Microsoft has sold its Expression Media digital-asset-management application to digital-photography vendor Phase One for an undisclosed amount.
Starting May 25, Phase One is handling customer support and future development for Expression Media. Microsoft will continue to offer support for Expression Media retail customers for the next 90 days, officials said.
Expression Media is one of a handful of products in the Microsoft Expression family. Microsoft has no plans to sell any of the other Expression tools, a company spokesperson said on May 25. The other Expression tools — Web, Blend, SketchFlow, Design, Encoder and the Studio bundle — are aimed at Web designers.
Today’s Expression Media deal is another of the Microsoft IP Ventures-brokered technology transfers. Via IP Ventures, Microsoft has sold a number of Microsoft-developed products and technologies to other companies.
According to Microsoft’s press release, Phase One and Microsoft forged an alliance back in 2007 to “improve digital imaging solutions for professional photographers and enthusiast photographers.”
In spite of today’s move, Microsoft is continuing to make investments in the professional photography space. Microsoft’s FUSE Labs is working on SmartFlow — a competitor to Adobe Lightroom that will include social-networking hooks.
