SOGO Sogou Inc

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

(Mark One)

Commission file number: 001-38279

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

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

None

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

None

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report: 118,408,437 Class A Ordinary Shares, par value $0.001 per share, and 278,757,875 Class B Ordinary Shares, par value $0.001 per share, as of December 31, 2017.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

o Yes   x No

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

o Yes   x No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

x Yes   o 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 (§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).

x Yes   o No

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

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

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

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

o Item 17   o Item 18

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

o Yes   x No

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INTRODUCTION

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

·                   “Amended and Restated Articles of Association” refers to our Third Amended and Restated Articles of Association;

·                   “Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association” refers to our Seventh Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association;

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

·                   “Class A Ordinary Shares” refers to our Class A Ordinary Shares, par value of $0.001 per share, carrying one vote per share;

·                   “Class B Ordinary Shares” refers to our Class B Ordinary Shares, par value of $0.001 per share, carrying ten votes per share;

·                   “China Literature” refers to China Literature Limited, China’s largest online literature platform;

·                   “DAU,” for active users quoted from iResearch, for any given month, refers to the average number of active users per day during that month. A user who uses the applicable product more than once in any such day is counted as one active user for that day. Each distinguishable device or application is treated as a separate user for purposes of calculating such DAU;

·                   “MAU,” for active users quoted from iResearch, for any given month, refers to the number of active users during that month. A user who uses the applicable product more than once in any such month is counted as one active user for that month. Each distinguishable device or application is treated as a separate user for purposes of calculating such MAU;

·                   “Mobile DAU” for our Sogou Mobile Keyboard (the mobile application of Sogou Input Method), for any given month, refers to the average number of active users per day during that month. A user who uses Sogou Mobile Keyboard more than once in any such day is counted as one active user for that day. We treat each distinguishable device as a separate user for purposes of calculating such DAU, although it is possible that some people may use more than one device, and multiple people may share one device;

·                   “Mobile MAU” for our Sogou Mobile Keyboard, for any given period, refers to the number of active users during the last month of such given period. A user who uses Sogou Mobile Keyboard more than once in that month is counted as one active user for that month. We treat each distinguishable device as a separate user for purposes of calculating such MAU, although it is possible that some people may use more than one device, and multiple people may share one device;

·                   “Mobile MAU” for our Sogou mobile search, for any given period, refers to the number of active users during the last month of such given period. A user who uses Sogou mobile search more than once in that month is counted as one active user for that month. We treat each distinguishable mobile browser or each Sogou mobile search application as a separate user for purposes of calculating such MAU, although it is possible that on any given device, some people may use more than one mobile browser, and multiple people may share one mobile browser or one Sogou mobile search application;

·                   “Paid clicks” refers to the number of paid clicks, including clicks by our users on advertisers’ promotional links displayed on our search result pages and other Internet properties and third parties’ Internet properties;

·                   “PC DAU” for our Sogou Input Method, for any given month, refers to the average number of active users per day during that month. A user who uses Sogou Input Method more than once in any such day is counted as one active user for that day. We treat each distinguishable device as a separate user for purposes of calculating such DAU, although it is possible that some people may use more than one device, and multiple people may share one device;

·                   “Pre-IPO Class A Ordinary Shares” refers to our Class A ordinary shares, carrying one vote per share, that were authorized and outstanding prior to the completion of our initial public offering;

·                   “Pre-IPO Class B Ordinary Shares” refers to our Class B ordinary shares, without voting rights, that were authorized and outstanding prior to the completion of our initial public offering;

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·                   “Pre-IPO Ordinary Shares” refers to our Pre-IPO Class A Ordinary Shares and our Pre-IPO Class B Ordinary Shares;

·                   “Pre-IPO Series A Preferred Shares” refers to our Series A preferred shares, carrying one vote per share, that were authorized and outstanding prior to the completion of our initial public offering, and were categorized as “mezzanine equity” in our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this annual report;

·                   “Pre-IPO Series B Preferred Shares” refers to our Series B preferred shares, carrying one vote per share, that were authorized and outstanding prior to the completion of our initial public offering, and were categorized as “mezzanine equity” in our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this annual report;

·                   “Pre-IPO Preferred Shares” refers to our Pre-IPO Series A Preferred Shares and our Pre-IPO Series B Preferred Shares, collectively;

·                   “RMB” refers to Renminbi, or Yuan, the official currency of the PRC;

·                   “Sogou” refers to Sogou Inc., a Cayman Islands company, and unless the context requires otherwise, includes its subsidiaries and variable interest entities, or VIEs;

·                   “Sohu.com Inc.” refers to our ultimate parent and controlling shareholder, whose shares of common stock are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “SOHU”;

·                   “Sohu” refers to Sohu.com Inc. and its subsidiaries and VIEs, not including Sogou and its subsidiaries and VIEs;

·                   “Sohu Group” refers to Sohu.com Inc. and its subsidiaries and VIEs, including Sogou and its subsidiaries and VIEs;

·                   “Tencent” or “Tencent group” refers to Tencent Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries under International Financial Reporting Standards;

·                   “we,” “us,” “our company,” and “our” refer to Sogou Inc. and, unless the context requires otherwise, include its subsidiaries and VIEs;

·                   “Weixin Official Accounts” refers to Weixin/WeChat accounts where individuals and enterprises, as account owners, provide content and services to subscribers; and

·                   “Zhihu” refers to Zhihu Technology Limited and its affiliates, the leading online knowledge-sharing platform in China.

This annual report on Form 20-F includes our audited consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 201 5, 2016, and 2017 and audited consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2016 and 2017.

We completed an initial public offering of our ADSs on November 13, 2017. Our ADSs are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SOGO.”

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This annual report on Form 20-F contains “forward looking statements.” These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Whenever you read a statement that is not simply a statement of historical fact (such as when we describe what we “believe,” “expect,” or “anticipate” will occur, and other similar statements), you must remember that our expectations may not be correct, even though we believe that they are reasonable. We do not guarantee that the transactions and events described in this annual report will happen as described or that they will happen at all. You should read this annual report completely, with the understanding that actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. See “Item 3 - Key Information—Risk Factors.”

The forward-looking statements made in this annual report relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation, beyond that required by law, to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made, even though our situation will change in the future.

Whether actual results will conform with our expectations and predictions is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, and reflect future business decisions that are subject to change. Some of the assumptions, future results, and levels of performance expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements we make inevitably will not materialize, and unanticipated events may occur which will affect our results.

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These forward-looking statements include:

·                         our ability to maintain and strengthen our position as a leader in China’s Internet industry and an innovator in AI;

·                         our expected development and launch, and market acceptance, of our products and services;

·                         our various initiatives to implement our business strategies to expand our business;

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

·                         the expected growth of and change in the online search industry in China; and

·                         PRC laws, regulations, and policies relating to the Internet and Internet content providers, including online search and search-related services providers.

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(1)   Share-based compensation expense included in:

(1)   Presented giving effect to the redesignation on a one-for-one basis upon the completion of our initial public offering of all Pre-IPO Series A Preferred Shares into Class A Ordinary Shares and all Pre-IPO Series B Preferred Shares into Class B Ordinary Shares.

Risk Factors

Risks Related to Our Business

The online search industry in China is extremely competitive, and if we are unable to compete successfully, it will be difficult for us to maintain or increase our revenues and profitability.

We operate our business in an extremely competitive industry. We face intense competition in every aspect of our business, including competition for users, advertisers, technology, and talent. We face competition for our search and search-related services in China primarily from Baidu Inc., or Baidu, and ShenMa, operated by UCWeb Inc., or UCWeb, which is a subsidiary of Alibaba Group Holding Limited, or Alibaba. Both Baidu and Alibaba have considerably greater financial and technical resources available to them than we do. We also face competition for both users and advertisers from websites and mobile applications that provide specialized search services in China, including travel services and information platforms such as Ctrip and Qunar; group-buy platforms such as Meituan Dianping; online classified advertisement platforms such as 58.com; and newsfeeds such as Toutiao. We compete for advertisers not only with Internet companies, but also with other types of advertising media such as newspapers and magazines, billboards and bus advertisements, television, and radio. It is also possible that multinational businesses with considerably greater financial and other resources than ours could expand their offerings in China, making it harder for us to gain market share.

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Our existing and potential competitors compete with us for users and advertisers on the basis of the quality and quantity of search results; the features, availability, and ease of use of products and services; and the number and quality of advertising distribution channels. They also compete with us for talent with technological expertise, which is critical to the sustained development of our products and services. If we are unable to differentiate ourselves from our competitors in each of these areas, we may not be able to maintain or increase our user and advertiser base, which would have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations, and growth potential. In addition, we may have difficulty in successfully promoting and differentiating our new products, services, and features as a result of the market power of our competitors.

We must expand our user base to grow our business, and we must continually innovate and adapt our business in an evolving online search industry in order to do so. If we fail to continue to innovate and introduce products and services to enhance user experience, we may not be able to generate sufficient user traffic to remain competitive.

The Internet industry in general and the online search industry in particular have been undergoing rapid changes in technology and in user preferences. Our future success in expanding our user base will depend on our ability to respond to, as well as anticipate and apply, rapidly evolving technologies. We must adapt our existing products and services and develop new products and product areas that will meet the evolving demands of users, deliver attractive experiences for our users that enhance user engagement, and cause our users to return to our services and increase the frequency of their searches on our platforms. Our development and introduction of new products, features, and services are subject to additional risks and uncertainties. Unexpected technical, operational, distribution, or other problems could delay or prevent the development and introduction of one or more of our currently planned and any future new products and services. There are constant innovations in the market regarding search services, search and search-related advertising, and providing information to users. If we are unable to predict user preferences or industry changes, or if we are unable to modify our products and services on a timely basis, we may lose users. Our operating results will also suffer if our innovations are not responsive to the needs of our users, are not appropriately timed with market opportunity, or are not effectively brought to market. As search technology continues to develop, there may be offered in the China market products and services that are, or that are perceived to be, substantially similar to or better than those generated by our search services. As worldwide focus on the development of AI technologies has intensified, it has become increasingly important to apply AI technologies to online search products and features in order to attract and retain users, and we cannot be sure that we will be able to apply such technologies successfully.

Our competitors may develop and offer new products, services, and features that are similar to ours and may introduce them to the market before we can, and such new offerings from our competitors may be found by users to be more attractive than ours. Moreover, we cannot be sure that any of our new products, services, and features will attract additional users and lead to the generation of incremental revenue.

As users increasingly use mobile devices to access search services and other Internet services in China, we will need to continue to design, develop, promote, and operate new products and services tailored for mobile devices. Our design and development of new products and services that are optimized for mobile devices may not be successful. We may encounter difficulties with the installation and delivery of such new products and services, and they may not function smoothly. As new mobile devices are released or updated, we may encounter problems in developing and upgrading our products and services for the new releases and updates, and we may need to devote significant resources to such development and upgrades. If we are not successful in adapting our offerings for mobile devices as described above, maintenance and growth of our business will be impeded.

If our collaboration with Tencent is terminated or curtailed, our business and prospects for growth will be adversely affected.

We have extensive collaboration with Tencent, one of our largest shareholders. We are the default general search engine in various Tencent products that provide general search offerings, such as Mobile QQ Browser, qq.com , and the PC Web directories daohang.qq.com and hao.qq.com . Approximately 38% of our total search traffic, measured by page views, was contributed by Tencent’s Internet properties in December 2017. Sogou Weixin Search is currently the sole general search engine with access to all content published on Weixin Official Accounts, but it is possible that Tencent will grant such access to other general search engines. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain the current level of cooperation with Tencent in the future. If our collaborative relationship with Tencent is terminated or curtailed due to Tencent’s initiating its own general search service or partnering with other search engine companies, or if any of the commercial terms were to be revised or made less favorable to us, or if Tencent does not continue to deliver to us an adequate level of access to its platforms or adequately promote our products and services, our business and prospects will be adversely affected. For a detailed discussion of our collaborative arrangements with Tencent, see “Related Party Transactions - Business Collaboration with Tencent.”

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Our efforts to expand our collaboration with Tencent may not be successful.

Since October 2017, Tencent has been testing, on a trial basis and for purposes of assessment, the integration of Sogou Search into Weixin/WeChat. With this initiative, users of Weixin/WeChat can use Sogou Search as a general search function within Weixin/WeChat to access Internet information outside Weixin/WeChat. We are working closely with Tencent on product testing and optimization and intend to discuss commercial arrangements upon the completion of the trial stage. However, we cannot assure you that product testing will be successful or that we will be able to reach agreement with Tencent as to commercial terms that would apply to such an integration. If the integration of Sogou Search into Weixin/WeChat is not successful or, even if it is successful, if we are unable to agree with Tencent as to commercial terms and Tencent terminates the integration, we will lose the potential to expand our user base by offering general search services in Weixin/WeChat to its users, which would have an adverse impact on our prospects for growth. In addition, although Tencent has agreed that Sogou Search will be offered as the default general search engine for Tencent products that offer general search functions, such agreement will terminate as to Weixin/WeChat (and as to Tencent products other than Mobile QQ Browser and PC Web navigation products) after September 2018, rather than 2023, if Tencent is able to demonstrate that offering Sogou Search as the default general search engine will “harm the user experience.” See “Related Party Transactions—Business Collaboration with Tencent.” It is difficult for us to predict the potential impact of the inclusion of Sogou Search as the default general search engine in Weixin/WeChat measured under the standard of “harm the user experience.” Even if our general search engine is integrated into Weixin/WeChat, the potential for growth of our business through such integration will be limited if Tencent does not make Sogou Search the default general search engine and a Tencent search engine or a search engine of one of our competitors is given priority over ours in Weixin/WeChat.

Our existing business and our expansion strategy depend on certain additional key collaborative arrangements, and any inability to maintain or develop such relationships could have an adverse effect on our business and prospects for growth.

Our existing business, and our strategy for developing our business, involve maintaining and developing various types of collaborations with third parties, which provide us with access to additional user traffic, search services, products, and technology. For example, our Sogou Wise Doctor delivers healthcare information, and receives healthcare data, through partnerships that provide us with access to articles written by physicians and to a PRC-government sponsored healthcare encyclopedia; our partnership with Zhihu provides us with access to a knowledge-sharing platform; our partnership with Microsoft’s Bing provides us with the technology to provide our users with English content on the Internet that we translate to Chinese in connection with our cross-language search service; and our partnership with China Literature enables our users to access literature from a large online collection. In addition, our various partnerships with third-party Internet properties provide our advertisers significant exposure to users beyond our core search user base. We consider these collaborations to be important to our ability to deliver attractive service, product, and content offerings to our users, in order to maintain and expand our user and advertiser bases, and we believe that it will continue to be important for us to develop similar partnerships in the future. Our inability to maintain and grow such relationships could have an adverse impact on our existing business and our growth prospects.

We also have existing, and hope to develop additional, relationships with mobile device manufactures for pre-installation of our search, input method, and related applications. If we are unable to maintain and expand such relationships, the quality and reach of delivery of our services will be adversely affected, and it may also be difficult for us to maintain and expand our user base and enhance awareness of our brand. In addition, our competitors may establish the same relationships as those we have, which would tend to diminish any advantage we might otherwise gain from these relationships.

If we fail to maintain and expand our collaborations with third-party operators of Internet properties, our revenues and growth may be adversely affected.

We place certain of our advertisers’ promotional links on the Internet properties of third parties, thereby expanding the base of users accessing the advertisements beyond our own user base, and increasing our pay-for-click revenues. If these third parties decide to use a competitor’s or their own online search services, or do not prominently display our advertisements in comparison to those of other advertisers on their properties, or if we fail to attract additional third-party operators of Internet properties, our advertising revenues and growth may be adversely affected.

We may not be able to sustain our historical growth.

We have grown significantly over a relatively short period. Our total Web search page views grew by 22.3%, and our mobile Web search page views grew by 47.0%, on an annualized basis from December 2015 to December 2017. Our revenues grew from US$591.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, to US$660.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2016, and to US$908.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. However, our 2016 revenues were affected by tightened PRC regulation of the online advertising industry during 2016, which had an adverse impact on the search and search-related advertising market in China in general. See “—Risks Related to China’s Regulatory and Economic Environment—PRC regulations relating to sponsored search have had, and may continue to have, an adverse effect on our results of operations.” We may not be able to sustain a rate of growth in future periods similar to that we experienced in the past, and our revenues may even decline. Accordingly, you should not rely on the results of any prior period as an indication of our future financial and operating performance.

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We depend on online advertising for a significant majority of our revenues. If we fail to retain existing advertisers or attract new advertisers for our online advertising services, our business and growth prospects could be harmed.

We earn most of our revenues from our search and search related advertising services. Advertisers will not use our services if they do not find them to be effective in producing a sufficient volume of click-throughs and desired results for advertisers. Our advertisers are generally able to terminate their relationships with us at any time without penalty if they are not satisfied with our services, choose our competitors for similar services, or advertise in media channels other than Internet search. Therefore, it could be difficult for us to maintain or increase our advertiser base, and our revenues and profits could decline or fail to increase.

We rely on third-party advertising agencies for most of our online advertising revenues.

We rely heavily on third-party advertising agencies for our sales to our advertisers. It is important that we maintain good relationships with these agencies. We do not enter into long-term agreements with any of the advertising agencies and cannot assure that we will continue to maintain favorable relationships with them. Further, we provide various types of discounts and rebates to advertising agencies in order to incentivize them to maximize the volume of advertising business that they bring to us. In order to retain or properly incentivize our advertising agencies, it may become necessary in the future for us to increase the levels of such rebates and discounts, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

If we fail to maintain and enhance awareness of and loyalty to our brand, it will be difficult for us to maintain and increase our user and advertiser bases.

It is critical for us to maintain and further enhance our brand if we are to succeed in expanding our user and advertiser bases. Our success in promoting and enhancing our brand, and our ability to remain competitive, will depend on our success in delivering superior user experience and on our marketing efforts. Enhancing our brand awareness may require substantial marketing and promotion expenses. If we are unable to maintain and enhance our brand, or incur significant marketing and promotion expenses that do not achieve anticipated business growth, or are subject to negative publicity that harms our brand, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.

Our success depends on the continuing efforts of our senior management team and key employees, and our business may be harmed if we lose their services.

Our business heavily depends upon the services of our key executives, particularly Xiaochuan Wang, our Chief Executive Officer. If any of our key executives is unable or unwilling to continue in his or her present position, joins a competitor, or forms a competing company, our business may be severely disrupted. Although executive officers have entered into employment agreements, confidentiality agreements, and non-competition agreements with us, the degree of protection afforded to an employer pursuant to confidentiality and non-competition undertakings by persons employed in the PRC may be more limited when compared to the degree of protection afforded with respect to employees in some other jurisdictions. We do not maintain key-man life insurance for any of our key executives.

We also rely on key highly-skilled personnel for our business. Given the competitive nature of the industry, and in particular our competitors’ increasingly aggressive efforts to provide competitive compensation packages to attract talent in the markets where we operate, it may be difficult for us to recruit and retain qualified personnel, and the risk of members of our key staff leaving us is high. Any such departure could have a disruptive impact on our operations, and if we are unable to recruit, retain and motivate key personnel, we may not be able to grow effectively.

Our strategy of investments in and acquiring complementary businesses and assets may fail, which could result in impairment losses.

In addition to organic growth, we may take advantage of opportunities to invest in or acquire additional businesses, services, assets or technologies. However, we may fail to select appropriate investment or acquisition targets, or we may not be able to negotiate optimal arrangements, including arrangements to finance any acquisitions. Acquisitions and the subsequent integration of new assets and businesses into our own could require significant management attention and could result in a diversion of resources away from our existing business. Investments and acquisitions could result in the use of substantial amounts of cash, increased leverage, potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities, goodwill impairment charges, amortization expenses for other intangible assets and exposure to potential liabilities of the acquired business, and the invested or acquired assets or businesses may not generate the financial results we expect. Moreover, the costs of identifying and consummating these transactions may be significant. In addition to obtaining the necessary corporate governance approvals, we may also need to obtain approvals and licenses from relevant governmental authorities for the acquisitions to comply with applicable laws and regulations, which could result in increased costs and delays.

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Requirements of U.S. GAAP regarding the recognition of share-based compensation expense may adversely affect our results of operations and our competitiveness in the employee marketplace.

Our performance is largely dependent on talented and highly-skilled individuals. Our future success depends on our continuing ability to identify, develop, motivate, and retain highly-skilled personnel. We have a history of using low or nominally-priced employee share options as an important component of competitive pay packages, in order to align our employees’ interests with the interests of our company and our shareholders and to encourage quality employees to join and remain with us. We have adopted guidance on accounting for share-based compensation that requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all share-based compensation based on estimated fair values. As a result, our operating results contain charges for share-based compensation expense related to employee share options. The historical and future recognition of share-based compensation in our statements of comprehensive income has had and will have an impact on our results of operations. On the other hand, if we alter our employee share incentive plans to minimize the corresponding share-based compensation expense, it may limit our ability to continue to use share-based awards as a tool to attract and retain our employees, and it may adversely affect our operations. In addition, there may be future changes in the U.S. GAAP requirements for recognition of share-based compensation expense, which could have similar effects on our results operations and our competitiveness in the market for key employees.

Our user metrics and other estimates are subject to inherent challenges in measuring our operating performance, which may harm our reputation.

We regularly review MAU, DAU, number of advertisers, page views, and other operating metrics to evaluate growth trends, measure our performance, and make strategic decisions. These metrics are calculated using internal company data, have not been validated by an independent third party, and may not be indicative of our future financial results. While these numbers are based on what we believe to be reasonable estimates for the applicable period of measurement, there are inherent challenges in measuring how our platforms are used across a large population in China. For example, we may not be able to distinguish individual users who have multiple accounts.

Errors or inaccuracies in our metrics or data could result in incorrect business decisions and inefficiencies. For instance, if a significant understatement or overstatement of active users were to occur, we might expend resources to implement unnecessary business measures or fail to take required actions to remedy an unfavorable trend. If partners or investors do not perceive our user, geographic, or other operating metrics to accurately represent our user base, or if we discover inaccuracies in our user, geographic, or other operating metrics, our reputation may be harmed.

We have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of data, estimates, and projections in this annual report that we obtained from third party sources, and such information involves assumptions and limitations.

Certain facts, forecasts, and other statistics relating to the industries in which we compete contained in this annual report have been derived from various public data sources and commissioned third-party industry reports. In connection with our preparation of this annual report, we commissioned iResearch to conduct market research concerning the online search and AI industries in China, and we also referred to market research reports of IDC that we had previously commissioned concerning the same industries in the United States. In deriving the market size of these industries, these industry consultants may have adopted different assumptions and estimates for certain metrics, such as MAU. While we generally believe such reports to be reliable, we have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of such information. Such reports may not be prepared on a comparable basis or may not be consistent with other sources.

Industry data and projections involve a number of assumptions and limitations. Our industry data and market share data should be interpreted in the light of the defined industries in which we operate. Any discrepancy in the interpretation of such data could lead to different measurements and projections, and actual results could differ from the projections.

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

We regard our patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and other intellectual property as critical to our business. Unauthorized use of our intellectual property by third parties may adversely affect our business and reputation. We rely on a combination of intellectual property laws and contractual arrangements to protect our proprietary rights. It is often difficult to register, maintain, and enforce intellectual property rights in the PRC. Statutory laws and regulations are subject to judicial interpretation and enforcement and may not be applied consistently due to the lack of clear guidance on statutory interpretation in the PRC. In addition, contractual agreements may be breached by counterparties, and there may not be adequate remedies available to us for any such breach. Accordingly, we may not be able to effectively protect our intellectual property rights or to enforce our contractual rights in China. Policing any unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and costly and the steps we have taken may be inadequate to prevent the misappropriation of our intellectual property. In the event that we resort to litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights, such litigation could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our managerial and financial resources. We can provide no assurance that we will prevail in such litigation. In addition, our trade secrets may be leaked or otherwise become available to, or be independently discovered by, our competitors.

Pending or future litigation could have an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

The online search industry in China is highly competitive and litigious. From time to time, we have been, and may in the future be, subject to lawsuits brought by our competitors, individuals, or other entities against us. We are currently involved in several lawsuits in PRC courts where our competitors instituted proceedings or asserted counterclaims against us and we instituted proceedings or asserted counterclaims against our competitors. For example, there are various legal proceedings currently pending between us and Baidu in which we allege that Baidu’s input method infringes certain of our patents relating to Sogou Input Method and seek monetary damages, while Baidu has asserted in counterclaims or in legal proceeding that it has initiated against us that Sogou Input Method infringes certain of its patents, and seeks monetary damages. In addition, we are subject to ongoing unfair competition claims against us brought by Baidu, UCWeb, and Qihoo 360 Technology Co., Ltd., or Qihoo360, separately, in which they allege that certain functions of our Sogou Input Method unfairly divert users to us, and seek monetary damages and cessation of the alleged unfair competitive practices.

Where we can make a reasonable estimate of the liability relating to pending litigation against us and determine that an adverse liability resulting from such litigation is probable we record a related contingent liability. As additional information becomes available, we assess the potential liability and revise estimates as appropriate. However, due to the inherent uncertainties relating to litigation, the amount of our estimates may be inaccurate, in which case our financial condition and results of operation may be adversely affected. In addition, the outcomes of actions we institute may not be successful or favorable to us. Lawsuits against us may also generate negative publicity that significantly harms our reputation, which may adversely affect our user and advertiser base. In addition to the related cost, managing and defending litigation and related indemnity obligations can significantly divert our management’s and Board of Directors’ attention from operating our business. We may also need to pay damages or settle lawsuits with a substantial amount of cash. While we do not believe that any currently pending proceedings are likely to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows, if there were adverse determinations in legal proceedings against us, we could be required to pay substantial monetary damages or adjust our business practices, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations, and cash flows.

We are currently subject to, and in the future may from time to time face, intellectual property infringement claims, which could be time-consuming and costly to defend, and could have an adverse impact on our financial position and results of operations, particularly if we are required to pay significant damages or cease offering any of our products or curtail any key features of our products.

We cannot be certain that the products, services and intellectual property used in our normal course of business do not or will not infringe valid patents, copyrights or other intellectual property rights held by third parties. We currently are, and may in the future be, subject to claims and legal proceedings relating to the intellectual property of others in the ordinary course of our business, and may in the future be required to pay damages or to agree to restrict our activities. See “—Pending or future litigation could have an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.” In particular, if we are found to have violated the intellectual property rights of others, we may be enjoined from using such intellectual property, may be ordered to pay damages, and may incur licensing fees or be forced to develop alternatives. We may incur substantial expense in defending against third-party infringement claims, regardless of their merit. Successful infringement claims against us may result in substantial monetary liability or may materially disrupt the conduct of our business by restricting or prohibiting our use of the intellectual property in question.

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We may not have exclusive rights to technology, trademarks, and designs that are crucial to our business.

We have applied for various patents relating to our business. While we have succeeded in obtaining some patents, some of our patent applications are still under examination by the State Intellectual Property Office of the PRC. Approvals of our patent applications are subject to determinations by the State Intellectual Property Office of the PRC and relevant overseas authorities that there are no prior rights in the applicable territory. In addition, we have applied for initial registrations in the PRC and overseas, and/or changes in registrations relating to transfers of our Sogou logos and other of our key trademarks in the PRC, and the corresponding Chinese versions of the trademarks, so as to establish and protect our exclusive rights to these trademarks. While we have succeeded in registering the trademarks for most of these marks in the PRC under certain classes, the applications for initial registration, and/or changes in registrations relating to transfers, of some marks and/or of some of trademarks under other classes are still under examination by the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, or SAIC, and relevant overseas authorities. Approvals of our initial trademark registration applications, and/or of changes in registrations relating to such transfers, are subject to determinations by the Trademark Office of the SAIC and relevant overseas authorities that there are no prior rights in the applicable territories. We cannot assure you that these patent and trademark applications will be approved. Any rejection of these applications could adversely affect our rights to the affected technology, marks, and designs. In addition, even if these applications are approved, we cannot assure you that any issued patents or registered trademarks will be sufficient in scope to provide adequate protection of our rights.

If our search results contain information that is inaccurate or harmful to our users, our business and reputation may be adversely affected.

