Commitments and Contingencies

6 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

NOTE L — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

In September 2010, a lawsuit captioned Uniloc USA, Inc. et ano. v. National Instruments Corp., et al. was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against the Company and 10 other defendants. The complaint alleges, among other things, that Company technology, including Internet Security Suite Plus 2010 (ISS), infringes a patent licensed to plaintiff Uniloc USA, Inc., entitled “System for Software Registration,” U.S. Patent No. 5,490,216 (‘216 Patent). The complaint seeks monetary damages and interest in an undisclosed amount, a temporary, preliminary and permanent injunction against alleged acts of infringement, and attorneys’ fees and costs, based upon the plaintiffs’ patent infringement claims. In November 2010, the Company filed an answer that, among other things, disputes the plaintiffs’ claims and seeks a declaratory judgment that the Company does not infringe the ‘216 Patent and that the ‘216 Patent is invalid. After pre-trial motion practice, in August 2011, the parties entered into a settlement agreement, the terms of which are confidential and not material to the Company’s financial condition, operating results or cash flow. As part of this settlement, the case against the Company was dismissed with prejudice in its entirety.

Based on the Company’s experience, the Company believes that the damages amounts claimed in a case are not a meaningful indicator of the potential liability. Claims, suits, investigations and proceedings are inherently uncertain and it is not possible to predict the ultimate outcome of cases.

The Company, various subsidiaries, and certain current and former officers have been named as defendants in various other lawsuits and claims arising in the normal course of business. The Company believes that it has meritorious defenses in connection with these other lawsuits and claims, and intends to vigorously contest each of them.

In the opinion of the Company’s management based upon information currently available to the Company, while the outcome of these other lawsuits and claims is uncertain, the likely results of these other lawsuits and claims against the Company, either individually or in the aggregate, are not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, or cash flows, although the effect could be material to the Company’s results of operations or cash flows for any interim reporting period.

The Company is obligated to indemnify its officers and directors under certain circumstances to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. As a part of that obligation, the Company has advanced and will continue to advance certain attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by current and former officers and directors in various lawsuits and investigations.