HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- j2 Global Communications, Inc. [NASDAQ: JCOM], the provider of outsourced messaging and communications services, today announced that it has secured an agreement with Bigfoot Communications (Hong Kong) Limited, the operator of Bigfoot.com, granting Bigfoot a non-exclusive, world-wide, license to key patents in the field of message transport from the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to email. The license permits Bigfoot to provide Hong Kong and mainland China-based outsourced messaging and communications services to businesses and individuals around the world. The license agreement provides for quarterly royalty payments to j2 based upon revenues generated by Bigfoot.
In February 2002, j2 initiated an aggressive patent license program and began offering license agreements to suppliers of various products and services in the field of messaging, communications and document handling. The license agreement announced today represents the early results of this program.
Richard Ressler, Chairman of j2, commented, "We are extremely pleased to work with Bigfoot. This agreement affirms the value our technology brings to providers of messaging, communications and document-handling products and services. We implemented a licensing program to help expand these industries as a whole and to earn a fair return on our significant investment in these inventions. We intend to expand our licensing program as we continue to invest in new technologies."
Joe Mercado, President of Bigfoot Communications (Hong Kong) Limited, added, "Recently, Bigfoot launched a new version of its Website, http://www.bigfoot.com/, reflecting its focus on communications services. We believe that unified messaging is rapidly becoming one of the most important services available to corporate and individual consumers on the Internet, and therefore are quite excited about this licensing arrangement with j2. After evaluating j2's intellectual property, it became clear to us that we could not become a meaningful participant in the international messaging, communications and document handling marketplace without licensing j2's key patents."
With this licensing agreement, Bigfoot.com will add unified messaging to the existing suite of communications services offered by Bigfoot to the 2.1 million members of "Bigfoot For Life," an email forwarding and spam protection service that allows users to keep the same email address for a lifetime.
Companies interested in licensing j2's messaging, communications and document handling technology can contact EKMS, Inc. EKMS is an intellectual- property management consulting firm and exclusive licensing agent for the j2 patent portfolio.
EKMS, Inc. 675 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, Mass. 02139 Attn: Stephen Meuse Tel: 617-864-2100 Fax: 617-864-7956 Email: smeuse@ekms.com About j2 Global Communications
Founded in 1995, j2 Global Communications, Inc. provides outsourced, enhanced value-added messaging and communications services to more than four million customers around the world. j2's network spans over 600 cities in 18 countries on five continents. The Company offers its patented services and software through three distinct sales channels: Web, Corporate and Licensed Services, and markets those services under the eFax(R), jConnect(R), Hotsend(R), Papermaster(R), Protofax(R) and Documagix(R) brands. j2's industry accolades include the Deloitte & Touche Fast 50 and Fast 500 Awards, Forbes Best of the Web Award, PC Magazine's Top 100 Websites Award, British Telecom's Tech Award and many others. For more information about j2, please visit http://www.j2global.com/ .
About Bigfoot Communications
Bigfoot Communications (Hong Kong) Limited owns and operates www.bigfoot.com, which offers a variety of telecommunications services to both individual and corporate consumers internationally. For many years, Bigfoot(R) has offered email forwarding, redirection, consolidation and spam protection to its approximately 2.1 million members of its "Bigfoot For Life"(SM) service, while also allowing members the convenience of one email address for a lifetime. Bigfoot(R) also now offers (or will shortly make available) a suite of communications services, including short message service (SMS), domain registration, a no hassle conference call function and, now with the licensing arrangement with j2, unified messaging. For more information about Bigfoot, visit www.bigfoot.com or contact us at info@bigfoot.com.
j2 Contacts Christine Brodeur or Robert Karpman Jeff Adelman Socket Media, Inc. j2 Global Communications, Inc. 310-829-0556 or 310-829-0586 323-372-3617 c.brodeur or r.karpman@socketmedia.com press@j2.com
"Safe Harbor" Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:
Certain statements in this Press Release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations or beliefs and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward- looking statements. These factors and uncertainties include, among other items: Ability to obtain telephone numbers in sufficient quantities on acceptable terms; subscriber growth and retention; uncertainties regarding the protection of proprietary technology or infringement of intellectual property of others; the risk of adverse changes in the U.S. or international regulatory environments surrounding unified messaging; and other factors set forth in j2's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting j2, refer to the Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed by j2 on April 30, 2001 and the other reports filed by j2 from time to time with the SEC, each of which is available at http://www.sec.gov/.
MAKE YOUR OPINION COUNT - Click Here
http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X68669093
Contact: Christine Brodeur, +1-310-829-0556, c.brodeur@socketmedia.com, or Robert Karpman, +1-310-829-0586, r.karpman@socketmedia.com, both of Socket Media, Inc., for j2 Global Communications, Inc.; or Jeff Adelman of j2 Global Communications, Inc., +1-323-372-3617, press@j2.com
Website: http://www.bigfoot.com/
Website: http://www.j2global.com/
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий