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News archive
13 February 2002
RM plc, the leading supplier of software, systems, and services to UK educational establishments, announces that it has purchased from the WHSmith Group the major assets of Helicon Publishing Ltd, which include electronic reference databases and the rights to the Hutchinson-branded series of reference books. This purchase is a further development of RM's strategy of expanding its intellectual property ownership and gives the Group ownership of high-quality online and print reference material for its existing and future learning content products.
Helicon's electronic publishing assets comprise 22 wholly owned reference databases containing over 21 million words and 300,000 subject entries. The material includes highly structured and indexed encyclopaedic, cartographic, scientific, and historical data, which has been developed for delivery in online and CD-ROM formats as well as in printed form. Some of this material has already been licensed to RM for a number of years for use in the Group's Living Library content product. RM intends to further exploit the material to support its Learning Alive teaching and learning content product strategy.
RM is acquiring the electronic and print publishing rights to the Hutchinson-branded series of reference products, including the Hutchinson Encyclopedia (the UK's leading single-volume encyclopedia) and the newly developed Hutchinson Children's Encyclopedia. Hodder Headline Ltd, WHSmith's principal publishing company, will license from RM the print publishing rights for existing Hutchinson titles for an agreed period of time. RM retains the rights to publish other printed materials derived from the Helicon databases.
In addition, RM is acquiring digitization and electronic publishing rights for a limited number of current Hodder Headline education and reference titles.
RM is acquiring a number of online publishing contracts, and eight of Helicon's staff, who manage and maintain the databases, will relocate to RM's head office in Milton Park, Abingdon.
Commenting on the purchase Tim Pearson, RM's Chief Executive, said:
Helicon has excellent intellectual property assets, which have been developed specifically for electronic and online environments and will be particularly valuable in RM's primary and secondary schools markets. I believe that RM can exploit the assets effectively – both in their own right and as part of our future Learning Alive strategy.
For further information, please contact:
Tim Pearson/Phil Hemmings, RM plc – 01235 826000
Andrew Fenwick/Fiona Fong, Brunswick – 020 7404 5959
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