We could be exposed to liability arising from our search results listings if information accessed through our services contains errors, and third parties may make claims against us for losses incurred in reliance on that information. Investigating and defending such claims could be expensive even if they did not result in liability, and we do not carry any liability insurance against such risks.

In addition, if users do not perceive information that they access through our search services to be authoritative, useful, and trustworthy, we may not be able to retain these users or attract additional users, and our reputation, business, and results of operation may be harmed. In addition, if such content contains inaccuracies, it is possible that users will seek to hold us liable for damages, because we provide links to such content, even though such content is provided by third parties and any negative publicity regarding the accuracy of such content could harm our reputation, and reduce user traffic. In addition, any negative publicity or incident involving our peer companies could have an adverse impact on our industry as a whole, which in turn could harm our reputation and reduce our user traffic. For example, in early 2016 it was widely reported that an unsuccessful experimental cancer treatment had been promoted in a sponsored search listing on third party’s Internet property. Even though our search results listings were not involved, we believe that the broad negative publicity surrounding the incident adversely affected the reputation of the online search industry in China in general with an adverse impact on our user traffic and results of operations in 2016.

We may be subject to regulatory investigations and sanctions for inappropriate or illegal content that is accessed through our search results.

The online search industry in China is subject to extensive regulation. If content accessed through our search services includes information that PRC governmental authorities find illegal or inappropriate, we may be required to curtail or even shut down our search services, and we may be subject to other penalties. Although we seek to prevent fraudulent or otherwise illegal or inappropriate websites and information from being included in our search results, such measures may not be effective. See “—Risks Related to China’s Regulatory and Economic Environment—Regulation and censorship of information distribution in China may have an adverse effect on our business”; and “—Risks Related to China’s Regulatory and Economic Environment—The PRC government may prevent us from distributing, and we may be subject to liability for, content that it believes is inappropriate.”

We may be subject to potential liability for claims that search results violate the intellectual property rights of third parties.

It is possible that content that is made available by us through our search results may violate the intellectual property rights of third parties. PRC laws and regulations are evolving, and uncertainties exist with respect to the legal standards for determining the potential liability of online search service providers for search results that provide links to content on third-party websites that infringes copyrights of third parties. In December 2012, the Supreme People’s Court of the PRC promulgated a judicial interpretation providing that PRC courts will place the burden on Internet service providers to remove not only links or content that has been specifically-mentioned in notices of infringement from persons and entities claiming copyright in such content, but also links or content that the providers “should have known” contained infringing content. This interpretation could subject us to significant administrative burdens and might expose us to civil liability and penalties. Further, we rely on content provided by professional researchers and writers, either developed by the outlets themselves or adapted from content of parties separate from such outlets, and it is difficult for us to fully monitor such content, which could make us more vulnerable to potential infringement claims.

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We may be subject to legal liability associated with online activities on our platforms.

We host and provide a wide variety of products and services that enable advertisers to advertise products and services, and users to exchange information and engage in various online activities. We may be subject to claims, investigations, or negative publicity relating to such activities. PRC laws and regulations relating to the liability of providers of online products and services for activities of their users are undeveloped, and their current and future reach are unclear. We also place advertisements on third-party Internet properties, and we offer products and services developed or created by third parties. We may be subject to claims concerning these products and services based on our involvement in providing access to them, even if we do not offer the products and services directly. We could be required to spend considerable financial and managerial resources defending any such claims, and they could result in our having to pay monetary damages or penalties or ceasing certain aspects of our business, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Privacy concerns or security breaches relating to our platforms could damage our reputation, deter current and potential users and advertisers from using our products and services, and expose us to legal penalties and liability.

We collect, process, and store on our servers significant amounts of data concerning our users. While we have taken steps to protect our user data, our security measures could be compromised, because techniques used to sabotage or obtain unauthorized access to systems change frequently and generally are not recognized until they are launched against a target, and we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. In addition, we are subject to various regulatory requirements relating to the security and privacy of such data, including restrictions on the collection and use of personal information of users and steps we must take to prevent personal data from being divulged, stolen, or tampered with. Regulatory requirements regarding the protection of such data are constantly evolving and can be subject to significant change, making the extent of our responsibility in that regard uncertain. For example, the PRC Cybersecurity Law became effective in June 2017, but it is unclear as to the circumstances and standard under which the law would apply and violations would be found, and there are great uncertainties as to the interpretation and application of the law. It is possible that our data protection practice is or will be inconsistent with regulatory requirements. See “PRC Regulation—Provision of Internet Content—Information Security and Censorship.” Complying with such requirements could cause us to incur substantial expenses or to alter or change our practice in a manner that could harm our business. Any systems failure or compromise of our security, including through employee error, that results in the release of our user data could seriously harm our reputation and brand, impair our ability to retain and attract users and advertisers, expose us to liability to users whose data is released, and subject us to sanctions and penalties from governmental authorities. We also could be liable for any security breaches of our advertisers’ confidential information. Any security breaches exposing such information could damage our reputation and deter current and potential users and advertisers from using our services.

Our network operations may be vulnerable to hacking and viruses, which may reduce the use of our products and services and expose us to liability.

Our user traffic may decline if any well-publicized compromise of security occurs. “Hacking” involves efforts to gain unauthorized access to information or systems or to cause intentional malfunctions or loss or corruption of data, software, hardware, or other computer equipment. Techniques used by hackers to obtain unauthorized access or sabotage systems change frequently and often are not recognized until launched against a target, which means that we may be unable to anticipate new hacking methods or implement adequate security measures. Hackers, if successful, could misappropriate proprietary information or cause disruptions in our service. We may be required to expend capital and other resources to protect our Internet platforms against hackers, and measures we may take may not be effective. In addition, the inadvertent transmission of computer viruses could expose us to a risk of loss or litigation and possible liability, as well as damage our reputation and decrease our user traffic.

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

Our business may be adversely affected by third-party software applications, which may be unintentional or malicious, that make changes to our users’ PCs or mobile devices and interfere with our products and services. These software applications may change our users’ experience by hijacking queries, altering or replacing our search results, or otherwise interfering with our ability to connect with our users. Such interference can occur without disclosure to or consent from users, and users may associate any resulting negative experience with our products and services. Such software applications are often designed to be difficult to remove, block, or disable. Further, software loaded on or added to mobile devices on which our search or other applications, such as Sogou Input Method, are pre-installed may be incompatible with or interfere with or prevent the operation of such applications, which might deter the owners of such devices from using our services.

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In addition, third-party website owners, content providers, and developers may implement applications and systems that interfere with our ability to crawl and index their webpages and content, which is critical to the operation of our search services. If we are unable to successfully prevent or limit any such applications or systems that interfere with our products and services, or if a significant number of third-party website owners, content providers, and developers prevent us from indexing and including their webpages and content in our search results, our ability to deliver high-quality search results and a satisfactory user experience will be impeded.

Adoption of Internet advertisement blocking technologies may have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

The development of software that blocks Internet advertisements before they appear on a user’s screen may hinder the growth of online advertising. Since our advertising revenues are generally based on user click-throughs, the expansion of advertisement-blocking on the Internet may decrease our advertising revenues, because when advertisements are blocked they are not downloaded from the server, which means such advertisements will not be tracked as a delivered advertisement. In addition, advertisers may choose not to advertise on the Internet or on or through our sites because of the use by third parties of Internet advertisement blocking measures. In addition, increasing numbers of browsers include technical barriers designed to prevent Internet information service providers such as us to track the browsing history of their Internet users, which is also likely to adversely affect the growth of online advertising and hence our business and growth prospects.

If we fail to detect click-through fraud, we could lose the confidence of our advertisers and our revenues could decline.

Our business is exposed to the risk of click-through fraud on our paid search results. Click-through fraud occurs when a person clicks paid search results for a reason other than to view the underlying content of search results. If we fail to detect significant fraudulent clicks or otherwise are unable to prevent significant fraudulent activity, the affected search advertisers may experience a reduced return on their investment in our pay-for-click services and lose confidence in the integrity of our pay-for-click service systems, and we may have to issue refunds to our advertisers and may lose their future business. If this happens, we may be unable to retain existing advertisers and attract new advertisers for our pay-for-click services, and our search revenues could decline. In addition, affected advertisers may also file legal actions against us claiming that we have over-charged or failed to refund them. Any such claims or similar claims, regardless of their merit, could be time-consuming and costly for us to defend against and could also adversely affect our brand and our search advertisers’ confidence in the integrity of our pay-for-click services and systems.

Web spam and content farms, as well as our attempts to block them, could decrease the quality of our search results, and could deter our current and potential users from using our products and services.

The proliferation of search engine spam websites, commonly referred to as Web spam, which attempt to manipulate search indexing to cause them to appear higher in search results ranking hierarchies than they would without such manipulation, can have the effect of weakening the integrity of our search results and causing users to lose confidence in our search products and services. “Content farm” websites, which commission very large amounts of content, often of low quality, for the purpose, similar to that of Web spam, of causing such content farms’ links to obtain relatively high ranking in Internet providers’ search results, can have similar adverse effects.

While we use, and continually improve, technology designed to detect and block Web spam, the algorithms we apply may nevertheless result in excessive filtering that blocks desirable websites from our search results. Therefore, both the existence of Web spam and content farms, and our attempts to block them, could deter our current and potential users from using our products and services. In addition, as some of our third-party Internet-property collaborators could include Web spam or content farm websites, our advertising revenues could be reduced by our efforts to filter such websites. If our efforts to combat these and other types of index spamming are unsuccessful, our reputation for delivering relevant information could be diminished. This could result in a decline in user traffic, which would damage our business.

The successful operation of our business depends upon the performance and reliability of the Internet infrastructure in China.

Our growth will depend in part on the PRC government and state-owned telecommunications services providers maintaining and expanding Internet and telecommunications infrastructure, standards, protocols, and complementary products and services to facilitate our reaching a broader base of Internet users in China.

Almost all access to the Internet in China is maintained through China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom under the administrative control and regulatory supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or MIIT. We rely on this infrastructure and China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom to provide data communications capacity primarily through local telecommunications lines. Although the government has announced aggressive plans to develop the national information infrastructure, this infrastructure may not be developed and the Internet infrastructure in China may not be able to support the continued growth of Internet usage. In addition, we will be unlikely to have access to alternative networks and services on a timely basis, if at all, in the event of any infrastructure disruption or failure.

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Interruption or failure of our information technology and communications systems may result in reduced user traffic and harm to our reputation and business.

Interruption or failure of any of our information technology and communications systems or those of the operators of third-party Internet properties with which we collaborate could impede or prevent our ability to provide our search and search-related services. In addition, our operations are vulnerable to natural disasters and other events. Our disaster recovery plan for our servers cannot fully ensure safety in the event of damage from fire, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, power loss, telecommunications failures, hacking, and similar events. If any of the foregoing occurs, we may experience a partial or complete system shutdown. Furthermore, our servers, which are hosted at third-party Internet data centers, are also vulnerable to break-ins, sabotage and vandalism. Some of our systems are not fully redundant, and our disaster recovery planning does not account for all possible scenarios. The occurrence of a natural disaster or a closure of an Internet data center by a third-party provider without adequate notice could result in lengthy service interruptions.

Any system failure or inadequacy that causes interruptions in the availability of our services, or increases the response time of our services, could have an adverse impact on our users’ experience and reduce our users’ satisfaction, our attractiveness to users and advertisers, and future user traffic and advertising on our platform.

Furthermore, we do not carry any business interruption insurance. To improve the performance and to prevent disruption of our services, we may have to make substantial investments to deploy additional servers or one or more copies of our Internet platforms to mirror our online resources.

We face risks related to natural disasters, health epidemics, or terrorist attacks.

Our business could be adversely affected by natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, landslides, and tsunamis, outbreaks of health epidemics such as an outbreak of avian influenza; severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS; Zika virus; or Ebola virus, as well as terrorist attacks, other acts of violence or war, or social instability. If any of these occurs, we may be required to temporarily or permanently close and our business operations may be suspended or terminated.

Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure

In order to comply with PRC regulatory requirements, we operate a portion of our business through our primary VIE, Sogou Information, a company with which we have contractual relationships but in which we do not have an actual ownership interest, and its three direct and indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries. If these contractual arrangements and our current ownership structure were found to be in violation of current or future PRC laws and regulations we could be subject to severe penalties.

Various regulations in the PRC restrict or prohibit foreign-owned companies from operating in specified industries, such as the provision of Internet information, online games, mobile applications, Internet access, and certain other industries. As we are a Cayman Islands company and our direct and indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries Sogou (BVI) Limited, or Sogou BVI, Sogou Hong Kong Limited, or Sogou HK, and Vast Creation Advertising Media Services Limited, or Vast Creation, are incorporated in the British Virgin Islands and Hong Kong, our indirect wholly-owned PRC subsidiaries, Beijing Sogou Technology Development Co., Ltd., or Sogou Technology, and Beijing Sogou Network Technology Co., Ltd. or Sogou Network, are wholly foreign-owned enterprises, or WFOEs, under PRC law and are considered to be foreign-owned. In order to comply with PRC regulatory requirements, we conduct certain of our Internet and other value-added telecommunication operations in the PRC through our VIE Sogou Information, which is incorporated in the PRC and is owned 10% by our Chief Executive Officer, 45% by our controlling shareholder Sohu, and 45% by a Tencent group entity; and through three direct and indirect subsidiaries of Sogou Information, which are also considered to be our VIEs. Through a series of contractual arrangements, Sogou Information, of which we are the primary beneficiary, and Sogou Information’s three direct and indirect subsidiaries are effectively controlled by our subsidiary Sogou Technology. Revenues generated by our VIEs represented 18.6%, 24.1%, and 28.3%, respectively, of our total revenues for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017.

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On January 19, 2015, the Ministry of Commerce, or MOFCOM, released on its Website for public comment a proposed PRC law, or the Draft FIE Law, that could be interpreted to include VIEs within the scope of entities that could be considered to be foreign invested enterprises, or FIEs, that would be subject to restrictions under existing PRC laws on foreign investment in certain categories of industry. Specifically, the Draft FIE Law introduces the concept of “actual control” for determining whether an entity is considered to be an FIE. In addition to control through direct or indirect ownership or equity, the Draft FIE Law includes control through contractual arrangements within the definition of “actual control.” If the Draft FIE Law is passed by the People’s Congress of the PRC and goes into effect in its current form, these provisions regarding control through contractual arrangements could be construed to reach our VIE arrangements, and as a result our VIEs could become explicitly subject to the current restrictions on foreign investment in certain categories of industry. The Draft FIE Law includes provisions that would exempt from the definition of foreign invested enterprises entities where the ultimate controlling shareholders are either entities organized under PRC law or individuals who are PRC citizens. The Draft FIE Law is silent as to what type of enforcement action might be taken against existing VIEs, such as ours, that operate in restricted or prohibited industries and are not controlled by entities organized under PRC laws or individuals who are PRC citizens. There remain significant uncertainties as to how various provisions of the Draft FIE Law might be interpreted. If the restrictions and prohibitions on FIEs included in the Draft FIE Law are enacted and enforced in their current form, our ability to use our VIE arrangements and our ability to conduct business through them could be severely limited.

In addition, pursuant to Circular 6 and the MOFCOM Security Review Rules, a security review is required for mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors having “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions by which foreign investors may acquire “de facto control” of domestic enterprises with “national security” concerns and prohibit foreign investors from bypassing the security review requirement by structuring transactions through proxies, trusts, indirect investments, leases, loans, control through contractual arrangements, or offshore transactions. These national security review-related regulations are relatively new and there is a lack of clear statutory interpretation regarding the implementation of the rules. PRC governmental authorities may interpret these regulations to mean that the transactions implementing our VIE structures should have been submitted for review. For a discussion of these PRC national security review requirements, see “PRC Regulation—Regulation of M&A and Overseas Listings.”

In the opinion of Commerce & Finance Law Offices, our PRC legal counsel, our current ownership structure, the ownership structure of our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs and the contractual arrangements between our PRC subsidiaries, VIEs and its shareholders are in compliance with existing PRC laws, rules, and regulations. Our PRC legal counsel also advises us that there are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current or future PRC laws and regulations. Accordingly, we and our PRC legal counsel cannot assure you that PRC governmental authorities will not ultimately take a view contrary to that of our PRC legal counsel. If we were found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations relating to foreign ownership of value-added telecommunications businesses, online search services, online games, and other online information and content services, including the Draft FIE Law if it becomes effective, and security reviews of foreign investments in such businesses, governmental authorities with jurisdiction over the operation of our business would have broad discretion in dealing with such a violation, including levying fines, confiscating our income, revoking the business or operating licenses of our PRC subsidiaries and/or VIEs, requiring us to restructure our ownership structure or operations, requiring us to discontinue or divest ourselves of all or any portion of our operations or assets, restricting our right to collect revenues, blocking our Internet platforms, or imposing additional conditions or requirements with which we may not be able to comply. Any of these actions could cause significant disruption to our business operations and have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Further, if changes were required to be made to our ownership structure, our ability to consolidate our VIEs’ assets and operating results into our consolidated financial statements could be adversely affected.

We depend upon contractual arrangements with our VIE Sogou Information and its shareholders for the success of our business and these arrangements may not be as effective in providing operational control as direct ownership of the entities and may be difficult to enforce.

Due to the restrictions or prohibitions on foreign ownership over online search services, online games operations and other value-added telecommunication business in the PRC, we depend on our VIEs, in which we have no direct ownership interest, to provide those services through contractual agreements with our VIE Sogou Information and to hold some of our assets, including some of the domain names and trademarks relating to our business. These arrangements may not be as effective in providing control over our business operations as would direct ownership of our VIEs. For example, if we had direct ownership of our VIEs, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in their boards of directors, which in turn could effect changes at the management level. Due to our VIE structure, we have to rely on contractual rights to affect control and management of our VIEs, which exposes us to the risk of potential breach of VIE contracts by the VIEs or their shareholders, such as their failing to use the domain names and trademarks held by them, or failing to maintain our Internet platforms, in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests. In addition, as our VIE Sogou Information is jointly owned by its shareholders, it may be difficult for us to change our corporate structure if such shareholders refuse to cooperate with us. In addition, some of our subsidiaries and VIEs could fail to take actions required for our business, such as entering into business contracts with potential suppliers or failing to maintain the necessary permits for the business. Furthermore, if the shareholders of Sogou Information were involved in proceedings that had an adverse impact on their shareholder interests in Sogou Information or on our ability to enforce relevant contracts related to the VIE structure, our overall business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.

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The shareholders of Sogou Information may breach, or cause Sogou Information to breach, the VIE contracts for a number of reasons. For example, their interests as shareholders of Sogou Information and the interests of our subsidiaries may conflict and we may fail to resolve such conflicts; the shareholders may believe that breaching the contracts will lead to greater economic benefit for them; or the shareholders may otherwise act in bad faith. If any of the foregoing were to happen, we may have to rely on legal or arbitral proceedings to enforce our contractual rights. In addition, disputes may arise among the shareholders of Sogou Information with respect to their ownership of Sogou Information, which could lead them to breach their agreements with us. Such arbitral and legal proceedings and disputes may cost us substantial financial and other resources, and result in disruption of our business, and the outcome might not be in our favor. For example, a PRC court or arbitration panel could conclude that our VIE contracts violate PRC laws or are otherwise unenforceable. If the contractual arrangements with Sogou Information were found by PRC governmental authorities with appropriate jurisdiction to be unenforceable, we could lose control over the assets owned by Sogou Information and our other VIEs and lose our ability to consolidate such VIEs’ results of operations, assets, and liabilities in our consolidated financial statements and/or to transfer the revenues of our VIEs to our corresponding PRC subsidiary Sogou Technology.

As all of the contractual arrangements with Sogou Information and its shareholders are governed by PRC laws and provide for the resolution of disputes through either arbitration or litigation in the PRC, they would be interpreted in accordance with PRC laws and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. We would have to rely for enforcement on legal remedies under PRC laws, including specific performance, injunctive relief, or damages, which might not be effective. For example, if we sought to enforce the equity interest purchase right agreement for the transfer of equity interests in Sogou Information, if the transferee was a foreign company the transfer would be subject to approval by PRC governmental authorities such as the MIIT and the MOFCOM, and the transferee would be required to comply with various requirements, including qualification and maximum foreign shareholding percentage requirements. As these PRC governmental authorities have wide discretion in granting such approvals, we could fail to obtain such approvals. In addition, our VIE contracts might not be enforceable in China if PRC governmental authorities, courts or arbitral tribunals took the view that such contracts contravened PRC laws or were otherwise not enforceable for public policy reasons.

Furthermore, the legal environment in the PRC is not as developed as in other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could further limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. In the event we were unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, we would not be able to exert effective control over our VIEs, and our ability to conduct our business, and our financial condition and results of operation would be severely adversely affected.

The contractual arrangements between our subsidiary Sogou Technology and our VIE Sogou Information may result in adverse tax consequences to us.

PRC laws and regulations emphasize the requirement of an arm’s-length basis for transfer pricing arrangements between related parties. The laws and regulations also require enterprises with related party transactions to prepare transfer pricing documentation to demonstrate the basis for determining pricing, the computation methodology and detailed explanations. Related party arrangements and transactions may be subject to challenge or tax inspection by PRC tax authorities.

Under a tax inspection, if our transfer pricing arrangements between our China-based subsidiary Sogou Technology and our VIE Sogou Information are judged as tax avoidance, or related documentation does not meet the requirements for such arrangements, Sogou Information and Sogou Technology may be subject to adverse tax consequences, such as a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could result in a reduction, for PRC tax purposes, of adjustments recorded by Sogou Information, which could adversely affect us by (i) increasing Sogou Information’s tax liabilities without reducing Sogou Technology’s tax liabilities, which could further result in interest and penalties being levied on us for unpaid taxes or (ii) limiting the ability of our PRC companies to maintain preferential tax treatment and other financial incentives. In addition, if for any reason we need to cause the transfer of any of the shareholders’ equity interest in any Sogou Information to a different nominee shareholder, we might be required to pay individual income tax, on behalf of the transferring shareholder, on any gain deemed to have been realized by such shareholder on such transfer.

If one or more of our VIEs declare bankruptcy or become subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding, we may lose the ability to use and enjoy assets held by those VIEs.

Our VIEs hold assets, such as our core intellectual property, licenses, and permits, that are critical to our business operations. Although the equity interest purchase rights agreement among our PRC subsidiaries, our VIE Sogou Information, and the shareholders of Sogou Information contains terms that specifically obligate such shareholders to ensure the valid existence of Sogou Information and our other VIEs, in the event these shareholders breached their obligations and voluntarily liquidated our VIEs, or if any of our VIEs declared bankruptcy and all or part of its assets became subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, we might be unable to continue some or all of our business operations. Furthermore, if any of our VIEs were to undergo a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, their shareholders or unrelated third-party creditors might claim rights to some or all of such VIEs’ assets and their rights could be senior to our rights under the VIE contracts with Sogou Information, which could hinder our ability to operate our business.

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Risks Related to China’s Regulatory and Economic Environment

PRC regulations relating to sponsored search have had, and may continue to have, an adverse effect on our results of operations.

On April 13, 2016, the SAIC and sixteen other PRC government agencies jointly issued a Notice of Campaign to Crack Down on Illegal Internet Finance Advertisements and Other Financial Activities in the Name of Investment Management, or the Campaign Notice, pursuant to which a campaign was conducted between April 2016 and January 2017 targeting, among other things, online advertisements for Internet finance and other financial activities posted on online search portals such as ours. The Cyberspace Administration of China, or the CAOC, issued the Interim Measures for the Administration of Online Search, or the CAOC Interim Measures, which became effective on August 1, 2016 and require that providers of online search services verify the credentials of pay-for-click advertisers, specify a maximum percentage that pay-for-click search results may represent of results on a search page, and require that providers of search services conspicuously identify pay-for-click search results as such. The SAIC issued the Interim Measures for the Administration of Online Advertising, or the SAIC Interim Measures, which became effective on September 1, 2016 and treat pay-for-click search results as advertisements subject to PRC laws governing advertisements, require that pay-for-click search results be conspicuously identified on search result pages as advertisements and subject revenues from such advertisements to a 3% PRC tax that is applied to advertising revenues. In order to comply with these regulations, we have established more stringent standards for selecting advertisers for our pay-for-click services and have turned down certain existing advertisers, and have lowered the percentage that pay-for-click search results represent of results on our search pages, which had an adverse impact on our search and search-related revenues and overall results of operations for 2016 and, along with the tax on advertising, are likely to continue to have such an impact. We cannot assure you that PRC governmental authorities will not issue new laws or regulations specifically regulating sponsored search services, which could further impact our revenues.

Political, economic, and social policies of the PRC government could affect our business.

Substantially all of our business, operating assets, fixed assets and operations are located in China, and substantially all of our revenues are derived from our operations in China. Accordingly, our business may be adversely affected by changes in political, economic or social conditions in China, adjustments in PRC government policies or changes in laws and regulations.

The economy of China differs from the economies of most countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in a number of respects, including:

·                   structure;

·                   level of government involvement;

·                   level of development;

·                   level of capital reinvestment;

·                   growth rate;

·                   control of foreign exchange; and

·                   methods of allocating resources.

Since 1949, China has been primarily a planned economy subject to a system of macroeconomic management. Although the PRC government still owns a significant portion of the productive assets in China, economic reform policies since the late 1970s have emphasized decentralization, autonomous enterprises and the utilization of market mechanisms. We cannot predict the future effects of the economic reform and macroeconomic measures adopted by the PRC government on our business or results of operations. Furthermore, the PRC government began to focus more attention on social issues in recent years and has promulgated or may promulgate additional laws or regulations in this area, which could affect our business in China.

While the Chinese economy has grown significantly over the past 30 years, the growth has been uneven geographically among various sectors of the economy, and during different periods. The Chinese economy may not continue to grow, and if there is growth, such growth may not be steady and uniform; if there is a slowdown, such a slowdown may have a negative effect on our business. The Chinese economy experienced high inflation in 2010 and 2011, and to curb the accelerating inflation the PBOC, China’s central bank, raised benchmark interest rates three times in 2011. The level of exports from the PRC also declined significantly recently. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the growth rate of China’s gross domestic product, compared to that of the same period in the previous year, slowed from 7.7% in 2013, to 7.4% in 2014, to 6.9% in 2015, to 6.7% in 2016 , and to 6.9% in 2017. Various macroeconomic measures and monetary policies adopted by the PRC government to guide economic growth and manage inflation and the allocation of resources may not be effective in sustaining the growth rate of the Chinese economy. In addition, such measures, even if they benefit the overall Chinese economy in the long run, may have an adverse effect on us if they reduce the amount of money that our existing or future advertisers devote to online advertising.

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The PRC legal system embodies uncertainties that could limit the legal protections available to us and you, or could lead to penalties on us.

The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes and regulations. Unlike common law systems, it is a system in which decided legal cases have little precedential value. In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. Our PRC operating subsidiaries Sogou Technology and Sogou Network are WFOEs that are incorporated in China and wholly owned by our indirect offshore subsidiaries. As WFOEs, Sogou Technology and Sogou Network are subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign investment in China. All of our subsidiaries and VIEs incorporated in China are also subject to all other applicable PRC laws and regulations. Because of the relatively short period for enacting such a comprehensive legal system, it is possible that the laws, regulations and legal requirements are relatively recent, and their interpretation and enforcement involve uncertainties. These uncertainties could limit the legal protections available to us and other foreign investors, including you. Such uncertainties may also make it easier for others to infringe our intellectual property without significant cost, and new entrants to the market may tend to use gray areas to compete with us. In addition, uncertainties in the PRC legal system may lead to penalties imposed on us because of a difference in interpretation of the applicable laws between the relevant PRC governmental authorities and us. For example, under current tax laws and regulations, we are responsible for paying value-added tax. However, since there is no clear guidance as to the applicability of certain areas of preferential tax treatment, we may be found to be in violation of the tax laws and regulations based on the interpretation of competent PRC tax authorities with regard to the scope of taxable services and the applicable tax rates, and therefore might be subject to penalties, including monetary penalties. In addition, we cannot predict the effect of future developments in the PRC legal system, particularly with regard to the Internet, including the promulgation of new laws, changes to existing laws or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, or the preemption of local regulations by national laws.

