RETURN PATH ACQUIRES RE-ROUTE CORPORATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Press inquiries:
Tim Dolan
Return Path Inc.
Office: (212) 905-5500, ext. 230
Cell: (917) 446-8274
tim.dolan@returnpath.net
E-mail Change of Address company to integrate e-mail forwarding capability into service
New York, NY [November 19, 2002] – Return Path, Inc., the leading provider of e-mail change of address (ECOA) services, today announced it has acquired Re-route Corporation, a leading provider of e-mail forwarding and customer acquisition solutions for Internet Service Providers.
Re-route`s technology provides an industry standard system of e-mail forwarding, which allows people to switch Internet Service Providers or change e-mail addresses while maintaining uninterrupted e-mail communication. E-mail messages that are sent to the old e-mail address are forwarded to a central mail hub where they are re-routed to the individual`s new e-mail address.
“The acquisition of Re-route’s proprietary technology allows us to further enhance our offering to consumers by providing true e-mail forwarding,” said Matt Blumberg, Return Path CEO. “The addition of e-mail forwarding to our E-mail Change Of Address notification service continues our strategy of developing an online equivalent to the USPS National Change of Address service for both consumers and businesses.”
In addition to forwarding e-mail from one e-mail account to another, the Re-route service issues real-time "change-of-address" notifications to the original e-mail senders to inform them that the recipients e-mail address has changed.
“The Re-route technology is a very good fit with Return Path’s ECOA service,” said John Skowlund, President and Co-founder of Re-route. “Re-route’s forwarding capability offers a primary benefit consumers seek when changing from one e-mail address to another, and Return Path’s rapidly growing consumer market presence provides the platform to deliver that service.”
Consumers have registered more than 10 million e-mail address changes to the Return Path service, with approximately one million new changes added monthly. An August 2002 study by NFO WorldGroup, underwritten by Return Path and Global Name Registry, indicated that consumers change 31 percent of e-mail addresses annually. Survey respondents indicated that switching ISPs was the primary reason they changed e-mail addresses.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Re-route patent #6,438,583 for its technology invention "System and method for re-routing of e-mail messages" in September of 2002. The issuance of this patent covers the company`s unique system of e-mail forwarding for individuals who change e-mail addresses. Re-route has several related patents pending.
The acquisition also brings Re-route’s existing partnerships with AT&T Broadband, Verizon Wireless, MSN, AOL, and RCN to Return Path.
Re-route’s e-mail forwarding service will be integrated into Return Path’s E-mail Change of Address service for consumers. Return Path will leverage existing ISP relationships to introduce the service to consumers when they need they need it most, upon switching to a new ISP.
Re-route’s technology and operations, currently based in Alexandria, Virginia, will transfer to Return Path’s Superior, Colorado offices.
About Return Path
Founded in 1999, Return Path helps businesses regain permission-based contact with customers who have changed their e-mail address, while helping consumers ensure they can be located at their new address after an e-mail address change. Return Path’s industry-standard e-mail change of address service and e-mail list hygiene service help companies reduce the costs of undeliverable e-mail. Consumers, monthly, register more than 750,000 e-mail address changes to Return Path. A member of the Direct Marketing Association, Return Path is also the e-mail change of address service for the United States Postal Service`s online moving portal. Return Path serves more than 150 clients. Return Path investors include Sutter Hill Ventures, Mobius Venture Capital, Flatiron Partners, JP Morgan Partners, and DoubleClick Inc. (NASDAQ:DCLK). For more information visit www.returnpath.net/business, e-mail info@returnpath.net, or call 1-866-362-4577.
About Re-route
Re-route Corporation develops software to improve acquisition rates and reduce costs for Internet Service Providers. Re-route offers e-mail forwarding and change-of-address service to ensure a smoother transition for consumers who switch ISPs. Re-route has partnered with Microsoft and AT&T to provide the service to new customers. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, Re-route Corporation is a private company funded in part by Telecommunications Development Fund of Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.re-route.com.
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