UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 20-F

(Mark One)

 

☐	REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR 12(g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

or

 

☒	ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018.

or

 

☐	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from              to             

or

 

☐	SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of event requiring this shell company report

For the transition period from                to               

Commission file number: 000-51469

Baidu, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

N/A

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

Baidu Campus

No. 10 Shangdi 10th Street

Haidian District, Beijing 100085

The People’s Republic of China

(Address of principal executive offices)

Herman Yu, Chief Financial Officer

Telephone: +(86 10) 5992-8888

Email: ir@baidu.com

Facsimile: +(86 10) 5992-0000

Baidu Campus

No. 10 Shangdi 10th Street,

Haidian District, Beijing 100085

The People’s Republic of China

(Name, Telephone, Email and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of Each Class		Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
American depositary shares (ten American depositary shares representing one Class A ordinary share, par value US$0.00005 per share)		The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (The NASDAQ Global Select Market)
Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.00005 per share*		The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (The NASDAQ Global Select Market)

 

*	Not for trading, but only in connection with the listing on The NASDAQ Global Select Market of American depositary shares.

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

(Title of Class)

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act:

None

(Title of Class)

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the Issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report.

27,733,692 Class A ordinary shares and 7,201,254 Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.00005 per share, as of December 31, 2018.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

Large accelerated filer  ☒		Accelerated filer  ☐		Non-accelerated filer  ☐		Emerging growth company  ☐

If a an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

† The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

 

U.S. GAAP  ☒		International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board  ☐		Other  ☐

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.

Item 17  ☐

Item 18  ☐

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.    Yes  ☐    No  ☐

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

				Page
INTRODUCTION					1
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION					1
PART I					2
Item 1.		Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisers			2
Item 2.		Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable			2
Item 3.		Key Information			2
Item 4.		Information on the Company			44
Item 4A.		Unresolved Staff Comments			77
Item 5.		Operating and Financial Review and Prospects			77
Item 6.		Directors, Senior Management and Employees			108
Item 7.		Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions			118
Item 8.		Financial Information			119
Item 9.		The Offer and Listing			121
Item 10.		Additional Information			121
Item 11.		Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk			129
Item 12.		Description of Securities Other than Equity Securities			130
PART II					132
Item 13.		Defaults, Dividend Arrearages and Delinquencies			132
Item 14.		Material Modifications to the Rights of Security Holders and Use of Proceeds			132
Item 15.		Controls and Procedures			132
Item 16A.		Audit Committee Financial Expert			133
Item 16B.		Code of Ethics			133
Item 16C.		Principal Accountant Fees and Services			133
Item 16D.		Exemptions from the Listing Standards for Audit Committees			134
Item 16E.		Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers			134
Item 16F.		Change in Registrant’s Certifying Accountant			134
Item 16G.		Corporate Governance			134
Item 16H.		Mine Safety Disclosure			134
PART III					135
Item 17.		Financial Statements			135
Item 18.		Financial Statements			135
Item 19.		Exhibits			135
SIGNATURES					143
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS					F-1

 

i

INTRODUCTION

In this annual report, except where the context otherwise requires and for purposes of this annual report only:

 

•

“we,” “us,” “our company,” “our,” or “Baidu” refers to Baidu, Inc., its subsidiaries, and, in the context of describing our operations and consolidated financial information, our consolidated affiliated entities in China, including but not limited to Beijing Baidu Netcom Science Technology Co., Ltd., or Baidu Netcom;

 

•

“user traffic” or “traffic” refers generally to page views of a website, with “page views” measuring the number of web pages viewed by internet users over a specified period of time except that multiple page views of the same page viewed by the same user on the same day are counted only once;

 

•

“DAU” for Baidu App refers to the number of unique mobile devices that have accessed Baidu App at least once during a day; “mobile DAUs,” for our iQIYI platform, refers to the number of unique mobile devices that have accessed our platform through our iQIYI mobile app at least once during a day; “mobile MAUs,” for our iQIYI platform, refers to the number of unique mobile devices that have accessed our platform through our iQIYI mobile app at least once during a month.

 

•

“China” or “PRC” refers to the People’s Republic of China, and solely for the purpose of this annual report, excluding Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau;

 

•

“shares” or “ordinary shares” refers to our ordinary shares, which include both Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares;

 

•

“ADSs” refers to our American depositary shares, and we effected a change of the ADS to Class A ordinary share ratio from 1 ADS representing 1 Class A ordinary share to 10 ADSs representing 1 Class A ordinary share on May 12, 2010, which has the same effect as a 10-for-1 ADS split;

 

•

“U.S. GAAP” refers to generally accepted accounting principles in the United States;

 

•

“RMB” or “Renminbi” refers to the legal currency of China;

 

•

“$,” “dollars,” “US$” or “U.S. dollars” refers to the legal currency of the United States; and

 

•

all discrepancies in any table between the amounts identified as total amounts and the sum of the amounts listed therein are due to rounding.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This annual report on Form 20-F contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “future,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “estimate,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

 

•

our growth strategies;

 

•

our future business development, results of operations and financial condition;

 

•

our ability to attract and retain users and customers and generate revenue and profit from our customers;

 

•

our ability to retain key personnel and attract new talent;

 

1

•

competition in the internet search, online marketing and other businesses in which we engage;

 

•

the outcome of ongoing or any future litigation, including those relating to intellectual property rights; and

 

•

PRC governmental regulations and policies relating to the internet, internet search and online marketing and the implementation of a corporate structure involving variable interest entities in China.

We would like to caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and you should read these statements in conjunction with the risk factors disclosed in “Item 3D. Key Information—Risk Factors.” Those risks are not exhaustive. We operate in a rapidly evolving environment. New risks emerge from time to time and it is impossible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statement. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements except as required under applicable law.

Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to Renminbi in this annual report are made at a rate of RMB6.8755 to US$1.00, the exchange rate in effect as of December 31, 2018 as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. We make no representation that any Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or Renminbi, as the case may be, at any particular rate, or at all.

PART I

 

Item 1.

Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisers

Not applicable.

 

Item 2.

Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable

Not applicable.

 

Item 3.

Key Information

 

A.	Selected Financial Data

The following table presents the selected consolidated financial information for our company. The selected consolidated statements of comprehensive income data and cash flow data for the three years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018 and the consolidated balance sheets data as of December 31, 2017 and 2018 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, which are included in this annual report beginning on page F-1. The selected consolidated statements of comprehensive income data and cash flow data for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2015 and the selected consolidated balance sheets data as of December 31, 2014, 2015 and 2016 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2015 and 2016, which are not included in this annual report. Our historical results do not necessarily indicate results expected for any future periods. The selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with, and are qualified in their entirety by reference to, our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” below. Our audited consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Starting from January 1, 2018, we adopted ASC Topic 606, Revenue from contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), which reclassifies value added taxes, or VAT, from cost of revenues to net against revenues, among other changes. The consolidated statement of comprehensive income data for the year ended December 31, 2018 presented below have been prepared in accordance with ASC 606, while the consolidated

 

2

statements of comprehensive income data for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 presented below have been prepared in accordance with ASC Topic 605, Revenue Recognition (“ASC 605”).

 

		Year Ended December 31,
		2014 (1)				2015 (1)				2016 (1)				2017 (1)				2018 (2)
		RMB				RMB				RMB				RMB				RMB				US$
		(In millions, except per share and per ADS data)
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income Data:
Revenues:
Online marketing services			48,495				64,037				64,525				73,146				81,912				11,914
Others			557				2,345				6,024				11,663				20,365				2,962
Total revenues			49,052				66,382				70,549				84,809				102,277				14,876
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of revenues			18,885				27,458				35,278				43,062				51,744				7,526
Selling, general and administrative			10,382				17,076				15,071				13,128				19,231				2,797
Research and development			6,981				10,176				10,151				12,928				15,772				2,294
Total operating costs and expenses			36,248				54,710				60,500				69,118				86,747				12,617
Operating profit			12,804				11,672				10,049				15,691				15,530				2,259
Total other income, net			1,680				26,235				4,460				5,592				11,795				1,715
Income before income taxes			14,484				37,907				14,509				21,283				27,325				3,974
Income taxes			2,231				5,475				2,913				2,995				4,743				690
Net income			12,253				32,432				11,596				18,288				22,582				3,284
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests			(944	)			(1,232	)			(36	)			(13	)			(4,991	)			(726	)
Net income attributable to Baidu, Inc.			13,197				33,664				11,632				18,301				27,573				4,010

 

(1)	VAT is presented in cost of revenues rather than net against revenues in accordance with the legacy revenue accounting standard (ASC 605)

(2)	VAT is presented as net against revenues rather than in cost of revenues in accordance with the new revenue accounting standard (ASC 606)

 

		As of December 31,
		2014				2015				2016				2017				2018
		RMB				RMB				RMB				RMB				RMB				US$
		(In millions)
Consolidated Balance Sheets Data:
Cash and cash equivalents			13,853				9,960				10,898				11,084				27,638				4,020
Restricted cash			413				96				318				252				2,189				318
Short-term investments			42,699				57,969				71,196				89,381				111,626				16,235
Total assets			99,118				147,853				181,997				251,728				297,566				43,279
Short-term loans			93				100				1,115				1,244				3,046				443
Long-term loans, current portion			2,167				975				3,468				10				84				12
Long-term loans			1,860				3,240				6,822				6,701				7,456				1,084
Notes payable, current portion			—				—				5,203				6,500				6,871				999
Notes payable			21,557				30,702				27,648				29,111				42,735				6,216
Convertible senior notes			—				—				—				—				4,712				685
Total liabilities			45,066				63,638				84,254				121,356				121,814				17,716
Total Baidu, Inc. shareholders’ equity			51,072				80,256				92,274				115,346				162,897				23,693

 

3

		Year Ended December 31,
		2014				2015				2016				2017				2018
		RMB				RMB				RMB				RMB				RMB				US$
		(In millions)
Consolidated Cash Flow Data:
Net cash generated from operating activities			17,937				19,771				22,480				32,828				35,967				5,231
Net cash used in investing activities			(22,468	)			(31,621	)			(35,911	)			(76,949	)			(34,460	)			(5,012	)
Net cash generated from financing activities			8,612				7,778				14,447				44,557				15,082				2,194
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (1)			4,161				(3,893	)			—				—				—				—
Net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash (1)			—				—				1,160				120				18,491				2,689

 

(1)

We adopted Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash on January 1, 2018 using the retrospective transition method. Restricted cash presented on the face of the consolidated balance sheets are included in cash and cash equivalents when reconciling beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts presented in the statements of cash flows for the periods of 2016, 2017 and 2018.

 

B.	Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not applicable.

 

C.	Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not applicable.

 

D.	Risk Factors

Risks Related to Our Business

If we fail to retain existing customers or attract new customers for our online marketing services, our business, results of operations and growth prospects could be seriously harmed.

We generate a substantial majority of our revenues from online marketing services, a substantial majority of which are derived from our pay-for-performance, or P4P, services. Our online marketing customers will not continue to do business with us if their investment does not generate sales leads and ultimately consumers, or if we do not deliver their web pages in an appropriate and effective manner. Our P4P customers may choose to discontinue their business with us, which are not subject to fixed-term contracts. In addition, third parties may develop and use certain technologies to block the display of our customers’ advertisements and other marketing products on our Baidu platform, which may in turn cause us to lose customers and adversely affect our results of operations. Furthermore, as our auction-based P4P services enable our customers to bid for priority placement of their paid sponsored links, we may lose customers if they find the bidding mechanism not cost effective or otherwise not attractive. Additionally, if our users do not increase their engagement on our platform, or our content ecosystem fails to offer rich and quality content that meets users’ tastes and preferences, or our users spend more time with or otherwise satisfy their content consumption demands on competing platforms, or we otherwise experience user traffic decline due to any reason, it would be difficult for us to attract new customers or retain existing customers. Failure to retain our existing customers or attract new customers for our online marketing services could seriously harm our business, results of operations and growth prospects.

In recent years, our revenues from online marketing have increased. We believe our large user base and traffic provide advertisers with a broad reach and optimal monetization results. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to attract new advertisers or retain our existing advertisers. If our advertisers determine that their expenditures on our platform do not generate expected returns, they may allocate a portion or all of their advertising budgets to other advertising channels, such as television, outdoor media and other online marketing platforms, and reduce or discontinue business with us. Since most of our advertisers are not bound by long-term contracts, they may amend or terminate advertising arrangements with us easily without incurring liabilities. Failure to retain existing advertisers or attract new ones to advertise on our platform may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

 

4

We have in the past removed, and may in the future again remove, questionable paid search listings of certain customers to ensure the quality and reliability of our search results. Such removal, whether temporary or permanent, may cause affected customers to discontinue their business with us. We also examine the relevant business licenses and bank accounts of prospective customers prior to business engagement, as a quality control measure. In addition, we have taken steps to implement measures requested by PRC regulatory authorities, such as modifying paid search practices and limiting the amount of displays. We have also proactively implemented numerous additional measures to deliver a better user experience and build a safer and more trustworthy platform for users. Such measures have had a negative impact on the number of customers and our revenues, although we believe such impact is likely to be temporary. PRC regulations on online marketing services are evolving, and uncertainties remain with respect to the implementation of and compliance with new regulations that may emerge, which in turn may have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and growth prospects.

If online marketing through internet search and feed does not further grow in China, our ability to increase revenue and profitability could be materially and adversely affected.

While the internet has developed to a more advanced stage in China, customers have many channels to conduct online marketing and promotion. As users may not spend as much time on internet search and feed products as they used to, many current and potential customers may not use internet search and feed products as one of their main online marketing channels to promote their products and services, and thus may not allocate a significant portion of their marketing budgets to online marketing through internet search and feed products such as our P4P services, as compared to other methods of online marketing. Our ability to increase revenue and profitability from online marketing on PC and mobile internet may be adversely impacted by a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:

 

•

difficulties associated with developing a larger user base with demographic characteristics attractive to online marketing customers and maintaining and increasing user engagement;

 

•

increased competition and potential re-allocation of marketing budgets and downward pressure on online marketing prices;

 

•

higher customer acquisition costs due in part to the limited experience of small to medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs, with the internet as a marketing channel or due to competition;

 

•

decreased use of our search and paid click because search queries are increasingly being undertaken via voice-activated speakers, apps, social media or other platforms;

 

•

growing reluctance of users to click on search results marked as advertisements;

 

•

ineffectiveness of our online marketing delivery, tracking and reporting systems; and

 

•

decreased use of internet or online marketing in China.

Our business depends on a strong brand, and if we are unable to maintain and enhance our brand, our business and results of operations may be harmed.

We believe that our brand “Baidu” has contributed significantly to the success of our business. We also believe that maintaining and enhancing the “Baidu” brand is critical to increasing the number of our users, customers, Baidu Union partners and content providers. We have conducted various marketing and brand promotion activities, but we cannot assure you that these activities will achieve the brand promotion effect expected by us. If we fail to maintain and further promote the “Baidu” brand, or if we incur excessive expenses in this effort, our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, any negative publicity about our company, our products and services, our employees, our business practices, our search results or the platform to which our search results link, regardless of its veracity, could harm our brand image and in turn adversely affect our business and results of operations. We cannot assure

 

5

you that we will be able to defuse negative publicity to the satisfaction of our investors, users, customers and business partners. From time to time, there has been negative publicity about our company and our business practice, which has adversely affected our public image and reputation during certain periods of intense negative publicity. For example, in 2016, Chinese media reported that a Chinese college student had died from cancer following unsuccessful treatment received at a hospital that the student had found through paid search listings on Baidu, and similarly in 2018, Chinese media reported incidents where users had been defrauded by health care and logistics service providers that they found through search listings on Baidu. Also in 2018, an editorial falsely alleged that, unlike Google, Baidu was biased in displaying its feed content in its search results, in disregard of the analogous business model of Google displaying Youtube content in its search results. This editorial attracted the attention of the general public and Chinese media, including state-owned new agencies, and adversely affected our public image. The negative publicity surrounding these incidents have resulted in significant adverse impact on our public image and reputation. Intense negative publicity may divert our management’s attention and may adversely impact our business. We cannot assure you that our brand, public image and reputation will not be materially and adversely affected in the future.

We face significant competition and may suffer from loss of users and customers as a result.

We face significant competition in almost every aspect of our business, including competition from other companies that seek to provide internet search and feed services to users and provide online marketing services to customers, as well as other companies that provide internet video services. For Baidu Core business, our main competitors in the Chinese internet market include China-based internet companies, such as Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, Sohu and Qihoo 360. We compete with these entities for both users and customers on the basis of user traffic, quality (relevance), user experience of the search and feed services, quality, quantity and relevancy of content, availability and ease of use of products and services, distribution channels and the number of associated third-party websites/wapsites. For iQIYI, our primary competitors include companies that operate online video websites in China, such as Tencent Video and Youku-Tudou. Some of our competitors have significant financial resources, long operating histories and are experienced in attracting and retaining their users, accommodating their users’ habits and preferences and managing customers. They may use their experience and resources to compete with us in a variety of ways, including competing for users and their time, customers, distributors, content, strategic partners and networks of third-party websites/wapsites, investing more heavily in research and development and making investments and acquisitions. If any of our competitors provides comparable or better Chinese language search experience or internet video services, our user traffic could decline significantly. Additionally, if the channels that we use to distribute services or products to our users and customers are no longer available to us, we may experience a decline in user traffic. Any such decline in traffic could weaken our brand and result in loss of users and customers, which could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations.

We also face competition from other types of advertising media, such as newspapers, magazines, yellow pages, billboards, other forms of outdoor media, television, radio and mobile apps. Large companies in China generally allocate, and may continue to allocate, a limited portion of their budgets to online marketing, as opposed to traditional advertising and other forms of advertising media. If these companies do not devote a larger portion of their marketing budgets to online marketing services provided by us, or if our existing customers reduce the amount they spend on online marketing, our results of operations and growth prospects could be adversely affected.

If our expansions into new businesses are not successful, our future results of operations and growth prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

As part of our growth strategy, we enter into new businesses from time to time by leveraging our large internet user base and advanced technology to generate additional revenue streams and through our development of new business lines or strategic investments in or acquisitions of other businesses. Expansions into new businesses may present operating, marketing and compliance challenges that differ from those that we currently encounter.

 

6

In recent years, we have invested significant resources in the research and development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and have made significant progress in the commercialization of AI technologies, such as AI-powered voice assistant platform DuerOS, autonomous driving platform Apollo, Baidu Cloud and Baidu Feed. We plan to continue to contribute capital and other resources to our AI-enabled business operations. However, AI technology is rapidly evolving with significant uncertainties, and we cannot assure you that our investment and exploration in AI technology, including AI-powered voice assistant, autonomous driving, Baidu Cloud and Baidu Feed, will be successful. Our operating results may also suffer if our innovation is not responsive to the needs of our users, customers and content providers, inappropriately timed with market opportunities, or marketed ineffectively. In addition, we may encounter regulatory uncertainties related to new businesses that we enter into. The laws and regulations related to AI technology and products are at early stage of development and still evolving in China. The effects of such laws and regulations remain unclear and may add uncertainty to the operation of our AI-related business. For example, as PRC regulatory framework on autonomous driving evolves, we may be required to comply with approval and other compliance requirements for autonomous driving road test and related data collection and sharing promulgated by PRC authorities from time to time. See “Item 4.B. Information on the Company—Business Overview—Regulations—Regulations on Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Driving Vehicles.” We may confront other challenges as we enter new business domains, including lack of adoption of new products and services, lack of management talent in the new business, cost management and other factors required for the expansion of new businesses.

If we fail to continue to innovate and provide products, services and high-quality internet experience that attract and retain users, we may not be able to generate sufficient user traffic to remain competitive.

Our success depends on providing products and services to attract users and enable users to have a high-quality internet experience. In order to attract and retain users and compete against our competitors, we must continue to invest significant resources in research and development to enhance our internet search marketing and, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, improve our existing products and services, and introduce additional high-quality products and services, including AI-based products and services and feed services. If we are unable to anticipate user preferences or industry changes, enhance the quality of our products and services on a timely basis or fail to provide sufficient content, or provide services and products, including our smart devices, to our users’ satisfaction, we may suffer a decline in the size of our user base. Our results of operations may also suffer if our innovations do not respond to the needs of our users, are not appropriately timed with market opportunities or are not effectively brought to market. As search, marketing and AI technologies and new forms of devices and apps continue to develop, we may expend significant resources in research and development and strategic investments and acquisitions in order to remain competitive.

If our content ecosystem fails to continually offer quality content in a cost effective manner, we may experience declines in user traffic and user engagement, our business and results of operations may be harmed.

Our content ecosystem consists of Baijiahao, Baidu Post Bar, Baidu Knows, Baidu Encyclopedia, smart mini programs, iQIYI and various other products. The success of our content ecosystem depends on our ability to attract content owners to contribute quality content to our platform by leveraging our user traffic and enhance user engagement through provision of attractive content, so as to create a virtuous cycle. We have relied, and will continue to rely, on third parties for part of the content offered in our content ecosystem and some of our products include third party intellectual property. As the competition for quality content becomes increasingly intense in China, we cannot assure you that we will be able to manage our content acquisition costs effectively and generate sufficient revenues to outpace future increase in content spending. We may also be unable to renew some of our content or intellectual property licensing agreements upon their expiration or termination and any renewal of the content or intellectual property licensing agreements may involve higher costs or less favorable terms. If we are not able to license popular premium content on commercially reasonable terms or renew our content or intellectual property licensing agreements, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, we have users contribute their content to our various products,

 

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including Baidu Post Bar, Baidu Knows, Baidu Encyclopedia, Baijiahao, Quanmin, and iQIYI’s user-generated content. If these parties fail to develop and maintain high-quality and engaging content, if our desired premium content becomes exclusive to our competitors, if we are unable to continue to grow our content offerings and stay competitive vis-à-vis other content platforms, or if a large number of our existing relationships are terminated, the attractiveness of our content offerings to users may be severely impaired. If we are unable to offer content that meets users’ tastes and preferences on a continuing basis and in a cost effective manner, our user experience may deteriorate, we may suffer from reduced user traffic, our business and results of operations may be harmed.

Our now-divested financial services business may subject us to operational and reputational risks, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We have provided financial services in China in recent years. In August 2018, we completed the divestiture of a majority equity stake in our financial services business unit, which has been rebranded as Du Xiaoman Financial, or Du Xiaoman. After the divestiture, we hold a minority equity interest in Du Xiaoman and have since then deconsolidated the financial results of Du Xiaoman from our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The financial services provided by the now-divested Du Xiaoman mainly include wealth management and consumer credit, through which Du Xiaoman offers education loans and consumer financing to meet consumers’ cash expenditure needs.

PRC laws and regulations concerning the internet finance industry, particularly those governing wealth management and credit lending, are evolving. Although Du Xiaoman has taken careful measures to comply with the laws and regulations that are applicable to its financial services, the PRC government authorities may promulgate new policies, rules and regulations regulating the internet finance industry. We cannot assure you that the practices of Du Xiaoman would not be deemed to violate any PRC laws or regulations, nor can we ensure that all business cooperators on Du Xiaoman’s platform meet all the regulatory compliance requirements. If Du Xiaoman were deemed to violate any PRC laws or regulations, we may be exposed to negative publicity as a result of the potential misconception that Du Xiaoman is still part of our consolidated group.

Furthermore, we are still the largest shareholder of Du Xiaoman and would be exposed to losses from Du Xiaoman. Under certain conditions, investors of Du Xiaoman can require Baidu or Du Xiaoman to redeem their shares. Occurrence of the such events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions and results of operations.

If we fail to keep up with rapid changes in technologies and user behavior, our future success may be adversely affected.

Our future success will depend on our ability to respond to rapidly changing technologies, adapt our products and services to evolving industry standards and improve the performance and reliability of our products and services. Our failure to adapt to such changes could harm our business. In addition, changes in user behavior resulting from technological developments may also adversely affect us. For example, the number of people accessing the internet through mobile devices and internet of things, or IoTs, such as smartphones, tablets and smart (voice-activated internet) home devices, has increased in recent years, and we expect this trend to continue while 5G and more advanced mobile communications technologies are broadly implemented. If we fail to develop products and technologies that are compatible with all mobile devices, IoTs and operating systems, or if the products and services we develop are not widely accepted and used by users of various mobile devices and IoTs, our position in the mobile internet and AI sectors may be adversely affected. In addition, the widespread adoption of new internet, networking or telecommunications technologies or other technological changes could require substantial expenditures to modify or integrate our products, services or infrastructure. If we fail to keep up with rapid technological changes to remain competitive, or consequently fail to retain users with products and services of exceptional quality, our future success may be materially and adversely affected.

 

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Our increasing focus on cloud-based services presents execution, competitive and compliance risks.

A growing part of our business involves cloud-based services available across a spectrum of computing devices. We are devoting significant resources to provide AI solutions, cloud infrastructure, and other services to enterprises and individuals. At the same time, our competitors are rapidly developing and deploying similar cloud-based services. Pricing and delivery models are evolving. Devices and form factors influence how users access services in the cloud and sometimes the user’s choice of which suite of cloud-based services to use. Our success in cloud-based services strategy will depend on the level of adoption of our products and services. We may not establish market share sufficient to achieve scale necessary to achieve our business objectives or recoup costs incurred to build and maintain infrastructure to support our cloud-based services. It is uncertain whether our strategies will attract the users or generate the revenue required to succeed. If we fail to generate sufficient usage of our new products and services, we may not grow revenue in line with the costs associated with infrastructure development and research and development investments. This may negatively impact our results of operations and financial performance.

The development of cloud-based services is accompanied by regulatory compliance risks. For example, regulatory authorities in China are increasing enforcement efforts against non-compliance relating to companies operating content delivery networks, internet data centers, and internet service providers. However, the interpretation and application of relevant laws in China and elsewhere are often uncertain and in flux, and any failure or perceived failure to comply with all applicable laws and regulations may result in legal proceedings or regulatory actions against us, and could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

In the past, our peers have experienced data security and infrastructure stability issues arising out of their cloud businesses. Our cloud business may also encounter similar issues, which could have a material and adverse impact on our operations and financial performance.

Issues in the adoption and use of artificial intelligence in our product offerings may result in reputational harm or liability.

We are building AI into many of our product offerings and we expect this element of our business to grow. We envision a future in which AI operates in our services and applications such as voice assistant platform DuerOS, autonomous driving platform Apollo, AI cloud services and Baidu Feed, and the cloud helps our customers become more productive. As with many disruptive innovations, AI presents risks and challenges that could affect its adoption, and, therefore, our business. Our products and services based on AI may not be adopted by our users or customers. AI algorithms may be flawed. Datasets may be insufficient or contain biased information. Inappropriate or controversial data practices by us or others could impair the acceptance of our AI solutions. These deficiencies could undermine the decisions, predictions, or analysis AI applications produce, subjecting us to legal liability, and brand or reputational harm. Some AI scenarios present ethical issues. If we enable or offer AI solutions that are controversial because of their impact on human rights, privacy, employment, or other social issues, we may experience reputational harm or be exposed to liability.

Interruption or failure of our own information technology and communications systems or those of third-party service providers we rely upon could impair our ability to provide products and services, which could damage our reputation and harm our results of operations.

Our ability to provide products and services depends on the continuing operation of our information technology and communications systems. Any damage to or failure of our systems could interrupt our services. Service interruptions could reduce our revenue and profit and damage our brand if our systems are perceived to be unreliable. Our systems are vulnerable to damage or interruption as a result of terrorist attacks, wars, earthquakes, floods, fires, power loss, telecommunications failures, undetected errors or “bugs” in our software, computer viruses, interruptions in access to our platform through the use of “denial of service” or similar attacks, hacking or other attempts to harm our systems, and similar events. Some of our systems are not fully redundant,

 

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and our disaster recovery planning does not account for all possible scenarios. In February 2017, the service of Baidu App was inaccessible to users for forty-three minutes due to a system failure. In November 2018, multiple services including Baidu Search, Baidu Feed, Baidu Encyclopedia, Baidu Post Bar and Baidu Knows were inaccessible to users for seventy-three minutes due to a system failure. Such service disruptions adversely affected our user experience.

Our servers, which are hosted at third-party or our own internet data centers, are vulnerable to break-ins, sabotage and vandalism. The occurrence of natural disasters or closure of an internet data center by a third-party provider without adequate notice could result in lengthy service interruptions. In addition, our domain names are resolved into internet protocol (IP) addresses by systems of third-party domain name registrars and registries. Any interruptions or failures of those service providers’ systems, which are beyond our control, could significantly disrupt our own services. If we experience frequent or persistent system failures on our platform, whether due to interruptions and failures of our own information technology and communications systems or those of third-party service providers that we rely upon, our reputation and brand could be severely harmed. The steps we take to increase the reliability and redundancy of our systems may cause us to incur heavy costs and reduce our operating margin, and may not be successful in reducing the frequency or duration of service interruptions.

We may not be able to manage our expanding operations effectively.

We have significantly expanded our operations in recent years. We expect this expansion trend to continue as we grow our user and customer base and explore new opportunities. To manage the further expansion of our business and growth of our operations and personnel, we need to continually improve our operational and financial systems, procedures and controls, and expand, train, manage and maintain good relations with our growing employee base. We have experienced labor disputes in the past. Although these disputes were resolved promptly, we cannot assure you that there will not be any new labor disputes in the future. In addition, we must maintain and expand our relationships with other websites, internet companies and other third parties. Our current and future personnel, systems, procedures and controls may not be adequate to support our expanding operations.

We may face intellectual property infringement claims and other related claims, which could be time-consuming and costly to defend and may result in an adverse impact over our operations.

Internet, technology and media companies are frequently involved in litigation based on allegations of infringement of intellectual property rights, unfair competition, invasion of privacy, defamation and other violations of other parties’ rights. The validity, enforceability and scope of protection of intellectual property in internet-related and AI-related industries, particularly in China, are uncertain and still evolving. As we face increasing competition and as litigation becomes more common in China in resolving commercial disputes, we face a higher risk of being the subject of intellectual property infringement claims. We may be subject to administrative actions brought by the PRC State Copyright Bureau and in the most severe scenario criminal prosecution for alleged copyright infringement, and as a result may be subject to fines and other penalties and be required to discontinue infringing activities. Furthermore, as we expand our operations outside of China, we may be subject to claims brought against us in jurisdictions outside of China.

