Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Note 5 - Sale of Intellectual Property in Exchange for Cancellation of the Boston Scientific Notes

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Note 5 - Sale of Intellectual Property in Exchange for Cancellation of the Boston Scientific Notes
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Related Party Transactions Disclosure [Text Block]

5.

Sale of Intellectual Property in Exchange for Cancellation of the Boston Scientific Notes


In March 2014, the Company entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “BSC Purchase Agreement”) with Boston Scientific. Pursuant to the BSC Purchase Agreement, Boston Scientific purchased from the Company certain MRI-safety technology for implantable medical leads (the “Transferred Intellectual Property”) for an aggregate purchase price of $4,338,601. The Transferred Intellectual Property includes some, but not all, of the intellectual property the Company previously licensed exclusively to Boston Scientific within the fields of neuromodulation and implantable medical leads for cardiac applications. The purchase price was satisfied through the cancellation of three convertible notes payable issued by the Company to Boston Scientific, which were scheduled to mature in 2014, in the aggregate principal amount of $4,338,601 (the “Boston Scientific Notes”). Accordingly, all obligations of the Company under the Boston Scientific Notes were discharged and the liens that secured the Company’s obligations under the Boston Scientific Notes were terminated and released. The Company recorded a gain in its consolidated statement of operations equal to the aggregate purchase price for the assets sold under the BSC Purchase Agreement.


In connection with the BSC Purchase Agreement, the parties entered into a license agreement pursuant to which Boston Scientific granted the Company an exclusive, royalty-free, fully paid up, irrevocable, worldwide license to the Transferred Intellectual Property, with the right to sublicense, within fields of use other than neuromodulation and implantable medical leads for cardiac applications.


In addition, Boston Scientific and the Company entered into amendments to their pre-existing development and license agreements (the “Pre-existing Agreements”), in the fields of neuromodulation and implantable medical leads for cardiac applications, to eliminate the milestone-based payments and royalties provided under those agreements. As such, the Company is no longer entitled to receive any potential future milestone-based payments or royalties under its development and license agreements with Boston Scientific.


Pursuant to one of the Pre-existing Agreements, the Company received a non-refundable licensing fee of $13,000,000 from Boston Scientific in 2008. The Company recorded the $13,000,000 payment as deferred revenue and recognized the revenue on a straight-line basis over the five year period estimated by the Company for its continuing involvement in the development effort (see Note 2, Revenue Recognition), which period ended on March 31, 2013. The Company reevaluated its estimated remaining period of continuing involvement at each reporting period until all of the revenue that had been deferred was recognized.


The transactions contemplated by the BSC Purchase Agreement do not impact the Company’s ability to continue to commercialize its ClearPoint system or to continue the development of its ClearTrace system.