international accounting standard
(IAS) 38
Intangible Assets
См. Разъяснения по применению международного стандарта бухгалтерского учета (IAS) 38 «Нематериальные активы»
См. Методические рекомендации по применению международного стандарта бухгалтерского учета (IAS) 38 «Нематериальные активы»
См. документ на русском языке
This version includes amendments from IFRS 6 Exploration for and Evaluation of Mineral Resources issued on 9 December 2004.
contents | |
| paragraphs |
INTRODUCTION | IN1-IN13 |
INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTING STANDARD 38 INTANGIBLE ASSETS | |
OBJECTIVE | 1 |
SCOPE | 2-7 |
DEFINITIONS | 8-17 |
Intangible assets | 9-17 |
Identifiability | 11-12 |
Control | 13-16 |
Future economic benefits | 17 |
RECOGNITION AND MEASUREMENT | 18-67 |
Separate acquisition | 25-32 |
Acquisition as part of a business combination | 33-43 |
Measuring the fair value of an intangible asset acquired in a business combination | 35-41 |
Subsequent expenditure on an acquired in-process research and development project | 42-43 |
Acquisition by way of a government grant | 44 |
Exchanges of assets | 45-47 |
Internally generated goodwill | 48-50 |
Internally generated intangible assets | 51-67 |
Research phase | 54-56 |
Development phase | 57-64 |
Cost of an internally generated intangible asset | 65-67 |
RECOGNITION OF AN EXPENSE | 68-71 |
Past expenses not to be recognised as an asset | 71 |
MEASUREMENT AFTER RECOGNITION | 72-87 |
Cost model | 74 |
Revaluation model | 75-87 |
USEFUL LIFE | 88-96 |
INTANGIBLE ASSETS WITH FINITE USEFUL LIVES | 97-106 |
Amortisation period and amortisation method | 97-99 |
Residual value | 100-103 |
Review of amortisation period and amortisation method | 104-106 |
INTANGIBLE ASSETS WITH INDEFINITE USEFUL LIVES | 107-110 |
Review of useful life assessment | 109-110 |
RECOVERABILITY OF THE CARRYING AMOUNT— IMPAIRMENT LOSSES | 111 |
RETIREMENTS AND DISPOSALS | 112-117 |
DISCLOSURE | 118-128 |
General | 118-123 |
Intangible assets measured after recognition using the revaluation model | 124-125 | |
Research and development expenditure | 126-127 |
Other information | 128 |
TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS AND EFFECTIVE DATE | 129-132 |
Exchanges of similar assets | 131 |
Early application | 132 |
WITHDRAWAL OF IAS 38 (ISSUED 1998) | 133 |
APPROVAL OF IAS 38 BY THE BOARD | |
BASIS FOR CONCLUSIONS | |
DISSENTING OPINION | |
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES | |
Assessing the useful lives of intangible assets | |
International Accounting Standard 38 Intangible Assets (IAS 38) is set out in paragraphs 1-133. All the paragraphs have equal authority but retain the IASC format of the Standard when it was adopted by the IASB. IAS 38 should be read in the context of its objective and the Basis for Conclusions, the Preface to International Financial Reporting Standards and the Framework for the Preparation and Presentation of Financial Statements. IAS 8 Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors provides a basis for selecting and applying accounting policies in the absence of explicit guidance. |
Introduction
IN1 International Accounting Standard 38 Intangible Assets (IAS 38) replaces IAS 38 Intangible Assets (issued in 1998), and should be applied:
(a) on acquisition to the accounting for intangible assets acquired in business combinations for which the agreement date is on or after 31 March 2004.
(b) to all other intangible assets, for annual periods beginning on or after 31 March 2004.
Earlier application is encouraged.
Reasons for revising IAS 38
IN2 The International Accounting Standards Board developed this revised IAS 38 as part of its project on business combinations. The project's objective is to improve the quality of, and seek international convergence on, the accounting for business combinations and the subsequent accounting for goodwill and intangible assets acquired in business combinations.
IN3 The project has two phases. The first phase resulted in the Board issuing simultaneously IFRS 3 Business Combinations and revised versions of IAS 38 and IAS 36 Impairment of Assets. The Board's deliberations during the first phase of the project focused primarily on:
(a) the method of accounting for business combinations;
(b) the initial measurement of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities and contingent liabilities assumed in a business combination;
(c) the recognition of provisions for terminating or reducing the activities of an acquiree;
(d) the treatment of any excess of the acquirer's interest in the fair values of identifiable net assets acquired in a business combination over the cost of the combination; and
(e) the accounting for goodwill and intangible assets acquired in a business combination.
IN4 Therefore, the Board's intention while revising IAS 38 was to reflect only those changes related to its decisions in the Business Combinations project, and not to reconsider all of the requirements in IAS 38. The changes that have been made in the Standard are primarily concerned with clarifying the notion of 'identifiability’ as it relates to intangible assets, the useful life and amortisation of intangible assets, and the accounting for in-process research and development projects acquired in business combinations.
Summary of main changes
Definition of an intangible asset
IN5 The previous version of IAS 38 defined an intangible asset as an identifiable non-monetary asset without physical substance held for use in the production or supply of goods or services, for rental to others, or for administrative purposes. The requirement for the asset to be held for use in the production or supply of goods or services, for rental to others, or for administrative purposes has been removed from the definition of an intangible asset.
IN6 The previous version of IAS 38 did not define 'identifiability', but stated that an intangible asset could be distinguished clearly from goodwill if the asset was separable, but that separability was not a necessary condition for identifiability. The Standard states that an asset meets the identifiability criterion in the definition of an intangible asset when it:
(a) is separable, ie capable of being separated or divided from the entity and sold, transferred, licensed, rented or exchanged, either individually or together with a related contract, asset or liability; or
(b) arises from contractual or other legal rights, regardless of whether those rights are transferable or separable from the entity or from other rights and obligations.
Criteria for initial recognition
IN7 The previous version of IAS 38 required an intangible asset to be recognised if, and only if, it was probable that the expected future economic benefits attributable to the asset would flow to the entity, and its cost could be measured reliably. These recognition criteria have been included in the Standard. However, additional guidance has been included to clarify that:
(a) the probability recognition criterion is always considered to be satisfied for intangible assets that are acquired separately or in a business combination.
(b) the fair value of an intangible asset acquired in a business combination can normally be measured with sufficient reliability to be recognised separately from goodwill. If an intangible asset acquired in a business combination has a finite useful life, there is a rebuttable presumption that its fair value can be measured reliably.
Subsequent expenditure
IN8 Under the previous version of IAS 38, the treatment of subsequent expenditure on an in-process research and development project acquired in a business combination and recognised as an asset separately from goodwill was unclear. The Standard requires such expenditure to be:
(a) recognised as an expense when incurred if it is research expenditure;
(b) recognised as an expense when incurred if it is development expenditure that does not satisfy the criteria in IAS 38 for recognising such expenditure as an intangible asset; and
(с) recognised as an intangible asset if it is development expenditure that satisfies the criteria in IAS 38 for recognising such expenditure as an intangible asset.
Useful life
IN9 The previous version of IAS 38 was based on the assumption that the useful life of an intangible asset is always finite, and included a rebuttable presumption that the useful life cannot exceed twenty years from the date the asset is available for use. That rebuttable presumption has been removed. The Standard requires an intangible asset to be regarded as having an indefinite useful life when, based on an analysis of all of the relevant factors, there is no foreseeable limit to the period over which the asset is expected to generate net cash inflows for the entity.
IN10 The previous version of IAS 38 required that if control over the future economic benefits from an intangible asset was achieved through legal rights granted for a finite period, the useful life of the intangible asset could not exceed the period of those rights, unless the rights were renewable and renewal was virtually certain. The Standard requires that:
(a) the useful life of an intangible asset arising from contractual or other legal rights should not exceed the period of those rights, but may be shorter depending on the period over which the asset is expected to be used by the entity; and
(b) if the rights are conveyed for a limited term that can be renewed, the useful life should include the renewal period(s) only if there is evidence to support renewal by the entity without significant cost.
Intangible assets with indefinite useful lives
IN11 The Standard requires that:
(a) an intangible asset with an indefinite useful life should not be amortised.
(b) the useful life of such an asset should be reviewed each reporting period to determine whether events and circumstances continue to support an indefinite useful life assessment for that asset. If they do not, the change in the useful life assessment from indefinite to finite should be accounted for as a change in an accounting estimate.
Impairment testing intangible assets with finite useful lives
IN12 The previous version of IAS 38 required the recoverable amount of an intangible asset that was amortised over a period exceeding twenty years from the date it was available for use to be estimated at least at each financial year-end, even if there was no indication that the asset was impaired. This requirement has been removed. Therefore, an entity needs to determine the recoverable amount of an intangible asset with a finite useful life that is amortised over a period exceeding twenty years from the date it is available for use only when, in accordance with IAS 36, there is an indication that the asset may be impaired.