The enforcement of the PRC Labor Contract Law and other labor-related regulations in the PRC may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress enacted the Labor Contract Law in 2008, and amended it on December 28, 2012. The Labor Contract Law introduced specific provisions related to fixed-term employment contracts, part-time employment, probationary periods, consultation with labor unions and employee assemblies, employment without a written contract, dismissal of employees, severance, and collective bargaining to enhance previous PRC labor laws. Under the Labor Contract Law, an employer is obligated to sign an unlimited-term labor contract with any employee who has worked for the employer for ten consecutive years. Further, if an employee requests or agrees to renew a fixed-term labor contract that has already been entered into twice consecutively, the resulting contract, with certain exceptions, must have an unlimited term, subject to certain exceptions. With certain exceptions, an employer must pay severance to an employee where a labor contract is terminated or expires. In addition, PRC governmental authorities have continued to introduce various new labor-related regulations since the effectiveness of the Labor Contract Law.

Under the PRC Social Insurance Law and the Administrative Measures on Housing Fund, employees are required to participate in pension insurance, work-related injury insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance, and housing funds and employers are required, together with their employees or separately, to pay the social insurance premiums and housing funds for their employees. If we fail to make adequate social insurance and housing fund contributions, we may be subject to fines and legal sanctions, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

These laws designed to enhance labor protection tend to increase our labor costs. In addition, as the interpretation and implementation of these regulations are still evolving, our employment practices may not be at all times be deemed in compliance with the regulations. As a result, we could be subject to penalties or incur significant liabilities in connection with labor disputes or investigations.

If we are found to be in violation of current or future PRC laws and regulations regarding Internet-related services and telecom-related activities, we could be subject to penalties or restrictions on our business activities.

The PRC has enacted laws and regulations that apply to Internet-related services and telecom-related activities. While many aspects of these regulations remain unclear, they purport to require licenses on various aspects of the provision of Internet information and content, such as online video and music, online games, online publishing, and newsfeed services.

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Although we do not directly provide video and music content, our video and music link-aggregation services may be considered to be the provision of Internet audio-visual programs, which would require us to obtain an Internet audio-visual program transmission license. None of our VIEs currently holds such a license. In addition, current PRC laws and regulations require an applicant for an Internet audio-visual program transmission license to be a wholly state-owned or state-controlled entity unless the applicant had been operating a business involving transmission of Internet audio-visual programs prior to December 20, 2007. None of our VIEs currently is an eligible applicant for such a license, as none of them was operating Internet audio-visual services prior to December 20, 2007. If our video and music link-aggregation services were found to violate the applicable laws and regulations, we could be subject to fines, forced to remove all of the audio-visual links from our platform, and subject to a penalty equal to one to two times our total investment in the affected business. As of the date of this annual report, we are in the process of negotiating to acquire an entity that holds a valid Internet audio-visual program transmission license. Such negotiation is at a preliminary stage, and there is no assurance that we will be able to reach a deal on commercially reasonable terms in a timely manner, or at all.

Current PRC laws and regulations require us to obtain an Internet publishing license for our online literature services and Sogou Ask. An Internet publishing license may also be required for our image search services and the distribution of online games through our Sogou Game Center, as these services may be considered to be “online publication services,” which require an Internet publishing license under current PRC laws and regulations. None of our VIEs currently holds such a license. In addition, none of our VIEs currently holds an online news service license, which is required for our news search and newsfeed services. Operating without an Internet publishing license and an online news service license may subject us to various administrative sanctions, including fines and suspension of our relevant services. We are in the process of preparing an application for an Internet publishing license as of the date of this annual report. While PRC laws and regulations require relevant governmental authorities to decide on an application for the Internet publishing license within 60 days after receiving a completed application, and we believe that we meet the qualifications for obtaining such a license, the approval process may take longer in practice, and we may not be able to receive approval for the license in a timely manner, or at all. As of the date of this annual report, we are also in the process of preparing applications for an online news search license. However, it appears that the competent governmental authority may not currently be accepting new applications for online news search licenses, except applications for the renewal of licenses previously obtained. We plan to submit an application for an online news search license as soon as it becomes clear that the competent governmental authority is accepting new applications. However, uncertainties remain as to when the relevant governmental authority will begin to accept new applications for online news search licenses and, even after we have submitted an application if and when the governmental authority begins to accept applications, there is no assurance that we will be granted the license in a timely manner, or at all.

Although we are committed to complying with the above-described PRC laws and regulations applicable to Internet-related service and telecom-related activities, we cannot guarantee that we are now or will in the future be in full compliance with any such laws and regulations that apply to our services and activities. In the past, PRC governmental authorities have imposed warnings and fines on us for conducting business without the aforementioned licenses. We cannot guarantee that PRC governmental authorities will not impose similar or greater penalties on us in the future, which may include warnings, fines, mandates to remedy any violations, and/or cease providing all services and activities for which the licenses are required. The PRC government may also promulgate new laws and regulations that require additional licenses, permits and/or approvals for the operation of any of our existing and/or future businesses. If we are unable to obtain such licenses, permits, and/or approvals in a timely fashion, we could be subject to further penalties and operational disruption and our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. For more details regarding PRC regulations, see “PRC Regulation.”

The approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, may have been required in connection with our corporate structure and our initial public offering, and the failure to obtain any required approval could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations and the trading price of our ADSs.

In 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, including the MOFCOM and the CSRC, jointly adopted the Rules on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, which became effective on September 8, 2006 and were amended on June 22, 2009. See “PRC Regulation—Regulation of M&A and Overseas Listings.” Under the M&A Rules, the prior approval of the CSRC is required for the overseas listing of offshore special purpose vehicles that are directly or indirectly controlled by PRC companies or individuals and used for the purpose of listing PRC onshore interests on an overseas stock exchange. The application of the M&A Rules remains unclear. Currently, there is no consensus among the leading PRC law firms regarding the scope and applicability of the CSRC approval requirement. Our PRC legal counsel, Commerce & Finance Law Offices, has advised us that based on its understanding of the current PRC laws, rules and regulations and the M&A Rules, prior approval from the CSRC was not required under the M&A Rules for the listing and trading of our ADSs because, among other reasons, (i) Sogou Technology and Sogou Network were incorporated as wholly foreign-owned enterprises by means of direct investment rather than by merger or acquisition of equity interest or assets of a PRC domestic company owned by PRC companies or individuals as defined under the M&A Rules that are the beneficial owners of the Company; and (ii) no provision in the M&A Rules clearly classifies contractual arrangements as a type of transaction subject to the M&A Rules. Although we did not apply for approval from the CSRC for our initial public offering based on the advice of our PRC legal counsel, we and our PRC legal counsel cannot assure you that the relevant PRC government agencies, including the MOFCOM and the CSRC, would not reach a different conclusion.

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Commerce & Finance Law Offices has further advised us that uncertainties still exist as to how the M&A Rules will be interpreted and implemented and its opinions summarized above are subject to any current or future laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. If the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agency subsequently determines that we needed to obtain CSRC approval for our initial public offering, either by interpretation, clarification, or amendment of the M&A Rules or by any new rules, regulations, or directives promulgated after the date of this annual report, we may face sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agency. These sanctions may include fines and penalties on our operations in China, limitations on our operating privileges in China, delays or restrictions on the repatriation of the proceeds from our initial public offering into the PRC, restrictions on or prohibition of the payment or remittance of dividends by our China-based subsidiaries, or other actions that could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations, as well as the trading price of our ADSs. We cannot predict when the CSRC will promulgate additional rules or other guidance. Moreover, additional rules or guidance, to the extent issued, may fail to resolve ambiguities under the M&A Rules. Uncertainties or negative publicity regarding the M&A Rules also could have an adverse effect on the trading price of our ADSs.

PRC laws and regulations mandate complex procedures for some acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to make acquisitions in China.

PRC laws and regulations, such as the M&A Rules, and other relevant rules, established additional procedures and requirements that are expected to make merger and acquisition activities in China by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex, including requirements in some instances that the MOFCOM be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise, or that the approval from the MOFCOM be obtained in circumstances where overseas companies established or controlled by PRC enterprises or residents acquire affiliated domestic companies. PRC laws and regulations also require certain merger and acquisition transactions to be subject to a merger control security review. In August 2011, the MOFCOM promulgated the Rules on Implementation of Security Review System, or MOFCOM Security Review Rules, effective from September 1, 2011, further provide that, when deciding whether a specific merger or acquisition of a domestic enterprise by foreign investors is subject to a security review by the MOFCOM, the principle of substance over form should be applied and foreign investors are prohibited from bypassing the security review requirement by structuring transactions through proxies, trusts, indirect investments, leases, loans, control through contractual arrangements of offshore transaction. Factors that the MOFCOM considers in its review are whether (i) an important industry is involved, (ii) such transaction involves factors that have had or may have an impact on national economic security and (iii) such transaction will lead to a change in control of a domestic enterprise that holds a well-known PRC trademark or a time-honored PRC brand. If a business of any target company that we plan to acquire falls into the ambit of security review, we may not be able to successfully acquire such company. Complying with the requirements of the relevant regulations to complete any such transaction could be time-consuming, and any required approval process, including approval from the MOFCOM, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business.

We entered into a series of transactions with Tencent in 2013 that resulted in Tencent being our largest shareholder and a Tencent group entity also holding a 45% interest in Sogou Information. If Tencent’s investment in us ended due to competitive or regulatory reasons, our collaboration with Tencent may also be adversely affected.

The PRC government may prevent us from distributing, and we may be subject to liability for, content that it believes is inappropriate.

The PRC has enacted regulations governing Internet access and the distribution of news and other information. In the past, the PRC government has stopped the distribution of information over the Internet that it believes to violate PRC laws, including content that is obscene, incites violence, endangers national security, is contrary to the national interest or is defamatory. In addition, we may not publish certain news items, such as news relating to national security, without permission from the PRC government. Furthermore, the Ministry of Public Security has the authority to make any local Internet service provider block any Website maintained outside the PRC at its sole discretion. Even if we comply with PRC governmental regulations relating to licensing and foreign investment prohibitions, if the PRC government were to take any action to limit or prohibit the distribution of information through our network or to limit or regulate any current or future content or services available to users on our network, our business would be harmed.

We are also subject to potential liabilities for content delivered through our services that is deemed inappropriate and for any unlawful actions of users of our products and services under regulations promulgated by the MIIT, such potential liabilities including the imposition of fines or even the shutting down of the Internet platforms.

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Furthermore, we are required to delete content that clearly violates PRC laws and report content that may violate PRC laws. We may have difficulty determining the type of content that may result in liability for us and, if we are wrong, we may be prevented from operating our Internet platforms.

Dividends we receive from our operating subsidiaries located in the PRC are subject to PRC profit appropriation and PRC withholding tax.

PRC legal restrictions permit payment of dividends by our PRC subsidiaries only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Under PRC law, our PRC subsidiaries are also required to set aside 10% of their net income each year to fund certain reserve funds until these reserves equal 50% of the amount of registered capital. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends.

Furthermore, the PRC Corporate Income Tax Law, or the CIT Law, provides that a withholding tax at a rate of up to 10% may be applicable to dividends payable to non-PRC investors that are “non-resident enterprises,” to the extent that such dividends are derived from sources within the PRC. Under the Arrangement Between the PRC and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income and Capital, or the China-HK Tax Arrangement, which became effective on January 1, 2007, the dividend withholding tax rate may be reduced to 5% if a Hong Kong resident enterprise is considered a non-PRC resident enterprise and holds at least 25% of the equity interests in the PRC enterprise distributing the dividends, subject to approval of the competent PRC tax authorities. However, if the Hong Kong resident enterprise is not considered to be the beneficial owner of such dividends under applicable PRC tax regulations, such dividends may remain subject to withholding tax at a rate of 10%. On October 27, 2009, the SAT issued a Notice on How to Understand and Determine the Beneficial Owners in Tax Agreement (“Circular 601”), which provides guidance on determining whether an enterprise is a “beneficial owner” under China’s tax treaties and tax arrangements. Circular 601 provides that, in order to be a beneficial owner, an entity generally must be engaged in substantive business activities. A company that is set up for the purpose of avoiding or reducing taxes or transferring or accumulating profits will not be regarded as a beneficial owner and will not qualify for treaty benefits such as preferential dividend withholding tax rates. If any of our Hong Kong subsidiaries is, in the light of Circular 601, considered to be a non-beneficial owner for purpose of the China-HK Tax Arrangement, any dividends paid to it by any of our PRC Subsidiaries would not qualify for the preferential dividend withholding tax rate of 5%, but rather would be subject to the usual rate of 10%. All of our foreign-invested enterprises are subject to withholding tax, generally at a 10% rate.

Our offshore entities may need to rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash requirements those offshore entities may have. Our offshore entities may not be able to obtain cash from distributions because our subsidiaries and VIEs in China are subject to restrictions imposed by PRC law on paying such dividends and making other payments.

Sogou Inc. is a holding company with no operating assets other than investments in Chinese operating entities through our intermediate holding companies, our subsidiaries in the Cayman Islands, and our VIEs. Our offshore entities may need to rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries for their cash requirements in excess of any cash raised from investors and retained by us or our other offshore entities. The primary source of any dividend payments to our offshore entities would need to be our PRC subsidiaries. It is possible that our PRC subsidiaries will not continue to receive payments in accordance with our VIE contracts with Sogou Information if such payments become subject to restrictions imposed by PRC laws. If our subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us through the intermediate companies. In addition, dividends paid out of the PRC are generally subject to a withholding tax of 10%.

The PRC government also imposes controls on the convertibility of the RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currencies out of the PRC. We may experience difficulties in completing the administrative procedures necessary to obtain and remit foreign currencies. If we or any of our subsidiaries are unable to receive the revenues from our operations through these service agreements and other arrangements, we may be unable to effectively fund any cash requirements we may have.

Regulation and censorship of information distribution in China may have an adverse effect on our business.

China has enacted regulations governing Internet access and the distribution of news and other information. Furthermore, the Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party takes the responsibility to censor news published in China to ensure, supervise, and control a particular political ideology. In addition, the MIIT has published implementing regulations that subject online information providers to potential liability for content included in websites and the actions of users of their systems, including liability for violation of PRC laws prohibiting the distribution of content deemed to be socially destabilizing. Furthermore, because many PRC laws, regulations, and legal requirements with regard to the Internet are relatively new and untested, their interpretation and enforcement may involve significant uncertainties. As a result, in many cases an Internet platform operator may have difficulty determining the type of content that may subject it to liability.

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Periodically, the Ministry of Public Security has stopped the distribution over the Internet of information which it believes to be socially destabilizing. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security also has the authority to require any local Internet service provider to block any Website maintained outside China at its sole discretion. If the PRC government were to take action or exercise its authority to limit or eliminate our provision of access to information or to limit or regulate current or future applications available to our users, our business would be adversely affected.

The State Secrecy Bureau, which is directly responsible for the protection of state secrets of all PRC government and Chinese Communist Party organizations, is authorized to block any Website it deems to be leaking state secrets or failing to meet the relevant regulations relating to the protection of state secrets in the distribution of online information. Under the applicable regulations, we may be held liable for any content transmitted by us. Furthermore, where the transmitted content clearly violates the PRC laws, we will be required to delete it. Moreover, if we consider transmitted content suspicious, we are required to report such content. We must also undergo computer security inspections, and if we fail to implement required safeguards against security breaches, we may be shut down. As the implementing rules of these new regulations have not been issued, we do not know how or when we will be expected to comply, or how our business will be affected by the application of these regulations.

We may be subject to the PRC government’s ongoing crackdown on Internet pornographic content.

The PRC government has stringent prohibitions on online pornographic information and has launched several crackdowns on Internet pornography recently. On December 4, 2009, the MIIT and other three PRC governmental authorities jointly issued the Incentives Measures for Report of Pornographic, Obscene and Vulgar Messages on Internet and Mobile Media, or the Anti-Pornography Notice, to further crack down on online pornography. Pursuant to this Anti-Pornography Notice, monetary rewards will be provided to Internet users who report websites that feature pornography. On April 13, 2014, the National Working Group on Anti-Pornography and three other PRC governmental authorities jointly issued the Anti-Pornography Proclamation, under which Internet service providers, including search companies such as us, must put in place software or other filters to prevent from appearing in search results, and immediately remove texts, images, video, advertisements, and other information that contain pornographic content. The relevant PRC governmental authorities may order enterprises or individuals who flagrantly produce or disseminate pornographic content to stop conducting business, and may revoke relevant administrative permits. It is possible that our users may engage in obscene conversations or activities on our platform that may be deemed illegal under PRC laws and regulations, and there is no assurance that content considered vulgar by PRC governmental authorities will not appear through our search services in the future. We may be subject to fines or other disciplinary actions, including in serious cases suspension or revocation of the licenses necessary to operate our platform, if we are deemed under PRC laws and regulations to have facilitated the accessing of inappropriate content through on our platform. In addition, if we are alleged by the government of providing access to vulgar content, our reputation could be adversely affected.

PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries, or otherwise expose us to liability and penalties under PRC laws.

In July 2014, SAFE promulgated Circular 37, which replaced Circular 75, promulgated by SAFE in October 2005 Circular 37 requires PRC residents, including PRC institutions and individuals, to register with the local SAFE office in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, referred to in Circular 37 as a “special purpose vehicle,” for the purpose of holding domestic or offshore assets or interests. PRC residents must also file amendments to their registrations in the event of any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC individuals, share transfer or exchange, merger, division, or other material event. Under these regulations, PRC residents’ failure to comply with specified registration procedures may result in restrictions being imposed on the foreign exchange activities of the relevant PRC entities, including the payment of dividends and other distributions to its offshore parent, as well as restrictions on capital inflows from the offshore entity to the PRC entities, including restrictions on the ability to contribute additional capital to the PRC entities.

We have requested all of our current shareholders and/or beneficial owners to disclose whether they or their shareholders or beneficial owners fall within the scope of Circular 37 and other related rules, and requested such shareholders and beneficial owners, upon learning they are PRC residents, to make the necessary applications, filings and amendments as required under Circular 37 and other related rules prior to our initial public offering. However, we may not be informed of the identities of all the PRC residents holding indirect interest in our company, and we cannot provide any assurances that these PRC residents will comply with our request to make or obtain any applicable registrations or comply with other requirements required by Circular 37 or related rules.

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Failure by any of our current or future shareholders or beneficial owners who are PRC residents to comply with the SAFE regulations may subject us to fines or other legal sanctions, or limit our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiaries, or limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to make distributions or pay dividends or affect our ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects. It is possible that some or all of our shareholders who are PRC residents will not comply with all the requirements required by Circular 37 or related rules. Any future failure by any of our shareholders who is a PRC resident, or controlled by a PRC resident, to comply with relevant requirements under these regulations could subject us to fines or legal sanctions imposed by the PRC government, including restrictions on our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends or make distributions to us and our ability to increase our investment in these subsidiaries and restrict our cross-border investment activities, which could in turn limit our ability to distribute dividends to holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs.

PRC regulatory requirements with respect to transfers by offshore holding companies, such as us, to their PRC subsidiaries and VIEs and governmental control of currency conversion may limit or delay our ability to transfer the net proceeds of our initial public offering to our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs, which could have an adverse effect on our ability to fund and expand our business.

As a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we will need to comply with applicable PRC laws and regulations in order to transfer the net proceeds of our initial public offering to our PRC subsidiaries, Sogou Technology and Sogou Network, which are WFOEs under PRC law and are treated as FIEs, or to our VIEs in the PRC. We intend to contribute some or all of the net proceeds of our initial public offering to our PRC subsidiaries, and to convert the contributed net proceeds into RMB. In order to make a capital contribution to either of our PRC subsidiaries, and convert the contributed amount from U.S. dollars into RMB, we will need to increase the PRC subsidiary’s registered capital by registering and/or filing the increase with the MOFCOM or one of its local branches, the SAFE or one of its local branches, or an authorized bank. If we transfer any of the proceeds of our initial public offering to one of our PRC subsidiaries or VIEs through loans, under current PRC law we will also need to register such loans with the SAFE or one its local branches, and the amount that we may convert into RMB and loan to one of these entities will be limited by applicable SAFE regulations, in the case of a loan to one of our PRC subsidiaries, to the greater of (i) the difference between the subsidiary’s approved total investment and the subsidiary’s total registered capital and (ii) two times the PRC subsidiary’s net assets and, in the case of one of our VIEs, to two times the VIE’s net assets.

The need to comply with such requirements could prevent us from making timely transfers of the net proceeds of our initial public offering to our PRC subsidiaries and, in the event we wish to make such transfers through loans to our PRC subsidiaries or VIEs, will limit the amounts of the net proceeds that we may transfer, which could limit our ability to fund or expand our business in accordance with our intended use of the proceeds of our initial public offering. The amounts of total investment and registered capital of Sogou Technology as of December 31, 2017 were approximately US$100.0 million and US$40.0 million, and two times its net assets was equal to US$596.5 million, meaning that the limit on the proceeds of our initial public offering that we would be permitted to loan to Sogou Technology as of December 31, 2017 would be US$596.5 million. The amounts of total investment and registered capital of Sogou Network as of December 31, 2017 were both approximately US$0.8 million, and two times its net assets was equal to negative US$54.5 million, meaning that amount of the proceeds of our initial public offering that we would be permitted to loan to Sogou Technology Network would be US$nil. Two times the net assets of our four VIEs was equal to US$78.6 million (Sogou Information), US$18.1 million (Chengdu Easypay), US$7.0 million (Shi Ji Si Su), and negative US$2.3 million (Shi Ji Guang Su), respectively, as of December 31, 2017, which represent the respective statutory limits on the amounts of loans we would be permitted to make to them as of December 31, 2017.

On March 30, 2015, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Reforming Management of the Settlement of Foreign Exchange Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, or Circular 19, which replaced previous regulations limiting a foreign-invested company’s use of its RMB-settled registered capital. Although Circular 19 has lifted certain restrictions on the use by a foreign-invested enterprise of its RMB registered capital converted from foreign currencies, it continues to apply certain limits, including that such registered capital must be used only for purposes within the foreign-invested enterprise’s approved business scope, and provides that violations of the regulations can result in severe penalties, including large fines. These regulations may limit our ability to transfer the net proceeds of our initial public offering through contributions or loans to our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs to invest in or acquire other businesses or establish additional VIEs as it is unclear whether the SAFE would consider such uses to be within the respective scopes of business of our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs.

We may be subject to fines and legal sanctions if we or our employees who are PRC citizens fail to comply with PRC regulations relating to employee share options.

Under the Administration Measures on Individual Foreign Exchange Control issued by the PBOC and the related Implementation Rules issued the SAFE, all foreign exchange transactions by a PRC citizen involving an employee incentive plan of an overseas publicly-listed company may be conducted only with the approval of the SAFE. Under the Notice of Issues Related to the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Listed Company, or the Offshore Share Incentives Rules, issued by the SAFE on February 15, 2012, PRC citizens who are granted share options, restricted share units or restricted shares by an overseas publicly-listed company under such employee share incentive plans are required to register with the SAFE or its local offices and comply with a series of other requirements. The Offshore Share Incentives Rules also specify requirements for registration of share incentive plans, the opening and use of special accounts for the purpose of participation in incentive plans, and the remittance of funds for exercising options and gains realized from such exercises and sales of such options or the underlying shares, both outside and inside the PRC. We, and any of our PRC employees or members of our board of directors who have been granted share options or other share-based awards, are subject to the Administration Measures on Individual Foreign Exchange Control, the related Implementation Rules, and the Offshore Share Incentives Rules. In addition, pursuant to Circular 37, a privately-held special purpose vehicle’s grant of equity incentives to a PRC citizen is subject to foreign exchange registration and, prior to making an investment in or receiving a grant of a share-based award in such an entity, a PRC citizen is required to apply with the relevant PRC governmental authorities for foreign exchange registration of the investment. Our PRC employees who have been granted share-based awards or held shares have not made the required registrations. We have applied for registration of our 2017 Share Incentive Plan with the SAFE, and we are in in process of applying for such registration of our 2010 Share Incentive Plan. If our 2017 Share Incentive Plan and 2010 Share Incentive Plan are not accepted for registration by the SAFE, we may not be able to grant further share-based awards to our PRC employees, we and those who have received awards may be subject to fines and legal sanctions, and our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiaries and our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to us may be limited.

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If the status of certain of our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs as “High and New Technology Enterprises,” “Key National Software Enterprises,” or “Software Enterprises” is revoked or expires, we may have to pay additional taxes or make up any previously unpaid taxes and may be subject to a higher tax rate, which would adversely affect our results of operations.

The CIT Law generally imposes a uniform income tax rate of 25% on all enterprises, but grants preferential treatment to “High and New Technology Enterprises,” or HNTEs, pursuant to which HNTEs are instead subject to an income tax rate of 15%, subject to a requirement that they re-apply for HNTE status every three years. During this three-year period, an HNTE must conduct a qualification self-review each year to ensure it meets the HNTE criteria, and will be subject to the regular 25% income tax rate for any year in which it does not meet the criteria. The CIT Law and its implementing rules provide that a “Software Enterprise” is entitled to an income tax exemption for two years beginning with its first profitable year before December 31, 2017 and a 50% reduction to a rate of 12.5% for the subsequent three years. An entity that qualifies as a “Key National Software Enterprise,” or KNSE, is entitled to a further reduced preferential income tax rate of 10%. Enterprises wishing to enjoy the status of Software Enterprises or KNSEs must perform a self-assessment each year to ensure they meet the relevant criteria for qualification. If at any time during the preferential tax treatment years an enterprise uses the preferential CIT rates but the relevant PRC governmental authorities determine that it failed to meet applicable criteria for qualification, PRC governmental authorities may revoke the enterprise’s Software Enterprise or KNSE status, as applicable.

There are uncertainties regarding future interpretation and implementation of the CIT Law and its implementing regulations. It is possible that the HNTE, Software Enterprise, and KNSE qualifications of our operating entities currently qualified as such, or their entitlement to an income tax exemption or refund of their value-added tax, or VAT, will be challenged by higher-level tax authorities and be repealed, or that there will be future implementing regulations that are inconsistent with current interpretation of the CIT Law. For example, in 2016 the SAT issued a circular with new criteria for certifying a Software Enterprise. Therefore, it is possible that the qualification of one or more of our PRC Subsidiaries or VIEs as a Software Enterprise will be challenged in the future or that such companies will not be able to take any further actions, such as re-application for Software Enterprise qualification, to enjoy such preferential tax treatment. If those operating entities cannot qualify for such preferential income tax status, our effective income tax rate will be increased significantly and we may have to pay additional income taxes to make up the previously unpaid taxes, which would reduce our net income.

We may be deemed a PRC resident enterprise under the CIT Law and be subject to PRC taxation on our worldwide income.

The CIT Law provides that enterprises established outside of the PRC whose “de facto management bodies” are located within the PRC are considered “resident enterprises” and are generally subject to the uniform 25% enterprise income tax rate on their worldwide income (including dividend income received from subsidiaries). Under the Implementing Regulations for the Corporate Income Tax Law, “de facto management body” is defined as a body that has material and overall management and control over the manufacturing and business operations, personnel and human resources, finances and treasury, and acquisition and disposition of properties and other assets of an enterprise. Since substantially all of our operational management is currently based in the PRC, it is unclear whether PRC tax authorities would require us to be treated as a PRC-resident enterprise. If we are treated as a resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes, we will be subject to PRC taxes on our worldwide income at the 25% uniform tax rate, which could have an impact on our effective tax rate and an adverse effect on our net income and the results of operations, even though dividends distributed from our PRC Subsidiaries to us could be exempted from Chinese dividend withholding tax under the CIT Law for PRC-resident recipients.

Dividends paid by us to our foreign investors and profits on the sale of our shares or ADSs may be subject to tax under PRC tax laws.

