10-K

Fiscal Year Ended

September 25,
2015

September 26,
2014

Net cash provided by operating activities

10-K 1 a10-kfy15.htm 10-K 10-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K



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

For the Fiscal Year Ended September 25, 2015



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

For the Transition Period From To

Commission File Number: 001-32431

DOLBY LABORATORIES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)



Delaware		90-0199783
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
1275 Market Street San Francisco, CA	94103-1410	(415) 558-0200
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)	(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)



Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Class A common stock, $0.001 par value	The New York Stock Exchange
(Title of class)	(Name of each exchange on which registered)



Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Class B common stock, $0.001 par value
(Title of class)

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

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ¨ No ý

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 ý No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (Section 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ý No ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (Section 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ¨

Indicate by a check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.



Large accelerated filer ý		Accelerated filer ¨
Non-accelerated filer ¨ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)		Smaller reporting company ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No ý

The aggregate market value of the voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of March 27, 2015 was $1.1 billion. This calculation excludes the shares of Class A and Class B common stock held by executive officers, directors and stockholders whose ownership exceeds 5% of the combined shares of Class A and Class B common stock outstanding at March 27, 2015. This calculation does not reflect a determination that such persons are affiliates for any other purposes. On October 30, 2015, the registrant had 51,635,498 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 49,215,750 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.001 per share, outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A in connection with the registrant’s 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed subsequent to the date hereof, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Report. Such Definitive Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission not later than 120 days after the conclusion of the registrant’s fiscal year ended September 25, 2015. Except with respect to information specifically incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K, the Definitive Proxy Statement is not deemed to be filed as part of this Form 10-K.

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DOLBY LABORATORIES, INC.

FORM 10-K

TABLE OF CONTENTS



PART I
Item 1	—	Business	4
Item 1A	—	Risk Factors	11
Item 1B	—	Unresolved Staff Comments	22
Item 2	—	Properties	22
Item 3	—	Legal Proceedings	23
Item 4	—	Mine Safety Disclosures	23

PART II
Item 5	—	Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities	24
Item 6	—	Selected Financial Data	26
Item 7	—	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	28
Item 7A	—	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	40
Item 8	—	Consolidated Financial Statements	42
Item 9	—	Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure	82
Item 9A	—	Controls and Procedures	82
Item 9B	—	Other Information	82

PART III
Item 10	—	Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance	83
Item 11	—	Executive Compensation	84
Item 12	—	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters	84
Item 13	—	Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence	84
Item 14	—	Principal Accounting Fees and Services	84

PART IV
Item 15	—	Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules	85
Signatures			86

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS

The following table summarizes certain terms and abbreviations that may be used within the text of this report.



Abbreviation		Term
AAC		Advanced Audio Coding
AOCI		Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
APIC		Additional-Paid In-Capital
ASP		Average Selling Price
ASU		Accounting Standards Update
ATSC		Advanced Television Systems Committee
AVR		Audio/Video Receiver
CODM		Chief Operating Decision-Maker
COGS		Cost Of Goods Sold
COSO		Committee Of Sponsoring Organizations (Of The Treadway Commission)
DCI		Digital Cinema Initiative
DD		Dolby Digital®
DD+		Dolby Digital Plus™
DMA		Digital Media Adapter
DTV		Digital Television
DVB		Digital Video Broadcasting
DVD		Digital Versatile Disc
EPS		Earnings Per Share
ESP		Estimated Selling Price
ESPP		Employee Stock Purchase Plan
FASB		Financial Accounting Standards Board
FCPA		Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
G&A		General & Administrative
GAAP		Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
HDR		High Dynamic Range
HDTV		High Definition Television
HE AAC		High Efficiency Advanced Audio Coding
HEVC		High Efficiency Video Coding
HFR		High Frame Rate
HTIB		Home Theater In-A-Box
IC		Integrated Circuit
IMB		Integrated Media Block
IPO		Initial Public Offering
IPTV		Internet Protocol Television
ISO		Incentive Stock Option
ISV		Independent Software Vendor
IT		Information Technology
LCD		Liquid Crystal Display
LP		Limited Partner/Partnership
ME		Multiple Element
NATO		North American Theatre Owners
NOL		Net Operating Loss
NQ		Non-Qualified/Non-Statutory Stock Option
OCI		Other Comprehensive Income
ODD		Optical Disc Drive
OECD		Organization For Economic Co-Operation & Development
OEM		Original Equipment Manufacturer
OTT		Over-The-Top
PC		Personal Computer
PCS		Post-Contract Support
PP&E		Property, Plant And Equipment
R&D		Research & Development
RSU		Restricted Stock Unit
S&M		Sales & Marketing
SAR		Stock Appreciation Rights
SERP		Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan
SoC		System-On-A-Chip
STB		Set-Top Box
TAM		Total Available Market
TPE		Third Party Evidence
UHD		Ultra High Definition
U.S. GAAP		Generally Accepted Accounting Principles In The United States
VSOE		Vendor Specific Objective Evidence

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Forward Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements including, but not limited to statements regarding: operating results and underlying measures; demand and acceptance for our technologies and products; market growth opportunities and trends; our plans, strategies and expected opportunities; and future competition. Use of words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue” or similar expressions indicates a forward-looking statement. Such forward-looking statements are based on management’s reasonable and current assumptions and expectations. Actual results may differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including the risks set forth in Item 1A, “Risk Factors.” Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. We disclaim any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform our prior statements to actual results.

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PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

OVERVIEW

Dolby Laboratories creates audio, imaging, and voice technologies that transform entertainment and communications at the cinema, at home, at work and on mobile devices. Founded in 1965, our core strengths stem from expertise in digital signal processing and compression technologies that have transformed the ability of artists to convey entertainment experiences to their audiences through recorded media. Such technologies led to the development of our noise-reduction systems for analog tape recordings, and have since evolved into multichannel and object-oriented sound for cinema, digital television transmissions and devices, OTT video services, and DVD and Blu-ray discs and devices. More recently, our technologies have played a prominent role in the development of the next generation of audio technologies for the cinema, home entertainment, mobile and gaming experiences. Today, we derive the majority of our revenue from licensing our audio technologies. We also provide products and services that enable content creators and distributors to produce, encode, transmit and playback content for superior consumer experiences. We are also developing new applications, most recently for voice conferencing, as well as imaging solutions that enable HDR picture quality in televisions and cinemas.

On October 31, 2014, we completed our acquisition of Doremi Technologies LLC ("Doremi"), a privately held company, and certain assets related to the business of Doremi from Doremi Labs, Inc. and Highlands Technologies SAS. Doremi was a leading developer and manufacturer of digital cinema servers and the acquisition is expected to accelerate the delivery and deployment of innovative solutions to exhibitors. Doremi's cumulative operating results from the acquisition date are included in our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 25, 2015. These results did not have a material impact on our total consolidated revenues or net income for the period. Refer to Note 13 “Acquisitions” to our consolidated financial statements for additional information regarding the acquisition.

OUR STRATEGY

Key elements of our strategy include:

Advancing the Science of Sight and Sound. We apply our understanding of the human senses, and audio and imaging engineering to develop technologies aimed at improving how people experience and interact with their communications and entertainment content.

Providing Creative Solutions. We promote the use of our solutions as creative tools, and provide our products, services and technologies to filmmakers, sound mixers and other production teams in their creative processes. Our tools help showcase the quality and impact of their efforts and intent, and this may generate market demand.

Delivering Superior Experiences. Our technologies and solutions optimize playback and communications so that users may enjoy sound and sight in Dolby, a more rich, clear, and immersive experience.

REVENUE GENERATION

The following table presents a summary of the composition of our revenues for all periods presented:



	Fiscal Year Ended
Revenue	September 25, 2015		September 26, 2014		September 27, 2013
Licensing	89	%	92	%	89	%
Products	9	%	6	%	9	%
Services	2	%	2	%	2	%
Total	100	%	100	%	100	%

We license our technologies in 50 countries, and our licensees distribute products that incorporate our technologies throughout the world. As shown in the table below, we generate a significant portion of our revenue from outside the United States. Geographic data for our licensing revenue is based on the location of our licensees’ headquarters. Products revenue is based on the destination to which we ship our products, while services revenue is based on the location where services are performed.

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	Fiscal Year Ended
Revenue By Geographic Location	September 25, 2015		September 26, 2014		September 27, 2013
United States	29	%	33	%	28	%
International	71	%	67	%	72	%

Licensing

We license our technologies to a broad range of customers who incorporate them into their products for enhanced audio and imaging functionality. These products cover a wide range of end-user experiences whether it be at home, at work, on mobile devices, or at the cinema. We have active licensing arrangements with approximately 550 electronics product OEMs and software developer licensees.

We offer a broad array of technologies that are used for numerous applications. However, our key technologies are as follows:



Technology	Description
Dolby Digital Plus (DD+)	An advanced digital audio coding technology that offers efficient audio transmission of premium audio for a wide range of media applications such as DTV, mobile, and Internet-based services
Dolby Digital (DD)	A digital audio coding technology that provides multichannel sound in the home from DVDs, digital terrestrial broadcast, cable, and satellite systems
AAC & HE-AAC	High quality audio coding technologies used for broadcast, download and streaming content
Dolby® TrueHD	A lossless audio coding technology that enables content providers to include premium audio for Blu-ray Disc and streaming services without using excessive storage capacity
Dolby Atmos®	An object-oriented audio technology for home theaters, device speakers, and headphones that allows sound to be precisely placed and moved anywhere in the listening environment including the overhead dimension. The Dolby Atmos experience can be provided via multiple Dolby audio coding technologies
Dolby® AC-4	A next-generation digital audio coding system that addresses the current and future needs of broadcast and streaming entertainment services. Dolby AC-4 provides the greatest efficiency in delivering new experiences to every playback device
Dolby Voice®	An audio conferencing technology with superior spatial perception, voice clarity and background noise reduction that emulates the in-person meeting experience
Dolby Vision™	Dolby Vision is an imaging technology that offers more realistic distinctions in color, brighter highlights, and improved shadow details for cinema, DTV, and other consumer devices

The following table presents the composition of our licensing business and revenues for all periods presented:



	Fiscal Year Ended
Market	September 25, 2015		September 26, 2014		September 27, 2013		Main Products Incorporating Our Technologies
Broadcast	44	%	43	%	37	%	Televisions & STBs
PC	17	%	19	%	24	%	Windows and Apple operating systems
Consumer Electronics	14	%	15	%	16	%	DVD and Blu-ray Disc devices, AVRs, DMAs, HTIBs & Soundbars
Mobile	13	%	13	%	12	%	Smartphones, tablets & other mobile devices
Other	12	%	10	%	11	%	Video game consoles, automobile entertainment & audio conferencing
Total	100	%	100	%	100	%

We have three primary licensing models: a two-tier model, an integrated licensing model, and a patent licensing model.

Two-Tier Licensing Model. Most of our consumer entertainment licensing business consists of a two-tier licensing model whereby our decoding technologies, included in reference software and firmware code, are first provided under license to a semiconductor manufacturer. The manufacturer then incorporates our technologies in ICs. Licensed semiconductor manufacturers, whom we refer to as “implementation licensees,” sell their ICs to OEMs of consumer entertainment products, which we refer to as “system licensees.” System licensees separately obtain licenses from us that allow them to make and sell finished end-user products that incorporate our technologies in ICs purchased from our implementation licensees.

Implementation licensees pay us a one-time, up-front fee per license. In exchange, the licensee receives a licensing package which includes information useful in implementing our technologies into their chipsets. Once implemented, the licensee will send us a sample chipset for quality control evaluation and after we validate the design, the licensee is permitted to sell the chipset for use solely by our system licensees.

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System licensees are required to provide us with prototypes of products that incorporate our technologies for which they are licensed for quality control evaluation, or under certain circumstances, with self-test results for our review. If the prototype or test results are approved, the licensee is permitted to buy ICs from any Dolby implementation licensee with a license for the same Dolby technology, and to sell approved products to retailers, distributors, and consumers. For the use of our technologies, our system licensees pay an initial licensing fee as well as royalties, which represent the majority of the revenue recognized from these arrangements. The amount of royalties we collect from a system licensee on a particular product depends on a number of factors including the mix of Dolby technologies used, the nature of the implementations, and the volume of products incorporating our technologies that are shipped by the system licensee.

Integrated Licensing Model. We also license our technologies to software operating system vendors and ISVs, and to certain other OEMs that act as combined implementation and system licensees. These licensees incorporate our technologies in their software used on PCs, in mobile applications, or in ICs they manufacture and incorporate into their products. As with the two-tier licensing model, the combined implementation and system licensee pays us an initial licensing fee in addition to royalties as determined by the mix of Dolby technologies used, the nature of the implementations, and the volume of products incorporating our technologies that are shipped, and is subject to the same quality control evaluation process.

Patent Licensing Model. We license our patents directly to manufacturers that use our intellectual property in their products. We also license our patents indirectly through patent pools which are arrangements between multiple patent owners to jointly offer and license pooled patents to licensees. Finally, we generate service fees for managing patent pools on behalf of third party patent owners through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Via Licensing Corporation. The Via Licensing patent pools enable product manufacturers to efficiently and transparently secure patent licenses for audio coding, interactive television, digital radio and wireless technologies. Currently, most of our revenues earned from patent licensing relate to the licensing of AAC technologies.

Settlements & Back Payments From Licensees. Due to ongoing collection efforts, licensing revenue recognized in any given quarter may include back payments and/or settlements with licensees. Such collections have become a recurring element of our business which we cannot predict with certainty. Within the Results of Operations section of Part II, Item 7. "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations", settlements and back payments are collectively referred to as "recoveries."

Products

We design and manufacture audio and imaging products for the film production, cinema, television, broadcast, and entertainment industries. Distributed in over 70 countries, these products are used in content creation, distribution, and playback to enhance image and sound quality, and improve transmission and playback.

The following table presents the composition of our products revenue for all periods presented:



	Fiscal Year Ended
Market	September 25, 2015		September 26, 2014		September 27, 2013
Cinema	89	%	86	%	87	%
Broadcast	6	%	10	%	9	%
Other	5	%	4	%	4	%
Total	100	%	100	%	100	%

Products revenue is derived primarily from sales of the following:



Product	Description
Digital Cinema Servers	Our Digital Cinema Server products are used to load, store, decrypt, decode and watermark digital film files for presentation on digital cinema projectors. We also provide products that encrypt, encode and package digital film data for distribution
Dolby Cinema Audio Products	Our Cinema Processors decode and render digital cinema soundtracks including those using Dolby Atmos. We also provide products that author, encrypt, encode and package Dolby Atmos sound tracks. Dolby Atmos is an object-oriented audio platform enabling precision and flexibility in sound placement and movement to create the most natural and realistic experience in a cinema environment
Other Products	Broadcast hardware and software used to encode, transmit, and decode multiple channels of high quality audio for DTV and HDTV distribution, Dolby Voice conference phones, monitors, and 3-D glasses and kits

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Services

We offer a broad array of services to support theatrical and television production for cinema exhibition, broadcast, and home entertainment. Our engineers assist in the integration and support of our technologies and products to create and reproduce both audio and imaging content. The specific areas in which their assistance is provided can involve equipment calibration, mixing room alignment, equalization, as well as color and light image calibration. Our engineers also provide equipment training, system and venue design consultation, as well as on-site technical expertise to cinema operators, film festivals, movie premieres, and trade shows throughout the world.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

We have a substantial base of intellectual property assets, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets developed based on our technical expertise.

As of September 25, 2015, we had approximately 5,100 issued patents in addition to approximately 3,200 pending patent applications in more than 70 jurisdictions throughout the world. Our currently issued patents expire at various times through April 2040.

Some of our patents relating to Dolby Digital technologies, from which we derive a significant, but declining portion of our licensing revenue, have expired and others will expire over the next several years. The primary products where Dolby Digital is widely used include DVD players (but not Blu-ray players), TVs, and STBs. We have transitioned a number of our Dolby Digital licensees to Dolby Digital Plus technologies, an extension of our Dolby Digital technologies, whose patents generally expire later than the Dolby Digital patents. We are continuing to make progress in transitioning other Dolby Digital licensees to Dolby Digital Plus, technologies from which we derive the majority of our licensing revenue.

We pursue a general practice of filing patent applications for our technologies in the U.S. and foreign countries where our customers manufacture, distribute, or sell licensed products. We actively pursue new applications to expand our patent portfolio to address new technological innovations. We have multiple patents covering aspects and improvements for many of our technologies.

We have approximately 990 trademark registrations throughout the world for a variety of word marks, logos, and slogans. Our trademarks cover our various products, technologies, improvements, and features, as well as the services that we provide. These trademarks are an integral part of our technology licensing program, and licensees typically elect to place our trademarks on their products to inform consumers that their products incorporate our technology and meet our quality specifications.

We protect our intellectual property rights both domestically and internationally. From time to time, we experience problems with OEMs of consumer entertainment products in emerging economies. OEMs have failed to report or have underreported shipments of their products that incorporate our technologies. We have also had problems with implementation licensees selling ICs with our technologies to third parties that are not system licensees. We anticipate that such problems will continue to occur. We have taken steps in the past to enforce our intellectual property rights and expect to do so in the future.

Moreover, we have relatively few or no issued patents in certain countries. For example, in China, Taiwan, and India, we have only limited patent protection for our Dolby Digital technologies. Consequently, we may realize less revenue for Dolby Digital from those regions in the future. Maintaining or growing our licensing revenue in developing countries such as China, Taiwan, and India will depend in part, on our ability to obtain patent rights in these countries, which is uncertain. Further, because of the limitations of the legal systems in many countries, the effectiveness of patents obtained or that may in the future be obtained, if any, is uncertain.

INDUSTRY STANDARDS

Selected Dolby technologies have been adopted as the explicit or de-facto industry standard for broadcast and online delivery in various markets. Explicit industry standards are adopted through a standardization process whereby government entities, industry standards-setting bodies, trade associations, and others evaluate and then prescribe the use of a technology. For example, as global broadcast standards for digital television and HD television have developed, Dolby audio technologies have been adopted in various regions of the world, highlights of which are as follows:


•	Dolby Digital is mandated for multiple regions including North America and South Korea.


•	Developing digital television markets across sub-Saharan Africa, South-East Asia and India have required Dolby Digital Plus in their digital terrestrial television specifications. Dolby Digital Plus and HE-AAC are mandated

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across many countries including France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, and Russia for terrestrial broadcast.


•	Dolby Digital Plus is the de-facto technology used by a wide range of pay-TV operators and streaming services worldwide.


•	China has selected Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus as optional technologies for the country’s digital terrestrial television specification.

We participate in a broad spectrum of organizations and industry standards bodies worldwide that establish explicit industry standards. In addition, Dolby technologies have become de facto industry standards in many consumer entertainment products. De facto industry standards are adopted by industry participants when technologies are introduced to the marketplace and become widely used. For example, prior to the adoption of HD terrestrial broadcast standards mandating Dolby technologies, many European HD broadcasters began broadcasting in Dolby Digital or Dolby Digital Plus, leading OEMs to include these technologies in their televisions and STBs for the European market.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

We conduct R&D activities at numerous locations both in the United States and internationally. Dolby’s history of producing innovative technology has created many forms of intellectual property. When licensed from us, this intellectual property generates revenue that enables further innovation.

We have historically focused the majority of our R&D resources on audio technologies. In recent years, we have expanded our efforts to identify and develop new technologies. Beyond the strong audio platform we have created, we announced two new platforms during fiscal 2014 - Voice and Imaging. Each of these platforms can support many offerings and we anticipate bringing new products to market using these platforms in the future.

R&D expenses included in our consolidated statements of operations were as follows (in thousands):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	September 25, 2015		September 26, 2014		September 27, 2013
Research & Development	$	201,324	$	183,128	$	168,746

PRODUCT MANUFACTURING

Our product quality is enabled through the use of well-established, and in some cases, highly automated, assembly processes along with rigorous testing of our products. Although we have some manufacturing facilities, we rely primarily upon contract manufacturers for the majority of our production capacity. We purchase components and fabricated parts from multiple suppliers; however, we rely on sole source suppliers for certain components used to manufacture our products. We source components and fabricated parts both locally and globally.

SALES AND MARKETING

Our marketing efforts focus on demonstrating how our solutions improve entertainment and communications. We sell our solutions primarily using an internal sales organization to various customers in the markets where we operate. We promote our solutions and our brand through industry events such as trade-shows, film festivals, movie premieres, product launches, as well as through our website, public relations, direct marketing, co-marketing programs and social media. In addition, we hold the naming rights to the Dolby Theatre, home to the Academy Awards® in Hollywood, California, where we showcase our technology and host high-profile events.

We maintain more than twenty sales offices in key regions around the globe. S&M expenses included in our consolidated statements of operations were as follows (in thousands):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	September 25, 2015		September 26, 2014		September 27, 2013
Sales & Marketing	$	279,174	$	252,647	$	231,103

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CUSTOMERS

We license our technologies to a broad set of customers that operate in a wide range of industries, and we sell our professional products either directly to the end user or, more commonly, through dealers and distributors. Users of our professional products and services include film studios, content creators, post-production facilities, cinema operators, broadcasters, and video game designers.

Samsung is one of our licensees and accounted for approximately 12%, 11% and 12% of our total revenue in fiscal 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, and consisted primarily of licensing revenue from our mobile and broadcast markets.

COMPETITION

The markets for entertainment industry technologies are highly competitive, and we face competitive threats and pricing pressure in our markets. Competitors in our respective fields include:



Licensed Technologies	Products	Services
Audyssey Laboratories, Inc.	Barco NV	Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc.
DTS, Inc.	GDC Technology Limited	DTS, Inc.
Fraunhofer Institut Integrierte Schaltungen	IMAX Corporation	Sony Corporation
Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV	MasterImage 3D, Inc.	Technicolor
Technicolor	NEC Corporation
Thomson Video Networks	Qube Cinema, Inc.
Samsung	QSC Audio Products, LLC
Sony Corporation	RealD, Inc.
Waves Audio Ltd.	Sony Corporation
	Technicolor
	Ultra Stereo Labs, Inc. (USL)
	XpanD, Inc.

Some of our current and future competitors may have significantly greater financial, technical, marketing, and other resources than we do, or may have more experience or advantages in the markets in which they compete. For example, some of our current or potential competitors may have an advantage over us based on greater experience in certain technology markets. In addition, some of our current or potential competitors may be able to offer integrated systems in certain markets for entertainment technologies, including audio, imaging, and digital rights management technologies, which could make competing technologies that we develop or acquire obsolete. By offering an integrated system solution, these potential competitors may also be able to offer competing technologies at lower prices than we can, which could adversely affect our operating results.

Many products that include our audio technologies also include audio technologies developed by our competitors. We believe that the principal competitive factors in our markets include some or all of the following:


•	Degree of access and inclusion in industry standards;


•	Technological performance, flexibility, and range of application;


•	Brand recognition and reputation;


•	Timeliness and relevance of new product introductions;


•	Quality and reliability of products and services;


•	Relationships with producers, directors, and distributors in the film industry, with television broadcast industry leaders, and with the management of semiconductor and consumer electronics OEMs;


•	Availability of compatible high quality audio content; and


•	Price.

We believe we compete favorably with respect to many of these factors. Our products and services span the audio and imaging sectors of several distinct and diverse industries, including the cinema, broadcasting, visual, gaming, communications and recording industries. The lack of clear definition of the markets in which our products, services, and technologies are sold or licensed, the nature of our technologies, their potential use for various commercial applications, and the diverse nature of and lack of detailed reporting by our competitors, make it impracticable to quantify our position.

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EMPLOYEES

As of September 25, 2015, we had 1,867 employees worldwide, of which 714 employees were based outside of the U.S. None of our employees are subject to a collective bargaining agreement.

CORPORATE AND AVAILABLE INFORMATION

We were founded in London, England in 1965 and incorporated in the State of New York in 1967. We reincorporated in California in 1976 and reincorporated in Delaware in September 2004. Until October 2015, our principal corporate offices had been located at 100 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, California 94103. Beginning in October 2015, our principal corporate offices are now located at 1275 Market Street, San Francisco, California 94103. Our telephone number is (415) 558-0200.

Our Internet address is www.dolby.com. We make available on our website, free of charge, our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Our SEC reports can be accessed through the Investor Relations section of our Internet website. The information found on our Internet website is not part of this or any other report we file with or furnish to the SEC.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

The following risk factors and other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K should be carefully considered. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem less significant may also affect our business operations or financial results. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

REVENUE GENERATION

Markets We Target

Dependence on Sales by Licensees. We depend on OEMs and other licensees to incorporate our technologies into their products. Our license agreements generally do not have minimum purchase commitments, are typically non-exclusive, and frequently do not require incorporation or use of our technologies. Our revenue will decline if our licensees choose not to incorporate our technologies in their products or they sell fewer products incorporating our technologies.

Impact of PC Sales. Revenue from our PC market depends on several factors, including underlying PC unit shipment growth, the extent to which our technologies are included on computers, through operating systems or otherwise, and the terms of any royalties or other payments we receive. We face challenges in the PC market, including:


•	Purchasing trends away from traditional PCs and toward computing devices without optical disc drives, such as ultrabooks and tablets;


•	Because PC OEMs are required to pay us a higher per-unit royalty for Windows 8 and Windows 10 PCs that include optical disc playback functionality than Windows 8 or Windows 10 PCs that do not include such functionality, the continued decreasing inclusion of optical disc drives in Windows 8 or Windows 10 PCs will result in lower per-unit royalties;


•	PC software that includes our technologies on an unauthorized and infringing basis, for which we receive no royalty payments; and


•	Continued decreasing inclusion of independent software vendor media applications by PC OEMs.

Declines in Optical Disc Media. For many years, movies have been distributed, purchased, and consumed through optical disc media, such as DVD and more recently, Blu-ray Disc. However, the rapid advancement of online and mobile content delivery has resulted in a trend toward movie downloading and streaming services. We expect the shift away from optical disc media to online and mobile media content consumption to continue, resulting in decreased revenue from DVD and Blu-ray Disc players.

Mobile Industry Risks. Successful penetration of the mobile device market is important to our future growth. The mobile device market, particularly smartphones and tablets, is characterized by rapidly changing market conditions, frequent product introductions and intense competition based on features and price. Our Dolby Digital and DD+ technologies are not mandated as an industry standard for mobile devices. We must continually convince mobile device OEMs and end users of mobile devices of the value of our technologies. With shorter product lifecycles, it is easier for mobile device OEMs to add or remove our technologies from mobile devices than it was for PC OEMs.

In order to increase the value of our technologies in the mobile market, we have worked with online and mobile media content service providers to encode their content with our technologies, which could affect OEM and software vendor demand for our decoding technologies. However, the online and mobile media content services markets are also characterized by intense competition, evolving industry standards and business and distribution models, disruptive software and hardware technology developments, frequent product and service introductions and short life cycles, and price sensitivity on the part of consumers, all of which may result in downward pressure on pricing or the removal of our technologies by these providers.

Cinema Industry Risks. Our cinema product sales are subject to fluctuations based on events and conditions in the cinema industry, such as the construction of new screens or upgrade of existing screens. In addition, in the first quarter of fiscal 2015, we launched Dolby Cinema, a branded premium cinema offering for exhibitors and movie audiences that combines Dolby Vision laser projection and Dolby Atmos sound, and more recently, announced Dolby Cinema at AMC Prime, our latest premium cinema offering for movie audiences. Although we have invested, and expect to continue to invest, a substantial amount of time and resources developing Dolby Cinema and building our partnership with AMC in connection with the launch of Dolby Cinema at AMC Prime, this is a new market for us and

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we may not recognize a meaningful amount of revenue from these efforts in the near future, or at all, if Dolby Cinema is not ultimately successful. In addition, the success of our Dolby Cinema offering will be tied to the pipeline and success of motion pictures available at Dolby Cinema locations generally.

In addition, a decrease in our ability to develop and introduce new cinema products and services successfully could affect licensing of our consumer technologies, because the strength of our brand and our ability to use professional product developments to introduce new consumer technologies would be impaired. A number of factors can affect the number of movies that are produced, including strikes and work stoppages within the cinema industry and budgetary constraints and changes in cinema industry business models.

Maturity of Digital Cinema Market. The industry transition to digital cinema is essentially complete, and the demand for new digital cinema screens has dropped significantly, leading to lower sales volumes of our cinema products. Future cinema product growth depends on a number of factors, including new theater construction, the introduction of new technologies, such as Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision, our successful integration of Doremi, and entering into a replacement cycle where previously purchased cinema products are upgraded or replaced. We face a number of challenges relating to the maturity of the digital cinema market, including:


•	Exhibitors may choose competing products with different features or lower prices; and


•	Pricing and other competitive pressures have caused us to implement pricing strategies which have adversely affected gross margins of our cinema products.

Customers and Distributors

Loss of Key Licensee or Customer. A small number of our licensees or customers may represent a significant percentage of our licensing, products, or services revenue. Although we generally have agreements with these licensees or customers, these agreements typically do not require any minimum purchases or minimum royalty fees and do not prohibit licensees from using competing technologies or customers from purchasing products and services from competitors. Because many of our markets are rapidly evolving, customer demand for our technologies and products can shift quickly. Because of our increased presence in the mobile market where our Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus technologies are not mandated as industry standards, the risk that a large licensee may reduce or eliminate its use of our technologies has increased.

Reliance on Semiconductor Manufacturers. Our licensing revenue from system licensees depends in large part upon the availability of ICs that implement our technologies. IC manufacturers incorporate our technologies into these ICs, which are then incorporated in consumer entertainment products. We do not manufacture these ICs, but rather depend on IC manufacturers to develop, produce, and then sell them to system licensees in accordance with their agreements. We do not control the IC manufacturers’ decisions whether or not to incorporate our technologies into their ICs, and we do not control their product development or commercialization efforts.

Consumer Spending Weakness. Weakness in general economic conditions may suppress consumer demand in our markets. Many of the products in which our technologies are incorporated are discretionary goods, such as PCs, televisions, STBs, Blu-ray Disc players, video game consoles, AVRs, mobile devices, in-car entertainment systems, and home-theater systems. Weakness in general economic conditions may also lead to licensees and customers becoming delinquent on their obligations to us or being unable to pay, resulting in a higher level of write-offs. Economic conditions may increase underreporting and non-reporting of royalty-bearing revenue by our licensees as well as increase the unauthorized use of our technologies.

