Litigation, Commitments and Contingencies	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011
Litigation, Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]
Legal Matters and Contingencies [Text Block]	Litigation, Commitments and Contingencies We are the subject of various pending or threatened legal actions in the ordinary course of our business. All such matters are subject to many uncertainties and outcomes that are not predictable with assurance. Additionally, our electronics and accessories business is subject to allegations of patent infringement by our competitors as well as by non-practicing entities (NPEs), sometimes referred to as “patent trolls,” who may seek monetary settlements from us, our competitors, suppliers and resellers. Consequently, as of June 30, 2011, we are unable to ascertain the ultimate aggregate amount of any monetary liability or financial impact that we may incur with respect to these matters. While these matters could materially affect operating results depending upon the final resolution in future periods, it is our opinion that after final disposition, any monetary liability beyond that provided in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of June 30, 2011 would not be material to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. On June 19, 2009, Advanced Research Corp. (ARC) sued Imation in Ramsey County District court for breach of contract relating to a supply agreement under which we purchase our requirements for magnetic heads to write servo patterns on magnetic tape prior to sale of the finished cartridges, requesting the court to order that Imation pay damages and return the purchased heads to ARC. ARC is alleging that we misrepresented the volumes of heads that we would require, and that ARC invested in a new facility in reliance on our forecasts. ARC has claimed damages in excess of $27.2 million and we have filed counterclaims against ARC for its failure to comply with the supply agreement and other agreements, claiming damages in excess of $8.5 million. In March 2010, both Imation and ARC filed motions for partial summary judgment, which motions were denied by the court on July 6, 2010. On July 27, 2010, the court granted ARC's motion to amend its complaint to add a claim for trade secret misappropriation. On March 29, 2011, Imation moved for summary judgment on the claim of trade secret misappropriation. On July 21, 2011, the court granted Imation's summary judgment motion to dismiss ARC's trade secret misappropriation claim. A trial date has been set for October 2011. Imation believes that the ultimate resolution of this legal proceeding will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. In some countries, primarily Europe and Canada, the sale of recordable optical media is subject to a private copying levy, which is an extra charge on purchases of these products. Imation collects the levies upon sale, and submits payment of the levies to copyright collective non-government agencies for distribution to content providers as “fair compensation” for the harm caused to them due to private copies made by natural persons of protected works. For several years the amount of the levy in Europe has been in question and the subject of various litigation and law making activities. We have continued to accrue the levies but are awaiting resolution before submitting some of the required payments. Depending on the final outcome of the various litigation and law making activities, if some amount less than what we have accrued does not need to be paid, this amount will be recorded as a reduction to our cost of goods sold in the period that the resolution is determined. During the six months ended June 30, 2011, we reversed $5.5 million of the accrual because of court decisions which clarify the circumstances in which we are required to pay certain levies. The reversal was recorded as a benefit to cost of goods sold in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

Litigation, Commitments and Contingencies

We are the subject of various pending or threatened legal actions in the ordinary course of our business. All such matters are subject to many uncertainties and outcomes that are not predictable with assurance. Additionally, our electronics and accessories business is subject to allegations of patent infringement by our competitors as well as by non-practicing entities (NPEs), sometimes referred to as “patent trolls,” who may seek monetary settlements from us, our competitors, suppliers and resellers. Consequently, as of June 30, 2011, we are unable to ascertain the ultimate aggregate amount of any monetary liability or financial impact that we may incur with respect to these matters. While these matters could materially affect operating results depending upon the final resolution in future periods, it is our opinion that after final disposition, any monetary liability beyond that provided in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of June 30, 2011 would not be material to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

On June 19, 2009, Advanced Research Corp. (ARC) sued Imation in Ramsey County District court for breach of contract relating to a supply agreement under which we purchase our requirements for magnetic heads to write servo patterns on magnetic tape prior to sale of the finished cartridges, requesting the court to order that Imation pay damages and return the purchased heads to ARC. ARC is alleging that we misrepresented the volumes of heads that we would require, and that ARC invested in a new facility in reliance on our forecasts. ARC has claimed damages in excess of $27.2 million and we have filed counterclaims against ARC for its failure to comply with the supply agreement and other agreements, claiming damages in excess of $8.5 million. In March 2010, both Imation and ARC filed motions for partial summary judgment, which motions were denied by the court on July 6, 2010. On July 27, 2010, the court granted ARC's motion to amend its complaint to add a claim for trade secret misappropriation. On March 29, 2011, Imation moved for summary judgment on the claim of trade secret misappropriation. On July 21, 2011, the court granted Imation's summary judgment motion to dismiss ARC's trade secret misappropriation claim. A trial date has been set for October 2011. Imation believes that the ultimate resolution of this legal proceeding will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

In some countries, primarily Europe and Canada, the sale of recordable optical media is subject to a private copying levy, which is an extra charge on purchases of these products. Imation collects the levies upon sale, and submits payment of the levies to copyright collective non-government agencies for distribution to content providers as “fair compensation” for the harm caused to them due to private copies made by natural persons of protected works. For several years the amount of the levy in Europe has been in question and the subject of various litigation and law making activities. We have continued to accrue the levies but are awaiting resolution before submitting some of the required payments. Depending on the final outcome of the various litigation and law making activities, if some amount less than what we have accrued does not need to be paid, this amount will be recorded as a reduction to our cost of goods sold in the period that the resolution is determined. During the six months ended June 30, 2011, we reversed $5.5 million of the accrual because of court decisions which clarify the circumstances in which we are required to pay certain levies. The reversal was recorded as a benefit to cost of goods sold in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations