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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

FOR ANNUAL AND TRANSITION REPORTS PURSUANT TO
SECTIONS 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

(Mark one)      
  ý   ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002

 

o

 

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                              to                             .

Commission File No. 000-20698

BROOKTROUT, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

MASSACHUSETTS
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  04-2814792
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

250 FIRST AVENUE, NEEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS 02494
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (781) 449-4100

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Common Stock
(title of class)
  Preferred Stock Purchase Rights
(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 ý        No o

        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. ý

        Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2). Yes o        No ý

        The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $60.7 million, based on the last reported sale price of $5.70 on June 28, 2002 (the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter) of the registrant's common stock on the Nasdaq National Market.

        As of January 31, 2003, 12,279,176 shares of common stock, $.01 par value per share, were outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

        Portions of our definitive Proxy Statement relating to the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on May 14, 2003 will be incorporated into Part III of this Form 10-K. A copy of the Proxy Statement will be available at no cost from our Investor Relations department at (781) 449-4100.





BROOKTROUT, INC.
ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2002


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 
   
  Page
PART I
Item 1.   Business   1
Item 2.   Properties   7
Item 3.   Legal Proceedings   8
Item 4.   Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders   8

PART II
Item 5.   Market for Registrant's Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters   8
Item 6.   Selected Financial Data   9
Item 7.   Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations   10
    Overview   10
    Application of Critical Accounting Policies   10
    Discontinued Operations   12
    Results of Operations   13
    Liquidity and Capital Resources   17
    Recent Accounting Pronouncements   19
    Factors That May Affect Future Results   20
Item 7A.   Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk   27
Item 8.   Financial Statements and Supplementary Data   28
Item 9.   Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure   52

PART III
Item 10.   Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant   52
Item 11.   Executive Compensation   53
Item 12.   Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters   54
Item 13.   Certain Relationships and Related Transactions   54
Item 14.   Controls and Procedures   54

PART IV
Item 15.   Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules, and Reports on Form 8-K   55
    Signatures   58
    Certifications   59
    Exhibit Index   61

        "Brooktrout," "Brooktrout Technology," "Netaccess," "RealComm 100," "RealCT," and "TRxStream" are our registered trademarks, and "Ensemble," "Prelude," "New Network," "Partner Access Network Program," "RDSP," "RealBLOCs," "RTNI," "TR114," "TRNIC," "TR Series," and "Vantage" are our trademarks. This report also includes trademarks, service marks and trade names of other companies.



PART I

Item 1. Business

Overview

        We develop hardware and software platforms that original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, developers and corporate information technology managers build into their communications systems. Customers incorporate our products into applications, systems and services that allow voice, fax and data to be distributed over both Internet protocol, or IP, packet-based networks, which we refer to as the New Network, and the traditional circuit-based telephone network. We supply products for media processing, network interface, call control and signal processing, including protocols that allow Internet and traditional telephony systems to communicate. Our strategy is to partner with our customers and collaborate closely with them to accelerate their delivery of new applications and services, help increase their existing business, and expand into new markets.

        In the 1980s, we delivered technology capable of digitally recording, storing and playing back voice messages using a computer connected to the telephone. In the 1990s, we introduced multi-channel fax boards, we combined fax and voice processing on a single board, and we provided fax application development tools under UNIX and Windows NT. We received U.S. patents on fax-on-demand document retrieval and the use of direct inward dialing telephone service with fax message systems. Since 2000, we have introduced new, open systems products in support of market growth areas such as automatic speech recognition, unified communications and packetized voice, and we received a U.S. patent for voice detection in audio signals to aid in speech recognition applications.

        The evolution of the world's telecommunications systems has created important market opportunities for us. One opportunity involves core technologies and platforms that are primarily used in Today's Network—business premise products such as local area network fax and voice mail. The second opportunity is what we refer to as the New Network—the convergence of the traditional telephone network and the Internet. New Network opportunities enable voice, fax and data information to be distributed using IP-based packet networks, such as the Internet, for portions of the transmission or to be distributed using the traditional circuit-switched telephone network. Effective electronic communication over the New Network is dependent upon network infrastructure technology that weaves together the many disparate systems and applications that already exist with the new and emerging technologies. We develop the core technology that hooks the telephone network to the data network in two key markets: voice and speech, and fax. Network interfaces, call control and signal processing are critical to the proper functioning of any communications system. These capabilities span our entire product line and are the intelligence by which telephone calls are established, managed and terminated.

        We were incorporated in Massachusetts in 1984 and we changed our name from Brooktrout Technology, Inc. to Brooktrout, Inc. in 1999. Prior to February 8, 2001, we were organized and reported the results of our operations in three operating segments, Brooktrout Technology, Brooktrout Software, and Interspeed. On February 8, 2001, our Board of Directors adopted formal plans to discontinue our Brooktrout Software and Interspeed segments. We have accounted for these businesses as discontinued operations. See Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report. Except where indicated, the information presented in this report pertains to our continuing operations.

        We maintain a website with the address www.brooktrout.com/investor. We are not including the information contained on our website as a part of, or incorporating it by reference into, this report. We make available free of charge through our website our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file them with the SEC.

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Principal Markets and Products

        Markets

        Our products provide enabling technology in two key markets—voice and speech, and fax.

        As enterprise information technology, or IT, networks for voice and data converge, and as automatic speech recognition technology has improved, a new generation of business applications and services has emerged. Traditional enterprise voice systems, such as voice messaging and interactive voice response applications are no longer the primary drivers to growth in this market. Enterprises of all sizes are deploying the next generation of applications based on automatic speech recognition technology, which allows their employees and customers to complete transactions, access information, route calls, and access web content.

        Our voice processing products support a wide range of capabilities, from simple 2-channel, or port, voice messaging and multiple simultaneous channel conferencing, to large scale, high-density media servers. We work with the leading speech software vendors to ensure that our voice products support the latest technologies and standards. Our advanced echo cancellation and voice-activity detection technology improve the performance, cost, and scalability of speech recognition systems. Our voice product offerings include products that operate in the traditional telephone network, products that operate in the packet-based network, and products that operate in both such networks.

        We are the leading provider of intelligent fax boards. The market for fax technology is growing due to continued e-mail usage and the desire to connect faxes with e-mail. We offer open, scalable platforms that easily integrate with e-mail, enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, and document management and imaging applications to over 40 independent software vendors and fax application system developers.

        We provide technology for systems of all sizes, from small one-port systems to multiple T1 and E1 spans. Our boards provide a wide range of processing capabilities for network and production fax applications such as purchase orders, invoices, loan applications and approvals, and financial reports. They are built into products to enable desktop fax users to send and receive documents securely and confidentially, as well as to access faxes over the Internet.

        Products

        TRxStream Series products are media processing boards used in open-systems to provide voice, fax and other media processing functions and connection to circuit and IP networks. These products include circuit boards, firmware, device drivers and application programming interfaces, or APIs. The TRxStream Series products share a common API that provides access to a comprehensive suite of functional components. These include: media processing and packetization, call control, call progress, conferencing, automatic speech recognition, and operations, administration and maintenance. The API also allows system developers to integrate directly with their choice of third party IP call control stacks and speech recognition systems. The products are used by system developers and system integrators to create applications, systems and services including advanced messaging, conferencing, speech recognition, and fax applications.

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        TR Series products are high-performance intelligent fax and voice boards. Applications supported by the TR Series include network faxing, broadcast fax services, fax-on-demand, voice messaging and interactive voice response.

        Vantage Series products are flexible, robust platforms for creating voice-processing applications, providing developers and system integrators with a single-board solution for low to mid-density analog communications applications. The Vantage Series boards incorporate our voice processing algorithms that implement essential features such as audio compression, playback control, touchtone detection and generation, and call progress monitoring. Applications supported by the Vantage Series include voice messaging, unified messaging, automated attendant, digital recording, interactive voice response, outbound telemarketing, audiotext, and call centers.

        RDSP Series are affordable, reliable platforms for voice applications. Applications supported include messaging, digital recording, interactive voice response, outbound telemarketing, and audiotext.

        Prelude Series is a family of low-cost, entry-level voice processing platforms that enable developers to build affordable voice messaging and digital recording systems while maintaining full voice processing functionality. Developers have the ability to build voice systems based on a "miniature" personal computer architecture, reducing overall costs while maintaining full voice processing functionality.

        RealBLOCs Series is a scaleable, feature-optimized board for call recording applications. The DR-A platform, designed to match the sizes of most communications systems in use, can be used to build call recording platforms from eight ports to over 264 ports per system. The DR-A is comprised of a peripheral component interconnect, or PCI, baseboard with analog passive tap interfaces and a plug-in digital signal processor module with call recording firmware. Applications supported include call logging and quality monitoring.

