SAN FRANCISCO - May 16, 2001 - Corbis (www.corbis.com) and WAM!NET (www.wamnet.com) today announced the commercial availability of the companies' new online image delivery and archive service designed to revolutionize the way digital photography, artwork, illustrations and video clips are stored, accessed and delivered. Announced in conjunction with the opening of Content World 2001 (May 16-18 in San Francisco), the Corbis/WAM!NET royalty-free solution brings together WAM!NET's global managed network, data storage and hosting services with more than 25,000 photo images from the Corbis Royalty-Free Image Collection. The new subscription-based service provides global, 24-hour access to Corbis' royalty-free collection via either an Internet or direct connection to WAM!NET's global managed network and centralized, off-site storage service for digital assets. The new Corbis/WAM!NET offering directly addresses the digital workflow requirements of corporations, publishers, agencies and other creative professionals by enabling them to quickly search for and download images, edit meta-data, and store and archive content. Additionally, by allowing multiple users or locations simultaneous access to images, the service eliminates the barriers associated with traditional image delivery, such as lost or outdated content. Each subscription also includes a private online WAM!NET storage services library, allowing a customer to store and archive frequently used images and other digital content. Library sizes vary depending upon the subscription selected and range from 5GB to 15GB. Annual subscriptions are billed on a monthly basis, providing customers with a convenient payment option, particularly when subscribing to larger image collections. Furthermore, the service delivery model allows users to avoid capital IT costs that result from implementing and managing their own proprietary image archives. Pricing, which varies according to the image collection(s) selected, is similar to current Corbis Royalty-Free library rates and starts as low as $3,000 annually. The subscriptions present significant added value to creative professionals as they now are provided with not only their images, but also a robust, online asset management tool for virtually the same price as a traditional CD library. Photographer compensation is the same as with royalty free CD sales. Industry-leading printer, communications services and logistics company, R.R. Donnelley (headquartered in Chicago with nearly 200 locations worldwide) was one of several initial beta users of the new service. "For us, the Corbis/WAM!NET solution addresses several problems head on," said Ed Rantz, Project Analyst, R.R. Donnelley & Sons. "The ability to view and download art volumes without having to put on the pith helmet and go on a CD safari is a huge time saver. Also, some art packages force the user to view images on one disc and then download from another. Not so here, as the search, find, view and download method is a much smoother and time saving process. Finally, one of the most cost-effective features of the service is the ability to create your own image libraries. I cannot count how many times we have purchased volumes of 200 images only to use 10. Corbis and WAM!NET complement each other well and the companies' online image solution should be a complement to all who subscribe." Currently offered by both WAM!NET and Corbis, subscriptions include horizontal image collections (general categories of images such as Professional, Motion and Objects) and vertical image collections (specific markets or topical areas, such as Business & Industry, Science & Technology and Sports). Image collections range in size from 1,000 to more than 25,000 images. "Corbis and WAM!NET recognize the importance of leveraging technology to deliver services in new, more convenient, and more cost-effective ways," said, Tony Henning, Senior Analyst, Imaging Infrastructure, Future Image, Inc. "In partnering to provide this new service, the companies are helping their customers to achieve the productivity and efficiency benefits inherent in delivering Corbis' images via WAM!NET's globally accessible, fully managed and integrated network and storage technology platform." In addition to the new, online image subscription service, Corbis continues to offer its customers royalty-free content on CD or online at corbis.com. Subscribers to the new service also have the option of receiving the content they have licensed on CD.