Litigation related expenses and settlements (updated definition)
We have been engaged in various legal proceedings against Apple since January 2020, including various proceedings in the federal courts, various proceedings in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (the “PTO proceedings”), and a proceeding in the U.S. International Trade Commission (the “ITC proceeding”). Although we previously excluded only expenses relating to the ITC proceeding from the definition of “Litigation related expenses and settlements”, beginning with the first quarter of 2024, we have revised the definition of “Litigation related expenses and settlements” to exclude not only expenses relating to the ITC proceeding, but also all other Apple litigation expenses, including those relating to the federal court proceedings and the PTO proceedings. We believe all of the Apple litigation expenses are unique in nature and not indicative of the Company’s on-going operating performance, and this updated definition will provide more useful information to investors by facilitating period-to-period comparisons of our financial performance that otherwise may be obscured by the significant fluctuations in Apple-related litigation expenses.