COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Note 6 COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Commitments

Indemnification

As is customary in the Company’s industry, the Company’s standard contracts provide remedies to its customers, such as defense, settlement, or payment of judgment for intellectual property claims related to the use of the Company’s products. From time to time, the Company will indemnify customers against combinations of loss, expense, or liability arising from various trigger events related to the sale and the use of the Company’s products and services, usually up to a specified maximum amount. In addition, as permitted under state laws in the United States, the Company has entered into indemnification agreements with its officers and directors and certain employees, and the Company’s bylaws permit the indemnification of the Company’s agents. In the Company’s experience, the estimated fair value of the liability is not material.

Purchase Commitments

At March 31, 2012, the Company had certain commitments which were not included on the condensed consolidated balance sheet at that date. These include outstanding capital purchase commitments of approximately $1.4 million, wafer purchase commitments of approximately $19.2 million under the Company’s supply agreement with Telefunken Semiconductors GmbH & Co. KG and wafer purchase commitments of approximately $180.6 million under the Company’s supply agreement with LFoundry Rousset SAS (“LFoundry Rousset”).

On April 18, 2012, the Company amended its wafer purchase commitments with LFoundry Rousset, which reduced those commitments to approximately $112.0 million as of April 18, 2012.

Contingencies

Legal Proceedings

The Company is party to various legal proceedings. Management currently believes that the ultimate outcome of these proceedings, individually and in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations and statement of cash flows. If, however, an unfavorable ruling were to occur in any of the legal proceedings described below or other legal proceedings that were not deemed material as of March 31, 2012, there exists the possibility of a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows. The Company has accrued for losses related to the litigation described below that it considers probable and for which the loss can be reasonably estimated. In the event that a probable loss cannot be reasonably estimated, it has not accrued for such losses. As the Company continues to monitor these matters; its determination could change, however, and the Company may decide, at some future date, to establish an appropriate reserve. With respect to each of the matters below, except where noted otherwise, management has determined a potential loss is not probable at this time and, accordingly, no amount has been accrued at March 31, 2012. Management makes a determination as to when a potential loss is reasonably possible based on relevant accounting literature and then includes appropriate disclosure of the contingency. Except as otherwise noted, management does not believe that the amount of loss or a range of possible losses is reasonably estimable.

Infineon Litigation.  On April 11, 2011, Infineon Technologies A.G. and Infineon Technologies North America Corporation (collectively, “Infineon”) filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the Company in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. Infineon alleges that the Company is infringing 11 Infineon patents and seeks a declaration that three of the Company’s patents are either invalid or not infringed. On July 5, 2011, the Company answered Infineon’s complaint, and filed counterclaims seeking a declaration that each of the 11 asserted Infineon patents is invalid and not infringed. The Company also counterclaimed for infringement of six of the Company’s patents and breach of contract related to Infineon’s breach of a confidentiality agreement. On July 29, 2011, Infineon answered these counterclaims and sought a declaration that the Company’s patents were either invalid or not infringed. On March 13, 2012, the Company filed amended counterclaims that alleged Infineon’s infringement of four additional Atmel patents. On March 31, 2012, Infineon answered these counterclaims and sought a declaration that the Company’s newly asserted patents were either invalid or not infringed. Trial of these matters currently is scheduled to commence in early 2014.  The Company intends to prosecute its claims and defend vigorously against Infineon’s claims.

From time to time, the Company is notified of claims that its products may infringe patents, or other intellectual property, issued to other parties. The Company periodically receives demands for indemnification from its customers with respect to intellectual property matters. The Company also periodically receives claims relating to the quality of its products, including claims for additional labor costs, costs for replacing defective parts, reimbursement to customers for damages incurred in correcting their defective products, costs for product recalls or other damages. Receipt of these claims and requests occurs in the ordinary course of the Company’s business, and the Company responds based on the specific circumstances of each event. The Company undertakes an accrual for losses relating to those types of claims when it considers those losses “probable” and when a reasonable estimate of loss can be determined.

Other Contingencies

In October 2008, officials of the European Union Commission (the “Commission”) conducted an inspection at the offices of one of the Company’s French subsidiaries. The Company was informed that the Commission was seeking evidence of potential violations by Atmel or its subsidiaries of the European Union’s competition laws in connection with the Commission’s investigation of suppliers of integrated circuits for smart cards. On September 21, 2009 and October 27, 2009, the Commission requested additional information from the Company, and the Company responded to the Commission’s requests. The Company continues to cooperate with the Commission’s investigation and has not received any specific findings, monetary demand or judgment through the date of filing this Form 10-Q. As a result, the Company has not recorded any provision in its financial statements related to this matter.

Product Warranties

The Company accrues for warranty costs based on historical trends of product failure rates and the expected material and labor costs to provide warranty services. The Company’s products are generally covered by a warranty typically ranging from 30 days to two years.

The following table summarizes the activity related to the product warranty liability for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011.

	Three Months Ended
	March 31,			March 31,
	2012			2011
	(in thousands)
Balance at beginning of period	$	5,746		$	4,019
Accrual for warranties during the period, net of change in estimates	1,287			2,204
Actual costs incurred	(1,309		)	(1,315		)
Balance at end of period	$	5,724		$	4,908

Product warranty liability is included in accrued and other liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Guarantees

During the ordinary course of business, the Company provides standby letters of credit or other guarantee instruments to certain parties as required for certain transactions initiated by either the Company or its subsidiaries. The Company has not recorded any liability in connection with these guarantee arrangements. Based on historical experience and information currently available, the Company believes it will not be required to make any payments under these guarantee arrangements.