10-K 1 a10-kfy16.htm 10-K Document

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 30, 2016
OR
¨
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
dolbyblacka01a07.jpg
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 April 1, 2016 was $1.7 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 April 1, 2016. This calculation does not reflect a determination that such persons are affiliates for any other purposes. On October 28, 2016, the registrant had 57,079,744 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 44,403,847 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 2017 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 30, 2016. 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.



DOLBY LABORATORIES, INC.
FORM 10-K
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I
Item 1
Item 1A
Item 1B
Item 2
Item 3
Item 4
 
 
 
 
PART II
Item 5
Item 6
Item 7
Item 7A
Item 8
Item 9
Item 9A
Item 9B
 
 
 
 
PART III
Item 10
Item 11
Item 12
Item 13
Item 14
 
 
 
 
PART IV
Item 15

1


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
AFS
 
Available-For-Sale (Securities)
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
CE
 
Consumer Electronics
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
IP
 
Intellectual Property
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
OLED
 
Organic Light-Emitting Diode
OTT
 
Over-The-Top
PC
 
Personal Computer
PCS
 
Post-Contract Support
PP&E
 
Property, Plant And Equipment
PSO
 
Performance-Based Stock Option
R&D
 
Research & Development
RSU
 
Restricted Stock Unit
S&M
 
Sales & Marketing
SAR
 
Stock Appreciation Rights
SERP
 
Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan
SoC
 
System(s)-On-A-Chip
STB
 
Set-Top Box
TAM
 
Total Available Market
TPE
 
Third Party Evidence
TSR
 
Total Stockholder Return
UHD
 
Ultra High Definition
U.S. GAAP
 
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles In The United States
VSOE
 
Vendor Specific Objective Evidence

2


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.

3


PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
OVERVIEW
Dolby Laboratories creates audio and imaging technologies that transform entertainment and communications at the cinema, at home, at work and on mobile devices. Founded in 1965, our 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 multiple offerings that enable more immersive sound for cinema, digital television transmissions and devices, OTT video services, DVD and Blu-ray Discs, gaming consoles, and mobile devices. Today, we derive the majority of our revenue from licensing our audio technologies. We also derive revenue from licensing our consumer imaging and communication technologies, as well as audio and imaging technologies for premium cinema offerings in collaboration with exhibitors. Finally, we provide products and services for a variety of applications in the cinema, broadcast and communications markets.
OUR STRATEGY
Key elements of our strategy include:
Advancing the Science of Sight and Sound. We apply our understanding of the human senses, audio and imaging engineering to develop technologies aimed at improving how people experience and interact with their entertainment and communications 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 by providing a more rich, clear, and immersive experience.
REVENUE GENERATION
The following table presents a summary of the composition of our revenue for all periods presented:
 
Fiscal Year Ended
Revenue
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
   Licensing
89%
89%
92%
   Products
9%
9%
6%
   Services
2%
2%
2%
Total
100%
100%
100%
We license our technologies in approximately 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, and services revenue is based on the location where services are performed.
 
Fiscal Year Ended
Revenue By Geographic Location
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
United States
31%
29%
33%
International
69%
71%
67%
We have licensing arrangements with over 550 electronics product OEMs and software developer licensees.

4


Licensing
We license our technologies and IP to a range of customers who incorporate them into their products for enhanced audio and imaging functionality whether it be at home, at work, on mobile devices, or at the cinema. Our key technologies and IP are as follows:
Technology
Description
AAC & HE-AAC
An advanced digital audio codec solution with higher bandwidth efficiency used for a wide range of media applications such as TVs, STBs, PCs, gaming consoles, mobile devices and digital radio.
Dolby® AC-4
A next-generation digital audio coding technology that maximizes transmission efficiency while delivering new audio experiences to every playback device, including TVs, PCs, and mobile devices.
Dolby Atmos®
An object-oriented audio technology for home theaters, cinema, 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 Digital®
A digital audio coding technology that provides multichannel sound to applications such as DVD players, TVs and STBs.
Dolby Digital Plus™
An advanced digital audio coding technology that offers more efficient audio transmission for a wide range of media applications such as TVs, Blu-ray Discs, PCs, and mobile devices.
Dolby® TrueHD
A digital audio coding technology providing lossless encoding for premium quality media applications such as Blu-ray Discs and home theaters.
Dolby Vision™
An imaging technology combining HDR and an expanded color spectrum to deliver higher contrast, brighter highlights, and improved details for TV, cinema, and other consumer devices.
Dolby Voice®
An audio conferencing technology with superior spatial perception, voice clarity and background noise reduction that emulates the in-person meeting experience.
HEVC
An advanced digital video codec with higher bandwidth efficiency used in a wide range of media devices.
The following table presents the composition of our licensing business and revenue for all periods presented:
 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
Market
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
Main Offerings Incorporating Our Technologies
Broadcast
46%
44%
43%
STBs & Televisions
PC
16%
17%
19%
Windows and macOS operating systems
Mobile
12%
13%
13%
Smartphones & tablets
CE
13%
14%
15%
DMAs, Blu-ray Disc devices, AVRs, soundbars, DVDs & HTIBs
Other
13%
12%
10%
Gaming consoles, Auto DVD, Dolby Cinema, Dolby Voice
Total
100%
100%
100%
 
We have various licensing models: a two-tier model, an integrated licensing model, a patent licensing model, and more recently, collaboration arrangements.
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 semiconductor manufacturers whom we refer to as “implementation licensees.” Implementation licensees incorporate our technologies in ICs which they sell to OEMs of consumer entertainment products, whom we refer to as “system licensees.” System licensees separately obtain licenses from us that allow them to make and sell end-user products using ICs that incorporate our technologies.
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 sends us a sample chipset for quality control evaluation, and following our validation of the design, the licensee is permitted to sell the chipset for use solely to our network of system licensees.
System licensees provide us with prototypes of products, or self-test results of products that incorporate our technologies. Upon our confirmation that our technologies are optimally and consistently incorporated, the system licensee may buy ICs under a license for the same Dolby technology from our network of implementation licensees, and may further 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 on a particular product depends on several factors including the nature of the implementations, the mix of Dolby technologies used, and the volume of products using our technologies that are shipped by the system licensee.