        Ensemble Series is an integrated personal computer and Brooktrout board solution offering a low-cost, expandable industrial platform to develop and host communications applications. These platforms provide high-performance message processing capabilities that are readily customizable for developer's needs. Applications supported include voice messaging, unified messaging and interactive voice response.

        Netaccess Series products are network interface and data processing boards used in open-systems to provide circuit and IP network interfaces, circuit-network call control and data processing capabilities. These products include circuit boards, firmware, drivers, and APIs. The products are used by system developers and system integrators to create telecommunications systems, including call processing systems, wireless infrastructure elements, and SS7 signaling gateways.

        RTNI Series are industry standard architecture, or ISA, bus boards that provide telephony network interfaces for many applications. The RTNI Series is designed principally for voice and fax applications and supports analog trunk, analog station, and digital network connections. Applications supported include call center switching, international callback, operator services, voice mail, automated attendant, digital recording, and interactive voice response.

        TRNIC Series of network interface boards provide a seamless, easy path to connect TR114 fax and voice systems to digital telephone lines. The cards are easily configured since they do not require interrupt lines, any software drivers to be installed, or any application software interface.

3



        Bfv is a fax and voice application programming interface that provides developers with a complete C language library of telephony, fax, and voice function calls, as well as fax utilities, sample applications, and debugging tools.

        RealCT Direct is an application development environment that provides the interface between an operating system and our hardware. RealCT Direct provides developers with direct access to any device in a computer telephony environment, facilitating quick development of applications and enabling direct control over all devices in the system. Developers can create powerful, robust applications, including voice messaging, unified communications, digital recording, interactive voice response and call routing.

        RealComm 100 is an application development environment that provides media management, network abstraction and a high-level programming interface. RealComm 100 is based on the industry standard (ECTF S.100 revision 2) and is designed to enable developers to build innovative, converged communications solutions that support multiple technologies and configurations. Applications supported include contact centers, interactive voice response, call routing, and unified communications.

        New Products; Research and Development

        The market for communications products is generally characterized by rapid technological change, changes in customer requirements, frequent new product introductions and enhancements, and emerging industry standards. We focus significant resources on improving our products in response to changes in operating systems, application software, computer and telephony hardware, networking software, programming tools, and computer language technology. We also direct significant resources to the development of new products and next generation versions of our current products. Our research and development expenses totaled $20.7 million, or 28% of total revenue, in 2002, $21.5 million, or 27% of total revenue, in 2001, and $23.5 million, or 17% of total revenue, in 2000. We believe significant investments in product development are required to remain competitive. As a consequence, we intend to continue to invest a significant dollar amount on product development.

        Warranties

        Our hardware products are covered by a limited warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. In 2000, we increased the warranty on our generally available network interface and signal processing hardware products to five years from the date of purchase from us. We extended our warranty for competitive reasons, as certain of our competitors had shortened their warranties and started charging for additional warranty coverage. Products purchased on or after January 1, 2000 are covered under this new warranty. For hardware products purchased before January 1, 2000, the warranty generally extends for periods of twelve to thirty-six months from the date of purchase. We have also provided, from time to time, extended warranties to certain customers under contractual agreements or for additional consideration.

        Backlog

        At December 31, 2002, our backlog of firm orders was $3.1 million, compared with $5.6 million at December 31, 2001. All of the backlog is expected to be shipped before the end of 2003. We regard all orders as firm orders. Because of the possibility of customer changes in delivery schedules or of cancellation of orders, our backlog as of any particular date may not be indicative of actual sales for any particular future period. The period of time between placement of an order and delivery of the product varies from one day for certain TRxStream Series products to nine months for certain OEM systems products.

4



Manufacturing and Quality

        Our manufacturing operations consist primarily of final assembly and testing of components, subsystems and systems. We test our products at various stages in the manufacturing process. Prior to shipment, each product undergoes a final load and/or functional test either by our subcontractors or by us at our own facilities.

        We believe that we have a readily available supply of raw materials for all of our significant products from a number of sources. We do not anticipate any difficulties in obtaining the raw materials that will be required for our manufacturing activities in 2003. We use independent manufacturers to perform printed circuit board assembly and testing. We believe we have good relationships with our subcontractors and have generally experienced timely delivery of products and satisfactory quality with respect to products manufactured by our subcontractors. Our Needham, Massachusetts and Salem, New Hampshire facilities have achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification.

