U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Lawsuit Initiated by SAS Institute against Altair (World Programming) for Alleged Copyright Infringement

Rhea-AI Summary

Altair (Nasdaq: ALTR) announced a significant legal victory as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the dismissal of SAS Institute's copyright infringement lawsuit against its subsidiary, World Programming (WPL). This ruling confirms that the SAS language is not proprietary, allowing other companies to develop compilers and environments that support it. Following the acquisition of World Programming in 2021, Altair has introduced the Altair SLC, an alternative environment that runs SAS language code without third-party dependencies. The SLC also supports Python and R, aiming to reduce costs and increase efficiency for users. This legal decision reinforces Altair's commitment to open architecture technology, enabling businesses to modernize their systems and leverage their investments in SAS.

Positive

• U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Altair, affirming dismissal of SAS Institute's lawsuit.
• Legal victory establishes that SAS language is not proprietary, opening market opportunities.
• Launch of Altair SLC provides an alternative SAS environment, potentially reducing costs for users.
• Altair SLC facilitates integration with modern programming languages like Python and R.

Negative

• None.

Altair SLC – alternative SAS language environment – available for companies to embrace modern computing and open-source concepts while leveraging decades of investment they've put into the SAS language

TROY, Mich., April 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Altair (Nasdaq: ALTR), a global leader in computational science and artificial intelligence (AI), announced that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in favor of Altair (World Programming) by affirming the dismissal of SAS Institute's 2018 Texas lawsuit against World Programming (WPL) for alleged copyright infringement of SAS software. Altair (WPL) has successfully defended all copyright claims brought by SAS Institute since 2009.

"We are pleased with the decision of United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in favor of Altair," said James R. Scapa, founder and chief executive officer, Altair. "After more than 12 years of litigation in multiple international venues, it's clear the SAS language is not proprietary and companies other than the SAS Institute are free to provide compilers and development environments supporting the SAS language as is the case with other languages including Python, C++, Java, and others in the public domain."

This legal milestone follows Altair's acquisition of World Programming in 2021 and the establishment of Altair SLC, an alternative SAS language environment, which runs programs written in the SAS language syntax without needing third-party products. Altair SLC features a built-in SAS language compiler that runs SAS language code and SQL code and utilizes compilers to run Python and R code and exchange SAS language datasets, Pandas, and R data frames. It reduces users' capital costs and operating expenses thanks to its superb ability to handle high levels of throughput.

Altair SLC exemplifies Altair's dedication to open architecture technology, supporting companies on their journey towards embracing Python, cloud computing, and emerging technologies as they seek to modernize their SAS language environments, improve results, and control costs.

Altair SLC is available for companies in any industry across the globe who seek to embrace open-source languages and technology while simultaneously leveraging the decades of investment they've put into the SAS language. It is part of Altair RapidMiner – Altair's data analytics and AI platform – and is available via Altair Units, which gives customers easy access to Altair's entire portfolio of software solutions.

To learn more about Altair SLC, visit https://altair.com/altair-slc or to request a demo, visit https://altair.com/altair-slc-demo-request.

About Altair
Altair is a global leader in computational science and artificial intelligence (AI) that provides software and cloud solutions in simulation, high-performance computing (HPC), data analytics, and AI. Altair enables organizations across all industries to compete more effectively and drive smarter decisions in an increasingly connected world – all while creating a greener, more sustainable future. For more information, visit https://www.altair.com/.

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SOURCE Altair

FAQ

What was the recent court ruling involving Altair (ALTR)?

The U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by SAS Institute against Altair's subsidiary World Programming.

How does the court ruling affect Altair's business?

The ruling allows Altair and other companies to provide compilers and environments that support the SAS language, potentially increasing competition and market share.

What is Altair SLC and how does it benefit users?

Altair SLC is an alternative environment for running SAS language code, compatible with Python and R, designed to reduce costs and improve operational efficiency.

When did Altair acquire World Programming?

Altair acquired World Programming in 2021, which has led to the development of the Altair SLC.