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FY2022 Annual Report · BIC
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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 ________________________   

FORM 10-K 

☒

☐

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 
1934 

For the fiscal year ended February 28, 2022

OR

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT 
OF 1934

For the transition period from     to  

Commission file number 001-38232
 ______________________________________________________

BlackBerry Limited
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Canada
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or 
organization)

Waterloo

2200 University Ave East
Canada
Ontario
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

98-0164408
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

N2K 0A7
(Zip Code)

(519) 888-7465 
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: 

Title of each class

Common Shares

Common Shares

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

BB

BB

New York Stock Exchange

Toronto Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. 

   Yes x	No o

 Yes o	No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the 
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 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  x    No  o 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted 
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 such files).

Yes  x   No  o 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller 
reporting  company,  or  an  emerging  growth  company.  See  the  definitions  of  “large  accelerated  filer,”  “accelerated  filer”, 
“smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer
Non-accelerated filer  

x
o

Accelerated filer
Smaller reporting company
Emerging growth company

☐
☐
☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period 
for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the 
effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 
7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.                                                           x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).     Yes ☐   No  x

The aggregate market value of voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant on August 31, 2021, the last business day of 
the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, based on the closing price of the common shares as reported by 
the  New  York  Stock  Exchange,  was  approximately  $6.5  billion.  The  registrant  had  576,472,999  shares  of  common  shares 
issued and outstanding as of March 29, 2022. 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s proxy statement for its 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated by reference into Part 
III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the extent stated herein. Such proxy statement will be filed with the Securities and 
Exchange Commission within 120 days after the registrant’s fiscal year ended February 28, 2022.

 
 
 
 
 
BLACKBERRY LIMITED

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page No.

PART I 

Item 1

Item 1A

Item 1B

Item 2

Item 3

Item 4

PART II

Item 5

Item 6

Item 7

Item 7A

Item 8

Item 9

Item 9A

Item 9B

Item 9C

Part III

Item 10

Item 11

Item 12

Item 13

Item 14

PART IV

Item 15

Item 16

Signatures

Business

Risk Factors

Unresolved Staff Comments

Properties

Legal Proceedings

Mine Safety Disclosures

Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of 
Equity Securities

[Reserved]

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

Controls and Procedures

Other Information

Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

Executive Compensation
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder 
Matters

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

Principal Accounting Fees and Services

Exhibit and Financial Statement Schedules

Form 10-K Summary

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29

29

60

62

113

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Unless the context otherwise requires, all references to the “Company” and “BlackBerry” include BlackBerry Limited and its 
subsidiaries. 

ITEM 1.  BUSINESS

The Company

PART I

The  Company  provides  intelligent  security  software  and  services  to  enterprises  and  governments  around  the  world.  The 
Company secures more than 500 million endpoints including more than 195 million vehicles. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the 
Company  leverages  artificial  intelligence  (“AI”)  and  machine  learning  to  deliver  innovative  solutions  in  the  areas  of 
cybersecurity, safety and data privacy, and is a leader in the areas of endpoint security, endpoint management, encryption, and 
embedded systems. 

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  through  the  filing  of  articles  of  amalgamation  under  the  OBCA  on  November  4,  2013.  The  Company’s  common 
shares  trade  under  the  ticker  symbol  “BB”  on  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange  (“NYSE”)  and  the  Toronto  Stock  Exchange 
(“TSX”).

Intercorporate Relationships

The Company has four material subsidiaries, all of which are wholly-owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company in each 
case as at February 28, 2022.

Name of Subsidiary

BlackBerry Corporation

BlackBerry UK Limited

Cylance Inc.

Secusmart GmbH

Security Software Industry

Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization

Delaware, U.S.A.

England and Wales

Delaware, U.S.A.

Duesseldorf, Germany

As  the  digital  transformation  of  enterprises  continues  to  advance,  workforces  are  becoming  more  decentralized,  mobile  and 
remote,  and  data  and  applications  are  increasingly  migrating  to  the  cloud.  As  part  of  this  trend,  the  number  of  connected 
endpoints  is  growing  rapidly,  as  is  their  complexity  and  the  volume  of  sensitive  data  that  they  process  and  store.  These 
endpoints, which include smartphones, laptops, desktops, servers, vehicles, industrial equipment and other connected devices in 
the Internet of Things (“IoT”), increasingly operate beyond the traditional network security perimeter and present an expanding 
attack surface to cyber adversaries.

At the same time, the threat environment for enterprises has become increasingly hostile as the number of adversaries grows 
and the scale and sophistication of their attacks, increasingly focused on the endpoint, continue to develop. Today’s malicious 
actors  are  often  well-trained  and  well-funded  criminal  organizations,  state-sponsored  agents  and  international  hacking 
collectives with the capability of employing advanced techniques to penetrate endpoints and encrypt, destroy or exfiltrate data. 
These  groups  have  been  responsible  for  highly  publicized  breaches  that  have  exposed  personal  information  and  intellectual 
property, disrupted operations and infrastructure, extracted ransoms and caused significant reputational damage to organizations 
across a broad range of industries.

Against  this  backdrop,  regulators  are  enacting  new  measures  to  ensure  that  enterprises  are  held  accountable  for  their 
management  of  cybersecurity  risk.  In  particular,  changes  to  data  privacy  laws  in  the  United  States,  Europe  and  other 
jurisdictions are compounding the challenges faced by organizations by increasing their responsibilities for securing their data 
as well as that of their customers.

This  landscape  of  growing  vulnerability  and  accountability  has  created  opportunities  for  secure  communications  platforms, 
endpoint  cybersecurity  and  management  solutions,  embedded  systems,  enterprise  applications,  analytic  tools  and  related 
services  that  help  enterprises  to  secure  their  connected  endpoints,  enhance  data  privacy  and  demonstrate  compliance  with 
applicable regulations.

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Strategy

The Company is widely recognized for its intelligent security software and services and believes that it delivers the broadest set 
of  security  capabilities  in  the  market  to  connect,  protect  and  manage  IoT  endpoints.  The  Company  leverages  its  extensive 
technology portfolio to offer best-in-class cybersecurity, safety and reliability to enterprise customers primarily in government 
and  regulated  industries,  as  well  as  to  original  equipment  manufacturers  in  automotive,  medical,  industrial  and  other  core 
verticals.

The  Company’s  goal  is  to  offer  smarter  security  solutions  that  are  more  effective,  require  fewer  resources  to  support  and 
produce a better return on investment for customers than competing offerings. To achieve this vision, the Company continues to 
extend  the  functionality  of  its  AI-focused  BlackBerry  Spark®  software  platform  and  safety-certified  QNX®  Neutrino®  real 
time operating system and is commercializing its new BlackBerry IVY™ intelligent vehicle data platform.

The Company’s go-to-market strategy focuses principally on generating revenue from enterprise software and services as well 
as  from  embedded  software  designs  with  leading  original  equipment  manufacturers  (“OEMs”)  and  Tier  1  suppliers.  The 
Company  intends  to  drive  revenue  growth  and  to  achieve  margins  that  are  consistent  with  those  of  other  enterprise  software 
companies. 

Products and Services

The  Company  has  multiple  products  and  services  from  which  it  derives  revenue,  which  are  structured  in  three  groups: 
Cybersecurity, IoT (collectively with Cybersecurity, “Software and Services”) and Licensing and Other. 

Cybersecurity

The  Cybersecurity  business  consists  of  BlackBerry  Spark,  BlackBerry®  AtHoc®,  BlackBerry®  Alert,  BlackBerry® 
SecuSUITE® and BlackBerry Messenger (BBM®) Enterprise.

The Company’s core secure software and services offering is its BlackBerry Spark software platform, which integrates a unified 
endpoint  security  (“UES”)  layer  with  BlackBerry  unified  endpoint  management  (“UEM”)  to  enable  secure  endpoint 
communications  in  a  zero-trust  environment.  BlackBerry  UES  is  a  set  of  complementary  cybersecurity  products  offering 
endpoint  protection  platform  (“EPP”),  endpoint  detection  and  response  (“EDR”),  mobile  threat  defense  (“MTD”),  zero-trust 
network  access  (“ZTNA”)  and  user  and  entity  behavior  analytics  (“UEBA”)  capabilities.  The  BlackBerry  Spark  platform  is 
informed by the Company’s AI and machine learning capabilities, continuous innovations, professional cybersecurity services 
and  threat  research,  industry  partnerships  and  academic  collaborations.  The  Company  is  currently  executing  on  a  robust 
schedule  of  product  launches  for  BlackBerry  Spark  to  deliver  on  the  Company’s  extended  detection  and  response  (“XDR”) 
strategy, which aims to use security telemetry data from the platform’s full range of natively-integrated products and partner 
solutions  to  provide  deep  contextual  insights  for  more  powerful  and  integrated  threat  detection  and  response.  This 
comprehensive  security  strategy  for  BlackBerry  Spark  is  designed  to  operate  on  a  single  agent  across  all  endpoints,  to  be 
administered  from  a  single  console,  to  leverage  a  single  crowd-sourced  threat  data  lake  and  to  be  managed  in  one  cloud 
environment.  BlackBerry  Spark  solutions  are  available  through  the  BlackBerry®  Cyber  Suite  and  the  BlackBerry  Spark® 
Unified  Endpoint  Management  Suite,  which  are  also  marketed  together  as  the  BlackBerry  Spark®  Suite,  offering  the 
Company’s most comprehensive range of tailored cybersecurity and endpoint management options.

The  BlackBerry  Cyber  Suite  offers  leading  Cylance®  AI  and  machine  learning-based  cybersecurity  solutions,  including:  
BlackBerry® Protect, an EPP and available MTD solution that uses an automated, prevention-first approach to protect against 
the execution of malicious code on an endpoint; BlackBerry® Optics, an EDR solution that provides both visibility into and 
prevention of malicious activity on an endpoint; BlackBerry® Guard, a managed detection and response solution that provides 
24/7  threat  hunting  and  monitoring;  BlackBerry®  Gateway,  an  AI-empowered  ZTNA  solution,  and  BlackBerry®  Persona,  a 
UEBA solution that provides continuous authentication by validating user identity in real time. The combined platform features 
industry-leading  threat  prevention  modules  to  help  organizations  cope  with  the  significant  growth  of  cyberattacks.  The 
Company  also  offers  incident  response,  compromised  assessment  and  containment  services  to  assist  clients  with  forensic 
analysis,  state  of  existing  systems  and  remediation  of  attacks.  The  BlackBerry  Cyber  Suite  natively  integrates  with 
BlackBerry® UEM and also works with UEM solutions from other vendors. In fiscal 2023, the Company expects to re-brand 
the solutions within the BlackBerry Cyber Suite using the Cylance brand name. 

The  BlackBerry  Spark  UEM  Suite  includes  the  Company’s  BlackBerry  UEM,  BlackBerry®  Dynamics™  and  BlackBerry® 
Workspaces solutions. BlackBerry UEM is a central software component of the Company’s secure communications platform, 
offering a “single pane of glass”, or unified console view, for managing and securing devices, applications, identity, content and 
endpoints across all leading operating systems. BlackBerry Dynamics offers a best-in-class development platform and secure 
container  for  mobile  applications,  including  the  Company’s  own  enterprise  applications  such  as  BlackBerry®  Work  and 
BlackBerry® Connect for secure collaboration.

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BlackBerry AtHoc and BlackBerry Alert are secure, networked critical event management solutions that enable people, devices 
and  organizations  to  exchange  critical  information  in  real  time  during  business  continuity  and  life  safety  operations.  The 
platforms  securely  connect  with  a  diverse  set  of  endpoints  to  distribute  emergency  mass  notifications,  improve  personnel 
accountability  and  facilitate  the  bidirectional  collection  and  sharing  of  data  within  and  between  organizations.  BlackBerry 
AtHoc serves the requirements of the public sector market while BlackBerry Alert targets the commercial sector.

SecuSUITE®  for  Government  is  a  certified,  multi-OS  voice  and  text  messaging  solution  with  advanced  encryption,  anti-
eavesdropping  and  continuous  authentication  capabilities,  providing  a  maximum  level  of  security  on  conventional  mobile 
devices for public authorities and businesses.

The  Company  also  offers  BBM  Enterprise,  an  enterprise-grade  secure  instant  messaging  solution  for  messaging,  voice  and 
video.

IoT

The IoT business consists of BlackBerry Technology Solutions (“BTS”) and BlackBerry IVY.

The  principal  component  of  BTS  is  BlackBerry  QNX,  a  global  provider  of  real-time  operating  systems,  hypervisors, 
middleware,  development  tools,  and  professional  services  for  connected  embedded  systems  in  the  automotive,  medical, 
industrial  automation  and  other  markets.  A  recognized  leader  in  automotive  software,  BlackBerry  QNX  offers  a  growing 
portfolio  of  safety-certified,  secure  and  reliable  platform  solutions  and  is  focused  on  achieving  design  wins  with  automotive 
OEMs, Tier 1 vendors and automotive semiconductor suppliers. These solutions include the Neutrino® operating system and 
the BlackBerry QNX® CAR platform, the most advanced embedded software platform for the autonomous vehicle market, as 
well as other products designed to alleviate the challenges of compliance with ISO 26262, the automotive industry’s functional 
safety  standard.  Additionally,  the  Company’s  secure  automotive  over-the-air  software  update  management  service  allows 
OEMs to manage the life cycle of the software and security in their vehicles. 

BlackBerry  QNX  is  also  a  preferred  supplier  of  embedded  systems  for  companies  building  medical  devices,  train-control 
systems, industrial robots, hardware security modules, building automation systems, green energy solutions, and other mission-
critical applications.

BlackBerry  QNX  also  includes  BlackBerry®  Jarvis®,  a  cloud-based  binary  static  application  security  testing  platform  that 
identifies vulnerabilities in deployed binary software used in automobiles and other embedded applications.

In  addition  to  BlackBerry  QNX,  BTS  includes  BlackBerry  Certicom®  cryptography  and  key  management  products,  and  the 
BlackBerry Radar® asset monitoring solution.

BlackBerry Certicom leverages patented elliptic curve cryptography to provide device security, anti-counterfeiting and product 
authentication solutions. BlackBerry Certicom’s offerings include its managed public key infrastructure (“PKI”) platform, key 
management and provisioning technology that helps customers to protect the integrity of their silicon chips and devices from 
the  point  of  manufacturing  through  the  device  life  cycle.  BlackBerry  Certicom’s  secure  key  provisioning,  code  signing  and 
security  credential  management  system  services  protect  next-generation  connected  cars,  critical  infrastructure  and  IoT 
deployments from product counterfeiting, re-manufacturing and unauthorized network access. 

BlackBerry  Radar  is  a  family  of  asset  monitoring  and  telematics  solutions  for  the  transportation  and  logistics  industry.  The 
BlackBerry  Radar  solution  includes  devices  and  secure  cloud-based  dashboards  for  tracking  containers,  trailers,  chassis, 
flatbeds  and  heavy  machinery,  for  reporting  locations  and  sensor  data,  and  for  enabling  custom  alerts  and  fleet  management 
analytics.

In fiscal 2021, the Company partnered with Amazon Web Services, Inc. (“AWS”) to develop and market BlackBerry IVY, an 
intelligent vehicle data platform leveraging BlackBerry QNX’s automotive capabilities. BlackBerry IVY will allow automakers 
to safely access a vehicle’s sensor data, normalize it, and apply machine learning at the edge to generate and share predictive 
insights and inferences. Automakers and developers will be able to use this information to create responsive in-vehicle services 
that enhance driver and passenger experiences. BlackBerry IVY will support multiple vehicle operating systems and hardware, 
as well as multi-cloud deployments in order to ensure compatibility across vehicle models and brands. In February 2022, the 
Company  released  a  version  of  BlackBerry  IVY  for  proof-of-concept  testing  and  the  Company  expects  installations  of 
BlackBerry  IVY  in  vehicles  to  begin  during  the  2024  or  2025  model  year.  In  fiscal  2022,  the  Company  established  the 
BlackBerry IVY Innovation Fund to invest to up to $50 million in automotive ecosystem startups focused on developing data-
driven solutions that leverage BlackBerry IVY.  The Company also created the BlackBerry IVY Advisory Council, a body of 
leading transportation and mobility innovators that will help to advise the BlackBerry IVY development community and shape 
vertical-specific automotive applications for the BlackBerry IVY platform.

The  BlackBerry  Cybersecurity  and  IoT  groups  are  complemented  by  the  enterprise  and  cybersecurity  consulting  services 
offered by the Company’s BlackBerry® Professional Services business. BlackBerry Professional Services provides platform-
agnostic  strategies  to  address  mobility-based  challenges,  providing  expert  deployment  support,  end-to-end  delivery  (from 

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system  design  to  user  training),  application  consulting,  and  experienced  project  management.  The  Company’s  cybersecurity 
consulting services and tools, combined with its other security solutions, help customers identify the latest cybersecurity threats, 
test for vulnerabilities, develop risk-appropriate mitigations, maintain IT security standards and techniques, and defend against 
the risk of future attacks.

Licensing and Other

Licensing and Other consists primarily of the Company’s patent licensing business and legacy service access fees (“SAF”).

The  Company’s  Licensing  business  is  responsible  for  the  management  and  monetization  of  the  Company’s  global  patent 
portfolio.  The  patent  portfolio  continues  to  provide  a  competitive  advantage  in  the  Company’s  core  product  areas  as  well  as 
providing leverage in the development of future technologies and licensing programs in both core and adjacent vertical markets. 
The  Company  owns  rights  to  an  array  of  patented  and  patent  pending  technologies  which  include,  but  are  not  limited  to, 
operating systems, networking infrastructure, acoustics, messaging, enterprise software, automotive subsystems, cybersecurity, 
cryptography and wireless communications. As of February 28, 2022, the Company owned approximately 38,000 worldwide 
patents and applications. 

In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, the Company announced its entry into a patent sale agreement with Catapult IP Innovations 
for the sale of substantially all of the Company’s non-core patent assets for total consideration of $600 million (the “Patent Sale 
Transaction”).  Patents that are essential to the Company’s current core business operations are excluded from the Patent Sale 
Transaction.  At closing, the Company will receive a license back to the patents being sold, which relate primarily to mobile 
devices,  messaging  and  wireless  networking.    The  Patent  Sale  Transaction  will  not  impact  customers’  use  of  any  of  the 
Company’s products, solutions or services.  Completion of the Patent Sale Transaction is subject to the satisfaction of financing 
and other closing conditions and is targeted for the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2023.

The Company’s Other business generates revenue from SAF charged to subscribers using the Company’s legacy BlackBerry 7 
and prior BlackBerry operating systems.

Sales, Marketing, Distribution and Customers

The Company primarily generates revenue from the licensing of enterprise software and sales of associated services, including 
its  endpoint  management  and  cybersecurity  solutions,  BlackBerry  QNX  software  for  the  embedded  market,  technology 
licensing  and  professional  consulting  services.  The  Company  focuses  on  strategic  industries  with  vertical-specific  use  cases, 
including  regulated  enterprise  markets  such  as  financial  services,  government,  healthcare,  professional  services  and 
transportation, and other markets where embedded software and critical infrastructure are important, such as utilities, mining 
and manufacturing. 

The  Company  licenses  the  BlackBerry  Spark  platform,  including  its  individual  components  and  complementary  third-party 
applications,  through  a  geographically-dispersed  direct  sales  force,  value-added  resellers,  managed  security  service  providers 
and alliance partners. The Company continues to build its global BlackBerry Partner Program for resellers and distributors to 
bolster its direct sales and marketing efforts.

The Company also licenses its enterprise software and services through global wireless communications carriers, which are able 
to bill separately for BlackBerry UEM services, and other distribution partners around the world. 

The Company licenses BlackBerry QNX and BlackBerry Certicom technology and provides professional engineering services 
to  OEM  customers  in  the  automotive,  mobile  and  other  embedded  software  markets  via  a  direct  sales  force  and  indirectly 
through  channel  partnerships.  The  licenses  are  primarily  monetized  as  royalties  on  units  shipped  and  through  project 
development seats, tools and maintenance fees.

The Company markets and sells its BlackBerry Radar secure asset monitoring products and services to enterprise users through 
its internal sales force as well as through third party distribution channels.

Competitive Strengths

Key competitive factors important to the Company across its businesses include product features (including security features), 
relative  price  and  performance,  product  quality  and  reliability,  compatibility  across  ecosystems,  service  and  support,  and 
corporate reputation. The Company believes that it delivers the broadest set of security capabilities and visibility in the market, 
covering users, devices, networks, apps and data.

Cybersecurity

The  BlackBerry  Spark  platform  establishes  comprehensive  security  controls  in  any  connected  IoT  environment  and  meets  a 
growing  market  demand  for  a  solution  that  integrates  unified  endpoint  security  and  endpoint  management  capabilities  in  a 
single console with visibility across all endpoints. The platform is differentiated through its use of a zero-trust architecture that 

7

uniquely  combines  intelligent  security  with  a  user  experience  that  requires  little  to  no  support  from  end  users  or  IT 
administrators, simplifying management and reducing costs. 

The  BlackBerry  Cyber  Suite  leverages  Cylance  AI,  machine  learning  and  automation  to  provide  improved  cyber  threat 
prevention and remediation, and can help users to understand risks, make contextual decisions and dynamically apply policy 
controls with no user interruption, mitigating risks before they materialize. The Company trains its AI model against data lakes 
containing  billions  of  files  so  that  it  learns  to  autonomously  convict,  or  not  convict,  files  prior  to  their  execution.  Unlike 
traditional  signature-based  cybersecurity  technology,  this  prevention-oriented  approach  is  able  to  protect  enterprises  from 
malicious zero-day payloads before they are deployed, and even when protected endpoints are offline. Additionally, detection 
and  response  decisions  are  pushed  down  to  the  endpoint,  minimizing  response  latency  so  that  a  minor  security  event  can  be 
addressed before it becomes a widespread incident. BlackBerry Protect has earned Federal Risk and Authorization Management 
Program (“FedRAMP”) authorization.

The  BlackBerry  Spark  UEM  Suite  includes  leading  unified  endpoint  management,  secure  business  productivity,  application 
containerization,  secure  collaboration  and  digital  rights  management  capabilities.  BlackBerry  UEM  has  earned  National 
Information Assurance Partnership (“NIAP”) certification and is an approved mobile device management solution on the U.S. 
Department of Defense Information Network’s Approved Product List. The Company also provides a full development solution 
for the creation and retrofitting of apps for use in a container and offers an extensive library of secure enterprise applications.

The  inclusion  of  a  sophisticated  network  operations  center  in  the  BlackBerry  infrastructure  is  also  a  key  differentiator.  The 
Company pioneered the use of this architecture to route messages reliably and efficiently to and from mobile devices, and over 
time has expanded capabilities to enable end-to-end secure communications between endpoints and applications and enterprise 
networks.

IoT

In the embedded software industry, systems are becoming increasingly connected and complex, with software being used for 
functions  that  were  previously  performed  by  hardware,  driving  new  functional  safety  considerations.  BlackBerry  QNX  is 
recognized for attaining the highest levels of security certifications and approvals for many of its embedded products and is the 
leader  in  safety-certified,  secure  and  reliable  software  for  the  automotive  industry.  BlackBerry  QNX  is  a  trusted  supplier  of 
operating  systems,  hypervisors,  development  tools  and  support  to  automotive  OEMs  and  Tier  1  vendors  and  to  the  general 
embedded market. BlackBerry QNX technology is embedded in over 195 million vehicles.

The BlackBerry AtHoc and BlackBerry Alert platforms are mobile and scalable, integrate with legacy systems and support on-
premise  and  cloud-based  deployments.  With  available  incident  management  and  encrypted  end-to-end  instant  messaging 
capabilities, the platforms offer a suite of secure crisis communication services to meet the growing number of use cases for 
emergency  or  mass  notifications.  BlackBerry  AtHoc  has  received  FedRAMP  certification  and  is  the  leading  provider  of 
network-centric,  interactive  crisis  communication  to  the  U.S.  Department  of  Defense  and  the  U.S.  Department  of  Homeland 
Security, among other governmental bodies. BlackBerry AtHoc helps to protect more than 75% of U.S. government personnel. 

BlackBerry SecuSUITE technology has been certified to be compliant with the Common Criteria protection profile for VoIP 
applications  and  SIP  servers.  It  has  also  earned  NIAP  certification  and  has  been  placed  on  the  National  Security  Agency’s 
Commercial Solutions for Classified Program component list of products certified for use on classified systems.

Competition

The Company is engaged in markets that are highly competitive and rapidly evolving. Frequent new product introductions and 
changes to endpoints, operating systems, applications, security threats, industry standards and the overall technology landscape 
result  in  continuously  evolving  customer  requirements  for  mobile  solutions.  The  Company  competes  with  a  broad  range  of 
vendors  in  each  of  its  businesses.  See  “Competitive  Strengths”  above  for  a  discussion  of  how  the  Company  believes  it 
differentiates itself from competitors in its various businesses.

With  the  BlackBerry  UEM  Suite,  the  Company  competes  primarily  with  providers  of  enterprise  software  solutions. 
BlackBerry’s  UES  Technology,  including  the  BlackBerry  Cyber  Suite,  competes  with  various  types  of  providers,  including: 
traditional signature-based antivirus vendors and identity management; vendors whose business focuses almost solely on EPP; 
EDR vendors, which primarily focus on continuous monitoring and human response to advanced security threats; companies 
that  provide  endpoint  systems  management;  and  large  network  security  providers,  which  have  entered  the  market  primarily 
through acquisition. The Company’s BlackBerry QNX automotive business competes principally with providers of embedded 
software that employ customized Linux open-source operating systems for the transportation and logistics industry, and with 
Google’s Android Automotive OS. See Part 1, Item 1A “Risk Factors - The Company faces intense competition”. 

Product Design, Engineering and Research and Development 

The Company’s research and development (“R&D”) strategy seeks to provide broad market applications for products derived 
from its technology base. 

8

The Company dedicates a major portion of its R&D investments to the development of software products and services for its 
Cybersecurity and IoT solutions. Solutions include leading security capabilities at each level of the platform in order to address 
the needs of enterprise IT departments and end users for securing devices, applications, content and work data at rest and in 
transit. 

The Company makes significant investments to support its cybersecurity solutions and is committed to hiring and retaining top 
data scientists and engineers in the areas of artificial intelligence and machine learning. R&D investments at BlackBerry QNX 
are increasingly focused on software innovations for autonomous and connected vehicles.

The Company’s investment in longer term research is, in part, supported by taking advantage of specific government financial 
assistance programs where available.  For additional information, see Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Third Party Software Developers

The Company offers the BlackBerry Development Platform, an enterprise-grade toolset which enables application developers 
and  ISVs  to  build  secure,  powerful  and  customized  solutions  for  almost  every  use  case  and  to  commercialize  them  on  the 
BlackBerry® Marketplace for Enterprise Software, which contains over 130 enterprise applications and solutions. The platform 
includes  the  BlackBerry  Dynamics  software  development  kit  (“SDK”),  which  allows  developers  to  integrate  BlackBerry 
security into their enterprise applications, resulting in a managed application where corporate data is protected. The platform 
also includes SDKs for BlackBerry UEM, BlackBerry Workspaces, BlackBerry AtHoc and other products.

The primary development platform for BlackBerry QNX-based systems is the QNX® Software Development Platform (SDP), 
which  includes  the  QNX  Neutrino  Realtime  Operating  System  and  the  QNX  Momentics®  Tool  Suite.  The  QNX  SDP  is 
complemented  by  QNX®  Hypervisor,  QNX®  OS  for  Safety,  QNX®  Hypervisor  for  Safety,  QNX®  Acoustics  Management 
Platform and QNX® Platform for Digital Cockpits and other products.

To  support  BlackBerry  UES  products,  the  Company  offers  the  BlackBerry  Endpoint  ISV  Technology  Integration  program 
featuring  an  application  programming  interface  (“API”)  development  platform  that  enables  developers  and  ISVs  to  develop 
robust extensible security integrations for BlackBerry UES, creating results-based offerings for targeted use cases. Completed 
integrations are shared with the user community and promoted to market partners and AWS Marketplace opportunities. 

The  Company  also  offers  the  BlackBerry®  Spark  SDK,  an  in-app  protection  solution  powered  by  the  Company’s  enterprise 
security assessment framework. The Spark SDK enables mobile app developers to enhance their iOS and Android applications 
with a rich set of security capabilities to prevent device, application or user level attacks. In addition, the Company maintains 
the BlackBerry AtHoc Development Partner Program, which invites partners to integrate with the BlackBerry AtHoc service 
and  allows  them  to  create  alerts  based  on  more  event  types  or  to  leverage  alerting  capabilities  based  on  critical  events  from 
within other systems.

The  Company  also  offers  BlackBerry®  Spark  Communications  Services  to  application  developers  to  integrate  the  secure 
messaging, voice and video capabilities of BBM Enterprise into their applications and services.

Intellectual Property

The protection of intellectual property is an important part of the Company’s operations. The policy of the Company is to apply 
for  patents  and  to  acquire  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  industries  in  which  the 
Company  operates  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 believes that its patent portfolio continues to provide a competitive advantage in its core product areas as well as 
provide leverage in the development of future technologies. The Company does not believe that it is dependent upon a single 
patent  or  even  a  few  patents  and  instead  primarily  depends  upon  its  extensive  know-how,  innovative  culture,  and  technical 
leadership. 

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  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 which include, but are not limited to, operating systems, networking infrastructure, acoustics, messaging, 
enterprise  software,  automotive  subsystems,  cybersecurity,  cryptography  and  wireless  communications.  As  of  February  28, 

9

2022, the Company owned approximately 38,000 worldwide patents and applications. The Company does not expect that the 
sale of its portfolio of primarily legacy patents under the Patent Sale Agreement will negatively impact its strategy of protecting 
its new innovations through patent filings.

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 does not rely primarily on patents or other intellectual property rights to protect or establish its market position; 
however,  it  is  prepared  to  enforce  its  intellectual  property  rights  in  certain  technologies  when  attempts  to  negotiate  mutually 
agreeable  licenses  are  not  successful.  The  Company  also  enters  into  inbound  licensing  agreements  related  to  technology  and 
intellectual property rights, including agreements to obtain rights that may be necessary to produce and sell products.

Environmental, Social and Governance

The  Company  observes  the  highest  ethical  standards  in  its  operations  and  has  adopted  policies  and  practices  that  require  the 
same of its business partners. The Company’s business is based on trust, and the Company maintains its position as a global 
leader  in  data  security  and  privacy  by  developing  new  technologies,  complying  with  established  and  evolving  regulatory 
frameworks, acting with integrity and adhering to responsible business practices. See also “Ethical Business Conduct and Code 
of Business Standards and Principles” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The  Company  is  committed  to  operating  in  a  sustainable  way  that  respects  the  environment,  the  Company’s  employees  and 
business  partners,  and  the  communities  in  which  the  Company  operates  around  the  world.  To  honor  this  commitment,  the 
Company maintains a variety of programs to identify, execute and maintain sustainable initiatives and to reduce its direct and 
indirect environmental impact.  In fiscal 2022, these programs enabled the Company to announce that it has achieved carbon 
neutrality across its Scope 1, Scope 2 and material Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions.

In fiscal 2020, the Company joined the United Nations Global Compact (“UNGC”) and committed to the ten principles of the 
UNGC  and  to  the  United  Nations  Sustainable  Development  Goals  that  are  relevant  to  the  Company’s  business.  In  its 
procurement  activities,  the  Company  engages  with  its  suppliers  to  conduct  due  diligence  into  the  source  of  the  so-called 
“conflict  minerals”  (which  currently  include  the  minerals  from  which  gold,  tantalum,  tin,  and  tungsten  are  derived)  that  are 
necessary  to  the  functionality  or  production  of  the  Company’s  hardware  products,  principally  for  the  BlackBerry  Radar 
business. The Company also seeks to make a positive impact in the communities in which it operates by investing in strategic 
charitable  partnerships,  supporting  charitable  endeavours  by  employees,  and  building  community  relationships  through  local 
offices.

The  Company  has  formalized  a  number  of  policies  to  reflect  its  commitment  to  responsible  business  practices,  including  a 
Privacy Policy, Supplier Code of Conduct, Human Rights Policy, Equal Employment Policy and Supplier Diversity Policy, and 
periodically issues a corporate responsibility report. Through the report, the Company provides visibility on its environmental, 
social  and  governance  initiatives  such  as  mitigating  its  corporate  carbon  footprint  and  reducing  greenhouse  gas  emissions, 
improving  water  sanitation  and  fostering  diversity.  These  documents  and  policies  relating  to  the  Company’s  corporate 
responsibility  initiatives  can  be  viewed  on  the  Company’s  website  at  https://www.blackberry.com/us/en/company/corporate-
responsibility and are not incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. 

Foreign and domestic laws and regulations apply to many aspects of the Company’s business. 

The Company collects and uses a wide variety of information for various purposes in its business, including to help ensure the 
integrity of its services and to provide features and functionality to customers. This aspect of the Company’s business is subject 
to  a  broad  array  of  evolving  privacy  and  data  protection  laws,  including  the  European  Union’s  General  Data  Protection 
Regulation,  the  proposed  Canadian  Consumer  Privacy  Protection  Act,  regional  privacy  frameworks  such  as  the  Asia-Pacific 
Economic  Cooperation  Privacy  Framework,  and  national  and  state  laws  within  the  United  States,  including  the  California 
Privacy  Rights  Act.    These  laws  impose  strict  operational  requirements  and  can  provide  for  significant  penalties  for  non-
compliance.  Elements of these evolving laws and regulations, as well as their interpretation and enforcement, remain unclear 
and the Company may be required to modify its practices to comply with them in the future.

The Company is also subject to numerous international trade laws and regulations, including, without limitation, tariffs, trade 
sanctions,  export  controls  and  technology  transfer  restrictions,  as  well  as  anti-corruption  legislation  such  as  the  U.S.  Foreign 
Corrupt Practices Act and Canada’s Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act.

Additionally,  the  Company  is  subject  to  domestic  and  international  laws  relating  to  environmental  protection  and  the 
proliferation  of  hazardous  substances.    In  parts  of  Europe,  North  America,  Latin  America  and  the  Asia-Pacific  region,  the 
Company  is  obligated  to  comply  with  substance  restrictions,  packaging  regulations,  energy  efficiency  ratings  and  certain 
product  take-back  and  recycling  requirements,  principally  for  the  BlackBerry  Radar  business.    The  U.S.  Dodd-Frank  Wall 

10

Street  Reform  and  Consumer  Protection  Act  also  requires  the  Company  to  comply  with  certain  due  diligence  and  disclosure 
obligations with respect to the use of conflict minerals.  Furthermore, the Company may be subject to a variety of local laws 
unknown to the Company in foreign jurisdictions where customers are located.

Any actual or perceived failure to comply with these requirements may result in, among other things, revocation of required 
licenses  or  registrations,  loss  of  approved  status,  private  litigation,  regulatory  or  governmental  investigations,  administrative 
enforcement actions, sanctions, civil and criminal liability, and constraints on the Company’s operations. It is also possible that 
current  or  future  laws  or  regulations  could  be  interpreted  or  applied  in  a  manner  that  would  prohibit,  alter,  or  impair  the 
Company’s existing or planned products and services, or that could require the Company to undertake costly, time-consuming 
or otherwise burdensome compliance measures. 

Information about our Executive Officers

The  Company  made  two  executive  officer  appointments  during  fiscal  2022,  naming  Mattias  Eriksson  as  President,  IoT  and 
John Giamatteo as President, Cybersecurity.

The following table sets forth the name, province or state, and country of residence of each executive officer of the Company 
and their respective positions and offices held with the Company and their principal occupations during the last five years. 

Name and Residence

John S. Chen
California, USA

Randall Cook
California, USA

Marjorie Dickman
Washington D.C., USA

Mattias Eriksson
Illinois, USA

John Giamatteo
Texas, USA

Sai Yuen (Billy) Ho
California, USA

Steve Rai
Ontario, Canada

Nita White-Ivy
California, USA

Mark Wilson
California, USA

Human Capital

Current Position with 
Company
Chief Executive 
Officer; Executive 
Chair/Director

Principal Occupation During the Last Five Years (other 
than Current Position with Company)

Chief Legal Officer

General Counsel, Calypso Technology (2017-2018)

Global Director and Associate General Counsel, IoT and 
Automated Driving Policy, Intel (2017-2020)

Senior Vice President and Head of Product, HERE 
Technologies (2019-2020); Senior Vice President, Head of 
Core Map Group, HERE Technologies (2016-2019)

President and Chief Revenue Officer, McAfee (2013-2020)

Chief Government 
Affairs and Public 
Policy Officer

President, IoT

President, 
Cybersecurity

Executive Vice
President, Product 
Engineering, 
BlackBerry Spark

Chief Financial Officer Deputy Chief Financial Officer (2019), Vice President and 
Corporate Controller (2014-2019)

Chief Human 
Resources Officer

Chief Marketing 
Officer

Senior Vice President, Marketing, BlackBerry Limited 
(2014-2017)

The Company’s 3,325 regular employees, contract workers and student workers as of February 28, 2022 work as a team in 20 
countries worldwide, of which approximately 51% are in Canada, 31% are in the U.S., and the remaining 18% are outside of 
North America.  The Company expects to increase the number of employees in its Cybersecurity and IoT business units by 250 
employees,  in  the  aggregate,  during  fiscal  2023.  None  of  the  Company’s  employees  in  Canada  or  the  United  States  are 
represented by a labour union; however, employees of certain foreign subsidiaries in Europe are represented by works councils.

The Company offers employees a fair, equitable and competitive total rewards program, designed to recognize and reward both 
individual and company performance. The Company provides a range of financial and benefit programs such as its employee 
share  purchase  program,  employee  recognition  programs,  retirement  savings  plans,  family-friendly  leave  policies,  health  and 

11

wellness programs, employee and family assistance program, as well as corporate discounts, all designed to support the overall 
wellness of the Company’s employees and their families.

The Company embraces a diverse and inclusive workplace, providing a welcoming environment in which every individual is 
valued  and  respected,  regardless  of  race,  gender,  sexual  orientation,  gender  identity,  religion,  age,  veteran  status,  disability 
status  or  any  other  protected  element  of  diversity.  The  Company  recognizes  diversity,  equity  and  inclusion  as  business 
imperatives  and  commits  to  attract,  develop,  and  retain  the  best  and  brightest  talent.  The  Company  strives  to  maintain  an 
environment where people are valued, have a sense of belonging, and feel they can bring their authentic selves to work, every 
day.  The  Company  is  committed  to  maintaining  a  respectful  and  productive  work  environment  free  from  discrimination  and 
harassment,  supported  by  diversity  and  inclusion  unconscious  bias  training,  outreach  and  partnership  programs  like  the 
Company’s Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Indigenous students awards programs, 
and development opportunities such as the Taking the Stage program for female and aspiring leaders. The Company does not 
tolerate, condone, or ignore workplace discrimination or harassment or any unlawful behavior and investigates all complaints 
regarding such conduct in a timely manner. 

The Company believes career development is unique and personal for each employee. The Company offers career development 
and  growth  in  many  forms  such  as  job  shadowing,  job  rotation,  stretch  assignments,  enhanced  scope  or  responsibility, 
networking,  lateral  movement,  promotions,  and  volunteering.    The  Company  encourages  opportunities  for  employees  to 
broaden their scope and understanding of the business, and to build additional skills to attain their career aspirations. Employees 
are  supported  in  their  growth  and  development  through  the  Company’s  tuition  and  educational  reimbursement  programs, 
subsidies for professional association memberships, global mentorship program, career planning services, and various training 
programs. 

The Company is honored that its determination to support smart, dedicated, creative employees who are driven to succeed has 
been  recognized  through  numerous  awards,  including  Newsweek’s  Most  Loved  Workplaces  (2021),  Best  &  Brightest 
Companies to Work For (2016-2021), Best & Brightest Companies in Wellness (2016-2021), Canada’s Future Workforce Top 
Employers  for  Computer  Science  (2020-2022),  and  Canada’s  Top  100  Greenest  Employers  (2016-2021),  among  others.  The 
Company also takes pride in its award-winning paid co-op and intern student program, through which the Company invests in 
the personal and professional development of the next generation of BlackBerry talent. 

Building  upon  its  culture  of  teamwork,  the  Company  is  a  proud  and  committed  civic  leader.  BlackBerry  employees  are 
passionate,  mobilized  and  empowered  by  their  involvement  in  corporate-run  community  initiatives  to  actively  participate  in 
volunteer activities and environmentally friendly initiatives where they live and work. Together with its team of community-
minded employees, the Company believes there is great potential to make lasting local impacts.

Available Information

Our  internet  address  is  www.blackberry.com.  Our  website  is  included  in  this  Annual  Report  on  Form  10-K  as  an  inactive 
textual reference only. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 
10-K.

As  of  March  1,  2020,  the  Company  began  reporting  with  the  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission  (“SEC”)  as  a  domestic 
issuer instead of a foreign private issuer. Prior to that date, the Company was a foreign private issuer and, in compliance with 
SEC  regulations,  furnished  its  interim  financial  statements  on  Form  6-K  and  filed  its  Annual  Report  on  Form  40-F.  The 
Company continues to be a reporting issuer subject to continuous disclosure obligations under applicable Canadian securities 
laws.

Access to our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and 40-F, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and 6-K, Current Reports on Form 8-
K, supplemental financial information, earnings press releases, and amendments to these reports filed with or furnished to the 
SEC may be obtained free of charge as soon as is reasonably practical after we electronically file or furnish them through the 
Investors section of our website at www.blackberry.com/ca/en/company/investors. In addition, our filings with the SEC may be 
accessed through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and our filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators (“CSA”) may 
be accessed through the CSA’s System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (“SEDAR”) at www.sedar.com. Except 
for the documents specifically incorporated by reference into this Annual Report, information contained on the SEC or CSA 
websites is not incorporated by reference in the Annual Report on Form 10-K and should not be considered to be a part of the 
Annual Report. All statements made in any of our securities filings, including all forward-looking statements or information, 
are made as of the date of the document in which the statement is included, and we do not assume or undertake any obligation 
to update any of those statements or documents unless we are required to do so by applicable law.

12

ITEM 1A.  RISK FACTORS 

Investors in the Company’s securities should carefully consider the following risks, as well as the other information contained 
in MD&A (as defined below) and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K Form for the fiscal year ended February 28, 
2022. Any of the following risks, in whole or in part, could materially and adversely impact the Company’s business, financial 
condition  and  operating  results.  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  unaware  or  the  Company  currently  deems 
immaterial, may also have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to the Company’s Business

The  Company  may  not  be  able  to  enhance,  develop,  introduce  or  monetize  products  and  services  for  the  enterprise 

market in a timely manner with competitive pricing, features and performance.

The  industries  in  which  the  Company  competes  are  characterized  by  rapid  technological  change,  frequent  new  product 
introductions,  frequent  market  price  reductions,  constant  improvements  in  features  and  short  product  life  cycles.    The 
Company’s  future  success  depends  upon  its  ability  to  enhance  and  integrate  its  current  products  and  services,  including  the 
BlackBerry Spark Suite, to provide for their compatibility with evolving industry standards and operating systems, 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.

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  multiple  operating  platforms.  The  development  of  next-generation 
technologies  that  utilize  new  and  advanced  features,  including  artificial  intelligence  and  machine  learning,  involves  making 
predictions  regarding  the  willingness  of  the  market  to  adopt  such  technologies  over  legacy  solutions.  The  Company  may  be 
required  to  commit  significant  resources  to  developing  new  products,  software  and  services  before  knowing  whether  such 
investment will result in products or services that the market will accept.

The Company’s inability, for technological or other reasons, some of which may be beyond the Company’s control, to enhance, 
develop, introduce and monetize 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  deliver  a  compelling  customer  experience  or  accurately  predict  emerging  technological  trends  and  the 
changing needs of customers and end users, or if the features of its new products and services do not meet the demands of its 
customers or are not sufficiently differentiated from those of its competitors, the Company’s business, results of operations and 
financial condition could be materially harmed.

The Company may not be able to maintain or expand its customer base for its software and services offerings to grow 

revenue or achieve sustained profitability.

The  Company  has  focused  its  strategy  on  software  and  services  to  grow  revenue  and  generate  sustainable  profitability, 
including by commercializing the BlackBerry Spark Suite and its component solutions.

For the Company to increase its software and services revenues, it must continually grow its customer base by attracting new 
customers or, in the case of existing customers, deploying software and services across more endpoints or attracting additional 
users in such existing customers’ businesses. The Company also needs to sell additional software and services over time to the 
same  customers,  or  have  customers  upgrade  their  level  of  service.  If  the  Company  is  unable  to  promote  a  compelling  value 
proposition to customers and its efforts to sell or upsell software or services as described above are not successful, its results of 
operations  could  be  materially  impacted.  Further,  although  recent  attacks  on  prominent  enterprises  have  increased  market 
awareness  of  the  importance  of  cybersecurity,  if  the  general  level  of  cyberattacks  declines  or  customers  perceive  that  it  has 
declined, the Company’s ability to attract new customers and expand its sales to existing customers could be harmed.

Existing  customers  that  purchase  the  Company’s  software  and  services  have  no  contractual  obligation  to  renew  their 
subscriptions  or  purchase  additional  solutions  after  the  initial  subscription  or  contract  period.  The  Company’s  customers’ 
expansion and renewal rates may decline or fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, including the perceived need for such 
additional software and services, the level of satisfaction with the Company’s software and services, features or functionality, 
the  reliability  of  the  Company’s  software  and  services,  the  Company’s  customer  support,  customer  budgets  and  other 
competitive  factors,  such  as  pricing  and  competitors’  offerings.  For  smaller  or  simpler  deployments,  the  switching  costs  and 
time are relatively minor compared to traditional enterprise software deployments and such a customer may more easily decide 
not  to  renew  with  the  Company  and  switch  to  a  competitor’s  offerings.  For  larger  deployments,  particularly  with  enterprise 
customers in highly regulated industries such as financial services, government, healthcare and transportation, the Company is 
subject  to  risks  related  to  increased  customer  bargaining  power,  longer  sales  cycles,  regulatory  changes,  compliance  with 
procurement requirements and contractual performance covenants, and enhanced customer support obligations.