Reliance on Distributors. We rely significantly on a global network of independent, regional distributors to market and distribute our cinema and broadcast products. Our distributor arrangements are non-exclusive and our distributors are not obligated to buy our products and can represent competing products, and they may be unwilling or unable to dedicate the resources necessary to promote our portfolio of products. Our distributors could retain product channel inventory levels that exceed future anticipated sales, which could affect future sales to those distributors. In addition, failure of our distributors to adhere to our policies designed to promote compliance with global anticorruption laws, export controls, and local laws, could subject us to criminal or civil penalties and stockholder litigation.

Marketing and Branding

Importance of Brand Strength. Maintaining and strengthening the Dolby brand is critical to maintaining and expanding our licensing, products, and services business, as well as our ability to offer technologies for new markets, including Dolby Voice for the communications market, Dolby Cinema, Dolby Vision and other imaging offerings for the consumer market, and others. Our continued success depends on our reputation for providing high quality

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technologies, products, and services across a wide range of entertainment markets, including the consumer entertainment, PC, broadcast, and gaming markets. If we fail to promote and maintain the Dolby brand successfully in licensing, products or services, our business will suffer. Furthermore, we believe that the strength of our brand may affect the likelihood that our technologies are adopted as industry standards in various markets and for various applications. Our ability to maintain and strengthen our brand will depend heavily on our ability to develop innovative technologies for the entertainment industry, to enter into new markets successfully, and to provide high quality products and services in these new markets.

Industry Standards

The entertainment industry depends upon industry standards to ensure compatibility across delivery platforms and a wide variety of consumer entertainment products. We make significant efforts to design our products and technologies to address capability, quality, and cost considerations so that they either meet, or more importantly, are adopted as industry standards across the broad range of entertainment industry markets in which we participate, as well as the markets in which we hope to compete in the future. To have our products and technologies adopted as industry standards, we must convince a broad spectrum of standards-setting organizations throughout the world, as well as our major customers and licensees who are members of such organizations, to adopt them as such. The market for broadcast technologies has traditionally been heavily based on industry standards, often mandated by governments choosing from among alternative standards, and we expect this to be the case in the future.

Difficulty Becoming Incorporated in an Industry Standard. Standards-setting organizations establish technology standards for use in a wide range of consumer entertainment products. It can be difficult for companies to have their technologies adopted as an industry standard, as multiple companies, including ones that typically compete against one another, are involved in the development of new technology standards for use in entertainment-oriented products.

Participants May Choose Among Alternative Technologies within Standards. Even when a standards-setting organization incorporates our technologies in an industry standard for a particular market, our technologies may not be the sole technologies adopted for that market. Our operating results depend upon participants in that market choosing to adopt our technologies instead of competitive technologies that also may be acceptable under such standard. For example, the continued growth of our revenue from the broadcast market will depend upon both the continued global adoption of digital television generally and the choice to use our technologies where it is one of several accepted industry standards.

Being Part of a Standard May Limit Our Licensing Practices. When a standards-setting organization mandates our technologies, we generally must agree to license such technologies on a fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory basis, which could limit our control over the use of these technologies. In these situations, we must often limit the royalty rates we charge for these technologies and we may be unable to limit to whom we license such technologies or to restrict many terms of the license. We have in the past, and may in the future, be subject to claims that our licensing of industry standard technologies may not conform to the requirements of the standards-setting organization. Allegations such as these could be asserted in private actions seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief, or in regulatory actions. Claimants in such cases could seek to restrict or change our licensing practices or our ability to license our technologies.

Royalty Reporting

Our operating results fluctuate based on the risks set forth in this section, as well as on:


•	Timing of royalty reports from our licensees and meeting revenue recognition criteria;


•	Royalty reports including positive or negative corrective adjustments;


•	Retroactive royalties that cover extended periods of time; and


•	Timing of revenue recognition under licensing agreements and other contractual arrangements, including recognition of unusually large amounts of revenue in any given quarter because not all of our revenue recognition criteria were met in prior periods.

Inaccurate Licensee Royalty Reporting. We generate licensing revenue primarily from OEMs who license our technologies and incorporate those technologies in their products. Our license agreements generally obligate our licensees to pay us a specified royalty for every product they ship that incorporates our technologies, and we rely on our licensees to report their shipments accurately. However, we have difficulty independently determining whether our licensees are reporting shipments accurately, particularly with respect to software incorporating our technologies

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because unauthorized copies of such software can be made relatively easily. A third party may disagree with our interpretation of the terms of a license agreement or, as a result of an audit, a third party could challenge the accuracy of our calculation. We are regularly involved in discussions with third party technology licensees regarding license terms. Most of our license agreements permit us to audit our licensees’ records and we routinely exercise these rights, but audits are generally expensive, time-consuming, and potentially detrimental to our ongoing business relationships with our licensees. In the past, licensees have understated or failed to report the number of products incorporating our technologies that they shipped, and we have not been able to collect and recognize revenue to which we were entitled. We expect that we will continue to experience understatement and non-reporting of royalties by our licensees.

Royalties We Owe Others. In some cases, the products we sell and the technologies we license to our customers include intellectual property that we have licensed from third parties. Our agreements with these third parties generally require us to pay them royalties for that use, and give the third parties the right to audit our calculation of those royalties. A third party may disagree with our interpretation of the terms of a license agreement or, as a result of an audit, a third party could challenge the accuracy of our calculation. We are regularly involved in discussions with third party technology licensors regarding license terms. A successful challenge by a third party could result in the termination of a license agreement or an increase in the amount of royalties we have to pay to the third party.

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS

Technology Innovation. Our revenue growth will depend upon our success in new and existing markets for our technologies, such as digital broadcast, mobile devices, online and mobile media distribution, consumer imaging and communications. The markets for our technologies and products are defined by:


•	Rapid technological change;


•	New and improved technology and frequent product introductions;


•	Changing consumer and licensee demands;


•	Evolving industry standards; and


•	Technology and product obsolescence.

Our future success depends on our ability to enhance our technologies and products and to develop new technologies and products that address the market needs in a timely manner. Technology development is a complex, uncertain process requiring high levels of innovation, highly-skilled engineering and development personnel, and the accurate anticipation of technological and market trends. We may not be able to identify, develop, acquire, market, or support new or enhanced technologies or products on a timely basis, if at all.

Experience with New Markets and Business Models. Our future growth will depend, in part, upon our expansion into areas beyond our core audio licensing business. Over the past two years, we have introduced Dolby Voice technology for the communications market, Dolby Vision for the home and cinema markets, and our branded-theater experience, Dolby Cinema. As we enter into these new markets, we will face new sources of competition, new business models, and new customer relationships. In order to be successful in these markets, we will need to cultivate new industry relationships to bring our products, services, and technologies to market. Our inexperience in one or more of these markets could limit our ability to successfully execute on our growth strategy.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Our business is dependent upon protecting our patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, and other intellectual property rights. Effective intellectual property rights protection, however, may not be available under the laws of every country in which our products and services and those of our licensees are distributed. The efforts we have taken to protect our proprietary rights may not be sufficient or effective. We also seek to maintain select intellectual property as trade secrets, and third parties or our employees could intentionally or accidentally compromise the intellectual property that we maintain as trade secrets. In addition, protecting our intellectual property rights is costly and time consuming. We have taken steps in the past to enforce our intellectual property rights and expect to do so in the future. However, it may not be practicable or cost effective for us to enforce our intellectual property rights fully, particularly in some countries or where the initiation of a claim might harm our business relationships.

We generally seek patent protection for our innovations. However, our patent program faces a number of challenges, including:

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•	Possibility that innovations may not be protectable;


•	Failure to protect innovations that later turn out to be important;


•	Insufficient patent protection to prevent third parties from designing around our patent claims;


•	Our pending patent applications may not be approved; and


•	Possibility that an issued patent may later be found to be invalid or unenforceable.

Patent Royalties and Expiration. Many of the technologies that we license to our system licensees are covered by patents, and the licensing revenue that we receive from those licenses depends in large part upon the life of such patents. In general, our agreements with our licensees require them to pay us a full royalty with respect to a particular technology only until the last patent covering that technology expires in a particular country. As of September 25, 2015, we had approximately 5,100 issued patents in addition to approximately 3,200 pending patent applications in more than 70 jurisdictions throughout the world. Our currently issued patents expire at various times through April 2040.

We seek to mitigate this risk in a variety of ways. We regularly look for opportunities to expand our patent portfolio through organic development and acquisitions. We develop proprietary technologies to replace licensing revenue from technologies covered by expiring patents with licensing revenue supported by patents with a longer remaining life. And we develop and license our technologies in a manner designed to minimize the chance that a system licensee would develop competing technologies that do not include any Dolby intellectual property.

In particular, some of our patents relating to Dolby Digital technologies, from which we derive a significant, but declining portion of our licensing revenue, have expired and others will expire over the next several years. The primary products where Dolby Digital is widely used include DVD players (but not Blu-ray players), TVs and STBs. We have transitioned a number of our Dolby Digital licensees, and continue to make progress in transitioning other Dolby Digital licensees, to Dolby Digital Plus technologies, an extension of our Dolby Digital technologies, whose patents generally expire later than the Dolby Digital patents. To be successful, we must continue to transition licensees to Dolby Digital Plus, and discourage licensees of Dolby Digital Plus to transition back to Dolby Digital as our original patents covering this technology expire.

Unauthorized Use of Our Intellectual Property. We have often experienced, and expect to continue to experience, problems with non-licensee OEMs and software vendors, particularly in China and other emerging economies, incorporating our technologies and trademarks into their products without our authorization and without paying us any licensing fees. Manufacturers of integrated circuits, or ICs, containing our technologies occasionally sell these ICs to third parties who are not our system licensees. These sales, and the failure of such manufacturers to report the sales, facilitate the unauthorized use of our intellectual property. As emerging economies transition from analog to digital content, such as the transition from analog to digital broadcast, we expect to experience increased problems with this form of piracy.

Intellectual Property Litigation. Companies in the technology and entertainment industries frequently engage in litigation based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. We have faced such claims in the past and we expect to face similar claims in the future. Any intellectual property claims, with or without merit, could be time-consuming, expensive to litigate or settle, and could divert management resources and attention. In the past, we have settled claims relating to infringement allegations and agreed to make payments in connection with such settlements. An adverse determination in any intellectual property claim could require that we pay damages or stop using technologies found to be in violation of a third party’s rights and could prevent us from offering our products and services to others. In order to avoid these restrictions, we may have to seek a license for the technology, which may not be available on reasonable terms or at all. Licensors could also require us to pay significant royalties. As a result, we may be required to develop alternative non-infringing technologies, which could require significant effort and expense. If we cannot license or develop technologies for any aspects of our business found to be infringing, we may be forced to limit our product and service offerings and may be unable to compete effectively.

In some instances, we have contractually agreed to provide indemnifications to licensees relating to our intellectual property. Additionally, at times we have chosen to defend our licensees from third party intellectual property infringement claims even where such defense was not contractually required, and we may choose to take on such defense in the future.

Licensee Disputes. At times, we are engaged in disputes regarding the licensing of our intellectual property rights, including matters related to our royalty rates and other terms of our licensing arrangements. These types of disputes can be asserted by our customers or prospective customers or by other third parties as part of negotiations with us or in private actions seeking monetary damages or injunctive relief, or in regulatory actions. In the past,

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licensees have threatened to initiate litigation against us based on potential antitrust claims or regarding our licensing royalty rate practices. Damages and requests for injunctive relief asserted in claims like these could be significant, and could be disruptive to our business.

U.S. and Foreign Patent Rights. Our licensing business depends in part on the uniform and consistent treatment of patent rights in the U.S. and abroad. Changes to the patent laws and regulations in the U.S. and abroad may limit our ability to obtain, license, and enforce our rights. Additionally, court and administrative rulings may interpret existing patent laws and regulations in ways that hurt our ability to obtain, license, and enforce our patents. We face challenges protecting our intellectual property in foreign jurisdictions, including:


•	Our ability to enforce our contractual and intellectual property rights, especially in countries that do not recognize and enforce intellectual property rights to the same extent as the U.S., Japan, Korea, and European countries do, which increases the risk of unauthorized use of our technologies;


•	Limited or no patent protection for our Dolby Digital technologies in countries such as China, Taiwan, and India, which may require us to obtain patent rights for new and existing technologies in order to grow or maintain our revenue; and

•

Because of limitations in the legal systems in many countries, our ability to obtain and enforce patents in many countries is uncertain, and we must strengthen and develop relationships with entertainment industry participants worldwide to increase our ability to enforce our intellectual property and contractual rights without relying solely on the legal systems in the countries in which we operate.

OPERATIONS

Reliance on Key Suppliers. Our reliance on suppliers for some of the key materials and components we use in manufacturing our products involves risks, including limited control over the price, timely delivery, and quality of such components. We generally have no formal agreements in place with our suppliers for the continued supply of materials and components. Although we have identified alternate suppliers for most of our key materials and components, any required changes in our suppliers could cause delays in our operations and increase our production costs. In addition, our suppliers may not be able to meet our production demands as to volume, quality, or timeliness.

Moreover, we rely on sole source suppliers for some of the components that we use to manufacture our products, including specific charged coupled devices, light emitting diodes, and digital signal processors. These sole source suppliers may become unable or unwilling to deliver these components to us at an acceptable cost or at all, which could force us to redesign those specific products. Our inability to obtain timely delivery of key components of acceptable quality, any significant increases in the prices of components, or the redesign of our products could result in production delays, increased costs, and reductions in shipments of our products.

Product Quality. Our products, and products that incorporate our technologies, are complex and sometimes contain undetected software or hardware errors, particularly when first introduced or when new versions are released. In addition, we have limited control over manufacturing performed by contract manufacturers, which could result in quality problems. Furthermore, our products and technologies are sometimes combined with or incorporated into products from other vendors, sometimes making it difficult to identify the source of a problem. Any negative publicity or impact relating to these product problems could affect the perception of our brand and market acceptance of our products or technologies. These errors could result in a loss of or delay in market acceptance of our products or cause delays in delivering them and meeting customer demands, any of which could reduce our revenue and raise significant customer relations issues. In addition, if our products or technologies contain errors we could be required to replace or reengineer them, which would increase our costs. Moreover, if any such errors cause unintended consequences, we could incur substantial costs in defending and settling product liability claims. Although we generally attempt to contractually limit our liability, if these contract provisions are not enforced, or are unenforceable for any reason, or if liabilities arise that are not effectively limited, we could incur substantial costs in defending and settling product liability claims.

Production Processes and Production. Production difficulties or inefficiencies can interrupt production, resulting in our inability to deliver products on time in a cost effective manner, which could harm our competitive position. We have a single production facility and increasingly use contract manufacturers for a significant portion of our production capacity. Our reliance on contract manufacturers for the manufacture of our products involves risks, including limited control over timely delivery and quality of such products. If production of our products is interrupted, we may not be able to manufacture products on a timely basis. A shortage of manufacturing capacity for our products could reduce our operating results and damage our customer relationships. We may be unable to quickly adapt our manufacturing capacity to rapidly changing market conditions and a contract manufacturer may encounter similar

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difficulties. Likewise, we may be unable to quickly respond to fluctuations in customer demand or contract manufacturer interruptions. At times we underutilize our manufacturing facilities as a result of reduced demand for some of our products.

