Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Principles of Consolidation and Presentation

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Lattice and its subsidiaries after the elimination of all intercompany balances and transactions.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and classification of assets, such as marketable securities, accounts receivable, inventory, goodwill (including the assessment of reporting units), intangible assets, current and deferred income taxes, accrued liabilities (including restructuring charges and bonus arrangements), deferred income and allowances on sales to sell-through distributors, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, amounts used in acquisition valuations and purchase accounting, impairment assessments, and the reported amounts of product revenue, licensing and services revenue, and expenses during the fiscal periods presented. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash Equivalents

We consider all investments that are readily convertible into cash and have original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents consist primarily of highly liquid investments in time deposits or money market accounts and are carried at cost.

Marketable Securities

We account for marketable securities as available-for-sale investments, as defined by U.S. GAAP, and record unrealized gains or losses to Accumulated other comprehensive loss on our Consolidated Balance Sheets, unless losses are considered other than temporary, in which case, those are recorded directly to the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss. Deposits with financial institutions at times exceed Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limits.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

We invest in various financial instruments, which may include corporate and government bonds, notes, and commercial paper. We value these instruments at their fair value and monitor our portfolio for impairment on a periodic basis. In the event that the carrying value of an investment exceeds its fair value and the decline in value is determined to be other than temporary, we would record an impairment charge and establish a new carrying value. We assess other than temporary impairment of marketable securities in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820, “Fair Value Measurements.” The framework under the provisions of ASC 820 establishes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value. Each level of input has different levels of subjectivity and difficulty involved in determining fair value.

Level 1 instruments generally represent quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets. Therefore, determining fair value for Level 1 instruments generally does not require significant management judgment, and the estimation is not difficult. Our Level 1 instruments consist of U.S. Government agency obligations, corporate notes and bonds, and commercial paper that are traded in active markets and are classified as Short-term marketable securities on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Level 2 instruments include inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices for identical instruments in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities. Our Level 2 instruments consist of certificates of deposit and foreign currency exchange contracts, entered into to hedge against fluctuation in the Japanese yen.

Level 3 instruments include unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. As a result, the determination of fair value for Level 3 instruments requires significant management judgment and subjectivity. We did not have any Level 3 instruments during the periods presented.

Foreign Exchange and Translation of Foreign Currencies

While our revenues and the majority of our expenses are denominated in U.S. dollars, we have international subsidiary and branch operations that conduct some transactions in foreign currencies, and we collect an annual Japanese consumption tax refund in yen. Gains or losses from foreign exchange rate fluctuations on balances denominated in foreign currencies are reflected in Other (expense) income, net. Realized gains or losses on foreign currency transactions were not significant for the periods presented.

We translate accounts denominated in foreign currencies in accordance with ASC 830, “Foreign Currency Matters,” using the current rate method under which asset and liability accounts are translated at the current rate, while stockholders' equity accounts are translated at the appropriate historical rates, and revenue and expense accounts are translated at average monthly exchange rates. Translation adjustments related to the consolidation of foreign subsidiary financial statements are reflected in Accumulated other comprehensive loss in Stockholders' equity (see Note 10).

Derivative Financial Instruments

We mitigate foreign currency exchange rate risk by entering into foreign currency forward exchange contracts, details of which are presented in the following table:



	September 30, 2017		December 31, 2016
Total cost of contracts for Japanese yen (in thousands)	$	2,204	$	2,323
Number of contracts	2		2
Settlement month	June 2018		June 2017

Although these hedges mitigate our foreign currency exchange rate exposure from an economic perspective, they were not designated as "effective" hedges for accounting purposes and as such are adjusted to fair value through Other (expense) income, net, with gains of approximately $0.1 million and approximately $0.2 million, respectively, for the fiscal quarters ended September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016. We do not hold or issue derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

Concentration Risk

Potential exposure to concentration risk may impact revenue, trade receivables, marketable securities, and supply of wafers for our products.

Customer concentration risk may impact revenue. The percentage of total revenue attributable to our top five end customers and largest end customer is presented in the following table:



	Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
	September 30, 2017		October 1, 2016		September 30, 2017		October 1, 2016
Revenue attributable to top five end customers	23	%	32	%	28	%	25	%
Revenue attributable to largest end customer	5	%	14	%	9	%	7	%

No other end customer accounted for more than 10% of total revenue during these periods.