13

The Company must invest significant time and resources in providing ongoing value to these customers and in enhancing its 
reputation as an enterprise software vendor. If these efforts fail, or if the Company’s customers do not renew for other reasons, 
or if they renew on terms less favourable to the Company, the Company’s revenue may decline and its results of operations 
could be materially impacted.

The  Company’s  ability  to  grow  software  and  services  revenue  is  also  dependent  on  its  ability  to  expand  its  distribution 
capabilities  with  partners,  resellers  and  licensees  and  its  ability  to  maintain  a  qualified  direct  sales  force,  which  requires 
significant time and resources, including investment in systems and training. From time to time, the Company may choose to 
reorganize  its  go-to-market  teams  in  an  effort  to  better  leverage  its  sales  resources  and  improve  customer  service.  These 
reorganizations, which may include investments in educating the Company’s sales force, can cause short-term disruptions and 
may  negatively  impact  sales.  There  can  be  no  assurance  that  the  Company  will  be  successful  in  implementing  its  sales  and 
distribution strategy. See also the Risk Factor entitled “The Company’s success depends on its relationships with resellers and 
distributors”.

The Company faces intense competition.

The  Company  is  engaged  in  markets  that  are  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 many of the products and services offered by the Company. Accordingly, both the nature of 
the  competition  and  the  scope  of  the  business  opportunities  afforded  by  the  markets  in  which  the  Company  competes  are 
uncertain.

The  Company’s  competitors,  including  new  market  entrants,  may  implement  new  technologies  before  the  Company  does, 
deliver new products and services earlier, or provide products and services that are disruptive or that are attractively priced or 
enhanced  or  better  quality  compared  to  those  of  the  Company,  making  it  more  difficult  for  the  Company  to  win  or  preserve 
market share.

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. In particular, some of the 
Company’s  competitors  may  be  able  to  leverage  their  relationships  with  enterprise  customers  based  on  other  products  or 
incorporate  functionality  into  existing  products  to  gain  business  in  a  manner  that  discourages  users  from  purchasing  the 
Company’s  solutions,  including  by  selling  at  zero  or  negative  margins,  product  bundling  or  offering  closed  technology 
platforms. In the automotive sector, some of the Company’s OEM and Tier 1 customers have accelerated internal development 
of embedded solutions. In addition, competition may intensify as the Company’s competitors enter into business combinations 
or alliances and established companies in other market segments expand to become competitive with the Company’s business.

The impact of the competition described above could result in fewer customer orders, loss of market share, pressure to reduce 
prices,  commoditization  of  product  and  service  categories  in  which  the  Company  participates,  reduced  revenue  and  reduced 
margins. If the Company is unable to compete successfully, there could be a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, 
results of operations and financial condition.

The Company must obtain and maintain certain product approvals and certifications from governmental authorities, regulated 
enterprise customers and network carrier partners in order to remain competitive, meet contractual requirements and enable its 
customers  to  meet  their  certification  needs.  Failure  to  maintain  such  approvals  or  certifications  for  the  Company’s  current 
products  or  to  obtain  such  approvals  or  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. In addition, independent industry analysts often 
issue reports regarding endpoint security solutions and the perception of the Company’s solutions in the marketplace, especially 
as  compared  to  those  of  the  Company’s  competitors,  may  be  significantly  influenced  by  these  reports.  If  these  reports  are 
negative,  less  frequent  or  less  positive  than  reports  on  the  Company’s  competitors’  products,  the  Company’s  competitive 
position may be harmed.

The  occurrence  or  perception  of  a  breach  of  the  Company’s  network  cybersecurity  measures  or  an  inappropriate 

disclosure of confidential or personal information could significantly harm its business.

The  Company  is  continuously  exposed  to  cyber  threats  through  the  actions  of  outside  parties,  such  as  hacking,  viruses,  and 
other malicious software, denial of service attacks, industrial espionage and other methods designed to breach the Company’s 
network  or  data  security.  The  Company  is  also  exposed  to  risk  as  a  result  of  process,  coding  or  human  errors  and  through 
attempts by third parties to fraudulently induce employees to provide access to confidential or personal information. Although 
malicious  attempts  to  gain  unauthorized  access  to  such  information  affect  many  companies  across  various  industries,  the 
Company is at a relatively greater risk of being specifically targeted because of its reputation for security and the nature of its 
network  operations,  and  because  the  Company  has  been  involved  in  the  identification  of  organized  cyber  adversaries.  Such 
attempts may intensify in the event of retaliatory cyber attacks stemming from Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine.

14

The  Company  devotes  significant  resources  to  network  security,  encryption  and  authentication  technologies  and  other 
measures, including security policies and procedures, vulnerability testing and awareness training, to mitigate cyber risk to its 
systems,  endpoints  and  data.  In  addition,  the  Company  engineers  novel  security  and  reliability  features,  deploys  software 
updates to address vulnerabilities, and maintains a security infrastructure that protects the integrity of the Company’s network, 
products and services. The Company also mitigates risk by actively monitoring external threats, reviewing best practices and 
implementing  appropriate  internal  controls,  including  incident  response  plans.  However,  the  techniques  used  to  obtain 
unauthorized access or to disable or degrade service are constantly evolving and becoming more sophisticated in nature, and 
frequently are not recognized or identified until after they have been deployed against a target. The Company may not be able 
to  anticipate  these  techniques,  to  implement  adequate  preventative  measures  or  to  identify  and  respond  to  them  in  a  timely 
manner, and the Company’s efforts to do so may have a material adverse impact on the Company’s operating margins, the user 
experience or compatibility with third party products and services. 

Although  to  date  the  Company  has  not  experienced  any  material  financial  or  other  losses  relating  to  technology  failure, 
cyberattacks or security breaches, there is no assurance that the Company will not experience material loss or damage in the 
future. If the network and product security measures implemented by the Company or its partners, including third-party data 
center  operators,  cloud  service  providers  and  product  manufacturers  are  breached,  or  perceived  to  be  breached,  or  if  the 
confidentiality,  integrity  or  availability  of  the  Company’s  data,  including  intellectual  property  and  legally  protected  personal 
data,  is  compromised,  the  Company  could  be  exposed  to  significant  litigation,  service  disruptions,  investigation  and 
remediation costs, regulatory sanctions, fines and contractual penalties. In addition, any such event could materially damage the 
Company’s reputation, which is built in large measure on the security and reliability of BlackBerry products and services, and 
could result in the loss of investor confidence, channel partners, competitive advantages, revenues and customers, including the 
Company’s  most  significant  government  and  regulated  enterprise  customers.  While  the  Company  maintains  cybersecurity 
insurance,  the  Company’s  coverage  may  be  insufficient  to  cover  all  losses  or  types  of  claims  that  may  arise  from  cyber 
incidents, and any incidents may result in the loss of, or increased costs of, the Company’s insurance.

A failure or perceived failure of the Company’s solutions to detect or prevent security vulnerabilities could materially 

adversely affect the Company’s reputation, financial condition and results of operations.

The  techniques  used  by  cyber  adversaries  to  breach  network  and  endpoint  security  measures  are  sophisticated  and  change 
frequently,  and  the  Company’s  products  and  services  may  not  protect  users  against  all  cyberattacks.  At  the  same  time,  the 
Company’s products and services are highly complex and may contain design defects, bugs or security vulnerabilities that are 
difficult  to  detect  and  correct.  Such  internal  defects  and  a  variety  of  external  factors,  including  misconfigurations,  errors 
introduced  through  collaborations  with  the  Company’s  engineering  partners  or  the  failure  of  customers  to  address  risks 
identified by our platform, could impair the effectiveness of the Company’s solutions and cause them to fail to secure endpoints 
and prevent attacks or function as intended. In addition, the Company’s solutions may falsely indicate a cyber threat that does 
not actually exist, which may negatively impact customers’ trust in the Company’s solutions.

Real  or  perceived  defects,  errors  or  vulnerabilities  in  the  Company’s  software  and  services,  or  the  failure  of  the  Company’s 
platform solutions to detect or prevent cyber incidents, could result in the delay or denial of their market acceptance and may 
harm the Company’s reputation, financial condition and results of operations. If errors are discovered, correcting them could 
require  significant  expenditures  by  the  Company  and  the  Company  may  not  be  able  to  successfully  correct  them  in  a  timely 
manner or at all.

The  Company’s  products  and  services  frequently  involve  the  transmission,  processing  and  storage  of  data,  including 
proprietary, confidential and personally-identifiable information, and a security compromise, misconfiguration or malfunction 
involving the Company’s software could result in such information being accessible to attackers or other third parties. Real or 
perceived  security  breaches  against  a  customer  using  the  Company’s  solutions  could  cause  damage  or  disruption  to  the 
customer  and  subject  the  Company  to  liability,  and  may  result  in  the  customer  and  the  public  believing  that  the  Company’s 
solutions  are  ineffective,  even  if  they  were  not  implicated  in  failing  to  block  the  attack.  Further,  a  breach  of  an  artificial 
intelligence and machine learning-based solution offered by another endpoint security provider could cause the market to lose 
confidence in next-generation security software generally, including the Company’s solutions.

The  Company’s  success  depends  on  its  continuing  ability  to  attract  new  personnel,  retain  existing  key  personnel  and 

manage its staffing effectively.

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,  top  research  developers  and  experienced  salespeople  with  specialized 
knowledge.  Competition  for  such  people  is  intense,  continuous,  and  increasing  in  the  industries  in  which  the  Company 
participates, and the Company has experienced solicitations of its employees by its competitors.

Competition for highly skilled personnel is intense, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area and in the Waterloo, Ontario area, 
where  the  Company  has  a  substantial  presence  and  need  for  highly  skilled  personnel.  The  Company  is  also  substantially 
dependent on the continued service of its existing engineering personnel because of the complexity of its products and services. 

15

Also, to the extent that the Company hires employees from mature public companies with significant financial resources, the 
Company  may  be  subject  to  allegations  that  such  employees  have  been  improperly  solicited,  or  that  they  have  divulged 
proprietary  or  other  confidential  information  or  that  their  former  employers  own  such  employees’  inventions  or  other  work 
product.

To  attract  and  retain  critical  personnel,  the  Company  may  experience  increased  compensation  costs  that  are  not  offset  by 
increased  productivity  or  higher  prices  for  our  products  and  services.  Also,  the  Company’s  financial  results  and  share  price 
performance  (particularly  for  those  employees  for  whom  equity-based  compensation  is  a  key  element  of  their  total 
compensation),  among  other  factors,  may  impact  the  Company’s  ability  to  attract  new,  and  retain  existing,  employees.    In 
addition,  the  Company’s  ability  to  hire  and  retain  qualified  personnel  may  be  negatively  impacted  by  any  changes  that  the 
Company makes with respect to remote, on-site or hybrid work arrangements, as these may not meet the needs or expectations 
of employees or may be perceived as less favourable compared to other companies’ policies. Any failure by the Company to 
attract  and  retain  key  employees  could  have  a  material  adverse  effect  on  the  Company’s  business,  results  of  operations  and 
financial condition.

In  addition,  during  periods  of  internal  reorganization,  the  Company  may  experience  losses  of  business  continuity  and 
accumulated knowledge, internal compliance gaps or other inefficiencies, including litigation claims by terminated employees. 
If the Company does not maintain appropriate staffing, develop effective business continuity and succession programs, mitigate 
turnover and effectively utilize employees with the right mix of skills and experience across the functions necessary to meet the 
current and future needs of its business, the financial and operational performance of the Company could suffer.

Litigation against the Company may result in adverse outcomes.

In  the  course  of  its  business,  the  Company  is  subject  to  potential  litigation  claims  and  enforcement  actions  arising  from  its 
public  disclosure.    The  Company  is  committed  to  providing  a  high  level  of  disclosure  and  transparency  and  provides 
commentary  that  highlights  the  trends  and  uncertainties  that  the  Company  anticipates.  Given  the  highly  competitive  and 
dynamic  industry  in  which  the  Company  operates  and  the  evolution  of  the  Company’s  business  strategy  over  time,  the 
Company’s  financial  results  may  not  follow  any  past  trends,  making  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.

See  Note  10  to  the  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  for  information  regarding  certain  legal  proceedings  in  which  the 
Company is involved, including a consolidated securities class action complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern 
District of New York. 

In addition, the Company receives general commercial claims related to the conduct of its business and the performance of its 
products and services, including product liability and warranty claims, employment claims, claims for breaches of contractual 
covenants and other litigation claims, which may potentially include claims relating to improper use of, or access to, personal 
data.    Liability  claims  related  to  product  defects,  bugs  or  vulnerabilities  could  give  rise  to  class  action  litigation  or  to  the 
withdrawal of certifications, and the Company may be subject to such claims either directly or indirectly through indemnities 
that  it  provides  to  certain  of  its  customers.    The  Company’s  exposure  to  product  liability  risk  may  increase  as  the  Company 
continues to commercialize its software innovations for autonomous and connected vehicles.

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,  securities,  employment  and  other  litigation  increases  these  risks.    In  recognition  of 
these considerations, the Company may enter into settlements resulting in material expenditures, the payment of which could 
have  a  material  adverse  effect  on  the  Company’s  business,  results  of  operation  and  financial  condition.    Similarly,  if  the 
Company  is  unsuccessful  in  its  defense  of  material  litigation  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.  

The Company’s success depends on its relationships with resellers and channel partners. 

The  Company’s  ability  to  maintain  and  expand  its  market  reach  is  increasingly  dependent  on  establishing,  developing  and 
maintaining relationships with third party resellers and channel partners. The Company makes training available to its partners 
and develops sales programs to incentivize them to promote and deliver the Company’s current and future products and services 
and to grow its user base.

If the Company is not able to effectively identify and establish new relationships with successful resellers and channel partners, 
or to maintain or enhance existing relationships without giving rise to conflicts between channels, or if the Company’s partners 

16

do not act in a manner that will promote the success of the Company’s products and services, the Company’s business, results 
of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Many  resellers  and  channel  partners  sell  products  and  services  of  the  Company’s  competitors  and  may  terminate  their 
relationships with the Company with limited or no notice and limited or no penalty. If the Company’s competitors offer their 
products and services to the resellers and channel partners 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  resellers  and  channel  partners,  there  may  be  continued  pressure  on  the  Company  to  reduce  the  price  of  its 
products and services, or those resellers and channel partners may stop offering the Company’s products or de-emphasize the 
sale  of  its  products  and  services  in  favor  of  the  Company’s  competitors,  which  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.  In  addition,  the  Company  is  increasingly  collaborating  and  partnering  with  third  parties  to  develop  technologies, 
products and services, as well as seek new revenue through partnering arrangements.

These  activities  involve  significant  challenges  and  risks,  including:  that  they  may  not  advance  the  Company’s  strategic 
objectives  or  generate  satisfactory  synergies  or  return  on  investment;  that  the  Company  may  have  difficulty  integrating  and 
managing new employees, business systems, development teams and product offerings; the potential loss of key employees of 
an  acquired  business;  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. 
Acquisitions,  investments  or  other  strategic  collaborations  or  partnerships  may  involve  significant  commitments  of  financial 
and other resources of the Company. If these fail to perform as expected, or if the Company fails to enter into and execute the 
transactions or arrangements needed to succeed, the Company may not be able to bring its products, services or technologies to 
market successfully or in a timely manner, which would have a material adverse impact on results of operations.

Furthermore, 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 would 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, which are not covered by the indemnity or escrow provisions, if any, of the relevant acquisition agreements.

As business circumstances dictate, the Company may also decide to divest itself of assets or businesses. The Company 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.

In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, the Company announced that it had entered into an agreement for the sale of substantially 
all of its non-core patent assets for total consideration of $600 million.  The buyer is a special purpose vehicle formed to acquire 
the Company’s assets and completion of the transaction is subject to the satisfaction of financing and other closing conditions.  
Closing  is  targeted  for  the  end  of  the  first  quarter  of  fiscal  2023  but  there  can  be  no  assurance  that  the  transaction  will  be 
successfully completed.

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has had and may continue to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s 

business, results of operations and financial condition.

The  COVID-19  coronavirus  pandemic  and  related  public  health  measures,  including  orders  to  shelter-in-place,  travel 
restrictions  and  mandated  business  closures,  has  adversely  affected  workforces,  organizations,  consumers  and  economies 
leading to increased market volatility and economic disruption.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the normal operations of the Company and the businesses of many of the Company’s 
customers, suppliers and distribution partners.  During fiscal 2022 and throughout most of fiscal 2021, the Company mandated 
remote working, utilizing virtual meetings and suspending employee travel, to protect the health and safety of its employees, 
contractors, customers and visitors.  The Company also shifted customer, industry and other stakeholder events to virtual-only 
experiences, and may similarly alter, postpone or cancel other events in the future.  The long-term impacts on the Company of 
substantially remote operations are uncertain. 

17

The economic downturn and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures undertaken to contain its spread 
have negatively affected the Company’s QNX automotive software business and caused volatility in demand for the Company’s 
products  and  services,  adversely  affected  the  ability  of  the  Company’s  sales  and  professional  services  teams  to  work  with 
customers, and increased sales cycle times. The uncertainty also resulted in the Company making significant judgments related 
to its estimates and assumptions concerning the impairment of goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets and certain operating 
lease right-of-use assets and associated property, plant and equipment.

The  COVID-19  pandemic  and  related  global  chip  shortage  have  had  and,  in  fiscal  2022,  may  continue  to  have  a  material 
adverse impact on the Company’s QNX automotive software business in particular and on the Company’s business, results of 
operations and financial condition on a consolidated basis. While the Company does not expect the COVID-19 pandemic and 
its related economic impact to materially adversely affect the Company’s liquidity position, the Company continues to evaluate 
the  current  and  potential  impact  of  the  pandemic  on  its  business,  results  of  operations  and  consolidated  financial  statements, 
including potential asset impairment. The Company also continues to actively monitor developments and business conditions 
that may cause it to take further actions that alter business operations as may be required by applicable authorities or that the 
Company determines are in the best interests of its employees, customers, suppliers and stockholders. 

The  ultimate  impact  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic  on  the  Company’s  operational  and  financial  performance  will  depend  on, 
among other things, the pandemic’s duration and severity, including resurgences in some geographic areas as a result of new 
strains  and  variants,  the  governmental  restrictions  that  may  be  sustained  or  imposed  in  response  to  the  pandemic,  the 
effectiveness  of  actions  taken  to  contain  or  mitigate  the  pandemic  (including  the  distribution  and  efficacy  of  vaccines, 
particularly  against  emergent  viral  variants),  the  impact  of  the  global  chip  shortage  and  other  supply  chain  constraints.  The 
long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business may not be fully reflected until future periods.

Network  disruptions  or  other  business  interruptions  could  have  a  material  adverse  effect  on  the  Company’s  business 

and harm its reputation.

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 carrier partners, cloud service providers, and third-party 
data  centre  operators.  The  Company’s  network  operations  and  technology  systems  are  potentially  vulnerable  to  damage  or 
interruption  from  a  variety  of  sources,  including  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  services  at  the 
request  of  a  government  for  alleged  non-compliance  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  or  cyber  attack  for  the  Company. 
There may also be system or network interruptions if new or upgraded systems are defective or not installed properly, or if data 
centre operators fail to meet agreed service levels.

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  BlackBerry  services  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.  As the Company moves to handle increased data traffic and support more applications or services, the 
risk of disruption and the expense of maintaining a resilient and secure network services capability may significantly increase.

The Company may not be successful in fostering an ecosystem of third-party application developers.

The Company believes decisions by customers to purchase its products, including the BlackBerry IVY platform, depend and 
will depend in part on the availability and compatibility of software applications and services that are developed and maintained 
by third-party developers.  The Company may not be able to convince third parties to develop and maintain applications for its 
cybersecurity  software  and  embedded  solutions  platforms.  The  loss  of,  or  inability  to  maintain  these  developer  relationships 
may materially and adversely affect the desirability of the Company’s products and, hence, the Company’s revenue from the 
sale of its products.

The Company’s products and services are dependent upon interoperability with rapidly changing systems provided by 

third parties.

The  Company’s  platform  depends  on  interoperability  with  operating  systems,  such  as  those  provided  by  Apple,  Google  and 
Microsoft, as well as automotive OEMs. Operating systems are upgraded frequently in response to consumer demand and, in 
order to maintain the interoperability of its platform, the Company may need to release new software updates at a much greater 
pace than a traditional enterprise software company that supports only a single platform.  In addition, the Company typically 
receives limited advance notice of changes in features and functionality of operating systems and platforms, and therefore the 
Company may be forced to divert resources from its preexisting product roadmap to accommodate these changes. 

If the Company fails to enable IT departments to support operating system upgrades upon release, the Company’s business and 
reputation could suffer. This could further disrupt the Company’s product roadmap and cause it to delay introduction of planned 
products  and  services,  features  and  functionality,  which  could  harm  the  Company’s  business.    Furthermore,  some  of  the 

18

features and functionality in the Company’s products and services require interoperability with APIs of other operating systems, 
and if operating system providers decide to restrict the Company’s access to their APIs, that functionality would be lost and the 
Company’s business could be impaired.

Operating system providers have included, and may continue to include, features and functionality in their operating systems 
that  are  comparable  to  elements  of  the  Company’s  products  and  services,  thereby  making  the  Company’s  platform  less 
valuable. The inclusion of, or the announcement of an intent to include, functionality perceived to be similar to that offered by 
the Company’s products and services in mobile or embedded operating systems may have an adverse effect on the Company’s 
ability to market and sell its products and services. 

Risks Related to Intellectual Property and Technology Licensing

The Company may not be able to obtain rights to use third-party software and is subject to risks related to the use of 

open source software.

Many of the Company’s products include intellectual property which must be licensed from third parties. The termination of 
any of these licenses, or the failure of such third parties to adequately maintain, protect or update their software or intellectual 
property  rights,  could  delay  the  Company’s  ability  to  offer  its  products  while  the  Company  seeks  to  implement  alternative 
technology  offered  by  other  sources  (which  may  not  be  available  on  commercially  reasonable  terms)  or  develop  such 
technology internally (which would require significant unplanned investment on the Company’s part). The use of third-party 
software in the Company’s products could also expose the Company and its customers to security vulnerabilities.

In addition, certain software that the Company uses may be subject to open source licenses. Use and distribution of open source 
software may entail greater risks than use of third-party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide 
warranties or other contractual protections regarding infringement claims or the quality of the code. Some open source licenses 
contain  requirements  that  the  Company  make  available  source  code  for  modifications  or  derivative  works  created  by  the 
Company  based  upon  the  type  of  open  source  software  used.  If  the  Company  combines  its  proprietary  solutions  with  open 
source  software  in  a  certain  manner,  the  Company  could,  under  certain  of  the  open  source  licenses,  face  claims  from  third 
parties claiming ownership of or demanding the public release of the source code of the Company’s proprietary solutions, or 
demanding  that  the  Company  offer  its  solutions  to  users  at  no  cost.  This  could  allow  the  Company’s  competitors  to  create 
similar solutions with lower development effort and time and ultimately could result in a loss of revenue to the Company. The 
Company  could  also  be  subject  to  litigation  by  parties  claiming  that  what  the  Company  believes  to  be  licensed  open  source 
software infringes their intellectual property rights.

The terms of many open source licenses have not been interpreted by U.S. courts, and there is a risk that such licenses could be 
construed in a manner that could impose unanticipated conditions or restrictions on the Company’s ability to commercialize its 
products  and  services.  In  such  an  event,  the  Company  could  be  exposed  to  litigation  or  reputational  damage,  and  could  be 
required to obtain licenses from third parties in order to continue offering its products and services or to re-engineer its products 
or services, or discontinue their sale in the event re-engineering cannot be accomplished on a timely basis, any of which could 
materially and adversely affect the Company’s business and operating results.

Failure  to  protect  the  Company’s  intellectual  property  could  harm  its  ability  to  compete  effectively  and  the  Company 

may not earn the revenues it expects from intellectual property rights. 

The Company’s commercial success is highly dependent upon its ability to protect its proprietary technology. The Company 
relies on a combination of patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions 
to  protect  its  proprietary  rights,  all  of  which  offer  only  limited  protection.  Despite  the  Company’s  efforts,  the  steps  taken  to 
protect its proprietary rights may not be adequate to preclude misappropriation of its proprietary information or infringement of 
its intellectual property rights, and the Company’s ability to police such misappropriation or infringement is uncertain. The laws 
of certain countries in which the Company’s products and services are sold or licensed do not protect intellectual property rights 
to the same extent as the laws of Canada or the United States.

With respect to patent rights, the Company cannot be certain whether any of its pending patent applications will result in the 
issuance of patents or whether the examination process will require the Company to narrow its claims. Furthermore, any patents 
issued could be challenged, invalidated or circumvented and may not provide proprietary protection or a competitive advantage. 
In addition, 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 relevant patent applications at any particular time. 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.

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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:

•

•

•

•

•

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.

In  addition,  the  Company  expends  significant  resources  to  patent  and  manage  the  intellectual  property  it  creates  with  the 
expectation that it will generate revenues by incorporating that intellectual property in its products or services. The Company is 
also monetizing its patent portfolio through outbound patent licensing. Changes in the law may weaken the Company’s ability 
to  collect  royalty  revenue  for  licensing  its  patents.  Similarly,  licensees  of  the  Company’s  patents  may  fail  to  satisfy  their 
obligations to pay royalties, or may contest the scope and extent of their obligations. Finally, the royalties the Company can 
obtain to monetize its intellectual property may decline because of the evolution of technology, changes in the selling price of 
products using licensed patents, or the difficulty of discovering infringements. 

The  Company  is  in  ongoing,  exclusive  negotiations  with  a  North  American  entity  for  the  potential  sale  of  a  portion  of  the 
Company’s  patent  portfolio  relating  primarily  to  non-core  or  legacy  mobile  devices,  messaging  and  wireless  networking 
technologies.  These negotiations have had and may continue to have an adverse effect on the Company’s ability to monetize its 
patent  portfolio,  and  the  ultimate  impact  of  any  definitive  sale  transaction  on  Licensing  and  Other  revenue  and  on  the 
monetization of the Company’s patent portfolio is difficult to predict. 

Detecting  and  protecting  against  the  unauthorized  use  of  the  Company’s  products,  technology  proprietary  rights,  and 
intellectual property rights is expensive, difficult and, in some cases, impossible. Litigation may be necessary in the future to 
enforce or defend the Company’s intellectual property rights and could result in substantial costs and diversion of management 
resources,  either  of  which  could  harm  the  Company’s  business,  financial  condition  and  results  of  operations,  and  there  is  no 
assurance that the Company will be successful.

The Company could be found to have infringed on the intellectual property rights of others.

Companies in the software and technology industries, including some of the Company’s current and potential competitors, own 
large numbers of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets and frequently engage in litigation based on allegations of 
infringement  or  other  violations  of  intellectual  property  rights.    Although  the  Company  believes  that  third-party  software 
included in the Company’s products is licensed from the entity holding the intellectual property rights and that its products do 
not infringe on the rights of third parties, third parties have and are expected to continue to assert infringement claims against 
the  Company  in  the  future.  The  Company  may  be  subject  to  these  types  of  claims  either  directly  or  indirectly  through 
indemnities that it provides to certain of its customers, partners and suppliers against these claims.  As the Company continues 
to  develop  software  products  and  expand  its  portfolio  using  new  technology  and  innovation,  its  exposure  to  threats  of 
infringement may increase.

Many  intellectual  property  infringement  claims  are  brought  by  entities  whose  business  model  is  to  obtain  patent-licensing 
revenues from operating companies such as the Company.  Because such entities do not typically generate their own products 
or services, the Company cannot deter their claims based on counterclaims that they infringe patents in the Company’s portfolio 
or by entering into cross-licensing arrangements.

Regardless  of  whether  patent  or  other  intellectual  property  infringement  claims  against  the  Company  have  any  merit,  they 
could:

•

•

•

•

•

•

adversely affect the Company’s relationships with its customers;

be time-consuming and expensive to evaluate and defend, including in litigation or other proceedings;

result in negative publicity for the Company;

divert management’s attention and resources;

cause product delays or stoppages;

subject the Company to significant liabilities;

20

•

•

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,  any  such  claim  may  require  the  Company  to  enter  into  costly  royalty  agreements  or  obtain  a  license  for  the 
intellectual property rights of third parties.  Such licenses may not be available or they may not be available on commercially 
reasonable terms.

Any  of  the  foregoing  infringement  claims  and  related  litigation  could  have  a  significant  adverse  impact  on  the  Company’s 
business  and  operating  results,  as  well  as  the  Company’s  ability  to  generate  future  revenues  and  profits.    See  also  “Legal 
Proceedings” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Risks Related to Assets, Indebtedness and Taxation

The  Company  faces  substantial  asset  risk,  including  the  potential  for  charges  related  to  its  long-lived  assets  and 

goodwill. 

The  Company’s  long-lived  assets  include  items  such  as  the  Company’s  network  infrastructure,  operating  lease  right-of-use 
assets  and  certain  intellectual  property.  As  at  February  28,  2022,  the  Company’s  long-lived  assets  had  a  carrying  value  of 
approximately  $613  million.  Under  United  States  generally  accepted  accounting  principles  (“U.S.  GAAP”),  the  Company 
reviews its long-lived assets for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be 
recoverable. The Company’s ability to generate sufficient cash flows to fully recover the current carrying value of these assets 
depends on the successful execution of its strategies. 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.

Goodwill represents the excess of the acquisition price over the fair value of identifiable net assets acquired. As at February 28, 
2022,  the  Company’s  goodwill  had  a  carrying  value  of  approximately  $844  million.  Under  U.S.  GAAP,  the  Company  tests 
goodwill for impairment annually, during the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate 
that  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  or  assessment  by  a  regulator, 
unanticipated competition, a loss of key personnel, significant disposal activity and the testing of recoverability for a significant 
asset  group.  If  any  such  events  or  circumstances  arise,  the  Company  may  be  required  to  record  an  impairment  charge  in  the 
value of its goodwill. In the first quarter of fiscal 2021, the Company recorded total non-cash goodwill impairment charges of 
$594  million  in  the  BlackBerry  Spark  reporting  unit.    For  additional  information,  see  Note  3  to  the  Consolidated  Financial 
Statements.

The Company has incurred indebtedness, which could adversely affect its operating flexibility and financial condition.

The Company has, and may from time to time in the future have, third-party debt service obligations pursuant to its outstanding 
indebtedness,  which  currently  includes  $365  million  aggregate  principal  amount  of  1.75%  unsecured  convertible  debentures 
(the “Debentures”).  The degree to which the Company is leveraged could have important consequences, including that:

•

•

•

the Company’s ability to obtain additional debt financing may be limited; 

a portion of the Company’s cash flow from operations or other capital resources will be dedicated to the payment of 
the  principal  of,  and/or  interest  on,  indebtedness,  thereby  reducing  funds  available  for  working  capital,  capital 
expenditures, strategic initiatives or other business purposes; and

the Company’s earnings under U.S. GAAP may be negatively affected to the extent that any indebtedness, such as the 
Debentures, are accounted for by the Company at fair value and include embedded derivatives which fluctuate in value 
from period to period.

If the Company’s cash flow from operations declines significantly, the Company may be unable to pay amounts due under its 
outstanding  indebtedness  or  to  fund  other  liquidity  needs  and  it  may  be  required  to  refinance  all  or  part  of  its  then  existing 
indebtedness (including the Debentures), sell assets, reduce or delay capital expenditures or seek to raise additional capital, any 
of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.

The Debentures are subject to restrictive and other covenants that may limit the discretion of the Company and its subsidiaries 
with respect to certain business matters. These covenants place restrictions upon, among other things, the Company’s ability to 
incur additional indebtedness or provide guarantees in respect of obligations, create liens or other encumbrances, pay dividends, 
merge or consolidate with another entity and enter into any speculative hedging transaction.  A breach of any of these covenants 
could  result  in  a  default  under  the  Company’s  outstanding  indebtedness,  which  would  have  a  material  adverse  effect  on  the 
Company’s  business,  results  of  operations  and  financial  condition.  In  addition,  certain  of  the  Company’s  competitors  may 
operate  on  a  less  leveraged  basis,  or  without  such  restrictive  covenants,  and  therefore  could  have  greater  operating  and 
financing flexibility than the Company.

21

There  can  be  no  assurance  that  the  Company  will  be  able  to  repay,  restructure  or  refinance  its  indebtedness,  including  the 
Debentures, as principal amounts become due, or that it will be able to do so on terms as favourable as those currently in place.  
If the Company is unable to refinance its indebtedness or is only able to refinance indebtedness on less favourable terms, this 
may have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.

Tax  provision  changes,  the  adoption  of  new  tax  legislation  or  exposure  to  additional  tax  liabilities  could  materially 

impact the Company’s financial condition.

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 assurance 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.

Canada,  together  with  approximately  140  other  countries  comprising  the  Organization  for  Economic  Co-Operation  and 
Development  (“OECD”)  and  the  G20  Inclusive  Framework  on  Base  Erosion  and  Profit  Shifting  (“BEPS”),  approved  in 
principle in 2021 certain base erosion tax initiatives, including the introduction of a 15% global minimum tax which is intended 
to  be  effective  in  2023.  Canada  has  not  yet  released  any  domestic  legislation  in  respect  of  the  introduction  of  the  global 
minimum  tax.  In  February  2022,  the  Department  of  Finance  Canada  released  for  public  comment  draft  legislative  proposals 
which, if enacted, may limit the deductibility of interest and financing expenses for Canadian tax purposes. The draft legislative 
proposals are generally intended to apply in respect of taxation years beginning on or after January 1, 2023. The Company will 
continue to monitor the BEPS and interest deductibility limitation proposals and any impact on the Company, which may result 
in an increase in future taxes and an adverse effect on the 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. While the Company does not believe that it is currently a PFIC, there can be no assurance that the Company was not a 
PFIC in the past and will not be a PFIC in the future.

Risks Related to Regulation

The  use  and  management  of  user  data  and  personal  information  could  give  rise  to  liabilities  as  a  result  of  legal, 

customer and other third-party requirements.

User  data  and  personal  information  is  increasingly  subject  to  new  and  amended  legislation  and  regulations  in  numerous 
jurisdictions  around  the  world  that  are  intended  to  protect  the  privacy  and  security  of  personal  information,  as  well  as  the 
collection, storage, transmission, use and disclosure of such information.

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 evolving. 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.    Non-compliance  could  result  in  penalties  or  significant  legal  liability  and  the  Company’s 
business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected. See also “Regulatory Environment” in this 
Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The Company’s customers, partners and 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 
BlackBerry products and services. 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 require access to limited data stored 
by  the  Company  through  lawful  access  demands  and  capabilities,  which  could  subject  the  Company  to  legal  liability, 
unforeseen  compliance  cost  and  negative  publicity.    Even  a  perception  that  the  Company’s  products  or  practices  do  not 
adequately protect users’ privacy or data collected by the Company, made available to the Company or stored in or through the 

22

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.

Government regulations applicable to the Company’s products and services, including products containing encryption 

capabilities, could negatively impact the Company’s business.

Certain government regulations applicable to the Company’s products and services may provide opportunities for competitors 
or  limit  growth.    The  impact  of  potential  incremental  obligations  may  vary  based  on  the  jurisdiction,  but  regulatory  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 regulations relating to encryption technology, such as requiring certification, notifications, 
review  of  source  code,  or  the  escrow  and  governmental  recovery  of  private  encryption  keys.    Governmental  regulation  of 
encryption  technology,  including  the  regulation  of  imports  or  exports,  could  harm  the  Company’s  sales  in  one  or  more 
jurisdictions and adversely affect the Company’s revenues.  Complying with such regulations could also require the Company 
to devote additional research and development resources to change the Company’s software or services or alter the methods by 
which the Company makes them available, which could be costly.  In addition, failure to comply with such regulations could 
result  in  penalties,  costs  and  restrictions  on  import  or  export  privileges  or  adversely  affect  sales  to  government  agencies  or 
government funded projects.

Environmental,  social  and  governance  (“ESG”)  expectations  and  standards  expose  the  Company  to  risks  that  could 

adversely affect the Company’s reputation and performance.

Standards  for  identifying,  measuring  and  reporting  ESG  matters  continue  to  evolve,  including  requirements  for  ESG-related 
disclosures  that  may  be  required  of  public  companies  by  the  securities  regulators.    If  the  Company’s  ESG  practices  or 
disclosures do not meet evolving investor or other stakeholder expectations and standards, then the reputation of the Company, 
its ability to attract or retain employees, and its attractiveness as an investment, business partner, acquiror or service provider 
could  be  negatively  impacted.  Further,  the  Company’s  failure  or  perceived  failure  to  pursue  or  fulfill  ESG  objectives  or  to 
satisfy applicable reporting standards on a timely basis, or at all, could have similar negative impacts or expose the Company to 
government enforcement actions and private litigation.

Failure  of  the  Company’s  suppliers,  subcontractors,  channel  partners  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, subcontractors, licensees and other partners to operate in compliance with applicable laws, 
rules  and  regulations  regarding  working  conditions,  labour  and  employment  practices,  environmental  compliance,  anti-
corruption,  and  patent  and  trademark  licensing,  as  detailed  in  the  Company’s  Supplier  Code  of  Conduct.  However,  the 
Company  does  not  directly  control  their  labour  and  other  business  practices.  If  one  of  the  Company’s  suppliers  or 
subcontractors violates applicable labour, anti-corruption or other laws, or implements labour 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  delivery  of  BlackBerry  products  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.

The  Company  is  subject  to  risks  related  to  regulations  regarding  health  and  safety,  hazardous  materials  usage  and 

conflict minerals.

The Company must comply with a variety of laws, standards and other requirements governing, among other things, health and 
safety, accessibility, 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 sold. The Company is also subject 
to SEC disclosure requirements applicable to issuers that have contracted to manufacture products containing certain minerals 
that are mined from the Democratic Republic of Congo and adjoining countries. There can be no assurance that the direct or 
indirect  costs  of  complying  with  such  laws,  standards  and  requirements  will  not  adversely  affect  the  Company’s  business, 
results of operations or financial condition. Any failure to comply with such laws, standards and requirements may subject the 
Company to regulatory or civil liability, fines or other additional costs, and reputational harm.

General Risk Factors

The Company’s business is subject to risks inherent in foreign operations, including fluctuations in foreign currencies.

Sales outside of North America account for a significant portion of the Company’s revenue. The Company maintains offices in 
a  number  of  foreign  jurisdictions  and  intends  to  continue  to  pursue  growth  in  select  international  markets.  The  Company  is 

23

subject to a number of risks associated with its foreign operations that may increase liability and costs, lengthen sales cycles and 
require significant management attention. These risks include:

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

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,  trade  sanctions,  lawful  access,  and  privacy,  anti-corruption  and 
consumer protection laws;

unexpected changes in foreign regulatory requirements;

reliance on third parties to establish and maintain foreign operations;

instability in economic or political conditions;

foreign exchange controls and cash repatriation restrictions;

tariffs and other trade barriers;

increased credit risk and 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;

cultural and language differences; and

difficulty in managing a geographically dispersed workforce.

In addition, 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  is  denominated  in  U.S.  dollars;  however,  some  revenue,  and  a 
substantial  portion  of  operating  costs  and  capital  expenditures  are  incurred  in  other  currencies,  primarily  Canadian  dollars, 
euros  and  British  Pounds.  For  more  details,  please  refer  to  the  discussion  of  foreign  exchange  and  income  taxes  in  the 
Company’s MD&A for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2022.

All  of  the  above  factors  may  have  a  material  adverse  effect  on  the  Company’s  business,  results  of  operations  and  financial 
condition and there can be no assurance that 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.

Adverse economic, geopolitical and environmental conditions may negatively affect the Company.

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 Company’s target vertical markets, 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 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.

In addition, acts of terrorism, political unrest, 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.  If economic or geopolitical uncertainties, 
including  those  related  to  the  COVID-19  pandemic  or  Russia’s  recent  invasion  of  Ukraine,  further  disrupt  the  automotive 
supply  chain  or  cause  customers  to  reduce  their  IT  budgets  or  to  reduce  or  cancel  orders  for  the  Company’s  products  and 
services, the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

A significant portion of the Company’s personnel, including a majority of its senior leadership team, is based in California, in 
areas known for seismic activity and wildfires.  The Company also has operations in numerous locations around the world that 
expose  the  Company  to  additional  diverse  environmental  risks.    A  significant  natural  disaster,  such  as  an  earthquake,  fire  or 
flood could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business and operations and could cause the Company to incur 
significant costs to repair damages to its facilities, equipment and infrastructure.  The Company’s offices and remote working 
locations have historically experienced, and are projected to continue to experience, climate-related events including drought, 
heat waves, ice storms, power shortages, and wildfires and resultant air quality impacts.  The increasing frequency and impact 
of  extreme  weather  events  on  the  infrastructure  of  the  Company  and  its  suppliers,  as  well  as  public  infrastructure,  have  the 
potential to disrupt the business of the Company, its suppliers and its customers.

24

Although  the  Company  maintains  incident  management  and  disaster  response  plans,  they  may  prove  to  be  inadequate  in  the 
event of a major disruption caused by a natural disaster or geopolitical incident and the Company may be unable to continue its 
operations and may endure system interruptions, reputational harm, delays in its development activities, lengthy interruptions in 
service, breaches of data security and loss of critical data, and the Company’s insurance may not cover such events or may be 
insufficient to compensate the Company for the potentially significant losses it may incur.

The Company expects its quarterly revenue and operating results to fluctuate.

The Company’s revenues can change from one quarter to the next, including due to unexpected developments late in a quarter, 
such  as  lower-than-anticipated  demand  for  the  Company’s  products  and  services,  issues  with  new  product  or  service 
introductions,  an  internal  systems  failure,  or  challenges  with  one  of  the  Company’s  distribution  channels  or  other  partners 
(including licensees and manufacturers).

Gross  margins  on  the  Company’s  products  and  services  vary  across  product  lines  and  can  change  over  time  as  a  result  of 
product  transitions,  pricing  and  configuration  changes,  and  cost  fluctuations.  In  addition,  the  Company’s  gross  margin  and 
operating  margin  percentages,  as  well  as  overall  profitability,  may  be  materially  adversely  impacted  as  a  result  of  a  shift  in 
product/service, geographic or channel mix, component cost increases, price competition, or the introduction of new products 
and services, including those that have higher cost structures or reduced pricing.

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.  The market price of the 
Company’s  shares  may  fluctuate  significantly  in  response  to  the  risks  described  elsewhere  in  these  Risk  Factors,  as  well  as 
numerous other factors, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, including: (i) announcements by the Company or its 
competitors of new products and services, acquisitions, customer wins or strategic partnerships; (ii) forward-looking financial 
guidance provided by the Company, any updates to this guidance, or the Company’s failure to meet this guidance; (iii) quarterly 
and annual variations in operating results, which are difficult to forecast, and the Company’s financial results not meeting the 
expectations  of  analysts  or  investors;  (iv)  recommendations  by  securities  analysts  or  changes  in  earnings  estimates;  (v)  the 
performance  of  other  technology  companies  or  the  increasing  market  share  of  such  companies;  (vi)  results  of  existing  or 
potential litigation; (vii) market rumours; (viii) trading in derivative securities based on the Company’s common shares; or (ix) 
speculative trading that is not primarily motivated by Company announcements or the condition of the Company’s business.  In 
addition, dilutive share issuances could adversely affect the market price of the Company’s outstanding common shares.

In addition, broad market and industry factors may decrease the market price of the Company’s common shares, regardless of 
the Company’s operating performance. The stock market in general, and the securities of technology companies in particular, 
have often experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations, including, in recent years, as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 
pandemic,  the  invasion  of  Ukraine  by  Russia,  rising  inflation  and  the  recent  increase  in  interest  rates  by  the  U.S.  Federal 
Reserve. Periods of volatility in the overall market and in the market price of the Company’s securities may prompt securities 
class  action  litigation  against  the  Company  which,  if  not  resolved  swiftly,  can  result  in  substantial  costs  and  a  diversion  of 
management’s attention and resources. See also the Risk Factor entitled “Litigation against the Company may result in adverse 
outcomes” and the “Legal Proceedings” section in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Rising inflation may negatively impact the Company’s results of operations as well as the credit and securities markets 

generally, including the market price of the Company’s common shares and Debentures.

Due to global supply chain issues, a rise in energy prices and strong consumer demand as economies continue to reopen from 
restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation is showing signs of acceleration in the U.S., Canada and globally. An 
inflationary environment can increase the Company’s cost of labour as well as energy and other costs. In addition, economic 
conditions  and  market  factors  may  make  it  difficult  for  the  Company  to  raise  its  prices  enough  to  offset  rising  costs,  which 
could  reduce  the  Company’s  profitability,  while  raising  prices  could  reduce  the  number  of  customers  who  purchase  the 
Company’s  products.    Although  the  U.S.  Federal  Reserve  and  the  Bank  of  Canada  recently  increased  interest  rates  and 
announced their intention to further raise interest rates in the near term, inflation is likely to continue.  Conversely, the recently 
increased interest rates could have a negative effect on trade and securities markets generally, which may in turn have a material 
adverse effect on the market price of our common shares and our Debentures.

