UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
[X] ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004
Commission file number 0-21221

Microvision, Inc.
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19910 North Creek Parkway
Bothell, Washington 98011-3008
(425) 415-6847
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Common Stock, par value $0.001
(Title of class)
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
¨Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K, or any amendment to this Form 10-K.
¨Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes x No
¨The aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2004 was approximately $175,047,000 (based on the closing price for the registrant's Common Stock on the Nasdaq National Market of $8.40 per share).
The number of shares of the registrant's Common Stock outstanding as of March 1, 2005 was 21,481,000.
Documents Incorporated by Reference
Portions of the registrant's definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A in connection with the Registrant's Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on June 30, 2005 are incorporated herein by reference into Part III of this report.
Microvision, Inc.
2004 ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Part I. |
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Item 1. |
Description of Business | |
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Item 2. |
Properties | |
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Item 3. |
Legal Proceedings | |
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Item 4. |
Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders | |
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Part II. |
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Item 5. |
Market for Registrant's Common Stock and Related Stockholder Matters | |
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Item 6. |
Selected Financial Data | |
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Item 7. |
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | |
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Item 7a. |
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risks | |
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Item 8. |
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data | |
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Item 9. |
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure | |
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Item 9A. |
Controls and Procedures | |
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Item 9B. |
Other Information | |
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Part III. |
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Item 10. |
Directors and Executive Officers | |
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Item 11. |
Executive Compensation | |
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Item 12. |
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters | |
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Item 13. |
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions | |
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Item 14. |
Principal Accounting Fees and Services | |
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Part IV. |
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Item 15. |
Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules | |
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Signatures |
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Portions of the registrant's definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A in connection with the Registrant's Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on June 30, 2005 are incorporated herein by reference into Part III of this report.
PART I
Preliminary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The information set forth in this report in Item 1 "Description of Business" and in Item 7 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and is subject to the safe harbor created by that section. Such statements may include, but are not limited to, projections of revenues, income or loss, capital expenditures, plans for product development and cooperative arrangements, future operations, financing needs or plans of the Company, as well as assumptions relating to the foregoing. The words "believe," "expect," "will," "anticipate," "estimate," "target," "project," "plan," and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statement was made. Certain factors that realistically could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements are set forth in Item 1 "Description of Business - Risk Factors Related to the Company's Business."
ITEM 1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS
Overview
The company has historically included both Microvision, Inc. ("Microvision" or the "Company") and Lumera Corporation ("Lumera"), a subsidiary that was consolidated prior to July 2004. In July 2004, Lumera completed an initial public offering of its common stock. After July 2004, due to the change in ownership percentage, Microvision changed to the equity method of accounting for its investment in Lumera. Microvision designs and markets information display and image capture products.
Scanned Beam Displays
Microvision is producing and selling the Nomad® Expert Technician System, a wireless, wearable computer with a head-worn see-through display. Microvision introduced this second generation version of the Nomad Augmented Vision System in March 2004 and is initially targeting the automotive repair market and military applications. Microvision has also developed prototype color scanned beam displays, including hand-held, head-worn and projection versions, and is currently refining and further developing its scanned beam display technology for potential automotive, defense, aerospace, industrial, medical and consumer applications. Microvision believes the scanned beam display technology may be useful in a variety of applications, including mobile communications, head-up displays for vehicles, entertainment and consumer displays, and computing and visual simulation applications. Microvision expects that, in contrast to display solutions that use non- scanning technologies, its scanned beam display technology will enable the production of high quality displays that are small and lightweight, use low power, can be held or worn comfortably, and are competitively priced.
Microvision's scanned beam technology includes proprietary technology it has developed, technology licensed from other companies and the Virtual Retinal Display ™ technology licensed from the University of Washington.
Image Capture Devices
Microvision also sells the Flic® Laser Bar Code Scanner, a hand-held bar code scanner that uses its proprietary scanning technology. Microvision has introduced a Bluetooth wireless version, the Flic Cordless Laser Bar Code Scanner. Microvision believes that the basic scanning components of the scanned beam display technology may also be used to develop image capture products, such as miniature high-resolution laser cameras and 2D bar code readers that may have higher performance and lower cost than those currently available.
Technology
Microvision's scanned beam display technology is fundamentally different from existing commercialized display technologies in that it uses a fast-moving beam of light to create an image. By continuously scanning a rapidly moving low power beam of light, the scanned beam display creates a high resolution, full motion image in the eye or on an intermediate screen.
The drive electronics of the scanned beam display acquire and process signals from the image or data source to control and synchronize the color mix and placement. Color pixels are generated by modulated red, green and blue light sources. The intensity of each of the light sources is varied to generate a complete palette of colors and shades. Optical elements direct the beam of light into the viewer's eye or onto an intermediate screen. The pixels are arranged by a horizontal scanner motion that sweeps the light beam to place the pixels into a row and a vertical scanner motion that moves the light beam up/downward where successive rows of pixels are drawn. This process is continued until an entire field of rows has been placed and a full image appears to the user.
The scanned beam technology can be used to create an augmented vision display that allows the user to annotate the user's normal view with electronically displayed information. The user is able to retain full binocular vision and full hand-eye coordination while having electronic information displayed on the user's field of view. The image, in the form of light, is directed to the eye in much the same way as light is commonly reflected from our natural environment. With the scanned beam technology, an image can be overlaid on a user's field of view.
The scanned beam display technology can also be used to achieve a more conventional front or rear projection display. The screen may be transparent, providing the user with a head-up display capability and overlaying the digital information on the view of the outside world. Projection could be used for head-up display applications that demand high brightness, high-resolution and long life in a rugged environment, such as automotive displays. Scanned beam display technology could also be incorporated into other products such as video projectors, large-screen monitors, or rear-projection televisions.
Display Components
Scanned beam display technology consists of the following primary components:
Scanners. To produce an image, a horizontal and a vertical scanner or a single micro-electro- mechanical system ("MEMS") bi-axial scanner directs the light beam that creates the image. Microvision currently uses these scanners in Nomad products and in other prototype displays. Microvision expects to continue development to reduce the size, cost and power consumption of the bi-axial MEMS scanner for use in miniature displays.
Continued development of the scanning sub-system will be required to allow scanning capability to meet standard video formats, including high definition television, HDTV, as well as new digital video standards.
Optics. For applications where the scanned beam display is to be worn, it is desirable to have an exit pupil (the range within which the viewer's eye can move and continue to see the image) of 10 to 15 millimeters. Microvision has developed optics and system designs that produce exit pupils up to 15 millimeters. Additional design and engineering of the optics and systems designs will improve Microvision's competitive position for commercial applications. Microvision has refined optics designs for both monocular (one-eye) and biocular (two-eye) systems. Microvision also has developed a full binocular system, which incorporates two separate video channels (one for each eye) to provide the user with full stereoscopic viewing of three-dimensional imagery. Microvision's ongoing optics development is directed at the creation of optical systems that exhibit lower distortion, are lighter weight and are more cost-effective to manufacture than previous optical systems.
Light Sources. The light source creates the light beam that paints the image on a screen or on the viewer's eye. In a full-color scanned beam display, red, green and blue light sources are modulated and mixed to generate the desired color and brightness. Low power solid-state lasers, laser diodes and light-emitting diodes are suitable light sources for the scanned beam display. Blue and green solid-state lasers are currently available but are useful only for scanned beam display applications where cost and size are less important. Miniaturized laser diodes are commercially available in red, and a number of companies are developing blue laser diodes in anticipation of high volume consumer electronics applications. Miniaturized light-emitting diodes are less expensive and consume less power than laser diodes. Microvision is working with companies that have developed custom red, blue and green light-emitting diodes that provide sufficient brightness for many scanned beam display applications. Microvision has built working prototype full- color scanned beam displays with these light-emitting diodes.
Microvision expects to continue using laser diodes for augmented vision and projection display applications that require enhanced brightness. Microvision intends to rely on third party developments or to contract with other companies to continue development of the desired wavelengths of blue and green laser diodes.
Drive Electronics. The drive electronics of the scanned beam display are the components that convert an image to a signal to drive the light sources and scanner to create the image. Microvision has identified three areas where additional development of the drive electronics is necessary:
Human Factors, Ergonomics and Safety
As part of its research and development activities, Microvision conducts ongoing research on the cognitive, physiological and ergonomic factors that must be addressed by products incorporating the scanned beam display technology and the safety of scanned beam display technology, including such issues as the maximum permissible laser exposure limits established by American National Standards Institute ("ANSI") and others. Researchers from the University of Washington Human Interface Technology Lab and other independent institutions have concluded that laser exposure to the eye resulting from use of the scanned beam displays under normal operating conditions would be below the calculated maximum permissible exposure level set by ANSI. The Nomad display has been certified as a Class 1 laser product ("safe for eye viewing") by Underwriters Laboratories.
Products
Nomad
In March 2004, Microvision introduced a new version of the Nomad System. The Nomad Expert Technician System, ("Nomad") is a hands free wearable computer with a head worn display that enables technicians and other mobile workers to overlay relevant information on their task thereby reducing task time. The new version is about 40% smaller, lighter and costs less to manufacture than the prior version. Microvision is working closely with automotive companies to develop the Nomad for automotive maintenance applications. In maintenance applications, the automotive technician uses the Nomad to provide repair instructions and other information directly in his or her field of view while he or she is performing the repair. The Nomad functions as a wireless thin client computer and is linked to a remote server computer. In trials, technicians using the Nomad have reported substantial efficiency gains in performing repairs.
