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Document and Entity Information Document - shares	9 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information Document - shares	Sep. 30, 2017	Oct. 20, 2017
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	VERISIGN INC/CA
Entity Central Index Key	0001014473
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		98,570,102

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 286,822	$ 231,945
Marketable securities	2,078,905	1,565,962
Other Assets, Current	40,293	44,435
Total current assets	2,406,020	1,842,342
Property and equipment, net	265,306	266,125
Goodwill	52,527	52,527
Deferred Tax Assets, Net of Valuation Allowance, Noncurrent	20,458	9,385
Deposits to acquire Intangible Assets	145,000	145,000
Other long-term assets	19,052	19,193
Total long-term assets	502,343	492,230
Total assets	2,908,363	2,334,572
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	193,462	203,920
Deferred revenues	717,586	688,265
Convertible Debentures, including contingent interest derivative	624,474	629,764
Total current liabilities	1,535,522	1,521,949
Long-term deferred revenues	289,262	287,424
Senior Notes	1,781,912	1,237,189
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Net	401,359	371,433
Other long-term liabilities	130,246	117,172
Total long-term liabilities	2,602,779	2,013,218
Total liabilities	4,138,301	3,535,167
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders' deficit:
Preferred stock-par value $.001 per share	0	0
Common stock-par value $.001 per share	325	324
Additional paid-in capital	16,570,518	16,987,488
Accumulated deficit	(17,797,627)	(18,184,954)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(3,154)	(3,453)
Total stockholders' deficit	(1,229,938)	(1,200,595)
Total liabilities and stockholders' deficit	$ 2,908,363	$ 2,334,572

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - $ / shares shares in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Preferred stock, par value	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Preferred stock, authorized shares	5,000	5,000
Preferred stock, issued shares	0	0
Preferred stock, outstanding shares	0	0
Common stock, par value	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Common stock, authorized shares	1,000,000	1,000,000
Common Stock, Shares, Issued	325,172	324,118
Common stock, outstanding shares	98,865	103,091

Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Revenues	$ 292,428	$ 287,554	$ 869,594	$ 855,896
Costs and expenses:
Cost of revenues	47,333	49,807	145,646	149,142
Sales and marketing	18,667	18,647	56,463	58,431
Research and development	12,715	14,324	39,569	45,355
General and administrative	32,654	30,000	96,626	85,158
Total costs and expenses	111,369	112,778	338,304	338,086
Operating income	181,059	174,776	531,290	517,810
Interest expense	(37,756)	(28,919)	(95,869)	(86,582)
Non-operating income (loss), net	6,241	3,262	21,544	8,092
Income before income taxes	149,544	149,119	456,965	439,320
Income tax expense	(34,645)	(34,692)	(102,554)	(104,227)
Net Income	114,899	114,427	354,411	335,093
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Reclassification Adjustment from AOCI, Realized upon Sale or Liquidation, before Tax	0	0	0	85
Change in unrealized gain on investments, net of tax	61	(485)	739	1,301
Realized gain on investments, net of tax, included in net income	(325)	(11)	(440)	(78)
Other comprehensive income (loss)	(264)	(496)	299	1,308
Comprehensive Income	$ 114,635	$ 113,931	$ 354,710	$ 336,401
Basic income (loss) per share
Net Income	$ 1.15	$ 1.08	$ 3.51	$ 3.10
Diluted income (loss) per share
Net Income	$ 0.93	$ 0.90	$ 2.85	$ 2.58
Shares used to compute net income per share
Basic	99,614	106,307	101,036	107,982
Diluted	124,074	127,750	124,162	129,967

Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$ 354,411	$ 335,093
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation of property and equipment	37,665	44,114
(Gain) Loss on Disposition of Business	(10,421)	0
Stock-based compensation	40,043	35,745
Contingent interest payment for debenture	(15,232)	(13,385)
Amortization of Debt Issuance Costs and Discounts	10,827	9,971
Other, net	(8,942)	(5,355)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities
Other assets	4,566	14,278
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	(9,524)	(8,285)
Deferred revenues	32,790	19,470
Deferred Income Taxes	67,385	56,397
Net cash provided by operating activities	503,568	488,043
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities [Abstract]
Proceeds from maturities and sales of marketable securities	3,895,675	3,029,699
Purchases of marketable securities	(4,398,787)	(2,917,743)
Purchases of property and equipment	(40,609)	(19,889)
Payments to Acquire Intangible Assets	0	143,000
Other investing activities	12,102	171
Net cash used in investing activities	(531,619)	(50,762)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from employee stock purchase plans	12,915	13,670
Repurchases of common stock	(474,290)	(501,934)
Proceeds from Debt, Net of Issuance Costs	543,185	0
Net cash used in financing activities	81,810	(488,264)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	1,118	109
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents	54,877	(50,874)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	231,945	228,659
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	286,822	177,785
Supplemental cash flow disclosures:
Cash paid for interest, net of capitalized interest	86,622	84,930
Cash paid for income taxes, net of refunds received	$ 22,717	$ 14,474

Basis Of Presentation	9 Months Ended
Basis Of Presentation	Sep. 30, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis Of Presentation	Basis of Presentation Interim Financial Statements The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared by VeriSign, Inc. (“Verisign” or the “Company”) in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and, therefore, do not include all information and notes normally provided in audited financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals and other adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of, nor comparable to, the results of operations for any other interim period or for a full fiscal year. These unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes contained in Verisign’s fiscal 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “2016 Form 10-K”) filed with the SEC on February 17, 2017. Reclassifications Certain reclassifications have been made to prior period amounts to conform to current period presentation. Such reclassifications have no effect on net income as previously reported. Adoption of New Accounting Standards Effective January 1, 2017, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”). The new guidance requires excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies to be recorded as a discrete adjustment to income tax expense when stock awards vest, rather than in additional paid-in capital when they reduce income taxes payable. The Company also made the accounting policy election, as allowed by the new guidance, to account for forfeitures of stock awards as they occur, rather than estimating forfeitures. These changes were required to be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings. The cumulative effect of adopting ASU 2016-09 was an increase in Deferred tax assets of $11.0 million, a decrease in Deferred tax liabilities of $24.4 million, an increase in Additional paid-in capital of $2.5 million, and a decrease in Accumulated deficit of $32.9 million, as of January 1, 2017, as a result of recognizing $35.4 million of previously unrecognized excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation, and a $2.5 million adjustment related to the change in accounting policy for forfeitures. The impacts to Deferred tax liabilities, and Accumulated deficit related to previously unrecognized excess tax benefits, reflect immaterial adjustments recorded during the third quarter of 2017, upon completion of the Company’s 2016 U.S. federal income tax return. Additionally, the new guidance requires cash flows related to excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation to be recognized with other income tax cash flows in operating activities, rather than separately as a financing activity. The Company elected to apply this new cash flow presentation requirement retrospectively, which resulted in an increase to both net cash from operating activities and net cash used in financing activities of $15.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016. Effective January 1, 2017, the Company adopted ASU 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, which was issued by the FASB. The guidance in the ASU simplifies certain aspects of the goodwill impairment test, including the elimination of the requirement to perform a qualitative assessment of the likelihood of a goodwill impairment for reporting units with a negative carrying value. All of the Company’s goodwill is included in the Registry Services reporting unit which has a negative carrying value. As a result, the Company will no longer be required to perform the qualitative assessment. Recent Accounting Pronouncements On May 28, 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The ASU will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. The new standard will become effective for the Company on January 1, 2018. The FASB also issued several amendments to the standard, including clarification on accounting for licenses of intellectual property and identifying performance obligations. The Company’s evaluation of the new revenue guidance is substantially complete. Other than the inclusion of the additional required disclosures, the Company does not currently expect the adoption of the new revenue standard to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases. The guidance introduces a lessee model that requires most leases to be reported on the balance sheet. This ASU will become effective for the Company on January 1, 2019 and requires the modified retrospective transition method. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this ASU on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

Financial Instruments

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Financial Instruments, Owned, at Fair Value [Abstract]

Financial Instruments

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities

The following table summarizes the Company’s cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016:



	September 30,		December 31,
	2017		2016
	(In thousands)
Cash	$	33,466	$	39,183
Time deposits	3,139		4,632
Money market funds (Level 1)	259,499		134,790
Debt securities issued by the U.S. Treasury (Level 1)	2,078,882		1,626,764
Equity securities of public companies (Level 1)	23		2,174
Total	$	2,375,009	$	1,807,543

Included in Cash and cash equivalents	$	286,822	$	231,945
Included in Marketable securities	2,078,905		1,565,962
Included in Other long-term assets (Restricted cash)	9,282		9,636
Total	$	2,375,009	$	1,807,543

The fair value of the debt securities held as of September 30, 2017 was $2.1 billion, including less than $0.5 million of gross and net unrealized gains. All of the debt securities held as of September 30, 2017 are scheduled to mature in less than one year.

Fair Value Measurements

The fair value of the Company’s investments in money market funds approximates their face value. Such instruments are included in Cash and cash equivalents. The fair value of the debt securities consisting of U.S. Treasury bills is based on their quoted market prices. Debt securities purchased with original maturities in excess of three months are included in Marketable securities. The fair value of the equity securities of public companies is based on quoted market prices and are included in Marketable securities. The fair value of all of these financial instruments are classified as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy.

The $14.3 million contingent interest derivative on the Subordinated Convertible Debentures as of December 31, 2016 included $7.7 million contingent interest that was paid in February 2017, and $6.6 million estimated fair value of the $7.5 million contingent interest that was to be paid in August 2017. Effective August 15, 2017, Verisign has the right to redeem the Subordinated Convertible Debentures under the terms of the indenture. Therefore, the fair value of the contingent interest embedded derivative for periods after August 15, 2017 is negligible.

The Company’s other financial instruments include cash, accounts receivable, restricted cash, and accounts payable. As of September 30, 2017, the carrying value of these financial instruments approximated their fair value. The fair value of the Company’s Subordinated Convertible Debentures was $3.9 billion as of September 30, 2017. The fair values of the senior notes due 2023 (the “2023 Senior Notes”), the senior notes due 2025 (the “2025 Senior Notes”), and the senior notes due 2027 (the “2027 Senior Notes”) were $776.1 million, $540.9 million, and 567.4 million, respectively, as of September 30, 2017. The fair values of these debt instruments are based on available market information from public data sources and are classified as Level 2.

Other Balance Sheet Items

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Balance Sheet Related Disclosures [Abstract]

Other Balance Sheet Items

Other Current Assets

Other current assets consist of the following:



	September 30,		December 31,
	2017		2016
	(In thousands)
Prepaid expenses	$	20,004	$	14,385
Accounts receivable, net	12,584		13,051
Income taxes receivable	4,026		15,328
Other	3,679		1,671
Total other current assets	$	40,293	$	44,435

The Income taxes receivable as of December 31, 2016 primarily consists of the remaining U.S. federal income tax overpayment from prior years, which has been used in 2017 to offset a portion of current year income taxes.

Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities consist of the following:



	September 30,		December 31,
	2017		2016
	(In thousands)
Accounts payable	$	18,218	$	19,455
Accrued employee compensation	37,292		61,426
Customer deposits, net	53,743		52,173
Interest payable	41,360		27,701
Income taxes payable and other tax liabilities	23,018		23,144
Other accrued liabilities	19,831		20,021
Total accounts payable and accrued liabilities	$	193,462	$	203,920

Accrued employee compensation primarily consists of liabilities for employee leave, salaries, payroll taxes, employee contributions to the employee stock purchase plan, and incentive compensation. Accrued employee incentive compensation as of December 31, 2016, was paid during the nine months ended September 30, 2017. Interest payable includes coupon and contingent interest on the Subordinated Convertible Debentures, and interest payable on the 2023 Senior Notes the 2025 Senior Notes, and the 2027 Senior Notes. Income taxes payable and other tax liabilities primarily includes amounts payable for U.S. and foreign income taxes which are paid during the following year.

Stockholders' Deficit	9 Months Ended
Stockholders' Deficit	Sep. 30, 2017
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Stockholders' (Deficit) Equity	Stockholders’ Deficit On February 9, 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of approximately $640.9 million of its common stock, in addition to the $359.1 million remaining available for repurchase under the previous share repurchase program for a total repurchase authorization of up to $1.0 billion of its common stock. The share repurchase program has no expiration date. Purchases made under the program can be effected through open market transactions, block purchases, accelerated share repurchase agreements or other negotiated transactions. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 the Company repurchased 1.5 million and 5.0 million shares of its common stock, respectively, at an average stock price of $100.30 and $90.21, respectively. The aggregate cost of the repurchases in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 was $147.0 million and $447.6 million, respectively. As of September 30, 2017, $622.5 million remained available for further repurchases under the share repurchase program. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company placed 0.3 million shares, at an average stock price of $83.88, and for an aggregate cost of $26.7 million, into treasury stock for purposes related to tax withholding upon vesting of Restricted Stock Units (“RSUs”). Since inception the Company has repurchased 226.3 million shares of its common stock for an aggregate cost of $8.6 billion, which is presented as a reduction of Additional paid-in capital.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for shareholders' equity comprised of portions attributable to the parent entity and noncontrolling interest, including other comprehensive income. Includes, but is not limited to, balances of common stock, preferred stock, additional paid-in capital, other capital and retained earnings, accumulated balance for each classification of other comprehensive income and amount of comprehensive income.

+ References

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+ Details

Calculation Of Net Income Per Share

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Calculation Of Net Income Per Share Attributable To Verisign Stockholders

Calculation of Earnings per Share

The following table presents the computation of weighted-average shares used in the calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share:



	Three Months Ended September 30,		Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017	2016	2017	2016
	(In thousands)
Weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding	99,614	106,307	101,036	107,982
Weighted-average potential shares of common stock outstanding:
Conversion spread related to Convertible Debentures	23,956	20,789	22,605	21,244
Unvested RSUs and ESPP	504	654	521	741
Shares used to compute diluted earnings per share	124,074	127,750	124,162	129,967

The calculation of diluted weighted average shares outstanding, excludes potentially dilutive securities, the effect of which would have been anti-dilutive, as well as performance-based RSUs granted by the Company for which the relevant performance criteria have not been achieved. The number of potential shares excluded from the calculation was not significant in any period presented.

Stock-Based Compensation

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Share-based Compensation [Abstract]

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-based Compensation

Stock-based compensation is classified in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income in the same expense line items as cash compensation. The following table presents the classification of stock-based compensation:



	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
	(In thousands)
Cost of revenues	$	1,774	$	1,779	$	5,311	$	5,367
Sales and marketing	1,369		1,129		4,255		4,219
Research and development	1,575		1,676		4,553		4,966
General and administrative	9,387		8,270		25,924		21,193
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	14,105	$	12,854	$	40,043	$	35,745

The following table presents the nature of the Company’s total stock-based compensation:



	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017			2016			2017			2016
	(In thousands)
RSUs	$	10,556		$	10,276		$	28,930		$	28,034
Performance-based RSUs	3,100			2,216			9,992			6,878
ESPP	1,000			924			2,941			2,594
Capitalization (included in Property and equipment, net)	(551		)	(562		)	(1,820		)	(1,761		)
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	14,105		$	12,854		$	40,043		$	35,745

- Definition

The entire disclosure for compensation-related costs for equity-based compensation, which may include disclosure of policies, compensation plan details, allocation of equity compensation, incentive distributions, equity-based arrangements to obtain goods and services, deferred compensation arrangements, employee stock ownership plan details and employee stock purchase plan details.

+ References + Details

Interest Expense

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Interest Expense [Abstract]

Interest Expense

On July 5, 2017, the Company issued $550.0 million of 4.75% senior unsecured notes due July 15, 2027. The Company intends to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, the repurchase of shares of its common stock under its share repurchase program. The Company will pay interest on the notes semi-annually on January 15 and July 15, commencing on January 15, 2018. The Company may redeem these senior notes, in whole or in part, at the Company’s option, at times and redemption prices specified in the indenture. In connection with the offering the Company incurred $6.8 million of issuance costs which are presented on the balance sheet as a reduction of the debt obligation. The issuance costs are being amortized to Interest expense over the 10 year term of the notes.

The following table presents the components of the Company’s interest expense:



	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
	(In thousands)
Contractual interest on Subordinated Convertible Debentures	$	12,426	$	10,156	$	32,738	$	30,469
Contractual interest on Senior Notes	21,403		15,235		51,872		45,704
Amortization of debt discount on Subordinated Convertible Debentures	3,034		2,802		8,916		8,235
Amortization of debt issuance costs and other interest expense	893		726		2,343		2,174
Total interest expense	$	37,756	$	28,919	$	95,869	$	86,582

Effective August 15, 2017, Verisign has the right to redeem the Subordinated Convertible Debentures under the terms of the indenture. Therefore, the fair value of the contingent interest embedded derivative for periods after August 15, 2017 is negligible. Contingent interest for periods after August 15, 2017 is included in Contractual interest of Subordinated Convertible Debentures.

Non-operating (loss) income

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Non-operating (loss) income, net [Abstract]

Other Income and Other Expense Disclosure [Text Block]

Non-operating Income, Net

The following table presents the components of Non-operating income, net:



	Three Months Ended September 30,					Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017			2016		2017			2016
	(In thousands)
Interest income	$	5,832		$	1,728	$	11,386		$	4,292
(Loss) gain on sale of business	(186		)	—		10,421			—
Unrealized gain (loss) on contingent interest derivative on Subordinated Convertible Debentures	—			1,440		(893		)	2,411
Other, net	595			94		630			1,389
Total non-operating income, net	$	6,241		$	3,262	$	21,544		$	8,092

On April 1, 2017, the Company completed the sale of its iDefense business, which resulted in a gain of approximately $10.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017.

Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

The following table presents income tax expense and the effective tax rate:



	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017			2016			2017			2016
	(Dollars in thousands)
Income tax expense	$	34,645		$	34,692		$	102,554		$	104,227
Effective tax rate	23		%	23		%	22		%	24		%

The effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 was lower than the statutory federal rate of 35% primarily due to tax benefits from foreign income taxed at lower rates, partially offset by state income taxes. Additionally, the effective tax rate for nine months ended September 30, 2017 is also reduced by $8.2 million of excess tax benefits related to stock-based compensation, which are included in income tax expense, pursuant to the adoption of ASU 2016-09 Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting as discussed in Note 1.

Deferred tax assets, net of a valuation allowance, and liabilities as of September 30, 2017 reflect the use of a portion of U.S. foreign tax credits during the nine months ended September 30, 2017, an increase in the deferred tax liability related to the Subordinated Convertible Debentures, as well as the recognition of previously unrecognized excess tax benefits on stock awards which were recorded pursuant to the Company’s adoption of ASU 2016-09.

Financial Instruments (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Financial Instruments, Owned, at Fair Value [Abstract]

Cash, Cash Equivalents, And Marketable Securities

The following table summarizes the Company’s cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016:



	September 30,		December 31,
	2017		2016
	(In thousands)
Cash	$	33,466	$	39,183
Time deposits	3,139		4,632
Money market funds (Level 1)	259,499		134,790
Debt securities issued by the U.S. Treasury (Level 1)	2,078,882		1,626,764
Equity securities of public companies (Level 1)	23		2,174
Total	$	2,375,009	$	1,807,543

Included in Cash and cash equivalents	$	286,822	$	231,945
Included in Marketable securities	2,078,905		1,565,962
Included in Other long-term assets (Restricted cash)	9,282		9,636
Total	$	2,375,009	$	1,807,543

Other Balance Sheet Items (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Balance Sheet Related Disclosures [Abstract]

Other Current Assets

Other current assets consist of the following:



	September 30,		December 31,
	2017		2016
	(In thousands)
Prepaid expenses	$	20,004	$	14,385
Accounts receivable, net	12,584		13,051
Income taxes receivable	4,026		15,328
Other	3,679		1,671
Total other current assets	$	40,293	$	44,435

Components Of Accounts Payable And Accrued Liabilities

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities consist of the following:



	September 30,		December 31,
	2017		2016
	(In thousands)
Accounts payable	$	18,218	$	19,455
Accrued employee compensation	37,292		61,426
Customer deposits, net	53,743		52,173
Interest payable	41,360		27,701
Income taxes payable and other tax liabilities	23,018		23,144
Other accrued liabilities	19,831		20,021
Total accounts payable and accrued liabilities	$	193,462	$	203,920

Calculation Of Net Income Per Share (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Schedule of Weighted Average Number of Shares [Table Text Block]

The following table presents the computation of weighted-average shares used in the calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share:



	Three Months Ended September 30,		Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017	2016	2017	2016
	(In thousands)
Weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding	99,614	106,307	101,036	107,982
Weighted-average potential shares of common stock outstanding:
Conversion spread related to Convertible Debentures	23,956	20,789	22,605	21,244
Unvested RSUs and ESPP	504	654	521	741
Shares used to compute diluted earnings per share	124,074	127,750	124,162	129,967

Stock-Based Compensation (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Share-based Compensation [Abstract]

Classification Of Stock-Based Compensation

The following table presents the classification of stock-based compensation:



	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
	(In thousands)
Cost of revenues	$	1,774	$	1,779	$	5,311	$	5,367
Sales and marketing	1,369		1,129		4,255		4,219
Research and development	1,575		1,676		4,553		4,966
General and administrative	9,387		8,270		25,924		21,193
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	14,105	$	12,854	$	40,043	$	35,745

Nature Of Total Stock-Based Compensation

The following table presents the nature of the Company’s total stock-based compensation:



	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017			2016			2017			2016
	(In thousands)
RSUs	$	10,556		$	10,276		$	28,930		$	28,034
Performance-based RSUs	3,100			2,216			9,992			6,878
ESPP	1,000			924			2,941			2,594
Capitalization (included in Property and equipment, net)	(551		)	(562		)	(1,820		)	(1,761		)
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	14,105		$	12,854		$	40,043		$	35,745

Interest Expense (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Interest Expense [Abstract]

Interest Expense Schedule

The following table presents the components of the Company’s interest expense:



	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
	(In thousands)
Contractual interest on Subordinated Convertible Debentures	$	12,426	$	10,156	$	32,738	$	30,469
Contractual interest on Senior Notes	21,403		15,235		51,872		45,704
Amortization of debt discount on Subordinated Convertible Debentures	3,034		2,802		8,916		8,235
Amortization of debt issuance costs and other interest expense	893		726		2,343		2,174
Total interest expense	$	37,756	$	28,919	$	95,869	$	86,582

Non-operating (loss) income (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Non-operating (loss) income, net [Abstract]

Schedule of Other Nonoperating Income (Expense) [Table Text Block]

The following table presents the components of Non-operating income, net:



	Three Months Ended September 30,					Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017			2016		2017			2016
	(In thousands)
Interest income	$	5,832		$	1,728	$	11,386		$	4,292
(Loss) gain on sale of business	(186		)	—		10,421			—
Unrealized gain (loss) on contingent interest derivative on Subordinated Convertible Debentures	—			1,440		(893		)	2,411
Other, net	595			94		630			1,389
Total non-operating income, net	$	6,241		$	3,262	$	21,544		$	8,092

Income Taxes (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Tax Expense From Continuing Operations And The Effective Tax Rate

The following table presents income tax expense and the effective tax rate:



	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017			2016			2017			2016
	(Dollars in thousands)
Income tax expense	$	34,645		$	34,692		$	102,554		$	104,227
Effective tax rate	23		%	23		%	22		%	24		%

Basis Of Presentation Basis of Presentation (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Adoption of New Accounting Standards [Abstract]
Deferred Tax Assets, Other	$ 11.0
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Other	24.4
Adjustments to Additional Paid in Capital, Other	2.5
adjustments to accumulated deficit	32.9
Deferred Tax Asset for previously unrecognized excess tax benefits	35.4
Adjustments to Additional Paid in Capital, Share-based Compensation, Stock Options, Requisite Service Period Recognition	$ 2.5
excess tax benefit related to stock based compensation		$ 15.6

Financial Instruments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Cash	$ 33,466	$ 39,183
Time deposits	3,139	4,632
Total	2,375,009	1,807,543
Included in Cash and cash equivalents	286,822	231,945	$ 177,785	$ 228,659
Included in Marketable securities	2,078,905	1,565,962
Included in Other assets (Restricted cash)	9,282	9,636
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Money Market Funds (level 1)	259,499	134,790
Financial Instruments, Owned, US Government and Agency Obligations, at Fair Value	2,078,882	1,626,764
Equity Securities of Public Companies	$ 23	$ 2,174

Financial Instruments Financial Instruments narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Feb. 15, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Convertible Debt, Fair Value Disclosures	$ 3,900,000
Debt securities gross unrealized gains	500
Debt instrument fair value senior notes 2023	776,100
Debt instrument fair value senior notes 2025	540,900
Debt instrument fair value senior notes 2027	567,400
fair value of contingent interest payment			$ 14,300
contingent interest payment	7,500	$ 7,700
portion of fair value of contingent interest payment			6,600
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Financial Instruments, Owned, US Government and Agency Obligations, at Fair Value	$ 2,078,882		$ 1,626,764

Other Balance Sheet Items (Other Current Assets) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Balance Sheet Related Disclosures [Abstract]
Prepaid expenses	$ 20,004	$ 14,385
Accounts Receivable, Net	12,584	13,051
Income Taxes Receivable, Current	4,026	15,328
Other Assets, Miscellaneous, Current	3,679	1,671
Other Assets, Current	$ 40,293	$ 44,435

Other Balance Sheet Items (Components Of Accounts Payable And Accrued Liabilities) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Balance Sheet Related Disclosures [Abstract]
Accounts payable	$ 18,218	$ 19,455
Accrued employee compensation	37,292	61,426
Deposits, net	53,743	52,173
Interest Payable, Current	41,360	27,701
Taxes Payable, Current	23,018	23,144
Other accrued liabilities	19,831	20,021
Total accounts payable and accrued liabilities	$ 193,462	$ 203,920

Stockholders' Deficit (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Feb. 09, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Feb. 11, 2016
Treasury Stock Repurchase Programs [Line Items]
Additional share repurchase amount authorized	$ 640.9
Remaining common stock available for repurchase		$ 622.5	$ 622.5	$ 359.1
Common stock, held in treasury		226.3	226.3
Common stock repurchased		$ 8,600.0	$ 8,600.0
Share Buyback Program [Member]
Treasury Stock Repurchase Programs [Line Items]
Common stock authorized to repurchase		$ 1,000.0	$ 1,000.0
Common stock repurchase, share		1.5	5.0
Average stock price		$ 100.30	$ 90.21
Aggregate cost of share		$ 147.0	$ 447.6
Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Treasury Stock Repurchase Programs [Line Items]
Common stock repurchase, share			0.3
Average stock price			$ 83.88
Aggregate cost of share			$ 26.7

Calculation Of Net Income Per Share (Weighted-Average Shares Used In Calculation Of Basic And Diluted EPS) (Details) - shares shares in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding	99,614	106,307	101,036	107,982
Conversion spread related to Convertible Debentures	23,956	20,789	22,605	21,244
Unvested RSUs and ESPP	504	654	521	741
Shares used to compute diluted net income per share	124,074	127,750	124,162	129,967

Stock-Based Compensation (Classification Of Stock-Based Compensation) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation	$ 14,105	$ 12,854	$ 40,043	$ 35,745
Cost Of Revenues [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation	1,774	1,779	5,311	5,367
Sales And Marketing [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation	1,369	1,129	4,255	4,219
Research And Development [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation	1,575	1,676	4,553	4,966
General And Administrative [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation	$ 9,387	$ 8,270	$ 25,924	$ 21,193

Stock-Based Compensation (Nature Of Total Stock-Based Compensation) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs, Capitalized Amount	$ (551)	$ (562)	$ (1,820)	$ (1,761)
Stock-based compensation	14,105	12,854	40,043	35,745
Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation	10,556	10,276	28,930	28,034
Performance Shares [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation	3,100	2,216	9,992	6,878
Employee Stock Purchase Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation	$ 1,000	$ 924	$ 2,941	$ 2,594

Interest Expense (Interest Expense Schedule) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jul. 05, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Interest Expense [Abstract]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount	$ 550,000
Contractual interest on Convertible Debentures		$ 12,426	$ 10,156	$ 32,738	$ 30,469
Contractual interest on Notes		21,403	15,235	51,872	45,704
Amortization of debt discount on the Convertible Debentures		3,034	2,802	8,916	8,235
Credit facility and other interest expense		893	726	2,343	2,174
Total interest expense		$ 37,756	$ 28,919	$ 95,869	$ 86,582
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage	4.75%
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date	Jul. 15, 2027
Debt Issuance Costs, Net	$ 6,800

Non-operating (loss) income (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Non-operating (loss) income, net [Abstract]
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Business	$ (186)	$ 0	$ 10,421	$ 0
Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Derivatives	0	1,440	(893)	2,411
Interest Income	5,832	1,728	11,386	4,292
Other Nonoperating Income (Expense)	595	94	630	1,389
Nonoperating (loss) Income	$ 6,241	$ 3,262	$ 21,544	$ 8,092

Income Taxes (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
Income Taxes (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
excess tax benefit related to stock based compensation	$ 8.2
Statutory federal rate	35.00%	35.00%

Income Taxes (Income Tax Expense From Continuing Operations And Effective Tax Rate) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income tax expense from continuing operations	$ 34,645	$ 34,692	$ 102,554	$ 104,227
Effective tax rate	23.00%	23.00%	22.00%	24.00%