Disclosure
IN13 If an intangible asset is assessed as having an indefinite useful life, the Standard requires an entity to disclose the carrying amount of that asset and the reasons supporting the indefinite useful life assessment.
International Accounting Standard 38 Intangible Assets
Objective
1 The objective of this Standard is to prescribe the accounting treatment for intangible assets that are not dealt with specifically in another Standard. This Standard requires an entity to recognise an intangible asset if, and only if, specified criteria are met. The Standard also specifies how to measure the carrying amount of intangible assets and requires specified disclosures about intangible assets.
Scope
2 This Standard shall be applied in accounting for intangible assets, except:
(a) intangible assets that are within the scope of another Standard;
(b) financial assets, as defined in IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement;
(c) the recognition and measurement of exploration and evaluation assets (see IFRS 6 Exploration for and Evaluation of Mineral Resources); and
(d) expenditure on the development and extraction of, minerals, oil, natural gas and similar non-regenerative resources.
3 If another Standard prescribes the accounting for a specific type of intangible asset, an entity applies that Standard instead of this Standard. For example, this Standard does not apply to:
(a) intangible assets held by an entity for sale in the ordinary course of business (see IAS 2 Inventories and IAS 11 Construction Contracts).
(b) deferred tax assets (see IAS 12 Income Taxes).
(c) leases that are within the scope of IAS 17 Leases.
(d) assets arising from employee benefits (see IAS 19 Employee Benefits).
(e) financial assets as defined in IAS 39. The recognition and measurement of some financial assets are covered by IAS 27 Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements, IAS 28 Investments in Associates and IAS 31 Interests inJointVentures.
(f) goodwill acquired in a business combination (see IFRS 3 Business Combinations).
(g) deferred acquisition costs, and intangible assets, arising from an insurer's contractual rights under insurance contracts within the scope of IFRS 4 Insurance Contracts. IFRS 4 sets out specific disclosure requirements for those deferred acquisition costs but not for those intangible assets. Therefore, the disclosure requirements in this Standard apply to those intangible assets.
(h) non-current intangible assets classified as held for sale (or included in a disposal group that is classified as held for sale) in accordance with IFRS 5 Non-current Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations.
4 Some intangible assets may be contained in or on a physical substance such as a compact disc (in the case of computer software), legal documentation (in the case of a licence or patent) or film. In determining whether an asset that incorporates both intangible and tangible elements should be treated under IAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment or as an intangible asset under this Standard, an entity uses judgement to assess which element is more significant. For example, computer software for a computer-controlled machine tool that cannot operate without that specific software is an integral part of the related hardware and it is treated as property, plant and equipment. The same applies to the operating system of a computer. When the software is not an integral part of the related hardware, computer software is treated as an intangible asset.
5 This Standard applies to, among other things, expenditure on advertising, training, start-up, research and development activities. Research and development activities are directed to the development of knowledge. Therefore, although these activities may result in an asset with physical substance (eg a prototype), the physical element of the asset is secondary to its intangible component, ie the knowledge embodied in it.
6 In the case of a finance lease, the underlying asset may be either tangible or intangible. After initial recognition, a lessee accounts for an intangible asset held under a finance lease in accordance with this Standard. Rights under licensing agreements for items such as motion picture films, video recordings, plays, manuscripts, patents and copyrights are excluded from the scope of IAS 17 and are within the scope of this Standard.
7 Exclusions from the scope of a Standard may occur if activities or transactions are so specialised that they give rise to accounting issues that may need to be dealt with in a different way. Such issues arise in the accounting for expenditure on the exploration for, or development and extraction of, oil, gas and mineral deposits in extractive industries and in the case of insurance contracts. Therefore, this Standard does not apply to expenditure on such activities and contracts. However, this Standard applies to other intangible assets used (such as computer software), and other expenditure incurred (such as start-up costs), in extractive industries or by insurers.
Definitions
8 The following terms are used in this Standard with the meanings specified:
An active market is a market in which all the following conditions exist:
(a) the items traded in the market are homogeneous;
(b) willing buyers and sellers can normally be found at any time; and
(c) prices are available to the public
The agreement date for a business combination is the date that a substantive agreement between the combining parties is reached and, in the case of publicly listed entities, announced to the public. In the case of a hostile takeover, the earliest date that a substantive agreement between the combining parties is reached is the date that a sufficient number of the acquiree's owners have accepted the acquirer's offer for the acquirer to obtain control of the acquiree.
Amortisation is the systematic allocation of the depreciable amount of an intangible asset over its useful life.
An asset is a resource:
(a) controlled by an entity as a result of past events; and
(b) from which future economic benefits are expected to flow to the entity.
Carrying amount is the amount at which an asset is recognised in the balance sheet after deducting any accumulated amortisation and accumulated impairment losses thereon.
Cost is the amount of cash or cash equivalents paid or the fair value of other consideration given to acquire an asset at the time of its acquisition or construction, or, when applicable, the amount attributed to that asset when initially recognised in accordance with the specific requirements of other IFRSs, eg IFRS 2 Share-based Payment.
Depreciable amount is the cost of an asset, or other amount substituted for cost, less its residual value.
Development is the application of research findings or other knowledge to a plan or design for the production of new or substantially improved materials, devices, products, processes, systems or services before the start of commercial production or use.
Entity-specific value is the present value of the cash flows an entity expects to arise from the continuing use of an asset and from its disposal at the end of its useful life or expects to incur when settling a liability.
Fair value of an asset is the amount for which that asset could be exchanged between knowledgeable, willing parties in an arm's length transaction.
An impairment loss is the amount by which the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its recoverable amount.
An intangible asset is an identifiable non-monetary asset without physical substance.
Monetary assets are money held and assets to be received in fixed or determinable amounts of money.
Research is original and planned investigation undertaken with the prospect of gaining new scientific or technical knowledge and understanding.
The residual value of an intangible asset is the estimated amount that an entity would currently obtain from disposal of the asset, after deducting the estimated costs of disposal, if the asset were already of the age and in the condition expected at the end of its useful life.
Useful life is:
(a) the period over which an asset is expected to be available for use by an entity; or
(b) the number of production or similar units expected to be obtained from the asset by an entity.
Intangible assets
9 Entities frequently expend resources, or incur liabilities, on the acquisition, development, maintenance or enhancement of intangible resources such as scientific or technical knowledge, design and implementation of new processes or systems, licences, intellectual property, market knowledge and trademarks (including brand names and publishing titles). Common examples of items encompassed by these broad headings are computer software, patents, copyrights, motion picture films, customer lists, mortgage servicing rights, fishing licences, import quotas, franchises, customer or supplier relationships, customer loyalty, market share and marketing rights.
10 Not all the items described in paragraph 9 meet the definition of an intangible asset, ie identifiability, control over a resource and existence of future economic benefits. If an item within the scope of this Standard does not meet the definition of an intangible asset, expenditure to acquire it or generate it internally is recognised as an expense when it is incurred. However, if the item is acquired in a business combination, it forms part of the goodwill recognised at the acquisition date (see paragraph 68).
Identifiability
11 The definition of an intangible asset requires an intangible asset to be identifiable to distinguish it from goodwill. Goodwill acquired in a business combination represents a payment made by the acquirer in anticipation of future economic benefits from assets that are not capable of being individually identified and separately recognised. The future economic benefits may result from synergy between the identifiable assets acquired or from assets that, individually, do not qualify for recognition in the financial statements but for which the acquirer is prepared to make a payment in the business combination.
12 An asset meets the identifiability criterion in the definition of an intangible asset when it:
(a) is separable, ie is capable of being separated or divided from the entity and sold, transferred, licensed, rented or exchanged, either individually or together with a related contract asset or liability; or
(b) arises from contractual or other legal rights, regardless of whether those rights are transferable or separable from the entity or from other rights and obligations.
Control
13 An entity controls an asset if the entity has the power to obtain the future economic benefits flowing from the underlying resource and to restrict the access of others to those benefits. The capacity of an entity to control the future economic benefits from an intangible asset would normally stem from legal rights that are enforceable in a court of law. In the absence of legal rights, it is more difficult to demonstrate control. However, legal enforceability of a right is not a necessary condition for control because an entity may be able to control the future economic benefits in some other way.
14 Market and technical knowledge may give rise to future economic benefits. An entity controls those benefits if, for example, the knowledge is protected by legal rights such as copyrights, a restraint of trade agreement (where permitted) or by a legal duty on employees to maintain confidentiality.
15 An entity may have a team of skilled staff and may be able to identify incremental staff skills leading to future economic benefits from training. The entity may also expect that the staff will continue to make their skills available to the entity. However, an entity usually has insufficient control over the expected future economic benefits arising from a team of skilled staff and from training for these items to meet the definition of an intangible asset. For a similar reason, specific management or technical talent is unlikely to meet the definition of an intangible asset, unless it is protected by legal rights to use it and to obtain the future economic benefits expected from it, and it also meets the other parts of the definition.
16 An entity may have a portfolio of customers or a market share and expect that, because of its efforts in building customer relationships and loyalty, the customers will continue to trade with the entity. However, in the absence of legal rights to protect, or other ways to control, the relationships with customers or the loyalty of the customers to the entity, the entity usually has insufficient control over the expected economic benefits from customer relationships and loyalty for such items (eg portfolio of customers, market shares, customer relationships and customer loyalty) to meet the definition of intangible assets. In the absence of legal rights to protect customer relationships, exchange transactions for the same or similar non-contractual customer relationships (other than as part of a business combination) provide evidence that the entity is nonetheless able to control the expected future economic benefits flowing from the customer relationships. Because such exchange transactions also provide evidence that the customer relationships are separable, those customer relationships meet the definition of an intangible asset.
Future economic benefits
17 The future economic benefits flowing from an intangible asset may include revenue from the sale of products or services, cost savings, or other benefits resulting from the use of the asset by the entity. For example, the use of intellectual property in a production process may reduce future production costs rather than increase future revenues.
Recognition and measurement
18 The recognition of an item as an intangible asset requires an entity to demonstrate that the item meets:
(a) the definition of an intangible asset (see paragraphs 8-17); and
(b) the recognition criteria (see paragraphs 21-23).
This requirement applies to costs incurred initially to acquire or internally generate an intangible asset and those incurred subsequently to add to, replace part of, or service it.
19 Paragraphs 25-32 deal with the application of the recognition criteria to separately acquired intangible assets, and paragraphs 33-43 deal with their application to intangible assets acquired in a business combination. Paragraph 44 deals with the initial measurement of intangible assets acquired by way of a government grant, paragraphs 45-47 with exchanges of intangible assets, and paragraphs 48-50 with the treatment of internally generated goodwill. Paragraphs 51-67 deal with the initial recognition and measurement of internally generated intangible assets.
20 The nature of intangible assets is such that, in many cases, there are no additions to such an asset or replacements of part of it. Accordingly, most subsequent expenditures are likely to maintain the expected future economic benefits embodied in an existing intangible asset rather than meet the definition of an intangible asset and the recognition criteria in this Standard. In addition, it is often difficult to attribute subsequent expenditure directly to a particular intangible asset rather than to the business as a whole. Therefore, only rarely will subsequent expenditure—expenditure incurred after the initial recognition of an acquired intangible asset or after completion of an internally generated intangible asset—be recognised in the carrying amount of an asset. Consistently with paragraph 63, subsequent expenditure on brands, mastheads, publishing titles, customer lists and items similar in substance (whether externally acquired or internally generated) is always recognised in profit or loss as incurred. This is because such expenditure cannot be distinguished from expenditure to develop the business as a whole.
21 An intangible asset shall be recognised if, and only if:
(a) it is probable that the expected future economic benefits that are attributable to the asset will flow to the entity; and
(b) the cost of the asset can be measured reliably.
22 An entity shall assess the probability of expected future economic benefits using reasonable and supportable assumptions that represent management's best estimate of the set of economic conditions that will exist over the useful life of the asset.
23 An entity uses judgement to assess the degree of certainty attached to the flow of future economic benefits that are attributable to the use of the asset on the basis of the evidence available at the time of initial recognition, giving greater weight to external evidence.
24 An intangible asset shall be measured initially at cost.
Separate acquisition
25 Normally, the price an entity pays to acquire separately an intangible asset reflects expectations about the probability that the expected future economic benefits embodied in the asset will flow to the entity. In other words, the effect of probability is reflected in the cost of the asset. Therefore, the probability recognition criterion in paragraph 21 (a) is always considered to be satisfied for separately acquired intangible assets.
26 In addition, the cost of a separately acquired intangible asset can usually be measured reliably. This is particularly so when the purchase consideration is in the form of cash or other monetary assets.
27 The cost of a separately acquired intangible asset comprises:
(a) its purchase price, including import duties and non-refundable purchase taxes, after deducting trade discounts and rebates; and
(b) any directly attributable cost of preparing the asset for its intended use.