The U.S. Army has deployed 100 Nomad systems in the US Army's Stryker Brigade Combat Team in Iraq. The helmet-mounted Nomad Augmented Vision System provides the vehicle commander with a head- up, daylight-readable, remote display from the Stryker vehicle's onboard battlefield computer while allowing the commander to operate from the hatch opening. The Nomad allows the commander to observe the surroundings, while choosing the optimum path ahead, commanding the vehicle and using tactical information.
Microvision is producing Nomad at its headquarters facility in Washington State. Microvision is distributing the Nomad to end customers in the United States through its sales force, through independent manufacturers' representatives and through original equipment manufacturers. Microvision is also selling Nomad in Europe and Asia through a small number of independent manufacturer's representatives.
Microvision believes Nomad will compete with other products that bring information to the point of task, including laptop and notebook computers, tablet computers, and personal digital assistants. These other devices must be held, wrist mounted, or placed on a stationary object to be used and the user must look away from the task to get information. In contrast, the Nomad is head-worn (i.e. hands free) and allows images to be painted on the viewer's eye with no screen to block the viewer's field of vision. Other companies are marketing head-worn displays, but the displays are generally occluded and typically provide a fraction of the full-page view provided by the Nomad. Microvision believes that Nomad provides higher brightness, higher resolution, and higher contrast than competing devices and provides true "see through" capability with lower power consumption. Microvision also believes that the manufacturing cost of Nomad and potential future displays using its scanned beam display technology could be less than that of competing technologies, due principally to the lower cost of scanned beam display components and lower capital investment to build high volume manufacturing capacity compared to other technologies.
Flic
Microvision sells the Flic Scanner, a hand held laser bar code scanner and the Flic Cordless Scanner, a Bluetooth version of the Flic Scanner. All Flic Scanners feature a proprietary design that provides for lower power consumption and total operating cost than many other bar code scanners currently available. Microvision expects that the sales volume for Flic Scanner will grow as potential customers complete their trials and application developers release solutions incorporating Flic Scanners.
Flic Scanners are manufactured for Microvision by a contract manufacturer located in Batam, Indonesia. Microvision distributes branded and private-labeled Flic Scanners directly to end users through value added resellers, original equipment manufacturers and phone and internet orders.
The bar code scanning industry is highly competitive. Flic Scanners compete with existing laser wand and CCD imager scanners produced by established bar code scanner companies. Flic Scanners compete on the basis of price, form factor, and performance. The bar code industry is dominated by Symbol Technologies, which sells products that directly compete with the Flic and Flic cordless products.
Image capture
Microvision is applying its scanned beam and other proprietary technology to develop products that capture images and other information. Such products include bar code readers and miniature high-resolution "laser cameras". In December 2004, Microvision entered into an agreement with Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc. a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson to integrate Microvision's scanned beam technology into certain medical products for human medical applications. Under the agreement, Microvision is developing prototype units that will be used in product evaluation. The agreement includes terms for product development and a supply agreement for certain products.
Microvision believes that certain components of the scanned beam technology can also be used to develop two-dimensional bar code readers as well as high resolution laser cameras that have cost and performance advantages over existing imaging technologies for certain applications.
Automotive Head-Up Displays
During 2004, Microvision continued to improve upon its prototype automotive head-up displays for automotive companies and Tier 1 suppliers to automotive companies. These head-up displays use scanners, light sources and electronic components similar to those in the Nomad display, but use optics that are unique for this head-up display application. These prototypes demonstrate that scanned beam display technology can be used in a head-up display that projects a day-light or night- light readable image onto the windscreen of an automobile to provide the vehicle operator with a variety of information related to the car's operation. Microvision believes that it can further develop these prototypes into products that will meet the automotive companies' specifications for size, brightness, image quality and cost. Microvision plans to continue this sponsored research and development work in 2005.
Microdisplays
Microvision continues to develop color prototype microdisplays that could be integrated into an electronic viewfinder in a digital still camera, a digital video camera or a cell phone. Microvision continues to reduce the size, cost and power requirements of its prototype microdisplays. Microvision believes that the advances in the scanned beam display technology that are achieved for the microdisplay platform will migrate to Nomad and other products resulting in lower cost. Microvision is performing sponsored and internally funded research and development to improve the performance and reduce the cost of its color microdisplay product development.
Business Strategy
Microvision's objective is to be a leading provider of personal display and imaging products and technologies for a broad range of professional and consumer applications. Key elements of Microvision's strategy to achieve this objective include:
Strategic Partnering to Extend Marketing and Technical Reach
Microvision's key technologies have applications in several markets and products. Microvision has contracted with, and plans to continue to pursue, strategic partners who can provide resources and services that otherwise would require substantial time and additional cost for Microvision to develop independently. Microvision will select strategic partners to provide support depending on the specific requirements of markets and products. Examples of activities that Microvision plans to continue to pursue through strategic partnering are:
Engineering Services to Develop Custom Products. Microvision expects that some customers will require unique designs for displays. Microvision expects that such relationships will generally involve a period of co-development during which engineering and marketing professionals from potential customers or original equipment manufacturers would work with Microvision's technical staff to specify, design and develop a product appropriate for the targeted market and application. Microvision would charge fees to its customers or original equipment manufacturers to fund the costs of the engineering effort incurred on such development projects. The nature of the relationships with such customers or original equipment manufacturers may vary from partner to partner depending on the proposed specifications for the scanned beam technology, the product to be developed, and the customers' or original equipment manufacturers' design, manufacturing and distribution capabilities. Microvision believes that by limiting its own direct manufacturing investment for consumer products, it will reduce the capital requirements and risks inherent in taking the scanned beam technology to the consumer market.
Manufacture and Sale of High Performance Products. Microvision anticipates providing high performance products to professional end-users in markets with lower product volume requirements. Microvision expects that end-users in this category will include professionals in defense, industry and medicine. Depending upon the circumstances, Microvision may manufacture these products using standard component suppliers and contract manufacturers as required, may license its technology to original equipment manufacturers or may seek to form one or more joint ventures to manufacture the products.
Sale of Components or "Engines" of Scanning Technology. Certain potential applications of the scanned beam display technology, such as electronic viewfinders, cellular phones or two-dimensional bar code readers could require integration of Microvision's technology with other unrelated technologies. In markets requiring high volume production of scanned beam components or subsystems that can be integrated with other components, Microvision may provide designs for components, subsystems and systems to original equipment manufacturers under licensing agreements.
Licensing of Proprietary Technology to Original Equipment Manufacturers for Volume Manufacture of Products. Microvision believes that, in consumer markets, the ability of personal display products to compete effectively is largely driven by the ability to price aggressively for maximum market penetration. Significant economies of scale in volume purchasing, manufacturing and distribution are important factors in driving costs down to achieve pricing objectives and profitability. Microvision may seek both initial license fees from such arrangements as well as ongoing per unit royalties.
Platform Model to Leverage Core Technologies and Components
Microvision is developing the scanned beam display technology as a platform technology. Microvision believes that modularized scanning components or subsystems could be integrated with a variety of other interchangeable system components to more efficiently create a wide range of commercial and defense products. Such products could use the same platform scanning component or subsystem but would be configured for a particular application by using other interchangeable system components. Microvision has currently identified the following key product categories that could benefit from further modular scanning component development:
For example, products in any of these categories could utilize a common MEMS scanner to direct the beam of light. A wearable Nomad display and a projection display could use the same MEMS scanner combined with different optics, light source or drive electronics components. Microvision believes that this leverage of the MEMS scanner with other components will allow greater economies of scale in its fabrication.
Development of an Intellectual Property Portfolio
Microvision believes that it can enhance its competitive position by reducing the cost and improving the performance of its scanned beam technology and by developing an extensive portfolio of intellectual property and proprietary rights. A key part of Microvision's technology development strategy includes developing and protecting (i) concepts relating to the function, design and application of the scanned beam display system; (ii) component technologies and integration techniques essential to the commercialization of the scanned beam display technology that are expected to reduce the cost and improve the performance of the system; and (iii) component technologies and integration techniques that reduce technical requirements and accelerate the pace of commercial development. Microvision is continuing to develop a portfolio of patents and proprietary processes and techniques that relate directly to the functionality and commercial viability of the scanned beam technology.
Additional Information
Microvision performs research and development to achieve advances necessary for large-scale application, full-color capability in highly miniaturized versions and design of new architectures for specific applications. Research and development expense for the Company for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002 was $14.7 million, $23.3 million and $25.5 million respectively. Excluding Lumera, research and development expense was $13.6 million, $16.8 million, and $18.4 million respectively.
Prior to 2004, substantially all of Microvision's revenue has been generated from development contracts to develop the scanned beam display technology to meet customer specifications. Microvision's customers have included both the United States government and commercial enterprises. In 2004, 42% of revenue was derived from performance on development contracts with the United States government, 35% from performance on development contracts with commercial customers and the remainder from sales of Nomad and Flic units. In 2004, one commercial customer accounted for 11% of total of total revenue. In 2003, 27% of Microvision's revenue was earned from development contracts with a single commercial customer. Each of Microvision's contracts with the United States government can be terminated for convenience by the United States government at any time. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."
