Alias Seeks Independence From SGI
Laptop Battery Alias, currently a Silicon Graphics (SGI) owned company has announced it has begun discussions with a leading equity firm for the prospect of being acquired from SGI.
Alias has been previously honored by the Academy Awards in 2003 with an Oscar for Technical Achievement for its development of the popular MAYA(R) software, the professional 3D Animation and Effects package. Customers include Nintendo, Factor 5, Sega, EA, and Pixar. For the full story, see the press release below:
Alias in Acquisition Talks with Private Equity Firm
TORONTO --(Business Wire)-- Feb. 11, 2004 - Alias, a Silicon Graphics Inc. (NYSE:SGI) company, today announced it is involved in exclusive discussions with a leading private equity investment firm for the acquisition of Alias(R) from SGI. Alias is the leading provider of 3D graphics technology and services for the film, video, games, web, interactive media, automotive, industrial design, education and visualization markets.
"As an independent entity, Alias would be able to further expand its business, extend customer value and create significant growth with its products and services," said Doug Walker, president of Alias. "The investor believes that there is a great potential and synergy to having design and entertainment focused products, services and customers. The new investor has been briefed in detail on our roadmap and is attracted to Alias precisely because of our product and services portfolio."
"This is an exciting time for Alias in its 20-year history," continues Walker. "Our ongoing goal is to exceed the demands of our global design and entertainment customers who continue to push us to build the most innovative technology and service solutions - enabling them to unleash their creativity and bring their ideas to life."
There will be no changes to the management team, organization, services, support or product availability as a result of the negotiations or the sale of the business.
This press release contains forward looking statements relating to the possible sale of Alias by SGI. SGI has not entered into any definitive agreements related to this transaction, and the transaction may not occur or may occur on terms substantially different from those described in this press release. For a discussion of risk factors relevant to SGI's businesses, please refer to SGI's periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including SGI's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 26, 2003. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether changes occur as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
About Alias
As the world's leading innovator of 3D graphics technology, Alias develops award-winning software, custom development and training solutions for the automotive, film and video, games, web, interactive media, industrial design, education and visualization markets. In 2003, the company was awarded an Oscar for Technical Achievement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its development of Maya(R) software, the professional 3D animation and effects package. Alias also offers a powerful range of services for new to advanced users in the most demanding environments. Learning Tools and training, support, and professional services help meet rigorous production deadlines. Entertainment customers include: Acclaim Entertainment, Inc., Digital Domain, Disney, Electronic Arts, Industrial Light & Magic, Factor 5 LLC, Midway Games, Nintendo, Pacific Data Images (PDI), Pixar, Sega, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Square Co., Ltd., and Weta Ltd. Design customers include AT&T, BMW, Boeing, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Italdesign, Kodak, Kwikset, Mattel, Price Pfister, Renault, Rollerblade, Sharp, Trek Bicycle, Teague and Timex.
In 1997, John Gibson, Rob Krieger, Milan Novacek, Glen Ozymok and Dave Springer were awarded a Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the development of the geometric modeling component of the Alias PowerAnimator system. StudioTools is based on this software code.
Alias is a wholly owned, independent software company of SGI with headquarters in Toronto and Custom Development Center in Santa Barbara. Please visit the Alias website at http://www.alias.com or call 1-800-447-2542 in North America. International contact numbers include: Northern Europe, Middle East and Africa, +44 (0) 1494 441273; Germany, East & Southeast Europe, 0049 89 31 70 20; France, Spain and Portugal, +33 1 44 92 81 60; Italy, 39 039 6340011; Japan and other parts of Asia Pacific, 81 3 5797 3500 and Latin America, 770 393 1881.
Alias is a registered trademark and the swirl logo is a trademark of Alias Systems, a division of Silicon Graphics Limited in the United States and/or other countries worldwide. SGI is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries worldwide. Academy Award and Oscar are registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All other products or companies mentioned are trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.
(C) 2004 Alias, a division of Silicon Graphics Limited.
According to the indictment, Jones would steal various IBM and Penguin computer servers from Verisign's warehouse in Virginia and sell them to Johnson. Johnson would then sell the servers to several individuals, who would sometimes place them for sale on eBay. As a result of this scheme, the indictment alleges that Jones and Johnson caused Verisign to lose more than $120, 000 worth of computer equipment. In the indictment, Jones and Johnson are charged in three counts with causing the interstate transportation of stolen property, namely IBM 330 and 335 servers, in violation of 18 U.S.C.
[ Comment, Edit or Article Submission ]