Under the Implementing Regulations for the Corporate Income Tax Law, PRC income tax at the rate of 10% is applicable to dividends paid to investors that are “non-resident enterprises,” without an establishment or place of business in the PRC, or which do have such establishment or place of business but the relevant income is not effectively connected with the establishment or place of business, to the extent that such dividends have their sources within the PRC. In addition, any profits realized through the transfer of shares by such investors are subject to 10% PRC income tax if such profits are regarded as income derived from sources within the PRC. It is unclear whether dividends we pay with respect to our shares, or the profits you may realize from the transfer of our shares, would be treated as income derived from sources within the PRC and be subject to PRC taxes if we were treated as a PRC resident enterprise under the CIT Law. Non-resident individual investors may be liable for PRC income tax at a rate of 20% on dividend payments or in respect of profits on transfer of ADSs if such amounts are deemed to arise from sources within the PRC. In the case of dividend payments, we would be required to withhold the tax at source. Any PRC tax liability may be reduced under applicable tax treaties. If we are required under the Implementing Regulations for the Corporate Income Tax Law to withhold PRC income tax on dividends paid to our non-PRC investors that are “non-resident enterprises,” or if you are required to pay PRC income tax on the transfer of our ADSs, the value of your investment in our ADSs may be adversely affected.

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Restrictions on currency exchange may limit our ability to use our revenues effectively.

Substantially all of our revenues and operating expenses are denominated in RMB. The RMB is not freely tradable in “capital account” transactions, which include foreign direct investment. Foreign exchange transactions classified as capital account transactions are subject to limitations and require approval from the SAFE. This could affect our China-based subsidiaries’ ability to obtain foreign exchange through debt or equity financing, including by means of loans or capital contributions from us.

Further, the RMB is at present freely convertible in “current account” transactions, which include dividends, and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, and our China-based subsidiaries may purchase and retain foreign exchange for settlement of such transactions, including payment of dividends, without the approval of the SAFE. However, the relevant PRC governmental authorities may limit or eliminate our ability to purchase and retain foreign currencies in the future.

Since a significant amount of our future revenues are likely to be in the form of RMB, these existing restrictions, and any future restrictions, on currency exchange may limit our ability to use revenues generated in RMB to fund our business activities outside of the PRC, or to make expenditures denominated in foreign currencies.

We may suffer currency exchange losses if the RMB depreciates relative to the U.S. dollar, which could reduce the value on an investment in our ADSs.

Our reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. However, substantially all of our revenues are denominated in RMB. If the RMB depreciates relative to the U.S. dollar, our revenues and assets as expressed in our U.S. dollar financial statements will decline in value. In addition, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we receive from our initial public offering into RMB for our operations, appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the RMB amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our RMB into U.S. dollars for the purpose of paying dividends on our ordinary shares or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the RMB would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us.

Risks Related to Our Class A Ordinary Shares and ADSs

We are a Cayman Islands company and, because judicial precedent regarding the rights of shareholders is more limited under Cayman Islands law than that under U.S. law, our shareholders may have less protection for their shareholder rights than they would under U.S. law.

Our corporate affairs are governed by our Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association and Amended Restated Articles of Association and we are governed by the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands, and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to legal take action against our directors and us, actions by minority shareholders, and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States, such as the State of Delaware where many United States-based corporations are organized. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and provides significantly less protection to investors. In addition, shareholders of Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in U.S. federal courts. As a result, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests through actions against us, our management, our directors, or our major shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States such as Delaware.

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It may be difficult to enforce any civil judgments against us or our Board of Directors or officers, because most of our operating and/or fixed assets are located outside the United States.

Although we are incorporated in the Cayman Islands, most of our operating and fixed assets are located in the PRC. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to enforce judgments outside the United States obtained in actions brought against us in the United States, including actions predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or of the securities laws of any state of the United States. In addition, certain of our directors and officers (principally based in the PRC) and all or a substantial portion of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon those directors and officers, or to enforce against them or us judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or of the securities laws of any state of the United States. We have been advised by our PRC legal counsel that, in their opinion, there are substantial uncertainties as to the enforceability in the PRC, in original actions or in actions for enforcement of judgments of United States courts, of civil liabilities predicated solely upon the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state of the United States.

From time to time, press reports in the United States questioning the VIE structure used by us and various Chinese companies publicly traded in the United States may create concern among investors that may cause our ADS price to fluctuate.

In recent years various prominent Western news outlets have questioned the use by Chinese companies that are publicly traded in the United States of VIE structure as a means of complying with PRC laws prohibiting or restricting foreign ownership of certain businesses in China, including businesses we are engaged in such as sponsored search, Internet information and content, online advertising, online game, and value-added telecommunication services. Some of such news reports have also sought to draw a connection between widely-reported accounting issues at certain Chinese companies and the use of VIE structure. Such news reports appear to have had the effect of causing concern among investors in several Chinese companies that are publicly traded in the United States. While we are not aware of any causal connection between the reported accounting scandals and the use of VIE structure, it is possible that investors in our ADSs will believe that such a connection exists. Any of such circumstances could lead to further loss of investor confidence in Chinese companies such as ours and cause fluctuations in the market prices of our ADSs and, if such prices were to drop sharply, could subject us to shareholder litigation, which could cause the price for our ADSs to drop further.

Registered public accounting firms in China, including our independent registered public accounting firm, are not inspected by the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, which deprives us and our investors of the benefits of such inspection.

Auditors of companies whose shares are registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and traded publicly in the United States, including our independent registered public accounting firm, must be registered with the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) and are required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess their compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards applicable to auditors. Our independent registered public accounting firm is located in, and organized under the laws of, the PRC, which is a jurisdiction where the PCAOB, notwithstanding the requirements of U.S. law, is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese authorities. In May 2013, the PCAOB announced that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on Enforcement Cooperation with the CSRC and the PRC Ministry of Finance, which establishes a cooperative framework between the parties for the production and exchange of audit documents relevant to investigations undertaken by the PCAOB, the CSRC or the PRC Ministry of Finance in the United States and the PRC, respectively. The PCAOB continues to be in discussions with the CSRC and the PRC Ministry of Finance to permit jo int inspections in the PRC of audit firms that are registered with the PCAOB and audit Chinese companies that trade on U.S. exchanges.

This lack of PCAOB inspections in China prevents the PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures of our independent registered public accounting firm. As a result, we and investors in our common stock are deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in our stock to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.

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If additional remedial measures are imposed on the Big Four PRC-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, in administrative proceedings brought by the SEC alleging the firms’ failure to meet specific criteria set by the SEC, we could be unable to timely file future financial statements in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

In December 2012, the SEC instituted administrative proceedings against the Big Four PRC-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, alleging that these firms had violated U.S. securities laws and the SEC’s rules and regulations thereunder by failing to provide to the SEC the firms’ audit workpapers with respect to certain PRC-based companies that are publicly traded in the United States. On January 22, 2014, the administrative law judge presiding over the matter rendered an initial decision that each of the firms had violated the SEC’s rules of practice by failing to produce audit workpapers to the SEC. The initial decision censured each of the firms and barred them from practicing before the SEC for a period of six months. On February 6, 2015, the four China-based accounting firms each agreed to a censure and to pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute and avoid suspension of their ability to practice before the SEC and audit U.S.-listed companies. The settlement required the firms to follow detailed procedures and to seek to provide the SEC with access to Chinese firms’ audit documents via the CSRC. If future document productions fail to meet specified criteria, the SEC retains authority to impose a variety of additional remedial measures on the firms depending on the nature of the failure. While we cannot predict if the SEC will further review the four China-based accounting firms’ compliance with specified criteria or if the results of such a review would result in the SEC imposing penalties such as suspensions or restarting the administrative proceedings, if the accounting firms are subject to additional remedial measures, our ability to file our financial statements in compliance with SEC requirements could be impacted. A determination that we have not timely filed financial statements in compliance with SEC requirements could ultimately lead to the delisting of our ADSs from the New York Stock Exchange or the termination of the registration of our ADSs and Class A ordinary shares under the Exchange Act, or both, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of our ADSs in the United States.

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

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

If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, our management and our independent registered public accounting firm may not be able to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting at a reasonable assurance level. This could in turn result in loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our financial statements and negatively impact the trading price of our ADSs. Furthermore, we have incurred and anticipate that we will continue to incur considerable costs, management time and other resources in our efforts to comply with Section 404 and other requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual and as a result we are entitled to, and do, rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of other companies. We also have invoked one of the “home country practice” exceptions to the corporate governance requirements of the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual that are available to foreign private issuers such as us, and we may invoke additional such exceptions in the future.

Sohu, through its ownership of Class B Ordinary Shares and the Voting Agreement with Tencent, will have the power to appoint a majority of our board of directors. As a result, we will be a “controlled company” under the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual. We will rely on certain exemptions that are available to controlled companies from NYSE corporate governance requirements, including the following, which we do not intend to meet voluntarily:

·                   that we have a majority of independent directors on our board;

·                   that we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and

·                   for an annual performance evaluation of the nominating/corporate governance committee and the compensation committee.

We are not required to and will not voluntarily meet these requirements. If we are no longer a “controlled company,” we may in the future invoke “home country” exceptions available to foreign private issuers, such as us, under the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual which are similar to the exemptions for controlled companies, and also include the possibility of additional exceptions from the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual, such as the requirement that equity-compensation plans be approved by shareholders. As a result of our use of the “controlled company” exemptions, and any future use by us of the “home country” exceptions, holders of our ADSs will not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of NYSE corporate governance requirements.

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Sohu, through its ownership of Class B Ordinary Shares and a voting agreement with Tencent, has the power to appoint a majority of our board of directors and Sohu and Tencent together have the voting power to control the outcome of shareholder actions in our company.

Our ordinary shares are divided into Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares. Holders of Class A Ordinary Shares are entitled to one vote per share, while holders of Class B Ordinary Shares are entitled to 10 votes per share. Sohu, through its ownership of Class B Ordinary Shares and a voting agreement with Tencent, has the power to appoint a majority of our board of directors. Sohu and Tencent together have indirect shareholdings totaling approximately 71.2% of the total of our outstanding Class A and Class B Ordinary Shares and totaling approximately 96.1% of the total voting power of the combined total of our outstanding Class A and Class B ordinary shares, due to the additional voting power of the Class B Ordinary Shares. Sohu’s and Tencent’s combined voting power give them the power to control actions that require shareholder approval under Cayman Islands law, our Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association and Amended and Restated Articles of Association, and the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual, including significant mergers and acquisitions and other business combinations, changes to our Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association and Amended and Restated Articles of Association, the number of shares available for issuance under share incentive plans, and the issuance of significant amounts of our ordinary shares in private placements.

Due to the disparate voting powers attached to the two classes of our ordinary shares, Sohu and Tencent will continue to have this power even if, at some point in the future, they hold considerably less than a majority of the combined total of our outstanding Class A and Class B ordinary shares.

Sohu’s and Tencent’s voting control may cause transactions to occur that might not be beneficial to the holders of our ADSs, and may prevent transactions that would be beneficial to them. For example, Sohu’s and Tencent’s voting control may prevent a transaction involving a change of control of us, including transactions in which a holder of our ADSs might otherwise receive a premium for such securities over the then-current market price. In addition, Sohu and Tencent are not prohibited from selling their interests in us to a third party. Subject to certain limitations, if Sohu or Tencent is acquired or otherwise undergoes a change of control, or sells a controlling interest in us, any acquirer or successor will be entitled to exercise the voting control and contractual rights of Sohu or Tencent, as applicable, and may do so in a manner that could vary significantly from that of Sohu or Tencent.

We may have conflicts of interest with Sohu and Tencent, and such conflicts may not be resolved in our favor.

Conflicts of interest may arise between Sohu and Tencent, on the one hand, and us, on the other hand, in a number of areas relating to our past and ongoing relationships. Potential conflicts of interest that we have identified include the following:

·                   Employee recruiting and retention.  Because Sohu, Tencent, and we operate primarily in China and the main focus of the businesses of each of us is Internet services, we may compete with Sohu and Tencent in the hiring of new employees, in particular with respect to technology research and development. We have non-solicitation arrangements with Sohu and Tencent that would restrict either Sohu or Tencent, on the one hand, or us, on the other hand from hiring any of the other’s employees.

·                   Our board members and executive officers may have conflicts of interest.  Dr. Charles Zhang, who is our Chairman of the Board, is currently also serving as Sohu’s chairman and chief executive officer. By virtue of the high-vote Class B Ordinary Shares held by Sohu and Tencent and the voting agreement between Sohu and Tencent, Sohu will have the power and right to appoint a majority of our Board of Directors and Tencent will have the right to appoint two of the member of our Board of Directors. These relationships could create, or appear to create, conflicts of interest when these persons are faced with decisions with potentially different implications for Sohu or Tencent and us.

·                   Sale of shares in our company.  Although there are restrictions in the Voting Agreement among us, Sohu, and Tencent on transfers by Sohu or Tencent to competitors of ours, if the Voting Agreement were to terminate, Sohu or Tencent would no longer be subject to such transfer restrictions and may decide to sell all or a portion of our shares that it holds to one of our competitors, thereby giving that third party substantial influence over our business and our affairs. Such a sale could be contrary to the interests of certain of our shareholders, including our employees and holders of our ADSs.

·                   Allocation of business opportunities.  Business opportunities may arise that both we and Sohu or Tencent find attractive, and which would complement our respective businesses. Sohu or Tencent may decide to take the opportunities itself, which would prevent us from taking advantage of the opportunity ourselves.

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·                   Developing business relationships with competitors of Sohu and Tencent.  For so long as Sohu retains the power to appoint a majority of our Board of Directors and Sohu and Tencent voting together retain the power to decide all other matters put to a vote of our shareholders, we may be limited in our ability to do business with the competitors of either of them, such as other providers of various Internet services in China. This may limit our ability to enter into business relationships that might be in our best interests and those of our shareholders other than Sohu or Tencent.

Although we are a stand-alone entity separate from Sohu and Tencent, we expect to operate, for as long as Sohu has the right to appoint a majority of our Board of Directors, as a part of the Sohu Group. Sohu may from time to time make strategic decisions that it believes are in the best interests of its business as a whole, including our company. These decisions may be different from the decisions that we would have made on our own. Sohu’s decisions with respect to us or our business may be resolved in ways that favor Sohu and therefore Sohu’s own shareholders, which may not coincide with the interests of shareholders other than Sohu. We may not be able to resolve any potential conflicts, and even if we do so, the resolution may be less favorable to us than if we were dealing with an unaffiliated shareholder. Even if both Sohu and we and Tencent seek to transact business on terms intended to approximate those that could have been achieved among unaffiliated parties, this may not succeed in practice.

The market price for our ADSs may fluctuate.

The trading price of our ADSs has been and may continue to be subject to fluctuations. During the period from November 9, 2017, the first day of trading of our ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange, until February 21, 2018, the trading price of our ADSs ranged from US$8.08 to US$14.70 per ADS, and the closing sale price on February 21, 2018 was $9.34 per ADS. Among the factors that could affect the price of our ADSs are the various risk factors described in this annual report and other factors, including:

·                   announcements of competitive developments by our competitors;

·                   regulatory developments in our target markets affecting us, our customers or our competitors;

·                   actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results;

·                   failure of our financial and operating results to meet market expectations or failure to meet our previously announced guidance;

·                   changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts;

·                   changes in the economic performance or market valuations of other Internet companies;

·                   additions or departures of our executive officers and other key personnel;

·                   announcements regarding litigation involving us or any of our directors and officers;

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

·                   release or expiration of transfer restrictions on our outstanding ordinary shares and ADSs;

·                   sales of our ordinary shares or ADSs in the market by Sohu or Tencent; and

·                   sales or perceived sales of additional shares or ADSs.

In addition, the securities markets have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to the operating performance of particular industries or companies. Such market fluctuations may have an adverse effect on the market price of our ADSs.

Our dual-class ordinary share structure could have an adverse effect on the market price of our ADSs

Our dual-class ordinary share structure, and the consequent concentration of voting power in Sohu and Tencent as a result of their ownership of our Class B Ordinary Shares, could adversely affect perceptions of us in the equity capital markets and could result in a lower market price for our ADSs. For example, apparently as a result of public criticism by commentators and shareholder advisory firms of companies with classes of shares with disparate voting rights, certain providers of indexes of publicly-traded equity shares, including FTSE Russell, S&P Dow Jones, and MSCI, have recently announced that they have either implemented, or are considering implementing, policies excluding companies with certain types of multiple-class voting structures from some of their published equity indexes. If our ADSs were to be excluded from such indexes, the market price of our ADSs could be adversely affected.

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Holders of our ADSs may be subject to limitations on transfer of their ADSs.

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

Holders of ADSs have limited voting rights and may not receive voting materials in time to be able to exercise their right to vote.

Except as described in this annual report and in the Deposit Agreement, holders of our ADSs will not be able to exercise voting rights attaching to the shares represented by our ADSs on an individual basis. Holders of our ADSs may instruct the depositary how to exercise the voting rights attaching to the shares represented by the ADSs. You may not receive voting materials in time to instruct the depositary to vote, however, and it is possible that direct holders of ADSs, or persons who hold their ADSs through brokers, dealers or other third parties, will not have the opportunity to exercise a vote. In addition, due to the different voting powers attached to the two classes of our ordinary shares and a voting agreement between Sohu and Tencent, Sohu, our controlling shareholder, has the right to appoint a majority of our Board of Directors, Tencent has the right to appoint two of our directors, and Sohu and Tencent together control all other matters put to a shareholder vote. As a result, as a holder of our ADSs you will have no ability to affect the outcome of any matter subject to shareholder vote.

ADS holders’ right to participate in any future rights offerings may be limited, which may cause dilution to their holdings and ADS holders may not receive cash dividends if it is impractical to make them available to such holders.

We may from time to time distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire our securities. However, we cannot make rights available to ADS holders in the United States unless we register the securities to which the rights relate under the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Act, or an exemption from registration requirements is available. Also, under the Deposit Agreement, the depositary bank will not make rights available to ADS holders unless the distribution to ADS holders of both the rights and any related securities are either registered under the Securities Act or exempted from registration under the Securities Act. We are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to any such rights or securities or to endeavor to cause such a registration statement to be declared effective. Moreover, we may not be able to establish an exemption from registration under the Securities Act. Accordingly, holders of our ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution in their holdings.

In addition, the depositary bank for our ADSs has agreed to pay to ADS holders the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on our ordinary shares or other deposited securities after deducting its fees and expenses. ADS holders will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of ordinary shares such holders’ ADSs represent. However, the depositary bank may, at its discretion, decide that it is inequitable or impractical to make a distribution available to any holders of ADSs. For example, the depositary may determine that it is not practicable to distribute certain property through the mail, or that the value of certain distributions may be less than the cost of mailing them, or that the distribution requires certain governmental approval, such as requirement for registration or approval for currency conversion. In these cases, the depositary may decide not to distribute that property and ADSs holders will not receive that distribution.

You will experience dilution as outstanding share options are exercised.

You will experience dilution to the extent that additional Class A Ordinary Shares are issued upon settlement of outstanding share options or other share-based awards that we may grant from time to time. As of the date of this annual report, there are options outstanding exercisable for the purchase of an aggregate of 4,236,754 Class A Ordinary Shares.

We may need additional capital and may sell additional ADSs or other equity securities or incur indebtedness, which could result in additional dilution to our shareholders or increase our debt service obligations.

We may require additional cash resources due to changed business conditions or other future developments, including any investments or acquisitions we may decide to pursue. If our cash resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may seek to sell additional equity or debt securities or obtain a credit facility. The sale of additional equity securities or equity-linked debt securities could result in additional dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in debt service obligations and could result in operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations. We cannot assure you that financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

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Substantial future sales of our ADSs or ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the price of our ADSs to decline.

Additional sales of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the market price of our ADSs to decline. As of December 31, 2017 there were 118,408,437 Class A ordinary shares and 278,757,875 Class B ordinary shares outstanding. The ordinary shares held by our officers and directors and certain shareholders will be available for sale upon the expiration of the 180-day lock-up period beginning November 8, 2017, subject to volume and other restrictions as applicable under Rule 144 under the Securities Act. Any of these shares may be released prior to the expiration of the lock-up period at the discretion of the lead underwriters for our initial public offering.

Under the lock-up agreement between Xiaochuan Wang, our Chief Executive Officer, and the underwriters, Mr. Wang and his affiliates may pledge or create other security interests in the Class A Ordinary Shares or ADSs they hold, or the Pledged Securities, to secure any of Mr. Wang’s or his affiliates’ payment obligations under a loan agreement that provides for a principal amount of 38 million. In addition, if the market price of our ADSs were to decline considerably, Mr. Wang could be required by the lender to increase the number of Class A Ordinary Shares subject to the pledge. In the event of any enforcement by the lender under such loan agreement of its security interests in the Pledged Securities and any such additional Class A Ordinary Shares following a default, the lender will be entitled to resell the Pledged Securities and such additional Class A Ordinary Shares without regard to the lock-up agreement entered into by Mr. Wang. Any such enforcement by the lender and sale of the Pledged Securities or such additional Class A Ordinary Shares in the open market, either during the 180-day lock-up period or after the expiration of Mr. Wang’s lock-up agreement with the underwriters, could cause the market price of our ADSs to decline.

In addition, Sohu, Tencent, and Photon Group Limited, a British Virgin Islands company of which Dr. Charles Zhang, the Chairman of or Board of Directors may be deemed to be the beneficial owner, which held approximately 33.0%, 38.2%, and 8.1% of the combined total of our outstanding Class A and Class B Ordinary Shares as of December 31, 2017, are parties to a registration rights agreement that gives them rights that, if exercised, will permit them to sell some or all of their shares freely in the open market after the expiration of the 180-day lock-up period beginning November 8, 2017 without regard to the restrictions of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. As of the date of this annual report, there are options outstanding exercisable for the purchase of an aggregate of 4,236,754 Class A Ordinary Shares. We also may grant or issue additional share options, restricted share units, or other share-based awards in the future under our share incentive plan to our management, employees and other persons, the settlement and sale of which may further dilute our shares and drive down the price of our ADSs.

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

If we are a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for any taxable year during which a U.S. holder, as defined under “Taxation—United States Federal Income Taxation—Passive Foreign Investment Company”, held an ADS or a Class A ordinary share, certain adverse United States federal income tax consequences likely would apply to the U.S. holder. See “Taxation—United States Federal Income Taxation—Passive Foreign Investment Company.”

We expect that we will not be treated as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for our 2017 taxable year ended November 30, 2017. Our expectation is based on our current and anticipated operations and the composition of our earnings and assets for the 2017 taxable year, including the current and expected valuation of our assets based on the price of our ADSs in the market. However, we currently hold, and expect to continue to hold following the date of this annual report, a substantial amount of cash, and the value of our other assets may be based in part on the market price of our ADSs, which is likely to fluctuate in the future (and may fluctuate considerably given that market prices of Internet companies historically have been especially volatile). Furthermore, it is not entirely clear how the contractual arrangements between us and our consolidated VIEs will be treated for purposes of the PFIC rules. In addition, our PFIC status for any taxable year cannot be determined until the close of such taxable year. Accordingly, there is no guarantee that we will not be a PFIC for any taxable year.

U.S. holders and prospective holders of our ADSs are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to an investment in our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares.

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We are an “emerging growth company,” and any decision on our part to comply only with certain reduced reporting or disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies could make our ADSs less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may choose to take advantage of exemptions available to us under the JOBS Act from certain of the reporting or disclosure requirements that are otherwise applicable to public companies in the United States. It is possible that investors will find our ADSs less attractive if we choose to rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our ADSs less attractive as a result of any choices to reduce future disclosure, there may be a less active trading market for our ADSs and the market prices of our ADSs may be more volatile.

As an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act, we have elected to opt out of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards provided by JOBS Act. This election is irrevocable.

We will remain as an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the end of our first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues exceed US$1,070,000,000; (ii) the end of our 2022 fiscal year (which will be the fiscal year in which the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering occurred); (iii) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than US$1.0 billion in non-convertible debt; or (iv) the date on which we qualify as a “large accelerated filer” under the Exchange Act, which may take place if the aggregate worldwide market value of our ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates is at least US$700 million as of the last business day of our then most recently completed second fiscal quarter. If and after we cease to be an emerging growth company, we will not be entitled to the exemptions provided in the JOBS Act discussed above.

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In September 2013, also in connection with Tencent’s investment, we paid a special dividend to the three holders of Pre-IPO Series A Preferred Shares in the aggregate amount of US$300.9 million, of which Sohu received US$161.2 million, Photon received US$43.0 million, and China Web received US$96.7 million.

Also in connection with its investment in us, in December 2013, Tencent acquired a 45% equity interest in our VIE Sogou Information for US$1.5 million, and Sohu also acquired a 45% equity interest in Sogou Information for US$1.5 million.

In December 2013, Tencent purchased 6,757,875 Pre-IPO Class A Ordinary Shares from various shareholders, a majority of whom were our employees.

In March 2014, we repurchased 14,400,000 Pre-IPO Series A Preferred Shares from China Web for an aggregate purchase price of US$47.3 million pursuant to the repurchase/put option agreement we had entered into in September 2013 with China Web.

During the year ended December 31, 2014, we repurchased 4,185,800 Pre-IPO Class A Ordinary Shares from various shareholders, a majority of whom were our employees, for an aggregate purchase price of US$41.9 million.

In September 2015, we repurchased from Sohu and Photon, pursuant to the repurchase option agreements we had entered into in September 2013, 24,000,000 and 6,400,000 Pre-IPO Series A Preferred Shares of Sogou, for aggregate purchase prices of US$78.8 million and US$21.0 million, respectively.

In August 2017, in preparation for our initial public offering, Sohu, Tencent, and we entered into a voting agreement that provides for the redesignation of all of our authorized and outstanding equity shares outstanding immediately prior to the completion of our initial public offering into either Class A Ordinary Shares or Class B Ordinary Shares effective upon the completion of our initial public offering and also provides, among things, that, effective upon the completion of such offering, subject to certain conditions, for so long as Sohu and Tencent together hold a majority of the combined voting power of our Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares, Sohu will continue to have the right to appoint a majority of our Board of Directors. The Class A Ordinary Shares are entitled to one vote per share, and the Class B Ordinary Shares, which will be held solely by Sohu and Tencent, are entitled to 10 votes per share. As a result, Sohu and Tencent together have the power to decide all matters that are put to a vote of our shareholders. See “Related Party Transactions—Voting Agreement Between Sohu and Tencent.”

We completed an initial public offering of our ADSs on November 13, 2017. Our ADSs are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SOGO.”

Our principal executive offices are located at Level 15, Sohu.com Internet Plaza, No. 1 Unit Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China. Our telephone number at this address is +86 10-5689-9999. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at the offices of Vistra (Cayman) Limited at P.O. Box 31119 Grand Pavilion, Hibiscus Way, 802 West Bay Road, Grand Cayman, KY1-1205 Cayman Islands. Our agent for service of process in the United States is CT Corporation System, 111 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10011.

Business Overview

Our mission is to make it easy to communicate and get information.

We are an innovator in search and a leader in China’s Internet industry. Our Sogou Search is the second largest search engine in China by mobile queries and we are the fourth largest Internet company in China based on MAU in December 2017, according to iResearch. Our industry-leading Sogou Input Method, the robust ecosystem we have built and shared with Tencent and other strategic partners, and significant breakthroughs in AI uniquely position us to capture opportunities in China’s search and Internet industry.

Sogou Search had an 18.2% market share in China based on mobile queries in December 2017, as compared to 15.2% in March 2017, according to iResearch. Meanwhile, our mobile search MAU increased from 457 million in December 2016 to 545 million in December 2017. We have grown significantly, with mobile Web search page views having grown by 31% from December 2016 to December 2017. Powered by AI, Sogou Search offers innovative products and services. For example, our cross-language search service eliminates the Chinese-English language barrier, enabling users to discover English content on the Internet by querying in Chinese and reading content that we have translated into Chinese.

Chinese language input software is a must-have for users to type in Chinese. Sogou Input Method is the largest Chinese language input software by both mobile and PC MAUs in December 2017, according to iResearch, and is the first cloud-based Chinese language input software. Sogou Search continually captures Chinese expressions and phrases on the Internet, which enables Sogou Input Method to build a comprehensive and up-to-date vocabulary library. This allows us to improve the efficiency and accuracy of predictive text. In December 2017, Sogou Input Method had 331 million mobile DAU and 86 million PC DAU. It was the number two PC software in China by DAU and the number three mobile application in China by DAU in December 2017, according to iResearch. Sogou Input Method interfaces with virtually all applications that involve Chinese language input, generating massive and high-quality data that is critical to our big data capabilities. Sogou Input Method has the ability to anticipate users’ search intentions in real-time and allows users to search directly with Sogou Search through its embedded search function, generating a significant portion of our organic search traffic.

