Case No COMP/M.5113 - ABE INVESTMENT / GETTY

Only the English text is available and authentic.

REGULATION (EC) No 139/2004 MERGER PROCEDURE

Article 6(1)(b) NON-OPPOSITION Date: 06/05/2008

In electronic form on the EUR-Lex website under document number 32008M5113

Office for Official Publications of the European Communities L-2985 Luxembourg

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 06/05/2008

SG-Greffe(2008) D/203024

PUBLIC VERSION

MERGER PROCEDURE ARTICLE 6(1)(b) DECISION

SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURE

To the notifying party

Dear Madam(s) and/or Sir(s),

Subject: Case No. COMP/M.5113 ñ Abe Investment/ Getty Images Notification of 28 March 2008 pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 139/2004 Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No. C 87, 8.4.2008, 6

1.On 28.03.2008, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 by which the undertaking Abe Investment, L.P. ("Abe Investment", USA), controlled by Hellman & Friedman Capital Partners VI, L.P. ("HFCP", USA), acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Council Regulation control of the whole of the undertaking Getty Images, Inc. ("Getty Images", USA), by way of an agreement to merge Abe Acquisition Corp. ("Abe Acquisition", USA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Abe Investment, with Getty Images.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are :

-HFCP : private equity fund. Investment sectors are financial services, health care, industrial/energy, insurance, media/marketing, professional services, software/information services.

-Getty Images : creation and distribution of digital media content.

1OJ L 24, 29.1.2004 p. 1

Commission europÈenne, B-1049 Bruxelles / Europese Commissie, B-1049 Brussel - Belgium. Telephone: (32-2) 299 11 11.

3.After examination of the notification, the Commission has concluded that the notified operation falls within the scope of Council Regulation (EC) No. 139/2004 and of paragraph 5, subparagraph c, of the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No. 139/2004.

4.For the reasons set out in the Notice on a simplified procedure, the Commission has decided not to oppose the notified operation and to declare it compatible with the common market and with the EEA Agreement. This decision is adopted in application of Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No. 139/2004.

For the Commission (signed) Philip LOWE Director General

2OJ C 56, 05.3.2005 p.32

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