwill impairment charge
incurred in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012.
Net Income
The Company’s net income from continuing operations for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 was $94 million, an increase of $212
million compared to a net loss from continuing operations of $118 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012. The increase, which
takes into account the impact of restructuring charges of $29 million related to the CORE program incurred in the fourth quarter of
fiscal 2013, as well as the impacts of the Q4 Goodwill Impairment Charge, the PlayBook Inventory Provision and the BB7 Inventory
Provision incurred in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, is primarily attributable to a decrease in the Company’s gross margin, partially
offset by a reduction in operating expenses and a recovery of income taxes. The Company’s consolidated gross margin in the fourth
quarter of fiscal 2013 was negatively impacted by the lower shipment volumes as a result of the Company’s aging product portfolio in
a very competitive environment in which multiple competitors introduced new devices beginning in early fiscal 2013 as well as the
impact of allocating certain fixed costs, including licensing costs, to lower shipment volumes, compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal
2012. The decrease in gross margin was partially offset by the higher average selling prices of BlackBerry 10 devices shipped,
favorable renegotiations of key contracts associated with elements of the Company’s hardware business and benefits from a leaner
and re-architected supply chain.
Basic and diluted EPS from continuing operations were both $0.18 in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, compared to basic and diluted
loss per share from continuing operations of $0.23 in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012.
The weighted average number of shares outstanding was 524 million common shares for basic EPS and 527 million for diluted EPS
for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, compared to 524 for both basic and diluted loss per share for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012.
47
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Selected Quarterly Financial Data
The following table sets forth the Company’s unaudited quarterly consolidated results of operations data for each of the eight most
recent quarters, including the quarter ended March 2, 2013. The information in the table below has been derived from the Company’s
unaudited interim consolidated financial statements that, in management’s opinion, have been prepared on a basis consistent with the
audited consolidated financial statements of the Company and include all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of information
when read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company. the Company’s quarterly operating
results have varied substantially in the past and may vary substantially in the future. Accordingly, the information below is not
necessarily indicative of results for any future quarter.
Fourth
Quarter
Fiscal Year 2013
Third
Quarter
Second
Quarter
First
Quarter
Fourth
Quarter
Fiscal Year 2012
Third
Quarter
Second
Quarter
First
Quarter
Revenue
Gross margin
Operating expenses
Investment income (loss), net
Income (loss) from continuing operations, before
income taxes
Provision for (recovery of) income taxes
Income (loss) from continuing operations
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax
Net income (loss)
Earnings (loss) per share
Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share from
continuing operations
Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share from
discontinued operations
Total basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share
Research and development
Selling, marketing and administration
Amortization
Impairment of Goodwill
Operating expenses
(in millions, except per share data)
$2,678 $2,727 $2,861 $2,808 $4,181 $5,166 $4,168 $4,908
$1,075 $ 830 $ 744 $ 786 $1,400 $1,407 $1,612 $2,156
1,079 1,205 1,259
1,087
7
(6)
1,102
18 —
1,421
3
1,535
5
1,060
2
7
(18)
(112)
$
94 $
4
98 $
$
(212)
(226)
(358)
(129)
904
(130)
209
(12)
14 $ (229) $ (510) $ (118) $ 265 $ 329 $ 695
330 414
85
(632)
(122)
65
(5)
— — —
(7)
9 $ (235) $ (518) $ (125) $ 265 $ 329 $ 695
(8)
(6)
$ 0.18 $ 0.03 $ (0.44) $ (0.97) $ (0.23) $ 0.51 $ 0.63 $ 1.33
$ 0.01 $ (0.01) $ (0.01) $ (0.02) $ (0.01) $ — $ — $ —
$ 0.19 $ 0.02 $ (0.45) $ (0.99) $ (0.24) $ 0.51 $ 0.63 $ 1.33
$ 383 $ 393 $ 366 $ 367 $ 386 $ 366 $ 381 $ 423
704
556
$ 523
567 683
$ 181
132
180
146 141
— — —
$ — — —
$1,087 $1,060 $1,102 $1,421 $1,535 $1,079 $1,205 $1,259
547
172
335
646
148
355
487
180
48
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Financial Condition
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Cash, cash equivalents, and investments increased by $764 million to $2.9 billion as at March 2, 2013 from $2.1 billion as at March 3,
2012. The majority of the Company’s cash, cash equivalents, and investments are denominated in U.S. dollars as at March 2, 2013.
A comparative summary of cash, cash equivalents, and investments is set out below:
Cash and cash equivalents
Short-term investments
Long-term investments
Cash, cash equivalents, and investments
March 2, 2013
1,549
$
1,105
221
2,875
$
As at
(in millions)
March 3, 2012
1,527
$
247
337
2,111
$
Change
$ 22
858
(116)
$ 764
The change in cash and cash equivalents is primarily due to net cash flows provided by operating activities, partially offset by net
cash flows used in investing activities, as set out below:
Net cash flows provided by (used in):
Operating activities
Investing activities
Financing activities
Effect of foreign exchange gain (loss) on cash and cash
equivalents
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
For the Fiscal Year Ended
(in millions)
March 2, 2013
March 3, 2012
$
$
2,303
(2,240)
(36)
(5)
22
$
$
2,912
(3,024)
(149)
(3)
(264)
Cash flows for the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013
Operating Activities
Net cash flows provided by operating activities were $2.3 billion for fiscal 2013 compared to net cash flows provided by operating
activities of $2.9 billion in fiscal 2012. The decrease was mainly attributable to lower net income compared to the same period in the
prior fiscal year, which was partially offset by changes net in working capital.
49
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The table below summarizes the current assets, current liabilities, and working capital of the Company:
Current assets
Current liabilities
Working capital
March 2, 2013
7,101
$
3,448
3,653
$
As at
(in millions)
March 3, 2012
7,071
$
3,389
3,682
$
Change
30
59
(29)
The increase in current assets of $30 million at the end of fiscal 2013 from the end of fiscal 2012 was primarily due to an increase in
short-term investments of $858 million and income taxes receivable of $462 million. This is partially offset by decreases in accounts
receivable, inventories, and other receivables of $709 million, $424 million and $224 million, respectively.
At March 2, 2013, accounts receivable was $2.4 billion, a decrease of $709 million from March 3, 2012. The decrease was primarily
due to a decrease in revenue during fiscal 2013, which was partially offset by an increase in days sales outstanding to 79.9 days in the
fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 from 68.1 days at the end of fiscal 2012.
Inventories decreased by $424 million at the end of fiscal 2013 compared to the same period in the prior fiscal year, reflecting a
decrease in the amount of BlackBerry smartphone and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets held in inventory as a result of improved supply
chain efficiency compared to fiscal 2012.
The decrease in other receivables of $224 million is due to a decrease in receivables from the Company’s contract manufacturers.
As of March 2, 2013, the Company has accounts receivables outstanding related to service access fees provided to wireless service
providers in Venezuela. The Company does not sell smartphones or tablets directly into the Venezuelan market, does not have foreign
operations in Venezuela and only invoices its services denominated in United States dollars (“USD”). On February 8, 2013, the
Venezuela government announced that, effective February 13, 2013, its currency, the Venezuelan Bolivar, would be devalued by 32%
of the USD equivalent. As of March 2, 2013, the Company has been successful in collecting its service revenues from wireless
service providers in Venezuela and will continue to closely monitor its efforts in future periods. As a result of the currency
devaluation and given the uncertainty around future changes to the Venezuela leadership, the Company could face additional
challenges in obtaining payment on its receivables if the Venezuela carriers cannot secure governmental approvals to buy and remit
USD for services provided.
The Company also sells products and provides services in additional foreign jurisdictions including Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and
Latin America, which expose the Company to political, legal and economic uncertainties and may limit the Company’s ability to
collect on its sales generating activities, which may have a negative impact on the Company’s cash balance. These uncertainties
include, but are not limited to, the following:
•
•
Challenges with enforcing contracts in local courts;
Currency devaluations in hyper-inflationary markets resulting in a loss of revenues due to their inability to procure the
Company’s our products and services in the future; and
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Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
•
Stringent and evolving currency exchange restrictions and controls which could result in extended delays in the collection
of accounts receivables.
The decrease in current liabilities of $59 million at the end of fiscal 2013 from the end of fiscal 2012 was primarily due to a decrease
in accrued liabilities, which was partially offset by increases in accounts payable and deferred revenue. As at March 2, 2013, accrued
liabilities were $1.8 billion, which reflects a decrease of $540 million compared to March 3, 2012 due to in decreases in rebate,
vendor inventory and warranty accruals related to lower unit shipment volumes. The increase in accounts payable of $320 million was
primarily attributable to the timing of purchases during fiscal 2013 compared to fiscal 2012, with a significant portion of the increase
due to the purchase of BlackBerry Z10 components in support of the global launch of the new smartphones. Deferred revenue
increased by $279 million as a result of certain customers moving to the sell-through method of revenue recognition in fiscal 2013.
Investing Activities
During the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013, cash flows used in investing activities were $2.2 billion and included intangible asset
additions of $1.0 billion, cash flows used in transactions involving the proceeds on sale or maturity of short-term and long-term
investments, net of the costs of acquisitions in the amount of $762 million, acquisitions of property, plant and equipment of $413
million and business acquisitions of $60 million. For the same period of the prior fiscal year, cash flows used in investing activities
were $3.0 billion and included intangible asset additions of $2.2 billion, property, plant and equipment additions of $902 million and
business acquisitions of $226 million, offset by cash flows provided by transactions involving the proceeds on sale or maturity of
short-term investments and long-term investments, net of the costs of acquisitions, in the amount of $321 million.
During the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013, the additions to intangible assets primarily consisted of payments relating to amended or
renewed licensing agreements, as well as agreements with third parties for the use of intellectual property, software, messaging
services and other BlackBerry-related features as well as intangible assets associated with business acquisitions. The decrease in
property, plant and equipment spending for fiscal 2013 was primarily due to the cost saving initiatives of the CORE program,
reflecting the Company’s targeted investment approach in research and development and manufacturing, as well as its continued
investment in network infrastructure, which remains a strategic priority for the Company. In the first quarter of fiscal 2014, the
Company expects capital expenditures to be approximately $100 million.
Financing Activities
Cash flows used in financing activities were $36 million for fiscal 2013 and were in connection with the Company’s stock
compensation program. Cash flows used in financing activities were $149 million for fiscal 2012 and were primarily attributable to
the purchases of common shares on the open market by a trustee selected by the Company in connection with its Restricted Share
Unit Plan, which are classified on the balance sheet for accounting purposes as treasury stock, in the amount of $156 million.
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Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Aggregate Contractual Obligations
The following table sets out aggregate information about the Company’s contractual obligations and the periods in which payments
are due as at March 2, 2013:
Operating lease obligations
Purchase obligations and commitments
Total
Total
$ 253
6,044
$6,297
Less than One
Year
$
$
67
5,744
5,811
(in millions)
One to
Three Years
80
$
300
380
$
Four to Five
Years
60
$
—
60
$
Greater than
Five Years
46
$
—
46
$
Purchase obligations and commitments amounted to approximately $6.3 billion as at March 2, 2013, with purchase orders with
contract manufacturers representing approximately $4.9 billion of the total. The Company also has commitments on account of
capital expenditures of approximately $4 million included in this total, primarily for manufacturing and information technology,
including service operations. The remaining balance consists of purchase orders or contracts with suppliers of raw materials, as well
as other goods and services utilized in the operations of the Company including payments on account of licensing agreements. The
expected timing of payments and actual amounts to be paid for these purchase obligations and commitments is estimated based upon
current information and the Company’s existing contractual arrangements with suppliers. The timing of payments and actual amounts
paid may differ from estimates depending upon the timing of receipt of goods and services, changes to agreed-upon amounts for
certain obligations, and payment terms or changes to the contractual relationships between the Company and its suppliers. The
Company’s purchase obligations and commitments generally increase or decrease along with the demand for the Company’s
products, or as new service offerings are either launched or exited.
The Company has not paid any cash dividends in the last three fiscal years.
On September 25, 2012, the Company replaced its existing $500 million senior unsecured revolving credit facility with a syndicate of
commercial banks with a $500 million senior secured revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) for working capital and general
corporate purposes with the same syndicate of commercial banks. The Facility, which is subject to certain financial covenants and
expires on September 6, 2013, is secured by accounts receivable and inventory of the Company and certain of its subsidiaries. The
Company has provided collateral of approximately $6 million for its outstanding letters of credit as of March 2, 2013. The collateral
is held with one of the Company’s banks and is recorded within short-term investments.
Cash, cash equivalents, and investments were $2.9 billion as at March 2, 2013. Management is focused on maintaining appropriate
cash balances, efficiently managing working capital balances and the significant reduction in capital investments through the CORE
program and continues to evaluate the liquidity needs for the business as it evolves. In addition, the Company expects to pursue more
opportunities to attain further cost savings in the coming fiscal quarters as it pursues new ways to drive greater efficiencies. The
Company expects to maintain a strong cash position in the first quarter of fiscal 2014. Based on its current financial projections, the
Company believes its financial resources, together with expected future operating cash generating activities and available borrowings
under the Facility, or access to other potential financing arrangements, should be sufficient to meet funding requirements for current
financial commitments, for future operating expenditures not yet committed and also provide the necessary financial capacity for the
foreseeable future. As noted above, the Company’s expectations with respect to its cash position and future
52
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Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
liquidity are forward-looking statements that are subject to the inherent risk of difficulties in forecasting the Company’s financial
results for future periods, particularly over longer periods, given the rapid technological changes, evolving industry standards, intense
competition and short product life cycles that characterize the wireless communications industry. See “Cautionary Statement
Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Annual Information Form for the fiscal
year ended March 2, 2013, which is included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 40-F for the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013,
including the risk factor titled “The Company’s ability to maintain or increase its cash balance could be adversely affected by its
ability to offer competitive products and services in a timely manner at competitive prices.”
The Company does not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or under applicable Canadian securities laws.
Legal Proceedings
The Company is involved in litigation in the normal course of its business, both as a defendant and as a plaintiff. The Company is
subject to a variety of claims (including claims related to patent infringement, purported class actions and other claims in the normal
course of business) and may be subject to additional claims either directly or through indemnities against claims that it provides to
certain of its partners and customers. In particular, the industry in which the Company competes has many participants that own, or
claim to own, intellectual property, including participants that have been issued patents and may have filed patent applications or may
obtain additional patents and proprietary rights for technologies similar to those used by the Company in its products. The Company
has received, and may receive in the future, assertions and claims from third parties that the Company’s products infringe on their
patents or other intellectual property rights. Litigation has been and will likely continue to be necessary to determine the scope,
enforceability and validity of third-party proprietary rights or to establish the Company’s proprietary rights. Regardless of whether
claims against the Company have merit, those claims could be time-consuming to evaluate and defend, result in costly litigation,
divert management’s attention and resources, subject the Company to significant liabilities and could have the other effects that are
described in greater detail under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Information Form for the fiscal year ended March 3, 2012,
which is included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 40-F, including the risk factor entitled “The Company is subject to
general commercial litigation, class action and other litigation claims as part of its operations, and it could suffer significant litigation
expenses in defending these claims and could be subject to significant damage awards or other remedies”.
Management reviews all of the relevant facts for each claim and applies judgment in evaluating the likelihood and, if applicable, the
amount of any potential loss. Where it is considered probable for a material exposure to result and where the amount of the claim is
quantifiable, provisions for loss are made based on management’s assessment of the likely outcome. The Company does not provide
for claims that are considered unlikely to result in a significant loss, claims for which the outcome is not determinable or claims
where the amount of the loss cannot be reasonably estimated. Any settlements or awards under such claims are provided for when
reasonably determinable.
On June 20, 2008, St. Clair Intellectual Property Consultants, Inc. (“St. Clair”) filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the
Company and other defendants in the District of Delaware. The patents in suit include U.S. Patent Nos. 5,138,459; 6,094,219;
6,233,010 and 6,323,899. These patents are generally directed to image
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Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
processing in digital cameras. On October 31, 2011, the court held a hearing to address summary judgment motions filed by both
sides. On March 26, 2012, the court granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment. On April 20, 2012, St. Clair filed a notice
of appeal. On May 16, 2012, the Company filed a motion to dismiss the appeal because it was filed prior to dismissal of the district
court action. The court issued a mandate on August 3, 2012, dismissing the appeal as premature. On Friday, September 7, 2012, St.
Clair re-filed its notice of appeal. Proceedings are ongoing.
On November 16, 2010, St. Clair filed a second complaint against the Company and other defendants in the District of Delaware. The
patents in suit include U.S. Patent Nos. 5,630,163; 5,710,929; 5,758,175; 5,892,959; 6,079,025 and 5,822,610. These patents are
generally directed to power management. The Complaint seeks an injunction and money damages. The court held a claim
construction hearing on December 16, 2011. On October 12, 2012, the court stayed the case pending final judgment in a case St. Clair
brought against other parties. No trial date is currently set. Proceedings are ongoing.
On October 31, 2008, Mformation Technologies, Inc. (“Mformation”) filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the Company in the
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The patents in suit include U.S. Patent Nos. 6,970,917 and
7,343,408. These patents are generally directed to remote device management functionality. A claim construction hearing was held on
November 20, 2009. On February 26, 2010, the court issued a claim construction order. A trial date was set for September 2011, but
then later vacated. On August 31, 2011, the court requested additional claim construction briefings. The court held a hearing on
September 26, 2011 for oral argument on the additional claim construction as well as motions for summary judgment and then took
the issues under advisement. On December 19, 2011, the court issued an order on the parties’ summary judgment motions and the
additional claim construction. Jury selection was completed on June 14, 2012, and trial began on June 19, 2012. On July 13, 2012, the
jury found that the Company had infringed the asserted patent claims, awarding damages of $147.2 million. On August 8, 2012,
Judge Ware overturned the jury verdict and granted judgment of non-infringement as a matter of law. On Sep. 5, 2012, Mformation
filed a motion for a new trial. On September 6, 2012, Mformation filed a notice of appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal
Circuit. However, the Federal Circuit deactivated the appeal while the motion for new trial was pending. On September 20, 2012, the
case was reassigned to Judge Edward M. Chen, in view of Judge Ware’s retirement from the bench. Judge Chen subsequently denied
Mformation’s motion for new trial on November 15, 2012. On December 4, 2012, the court denied Mformation’s motion for relief
from costs. The Federal Circuit reactivated the appeal on December 20, 2012 after Mformation filed a new notice of appeal. On
January 3, 2013, a new entity, Mformation Software Technologies, Inc. (“MST”), filed a motion to substitute parties, alleging that
Mformation had dissolved and that MST had assumed the rights, but not the liabilities, to the litigation. On January 14, 2013, the
Company filed an opposition to MST’s motion, combined with a motion to dismiss. Proceedings are ongoing.
On November 20, 2008, the Company filed a lawsuit for declaratory judgment of non-infringement, invalidity and unenforceability
against four Eastman Kodak (“Kodak”) patents in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (Dallas Division). The
patents in suit include U.S. Patent Nos. 5,493,335, 6,292,218 (“the ’218 Patent”) and 6,600,510 (“the ’510 Patent”) which are
generally directed to digital camera technologies and U.S. Patent No. 5,226,161 which is directed to data sharing in applications.
Kodak counterclaimed for infringement of these same patents seeking an injunction and monetary damages. The claim construction
hearing was held on March 23, 2010. On July 23, 2010, Kodak dismissed the ’510 Patent from the case without prejudice. The court
set an initial trial date in December 2010. The court also ordered mediation to seek to settle the case. Mediation was unsuccessful and
on November 29, 2010 the court reset the trial date for August 1, 2011. On July 20, 2011, the court again reset the trial date for the
three-week docket
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Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
beginning on March 5, 2012. On January 19, 2012, following federal rules, Judge Kinkeade stayed the proceedings because Kodak
declared bankruptcy. The Company filed an unopposed motion with the bankruptcy court to lift the stay. On March 9, 2012, the
bankruptcy court granted the Company’s motion to lift the stay of the case pending in the Northern District of Texas. On May 29,
2012, a trial date was set in December 2012. On November 28, 2012, Judge Kinkeade reset the trial to April 2013 based on a joint
motion by both parties. The parties further agreed to a bench trial. On January 11, 2013, the bankruptcy court approved Kodak’s sale
of its digital imaging patent portfolio to a consortium of companies. Kodak completed the sale on February 1, 2013. As part of the
proceedings, the Company obtained a license to all the patents in suit. As a result, the Company and Kodak jointly moved for
dismissal on February 5, 2013. On Monday, February 11, 2013, the court dismissed and closed the case with prejudice.
On January 14, 2010, Kodak filed a complaint with the ITC against the Company and Apple Inc. alleging infringement of the ‘218
Patent and requesting the ITC to issue orders prohibiting certain of the Company’s products from being imported into the U.S. and
sold in the U.S. On February 23, 2010, the ITC published a Notice of Investigation in the Federal Register. The Administrative Law
Judge (“ALJ”) set a trial date of September 1, 2010 and a target date for completion of the investigation by the ITC of May 23, 2011.
A claim construction hearing was held on May 24-25, 2010. The Chief Judge issued his claim construction order as an Initial
Determination on June 22, 2010. In accordance with the ALJ’s ruling, the trial was held and lasted for six days. On January 24, 2011,
the ALJ ruled that the Company’s products do not infringe the ‘218 Patent and that the only asserted claim is invalid as obvious.
