FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2000
Division of Financial Services, Inc.
Contact: Charlie Taylor
703-409-3559
info@vidnet.org
__________________________________________________________________
White Pine Software Changes Its Name To
CUseeMe Networks
New Name Reflects the Company's Leading
Brand, New Application Services Business, and 100 Percent Focus on Providing
Internet Communications to B2C and B2B Markets
NASHUA, New Hampshire
- May 08, 2000 - White Pine Software, Inc. announced today that it has changed its
name to CUseeMe Networks (NASDAQ: CUSM*) and will trade under its new NASDAQ
symbol, CUSM, by May 15th. CUseeMe Networks is the world's leading provider of
voice and visual communications solutions for the Internet. The new name, based
on White Pine's leading brand, CUseeMe, was chosen to align the company's
branding with its vision and focus for the future. The CUseeMe Networks name
also reflects the launch of a new value-added hosting business that will serve
both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) markets, and it
recognizes the continued success of the company's consumer videochat and
corporate videoconferencing software. CUseeMe Networks is now 100 percent
focused on its Internet communications strategy.
"The
Internet has become a dynamic communications vehicle and we're beginning to
experience the next phase of its evolution, which is the addition of live,
interactive voice and video into our everyday communications," said Killko
Caballero, president and CEO of the newly named CUseeMe Networks. "Now,
building on the incredibly strong CUseeMe brand, CUseeMe Networks is the
company that is going to enable millions of people to experience this type of
communications, fundamentally changing the way we relate to each other on the
Internet. With online communities, the addition of real-time, face-to-face
communications helps members feel a sense of belonging and ownership. In
e-commerce transactions, seeing a face while purchasing or asking a question
provides the customer with a sense of security and satisfaction. The added
value of being able to see and hear the people we are communicating with will
transform every Internet communications experience we have, whether it is
business or personal."
CUseeMe
Networks offers a full range of voice and visual communications solutions and
services for both B2C and B2B markets as well as consumers. The company has
identified three focus areas for its organization: CUseeMe Software,
encompassing its award-winning software products; CUseeMe Services, a new
hosting business and the industry's first V²ASP (Voice and Visual Applications
Service Provider); and CUseeMe World, a consumer portal and showcase site for
the company. With its range of offerings, CUseeMe Networks is uniquely
positioned to provide customers with a choice of applications and the ability
to deploy them in a way that best suits each customer's environment.
"With the
increased availability of broadband Internet access and the mass adoption of
interactive communications applications such as chat and instant messaging, two
very important cornerstones are in place for realtime voice and visual
communications to take off," said Christine Perey, Principal Analyst Perey
Research & Consulting. "CUseeMe Networks blends years of experience
with core technology, partnerships, brand equity and innovation to weave
together the application and the infrastructure layers into a turn-key hosted
service. This new services business has the potential to break down traditional
acceptance barriers and accelerate the adoption of visual communications and
collaboration for both business users and consumers."
The CUseeMe
Difference
CUseeMe Networks leads the industry with award-winning voice and visual
communications solutions for the Internet and other IP-based networks. Its
MeetingPoint™ conference server has 80 percent of the market share for
software-based IP group videoconferencing, as well as an established customer
base of corporate, government, and Internet accounts worldwide including the
U.S. Army, Belgacom, EVC, FVC.com, GTE, NASA, OneNet, Sonera, and Telia. Its
CUseeMe® client software has been the de facto standard for group videochat and
videoconferencing since its inception, and is used by over three million
people.
The recent
introduction of CUseeMe Web combines these client/server technologies and
enables visual communications to be integrated seamlessly into a standard web
interface, making live, interactive voice and video available to anyone with an
Internet connection. CUseeMe Networks has also expanded its communications
platforms through strategic partnerships with industry leaders such as
Ericsson, Novell, and FaceTime Communications.
Company Milestones
- 1995 - White Pine Software licensed CUseeMe technology from a
research group at Cornell University and began developing the first
generation of its multimedia Internet communications solutions
- 1996 - company went public and became the leading IP-based
videoconferencing vendor
- 1997 - introduced MeetingPoint, the first standards-based group
conferencing server
- 1998 - made significant investments in core communications
technologies including the acquisition of the CUseeMe license and brand
from Cornell
- 1999 - introduced ground-breaking CUseeMe Web technology and
created a family of application solutions for Internet portals, community
sites and e-businesses
- January 2000 - received $20 million investment from GE Capital and
other investors, which was used in part to build infrastructure for the
launch of a new services business
- April 2000 - announced seventh consecutive growth quarter for
revenue for Q1 2000
- May 2000 - became CUseeMe Networks to leverage equity in the
CUseeMe brand
About
CUseeMe Networks
CuseeMe Networks develops, markets and supports multi-platform browser-based
internetworking software that facilitates worldwide video and audio
communication and data collaboration across the Internet, intranets, extranets
and other networks that use the Internet Protocol. White Pine's
videoconferencing software products, CU-SeeMe Pro and MeetingPoint, create a
client-server solution that allows users to participate in real-time,
multi-point video, audio and data conferences over the Internet and intranets.
White Pine’s ClassPoint provides a complete solution for corporate training and
distance learning.
CUseeMe
Networks puts e-businesses and consumers face-to-face by developing and hosting
innovative solutions for interactive voice and visual communications over the
Internet. The company's groundbreaking CUseeMe Web technology enables live
audio, video, and collaboration capabilities to be embedded in a standard web
page for applications such as visual instant messaging, Internet videochat,
face-to-face e-commerce, and dynamic web-based conferencing. Information about
CUseeMe Networks products can be found on the web at http://www.vidnet.org.
* The new NASDAQ stock symbol, CUSM, will be in effect May 15th.
Until then the company will be traded under the existing White Pine Software
symbol, WPNE.
About WWW.VIDNET.ORG
WWW.VIDNET.ORG, a division of
Financial Services, Inc. is a factory authorized distributor and Certified
Alliance Partner on CuseeMe Networks interactive video conferencing
communications products, including the MeetingPoint conference server and
CU-SeeMe Pro user/client software, and an authorized reseller for leading
manufacturers of color digital PC cameras, microphones and headsets, computers,
and printers.
All trademarks are recognized.
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