Symantec 2013 Annual Report Download - page 121

obligations that we have with some of our customers. We cannot assure you that any royalty or licensing
arrangements that we may seek in such circumstances will be available to us on commercially reasonable terms
or at all. We have made and expect to continue making significant expenditures to investigate, defend and settle
claims related to the use of technology and intellectual property rights as part of our strategy to manage this risk.
In addition, we license and use software from third parties in our business. These third party software
licenses may not continue to be available to us on acceptable terms or at all, and may expose us to additional
liability. This liability, or our inability to use any of this third party software, could result in shipment delays or
other disruptions in our business that could materially and adversely affect our operating results.
Our software products, SaaS Offerings and website may be subject to intentional disruption that could
adversely impact our reputation and future sales.
Despite our precautions and significant ongoing investments to protect against security risks, data protection
breaches, cyber-attacks and other intentional disruptions of our products and offerings, we expect to be an
ongoing target of attacks specifically designed to impede the performance of our products and offerings and harm
our reputation as a company. Similarly, experienced computer programmers may attempt to penetrate our
network security or the security of our website and misappropriate proprietary information or cause interruptions
of our services. Because the techniques used by such computer programmers to access or sabotage networks
change frequently and may not be recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate
these techniques. The theft or unauthorized use or publication of our trade secrets and other confidential business
information as a result of such an event could adversely affect our competitive position, reputation, brand and
future sales of our products, and our customers may assert claims against us related to resulting losses of
confidential or proprietary information. Our business could be subject to significant disruption, and we could
suffer monetary and other losses and reputational harm, in the event of such incidents and claims.
Fluctuations in our quarterly financial results have affected the price of our common stock in the past and
could affect our stock price in the future.
Our quarterly financial results have fluctuated in the past and are likely to vary significantly in the future
due to a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control and which could adversely affect our
operations and operating results. If our quarterly financial results or our predictions of future financial results fail
to meet our expectations or the expectations of securities analysts and investors, our stock price could be
negatively affected. Any volatility in our quarterly financial results may make it more difficult for us to raise
capital in the future or pursue acquisitions that involve issuances of our stock. Our operating results for prior
periods may not be effective predictors of our future performance.
Factors associated with our industry, the operation of our business, and the markets for our products may
cause our quarterly financial results to fluctuate, including:
• Reduced demand for any of our products
• Entry of new competition into our markets
• Competitive pricing pressure for one or more of our classes of products
• Our ability to timely complete the release of new or enhanced versions of our products
• How well we execute our strategy and operating plans and the impact of changes in our business model
that could result in significant restructuring charges
• Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates
• The number, severity, and timing of threat outbreaks (e.g. worms and viruses)
• Our resellers making a substantial portion of their purchases near the end of each quarter
• Enterprise customers’ tendency to negotiate site licenses near the end of each quarter
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