FORM 10-Q
Table of Contents

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 10-Q

 

(MARK ONE)

 

x    QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED JUNE 30, 2003

 

OR

 

¨    TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM              TO             

 

COMMISSION FILE NUMBER 1-13616

 


 

STORAGE COMPUTER CORPORATION

(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)

 

DELAWARE   02-0450593

(STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF

INCORPORATION OR ORGANIZATION)

  (I.R.S. EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NO.)

 

11 RIVERSIDE DRIVE, NASHUA, NH 03062

(ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES, INCLUDING ZIP CODE)

 

(603) 880-3005

REGISTRANT’S TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE

 


 

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 whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes ¨    No x

 

Number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s class of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

 

CLASS


 

OUTSTANDING AT AUGUST 15, 2003


Common Stock   36,762,252

 



Table of Contents

 

         Page

PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1.

  Financial Statements (Unaudited).     
    Consolidated Balance Sheets—June 30, 2003 and December 31, 2002.    3
    Consolidated Statements of Operations—Three and six months ended June 30, 2003 and 2002.    4
    Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows—Six months ended June 30, 2003 and 2002.    5
    Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—June 30, 2003.    6

Item 2.

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

Item 3.

  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.    15

Item 4.

  Controls and Procedures    15

PART II — OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1.

  Legal Proceedings.    15

Item 6.

  Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K.    16

 

 

 


Table of Contents

PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1.    Financial Statements.

 

Storage Computer Corporation

Consolidated Balance Sheets

 

     June 30, 2003

    December 31, 2002

 
     (Unaudited)        

ASSETS

                

Current assets:

                

Cash and cash equivalents

    $ 447,047     $  2,680,599  

Accounts receivable, net

     27,056       192,882  

Inventories

     1,936,712       2,031,679  

Due from officers and directors

           133,247  

Other current assets

     57,662       80,484  
    


 


Total current assets

     2,468,477       5,118,891  

Property and equipment, net

     448,212       537,313  

Goodwill

     2,692,611       2,692,611  

Other intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $1,642,943 and
$1,195,951 in 2003 and 2002, respectively

     1,237,057       1,525,057  
    


 


Total assets

    $ 6,846,357      $ 9,873,872  
    


 


LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

                

Current liabilities:

                

Accounts payable

    $ 330,919      $ 472,667  

Accrued expenses

     1,785,577       2,169,952  

Deferred revenue

     111,717       202,366  

Current maturities of long-term debt

     487,899       665,000  
    


 


Total current liabilities

     2,716,112       3,509,985  
    


 


Commitments and contingencies

                

Redeemable convertible preferred stock

           1,212,618  
    


 


Stockholders’ equity:

                

Preferred stock

            

Common stock

     36,537       25,752  

Additional paid-in capital

     84,963,739       83,589,403  

Accumulated deficit

     (80,870,031 )     (78,463,886 )
    


 


Total stockholders’ equity

     4,130,245       5,151,269  
    


 


Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

    $ 6,846,357     $  9,873,872  
    


 


 

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

 

 

 

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Storage Computer Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended

    Six Months Ended

 
     June 30, 2003

    June 30, 2002

    June 30, 2003

     June 30, 2002

 

Revenues:

                                 

Products and services

    $ 147,776     $ 586,993     $ 425,760      $ 1,352,996  

License fees

     —         —         —          —    
    


 


 


  


Total revenues

     147,776       586,993       425,760        1,352,996  
    


 


 


  


Costs and expenses:

                                 

Cost of products and services

     231,611       598,440       478,672        1,320,140  

Cost of license fees, primarily legal fees

     269,366       1,305,963       529,081        1,985,077  

Research and development

     359,662       866,460       645,571        1,886,129  

Sales and marketing

     161,925       926,461       324,116        1,943,187  

General and administrative

     356,272       726,832       733,409        1,528,361  

Amortization of intangibles

     144,000       193,821       288,000        433,893  
    


 


 


  


Total costs and expenses

     1,522,836       4,617,977       2,998,849        9,096,787  
    


 


 


  


Operating loss

     (1,375,060 )     (4,030,984 )     (2,573,089 )      (7,743,791 )
    


 


 


  


Other income (expense), net:

                                 

Interest expense, net

     (5,082 )     (16,197 )     (9,562 )      (19,454 )

Other income (expense)

     193,676       (34,590 )     194,101        16,269  
    


 


 


  


Total other income (expense), net

     188,594       (50,787 )     184,539        (3,185 )
    


 


 


  


Net loss

     (1,186,466 )     (4,081,771 )     (2,388,550 )      (7,746,976 )

Dividends on preferred stock including amortization of the beneficial conversion features

     —         (257,955 )     (17,595 )      (514,999 )
    


 


 


  


Net loss applicable to common stockholders

   $ (1,186,466 )   $ (4,339,726 )   $ (2,406,145 )    $ (8,261,975 )
    


 


 


  


Loss applicable to common stockholders per basic and dilutive share

   $ (.03 )   $ (.22)     $ (.07 )    $ (.43 )
    


 


 


  


Basic and dilutive shares outstanding

     36,285,714       19,571,851       35,358,918        19,375,148  
    


 


 


  


 

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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Storage Computer Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

 

     Six Months Ended

 
     June 30, 2003

    June 30, 2002

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

                

Net loss

   $ (2,388,550 )   $ (7,746,976 )

Reconciliation to operating cash flows:

                

Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment

     102,503       250,283  

Amortization of other intangibles

     288,000       433,893  

Settlement of debt and advances with directors and officers (Note D)

     (184,784 )     —    

Stock issued to 401(k) plan

     10,094       40,761  

Stock issued for deferred compensation

     105,110       —    

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                

Accounts receivable

     165,826       553,196  

Inventories

     94,967       (389,483 )

Due from officers and directors (Note D)

     3,097       998,224  

Other current assets

     22,822       258,401  

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

     (399,235 )     415,089  
    


 


Net cash used in operations

     (2,180,150 )     (5,186,612 )
    


 


Cash flows from investing activities:

                

Capital expenditures

     (13,402 )     (49,445 )

Other assets

     —         (667,538 )
    


 


Net cash used in investing activities

     (13,402 )     (716,983 )
    


 


Cash flows from financing activities:

                

Reduction of long-term debt

     (40,000 )     (167,457 )

Net proceeds from issuance of common stock for stock options

     —         115,662  

Issuance of common stock and warrants, net of costs

     —         2,673,614  
    


 


Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

     (40,000 )     2,621,819  
    


 


Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

     —         53,642  
    


 


Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

     (2,233,552 )     (3,228,134 )

Cash and cash equivalents-beginning of period

     2,680,599       5,627,855  
    


 


Cash and cash equivalents-end of period

   $ 447,047     $ 2,399,721  
    


 


Supplemental cash flow information:

                

Cash payments of interest

   $ 8,210     $ 35,732  

Preferred stock dividends paid in common stock

   $ 44,917     $ 47,556  

 

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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Storage Computer Corporation

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

June 30, 2003

 

Note A – The Company and Basis of Presentation

 

Storage Computer Corporation (“Company”, “we” and “us”) and our subsidiaries are engaged in the development, manufacture, and sale of computer disk arrays, computer equipment and software, worldwide. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and those of our wholly-owned subsidiaries CyberStorage Systems Corporation, Storage Computer Europe GmbH, Vermont Research Products, Inc., and Storage Computer UK, Ltd. Our wholly-owned subsidiary, Storage Computer France SAS, was dissolved during the second quarter 2003. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. We have a 20% investment in Storage Computer (Asia) Ltd., which is accounted for by the equity method.

 

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K (as amended) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, containing our financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002. In management’s opinion, the accompanying consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, all of which are of a normal, recurring nature, to fairly present our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows. The results of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2003 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. In addition refer to Liquidity and Capital Resources in Item 2. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations below.

 

Note B – Stockholders’ Equity

 

A summary of changes in stockholders’ equity for the six months ended June 30, 2003 follows:

 

     Common Stock

                  
     Shares

   Par
Value


  

Additional

Paid-In
Capital


   Accumulated
Deficit


    

Total

Stockholders’
Equity


 

Balance—December 31, 2002

   25,751,659    $ 25,752    $ 83,589,403    $ (78,463,886 )    $ 5,151,269  

Deferred compensation stock purchases

   435,121      435      104,675               105,110  

Stock issued to 401(k) plan

   36,180      36      10,058               10,094  

Amortization of beneficial conversion feature of preferred stock

                        (12,382 )      (12,382 )

Dividends on preferred stock, including dividends paid on conversion of redeemable convertible preferred stock

   353,560      354      44,563      (5,213 )      39,704  

Conversion of redeemable convertible preferred stock into common shares

   9,959,697      9,960      1,215,040               1,225,000  

Net loss

                        (2,388,550 )      (2,388,550 )
    
  

  

  


  


Balance-June 30, 2003

   36,536,217    $ 36,537    $ 84,963,739    $ (80,870,031 )    $ 4,130,245  
    
  

  

  


  


 

Note C – Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In November 2002, the Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) reached consensus on Issue No. 00-21, Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables. Revenue arrangements with multiple deliverables include arrangements that provide for the delivery or performance of multiple products, services and/or rights to use assets where performance may occur at different points in time or over different periods of time. EITF Issue No. 00-21 is effective for us for revenue arrangements entered into in fiscal periods beginning after June 15, 2003. The adoption of this EITF will not have an effect on our financial position or future results of operations.

 

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Note D – Related Party Transactions

 

John Thonet resigned his position as a director of the Company on April 30, 2003. At the time of his resignation, the Company owed Mr. Thonet a balance of $177,101 plus accrued and unpaid interest on a note payable representing the balance of sums advanced by him to CyberStorage Systems that was acquired by the Company in 2000, and Mr. Thonet was due $156,333 in accrued and unpaid salary by CyberStorage Systems. The Company also had a note receivable due from Mr. Thonet of $44,729 plus accrued interest. On April 30, 2003, the Company and Mr. Thonet agreed to offset the note receivable and accrued interest against the note payable and accrued interest and Mr. Thonet agreed to accept a cash payment of $40,000 in exchange for cancellation by him of the balance of the note payable. In addition, Mr. Thonet gave up any and all claims to accrued and unpaid salary and any other amounts due to him as of that date in exchange for the extension of period for exercise of his vested stock options to purchase 62,500 shares of common stock until May 1, 2004. There was no charge to income related to the modification of the terms of this option since the exercise price was greater than the market value at that date.

