Note 17: Litigation and Contingencies
HP is involved in lawsuits, claims, investigations and proceedings, including those identified below, consisting of intellectual property, commercial, securities, employment, employee benefits and environmental matters that arise in the ordinary course of business. HP accrues a liability when management believes that it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. HP believes it has recorded adequate provisions for any such matters, and, as of October 31, 2013, it was not reasonably possible that an additional material loss had been incurred in an amount in excess of the amounts already recognized in HP's financial statements. HP reviews these matters at least quarterly and adjusts its accruals to reflect the impact of negotiations, settlements, rulings, advice of legal counsel, and other information and events pertaining to a particular case. Based on its experience, HP believes that any damage amounts claimed in the specific matters discussed below are not a meaningful indicator of HP's potential liability. Litigation is inherently unpredictable. However, HP believes that it has valid defenses with respect to legal matters pending against it. Nevertheless, cash flows or results of operations could be materially affected in any particular period by the resolution of one or more of these contingencies.
Litigation, Proceedings and Investigations
Copyright Levies. As described below, proceedings are ongoing or have been concluded involving HP in certain European Union ("EU") member countries, including litigation in Germany, Belgium and Austria, seeking to impose or modify levies upon equipment (such as multifunction devices ("MFDs"), personal computers ("PCs") and printers) and alleging that these devices enable producing private copies of copyrighted materials. Descriptions of some of the ongoing proceedings are included below. The levies are generally based upon the number of products sold and the per-product amounts of the levies, which vary. Some EU member countries that do not yet have levies on digital devices are expected to implement similar legislation to enable them to extend existing levy schemes, while some other EU member countries have phased out levies or are expected to limit the scope of levy schemes and applicability in the digital hardware environment, particularly with respect to sales to business users. HP, other companies and various industry associations have opposed the extension of levies to the digital environment and have advocated alternative models of compensation to rights holders.
VerwertungsGesellschaft Wort ("VG Wort"), a collection agency representing certain copyright holders, instituted legal proceedings against HP in the Stuttgart Civil Court seeking to impose levies on printers. On December 22, 2004, the court held that HP is liable for payments regarding all printers using ASCII code sold in Germany but did not determine the amount payable per unit. HP appealed this decision in January 2005 to the Stuttgart Court of Appeals. On May 11, 2005, the Stuttgart Court of Appeals issued a decision confirming that levies are due. On June 6, 2005, HP filed an appeal to the German Federal Supreme Court in Karlsruhe. On December 6, 2007, the German Federal Supreme Court issued a judgment that printers are not subject to levies under existing law. VG Wort appealed the decision by filing a claim with the German Federal Constitutional Court challenging the ruling that printers are not subject to levies. On September 21, 2010, the Constitutional Court published a decision holding that the German Federal Supreme Court erred by not referring questions on interpretation of German copyright law to the Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU") and therefore revoked the German Federal Supreme Court decision and remitted the matter to it. On July 21, 2011, the German Federal Supreme Court stayed the proceedings and referred several questions to the CJEU with regard to the interpretation of the European Copyright Directive. On June 27, 2013, the CJEU issued its decision responding to those questions. The German Federal Supreme Court subsequently scheduled a joint hearing on this matter with other cases relating to reprographic levies on printers and PCs that was held on October 31, 2013, and is expected to be followed by a decision in January 2014.
In September 2003, VG Wort filed a lawsuit against Fujitsu Technology Solutions GmbH ("Fujitsu") in the Munich Civil Court in Munich, Germany seeking to impose levies on PCs. This is an industry test case in Germany, and HP has agreed not to object to the delay if VG Wort sues HP for such levies on PCs following a final decision against Fujitsu. On December 23, 2004, the Munich Civil Court held that PCs are subject to a levy and that Fujitsu must pay €12 plus compound interest for each PC sold in Germany since March 2001. Fujitsu appealed this decision in January 2005 to the Munich Court of Appeals. On December 15, 2005, the Munich Court of Appeals affirmed the Munich Civil Court decision. Fujitsu filed an appeal with the German Federal Supreme Court in February 2006. On October 2, 2008, the German Federal Supreme Court issued a judgment that PCs were not photocopiers within the meaning of the German copyright law that was in effect until December 31, 2007 and, therefore, were not subject to the levies on photocopiers established by that law. VG Wort subsequently filed a claim with the German Federal Constitutional Court challenging that ruling. In January 2011, the Constitutional Court published a decision holding that the German Federal Supreme Court decision was inconsistent with the German Constitution and revoking the German Federal Supreme Court decision. The Constitutional Court also remitted the matter to the German Federal Supreme Court for further action. On July 21, 2011, the German Federal Supreme Court stayed the proceedings and referred several questions to the CJEU with regard to the interpretation of the European Copyright Directive. On June 27, 2013, the CJEU issued its decision responding to those questions. The German Federal Supreme Court subsequently scheduled a joint hearing on that matter with other cases relating to reprographic levies on printers that was held on October 31, 2013, and is expected to be followed by a decision in January 2014.