Distribution, Sales, Marketing and Support

        We sell our products to system vendors, service providers, OEMs, and value-added resellers, or VARs, both domestically and internationally through a direct sales force and a two-tiered distribution system. The two-tiered distribution arrangement is with Tech Data Corporation, a networking supplier, and Ingram Micro, a wholesale distributor of computer technology products and services.

        We have established international sales offices in Belgium and the United Kingdom. Our international sales efforts are initiated from corporate headquarters in the United States and internationally located sales and support offices. International sales accounted for approximately 22% of our total revenue in 2002, 20% of our total revenue in 2001, and 16% of our total revenue in 2000.

        Most countries require technical approvals from their communications regulatory agencies for products that operate in conjunction with the local telephone system. Obtaining these approvals is generally a prerequisite for sales in a given jurisdiction. Obtaining the requisite approvals may require from two months to a year or more depending on the product and the jurisdiction. Our products have received approvals from agencies in more than 25 countries.

        We ordinarily sell our products on the basis of purchase orders received from customers. From time to time, we have entered into contracts with certain of our customers, which agreements set forth the terms and conditions for sales. These agreements generally do not establish any long-term fixed purchase or supply commitments for either party.

        Service Providers and OEMs

        Service providers of enhanced communications services develop, or purchase from developers, large, complex systems incorporating our products to deliver electronic communications applications. These systems typically have long development cycles and result in periodic deployments of large systems. OEMs design, manufacture, and market electronic communications systems that incorporate our products. OEMs generally have long product design and development processes that precede the release of products. Making sales to both of these types of customers can be a complex and time-consuming process that is often focused on technical requirements.

        VARs and Enterprise Customers

        VARs typically purchase our products for resale to an end-user enterprise customer together with application software developed by the VAR or purchased from an independent software vendor. We have established a network of resellers, including many that are designated Brooktrout Authorized Resellers. We employ direct sales people to recruit, train and assist VARs. We also use a two-tiered distribution system for some of our fax, voice and network interface products, utilizing national

5



distributors who then sell to VARs. In the two-tiered distribution system, we do not recognize revenue until the products are sold by the distributor.

        Dependency on Major Customers

        Sales to Captaris represented 15% of our total revenue in 2002, 12% of our total revenue in 2001, and 7% of our total revenue in 2000. No other customers represented more than 10% of our total revenue in 2002. Sales to Lucent represented 8% of our total revenue in 2001 and 22% of our total revenue in 2000. The sales to Lucent were primarily sales of the TRxStream Series product line for use in New Network applications.

        Partner Access Network Program

        Our Partner Access Network Program was established to provide technical, marketing and business benefits to help our customers and partners quickly develop new applications and services, expand into new markets and, ultimately, grow their businesses. The program includes financial assistance for the porting of approved applications, access to lab facilities worldwide, sales leads, technical training and support, and co-op funded marketing support.

        Technical Support

        We back our products with engineering-level support. Many of our technical support staff members hold bachelor's degrees in electrical engineering or computer science. Staff members place the highest priority on providing timely, accurate information, as well as advice on how to take advantage of our sophisticated product line. Our technical support personnel have been a source of product improvements and new features and functions resulting from their close working relationships with customers. Our technical support activities represent an integral element of our marketing strategy.

Patents, Licenses and Trademarks

        We depend on our ability to develop and maintain the proprietary aspects of our technology. To protect our proprietary technology, we rely primarily on a combination of contractual provisions, confidentiality procedures, trade secrets, and patent, copyright and trademark laws.

        From time to time, we seek patent protection for inventions and developments made by our personnel that are incorporated into our products or that otherwise fall within our fields of interest. In 2001, we were awarded a U.S. patent for voice detection in audio signals, which aids in speech recognition applications. While patents are an important means by which we seek to protect our intellectual property, no particular patent, or related group of patents, is so important that its loss would significantly affect our operations.

        We have acquired licenses under certain third-party patents covering aspects of voice processing and voice transcoding technology, and licenses from third parties for some of the software used in certain of our voice and fax products. We pay royalties under these licenses with respect to our sales of certain products. The licenses generally extend for the life of the patent in question (in the case of patents) or in perpetuity (in the case of software), and are subject to termination only in the event of a breach. Royalties constitute a percentage of sales of particular products or product elements, or a fixed amount per unit of hardware or software distributed, and do not generally account for a material part of our cost of product sold.

