COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Competition Reviews

Certain business practices common to the online travel industry have become the subject of investigations by various national competition authorities ("NCAs"), particularly in Europe. Investigations related to Booking.com's contractual parity arrangements with accommodation providers, sometimes also referred to as "most favored nation" or "MFN" provisions, were initiated by NCAs in France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Ireland and Switzerland, and a number of other NCAs are also looking, or have looked, at these issues. The investigations primarily relate to whether Booking.com's price parity provisions are anti-competitive because they require accommodation providers to provide Booking.com with room rates that are at least as low as those offered to other online travel companies ("OTCs") or through the accommodation provider's website.

On April 21, 2015, the French, Italian and Swedish NCAs, working in close cooperation with the European Commission, announced that they had accepted "commitments" offered by Booking.com to resolve and close the investigations in France, Italy and Sweden. Under the commitments, Booking.com replaced its existing price parity agreements with accommodation providers with "narrow" price parity agreements. Under a "narrow" price parity agreement, subject to certain exceptions, an accommodation provider is still required to offer the same or better rates on Booking.com as it offers to a consumer directly online, but it is no longer required to offer the same or better rates on Booking.com as it offers to other OTCs. The commitments also allow an accommodation provider to, among other things, offer different terms and conditions (e.g., free WiFi) and availability to consumers that book with on-line travel companies that offer lower rates of commission or other benefits, offer lower rates to consumers that book through off-line channels and continue to discount through, among other things, accommodation loyalty programs, as long as those rates are not published or marketed online. The commitments apply to accommodations in France, Italy and Sweden and were effective on July 1, 2015. The foregoing description is a summary only and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the commitments published by the NCAs on April 21, 2015.

Booking.com is in ongoing discussions with various NCAs in other countries regarding their concerns. On July 1, 2015, Booking.com voluntarily implemented the commitments given to the French, Italian and Swedish NCAs throughout the European Economic Area and Switzerland and is working with certain other European NCAs towards closing their investigations or inquiries. In October 2015, the Irish NCA closed its investigation on the basis of commitments by Booking.com identical to those given to the French, Italian and Swedish NCAs. In November 2015, the Swiss NCA closed its investigation, prohibiting any reintroduction of Booking.com's old "wide" parity agreements but permitting Booking.com to retain its existing "narrow" parity agreements with accommodations in Switzerland. A number of additional NCAs in the European Economic Area have now closed their investigations following Booking.com's implementation of the commitments in their jurisdictions. However, the Company is currently unable to predict the impact the implementation of these commitments throughout the European Economic Area and Switzerland will have on Booking.com's business or on the on-going investigations in other European countries, or on industry practice more generally. On December 23, 2015, the German NCA issued a final decision prohibiting Booking.com's "narrow" price parity agreements with accommodations in Germany. The German NCA did not issue a fine, but has reserved its position regarding an order for disgorgement of profits. Booking.com intends to appeal the German NCA’s decision. An Italian hotel association has appealed the Italian NCA's decision to accept the commitments by Booking.com. The Company is unable to predict how these appeals and the remaining investigations in other countries will ultimately be resolved. Possible outcomes include requiring Booking.com to amend or remove its rate parity clause from its contracts with accommodation providers in those jurisdictions and/or the imposition of fines.

In August 2015, French legislation known as the "Macron Law" became effective. Among other things, the Macron Law makes price parity agreements illegal, including the "narrow" price parity agreements agreed to by the French NCA in April 2015. The law also requires that agreements between OTCs and hotels comply with a French agency contract form. Similar legislation prohibiting "narrow" price parity agreements has been proposed in Italy and currently is awaiting action by the Italian Senate. It is not yet clear whether the Macron Law or the proposed Italian legislation may affect our business in the long-term in France and Italy, respectively.

