SAN RAFAEL, CA, Mar 24, 2009 - Autodesk today began shipping its new 2010 line of 2D and 3D design and engineering software. More than 50 new products offer new features and functionality as well as improved tools for Digital Prototyping, Building Information Modeling (BIM), Infrastructure Modeling, sustainable design and analysis, which will help architects, engineers and designers meet increasing commercial and public sector demand for more energy-efficient buildings, products and infrastructure.

"The new functionality in our 2010 products will help design professionals worldwide improve the efficiency of their workflows and increase competitive advantage," said Carl Bass, Autodesk CEO. "As governments around the world invest billions in infrastructure and development projects, 3D design modeling technology will be vital for project planning, tracking spending, ensuring accountability, minimizing errors and maximizing sustainable performance."

The 2010 software for Infrastructure Modeling -- which includes AutoCAD Map 3D software, Autodesk MapGuide Enterprise software and Autodesk Topobase software -- allows users in telecommunications firms, state and local governments, and utilities to improve performance and increase ROI of their infrastructure projects. New features now enable users to more easily aggregate multiple sources of data, improving the design of smart electric utility grids, making planning city projects easier, and enabling more efficient design and repair of highways.

Autodesk has enhanced sustainable design and engineering functionality across the product portfolio. In its Digital Prototyping solution for manufacturers, the new assembly stress analysis and motion simulation tools in Autodesk Inventor Professional 2010 help users simulate and optimize their designs early in the process -- reducing both material waste and cost. A new circuit builder tool in AutoCAD Electrical 2010 software enables designers to analyze the energy efficiency of circuits and make more sustainable engineering decisions. Autodesk Moldflow 2010 software now includes an energy usage indicator so designers can further decrease manufacturing energy requirements, and with access to the world's largest plastic materials database of its kind, easily evaluate different materials and make product design choices that can contribute to sustainability initiatives.

For architects, engineers and contractors, Autodesk's 2010 portfolio provides significantly expanded tools for energy analysis including the new Autodesk Ecotect Analysis 2010 green building software, a comprehensive sustainable analysis tool that delivers a wide range of simulation and analysis functionality including energy, water, and carbon analysis capabilities with desktop tools to conduct detailed environmental simulations and visualize results. Users of the 2010 Revit software platform for BIM can now make more informed decisions to optimize sustainable building performance. Revit MEP 2010 software now makes it easier for mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineers to determine energy demands of a building with native heating and cooling loads analysis, and export enhanced gbXML that provides the ability to examine analytical models of a project before export.

Other 2010 product updates include new free-form 3D design tools in AutoCAD 2010 software, new conceptual design tools in the Revit platform and extended simulation capabilities in the Autodesk Inventor family for Digital Prototyping.

Details on the full portfolio of 2010 software are available at www.autodesk.com.

Autodesk Australia has been successful in copyright infringement proceedings against an Adelaide-based engineering company, Ginos Engineers Pty Ltd.

On Monday January 19, 2009 the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia ordered Ginos Engineers to pay compensatory damages, plus court costs, for past use of Autodesk software over a 10-year period.

Significantly, the Court made a number of adverse findings about the behaviour of Ginos Engineers and ordered it to pay additional damages of $76,000 for the flagrancy of the infringement.

This is a significant win for Autodesk, as well as the software market overall, as it demonstrates the serious consequences arising from the use of unlicensed software.

Autodesk made numerous attempts to resolve the matter before commencing legal action in August 2007, and Ginos Engineers had been warned it was at risk of court proceedings.

Hanspeter Eiselt, managing director of Autodesk Australia said, "Autodesk works closely with customers to educate them on sound software asset management practices. Taking legal action is always a last resort."

"We are extremely pleased with the result as it is a win for all software producers," continued Eiselt.

"The use of infringing software is a serious issue in Australia and elsewhere. As the Court pointed out in this case, an infringer gains an ‘entirely undeserved profit' through the use of unlicensed software.

The software in question was necessary for Ginos to run its business. And clearly Autodesk was entitled to benefit through the purchase of additional licences."

Clare Wharrier, spokesperson for the Business Software Alliance (BSA) said, "The protection of intellectual property rights is fundamental to Australia's standing internationally and to the protection of Australian jobs and innovation."

"Educating the public on the importance of using properly licensed software helps to protect Australian jobs, Australian talent and encourages people to invest in the local industry." Autodesk was represented by Gilbert + Tobin.

