Corbis threatens Crestock with legal action over April Fools Joke
Released
on: April 2, 2008, 11:55 am
Press
Release Author: Sverre Sjothun
Industry:
Marketing
Press
Release Summary: One of the worlds largest stock photography sites,
Bill Gates’ Corbis Corporation, has threatened Norwegian
micro stock photography agency Crestock after an apparent April
Fools joke was taken far too seriously by Corbis Public Relations
representatives.
Press
Release Body:
Bill
Gates’ Corbis Corporation threatens with legal
actions over April Fools joke
One
of the worlds largest stock photography sites, Bill Gates’
Corbis Corporation, has threatened Norwegian micro stock
photography agency Crestock after an apparent
April Fools joke was taken far too seriously by Corbis
Public Relations representatives.
In
a press release Crestock claimed they had acquired
Corbis Corporation. Based in Seattle, Corbis
Corporation serves more than 50 countries worldwide with
revenues for 2006 of approximately $251 million USD. Although
a strong, up and coming player in the micro stock photo market
segment, Crestock is a relative startup in comparison
to Corbis Corporation.
In
the original press release the micro stock photo agency Crestock
claimed:
“Creative
Visual Group AS spearheaded by its flagship Crestock.com
today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Corbis
in a cash and asset transaction valued at approximately $625 million
USD,” and continued “The acquisition has
been driven by a Scandinavian group of investors as well as the
Norwegian government fund organization: Innovation Norway.
The move is also supported by the European Union’s Media
II Programme, whose purpose is to encourage the development and
distribution of European audiovisual works.”
The
original full press release can be found at:
http://www.crestock.com/news/crestock-stock-photos-acquires-corbis-for-625-million-175.aspx
Not
long after the press release was posted, Corbis Corporation
was notified about the story. Dan Perlet, Director of
Communications, promptly went to action, emailing Crestock
Public Relations representatives:
“On
behalf of Corbis Corporation, I strongly suggest
that you remove the April Fools press release on
your website that suggests Crestock has purchased
Corbis. We ask that this release be removed from
your website immediately, or we may be forced to consider legal
action.”
“We
in no way intended to mislead or otherwise conduct ourselves in
an illegal or inappropriate manner,” Crestock
CEO, Geir Are Jensen stated in a statement early today.
“Receiving
emails like this spices things up in your everyday work routine”
Jensen, Crestock CEO continued, “Of
course we didn’t remove the obvious April Fools
joke, but in case the second richest man in the world
comes after us with his pack of lawyers after him. We’ll
have to set aside a monthly sum to cover the expenses.”
Forward
Looking Statements
This
press release includes "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United
States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words
such as “expect, “estimate,” “project,”
“budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,”
“intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,”
“could,” “should,” “believes,”
“predicts,” “potential,” “continue,”
and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking
statements.
Forward-looking
statements in this press release include, without limitation,
forecasts of market growth, future revenue, benefits of the proposed
merger, expectations that the merger will be accretive to Crestock's
results, future expectations concerning available cash and cash
equivalents, Crestock’s expectations with
respect to future stock repurchases following the merger, including
the timing and amount of such repurchases, and other matters that
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance
or achievements to differ materially from results expressed or
implied by this press release.
Web
Site:
http://www.crestock.com/news/corbis-threatens-with-legal-actions-over-april-fools-joke-176.aspx
Contact
Details: Sverre Sjothun
Telephone: (+47) 90 19 29 82
Creative Visual Group AS
Storgata 11
Postbox 1184
8001 Bodø
Norway
sverre@crestock.com
2008