Our search products and services link to materials in which third parties may claim ownership of trademarks, copyrights or other rights. As we adopt new technologies and roll out new products and services, we face the risk of being subject to intellectual property infringement claims that may arise from our use of new technologies and provision of new products and services. Our products and services including those based on content storage and sharing, such as Baidu WenKu, Baidu Post Bar, Baidu Encyclopedia, Baidu Knows and Baidu Feed, allow our users to upload, store and share documents, images, audio and videos on our servers, or share, link to or otherwise provide access to contents from other websites, and we also operate distribution platforms whereby developers can upload, share and sell their apps or games to users. Although we have made

 

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commercially reasonable efforts to request users or developers to comply with applicable intellectual property laws, we cannot ensure that all of our users or developers have the rights to upload or share these contents or apps. In addition, we have been and may continue to be subject to copyright or trademark infringement and other related claims from time to time, in China and internationally.

We have been making continuous efforts to keep ourselves informed of and to comply with all applicable laws and regulations affecting our business. However, PRC laws and regulations are evolving, and uncertainties still exist with respect to the legal standards as well as the judicial interpretation of the standards for determining liabilities of internet search and other internet service providers for providing links to content on third-party websites that infringe upon others’ copyrights or hosting such content, or providing information storage space, file sharing technology or other internet services that are used by internet users to disseminate such content. The Supreme People’s Court of China promulgated a judicial interpretation on infringement of the right of dissemination through internet in December 2012. This judicial interpretation, like certain court rulings and certain other judicial interpretations, provide that the courts will place the burden on internet service providers to remove not only links or contents that have been specifically mentioned in the notices of infringement from right holders, but also links or content they “should have known” to contain infringing content. The interpretation further provides that where an internet service provider has directly obtained economic benefits from any content made available by an internet user, it has a higher duty of care with respect to internet users’ infringement of third-party copyrights. A guidance on the trial of audio/video sharing copyright disputes promulgated by the Higher People’s Court of Beijing in December 2012 provides that where an internet service provider has directly obtained economic benefits from any audio/video content made available by an internet user who has no authorization for sharing such content, the internet service provider shall be presumed to be at fault. These interpretations could subject us and other internet service providers to significant administrative burdens and litigation risks.

We conduct our business operations primarily in China. There might be claims that we are subject to U.S. copyright laws, including the legal standards for determining indirect liability for copyright infringement, although we believe such claims are without merit. We cannot assure you that we will not be subject to copyright infringement lawsuits or other proceedings in the U.S. or elsewhere in the future.

Intellectual property litigation is expensive, time-consuming and could divert resources and management attention from the operations of our business. We are currently named as defendant in certain copyright infringement suits in connection with Baidu Feed, P4P, Baidu Post Bar, Baidu Search, iQIYI, Baidu WenKu, Baijiahao, Haokan and certain other products or services. See “Item 8.A. Financial Information—Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal Proceedings.” There is no guarantee that the courts will accept our defenses and rule in our favor. If there is a successful claim of infringement, we may be required to discontinue the infringing activities, pay substantial fines and damages and/or enter into royalty or license agreements that may not be available on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. Our failure to obtain a license of the rights on a timely basis could harm our business. Any intellectual property litigation by third parties and/or negative publicity alleging our intellectual property infringement could have an adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition or results of operations. To address the risks relating to intellectual property infringement, we may have to substantially modify, limit or terminate some of our search services. Any such change could materially affect user experience and in turn have an adverse impact on our business.

We have been and may again be subject to claims and investigations in the ordinary course of business based on the content found on our platform, the results in our paid search listings or other products and services we offer, and could be impacted by unfavorable results of legal proceedings.

We are subject to various legal proceedings and claims that have arisen in the ordinary course of business and have not yet been fully resolved, and new claims may arise in the future. In addition, agreements entered into by us sometimes include indemnification provisions which may subject us to costs and damages in the event of a claim against an indemnified third party. Regardless of the merit of particular claims, litigation may be

 

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expensive, time consuming, disruptive to our operations and distracting to management. In recognition of these considerations, we may enter into arrangements to settle litigation and resolve such disputes. No assurance can be given that such agreements can be obtained on acceptable terms or that litigation will not occur. These settlements may also significantly increase our operating expenses.

The outcome of litigation is inherently uncertain. If one or more legal matters were resolved against us or an indemnified third party in a reporting period for amounts in excess of management’s expectations, our financial condition and operating results for that reporting period could be materially adversely affected. Further, such an outcome could result in significant compensatory, punitive or trebled monetary damages, disgorgement of revenue or profits, remedial corporate measures or injunctive relief against us that could materially adversely affect its financial condition and operating results.

In addition to the content developed and posted on our platform by ourselves, our users are free to post information on Baidu Post Bar, Baidu Knows, Baidu Encyclopedia, Baidu WenKu and other sections of our platform, our content providers may provide content through Baijiahao platform and our P4P customers may create text-based descriptions, image descriptions and other phrases to be used as text, images or keywords in our search listings, and users can also use our personal cloud computing service to upload, store and share documents, images, audio and videos on our cloud servers. We have been and may continue to be subject to claims and investigations for intellectual property ownership and infringement, defamation, negligence or other legal theories based on the content found on our platform, the results in our paid search listings or our other products and services, which, with or without merit, may result in diversion of management attention and financial resources and negative publicity for our brand and reputation. For example, in November 2018, an individual, together with his related company, filed a complaint for acts of defamation and liber per se, commercial disparagement, tortious inference with prospective business relations, intentional infliction of emotional distress and civil conspiracy against, among others, us and Robin Yanhong Li in his capacity as our chairman and chief executive officer in the Supreme Court of The State of New York. The complaint alleges, among other things, that the defendant parties published articles containing false and defamatory statements concerning the plaintiffs. The complaint seeks damages in an aggregate amount of US$11 billion, including US$10 billion punitive damages. The action remains at a preliminary stage. We believe the case is without merit and intend to defend ourselves vigorously. See “Item 8.A. Financial Information—Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal Proceedings.” Furthermore, if the content posted on our platform or found, stored or shared through our other products and services contains information that government authorities find objectionable, our platform or relevant products or services may be shut down and we may be subject to other penalties. See “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Regulation and censorship of information disseminated over the internet in China may adversely affect our business, and subject us to liability for information displayed on or linked to our platform and negative publicity in international media.”

We have been, and may again in the future be, subject to claims, investigations or negative publicity based on the results in our paid search listings. Claims have been filed against us after we allowed certain customers to register keywords containing trademarks, trade names or brand names owned by others and displayed links to such customers’ websites in our paid search listings. While we maintain a database of certain well-known trademarks and continually update our system algorithms and functions to guard against customers keywords containing the well-known trademarks that are owned by others, it is not possible for us to completely prevent our customers from bidding on keywords that contain trademarks, trade names or brand names owned by others. In 2016, PRC regulatory authorities required that we take several remedial measures, including: (i) immediately modifying our practice of providing online marketing services to medical, pharmaceutical, health care and other similar businesses, and refraining from providing online marketing services to medical health care organizations that do not have requisite qualifications from competent regulatory authorities; (ii) modifying our existing auction-based paid search practices, indicating clearly paid search results and the associated risks, and limiting the percentage of marketing information to no more than 30% on each web page; and (iii) establishing and enhancing user protection mechanisms and establishing a system to compensate users harmed by fraudulent marketing information. In addition, there has been negative publicity about fraudulent information in our paid

 

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search listings. Although we have been continually enhancing our technology, control and oversight to prevent fraudulent websites, web pages and information from appearing in our paid search listings, there is no guarantee that the measures we have taken are effective at all times. Claims, investigations and negative publicity based on the results in our paid search listings, regardless of their merit, may divert management attention, severely disrupt our operations, adversely affect our results of operations and harm our reputation.

Liability claims against, or any unauthorized control or manipulation of our autonomous driving systems, could result in the loss of confidence in us, our brands and our products, and harm our business.

Our autonomous driving platform Apollo contains complex information technology systems. We have designed, implemented and tested security measures intended to prevent unauthorized access to our Apollo platform, but there can be no assurance that vulnerabilities will not be identified in the future, or that our remediation efforts are or will be successful. Hackers have reportedly attempted, and may attempt in the future, to gain unauthorized access to modify, alter and use our Apollo platform to gain control of, or to change, functionality, user interface and performance characteristics of vehicles utilizing our Apollo platform, or to gain access to data stored in or generated by the vehicles. Any unauthorized access to or control of autonomous driving vehicles or their systems or any loss of data could result in death and personal injury, and legal claims or proceedings against us.

Our Apollo platform may be involved in crashes resulting in property damage, death or personal injury in the future, and such crashes may be the subject of significant public attention. We may face claims related to any misuse or failure of new technologies that we are pioneering, including our autonomous driving platform Apollo and related solutions, such as smart transportation. A successful product liability claim against us could require us to pay substantial monetary damages.

Moreover, product liability claims or reports of unauthorized access to our autonomous driving platform Apollo or data, regardless of their veracity, could generate substantial negative publicity about our products and business and could have material adverse impact on our brand, business, prospects and operating results.

Our business may be adversely affected if we were found to have failed to fulfill the additional obligations under the new online advertising rules.

Although the PRC Advertising Law has not specified “paid search results” as a form of advertising, the Interim Administration Measures of Internet Advertising, or the Internet Advertising Measures, which was promulgated by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (currently known as State Administration for Market Regulation, or the NRTA) and became effective on September 1, 2016, characterizes “paid search results” as a form of internet advertising from the perspective of regulating the online advertising business. Pursuant to the Internet Advertising Measures, we are subject to additional legal obligations to monitor our P4P customers’ listings on our website during the course of our provision of P4P services. For example, we must examine, verify and record identity information of our P4P customers, such as the customer’s name, address and contact information, and maintain an updated verification of such information on a regular basis. Moreover, we must examine supporting documentation provided by our P4P customers. Where a special government review is required for specific categories of advertisements before posting, we must confirm that the review has been performed and approval has been obtained. If the content of the advertisement is inconsistent with the supporting documentation, or the supporting documentation is incomplete, the advertisement cannot be published. The Chinese government may, from time to time, promulgate new advertising laws and regulations in the future to impose further requirements on online advertising services relating to medical, pharmaceutical, health care and other similar businesses. We cannot assure that we will be in compliance with the requirements under these new laws and regulations. Failure to comply with these obligations may subject us to fines and other administrative penalties. If advertisements shown on our platform are in violation of relevant PRC advertising laws and regulations, or if the supporting documentation and government approvals provided to us by our P4P customers in connection with the advertising content are not complete or accurate, we may be subject to legal liabilities and

 

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our reputation could be harmed. See “Item 4.B. Information on the Company—Business Overview—Regulations—Regulations on Advertisements and Online Advertising.”

We may be subject to patent infringement claims with respect to our P4P platform.

Our technologies and business methods, including those relating to our P4P platform, may be subject to third-party claims or rights that limit or prevent their use. In June 2005, we applied for a patent in China for our P4P platform, but our application was rejected on the ground that it is not patentable. Certain U.S.-based companies, including Overture Services Inc., have been granted patents in the United States relating to P4P platforms and similar business methods and related technologies. While we believe that we are not subject to U.S. patent laws since we conduct our business operations primarily in China, we cannot assure you that U.S. patent laws would not be applicable to our business operations, or that holders of patents relating to a P4P platform would not seek to enforce such patents against us in the United States or China.

Many parties are actively developing and seeking protection for internet-related technologies, including patent protection. They may hold patents issued or pending that relate to certain aspects of our technologies, products, business methods or services. Any patent infringement claims, regardless of their merits, could be time-consuming and costly to us. If we were sued for patent infringement claims with respect to our P4P platform and were found to infringe upon the patents and were not able to adopt non-infringing technologies, we may be severely limited in our ability to operate our P4P platform, which would have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and prospects.

Our business may be adversely affected by third-party software apps or practices that interfere with our receipt of information from, or provision of information to, our users, which may impair our users’ experience.

Our business may be adversely affected by third-party malicious or unintentional software apps that make changes to our users’ computers and interfere with our products and services. These software apps may change our users’ internet experience by hijacking queries to our platform, altering or replacing our search results, or otherwise interfering with our ability to connect with our users. The interference often occurs without disclosure to or consent from users, resulting in a negative experience, which users may associate with our platform. These software apps may be difficult to remove or disable, may reinstall themselves and may circumvent other apps’ efforts to block or remove them.

In addition, our business may be adversely affected by the practices of third-party website owners, content providers and developers which interfere with our ability to crawl and index their web pages and contents including apps. The ability to provide a superior user experience is critical to our success. If we are unable to successfully combat malicious third-party software apps that interfere with our products and services, our reputation may be harmed. If a significant number of website owners, content providers and developers prevent us from indexing and including their high-quality web pages and content including apps in our search results, or if we cannot effectively combat web spam from low-quality and irrelevant content websites, the quality of our search results may be impaired, which may damage our reputation and deter our current and potential users from using our products and services.

We may not be able to prevent others from unauthorized use of our intellectual property, which could harm our business and competitive position.

We rely on a combination of copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as nondisclosure agreements and other methods to protect our intellectual property rights. The protection of intellectual property rights in China may not be as effective as those in the United States or other countries. The steps we have taken may be inadequate to prevent the misappropriation of our technology. Reverse engineering, unauthorized copying or other misappropriation of our technologies could enable third parties to benefit from our technologies without paying us. Moreover, unauthorized use of our technology could enable our competitors to offer products

 

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and services that compete with ours, which could harm our business and competitive position. We have in the past resorted to litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights, and may have to do so from time to time in the future. There is no guarantee that the competent courts will accept our claims and rule in our favor. Such litigation may result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.

Our success depends on the continuing and collaborative efforts of our management team and other key personnel, and our business may be disrupted if we lose their services and are not able to find their successors in a timely manner.

Our success depends heavily upon the continuing services of our management team, in particular our chairman and chief executive officer, Robin Yanhong Li. If one or more of our executives or other key personnel are unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions and we are not able to find their successors in a timely manner, our business may be disrupted and our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected. Competition for management and key personnel is intense, the pool of qualified candidates is limited, and we may not be able to retain the services of our executives or key personnel, or attract and retain experienced executives or key personnel in the future.

If any of our executives or other key personnel joins a competitor or forms a competing company, we may not be able to successfully retain customers, distributors, know-how and key personnel. Each of our executive officers and key employees has entered into an employment agreement with us, containing confidentiality and non-competition provisions. If any disputes arise between any of our executives or key personnel and us, we cannot assure you the extent to which any of these agreements may be enforced.

We rely on highly skilled personnel. If we are unable to retain or motivate them or hire additional qualified personnel, we may not be able to grow effectively.

Our performance and future success depend on the talents and efforts of highly skilled individuals. We will need to continue to identify, hire, develop, motivate and retain highly skilled personnel for all areas of our organization and business operations. Competition in the internet industry for qualified employees is intense. Our continued ability to compete effectively depends on our ability to attract new employees and to retain and motivate our existing employees. As competition in the internet industry intensifies, it may be more difficult for us to hire, motivate and retain highly skilled personnel. If we do not succeed in attracting additional highly skilled personnel or retaining or motivating our existing personnel, we may be unable to grow effectively.

Our strategy of investments and acquiring complementary businesses and assets may fail.

As part of our business strategy, we have pursued, and intend to continue to pursue, selective strategic investments and acquisitions of businesses and assets that complement our existing business and help us execute our growth strategies. For example, we invested in Ctrip by exchanging our shares in Qunar for shares of Ctrip in 2015 and subscribed for additional Ctrip shares in 2016. In 2017, we led an investor consortium that invested RMB7.0 billion (US$1.0 billion) in exchange for public shares of China United Network Communications Limited through private placement. We intend to make other strategic investments and acquisitions in the future if suitable opportunities arise. Investments and acquisitions involve uncertainties and risks, including:

 

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potential ongoing financial obligations and unforeseen or hidden liabilities, including liability for infringement of third-party copyrights or other intellectual property;

 

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failure to achieve the intended objectives, benefits or revenue-enhancing opportunities;

 

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costs and difficulties of integrating acquired businesses and managing a larger business;

 

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in the case of investments where we do not obtain management and operational control, lack of influence over the controlling partner or shareholder, which may prevent us from achieving our strategic goals in the investments;

 

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possible loss of key employees of a target business;

 

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potential claims or litigation regarding our board’s exercise of its duty of care and other duties required under applicable law in connection with any of our significant acquisitions or investments approved by the board;

 

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diversion of resources and management attention;

 

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regulatory hurdles and compliance risks, including the anti-monopoly and competition laws, rules and regulations of China and other jurisdictions and the enhanced compliance requirement for outbound acquisitions and investment under the laws and regulations of China; and

 

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in the case of acquisitions of businesses or assets outside of China, the need to integrate operations across different business cultures and languages and to address the particular economic, currency, political, and regulatory risks associated with specific countries.

Any failure to address these risks successfully may have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Investments and acquisitions may require a significant amount of capital, which would decrease the amount of cash available for working capital or capital expenditures. In addition, if we use our equity securities to pay for investments and acquisitions, we may dilute the value of our ADSs and the underlying ordinary shares. If we borrow funds to finance investments and acquisitions, such debt instruments may contain restrictive covenants that could, among other things, restrict us from distributing dividends. Moreover, acquisitions may also generate significant amortization expenses related to intangible assets. We may also incur impairment charges to earnings for investments and acquired businesses and assets.

We are exposed to fluctuations in the market values of our investments.

As part of our business strategy, we have investments in both private and public companies. In addition, after adopting ASC Topic 321, investments—Equity Securities (“ASC 321”), on January 1, 2018, we elected to use the measurement alternative to measure previously cost methods investments at cost, less any impairment, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for identical or similar investments of the same issuer, if any. Equity securities with readily determinable fair values are measured at fair value, and any changes in fair value are recognized in earnings, instead of through other comprehensive income. Fair values of these investments can be negatively impacted by fluctuations in the share prices of public companies we own, the fair value of private companies we own, liquidity, credit deterioration or losses, financial results, foreign exchange rates, changes in interest rates, or other factors.

For example, the market value of our investment in Ctrip fell below its carrying value based on its quoted market prices on July 2018. As of December 31, 2018, the market value of our investment in Ctrip, based on the market closing price, was below its carrying value. We evaluated our investment in Ctrip for impairment and concluded that impairment was not necessary because the decline in market value of equity investment of Ctrip against its carrying amount was not other-than-temporary. However, we may suffer significant impairment loss or downward adjustments of our investment in Ctrip or other companies in the future. As a result, the value or liquidity of our cash equivalents and marketable securities could decline and result in a material impairment, which could materially adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

We are subject to risks and uncertainties faced by companies in a rapidly evolving industry.

We operate in the rapidly evolving internet industry, which makes it difficult to predict our future results of operations. Accordingly, you should consider our future prospects in light of the risks and uncertainties experienced by companies in evolving industries. Some of these risks and uncertainties relate to our ability to:

 

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maintain our leading position in the Chinese-language internet search market;

 

•

offer attractive, useful and innovative products and services to attract and retain a larger user base;

 

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attract users’ continuing use of internet search services;

 

•

retain existing customers and attract additional customers and increase spending per customer;

 

•

upgrade our technology to support increased traffic and expanded product and service offerings;

 

•

further enhance our brand;

 

•

respond to competitive market conditions;

 

•

respond to evolving user preferences or industry changes;

 

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respond to changes in the regulatory environment and manage legal risks, including those associated with intellectual property rights;

 

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maintain effective control of our costs and expenses;

 

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execute our strategic investments and acquisitions and post-acquisition integrations effectively;

 

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attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel and maintain good relations with a young and growing work force; and

 

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build profitable operations in new markets and other overseas internet markets we have entered into.

If we are unsuccessful in addressing any of these risks and uncertainties, our business may be materially and adversely affected.

Our historical growth rate may not be indicative of our future growth rate.

We have experienced substantial growth in recent years. Our total revenues grew at a compound annual growth rate of 20% from 2014 to 2018. Our growth was driven in part by the growth in China’s internet and online marketing industries, which may not be indicative of future growth or be sustainable. Our past growth rate may not be indicative of our future growth rate.

Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to obtain additional capital on reasonable terms when necessary.

As of December 31, 2018, we had an aggregate of RMB64.9 billion (US$9.4 billion) of outstanding indebtedness that will mature between 2019 and 2028, which include RMB8.5 billion (US$1.2 billion) of outstanding indebtedness of iQIYI. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Liquidity and Capital Resources.” We may incur additional indebtedness in the future. Our current and future debt requires us to dedicate a portion of our cash flow to service interest and principal payments and may limit our ability to engage in other transactions. Our ability to pay interest and repay the principal for our indebtedness is dependent upon our ability to manage our business operations, generate sufficient cash flows, raise additional capital and the other factors discussed in this section. There can be no assurance that we will be able to manage any of these risks successfully.

Certain of our outstanding indebtedness include financial and other covenants. For example, certain of these covenants require iQIYI to maintain minimum liquidity. If we fail to comply with these covenants and are unable to remedy or obtain a waiver or amendment, an event of default would result. If an event of default were to occur, the lenders could, among other things, declare outstanding amounts due and payable. In addition, because certain outstanding notes of Baidu, Inc. contain customary cross default and cross acceleration provisions, an event of default or declaration of acceleration under a subsidiary’s outstanding loan could also result in an event of default under these notes of Baidu, Inc., which would permit the notes holders to accelerate the repayment of the notes. If any of these notes is accelerated, we may be required to renegotiate, repay or refinance these obligations and may not have sufficient funds available to repay it, and our liquidity and financial position would be materially and adversely affected.

 

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We may require additional capital to support our business growth or to respond to business opportunities, challenges or unforeseen circumstances. Our ability to obtain additional capital, if and when required, will depend on our business plans, investor demand, our operating performance, the condition of the capital markets, and other factors, and our indebtedness may limit our ability to borrow additional funds. We may have difficulty incurring new debt on terms that we would consider to be commercially reasonable. In addition, we may also need to refinance a portion of our outstanding debt as it matures. There is a risk that we may not be able to refinance existing debt or that the terms of any refinancing may not be as favorable as the terms of our existing debt.

Our controlling interest in iQIYI may be diluted if iQIYI raises additional capital with the issuance and sale of additional equity in the future.

iQIYI, our controlled subsidiary listed on the NASDAQ Global Market, may need additional capital in the future to fund its continued operations and support its business growth. As iQIYI will continue to invest in both original and licensed content and technology to support its growth, iQIYI may not be able to improve its working capital position or to achieve a surplus in the short term. In the future, should iQIYI require additional liquidity and capital resources to fund its business and operations, iQIYI may need to obtain additional financing, including issuing and selling additional equity or equity-linked securities, which would dilute our interest in iQIYI.

Our results of operations may fluctuate, which makes our results difficult to predict and could cause our results to fall short of expectations.

Our results of operations may fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control. For these reasons, comparing our results of operations on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful, and you should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance. Our quarterly and annual revenues and costs and expenses as a percentage of our revenues may be significantly different from our historical or projected figures. Our results of operations in future quarters may fall below expectations. Any of these events could cause the price of our ADSs to fall. Any of the risk factors listed in this “Risk Factors” section, and in particular the following factors, could cause our results of operations to fluctuate from quarter to quarter:

 

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general economic conditions in China and economic conditions specific to the internet, internet search and online marketing industries;

 

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our ability to continue to attract users to our platform despite the emergence of mobile apps and other services;

 

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our ability to attract additional customers and increase spending per customer;

 

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the announcement or introduction of new or enhanced products and services by us or our competitors;

 

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the amount and timing of operating costs and capital expenditures related to the maintenance and expansion of our businesses, operations and infrastructure;

 

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the results of our acquisitions of, or investments in, other businesses or assets;

 

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PRC regulations or government actions pertaining to activities on the internet, including various forms of entertainment, online payment and activities otherwise affecting our online marketing customers, and those relating to the products and services we provide;

 

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unforeseen events, such as negative publicity arising from widespread media coverage and other sources and labor disputes; and

 

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geopolitical events, natural disasters or epidemics.

Because of the rapid growth of our business, our historical results of operations may not be useful to you in predicting our future results of operations. Our user traffic tends to be seasonal. For example, we generally

 

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experience less user traffic during public holidays and other special event periods in China. In addition, advertising and other marketing spending in China has historically been cyclical, reflecting overall economic conditions as well as budgeting and buying patterns. As we continue to grow, we expect that the cyclicality and seasonality in our business may cause our results of operations to fluctuate.

A severe and prolonged global economic recession and the slowdown in the Chinese economy may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The global macroeconomic environment is facing challenges, including the end of quantitative easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve, the economic slowdown in the Eurozone since 2014, uncertainties over the impact of Brexit and ongoing trade disputes and tariffs. The growth of the Chinese economy has slowed down since 2012 compared to the previous decade and the trend may continue. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, China’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth was 6.6% in 2018. There is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the monetary and fiscal policies adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including the United States and China. There have been concerns over unrest and terrorist threats in the Middle East, Europe and Africa. There have also been concerns on the relationship between China and other countries, including surrounding Asian countries, which may potentially lead to foreign investors closing down their businesses or withdrawing their investments in China and, thus, exiting the China market, and other economic effects. In addition, there have also been concerns on the relationship between China and the U.S. following rounds of tariffs imposed by the U.S and retaliatory tariffs imposed by China. It is unclear whether these challenges and uncertainties will be contained or resolved, and what effects they may have on the global political and economic conditions in the long term. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions, as well as changes in domestic economic and political policies and the expected or perceived overall economic growth rate in China. Any prolonged slowdown in the global or Chinese economy may have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition, and continued turbulence in the international markets may adversely affect our ability to access the capital markets to meet liquidity needs. Our customers may reduce or delay spending with us, while we may have difficulty expanding our customer base fast enough, or at all, to offset the impact of decreased spending by our existing customers. In addition, to the extent we offer credit to any customer and the customer experiences financial difficulties due to the economic slowdown, we could have difficulty collecting payment from the customer.

Because we rely on distributors, to a large extent, in providing our online marketing services, failure to retain key distributors or attract additional distributors could materially and adversely affect our business. Moreover, there is no assurance that our direct sales model in some key geographic markets will continue to be successful.

We rely, to a large extent, on a nationwide distribution network of third-party distributors for our sales to, and collection of payment from, our customers. If our distributors do not provide quality services to our customers or otherwise breach their contracts with our customers, we may lose customers and our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. Since most of our distributors are not bound by long-term contracts, we cannot assure you that we will continue to maintain favorable relationships with them. If we fail to retain our key distributors or attract additional distributors on terms that are commercially reasonable, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

We have transitioned to using our direct sales force to serve customers in some key geographic markets, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and major cities in Guangdong Province. There is no assurance that our direct sales model in those markets will continue to be successful. If we fail to maintain an adequate direct sales force, retain existing customers and continue to attract new customers in those markets, our business, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

 

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We rely on Baidu Union partners for a significant portion of our revenues. If we fail to retain existing Baidu Union partners or attract additional members, our revenue growth and profitability may be adversely affected.

We pay Baidu Union partners a portion of our revenues as we leverage traffic of the Baidu Union partners’ internet properties. Some of Baidu Union partners, however, may compete with us in one or more areas of our business. Therefore, they may decide in the future to terminate their relationships with us. If Baidu Union partners decide to use a competitor’s or their own internet search services, our user traffic may decline, which may adversely affect our revenues. If we fail to attract additional Baidu Union partners, our revenue growth may be adversely affected. In addition, if we have to share a larger portion of our revenues to retain existing Baidu Union partners or attract additional partners, our profitability may be adversely affected.

Our overseas operations may not be successful.

We have launched products and services in local languages to internet users in several countries. It is uncertain when the operation will become profitable, if at all. In particular, we rely on local telecommunication operators and service providers to provide us with network services and data center hosting services, and our systems for these international products and services are not redundant across different regions and data centers. Any interruption to the internet infrastructure or any data center may render our products and services in the region unavailable.

We face certain risks inherent in doing business internationally, including:

 

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difficulties in developing, staffing and simultaneously managing a foreign operation as a result of distance, language and cultural differences;

 

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challenges in formulating effective local sales and marketing strategies targeting users from various jurisdictions and cultures, who have a diverse range of preferences and demands;

 

•

challenges in identifying appropriate local business partners and establishing and maintaining good working relationships with them;

 

•

dependence on local platforms in marketing our international products and services overseas;

 

•

challenges in selecting suitable geographical regions for international business;

 

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longer customer payment cycles;

 

•

currency exchange rate fluctuations;

 

•

political or social unrest or economic instability;

 

•

compliance with applicable foreign laws and regulations and unexpected changes in laws or regulations;

 

•

exposure to different tax jurisdictions that may subject us to greater fluctuations in our effective tax rate and potentially adverse tax consequences; and

 

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increased costs associated with doing business in foreign jurisdictions.

One or more of these factors could harm our overseas operations and consequently, could harm our overall results of operations.

If we are unable to adapt or expand our existing technology infrastructure to accommodate greater traffic, content or additional customer requirements, our business may be harmed.

Our Baidu platform regularly serves a large number of users and customers and delivers a large number of daily page views. Our technology infrastructure is highly complex and may not provide satisfactory service in the future, especially as the number of users and customers increases. We may be required to upgrade our technology

 

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infrastructure to keep up with the increasing traffic on our Baidu platform, such as increasing the capacity of our servers and the sophistication of our software. If we fail to adapt our technology infrastructure to accommodate greater traffic or customer requirements, our users and customers may become dissatisfied with our services and switch to our competitors’ websites, which could harm our business.

If we fail to detect fraudulent click-throughs, our customers’ confidence in us could be damaged and our revenues could decline.

We are exposed to the risk of click-through fraud on our paid search results. Click-through fraud occurs when a person clicks paid search results for a reason other than to view the underlying content of search results. Although our anti-spam algorithms and tools can identify and respond to spam web pages quickly and effectively and thus capture and prevent some fraudulent click-throughs, there is no assurance that our anti-spam technology is able to detect and stop all fraudulent click-throughs. If we fail to detect fraudulent clicks or otherwise are unable to prevent this fraudulent activity, the affected customers may experience a reduced return on investments, or ROI, in our online marketing services and lose confidence in the integrity of our systems, and we may have to issue refunds to our customers. If this happens, we may be unable to retain existing customers or attract new customers for our online marketing services, and our online marketing revenues could decline. In addition, affected customers may also file legal actions against us claiming that we have over-charged or failed to refund them. Any such claims or similar claims, regardless of their merits, could be time-consuming and costly for us to defend against and could also adversely affect our brand and our customers’ confidence in the integrity of our systems. We experienced a number of incidents involving fraudulent click-throughs in recent years. Although the amount of revenue involved in these incidents was immaterial, such cases of fraudulent click-throughs, if occurring on a large-scale and widespread manner, may damage the reputation of our search ecosystem.

