Altium drops ATS product
Customers object to "pay for bug fixes" model
SYDNEY, Australia - September 16, 2002 - After considering complaints from long time customers, Altium has announced that it will scrap its current Altium Total Support (ATS) program and make all service packs for its products freely available to all customers.
"In our haste to generate a more predictable revenue stream, we adopted the conventional 'pay for bug fixes' model, so rampant in the EDA industry. In doing so, we lost sight of our primary focus," commented Nick Martin, Joint CEO and founder of Altium. "The concept of ATS was a mistake on our part and represents an embarrassing departure from the core values of our company."
Kayvan Oboudiyat, Joint CEO Altium, added:
"Withholding technology and product fixes from our customers does not fit with the spirit in which this company was founded. We have realized our mistake and are taking measures to correct it. Altium's business model is based on providing true value to all customers by offering a real alternative to the rigid structures imposed by the larger EDA vendors."
Altium will offer customers increased flexibility with choices for hotline phone support and pre-paid upgrades for those that require direct access to product support specialists, and/or predictable annual software costs. There will be no disadvantages for customers that prefer to maintain their software on an upgrade-by-upgrade basis. All current ATS contracts will be honored in full, with ATS customers continuing to receive both hotline phone support and product upgrades.
For more information, customers can contact their local Altium Sales and Support Center.
About Altium Limited
Altium Limited (ASX: ALU), trading as Protel International Limited (ASX: PRI) prior to August 6, 2001, is a leading global developer and supplier of desktop Electronic Design Automation (EDA) and embedded software design tools for the Microsoft Windows environment.
Since the Company's foundation in 1985 and its release of the world's first Microsoft Windows-based EDA tool in 1991, Altium has continued to apply the most advanced software design methods to provide powerful, easy-to-use and affordable design software to engineers and electronics designers worldwide.
Altium's current product brands include Protel, P-CAD, TASKING, Accolade, CircuitMaker and CAMtastic!. These products offer tailored solutions covering a range of hardware and software design processes.
Altium is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, and operates a number of sales and support offices in Australia, the United States, Japan and Europe, as well as maintaining a large reseller network in all other major markets. More information about the Company and its products and services may be obtained from our website at http://www.altium.com.
Altium USA Media Contact
Janice Hughes
Hughes Communications, Inc.
15 Oak Tree Lane
Lyme, CT 06371
USA
www.hughescom.net
Telephone: +1 860 434 3782
Fax: +1 860 434 3781
Email: janice@hughescom.net
Corporate Media Contact
Jessica Maxwell
Altium Limited
Level 3, 12a Rodborough Road
Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086
Australia
www.altium.com
Telephone: +61 2 9975 7710
Fax: +61 2 9975 7720
Email: jessica.maxwell@altium.com.au
Altium, Protel, Protel DXP, DXP, Design Explorer, nVisage, P-CAD, TASKING, Accolade, CircuitMaker, CAMtastic!, Situs and Topological Autorouting and their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Altium Limited or its subsidiaries. All other registered or unregistered trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners, and no trademark rights to the same are claimed.
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