5


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 using our technologies that are shipped, and is subject to the same quality control evaluation process.
Patent Licensing Model.    We license our patents through patent pools which are arrangements between multiple patent owners to jointly offer and license pooled patents to licensees. We also license our patents directly to manufacturers that use our IP in their products. Finally, we generate service fees for managing patent pools on behalf of third party patent owners through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Via Licensing Corporation. By aggregating and offering pooled IP, patent pools deliver efficiencies that reduce transactional costs for both IP owners and licensees. 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. We offer our AAC, AVC, HE-AAC, HEVC and other IP through patent licensing. Currently, most of our revenue earned from patent licensing relates to the licensing of AAC and HE-AAC technologies.
Collaboration Arrangements.    
Dolby Cinema: We partner with exhibitors to create a premium cinema offering with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos at new and pre-existing venues that are optimized for an immersive entertainment experience. We receive a portion of box-office receipts from the installed theaters.
Dolby Voice: We enter into arrangements with audio and video conferencing providers where, in return for licensing our IP and know-how, we earn revenue based on access to our technology and services as well as on sales of the Dolby Voice Conference Phone (see "Products" below).
Settlements & Back Payments From Licensees: Licensing revenue recognized in any given quarter may include back payments and/or settlements with licensees. Within the Results of Operations section of Item 7 "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," settlements and back payments are collectively referred to as "recoveries." Such recoveries have become a recurring element of our business which we cannot predict with certainty.
Products
We design and manufacture audio and imaging products for the cinema, television, broadcast, and entertainment industries. Distributed in over 80 countries, these products are used in content creation, distribution, and playback to enhance image and sound quality, and improve transmission and playback. We also market and sell the Dolby Conference Phone which optimizes the conference call experience when using Dolby Voice.
The following table presents the composition of our products revenue for all periods presented:
 
Fiscal Year Ended
Market
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
Cinema
98%
89%
86%
Broadcast & Other
2%
11%
14%
Total
100%
100%
100%
Products revenue is derived primarily from sales of the following:
Product
Description
Cinema
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.
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.
Broadcast & Other
Dolby Conference Phone
An integral hardware component of the Dolby Voice conferencing solution that enhances productivity through superior sound, full-room voice capture, spatial voice separation and touch-screen interface.
Other Products
3-D glasses and kits, broadcast hardware and software used to encode, transmit, and decode multiple channels of high quality audio for DTV and HDTV distribution, monitors, and accessibility solutions for hearing and visually impaired consumers.

6


Services
We offer various services to support theatrical and television production for cinema exhibition, broadcast, and home entertainment, including equipment training and maintenance, mixing room alignment, equalization, as well as audio, color and light image calibration.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
We have a substantial base of IP assets, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets developed based on our technical expertise.
As of September 30, 2016, we had approximately 6,600 issued patents and approximately 4,200 pending patent applications in more than 90 jurisdictions throughout the world. Our currently issued patents expire at various times through September 2040.
Some of our patents relating to DD 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 DD is widely used include DVD players (but not Blu-ray players), TVs, and STBs. We have transitioned a number of our DD licensees to DD+ technologies, an extension of our DD technologies, whose patents generally expire later than the DD patents. We are continuing to make progress in transitioning other DD licensees to DD+, 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 1,000 trademark registrations throughout the world for a variety of wordmarks, 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 IP 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 IP 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 technologies. Consequently, we may realize less revenue for DD technologies 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
Several Dolby technologies have been adopted as the explicit or de facto industry standard for broadcast, discrete media and online delivery in various markets worldwide.
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, HD and UHD television have developed, Dolby audio technologies have been adopted or mandated in various regions of the world, highlights of which are as follows:
DD+ and HE-AAC are mandated for use in terrestrial broadcast across many countries including France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Turkey and Russia. In addition, DD+ and HE-AAC are included in the digital terrestrial television specifications of emerging digital TV markets in Africa, South-East Asia and India while China has selected DD and DD+ as optional technologies for the country’s digital terrestrial television specification.

7


DD+ is the de facto technology used by a wide range of pay-TV operators and streaming services worldwide, such as Netflix, and is included in popular operating systems such as iOS and Windows.
DD is mandated for HD broadcast in multiple regions including North America and South Korea, and for DVD players on a global basis.
AC-4 is Dolby’s next generation of audio technology that is in the process of being adopted by worldwide standards organizations.
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 DD or DD+, 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 U.S. and internationally. Dolby’s history of producing innovative technology has created many forms of IP. When licensed from us, this IP generates revenue that enables further innovation.
For much of the Company's history, we 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 that comprises most of our revenue to include audio conferencing and imaging technologies. Each of these technologies 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 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
Research & Development
$
219,607

$
201,324

$
183,128

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 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
Sales & Marketing
$
295,267

$
279,174

$
252,647

CUSTOMERS
We license our technologies and IP 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.

8


In fiscal 2016, we did not have any individual customers whose revenue exceeded 10% of our total revenue. One of our licensees, Samsung, accounted for approximately 12% and 11% of our total revenue in fiscal 2015 and 2014, respectively, and primarily consisted 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:
Licensing
 
Products
 
Services
DTS, Inc.
 
Barco NV
 
Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc.
Fraunhofer Institut Integrierte Schaltungen
 
Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc.
 
DTS, Inc.
Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV
 
DTS, Inc.
 
Sony Corporation
Qualcomm, Inc.
 
GDC Technology Limited
 
Technicolor
Samsung
 
Harman Group
 
 
Sony Corporation
 
IMAX Corporation
 
 
Technicolor
 
MasterImage 3D, Inc.
 
 
Thomson Video Networks
 
QSC Audio Products, LLC
 
 
 
 
Qube Cinema, Inc.
 
 
 
 
RealD, Inc.
 
 
 
 
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 and imaging technologies also include 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.
Our technologies, products and services span the audio and imaging sectors of several distinct and diverse industries, including the broadcasting, personal computer, mobile, consumer entertainment, cinema and communications industries. The lack of a 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.
EMPLOYEES
As of September 30, 2016, we had 2,030 employees worldwide, of which 793 employees were based outside of the U.S. None of our employees are subject to a collective bargaining agreement.

9


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. Our principal corporate offices are 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.

10


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. Our licensing businesses depend on OEMs and other licensees to incorporate our technologies and IP 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 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 DD 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. Revenue from Dolby Cinema and cinema product sales is subject to the pace of construction or upgrade of screens, the advent of new or competing technologies, consumer trends, and events or conditions in the cinema industry. Although we have invested, and expect to continue to invest, a substantial amount of time and resources developing Dolby Cinema and building our partnerships in connection with the launch of Dolby Cinema locations, this is a new market for us and 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. Additionally, we have a collaboration with Wanda Cinema Line to open 100 Dolby Cinema locations in China, and we may face a number of risks in

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expanding Dolby Cinema in China and other new international markets. The royalties we receive from Dolby Cinema exhibitors are based on a portion of box-office receipts from the installed theaters, and the timing of such theater installations is dependent upon a number of factors beyond our control. 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. The success of Dolby Cinema depends in large part on our ability to differentiate our offering, deploy new sites in accordance with plans, provide a compelling experience, and attract and retain a viewing audience. 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 negatively impacted.
Our revenue from cinema product sales is also tied to the number of movies produced and distributed by studios and independent filmmakers. A number of factors outside of our control 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, 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 DD and DD+ 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.

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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 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. Furthermore, some standards-setting organizations choose to adopt a set of optional standards or a combination of mandatory and optional standards; in such cases, our technologies may be adopted only as an optional standard and not a mandatory standard. Standards may also change in ways that are unfavorable to Dolby.
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. Furthermore, different standards may be adopted for different markets. 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

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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 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. We have been able to obtain certain recovery payments from licensees (either in the form of back payments or settlements), and such recoveries have become a recurring element of our business; however, we are unable to predict with certainty the revenue that we may recover in the future or if we will be able to continue to obtain such recoveries at all.
Royalties We Owe Others. In some cases, the products we sell and the technologies we license to our customers include IP 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, cinema, 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 audio licensing business. Over the past few 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. In connection with entering into these new markets, we 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.
Incorporation of Dolby Formats into New Products & Availability of Content in Dolby Formats. The success of many of our newer initiatives, such as Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Cinema, is dependent upon the availability and success of (i) products that incorporate Dolby formats and (ii) content produced in Dolby formats. However, there is no guarantee that device makers will continue to incorporate Dolby formats into their products, that content creators will continue to release content in Dolby formats, or that either those products or that content will be

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commercially successful.
For instance, to successfully establish Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, we will need to continue to expand the array of products and consumer devices that incorporate Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision, expand the pipeline of Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision content available from content creators, and encourage consumer adoption in the face of competing products and technologies. Similarly, the success of Dolby Cinema is dependent upon our ability to partner with movie theater exhibitors to launch new Dolby Cinema sites and deploy new sites in accordance with plans, as well as the continued release and box-office success of new films in the Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos formats released through Dolby Cinemas.
Further, the commercial success of products incorporating Dolby formats, content released in Dolby formats, and Dolby Cinemas generally, depends upon a number of factors outside of our control, including, but not limited to, consumer preferences, critical reception, timing of release, marketing efforts of third-parties, and general market conditions. Moreover, release and distribution of such products and content can be subject to delays in production or changes in release schedule, which can negatively impact the quantity, timing and quality of such products and content released in Dolby formats and available at Dolby Cinema theaters.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Our business is dependent upon protecting our patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, and other IP rights. Effective IP 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 IP as trade secrets, and third parties or our employees could intentionally or accidentally compromise the IP that we maintain as trade secrets. In addition, protecting our IP rights is costly and time consuming. We have taken steps in the past to enforce our IP rights and expect to do so in the future. However, it may not be practicable or cost effective for us to enforce our IP 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:
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 30, 2016, we had approximately 6,600 issued patents in addition to approximately 4,200 pending patent applications in more than 90 jurisdictions throughout the world. Our currently issued patents expire at various times through September 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 IP.
Some of our patents relating to DD 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 that incorporate DD include DVD players (but not Blu-ray players) and some TVs, STBs and soundbars. We have transitioned a number of our DD licensees, and continue to make progress in transitioning other DD licensees, to DD+ technologies, an extension of our DD technologies, whose patents generally expire later than the DD patents. To be successful, we must continue to transition licensees to DD+, and discourage licensees of DD+ to transition back to DD as our original patents covering this technology expire.
Unauthorized Use of Our Intellectual Property. We have often experienced, and expect to continue to

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experience, problems with non-licensee OEMs and software vendors, particularly in China and certain emerging economies, incorporating our technologies and trademarks into their products without our authorization and without paying us any licensing fees. Manufacturers of 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 IP. 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 IP rights. We have faced such claims in the past, and we expect to face similar claims in the future. Any IP 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 IP 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 IP. Additionally, at times we have chosen to defend our licensees from third party IP 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 IP 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, 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 IP in foreign jurisdictions, including:
Our ability to enforce our contractual and IP rights, especially in countries that do not recognize and enforce IP 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 DD 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 IP 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

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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. While we have three production facilities, we 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 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.

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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.
Recent Political Developments in the United Kingdom. On June 23, 2016, a referendum was held on the U.K.'s membership in the European Union, the outcome of which was a vote in favor of leaving the European Union. The U.K.'s vote to leave the European Union creates an uncertain political and economic environment in the U.K. and potentially across other European Union member states, which may last for a number of months or years. As a result, there is a risk of instability for both the U.K. and the European Union, which could adversely affect our results, financial condition and prospects.
Further, it is uncertain what the effect of the referendum will be on immigration and employment rules, including the right of European Union nationals to remain in the U.K., or the ability of companies with operations in the U.K. to hire or retain European Union nationals (or conversely, the right of U.K. nationals to remain in European Union member states, or the ability of companies with operations in the European Union to hire or retain U.K. nationals).
The political and economic instability created by the U.K.'s vote to leave the European Union has caused and may continue to cause significant volatility in global financial markets and the value of the Pound Sterling currency or other currencies, including the Euro. Depending on the terms reached regarding any exit from the European Union, it is possible that there may be adverse practical and/or operational implications on our business. The outcome of the referendum has also created uncertainty with regard to the regulation of data protection in the U.K. In particular, it is unclear whether following the exit of the U.K. from the European Union, the U.K. will enact its own form of the pending European General Data Protection Regulation that will apply to the personal data of U.K. citizens. In addition, it is unclear how data transfers to and from the U.K. will be regulated.

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.
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, more recently we introduced our HDR imaging technology, Dolby Vision, 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.

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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 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;
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. Approximately 69%, 71% and 67% of our revenue was derived outside of the United States in fiscal 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. We are subject to a number of risks related to conducting business internationally, including: 

19


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 change unexpectedly, 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, including new tariffs, trade protection measures, import or export licensing requirements, trade embargoes and other trade barriers;
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;
Poor recognition of IP rights;
Difficulties in enforcing contractual rights;
Political or social instability, natural disasters, war or events of terrorism; and
The strength of international economies.
Certain foreign governments, particularly in China, have advanced arguments under their competition laws that exert downward pressure on royalties for IP. The regulatory enforcement activities in such jurisdictions can be unpredictable, in some cases because these jurisdictions have only recently implemented competition laws.  For instance, in March 2014, the National Development and Reform Commission of China (“NDRC”) initiated a review of our business practices under the Chinese competition laws and requested information relating to our business practices in China. In early May 2015, the NDRC confirmed that the matters under review have been resolved on mutually agreeable terms. The implementation of these terms remains ongoing.  Additionally, in December 2013, the Korean Fair Trade Commission (“KFTC”) initiated a review of the Company under Korean competition law. The KFTC requested information relating to our business practices in Korea and we cooperated during its review. As a result of this review, in July 2015, the KFTC issued an order and we agreed to modify certain terms in our standard licensing agreements going forward without admitting to any liability or wrongdoing.
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 sources of conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo or surrounding countries are not validated as conflict free, Dolby may take 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 with the manufacturing of our products.

20


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;
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. In addition, the OECD, European Union and European Commission could conceivably make competing jurisdictional claims over the taxes owed on earnings of multinational companies in their respective countries or regions. 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 have an adverse impact on 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 30, 2016, the Dolby family and their affiliates owned 2,915,765 shares of our Class A common stock and 44,302,210 shares of our Class B common stock. As of September 30, 2016, the Dolby family and their affiliates had voting power of 99.8% of our outstanding Class B common stock, which combined with their shares of our Class A common stock, represented 89.0% 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.
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,

21


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 large shareholders, 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.

22


ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Dolby Wootton Bassett, LLC, of which Dagmar Dolby as Trustee of the Dolby Family Trust Instrument dated May 7, 1999 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 30, 2016 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%
Our principal corporate office and worldwide headquarters are at 1275 Market Street, San Francisco California. Previously, our principal corporate offices were at 100 Potrero Avenue, and we have also ceased to maintain our principal administrative offices at 999 Brannan Street, San Francisco.
1275 Market Street, San Francisco, California
During the first quarter of fiscal 2015, we began occupying the commercial office building located at 1275 Market Street, San Francisco, California that we purchased in fiscal 2012 for $109.8 million. Following this partial occupation, we continued to make certain improvements for its use as our principal corporate office and worldwide headquarters, and fully occupied the building in fiscal 2016. For additional information regarding this transaction, see Note 5Property, Plant & Equipment” 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.
In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, we began making leasehold improvements to facilitate our continued use of 100 Potrero as an extension of our 1275 Market Street headquarters.
999 Brannan Street, San Francisco, California
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 16Related Parties” to our consolidated financial statements.
Other Properties
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

23


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.
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 IP 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.