Kodak and the ITC Staff separately petitioned for ITC review on February 7, 2011. The Company also filed a contingent petition for
review on February 7, 2011. On March 25, 2011, the ITC issued a public notice advising that the ITC would review Chief Judge
Luckern’s decision. The ITC delayed the target date for completion of the investigation by the ITC. The new target date was June 23,
2011. On July 8, 2011, the ITC issued an Opinion with its review of Chief Judge Luckern’s decision. The ITC remanded issues
concerning both infringement and validity. The remand proceedings were assigned to a different ALJ, ALJ Pender, as Chief Judge
Luckern retired from the bench. Acting Chief Judge Bullock initially set October 30, 2011 as the target date for the new ALJ to
determine how much additional time is necessary for the remand proceedings and to set a new final target date and later extended this
date to December 30, 2011. On December 16, 2011, ALJ Pender determined that he will reopen the record to permit limited
additional discovery and extended the target date to September 21, 2012 to allow time for the parties to complete this discovery and
remand briefing. On January 26, 2012, Judge Pender decided not to reopen the record due to fact that certain issues had become moot.
On May 21, 2012, Judge Pender issued his Initial Determination finding no violation of Section 337 of the Tariff Act. On June 4,
2012, Kodak filed a petition for review of Judge Pender’s Initial Determination and the Company filed a contingent petition for
review. On July 20, 2012, the Commission issued its Final Determination agreeing with Judge Pender’s finding of no violation of
Section 337. On Wednesday, August 7, 2012, Kodak filed a Notice of Appeal with the Federal Circuit. The Company filed a Motion
to Intervene and a Petition for Review/Notice of Cross Appeal on September 6, 2012. On November 21, 2012, the Federal Circuit
granted the Motion to Intervene and dismissed the Petition for Cross Appeal on procedural grounds. Kodak completed the sale of its
digital imaging patent portfolio on February 1, 2013, and as part of the proceedings, the Company obtained a license to all the patents
in suit, thus settling all outstanding litigation. On February 5, 2013, Kodak filed a motion to dismiss. The court granted the motion on
February 15, 2013.
On March 31, 2010, MobileMedia Ideas LLC (“MMI”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern
District of Texas (Marshall Division) alleging infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 5,479,476; 5,845,219; 6,055,439; 6,253,075;
6,427,078; RE.39231; 5,732,390; 5,737,394; 6,070,068; 6,389,301; 6,446,080; and 7,349,012. The patents are generally directed to
mobile telephone technologies
55
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
including mobile telephone user interfaces, call control, speech signal transmission and imaging. The complaint seeks an injunction
and monetary damages. The claim construction hearing was scheduled for January 11, 2012, and trial was scheduled to begin July 12,
2012. On August 30, 2011, the case was transferred from the Eastern District of Texas to the Northern District of Texas (Dallas). On
November 4, 2011, MMI filed an amended complaint in the Northern District of Texas, alleging infringement of four additional
patents: U.S. Patent Nos. 5,490,170; 6,049,796; 6,871,048; and, 6,441,828. The amended complaint seeks an injunction, monetary
damages and other relief that the court may deem proper under the circumstances. On March 9, 2012, the Court reset the trial date for
February 4, 2013. On March 21, 2012, the court stayed the proceedings with respect to U.S. Patent Nos. 5,479,476; 5,845,219;
6,055,439; 6,253,075; and 6,427,078. On April 16, 2012, the Company filed a motion to stay the proceedings with respect to U.S.
Patent No. 6,049,796. On May 4, 2012, the court granted the Company’s motion to stay proceedings with respect to U.S. Patent
No. 6,049,796. On January 17, 2013 the parties entered proposed scheduling orders including proposed trial dates. On February 27,
2013, the court issued a claim construction order. The court has not yet entered a new schedule. Proceedings are ongoing.
On June 30, 2010, Bandspeed Inc. (“Bandspeed”) filed a lawsuit against the Company as well as thirty-six other defendants in the
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (Marshall Division) alleging infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,027,418 and
7,570,614. The patents are generally directed to a method for selecting communication channels using frequency hopping. The
complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages. On August 15, 2011, the case was transferred from the Eastern District of
Texas to the Western District of Texas (Austin Division), where a lawsuit involving the same patents is currently pending against a
number of parties, including Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited (“CSR”). On December 15, 2011, the court issued an order requiring
Bandspeed to amend its complaint to identify all allegedly infringing products, and allow possible impleader of other chip
manufacturers or suppliers. On January 24, 2012, the court issued an order setting the deadline for impleader to February 23, 2012.
However, no other chip manufacturers or suppliers were impleaded. A trial had been scheduled to begin February 4, 2013, involving
Bandspeed and CSR only. On October 22, 2012, Bandspeed advised the court of a Settlement and License Agreement entered into
with CSR. On November 20, 2012, the court dismissed with prejudice all claims based on any defendant’s use of CSR Licensed
Products. At this time, no date for trial has been set with respect to any other defendant, including the Company. The court held a
Status Conference on January 11, 2013 and indicated that trial would be set for early November 2013. Proceedings are ongoing.
On September 2, 2010, Innovative Sonic Limited filed lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for Eastern District of
Texas (Tyler Division) asserting infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,925,183; RE 40,077; and 7,436,795. The patents are generally
directed to window based polling and timing as well as security keys in a wireless communication system. The complaint seeks an
injunction and monetary damages. The claim construction hearing was scheduled for November 10, 2011, and trial was scheduled to
begin June 4, 2012. Subsequently, the case was transferred from the Eastern District of Texas to the Northern District of Texas
(Dallas Division). The Dallas court held a Markman hearing on June 11, 2012 and issued a claim construction order on October 17,
2012. Trial was scheduled to begin on March 4, 2013. On March 4, 2013, the court held a hearing, rescheduling trial for June 2013 to
permit Innovative Sonic to retain new counsel and to allow for additional discovery. Proceedings are ongoing.
On February 24, 2011, Golden Bridge Technology, Inc. (“Golden Bridge”) filed a lawsuit against the Company as well as over twenty
other defendants in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, asserting infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,574,267 and
7,359,427. These patents are generally directed to 3G wireless technologies. The complaint seeks an injunction and monetary
damages. On April 10, 2012, the
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Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
court stayed the litigation pending resolution of Golden Bridge’s claims against Apple. On April 13, 2012, Golden Bridge
Technology filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, asserting infringement of U.S.
Patent No. 6,574,267. The patent is generally directed to 4G wireless technology. On July 27, 2012, the court stayed the litigation
pending resolution of Golden Bridge’s claims against Apple. On May 8, 2012, Golden Bridge filed a lawsuit against the Company as
well as over twenty other defendants in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleging infringement of U.S.
Patent No. 6,075,793. On September 11, 2012, the court dismissed the complaint for improper joinder. On September 18, 2012,
Golden Bridge re-filed its complaint against all defendants, except Apple, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. The
complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages. The Company has not been served with this complaint. On January 11, 2013,
the District Court for the District of Delaware entered an Order that stayed the litigation until further order of the court or until such
time as final judgment is entered in the Apple Action with respect to Golden Bridge’s claims against Apple or an order dismissing
Apple is entered in the Apple Action.
On March 18, 2011, Imperium (IP) Holdings, Inc. (“Imperium”), filed a lawsuit against the Company as well as six other defendants
in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (Tyler Division) asserting infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,271,884;
6,838,651; 6,838,715; 7,064,768; and 7,109,535; however, only two of these patents have been asserted against the Company (U.S.