For more information about the Autodesk licence compliance program, visit www.autodesk.com.au/licencecompliance.

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, ALGOR's computer aided engineering software is used for product design and development in the automotive, aerospace, medical, consumer products, defense, energy and utilities industries. The acquisition will strengthen the Autodesk solution for Digital Prototyping with new advanced simulation functionality, including multiphysics, mechanical event simulation and fluid flow.

"Autodesk strives to offer manufacturers the most comprehensive and easy-to-use Digital Prototyping solution on the market," said Robert "Buzz" Kross, senior vice president of Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions. "The acquisition of ALGOR will add significant new capabilities to virtually test and predict the impact of simultaneous real world conditions like heat and pressure on product designs."

"Since 1976, ALGOR's accurate, easy-to-use analysis and simulation tools have helped mechanical engineers make better, safer products at a lower cost," said Michael Bussler, president and founder of ALGOR. "We have enjoyed a long-standing partnership with Autodesk, and the combination of our proven technologies will be an exciting new chapter for our customers worldwide."

Product Integration

ALGOR's software and services enable complex simulations on products ranging from mobile phones and printer cartridges to oil pipelines. Following the acquisition, Autodesk customers will have the opportunity to perform even more sophisticated analysis based on real-world structural and thermal conditions, allowing mechanical engineers to make informed product development decisions.

Upon completion of the acquisition, Autodesk's current intent is to integrate ALGOR into its Manufacturing Solutions business unit and to continue developing and selling ALGOR's core product line. Autodesk plans to continue developing the ALGOR products with an open approach, allowing direct data exchange between ALGOR products and multiple computer aided design software offerings.

2 men detained over use of pirated software

CEBU CITY (Phillipines) -- Two persons, one a Canadian, were taken into custody on Thursday following separate raids on three companies suspected to be running computers with pirated software.

A team from the Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) separately raided the firms and confiscated several computers.

The team, which came accompanied by a local representative of Autodesk Inc. and local NBI operatives, carried out the operation on the basis of a warrant issued by a Manila-based Regional Trial Court (RTC). Autodesk holds intellectual property rights over AutoCad, a software used in computer-aided designs.

Renante Rosales and Gary Skrybalo were taken into custody by the team that was assigned to Kingmar, a furniture shop located in Mandaue City. The firm is suspected to have used pirated versions of AutoCad in designing their furniture products for export.  NBI Central Visayas officials could not yet say whether charges will be filed against the two.

Among the other targets of the raid were the Jerome B. Posadas Architects and the Aster Engineering Works located on M.J. Cuenco Ave.  The partnership firm is based inside the Ayala FGU Center, a building located at the heart of the Cebu Business Park.

Judge Reynaldo Ros, in issuing the warrant, said "there are good reasons to believe that... copyright infringement has been committed."

Based on the warrant, the firm was in possession of "complete and/or partially complete unauthorized reproductions or copies of Autodesk software.

NBI sources said 15 computers were confiscated from the firm.  The Aster Engineering Works, on the other hand, is located on M.J. Cuenco Avenue.

The national government is pushing for the full implementation of intellectual property protection laws, mainly to address the concern of the foreign business sector.

Executive Order 736, signed last June 21, created the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights and ordered that permanent IPR units be set up in various law enforcement agencies and selected government offices. (KNR of Sun.Star Cebu)

Autodesk announced its intent to acquire substantially all of the assets of Germany-based ECS from Mensch und Maschine Deutschland GmbH, a member of the Mensch und Maschine group, on August 20, 2008. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Further enhancing the Autodesk solution for Digital Prototyping with software that relies on database-driven methods for controls system design, ECSCAD software complements AutoCAD Electrical software, which is used to quickly create accurate schematic-based designs. As both product lines are built on the AutoCAD platform, Autodesk will be positioned to enhance functionality and performance for both ECSCAD and AutoCAD Electrical customers and to offer even more powerful tools for a broad range of electrical controls designers.

"The acquisition of the ECSCAD technology extends Autodesk's leadership in Digital Prototyping and will allow European electrical design engineers to integrate both mechanical and electrical designs, offering the best of both worlds of database and drawing-based technology," said Robert "Buzz" Kross, Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions senior vice president. "We welcome ECS employees and customers to Autodesk."