The successful operation of our business depends upon the performance and reliability of the internet infrastructure and fixed telecommunications networks in China.

Our business depends on the performance and reliability of the internet infrastructure in China. Almost all access to the internet is maintained through state-owned telecommunication operators under the administrative control and regulatory supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or the MIIT. In addition, the national networks in China are connected to the internet through international gateways controlled by the PRC government. These international gateways are the only channels through which a domestic user can connect to the internet. It is unpredictable whether a more sophisticated internet infrastructure will be developed in China. We may not have access to alternative networks in the event of disruptions, failures or other problems with China’s internet infrastructure. In addition, the internet infrastructure in China may not support the demands associated with continued growth in internet usage.

We rely heavily on China Telecommunications Corporation, or China Telecom, China United Network Communications Group Company Limited, or China Unicom, and China Mobile Communications Corporation, or China Mobile, to provide us with network services and data center hosting services. We have entered into contracts with various local branches or subsidiaries of China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile to obtain data communications capacity. We have limited access to alternative services in the event of disruptions, failures or other problems with the fixed telecommunications networks of these companies, or if these companies otherwise fail to provide the services. Any unscheduled service interruption could damage our reputation and result in a decrease in our revenues. Furthermore, we have no control over the costs of the services provided by these telecommunication companies. If the prices that we pay for telecommunications and internet services rise significantly, our gross margins could be adversely affected. In addition, if internet access fees or other charges to internet users increase, our user traffic may decrease, which in turn may harm our revenues.

 

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Our business is subject to complex and evolving Chinese and international laws and regulations regarding privacy and data protection. Many of these laws and regulations are subject to change and uncertain interpretation, and could result in claims, changes to our business practices, increased cost of operations, or declines in user growth or engagement, or otherwise harm our business.

We are required by privacy and data protection laws in China and other jurisdictions, including, without limitation, the PRC Cyber Security Law, to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the information of our users, customers, distributors, content providers and Baidu Union partners, which is also essential to maintaining their confidence in our online products and services. However, the interpretation and application of such laws in China and elsewhere are often uncertain and in flux.

In December 2012, the Standing Committee of the PRC National People’s Congress promulgated the Decision on Strengthening Network Information Protection, or the Network Information Protection Decision, to enhance the legal protection of information security and privacy on the internet. The Network Information Protection Decision also requires internet operators to take measures to ensure confidentiality of information of users. In July 2013, the MIIT promulgated the Provisions on Protection of Personal Information of Telecommunication and Internet Users to regulate the collection and use of users’ personal information in the provision of telecommunication service and internet information service in China. In November 2016, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the PRC Cyber Security Law, which requires, among others, that network operators take security measures to protect the network from unauthorized interference, damage and unauthorized access and prevent data from being divulged, stolen or tampered with. Significant capital, managerial and human resources are required to comply with legal requirements, enhance information security and to address any issues caused by security failures.

The PRC Cyber Security Law is relatively new and subject to interpretation by the regulator. Although we only gain access to user information that is necessary for, and relevant to, the services provided, the data we obtain and use may include information that is deemed as “personal information” under the PRC Cyber Security Law and related data privacy and protection laws and regulations. As such, we have adopted a series of measures to ensure that we comply with relevant laws and regulations in the collection, use, disclosure, storage, and security of user information.

While we take all these measures to comply with all applicable data privacy and protection laws and regulations, we cannot guarantee the effectiveness of the measures undertaken by us and business partners. The activities of third parties such as our customers and business partners are beyond our control. If our business partners violate the PRC Cyber Security Law and related laws and regulations relating to the protection of personal information, or fail to fully comply with the service agreements with us, or if any of our employees fail to comply with our internal control measures and misuse the information, we may be subject to penalties. Any failure or perceived failure to comply with all applicable data privacy and protection laws and regulations, or any failure or perceived failure of our business partners to do so, or any failure or perceived failure of our employees to comply with our internal control measures, may result in negative publicity and legal proceedings or regulatory actions against us, and could damage our reputation, discourage current and potential users and customers from using our products or services and subject us to fines and damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

There are a number of legislative proposals in the European Union and the United States, at both the federal and state level, as well as other jurisdictions that could impose new obligations in areas affecting our business. New laws or regulations concerning data protection, or the interpretation and application of existing consumer and data protection laws or regulations, which is often uncertain and in flux, may be inconsistent with our practices. The introduction of new products or other actions that we may take may subject us to additional laws, regulations, or other government scrutiny. Complying with new laws and regulations could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices in a manner materially adverse to our business. For example, if privacy concerns or regulatory restrictions prevent us from selling demographically targeted

 

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advertising, we may become less attractive to online advertising customers. In addition, some countries are considering or have passed legislation implementing data protection requirements or requiring local storage and processing of data or similar requirements that could increase the cost and complexity of delivering our services.

Security breaches and improper access to or disclosure of our data or user data, or any system failure or compromise of our security, could harm our reputation and adversely affect our business.

Our business is prone to cyber-attacks seeking unauthorized access to our data or user data or to disrupt our ability to provide services. Any failure to prevent or mitigate security breaches and improper access to or disclosure of our data or user data, such as personal information, names, accounts, user IDs and passwords, and payment or transaction related information, could result in the loss or misuse of such data, which could cause a loss or give rise to liabilities to the owners of confidential information, such as our users, customers, distributors, content providers and Baidu Union partners, subject us to penalties imposed by administrative authorities, and disrupt our operations. In addition, computer malware, viruses, social engineering (predominantly spear phishing attacks), and general hacking have become more prevalent in our industry, have occurred on our systems in the past, and may occur again on our systems in the future. We also regularly encounter attempts to create false or undesirable user accounts, purchase ads, or take other actions on our platform for purposes such as spamming, spreading misinformation, or other objectionable ends. As a result of our prominence, the size of our user base, and the types and volume of personal data on our systems, we believe that we are a particularly attractive target for such breaches and attacks. Such attacks may cause interruptions to the services we provide, degrade the user experience, cause users or customers to lose confidence and trust in our products and services, impair our internal systems, or result in financial harm to us.

We have adopted strict information security policies and deployed advanced measures to implement the policies, including, among others, advanced encryption technologies. However, we may not be able to implement adequate preventative measures or prevent compromises or breaches of our preventative measures due to the evolution of the sophistication of cyber-attacks, advances in technology, an increased level of sophistication and diversity of our products and services, an increased level of expertise of hackers, new discoveries in the field of cryptography or others, software bugs or other technical malfunctions, employee, contractor, or vendor error or malfeasance, government surveillance, or other evolving threats. As a result, we may incur significant costs in protecting against or remediating cyber-attacks.

In addition, some of our developers or other partners, such as those that help us measure the effectiveness of ads, may receive or store information provided by us or by our users through mobile or web applications integrated with our products. We provide limited information to such third parties based on the scope of services provided to us. However, if these third parties fail to adopt or adhere to adequate data security practices, or in the event of a breach of their networks, our data or our users’ data may be improperly accessed, used, or disclosed.

Affected users or government authorities could initiate legal or regulatory actions against us in connection with any actual or perceived security breaches or improper disclosure of data, which could cause us to incur significant expense and liabilities or result in orders or consent decrees forcing us to modify our business practices. Such incidents or our efforts to remediate such incidents may also result in a decline in our user base or engagement levels. Any of these events could have a material and adverse effect on our business, reputation, or results of operations.

Concerns and unfavorable media coverage relating to our privacy practices could damage our reputation, deter current and potential users and customers from using our products and services and negatively impact our business.

The internet industry is facing significant challenges with respect to information security and privacy, including the storage, transmission and sharing of confidential information. The general public, our users, customers, distributors, content providers and Baidu Union partners are increasingly aware of the vulnerability of

 

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confidential and private information. We will continue to experience media or regulatory scrutiny of our actions or decisions regarding user privacy, content or advertising. Furthermore, concerns have been expressed from time to time about whether our products, services or processes could compromise the privacy of users and others.

We transmit and store confidential and private information of our users, customers, distributors, content providers and Baidu Union partners, such as personal information, including names, accounts, user IDs and passwords, and payment or transaction related information. Concerns about our practices with regard to the collection, use, disclosure, or security of personal information or other privacy related matters, and any negative publicity on our information safety or privacy protection mechanism and policy, even if unfounded, has in the past, and could adversely affect our business and results of operations and financial condition. Such concerns and negative publicity could damage our reputation and brand, and have an adverse effect on the size, engagement and loyalty of our user base, which could adversely affect our business and results.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may lose investor confidence in the reliability of our financial statements.

We are subject to reporting obligations under the U.S. securities laws. The SEC, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, adopted rules requiring every public company to include a management report on the company’s internal control over financial reporting in its annual report, which contains management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting. In addition, an independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting. We have been subject to these requirements since the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006.

Our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2018. See “Item 15. Controls and Procedures.” Our independent registered public accounting firm has issued an attestation report, which has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective in all material aspects as of December 31, 2018. However, if we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting in the future, our management and our independent registered public accounting firm may not be able to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting at a reasonable assurance level. This could in turn result in loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our financial statements and negatively impact the trading price of our ADSs. Furthermore, we have incurred and anticipate that we will continue to incur considerable costs, management time and other resources in an effort to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other requirements.

We have limited business insurance coverage.

Insurance companies in China currently offer limited business insurance products. We do not have any business liability or disruption insurance coverage for our operations in China. Any business disruption may result in our incurring substantial costs and the diversion of our resources.

We face risks related to health epidemics, severe weather conditions and other outbreaks.

Our business could be adversely affected by the effects of avian influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the influenza A virus, Ebola virus, severe weather conditions or other epidemics or outbreaks. Health or other government regulations adopted in response to an epidemic, severe weather conditions such as snow storms, floods or hazardous air pollution, or other outbreaks may require temporary closure of our offices. Such closures may disrupt our business operations and adversely affect our results of operations.

 

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Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure

PRC laws and regulations governing our businesses and the validity of certain of our contractual arrangements are uncertain. If we are found to be in violation, we could be subject to sanctions. In addition, changes in PRC laws and regulations or changes in interpretations thereof may materially and adversely affect our business.

The PRC government restricts or imposes conditions on foreign investment in internet content, value-added telecommunication-based online marketing, audio and video services and mobile application distribution businesses. We and our PRC subsidiaries are considered foreign persons or foreign-invested enterprises under PRC foreign investment related laws. As a result, we and our PRC subsidiaries are subject to PRC legal restrictions on or conditions for foreign ownership of internet content, value-added telecommunication-based online marketing, audio and video services and mobile application distribution businesses. Due to these restrictions and conditions, we operate our platform and conduct value-added telecommunication-based online marketing, audio and video services and mobile application distribution businesses in China through our consolidated affiliated entities. As all the nominee shareholders of our consolidated affiliated entities are either PRC citizens or PRC domestic enterprises, these entities are therefore considered as PRC domestic enterprises under PRC law. The “nominee shareholders” refer to those shareholders who have pledged their equity interest in our consolidated affiliated entities to us and entered into exclusive equity purchase and transfer option agreements with us as part of the contractual arrangements. Our contractual arrangements with our consolidated affiliated entities and the nominee shareholders allow us to have the power to direct the activities of these entities that most significantly impact their economic performance. These contractual arrangements demonstrate our ability and intention to continue to exercise the ability to absorb losses or receive economic benefits that could potentially be significant to the affiliated entities. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, we derived approximately 35%, 34% and 33% of our total revenues, respectively, from our consolidated affiliated entities.

There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the laws and regulations governing our business, or the enforcement and performance of our contractual arrangements with our consolidated affiliated entities, including but not limited to Baidu Netcom and the nominee shareholders. These laws and regulations may be subject to change, and their official interpretation and enforcement may involve substantial uncertainty. New laws and regulations that affect existing and proposed future businesses may also be applied retroactively.

Although we believe we comply with current PRC laws and regulations, we cannot assure you that the PRC government would agree that our contractual arrangements comply with PRC licensing, registration or other regulatory requirements, with existing policies or with requirements or policies that may be adopted in the future. The PRC government has broad discretion in determining penalties for violations of laws and regulations. If the PRC government determines that we do not comply with applicable law, it could revoke our business and operating licenses, require us to discontinue or restrict our operations, restrict our right to collect revenues, block our websites, require us to restructure our operations, impose additional conditions or requirements with which we may not be able to comply, impose restrictions on our business operations or on our customers, or take other regulatory or enforcement actions against us that could be harmful to our business. Any of these or similar occurrences could significantly disrupt our business operations or restrict us from conducting a substantial portion of our business operations, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If any of these occurrences results in our inability to direct the activities of any of our consolidated affiliated entities that most significantly impact its economic performance, and/or our failure to receive the economic benefits from any of our consolidated affiliated entities, we may not be able to consolidate the entity in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Our contractual arrangements with our consolidated affiliated entities in China and the individual nominee shareholders may not be as effective in providing control over these entities as direct ownership.

Since PRC law restricts or imposes conditions on foreign equity ownership in the internet sector, value-added telecommunication-based online marketing, online audio and video services and mobile application

 

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distribution companies in China, we operate our platform and conduct our value-added telecommunication-based online marketing, online audio and video services and mobile app distribution businesses through our consolidated affiliated entities in China. We have no equity interest in any of these entities and must rely on contractual arrangements to control and operate the businesses and assets held by our consolidated affiliated entities, including the domain names and trademarks that have been transferred from our subsidiaries to our consolidated affiliated entities in accordance with requirements of PRC law. These contractual arrangements may not be as effective in providing control over these entities as direct ownership. For example, our consolidated affiliated entities and the individual nominee shareholders could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to operate our business, such as using the domain names and trademarks our subsidiaries have transferred to them or maintaining our platform, in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests. If our consolidated affiliated entities or the individual nominee shareholders fail to perform their obligations under these contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs to enforce such arrangements, and rely on legal remedies under PRC law, including contract remedies, which may not be sufficient or effective. If we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant delay or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to have the power to direct the activities that most significantly affect the economic performance of our consolidated affiliated entities, and we may lose control over the assets owned by our consolidated affiliated entities, including our Baidu.com domain name and website, and any other domain names and websites we have access to may not attract a large number of users and customers at the same level as Baidu.com . As a result, our ability to conduct our business may be materially and adversely affected, and we may not be able to consolidate the financial results of the relevant affiliated entities into our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which may materially and adversely affect our results of operations and damage our reputation.

Our contractual arrangements with our consolidated affiliated entities in China may result in adverse tax consequences to us.

As a result of our corporate structure and the contractual arrangements between our subsidiaries and each of our consolidated affiliated entities in China, we are subject to VAT at a rate of 6% as a result of the VAT reform program on both service revenues generated by our consolidated affiliated entities’ operations in China and revenues derived from our subsidiaries’ contractual arrangements with these consolidated affiliated entities. Where our consolidated affiliated entity is qualified as a VAT general taxpayer, the VAT charged by our subsidiaries on the revenues obtained from such consolidated affiliated entity based on the contractual arrangement between our subsidiaries and such consolidated affiliated entity will constitute input VAT for the consolidated affiliated entity, and will be creditable against output VAT arising in connection with VAT taxable activities carried out by the consolidated affiliated entity. See “Item 5.A. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Operating Results—Taxation” for more information on the VAT reform program. Moreover, we would be subject to adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities were to determine that the contracts between our subsidiaries and these consolidated affiliated entities were not on an arm’s-length basis and therefore constituted a favorable transfer pricing. Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, or the EIT Law, an enterprise must submit its annual tax return together with information on related-party transactions to the PRC tax authorities. The PRC tax authorities may impose reasonable adjustments on taxation if they have identified any related party transactions that are inconsistent with arm’s-length principles. For example, the PRC tax authorities could request that our consolidated affiliated entities adjust their taxable income upward for PRC tax purposes. Such adjustment could adversely affect us by increasing our consolidated affiliated entities’ tax expenses without reducing our subsidiaries’ tax expenses, which could subject our consolidated affiliated entities to interest due on late payments and other penalties for under-payment of taxes.

We may have exposure to greater than anticipated tax liabilities.

We are subject to enterprise income tax, or EIT, VAT, and other taxes in many provinces and cities in China and our tax structure is subject to review by various local tax authorities. The determination of our provision for

 

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income tax and other tax liabilities requires significant judgment. In the ordinary course of our business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. For example, if our P4P service is classified as a form of advertisement distribution service, we may be required to pay a 3% cultural business construction fee. In addition, if this classification of P4P services were to be retroactively applied, we might be subject to sanctions, including payment of delinquent fees and fines for the revenues generated from our P4P services prior to the classification. Moreover, under the EIT Law, the PRC tax authorities may impose reasonable adjustments on taxation if they have identified any related party transactions that are inconsistent with arm’s-length principles. Particularly, pursuant to the Administrative Measures for Special Tax Adjustment and Investigation and Mutual Consultation Procedures issued by the State Administration of Tax in March 2017, if a PRC enterprise makes an outbound payment to its overseas related party which undertakes no functions, bears no risks or has no substantial operation or activities and such payment is inconsistent with arm’s-length principles, the tax authorities may carry out a special tax adjustment based on the full amount deducted prior to tax. Although we believe all our related party transactions, including all payments by our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities to our non-PRC entities, are made on an arm’s-length basis and our estimates are reasonable, the ultimate decisions by the relevant tax authorities may differ from the amounts recorded in our financial statements and may materially affect our financial results in the period or periods for which such determination is made.

The individual nominee shareholders of our consolidated affiliated entities may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may adversely affect our business. We do not have any arrangements in place to address such potential conflicts.

We have designated individuals who are PRC nationals to be the nominee shareholders of our consolidated affiliated entities in China. For example, Robin Yanhong Li, our chairman, chief executive officer and co-founder, is also the principal nominee shareholder of Baidu Netcom, which is our principal consolidated affiliated entity.

Although the individual nominee shareholders are contractually obligated to act in good faith and in our best interest, they may still have potential conflicts of interest with us. For example, some individual nominee shareholders of our consolidated affiliated entities do not have a significant equity stake in our company other than the share options granted to them. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise, any or all of these individuals will act in the best interests of our company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor. In addition, these individuals may breach, cause our consolidated affiliated entities to breach or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements with us. Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these individuals and our company, except that we could exercise our transfer option under the exclusive equity purchase and transfer option agreement with the relevant individual nomine shareholder to request him/her to transfer all of his/her equity ownership in the relevant consolidated affiliated entity to a PRC entity or individual designated by us. We rely on Mr. Robin Yanhong Li, who is also a director of our company, to abide by the Cayman Islands law, which provides that directors owe a fiduciary duty to the company, and those who are also directors or officers of our PRC subsidiaries to abide by PRC law, which provides that directors and officers owe a fiduciary duty to the company. Such fiduciary duty requires directors and/or officers to act in good faith and in the best interests of the company and not to use their positions for personal gains. There are, however, no specific provisions under the Cayman Islands or PRC law on how to address potential conflicts of interest. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and the individual nominee shareholders of our consolidated affiliated entities, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could disrupt our business, distract management and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.

We may be unable to collect long-term loans to the nominee shareholders of our consolidated affiliated entities in China.

As of the date of this annual report, we have made long-term loans in an aggregate principal amount of RMB11.4 billion (US$1.7 billion) to the nominee shareholders of our consolidated affiliated entities. We

 

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extended these loans to enable the nominee shareholders to fund the capitalization of these entities. We may in the future provide additional loans to the nominee shareholders of our consolidated affiliated entities in China in connection with any increase in their capitalization to the extent necessary and permissible under applicable law. Our ability to ultimately collect these loans will depend on the profitability of these consolidated affiliated entities and their operational needs, which are uncertain.

We are in the process of registering the pledges of equity interests by nominee shareholders of some of our consolidated affiliated entities, and we may not be able to enforce the equity pledges against any third parties who acquire the equity interests in good faith in the relevant consolidated affiliated entities before the pledges are registered.

The nominee shareholders of each of our consolidated affiliated entities have pledged all of their equity interests in the relevant consolidated affiliated entities to our subsidiaries pursuant to equity pledge agreements under the contractual arrangements. An equity pledge agreement becomes effective among the parties upon execution. However, according to the PRC Property Rights Law, an equity pledge is not perfected as a security property right unless it is registered with the relevant local administration for market regulation. We are still in the process of registering the pledge relating to certain consolidated affiliated entities, relating to recent equity interest transfers and capital increase. Prior to the completion of the registration, we may not be able to successfully enforce the equity pledge against any third parties who have acquired property right interests in good faith in the equity interests in the relevant consolidated affiliated entities.

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

Changes in China’s economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material and adverse effect on our business and operations.

Most of our business operations are conducted in China. Accordingly, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects are affected by economic, political and social conditions in China generally and by continued economic growth in China as a whole.

China’s economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the level of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the Chinese government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets, and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in China is still owned by the government. In addition, the Chinese government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development. The Chinese government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth through allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy, and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.

Growth of China’s economy has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy, and the growth of the Chinese economy has slowed down since 2012. Some of the government measures may benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations. Any stimulus measures designed to boost the Chinese economy may contribute to higher inflation, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. For example, certain operating costs and expenses, such as employee compensation and office operating expenses, may increase as a result of higher inflation. Additionally, because a substantial portion of our assets consists of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, high inflation could significantly reduce the value and purchasing power of these assets.

 

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Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.

We conduct our business primarily through our subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities in China. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. Our subsidiaries are generally subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign investments in China. The PRC legal system is based on written statutes. Prior court decisions may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value.

PRC laws and regulations have significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investments in China for the past decades. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system and recently enacted laws and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China. In particular, because these laws and regulations are relatively new, and because of the limited volume of published decisions and their nonbinding nature, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations involve uncertainties.

Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules, some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all. As a result, we may not be aware of our potential violation of these policies and rules. In addition, any litigation in China may be protracted and result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.

We may be adversely affected by the complexity, uncertainties and changes in PRC regulation of internet and related business and companies.

The PRC government regulates the internet and related industry extensively, including foreign ownership of, and the licensing and permit requirements pertaining to, companies in the internet industry. These internet-related laws and regulations are relatively new and evolving, and their interpretation and enforcement involve significant uncertainty. As a result, under certain circumstances it may be difficult to determine what actions or omissions may be deemed to be violations of applicable laws and regulations. Issues, risks and uncertainties relating to PRC government regulation of the internet industry include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

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We only have contractual control over our websites. We do not own the websites due to the restriction of foreign investment in businesses providing value-added telecommunications services in China, including online information services.

 

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The licensing requirements relating to the internet business in China are uncertain and evolving. This means that permits, licenses or operations at some of our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities may be subject to challenge, or we may not be able to obtain or renew certain permits or licenses, including without limitation, a Value-Added Telecommunication Business Operating License, which is issued by the MIIT, an Internet News License, which is issued by the State Internet Information Office, or the SIIO, a Short Messaging Service Access Code Certificate, which is issued by the MIIT, an Online Audio/Video Program Transmission License, which is issued by the State Administration of Press Publication, Radio, Film and Television, or the SAPPRFT (currently known as National Radio and Television Administration, or the NRTA), a Radio and Television Program Production License, which is issued by the NRTA, a Surveying and Mapping Qualification Certificate for internet map services, which is issued by the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geo-information, an Internet Culture Business Permit with the permitted scope of business covering online game operation and online game virtual currency issuance or trading, which is issued by the Ministry of Culture, an Internet Publication Service License, which is issued by the National News and Publication Bureau, or the NNPB, a Publication Business Operating License, which is issued by NNPB, a Qualification Certificate for Internet Drug Information Services, which is issued by provincial branch of the State Food and Drug Administration, a China Air Transport Sales Agency Services Certificate, which is issued by China Air Transport Association, a Human Resource Services License, which is issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and a Commercial Performances License, which is issued by the municipal bureau of culture. Failure to obtain or renew

 

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these permits and licenses may significantly disrupt our business, or subject us to sanctions, requirements to increase capital or other conditions or enforcement, or compromise enforceability of related contractual arrangements, or have other harmful effects on us.

 

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New laws and regulations may be promulgated to regulate internet activities, including online advertising. Other aspects of our online operations may be regulated in the future. If these new laws and regulations are promulgated, additional licenses may be required for our online operations. If our operations do not comply with these new regulations at the time they become effective, or if we fail to obtain any licenses required under these new laws and regulations, we could be subject to penalties.

We provide value-added telecommunications services through our consolidated affiliated entities, which hold the required licenses. In July 2006, the MIIT issued the Notice of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Intensifying the Administration of Foreign Investment in Value-Added Telecommunications Services. This notice prohibits domestic telecommunication service providers from leasing, transferring or selling telecommunication business operating licenses to any foreign investor in any form, or providing any resources, sites or facilities to any foreign investor for their illegal operation of a telecommunication business in China. According to this notice, either the holder of a Value-Added Telecommunication Business Operating License or its shareholders must directly own the domain names and trademarks used by the license holder in its provision of value-added telecommunications services. The notice also requires each license holder to have the necessary facilities, including servers, for its approved business operations and to maintain these facilities in the regions covered by its license. Baidu Netcom, our consolidated affiliated entity, owns the necessary domain names and trademarks, including pending trademark applications and have the necessary personnel and facilities to operate our websites.

As we enter into new businesses, we may encounter additional regulatory uncertainties. For example, the current PRC legal framework on autonomous cars or autonomous driving is still new and evolving. Pursuant to the local rules and regulations in various cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing, any entity intending to conduct a road testing of autonomous driving vehicles in these cities must file an application for road testing with a designated local agency supervising road testing of autonomous vehicles in these cities. It also remains uncertain what additional compliance requirements we need to meet in order to undertake a road testing of our autonomous driving cars in other locations in China. Baidu Netcom, one of our consolidated affiliated entities, has obtained permits to conduct road testing in Beijing and Tianjin. There is no guarantee that the road testing of our autonomous driving cars in other locations fully complies with local laws and regulations. If our road testing is deemed by local enforcement authority as a violation of the applicable traffic and transportation laws, we may have to suspend the testing, and the progress of our research and development of autonomous cars may be adversely affected.

The interpretation and application of existing PRC laws, regulations and policies and possible new laws, regulations or policies relating to the internet industry have created substantial uncertainties regarding the legality of existing and future foreign investments in, and the businesses and activities of, internet businesses in China, including our business.

Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the newly enacted PRC Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations.

On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress approved the Foreign Investment Law, which will come into effect on January 1, 2020 and replace the trio of existing laws regulating foreign investment in China, namely, the Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-invested Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. The Foreign Investment Law embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to

 

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unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic investments. However, since it is relatively new, uncertainties still exist in relation to its interpretation and implementation. For instance, under the Foreign Investment Law, “foreign investment” refers to the investment activities directly or indirectly conducted by foreign individuals, enterprises or other entities in China. Though it does not explicitly classify contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment, there is no assurance that foreign investment via contractual arrangement would not be interpreted as a type of indirect foreign investment activities under the definition in the future. In addition, the definition contains a catch-all provision which includes investments made by foreign investors through means stipulated in laws or administrative regulations or other methods prescribed by the State Council. Therefore, it still leaves leeway for future laws, administrative regulations or provisions promulgated by the State Council to provide for contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment. In any of these cases, it will be uncertain whether our contractual arrangements will be deemed to be in violation of the market access requirements for foreign investment under the PRC laws and regulations. Furthermore, if future laws, administrative regulations or provisions prescribed by the State Council mandate further actions to be taken by companies with respect to existing contractual arrangements, we may face substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete such actions in a timely manner, or at all. Failure to take timely and appropriate measures to cope with any of these or similar regulatory compliance challenges could materially and adversely affect our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations.

Regulation and censorship of information disseminated over the internet in China may adversely affect our business, and subject us to liability for information displayed on or linked to our websites and negative publicity in international media.

The PRC government has adopted regulations governing internet access and distribution of news and other information over the internet. Under these regulations, internet content providers and internet publishers are prohibited from posting or displaying over the internet content that, among other things, violates PRC laws and regulations, impairs the national dignity of China, contains terrorism or extremism content, or is reactionary, obscene, superstitious, fraudulent or defamatory. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the revocation of licenses to provide internet content and other licenses and the closure of the concerned websites. In the past, failure to comply with these requirements has resulted in the closure of certain websites. The website operator may also be held liable for the censored information displayed on or linked to the website.

In particular, the MIIT has published regulations that subject website operators to potential liability for content displayed on their websites and the actions of users and others using their systems, including liability for violations of PRC laws and regulations prohibiting the dissemination of content deemed to be socially destabilizing. The Ministry of Public Security has the authority to order any local internet service provider to block any internet website at its sole discretion. From time to time, the Ministry of Public Security has stopped the dissemination over the internet of information which it believes to be socially destabilizing. The State Secrecy Bureau is also authorized to block any website it deems to be leaking state secrets or failing to meet the relevant regulations relating to the protection of state secrets in the dissemination of online information. Furthermore, we are required to report any suspicious content to relevant governmental authorities, and to undergo computer security inspections. If we fail to implement the relevant safeguards against security breaches, our websites may be shut down and our business and ICP licenses may be revoked.

The Anti-Terrorism Law, which took effect on January 1, 2016 and was amended on April 27, 2018, further requires internet service providers to verify the identity of their users, and to not provide services to anyone whose identity is unclear or who declines verification. Although the identity verification requirements are already embodied in some internet related regulations, the Anti-Terrorism Law extends these requirements to all types of internet services. The internet service providers are also required to provide technical interfaces, decryption and other technical support and assistance for the competent departments to prevent and investigate terrorist activities.

 

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Although we attempt to monitor the content in our search results and on our online communities such as Baidu Post Bar, we are not able to control or restrict the content of other internet content providers linked to or accessible through our websites, or content generated or placed on our Baidu Post Bar message boards or our other online communities by our users. To the extent that PRC regulatory authorities find any content displayed on our websites illegal, they may require us to limit or eliminate the dissemination of such information on our websites. To the extent that PRC regulatory authorities find any content displayed on our websites objectionable, they may suggest that we limit or eliminate the dissemination of such information on our websites. If third-party websites linked to or accessible through our websites conduct unlawful activities such as online gambling on their websites, PRC regulatory authorities may require us to report such unlawful activities to relevant authorities and to remove the links to such websites, or they may suspend or shut down the operation of these third-party websites. PRC regulatory authorities may also temporarily block access to certain websites for a period of time for reasons beyond our control. Any of these actions may reduce our user traffic and adversely affect our business. In addition, we may be subject to penalties for violations of those regulations arising from information displayed on or linked to our websites, including a suspension or shutdown of our online operations.

