SEC Company Response from DSS, INC. (DSS) (CIK 0000771999) (DSS) — Sep 11, 2008
DSS, INC. (DSS) (CIK 0000771999)
Date: Sept. 11, 2008 · CIK: 0000771999 · Accession: 0001144204-08-052392
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
Referenced dates: August 13, 2008
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CORRESP
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September
11, 2008
VIA
EDGAR
Securities
and Exchange Commission
100
F
Street, NE
Washington,
D.C. 20549
Attention:
Kari
Jin
Kathleen
Collins
Re:
Document
Security Systems, Inc. (the “Company”)
Form
10-K for Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2007 Filed March 17,
2008
Dear
Staff:
On
behalf
of Document Security Systems, Inc., this letter responds to the comments of
the
staff (the “Staff”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”)
to the filing of the above-referenced annual report (the “Filing”), which were
included in the Staff’s letter dated August 13, 2008 (the “Staff Letter”).
In
this
letter, we have reproduced your comments and have followed each comment with
our
response. The numbered paragraphs of this letter set forth below correspond
to
the numbered paragraphs of the Staff Letter. References in the responses to
“we,” “our,” “Company” or “us” mean Document Security Systems, Inc.
1.
We
note your response to prior comment 2 where you indicate that the
decision
to capitalize the Company’s patent defense costs was based on the
assumption that the patent infringement lawsuit against the ECB will
ultimately be successful. Please explain further the following regarding
your assessment of success:
·
Describe,
in detail, specific compelling evidence you relied on at the outset
of
your infringement case to support your assertion that it is probable
the
Company will prevail in the
case.
Response:
The
evidence that supports our case is extensive, with many of the documents being
very technical and/or subject to attorney-client privilege or only
understandable to those knowledgeable in the art of printing. As a summary,
the
Company’s confidence in the ultimate success of our case is based on two basic
facts.
First,
the Company’s case is based on a relationship of the inventor of the Company’s
patent, and the inventor’s predecessors, with various representatives of
European currency printers, consultants, and other participants during the
late
1990’s in regard to the industry’s attempts to defeat new advanced levels of
copier and scanning technologies that were then emerging in the marketplace.
The
inventor of the DSS’s patent had a proven history of success in
anti-counterfeiting technology, and was seen as a source for these industry
participants to help solve these challenges. The Company believes that it can
establish a direct link between these communications and the unauthorized use
of
the technology by these industry participants in the design and production
of
the Euro, which was designed in the late 1990’s and was initially released for
circulation in 2002.
Prior
to
filing the case, we completed transactions with several persons and entities
who
had owned various degrees of economic rights associated with any proceeds from
a
successful litigation action associated with the infringement of several
patents, including the patent at issue in our case against the European
Central Bank (“ECB”). We entered into these transactions with the specific
purpose of pursuing litigation against infringers of these patents, based on
our
analysis of the potential infringement situations, and our understanding of
the
historical relationship between the inventors and the potentially infringing
parties.
In
addition, prior to filing the ECB litigation, the Company consulted
extensively with legal counsel and experts and performed extensive due diligence
with our legal counsel and experts for approximately one year to analyze
the merits of our patent infringement case, and only after these efforts did
we
take our legal counsel’s and experts’ recommendation to proceed with the ECB
Litigation.
The
costs of this work was expensed as incurred. During this time, the
Company,
its
legal counsel, and various industry experts concluded that the Company’s
patented solutions for creating a moire effect in copied documents are evident
in very specific areas of the artwork on the various Euro banknotes. These
areas
of artwork contain printed lines in the exact frequencies and configurations
that our inventor discovered and patented as the method to create distractions
in a copied version of the note. Furthermore, these lines have no artistic
or
other value, other than as an anti-counterfeiting measure, as they do not adhere
to the depth and the dimensions of the art. (i.e.- the design of a bridge which
does not adhere to dimensional rules for the specific purpose of containing
lines in the banknote that are at the same frequencies and configurations of
the
Company’s patent).
This
was
part of the evidence that led the Company’s legal counsel, McDermott, Will &
Emery LLP (“MWE”), to express confidence in the Company’s infringement case.
While much of the communications between the Company and MWE are subject to
attorney-client privilege, the following quote was provided by MWE for inclusion
in a press release issued by the Company on March 30, 2006, which was filed
with
the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form 8-K on March 30, 2006, and
therefore is not subject to attorney-client privilege:
Larry
Cohen of the law firm McDermott Will & Emery UK LLP, representing DSSI in
the lawsuit, said "We have reviewed the ECB’s prior art and other submissions
and we are confident that we can prevail. The ECB will have to persuade the
various European Courts to overturn the Technical Board of Appeal of the
European Patent Office’s previous ruling as well as explain how a 1979 Swiss
bank note was designed with a device to show up digitally scanned material
using
color copiers and digital scanners when we understand there were none in
existence at that time. We welcome their filing since now we know what they
will
be throwing at us and we believe we can deal with it.”
This
quote of Larry Cohen is consistent with advice provided by MWE prior to and
after the filing of the lawsuit by the Company. The Company views the
willingness of a firm such as MWE to publicly state its confidence in the case
as out of the ordinary and an indicia of the strength of the case. MWE’s
confidence in the case was a factor in the Company determining that it would
likely be successful in the litigation.
2
Taking
into account the above-referenced information and upon advise of legal counsel
and experts in the field prior to the filing of the lawsuit, the Company
determined that it had a valid patent and that the defendant’s products
contained the technology on an unauthorized basis in an infringing manner.