24


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 28, 2016, there were 13 holders of record of our Class A common stock and 43 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 2016
 
Fiscal Year 2015
 
High
Low
 
High
Low
First Quarter (Q1)
$
35.86

$
31.52

 
$
45.99

$
38.40

Second Quarter (Q2)
43.52

30.50

 
43.87

37.97

Third Quarter (Q3)
49.01

42.15

 
41.19

37.53

Fourth Quarter (Q4)
54.54

47.03

 
39.77

30.91

Dividend Policy
In October 2014, we announced a quarterly cash dividend program for our stockholders that was initiated by our Board of Directors. Under the program, a 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 an increase in the dividend amount to $0.12 per share, and a dividend in that amount was declared and paid to all eligible stockholders of record for each quarter during fiscal 2016. On October 26, 2016, we announced an increase in the dividend amount to $0.14 per share, payable on November 16, 2016, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on November 7, 2016.
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 7Stockholders' Equity & Stock-Based Compensation” to our consolidated financial statements for additional information related to the quarterly dividend. Further discussion of our recurring quarterly dividend is included within Shareholder Return in Item 7 "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."
Sales of Unregistered Securities
None.
Purchases of Equity Securities 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 30, 2016 (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


25


The following table provides information regarding our share repurchases made under this program during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016:
Repurchase Activity
Total Shares Purchased
Average Price
Paid Per Share 
(1)
Total Shares Purchased As Part Of Publicly Announced Programs
Remaining Authorized Repurchases (2)
July 2, 2016 - July 29, 2016

$


$67.9 million
July 30, 2016 - August 26, 2016
323,085

49.51

323,085

$51.9 million
August 27, 2016 - September 30, 2016



$51.9 million
Total
323,085

 
323,085

 
(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.
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 30, 2016. The figures represented below assume an investment of $100 in our Class A common stock at the closing price of $27.44 on September 30, 2011, 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.
a10-k_chartx56519a01a03.jpg

26


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 30, 2016 and September 25, 2015, and consolidated statements of operations data for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2016, September 25, 2015 and September 26, 2014 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 26, 2014, September 27, 2013 and September 28, 2012 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 2016 consisted of 53 weeks, while all other fiscal years presented consisted of 52 weeks. All amounts presented below are displayed in thousands, except per share amounts.
 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
September 27,
2013
September 28,
2012
Reclassified implementation licensee settlements
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
$
6,750

 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
September 27,
2013
September 28,
2012
Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Revenue
$
1,025,738

$
970,638

$
960,176

$
909,674

$
933,014

Gross margin
916,756

875,822

890,000

812,955

840,987

Operating expenses
684,961

662,594

616,282

567,693

478,995

Income before provision for income taxes
235,904

245,782

276,099

250,646

368,991

Net income attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
185,860

181,390

206,103

189,271

264,302

 
 
 
 
 
 
Net Income Per Share:
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
$
1.85

$
1.77

$
2.02

$
1.86

$
2.47

Diluted
$
1.81

$
1.75

$
1.99

$
1.84

$
2.46

Weighted-Average Shares Outstanding:
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
100,717

102,354

102,151

101,879

106,926

Diluted
102,424

103,862

103,632

102,788

107,541

 
 
 
 
 
 
Cash dividends declared per common share
$
0.50

$
0.42

$

$
4.00

$

Cash dividend paid per common share
$
0.48

$
0.40

$

$
4.00

$

 
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
September 27,
2013
September 28,
2012
Cash and cash equivalents
$
516,112

$
531,926

$
568,472

$
454,397

$
492,600

Working capital (1)
546,647

611,548

730,036

561,526

732,480

Short-term and long-term investments
515,533

459,916

527,543

446,605

664,307

Total assets
2,310,106

2,133,293

1,984,012

1,737,945

1,960,798

Long-term debt





Total stockholders’ equity—Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
1,970,256

1,807,068

1,731,648

1,481,110

1,720,269

(1)
Working capital as of September 26, 2014, September 27, 2013 and September 28, 2012 has been adjusted by $86.4 million, $84.2 million and $81.0 million, respectively, to reflect the reclassification of deferred tax assets from current assets to non-current assets following our adoption of ASU 2015-17 during the first quarter of fiscal 2016. The changes to working capital as of September 25, 2015 as a result of this reclassification had previously been disclosed within our quarterly filings beginning with our Form 10-Q filed for the fiscal quarter ended January 1, 2016. For additional information, refer to Note 2 "Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies" to our consolidated financial statements.

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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
We are focused on expanding our leadership in audio solutions for entertainment content and delivering dynamic new audio and visual technologies to the market. The following are highlights of fiscal 2016 as well as challenges in key areas:
AUDIO LICENSING
Broadcast
Highlights: This year, our broadcast market experienced continued growth, and reinforced the standing of Dolby Audio as an established format in developed markets like North America and Western Europe. This reflects our strategy of working with country-specific operators and standards bodies to encourage adoption of our technologies. In that vein, we believe we are well positioned for further adoption in emerging markets such as Africa, India and China. During this past year, China Telecom and China Unicom launched services in Dolby as did Multichoice, the largest satellite operator in Africa. We believe that future growth in broadcast will come from the continued migration of emerging markets to digital televisions, and the roll-out of HD and 4K STBs with Dolby Audio in both developed and emerging markets.
Challenges: In fiscal 2016, broadcast revenues included recoveries that exceeded our expectations and we anticipate a decline in these recoveries in fiscal 2017. We expect additional challenges going forward including those related to continued growth and adoption in emerging markets which will be impacted by, among other factors, regional fragmentation of operators and regulators and the pace of their decision-making and implementation. Further, in some emerging growth countries such as China, we face difficulties enforcing our contractual and IP rights, including instances in which our licensees fail to accurately report the shipment of products using our technologies.
Consumer Electronics
Highlights: Dolby Audio is included in a wide range of devices including, this year, an increasing number of DMAs such as Apple TV, Amazon’s Fire TV and Fire Stick, as well as Roku's Ultra player. During the year, a broader array of content in Dolby also became available via new OTT services such as Apple TV and Google Play. In addition, we made progress in expanding the presence of Dolby Atmos in the home. Dolby Atmos soundbars were launched from Samsung, Philips and Yamaha, and five additional Dolby Atmos soundbars are scheduled to reach the market in late 2016 and early 2017. Dolby Atmos is now also supported by all major AVR manufacturers and is included in selected speakers. These hardware offerings are paired with a growing array of content via Blu-ray Discs and OTT services. We will continue to work with OEMs to expand the range of Dolby Audio-enabled hardware, and with content developers and distributors to expand the range of entertainment selections using our audio technologies.
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 future revenue could be impacted.
Mobile
Highlights: This year, we achieved a major milestone with the inclusion of DD+ in iOS and ITunes so customers can access enhanced content on the iPad and iPhone. DD+ is also integrated in various mobile devices from Lenovo, LG and ZTE. Separately, Dolby Atmos continues to expand its use case beyond existing phones and tablets from Lenovo and Amazon with an announcement in the current fiscal quarter from LeEco that its flagship mobile phone will include Dolby Atmos as well.

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During the year, Netflix, which was already streaming content in Dolby Audio to PCs and a broad range of home entertainment and gaming devices, began streaming in Dolby Audio to mobile devices. In addition to Netflix, services from Apple, Tencent and iQiyi are also making Dolby Audio content available to mobile devices. We continue to focus on driving further adoption of our technologies across all the major mobile ecosystems - Apple, Android, Windows and Amazon - as these platforms facilitate delivery and enhanced consumption of Dolby-enabled content from a multitude of OTT services.
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 including the availability and appeal 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.
Personal Computers
Highlights: Our technologies enhance playback in both Mac and Windows operating systems including native support in their respective Safari and Microsoft Edge browsers. Dolby's presence in these browsers enables us to reach more users through new types of content, including streaming video entertainment.
Challenges: In recent years, unit demand for PCs has been in secular decline as consumer choices have shifted towards other devices such as tablets and mobile phones. Furthermore, a decline in the portion of PCs that have optical disc functionality will have a negative impact on our ASPs.
PRODUCTS
Highlights: We offer servers and audio processors to enable the playback of content in cinemas. Our product revenue base expanded primarily from shipments of Dolby Atmos due to continued adoption by studios, content creators, post-production facilities and exhibitors. As of the end of our current fiscal quarter, there were approximately 2,400 Dolby Atmos-enabled screens installed or committed to be installed, and approximately 600 Dolby Atmos theatrical titles announced or released.
Challenges: Demand for our cinema products is dependent upon industry and 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 faced with pricing pressures or competing technologies, our revenue may be adversely affected.

NEW GROWTH INITIATIVES

Dolby Cinema™
Highlights: In fiscal 2015, and in partnership with established movie theater exhibitors, we launched Dolby Cinema, our premium cinema offering for moviegoers that combines Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos at new and pre-existing venues that are optimized for an immersive entertainment experience. Exhibitors who feature Dolby Cinema include AMC in the U.S., Wanda in China, Cineplexx in Austria, and Vue (previously JT Bioscopen) in the Netherlands. Over the last fiscal year, we have added approximately 30 Dolby Cinema locations, with just over 40 operating today. The majority of these are with our largest exhibitor partner, AMC, with whom we have plans to open 160 Dolby Cinema at AMC sites by the end of calendar 2018.
Our second largest exhibitor partner, Wanda, has now opened four Dolby Cinema locations in China, and plans to open 100 locations. Just a few months ago, Jackie Chan Cinemas opened its first Dolby Cinema at the highest grossing complex in China. Jackie Chan Cinemas plans on opening ten more Dolby Cinema sites within the next two years.
In total, we have about 300 Dolby Cinema locations open or committed around the world with our current exhibitor partners.
Dolby Cinema has also attracted strong support from the creative community as every major studio has announced their support for Dolby Cinema. In just over a year, there are over 50 theatrical titles with Dolby

29


Vision and Dolby Atmos announced or released, and in the past two fiscal quarters, the first Chinese movies optimized for Dolby Cinema were released.
Challenges: Although the premium large format sector of the cinema industry is currently growing, Dolby Cinema is in competition with other existing solutions. Our success with this initiative depends on our ability to differentiate our offering, deploy new sites in accordance with plans, and attract and retain a global viewing audience.

Dolby Vision™
Highlights: By partnering with key players in the market, Dolby Vision TVs are now available globally. LG, the world’s second largest TV manufacturer, includes Dolby Vision on their full 2016 lineup of OLED and Super UHD LCD TVs; Vizio, the second largest TV manufacturer in the U.S., includes Dolby Vision on their R, P, and M series; and TCL, the world’s third largest TV manufacturer is shipping Dolby Vision TVs in China. Furthermore, Skyworth is shipping Dolby Vision TVs in China, LeEco announced that its first Dolby Vision TV will be available in both China and the U.S. in the first quarter of fiscal 2017, and Google announced that the Chromecast Ultra will include support for Dolby Vision, making it the first DMA with this functionality.
Entertainment content in Dolby Vision has also expanded during the year. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc., Sony Pictures, MGM, Universal Pictures, Lionsgate, Netflix and Amazon Studios have all released or committed to release titles in Dolby Vision, many of which will be made available through streaming services such as Netflix, Vudu and Amazon.
Challenges: To successfully establish and grow Dolby Vision, we will need to continue to expand the array of consumer devices that incorporate the technology, increase the pipeline of Dolby Vision content, and encourage consumer adoption in the face of competing HDR offerings.

Dolby Voice®
Highlights: BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice, the premium audio conferencing solution we launched in global partnership with BT, expanded its functionality. In the third quarter of fiscal 2016, we launched Dolby Voice with Highfive, a cloud-based collaboration and video conferencing solution that is easy to install and use. And in the fourth fiscal quarter, PGi, one of the largest providers of audio conferencing software and services, launched availability of Dolby Voice on its iMeet offering, a full video and screen sharing chat solution. In concert with these partners, we are focused on driving adoption of Dolby Voice and the Dolby Conference Phone.
Challenges: Our success in this market will depend on the number of service providers and enterprise customers we are able to attract, and on the volume of usage and Dolby Conference Phones that we are able to sell.
Revenue From Significant Customers
In fiscal 2016, we did not have any individual customers whose revenue exceeded 10% of our total revenue. In fiscal 2015 and 2014, revenue from Samsung represented approximately 12% and 11% of our total revenue, respectively, and consisted primarily of licensing revenue from our mobile and broadcast markets.

30



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, maintenance and extended warranty services, 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 determining 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;
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.

31


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, operating costs, 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, the risk-free interest rate over the expected term of the award and the anticipated dividend payout 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.

32


    
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."
Our annual fiscal reporting periods generally consist of 52 weeks. However, our fiscal year ended September 30, 2016 consisted of 53 weeks. The occurrence of an additional week during the current fiscal period results in proportionately higher operating expenses related to compensation, depreciation and amortization that are not entirely offset by incremental revenue that may have been earned during the additional week.

