Seybold, San Francisco (August 31, 1999) (NASDAQ: ADBE)--Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced pre-release availability of two new technologies, Adobe® PDF Merchant™ software and Web Buy, a feature within Acrobat® Reader, to its partners for testing and product integration. The technologies will enable publishers, distributors, retailers and others to make electronic content available for distribution and sale over the Internet. The company expects Adobe PDF Merchant and Acrobat Reader software with Web Buy to speed the adoption of eBooks and the use of electronic documents among businesses and consumers.

"Digital distribution of electronic content, whether novels, "how-to" guides or business reports, is quickly becoming a hot topic among publishers and consumers alike," says Ken Brooks, vice president of electronic publishing, Barnes & Noble, Inc. "Adobe PDF Merchant allows us to use the content we already have, provide broad consumer accessibility and protect the integrity of documents distributed across the Internet. We are pleased that Adobe is working with industry leaders to enable ecommerce solutions for digital content that address the distinct needs of publishers and consumers."

Adobe partners include a range of publishers, distributors, retailers, device manufacturers, technology and service providers, each of whom maintains a specialized and important link in the publishing and delivery chain. They will begin testing and implementing Adobe PDF Merchant technology to provide titles to be distributed and sold via the Internet. Among others, Adobe is working with: Barnes & Noble, Inc.; Everybook Inc.; Fatbrain.com; 1stBooks; Glassbook, Inc.; Iomega Corporation; Octavo Corporation; Pearson PLC; R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company; Salon.com; Seybold Publications; Simon & Schuster, Inc.; Xerox Corporation.

"Our objective is to provide publishers, distributors, and retailers a quick and secure route to distribute and sell documents via the Internet," said Joe Eschbach, vice president, Adobe Systems Incorporated. "Since many publishing houses already use PDF for printing and archiving, we wanted to develop a technology built from the open, publicly available format they already use. With more than 70,000 Acrobat Reader downloads per day, Adobe is expanding the market and building the technology to facilitate its growth. We are excited by the overwhelming interest among industry leaders about working with Adobe and adopting this technology."

"The Internet provides publishers and content owners with an easy way to distribute documents, books, and reports," said Kevin Hause, manager, International Data Corp. "However, the need to manage that content and prevent unauthorized use keeps many from moving all of their content to the Web. Tools that provide secure access and use, while maintaining the flexibility to explore new business models will help content owners exploit the full possibilities of electronic distribution."

Enabling eCommerce for eContent
Adobe PDF Merchant is a server-based technology designed to be integrated into existing ecommerce and transaction servers. It manages encryption of PDF files and the distribution of keys to access them. To provide consumers with a mechanism for purchasing and viewing electronic content produced using Adobe PDF Merchant, Adobe is implementing a Web Buy feature within the free Acrobat Reader. Together, the new technologies will give publishers, distributors, retailers and consumers the capability to securely exchange electronic content. Acrobat Reader with Web Buy will be available in Q4 1999 and Adobe PDF Merchant in Q1 2000. The pre-release of the Acrobat Reader with Web Buy and a demo of the buying experience including downloadable electronic content is available today at www.adobe.com.

Since the introduction of Adobe Acrobat software more than five years ago, Adobe has taken the lead in helping publishers, government agencies, educational institutions and corporations improve the management of their electronic documents. Recently, increased interest in electronic books (eBooks) and electronic documents has caused publishers, distributors, retailers and technology providers to call for a cross-platform, easy-to-use solution to enable them to securely deliver digital content (books, reports, studies, etc.) to end-user devices. Therefore, Adobe developed the Adobe PDF Merchant and the Web Buy feature within the Acrobat Reader to address the disparate needs of distributors, sellers and buyers.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Founded in 1982, Adobe Systems 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. The company's products are used by Web and graphic designers, professional publishers, document-intensive organizations, business users, and consumers. Adobe is the fourth largest U.S.-based personal software company, with annual revenues approaching $1 billion. It employs over 2,400 employees worldwide and has operations in North America, Europe, the Pacific Rim, Japan and Latin America. Adobe's worldwide headquarters are in San Jose, California and its web site is located at www.adobe.com.