UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 10-Q
[Mark One] &nb sp;
x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended October 31, 2006
OR
o TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number: 000-24996
INTERNET COMMERCE CORPORATION
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Delaware | | 13-3645702 |
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) | | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
| | |
6025 The Corners Parkway, Suite 100 | | 30092 |
Norcross, Georgia | | (Zip Code) |
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) | | |
Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (678) 533-8000
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer o | Accelerated Filer o | Non-accelerated filer x |
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No x
As of December 13, 2006, the Registrant had outstanding 22,820,810 shares of class A common stock.
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
| | October 31, | | July 31, | |
| | 2006 | | 2006 | |
| | (unaudited) | | | |
ASSETS | | | | | |
Current assets: | | | | | |
Cash and cash equivalents | | $ | 7,932,846 | | $ | 6,988,753 | |
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts and allowance for sales returns and allowances of $532,409 and $458,061, respectively | | 4,211,304 | | 3,631,135 | |
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | | 421,760 | | 461,778 | |
Total current assets | | 12,565,910 | | 11,081,666 | |
| | | | | |
Restricted cash | | 432,974 | | 432,974 | |
Property and equipment, net | | 1,050,716 | | 1,113,701 | |
Goodwill | | 6,168,883 | | 6,148,332 | |
Other intangible assets, net | | 4,469,873 | | 4,829,772 | |
Other assets | | 40,554 | | 37,822 | |
Total assets | | $ | 24,728,910 | | $ | 23,644,267 | |
| | | | | |
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | | | | | |
Current liabilities: | | | | | |
Accounts payable | | $ | 425,983 | | $ | 662,151 | |
Accrued expenses | | 977,145 | | 574,783 | |
Accrued dividends – preferred stock | | 333,151 | | 232,329 | |
Deferred revenue | | 248,876 | | 261,214 | |
Lease liability from acquisition | | 273,060 | | 249,940 | |
Other current liabilities | | 129,976 | | 116,280 | |
Total current liabilities | | 2,388,191 | | 2,096,697 | |
| | | | | |
Long-term lease liability from acquisition | | 905,864 | | 967,442 | |
Total liabilities | | 3,294,055 | | 3,064,139 | |
| | | | | |
Stockholders’ equity: | | | | | |
Preferred stock – 5,000,000 shares authorized, including 10,000 shares of series C and 250 shares of series D: | | | | | |
Series C – par value $.01 per share, 44.76 votes per share; 10,000 shares issued and outstanding (liquidation value of $10,333,151) | | 100 | | 100 | |
Series D – par value $.01 per share, 769 votes per share; 250 shares issued and outstanding (liquidation value of $250,000) | | 3 | | 3 | |
Common stock: | | | | | |
Class A - par value $.01 per share, 40,000,000 shares authorized, one vote per share; 22,743,277 and 22,712,944 shares issued and outstanding, respectively | | 227,433 | | 227,129 | |
Class B - par value $.01 per share, 2,000,000 shares authorized, six votes per share; none issued and outstanding | | — | | — | |
Additional paid-in capital | | 103,322,571 | | 103,042,746 | |
Accumulated deficit | | (82,115,252 | ) | (82,689,850 | ) |
Total stockholders’ equity | | 21,434,855 | | 20,580,128 | |
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | | $ | 24,728,910 | | $ | 23,644,267 | |
See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
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Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited)
| | Three Months Ended | |
| | October 31, | |
| | 2006 | | 2005 | |
| | | | | |
Service revenues | | $ | 5,807,727 | | $ | 5,017,833 | |
| | | | | |
Expenses: | | | | | |
Cost of services | | 1,859,292 | | 1,905,397 | |
Product development and enhancement | | 716,644 | | 102,983 | |
Selling and marketing | | 519,957 | | 415,357 | |
General and administrative | | 2,108,816 | | 1,854,255 | |
| | | | | |
| | 5,204,709 | | 4,277,992 | |
| | | | | |
Operating income | | 603,018 | | 739,841 | |
| | | | | |
Other income (expense): | | | | | |
Interest and investment income | | 82,392 | | 25,670 | |
Interest expense | | (20,586 | ) | (35,787 | ) |
Other income (expense) | | (22,619 | ) | 17,087 | |
| | 39,187 | | 6,970 | |
| | | | | |
Income before income taxes | | 642,205 | | 746,811 | |
| | | | | |
Provision for income taxes, current | | 67,607 | | 24,265 | |
| | | | | |
Net income | | 574,598 | | 722,546 | |
| | | | | |
Dividends on preferred stock | | (100,822 | ) | (99,822 | ) |
| | | | | |
Income attributable to common stockholders | | $ | 473,776 | | $ | 622,724 | |
| | | | | |
Basic income per common share | | $ | 0.02 | | $ | 0.03 | |
| | | | | |
Diluted income per common share | | $ | 0.02 | | $ | 0.03 | |
| | | | | |
Anti-dilutive stock options and warrants outstanding | | 1,075,498 | | 3,108,137 | |
| | | | | |
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding – basic | | 22,716,466 | | 19,510,748 | |
| | | | | |
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding – diluted | | 24,974,611 | | 21,536,286 | |
See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
4
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)
| | Three Months Ended October 31, | |
| | 2006 | | 2005 | |
Cash flows from operating activities: | | | | | |
Net income | | $ | 574,598 | | $ | 722,546 | |
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: | | | | | |
Depreciation and amortization | | 493,475 | | 404,238 | |
Bad debt expense | | 80,011 | | 126,571 | |
Non-cash interest expense | | 20,586 | | 35,615 | |
Non-cash charges for equity instruments issued for compensation and services | | 280,467 | | 187,098 | |
Changes in assets and liabilities: | | | | | |
Accounts receivable | | (660,179 | ) | (370,433 | ) |
Prepaid expenses and other assets | | 38,031 | | 119,215 | |
Accounts payable | | (236,168 | ) | 324,496 | |
Accrued expenses | | 402,362 | | (478,980 | ) |
Deferred revenue | | (12,338 | ) | (21,750 | ) |
Other liabilities | | (45,349 | ) | (355,490 | ) |
| | | | | |
Net cash provided by operating activities | | 935,496 | | 693,126 | |
| | | | | |
Cash flows from investing activities: | | | | | |
Additional costs of previous acquisition | | (20,551 | ) | (65,000 | ) |
Purchases of property and equipment | | (70,591 | ) | (94,495 | ) |
| | | | | |
Net cash used in investing activities | | (91,142 | ) | (159,495 | ) |
| | | | | |
Cash flows from financing activities: | | | | | |
Payments of capital lease obligations | | — | | (2,155 | ) |
Proceeds from exercise of warrants | | 89,500 | | — | |
Proceeds from exercise of employee stock options | | 10,239 | | 166,165 | |
| | | | | |
Net cash provided by financing activities | | 99,739 | | 164,010 | |
| | | | | |
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents | | 944,093 | | 697,641 | |
| | | | | |
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period | | 6,988,753 | | 3,983,005 | |
| | | | | |
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period | | $ | 7,932,846 | | $ | 4,680,646 | |
| | | | | |
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: | | | | | |
Cash paid for interest during the period | | $ | — | | $ | 172 | |
Cash paid for income taxes during the period | | 71,791 | | 4,770 | |
| | | | | |
Supplemental disclosure of noncash financing activity: | | | | | |
Issuance of 20,283 shares of class A common stock upon exercise of warrants | | — | | 203 | |
See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
5
Notes to condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited)
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Internet Commerce Corporation (the “Company” or “ICC”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information. In the opinion of management, such statements include all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows at the dates and for the periods indicated. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) applicable to Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, the accompanying financial statements do not include all the disclosures required by GAAP for annual financial statements. While the Company believes that the disclosures presented are adequate to make the information not misleading, these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 2006. Operating results for the three month period ended October 31, 2006 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending July 31, 2007 or any future period.
