Je ne sais pas un "Universal"

Finally officially recognizing the debacle that was its acquisition of Universal Studios (via merger with then-parent company Seagram), Vivendi Universal is renaming itself Vivendi.

As this helpful Wikipedia entry shows, the company previously had that name for just two years. The former French water company “Compagnie Générale des Eaux” renamed itself Vivendi in 1998 as it started selling construction and property divisions and investing in Pay TV and telecom.

By 2000, it got rid of its water and waste businesses to focus on the much more reliable entertainment business.