Patent Nos. 6,271,884; 6,838,715). The patents generally relate to imaging technology. The complaint seeks an injunction and
monetary damages. The claim construction was scheduled for May 31, 2012, and the trial was scheduled to begin January 7, 2013.
The claim construction was held on May 31, 2012, and the trial was re-scheduled for April 2013. On July 2, 2012 Imperium issued its
Claim Construction Order. On December 10, 2012, Imperium filed a motion to amend its complaint against the Company, asserting
U.S. Patent 6,838,651 as well as Willfulness as to infringement of U.S. Patent 6,271,884. On January 4, 2013, the court denied
Imperium’s motion. Imperium sought reconsideration on the motion, which was also denied. Proceedings are ongoing.
On July 1, 2011, GPNE Corp. filed a lawsuit against the Company as well as nine other defendants in the U.S. District Court for the
District of Hawaii asserting infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,555,267; 7,570,594; and 7,792,492 which are generally directed to
GPRS technology. The complaint seeks monetary damages and other relief that the court may deem proper under the circumstances.
On March 9, 2012 the Company’s motion to transfer the case to Dallas was granted. The Dallas court has not scheduled a claim
construction hearing. Trial is scheduled to begin on May 4, 2014. The Company and GPNE settled all outstanding litigation on
January 31, 2013 for an amount immaterial to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The court dismissed the case with prejudice on
March 13, 2013.
On August 1, 2011, Tahir Mahmood (“Mahmood”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Southern
District of New York seeking correction of inventorship of U.S. Patent No. 6,219,694, which is generally directed to the Company’s
redirector technology; and, claims for conversion, unfair competition, and unjust enrichment. The complaint seeks correction of
inventorship, an injunction, monetary damages, punitive damages and other relief that the court may deem proper under the
circumstances. On May 16, 2012, the court granted the Company’s motion to dismiss the case with prejudice. The case was dismissed
on June 7, 2012. On July 6, 2012, Mahmood filed a Notice of Appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The parties
completed briefing the appeal on November 13, 2012.
On February 3, 2012, Mahmood filed a new lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New
York seeking correction of inventorship of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,386,588; 6,463,464; and, 6,389,457, as well as “such other RIM patents
the court may deem proper;” and, claims for fraud, breach
57
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
of fiduciary duty, conversion, unfair competition and unjust enrichment. The complaint seeks correction of inventorship, injunctive
relief, monetary damages, punitive damages and other relief that the court may deem proper under the circumstances. On June 14,
2012, the Company filed a motion to dismiss the complaint. On October 25, 2012, the court granted the Company’s motion to dismiss
the case with prejudice. On October 26, 2012, Mahmood filed a Notice of Appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
On January 3, 2013, the Federal Circuit consolidated both cases. The parties completed briefing the appeal on February 22, 2013.
Proceedings are ongoing.
On August 26, 2011, Synchronoss Technologies, Inc. (“Synchronoss”) filed a lawsuit against NewBay Software, Ltd and NewBay
Software, Inc. (together, “NewBay”) in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Synchronoss alleges that NewBay
infringes U.S. Patent Nos. 6,671,757; 7,505,762; and, 7,587,446. The patents are generally directed to data synchronization and
transfer for mobile devices. The complaint seeks an injunction, monetary damages and other relief that the court may deem proper
under the circumstances. On April 27, 2012, Synchronoss filed an amended complaint, alleging infringement of two additional
patents: U.S. Patent Nos. 6,757,696 and 7,643,824. The amended complaint sought an injunction, monetary damages and other relief
that the court may deem proper under the circumstances. In December 2012 Synchronoss and the Company reached an agreement that
settled the claims in the lawsuit. On December 28, 2012 the Court dismissed the case with prejudice. The Company and Synchronoss
resolved all outstanding litigation on December 21, 2012 for an amount immaterial to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
On August 31, 2011, Openwave Systems Inc. (“Openwave”) filed a request that the ITC commence an investigation of alleged
unlawful importation by the Company and that the ITC issue orders prohibiting certain of the Company’s products from being
imported into the U.S. and sold in the U.S. Openwave alleges that the Company infringes U.S. Patents Nos. 6,233,608; 6,289,212;
6,405,037; 6,430,409; and 6,625,447. The patents are generally related to wireless data management. The claim construction hearing
was held on July 25-26, 2012. Trial has been set for October 15, 2012 and the target date is March 12, 2013. On May 29, 2012, the
ALJ re-set the initial determination date to be February 6, 2013 and re-set the target date for June 6, 2013. On October 12, 2012,
Openwave filed an unopposed motion to terminate the investigation in its entirety. That same day, the court issued an initial
determination terminating the investigation. On November 13, 2012, the investigation was terminated. Openwave also filed a
companion complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware regarding the same patents. On October 17, 2011 the
Delaware court stayed the case pending the ITC investigation. On December 28, 2012, the Delaware court issued an order lifting the
stay. The court has yet to issue a schedule. Proceedings are ongoing.
On September 7, 2011, Negotiated Data Solutions Inc. (“NData”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for
the Eastern District of Texas (Marshall Division) along with five other defendants asserting infringement of U.S. Patent Nos.
5,361,261; 5,533,018; 5,566,169; and 5,594,734, which are generally directed to isochronous capability or frame based transmission
of data. The complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages. A claim construction hearing occurred on December 5, 2012 and
the trial is set for July 1, 2013. The Company and NData settled all outstanding litigation on February 4, 2013 for an amount
immaterial to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The court dismissed the case with prejudice on February 19, 2013.
On September 12, 2011, WiAV Networks, LLC filed a lawsuit against the Company and one other defendant in the U.S. District
Court for the Northern District of Texas alleging infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,480,497 and 5,400,338. The patents are generally
directed to coordinate-based roaming node and a packet
58
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
radio mesh network. The complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages. The Company answered the complaint on
October 27, 2011. The claim construction hearing occurred on October 10, 2012, and trial is scheduled to begin September 23, 2013.
The court issued its claim construction Order on October 30, 2012. The Company and WiAV Networks, LLC settled all outstanding
litigation on January 11, 2013 for an amount immaterial to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The court dismissed the case with
prejudice on January 22, 2013.
On October 7, 2011, GrafTech International Holdings, Inc. (“GTI”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for
the Northern District of Texas (Dallas Division). GTI alleges that the Company infringes U.S. Patent Nos. 6,482,520 and 6,982,874
generally directed to exfoliated graphite sheets for heat dissipation. The Company filed its Answer on February 27, 2012. The
complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages. On September 17, 2012, the court granted the parties joint motion to
administratively close the case. Either party may request the court to reopen the case if it feels that settlement negotiations have hit an
impasse.
On November 17, 2011, Graphics Properties Holdings, Inc. (“GPH”) filed a complaint with the ITC against the Company along with
twelve other defendants. GPH alleges that the Company infringes U.S. Patent Nos., 6,650,327 (the “’327 Patent”) and 6,816,145 (the
“’145 Patent”) generally relating to display technology. GPH also alleges that the Company infringes U.S. Patent No. 5,717,881 (the
“’881 Patent”) generally relating to data processing. The complaint seeks orders prohibiting certain of the Company’s products from
being imported into the U.S. and sold in the U.S. Proceedings are ongoing. GPH withdrew the complaint and filed a new one to
correct deficiencies on March 5, 2012. Trial has been set for January 17, 2013, the initial determination is scheduled to be completed
by May 10, 2013 and the target date is September 10, 2013. On March 1, 2013, the ITC terminated the investigation.
