PEABODY, Mass., - January 22, 2001 - ScanSoft, Inc. (NASDAQ: SSFT), a leading provider of paper-to-digital solutions for desktop, network and corporate workgroups, today announced an extension of its current agreement with Brother International Corporation to bundle its leading PaperPort® paper management software with Brother's powerful Multi-Function Centers (MFCs) for markets worldwide. The deal is the latest in a series of major OEM signings designed to reinforce ScanSoft's presence in the growing multifunction devices market.

Brother previously bundled ScanSoft's PaperPort software, including Brother's "Smart UI" customized user interface developed by ScanSoft, exclusively in North America. Under the expanded partnership, PaperPort will be bundled with the entire line of Brother MFCs in the European market and will offer language support for International English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. For the first time, PaperPort will be localized to support four additional languages: Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish.

"PaperPort's advanced paper management technology enhances the balance of superior performance, features and quality we strive to offer with our MFC devices," said Frank Martin, Director of Product Development at Brother International. "Now we can offer the same leading paper management technology across Europe, regardless of language."

PaperPort Brings Paper Management to Brother MFC European Users

Brother's line of MFCs enable customers to perform a wide range of tasks with a single device, including faxing, printing, copying and scanning. European customers of the Brother MFC printers will now receive all of the benefits of PaperPort, the world's most popular paper management software, in performing critical office functions. PaperPort offers an integrated paper management solution for better organization of electronic documents and makes it easy for users to share, store and retrieve documents.

"This latest agreement with Brother strengthens our global presence and offers ScanSoft an unparalleled opportunity to bring PaperPort to a new audience, the expanding European MFC market," said Wayne Crandall, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for ScanSoft. "By extending our existing relationship with Brother to include their European organization, as well as adding support for four additional languages, we believe that PaperPort is really a premier global productivity solution."

ScanSoft Extends Global Reach; Increases Revenue Opportunities

ScanSoft continues to extend its global reach by offering a range of powerful products for the vast numbers of small to mid-sized business users around the world. The expanded partnership with Brother enables ScanSoft to extend its growing corporate customer base by providing a vehicle to reach business customers across Europe, creating future upgrade and cross-sell opportunities.

Under the terms of the licensing agreement, ScanSoft will receive a royalty for each Brother MFC device sold in Europe.

About ScanSoft, Inc.

Headquartered in Peabody, MA with European headquarters in the Netherlands, ScanSoft, Inc. (NASDAQ: SSFT) is the leading developer of paper-to-digital solutions that enable users to leverage the power of their scanners, digital cameras and other electronic devices. ScanSoft's award-winning product line - PaperPort Deluxe, Pagis Pro, TextBridge Pro, OmniPage Pro, OmniPage Pro Scan Suite Plus, OmniForm, eOmniForm, Paper Converter, Kai's PhotoSoap2, Kai's SuperGoo, Kai's PowerShow, PhotoFactory, and numerous software developer's kits - enables users to capture, recognize, edit, manage and share documents and photos electronically by taking advantage of ScanSoft's cutting-edge technology.

ScanSoft has established numerous strategic partnerships with the industry's leading scanner and multifunction vendors to deliver the most comprehensive and cost-effective solutions for its customers. Vendors who have chosen ScanSoft's cutting-edge technologies include Brother, Canon, Epson, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, IBM/Lotus, Mustek, Primax, Sharp, Symantec Corporation, Visioneer, Xerox and others. ScanSoft's leading technologies have been licensed by Microsoft for use in Office 10 and other future products. ScanSoft continues to cultivate and develop strategic partnerships to deliver the most comprehensive and cost-effective solutions for its customers.

ScanSoft software is sold, marketed and supported worldwide through retail, dealer and OEM channels and the Internet, capturing the small to medium size business and corporate markets. There are more than 6.5 million registered users of ScanSoft products. ScanSoft can be found on the Web at www.scansoft.com.

About Brother

Bridgewater, New Jersey is the corporate headquarters for Brother in the Americas, from Canada to South America. It has fully integrated sales, marketing services, manufacturing, research and development capabilities located in the U.S. In addition to its headquarters in Bridgewater, New Jersey, Brother has branches in California, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Texas, as well as subsidiaries in Ohio, Canada, Brazil, Chile and Mexico. Additional information may be obtained from the Brother fax-back system toll-free at (800) 521-2846 or by visiting their web site at www.brother.com.

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements as to the features, perceived benefits and availability of ScanSoft's products, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the market acceptance of ScanSoft's products, the impact of competitive products, and other risks detailed from time to time in ScanSoft's SEC reports. ScanSoft disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Trademark reference: ScanSoft, PaperPort, PaperPort Deluxe, Pagis, TextBridge, OmniPage, OmniPage Pro Scan Suite Plus, OmniForm, eOmniForm, Paper Converter, PhotoFactory, Kai's PhotoSoap2, Kai's SuperGoo, and Kai's PowerShow are registered trademarks or trademarks of ScanSoft, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks and trade names are hereby recognized and may be registered to their respective holders.

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