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We have built and shared a robust ecosystem with Tencent and other strategic partners. We deliver differentiated content to our users through services such as search access to the vast content from Tencent’s Weixin Official Accounts. We have also broadened our user acquisition channels by collaborating with our strategic partners and third parties. Sogou Search is the default general search engine in Tencent’s Mobile QQ Browser and qq.com. We are exploring potential opportunities to deepen collaborations with Tencent. Since October 2017, Tencent has been testing, on a trial basis and for purposes of assessment, the integration of Sogou Search into Weixin/WeChat. With this initiative, users of Weixin/WeChat can use Sogou Search as a general search function within Weixin/WeChat to access Internet information outside Weixin/WeChat. We are working closely with Tencent on product testing and optimization and intend to discuss commercial arrangements upon the completion of the trial stage.

We are at the forefront of AI development with a clear roadmap. Focusing on natural interaction and knowledge computing, we have made significant breakthroughs in language-centered AI capabilities, including voice and image technologies, machine translation, and question answering, or Q&A, which have been successfully integrated into our products and services. In addition to the implementation of machine translation in cross-language search services, we provide our users with a more natural search experience through AI-based voice and image technologies. Q&A technology enables us to provide direct answers in response to user queries, instead of displaying a list of Web links. Our proven AI capabilities will facilitate our launch of more disruptive products and services, such as virtual personal assistants, or VPAs, to serve users anytime, anywhere.

We have recorded substantial revenue growth, with an increase from US$591.8 million in 2015 to US$660.4 million in 2016 and US$908.4 million in 2017. We generate revenues primarily from search and search-related advertising services, which represented 88.2% of our total revenues in the year ended December 31, 2017.

Our Business

Products and Services for Users

Our suite of products and services for users focuses on search and search-related services that cover a wide variety of use cases, from online search to input methods. Through our products and services, depicted in the table below, we have built a massive, engaged, and fast-growing user base.

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Sogou Search

We make information easily accessible for Chinese Internet users. Through Sogou Search, we enable our users to conveniently find relevant, high-quality, and comprehensive information anytime, anywhere. We offer users general and vertical search services through our website sogou.com and our mobile search application. In addition, Sogou Search is the default general search engine for popular Internet portals such as qq.com and sohu.com , and popular browsers such as the Mobile QQ Browser and Sogou Browser. Sogou Search was the second largest search engine in China with an 18.2% market share by mobile queries in December 2017, according to iResearch.

General Search

Our general search is the core product of our search services. After a user types in a query in the search box, our search engine quickly returns a list of ranked search results (appearing as hypertexts), snippets, and sometimes direct answers in response to the user query. In many cases, the search snippets appearing underneath the hypertexts, or the direct answers appearing at the top of the search result page, provide users with the desired information. In other cases, users click on the hypertexts to visit the linked websites.

Search Features

To help users find the information they desire more quickly and conveniently, Sogou Search offers the following features:

·                   Query Suggestion:  As the user is typing in the search box, a drop-down list will appear under the search box, offering dynamic predictions and recommendations of search queries based on the words that the user is typing. Users can select the desired search query from the drop-down list to avoid typing in additional characters.

·                   Query Correction:   Many search queries contain errors. Erroneous search queries often produce fewer and/or inaccurate or less relevant search results, thereby adversely affecting the user experience. Our query correction identifies and corrects apparent errors in search queries to help deliver a high-quality search experience.

·                   Rich Search Snippets:   Rich search snippets displayed on search result pages present content from webpages in the form of structured data to help users better understand the content and find the desired information directly in the snippet. For example, when a user searches a restaurant, our search engine will return structured data such as the address of the restaurant and reviews.

·                   Webpage Translation:   Chinese language information accounts for only a small fraction of the information available on the Internet. A tremendous amount of high-quality information, such as academic publications, is in English. To allow Chinese users to read English webpages, Sogou Search applies our machine translation technology to translate the content of English-language webpages into Chinese with just one click.

·                   Search Result Recommendations:   Using big data analytics and sophisticated algorithms, we recommend relevant and interesting products and services to users based on search queries and display the recommendations on search result pages.

Key Mobile Search Features

Given the growing use of mobile devices, we have developed additional features that are optimal for mobile search to enhance user experience, such as:

·                   Direct Answers:  Within the limited screen space on mobile devices, we offer direct and easy-to-read answers and recommendations in response to queries submitted by users in question form.

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·                   Multi-modal inputs:  In addition to inputting search queries by typing, users can input queries by voice and image. For example, users can upload an image of an item to search for where to buy it. Such input options give users a convenient and interactive mobile search experience.

·                   Audio response:  In response to search queries submitted through voice input, we can provide answers through audio response.

·                   Local services information:  We have integrated a wide range of third-party vertical services, such as travel information from Ctrip, into our general search to build a comprehensive service system that fully and accurately meets users’ search needs in verticals such as entertainment, sports, and travel.

·                   Newsfeeds:  On the Sogou Search homepage, we display personalized newsfeeds containing up-to-the-minute information and content tailored to users’ interests. Users can also subscribe to newsfeeds on certain topics to ensure that they receive real-time updates on such topics.

Vertical Search Services

We strive to offer differentiated content in our search products and services in order to improve our search results and provide an enhanced search experience for our users. Through collaborations with industry-leading content providers, we offer the following vertical search services:

·                   Sogou Weixin Search:  Weixin/WeChat is China’s largest mobile community. With over 20 million accounts covering a wide range of topics, Weixin Official Accounts have become a key information platform for Chinese users. Sogou Weixin Search is the sole general search engine with access to search all content published on Weixin Official Accounts.

·                   Sogou Wise Doctor:  A large number of online searches in China relates to healthcare. Sogou Wise Doctor provides authoritative healthcare information through collaboration with third-party healthcare information platforms.

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·                   Sogou English:  Supported by the technology of Microsoft’s Bing, Sogou English is our cross-language search service that enables Chinese users to discover English content on the Internet by querying in Chinese and reading content that we have translated into Chinese.

·                   Sogou Zhihu:  Zhihu is the leading online knowledge-sharing platform in China, according to iResearch. Through our collaboration with Zhihu, Zhihu exclusively pushes key content to us in real time, allowing us to index Zhihu content rapidly and comprehensively.

·                   Sogou Encyclopedia:  Sogou Encyclopedia is an Internet-based encyclopedia compiled by netizens, offering search, browsing, editing, and other services to help users obtain information. It integrates rich forms of content, such as texts, audio, images, and videos.

·                   Sogou Ask:  Sogou Ask is a platform open to the general public for Q&A. Users ask each other questions and help other users solve problems. Sogou Ask also connects users with professionals.

·                   Sogou Image Search:  Sogou Image Search allows users to search for images by entering text, and provides users with advanced search capabilities to filter search results of images by color, file formats, and file sizes. Users can also upload an image or enter an image URL to search for an image’s source or search for similar images on the Internet. Sogou Image Search can automatically recognize certain elements embedded in online images and search for similar elements in its image library.

·                   Sogou Shopping Search:  Sogou Shopping Search collects product data from e-commerce platforms in China. Users can search for products by entering the product brand, category, or model and can view product specifications and price. Sogou Shopping Search also provides users with real-time product comparisons based on price, sales volume, reviews, and shipping information to help users make better purchasing decisions.

·                   Sogou Video Search:  We collect the metadata of videos from multiple Chinese video platforms to allow users to search from a large collection of online videos by title, actor, or genre and to filter search results by length, upload date, or source.

·                   Sogou News Search:  Sogou News Search allows users to search for the most up-to-date news by aggregating news from various online news portals.

Sogou Input Method

The Chinese language is a logographic language, while traditional keyboards are designed for alphabetic languages. Due to the complexities of inputting Chinese characters using alphabetic keyboards, Chinese language input software allows users to input Chinese using alphabetical letters based on the Chinese pronunciation and select the correct Chinese character from a list of Chinese characters with the same pronunciation.

We launched Sogou Input Method, the first cloud-based Chinese language input software, in 2006. Sogou Input Method has become an indispensable Chinese language input software tool for PC and mobile users. Sogou Input Method had achieved a penetration rate of 98% among PC Internet users in China in December 2017, according to iResearch. It was the second most widely used PC software in China by DAU and the number one Chinese language input software for PC users in terms of MAU in December 2017, according to iResearch, with 242 million PC MAU. Sogou Mobile Keyboard, the mobile application of Sogou Input Method, had achieved a penetration rate of over 70% among mobile users of third-party Chinese language input applications in December 2017, according to iResearch. It was the third most widely used mobile application in China by DAU and the number one Chinese language input application for mobile users in terms of MAU in December 2017, according to iResearch, with 451 million mobile MAU. Sogou Mobile Keyboard is the default Chinese input method for many Chinese mobile device brands, including Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi. In order to meet the evolving needs of input method on mobile devices, in addition to text input, Sogou Mobile Keyboard allows users to input through voice, image, and handwriting, and has other capabilities such as language translation and direct search. Sogou Mobile Keyboard possesses a large library of language data, and in the fourth quarter of 2017 processed an average of over 90 billion Chinese character inputs, over 230 million voice inputs, and millions of text scanning and translation requests per day.

The diagrams below illustrate how Sogou Mobile Keyboard has made Chinese language input easy and efficient for mobile users.

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In addition to making input easy and fast for users, Sogou Input Method has a comprehensive library of the latest colloquialisms, emojis, emoticons, and other multimedia resources, enabling user expression to be more rich, natural, and lively. It also has a collection of over 170,000 graphical skins. Sogou Input Method also provides tools for users to create their own expressions and video clips to further enhance the communication experience.

Sogou Input Method has embedded functions such as SmartShare, SmartCorrect, and SmartReply. Our SmartShare function (depicted below) allows users to search and conveniently share their search results while chatting in social platforms such as Weixin/WeChat. SmartShare can also predict user intent based on what they are typing to make intelligent recommendations of content, such as videos, that can be shared with other users while chatting.

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Additionally, SmartCorrect automatically corrects typing errors, while SmartReply formulates automatic replies by analyzing chatting context in order to make communication more efficient.

Due to our rich content offering and practical features and functionality, Sogou Input Method has become the dominant Chinese language input software across a wide variety of Internet use cases, such as social media, news, entertainment, shopping, travel, and financial services. We are able to leverage the massive data that our users have generated through Sogou Input Method to more accurately and rapidly predict user intent, which enables us to continually enhance our existing products and services and innovate and develop new products and services.

Other Products

Sogou Browser

Sogou Browser is designed to make Web navigation fast and easy. We continually upgrade the browser to expand functionality from a browsing tool to a content distribution platform for an enriched user experience. Based on users’ browsing habits and history, and leveraging our big data capabilities, we provide personalized recommendations of content and vertical services for users.

Sogou Web Directory

Sogou Web Directory, a content aggregation and distribution platform, is a one-stop shop for navigation of the Chinese Web. The news aggregation service in Sogou Web Directory helps users quickly obtain access to the latest news and information. The video content aggregation service compiles comprehensive online video resources, allowing users to find and watch movies, TV shows, music videos, animations, and video clips related to their interests. The shopping assistant service provides users with diverse online shopping recommendations.

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Sogou Map

Sogou Map provides Internet-based map and navigation services across PCs, mobile devices, and smart wearables. In addition to point-to-point navigation on static road networks, Sogou Map also provides users with dynamic traffic information to significantly increase the accuracy of estimated time of arrival (ETA). Sogou Map provides traffic congestion information in real-time and provides route optimization recommendations through multiple dimensions, such as distance and travel time. Sogou Map has established a massive global Wi-Fi and base station database for positioning calculation and constantly optimizes positioning accuracy by using neural network models. In addition, Sogou Map has been pre-installed in third-party mobile devices and smart wearables, including Google’s Android Wear smart watch for the Chinese market.

Sogou Smart Driving Assistant

Sogou Smart Driving Assistant is an application that provides full voice-enabled in-vehicle services, allowing the driver to interact with the system using natural language to accomplish various tasks such as setting destinations for GPS navigation and checking traffic and weather conditions. Our driving assistant application has been built into in-vehicle assistant systems for industry partners such as automakers and map service providers.

Sogou Mobile Assistant

Sogou Mobile Assistant provides users with access to a large selection of mobile applications and online mobile games, which are authenticated by us in order to ensure the safety of the content for users’ phones. Using big data and AI technologies, we have built an intelligent recommendation system in Sogou Mobile Assistant to help users find mobile applications related to their interests. Sogou Mobile Assistant also optimizes phone performance by clearing cache and junk files, cleaning phone memory, and preserving phone battery life.

Sogou Game Center

Sogou Game Center, our gaming platform, offers Web and mobile games developed by third parties.

Sogou Translation

Sogou Translation incorporates neural machine translation technology and massive corpus to deliver language translation. It is web-based and also available as a mobile application. In addition to written text translation, the Sogou Translation mobile application, incorporating voice recognition and OCR technologies, can translate voice and textual image inputs.

Sogou Reading

Sogou Reading provides users with access to online literature and is available on the Web and as a mobile application. We have access to a wealth of copyrighted literary works through our collaboration with third-party online reading platforms, including China Literature, a leading online literature platform in China.

Smart Hardware

Teemo Watch

In 2014, we launched Teemo Watch, our self-developed smart watch for children that rapidly became one of the leading domestic brands for smart watches, according to IDC.

In July 2017, we launched Teemo Hero Watch, our latest generation of 4G smart watch for children. Teemo Hero Watch offers a dual high-definition camera, which supports two-way HD video calls and HD video sharing. It also integrates our Q&A technology and supports various other AI-powered applications.

We frequently upgrade Teemo Watch features, and offer unique content-based services to differentiate our product from those of competitors. Our value-added content service model has evolved from story-pushing in our early days to now offering Teemo news, bedtime stories, “know-ahead-of-time,” headlines, FM radio, photos, cloud-based video storage services, and other value-added services.

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Teemo Home

In September 2017, we launched Teemo Home, a home-based smart device with a video-chat function and smart assistance features through voice technologies.

Other Devices in Development

After three years of developing smart hardware products and our supply chain, we have achieved strong research and development and quality-control capabilities and a wide distribution network, which provides a solid foundation for the development and success of new smart hardware products. In January 2018, we announced the launch in March 2018 of an AI-powered portable translation device, Sogou Travel Translator, as well as a Sogou Smart Translation Recorder and translation software.

Distribution of User Products and Services

We distribute our search and search-related products and services for users organically through our own properties, such as our mobile search application, Sogou Browser, and Sogou Input Method. We also distribute such products and services through third-party platforms such as the Mobile QQ Browser, qq.com, and the PC Web directories daohang.qq.com and hao.qq.com . Additionally, we collaborate with mobile device manufacturers such as Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi, who use Sogou Search as the default general search engine in browsers that are pre-installed on certain phone models.

For our smart hardware products, we have established a nationwide online and offline sales distribution network in China that includes third-party e-commerce platforms and retail stores.

Monetization

We generate revenue primarily from our search and search-related advertising services. Search and search-related advertising services enable advertisers’ promotional links to be displayed on our search result pages and other properties and third parties’ Internet properties where the links are relevant to search queries and such properties. Our large user base and big data capabilities allow us to enhance the effectiveness of our targeted advertising services, thereby strengthening our monetization capabilities.

We also generate revenue from other business by offering Internet value-added services, or IVAS, primarily with respect to our operation of games developed by third parties and provision of online reading services, as well as by offering other products and services, including smart hardware products.

Online Advertising

Search and Search-Related Advertising Products and Services

Search and search-related advertising services consist primarily of auction-based pay-for-click services, for which we charge advertisers on a per click basis when users click on the advertisers’ promotional links displayed on our and third parties’ Internet properties. Revenue generated from our auction-based pay-for-click services accounted for 76.7%, 77.6%, and 83.0%, respectively, of the total revenue derived from our search and search-related advertising services in 2015, 2016, and 2017. The following are the types of advertising products and services that we offer:

·                   Rising Sun Advertising:  A majority of our auction-based pay-for-click advertising services are managed through our Rising Sun system. Advertisers choose and bid on keywords and set other parameters or criteria for when they want their advertisements to be triggered. Advertisers’ promotional links will be ranked and displayed on our search results page according to our system’s computation, which takes into account the keywords, price, and other information that advertisers have entered into the Rising Sun system.

·                   Advertising on Third-Party Internet Properties :  We work with a large number of third-party websites and mobile application providers to provide additional high-quality avenues for our advertisers to market themselves. Under this advertising service, we typically charge our advertisers when users click on the advertisers’ promotional links displayed on such third parties’ Internet properties. The price per click is typically auction based. We share a portion of the revenue with the applicable third parties.

·                   Milky Way Advertising :  Milky Way advertising is an online marketing solution that we offer to advertisers of certain vertical sectors such as online games, e-commerce, financial services, and education. This advertising service provides various advertisement formats, organized and customized according to the advertisers’ industries in order to enhance the effectiveness of their advertisements. Milky Way advertisements usually appear in the center of our search result pages. We charge advertisers on an auction-based pay-for-click basis.

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·                   Web Directory Advertising:  We also offer advertising space on Sogou Web Directory. We charge advertisers based on the duration of the placement of their advertisements or on a per-click basis.

·                   Brand Advertising :  Our brand advertising services primarily consist of Special Brand Zone, where advertisements are displayed in a prominent designated space on our search result pages; Brand Start Line, where advertisements appear in Sogou Input Method and on our search result pages; and Brand Landmark, where advertisements appear on the right side of our search result pages on PCs. Advertisers pay for such services based on the duration of the placement of their advertisements on our search result pages.

Advertisers and Sales Network

Our advertisers consist of small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs, in China; and large domestic Chinese companies and multinational companies, or Key Accounts. Our advertisers are from a broad range of industries, including healthcare, online games, e-commerce, merchant services, and business services.

Most of our advertisers are represented by third-party advertising agencies. We generally require the agencies representing SMEs to pre-pay for our advertising services, but we offer them discounts to incentivize their marketing efforts. For agencies representing Key Accounts, we ask for pre-payment on a case-by-case basis and offer discounts depending on the industry practice, the account, and our marketing goals at the time.

Other Monetization Models

Games

We operate third-party games on Sogou Game Center and Sogou Mobile Assistant. We generate revenue by charging players for virtual items that they purchase in such games, and share a portion of the revenue with the game developers. We also operate third-party web-based games on third-party online game platforms. These platforms charge players directly for virtual items and share a portion of the revenue with us.

Sogou Reading

Under our agreements with third-party online reading platforms that provide us access to a wealth of copyrighted literary works, users pay us to read certain copyrighted literary works on Sogou Reading, and we share a percentage of that payment with the third-party platforms.

Smart Hardware

We generate revenue from sales of Teemo Watch and Teemo Home. We have established a nationwide online and offline distribution network in China that includes third-party e-commerce platforms and retail stores.

Technology

Search and Other Technologies

Search Technology

Our search technologies consist primarily of the following:

·                   Large-scale system (cluster, storage, distributed computation, and index):  With large-scale cluster management capabilities, our cluster reaches over 10,000 servers and supports massive petabyte-level distributed data storage, 100 terabytes of daily data increments, and hundreds of thousands of computational analysis tasks. Leveraging our large-scale system, we can access, store, and index information on the Chinese Internet and serve hundreds of millions of page views per day.

·                   Webpage crawling, page analysis, and link analysis:  Our intelligent and efficient distributed crawling system can crawl and index the Chinese Internet. It also allows us to index new Internet content within a few minutes after it is generated, and update all indexes in a few weeks. By adopting big data and AI technologies, our page quality analysis algorithm can identify junk and spam and other low-quality webpages. In addition, we can evaluate the authority of webpages using link analysis technology in order to enhance the authenticity of search results.

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·                   Open data platform:  Through input from website developers and owners, our open data platform allows certain previously unsearchable information on the Web to be picked up by our search engine, thereby providing users with additional sources of information and generating more valuable traffic for these websites.

·                   Information extraction:  Information extraction can accurately analyze the content, structures, and styles of webpages and then extract structured and unstructured data from them, including text, links, images, and other multimedia material.  Besides the static content, our information extraction technology can also quickly and accurately access and analyze the dynamic content of webpages through large-scale webpage rendering technology.

·                   Natural language processing:  Our natural language processing technology applies computational linguistics, machine learning, data mining, and other algorithms to process, analyze, and understand natural language text, especially in users’ search queries and webpage content. Our natural language processing technology includes word segmentation, part-of-speech tagging, name entity recognition, entity linking, syntax and semantic analysis, sentiment analysis, and text generation. In search scenarios, natural language processing can enhance the understanding of user queries and webpages, such as query classification, webpage classification, topic modeling, and semantic matching, and consequently, improve user satisfaction of search results. For Q&A, natural language processing helps us to understand user questions submitted in natural language and to extract concise answers from webpages.

·                   Search ranking:  We rank search results according to our evaluation of how relevant and useful they are to a user’s query. Many factors are considered, such as matches between queries and webpages and freshness. Machine learning algorithms are employed to integrate these factors to return a list of search results.

Question Answering

Our question answering, or Q&A, technology finds answers to questions posed in natural language. Instead of limiting their search queries to keywords, users can search using natural language, and in response, get direct answers in addition to a list of Web links. Since Q&A technology improves the efficiency of user access to information, we believe Q&A is an increasingly prevalent form of search.

For factoid questions, we use knowledge graph as a data source and exploit semantic parsing, deep learning, and inference technologies to generate answers. Our knowledge graph is a knowledge base that expresses and stores facts about the world in the form of entities and their relationships. We build our knowledge graph by extracting semi-structured and unstructured data from Web information and classifying such data into different entities and relationships.

For more complex natural language questions, we have developed deep Q&A technology, which applies advanced natural language processing, information extraction, information retrieval, and machine learning algorithms to understand and directly answer questions.

Our Q&A technology has been incorporated in various smart hardware, such as our AI robot, Wangzai, which was the first robot to defeat human competitors in the popular Chinese TV quiz show “Who’s still standing?”

Artificial Intelligence

We are at the forefront of AI development with a clear roadmap for future developments. Our strong AI capabilities center around natural interaction and knowledge computing. Through voice recognition and synthesis, image recognition, semantic understanding, machine translation, and other technologies, our AI has achieved a more natural interaction between human and machine. The goal of our AI development and investment is to identify different use cases and bring effortless and human-like solutions to users in those cases. In 2017, we rolled out Sogou Smart Driving Assistant, a voice-enabled interactive driving assistant application that integrates Sogou Map, voice recognition, and semantic understanding technology.

Below are further details on our key AI technologies:

·                   Voice recognition:  Voice recognition is the core technology enabling human-machine voice interaction. We have advanced voice recognition technology that achieves a 97% accuracy rate. Users have generated a vast amount of voice data that reinforces our voice recognition capabilities to make voice recognition more accurate. In the fourth quarter of 2017 we had, on average, over 230 million voice inputs through Sogou Mobile Keyboard per day.

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·                   Image recognition:  Image recognition is the core technology enabling vision-based human-machine interaction. Through deep learning and massive data generated from our core products, we have developed capabilities in handwriting recognition, OCR, image search, and facial recognition.

·                   Semantic understanding :  Semantic understanding is the key in human-machine interaction. With natural language processing and dialogue modeling techniques, we enable machines to understand the intentions in users’ text, voice, and image inputs.

·                   Machine translation:  We have developed advanced machine translation technology. We were the global champion in the 2017 WMT (Workshop on Machine Translation) Chinese-to-English translation competition. We successfully applied deep neural network technology to optimize and commercialize real-time machine translation technology, with the ability to simultaneously recognize voice and translate Chinese into English.

·                   Knowledge computing:  Knowledge computing refers to a series of technologies that includes the representation, storage, retrieval, and reasoning of knowledge. By extracting and mining information on the Internet, we are able to build a Chinese knowledge graph that helps answer factoid questions. Moreover, leveraging search, natural language understanding, data mining, machine learning, and many other technologies, we have developed deep Q&A technology to answer complex natural language questions from users.

Our key AI technologies are integrated in our proprietary natural interaction interface Zhiyin OS and our knowledge computing platform Deep Intelligence Engine, both of which can be applied in home, in-vehicle, and work environments.

·                   Zhiyin OS:  Zhiyin OS is our voice-enabled conversational human-machine interface that leverages our voice recognition and synthesis and semantic understanding capabilities. Smart hardware with Zhiyin OS enables users to perform tasks, such as turning on lights and appliances, searching for information, and asking questions in a natural, conversational way.

·                   Deep Intelligence Engine:  Deep Intelligence Engine is our knowledge computing platform that combines a variety of our knowledge computing technologies with natural language processing at the core, including Q&A, conversation, machine translation, smart customer service, and knowledge graph. This platform provides technological support for our and our partners’ products and services.

Additionally, in April 2016, we made a donation to Tsinghua University and jointly established with them the Tiangong Research Institute for Intelligent Computing, which is dedicated to research and development in the field of AI. In July 2017, we launched a cloud-based platform to allow mobile Internet developers to use our voice recognition, OCR, natural language processing, Q&A, and machine translation technologies. Such platform has allowed us to promote the integration of our AI technologies into different products across various industries.

Big Data Capabilities

Users have generated a vast amount of data across a wide variety of use cases. Our big data capabilities include:

·                   Data integration and management:  We research and develop a multi-level and highly-reliable data access system and data warehouse to address the technological challenges in data acquisition, data preprocessing, and distributed storage of massive heterogeneous data; and to address real-time streaming data access and processing, as well as data security management.

·                   Data mining and analytics:  We continue to build and strengthen our user profile label system from massive data mined from multiple platforms (PC and mobile) and multiple scenarios (search, browser and other client products) that allows such information to be effectively used under different application scenarios. Our user profile system allows for sorting based on, among other things, basic attributes labels (e.g., age, location, device), general interest preference labels (e.g. news), and specific interest labels (e.g. hobbies, sports, travel). These labels can be applied to targeted advertising and personalized content recommendations.

·                   Data application and services:  We continue to improve and innovate our existing products by leveraging our big data capabilities. We also develop a variety of data analysis products for individuals and business customers, such as marketing analytics products for advertisers.

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Intellectual Property

We regard our patents, copyrights, service marks, trademarks, trade secrets, and other intellectual properties as critical to our success. We rely on patents, trademarks, and copyrights; trade secret protection; and non-competition, confidentiality, and license agreements with our employees, customers, partners, and others to protect our intellectual property rights. Before we launch any new products or services, we apply for registration of related patents, trademarks, and software copyrights. Despite our precautions, it may be possible for third parties to obtain and use our intellectual properties without authorization. Furthermore, the validity, enforceability, and scope of protection of intellectual property rights in Internet-related industries are uncertain and still evolving. The laws of the PRC do not protect intellectual properties to the same extent as do the laws of the United States.

As of December 31, 2017, we have been issued 781 patents in China and 25 patents in countries and regions outside of China covering inventions, utility models, and designs; we have 878 patent applications currently pending in China and 93 patent applications currently pending in countries and regions outside of China; we have submitted 59 international patent applications through the procedures under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, or PCT; and we intend to apply for more patents to protect our core technologies and intellectual properties. As of December 31, 2017, we have registered 381 trademarks with the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce in China, including our company’s name “Sogou,” Sogou logos, trademarks relating to our products such as Sogou Input Method, Sogou Map and Teemo, and their corresponding Chinese version marks; and we are in the process of applying for the registration of 364 other trademarks. In addition, as of December 31, 2017, we are in the process of applying for recognition of certain of our marks as famous Beijing trademarks and well-known Chinese trademarks. We also have registered trademarks in various countries and regions, such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, and we are in the process of applying for the registration of trademarks in the United States, Australia, and the European Union. As of December 31, 2017, we are the registered owner of 154 software copyrights in China, each of which we have registered with the State Copyright Bureau of China. As of December 31, 2017, we own the rights to 151 domain names that we use in connection with the operation of our business, including our Sogou website sogou.com.