Microvision had a backlog of $7.1 million at December 31, 2004 compared to a backlog of $2.6 million at December 31, 2003. The backlog is composed of $7.0 million in development contracts, including amendments, entered into through December 31, 2004 and $114,000 and $43,000 in orders for Nomad and Flic respectively. Microvision plans to complete all of the backlog contracts during 2005.
Competitive Conditions
The information display industry is highly competitive. Microvision's products and the scanned beam display technology will compete with established manufacturers of miniaturized cathode ray tube and flat panel display devices. Microvision's competitors include companies such as Sony Corporation and Texas Instruments Incorporated, most of which have substantially greater financial, technical and other resources than Microvision and many of which are developing alternative miniature display technologies. Microvision will also compete with other developers of miniaturized display devices. Microvision's competitors may succeed in developing information display technologies and products that could render the scanned beam display technology or Microvision's proposed products commercially infeasible or technologically obsolete.
The electronic information display industry has been characterized by rapid and significant technological advances. The scanned beam display technology and Microvision's proposed products may not remain competitive with such advances, and Microvision may not have sufficient funds to invest in new technologies, products or processes. Although Microvision believes that its scanned beam display technology and proposed display products could deliver images of a quality and resolution substantially better than those of commercially available miniaturized liquid crystal displays and cathode ray tube based display products, manufacturers of liquid crystal displays and cathode ray tubes may develop further improvements of screen display technology that could reduce or eliminate the anticipated advantages of Microvision's proposed products.
Microvision competes with other companies in the display industry and other technologies for government funding. In general, Microvision's government customers plan to integrate Microvision's technology into larger systems. Ongoing contracts are awarded based on Microvision's past performance on government contracts, the customer's progress in integrating Microvision's technology into the customer's overall program objectives, and the status of the customer's overall program.
The image capture industry is also highly competitive. Microvision's current and planned bar code products will compete with existing laser and wand type scanners produced by established bar code companies. Microvision's current products compete on the basis of price and performance. The bar code industry is dominated by Symbol Technologies. Symbol Technologies sells products that directly compete with Microvision's current and planned bar code products.
Intellectual Property and Proprietary Rights
University of Washington
In 1993, Microvision acquired the exclusive rights to the Virtual Retinal Display technology under a license agreement with the University of Washington. Additional development of the Virtual Retinal Display technology took place at the University of Washington Human Interface Technology Laboratory pursuant to Microvision's research agreement. The University of Washington has received forty-five patents on the Virtual Retinal Display technology and has an additional fourteen U.S. patent applications pending in the United States and twenty-four foreign counterpart applications in certain foreign countries.
Microvision's ability to compete effectively in the information display market will depend, in part, on its ability and the ability of the University of Washington and other licensors to maintain the proprietary nature of the Virtual Retinal Display technology or other technologies, including claims related to the ability to superimpose images on the user's field of view, a Virtual Retinal Display using optical fibers, an expanded exit pupil and the mechanical resonance scanner.
The Virtual Retinal Display technology comprises a substantial part of Microvision's scanned beam display technology. The Virtual Retinal Display technology was originally developed at the University of Washington's Human Interface Technology Lab. The scope of the license covers all commercial uses of the Virtual Retinal Display technology worldwide, including the right to grant sublicenses. The license expires upon the expiration of the last of the University of Washington's patents that relate to the Virtual Retinal Display, unless sooner terminated by Microvision or the University of Washington as discussed below. In granting the license, the University of Washington retained limited, non-commercial rights with respect to the Virtual Retinal Display technology, including the right to use the technology for non-commercial research and for instructional purposes and the right to comply with applicable laws regarding the non-exclusive use of the technology by the United States government. The University of Washington also has the right to consent to Microvision's sublicensing arrangements and to the prosecution and settlement by Microvision of infringement disputes. In addition, the University of Washington retains the right to publish for academic purposes information it creates regarding the Virtual Retinal Display technology.
Microvision could lose the exclusivity under the license agreement if it fails to respond to any infringement action relating to the Virtual Retinal Display technology within 90 days of learning of such claim. In the event of the termination of its exclusivity, Microvision would lose its rights to grant sublicenses and would no longer have the first right to take action against any alleged infringement. In addition, each of Microvision or the University of Washington has the right to terminate the license agreement in the event that the other party fails to cure a material breach within 30 days of written notice. Microvision may terminate the license agreement at any time by serving 90 days prior written notice on the University of Washington. In the event of any termination of the license agreement, the license granted to Microvision would terminate.
Under the terms of the license agreement, Microvision agreed to pay a non-refundable fee of $5.1 million, which was fully paid in August 1997, and to issue to the University of Washington shares of Microvision's common stock, which shares have been issued. In addition, the University of Washington is entitled to receive ongoing royalties. Microvision also entered into a research agreement with the University of Washington to further develop the Virtual Retinal Display technology, payments of which were credited to the license fee.
Other Licenses and Intellectual Property
During 1998, Microvision entered into a license agreement with a third party whereby it acquired the exclusive license to certain intellectual property related to the design and fabrication of micro miniature devices using semiconductor fabrication techniques. The licensor has received thirteen patents and has twenty-nine patent applications pending pertaining to the Microvision field of use.
Microvision also generates intellectual property as a result of its ongoing performance on development contracts and as a result of its internal research and development activities. Microvision has filed fifty-four patent applications and received thirty patents in its own name resulting from these activities. The inventions covered by such applications generally relate to component miniaturization, specific implementation of various system components and design elements to facilitate mass production.
Microvision considers protection of these key enabling technologies and components to be a fundamental aspect of its strategy to penetrate diverse markets with unique products. As such, it intends to continue to develop its portfolio of proprietary and patented technologies at the system, component and process levels.
Microvision also relies on unpatented proprietary technology. To protect its rights in these areas, Microvision requires all employees and, where appropriate, contractors, consultants, advisors and collaborators, to enter into confidentiality and non-compete agreements. There can be no assurance, however, that these agreements will provide meaningful protection for Microvision's trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use, misappropriation or disclosure of such trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information.
Microvision has registered the mark "Microvision" with its associated "tri- curve" logo with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Microvision has filed for registration of various other marks including "Virtual Retinal Display," "VRD," "Nomad," and "Flic" in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. These marks were examined and entered into the opposition phase, where an opposition was filed against the Virtual Retinal Display mark. Microvision believes the opposition filing is without merit and that it should prevail in the proceedings. Regardless of the outcome, Microvision believes that it will be entitled to continue to use the terms "Virtual Retinal Display," "VRD," "Nomad," and "Flic".
Employees
As of March 1, 2005, Microvision had 166 employees.
Further Information
Microvision was founded in 1993 as a Washington corporation and reincorporated in 2003 under the laws of the State of Delaware. Our principal office is located at 19910 North Creek Parkway, Bothell, Washington 98011 and our telephone number is (425) 415-6847.
Microvision's Internet address is www.microvision.com. Microvision makes available free of charge its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 as soon as reasonably practicable after it electronically files such material with, or furnishes it to, the SEC. Investors can access this material by visiting Microvision's website, clicking on "Investors," and then clicking on "SEC Filings."
Risk Factors Relating to the Microvision Business
We have a history of operating losses and expect to incur significant losses in the future.
We have had substantial losses since our inception and we anticipate an operating loss at least through the year ending December 31, 2005. We cannot assure you that we will ever become or remain profitable.
The likelihood of our success must be considered in light of the expenses, difficulties and delays frequently encountered by companies formed to develop and market new technologies. In particular, our operations to date have focused primarily on research and development of the scanned beam technology and development of demonstration units. We introduced our first two commercial products during 2002. We are unable to accurately estimate future revenues and operating expenses based upon historical performance.
We cannot be certain that we will succeed in obtaining additional development contracts or that we will be able to obtain substantial customer orders for our products. In light of these factors, we expect to continue to incur substantial losses and negative cash flow at least through 2005 and likely thereafter. We cannot be certain that we will achieve positive cash flow at any time in the future.
We will require additional capital to continue to fund our operations and to implement our business plan. If we do not obtain additional capital, we may be required to limit our operations substantially. Raising additional capital may dilute the value of current shareholders' shares.
Based on our current operating plan and budgeted cash requirements, we believe that we can fund our operations from existing sources of liquidity though 2005. We will require additional capital to continue to fund our operations, including to:
We will require additional capital to fund our operations in 2006. If revenues are less than we anticipate, if the level and mix of revenues vary from anticipated amounts and allocations or if expenses exceed the amounts budgeted, we may require additional capital earlier to further the development of our technologies, for expenses associated with product development, and to respond to competitive pressures or to meet unanticipated development difficulties. In addition, our operating plan provides for the development of strategic relationships with systems and equipment manufacturers that may require additional investments by us. Additional financing may not be available to us or, if available, may not be available on terms acceptable to us on a timely basis. If adequate funds are not available to satisfy either short-term or long-term capital requirements, we may be required to limit our operations substantially. Our capital requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to, the rate at which we can, directly or through arrangements with original equipment manufacturers, introduce products incorporating the scanned beam and optical material technologies and the market acceptance and competitive position of such products. Raising additional capital may involve issuing securities with rights and preferences that are senior to our common stock and may dilute the value of current shareholders' shares.
Our Senior Secured Exchangeable Convertible Notes may adversely impact our common stockholders or limit our ability to obtain additional financing.