        We seek to protect our software, firmware, documentation and other written materials under copyright laws. Because on-board and downloadable firmware represent an important element of the value of our hardware products, we believe that we obtain significant protection for our proprietary interest in our hardware products, as well as our software products, from copyright laws. Certain design features, including application-specific integrated circuits, software and firmware, receive some protection under trade secret laws. We generally require that each of our employees executes a

6



proprietary information agreement designed to protect our trade secrets, inventions created in the course of employment with us and other Brooktrout proprietary information. There can be no assurance, however, that patent, copyright and trade secret protection will be sufficient to prevent competitors from developing software and other technology similar to the software and other technology upon which we rely for a significant portion of our revenue. In addition, we have periodically received, and may receive in the future, communications from third parties asserting patent rights with respect to certain of our products and features.

Competition

        The market for telecommunications equipment is highly competitive. In addition to current competitors, there is always the potential for new entrants into our markets by other companies, including our customers and suppliers. We believe that the principal competitive factors affecting the market for our products include product functionality and features, product quality, performance and price, ease of product integration, and quality of customer support services. The relative importance of each of these factors depends upon the specific customer environment. Although we believe that our products currently compete favorably with respect to such factors, there can be no assurance that we can maintain our competitive position against current and potential competitors.

        Many of our current and potential competitors have longer operating histories, significantly greater financial, technical, product development and marketing resources, greater name recognition and larger customer bases than us. Though our addressable market in the overall telecommunications market is characterized by several large competitors, the rest of the market is fairly fragmented and many of our current and potential competitors are smaller companies. These smaller companies generally have significantly less financial, technical, product development and marketing resources, lesser name recognition and smaller customer bases, but these smaller companies may also have an ability to respond more quickly to changes in the market or technology. Our present or future competitors may be able to develop products comparable or superior to those developed by us, adapt more quickly to new technologies, evolving industry trends or customer requirements, or devote greater resources to the development, promotion and licensing of their products than we can. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that competition will not intensify or that we will be able to compete effectively in our market.

        We have faced, and we expect that we will to continue to face, increasing pricing pressures from our current competitors and new market entrants. Our competitors may engage in pricing practices that cause us to reduce the selling prices of our products. To offset declining selling prices, we believe that we must successfully develop and introduce, on a timely basis, new products or products that incorporate new features that can be sold at gross margins comparable to those of existing products. To the extent that such new products are not developed in a timely manner, do not achieve customer acceptance, or do not generate comparable gross margins, our profitability may decline.

Employees

        As of December 31, 2002, we had 342 full-time employees, of whom 129 were engaged in engineering and product development, 120 in sales, marketing and technical support, 57 in administration, and 36 in manufacturing. None of our employees are represented by a labor union and we believe our relationships with our employees are good.


Item 2. Properties

        We lease facilities in Needham, Massachusetts, in Salem, New Hampshire, and in Los Gatos, California. In Needham, Massachusetts, we lease three facilities: a 31,000 square foot manufacturing facility; a 38,000 square foot facility that accommodates engineering, sales and marketing; and a 22,000

7



square foot office that houses corporate headquarters. Two of the Needham, Massachusetts facilities are leased until 2006, and one until 2005. In Los Gatos, California, we lease an office of approximately 33,000 square feet for engineering, sales, marketing and administration. This lease expires in 2006. In Salem, New Hampshire, a 26,000 square foot leased facility is used for engineering, manufacturing, sales, marketing and administrative operations. This lease expires in 2003. We intend to maintain our Salem operations in this facility or in another facility nearby. In addition, the Company has guaranteed the lease payments associated with certain leases for office facilities that former subsidiaries occupied.

        We also maintain operating leases and office space for sales and support functions in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Canada, Belgium and the United Kingdom.

        We believe that our present facilities are adequate for our current needs and that suitable additional space will be available as needed.


Item 3. Legal Proceedings

        None.


Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

        Not applicable.


PART II

Item 5. Market For Registrant's Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters

        Our common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol "BRKT." The following table shows the high and low sales prices per share of the common stock, as reported on the Nasdaq National Market, for the periods indicated:

 
  2002
   
  2001
Quarter Ended

  Quarter Ended

  High
  Low
  High
  Low
March 31   $ 6.95   $ 4.91   March 31   $ 11.50   $ 6.00
June 30   $ 6.75   $ 4.30   June 30   $ 7.75   $ 5.00
September 30   $ 5.75   $ 4.10   September 30   $ 8.00   $ 3.10
December 31   $ 5.90   $ 3.61   December 31   $ 6.84   $ 2.72

        We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock. We do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. On March 20, 2003, there were 478 holders of record of our common stock and the last reported sale price of the common stock on the Nasdaq National Market was $5.09 per share.

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Item 6. Selected Financial Data

        The selected financial data presented below is derived from our consolidated financial statements. These financial statements exclude the results of certain businesses that were disposed of and have been accounted for as discontinued operations. See Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements. The following selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included elsewhere in this report.

 
  Years Ended December 31,
 
  2002
  2001
  2000
  1999
  1998
 
  (in thousands, except per share data)

Statements of Operations Data                              
  Revenue   $ 73,491   $ 79,774   $ 141,748   $ 128,036   $ 94,959
  Costs and expenses:                              
    Cost of product sold     33,121     36,399     52,925     48,262     38,037
    Research and development     20,658     21,517     23,508     19,236     13,565
    In-process research and development (1)             2,550         9,786
    Selling, general and administrative     28,909     31,318     39,921     36,882     26,420
   
 
 
 
 
      Total costs and expenses     82,688     89,234     118,904     104,380     87,808
   
 
 
 
 
  Operating income (loss)     (9,197 )   (9,460 )   22,844     23,656     7,151
 
Other income (expense):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
    Net gain (loss) on investments (2)         (4,923 )       21,738    
    Equity in loss of affiliates (3)         (4,710 )   (3,298 )      
    Interest income, net and other     995     1,108     2,081     645     1,890
   
 
 
 
 
      Total other income (expense)     995     (8,525 )   (1,217 )   22,383     1,890
   
 
 
 
 
  Income (loss) before income tax provision     (8,202 )   (17,985 )   21,627     46,039     9,041
  Income tax provision (benefit)     (3,184 )   (7,627 )   8,717     17,700     3,380
   
 
 
 
 
  Income (loss) from continuing operations   $ (5,018 ) $ (10,358 ) $ 12,910   $ 28,339   $ 5,661
   
 
 
 
 
 
Diluted income (loss) per common share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
    Income (loss) from continuing operations   $ (0.41 ) $ (0.85 ) $ 1.02   $ 2.45   $ 0.49
    Shares for diluted     12,226     12,150     12,684     11,582     11,483

Balance Sheet Data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
  Cash and marketable debt securities   $ 41,788   $ 38,125   $ 25,987   $ 50,033   $ 12,355
  Working capital     53,639     54,701     52,344     65,131     21,225
  Total assets     90,335     98,887     112,660     115,435     73,209
  Long-term debt                    
  Stockholders' equity     75,098     79,572     82,259     77,383     50,129

(1)
In 2000, we acquired rights to certain in-process voice over broadband STS-1 technology for $2.6 million. In 1998, we recorded charges of $9.8 million representing the portion of the purchase price allocated to in-process research and development efforts related to the acquisition of the Computer Telephony Products business of Lucent.

(2)
In 2001, net loss on investment activity represents a $3.9 million permanent reduction in the carrying value of our equity interest in Sonexis and a loss of approximately $1.0 million on the sale of a second cost basis investment. In 1999, net gain on investment activity represents: a gain of $19.9 million, net of offering related costs, on our sale of 1.9 million shares of Interspeed common stock in Interspeed's initial public offering; a gain of $2.5 million from the sale of marketable debt securities; and a loss of $0.7 million, representing the book value of a separate investment that was written off in 1999.

(3)
In 2001 and 2000, equity in loss of affiliates includes our share of the losses of Pelago Networks and Telchemy.

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Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

        The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes in Item 8 of this report. The discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including those set forth below under "Factors That May Affect Future Results."

Overview

        We develop hardware and software platforms that original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, developers and corporate information technology managers build into their communications systems. Customers incorporate our products into applications, systems and services that allow voice, fax and data to be distributed over both Internet protocol, or IP, packet-based networks, which we refer to as the New Network, and the traditional circuit-based telephone network. We supply products for media processing, network interface, call control and signal processing, including protocols that allow Internet and traditional telephony systems to communicate.

        We measure our operating success using both financial and market metrics. The financial metrics include revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, income from continuing operations and cash provided by operating activities. Other key metrics include the total number of enterprise and service provider customers, customers whose purchases exceed $100,000, and the portion of our revenue that is generated by the sales of products for applications in the New Network. Our long-term business model stresses our commitment to establishing and maintaining close customer relationships and to continuing to develop innovative products.

        The most significant trend that has impacted our business during the past two years has been the unfavorable economic conditions affecting most technology sectors and the communications sector in particular. This has resulted in a decrease in our revenue in 2002 and 2001 compared to prior years. Sales of products, particularly for applications in the New Network, sold to OEMs for use by large service providers have declined most significantly. In response to the revenue decreases, we implemented expense control programs to reduce operating expenses, while at the same time, we have continued to invest in developing products that we believe our customers will need when the economy improves.

        Despite these difficult economic conditions, we have been able to increase our cash and marketable debt securities balances from $26.0 million at December 31, 2000 to $41.8 million at December 31, 2002. This was accomplished primarily through operating expense reductions, the sale of a business segment and income tax refunds. If current adverse economic conditions continue for an extended period of time or worsen, we may experience adverse effects on our business, operating results, and cash and marketable debt securities.

Application of Critical Accounting Policies

        Management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. We make estimates and assumptions in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenue and expenses, and the related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. These estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. We base our estimates and judgments on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. However, actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions

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        The following critical accounting policies require the use of significant judgment and estimates in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements. This listing is not a comprehensive list of all of our significant accounting policies. For further information regarding the application of these and other accounting policies, see Note 1 in the notes to consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this report.

        Revenue Recognition

        Revenue from product sales is recognized upon shipment to the customer (which constitutes delivery), provided that persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the fee is fixed or determinable, and collection is reasonably assured. In determining when to recognize revenue we often are required to exercise judgment. To the extent that one or more of these criteria are not met, which has occurred from time to time, revenue is deferred until such time as all four conditions are satisfied. We record a provision for estimated sales returns and allowances on product sales in the same period as the related revenue is recorded. These estimates are based on historical sales returns, analysis of credit memo data and other known factors. Actual results could differ from these estimates and could therefore impact our results of operations and cash flows.

        Allowances for Doubtful Accounts

        Accounts receivable are reduced by an allowance for amounts that may become uncollectible in the future. The estimated allowance for doubtful amounts is based primarily on a specific analysis of accounts in the receivable portfolio and a general reserve based on the aging of receivables. While management believes the allowance to be adequate, if the financial condition of our customers were to deteriorate, resulting in impairment of their ability to make payments, additional allowances may be required and could materially impact our financial position and results of operations.

        Inventory Allowances

        We evaluate our ending inventories for estimated excess quantities and obsolescence. This evaluation includes analyses of sales levels by product and projections of future demand. In addition, we assess the impact of changing technology on our inventory-on-hand. We provide reserves for inventories that are considered excess or obsolete. If future demand or market conditions are less favorable than our projections, additional inventory reserves may be required and would be reflected in cost of sales in the period in which the revision is made. These actions could impact both our results of operations and our cash flows.

        Intangible Assets

        We review our intangible assets for impairment periodically and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. The evaluation of the fair value of our intangible assets includes assumptions regarding estimated future undiscounted cash flows associated with these assets and other factors. If these estimates or assumptions change in the future, we may be required to record impairment charges for these assets. Such an impairment charge would impact the results of operations, but would not directly impact our cash flows.

        Deferred Tax Assets

        We assess the carrying value of our deferred tax assets to determine if it is more likely than not that we will be able to generate sufficient future taxable income in certain tax jurisdictions in order to realize these assets. When necessary we have reduced the deferred tax asset to its estimated realizable value by recording a valuation allowance. This assessment requires us to make estimates and assumptions about our future profitability. In determining the carrying value of the deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2002, we are assuming profitability in the future and that it is more likely than not that we will be able to realize these assets. This assumption is based in part upon our history of profitability. If current economic conditions deteriorate or future results of operations are less than

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expected, future assessments may result in a determination that all or a portion of the remaining deferred tax assets are not realizable. As a result, we may need to establish additional valuation allowances for all or a portion of the deferred tax assets, which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

        Accrued Warranty Costs

        We accrue for warranty costs based on historical trends in product return rates and the expected material and labor costs to provide warranty services. If we were to experience an increase in warranty claims compared with our historical experience, or costs of servicing warranty claims were greater than the expectations on which the accrual had been based, our gross margins could be adversely affected. See Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this report for activity in our reserves for estimated warranty costs.

Discontinued Operations

        Prior to February 8, 2001, we were organized and reported the results of our operations in three operating segments, Brooktrout Technology, Brooktrout Software, and Interspeed. On February 8, 2001, our board of directors adopted formal plans to discontinue our Brooktrout Software and Interspeed segments. We have accounted for these businesses as discontinued operations. For the years ended December 31, 2002 and 2001, we recorded total gains from discontinued operations of $0.2 million and $7.0 million, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2000, we had a $16.3 million loss from discontinued operations. See Note 2 in the notes to consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this report.

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Results of Operations

        The following discussion focuses on our results from continuing operations. The table below sets forth certain consolidated statements of operations data as a percentage of total revenue for the periods presented.

 
  Years ended December 31,
 
 
  2002
  2001
  2000
 
Domestic revenue   78 % 80 % 84 %
International revenue   22   20   16  
   
 
 
 
  Total revenue   100   100   100  
Cost of product sold   45   46   37  
   
 
 
 
  Gross margin   55   54   63  
Operating expenses:              
  Research and development   28   27   17  
  In-process research and development       2  
  Selling, general and administrative   39   39   28  
   
 
 
 
    Total operating expenses   67   66   47  
   
 
 
 
Operating income (loss)   (12 ) (12 ) 16  
Other income (expense), net              
  Net loss on investments     (6 )  
  Equity in loss of affiliates     (6 ) (2 )
  Interest income, net and other   1   1   1  
   
 
 
 
    Total other income (expense), net   1   (11 ) (1 )
   
 
 
 
Income (loss) before income taxes   (11 ) (23 ) 15  
Income tax provision (benefit)   (4 ) (10 ) 6  
   
 
 
 
Income (loss) from continuing operations   (7 )% (13 )% 9 %
   
 
 
 

        The following table presents our domestic and international revenue:

 
  Years ended December 31,

 
 
  2002
  2001
  2000
 
 
  (dollars in thousands)

 
Domestic revenue   $ 57,106   78 % $ 63,421   80 % $ 119,596   84 %
International revenue     16,385   22     16,353   20     22,152   16  
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Total revenue   $ 73,491   100 % $ 79,774   100 % $ 141,748   100 %
   
 
 
 
 
 
 

        Revenue in 2002 was $73.5 million compared to $79.8 million in 2001, a decrease of approximately 8%. The decrease in revenue is primarily attributed to a $5.4 million sale to a service provider customer in the first quarter of 2001. This customer has not purchased any additional product since, leading to lower quarterly revenue since the first quarter of 2001. During the past two years, revenue from enterprise customers has remained consistent while revenue from service provider customers has declined. During 2002, sales of products for applications in the New Network accounted for approximately 36% of total revenue, as compared to 41% of total revenue for 2001. In 2002, domestic revenue decreased slightly while international revenue remained constant, at approximately $16.4 million per year, representing an increase from 20% of total revenue in 2001 to 22% of total revenue in 2002.

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        Revenue from Captaris accounted for 15% of total revenue in 2002 compared to 12% in 2001. We expect that revenue from Captaris will continue to be greater than 10% of total revenue for 2003. Revenue from Lucent represented 8% of revenue in 2001, but represented less than 1% of total revenue for 2002. In 2002, we sold products to over 900 customers. Approximately 90 of these customers each purchased over $100,000 of products, in aggregate representing 86% of total 2002 revenue. In 2001, we sold products to over 1,000 customers. Approximately 100 of these customers each purchased over $100,000 of products, in aggregate representing approximately 86% of total 2001 revenue.

        Revenue during 2001 was $79.8 million compared to $141.7 million in 2000, a decrease of approximately 44%. The decline in revenue resulted primarily from the overall economic slowdown in the United States and international economies and, in particular, the weakness of the communications market. The decrease in sales extended across all product lines and markets. Sales of products for applications in the New Network, specifically those sold to OEMs for use by large service providers, declined most significantly. International revenue decreased from $22.2 million in 2000 to $16.4 million in 2001, although international revenue as a percent of total revenue increased from 16% of total revenue in 2000 to 20% in 2001. During 2001, sales of products for applications in the New Network accounted for approximately 41% of total revenue, as compared to 60% of total revenue for the same period in 2000.

        Revenue from Captaris accounted for 12% of total revenue in 2001 compared to 7% in 2000. Revenue from Lucent represented 22% of revenue in 2000; however, revenue from Lucent represented 8% of total revenue in 2001.

        The following table presents cost of product sold and gross margin information:

 
  Years ended December 31,
 
 
  2002
  2001
  2000
 
 
  (dollars in thousands)

 
Cost of product sold   $ 33,121   $ 36,399   $ 52,925  
Gross profit   $ 40,370   $ 43,375   $ 88,823