Lund, April 18, 2017–AnotoGroup AB(Anoto)and SMarkCo., Ltd. (SMark)haverefined andexpanded their strategic relationshipwith a new agreement thatincludes closer technical collaboration and arevenue-sharing model that will enhanceglobalgrowth.
Under the new agreement, AnotowillreceiveUSD5 millionfrom SMarkby 4 May, 2017,of which, USD 0.4 million has already been received. This will bring thetotalequityinvestment in Anotoby SMark-related companiesto USD 6.5 million. AnotopreviouslyreceivedUSD 1.5million from SMark's affiliate AbleInvestment Advisors Inc. The subscription price will be the higher of SEK 0.20 and the volume weighted trading price on 28 April 2017.
Anoto and SMark are both activewith pattern innovation that involves the application ofunobtrusive marks tophysical objectsto make themeasily identifiableusing computer vision. This newrelationshippermits SMark to applyAnoto’s proprietary microdot patternwithin this use case in exchange for royalties defined as a percentage of revenue.SMarkwill receiveasimilarly calculatedroyaltyin instances whenAnotoincludesSMark’sproprietaryprinting and copy protection technologieswithits offering known as AnotoDNA(ADNA).
"This enhancedagreement with SMarkclearly defines our respectiverolesin developing the globalmarket that we serve with ADNA. Anoto welcomes SMark's decision to use our IP platform in all of itsownpattern-related businesses.This cooperationis consistent withour goaltomakeADNAan industry standard. I believe SMark's strong relationships and existing customer base in Asia will also be helpful in this respect," said Joonhee Won, CEO of Anoto.
For further information, please contact:
Joonhee Won, CEO
For more information about Anoto, please visit www.anoto.com or email ir@anoto.com
Anoto Group AB (publ)Reg.No. 556532-3929,
Mobilvägen 10,SE- 223 62 Lund
Tel. +46 46 540 12 00
About Anoto
Anoto is a publicly held Swedish technology company known globally for innovation in the area of information-rich patterns and the optical recognition of those patterns. It is a leader in digital writing and drawing solutions, having historically used its proprietary technology to develop smartpens and the related software. These smartpens enrich the daily lives of millions of people around the world. Now Anoto is also using its pattern, optics, and image-processing expertise to bridge between the analogue and digital domains through an initiative known as Anoto DNA (ADNA). ADNA makes it possible to uniquely and imperceptibly mark physical objects and then easily identify those individual objects using ubiquitous mobile devices such as phones and tablets. ADNA is enabling exciting possibilities for product innovation, marketing insights, and supply-chain control. Anoto is traded on the Small Cap list of Nasdaq Stockholm under ANOT.