1. Organization and Nature of Business
ICC creates, deploys and manages the secure and reliable electronic exchange of essential business documents. With the Company’s value added network (“VAN”), desktop software and hosted applications, managed services, consulting and professional services, ICC is a trusted provider of e-commerce solutions to connect businesses, regardless of size and level of technical sophistication, with their trading communities. Thousands of customers, ranging from sole proprietorships to large corporations, in a variety of industries rely on the value delivered from ICC’s broad line of solutions, expertise and 24x7 customer service to help meet the unique requirements for trading partner compliance, coordination and collaboration.
2. Recent Acquisitions
Enable
On May 9, 2006, the Company acquired all of the outstanding shares of Enable Corp. (“Enable”), a privately held corporation with offices in New York City that provides trading community portals, web based EDI trading tools, and EDI professional services to a variety of industries. Under the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, the Company paid $4.2 million in cash and issued 686,324 shares of its class A common stock valued at approximately $2.6 million.
The following table sets forth the components of the purchase price for Enable as of October 31, 2006.
Cash on closing | | $ | 4,203,000 | |
ICC class A common stock issued | | 2,632,739 | |
Transaction costs | | 416,208 | |
Additional costs since July 31, 2006 | | 20,551 | |
Total purchase price | | $ | 7,272,498 | |
The following table provides the estimated fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the Enable acquisition:
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Cash | | $ | 991,747 | |
Accounts receivable | | 705,386 | |
Restricted cash | | 15,000 | |
Other assets | | 14,975 | |
Fixed assets | | 246,520 | |
Intangible assets – acquired technology | | 1,775,000 | |
Intangible assets – trade names | | 250,000 | |
Intangible assets – customer relationships | | 1,500,000 | |
Liabilities | | (510,778 | ) |
Fair value of net assets acquired | | $ | 4,987,850 | |
Goodwill | | $ | 2,284,648 | |
Total purchase price | | $ | 7,272,498 | |
The recorded fixed and other assets are estimated to have a life of two to three years. The acquired technology intangibles are estimated to have a life between one and four years, and the customer relationship and trade names intangibles are estimated to have a life of seven years. We recorded $2,285,000 in goodwill resulting from the Enable acquisition. Revenue from the Enable acquisition includes hosting and transaction fees, administrative fees and professional services, which are part of our EC Solutions segment. Goodwill and intangible assets are deductible for tax purposes. The results of operations of Enable are consolidated with the results of operations of the Company subsequent to the acquisition date. The acquisition of Enable was made to strengthen the Company’s web based trading technology offering and customer base.
Kodiak Group, Inc.
On November 1, 2005, the Company acquired the outstanding share of the Kodiak Group, Inc. (“Kodiak”), a privately held company delivering EDI outsourcing and global data synchronization services to blue chip customers in a variety of industries. Under the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, the Company paid $1.0 million in cash on close and committed to pay up to an additional $1.5 million in cash should the Kodiak operations generate revenue of more than $3.0 million for the twelve month period ended October 31, 2006. For that period, the Kodiak operations did not achieve the revenue goal of $3.0 million. Therefore, the Company has no additional payment obligations. The following table sets forth the purchase price for Kodiak as of October 31, 2006.
Cash on closing | | $ | 1,000,000 | |
Transaction costs | | 53,942 | |
Total purchase price | | $ | 1,053,942 | |
The following table sets forth the components of the purchase price for Kodiak as of October 31, 2006.
Cash | | $ | 167,323 | |
Accounts receivable | | 358,168 | |
Other assets | | 61,252 | |
Fixed assets | | 109,597 | |
Intangible assets – customer relationships | | 425,947 | |
Liabilities | | (68,345 | ) |
Total purchase price | | $ | 1,053,942 | |
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The recorded fixed and other assets are estimated to have a life of two years and the customer relationship intangible is estimated to have a life of five years. Revenue from the Kodiak acquisition includes professional services and mapping revenue, which was included as part of our ICC.NET segment for fiscal year 2006, and EC outsourcing, which is a part of our EC Services segment. Due to the realignment of our product lines for fiscal year ended 2007, Kodiak’s professional services, mapping revenue and EC outsourcing are included in the EC Services segment. There was no goodwill recorded as a result of this acquisition. The results of operations of Kodiak are consolidated with the results of operations of the Company subsequent to the acquisition date. The acquisition of Kodiak was made to enhance the Company’s professional services offerings as well as expand the Company’s customer base. Acquired intangible assets are deductible for tax purposes.
3. Business Segment Information
The Company’s two reportable segments are:
· Electronic Commerce Solutions (“EC Solutions”) segment, which includes ICC.NET VAN services, browser-based and hosted applications, and desktop software; and
· Electronic Commerce Services (“EC Services”) segment, which is comprised of the EC Service center, EC outsourcing, mapping and professional services.
