Adobe Acquires Canoma From MetaCreations, Strikes Strategic e-Commerce Partnership with Metastream

 

 

 

 

Technology Creates and Rapidly Deploys Virtual Products on the Web

San Jose, CA --(March 29, 2000)-- Adobe Systems Incorporated and Metastream Corporation, a subsidiary of MetaCreations Corporation and Computer Associates International Inc (NYSE: CA), announced a strategic e-commerce partnership. The companies signed a Letter Of Intent (LOI) that provides Adobe access to Metastream's technologies for creating and deploying interactive 3D content on e-commerce sites. These technologies complement Adobe's award-winning Web publishing product line for authoring interactive, high-impact Web sites.

"High-traffic, e-commerce sites use visually-realistic and dynamic content to successfully sell products and services. Adobe's strategic partnership with Metastream demonstrates the company's commitment to providing customers with the most advanced tools to create and deploy the most compelling and interactive content imaginable on the Web," said Bruce Chizen, executive vice president of worldwide products and marketing, Adobe Systems.

To help creative professionals move into the world of 3D, Adobe will support the Metastream™ format (MTS) across its tools including Adobe® Photoshop®, Adobe GoLive™, Adobe Illustrator®, Adobe LiveMotion™, Adobe InDesign™, Adobe Premiere® and Adobe After Effects®. In exchange, Adobe will acquire Metacreations' Canoma™ product, which creates 3D models from photographs and outputs finished files to the Web

. "The synergy between the two companies vision and technologies is clear-to provide customers with industry-leading tools to create and deploy next-generation, e-commerce virtual storefronts and shopping experiences," said Bob Rice, president and CEO, Metastream Corporation. "With Metastream 3, we are able to provide Adobe customers a cohesive environment for displaying the output of all of Adobe's products on the Web."

Metastream 3 (MTS3) is the new e-commerce visualization and brand management system that works across browsers and platforms. A component of this system is the Metastream 3D file format, a major advance in the fast delivery and progressive display of streaming 3D objects and other media types over the Internet.

With true-to-life, three-dimensional visual fidelity, MTS3 provides for a much richer online shopping experience, replicating many of the benefits of shopping in a store while adding the convenience and user-control of the Internet. MTS3 includes state-of-the-art animation and interactivity features enabling viewers to virtually "pick-up" products, examine them, and test out product features online. The technology aggregates and reports user viewing activities to help companies better market and sell its products. MTS3 is effective regardless of connection speeds and computer processing power.

A series of international e-commerce and content development Web sites have adopted Metastream to add 3D impact to sites and increase online sales, including Nike, Sony, JCrew, Warner Brothers Online Store, CBS, Styleclick.com, Autobytel.com Inc, Lego Mindstorms and NASA.

About Nike
Nike Inc., headquartered in Beaverton, OR, designs and markets its products in more than 100 countries and is the world's leading sports and fitness company. Further information can be obtained at http://www.nikebiz.com.

About Metastream Corporation
Metastream Corporation is the leading provider of marketing visualization solutions and services that enable online retailers to host interactive product presentations on the Internet. Metastream's primary initiatives include licensing Metastream technologies for specific e-commerce initiatives, providing a full range of fee-based professional services for implementing these 3D solutions and forging strategic alliances with leading interactive agencies and Web content providers. Metastream is 80 percent owned by MetaCreations Corporation (Nasdaq: MCRE) and 20 percent by Computer Associates International, Inc. (NYSE: CA) and is headquartered in New York City, New York. Additional information about Metastream is available at
http://www.metastream.com.

About MetaCreations
MetaCreations Corporation is focused on e-commerce visualization solutions for the World Wide Web, and the Company's Internet strategy is being executed through its subsidiary, Metastream Corporation. The Company is headquartered in Santa Barbara County, California and can be reached on the World Wide Web at http://www.metacreations.com.

About Computer Associates
Computer Associates International, Inc. (NYSE: CA), the world's leading business software company, delivers the end-to-end infrastructure to enable eBusiness through innovative technology, services and education. CA has 18,000 employees worldwide and had revenue of $6.3 billion for the year ended December 31, 1999. For more information, visit http://www.ca.com.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Founded in 1982, Adobe Systems Incorporated (www.adobe.com) builds award-winning software solutions for Web and print publishing. Its graphic design, imaging, dynamic media, and authoring tools enable customers to create, publish and deliver visually rich content for various types of media. Headquartered in San Jose, California, Adobe is the fourth largest U.S.-based personal software company, with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion. This release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties affecting the Company's business. Such risks include, but are not limited to, the following: no assurances that the Adobe and Metastream will be able to enter into a definitive agreement that contains all of the terms set forth in this press release, that the MTS3 viewer will be made available for download later this week as expected, that MTS3 will ship on time or include the functionality as described in this press release. For a more detailed discussion of factors that affect MetaCreations' operating results, interested parties should review MetaCreations' SEC reports, including MetaCreations' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999, and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.


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