Many parties are actively developing search and AI technologies. We expect these parties to continue to take steps to protect these technologies, including seeking patent protection. There may be patents issued or pending that are held by others and cover significant parts of our technology, business methods, or services. We cannot be certain that our products do not or will not infringe valid patents, copyrights, and other intellectual property rights held by third parties. We may be subject from time to time to legal proceedings and claims relating to the intellectual property of others in the ordinary course of our business. See “—Legal Proceedings”; and “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—We are currently subject to, and in the future may from time to time face, intellectual property infringement claims, which could be time-consuming and costly to defend, and could have an adverse impact our financial position and results of operations, particularly if we are required to pay significant damages or cease offering any of our products or curtail any key features of our products.”

We have licensed 280 patents from Tencent and intend to continue to license technology from Tencent and other third parties. The market is evolving and we may need to license additional technologies to remain competitive. We may not be able to license these technologies on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. In addition, we may fail to successfully integrate any licensed technology into our services. Our inability to obtain or integrate any of these licenses could delay product and service development until alternative technologies can be identified, licensed, and integrated.

Technology Infrastructure

We have built what we believe is a reliable and secure network infrastructure that will fully support our operations. As of December 31, 2017, we owned approximately 31,000 servers located in seven Internet data centers in China. We have also obtained what we believe is a sufficient amount of connectivity bandwidth to meet the current and anticipated needs of our operations, and have established a large-scale GPU service cluster to provide computing power for our AI technologies.

As of December 31, 2017, we had 51 technical support employees to maintain our current technology infrastructure and develop new software features to further enhance the functionality of our management and security systems. We monitor the operation of our server network 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our remote control system allows us to discover and fix problems in the operation of hardware and software in our server network in a timely fashion.

Marketing

We focus on delivering superior user experience through better products and services, which we believe can expand our user base and enhance our brand. Since inception, our user base has grown primarily through word-of-mouth referrals; thus, we have built our brand with modest marketing costs.

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While we have significantly benefited from the effects of word-of-mouth marketing, we have in recent years initiated, and plan to continue, marketing campaigns designed to further promote our brand, products, and technologies. For example, in 2017 we initiated a themed marketing campaign focused on Sogou mobile search, with outdoor advertisements and a marketing summit attracting many industry partners, to demonstrate our branding and business strengths. Since February 2017, our AI robot “Wangzai” has been participating in a well-known Chinese TV quiz show, which has showcased our AI capabilities in machine-based interactive Q&A. At the fourth World Internet Conference held in China in December 2017, we used voice synthesis technology to simultaneously broadcast translated text in the simulated voice of the speaker, which turned simultaneous machine interpretation into a reality.

Competition

Our business consists primarily of search and search-related services. We face intense competition in these areas primarily from Baidu and ShenMa. We also face competition for both users and advertisers from websites that provide specialized search services in China, including travel services and information platforms such as Ctrip and Qunar; group-buy platforms such as Meituan Dianping; online classified advertisement platforms such as 58.com; and newsfeeds such as Toutiao. We compete for advertisers not only with Internet companies, but also with other types of advertising media such as newspapers and magazines, billboards and bus advertisements, television, and radio.

Our existing and potential competitors compete with us for users and advertisers on the basis of the quality and quantity of search results; the features, availability, and ease of use of products and services; and the number and quality of advertising distribution channels. They also compete with us for talent with technological expertise, which is critical to the sustained development of our products and services.

Employees

We had 2,081, 2,101, and 2,295 employees as of December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively. We also employ independent contractors to support our research and development, product development, sales and marketing departments, and had approximately 413 independent contractors on average during the 2017 fiscal year. As of December 31, 2017, 43% of our employees held Master’s degrees or Ph.D.s, and 71% of our employees worked in the research and development department. None of our employees is represented under collective bargaining agreements. The table below sets forth the number of our employees in each functional area as of December 31, 2017.

We have entered into standard employment agreements with our employees, including our executive officers. These agreements may be terminated by either party, and a terminated employee may be entitled to certain severance benefits upon termination, pursuant to the Labor Contract Law of the PRC. Under the Labor Contract Law, we must pay severance to all employees who are Chinese nationals and who are terminated without cause or terminate their employment with us for good reason, or whose employment agreements expire and we do not continue their employment. The severance benefits required to be paid under the Labor Contract Law equal the average monthly compensation paid to the terminated employee (including any bonuses or other payments made in the twelve months prior to the employee’s termination) multiplied by the number of years the employee has been employed with us, plus an additional month’s salary if 30 days’ prior notice of such termination is not given. However, if the average monthly compensation to be received by the terminated employee exceeds three times the average monthly salary in the employee’s local area as determined and published by the local government, such average monthly compensation is capped at three times the average monthly salary in the employee’s local area.

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In addition, our employees have entered into standard confidentiality and non-competition agreements with us. Under the confidentiality agreements, the employees agree not to disclose or otherwise use our confidential information while employed and indefinitely thereafter. Under the non-competition agreements the employees agree not to compete with us during and up to 24 months after the termination of employment with us as long as we pay additional compensation during the non-competition period. The non-competition agreements also provide that the employees’ work product is assigned to us.

We believe the dedication and talent of our employees are critical for our business, and retention of employees is our priority. As part of our retention strategy, we are committed to offering employees an attractive opportunity to work with us as a leading and reputable technology company, providing many opportunities for employees to participate in the development of our new technologies and products, and offering employees competitive salaries and performance-based cash bonuses and equity incentives.

Facilities

We currently lease from Sohu, on an arms-length basis, approximately 18,228 square meters of office space at Sohu.com Internet Plaza in Beijing, China under a lease that expires on December 31, 2019 and may be renewed subject to terms agreed to by Sohu and us. In addition to the office space leased from Sohu, we lease a total of approximately 9,319 square meters of office space in Beijing, Chengdu, and Tianjin, China from other third parties.

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Foreign Direct Investment in Value-Added Telecommunications Companies

Various PRC regulations currently restrict foreign-invested entities from engaging in value-added telecommunication services, including providing Internet information services and operating online games. Foreign direct investment in telecommunications companies in China is regulated by the Regulations for the Administration of Foreign-Invested Telecommunications Enterprises , or the FITE Regulations, which were issued by the PRC State Council, or State Council, on December 11, 2001, became effective on January 1, 2002 and were amended on September 10, 2008 and February 6, 2016, respectively. The FITE Regulations stipulate that foreign invested telecommunications enterprises in the PRC (“FITEs”) must be established as Sino-foreign equity joint ventures. Under the FITE Regulations and in accordance with WTO-related agreements, the foreign party to a FITE engaging in value-added telecommunications services may hold up to 50% of the equity of the FITE, with no geographic restrictions on the FITE’s operations. On June 30, 2016, the MIIT issued an Announcement of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Issues concerning the Provision of Telecommunication Services in Mainland China by Service Providers from Hong Kong and Macau , or the MIIT Announcement, which provides that investors from Hong Kong and Macau may hold more than 50% of the equity in FITEs engaging in certain specified categories of value-added telecommunications services.

For a FITE to acquire any equity interest in a value-added telecommunications business in China, it must satisfy a number of stringent performance and operational experience requirements, including demonstrating a track record and experience in operating a value-added telecommunications business overseas. FITEs that meet these requirements must obtain approvals from the MIIT and the MOFCOM or their authorized local branches, which retain considerable discretion in granting approvals.

On July 13, 2006, the MIIT issued the Notice of the Ministry of Information Industry on Intensifying the Administration of Foreign Investment in Value-added Telecommunications Services, or the MIIT Notice, which reiterates certain provisions of the FITE Regulations. Under the MIIT Notice, if a FITE intends to invest in a PRC value-added telecommunications business, the FITE must be established and must apply for a telecommunications business license applicable to the business. Under the MIIT Notice, a domestic company that holds a license for the provision of Internet information services, or an ICP license, is considered to be a type of value-added telecommunications business in China, and is prohibited from leasing, transferring or selling the license to foreign investors in any form, and from providing any assistance, including providing resources, sites or facilities, to foreign investors to conduct value-added telecommunications businesses illegally in China. Trademarks and domain names that are used in the provision of Internet content services must be owned by the ICP license holder or its shareholders. The MIIT Notice requires each ICP license holder to have appropriate facilities for its approved business operations and to maintain such facilities in the regions covered by its license. Our VIEs, rather than our subsidiaries, hold ICP licenses, own our domain names, and hold or have applied for registration in the PRC of trademarks related to our business and own and maintain facilities that we believe are appropriate for our business operations.

In view of these restrictions on foreign direct investment in the value-added telecommunications sector, we established domestic VIEs to engage in value-added telecommunications services. For a detailed discussion of our VIEs, please refer to “Our History and Corporate Structure” above. Due to a lack of interpretative materials from the relevant PRC governmental authorities, there are uncertainties regarding whether PRC governmental authorities would consider our corporate structure and contractual arrangements to constitute foreign ownership of a value-added telecommunications business. See “Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure.” In order to comply with PRC regulatory requirements, we operate a portion of our business through our VIEs, with which we have contractual relationships but in which we do not have an actual ownership interest. If our current ownership structure is found to be in violation of current or future PRC laws, rules or regulations regarding the legality of foreign investment in the PRC Internet sector, we could be subject to severe penalties.

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Provision of Internet Content

Internet Information Services

On September 25, 2000, the State Council issued the Measures for the Administration of Internet Information Services, or the ICP Measures. Under the ICP Measures, entities that provide information to online users on the Internet, or ICPs, are obliged to obtain an operating license from the MIIT or its local branch at the provincial or municipal level in accordance with the Telecom Regulations described above.

The ICP Measures further stipulate that entities providing online information services regarding news, publishing, education, medicine, health, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment must procure the consent of the national authorities responsible for such areas prior to applying for an operating license from the MIIT or its local branch at the provincial or municipal level. Moreover, ICPs must display their operating license numbers in conspicuous locations on their home pages. ICPs are required to police their Internet platforms and remove certain prohibited content. Many of these requirements mirror Internet content restrictions that have been announced previously by PRC ministries, such as the MIIT, the MOC, and the SAPPRFT, that derive their authority from the State Council.

On October 25, 2017, the Beijing Telecom Administration, or the BTA, issued to Sogou Information a renewed Telecommunications and Information Services Operating License, or ICP license. The ICP license is subject to annual inspection.

In 2000, the MIIT promulgated the Internet Electronic Bulletin Service Administrative Measures, or the BBS Measures. The BBS Measures required ICPs to obtain specific approvals before they provided BBS services, which included electronic bulletin boards, electronic forums, message boards and chat rooms. On September 23, 2014, the MIIT abolished the BBS Measures in a Decision on Abolishment and Amendment Certain Regulations and Rules . However, in practice certain local authorities still require operating companies to obtain approvals or make filings for the operation of BBS services. The ICP license held by Sogou Information includes such specific approval of the BBS services that we provide.

Online News Search Services

On May 2, 2017, the Administrative Regulations for Internet News Information Services, or the News Regulations, were promulgated by the Cyberspace Administration of China to replace the previous Administrative Regulations for Internet News Information Services, or the Old News Regulations, issued by the SCIO and the MIIT on September 25, 2005, pursuant to which Internet news information services include services of collecting, editing, and releasing Internet news information, reposting such news information, and providing a platform to spread such news information. On May 22, 2017, the Detailed Implementing Rules of Administration of Internet News Information Services Approval , or the Detailed Implementing Rules, were promulgated by the Cyberspace Administration of China, effective on June 1, 2017. The News Regulations and the Detailed Implementing Rules require the general Websites of non-news organizations to apply to the SCIO at the national level for approval after securing the consent of the SCIO at the provincial level before they commence providing news dissemination services. There is uncertainty as to whether the provision of news search services and aggregation of news links fit within the definition of news dissemination services. Sogou Information is currently in the process of applying for an online news service license.

Internet Publishing

On February 4, 2016, the SAPPRFT and MIIT jointly issued the Rules for the Administration for Internet Publishing Services, or the Internet Publishing Rules, which took effect on March 10, 2016, to replace the Provisional Rules for the Administration for Internet Publishing that had been jointly issued by the SAPPRFT and the MIIT on June 27, 2002. The Internet Publishing Rules define “Internet publications” as digital works that are edited, produced, or processed to be published and provided to the public through the Internet, including (a) original digital works, such as pictures, maps, games, and comics; (b) digital works with content that is consistent with the type of content that, prior to the Internet age, typically was published in media such as books, newspapers, periodicals, audio-visual products, and electronic publications; (c) digital works in the form of online databases compiled by selecting, arranging, and compiling other types of digital works; and (d) other types of digital works identified by the SAPPRFT. Under the Internet Publishing Rules, Internet operators distributing such Internet publications via information network are required to apply for an Internet publishing license with the relevant governmental authorities and submit the application, if approved, to the SAPPRFT for approval before distributing Internet publications. Sogou Information plans to apply for an Internet publishing license.

Internet Audio-visual Program Services

On December 20, 2007, the SAPPRFT and MIIT jointly issued the Administrative Provisions for the Internet Audio-Video Program Service , or the Audio-visual Program Provisions, which came into effect on January 31, 2008 and was amended on August 28, 2015. The Audio-visual Program Provisions define “Internet audio-visual programs services” as the production, edition and integration of audio-video programs, the supply of audio-video programs to the public via the Internet, and the provision of upload and audio-video programs transmission services to a third party. Entities engaging in Internet audio-visual programs services must obtain an internet audio-visual program transmission license, which will only be issued to state-owned or state-controlled entities unless the license applicant has obtained an Internet audio-visual program transmission license prior to the promulgation of the Audio-visual Program Provisions in accordance with the then-in-effect laws and regulations. According to the Categories of the Internet Audio-Video Program Services promulgated by SAPPRFT on March 10, 2017, “aggregation of Internet audio-visual programs”, which means “editing and arranging the Internet audio-visual programs on the same website and providing searching and watching services to public users”, falls into the definition of the aforementioned “Internet audio-visual programs services.” Sogou information is currently in the process of negotiating with an entity that had obtained an Internet audio-visual program transmission license in order to acquire all of the equity interests in such entity.

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Online Cultural Products

On May 10, 2003, the MOC issued the Provisional Regulations for the Administration of Online Culture , or the Online Culture Regulations, which took effect on July 1, 2003 and were amended on July 1, 2004. On February 17, 2011, the MOC issued the new Provisional Regulations for the Administration of Online Culture, or the New Online Culture Regulations, which took effect on April 1, 2011, to replace the previous regulations. The New Online Culture Regulations apply to entities engaging in activities related to “Internet cultural products,” which include those cultural products that are produced specially for Internet use, such as online music and entertainment, online games, online plays, online performances, online works of art and Web animations, and those cultural products that, through technical means, produce or reproduce music, entertainment, games, plays and other art works for Internet dissemination. Pursuant to the New Online Culture Regulations, commercial entities are required to apply to the relevant local branch of the MOC for an Online Culture Operating Permit if they engage in any of the following types of activities:

·                   the production, duplication, importation, release or broadcasting of Internet cultural products;

·                   the dissemination of online cultural products on the Internet or transmission thereof via Internet or mobile phone networks to users’ terminals such as computers, fixed-line or mobile phones, television sets, gaming consoles and Internet surfing service sites such as Internet cafés for the purpose of browsing, using or downloading such products; or

·                   the exhibition or holding of contests related to Internet cultural products.

On July 1, 2016, the MOC issued a Notice on Strengthening the Administration of Online Performance , or the Online Performance Notice and on December 2, 2016, issued the Measures of Administration of Online Performance Operating Activities , or Online Performance Measures, which became effective on January 1, 2017. The Online Performance Notice and the Online Performance Measures both stipulate that online performance service providers must obtain an Online Culture Operating Permit and that online performances must not contain any content that is horrific, cruel, violent, vulgar or humiliating in nature, mocks persons with disabilities, includes photographs or video clips that infringe third parties’ privacy or other rights, features animal abuse, or presents characters and other features of online games that have not been registered and approved for publication by applicable PRC governmental authorities.

On November 3, 2017, the MOC issued a renewed Online Culture Operating Permit to Sogou Information authorizing Sogou Information to provide relevant online services.

Mobile Internet Applications Information Services

On June 28, 2016, the CAOC issued the Provisions on the Administration of Mobile Internet Applications Information Services , or the APP Provisions, which became effective on August 1, 2016. Under the APP Provisions, mobile application providers and application store service providers are prohibited from engaging in any activity that may endanger national security, disturb the social order, or infringe the legal rights of third parties, and may not produce, copy, issue or disseminate through mobile applications any content prohibited by laws and regulations. The APP Provisions also require application providers to procure relevant approval to provide services through such applications and require application store service providers to register with local branches of the CAOC within 30 days after they start providing application store services. Sogou information has filed an application for registration with the competent local branch of the CAOC with respect to our provision of application store services.

Internet Map Services

Under the Opinions on Strengthening the Supervision of Internet Map and Geographic Information Services and the Notices on Further Strengthening the Management of Internet Map Services Permit issued on February 25, 2008 and December 23, 2011, respectively, by the State Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geo-information (the “SASMG,” formerly known as the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping) and the Administrative Regulations on Maps issued by the State Council on November 26, 2015, effective on January 1, 2016, any provider of Internet map services must obtain the approval of the SASMG or its local branches and a Surveying and Mapping Qualification Certificate in order to provide such services. In addition, providers of Internet map services must use maps obtained through government-approved channels and display the SASMG approval number, the Surveying and Mapping Qualification Certificate number and the Telecommunications Services Operating License number in conspicuous locations on their Websites.

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On July 1, 2014, the SASMG issued new Administrative Regulations on Surveying and Mapping Qualification Certificate and Classification Standard on Surveying and Mapping Qualification Certificate , or the “SASMG Regulations and Standards,” effective on August 1, 2014, to replace previous regulations issued on February 16, 2004 and March 12, 2009. Under the SASMG Regulations and Standards, there are two types of Surveying and Mapping Qualification certificates that may be issued to providers of Internet map services. A Class A certificate allows a holder to provide (i) map-location services, (ii) geo-information uploading and dimension services, and (iii) geo-information database development services, while a holder of a Class B certificate may only provide the first two types of services.

On July 26, 2016, the SASMG and the Office of the Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs (the “OCLGCA”) jointly issued a Notice on Standardizing the Usage of Maps by Internet Services Providers (the “Maps Usage Notice”), which stipulates that all the Internet service providers must review and use maps in accordance with the PRC Surveying and Mapping Law and Administrative Regulations on Maps . The Maps Usage Notice requires that maps displayed by Internet service providers be obtained through government-approved channels and identify their sources and censor numbers. Internet service providers are prohibited from using maps obtained from unaccredited sources, including foreign Websites. All maps, other than scenic maps, block maps, subway maps and other simple maps, must be reviewed by PRC governmental authorities before they are published, and must not contain any information or content specified as prohibited in the Maps Usage Notice.

On January 1, 2015, Sogou Information obtained a renewed Class A Certificate of Surveying and Mapping Qualification from the SASMG.

Internet Pharmaceuticals Information Dissemination

Under the Measures for the Administration of Internet Pharmaceuticals Information Services (the “Pharmaceuticals Information Services Measures”) issued by the State Food and Drug Administration (“SFDA”) on July 8, 2004, the formal approval of the SFDA or one of its local branches is required before a Website may disseminate information concerning pharmaceuticals.

Under the Pharmaceuticals Information Services Measures, pharmaceutical (including medical equipment) information provided by Websites must be scientific and accurate. Furthermore, medical and pharmaceutical (including medical equipment) advertisements published by such Websites must be reviewed and approved by SFDA and must not exaggerate the efficacy or promote the medical uses of such products.

Sogou Information received renewed SFDA approval on October 31, 2017.

Online Advertising Services

On April 24, 2015, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress enacted the Advertising Law of the People’s Republic of China , or the “New Advertising Law”, effective on September 1, 2015. The New Advertising Law, which was a major overhaul of an advertising law enacted in 1994, increases the potential legal liability of providers of advertising services, and includes provisions intended to strengthen identification of false advertising and the power of governmental authorities. On July 4, 2016, the SAIC issued the Interim Measures of the Administration of Online Advertising (the “SAIC Interim Measures”), effective on September 1, 2016. The New Advertising Law and the SAIC Interim Measures both provide that advertisements posted or published through the Internet may not affect users’ normal usage of a network, and advertisements published in the form of pop-up windows on the Internet must display a “close” sign prominently and ensure one-key closing of the pop-up windows. The SAIC Interim Measures provide that all online advertisements must be marked “Advertisement” so that viewers can easily identify them as such. Moreover, the SAIC Interim Measures treat pay-for-click search results as advertisements that are subject to PRC advertisement laws, and require that pay-for-click search results be conspicuously identified on search result pages as advertisements. The New Advertising Law and SAIC Interim Measures will require us to conduct more stringent examination and monitoring of our advertisers and the content of their advertisements.

On April 13, 2016, the SAIC and sixteen other PRC government agencies jointly issued a Notice of Campaign to Crack Down on Illegal Internet Finance Advertisements and Other Financial Activities in the Name of Investment Management , or the Campaign Notice, pursuant to which a campaign was conducted between April 2016 and January 2017 targeting, among other things, online advertisements for Internet finance and other financial activities posted on online search portals, such as ours, and other portal, financial, real estate, P2P, and investment product sales services Websites. The SAIC issued the Interim Measures for the Administration of Online Advertising, or the SAIC Interim Measures, which became effective on September 1, 2016 and treat pay-for-click search results as advertisements subject to PRC laws governing advertisements, require that pay-for-click search results be conspicuously identified on search result pages as advertisements and subject revenues from such advertisements to a 3% PRC tax that is applied to advertising revenues. In order to comply with these regulations, we have established more stringent standards for selecting advertisers for our pay-for-click services, have turned down certain existing advertisers, and have lowered the percentage that pay-for-click search results represent of results on our search pages,

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Search Services

On August 18, 2009, the MOC issued a Notice on Strengthening and Improving the Content Censorship of Online Music Content , or the MOC Notice, which was abolished by the MOC on August 25, 2016. On October 23, 2015, the MOC issued a Notice on Further Strengthening and Improving the Administration of Content of Online Music , or the MOC Further Notice, which became effective on January 1, 2016. The MOC Notice and the MOC Further Notice provide that providing direct links to online music will constitute engaging in the online music business, and that therefore an Online Culture Operating Permit is required for providing such search services. Sogou Information applied for an Online Culture Operating Permit and received it on December 31, 2010. The permit was renewed on November 3, 2017.

On June 25, 2016, the CAOC issued Measures for the Administration of Online Information Search Services , or the CAOC Interim Measures, which became effective on August 1, 2016. The CAOC Interim Measures, like the SAIC Interim Measures, require that providers of online search services verify the credentials of pay-for-click advertisers, specify a maximum percentage that pay-for-click search results may represent of results on a search page, conspicuously identify pay-for-click search results as such.

Online Games and Cultural Products

In September 2009, the SAPPRFT, together with the National Copyright Administration, and the National Office of Combating Pornography and Illegal Publications jointly issued the Notice on Further Strengthening on the Administration of Pre-examination and Approval of Online Game and the Examination and Approval of Imported Online Game , the SAPPRFT Online Game Notice. The SAPPRFT Online Game Notice states that foreign investors are not permitted to invest in online game operating businesses in the PRC via wholly foreign-owned entities, Sino-foreign equity joint ventures or cooperative joint ventures or to exercise control over or participate in the operation of domestic online game businesses through indirect means, such as other joint venture companies or contractual or technical arrangements. If the VIE structure of Sogou was deemed under the SAPPRFT Online Game Notice to be an “indirect means” for foreign investors to exercise control over or participate in the operation of a domestic online game business, the VIE structure of Sogou might be challenged by the SAPPRFT. We are not aware of any online game companies which use the same or similar VIE contractual arrangements as those Sogou uses having been challenged by the SAPPRFT as using those VIE arrangements as an “indirect means” for foreign investors to exercise control over or participate in the operation of a domestic online game business or having been penalized or ordered to terminate operations since the SAPPRFT Online Game Notice first became effective. However it is unclear whether and how the SAPPRFT Online Game Notice might be interpreted or implemented in the future.

On February 21, 2008, the SAPPRFT issued the Rules for the Administration of Electronic Publications , or the Electronic Publication Rules, which were amended on August 28, 2015. The Electronic Publication Rules regulate the production, publishing and importation of electronic publications in the PRC and outline a licensing system for business operations involving electronic publishing. Under the Electronic Publication Rules and other related regulations issued by the SAPPRFT, online games are classified as a type of electronic publication or Internet publication that may only be provided by a licensed electronic publishing entity with a standard publication code, and establishment of an electronic publishing entity must be approved by the SAPPRFT. Electronic publishing entities are responsible for assuring that the content of electronic publications comply with relevant PRC laws and regulations, and must obtain the approval of the SAPPRFT before publishing foreign electronic publications. The Tentative Measures for Internet Publication Administration , or the Internet Publication Measures, which were jointly promulgated by the SAPPRFT and the MIIT and became effective in 2002, impose a license requirement for any company that intends to engage in Internet publishing, which is defined as any act by an ICP to select, edit and process content or programs and to make such content or programs publicly available on the Internet. As the provision of online games is deemed to be an Internet publication activity, an online game operator must obtain an Internet publishing license and an authorization code for each of its games in operation in order to directly make those games publicly available in the PRC. Although the Internet Publication Measures do not specifically authorize such a practice, an online game operator is generally able to publish its games and obtain authorization codes for those games through third-party licensed electronic publishing entities and register the games with the SAPPRFT as electronic publications. The New Internet Publication Measures issued by the SAPPRFT and the MIIT, which became effective on March 10, 2016 and replaced the Internet Publication Measures, require that entities in the Internet publishing business must apply for an online publication license and obtain approval from the SAPPRFT prior to the publication of new online games. In addition, under the New Internet Publication Measures Sino-foreign joint ventures and foreign-invested entities are not permitted to engage in Internet publication services, and the legal representative of an entity providing Internet publication services may not be a foreigner. As the New Internet Publication Measures are new, the actual implications and reach of this regulation are still uncertain.

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The MOC issued the New Provisional Regulations for the Administration of Online Culture , or the Online Culture Regulations, which took effect on April 1, 2011 and replaced the Provisional Regulations for the Administration of Online Culture . The Online Culture Regulations apply to entities engaging in activities related to “Internet cultural products,” which include cultural products that are produced specifically for Internet use, such as online music and entertainment, online games, online plays, online performances, online works of art and Web animation, and other online cultural products that through technical means, produce or reproduce music, entertainment, games, plays and other art works for Internet dissemination. Under the New Online Culture Regulations, commercial entities are required to apply to the relevant local branch of the MOC for an Online Culture Operating Permit if they engage in the production, duplication, importation, release or broadcasting of Internet cultural products, the dissemination of online cultural products on the Internet or the transmission of such products via Internet or mobile phone networks to user terminals, such as computers, phones, television sets and gaming consoles, or Internet surfing service sites such as Internet cafés; or the holding or exhibition of contests related to Internet cultural products.

The Interim Measures for the Administration of Online Games, or the Online Game Measures, issued by the MOC, which took effect on August 1, 2010, regulate a broad range of activities related to the online games business, including the development, production and operation of online games, the issuance of virtual currencies used for online games, and the provision of virtual currency trading services. The Online Game Measures provide that any entity that is engaged in online game operations must obtain an Online Culture Operating Permit, and require the content of an imported online game to be examined and approved by the MOC prior to the game’s launch and a domestic online game to be filed with the MOC within 30 days after its launch. The Notice of the Ministry of Culture on the Implementation of the Interim Measures for the Administration of Online Games, which was issued by the MOC on July 29, 2010 to implement the Online Game Measures, (i) requires online game operators to protect the interests of online game users and specifies certain terms that must be included in service agreements between online game operators and the users of their online games, (ii) specifies content review of imported online games and filing procedures for domestic online games, (iii) emphasizes the protection of minors playing online games, and (iv) requests online game operators to promote real-name registration by their game users.

The Notice on Strengthening the Approval and Administration of Imported Online Games , or the SAPPRFT Imported Online Game Notice, which was issued by the SAPPRFT and took effect in July 2009, states that the SAPPRFT is the only governmental department authorized by the State Council to approve the importation of online games from offshore copyright owners, and that any enterprise which engages in online game publication and operation services within the PRC must have the game examined and approved by the SAPPRFT and receive from the SAPPRFT an Internet publishing license.