On November 23, 2011, GPH filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, alleging
infringement of the ’327, ’145, and ’881 Patents. The complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages. On May 11, 2012, the
court issued an order staying the action against the Company pending the outcome of the ITC proceedings. On December 21, 2012,
the Company obtained a license grant for an amount immaterial to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The court dismissed the
case with prejudice on January 30, 2013.
On December 6, 2011, Advanced Video Technologies LLC (“AVT”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court
for the Southern District of New York. AVT alleges that the Company infringes U.S. Patent No. 5,781,788 generally directed to a
single-chip video codec. The complaint seeks an injunction, monetary damages and other relief that the court may deem proper under
the circumstances. A claim construction order was issued on February 1, 2013. No trial date is currently set. Proceedings are ongoing.
On January 20, 2012, WI-LAN USA, Inc. and WI-LAN, Inc. (together, “WI-LAN”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S.
District Court for the Southern District of Florida alleging infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 5,515,369 and 6,232,969. The patents are
generally directed to Bluetooth and character selection display interface. The complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages.
On February 21, 2012, WI-LAN filed an amendment to the complaint, alleging infringement of U.S. Patent No. 6,240,088. The patent
is generally directed to a message review feature. The Company’s answer was due on March 19, 2012 and was filed on March 19,
2012. For this suit, the court has set a trial date for February 24, 2014. A claim construction hearing will be rescheduled for late July
or early August 2013. Proceedings are ongoing. On December 11, 2012, Wi-LAN filed a second complaint against the Company. Wi-
LAN asserted that the Company infringes U.S. Patent No. 6,260,168 generally directed to Bluetooth technology. The complaint seeks
an injunction and monetary damages. For this suit, the court has set a trial date for November 11, 2013. Proceedings are ongoing.
59
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
On March 9, 2012, Iswitch, LLC (“Iswitch”) filed a complaint against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District
of Texas. Iswitch alleges that the Company infringes U.S. Patent No. 7,225,334 generally directed to voice over IP technology. The
complaint seeks monetary damages and all other relief to which the court may deem the Plaintiff be entitled. The court scheduled a
claim construction hearing for August 29, 2013 and trial is set to begin on November 10, 2014. Proceedings are ongoing.
On March 15, 2012 Varia Holdings LLC (“Varia”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the District of
Delaware. The complaint alleges infringement of U.S. Patent No 7,167,731 generally directed to emoticon input technologies. The
complaint seeks monetary damages and any and all other relief to which Varia may be entitled. The Company answered the complaint
on June 18, 2012. The court scheduled a claim construction hearing for November 22, 2013. The court has stayed proceedings while
the parties negotiate settlement.
On March 30, 2012 Unifi Scientific Batteries, LLC (“USB”) sued the Company in the US District Court for the Eastern District of
Texas (Tyler Division), along with four other defendant groups including Samsung and Texas Instruments. USB asserted that the
Company infringes U.S. Patent 6,791,298 generally directed to battery charging technology. The complaint seeks money damages, an
injunction, and other relief that the court deems just and proper. The Company filed its answer on June 11, 2012. The Court scheduled
a claim construction hearing for January 9, 2014 and trial is set to begin on February 9, 2015. Proceedings are ongoing.
On April 2, 2012, NXP B.V. (“NXP”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
(Orlando Division). NXP asserted that the Company infringes U.S. Patent Nos. 7,330,455; 6,434,654; 6,501,420; 5,597,668;
5,639,697; and 5,763,955. NXP alleges that its patents are generally directed to certain wireless technologies including 802.11 and
GPS, as well as certain methods of manufacture for semiconductor devices. The complaint seeks monetary damages, an injunction,
and other relief that the court deems just and proper. The Company’s answer was due on May 30, 2012 and was filed on May 30,
2012. The court set trial for March 2014. Proceedings are ongoing.
On April 11, 2012, Touchscreen Gestures LLC (“Touchscreen”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the
Eastern District of Texas (Tyler Division). Touchscreen asserted that the Company infringes US Patent Nos. 7,184,031; 7,180,506;
7,190,356; and 7,319,457 generally directed towards touchscreen technology. The complaint seeks monetary damages, an injunction,
and other relief that the court deems just and proper. The court scheduled a claim construction hearing for December 5, 2013 and trial
is set to begin on April 6, 2015. On February 11, 2013, Touchscreen served amended infringement contentions where it added US
Patent No. 8,164,575 and did not include previously asserted US Patent No. 7,319,457. Proceedings are ongoing.
On April 25, 2012, Potter Voice Technologies LLC (“Potter”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the
District of Colorado, along with 14 other defendants. Potter alleged that the Company infringes U.S. Patent 5,729,659 allegedly
directed to voice command technology. The complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages. A claim construction hearing has
been scheduled for April 5, 2013. No trial date is currently set. Proceedings are ongoing.
60
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
On May 3, 2012, Hunts Point Ventures, Inc. (“Hunts Point”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the
Western District of Wisconsin alleging infringement of U.S. Patent No. 7,667,123, which generally relates to playlist technology. The
complaint seeks an injunction and monetary damages. Trial had been set for November 4, 2013. On November 27, 2012, the case was
transferred from the Western District of Wisconsin to the Northern District of Texas (Dallas Division). The court dismissed the case
without prejudice on March 12, 2013 as no local counsel had filed an appearance for Hunts Point.
On May 29, 2012, Mobile Telecommunications Technologies LLC (“MTEL”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District
Court for the Northern District of Texas (Dallas Division) alleging infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 5,809,428; 5,754,946; 5,559,862;
5,894,506 and 5,581,804, some of which allegedly relate to certain aspects of handling failed delivery of wireless messages and others
allegedly relate to certain methods of transmitting large volumes of email messages. The complaint seeks an injunction and monetary
damages. The Company answered the complaint on August 22, 2012. A claim construction hearing has been scheduled for October 3,
2013 and trial has been set for June 9, 2014. Proceedings are ongoing.
On October 29, 2012, Softvault Systems, Inc. (“Softvault”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of California (San Jose Division). Softvault asserted that the Company infringes U.S. Patent Nos. 6,249,868 and
6,594,765 generally directed to a system for disabling devices to prevent unauthorized use. The complaint seeks an injunction,
monetary damages, and other relief that the court deems just and proper. The Company and Softvault settled all outstanding litigation
on February 12, 2013 for an amount immaterial to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The court dismissed the case with prejudice
on March 13, 2013.
On November 12, 2012, NovelPoint Tracking LLC (“NPT”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the
Eastern District of Texas (Marshall Division). The complaint asserts that the Company infringes U.S. Patent No. 6,442,485, allegedly
directed to automatic vehicle location, collision notification and synthetic voice technologies. The complaint seeks an injunction and
monetary damages. The Company filed an answer on February 27, 2013. Proceedings are ongoing.
On November 29, 2012, Arendi S.A.R.L. (“Arendi”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the District of
Delaware. The complaint alleges patent infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,917,843 (“the ’843 patent”), 7,496,854 (“the ’854 patent”)
and 8,306,993 (“the ’993 patent”). Both the ’843 patent and the ‘854 patent are entitled “Method, System and Computer Readable
Medium for Addressing Handling from a Computer Program,” and the ‘993 patent is entitled “Method, System and Computer
Readable Medium for Addressing Handling from an Operating System.” The complaint seeks damages, an injunction, costs and fees
and any other just relief. A scheduling conference has not been scheduled. Proceedings are ongoing.
On December 21, 2012, Mers Kutt filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
(Alexandria). Mr. Kutt asserted that the Company infringes U.S. Patent No. 5,506,981 generally directed to an accelerator board for
enhancing computer system performance. The pro se complaint sought monetary damages and other relief that the court deemed just
and proper. On February 20, 2013 the court dismissed the case without prejudice for lack of standing.
On December 28, 2012, Callwave Communications, LLC. (“Callwave”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District
Court for the District of Delaware. Callwave asserted that the Company infringes U.S. Patent Nos. 6,771,970 and 7,907,933 generally
directed to locating mobile devices and processing a payment over a network, respectively. The complaint seeks monetary damages
and other relief that the court deems just and proper. A scheduling conference has not been scheduled. Proceedings are ongoing.
61
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
On January 4, 2013, Steelhead Licensing LLC (“Steelhead”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the
District of Delaware. Steelhead asserted that the Company infringes U.S. Patent No. 5.491,834 generally directed to determining the
manner for performing a handover between base stations in a network. The complaint seeks monetary damages, an injunction, and
other relief that the court deems just and proper. On February 11, 2013 Plaintiff filed an amended complaint adding an allegation of
inducement. A scheduling conference has not been scheduled. Proceedings are ongoing.
On February 22, 2013, Maz Encryption Technologies LLC (“Maz”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District Court for
the District of Delaware. Maz asserted that the Company infringes U.S. Patent No. 6,185,681 generally directed to encryption for an
electronic document management system. The complaint seeks an injunction, monetary damages, and other relief that the court deems
just and proper. A scheduling conference has not been scheduled. Proceedings are ongoing.
On March 15, 2013, Rembrandt Wireless Technologies, LP (“Rembrandt”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the U.S. District
Court for the Eastern District of Texas (Marshall Division). Rembrandt asserted that the Company infringes U.S. Patent
No. 8,023,580 generally directed to communication using at least two modulation methods. The complaint seeks an injunction,
monetary damages, and other relief that the court deems just and proper.
Between May and August 2011, several purported class action lawsuits were filed against the Company and certain of its present or
former officers in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, two of which have been voluntarily dismissed. On
January 6, 2012, Judge Richard S. Sullivan consolidated the remaining three actions and appointed both lead plaintiff and counsel. On
April 5, 2012, plaintiff filed the Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint, alleging that during the period from December 16,
2010 through June 16, 2011, the Company and certain of its officers made materially false and misleading statements regarding the
Company’s financial condition and business prospects, and seek unspecified damages. Defendants have brought a motion to dismiss
the claim with prejudice, and filed its materials on June 4, 2012. Plaintiff filed its responding brief on August 3, 2012. Defendants
filed their reply brief on September 4, 2012. The Company’s motion to dismiss was argued on October 25, 2012 with judgment
reserved. Proceedings are ongoing.
As of October 2011, several purported class action lawsuits were filed against the Company in various jurisdictions alleging that
subscribers to BlackBerry services had suffered losses during fiscal 2012 Service Interruption, one of which has been voluntarily
dismissed on May 29, 2012. The Company believes that class action proceedings in these circumstances are without merit and intends
to vigorously defend itself. In two of the cases the Company has negotiated a joint defence agreement with the co-defendants. In all
cases, proceedings are ongoing.
In July 2012, Meta4Hand Inc. (“M4HI”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the Court of Queen’s Bench, Alberta. The claim
alleges that the Company has used and continues to use M4HI’s trade secrets. The claim is seeking damages and other remedies. The
Company believes the claim has no merit and will vigorously defend itself. M4HI has not yet responded to the Company’s request for
more particulars. Proceedings are ongoing.
62
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Market Risk of Financial Instruments
The Company is engaged in operating and financing activities that generate risk in three primary areas:
Foreign Exchange
The Company is exposed to foreign exchange risk as a result of transactions in currencies other than its functional currency, the U.S.
dollar. The majority of the Company’s revenues in fiscal 2013 are transacted in U.S. dollars. Portions of the revenues are
denominated in Canadian dollars, Euros and British Pounds. Purchases of raw materials are primarily transacted in U.S. dollars. Other
expenses, consisting mainly of salaries, certain operating costs and manufacturing overhead are incurred primarily in Canadian
dollars. At March 2, 2013, approximately 19% of cash and cash equivalents, 29% of accounts receivables and 5% of accounts payable
are denominated in foreign currencies (March 3, 2012 – 38%, 30% and 11%, respectively). These foreign currencies primarily include
the Canadian dollar, Euro and British Pound. As part of its risk management strategy, the Company maintains net monetary asset
and/or liability balances in foreign currencies and engages in foreign currency hedging activities using derivative financial
instruments, including currency forward contracts and currency options. The Company does not use derivative instruments for
speculative purposes. The principal currencies hedged include the Canadian dollar, Euro and British Pound.
The Company enters into forward and option contracts to hedge exposures relating to anticipated foreign currency transactions. These
contracts have been designated as cash flow hedges with the effective portion of the change in fair value initially recorded in
accumulated other comprehensive income and subsequently reclassified to income when the hedged exposure affects income. Any
ineffective portion of the derivative’s gain or loss is recognized in current period income. For the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013,
there was $8 million in realized gains on forward contracts which were ineffective upon maturity (March 3, 2012 – nil). As at
March 2, 2013 and March 3, 2012, the outstanding derivatives designated as cash flow hedges were considered to be fully effective.
As at March 2, 2013, the net unrealized losses on these forward and option contracts were approximately $8 million (March 3, 2012 –
net unrealized gains of $51 million) and were recorded in other current assets and accumulated other comprehensive income.
Unrealized losses were recorded in accrued liabilities and accumulated other comprehensive income.
The Company enters into forward and option contracts to hedge certain monetary assets and liabilities that are exposed to foreign
currency risk. The principal currencies hedged include the Canadian dollar, Euro and British Pound. These contracts are not subject to
hedge accounting; as a result, gains or losses are recognized in income each period, generally offsetting the change in the U.S. dollar
value of the hedged asset or liability. As at March 2, 2013, net unrealized gains of $29 million were recorded (March 3, 2012 – net
unrealized losses of $14 million). Unrealized gains associated with these contracts were recorded in other current assets and selling,
marketing and administration. Unrealized losses were recorded in accrued liabilities and selling, marketing and administration.
Interest Rate
Cash, cash equivalents and investments are invested in certain instruments of varying maturities. Consequently, the Company is
exposed to interest rate risk as a result of holding investments of varying maturities. The fair value of investments, as well as the
investment income derived from the investment portfolio, will fluctuate with changes in prevailing interest rates. The Company does
not currently use interest rate derivative financial instruments in its investment portfolio.