ITEM 1B.  UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

25

ITEM 2.  PROPERTIES

The Company’s headquarters are located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The Company’s main campus in Waterloo consists of 
three leased buildings with approximately 479,000 square feet. The remaining lease term is approximately three years with the 
option to renew for an additional five years. The Company also operates facilities in the United States, Asia-Pacific, Europe and 
the  Middle  East  for  engineering,  sales,  marketing,  research  and  development,  our  data  center,  and  operations,  among  other 
general and administrative purposes. 

The Company’s other significant leased properties include the following:

Ottawa facility, located in Ontario, Canada, totaling approximately 147,000 square feet;
Irvine facility, located in California, United States, totaling approximately 133,000 square feet;

•
•
• Mississauga facility, located in Ontario, Canada, totaling approximately 75,000 square feet;
•
•

San Ramon facility, located in California, United States, totaling approximately 50,000 square feet; and
Brampton facility, located in Ontario, Canada, totaling approximately 6,706 square feet.

The following table sets forth the location and approximate square footage of the Company’s leased facilities as of February 28, 
2022:

Location

North America

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Asia Pacific

Total

ITEM 3.  LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

(Square feet in thousands)

1,077 

140 

26 

1,243 

See  Note  10  to  the  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  for  information  regarding  certain  legal  proceedings  in  which  the 
Company is involved.

ITEM 4.  MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

26

 
 
 
 
PART II

ITEM  5.    MARKET  FOR  REGISTRANT’S  COMMON  EQUITY,  RELATED  STOCKHOLDER  MATTERS  AND 
ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

The Company’s common shares are listed and posted for trading on the NYSE and the TSX under the symbol “BB”.

On February 28, 2022, there were 901 registered holders of record of our common shares.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities

The Company had no unregistered sales of equity securities during fiscal 2022 that were not previously reported.

Share Repurchases

The Company did not repurchase any shares during fiscal 2022.

Stock Performance Graph

The  following  graph  shows  the  cumulative  total  shareholder  return  of  $100  invested  in  the  common  shares  compared  to  the 
S&P/TSX Composite Index, and the peer group index (S&P 500 Information Technology index) for the period of February 28, 
2017 to February 28, 2022.  

The performance of the Company’s common shares as set out in the graph is based upon historical data and is not indicative of, 
nor intended to forecast, future performance of our common shares. The graph lines merely connect measurement dates and do 
not reflect fluctuations between those dates.

Base 
Period
2/28/2017
100

100

100

BlackBerry Limited

$

S&P TSX Capped 
Composite
S&P 500/Information 
Technology

2/28/2018
174.43

$

$

2/28/2019
125.00

2/28/2020
74.28

$

$

2/26/2021
144.40

2/28/2022
98.71

$

100.28

103.89

105.61

117.28

137.19

134.44

140.29

175.24

259.42

305.54

This performance graph shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the 
“Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any 
filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Exchange Act, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing.

27

Ownership and Exchange Controls

There is currently no law, governmental decree or regulation in Canada that restricts the export or import of capital, or which 
would affect the remittance of dividends, interest or other payments by us to non-resident holders of the Company’s common 
shares, other than withholding tax requirements.

There is currently no limitation imposed by Canadian law or by the Company’s articles or by-laws on the right of non-residents 
to  hold  or  vote  the  Company’s  common  shares,  other  than  those  imposed  by  the  Investment  Canada  Act  (Canada)  and  the 
Competition  Act  (Canada).  These  acts  will  generally  not  apply  except  where  a  control  of  an  existing  Canadian  business  or 
company, which has Canadian assets or revenue, or enterprise value (as applicable) over a certain threshold, is acquired and 
will not apply to trading generally of securities listed on a stock exchange.

Certain Canadian Federal Income Tax Considerations for U.S. Residents

The following is a summary of the principal Canadian federal income tax considerations generally applicable under the Income 
Tax Act (Canada) (together with the regulations thereto, the “Tax Act”) to a beneficial holder of the Company’s common shares 
who, for the purposes of the Tax Act and the Canada-United States Income Tax Convention (1980) (the “Treaty”), and at all 
relevant times, (i) is not and is not deemed to be a resident in Canada, (ii) is a resident of the United States for the purposes of 
the Treaty and is entitled to the full benefits thereunder, (iii) holds all common shares as capital property, (iv) deals at arm’s 
length with and is not affiliated with the Company, and (v) does not use or hold and is not deemed to use or hold the common 
shares in connection with a business carried on in Canada (each such holder, a “U.S. Resident Holder”). This summary is not 
generally applicable to a U.S. Resident Holder that is: (i) an insurer carrying on an insurance business in Canada and elsewhere, 
or (ii) an “authorized foreign bank,” each as defined in the Tax Act. Such U.S. Resident Holders should consult their own tax 
advisors. 

Generally,  a  U.S.  Resident  Holder’s  common  shares  will  be  considered  to  be  capital  property  of  a  U.S.  Resident  Holder 
provided the U.S. Resident Holder does not hold such shares in the course of carrying on a business of trading or dealing in 
securities and has not acquired them in one or more transactions considered to be an adventure or concern in the nature of trade.

This summary is based upon the current provisions of the Tax Act, the current administrative policies and assessing practices of 
the Canada Revenue Agency published in writing prior to the date hereof, and the Treaty. This summary takes into account all 
specific proposals to amend the Tax Act publicly announced by or on behalf of the Minister of Finance (Canada) prior to the 
date  hereof  (the  “Tax  Proposals”),  and  assumes  that  all  Tax  Proposals  will  be  enacted  in  the  form  proposed.  However,  no 
assurances can be given that the Tax Proposals will be enacted as proposed, or at all. This summary does not otherwise take into 
account or anticipate any changes in law or administrative policy or assessing practice whether by legislative, administrative or 
judicial action or decision, nor does it take into account tax legislation or considerations of any province, territory or foreign 
jurisdiction, which may differ from those discussed herein.

This summary is of a general nature only and is not intended to be, and should not be construed to be, legal, business or tax 
advice to any particular holder or prospective holder of the Company’s common shares, and no opinion or representation with 
respect to the tax consequences to any holder or prospective holder of the common shares is made. Accordingly, holders and 
prospective  holders  of  the  Company’s  common  shares  should  consult  their  own  tax  advisors  with  respect  to  the  income  tax 
consequences of purchasing, owning and disposing of the common shares in their particular circumstances. 

Dividends 

Dividends paid or credited, or deemed to be paid or credited, on the Company’s common shares to a U.S. Resident Holder will 
be subject to Canadian withholding tax at the rate of 25% of the gross amount of the dividends, subject to reduction under the 
provisions of the Treaty. Under the Treaty, the rate of Canadian withholding tax applicable to a U.S. Resident Holder that is the 
beneficial  owner  of  dividends  is  generally  reduced  to  15%  of  the  gross  amount  of  the  dividends,  and,  if  such  U.S.  Resident 
Holder is a company that owns at least 10% of the Company’s voting shares at the time of the dividends, the rate of Canadian 
withholding  tax  is  reduced  to  5%  of  the  gross  amount  of  the  dividends.  U.S.  Resident  Holders  who  may  be  eligible  for  a 
reduced rate of withholding tax on dividends pursuant to the Treaty should consult with their own tax advisors with respect to 
taking all appropriate steps in this regard. 

Disposition of Common Shares 

A U.S. Resident Holder who disposes or is deemed to dispose of a common share will not be subject to tax under the Tax Act 
on any capital gain realized on such disposition, unless the common share constitutes “taxable Canadian property,” within the 
meaning of the Tax Act, of the U.S. Resident Holder at the time of the disposition and the U.S. Resident Holder is not entitled 
to relief under the Treaty. 

Generally, a common share of a particular U.S. Resident Holder will not be “taxable Canadian property” of such U.S. Resident 
Holder at any time at which such common share is listed on a “designated stock exchange,” within the meaning of the Tax Act 
(which includes the TSX and NYSE) unless, at any particular time during the 60-month period that ends at that time, both of the 

28

following  conditions  are  met  concurrently:  (a)  25%  or  more  of  the  issued  shares  of  any  class  of  the  capital  stock  of  the 
Company were owned by or belonged to one or any combination of (i) the U.S. Resident Holder, (ii) persons with whom the 
U.S. Resident Holder did not deal at arm’s length for purposes of the Tax Act, and (iii) partnerships in which the U.S. Resident 
Holder or a person described in (ii) holds a membership interest directly or indirectly through one or more partnerships; and (b) 
more than 50% of the fair market value of the common share was derived, directly or indirectly, from one or any combination 
of:  (i)  real  or  immovable  property  situated  in  Canada,  (ii)  “Canadian  resource  properties”  (as  defined  in  the  Tax  Act),  (iii) 
“timber resource properties” (as defined in the Tax Act), and (iv) options in respect of, or interests in, or for civil law rights in, 
property  described  in  any  of  (b)(i)  to  (iii),  whether  or  not  the  property  exists.  A  common  share  may  also  be  deemed  to  be 
“taxable Canadian property” in certain circumstances as set out in the Tax Act. In the case of a U.S. Resident Holder to whom a 
common  share  of  the  Company  represents  “taxable  Canadian  property”,  under  the  Treaty,  such  a  U.S.  Resident  Holder  will 
generally not be subject to tax under the Tax Act on a capital gain realized on the disposition of such share unless the value of 
such share is derived principally from real property situated in Canada (within the meaning of the Treaty).

In the event that a common share is “taxable Canadian property,” within the meaning of the Tax Act, to a U.S. Resident Holder 
at the time of disposition, such U.S. Resident Holder should consult its own tax advisor as to the Canadian federal income tax 
consequences of the disposition.

ITEM 6.  [RESERVED]

ITEM  7.    MANAGEMENT’S  DISCUSSION  AND  ANALYSIS  OF  FINANCIAL  CONDITION  AND  RESULTS  OF 
OPERATIONS

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 BlackBerry Limited, for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2022. The Consolidated Financial Statements are 
presented in U.S. dollars and have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. All financial information in this MD&A is 
presented in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise indicated.

Readers should carefully review Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” and other documents filed from time to time with the Securities 
and  Exchange  Commission  (“SEC”)  and  other  securities  regulators.  A  number  of  factors  may  materially  affect  our  business, 
financial condition, operating results and prospects. These factors include but are not limited to those set forth in Part I, Item 1A 
“Risk  Factors”  and  elsewhere  in  this  Annual  Report  on  Form  10-K.  Any  one  of  these  factors,  and  other  factors  that  we  are 
unaware  of,  or  currently  deem  immaterial,  may  cause  our  actual  results  to  differ  materially  from  recent  results  or  from  our 
anticipated future results. Please refer to our MD&A included in our Annual Report on 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 
28, 2021 for a comparative discussion of our fiscal 2021 financial results as compared to our fiscal 2020, which is incorporated 
herein by reference. Additional information about the Company, which is included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 
10-K for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2022 (the “Annual Report”), can be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on 
the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements 

This Annual Report on Form 10-K 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  plans,  strategies  and  objectives,  including  its  intentions  to  increase  and  enhance  its  product  and 
service  offerings,  to  patent  new  innovations,  to  increase  staffing  in  its  Cybersecurity  and  IoT  businesses,  and  to 
implement changes to its remote and virtual operations; 

the Company’s expectations with respect to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic or the Company’s response to 
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on its results of operations and financial condition on a consolidated basis, including its 
liquidity position;

the Company’s expectations with respect to its revenue and billings in fiscal 2023 and with respect to installations of 
the BlackBerry IVY™ platform;

the Company’s estimates of purchase obligations and other contractual commitments; and

the Company’s expectations with respect to the sufficiency of its financial resources.

The  words  “expect”,  “anticipate”,  “estimate”,  “may”,  “will”,  “should”,  “could”,  “intend”,  “believe”,  “target”,  “plan”  and 
similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including in the 
sections in Part I, Item 1 “Business” entitled “Products and Services - IoT”, “Products and Services - Licensing and Other”, 
“Intellectual Property”, and “Human Capital”, and in the sections of this MD&A entitled “Business Overview - COVID-19”, 
“Business  Overview  -  Russia  Ukraine  Conflict”,  “Non-GAAP  Financial  Measures  -  Key  Metrics  -  Billings”,  “Results  of 

29

Operations - Fiscal year ended February 28, 2022 compared to fiscal year ended February 28, 2021 - Revenue - Revenue by 
Segment”, “Results of Operations - Three months ended February 28, 2022 compared to the three months ended February 28, 
2021  -  Revenue  -  Revenue  by  Segment”  and  “Financial  Condition  -  Contractual  and  Other  Obligations”.    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  Company’s  expectations  regarding  its  business,  strategy, 
opportunities  and  prospects,  the  launch  of  new  products  and  services,  general  economic  conditions,  the  ongoing  COVID-19 
pandemic, the Russia Ukraine conflict, competition, and the Company’s expectations regarding its financial performance. 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  risk  factors  discussed  in  Part  I,  Item  1A  “Risk 
Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

All  of  these  factors  should  be  considered  carefully,  and  readers  should  not  place  undue  reliance  on  the  Company’s  forward-
looking statements. 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,  as  well  as 
difficulties in forecasting the Company’s financial results and performance for future periods, particularly over longer periods, 
given changes in technology and the Company’s business strategy, evolving industry standards, intense competition and short 
product life cycles that characterize the industries in which the Company operates. See the “Strategy” subsection in Part I, Item 
1 “Business” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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.

Business Overview 

The  Company  provides  intelligent  security  software  and  services  to  enterprises  and  governments  around  the  world.  The 
Company secures more than 500 million endpoints including more than 195 million vehicles. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the 
Company  leverages  artificial  intelligence  and  machine  learning  to  deliver  innovative  solutions  in  the  areas  of  cybersecurity, 
safety  and  data  privacy,  and  is  a  leader  in  the  areas  of  endpoint  security,  endpoint  management,  encryption,  and  embedded 
systems.  The  Company’s  common  shares  trade  under  the  ticker  symbol  “BB”  on  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange  and  the 
Toronto Stock Exchange. The Company was incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) (“OBCA”) on March 
7, 1984.

The Company continued to execute on its strategy in fiscal 2022 and announced the following achievements:

Products and Innovation:

•

•
•

•

•

•
•

•

•
•

•
•

•
•

•

Launched  BlackBerry®  Optics  3.0,  the  Company’s  next-generation  cloud-based  EDR  solution  and  BlackBerry 
Gateway, the Company’s first AI-empowered zero trust network access (ZTNA) product; 
Released an early access version of BlackBerry IVY™;
Launched  an  update  to  the  BlackBerry®  Guard  managed  detection  and  response  service  to  provide  a  managed 
extended detection and response (XDR) service through a partnership with Exabeam;
Announced  an  expansion  of  products  covered  by  the  BlackBerry  Guard  to  include  ZTNA,  mobile  threat  defense 
(MTD) and user behavior risk analytics (UEBA);
Announced  that  the  Company  was  awarded  the  highest  AAA  Rating  in  SE  Labs’  Breach  Response  Test  for 
BlackBerry® Protect and BlackBerry Optics; 
Announced that Frost & Sullivan named BlackBerry an innovator in its US Healthcare Cybersecurity Market report;
Announced  that  the  Company  was  recognized  by  SE  Labs  as  offering  the  best  new  endpoint  protection  solution  of 
2021;
Announced  conformance  to  the  OpenChain  ISO/IEC  5230:2020  standard  for  open  source  license  compliance  across 
the Company’s entire product portfolio;
Launched BlackBerry® Jarvis® 2.0, the Company’s updated software composition analysis tool;
Announced that Frost & Sullivan named BlackBerry IVY an industry-leading cloud software platform for automakers 
and smart cities;
Launched an autonomous flood risk and clean water monitoring solution based on BlackBerry® AtHoc®; 
Announced that BlackBerry AtHoc won the Frost & Sullivan 2021 Technology Innovation Leadership Award for safe 
city solutions; 
Launched updated BlackBerry® SecuSUITE® capabilities to further secure group phone calls and messages; 
Announced that BlackBerry SecuSUITE for Government offering now provides certified end-to-end encryption of all 
group phone calls and instant messages; and
Released the 2022 BlackBerry Annual Threat Report; 

30

Customers and Partners:

•

•

•
•

•

•

•

•

•

•
•

•

•
•

•
•

•

•

•

•

•
•
•

•
•
•

•
•

•

•

•

•

Announced  that  BlackBerry  entered  into  a  patent  sale  agreement  with  Catapult  IP  Innovations,  Inc.  (“Catapult”), 
pursuant  to  which  BlackBerry  has  agreed  to  sell  substantially  all  of  its  non-core  patent  assets  to  Catapult  for  total 
consideration of $600 million; 
Announced that the Company has design wins with 24 of the world’s leading 25 Electric Vehicle (EV) automakers, 
increasing from 23 of the top 25 in the third quarter of fiscal 2022;
Announced that BlackBerry® QNX® software is embedded in over 195 million vehicles;
Announced first BlackBerry IVY proof-of-concept pilot with PATEO, a leading Chinese tier 1 supplier, and a Chinese 
electric vehicle automaker to integrate BlackBerry IVY into a digital cockpit; 
Announced  that  the  Company  demonstrated  BlackBerry  IVY  running  on  auto-grade  hardware  at  CES  2022,  with 
partner integrations from Amazon Web Services, HERE Technologies, Car IQ and Electra Vehicles;
Announced  that  BlackBerry  IVY  will  provide  secure  vehicle-based  payment  capability  through  a  partnership  with 
financial technology solution provider Car IQ; 
Announced a collaboration with Ridecell Inc. to bring a next generation fleet operations and ADAS data platform to 
automotive OEMs via BlackBerry IVY;
Launched  the  BlackBerry  IVY  Advisory  Council  to  help  shape  and  advise  the  BlackBerry  IVY  application 
development community and drive use case generation;
Announced that BMW Group has entered into a multi-year agreement to use BlackBerry QNX technology to develop 
SAE Level 2/2+ driving automation functions in multiple makes and models across the BMW group;
Announced that Volvo Group has selected BlackBerry QNX for its Dynamic Software Platform;
Announced the availability of a QNX cockpit reference design powered by Google and Qualcomm technologies that 
reduces development time for digital cockpit architectures;
Announced that the Company and Visteon will expand efforts to accelerate the deployment of digital cockpit solutions 
for automakers and their suppliers;
Announced an expanded collaboration with Marelli in China to deploy an integrated cockpit domain controller;
Announced  that  Mahindra  &  Mahindra  Ltd.  selected  BlackBerry  QNX  technologies  to  power  the  cockpit  domain 
controller for their next-generation SUV;
Announced that WM Motor has chosen BlackBerry QNX technologies to power its W6 all-electric SUV; 
Announced  that  the  QNX  Neutrino®  operating  system  has  been  adopted  in  a  new  digital  LCD  cluster  jointly 
developed with BiTech Automotive (Wuhu) Co., Ltd. for Changan Automobile’s new SUV, the UNI-K;
Announced  that  Nobo  Technologies  selected  QNX  Neutrino  as  the  foundation  for  the  advanced  Digital  Cockpit 
Controller in Great Wall Motors’ Haval H6S, the next generation of China’s leading SUV;
Announced that BlackBerry QNX technology was selected by Critical Software to help drive safety improvements for 
Portugal’s national rail network.
Announced that sTraffic has chosen the BlackBerry QNX® OS for Safety as the foundation for its Communications-
based Train Control System (CBTC);
Announced that BlackBerry Jarvis was enhanced to include standardized reporting that enables compliance with the 
U.S. government’s recent Executive Order relating to software bills of materials;
Announced that 13 Asia Pacific channel partners will offer BlackBerry Jarvis to customers in the region;
Announced that Deloitte will leverage BlackBerry Jarvis to help manufacturers to secure their software supply chains;
Announced the integration of BlackBerry Radar with the ISAAC Open Platform to help trucking companies improve 
asset utilization and fleet visibility;
Announced that the Region of Niagara selected BlackBerry AtHoc as its critical event management platform;
Announced the integration of BlackBerry UEM with Microsoft 365;
Announced  a  technology  integration  between  Okta  and  BlackBerry®  UEM  to  deliver  seamless  identity  and  access 
capabilities;
Announced Okta, Mimecast, Stellar Cyber and XM Cyber as new partners in BlackBerry’s XDR ecosystem; 
Announced  that  the  Government  of  Canada  has  selected  BlackBerry  for  its  secure  productivity  and  secure 
communications needs;
Announced that the Company and IBM Canada have established a new partnership to bring the Company’s industry 
leading BlackBerry Spark platform to organizations across Canada;
Announced BlackBerry QNX and Carleton University have joined forces in a $21 million partnership to train the next 
generation of software engineers; 
Announced that the Company and the University of Waterloo have expanded their partnership to create a new joint 
innovation program; and
Announced that the Company and L-SPARK launched a third cohort of their accelerator program to advance Canadian 
connected vehicle technology innovation.

31

Environmental, Sustainability and Corporate Governance:

•

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Announced  that  Michael  Daniels  has  been  appointed  as  Chair  of  the  Compensation,  Nomination  and  Governance 
Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors and that Lisa Disbrow has been appointed as Chair of the Audit and 
Risk Management Committee of the Board of Directors;
Appointed John Giamatteo as President of Cybersecurity effective October 4, 2021;
Announced the resignation of Tom Eacobacci as President and Chief Operating Officer effective October 29, 2021;
Appointed Mattias Eriksson as President and General Manager of IoT effective May 3, 2021; 
Announced that the Company achieved carbon neutrality across Scope 1, Scope 2 and material Scope 3 emissions;
Announced that the Company was named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for sixth year in a row; 
Announced that the Company was named to Newsweek’s list of the Most Loved Workplaces for 2021; and
Announced that the Company partnered with the Water Institute at the University of Waterloo to address global water-
related challenges.

Segment Reporting

As  disclosed  in  Note  12  to  the  Consolidated  Financial  Statements,  the  Company  reports  segment  information  based  on  the 
“management”  approach.  The  management  approach  designates  the  internal  reporting  used  by  the  chief  operating  decision 
maker  (“CODM”)  for  making  decisions  and  assessing  performance  as  a  source  of  the  Company’s  reportable  operating 
segments.  In  the  first  quarter  of  fiscal  2022,  the  Company  internally  reorganized  and,  as  a  result,  the  CODM,  who  is  the 
Executive Chair and CEO of the Company, began making decisions and assessing the performance of the Company using three 
operating segments, whereas the Company was previously a single operating segment. 

COVID-19

The  novel  coronavirus  (“COVID-19”)  pandemic  prompted  extraordinary  actions  by  governmental  authorities  throughout  the 
world and resulted in significant market volatility, uncertainty and economic disruption. 

To  protect  the  health  and  safety  of  the  Company’s  employees,  contractors,  customers  and  visitors,  during  fiscal  2022  and 
throughout  most  of  fiscal  2021,  the  Company  mandated  remote  working,  utilizing  virtual  meetings  and  suspending  most 
employee travel.  The Company also shifted customer, industry and other stakeholder events to virtual-only experiences, and 
may similarly alter, postpone or cancel other events in the future.  The Company expects to implement changes to this fully 
remote and virtual model during fiscal 2023. 

The Company also implemented a series of temporary cost reduction measures to further preserve financial flexibility during 
the COVID-19 pandemic. In fiscal 2022, these actions included taking advantage of the broad-based employer relief provided 
by governments in Canada and the postponement of certain discretionary spending. The savings from temporary cost reduction 
measures and governmental assistance related to the pandemic were lower in fiscal 2022 compared to fiscal 2021.

In fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021, the economic challenges and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures 
undertaken to contain its spread have negatively affected the Company’s QNX automotive software business, caused volatility 
in demand for many of the Company’s other products and services, adversely affected the ability of the Company’s sales and 
professional  services  teams  to  meet  with  customers  and  provide  service,  negatively  impacted  expected  spending  from  new 
customers and increased sales cycle times. 

Although  the  Company  experienced  higher  Software  &  Services  revenue  in  fiscal  2022  compared  to  fiscal  2021,  when  the 
COVID-19 pandemic first materially negatively impacted the Company’s operations, and observed a partial recovery in both 
automotive design activities and production volumes during fiscal 2022 compared to fiscal 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic and 
related global chip shortage have had and, in fiscal 2023, may continue to have a material adverse impact on the Company’s 
QNX automotive software business in particular and on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition 
on a consolidated basis. The COVID-19 pandemic and its related economic impact have not, and the Company does not expect 
them to, materially adversely affect the Company’s liquidity position.

The  ultimate  impact  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic  on  the  Company’s  operational  and  financial  performance  will  depend  on, 
among other things, the pandemic’s duration and severity, including resurgences in some geographic areas as a result of new 
strains  and  variants,  the  governmental  restrictions  that  may  be  sustained  or  imposed  in  response  to  the  pandemic,  the 
effectiveness  of  actions  taken  to  contain  or  mitigate  the  pandemic  (including  the  distribution,  efficacy  and  acceptance  of 
vaccines, particularly against emergent viral variants), the impact of the global chip shortage and other supply chain constraints. 
The long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business may not be fully reflected until future periods.

The Company continues to evaluate the current and potential impact of the pandemic on its business, results of operations and 
consolidated  financial  statements,  including  potential  asset  impairment.  The  Company  also  continues  to  actively  monitor 
developments and business conditions that may cause it to take further actions that alter business operations as may be required 

32

by  applicable  authorities  or  that  the  Company  determines  are  in  the  best  interests  of  its  employees,  customers,  suppliers  and 
stockholders.

Russia Ukraine Conflict

In February 2022, Russian military forces invaded Ukraine. In response, Ukrainian military personnel and civilians are actively 
resisting the invasion. The outcome of the conflict is uncertain and is likely to have wide-ranging consequences on the peace 
and stability of the region. Strict financial and trade sanctions against Russia that have been imposed by Canada, the United 
States and other countries may have far-reaching effects on the global economy. The long-term impacts of the conflict and the 
sanctions imposed on Russia remain uncertain and will depend on future developments, and the Company continues to monitor 
the evolving situation.

The  conflict  and  sanctions  against  Russia  could  negatively  impact  automotive  production  and  sales,  increase  the  ongoing 
disruption of supply chains, worsen the current semiconductor chip shortage since Russia and Ukraine are critical suppliers of 
neon  gas  and  palladium  used  in  chip  production,  exacerbate  energy  shortages  and  high  energy  prices,  and  increase 
cybersecurity threats.  These impacts could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s operations, sales and profitability; 
in particular, the negative impact on automotive production could have an adverse impact on production-based royalties for the 
Company’s QNX business. However, the heightened level of cybersecurity threats could have a positive impact on demand for 
the Company’s cybersecurity products. 

In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, shortly after the end of fiscal 2022, the Company announced that it would cease all 
business  activities  in  Russia  with  immediate  effect.    The  Company  does  not  expect  this  decision  to  have  a  material  adverse 
effect on its business, results of operations or financial condition.

Fiscal 2022 Summary Results of Operations

The following table sets forth certain consolidated statements of operations data, as well as certain consolidated balance sheet 
data, as at and for the fiscal years ended February 28, 2022, February 28, 2021, and February 29, 2020: 

Revenue 
Gross margin

Operating expenses

Investment income (loss), net

Income (loss) before income taxes

Provision for (recovery of) income taxes
Net income (loss)

Earnings (loss) per share - reported

Basic

Diluted

Weighted-average number of shares 
outstanding (000’s)

Basic
Diluted (1)

As at and for the Fiscal Years Ended
(in millions, except for share and per share amounts)

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Change

February 29, 2020

Change

$ 

718  $ 

893  $ 

467 

469 

21 

19 

7 

643 

1,750 

(6)   

(1,113)   

(9)   

(175)  $ 

(176)   

(1,281)   

27 

1,132 

16 

1,040  $ 

763 

912 

1 

(148)   

4 

$ 

$ 

$ 

12  $ 

(1,104)  $ 

1,116  $ 

(152)  $ 

0.02  $ 

(0.31)  $ 

(1.97) 

(1.97) 

$ 

$ 

(0.27) 

(0.32) 

(147) 

(120) 

838 

(7) 

(965) 

(13) 

(952) 

570,607 

631,440 

561,305 

561,305 

553,861 

614,361 

______________________________
(1) Diluted  loss  per  share  on  a  U.S.  GAAP  basis  for  fiscal  2021  does  not  include  the  dilutive  effect  of  the  Debentures  (as 
defined below) as to do so would be anti-dilutive. Diluted loss per share on a U.S. GAAP basis for fiscal 2022, fiscal 2021 
and fiscal 2020 does not include the dilutive effect of stock-based compensation as to do so would be anti-dilutive. See Note 
8  to  the  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  for  the  fiscal  year  ended  February  28,  2022  for  calculation  of  the  diluted 
weighted average number of shares outstanding.

The  following  tables  show  information  by  operating  segment  for  the  three  months  and  year  ended  February  28,  2022  and 
February  28,  2021.  The  Company  reports  segment  information  in  accordance  with  U.S.  GAAP  Accounting  Standards 
Codification  Section  280  based  on  the  “management”  approach.  The  management  approach  designates  the  internal  reporting 
used  by  the  CODM  for  making  decisions  and  assessing  performance  of  the  Company’s  reportable  operating  segments.  See 

33

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Business Overview - Segment Reporting” for a description of the Company’s operating segments, as well as Note 12 to the 
Consolidated Financial Statements.

Cybersecurity

IoT

Licensing and Other

Segment Totals

February 28,

2022

2021

Change

February 28,

2022

2021

Change

February 28,

2022

2021

Change

February 28,

2022

2021

Change

Segment revenue

$  122  $  122  $  —  $  52  $  38  $  14  $  11  $  50  $  (39)  $  185  $  210  $  (25) 

For the Three Months Ended
(in millions)

Segment cost of sales
Segment gross margin $  75  $  76  $ 

46 

47 

1 

8 

5 

3 

5 

6 

(1)   

60 

57 

3 

(1)  $  44  $  33  $  11  $ 

6  $  44  $  (38)  $  125  $  153  $  (28) 

 For the Year Ended
(in millions)

Cybersecurity

IoT

Licensing and Other

Segment Totals

February 28,

2022

2021

Change

February 28,

2022

2021

Change

February 28,

2022

2021

Change

February 28,

2022

2021

Change

Segment revenue

$ 477 

$ 491 

$ (14)  $ 178  $ 130  $  48  $  63  $ 272  $ (209)  $ 718  $ 893  $ (175) 

  194 
Segment cost of sales
Segment gross margin $ 283 

  192 

2 

30 

23 

7 

23 

30 

(7) 

  247 

  245 

2 

$ 299 

$ (16)  $ 148  $ 107  $  41  $  40  $ 242  $ (202)  $ 471  $ 648  $ (177) 

The  following  tables  reconcile  the  Company’s  segment  results  for  the  three  months  and  year  ended  February  28,  2022  to 
consolidated U.S. GAAP results:

Revenue
Cost of sales (1)
Gross margin

Operating expenses

Investment loss, net

Income before income taxes

Revenue
Cost of sales (1)
Gross margin

Operating expenses

Investment income, net

Income before income taxes

For the Three Months Ended February 28, 2022
(in millions)

Cybersecurity

IoT

Licensing and 
Other

Segment Totals

Reconciling 
Items

Consolidated 
U.S. GAAP

$ 

$ 

122  $ 

47 

75  $ 

52  $ 

8 

44  $ 

11  $ 

5 

6  $ 

185  $ 

60 

125  $ 

—  $ 

1 

(1)  $ 

(22)   

1 

$ 

185 

61 

124 

(22) 

1 

145 

 For the Year Ended February 28, 2022
(in millions)

Cybersecurity

IoT

Licensing and 
Other

Segment Totals

Reconciling 
Items

Consolidated 
U.S. GAAP

$ 

$ 

477  $ 

194 

283  $ 

178  $ 

30 

148  $ 

63  $ 

23 

40  $ 

718  $ 

247 

471  $ 

—  $ 

4 

(4)  $ 

469 

(21)   

$ 

718 

251 

467 

469 

(21) 

19 

______________________________
(1) See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for a reconciliation of selected U.S. GAAP-based measures to adjusted measures for 
the three months and year ended February 28, 2022.

34

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  following  tables  reconcile  the  Company’s  segment  results  for  the  three  months  and  year  ended  February  28,  2021  to 
consolidated U.S. GAAP results:

Revenue
Cost of sales (1)
Gross margin

Operating expenses

Loss before income taxes

Revenue
Cost of sales (1)
Gross margin

Operating expenses

Investment loss, net

Loss before income taxes

For the Three Months Ended February 28, 2021
(in millions)

Cybersecurity

IoT

Licensing and 
Other

Segment Totals

Reconciling 
Items

Consolidated 
U.S. GAAP

$ 

$ 

122  $ 

46 

76  $ 

38  $ 

5 

33  $ 

50  $ 

210  $ 

6 

57 

44  $ 

153  $ 

—  $ 

1 

(1)  $ 

465 

210 

58 

152 

465 

$ 

(313) 

 For the Year Ended February 28, 2021
(in millions)

Cybersecurity

IoT

Licensing and 
Other

Segment Totals

Reconciling 
Items

Consolidated 
U.S. GAAP

$ 

$ 

491  $ 

192 

299  $ 

130  $ 

272  $ 

23 

30 

107  $ 

242  $ 

893  $ 

245 

648  $ 

—  $ 

5 

(5)  $ 

1,750 

6 

893 

250 

643 

1,750 

6 

$ 

(1,113) 

______________________________
(1) See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for a reconciliation of selected U.S. GAAP-based measures to adjusted measures for 
the three months and year ended February 28, 2021.

Financial Highlights 

The Company had approximately $770 million in cash, cash equivalents and investments as of February 28, 2022 (Fiscal 2021 - 
$804 million). 

In fiscal 2022, the Company recognized revenue of $718 million and net income of $12 million, or $0.02 basic earnings per 
share  and  $0.31  diluted  loss  per  share  on  a  U.S.  GAAP  basis  (Fiscal  2021  -  revenue  of  $893  million  and  net  loss  of  $1,104 
million, or $1.97 basic and diluted loss per share).

The Company recognized adjusted net loss of $55 million, or adjusted loss of $0.10 per share, on a non-GAAP basis in fiscal 
2022 (Fiscal 2021 - adjusted net income of $88 million and adjusted earnings of $0.16 per share). See “Non-GAAP Financial 
Measures” below.

Debentures Fair Value Adjustment

As previously disclosed, the Company elected the fair value option to account for its outstanding 1.75% unsecured convertible 
debentures  (the  “1.75%  Debentures”)  and  its  previously  outstanding  3.75%  outstanding  convertible  debentures  (the  “3.75% 
Debentures” and collectively, the “Debentures”); therefore, periodic revaluation has been and continues to be required under 
U.S.  GAAP.  The  fair  value  adjustment  does  not  impact  the  terms  of  the  Debentures  such  as  the  face  value,  the  redemption 
features or the conversion price. 

As of February 28, 2022, the fair value of the 1.75% Debentures was approximately $507 million versus the principal value of 
$365 million. For the three months ended February 28, 2022, the Company recorded non-cash income relating to changes in fair 
value  from  instrument  specific  credit  risk  of  $1  million  in  other  comprehensive  income  (loss)  (“OCI”)  and  non-cash  income 
relating  to  changes  in  fair  value  from  non-credit  components  of  $165  million  (pre-tax  and  after  tax)  (the  “Q4  Fiscal  2022 
Debentures  Fair  Value  Adjustment”)  in  the  Company’s  consolidated  statements  of  operations.  In  fiscal  2022,  the  Company 
recorded non-cash income relating to changes in fair value from instrument-specific credit risk of $1 million in OCI and non-
cash income relating to changes in fair value from non-credit components of $212 million (pre-tax and after tax) (the “Fiscal 
2022  Debentures  Fair  Value  Adjustment”)  in  the  Company’s  consolidated  statements  of  operations.  See  Note  6  to  the 
Consolidated Financial Statements for further details on the Debentures.

35

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Non-GAAP Financial Measures

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 31, 2022, the Company announced financial results for the three months and fiscal 
year ended February 28, 2022, which included certain non-GAAP financial measures and non-GAAP ratios, including adjusted 
gross margin, adjusted gross margin percentage, adjusted operating expense, adjusted net income (loss), adjusted income (loss) 
per  share,  adjusted  research  and  development  expense,  adjusted  selling,  marketing  and  administrative  expense,  adjusted 
amortization expense, adjusted operating income (loss), adjusted EBITDA, adjusted operating income (loss) margin percentage, 
adjusted EBITDA margin percentage and free cash flow (usage).

In the Company’s internal reports, management evaluates the performance of the Company’s business on a non-GAAP basis by 
excluding  the  impact  of  certain  items  below  from  the  Company’s  U.S.  GAAP  financial  results.  The  Company  believes  that 
these non-GAAP financial measures and non-GAAP ratios provide management, as well as readers of the Company’s financial 
statements with a consistent basis for comparison across accounting periods and is useful in helping management and readers 
understand the Company’s operating results and underlying operational trends. In the first quarter of fiscal 2022, the Company 
discontinued its use of software deferred revenue acquired and software deferred commission expense acquired adjustments in 
its non-GAAP financial measures due to the quantitative decline in the adjustments over time. For purposes of comparability, 
the Company’s non-GAAP financial measures for the three months ended and years ended February 28, 2021 and February 29, 
2020 have been updated to conform to the current year’s presentation.

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Debentures  fair  value  adjustment.  The  Company  has  elected  to  measure  its  outstanding  Debentures  at  fair  value  in 
accordance with the fair value option under U.S. GAAP. Each period, the fair value of the Debentures is recalculated 
and  resulting  non-cash  income  and  charges  from  the  change  in  fair  value  from  non-credit  components  of  the 
Debentures are recognized in income. The amount can vary each period depending on changes to the Company’s share 
price, share price volatility and credit indices. This is not indicative of the Company’s core operating performance and 
may not be meaningful in comparison to the Company’s past operating performance.

Restructuring charges. The Company believes that restructuring costs relating to employee termination benefits and  
facilities pursuant to the Resource Allocation Program (“RAP”) entered into in order to transition the Company from a 
legacy  hardware  manufacturer  to  a  licensing  driven  software  business  do  not  reflect  expected  future  operating 
expenses, are not indicative of the Company’s core operating performance, and may not be meaningful in comparison 
to the Company’s past operating performance.

Stock compensation expenses. Equity compensation is a non-cash expense and does not impact the ongoing operating 
decisions taken by the Company’s management. 

Amortization  of  acquired  intangible  assets.  When  the  Company  acquires  intangible  assets  through  business 
combinations,  the  assets  are  recorded  as  part  of  purchase  accounting  and  contribute  to  revenue  generation.  Such 
acquired intangible assets depreciate over time and the related amortization will recur in future periods until the assets 
have  been  fully  amortized.  This  is  not  indicative  of  the  Company’s  core  operating  performance  and  may  not  be 
meaningful in comparison to the Company’s past operating performance.

Business acquisition and integration costs. The Company incurs costs associated with business acquisitions, including 
legal costs, audit and accounting fees, and other acquisition and integration expenses. These expenditures do not relate 
to  the  ongoing  operation  of  the  business  and  they  tend  to  vary  significantly  based  on  the  circumstances  of  each 
transaction.  This  is  not  indicative  of  the  Company’s  core  operating  performance  and  may  not  be  meaningful  in 
comparison to the Company’s past operating performance.

Acquisition valuation allowance. The Company records an income tax valuation allowance associated with business 
acquisitions.  This  is  not  indicative  of  the  Company’s  core  operating  performance  and  may  not  be  meaningful  in 
comparison to the Company’s past operating performance.

Long-lived  asset  impairment  charge.  The  Company  believes  that  long-lived  asset  impairment  charges  do  not  reflect 
expected future operating expenses, are not indicative of the Company’s core operating performance and may not be 
meaningful in comparison to the Company’s past operating performance.

Goodwill impairment charge. The Company believes that goodwill impairment charges do not reflect expected future 
operating expenses, are not indicative of the Company’s core operating performance, and may not be meaningful in 
comparison to the Company’s past operating performance.

On a U.S. GAAP basis, the impacts of these items are reflected in the Company’s income statement. However, the Company 
believes that the provision of supplemental non-GAAP measures allows investors to evaluate the financial performance of the 
Company’s  business  using  the  same  evaluation  measures  that  management  uses  and  is  therefore  a  useful  indication  of  the 
Company’s performance or expected performance of future operations and facilitates period-to-period comparison of operating 

36

performance. As a result, the Company considers it appropriate and reasonable to provide, in addition to U.S. GAAP measures, 
supplementary non-GAAP financial measures that exclude certain items from the presentation of its financial results. 

Reconciliation of non-GAAP based measures with most directly comparable U.S. GAAP based measures for the three 
months ended February 28, 2022, February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020

Readers are cautioned that adjusted gross margin, adjusted gross margin percentage, adjusted operating expense, adjusted net 
income  (loss),  adjusted  income  (loss)  per  share,  adjusted  research  and  development  expense,  adjusted  selling,  marketing  and 
administrative expense, adjusted amortization expense, adjusted operating income (loss), adjusted EBITDA, adjusted operating 
income (loss) margin percentage, adjusted EBITDA margin percentage and free cash flow (usage) 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 and presented in the Consolidated Financial Statements. 

A reconciliation of the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measures for the three months ended February 28, 2022, 
February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020 to adjusted financial measures is reflected in the table below: 

For the Three Months Ended (in millions)

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

Gross margin 

Stock compensation expense

Adjusted gross margin 

Gross margin % 

Stock compensation expense

Adjusted gross margin % 

$ 

$ 

124 

$ 

152 

$ 

1 

1 

125 

$ 

153 

$ 

 67.0 %

 0.6 %

 67.6 %

 72.4 %

 0.5 %

 72.9 %

212 

2 

214 

 75.2 %

 0.7 %

 75.9 %

Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP operating expense (income) for the three months ended February 28, 2022, November 30, 2021, 
February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020 to adjusted operating expense is reflected in the table below:

For the Three Months Ended (in millions)

February 28, 2022 November 30, 2021

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

Operating expense (income)

$ 

(22)  $ 

66  $ 

465  $ 

253 

Restructuring charges

Stock compensation expense
Debentures fair value adjustment (1)

Acquired intangibles amortization

Business acquisition and integration costs

Goodwill impairment charge

LLA impairment charge

Adjusted operating expense

______________________________

— 

4 

— 

5 

(165)   

(110)   

22 

— 

— 

— 

29 

— 

— 

— 

— 

16 

258 

32 

— 

— 

22 

1 

15 

5 

35 

1 

22 

5 

$ 

117  $ 

142  $ 

137  $ 

169 

(1) See “Fiscal 2022 Summary Results of Operations - Financial Highlights - Debentures Fair Value Adjustment”.

37

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Reconciliation  of  U.S.  GAAP  net  income  (loss)  and  U.S.  GAAP  basic  earnings  (loss)  per  share  for  the  three  months  ended 
February 28, 2022, February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020 to adjusted net income and adjusted basic earnings per share is 
reflected in the table below:

For the Three Months Ended (in millions, except per share amounts)

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

Net income (loss)

Restructuring charges

Stock compensation expense

Debentures fair value adjustment

Acquired intangibles amortization

Business acquisition and integration costs

Goodwill impairment charge

LLA impairment charge

Adjusted net income

Basic 
earnings 
per share

Basic 
earnings 
(loss)  
per share

Basic 
earnings 
(loss)  
per share

$ 

144 

$0.25

$ 

(315)  $(0.56)

$ 

(41)  $(0.07)

— 

5 

(165) 

22 

— 

— 

— 

6 

$ 

$0.01

$ 

— 

17 

258 

32 

— 

— 

22 

14 

$0.02

$ 

1 

17 

5 

35 

1 

22 

5 

45 

$0.08

Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP research and development, selling, marketing and administration, and amortization expense for 
the three months ended February 28, 2022, February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020 to adjusted research and development, 
selling, marketing and administration, and amortization expense is reflected in the table below:

For the Three Months Ended (in millions)

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

Research and development

Stock compensation expense

Adjusted research and development

Selling, marketing and administration

Restructuring charges

Stock compensation expense

Business acquisition and integration costs

Adjusted selling, marketing and administration

Amortization

Acquired intangibles amortization

Adjusted amortization

47  $ 

2 

45  $ 

48  $ 

3 

45  $ 

60 

3 

57 

64  $ 

92  $ 

113 

— 

2 

— 

— 

13 

— 

62  $ 

79  $ 

32  $ 

22 

10  $ 

45  $ 

32 

13  $ 

1 

12 

1 

99 

48 

35 

13 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

38

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Reconciliation of selected non-GAAP based measures with most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures for the years 
ended February 28, 2022, February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020

A  reconciliation  of  the  most  directly  comparable  U.S.  GAAP  financial  measures  for  the  years  ended  February  28,  2022, 
February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020 to adjusted financial measures is reflected in the table below:

For the Fiscal Years Ended (in millions)

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

Gross margin

Restructuring charges

Stock compensation expense

Adjusted gross margin

Gross margin %

Restructuring charges

Stock compensation expense

Adjusted gross margin %

Operating expense

Restructuring charges 

Stock compensation expense
Debentures fair value adjustment (1)

Acquired intangibles amortization

Business acquisition and integration costs

Goodwill impairment charge

LLA impairment charge

Adjusted operating expense

______________________________

$ 

$ 

467 

$ 

643 

$ 

— 

4 

— 

5 

471 

$ 

648 

$ 

 65.0 %

 — %

 0.6 %

 65.6 %

 72.0 %

 — %

 0.6 %

 72.6 %

$ 

469 

$ 

1,750 

$ 

— 

26 

(212) 

115 

— 

— 

— 

2 

47 

372 

129 

— 

594 

43 

$ 

540 

$ 

563 

$ 

763 

5 

5 

773 

 73.4 %

 0.5 %

 0.4 %

 74.3 %

912 

5 

58 

(66) 

141 

4 

22 

10 

738 

(1) See “Fiscal 2022 Summary Results of Operations - Financial Highlights  - Debentures Fair Value Adjustment”.

Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP net income (loss) and U.S. GAAP basic earnings (loss) per share for the years ended February 28, 
2022, February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020 to the adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted basic earnings (loss) per share is 
reflected in the table below:

For the Fiscal Years Ended (in millions, except per share amounts)

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

Net income (loss)

Restructuring charges 

Stock compensation expense

Debentures fair value adjustment

Acquired intangibles amortization

Business acquisition and integration costs

Goodwill impairment charge

LLA impairment charge

Acquisition valuation allowance

Adjusted net income (loss)

Basic 
earnings 
(loss)  
per share

Basic 
earnings 
(loss)  
per share

Basic 
earnings 
(loss)  
per share

$ 

12  $  0.02  $ 

(1,104)  $  (1.97)  $ 

(152)  $  (0.27) 

10 

63 

(66) 

141 

4 

22 

10 

(1) 

$0.16

$ 

31 

$0.06

2 

52 

372 

129 

— 

594 

43 

— 

88 

— 

30 

(212) 

115 

— 

— 

— 

— 

$ 

(55)  $(0.10)

$ 

39

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Reconciliation  of  U.S  GAAP  research  and  development,  selling,  marketing  and  administration,  and  amortization  expense  for 
the years ended February 28, 2022, February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020 to adjusted research and development, selling, 
marketing and administration, and amortization expense is reflected in the table below:

For the Fiscal Years Ended (in millions)

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

Research and development

Stock compensation expense

Adjusted research and development

Selling, marketing and administration

Restructuring charges

Stock compensation expense

Business acquisition and integration costs

Adjusted selling, marketing and administration

Amortization

Acquired intangibles amortization

Adjusted amortization

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

219  $ 

8 

211  $ 

215  $ 

11 

204  $ 

297  $ 

344  $ 

— 

18 

— 

2 

36 

— 

279  $ 

306  $ 

165  $ 

115 

50  $ 

182  $ 

129 

53  $ 

259 

13 

246 

493 

5 

45 

4 

439 

194 

141 

53 

Adjusted  operating  income,  adjusted  EBITDA,  adjusted  operating  income  margin  percentage  and  adjusted  EBITDA  margin 
percentage for the three months ended February 28, 2022, February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020 are reflected in the table 
below. These are non-GAAP financial measures and non-GAAP ratios that do not have any standardized meaning as prescribed 
by U.S. GAAP and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies.

For the Three Months Ended (in millions)

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

Operating income (loss)

$ 

146  $ 

(313)  $ 

(41) 

Non-GAAP adjustments to operating income (loss)

Restructuring charges

Stock compensation expense

Debentures fair value adjustment

Acquired intangibles amortization

Business acquisition and integration costs

Goodwill impairment charge

LLA impairment charge

Total non-GAAP adjustments to operating income (loss)

Adjusted operating income

Amortization

Acquired intangibles amortization

Adjusted EBITDA

Revenue
Adjusted operating income margin % (1)
Adjusted EBITDA margin % (2)

______________________________

— 

5 

(165) 

22 

— 

— 

— 

(138) 

8 

34 

(22) 

20  $ 

— 

17 

258 

32 

— 

— 

22 

329 

16 

49 

(32)   

33  $ 

185  $ 

210  $ 

 4% 

 11% 

 8% 

 16% 

1 

17 

5 

35 

1 

22 

5 

86 

45 

52 

(35) 

62 

282 

 16% 

 22% 

$ 

$ 

(1) Adjusted operating income margin % is calculated by dividing adjusted operating income by revenue.
(2) Adjusted EBITDA margin % is calculated by dividing adjusted EBITDA by revenue.

40

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Adjusted  operating  income  (loss),  adjusted  EBITDA,  adjusted  operating  income  (loss)  margin  percentage  and  adjusted 
EBITDA  margin  percentage  for  the  fiscal  years  ended  February  28,  2022,  February  28,  2021  and  February  29,  2020  are 
reflected in the table below.

For the Fiscal Years Ended (in millions)

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

Operating loss

Non-GAAP adjustments to operating loss

Restructuring charges

Stock compensation expense

Debentures fair value adjustment

Acquired intangibles amortization

Business acquisition and integration costs

Goodwill impairment charge

LLA impairment charge

Total non-GAAP adjustments to operating loss

Adjusted operating income (loss)

Amortization

Acquired intangibles amortization

Adjusted EBITDA

Revenue
Adjusted operating income (loss) margin % (1)
Adjusted EBITDA margin % (2)

$ 

(2) 

$ 

(1,107) 

$ 

(149) 

— 

30 

(212) 

115 

— 

— 

— 

(67) 

(69) 

176 

(115) 

2 

52 

372 

129 

— 

594 

43 

1,192 

85 

198 

(129) 

(8) 

$ 

154 

$ 

10 

63 

(66) 

141 

4 

22 

10 

184 

35 

212 

(141) 

106 

718 

$ 

893 

$ 

1,040 

 (10%) 

 (1%) 

 10% 

 17% 

 3% 

 10% 

$ 

$ 

______________________________
(1) Adjusted operating income (loss) margin % is calculated by dividing adjusted operating income (loss) by revenue.
(2) Adjusted EBITDA margin % is calculated by dividing adjusted EBITDA by revenue.

The  Company  uses  free  cash  flow  when  assessing  its  sources  of  liquidity,  capital  resources,  and  quality  of  earnings.  The 
Company  believes  that  free  cash  flow  is  helpful  in  understanding  the  Company’s  capital  requirements  and  provides  an 
additional means to reflect the cash flow trends in the Company’s business. 

Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP net cash provided by operating activities for the three months ended February 28, 2022, February 
28, 2021 and February 29, 2020 to free cash flow is reflected in the table below:

For the Three Months Ended (in millions)

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

Net cash provided by operating activities

Acquisition of property, plant and equipment

Free cash flow

$ 

$ 

10  $ 

(2)   

8  $ 

51  $ 

(3)  $ 

48  $ 

35 

(3) 

32 

Reconciliation  of  U.S.  GAAP  net  cash  provided  by  (used  in)  operating  activities  for  the  years  ended  February  28,  2022, 
February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020 to free cash flow (usage) is reflected in the table below:

For the Fiscal Years Ended (in millions)

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

Acquisition of property, plant and equipment

Free cash flow (usage)

Key Metrics 

$ 

$ 

(28)  $ 

(8) 

(36)  $ 

82  $ 

(8)   

74  $ 

26 

(12) 

14 

The Company regularly monitors a number of financial and operating metrics, including the following key metrics, in order to 
measure  the  Company’s  current  performance  and  estimated  future  performance.  Readers  are  cautioned  that  annual  recurring 
revenue  (“ARR”),  dollar-based  net  retention  rate  (“DBNRR”),  billings  and  recurring  revenue  percentage  do  not  have  any 
standardized meaning and are unlikely to be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. In the first 

41

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
quarter  of  fiscal  2022,  the  Company  discontinued  its  use  of  software  deferred  revenue  acquired  in  its  key  metrics  as  the 
Company  no  longer  reports  non-GAAP  revenue.  For  purposes  of  comparability,  the  Company’s  key  metrics  for  the  three 
months ended February 28, 2021 have been updated to conform to the current year’s presentation.

Comparative breakdowns of certain key metrics for the three months ended February 28, 2022 and February 28, 2021 are set 
forth below. 

For the Three Months Ended (in millions)

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Change

Annual Recurring Revenue

Cybersecurity

IoT

Dollar-Based Net Retention Rate

Cybersecurity

Recurring Software Product Revenue

Annual Recurring Revenue 

$ 

$ 

347 

93 

$ 

$ 

369 

84 

$ 

$ 

 91 %

~ 80 %

 95 %

~ 90 %

(22) 

9 

 (4%) 

~ (10%)

The Company defines ARR as the annualized value of all subscription, term, maintenance, services, and royalty contracts that 
generate  recurring  revenue  as  of  the  end  of  the  reporting  period.  The  Company  uses  ARR  as  an  indicator  of  business 
momentum for software and services.

Cybersecurity  ARR  was  approximately  $347  million  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2022  and  decreased  compared  to 
$358 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2022 and decreased compared to $369 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.

IoT ARR was approximately $93 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 and increased compared to $91 million in the third 
quarter of fiscal 2022 and increased compared to $84 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.

Dollar-Based Net Retention Rate 

The Company calculates the DBNRR as of period end by first calculating the ARR from the customer base as at 12 months 
prior to the current period end (“Prior Period ARR”). The Company then calculates the ARR for the same cohort of customers 
as at the current period end (“Current Period ARR”). The Company then divides the Current Period ARR by the Prior Period 
ARR to calculate the DBNRR. 

Cybersecurity  DBNRR  was  91%  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2022  and  decreased  compared  to  95%  in  the  third  quarter  of 
fiscal 2022 and the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.

Billings

The Company defines billings as amounts invoiced less credits issued. The Company considers billings to be a useful metric 
because  billings  drive  deferred  revenue,  which  is  an  important  indicator  of  the  health  and  visibility  of  the  business  and 
represents a significant percentage of future revenue.

Total Company billings increased in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2022 and decreased 
compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 due to a decrease in billings from Licensing and Other.

The Company previously stated that it expected sequential billings growth for Cybersecurity in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022.  
In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, Cybersecurity billings increased sequentially compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2022.

The  Company  previously  stated  that  it  expected  IoT  billings  to  grow  by  a  double-digit  percentage  for  fiscal  2022.  In  fiscal 
2022, IoT billings grew by a double-digit percentage compared to fiscal 2021.

The  Company  expects  Cybersecurity  billings  growth  of  between  8  to  12%  in  fiscal  2023  compared  to  fiscal  2022.  The 
Company  also  expects  quarterly  year-over-year  Cybersecurity  billings  growth  throughout  fiscal  2023  when  compared  to  the 
same quarter in the prior year.

Recurring Software Product Revenue 

The  Company  defines  recurring  software  product  revenue  percentage  as  recurring  software  product  revenue  divided  by  total 
software and services revenue. Recurring software product revenue is comprised of subscription and term licenses, maintenance 
arrangements,  royalty  arrangements  and  perpetual  licenses  recognized  ratably  under  ASC  606.  Total  software  and  services 
revenue  is  comprised  of  recurring  product  revenue,  non-recurring  product  revenue  and  professional  services.  The  Company 

42

uses  recurring  software  product  revenue  percentage  to  provide  visibility  into  the  revenue  expected  to  be  recognized  in  the 
current and future periods. 

Total Software and Services product revenue, excluding professional services, was approximately 80% recurring in the fourth 
quarter  of  fiscal  2022  consistent  with  approximately  80%  recurring  in  the  third  quarter  of  fiscal  2022  and  decreased  from 
approximately 90% recurring in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 due to product mix.

Results of Operations - Fiscal year ended February 28, 2022 compared to fiscal year ended February 28, 2021

Revenue

Revenue by Segment

Comparative breakdowns of revenue by product and service on a U.S. GAAP basis are set forth below.

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Change

February 29, 2020

Change

For the Fiscal Years Ended
(in millions)

$ 

$ 

477 
178 

63 

718 

$ 

$ 

491 
130 

272 

893 

$ 

$ 

(14)  $ 
48 

(209)   

$ 

475 
216 

349 

(175)  $ 

1,040 

$ 

16 
(86) 

(77) 

(147) 

 66.4 %

 24.8 %

 8.8 %

 55.0 %

 14.5 %

 30.5 %

 100.0 %

 100.0 %

 45.7 %

 20.7 %

 33.6 %

 100.0 %

Revenue by Product and Service

Cybersecurity
IoT
Licensing and Other

% Revenue by Product and Service

Cybersecurity
IoT

Licensing and Other

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity  revenue  was  $477  million,  or  66.4%  of  revenue  in  fiscal  2022,  a  decrease  of  $14  million  compared  to  $491 
million,  or  55.0%  of  revenue  in  fiscal  2021.  The  decrease  in  Cybersecurity  revenue  of  $14  million  was  primarily  due  to  a 
decrease  of  $25  million  relating  to  product  revenue  in  BlackBerry  Spark,  a  decrease  of  $9  million  relating  to  professional 
services and a decrease of $4 million relating to non-automotive OEM business, offset by an increase of $29 million related to 
the sale of Secusmart solutions.

The Company previously stated that it expected Cybersecurity revenue to be higher in the second half of the year than in the 
first half of the year for fiscal 2022. In fiscal 2022, Cybersecurity revenue was higher in the second half of the year than in the 
first half of the year.

The Company expects Cybersecurity revenue in fiscal 2023 to be broadly consistent with fiscal 2022.

IoT

IoT revenue was $178 million, or 24.8% of revenue in fiscal 2022, an increase of $48 million compared to $130 million, or 
14.6% of revenue in fiscal 2021. The increase in IoT revenue of $48 million was primarily due to an increase of $20 million in 
BlackBerry  QNX  royalty  revenue  due  to  the  partial  recovery  of  the  automotive  market  from  the  slowdown  related  to  the 
COVID-19  pandemic  in  fiscal  2021,  an  increase  of  $16  million  in  development  seat  revenue,  an  increase  of  $8  million  in 
professional service revenue and an increase of $3 million related to sales in BlackBerry Radar.

The Company previously stated that it expected IoT revenue to be between $180 million and $200 million for fiscal 2022 as a 
whole. In fiscal 2022, IoT revenue was $178 million primarily due to the impact of disruption in automotive supply chains on 
production-based royalties.

The Company previously stated that it expected IoT revenue to be higher in the second half of the year than in the first half of 
the year in fiscal 2022. In fiscal 2022, IoT revenue was higher in the second half of the year than in the first half of the year.

The Company expects IoT revenue to be between $200 million and $210 million in fiscal 2023.

43

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Licensing and Other

Licensing and Other revenue was $63 million, or 8.8% of revenue in fiscal 2022, a decrease of $209 million compared to $272 
million, or 30.5% of revenue in fiscal 2021. The decrease in Licensing and Other revenue of $209 million was primarily due to 
a  decrease  of  $201  million  in  revenue  from  the  Company’s  intellectual  property  licensing  arrangements  due  to  the  ongoing 
patent sale process in fiscal 2022, and associated restrictions on monetization activity. SAF revenue, which was generated from 
users of BlackBerry 7 and prior BlackBerry operating systems, also decreased by $5 million, primarily due to a lower number 
of BlackBerry 7 users and lower revenue from those users compared to fiscal 2021, and to the decommissioning of service for 
these legacy systems as of January 4, 2022.

The Company previously stated that it expected Licensing and Other revenue to be approximately $60 million in fiscal 2022.  
In fiscal 2022, Licensing and Other revenue was $63 million.

U.S. GAAP Revenue by Geography 

Comparative breakdowns of the geographic regions on a U.S. GAAP basis are set forth in the following table:

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Change

February 29, 2020

Change

For the Fiscal Years Ended
(in millions)

$ 

$ 

413 

234 

71 

718 

$ 

$ 

633 

197 

63 

893 

$ 

$ 

(220)  $ 

37 

8 

$ 

743 

221 

76 

(175)  $ 

1,040 

$ 

(110) 

(24) 

(13) 

(147) 

 57.5 %

 32.6 %

 9.9 %

 70.9 %

 22.1 %

 7.0 %

 100.0 %

 100.0 %

 71.4 %

 21.3 %

 7.3 %

 100.0 %

Revenue by Geography
North America

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Other regions

% Revenue by Geography
North America

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Other regions

North America Revenue

Revenue  in  North  America  was  $413  million,  or  57.5%  of  revenue,  in  fiscal  2022,  reflecting  a  decrease  of  $220  million 
compared to $633 million, or 70.9% of revenue in fiscal 2021. The decrease in North American revenue was primarily due to a 
decrease  of  $201  million  in  Licensing  and  Other  revenue  due  to  the  reasons  discussed  above  in  “Revenue  by  Segment”,  a 
decrease of $24 million in product revenue in BlackBerry Spark and a decrease of $7 million in professional services, partially 
offset by an increase of $13 million in BlackBerry QNX royalty revenue due to the reasons discussed above in “Revenue by 
Segment”.

Europe, Middle East and Africa Revenue

Revenue in Europe, Middle East and Africa was $234 million, or 32.6% of revenue, in fiscal 2022, reflecting an increase of $37 
million compared to $197 million, or 22.1% of revenue, in fiscal 2021. The increase was primarily due to an increase of $29 
million  related  to  the  sale  of  Secusmart  solutions,  an  increase  of  $6  million  in  development  seat  revenue,  an  increase  of  $6 
million in professional services due to the reasons discussed above in “Revenue by Segment”, partially offset by a decrease of 
$2 million in product revenue in BlackBerry Spark.

Other Regions Revenue

Revenue in other regions was $71 million, or 9.9% of revenue, in fiscal 2022, reflecting an increase of $8 million compared to 
$63  million,  or  7.0%  of  revenue,  in  fiscal  2021.  The  increase  in  revenue  is  primarily  due  to  an  increase  of  $5  million  in 
development seat revenue and an increase of $4 million in BlackBerry QNX royalty revenue due to the reasons discussed above 
in “Revenue by Segment”, partially offset by a decrease of $3 million in SAF revenue.

44

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gross Margin

Consolidated Gross Margin 

Consolidated gross margin decreased by $176 million to approximately $467 million in fiscal 2022 from $643 million in fiscal 
2021. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in revenue from Licensing and Other and BlackBerry Spark, partially offset 
by an increase in revenue from BlackBerry QNX and Secusmart due to the reasons discussed above in “Revenue by Segment”, 
as the Company’s cost of sales does not significantly fluctuate based on business volume.

Consolidated Gross Margin Percentage

Consolidated gross margin percentage decreased by 7.0%, to approximately 65.0% of consolidated revenue in fiscal 2022 from 
72.0%  of  consolidated  revenue  in  fiscal  2021.  The  decrease  was  primarily  due  to  a  lower  gross  margin  contribution  from 
Licensing and Other due to the reasons discussed above in “Revenue by Segment”, partially offset by a higher gross margin 
contribution from BlackBerry QNX and Secusmart due to the reasons discussed above in “Revenue by Segment”.

Gross Margin by Segment

See “Business Overview” and “Fiscal 2022 Summary Results of Operations” for information about the Company’s operating 
segments and the basis of operating segment results.

For the Years Ended

(in millions)

Cybersecurity

IoT

Licensing and Other

Segment Totals

February 28,

2022

2021

Change

February 28,

2022

2021

Change

February 28,

2022

2021

Change

February 28,

2022

2021

Change

Segment revenue

$ 477 

$ 491 

$ (14)  $ 178  $ 130  $  48  $  63  $ 272  $ (209)  $ 718  $ 893  $ (175) 

  194 
Segment cost of sales
Segment gross margin $ 283 
Segment gross margin 
%

 59% 

Cybersecurity

  192 

2 

30 

23 

7 

23 

30 

(7) 

  247 

  245 

2 

$ 299 

$ (16)  $ 148  $ 107  $  41  $  40  $ 242  $ (202)  $ 471  $ 648  $ (177) 

 61% 

 (2%) 

 83% 

 82% 

 1% 

 63% 

 89% 

 (26%) 

 66% 

 73% 

 (7%) 

Cybersecurity gross margin decreased by $16 million to approximately $283 million in fiscal 2022 from $299 million in fiscal 
2021. The decrease was primarily due to the reasons discussed above in “Revenue by Segment”, as the Company’s cost of sales 
does not significantly fluctuate based on business volume.

Cybersecurity gross margin percentage decreased by 2% to approximately 59% of Cybersecurity revenue in fiscal 2022 from 
61% of Cybersecurity revenue in fiscal 2021. The decrease was primarily due to the reasons discussed above in “Revenue by 
Segment”.

IoT

IoT gross margin increased by $41 million to approximately $148 million in fiscal 2022 from $107 million in fiscal 2021. The 
increase was primarily due to the reasons discussed above in “Revenue by Segment”, partially offset by an increase in cost of 
sales related to professional services.

IoT gross margin percentage increased by 1% to approximately 83% of IoT revenue in fiscal 2022 from 82% of IoT revenue in 
fiscal 2021. The increase was primarily due an increase in BlackBerry QNX royalty revenue, which has a higher relative gross 
margin percentage, due to the reasons discussed above in “Revenue by Segment”, partially offset by an increase in professional 
services revenue, which has a lower relative gross margin percentage.

Licensing and Other

Licensing and Other gross margin decreased by $202 million to approximately $40 million in fiscal 2022 from $242 million in 
fiscal 2021. The decrease was primarily due to the reasons discussed above in “Revenue by Segment”, as the Company’s cost 
of sales does not significantly fluctuate based on business volume.

Licensing and Other gross margin percentage decreased by 26% to approximately 63% of Licensing and Other revenue in fiscal 
2022 from 89% of Licensing and Other revenue in fiscal 2021. The decrease was primarily due to the reasons discussed above 
in “Revenue by Segment”.

45

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Operating Expenses 

The table below presents a comparison of research and development, selling, marketing and administration, and amortization 
expense for fiscal 2022 compared to fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020.

Revenue

Operating expenses

Research and development

Selling, marketing and administration
Amortization

Impairment of goodwill

Impairment of long-lived assets

Debentures fair value adjustment
Total

Operating Expense as % of Revenue

Research and development

Selling, marketing and administration
Amortization

Impairment of goodwill

Impairment of long-lived assets

Debentures fair value adjustment
Total

For the Fiscal Years Ended
(in millions)

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Change

February 29, 2020

Change

$ 

718 

$ 

893 

$ 

(175)  $ 

1,040 

$ 

(147) 

219 

297 

165 

— 

— 

(212) 

215 

344 

182 

594 

43 

372 

4 

(47)   

(17)   

(594)   

(43)   

(584)   

$ 

469 

$ 

1,750 

$ 

(1,281)  $ 

 30.5% 

 41.4% 

 23.0% 

 —% 

 —% 

 (29.5%) 

 65.3% 

 24.1% 

 38.5% 

 20.4% 

 66.5% 

 4.8% 

 41.7% 

 196.0% 

(44) 

(149) 

(12) 

572 

33 

438 

838 

259 

493 

194 

22 

10 

(66) 

912 

$ 

 24.9% 

 47.4% 

 18.7% 

 2.1% 

 1.0% 

 (6.3%) 

 87.7% 

See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for a reconciliation of selected U.S. GAAP-based measures to adjusted measures for the 
years ended February 28, 2022, February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020.

U.S. GAAP Operating Expenses

Operating expenses decreased by $1,281 million, or 73.2%, to $469 million, or 65.3% of revenue in fiscal 2022, compared to 
$1,750 million, or 196.0% of revenue, in fiscal 2021. The decrease was primarily attributable to a goodwill impairment of $594 
million in fiscal 2021 which did not recur, the difference between the Fiscal 2022 Debentures Fair Value Adjustment and the 
fair value adjustment related to the Debentures incurred in fiscal 2021 of $584 million, an impairment of long-lived assets of 
$43 million in fiscal 2021 which did not recur and a decrease of $20 million in stock compensation expense, partially offset by 
a decrease in benefits of $10 million in government subsidies such as claims filed for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy 
(“CEWS”) and Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program (“HHBRP”) programs to support the business through the COVID-19 
pandemic and an increase of $7 million in variable incentive plan costs.

Adjusted Operating Expenses

Adjusted operating expenses decreased by $23 million, or 4.1%, to $540 million in fiscal 2022, compared to $563 million in 
fiscal 2021. The decrease was primarily attributable to a decrease of $13 million in legal expenses, a decrease of $11 million in 
the Company’s deferred share unit liability due to a decrease in the Company’s stock price and a decrease of $10 million in 
salaries and benefits expense, partially offset by a decrease in benefits of $10 million in government subsidies such as CEWS 
and HHBRP funding and an increase of $7 million in variable incentive plan costs.

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 costs, infrastructure costs and other employee costs.

46

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Research and development expenses increased by $4 million, or 1.9%, to $219 million, or 30.5% of revenue, in fiscal 2022, 
compared  to  $215  million,  or  24.1%  of  revenue,  in  fiscal  2021.  The  increase  was  primarily  attributable  to  an  increase  of  $4 
million in variable incentive plan costs and a decrease in benefits of $3 million in claims filed with the Ministry of Innovation, 
Science  and  Economic  Development  Canada  relating  to  its  Strategic  Innovation  Fund  (“SIF”)  program’s  investment  in 
BlackBerry QNX, partially offset by a decrease of $2 million in stock compensation expense.

Adjusted research and development expenses increased by $7 million, or 3.4% to $211 million in fiscal 2022 compared to $204 
million in fiscal 2021. The increase was primarily due an increase of $4 million in variable incentive plan costs and a decrease 
in benefits of $3 million in SIF claims filed.

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 $47 million, or 13.7%, to $297 million, or 41.4% of revenue, in 
fiscal  2022  compared  to  $344  million,  or  38.5%  of  revenue,  in  fiscal  2021.  The  decrease  was  primarily  attributable  to  a 
decrease  of  $19  million  in  stock  compensation  expense,  a  decrease  of  $13  million  in  legal  expenses  and  a  decrease  of  $11 
million  in  the  Company’s  deferred  share  unit  liability  due  to  a  decrease  in  the  Company’s  stock  price,  partially  offset  by  a 
decrease in benefits of $10 million in government subsidies such as CEWS and HHBRP funding.

Adjusted  selling,  marketing  and  administration  expenses  decreased  by  $27  million,  or  8.8%,  to  $279  million  in  fiscal  2022 
compared  to  $306  million  in  fiscal  2021.  The  decrease  was  primarily  due  to  a  decrease  of  $13  million  in  legal  expenses,  a 
decrease of $11 million in the Company’s deferred share unit liability due to a decrease in the Company’s stock price and a 
decrease of $10 million in salaries and benefits expenses, partially offset by a decrease in benefits of $10 million in government 
subsidies such as CEWS and HHBRP funding.

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  2022  compared  to  fiscal  2021  and  fiscal  2021  compared  to  fiscal  2020. 
Intangible assets are comprised of patents, licenses and acquired technology.

For the Fiscal Years Ended
(in millions)

Included in Operating Expense

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Change

February 29, 2020

Change

Property, plant and equipment

Intangible assets
Total

$ 

$ 

12  $ 

153 

165  $ 

17  $ 

165 

182  $ 

(5)  $ 

(12)   

(17)  $ 

18  $ 

176 

194  $ 

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Change

February 29, 2020

Change

Included in Cost of Sales

Property, plant and equipment
Intangible assets

Total

$ 

$ 

3  $ 
8 

11  $ 

4  $ 
12 

16  $ 

(1)  $ 
(4)   

(5)  $ 

6  $ 
12 

18  $ 

(1) 

(11) 

(12) 

(2) 
— 

(2) 

Amortization included in Operating Expense

Amortization expense relating to certain property, plant and equipment and intangible assets decreased by $17 million to $165 
million for fiscal 2022, compared to $182 million for fiscal 2021. The decrease in amortization expense was due to the lower 
cost base of assets.

Adjusted amortization expense decreased by $3 million to $50 million in fiscal 2022 compared to $53 million in fiscal 2021 due 
to the reasons described above on a U.S. GAAP basis. 

Amortization included in Cost of Sales

Amortization  expense  relating  to  certain  property,  plant  and  equipment  and  intangible  assets  employed  in  the  Company’s 
service operations decreased by $5 million to $11 million for fiscal 2022, compared to $16 million for fiscal 2021. The decrease 
in amortization expense was due to the lower cost base of assets.

47

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Investment Income (Loss), Net

Investment income (loss), net, which includes the interest expense from the Debentures, increased by $27 million to investment 
income, net of $21 million in fiscal 2022, from investment loss, net of $6 million in fiscal 2021. The increase in investment 
income  (loss),  net  was  primarily  due  to  gains  recognized  from  a  return  of  capital  from  a  non-marketable  equity  investment, 
observable  price  changes  on  non-marketable  equity  investments  without  readily  determinable  fair  value  and  a  decrease  in 
interest  expense  from  the  Debentures  as  a  result  of  the  redemption  of  the  3.75%  Debentures  and  issuance  of  the  1.75% 
Debentures in fiscal 2021, partially offset by a lower yield on cash and investments and lower average cash and investments 
balances in fiscal 2022 compared to fiscal 2021.

Income Taxes

For  fiscal  2022,  the  Company’s  net  effective  income  tax  expense  rate  was  approximately  37%,  compared  to  a  net  effective 
income tax recovery of approximately 1% for the prior fiscal year. The Company’s net effective income tax rate reflects the 
change in unrecognized income tax benefits, if any, and the fact that the Company has a significant valuation allowance against 
its  deferred  tax  assets,  and  in  particular,  the  change  in  fair  value  of  the  Debentures,  amongst  other  items,  was  offset  by  a 
corresponding adjustment of the valuation allowance. The Company’s net effective income tax rate also reflects the geographic 
mix of earnings in jurisdictions with different income tax rates.

Net Income (Loss) 

The Company’s net income for fiscal 2022 was $12 million, or $0.02 basic earnings per share and $0.31 diluted loss per share 
on a U.S. GAAP basis, reflecting a decrease in net loss of $1,116 million compared to net loss of $1,104 million, or $1.97 basic 
and  diluted  loss  per  share  in  fiscal  2021.  The  decrease  was  primarily  due  to  a  decrease  in  operating  expenses  due  to  the 
goodwill impairment in fiscal 2021 that did not recur and a decrease in Debentures fair value adjustment, as described above in 
“Operating Expenses”, partially offset by a decrease in revenue as described above in “Revenue by Segment” and a decrease in 
gross margin percentage, as describe above in “Consolidated Gross Margin Percentage.

Adjusted net loss for fiscal 2022 was $55 million compared to adjusted net income of $88 million in fiscal 2021, reflecting a 
decrease  in  adjusted  net  income  of  $143  million,  primarily  due  to  a  decrease  in  revenue  as  described  above  in  “Revenue  by 
Segment” and a decrease in gross margin percentage, as described above in “Consolidated Gross Margin Percentage”, partially 
offset by a decrease in operating expenditures as described above in “Operating Expenses”.

The  weighted  average  number  of  shares  outstanding  was  571  million  common  shares  for  basic  earnings  per  share  and  631 
million common shares for diluted loss per share for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2022. The weighted average number of 
shares outstanding was 561 million common shares for basic and diluted loss per share for the fiscal year ended February 28, 
2021. 

Common Shares Outstanding

On March 29, 2022, there were 576 million voting common shares, options to purchase 1 million voting common shares, 15 
million  restricted  share  units  and  2  million  deferred  share  units  outstanding.  In  addition,  60.8  million  common  shares  are 
issuable upon conversion in full of the 1.75% Debentures, as described in Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Company has not paid any cash dividends during the last three fiscal years. 

48

Results of Operations - Three months ended February 28, 2022 compared to the three months ended February 28, 2021 

The following section sets forth certain unaudited consolidated statements 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 February 28, 2022, 
February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020:

Revenue 

Gross margin 

Operating expenses 

Investment loss, net 

Income (loss) before income taxes

Provision for (recovery of) income taxes

Net income (loss)

Earnings (loss) per share - reported

Basic
Diluted (1)

Weighted-average number of shares 
outstanding (000’s)

Basic
Diluted (1)

______________________________

For the Three Months Ended
(in millions, except for share and per share amounts)

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Change 

February 29, 2020

Change

$ 

185  $ 

210  $ 

124 

(22)   

(1)   

145 

1 

152 

465 

— 

(313)   

2 

$ 

$ 

$ 

144  $ 

(315)  $ 

0.25  $ 

(0.03)  $ 

(0.56)  $ 

(0.56)  $ 

(25)  $ 

(28)   

(487)   

(1)   

458 

(1)   

459  $ 

0.81  $ 

0.53  $ 

282  $ 

212 

253 

(1)   

(42)   

(1)   

(41)  $ 

(72) 

(60) 

212 

1 

(271) 

3 

(274) 

(0.07)  $ 

(0.07)  $ 

(0.49) 

(0.49) 

575,883 

636,716 

566,089 

566,089 

556,668 

556,668 

(1)

Diluted loss per share on a U.S. GAAP basis in the fourth quarter of 2021 and 2020 do not include the dilutive effect 
of the Debentures as to do so would be anti-dilutive. Diluted loss per share on a U.S. GAAP basis in the fourth quarter 
of  2022,  2021  and  2020  do  not  include  the  dilutive  effect  of  stock-based  compensation  as  to  do  so  would  be  anti-
dilutive.

Revenue

Revenue by Segment

Comparative breakdowns of revenue by product and service on a U.S. GAAP basis are set forth below.

Revenue by Product and Service
Cybersecurity
IoT

Licensing and Other

% Revenue by Product and Service

Cybersecurity
IoT

Licensing and Other

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Change

February 29, 2020

Change

For the Three Months Ended
(in millions)

$ 

$ 

122 

$ 

122 

$ 

52 

11 

38 

50 

185 

$ 

210 

$ 

—  $ 

14 

(39)   

(25)  $ 

124 

46 

112 

282 

$ 

$ 

(2) 

(8) 

(62) 

(72) 

 65.9 %

 28.1 %

 6.0 %

 58.1 %

 18.1 %

 23.8 %

 100.0 %

 100.0 %

 44.0 %

 16.3 %

 39.7 %

 100.0 %

49

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity revenue was $122 million, or 65.9% of revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, consistent with $122 million, 
or 58.1% of revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. An increase of $15 million related to the sale of Secusmart solutions 
was partially offset by a decrease of $9 million relating to product revenue in BlackBerry Spark and a decrease of $3 million 
relating to professional services.

The  Company  previously  stated  that  it  expected  Cybersecurity  revenue  to  be  between  $125  million  and  $135  million  in  the 
fourth quarter of fiscal 2022. Cybersecurity revenue was $122 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, below expectations 
primarily due to higher than expected churn in smaller-sized UEM customers.

The  Company  previously  stated  that  it  expected  modest  sequential  Cybersecurity  revenue  growth  for  the  remainder  of  fiscal 
2022. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, Cybersecurity revenue decreased compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2022 due to 
the reason described above.

IoT

IoT revenue was $52 million, or 28.1% of revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, an increase of $14 million compared to 
$38 million, or 18.1% of revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. The increase in IoT revenue of $14 million was primarily 
due to an increase of $5 million relating to professional services, an increase of $4 million in BlackBerry QNX royalty revenue 
due  to  the  partial  recovery  of  the  automotive  market  from  the  slowdown  related  to  the  COVID-19  pandemic  in  the  fourth 
quarter of fiscal 2021 and an increase of $3 million in development seat revenue.

The Company previously stated that it expected sequential IoT revenue growth in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022. In the fourth 
quarter of fiscal 2022, IoT revenue grew sequentially compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2022.

The Company previously stated that it expected IoT revenue to be between $50 million and $55 million in the fourth quarter of 
fiscal 2022. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, IoT revenue was $52 million.

Licensing and Other

Licensing and Other revenue was $11 million, or 6.0% of revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, a decrease of $39 million 
compared  to  $50  million,  or  23.8%  of  revenue,  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2021.  The  decrease  in  Licensing  and  Other 
revenue  of  $39  million  was  primarily  due  to  a  decrease  of  $36  million  in  revenue  from  the  Company’s  intellectual  property 
licensing  arrangements  due  to  the  ongoing  patent  sale  process  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  2022,  and  associated  restrictions  on 
monetization activity and a decrease of $2 million in SAF revenue.

The Company previously stated that it expected to enter into a definitive agreement with respect to a sale of a portion of the 
Company’s patent portfolio in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, in which event the Company expects that Licensing and Other 
revenue in the quarter will be nominal.  In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, the Company entered into a definitive agreement 
with respect to a sale of a portion of the Company’s patent portfolio. The Company expects Licensing and Other revenue to be 
minimal in fiscal 2023, aside from any Licensing and Other revenue that may be recognized in connection with a closing of the 
patent portfolio sale transaction.

U.S. GAAP Revenue by Geography  

Comparative breakdowns of the geographic regions are set forth in the following table:

Revenue by Geography
North America

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Other regions

% Revenue by Geography

North America

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Other regions

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Change

February 29, 2020

Change

For the Three Months Ended
(in millions)

$ 

$ 

100 

$ 

141 

$ 

(41)  $ 

213 

$ 

66 

19 

53 

16 

13 

3 

53 

16 

185 

$ 

210 

$ 

(25)  $ 

282 

$ 

(72) 

— 

— 

(72) 

 54.0 %
 35.7 %
 10.3 %
 100.0 %

 67.1 %
 25.2 %
 7.7 %
 100.0 %

50

 75.5 %
 18.8 %
 5.7 %
 100.0 %

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
North America Revenue

Revenue in North America was $100 million, or 54.0% of revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, reflecting a decrease of 
$41 million compared to $141 million, or 67.1% of revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. Revenue in North America 
decreased  compared  to  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2021  primarily  due  to  a  decrease  of  $36  million  in  Licensing  and  Other 
revenue  due  to  the  reasons  discussed  above  in  “Revenue  by  Segment”  and  a  decrease  of  $8  million  in  product  revenue  in 
BlackBerry Spark, partially offset by an increase of $3 million in BlackBerry QNX royalty revenue due to the reasons discussed 
above in “Revenue by Segment”.

Europe, Middle East and Africa Revenue

Revenue in Europe, Middle East and Africa was $66 million or 35.7% of revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, reflecting 
an increase of $13 million compared to $53 million or 25.2% of revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. The increase in 
revenue is primarily due to an increase of $15 million related to the sale of Secusmart solutions partially offset by a decrease of 
$2 million in product revenue in BlackBerry Spark.

Other Regions Revenue

Revenue in other regions was $19 million or 10.3% of revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, reflecting an increase of $3 
million compared to $16 million or 7.7% of revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. The increase in revenue is primarily 
due to an increase of $1 million in development seat revenue, an increase of $1 million in product revenue in BlackBerry Spark 
and  an  increase  of  $1  million  in  BlackBerry  QNX  royalty  revenue  due  to  the  reasons  discussed  above  in  “Revenue  by 
Segment”.

Gross Margin

Consolidated Gross Margin 

Consolidated gross margin decreased by $28 million to approximately $124 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 from 
$152 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in revenue from Licensing and 
Other and BlackBerry Spark, partially offset by an increase in revenue from BlackBerry QNX and Secusmart due to the reasons 
discussed above in “Revenue by Segment”, as the Company’s cost of sales does not significantly fluctuate based on business 
volume.

Consolidated Gross Margin Percentage 

Consolidated gross margin percentage decreased by 5.4%, to approximately 67.0% of consolidated revenue in the fourth quarter 
of fiscal 2022 from 72.4% of consolidated revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. The decrease was primarily due to a 
lower  gross  margin  contribution  from  Licensing  and  Other  due  to  the  reasons  discussed  above  in  “Revenue  by  Segment”, 
partially offset by a higher gross margin contribution from BlackBerry QNX and Secusmart due to the reasons discussed above 
in “Revenue by Segment”.

Gross Margin by Segment

See “Business Overview - Segment Reporting” and “Fiscal 2022 Summary Results of Operations” for information about the 
Company’s operating segments and the basis of operating segment results.

For the Three Months Ended
(in millions)

Cybersecurity

IoT

Licensing and Other

Segment Totals

February 28,

2022

2021

Change

February 28,

2022

2021

Change

February 28,

2022

2021

Change

February 28,

2022

2021

Change

Segment revenue

$ 122 

$ 122 

$  —  $  52  $  38  $  14  $  11  $  50  $ (39)  $ 185  $ 210  $ (25) 

Segment cost of sales
47 
Segment gross margin $  75 
Segment gross margin 
%

 61% 

46 

1 

8 

5 

3 

5 

6 

(1) 

60 

57 

3 

$  76 

$  (1)  $  44  $  33  $  11  $ 

6  $  44  $ (38)  $ 125  $ 153  $ (28) 

 62% 

 (1%) 

 85% 

 87% 

 (2%) 

 55% 

 88% 

 (33%) 

 68% 

 73% 

 (5%) 

51

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity gross margin decreased by $1 million to approximately $75 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 from $76 
million  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2021.  The  decrease  was  primarily  due  to  the  reasons  discussed  above  in  “Revenue  by 
Segment”, as the Company’s cost of sales does not significantly fluctuate based on business volume.

Cybersecurity gross margin percentage decreased by 1% to approximately 61% of Cybersecurity revenue in the fourth quarter 
of fiscal 2022 from 62% of Cybersecurity revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. The decrease was primarily due to the 
reasons discussed above in “Revenue by Segment”, as the Company’s cost of sales does not significantly fluctuate based on 
business volume.

IoT

IoT gross margin increased by $11 million to approximately $44 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 from $33 million in 
the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2021.  The  increase  was  primarily  due  to  the  reasons  discussed  above  in  “Revenue  by  Segment”, 
partially offset by an increase in cost of sales related to professional services.

IoT gross margin percentage decreased by 2% to approximately 85% of IoT revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 from 
87% of IoT revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. The decrease was primarily due an increase in professional services 
revenue,  which  has  a  lower  relative  gross  margin  percentage,  partially  offset  by  an  increase  in  BlackBerry  QNX  royalty 
revenue, which has a higher relative gross margin percentage, due to the reasons discussed above in “Revenue by Segment”.

Licensing and Other

Licensing  and  Other  gross  margin  decreased  by  $38  million  to  approximately  $6  million  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2022 
from  $44  million  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2021.  The  decrease  was  primarily  due  to  the  reasons  discussed  above  in 
“Revenue by Segment”, as the Company’s cost of sales does not significantly fluctuate based on business volume.

Licensing and Other gross margin percentage decreased by 33% to approximately 55% of Licensing and Other revenue in the 
fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 from 88% of Licensing and Other revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. The decrease was 
primarily due to the reasons discussed above in “Revenue by Segment”.

Operating Expenses

The table below presents a comparison of research and development, selling, marketing and administration, and amortization 
expenses for the quarter ended February 28, 2022, compared to the quarter ended November 30, 2021 and the quarter ended 
February 28, 2021. The Company believes it is also meaningful to provide a sequential comparison between the fourth quarter 
of fiscal 2022 and the third quarter of fiscal 2022.

52

Revenue

Operating expenses
Research and development

Selling, marketing and administration

Amortization

Impairment of long-lived assets

Impairment of goodwill

Debentures fair value adjustment
Total

Operating Expense as % of Revenue

Research and development

Selling, marketing and administration

Amortization

Impairment of long-lived assets

Impairment of goodwill

Debentures fair value adjustment
Total

For the Three Months Ended
(in millions)

February 28, 2022 November 30, 2021

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

$ 

185 

$ 

184 

$ 

210 

$ 

282 

47 

64 

32 

— 

— 

57 

77 

42 

— 

— 

(165) 

(110) 

$ 

(22) 

$ 

66 

$ 

 25.4% 

 34.6% 

 17.3% 

 —% 

 —% 

 (89.2%) 

 (11.9%) 

 31.0% 

 41.8% 

 22.8% 

 —% 

 —% 

 (59.8%) 

 35.9% 

48 

92 

45 

22 

— 

258 

465 

 22.9% 

 43.8% 

 21.4% 

 10.5% 

 —% 

 122.9% 

 221.4% 

60 

113 

48 

5 

22 

5 

$ 

253 

 21.3% 

 40.1% 

 17.0% 

 1.8% 

 7.8% 

 1.8% 

 89.7% 

See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for a reconciliation of selected U.S. GAAP-based measures to adjusted measures for the 
three months ended February 28, 2022, November 30, 2021, February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020.

U.S. GAAP Operating Expenses

Operating expenses decreased by $88 million, or 133.3%, to $(22) million, or (11.9%) of revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 
2022, compared to $66 million, or 35.9% of revenue, in the third quarter of fiscal 2022. The decrease was primarily attributable 
to the difference between the Q4 Fiscal 2022 Debentures Fair Value Adjustment and the fair value adjustment related to the 
Debentures incurred in the third quarter of fiscal 2022 of $55 million, a benefit of $10 million in HHBRP funding, a decrease of 
$10 million in amortization expense and a decrease of $9 million in variable incentive plan costs.

Operating  expenses  decreased  by  $487  million,  or  104.7%,  to  $(22)  million,  or  (11.9%)  of  revenue,  in  the  fourth  quarter  of 
fiscal 2022, compared to $465 million, or 221.4% of revenue, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. The decrease was primarily 
attributable  to  the  difference  between  the  Q4  Fiscal  2022  Debentures  Fair  Value  Adjustment  and  the  fair  value  adjustment 
related to the Debentures incurred in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 of $423 million, an impairment of long-lived assets of $22 
million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 which did not recur, a decrease of $13 million in amortization expense, a decrease of 
$12 million in stock compensation expense and a decrease of $9 million in the Company’s deferred share unit liability due to a 
decrease in the Company’s stock price.

Adjusted Operating Expenses

Adjusted operating expenses decreased by $25 million, or 17.6%, to $117 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 compared 
to $142 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2022. The decrease was primarily attributable to a benefit of $10 million in HHBRP 
funding,  a  decrease  of  $9  million  in  variable  incentive  plan  costs,  a  decrease  of  $3  million  in  amortization  expense  and  a 
decrease of $2 million in salaries and benefits expenses. 

Adjusted operating expenses decreased by $20 million, or 14.6%, to $117 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, compared 
to $137 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. The decrease was primarily attributable to a decrease of $9 million in the 
Company’s  deferred  share  unit  liability  due  to  a  decrease  in  the  Company’s  stock  price,  a  decrease  of  $6  million  in  legal 
expenses, a decrease of $4 million in consulting fees and a decrease of $3 million in amortization expense.

53

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Research and Development Expenses

Research  and  development  expenses  consist  primarily  of  salaries  and  benefits  costs  for  technical  personnel,  new  product 
development costs, travel expenses, office and building costs, infrastructure costs and other employee costs.