The Notice Regarding Improving and Strengthening the Administration of Online Game Content , or the Online Game Content Notice, issued by the MOC in November 2009, calls for online game operators to improve and adapt their game models by (i) mitigating the predominance of the “upgrade by monster fighting” model, (ii) limiting the use of the “player kill” model (where one player’s character attempts to kill another player’s character), (iii) limiting in-game marriages among game players, and (iv) improving their compliance with legal requirements for the registration of minors and game time-limits.

The Administrative Measures for Content Self-Review by Internet Culture Business Entities , or the Content Self-Review Administrative Measure, which took effect in December 2013, requires Internet culture business entities to review the content of products and services to be provided prior to providing such content and services to the public. The content management system of an Internet culture business entity is required to specify the responsibilities, standards and processes for content review as well as accountability measures, and is required to be filed with the local provincial branch of the MOC.

In January 2014, the SAIC promulgated the Administrative Measures for Online Trading, or the Online Trading Measures, which took effect on March 15, 2014, and replaced the Interim Measures for the Administration of Online Commodities Trading and Relevant Services, issued by the SAIC, which took effect on July 1, 2010. The Online Trading Measures regulate online commodity trading and related activities. The Online Trading Measures require that when selling commodities or providing services to consumers, online operators must comply with all applicable laws with respect to the protection of consumer rights and interests, intellectual property rights of others and the prevention of unfair competition. Information provided with respect to commodities and services provided by online commodity operators or related service operators must be accurate. If they fail to comply with all requirements of the Online Trading Measures, the local branch of the SAIC or other governmental authorities could impose fines or other penalties on them.

Information Security and Censorship

On November 7, 2016, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the PRC Cybersecurity Law, which took effect on June 1, 2017. The PRC Cybersecurity Law applies to the construction, operation, maintenance, and use of networks as well as the supervision and administration of Internet security in the PRC. The PRC Cybersecurity Law defines “networks” as systems that are composed of computers or other information terminals and relevant facilities used for the purpose of collecting, storing, transmitting, exchanging, and processing information in accordance with certain rules and procedures. “Network operators,” who are broadly defined as owners and administrator of networks and network service providers, are subject to various security protection-related obligations including:

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·                   complying with security protection obligations in accordance with tiered requirements with respect to maintenance of the security of Internet systems, which include formulating internal security management rules and developing manuals, appointing personnel who will be responsible for Internet security, adopting technical measures to prevent computer viruses and activities that threaten Internet security, adopting technical measures to monitor and record status of network operations, holding Internet security training events, retaining user logs for at least six months, and adopting measures such as data classification, key data backup, and encryption for the purpose of securing networks from interference, vandalism, or unauthorized visits, and preventing network data from leakage, theft, or tampering;

·                   verifying users’ identities before signing agreements or providing services such as network access, domain name registration, landline telephone or mobile phone access, information publishing, or real-time communication services;

·                   formulating Internet security emergency response plans, timely handling security risks, initiating emergency response plans, taking appropriate remedial measures, and reporting to governmental authorities; and

·                   providing technical assistance and support for public security and national security authorities for the protection of national security and in criminal investigations.

Under the PRC Cybersecurity Law, network service providers must inform users about and report to the relevant governmental authorities any known security defects or bugs, and must provide constant security maintenance services for their products and services. Network products and service providers may not contain or provide malware. Network service providers who do not comply with the PRC Cybersecurity Law may be subject to fines, suspension of their businesses, shutdown of their websites, and revocation of their business licenses.

On May 2, 2017, the Cyberspace Administration issued the Measures for Security Review of Cyber Products and Services (for Trial Implementation), or the Cybersecurity Review Measures, which came into effect on June 1, 2017. Under the Cybersecurity Review Measures, the following cyber products and services will be subject to cybersecurity review:

·                   important cyber products and services purchased by networks, and information systems related to national security; and

·                   the purchase of cyber products and services by operators of critical information infrastructure in key industries and fields, such as public communications and information services, energy, transportation, water resources, finance, public service, and electronic administration, and other critical information infrastructure, that may affect national security.

The Cyberspace Administration is responsible for organizing and implementing cybersecurity reviews, while the competent departments in key industries such as finance, telecommunications, energy, and transport are responsible for organizing and implementing security review of cyber products and services in their respective industries and fields. There are still substantial uncertainties with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the Cybersecurity Review Measures.

Internet content in the PRC is also regulated and restricted from a State security standpoint. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress enacted the Decision Regarding the Safeguarding of Internet Security, or the Decision in 2000, and amended it in August, 2009. The Decision makes it unlawful to: (i) gain improper entry into a computer or system of strategic importance; (ii) disseminate politically disruptive information; (iii) leak State secrets; (iv) spread false commercial information; or (v) infringe intellectual property rights. The Ministry of Public Security has promulgated measures that prohibit the use of the Internet in ways which, among other things, result in a leakage of State secrets or distribution of socially destabilizing content. The Ministry of Public Security has supervision and inspection rights in this regard. If an ICP license holder violates these measures, the PRC government may revoke its ICP license and shut down its Websites.

In May 2004, the MOC issued a Notice Regarding the Strengthening of Online Game Censorship , or the Online Game Notice. The Online Game Notice mandates the establishment of a new committee under the MOC that will screen the content of imported online games. In addition, all imported and domestic online games are required to be filed with the MOC. We have submitted the relevant filing documents to the MOC for the filing of all the games in operation.

In July 2005, the MOC and the MIIT jointly promulgated the Opinions on the Development and Administration of Online Games emphasizing the PRC government’s intent to foster and control the development of the online game industry in the PRC and providing that the MOC will censor online games that “threaten state security,” “disturb the social order,” or contain “obscenity” or “violence.”

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In April 2009, the MOC issued a Public Announcement on Regulating Applications for the Examination of the Content of Imported Online Games , or the Announcement. The Announcement emphasizes that enterprises operating imported online games must have the content of those games examined and approved by the MOC.

Protection of Minors

On April 15, 2007, the MIIT, the SAPPRFT, the Ministry of Education and five other governmental authorities jointly issued a Notice on the Implementation of Online Game Anti-Fatigue System to Protect the Physical and Psychological Health of Minors, or the Anti-Fatigue Notice. Pursuant to the Anti-Fatigue Notice, online game operators are required to install an “anti-fatigue system” that discourages game players from playing games for more than five hours per day. Under the anti-fatigue system, three hours or less of continuous play by minors is considered to be “healthy,” three to five hours to be “fatiguing,” and five hours or more to be “unhealthy.” Game operators are required to reduce the value of in-game benefits to a game player by half if the game player has reached “fatiguing” level, and to zero in the case of “unhealthy” level.

To identify whether a game player is a minor and thus subject to the anti-fatigue system, there was adopted a real-name registration system, which requires online game players to register their real identity information before they play online games and requires us to submit the identity information of game players to the public security authorities for verification. On July 1, 2011, the SAPPRFT, the MIIT, the Ministry of Education and five other governmental authorities issued a Notice on Initializing the verification of Real-name Registration for Anti-Fatigue System on Internet Game s, or the Real-name Registration Notice, which took effect on October 1, 2011, to strengthen the implementation of the anti-fatigue system and real-name registration. The Real-name Registration Notice’s main focus is to prevent minors from using an adult’s ID to play Internet games and, accordingly, the Real-name Registration Notice imposes stringent punishments on online game operators that do not implement the required anti-fatigue and real-name registration measures properly and effectively. The most severe punishment contemplated by the Real-name Registration Notice is to require termination of the operation of the online game if the game is found to be in violation of the Anti-Fatigue Notice, the Monitor System Circular or the Real-name Registration Notice. We developed our own anti-fatigue and real-name registration systems for our games, and implemented them beginning in 2007. Under our systems, game players must use real identification in order to create accounts, and in this way, we are able to tell which of our game players are minors and thus subject to these regulations. For game players who do not register, we assume that they are minors. In order to comply with the anti-fatigue rules, game players under 18 years of age only receive half of the experience time they actually earn after three hours of play. And, after five hours of play, minors receive no experience points. We use this system to disincentivize minors from playing in excess of five hours at a time.

On January 15, 2011, the MOC, the MIIT and six other central governmental authorities jointly issued a circular entitled Implementation of Online Game Monitor System of the Guardians of Minors , or the Monitor System Circular, aiming to provide specific protection measures to monitor the online game activities of minors and curb addictive online game playing behaviors of minors. Under the Monitor System Circular, online game operators are required to adopt various measures to maintain a system to communicate with the parents or other guardians of minors playing online games and online game operators are required to monitor the online game activities of minors, and must suspend the account of a minor if so requested by the minor’s parents or guardians. The monitor system was formally implemented commencing March 1, 2011.

In February 2013, 15, PRC governmental authorities, including the SAPPRFT, the Ministry of Education, the MOC and the MIIT, jointly issued the Work Plan for the Integrated Prevention of Minors Online Game Addiction (“Work Plan”), implementing integrated measures by various authorities designed to prevent minors from being addicted to online games. Under the Work Plan, the current relevant regulations regarding online games will be further clarified and additional implementation rules will be issued, and online game operators will be required to implement measures to protect minors.

On July 25, 2014, the SAPPRFT promulgated a Notice on Further Carrying out the Verification of Real-name Registration for Anti-Fatigue System on Internet Games , or the Verification of Real-name Registration Notice, which took effect on October 1, 2014. The Verification of Real-name Registration Notice requires local press and publication administrative departments to strengthen their oversight of enterprises engaged in the publication and operation of online games, and requires such enterprises to strictly abide by anti-fatigue and real-name registration requirements when developing and promoting online games, excluding, at present, mobile games.

Virtual Currency

On February 15, 2007, the MOC, the PBOC and other relevant governmental authorities jointly issued the Notice on Further Strengthening the Administration of Internet Cafés and Online Games , or the Internet Cafés and Online Games Notice. Under the Internet Cafés and Online Games Notice, the PBOC is directed to strengthen the administration of virtual currency in online games to avoid any adverse impact on the economy and financial system. The Internet Cafés and Online Games Notice limits the total amount of virtual currency that may be issued by online game operators and the amount that may be purchased by individual game players, and includes a clear division between virtual transactions and real transactions carried out by way of electronic commerce. The Internet Cafés and Online Games Notice also provides that virtual currency may only be used to purchase virtual items.

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On June 4, 2009, the MOC and the MOFCOM jointly issued the Notice on Strengthening the Administration of Online Game Virtual Currency (the “Virtual Currency Notice”) to regulate the trading of online game virtual currencies. The Virtual Currency Notice defines the meaning of virtual currency and places a set of restrictions on the trading and issuance of virtual currency. The Virtual Currency Notice also states that online game operators are not allowed to give out virtual items or virtual currency through lottery-based activities, such as lucky draws, betting or random computer sampling, in exchange for user’s cash or virtual money. The Virtual Currency Notice is mainly targeted at lottery-based activities relating to the “treasure boxes” found in some online games.

On July 20, 2009, the MOC promulgated the Filing Guidelines for Online Game Virtual Currency Issuing Enterprises and Online Game Virtual Currency Trading Enterprises, which define the terms “issuing enterprise” and “trading enterprise” and stipulate that a single enterprise may not be both an issuing enterprise and a trading enterprise.

Laws and Regulations Related to Intellectual Property Protection

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

Copyright

On September 7, 1990, The National People’s Congress promulgated the Copyright Law , which took effect on June 1, 1991 and was amended in 2001 and in 2010. The amended Copyright Law extends copyright protection to Internet activities, products disseminated over the Internet and software products. In addition, there is a voluntary registration system administered by the China Copyright Protection Center. The amended Copyright Law also requires registration of the pledge of a copyright.

In order to further implement the Computer Software Protection Regulations , promulgated by the State Council on December 20, 2001 and amended on January 30, 2013, the National Copyright Administration (the “NCA”) issued Computer Software Copyright Registration Procedures on February 20, 2002, which specify detailed procedures and requirements with respect to the registration of software copyrights.

To address the problem of copyright infringement related to content posted or transmitted over the Internet, on April 29, 2005 the NCA and the MIIT jointly promulgated the Measures for Administrative Protection of Copyright Related to Internet , which became effective on May 30, 2005. Upon receipt of an infringement notice from a legitimate copyright holder, an ICP operator must take remedial actions immediately by removing or disabling access to the infringing content. If an ICP operator knowingly transmits infringing content or fails to take remedial actions after receipt of a notice of infringement harming public interest, the ICP operator could be subject to administrative penalties, including an order to cease infringing activities, confiscation by the authorities of all income derived from the infringement activities, or payment of fines.

On May 18, 2006, the State Council promulgated the Regulations on the Protection of the Right to Network Dissemination of Information (as amended in 2013). Under these regulations, an owner of the network dissemination rights with respect to written works or audio or video recordings who believes that information storage, search or link services provided by an Internet service provider infringe his or her rights may require that the Internet service provider delete, or disconnect the links to, such works or recordings.

We have adopted measures to mitigate copyright infringement risks, such as real-time monitoring and mechanisms for fast removal upon receipt of notices of infringement. As of December 31, 2017, we had registered 154 software copyrights in the PRC.

Patent Law

On March 12, 1984, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the Patent Law , which was amended in 1992, 2000 and 2008. On June 15, 2001, the State Council promulgated the Implementation Regulation for the Patent Law , which was amended in January 9, 2010. According to these laws and regulations, the State Intellectual Property Office is responsible for administering patents in the PRC. The Chinese patent system adopts a “first to file” principle, which means that where more than one person files a patent application for the same invention, a patent will be granted to the person who filed the application first. To be patentable, invention or utility models must meet three conditions: novelty, inventiveness and practical applicability. A patent is valid for 20 years in the case of an invention and 10 years in the case of utility models and designs. A third-party user must obtain consent or a proper license from the patent owner to use the patent. Otherwise, third-party use constitutes an infringement of patent rights. As of December 31, 2017, we had been issued 781 patents in the PRC.

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Trademark Law

On August 23, 1982, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the Trademark Law , or the Trademark Law, which was amended in 1993, 2001 and 2013. On September 15, 2002, the State Council promulgated the Implementation Regulation for the Trademark Law , which was amended on April 29, 2014. Under the Trademark Law and the implementing regulation, the Trademark Office of the Administration for Industry and Commerce is responsible for the registration and administration of trademarks. The Administration for Industry and Commerce under the State Council has established a Trademark Review and Adjudication Board for resolving trademark disputes. As with patents, China has adopted a “first-to-file” principle for trademark registration. If two or more applicants apply for registration of identical or similar trademarks for the same or similar commodities, the application that was filed first will receive preliminary approval and will be publicly announced. For applications filed on the same day, the trademark that was first used will receive preliminary approval and will be publicly announced. Registered trademarks are valid for ten years from the date the registration is approved. A registrant may apply to renew a registration within twelve months before the expiration date of the registration. If the registrant fails to apply in a timely manner, a grace period of six additional months may be granted. If the registrant fails to apply before the grace period expires, the registered trademark shall be deregistered. Renewed registrations are valid for ten years. As of December 31, 2017, we had registered 381 trademarks in the PRC.

Consumer Protection and Privacy Protection

Consumer Protection

The MIIT sets forth various requirements for consumer protection in a notice, issued on April 15, 2004, which addresses certain problems in the telecommunications sector, including ambiguity in billing practices for premium services, poor quality of connections and unsolicited SMS messages, all of which impinge upon the rights of consumers.

On May 26, 2016, the MIIT issued the Measures on the Complaint Settlement of the Telecommunication Services Users, or the “Complaint Settlement Measures”, which took effect on July 30, 2016. The Complaint Settlement Measures require telecommunication services providers to respond to their users within fifteen days upon the receipt of any complaint delivered by such users, the failure of which will give the complaining users the right to file a complaint against the service providers with the provincial branch offices of the MIIT.

We are aware of the increasingly strict legal environment covering consumer protection in the PRC, and we strive to adopt all measures necessary to ensure that our business complies with these evolving standards.

Privacy Protection

The PRC Constitution states that PRC law protects the freedom and privacy of the communications of citizens and prohibits infringement of such rights. In recent years, PRC governmental authorities have issued various regulations on the use of the Internet that are designed to protect personal information from unauthorized disclosure. For example, the ICP Measures prohibit an Internet information services provider from insulting or slandering a third party or infringing upon the lawful rights and interests of a third party. In addition, PRC regulations authorize PRC telecommunication authorities to demand rectification of unauthorized disclosure by ICPs.

Chinese law does not prohibit ICPs from collecting and analyzing personal information from their users. The PRC government, however, has the power and authority to order ICPs to submit personal information of an Internet user if such user posts any prohibited content or engages in illegal activities on the Internet. In addition, the Several Provisions stipulate that ICPs must not, without the users’ consent, collect information on users that can be used, alone or in combination with other information, to identify the user, or User Personal Information, and may not provide any User Personal Information to third parties without prior user consent. ICPs may only collect User Personal Information necessary to provide their services and must expressly inform the users of the method, content and purpose of the collection and processing of such User Personal Information. In addition, an ICP may use User Personal Information only for the stated purposes under the ICP’s scope of services. ICPs are also required to ensure the proper security of User Personal Information, and take immediate remedial measures if User Personal Information is suspected to have been disclosed. If the consequences of any such disclosure are expected to be serious, the ICP must immediately report the incident to the telecommunications governmental authorities and cooperate with the authorities in their investigations. We require our users to accept a user agreement whereby they agree to provide certain personal information to us. If we violate these regulations, the MIIT or its local bureaus may impose penalties and we may be liable for damage caused to our users.

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On December 28, 2012, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress enacted the Decision to Enhance the Protection of Network Information , or the Information Protection Decision, to further enhance the protection of User Personal Information in electronic form. The Information Protection Decision provides that ICPs must expressly inform their users of the purpose, manner and scope of the ICPs’ collection and use of User Personal Information, publish the ICPs’ standards for their collection and use of User Personal Information, and collect and use User Personal Information only with the consent of the users and only within the scope of such consent. The Information Protection Decision also mandates that ICPs and their employees must keep strictly confidential User Personal Information that they collect, and that ICPs must take such technical and other measures as are necessary to safeguard the information against disclosure.

On July 16, 2013, the MIIT issued the Order for the Protection of Telecommunication and Internet User Personal Information, or the Order. Most of the requirements under the Order that are relevant to ICP operators are consistent with the requirements already established under the MIIT provisions discussed above, except that under the Order the requirements are often more strict and have a wider scope. If an ICP operator wishes to collect or use personal information, it may do so only if such collection is necessary for the services it provides. Further, it must disclose to its users the purpose, method and scope of any such collection or use, and must obtain consent from the users whose information is being collected or used. ICP operators are also required to establish and publish their protocols relating to personal information collection or use, keep any collected information strictly confidential, and take technological and other measures to maintain the security of such information. ICP operators are required to cease any collection or use of the user personal information, and de-register the relevant user account, when a given user stops using the relevant Internet service. ICP operators are further prohibited from divulging, distorting or destroying any such personal information, or selling or providing such information unlawfully to other parties. In addition, if an ICP operator appoints an agent to undertake any marketing or technical services that involve the collection or use of personal information, the ICP operator is still required to supervise and manage the protection of the information. The Order states, in broad terms, that violators may face warnings, fines, and disclosure to the public and, in the most severe cases, criminal liability.

On August 21, 2014, the Supreme People’s Court promulgated the Provisions of the Supreme People’s Court on Application of Laws to Cases Involving Civil Disputes over Infringement upon Personal Rights and Interests by Using Information Networks , pursuant to which if an ICP operator discloses genetic information, medical records, health examination data, criminal record, home address, private events and or other personal information of a natural person online, causing damage to the person, the People’s Court should support a claim by the infringed party for recovery of damages from the infringing ICP operator.

On January 5, 2015, the SAIC promulgated the Measures on Punishment for Infringement of Consumer Rights, pursuant to which business operators collecting and using personal information of consumers must comply with the principles of legitimacy, propriety and necessity, specify the purpose, method and scope of collection and use of the information, and obtain the consent of the consumers whose personal information is to be collected. Business operators may not: (i) collect or use personal information of consumers without their consent; (ii) unlawfully divulge, sell or provide personal information of consumers to others; (iii) send commercial information to consumers without their consent or request, or when a consumer has explicitly declined to receive such information.

Our current security measures and those of the third parties with whom we transact business may not be adequate for the protection of user personal information. In addition, we do not have control over the security measures of our third-party online payment vendors. Security breaches of our system and the online payment systems that we use could expose us to litigation and liability for failing to secure confidential customer information and could harm our reputation, ability to attract customers and ability to encourage customers to purchase virtual items.

Security and Censorship

The principal pieces of PRC legislation concerning information security and censorship are:

·                   The Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Preservation of State Secrets (1988, as amended in 2010) and related Implementing Rules (2014);

·                   The Law of the People’s Republic of China Regarding Anti-spy (2014);

·                   Rules of the People’s Republic of China for Protecting the Security of Computer Information Systems (1994, as amended in 2011);

·                   Regulations for the Protection of State Secrets for Computer Information Systems on the Internet (2000);

·                   Notice issued by the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China Regarding Issues Relating to the Implementation of the Administrative Measure for the Security Protection of International Connections to Computer Information Networks (2000); and

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·                   The Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Regarding the Safeguarding of Internet Security (2000), which was amended in 2009.

These pieces of legislation specifically prohibit the use of Internet infrastructure where it results in a breach of public security, the provision of socially destabilizing content or the divulgence of State secrets, as follows:

·                   “A breach of public security” includes a breach of national security or disclosure of state secrets; infringement on state, social or collective interests or the legal rights and interests of citizens or illegal or criminal activities.

·                   “Socially destabilizing content” includes any action that incites defiance or violation of Chinese laws; incites subversion of state power and the overturning of the socialist system; fabricates or distorts the truth, spreads rumors or disrupts social order; advocates cult activities; spreads feudal superstition; involves obscenities, pornography, gambling, violence, murder, or horrific acts; or instigates criminal acts.

·                   “State secrets” are defined as “matters that affect the security and interest of the state.” The term covers such broad areas as national defense, diplomatic affairs, policy decisions on state affairs, national economic and social development, political parties and “other State secrets that the State Secrecy Bureau has determined should be safeguarded.”

Under the aforementioned legislation, it is mandatory for Internet companies in the PRC to complete security filing procedures with the local public security bureau and for them provide regular updates to the local public security bureau regarding information security and censorship systems for their Websites. In this regard, on October 1, 2004, the Administrative Rules on the Filing of Commercial Websites , or the Commercial Websites Filing Rules, were promulgated by the Beijing Administration of Industry and Commerce (Beijing AIC), to replace the Detailed Implementing Rules for the Measures for the Administration of Commercial Website Filings for the Record promulgated by the Beijing AIC on September 1, 2000. The Commercial Websites Filing Rules state that operators of commercial Websites must comply with the following requirements:

·                   filing with the Beijing AIC and obtain electronic registration marks for the Websites;

·                   placing the registration marks on the Websites’ homepages; and

·                   registering the Website names with the Beijing AIC.

The PRC Cybersecurity Law requires providers of services over Internet networks to keep user information that they have collected in strict confidence and to establish improved systems for the protection of user information. Such service providers must provide notice of the purpose, methods and scope of their collection and use of user information, and obtain the consent of each person whose personal information will be collected. Providers of services over Internet networks may not collect any personal information that is not related to the services they provide, or disclose or tamper with personal information that they have collected, unless such information is encoded to prevent identification of individuals whose information is so disclosed or tampered with. Service providers who do not comply with the PRC Cybersecurity Law may be subject to fines, suspension of their businesses, shutdown of their websites, and revocation of their business licenses.

Sogou Information has successfully registered the sogou.com Website with the Beijing AIC.

In addition, the State Security Bureau has issued regulations authorizing the blocking of access to any site it deems to be leaking State secrets or failing to comply with legislation regarding the protection of State secrets in the distribution of information online.

Accordingly, we have established an internal security committee and adopted security maintenance measures, employed a full-time supervisor and exchanged information on a regular basis with the local public security bureau with regard to sensitive or censored information and Websites.

Internet Content and Anti-Pornography

The PRC government has promulgated measures relating to Internet content through a number of governmental authorities, including the MIIT, the MOC, the SAPPRFT and the MPS. These measures specifically prohibit certain Internet activities, including the operation of online games, which results in the publication of any content which is found to, among other things, propagate obscenity, gambling or violence, instigate crimes, undermine public morality or the cultural traditions of the PRC, or compromise State security or secrets. If an ICP license holder violates these measures, the PRC government may revoke its ICP license and shut down its Websites.

In addition, the PRC government has issued several regulations concerning the installation of filter software to filter out unhealthy and vulgar content from the Internet. In April 1, 2009, the Ministry of Education, the MIIT and certain other PRC ministries and agencies issued a notice requiring that, by the end of May 2009, all computer terminals connected with the Internet at all elementary and secondary schools be able to include and operate Green Dam-Youth Escort, which is software aimed at filtering out unhealthy and vulgar content in text and graphics from the Internet and which, according to the Website for the software, may be used to control time spent on the Internet, prohibit access to computer games, and filter out unhealthy Websites. The MIIT further expanded the scope of required use of this filter software by issuing a notice on May 19, 2009 requiring that, effective as of July 1, 2009, all computers manufactured and sold in the PRC have the latest available version of Green Dam-Youth Escort preinstalled when they leave the factory and that all imported computers have the latest available version of Green Dam-Youth Escort preinstalled before being sold in the PRC. Green-Dam Youth Escort is to be preinstalled on the hard drive of the computer or in the form of a CD accompanying the computer and is also to be included in the backup partition and system restore CD. However, on June 30, 2009, the MIIT postponed the implementation of this requirement regarding pre-installation of Green Dam-Youth Escort.

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On December 4, 2009, the MIIT and three other PRC governmental authorities jointly issued the Incentives Measures for Report of Pornographic, Obscene and Vulgar Messages on Internet and Mobile Media , or the Anti-Pornography Notice, to crack down on online pornography. Pursuant to the Anti-Pornography Notice, monetary rewards will be provided to Internet users who report Websites that feature pornography, and a committee has been established to review such reports to determine an appropriate award. During a PRC anti-pornography campaign, which continued during 2014, many Websites (including mobile Websites) that contained pornography were closed down. In addition, China Mobile announced a temporary suspension of billing for Wireless Application Protocol, or (“WAP”) services, as a means of fighting against Websites providing pornographic content.

On April 13, 2014, the National Working Group on Anti-Pornography and three other PRC governmental authorities jointly issued the Proclamation of Special Action Regarding Crackdown on Online Pornographic Content , or the Anti-Pornography Proclamation. Under the Anti-Pornography Proclamation, Internet service providers must immediately remove texts, images, video, advertisements and other information that contain pornographic content. The relevant governmental authorities may order enterprises or individuals who flagrantly produce or disseminate pornographic content to stop conducting business, and may revoke relevant administrative permits. Moreover, an enterprise or individual who provides telecom operation services, network access services, advertising services or payment services to facilitate dissemination of pornographic content may have criminal or civil penalties imposed under the PRC Criminal Law and other relevant laws and regulations.

Laws and Regulations Related to Unfair Competition

Pursuant to the Anti-Unfair Competition Law , which took effect in 1993, a business operator is prohibited from any of the following unfair activities:

·                   copying and using the registered trademarks of others;

·                   using the same or similar names, packages or decorations of well-known brand name products so as to mislead buyers;

·                   using the names of other enterprises without authorization so as to mislead buyers; and

·                   forging identification marks, marks indicating good quality and other marks on commodities or falsifying the place of origin or using other false indicators to mislead people with regard to quality.

In addition, the Supreme People’s Court has promulgated an Interpretation on Several Issues Relating to the Application of the Law in Civil Trials for Unfair Competition Cases , which became effective as of February 1, 2007. This interpretation provides guidance on how to conduct trials involving unfair competition, protect the legal rights and interests of business operators and maintain orderly market competition.

Regulation of M&A and Overseas Listings

On August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, including the MOC, the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Administration of Taxation, or the SAT, the SAIC, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”), and the SAFE, jointly issued the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors , or the M&A Rule, which became effective on September 8, 2006 and amended on June 22, 2009. The M&A Rule includes provisions that purport to require that an offshore special purpose vehicle formed for purposes of the overseas listing of equity interests in PRC companies and controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies or individuals obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange.