Data Security. We rely on information technology systems in the conduct of our business, including systems designed and managed by third parties. Many of these systems contain sensitive and confidential information, including our trade secrets and proprietary business information, personal data, and information of or pertaining to our customers, suppliers and business partners. The secure maintenance of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. Increasingly, companies are subject to a wide variety of attacks on their networks and systems on an ongoing basis. Our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to penetration or attacks by computer programmers and hackers, software bugs or other technical malfunctions, or other disruptions.

While we have taken a number of steps to protect our information technology systems, the number and sophistication of malicious attacks that companies have experienced from third parties has increased over the past few years. In addition, because techniques used by computer programmers and hackers (many of whom are highly sophisticated and well-funded) to access or sabotage networks and computer systems change frequently and often are not recognized until after they are used, we may be unable to anticipate or immediately detect these techniques. This could delay our response or the effectiveness of our response and impede our operations and ability to limit our exposure to third-party claims and potential liability. Attacks on our systems are sometimes successful, and, in some instances, we might be unaware of an incident or its magnitude and effects. We also may suffer data security breaches and the unauthorized access to, misuse or acquisition of, personal data or other sensitive and confidential information as the result of intentional or inadvertent breaches by our employees or service providers. Any data security breach, whether external or internal in origin, could compromise our networks and systems, creating system disruptions or slowdowns and exploiting security vulnerabilities of our products. Any such breach can result in the information stored on our networks and systems being improperly accessed, publicly disclosed, lost, or stolen, which could subject us to liability to our customers, suppliers, business partners and others. We seek to detect and investigate such attempts and incidents and to prevent their recurrence where practicable through changes to our internal processes and tools, but in some cases preventive and remedial action might not be successful. In addition, despite the implementation of network security measures, our networks also may be vulnerable to computer viruses, break-ins, denial of service attacks, and similar other disruptions.

Disruptions to our information technology systems, due to outages, security breaches or other causes, can have severe consequences to our business, including financial loss and reputational damage.

COMPETITION

The markets for our technologies are highly competitive, and we face competitive threats and pricing pressure in our markets. Consumers may perceive the quality of the visual and audio experiences produced by some of our competitors’ technologies to be equivalent or superior to the sight and sound experiences produced by our technologies. Some of our current or future competitors may have significantly greater financial, technical, marketing, and other resources than we do, or may have more experience or advantages in the markets in which they compete. These competitors may also be able to offer integrated systems in markets for entertainment technologies on a royalty-free basis or at a lower price than our technologies, including audio, imaging, and other technologies, which could make competing technologies that we develop less attractive.

Pricing Pressures. The markets for the consumer entertainment products in which our technologies are incorporated are intensely competitive and price sensitive. We expect to face increased royalty pricing pressure for our technologies as we seek to drive the adoption of our technologies into online content and portable devices, such as tablets and smartphones. Retail prices for consumer entertainment products that include our sound technologies, such as DVD and Blu-ray players and home theater systems, have decreased significantly, and we expect prices to decrease for the foreseeable future. In response, OEMs have sought to reduce their product costs, which can result in downward pressure on the licensing fees we charge.

Customers as Competitors. We face competitive risks in situations where our customers are also current or potential competitors. For example, Sony and Technicolor are significant licensee customers, but are also competitors with respect to some of our consumer, broadcast, and cinema technologies. Our customers may choose to use competing technologies they have developed or in which they have an interest rather than use our technologies. The existence of important customer relationships may influence which strategic opportunities we pursue, as we may forgo some opportunities in the interests of preserving a critical customer relationship.

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Competition from Other Audio Formats and Imaging Solutions. We believe that the success we have had licensing our audio technologies to system licensees is due, in part, to the strength of our brand and the perception that our technologies provide a high quality solution for multichannel audio. However, both free and proprietary sound technologies are becoming increasingly prevalent, and we expect competitors to continue to enter this field with other offerings. Furthermore, to the extent that customers perceive our competitors’ products as providing the same advantages as our technologies at a lower or comparable price, there is a risk that these customers may treat sound encoding technologies as commodities, resulting in loss of status of our technologies, decline in their use, and significant pricing pressure. In addition, we introduced our HDR imaging technology, Dolby Vision, only one year ago, and we expect to face intense competition from existing and more well-established competitors. Moreover, there can be no assurance that consumers will adopt Dolby Vision in the near future, or at all.

Competition for Employees. In order to be successful, we must attract, develop, and retain employees, including employees to work on our growth initiatives where our current employees may lack experience with the business models and markets we are pursuing. Competition for experienced employees in our markets can be intense. In order to attract and retain employees, we must provide a competitive compensation package, including cash and equity compensation. Our equity awards include stock options and restricted stock units. The future value of these awards is uncertain, and depends on our stock price performance over time. In order for our compensation packages to be viewed as competitive, prospective employees must perceive our equity awards to be a valuable benefit.

STRATEGIC ACTIVITIES

Importance of Relationships with Entertainment Industry. To be successful, we must maintain and grow our relationships with a broad range of entertainment industry participants, including:


•	Content creators, such as film directors, studios, music producers and mobile and online content producers;


•	Content distributors, such as film exhibitors, broadcasters, operators, and OTT video service providers and video game publishers; and


•	Device manufacturers.

Relationships have historically played an important role in the entertainment markets that we serve. For example, sales of our products and services are particularly dependent upon our relationships with major film studios and broadcasters, and licensing of our technologies is particularly dependent upon our relationships with system licensees and IC manufacturers. If we fail to maintain and strengthen these relationships, these entertainment industry participants may be less likely to purchase and use our technologies, products, and services, or create content incorporating our technologies.

Consequences of M&A Activity. We evaluate a wide array of possible strategic transactions, including acquisitions. We consider these types of transactions in connection with, among other things, our efforts to strengthen our core audio and cinema businesses and expand beyond sound technologies. Although we cannot predict whether or not we will complete any such acquisitions or other transactions in the future, any of these transactions could be significant in relation to our market capitalization, financial condition, or results of operations. The process of integrating an acquired company, business, or technology may create unforeseen difficulties and expenditures. Foreign acquisitions involve unique risks in addition to those mentioned above, including those related to integration of operations across different geographies, cultures, and languages; currency risks; and risks associated with the economic, political, and regulatory environment in specific countries. Future acquisitions could result in potentially dilutive issuances of our equity securities, the incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities, amortization expenses, and write-offs of goodwill. Future acquisitions may also require us to obtain additional equity or debt financing, which may not be available on favorable terms or at all. Also, the anticipated benefits of our acquisitions may not materialize.

We face various risks in integrating acquired businesses, including:


•	Diversion of management time and focus from operating our business to acquisition integration challenges;


•	Cultural and logistical challenges associated with integrating employees from acquired businesses into our organization;


•	Retaining employees, suppliers and customers from businesses we acquire;


•	The need to implement or improve internal controls, procedures, and policies appropriate for a public company at businesses that prior to the acquisition may have lacked effective controls, procedures, and policies;

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•	Possible write-offs or impairment charges resulting from acquisitions;


•	Unanticipated or unknown liabilities relating to acquired businesses; and


•	The need to integrate acquired businesses’ accounting, management information, manufacturing, human resources, and other administrative systems to permit effective management.

LEGAL AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

International Business and Compliance. We are dependent on international sales for a substantial amount of our total revenue. We are subject to a number of risks related to conducting business internationally, including:


•	U.S. and foreign government trade restrictions, including those which may impose restrictions on importation of programming, technology, or components to or from the U.S.;


•	Compliance with applicable international laws and regulations, including antitrust laws, that may differ or conflict with laws in other countries where we conduct business, or are otherwise not harmonized with one another;


•	Foreign government taxes, regulations, and permit requirements, including foreign taxes that we may not be able to offset against taxes imposed upon us in the U.S., and other laws limiting our ability to repatriate funds to the U.S.;


•	Changes in diplomatic and trade relationships;


•	Difficulty in establishing, staffing, and managing foreign operations;


•	Adverse fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates, including risks related to any interest rate swap or other hedging activities we undertake;


•	Political or social instability, natural disasters, war or events of terrorism; and


•	The strength of international economies.

In Note 15 "Legal Matters" to our consolidated financial statements, we describe reviews of our business practices by government regulators in Korea and China pursuant to their competition laws. Certain foreign governments, particularly in China, have advanced arguments under their competition laws that exert downward pressure on royalties for intellectual property. Because these jurisdictions have only recently implemented competition laws, their enforcement activities are unpredictable. Furthermore, the implementation of our recent agreement relating to the inquiry of the National Development and Reform Commission of China remains uncertain.

In many foreign countries, particularly in those with developing economies, it is common to engage in business practices that are prohibited by U.S. regulations applicable to us such as the FCPA and U.S. export controls. Although we implement policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with the FCPA and U.S. export controls, there can be no assurance that all of our employees, distributors, dealers, and agents will not take actions in violation of our policies or these regulations.

Costs of Environmental Laws and Regulation. Our operations use substances regulated under federal, state, local, and international laws governing the environment, including those governing the discharge of pollutants into the air and water, the management, disposal, and labeling of hazardous substances and wastes, and the cleanup of contaminated sites. In addition, future environmental laws and regulations have the potential to affect our operations, increase our costs, decrease our revenue, or change the way we design or manufacture our products. We face increasing complexity in our product design as we adjust to requirements relating to the materials composition of our products. For some products, substituting particular components containing regulated hazardous substances is more difficult or costly, and additional redesign efforts could result in production delays. We could incur costs, fines, and civil or criminal sanctions, third party property damage or personal injury claims, or could be required to incur substantial investigation or remediation costs, if we were to violate or become liable under environmental laws.

Conflict Minerals. The SEC has adopted rules regarding disclosure of the use of conflict minerals (commonly referred to as tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold), which are sourced from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and surrounding countries. This requirement could affect the sourcing, availability and pricing of materials used in our products as well as the companies we use to manufacture our products. In circumstances where conflict minerals in our products are found to be sourced from the Democratic Republic of the Congo or surrounding countries, Dolby may take further actions to change materials, designs or manufacturers to reduce the possibility that Dolby's contracts to manufacture products that contain conflict minerals finance or benefit local armed groups in the region. The implementation of these rules could adversely affect the sourcing, supply and pricing of materials used in our products. As there may be only a limited number of suppliers that can certify to us that they are offering “conflict free” conflict minerals, we cannot be sure that we will be able to obtain necessary conflict minerals from such suppliers in sufficient quantities or at competitive prices. These actions could also add engineering and other costs in connection

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with the manufacturing of our products.

We may not be able to sufficiently verify the origins for the minerals used in our products. Our reputation may suffer if we determine that our products contain conflict minerals that are not determined to be conflict free or if we are unable to sufficiently verify the origins for all conflict minerals used in our products. In addition, some customers may require that all of our products are certified to be conflict free and if we cannot satisfy these customers, they may choose a competitor's products.

Tax Rates and Liabilities. Changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities, the geographic mix of our revenue, or changes in tax laws or their interpretation could affect our future effective tax rates. We file income tax returns in the U.S. and in several U.S. state and foreign jurisdictions, and must use judgment in determining our worldwide provision for income taxes. For example, the following could affect our income taxes:


•	Earnings being lower than anticipated in countries that have lower tax rates and higher than anticipated in countries that have higher tax rates;


•	Changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities;


•	Expiration of or lapses in the R&D tax credit laws;


•	Fluctuations in tax exempt interest income;


•	Transfer pricing adjustments;


•	Tax effects of nondeductible compensation;


•	Tax costs related to intercompany realignments;


•	Any obligations or decisions to repatriate earnings from abroad earlier than anticipated;


•	Changes in accounting principles; or


•	Changes in tax laws and regulations in the countries in which we operate, including U.S. legislative changes to the taxation of earnings of our foreign subsidiaries.

A number of international legislative and regulatory bodies have proposed draft legislation and begun investigations on the tax practices of multinational companies. One of these efforts has been led by the OECD, an international association of 34 countries including the United States, which has finalized recommendations to revise many corporate taxes, transfer pricing, and tax treaty provisions in member countries. In addition, the European Union and its European Commission has begun to review and opine on the appropriateness of agreements between various member countries and companies that might be in violation of European Union competition rules against unjustified state aid. While none of these bodies has identified Dolby as a potential target of its actions, it is possible that these efforts may in the future impact our income tax liabilities.

We are subject to the periodic examination of our income tax returns by tax authorities. We regularly assess the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes, but an adverse decision by tax authorities could significantly impact our financial results. Additionally, due to the evolving nature of tax rules combined with the large number of jurisdictions in which we operate, it is possible that our estimates of our tax liability and the realizability of our deferred tax assets could change in the future, which may result in additional tax liabilities.

STOCK-RELATED ISSUES

Controlling Stockholder. At September 25, 2015, the Dolby family and their affiliates owned 1,346,606 shares of our Class A common stock and 50,627,075 shares of our Class B common stock. As of September 25, 2015, the Dolby family and their affiliates had voting power of 99.8% of our outstanding Class B common stock, which in the aggregate represented 91.0% of the combined voting power of our outstanding Class A and Class B common stock. Under our certificate of incorporation, holders of Class B common stock are entitled to ten votes per share while holders of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share. Generally, shares of Class B common stock automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock upon transfer of such Class B common stock, other than transfers to certain specified persons and entities, including the spouse and descendants of Ray Dolby and the spouses and domestic partners of such descendants.

Because of this dual class structure, the Dolby family and their affiliates will, for the foreseeable future, have significant influence over our management and affairs, and will be able to control virtually all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and significant corporate transactions such as mergers or other sales of our company or assets, even if they come to own considerably less than 50% of the total number of outstanding shares of our Class A and Class B common stock.

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Moreover, these persons may take actions in their own interests that our other stockholders do not view as beneficial. Absent a transfer of Class B common stock that would trigger an automatic conversion as described above, there is no threshold or time deadline at which the shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock.

Insider Sales of Common Stock. If our founder’s family, officers, directors or employees sell, or indicate an intention to sell, substantial amounts of our Class A common stock in the public market, including shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of Class B common stock, the trading price of our Class A common stock could decline.

Stock Repurchase Program. Our stock repurchase program may reduce the public float of shares available for trading on a daily basis. Such purchases may be limited, suspended, or terminated at any time without prior notice. There can be no assurance that we will buy additional shares of our Class A common stock under our stock repurchase program or that any future repurchases will have a positive impact on our stock price or earnings per share. Important factors that could cause us to discontinue or decrease our share repurchases include, among others, unfavorable market conditions, the market price of our Class A common stock, the nature of other investment or strategic opportunities presented to us, the rate of dilution of our equity compensation programs, our ability to make appropriate, timely, and beneficial decisions as to when, how, and whether to purchase shares under the stock repurchase program, and the availability of funds necessary to continue purchasing stock. If we curtail our repurchase program, our stock price may be negatively affected.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Dolby Wootton Bassett, LLC, of which Dagmar Dolby as Trustee of the Dolby family trust is the sole member, and the Dagmar Dolby Trust established under the Dolby family trust Instrument dated May 7, 1999, own a majority financial interest in real estate entities that own or from whom we lease certain facilities located in California and the U.K. We own the remaining financial interests in these real estate entities. Our ownership interest in these consolidated affiliated entities, in addition to information regarding the location of the property leased to Dolby Laboratories as of September 25, 2015 is summarized within the table below. The leases for these facilities expire at various times through 2020.



Entity Name	Minority Ownership Interest	Location Of Properties	Approximate Square Footage
Dolby Properties Brisbane, LLC	49.0%	Brisbane, California	43,500
Dolby Properties Burbank, LLC	49.0%	Burbank, California	28,000
Dolby Properties UK, LLC	49.0%	Wootton Bassett, England	33,000
Dolby Properties, LP	10.0%	Wootton Bassett, England	33,000

1275 Market Street, San Francisco, California

During fiscal 2015, we began to occupy the commercial office building located at 1275 Market Street, San Francisco, California that we purchased in fiscal 2012 for $109.8 million. We have since made certain improvements to prepare the building for its intended use as our new principal corporate office and worldwide headquarters effective fiscal 2016. For additional information regarding this transaction, see Note 5 “Property, Plant & Equipment” to our consolidated financial statements.

Prior to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, our principal corporate offices were at 100 Potrero Avenue, and our principal administrative offices were at 999 Brannan Street, both in San Francisco, CA. We continue to lease 100 Potrero from entities affiliated with the Dolby family, and we use this space as an extension of our 1275 Market headquarters. We previously leased 999 Brannan from a real estate entity we jointly owned with entities affiliated with the Dolby family; however, during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, our lease expired, and we also sold our 37.5% ownership interest in that entity to various entities affiliated with the Dolby family. For additional information regarding this transaction, see Note 16 “Related Parties” to our consolidated financial statements.

100 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, California

Since 1980, we have leased a corporate office, warehouse space and additional parking located at 100, 130, and 140 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, California from the various Dolby family trusts. The lease for this office expires on October 31, 2024 and provides approximately 70,000 square feet of space. The Dolby family trusts retain the right to sublease approximately 1,099 square feet of office space in the premises with prior notice to us, at a rental rate equal to the then current base rent per square foot paid by us plus $14 per square foot per year (reflecting estimated costs payable by us for the operation and maintenance of the premises, subject to an annual increase of 1.5% per year during each year of the sublease term). We are generally responsible for operating expenses, taxes, and the condition, operation, repair, maintenance, security and management of the premises. We have also agreed to indemnify and hold the Dolby family trusts, as landlord, harmless from and against certain liabilities, damages, claims, costs, penalties and expenses arising from our conduct related to the premises.

Other Transactions

During fiscal 2014, we purchased a commercial office building in Sunnyvale, California for $19.7 million which is primarily used for R&D purposes. During fiscal 2015, and in connection with our acquisition of Doremi and other related initiatives, we added ten new property leases to our portfolio during the current fiscal year, including facilities both in the U.S and international locations such as France. We also lease additional R&D, sales, product testing, and administrative facilities from third parties in California, New York, and internationally, including in Asia, Europe, Australia, Dubai and Brazil. We believe that our current facilities are adequate to meet our needs for the near future and that suitable additional or alternative space will be available on commercially reasonable terms to accommodate our foreseeable future operations.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

We are involved in various legal proceedings from time to time arising from the normal course of business activities, including claims of alleged infringement of intellectual property rights, commercial, employment, and other matters. In our opinion, resolution of these pending matters is not expected to have a material adverse impact on our operating results or financial condition. Given the unpredictable nature of legal proceedings, it is possible that an unfavorable resolution of one or more such proceedings could materially affect our future operating results or financial condition in a particular period; however, based on the information known by us as of the date of this filing and the rules and regulations applicable to the preparation of our consolidated financial statements, any such amount is either immaterial or it is not possible to provide an estimated amount of any such potential loss.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

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PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information

Our Class A common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “DLB.” Our Class B common stock is neither listed nor publicly traded. As of October 30, 2015, there were 13 holders of record of our Class A common stock and 45 holders of record of our Class B common stock. The number of Class A beneficial stockholders is substantially greater than the number of holders of record since a large portion of our common stock is held through brokerage firms. The following table sets forth the range of high and low sales prices on the NYSE of the Class A common stock for the periods indicated, as reported by the NYSE.



	Fiscal Year 2015				Fiscal Year 2014
	High		Low		High		Low
Q1 - Quarter Ended December	$	45.99	$	38.40	$	38.57	$	34.51
Q2 - Quarter Ended March	43.87		37.97		44.97		38.48
Q3 - Quarter Ended June	41.19		37.53		44.89		39.01
Q4 - Quarter Ended September	39.77		30.91		46.93		41.26

Dividend Policy

In October 2014, we announced a recurring quarterly cash dividend program for our stockholders that was initiated by our Board of Directors. Under the program, declaration of the first quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share on our Class A and Class B common stock was declared and paid to all eligible stockholders of record for each quarter during fiscal 2015. On October 21, 2015, we announced a cash dividend of $0.12 per share of Class A and Class B common stock, payable on November 10, 2015, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on November 2, 2015. The per share amount of the dividend represents a 20% increase over the prior amount under our quarterly cash dividend program.

Dividend declarations and the establishment of future record and payment dates are subject to the Board of Directors’ continuing determination that the dividend policy is in the best interests of our stockholders. The dividend policy may be changed or canceled at the discretion of the Board of Directors at any time. See Note 7 “Stockholders' Equity & Stock-Based Compensation” to our consolidated financial statements for additional information related to the quarterly dividend. Further discussion of our recurring quarterly dividend and the special dividend is included within Shareholder Return in Item 7 "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."

Prior to the establishment of this program, our Board of Directors declared a special dividend of $4.00 per share on our Class A and Class B common stock during the first quarter of fiscal 2013. The special dividend payment was made in December 2012 and totaled $408.2 million. Prior to fiscal 2013, we had never declared nor paid a cash dividend on our common stock.

Sales of Unregistered Securities

As of the beginning of the third quarter of fiscal 2015, all shares of our Class B common stock awarded under our 2000 Stock Incentive Plan had been issued to employees, officers, and directors upon the exercise of the underlying options. During fiscal 2015, the remaining options outstanding under this plan were exercised. As of September 25, 2015, there are no remaining outstanding options to purchase shares of Class B common stock.

We believe these transactions were exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”) in reliance on Rule 701 thereunder as transactions pursuant to compensatory benefit plans and contracts relating to compensation as provided under Rule 701. All issuances of shares of our Class B common stock pursuant to the exercise of these options were made in reliance on Rule 701. All option grants made under the 2000 Stock Incentive Plan were made prior to the effectiveness of our IPO, and no further option grants will be made under our 2000 Stock Incentive Plan. None of the foregoing transactions involved any underwriters, underwriting discounts or commissions, or any public offering.

Each share of our Class B common stock is convertible into one share of our Class A common stock at any time at the option of the holder or upon the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of Class B common stock. In addition, each share of Class B common stock shall convert automatically into one share of Class A common

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stock upon any transfer, except for certain transfers described in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

In November 2009, our Board of Directors announced a stock repurchase program ("program"), providing for the repurchase of our Class A common stock. Stock repurchases under the program may be made through open market transactions, negotiated purchases, or otherwise, at times and in amounts that we consider appropriate. The timing of repurchases and the number of shares repurchased depend upon a variety of factors, including price, regulatory requirements, the rate of dilution from our equity compensation plans and other market conditions. The program does not have a specified expiration date, and can be limited, suspended or terminated at our discretion at any time without prior notice. Shares repurchased under the program will be returned to the status of authorized but unissued shares of Class A common stock.

The following table summarizes the initial amount of authorized repurchases as well as additional repurchases approved by our Board of Directors as of September 25, 2015 (in thousands):



Authorization Period	Authorization Amount
Fiscal 2010: November 2009	$	250,000
Fiscal 2010: July 2010	300,000
Fiscal 2011: July 2011	250,000
Fiscal 2012: February 2012	100,000
Fiscal 2015: October 2014	200,000
Total	$	1,100,000

The following table provides information regarding our share repurchases made under this program during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015:



Repurchase Activity	Total Shares Purchased	Average Price Paid Per Share (1)		Total Shares Purchased As Part Of Publicly Announced Programs	Remaining Authorized Repurchases (2)
June 27, 2015 - July 24, 2015	—	$	—	—	$212.1 million
July 25, 2015 - August 21, 2015	1,327,617	34.13		1,327,617	$166.8 million
August 22, 2015 - September 25, 2015	441,782	31.81		441,782	$152.7 million
Total	1,769,399			1,769,399


(1)	Average price paid per share excludes commission costs.


(2)	Amounts represent the approximate dollar value of the maximum remaining number of shares that may yet be purchased under the stock repurchase program, and excludes commission costs.

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Stock Price Performance Graph

The following graph compares the total cumulative return of our Class A common stock with the total cumulative return for the New York Stock Exchange Composite Index (“NYSE Composite”) and the Russell 3000 Index (“Russell 3000”) for the five fiscal years ended September 25, 2015. The figures represented below assume an investment of $100 in our Class A common stock at the closing price of $61.74 on September 24, 2010, and in the NYSE Composite and Russell 3000 on the same date and the reinvestment of dividends into shares of common stock. The comparisons in the table are required by the Securities and Exchange Commission and are not intended to forecast or be indicative of possible future performance of our Class A common stock. This graph shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities under that Section, and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any of our filings under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The following selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and our audited consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes included within this filing. The consolidated balance sheet data for the fiscal years ended September 25, 2015 and September 26, 2014, and consolidated statements of operations data for the fiscal years ended September 25, 2015, September 26, 2014, and September 27, 2013 were derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included in this report. The consolidated statements of operations and balance sheet data for the fiscal years ended September 28, 2012 and September 30, 2011 were derived from our audited consolidated financial statements not included in this report. The historical financial results presented below are not necessarily indicative of results to be achieved in future periods. Note that fiscal 2011 consisted of 53 weeks, while all other fiscal years presented consisted of 52 weeks. Our fiscal year ending September 30, 2016 will consist of 53 weeks. All amounts presented below are displayed in thousands, except per share amounts.



	Fiscal Year Ended
	September 25, 2015	September 26, 2014	September 27, 2013	September 28, 2012		September 30, 2011
Reclassified implementation licensee settlements	N/A	N/A	N/A	$	6,750	$	5,560

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	Fiscal Year Ended
	September 25, 2015		September 26, 2014		September 27, 2013		September 28, 2012		September 30, 2011
Operations:
Revenue	$	970,638	$	960,176	$	909,674	$	933,014	$	961,065
Gross margin	875,822		890,000		812,955		840,987		849,894
Operating expenses	662,594		616,282		567,693		478,995		420,161
Income before provision for income taxes	245,782		276,099		250,646		368,991		440,643
Net income attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc.	181,390		206,103		189,271		264,302		309,267

Net Income Per Share:
Basic	$	1.77	$	2.02	$	1.86	$	2.47	$	2.78
Diluted	$	1.75	$	1.99	$	1.84	$	2.46	$	2.75
Weighted-Average Shares Outstanding:
Basic	102,354		102,151		101,879		106,926		111,444
Diluted	103,862		103,632		102,788		107,541		112,554

Cash dividends declared per common share	$	0.42	$	—	$	4.00	$	—	$	—
Cash dividend paid per common share	$	0.40	$	—	$	4.00	$	—	$	—



	September 25, 2015		September 26, 2014		September 27, 2013		September 28, 2012		September 30, 2011
Cash and cash equivalents	$	531,926	$	568,472	$	454,397	$	492,600	$	551,512
Working capital	708,649		816,481		639,907		813,446		999,213
Short-term and long-term investments	459,916		527,543		446,605		664,307		664,078
Total assets	2,133,293		1,984,012		1,737,945		1,960,798		1,884,387
Long-term debt	—		—		—		—		—
Total stockholders’ equity—Dolby Laboratories, Inc.	1,816,007		1,731,648		1,481,110		1,720,269		1,663,513

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ substantially from those referred to herein due to a number of factors, including but not limited to risks described in Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We disclaim any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform our prior statements to actual results.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Following are fiscal 2015 highlights as well as future challenges in key areas:

LICENSING

Broadcast

Highlights: We saw broader adoption of our broadcast audio technologies in fiscal 2015, and continued to focus on emerging markets where both the potential for TV and STB shipments is significant, and the transition to digital broadcast is still underway. We worked with country-specific operators and standards bodies to encourage adoption of our technologies for digital broadcast. To date, we’ve made notable progress in China, India and Southeast Asia. Dolby Digital Plus was recently mandated in the digital television specification in India, which positions us well for their transition to digital broadcast. Dolby is also becoming a de-facto standard in Africa with adoption in key markets such as Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa.

Challenges: In emerging markets where conversion to digital television is still underway, our growth is dependent upon continued adoption of our solutions, such as our Dolby Digital Plus audio technology. Globally, we must continue to adapt to changing technologies and methods of content delivery, and must also continue to develop and encourage adoption of new technologies. To the extent that we are unable to succeed in these efforts, incorporation of our technologies into these products may be impacted, and future revenues may be adversely affected. Further, in some emerging growth countries such as China, we face significant challenges enforcing our contractual and intellectual property rights. The failure of our licensees to accurately report the shipment of products incorporating our technologies may adversely impact future revenues.

Personal Computers

Highlights: Revenues from the PC market continue to account for approximately 17% of our licensing revenues. Our technologies enhance playback in the various Windows operating systems for PCs and tablets, and in Windows 10, this functionality is natively supported in Microsoft’s latest browser, Microsoft Edge. Dolby's presence in the browser enables us to reach more users and new types of content, including streaming video entertainment.

Challenges: Demand in this sector has been subject to significant fluctuations as consumers realign their preferences in the face of an ever-evolving field of hardware choices. In recent years, unit demand for PCs has been in secular decline and the percentage of PCs with optical disc functionality has also been decreasing.

Consumer Electronics

Highlights: We continue to see opportunities in new and existing use cases such as soundbars, DMAs such as Apple TV, and Dolby Atmos for the home. Dolby Atmos is now included in AVRs and HTiBs from all of the leading providers, and is also incorporated in nearly thirty models of launched or announced speakers. We have worked with major studios to release and distribute movie titles in Dolby Atmos via Blu-ray Disc and via streaming services such as Vudu and Netflix. Most recently, Comcast announced plans to support Dolby Atmos in their X1 platform in 2016. We will continue to work with content developers and distributors to expand entertainment selections using the Dolby Atmos format.

Challenges: We must continue to present compelling reasons for consumers to demand our audio technologies wherever they consume and enjoy premium content. To the extent that OEMs do not incorporate our technologies in current and developing products, our revenues could be impacted.

Mobile

Highlights: Our mobile market is driven by sales of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices that use our technologies. In the current fiscal year, we expanded the array of smartphones and tablets that have adopted our audio technologies across the Android™, Windows and Amazon ecosystems. Collectively, these devices now deliver

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enhanced entertainment experiences by accessing content from an increasing number of OTT services using DD+. Dolby technologies are featured in twelve handsets and tablets from Amazon, Lenovo, LG, HTC, ZTE and Microsoft, and most recently, Dolby Atmos has been adopted in twelve handsets and tablets from Lenovo and Amazon.

Challenges: Growth in this market is dependent on several factors, including our success in collaborating with manufacturers of mobile devices to incorporate our technologies, the development of various ecosystems, which includes the availability of content in Dolby formats, and the performance of the mobile device market as a whole. The rate of new product development in this sector continues to be rapid and can result in dramatic swings in consumer trends as well as design changes that may exclude our technologies. To facilitate our growth, we work closely with our partners to further enhance the content, distribution and playback on all major ecosystems.

PRODUCTS

Highlights: In our core cinema markets, we offer servers and audio processors to enable the playback of content in cinemas. In an effort to accelerate the development of new cinema server solutions for exhibitors, we completed the acquisition of Doremi, and certain assets related to the business of Doremi from Doremi Labs, Inc. and Highlands Technologies SAS (the “Doremi-related assets”) in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. Doremi was a privately held company and a leading developer and manufacturer of digital cinema servers. Our product revenue base has increased with the inclusion of Doremi’s shipments. Product sales have also increased due to shipments of Dolby Atmos. As a stand-alone offering, Dolby Atmos continues to enjoy increasing adoption by studios, content creators, post-production facilities and exhibitors. As of the end of our current fiscal year, there are over fourteen hundred Dolby Atmos-enabled screens installed or committed to be installed, compared to a year ago when there were more than seven hundred such screens globally.

Challenges: Demand for our cinema products is dependent upon industry economic cycles along with our ability to develop and introduce new technologies, further our relationships with content creators, and promote new consumer audio and imaging experiences. To the extent that we do not make progress in these areas, and are unsuccessful in resisting pricing pressures and prevailing over competing technologies, our revenues may be adversely affected.

NEW GROWTH INITIATIVES

Dolby Voice

Opportunity: Dolby Voice is an audio conferencing solution that emulates the in-person meeting experience with superior spatial perception, voice clarity, and background noise suppression. Launched in fiscal 2014 in global partnership with BT®, a leading provider of audio and imaging conferencing systems, the BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice service is available via the desktop and on mobile devices. During fiscal 2015, we launched the Dolby Conference Phone which was designed specifically to further enhance and optimize the conference call experience using Dolby Voice. In the current fiscal year, we saw a steady increase in the customer base with now over ninety enterprise customers signed up. Further deployment continues.

Challenges: Our success in this market will depend on the number of conference service providers and enterprise customers the service attracts, as well as on sales of Dolby Conference phones, and the magnitude of end user activity the service generates.

Dolby Cinema

Opportunity: In fiscal 2015 and in partnership with established movie theater exhibitors, we launched Dolby Cinema, a branded premium cinema that features spectacular imagery using Dolby Vision laser projection, object-oriented Dolby Atmos audio technology, and inspired theater design. To date, we have partnered with three cinema exhibitors including AMC in the U.S. AMC has opened the first eight Dolby Cinemas at some of the highest grossing sites in the country, and has announced plans to open fifty sites by the end of the calendar 2016. As part of our ongoing efforts to build a robust pipeline of theatrical content for Dolby Cinema locations, every major studio has released Dolby Vision theatrical titles. Upcoming major releases include "In the Heart of the Sea," "The Good Dinosaur", "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens", and "The Jungle Book".

Challenges: Although the premium large format sector of the cinema industry is currently a growing segment, Dolby Cinema is a new offering and will be in competition with other existing solutions. Our success with this initiative depends in large part on our ability to differentiate our offering, provide a compelling experience, and attract and retain a viewing audience.

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Dolby Vision

Opportunity: Dolby Vision is an imaging technology that offers more realistic distinctions in color, brighter highlights, and improved shadow details for cinema, digital TV, and other consumer devices. This playback technology focuses on the ability of each pixel to contribute to the overall image, and is not dependent on the number of pixels. In the fourth quarter, Vizio announced the availability of the Vizio Reference Series, the industry’s first HDR 4K TV with Dolby Vision, and leading Chinese OEMs TCL and Skyworth also announced Dolby Vision TVs that will ship later in the 2015 calendar year. We also announced collaborations with various partners including several key SoC providers, to offer Dolby Vision enabled technologies for digital TVs, and other consumer devices. To support home entertainment, specified Dolby Vision mastered titles are now available from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. via the streaming service Vudu, and we believe additional Dolby Vision titles from other content providers will soon be available through Netflix.

Challenges: To successfully establish Dolby Vision, we will need to work with OEMs to expand the array of consumer devices that incorporate Dolby Vision, expand the pipeline of Dolby Vision entertainment available from content creators, and encourage consumer adoption in the face of competing products and technologies.

Revenue From Significant Customers

In fiscal 2015, 2014 and 2013, revenue from Samsung represented approximately 12%, 11% and 12% of our total revenue, respectively, and consisted primarily of licensing revenue from our mobile and broadcast markets.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

Our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and pursuant to SEC rules and regulations. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to establish accounting policies and make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenue and expenses. The SEC considers an accounting policy and estimate to be critical if it is both important to a company’s financial condition or results of operations, and requires significant judgment by management in its application. If actual results or events differ materially from our judgments and estimates, our reported financial condition and results of operation for future periods could be materially affected. Historically, actual results have not differed significantly from our estimates and assumptions. On a regular basis, we evaluate our assumptions, judgments, and estimates and these have not changed notably in recent years nor do we anticipate them to change notably in the future. We have reviewed the selection and development of the critical accounting policies and estimates discussed below with the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors.

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, we have delivered the product or performed the service, the fee is fixed or determinable, and collection is probable. Determining whether and when these criteria have been satisfied may involve assumptions and judgments that can have a significant impact on the timing and amount of revenue we report.

Revenue recognition for transactions may include multiple elements such as hardware and accompanying software, upgrade rights, support and maintenance, and rights to receive commissioning services in connection with certain digital servers. For these transactions, we may also have to exercise judgment in performing the following:

•

Identifying the significant deliverables within the arrangements and determine whether the significant deliverables constitute separate units of accounting. We evaluate each element in a multiple-element arrangement to determine whether it represents a separate unit of accounting. An element constitutes a separate unit of accounting when it has standalone value and delivery of an undelivered element is both probable and within our control. When these criteria are not met, the delivered and undelivered elements are combined and the arrangement fees are allocated to this combined single unit;

•

Assessing inputs used to determine selling price (whether VSOE, TPE, or ESP) for the significant deliverables. We determine our ESP for an individual element within a ME revenue arrangement using the same methods used to determine the selling price of an element sold on a standalone basis. If we sell the element on a standalone basis, we estimate the selling price by considering actual sales prices. Otherwise, we estimate the selling price by considering internal factors such as pricing practices and margin objectives. Consideration is also given to market conditions such as competitor pricing strategies, customer demands and industry technology lifecycles. Management applies judgment to establish margin objectives, pricing strategies and technology lifecycles;

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•	Estimating, as necessary, the period of time over which customers receive certain elements of the arrangement following initial delivery so as to assess the period over which revenue should be recognized.

Goodwill, Intangible Assets, and Long-Lived Assets

As part of our annual goodwill impairment test, we first evaluate goodwill to determine if it is more likely than not that the occurrence of an event or change in circumstances has reduced the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. This qualitative assessment requires that we consider events or circumstances that may include macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, overall financial performance, changes in management or key personnel, changes in strategy and changes in customers.

If the qualitative assessment indicates that the two-step quantitative analysis should be performed, we exercise judgment at various steps, including the identification of reporting units, assignment of goodwill to reporting units, and determination of the fair value of each reporting unit. We assess the fair value of each reporting unit using expected cash flows that reflect our best estimate of future revenue using our historical information, third-party industry data, and review of our internal operations. We also estimate operating costs using these sources. We adjust expected future cash flows by discount rates based on our weighted average cost of capital and related considerations. The estimates used to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit may change from year to year based on operating results, market conditions, and other factors. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value and goodwill impairment, if any, for each reporting unit.

Intangible assets and long-lived assets subject to amortization and depreciation, respectively, are only evaluated for impairment upon a significant change in the operating or macroeconomic environment. If an asset's undiscounted future cash flows are lower than its carrying value, the asset is written down to its estimated fair value, which is based on its discounted future cash flows. Assessing discounted future cash flows requires management to make assumptions and exercise judgment in forecasting revenues and the useful lives of assets, as well as selecting the discount rate that reflects the risk inherent in our future cash flows.

Stock-Based Compensation

To determine the fair value of a stock-based award using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, we make assumptions regarding the expected term of the award, the expected future volatility of our stock price over the expected term of the award, and the risk-free interest rate over the expected term of the award. We estimate the expected term of our stock-based awards by evaluating historical exercise patterns of our employees. We use a blend of the historical volatility of our common stock and the implied volatility of our traded options as an estimate of the expected volatility of our stock price over the expected term of the awards. We use an average interest rate based on U.S. Treasury instruments with terms consistent with the expected term of our awards to estimate the risk-free interest rate. We reduce the stock-based compensation expense for estimated forfeitures based on our historical experience. We are required to estimate forfeitures at the time of the grant and revise our estimate, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from our estimate.

Income Taxes

We make estimates and judgments that affect our accounting for income taxes. This includes estimating temporary differences from differing treatment of items for tax and accounting purposes, future taxable income and actual tax exposure, possible or likely changes in current tax laws, and uncertainties in tax positions. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities which are included in our consolidated balance sheets. We recognize tax benefits from uncertain tax positions only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such positions are then measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. We also assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income, and to the extent that we believe that recovery is not likely, we establish a valuation allowance. Lastly, we are subject to the review of our income tax returns by the IRS and other tax authorities here in the U.S. and abroad. We periodically assess the likelihood of adverse outcomes from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes.

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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

For each line item included on our consolidated statements of operations described and analyzed below, the significant factors identified as the leading drivers contributing to the overall fluctuation are presented in descending order according to the quantitative magnitude of their impact on the overall change (from an absolute value perspective). Note that recovery payments received from licensees either in the form of back payments or settlements are collectively referred to as "recoveries."

Licensing revenue, cost of licensing, and total operating expenses for fiscal 2015 were $3.2 million, $0.1 million, and $0.9 million higher, respectively, than the amounts reported in the earnings release within our Form 8-K filed on October 21, 2015 reflecting adjustments to our fourth quarter 2015 results.

Revenue and Gross Margin

Licensing

Licensing revenue consists of fees earned from licensing our technologies to customers who incorporate them into their products and services to enable and enhance audio and voice capabilities. The technologies that we license are either internally developed, acquired, or licensed from third parties. Our cost of licensing consists mainly of amortization of purchased intangible assets and intangible assets acquired in business combinations as well as third party royalty obligations paid to license intellectual property that we then sublicense to our customers.



	Fiscal Year Ended									2015 vs. 2014					2014 vs. 2013
Licensing	September 25, 2015			September 26, 2014			September 27, 2013			$			%		$			%
Revenue	$	868,111		$	878,844		$	807,081		$	(10,733	)	(1	)%	$	71,763		9	%
Percentage of total revenue	89		%	92		%	89		%
Cost of licensing	10,879			10,814			16,856			65			1	%	(6,042		)	(36	)%
Gross margin	857,232			868,030			790,225			(10,798		)	(1	)%	77,805			10	%
Gross margin percentage	99		%	99		%	98		%

2015 vs. 2014



Factor	Revenue		Gross Margin
PC	â	Lower ASPs from product mix as fewer PCs included optical disc drives, and lower shipments, partially offset by an increase in recoveries	ßà	No significant fluctuations
Other	á	Higher automotive DVD shipments and recovery activity, new revenue from Dolby Voice, and higher shipments of gaming consoles
CE	â	Lower shipments of DVDs, AVRs, HTIBs and Blu-ray Discs, partially offset by higher shipments of soundbars and an increase in recoveries
Broadcast	á	Increase in patent licensing and higher shipments of STBs, partially offset by lower recoveries as fiscal 2014 included a payment of $24.7 million from a large licensee
Mobile	ßà	No significant fluctuations

2014 vs. 2013



Factor	Revenue		Gross Margin
Broadcast	á	Increase in recoveries received for royalties including $24.7 million from a large licensee, and higher shipments of TVs and STBs that incorporate our technologies	á	Decrease in cost of licensing due to the release of a previously-accrued liability of $5.3 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 related to certain revenue sharing agreements
PC	â	Lower revenues associated with product mix and lower unit shipments from declines in the underlying PC market
Mobile	á	Increase in direct patent licensing revenues from mobile phones, recoveries and unit growth of tablets that incorporate our technologies
Other	á	Higher revenues from our gaming market largely attributable to the new PlayStation 4 and Xbox One game consoles that were launched late in the 2013 calendar year
Other	â	Non-recurring revenue recognized in the third quarter of fiscal 2013 from a licensing arrangement for certain imaging technologies outside of our core markets
CE	á	Higher shipments of soundbars and digital media adapters incorporating our technologies, partially offset by shipment decreases of Blu-ray Disc devices and AVRs

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Products

Products revenue is generated from the sale of audio and imaging products for the film production, cinema, and television broadcast industries. Cost of products consists primarily of the cost of materials related to products sold, applied labor and manufacturing overhead, and amortization of certain intangible assets. Our cost of products also includes third party royalty obligations paid to license intellectual property that we include in our products.



	Fiscal Year Ended									2015 vs. 2014					2014 vs. 2013
Products	September 25, 2015			September 26, 2014			September 27, 2013			$			%		$			%
Revenue	$	83,904		$	59,219		$	80,603		$	24,685		42	%	$	(21,384	)	(27	)%
Percentage of total revenue	9		%	6		%	9		%
Cost of products	70,490			45,132			64,270			25,358			56	%	(19,138		)	(30	)%
Gross margin	13,414			14,087			16,333			(673		)	(5	)%	(2,246		)	(14	)%
Gross margin percentage	16		%	24		%	20		%

2015 vs. 2014



Factor	Revenue		Gross Margin
Cinema	á	Inclusion of digital server shipments from our acquisition of Doremi and higher sales of Dolby Atmos products	â	Less favorable product mix of digital servers, lower ASPs of Dolby audio products, higher charges from excess & obsolete digital server inventory and higher manufacturing costs
Other	No significant fluctuations		â	Higher amortization on newly-acquired intangible assets

2014 vs. 2013



Factor	Revenue		Gross Margin
Cinema	â	Lower shipments and lower ASPs on digital server and cinema audio products, partially offset by higher shipments of Dolby Atmos processors	á	Improved product mix with higher margins and lower warranty charges, partially offset by higher excess manufacturing capacity charges
Other	â	Lower shipments	â	Less favorable product mix, lower ASPs and higher excess manufacturing capacity charges

Services

Services revenue consists of fees for consulting, commissioning and training services in support of film production and television broadcast, as well as maintenance and support for our products. Cost of services primarily consists of personnel and personnel-related costs for employees performing our professional services, the cost of outside consultants, and other direct expenses incurred on behalf of customers.



