Google 2011 Annual Report Download - page 35

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Google TV. Google TV is a platform that gives consumers the power to experience television and the internet
on a single screen, with the ability to search and find the content they want to watch. The Google TV platform is
based on the Android operating system and runs the Google Chrome browser.
Google Books. The Google Books platform (including reading applications, an electronic bookstore
(eBookstore), book search, and personal library management) is designed to help people discover, search, and
consume content from printed books online. Through the Google eBookstore, we make available for sale popular
books in electronic book format to complement our large collection of free public domain books.
Enterprise
Google’s enterprise products provide familiar, easy-to-use Google technology for business settings. Through
Google Apps, which includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Sites, among other features, we
provide hosted, web-based applications that people can use on any device with a browser and an internet
connection. In addition, we provide our search technology for use within enterprises through the Google Search
Appliance (real-time search of business applications, intranet applications, and public websites), on their public-
facing sites with Google Site Search (custom search engine), and Google Commerce Search (for online retail
enterprises). We also provide versions of our Google Maps Application Programming Interface (API) for businesses
(including fully interactive Google Maps for public and internal websites), as well as Google Earth Enterprise (a
behind-the-company-firewall software solution for imagery and data visualization). Our enterprise solutions have
been adopted by a variety of businesses, governments, schools, and non-profit organizations. Google Apps is the
first cloud computing suite of message and collaboration tools to receive U.S. government security certification.
Research
We continue to develop new products and services and to enhance our existing ones through research and
product development and the licensing and acquisition of third-party businesses and technology. Our product
development philosophy is to launch innovative products early and often, and then iterate rapidly to make those
products even better. We often post early stage products at test locations online or directly on Google.com. We
then use data and user feedback to decide if and how to invest further in those products.
Our research and development expenses were $2.8 billion, $3.8 billion, and $5.2 billion in 2009, 2010, and
2011, respectively, which included stock-based compensation expense of $725 million, $861 million, and $1.1
billion, respectively. We expect to continue to invest in building the employee and systems infrastructures needed
to support the development of new products and services and to improve existing ones.
Intellectual Property
We rely on a combination of intellectual property laws, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual
provisions, to protect our proprietary technology and our brand. We have registered, and applied for the registration
of, U.S. and international trademarks, service marks, domain names, and copyrights. Additionally, we have filed
U.S. and international patent applications covering certain of our proprietary technology. Over time, we have
assembled a portfolio of patents, trademarks, service marks, copyrights, domain names, and trade secrets
covering our products and services. Our proprietary technology is not dependent on any single patent or copyright
or groups of related patents or copyrights. We believe the duration of our patents is adequate relative to the
expected lives of our products. Although we rigorously protect our proprietary technology, any significant
impairment of, or third-party claim against, our intellectual property rights could harm our business or our ability to
compete.
Sales and Support
We continue to develop and grow our sales and support infrastructure. We have over 85 offices in over 40
countries, the large majority of which include sales people. Our global sales and support infrastructure has
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