Research  and  development  expenses  decreased  by  $1  million,  or  2.1%,  to  $47  million  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2022 
compared to $48 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. The decrease was primarily attributable to a decrease of $2 million 
in salaries and benefits expense and a decrease of $1 million in facilities costs, partially offset by an increase of $3 million in 
variable incentive plan costs.

Adjusted research and development expenses were $45 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, consistent with $45 million 
in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.

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  $28  million,  or  30.4%,  to  $64  million  in  the  fourth  quarter  of 
fiscal 2022 compared to $92 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. This decrease was primarily attributable to a decrease 
of $11 million in stock compensation expense, a decrease of $9 million in the Company’s deferred share unit liability due to a 
decrease in the Company’s stock price and a decrease of $6 million in legal expenses.

Adjusted  selling,  marketing  and  administration  expenses  decreased  by  $17  million,  or  21.5%,  to  $62  million  in  the  fourth 
quarter of fiscal 2022 compared to $79 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. This decrease was primarily due a decrease 
of $9 million in the Company’s deferred share unit liability due to a decrease in the Company’s stock price, a decrease of $6 
million in legal expenses and a decrease of $4 million on 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 the quarter ended February 28, 2022 compared to the quarter ended February 28, 
2021  and  for  the  quarter  ended  February  28,  2021  compared  to  the  quarter  ended  February  29,  2020.  Intangible  assets  are 
comprised of patents, licenses and acquired technology. 

For the Three Months Ended
(in millions)

Included in Operating Expense

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Change

February 29, 2020

Change

Property, plant and equipment

Intangible assets

Total

$ 

$ 

2  $ 

30 

32  $ 

4  $ 

41 

45  $ 

(2)  $ 

(11)   

(13)  $ 

4  $ 

44 

48  $ 

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Change

February 29, 2020

Change

Included in Cost of Sales

Property, plant and equipment

Intangible assets

Total

$ 

$ 

1  $ 

1 

2  $ 

1  $ 

3 

4  $ 

—  $ 

(2)   

(2)  $ 

2  $ 

2 

4  $ 

— 

(3) 

(3) 

(1) 

1 

— 

Amortization included in Operating Expense

Amortization expense relating to certain property, plant and equipment and certain intangible assets decreased by $13 million to 
$32 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 compared to $45 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. The decrease in 
amortization expense was due to the lower cost base of assets.

Adjusted  amortization  expense  decreased  by  $3  million  to  $10  million  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2022  compared  to  $13 
million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 due to the reasons described above on a U.S. GAAP basis. 

Amortization included in Cost of Sales

Amortization  expense  relating  to  certain  property,  plant  and  equipment  and  certain  intangible  assets  employed  in  the 
Company’s service operations decreased by $2 million to $2 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 compared to $4 million 
in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 due to the lower cost base of assets.

54

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Investment Income (Loss), Net 

Investment income (loss), net decreased by $1 million to investment loss, net of $1 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, 
compared to investment income, net of nil in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. The decrease is primarily due to a decrease in 
unrealized gains on public equity securities in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.

Income Taxes

For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, the Company’s net effective income tax expense rate was approximately 1%, compared to 
a net effective income tax expense rate of approximately 1% for the same period in the prior fiscal year. The Company’s net 
effective income tax rate reflects the change in unrecognized income tax benefits, if any, and the fact that the Company has a 
significant  valuation  allowance  against  its  deferred  tax  assets,  and  in  particular,  the  change  in  fair  value  of  the  Debentures, 
amongst  other  items,  was  offset  by  a  corresponding  adjustment  of  the  valuation  allowance.  The  Company’s  net  effective 
income tax rate also reflects the geographic mix of earnings in jurisdictions with different income tax rates.

Net Income (Loss)

The Company’s net income for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 was $144 million, or $0.25 basic earnings per share and $0.03 
diluted loss per share on a U.S. GAAP basis, reflecting an increase in net income of $459 million compared to a net loss of 
$315 million, or $0.56 basic and diluted loss per share, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. The increase in net income of $459 
million  was  primarily  due  to  a  decrease  in  operating  expenses  due  to  the  decrease  in  Debentures  fair  value  adjustment  and 
impairment  of  long-lived  assets  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2021  that  did  not  recur,  as  described  above  in  “Operating 
Expenses”,  partially  offset  by  a  decrease  in  revenue  as  described  above  in  “Revenue  by  Segment”  and  a  decrease  in  gross 
margin percentage as described above in “Consolidated Gross Margin Percentage”.

Adjusted net income was $6 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 compared to $14 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 
2021, reflecting a decrease in adjusted net income of $8 million primarily due to a decrease in revenue as described above in 
“Revenue  by  Segment”  and  a  decrease  in  gross  margin  percentage,  as  described  above  in  “Consolidated  Gross  Margin 
Percentage”, partially offset by a decrease in operating expenses, as described above in “Operating Expenses”.

The  weighted  average  number  of  shares  outstanding  was  576  million  common  shares  for  basic  earnings  per  share  and  637 
million common shares for diluted loss per share for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022. The weighted average number of shares 
outstanding was 566 million common shares for basic and diluted loss per share for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.

Financial Condition

Liquidity and Capital Resources 

Cash, cash equivalents, and investments decreased by $34 million to $770 million as at February 28, 2022 from $804 million as 
at  February  28,  2021,  primarily  as  a  result  of  changes  in  working  capital,  partially  offset  by  investment  gains  from  non-
marketable securities. The majority of the Company’s cash, cash equivalents, and investments are denominated in U.S. dollars 
as at February 28, 2022.

A comparative summary of cash, cash equivalents, and investments is set out below:

As at
(in millions)

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Change

February 29, 2020

Change

Cash and cash equivalents

$ 

378  $ 

214  $ 

164  $ 

377  $ 

(163) 

Restricted cash equivalents and restricted 
short-term investments
Short-term investments

Long-term investments

28 

334 

30 

28 

525 

37 

Cash, cash equivalents, and investments

$ 

770  $ 

804  $ 

— 

(191)   

(7)   

(34)  $ 

49 

532 

32 

(21) 

(7) 

5 

990  $ 

(186) 

55

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The table below summarizes the current assets, current liabilities, and working capital of the Company:

Current assets

Current liabilities

Working capital

Current Assets 

As at
(in millions)

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Change

February 29, 2020

Change

$ 

$ 

1,043  $ 

1,006  $ 

397 

646  $ 

429 

577  $ 

37  $ 

(32)   

69  $ 

1,196  $ 

1,121 

75  $ 

(190) 

(692) 

502 

The  increase  in  current  assets  of  $37  million  at  the  end  of  fiscal  2022  from  the  end  of  fiscal  2021  was  primarily  due  to  an 
increase in cash and cash equivalents of $164 million and an increase in other current assets of $109 million, partially offset by 
decreases  in  short  term  investments  of  $191  million,  accounts  receivable,  net  of  allowance  of  $44  million  and  income  taxes 
receivable of $1 million.

At February 28, 2022, other current assets was $159 million, an increase of $109 million from February 28, 2021. The increase 
is primarily due to intellectual property relating to the patent sale agreement of $118 million, partially offset by a decrease in 
prepaid maintenance of $3 million and decrease in deferred commissions of $3 million.

At February 28, 2022, accounts receivable, net of allowance was $138 million, a decrease of  $44 million from February 28, 
2021. The decrease was primarily due to lower revenue recognized over the three months ended February 28, 2022 compared to 
the three months ended February 29, 2020 and a decrease in days sales outstanding to 67 days at the end of the fourth quarter of 
fiscal 2022 from 85 days at the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.

At February 28, 2022, other receivables was $25 million, consistent with $25 million as at February 28, 2021. The increase in 
SIF claims of $2 million was offset by a decrease in CEWS program of $2 million.

At February 28, 2022, income taxes receivable was $9 million, a decrease of $1 million from February 28, 2021. The decrease 
was primarily due to the refund received from tax loss carry backs.

Current Liabilities

The decrease in current liabilities of $32 million at the end of fiscal 2022 from the end of fiscal 2021 was primarily due to a 
decrease  in  accrued  liabilities  of  $21  million,  a  decrease  in  deferred  revenue,  current  of  $18  million,  partially  offset  by  an 
increase in income taxes payable of $5 million and an increase in accounts payable of $2 million.

Accrued liabilities was $157 million, reflecting a decrease of $21 million compared to February 28, 2021, which was primarily 
attributable to a decrease of $6 million in the liability associated with the CEO contingent cash award, a decrease of $5 million 
in current operating lease liabilities, a decrease of $3 million in the Company’s deferred share unit liability due to a decrease in 
the Company’s stock price, partially offset by an increase of $4 million in variable incentive plan costs.

Deferred revenue, current was $207 million, which reflects a decrease of $18 million compared to February 28, 2021 that was 
attributable to a $29 million decrease in deferred revenue, current related to BlackBerry Spark partially offset by a $12 million 
increase in deferred revenue, current related to BlackBerry QNX.

Income  taxes  payable  was  $11  million,  reflecting  an  increase  of  $5  million  compared  to  February  28,  2021,  which  was 
primarily due to income earned in taxable jurisdictions.

As at February 28, 2022, accounts payable were $22 million, reflecting an increase of $2 million from February 28, 2021, 
which was primarily due to timing of payments of accounts payable.

56

 
 
 
 
 
Cash flows for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2022 compared to the fiscal year ended February 28, 2021 were as follows:

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Change

February 29, 2020

Change

For the Fiscal Years Ended
(in millions)

Net cash flows provided by (used in):

Operating activities

Investing activities

Financing activities

$ 

(28)  $ 

82  $ 

(110)  $ 

207 

10 

(65)   

(227)   

272 

237 

26  $ 

(188)   

7 

(1)   

56 

123 

(234) 

3 

(1)   

2 

(3)   

$ 

188  $ 

(208)  $ 

396  $ 

(156)  $ 

(52) 

Effect of foreign exchange gain (loss) on 
cash and cash equivalents
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash 
equivalents

Operating Activities

The decrease in net cash flows provided by operating activities of $110 million primarily reflects the decrease in revenue and 
net changes in working capital.

Investing Activities

During  the  fiscal  year  ended  February  28,  2022,  cash  flows  provided  by  investing  activities  were  $207  million  and  included 
cash provided by transactions involving the acquisitions of restricted short-term, short-term and long-term investments, net of 
the  proceeds  on  sale  or  maturity  in  the  amount  of  $211  million  and  a  distribution  from  a  non-marketable  equity  investment 
without  readily  determinable  fair  value  in  the  amount  of  $35  million,  partially  offset  by  intangible  asset  additions  of  $31 
million,  and  acquisitions  of  property,  plant  and  equipment  of  $8  million.  During  fiscal  2021,  cash  flows  used  in  investing 
activities were $65 million and included cash flows used in transactions involving the acquisitions of short-term and long-term 
investments, net of the proceeds on sale or maturity in the amount of $21 million, intangible asset additions of $36 million, and 
acquisitions of property, plant and equipment of $8 million.

Financing Activities

The increase in cash flows provided by financing activities was $237 million for fiscal 2022 due to the redemption of the 3.75% 
Debentures and issuance of the 1.75% Debentures in fiscal 2021, partially offset by a decrease in common shares issued for 
stock options exercised.

Debenture Financing and Other Funding Sources

See Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a description of the Debentures.

The Company has $27 million in collateralized outstanding letters of credit in support of certain leasing arrangements entered 
into in the ordinary course of business. See Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information concerning 
the Company’s restricted cash and restricted short-term investments.

Cash,  cash  equivalents,  and  investments  were  approximately  $770  million  as  at  February  28,  2022.  The  Company’s 
management  remains  focused  on  maintaining  appropriate  cash  balances,  efficiently  managing  working  capital  balances  and 
managing  the  liquidity  needs  of  the  business.  Based  on  its  current  financial  projections,  the  Company  believes  its  financial 
resources,  together  with  expected  future  operating  cash  generating  and  operating  expense  reduction  activities  and  access  to 
other  potential  financing  arrangements,  should  be  sufficient  to  meet  funding  requirements  for  current  financial  commitments 
and future operating expenditures not yet committed, and should provide the necessary financial capacity for the foreseeable 
future.

57

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Contractual and Other Obligations

The following table sets out aggregate information about the Company’s contractual and other obligations and the periods in 
which payments are due as at February 28, 2022:

Operating lease obligations

Purchase obligations and commitments

Debt interest and principal payments

Total

(in millions)

Total

Short-term 
(next 12 months)

Long-term 
(>12 months)

$ 

$ 

101  $ 

31  $ 

125 

377 

85 

6 

603  $ 

122  $ 

70 

40 

371 

481 

Contractual and other obligations amounted to approximately $603 million as at February 28, 2022, including future principal 
and interest payments of $377 million on the 1.75% Debentures and operating lease obligations of $101 million. The remaining 
balance  consists  of  purchase  orders  for  goods  and  services  utilized  in  the  operations  of  the  Company.  Total  aggregate 
contractual obligations as at February 28, 2022 decreased by approximately $73 million as compared to the February 28, 2021 
balance  of  approximately  $676  million,  which  was  attributable  to  decreases  in  operating  lease  obligations  and  purchase 
obligations and commitments.

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 (the “Exchange Act”), or under applicable Canadian securities laws.

Accounting Policies and Critical Accounting Estimates 

Accounting Policies 

See Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a description of the Company’s significant accounting policies and the 
adoption of the new standard in accounting for income taxes.

See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for accounting pronouncements issued but not yet adopted. 

Critical Accounting Estimates 

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions with respect 
to  the  reported  amounts  of  assets,  liabilities,  revenue  and  expenses  and  the  disclosure  of  contingent  assets  and  liabilities. 
Significant  areas  requiring  the  use  of  management  estimates  relate  to  revenue-related  estimates  including  variable 
consideration,  standalone  selling  price  (“SSP”),  estimated  customer  life,  if  control  of  licenses  to  intellectual  property  has 
transferred,  the  value  of  non-cash  consideration,  right  of  return  and  customer  incentive  commitments,  fair  value  of  reporting 
units  in  relation  to  actual  or  potential  goodwill  impairment,  fair  value  of  the  Debentures,  fair  value  of  share-based  liability 
award, fair value of long-lived assets in relation to actual or potential impairment, the Company’s long-lived asset groupings, 
useful lives of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets, provision for income taxes, realization of deferred income 
tax  assets  and  the  related  components  of  the  valuation  allowance,  allowance  for  credit  losses,  incremental  borrowing  rate  in 
determining the present value of lease liabilities and the determination of reserves for various litigation claims. Actual results 
could differ from these estimates, which were based upon circumstances that existed as of the date of the consolidated financial 
statements, February 28, 2022.

The  Company’s  critical  accounting  estimates  have  been  reviewed  and  discussed  with  the  Company’s  Audit  &  Risk 
Management  Committee  and  are  set  out  below.  Except  as  noted,  there  have  not  been  any  changes  to  the  critical  accounting 
estimates made by the Company, during the past three fiscal years.

Valuation of Long-Lived Assets 

The LLA impairment test prescribed by U.S. GAAP requires the Company to identify its asset groups and test impairment of 
each asset group separately. To conduct the LLA impairment test, the asset group is tested for recoverability using undiscounted 
cash flows over the remaining useful life of the primary asset. If forecasted net cash flows are less than the carrying value of the 
asset group, an impairment charge is measured by comparing the fair value of the asset group to its carrying value. Determining 
the  Company’s  asset  groups  and  related  primary  assets  requires  significant  judgment  by  management.  Different  judgments 
could yield different results.

The Company’s determination of its asset groups, its primary asset and its remaining useful life, and estimated cash flows are 
significant  factors  in  assessing  the  recoverability  of  the  Company’s  assets  for  the  purposes  of  LLA  impairment  testing.  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,  changes  in  the  Company’s  forecasts  or  market  expectations 

58

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
relating to future results, and the Company’s strategic initiatives and the market’s assessment of any such factors. See Part 1, 
Item  1A  “Risk  Factors  -  The  market  price  of  the  Company’s  common  shares  is  volatile”.  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 future financial results and cash flows. 
A  decline  in  the  Company’s  performance,  the  Company’s  market  capitalization  and  future  changes  to  the  Company’s 
assumptions and estimates used in the LLA impairment test, particularly the expected future cash flows, remaining useful life of 
the primary asset and terminal value of the asset group, may result in further impairment charges in future periods of some or 
all of the assets on the Company’s balance sheet. Although it does not affect the Company’s cash flow, an impairment charge to 
earnings  has  the  effect  of  decreasing  the  Company’s  earnings  or  increasing  the  Company’s  losses,  as  the  case  may  be.  The 
Company’s share price could also be adversely affected by the Company’s recorded LLA impairment charges.

The Company used various valuation techniques to determine the fair values of its assets to measure and allocate impairment. 
Techniques  related  to  capital  equipment  and  intangible  assets  included  the  direct  capitalization  method,  market  comparable 
transactions, the replacement cost method, discounted cash flow analysis, as well as the relief from royalty and excess earnings 
valuation methods. Determining valuations using these valuation techniques requires significant judgment and assumptions by 
management. Different judgments could yield different results.

Valuation of Goodwill Reporting Units

Goodwill represents the excess of the acquisition price in a business combination 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 on December 31 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  or  assessment  by  a  regulator,  unanticipated  competition,  a  loss  of  key  personnel, 
significant disposal activity and the testing of recoverability for a significant asset group. 

On  March  1,  2020,  the  Company  adopted  Accounting  Standards  Update  2017-04  on  the  topic  of  Intangibles  -  Goodwill  and 
Other (ASC 350) (“ASU 2017-40”). ASU 2017-04 simplifies the subsequent measurement of goodwill, enabling the Company 
to carry out its goodwill impairment test in one step, instead of two steps. In the test, the carrying value of the reporting unit, 
including goodwill, was compared with its fair value. The estimated fair value was determined utilizing multiple approaches 
based  on  the  nature  of  the  reporting  units  being  valued.  In  its  analysis,  the  Company  utilized  multiple  valuation  techniques, 
including  the  income  approach  using  a  discounted  future  cash  flow  model,  market-based  approaches,  and  the  asset  value 
approach. The analysis requires significant judgment, including estimation of future cash flows, which is dependent on internal 
forecasts, estimation of the long-term rates of revenue growth for the Company’s reporting units, estimation of the useful life 
over which cash flows will occur, terminal growth rates, profitability measures, and determination of the discount rates for the 
reporting  units.  The  carrying  value  of  the  Company’s  assets  was  assigned  to  reporting  units  using  reasonable  methodologies 
based  on  the  asset  type.  When  the  carrying  value  of  a  reporting  unit  exceeds  its  fair  value,  goodwill  of  the  reporting  unit  is 
considered  to  be  impaired  and  written  down  to  its  fair  value.  Different  judgments  could  yield  different  results.  Events  and 
circumstances  resulted  in  an  additional  goodwill  impairment  test  being  conducted  as  at  May  31,  2020,  in  addition  to  the 
Company’s annual impairment test.

Prior to the adoption of ASU 2017-04, the Company’s annual impairment test was carried out in two steps. In the first step, the 
carrying  value  of  the  reporting  unit,  including  goodwill,  was  compared  with  its  fair  value.  The  estimated  fair  value  was 
determined utilizing multiple approaches based on the nature of the reporting units being valued. In its analysis, the Company 
utilized multiple valuation techniques, including the income approach, discounted future cash flows, market-based approaches, 
and the asset value approach. The analysis requires significant judgment, including estimation of future cash flows, which is 
dependent on internal forecasts, estimation of the long-term rate of revenue growth for our reporting units, estimation of the 
useful  life  over  which  cash  flows  will  occur,  terminal  growth  rate,  profitability  measures,  and  determination  of  the  discount 
rates  for  the  reporting  units.  The  carrying  value  of  the  Company’s  assets  was  assigned  to  reporting  units  using  reasonable 
methodologies  based  on  the  asset  type.  When  the  carrying  value  of  a  reporting  unit  exceeded  its  fair  value,  goodwill  of  the 
reporting  unit  was  considered  to  be  impaired  and  the  second  step  was  necessary.  Different  judgments  could  have  yielded 
different results. In fiscal 2020, the Company disaggregated one reporting unit and goodwill was assigned to the disaggregated 
reporting units based upon the relative fair value allocation approach.

In the second step, the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill was compared with its carrying value to measure the 
amount of the impairment loss, if any. The second step involved significant judgment in the selection of assumptions necessary 
to arrive at an implied fair value of goodwill. Different judgments could have yielded different results. 

Valuation Allowance Against Deferred Tax Assets

The  Company  regularly  assesses  the  need  for  a  valuation  allowance  against  its  deferred  tax  assets.  A  valuation  allowance  is 
required for deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not that all or some portion of the asset will not be realized. All available 
evidence, both positive and negative, that may affect the realization of deferred tax assets must be identified and considered in 

59

determining the appropriate amount of the valuation allowance. Additionally, for interim periods, the estimated annual effective 
tax rate should include the valuation allowance for current year changes in temporary differences and losses or income arising 
during the year. For interim periods, the Company needs to consider the valuation allowance that it expects to recognize at the 
end of the fiscal year as part of the estimated annual effective tax rate. During interim quarters, the Company uses estimates 
including pre-tax results and ending position of temporary differences as at the end of the fiscal year to estimate the valuation 
allowance that it expects to recognize at the end of the fiscal year. This accounting treatment has no effect on the Company’s 
actual  ability  to  utilize  deferred  tax  assets  to  reduce  future  cash  tax  payments.  Different  judgments  could  yield  different 
results. See “Results of Operations - Fiscal year ended February 28, 2022 compared to fiscal year ended February 28, 2021 - 
Income Taxes” and “Results of Operations - Three months ended February 28, 2022 compared to three months ended February 
28, 2021 - Income Taxes”.

Revenue Recognition

The  Company’s  contracts  with  customers  often  include  promises  to  transfer  multiple  products  and  services  to  a  customer. 
Determining  whether  products  and  services  are  considered  distinct  performance  obligations  that  should  be  accounted  for 
separately versus together may require significant judgment.  

Variable consideration is included in the transaction price if, in the Company’s judgment, it is probable that a significant future 
reversal  of  cumulative  revenue  recognized  under  the  contract  will  not  occur.  Any  estimates,  including  any  constraints  on 
variable  consideration,  are  evaluated  at  each  reporting  period.  Judgment  is  required  to  determine  the  fair  value  of  non-cash 
consideration  at  contract  inception.  The  Company  uses  an  independent  third-party  valuator  for  the  fair  value  of  non-cash 
consideration. 

Judgment  is  required  to  determine  the  SSP  for  each  distinct  performance  obligation.  The  Company’s  products  and  services 
often  have  observable  SSP  when  the  Company  sells  a  promised  product  or  service  separately  to  similar  customers.  A 
contractually stated price or list price for a good or service may be the SSP of that good or service. However, in instances where 
SSP  is  not  directly  observable,  the  Company  determines  the  SSP  by  maximizing  observable  inputs  and  using  an  adjusted 
market  assessment  approach  using  information  that  may  include  market  conditions  and  other  observable  inputs  from  the 
Company’s pricing team, including historical SSP.

Judgment  is  required  to  determine  in  certain  agreements  if  the  Company  is  the  principal  or  agent  in  the  arrangement.  The 
Company considers factors such as, but not limited to, which party can direct the usage of the product or service, which party 
obtains substantially all the remaining benefits and which party has the ability to establish the selling price. 

Significant judgment is required to determine the estimated customer life used in perpetual license contracts that require access 
to the Company’s proprietary secure network infrastructure to function. The Company uses historical experience regarding the 
length of the technology upgrade cycle and the expected life of the product to draw this conclusion.  

ITEM 7A.  QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

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 revenue in fiscal 2022 was transacted in U.S. dollars. Portions of the revenue were 
denominated in Canadian dollars, euros and British pounds. Expenses, consisting mainly of salaries and certain other operating 
costs, were incurred primarily in Canadian dollars, but were also incurred in U.S. dollars, euros and British pounds. At February 
28, 2022, approximately 37% of cash and cash equivalents, 23% of accounts receivables and 30% of accounts payable were 
denominated in foreign currencies (February 28, 2021 – 20%, 25% and 34%, 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.  If  overall  foreign  currency  exchanges  rates  to  the  U.S.  dollar  uniformly 
weakened  or  strengthened  by  10%  related  to  the  Company’s  net  monetary  asset  or  liability  balances  in  foreign  currencies  at 
February 28, 2022 or February 28, 2021 (after hedging activities), the impact to the Company would be immaterial.

The Company regularly reviews its currency forward and option positions, both on a stand-alone basis and in conjunction with 
its underlying foreign currency exposures. Given the effective horizons of the Company’s risk management activities and the 
anticipatory nature of the exposures, there can be no assurance these positions will offset more than a portion of the financial 
impact resulting from movements in currency exchange rates. Further, the recognition of the gains and losses related to these 
instruments may not coincide with the timing of gains and losses related to the underlying economic exposures and, therefore, 
may adversely affect the Company’s financial condition and operating results.

60

Interest Rate

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  has  also  issued  Debentures  with  a  fixed  interest  rate  as  described  in  Note  6  to  the  Consolidated  Financial 
Statements. The fair value of the 1.75% Debentures will fluctuate with changes in prevailing interest rates. Consequently, the 
Company is exposed to interest rate risk as a result of the 1.75% Debentures. The Company does not currently utilize interest 
rate derivative instruments to hedge its investment portfolio or changes in the market value of the 1.75% Debentures. 

Credit and Customer Concentration 

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 credit losses (“ACL”) that corresponds to the specific credit 
risk of its customers, historical trends and economic circumstances. The ACL as at February 28, 2022 was $4 million (February 
28, 2021 - $10 million). There was no customer that comprised more than 10% of accounts receivable as at February 28, 2022 
(February  28,  2021  -  one  customer  that  comprised  more  than  10%).  During  fiscal  2022,  the  percentage  of  the  Company’s 
receivable balance that was past due decreased by 4.5% compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. Although the Company 
actively  monitors  and  attempts  to  collect  on  its  receivables  as  they  become  due,  the  risk  of  further  delays  or  challenges  in 
obtaining timely payments of receivables from resellers and other distributor partners exists. The occurrence of such delays or 
challenges in obtaining timely payments could negatively impact the Company’s liquidity and financial condition. There was 
one customer that comprised 11% of the Company’s revenue in fiscal 2022 (fiscal 2021 - one customer that comprised 22%).

Market values are determined for each individual security in the investment portfolio. The Company assesses declines in the 
value  of  individual  investments  for  impairment.  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.  During  fiscal  2022,  the  Company  recorded  nil  in 
impairment charges related to non-marketable equity investments without readily determinable fair value (fiscal 2021 - nil and 
fiscal 2020 - $3 million).

61

ITEM 8.  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Page No.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 271)

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 1263)

Consolidated Balance Sheets

For the Years Ended February 28, 2022 and February 28, 2021

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity

For the Years Ended February 28, 2022, February 28, 2021 and  February 29, 2020

Consolidated Statements of Operations

For the Years Ended February 28, 2022, February 28, 2021 and  February 29, 2020

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)

For the Years Ended February 28, 2022, February 28, 2021 and  February 29, 2020

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

For the Years Ended February 28, 2022, February 28, 2021 and  February 29, 2020

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

63

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

62

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of BlackBerry Limited 

Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We  have  audited  the  accompanying  consolidated  balance  sheets  of  BlackBerry  Limited  and  its  subsidiaries 
(together, the Company) as of February 28, 2022 and 2021, and the related consolidated statements of operations, 
comprehensive income (loss), shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the years then ended, including the related 
notes  (collectively  referred  to  as  the  consolidated  financial  statements).  We  also  have  audited  the  Company's 
internal control over financial reporting as of February 28, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control – 
Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission 
(COSO).

In  our  opinion,  the  consolidated  financial  statements  referred  to  above  present  fairly,  in  all  material  respects,  the 
financial position of the Company as of February 28, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash 
flows for the years then ended in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of 
America.  Also  in  our  opinion,  the  Company  maintained,  in  all  material  respects,  effective  internal  control  over 
financial reporting as of February 28, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework 
(2013) issued by the COSO.

Change in Accounting Principle

As  discussed  in  Note  1  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements,  the  Company  changed  the  manner  in  which  it 
accounts for the allowance for credit losses as of March 1, 2020.

Basis for Opinions

The  Company's  management  is  responsible  for  these  consolidated  financial  statements,  for  maintaining  effective 
internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial 
reporting,  included  in  the  accompanying  Management's  Report  on  Internal  Control  Over  Financial  Reporting.  Our 
responsibility  is  to  express  opinions  on  the  Company’s  consolidated  financial  statements  and  on  the  Company's 
internal  control  over  financial  reporting  based  on  our  audits.  We  are  a  public  accounting  firm  registered  with  the 
Public  Company Accounting  Oversight  Board  (United  States)  (PCAOB)  and  are  required  to  be  independent  with 
respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations 
of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB. 

We  conducted  our  audits  in  accordance  with  the  standards  of  the  PCAOB. Those  standards  require  that  we  plan 
and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free 
of  material  misstatement,  whether  due  to  error  or  fraud,  and  whether  effective  internal  control  over  financial 
reporting was maintained in all material respects. 

Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material 
misstatement  of  the  consolidated  financial  statements,  whether  due  to  error  or  fraud,  and  performing  procedures 
that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts 
and  disclosures  in  the  consolidated  financial  statements.  Our  audits  also  included  evaluating  the  accounting 
principles  used  and  significant  estimates  made  by  management,  as  well  as  evaluating  the  overall  presentation  of 
the  consolidated  financial  statements.  Our  audit  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  included  obtaining  an 
understanding  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting,  assessing  the  risk  that  a  material  weakness  exists,  and 
testing  and  evaluating  the  design  and  operating  effectiveness  of  internal  control  based  on  the  assessed  risk.  Our 
audits  also  included  performing  such  other  procedures  as  we  considered  necessary  in  the  circumstances.  We 
believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions. 

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

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  generally  accepted  accounting  principles.  A  company’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting 
includes  those  policies  and  procedures  that  (i)  pertain  to  the  maintenance  of  records  that,  in  reasonable  detail, 

63

accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) 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 (iii) 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 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.

Critical Audit Matters 

The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated 
financial  statements  that  were  communicated  or  required  to  be  communicated  to  the  audit  committee  and  that  (i) 
relate  to  accounts  or  disclosures  that  are  material  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  and  (ii)  involved  our 
especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter 
in  any  way  our  opinion  on  the  consolidated  financial  statements,  taken  as  a  whole,  and  we  are  not,  by 
communicating  the  critical  audit  matters  below,  providing  separate  opinions  on  the  critical  audit  matters  or  on  the 
accounts or disclosures to which they relate. 

Goodwill impairment test for the selected reporting units using the income approach

As  described  in  Notes  1,  3  and  4  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements,  the  Company’s  goodwill  balance  was 
$844 million as of February 28, 2022. A significant portion of the goodwill balance related to certain reporting units 
for  which  the  income  approach  was  used  as  the  primary  basis  for  determining  fair  value  (the  Selected  Reporting 
Units).  Management  conducts  a  goodwill  impairment  test  as  of  December  31  of  each  year,  or  more  frequently  if 
events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset may be impaired. The impairment test is performed in 
one step by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value, including goodwill. When the carrying 
value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, goodwill of the reporting unit is considered to be impaired and written 
down  to  its  fair  value.  The  estimated  fair  values  of  reporting  units  were  determined  utilizing  multiple  valuation 
techniques,  which  included  the  income  approach  using  a  discounted  future  cash  flow  model,  market-based 
approaches,  and  the  asset  value  approach.  Estimating  the  fair  values  of  reporting  units  using  discounted  future 
cash flow models requires significant judgment by management, including estimation of future cash flows, which is 
dependent on estimation of the long-term rates of revenue growth, terminal growth rates, profitability measures, and 
determination  of  the  discount  rates.  Based  on  the  result  of  the  annual  impairment  test,  management’s  estimates 
indicated  the  fair  values  of  all  the  reporting  units  substantially  exceeded  their  carrying  values  and  no  goodwill 
impairment charge needed to be recorded.

The  principal  considerations  for  our  determination  that  performing  procedures  relating  to  the  goodwill  impairment 
test  for  the  Selected  Reporting  Units  using  the  income  approach  is  a  critical  audit  matter  are  (i)  the  significant 
judgment  by  management  when  determining  the  fair  values  of  the  Selected  Reporting  Units  using  the  income 
approach;  (ii)  a  high  degree  of  auditor  judgment,  subjectivity,  and  effort  in  performing  procedures  and  evaluating 
management’s  significant  assumptions  related  to  long-term  rates  of  revenue  growth,  terminal  growth  rates, 
profitability  measures,  and  the  discount  rates;  and  (iii)  the  audit  effort  involved  the  use  of  professionals  with 
specialized skill and knowledge.

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our 
overall  opinion  on  the  consolidated  financial  statements.  These  procedures  included  testing  the  effectiveness  of 
controls  relating  to  management’s  goodwill  impairment  test,  including  controls  over  the  determination  of  the  fair 
values of the Company’s reporting units. These procedures over the determination of the fair values of the Selected 
Reporting Units also included, among others, (i) testing management’s process for determining the fair values; (ii) 
testing  the  completeness  and  accuracy  of  underlying  data  used  in  the  discounted  future  cash  flow  models;  (iii) 
evaluating the appropriateness of the discounted future cash flow models; and (iv) evaluating the reasonableness of 
the  significant  assumptions  used  by  management  related  to  long-term  rates  of  revenue  growth,  terminal  growth 
rates,  profitability  measures  and  the  discount  rates.  Evaluating  management’s  assumptions  related  to  long-term 
rates  of  revenue  growth  and  profitability  measures  involved  assessing  whether  the  assumptions  used  by 
management  were  reasonable  considering  consistency  with  (i)  current  and  past  performance  of  the  Selected 

64

Reporting  Units;  (ii)  external  market  and  industry  data;  and  (iii)  evidence  obtained  in  other  areas  of  the  audit. 
Professionals with specialized skill and knowledge were used to assist in the evaluation of the (i) appropriateness of 
the  Company’s  discounted  future  cash  flow  models;  and  (ii)  reasonableness  of  the  discount  rates  and  terminal 
growth rates. 

Revenue recognition – Intellectual property licensing

As  described  in  Notes  1  and  12  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements,  $63  million  of  the  Company’s  total 
revenues for the year ended February 28, 2022 was generated from Licensing and Other, which includes revenue 
from  intellectual  property  licensing  arrangements.  Management  examines  intellectual  property  agreements  on  a 
case-by-case basis to determine whether they contain distinct performance obligations with standalone functionality 
and  whether  the  Company  is  the  principal  or  agent  in  the  transaction.  As  disclosed  by  management,  significant 
judgment  is  applied  in  assessing  contractual  terms  which  could  impact  the  timing  and  amount  of  revenue 
recognition.

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the Revenue recognition – 
Intellectual  property  licensing  is  a  critical  audit  matter  are  (i)  significant  judgment  by  management  in  assessing 
contractual terms which could impact the timing and amount of revenue recognition; and (ii) a high degree of auditor 
judgment,  subjectivity,  and  effort  in  performing  procedures  and  evaluating  evidence  relating  to  the  timing  and 
amount of revenue recognition.

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our 
overall  opinion  on  the  consolidated  financial  statements.  These  procedures  included  testing  the  effectiveness  of 
controls relating to the revenue recognition process, including controls over the assessment of contractual terms in 
the intellectual property agreements which impact the timing and amount of revenue recognition. These procedures 
also  included,  among  others,  (i)  testing  the  completeness  and  accuracy  of  management’s  identification  of 
contractual terms by examining intellectual property agreements on a sample basis; and (ii) testing management's 
process for determining the appropriate amount and timing of revenue recognition based on the contractual terms 
identified in the intellectual property agreements on a sample basis.

/s/PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Chartered Professional Accountants, Licensed Public Accountants

Toronto, Canada
April 1, 2022 

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2020. 

65

REPORT	OF	INDEPENDENT	REGISTERED	PUBLIC	ACCOUNTING	FIRM

To	the	Board	of	Directors	and	Shareholders	of	BlackBerry	Limited	

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We	have	audited	the	accompanying	consolidated	financial	statements	of	BlackBerry	Limited	(the	“Company”)	as	of	
February	29,	2020,	comprised	of	the	consolidated	statements	of	operations,	comprehensive	income	(loss),	
shareholders’	equity	and	cash	flows	for	the	year	ended	February	29,	2020,	and	the	related	notes	(collectively	
referred	to	as	the	“consolidated	financial	statements”).	In	our	opinion,	the	consolidated	financial	statements	
present	fairly,	in	all	material	respects,	the	consolidated	results	of	operations	and			cash	flows	of	the	Company	for	
the	year	ended	February	29,	2020,	in	conformity	with	United	States	generally	accepted	accounting	principles.

Basis for Opinion 

These	consolidated	financial	statements	are	the	responsibility	of	the	Company's	management.	Our	responsibility	is	
to	express	an	opinion	on	the	Company’s	consolidated	financial	statements	based	on	our	audit.	We	are	a	public	
accounting	firm	registered	with	the	Public	Company	Accounting	Oversight	Board	(United	States)	(“PCAOB”)	and	
are	required	to	be	independent	with	respect	to	the	Company	in	accordance	with	the	U.S.	federal	securities	laws	
and	the	applicable	rules	and	regulations	of	the	Securities	and	Exchange	Commission	and	the	PCAOB.

We	conducted	our	audit	in	accordance	with	the	standards	of	the	PCAOB.	Those	standards	require	that	we	plan	and	
perform	the	audit	to	obtain	reasonable	assurance	about	whether	the	consolidated	financial	statements	are	free	of	
material	misstatement,	whether	due	to	error	or	fraud.	Our	audit	included	performing	procedures	to	assess	the	
risks	of	material	misstatement	of	the	consolidated	financial	statements,	whether	due	to	error	or	fraud,	and	
performing	procedures	that	respond	to	those	risks.	Such	procedures	included	examining,	on	a	test	basis,	evidence	
regarding	the	amounts	and	disclosures	in	the	consolidated	financial	statements.	Our	audit	also	included	evaluating	
the	accounting	principles	used	and	significant	estimates	made	by	management,	as	well	as	evaluating	the	overall	
presentation	of	the	consolidated	financial	statements.	We	believe	that	our	audit	provides	a	reasonable	basis	for	
our	opinion.

/s/Ernst	&	Young	LLP
Chartered	Professional	Accountants

We	served	as	the	Company's	auditor	from	1997	to	2020.

Waterloo,	Canada
April	6,	2020,	except	for	note	12	which	is	as	of	April	1,	2022

66

BlackBerry Limited
Incorporated under the Laws of Ontario
(United States dollars, in millions)

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Assets

Current

Cash and cash equivalents (note 3)

Short-term investments (note 3)

Accounts receivable, net of allowance of $4 and $10, respectively (note 4)

Other receivables (note 4)

Income taxes receivable 

Other current assets (note 4)

Restricted cash equivalents and restricted short-term investments (note 3)

Long-term investments (note 3)

Other long-term assets (note 4)

Operating lease right-of-use assets, net (note 11)

Property, plant and equipment, net (note 4)

Goodwill (note 4)

Intangible assets, net (note 4)

Liabilities

Current

Accounts payable 

Accrued liabilities (note 4)

Income taxes payable (note 5)

Deferred revenue, current (note 12)

Deferred revenue, non-current (note 12)

Operating lease liabilities (note 11)

Other long-term liabilities

Long-term debentures (note 6)

Commitments and contingencies (note 10)

Shareholders’ equity

Capital stock and additional paid-in capital

As at

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

$ 

378  $ 

334 

138 

25 

9 

159 

1,043 

28 

30 

9 

50 

41 

844 

522 

$ 

$ 

2,567  $ 

22  $ 

157 

11 

207 

397 

37 

66 

4 

507 

1,011 

214 

525 

182 

25 

10 

50 

1,006 

28 

37 

16 

63 

48 

849 

771 

2,818 

20 

178 

6 

225 

429 

69 

90 

6 

720 

1,314 

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 - 576,227,898 voting common shares (February 28, 2021 - 565,505,328)

Deficit

Accumulated other comprehensive loss (note 9)

— 

— 

2,869 

(1,294) 

(19) 

1,556 

$ 

2,567  $ 

2,823 

(1,306) 

(13) 

1,504 

2,818 

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

On behalf of the 
Board: 

John S. Chen
Director

Lisa Disbrow

Director

67

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry Limited
(United States dollars, in millions)

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity

Balance as at February 28, 2019

Net loss

Other comprehensive loss

Cumulative impact of adoption of ASC 842

Stock-based compensation (note 7)

Shares issued:

Exercise of stock options (note 7)

Employee share purchase plan (note 7)

Balance as at February 29, 2020

Net loss

Other comprehensive income

Cumulative impact of adoption of ASC 326

Stock-based compensation (note 7)

Shares issued:

Exercise of stock options (note 7)

Employee share purchase plan (note 7)

Balance as at February 28, 2021

Net income

Other comprehensive loss

Stock-based compensation (note 7)

Shares issued:

Exercise of stock options (note 7)

Employee share purchase plan (note 7)

Capital Stock
and Additional
Paid-in Capital

$ 

2,688  $ 

— 

— 

— 

63 

3 

6 

Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive 
Income (Loss)

Total

Deficit

(32)  $ 

(152)   

— 

(14)   

— 

— 

— 

(20)  $ 

— 

(13)   

— 

— 

— 

— 

2,636 

(152) 

(13) 

(14) 

63 

3 

6 

2,760 
— 

(198)   
(1,104)   

(33)   
— 

2,529 
(1,104) 

— 

— 

44 

12 

7 

— 

(4)   

— 

— 

— 

2,823 

(1,306)   

— 

— 

36 

3 

7 

12 

— 

— 

— 

— 

20 

— 

— 

— 

— 

(13)   

— 

(6)   

— 

— 

— 

20 

(4) 

44 

12 

7 

1,504 

12 

(6) 

36 

3 

7 

Balance as at February 28, 2022

$ 

2,869  $ 

(1,294)  $ 

(19)  $ 

1,556 

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

68

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry Limited
(United States dollars, in millions, except per share data)

Consolidated Statements of Operations

Revenue (note 12)

Cost of sales
Gross margin

Operating expenses

Research and development

Selling, marketing and administration

Amortization

Impairment of goodwill (note 3)

Impairment of long-lived assets (note 3)

Debentures fair value adjustment (note 6)

Operating loss

Investment income (loss), net (note 3 and note 6)

Income (loss) before income taxes

Provision for (recovery of) income taxes (note 5)

Net income (loss)

Earnings (loss) per share (note 8)

Basic

Diluted

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

For the Years Ended

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

$ 

718  $ 
251 

467 

893  $ 
250 

643 

1,040 
277 

763 

219 

297 

165 

— 

— 
(212)   

469 

(2)   

21 

19 

7 

215 

344 

182 

594 

43 
372 

1,750 

(1,107)   

(6)   

(1,113)   

(9)   

12  $ 

(1,104)  $ 

259 

493 

194 

22 

10 
(66) 

912 

(149) 

1 

(148) 

4 

(152) 

0.02  $ 

(0.31)  $ 

(1.97)  $ 

(1.97)  $ 

(0.27) 

(0.32) 

$ 

$ 

$ 

69

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry Limited
(United States dollars, in millions)

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Net income (loss)

Other comprehensive income (loss)

Net change in unrealized losses on available-for-sale investments 
(note 9)
Net change in fair value and amounts reclassified to net income (loss) 
from derivatives designated as cash flow hedges during the year (note 
9)

Foreign currency translation adjustment

Net change in fair value from instrument-specific credit risk on the 
Debentures during the year (note 6)

Other comprehensive income (loss)

Comprehensive income (loss)

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

For the Years Ended

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

$ 

12  $ 

(1,104)  $ 

(152) 

— 

(1)   

(6)   

1 

(6)   

6  $ 

— 

2 

5 

13 

20 

(1,084)  $ 

(2) 

(1) 

(3) 

(7) 

(13) 

(165) 

$ 

70

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry Limited
(United States dollars, in millions)

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Cash flows from operating activities
Net income (loss)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:

For the Years Ended

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

$ 

12  $ 

(1,104)  $ 

(152) 

Amortization
Stock-based compensation
Gain on sale of investment (note 3)
Impairment of goodwill (note 3)
Impairment of long-lived assets (note 3)
Non-cash consideration received from contracts with customers
Debentures fair value adjustment (note 6)
Operating leases
Other

Net changes in working capital items

Accounts receivable, net of allowance
Other receivables
Income taxes receivable
Other assets
Accounts payable
Accrued liabilities
Income taxes payable
Deferred revenue

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisition of long-term investments
Proceeds on sale, maturity or distribution from long-term investments
Acquisition of property, plant and equipment
Acquisition of intangible assets
Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired
Acquisition of short-term investments
Acquisition of restricted short-term investments
Proceeds on sale or maturity of restricted short-term investments
Proceeds on sale or maturity of short-term investments
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
Cash flows from financing activities
Issuance of common shares
Payment of finance lease liability 

Repurchase of 3.75% Debentures
Issuance of 1.75% Debentures
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
Effect of foreign exchange gain (loss) on cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and 
restricted cash equivalents

Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash 
equivalents during the period

Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash equivalents, beginning of period

176 
36 
(22) 
— 
— 
— 
(212) 
(16) 
(3) 

44 
— 
1 
15 
2 
(16) 
5 
(50) 
(28) 

(1) 
35 
(8) 
(31) 
— 
(916) 
— 
24 
1,104 
207 

10 

— 
— 
— 
10 

(1) 

188 

218 

198 
44 
— 
594 
43 
— 
372 
(4) 
(5) 

29 
(11) 
(4) 
55 
(11) 
(20) 
(15) 
(79) 
82 

(5) 
— 
(8) 
(36) 
— 
(1,039) 
(24) 
— 
1,047 
(65) 

19 

(1) 
(610) 
365 
(227) 

2 

(208) 

426 

Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash equivalents, end of period

$ 

406  $ 

218  $ 

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

212 
63 
— 
22 
10 
(8) 
(66) 
(9) 
12 

18 
5 
3 
(35) 
(17) 
(15) 
1 
(18) 
26 

(1) 
19 
(12) 
(32) 
1 
(1,180) 
— 
— 
1,017 
(188) 

9 

(2) 
— 
— 
7 

(1) 

(156) 

582 

426 

71

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry 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.  BLACKBERRY LIMITED AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND CRITICAL 

ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

BlackBerry Limited (the “Company”) provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments 
around  the  world.  The  Company  secures  more  than  500  million  endpoints  including  more  than  195  million  vehicles. 
Based  in  Waterloo,  Ontario,  the  Company  leverages  artificial  intelligence  and  machine  learning  to  deliver  innovative 
solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, safety and data privacy, and is a leader in the areas of endpoint security, endpoint 
management, encryption, and embedded systems. The Company’s common shares trade under the ticker symbol “BB” on 
the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange. 

