Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Oct. 31, 2023

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Contingencies

Contingencies

Legal Proceedings

We are subject to routine legal proceedings, as well as demands, claims and threatened litigation that arise in the normal course of our business. The ultimate outcome of any litigation is often uncertain and unfavorable outcomes could have a negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition. We regularly review the status of each significant matter and assess its potential financial exposure. If the potential loss from any claim or legal proceeding is considered probable and the amount is estimable, we accrue a liability for the estimated loss. Legal proceedings are inherently uncertain and as circumstances change, it is possible that the amount of any accrued liability may increase, decrease, or be eliminated.

We have determined that, except as set forth below, no disclosure of estimated loss is required for a claim against us because: (1) there is not a reasonable possibility that a loss exceeding amounts already recognized (if any) may be incurred with respect to such claim; (2) a reasonably possible loss or range of loss cannot be estimated; or (3) such estimate is immaterial.

Mentor Patent Litigation

Prior to the legal settlement as further described below, we were engaged in complex patent litigation with Mentor Graphics Corporation (Mentor) involving several actions in different forums. We succeeded to the litigation when we acquired Emulation & Verification Engineering S.A. on October 4, 2012.

Legal Settlement

In March 2017, Siemens PLM Software (Siemens) acquired Mentor. On June 29, 2018, we, Siemens and Mentor settled all outstanding patent litigation between us and Mentor for a $65.0 million payment made from us to Mentor. As a result of the settlement, the litigation with Mentor was dismissed and the injunction entered in connection with that litigation was vacated. The settlement included mutual seven-year patent cross-licenses between us and Siemens, and between us and Mentor. We and Mentor also amended an existing interoperability agreement to collaborate on a wide range of EDA products for the benefit of our mutual customers. The amendment includes a one-time termination charge between $0.0 and $25.0 million, payable to Mentor under certain conditions.

Tax Matters

We undergo examination from time to time by U.S. and foreign authorities for non-income based taxes, such as sales, use and value-added taxes, and are currently under examination by tax authorities in certain jurisdictions. If the potential loss from such examinations is considered probable and the amount or the range of loss could be estimated, we would accrue a liability for the estimated expense. In addition to the foregoing, we are, from time to time, party to various other claims and legal proceedings in the ordinary course of our business, including with tax and other governmental authorities. For a description of certain of these other matters, refer to Note 15. Income Taxes of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.