Asia/Pacific Application Software Sales Reach Nearly $800 Million in 1994

With Sales of $504 million, Japan Cements Position as US Publishers'
Largest Market Outside North America

March 20, 1995 (Washington, DC) - The Software Publishers Association (SPA)
announced today that sales of personal computer application software
reached $797 million in the Asia/Pacific region in 1994, a 55% increase
over 1993. For the fourth quarter of 1994 (Q4 '94), sales were $226.6
million, a 49% increase from the fourth quarter of 1993 (Q3 '93). Unit
sales increases were 121% and 102% for Q4 '94 and the full year,
respectively.

Japan Cements Position as Largest Market Outside US

US software publishers had a banner year in Japan, with sales reaching $504
million for the year, a 64% increase over 1993. For Q4 '94, sales were
$143 million, a 61% increase.

Windows applications sales in Japan were $314 million in 1994, a 117%
increase from 1993, and accounted for 62% of applications sold by US
publishers. In 1993, Windows applications accounted for 47% of US
publishers' sales in Japan.

Windows applications are both the largest selling and fastest growing
segment for US publishers in Japan, But unlike Western Europe, where sales
growth has largely been based on the success of Windows, US software
publishers' growth in Japan has come from both the Windows and Macintosh
platforms.

Over $100 million in Macintosh applications were sold in Japan in 1994, an
88% increase over 1993. This is the first time that Macintosh application
sales have exceeded $100 million for a year in any market outside the US.
Macintosh applications accounted for 22% of US publishers' sales in Japan
in 1993, compared to 19% in 1993.

Sales In Emerging Asian Economies Increase 94% for Q4 '94

After a mediocre first three quarters of 1993, sales in the "Asia Tiger"
economies took-off in Q4, reaching $43.3 million, a 94% increase. For the
year, sales were up 43% to nearly $124 million. (Sales of individual Asian
markets were not separated for all of 1993, so SPA is able to calculate
growth rates only in aggregate, and not for individual markets.)

Singapore led the pack, with sales of $16.2 million for Q4 and $29.6
million for the year. China, the most populous nation in the world, bought
only $1.6 million in software from reporting companies for all of 1994.

"It is encouraging to see software sales accelerating in these Asian
markets," said SPA Research Director David Tremblay. "However, we should
not be distracted from the huge software piracy problems we have found
among these countries. We estimate that business software piracy cost the
software industry over $2 billion in 1994 - more than two and a haytimes
US publishers' revenues in the period. Through the 301 process and in
other forums, we will continue to press the governments in these countries
to clean-up their piracy problems."

Sales data reported are from the SPA's International Data Program, and
represent total revenues in these regions of the thirty-nine primarily
US-based software firms participating in the SPA's International Data
Program. The companies submit their confidential sales data to the
accounting firm of Arthur Andersen, which prepares the report for the SPA.
Among the participants are Adobe, Borland, Claris, Lotus, Microsoft,
Software Publishing, Symantec, and the WordPerfect Division of Novell.
While US companies have the dominant market share in most of these
regions, the figures reported should not be taken as an estimate of the
total market size. Rather, they represent total sales of the reporting
companies.

The Software Publishers Association is the principal trade association of
the PC software industry. Its 1,100 members represent the leading
publishers in the business, consumer, and education markets. The SPA has
offices in Washington, DC, and Paris, France. SPA press releases are
available on-line through CompuServe (GO:SPAFORUM), and from SPA's faxback
service at 800 637 6823.

Software Publishers Association
1730 M St, Northwest, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20036
202-452-1600,  Fax: 202-223-8756

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