Blackberry 2012 Annual Report Download - page 12

In the past, the Company has followed the practice of providing specific quantitative forward-looking guidance to its shareholders
with respect to certain financial metrics for the subsequent fiscal quarter in its quarterly earnings press releases. On March 29, 2012,
the Company announced that it will no longer provide specific quantitative guidance. However, the Company is committed to
providing a high level of disclosure and transparency and will continue to provide commentary that highlights the trends and
uncertainties that RIM anticipates. Such statements relating to, among other metrics, RIM’s revenue, gross margin and earnings
expectations, are forward-looking statements that are intended to enable RIM’s shareholders to view the anticipated financial
performance and prospects of the Company from management’s perspective at the time such statements are made, and they are
subject to the risks that are inherent in all forward-looking statements, as described above. They are made by RIM in light of its
experience, its perception of historical and anticipated business trends, current conditions in the business and anticipated future
developments, including competition and new product initiatives and timing, as well as RIM’s current assessments of the various risk
factors identified above. As noted above and in the press releases containing such guidance, these forward-looking statements are
subject to the inherent risk of difficulties in forecasting RIM’s financial results for future periods, particularly over longer periods,
given the rapid technological changes, evolving industry standards, intense competition and short product life cycles that characterize
the wireless communications industry.
5
• risks associated with litigation claims against the Company arising from the Company’s practice of providing forward-looking
guidance to its shareholders with respect to certain financial metrics, including the Company’s practice of updating previous
g
uidance where circumstances warrant;
• effective mana
g
ement of the Com
p
an
y
’s
p
ast
g
rowth and its on
g
oin
g
develo
p
ment of service and su
pp
ort o
p
erations;
•
p
otential char
g
es relatin
g
to the im
p
airment of
g
oodwill or other lon
g
-lived assets recorded on RIM’s balance sheet;
• risks as a result of actions of activist shareholders;
•
g
overnment re
g
ulation of wireless s
p
ectrum and radio fre
q
uencies;
• reduced s
p
endin
g
b
y
customers due to the uncertaint
y
of economic and
g
eo
p
olitical conditions;
• risks associated with ac
q
uisitions, investments and other business initiatives;
• forei
g
n exchan
g
e risks as the Com
p
an
y
transacts
g
loball
y
in currencies other than the U.S. dollar;
• re
g
ulation, certification and health risks, and risks relatin
g
to the misuse of RIM’s
p
roducts;
• tax liabilities, resultin
g
from chan
g
es in tax laws or otherwise, associated with RIM’s worldwide o
p
erations;
• changes in interest rates affecting RIM’s investment portfolio and its revolving credit facility and the creditworthiness of its
investment
p
ortfolio;
•
p
ro
p
osed re
g
ulations relatin
g
to conflict minerals;
• risks related to the failure of the Company’s suppliers, subcontractors, third-party distributors and representatives to use
acce
p
table ethical business
p
ractices or com
p
l
y
with a
pp
licable laws;
• third-
p
art
y
claims for infrin
g
ement of intellectual
p
ro
p
ert
y
ri
g
hts b
y
RIM and the outcome of an
y
liti
g
ation with res
p
ect thereto;
• RIM’s abilit
y
to successfull
y
obtain
p
atent or other
p
ro
p
rietar
y
or statutor
y
p
rotection for its technolo
g
ies and
p
roducts;
• RIM’s abilit
y
to obtain ri
g
hts to use software or com
p
onents su
pp
lied b
y
third
p
arties; and
• the
p
otential im
p
act of co
py
ri
g
ht levies in numerous countries.