International Channel Partnerships Demonstrate Global Demand for Black Duck's Software Compliance Management Solutions
New Agreements with Resellers and Distributors in Australia, South Korea and Japan Make protexIP the Most Broadly Available Solution on the Market
LinuxWorld Expo & Conference, San Francisco, CA - August 14, 2006 - Black Duck Software, the leading global provider of software compliance management solutions, today announced it is meeting worldwide demand for enterprises to "know their code" through new and expanding international partnerships. Agreements with Open Channel Solutions (OCS), the largest Novell distributor in Australia; TSKG, a leading technology reseller in South Korea; and 10art-ni Corporation (TSE:3744), the premier distributor of open source-based solutions in Japan, enable Black Duck's solutions to make inroads within new overseas markets. Collectively, these relationships will allow Black Duck Software to reach thousands of companies to help them navigate the licensing requirements and obligations that govern the software they use or develop, and make Black Duck's protexIP the most widely available platform for software compliance management around the globe.
OCS, the leader in software subscription management solutions and distribution services, will distribute Black Duck's protexIP suite in Australia and New Zealand. Additionally, the company will offer its extensive logistics expertise, innovative marketing resources, and broad customer base to drive sales in the region. TSKG will offer the protexIP platform as well as training and ongoing support to enterprises throughout South Korea. 10art-ni is expanding its reseller agreement with Black Duck to offer the full protexIP suite to the Japanese market.
"This year we are seeing significant growth in markets for protexIP outside the U.S.," said Douglas A. Levin, CEO of Black Duck Software. "These new partnerships are being established in order to service that demand. We have found that Australian, Korean and Japanese enterprises are recognizing the need to incorporate software compliance into the lifecycle management process--just like U.S. companies--to protect their software intellectual property. Each of our international partners has the open source and IP compliance expertise required to sell, service and support the demand in their respective countries."
Black Duck's protexIP platform creates a collaborative environment that helps organizations effectively manage their increasingly complex software licensing policies and procedures. The protexIP platform assists companies in validating software contents, verifying licenses and finding and addressing issues early in the development cycle--or well in advance of a due diligence event. Companies reduce business risks, complete software projects on time and on budget, and stay on track with their go-to-market strategies and business plans. protexIP is the most widely used solution of its kind in the industry.
International Partners Recognize Significant Customer Demand
"Our customers are building and deploying complex applications and fully appreciate the value of accelerating software development through the use of open source and third-party code. They also recognize the need to protect their software IP. We are pleased to partner with Black Duck to help them institute an automated process to properly manage and track compliance with all relevant software licenses and mitigate business risks," said Ed Rose, CEO, Open Channel Solutions.
"We see strong demand for automated systems like protexIP in the Korean technology sector, especially in the embedded software market," said Taek Wan Kim, CEO of TSKG. "Our experience with enterprises tells us few have an established process in place to manage the growing volume of licenses attached to their software assets. This presents a problem when it comes to verifying license compliance. Our partnership with Black Duck will help our customers take full advantage of the promise of open source, and help protect themselves from the potential legal and financial set backs that can arise."
"We are committed to including the most cutting-edge technologies in our offerings to truly meet our customers' business needs. Black Duck's protexIP/development platform has proved to be a valuable solution to the license compliance of our customers. Expanding our partnership with Black Duck will result in 10art-ni being able to offer our customers to ability to manage the compliance process throughout their product development lifecycle," said Nobuo Kita, president and CEO of 10art-ni Corporation.
About Black Duck Software
Black Duck SoftwareTM is the leading provider of software compliance management solutions that help companies govern how software assets are created, managed and licensed. Black Duck's offerings help businesses take maximum advantage of open source software while at the same time ensure that they satisfy the obligations associated with the code they use. Black Duck's customer base includes enterprises, product developers, outsourcers, law firms and other organizations worldwide that are concerned with protection of software intellectual property. For more information about Black Duck, visit www.blackducksoftware.com.
# # #
© 2006 Black Duck Software, Know Your Code and protexIP are trademarks of Black Duck Software, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
