UK-based ISP Claranet has snapped up managed hosting outfit Artful for an undisclosed sum.

Founded in 1997 Artful, which is based in Rennes, France, manages hosted applications covering databases, intranets, extranets, web sites and enterprise systems.

"The acquisition of Artful is in line with our strategy of expanding our portfolio of services and build[ing] on the group's revenues and profits," said Nicolas Prouteau, le boss of Claranet France.

In April, Claranet agreed to splash out $27m to rescue VIA NET.WORKS, Inc. after the business-focused telco warned it was running out of cash.

In August the pair fell out after Claranet "claimed that certain events have occurred which trigger a right to terminate the agreements".

In the end VIA accepted a $18.1m cash offer from privately-held voice and data network provider Interoute. As part of the deal Interoute gets VIA's PSINet Europe operations in Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland and The Netherlands, and its VIA NET.WORKS operations in Spain, France and Germany.

As regards VIA's spat with Claranet, the pair eventually settled their differences, but not before Claranet agreed to cough up $800,000 thereby "mutually releasing each other generally from all claims relating to the transactions". ®

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