Columbia Sportswear Company Issues Statement on Resolution of Legal Dispute with Former Employee

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PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Columbia Sportswear Company (NASDAQ: COLM) today issued the following statement regarding its resolution of a legal dispute with a former employee who improperly accessed its private computer network:

“Last summer, we discovered that a former employee, who then was working as an executive at one of our technology vendors, was accessing Columbia’s private computer network without our knowledge or authorization,” said Peter Bragdon, Columbia’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel. “Any breach of our IT systems is an extremely serious matter, and we are grateful to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Portland for their responsiveness, expertise, and dedication to investigating and resolving this invasion of Columbia’s privacy. We are also particularly thankful for the diligent efforts of our IT employees, who discovered the former employee’s unauthorized access and enabled us to refer the matter to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for investigation.”

Columbia has settled its civil claims against the former employee. Columbia’s claims against the technology vendor where the former employee worked will continue.

About Columbia Sportswear Company

Columbia Sportswear Company has assembled a portfolio of brands for active lives, making it a leader in the global active lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories, and equipment industry. Founded in 1938 in Portland, Oregon, the company’s brands are today sold in approximately 90 countries. In addition to the Columbia® brand, Columbia Sportswear Company also owns the Mountain Hardwear®, SOREL®, prAna®, and OutDry® brands. To learn more, please visit the company’s websites at www.columbia.com, www.mountainhardwear.com, www.sorel.com, www.prana.com, and www.outdry.com.

Columbia Sportswear Company
Ron Parham, 503-985-4584
Sr. Director of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
rparham@columbia.com

Source: Columbia Sportswear Company

Released August 30, 2017