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.

In the first quarter of fiscal 2022, the Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”), who is the Executive Chair and Chief 
Executive  Officer  (“CEO”)  of  the  Company,  began  making  decisions  and  assessing  the  performance  of  the  Company 
using  three  operating  segments,  whereas  the  CODM  previously  made  decisions  and  assessed  the  performance  of  the 
Company  as  a  single  operating  segment.  As  a  result  of  the  internal  reporting  reorganization,  the  Company  is  now 
organized and managed as three reportable operating segments: Cybersecurity, IoT (collectively, “Software & Services”), 
and Licensing and Other, as further discussed in Note 12.

Risks and Uncertainties

In fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021, the economic downturn and uncertainty caused by the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) 
resulted in the Company making significant judgments related to its estimates and assumptions concerning the impairment 
of goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets, certain operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and associated property, 
plant and equipment, and concerning the collectability of receivables.

As of the date of issuance of the financial statements, the Company is not aware of any additional events or circumstances 
which  would  require  it  to  update  its  estimates,  judgments,  or  revise  the  carrying  value  of  its  assets  or  liabilities.  These 
estimates may change, as new events occur and additional information is obtained, and such changes will be recognized in 
the consolidated financial statements as soon as they become known. Actual results could differ from these estimates and 
any such differences may be material to the Company’s financial statements.

Accounting Policies and Critical Accounting Estimates

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,  revenue  and  expenses  and  the  disclosure  of  contingent  assets  and 
liabilities.  Significant  areas  requiring  the  use  of  management  estimates  relate  to  revenue-related  estimates  including 
variable  consideration,  standalone  selling  price  (“SSP”),  estimated  customer  life,  if  control  of  licenses  to  intellectual 
property  has  transferred,  the  value  of  non-cash  consideration,  right  of  return  and  customer  incentive  commitments,  fair 
value of reporting units in relation to actual or potential goodwill impairment, fair value of the Debentures (as defined in 
Note  6),  fair  value  of  share-based  liability  award,  fair  value  of  long-lived  assets  in  relation  to  actual  or  potential 
impairment,  the  Company’s  long-lived  asset  groupings,  useful  lives  of  property,  plant  and  equipment  and  intangible 
assets, provision for income taxes, realization of deferred income tax assets and the related components of the valuation 
allowance, allowance for credit losses, incremental borrowing rate in determining the present value of lease liabilities and 
the determination of reserves for various litigation claims. Actual results could differ from these estimates, which were 
based upon circumstances that existed as of the date of the consolidated financial statements, February 28, 2022.

72

BlackBerry 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 significant accounting policies used in these U.S. GAAP consolidated financial statements are as follows:

Foreign currency translation

The  U.S.  dollar  is  the  functional  and  reporting  currency  of  the  Company  and  substantially  all  of  the  Company’s 
subsidiaries. 

Foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities of the Company and its U.S. dollar functional currency subsidiaries 
are  translated  into  U.S.  dollars.  Accordingly,  monetary  assets  and  liabilities  are  translated  using  the  exchange  rates  in 
effect  as  at  the  consolidated  balance  sheet  dates,  and  revenue  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. 

Foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities of the Company’s non-U.S. dollar functional currency subsidiaries are 
translated  into  U.S.  dollars  at  the  exchange  rates  in  effect  as  at  the  consolidated  balance  sheet  dates.  Revenue  and 
expenses are translated using daily exchange rates. Exchange gains or losses arising from translation of foreign currency 
denominated  assets  and  liabilities  are  included  as  a  currency  translation  adjustment  within  accumulated  other 
comprehensive loss (“AOCL”).

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 of allowance

Accounting Standards Codification 326, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (“ASC 326”)

On  March  1,  2020,  the  Company  adopted  ASC  326  using  the  modified  retrospective  method.  The  accounts  receivable 
balance  reflects  invoiced  and  accrued  revenue  and  is  presented  net  of  an  allowance  for  credit  losses.  The  Company 
expects the majority of its accounts receivable balances to continue to come from large customers as it sells the majority 
of its software products and services through resellers and other distribution partners, rather than directly. The Company 
establishes  current  expected  credit  losses  (“CECL”)  for  pools  of  assets  with  similar  risk  characteristics  by  evaluating 
historical  levels  of  credit  losses,  current  economic  conditions  that  may  affect  a  customer’s  ability  to  pay,  and 
creditworthiness  of  significant  customers.  When  specific  customers  are  identified  as  no  longer  sharing  the  same  risk 
profile as their current pool, they are removed from the pool and evaluated separately. 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  credit  loss  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 receivable balances could be further adjusted

For the year prior to adoption of ASC 326, the accounts receivable balance reflects invoiced and accrued revenue and is 
presented net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts reflects estimates of probable 
losses  in  the  accounts  receivable  balance.  The  Company  expected  the  majority  of  its  accounts  receivable  balances  to 
continue  to  come  from  large  customers  as  it  has  sold  and  continues  to  sell,  the  majority  of  its  software  products  and 
services through resellers and other distribution partners, rather than directly. The Company evaluated the collectability of 
its accounts receivable balance 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, monitored the 
financial condition of its customers and reviewed the credit history of each new customer. When the Company became 
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 recorded 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 changed, the Company’s estimates of the recoverability of 
accounts receivable balances may have been further adjusted. 

Investments

The Company’s cash equivalents and investments, other than publicly issued equity securities and non-marketable equity 
investments  without  readily  determinable  fair  value,  consist  of  money  market  and  other  debt  securities,  which  are 
classified as available-for-sale for accounting purposes and are carried at fair value. Unrealized gains and losses, net of 

73

BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

related income taxes, are recorded in AOCL 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. The Company does not exercise significant influence with respect 
to  any  of  these  investments.  Publicly  issued  equity  securities  are  recorded  at  fair  value  and  revalued  at  each  reporting 
period  with  changes  in  fair  value  recorded  through  investment  income.  The  Company  elects  to  record  non-marketable 
equity  investments  without  readily  determinable  fair  value  at  cost  minus  impairment,  and  adjusted  for  any  changes 
resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for identical or similar investments of the same issuer. The 
Company  reassesses  each  reporting  period  that  its  non-marketable  equity  investments  without  readily  determinable  fair 
value continue to qualify for this treatment.

Investments with maturities at the time of purchase of three months or less are classified as cash equivalents. Investments 
with maturities of one year or less (but which are not cash equivalents), public equity investments and any investments 
that  the  Company  intends  to  hold  for  less  than  one  year  are  classified  as  short-term  investments.  Investments  with 
maturities  in  excess  of  one  year,  non-marketable  equity  investments  without  readily  determinable  fair  value  and 
investments that the Company does not intend to sell are classified as long-term investments.

Allowance for Credit Losses on Available-for-sale Debt Securities

On March 1, 2020, the Company adopted ASC 326 on a modified retrospective basis. Under ASC 326, at each reporting 
period, the Company evaluates its available-for-sale debt securities at the individual security level to determine whether 
there is a decline in the fair value below its amortized cost basis (an impairment). In circumstances where the Company 
intends  to  sell,  or  is  more  likely  than  not  required  to  sell,  the  security  before  it  recovers  its  amortized  cost  basis,  the 
difference between fair value and amortized cost is recognized as a loss in the consolidated statement of operations, with a 
corresponding write-down of the security’s amortized cost. In circumstances where neither condition exists, the Company 
then evaluates whether a decline is due to credit-related factors. The factors considered in determining whether a credit 
loss exists can include the extent to which fair value is less than the amortized cost basis, changes in the credit quality of 
the underlying issuer, credit ratings actions, as well as other factors. To determine the portion of a decline in fair value that 
is  credit-related,  the  Company  compares  the  present  value  of  the  expected  cash  flows  of  the  security  discounted  at  the 
security’s effective interest rate to the amortized cost basis of the security. A credit-related impairment is limited to the 
difference  between  fair  value  and  amortized  cost,  and  recognized  as  an  allowance  for  credit  loss  on  the  consolidated 
balance  sheet  with  a  corresponding  adjustment  to  net  income.  Any  remaining  decline  in  fair  value  that  is  non-credit 
related  is  recognized  in  other  comprehensive  income  (loss),  net  of  tax.  Improvements  in  expected  cash  flows  due  to 
improvements in credit are recognized through reversal of the credit loss and corresponding reduction in the allowance for 
credit loss.

Prior to the adoption of ASC 326, the Company assessed individual investments that were in an unrealized loss position to 
determine  whether  the  unrealized  loss  was  other-than-temporary.  The  Company  made  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  had  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 occurred and that decline in value was considered to be other-than-temporary, an 
impairment charge was recorded in investment income equal to the difference between the cost basis and the fair value of 
the individual investment as at the consolidated balance sheet date of the reporting period for which the assessment was 
made. The fair value of the investment then became the new cost basis of the investment. 

If a debt security’s market value was below its amortized cost and either the Company intended to sell the security or it 
was  more  likely  than  not  that  the  Company  would  be  required  to  sell  the  security  before  its  anticipated  recovery,  the 
Company  recorded  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 did not intend to sell and it was 
not more likely than not that the entity would be required to sell the security before its anticipated recovery, the Company 
separated the other-than-temporary impairment into the amount representing the credit loss and the amount related to all 
other  factors.  The  Company  recorded  the  other-than-temporary  impairment  related  to  the  credit  loss  as  a  charge  to 
investment income, and the remaining other-than-temporary impairment was recorded as a component of AOCL.

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. 

74

BlackBerry 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 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,  volatilities  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  derivative’s  gain  or  loss  is  initially  reported  as  a 
component  of  AOCL,  net  of  tax,  and  subsequently  reclassified  into  income  in  the  same  period  or  periods  in  which  the 
hedged item affects 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.

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 AOCL 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 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  impact  to  income  as  a  result  of  changes  in  the  U.S.  dollar  value  of  the 
associated asset, liability or forecasted transaction.

Property, plant and equipment, net

Property,  plant  and  equipment  are  stated  at  cost,  less  accumulated  amortization.  Amortization  is  provided  using  the 
following rates and methods:

Leasehold improvements and other

   Straight-line over terms between 5 and 15 years

BlackBerry operations and other information technology

   Straight-line over terms between 3 and 5 years

Manufacturing, repair and research and development 
equipment

   Straight-line over terms between 1 and 5 years

Furniture and fixtures

   Declining balance at 30% per annum

For amortization on ROU assets, see the Company’s accounting policy on leases below and Note 11 for the remaining 
lease terms of leases.

Leases 

Operating  lease  ROU  assets  and  operating  lease  liabilities  are  recognized  based  on  the  present  value  of  the  future 
minimum lease payments over the lease term at the commencement date. As most of the Company’s leases do not provide 
an implicit discount rate, the Company primarily uses its incremental borrowing rate, based on the information available 
at the commencement date of the lease, in determining the present value of future payments. The Company’s incremental 
borrowing rate requires significant judgment and is determined based on the rate of interest that the Company would have 
to pay to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments on a collateralized basis over a similar term in a similar economic 
environment. The operating lease ROU asset includes any lease payments made, lease incentives and initial direct costs 
incurred. The lease terms include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company 
will exercise that option. Lease expense for minimum lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease 
term. In some cases, the Company has index-based variable lease payments for which an estimated rate is applied to the 
initial lease payment to determine future lease payment amounts.

The Company has building, car and data center lease agreements with lease and non-lease components that are accounted 
for  separately.  For  lease  terms  of  12  months  or  less  on  the  commencement  date,  the  Company  does  not  apply  the 
Accounting  Standards  Codification  842  recognition  requirements  and  recognizes  the  lease  payments  as  lease  cost  on  a 
straight-line basis over the lease term. 

75

BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

See Note 11 for additional information related to the Company’s leases. 

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the acquisition price in a business combination 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 on December 31 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  or  assessment  by  a  regulator,  unanticipated 
competition, a loss of key personnel, significant disposal activity and the testing of recoverability for a significant asset 
group. 

On March 1, 2020, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update 2017-04 on the topic of Intangibles - Goodwill 
and Other (ASC 350) (“ASU 2017-40”). ASU 2017-04 simplifies the subsequent measurement of goodwill, enabling the 
Company to carry out its goodwill impairment test in one step, instead of two steps. In the test, the carrying value of the 
reporting  unit,  including  goodwill,  was  compared  with  its  fair  value.  The  estimated  fair  value  was  determined  utilizing 
multiple approaches based on the nature of the reporting units being valued. In its analysis, the Company utilized multiple 
valuation  techniques,  including  the  income  approach  using  a  discounted  future  cash  flow  model,  market-based 
approaches, and the asset value approach. The analysis requires significant judgment, including estimation of future cash 
flows, which is dependent on internal forecasts, estimation of the long-term rates of revenue growth for the Company’s 
reporting  units,  estimation  of  the  useful  life  over  which  cash  flows  will  occur,  terminal  growth  rates,  profitability 
measures, and determination of the discount rates for the reporting units. The carrying value of the Company’s assets was 
assigned  to  reporting  units  using  reasonable  methodologies  based  on  the  asset  type.  When  the  carrying  value  of  a 
reporting unit exceeds its fair value, goodwill of the reporting unit is considered to be impaired and written down to its 
fair value. Different judgments could yield different results. Events and circumstances resulted in an additional goodwill 
impairment test being conducted as at May 31, 2020, in addition to the Company’s annual impairment test; see Note 3.

Prior to the adoption of ASU 2017-04, the Company’s annual impairment test was carried out in two steps. In the first 
step,  the  carrying  value  of  the  reporting  unit,  including  goodwill,  was  compared  with  its  fair  value.  The  estimated  fair 
value was determined utilizing multiple approaches based on the nature of the reporting units being valued. In its analysis, 
the  Company  utilized  multiple  valuation  techniques,  including  the  income  approach,  discounted  future  cash  flows, 
market-based approaches, and the asset value approach. The analysis requires significant judgment, including estimation 
of future cash flows, which is dependent on internal forecasts, estimation of the long-term rate of revenue growth for our 
reporting units, estimation of the useful life over which cash flows will occur, terminal growth rate, profitability measures, 
and determination of the discount rates for the reporting units. The carrying value of the Company’s assets was assigned 
to  reporting  units  using  reasonable  methodologies  based  on  the  asset  type.  When  the  carrying  value  of  a  reporting  unit 
exceeded its fair value, goodwill of the reporting unit was considered to be impaired and the second step was necessary. 
Different  judgments  could  have  yielded  different  results.  In  fiscal  2020,  the  Company  disaggregated  one  reporting  unit 
and goodwill was assigned to the disaggregated reporting units based upon the relative fair value allocation approach.

In the second step, the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill was compared with its carrying value to measure 
the amount of the impairment loss, if any. The second step involved significant judgment in the selection of assumptions 
necessary to arrive at an implied fair value of goodwill. Different judgments could have yielded different results. 

Using the impaired reporting units’ fair value determined in step one as the acquisition prices in hypothetical acquisitions 
of the reporting units, the implied fair values of goodwill were calculated as the residual amount of the acquisition price 
after allocations made to the fair values of net assets, including working capital, property, plant and equipment and both 
recognized and unrecognized intangible assets.

76

BlackBerry 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 

Intangible  assets  with  definite  lives  are  stated  at  cost,  less  accumulated  amortization.  Amortization  is  provided  on  a 
straight-line basis over the following terms:

Acquired technology

Intellectual property

Other acquired intangibles

   Between 3 and 10 years

   Between 1 and 20 years

   Between 2 and 10 years

Acquired technology consists of intangible assets acquired through business acquisitions. Intellectual property consists of 
patents (including purchased and internally generated patents and maintenance fees). Other acquired intangibles include 
items  such  as  customer  relationships  and  brand.  The  useful  lives  of  intangible  assets  are  evaluated  at  least  annually  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. 

Impairment of long-lived assets 

The  Company  reviews  long-lived  assets  (“LLA”)  such  as  property,  plant  and  equipment,  intangible  assets  with  finite 
useful lives and ROU assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value 
of the asset or asset group may not be recoverable. These events and circumstances may include significant decreases in 
the market price of an asset or asset group, significant changes in the extent or manner in which an asset or asset group is 
being used by the Company or in its physical condition, a significant change in legal factors or in the business climate, a 
history  or  forecast  of  future  operating  or  cash  flow  losses,  significant  disposal  activity,  a  significant  decline  in  the 
Company’s share price, a significant decline in revenue or adverse changes in the economic environment.   

The  LLA  impairment  test  requires  the  Company  to  identify  its  asset  groups  and  test  impairment  of  each  asset  group 
separately.  Determining  the  Company’s  asset  groups  and  related  primary  assets  requires  significant  judgment  by 
management.  Different  judgments  could  yield  different  results.  The  Company’s  determination  of  its  asset  groups,  its 
primary asset and its remaining useful life, and estimated cash flows are significant factors in assessing the recoverability 
of  the  Company’s  assets  for  the  purposes  of  LLA  impairment  testing.  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, changes in the Company’s forecasts or market expectations relating to future results, and 
the Company’s strategic initiatives and the market’s assessment of any such factors. 

When indicators of impairment exist, LLA impairment is tested using a two-step process. The Company performs a cash 
flow recoverability test as the first step, which involves comparing the asset group’s estimated undiscounted future cash 
flows to the carrying value of its net assets. If the net cash flows of the asset group exceed the carrying value of its net 
assets, LLA are not considered to be impaired. If the carrying value exceeds the net cash flows, there is an indication of 
potential impairment and the second step of the LLA impairment test is performed to measure the impairment amount. 
The  second  step  involves  determining  the  fair  value  of  the  asset  group.  Fair  values  are  determined  using  valuation 
techniques that are in accordance with U.S. GAAP, including the market approach, income approach and cost approach. If 
the carrying value of the asset group’s net assets exceeds the fair value of the Company, then the excess represents the 
maximum amount of potential impairment that will be allocated to the asset group, with the limitation that the carrying 
value  of  each  separable  asset  cannot  be  reduced  to  a  value  lower  than  its  individual  fair  value.  The  total  impairment 
amount allocated is recognized as a non-cash impairment loss. 

The Company reviews any changes in events and circumstances that have occurred on a quarterly basis to determine if 
indicators of LLA impairment exist. 

77

BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

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. 

Convertible debentures 

The  Company  elected  to  measure  its  outstanding  convertible  debentures  (collectively,  the  “Debentures”,  as  defined  in 
Note 6) at fair value in accordance with the fair value option. Each period, the fair value of the Debentures is recalculated 
and resulting gains and losses from the change in fair value of the Debentures associated with non-credit components are 
recognized in income, while the change in fair value associated with credit components is recognized in AOCL. 

1.75% Debentures 

The  fair  value  of  the  1.75%  Debentures  (as  defined  in  Note  6)  has  been  determined  using  the  significant  inputs  of 
principal value, interest rate spreads and curves, any observable trades of the Debentures that occurred during the period, 
the market price and volatility of the Company’s listed common shares, and the significant Level 3 inputs related to credit 
spread and the implied discount of the 1.75% Debentures at issuance.

3.75% Debentures 

The fair value of the 3.75% Debentures (as defined in Note 6) was determined using the significant inputs of principal 
value, interest rate spreads and curves, embedded call option prices, observable trades of the Debentures, the market price 
and volatility of the Company’s listed common shares and the Company’s implicit credit spread.

Revenue recognition 

The Company recognizes revenue when control of the promised products or services are transferred to customers, in an 
amount that reflects the consideration that the Company expects to receive in exchange for those products and services. 
Revenue is recognized through the application of the following steps: (i) identification of the contract, or contracts, with a 
customer; (ii) identification of the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determination of the transaction price; (iv) 
allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognition of revenue when (or 
as) the Company satisfies a performance obligation.

A contract exists with a customer when both parties have approved the contract, commitments to performance and rights 
of  each  party  (including  payment  terms)  are  identified,  the  contract  has  commercial  substance  and  collection  of 
substantially all consideration is probable for goods and services that are transferred.

Performance obligations promised in a contract are identified based on the goods and services that will be transferred to 
the customer that are both capable of being distinct, whereby the customer can benefit from the good or service either on 
its own or together with other available resources, and are distinct in the context of the contract, whereby the transfer of 
the good or service is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. If these criteria are not met, the promised 
goods and services are accounted for as a combined performance obligation.

The  transaction  price  is  determined  based  on  the  consideration  the  Company  expects  to  be  entitled  to  in  exchange  for 
transferring promised goods and services to the customer, excluding amounts collected on behalf of third parties such as 
sales taxes. Determining the transaction price requires significant judgment. To the extent the transaction price includes 
variable  consideration,  the  Company  estimates  the  amount  of  variable  consideration  that  should  be  included  in  the 
transaction price utilizing either the expected value method or the most likely amount method depending on the nature of 
the variable consideration. Non-cash consideration received is measured at fair value at contract inception. The estimated 
fair  value  is  determined  utilizing  multiple  valuation  techniques,  including  the  discounted  future  cash  flows  and  the 
market-based approach.

Contracts that contain multiple performance obligations require an allocation of the transaction price to each performance 
obligation based on a relative SSP. The Company’s method for allocation of consideration to be received and its method 
of estimation of SSP are described below under “Significant judgments”.

For each of the Company’s major categories of revenue, the following paragraphs describe the applicable specific revenue 
recognition policy, and when the Company satisfies its performance obligations. 

78

BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

Nature of products and services

The Company is organized and managed as three operating segments. The Company has multiple products and services 
from which it derives revenue, which are structured in three groups: Cybersecurity, IoT and Licensing and Other.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity  includes  revenue  from  the  Company’s  BlackBerry  Spark®  software  platform,  BlackBerry®  AtHoc®, 
BlackBerry® Alert, BlackBerry® SecuSUITE® and BlackBerry Messenger (BBM®) Enterprise. Cybersecurity revenue 
is  generated  predominantly  through  software  licenses,  commonly  bundled  with  support,  maintenance  and  professional 
services.

BlackBerry Spark

The  BlackBerry  Spark  platform  is  a  comprehensive  offering  of  security  software  products  and  services,  including  the 
BlackBerry®  Cyber  Suite  and  the  BlackBerry  Spark®  Unified  Endpoint  Management  Suite,  which  are  also  marketed 
together as the BlackBerry Spark® Suite, offering the Company’s broadest range of tailored cybersecurity and endpoint 
management options.

The BlackBerry Spark Cyber Suite includes revenue from the Company’s Cylance® artificial intelligence and machine 
learning-based  platform  consisting  of  BlackBerry®  Protect,  BlackBerry®  Optics,  BlackBerry®  Persona,  BlackBerry® 
Gateway, BlackBerry® Guard managed services and other cybersecurity applications. The Company generates software 
license  revenue  from  term  subscription  products,  which  includes  technical  support,  and  any  updates  and  upgrades.  The 
BlackBerry  Cyber  Suite  natively  integrates  with  BlackBerry®  UEM  and  also  works  with  UEM  solutions  from  other 
vendors.

The Company recognizes the license revenue over the term of the contract beginning on the commencement date of each 
contract,  the  date  that  services  are  made  available  to  customers.  The  Company’s  software  license  and  updates,  to  the 
extent  made  available,  are  not  distinct  in  the  context  of  the  contract  as  they  are  critical  to  the  ongoing  usability  of  the 
solution and so fulfill a single promise to the customer in the contract. The typical subscription term is one to three years. 
The technical support is recognized over the support period, which will normally be the same term as the software license. 

Revenue for hourly rate professional services arrangements is recognized as services are performed and revenue for fixed 
fee professional services is recognized on a proportional performance basis as the services are performed. 

The  BlackBerry  Spark®  UEM  Suite  includes  the  Company’s  BlackBerry®  UEM,  BlackBerry®  Dynamics™  and 
BlackBerry® Workspaces solutions. The Company generates software license revenue from both term subscription and 
perpetual license contracts, both of which are commonly bundled with support, maintenance and professional services.

If the licensed software in a contract requires access to the Company’s proprietary secure network infrastructure in order 
to  function,  revenue  from  term  subscription  contracts  is  recognized  over  time,  ratably  over  the  term,  and  revenue  from 
perpetual  license  contracts  is  recognized  over  time,  ratably  over  the  expected  customer  life,  which  in  most  cases  the 
Company has estimated to be four years. If access to the Company’s proprietary network infrastructure is not required for 
the software to function, revenue associated with both term subscription and perpetual licenses contracts is recognized at a 
point in time upon delivery of the software. Generally, most of the Company’s enterprise software products sold require 
access  to  the  Company’s  proprietary  secure  network  infrastructure  in  order  to  function,  and  therefore  the  associated 
revenue is recognized over time, ratably over either the subscription term or expected customer life as described above.

BlackBerry AtHoc and BlackBerry Alert

BlackBerry AtHoc and BlackBerry Alert generate revenue from networked critical event management solutions through 
term  subscriptions  which  include  technical  support  and  associated  professional  services.  The  Company  recognizes  the 
license revenue over the term of the contract beginning on the commencement date of each contract, the date that services 
are made available to customers.

BlackBerry SecuSUITE

SecuSUITE  revenue  is  generated  from  software  license  products  associated  with  secure  messaging  and  the  associated 
hardware. Similar to the BlackBerry Spark products, if the licensed software requires access to the Company’s proprietary 
secure network infrastructure, revenue from the contract is recognized over time, ratably over the expected term or over 
the  customer  life,  if  licensed  on  a  perpetual  basis.  If  access  to  the  Company’s  proprietary  network  infrastructure  is  not 
required, revenue associated with the license is recognized at a point in time upon delivery of the software. Revenue from 

79

BlackBerry 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 hardware is recognized once title and the significant risks and rewards of ownership of the products are transferred to 
the customer, which occurs after the product has shipped.

IoT

IoT  consists  of  BlackBerry  Technology  Solutions  and  BlackBerry  IVY™.    BlackBerry  Technology  Solutions  includes 
revenue from BlackBerry® QNX®, BlackBerry Certicom®, BlackBerry Radar® and other IoT applications. IoT revenue 
is  generated  predominantly  through  software  licenses,  commonly  bundled  with  support,  maintenance  and  professional 
services.

BlackBerry®  QNX®  software  license  revenue  from  both  term  subscription  and  perpetual  contracts  is  recognized  at  a 
point in time when the software is made available to the customer for use, as the software has standalone functionality and 
the  license  is  distinct  in  the  context  of  the  contract.  The  licenses  for  certain  software  embedded  into  hardware  such  as 
automotive  infotainment  systems  and  advanced  driver-assistance  systems  are  sold  as  a  sales-based  royalty  where 
intellectual property is the predominant item to which the royalty relates, and are recognized based on actual volumes and 
underlying sales by the customer of the hardware with the embedded software except in cases where the customer makes a 
non-refundable  prepayment  related  to  its  future  royalties,  in  which  case  consideration  is  fixed  and  recognized 
immediately.

Revenue from technical support is recognized over the support period. Revenue from professional services is recognized 
as  the  customer  simultaneously  receives  and  consumes  the  benefits  provided  by  the  Company’s  performance  as  the 
services are provided. This can be on a proportional performance basis, or over the term of the contract. Revenue from 
software maintenance services is recognized over the length of the maintenance period, with an average term of one year.

Licensing and Other

Licensing and Other includes revenue from the Company’s intellectual property licensing arrangements, BBM Consumer 
licensing  arrangement,  settlement  awards  and  mobility  licensing  software  arrangements,  which  include  revenue  from 
licensed  hardware  sales.  Other  revenue  consists  of  revenue  associated  with  the  Company’s  legacy  service  access  fees 
(“SAF”) business.

The Company’s outbound patent licensing agreements provide for license fees that may be a single upfront payment or 
multiple  payments  representing  all  or  a  majority  of  the  licensing  revenue  that  will  be  payable  to  the  Company.  These 
agreements may be perpetual or term in nature and grant (i) a limited non-exclusive, non-transferable license to certain of 
the Company’s patents, (ii) a covenant not to enforce patent rights against the licensee, and (iii) the release of the licensee 
from certain claims. 

The  Company  examines  intellectual  property  agreements  on  a  case-by-case  basis  to  determine  whether  the  intellectual 
property contains distinct performance obligations with standalone functionality and whether the Company is the principal 
or agent in the transaction. Significant judgment is applied in assessing contractual terms which could impact the timing 
and  amount  of  revenue  recognition.  Revenue  from  patent  licensing  agreements  is  often  recognized  for  the  transaction 
price either when the license has been transferred to the customer or based upon subsequent sales by the customer in the 
case of sales-based royalty licenses where the license of intellectual property is the predominant item to which the royalty 
relates. The transaction price may include non-monetary consideration in the form of patents transferred to the Company, 
which is recorded at fair value as determined by a combination of market and income-based valuation approaches. As part 
of these agreements the Company may also recognize revenue relating to the sale and assignment of patents.

The  Company  recognizes  revenue  related  to  consideration  that  may  result  from  a  negotiated  agreement  with  a  licensee 
that utilized the Company’s IP prior to signing a patent license agreement with the Company or from the resolution of a 
disagreement or arbitration with a licensee over the specific terms of an existing license agreement. The Company may 
also  recognize  revenue  related  to  consideration  for  past  patent  royalties  in  connection  with  the  settlement  of  patent 
litigation where there was no prior patent license agreement.

The Company’s BBM Consumer licensing arrangement was a multi-year agreement where the license was not previously 
separately  identifiable  from  the  requirement  to  maintain  interoperability  between  the  licensed  BBM  Consumer  product 
and the BBM Enterprise product sold by the Company. During fiscal 2020, the licensed BBM Consumer product was shut 
down by the licensee, removing any requirement for the Company to maintain interoperability and thus all performance 
obligations  were  completed.  As  a  result,  the  Company  estimated  the  amount  for  which  it  is  probable  that  a  significant 
reversal  in  the  amount  of  cumulative  revenue  recognized  will  not  occur  and  recognized  that  amount  as  revenue  during 
fiscal 2020.

80

BlackBerry 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  fiscal  2017  and  fiscal  2018,  the  Company  entered  into  multiple  multi-year  license  agreements  under  which  the 
Company  licensed  its  security  software  and  services  suite  and,  in  many  cases,  related  brand  assets  to  third  parties  who 
design,  manufacture,  sell  and  provide  customer  support  for  BlackBerry-branded  and  white-label  handsets.  Mobility 
license revenue for licensees whose sales exceeded contractual sales minimums was recognized when licensed products 
were sold as reported by the Company’s licensees. For licensees whose sales did not exceed contractual sales minimums, 
revenue  was  recognized  over  time,  ratably  over  the  license  term  based  on  contractual  minimum  amounts  due  to  the 
promise to provide engineering services to the licensees.

Other  includes  revenue  associated  with  the  Company’s  legacy  SAF  business,  relating  to  subscribers  utilizing  the 
Company’s  legacy  BlackBerry  7  and  prior  operating  systems,  which  are  no  longer  supported  or  maintained  by  the 
Company as of January 4, 2022. SAF revenue was recognized over time as the monthly service was provided. In instances 
where the Company invoiced the SAF customer prior to performing the service, the pre-billing was recorded as deferred 
revenue.

See Note 12 for further information, including revenue by major product and service types.

Significant judgments in revenue recognition

The Company’s contracts with customers often include promises to transfer multiple products and services to a customer. 
Determining whether products and services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for 
separately versus together may require significant judgment. 

Variable consideration is included in the transaction price if, in the Company’s judgment, it is probable that a significant 
future  reversal  of  cumulative  revenue  recognized  under  the  contract  will  not  occur.  Any  estimates,  including  any 
constraints on variable consideration, are evaluated at each reporting period. Judgment is required to determine the fair 
value of non-cash consideration at contract inception. The Company uses an independent third-party valuator for the fair 
value of non-cash consideration. 

Judgment  is  required  to  determine  the  SSP  for  each  distinct  performance  obligation.  The  Company’s  products  and 
services  often  have  observable  SSP  when  the  Company  sells  a  promised  product  or  service  separately  to  similar 
customers.  A  contractually  stated  price  or  list  price  for  a  good  or  service  may  be  the  SSP  of  that  good  or  service. 
However, in instances where SSP is not directly observable, the Company determines the SSP by maximizing observable 
inputs and using an adjusted market assessment approach using information that may include market conditions and other 
observable inputs from the Company’s pricing team, including historical SSP.

Judgment is required to determine in certain agreements if the Company is the principal or agent in the arrangement. The 
Company considers factors such as, but not limited to, which party can direct the usage of the product or service, which 
party obtains substantially all the remaining benefits and which party has the ability to establish the selling price. 

Significant judgment is required to determine the estimated customer life used in perpetual license contracts that require 
access to the Company’s proprietary secure network infrastructure to function. The Company uses historical experience 
regarding the length of the technology upgrade cycle and the expected life of the product to draw this conclusion. 

Revenue contract balances

Timing of revenue recognition may differ from the timing of invoicing to customers. Contract assets are generated when 
contractual billing schedules differ from revenue recognition timing. An unbilled receivable is recorded in instances when 
revenue  is  recognized  prior  to  invoicing,  and  amounts  collected  in  advance  of  services  being  provided  are  recorded  as 
deferred revenue.

Certain sales commissions are considered incremental and recoverable costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. The 
Company’s  capitalized  commissions  are  recorded  as  other  current  assets  and  other  long-term  assets  and  are  recognized 
immediately  or  amortized  proportionally,  based  on  the  satisfaction  of  the  related  performance  obligations,  and  are 
included in selling, marketing and administration expenses. The Company has applied the practical expedient to expense 
sales commission as incurred if the amortization period would have been for one year or less.  The practical expedient was 
applied to sales commissions allocated to professional services, as these contracts are generally for one year or less. See 
Note 12 for further information on the Company’s contract balances. 

Payment terms and conditions vary by contract type although standard billing terms are that payment is due upon receipt 
of invoice, payable within 30 to 60 days. In instances where the timing of revenue recognition differs from the timing of 
invoicing, the Company has determined that contracts generally do not include a significant financing component if the 

81

BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

period  between  when  the  payment  is  received  and  when  the  Company  transfers  the  promised  goods  or  services  to  the 
customer will be one year or less.

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 tax 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. 

Research and development

Research  costs  are  expensed  as  incurred.  Development  costs  for  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. The Company does not currently have 
any capitalized research and development costs other than those identified through business combinations as in-process 
research  and  development  included  within  intangible  assets,  net,  which  were  recorded  at  their  fair  values  and  began 
amortizing when the related technology became available for general release to customers.

Comprehensive income (loss)

Comprehensive  income  (loss)  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  (loss)  are  the  cumulative  translation  adjustment  resulting  from  non-U.S.  dollar  functional 
currency  subsidiaries  as  described  under  the  foreign  currency  translation  policy  above,  cash  flow  hedges  as  described 
above in derivative financial instruments, changes in the fair value of available-for-sale investments as described in Note 
3,  changes  in  fair  value  from  instrument-specific  credit  risk  on  the  Debentures  as  described  in  Note  6  and  Note  9,  and 
actuarial  gains  or  losses  associated  with  certain  other  post-employment  benefit  obligations.  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 
fiscal year. The treasury stock method is used for the calculation of the dilutive effect of stock options. The if-converted 
method is used for the calculation of the dilutive effect of the Debentures.

Stock-based compensation plans 

The Company has stock-based compensation plans. Awards granted under the plans are detailed in Note 7(b). 

The  Equity  Incentive  Plan  (the  “Equity  Plan”)  was  adopted  during  fiscal  2014.  The  Equity  Plan  provides  for  grants  of 
incentive stock options and restricted share units (“RSUs”) to officers and employees of the Company or its subsidiaries. 
RSUs  may  be  either  time-based  (“TBRSUs”)  or  time-  and  performance-based  (“PBRSUs”).  The  number  of  common 

82

BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

shares authorized for awards under the Equity Plan is 45,875,000 common shares. Any shares that are subject to options 
granted under the Equity Plan are counted against this limit as 0.625 shares for every one option granted, any shares that 
are subject to TBRSUs granted under the Equity Plan are counted against this limit as one share for every TBRSU, and 
any  shares  that  are  subject  to  PBRSUs  granted  under  the  Equity  Plan  are  counted  against  this  limit  at  the  maximum 
performance  attainment  (which  is  generally  1.5  shares  for  every  PBRSU).  Awards  previously  granted  under  the  Equity 
Plan  that  expire  or  are  forfeited,  or  settled  in  cash,  are  added  to  the  shares  available  under  the  Equity  Plan.  Options 
forfeited will be counted as 0.625 shares to the shares available under the Equity Plan. Shares issued as awards other than 
options that expire or are forfeited (i.e., RSUs), settled in cash or sold to cover withholding tax requirements are counted 
as one share added to the shares available under the Equity Plan. There are approximately 19 million shares in the equity 
pool available for future grants under the Equity Plan as at February 28, 2022.

In connection with the Cylance Inc. (“Cylance”) acquisition in fiscal 2019, the Company adopted the BlackBerry-Cylance 
Stock  Plan  (the  “Cylance  Stock  Plan”).  The  Cylance  Stock  Plan  provides  for  the  grant  of  replacement  awards  in 
connection  with  unvested  Cylance  employee  equity  awards,  all  of  which  were  canceled  upon  the  closing  of  the 
transaction.  The  number  of  common  shares  authorized  for  awards  under  the  Cylance  Stock  Plan  is  9,144,176  common 
shares,  which  is  equal  to  the  amount  of  replacement  awards  granted.  As  at  February  28,  2019,  there  were  no  shares 
remaining in the Cylance Stock Plan for future grants. In addition, no shares may be reissued under the Cylance Stock 
Plan in respect of shares that expire, are forfeited, or are settled in cash. 

The Company measures stock-based compensation expense for options at the grant date based on the award’s fair value as 
calculated by the Black-Scholes-Merton (“BSM”) option pricing model for stock options, and the expense is recognized 
ratably over the vesting period. Options granted under the Cylance Stock Plan generally vest over a four-year period with 
25%  vesting  on  the  first  anniversary  date,  and  the  remainder  vesting  in  equal  monthly  installments.  The  BSM  model 
requires  various  judgmental  assumptions  including  volatility  and  expected  option  life.  In  addition,  judgment  is  also 
applied  in  estimating  the  number  of  stock-based  awards  that  are  expected  to  be  forfeited,  and  if  actual  results  differ 
significantly from these estimates, stock-based compensation expense and the Company’s 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. 

RSUs are redeemed for common shares issued by the Company or the cash equivalent on the vesting dates established by 
the  Board  or  the  Compensation,  Nomination  and  Governance  Committee  of  the  Board.  The  RSUs  granted  under  the 
Equity Plan generally vest over a three-year period, either in equal annual installments or on the third anniversary date. 
For PBRSUs, the Company estimates its achievement against the performance goals, which are based on the Company’s 
business plan approved by the Board. The estimated achievement is updated for the Company’s outlook for the fiscal year 
as at the end of each fiscal quarter. Compensation cost will only be recognized to the extent that performance goals are 
achieved.  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  for  standard  RSUs  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. The Company expects to settle RSUs, 
upon vesting, through the issuance of new common shares from treasury. 

The Company has a Deferred Share Unit Plan (the “DSU Plan”), originally approved by the Board on December 20, 2007, 
under which each independent director is 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.  Each  independent  director’s  annual 
retainer will be entirely satisfied in the form of DSUs. Within a specified period after a director ceases to be a member of 
the Board, 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, 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. 

Advertising costs

The Company expenses all advertising costs as incurred. These costs are included in selling, marketing and administration 
expenses.

83

BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

Government subsidies

The  Company  recognizes  government  subsidies  as  a  reduction  to  operating  expenses  in  the  consolidated  statement  of 
operations  when  there  is  reasonable  assurance  the  Company  will  receive  the  amount  and  has  complied  with  the 
conditions, if any, attached to the government subsidies.

2.  ADOPTION OF ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Accounting Standards Adopted During Fiscal 2022 

ASC 740, Income Taxes

In  December  2019,  the  Financial  Accounting  Standards  Board  (“FASB”)  released  ASU  2019-12  on  the  topic  of 
simplifying the accounting for income taxes, as part of its simplification initiative to reduce the cost and complexity in 
accounting for income taxes.  The amendments in this update remove certain exceptions from Topic 740, Income Taxes, 
including: (i) the exception to the incremental approach for intra-period tax allocation; (ii) the exception to accounting for 
basis  differences  when  there  are  ownership  changes  in  foreign  investments;  and  (iii)  the  exception  in  interim  period 
income tax accounting for year-to-date losses that exceed anticipated losses.  The update also simplifies U.S. GAAP in 
several other areas of Topic 740 such as: (i) franchise taxes and other taxes partially based on income; (ii) transactions 
with a government that result in a step up in the tax basis of goodwill; (iii) separate financial statements of entities not 
subject to tax; and (iv) enacted changes in tax laws in interim periods. 

The  guidance  was  effective  for  interim  and  annual  periods  beginning  after  December  15,  2020,  with  early  adoption 
permitted.  The only aspect of ASU 2019-12 that impacts the Company is the removal of the exception related to intra-
period  tax  allocation.  As  a  result  of  its  adoption  of  the  new  standard,  the  Company  determines  the  tax  attributable  to 
continuing  operations  without  regard  to  the  tax  effect  of  other  items  included  in  other  comprehensive  income.  The 
Company adopted this guidance in the first quarter of fiscal 2022 and it did not have a material impact on the Company’s 
results of operations, financial position and disclosures.

Accounting Pronouncements Issued But Not Yet Adopted

In August 2020, the FASB issued a new accounting standard on the topic of debt with conversion and other options, ASU 
2020-06. The amendment in this update simplifies the accounting for convertible instruments by reducing the number of 
accounting models available for convertible debt instruments and convertible preferred stock. This update also amends the 
guidance for the derivatives scope exception for contracts in an entity’s own equity to reduce form-over-substance-based 
accounting conclusions and requires the application of the if-converted method for calculating diluted earnings per share. 
The update also requires entities to provide expanded disclosures about the terms and features of convertible instruments, 
how the instruments have been reported in the entity’s financial statements, and information about events, conditions, and 
circumstances  that  can  affect  how  to  assess  the  amount  or  timing  of  an  entity’s  future  cash  flows  related  to  those 
instruments. The guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2021. The Company 
will adopt this guidance in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 and does not expect the adoption to have a material impact on its 
results of operations, financial position and disclosures as the fair value option accounting model used by the Company is 
not impacted by this ASU and the Company already utilizes the if-converted method in its calculation of diluted earnings 
per share relating to the Debentures (as defined in Note 6).

In  October  2021,  the  FASB  issued  a  new  accounting  standard  on  the  topic  of  business  combinations,  accounting  for 
contract  assets  and  contract  liabilities  from  contracts  with  customers,  ASU  2021-08.  The  amendment  in  this  update 
improves the accounting for acquired revenue contracts with customers in a business combination by addressing diversity 
in practice and inconsistency. This update requires entities to recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities 
acquired in a business combination in accordance with ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The guidance 
is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2022 and requires entities to prospectively apply 
business  combinations  occurring  on  or  after  the  effective  date  of  the  amendments.  The  Company  will  early  adopt  this 
guidance in the first quarter of fiscal 2023, and apply it prospectively to any business acquisitions subsequent to the date 
of  adoption.  Should  the  Company  complete  business  acquisitions  subsequent  to  adoption,  the  impact  in  future  periods 
compared to current accounting standards will depend on any contract assets and contract liabilities acquired.

84

BlackBerry 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  November  2021,  the  FASB  issued  a  new  accounting  standard  on  the  topic  of  government  assistance,  ASU  2021-10.  
The  standard  requires  additional  disclosures  for  transactions  with  a  government  accounted  for  by  applying  a  grant  or 
contribution  accounting  model  by  analogy,  including:  (i)  information  about  the  nature  of  the  transactions  and  related 
accounting  policy  used  to  account  for  the  transactions;  (ii)  the  line  items  on  the  balance  sheet  and  income  statement 
affected by these transactions including amounts applicable to each line; and (iii) significant terms and conditions of the 
transactions, including commitments and contingencies. The update also requires entities that omit any of the information 
because  it  is  legally  prohibited  from  being  disclosed  to  include  a  statement  to  that  effect.  The  guidance  is  effective  for 
annual  periods  beginning  after  December  15,  2021.  The  Company  will  adopt  this  guidance  in  the  first  quarter  of  fiscal 
2023 and does not expect the adoption to have a material impact on its disclosures.

3.

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS, CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND INVESTMENTS

Fair Value 

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 that 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.

Recurring Fair Value Measurements

The Company’s cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, other receivables, accounts payable and accrued liabilities 
are measured at an amount that approximates their fair values (Level 2 measurement) 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.  The  Company  also  reviews  the  inputs  used  in  the  valuation  process  and  assesses  the 
pricing of the securities for reasonableness after conducting its own internal collection of quoted prices from brokers. Fair 
values for all investment categories provided by the independent third-party valuator that are in excess of 0.5% from the 
fair  values  determined  by  the  Company  are  communicated  to  the  independent  third-party  valuator  for  consideration  of 
reasonableness.  The  independent  third-party  valuator  considers  the  information  provided  by  the  Company  before 
determining whether a change in their original pricing is warranted.

The Company’s investments largely consist of debt securities issued by major corporate and banking organizations, the 
provincial  and  federal  governments  of  Canada,  international  government  banking  organizations  and  the  United  States 
Department  of  the  Treasury  and  are  all  investment  grade.  The  Company  also  holds  certain  public  equity  securities 
obtained through an initial public offering of a previously held non-marketable equity investment.

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. There were no significant transfers in or out of Level 3 assets 
during the years ended February 28, 2022 or February 28, 2021. The Company realized nil in gains on previously held 
auction rate securities classified as Level 3 assets for the years ended February 28, 2022 and February 28, 2021 (February 
29, 2020 - $3 million).

For a description of how the fair values of the Debentures (as defined in Note 6) were determined, see the “Convertible 
debentures” accounting policies in Note 1. The 3.75% Debentures (as defined in Note 6) were classified as Level 2 and 
the 1.75% Debentures (as defined in Note 6) are classified as Level 3. For a description of how the fair value of the CEO 
Contingent Cash Award (as defined in Note 7) was determined, see the “2019 Executive Chair Incentive Grant” section of 
Note 7(b).

85

BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

Non-Recurring Fair Value Measurements

Upon the occurrence of certain events, the Company re-measures the fair value of non-marketable equity investments for 
which  it  utilizes  the  measurement  alternative,  and  long-lived  assets,  including  property,  plant  and  equipment,  operating 
lease  ROU  assets,  intangible  assets  and  goodwill  if  an  impairment  or  observable  price  adjustment  is  recognized  in  the 
current period.

Non-Marketable Equity Investments Measured Using the Measurement Alternative

Non-marketable  equity  investments  measured  using  the  measurement  alternative  include  investments  in  privately  held 
companies  without  readily  determinable  fair  values  in  which  the  Company  does  not  own  a  controlling  interest  or  have 
significant  influence.  The  estimation  of  fair  value  used  in  the  fair  value  measurements  required  the  use  of  significant 
unobservable inputs, and as a result, the fair value measurements were classified as Level 3.

Goodwill Impairment

During the year ended February 28, 2022, there were no goodwill impairment charges. In its annual goodwill impairment 
test  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2022,  the  Company’s  estimates  indicated  the  fair  values  of  all  its  reporting  units 
substantially  exceeded  their  carrying  values,  such  carrying  values  were  expected  to  be  recovered,  and  there  was  no 
goodwill  impairment.  In  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2022,  the  Company  announced  that  it  has  agreed  to  the  sale  of  a 
significant  amount  of  patent  assets  to  Catapult  IP  Innovations,  Inc.  (“Catapult”)  subject  to  the  satisfaction  of  closing 
conditions. The completion of the sale would accelerate the timing of estimated cash flows for the Intellectual Property 
reporting unit and, based upon changes in the estimates to future cash flows following the sale, could potentially result in 
impacts that would be material to the consolidated financial statements in relation to the fair value of the goodwill of that 
reporting unit.

During  the  year  ended  February  28,  2021,  as  a  result  of  the  deterioration  in  economic  conditions  caused  by  the  global 
COVID-19  pandemic  and  its  impact  on  the  Company’s  reporting  units,  and  the  decline  of  the  trading  value  of  the 
Company’s  capital  stock  below  the  Company’s  consolidated  carrying  value,  the  Company  determined  that  it  was  more 
likely than not that the fair value of at least one of its reporting units was lower than its carrying value after including 
goodwill. As a result, the Company completed an analysis of the fair value of its reporting units to compare against their 
respective carrying values as of May 31, 2020. Based on the results of the goodwill impairment test, it was concluded that 
the  carrying  value  of  one  reporting  unit  exceeded  its  fair  value,  necessitating  an  impairment  charge  for  the  amount  of 
excess  and  reducing  the  carrying  value  of  goodwill.  Consequently,  the  Company  recorded  total  non-cash  goodwill 
impairment charges of $594 million in the BlackBerry Spark reporting unit. The estimated fair values of the Company’s 
other reporting units substantially exceeded their carrying values at May 31, 2020. 

During the year ended February 29, 2020, the Company recorded a goodwill impairment charge of $22 million relating to 
its BBM Consumer reporting unit.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets (“LLA”)

During the year ended February 28, 2022, there were no LLA impairment charges. 

During the year ended February 28, 2021, the Company recorded a non-cash, pre-tax and after-tax impairment charge of 
$46 million consisting of $37 million related to operating lease ROU assets for certain facilities and $9 million related to 
property, plant and equipment associated with those facilities. In addition, the Company also recorded a decrease to its 
lease  liabilities  of  $3  million  associated  with  certain  leased  facilities  with  an  early  termination  option,  which  has  been 
included as a partial offset in impairment of long-lived assets on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. 
The Company conducts an evaluation of the related liabilities and expenses and revises its assumptions and estimates as 
appropriate as new or updated information becomes available. 

During the year ended February 29, 2020, the Company recorded a non-cash, pre-tax and after-tax impairment charge of 
$10 million consisting of $8 million related to operating lease ROU assets for certain facilities that have been exited and 
$2 million related to property, plant and equipment associated with those facilities.

86

1 

— 

1 

— 

27 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

27 

— 

28 

BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments 

The components of cash, cash equivalents and investments by fair value level as at February 28, 2022 were as follows:

Cost Basis (1)

Unrealized
Gains

Unrealized
Losses

Fair Value

Cash and
Cash
Equivalents

Short-term
Investments

Long-term
Investments

Restricted 
Cash 
Equivalents

$ 

105  $  —  $  —  $ 

105  $ 

104  $  —  $  —  $ 

Bank balances

Other investments

Level 1:

Equity securities

Level 2:

Term deposits, certificates of 
deposits, and GIC's
Bankers’ acceptances/bearer 
deposit notes
Commercial paper

Non-U.S. promissory notes

Non-U.S. government sponsored 
enterprise notes
Non-U.S. treasury bills/notes

Level 3:
Other investments

8 

113 

10 

157 

58 

247 

71 

58 

43 

634 

17 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

5 

— 

— 

8 

113 

— 

104 

(9)   

1 

— 

157 

58 

247 

71 

58 

43 

634 

65 

58 

62 

46 

— 

43 

274 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

1 

65 

— 

185 

25 

58 

— 

333 

8 

8 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

22 

22 

— 

— 

$ 

774  $ 

5  $ 

(9)  $ 

770  $ 

378  $ 

334  $ 

30  $ 

______________________________
(1)  Cost basis for other investments includes the effect of returns of capital.

87

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry 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 components of cash, cash equivalents and investments by fair value level as at February 28, 2021 were as follows:

Bank balances

Other investments

Level 1:
Equity securities

Level 2:

Term deposits, certificates of 
deposits, and GICs
Bearer deposit notes

Commercial paper

Non-U.S. promissory notes

Non-U.S. government sponsored 
enterprise notes
Non-U.S. treasury bills/notes

Corporate notes/bonds

Cost Basis

Unrealized
Losses

Fair Value

Cash and
Cash
Equivalents

Short-term
Investments

Long-term
Investments

Restricted 
Cash 
Equivalents

Restricted 
Short-term 
Investments

$ 

165  $  —  $ 

165  $ 

165  $  —  $  —  $  —  $  — 

37 

202 

— 

— 

37 

202 

— 

165 

10 

(7)   

3 

— 

138 

40 

162 

55 

154 

25 

25 

599 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

138 

40 

162 

55 

154 

25 

25 

599 

7 

— 

15 

26 

1 

— 

— 

49 

— 

— 

3 

103 

40 

147 

29 

153 

25 

25 

522 

37 

37 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

4 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

4 

$ 

811  $ 

(7)  $ 

804  $ 

214  $ 

525  $ 

37  $ 

4  $ 

— 

— 

— 

24 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

24 

24 

As at February 28, 2022, the Company had non-marketable equity investments without readily determinable fair value of 
$30 million (February 28, 2021 - $37 million). During the fiscal year ended February 28, 2022, the Company recorded an 
upward adjustment to the carrying value of certain non-marketable equity investments without readily determinable fair 
value of $5 million resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for identical or similar securities which 
have  been  included  in  investment  income  (loss),  net  on  the  Company’s  consolidated  statements  of  operations.  The 
Company also received a distribution from a non-marketable equity investment without readily determinable fair value in 
the amount of $35 million, which for accounting purposes, consisted of a return of capital of $13 million and a realized 
gain of $22 million included in investment income (loss), net on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

During  the  year  ended  February  28,  2022,  there  was  no  impairment  recognized  relating  to  non-marketable  equity 
investments without readily determinable fair value (February 28, 2021 - nil and February 29, 2020 -  $3 million).

There were no realized gains or losses on available-for-sale securities for the year ended February 28, 2022 (February 28, 
2021 and February 29, 2020 -  nil).

The  Company  has  restricted  cash  and  cash  equivalents  and  restricted  short-term  investments,  consisting  of  cash  and 
securities pledged as collateral to major banking partners in support of the Company’s requirements for letters of credit. 
These letters of credit support certain leasing arrangements entered into in the ordinary course of business. The letters of 
credit are for terms ranging from one month to four years. The Company is legally restricted from accessing these funds 
during  the  term  of  the  leases  for  which  the  letters  of  credit  have  been  issued;  however,  the  Company  can  continue  to 
invest the funds and receive investment income thereon.

88

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry 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 provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash equivalents as 
at February 28, 2022, February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020 from the consolidated balance sheets to the consolidated 
statements of cash flows:

Cash and cash equivalents

Restricted cash and cash equivalents

Total cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash 

equivalents presented in the consolidated statements of cash flows

As at

February 28, 
2022

February 28, 
2021

February 29, 
2020

$ 

$ 

378  $ 

214  $ 

28 

4 

406  $ 

218  $ 

377 

49 

426 

The  contractual  maturities  of  available-for-sale  investments  as  at  February  28,  2022  and  February  28,  2021  were  as 
follows:

Due in one year or less 
No fixed maturity 

As at

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Cost Basis

Fair Value

Cost Basis

Fair Value

$ 

$ 

634  $ 
10 
644  $ 

634  $ 
1 
635  $ 

599  $ 
10 
609  $ 

599 
3 
602 

As at February 28, 2022 and February 28, 2021, the Company had no available-for-sale debt securities with continuous 
unrealized losses. 

4.      CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET DETAILS

Accounts Receivable, Net of Allowance

The allowance for credit losses as at February 28, 2022 was $4 million (February 28, 2021 - $10 million).

The  Company  recognizes  current  estimated  credit  losses  (“CECL”)  for  accounts  receivable.  The  CECL  for  accounts 
receivable are estimated based on days past due and region for each customer in relation to a representative pool of assets 
consisting  of  a  large  number  of  customers  with  similar  risk  characteristics  that  operate  under  similar  economic 
environments. The Company determined the CECL by estimating historical credit loss experience based on the past due 
status and region of the customers, adjusted as appropriate to reflect current conditions and estimates of future economic 
conditions, inclusive of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on credit losses. When specific customers are identified as 
no longer sharing the same risk profile as their current pool, they are removed from the pool and evaluated separately. The 
Company also has long-term accounts receivable included in Other Long-term Assets. The CECL for long-term accounts 
receivable  is  estimated  using  the  probability  of  default  method  and  the  default  exposure  due  to  limited  historical 
information. The exposure of default is represented by the assets’ amortized carrying amount at the reporting date.

89

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry 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 activity in the Company’s allowance for credit losses:

Beginning balance as of February 29, 2020

Impact of adopting ASC 326

Prior period recovery for expected credit losses

Ending balance of the allowance for credit loss as at February 28, 2021

Current period recovery for expected credit losses 

Write-offs charged against the allowance

Ending balance of the allowance for credit loss as at February 28, 2022

For the Year Ended

February 28, 2022

$ 

$ 

$ 

9 

4 

(3) 

10 

(2) 

(4) 

4 

The allowance for credit losses as at February 28, 2022 consists of $2 million (February 28, 2021 - $3 million) relating to 
CECL estimated based on days past due and region and $2 million (February 28, 2021 - $7 million) relating to specific 
customers that were evaluated separately.

There was no customer that comprised more than 10% of accounts receivable as at February 28, 2022 (February 28, 2021 
- one customer comprised more than 10%).

Other Receivables

As at February 28, 2022 and February 28, 2021, other receivables included items such as receivables from Hardest-Hit 
Business Recovery Program (“HHBRP”) and intellectual property licensing receivable, among other items, none of which 
were greater than 5% of the current assets balance in any of the periods presented.

Other Current Assets

Other current assets comprised the following:

Intellectual property

Other

As at

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

$ 

$ 

118  $ 

41 

159  $ 

— 

50 

50 

On January 29, 2022, the Company entered into a patent sale agreement with Catapult, pursuant to which the Company 
has  agreed  to  sell  substantially  all  of  its  non-core  patent  assets  to  Catapult  for  total  transaction  price  of  $600  million. 
Patents  that  are  essential  to  the  Company’s  current  core  business  operations  are  excluded  from  the  transaction.  The 
Company will receive a license back to the patents being sold, which relate primarily to mobile devices, messaging and 
wireless  networking.  Completion  of  the  revenue  transaction  is  subject  to  the  satisfaction  of  closing  conditions.  For  the 
year ended February 28, 2022, the Company reclassified $118 million of intellectual property that will be sold under this 
revenue  arrangement  as  other  current  assets  on  the  Company’s  consolidated  balance  sheets  relating  to  the  patent  sale 
agreement.

Other current assets also included items such as the current portion of deferred commissions and prepaid expenses, among 
other items, none of which were greater than 5% of the current assets balance in any of the periods presented.

90

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry 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 comprised the following:

As at

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Cost

BlackBerry operations and other information technology

$ 

92  $ 

Leasehold improvements and other

Furniture and fixtures

Manufacturing, repair and research and development equipment

Accumulated amortization

Net book value

53 

10 

1 

156 

115 

$ 

41  $ 

110 

67 

10 

72 

259 

211 

48 

For  the  year  ended  February  28,  2022,  amortization  expense  related  to  property,  plant  and  equipment  amounted  to 
$15 million (February 28, 2021 - $21 million; February 29, 2020 - $24 million). 

Intangible Assets, Net  

Intangible assets comprised the following:

Acquired technology

Other acquired intangibles

Intellectual property

Acquired technology

Other acquired intangibles

Intellectual property

As at February 28, 2022

Cost

Accumulated
Amortization

Net Book
Value

1,023  $ 

776  $ 

494 

117 

283 

53 

1,634  $ 

1,112  $ 

247 

211 

64 

522 

As at February 28, 2021

Cost

Accumulated
Amortization

Net Book
Value

1,023  $ 

494 

498 
2,015  $ 

712  $ 

233 

299 
1,244  $ 

311 

261 

199 
771 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

For  the  year  ended  February  28,  2022,  amortization  expense  related  to  intangible  assets  amounted  to  $161  million 
(February 28, 2021 - $177 million; February 29, 2020 - $188 million). 

Total additions to intangible assets in fiscal 2022 amounted to $31 million (fiscal 2021 -  $36 million). During fiscal 2022, 
additions  to  intangible  assets  primarily  consisted  of  payments  for  intellectual  property  relating  to  patent  maintenance, 
registration and license fees.

Based  on  the  carrying  value  of  the  identified  intangible  assets  as  at  February  28,  2022,  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: fiscal 2023 - $99 million; fiscal 2024 - $94 million; fiscal 2025 - $90 million; fiscal 2026 - $85 million; and fiscal 
2027 - $79 million.

91

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry 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 weighted average remaining useful lives of the intangible assets are as follows:

Acquired technology

Other acquired intangibles

Intellectual property

Goodwill

As at

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

5.1 years

5.7 years

7.5 years

5.9 years

6.4 years

6.4 years

Changes  to  the  carrying  amount  of  goodwill  during  the  fiscal  years  ended  February  28,  2022,  February  28,  2021  and 
February 29, 2020 were as follows:

Carrying amount as at February 28, 2019
Measurement period adjustment (1)
Goodwill impairment charge (note 3)

Effect of foreign exchange on non-U.S. dollar denominated goodwill
Carrying amount as at February 29, 2020

Goodwill impairment charge (note 3)

Effect of foreign exchange on non-U.S. dollar denominated goodwill

Carrying amount as at February 28, 2021

Effect of foreign exchange on non-U.S. dollar denominated goodwill
Carrying amount as at February 28, 2022

Carrying Amount

$ 

1,463 

(2) 

(22) 

(2) 

1,437 

(594) 

6 

849 

(5) 

844 

$ 

______________________________
(1)  The Company recorded a measurement period adjustment of $2 million in selling, general and administration expenses 
during  the  fiscal  year  ended  February  29,  2020  related  to  the  Cylance  acquisition,  as  the  amount  would  have  been 
recognized in the prior fiscal year, if the adjustment to the provisional amounts had been recognized as of the acquisition 
date on February 21, 2019. 

Other Long-term Assets

As  at  February  28,  2022  and  February  28,  2021,  other  long-term  assets  included  long-term  portion  of  deferred 
commission and long-term receivables, among other items, none of which were greater than 5% of total assets in any of 
the periods presented.

Accrued Liabilities

Accrued liabilities comprised the following:

Accrued royalties

Operating lease liabilities, current (note 11)

Other

As at

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

$ 

$ 

20  $ 

28 

109 

157  $ 

20 

33 

125 

178 

Other  accrued  liabilities  include  variable  incentive  accrual,  accrued  director  fees,  accrued  vendor  liabilities,  accrued 
carrier liabilities and payroll withholding taxes, among other items, none of which were greater than 5% of the current 
liabilities balance in any of the periods presented.

92

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry 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. 

INCOME TAXES

The  difference  between  the  amount  of  the  provision  for  (recovery  of)  income  taxes  and  the  amount  computed  by 
multiplying income (loss) before income taxes by the statutory Canadian tax rate is reconciled as follows:

For the Years Ended

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

Statutory Canadian tax rate

 26.5 %

 26.5 %

Expected provision for (recovery of) income taxes

$ 

5 

$ 

(295) 

$ 

 26.5 %

(39) 

41 

(10) 

(12) 

3 

15 

6 

1 

(1) 

4 

(9) 

7 

(2) 

3 

3 

— 

— 

— 

7 

$ 

205 

(41) 

(48) 

3 

13 

158 

(4) 

— 

(9) 

$ 

$ 

For the Years Ended

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

$ 

$ 

133  $ 

(114)   

(383)  $ 

(730)   

19  $ 

(1,113)  $ 

15 

(163) 

(148) 

Differences in income taxes resulting from:

Valuation allowance

Investment tax credits

Change in unrecognized income tax benefits

Foreign tax rate differences

Non-deductible permanent differences

Goodwill impairment 

Other differences

Withholding tax on unremitted earnings

Income (loss) before income taxes:

Canadian

Foreign

93

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry 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 consists of the following:

For the Years Ended

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

Current

Canadian

Foreign

Deferred

Foreign

$ 

$ 

(1)  $ 

8 

— 

7  $ 

Deferred income tax assets and liabilities consist of the following temporary differences:

2 

3 

(1) 

4 

(2)  $ 

(7)   

— 

(9)  $ 

As at

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

Assets

Property, plant, equipment and intangibles assets

$ 

262  $ 

Non-deductible reserves

Minimum taxes

Debentures (note 6)

Research and development

Tax loss carryforwards

Other

Deferred income tax assets

Valuation allowance

Deferred income tax assets net of valuation allowance

Liabilities

Property, plant, equipment and intangibles assets

Deferred income tax liabilities

Net deferred income tax asset (liability)

44 

207 

37 

379 

441 

104 

240 

59 

206 

94 

390 

414 

82 

1,474 

1,485 

1,367 

107 

1,360 

125 

(107)   

(107)   

—  $ 

(125) 

(125) 

— 

$ 

The  Company  regularly  assesses  the  need  for  a  valuation  allowance  against  its  deferred  tax  assets.  In  making  that 
assessment,  the  Company  considers  both  positive  and  negative  evidence  related  to  the  likelihood  of  realization  of  the 
deferred tax assets to determine, based on the weight of available evidence, whether it is more likely than not that some or 
all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. 

In evaluating the need for a valuation allowance, the Company noted that there had been three years of cumulative losses, 
including fiscal 2022. In fiscal 2022, the Company saw an increase in the deferred tax valuation allowance of $7 million 
(February 28, 2021 - increase of $137 million). As a result, the deferred tax valuation allowance had an ending balance of 
$1,367 million (February 28, 2021 - $1,360 million). This accounting treatment has no effect on the Company’s ability to 
utilize deferred tax assets to reduce future cash tax payments. The Company will continue to assess the likelihood that the 
deferred tax assets will be realizable at each reporting period and the valuation allowance will be adjusted accordingly. 

94

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry 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’s total unrecognized income tax benefits as at February 28, 2022 and February 28, 2021 were $20 million 
and $24 million, respectively. 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
Unrecognized income tax benefits, ending balance

February 28, 2022
$ 

$ 

For the Years Ended

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

24  $ 
— 
— 
(4)   
20  $ 

72  $ 
— 
2 
(50)   
24  $ 

84 
2 
1 
(15) 
72 

As at February 28, 2022, $20 million of the unrecognized tax benefits have been netted against deferred income taxes and 
nil has been recorded within income taxes payable on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

A summary of open tax years by major jurisdiction is presented below:

Jurisdiction
Canada (1)
United States (2)
United Kingdom
______________________________
(1)  Includes federal as well as provincial jurisdictions, as applicable.
(2)   Pertains to federal tax years. Certain state jurisdictions remain open from fiscal 2018 through fiscal 2022.

Fiscal 2016 - 2022

Fiscal 2019 - 2022

Fiscal 2021 - 2022

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 nil of its gross unrecognized income tax benefits will be 
realized  in  the  next  twelve  months.  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  that  is 
netted  and  reported  within  investment  income,  net.  The  amount  of  interest  accrued  as  at  February  28,  2022  was 
approximately $3 million (February 28, 2021 - approximately $3 million). The amount of penalties accrued as at February 
28, 2022 was nil (February 28, 2021 - nil).

95

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry 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  February  28,  2022,  the  Company  has  the  following  net  operating  loss  carryforwards  and  tax  credits,  which  are 
scheduled to expire in the following years:

Year of Expiry

Net Operating Losses

Research and Development 

Tax Credits 

(1)

2029

2030

2031

2032

2033

2034

2035

2036

2037

2038

2039

2040

2041

2042

$ 

10  $ 

—  $ 

— 

1 

28 

88 

96 

92 

355 

492 

199 

13 

— 

— 

12 

— 

12 

1 

133 

124 

52 

40 

23 

17 

14 

13 

8 

8 

Indefinite

$ 

321 
1,707  $ 

21 
466  $ 

______________________________
(1)  Includes federal, provincial and state balances.

6.  DEBENTURES

 1.75% Convertible Debentures

Minimum Taxes

1 

109 

72 

22 

— 

— 

3 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 
207 

On  September  1,  2020,  Hamblin  Watsa  Investment  Counsel  Ltd.,  in  its  capacity  as  investment  manager  of  Fairfax 
Financial  Holdings  Limited  (“Fairfax”),  and  another  institutional  investor  invested  in  the  Company  through  a 
$365 million private placement of new debentures (the “1.75% Debentures”), which replaced $605 million of debentures 
issued  in  a  private  placement  on  September  7,  2016  (the  “3.75%  Debentures”)  as  described  below  (collectively,  the 
“Debentures”).

Interest  on  the  1.75%  Debentures  is  payable  quarterly  in  arrears  at  a  rate  of  1.75%  per  annum.  The  1.75%  Debentures 
mature  on  November  13,  2023  and  each  $1,000  of  1.75%  Debentures  is  convertible  at  any  time  into  166.67  common 
shares of the Company, for a total of 60.8 million common shares at a price of $6.00 per share for all 1.75% Debentures, 
subject  to  adjustments.  Covenants  associated  with  the  1.75%  Debentures  include  limitations  on  the  Company’s  total 
indebtedness.

Under  specified  events  of  default,  the  outstanding  principal  and  any  accrued  interest  on  the  1.75%  Debentures  become 
immediately  due  and  payable  upon  request  of  holders  holding  not  less  than  25%  of  the  principal  amount  of  the  1.75% 
Debentures then outstanding. During an event of default, the interest rate rises to 5.75% per annum. 

The 1.75% Debentures are subject to a change of control provision whereby the Company would be required to make an 
offer to repurchase the 1.75% Debentures at 115% of par value if a person or group (not affiliated with Fairfax) acquires 
35%  of  the  Company’s  outstanding  common  shares,  acquires  all  or  substantially  all  of  its  assets,  or  if  the  Company 
merges  with  another  entity  and  the  Company’s  existing  shareholders  hold  less  than  50%  of  the  common  shares  of  the 
surviving  entity.  Additionally,  the  1.75%  Debentures  cannot  be  converted  to  the  extent  that,  after  giving  effect  to  the 
conversion, the holder would beneficially own or exercise control or direction over more than 19.99% of the Company’s 
then issued and outstanding shares (the “Blocker Provision”).

Due  to  the  conversion  option  and  other  embedded  derivatives  within  the  1.75%  Debentures,  and  consistent  with  the 
Company’s accounting for the 3.75% Debentures, the Company has elected to record the 1.75% Debentures, including the 
debt  itself  and  all  embedded  derivatives,  at  fair  value  and  present  the  1.75%  Debentures  as  a  single  hybrid  financial 

96

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

instrument.  No  portion  of  the  fair  value  of  the  1.75%  Debentures  has  been  recorded  as  equity,  nor  would  be  if  the 
embedded derivatives were bifurcated from the host debt contract. 

Each period, the fair value of the 1.75% Debentures is recalculated and resulting gains and losses from the change in fair 
value of the Debentures associated with non-credit components are recognized in income, while the change in fair value 
associated with credit components is recognized in AOCL. The fair value of the Debentures has been determined using 
the  significant  Level  2  inputs  interest  rate  curves  and  any  observable  trades  of  the  Debentures  that  may  have  occurred 
during  the  period,  the  market  price  and  volatility  of  the  Company’s  listed  common  shares,  and  the  significant  Level  3 
inputs related to credit spread and the implied discount of the 1.75% Debentures at issuance.

The  Company  originally  determined  its  credit  spread  by  calibrating  to  observable  trades  of  the  3.75%  Debentures  and 
trending the calibrated spread to valuation dates utilizing an appropriate credit index. The Company’s credit spread was 
determined to be 7.90% as of the issuance date of the 1.75% Debentures and 6.58% as of February 28, 2022. An increase 
in credit spread will result in a decrease in the fair value of 1.75% Debentures and vice versa. The fair value of the 1.75% 
Debentures  on  September  1,  2020  was  determined  to  be  approximately  $456  million  and  the  implied  discount 
approximately $91 million. The Company determined the implied discount on the 1.75% Debentures by calculating the 
fair  value  of  the  1.75%  Debentures  on  September  1,  2020  utilizing  the  above  credit  spread  and  other  inputs  described 
above.

The following table summarizes the change in fair value of the 1.75% Debentures for the fiscal year ended February 28, 
2022, which also represents the total changes through earnings of items classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy:

Balance as at Principal received as of September 1, 2020

Change in fair value of the Debentures

Balance as at February 28, 2021
Change in fair value of the Debentures

Balance as at February 28, 2022

As at

February 28, 2022

$ 

$ 

365 

355 

720 

(213) 

507 

The difference between the fair value of the 1.75% Debentures and the unpaid principal balance of $365 million is $142 
million.  

The following table shows the impact of the changes in fair value of the 1.75% Debentures for the years ended February 
28, 2022, February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020: 

For the Years Ended

February 28, 
2022

February 28, 
2021

February 29, 
2020

Income (charge) associated with the change in fair value from non-credit 
components recorded in the consolidated statements of operations 

Income (charge) associated with the change in fair value from instrument-specific 
credit components recorded in AOCL

Total decrease (increase) in the fair value of the 1.75% Debentures 

$ 

$ 

212  $ 

(347)  $ 

1 

(8)   

213  $ 

(355)  $ 

— 

— 

— 

For the year ended February 28, 2022, the Company recorded interest expense related to the Debentures of $6 million, 
which has been included in investment income (loss), net on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations (fiscal 
2021  -  $15  million;  fiscal  2020  -  $23  million).  The  Company  is  required  to  make  quarterly  interest-only  payments  of 
approximately $2 million during the remaining term the 1.75% Debentures are outstanding.

Fairfax, a related party under U.S. GAAP due to its beneficial ownership of common shares in the Company after taking 
into account potential conversion of the Debentures, owned $500 million principal amount of the 3.75% Debentures and  
purchased $330 million principal amount of the 1.75% Debentures. As such, the redemption of Fairfax’s portion of the 
3.75% Debentures, the investment by Fairfax in the 1.75% Debentures and the payment of interest on the Debentures to 
Fairfax represent related party transactions. Fairfax receives interest at the same rate as other holders of the Debentures.

97

  
 
 
 
  
 
 
BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

3.75% Convertible Debentures

On September 7, 2016, Fairfax and other institutional investors invested in the Company through a $605 million private 
placement of the 3.75% Debentures. The terms of the 3.75% Debentures were substantially similar to those of the 1.75% 
Debentures, except that the 3.75% Debentures had a higher interest rate, were convertible into common shares at a price 
of $10.00 per common share, were subject to a lower approval threshold for extraordinary resolutions, did not contain the 
Blocker Provision and had a maturity date of November 13, 2020.

On  July  22,  2020,  the  Company  announced  that,  with  the  required  approval  of  the  holders  of  the  3.75%  Debentures,  it 
would  redeem  the  3.75%  Debentures  for  a  redemption  amount  of  approximately  $615  million  (the  “Redemption 
Amount”),  which  would  settle  all  outstanding  obligations  of  the  Company  in  respect  of  the  3.75%  Debentures.  The 
redemption was completed on September 1, 2020. As the Redemption Amount represented fair value at August 31, 2020 
and  the  Company  elected  the  fair  value  option  for  the  3.75%  Debentures,  the  impact  to  the  consolidated  statements  of 
operations  of  the  redemption  on  the  fair  value  was  recorded  in  the  second  quarter  of  fiscal  2021.  A  portion  of  the  fair 
value associated with changes in instrument-specific credit components in the amount of $6 million remained in OCI until 
redemption on September 1, 2020 at which point $6 million was discharged to the consolidated statement of operations 
and is included in the table below.

The following table shows the impact of the changes in fair value of the 3.75% Debentures for the years ended February 
28, 2022, February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020: 

For the Years Ended

February 28, 
2022

February 28, 
2021

February 29, 
2020

Income (charge) associated with the change in fair value from non-credit 
components recorded in the consolidated statements of operations 

Income (charge) associated with the change in fair value from instrument-specific 
credit components recorded in AOCL

Realized charges associated with the change in fair value from credit components 
recorded in the consolidated statements of operations on redemption

Realized charges associated with the change in fair value from credit components 
released from AOCL on redemption

$ 

—  $ 

(19)  $ 

— 

— 

— 

15 

(6)   

6 

(4)  $ 

66 

(7) 

— 

— 

59 

Total decrease (increase) in the fair value of the 3.75% Debentures 

$ 

—  $ 

7.

CAPITAL STOCK

(a) Capital Stock

The Company is authorized to issue an unlimited number of voting common shares, an unlimited number of non-voting, 
redeemable,  retractable  Class  A  common  shares  and  an  unlimited  number  of  non-voting,  cumulative,  redeemable, 
retractable preferred shares. As at February 28, 2022 and February 28, 2021, there were no Class A common shares or 
preferred shares outstanding. 

98

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry 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  years  ended  February  28,  2022, 
February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020:

Common shares outstanding as at February 28, 2019

Exercise of stock options

Common shares issued for restricted share unit settlements

Stock-based compensation

Common shares issued related to Exchange Shares 

Common shares issued for employee share purchase plan

Common shares outstanding as at February 29, 2020

Exercise of stock options

Common shares issued for restricted share unit settlements

Stock-based compensation

Common shares issued related to Exchange Shares 

Common shares issued for employee share purchase plan

Common shares outstanding as at February 28, 2021

Exercise of stock options

Common shares issued for restricted share unit settlements
Stock-based compensation

Common shares issued related to Exchange Shares 

Common shares issued for employee share purchase plan

Common shares outstanding as at February 28, 2022

Capital Stock and
Additional Paid-in Capital

Stock
Outstanding
(000s)

Amount

547,358  $ 

2,688 

1,189 

3,361 

— 

1,380 

911 

3 

— 

63 

— 

6 

554,199 

2,760 

3,072 

5,330 

— 

1,380 

1,524 

12 

— 

44 

— 

7 

565,505 

2,823 

555 

8,011 

— 

1,422 

735 

3 

— 

36 

— 

7 

576,228  $ 

2,869 

Common shares (the “Exchange Shares”) were issued in connection with the Cylance acquisition, which was completed 
on February 21, 2019.  In lieu of cash, a portion of the consideration owed to certain Cylance shareholders was paid in 
equal installments of Exchange Shares on the first three anniversary dates of the closing.

The Company had 576 million voting common shares outstanding, 1 million options to purchase voting common shares, 
15  million  RSUs  and  2  million  DSUs  outstanding  as  at  March  29,  2022.  In  addition,  60.8  million  common  shares  are 
issuable upon conversion in full of the 1.75% Debentures as described in Note 6.

(b) Stock-based Compensation

Stock options

The  Company  recorded  a  charge  to  income  and  a  credit  to  paid-in  capital  of  approximately  $2  million  in  fiscal  2022 
(fiscal 2021 - $6 million; fiscal 2020 - $5 million) in relation to stock option-based compensation expense.

Stock  options  previously  granted  under  the  Equity  Plan  generally  vest  over  a  period  of  three  years,  and  are  generally 
exercisable over a period of five years from the grant date. Replacement stock options granted under the Cylance Stock 
Plan generally vest between three months and four years and are generally exercisable over a period of five to ten years. 
The Company issues new shares to satisfy stock option exercises. 

99

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry 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 option activity for fiscal 2022 is shown below:

Balance as at February 28, 2021

Exercised during the year

Forfeited/canceled/expired during the year

Balance as at February 28, 2022

Vested and expected to vest as at February 28, 2022

Exercisable as at February 28, 2022

Number
(000’s)

1,583  $ 

(555)   

(300)   

728  $ 

718  $ 

669  $ 

Options Outstanding

Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

Average
Remaining
Contractual
Life in Years

Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
(millions)

4.92 

4.60 

6.07 

4.70 

4.68 

4.55 

5.78 $ 

5.77 $ 

5.70 $ 

2 

2 

2 

The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pre-tax intrinsic value that would have been received 
by the option holders if all in-the-money options had been exercised on February 28, 2022. The intrinsic value of stock 
options exercised during fiscal 2022, calculated using the average market price during the year, was approximately $5.35 
per share (February 28, 2021 - $2.22; February 29, 2020 - $4.30).

A summary of unvested stock options since February 28, 2022 is shown below:

Balance as at February 28, 2021

Vested during the year

Forfeited during the year

Balance as at February 28, 2022

Options Outstanding

Number
(000’s)

Weighted Average
Grant Date Fair
Value

548  $ 

(285)   

(204)   

59  $ 

4.50 

4.67 

4.33 

4.26 

As  at  February  28,  2022,  there  was  a  nominal  amount  of  unrecognized  stock-based  compensation  expense  related  to 
unvested stock options that will be expensed over the vesting period, which was approximately 0.27 years on a weighted 
average  basis.  The  total  fair  value  of  stock  options  vested  during  the  year  ended  February  28,  2022  amounted  to  $1 
million (February 28, 2021 - $6 million; February 29, 2020 - $25 million).

Cash received from the stock options exercised for the year ended February 28, 2022 amounted to $3 million (February 
28, 2021 - $12 million; February 29, 2020 - $3 million). There were no tax deficiencies incurred by the Company related 
to  stock  options  exercised  as  at  February  28,  2022  (February  28,  2021  -  tax  deficiency  of  nil;  February  29,  2020  -  tax 
deficiency of nil).

During the year ended February 28, 2022, there were no stock options granted (February 28, 2021 - nil; February 29, 2020 
- nil). 

Restricted share units

The  Company  recorded  compensation  expense  with  respect  to  RSUs  of  approximately  $35  million  in  the  year  ended 
February 28, 2022 (February 28, 2021 - $38 million; February 29, 2020 - $57 million).

100

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry 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 RSU activity during fiscal 2022 is shown below:

Balance as at February 28, 2021

Granted during the year

Vested during the year

Forfeited/cancelled during the year

Balance as at February 28, 2022

Expected to vest February 28, 2022

RSUs Outstanding

Weighted
Average
Grant Date
Fair Value

Average
Remaining
Contractual
Life in Years

Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
(millions)

7.88 

9.72 

8.63 

6.01 

8.79 

8.54 

1.62 $ 

1.63 $ 

107 

92 

Number
(000’s)

22,075  $ 

6,196 

(8,011)   

(4,642)   

15,618  $ 

13,324  $ 

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 February 28, 2022 that would have been received by RSU holders if all RSUs 
had been vested on February 28, 2022).

Tax  deficiencies  incurred  by  the  Company  related  to  the  RSUs  vested  were  nil  for  the  year  ended  February  28,  2022 
(February 28, 2021 - tax deficiency of nil; February 29, 2020 - tax deficiency of nil).

As  at  February  28,  2022,  there  was  $73  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 1.62 years.

During  the  year  ended  February  28,  2022,  there  were  6,195,827  RSUs  granted  (February  28,  2021  -  8,620,551),  all  of 
which will be settled upon vesting by the issuance of new common shares.

During the year ended February 28, 2022, the weighted average fair value for RSUs granted was $9.72 (February 28, 2021 
- $5.54; February 29, 2020 - $7.19). During the year ended February 28, 2022, the fair value of RSUs that vested was $69 
million (February 28, 2021 - $44 million; February 29, 2020 - $33 million).

Inducement awards

In  the  first  quarter  of  fiscal  2020,  the  Board  approved  an  agreement  to  grant  performance-based  equity  awards 
(“Inducement Awards”) to the co-founders of Cylance covering up to 4,182,189 common shares. Up to 25%, 35% and 
40%  of  the  Inducement  Awards  may  be  earned  at  the  end  of  the  Company’s  2020,  2021  and  2022  fiscal  years, 
respectively,  if  certain  performance  conditions  are  met,  and  any  earned  amounts  will  vest  at  the  end  of  fiscal  2022.  In 
fiscal 2020, 3,122,140 common shares subject to Inducement Awards were forfeited due to the departure of one of the co-
founders of Cylance. 

As at February 28, 2022, there were 666,432 common shares subject to Inducement Awards outstanding. The Company 
recorded a recovery to compensation expense with respect to the Inducement Awards of approximately $1 million for the 
year ended February 28, 2022 (February 28, 2021 - expense of $1 million; February 29, 2020 - expense of $3 million).

2019 Executive Chair Incentive Grant

In  the  first  quarter  of  fiscal  2019,  the  Board  approved  an  agreement  to  grant  a  time-based  equity  award,  a  long-term 
market performance-based equity award and a contingent cash award (together, the “2019 Executive Chair Grant”) to the 
Company’s Executive Chair and CEO as an incentive to remain as Executive Chair until November 3, 2023. The expense 
associated with the time-based equity award and market performance-based equity award is included in the compensation 
expense noted above. 

101

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

Contingent cash award

The  contingent  cash  award  consists  of  a  cash  amount  of  $90  million  that  becomes  payable  should  the  10-day  volume 
weighted average closing price of the Company’s common shares on the New York Stock Exchange reach $30 (“CEO 
Contingent  Cash  Award”).  As  the  award  is  triggered  by  the  Company’s  share  price,  it  is  considered  stock-based 
compensation and accounted for as a share-based liability award, the fair value of which is determined at each reporting 
period  end  utilizing  an  option  pricing  model  using  Level  2  inputs  and  the  associated  compensation  expense  for  the 
reporting  period  recorded.  If  unearned,  the  contingent  cash  award  will  terminate  on  November  3,  2023.  The  Company 
recorded a recovery to compensation expense with respect to the contingent cash award of approximately $6 million for 
the year ended February 28, 2022 (February 28, 2021 - expense of $8 million; February 29, 2020 - expense of $1 million). 
The  liability  recorded  in  respect  to  the  award  was  $2  million  as  at  February  28,  2022  and  is  included  within  accrued 
liabilities (February 28, 2021 - $8 million).

Deferred share units

The Company issued 192,400 DSUs in the year ended February 28, 2022. There were 1.6 million DSUs outstanding as at 
February 28, 2022 (February 28, 2021 - 1.4 million). The Company had a liability of $11 million in relation to the DSU 
Plan as at February 28, 2022 (February 28, 2021 - $14 million) included in accrued liabilities.

8.  EARNINGS (LOSS) PER SHARE

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share:

Net income (loss) for basic earnings (loss) per share available to 
common shareholders
Less: Debentures fair value adjustment (1) (2)
Add: interest expense on Debentures (1) (2)
Net loss for diluted loss per share available to common shareholders

Weighted average number of shares outstanding (000’s) - basic (3)(4) 
Effect of dilutive securities (000’s)
Conversion of Debentures (1) (2)

Weighted average number of shares and assumed conversions (000’s) 
diluted
Earnings (loss) per share - reported

Basic

Diluted

For the Years Ended

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

$ 

$ 

$ 
$ 

12  $ 

(1,104)  $ 

(212)   

6 

— 

— 

(194)  $ 

(1,104)  $ 

(152) 

(66) 

23 

(195) 

570,607 

561,305 

553,861 

60,833 

— 

60,500 

631,440 

561,305 

614,361 

0.02  $ 
(0.31)  $ 

(1.97)  $ 
(1.97)  $ 

(0.27) 
(0.32) 

______________________________
(1)  The Company has not presented the dilutive effect of the Debentures using the if-converted method in the calculation 
of diluted loss per share for the year ended February 28, 2021, as to do so would be antidilutive. See Note 6 for details 
on the Debentures.

(2)  The Company has presented the dilutive effect of the Debentures using the if-converted method, assuming conversion 
at  the  beginning  of  the  fiscal  year  for  the  years  ended  February  28,  2022  and  February  29,  2020.  Accordingly,  to 
calculate diluted loss per share, the Company adjusted net income (loss) by eliminating the fair value adjustment made 
to the Debentures and interest expense incurred on the Debentures in the years ended February 28, 2022 and February 
29,  2020,  and  added  the  number  of  shares  that  would  have  been  issued  upon  conversion  to  the  diluted  weighted 
average number of shares outstanding. See Note 6 for details on the Debentures.

(3)  The year ended February 28, 2021, included approximately 1,421,945 Exchange Shares remaining to be issued on the 
third  anniversary  date  of  the  Cylance  acquisition.  The  year  ended  February  29,  2020,  included  approximately 
2,802,067 Exchange Shares to be issued in equal installments on the two anniversary dates of the Cylance acquisition 
thereafter. There were no service or other requirements associated with the issuance of these shares.

(4)   The Company has not presented the dilutive effect of in-the-money options and RSUs that will be settled upon vesting 
by the issuance of new common shares in the calculation of diluted loss per share for the years ended February 28, 
2022, February 28, 2021 and February 29, 2020 as to do so would be antidilutive.

102

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

9.  ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

The changes in AOCL by component net of tax, for the years ended February 28, 2022, February 28, 2021 and February 
29, 2020 were as follows:

As At

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

Available-for-Sale Debt Securities

Balance, beginning of period

Other comprehensive loss before reclassification

$ 

Accumulated net unrealized gains on available-for-sale debt securities

$ 

Cash Flow Hedges

Balance, beginning of period

Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassification

Amounts reclassified from AOCL into net income (loss)
Accumulated net unrealized gains (losses) on derivative instruments 
designated as cash flow hedges

Foreign Currency Cumulative Translation Adjustment

Balance, beginning of period

Other comprehensive income (loss)

Foreign currency cumulative translation adjustment
Change in Fair Value From Instrument-Specific Credit Risk On 
Debentures

Balance, beginning of period

Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassification

Amounts reclassified from AOCL into net income (loss)
Change in fair value from instruments-specific credit risk on 
Debentures

Other Post-Employment Benefit Obligations
Actuarial losses associated with other post-employment benefit 
obligations
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, End of Period

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 
$ 

—  $ 

— 

—  $ 

1  $ 

— 

(1)   

—  $ 

(4)  $ 

(6)   

(10)  $ 

—  $ 

— 

—  $ 

(1)  $ 

2 

— 

1  $ 

(9)  $ 

5 

(4)  $ 

(9)  $ 

(22)  $ 

1 

— 

7 

6 

(8)  $ 

(9)  $ 

(1)  $ 
(19)  $ 

(1)  $ 
(13)  $ 

2 

(2) 

— 

— 

(1) 

— 

(1) 

(7) 

(2) 

(9) 

(14) 

(8) 

— 

(22) 

(1) 
(33) 

During  the  year  ended  February  28,  2022,  $1  million  in  gains  (pre-tax  and  post-tax)  associated  with  cash  flow  hedges 
were  reclassified  from  AOCL  into  selling,  marketing  and  administration  expenses  (February  28,  2021  -  nil  gains  or 
losses). 

10. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

(a) Letters of Credit

The  Company  has  $27  million  in  collateralized  outstanding  letters  of  credit  in  support  of  certain  leasing  arrangements 
entered into in the ordinary course of business as of February 28, 2022. See the discussion of restricted cash in Note 3.

(b)    Contingencies 

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 

103

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

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 and subject the Company to significant liabilities.

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 a potential loss is considered probable and the amount is reasonably 
estimable, provisions for loss are made based on management’s assessment of the likely outcome. Where a range of loss 
can be reasonably estimated with no best estimate in the range, the Company records the minimum amount in the range. 
The Company does not provide for claims for which the outcome is not determinable or claims for which the amount of 
the loss cannot be reasonably estimated. Any settlements or awards under such claims are provided for when reasonably 
determinable.

As of February 28, 2022, there are no material claims outstanding for which the Company has assessed the potential loss 
as  both  probable  to  result  and  reasonably  estimable;  therefore,  no  accrual  has  been  made.  Further,  there  are  claims 
outstanding for which the Company has assessed the potential loss as reasonably possible to result; however, an estimate 
of  the  amount  of  loss  cannot  reasonably  be  made.  There  are  many  reasons  that  the  Company  cannot  make  these 
assessments, including, among others, one or more of the following: the early stages of a proceeding does not require the 
claimant  to  specifically  identify  the  patent  claims  that  have  allegedly  been  infringed  or  the  products  that  are  alleged  to 
infringe; damages sought are unspecified, unsupportable, unexplained or uncertain; discovery has not been started or is 
incomplete; the facts that are in dispute are highly complex; the difficulty of assessing novel claims; the parties have not 
engaged in any meaningful settlement discussions; the possibility that other parties may share in any ultimate liability; and 
the often slow pace of litigation. 

The Company has included the following summaries of certain of its legal proceedings though they do not meet the test 
for accrual described above.

Between  October  and  December  2013,  several  purported  class  action  lawsuits  and  one  individual  lawsuit  were  filed 
against the Company and certain of its former officers in various jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada alleging that the 
Company and certain of its officers made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s financial 
condition and business prospects and that certain of the Company’s financial statements contain material misstatements. 
The individual lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed.

On  March  14,  2014,  the  four  putative  U.S.  class  actions  were  consolidated  in  the  U.S.  District  Court  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York,  and  on  May  27,  2014,  a  consolidated  amended  class  action  complaint  was  filed.  On  March  13, 
2015, the Court issued an order granting the Company’s motion to dismiss. The Court denied the plaintiffs’ motion for 
reconsideration and for leave to file an amended complaint on November 13, 2015. On August 24, 2016, the U.S. Court of 
Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the District Court order dismissing the complaint, but vacated the order denying 
leave to amend and remanded to the District Court for further proceedings in connection with the plaintiffs’ request for 
leave to amend. The Court granted the plaintiffs’ motion for leave to amend on September 13, 2017. On September 29, 
2017,  the  plaintiffs  filed  a  second  consolidated  amended  class  action  complaint  (the  “Second  Amended  Complaint”), 
which  added  the  Company’s  former  Chief  Legal  Officer  as  a  defendant.  The  Court  denied  the  motion  to  dismiss  the 
Second  Amended  Complaint  on  March  19,  2018.  On  August  2,  2019,  the  Magistrate  Judge  issued  a  Report  and 
Recommendation  that  the  Court  grant  the  defendants’  motion  for  judgment  on  the  pleadings  dismissing  the  claims  of 
additional  plaintiffs  Cho  and  Ulug.  On  September  24,  2019,  the  District  Court  Judge  accepted  the  Magistrate  Judge’s 
recommendation and dismissed the claims of Cho and Ulug against all defendants. On October 17, 2019, Cho and Ulug 
filed a Notice of Appeal. Plaintiffs filed a motion for class certification on June 8, 2020. On January 26, 2021, the District 
Court  granted  the  plaintiffs’  motion  for  class  certification.  The  class  includes  “all  persons  who  purchased  or  otherwise 
acquired the common stock of BlackBerry Limited on the NASDAQ during the period from March 28, 2013, through and 
including September 20, 2013.” The class excludes (a) all persons and entities who purchased or otherwise acquired the 
Company’s common stock between March 28, 2013, and April 10, 2013, and who sold all their the Company common 
stock before April 11, 2013, and (b) the Defendants, officers and directors of the Company, members of their immediate 
families and their legal representatives, heirs, successors, or assigns, and any entity in which any of the Defendants have 
or had a controlling interest.  On February 9, 2021, the defendants filed a Rule 23(f) petition for interlocutory review of 
the class certification order with the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals denied the 
Rule  23(f)  petition  on  June  23,  2021.  The  Second  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  affirmed  the  District  Court  judgment 

104

BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

dismissing  Cho  and  Ulug’s  claims  on  March  11,  2021,  and  denied  Cho  and  Ulug’s  petition  for  panel  rehearing  and 
rehearing  en  banc  on  April  28,  2021.  On  April  19,  2021,  Defendants  filed  a  motion  for  summary  judgment,  and  both 
parties filed Daubert motions to exclude the testimony of the oppositions’ marketing and accounting experts. On May 5, 
2021, the parties participated in a mediation with the Hon. Layn Phillips (ret.), which did not result in an agreement. On 
August 13, 2021, Plaintiffs filed an unopposed motion for approval of a class notice plan. On September 10, 2021, the 
Court (i) granted in part and denied in part the parties’ Daubert motions and (ii) granted Plaintiffs’ unopposed motion for 
approval of the class notice plan. Postcard notice was mailed on October 8, 2021; publication notice was issued starting on 
October  18,  2021.  On  January  3,  2022,  the  Court  granted  Defendants’  motion  for  summary  judgment  with  respect  to 
seven statements, and otherwise denied Defendants’ motion.  Trial is scheduled to begin on April 7, 2022.     

On  July  23,  2014,  the  plaintiffs  in  the  putative  Ontario  class  action  filed  a  motion  for  certification  and  leave  to  pursue 
statutory misrepresentation claims. On November 16, 2015, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice issued an order granting 
the plaintiffs’ motion for leave to file a statutory claim for misrepresentation. On December 2, 2015, the Company filed a 
notice  of  motion  seeking  leave  to  appeal  this  ruling.  On  January  22,  2016,  the  Court  postponed  the  hearing  on  the 
plaintiffs’ certification motion to an undetermined date after asking the Company to file a motion to dismiss the claims of 
the  U.S.  plaintiffs  for  forum  non  conveniens.  Before  that  motion  was  heard,  the  parties  agreed  to  limit  the  class  to 
purchasers who reside in Canada or purchased on the Toronto Stock Exchange. On November 15, 2018, the Court denied 
the  Company’s  motion  for  leave  to  appeal  the  order  granting  the  plaintiffs  leave  to  file  a  statutory  claim  for 
misrepresentation.  On  February  5,  2019,  the  Court  entered  an  order  certifying  a  class  comprised  persons  (a)  who 
purchased BlackBerry common shares between March 28, 2013, and September 20, 2013, and still held at least some of 
those shares as of September 20, 2013, and (b) who acquired those shares on a Canadian stock exchange or acquired those 
shares  on  any  other  stock  exchange  and  were  a  resident  of  Canada  when  the  shares  were  acquired.  Notice  of  class 
certification  was  published  on  March  6,  2019.  The  Company  filed  its  Statement  of  Defence  on  April  1,  2019,  and 
discovery is proceeding. 

On February 15, 2017, a putative employment class action was filed against the Company in the Ontario Superior Court of 
Justice. The Statement of Claim alleges that actions the Company took when certain of its employees decided to accept 
offers  of  employment  from  Ford  Motor  Company  of  Canada  amounted  to  a  wrongful  termination  of  the  employees’ 
employment  with  the  Company.  The  claim  seeks  (i)  an  unspecified  quantum  of  statutory,  contractual,  or  common  law 
termination entitlements; (ii) punitive or breach of duty of good faith damages of CAD$20,000,000, or such other amount 
as the Court finds appropriate, (iii) pre- and post- judgment interest, (iv) attorneys’ fees and costs, and (v) such other relief 
as  the  Court  deems  just.  The  Court  granted  the  plaintiffs’  motion  to  certify  the  class  action  on  May  27,  2019.  The 
Company commenced a motion for leave to appeal the certification order on June 11, 2019. The Court denied the motion 
for  leave  to  appeal  on  September  17,  2019.  The  Company  filed  its  Statement  of  Defence  on  December  19,  2019,  and 
discovery is proceeding.

Other contingencies 

As at February 28, 2022, the Company has recognized $17 million (February 28, 2021 - $15 million) in funds from claims 
filed  with  the  Ministry  of  Innovation,  Science  and  Economic  Development  Canada  relating  to  its  Strategic  Innovation 
Fund (“SIF”) program’s investment in BlackBerry QNX. A portion of this amount may be repayable in the future under 
certain circumstances if certain terms and conditions are not met by the Company, which is not probable at this time.

(c)   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  supply,  availability  and  pricing  risks.  The  Company  has  also  entered  into  various 
agreements for the supply of components, and the manufacturing of its products; 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 risks of supply shortages.

(d)   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.

105

BlackBerry 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 entered into indemnification agreements with its current and former directors and executive officers. 
Under these agreements, the Company agreed, subject to applicable law, to indemnify its current and former directors and 
executive officers against all costs, charges and expenses reasonably incurred by such individuals in respect of any civil, 
criminal or administrative action that could arise by reason of their status as directors or officers. The Company maintains 
liability insurance coverage for the benefit of the Company, and its current and former directors and executive officers. 
The Company has not encountered material costs as a result of such indemnifications in fiscal 2022. See the Company’s 
Management  Information  Circular  for  its  2021  annual  meeting  of  shareholders  for  additional  information  regarding  the 
Company’s indemnification agreements with its current and former directors and executive officers.

11. LEASES

The Company has operating and finance leases primarily for corporate offices, research and development facilities, data 
centers and certain equipment. The Company’s leases have remaining lease terms of between one year and seven years, 
some  of  which  may  include  options  to  extend  the  lease  for  up  to  10  years,  and  some  of  which  may  include  options  to 
terminate the lease within three months.

The components of lease expense were as follows:

For the Years Ended

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

Operating lease cost, included in selling, marketing and 
administration

Finance lease cost 

Amortization of ROU assets, included in amortization

Total finance lease cost 

$ 

$ 

$ 

23  $ 

30  $ 

33 

—  $ 

—  $ 

1  $ 

1  $ 

2 

2 

Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows:

For the Years Ended

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease 
liabilities:

Cash used in operating activities related to operating lease 
payments
Cash used in financing activities related to finance lease 
payments

$ 

37  $ 

37  $ 

— 

1 

40 

2 

During the year ended February 28, 2022, the Company entered into $6 million (February 28, 2021 - $4 million) in lease 
obligations and recognized a corresponding ROU asset of $6 million (February 28, 2021 - $4 million). 

During the year ended February 28, 2022, the Company incurred losses of nil (February 28, 2021 - $37 million; February 
29,  2020  -  $8  million)  on  LLA  impairment  of  ROU  assets,  as  described  in  Note  3.  The  Company  also  had  sublease 
income  during  the  year  ended  February  28,  2022  of  $3  million  (February  28,  2021  -  $1  million;  February  29,  2020  - 
$2  million)  and  incurred  short-term  lease  costs  of  $2  million  (February  28,  2021  -  $2  million;  February  29,  2020  - 
$2 million). 

106

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

Supplemental consolidated balance sheet information related to leases was as follows:

Operating leases

Operating lease assets

Operating lease ROU assets 

Operating lease liabilities 

Accrued liabilities 

Operating lease liabilities 
Total operating lease liabilities 

Finance leases 

Finance lease assets

Property, plant and equipment 

Accumulated amortization

Total finance lease assets

Weighted average remaining lease term

Operating leases

Weighted average discount rate

Operating lease

Maturities of undiscounted lease liabilities were as follows:

Fiscal year 2023

Fiscal year 2024

Fiscal year 2025

Fiscal year 2026

Fiscal year 2027

Thereafter 

Total future minimum lease payments 

Less:

Imputed interest

Total 

As at 

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

50  $ 

28  $ 

66 

94  $ 

—  $ 

— 

—  $ 

As at 

63 

33 

90 

123 

3 

(3) 

— 

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

4.3 years

4.7 years

 3.4 %

 3.4 %

As at 

February 28, 2022

Operating Leases

$ 

$ 

31 
23 
17 

13 

9 

8 

101 

(7) 

94 

12.    REVENUE AND SEGMENT DISCLOSURES

The Company reports segment information based on the “management” approach. The management approach designates 
the internal reporting used by the CODM for making decisions and assessing performance as a source of the Company’s 
reportable operating segments. In the first quarter of fiscal 2022, the CODM, who is the Executive Chair and CEO of the 
Company,  began  making  decisions  and  assessing  the  performance  of  the  Company  using  three  operating  segments, 

107

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

whereas  the  CODM  previously  made  decisions  and  assessed  the  performance  of  the  Company  as  a  single  operating 
segment.

The CODM does not evaluate operating segments using discrete asset information. The Company does not specifically 
allocate assets to operating segments for internal reporting purposes. 

Segment Disclosures

The Company is now organized and managed as three operating segments: Cybersecurity, IoT, and Licensing and Other.  
Prior  year  information  has  been  restated  to  conform  to  the  current  year  presentation  of  the  Company’s  segment 
information.

The  Company  disaggregates  revenue  from  contracts  with  customers  based  on  geographical  regions,  timing  of  revenue 
recognition, and the major product and service types as described in Note 1. 

The following table shows information by operating segment for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2022:

Cybersecurity

IoT

Licensing and Other

Segment Totals

Segment revenue

Segment cost of sales
Segment gross margin (1)

$ 

$ 

477  $ 

194 

283  $ 

178  $ 

30 

148  $ 

63  $ 

23 

40  $ 

718 

247 

471 

______________________________
(1) A reconciliation of total segment gross margin to consolidated totals is set forth below.

The following table shows information by operating segment for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2021 and February 29, 
2020:

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

 For the Year Ended

Cybersecurity

IoT

Licensing 
and Other

Segment 
Totals

Cybersecurity

IoT

Licensing 
and Other

Segment 
Totals

Segment revenue

$ 

491  $ 

130  $ 

272  $ 

893  $ 

475  $ 

216  $ 

349  $  1,040 

Segment cost of sales
Segment gross margin (1) $ 

192 

23 

30 

245 

185 

29 

53 

299  $ 

107  $ 

242  $ 

648  $ 

290  $ 

187  $ 

296  $ 

267 

773 

______________________________
(1) A reconciliation of total segment gross margin to consolidated totals is set forth below.

Cybersecurity consists of the Company’s BlackBerry Spark software platform, BlackBerry AtHoc, BlackBerry Alert and 
BlackBerry SecuSUITE. The BlackBerry Spark platform is a comprehensive offering of security software products and 
services, including the BlackBerry Cyber Suite and the BlackBerry Spark Unified Endpoint Management Suite, which are 
also marketed together as the BlackBerry Spark Suite, offering the Company’s broadest range of tailored cybersecurity 
and endpoint management options. The BlackBerry Cyber Suite includes revenue from the Company’s Cylance artificial 
intelligence  and  machine  learning-based  platform  consisting  of  BlackBerry  Protect,  BlackBerry  Optics,  BlackBerry 
Persona, BlackBerry Gateway, BlackBerry Guard managed services and other cybersecurity applications. The BlackBerry 
Spark  UEM  Suite  includes  the  Company’s  BlackBerry  UEM,  BlackBerry  Dynamics,  and  BlackBerry  Workspaces 
solutions. Cybersecurity revenue is generated predominantly through software licenses, commonly bundled with support, 
maintenance and professional services.

IoT consists of BlackBerry QNX, BlackBerry Certicom, BlackBerry Radar, BlackBerry IVY and other IoT applications. 
IoT  revenue  is  generated  predominantly  through  software  licenses,  commonly  bundled  with  support,  maintenance  and 
professional services.

Licensing and Other consists of the Company’s intellectual property arrangements and settlement awards. Other consists 
of the Company’s legacy service access fees (“SAF”) business.

108

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry 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 reconciles total segment gross margin for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2022, February 28, 2021 
and February 29, 2020 to the Company’s consolidated totals:

Total segment gross margin
Adjustments (1):

Less: Stock compensation

Less: Restructuring charges

Less:

Research & development

Selling, marketing and administration 

Amortization

Impairment of long-lived assets

Impairment of goodwill

Debentures fair value adjustment

Investment income (loss), net

Consolidated income (loss) before income taxes

$ 

For the Years Ended

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

471  $ 

648  $ 

773 

4 

— 

219 

297 

165 

— 

— 

(212)   

(21)   

19  $ 

5 

— 

215 

344 

182 

43 

594 

372 

6 

(1,113)  $ 

5 

5 

259 

493 

194 

10

22 

(66) 

(1) 

(148) 

______________________________
(1) The CODM reviews segment information on an adjusted basis, which excludes certain amounts as described below:

Stock  compensation  expenses  -  Equity  compensation  is  a  non-cash  expense  and  does  not  impact  the  ongoing 
operating decisions taken by the Company’s management. 

Restructuring  charges  -  The  Company  believes  that  restructuring  costs  relating  to  employee  termination  benefits 
and facilities pursuant to the Resource Allocation Program (“RAP”) entered into in order to transition the Company 
from  a  legacy  hardware  manufacturer  to  a  licensing  driven  software  business  do  not  reflect  expected  future 
operating expenses, are not indicative of the Company’s core operating performance, and may not be meaningful in 
comparison to the Company’s past operating performance.

Revenue 

The  Company  disaggregates  revenue  from  contracts  with  customers  based  on  geographical  regions,  timing  of  revenue 
recognition, and the major product and service types, as discussed above in “Segment Disclosures”.

The Company’s revenue, classified by major geographic region in which the Company’s customers are located, was as 
follows:

North America (1)
Europe, Middle East and Africa

Other regions

Total 

February 28, 2022

$ 

$ 

413 

234 

71 

718 

 57.5 % $ 

 32.6 %  

 9.9 %  

 100.0 % $ 

For the Years Ended

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

633 

197 

63 

893 

 70.9 % $ 

 22.1 %  

 7.0 %  

743 

221 

76 

 71.4 %

 21.3 %

 7.3 %

 100.0 % $ 

1,040 

 100.0 %

______________________________
(1)  North  America  includes  all  revenue  from  the  Company’s  intellectual  property  arrangements,  due  to  the  global 
applicability of the patent portfolio and licensing arrangements thereof.

109

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry 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, classified by timing of recognition, was as follows:

Products and services transferred over time

Products and services transferred at a point in time
Total

Revenue contract balances

For the Year Ended

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

$ 

$ 

428  $ 
290 
718  $ 

476  $ 
417 
893  $ 

512 
528 
1,040 

The following table sets forth the activity in the Company’s revenue contract balances for the fiscal year ended February 
28, 2022:

Accounts 
Receivable

Deferred 
Revenue

Deferred 
Commissions

Opening balance as at February 28, 2021
Increases due to invoicing of new or existing contracts, associated 
contract acquisition costs, or other
Decrease due to payment, fulfillment of performance obligations, or 
other
Decrease, net

$ 

188  $ 

294  $ 

702 

597 

(752)   

(50)   

(647)   

(50)   

Closing balance as at February 28, 2022

$ 

138  $ 

244  $ 

21 

19 

(24) 

(5) 

16 

Transaction price allocated to the remaining performance obligations

The  table  below  discloses  the  aggregate  amount  of  the  transaction  price  allocated  to  performance  obligations  that  are 
unsatisfied or partially unsatisfied as at February 28, 2022 and the time frame in which the Company expects to recognize 
this  revenue.  The  disclosure  includes  estimates  of  variable  consideration,  except  when  the  variable  consideration  is  a 
sales-based or usage-based royalty promised in exchange for a license of intellectual property.

As at February 28, 2022

Less than 12 
Months

12 to 24 Months

Thereafter

Total

Remaining performance obligations

$ 

211  $ 

31  $ 

12  $ 

254 

Revenue recognized for performance obligations satisfied in prior periods

For  the  fiscal  year  ended  February  28,  2022,  $1  million  in  revenue  was  recognized  relating  to  performance  obligations 
satisfied  in  a  prior  period  (fiscal  year  ended  February  28,  2021  -  $2  million;  fiscal  year  ended  February  29,  2020  - 
$1 million).

110

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry 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,  intangible  assets,  operating  lease  ROU  assets  and  goodwill,  classified  by  geographic 
region in which the Company’s assets are located, were as follows:

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

As at

Property, Plant and 
Equipment, Intangible 
Assets, Operating 
Lease ROU Assets and 
Goodwill

Total Assets

Property, Plant and 
Equipment, Intangible 
Assets, Operating 
Lease ROU Assets and 
Goodwill

Total Assets

$ 

$ 

117  $ 

467  $ 

289  $ 

1,313 

27 

1,789 

311 

1,411 

31 

1,457  $ 

2,567  $ 

1,731  $ 

504 

1,963 

351 

2,818 

Canada

United States

Other

Information About Major Customers

There was one customer that comprised 11% of the Company’s revenue in fiscal 2022 (fiscal 2021 - one customer that 
comprised 22%; fiscal 2020 - one customer that comprised 13%).

13.  CASH FLOW AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

(a)  Certain  consolidated  statements  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

Income tax refunds received during the year

(b)  Additional Information

For the Years Ended

February 28, 2022

February 28, 2021

February 29, 2020

$ 

6  $ 

15  $ 

5 

6 

5 

2 

23 

8 

9 

Advertising expense, which includes media, agency and promotional expenses totaling $25 million is included in selling, 
marketing  and  administration  expenses  for  the  fiscal  year  ended  February  28,  2022.  (February  28,  2021  -  $24  million; 
February 29, 2020 - $39 million)

Selling,  marketing  and  administration  expenses  for  the  fiscal  year  ended  February  28,  2022  included  $1  million  with 
respect to foreign exchange gain, net of foreign exchange hedging (February 28, 2021 - $1 million; February 29, 2020 - 
nil). 

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 revenue in fiscal 2022 was transacted in U.S. dollars. Portions 
of  the  revenue  were  denominated  in  Canadian  dollars,  euros  and  British  pounds.  Other  expenses,  consisting  mainly  of 
salaries  and  certain  other  operating  costs,  were  incurred  primarily  in  Canadian  dollars,  but  were  also  incurred  in  U.S. 
dollars,  euros  and  British  pounds.  At  February  28,  2022,  approximately  37%  of  cash  and  cash  equivalents,  23%  of 
accounts receivable and 30% of accounts payable were denominated in foreign currencies (February 28, 2021 – 20%, 25% 
and 34%, 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. 

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 

111

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BlackBerry Limited
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
In millions of United States dollars, except share and per share data, and except as otherwise indicated

prevailing interest rates. The Company has also issued Debentures with a fixed interest rate as described in Note 6. The 
fair value of the 1.75% Debentures will fluctuate with changes in prevailing interest rates. Consequently, the Company is 
exposed  to  interest  rate  risk  as  a  result  of  the  1.75%  Debentures.  The  Company  does  not  currently  utilize  interest  rate 
derivative instruments to hedge its investment portfolio or changes in the market value of the 1.75% Debentures. 

Credit risk

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  February  28,  2022,  no  single  issuer  represented  more  than  10%  of  the  total  cash,  cash  equivalents  and  investments 
(February  28,  2021  -  no  single  issuer  represented  more  than  13%  of  the  total  cash,  cash  equivalents  and  investments), 
representing cash balances at one of the Company’s banking counterparties.

Liquidity risk

Cash,  cash  equivalents,  and  investments  were  approximately  $770  million  as  at  February  28,  2022.  The  Company’s 
management remains focused on efficiently managing working capital balances and managing the liquidity needs of the 
business. Based on its current financial projections, the Company believes its financial resources, together with expected 
future  operating  cash  generating  and  operating  expense  reduction  activities  and  access  to  other  potential  financing 
arrangements, should be sufficient to meet funding requirements for current financial commitments and future operating 
expenditures not yet committed, and should provide the necessary financial capacity for the foreseeable future.

Government subsidies

During  fiscal  2021,  the  Government  of  Canada  announced  the  Canada  Emergency  Wage  Subsidy  (“CEWS”)  and  the 
Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (“CERS”) for Canadian employers whose businesses were affected by the COVID-19 
pandemic.  The  CEWS  program  initially  ran  for  a  thirty-six  week  period  between  March  and  November  2020  and  the 
CERS  program  for  a  period  between  September  2020  and  July  2021.  These  programs  were  subsequently  extended  to 
October  2021.  The  CEWS  program  provided  a  subsidy  of  up  to  75%  of  eligible  employees’  employment  insurable 
remuneration,  subject  to  certain  criteria.  The  extension  also  included  a  gradual  decrease  to  the  subsidy  rate.  CEWS 
received after June 5, 2021 may be repayable in the future under certain circumstances if certain terms and conditions are 
not  met  by  the  Company,  which  is  not  probable  at  this  time.  The  CERS  program  provided  a  subsidy  of  up  to  65%  of 
eligible fixed property expenses. The base subsidy was determined based on the percentage revenue decline experienced 
by businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CERS program gradually reduced the amount and availability of 
subsidies in the months leading up to the program’s final claim period. 

During  the  third  quarter  of  fiscal  2022,  the  Government  of  Canada  announced  the  HHBRP  to  continue  supporting 
businesses  affected  by  the  COVID-19  pandemic.  The  HHBRP  provides  a  subsidy  of  up  to  50%  of  eligible  employees’ 
employment insurable remuneration, subject to certain criteria, and rent.

The Company applied for the CEWS, CERS and HHBRP to the extent it met the requirements to receive the subsidy and 
during  the  year  ended  February  28,  2022,  recorded  $46  million  in  government  subsidies  as  a  reduction  to  operating 
expenses in the consolidated statement of operations (February 28, 2021 - $53 million). 

112

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL 
DISCLOSURE.

Not applicable.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

As  of  February  28,  2022,  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 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) 
under  the  U.S.  Exchange  Act.  Based  on  that  evaluation,  the  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 13a-15(f) and 15d-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 
Board, 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 effect 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 February 28, 2022. In 
making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway 
Commission (COSO) in its Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013). Based on this assessment, management concludes 
that, as of February 28, 2022, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective.

The  effectiveness  of  the  Company’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  as  of  February  28,  2022  has  been  audited  by 
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report which appears herein.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

During  the  three  months  ended  February  28,  2022,  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.

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

None.

ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS 

Not applicable.

113

ITEM 10.  DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

A list of our executive officers appears in Part I, Item 1 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K. 

PART III

The information required by this item will be included in our 2022 Proxy Statement, which will be filed with the SEC within 
120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended February 28, 2022, and is incorporated herein by reference.

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. The full text of the Audit and Risk Management Committee’s Charter can be viewed 
on the Company’s website at https://www.blackberry.com/ca/en/company/investors/corporate-governance-global.

Applicable  securities  laws  require  that,  subject  to  certain  exceptions,  all  members  of  the  Audit  and  Risk  Management 
Committee  be  “independent”  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  NYSE,  and  “financially  literate”,  meaning  that  the 
committee  member  has  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  those  issues  reasonably  expected  to  be  raised  by  the 
Company’s  financial  statements.  Ms.  Disbrow  (Chair),  Ms.,  Dr.  Smaldone  Alsup,  Ms.  Stymiest  and  Mr.  Wouters  are  the 
members of the Audit and Risk Management Committee, and each is an independent director of the Company and financially 
literate, based on his or her education and experience as described below. The Audit and Risk Management Committee has also 
developed,  in  conjunction  with  the  Company’s  Chief  Financial  Officer  and  other  accounting  personnel,  an  orientation  and 
continuing  education  program  that  will  provide  the  new  members  of  the  Audit  and  Risk  Management  Committee  with 
additional  information  and  understanding  about  the  accounting  and  financial  presentation  issues  underlying  the  Company’s 
financial statements. 

The  members  of  the  Audit  and  Risk  Management  Committee  bring  significant  skill  and  experience  to  their  responsibilities 
including  professional  experience  in  accounting,  business,  management  and  governance,  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: 

Lisa  Disbrow  (Chair)  –  Ms.  Disbrow  has  a  BA  from  the  University  of  Virginia,  an  MA  from  The  George  Washington 
University  in  International  Relations,  and  an  MS  from  The  National  War  College  in  National  Strategy.    She  served  over  30 
years  in  senior  civilian  and  military  positions  in  the  U.S.  government  and  was  the  Senate-confirmed  Under  Secretary  of  the 
United States Air Force from January 2015 to June 2017.  Ms. Disbrow also served as Acting Secretary of the U.S. Air Force 
from  January  2017  to  May  2017  and  was  the  Senate-confirmed,  chief  financial  officer  of  the  Air  Force  from  2014  through 
2018, as the Assistant Secretary for Financial Management and Comptroller. Ms. Disbrow serves as Chair of Hensoldt, Inc. and 
the Logistics Management Institute, and as a director of CACI International Inc, Mercury Systems, Inc., SparkCognition, Inc. 
and the Sequa Corporation.  She is also a Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab.

Dr.  Laurie  Smaldone  Alsup  –  Dr.  Smaldone  Alsup  has  an  MD  from  Yale  University,  where  she  completed  her  residency  in 
Internal  Medicine  and  fellowship  in  Medical  Oncology.  She  is  Chief  Scientific  Officer  and  Chief  Medical  Officer  of  NDA 
Group AB (which merged in 2016 with PharmApprove, where Dr. Smaldone Alsup was President and Chief Scientific Officer), 
a leading drug development consulting company. She was previously Chief Executive Officer of Phytomedics, an early-stage 
biopharmaceutical company focused on arthritis and inflammation, prior to which she held clinical and regulatory leadership 
roles at Bristol Myers Squibb, including Senior Vice President of Global Regulatory Science, where she also developed and led 
Business Risk Management for the company. Dr. Smaldone Alsup is a director of Arvinas, Inc., Kinnate Biopharma Inc. and 
Theravance Biopharma, Inc.

Barbara Stymiest, FCPA, FCA – Ms. Stymiest has an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University 
and holds the FCPA and FCA designations from the Chartered Professional 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  Bank.  Prior  to  this,  Ms.  Stymiest  held  positions  as  Chief 
Executive  Officer  at  TMX  Group  Inc.,  Executive  Vice-President  &  CFO  at  BMO  Capital  Markets  and  Partner  of  Ernst  & 
Young  LLP.  Ms.  Stymiest  is  currently  Chair  of  the  Audit  Committee  of  Sun  Life  Financial  Inc.  and  a  director  of  George 
Weston  Limited,  President’s  Choice  Bank,  and  the  Canadian  Institute  for  Advanced  Research.  She  is  also  a  Vice-Chair  and 
trustee of the University Health Network.

114

The  Hon.  Wayne  Wouters  –  Mr.  Wouters  has  a  BComm  (Honours)  from  the  University  of  Saskatchewan  and  an  MA  in 
economics from Queen’s University. From 2009 to 2014, Mr. Wouters was the Clerk of the Privy Council of Canada and held 
the roles of Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister, Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Public Service. Prior to his tenure 
as  Clerk,  Mr.  Wouters  was  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  Board  of  Canada  and  served  in  deputy  ministerial  and  other  senior 
positions in the Canadian public service. He is currently Strategic and Policy Advisor to McCarthy Tétrault LLP and a director 
of Champion Iron Limited, Canadian Utilities Limited and Foran Mining Corporation. He was inducted by the Prime Minister 
as a member of the Privy Council in 2014 and was he was invested into the Order of Canada as an officer in 2017.  Mr. Wouters 
has extensive experience with economic policy and international trade matters, which included oversight of multi-billion dollar 
budgets on behalf of the Government of Canada.

The Board has also determined that each of Ms. Disbrow and Ms. Stymiest is an audit committee financial expert within the 
meaning of General Instruction B(8)(a) of Form 10-K 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.

Enterprise Risk Management

The  Company  recognizes  that  risks  are  associated  with  delivering  on  its  strategy  and  achieving  its  corporate  objectives. 
Managing  these  risks  is  an  essential  part  of  the  Company’s  business  and  the  Company  aims  to  promote  a  culture  of  risk 
management  and  compliance  at  all  levels  in  the  organization.  The  Company  has  defined  and  implemented  an  approach  to 
manage  its  exposure  to  risk,  consisting  of:  (i)  a  risk  management  framework  to  regularly  identify,  assess,  treat,  monitor  and 
report on current and potential risks, and (ii) a governance structure that clearly defines the responsibilities of the Board, the 
senior  leadership  team,  employees  and  other  stakeholders  to  support  the  risk  management  framework.  This  approach  to 
enterprise risk management is integral to the Company’s business activities and is designed to:

•

•

•

•

•

•

promote effective corporate governance and decision-making by enabling the consistent identification and evaluation 
of risk on a consolidated basis;

ensure that risks are managed proactively and appropriately in the context of the Company’s strategy and objectives;

support the development of internal controls;

facilitate the reliability and transparency of financial and operational reporting;

assist in compliance with laws, regulations, policies, and contracts; and

reduce harm to financial performance and safeguard the Company’s assets.

Risk Management Framework Policy and Risk Appetite

The Company’s risk management framework policy defines responsibilities for the identification, assessment, management and 
reporting of risks, and sets out expectations for ownership, resource assignment and compliance. The scope of the framework 
embraces internal functions as well as those activities for which the Company engages support from third parties.

To support the risk management framework and risk oversight activities, the Company maintains a risk appetite statement that 
defines, by category of risk, the Company’s tolerance for risk-taking having regard to potential rewards and overall business 
strategies  and  objectives.  The  Company’s  four  risk  categories  are:  (i)  strategy  and  innovation,  (ii)  operations,  (iii)  legal, 
compliance  and  reputation,  and  (iv)  financial  management  and  reporting.  The  Company’s  risk  profile  is  regularly  assessed 
against  the  risk  appetite  statement,  which  is  reviewed  and  updated  as  the  Company’s  business  strategy  and  operating 
environment evolve.

Risk Governance and Oversight

The  Company  utilizes  a  “three  lines  of  defense”  governance  structure  to  define  how  the  responsibility  for  risk  management 
activities is assigned:

•

•

The  first  line  of  defense  for  managing  risks  resides  with  the  management  of  each  business  unit.  Risk  exposures  are 
identified  and  mitigated  at  a  granular  level  through  various  ongoing  management  activities  including  business 
planning, operations management, reporting, and process improvement projects. 

Oversight of business unit management is provided by the second line of defense, the Security Risk and Compliance 
Committee  (“SRCC”),  which  meets  at  least  quarterly  and  is  supported  by  various  compliance,  security  and  control 
functions. The SRCC is composed of manager representatives from each major business group and provides strategic 
direction by defining key policies, identifying emerging risk trends, and sponsoring training. 

115

•

The internal audit function comprises the third line of defense, providing independent assurance of the effectiveness of 
the Company’s risk management activities and internal controls related to (i) financial reporting and integrity and (ii) 
other  areas  of  risk  as  assigned  by  the  Audit  and  Risk  Management  Committee  from  time  to  time,  including 
cybersecurity risk. The internal audit function may also review the governance structures and mandates of the first two 
lines of defense.

Additional governance and oversight is provided by the Risk Management and Compliance Council (“RMCC”), a council of 
internal senior leaders which oversee the risk management activities undertaken by business group management and the SRCC. 
The  RMCC  reviews  the  Company’s  risk  profile,  risk  criteria  and  limits,  and  monitors  remediation  activities  to  address  gaps. 
The  RMCC  also  approves  the  risk  appetite  statement  and  promotes  a  culture  of  risk  management  and  compliance  across  the 
Company.  The RMCC reports to the Chief Executive Officer and meets at least quarterly with the Chief Risk Officer serving 
as the Chair.  Randall Cook, the Company’s Chief Legal Officer, serves as the Chief Risk Officer and reports to the Audit and 
Risk Management Committee, at least quarterly, on the activities of the RMCC. 

The Board is ultimately responsible for overseeing the Company’s risk identification, assessment, management, monitoring and 
reporting  activities.  The  Audit  and  Risk  Management  Committee  assists  the  Board  with  the  oversight  of  enterprise  risk 
management at the Company, including risk assessment, risk compliance, the internal audit function and the controls, processes 
and policies used to manage the Company’s risk. The Compensation, Nomination and Governance Committee of the Board also 
assists the Board with the oversight of risk management and controls with respect to the Company’s compensation policies and 
practices, including the administration of the Company’s equity-based compensation plans.

Since June 2015, the Chief Information Officer or Chief Information Security Officer has provided regular updates to the Board 
on the advancing maturity of the Company’s cybersecurity program, including reports on threat monitoring, penetration testing, 
vulnerability  remediation,  encryption  efforts  and  compliance  activities.  The  updates  also  include  reports  on  the  Company’s 
third-party  cybersecurity  accreditations  and  certifications,  including  the  Company’s  progress  toward  achieving  SOC  2 
certification,  and  on  the  advancement  of  the  Company’s  security  posture.  The  Company  is  executing  on  a  multi-year 
cybersecurity resiliency improvement plan to improve processes, technology and governance to mitigate threats, and in fiscal 
2021 proactively developed a COVID-19 cybersecurity threat response plan.

The Company also includes risks related to climate change and other environmental, social and governance considerations as 
part of its enterprise risk management process.

Ethical Business Conduct and Code of Business Standards and Principles

The Company maintains and follows a written code of business standards and principles (the “Code”) that applies to, and is 
acknowledged annually by, all of the directors, officers and employees of the Company. The Code is a statement of principles 
designed to promote a culture of integrity and to help ensure that the Company operates its business in an ethical and legally-
compliant  manner.  The  Code  incorporates  by  reference  a  number  of  policies  and  guidelines,  including  the  Company’s 
Prevention of Improper Payments Policy and Insider Trading Policy, that provide guidance to employees concerning business 
choices,  decisions  and  behaviours.  The  Code  expressly  provides  that  acknowledgment  of  the  Code  is  a  condition  of 
employment, as is completion of all assigned training related to the Code and related policies and guidelines. 

The  Board,  through  the  Audit  and  Risk  Management  Committee,  receives  reports  on  compliance  with  the  Code,  including 
regarding  the  Company’s  annual  program  to  have  employees  acknowledge  that  they  have  read,  understand  and  will  comply 
with the Code. The Company maintains a whistleblower program and makes whistleblower reporting available to employees 
and external parties via a web and telephone hotline-based system supplied and operated by a third party that specializes in such 
reporting systems. The system allows individuals to make whistleblower reports, including anonymously, to the Company or 
directly  to  the  Chair  of  the  Audit  and  Risk  Management  Committee  via  the  BlackBerry  EthicsLink  system  and  enables  the 
Company or the Chair of the Audit and Risk Management Committee, as appropriate, to follow up directly with the reporter 
while maintaining his or her anonymity. Employees have been advised of the whistleblower program as part of the Company’s 
annual  Code  acknowledgement  program.  Management  reports  on  the  status  of  whistleblower  reports  to  the  Audit  and  Risk 
Management Committee at its quarterly meetings. 

In addition, the Board is responsible for overseeing, directly and through its committees, an appropriate compliance program for 
the Company. The RMCC and SRCC oversee and assist management in maintaining the Company’s compliance program and 
policies.  Randall Cook, the Company’s Chief Legal Officer, serves as Chair of the RMCC and as Chief Compliance Officer of 
the Company and reports to the Audit and Risk Management Committee at least quarterly on compliance matters.

The  Code  is  available  on  the  Company’s  website  at  https://www.blackberry.com/us/en/company/corporate-responsibility,  or 
upon  request  to  the  Corporate  Secretary  of  the  Company  at  its  executive  office,  2200  University  Avenue  East,  Waterloo, 
Ontario, N2K 0A7. If we make any substantive amendments to the Code or grant any waiver, including any implicit waiver, 
from  a  provision  of  the  Code  to  our  Chief  Executive  Officer  or  Chief  Financial  Officer,  we  will  disclose  the  nature  of  the 
amendment or waiver on that website or in a report on Form 8-K.  The Company did not grant any such waiver in fiscal 2022.

116

ITEM 11.  EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The information required by this item will be included in our 2022 Proxy Statement, which will be filed with the SEC within 
120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended February 28, 2022, and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 12.  SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND 
RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

The information required by this item will be included in our 2022 Proxy Statement, which will be filed with the SEC within 
120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended February 28, 2022, and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 13.  CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

The information required by this item will be included in our 2022 Proxy Statement, which will be filed with the SEC within 
120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended February 28, 2022, and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 14.  PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES 

The information required by this item will be included in our 2022 Proxy Statement, which will be filed with the SEC within 
120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended February 28, 2022, and is incorporated herein by reference.

117

ITEM 15. EXHIBIT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

Financial Statements and Schedules

PART IV

The financial statements filed as part of this filing are listed on the Index to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8. 

Financial  statement  schedules  have  been  omitted  since  they  either  are  not  required,  not  applicable,  or  the  information  is 
otherwise included in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes in Item 8. 

Exhibits

Exhibit 
Number
3.1

3.2

3.3

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.4

4.5

4.6

10.1†

10.2†

10.3†

10.4†

10.5†

10.6†

10.7†

10.8†

10.9†

10.10†

Description of Exhibit
Articles of Amalgamation of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Registrant’s 
Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-192986), filed with the SEC on December 20, 2013)
Amended and Restated By-law No. A3 of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Document 1 in the 
Registrant’s Report on Form 6-K, furnished to the SEC on May 15, 2014)
Amended and Restated By-law No. A4 of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Document 2 in the 
Registrant’s Report on Form 6-K, furnished to the SEC on June 13, 2014)
Specimen Common Share Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Registration 
Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-192986), filed with the SEC on December 20, 2013)

Trust Indenture, dated September 7, 2016, by and among BlackBerry Limited, as the issuer, the guarantors 
named therein, and BNY Trust Company of Canada, as trustee, providing for the issue of 3.75% Convertible 
Unsecured Debentures due November 13, 2020 (including form of Debenture) (incorporated by reference to 
Registrant’s Report on Form 6-K, furnished to the SEC on September 8, 2016)

Description of Registered Securities (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to the Registrant’s Annual 
Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38232), filed with the SEC on April 7, 2020)
Indenture dated September 1, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the current report on Form 8-K 
filed by the Company on September 2, 2020)
First Supplemental Indenture dated August 28, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the current 
report on Form 8-K filed by the Company on September 2, 2020)

Second Supplemental Indenture dated August 28, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to the current 
report on Form 8-K filed by the Company on September 2, 2020)

Amended and Restated BlackBerry Limited Equity Incentive Plan Amended and Restated Deferred Share Unit 
Plan for Directors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K 
(File No. 001-38232), filed with the SEC on April 7, 2020)
Amended and Restated Deferred Share Unit Plan for Directors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to 
the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38232), filed with the SEC on April 7, 2020)
Form of restricted share unit agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s Annual 
Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38232), filed with the SEC on April 7, 2020)
Form of performance based restricted share unit agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the 
Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38232), filed with the SEC on April 7, 2020)

Form of indemnification agreement for directors and executive officers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 
10.5 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38232), filed with the SEC on April 7, 
2020)
Employment agreement with John Chen, dated November 3, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 
to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38232), filed with the SEC on April 7, 2020)
Employment agreement with Steve Rai, dated September 23, 2019 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 
to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-38232), filed with the SEC on April 7, 2020)
Employment agreement with Billy Ho, dated March 17, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the 
current report on Form 8-K filed by the Company on June 25, 2020)
Amended and restated employment agreement with Tom Eacobacci, dated May 3, 2021 (incorporated by 
reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed by the Company on June 25,2021)
Employment agreement with Marjorie Dickman, dated January 6, 2020 and amended employment agreement, 
dated January 4, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed by 
the Company on June 25,2021)

118

10.11†

10.12†

10.13†

21*

23.1*

23.2*

31.1*

31.2*

32.1††

32.2††

101*

101*

101*

101*

101*

101*

104

Time-based restricted share unit agreement with Tom Eacobacci, dated June 15, 2020 (incorporated by 
reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed by the Company on June 25,2021)

Performance-based restricted share unit agreement with Tom Eacobacci, dated June 15, 2020 (incorporated by 
reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed by the Company on June 25,2021)
Patent Sale Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the current report on Form 8-K filed by 
the Company on January 31, 2022) including Exhibit A thereto and Exhibit B-1 thereto

List of subsidiaries

Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Consent of Ernst and Young LLP

Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Rule 13a-14(a)

Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Rule 13a-14(a)
Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 
906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 
906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
XBRL Instance Document –  the document does not appear in the interactive data file because its XBRL tags 
are embedded within the Inline XBRL document

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

Cover Page Interactive Data File – formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101

______________________________

*   Filed herewith
†   Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement
†† Furnished (and not filed) herewith pursuant to Item 601(b)(32)(ii) of the SEC’s Regulation S-K

ITEM 16.  FORM 10-K SUMMARY

None.

119

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this 
report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly authorized.

SIGNATURES

Date: April 1, 2022

BLACKBERRY LIMITED

By:

  /s/ John Chen

Name:

  John Chen

Title:

  Chief Executive Officer

By:

Name:

Title:

/s/ Steve Rai

Steve Rai
Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and 
Accounting Officer)

120

 
Pursuant  to  the  requirements  of  the  Securities  Exchange  Act  of  1934,  this  report  has  been  signed  below  by  the  following 
persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

SIGNATURE

/s/ JOHN CHEN

John Chen

/s/ V. PREM WATSA

Prem Watsa

/s/ MICHAEL DANIELS

Michael Daniels

/s/ TIMOTHY DATTELS

Timothy Dattels

/s/ LISA DISBROW

Lisa Disbrow

/s/ RICHARD LYNCH

Richard Lynch

/s/ LAURIE  SMALDONE ALSUP

Laurie Smaldone Alsup

/s/ BARBARA STYMIEST

Barbara Stymiest

/s/ WAYNE WOUTERS

Wayne Wouters

DIRECTORS

CAPACITY

DATE

Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 
(Principal Executive Officer)

April 1, 2022

Lead Director

April 1, 2022

April 1, 2022

April 1, 2022

April 1, 2022

April 1, 2022

April 1, 2022

April 1, 2022

April 1, 2022

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

121