In March 2005, we issued the Senior Secured Exchangeable Convertible Notes (the "Notes") described in Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation - Liquidity and Capital Resources. Among other provisions, the Notes include material limitations on our ability to incur additional debt or incur liens while the Notes are outstanding. These limitations could materially adversely affect our ability to raise funds we expect to need in 2006.
We cannot be certain that the scanned beam technology or products incorporating this technology will achieve market acceptance. If the scanned beam technology does not achieve market acceptance, our revenues may not grow.
Our success will depend in part on customer acceptance of the scanned beam technology. The scanned beam technology may not be accepted by manufacturers who use display technologies in their products, by systems integrators who incorporate our products into their products or by consumers of these products. To be accepted, the scanned beam technology must meet the expectations of our potential customers in the defense, industrial, medical and consumer markets. If our technology fails to achieve market acceptance, we may not be able to continue to develop the scanned beam technology.
It may become more difficult to sell our stock in the public market.
Our common stock is listed for quotation on the NASDAQ National Market. To keep our listing on this market, we must meet NASDAQ's listing maintenance standards. If we are unable to continue to meet NASDAQ's listing maintenance standards, our common stock could be delisted from the NASDAQ National Market. If our common stock were delisted, we likely would seek to list the common stock on the NASDAQ SmallCap Market, the American Stock Exchange or on a regional stock exchange. Listing on such other market or exchange could reduce the liquidity for our common stock. If our common stock were not listed on the SmallCap Market or an exchange, trading of our common stock would be conducted in the over-the-counter market on an electronic bulletin board established for unlisted securities or directly through market makers in our common stock. If our common stock were to trade in the over-the-counter market, an investor would find it more difficult to dispose of, or to obtain accurate quotations for the price of, the common stock. A delisting from the NASDAQ National Market and failure to obtain listing on such other market or exchange would subject our securities to so- called penny stock rules that impose additional sales practice and market-making requirements on broker-dealers who sell or make a market in such securities. Consequently, removal from the NASDAQ National Market and failure to obtain listing on another market or exchange could affect the ability or willingness of broker-dealers to sell or make a market in our common stock and the ability of purchasers of our common stock to sell their securities in the secondary market. In addition, when the market price of our common stock is less than $5.00 per share, we become subject to penny stock rules even if our common stock is still listed on the NASDAQ National Market. While the penny stock rules should not affect the quotation of our common stock on the NASDAQ National Market, these rules may further limit the market liquidity of our common stock and the ability of investors to sell our common stock in the secondary market. During the second, third and fourth quarters of 2002, the first and second quarter of 2003, and the third quarter of 2004, the market price of our stock traded below $5.00 per share. On March 1, 2005 the closing price of our stock was $5.59.
Our lack of the financial and technical resources relative to our competitors may limit our revenues, potential profits, overall market share or value.
Our current products and potential future products will compete with established manufacturers of existing products and companies developing new technologies. Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial, technical and other resources than us. Because of their greater resources, our competitors may develop products or technologies that are superior to our own. The introduction of superior competing products or technologies could result in reduced revenues, lower margins or loss of market share, any of which could reduce the value of our business.
We may not be able to keep up with rapid technological change and our financial results may suffer.
The information display industry has been characterized by rapidly changing technology, accelerated product obsolescence and continuously evolving industry standards. Our success will depend upon our ability to further develop the scanned beam technology and to cost effectively introduce new products and features in a timely manner to meet evolving customer requirements and compete with competitors' product advances.
We may not succeed in these efforts because of:
The occurrence of any of the above factors could result in decreased revenues, market share and value.
We could face lawsuits related to our use of the scanned beam technology or other technologies. Defending these suits would be costly and time consuming. An adverse outcome in any such matter could limit our ability to commercialize our technology and products, reduce our revenues and increase our operating expenses.
We are aware of several patents held by third parties that relate to certain aspects of scanned beam displays and image capture products. These patents could be used as a basis to challenge the validity, limit the scope or limit our ability to obtain additional or broader patent rights of our patents or patents we have licensed. A successful challenge to the validity of our patents or patents we have licensed could limit our ability to commercialize the scanned beam technology and other technologies and, consequently, materially reduce our revenues. Moreover, we cannot be certain that patent holders or other third parties will not claim infringement by us with respect to current and future technology. Because U.S. patent applications are held and examined in secrecy, it is also possible that presently pending U.S. applications will eventually be issued with claims that will be infringed by our products or the scanned beam technology. The defense and prosecution of a patent suit would be costly and time consuming, even if the outcome were ultimately favorable to us. An adverse outcome in the defense of a patent suit could subject us to significant cost, to require others and us to cease selling products that incorporate scanned beam technology, to cease licensing scanned beam technology or to require disputed rights to be licensed from third parties. Such licenses, if available, would increase our operating expenses. Moreover, if claims of infringement are asserted against our future co-development partners or customers, those partners or customers may seek indemnification from us for damages or expenses they incur.
Our planned future products are dependent on advances in technology by other companies.
We rely on and will continue to rely on technologies, such as light sources and optical components that are developed and produced by other companies. The commercial success of certain of our planned future products will depend in part on advances in these and other technologies by other companies. Due to the current business environment, many companies that are developing new technologies are reducing expenditures on research and development. This may delay the development and commercialization of components we would use to manufacture certain of our planned future products.
Our products may be subject to future health and safety regulations that could increase our development and production costs.
Products incorporating scanned beam display technology could become subject to new health and safety regulations that would reduce our ability to commercialize the scanned beam display technology. Compliance with any such new regulations would likely increase our cost to develop and produce products using the scanned beam display technology and adversely affect our financial results.
If we cannot manufacture products at competitive prices, our financial results will be adversely affected.
To date, we have produced limited quantities of Nomad and Flic and demonstration units for research, development and demonstration purposes. The cost per unit for these units currently exceeds the level at which we could expect to profitably sell these products. If we cannot lower our cost of production, we may face increased demands on our financial resources, possibly requiring additional equity and/or debt financing to sustain our business operations.
Our future growth will suffer if we do not achieve sufficient market acceptance of our products to compete effectively.
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to gain acceptance of our current and future products by a large number of customers. Achieving market-based acceptance for our products will require marketing efforts and the expenditure of financial and other resources to create product awareness and demand by potential customers. We may be unable to offer products consistently or at all that compete effectively with products of others on the basis of price or performance. Failure to achieve broad acceptance of our products by potential customers and to effectively compete would have a material adverse effect on our operating results.
Because we plan to continue using foreign contract manufacturers, our operating results could be harmed by economic, political, regulatory and other factors in foreign countries.
We currently use a contract manufacturer in Asia to manufacture Flic, and we plan to continue using foreign manufacturers to manufacture some of our products where appropriate. These international operations are subject to inherent risks, which may adversely affect us, including:
If we experience delays or failures in developing commercially viable products, we may have lower revenues.
We began production of the current version of Nomad in the first quarter of 2004. In September 2002, we introduced Flic. In addition, we have developed demonstration units incorporating the scanned beam technology. However, we must undertake additional research, development and testing before we are able to develop additional products for commercial sale. Product development delays by us or our potential product development partners, or the inability to enter into relationships with these partners, may delay or prevent us from introducing products for commercial sale.
If we cannot supply products in commercial quantities, we will not achieve commercial success.
We are developing our capability to manufacture products in commercial quantities. Our success depends in part on our ability to provide our components and future products in commercial quantities at competitive prices. Accordingly, we will be required to obtain access, through business partners or contract manufacturers, to manufacturing capacity and processes for the commercial production of our expected future products. We cannot be certain that we will successfully obtain access to sufficient manufacturing resources. Future manufacturing limitations of our suppliers could result in a limitation on the number of products incorporating our technology that we are able to produce.
If our licensors and we are unable to obtain effective intellectual property protection for our products and technology, we may be unable to compete with other companies.
Intellectual property protection for our products is important and uncertain. If we do not obtain effective intellectual property protection for our products, processes and technology, we may be subject to increased competition. Our commercial success will depend in part on our ability and the ability of the University of Washington and our other licensors to maintain the proprietary nature of the scanned beam display and other key technologies by securing valid and enforceable patents and effectively maintaining unpatented technology as trade secrets. We try to protect our proprietary technology by seeking to obtain United States and foreign patents in our name, or licenses to third-party patents, related to proprietary technology, inventions, and improvements that may be important to the development of our business. However, our patent position and the patent position of the University of Washington and other licensors involve complex legal and factual questions. The standards that the United States Patent and Trademark Office and its foreign counterparts use to grant patents are not always applied predictably or uniformly and can change. Additionally, the scope of patents are subject to interpretation by courts and their validity can be subject to challenges and defenses, including challenges and defenses based on the existence of prior art. Consequently, we cannot be certain as to the extent to which we will be able to obtain patents for our new products and technology or the extent to which the patents that we already own or license from others protect our products and technology. Reduction in scope of protection or invalidation of our licensed or owned patents, or our inability to obtain new patents, may enable other companies to develop products that compete with ours on the basis of the same or similar technology.
We also rely on the law of trade secrets to protect unpatented know-how and technology to maintain our competitive position. We try to protect this know-how and technology by limiting access to the trade secrets to those of our employees, contractors and partners with a need to know such information and by entering into confidentiality agreements with parties that have access to it, such as our employees, consultants and business partners. Any of these parties could breach the agreements and disclose our trade secrets or confidential information, or our competitors might learn of the information in some other way. If any trade secret not protected by a patent were to be disclosed to or independently developed by a competitor, our competitive position could be materially harmed.
We could be exposed to significant product liability claims that could be time-consuming and costly, divert management attention and adversely affect our ability to obtain and maintain insurance coverage.
We may be subject to product liability claims if any of our product applications are alleged to be defective or cause harmful effects. For example, because our scanned beam displays are designed to scan a low power beam of colored light into the user's eye, the testing, manufacture, marketing and sale of these products involve an inherent risk that product liability claims will be asserted against us. Product liability claims or other claims related to our products, regardless of their outcome, could require us to spend significant time and money in litigation, divert management time and attention, require us to pay significant damages, harm our reputation or hinder acceptance of our products. Any successful product liability claim may prevent us from obtaining adequate product liability insurance in the future on commercially desirable or reasonable terms. An inability to obtain sufficient insurance coverage at an acceptable cost or otherwise to protect against potential product liability claims could prevent or inhibit the commercialization of our products.
We rely heavily on a limited number of development contracts with the U.S. government, which are subject to immediate termination by the government for convenience at any time, and the termination of one or more of these contracts could have a material adverse impact on our operations.
During 2004 and 2003, 42%, and 49% respectively, of Microvision's consolidated revenue was derived from performance on a limited number of development contracts with the U.S. government. Therefore, any significant disruption or deterioration of our relationship with the U.S. government would significantly reduce our revenues. Our government programs must compete with programs managed by other contractors for limited amounts and uncertain levels of funding. The total amount and levels of funding are susceptible to significant fluctuations on a year-to-year basis. Our competitors continuously engage in efforts to expand their business relationships with the government and are likely to continue these efforts in the future. Our contracts with the government are subject to immediate termination by the government for convenience at any time. The government may choose to use contractors with competing display technologies or it may decide to discontinue any of our programs altogether. In addition, those development contracts that we do obtain require ongoing compliance with applicable government regulations. Termination of our development contracts, a shift in government spending to other programs in which we are not involved, a reduction in government spending generally, or our failure to meet applicable government regulations could have severe consequences for our results of operations.
Our products have long sales cycles, which make it difficult to plan our expenses and forecast our revenues.
Our products have lengthy sales cycle that involve numerous steps including discussion of a product application, exploring the technical feasibility of a proposed product, evaluating the costs of manufacturing a product and manufacturing or contracting out the manufacturing of the product. Our long sales cycle, which can last several years, makes it difficult to predict the quarter in which sales will occur. Delays in sales could cause significant variability in our revenues and operating results for any particular quarterly period.
Our exploratory arrangements may not lead to products that will be profitable.
Our developmental contracts, including our relationships with parties such as the U.S. government, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., Canon, BMW and Volkswagen of America, are exploratory in nature and are intended to develop new types of products for new applications. These efforts may prove unsuccessful and these relationships may not result in the development of products that will be profitable.
Our revenues are highly sensitive to developments in the defense industry.
Our revenues to date have been derived principally from product development research relating to defense applications of the scanned beam display technology. We believe that development programs and sales of potential products in this market will represent a significant portion of our future revenues. Developments that adversely affect the defense sector, including delays in government funding and a general economic downturn, could cause our revenues to decline substantially.
Our Virtual Retinal Display technology depends on our licenses from the University of Washington. If we lose our rights under the licenses, our operations would be adversely affected.
We have acquired the exclusive rights to the Virtual Retinal Display under a license from the University of Washington. The license expires upon expiration of the last of the University of Washington's patents that relate to this technology, which we currently anticipate will not occur until after 2011. We could lose our exclusivity under the license if we fail to respond to an infringement action or fail to use our best efforts to commercialize the licensed technology. In addition, the University of Washington may terminate the license upon our breach and has the right to consent to all sublicense arrangements. If we were to lose our rights under the license, or if the University of Washington were to refuse to consent to future sublicenses, we would lose a competitive advantage in the market, and may even lose the ability to commercialize our products completely. Either of these results could substantially decrease our revenues.
We are dependent on third parties in order to develop, manufacture, sell and market our products.
Our strategy for commercializing the scanned beam technology and products incorporating the scanned beam technology includes entering into cooperative development, manufacturing, sales and marketing arrangements with corporate partners, original equipment manufacturers and other third parties. We cannot be certain that we will be able to negotiate arrangements on acceptable terms, if at all, or that these arrangements will be successful in yielding commercially viable products. If we cannot establish these arrangements, we would require additional capital to undertake such activities on our own and would require extensive manufacturing, sales and marketing expertise that we do not currently possess and that may be difficult to obtain. In addition, we could encounter significant delays in introducing the scanned beam technology or find that the development, manufacture or sale of products incorporating the scanned beam technology would not be feasible. To the extent that we enter into cooperative development, sales and marketing or other joint venture arrangements, our revenues will depend upon the performance of third parties. We cannot be certain that any such arrangements will be successful.
Loss of any of our key personnel could have a negative effect on the operation of our business.
Our success depends on our executive officers and other key personnel and on the ability to attract and retain qualified new personnel. Achievement of our business objectives will require substantial additional expertise in the areas of sales and marketing, research and product development and manufacturing. Competition for qualified personnel in these fields is intense, and the inability to attract and retain additional highly skilled personnel, or the loss of key personnel, could reduce our revenues and adversely affect our business.
Our quarterly performance may vary substantially and this variance, as well as general market conditions, may cause our stock price to fluctuate greatly and potentially expose us to litigation.
Our revenues to date have been generated from a limited number of development contracts with U.S. government entities and commercial partners. Our quarterly operating results may vary significantly based on:
In one or more future quarters, our results of operations may fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors and the trading price of our common stock may decline as a consequence. In addition, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company's securities, shareholders often have instituted securities class action litigation against that company. If we become involved in a class action suit, it could divert the attention of management, and, if adversely determined, could require us to pay substantial damages.
If we fail to manage expansion effectively, our revenue and expenses could be adversely affected.
Our ability to successfully offer products and implement our business plan in a rapidly evolving market requires an effective planning and management process. We have significantly expanded the scope of our operations. The growth in business and relationships with customers and other third parties has placed, and will continue to place, a significant strain on our management systems and resources. We will need to continue to improve our financial and managerial controls, reporting systems and procedures and will need to continue to train and manage our work force.
The value of our investment in Lumera may decrease.
A significant portion of our assets and present source of liquidity are constituted by our investment in Lumera. Lumera's stock price is subject to fluctuation and may decrease, lowering the value of our investment. We own approximately 33% of Lumera's common stock. Since we hold a large percentage of Lumera's common stock, if an active market does not develop or is not sustained, it may be difficult for us to sell our shares of Lumera's common stock at an attractive price or at all. The likelihood of Lumera's success, and the value of the common stock we hold, must be considered in light of the risks frequently encountered by early stage companies, especially those formed to develop and market new technologies. These risks include Lumera's potential inability to establish product sales and marketing capabilities; to establish and maintain markets for their potential products; and to continue to develop and upgrade their technologies to keep pace with changes in technology and the growth of markets using polymer materials. If Lumera is unsuccessful in meeting these challenges, its stock price, and the value of our investment, could decrease.
ITEM 2. DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY
The Company currently leases approximately 92,500 square feet of combined use office, laboratory and manufacturing space at its headquarters facility in Bothell, Washington. The seven-year lease expires in 2006.
Lumera rents approximately 16,000 square feet space from Microvision within the Company's headquarters facility in Bothell, Washington.
The Company also leases approximately 5,200 square feet of combined use office and laboratory space in San Mateo, California. The 42 month lease expires in 2005. Microvision closed its branch office in San Mateo, California during 2003 and currently subleases this office space.
The Company is subject to various claims and pending or threatened lawsuits in the normal course of business. The Company is not currently party to any legal proceedings that management believes the adverse outcome of which would have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS
There were no matters submitted to a vote of shareholders during the fourth quarter of the year ending December 31, 2004.
ITEM 4A EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Executive officers are appointed by our Board of Directors and hold office until their successors are elected and duly qualified. Messrs. Rutkowski and Willey, also serve as directors of Microvision. The following persons serve as executive officers of Microvision:
Richard F. Rutkowski, age 49, has served as Chief Executive Officer of Microvision since September 1995 and as a director since August 1995. Mr. Rutkowski also served as Microvision's President from July 1996 to August 2002. From November 1992 to May 1994, Mr. Rutkowski served as Executive Vice President of Medialink Technologies Corporation (formerly Lone Wolf Corporation), a developer of high-speed digital networking technology for multimedia applications in audio-video computing, consumer electronics and telecommunications. From February 1990 to April 1995, Mr. Rutkowski was a principal of Rutkowski, Erickson, Scott, a consulting firm. Mr. Rutkowski also serves as a director of CMT Crimble Microtest.
Stephen R. Willey, age 51, has served as president of Microvision since August 2002 and a director since June 1995. Mr. Willey served as Microvision's Executive Vice President from October 1995 to August 2002. Prior to that, he served as an outside consultant to the company through The Development Group (DGI) a business and technology consulting firms that he founded. As principal of DGI, Willey had also provided senior management consulting services to CREO Products, Inc., an electro-optics equipment manufacturer, between June 1989 and December 1992. In 1993, Willey co- founded PRO.NET Communications, Inc., an Internet service company. Willey holds an M.B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an M.A.Sc. in Electronics from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. He earned a B.Sc., Engineering (Physics) from McMaster University, Hamilton.