Sales through distributors have historically accounted for a significant portion of our total revenue. Revenue attributable to resale of products by sell-through distributors as a percentage of total revenue is presented in the following table:



	Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
	September 30, 2017		October 1, 2016		September 30, 2017		October 1, 2016
Revenue attributable to sell-through distributors	68	%	62	%	65	%	58	%

Our two largest distributor groups also account for a substantial portion of our trade receivables. At September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, one distributor group accounted for 41% and 38%, respectively, and the other accounted for 28% and 24%, respectively, of gross trade receivables. No other distributor group or end customer accounted for more than 10% of gross trade receivables at these dates.

Concentration of credit risk with respect to trade receivables is mitigated by our credit and collection process, including active management of collections, credit limits, routine credit evaluations for essentially all customers, and secure transactions with letters of credit or advance payments where appropriate. We regularly review our allowance for doubtful accounts and the aging of our accounts receivable.

Accounts receivable do not bear interest and are shown net of allowances for doubtful accounts of $9.4 million and $9.3 million at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. Bad debt expense was negligible for the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 2017. During the third quarter of fiscal 2016, we received notice from one of our distributor groups that indicated a high likelihood of their bankruptcy. As a result, we recorded a full allowance on our accounts receivable, net of deferred revenue, from that distributor group resulting in an increase in allowance for doubtful accounts of $9.0 million at December 31, 2016 and bad debt expense of $7.5 million for the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 2016.

We place our investments primarily through one financial institution and mitigate the concentration of credit risk by limiting the maximum portion of the investment portfolio which may be invested in any one instrument. Our investment policy defines approved credit ratings for investment securities. Investments on-hand in marketable securities consisted primarily of money market instruments, “AA” or better corporate notes and bonds and commercial paper, and U.S. government agency obligations. See Note 3 for a discussion of the liquidity attributes of our marketable securities.

We rely on a limited number of foundries for our wafer purchases, including Fujitsu Limited, Seiko Epson Corporation, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd, and United Microelectronics Corporation. We seek to mitigate the concentration of supply risk by establishing, maintaining and managing multiple foundry relationships; however, certain of our products are sourced from a single foundry and changing from one foundry to another can have a significant cost.

Revenue Recognition and Deferred Income

Product Revenue

We sell our products directly to end customers, through a network of independent manufacturers' representatives, and indirectly through a network of independent sell-in and sell-through distributors. Distributors provide periodic data regarding the product, price, quantity, and end customer when products are resold, as well as the quantities of our products they still have in stock.

Revenue from sales to original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs") and sell-in distributors is generally recognized upon shipment. Reserves for sell-in stock rotations, where applicable, are estimated based primarily on historical experience and provided for at the time of shipment. Revenue from sales by our sell-through distributors is recognized at the time of reported resale. Under both types of revenue recognition, persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the price is fixed or determinable, title has transferred, collection of resulting receivables is reasonably assured, and there are no remaining customer acceptance requirements and no remaining significant performance obligations.

Orders from our sell-through distributors are initially recorded at published list prices; however, for a majority of our sales, the final selling price is determined at the time of resale and in accordance with a distributor price agreement. For this reason, we do not recognize revenue until products are resold by sell-through distributors to an end customer. In certain circumstances, we allow sell-through distributors to return unsold products. At times, we protect our sell-through distributors against reductions in published list prices.

At the time of shipment to sell-through distributors, we (a) record accounts receivable at published list price since there is a legally enforceable obligation from the distributor to pay us currently for product delivered, (b) relieve inventory for the carrying value of goods shipped since legal title has passed to the distributor, and (c) record deferred revenue and deferred cost of sales in deferred income and allowances on sales to sell-through distributors in the liability section of our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Revenue and cost of sales to sell-through distributors are deferred until either the product is resold by the distributor or, in certain cases, return privileges terminate, at which time Revenue and Cost of product revenue are reflected in Net loss in our Consolidated Statements of Operations, and Accounts receivable, net is adjusted to reflect the final selling price.