63
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Credit and Customer Concentration
The Company has historically been dependent on an increasing number of significant telecommunication carriers and distribution
partners and on larger more complex contracts with respect to sales of the majority of its products and services. The Company has
experienced significant sales growth in the past, resulting in the growth in its carrier customer base in terms of numbers, sales and
accounts receivable volumes, and in some instances, new or significantly increased credit limits. The Company, in the normal course
of business, monitors the financial condition of its customers and reviews the credit history of each new customer. The Company
establishes an allowance for doubtful accounts that corresponds to the specific credit risk of its customers, historical trends and
economic circumstances. The allowance as at March 2, 2013 was $17 million (March 3, 2012 - $16 million). The Company also
places insurance coverage for a portion of its accounts receivable balances. There was one customer that comprised 8.2% of accounts
receivable as at March 2, 2013 (March 3, 2012 – one customer comprised 13%). Additionally, there were no customers that
comprised 10% of the Company’s fiscal 2013 revenue (fiscal 2012 revenue – no customer comprised 10% or greater).
The Company is exposed to credit risk on derivative financial instruments arising from the potential for counterparties to default on
their contractual obligations. The Company mitigates this risk by limiting counterparties to highly rated financial institutions and by
continuously monitoring their creditworthiness. The Company’s exposure to credit loss and market risk will vary over time as a
function of currency exchange rates. The Company measures its counterparty credit exposure as a percentage of the total fair value of
the applicable derivative instruments. Where the net fair value of derivative instruments with any counterparty is negative, the
Company deems the credit exposure to that counterparty to be nil. As at March 2, 2013, the maximum credit exposure to a single
counterparty, measured as a percentage of the total fair value of derivative instruments with net unrealized gains was 29% (March 3,
2012 – 30%).
The Company is exposed to market price and credit risk on its investment portfolio. The Company reduces this risk by investing in
liquid, investment grade securities and by limiting exposure to any one entity or group of related entities. As at March 2, 2013, no
single issuer represented more than 22% of the total cash, cash equivalents and investments (March 3, 2012 – no single issuer
represented more than 9% of the total cash, cash equivalents and investments).
Market values are determined for each individual security in the investment portfolio. The Company assesses declines in the value of
individual investments for impairment to determine whether the decline is other-than-temporary. The Company makes this
assessment by considering available evidence including changes in general market conditions, specific industry and individual
company data, the length of time and the extent to which the fair value has been less than cost, the financial condition, the near-term
prospects of the individual investment and the Company’s ability and intent to hold the debt securities to maturity. The Company did
not record any other-than-temporary impairment charges for the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013.
Disclosure Controls and Procedures and Internal Controls
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As of March 2, 2013, the Company carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s
management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and its Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and
operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13(a)-15(e) and 15(d)-15(e) under the U.S.
Exchange Act. Based on that evaluation, the
64
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of such date, the Company’s disclosure controls and
procedures were effective to give reasonable assurance that the information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it
files or submits under the U.S. Exchange Act is (i) recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in
the SEC’s rules and forms, and (ii) accumulated and communicated to management, including its principal executive and principal
financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management of the Company is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting.
Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rule 13(a)-15(f) and 15(d)-15(f) under the U.S. Exchange Act as a process
designed by, or under the supervision of, the Company’s principal executive and principal financial officers and effected by the
Company’s Board of Directors, management and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial
reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. GAAP and includes those policies
and procedures that:
•
•
•
pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions
of the assets of the Company;
provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in
accordance with U.S. GAAP, and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with
authorizations of management and directors of the Company; and
provide reasonable assurance regarding the prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisitions, use or dispositions
of the Company’s assets that could have a material affect on the Company’s financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of
any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risks that controls may become inadequate because of changes in
conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of March 2, 2013. In making
this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission
(COSO) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework. Based on this assessment, management believes that, as of March 2, 2013, the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective.
The Company’s independent auditors have issued an audit report on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. This
report is included with the Consolidated Financial Statements.
65
Research In Motion Limited
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
During the fiscal year ended March 2, 2013, no changes were made to the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that
have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
66
CONSENT OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Exhibit 23.1
We consent to the use in this Annual Report [Form 40-F] of Research In Motion Limited [the “Company”] for the year ended
March 2, 2013 of our reports dated March 28, 2013 with respect to the consolidated financial statements of the Company included
herein, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting.
We also consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements [Form S-8 Nos. 333-85294, 333-100684, 333-
150470 and 333-177149] pertaining to the Company’s stock option plans of our reports dated March 28, 2013 with respect to the
consolidated financial statements of the Company included herein, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting.
Kitchener, Canada,
March 28, 2013.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Chartered Accountants
Licensed Public Accountants
Exhibit 31.1
I, Thorsten Heins, certify that:
Certification
Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
1.
2.
3.
4.
I have reviewed this annual report on Form 40-F of Research In Motion Limited;
Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not
misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in
all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the issuer as of, and for, the periods
presented in this report;
The issuer’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and
procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as
defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the issuer and have:
a.
Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be
designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the issuer, including its
consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in
which this report is being prepared;
b. Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting
to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial
reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles;
c.
Evaluated the effectiveness of the issuer’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our
conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period
covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
d. Disclosed in this report any change in the issuer’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during
the period covered by the annual report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect,
the issuer’s internal control over financial reporting; and
5.
The issuer’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over
financial reporting, to the issuer’s auditors and the audit committee of the issuer’s board of directors (or persons
performing the equivalent function):
a.
All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial
reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the issuer’s ability to record, process, summarize and
report financial information; and
b. Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role
in the issuer’s internal control over financial reporting.
Date: March 28, 2013
/s/ Thorsten Heins
Name: Thorsten Heins
Title: Chief Executive Officer
I, Brian Bidulka, certify that:
1.
2.
3.
4.
I have reviewed this annual report on Form 40-F of Research In Motion Limited;
Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not
misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in
all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the issuer as of, and for, the periods
presented in this report;
The issuer’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and
procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as
defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the issuer and have:
a.
Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be
designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the issuer, including its
consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in
which this report is being prepared;
b. Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting
to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial
reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles;
c.
Evaluated the effectiveness of the issuer’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our
conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period
covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
d. Disclosed in this report any change in the issuer’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during
the period covered by the annual report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect,
the issuer’s internal control over financial reporting; and
5.
The issuer’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over
financial reporting, to the issuer’s auditors and the audit committee of the issuer’s board of directors (or persons
performing the equivalent function):
a.
All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial
reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the issuer’s ability to record, process, summarize and
report financial information; and
b. Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role
in the issuer’s internal control over financial reporting.
Date: March 28, 2013
/s/ Brian Bidulka
Name: Brian Bidulka
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Certification of CEO and CFO
Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
Exhibit 32.1
In connection with the Annual Report of Research In Motion Limited (the “Registrant”) on Form 40-F for the year ended March 2,
2013, as filed with the Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), Thorsten Heins, as Chief Executive Officer of the Registrant,
and Brian Bidulka, as Chief Financial Officer of the Registrant, each hereby certifies, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted
pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, to the best of his knowledge, that:
(1) The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
(2) The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of
operations of the Registrant.
/s/ Thorsten Heins
Name: Thorsten Heins
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Date: March 28, 2013
/s/ Brian Bidulka
Name: Brian Bidulka
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Date: March 28, 2013
This certification accompanies the Report pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and shall not, except to the extent
required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, be deemed filed by the Registrant for purposes of §18 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended.