Buttonware Agrees To Sell Assets, Rights

Bellevue-based ButtonWare has agreed to sell its assets and product rights to McAfee Associates, a developer of anti-virus software based in Santa Clara, Calif. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

ButtonWare develops and markets database and personal productivity software. The company was founded in 1980 and had sales

of about $2 million in 1992.

McAfee Associates plans to market ButtonWare's products through its on-line distribution system, which can deliver software through a network of bulletin boards - CompuServe, America Online and Internet - and through 180 agents who provide local sales and technical support. The company also expects to sell ButtonWare's products to its 16,000 corporate accounts.

"It's a good fit," said ButtonWare founder and President Jim Button. "They need more software for their distribution channels and ButtonWare needs more channels."

Button said the sale will not affect the company's 16 employees, and he will remain with the company. "We will become sort of a software development arm for McAfee."

ButtonWare's flagship product, PC-File, is a personal filing program with more than 1 million users. Last month the company released a Windows-based personal database program called ButtonFile.

ButtonWare was a pioneer in the development of shareware - a distribution system that allows users to copy and try out a program before paying for it.

"We think ButtonWare's technology is very strong," said Phil Talsky, marketing manager for McAfee Associates.

McAfee Associates develops, markets and distributes personal computer and network software. The company had sales of $13 million in 1992. McAfee recently launched Pro-View for Windows, a trouble-shooting utility designed for programmers, technical support personnel and other PC professionals.