interMute, a Braintree, Mass., maker of online ad blocking software, hopes to gain a wider market from a new
partnership with ValueSoft, a Minneapolis application publisher and distributor.
AdSubtract, interMute's flagship offering, blocks banner, pop-up and pop-under ads and remedies some security bugs. It is compatible with AOL, Microsoft and
Netscape browsers and works on computers that connect to the Internet through dial-up, cable modem and digital subscriber line.
"Consumers are constantly bombarded with interruptions from advertisements, surveys and other unwanted annoyances while surfing the Web," said Scott Zerby,
ValuSoft's vice president. "With AdSubtract, they can now block Web junk, protect their privacy and surf the Internet the way they want."
The ads can also rob users of valuable bandwidth, the companies said.
ValuSoft, a subsidiary of THQ, is packaging AdSubtract with a free bonus product, Ad-Aware, by Lavasoft. Ad-Aware stops spyware -- software that tracks a
users' Web activity -- from being installed on their hard drive. Ad-Aware identifies spyware files and removes them.
Ed English, CEO of interMute, said, "Now with ValuSoft's extensive distribution, consumers can easily and affordably purchase AdSubtract."
AdSubtract was developed for Windows operating systems and costs about $20. In February, the company released versions in Japanese, German, French,
Spanish and Italian.
Privately held interMute said it is also working on a SpamSubtract, a software tool to block unwanted e-mail.
