Commitments and Contingencies (Notes)	9 Months Ended
Nov. 02, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	NOTE 11 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Legal Matters - Dell is involved in various claims, suits, assessments, investigations, and legal proceedings that arise from time to time in the ordinary course of its business, including those identified below, consisting of matters involving consumer, antitrust, tax, intellectual property, and other issues on a global basis. Dell accrues a liability when it believes that it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and that it can reasonably estimate the amount of the loss. Dell reviews these accruals at least quarterly and adjusts them to reflect ongoing negotiations, settlements, rulings, advice of legal counsel, and other relevant information. To the extent new information is obtained and Dell's views on the probable outcomes of claims, suits, assessments, investigations, or legal proceedings change, changes in Dell's accrued liabilities would be recorded in the period in which such determination is made. For some matters, the amount of liability is not probable or the amount cannot be reasonably estimated and therefore accruals have not been made. The following is a discussion of Dell's significant legal matters and other proceedings: Copyright Levies - Dell's obligation to collect and remit copyright levies in certain European Union (“EU”) countries may be affected by the resolution of legal proceedings pending in Germany against various companies, including Dell's German subsidiary, and elsewhere in the EU against other companies in Dell's industry. The plaintiffs in those proceedings, some of which are described below, generally seek to impose or modify the levies with respect to sales of such equipment as multifunction devices, phones, personal computers, and printers, alleging that such products enable the copying of copyrighted materials. Some of the proceedings also challenge whether the levy schemes in those countries comply with EU law. Certain EU member countries that do not yet impose levies on digital devices are expected to implement legislation to enable them to extend existing levy schemes, while some other EU member countries are expected to limit the scope of levy schemes and their applicability in the digital hardware environment. Dell, 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. Dell continues to collect levies in certain EU countries where it has determined that based on local laws it is probable that Dell has a payment obligation. The amount of levies is generally based on the number of products sold and the per-product amounts of the levies, which vary. In all other matters, Dell does not believe there is a probable and estimable claim. As such, Dell has not accrued any liability nor collected any levies. On December 29, 2005, Zentralstelle Für private Überspielungrechte (“ZPÜ”), a joint association of various German collecting societies, instituted arbitration proceedings against Dell's German subsidiary before the Board of Arbitration at the German Patent and Trademark Office in Munich, and subsequently filed a lawsuit in the German Regional Court in Munich on February 21, 2008, seeking levies to be paid on each personal computer sold by Dell in Germany through the end of calendar year 2007. On December 23, 2009, ZPÜ and the German industry association, BCH, reached a settlement regarding audio-video copyright levy litigation (with levies ranging from €3.15 to €13.65 per unit). Dell joined this settlement on February 23, 2010, and has paid the amounts due under the settlement. However, because the settlement agreement expired on December 31, 2010, the amount of levies payable after calendar year 2010, as well as Dell's ability to recover such amounts through increased prices, remains uncertain. German courts are also considering a lawsuit originally filed in July 2004 by VG Wort, a German collecting society representing certain copyright holders, against Hewlett-Packard Company in the Stuttgart Civil Court seeking levies on printers, and a lawsuit originally filed in September 2003 by the same plaintiff against Fujitsu Siemens Computer GmbH in Munich Civil Court in Munich, Germany seeking levies on personal computers. In each case, the civil and appellate courts held that the subject classes of equipment were subject to levies. In July 2011, the German Federal Supreme Court, to which the lower court holdings have been appealed, referred each case to the Court of Justice of the European Union, submitting a number of legal questions on the interpretation of the European Copyright Directive which the German Federal Supreme Court deems necessary for its decision. Dell has not accrued any liability in either matter, as Dell does not believe there is a probable and estimable claim. Proceedings seeking to impose or modify copyright levies for sales of digital devices also have been instituted in courts in Spain and in other EU member states. Even in countries where Dell is not a party to such proceedings, decisions in those cases could impact Dell's business and the amount of copyright levies Dell may be required to collect. The ultimate resolution of these proceedings and the associated financial impact to Dell, if any, including the number of units potentially affected, the amount of levies imposed, and the ability of Dell to recover such amounts remains uncertain at this time. Should the courts determine there is liability for previous units shipped beyond the amount of levies Dell has collected or accrued, Dell would be liable for such incremental amounts. Recovery of any such amounts from others by Dell would be possible only on future collections related to future shipments. Convolve Inc. v Dell Inc. - Convolve, Inc. sued Dell, Western Digital Corporation (“Western Digital”), Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, Inc., and Hitachi Ltd. (collectively “Hitachi”) on June 18, 2008 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division, alleging that the defendants infringed United States Patent No. 4,916,635 (entitled “Shaping Command Inputs to Minimize Unwanted Dynamics”) and United States Patent No. 6,314,473 (entitled “System for Removing Selected Unwanted Frequencies in Accordance with Altered Settings in a User Interface of a Data Storage Device”). Western Digital and Hitachi are hard drive suppliers of Dell. The plaintiff sought damages for each product with an allegedly infringing hard drive sold by Dell, plus exemplary damages for allegedly willful infringement. On July 26, 2011, a jury found that the patents had been infringed and awarded the plaintiff an amount of damages that is not material to Dell. The jury decision is subject to final approval and entry by the judge. Other Litigation - The various legal proceedings in which Dell is involved include commercial litigation and a variety of patent suits. In some of these cases, Dell is the sole defendant. More often, particularly in the patent suits, Dell is one of a number of defendants in the electronics and technology industries. Dell is actively defending a number of patent infringement suits, and several pending claims are in various stages of evaluation. While the number of patent cases has grown over time, Dell does not currently anticipate that any of these matters will have a material adverse effect on Dell's business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. As of November 2, 2012, Dell does not believe there is a reasonable possibility that a material loss exceeding the amounts already accrued for these or other proceedings or matters has been incurred. However, since the ultimate resolution of any such proceedings and matters is inherently unpredictable, Dell's business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows could be materially affected in any particular period by unfavorable outcomes in one or more of these proceedings or matters. Whether the outcome of any claim, suit, assessment, investigation, or legal proceeding, individually or collectively, could have a material adverse effect on Dell's business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows will depend on a number of variables, including the nature, timing, and amount of any associated expenses, amounts paid in settlement, damages, or other remedies or consequences.

NOTE 11 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Legal Matters - Dell is involved in various claims, suits, assessments, investigations, and legal proceedings that arise from time to time in the ordinary course of its business, including those identified below, consisting of matters involving consumer, antitrust, tax, intellectual property, and other issues on a global basis. Dell accrues a liability when it believes that it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and that it can reasonably estimate the amount of the loss. Dell reviews these accruals at least quarterly and adjusts them to reflect ongoing negotiations, settlements, rulings, advice of legal counsel, and other relevant information. To the extent new information is obtained and Dell's views on the probable outcomes of claims, suits, assessments, investigations, or legal proceedings change, changes in Dell's accrued liabilities would be recorded in the period in which such determination is made. For some matters, the amount of liability is not probable or the amount cannot be reasonably estimated and therefore accruals have not been made. The following is a discussion of Dell's significant legal matters and other proceedings:

Copyright Levies - Dell's obligation to collect and remit copyright levies in certain European Union (“EU”) countries may be affected by the resolution of legal proceedings pending in Germany against various companies, including Dell's German subsidiary, and elsewhere in the EU against other companies in Dell's industry. The plaintiffs in those proceedings, some of which are described below, generally seek to impose or modify the levies with respect to sales of such equipment as multifunction devices, phones, personal computers, and printers, alleging that such products enable the copying of copyrighted materials. Some of the proceedings also challenge whether the levy schemes in those countries comply with EU law. Certain EU member countries that do not yet impose levies on digital devices are expected to implement legislation to enable them to extend existing levy schemes, while some other EU member countries are expected to limit the scope of levy schemes and their applicability in the digital hardware environment. Dell, 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. Dell continues to collect levies in certain EU countries where it has determined that based on local laws it is probable that Dell has a payment obligation. The amount of levies is generally based on the number of products sold and the per-product amounts of the levies, which vary. In all other matters, Dell does not believe there is a probable and estimable claim. As such, Dell has not accrued any liability nor collected any levies.