Licensing and Services Revenue

Our licensing and services revenue is comprised of revenue from our intellectual property ("IP") core licensing activity, patent monetization activities, and royalty and adopter fee revenue from our standards activities. These activities are complementary to our product sales and help us monetize our IP and accelerate market adoption curves associated with our technology and standards.

From time to time we enter into patent sale and licensing agreements to monetize and license a broad portfolio of our patented inventions. Such licensing agreements may include upfront license fees and ongoing royalties. The contractual terms of the agreements generally provide for payments of upfront license fees and/or royalties over an extended period of time. Revenue from such license fees is recognized when payments become due and payable as long as all other revenue recognition criteria are met, while revenue from royalties is recognized when reported to us by customers.

We enter into IP licensing agreements that generally provide licensees the right to incorporate our IP components into their products pursuant to terms and conditions that vary by licensee. Revenue earned under these agreements is classified as licensing and services revenue. Our IP licensing agreements generally include multiple elements, which may include one or more off-the-shelf or customized IP licenses bundled with support services covering a fixed period of time, generally one year. If the different elements of a multiple-element arrangement qualify as separate units of accounting, we allocate the total arrangement consideration to each element based on relative selling price.

Amounts allocated to off-the-shelf IP licenses are recognized at the time of sale provided the other conditions for revenue recognition have been met. Amounts allocated to the support services are deferred and recognized on a straight-line basis over the support period, generally one year. Certain licensing agreements provide for royalty payments based on agreed-upon royalty rates, which may be fixed or variable depending on the terms of the agreement. The amount of revenue we recognize is based on a specified time period or on the agreed-upon royalty rate multiplied by the reported number of units shipped by the customer.

From time to time, we enter into IP licensing agreements that involve significant modification, customization or engineering services. Revenues derived from these contracts are accounted for using the percentage-of-completion method or completed contract method. The completed contract method is used for contracts where there is a risk associated with final acceptance by the customer or for short-term contracts.

HDMI royalty revenue is determined by a contractual allocation formula agreed to by the Founders of the HDMI consortium. The contractual allocation formula is subject to periodic adjustment, generally every three years. The most recent agreement expired on December 31, 2016 and a new agreement has not yet been entered into covering the period beginning January 1, 2017. As a result, the HDMI agent is unable to distribute the majority of the royalties collected to the Founders and, given that the fixed and determinable revenue recognition criteria has not been met, we are unable to recognize all of the HDMI royalty revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017.

We acted as the agent of the HDMI consortium until December 31, 2016. From time to time, as the agent, we performed audits on royalty reporting customers to ensure compliance. As a result of those compliance efforts, we entered into settlement agreements for the payment of unreported royalties. The contractual terms of those agreements provided for upfront payment of unreported royalties or payment over a period of time, generally not to exceed one year. Revenue from those arrangements was recognized when the agreement was executed by both parties, as long as price was fixed and determinable and collection was reasonably assured.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation and amortization are computed using the straight-line method for financial reporting purposes over the estimated useful lives of the related assets, generally three to five years for equipment and software, one to three years for tooling, and thirty years for buildings and building space. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the non-cancelable lease term or the estimated useful life of the assets. Upon disposal of property and equipment, the accounts are relieved of the costs and related accumulated depreciation and amortization, and resulting gains or losses are reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for recognized gains and losses or in the Consolidated Balance Sheets for deferred gains and losses. Repair and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred.

New Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory. This update is intended to recognize the income tax consequences of intra-entity transfers of assets other than inventory when they occur by removing the exception to postpone recognition until the asset has been sold to an outside party. For public business entities, this guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted, and it is required to be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. We early adopted this accounting standard in the first quarter of fiscal 2017 and recorded a nominal amount to accumulated deficit based on the guidance, as detailed in Note 10.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14 deferring the effective date of ASU 2014-09 to periods beginning on or after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within that year. We intend to adopt ASU 2014-09 on December 31, 2017 which is the first day of our fiscal 2018. The new standard allows for two transition methods - (i) a full retrospective method applied to each prior reporting period presented, or (ii) a modified retrospective method applied with the cumulative effect of adoption recognized on December 31, 2017, the first day of our fiscal 2018. We plan to adopt this guidance using the modified retrospective transition method, which will result in an adjustment to accumulated deficit for the cumulative effect of applying this guidance to contracts in process as of the adoption date. Under this approach, we will not restate the prior financial statements presented. This guidance requires us to provide additional disclosures of the amount by which each financial statement line item is affected in the current reporting period during 2018 as compared to the guidance that was in effect before the change, and an explanation of the reasons for significant changes.