The Company changed its reportable segments as of August 1, 2006 to coincide with management’s realignment of the business operations to follow our service and product lines. The EC Solutions segment was formed to consolidate the services and products offered with direct or indirect connections to our VAN. The EC Services segment was formed and consolidates all of our professional, managed and outsourcing services. Specifically, professional service revenue and mapping revenue were moved from the old ICC.NET segment to the EC Services segment. Hosted applications and desktop software were moved to the EC Solutions segment from the old EC Service Bureau segment. The browser-based and hosted applications acquired from Enable were also added to the EC Solutions segment. In addition, the Company will no longer allocate 100% of its operating expenses to the reporting segments. Only those expenses that are directly related to the development and delivery of a reporting segment’s products and services will be allocated. The Company has restated the previous period’s reporting segments for comparability purposes between the periods.
The tables below summarize information about operations as of and for the three month periods ended October 31, 2006 and 2005.
| | EC Solutions | | EC Services | | Total | |
Three Months – October 31, 2006 | | | | | | | |
Revenues from external customers | | $ | 3,936,640 | | $ | 1,871,087 | | $ | 5,807,727 | |
Segment operating income | | $ | 2,371,602 | | $ | 789,310 | | $ | 3,160,912 | |
The following is a reconciliation of operating segment income to net income for the period ending October 31, 2006: |
Segment operating income | | | | | | $ | 3,160,912 | |
Corporate expenses | | | | | | (2,557,894 | ) |
Operating income | | | | | | 603,018 | |
Other income (expense), net | | | | | | 39,187 | |
Income before income taxes | | | | | | 642,205 | |
Income tax expense | | | | | | 67,607 | |
Net income | | | | | | $ | 574,598 | |
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| | EC Solutions | | EC Services | | Total | |
Three Months – October 31, 2005 | | | | | | | |
Revenues from external customers | | $ | 3,213,963 | | $ | 1,803,870 | | $ | 5,017,833 | |
Segment operating income | | $ | 2,131,633 | | $ | 829,290 | | $ | 2,960,923 | |
The following is a reconciliation of operating segments income to net income for the period ending October 31, 2005: |
Reportable segment income | | | | | | $ | 2,960,923 | |
Corporate expenses | | | | | | (2,221,082 | ) |
Operating income | | | | | | 739,841 | |
Other income (expense), net | | | | | | 6,970 | |
Income before income taxes | | | | | | 746,811 | |
Income tax expense | | | | | | 24,265 | |
Net income | | | | | | $ | 722,546 | |
4. RECENT ACCOUNTING PROCOUNCEMENTS
In July 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued FASB Interpretation No. 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes, an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109 (“FIN 48”). FIN 48 clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements in accordance with FASB Statement No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes. FIN 48 describes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return and also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition. FIN 48 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2006 and will be effective for the Company in fiscal 2008. The Company does not believe the impact of this new accounting interpretation will be material on its financial statements.
5. INCOME TAXES
A provision for income taxes has been provided for the three months ended October 31, 2006 and 2005 for estimated federal alternative minimum taxes and certain state income taxes, as the Company has sufficient net operating loss carryforwards to offset regular taxable income. As of October 31, 2006, the Company continues to maintain a valuation allowance against the total net deferred tax balance. The Company will continue to evaluate its prospects going forward. If the Company’s operations continue at current levels and future business projections indicate continued profitability, the Company will review the valuation allowance and may reverse, in the near future, a portion of the deferred tax asset valuation reserve.
9
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains a number of “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Specifically, all statements other than statements of historical facts included in this Quarterly Report regarding our financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to management. When used in this Report, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “hope,” “continue” and “intend,” and words or phrases of similar import, as they relate to our financial position, business strategy and plans, or objectives of management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current view with respect to future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions related to various factors including, without limitation, those factors discussed in Item 1 (Business) of Part I and Item 7 (Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations) of Part II of our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on October 30, 2006, Item 2 and Item 1A of Part II of our Quarterly Reports. You should carefully review those risks, as well as additional risks described in other documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Although we believe that our expectations are reasonable, we cannot assure you that our expectations will prove to be correct. Should any one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this Quarterly Report as anticipated, believed, estimated, expected or intended.
Overview
Internet Commerce Corporation creates, deploys and manages the secure and reliable electronic exchange of essential business documents. With our value added network (“VAN”), desktop software and hosted applications, managed services, consulting and professional services, we are a trusted provider of e-commerce solutions to connect businesses, regardless of their size and level of technical sophistication, with their trading communities. Thousands of customers, ranging from sole proprietorships to large corporations, in a variety of industries rely on the value delivered from ICC’s broad line of solutions, expertise and 24x7 customer service to help meet the unique requirements for trading partner compliance, coordination and collaboration.
We pioneered the use of the Internet for electronic data interchange (“EDI”) business-to-business (B2B) solutions and continue to lead as new technologies and requirements emerge for more efficient business communication. Organizationally, our two segments of business are known as the:
· EC Solutions segment, which includes ICC.NET VAN services, browser-based and hosted applications, and desktop software; and
· EC Services segment, whose operations primarily focus on facilitating the EDI communications of small and mid-sized businesses with their trading partners. The EC Services segment includes the EC Service center, EC Outsourcing, mapping and professional services.
These segments compliment one another and give us the ability to provide solutions to many different kinds of enterprises, from sole proprietorships to large corporations, operating in a variety of industries.
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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amount of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. We consider certain accounting policies related to revenue recognition, valuation of acquired intangibles and impairment of long-lived assets including goodwill, and valuation of investments to be critical policies due to the estimation process involved in each. Management discusses its estimates and judgments with the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors.
For a more detailed description on the application of these and other accounting policies, see Note 2 of the Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2006. Reference is also made to the discussion of the application of these critical accounting policies and estimates contained in Management’s Discussion and Analysis in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2006. During the three months ended October 31, 2006, there were no significant or material changes in the application of critical accounting policies that would require an update to the information provided in the Form 10-K for fiscal 2006.
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Three Months Ended October 31, 2006 Compared with Three Months Ended October 31, 2005.
