List of Adobe Systems mergers and acquisitions

Adobe Systems is an American computer software company headquartered in San Jose, California. It was founded in 1982 by John Warnock and Charles Geschke, who established the company after leaving Xerox PARC to develop and sell the PostScript page description language. [cite web|accessdate=2008-10-03|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003330197_adobe30.html|title=How Adobe launched a revolution |work=San Jose Mercury News|date=2006-10-30|author=Blitstein, Ryan ] In 1985, Apple Computer licensed PostScript for use in its LaserWriter printers, which helped spark the desktop publishing revolution. [cite web|accessdate=2008-10-03|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/6212/Adobe-Systems-Incorporated/92968/Desktop-publishing-revolution|title=Adobe Systems Incorporated |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica ]

The company has made 25 acquisitions since its founding. Its first acquisition was Emerald City Software in March 1990. In August 1994, the company acquired Aldus, a Seattle-based software company credited with creating the desktop publishing industry with its PageMaker software. [cite web|accessdate=2008-10-03|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE1D8113DF935A25750C0A962958260|title= Adobe and Aldus Plan a $500 Million Merger |work=The New York Times|date=1994-03-16|author=Lewis, Peter H. ] The company's products were integrated into Adobe Systems' product line later in the year, and re-branded as Adobe PageMaker and Adobe After Effects; [cite news|title=Adobe Makes a Move for the Future Fremont Site|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|date=1998-04-13|author=Lewis, Jay B.] Aldus also owned the TIFF file format, transferring ownership to Adobe. [cite web|accessdate=2008-10-03|url=http://www.macworld.com/article/39669/2004/09/adobeformat.html|title=Inside Adobe's New Digital Negative Format |work=Macworld|date=2004-09-30 ] In October 1995, Adobe acquired the desktop publishing software company Frame Technology for US$566 million, and re-branded its FrameMaker software into Adobe FrameMaker. [cite news|title=Adobe Systems Announces Adobe FrameMaker for Windows 95 and NT|publisher=PR Newswire|date=1996-06-03] Adobe acquired GoLive Systems in January 1999 and obtained its CyberStudio HTML editor software, releasing it as Adobe GoLive. [cite web|accessdate=2008-10-03|url=http://www.pcworld.com/printable/article/id,145202/printable.html|title=Adobe Discontinues GoLive |work=PC World|date=2008-04-28|author=Cohen, Peter ] In May 2003, Adobe acquired Syntrillium Software and its digital audio editor software Cool Edit Pro, and merged it into its product line, re-releasing it as Adobe Audition. [cite news|title= Adobe Audition 1.0 sounds like a new program, but this multitrack recorder/editor is the offspring of Syntrillium’s Cool Edit Pro 2.1.|work=PC Magazine|date=2003-11-25]

In the 1990s, Adobe purchased a minority stake in four companies, and it purchased a stake in one company in the 2000s. Adobe has also divested six companies, where parts of the company are sold to another company. All of its divestments were made in the 1990s, with its most recent divestment made in August 1999 when it sold Macromedia Pathware to Lotus Software.

Adobe Systems' largest acquisition was San Francisco-based Macromedia in December 2005 for $3.57 billion. Adobe Systems made the most acquisitions in 2006, with four: Trade and Technologies France, Pixmantec, InterAKT, and Serious Magic. Of the companies that Adobe Systems has acquired, 18 were based in the United States. During the company's 26-year lifetime, it has acquired 25 companies, purchased stakes in five companies, and divested six companies, with most of them being software companies.

Acquisitions

Notes

References

External links

* [http://www.adobe.com/ Adobe Systems]
* [http://www.alacrastore.com/mergers-acquisitions/Adobe_Systems_Inc-1000238 Adobe Systems Mergers and Acquisitions]