X Open Delivers UNIX Branding, Inviting Vendors to License UNIX Trademark

New X Open UNIX Brand Provides Single UNIX Specification Conformance Guarantee

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 1995--X/Open Company Limited announced today its licensing program for the UNIX(R) trademark in use with computer operating system products.

Beginning today, products branded as conformant to the agreed Single UNIX Specification are able to carry the X/Open UNIX Brand. From now on, UNIX system buyers will be assured that systems bearing the X/Open UNIX Brand will meet the published single UNIX Specification set by X/Open.

This announcement marks the completion of the three elements of the UNIX branding program undertaken by X/Open when Novell transferred to it control of the UNIX trademark in October of 1993. These elements are the Single UNIX Specification (formerly known as Spec 1170) completed last October, the relevant software testing tools, and the UNIX trademark licensing terms and conditions.

Vendors seeking to license the UNIX trademark must now submit their product(s) to the X/Open branding program. In licensing the X/Open UNIX Trademark, the vendor warrants and represents that any branded product: 1) conforms to the specification; 2) will continue to conform to the specification, and; 3) if there is a non-conformance, it will be rectified within an agreed time. This high quality branding program is supported by rigorous testing through software test suites, developed by X/Open, that are used as a means of indicating that the product complies with the specification. "With all elements of the UNIX branding program in place, X/Open is now declared open for UNIX branding. For the first time since the beginning of its history, UNIX is now united under a single specification represented by the X/Open UNIX Brand," said X/Open President and CEO Geoff Morris. "The branding program announced today is the keystone that makes the brand valuable for users, software developers, and suppliers of open systems."

"The Single UNIX Spec offers us a powerful open platform for our mission-critical systems," said Alain Robert, chairman of the X/Open User Council and deputy chief information officer for Elf Aquitaine Production. "As vendors quickly respond by branding their products conformant to the Single UNIX Specification, portability of our applications and ease of integration across different vendors' systems will be greatly simplified."

"The X/Open UNIX Brand offers the entire UNIX community the ultimate guarantee of conformance." said Glenn Johnson, X/Open Company's chairman of the board from Digital Equipment Corporation. "This is the most valuable development and procurement tool available. This announcement further validates that the open process works and works in a timely manner."

"In a recent study of its membership, UniForum asked, 'Who/what did the most for open systems in 1994?' X/Open Company received the most votes for its contribution to UNIX unification, shepherding 'Spec 1170', and taking on the UNIX trademark from Novell", said Richard Jaross, Executive Director of UniForum.

Karl Klessig, chairman of the X/Open ISV Council, and president and CEO of Enterprise Solutions, an open systems software developer of messaging systems states, "The Single UNIX Spec now allows us to reduce costs and focus our development efforts against a single specification for UNIX. Now with the X/Open branding program in place, we can port our products to provide our customers with the highest degree of confidence that our application will work on their UNIX-branded systems."

Product Availability

X/Open expects that products carrying the X/Open UNIX Brand will be announced very soon after today's announcement. Many of the world's largest system vendors have been following the development of the specification and branding program quite closely and are prepared to deliver X/Open UNIX branded systems to their customers.

UNIX Branding Program Benefits

The business benefits of a coherent volume market created by the Single UNIX Specification and UNIX branding are substantial for software vendors, system vendors and users alike:

o A large base of systems conforming to a single specification will draw support from software vendors. This also encourages application development, increases portability, and broadens the range and richness of applications available on X/Open UNIX branded systems.

o System vendors will compete on aspects of value to customers such as service, support, reliability, etc., rather than by investing in maintaining incompatible technologies. The resources released can be focused in areas such as applications, interworking and connectivity; the major areas of IT that buyers want to see addressed.

o Buyers can spend less in specifying and procuring systems, and in systems administration, training, support and other costs by having to invest once to implement systems that work in an identical way.

o The Single UNIX Specification will provide buyers with a broader choice of systems on which to run their existing applications, maximizing their return on investment.

X/Open Branding Program Overview The X/Open branding program is built upon a legal agreement:

The Trade Mark License Agreement

By signing the agreement, the supplier warrants and represents that each branded product conforms to the specification. By so doing, the supplier agrees that if for any reason the registered product fails to meet the standards of quality or other conditions stated in the agreement, it is obligated to provide X/Open with a course of action intended to bring the product back within conformance.

Trade Mark Usage Guidelines

The Trade Mark Usage Guide defines the conditions under which and ways in which the various X/Open trade marks, including UNIX, may be used. This guide will be made widely available to ensure that misuse of the X/Open trade marks is minimized.

Documentation

All documents associated with any X/Open branding program, including the Trade Mark Licensing Agreement and Trade Mark Usage Guide, may be obtained from any X/Open office.

X/Open Company, Ltd.

Founded in 1984, X/Open is a worldwide, independent company dedicated to bringing the benefits of open computer systems to market. The company markets products and services to computer system buyers, system suppliers, software developers, and standards organizations. By integrating prioritized requirements and expertise from each of the groups, X/Open is able to evolve and manage a comprehensive set of publicly available open systems specifications, including de facto and international standards, which define the Common Applications Environment (CAE). X/Open operates a branding and testing program that awards a mark of continuing compliance to products meeting the conformance requirements.

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Note to Editors: X/Open is a registered trade mark, and the "X" device is a trade mark of X/Open Company Limited. UNIX is a registered trade mark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Limited.

X/OPEN CO., LTD. is located at 1010 El Camino Real #380 Menlo Park, CA 94025. REGIS McKENNA INC. is located at 1755 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303.