Infoseek Corp. Tuesday bought the
Infoseek-related assets of Digital Garage, its
commercial distribution partner in Japan.
Digital Garage will be renamed Infoseek Japan KK. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Infoseek expects the addition of the Japan site will increase its
worldwide e-commerce and advertising sales and step up plans to expand
Infoseek Japan’s service offerings.
Japan is the world’s second largest Internet market after to the U.S.,
according to Jupiter Communications.
“This acquisition gives Infoseek strategic advantages in the Japanese
market, including a first-class team of people whose talent in building a
portal site has been key to Infoseek Japan obtaining its leadership
position,” said Harry Motro, Infoseek’s president and CEO.
By turning Digital Garage’s portal services into Infoseek Japan KK,
Infoseek plans to deliver an improved search and directory service,
expanded channels, and new interactive services.
“As one of the top three Internet sites in Japan, Infoseek provides
consumers with a quality Internet experience,” said Joichi Ito, Infoseek
Japan KK’s chairman. “We intend to improve the depth of our offering in
Japan by better leveraging product synergies and the connection between the
U.S. and Japanese Internet trends.”