Results of Operations – EC Solutions
Our EC Solutions segment uses the Internet and our proprietary technology to deliver our customers’ documents and data files to members of their trading communities. The following table summarizes operating results for our EC Solutions services for the three months ended October 31, 2006 and 2005:
| | Three Months Ended | | | | | |
| | October 31, | | Variance | |
| | 2006 | | 2005 | | $ | | % | |
Revenues: | | | | | | | | | |
Services | | $ | 3,936,640 | | $ | 3,213,963 | | 722,677 | | 22 | |
| | | | | | | | | |
Expenses: | | | | | | | | | |
Cost of services | | 951,632 | | 1,007,558 | | (55,926 | ) | (6 | ) |
Product development and enhancement | | 551,897 | | 30,831 | | 521,066 | | 1,690 | |
General and administrative | | 61,509 | | 43,941 | | 17,568 | | 40 | |
Total expenses | | 1,565,038 | | 1,082,330 | | 482,708 | | 45 | |
| | | | | | | | | |
Segment operating income | | $ | 2,371,602 | | $ | 2,131,633 | | 239,969 | | 11 | |
Revenues – EC Solutions – Revenue from EC Solutions segment was 68% of consolidated revenues for the quarter ended October 31, 2006 (“2007 Quarter”) compared to 64% for the quarter ended October 31, 2005 (“2006 Quarter”). EC Solutions revenues increased $723,000 for the 2007 Quarter compared to the 2006 Quarter, principally from the browser-based and hosted services revenue acquired from Enable.
Cost of services – EC Solutions – Cost of services relating to our EC Solutions segment was 24% of revenue from the EC Solutions services for the 2007 Quarter, compared to 31% for the 2006 Quarter. Total cost of services decreased $56,000 for the 2007 Quarter compared to the 2006 Quarter. Cost of services consists primarily of salaries and employee benefits, connectivity fees, amortization, allocation of product and development expenses and rent. This decrease was primarily the result of lower salary and benefit expenses of $35,000, a reduction in the cost of our telephone and connectivity fees of $74,000 offset by the royalty expense of $32,000 related to the hosting and browser-based revenue from the Enable acquisition.
Product development and enhancement - EC Solutions - Product development and enhancement costs relating to our EC Solutions segment consist primarily of salaries and employee benefits. Product development and enhancement costs increased $521,000 in the 2007 Quarter compared with the 2006 Quarter. This increase is related to the additional staff, consulting and rent expenses from the Enable operations.
General and administrative - EC Solutions - General and administrative expenses supporting our EC Solutions segment consist primarily of depreciation, telephone, and computer maintenance expenses. General and administrative costs increased $18,000 in the 2007 Quarter compared to the 2006 Quarter. The increase was mainly due to higher telephone expenses and computer maintenance costs.
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Results of Operations – EC Services
Our EC Services operations primarily focus on facilitating the EDI communications of small and mid-sized businesses with their trading partners through our EC Service center, E-Commerce outsourcing and professional services. The following table summarizes operating results for our EC Services segment for the three months ended October 31, 2006 and 2005:
| | Three Months Ended | | | | | |
| | October 31, | | Variance | |
| | 2006 | | 2005 | | $ | | % | |
Revenues: | | | | | | | | | |
Services | | $ | 1,871,087 | | $ | 1,803,870 | | 67,217 | | 4 | |
| | | | | | | | | |
Expenses: | | | | | | | | | |
Cost of services | | 907,660 | | 897,839 | | 9,821 | | 1 | |
Product development and enhancement | | 119,271 | | 72,152 | | 47,119 | | 65 | |
General and administrative | | 54,846 | | 4,589 | | 50,257 | | 1,095 | |
Total expenses | | 1,081,777 | | 974,580 | | 107,197 | | 11 | |
| | | | | | | | | |
Segment operating income | | $ | 789,310 | | $ | 829,290 | | (39,980 | ) | (5 | ) |
Revenue – EC Services – Revenue from our EC Services was 32% of consolidated revenues for the 2007 Quarter compared to 36% for the 2006 Quarter. The revenue increased $67,000 for the 2007 Quarter compared to the 2006 Quarter. This increase was a result of our recent acquisitions, including approximately $302,000 from our E-Commerce outsourcing and $198,000 from our professional services, offset by a reduction in revenue from our EC Service Center of approximately $434,000 primarily due to year over year customer attrition.
Cost of services – EC Services - Cost of services relating to our EC Services segment was 49% of revenue in the 2007 Quarter, compared to 50% in the 2006 Quarter. Cost of services consist primarily of salaries and employee benefits, amortization, connectivity fees and rent. As a result of an increase in amortization and rent expense at our EC Service center, cost of services increased $10,000 in the 2007 Quarter compared to the 2006 Quarter.
Product development and enhancement – EC Services - Product development and enhancement costs consist primarily of salaries and employee benefits. Product development and enhancement costs incurred by our EC Services segment increased $47,000 in the 2007 Quarter compared to the 2006 Quarter primarily as a result of increased headcount.
General and administrative – EC Services - General and administrative expenses relating to our EC Services segment consist primarily of office expenses, depreciation, computer maintenance expense, telephone and rent. General and administrative expenses incurred by our EC Services segment increased $50,000 in the 2007 Quarter compared to the 2006 Quarter. The increase was mainly related to higher depreciation and computer maintenance expenses related to recent investments in capital expenditures.
Corporate Expenses
Our Corporate expenses represent the general, administrative, corporate and executive expenses not directly related to our EC Solutions or EC Services segments. The following table summarizes operating expenses for our corporate expenses for the three months ended October 31, 2006 and 2005:
| | Three Months Ended | | | | | |
| | October 31, | | Variance | |
| | 2006 | | 2005 | | $ | | % | |
Expenses: | | | | | | | | | |
Product development and enhancement | | $ | 45,476 | | $ | — | | 45,476 | | — | |
Selling and marketing | | 519,957 | | 415,357 | | 104,600 | | 25 | |
General and administrative | | 1,992,461 | | 1,805,725 | | 186,736 | | 10 | |
Total expenses | | $ | 2,557,894 | | $ | 2,221,082 | | 336,812 | | 15 | |
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Product development and enhancement – Corporate – Product development and enhancement costs included in our Corporate expenses consist primarily of salaries and employee benefits. Product development and enhancement costs increased $45,000 in the 2007 Quarter compared to the 2006 Quarter. The increase is primarily a result of unallocable salary and benefit costs not directly related to the EC Solutions or EC Services segments.
Selling and marketing – Corporate - Selling and marketing costs included in our Corporate expenses consist primarily of salaries and employee benefits and amortization. Selling and marketing expenses increased $105,000 in the 2007 Quarter compared to the 2006 Quarter primarily due to the planned increase in our sales force headcount, commissions expense and a one-time training expense.