We have been executing against a project plan developed early in 2017 and believe that we are on schedule to be complete with our implementation efforts by the first quarter of fiscal 2018. Key ongoing elements of our project plan include the quantification of the impacts of the standard to revenues, contract acquisition costs, income taxes and various balance sheet accounts, and the design and implementation of relevant internal controls. Based on our current assessment, we believe the most significant impact of the new standard will be to accelerate the timing of revenue recognition on product shipments to our sell-through distributors. Assuming all other revenue recognition criteria have been met, the new guidance would require us to recognize revenue and costs relating to such sales upon shipment to the distributor - subject to reductions for estimated reserves for price adjustments and returns - rather than upon the ultimate sale by the distributor to its end customer, as is our current practice. The impact of this change will depend primarily on the level of inventory held by sell-through distributors at the beginning and end of each period. To the extent these inventory levels fluctuate significantly, revenue under the new standard could be materially different than that under the current standard. Revenue to our sell-through distributors accounted for 72% and 71% of our product revenue and 68% and 65% of our total revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively, as compared to approximately 66% of product revenue and approximately 60% of total revenue during the year ended December 31, 2016. We also anticipate that the new standard will require us to recognize certain licensing revenues which are not recognizable under current GAAP due to the fixed and determinable revenue recognition criteria not being met. Unless we are able to meet the recognition criteria in the fourth quarter of 2017, we anticipate that the cumulative adjustment to 2018 opening accumulated deficit, as well as the increase in 2018 licensing revenues under the new standard, could be material.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, to mainly change the accounting for investments in equity securities and financial liabilities carried at fair value as well as to modify the presentation and disclosure requirements for financial instruments. The ASU is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. Adoption of the ASU is retrospective with a cumulative adjustment to retained earnings or accumulated deficit as of the adoption date. We are currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-01 on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires the recognition of assets and liabilities arising from lease transactions on the balance sheet and will also require significant additional disclosures about the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows from leases. Substantially all leases, including current operating leases, will be recognized by lessees on their balance sheet as a lease asset for its right to use the underlying asset and a lease liability for the corresponding lease obligation. The new guidance requires a modified prospective transition approach to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented. For public business entities, the standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early application is permitted for all entities. We are currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-02 on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. The new guidance is intended to reduce diversity in practice in how cash receipts and cash payments are classified in the statement of cash flows. For public business entities, this guidance will be effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-15 on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, Clarifying the Definition of a Business, which narrows the existing definition of a business and provides a framework for evaluating whether a transaction should be accounted for as an acquisition (or disposal) of assets or a business. This update requires an entity to evaluate if substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets; if so, the set of transferred assets and activities (collectively, the set) is not a business. To be considered a business, the set would need to include an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create outputs. The standard also narrows the definition of outputs. The definition of a business affects areas of accounting such as acquisitions, disposals and goodwill. Under the new guidance, fewer acquired sets are expected to be considered businesses. For public business entities, this guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. We are currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2017-01 on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, which simplifies the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating step two from the goodwill impairment test. Under the new guidance, an entity will recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value. This standard is effective for annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017 and requires a prospective transition method. We are currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2017-04 on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting, which provides clarity on which changes to the terms or conditions of share-based payment awards require entities to apply the modification accounting provisions required in Topic 718. This standard is effective for all entities for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted, including adoption in any interim period for which financial statements have not yet been issued. We are currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2017-09 on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities, which improves the financial reporting of hedging relationships to better portray the economic results of an entity’s risk management activities in its financial statements and simplifies the application of the hedge accounting guidance. This standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those annual periods, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2017-12 on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.