Reprobel, a cooperative society with the authority to collect and distribute the remuneration for reprography to Belgian copyright holders, requested by extra-judicial means that HP amend certain copyright levy declarations submitted for inkjet MFDs sold in Belgium from January 2005 to December 2009 to enable it to collect copyright levies calculated based on the generally higher copying speed when the MFDs are operated in draft print mode rather than when operated in normal print mode. In March 2010, HP filed a lawsuit against Reprobel in the French-speaking chambers of the Court of First Instance of Brussels seeking a declaratory judgment that no copyright levies are payable on sales of MFDs in Belgium or, alternatively, that copyright levies payable on such MFDs must be assessed based on the copying speed when operated in the normal print mode set by default in the device. On November 16, 2012, the court issued a decision holding that Belgium law is not in conformity with EU law in a number of respects and ordered that, by November 2013, Reprobel substantiate that the amounts claimed by Reprobel are commensurate with the harm resulting from legitimate copying under the reprographic exception. HP subsequently appealed that court decision to the Courts of Appeal in Brussels seeking to confirm that the Belgian law is not in conformity with EU law and that, if Belgian law is interpreted in a manner consistent with EU law, no payments by HP are required or, alternatively, the payments already made by HP are sufficient to comply with its obligations under Belgian law. On October 23, 2013, the Court of Appeal in Brussels stayed the proceedings and referred several questions to the CJEU relating to whether the Belgian reprographic copyright levies system is in conformity with EU law.
Based on industry opposition to the extension of levies to digital products, HP's assessments of the merits of various proceedings and HP's estimates of the number of units impacted and the amounts of the levies, HP has accrued amounts that it believes are adequate to address the matters described above. However, the ultimate resolution of these matters and the associated financial impact on HP, including the number of units impacted and the amount of levies imposed, remains uncertain.
Fair Labor Standards Act Litigation. HP is involved in several lawsuits in which the plaintiffs are seeking unpaid overtime compensation and other damages based on allegations that various employees of EDS or HP have been misclassified as exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act and/or in violation of the California Labor Code or other state laws. Those matters include the following:
State of South Carolina Department of Social Services Contract Dispute. In October 2012, the State of South Carolina Department of Social Services and related government agencies ("SCDSS") filed a proceeding before South Carolina's Chief Procurement Officer ("CPO") against Hewlett-Packard State & Local Enterprise Services, Inc., a subsidiary of HP ("HPSLES"). The dispute arises from a contract between SCDSS and HPSLES for the design, implementation and maintenance of a Child Support Enforcement and a Family Court Case Management System (the "CFS System"). SCDSS seeks aggregate damages of approximately $275 million, a declaration that HPSLES is in material breach of the contract and, therefore, that termination of the contract for cause by SCDSS would be appropriate, and a declaration that HPSLES is required to perform certain additional disputed work that expands the scope of the original contract. In November 2012, HPSLES filed responsive pleadings asserting defenses and seeking payment of past-due invoices totaling more than $12 million. On July 10, 2013, SCDSS terminated the contract with HPSLES for cause, and, in its termination notice, SCDSS asserted that HPSLES is responsible for all future federal penalties until the CFS System achieves federal certification, sought an immediate order requiring HPSLES to transfer to SCDSS all work completed and in progress, and indicated that it intends to seek suspension and debarment of HPSLES from contracting with the State of South Carolina. HPSLES is disputing the termination as improper and defective. In addition, on August 9, 2013, HPSLES filed its own affirmative claim within the proceeding alleging that SCDSS materially breached the contract by its improper termination and that SCDSS was a primary and material cause of the project delays. On September 4, 2013, the CPO denied SCDSS's motion for injunctive relief seeking immediate transfer of the system assets to SCDSS and indicated that the CPO would address that request following a hearing on the merits. The hearing on the merits before the CPO commenced on October 21, 2013, and is expected to continue through early January 2014.
India Directorate of Revenue Intelligence Proceedings. On April 30 and May 10, 2010, the India Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (the "DRI") issued show cause notices to Hewlett-Packard India Sales Private Ltd ("HPI"), a subsidiary of HP, seven current HP employees and one former HP employee alleging that HP underpaid customs duties while importing products and spare parts into India and seeking to recover an aggregate of approximately $370 million, plus penalties. Prior to the issuance of the show cause notices, HP deposited approximately $16 million with the DRI and agreed to post a provisional bond in exchange for the DRI's agreement to not seize HP products and spare parts and to not interrupt the transaction of business by HP in India.
On April 11, 2012, the Bangalore Commissioner of Customs issued an order on the products-related show cause notice affirming certain duties and penalties against HPI and the named individuals of approximately $386 million, of which HPI had already deposited $9 million. On December 11, 2012, HPI voluntarily deposited an additional $10 million in connection with the products-related show cause notice.
On April 20, 2012, the Commissioner issued an order on the parts-related show cause notice affirming certain duties and penalties against HPI and certain of the named individuals of approximately $17 million, of which HPI had already deposited $7 million. After the order, HPI deposited an additional $3 million in connection with the parts-related show cause notice so as to avoid certain penalties.
HPI filed appeals of the Commissioner's orders before the Customs Tribunal along with applications for waiver of the pre-deposit of remaining demand amounts as a condition for hearing the appeals. The Customs Department has also filed cross-appeals before the Customs Tribunal. On January 24, 2013, the Customs Tribunal ordered HPI to deposit an additional $24 million against the products order, which HPI deposited in March 2013. The Customs Tribunal did not order any additional deposit to be made under the parts order. In December 2013, HPI filed applications before the Customs Tribunal seeking early hearing of appeals as well as the extension of the stay already granted until final disposition of the appeals. These applications are currently pending before the Customs Tribunal.
Russia GPO and Other FCPA Investigations. The German Public Prosecutor's Office ("German PPO") has been conducting an investigation into allegations that current and former employees of HP engaged in bribery, embezzlement and tax evasion relating to a transaction between Hewlett-Packard ISE GmbH in Germany, a former subsidiary of HP, and the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation. The approximately €35 million transaction, which was referred to as the Russia GPO deal, spanned the years 2001 to 2006 and was for the delivery and installation of an IT network. The German PPO has issued an indictment of four individuals, including one current and two former HP employees, on charges including bribery, breach of trust and tax evasion. The German PPO has also requested that HP be made an associated party to the case, and, if that request is granted, HP would participate in any portion of the court proceedings that could ultimately bear on the question of whether HP should be subject to potential disgorgement of profits based on the conduct of the indicted current and former employees.
The U.S. Department of Justice and the SEC have been conducting an investigation into the Russia GPO deal and potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA"). These U.S. enforcement agencies, as well as the Polish Central Anti-Corruption Bureau, are also conducting investigations into potential FCPA violations by an employee of Hewlett-Packard Polska Sp. z o.o., an indirect subsidiary of HP, in connection with certain public-sector transactions in Poland. In addition, the same U.S. enforcement agencies are conducting investigations into certain other public-sector transactions in Russia, Poland, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Mexico, among other countries.
HP is cooperating with these investigating agencies. In addition, HP is in advanced discussions with the U.S. enforcement agencies to resolve their investigations.
Under the FCPA, a person or an entity could be subject to fines, civil penalties of up to $725,000 per violation and equitable remedies, including disgorgement of profits, pre-judgment interest and other injunctive relief. In addition, criminal penalties could range from the greater of $25 million per violation or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss from the violation.
ECT Proceedings. In January 2011, the postal service of Brazil, Empresa Brasileira de Correios e Telégrafos ("ECT"), notified an HP subsidiary in Brazil ("HP Brazil") that it had initiated administrative proceedings to consider whether to suspend HP Brazil's right to bid and contract with ECT related to alleged improprieties in the bidding and contracting processes whereby employees of HP Brazil and employees of several other companies allegedly coordinated their bids and fixed results for three ECT contracts in 2007 and 2008. In late July 2011, ECT notified HP Brazil it had decided to apply the penalties against HP Brazil and suspend HP Brazil's right to bid and contract with ECT for five years, based upon the evidence before it. In August 2011, HP Brazil appealed ECT's decision. In April 2013, ECT rejected HP Brazil's appeal, and the administrative proceedings were closed with the penalties against HP Brazil remaining in place. In parallel, in September 2011, HP Brazil filed a civil action against ECT seeking to have ETC's decision revoked. HP Brazil also requested an injunction suspending the application of the penalties until a final ruling on the merits of the case. The court of first instance has not issued a decision on the merits of the case, but it has denied HP Brazil's request for injunctive relief. HP Brazil appealed the denial of its request for injunctive relief to the intermediate appellate court, which issued a preliminary ruling denying the request for injunctive relief but reducing the length of the sanctions from five to two years. HP Brazil appealed that decision and, in December 2011, obtained a ruling staying enforcement of ECT's sanctions until a final ruling on the merits of the case. HP expects the court of first instance to issue a decision on the merits of the case before the end of the first six months of calendar year 2014 and any subsequent appeal on the merits to last several years.
Stockholder Litigation. As described below, HP is involved in various stockholder litigation matters commenced against certain current and former HP executive officers and/or certain current and former members of the HP Board of Directors in which the plaintiffs are seeking to recover damages related to HP's allegedly inflated stock price, certain compensation paid by HP to the defendants, other damages and/or injunctive relief:
Autonomy-Related Legal Matters
Investigations. As a result of the findings of an ongoing investigation, HP has provided information to the U.K. Serious Fraud Office, the U.S. Department of Justice and the SEC related to the accounting improprieties, disclosure failures and misrepresentations at Autonomy that occurred prior to and in connection with HP's acquisition of Autonomy. On November 21, 2012, representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice advised HP that they had opened an investigation relating to Autonomy. On February 6, 2013, representatives of the U.K. Serious Fraud Office advised HP that they had also opened an investigation relating to Autonomy. HP is cooperating with the three investigating agencies.
Litigation. As described below, HP is involved in various stockholder litigation relating to, among other things, its November 20, 2012 announcement that it recorded a non-cash charge for the impairment of goodwill and intangible assets within its Software segment of approximately $8.8 billion in the fourth quarter of its 2012 fiscal year and HP's statements that, based on HP's findings from an ongoing investigation, the majority of this impairment charge related to accounting improprieties, misrepresentations to the market and disclosure failures at Autonomy that occurred prior to and in connection with HP's acquisition of Autonomy and the impact of those improprieties, failures and misrepresentations on the expected future financial performance of the Autonomy business over the long term. This stockholder litigation was commenced against, among others, certain current and former HP executive officers, certain current and former members of the HP Board of Directors, and certain advisors to HP. The plaintiffs in these litigation matters are seeking to recover certain compensation paid by HP to the defendants and/or other damages. These matters include the following:
Environmental
HP's operations and products are subject to various federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations concerning environmental protection, including laws addressing the discharge of pollutants into the air and water, the management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, the cleanup of contaminated sites, the content of HP's products and the recycling, treatment and disposal of those products. In particular, HP faces increasing complexity in its product design and procurement operations as it adjusts to new and future requirements relating to the chemical and materials composition of its products, their safe use, and the energy consumption associated with those products, including requirements relating to climate change. HP is also subject to legislation in an increasing number of jurisdictions that makes producers of electrical goods, including computers and printers, financially responsible for specified collection, recycling, treatment and disposal of past and future covered products (sometimes referred to as "product take-back legislation"). HP could incur substantial costs, its products could be restricted from entering certain jurisdictions, and it could face other sanctions, if it were to violate or become liable under environmental laws or if its products become non-compliant with environmental laws. HP's potential exposure includes fines and civil or criminal sanctions, third-party property damage or personal injury claims and clean-up costs. The amount and timing of costs to comply with environmental laws are difficult to predict.
HP is party to, or otherwise involved in, proceedings brought by U.S. or state environmental agencies under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act ("CERCLA"), known as "Superfund," or state laws similar to CERCLA, and may become a party to, or otherwise involved in, proceedings brought by private parties for contribution towards clean-up costs. HP is also conducting environmental investigations or remediations at several current or former operating sites pursuant to administrative orders or consent agreements with state environmental agencies.