Avid 2008 Annual Report Download - page 13

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8
company, we regard our patents, copyrights, trademarks, service marks and trade secrets as being among our most
valuable assets, together with the innovative skills, technical competence and marketing abilities of our personnel.
Our software is licensed to end users pursuant to shrink-wrap, embedded, click-through or signed paper license
agreements. Our products generally contain copy-protection and/or copy-detection features to guard against
unauthorized use. Policing unauthorized use of computer software is difficult, and software piracy is a persistent
problem for us, as well as for the software industry in general. This problem is particularly acute in some of the
international markets in which we operate.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
We are committed to delivering best-in-class digital media content-creation solutions market-tailored to the unique
needs, skills and sophistication levels of our target customer market segments. We are known as a pioneer and innovator
of digital media content-creation solutions with research and development, or R&D, centers around the globe. Our R&D
efforts are focused on the development of digital media content-creation tools and workgroup solutions that operate
primarily on the Macintosh and Windows platforms. Our R&D efforts also include networking and storage initiatives
intended to deliver standards-based media transfer and media asset management tools, as well as stand-alone and
network-attached media storage systems for workgroups. In addition to our internal R&D efforts, we outsource certain
R&D projects to both domestic and internationally-based independent contractors. Our R&D expenditures for 2008,
2007 and 2006 were $148.6 million, $150.7 million and $141.4 million, respectively. For the risks associated with our
use of independent contractors for R&D, see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this annual report.
Our major company-operated R&D operations are located in: Tewksbury, Massachusetts; Daly City, California;
Mountain View, California; Irwindale, California; Madison, Wisconsin; and London, England.
OPERATIONS
We are headquartered in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, with operations in the United States, Canada, South America,
Europe, Asia and Australia. We employed approximately 2,350 people worldwide as of January 1, 2009.
WEB SITE ACCESS
We make available free of charge on our website, www.avid.com, copies of our annual report on Form 10-K, our
quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, our current reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports as soon as
practicable after filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additionally, we will provide paper copies of all
of these filings free of charge upon request. Alternatively, these reports can be accessed at the SEC’s Internet website at
www.sec.gov.
Avid brands can be accessed at www.avid.com, www.digidesign.com, www.m-audio.com, www.pinnaclesys.com and
www.sibelius.com.