Quarterly report pursuant to sections 13 or 15(d)

Note 7 - Amendment to Agreement with Merge Healthcare

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Note 7 - Amendment to Agreement with Merge Healthcare
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2013
Research and development: [Abstract]  
Research, Development, and Computer Software Disclosure [Text Block]

7.     Amendment to Agreement with Merge Healthcare


Effective July 28, 2013, the Company and Merge Healthcare Canada Corp. (“Merge”) entered into a Third Amendment to the Master Services and Licensing Agreement between the parties (the “Third Amendment”).


The Company entered into the Master Services and Licensing Agreement (the “Master Software Agreement”) in July 2007 for Merge to develop on the Company’s behalf, based on the Company’s detailed specifications, a customized software solution for the Company’s ClearPoint system. Merge was in the business of providing software development and engineering services on a contract basis to a number of companies. In developing the Company’s ClearPoint system software, Merge utilized certain of its own pre-existing software code. Under the Master Software Agreement, the Company received a non-exclusive, worldwide license to the pre-existing software code, in object code form, as an integrated component of the Company’s ClearPoint system software. In return, the Company agreed to pay Merge a license fee for each copy of the ClearPoint system software that the Company distributes. In addition, under the Master Software Agreement, Merge has been performing ongoing custom engineering, maintenance and support services with respect to the Company’s ClearPoint system software, for which services the Company has been compensating Merge.


At the Company's request, the parties entered into the Third Amendment to enable the Company to internally handle development, maintenance and support of its ClearPoint system software going forward. As a result, the services which the Company was outsourcing to the Merge will now be performed by the Company itself. Under the Third Amendment, Merge granted the Company a non-exclusive, non-transferable, worldwide license to the source code for the pre-existing software to use in the Company’s further development and commercialization of its ClearPoint system software. In return, the Company agreed to pay Merge a one-time license fee. Merge may terminate the source code license only for cause. The Company will continue to pay Merge a license fee for each copy of the ClearPoint system software that the Company distributes, but only for licenses in excess of those licenses already purchased or otherwise acquired by the Company prior to the Third Amendment. The Company had already satisfied its minimum license purchase commitments from the Master Software Agreement.