Office Lease Obligations

The Company presently leases approximately 14,000 square feet of office space in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for its corporate headquarters.  The Milwaukee lease expires in March 2020.  

The Company presently leases 16,416 square feet of commercial office space in Germantown, Maryland.  The lease commitments expire in December 2015.  On July 15, 2011, Telkonet executed a sublease agreement for 11,626 square feet of the office space in Germantown, Maryland.  On June 27, 2012 the subtenant exercised the option to extend the expiration of the term of the sublease from January 31, 2013 to December 31, 2015.

Commitments for minimum rentals under non-cancelable leases at September 30, 2013 are as follows:

Expected rent payments to be received under the sublease agreement at September 30, 2013 are as follows:

Rental expenses charged to operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 were $129,320 and $145,605 and $403,100 and $407,564, respectively. Rental income received for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 was $33,145 and $32,180 and $97,809 and $94,958, respectively.

Employment Agreements

The Company has employment agreements with certain of its key employees which include non-disclosure and confidentiality provisions for protection of the Company’s proprietary information.

Jason L. Tienor, President and Chief Executive Officer, is employed pursuant to an employment agreement dated May 1, 2013.  Mr. Tienor’s employment agreement has a term of two years, which may be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and provides, among other things, for an annual base salary of $206,000 per year and bonuses and benefits based on our internal policies and participation in our incentive and benefit plans.   

Jeffrey J. Sobieski, Chief Operating Officer, is employed pursuant to an employment agreement dated May 1, 2013.  Mr. Sobieski’s employment agreement has a term of two years, which may be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and provides for a base salary of $195,700 per year and bonuses and benefits based upon our internal policies and participation in our incentive and benefit plans.  

Gerrit J. Reinders, Executive Vice President-Global Sales and Marketing, is employed pursuant to an employment agreement, dated May 1, 2013. Mr. Reinder’s employment agreement is for a term expiring on May 1, 2014, is renewable at the agreement of the parties and provides for a base salary of at least $154,500 per year.  

In addition to the foregoing, stock options are periodically granted to employees under the Company’s 2010 Equity Incentive Plan at the discretion of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. Executives of the Company are eligible to receive stock option grants, based upon individual performance and the performance of the Company as a whole.

Litigation

The Company is subject to legal proceedings and claims which arise in the ordinary course of its business. Although occasional adverse decisions or settlements may occur, the Company believes that the final disposition of such matters should not have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations or liquidity.

Linksmart Wireless Technology, LLC v. T-Mobile USA, Inc.

On July 1, 2008, Linksmart Wireless Technology, LLC, or Linksmart, filed a civil lawsuit in the Eastern District of Texas against EthoStream, LLC, our wholly-owned subsidiary and 22 other defendants (Linksmart Wireless Technology, LLC v. T-Mobile USA, Inc., et al, U.S. District Court, for the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division, No. 2:08-cv-00264).  This lawsuit alleges that the defendants’ services infringe a wireless network security patent held by Linksmart. Linksmart seeks a permanent injunction enjoining the defendants from infringing, inducing the infringement of, or contributing to the infringement of its patent, an award of damages and attorney’s fees.

Defendant Ramada Worldwide, Inc. provided us with notice of the suit and demanded that we defend and indemnify it pursuant to a vendor direct supplier agreement between EthoStream and WWC Supplier Services, Inc., a Ramada affiliate (wherein we agreed to indemnify, defend and hold only Ethostream supported Ramada properties harmless from and against claims of infringement).  After a review of that agreement, it was determined that EthoStream owes the duty to defend and indemnify with respect to services provided by Telkonet to Ramada and it has assumed Ramada’s defense.

The parties in the lawsuit agreed to and the Court ordered a stay of the litigation pending the conclusion of a reexamination proceeding in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office relating to the patent involved in the lawsuit.  The case was reopened in early 2012 based on the expectation that a reexamination certificate would be issued by the Patent Office. The reexamination certificate has been issued. After the case resumed, the parties agreed to a “transfer” of the case from the Eastern District of Texas to the Central District of California. To accomplish the “transfer,” with the agreement of the parties, the Texas case was dismissed and a new action was filed in California on April 5, 2012. (Linksmart Wireless Technology, LLC v. T-Mobile USA, Inc., et al, U.S. District Court, for the Central District of California, Southern Division, No. SACV 12-522-JST).

On October 1, 2013, the Company entered into a settlement agreement with Linksmart. The Company has agreed to pay $115,000, payable in twelve installments of $9,583 due on the first of each month beginning October 1, 2013, which has been accrued by the Company in accrued liabilities and expenses as of September 30, 2013.

Sales Tax

During 2012, the Company engaged a sales tax consultant to assist in determining the extent of its potential sales tax exposure.  Based upon this analysis, management determined the Company had probable exposure for certain unpaid obligations, including interest and penalty, of approximately $1,100,000 including and prior to the year ended December 31, 2011. The Company has approximately $1,078,000 accrued as of September 30, 2013.  The Company continues to manage the liability by establishing voluntary disclosure agreements (“VDAs”) with applicable states, which establishes a maximum look-back period and payment arrangements.  However, if the aforementioned methods prove unsuccessful and the Company is examined or challenged by taxing authorities, there exists possible exposure of an additional $620,000, not including any applicable interest and penalties.

During 2012, the Company successfully executed, and paid in full, VDAs in five states totaling approximately $23,000 and is current with the subsequent filing requirements. It has submitted VDAs with an additional twenty-seven states and awaits notification of acceptance. Two states offer no voluntarily disclosure program. The Company also confirmed that one customer had self-assessed, further reducing our liability and expense associated with that liability by approximately $151,000.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, the Company successfully executed and paid in full eight states totaling approximately $72,000. In addition, the Company executed VDAs with two other states and has established payment plan agreements with these states.

The following table sets forth the change in the sales tax accrual as of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012: