newsbriefs - Statistical Data Included

Emedia Professional, August, 1999

Adaptec Acquires CeQuadrat

Adaptec, Inc. announced that it has acquired CeQuadrat GmbH for approximately $24 million in cash. According to Tom Shea, vice president and general manager of Adaptec's software products group, the company expects to relocate the European headquarters for its software products group to Aachen, Germany, where CeQuadrat is based. Adaptec will evaluate the allocation of the purchase price to assets acquired, which may include in-process technology that will be written off, and goodwill that will be amortized over the benefit period. CeQuadrat's main products, WinOnCD 3.6 and PacketCD, will remain distinct from Adaptec's Easy CD Creator and retain their full brand names (including "CeQuadrat"), according to Shea. U.S. sales will be handled through Adaptec USA. [Note: a more extensive report will appear in September-Ed.]

(Adaptec, Inc., 691 South Milpitas Boulevard, Milpitas CA 95035; 800/442-7274, 408/945-8600; Fax 408/262-2533; http://www.adaptec.com)

KENWOOD to Offer Branded TrueX CD-ROM Drives

To further expand the Kenwood consumer brand name into the computer peripheral market, Kenwood Technologies has signed several retail and distribution agreements to offer CD-ROM drives under the Kenwood name. Retailers that will be selling Kenwood TrueX CD-ROM drives include CompUSA and Micro Center; MicroWarehouse and CDW will offer the drives via mail order. In addition to making an aggressive move into the retail market, Kenwood is building upon its recent success in signing Compaq Computer as a PC OEM and pushing to reach other OEMs, VARs, and system integrators. Kenwood CD-ROM drives are available for system integration through Kenwood's distributors: Merisel, D&H, CONSAN GATES/ARROW, and ICG. The Kenwood TrueX 42X CD-ROM drive has a suggested retail price of $79.99; the 52X has an SRP of $129.99.

(Kenwood Technologies (USA), Inc., 1701 Junction Court, Suite 100, San Jose, CA 95112; 888/730-4206, 408/467-7900; Fax 408/451-1150; http://www.kenwoodtech.com)

VERITAS acquires SEAGATE Storage Management Software Group

VERITAS Software has completed the acquisition of Seagate's Network Storage Management Group (NSMG). Seagate Technology will receive approximately 34.6 million shares of VERITAS Software for Seagate Software's NSMG. The value of the shares is about $3 billion. Seagate Software NSMG, including its employees, products, and offices, will become part of VERITAS Software. The resulting company, with 2,300 employees in 17 countries, will be headed by Mark Leslie, previous president and CEO of VERITAS Software. Seagate retains ownership of its remaining Seagate Software subsidiary.

(Seagate Software, 708 Fiero Commerce Park 4-11, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 888/732-2021, 407/531-7948; Fax 407/531-7953; http://www.seagatesoftware. com. VERITAS Americas, 400 International Parkway, Heathrow, FL 32746, 800/327-2232; Fax 407/531-7670; http://www.veritas.com)

nStor Expands INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE with European Office

nStor Corporation, Inc. has announced the opening of its new European office in Kent, UK. Citing a Dataquest statistic that the storage and RAID market in Europe will grow 16.5 percent over the next few years, the company has decided to make the European market a strategic focus in its expansion plans. According to Richard Forrest, vice president of OEM and international sales for nStor, "We recognize the importance of addressing this market with both technology and service ... nStor is now better positioned to take advantage of the growing storage and RAID sales opportunities in the European computer market." The UK office is located at 9 Brummel Close, Bexleyheath, Kent, England DA7 6ES; 44 1322 559535, Fax 44 1322 523604.

(nStor Corporation, Inc., 450 Technology Park, Lake Mary FL, 32748; 800/724-3511, 407/829-3500; Fax 407/829-3555; http://www.nstor.com)

Microsoft Signs COPY protection AGREEMENT with Macrovision

Macrovision Corporation announced that Microsoft Corporation has signed a two-year agreement to use Macrovision's SafeDisc PC CD-ROM copy protection. Under the agreement, Microsoft will use SafeDisc on its educational, game, and personal finance software. SafeDisc is a software-based solution that does not require any changes to standard PC or CD-ROM hardware. It consists of an authenticating digital signature embedded on the disc during mastering/replication. When a disc is run, the authentication software reads the digital signature allowing the program to be decrypted and run normally. If an unauthorized copy is loaded, the software will not run. According to Bill Smith, product unit manager at Microsoft, "We were prompted to consider a copy protection solution because of the ongoing losses incurred by software distributors from returns on software copied using CD-Recordable devices."

(Macrovision Corporation, 1341 Orleans Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94089; 408/743-8600; Fax 408/743-8610; http://www.macrovision.com. Microsoft Corporation, 10500 Northeast 8th Street, Suite 1300, Bellevue, WA 98004; 800/426-9400, 425/705-1900; Fax 425/705-1831; http://www.microsoft.com)