On December 29, 2005, Zentralstelle Für private Überspielungrechte (“ZPÜ”), a joint association of various German collecting societies, instituted arbitration proceedings against Dell's German subsidiary before the Board of Arbitration at the German Patent and Trademark Office in Munich, and subsequently filed a lawsuit in the German Regional Court in Munich on February 21, 2008, seeking levies to be paid on each personal computer sold by Dell in Germany through the end of calendar year 2007. On December 23, 2009, ZPÜ and the German industry association, BCH, reached a settlement regarding audio-video copyright levy litigation (with levies ranging from €3.15 to €13.65 per unit). Dell joined this settlement on February 23, 2010, and has paid the amounts due under the settlement. However, because the settlement agreement expired on December 31, 2010, the amount of levies payable after calendar year 2010, as well as Dell's ability to recover such amounts through increased prices, remains uncertain.

German courts are also considering a lawsuit originally filed in July 2004 by VG Wort, a German collecting society representing certain copyright holders, against Hewlett-Packard Company in the Stuttgart Civil Court seeking levies on printers, and a lawsuit originally filed in September 2003 by the same plaintiff against Fujitsu Siemens Computer GmbH in Munich Civil Court in Munich, Germany seeking levies on personal computers. In each case, the civil and appellate courts held that the subject classes of equipment were subject to levies. In July 2011, the German Federal Supreme Court, to which the lower court holdings have been appealed, referred each case to the Court of Justice of the European Union, submitting a number of legal questions on the interpretation of the European Copyright Directive which the German Federal Supreme Court deems necessary for its decision. Dell has not accrued any liability in either matter, as Dell does not believe there is a probable and estimable claim.

Proceedings seeking to impose or modify copyright levies for sales of digital devices also have been instituted in courts in Spain and in other EU member states. Even in countries where Dell is not a party to such proceedings, decisions in those cases could impact Dell's business and the amount of copyright levies Dell may be required to collect.

The ultimate resolution of these proceedings and the associated financial impact to Dell, if any, including the number of units potentially affected, the amount of levies imposed, and the ability of Dell to recover such amounts remains uncertain at this time. Should the courts determine there is liability for previous units shipped beyond the amount of levies Dell has collected or accrued, Dell would be liable for such incremental amounts. Recovery of any such amounts from others by Dell would be possible only on future collections related to future shipments.

Convolve Inc. v Dell Inc. - Convolve, Inc. sued Dell, Western Digital Corporation (“Western Digital”), Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, Inc., and Hitachi Ltd. (collectively “Hitachi”) on June 18, 2008 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division, alleging that the defendants infringed United States Patent No. 4,916,635 (entitled “Shaping Command Inputs to Minimize Unwanted Dynamics”) and United States Patent No. 6,314,473 (entitled “System for Removing Selected Unwanted Frequencies in Accordance with Altered Settings in a User Interface of a Data Storage Device”). Western Digital and Hitachi are hard drive suppliers of Dell. The plaintiff sought damages for each product with an allegedly infringing hard drive sold by Dell, plus exemplary damages for allegedly willful infringement. On July 26, 2011, a jury found that the patents had been infringed and awarded the plaintiff an amount of damages that is not material to Dell. The jury decision is subject to final approval and entry by the judge.

Other Litigation - The various legal proceedings in which Dell is involved include commercial litigation and a variety of patent suits. In some of these cases, Dell is the sole defendant. More often, particularly in the patent suits, Dell is one of a number of defendants in the electronics and technology industries. Dell is actively defending a number of patent infringement suits, and several pending claims are in various stages of evaluation. While the number of patent cases has grown over time, Dell does not currently anticipate that any of these matters will have a material adverse effect on Dell's business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

As of November 2, 2012, Dell does not believe there is a reasonable possibility that a material loss exceeding the amounts already accrued for these or other proceedings or matters has been incurred. However, since the ultimate resolution of any such proceedings and matters is inherently unpredictable, Dell's business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows could be materially affected in any particular period by unfavorable outcomes in one or more of these proceedings or matters. Whether the outcome of any claim, suit, assessment, investigation, or legal proceeding, individually or collectively, could have a material adverse effect on Dell's business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows will depend on a number of variables, including the nature, timing, and amount of any associated expenses, amounts paid in settlement, damages, or other remedies or consequences.