Microsoft sells Expression Media to Phase One
Redmond said Tuesday it has sold the photography cataloging product to a Danish company for an undisclosed price.
Microsoft said on Tuesday it has unloaded its Expression Media photo catalog product, selling it to medium-format digital camera maker Phase One.
The software maker didn't say how much it got from the sale. Microsoft acquired the technology that became Expression Media back in 2006, buying Britain's iView Multimedia.
Expression Media had been sold on its own and included as part of a "special media edition" of Office for Mac in the 2008 version of that product.
In a statement, Microsoft said the sale of Expression to Phase One builds on a 2007 strategic alliance between the two companies. Microsoft will support retail customers of Expression Media for 90 days, after which Phase One will handle it. Those using Expression Media as part of a volume license from Microsoft will continue to get support from Microsoft.
"We're excited about taking ownership of Expression Media," said Phase One CEO Henrik Hakonsson. "We have worked with Microsoft for several years, during which many of our customers have chosen Expression Media for their digital asset management needs."
Microsoft said the deal was arranged by Microsoft's IP Ventures unit, which licenses or sells technology that Microsoft decides is no longer strategic.
"Through this agreement, we've made every effort to ensure that the integrity of the Expression Media technology remains intact and that our customers experience a seamless transition," Microsoft Director of Strategy and Business Development Josh Weisberg said in a statement.