America Online Agrees To License Microsoft Directx Multimedia Api - Company Business and Marketing

EDP Weekly's IT Monitor, Nov 29, 1999

Microsoft Corp. announced a licensing agreement with America Online Inc. last week for Microsoft's DirectX multimedia API components. The "nonexclusive distribution agreement" enables AOL to give its users the ability to run games and multimedia applications on their Windows operating system-based PCs using the Microsoft API.

According to Ted Hase, group program manager for DirectX at Microsoft, "Consumers now have an additional resource from which to obtain the latest version of Microsoft's multimedia API for an enhanced, intensified multimedia gaming experience."

Built into Windows, DirectX technology is used by PC software developers to create game titles and multimedia software with 3-D graphics, sound effects and high-speed performance.

"America Online works to make it as easy as possible for our members to get new resources and technology," says Lawrence Schick, executive director of Games at AOL. "We are pleased to add Microsoft DirectX 7.0 to the multimedia downloads we currently provide on AOL."

AOL members will be able to download DirectX from AOL's PC Download Center. Microsoft released DirectX 7.0 in September.

Consumers can also download DirectX 7.0 by using the Windows Update feature in Windows 98, or from the DirectX Home User Web page.