On September 21, 2006, the CSRC published on its official Website procedures regarding its approval of overseas listings by special purpose vehicles. The CSRC approval procedures require the filing of a number of documents with the CSRC. The application of this new PRC regulation remains unclear, with no consensus currently existing among leading PRC law firms regarding the scope of the applicability of the CSRC approval requirements.

The M&A Rules also establish procedures and requirements that could make some acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex, including requirements in some instances that the MOFCOM be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a Chinese domestic enterprise.

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In February 2011, the General Office of the State Council promulgated a Notice on Establishing the Security Review System for Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors , or the Circular 6, which established a security review system for mergers and acquisitions of domestic enterprises by foreign investors. Under Circular 6, a security review is required for mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors having “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions by which foreign investors may acquire “de facto control” of domestic enterprises with “national security” concerns. In August 2011, the MOFCOM promulgated the Rules on Implementation of Security Review System , or the MOFCOM Security Review Rules , to replace the Interim Provisions of the Ministry of Commerce on Matters Relating to the Implementation of the Security Review System for Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors promulgated by the MOFCOM in March 2011. The MOFCOM Security Review Rules, which came into effect on September 1, 2011, provide that the MOFCOM will look into the substance and actual impact of a transaction and prohibit foreign investors from bypassing the security review requirement by structuring transactions through proxies, trusts, indirect investments, leases, loans, control through contractual arrangements or offshore transactions.

Antitrust

On August 30, 2007, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the PRC adopted the PRC Anti-Monopoly Law, or the AML , which became effective on August 1, 2008. In essence, the AML prohibits certain monopolistic acts that result in or could result in the elimination or restriction of competition. After the promulgation of the AML, the State Council as well as various PRC governmental authorities, including the MOFCOM, the National Development and Reform Commission, or the NDRC, and the SAIC, promulgated a series of regulations from different perspectives to interpret and enforce the AML. Under the AML, monopolistic agreements, abuse of a dominant market position, and business combinations are considered to be monopolistic acts that result in or could result in the elimination or restriction of competition.

Pursuant to the AML, a business operator that possesses a dominant position in a relevant market is prohibited from abusing its dominant market position through (i) selling commodities at unfairly high prices or buying commodities at unfairly low prices; (ii) without justifiable reasons, selling commodities at prices below cost; (iii) without justifiable reasons, refusing to enter into transactions with its trading counterparties; (iv) without justifiable reasons, allowing trading counterparties to make transactions exclusively with itself or with business operators designated by it; (v) without justifiable reasons, tying commodities or imposing unreasonable trading conditions on transactions; (vi) without justifiable reasons, applying differential prices and other transaction terms among its trading counterparties who are on an equal footing; (vii) other acts determined to be abuse of dominant market position by the relevant governmental authorities. If a business operator that possesses a dominant market position in a relevant market is deemed to be abusing its dominant position, the SAIC and other competent PRC governmental authorities, such as the NDRC, may, at their discretion, order the business operator to cease the illegal acts, confiscate any illegal gains, and impose a fine of 1% to 10% of the business operator’s revenues for the preceding financial year.

In addition, pursuant to the AML and related regulations, a proposed business combination is required to be reported to the MOFCOM by the parties involved prior to its implementation, if the following thresholds are met:

(i)                                      the combined worldwide turnover in the preceding financial of the parties involved year exceeds RMB10 billion (or approximately US$1.47 billion), and the nationwide turnover in the preceding financial year within the PRC of each of at least two of the parties involved exceeds RMB400 million (or approximately US$58.8 million); or,

(ii)                                   the combined nationwide turnover in the preceding financial year within the PRC of all the parties involved exceeds RMB2 billion (or approximately US$294 million), and the nationwide turnover in the preceding financial year within the PRC of each of at least two of the parties involved exceeds RMB400 million (or approximately US$58.8 million).

“Business Combinations” means any of the following: (i) merger of businesses; (ii) acquisition of control over another business by acquiring equity or assets; or (iii) acquisition of control over, or exercising decisive influence on, another business by contract or by any other means. Under the AML and other related regulations, transactions satisfying the thresholds for mandatory notification are not allowed to be implemented without the parties obtaining approval from the MOFCOM. In case of any non-compliance with the notification and approval requirement, the MOFCOM may order the parties involved to cease the transactions, dispose of shares or assets, transfer one of the combined businesses by no later than a specified time, or take any other measures necessary to restore the status quo as of before the business combination. A fine of up to RMB500,000 (or approximately US$73,000) may also be imposed by the MOFCOM. Furthermore, the parties to the proposed transactions are subject to liability for any loss suffered by an individual or entity or individual as a result of the business combination.

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Foreign Currency Exchange and Dividend Distribution

The principal regulations governing foreign currency exchange in China are the Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations , or the FX Regulations, which were last amended in August 2008. Under the FX Regulations, the RMB is freely convertible for current account items, including the distribution of dividends, interest payments, trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, but not for capital account items, such as direct investments, loans, repatriation of investments and investments in securities outside of the PRC, unless the prior approval of the SAFE is obtained and prior registration with the SAFE is made. Dividends paid by a PRC subsidiary to its overseas shareholder are deemed income of the shareholder and are taxable in the PRC. Pursuant to the Administration Rules of the Settlement, Sale and Payment of Foreign Exchange (1996) , foreign-invested enterprises in the PRC may purchase or remit foreign currency, subject to a cap approved by the SAFE, for settlement of current account transactions without the approval of the SAFE. Foreign currency transactions under the capital account are still subject to limitations and require approvals from, or registration with, the SAFE and other relevant PRC governmental authorities.

In July 2014, the SAFE promulgated the Circular on Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration Over the Overseas Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment by Domestic Residents Via Special Purpose Vehicles , or Circular 37, which replaced Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Corporate Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Offshore Special Purpose Vehicles , or Circular 75. Circular 37 requires PRC residents, including PRC institutions and individuals, to register with the local SAFE office in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, referred to in Circular 37 as a “special purpose vehicle,” for the purpose of holding domestic or offshore assets or interests. PRC residents must also file amendments to their registrations in the event of any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC individuals, share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material event. Under these regulations, PRC residents’ failure to comply with such regulations may result in restrictions being imposed on the foreign exchange activities of the relevant PRC entity, including the payment of dividends and other distributions to its offshore parent, as well as restrictions on capital inflows from the offshore entity to the PRC entity, including restrictions on the ability to contribute additional capital to the PRC entity. Further, failure to comply with the various SAFE registration requirements could result in liability under PRC laws for evasion of foreign exchange regulations.

Under Circular 37, if a non-listed special purpose vehicle uses its own equity to grant equity incentives to any directors, supervisors, senior management or any other employees directly employed by a domestic enterprise which is directly or indirectly controlled by such special purpose vehicle, or with which such an employee has established an employment relationship, related PRC residents and individuals may, prior to exercising their rights, apply to the SAFE for foreign exchange registration formalities for such special purpose vehicle. However, in practice, different local SAFE offices may have different views and procedures on the interpretation and implementation of the SAFE regulations, and since Circular 37 was the first regulation to regulate the foreign exchange registration of a non-listed special purpose vehicle’s equity incentives granted to PRC residents, there remains uncertainty with respect to its implementation.

On December 25, 2006, the PBOC issued the Administration Measures on Individual Foreign Exchange Control and related Implementation Rules  were issued by the SAFE on January 5, 2007. Both became effective on February 1, 2007. Under these regulations, all foreign exchange transactions involving an employee share incentive plan, share option plan, or similar plan participated in by onshore individuals may be conducted only with approval from the SAFE or its local office.

The principal regulations governing distribution of dividends of foreign holding companies include the Foreign Investment Enterprise Law (1986), which was amended in October 2000 and October, 2016, and the Administrative Rules under the Foreign Investment Enterprise Law (2001), which was amended in February 2014.

Under these regulations, foreign investment enterprises in China may pay dividends only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with the PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, foreign investment enterprises in the PRC are required to allocate at least 10% of their accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds unless these reserves have reached 50% of the registered capital of the enterprises. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Furthermore, under the Corporate Income Tax Law, which became effective on January 1, 2008, the maximum tax rate for the withholding tax imposed on dividend payments from PRC foreign invested companies to their overseas investors that are not regarded as “resident” for tax purposes is 20%. The rate was reduced to 10% under the Implementing Regulations for the PRC Corporate Income Tax Law issued by the State Council. However, a lower withholding tax rate of 5% might be applied if there is a tax treaty between China and the jurisdiction of the foreign holding companies, such as is the case with Hong Kong, and certain requirements specified by PRC tax authorities are satisfied.

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Employee Share Option Plans

Pursuant to the Notice of Issues Related to the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Listed Company , or Circular 7, which was issued by the SAFE on February 15, 2012, employees, directors, supervisors, and other senior management participating in any share incentive plan of an overseas publicly-listed company who are PRC citizens or who are non-PRC citizens residing in China for a continuous period of not less than one year, subject to a few exceptions, are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which may be a PRC subsidiary of such overseas listed company, and complete certain other procedures.

In addition, the SAT has issued certain circulars concerning employee share options and restricted shares. Under these circulars, employees working in the PRC who exercise share options or are granted restricted shares will be subject to PRC individual income tax. The PRC subsidiaries of an overseas listed company are obligated to file documents related to employee share options and restricted shares with relevant tax authorities and to withhold individual income taxes of employees who exercise their share option or purchase restricted shares. If the employees fail to pay or the PRC subsidiaries fail to withhold income tax in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, the PRC subsidiaries may face sanctions imposed by the tax authorities or other PRC governmental authorities.

Employment and Social Insurance

On June 29, 2007, the National People’s Congress promulgated the Employment Contract Law of PRC , or the Employment Contract Law, which became effective as of January 1, 2008 and amended on December 28, 2012. The Employment Contract Law requires employers to provide written contracts to their employees, restricts the use of temporary workers and aims to give employees long-term job security.

Pursuant to the Employment Contract Law, employment contracts lawfully concluded prior to the implementation of the Employment Contract Law and continuing as of the date of its implementation shall continue to be performed. Where an employment relationship was established prior to the implementation of the Employment Contract Law but no written employment contract was concluded, a contract must be concluded within one month after its implementation.

On September 18, 2008, the State Council promulgated the Implementing Regulations for the PRC Employment Contract Law which came into effect immediately. These regulations interpret and supplement the provisions of the Employment Contract Law.

In accordance with the Employment Contract Law, an employer shall control the number of dispatched workers so that they do not exceed a certain percentage of its total number of workers. An employer that is in violation thereof shall be ordered to make correction by the labor administrative department. Where no correction is made by the prescribed deadline, the employer shall be fined of not less than RMB 5000 but not more than RMB 10,000 per dispatched worker involved. On January 24, 2014, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security issued the Interim Provisions on Labor Dispatching, which became effective on March 1, 2014. The Interim Provisions on Labor Dispatching provides that the number of dispatched workers used by an Employer shall not exceed 10% of the total number of its employees. We could not assure you that Sogou would be always in compliance of such requirement.

PRC governmental authorities have passed a variety of laws and regulations regarding social insurance and housing funds from time to time, including, among others, the PRC Social Insurance Law , the Regulation of Insurance for Labor Injury , the Regulations of Insurance for Unemployment , the Provisional Insurance Measures for Maternal Employees , and the Interim Provisions on Registration of Social Insurance . Pursuant to these laws and regulations, PRC companies must make contributions at specified levels for their employees to the relevant local social insurance and housing fund authorities. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations may result in various fines and legal sanctions and supplemental contributions to the local social insurance and housing fund governmental authorities.

Organizational Structure

Sohu, our ultimate parent company and controlling shareholder; Tencent; and members of our management together have shareholdings in us giving them approximately 97.0% of the total voting power of the combined total of our outstanding Class A and Class B ordinary shares, due to the additional voting power of the Class B Ordinary Shares held by Sohu and Tencent.  Sohu, through its ownership of Class B Ordinary Shares and a voting agreement with Tencent Holdings Limited, has the right to appoint a majority of our Board of Directors. Sohu and Tencent together, through their ownership of our Class B Ordinary Shares, have the power to decide all matters that are put to a vote of our shareholders.

As of the date of the filing of this annual report, the following are our wholly-owned subsidiaries:

·                   Sogou (BVI) Limited, or Sogou BVI, incorporated in the British Virgin Islands on December 23, 2005.

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·                   Beijing Sogou Technology Development Co., Ltd., or Sogou Technology, incorporated in the PRC on February 8, 2006.

·                   Sogou Hong Kong Limited, or Sogou HK, incorporated in Hong Kong on December 12, 2007.

·                   Vast Creation Advertising Media Services Limited, or Vast Creation, a Hong Kong Company acquired by us on November 30, 2011.

·                   Beijing Sogou Network Technology Co., Ltd., or Sogou Network, incorporated in the PRC on March 29, 2012.

·                    Sogou Technology Hong Kong Limited, or Sogou Technology HK, incorporated in Hong Kong on August 25, 2015.

·                   Tianjin Sogou Network Technology Co., Ltd., or Tianjin Sogou Network, incorporated in the PRC on May 18, 2017.

·                   Sogou (Shantou) Internet Microcredit Co., Ltd., or Sogou Shantou, incorporated in the PRC on November 22, 2017.

In order to comply with PRC regulatory requirements restricting foreign ownership of Internet information and content, Internet access, value-added telecommunications, and certain other businesses in China, we conduct a portion of our online search and search-related businesses and other business in the PRC through our VIE Sogou Information, which is incorporated in the PRC. In order to comply with PRC laws, Sogou Technology, Sogou Information, and the three shareholders of Sogou Information, which are a VIE of Sohu that is a PRC company, a Tencent group entity that is a PRC company, and our Chief Executive Officer Xiaochuan Wang, who is a PRC citizen, are parties to a series of contractual arrangements that provide Sogou Technology with effective control of Sogou Information. Pursuant to these contractual arrangements, we operate a portion our business through Sogou Information and its subsidiaries as our VIEs in the PRC and a portion of our revenues are earned by and paid to Sogou Information. Under these contractual arrangements, Sogou Information holds a portion of our assets, including licenses and permits required to operate our search and search-related businesses and other business, and Sogou Technology provides product development, technical support and marketing services to Sogou Information and holds most of the intellectual property relating to the technology we use to operate our business. As a result of these contractual arrangements, our VIEs’ results of operations, assets, and liabilities are included in our consolidated financial statements.

The following is a summary of our VIE Sogou Information and its subsidiaries, Shenzhen Shi Ji Guang Su Information Technology Co., Ltd. (“Shi Ji Guang Su”), Beijing Shi Ji Si Su Technology Co., Ltd. (“Shi Ji Si Su”), and Chengdu Easypay Technology Co., Ltd. (“Chengdu Easypay”):

Sogou Information

·                   Beijing Sogou Information Service Co., Ltd., or Sogou Information, was incorporated in December 2005. As of December 31, 2017, Beijing Century High-Tech Investment Co., Ltd., a Sohu Group Company, and Shenzhen Tencent Computer System Co., Ltd., a Tencent group entity, and Xiaochuan Wang, held 45%, 45%, and 10% equity interests, respectively, in this entity.

Shi Ji Guang Su

·                   Shenzhen Shi Ji Guang Su Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Shi Ji Guang Su, was acquired in September 2013 in connection with Tencent’s investment in us and Tencent’s transfer to us of its Soso search-related businesses. As of December 31, 2017, Sogou Information held 100% of the equity interest in this entity.

Shi Ji Si Su

·                   Beijing Shi Ji Si Su Technology Co., Ltd., or Shi Ji Si Su, was acquired in April 2015 for nominal consideration. As of December 31, 2017, Sogou Information held 100% of the equity interest in this entity.

Chengdu Easypay

·                   Chengdu Easypay Technology Co., Ltd., or Chengdu Easypay, was incorporated in January 2015. As of December 31, 2017, Sogou Information and Shi Ji Si Su together held 100% of the equity interest in this entity.

The following is a summary of the VIE agreements currently in effect:

·                   Loan and share pledge agreements between Sogou Technology and the shareholders of Sogou Information. The loan agreement provides for a loan to Xiaochuan Wang, who holds 10% of the equity interest in Sogou Information, used by him to make contributions to the registered capital of Sogou Information in exchange for his equity interest in Sogou Information. The loan is interest free and is repayable on demand, but Mr. Wang may repay the loan only by transferring to Sogou Technology his equity interest in Sogou Information. Under the pledge agreement, all of the shareholders of Sogou Information pledge their equity interests to Sogou Technology to secure the performance of their obligations under certain of the VIE agreements. If any shareholder of Sogou Information breaches any of his or its obligations under any VIE agreements, Sogou Technology is entitled to exercise its rights as the beneficiary under the share pledge agreement. The share pledge agreement terminates only after all of the obligations of the shareholders under the various VIE agreements are no longer in effect.

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·                   Equity interest purchase rights agreement between Sogou Technology, Sogou Information, and the shareholders of Sogou Information. Pursuant to these agreements, Sogou Technology and any third party designated by it have the right, exercisable at any time when it becomes legal to do so under PRC law, to purchase from the shareholders of Sogou Information all or any part of their equity interests at the lowest purchase price permissible under PRC law.

·                   Business operation agreement among Sogou Technology, Sogou Information and the shareholders of Sogou Information. The agreement sets forth the right of Sogou Technology to control the actions of the shareholders of Sogou Information in their capacity as such and of Sogou Information. The agreement has a term of 10 years and is renewable at the request of Sogou Technology.

·                   Powers of attorney executed by the shareholders of Sogou Information in favor of Sogou Technology with a term of 10 years that is extendable at the request of Sogou Technology. These powers of attorney give Sogou Technology the right to appoint nominees to act on behalf of each of the three Sogou Information shareholders in connection with all actions to be taken by Sogou Information.

·                   Technology consulting and service agreement between Sogou Technology and Sogou Information. Pursuant to this agreement Sogou Technology has the exclusive right to provide technical consultation and other related services to Sogou Information in exchange for a fee. The agreement has a term of 10 years and is renewable at the request of Sogou Technology.

Commerce & Finance Law Offices, our PRC counsel, has advised us that these agreements became effective upon signing, except for the pledge under the share pledge agreement, which became effective when the pledge was registered with applicable PRC authorities. In the opinion of our PRC counsel, Commerce & Finance Law Offices, the ownership structure and the contractual arrangements between Sogou Technology and Sogou Information and among Sogou Technology, Sogou Information, and the shareholders of Sogou Information comply with current PRC laws and regulations and each of the these agreements is, and taken as a whole these agreements are, valid and legally binding upon each party to such agreements under the laws of the PRC, and enforceable in accordance with its and their terms. We do not believe that any of these agreements would be deemed under PRC laws and regulations to create foreign ownership of the businesses operated through our VIEs that would violate PRC laws and regulations. However, our PRC counsel has also advised us that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current or future PRC laws and regulations. Accordingly, PRC governmental authorities may ultimately take a view that is inconsistent with the opinion of Commerce & Finance Law Offices and our belief in that regard. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure.”

The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure as of the date of this annual report:

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(1)                                      The shareholders of Sogou Information are Beijing Century High-Tech Investment Co., Ltd., a VIE of Sohu, Shenzhen Tencent Computer System Co., Ltd., a Tencent group entity, and Xiaochuan Wang, our Chief Executive Officer, holding a 45%, 45%, and 10% equity interest, respectively, in this entity, subject to VIE agreements with Sogou Technology.

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We have recorded substantial revenue growth, with an increase from US$591.8 million in 2015 to US$660.4 million in 2016 and US $908.4 million in 2017. We generate revenues primarily from search and search-related advertising services, which represented 88.2% of our total revenues in the year ended December 31, 2017.

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Ability to improve user experience

We are dedicated to addressing the evolving needs of our users by continually enhancing our suite of products and services. Our focus on enhancing user experience has led to significant growth of our user base and search traffic. MAU of our mobile search increased by 57.5% from 346 million in March 2015 to 545 million in December 2017. MAU of our Sogou Mobile Keyboard increased by 100.4% from 225 million in March 2015 to 451 million in December 2017. The following table sets forth MAU data for our mobile search, and MAU and DAU data for our Sogou Mobile Keyboard, for the months indicated:

We generally do not track DAU for mobile search, as we believe that MAU is a better measure of the user base over time. MAU for search tends to be relatively stable from period to period, whereas DAU can be volatile. We also believe that reporting MAU, and not DAU, for search is consistent with industry practice in general. However, we believe that there is a benefit to providing DAU, as well as MAU, for Sogou Mobile Keyboard because Sogou Mobile Keyboard is a tool that is widely used by many users on a daily basis fairly consistently, so tracking DAU can provide additional relevant information.

We plan to continue to optimize experience for our users by improving our products and services through big data and AI technologies and collaborating with third parties. By doing so, we aim to attract and retain users and enjoy continued MAU and search traffic growth in the future.

Ability to strengthen our technological capabilities, especially AI and big data

The online search business has undergone constant technological evolution in recent years. In particular, AI and big data have been transforming, and will continue to transform, the search industry. We are dedicated to continually enhancing and applying our technological capabilities to new forms of search and other applications. To maintain our leadership in technology, we have increased our investments in research and development and expect to continue to do so.

Ability to broaden user acquisition channels

As users increasingly use mobile devices to access the Internet, we have actively expanded our user acquisition channels for mobile products, and in particular, partnerships with mobile device manufacturers. Mobile browsers and search applications serve as major user acquisition channels for search engine service providers. Hence, we have been focusing, and expect to continue to focus, on increasing the prevalence of our search engine in mobile browsers pre-installed by mobile device manufacturers, and we also plan to expand distribution of our mobile search application. We expect our traffic acquisition costs to increase as we expand our user acquisition channel partnerships.

Key Components of Results of Operations

Our Revenues

We generate revenues primarily from our search and search-related advertising services, which enable advertisers’ promotional links to be displayed on our search result pages and other Internet properties and third parties’ Internet properties where the links are relevant to the search queries and such properties. Our advertising services expand distribution of advertisers’ promotional links and advertisements by leveraging traffic on third parties’ Internet properties, including Web content, software, and mobile applications.

Search and search-related advertising services consist primarily of auction-based pay-for-click services, for which we charge advertisers on a per click basis when users click on the advertisers’ promotional links displayed on our search result pages and other Internet properties and third parties’ Internet properties. Revenues generated from our auction-based pay-for-click services accounted for 76.7%, 77.6%, and 83.0%, respectively, of the total revenues derived from our search and search-related advertising services in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

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We also generate revenues from other business by offering IVAS, primarily with respect to our operation of Web games and mobile games developed by third parties and provision of online reading services, as well as by offering other products and services, including smart hardware products.

Cost of Revenues

Cost of revenues consists primarily of traffic acquisition costs; bandwidth costs; server and Internet equipment depreciation associated with the operation of our Internet properties; salary and benefits expenses, and share-based compensation, for our staff employed in network operations; and costs related to our other business. Traffic acquisition costs represent the most significant portion of our cost of revenues.

Our traffic acquisition costs consist primarily of payments to third parties that direct search queries of their users to our Internet properties or distribute our advertisers’ promotional links through such third parties’ Internet properties. The traffic acquisitions costs for such arrangements consist primarily of fees that we pay to the third parties based on an agreed-upon unit price and revenue-sharing payments that we make to the third parties based on an agreed-upon percentage of revenues generated from users’ clicks.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses consist of research and development expenses, sales and marketing expenses, and general and administrative expenses. Share-based compensation expense is included in each of these categories of expense.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses consist primarily of salary and benefits expenses and share-based compensation for our research and development personnel; fees for outsourced technical services associated with our product development; costs associated with the use of facilities for research and development purposes; and content and license fees associated with collaboration with some of our business partners.

Sales and Marketing Expenses

Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of advertising and promotional expenses; salary and benefits expenses and share-based compensation for personnel engaged in sales and marketing. Advertising and promotional expenses generally represent the expenses incurred for promoting our products and services and our brand.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of professional service fees; and salary and benefits expenses and share-based compensation for employees involved in general corporate operations.

Taxation

PRC

PRC Corporate Income Tax

The PRC Corporate Income Tax Law including its implementing regulations, or the CIT Law, generally applies an income tax rate of 25% to all enterprises incorporated in the PRC, including foreign-invested enterprises, such as our PRC subsidiaries, and domestic companies, such as our VIEs, but grants preferential tax treatment to “High and New Technology Enterprises,” or HNTEs, qualified Software Enterprises, and “Key National Software Enterprises,” or KNSEs.

HNTEs are instead subject to an income tax rate of 15%, subject to a requirement that they re-apply for HNTE status every three years. During this three-year period, an HNTE must conduct a qualification self-review each year to ensure it meets the HNTE criteria, and will be subject to the regular 25% income tax rate for any year in which it does not meet the criteria. Sogou Technology qualified as an HNTE for the three years ending December 31, 2017, 2018, and 2019, and will need to re-apply for HNTE qualification in 2020. Sogou Information qualified as an HNTE for the three years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017, and will need to re-apply for HNTE qualification in 2018. Sogou Network qualified as an HNTE for the year ended December 31, 2016, 2017, and 2018, and will need to re-apply for HNTE qualification in 2019.

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A Software Enterprise is entitled to an income tax exemption for two years beginning with its first profitable year and a 50% reduction to a rate of 12.5% for the subsequent three years. An entity that qualifies as a KNSE is entitled to a further reduced preferential income tax rate of 10%. Enterprises wishing to enjoy the status of a Software Enterprise or a KNSE must perform a self-assessment each year to ensure they meet the criteria for qualification and file required supporting documents with the tax authorities before using the preferential CIT rates. These enterprises are subject to the tax authorities’ assessment each year as to whether they are entitled to use the relevant preferential CIT treatments. If at any time during the preferential tax treatment years an enterprise uses the preferential CIT rates but the relevant authorities determine that it fails to meet applicable criteria for qualification, the relevant authorities may revoke the enterprise’s Software Enterprise/KNSE status. Sogou Technology qualified in 2016 and 2017 for the preferential income tax rate of 10% for 2015 and 2016 as a KNSE and will follow the same process in 2018. Sogou Network qualified in 2016 for the preferential income tax rate of 12.5% for 2015 as a Software Enterprise.

If our holding company in the Cayman Islands or any of our subsidiaries outside the PRC is considered as a PRC resident enterprise for tax purposes, then our global income will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at the rate of 25%. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to China’s Regulatory Environment—We may be deemed a PRC resident enterprise under the CIT Law and be subject to PRC taxation on our worldwide income.”

PRC Withholding Tax on Dividends

Under the CIT Law and its implementation rules, the profits of a foreign-invested enterprise arising in 2008 and thereafter that are distributed to its immediate holding company outside the PRC are subject to withholding tax at a rate of 10%. A lower withholding tax rate will be applied if there is a beneficial tax treaty between the PRC and the jurisdiction of the foreign holding company. A holding company in Hong Kong, for example, will be eligible, with approval of the PRC local tax authority, to be subject to a 5% withholding tax rate under the “Arrangement Between the PRC and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income and Capital” if such holding company is considered to be a non-PRC resident enterprise and holds at least 25% of the equity interests in the PRC foreign-invested enterprise distributing the dividends. However, if such Hong Kong holding company is not considered to be the beneficial owner of such dividends under applicable PRC tax regulations, such dividend will remain subject to withholding tax at a rate of 10%.

PRC Value-Added Tax

We are subject to VAT at a rate of 6% or 17%.

Cayman Islands

We are not subject to income or capital gains tax under the current laws of the Cayman Islands. There are no other taxes likely to be material to us levied by the government of the Cayman Islands.

British Virgin Islands

Under the current laws of British Virgin Islands, Sogou BVI is not subject to tax on income or capital gains. There are no other taxes likely to be material to us levied by the government of the British Virgin Islands.

Hong Kong

Under the current Hong Kong Inland Revenue Ordinance, our Hong Kong subsidiaries Sogou Hong Kong Limited, Vast Creation Advertising Media Services Limited, and Sogou Technology Hong Kong Limited are subject to income tax at a rate of 16.5%. Hong Kong dose not impose a withholding tax on dividends.

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Results of Operations

You should read the information set forth and discussed in this section in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this annual report. The year-to-year comparisons discussed below may not be indicative of our future trends.

The following table summarizes our historical results of operations for the periods indicated:

(1)   Share-based compensation expense included in: