A statement offered by Apple seeks to quell speculation that the company is on the cusp of acquiring Universal Music Group from Vivendi Universal. Apple CEO Steve Jobs noted that his company hasn’t made any such offer.
Rumors first started to circulate last week that Apple would make a play to acquire the music publishing branch of Vivendi Universal in a six-billion dollar bid. Apple’s stock value dropped in the wake of the rumors, and the speculation even caused a ripple with some investors interested in acquiring parts of the troubled multinational entertainment company.
Today more fuel was added to the fire when financial news service Bloomberg posted comments attributed to Vivendi director Claude Bebear, who reportedly said that Apple “will probably make an offer” for Universal Music Group. Bebear later denied making such a comment when asked by the Reuters news service.
“Apple has never made any offer to invest in or acquire a major music company,” said Jobs in a short statement. “The press statements this morning attributed to Vivendi board member Claude Bebear are untrue, as Mr. Bebear has confirmed in a later report. Beyond these comments, we will abide by Apple’s policy of not commenting on rumors.”