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Exhibit 99.1
[THE DIALOG CORPORATION PLC LETTERHEAD]
NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT
For Immediate Release
FUJITSU AND DIALOG SECURE GLOBAL INTERNET
TECHNOLOGY ALLIANCE
- FUJITSU TO INTEGRATE DIALOG INFORMATION SERVICES AND
WEB TECHNOLOGIES INTO COMPUTER SOLUTIONS WORLDWIDE -
LONDON, ENGLAND AND CARY, N.C.: JUNE 9, 1999: The Dialog Corporation plc
(NASDAQ:DIAL, LSE:DLG), a leading provider of Internet-based information,
technology and eCommerce solutions to the corporate market, today announced the
signing of a multi-million dollar technology licensing and distribution
agreement with Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702), the global information technology and
network solutions leader.
This alliance between Dialog and Fujitsu represents an unprecedented endorsement
of Dialog's InfoSort software, significantly advancing the Group's strategy of
establishing this technology as a global standard for information
categorization.
Additionally, Fujitsu will incorporate Dialog's broad range of online services
within its Information Technology solutions provided to customers worldwide.
Under the terms of the agreement, Fujitsu will deploy Dialog's InfoSort software
in existing and future products and services. Fujitsu will also, through its
extensive worldwide reseller network, become a marketing and distribution
channel for Dialog's online professional and business information solutions.
Specifically:
~ Fujitsu will commence installing Dialog software as a standard in its
hardware and network solutions.
~ Fujitsu will become, on a non-exclusive basis, a re-seller and distributor
of Dialog's range of information products and technologies worldwide.
~ Fujitsu will develop Japanese versions of both Dialog's proprietary indexing
and categorization technology, InfoSort, and its InfoSort-driven knowledge
management solution, LiveIntranet.
~ InfoSort will be deployed as the standard internal categorization software
within Fujitsu, to be used by its employees around the world.
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This partnership between a major western company and a global Japanese
technology company is believed to represent one of the UK's largest-ever export
orders for leading-edge software.
Fujitsu Limited is a leading provider of comprehensive information technology
and network solutions for the global marketplace. Comprising over 500 group
companies and affiliates worldwide -- including ICL, Amdahl and DMR Consulting
Group -- the Fujitsu Group had consolidated revenues of 5.24 trillion yen ($43.3
billion) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 1999. Fujitsu employs over 188,000
people worldwide (including 55,000 systems and service experts), has operations
in more than 100 countries and last year sold 3.82 million personal computers.
In the Japanese market, Fujitsu is one of the largest Internet service
providers, personal computer manufacturers and online service providers.
Dialog will receive multi-million dollar fees for licenses, services and
technology support in addition to royalties for sales of online services and
InfoSort sales (both English and Japanese language). Additional royalties
associated with new products and services under development are also included in
the agreement.
Dan Wagner, Dialog's Chief Executive, commented: "Fujitsu's interest in such a
wide ranging alliance was ignited by our acquisition of Knight Ridder
Information, which gave us a true global presence and expanded our breadth of
information services a hundred fold. For the past eighteen months, we have been
in negotiation with Fujitsu to conclude this landmark Agreement which endorses
the support received from those investors who have shared our vision since that
time.
"Fujitsu's global presence is immense, and the importance of their recognition
of our information and knowledge management leadership cannot be overstated. The
fact that they will be offering our online services and technologies as
preferred solutions to their vast global customer base accelerates InfoSort's
potential to become an industry standard worldwide.
"InfoSort has always been utilized to provide companies with the ability to
track external published data of value and relevance. Through today's agreement
and the complementary capabilities of Dialog and Fujitsu, companies will now be
able to do the same with their important internal information thus enabling them
to fully leverage their knowledge capital."
Mr. Tatsuzumi Furukawa, Fujitsu Member of the Board, Group President, Network &
Content Business Group commented: "We are very pleased to be in partnership with
such an innovative, leading company as Dialog. Since we first formed a
relationship with them in 1997, we have increasingly recognized the value and
quality of their knowledge management tools and technologies and the vast depth
and range of their information solutions.
"In the area of knowledge management and Intranet solutions, we are satisfied
that Dialog's InfoSort is the best software of its kind available today and with
this
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global alliance we look forward to working with Dialog to position it firmly as
an industry standard. "We are also aware of the increasing importance of
providing information solutions integrated tightly into our technology
solutions. Dialog is a global partner able to offer the range of information
solutions necessary to satisfy our broad and growing customer base.
"There is no doubt that as this new phase in our relationship develops, we will
be exploring other potential applications of Dialog's technologies and new areas
in which we can work together."
The agreement has important implications for the UK's role in the global
information age, an issue on which the Government has placed considerable
emphasis. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, stated: "I am delighted to send my
congratulations to The Dialog Corporation plc and Fujitsu of Japan on the
successful conclusion of a licensing agreement for world class knowledge
management software. It is indeed a significant step forward in the new global
knowledge economy.
"This is a significant and very welcome development in Anglo-Japanese trading
relations. Japanese companies generally, and market leaders such as Fujitsu in
particular, are renowned throughout the world for their adherence to the highest
quality standards of products and services and insistence on using the very
latest state-of-the-art technology. It is therefore a source of considerable
pride and satisfaction that they should have chosen to licence the technology of
a British company, The Dialog Corporation plc, to become their world-wide
standard for data management software."
Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) is a leading provider of comprehensive information
technology and network solutions for the global marketplace. Comprising over 500
group companies and affiliates worldwide -- including ICL, Amdahl and DMR
Consulting Group -- the Fujitsu Group had consolidated revenues of 5.24 trillion
yen ($43.3 billion) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 1999. With world-class
hardware and software technology in computers, telecommunications and
microelectronics, and a corps of 55,000 systems and services experts around the
world, Fujitsu is uniquely positioned to harness the power of the network to
help its customers succeed. Altogether, the Fujitsu Group has 188,000 employees
and operations in over 100 countries.
The Dialog Corporation plc (http://www.dialog.com) is a leading provider of
Internet-based information, technology and eCommerce solutions to the corporate
market, created by the merger of M.A.I.D plc and Knight-Ridder Information Inc.
Dialog provides a range of technologies and services for Internet and
intranet-based knowledge management and eCommerce applications. The Company's
InfoSort indexing technology is widely perceived to offer an industry standard
for information categorization, while the DIALOG, DataStar and Profound range of
products and services provide comprehensive, authoritative sources of
information to professionals worldwide. The Dialog Corporation has world
headquarters in London and US headquarters in Cary, NC. Its American Depositary
Shares (ADS) are traded on NASDAQ under the symbol "DIAL" with four Ordinary
Shares comprising one ADS; its Ordinary Shares trade on the London Stock
Exchange under the symbol "DLG."
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This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, which are subject to the "safe harbor" created by those
sections. The forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such
as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "inevitable,"
"believe" or "continue" or variations thereon, and include, among others, the
launch dates of the Company's products noted above. The Company's actual results
could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements
as a result of certain factors, including, among others, those set forth under
the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recent Report on Form 20-F or
generally in the Company's Reports on Form 6-K. The Company disclaims any
obligation to update these forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent
events.
CONTACTS:
Kristian Talvitie, U.S. Investor Relations kristian_talvitie@dialog.com
212/381-1824
David C. Collins/Robert L. Rinderman dial@jcir.com
Jaffoni & Collins Incorporated
212/835-8500
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