Phase One Acquires Microsoft's Expression Media Product

Digital photography company Phase One, which offers in open-platform based medium format camera systems and solutions, is taking over Microsoft’s Expression Media product.

The acquisition of the product is an extension of a partnership between the Copenhagen-based company and Microsoft, inked in 2007.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Microsoft Expression Media is a commercial digital asset management (DAM) cataloging program for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems. It is the next version of iView MediaPro, which Microsoft itself acquired in June 2006.

Under the terms of the agreement, Expression Media will join Phase One’s product lineup, which includes medium-format camera systems Capture One raw-conversion and image-editing software.

Phase One will take full ownership of the Expression Media product. Microsoft will continue to provide support to retail customers for 90 days, after which Phase One will begin offering support.

Microsoft customers who are currently using Expression Media under an Enterprise Agreement will continue to receive support from Microsoft through the term of their agreements.

The agreement was brokered by Microsoft’s IP Ventures program, a vehicle for Microsoft to get technologies into the hands of other businesses. Microsoft said that it will continue to develop the Expression Studio design tools for Silverlight and .NET.