Revenue and Gross Margin
Licensing
Licensing revenue consists of fees earned from licensing our technologies and IP to customers who incorporate them into their products and services to enable and enhance audio, imaging and communications capabilities. The technologies and IP 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, third party royalty obligations paid to license IP and certain legal costs.
 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
2016 vs. 2015
 
2015 vs. 2014
Licensing
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
 
$
%
 
$
%
Revenue
$917,032
$868,111
$878,844
 
$48,921
6%
 
$(10,733)
(1)%
Percentage of total revenue
89%
89%
92%
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cost of licensing
28,333
10,879
10,814
 
17,454
160%
 
65
1%
Gross margin
888,699
857,232
868,030
 
31,467
4%
 
(10,798)
(1)%
Gross margin percentage
97%
99%
99%
 
 
 
 
 
 

2016 vs. 2015
Factor
Revenue
Gross Margin
Broadcast
á
Higher revenue from recoveries, patent licensing, and higher volume of TVs, partially offset by lower volume of STBs
â
Increase in cost of licensing primarily due to amortization on newly-acquired assets
Other
á
Higher revenue from Dolby Cinema and administrative fees from Via Licensing patent pools
CE
á
Higher volume of DMAs and patent licensing, partially offset by lower volume of DVDs, HTIBs and Blu-ray and to a lesser extent, lower recoveries
Mobile
â
Decrease due to timing of revenue under contractual arrangements, partially offset by higher penetration into mobile platforms
PC
ßà
Increase due to timing of revenue under contractual arrangements, offset by declines in PC market volumes and lower recoveries

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


33


Products
Products revenue is generated from the sale of audio and imaging products for the cinema, broadcast, and communications industries. Cost of products consists of materials, labor and manufacturing overhead, amortization of certain intangible assets as well as third party royalty obligations paid to license IP.
 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
2016 vs. 2015
 
2015 vs. 2014
Products
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
 
$
%
 
$
%
Revenue
$90,543
$83,904
$59,219
 
$6,639
8%
 
$24,685
42%
Percentage of total revenue
9%
9%
6%
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cost of products
64,853
70,490
45,132
 
(5,637)
(8)%
 
25,358
56%
Gross margin
25,690
13,414
14,087
 
12,276
92%
 
(673)
(5)%
Gross margin percentage
28%
16%
24%
 
 
 
 
 
 

2016 vs. 2015
Factor
Revenue
Gross Margin
Cinema
á
Higher sales from extended warranty programs, Dolby Atmos equipment and 3D glasses, partially offset by lower volume of digital cinema video products
á
Lower charges from excess & obsolete inventory
Broadcast & Other
No significant fluctuations
    
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 inventory and higher manufacturing costs
Broadcast & Other
No significant fluctuations
â
Higher amortization on newly-acquired intangible assets

Services
Services revenue consists of fees for equipment training and maintenance, mixing room alignment, equalization, as well as audio, color and light image calibration. Cost of services consists of personnel and personnel-related costs for providing our professional services, software maintenance and support, external consultants, and other direct expenses incurred on behalf of customers.
 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
2016 vs. 2015
 
2015 vs. 2014
Services
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
 
$
%
 
$
%
Revenue
$18,163
$18,623
$22,113
 
$(460)
(2)%
 
$(3,490)
(16)%
Percentage of total revenue
2%
2%
2%
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cost of services
15,796
13,447
14,230
 
2,349
17%
 
(783)
(6)%
Gross margin
2,367
5,176
7,883
 
(2,809)
(54)%
 
(2,707)
(34)%
Gross margin percentage
13%
28%
36%
 
 
 
 
 
 

2016 vs. 2015
Factor
Revenue
Gross Margin
Configuration & Post-Production
â
Lower film mastering and other activities
â
Lower utilization of available services capacity
Support & Other
á
Increased support and maintenance services
No significant fluctuations
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


34


Operating Expenses
Research and Development
R&D expenses consist primarily of employee compensation and benefits, 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
 
2016 vs. 2015
 
2015 vs. 2014
 
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
 
$
%
 
$
%
Research and development
$219,607
$201,324
$183,128
 
$18,283
9%
 
$18,196
10%
Percentage of total revenue
21%
21%
19%
 
 
 
 
 
 

2016 vs. 2015
Category
Key Drivers
Compensation & Benefits
á
Higher headcount on new or existing R&D projects along with merit increases across the employee base
Facilities
á
Higher costs as R&D personnel had not yet fully occupied our new worldwide headquarters in the prior year
Product Development
â
Lower prototype costs
Depreciation & Amortization
á
Higher depreciation primarily from assets placed into service

2015 vs. 2014
Category
Key Drivers
Compensation & Benefits
á
Higher headcount including personnel from the acquisition of Doremi 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
Sales and Marketing
S&M expenses consist primarily of employee compensation and benefits, stock-based compensation, marketing and promotional expenses associated with growth initiatives such as Dolby Cinema and other 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 certain legal costs.
 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
2016 vs. 2015
 
2015 vs. 2014
 
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
 
$
%
 
$
%
Sales and marketing
$295,267
$279,174
$252,647
 
$16,093
6%
 
$26,527
10%
Percentage of total revenue
29%
29%
26%
 
 
 
 
 
 

2016 vs. 2015
Category
Key Drivers
Compensation & Benefits
á
Higher headcount primarily for programs to drive new revenue initiatives, along with merit increases across the existing employee base
Facilities
á
Higher costs as S&M personnel had not yet fully occupied our new worldwide headquarters in the prior year
Stock-Based Compensation
á
Higher headcount and an increase in award grants
Marketing Programs
â
Lower costs associated with selected marketing efforts
Legal, Professional & Consulting
â
Lower costs associated with IP related activities


35


2015 vs. 2014
Category
Key Drivers
Compensation & Benefits
á
Higher 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 amortization for newly-acquired intangible assets and higher depreciation from assets placed into service
Legal, Professional & Consulting
â
Lower consulting and other costs, partially offset by higher professional fees for IP related activities
General and Administrative
G&A expenses consist primarily of employee compensation and benefits, 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
 
2016 vs. 2015
 
2015 vs. 2014
 
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
 
$
%
 
$
%
General and administrative
$168,854
$182,176
$178,104
 
$(13,322)
(7)%
 
$4,072
2%
Percentage of total revenue
16%
19%
19%
 
 
 
 
 
 

2016 vs. 2015
Category
Key Drivers
Facilities
â
Lower costs as our new worldwide headquarters now include R&D and S&M departments beyond only corporate personnel
Stock-Based Compensation
â
Decrease in award grants
Legal, Professional & Consulting
á
Higher costs associated with IP and various other legal activities
Depreciation & Amortization
â
Lower depreciation as assets that became fully-depreciated were only partially offset by new assets placed in service

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
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 headcount along with merit increases
    
Restructuring
Restructuring charges recorded in our statements of operations, including changes between periods, are based on the nature of activities associated with the individual restructuring plan implemented within those fiscal years.
 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
2016 vs. 2015
 
2015 vs. 2014
 
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
 
$
%
 
$
%
Restructuring
$1,233
$(80)
$2,403
 
$
1,313

(1,641
)%
 
$
(2,483
)
(103
)%
Percentage of total revenue
—%
—%
—%
 
 
 
 
 
 
Restructuring charges recorded in fiscal 2016 were incurred in relation to our fiscal 2016 restructuring plan implemented and completed within the fiscal year, 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.
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

36


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.

