Segment Reporting

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segment Reporting Disclosure [Text Block]

Note 12 – Segment Reporting

From 2005 until the second quarter of 2009, the Company operated in a single business segment, Patent Licensing. With the commencement of Counsel RB’s operations in the second quarter of 2009, the Company diversified into a second segment, Asset Liquidation. For the year ending December 31, 2012, only the Asset Liquidation segment had revenues and assets sufficiently significant to require separate reporting. In the first quarter of 2013, the Company entered into a settlement and license agreement with respect to its patents, and therefore was required to separately report Patent Licensing segment information. 

There are no material inter-segment revenues or expenses. To date the Company’s business has been conducted principally in North America, but the establishment of offices in Europe in the third quarter of 2012 will result in more international operations in future periods. To date these operations have not been sufficiently significant to require reporting as a separate segment. The table below presents information about the Company’s segments as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2013 and 2012:

	For the three months ended March 31, 2013
	Asset Liquidation			Patent Licensing		Total
Revenues from external customers	$	1,392		$	200	$	1,592
Earnings from equity accounted asset liquidation investments		802			—		802
Other income		—			—		—
Interest expense		95			—		95
Depreciation and amortization		121			—		121
Segment income (loss)		(587	)		50		(537	)
Investment in equity accounted asset liquidation investees		2,901			—		2,901
Segment assets		20,297			228		20,525

	For the three months ended March 31, 2012
	Asset Liquidation		Patent Licensing			Total
Revenues from external customers	$	3,034	$	—		$	3,034
Earnings from equity accounted asset liquidation investments		1,069		—			1,069
Other income		10		—			10
Interest expense		56		—			56
Depreciation and amortization		3		—			3
Segment income (loss)		1,225		(26	)		1,199
Investment in equity accounted asset liquidation investees		1,032		—			1,032
Segment assets		19,401		28			19,429

The following table reconciles reportable segment information to the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements of the Company:

	Three months ended March 31, 2013			Three months ended March 31, 2012
Total other income for reportable segments	$	—		$	10
Unallocated other income (expense)		—			—
Total other income	$	—		$	10
Total interest expense for reportable segments	$	95		$	56
Unallocated interest expense from related party debt		—			3
	$	95		$	59
Total depreciation and amortization for reportable segments	$	121		$	3
Other unallocated depreciation from corporate assets		—			—
	$	121		$	3
Total segment income (loss)	$	(537	)	$	1,199
Other income (expense) and earnings (loss) of other equity accounted investments		—			(47	)
Other corporate expenses (primarily corporate level interest, general and administrative expenses)		(463	)		(449	)
Income tax expense (recovery)		(353	)		313
Net income (loss) from continuing operations	$	(647	)	$	390
Segment assets	$	20,525		$	19,429
Other assets not allocated to segments(1)		34,602			35,350
Total assets	$	55,127		$	54,779

(1) Other assets not allocated to segments are corporate assets such as cash, non-trade accounts receivable, prepaid insurance, investments and deferred income tax assets.