SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — November 18, 2015 — Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK) and ZWCAD Software Co., Ltd., ZWCAD Design Co., Ltd., HK ZWCAD Software Ltd., and GLOBAL FORCE DIRECT, LLC. (doing business as ZWCADUSA) (collectively, “ZWSoft”) have agreed to settle lawsuits pending in The Hague and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. AutoCAD is Autodesk’s flagship product and one of the most widely used design software tools in the world.

After discovering evidence indicating that ZWSoft had improperly used AutoCAD intellectual property in developing its ZWCAD+ products, Autodesk filed suit before The Hague in the Netherlands on February 19, 2014 (Case No. C/09/460412 / KG ZA 14-178) and in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on March 26, 2014 (Case No. 14-cv-1409-EJD). In these lawsuits, Autodesk alleged that the AutoCAD source code had been misappropriated and improperly used when developing ZWCAD+.

Although ZWSoft initially denied the allegations, ZWSoft subsequently discovered that an employee had, in fact, improperly used AutoCAD intellectual property developing ZWCAD+.

As a result of this discovery, ZWSoft’s CEO, Truman Du, has publicly acknowledged ZWSoft’s error and agreed to stop selling, licensing, or otherwise making available ZWCAD+ from all markets, effective immediately. The parties have entered into a binding settlement to resolve their pending lawsuits, with an undisclosed sum provided to Autodesk.

About Autodesk

Autodesk helps people imagine, design and create a better world. Everyone—from design professionals, engineers and architects to digital artists, students and hobbyists—uses Autodesk software to unlock their creativity and solve important challenges. For more information visit  autodesk.com or follow @autodesk.

Autodesk and the Autodesk logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

© 2015 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

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