Accordingly, the Company was confident at the outset of its case that it would
prevail.
·
Tell
us how you applied this evidence when you -initially
began deferring the patent defense costs
and
how you concluded on a continuing basis that success of the infringement
case was probable. Describe any material changes in circumstances,
assumptions, or factors considered throughout the process and their
impact
on your probability
assessment.
Response:
We
based
our decision to defer the costs associated with this case on the principal
that
successful patent defense costs are capitalizable. Based on the evidence
described above, and the advice of our counsel and experts, we have believed
from the outset of this case that we will be able to prove in court that the
ECB
infringed our patent on its Euro notes by using our technology in the design
of
the notes for the specific purpose of making the notes difficult to copy, and
therefore our infringement case would be successful.
Since
the
case was filed, the Company has not seen any evidence from the ECB that
specifically addresses the Company’s infringement assertions. Thus far in the
case, the ECB’s efforts in response to the suit has been a) challenge the
patent’s validity, and b) challenge the jurisdiction of the infringement suit.
These tactics have made the case more expensive and time consuming than
originally forecasted by the Company.
The
most
significant events in the case since it was filed have been the challenges
of
patent validity by the ECB. The Company believes that the ECB’s challenge of
patent validity represents the biggest hurdle to a successful outcome. To date,
there have been two adverse rulings and two positive rulings in regard to the
patent’s validity. As described below and in our previous response to the Staff,
the European court system for patent disputes is unique as it separates
jurisdiction to its member states despite a having unified patent application
and approval system. As a case in point, on March 26, 2007, the Company’s patent
was deemed invalid in the United Kingdom and then on the immediately following
day, on
March
27, 2007, the Company’s patent was ruled as valid in Germany. In addition, on
January 9, 2008 the French Court held that the patent was invalid in France
for
the same reasons given by the English Court. On March 12, 2008 the Dutch Court,
having considered the English, German and French decisions, ruled that the
Patent is valid in the Netherlands.
In
addition, all of the technical aspects of the patent were deemed valid by every
European court that has ruled on the validity of the patent, including the
Franch and UK courts. The only validity issue of the patent that the French
and
UK courts ruled against us was a patent procedural process called “added
matter”, which is subjective in nature. Therefore, the Company was successful in
all courts on the technical merits of the patent (obviousness, prior art, etc.)
The courts in Germany and the Netherlands held that the “added matter” was
procedurally proper, as well as approving all technical aspects of the patent.
The importance of the technical aspects of the patent will weigh more in the
forthcoming infringement trials as our experts and the courts have all agreed
that the patent meets all technical requirements.
When
we
assess the impact of these decisions, the Company understands that the adverse
rulings on validity mean that the Company will not be able to file infringement
lawsuits in those jurisdictions, and assessed these material changes in its
analysis of the potential proceeds of its case. Had the Company experienced
its
loss in the United Kingdom in a reporting period prior to its win in Germany,
then the Company would have considered the need to record an impairment on
its asset. However, the win in Germany, which has the largest volume of
circulation of the European banknotes, had a significant positive impact on
the
Company’s analysis of cash flows associated with the case. Furthermore, the
Company understands that a successful infringement ruling in any one of the
jurisdictions of the European Union will have a similar impact as if the Company
was successful in all of the jurisdictions of the case, since the ECB would
have
to either remove the technology from its banknotes, produce different banknotes
depending on the jurisdiction in which the banknote is circulated or pay a
licensing fee to continue to use the Company’s patented technology. The Company
believes that if it is successful in its litigation against the ECB, the ECB
would address the going-forward use of the Company’s technology in its
banknotes, either through a license or settlement, regardless if the Company
wins in one jurisdiction or all nine. Regardless of the ECB’s decision on how to
address a going-forward usage of the Company’s technology, if the Company is
successful in its litigation against the ECB, a court would impose damages
on
the ECB for prior, unauthorized usage of the Company’s patent.
3
Furthermore,
as the case has progressed, the Company has recently received an opinion by
another expert - this expert based in Germany, where the patent has been
held valid, and
applying German law - that supports its infringement claims. In addition, the
Company has recently entered into an agreement with a third party investor
which
will provide significant funds towards the pursuit of the Company’s current and
future validity and infringement claims in exchange for 50% of the gross
proceeds. The Company filed a Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on August 20, 2008 describing this transaction. Prior to entering
into this agreement, the investor and its legal team performed significant
due
diligence into the merits of the Company’s case, including extensive discussions
with the Company’s legal team, experts, and others involved in the case. The
Company believes that the decision of the investor to put forth substantial
resources into the case further supports the Company’s belief that it will be
successful in its case.
·
Explain
further how the Company determined that victories on the validity
trials
in certain jurisdictions are “strong indicators” that you will be
successful in the infringement case and how you determined the probability
of such success. Further tell us how your analysis for probability
of
success is impacted when you lose the validity cases in other
jurisdictions.
Response:
As
discussed above, the Company believes that it will be able to prove infringement
of its patent. Overcoming the hurdles of the validity challenges are a threshold
issue to allow the Company to move to trial on infringement. As described above,
the Company believes that its infringement case needs only to be successful
in
only one of the ECB’s jurisdictions in order to successfully extend the economic
benefits of the patent, and as a result, losing one or more validity cases
does
not impact the Company’s assessment that it will be successful in its
infringement suit in the jurisdictions where its patent has been held valid
(i.e., Germany and The Netherlands to date). The effect of success in any of
these jurisdictions or others will have the same impact as if the European
Union
has a unified patent court system. The loss of a