SoftQuad Partners with ec-Content to Offer Complete e-MarketplaceCatalog Solution for Suppliers

[Heather Grant <heather@itpr.com>]

News Release

SoftQuad Partners with ec-Content to Offer Complete e-Marketplace Catalog
Solution for Suppliers

TORONTO, ON & SAN DIEGO, CA – September 25, 2000 – SoftQuad Software, Ltd.
(OTC BB: SXML), an internationally recognized developer of XML-enabling
technologies and e-business solutions, today announced a strategic
technology partnership with ec-Content, the total e-catalog content solution
provider for B2B e-marketplaces, including a network of 40,000 suppliers and
subscription customers.  The partnership will combine SoftQuad
MarketAgility™, a supply side e-catalog solution, with ec-Content's ability
to create enhanced catalog content, allowing suppliers to deliver
customer-specific catalogs to e-markets quickly and efficiently.

Suppliers who want to effectively participate in e-marketplaces must
overcome the challenges involved in creating, updating and delivering
content rich catalogs with buyer-specific pricing information to multiple
e-marketplaces.  This requires collecting product and pricing information
from enterprise systems, adding up-to-date product descriptions and graphics
from manufacturers, and delivering each e-catalog in the XML format required
by each e-marketplace.

The combination of MarketAgility and ec-Content will provide suppliers with
an integrated solution to rapidly create buyer-specific catalogs, normalize
the data for consistency, enrich it with manufacturer information, and
distribute it to e-markets.  For suppliers, this enables them to bring their
customized e-catalogs online quickly.  For e-marketplace users, this ensures
a rich buying experience by enabling them to quickly and efficiently find
the products they need with accurate product and pricing information.

“The partnership of ec-Content and SoftQuad will give suppliers the ability
to quickly join and effectively compete in e-marketplaces," said Roberto
Drassinower, president and CEO of SoftQuad Software.  “MarketAgility
automates the creation and management of customer-specific catalogs.
ec-Content's proprietary overlay process integrates manufacturer information
into custom catalogs and provides delivery and management services.
Together, we will effectively overcome the challenges suppliers face in
preparing catalogs for e-marketplaces.”


“Our partnership with SoftQuad will drastically reduce a supplier’s time to
market, while allowing them to maintain control over the accuracy and
integrity of their e-catalog data,” said Trey Simonton, executive vice
president of business development, ec-Content.  “It addresses the challenge
suppliers face in creating and maintaining quality content to fuel the
growth of e-marketplaces.  By expanding our Content Advantage Program
through partnerships like this one, ec-Content is solving the critical
challenges facing suppliers as they increase their involvement in
e-marketplaces.”

SoftQuad MarketAgility is an innovative technology and services solution
that provides suppliers with the control and flexibility they need to
quickly and effectively collect, manage and deliver customized e-catalog
content to multiple e-marketplaces and e-procurement systems.  It combines
SoftQuad’s XML enabling technologies with the expertise of SoftQuad’s
Product Solutions Services Group to provide suppliers with an automated
catalog management solution tailored to their existing technology
infrastructure, business processes and e-catalog requirements.

ec-Content maintains a base of product information on over five million
individual items from thousands of manufacturers, and provides management
and maintenance services to expand and update this information for
marketplaces and suppliers.  ec-Content enhances suppliers' catalog content
by overlaying it with manufacturers' comprehensive and current product
information.  ec-Content's high quality e-catalog libraries are then
published in the required format to each e-marketplace.

About ec-Content

ec-Content is the total e-catalog content solution provider for B2B
e-marketplaces.  Established in July of 1999 and funded by Boston Ventures,
ec-Content draws from the 80-year content publishing history of its sister
corporation, Trade Service Corporation.  ec-Content delivers and
continuously updates cleansed, normalized content for e-catalogs, based on
unique product identifier codes for quick and effective comparison-shopping.
ec-Content offers B2B e-marketplaces and companies engaged in e-procurement
a speed to market advantage through the company’s rapid on?boarding of
supplier e-catalog content, and the frequent updating of that content.
ec-Content adds value to the detailed product and pricing information for
over five million individual items from thousands of suppliers and
manufacturers.  In addition to creating new e-catalog content for its
customers, ec-Content also licenses quality content libraries that include
office products, office furniture, office machines, computer supplies,
janitorial supplies, building essentials (including electrical, industrial,
plumbing, HVAC/R and DataCom products) and automotive aftermarket parts.
For more information on ec-Content call 800-978-6641 or visit
www.ec-content.com.


About SoftQuad Software, Ltd.

SoftQuad Software, Ltd. (OTC BB: SXML) is an internationally recognized
developer of XML enabling technologies and commerce solutions for
e-business.  A founding member of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the
Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS)
and XML.org., SoftQuad is also a member of the Open Applications Group, Inc.
(OAGI) and the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Forum.  SoftQuad has been
instrumental in shaping and developing both the standards and technologies
that are changing the way companies exchange information and do business
over the Web.

Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with European operations based in London,
SoftQuad was first to market with XMetaL, an advanced, yet easy-to-use XML
content creation solution.  It has already become the premier enabling
technology for XML-based content applications in electronic publishing,
e-commerce and knowledge management.  SoftQuad is targeting the growing
business-to-business (B2B) marketplace with MarketAgility, a supply-side
content solution that allows companies to effectively join and compete in
B2B e-markets.

For more information, visit SoftQuad's Website at http://www.softquad.com

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as
"anticipates", "estimates", "expects", “will”, “should”, "projects",
"intends", "plans", "believes" and words and terms of similar substance used
in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial
performance identify such forward-looking statements.  Those forward-looking
statements are management's present expectations of future events.  As with
any projection or forecast, they are inherently susceptible to uncertainty
and changes in circumstances.  SoftQuad is an early-stage growth company
that operates in a highly competitive and rapidly changing environment, and
its business results are dependent on numerous factors, including demand for
its products and services, its ability to manage costs and generate
revenues, technological developments, protection of its intellectual
property rights, its ability to attract and retain key personnel, the
resolution of issues concerning commercial activities via the Internet,
including security, reliability, cost, ease of use and access, government
regulation, risks related to international sales and potential foreign
currency exchange fluctuations, economic, political and social conditions in
the countries in which it operates, its ability to successfully obtain
inclusion of its common stock on the Nasdaq National Market and other risks
detailed from time to time in periodic reports filed by SoftQuad with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities.
SoftQuad’s actual results could differ materially from management's
expectations because of such factors.

For further information on SoftQuad, please contact:

David Terry
ITPR (for SoftQuad Software)
(416) 642-6357
david@itpr.com

For further information on ec-Content, please contact:

Meagan Busath
KHJ Public Relations (for ec-Content)
(617) 241-8000 ext. 156
mbusath@khj.com

SoftQuad and XMetaL are registered trademarks of SoftQuad Software, Ltd.
MarketAgility is a trademark of SoftQuad Software, Ltd.  All other products
or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only, and
may be trademarks of their respective owners.





Heather Grant
Account Executive
ITPR
214 King Street West, Suite 216
Toronto, ON  M5H 3S6
Tel: (416) 642-6353
Fax: (416)642-6361
Email: Heather@itpr.com