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Commitments and Contingencies
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3 Months Ended |
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Mar. 31, 2015
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| Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| Commitments and Contingencies |
Commitments and Contingencies
Movie License and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) Commitments
In the ordinary course of business and as a result of the Business Combination, the Company has certain long-term commitments including movie license fees and guaranteed minimum payments owed to movie content providers. In addition, the Company has certain long-term arrangements with service and television providers to license and provide content and IPTV services that are subject to future guaranteed minimum payments.
Operating Lease Commitments
Operating lease commitments include payments on outstanding, noncancelable, operating lease obligations. The Company leases its operating facilities under noncancelable operating leases that expire through 2025. The Company also leases certain facilities and vehicles under month-to-month arrangements. Total rent expense for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 was $0.9 million and $1.1 million, respectively. The Company is responsible for certain operating expenses in connection with these leases.
Satellite Cost Commitments
During the three months ended March 31, 2015 the Company had in place a Master Services Agreement ("MSA") with its satellite service provider to provide for satellite capacity over Russia, the North Atlantic and for expansion of its existing capacity in the U.S. and Europe. As of December 31, 2014, the remaining MSA satellite cost commitments totaled up to $289.8 million through December 31, 2027. The Company expenses these satellite fees in the month the service is provided as a charge to cost of services.
During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company entered into a satellite service agreement with New Skies Satellites B.V. (“SES”) that will provide global, Ku-band satellite bandwidth to GEE for use in GEE’s in-flight connectivity system. The SES agreement required the Company to make an up-front pre-payment of $4.0 million as well as to make two additional pre-payments each upon the achievement of certain milestones relating to the development by SES of future Capacity Services, with such additional pre-payments being due no earlier than June 30, 2015 and January 1, 2016, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2015, the Company entered into an agreement with Hughes Network Systems, LLC (“HNS”) to administer and assume the underlying obligations under the SES agreement, and transferred its $4.0 million SES prepayment to HNS. These pre-payments will be applied to certain service fees as they become due. In the event that the HNS agreement is terminated, HNS will refund the pre-payments, less any amounts applied to services rendered or scheduled to be rendered.
Legal Matters
On May 6, 2014, UMG Recordings, Inc., Capital Records, Universal Music Corp and entities affiliated with the foregoing (collectively, “UMG”) filed suit in the United States District Court for the Central District of California against the Company and Inflight Productions Ltd. (“IFP”) for copyright infringement and related claims and unspecified money damages. IFP is a direct subsidiary of Global Entertainment AG (formally AIA) and an indirect subsidiary of the Company. Based on currently available information, the Company believes it and IFP have strong defenses and intend to defend vigorously against this lawsuit, but the outcome of this matter is inherently uncertain and could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. On July 1, 2014, American Airlines, Inc. (“American”) filed suit in Texas State Court, Tarrant County, against IFP, and filed an amended complaint on October 29, 2014, seeking a declaration that IFP is obligated to defend and indemnify American against claims that UMG may assert against American for copyright infringement insofar as such claims arise out of American’s use of content provided by IFP during a limited period of time, and for breach of contract. On February 24, 2015, American was added as a defendant in UMG’s case against the Company and IFP. The American lawsuit seeks unspecified money damages and liquidated damages, as well as attorney’s fees. We participated in a non-binding mediation of the case with UMG on April 1, 2015, which did not result in a settlement. Based on currently available information, the Company believes that IFP has strong defenses and intends to defend vigorously against the UMG and American lawsuits, but the outcome of these matters is inherently uncertain and could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. As of March 31, 2015, the potential range of loss related to these matters cannot be determined.
On August 14, 2014, SwiftAir, LLC filed suit against our wholly owned subsidiary Row 44, Inc. and one of its customers for breach of contract, quantum meruit, unjust enrichment and similar claims and unspecified money damages in the Superior Court of California for the Country of Los Angeles. SwiftAir and Row 44 had a contractual relationship, which Row 44 terminated in 2013, with respect to the provision of destination deal content to one of Row 44’s connectivity customers. Based on currently available information, the Company believes that Row 44 has strong defenses and intends to defend vigorously against this lawsuit, but the outcome of this matter is inherently uncertain and could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. As of March 31, 2015, the potential range of loss related to this matter cannot be determined.
While the resolution of the above matters cannot be predicted with certainty, the Company does not believe, based on current knowledge, that the outcome of the currently pending claims or legal proceedings in which the Company is currently involved will have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial statements.
Other
Operating lease contracts usually have a contract period from 1 to 5 years. The movie license contracts have a contract period of 3 years. Minimum payments for already signed contracts are mainly to be paid within 12 months. Earn-out obligations associated with prior business combinations, including EIM and PMG, were accrued for in full as of December 31, 2014, and will fully be paid down in 2015.
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