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.
 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
2016 vs. 2015
 
2015 vs. 2014
Other Income/Expense
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
 
$
%
 
$
%
Interest income
$5,684
$4,544
$3,344
 
$1,140
25%
 
$1,200
36%
Interest expense
(125)
(183)
183
 
58
(32)%
 
(366)
(200)%
Other income/(expense), net
(1,450)
28,193
(1,146)
 
(29,643)
(105)%
 
29,339
(2,560)%
Total
$4,109
$32,554
$2,381
 
$(28,445)
(87)%
 
$30,173
1,267%

2016 vs. 2015
Category
Key Drivers
Other Income/(Expense)
â
Decrease in other income due to a pre-tax gain of $26.2 million from the sale of our ownership interest in a jointly-owned real estate entity in the prior fiscal year (refer to footnote 16 for additional information)
â
Decrease in other income as the prior fiscal year included the receipt of a non-recurring governmental grant
Interest Income
á
Increase due to higher yields on our investment balances during fiscal 2016 relative to fiscal 2015
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)
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

Income Taxes
Our effective tax rate is based on a projection of our annual fiscal year results, and is affected each period-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 10Income Taxes” to our consolidated financial statements.
 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
Provision for income taxes
$(49,502)
$(62,542)
$(67,379)
Effective tax rate
21%
25%
24%
2016 vs. 2015
Factor
Key Drivers
Tax Contingencies
â
Increase due to the benefit from the settlement of a multi-year California tax audit
Federal R&D Credits
â
Increased benefit from federal R&D credits

2015 vs. 2014
Factor
Key Drivers
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 a 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

37



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 30, 2016, we had cash and cash equivalents of $516.1 million, which consisted of cash and highly-liquid money market funds. In addition, we had short and long-term investments of $515.5 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 30, 2016, approximately $654 million, or 63%, was held by our foreign subsidiaries. This represented a $108 million increase from the $546 million that was held by our foreign subsidiaries as of September 25, 2015. 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.
The following table presents selected financial information as of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2016 and September 25, 2015 (amounts displayed are in thousands):
 
September 30,
2016
 
September 25,
2015
Cash and cash equivalents
$
516,112

 
$
531,926

Short-term investments
121,629

 
138,901

Long-term investments
393,904

 
321,015

Accounts receivable, net
75,688

 
101,563

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
186,599

 
190,017

Working capital
546,647

 
611,548

Capital Expenditures and Uses of Capital
Our capital expenditures consist of purchases of land, building, building fixtures, leasehold improvements, computer hardware and software, production and test equipment as well as audio, video, laboratory and office equipment. We continue to invest in R&D to promote overall growth of our business and technological innovation.
Business Combinations. During fiscal 2015, we completed the business combination of Doremi and the Doremi-related assets for total purchase consideration of $98.4 million, net of cash acquired. For additional details, see Note 13Business Combinations” to our consolidated financial statements.
Asset Acquisition. During the first quarter of fiscal 2016, we completed an asset purchase of a patent portfolio that fits within our existing patent licensing programs for total consideration of $105.0 million.
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 Class A 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 1ARisk Factors.”
Shareholder Return
We return cash to stockholders through repurchases of Class A common stock under our repurchase program and our quarterly dividend program. Refer to Note 7 "Stockholders' Equity & Stock-Based Compensation" of our consolidated financial statements for a summary of dividend payments made under the program during fiscal 2016 and additional information regarding our stock repurchase program.
Stock Repurchase Program. Our stock repurchase program was initiated 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.
Quarterly Dividend Program. During the first quarter of fiscal 2015, we initiated a recurring quarterly cash dividend program for our stockholders. Under the program, quarterly dividends are paid on our Class A and Class B

38


common stock to eligible stockholders of record for each respective dividend record date. On October 26, 2016, we announced an increase in the dividend amount to $0.14 per share, payable on November 16, 2016, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on November 7, 2016.
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
 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
Net cash provided by operating activities
$
356,839

$
309,377

Net cash provided by operating activities increased $47.5 million in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015, primarily due to the following:
Factor
Impact On Cash Flows
Working Capital
á
Higher inflows primarily due to decrease in accounts receivable
Investing Activities
 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
Net cash used in investing activities
$
(282,497
)
$
(203,595
)
Capital expenditures
(100,762
)
(157,526
)

Net cash used in investing activities was $78.9 million higher in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015, primarily due to the following:
Factor
Impact On Cash Flows
Business Combinations
á
Lower outflows as the comparable period included our acquisition of Doremi
Proceeds From Investments
â
Lower inflows from the sale & maturity of marketable investment securities
Purchase of Intangible Assets
â
Higher outflows for purchases of patents (refer to Note 6 for additional information)
Capital Expenditures
á
Lower expenditures for PP&E
Purchase Of Investments
â
Higher outflows for purchases of marketable investment securities
Financing Activities
 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
Net cash used in financing activities
$
(88,761
)
$
(138,519
)
Repurchase of common stock
(100,854
)
(107,349
)

Net cash used in financing activities was $49.8 million lower in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015, primarily due to the following:
Factor
Impact On Cash Flows
Common Stock Issuance
á
Higher inflows from increased employee stock option exercises and shares issued under our ESPP
Dividend Payments
â
Higher outflows for payments of our quarterly cash dividend to common stockholders primarily as a result of a $0.02 per share increase compared to the prior fiscal year
Share Repurchases
á
Lower outflows resulting from decreased volumes of common stock repurchases
Partnership Distribution
á
Lower distributions to our controlling interest for commercial property leasing fees

39


Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements and Contractual Obligations
As of September 30, 2016, 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
$
7,619

$
15,526

$
15,917

$
94,972

$
134,034

Operating leases
13,261

18,839

13,922

24,282

70,304

Purchase obligations
6,936

3,814



10,750

Donation commitments
320

6,622

444

1,013

8,399

Total
$
28,136

$
44,801

$
30,283

$
120,267

$
223,487

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 2018.
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 30, 2016.
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.
Unrecognized Tax Benefits.    As of September 30, 2016, we had an accrued liability for unrecognized tax benefits and related interest and penalties, net of related deferred tax assets, totaling $75.2 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 12Commitments & Contingencies” to our consolidated financial statements.
Indemnification Clauses
We are party to certain contractual agreements under which we have agreed to provide indemnification of varying scope and duration to the other party relating to our licensed IP. 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. In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with our officers, directors, and certain employees, and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain similar indemnification obligations. For additional details regarding indemnification clauses within our contractual agreements, see Note 12Commitments & Contingencies” to our consolidated financial statements.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Interest Rate Sensitivity
As of September 30, 2016, we had cash and cash equivalents of $516.1 million, which consisted of cash and highly liquid money market funds. In addition, we had both short and long-term investments of $515.5 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 support for 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 30, 2016, the weighted-average credit quality of our investment portfolio was AA-, with a weighted-average maturity of approximately eighteen 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 30, 2016, hypothetical changes in interest rates of 1% and 0.5% would have an impact on the carrying value of our portfolio of approximately $6.7 million and $3.3 million, respectively.
Foreign Currency Exchange Risk
We maintain business operations in foreign countries, most significantly in Australia, China, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom. 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
Russian Ruble
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, including, but not limited to, differing economic conditions, changes in political climate, differing tax structures, foreign exchange rate volatility and other regulations and restrictions.

40


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 30, 2016 and September 25, 2015, the outstanding derivative instruments had maturities of equal to or less than 31 and 38 days, respectively, and the total notional amounts of outstanding contracts were $18.3 million and $22.3 million, respectively. The fair values of these contracts were nominal as of September 30, 2016 and September 25, 2015, 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 30, 2016. 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 an increase in the fair value of our financial instruments by $0.6 million. Conversely, a 10% decrease in the value of the U.S. dollar would result in a decrease in the fair value of these financial instruments by $0.6 million.