General and administrative – Corporate – General and administrative costs included in our Corporate expenses consist primarily of salaries and employee benefits, office expenses, legal and accounting expenses, depreciation, computer maintenance expenses, telephone and rent. General and administrative expenses increased $187,000 in the 2007 Quarter compared to the 2006 Quarter. The increase is primarily a result of higher legal and accounting fees of $85,000, an increase in non-cash compensation of $102,000 related to option expense, and an increase in depreciation and computer maintenance expense of $74,000, offset by a reduction of rent expense of $77,000.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our principal sources of liquidity, which consist of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents, increased to $7,933,000 as of October 31, 2006 from $6,989,000 as of July 31, 2006. We believe these resources will provide us with sufficient liquidity to continue in operation through October 31, 2007.
During the quarter ending October 31, 2006, 5,333 stock options were exercised resulting in the issuance of an equal number of shares of class A common stock for which we received $10,239.
During the quarter ending October 31, 2006, the holders of 25,000 warrants exercisable into the same number of shares of our class A common stock at $3.58 per share that were originally issued in a private placement that closed in October of 2001 voluntarily exercised their warrants, resulting in our receiving $89,500 in cash.
The Company has net operating loss carryforwards for tax purposes of approximately $71.9 million as of October 31, 2006. These carryforwards expire from 2011 to 2024.
The Internal Revenue Code and Income Tax Regulations contain provisions which limit the use of available net operating loss carryforwards in any given year should significant changes (greater than 50%) in ownership interests occur. Due to the private placement of series A preferred stock in April 1999, the net operating loss carryover of approximately $19.6 million incurred prior to the private placement is subject to an annual limitation of approximately $1.4 million until that portion of the net operating loss is utilized or expires. Due to a 100% ownership change of an acquired company in November 2000, the purchased net operating loss of approximately $6.5 million incurred prior to the ownership change is subject to an annual limitation of approximately $1.1 million until that portion of the net operating loss is utilized or expires. Additionally, this transaction created an ownership change for the Company as defined by IRC Section 382. As such, its net operating loss of approximately $49.4 million incurred prior to the ownership change is subject to an annual limitation of approximately $2.8 million until that portion of the net operating loss is utilized or expires. Finally, due to a 100% ownership change of an acquired company in June 2004, the purchased net operating loss of approximately $1.2 million incurred prior to the ownership change is subject to an annual limitation of approximately $128,000 until that portion of the net operating loss is utilized or expires.
Consolidated Working Capital
Consolidated working capital increased to $10,178,000 at October 31, 2006 from $8,985,000 at July 31, 2006. This increase was primarily due to an increase in cash of $944,000, an increase in accounts receivable of approximately $580,000 principally from the Enable acquisition, offset by an increase in accrued expenses of $402,000.
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Analysis of Cash Flows
Cash provided by operating activities was $935,000 in the three months ended October 31, 2006 compared to cash provided by operating activities of $693,000 in the three months ended October 31, 2005. Cash provided by operating activities in the three months ended October 31, 2006 resulted primarily from net income of $575,000, non-cash charges for depreciation and amortization of $493,000, non-cash charges for equity instruments issued for compensation and services of $280,000, and an increase in accrued expenses of $402,000, offset by an increase in accounts receivable of $660,000 and a decrease in accounts payable of $236,000. Cash provided by operating activities in the three months ended October 31, 2005 resulted primarily from net income of $723,000, non-cash charges for depreciation and amortization of $404,000, non-cash charges for equity instruments issued for compensation and services of $187,000, and an increase in accounts payable of $324,000, offset by an increase in accounts receivable of $370,000 and a decrease in accrued expenses of $479,000.
Cash used in investing activities decreased to $91,000 in the three months ended October 31, 2006 from $159,000 in the three months ended October 31, 2005. Cash used in investing activities in the three months ended October 31, 2006 resulted from the purchase of property and equipment of $71,000 and additional costs relating to acquisitions of $20,000. Cash used in investing activities in the three months ended October 31, 2005 resulted from the purchase of property and equipment of $94,000 and additional costs relating to acquisitions of $65,000.
Cash provided by financing activities was $100,000 in the three months ended October 31, 2006 compared to cash provided by financing activities of $164,000 in the three months ended October 31, 2005. Cash provided by financing activities in the three months ended October 31, 2006 was the result of proceeds from the exercise of employee stock options of $10,000 and proceeds from the exercise of warrants of $90,000. Cash provided by financing activities in the three months ended October 31, 2005 was the result of proceeds from the exercise of employee stock options of $164,000 offset by capital lease payments of $2,000.
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
We provide indemnifications of varying scope and amount to certain customers against claims of intellectual property infringement made by third parties arising from the use of our products and services. We evaluate estimated losses for such indemnification under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 5, Accounting for Contingencies, as interpreted by Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation No. 45, Guarantor’s Accounting and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others. We consider factors such as the degree of probability of an unfavorable outcome and the ability to make a reasonable estimate of the amount of loss. To date, we have not encountered material costs as a result of such obligations and have not accrued any material liabilities related to such indemnifications in our financial statements.
Contractual Obligations
Our contractual obligations are comprised of future minimum rental payments due under non-cancelable operating leases. The following table is a summary of our contractual obligations as of October 31, 2006:
Fiscal Year | | | | Amount | |
2007 | | $ | 1,188,056 | |
2008 | | $ | 1,524,649 | |
2009 | | $ | 1,429,073 | |
2010 | | $ | 1,188,485 | |
2011 | | $ | 335,924 | |
The minimum future rental payments have not been reduced by $2,900,291 of sublease rentals to be received in the future under non-cancelable subleases.
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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Interest Rate Risk
We may invest our cash in a variety of financial instruments. If invested, we account for our investment instruments in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 115, “Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity Securities” (“SFAS No. 115”). All of the cash equivalents and investments are treated as available-for-sale under SFAS No. 115. Investments that are classified as cash and cash equivalents have original maturities of three months or less. Investments in both fixed rate and floating rate interest earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. Fixed rate securities may have their fair market value adversely impacted due to a rise in interest rates, while floating rate securities may produce less income than expected if interest rates fall. Due in part to these factors, our future investment income may vary widely due to changes in interest rates, or we may suffer losses in principal if forced to sell securities that have seen a decline in market value due to changes in interest rates. For the quarter ended October 31, 2006, our cash investments consisted entirely of overnight cash sweep accounts invested in a fund composed primarily of triple A rated commercial paper and government agency bonds. As of October 31, 2006, the interest rate for this investment was 4.62%.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, has carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of October 31, 2006, as required by paragraph (b) of Exchange Act Rules 13(a)-15 and 15(d)-15. Based upon that evaluation, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer have concluded that as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures are effective. There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended October 31, 2006 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
On January 6, 2006 we filed a complaint for declaratory judgment in the United States Bankruptcy Court (the “Court”) naming Omega Liquidating Trust (“Omega”), the liquidating trust for the bankrupt Cable & Wireless USA (C&W USA), and Cable & Wireless PLC (C&W) as defendants (together the “Defendants”). We seek to have Omega declared the rightful owner of our series C preferred stock and of any of our shares of class A common stock that have been issued but not distributed as dividends of the series C preferred stock. On March 10, 2006, defendant C&W entered a motion in the court to dismiss the complaint for declaratory judgment for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, or in the alternative, abstention by the Court. A hearing was scheduled by the Court for oral arguments on the motion for July 13, 2006. On October 19, 2006, the Defendants filed a motion to have the suit dismissed as the result of a compromise settlement having been reached between the Defendants. The compromise names defendant Omega as owner of the disputed shares, but splits the proceeds from any sale of our stock fifty-fifty between the Defendants. An order approving the settlement was signed by the Court on November 7, 2006.
In May 2006, Internet Commerce Corporation, a Georgia corporation with the identical name as the Company (the “Plaintiff”), filed a lawsuit against the Company alleging claims for federal and state service mark infringement, federal unfair competition, dilution of service mark, unfair competition and deceptive trade practices and claims under the Georgia Deceptive Trade Practices Act based upon the Plaintiff’s claim that it has priority of the use of the services marks “Internet Commerce Corporation” and “ICC.” The Company settled all claims on August 4, 2006 by agreeing to change the Company’s name within twelve months of the settlement date and paying Plaintiff an immaterial amount to cover costs.
We are party to various legal proceedings and claims, either asserted or unasserted, which arise in the ordinary course of business. While the outcome of these matters cannot be predicted with certainty, we do not believe that the outcome of any of these claims or any of the above mentioned legal matters will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flow.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
The following Risk Factor disclosure updates the risk factors as disclosed in our 2006 Annual Report on Form 10-K previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Risks Relating to Our Company
We may not remain profitable in the future. We have incurred significant losses since the Company was founded in 1991, and, as of October 31, 2006, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $82.1 million. We realized profitability for the first time in the fiscal year ending July 31, 2005 and have remained so since. However, there can be no assurances that we may not incur losses again in the future.
We must continue to grow our business in order to remain competitive. Over the past year, the VAN business has remained significantly price competitive. Our major competitors appear to be restructuring their VAN operations to reduce their overhead and other costs to better compete against Internet-based networks such as our ICC.NET service. While we have been successful in maintaining our margins and we have increased the volume of data transmitted through our VAN, we have experienced price erosion in competing for larger customers. Although we expect to continue to add new customers and increase the volume of data transmitted through our service, we do not expect our revenue from VAN services to continue to grow as rapidly as in the past. If our revenues grow at a slower rate than we anticipate, or decrease and we are unable to adjust spending in a timely manner or if our expenses increase without commensurate increases in revenues, our operating results will suffer and we may again report losses.
If we are not successful in selling our products and services, our results of operations will suffer. While our primary focus in the past has been on growing our ICC.NET VAN service, we have attempted to diversify by acquiring Electronic Commerce Systems in June 2004, the MEC operations of Inovis International, Inc. in March 2005 and Enable Corp. in May 2006. However, the success of our services depends to a large extent on the future of business-to-business electronic commerce and our ability to effectively compete in the marketplace. In
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particular, our success depends on the number of customers that subscribe to our services, the volume of the data, documents or other information they send or retrieve and the price we are able to charge for these services in light of competitive pressures. In connection with the assimilation of our new customers acquired from the MEC operation and the Enable acquisition, we expect to see attrition to these newly acquired customer bases due to the seasonal trends, integration difficulties, and customer defections to alternative EDI solutions. As a result, a portion of our revenues may be adversely affected. While we are learning to manage these new customers, there is no assurance that we will accurately assess the trends of these new customers. Accordingly, the value of these new customers, the volume of our services subscribed by them and the possibility of payment collection may differ materially from our current expectation. Further, since our operating expense levels are based significantly on our expectations of future revenue, our inability to assess the trends may render us vulnerable in the case of a significant shortfall in revenues or orders from these new customers, in which case we may not be able to reduce our operating expenses quickly in response. Therefore, any significant shortfall in revenue or orders could have an immediate adverse effect on our operating results.
We may not be successful in competing against our competitors. We face a significant number of competitors, ranging from very large enterprises or divisions of very large companies to a number of relatively small organizations. These competitors are diverse in terms of their histories, business models, corporate strategies, financial strength, name recognition, company reputation, customer base and breadth of offerings. Many of our large competitors have more history, significantly greater financial resources, larger customer bases and more easily recognized names than we do. As a result, our competitors may be able to respond more quickly to changing technology and changes in customer requirements or be able to undertake more extensive marketing campaigns, adopt more aggressive pricing policies and make more attractive offers to potential customers and employees, or be able to devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of their services than we can. New competition is emerging in the form of web services networks, collaborative applications, application service providers, e-marketplaces and integration broker suites. We have enhanced our technologies to communicate with these web-based technologies. However, there can be no assurance that our product and service offerings will compete effectively and generate any significant revenues. We believe that the high cost of implementation and the ongoing costs of supporting a company’s trading partners may be a barrier to the wider acceptance of our new product offerings in the marketplace. As a result, we may not be successful in competing against our competitors.
If we are unable to maintain or replace our existing interconnect arrangements, our results of operations would suffer. We rely on many of our competitors to interconnect with our service to promote an “open community” so all businesses can take advantage of the efficiencies of EDI, no matter what network they choose as their provider. Although we have interconnect agreements with the major VAN providers, there can be no assurances that these agreements will not be terminated or will continue with acceptable terms. If terminated, we would have to find an acceptable alternative. If available, such an alternative could add significant operating costs to our business.
We must continue to develop new products and services. If we do not keep pace with rapid technological changes, customer demands and intense competition, we will not be successful. Our market is characterized by rapidly changing technology, customer demands and intense competition. The satisfactory performance, reliability and availability of our network infrastructure, customer support and document delivery systems and our web site are critical to our reputation and our ability to attract customers and maintain adequate customer service levels. If we cannot keep pace with these changes and maintain the performance and reliability of our network and customer service levels, our business will suffer. The intense competition in our industry requires us to continue to develop strategic business and Internet solutions that enhance and improve the customer service features, functions and responsiveness of our products and services and we must constantly keep pace with continuing changes in information technology and customer requirements. While we actively search for ways to expand our business and our products and services to keep pace with the rapidly changing technology, customer demands and intense competition, there can be no assurance that we will be able to keep pace with these changes. If we are not successful in developing and marketing enhancements to our products and services that respond to technological change or customer demands, our business will suffer.
We may need to obtain additional financing on satisfactory terms to continue to compete successfully. If we are unable to obtain necessary future capital, our business will suffer. We may need to raise additional funds if competitive pressures or technological changes are greater than anticipated, if we are unable to increase revenue at anticipated rates, if our expenses increase significantly or if our customers delay payment of our receivables or if we identify a suitable acquisition candidate that requires a cash outlay in order to complete the transaction. We cannot assure you that any additional financing will be available on reasonable terms or at all. Raising additional funds in
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the future by issuing securities could adversely affect our stockholders and negatively impact our publicly traded share price. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of debt securities, the holders of the debt securities will have a claim to our assets that will have priority over any claim of our stockholders. The interest on these debt securities would increase our costs and negatively impact our operating results. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for common stock, the percentage ownership of our then-existing stockholders will decrease and they may experience additional dilution. In addition, any convertible or exchangeable securities may have rights, preferences and privileges more favorable to the holders than those of the common stock.
Failure of our third-party providers to provide adequate Internet and telecommunications service could result in significant losses of revenue. Our operations depend upon third parties for Internet access and telecommunications service. Frequent or prolonged interruptions of these services could result in significant losses of revenues. We have experienced outages in the past and could experience outages, delays and other difficulties due to system failures unrelated to our internal activities in the future. These types of occurrences could also cause users to perceive our services as not functioning properly and therefore cause them to use other methods to deliver and receive information. We have limited control over these third parties and cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain satisfactory relationships with any of them on acceptable commercial terms or that the quality of services that they provide will remain at the levels needed to enable us to conduct our business effectively.
We may suffer systems failures and business interruptions that would harm our business. Our success depends in part on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our VAN service and Enable’s web hosting sites. Almost all of our network operating systems are located in third party co-location facilities. Although these facilities are designed to prevent operational interrupts, our systems are vulnerable to events such as damage from fire, power loss, telecommunications failures, break-ins and earthquakes. This could lead to interruptions or delays in our service, loss of data or the inability to accept, transmit and confirm customer documents and data. Although we have implemented network security measures, our servers may be vulnerable to computer viruses, electronic break-ins, attempts by third parties deliberately to exceed the capacity of our systems and similar disruptions.
If we are unable to successfully integrate acquisitions, our financial results will suffer. Our ability to implement our business plan successfully requires effective planning and strong execution skills. If we cannot manage the integration of anticipated acquisitions, our business and financial results will suffer. We expect that we will need to continue to manage and to expand multiple relationships with customers, Internet service providers and other third parties. We also expect that we will need to continually improve our financial systems, procedures and controls and will need to expand, train and manage our workforce, particularly our information technology and sales and marketing staffs.
If we lose our net operating loss carryforward of approximately $71.9 million, our financial results will suffer. Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code contains rules designed to discourage persons from buying and selling the net operating losses of companies. These rules generally operate by focusing on ownership changes among stockholders owning directly or indirectly 5% or more of the common stock of a company or any change in ownership arising from a new issuance of stock by a company. In general, the rules limit the ability of a company to utilize net operating losses after a change of ownership of more than 50% of its common stock over a three-year period. Purchases of our class A common stock in amounts greater than specified levels could create a limitation on our ability to utilize our net operating losses for tax purposes in the future. We are currently subject to certain limitations on the utilization of portions of our net operating loss carryforward.
If we cannot hire and retain highly qualified employees, our business and financial results will suffer. We are substantially dependent on the continued services and performance of our executive officers and other key employees. If we are unable to attract, assimilate and retain highly qualified employees, our management may not be able to effectively manage our business, exploit opportunities and respond to competitive challenges and our business and financial results will suffer. Many of our competitors may be able to offer more lucrative compensation packages and higher-profile employment opportunities than we can.
We depend on our intellectual property, which may be difficult and costly to protect. If we fail to adequately protect our proprietary rights, competitors could offer similar products relying on technologies we developed, potentially harming our competitive position and decreasing our revenues. We attempt to protect our intellectual property rights by limiting access to the distribution of our software, documentation and other proprietary information and by relying on a combination of copyright, trademark and trade secret laws. In addition, we enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees and certain customers, vendors and strategic partners. In some circumstances, however, we may, if required by a business relationship, provide our licensees with access to
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our data model and other proprietary information underlying our licensed applications. Despite the precautions we take, it may be possible for unauthorized third parties to copy aspects of our current or future products or to obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary. Policing unauthorized use of software is difficult, and some foreign laws do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as United States laws. Litigation may be necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others, any of which could be costly and adversely affect our operating results.
Intellectual property infringement claims against us could harm our business. It is possible our products and service may infringe upon the proprietary rights of others and other parties may assert infringement claims against us. Any such claims and any resulting litigation could subject us to significant liability for damages and could invalidate our proprietary rights. We could be required to enter into royalty and licensing agreements, which may be costly or otherwise burdensome or which may not be available on terms acceptable to us.
We must comply in the future with new and costly reporting requirements. Under current Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) regulations, we are considered a non-accelerated filer as our market capitalization as of January 31, 2006 was under $75 million. Under current SEC regulations, we will have to be compliant with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”) by July 31, 2007, although proposed rule changes would extend that date to July 31, 2008. The costs of implementing the requirements of the SOX have ranged from approximately $500,000 to over $1 million for smaller companies. Although we began our SOX compliance efforts, there can be no assurance that we can be in full compliance when required for reasonable costs.
Risks Relating to the Internet and Online Commerce Aspects of Our Business
If Internet usage does not continue to grow or if its infrastructure fails, our business will suffer. We cannot be certain that the infrastructure or complementary services necessary to maintain the Internet as a useful and easy means of transferring documents and data will continue to develop. The Internet infrastructure may not support the demands that growth may place on it and the performance and reliability of the Internet may decline.
Privacy concerns may prevent customers from using our services. Concerns about the security of online transactions and the privacy of users may inhibit the growth of the Internet as a means of delivering business documents and data. We may need to incur significant expenses to protect against the threat of security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by security breaches. We rely upon encryption and authentication technology to provide secure transmission of confidential information. If our security measures do not prevent security breaches, we could suffer operating losses, damage to our reputation, litigation and possible liability. Advances in computer capabilities, new discoveries in the field of cryptography or other developments that render current encryption technology outdated may result in a breach of our encryption and authentication technology and could enable an outside party to steal proprietary information or interrupt our operations.
