Havas Chooses Microsoft Reader to Launch its French Language eBook Business / Havas to Offer eBook Titles Available for French Language Market

FRANKFURT, Germany (PROTEXT) - Today at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Havas Group announced they will work together on eBook titles for the French language market with Microsoft(R) Reader software. The Havas eBook titles will be distributed in CD-ROM format with the launch of Microsoft Reader French language version. Havas eBook titles will also be available for download from the Internet at a later date. The CD will feature a selection of titles from Havas Publisher Pocket, which includes such works as "Le Cid" by Pierre Corneille, "La Princesse de Cleves" by Madame de La Fayette and "Notre-Dame de Paris" by Victor Hugo. "With Microsoft Reader technology, we will enable our readers to obtain our works through all Windows(R)-based desktop and laptop PCs in the French-speaking world and will reinforce our leadership as a worldwide content provider for all platforms: paper, electronic and multimedia," said Agnes Touraine, executive vice president of Havas. Microsoft Reader is a new PC software application designed to deliver an on-screen computer reading experience that for the first time approaches the quality of paper. Microsoft Reader is the first product to include ClearType(TM) display technology, a Microsoft innovation that greatly improves font resolution on LCD screens for users of desktop or laptop PCs running the Windows operating system as well as dedicated reading devices. In addition to incorporating the latest ClearType technology, Microsoft Reader strictly adheres to the traditions and benefits of fine typography. It provides a clean, uncluttered display; ample margins; full justification; proper spacing, leading and kerning; and powerful tools for bookmarking, highlighting and annotation. Microsoft Reader also includes a dictionary as well as a library that can store and manage a large collection of books and other documents. "We are very pleased to be working with Havas to bring its eBook titles along with Microsoft Reader to the French language market," said Dick Brass, vice president of Technology Development at Microsoft. "Havas has a tremendously rich range of current and classic titles that are well-suited for electronic publishing. Our mutual goal is to create a new eBook industry and a marketplace for eBooks in which authors, publishers and consumers all prosper." Microsoft Reader is scheduled to be available early next year in English, with support for French and other languages soon thereafter. Pricing for the Havas CD-ROM has not yet been announced. Havas, a wholly owned subsidiary of VIVENDI, is a world leader in print and electronic media. Havas offers a wide variety of products and services ranging from the press and the Internet to books, trade fairs, CD-ROMs and databases. Havas is No. 1 worldwide in schoolbook and educational software publishing and in computer game software. It also enjoys a strong position in Europe in business-to-business information and is a world leader in health-care information. In addition, the group is the largest in book distribution in Europe. Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day. NOTE: Microsoft, Windows and ClearType are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. ots Original Text Service: Microsoft Corp. Internet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Ann Junod Burkart, 408-986-1140, or annjb@wagged.com, or Rapid Response Team, 503-443-7000, or rrt@wagged.com, both of Waggener Edstrom, for Microsoft Corp. Web site: http://www.microsoft.com Subscribers please note that material bearing the slug "PROTEXT" is not part of CTK's news service and is not to be published under the "CTK" slug. Protext is a commercial service providing distribution of press releases from clients, who are identified in the text of Protext reports and who bear full responsibility for their contents. PROTEXT