COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

12 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Minimum Future Rental Payments  

The Company leases certain equipment and facilities under operating leases expiring in various years through fiscal year 2022. The terms of some of the Company's leases provide for rental payments on a graduated scale. The Company recognizes rent expense on a straight-line basis over the lease period, and has accrued for rent expense incurred but not paid.  

Minimum future rental payments under non-cancelable operating leases having remaining terms in excess of one year as of March 31, 2012 are as follows:

Fiscal Year Ending March 31,	(in thousands)
2013	$	5,355
2014	4,392
2015	1,649
2016	887
2017	241
Thereafter	686
Total minimum future rental payments	$	13,210

Total rent expense for operating leases was approximately $5.9 million, $5.6 million, and $6.0 million in fiscal years 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Certain operating leases provide for renewal options for periods from one to three years.  In the normal course of business, operating leases are generally renewed or replaced by other leases.

Indemnifications

The Company entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement ("Agreement") on October 2, 2009 to sell Altec Lansing, its AEG segment. Under the Agreement, as amended, the Company made representations and warranties to the purchaser about the condition of AEG, including matters relating to intellectual property, taxes, employee or environmental matters, and fraud.  No indemnification costs have been recorded as of March 31, 2012 or March 31, 2011.

Other Guarantees and Obligations

The Company sells substantially all of its products to end users through distributors, retailers, OEMs, and telephony service providers (collectively "customers"). As is customary in the Company’s industry and as provided for in local law in the U.S. and other jurisdictions, Plantronics’ standard contracts provide remedies to its customers, such as defense, settlement, or payment of judgment for intellectual property claims related to the use of its products.  From time to time, the Company indemnifies customers against combinations of loss, expense, or liability arising from various trigger events relating to the sale and use of its products and services.  In addition, Plantronics also provides protection to customers against claims related to undiscovered liabilities, additional product liability, or environmental obligations.  In the Company’s experience, claims made under these indemnifications are rare and the associated estimated fair value of the liability is not material.

Claims and Litigation

The Company is involved in various legal proceedings arising in the normal course of conducting business. For such legal proceedings, where applicable, the Company has accrued an amount that reflects the aggregate liability deemed probable and estimable, but this amount is not material to the Company's financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. The Company is not able to estimate an amount or range of any reasonably possible additional losses because of the preliminary nature of many of these proceedings, the difficulty in ascertaining the applicable facts relating to many of these proceedings, the variable treatment of claims made in many of these proceedings and the difficulty of predicting the settlement value of many of these proceedings;however, based upon the Company's historical experience, the resolution of these proceedings is not expected to have a material effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.