Richard A. Raisig, age 57, has served as Chief Financial Officer of Microvision since August 1996 and Vice President, Operations from August 1996 to August 2002. Mr. Raisig served as Microvision's Secretary from April 1998 to May 2002 and as a director of Microvision from March 1996 to August 2002. From June 1995 to August 1996, Mr. Raisig was Chief Financial Officer of Videx Equipment Corporation, a manufacturer and rebuilder of wire processing equipment for the cabling industry. From July 1992 to May 1995, Mr. Raisig was Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President-Finance for Killion Extruders, Inc., a manufacturer of plastic extrusion equipment. From February 1990 to July 1992, Mr. Raisig was Managing Director of Crimson Capital Company, an investment banking firm. Prior to 1990, Mr. Raisig was a Senior Vice President of Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc. Mr. Raisig is a Certified Public Accountant. Mr. Raisig holds an MBA from the University of Southern California and a BS in Social Sciences from the University of California, Irvine.
Todd R. McIntyre, age 43, has served as Senior Vice President of Business Development since November 2003, and Vice President of Business Development of Microvision from January 1996 to November 2003. Mr. McIntyre's experience in emerging markets includes business development and marketing with development stage companies in a variety of technology segments including wireless telecommunications products and services, internet software products, and digital and print media. Mr. McIntyre holds an M.B.A. from Stanford University and a B.A. from Hendrix College.
Dr. V. G. Veeraraghavan, age 54, has served as Senior Vice President, Research & Product Development of Microvision since July 2001. Prior to joining Microvision, from 1998 to 2001, Dr. Veeraraghavan served in senior management with Standard MEMS, a MEMS semiconductor fabrication, end- product packaging and systems integration firm. During his service with Standard MEMS, Dr. Veeraraghavan was, first, Vice President of its operations wafer foundry responsible for engineering and production of MEMS wafers and, second, was Vice President Business Development. From 1991 to 1998, Dr. Veeraraghavan served in various management positions at Lexmark International, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of novel color laser and inkjet solutions. Dr. Veeraraghavan holds an M.S. and a Doctorate in Materials Engineering from Purdue University and an M.B.A. from the University of Kentucky. He also received a B.S. in Science from the University of Madras (India) and a B.S. in Metallurgy from the Indian Institute of Science.
Thomas M. Walker, age 40, joined Microvision in May 2002 and serves as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. Prior to joining Microvision, Mr. Walker served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Advanced Radio Telecom Corp., a publicly held technology and services company where he managed domestic and international legal affairs from April 1996 to April 2002. Prior to that, Mr. Walker advised publicly and privately held businesses while practicing in the Los Angeles offices of the law firms of Pillsbury Winthrop and Buchalter, Nemer Fields and Younger. Mr. Walker holds a B.A. from Claremont McKenna College and a J.D. from the University of Oregon.
Andrew U. Lee, age 53, has served as Vice President, Sales of Microvision since 1997. Prior to joining Microvision, from 1992 to 1997, Mr. Lee was Senior Director, National Systems Sales for AEI Music Network, Inc., the largest audio-visual systems integrator in the United States. From 1988 to 1991, Mr. Lee was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for ADB Industries, Inc., a manufacturer of precision mechanical assemblies for the medical, defense and aerospace industries. Mr. Lee holds a B.S. in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley.
Thomas E. Sanko, age 50, has served as Vice President of Marketing and Product Management at Microvision since February 2001. Prior to joining Microvision, from 1999 to 2001, Mr. Sanko was a consultant to Guidant Corp., a manufacturer of cardiovascular surgery products. From 1996 to 1999, Mr. Sanko was Business Manager at InControl, Inc., a manufacturer of electrophysiology products. Prior to 1996, Mr. Sanko served as Director of Marketing for Heart Technology, Inc., and earlier, for Davis and Geck. Both companies are medical device manufacturers. Mr. Sanko has a M.B.A. from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.
Jeff T. Wilson, age 44, has served as Vice President, Accounting of Microvision since April 2002, and Principal Accounting Officer of Microvision since August 1999 and as Director of Accounting of Microvision from August 1999 to March 2002. Prior to joining Microvision, from 1991 to 1999 Mr. Wilson served in various accounting positions for Siemens Medical Systems, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of medical imaging equipment. Prior to 1991, Mr. Wilson served as a manager with the accounting firm Price Waterhouse (currently PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP). Mr. Wilson is a Certified Public Accountant. Mr. Wilson holds a B.S. in Accounting from Oklahoma State University.
PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT'S COMMON STOCK AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS.
The Company's common stock trades on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol "MVIS." As of March 1, 2005, there were 375 holders of record of 21,481,000 shares of common stock outstanding. The Company has never declared or paid cash dividends on the common stock. The Company currently anticipates that it will retain all future earnings to fund the operation of its business and does not anticipate paying dividends on the common stock in the foreseeable future.
The Company's common stock began trading publicly on August 27, 1996. The quarterly high and low sales prices of the Company's common stock for each full quarterly period in the last two fiscal years and the year to date as reported by the NASDAQ National Market are as follows:
Common Stock
--------------------
Quarter Ended HIGH LOW
--------- ---------
2003
March 31, 2003 $ 8.20 $ 3.43
June 30, 2003 6.76 3.85
September 30, 2003 9.38 5.89
December 31, 2003 9.09 6.50
2004
March 31, 2004 $ 10.93 $ 7.34
June 30, 2004 10.00 5.06
September 30, 2004 8.95 3.75
December 31, 2004 8.00 5.04
2005
January 1, 2005 to March 1, 2005 $ 7.70 $ 5.03
ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
A summary of selected financial data as of and for the five years ended December 31, 2004 is set forth below:
Years Ended December 31,
---------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
2004 2003 2002 2001 2000
---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
(in thousands, except per share data)
Statement of Operations Data:
Revenue $ 11,418 $ 14,652 $ 15,917 $ 10,762 $ 8,121
Net loss available for common shareholders (33,543) (26,163) (27,176) (34,794) (26,601)
Basic and diluted net loss per share (1.56) (1.46) (1.93) (2.85) (2.33)
Weighted average shares outstanding basic and diluted 21,493 17,946 14,067 12,200 11,421
Balance Sheet Data:
Cash, cash equivalents and investments available-for-sale $ 1,268 $ 21,778 $ 15,176 $ 33,652 $ 40,717
Working capital 903 19,781 14,511 33,098 40,551
Total assets 25,538 33,918 32,267 54,055 56,172
Long-term liabilities 52 2,204 1,480 552 714
Mandatorily redeemable preferred stock 7,647 -- -- -- --
Total shareholders' equity 7,190 23,295 17,416 32,326 50,042
Lumera was deconsolidated in July 2004.:
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
The Company commenced operations in May 1993 to develop and commercialize technology for displaying images and information onto the retina of the eye. In 1993, the Company acquired an exclusive license to the Virtual Retinal Display technology from the University of Washington and entered into a research agreement with the University of Washington to further develop the Virtual Retinal Display technology. The Company has continued to develop the Virtual Retinal Display technology as part of its broader research and development efforts relating to the scanned beam technology.
In February 2004, Microvision introduced a new version of its see-through monochrome head-worn display called Nomad Expert Technician System. The Company also produces and sells Flic, a hand-held bar code scanner. The Company has also developed demonstration scanned beam displays, including hand-held and head-worn color versions and is currently refining and developing its scanned beam display technology for potential medical, defense, industrial, aerospace and consumer applications. The Company expects to continue funding prototype and demonstration versions of products incorporating the scanned beam technology at least through 2005. Future revenues, profits and cash flow and the Company's ability to achieve its strategic objectives as described herein will depend on a number of factors, including acceptance of the scanned beam technology by various industries and original equipment manufacturers, market acceptance of products incorporating the scanned beam technology and the technical performance of such products.
The Company has incurred substantial losses since its inception and expects to incur a substantial loss during the year ended December 31, 2005.
Key Accounting Policies and Estimates
The Company's discussions and analysis of its financial condition and results of operations are based upon the Company's consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent liabilities. On an on-going basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, including those related to revenue recognition, contract losses, bad debts, investments and contingencies and litigation. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience, terms of existing contracts, its evaluation of trends in the display and image capture industries, information provided by its current and prospective customers and strategic partners, information available from other outside sources, and on various other assumptions management believes to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
The Company believes the following key accounting policies require its more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of its consolidated financial statements:
Revenue Recognition. The Company recognizes revenue as work progresses on long-term, cost plus fixed fee and fixed price contracts using the percentage-of-completion method, which relies on estimates of total expected contract revenue and costs. The Company uses this revenue recognition methodology because it can make reasonably dependable estimates of the revenue and costs. Recognized revenues are subject to revisions as the contract progresses to completion and actual revenue and cost become certain. Revisions in revenue estimates are reflected in the period in which the facts that give rise to the revision become known.
The Company's product sales generally include acceptance provisions. The Company recognizes revenue for product shipments upon acceptance of the product by the customer or expiration of the contractual acceptance period.