	Fiscal Year Ended									2015 vs. 2014					2014 vs. 2013
Services	September 25, 2015			September 26, 2014			September 27, 2013			$			%		$			%
Revenue	$	18,623		$	22,113		$	21,990		$	(3,490	)	(16	)%	$	123		1	%
Percentage of total revenue	2		%	2		%	2		%
Cost of services	13,447			14,230			15,593			(783		)	(6	)%	(1,363		)	(9	)%
Gross margin	5,176			7,883			6,397			(2,707		)	(34	)%	1,486			23	%
Gross margin percentage	28		%	36		%	29		%

2015 vs. 2014



Factor	Revenue		Gross Margin
Configuration & Post-Production	â	Lower film mastering and other services	â	Prior fiscal comparative period includes the recognition of previously deferred revenue with no associated COGS
Support & Other	á	Increased support and maintenance services	á	Lower labor and other related costs

2014 vs. 2013



Factor	Revenue		Gross Margin
Configuration & Post-Production	á	Higher commissioning services for Dolby Atmos-enabled cinemas and related maintenance services, partially offset by declines in digital mastering services	á	Comparatively lower installation expenses in fiscal 2014 relative to fiscal 2013
Film-Based Production	â	Declines in film-based production services consistent with the industry transition to digital cinema	á	Lower labor and other related costs

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Operating Expenses

Research and Development

R&D expenses consist primarily of employee compensation and benefits expenses, stock-based compensation, consulting and contract labor costs, depreciation and amortization, facilities costs, costs for outside materials and services, and information technology expenses.



	Fiscal Year Ended									2015 vs. 2014				2014 vs. 2013
	September 25, 2015			September 26, 2014			September 27, 2013			$		%		$		%
Research and development	$	201,324		$	183,128		$	168,746		$	18,196	10	%	$	14,382	9	%
Percentage of total revenue	21		%	19		%	19		%

2015 vs. 2014



Category	Key Drivers
Compensation & Benefits	á	Higher employee headcount including personnel from the acquisition of Doremi and related expenses along with merit increases
Product Development	á	Higher costs related primarily to the funding of various research projects and initiatives aimed at developing new products and technologies
Depreciation & Amortization	á	Higher depreciation primarily from assets placed into service including the occupation of our new worldwide headquarters which includes a significant number of R&D labs

2014 vs. 2013



Category	Key Drivers
Compensation & Benefits	á	Higher employee headcount aimed at developing new product and technology offerings and related expenses, merit increases and higher variable compensation costs
Legal, Professional & Consulting Fees	â	Lower one-time costs related primarily to the funding of various research projects and initiatives

Sales and Marketing

S&M expenses consist primarily of employee compensation and benefits expenses, stock-based compensation, marketing and promotional expenses particularly for events such as trade shows and conferences, travel-related expenses for our sales and marketing personnel, consulting fees, facilities costs, depreciation and amortization, information technology expenses, and legal costs associated with settlements and back payments ("recoveries") from licensees.



	Fiscal Year Ended									2015 vs. 2014				2014 vs. 2013
	September 25, 2015			September 26, 2014			September 27, 2013			$		%		$		%
Sales and marketing	$	279,174		$	252,647		$	231,103		$	26,527	10	%	$	21,544	9	%
Percentage of total revenue	29		%	26		%	25		%

2015 vs. 2014



Category	Key Drivers
Compensation & Benefits	á	Higher employee headcount including personnel from the acquisition of Doremi along with total company merit increases
Marketing Programs	á	Higher costs associated with the launch of Dolby Cinema as well as industry trade shows and other marketing events
Depreciation & Amortization	á	Higher depreciation primarily from amortization of newly-acquired intangible assets and from assets placed into service
Legal, Professional & Consulting Fees	â	Lower consulting and other costs relative to fiscal 2014, partially offset by higher professional fees for intellectual property related activities

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2014 vs. 2013



Category	Key Drivers
Compensation & Benefits	á	Driven by the impact of merit increases across the existing employee base and higher variable compensation costs
Legal, Professional & Consulting Fees	á	Higher consulting and other costs associated with expanded marketing programs for numerous initiatives and higher professional fees for intellectual property related activities
Marketing Programs	á	Higher costs associated with expanded marketing programs for various growth initiatives, as well as industry trade shows and other marketing events

General and Administrative

G&A expenses consist primarily of employee compensation and benefits expenses, stock-based compensation, depreciation, facilities and information technology costs, as well as professional fees and other costs associated with external consulting and contract labor.



	Fiscal Year Ended									2015 vs. 2014				2014 vs. 2013
	September 25, 2015			September 26, 2014			September 27, 2013			$		%		$		%
General and administrative	$	182,176		$	178,104		$	161,970		$	4,072	2	%	$	16,134	10	%
Percentage of total revenue	19		%	19		%	18		%

2015 vs. 2014



Category	Key Drivers
Depreciation & Amortization	á	Higher depreciation primarily from assets placed into service including occupation of our new worldwide headquarters
Legal, Professional & Consulting Fees	â	Lower costs incurred in connection with our acquisition of Doremi relative to fiscal 2014 along with a decrease in costs associated with patent filings and other legal activities
Technology & Communications	á	Higher costs associated with our new worldwide headquarters and new office locations
Compensation & Benefits	á	Higher employee headcount along with merit increases

2014 vs. 2013



Category	Key Drivers
Compensation & Benefits	á	Higher employee headcount, in addition to the impact of merit increases across the existing employee base and higher variable compensation costs
Legal, Professional & Consulting Fees	á	Costs incurred in connection with the acquisition of Doremi, increased costs associated with patent filings and other legal activities, and an increase in various IT & HR project costs

Restructuring

The extent of restructuring charges recorded and fluctuations in a given fiscal year as compared to other fiscal years are attributed to differences in the nature of activities under the various plans.



	Fiscal Year Ended									2015 vs. 2014					2014 vs. 2013
	September 25, 2015			September 26, 2014			September 27, 2013			$			%		$			%
Restructuring	$	(80	)	$	2,403		$	5,874		$	(2,483	)	(103	)%	$	(3,471	)	(59	)%
Percentage of total revenue	—		%	—		%	1		%

Restructuring charges recorded in fiscal 2014 were incurred in relation to our fiscal 2014 Restructuring Plan implemented during the first quarter of fiscal 2014, and represent costs to reorganize and consolidate certain activities and positions within our global business infrastructure. These charges primarily related to severance and other related benefits provided to employees that were affected as a result of this action. Note that a restructuring credit of $0.1 million was recorded during fiscal 2015 in connection with the completion of activity under this Plan.

Restructuring charges recorded in fiscal 2013 were incurred in relation to our fiscal 2013 Restructuring Plan, and include the expenses we incurred in relation to a strategic restructuring program implemented to reorganize certain activities and responsibilities within our marketing function. These charges were primarily related to severance and

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other related benefits provided to affected employees in addition to costs associated with the exit of a facility. Note that during fiscal 2014, we recognized a credit of $0.7 million representing the release of a previously-accrued exit obligation for this facility following its sale.

Other Income/Expense

Other income/(expense) primarily consists of interest income earned on cash and investments and the net gains/(losses) from foreign currency transactions, derivative instruments, and sales of marketable securities from our investment portfolio.



	Fiscal Year Ended									2015 vs. 2014					2014 vs. 2013
Other Income/Expense	September 25, 2015			September 26, 2014			September 27, 2013			$			%		$			%
Interest income	$	4,544		$	3,344		$	3,848		$	1,200		36	%	$	(504	)	(13	)%
Interest expense	(183		)	183			(575		)	(366		)	(200	)%	758			(132	)%
Other income/(expense), net	28,193			(1,146		)	2,111			29,339			(2,560	)%	(3,257		)	(154	)%
Total	$	32,554		$	2,381		$	5,384		$	30,173		1,267	%	$	(3,003	)	(56	)%

2015 vs. 2014



Category	Key Drivers
Other Income/(Expense)	á	Increase in other income primarily due to a pre-tax gain of $26.2 million from the sale of our ownership interest in a jointly-owned real estate entity (refer to footnote 16 for additional information)
Other Income/(Expense)	á	Decrease in other expense as fiscal 2014 included a $3.0 million impairment charge on a cost method investment, partially offset by losses attributed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations
Interest Income	á	Increase due to higher overall investment balances and higher yields during fiscal 2015 relative to fiscal 2014

2014 vs. 2013



Category	Key Drivers
Other Income/(Expense)	â	Increase in other expense primarily due to a $3.0 million impairment charge on a cost method investment
Other Income/(Expense)	â	Decrease in other income from lower realized gains in fiscal 2014 as the prior comparative period included higher realized gains following the securities to fund the special dividend payment made in the first quarter of fiscal 2013
Interest Expense	á	Decrease primarily relates to a credit for the release of accrued interest on royalties payable under a patent agreement
Interest Income	â	Lower yields on investment balances during fiscal 2014 relative to fiscal 2013 following the special dividend payment made in the first quarter of fiscal 2013

Income Taxes

Our effective tax rate is based on a projection of our annual fiscal year results, and is affected each quarter-end by several factors. These include changes in our projected fiscal year results, recurring items such as tax rates and relative income earned in foreign jurisdictions as well as discrete items that may occur in, but are not necessarily consistent between periods. For additional information related to effective tax rates, see Note 10 “Income Taxes” to our consolidated financial statements.



	Fiscal Year Ended
	September 25, 2015			September 26, 2014			September 27, 2013
Provision for income taxes	$	(62,542	)	$	(67,379	)	$	(60,344	)
Effective tax rate	25		%	24		%	24		%

2015 vs. 2014



Factor	Impact On Effective Tax Rate
Real Estate Interest Sale	á	Increase as taxes attributed to the sale of our ownership interest in a jointly-owned real estate entity had a higher marginal tax rate than our entity-wide blended average
U.S. Manufacturing Tax Incentives	á	Reduced benefits attributed to decrease in U.S. manufacturing tax incentive deductions
Federal R&D Credits	â	Increase in discrete benefits from federal R&D credits that were retroactively reinstated for the 2014 calendar year

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2014 vs. 2013



Factor	Impact On Effective Tax Rate
Foreign Operations	â	Increased benefits in fiscal 2014 due to a higher proportion of earnings from lower tax-rate jurisdictions
Federal R&D Credits	á	Reduced benefits from federal R&D credits that expired after December 2013 and have not been reinstated
Foreign Operations Reorganization	á	Increased benefits in fiscal 2013 following the re-organization of a foreign subsidiary which did not occur in fiscal 2014

LIQUIDITY, CAPITAL RESOURCES, AND FINANCIAL CONDITION

Our principal sources of liquidity are cash, cash equivalents, and investments, as well as cash flows from operations. We believe that these sources will be sufficient to satisfy our currently anticipated cash requirements through at least the next twelve months. As of September 25, 2015, we had cash and cash equivalents of $531.9 million, which consisted of cash and highly-liquid money market funds. In addition, we had short and long-term investments of $459.9 million, which consisted primarily of municipal debt securities, commercial paper, corporate bonds, and U.S. agency securities.

Our policy is to indefinitely reinvest a portion of our undistributed earnings in certain foreign subsidiaries to support the operations and growth of these subsidiaries. Of our total cash, cash equivalents, and investments held as of September 25, 2015, approximately $546 million, or 55%, was held by our foreign subsidiaries. This represented a $129 million increase from the $417 million that was held by our foreign subsidiaries as of September 26, 2014. If these undistributed earnings held by foreign subsidiaries are repatriated to the U.S., they may be subject to U.S. federal income taxes and foreign withholding taxes, less the applicable foreign tax credits.



	September 25, 2015		September 26, 2014
	(in thousands)
Cash and cash equivalents	$	531,926	$	568,472
Short-term investments	138,901		231,208
Long-term investments	321,015		296,335
Accounts receivable, net	101,563		86,168
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	190,017		174,274
Working capital (1)	708,649		816,481


(1)	Working capital consists of total current assets less total current liabilities.

Capital Expenditures and Uses of Capital

Our capital expenditures consist of purchases of land, building, building fixtures, laboratory equipment, office equipment, computer hardware and software, leasehold improvements, and production and test equipment. We continue to invest in sales and marketing and R&D that contribute to the overall growth of our business and technological innovation. In fiscal 2012, we used existing cash to purchase commercial office property in San Francisco, California for $109.8 million, and made substantial improvements to the building which is now fully occupied as our new worldwide headquarters.

Acquisitions. During fiscal 2015, we completed the acquisition of Doremi and the Doremi-related assets for total purchase consideration of $98.4 million, net of cash acquired. For additional details, see Note 13 “Acquisitions” to our consolidated financial statements.

We retain sufficient cash holdings to support our operations and we also purchase investment grade securities diversified among security types, industries, and issuers. We have used cash generated from our operations to fund a variety of activities related to our business in addition to our ongoing operations, including business expansion and growth, acquisitions, and repurchases of our common stock. We have historically generated significant cash from operations, however these cash flows and the value of our investment portfolio could be affected by various risks and uncertainties, as described in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors.”

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Shareholder Return

Since fiscal 2010, we have returned significant cash to stockholders through repurchases of common stock under our repurchase program, a special one-time dividend, and our quarterly dividend program established in fiscal 2015.

Stock Repurchase Program. Our stock repurchase program was established in fiscal 2009, and in October 2014, we announced that our Board of Directors approved an increase to the size of our stock repurchase program by an additional $200.0 million.

Special Dividend. During fiscal 2013, we declared and paid a special dividend. Based on the 102,051,386 shares of common stock outstanding as of the record date, the total special dividend payment was $408.2 million.

Quarterly Dividend Program. During the first quarter of fiscal 2015, we announced a recurring quarterly cash dividend program for our stockholders. Under the program, quarterly dividends of $0.10 per share on our Class A and Class B common stock were both declared and paid to eligible stockholders of record for each quarter during fiscal 2015. On October 21, 2015, we announced a cash dividend of $0.12 per share of Class A and Class B common stock, payable on November 10, 2015, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on November 2, 2015. The per share amount of the dividend represents a 20% increase over the prior amount under our quarterly cash dividend program.

Refer to Note 7 "Stockholders' Equity & Stock-Based Compensation" to our consolidated financial statements for a summary of dividend payments made under the program to date and additional information regarding our stock repurchase program.

Cash Flows Analysis

For the following comparative analysis performed for each of the sections of the statement of cash flows, the significant factors identified as the leading drivers contributing to the fluctuation are presented in descending order according to the magnitude of their impact relative to the overall change (amounts displayed in thousands, except as otherwise noted).

