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1995-04-21
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==> (JDW) More information on the Microsoft-Wang deal - the deals represents
==> an admission by Microsoft that Wang developed a key part of MS Windows
==> technology.
Hoover NewsAlert TM Article
Microsoft concedes to Wang; Analyst: Scott C. McCready
Released:04-12-95 12:05 PM / DJNS Business Wire
FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 12, 1995--In a move that is
uniquely conciliatory, Microsoft has agreed to display Wang's name on the
screen of every copy of Microsoft Windows.
This is part of Wang's settlement of its legal proceedings with Microsoft,
which centered around ownership of Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), a
cornerstone of Microsoft Windows. The agreement additionally includes a cash
consideration, worldwide service agreement, and other technology access, and
positions Wang for market for market leadership in imaging and work flow
going forward.
Wang OLE
OLE, a function within Microsoft Windows to allow data to be easily exchanged
from one application to another, has been at the center of a lawsuit between
Wang and Microsoft for some time. The agreement to settle included five
major elements:
o Microsoft will bundle Wang's image viewer and a set of Wang
developed OCX's in Windows 95 and NT.
o Microsoft will invest in Wang through the purchase of $90 million of
convertible stock (stock face amount of 4.5 percent) which can be exchanged
for Wang common stock until the year 2003 for a price of $23 per share.
o Microsoft and Wang will cooperate to develop workflow APIs which will be
supported by Wang's OPEN/image and OPEN/work flow products as well as
Microsoft Exchange. Furthermore, these APIs will be published and fully
documented for use by other vendors.
o Wang will become one of five companies that have Global Authorized Support
Centers status, positioning Wang to generate a significant service business
from Microsoft products.
o Wang will license to Microsoft access to Wang's portfolio of patents.
Windows 95 Does Imaging
The incorporation of imaging into Windows 95 is a significant aspect of
Microsoft's next desktop operating system due to be released in September
1995. This development means that bit-mapped or scanned images of a piece of
paper will be able to be displayed within Windows 95 courtesy of Wang's
imaging technology. This will add significant capabilities to Microsoft's
operating system while at the same time providing a very large opportunity
for Wang, which will be able to create a new revenue stream from customers
that require product functionality over and above that provided by the
Windows 95 packaged image viewer.
Teaming Together
Perhaps more important than the $90 million convertible stock deal, the name
on every screen, the preferred imaging vendor designation or even the
opportunity for follow-on product revenues is the fact that Wang and Microsoft
together can significantly impact the very market that Wang has designated
as their company growth vehicle. According to Scott C. McCready, a principal
at IDC/Avante, a high-tech consulting firm located in Framingham, Mass., "
Microsoft has finally admitted that a key piece of Windows technology was
rightfully developed by Wang. Earlier this month Kodak OEM'ed Wang's imaging,
work flow and COLD software. If Wang ever wanted validation of their
corporate direction this is as good as it gets."
CONTACT: IDC/Avante, Framingham
Scott McCready, 508/935-4300
12:56 ET APR 12, 1995