Losses on Uncompleted Contracts. The Company maintains an allowance for estimated losses if a contract has an estimated cost to complete that is in excess of the remaining contract value. The entire estimated loss is recorded in the period in which the loss is first determined. The Company determines the estimated cost to complete a contract through a detail review of the work to be completed, the resources available to complete the work and the technical difficulty of the remaining work. If the actual cost to complete the contract is higher than the estimated cost, the entire loss is recognized. The actual cost to complete a contract can vary significantly from the estimated cost, due to a variety of factors including availability of technical staff, availability of materials and technical difficulties that arise during a project. Most of the Company's development contracts are cost plus fixed fee type contracts. Under these types of contracts, the Company is not required to spend more than the contract value to complete the contracted work.
Allowance for uncollectible receivables. The Company maintains general allowances for uncollectible receivables, including accounts receivable, cost and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts and receivables from related parties. The Company reviews several factors in determining the allowances including the customer's past payment history and financial condition. If the financial condition of our customers or the related parties with whom the Company has receivables were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments, additional allowances could be required.
Inventory. The Company values inventory at the lower of cost or market with cost determined on a weighted average cost basis. The Company reviews several factors in determining the market value of its inventory including evaluating the replacement cost of the raw materials and the net realizable value of the finished goods. If we do not achieve our targeted sales prices or if market conditions for our components or products were to decline, additional reductions in the carrying value of the inventory would be required.
Litigation. The Company believes that the probability of an unfavorable outcome to any potential pending or threatened litigation is low and therefore has not recorded an accrual for any potential loss. The Company's current estimated range of liability related to any potential pending litigation is based on claims for which our management can estimate the amount and range of potential loss. As additional information becomes available, the Company will assess the potential liability related to any pending litigation and, if appropriate, revise its estimates. Such revisions in the Company's estimates of the potential liability could materially impact our results of operation and financial position.
The key accounting policies described above are not intended to be a comprehensive list of all of our accounting policies. In many cases, the accounting treatment of a particular transaction is specifically dictated by generally accepted accounting principles, with no need for management to apply its judgment or make estimates. There are also areas in which management's judgment in selecting any available alternative would not produce a materially different result to the Company's consolidated financial statements. Additional information about Microvision's accounting policies, and other disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles, are set forth in the notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements, which begin on page 37 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Inflation has not had a material impact on the Company's net sales, revenues, or income from continuing operations over the Company's three most recent fiscal years.
Results of Operations
Until July 2004, the Company was organized into two segments - Microvision, which is engaged in scanned beam displays and related technologies, and Lumera, which is engaged in optical systems components technology. The segments were determined based on how management views and evaluates the Company's operations.
A portion of each segments' administration expenses arose from shared services and infrastructure that Microvision provided to both segments in order to realize economies of scale and to efficiently use resources. These efficiencies included costs of certain legal, accounting, human resources and other Microvision corporate and infrastructure costs. These expenses were allocated to the segments and the allocation was determined on a basis that the Company considered to be a reasonable reflection of the utilization of services provided to, or benefits received by, the segments.
In connection with the Lumera initial public offering, all Lumera Series A and Series B Preferred Stock was converted into Lumera common stock. Immediately after the offering, Microvision owned 5,434,000 shares, or 33%, of the common stock of Lumera. As a result of the change in ownership percentage, Microvision changed the method of accounting for its investment in Lumera to the equity method. Microvision recorded a non-cash change in ownership interest gain of $13.7 million to stockholders equity as a component of additional paid-in capital during the third quarter. Microvision consolidated Lumera's results through July 2004 in its consolidated financial statements.
The following tables reflect the results of the Company's segments under the Company's management system. The performance of each segment is measured based on several metrics. These results were used, in part, by management, in evaluating the performance of, and in allocation of resources to, each of the segments (in thousands).
Year Ended December 31, 2004
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Microvision Lumera Elimination Total
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Contract Revenue $ 8,135 $ 686 $ -- $ 8,821
Product Revenue 2,597 -- -- 2,597
Cost of Contract Revenue 5,106 433 -- 5,539
Cost of Product Revenue 3,868 -- -- 3,868
Research and development expense 13,581 1,129 14,710
Marketing, general and administrative expense 17,795 1,433 -- 19,228
Non-cash compensation expense 821 1,297 -- 2,118
Interest income 270 2 -- 272
Interest expense 31 120 -- 151
Segment loss 32,257 3,724 (2,438) 33,543
Depreciation 1,711 695 -- 2,406
Expenditures for capital assets 970 70 -- 1,040
Segment assets 25,538 -- 25,538
Year Ended December 31, 2003
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Microvision Lumera Elimination Total
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Contract Revenue $ 11,792 $ 1,725 $ -- $ 13,517
Product Revenue 1,135 -- -- 1,135
Cost of Contract Revenue 5,015 1,014 6,029
Cost of Product Revenue 1,017 1,017
Research and development expense 16,755 6,561 -- 23,316
Marketing, general and administrative expense 14,557 1,270 -- 15,827
Non-cash compensation expense 1,115 1,041 -- 2,156
Interest income 342 39 -- 381
Interest expense 51 -- -- 51
Segment loss 25,205 8,083 (7,125) 26,163
Depreciation 1,924 1,185 -- 3,109
Expenditures for capital assets 1,094 455 -- 1,549
Segment assets 37,224 4,058 (7,364) 33,918
Year Ended December 31, 2002
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Microvision Lumera Elimination Total
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Contract Revenue $ 14,443 $ 946 $ -- $ 15,389
Product Revenue 528 -- -- 528
Cost of Contract Revenue 6,139 330 6,469
Cost of Product Revenue 528 528
Research and development expense 18,362 7,157 -- 25,519
Marketing, general and administrative expense 15,577 1,221 -- 16,798
Non-cash compensation expense 841 1,143 -- 1,984
Interest income 860 199 -- 1,059
Interest expense 59 -- -- 59
Segment loss 26,219 8,698 (7,741) 27,176
Depreciation 1,894 1,049 -- 2,943
Expenditures for capital assets 792 562 -- 1,354
Segment assets 30,144 8,589 (6,466) 32,267
YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2004 COMPARED TO YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2003
Contract Revenue.
Contract revenue decreased by $4.7 million, or 35%, to $8.8 million from $13.5 million in 2003. The decrease resulted from a lower level of development contract business performed in 2004 than that performed in 2003 on contracts entered into in both 2004 and 2003.
Contract revenue is earned from the Company's work on development contracts with the United States government and commercial enterprises. In 2004, 55% of contract revenue was derived from performance on development contracts with the United States government and 45% from performance on development contracts with commercial customers. In comparison to 53% of revenue was derived from performance on development contracts with the United States government and 47% from performance on development contracts with commercial customers in 2003. In 2003, 29% of consolidated contract revenue was earned from development contracts with a single commercial customer. The Company expects contract revenue to fluctuate significantly from year to year.
In May 2004, Microvision entered into a $3.9 million contract modification with the U.S. Army's Aviation Applied Technology Directorate to continue work on an advanced helmet mounted display and imaging system to be used in the Virtual Cockpit Optimization Program.
In December 2004, Microvision entered into a $6.2 million contract with Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, to integrate Microvision's technology into certain medical products. The contract includes an exclusive license for Microvision's technology for certain human medical applications during the term of the development agreement.
The Company had a contract revenue backlog of $7.0 million at December 31, 2004. The backlog is composed of development contracts, including amendments, entered through December 31, 2004. The Company plans to complete all of the contract backlog during 2005.
Product Revenue.
Microvision earns product revenue from the sale of Nomad and Flic. Microvision recognizes revenue on product sales upon customer acceptance or when the right to return has expired. Product revenue increased $1.5 million or 129% to $2.6 million from $1.1 million in 2003. The increase resulted from increased sales of both Flic and Nomad in 2004.
During 2004, Microvision earned $864,000 from the sale of 208 Nomads compared to $855,000 from the sale of 133 Nomads in 2003. Microvision introduced a new version of the Nomad in March 2004. The new version is 40% smaller than the previous version and cost less to produce. Microvision is targeting automotive repair applications for the Nomad. The Nomad is currently installed in 62 automotive repair facilities.
During 2004 and 2003, Microvision recorded $1,732,000 and $280,000 respectively, in revenue from sales of Flic barcode scanners.
The Company had a product revenue backlog of $157,000 at December 31, 2004. The backlog is composed of orders for Nomad and Flic received through December 31, 2004. The Company plans to deliver all products in backlog during 2005.
Cost of Contract Revenue.
Cost of contract revenue includes both the direct and allocated indirect costs of performing on development contracts. Direct costs include labor, materials and other costs incurred directly in performing specific projects. Indirect costs include labor and other costs associated with operating the Company's research and product development department and building the technical capabilities of the Company. Cost of revenue is determined both by the level of direct costs incurred on development contracts and by the level of indirect costs incurred in managing and building the technical capabilities and capacity of the Company. The cost of contract revenue can fluctuate substantially from period to period depending on the level of both the direct costs incurred in the performance of projects and the level of indirect costs incurred.
Cost of contract revenue decreased by $449,000, or 8%, to $5.5 million from $6.0 million. On a percentage of revenue basis, cost of contract revenue increased by 43 % to 63% from 44% in 2003. The change in cost of revenue as a percentage of revenue is primarily attributable to changes in the contract costs mix. Total direct costs in 2004 decreased approximately 6% from 2003. The direct labor cost portion of direct cost decreased by approximately 6% from 2003. The decrease in direct labor cost resulted from a lower volume of contract work performed during 2004 compared to 2003.
During 2004, the Company experienced unplanned technical difficulties on one significant project. As a result of the difficulties, more direct costs than planned were incurred in completing the project resulting in a lower gross margin during 2004 than in 2003.