Moreover, our compliance with PRC regulations governing internet access and distribution of news and other information over the internet may subject us to negative publicity or even legal actions outside of China. In May 2011, eight New York residents filed a lawsuit against us before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York accusing us of aiding Chinese censorship in violation of the U.S. Constitution. In March 2014, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted our motion for judgment on the pleadings based upon the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and dismissed with prejudice the plaintiffs’ complaint in its entirety, barring the plaintiffs from bringing an appeal or action based on the same claim. Even though we have won the case, our reputation may continually be adversely affected among users and investors outside of China.

The discontinuation of any of the preferential income tax treatments currently available to us in the PRC could have a material and adverse effect on our result of operations and financial condition.

Pursuant to the EIT Law, as further clarified by subsequent tax regulations implementing the EIT Law, foreign-invested enterprises and domestic enterprises are subject to EIT at a uniform rate of 25%. Certain enterprises may benefit from a preferential tax rate of 15% under the EIT Law if they qualify as “High and New Technology Enterprises strongly supported by the state,” subject to certain general factors described in the EIT Law and the related regulations.

A number of our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities, such as Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., or Baidu Online, and Baidu Netcom are entitled to enjoy a preferential tax rate of 15% due to their qualification as “High and New Technology Enterprise,” which has a term of three years. If any or some of these PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities fail to maintain the “High and New Technology Enterprise” qualification, their applicable EIT rate will increase to 25%. Furthermore, Baidu Online was entitled to a preferential income tax rate of 10% from 2010 to 2017 due to its “Key Software Enterprise” status, so was Baidu China for 2015 to 2017, and Baidu International Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., or Baidu International, for 2016 and 2017. Baidu Online, Baidu China and Baidu International will file with the local tax authority for the preferential tax rate of 10% for a “Key Software Enterprise” for 2018 before the end of May 2019, and will be subject to relevant governmental authorities’ assessment. However, there is no assurance that any of these entities will continue to enjoy the preferential tax rate as a “Key Software Enterprise.” See “Item 5.A. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Operating Results—Taxation—PRC Enterprise Income Tax.”

The discontinuation of any of the above-mentioned preferential income tax treatments currently available to us in the PRC could have a material and adverse effect on our result of operations and financial condition. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain our current effective tax rate in the future.

 

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If our PRC subsidiaries declare and distribute dividends to their respective offshore parent companies, we will be required to pay more taxes, which could have a material and adverse effect on our result of operations.

Under the EIT Law and related regulations, dividends, interests, rent or royalties payable by a foreign-invested enterprise, such as our PRC subsidiaries, to any of its foreign non-resident enterprise investors, and proceeds from any such foreign enterprise investor’s disposition of assets (after deducting the net value of such assets) are subject to a 10% withholding tax, unless the foreign enterprise investor’s jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China that provides for a reduced rate of withholding tax. Undistributed profits earned by foreign-invested enterprises prior to January 1, 2008 are exempted from any withholding tax. The British Virgin Islands, where Baidu Holdings Limited, the direct parent company of our PRC subsidiaries Baidu Online and Baidu International, is incorporated, does not have such a tax treaty with China. Hong Kong has a tax arrangement with China that provides for a 5% withholding tax on dividends subject to certain conditions and requirements, such as the requirement that the Hong Kong resident enterprise own at least 25% of the PRC enterprise distributing the dividend at all times within the 12-month period immediately preceding the distribution of dividends and be a “beneficial owner” of the dividends. For example, Baidu (Hong Kong) Limited, which directly owns our PRC subsidiaries Baidu China and Baidu Times, is incorporated in Hong Kong. However, if Baidu (Hong Kong) Limited is not considered to be the beneficial owner of dividends paid to it by Baidu China and Baidu Times under the tax circulars promulgated in February 2009 and 2018, such dividends would be subject to withholding tax at a rate of 10%. See “Item 5.A. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Operating Results—Taxation—PRC Enterprise Income Tax.” If our PRC subsidiaries declare and distribute profits earned after January 1, 2008 to us in the future, such payments will be subject to withholding tax, which will increase our tax liability and reduce the amount of cash available to our company.

We may be deemed a PRC resident enterprise under the EIT Law, which could subject us to PRC taxation on our global income, and which may have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations.

Under the EIT Law and related regulations, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with “de facto management body” within the PRC is considered a PRC resident enterprise and is subject to the EIT at the rate of 25% on its worldwide income as well as PRC EIT reporting obligations. The related regulations define the term “de facto management body” as “the establishment that exercises substantial and overall management and control over the production, business, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise.” The State Administration of Taxation issued SAT Circular 82 in April 2009, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a Chinese-controlled overseas-incorporated enterprise is located in China. The State Administration of Taxation issued additional rules to provide more guidance on the implementation of SAT Circular 82 in July 2011, and issued an amendment to SAT Circular 82 delegating the authority to its provincial branches to determine whether a Chinese-controlled overseas-incorporated enterprise should be considered a PRC resident enterprise, in January 2014. See “Item 5.A. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Operating Results—Taxation—PRC Enterprise Income Tax.” Although the SAT Circular 82, the additional guidance and amendment apply only to overseas registered enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises, not to those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the criteria set forth in SAT Circular 82 may reflect the State Administration of Taxation’s general position on how the “de facto management body” test should be applied in determining the tax resident status of offshore enterprises, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises or individuals. If we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, we may be subject to the EIT at 25% on our global income, except that the dividends we receive from our PRC subsidiaries may be exempt from the EIT to the extent such dividends are deemed as “dividends among qualified PRC resident enterprises.” If we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise and earn income other than dividends from our PRC subsidiaries, a 25% EIT on our global income could significantly increase our tax burden and materially and adversely affect our cash flow and profitability.

 

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Under PRC tax laws, dividends payable by us and gains on the disposition of our shares or ADSs may be subject to PRC taxation.

If we are considered a PRC resident enterprise under the EIT Law, our shareholders and ADS holders who are deemed non-resident enterprises may be subject to the EIT at the rate of 10% upon the dividends payable by us or upon any gains realized from the transfer of our shares or ADSs, if such income is deemed derived from China, provided that (i) such foreign enterprise investor has no establishment or premises in China, or (ii) it has establishment or premises in China but its income derived from China has no real connection with such establishment or premises. If we are required under the EIT Law to withhold PRC income tax on our dividends payable to our non-PRC resident enterprise shareholders and ADS holders, or if any gains realized from the transfer of our shares or ADSs by our non-PRC resident enterprise shareholders and ADS holders are subject to the EIT, your investment in our shares or ADSs could be materially and adversely affected.

Furthermore, if we are considered a PRC resident enterprise and relevant PRC tax authorities consider dividends we pay with respect to our shares or ADSs and the gains realized from the transfer of our shares or ADSs to be income derived from sources within the PRC, it is possible that such dividends and gains earned by non-resident individuals may be subject to PRC individual income tax at a rate of 20%. If we are required under PRC tax laws to withhold PRC income tax on dividends payable to our non-PRC investors that are non-resident individuals or if you are required to pay PRC income tax on the transfer of our shares or ADSs, the value of your investment in our shares or ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

Our subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities in China are subject to restrictions on paying dividends and making other payments to our holding company.

Baidu, Inc. is our holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. As a result of the holding company structure, it currently relies on dividend payments from our subsidiaries in China. However, PRC regulations currently permit payment of dividends only out of accumulated profits, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Our subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities in China are also required to set aside a portion of their after-tax profits according to PRC accounting standards and regulations to fund certain reserve funds. The PRC government also imposes controls on the conversion of RMB into foreign currencies and the remittance of foreign currencies out of China. We may experience difficulties in completing the administrative procedures necessary to obtain and remit foreign currency. See “—Governmental control of currency conversion may affect the value of your investment.” Furthermore, if our subsidiaries or consolidated affiliated entities in China incur debt on their own in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other payments. If our subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities in China are unable to pay dividends or make other payments to us, we may be unable to pay dividends on our ordinary shares and ADSs.

Governmental control of currency conversion may affect the value of your investment.

The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of foreign currency out of China. We receive most of our revenues in RMB. Under our current structure, our income at the Cayman Islands holding company level will primarily be derived from dividend payments from our PRC subsidiaries. Shortages in the availability of foreign currency may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities to remit sufficient foreign currency to pay dividends or other payments to us, or otherwise satisfy their foreign currency denominated obligations. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and expenditures from trade-related transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, approval from appropriate government authorities is required where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also at its discretion restrict access in the

 

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future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currency to satisfy our currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders or ADS holders.

PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from making loans to our PRC subsidiaries or consolidated affiliated entities, or making additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries, which could adversely affect our ability to fund and expand our business.

Baidu, Inc. is our offshore holding company conducting operations in China through our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities. We may make loans to our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities, or we may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries. Loans by Baidu, Inc. or any of our offshore subsidiaries to our PRC subsidiaries, which are treated as foreign-invested enterprises under PRC law, or to our consolidated affiliated entities are subject to PRC regulations and foreign exchange loan registrations. Such loans to any of our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities to finance their activities cannot exceed a statutory upper limit and must be filed with SAFE through the online filing system of SAFE after the loan agreement is signed and at least three business days prior to the borrower withdraws any amount from the foreign loan. We may also decide to finance our PRC subsidiaries by means of capital contributions, in which case the PRC subsidiary is required to file the details of the capital contributions with the Ministry of Commerce or its local counterparts. If the business of the PRC subsidiary falls under the “restricted business” category under the Guidance Catalog of Industries for Foreign Investment or is subject to special requirements with respect to shareholding percentage and qualification of senior officers for the “encouraged business” category, the capital contributions to such PRC subsidiary must be approved by the Ministry of Commerce or its local counterparts. Meanwhile, we are not likely to finance the activities of our consolidated affiliated entities by means of capital contributions given the PRC legal restrictions on foreign ownership of internet, value-added telecommunication-based online marketing, online audio and video services and mobile app distribution businesses.

In June 2016, SAFE promulgated SAFE Circular No. 16, which removed certain restrictions previously provided under several SAFE circulars, including SAFE Circular No. 142, in respect of conversion by a foreign-invested enterprise of foreign currency registered capital into RMB and use of such RMB capital. However, SAFE Circular No. 16 continues to prohibit foreign-invested enterprises from, among other things, using RMB fund converted from its foreign exchange capitals for expenditure beyond its business scope, and providing loans to non-affiliated enterprises except as permitted in the business scope.

In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies, including SAFE Circulars referred to above, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or filings on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries or consolidated affiliated entities or additional capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiaries, and conversion of such loans or capital contributions into RMB. If we fail to complete such registrations or filings, our ability to capitalize or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could adversely affect our ability to fund and expand our business.

PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries, limit our subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us, or may otherwise adversely affect us.

The Notice on Issues Relating to the Administration of Foreign Exchange in Fund-Raising and Round-Trip Investment Activities of Domestic Residents Conducted via Offshore Special Purpose Companies, or SAFE Circular No. 75, and a series of implementation rules and guidance issued by SAFE, including the circular relating to operating procedures that came into effect in July 2011, require PRC residents and PRC corporate entities to register with local branches of SAFE in connection with their direct or indirect offshore investment in

 

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an overseas special purpose vehicle, or SPV, for the purposes of overseas equity financing activities, and to update such registration in the event of any significant changes with respect to that offshore company. SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular No. 37, on July 4, 2014, which replaced the SAFE Circular No. 75. SAFE Circular No. 37 requires PRC residents to register with local branches of SAFE in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, for the purpose of overseas investment and financing, with such PRC residents’ legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests, referred to in SAFE Circular No. 37 as a “special purpose vehicle.” The term “control” under SAFE Circular No. 37 is broadly defined as the operation rights, beneficiary rights or decision-making rights acquired by the PRC residents in the offshore special purpose vehicles or PRC companies by such means as acquisition, trust, proxy, voting rights, repurchase, convertible bonds or other arrangements. SAFE Circular No. 37 further requires amendment to the registration in the event of any changes with respect to the basic information of the special purpose vehicle, such as changes in a PRC resident individual shareholder, name or operation period; or any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC individuals, share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material event. If the shareholders of the offshore holding company who are PRC residents do not complete their registration with the local SAFE branches, the PRC subsidiaries may be prohibited from distributing their profits and proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to the offshore company, and the offshore company may be restricted in its ability to contribute additional capital to its PRC subsidiaries. Moreover, failure to comply with SAFE registration and amendment requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for evasion of applicable foreign exchange restrictions. On February 28, 2015, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13, which became effective on June 1, 2015. In accordance with SAFE Notice 13, entities and individuals are required to apply for foreign exchange registration of foreign direct investment and overseas direct investment, including those required under the SAFE Circular No. 37, with qualified banks, instead of SAFE. The qualified banks, under the supervision of SAFE, directly examine the applications and conduct the registration.

We have notified holders of ordinary shares of our company whom we know are PRC residents to register with the local SAFE branch and update their registrations as required under the SAFE regulations described above. We are aware that Mr. Robin Yanhong Li, our chairman, chief executive officer and principal shareholder, who is a PRC resident, has registered, and updated registration when required, with the relevant local SAFE branch. We, however, cannot provide any assurances that all of our shareholders or ADS holders who are PRC residents will file all applicable registrations or update previously filed registrations as required by these SAFE regulations. The failure or inability of our PRC resident shareholders to comply with the registration procedures may subject the PRC resident shareholders to fines and legal sanctions, restrict our cross-border investment activities, or limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to or obtain foreign exchange-dominated loans from our company.

As it is uncertain how the SAFE regulations described above will be interpreted or implemented, we cannot predict how these regulations will affect our business operations or future strategy. For example, we may be subject to more stringent review and approval process with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as remittance of dividends and foreign currency-denominated borrowings, which may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, if we decide to acquire a PRC domestic company, we cannot assure you that we or the owners of such company will be able to obtain the necessary approvals or complete the necessary filings and registrations required by the SAFE regulations. This may restrict our ability to implement our acquisition strategy and could adversely affect our business and prospects.

 

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Failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee stock ownership plans or share option plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly-Listed Company, or the Stock Option Rule, replacing the earlier rules promulgated in March 2007. Under the Stock Option Rule, PRC residents who are granted stock options by an overseas publicly listed company are required, through a PRC agent or PRC subsidiary of such overseas publicly listed company, to register with SAFE and complete certain other procedures. We and our PRC resident employees who have been granted stock options are subject to these regulations. We have designated our PRC subsidiary Baidu Online to handle the registration and other procedures required by the Stock Option Rule. If we or our PRC optionees fail to comply with these regulations in the future, we or our PRC optionees and their local employers may be subject to fines and legal sanctions.

PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions conducted by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.

The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in August 2006 and amended in June 2009, among other things, established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex. In addition, the Implementing Rules Concerning Security Review on the Mergers and Acquisitions by Foreign Investors of Domestic Enterprises, issued by the Ministry of Commerce in August 2011, specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors involved in “an industry related to national security” are subject to strict review by the Ministry of Commerce, and prohibit any activities attempting to bypass such security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. We believe that our business is not in an industry related to national security, but we cannot preclude the possibility that the Ministry of Commerce or other government agencies may publish explanations contrary to our understanding or broaden the scope of such security reviews in the future, in which case our future acquisitions in the PRC, including those by way of entering into contractual control arrangements with target entities, may be closely scrutinized or prohibited. Moreover, the Anti-Monopoly Law requires that the Ministry of Commerce be notified in advance of any concentration of undertaking if certain filing thresholds are triggered. We may grow our business in part by directly acquiring complementary businesses in China. Complying with the requirements of the laws and regulations mentioned above and other PRC regulations to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the Ministry of Commerce, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share. Our ability to expand our business or maintain or expand our market share through future acquisitions would as such be materially and adversely affected.

Our auditor is located in China, a jurisdiction where PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the PRC authorities, and as such, investors may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection.

Our independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit reports included in our annual reports filed with the SEC, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB, is required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by PCAOB to assess its compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards. Our auditor is located in China, a jurisdiction where PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the PRC authorities. In May 2013, PCAOB announced that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on Enforcement Cooperation with the China Securities Regulation Commission, or the CSRC, and the Ministry of Finance, which establishes a cooperative framework between the parties for the production and exchange of audit documents relevant to investigations

 

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undertaken by PCAOB, the CSRC or the Ministry of Finance in the United States and the PRC, respectively. PCAOB continues to be in discussions with the CSRC and the Ministry of Finance to permit joint inspections in the PRC of audit firms that are registered with PCAOB and audit Chinese companies that trade on U.S. exchanges. On December 7, 2018, the SEC and the PCAOB issued a joint statement highlighting continued challenges faced by the U.S. regulators in their oversight of financial statement audits of U.S.-listed companies with significant operations in China. The joint statement reflects a heightened interest in an issue that has vexed U.S. regulators in recent years. However, it remains unclear what further actions the SEC and PCAOB will take to address the problem.

Inspections of other firms that PCAOB has conducted outside of China have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. The inability of PCAOB to conduct inspections of independent registered public accounting firms operating in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures or quality control procedures. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections.

Proceedings instituted by the SEC against certain PRC-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

In December 2012, the SEC brought administrative proceedings against five accounting firms in China, including our independent registered public accounting firm, alleging that they had refused to produce audit work papers and other documents related to certain other China-based companies under investigation by the SEC. On January 22, 2014, an initial administrative law decision was issued, censuring these accounting firms and suspending four of these firms from practicing before the SEC for a period of six months. The decision is neither final nor legally effective unless and until reviewed and approved by the SEC. On February 12, 2014, four of these PRC-based accounting firms appealed to the SEC against this decision. In February 2015, each of the four PRC-based accounting firms agreed to a censure and to pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute and avoid suspension of their ability to practice before the SEC. The settlement requires the firms to follow detailed procedures to seek to provide the SEC with access to Chinese firms’ audit documents via the CSRC. If the firms fail to meet specified criteria, during a period of four years starting from the settlement date, the SEC retains authority to impose a variety of additional remedial measures on the firms depending on the nature of the failure. Additional remedies for any future noncompliance could include, as appropriate, an automatic six-month bar on a single firm’s performance of certain audit work, commencement of additional proceedings against a firm, or in extreme cases the resumption of the current proceeding against all four firms.

In the event that the SEC restarts the administrative proceedings, depending upon the final outcome, listed companies in the United States with major PRC operations may find it difficult or impossible to retain auditors in respect of their operations in the PRC, which could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, including possible delisting. Moreover, any negative news about the proceedings against these audit firms may cause investor uncertainty regarding China-based, United States-listed companies and the market price of our ADSs may be adversely affected.

If our independent registered public accounting firm were denied, even temporarily, the ability to practice before the SEC and we were unable to timely find another registered public accounting firm to audit and issue an opinion on our financial statements, our financial statements could be determined not to be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act. Such a determination could ultimately lead to our delisting from the NASDAQ Global Select Market or deregistration from the SEC, or both, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of our ADSs in the United States.

 

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Fluctuation in the value of the RMB may have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

The value of the RMB against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in China’s political and economic conditions and foreign exchange policies. After the PRC government changed its policy of pegging the value of RMB to the U.S. dollar in 2005, the RMB has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably, and in recent years the RMB has depreciated significantly against the U.S. dollar. Since October 1, 2016, the RMB has joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right (SDR), along with the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the RMB depreciated significantly in the backdrop of a surging U.S. dollar and persistent capital outflows of China. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress towards interest rate liberalization and Renminbi internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system and there is no guarantee that the RMB will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar in the future.

Our revenues and costs are mostly denominated in RMB. Any significant revaluation of RMB may materially and adversely affect our cash flows, revenues, earnings and financial position, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, our ADSs in U.S. dollars. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into RMB for our operations, appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the RMB amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our RMB into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or ADSs, repaying our U.S. dollar denominated notes or other payment obligations or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the RMB would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us. In addition, appreciation or depreciation in the value of the RMB relative to U.S. dollars would affect our financial results reported, regardless of any underlying change in our business or results of operations, as RMB is our reporting currency. For example, an appreciation of RMB against the U.S. dollar would result in foreign currency translation losses for financial reporting purposes when we translate our U.S. dollar denominated financial assets into RMB, our reporting currency, and foreign exchange losses reported in earnings for certain RMB denominated loans that overseas entities borrowed from our PRC entities. Conversely, a depreciation of RMB against the U.S. dollar would result in foreign currency translation losses for financial reporting purposes when we translate our U.S. dollar denominated notes and other indebtedness into RMB. Moreover, a significant depreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar may significantly reduce our earnings translated in the U.S. dollars, which in turn could adversely affect the price of our ADSs.

Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert RMB into foreign currency. As a result, fluctuations in exchange rates may have a material adverse effect on your investment.

We face uncertainties with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC holding companies. Enhanced scrutiny over acquisition transactions by the PRC tax authorities may have a negative impact on potential acquisitions we may pursue in the future.

In February 2015, the State Administration of Tax issued a Public Notice Regarding Certain Corporate Income Tax Matters on Indirect Transfer of Properties by Non-Tax Resident Enterprises, or Public Notice 7. Public Notice 7 extends its tax jurisdiction to not only indirect transfers but also transactions involving transfer of other taxable assets, through the offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. Public Notice 7

 

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also brings challenges to both the foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of the taxable assets. Where a non-resident enterprise conducts an “indirect transfer” by transferring the taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, the non-resident enterprise being the transferor, or the transferee, or the PRC entity which directly owned the taxable assets may report to the relevant tax authority such indirect transfer. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may re-characterize such indirect transfer as a direct transfer of the equity interests in the PRC tax resident enterprise and other properties in China. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of up to 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. However, Public Notice 7 provides safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market. On October 17, 2017, the State Administration of Taxation, or the SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or SAT Bulletin 37, which came into effect on December 1, 2017. SAT Bulletin 37 further clarifies the practice and procedure of the withholding of non-resident enterprise income tax. Pursuant to Public Notice 7 and SAT Bulletin 37, both the transferor and the transferee may be subject to penalties under PRC tax laws if the transferee fails to withhold the taxes and the transferor fails to pay the taxes.

We face uncertainties with respect to the reporting and consequences of private equity financing transactions, share exchange or other transactions involving the transfer of shares in our company by investors that are non-PRC resident enterprises, or sale or purchase of shares in other non-PRC resident companies or other taxable assets by us. Our company and other non-resident enterprises in our group may be subject to filing obligations or being taxed if our company and other non-resident enterprises in our group are transferors in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations if our company and other non-resident enterprises in our group are transferees in such transactions, under Public Notice 7 and SAT Bulletin 37. For the transfer of shares in our company by investors that are non-PRC resident enterprises, our PRC subsidiaries may be requested to assist in the filing under Public Notice 7 and SAT Bulletin 37. As a result, we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with Public Notice 7 and SAT Bulletin 37 or to request the relevant transferors from whom we purchase taxable assets to comply with these circulars, or to establish that our company and other non-resident enterprises in our group should not be taxed under these circulars. The PRC tax authorities have the discretion under Public Notice 7 and SAT Bulletin 37 to make adjustments to the taxable capital gains based on the difference between the fair value of the taxable assets transferred and the cost of investment. If the PRC tax authorities make adjustments to the taxable income of the transactions under Public Notice 7 and SAT Bulletin 37, our income tax costs associated with such transactions will be increased, which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. We have made acquisitions in the past and may conduct additional acquisitions in the future. We cannot assure you that the PRC tax authorities will not, at their discretion, adjust any capital gains and impose tax return filing obligations on us or require us to provide assistance to them for the investigation of any transactions we were involved in. Heightened scrutiny over acquisition transactions by the PRC tax authorities may have a negative impact on potential acquisitions we may pursue in the future.

Risks Related to Our ADSs

The trading price of our ADSs has been volatile and may continue to be volatile regardless of our operating performance.

The trading price of our ADSs has been and may continue to be subject to wide fluctuations. The market price for our ADSs may continue to be volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to factors including the following:

 

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actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations;

 

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changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts;

 

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conditions in internet search and online marketing markets;

 

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changes in the operating performance or market valuations of other internet search or internet companies;

 

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announcements by us or our competitors or other internet companies of new products, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;

 

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addition or departure of key personnel;

 

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public perception or negative news about our products or services;

 

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our share repurchase program;

 

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fluctuations of exchange rates between RMB and the U.S. dollar;

 

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litigation, government investigation or other legal or regulatory proceeding; and

 

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general economic or political conditions in China or elsewhere in the world.

In addition, the stock market in general, and the market prices for internet-related companies and companies with operations in China in particular, have experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the operating performance of such companies. The securities of some China-based companies that have listed their securities in the United States have experienced significant volatility since their initial public offerings in recent years, including, in some cases, substantial declines in the trading prices of their securities. The trading performances of these companies’ securities after their offerings may affect the attitudes of investors towards Chinese companies listed in the United States in general, which consequently may impact the trading performance of our ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, any negative news or perceptions about inadequate corporate governance practices or fraudulent accounting, corporate structure or other matters of other Chinese companies may also negatively affect the attitudes of investors towards Chinese companies in general, including us, regardless of whether we have engaged in any inappropriate activities. In particular, the global financial crisis, the ensuing economic recessions and deterioration in the credit market in many countries have contributed and may continue to contribute to extreme volatility in the global stock markets. These broad market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our ADSs. Volatility or a lack of positive performance in our ADS price may also adversely affect our ability to retain key employees, most of whom have been granted options or other equity incentives.

Substantial future sales or the perception of sales of our ADSs in the public market could cause the price of our ADSs to decline.

Sales of our ADSs in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the market price of our ADSs to decline. Such sales also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem appropriate. If any existing shareholder or shareholders sell a substantial amount of ADSs, the prevailing market price for our ADSs could be adversely affected. In addition, if we pay for our future acquisitions in whole or in part with additionally issued ordinary shares, your ownership interests in our company would be diluted and this, in turn, could have a material and adverse effect on the price of our ADSs.

We cannot guarantee that our share repurchase program will be fully consummated or that our share repurchase program will enhance long-term shareholder value, and share repurchases could increase the volatility of the price of our ADSs and could diminish our cash reserves.

On June 26, 2018, our board of directors authorized our company to repurchase up to US$1.0 billion of our ADSs or ordinary shares over 12 months from June 27, 2018 through June 26, 2019. The share repurchase program, authorized by our board of directors, does not obligate us to repurchase any specific dollar amount or to acquire any specific number of ADSs. The share repurchase program could affect the price of our ADSs and increase volatility and may be suspended or terminated at any time, which may result in a decrease in the trading price of our ADSs.

 

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You may not have the same voting rights as the holders of our ordinary shares and may not receive voting materials in time to be able to exercise your right to vote.

Except as described in this annual report and in the deposit agreement, holders of our ADSs will not be able to exercise voting rights attached to the shares evidenced by our ADSs on an individual basis. Holders of our ADSs will appoint the depositary or its nominee as their representative to exercise the voting rights attached to the shares represented by the ADSs. You may not receive voting materials in time to instruct the depositary to vote, and it is possible that you, or persons who hold their ADSs through brokers, dealers or other third parties, will not have the opportunity to exercise a right to vote. Upon our written request, the depositary will mail to you a shareholder meeting notice which contains, among other things, a statement as to the manner in which your voting instructions may be given, including an express indication that such instructions may be given or deemed given to the depositary to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us if no instructions are received by the depositary from you on or before the response date established by the depositary. However, no voting instruction will be deemed given and no such discretionary proxy will be given with respect to any matter as to which we inform the depositary that (i) we do not wish such proxy given, (ii) substantial opposition exists, or (iii) such matter materially and adversely affects the rights of shareholders.

You may not be able to participate in rights offerings and may experience dilution of your holdings as a result.

We may from time to time distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire our securities. Under the deposit agreement for the ADSs, the depositary will not offer those rights to ADS holders unless both the rights and the underlying securities to be distributed to ADS holders are either registered under the Securities Act of 1933, or exempt from registration under the Securities Act with respect to all holders of ADSs. We are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to any such rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to cause such a registration statement to be declared effective. In addition, we may not be able to take advantage of any exemptions from registration under the Securities Act. Accordingly, holders of our ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution in their holdings as a result.

You may be subject to limitations on transfer of your ADSs.

Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its transfer books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. In addition, the depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of ADSs generally when our books or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary deems it advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason.

You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law, conduct most of our operations in China and all of our executive officers reside outside of the United States.

We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and conduct most of our operations in China through our subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities in China. All of our executive officers and a majority of our directors reside outside of the United States and some or all of the assets of these persons are located outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible to effect service of process within the United States or elsewhere outside of China upon our executive officers, including with respect to matters arising under U.S. federal securities laws or applicable state securities laws.

It may also be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against our directors and executive officers in the Cayman Islands or in China in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the

 

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assets of our directors and executive officers. There is no statutory recognition in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, although the courts of the Cayman Islands will generally recognize and enforce a non-penal judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits. Moreover, our PRC counsel has advised us that the PRC does not have treaties with the United States or many other countries providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgment of courts.

Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association and by the Companies Law (2018 Revision) and common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take legal action against our directors and us, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and provides significantly less protection to investors. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action before the federal courts of the United States.

As a result of all of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests through actions against our management, directors or major shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States.

Our dual-class ordinary share structure with different voting rights could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

Our ordinary shares are divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote per share, while holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to ten votes per share. We issued Class A ordinary shares represented by our ADSs in our initial public offering. Our co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer, Robin Yanhong Li, who acquired our shares prior to our initial public offering, holds our Class B ordinary shares. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof, while Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon any transfer of Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof to any person or entity which is not an affiliate (as defined in our memorandum and articles of association) of such holder, such Class B ordinary shares will be automatically and immediately converted into the equal number of Class A ordinary shares. In addition, if at any time Robin Yanhong Li and his affiliates collectively own less than 5% of the total number of the issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares, each issued and outstanding Class B ordinary share will be automatically and immediately converted into one Class A ordinary share, and we shall not issue any Class B ordinary shares thereafter.

Due to the disparate voting powers attached to these two classes, certain shareholders have significant voting power over matters requiring shareholder approval, including election of directors and significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or sale of our company or our assets. This concentrated control could discourage or prevent others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover or other change of control transactions with our company, which could deprive our shareholders and ADS holders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares or ADSs as part of a sale of our company and might reduce the price of our ADSs.

Our articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could adversely affect the rights of holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs.

Our articles of association include certain provisions that could limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company, and therefore may deprive the holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs of the opportunity to

 

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sell their ordinary shares or ADSs at a premium over the prevailing market price by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transactions. These provisions include the following:

 

•

A dual-class ordinary share structure.

 

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Our board of directors has the authority, without approval by the shareholders, to issue up to a total of 10,000,000 preferred shares in one or more series. Our board of directors may establish the number of shares to be included in each such series and may fix the designations, preferences, powers and other rights of the shares of a series of preferred shares.

 

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Our board of directors has the right to elect directors to fill a vacancy created by the increase of the board of directors or the resignation, death or removal of a director, which prevents shareholders from having the sole right to fill vacancies on our board of directors.

We may be classified as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequence to U.S. Holders of our ADSs or ordinary shares.

A non-U.S. corporation, such as our own, will be considered a PFIC for any taxable year if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income is passive income or (ii) at least 50% of the value of its assets (based on an average of the quarterly values of the assets during a taxable year) is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. The value of our assets is generally determined by reference to the market price of the ADSs and ordinary shares, which may fluctuate considerably. In addition, because there are uncertainties in the application of the relevant rules and because PFIC status is a fact-intensive determination made on an annual basis, no assurance may be given with respect to our PFIC status for the current or any future taxable year.

Based on the market price of our ADSs and ordinary shares, the value of our assets, and the composition of our assets and income, we believe that we were not a PFIC for our taxable year ended December 31, 2018. However, given the lack of authority and the highly factual nature of the analyses, no assurance can be given. Our PFIC status for the current taxable year ending December 31, 2019 will not be determinable until the close of the taxable year, there can be no assurance that we will not be a PFIC for the current taxable year (or any future taxable year).

If we were treated as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder (defined below) held an ADS or an ordinary share, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to the U.S. Holder. See “Item 10.E. Additional Information—Taxation—U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Passive Foreign Investment Company.”

 

Item 4.

Information on the Company

 

A.	History and Development of the Company

We were incorporated in the Cayman Islands in January 2000. Since our inception, we have conducted our operations in China principally through Baidu Online, our wholly owned subsidiary in Beijing, China. Since June 2001, we also have conducted part of our operations in China through Baidu Netcom, a consolidated affiliated entity in Beijing, China, which holds the licenses and approvals necessary to operate our platform and provide value-added telecommunication-based online marketing services. In subsequent years, we have established additional subsidiaries inside and outside of China and assisted in establishing additional PRC consolidated affiliated entities to conduct part of our operations.

On August 5, 2005, we listed our ADSs on The NASDAQ National Market (later renamed The NASDAQ Global Market) under the symbol “BIDU.” We and certain selling shareholders of our company completed the initial public offering of 4,604,224 ADSs, each then representing one Class A ordinary share, on August 10, 2005. On May 12, 2010, we effected a change of the ADS to Class A ordinary share ratio from 1 ADS representing 1 Class A ordinary share to 10 ADSs representing 1 Class A ordinary share. The ratio change has the same effect as a 10-for-1 ADS split. Our ADSs are currently traded on The NASDAQ Global Select Market.

 

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In December 2008, our shareholders approved our name change from Baidu.com, Inc. to Baidu, Inc. In November 2009, we moved into our new corporate headquarters, which we name as Baidu Campus. Our principal executive offices are located at Baidu Campus, No. 10 Shangdi 10th Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, the People’s Republic of China. Our telephone number at this address is +86 (10) 5992-8888.

In November 2012, we obtained the controlling interest in iQIYI, Inc., or iQIYI, a prior equity method investee, and have since then consolidated its financial results into our consolidated financial statements. In May 2013, we acquired the online video business of PPStream Inc., or PPS, merged it with iQIYI and have since then consolidated its financial results into our consolidated financial statements. In March 2018, iQIYI raised approximately US$2.4 billion of net proceeds through its initial public offering. iQIYI’s American Depositary Shares trade on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “IQ”. We continue to control iQIYI and consolidate its financial results into our own in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

In August 2017, our subsidiary that operated Baidu Deliveries, Xiaodu Life Technology Ltd., or Xiaodu, completed its merger with Rajax Holding, or Rajax, which operates the food delivery business under the ele.me brand in China. As a result of the merger, Xiaodu became a subsidiary of Rajax. We and Rajax have agreed to business cooperation across a broad base of products and services post the merger transaction. In May 2018, we transferred all of our equity interests in Rajax, which operates the food delivery business under the ele.me brand in China, to Ali Panini Investment Limited.

In April 2018, we entered into definitive agreements with certain investors relating to our divestiture of a majority equity stake in our financial services business, which provides consumer credit, wealth management and other financial services and has been renamed as Du Xiaoman. The divestiture was completed in August 2018, following which we held a minority equity interest in Du Xiaoman and have deconsolidated the financial results of Du Xiaoman from our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

 

B.	Business Overview

We aim to make a complex world simpler through technology. We strive to achieve this mission through our two-pillar strategy: strengthen our mobile foundation and lead in artificial intelligence (AI).

Our business currently consists of two segments, Baidu Core and iQIYI. Baidu Core primarily comprises (1) search plus feed, such as Baidu App, our search business and supporting content, including Baidu Post Bar, Baidu Knows, and Baidu Encyclopedia, as well as our online marketing services, and (2) new AI businesses, such as DuerOS (voice assistant and related smart device business), Apollo (autonomous driving platform), and Baidu Cloud. iQIYI is an innovative market-leading online entertainment service provider in China. iQIYI’s platform features original content, as well as a comprehensive selection of professionally-produced, partner-generated content and user-generated content.

We conduct our operations primarily in China. Revenues generated from our operations in China accounted for approximately 98%, 98% and 98% of our total revenues in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Baidu Core

Search and Feed

Products and Services for Users

We aspire to provide the best experience to our users. To enrich user experience, we provide a broad range of products and services accessible through mobile devices, PCs and other smart devices. We offer search and other services on the Baidu platform that connect users to relevant information online, including web pages, news, images, documents, multimedia files, and services, through links provided on our website, apps and skills store, as well as native-app like experiences via our smart mini program.

 

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Baidu App. Our flagship app enables users to access our search, feed and other services through mobile devices. Baidu App offers twin-engine search-plus-feed functions that leverage our AI-powered algorithms and deep user insight to offer users a compelling experience. It features improved feed display, short videos, smart mini programs, enhanced voice input, text to speech and augmented reality search to better serve users of mobile devices. In December 2018, average DAUs of Baidu App reached 161 million, increasing 24% over the same period of 2017.

Baidu Search. Users can also access our search and other services through Baidu’s other properties and Baidu Union partners. In addition to text inputs, our users can conduct AI-powered voice search, visual search and augmented reality search. Voice search integrates speech recognition and search technologies to enhance the user experience by providing a more natural and convenient input modality to text input. Visual search enables the use of smart phone cameras to capture images and retrieve related content on the web. AR search allows one’s imagination to come alive. For example, popular museums in China create augmented reality clips for historical artifacts to allow museum attendees experience “going back in time” to see the artifacts in historical settings, and Baidu’s AR search allows users to discover and watch these AR clips while touring the museums. We also endeavor to improve the search experience, through other AI-powered products such as Top 1, to satisfy user queries with the first displayed search result, which we believe will be an important capability with the adoption of smart devices with smaller screens. For example, a smart device with Baidu Smart Answer technologies can take a photo of a plant or a pet to identify the species and retrieve related information in a digital card.

Baidu Feed. Baidu Feed is a product within Baidu App that provides users with personalized timeline based on their demographics and interests. Baidu Feed complements our core search product, leverages Baidu AI recommendation algorithms and monetization platform, and contributes to user engagement and retention.

Haokan. Haokan is a short video app, offering a wide variety of user generated and professionally produced content often in coordination with multiple platform networks. Haokan allows users to upload, view, search, rate, share, favorite, comment, and follow. Video content creators and curators can distribute their content to build a fan base and receive revenue share for their content contribution.

Quanmin. Quanmin is a flash video app for users to create and share short videos, usually less than one minute long with the following orientation: musical, dance, comedy, acting and lip-sync, and live videos. Users can shoot or upload flash videos and edit them with built-in special effects, filters and stickers. Contents are distributed in personalized timeline powered by Baidu AI recommendation algorithms.

Baidu Post Bar.  Baidu Post Bar is a social media platform that builds online communities based on topical interest. Users can post text, image, audio and video content and reply to original curation, forming valuable discussion groups. Baidu Post Bar draws new users through close integration with search and user generated content, and has been a popular platform for celebrity fans, online game players and online novel readers to build communities for topical discussions, especially about current cultural trends.

Baidu Knows.  Baidu Knows is a question-and-answer community where questions are asked, answered, and organized by our users. The answers posted on Baidu Knows are generated by our users, professionals, enterprises and governmental agencies. Baidu Knows also leverages Baidu’s search capabilities to help users find answers to their questions on the web.

Baidu Encyclopedia.  Baidu Encyclopedia is an online encyclopedia, compiled by experts in specialized fields. It features high-quality columns, such as Encyclopedia of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Digital Museum and Recorder of History, as well as a complete video-based knowledge source.

Baidu Maps. Baidu Maps provides locations, intelligent routing and navigation. Baidu Maps aggregates available travel options, displaying route timing and estimated costs. Baidu Maps also offers voice assistant functionality, supporting voice activation, multi-round conversation, and complex commands.

 

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Baidu Input Method Editor, or Baidu IME. Baidu IME is a Chinese-language mobile keyboard, which utilizes Baidu AI to improve input accuracy, remembers corrections and offers a custom dictionary of new or uncommon words. Baidu IME supports advanced functions such as extended voice input, smart punctuation recommendation, voice message translation, voice modification and contextual speech detection. Users can create personalized emojis with Baidu IME’s augmented virtual reality function.

Overseas Products. We offer a series of products and services in overseas markets, including popIn (ad recommendation platform), Simeji (most popular mobile keyboard in Japan) and Facemoji (Simeji’s international edition).

Products and Services for Customers

Online Marketing Services

We deliver online marketing services to a diverse customer base. Consisting of SMEs, large domestic businesses and multinational companies, our customer base is diversified in terms of industries and geographical locations. The defined industries in which our customers operate include retail, personal care, medical and healthcare, franchising, financial services, education, online game services, auto/logistics, real estate and home furnishing, and business services. Customers in our top five industries contributed slightly over half of our total online marketing revenues in 2018. Although our customers are located throughout China, we have a more active and larger customer base in the coastal regions, reflecting the current general economic demographics in China.

Online marketing services include P4P (pay for performance) services and non-P4P services. Typically, a P4P customer pays us when users click on one of its website links on Baidu search result pages or Baidu Union partners’ properties, while a non-P4P customer pays us based on the duration of the placement on Baidu search result pages.

P4P.  Our auction-based P4P services allow customers to bid for priority placement of paid sponsored links and reach users who search for information related to their products or services. Customers may choose to purchase search-based, feed-based and other online marketing services and have the option to set daily allowances target users by geography in China and specify the time period for their campaign.

Search-based marketing services are mainly provided to customers through our proprietary online marketing system Phoenix Nest which drives monetization efficiency by improving relevance in paid search and optimizing value for our customers. We have made continuous improvements to Phoenix Nest ad monetization on our platform, including the initiatives below:

 

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Dynamic Ads: Delivers highly personalized search-based and feed-based online marketing by incorporating customers’ product catalogs and user insights through Baidu AI. Dynamic Ads has been adopted by our online marketing customers in ecommerce/retail, travel, auto and real estate sectors.

 

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oCPX: Enables customers to bid for online marketing services based on pre-defined results, including optimized cost per click, impression and view. oCPX provides marketing customers with more options to optimize lead generation.

 

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Action ads: Comes in a wide range of ad formats, including click-to-call, click-to-chat, click-to-download, and click-to-buy, to help marketing customers achieve better conversion.

 

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Moonrise: Employs reinforcement learning to improve customers’ online marketing with recommendation of better keywords, photos or videos from Baidu’s huge content library, to increase conversion and overall marketing effectiveness.

Feed-based marketing services usually comprise image-based or video-based online marketing services, appearing between the feed headlines, or within the feed content. It is powered by Baidu AI to better match online marketing customers with their targeted audience, while optimizing user experience.

 

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Our twin-engine search plus feed online marketing services enable the delivery of comprehensive, diversified and rich marketing offerings to fulfill customer needs.

Non-P4P. Our non-P4P services provide display-based marketing services and other online marketing services based on performance criteria other than cost per click, or CPC. Customers can choose different mix of our service offerings to optimize their ROI.

BrandZone allows customers to display integrated text, logo, image and video in a structured and uniform manner on a prominent position of the search result page or in vertical search products, such as Baidu Knows.

Programmatic marketing platform supports the placement of advertisement using standard, intelligent or customized creativity, different purchasing methods (guaranteed delivery or real time bidding), and multiple payment methods. Baidu Union partners may use our content recommendation system to provide feed content and ads to their users.

Partners of Search and Feed

We attract numerous business partners, which helped create opportunities for us to cooperate with these business partners in research and development and business operations and establish long term business relationship.

Baidu Union partners. Baidu Union consists of a large number of third-party websites and mobile apps. We match our customers’ promotional links to the properties of Baidu Union partners. Some Baidu Union partners also embed our products and services onto their properties. We allow Baidu Union partners to provide high-quality, relevant search results to their users without incurring the cost of development and maintenance for advanced search capabilities and monetize their traffic through revenue sharing arrangements with us.

Baijiahao, or BJH. Our network of 1.9 million content provider accounts, aggregates news articles, photos, short videos, live videos and augmented reality clips from multiple channel networks (MCNs), media outlets, and other professional sources for our feed product.

Other Partners. We enable a massive pool of content providers to contribute a broad range of content and resources on our platform, and to provide a rich, valuable content ecosystem to our users. Our content providers consist of MCNs, media outlets, curators, professional content publishers, video and other content copyright holders, app and smart mini program developers, and brands and businesses that offer various online contents on our platform.

New AI Businesses

Our new AI businesses comprise new business initiatives, including DuerOS (voice assistant and related smart device business), Apollo (autonomous driving platform), and Baidu Cloud. These businesses are powered by Baidu AI, based on Baidu Brain, our customer insights and other big data, and leading AI capabilities.

DuerOS. DuerOS is a cross-platform voice assistant with an installed base of over 200 million and monthly voice queries reaching 1.6 billion in December 2018. With a network of over 300 partners, DuerOS is installed on smart devices (in homes and hotels), smart phones, children watches and story machines. We released four DuerOS-powered Xiaodu branded smart devices in 2018, including Xiaodu smart speaker and Xiaodu smart display, the first smart speaker in China with a display. Equipped with over 1,000 skills in genres such as education, cooking, gaming and entertainment, the DuerOS skills store has been released for test trials.

Apollo. Apollo, our open source autonomous driving platform, supports commercial production of autonomous driving vehicles and incorporates autonomous driving capabilities, including valet parking. In July

 

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2017, Kinglong Automotive released Apolong L4 minibus, the first autonomous shuttle bus without steering wheel made commercially available in China. Designated by the Chinese government as the autonomous driving platform on the “national team,” Apollo has garnered over 135 OEMs, Tier 1 parts suppliers and other strategic partners. Although autonomous driving is at an early stage of development, we believe autonomous driving and smart transportation, in partnership with municipalities to provide AI solutions to improve traffic flow, air pollution and road hazards, will be important growth areas for us in the future.

Baidu Cloud. Baidu Cloud primarily provides AI solutions, cloud infrastructure and other services to enterprises and individuals. Our goal is to offer a comprehensive set of products, services and tools to enable enterprises to improve productivity and operational efficiency through the use of Baidu AI and cloud infrastructure. For example, the use of Baidu AI customer solutions to automate customer call centers in lieu of IVR system and a large team of call center personnel. Baidu Cloud offers general and industry-specific AI solutions, serving industries, including financial services, media, gaming and telecommunications, while supporting internal usage.

iQIYI

iQIYI is an innovative market-leading online entertainment service provider in China. For the year of 2018, iQIYI’s average mobile MAUs were 455 million, and its average mobile DAUs were 135 million. On average, users spent 9.4 billion hours per month watching video content on iQIYI platform through all devices, and spent 1.6 hours per day per user watching video content on its mobile apps during the year.

iQIYI’s platform features original content, as well as a comprehensive selection of professionally produced content, or PPC, partner generated content, or PGC, and user generated content, or UGC.

PPC

Original content. iQIYI’s original content includes high quality content produced in-house and those produced in collaboration with third-parties. iQIYI obtains the intellectual property rights through production, adaptation or purchase from third parties, while the partners, typically established entertainment production companies, are responsible for content development and production. iQIYI maintains a high degree of control during the content development and production process.

Licensed content. iQIYI provides users with a curated selection of high-quality PPC from third parties. iQIYI licenses video content typically at fixed rates for a specified term, and pay licensing fees generally in installments upon signing of the contacts and during the licenses period. iQIYI also exchanges rights to distribute licensed content with other internet video streaming services to enrich our content library. In certain cases, iQIYI has the right of first refusal to purchase new content produced by the licensor.

PGC and UGC

iQIYI collaborates with a large number of selected partners to supplement its video content portfolio with PGC, and incentivizes them to submit high-quality content through our revenue-sharing mechanism. PGC expands iQIYI’s video collection to cover long-tail content to capture a broader user base. Furthermore, PGC promotes iQIYI’s brand, drives user engagement and enhances user stickiness.

iQIYI has established a track record of creating multiple channels of monetization through adapting single popular works into a variety of entertainment products. iQIYI generates revenues primarily through membership services, online advertising, content distribution and other services.

Membership Services

iQIYI’s membership services generally provide subscribing members with superior entertainment experience that is embodied in various membership privileges. Subscribing members have early access or binge-

 

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watch option to certain drama series aired exclusively on iQIYI platform. Subscribing members also have access to a large collection of VIP-only content comprises drama series, movies, animations, and cartoons, etc. Membership privileges generally include substantially ad-free streaming, 1080P/4K high-definition video, enhanced audio experience, accelerated downloads and others. Subscribing member privileges also include coupons and discounts on paid on-demand films, as well as special privilege in offline events, such as exclusive access to live concerts. The number of subscribing members increased 72% from 50.8 million as of December 31, 2017 to 87.4 million as of December 31, 2018. Excluding individuals with trial memberships, the number of subscribing members increased by 72% from 50.0 million as of December 31, 2017 to 86.1 million as of December 31, 2018.

Online Advertising

The prices of iQIYI’s advertising services depend upon various factors, including form and size of the advertising, level of sponsorship, popularity of the content or event in which the advertisements will be placed, and specific targeting requirements. Prices for the brand advertising service purchased by each advertiser or advertising agency are fixed under sales contracts. iQIYI’s feed-based online marketing services are competitively priced through an online bidding process.

Sales and Distribution

We offer Baidu Core products and services directly and through our distribution network. We have direct sales presence in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Dongguan and Suzhou, covering the major regional markets for our online marketing services.

The business distributors of Baidu Core products and services provide numerous services, including identifying customers, collecting payments, assisting customers in setting up accounts with us, suggesting keywords to maximize ROI and engaging in other marketing and educational services aimed at acquiring customers. We offer discounts to distributors as consideration for their services. We have relied on distributors for several reasons. Our P4P customer base in China is geographically diverse and fragmented, as many of our P4P customers are SMEs located in different regions in China. Moreover, SMEs are generally less experienced with online marketing, as compared to large companies, and, therefore, benefit from the extensive services provided by distributors. Finally, distributors serve as an important channel to reach SME customers throughout China and collect payments from them. We offer our online marketing services to medium and large corporate customers through third-party agencies and our direct sales force. We have also engaged third-party agencies to identify and reach potential customers outside of China.

iQIYI’s brand advertising is sold primarily through third-party advertising agencies, including members of American Association of Advertising Agencies, or 4As, and leading Chinese advertising agencies, as well as by us directly. Feed-based advertising services is sold primarily through third-party advertising agencies, whose existing long-term relationships and network resources we strategically leverage, to increase our sales and expand our advertiser base. Depending on the type of advertiser and content, the duration of an advertising agreement is typically 12 months.

Marketing

We focus on continually improving the quality of our products and services, as we believe satisfied users and customers are more likely to recommend our products and services to others. Through these efforts and the increased use of internet in China, we have built our brand with modest marketing expenditures.

We have implemented a number of marketing initiatives designed to promote our brand awareness among potential users, customers and Baidu Union partners. In addition to our brand positioning in the market, we have also initiated a series of marketing activities to promote our products and technologies among existing and potential users and customers, including, but not limited to, Baidu Developer Conference and Baidu World. In addition, we have increased spending in channel and brand marketing over the last year, to increase awareness and drive traffic growth for the family of Baidu apps, including Baidu App, Haokan and Quanmin.

 

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Competition

For Baidu Core business, our primary competitors are mainly internet companies and online marketing platforms in China. We compete with these entities for both users and customers on the basis of user traffic, quality (relevance), safety and user experience of search (and other marketing and advertising) results, availability and ease of use of products and services, the number of customers, distribution channels and the number of associated third-party websites. We also face competition from U.S.-based internet search providers providing Chinese language services and traditional advertising media.

Internet Companies and Online Marketing Platforms in China.  Chinese internet companies, such as Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, Sohu and Qihoo 360, offer a broad range of online services, including search and feed services. These companies have widely recognized brand names in China and significant financial resources. We compete with these internet companies primarily for user traffic, user time, content, advertising budget and marketing resources. We leverage our user traffic, product design and various marketing to enhance users’ reliance on our platforms and services.

U.S.-based Internet Search Providers. U.S.-based internet search providers, such as Google, have a strong global presence, well established brand names, more users and customers and significantly greater financial resources than we do. We may also continue to face competition from other existing competitors and new entrants in the Chinese language search and online marketing market.

Other Advertising Media.  Other advertising media, such as newspapers, yellow pages, magazines, billboards, other forms of outdoor media, television, radio and mobile apps compete for a share of our customers’ marketing budgets. Large enterprises currently spend a relatively small percentage of their marketing budgets on online marketing as compared to other advertising media.

For iQIYI, our primary competitors include companies that operate online video sites in China, such as Tencent Video and Youku Tudou. We also compete with other internet media and entertainment services, such as internet and social platforms that offer content in emerging and innovative media formats, as well as major TV stations. We compete with these market players for both users and advertisers primarily on the basis of user base and demographics, quality and quantity of video content, brand name and user experience.

Technology

We established several research labs in China and the U.S. to enhance our research and development capabilities, and to focus on efficient data analysis, robotics and other areas. In 2018, we joined Berkeley DeepDrive, a research alliance that studies state-of-the-art technologies in computer vision and machine learning for automotive applications to develop Apollo.

We have developed a proprietary technological infrastructure which consists of technologies for artificial intelligence, search, P4P and large-scale systems. Our established infrastructure serves as the backbone for our mobile, PC and AI platforms.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We have been investing in AI for a number of years, particularly in the areas of natural language processing, knowledge graph, user understanding, speech technology, computer vision, augmented reality, data science and deep learning technology. Baidu AI powers our core businesses, including search, feed, ad monetization platforms, DuerOS, Apollo and Baidu Cloud. Through Baidu AI Open Platform, we have opened up Baidu AI capabilities to third-party developers and provided them with tool kits to access Baidu AI capabilities through Baidu Cloud. We are also exploring ways to apply AI technologies and accelerate the commercialization of AI products and services.

 

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Baidu Brain. The latest iteration of Baidu Brain 3.0 announced a new phase of “multi-modal deep semantic understanding,” which refers to the comprehensive and multi-dimensional semantic understanding of many categories of data and information, such as text, sound, pictures, videos, and more. The multi-modal semantics underlying Baidu Brain consist of data semantics, knowledge semantics, visual semantic analysis, speech semantic integration, and natural language semantic understanding.

The technology of data semantics transforms the immense multi-element, heterogeneous and multimodal data in the physical world, society and cyber space into a holistic semantic network containing hundreds of billions of nodes and trillions of relationships. It can then summarize rules, refine knowledge and discover values to promote the development of economy and society. The knowledge graph includes hundreds of millions of entities and hundreds of billions of facts. The basic entity-graph consists of entities, attributes and relationships. Additionally, attention graphs, events, multimedia, and industry-knowledge have also been constructed for different application scenarios and knowledge forms. All the heterogeneous data and knowledge constitute the foundation of Baidu Brain.

Visual Semantic Analysis. Visual semantics allow the machine to understand videos from the perspective of a viewer and extract structured semantic knowledge. For example, when visual semantic technology is applied to video analysis of the FIFA World Cup, it is capable of recognizing the players, referees, and balls in the video. It can also capture movements, such as shooting, scoring, corner kicks, free kicks, substitutions and more. From this semantic knowledge, it automates interpretation, such as collection of highlights or statistical analysis of data. Visual semantic technology can transform videos into structured semantic knowledge by recognizing people, movements, items and associated time series. This information can be applied to real-world situations, such as shopping at a supermarket, enhancing a customer’s shopping experience in a stall-free supermarket. It can also assist store managers in operations analysis and optimization.

Speech semantic Integration. Baidu Brain has developed an innovative speech recognition architecture that leverages and integrates multi-grained acoustic and semantic features, which breaks through the limitations of traditional big data analysis methods. Baidu Brain also developed the first end-to-end, online, Chinese-speech synthesis engine based on Bi-LSTM models, which utilize over 100 hours of voice recordings from a single speaker and comprise a large speech library. These techniques have been implemented for the purpose of far-field speech recognition and the so-called “endless conversation” in the DuerOS voice assistant.

Natural Language Semantic Understanding. Speech semantic integration and natural language processing technology can enable machines to identify and understand verbal communication accurately and achieve a natural human-machine dialogue. With the aid of natural language processing technology, Baidu Brain has read tremendous volume of online articles, enabling it to hold large amounts of knowledge on entities and facts.

Search Technology

Our search is powered by a set of industry-leading technologies, including the following, among others:

Ranking. We compare search queries with the content on web pages to help determine relevance. We have significantly improved the relevancy, freshness and authority of ranking using our machine learning modules to analyze the rich internet and user interaction data and prioritize the search results. For example, our technology determines the proximity of individual search terms to each other on a given web page, and prioritizes results where the search terms are near each other. Other aspects of a page’s content are also considered. We have innovatively applied our machine learning technology to better understand the semantics beyond simple text of the keywords inputted by our users, allowing us to provide more relevant search results to users. Since 2013, we have applied deep learning in our search ranking system, and such technology is playing an increasingly important role in search. In addition, we have built large scale computing capabilities based on GPU clusters, to handle prospective complex big data and deep learning computing.

 

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Content-based indexing and ranking system. With the outbreak of heterogeneous resources (such as video and pictures) on the Internet, traditional web-based resource (url)-based search indexing and ranking systems have been unable to adapt to current development trends. To this end, Baidu innovatively built up a content-based indexing and ranking system. The system converts various resources such as web pages, videos, and pictures into content by means of extraction and clustering, and indexes and ranks the content as the smallest unit, which greatly improves our search engine’s indexing capability of heterogeneous resources, making it better adapted to the development trend of Internet resources. At the same time, we have fully utilized our proprietary AI technology and extensively applied deep learning techniques to the understanding of text, video, pictures and other content, which greatly improved the content matching and sorting results and user experience.

Video Search. Video content is growing as an explosive trend in the ecosystem of Internet content. As a new general-purpose content format, video is more intuitive and easy to understand, and has a larger information capacity than graphic content. We believe that video search can make search more vivid and real, and has the same extensive demand satisfaction capability as graphic search. An increasing number of users are switching from graphic search to video search. The next-generation general-purpose search (video search) is beginning to take shape. With deep learning algorithm being applied to video analytics, we are vigilant in providing the best video search experience to our users.

Information Extraction.  We extract information from a web page using high performance algorithms and information extraction techniques. Our techniques enable us to understand web page content, delete extraneous data, build link structures, identify duplicate and junk pages and decide whether to include or exclude a web page based on its quality. Our techniques can process millions of web pages quickly. In addition, our anti-spam algorithms and tools can identify and respond to spam web pages quickly and effectively.

Web Crawling.  Our powerful computer clusters and intelligent scheduling algorithms allow us to crawl web pages efficiently. We can easily scale up our system to collect an ever-growing number of Chinese web pages. Our spider technology enables us to refresh web indices at different intervals and the index refresh frequency is set based on our knowledge of internet search users’ needs and the nature of the information. We also mine multi-media and other format of content from web page repositories.

Natural Language Processing. Based on linguistics knowledge, big data and knowledge graphs, our natural language processing accumulates and integrates linguistics analysis, such as lexical, syntax and semantic analysis, with calculation, learning mechanisms and other natural language processing technologies. Our natural language processing also conducts research and development of language understanding and generation, dialogue, reading comprehension, machine translation, intelligent writing and other app systems. Natural language processing has opened up language understanding and interaction, machine translation and other core competencies. For search, natural language processing helps to understand user needs and web contents, optimize search results, support first-line accurate results, and enable voice broadcasting of search results, all enhancing user experience. For feed products, natural language processing continues to improve content understanding, recommendation algorithms, content generation and other technologies to optimize the personalized recommendation results, continuously improving the user experience and promoting healthy development of our feed content ecosystem.

MIP (Mobile Instant Pages) is a set of open technical standards applying to mobile webpages, which accelerates the loading of mobile webpages by adopting MIP-HTML norms, MIP-JS operating environment and MIP-Cache system. When mobile websites use this backend technology, the speed at which they can be visited from both Baidu Search and Baidu Feed is improved significantly. This not only enhances user experience, but also increases websites’ page visit traffic. In 2018, we scaled up the adoption of MIP technology and updated applicable technical standards to MIP 2.0. We have also introduced Progressive Web App (PWA), a software development methodology that provides hybrid features from regular web pages (or websites) and a mobile application, in our MIP 2.0 standards, with the goal of improving user experience on mobile devices for websites developed using the MIP 2.0 standards.

 

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Extraction and Analysis of Behavioral Information of Mobile Internet User s. We extract behavioral information from users of mobile Internet using high performance algorithms and information extraction techniques. Our techniques enable us to understand complex user behaviors metrics such as like and dislike votes, shares, clicks and followers to effectively rank the quality and popularity of information, which in turn allows us to provide our users more accurate search results.

XuperChain. XuperChain, a blockchain framework, features technologies, such as multiple smart contract interpreters, pluggable consensus mechanism and variant type signature algorithms. XuperChain, which can be easily integrated into mobile and IoT devices, has a three-dimensional network architecture, taking full advantage of in-chain parallel technology and super node technology to boost blockchain performance. XuperChain-based applications are available in the areas of copyright protection, food safety and smart city.

P4P Technology

Our P4P platform serves billions of relevant, targeted sponsored links each day based on search terms users enter or content they view on the web page. Our key P4P technology includes:

P4P Auction System.  We use a web-based auction system to enable customers to bid for keywords and automatically deliver relevant, targeted promotional links on Baidu’s properties and Baidu Union partners’ properties. The system starts by screening the relevance between the sponsored links and a particular query. Our intelligent ranking system takes into consideration the quality factor of a sponsored link for a search query in addition to the price bid on the keyword. The quality factor of a sponsored link for a search query is determined based on the relevance and certain other factors. The relevance is determined based on the analysis of past search and click-through results. Links to customers’ websites are ranked according to a comprehensive ranking index, calculated based on both the quality factor of a sponsored link for a search query and the price bid on that keyword. We employ a dynamic mechanism in determining the minimum bidding price for each keyword. In addition, we have developed a new automatic auction system based on deep reinforcement learning and automated machine learning technologies, which enables us to automatically update our auction mechanism for better optimization.

Phoenix Nest. Designed to generate more relevant results, Phoenix Nest helps customers to identify popular keywords and provides them with tools for budget management and marketing effectiveness measurement. We have been continually improving our click-through rate (CTR) estimation technology. For example, we have introduced deep neutral network (DNN) technology into our CTR estimation. We have also developed a new generation Phoenix Nest deep learning network CTR estimation modeling system, which enables the estimation of clicks on different combinations of advertisement materials and has significantly improved the timeliness of the model estimations. In 2018, we upgraded the framework of our AIBOX deep learning algorithms and introduced high performance heterogeneous computing hardware, which led to significant improvement in computing efficiency and cost reduction. We have also transformed our existing DNN technology by introducing CTR 4.0, which greatly improved the computing and model estimation efficiency of our systems.

Metric Retrieval Technology. Metric retrieval learns how to match traffic and advertisements from massive behavioral data leveraging on deep learning technologies, and then applies this information to direct advertisement trigger. Traditional searches have both “candidate search” and “quality check,” and any inconsistency between the two steps will be detrimental to the trigger effects. Metrics retrieval, however, first learns through metric learning a good representation of traffic and advertising, and then uses the representation and retrieval technology to directly retrieve the advertisement with high scores in modeling, so as to eliminate the gap from different steps and greatly enhance the trigger efficiency and the utilization rate of Phoenix Nest traffic. To reflect that user behavioral data has a graph data structure, instead of a binary data structure, we expanded our metric retrieval technology, so that it could generate metrics based on the graph data structure. This development significantly improved estimation efficiency of Metric Retrieval and trigger efficiency and utilization rate of Phoenix Nest traffic.

 

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Content Auto-Generation Technology. Based on materials and website content provided by our customers and with considerations for our customer’s needs, we use our content auto-generation technology to automatically generate advertisements attractive to our users which in turn help our customers achieve better click and conversion rates. Our content auto-generation technology allows us to utilize bi-directional long short-term memory (LSTM) network offline to improve the expressivity of our programming models and Word2Vec online to expand the candidate pool. Based on our AI video generation technology, we are able to produce promotional videos for our customers for free.

oCPC Delivery System. We restructured our delivery system for marketing services with the following parameters:

 

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we aim to build a close looped commercial data ecosystem by providing our customers with various access methods such as bulk copy program utility (BCP), application programming interface (API) and JavaScript. Our customers can customize their own performance target metrics by selecting from 16 categories of conversion target metrics, including but not limited to app launch rate, click rate and validated form entry;

 

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we utilize parallel estimation of conversion rates in multiple scenarios based on multi-task DNN model and BS-CVRO dual-tower model, which builds a solid foundation for ranking of conversion rates and improvement of trigger efficiency and utilization rate;

 

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we optimize resource allocation for our customers with the introduction of conversion rate factors in our deep reinforcement learning auction mechanism, which directly improves conversion rate and marginal return for our customers; and

 

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we built the ANN marketing conversion trigger model that allows for significant improvement in the relevance of keywords in paid search, which in turn lifts trigger and monetization efficiency for Phoenix Nest.

P4P Billing System.  We record every click and charge customers a fee by multiplying the number of clicks by the CPC. Our system is designed to detect fraudulent clicks based on factors, such as click patterns and timestamps. This system also computes the amount a Baidu Union partner or distributor should be paid. The billing information is integrated with our internal financial system.

P4P Customer Service System.  This system offers data and tools to analyze data for our customers to evaluate and optimize the performance of our online marketing services provided to them. Through this system, our customers can also manage information relating to online marketing services, such as their budgets and time periods for the services.

ProTheme Contextual Promotion Technology.  Our ProTheme technology employs techniques that consider factors such as theme finding, keyword analysis, word frequency and the overall link structure of the web to analyze the content of individual web pages and to match sponsored links in our P4P platform to the web pages almost instantaneously. With this targeting technology, we can automatically provide contextually relevant promotional links. For example, our technology can provide links offering tickets to fans of a specific sports team or a news story about that team.

ROI-Constraint Auto-Targeting Technology . For app-using customers, AI technology allows us to assist our customers to take account of factors, such as theme finding, keyword analysis, word frequency and the overall link structure of the web, analyze the content of individual web pages and match sponsored users’ queries, so as to greatly enhance user experience. The technology has also been employed to manage the auction of customers, which has well-defined conversion measurement.

Large-Scale Systems and Technologies

Large Size Cluster Management . In order to provide highly efficient and stable search-related services as part of our Baidu Core business, we have developed an automated management platform for large size clusters.

 

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The platform enables us to intelligently manage and allocate resources and automatically debug and relocate services, thereby allowing tens of thousands of different source requests on the Baidu search engine and other non-search business to function stably across multiple internet data centers and thousands of servers.

Storage. We have developed an efficient, distributed and structured storage system to support Baidu Core products and services. Our storage system supports PB-level holistic, sequential data storage, and ten thousand times of real-time processing per second per device. Our storage system also has dynamic data attribute addition and subtraction function and historical data management capability.

Distributed Computing System.  We have developed our proxy computing system, a comprehensive set of ultra-large scale distributed computer system, to increase the utility rate of idle resources, providing a strong base support for our core operations. Our proxy computing system has realized various distributed computing software stacks, such as resource isolation, resource distribution, computing modeling and application framework, and supports commonly used computing modules such as MapReduce, Spark, Stream and WebService.

Indexing Technology.  Our indexing technology supports billions of daily search requests on over tens of thousands of servers located across multiple internet data centers of different network operators. Through the development in our indexing technology, we have been able to update our index with freshly generated information within seconds. For our indexing technology, we have incorporated deep learning technology like latent semantic indexing that built upon our existing semantic matching technology to significantly improve our retrieval rate.

Intellectual Property

We rely on a combination of patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret protection laws in China and other jurisdictions, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions to protect our intellectual property and our brand. We have over 4,000 issued patents in China covering invention, utility model and design, and intend to apply for more patents to protect our core technologies and intellectual property. We also enter into confidentiality, non-compete and invention assignment agreements with our employees and consultants and nondisclosure agreements with selected third parties. “ ,” our company’s name “Baidu” in Chinese, has been recognized as a well-known trademark in China by the Trademark Office of National Intellectual Property Administration under the State Administration for Market Regulation. In addition to owning “ ,” and the related logos, we have applied for registration of various other trademarks. We also have registered certain trademarks in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, the European Union and several other jurisdictions. In addition, we have registered our domain name Baidu.com and certain other websites with China National Network Information Center, or CNNIC. We have also successfully registered .Baidu top-level domain names with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Internet, technology and media companies are frequently involved in litigation based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. Furthermore, the application of laws governing intellectual property rights in China and abroad is uncertain and evolving and could involve substantial risks to us. See “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—We may face intellectual property infringement claims and other related claims that could be time-consuming and costly to defend and may result in an adverse impact over our operations” and “—We may be subject to patent infringement claims with respect to our P4P platform.”

Regulations

The PRC government extensively regulates the telecommunications industry, including the internet sector. The State Council, the MIIT and other relevant government authorities have promulgated an extensive regulatory

 

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scheme governing internet-related services. This section summarizes the principal PRC laws and regulations relating to our business.

In the opinion of Han Kun Law Offices, our PRC legal counsel, (i) the ownership structure relating to our consolidated affiliated entities complies with current PRC laws and regulations; (ii) subject to the disclosure and risks disclosed under “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure,” “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China” and “—Regulations,” our contractual arrangements with our consolidated affiliated entities and the nominee shareholders are valid and binding on all parties to these arrangements and do not violate current PRC laws or regulations; and (iii) subject to the disclosure and risks disclosed under “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure,” “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China” and “—Regulations,” the business operations of our consolidated affiliated entities, as described herein, comply with current PRC laws and regulations in all material respects.

China’s internet industry, online marketing market and e-commerce market are evolving. There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of existing or proposed PRC laws and regulations. We cannot assure you that the PRC regulatory authorities would find that our corporate structure and our business operations comply with PRC laws and regulations. If the PRC government finds us to be in violation of PRC laws and regulations, we may be required to pay fines and penalties, obtain certain licenses or permits and change, suspend or discontinue our business operations until we comply with applicable PRC laws and regulations.

Regulations on Value-Added Telecommunications Services and Internet Content Services

Value-added telecommunications services and Internet content services . The Telecommunications Regulations promulgated by the PRC State Council in September 2000 categorize all telecommunication businesses in the PRC as either basic or value-added. Pursuant to the Telecommunications Regulations, commercial operators of value-added telecommunications services must first obtain a Value-Added Telecommunication Business Operating License from the MIIT or its provincial level counterparts. The Administrative Measures for Telecommunication Business Operating License, promulgated by the MIIT with latest amendments becoming effective in September 2017, set forth the types of licenses required for value-added telecommunications services and the qualifications and procedures for obtaining such licenses. For example, a value-added telecommunications service operator providing commercial value-added services in multiple provinces is required to obtain an inter-regional license, whereas a value-added telecommunications service operator providing the same services in one province is required to obtain a local license. Baidu Netcom and some of our other PRC consolidated affiliated entities hold such Value-Added Telecommunication Business Operating Licenses.

Internet content services, or ICP services, are classified as one of the value-added telecommunication businesses. The Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services, promulgated by the PRC State Council in September 2000, require companies engaged in the provision of commercial internet content services to obtain a Value-added Telecommunication Business Operation Permit for ICP services, or an ICP license from the relevant government authorities before providing any commercial internet content services within the PRC. “Commercial internet content services” generally refer to provision of information service through public telecommunication network or internet for a fee. The Catalog of Classification of Telecommunications Services promulgated by the MIIT in December 2015 and taking effect from March 1, 2016 further divides ICP services into information publication platform and delivery services, information search and inquiry services, information communities platform services, instant message services, and information security and management services. We do not believe our P4P services conducted by our certain PRC subsidiaries are categorized as part of internet content services that require an ICP license under these regulations. Although Baidu Online conducts part of the P4P business by, among other things, examining and filtering P4P keywords, interacting with potential P4P customers, engaging in sales activities with our customers, P4P search results are displayed on the websites operated by Baidu Netcom, including Baidu.com. Baidu Netcom, as the owner of our domain name Baidu.com

 

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and holder of the necessary licenses and approvals, such as an ICP license, operates the website to list P4P search results and display other marketing and advertising content as an online marketing service provider.

Content regulation . National security considerations are an important factor in the regulation of internet content in China. The National People’s Congress, the PRC’s national legislature, has enacted laws with respect to maintaining the security of internet operation and internet content. Under these laws and applicable regulations, violators may be subject to penalties, including criminal sanctions, for internet content that:

 

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opposes the fundamental principles stated in the PRC constitution;

 

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compromises national security, divulges state secrets, subverts state power or damages national unity;

 

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harms the dignity or interests of the state;

 

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incites ethnic hatred or racial discrimination or damages inter-ethnic unity;

 

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undermines the PRC’s religious policy or propagates heretical teachings or feudal superstitions;

 

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disseminates rumors, disturbs social order or disrupts social stability;

 

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disseminates obscenity or pornography, encourages gambling, violence, murder or fear or incites the commission of a crime;

 

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insults or slanders a third party or infringes upon the lawful rights and interests of a third party; or

 

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is otherwise prohibited by law or administrative regulations.

ICP operators are required to monitor their websites, including electronic bulletin boards. They may not post or disseminate any content that falls within the prohibited categories and must remove any such content from their websites. The PRC government may shut down the websites of ICP license holders that violate any of the above-mentioned content restrictions and revoke their ICP licenses. For instance, in 2017, the SIIO issued a series of regulatory documents providing that an ICP operator is obligated to monitor contents displayed and disseminated by users on its platform. These regulations apply to online services, including (i) online forum and community service, which allows users to publish information and interact with other users on an online forum, post bar or other form of online communities, (ii) online follow-up comment service, which allows users to post threads, reply to original content, leave messages and engage in live commenting with texts, symbols, expressions, pictures, audio/video on a website, mobile app or other forms of interactive platform; (iii) online group chat information service, which allows users to communicate and exchange information in a cyberspace created by the users on an online platform; (iv) online official account information service, which allows users to post texts, pictures, audio/video and other information in the form of an official account registered by the user on a website, mobile app or other network platform. Pursuant to these regulations, a service provider is required to, among others, (x) register and verify the identity information of each user, and (y) in the case of publication or dissemination of prohibited contents on the platform, take prompt rectification measures, including removing and terminating transmission of the illegal content, restricting the user right of the offender, banning the user account and shutting down the relevant forum or channel, and report to the regulatory authority.

In addition, in November 2018, the SIIO issued a notice to require ICP operators to conduct security assessments on their Internet information services if their services include forums, blogs, microblogs, chat rooms, communication groups, public accounts, short videos, online live-streaming, information sharing, mini programs or such other functions that provide channels for the public to express opinions or have the capability of mobilizing the public to engage in specific activities. ICP operators must conduct self-assessment on, among others, the legality of new technology involved in the services and the effectiveness of security risk prevention measures, and file the assessment report to local competent Internet information office and public security authority.

 

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Restrictions on Foreign Ownership in Value-Added Telecommunications Services

Pursuant to the Provisions on Administration of Foreign-Invested Telecommunications Enterprises, promulgated by the PRC State Council with the latest amendments becoming effective in February 2016, the ultimate foreign equity ownership in a value-added telecommunications service provider must not exceed 50%. However, the MIIT released an announcement in June 2015 to remove the restriction on foreign equity for “online data processing and transaction processing businesses (operational E-commerce)” as provided in the Catalog of Telecommunication Businesses promulgated by the MIIT. The Guidance Catalog of Industries for Foreign Investment, as amended in 2017, and Special Administrative Measures (Negative List) for Foreign Investment Access issued in 2018 allow a foreign investor to own more than 50% of the total equity interest in an e-commerce business. In order to acquire any equity interest in a value-added telecommunication business in China, a foreign investor must satisfy a number of stringent performance and operational experience requirements, including demonstrating a good track record and experience in operating a value-added telecommunication business overseas. Foreign investors that meet these requirements must obtain approvals from the MIIT and the Ministry of Commerce (or the Ministry of Commerce’s authorized local counterparts), which retain considerable discretion in granting approvals. According to publicly available information, the PRC government has issued telecommunication business operating licenses to only a limited number of foreign-invested companies. We believe that it would be impracticable for us to acquire any equity interest in our consolidated affiliated entities without diverting management attention and resources. Moreover, we believe that our contractual arrangements with these entities and the individual nominee shareholders provide us with sufficient and effective control over these entities. Accordingly, we currently do not plan to acquire any equity interest in any of the consolidated affiliated entities.

A Notice on Intensifying the Administration of Foreign Investment in Value-Added Telecommunications Services, issued by the MIIT in July 2006, prohibits domestic telecommunication service providers from leasing, transferring or selling Telecommunication Business Operating Licenses to any foreign investor in any form, or providing any resources, sites or facilities to any foreign investor for their illegal operation of a telecommunication business in China. Pursuant to this notice, either the holder of a Value-Added Telecommunication Business Operating License or its shareholders must directly own the domain names and trademarks used by such license holder in its provision of value-added telecommunications services. The notice further requires each license holder to have the necessary facilities, including servers, for its approved business operations and to maintain the facilities in the regions covered by its license. If a license holder fails to comply with the requirements in the notice or cure any non-compliance, the MIIT or its local counterparts have the discretion to take measures against the license holder, including revoking its Value-Added Telecommunication Business Operating License.

Due to the restrictions under these PRC regulations, we operate our websites mainly through our PRC consolidated affiliated entities, such as Baidu Netcom. Baidu Netcom is our PRC consolidated affiliated entity, and is considered a domestic PRC entity under PRC law given that the nominee shareholders are PRC citizens or PRC entities.

Baidu Netcom and some of our other PRC consolidated affiliated entities holds a Value-Added Telecommunication Business Operating License. In compliance with the Notice of the MIIT on Intensifying the Administration of Foreign Investment in Value-Added Telecommunications Services, Baidu Netcom owns the necessary domain names and trademarks, including pending trademark applications, and have the necessary personnel and facilities to operate our websites.

Regulations on Mobile Internet Applications

In June 2016, the SIIO promulgated the Administrative Provisions on Mobile Internet Application Information Services, or the Mobile Application Administrative Provisions, which became effective on August 1, 2016. Pursuant to the Mobile Application Administrative Provisions, a mobile internet app refers to an app

 

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software that runs on mobile smart devices providing information services after being pre-installed, downloaded or embedded through other means. Mobile internet app providers refer to the owners or operators of mobile internet apps. Internet app stores refer to platforms which provide services related to online browsing, searching and downloading of app software and releasing of development tools and products through the internet.

Pursuant to the Mobile Application Administrative Provisions, an internet app program provider must verify a user’s mobile phone number and other identity information under the principle of mandatory real name registration at the back-office end and voluntary real name display at the front-office end. An internet app provider must not enable functions that can collect a user’s geographical location information, access user’s contact list, activate the camera or recorder of the user’s mobile smart device or other functions irrelevant to its services, nor is it allowed to conduct bundle installations of irrelevant app programs, unless it has clearly indicated to the user and obtained the user’s consent on such functions and app programs. In respect of an internet app store service provider, the Mobile Application Administrative Provisions require that, among others, it must file a record with the local authority within 30 days after it rolls out the internet app store service online. It must also examine the authenticity, security and legality of internet app providers on its platform, establish a system to monitor app providers’ credit and file a record of such information with relevant governmental authorities. If an app provider violates the regulations, the internet app store service provider must take measures to stop the violations, including giving a warning, suspension of release, withdrawal of the app from the platform, keeping a record of the incident and reporting the incident to the relevant governmental authorities.

In December 2016, the MIIT promulgated the Interim Measures on the Administration of Pre-Installation and Distribution of Applications for Mobile Smart Terminals, which came into effect on July 1, 2017. The Interim Measures aim to enhance the administration of mobile apps, and require, among others, that mobile phone manufacturers and internet information service providers must ensure that a mobile app, as well as its ancillary resource files, configuration files and user data can be uninstalled by a user on a convenient basis, unless it is a basic function software, which refers to a software that supports the normal functioning of the hardware and operating system of a mobile smart device.

Regulations on Internet Information Search Service

In June 2016, the SIIO promulgated the Administrative Provisions on Internet Information Search Services, or the Search Services Administrative Provisions, which took effect on August 1, 2016. Pursuant to the Search Services Administrative Provisions, internet information search service refers to the service whereby users can search for information that is collected from the internet and processed by computer technology. The Search Services Administrative Provisions requires that an internet information search service provider must not publish any information or contents prohibited by law in the form of links, abstracts, snapshots, associative words, related search or recommendations or otherwise. If an internet information search service provider identifies any search results that contain any information, website or app that is prohibited by law, it must stop displaying the search results, record the infraction and report it to the relevant governmental authority. In addition, an internet information search service provider is prohibited from seeking illegitimate interest by means of unauthorized disconnection of links, or provision of search results containing false information. If an internet information search service provider engages in paid search services, it must examine and verify the qualifications of its customers of the paid search services, specify the maximum percentage of search results as paid search results on a webpage, clearly distinguish paid search results from natural search results, and notably identify the paid search information item by item.

Regulations on News Display

Displaying news on a website and disseminating news through the internet are highly regulated in the PRC. The Provisional Measures for Administrating Internet Websites Carrying on the News Displaying Business, jointly promulgated by the State Council News Office and the MIIT in November 2000, require an ICP operator (other than a government authorized news unit) to obtain an approval from the State Council News Office to post

 

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news on its website or disseminate news through the internet. Furthermore, the disseminated news must come from government-approved sources pursuant to contracts between the ICP operator and the sources, copies of which must be filed with the relevant government authorities.

In May 2017, the SIIO issued the Provisions on the Administration of Internet News Information Services, or the Internet News Regulation, and its implementing rules, which became effective on June 1, 2017. Pursuant to the Internet News Regulation and its implementing rules, if an entity intends to provide internet news information service, it is required to obtain an approval from the State Council News Office and receive an Internet News Information Service License. Internet news information service refers to editing, publishing and reprinting and the dissemination platform service of internet news through internet websites, mobile apps, forums, blogs, micro-blogs, official accounts, instant message tools, live-streaming and other similar means. Pursuant to the Internet News Regulation, no internet news information service organizations may take the form of a foreign-invested enterprise, whether a joint venture or a wholly foreign-owned enterprise, and no cooperation between internet news information service organizations and foreign-invested enterprises is allowed prior to the security evaluation by the SIIO.

Baidu Netcom obtained the Internet News Information Service License, which permits it to publish internet news pursuant to the relevant PRC laws and regulations, in December 2006, and had the license renewed in October 2018.

Regulations on Internet Drug Information Services

According to the Provisions on the Administration of Internet Drug Information Services, which was issued by the State Food and Drug Administration in November 2017, an enterprise publishing drug-related information must obtain a qualification certificate from the provincial-level food and drug administration before it applies for the ICP license or files with the MIIT or its local provincial-level counterpart.

Baidu Netcom obtained the Qualification Certificate for Internet Drug Information Services, which permits it to publish drug-related information on its website, in November 2007, and had the certificate renewed in August 2017. We have several other entities in our group that have obtained the Qualification Certificate for Internet Drug Information Services.

Regulations on Internet Culture Activities

The Internet Culture Administration Measures, promulgated by the Ministry of Culture and with the latest amendment becoming effective in December 2017, require ICP operators engaging in “internet culture activities” to obtain a permit from the Ministry of Culture. The “internet culture activities” include, among other things, online dissemination of internet cultural products (such as audio-video products, games, performances of plays or programs, works of art and cartoons) and the production, reproduction, importation, distribution and broadcasting of internet cultural products. Imported internet cultural products are subject to content review by the Ministry of Culture before they are disseminated online, while domestic internet cultural products must be filed with the local branch of the Ministry of Culture within 30 days following the online dissemination. Service providers are also required to conduct self-review of the content of internet cultural products before they are put on the internet or submitted to the Ministry of Culture for approvals or filings. Baidu Netcom was granted an Internet Culture Business Permit in April 2007, which was renewed again in September 2018. Some other entities in our group have also obtained an Internet Culture Business Permit.

The Several Suggestions on the Development and Administration of Internet Music, issued by the Ministry of Culture and becoming effective in November 2006, reiterate the requirement for an internet service provider to obtain the Internet Culture Business Permit to carry on any business of internet music products. In addition, foreign investors are prohibited from engaging in the internet culture business operation.

 

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In October 2015, the Ministry of Culture promulgated a notice, which took effect on January 1, 2016, to further strengthen its regulation over online music, including requiring online platforms that allow users to upload self-created or performed music to set up real-time monitoring systems and requiring online music service providers to make quarterly filings of information related to their content self-review with the local counterpart of the Ministry of Culture from April 1, 2016.

Regulations on Internet Publishing

In February 2016, the SAPPRFT (currently known as the NNPB), and the MIIT jointly issued the Administrative Provisions on Internet Publishing Services, or the Internet Publishing Regulation, which took effect on March 10, 2016, and replaced the Interim Provisions for the Administration of Internet Publishing promulgated in 2002. The Internet Publishing Regulation requires that any entity engaged in the provision of online publications to the public via information networks obtain an Internet Publication License from the NNPB. Online publications refer to digital works with editing, production, processing and other publishing features, provided to the public via information networks, which mainly include: (i) informative and thoughtful text, pictures, maps, games, animation, audio and video digitizing books and other original digital works in fields such as literature, art and science, (ii) digital works consistent with the content of published books, newspapers, periodicals, audio-visual products and electronic publications, (iii) the network literature database or other digital works formed through aforementioned works by selecting, organizing, compiling and other means, and (iv) other types of digital works determined by the NNPB. The servers and storage facilities used by internet publishers must be located within the territory of the PRC. The Internet Publishing Regulation also provides that when an internet service provider provides manual intervention search ranking, advertising, promotion and other services to customers that provide internet publishing services, it is required to check and examine the Internet Publication Licenses obtained by the customers and the business scope of such licenses. Certain entities in our group have obtained the Internet Publication Licenses.

Regulations on Broadcasting Audio/Video Programs through the Internet

In December 2007, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, or the SARFT (currently known as NRTA) and the MIIT jointly promulgated the Rules for the Administration of Internet Audio and Video Program Services, commonly known as “Document 56,” which took effect on January 31, 2008. Pursuant to Document 56, an online audio/video service provider must obtain an Online Audio/Video Program Transmission License, which has a term of three years, and operate in accordance with the scope of the business as stipulated in the license. Furthermore, Document 56 requires all online audio/video service providers to be either wholly state-owned or state-controlled. According to some official answers to press inquiries published on the SARFT’s website in February 2008, officials from the SARFT and the MIIT clarified that online audio/video service providers that already had been operating lawfully prior to the issuance of Document 56 may re-register and continue to operate without becoming state-owned or controlled, provided that the providers have not engaged in any unlawful activities. This exemption will not be granted to online audio/video service providers established after Document 56 was issued. In addition, foreign-invested enterprises are not allowed to engage in the above-mentioned businesses. On March 16, 2018, the NRTA issued the Notice on Further Regulating the Transmission Orders of Internet Audio and Video Program, pursuant to which, among others, (i) online streaming platforms shall not illegally capture, edit, or reprogram audio-video programs, (ii) the movie clips and prevue broadcasted on the platform shall come from the licensed broadcasting and television programs; and (iii) the platform shall verify qualifications of sponsors for programs on the platform and shall refrain from accepting sponsorship or advertising from or cooperating in any other form with any unlicensed online audio/video service providers.

The PRC government has also promulgated a series of special regulatory measures governing live-streaming services. In November 2016, the SIIO promulgated the Administrative Provisions on Internet Live-streaming Service, which took effect on December 1, 2016. Pursuant to the Administrative Provisions, internet live-streaming service refers to continuous publishing of real-time information to the public on internet by means of video, audio, graphics, text or other forms, and an internet live-streaming service provider refers to an operator of

 

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the platform providing internet live-streaming service. In accordance with the administrative provisions, an internet live-streaming service provider must verify and register the identity information of publishers of live-streaming programs and users on its platform, and file the identity information of the publishers with the local governmental authority for record. Any internet live-streaming service provider engaging in news service must obtain internet news information service qualification and operate within the permitted scope of such qualification. In September 2016, the SAPPRFT (currently known as the NRTA) issued a Circular on Strengthening Administration of Live-streaming Service of Network Audio/Video Programs. Pursuant to the circular, any entity that intends to engage in live audio/video broadcasting of major political, military, economic, social, cultural or sport events or activities, or live audio/video broadcasting of general social or cultural group activities, general sporting events or other organizational events, must obtain an Online Audio/Video Program Transmission License with a permitted operation scope covering the above business activities. Any entity or individual without qualification is prohibited from broadcasting live audio/radio programs involving news, variety shows, sports, interviews, commentary or other forms of programs through any online live-streaming platform or online live broadcasting booth, nor are they permitted to start a live broadcasting channel for any audio or radio programs. In addition, no entity or individual other than licensed radio stations or television stations are allowed to use “radio station,” “television station,” “broadcasting station,” “TV” or other descriptive terms exclusive to television and radio broadcasting organizations to engage in any business on the internet without approval. Furthermore, the SIIO issued a notice in July 2017 which requires operators of internet news and information reproduction and broadcasting services, including commercial website apps that contain live-streaming features, and other internet live-streaming services, to file with the local SIIO starting from July 15, 2017. The Circular on Tightening the Administration of Internet Live-Streaming Services jointly issued jointly by the MIIT, the SIIO and several other government agencies in August 2018 reiterates the license requirements for online-streaming service providers and requires the operator to file with the local public security authority within 30 days after it commences the service online.

Baidu Netcom has renewed its Online Audio/Video Program Transmission License, which remains valid until July 2021. iQIYI has an Online Audio/Video Program Transmission License that is valid until October 2021. Another entity in our group has an Online Audio/Video Program Transmission License that is valid until March 2020.

Regulations on Internet Map Services

According to the Administrative Rules of Surveying Qualification Certificate, as amended by the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geo-information (formerly known as the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping) in August 2014, the provision of internet map services by any non-surveying and mapping enterprise is subject to the approval of the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geo-information and requires a Surveying and Mapping Qualification Certificate. Internet maps refer to maps called or transmitted through the internet. Pursuant to the Notice on Further Strengthening the Administration of Internet Map Services Qualification issued by the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geo-information in December 2011, any entity without a Surveying and Mapping Qualification Certificate for internet map services is prohibited from providing any internet map services. According to the Provisions on the Administration of Examination of Maps effective on January 1, 2018, subject to limited exceptions, an enterprise must first apply for an approval by the relevant regulatory authority, if it intends to engage in any of the following activities: (i) publication, display, production, posting, import or export of a map or a product attached with a map, (ii) re-publication, re-display, re-production, re-posting, re-import or re-export of a map the content of which has been changed after it is approved, or other commercial products attached with such a map, and (iii) publication or display of a map or a product attached with a map overseas. The operator of an approved internet map is required to file the updated contents of the map with the relevant regulatory authority semi-annually, and re-apply for a new approval of the map when the two-year term of the existing approval expires.

