8. Commitments and contingencies

Leases

The Company leases its offices and certain equipment under operating leases that expire through January 2022. At December 31, 2015, the minimum aggregate payments due under non-cancelable leases are summarized as follows:

Rent expense of $900, $750 and $910 for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, was included in the accompanying Statements of Comprehensive Income.

Purchase obligations

The Company had $23,006 of outstanding purchase orders with its outside vendors and suppliers as of December 31, 2015. In addition, the Company entered into agreements for other services. Future commitments under these purchase orders and other agreements due not extend beyond twelve months.

Warranty obligation

The following table identifies the changes in the Company’s aggregate product warranty liabilities for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013:

Legislation and HIPAA

The healthcare industry is subject to numerous laws and regulations of federal, state and local governments. These laws and regulations include, but are not necessarily limited to, matters such as licensure, accreditation, government healthcare program participation requirements, reimbursement for patient services, and Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse. Government activity has continued with respect to investigations and allegations concerning possible violations of fraud and abuse statutes and regulations by healthcare providers. Violations of these laws and regulations could result in expulsion from government healthcare programs together with the imposition of significant fines and penalties, as well as significant repayments for patient services previously billed.

The Company believes that it is in compliance in all material respects with applicable fraud and abuse regulations and other applicable government laws and regulations. Compliance with such laws and regulations can be subject to future government review and interpretation as well as regulatory actions unknown or unasserted at this time. The Company believes that it complies in all material respects with the provisions of those regulations that are applicable to the Company’s business.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) assures health insurance portability, reduces healthcare fraud and abuse, guarantees security and privacy of health information, and enforces standards for health information. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) imposes notification requirements of certain security breaches relating to protected health information. The Company may be subject to significant fines and penalties if found not to be compliant with the provisions outlined in the regulations.  

Legal proceedings

Inova Labs lawsuit

On November 4, 2011, the Company filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Central District of California against Inova Labs Inc., or Defendant, for infringement of two of the Company’s patents. The case, Inogen Inc. v. Inova Labs Inc., Case No. 8:11-cv-01692-JGB-AN, or the Inova Labs Lawsuit, involves U.S. Patent Nos. 7,841,343, entitled “Systems and Methods For Delivering Therapeutic Gas to Patients,” or the ’343 patent, and 6,605,136 entitled “Pressure Swing Adsorption Process Operation And Optimization,” or the ’136 patent.  The Company alleged in the Inova Labs Lawsuit that certain of Defendant’s oxygen concentrators infringe various claims of the ’343 and ’136 patents. The Inova Labs Lawsuit seeks damages, injunctive relief, costs and attorneys’ fees.

The Defendant has answered the complaint, denying infringement and asserting various sets of defenses including non-infringement, invalidity and unenforceability, patent misuse, unclean hands, laches and estoppel. The Defendant also filed counterclaims against the Company alleging patent invalidity, non-infringement and inequitable conduct.  The Company denied the allegations in the Defendant’s counterclaims and filed a motion to dismiss Defendant’s inequitable conduct counterclaim.

The Defendant filed requests with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office seeking an inter partes reexamination of the ’343 and ’136 patents. The Defendant also filed a motion to stay the Inova Labs Lawsuit pending outcome of the reexamination. On March 20, 2012, the Court granted the Defendant’s motion to stay the Inova Labs Lawsuit pending outcome of the reexamination and also granted the Company’s motion to dismiss the Defendant’s inequitable conduct counterclaim. On December 7, 2015, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued an inter partes Reexamination Certificate for the ‘343 patent. Reexamination proceedings for the ‘136 patent have not concluded.

On February 4, 2016, ResMed announced the completion of the acquisition of Inova Labs Inc.

Securities class action lawsuit

On March 13 and March 19, 2015, plaintiffs Brad Christi and Roger D. Holford each filed, respectively, a lawsuit against Inogen, Raymond Huggenberger, Inogen’s Chief Executive Officer, and Alison Bauerlein, Inogen’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of a purported class of purchasers of the Company’s securities between November 12, 2014 and March 11, 2015. The complaints alleged that Inogen, Mr. Huggenberger and Ms. Bauerlein violated Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act), and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, and that Mr. Huggenberger and Ms. Bauerlein violated Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act. Specifically, the complaints alleged that during the purported class period, the Company’s financial statements and disclosures concerning internal controls over financial reporting were materially false and misleading.  The complaints sought compensatory damages in an unspecified amount, costs and expenses, including attorneys’ fees and expert fees, prejudgment and post-judgment interest and such other relief as the court deemed proper.  On May 7, 2015, plaintiff Roger D. Holford filed a notice of voluntary dismissal without prejudice pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Rule 41(a)(1)(A) in the second filed action.  On June 29, 2015, plaintiff Brad Christi filed a notice of voluntary dismissal without prejudice pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Rule 41(a)(1)(A) in the first filed action.  The case was closed by the Court as of June 29, 2015.

Separation Design Group litigation

On October 23, 2015, Separation Design Group IP Holdings, LLC (SDGIP) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.  The case is Separation Design Group IP Holdings, LLC v. Inogen, Inc., Case No. 2:15-cv-08323-JAK-JPR, or the SDGIP Lawsuit. On December 7, 2015, SDGIP filed a First Amended Complaint in the SDGIP Lawsuit.

SDGIP alleges that the Company willfully infringes U.S. Patent Nos. 8,894,751 and 9,199,055, both of which are titled “Ultra Rapid Cycle Portable Oxygen Concentrator.”  SDGIP also alleges misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of contract stemming from a meeting in September 2010. The Company never received any communication from SDGIP related to patent infringement, misuse of trade secrets, or breach of the mutual non-disclosure agreement prior to SDGIP filing the lawsuit.  SDGIP seeks to recover an unspecified amount of damages (including compensatory and treble damages), costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), pre-judgment and post-judgment interest, and other relief that the Court deems proper.  SDGIP also seeks a permanent injunction against the Company.  

The Company has and continues to vigorously contest SDGIP’s claims. The Company has answered SDGIP’s First Amended Complaint, denying SDGIP’s allegations of patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and breach of contract and asserting several affirmative defenses.

Other legal proceedings

The Company is party to various legal proceedings arising in the normal course of business. The Company carries insurance, subject to deductibles under the specified policies, to protect against losses from certain types of legal claims. The Company does not anticipate that any of these proceedings will have a material impact on the Company.