[5] In 1999 it was sold on to the newly formed Lightworks Inc., then owned by Fairlight Japan, and then purchased by Gee Broadcast in May 2004.

[12] Softworks offered the Lightworks User Interface and toolset in a software only package for laptops or office workstations.

[13] In August 2009, the UK and US based company EditShare acquired Gee Broadcast and the Lightworks editing platform from, along with their video server system GeeVS.

The non beta release of Lightworks includes a host of new features for editors, and runs on wide range of PC hardware.

The software was re-designed and re-written for portability (versions for Linux and Mac OS X have also been released) and now supports many more codecs including AVCHD, H.264, AVC-Intra, DNxHD, ProRes, Red R3D, DPX, XDCAM HD 50, XDCAM EX, DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K, but only for the paid Pro version.

This version of Lightworks has also replaced HASP with the new EditShare Licensing System (ELS), which eliminates some installation problems.

[24] EditShare demonstrated the Linux version at the NAB in Las Vegas in April 2012, and posted a video of it running on Ubuntu on their YouTube channel.

the agreement also mentions Key member of the development teams of both software joining the new company.