Aladdin Establishes Joint Venture with Athena of Japan to Provide Cutting-Edge Smartcard Solutions.NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 22, 1998--Aladdin Knowledge Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on : ALDNF), a global leader in the field of Internet and software security, today announced that it has reached a strategic agreement with Athena Research Inc., its long-standing partner in Aladdin Japan, to collaborate in a joint venture aimed at providing smartcard solutions based on Aladdin's ASE (Adaptive Server Enterprise) A relational DBMS from Sybase that runs on Windows NT/2000, Linux and a variety of Unix platforms. ASE is a comprehensive and robust data management product with a long history dating back to the late 1980s. technology. The company is to be called Athena Smartcard Solutions Inc.(Athena). Under the agreement, Aladdin will be granting Athena a non- exclusive perpetual license to use the ASE technology and intellectual property in order to provide cutting-edge smartcard solutions to the international PC industry, system integrators, developers and electronic equipment manufacturers. Aladdin will provide financial support to the new venture and hold a 33% interest in the company. Aladdin Japan's President, Masaru Kosaka, will be Chairman of the Board of Athena. "Aladdin's decision to strengthen its Asian/Pacific Smart Card presence is a good sign," according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. William B. Seebeck, global smart card expert and managing director of Wilton, CT based consultancy Seebeck International, L.L.C. "Inventor Kunitaka Arimura implemented the first Smart Card in Asia in 1970 and as a result, that region has a 28 year history of leading smart card development, manufacturing and use. Blending Aladdin's security-based smart card technology into this new joint venture enables Aladdin to more effectively meet the current market and future global demands of this fast growing industry," he said. Athena will focus on providing smartcard-enabled solutions, such as those currently being developed by Aladdin for several leading international and Japanese manufacturers, and meeting the increasing demand for ASE-based smartcard-enabled solutions. Athena will further develop and continue to support all ongoing ASE operations, customers and distributors. Aladdin's own focus will be on integrating ASE smartcard technology into its token-enabled security product range. Aladdin recently announced SmartHASP - a smartcard based software security token See authentication token and EAS. , and expects to make further use of its smartcard expertise and technology to introduce smartcard-based products for the enterprise market. This will serve to further broaden the product line of the recently announced Internet Security ''This article or section is being rewritten at Internet security is the process of protecting data and privacy of devices connected to internet from information robbery, hacking, malware infection and unwanted software. Unit created after the acquisition of eSafe Technologies Inc. Masaru Kosaka commented: "We are delighted with this opportunity to answer the growing demand for ASE-based smartcard solutions from system integrators and developers as well as from leading international electronic and PC manufacturers wishing to harness the versatility and security of our smartcard technology to their products." Aladdin's CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. and President, Yanki Margalit, added: "This move further enhances our long-lasting and beneficial partnership with Athena and further strengthens our commitment to the smart card market. With the new partnership in place, Aladdin and Athena are jointly poised to take full benefit of ASE's leading- edge technology and its leadership position in and outside Japan." About Aladdin: Aladdin Knowledge Systems Aladdin Knowledge Systems NASDAQ: ALDN is a company that provides solutions for software digital rights management and Internet security since 1985. Its corporate headquarters are located in Tel Aviv, Israel. Ltd. (NASDAQ/NMS: ALDNF) is a global leader in the field of information security. Aladdin's product range includes HASP (Houston Automatic Spooling Program) A mainframe spooling program that provides task, job and data management functions. HASP - Houston Automatic Spooling Program (R) and Hardlock(R), token-based software security systems that ensure license compliance and provide innovative marketing and distribution solutions for developers and publishers; Privilege(R), a comprehensive software licensing tool for software developers and the award-winning eSafe(TM) line of anti-vandal, anti-virus and security software for the Internet. Aladdin is an ISO (1) See ISO speed. (2) (International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, www.iso.ch) An organization that sets international standards, founded in 1946. The U.S. member body is ANSI. 9002 accredited accredited recognition by an appropriate authority that the performance of a particular institution has satisfied a prestated set of criteria. accredited herds cattle herds which have achieved a low level of reactors to, e.g. company with headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel, 7 international offices and distributors in over 40 countries. For more information, visit the Aladdin home page at www.aks.com "Safe Harbor Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. " statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995: This release contains forward looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the impact of competitive products and pricing, product demand and market acceptance, new product development, reliance on key strategic alliances, availability of raw materials, the regulatory environment, fluctuations in operating results and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. |
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