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities decreased $52.2 million in fiscal 2015 as compared to fiscal 2014, primarily due to the following:



Factor	Impact On Cash Flows
Net Income	â	Increase in operating expenses including depreciation and cost of revenue, partially offset by the pre-tax gain of $26.2 million from the sale of our ownership interest in a jointly-owned real estate entity
Working Capital	â	Net decrease due primarily to increases in accounts receivable, prepayments and deferred income taxes, partially offset by increases in accounts payable and accrued liabilities, all due to timing

Investing Activities



	Fiscal Year Ended
	September 25, 2015			September 26, 2014
Net cash used in investing activities	$	(203,595	)	$	(204,944	)
Capital expenditures	(157,552		)	(78,718		)

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Net cash used in investing activities was lower by $1.3 million in fiscal 2015 as compared to fiscal 2014, primarily due to the following:



Factor	Impact On Cash Flows
Sales Of Investments	á	Higher cash inflows from proceeds received from sales and maturities of marketable securities
Purchase Of Investments	â	Higher cash outflows from purchases of marketable securities
Capital Expenditures	â	Increase in the cash expenditures for PP&E, the majority of which relates to our new worldwide headquarters
Business Combinations	â	Cash outflows during fiscal 2015 relating to the acquisition of Doremi
Intangible Asset Acquisitions	â	Higher cash outflows for purchases of intangible assets
Sale Of Real Estate	á	Net cash proceeds from the sale of our ownership interest in a jointly-owned real estate entity

Financing Activities



	Fiscal Year Ended
	September 25, 2015			September 26, 2014
Net cash used in financing activities	$	(138,519	)	$	(40,580	)
Repurchase of common stock	(107,349		)	(56,028		)

Net cash used in financing activities was $97.9 million higher in fiscal 2015 as compared to fiscal 2014, primarily due to the following:



Factor	Impact On Cash Flows
Share Repurchases	â	Higher volume of common stock repurchases
Dividend Payments	â	Dividends to common stockholders in the current fiscal year while no similar payments were made in the prior comparative year
Common Stock Issuance	á	Higher cash inflows from increased employee stock option exercises and shares issued under our ESPP

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements and Contractual Obligations

As of September 25, 2015, we did not engage in off-balance sheet financing arrangements other than operating leases for office space and computer equipment, and the following table presents a summary of our contractual obligations and commitments as of that date (in thousands):



	Payments Due By Fiscal Period
	1 Year		2 - 3 Years		4 - 5 Years		More Than 5 Years		Total
Naming rights	$	7,525	$	15,334	$	15,720	$	102,980	$	141,559
Donation commitments	—		6,112		134		738		6,984
Operating leases	11,605		19,856		15,653		30,683		77,797
Purchase obligations	10,933		823		—		—		11,756
Total	$	30,063	$	42,125	$	31,507	$	134,401	$	238,096

Naming Rights. In fiscal 2012, we entered into an agreement for naming rights and related benefits with respect to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, the location of the Academy Awards. The term of the agreement is twenty years, over which we will make payments on a semi-annual basis. Our payment obligations are conditioned in part on the Academy Awards being held and broadcast from the Dolby Theatre.

Donation Commitments. Our donation commitments relate to non-cancelable obligations to the Museum of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles, California. We will make a one-time donation of installing imaging and audio products in its theaters, and provide maintenance services for fifteen years from its expected opening date in 2017.

Operating Leases. Operating lease payments include future minimum rental commitments, including those payable to our principal stockholder and portions attributable to the controlling interests in our wholly owned subsidiaries, for non-cancelable operating leases of office space as of September 25, 2015.

Purchase Obligations. Our purchase obligations consist of agreements to purchase goods and services, entered into in the ordinary course of business. These represent non-cancelable commitments for which a penalty would be imposed if the agreement was canceled for any reason other than an event of default as described by the agreement.

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Unrecognized Tax Benefits. As of September 25, 2015, we had an accrued liability for unrecognized tax benefits and related interest and penalties, net of related deferred tax assets, totaling $65.2 million. We are unable to estimate when any cash settlement with a taxing authority might occur.

For additional details regarding our contractual obligations, see Note 12 “Commitments & Contingencies” to our consolidated financial statements.

Indemnification Clauses

We are party to certain contractual agreements under which we have agreed to provide indemnifications of varying scope and duration to the other party relating to our licensed intellectual property. Historically, we have not made any payments for these indemnification obligations and no amounts have been accrued in our consolidated financial statements with respect to these obligations. Since the terms and conditions of the indemnification clauses do not explicitly specify our obligations, we are unable to reasonably estimate the maximum potential exposure for which we could be liable. For additional details regarding indemnification clauses within our contractual agreements, see Note 12 “Commitments & Contingencies” to our consolidated financial statements.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Interest Rate Sensitivity

As of September 25, 2015, we had cash and cash equivalents of $531.9 million, which consisted of cash and highly liquid money market funds. In addition, we had short-term and long-term investments of $459.9 million, which consisted primarily of municipal debt securities, corporate bonds, commercial paper and U.S. agency securities. Our investment policy is focused on the preservation of capital and supporting our liquidity requirements. Under the policy, we invest in highly rated securities with a minimum credit rating of A- while limiting the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer other than the U.S. government. At September 25, 2015, the weighted-average credit quality of our investment portfolio was AA-, with a weighted-average maturity of approximately seventeen months. We do not invest in financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes, nor do we use leveraged financial instruments. We utilize external investment managers who adhere to the guidelines of our investment policy.

The investments within our fixed-income portfolio are subject to fluctuations in interest rates, which could affect our financial position, and to a lesser extent, results of operations. Based on our investment portfolio balance as of September 25, 2015, hypothetical changes in interest rates of 1% and 0.5% would have an impact on the carrying value of our portfolio of $5.3 million and $2.6 million, respectively.

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk

We maintain business operations in foreign countries, most significantly in the United Kingdom, Australia, China, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands. Additionally, a growing portion of our business is conducted outside of the U.S. through subsidiaries with functional currencies other than the U.S. dollar, most notably:


•	Australian Dollar


•	British Pound


•	Chinese Yuan


•	Euro


•	Indian Rupee


•	Japanese Yen


•	Korean Won


•	Polish Zloty


•	Swedish Krona

As a result, we face exposure to adverse movements in currency exchange rates as the financial results of our international operations are translated from local currency into U.S. dollars upon consolidation. The majority of our revenue generated from international markets is denominated in U.S. dollars, while the operating expenses of our foreign subsidiaries are predominantly denominated in local currencies. Therefore, our operating expenses will increase when the U.S. dollar weakens against the local currency and decrease when the U.S. dollar strengthens against the local currency. Additionally, foreign exchange rate fluctuations on transactions denominated in currencies other than the functional currency result in gains or losses that are reflected in our consolidated statements of operations. Our foreign operations are subject to the same risks present when conducting business internationally,

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including, but not limited to, differing economic conditions, changes in political climate, differing tax structures, foreign exchange rate volatility and other regulations and restrictions.

In an effort to reduce the risk that our earnings will be adversely affected by foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, we enter into foreign currency forward contracts to hedge against assets and liabilities for which we have foreign currency exchange rate exposure. These derivative instruments are carried at fair value with changes in the fair value recorded to other income, net, in our consolidated statements of operations. While not designated as hedging instruments, these foreign currency forward contracts are used to reduce the exchange rate risk associated primarily with intercompany receivables and payables. These contracts do not subject us to material balance sheet risk due to exchange rate movements as gains and losses on these derivatives are intended to offset gains and losses on the related receivables and payables for which we have foreign currency exchange rate exposure. As of September 25, 2015 and September 26, 2014, the outstanding derivative instruments had maturities of 38 days or less and the total notional amounts of outstanding contracts were $22.3 million and $22.9 million, respectively. The fair values of these contracts were nominal as of September 25, 2015 and September 26, 2014, and were included within prepaid expenses and other current assets and within accrued liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets. For additional information related to our foreign currency forward contracts, see Note 2 "Summary of Significant Accounting Policies" to our consolidated financial statements.

A sensitivity analysis was performed on all of our foreign currency forward contracts as of September 25, 2015. This sensitivity analysis was based on a modeling technique that measures the hypothetical market value resulting from a 10% shift in the value of exchange rates relative to the U.S. dollar. For these forward contracts, duration modeling was used where hypothetical changes are made to the spot rates of the currency. A 10% increase in the value of the U.S. dollar would lead to a decrease in the fair value of our financial instruments by $1.2 million. Conversely, a 10% decrease in the value of the U.S. dollar would result in an increase in the fair value of these financial instruments by $1.2 million.

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ITEM 8. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DOLBY LABORATORIES, INC.

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS




Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm	43
Consolidated Balance Sheets	45
Consolidated Statements of Operations	46
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income	47
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity	48
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows	49
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements	50

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors and Stockholders

Dolby Laboratories, Inc.

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. and subsidiaries as of September 25, 2015 and September 26, 2014, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended September 25, 2015. These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. and subsidiaries as of September 25, 2015 and September 26, 2014, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended September 25, 2015, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), Dolby Laboratories, Inc.'s internal control over financial reporting as of September 25, 2015, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), and our report dated November 24, 2015 expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

/s/ KPMG LLP

San Francisco, California

November 24, 2015

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors and Stockholders

Dolby Laboratories, Inc.

We have audited Dolby Laboratories, Inc.'s internal control over financial reporting as of September 25, 2015, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Dolby Laboratories, Inc.'s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Controls over Financial Reporting in Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

In our opinion, Dolby Laboratories, Inc. maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of September 25, 2015, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated balance sheets of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. and subsidiaries as of September 25, 2015 and September 26, 2014, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended September 25, 2015, and our report dated November 24, 2015 expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.

/s/ KPMG LLP

San Francisco, California

November 24, 2015

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DOLBY LABORATORIES, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except per share amounts)



	September 25, 2015			September 26, 2014
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	531,926		$	568,472
Restricted cash	2,936			2,142
Short-term investments	138,901			231,208
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $1,542 and $1,615	101,563			86,168
Inventories	13,872			8,536
Deferred taxes	97,101			86,445
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	32,031			22,880
Total current assets	918,330			1,005,851
Long-term investments	321,015			296,335
Property, plant and equipment, net	403,091			289,755
Intangible assets, net	127,507			63,700
Goodwill	307,708			277,574
Deferred taxes	46,178			41,746
Other non-current assets	9,464			9,051
Total assets	$	2,133,293		$	1,984,012

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	20,710		$	15,898
Accrued liabilities	169,307			158,376
Income taxes payable	754			2,600
Deferred revenue	18,910			12,496
Total current liabilities	209,681			189,370
Long-term deferred revenue	30,581			19,279
Other non-current liabilities	77,024			43,715
Total liabilities	317,286			252,364

Stockholders’ equity:
Class A, $0.001 par value, one vote per share, 500,000,000 shares authorized: 50,291,426 shares issued and outstanding at September 25, 2015 and 50,658,627 at September 26, 2014	51			51
Class B, $0.001 par value, ten votes per share, 500,000,000 shares authorized: 50,743,311 shares issued and outstanding at September 25, 2015 and 51,610,239 at September 26, 2014	51			52
Additional paid-in capital	17,571			46,415
Retained earnings	1,800,857			1,660,485
Accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss)	(11,462		)	3,014
Total stockholders’ equity – Dolby Laboratories, Inc.	1,807,068			1,710,017
Controlling interest	8,939			21,631
Total stockholders’ equity	1,816,007			1,731,648
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	2,133,293		$	1,984,012

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

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DOLBY LABORATORIES, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(in thousands, except per share amounts)



	Fiscal Year Ended
	September 25, 2015			September 26, 2014			September 27, 2013
Revenue:
Licensing	$	868,111		$	878,844		$	807,081
Products	83,904			59,219			80,603
Services	18,623			22,113			21,990
Total revenue	970,638			960,176			909,674

Cost of revenue:
Cost of licensing	10,879			10,814			16,856
Cost of products	70,490			45,132			64,270
Cost of services	13,447			14,230			15,593
Total cost of revenue	94,816			70,176			96,719

Gross margin	875,822			890,000			812,955

Operating expenses:
Research and development	201,324			183,128			168,746
Sales and marketing	279,174			252,647			231,103
General and administrative	182,176			178,104			161,970
Restructuring charges/(credits)	(80		)	2,403			5,874
Total operating expenses	662,594			616,282			567,693

Operating income	213,228			273,718			245,262

Other income/expense:
Interest income	4,544			3,344			3,848
Interest expense	(183		)	183			(575		)
Other income/(expense), net	28,193			(1,146		)	2,111
Total other income	32,554			2,381			5,384

Income before income taxes	245,782			276,099			250,646
Provision for income taxes	(62,542		)	(67,379		)	(60,344		)
Net income including controlling interest	183,240			208,720			190,302
Less: net (income) attributable to controlling interest	(1,850		)	(2,617		)	(1,031		)
Net income attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc.	$	181,390		$	206,103		$	189,271

Net Income Per Share:
Basic	$	1.77		$	2.02		$	1.86
Diluted	$	1.75		$	1.99		$	1.84
Weighted-Average Shares Outstanding:
Basic	102,354			102,151			101,879
Diluted	103,862			103,632			102,788

Related party rent expense:
Included in operating expenses	$	3,136		$	2,125		$	2,526
Included in net income attributable to controlling interest	$	4,091		$	4,827		$	3,636

Cash dividend declared per common share	$	0.42		$	—		$	4.00
Cash dividend paid per common share	$	0.40		$	—		$	4.00

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

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DOLBY LABORATORIES, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(in thousands)



	Fiscal Year Ended
	September 25, 2015			September 26, 2014			September 27, 2013
Net income including controlling interest	$	183,240		$	208,720		$	190,302
Other comprehensive income:
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax	(14,858		)	(5,004		)	(2,037		)
Unrealized gains/(losses) on available-for-sale securities, net of tax	(155		)	302			(876		)
Comprehensive income	168,227			204,018			187,389
Less: comprehensive (income) attributable to controlling interest	(1,326		)	(2,715		)	(991		)
Comprehensive income attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc.	$	166,901		$	201,303		$	186,398

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

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DOLBY LABORATORIES, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(in thousands)



	Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
	Class A					Class B					APIC			Retained Earnings			AOCI			Total Stockholders’ Equity			Controlling Interest			Total
	Shares		Amount			Shares		Amount
Balance at September 28, 2012	46,497		$	46		56,599		$	57		$	—		$	1,709,479		$	10,687		$	1,720,269		$	22,964		$	1,743,233
Net income	—		—			—		—			—			189,271			—			189,271			1,031			190,302
Currency translation adjustments, net of tax of $497	—		—			—		—			—			—			(1,997		)	(1,997		)	(40		)	(2,037		)
Unrealized losses on investments, net of tax of $493	—		—			—		—			—			—			(876		)	(876		)	—			(876		)
Distributions to controlling interest	—		—			—		—			—			—			—			—			(5,039		)	(5,039		)
Stock-based compensation expense	—		—			—		—			64,328			—			—			64,328			—			64,328
Repurchase of common stock	(2,557	)	(2		)	—		—			(46,081		)	(36,162		)	—			(82,245		)	—			(82,245		)
Cash dividends declared and paid on common stock	—		—			—		—			—			(408,206		)	—			(408,206		)	—			(408,206		)
Tax (deficiency) from employee stock plans	—		—			—		—			(6,564		)	—			—			(6,564		)	—			(6,564		)
Common stock issued under employee stock plans	1,380		1			—		—			15,601			—			—			15,602			—			15,602
Tax withholdings on vesting of restricted stock	(263	)	—			—		—			(8,828		)	—			—			(8,828		)	—			(8,828		)
Common stock transfers - Class B to Class A	1,806		2			(1,806	)	(2		)	—			—			—			—			—			—
Exercise of Class B stock options	—		—