Ask Jeeves Purchases Tukaroo Inc.
Unique Desktop Search Technologies Add to Ask Jeeves' Proprietary Suite of Consumer Search Applications
EMERYVILLE, Calif., June 9, 2004 -- Ask Jeeves, Inc.(R) (ASKJ), a leading provider of information retrieval technologies, brands and Internet advertising services, today announced it has acquired substantially all of the assets of Tukaroo Inc., a San Jose-based desktop search technology company.
"Since the 2001 acquisition of the Teoma search engine, Ask Jeeves' strategy has been to build or acquire differentiated, next-generation, and best-in-class products or technologies," said Steve Berkowitz, CEO of Ask Jeeves Inc. "We expect that Tukaroo's desktop search and information management capabilities will enable Ask Jeeves to deliver a seamless, end-to-end search experience across the desktop and the Internet."
Tukaroo Inc., founded in 2003 in San Jose, California, is a privately held corporation. Its unique desktop search and file management software enables consumers to access, view and manage their information in real time.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements regarding the future are forward-looking statements, including the statement that Tukaroo's desktop search and information management capabilities will enable Ask Jeeves to deliver a seamless, beyond-the-browser search experience to the consumer. The matters discussed in those statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: the possibility of unexpected or greater-than-expected technical difficulties with the performance or integration of Tukaroo's technology, Ask Jeeves' dependence on the Internet and its dependence on a single third-party paid placement provider; the risk of further vertical consolidation in the Internet search and keyword and contextual advertising markets; the risk that Ask Jeeves' user base might migrate to other search engines or that its web traffic might otherwise decline; risks associated with rapid technological change; the risk that companies' internet advertising budgets might contract or grow at a slower pace; Ask Jeeves' dependence on third parties for content, distribution and advertising delivery; potential lack of market acceptance of Ask Jeeves advertising products; introduction of new advertising products or search technologies by competitors; declines in the average selling price of Ask Jeeves' advertising products; and adverse economic conditions in any of the major countries or markets in which Ask Jeeves does business or to which its web content is targeted. As a relatively short announcement, this press release cannot present a full discussion of such risks. Further information on risk factors that could affect Ask Jeeves' financial results is included in its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ask Jeeves encourages investors to read all of the disclosures in its SEC filings for a broader discussion of important factors that may be material to investors and may affect Ask Jeeves' business, financial condition and results of operations.
About Ask Jeeves, Inc.
Ask Jeeves, Inc. provides consumers and advertisers with information retrieval products across a diverse portfolio of Web sites, portals and desktop search applications. Ask Jeeves' search and search-based portal brands include: Ask Jeeves (Ask.com and Ask.co.uk); Ask Jeeves for Kids (AJKids.com); Excite (e xcite.com); iWon (iwon.com); My Search (mysearch.com); My Way (myway.com); My Web Search (mywebsearch.com) and Teoma (teoma.com). Ask Jeeves also owns the search technology Teoma, proprietary natural language processing technology, as well as portal and ad serving technologies. In addition to powering several of the Ask Jeeves brands, the Company syndicates its technologies to help companies increase revenue through powerful search. Ask Jeeves' advertising services, which includes Ask Jeeves, The Excite Network, and MaxOnline, provide advertisers with targeted tools to reach a broad base of highly valuable customers. Ask Jeeves, Inc. is headquartered in Emeryville, California, with offices throughout the United States, as well as in London, Dublin, and Tokyo.
For more information, visit http://www.AskJeevesInc.com or call 510-985-7400.
NOTE: Ask Jeeves, Ask.com, Teoma, My Way, My Search, My Web Search, iWon, Excite and MaxOnline are registered trademarks of Ask Jeeves, Inc. or its subsidiaries.
Contacts: Ask Jeeves Corporate Communications,
Colby Zintl
510-985-7640
czintl@askjeeves.com
Ask Jeeves Investor Relations
Derrick Nueman
510-985-7485
dnueman@askjeeves.com
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