Adobe 2015 Annual Report Download - page 66

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 66 of the 2015 Adobe annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 115

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 59
  • 60
  • 61
  • 62
  • 63
  • 64
  • 65
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68
  • 69
  • 70
  • 71
  • 72
  • 73
  • 74
  • 75
  • 76
  • 77
  • 78
  • 79
  • 80
  • 81
  • 82
  • 83
  • 84
  • 85
  • 86
  • 87
  • 88
  • 89
  • 90
  • 91
  • 92
  • 93
  • 94
  • 95
  • 96
  • 97
  • 98
  • 99
  • 100
  • 101
  • 102
  • 103
  • 104
  • 105
  • 106
  • 107
  • 108
  • 109
  • 110
  • 111
  • 112
  • 113
  • 114
  • 115

Table of Contents
ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
66
Our software subscription offerings, which may include product upgrades and enhancements on a when and if available
basis, hosted services, and online storage are generally offered to our customers over a specified period of time and we recognize
revenue associated with these arrangements ratably over the subscription period.
Product Revenue
We recognize our product revenue upon shipment, provided all other revenue recognition criteria have been met. Our desktop
application product revenue from distributors is subject to agreements allowing limited rights of return, rebates and price protection.
Our direct sales and OEM sales are also subject to limited rights of return. Accordingly, we reduce revenue recognized for estimated
future returns, price protection and rebates at the time the related revenue is recorded. The estimates for returns are adjusted
periodically based upon historical rates of returns, inventory levels in the distribution channel and other related factors.
We recognize OEM licensing revenue, primarily royalties, when OEMs ship products incorporating our software, provided
collection of such revenue is deemed probable. For certain OEM customers, we must estimate royalty revenue due to the timing
of securing customer information. This estimate is based on a combination of our generated forecasts and actual historical reporting
by our OEM customers. To substantiate our ability to estimate revenue, we review license royalty revenue reports ultimately
received from our significant OEM customers in comparison to the amounts estimated in the prior period.
Our product-related deferred revenue includes maintenance upgrade revenue and customer advances under OEM license
agreements. Our maintenance upgrade revenue for our desktop application products is included in our product revenue line item
as the maintenance primarily entitles customers to receive product upgrades. In cases where we provide a specified free upgrade
to an existing product, we defer the fair value for the specified upgrade right until the future obligation is fulfilled or when the
right to the specified free upgrade expires.
Rights of Return, Rebates and Price Protection
As discussed above, we offer limited rights of return, rebates and price protection of our products under various policies
and programs with our distributors, resellers and/or end-user customers. We estimate and record reserves for these programs as
an offset to revenue and accounts receivable. Below is a summary of each of the general provisions in our contracts:
• Distributors are allowed limited rights of return of products purchased during the previous quarter. In addition, distributors
are allowed to return products that have reached the end of their lives, as defined by us, and products that are being
replaced by new versions.
• We offer rebates to our distributors, resellers and/or end user customers. The amount of revenue that is reduced for
distributor and reseller rebates is based on actual performance against objectives set forth by us for a particular reporting
period (volume, timely reporting, etc.). If mail-in or other promotional rebates are offered, the amount of revenue reduced
is based on the dollar amount of the rebate, taking into consideration an estimated redemption rate calculated using
historical trends.
• From time to time, we may offer price protection to our distributors that allow for the right to a credit if we permanently
reduce the price of a software product. The amount of revenue that is reduced for price protection is calculated as the
difference between the old and new price of a software product on inventory held by the distributor immediately prior to
the effective date of the decrease.
Although our subscription contracts are generally non-cancellable, a limited number of customers have the right to cancel
their contracts by providing prior written notice to us of their intent to cancel the remainder of the contract term. In the event a
customer cancels its contract, they are not entitled to a refund for prior services we have provided to them.
On a quarterly basis, the amount of revenue that is reserved for future returns is calculated based on our historical trends
and data specific to each reporting period. We review the actual returns evidenced in prior quarters as a percent of revenue to
determine a historical returns rate. We then apply the historical rate to the current period revenue as a basis for estimating future
returns. When necessary, we also provide a specific returns reserve for product in the distribution channel in excess of estimated
requirements. This estimate can be affected by the amount of a particular product in the channel, the rate of sell-through, product
plans and other factors.