41


ITEM 8. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DOLBY LABORATORIES, INC.
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 


42


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 30, 2016 and September 25, 2015, 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 30, 2016. We also have audited Dolby Laboratories, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2016, 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 these consolidated financial statements, 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 these consolidated financial statements and an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting 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 audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting 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 audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
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, 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 30, 2016 and September 25, 2015, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended September 30, 2016, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
Also in our opinion, Dolby Laboratories, Inc. maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2016, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

/s/ KPMG LLP
San Francisco, California
November 18, 2016

43


DOLBY LABORATORIES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
 

 
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
ASSETS
 
 
Current assets:
 
 
Cash and cash equivalents
$
516,112

$
531,926

Restricted cash
3,645

2,936

Short-term investments
121,629

138,901

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $2,370 and $1,542
75,688

101,563

Inventories
16,354

13,872

Prepaid expenses and other current assets
26,302

32,031

Total current assets
759,730

821,229

Long-term investments
393,904

321,015

Property, plant and equipment, net
443,656

403,091

Intangible assets, net
215,342

127,507

Goodwill
309,616

307,708

Deferred taxes
166,790

143,279

Other non-current assets
21,068

9,464

Total assets
$
2,310,106

$
2,133,293

 
 
 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
 
 
Current liabilities:
 
 
Accounts payable
$
17,544

$
20,710

Accrued liabilities
169,055

169,307

Income taxes payable
2,304

754

Deferred revenue
24,180

18,910

Total current liabilities
213,083

209,681

Long-term deferred revenue
35,366

30,581

Other non-current liabilities
82,922

77,024

Total liabilities
331,371

317,286

 
 
 
Stockholders’ equity:
 
 
Class A, $0.001 par value, one vote per share, 500,000,000 shares authorized: 57,018,362 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2016 and 50,291,426 at September 25, 2015
57

51

Class B, $0.001 par value, ten votes per share, 500,000,000 shares authorized: 44,403,847 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2016 and 50,743,311 at September 25, 2015
44

51

Additional paid-in capital
42,032

17,571

Retained earnings
1,938,320

1,800,857

Accumulated other comprehensive (loss)
(10,197
)
(11,462
)
Total stockholders’ equity – Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
1,970,256

1,807,068

Controlling interest
8,479

8,939

Total stockholders’ equity
1,978,735

1,816,007

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
$
2,310,106

$
2,133,293




See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

44


DOLBY LABORATORIES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except per share amounts)

 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
Revenue:
 
 
 
Licensing
$
917,032

$
868,111

$
878,844

Products
90,543

83,904

59,219

Services
18,163

18,623

22,113

Total revenue
1,025,738

970,638

960,176

 
 
 
 
Cost of revenue:
 
 
 
Cost of licensing
28,333

10,879

10,814

Cost of products
64,853

70,490

45,132

Cost of services
15,796

13,447

14,230

Total cost of revenue
108,982

94,816

70,176

 
 
 
 
Gross margin
916,756

875,822

890,000

 
 
 
 
Operating expenses:
 
 
 
Research and development
219,607

201,324

183,128

Sales and marketing
295,267

279,174

252,647

General and administrative
168,854

182,176

178,104

Restructuring charges/(credits)
1,233

(80
)
2,403

Total operating expenses
684,961

662,594

616,282

 
 
 
 
Operating income
231,795

213,228

273,718

 
 
 
 
Other income/expense:
 
 
 
Interest income
5,684

4,544

3,344

Interest expense
(125
)
(183
)
183

Other income/(expense), net
(1,450
)
28,193

(1,146
)
Total other income
4,109

32,554

2,381

 
 
 
 
Income before income taxes
235,904

245,782

276,099

Provision for income taxes
(49,502
)
(62,542
)
(67,379
)
Net income including controlling interest
186,402

183,240

208,720

Less: net (income) attributable to controlling interest
(542
)
(1,850
)
(2,617
)
Net income attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
$
185,860

$
181,390

$
206,103

 
 
 
 
Net income per share:
 
 
 
Basic
$
1.85

$
1.77

$
2.02

Diluted
$
1.81

$
1.75

$
1.99

Weighted-average shares outstanding:

 
 
Basic
100,717

102,354

102,151

Diluted
102,424

103,862

103,632

 
 
 
 
Related party rent expense:
 
 
 
Included in operating expenses
$
3,097

$
3,136

$
2,125

Included in net income attributable to controlling interest
$
706

$
4,091

$
4,827

 
 
 
 
Cash dividend declared per common share
$
0.50

$
0.42

$

Cash dividend paid per common share
$
0.48

$
0.40

$




See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements


45


DOLBY LABORATORIES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(in thousands)


 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
September 30,
2016
September 25,
2015
September 26,
2014
Net income including controlling interest
186,402

183,240

208,720

Other comprehensive income:



Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax
85

(14,858
)
(5,004
)
Unrealized gains/(losses) on available-for-sale securities, net of tax
392

(155
)
302

Comprehensive income
186,879

168,227

204,018

Less: comprehensive (income)/loss attributable to controlling interest
246

(1,326
)
(2,715
)
Comprehensive income attributable to Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
187,125

166,901

201,303


See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements


46


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 27, 2013
46,863

$
47

54,876

$
55

$
18,812

$
1,454,382

$
7,814

$
1,481,110

$
18,916

$
1,500,026

Net income





206,103


206,103

2,617

208,720

Currency translation adjustments, net of tax of $(46)






(5,102
)
(5,102
)
98

(5,004
)
Unrealized gains on investments, net of tax of $(131)






302

302


302

Stock-based compensation expense




65,680



65,680


65,680

Repurchase of common stock
(1,390
)
(1
)


(56,027
)


(56,028
)

(56,028
)
Tax (deficiency) from employee stock plans




(1,770
)


(1,770
)

(1,770
)
Common stock issued under employee stock plans
2,143

2



32,992



32,994


32,994

Tax withholdings on vesting of restricted stock
(337
)



(13,651
)


(13,651
)

(13,651
)
Common stock transfers - Class B to Class A
3,380

3

(3,380
)
(3
)






Balance at September 26, 2014
50,659

51

51,610

52

46,415

1,660,485

3,014

1,710,017

21,631

1,731,648

Net income





181,390


181,390

1,850

183,240

Currency translation adjustments, net of tax of $864






(14,321
)
(14,321
)
(537
)
(14,858
)
Unrealized losses on investments, net of tax of $(87)






(155
)
(155
)

(155
)
Distributions to controlling interest








(5,615
)
(5,615
)
Stock-based compensation expense




67,069



67,069


67,069

Repurchase of common stock
(2,939
)
(3
)


(107,346
)


(107,349
)

(107,349
)
Cash dividends declared and paid on common stock





(41,018
)

(41,018
)

(41,018
)
Tax (deficiency) from employee stock plans




(1,484
)


(1,484
)

(1,484
)
Common stock issued under employee stock plans
2,087

2



28,618



28,620


28,620

Tax withholdings on vesting of restricted stock
(382
)



(15,708
)


(15,708
)

(15,708
)
Common stock transfers - Class B to Class A
867

1

(867
)
(1
)






Exercise of class B stock options




7



7