Contingencies (Notes)

3 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2016

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Contingencies

Contingencies

In the ordinary course of the Company's business, it is exposed to various liabilities as a result of contracts, product liability, customer claims and other matters.  Additionally, the Company is involved in a limited number of legal actions, both as plaintiff and defendant.  Consequently, the Company could incur uninsured liability in any of those actions.  The Company also periodically receives notifications from various third parties alleging infringement of patents or other intellectual property rights, or from customers requesting reimbursement for various costs.  With respect to pending legal actions to which the Company is a party and other claims, although the outcomes are generally not determinable, the Company believes that the ultimate resolution of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on its financial position, cash flows or results of operations.  Litigation and disputes relating to the semiconductor industry are not uncommon, and the Company is, from time to time, subject to such litigation and disputes.  As a result, no assurances can be given with respect to the extent or outcome of any such litigation or disputes in the future.

The Company accrues for claims and contingencies when losses become probable and reasonably estimable. As of the end of each applicable reporting period, the Company reviews each of its matters and, where it is probable that a liability has been or will be incurred, the Company accrues for all probable and reasonably estimable losses. Where the Company can reasonably estimate a range of losses it may incur regarding such a matter, the Company records an accrual for the amount within the range that constitutes its best estimate. If the Company can reasonably estimate a range but no amount within the range appears to be a better estimate than any other, the Company uses the amount that is the low end of such range. As of June 30, 2016, the Company's estimate of the aggregate potential liability that is possible but not probable is approximately $100 million in excess of amounts accrued.

The Company's technology license agreements generally include an indemnification clause that indemnifies the licensee against liability and damages (including legal defense costs) arising from any claims of patent, copyright, trademark or trade secret infringement by the Company's proprietary technology.  The terms of these indemnification provisions approximate the terms of the outgoing technology license agreements, which are typically perpetual unless terminated by either party for breach. The possible amount of future payments the Company could be required to make based on agreements that specify indemnification limits, if such indemnifications were required on all of these agreements, is approximately $147 million. There are some licensing agreements in place that do not specify indemnification limits.  The Company had not recorded any liabilities related to these indemnification obligations as of June 30, 2016.