OAKLAND, Calif., April 5, 2005 -- Ask Jeeves(R), Inc., a leading provider of information retrieval technologies, brands and Internet advertising services, today announced the launch of a Spanish version of Ask Jeeves. Currently available at
Ask Jeeves Espana, which is in beta, is based on the Company's flagship consumer search site Ask Jeeves (
), and follows Ask Jeeves' expansion into the United Kingdom and Japan. It is the first in a series of international growth initiatives to be announced by the Company this year.
"International expansion is an important component to our corporate growth strategy," said Steve Berkowitz, CEO of Ask Jeeves Inc. "We believe the Ask Jeeves brand has a tremendous opportunity to succeed in Europe because it offers the only differentiated world-class search experience to consumers."
Ask Jeeves Espana utilizes Ask Jeeves' proprietary Teoma(R) search technology, which determines a website's expertise on a subject, rather than just its link popularity. In addition to Teoma, Ask Jeeves Espana will include industry-leading features such as My Jeeves and the Binoculars site preview tool that make searching faster and easier.
Ask Jeeves Espana is the first in a series of European launches Ask Jeeves Inc. expects in 2005. The Company plans to leverage the strength of the Ask Jeeves brand, its differentiated technology that provides users with expert, everyday search functionality, and partnerships with leading consumer media companies to grow users in emerging markets. Ask Jeeves expects to generate revenues from Ask Jeeves Espana through sponsored links.
"Spain is still an emerging marketplace and search will be on par with email in terms of popularity," said Miguel Acosta, Vice President of European Development for Ask Jeeves Inc. "So as the Spanish Internet population grows, more and more people will turn to Ask Jeeves to access the best of what the web has to offer: from finding information on news, weather and entertainment to browsing the best shopping and
travel sites."
In related news, the Company also announced that Ask Jeeves Japan (
www.Ask.jp ), a joint venture between Ask Jeeves Inc. and transcosmos, has come out of beta and signed an agreement with Google to provide the site with sponsored links.
Cautionary Note regarding Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding the Ask Jeeves Espana version of Ask Jeeves and other proposed European product launches and other statements regarding future features, functionality and anticipated benefits of Ask Jeeves product and service offerings. Forward-looking statements are not predictions, and actual results, developments or events may differ materially from those referenced in forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results, developments or events to differ from the related forward-looking statements are described in the risk factors described in Ask Jeeves' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, subsequently filed Form 10-Qs and other public filings made with the SEC, all of which are available without charge at
www.sec.gov. Ask Jeeves undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements for future events, circumstances or developments.
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 Japan (Ask.jp, a joint venture); Ask Jeeves for Kids (AJKids.com); Bloglines (Bloglines.com); Excite (excite.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 division, AJinteractive, provides advertisers with targeted tools to reach a broad base of valuable customers. Ask Jeeves, Inc. is headquartered in Oakland, California, with offices throughout the United States, as well as in London, England and Dublin, Ireland. For more information, visit
http://www.Ask.com or call 510-985-7400.
NOTE: Ask Jeeves, Ask Jeeves Espana, AJinteractive, Ask.com, Teoma, My Way, My Search, My Web Search, iWon, Excite and Bloglines are trademarks or registered trademarks of Ask Jeeves, Inc.
Contact:Ask Jeeves, Inc.
Colby Zintl
+1-510-985-7640
-email-Darcy Cobb of Dotted Line Communications
+1-310-472-8600
-email-