Litigation Related to Travel Transaction Taxes

The Company and certain third-party OTCs are currently involved in approximately forty lawsuits, including certified and putative class actions, brought by or against U.S. states, cities and counties over issues involving the payment of travel transaction taxes (e.g., hotel occupancy taxes, excise taxes, sales taxes, etc.). Generally, the complaints allege, among other things, that the OTCs violated each jurisdiction's respective relevant travel transaction tax ordinance with respect to the charge and remittance of amounts to cover taxes under each law. The Company believes that the laws at issue generally do not apply to the services it provides, namely the facilitation of travel reservations, and, therefore, that it does not owe the taxes that are claimed to be owed. However, the Company has been involved in this type of litigation for many years, and state and local jurisdictions where these issues have not been resolved could assert that the Company is subject to travel transaction taxes and could seek to collect such taxes, retroactively and/or prospectively. From time to time, the Company has found it expedient to settle, and may in the future agree to settle, claims pending in these matters without conceding that the claims at issue are meritorious or that the claimed taxes are in fact due to be paid.

Litigation is subject to uncertainty and there could be adverse developments in these pending or future cases and proceedings. An unfavorable outcome or settlement of pending litigation may encourage the commencement of additional litigation, audit proceedings or other regulatory inquiries and also could result in substantial liabilities for past and/or future bookings, including, among other things, interest, penalties, punitive damages and/or attorneys’ fees and costs. An adverse outcome in one or more of these unresolved proceedings could have an adverse effect on our results of operations or cash flow in any given operating period. However, the Company believes that even if the Company were to suffer adverse determinations in the near term in more of the pending proceedings than currently anticipated, given results to date it would not have a material impact on its liquidity or financial condition.

Accrual for Travel Transaction Taxes

As a result of this litigation and other attempts by jurisdictions to levy similar taxes, the Company has established an accrual (including estimated interest and penalties) for the potential resolution of issues related to travel transaction taxes in the amount of approximately $27 million at December 31, 2015 compared to approximately $52 million at December 31, 2014. The Company's legal expenses for these matters are expensed as incurred and are not reflected in the amount accrued. The actual cost may be less or greater, potentially significantly, than the liabilities recorded. An estimate for a reasonably possible loss or range of loss in excess of the amount accrued cannot be reasonably made.

In January 2013, the Tax Appeal Court for the State of Hawaii held that the Company and other OTCs are not liable for the State's transient accommodations tax, but held that the OTCs, including the Company, are liable for the State's general excise tax (“GET”) on the full amount the OTC collects from the customer for a hotel room reservation, without any offset for amounts passed through to the hotel. The Company recorded an accrual for travel transaction taxes (including estimated interest and penalties), with a corresponding charge to cost of revenues, of approximately $16.5 million in December 2012 and additional $18.7 million in the three months ended March 31, 2013, primarily due to this ruling. During the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, the Company paid approximately $20.6 million, $2.2 million and $0.6 million, respectively, to the State of Hawaii related to this ruling. In a mixed decision, on March 17, 2015, the Hawaii Supreme Court affirmed a ruling of the Tax Appeal Court for the State of Hawaii holding that the Company and other OTCs are not liable for the State's transient accommodations tax and upheld, in part, the Tax Court's ruling that the OTCs, including the Company, are liable for the State's GET on the margin and fee retained by an OTC as compensation in a transaction. The Hawaii Supreme Court reversed that portion of the Tax Court's decision that had held that OTCs are liable for GET on the full amount the OTC collects from the customer for a hotel room reservation, not just margin and fee, without any offset for amounts passed through to the hotel. As a result, the Company reduced its accrual for travel transaction taxes (including estimated interest and penalties) by $16.4 million with a corresponding reduction to cost of revenues in the first quarter of 2015. In addition, the Company recognized a net reduction in cost of revenue in the third quarter of 2015 of $13.7 million related to travel transaction taxes, principally due to a cash refund from the State of Hawaii for payments made in 2013. The Company is seeking the additional refund from the State of Hawaii of approximately $4 million in tax previously paid in excess of its actual liability, which will be recorded as a reduction in cost of revenues in the periods in which the cash refunds are received.