28 Examples of directly attributable costs are:
(a) costs of employee benefits (as defined in IAS 19 Employee Benefits) arising directly from bringing the asset to its working condition;
(b) professional fees arising directly from bringing the asset to its working condition; and
(c) costs of testing whether the asset is functioning properly.
29 Examples of expenditures that are not part of the cost of an intangible asset are:
(a) costs of introducing a new product or service (including costs of advertising and promotional activities);
(b) costs of conducting business in a new location or with a new class of customer (including costs of staff training); and
(c) administration and other general overhead costs.
30 Recognition of costs in the carrying amount of an intangible asset ceases when the asset is in the condition necessary for it to be capable of operating in the manner intended by management. Therefore, costs incurred in using or redeploying an intangible asset are not included in the carrying amount of that asset. For example, the following costs are not included in the carrying amount of an intangible asset:
(a) costs incurred while an asset capable of operating in the manner intended by management has yet to be brought into use; and
(b) initial operating losses, such as those incurred while demand for the asset's output builds up.
31 Some operations occur in connection with the development of an intangible asset, but are not necessary to bring the asset to the condition necessary for it to be capable of operating in the manner intended by management. These incidental operations may occur before or during the development activities. Because incidental operations are not necessary to bring an asset to the condition necessary for it to be capable of operating in the manner intended by management, the income and related expenses of incidental operations are recognised immediately in profit or loss, and included in their respective classifications of income and expense.
32 If payment for an intangible asset is deferred beyond normal credit terms, its cost is the cash price equivalent. The difference between this amount and the total payments is recognised as interest expense over the period of credit unless it is capitalised in accordance with the capitalisation treatment permitted in IAS 23 Borrowing Costs.
Acquisition as part of a business combination
33 In accordance with IFRS 3 Business Combinations, if an intangible asset is acquired in a business combination, the cost of that intangible asset is its fair value at the acquisition date. The fair value of an intangible asset reflects market expectations about the probability that the future economic benefits embodied in the asset will flow to the entity. In other words, the effect of probability is reflected in the fair value measurement of the intangible asset. Therefore, the probability recognition criterion in paragraph 21 (a) is always considered to be satisfied for intangible assets acquired in business combinations.
34 Therefore, in accordance with this Standard and IFRS 3, an acquirer recognises at the acquisition date separately from goodwill an intangible asset of the acquiree if the asset's fair value can be measured reliably, irrespective of whether the asset had been recognised by the acquiree before the business combination. This means that the acquirer recognises as an asset separately from goodwill an in-process research and development project of the acquiree if the project meets the definition of an intangible asset and its fair value can be measured reliably. An acquiree's in-process research and development project meets the definition of an intangible asset when it:
(a) meets the definition of an asset; and
(b) is identifiable, ie is separable or arises from contractual or other legal rights.
Measuring the fair value of an intangible asset acquired in a business combination
35 The fair value of intangible assets acquired in business combinations can normally be measured with sufficient reliability to be recognised separately from goodwill. When, for the estimates used to measure an intangible asset's fair value, there is a range of possible outcomes with different probabilities, that uncertainty enters into the measurement of the asset's fair value, rather than demonstrates an inability to measure fair value reliably. If an intangible asset acquired in a business combination has a finite useful life, there is a rebuttable presumption that its fair value can be measured reliably.
36 An intangible asset acquired in a business combination might be separable, but only together with a related tangible or intangible asset. For example, a magazine's publishing title might not be able to be sold separately from a related subscriber database, or a trademark for natural spring water might relate to a particular spring and could not be sold separately from the spring. In such cases, the acquirer recognises the group of assets as a single asset separately from goodwill if the individual fair values of the assets in the group are not reliably measurable.
37 Similarly, the terms 'brand’ and 'brand name’ are often used as synonyms for trademarks and other marks. However, the former are general marketing terms that are typically used to refer to a group of complementary assets such as a trademark (or service mark) and its related trade name, formulas, recipes and technological expertise. The acquirer recognises as a single asset a group of complementary intangible assets comprising a brand if the individual fair values of the complementary assets are not reliably measurable. If the individual fair values of the complementary assets are reliably measurable, an acquirer may recognise them as a single asset provided the individual assets have similar useful lives.
38 The only circumstances in which it might not be possible to measure reliably the fair value of an intangible asset acquired in a business combination are when the intangible asset arises from legal or other contractual rights and either:
(a) is not separable; or
(b) is separable, but there is no history or evidence of exchange transactions for the same or similar assets, and otherwise estimating fair value would be dependent on immeasurable variables.