Government regulation and legal uncertainties relating to the Internet could harm our business. Changes in the regulatory environment in the United States and other countries could decrease our revenues and increase our costs. The Internet is largely unregulated and the laws governing the Internet remain unsettled. It may take years to determine whether and how existing laws such as those governing intellectual property, privacy and taxation apply to the Internet. In addition, because of increasing popularity and use of the Internet, any number of laws and regulations may be adopted in the United States and other countries relating to the Internet or other online services covering issues such as user privacy, security, pricing and taxation, contents and distribution.
The cost of transmitting documents and data over the Internet could increase. We may not be able to increase our prices to cover these rising costs. Also, foreign and state laws and regulations relating to the provision of services over the Internet are still developing. If individual states or foreign countries impose taxes or laws that negatively impact services provided over the Internet, our cost of providing our ICC.NET and other services may increase.
Risks Relating to Our Class A Common Stock
The market price of our class A common stock is likely to be highly volatile. The market price of our class A common stock has been very volatile in the past, ranging from a low of $1.82 to a high of $4.66 during fiscal 2006 and is likely to fluctuate substantially in the future. If our class A common stock falls under $1.00 per share and fails to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 for 30 consecutive trading days, it may no longer be eligible for trading in the Nasdaq Capital Market, which would adversely affect the ability of investors to sell their shares of our class A common stock.
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Shares eligible for future sale by our existing stockholders may adversely affect our stock price making it difficult to sell class A common stock. Between January 1, 2003 and May 2006, we registered the resale under the Securities Act of 1933 of an aggregate of 10,676,141 shares of our class A common stock, which includes 3,016,917 shares of class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase shares of class A common stock and 192,307 shares of class A common stock issuable upon conversion of our series D preferred. The market price of our class A common stock could be materially and adversely affected by sales of even a small percentage of these shares or the perception that these sales could occur.
The market for our class A common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market may be illiquid, which would restrict the ability to sell shares of class A common stock and could result in increased volatility in the trading prices for our class A common stock. The price at which our class A common stock will trade in the future cannot be predicted and will be determined by the market. The price may be influenced by many factors, including investors’ perceptions of our business, our financial condition, operating results and prospects, the use of the Internet for business purposes and general economic and market conditions.
Our Board of Directors can issue preferred stock with rights adverse to the holders of class A common stock. Our Board of Directors is authorized, without further stockholder approval, to determine the provisions of and to issue up to 4,989,750 shares of preferred stock. Issuance of preferred shares with rights to dividends and other distributions, voting rights or other rights superior to the class A common stock could be adverse to the holders of class A common stock. In addition, issuance of preferred shares could have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing an unsolicited change in control of our company, or could impose various procedural and other requirements that could make it more difficult for holders of our class A common stock to effect certain corporate actions, including the replacement of incumbent directors and the completion of transactions opposed by the incumbent Board of Directors. The rights of the holders of our class A common stock would be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any preferred stock that may be issued in the future.
We may have to use significant resources indemnifying our officers and directors or paying for damages caused by their conduct. The Delaware General Corporation Law provides for broad indemnification by corporations of their officers and directors and permits a corporation to exculpate its directors from liability for their actions. Our bylaws and certificate of incorporation implement this indemnification and exculpation to the fullest extent permitted under this law as it currently exists or as it may be amended in the future. Consequently, subject to this law and to some limited exceptions in our certificate of incorporation, none of our directors will be liable to us or to our stockholders for monetary damages resulting from conduct as a director.
We might not be able to retire the series C preferred stock, the existence of which may pose an impediment to our future fund raising efforts. We believe the 4% annual dividend and the $10,000,000 liquidating preference of our series C preferred stock may inhibit our ability to raise capital. In 2005, we began discussions with Cable & Wireless, PLC (“C&W”), the purported owner of the series C preferred stock, about buying back the series C preferred stock. As these discussions progressed, we realized that there was substantial evidence that the series C preferred stock was originally issued to Cable & Wireless USA (“C&W USA”), a formerly wholly-owned subsidiary of C&W that filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States on December 8, 2003. On January 6, 2006 we filed a complaint for declaratory judgment in the United States Bankruptcy Court (the” Court”) naming Omega Liquidating Trust (“Omega”) and C&W as defendants. We sought to have Omega, as the liquidating trust for the bankrupt C&W USA, declared the rightful owner of our series C preferred stock and of any of our shares of class A common stock that have been issued but not distributed as dividends of the series C preferred stock. Omega and C&W reached a settlement agreement on October 19, 2006. An order approving the settlement was signed by the Court on November 7, 2006. The compromise names defendant Omega as owner of the disputed shares, but splits the proceeds from the potential sale of our series C preferred stock or class A common stock issued as dividends fifty-fifty between the Defendants. Even though ownership has been established, we cannot be assured that we will be able to reach acceptable terms with Omega for the repurchase of our series C preferred stock or that some other entity may purchase the series C preferred stock.
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Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
On October 27, 2006, we issued a total of 25,000 shares of class A common stock in consideration for an aggregate price of $89,500 or $3.58 per share, in a private placement transaction. These shares were issued upon the exercise of outstanding warrants issued in 2001 in connection with a private placement of the class A common stock.
The Company intends to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes. The Company relied on the exemptions from registration requirements provided by Section 4(2) and Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, for the issuance and sale of the shares of class A common stock upon the exercise of the warrants.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None. As the result of the settlement described in Part II, Item 1. Legal Proceedings on page 17 the certificate for all past declared dividends has been issued.
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
None.
Item 5. Other Information
None.
Item 6. Exhibits
31.1 | Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
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31.2 | Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
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32.1 | Certification of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.* |
* In accordance with Release No. 34-47986, this Exhibit is hereby furnished to the SEC as an accompanying document and is not deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
Date: December 14, 2006 | |
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| INTERNET COMMERCE CORPORATION |
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| By: | /s/ Thomas J. Stallings |
| | Thomas J. Stallings |
| | Chief Executive Officer |
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| By: | /s/ Glen E. Shipley |
| | Glen E. Shipley |
| | Chief Financial Officer |
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EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit No. | | Document |
Exhibit 31.1 | | Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
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Exhibit 31.2 | | Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
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Exhibit 32.1 | | Certification of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002* |
*In accordance with Release No. 34-47986, this Exhibit is hereby furnished to the SEC as an accompanying document and is not deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933.
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