Patent Infringement

On February 9, 2015, International Business Machines Corporation ("IBM") filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware against The Priceline Group Inc. and its subsidiaries KAYAK Software Corporation, OpenTable, Inc. and priceline.com LLC (the "Subject Companies"). In the complaint, IBM alleges that the Subject Companies have infringed and continue to willfully infringe certain IBM patents that IBM claims relate to the presentation of applications and advertising in an interactive service, preserving state information in online transactions and single sign-on processes in a computing environment and seeks unspecified damages (including a request that the amount of compensatory damages be trebled), injunctive relief and costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees. The Subject Companies believe the claims to be without merit and intend to contest them.

French and Italian Tax Matters

French tax authorities recently concluded an audit that started in 2013 of the years 2003 through 2012. They are asserting that Booking.com has a permanent establishment in France and are seeking to recover what they assert are unpaid income taxes and value-added taxes ("VAT"). In December 2015, the French tax authorities issued an assessment for approximately 356 million Euros, the majority of which would represent penalties and interest. The Company believes that Booking.com has been, and continues to be, in compliance with French tax law, and the Company intends to contest the assessment. If the Company is unable to resolve the matter with the French authorities, it would expect to challenge the assessment in the French courts. In order to contest the assessment in court, the Company may be required to pay, upfront, the full amount or a significant part of any such assessment, though any such payment would not constitute an admission by it that it owes the tax. French authorities may decide to also audit subsequent tax years, which could result in additional assessments.

Similarly, Italian tax authorities have initiated a process to determine whether Booking.com should be subject to additional tax obligations in Italy. While the Company believes that it complies with Italian tax law, Italian tax authorities may determine that the Company owes additional taxes, and may also assess penalties and interest. The Company believes that it has been, and continues to be, in compliance with Italian tax law.

Other

The Company accrues for certain legal contingencies where it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated. Such accrued amounts are not material to the Company's consolidated balance sheets and provisions recorded have not been material to the Company's consolidated results of operations or cash flows. An estimate for a reasonably possible loss or range of loss in excess of the amount accrued cannot be reasonably made.

From time to time, the Company has been, and expects to continue to be, subject to legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of business, including claims of alleged infringement of third-party intellectual property rights. Such claims, even if not meritorious, could result in the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources, divert management's attention from the Company's business objectives and adversely affect the Company's business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Contingent Consideration for Business Acquisitions (see Note 19)

Employment Contracts

The Company has employment agreements with certain members of senior management that provide for cash severance payments of up to approximately $24.8 million, accelerated vesting of equity instruments, including without limitation, stock options, restricted stock units and performance share units upon, among other things, death or termination without "cause" or "good reason," as those terms are defined in the agreements. In addition, certain of the agreements provide for the extension of health and insurance benefits after termination for periods up to three years.

Operating Leases

The Company leases certain facilities and equipment through operating leases. Rental expense for leased office space was approximately $64.8 million, $57.2 million and $40.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Rental expense for data center space was approximately $21.6 million, $14.9 million and $12.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

The Company's headquarters and the headquarters of the priceline.com business are located in Norwalk, Connecticut, United States of America, where the Company leases approximately 102,000 square feet of office space. The Booking.com business is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where the Company leases approximately 258,000 square feet of office space; the KAYAK business is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, United States of America, where the Company leases approximately 18,000 square feet of office space; the agoda.com business has significant support operations in Bangkok, Thailand, where the Company leases approximately 95,000 square feet of office space; the OpenTable business is headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States of America, where the Company leases approximately 51,000 square feet of office space; and the rentalcars.com business is headquartered in Manchester, England, where the Company leases approximately 45,000 square feet of office space. The Company leases additional office space to support its operations in various locations around the world, including hosting and data center facilities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Singapore and Hong Kong and sales and support facilities in numerous locations.

The Company does not own any real estate as of December 31, 2015. Minimum payments for operating leases for office space, data centers and equipment having initial or remaining non-cancellable terms in excess of one year have been translated into U.S. Dollars at the December 31, 2015 spot exchange rates, as applicable, and are as follows (in thousands):



2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	After 2020	Total
$92,552	$80,262	$71,612	$61,286	$52,957	$106,859	$465,528