Research and development overhead is allocated to both cost of contract revenue and research and development expense based on the proportion of direct labor cost incurred in cost of contract revenue and research and development, respectively.
The Company expects that cost of contract revenue on an absolute dollar basis will increase in the future. This increase will likely result from planned additional development contract work that the Company expects to perform, and commensurate growth in the Company's personnel and technical capacity required to perform on such contracts. The cost of contract revenue, as a percentage of contract revenue, can fluctuate significantly from period to period depending on the contract mix and the level of direct and indirect cost incurred.
Cost of Product Revenue.
Cost of product revenue includes both the direct and allocated indirect costs of manufacturing Nomads and Flics sold to customers. Direct costs include labor, materials and other costs incurred directly in the manufacture of Flic and Nomad. Indirect costs include labor and other costs associated with maintaining Microvision manufacturing capabilities and capacity. Cost of product revenue increased $2.8 million or 266% to $3.9 million from $1.1 million in 2003.
Microvision's costs to produce Nomad units during 2004 were substantially higher than product revenue. Until October 2004, Microvision classified production cost in excess of product revenue as research and development expense. In October 2004, management determined that Nomad production and manufacturing processes were sufficiently mature to support "commercial production" as described in SFAS No. 2 "Accounting for Research and Development Costs". As a result of this determination Microvision began full absorption of manufacturing overhead cost. During the fourth quarter of 2004, the cost of product revenue exceeded product revenue for both the Flic and Nomad products.
Cost of product revenue in 2004 includes the write off of $764,000 of Flic inventory and $479,000 of Nomad inventory. The write off's were due to changes in product design and customer demand that caused components and accessories to become obsolete or slow moving. Microvision values inventory at the lower of cost or market. Microvision also reduces the value of its inventory to its estimated scrap value when management determines that it is not probable that the inventory will be utilized through normal production during the next 12 months.
The Company expects that cost of product revenue on an absolute dollar basis will increase in the future. This increase will likely result from increased shipments of commercial products. The Company expects that cost of product revenue will be higher than product revenue until the Company achieves sales volumes that match its production capability.
Research and Development Expense.
Research and development expense consists of:
Research and development expense decreased by $8.6 million, or 37%, to $14.7 million from $23.3 million in 2003.
Research and Development expense attributable to Lumera decreased $5.5 million, or 83%, to $1.1 million from $6.6 million in 2003. The decrease in Research and Development expense attributable to Lumera accounts for 64% of the decrease in consolidated Research and Development expense.
In April 2004, Lumera and the University of Washington entered into a fourth amendment to the Sponsored Research Agreement that requires payments of $125,000 for quarters ending March 31, 2004 and June 30, 2004 and eliminates the contingent payment of $2.0 million. For each of the quarters ending September 30, 2004 and December 31, 2004, Lumera was required to pay $250,000. The agreement will terminate in 2005 after payments of $375,000 are made in quarters ending March 31, 2005 and June 30, 2005. Total payments under the Sponsored Research Agreement will be $5.8 million instead of the original $9.0 million. Lumera recognizes research and development expense under the Sponsored Research Agreement on a straight line basis over the term of the agreement. At the time of the fourth amendment to the Sponsored Research Agreement, Lumera had recognized $6.5 million in expense related to the Sponsored Research Agreement. In April 2004, Lumera recorded a reduction in its liability and an offsetting reduction in expense of $2.4 million to reduce the cumulative expense recognized under the Sponsored Research Agreement to the expense incurred under the fourth amendment on a straight line basis.
Research and development expense in 2003 included $645,000 for the closure of Microvision's research and development facility in San Mateo, California. Microvision consolidated its research and development activities in Bothell, Washington in May 2003.
The Company believes that a substantial level of continuing research and development expense will be required to develop commercial products using the scanned beam technology. Accordingly, the Company anticipates that its research and development expenditures will continue to be significant. These expenses could be incurred as a result of:
The Company expects that the amount of spending on research and product development will remain high in future quarters as we:
Sales, Marketing, General and Administrative Expense.
Sales, marketing, general and administrative expenses include compensation and support costs for sales, marketing, management and administrative staff, and for other general and administrative costs, including legal and accounting, consulting and other operating expenses.
The Company's marketing activities include corporate awareness campaigns, such as web site development and participation at trade shows, corporate communications initiatives, and working with potential customers and joint venture partners to identify and evaluate product applications in which the Company's technology could be integrated or otherwise used.
Sales, marketing, general and administrative expenses increased by $3.4 million, or 22%, to $19.2 million from $15.8 million in 2003. The increase in Sales, marketing, general and administrative expenses are due to the increase in sales and marketing activity related to Nomad and Flic sales. The Company has added sales staff, demonstration equipment and promotion materials to support increased sales of Nomad and Flic. The Company expects sales, marketing, general and administrative expenses to increase as product revenue increases in future periods as the Company:
Non-Cash Compensation Expense.
Non-cash compensation expense includes the amortization of the value of stock options granted to individuals who are not employees or directors of the Company for services provided to the Company as well as employee stock based compensation expenses. Non-cash compensation expense decreased by $38,000 or 2% to $2.1 million from $2.2 million in 2003.
In September 2003, Microvision issued two warrants to purchase an aggregate of 70,000 shares of common stock to a third party for services provided to Microvision. One warrant grants the holder the right to purchase up to 60,000 shares of common stock at a price of $7.50 per share. The warrant vested in three equal tranches on the date of grant, in December 2003 and in March 2004. The other warrant to purchase up to 10,000 shares of common stock at a price of $12.00 per share vested in March 2004. The deferred compensation related to these warrants was amortized to non- cash compensation expense over the fourteen month service period of the agreement. There is no amortization remaining at December 31, 2004. Non-cash amortization expense related to these warrants was $140,000 and $192,000 for 2004 and 2003 respectively. The total value of the warrants was estimated on December 31, 2003 and the grant date at $318,000 and $328,000, respectively. The fair values of the warrants were estimated on the date of grant and December 31, 2003, using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions: expected volatilities of 83%, risk-free interest rates of 2.7% and dividend yields of zero percent. The expected lives used at the measurement dates above were 4 years and 3.9 years, respectively.
In August 2000, Microvision entered into five-year consulting agreements with two independent consultants to provide strategic business and financial consulting services. Under the terms of the agreements, each consultant received a warrant to purchase 100,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $34.00 per share. The warrants vested over three years and the unvested portions were subject to remeasurement at each balance sheet date during the vesting period until the end of the vesting period on June 7, 2003. The original value of the warrants was estimated at $5.5 million, however, due to decreases in the Company stock price, the value in June 2003 was estimated to be $3.0 million. In 2004 and 2003, total non-cash amortization for these agreements was $447,000 and $595,000, respectively. The fair values of the warrants were determined in June 2003 and the issue date, using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions: dividend yield of zero percent, expected volatility of 83% for both measurement dates, risk-free interest rates of 4.0% and 5.9%, and expected lives of 7.4 and 9.2 years. Deferred compensation related to these warrants at December 31, 2004 was $270,000.
During 2004, Lumera granted options to purchase 415,000 shares of Class A common stock to Lumera employees and directors with a weighted-average exercise price of $2.00. Lumera subsequently determined that the fair market value of its common stock was greater than the exercise price of the options. Lumera recorded aggregate charges of $216,000 during 2004 related to these grants.
During 2004, Lumera granted vested options to purchase 40,000 shares of Class A common stock to Microvision employees with a weighted-average exercise price of $2.00. Lumera subsequently determined that the fair market value of its common stock was greater than the exercise price of the options. The Company recorded aggregate charges of $134,000 during 2004 related to these grants.
The following table shows the components of non-cash compensation expense for 2004 and 2003, respectively.
2004 2003
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Microvision stock options issued to third parties 587,000 849,000
Microvision stock options issued to employees 54,000 265,000
Microvision stock and options issued to Independent Directors 46,000 1,000
Lumera options issued to Microvision employees 134,000 --
Lumera non-cash compensation expense 1,297,000 1,041,000
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$ 2,118,000 $ 2,156,000
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At December 31, 2004, the Company had $305,000 of unamortized non-cash compensation expense that will be amortized over the next year.
Interest Income and Expense.
Interest income in 2004 decreased by $109,000, or 29%, to $272,000 from $381,000 in 2003. This decrease resulted primarily from lower average cash and investment securities balances in 2004 than the average cash and investment securities balances in the prior year.
Interest expense was consistent with 2004 because the amount of borrowings did not change significantly.
Loss on equity in investment subsidiary.
In July 2004, Lumera completed an initial public offering of its common stock. In connection with the offering, all Lumera Series A and Series B Preferred Stock was converted to Lumera common stock. Immediately after the offering, Microvision owned 5,434,000 shares, or 33%, of the common stock of Lumera. As a result of the change in ownership percentage, Microvision has changed the method of accounting for its investment in Lumera to the equity method. Under the equity method, Microvision recorded its ownership interest in the net book value of Lumera immediately following the initial public offering as an investment in equity method subsidiary of $11.9 million. Microvision records its pro rata share of Lumera's income or loss as an adjustment in the value of its investment in Lumera. For the period from July 2004 to December 31, 2004 Microvision's share in Lumera's losses was $1.7 million.
Income Taxes.
No provision for income taxes has been recorded because th