 

On May 13, 2003 the Company’s Board of Directors approved the forgiveness of the notes receivable and accrued interest remaining due from two directors totaling $84,095.

 

Note E – Subsequent Events

 

The Company received notification from the American Stock Exchange (“AMEX”) on April 29, 2003 that the Company was not in compliance with certain listing standards relating to stockholders’ equity and net losses. In June 2003 the Company submitted a plan to AMEX setting forth a plan for compliance with the AMEX continuing listing standards. On July 28, 2003, AMEX notified the Company that it had accepted the proposed plan and granted an extension until October 31, 2004 to regain compliance. During such period, the Company’s common stock will continue to trade on AMEX and the Company will be subject to periodic review of its progress consistent with its plan.

 

On July 30, 2003 the Court of Appeal in London dismissed our appeal involving our European Patent (UK) 0,294,287, which was judged to be invalid in an action against Hitachi Data Systems Limited in August 2002. See Part II, Item 1. Legal Proceedings

 

ITEM 2.     Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

 

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT

 

Forward-looking Statements

 

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 contain certain safe harbors regarding forward-looking statements. From time to time, information provided by the Company or statements made by our directors, officers or employees may contain “forward-looking” information subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. Any statements made herein that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements concerning the characteristics and growth of our markets and customers, our objectives and plans for future operations and products and our expected liquidity and capital resources. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and, accordingly, actual results could differ materially. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: the continued and future acceptance of our products; the rate of growth in the industries of our products; the presence of competitors with greater technical, marketing and financial resources; our ability to promptly and effectively respond to technological change to meet evolving customer needs; risks associated with sales in foreign countries; and our ability to successfully expand our operations. See “Factors That May Affect Future Results” below. We undertake no duty to update forward-looking statements.

 

Introduction

 

This discussion summarizes the significant accounting policies, accounting estimates and other significant factors affecting the liquidity, capital resources and results of operations of the Company for the periods ended June 30, 2003 and 2002. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and other financial information included in our 2002 Annual Report on Form 10-K (as amended) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

We prepare our financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These accounting principles require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. Our management is also required to make certain judgments that affect the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

 

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We periodically evaluate our estimates including those relating to the allowance for doubtful accounts; inventory reserves for lower of cost or market adjustments, excess quantities and discontinued products; estimated lives and impairment of tangible and intangible long-life assets; restructuring costs; litigation and other contingencies. We base our estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable based on the specific circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of certain assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

 

We believe the following critical accounting policies impact the most significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements:

 

Revenue Recognition

 

We recognize revenue from product sales at the time of shipment, provided that the price is fixed and determinable, no significant obligations remain, collectibility is probable and returns are estimable. Revenue is recognized at the time of shipment since the terms of shipment are FOB shipping point and legal title to the product passes to the customer at this time. We consider post shipment obligations such as installation and training to be relatively insignificant given the underlying nature of the product and of its installation. Revenue from services is recognized over the contract period or as services are provided. Revenue from license fees is recognized over the contract period or when received for fully-paid license agreements. These revenue accounting policies do not require significant estimates by management.

 

Impairment of Goodwill and Intangible Assets

 

All of our goodwill and other intangibles resulted from our acquisition of CyberStorage Systems in 2000 that was accounted for using the purchase method. In connection with the implementation of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 142, as of January 1, 2002, we have ceased amortizing goodwill and determined that our entire business constitutes one reporting unit for purposes of assessing potential impairment of goodwill.

 

A fair value approach was used to test existing goodwill for impairment as of September 30, 2002 due to several triggering events including an unfavorable decision in patent litigation in the UK High Court, London, a decline in our stock price of approximately 76% during August 2002, and a reorganization of our management team to refocus our efforts on the Storage Wide Area Networking (SWAN) market during August 2002. The market approach was the method used to determine the fair value of the reporting unit. Under the fair value approach, the quoted market prices in active securities markets are used as the basis for the determination of fair value. The fair value used for measuring impairment indicated by our stock price was also supplemented by the valuations indicated by a portfolio of comparable publicly traded companies. This valuation approach resulted in the recording of a goodwill impairment charge of $14,281,336 in accordance with SFAS No. 142 as of September 30, 2002.

 

Additionally, in accordance with SFAS No. 144, we evaluated the carrying values of our identifiable intangible assets based on the same triggering events discussed above as of September 30, 2002. We determined impairment existed for the portion of intangible assets representing customer relationships acquired from CyberStorage Systems in 2000. Accordingly, an impairment of identifiable intangible assets in the amount of $976,099 was recorded as of September 30, 2002.

 

Our annual evaluation of goodwill and other intangibles required under SFAS 142 will be conducted as of September 30, 2003.

 

Stock-Based Compensation

 

We account for our stock-based compensation plans under Accounting Principles Board (“APB”) Opinion No.25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees”, and accordingly account for employee stock-based compensation utilizing the intrinsic value method. SFAS No.123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation,” established a fair value based method of accounting for stock-based compensation plans. We have adopted the disclosure only alternative under SFAS No.123, which requires disclosure of the pro forma effects on earnings and earnings per share as if SFAS No. 123 had been adopted as well as certain other information.

 

In December 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued FASB No. 148, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation—Transition and Disclosure—an amendment of FASB Statement No. 123”. This statement amends FASB No. 123 to provide alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair value based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation. In addition, FASB No.148 amends the disclosure requirements of FASB No.123 to require prominent disclosures in both annual and interim financial statements about the method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation and the effect of the method used on reported results. FASB No.148 also requires that those effects be disclosed more prominently by specifying the form, content, and location of those disclosures. We adopted the increased disclosure requirements of FASB No. 148 during the year ended December 31, 2002. We will continue to use the intrinsic value method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation. The additional disclosures required by SFAS 148 are as follows:

 

 

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     Three months ended
June 30,


   

Six months ended

June 30,


 
     2003

    2002

    2003

    2002

 

Net loss applicable to common stockholders, as reported

   $ (1,186,466 )   $ (4,339,726 )   $ (2,406,145 )   $ (8,261,975 )

Add: Stock based employee compensation expense included in reported net loss applicable to common stockholders, net of tax

     —         —                

Deduct: Total stock based employee compensation expense determined under the fair value based method of all awards, net of tax

     (605,387 )     (606,212 )     (1,210,758 )     (1,204,902 )
    


 


 


 


Pro forma net loss applicable to common stockholders

   $ (1,791,853 )   $ (4,945,938 )   $ (3,616,903 )   $ (9,466,877 )
    


 


 


 


Net loss applicable to common stockholders per basic and dilutive shares:

                                

As reported

   $ (0.03 )   $ (0.22 )   $ (0.07 )   $ (0.43 )

Pro forma

   $ (0.05 )   $ (0.25 )   $ (0.10 )   $ (0.49 )

 

In 2002 the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repricing of employee options to purchase 2,610,110 shares of common stock from exercise prices ranging between $1.44 and $12.17 per share to an exercise price of $1.37 per share, which represented the fair market value of our common stock on the date of the repricing. These options are subject to variable plan accounting, as defined in FASB Interpretation No. 44. There were no charges to earnings required during the six-months ended June 30, 2003 related to fluctuations in our stock price. As of June 30, 2003, options to purchase 2,123,267 shares of common stock are outstanding and subject to variable plan accounting.

 

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

 

We record an allowance for doubtful accounts based on specifically identified amounts that we believe to be uncollectible which are determined based on historical experience and our assessment of the general financial conditions affecting our customer base. If our actual collections experience changes, revisions to our allowance may be required. We have a limited number of customers with individually large amounts due at any given balance sheet date. Any unanticipated change in one of those customer’s credit worthiness or other matters affecting the collectibility of amounts due from such customers, could have a material affect on our results of operations in the period in which such changes or events occur. After all attempts to collect a receivable have failed, the receivable is written off against the allowance.

 

Intellectual Property Rights, Contingencies and Litigation

 

We have a substantial portfolio of patents, claims and other intellectual property rights. Costs and expenses in connection with the development of and the enforcement of our rights are expensed when incurred. Certain contingent fees for legal services are due upon the receipt of license fees over contract periods or upon receipt of payment for paid-up license arrangements. We currently are in legal proceedings in connection with the enforcement of our intellectual property rights the results of which cannot be predicted. Our failure to successfully enforce our patent rights could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

In the normal course of our business, we are subject to various other proceedings, lawsuits and claims relating to product, technology, labor and other matters as further described in Part II, Item 1. Legal Proceedings. We are required to assess the likelihood of any adverse outcomes and the potential range of probable losses in these matters. The amount of loss accrual, if any, is determined after careful analysis of each matter, and is subject to adjustment if warranted by new developments or revised strategies. We believe that none of the existing matters will result in a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Our future success depends on maintaining adequate liquidity and working capital to meet our operational requirements. In October 2002, we received $3 million from a license fee for our intellectual property. Despite this, revenues from products and services have fallen dramatically and there can be no assurances that we will be able to secure additional license fees of this magnitude or at all during the coming twelve months. Furthermore, given the continued volatility of the global securities markets and, in particular, the market for the securities of technology companies, as well as the recent results of our pending legal actions concerning enforcement of our intellectual property rights, we cannot assure you that we will be able to secure additional debt or equity financing. Our failure to maintain adequate liquidity and working capital would have a material adverse effect on the Company, our financial condition and our results of operations.

 

We incurred operating losses through 2002 and in the first two quarters of 2003, and we continue to incur operating losses at this time. While the development and introduction of our new products continues, our actual sales revenue has declined significantly over the last year and continues to be at a low level. In response in 2002, we reduced our activity level in marketing, sales and administration and implemented cost reduction programs primarily in employee headcount, the use of independent software subcontractors and the level of expenses for development, travel and administration.

 

Our operating plan and related cash flow projections for 2003 were forecasted by management anticipating only a base level of revenue from sales of our new products to new and existing customers and product upgrades, replacement parts and maintenance services from our existing customer base. We did not include any potential revenues from license fee activities. We initially projected our costs and expenses using our then current level of operating expenses for our core business activity and only the minimum requirements for the defense of our intellectual property.

 

Since our projected levels of revenues from products and services are not being achieved and additional financing has not been completed, management has implemented plans to further reduce the operating expense cash flow requirements to allow the Company to continue in business. On August 1, 2003, we implemented a permanent salary reduction plan, adjusted fringe benefit packages, and reduced headcount to further reduce costs. We are expecting to receive a commitment for bridge financing but such

commitment has not yet been received. In addition, while the dilutive effect might be significant, the Company continues to receive inquires from interested investors to provide equity financing using a variety of alternatives. In July 2003, we engaged iCapital Finance, Inc. of Irvine, California as our investment banking consulting firm to assist us in structuring financing, provide access to capital resources, identify candidates for marketing and distribution alliances, and advise us on other strategic decisions. We continue to explore strategic alliance opportunities to market our new products that would also provide financial support. Although there can be no assurances that we will obtain additional capital, management is committed to achieving or exceeding its base operating plan for 2003 and intends to implement those cost reductions and improvements in cash flow necessary to achieve this success.

 

There can be no assurances that we will obtain additional capital. If we are not successful in obtaining this financing or other capital, the ability of the Company to continue operations will be seriously impaired.

 

Cash flows

 

Operations used $2,180,000 of cash in the first six months of 2003 compared to $5,187,000 in the first six months of 2002. The use of cash by operations in the first six months of 2003 resulted from the net loss for the first two quarters and changes in operating assets and liabilities that were offset in part by non-cash charges related to depreciation and amortization, non-cash settlement of debt and advances to directors and the issuance of stock in payment of deferred compensation. The most significant changes in operating assets and liabilities relate to collection of accounts receivable offset by the payment of accounts payable and accrued expenses during the first two quarters of 2003. The use of cash by operations in the first six months of 2002 resulted from the net loss for the first six months which was offset in part by net cash from changes in operating assets and liabilities, non-cash charges related to depreciation and amortization and the repayment of an advance by one of our officers.

 

Cash flows used in investing activities were not material during the six months ended June 30, 2003. Cash used in investing activities during the first six months of 2002 related to an increase in other assets primarily from an additional restricted cash deposit of $672,760 placed on account for the defense of our intellectual property portfolio. The Company does not have or anticipate any significant capital equipment requirements at this time.

 

Cash flows used in financing activities of $40,000 during the first six months of 2003 relate to the settlement of a note payable to a former officer and director of the company. Cash provided from financing activities in the first six months of 2002 represents the proceeds of stock option exercises and the sale of common stock to a group of private investors in May 2002, partially offset by payment of long-term debt.

 

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Borrowing Arrangements

 

We currently have no outstanding bank loans, lines of credit, or credit facilities.

 

Working Capital (Deficiency)

 

Our working capital (deficiency) at June 30, 2003 was $(248,000) compared with $1,609,000 at December 31, 2002. See information with respect to liquidity and capital resources presented above.

 

Results of Operations

 

Our operating results have fluctuated in the past and may in the future fluctuate significantly, depending upon a variety of factors. After the acquisition of CyberStorage Systems Corporation in September 2000, we commenced a corporate-wide restructuring, including the expansion of our North America sales territories to seven regions; the initiation of a plan to re-establish our re-seller sales channel; consolidation of our European sales, marketing and service organizations; and implemented strategic marketing initiatives and programs for product development and repositioning. Although we believed these actions and the introduction of our new products in 2002 would provide the revenue growth that would enable us to return to profitability, this has not materialized. Currently, the poor economic climate for the storage sector and technology products in general have required us to cut back our core business operations to preserve working capital.

 

Revenue

 

Revenues from sales of products and services for the three-month and six-month period ended June 30, 2003 were $147,800 and $425,800 compared to $587,000 and $1,353,000 for the respective periods in 2002. The reduction in revenues relates to continued concentration on the realignment and refocus of our core business activity toward the Storage Wide Area Networking (SWAN) market segment for our CyberNAS Network Attached Storage and CyberVSA Storage Operating System. For the three month period ended June 30, 2003, revenues of products and services were all domestic compared to U.S. domestic product sales and international product sales of 49% and 51%, respectively, for the same period in 2002. For the six month period ended June 30, 2003, revenues of products and services were all domestic compared to U.S. domestic product sales and international product sales of 65% and 35%, respectively, for the same period in 2002.

 

Cost of Products and Services

 

Product and service costs for the three month period and six month period ended June 30, 2003 were $231,600 and $478,700, or 157% and 112% of revenue from products and services, compared to $598,400 and $1,320,100, or 102% and 98% of revenue from products and services for the respective periods in 2002. The increase in the costs as a percentage of revenue from 2002 to 2003 is a direct result of reduced sales, while certain direct and indirect factory overhead costs and technical support and service costs have remained fixed.

 

Gross Profit

 

Gross profit (loss) on the sale of products and services and the percentage of sales represented by such gross profit (loss) are summarized as follows:

 

     Three months ended
June 30, 2003


   Six months ended
June 30, 2003


     (In thousands except for %
of sales amounts)

Gross profit (loss)

   $(84)   (56.7)%    $(52)    (12.4)%
     Three months ended
June 30, 2002


   Six months ended
June 30, 2002


     (In thousands except for %
of sales amounts)

Gross profit (loss)

   $(11)     (2.0)%    $ 33      2.4%

 

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Gross profits were reduced from the first quarter 2003 to the second quarter 2003 due to reduced revenue levels and the fixed nature of certain factory, technical support and service costs.

 

Cost of License Fees

 

Costs associated with the enforcement of our patent and other intellectual property rights for the three month period and six month period ended June 30, 2003 were $269,400 and $529,100, respectively, compared to $1,306,000 and $1,985,100 for the corresponding periods in 2002. These costs relate to legal fees for counsel and experts consulting fees and expenses incurred in connection with the enforcement of our patent and other intellectual property rights. Costs in 2002 were greater than 2003 due to amounts incurred in the UK trial relating to the enforcement of our intellectual property that took place during June 2002.

 

Research and Development Expenses

 

Research and development expenses for the three month period and six month period ended June 30, 2003 were $359,700 and $645,600, respectively, compared to $866,500 and $1,886,100 for the corresponding periods in 2002. The overall decrease in costs relating to research and development relates primarily to reductions in staffing and reduction in the use of outside contractors for projects.

 

Selling and Marketing Expenses

 

Selling and marketing expenses for the three month and six month periods ended June 30, 2003 were $161,900 and $324,100, respectively, compared to $926,500 and $1,943,200 for the corresponding periods in 2002. The overall decrease in selling and marketing expenses results from the restructuring of our internal sales and marketing organization, utilization of value-added resellers and reduced headcount.

 

General and Administrative Expenses

 

General and administrative expenses for the three month and six month periods ended June 30, 2003 were $356,300 and $733,400, respectively, compared to $726,800 and $1,528,400 for the corresponding periods in 2002. General and administrative expenses for 2002 included an increase in the allowance for doubtful accounts and increased legal fees relating to equity financing and other corporate matters. These expenses were further decreased during 2003 by staff reductions and reduced overhead costs.

 

Amortization of Intangibles

 

Amortization of other intangible assets for the three month and six month periods ended June 30, 2003 amounted to $144,000 and $288,000, respectively, compared to $193,800 and $433,900 for the corresponding periods in 2002. The decrease in amortization relates to the impairment and related write down of other identifiable intangible assets on September 30, 2002.

 

Other Income (Expense), Net

 

Interest expense, net for the three month and six month periods ended June 30, 2003 was $5,100 and $9,600, respectively, compared to $16,200 and $19,500 for the corresponding periods in 2002. Interest expense was reduced in 2003 due to the settlement of two notes payable late in 2002 and in April of 2003. Interest income was also reduced in 2003 due to reduced cash balances.

 

Other income (expense), net for the three month and six month periods ended June 30, 2003 amounted to $193,700 and $194,100, respectively, compared to $(34,600) and $16,300 for the corresponding periods in 2002. Other income for 2003 primarily represents the gain on settlement of a note payable and accrued compensation due to a former officer and director. These gains were offset in part by the forgiveness of advances to three directors during the second quarter of 2003. The total amount of advances to directors forgiven amounted to $130,150, including accrued interest. Other income (expense) for 2002 relates primarily to translation adjustments with our European subsidiaries.

 

Factors That May Affect Future Results

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

See information with respect to our liquidity and capital resources presented above.

 

Our Stock Price is Volatile

 

Our stock price, like that of other technology companies, is subject to significant volatility because of factors such as:

 

• the announcement of new products, services or technological innovations by us or our competitors

 

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• quarterly variations in our operating results

 

• decreasing product and services revenues

 

• speculation in the press or investment community

 

• failure to meet earning expectations

 

• the results of intellectual property litigation

 

In addition, our stock price may be affected by general market conditions, short selling activities, and domestic and international economic factors unrelated to our performance. Further, until recently, our stock was thinly traded. Because of these factors, any recent trends may not be considered reliable indicators of future stock prices or financial results.

 

Our Business May Suffer If We Cannot Protect Our Intellectual Property

 

We generally rely upon patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws and contract rights in the United States and in other countries to establish and maintain our proprietary rights in our technology and products. However, we cannot assure you that any of our proprietary rights will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented. See, for example, the recent ruling in the United Kingdom with respect to our claims against Hitachi Data Systems Limited described in Item 1 of Part II below. In addition, the laws of certain countries do not protect our proprietary rights to the same extent, as do the laws of the United States. Therefore, we cannot assure you that we will be able to adequately protect our proprietary technology against unauthorized third party copying or use, which could adversely affect our competitive position. Further, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain licenses to any technology that may be required to conduct our business or that, if obtainable, such technology can be licensed at a reasonable cost.

 

Intellectual Property Rights

 

We are aggressively pursuing the enforcement of our intellectual property rights after an extensive patent review conducted in 1999. In 2000, we retained a major law firm to enforce these rights against infringing parties, the number of which management believes to be extensive. In 2001, we began bringing legal actions against companies whose products we believed infringed on our intellectual property rights and patent portfolio. Please refer to Item 1 of Part II below for current information concerning intellectual property litigation. We intend to vigorously pursue these actions. Despite the Company’s and our legal representatives’ efforts, there can be no assurance or predictability as to any amount of recovery or the length of time it will take us to recover any royalties or license fees which may be recoverable. In addition, the expense of pursuing these rights is substantial. As a result, any failure to adequately protect our intellectual property rights and to prevail in any pending legal proceedings could have a material adverse effect on us. Despite our efforts to protect these intellectual property rights, unauthorized use may still occur, particularly in foreign countries.

 

Development of New Products and Solutions

 

We must make continuous investment in research and development to maintain our ongoing effort to continually improve our products and provide innovative solutions to our customers. The development of software products is a difficult and costly process and subject to many other products’ requirements and the availability of substantial capital. Our inability to timely deliver new products in the past has had an adverse effect on our operating and financial results. There can be no assurance that we will be able to effectively develop and timely deliver new products in the future.

 

Competition

 

We compete with many established companies in the computer storage and server industries and certain of these companies have substantially greater financial, marketing and technological resources, larger distribution capabilities, earlier access to customers and more opportunity to address customers’ various information technology requirements than we do. Our business may be adversely affected by the announcement or introduction of new products by our competitors, including hardware, software and services, price reductions of our competitors’ equipment or services and the implementation of effective marketing strategies by our competitors.

 

Competitive pricing pressures exist in the computer storage and server markets and have had and may in the future have an adverse effect on our revenues and earnings. There also has been and may continue to be a willingness on the part of certain competitors to reduce prices in order to preserve or gain market share, which we cannot foresee. We currently believe that pricing pressures are likely to continue. The relative and varying rates of product price and component cost declines could have an adverse effect on our earnings.

 

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Rapid Technological Changes

 

The computer industry is changing both dramatically and rapidly. The development of “open systems computing”, the introduction of the Internet, new fiber technologies (SAN) and the increasing storage density in disk drive technologies, have caused an increase in new product development and shorter time to bring the new products to market. While we believe that our Virtual Storage Architecture (VSA), StorageSuite and CyberBORG products are advanced when compared to competitive products, and complement many other products utilized in total customer solutions, we cannot assure that this will continue in the future. The failure to remain consistently ahead of competitive technologies would have a negative impact on our operating results and financial condition.

 

Business Alliances

 

Many companies are forming business alliances with their competitors to be able to provide totally integrated storage solutions to their customers. One result of these alliances is to effectively preclude competitive products from being offered to customers. Many of the relationships are exclusive and our failure to develop similar relationships will effectively reduce the number of qualified sales opportunities we will have for our products in the future. We believe that we address this issue by our return to the reseller channel sales model and having the integrator/solution providers/value added-resellers perform the solution selling required. We have had difficulty opening these sales channels and any continued problems in doing so will have a negative effect on our operating results and financial condition.

 

Operations

 

Our products operate near the limits of electronic and physical performance and are designed and manufactured with relatively small tolerances. If flaws in design, production, assembly or testing were to occur, we could experience a rate of failure in our products that would result in substantial repair or replacement costs and potential damage to our reputation. Continued improvement in manufacturing capabilities and control of material and manufacturing quality and costs are critical factors in our future growth. We frequently revise and update manufacturing and test processes to address engineering and component changes to our products and evaluate the reallocation of manufacturing resources among our facilities. We cannot assure that our efforts to monitor, develop and implement appropriate test and manufacturing processes for our products will be sufficient to permit us to avoid a rate of failure in our products that results in substantial delays in shipment, significant repair or replacement costs and potential damage to our reputation, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

 

Additionally, most companies in the high technology arena are under pressure to be able to acquire and retain the services of talented individuals. We have had a decline in revenue in each of the three previous years and the first two quarters this year and comparable reduction in our work force. While we believe that we have the required core personnel to effectively manage and grow, we cannot assure that key employees will not leave the company in the future. The failure to maintain key employees could adversely affect our future operating and financial results.

 

Failure of Suppliers to Provide Quality Products

 

We purchase several sophisticated components and products from one or a limited number of qualified suppliers. These components and products include disk drives, high density memory components and power supplies. We have experienced delivery delays from time to time because of high industry demand or the inability of some vendors to consistently meet our quality and delivery requirements. If any of our suppliers were to fail to meet the quality or delivery requirements needed to satisfy customer orders for our products, we could lose time-sensitive customer orders and have significantly decreased quarterly revenues and earnings, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition. Additionally, we periodically transition our product line to incorporate new technologies. The importance of transitioning our customers smoothly to new technologies, along with our historically uneven pattern of quarterly sales, intensifies the risk that a supplier who fails to meet our delivery or quality requirements will have an adverse impact on our revenues and earnings.

 

Changes in Laws, Regulations Or Other Conditions That Could Adversely Impair Our Condition

 

Our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected if any laws, regulations or standards, both foreign and domestic, relating to our products or us were newly implemented or changed.

 

Litigation That We May Become Involved In May Adversely Affect Us

 

In the ordinary course of business, we may become involved in litigation, administrative proceedings and governmental proceedings. Such matters can be time-consuming, divert management’s attention and resources and cause us to incur significant expenses. Furthermore, we cannot assure you that the results of any of these actions will not have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

 

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ITEM 3.    Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

 

We have the market risk inherent in financial instruments that relates primarily to fluctuations in the prime rate of interest to be charged under the terms of the several promissory notes due to our Chief Executive Officer. Our foreign subsidiaries’ obligations to us are denominated in U.S. dollars. There is a potential for a foreign currency gain or loss based upon fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and our subsidiaries’ functional currencies, currently the British pound and Eurodollar. This exposure is limited to the period between the time of accrual of such liability to us in our subsidiaries’ functional currency and the time of their payment to us in U.S. dollars. This exposure is further reduced with the temporary closing of operations of our European facilities late in 2002.

