Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence
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Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
Procedures for Approval of Related Person Transactions
Pursuant to our Audit Committee charter, the Audit Committee has the responsibility for the review and approval of any related person transactions; provided that if the matter or transaction involves employment or compensation terms for services to our company, including retention or payment provisions relating to expert services, then it is presented to the Compensation Committee. In approving or rejecting a proposed transaction, or a relationship that encompasses many similar transactions, our Audit Committee will consider the relevant facts and circumstances available and deemed relevant, including but not limited to the risks, costs and benefits to us, the terms of the transaction, the availability of other sources for comparable services or products, and, if applicable, the impact on a director’s independence. Our Audit Committee approves only those transactions that, in light of known circumstances are not inconsistent with our best interests, as the Audit Committee determines in the good faith exercise of its discretion. In addition, we annually require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions as such term is defined by SEC rules and regulations. These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
Transactions with Related Parties, Promoters and Certain Control Persons
Director and Officer Indemnification
We have entered into agreements to indemnify our directors and executive officers to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law. In addition, our certificate of incorporation contains provisions limiting the liability of our directors and our bylaws contain provisions requiring us to indemnify our officers and directors.
Equity-Based Awards
Please see the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards” table and the “Director Compensation” table above for information on stock option and restricted stock unit grants to our directors and named executive officers in fiscal years 2018 and 2019.
Employment Relationships
Hung-Fan (Albert) Liu, who is a brother of Sara Liu, our Co-Founder and Senior Vice President and a director, is employed in our operations organization in San Jose, California. Mr. Liu received a total compensation of approximately $272,000 and $341,000 in fiscal years 2019 and 2018, respectively. The total compensation includes salary, bonus and equity awards.
Shao Fen (Carly) Kao, who is a sister-in-law of Sara Liu, our Co-Founder and Senior Vice President and a director, is employed in our finance and accounting organization in San Jose, California. Ms. Kao received total compensation of approximately $132,000 and $140,000 in fiscal years 2019 and 2018, respectively. The total compensation includes salary, bonus and equity awards.
Transactions with Ablecom and Compuware
We have entered into a series of agreements with Ablecom Technology Inc. ("Ablecom"), a Taiwan corporation, and one of its affiliates, Compuware Technology, Inc ("Compuware"). Ablecom’s ownership of Compuware is below 50% but Compuware remains a related party as Ablecom still has significant influence over the operations. Ablecom’s Chief Executive
Officer, Steve Liang, is the brother of Charles Liang, our President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our Board, and owned approximately 0.4% of our common stock as of June 30, 2017, but owned no shares as June 30, 2018 and thereafter. Charles Liang served as a Director of Ablecom during our fiscal year 2006, but is no longer serving in such capacity. In addition, Charles Liang and Sara Liu, his spouse, who is also an officer and director of ours, collectively owned approximately 10.5% of Ablecom’s capital stock throughout fiscal years 2018 and 2019. Steve Liang and his family members owned approximately 28.8% throughout fiscal years 2018 and 2019. Certain family members of Yih-Shyan (Wally) Liaw, who until January 2018 was the Senior Vice President of International Sales and a director of the Company, owned approximately 11.7% Ablecom’s capital stock throughout fiscal years 2018 and 2019. Bill Liang, a brother of both Charles Liang and Steve Liang, also is a member of the Board of Directors of Ablecom. Bill Liang is also the Chief Executive Officer of Compuware, a member of Compuware’s Board of Directors and a holder of a significant equity interest in Compuware. Steve Liang is also a member of Compuware’s Board of Directors and is an equity holder of Compuware. None of the Company, Charles Liang or Sara Liu own any capital stock of Compuware.
We have a series of agreements with Ablecom, including multiple product development, production and service agreements, product manufacturing agreements, manufacturing services agreements and lease agreements for warehouse space.
Under these agreements, we outsource a portion of our design activities and a significant part of our manufacturing of components such as server chassis to Ablecom. Ablecom agrees to design products according to our specifications. Additionally, Ablecom agrees to build the tools needed to manufacture the products. We have agreed to pay for the cost of chassis and related product tooling and engineering services and will pay for those items when the work has been completed.
We entered into a distribution agreement with Compuware, under which we appointed Compuware as a non-exclusive distributor of our products in Taiwan, China and Australia. We believe that the pricing and terms under the distribution agreement are similar to the pricing and terms of distribution arrangements we have with similar third-party distributors.
We have also entered into a series of agreements with Compuware, including a multiple product development, production and service agreements, product manufacturing agreements, and lease agreements for office space. Under these agreements, we outsource to Compuware a portion of our design activities and a significant part of our manufacturing of components, particularly power supplies. With respect to design activities, Compuware generally agrees to design certain agreed-upon products according to our specifications, and further agrees to build the tools needed to manufacture the products. We pay Compuware for the design and engineering services, and further agree to pay Compuware for the tooling.
We retain full ownership of any intellectual property resulting from the design of these products and tooling. With respect to the manufacturing aspects of the relationship, Compuware purchases most of materials needed to manufacture the power supplies from outside markets and uses these materials to manufacture the products and then sell to us. We review and frequently negotiate with Compuware the prices of the power supplies the we purchase from Compuware. Compuware also manufactures motherboards, backplanes and other components used on our printed circuit boards. We sell to Compuware most of the components needed to manufacture the above products. Compuware uses these components to manufacture and then sells back the products to us at a purchase price equal to the price at which we sold the components to Compuware, plus a “manufacturing value added” fee and other miscellaneous material charges and costs. We frequently review and negotiate with
Compuware the amount of the “manufacturing value added” fee that will be included in the price of the products we purchase from Compuware.
Ablecom’s sales to us comprise a substantial majority of Ablecom’s net sales. For fiscal years ended June 30, 2019, 2018 and 2017, we purchased products from Ablecom totaling $137.9 million, $144.4 million and $118.5 million, respectively. Amounts owed to Ablecom by us as of June 30, 2019 and 2018, were $33.9 million and $49.2 million, respectively. For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2019, 2018 and 2017, we paid Ablecom $7.4 million, $7.9 million and $5.2 million, respectively, for design services, tooling assets and miscellaneous costs.
Compuware’s sales of our products to others comprise a majority of Compuware’s net sales. For fiscal years ended June 30, 2019, 2018 and 2017, we sold products to Compuware totaling $17.7 million, $46.9 million and $23.0 million, respectively. Amounts owed to us by Compuware as of June 30, 2019 and 2018, were $14.4 million and $16.3 million, respectively. The price at which Compuware purchases the products from us is at a discount from our standard price for purchasers who purchase specified volumes from us. In exchange for this discount, Compuware assumes the responsibility to install our products at the site of the end customer and administers first-level customer support. For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2019, 2018 and 2017, we purchased products from Compuware totaling $138.9 million, $118.3 million and $117.8 million, respectively. Amounts we owed to Compuware as of June 30, 2019 and 2018, were $34.4 million and $45.6 million, respectively. For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2019, 2018 and 2017, we paid Compuware $0.7 million, $1.2 million and $1.1 million, respectively, for design services, tooling assets and miscellaneous costs.
Our exposure to financial loss as a result of our involvement with Ablecom is limited to potential losses on our purchase orders in the event of an unforeseen decline in the market price and/or demand for our products such that we incur a loss on the sale or cannot sell the products. Our outstanding purchase orders to Ablecom were $31.0 million and $39.3 million at June 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively, representing the maximum exposure to financial loss. We do not directly or indirectly guarantee any obligations of Ablecom, or any losses that the equity holders of Ablecom may suffer.
Our exposure to financial loss as a result of our involvement with Compuware is limited to potential losses on our purchase orders in the event of an unforeseen decline in the market price and/or demand for our products such that we incur a loss on the sale or cannot sell the products. Our outstanding purchase orders to Compuware were $70.6 million and $111.7 million at June 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively, representing the maximum exposure to financial loss. We do not directly or indirectly guarantee any obligations of Compuware, or any losses that the equity holders of Compuware may suffer.
Loans
In October 2018, our CEO, Charles Liang, personally borrowed approximately $12.9 million from Chang Chien-Tsun, the spouse of Steve Liang. The loan is unsecured, bore interest at 0.80% per month for the first six months and the loan has no maturity date. After the first six months, the loan bears interest at 0.85% per month. The loan was made at Charles Liang’s request, to provide funds to repay personal margin loans to two financial institutions, which loans had been secured by shares of our common stock held by Charles Liang. The lenders called the loans in October 2018, following the suspension of our common stock from trading on Nasdaq in August 2018 and the decline in the market price of our common stock in October 2018. As of November 30, 2019, the amount due on the unsecured loan (including principal and accrued interest) was approximately $14.5 million.
Transactions with Monolithic Power Systems
Monolithic Power Systems, Inc., a fabless manufacturer of high-performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors (“MPS”), is a supplier that provides high-performance analog and mixed signal semiconductors for use in our products. Saria Tseng, who serves as a member on the Board of Directors, also serves as Vice President of Strategic Corporate Development, General Counsel and Secretary of MPS. We purchased approximately $0.3 million and $0.4 million of products from MPS for the years ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively, for use in the manufacturing of our products. We did not owe any amounts to MPS as of June 30, 2019 and 2018.
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