Baidu files to go public on Nasdaq
It is official: Baidu has filed to go public on the Nasdaq to raise $80 million. We’ve written before about the Chinese search engine company, Baidu, and the quandary Google faces in dealing with it, and there are more questions (see below).
If you’re interested in the background on the company, read this informative piece. There’s also the prospectus, and other related docs. Pictured above is Baidu CEO Robin Li.
When we asked earlier what Baidu is doing in China that Google isn’t, we didn’t get any definitive response. You’ll see in our comments, though, that a reader says one difference is that you can download music for free. Another source chimes in that you can download a “snoop dog song no problem.” We’re wondering if China’s lax copyright law enforcement means Google might have a disadvantage (having to obey by stricter U.S. standards)? Any thoughts?
This is significant because apparently some say even the registration on Nasdaq won’t make Baidu subject to U.S. copyright regulations. A source writes:
…there are experts point out that the accordance of judging the applicable laws of intelligence property are the regions of where tortuous contents sales and use. That means the local laws of where the company operating is adopted, and there isn’t any relation with IPO country.
In other words, Baidu will not be restricted by the more rigorous American laws, but still follow the relative law intendance of Chinese intelligence property.
Sorry about usage of anonymous sourcing here. We’re still checking to see if we can get this on-record.
Update: Baidu has had a film search engine underway for several months, points out SEW’s Gary Price.
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About the Author, Matt Marshall
Matt launched VentureBeat in September of 2006, with the realization that no one else was covering the entrepreneurial and tech innovation scene with the velocity or depth that he was. Prior to founding VentureBeat, he covered venture capital for the San Jose Mercury News from 2001 to 2006. In 2002, Matt was awarded "Journalist of the Year" by the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists. Prior to working at the Merc, he was a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Bonn, Germany from 1995 to 1998, and a writer for the Washington Post in 1994. Matt holds a PhD in Government and an MA in German and European Studies from Georgetown University. In addition to VentureBeat, Matt is also the Executive Producer of DEMO, the leading launchpad event for emerging technologies.
