NOTE 13. Commitments and Contingencies

Indemnifications: We have agreed to indemnify certain customers against claims of infringement of intellectual property rights of others in our sales contracts with these customers. Historically, we have not paid any claims under these indemnification obligations. We enter into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers pursuant to which we agree to indemnify them for certain potential expenses and liabilities arising from their status as a director or executive officer of the Company. We maintain director and officer insurance, which may cover certain liabilities arising from our obligation to indemnify our directors and executive officers in certain circumstances. It is not possible to determine the aggregate maximum potential loss under these indemnification agreements due to the limited history of prior indemnification claims and the unique facts and circumstances involved in each particular agreement.

Legal Proceedings: We are subject to various legal proceedings, claims, and litigation, either asserted or unasserted, that arise in the ordinary course of business. The outcome of these matters is currently not determinable and we are unable to estimate a range of loss, should a loss occur, from these proceedings. The ultimate outcome of legal proceedings involves judgments, estimates and inherent uncertainties and the results of these matters cannot be predicted with certainty. Professional legal fees are expensed when incurred. We accrue for contingent losses when such losses are probable and reasonably estimable. In the event that estimates or assumptions prove to differ from actual results, adjustments are made in subsequent periods to reflect more current information. Should we fail to prevail in any legal matter or should several legal matters be resolved against the Company in the same reporting period, then the financial results of that particular reporting period could be materially affected.

Intellectual Property Lawsuits

We protect our proprietary technology by applying for patents where appropriate and, in other cases, by preserving the technology, related know-how and information as trade secrets. The success and competitive position of our product lines are impacted by our ability to obtain intellectual property protection for our research and development efforts. We have, from time to time, exchanged correspondence with third parties regarding the assertion of patent or other intellectual property rights in connection with certain of our products and processes.

Phoenix Navigation Components, LLC (“Phoenix”) Legal Proceedings

On June 12, 2018, Phoenix commenced an arbitration against EMCORE with the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) in New York. On August 31, 2018, Phoenix filed a First Amended Demand for Arbitration, asserting the following claims: breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, misappropriation of trade secrets (under the Defend Trade Secrets Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1836, and New York law), conversion, unjust enrichment, correction of inventorship relating to U.S. Patent No. 8,773,665, and declaratory relief, relating to EMCORE’s termination of certain agreements entered into between EMCORE and Phoenix related to the purported license of certain intellectual property related to fiber optic gyroscope technology and disputed royalty payments related thereto. On September 14, 2018, EMCORE filed an Answering Statement and Counterclaim, denying all of Phoenix’s claims and asserting counterclaims for breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing and declaratory relief.

On June 21, 2019, an interim award (the “Interim Award”) was issued in connection with all claims in the AAA proceeding other than the claims related to correction of inventorship and declaratory relief relating to U.S. Patent No. 8,773,665 (the “Patent Claims”). While Phoenix ultimately sought $21.2 million in total damages, plus attorneys’ fees and costs, in the Interim Award, the arbitrator found in the Interim Award that (i) Phoenix's claim for breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing was denied; (ii) Phoenix's claim for breach of the agreements entered with EMCORE for failure to provide funding for non-recurring engineering was denied; (iii) Phoenix's claim for unjust enrichment was denied; (iv) Phoenix's claim for conversion was granted, but damages for that claim duplicate the damages on the breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secret claims described below and no incremental damages were awarded based on the granting of this claim; (v) EMCORE's request for a declaration that, as between EMCORE and Phoenix, EMCORE owns its proprietary IOC and transceiver was granted.

The arbitrator also found in the Interim Award that (i) EMCORE breached certain license agreements entered into with Phoenix by failing to make royalty payments due and failing to provide required accountings; (ii) Phoenix and its members are no longer subject to prior exclusivity restrictions; (iii) EMCORE's claim for breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing was denied; and (iv) the proceedings for the Patent Claims and EMCORE's counterclaim with respect thereto would be established by a future proceeding.

Further, out of the original 97 trade secret subpart claims by Phoenix, the arbitrator found in the Interim Award that EMCORE had misappropriated a total of five trade secret subparts (the “Deemed Trade Secrets”) and found that at least one Deemed Trade Secret was being used in seven EMCORE products (the “EMCORE Products”). The arbitrator found that as a result of the foregoing, royalties of 7.5% of the sale price are owed, to the extent not previously paid, on (i) sales through July 16, 2018 on all fiber optic gyroscopes sold by EMCORE, and (ii) sales from July 16, 2018 through May 31, 2019 of the EMCORE Products, whether standalone or incorporated into a larger product, in each case together with interest at the New York statutory rate of 9% simple interest. In addition, the arbitrator found in the Interim Award that Phoenix was the prevailing party, and Phoenix was awarded attorneys' fees and costs in the amount of approximately $3.7 million, which amount was reduced 10% from Phoenix’s attorneys’ fees request.

In the Interim Award, the arbitrator further determined that EMCORE shall pay Phoenix a royalty of 7.5% of the sale price on (i) future customer payments for certain EMCORE product contracts previously entered into and (ii) customer payments for future sales of any product using any Deemed Trade Secret, in each case payable in a single lump sum within one month of completion of the calendar quarter in which payment has been received from the customer, and shall concurrently submit to Phoenix a written report that sets forth the calculation of the amount of the royalty payment in a form similar to previous royalty reports, provided that following the first $1 million of royalty payments on the EMP-1 product only, inclusive of payments made to date, EMCORE will pay to Phoenix a royalty of 2.25% of the sale price (net of any warranty work, returns, rebates, discounts or credits). EMCORE is required to continue to make royalty payments in this manner until such time as it has in good faith determined, and can so document, that it has completely ceased use of the Deemed Trade Secrets, and at such time, EMCORE shall provide Phoenix written notice of same by certified letter, return receipt requested.

On October 1, 2019, the arbitrator issued a Modified Partial Final Award, which incorporated by reference the terms of the Interim Award and ordered and awarded, among other items, (i) an award to Phoenix of attorneys’ fees and costs in the amount of approximately $3.8 million, (ii) an award to Phoenix of $1.0 million in damages owing for unpaid royalties through June 30, 2019, of which $0.6 million remained to be paid as of the issuance of the Modified Partial Final Award, (iii) an award to Phoenix of $0.1 million in pre-judgment interest, calculated at the New York statutory rate of 9% simple interest, and (iv) an order that EMCORE make the payments in the foregoing items (i), (ii) and (iii) on or before October 14, 2019. On October 10, 2019, EMCORE made the foregoing payments to Phoenix in an aggregate amount equal to approximately $4.5 million. This amount was accrued as of September 30, 2019.

The Patent Claims were not determined in the Interim Award or the Modified Partial Final Award. In December 2019, EMCORE and Phoenix entered into a settlement agreement with respect to the Patent Claims pursuant to which EMCORE (i) granted Phoenix a fully paid, perpetual nonexclusive license to the disputed patent and (ii) agreed to pay Phoenix a total of $0.4 million, of which $0.2 million was paid in January 2020, $0.1 million was paid in April 2020 and $0.1 million is required to be paid in July 2020.

On June 21, 2018, Phoenix commenced a special proceeding against EMCORE in the New York Supreme Court, Commercial Division (the “Special Proceeding”). As part of the Special Proceeding, Phoenix filed an application for a preliminary injunction in aid of arbitration pursuant to CLPR 7502(c), in connection with the AAA arbitration proceeding in New York. The application resulted in a so-ordered stipulated injunction between EMCORE and Phoenix, which was entered in August 2018. In January 2020, the court granted a motion to confirm the Modified Partial Final Award, vacated the so-ordered stipulated injunction entered in August 2018, and disposed of the Special Proceeding.