Baidu Netcom provides online traffic information inquiry services as well as internet map services and has obtained a Surveying and Mapping Qualification Certificate for internet map services. Another entity in our

 

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group has also obtained the Surveying and Mapping Qualification Certificate. In accordance with the Provisions on the Administration of Examination of Maps, we have initiated the application for examination and approval of the maps that are used in our products.

Regulations on Online Games

Pursuant to the Administrative Provisions on Internet Publishing Services and the Circular on Mobile Game Publishing Service, the online games services provided on our websites by our online game operator partners may be deemed as a type of “online publication service” provided by us, and we may be required to obtain an Internet Publication License from the NNRB. Beijing Perusal and another entity in our group have obtained the Internet Publication Licenses. The required approval by the NNRB of each online game provided on our websites is handled by our online game operator partners.

In accordance with the Interim Administration Measures of Online Games, promulgated by the Ministry of Culture in June 2010 and with the latest amendment becoming effective in December 2017, an ICP service provider operating online games must obtain an Internet Culture Business Permit. Baidu Netcom and some other entities in our group have obtained an Internet Culture Business Permit for operating online games. These measures also specify that the Ministry of Culture is responsible for the censorship of imported online games and the filing of records of domestic online games. The procedures for the filing of records of domestic online games must be conducted with the Ministry of Culture within 30 days after the commencement date of the online operation of these online games. The approval by or filing with the Ministry of Culture of each online game provided on our websites has been handled primarily by our online game operator partners.

In September 2009, the GAPP (currently known as the NNRB) together with several other government agencies issued Circular 13, which explicitly prohibits foreign investors from participating in online game operating businesses through wholly-owned enterprises, equity joint ventures or cooperative joint ventures in China. Circular 13 expressly prohibits foreign investors from gaining control over or participating in PRC operating companies’ online game operations through indirect means, such as establishing joint venture companies, entering into contractual arrangements with or providing technical support to the operating companies, or through a disguised form, such as incorporating user registration, user account management or payment through game cards into online game platforms that are ultimately controlled or owned by foreign investors. We offer online games provided by our game operator partners on our websites owned and operated by our consolidated affiliated entities. We also operate two smartphone app distribution platforms in China as well as a mobile game platform through our consolidated affiliated entities. If our contractual arrangements were deemed to be “indirect means” or “disguised form” under Circular 13, our relevant contractual arrangements may be challenged by the NNRB or other governmental authorities. If we were found to be in violation of Circular 13 in the operation of our online game platform, the NNRB, in conjunction with relevant regulatory authorities, would have the power to investigate and deal with such violations, including in the most serious cases, suspending and revoking the relevant licenses and registrations.

Regulations on Online Game Virtual Currency

The Interim Administration Measures of Online Games require companies that (i) issue online game virtual currency (including prepaid cards and/or pre-payment or prepaid card points) or (ii) offer online game virtual currency transaction services to apply for the Internet Culture Business Permit from provincial branches of the Ministry of Culture. The regulations prohibit companies that issue online game virtual currency from providing services that would enable the trading of such virtual currency. Any company that fails to submit the requisite application will be subject to sanctions, including but not limited to termination of operation, confiscation of incomes and fines. The regulations also prohibit online game operators from allocating virtual items or virtual currency to players based on random selection through lucky draw, wager or lottery that involve cash or virtual currency directly paid by the players. In addition, companies that issue online game virtual currency must comply with certain specific requirements. For example, online games virtual currency can only be used for products and

 

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services related to the issuance company’s own online games. Pursuant to a Circular issued by the Ministry of Culture in December 2016, which took effect on May 1, 2017, an online game operator must not allow online game virtual currency to exchange for legal currency or items, except in the case of termination of online game operation where the online game operator may refund the balance of online game virtual currency to players in the form of legal currency or in other means acceptable to the players. Moreover, pursuant to the circular, regulations applicable to online game virtual currency also apply to such other virtual items where the virtual items are issued by the online game operator, can be exchangeable for other virtual items or value-added services related to the games, and can be purchased with legal currency or online game virtual currency or exchanged for online game virtual currency. Baidu Netcom and some other entities in our group have obtained the Internet Culture Business Permit for issuing online game virtual currency.

Regulations on Advertisements and Online Advertising

The PRC government regulates advertising, including online advertising, principally through the State Administration for Market Regulation. The PRC Advertising Law, as recently amended in October 2018, outlines the regulatory framework for the advertising industry, and allows foreign investors to own up to all equity interests in PRC advertising companies.

We conduct our value-added telecommunication-based online advertising business through Baidu Netcom, which is one of our consolidated affiliated entities in China and holds a business license that covers value-added telecommunication-based online advertising in its business scope. Our subsidiaries Baidu Times and Baidu China have also expanded their respective business license to cover advertising in their respective business scope.

Advertisers, advertising operators and advertising distributors are required by PRC advertising laws and regulations to ensure that the contents of the advertisements they prepare or distribute are true and in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations. For example, pursuant to PRC Advertising Law, advertisements must not contain, among other prohibited contents, terms such as “the state-level,” “the highest grade,” “the best” or other similar words. In addition, where a special government review is required for certain categories of advertisements before publishing, the advertisers, advertising operators and advertising distributors are obligated to confirm that such review has been performed and the relevant approval has been obtained. Pursuant to the PRC Advertising Law, the use of the internet to distribute advertisements shall not affect the normal use of the internet by users. Particularly, advertisements distributed on internet pages such as pop-up advertisements shall be indicated with a conspicuous mark for “close” to ensure the close of such advertisements by one click. Where internet information service providers know or should know that illegal advertisements are being distributed using their services, they shall prevent such advertisements from being distributed.

In addition to the above regulations, the Internet Advertising Measures also set forth certain compliance requirements for online advertising businesses. For example, search engine service providers must indicate paid search results as an advertisement and distinguish paid search results from natural search results on their websites. Advertising operators and distributors of internet advertisements must examine, verify and record identity information, such as name, address and contact information, of advertisers, and maintain an updated verification record on a regular basis. Moreover, advertising operators and advertising distributors must examine supporting documentation provided by advertisers and verify the contents of the advertisements against supporting documents before publishing. If the contents of advertisements are inconsistent with the supporting documentation, or the supporting documentation is incomplete, advertising operators and distributors must refrain from providing design, production, agency or publishing services. The Internet Advertising Measures also prohibit the following activities: (i) providing or using apps and hardware to block, filter, skip over, tamper with, or cover up lawful advertisements; (ii) using network access, network equipment and apps to disrupt the normal transmission of lawful advertisements or adding or uploading advertisements without authorization; and (iii) harming the interests of a third party by using fake statistics or traffic data.

Violation of these regulations may result in penalties, including fines, confiscation of advertising income, orders to cease dissemination of the advertisements and orders to publish an advertisement correcting the

 

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misleading information. In the case of serious violations, the State Administration for Market Regulation or its local branches may force the violator to terminate its advertising operation or even revoke its business license. Furthermore, advertisers, advertising operators or advertising distributors may be subject to civil liability if they infringe on the legal rights and interests of third parties.

Regulations on Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Driving Vehicles

We engage in the research and development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and products, specifically autonomous driving vehicles. The Chinese government has issued a series of guidelines to encourage and support the research and development of AI technology, such as the Three-Year Implementing Plan for Internet Plus Artificial Intelligence issued in May 2016 and the Development Planning on the First Generation of Artificial Intelligence issued in July 2017. In particular, the MIIT, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Transport, issued the Circular on the Norms on Administration of Road Testing of Autonomous Driving Vehicles (Trial Implementation) in April 2018, which became effective from May 1, 2018 and is the primary regulation governing protocol of road testing of autonomous driving vehicles in China. Pursuant to this circular, any entity intending to conduct a road testing of autonomous driving vehicles must apply for and obtain a road-testing certificate and a temporary license plate for each tested car. To qualify for these required licenses, an applicant entity must satisfy, among others, the following requirements: (i) it must be an independent legal person registered under PRC law with the capacity to conduct manufacturing, technological research or testing of automobiles and automobile parts, which has established protocol to test and assess the performance of autonomous driving system and is capable of conducting real-time remote monitor of the tested cars; (ii) the vehicle under road testing must be equipped with a driving system that can switch between autonomous pilot model and human driving model in a safe, quick and simple manner and allows human driver to take control of the vehicle any time immediately when necessary; (iii) the tested vehicle must be equipped with the function of recording, storing and real-time monitoring the condition of the vehicle and is able to transmit real-time data of the vehicle, such as the driving model, location and speed; (iv) the applicant entity must sign an employment contract or a labor service contract with the driver of the tested vehicle, who must be a licensed driver with more than three years’ driving experience and a track record of safe driving and is familiar with the testing protocol for autonomous driving system and proficient in operating the system; (v) the applicant entity must insure each tested vehicle for at least RMB5 million against car accidents or provide a letter of guarantee covering the same. During testing, the testing entity should post a noticeable identification logo for autonomous driving test on each tested car and should not use autonomous driving model unless in the permitted testing areas specified in the road-testing certificate. If the testing entity intends to conduct road testing in the region beyond the administrative territory of the certificate issuing authority, it must apply for a separate road-testing certificate and a separate temporary license plate from the relevant authority supervising the road-testing of autonomous cars in that region. In addition, the testing entity is required to submit to the road-testing certificate issuing authority a periodical testing report every six months and a final testing report within one month after completion of the road testing. In the case of a car accident causing severe injury or death of personnel or vehicle damage, the testing entity must report the accident to the road-testing certificate issuing authority within 24 hours and submit a comprehensive analysis report in writing covering cause analysis, final liability allocation results, etc. within five working days after the traffic enforcement agency determines the liability for the accident. Some local governments, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hunan and Fujian, have issued local rules and regulations to regulate road testing of autonomous driving cars accordingly.

Tort Liability Law

In accordance with the PRC Tort Liability Law, which became effective in July 2010, internet users and internet service providers bear tortious liabilities in the event that they infringe upon other persons’ rights and interests through the internet. Where an internet user conducts tortious acts through internet services, the infringed person has the right to request the internet service provider take necessary actions such as deleting contents, screening and de-linking. Failing to take necessary actions after being informed, the internet service provider will be subject to joint and several liabilities with the internet user with regard to the additional damages

 

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incurred. Where an internet service provider knows that an internet user is infringing upon other persons’ rights and interests through its internet service but fails to take necessary actions, it is jointly and severally liable with the internet user.

Regulations on Intellectual Property Rights

China has adopted legislation governing intellectual property rights, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, and domain names.

Patent.  The PRC Patent Law provides for patentable inventions, utility models and designs, which must meet three conditions: novelty, inventiveness and practical applicability. The State Intellectual Property Office under the State Council is responsible for examining and approving patent applications. A patent is valid for a term of twenty years in the case of an invention and a term of ten years in the case of utility models and designs.

Copyright.  The PRC Copyright Law and its implementation rules extend copyright protection to products disseminated over the internet and computer software. There is a voluntary registration system administered by the China Copyright Protection Center. Creators of protected works enjoy personal and property rights, including, among others, the right of disseminating the works through information networks.

Pursuant to the relevant PRC regulations, rules and interpretations, ICP operators will be jointly liable with the infringer if they (a) participate in, assist in or abet infringing activities committed by any other person through the internet, (b) are or should be aware of the infringing activities committed by their website users through the internet, or (c) fail to remove infringing content or take other action to eliminate infringing consequences after receiving a warning with evidence of such infringing activities from the copyright holder. The court will determine whether an internet service provider should have known of their internet users’ infringing activities based on how obvious the infringing activities are by taking into consideration a number of factors, including (i) the information management capabilities that the provider should have based on the possibility that the services provided by it may trigger infringing acts, (ii) the degree of obviousness of the infringing content, (iii) whether it has taken the initiative to select, edit, modify or recommend the contents involved, (iv) whether it has taken positive and reasonable measures against infringing acts, and (v) whether it has set up convenient programs to receive notices of infringement and made timely and reasonable responses to the notices. Where an internet service provider has directly obtained economic benefits from any contents made available by an internet user, it shall have a higher duty of care with respect to the internet user’s act of infringement of others’ copyrights. Advertisements placed for or other benefits particularly connected with specific contents may be deemed as direct economic benefits from such contents, but general advertising fees or service fees charged by an internet service provider for its internet services will not be included. In addition, where an ICP operator is clearly aware of the infringement of certain content against another’s copyright through the internet, or fails to take measures to remove relevant contents upon receipt of the copyright holder’s notice, and as a result, it damages the public interest, the ICP operator could be ordered to stop the tortious act and be subject to other administrative penalties such as confiscation of illegal income and fines. An ICP operator is also required to retain all infringement notices for a minimum of six months and to record the content, display time and IP addresses or the domain names related to the infringement for a minimum of 60 days.

An internet service provider may be exempted from liabilities for providing links to infringing or illegal content or providing other internet services which are used by its users to infringe others’ copyright, if it does not know and does not have constructive knowledge that such content is infringing upon other parties’ rights or is illegal. However, if the legitimate owner of the content notifies the internet service provider and requests removal of the links to the infringing content, the internet service provider would be deemed to have constructive knowledge upon receipt of such notification, but would be exempted from liabilities if it removes or disconnects the links to the infringing content at the request of the legitimate owner. At the request of the alleged infringer, the internet service provider should immediately restore links to content previously disconnected upon receipt of initial non-infringing evidence.

 

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We have adopted measures to mitigate copyright infringement risks. For example, our policy is to remove links to web pages and materials uploaded by the users if we know these web pages or materials contain materials that infringe upon third-party rights or if we are notified by the legitimate copyright holder of the infringement with proper evidence.

Software Products . The Computer Software Copyright Registration Measures promulgated by the China Copyright Office on February 20, 2002, regulates software copyright registration, exclusive licensing contracts of software copyright and transfer agreements. Although such registration is not mandatory under PRC law, software copyright owners are encouraged to go through the registration process and registered software may receive better protection.

Trademark. The PRC Trademark Law and its implementation rules protect registered trademarks. The Trademark Office of National Intellectual Property Administration under the State Administration for Market Regulation handles trademark registrations and grants a term of ten years to registered trademarks. Trademark license agreements must be filed with the Trademark Office of National Intellectual Property Administration for record. “ ” is recognized as a well-known trademark in China by the Trademark Office of National Intellectual Property Administration under the State Administration for Market Regulation. In addition to owning “ ” and the related logos, we have applied for registration of various other trademarks.

Domain name . Domain names are protected under the Administrative Measures on the Internet Domain Names promulgated by the MIIT in August 2017, which became effective in November 2017. The MIIT is the major regulatory body responsible for the administration of the PRC internet domain names, and under the supervision of the MIIT, the China Internet Network Information Center, or CNNIC, is responsible for the daily administration of .cn domain names and Chinese domain names. According to the Circular on Administration of the Use of Domain Names for Internet Information Services issued by the MIIT in November 2017, only the internet information service provider itself or the shareholder(s), principal or senior management officer(s) of the internet information service provider are eligible to register the domain names used for the internet information services. We have registered Baidu.cn , Baidu.com.cn , hao123.com and certain other domain names with CNNIC.

Regulations on Information Security

The National People’s Congress has enacted legislation that prohibits use of the internet that breaches the public security, disseminates socially destabilizing content or leaks state secrets. Breach of public security includes breach of national security and infringement on legal rights and interests of the state, society or citizens. Socially destabilizing content includes any content that incites defiance or violations of PRC laws or regulations or subversion of the PRC government or its political system, spreads socially disruptive rumors or involves cult activities, superstition, obscenities, pornography, gambling or violence. State secrets are defined broadly to include information concerning PRC national defense, state affairs and other matters as determined by the PRC authorities.

Pursuant to applicable regulations, ICP operators must complete mandatory security filing procedures and regularly update information security and censorship systems for their websites with local public security authorities, and must also report any public dissemination of prohibited content.

In December 2015, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the Anti-Terrorism Law, which took effect on January 1, 2016 and was amended on April 27, 2018. According to the Anti-Terrorism Law, telecommunication service operators or internet service providers shall (i) carry out pertinent anti-terrorism publicity and education to society; (ii) provide technical interfaces, decryption and other technical support and assistance for the competent departments to prevent and investigate terrorist activities; (iii) implement network security and information monitoring systems as well as safety and technical prevention measures to avoid the dissemination of terrorism information, delete the terrorism information, immediately halt its dissemination, keep relevant records and report to the competent departments once the terrorism information

 

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is discovered; and (iv) examine customer identities before providing services. Any violation of the Anti-Terrorism Law may result in severe penalties, including substantial fines.

In November 2016, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the Cyber Security Law, which took effect on June 1, 2017. In accordance with the Cyber Security Law, network operators must comply with applicable laws and regulations and fulfill their obligations to safeguard network security in conducting business and providing services. Network service providers must take technical and other necessary measures as required by laws, regulations and mandatory requirements to safeguard the operation of networks, respond to network security effectively, prevent illegal and criminal activities, and maintain the integrity, confidentiality and usability of network data.

In addition, the State Secrecy Bureau has issued provisions authorizing the blocking of access to any website it deems to be leaking state secrets or failing to comply with the relevant legislation regarding the protection of state secrets during online information distribution. Specifically, internet companies in China with bulletin boards, chat rooms or similar services must apply for specific approval prior to operating such services.

Furthermore, the Provisions on Technological Measures for Internet Security Protection, promulgated by the Ministry of Public Security, require all ICP operators to keep records of certain information about its users (including user registration information, log-in and log-out time, IP address, content and time of posts by users) for at least 60 days and submit the above information as required by laws and regulations. The Network Information Protection Decision states that ICP operators must request identity information from users when ICP operators provide information publication services to the users. If ICP operators come across prohibited information, they must immediately cease the transmission of such information, delete the information, keep relevant records, and report to relevant government authorities.

Baidu Netcom and some other entities in our group are ICP operators, and are therefore subject to the regulations relating to information security. They have taken measures to comply with these regulations. They are registered with the relevant government authority in accordance with the mandatory registration requirement. Baidu Netcom’s policy is to remove links to web pages which to its knowledge contain information that would be in violation of PRC laws or regulations. In addition, we monitor our websites to ensure our compliance with the above-mentioned laws and regulations.

Regulations on Internet Privacy

The PRC Constitution states that PRC law protects the freedom and privacy of communications of citizens and prohibits infringement of these rights. In recent years, PRC government authorities have enacted legislation on internet use to protect personal information from any unauthorized disclosure. The Network Information Protection Decision provides that electronic information that identifies a citizen or involves privacy of any citizen is protected by law and must not be unlawfully collected or provided to others. ICP operators collecting or using personal electronic information of citizens must specify the purposes, manners and scopes of information collection and uses, obtain consent of the relevant citizens, and keep the collected personal information confidential. ICP operators are prohibited from disclosing, tampering with, damaging, selling or illegally providing others with, collected personal information. ICP operators are required to take technical and other measures to prevent the collected personal information from any unauthorized disclosure, damage or loss. The Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services prohibit an ICP operator from insulting or slandering a third party or infringing upon the lawful rights and interests of a third party. According to the Provisions on Protection of Personal Information of Telecommunication and Internet Users, telecommunication business operators and ICP operators are responsible for the security of the personal information of users they collect or use in the course of their provision of services. Without obtaining the consent from the users, telecommunication business operators and ICP operators may not collect or use the users’ personal information. The personal information collected or used in the course of provision of services by the telecommunication business operators or ICP operators must be kept in strict confidence, and may not be divulged, tampered with or damaged, and may

 

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not be sold or illegally provided to others. The ICP operators are required to take certain measures to prevent any divulgence of, damage to, tampering with or loss of users’ personal information. In accordance with the Cyber Security Law, network operators must not collect personal information irrelevant to their services. In the event of any unauthorized disclosure, damage or loss of collected personal information, network operators must take immediate remedial measures, notify the affected users and report the incidents to the relevant authorities in a timely manner. If any user knows that a network operator illegally collects and uses his or her personal information in violation of laws, regulations or any agreement with the user, or the collected and stored personal information is inaccurate or wrong, the user has the right to request the network operator to delete or correct the relevant collected personal information. We collect and use our users’ personal information only if our users give their informed consent, and we believe we have taken appropriate measures to protect the security of our users’ personal information.

The relevant telecommunications authorities are further authorized to order ICP operators to rectify unauthorized disclosure. ICP operators are subject to legal liability, including warnings, fines, confiscation of illegal gains, revocation of licenses or filings, closing of the relevant websites, administrative punishment, criminal liabilities, or civil liabilities, if they violate relevant provisions on internet privacy. Pursuant to the Ninth Amendment to the Criminal Law issued by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress in August 2015 and becoming effective in November 2015, any ICP provider that fails to fulfill the obligations related to internet information security administration as required by applicable laws and refuses to rectify upon orders, will be subject to criminal liability for (i) any dissemination of illegal information in large scale; (ii) any severe effect due to the leakage of the client’s information; (iii) any serious loss of evidence of criminal activities; or (iv) other severe situations, and any individual or entity that (x) sells or provides personal information to others unlawfully, or (y) steals or illegally obtains any personal information, will be subject to criminal liability in severe situations. In addition, the Interpretations of the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of the PRC on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in Handling Criminal Cases of Infringing Personal Information, effective in June 2017, have clarified certain standards for the conviction and sentencing in relation to personal information infringement. The PRC government has the power and authority to order ICP operators to turn over personal information if an internet user posts any prohibited content or engages in illegal activities on the internet.

Regulations on Foreign Exchange

Foreign Currency Exchange

Pursuant to the Foreign Currency Administration Rules, as amended, and various regulations issued by SAFE and other relevant PRC government authorities, RMB is freely convertible to the extent of current account items, such as trade related receipts and payments, interest and dividends. Capital account items, such as direct equity investments, loans and repatriation of investment, unless expressly exempted by laws and regulations, still require prior approval from SAFE or its provincial branch for conversion of RMB into a foreign currency, such as U.S. dollars, and remittance of the foreign currency outside of the PRC. After a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13, became effective on June 1, 2015, instead of applying for approvals regarding foreign exchange registrations of foreign direct investment and overseas direct investment from SAFE, entities and individuals will be required to apply for such foreign exchange registrations from qualified banks. The qualified banks, under the supervision of SAFE, directly examine the applications and conduct the registration.

Payments for transactions that take place within the PRC must be made in RMB. Foreign currency revenues received by PRC companies may be repatriated into China or retained outside of China in accordance with requirements and terms specified by SAFE.

Dividend Distribution

Wholly foreign-owned enterprises and Sino-foreign equity joint ventures in the PRC may pay dividends only out of their accumulated profits, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and

 

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regulations. Additionally, these foreign-invested enterprises may not pay dividends unless they set aside at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits after tax each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds, until such time as the accumulative amount of such fund reaches 50% of the enterprise’s registered capital. In addition, these companies also may allocate a portion of their after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to employee welfare and bonus funds at their discretion. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends.

Foreign Exchange Registration of Offshore Investment by PRC Residents

Pursuant to SAFE’s Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for PRC Residents to Engage in Financing and Inbound Investment via Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular No. 75, issued in October 2005, and a series of implementation rules and guidance, including the circular relating to operating procedures that came into effect in July 2011, PRC residents, including PRC resident natural persons or PRC companies, must register with local branches of SAFE in connection with their direct or indirect offshore investment in an overseas special purpose vehicle, or SPV, for the purposes of overseas equity financing activities, and to update such registration in the event of any significant changes with respect to that offshore company. SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular No. 37, on July 4, 2014, which replaced SAFE Circular No. 75. SAFE Circular No. 37 requires PRC residents to register with local branches of SAFE in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, for the purpose of overseas investment and financing, with such PRC residents’ legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests, referred to in SAFE Circular No. 37 as a “special purpose vehicle.” The term “control” under SAFE Circular No. 37 is broadly defined as the operation rights, beneficiary rights or decision-making rights acquired by the PRC residents in the offshore special purpose vehicles or PRC companies by such means as acquisition, trust, proxy, voting rights, repurchase, convertible bonds or other arrangements. SAFE Circular No. 37 further requires amendment to the registration in the event of any changes with respect to the basic information of the special purpose vehicle, such as changes in a PRC resident individual shareholder, name or operation period; or any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as an increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC individuals, a share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material event. If the shareholders of the offshore holding company who are PRC residents do not complete their registration with the local SAFE branches, the PRC subsidiaries may be prohibited from distributing their profits and proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to the offshore company, and the offshore company may be restricted in its ability to contribute additional capital to its PRC subsidiaries. Moreover, failure to comply with the SAFE registration and amendment requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for evasion of applicable foreign exchange restrictions. We have notified holders of ordinary shares of our company whom we know are PRC residents to register with the local SAFE branch and update their registrations as required under the SAFE regulations described above. After SAFE Notice 13 became effective on June 1, 2015, entities and individuals are required to apply for foreign exchange registration of foreign direct investment and overseas direct investment, including those required under SAFE Circular No. 37, with qualified banks, instead of SAFE. The qualified banks, under the supervision of SAFE, directly examine the applications and conduct the registration. We are aware that Mr. Robin Yanhong Li, our chairman, chief executive officer and principal shareholder, who is a PRC resident, has registered with the relevant local SAFE branch. We, however, cannot provide any assurances that all of our shareholders who are PRC residents will file all applicable registrations or update previously filed registrations as required by these SAFE regulations. The failure or inability of our PRC resident shareholders to comply with the registration procedures may subject the PRC resident shareholders to fines and legal sanctions, restrict our cross-border investment activities, or limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to or obtain foreign exchange-dominated loans from our company.

In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plans of Overseas Publicly-Listed Companies, or the Stock Option Rule, replacing the earlier rules promulgated in March 2007. Under the Stock

 

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Option Rule, PRC residents who are granted stock options by an overseas publicly listed company are required, through a PRC agent or PRC subsidiary of such overseas publicly listed company, to register with SAFE and complete certain other procedures. We and our PRC resident employees who have been granted stock options are subject to these regulations. We have designated our PRC subsidiary Baidu Online to handle the registration and other procedures required by the Stock Option Rule. Failure of the option holders to complete their SAFE registrations may subject these PRC employees to fines and legal sanctions and may also limit the ability of the overseas publicly listed company to contribute additional capital into its PRC subsidiary and limit the PRC subsidiary’s ability to distribute dividends.

Regulations on Labor

The Labor Contract Law, which became effective in January 2008, and its implementation rules, impose more restrictions on employers and have been deemed to increase labor costs for employers, compared to the Labor Law, which became effective in January 1995. For example, pursuant to the Labor Contract Law, an employer is obliged to sign a labor contract with an unlimited term with an employee if the employer continues to hire the employee after the expiration of two consecutive fixed-term labor contracts. The employer has to compensate the employee upon the expiration of a fixed-term labor contract, unless the employee refuses to renew such contract on terms the same as or more favorable to the employee than those contained in the expired contract. The employer also has to indemnify an employee if the employer terminates a labor contract without a cause permitted by law. In addition, under the Regulations on Paid Annual Leave for Employees, which became effective in January 2008, employees who have served more than one year for an employer are entitled to a paid vacation ranging from 5 to 15 days per year, depending on their length of service. Employees who waive such vacation time at the request of employers must be compensated for three times their regular salaries for each waived vacation day.

Regulations on Taxation

For a discussion of applicable PRC tax regulations, see “Item 5.A. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Operating Results—Taxation.”

 

C.	Organizational Structure

The following is a list of our principal subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities as of the date of this annual report on Form 20-F:

 

Name		Place of Formation		Relationship
Baidu Holdings Limited		British Virgin Islands		Wholly owned subsidiary
Baidu (Hong Kong) Limited		Hong Kong		Wholly owned subsidiary
Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.		China		Wholly owned subsidiary
Baidu (China) Co., Ltd.		China		Wholly owned subsidiary
Baidu.com Times Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.		China		Wholly owned subsidiary
Baidu International Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.		China		Wholly owned subsidiary
Beijing Baidu Netcom Science Technology Co., Ltd.		China		Consolidated affiliated entity
Beijing Perusal Technology Co., Ltd.		China		Consolidated affiliated entity
iQIYI, Inc.		Cayman Islands		Majority-owned subsidiary

 

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The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure, including our principal subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities as of the date of this annual report on Form 20-F:

 

 

*	The diagram above omits the names of subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities that are insignificant individually and in the aggregate.

(1)

Beijing Baidu Netcom Science Technology Co., Ltd. is 99.5% owned by Mr. Robin Yanhong Li, our chairman and chief executive officer, and 0.5% owned by Mr. Hailong Xiang, an employee of ours. Please see “Item 6.E. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—Share Ownership” for Mr. Robin Yanhong Li’s beneficial ownership in our company. Mr. Hailong Xiang’s beneficial ownership of our company is less than 1% of our total outstanding shares.

(2)	Beijing Perusal Technology Co., Ltd. is 50% owned by Mr. Lu Wang and 50% owned by Mr. Zhixiang Liang. Both Mr. Lu Wang and Mr. Zhixiang Liang are employees of ours, and their respective beneficial ownership in our company is less than 1% of our total outstanding shares.

Contractual Arrangements with Our Consolidated Affiliated Entities and the Nominee Shareholders

PRC laws and regulations restrict and impose conditions on foreign investment in internet content, value-added telecommunication-based online marketing, audio and video services and mobile application distribution businesses. Accordingly, we operate these businesses in China through our consolidated affiliated entities. We have entered into a series of contractual arrangements with our consolidated affiliated entities and the nominee shareholders of our consolidated affiliated entities. These contractual arrangements enable us to:

 

•

receive the economic benefits that could potentially be significant to our consolidated affiliated entities in consideration for the services provided by our subsidiaries;

 

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•

exercise effective control over our consolidated affiliated entities; and

 

•

hold an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in our consolidated affiliated entities when and to the extent permitted by PRC law.

We do not have any equity interests in our consolidated affiliated entities. However, as a result of contractual arrangements, we have effective control over and are considered the primary beneficiary of these companies, and we have consolidated the financial results of these companies in our consolidated financial statements. If our consolidated affiliated entities or the nominee shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we could be limited in our ability to enforce the contractual arrangements that give us effective control over our consolidated affiliated entities. Furthermore, if we are unable to maintain effective control, we would not be able to continue to consolidate the financial results of our consolidated affiliated entities in our financial statements. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, we derived approximately 35%, 34% and 33% of our total revenues, respectively, from our consolidated affiliated entities. For a detailed description of the regulatory environment that necessitates the adoption of our corporate structure, see “Item 4.B. Information on the Company—Business Overview—Regulations.” For a detailed description of the risks associated with our corporate structure, see “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure.”

In August 2018, we completed the divestiture of a majority equity stake in our financial services business. The divested financial services business has been renamed as Du Xiaoman. After the divestiture, we hold a minority equity interest in Du Xiaoman and have deconsolidated the financial results of Du Xiaoman from our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Contractual Arrangements Relating to Baidu Netcom and Beijing Perusal

The following is a summary of the material provisions of the contractual arrangements relating to Baidu Netcom and Beijing Perusal.

Exclusive Technology Consulting and Services Agreement

Pursuant to the exclusive technology consulting and services agreement between Baidu Online and Baidu Netcom, Baidu Online has the exclusive right to provide to Baidu Netcom technology consulting and services related to, among other things, the maintenance of servers, software development, design of advertisements, and e-commerce technical services. Baidu Online owns the intellectual property rights resulting from the performance of this agreement. Baidu Netcom agrees to pay service fees to Baidu Online and Baidu Online has the right to adjust the service fees at its sole discretion without the consent of Baidu Netcom. The agreement will be in effect for an unlimited term, until the term of business of one party expires and extension is denied by the relevant approval authorities.

The exclusive technology consulting and services agreement between Baidu Online and Beijing Perusal contains substantially the same terms as those between Baidu Online and Baidu Netcom described above. The agreement will be in effect for an unlimited term, until the term of business of one party expires and extension is denied by the relevant approval authorities.

In 2017, the amount of service fees Baidu Netcom paid to Baidu Online was 95% of its net income before income taxes. In 2016 and 2018, Baidu Netcom did not pay any service fees to Baidu Online due to Baidu Netcom’s accumulated loss position. Beijing Perusal did not pay any service fees to Baidu Online due to Beijing Perusal’s operating loss in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Operating Agreement

Pursuant to the operating agreement amongst Baidu Online, Baidu Netcom and the nominee shareholders of Baidu Netcom, Baidu Online provides guidance and instructions on Baidu Netcom’s daily operations and

 

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financial affairs. Baidu Online has the right to appoint senior executives of Baidu Netcom. The nominee shareholders of Baidu Netcom must appoint candidates recommended by Baidu Online as their representatives on Baidu Netcom’s board of directors. In addition, Baidu Online agrees to guarantee Baidu Netcom’s performance under any agreements or arrangements relating to Baidu Netcom’s business arrangements with any third party. In return, Baidu Netcom agrees that without the prior consent of Baidu Online, Baidu Netcom will not engage in any transactions that could materially affect the assets, liabilities, rights or operations of Baidu Netcom, including, without limitation, incurrence or assumption of any indebtedness, sale or purchase of any assets or rights, incurrence of any encumbrance on any of its assets or intellectual property rights in favor of a third party or transfer of any agreements relating to its business operation to any third party. The agreement will be in effect for an unlimited term, until the term of business of one party expires and extension is denied by the relevant approval authorities.

The operating agreement by and among Baidu Online and Beijing Perusal and the nominee shareholders of Beijing Perusal contains substantially the same terms as those described above. The agreement will be in effect for an unlimited term, until the term of business of one party expires and extension is denied by the relevant approval authorities.

License Agreements

Baidu Online and Baidu Netcom have entered into a software license agreement and a web layout copyright license agreement. Pursuant to these license agreements, Baidu Online has granted to Baidu Netcom the right to use, including but not limited to, a software license and a web layout copyright license. Baidu Netcom may only use the licenses in its own business operations. Baidu Online has the right to adjust the service fees at its sole discretion. The software license agreement and web layout copyright license agreement have been renewed since their original expiration and are in effect for an unlimited term, until the term of business of one party expires and extension is denied by the relevant approval authorities.

The web layout copyright license agreements that Baidu Online has entered into with Beijing Perusal contain substantially the same terms as those between Baidu Online and Baidu Netcom described above. The agreement is in effect for an unlimited term, until the term of business of one party expires and extension is denied by the relevant approval authorities.

Exclusive Equity Purchase and Transfer Option Agreement

Pursuant to the exclusive equity purchase and transfer option agreement by and among Baidu, Inc., Baidu Online, Baidu Netcom and the nominee shareholders of Baidu Netcom, the nominee shareholders of Baidu Netcom have irrevocably granted Baidu, Inc. or its designated person(s) (including Baidu Online) an exclusive option to purchase, to the extent permitted under PRC law, all or part of the equity interests in Baidu Netcom for the cost of the initial contributions to the registered capital or the minimum amount of consideration permitted by applicable PRC law. The nominee shareholders must remit to Baidu Online any amount that is paid by Baidu Online in connection with the purchased equity interest as requested by Baidu, Inc. or its designated person(s) (including Baidu Online) to the extent permitted by the applicable laws. Baidu, Inc. or its designated person(s) have sole discretion to decide when to exercise the option, whether in part or in full amount. Any and all dividends and other capital distributions from Baidu Netcom to the nominee shareholders must be paid to Baidu, Inc. in full amount. Baidu, Inc. or its designated person(s) (including Baidu Online) also have the exclusive right to cause the nominee shareholders of Baidu Netcom to transfer their equity interest in Baidu Netcom to Baidu, Inc. or any designated third party. Baidu, Inc. will provide unlimited financial support to Baidu Netcom, if Baidu Netcom becomes in need of any form of reasonable financial support in the normal operation of business. If Baidu Netcom were to incur any loss and as a result cannot repay any loans from Baidu, Inc. (through Baidu Online), Baidu, Inc. will unconditionally forgive any such loans to Baidu Netcom upon provision by Baidu Netcom of sufficient proof for its loss and incapacity to repay. The agreement will terminate upon the transfer by the nominee shareholders of Baidu Netcom of all their equity interests in Baidu Netcom to Baidu, Inc. or its designated person(s) or upon expiration of the term of business of Baidu, Inc. or Baidu Netcom.

 

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The exclusive equity purchase and transfer option agreement by and among Baidu, Inc., Baidu Online, Beijing Perusal and the nominee shareholders of Beijing Perusal contains substantially the same terms as those described above. The agreement will terminate upon the transfer by the nominee shareholders of Beijing Perusal of all their equity interests in Beijing Perusal, as the case may be, to Baidu, Inc. or its designated person(s) or upon expiration of the term of business of Baidu, Inc. or the relevant consolidated affiliated entity.

Loan Agreements

Pursuant to loan agreements amongst Baidu Online and the nominee shareholders of Baidu Netcom, Baidu Online provided the loans with an aggregate amount of RMB6.4 billion (US$934 million) to the nominee shareholders of Baidu Netcom solely for the latter to fund the capitalization of Baidu Netcom. The loans can be repaid only with the proceeds from the sale of the nominee shareholders’ equity interest in Baidu Netcom to Baidu Online or its designated person(s). Each loan agreement will expire upon the fulfillment of the obligations under such loan agreement. With some of the loan agreements amended and renewed, the earliest will expire on May 6, 2028.

The loan agreements amongst Baidu Online and the nominee shareholders of Beijing Perusal contain substantially the same terms as those described above, except that the amount of loans extended to the nominee shareholders is RMB3.2 billion (US$465 million). The loan agreements with the two nominee shareholders of Beijing Perusal will expire on March 30, 2028 and June 27, 2028 respectively, and can be extended with the written consent of both parties before expiration.

Proxy Agreement/Power of Attorney

Pursuant to the proxy agreement amongst Baidu, Inc. and the nominee shareholders of Baidu Netcom, the nominee shareholders of Baidu Netcom agree to entrust all the rights to exercise their voting power and any other rights as shareholders of Baidu Netcom to the person(s) designated by Baidu, Inc. Each of the nominee shareholders of Baidu Netcom has executed an irrevocable power of attorney to appoint the person(s) designated by Baidu, Inc. as their attorney-in-fact to vote on their behalf on all matters requiring shareholder approval. Any action taken by such attorney-in-fact in relation to the entrusted rights shall be directed and approved by Baidu, Inc. The proxy agreement will be in effect for as long as the relevant nominee shareholder of Baidu Netcom holds any equity interests in Baidu Netcom unless terminated in writing by Baidu, Inc. Each of the powers of attorney will be in effect for as long as the relevant nominee shareholder of Baidu Netcom holds any equity interests in Baidu Netcom.

The proxy agreements and powers of attorney amongst Baidu, Inc. and the nominee shareholders of Beijing Perusal contain substantially the same terms as those described above. The proxy agreements will be in effect for an unlimited term unless terminated in writing by Baidu, Inc. The powers of attorney will be in effect for as long as the relevant nominee shareholder of Beijing Perusal holds any equity interests in Beijing Perusal.

Equity Pledge Agreement

Pursuant to the equity pledge agreement amongst Baidu Online and the nominee shareholders of Baidu Netcom, the nominee shareholders of Baidu Netcom have pledged all of their equity interests in Baidu Netcom to Baidu Online to guarantee their obligations under the loan agreements and Baidu Netcom’s performance of its obligations under the exclusive technology consulting and service agreement. If Baidu Netcom or the nominee shareholders breach their respective contractual obligations, Baidu Online, as the pledgee, will be entitled to certain rights, including the right to sell the pledged equity interests. The nominee shareholders of Baidu Netcom agree not to dispose of the pledged equity interests or take any actions that would prejudice Baidu Online’s interest. The equity pledge agreement will expire two years after expiration of the term of or the fulfillment by Baidu Netcom and the nominee shareholders of their respective obligations under the exclusive technology consulting and service agreement and the loan agreements.

 

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The equity pledge agreements amongst Baidu Online and the nominee shareholders of Beijing Perusal contains substantially the same terms as those described above.

Through design of the aforementioned agreements, the nominee shareholders of these affiliated entities have effectively assigned their full voting rights to Baidu, Inc., which gives Baidu, Inc. the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the affiliated entities’ economic performance. Baidu, Inc. obtains the ability to approve decisions made by the affiliated entities and the ability to acquire the equity interests in the affiliated entities when permitted by PRC law. Baidu, Inc. is obligated to absorb losses of the affiliated entities that could potentially be significant to the affiliated entities through providing unlimited financial support to the affiliated entities or is entitled to receive economic benefits from the affiliated entities that could potentially be significant to the affiliated entities through the exclusive technology consulting and service fees. As a result of these contractual arrangements, Baidu, Inc. is determined to be the primary beneficiary of these affiliated entities. Despite the lack of technical majority ownership, there exists a parent-subsidiary relationship between us and these affiliated entities through these contractual arrangements, and we consolidate these affiliated entities through Baidu, Inc.

We have also entered into contractual arrangements with several other affiliated entities and their respective nominee shareholders through some of our subsidiaries other than Baidu Online, which result in these subsidiaries being the primary beneficiary of the relevant affiliated entities. As a result of these contractual arrangements, there exists a parent-subsidiary relationship between us and the relevant affiliated entities, and we consolidate these affiliated entities through the subsidiaries.

 

D.	Property, Plant and Equipment

Our corporate headquarters, Baidu Campus, is located in Shangdi, an area designated by the Beijing municipal government as the center of the city’s information technology industry, and we own the office building on Baidu Campus. We also own another office building, Baidu Science Park, in Beijing. We are in the process of obtaining the land use permit with the local authority and may be required to pay an unspecified amount of land transaction fee. Besides Beijing, we own and occupy office buildings in Shanghai and Shenzhen.

We also lease some offices in Beijing, many other cities in China and places outside of China, such as Tokyo (Japan), California (USA), Thailand, Brazil and Indonesia.

We host our servers in China at the internet data centers of China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile in over ten selected cities in China, and we also have content delivery network locations in various cities across China. We plan to deploy additional data centers in 2019.

In December 2011, we commenced construction of an office building in Shenzhen, which will serve as our international center in Southern China. We currently expect to complete the planned construction in 2019.

In 2018, we completed the construction of Shanxi cloud computing center, which will serve as one of our internet data centers in China.

 

Item 4A.

Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

 

Item 5.

Operating and Financial Review and Prospects

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon, and should be read in conjunction with, our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in this annual report on Form 20-F. This report contains forward-looking statements. See “Forward-Looking Information.” In evaluating our business, you should carefully consider the information provided under the caption “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors” in this annual report on Form 20-F. We caution you that our businesses and financial performance are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties.

 

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A.	Operating Results

Overview

Our operations are primarily based in China, where we derive almost all of our revenues. Total revenues in 2018 were RMB102.3 billion (US$14.9 billion), growing by 21% from 2017 (or 28%, if both years’ revenues were net of VAT). In 2017 and 2018, we divested certain non-core businesses, including Baidu Deliveries, Du Xiaoman, and others. These divested businesses together generated approximately RMB4.1 billion and RMB3.1 billion in revenues for the year ended December 31, 2017 and 2018, respectively. Operating profit in 2018 was RMB15.5 billion (US$2.3 billion), a 1% decrease from 2017. Net income attributable to Baidu, Inc. in 2018 was RMB27.6 billion (US$4.0 billion), a 51% increase from 2017.

Our total assets as of December 31, 2018 were RMB297.6 billion (US$43.3 billion), of which cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash amounted to RMB29.8 billion (US$4.3 billion). Our total liabilities as of December 31, 2018 were RMB121.8 billion (US$17.7 billion), accounting for 41% of total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interest and equity. As of December 31, 2018, our retained earnings accumulated to RMB129.2 billion (US$18.8 billion).

Reorganization of Operating Segments

In the second quarter of 2017, we reorganized our operating segments from three operating segments into two operating segments, namely Baidu Core and iQIYI. Starting from April 2017, search services and transaction services have been combined into one segment—Baidu Core. The change in operating segments reflects our adjustments to business strategies and operations, as we de-emphasized our transaction services business and shifted such resources to support our online marketing services. Our chief operating decision maker assesses the performance of our company and makes decisions in respect of the allocation of company resources by analyzing the operating results of these two operating segments separately.

Revenues

Revenue Generation

Baidu Core . Baidu Core revenues primarily comprise (i) auction-based P4P online marketing services that include search-based and feed-based online marketing services; (ii) non-P4P services provide display-based online marketing services and other online marketing services based on performance criteria other than CPC, and (iii) other services from new AI business initiatives, such as DuerOS (voice assistant and related smart device business), Apollo (autonomous driving platform), and Baidu Cloud. We expect that we will continue to earn a majority of our revenues from Baidu Core.

A majority of our revenues from Baidu Core are derived from P4P services. Our P4P platform is an online marketplace that introduces internet search users to customers, who pay us a fee based on click-throughs for priority placement of their links in the search results. We recognize auction-based revenue from P4P services when a user clicks on a customer’s link in the search results, based on the amount that the customer has agreed to pay for each click-through. Besides the traditional auction-based P4P services, feed-based online marketing services has grown rapidly since it was launched in 2016. Our feed platform helps customers target relevant feed users, and customers pay us based on a CPC basis or ad displays of their products.

We also provide our customers with other performance-based and display-based online marketing services. For other performance-based online marketing services, our customers pay us based on performance criteria other than CPC, such as the number of app downloads on mobile devices, the number of users registered with our customers or the transaction volume. For display-based online marketing services, our customers pay us based on the duration or the number of ad displays placed on our properties and Baidu Union partners’ properties.

 

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Our online marketing services have historically been driven by the general increase in our customers’ online marketing budgets. Our online marketing customers are increasingly seeking marketing solutions with measurable results in order to maximize their ROI. To meet customers’ needs, we will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of our various products and services and adjust the mix of our service offerings to optimize our customers’ ROI. Any prolonged economic slowdown in China, however, may cause our customers to decrease or delay their online marketing spending, which could negatively affect our online marketing revenues of Baidu Core. We will continue to make efforts to grow our customer base, improve customer experience and optimize their marketing budget allocation/spending effectiveness on our platform to drive the growth of Baidu Core.

Apart from the online marketing services, we derive revenue from other services of Baidu Core by providing services such as Baidu Cloud and financial services. In August 2018, we completed the divestiture of a majority equity stake in Du Xiaoman (financial services business), reducing our holding to a minority equity interest, and, thus have deconsolidated the financial results of Du Xiaoman from our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

iQIYI . iQIYI is a leading internet video streaming service in China. iQIYI’s platform features highly popular original content, as well as a comprehensive selection of professionally produced content, partner-generated content, and user-generated content. iQIYI derives a majority of its revenues from membership services and online marketing services.

iQIYI offers membership packages that allow the members to have access to streaming of a library of premium content, certain commercial skipping and other viewing privileges, and higher community status in iQIYI Paopao social platform. iQIYI also generates a small portion of membership services revenue from on-demand content purchased by the users and sale of other membership cards.

iQIYI’s online marketing revenues are recognized net of online marketing agency rebates. Most of iQIYI’s online marketing services are in the form of brand advertising and feed-based online marketing services.

Collection

For most of Baidu Core services, we collect payments from our customers directly and through our distributors. We require our P4P customers to pay a deposit before using our P4P services and remind them by an automated notice to replenish the accounts after their account balance falls below a designated amount. We deduct the amount due to us from the deposit paid by a customer when a user clicks on the customer’s link in the search results. In addition, we offer payment terms to some of our customers based on their historical marketing placements and credibility. We also offer longer payment terms to certain qualified distributors, consistent with industry practice.

For most services provided by iQIYI, customers may enter into different payment terms based on their historical marketing placements and credibility. Users are also encouraged to upfront purchase membership services to get enhanced user experience, and such payments are collected from the users by iQIYI or through agents such as China Mobile.

As of December 31, 2018, we had accounts receivable of RMB6.0 billion (US$875 million), net of allowance of RMB599 million (US$87 million) and contract assets of RMB1.4 billion (US$206 million), net of allowance for doubtful accounts of RMB21 million (US$3 million).

Operating Costs and Expenses

Our operating costs and expenses consist of cost of revenues, selling, general and administrative expenses, and research and development expenses. Share-based compensation expenses are allocated among these three

 

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categories of operating costs and expenses, based on the nature of the work of the employees who have received share-based compensation.

Cost of Revenues

Our costs of revenues consist of content costs, traffic acquisition costs, bandwidth costs and other cost of revenues.

Content Costs . Content costs primarily consist of the amortization and impairment of the licensed copyrights, amortization and direct expensing of produced content, and the fees paid to producers or distributors we paid for content published on our platform to their producers or distributors.

Traffic Acquisition Costs . Traffic acquisition costs typically represent the portion of our online marketing revenues that we share with Baidu Union partners. We typically pay a Baidu Union partner, based on a pre-arranged agreement, a portion of the online marketing revenues generated from valid click throughs by users of that partner’s properties.

Bandwidth Costs . Bandwidth costs are fees we pay to telecommunications carriers such as China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom for telecommunications services and for hosting our servers at their internet data centers.

Other cost of revenues. Other cost of revenues include depreciation, operational costs, cost of goods sold on hardware devices and share-based compensation. Depreciation expenses of servers and other computer hardware that are directly related to our business operations and technical support. Operational costs include primarily salary and benefit expenses, intangible assets amortization, payment platform charges and other expenses incurred by our operating and technical support personnel.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses consist of selling, general and administrative expenses, and research and development expenses.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Our selling, general and administrative marketing expenses primarily consist of promotional and marketing expenses, salaries and benefits for our sales, marketing, general and administrative personnel, and legal, accounting and other professional services fees.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses primarily consist of salaries and benefits for research and development personnel. We expense research and development costs as they are incurred, except for capitalized software development costs that fulfill the capitalization criteria under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) .

Share-based Compensation Expenses

Baidu, Inc. grants options and restricted shares to our employees, directors and consultants as share-based compensation awards. As of December 31, 2018, there was RMB337 million (US$49 million) unrecognized share-based compensation expenses related to options of Baidu, Inc., which are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average vesting period of 2.4 years. As of December 31, 2018, there was RMB5.2 billion (US$762 million) unrecognized share-based compensation expenses related to restricted shares of Baidu, Inc., which are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average vesting period of 2.7 years. To the extent the actual forfeiture rate is different from our original estimate, actual share-based compensation cost related to these awards may be different from our expectation.

 

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iQIYI grants options and restricted shares to its employees, directors, officers and consultants as share-based compensation awards. As of December 31, 2018, there were RMB1.4 billion (US$207 million) of unrecognized share-based compensation costs related to iQIYI’s equity awards that are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average vesting period of 3.0 years. Total unrecognized compensation costs may be adjusted for future changes in estimated forfeitures.

Other subsidiaries also have equity incentive plans granting share-based awards. Total share-based compensation expenses recognized and unrecognized were insignificant, both individually and in the aggregate.

Taxation

Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands

We are not subject to income or capital gain tax under the current laws of the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands. Additionally, upon payments of dividends by the Company, no Cayman Island withholding tax will be imposed.

Hong Kong

Subsidiaries in Hong Kong are subject to the uniform tax rate of 16.5%. Under Hong Kong tax law, our subsidiaries in Hong Kong are exempted from income tax on their foreign-derived income and there is no withholding tax in Hong Kong on remittance of dividends.

Japan

As a result of the Japanese tax regulations amendments, the effective income tax rates are approximately 33%, 32% and 31% for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively.

PRC Enterprise Income Tax

Effective from January 1, 2008, the PRC’s statutory enterprise income tax, or EIT, rate is 25%. An enterprise may benefit from a preferential tax rate of 15% under the EIT Law if it qualifies as a “High and New Technology Enterprise” strongly supported by the state. Pursuant to the Administrative Measures on the Recognition of High and New Technology Enterprises, as amended in January 2016, the provincial counterparts of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation make joint determination on whether an enterprise is qualified as a “High and New Technology Enterprise” under the EIT Law. In making such determination, these government agencies consider, among other factors, ownership of core technology, whether the key technology supporting the core products or services fall within the scope of high and new technology strongly supported by the state as specified in the measures, the ratios of research and development personnel to total personnel, the ratio of research and development expenditures to annual sales revenues, the ratio of revenues attributed to high and new technology products or services to total revenues, and other measures set forth in relevant guidance. A “High and New Technology Enterprise” certificate is effective for a period of three years. A number of our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities, such as Baidu Online and Baidu Netcom, obtained the “High and New Technology Enterprise” certificates. The related tax holiday under such “High and New Technology Enterprise” certificates of these entities will expire in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

If any entity fails to maintain the “High and New Technology Enterprise” qualification under the EIT Law, its tax rate will increase, which could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position. Historically, all of the PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities mentioned above successfully re-applied for the certificates when the prior ones expired.

 

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An enterprise may benefit from a preferential tax rate of 10% under the EIT law if it qualifies as a “Key Software Enterprise.” Enterprises wishing to enjoy the “Key Software Enterprise” status will be subject to relevant governmental authorities’ assessment each year as to whether they are entitled to the preferential tax rate of 10%. Due to the “Key Software Enterprise” status, Baidu Online was entitled to a preferential income tax rate of 10% from 2010 to 2017, so was Baidu China for 2015 to 2017, and Baidu International for 2016 and 2017. Prior to May 2016, a “Key Software Enterprise” used to be designated jointly by the National Development and Reform Commission, the MIIT, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation. In May 2016, the four PRC governmental authorities jointly issued a notice, pursuant to which an enterprise may be entitled to the preferential income tax rate of 10% by filing with the local tax authority with supporting documentation proving its qualifications to be a “Key Software Enterprise” during its annual income tax filing process. The “Key Software Enterprise” status of Baidu Online, Baidu China and Baidu International for 2018 will be filed with tax authorities before May 2019 and will be subject to relevant governmental authorities’ assessment.

If our PRC subsidiaries or consolidated affiliated entities that have enjoyed preferential tax treatment no longer qualify for the preferential treatment, we will consider available options under applicable law that would enable us to qualify for alternative preferential tax treatment. To the extent we are unable to offset the impact of the expiration of existing preferential tax treatment with new tax exemptions, tax incentives or other tax benefits, the expiration of existing preferential tax treatment may cause our effective tax rate to increase. The amount of income tax payable by our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities in the future will depend on various factors, including, among other things, the results of operations and taxable income of, and the statutory tax rate applicable to, each of the entities. Our effective tax rate depends partially on the extent of the relative contribution of each of our subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities to our consolidated taxable income. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, our consolidated effective tax rate was 20%, 14% and 17%, respectively.

Withholding Tax

Under the EIT Law and its implementation rules, dividends, interests, rent or royalties payable by a foreign-invested enterprise, such as our PRC subsidiaries, to any of its non-resident enterprise investors, and proceeds from any such non-resident enterprise investor’s disposition of assets (after deducting the net value of such assets) are subject to the EIT at the rate of 10%, namely withholding tax, unless the non-resident enterprise investor’s jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty or arrangement with China that provides for a reduced withholding tax rate or an exemption from withholding tax. The Caishui (2008) No. 1 Notice clarifies that undistributed profits earned by foreign-invested enterprises prior to January 1, 2008 will be exempted from any withholding tax.

The British Virgin Islands, where Baidu Holdings Limited, the sole shareholder of certain of our PRC subsidiaries such as Baidu Online, was incorporated, does not have such a tax treaty with China.

Hong Kong, where Baidu (Hong Kong) Limited, our wholly owned subsidiary and the sole shareholder of certain of our PRC subsidiaries such as Baidu Times and Baidu China, was incorporated, has a tax arrangement with China that provides for a lower withholding tax rate of 5% on dividends subject to certain conditions and requirements, such as the requirement that the Hong Kong resident enterprise own at least 25% of the PRC enterprise distributing the dividend at all times within the 12-month period immediately preceding the distribution of dividends and be a “beneficial owner” of the dividends. However, pursuant to a SAT Circular 81 issued by the State Administration of Taxation in February 2009, if the relevant PRC tax authorities determine, in their discretion, that a company benefits from the reduced withholding tax rate on dividends due to a structure or arrangement designed for the primary purpose of obtaining favorable tax treatment, the PRC tax authorities may adjust the preferential tax treatment. Moreover, pursuant to a SAT Circular 9 issued by the State Administration of Taxation in February 2018, which became effective from April 1, 2018 and superseded the SAT Circular 601 issued by the State Administration of Taxation in October 2009, a resident of a contracting state will not qualify for the benefits under the tax treaties or arrangements, if it is not the “beneficial owner” of the dividend, interest

 

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and royalty income. According to SAT Circular 9, a “beneficial owner” is required to have ownership and the right to dispose of the income or the rights and properties giving rise to the income, and generally engage in substantive business activities. An agent or conduit company will not be regarded as a “beneficial owner” and, therefore, will not qualify for treaty benefits. A conduit company normally refers to a company that is set up primarily for the purpose of evading or reducing taxes or transferring or accumulating profits. In addition, pursuant to a SAT Circular 60 issued by the State Administration of Taxation in August 2015, non-resident enterprises are not required to obtain pre-approval from the relevant tax authority in order to enjoy the reduced withholding tax rate. Instead, non-resident enterprises may, if they determine by self-assessment that the prescribed criteria to enjoy the tax treaty benefits are met, directly apply for the reduced withholding tax rate, and file necessary forms and supporting documents when performing tax filings, which will be subject to post-filing examinations by the relevant tax authorities.

If our PRC subsidiaries declare and distribute profits earned after January 1, 2008 to us in the future, the dividend payments will be subject to withholding tax, which will increase our tax liability and reduce the amount of cash available to our company.

Tax Residence

Under the EIT Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with “de facto management body” within the PRC is considered a resident enterprise and will be subject to the EIT at the rate of 25% on its worldwide income. The term “de facto management body” refers to “the establishment that exercises substantial and overall management and control over the production, business, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise.”

Pursuant to SAT Circular 82 issued by the State Administration of Taxation in April 2009, an overseas registered enterprise controlled by a PRC company or a PRC company group will be classified as a “resident enterprise” with its “de facto management body” located within China if the following requirements are satisfied: (i) the senior management and core management departments in charge of its daily operations are mainly located in the PRC; (ii) its financial and human resources decisions are subject to determination or approval by persons or bodies located in the PRC; (iii) its major assets, accounting books, company seals, and minutes and files of its board and shareholders’ meetings are located or kept in the PRC; and (iv) no less than half of the enterprise’s directors or senior management with voting rights reside in the PRC. The State Administration of Taxation issued additional rules to provide more guidance on the implementation of SAT Circular 82 in July 2011, and issued an amendment to SAT Circular 82 delegating the authority to its provincial branches to determine whether a Chinese-controlled overseas-incorporated enterprise should be considered a PRC resident enterprise, in January 2014. Although the SAT Circular 82, the additional guidance and its amendment only apply to overseas registered enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises and not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the determining criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the State Administration of Taxation’s general position on how the “de facto management body” test should be applied in determining the tax resident status of offshore enterprises, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises, individuals or foreigners.

If our offshore entities are deemed PRC resident enterprises, these entities may be subject to the EIT at the rate of 25% on their global incomes, except that the dividends distributed by our PRC subsidiaries may be exempt from the EIT to the extent such dividends are deemed “dividends among qualified resident enterprises.”

Should our offshore entities be deemed as PRC resident enterprises, such changes could significantly increase our tax burden and materially and adversely affect our cash flow and profitability.

PRC VAT in Lieu of Business Tax

In November 2011, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation jointly issued two circulars setting forth the details of the pilot VAT reform program, which change the charge of sales tax from

 

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business tax to VAT for certain pilot industries. The VAT reform program initially applied only to the pilot industries in Shanghai, and was expanded to eight additional regions, including, among others, Beijing and Guangdong province, in 2012. In August 2013, the program was further expanded nationwide. In May 2016, the pilot program was extended to cover additional industry sectors such as construction, real estate, finance and consumer services.

With respect to all of our PRC entities for the period immediately prior to the implementation of the VAT reform program, revenues from our services are subject to a 5% PRC business tax. Revenues from our online advertising distribution services are subject to an additional 3% cultural business construction fee.

All of our PRC entities have been subject to VAT since August 1, 2013. These entities are required to pay VAT instead of business tax for services that are deemed by the relevant tax authorities to be within the pilot industries at a rate of 6%. In addition, cultural business construction fee is imposed at the rate of 3% on revenues derived from our online marketing distribution services.

PRC Urban Maintenance and Construction Tax and Education Surcharge

Any entity, foreign-invested or purely domestic, or individual that is subject to consumption tax, VAT and business tax is also required to pay PRC urban maintenance and construction tax. The rates of urban maintenance and construction tax are 7%, 5% or 1% of the amount of consumption tax, VAT and business tax actually paid depending on where the taxpayer is located. All entities and individuals who pay consumption tax, VAT and business tax are also required to pay education surcharge at a rate of 3%, and local education surcharges at a rate of 2%, of the amount of VAT, business tax and consumption tax actually paid.

 

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