 

Other than the inter-company balances with foreign subsidiaries noted above, we do not believe we have material unhedged monetary assets, liabilities or commitments that are denominated in a currency other than the operations’ functional currencies.

 

ITEM 4.    Controls and Procedures.

 

The Company carried out an evaluation, as of June 30, 2003, under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-15. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective in timely alerting them to material information relating to us (including our consolidated subsidiaries) required to be included in our periodic SEC filings. There have been no significant changes in our internal controls or in other factors, which could significantly affect internal controls subsequent to the date the Company carried out its evaluation.

 

PART II—OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1.    Legal Proceedings.

 

In December 2001, Marketlink Technologies, LLC filed a civil action against the Company in the Circuit Court for Oakland County, Michigan, alleging that the Company owed them a $156,000 termination payment under the terms of a manufacturers representative agreement that the Company terminated for cause in April 2001 because of Marketlink’s inability to sell the Company’s products and perform the services required by the agreement. In January 2002, the Company filed counterclaims against Marketlink in this matter, including a claim for breach of contract. The Company believes that Marketlink’s claims are without merit and denies all allegations. Further, the Company intends to vigorously defend this action. The discovery phase has recently been concluded and a trial date has been scheduled in August 2003. We are unable to predict any outcome concerning this matter, but we do not believe that costs and expenses associated with defending this claim will have a material effect on our business, operating results or financial condition.

 

During March 2001 we filed legal actions against Hitachi Data Systems Limited in the United Kingdom for infringement of two of the European patents in our intellectual property portfolio. Hitachi filed a counterclaim against the Company alleging that these two patents were invalid. The trial was completed in July 2002 and in August 2002 the Judge ruled that neither of our patents was shown to be valid in the United Kingdom or infringed by Hitachi. On October 17, 2002, the judgment for the defendant, Hitachi, on their counterclaim was entered and our European Patent (UK) 0,294,287 (‘287) and European Patent (UK) 0,539,494 were revoked. The Order for the revocation of the ‘287 Patent was stayed pending appeal and we were granted permission to appeal the judgment so far as it concerns the ‘287 Patent. On July 30, 2003, the Court of Appeals in London dismissed our appeal.

 

In October 2001, we filed a patent infringement action in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas against Veritas Software Corporation and Veritas Software Global Corporation alleging that certain Veritas Software Corporation storage products infringe Storage Computer’s intellectual property patent number U.S. 5,893,919 entitled “Apparatus and Method for Storing Data with Selectable Data Protection Using Mirroring and Selectable Parity Inhibition.” In February 2002, we filed an additional patent infringement action in the United States District Court of the Northern District of Texas, against Veritas Software Corporation and Veritas Software Global Corporation alleging that certain Veritas Software Corporation storage products infringe Storage Computer’s intellectual property, specifically U.S. 5,257,367 entitled “Data Storage system with Asynchronous Host Operating System Communication Link”. However, we amended our complaint to dismiss claims arising under this patent in September 2002. In March 2002, we filed a third patent infringement action against Veritas Software Corporation and Veritas Software Global Corporation alleging certain Veritas Software Corporation storage products infringe Storage Computer’s intellectual property patent number U.S. 6,098,128 entitled “Universal Storage Management System.” Our claim is for injunctive relief, damages and legal costs arising from the alleged infringement.

 

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These actions were referred to a court appointed mediator with an initial mediation date in April 2002 and such mediation has continued to the present time without any mutually agreeable basis for settlement having been reached. A trial date has been moved to November 2003.

 

On September 23, 2002, Veritas asserted a counter claim for patent infringement with respect to patent number U.S. 5,812,753 entitled “ Methods for Initializing or Reconstructing Data Consistency Within an Array of Storage Elements.” We believe that this claim is without merit and intend to vigorously defend this action. No trial date has been set for this matter.

 

ITEM 6.    Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K.

 

(a)    Exhibits

 

Number

 

Description


31.1

  Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of Theodore J. Goodlander, Chief Executive Officer

31.2

  Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of Peter N. Hood, Chief Financial Officer

32.1

  Section 1350 Certification of Theodore J. Goodlander, Chief Executive Officer

32.2

  Section 1350 Certification of Peter N. Hood, Chief Financial Officer

 

(b)    Reports On Form 8-K

 

In our Report on Form 8-K filed on April 1, 2003 we reported a press release announcing our results of operations for the fourth quarter and the year ended December 31, 2002.

 

In our Report on Form 8-K filed on May 19, 2003 we reported a press release announcing our results of operations for the first quarter ended March 31, 2003.

 

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SIGNATURE

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

STORAGE COMPUTER CORPORATION

Registrant

 

By:

 

/s/    PETER N. HOOD        


    Peter N. Hood
Chief Financial Officer

Date: August 19, 2003