After seven years of ownership by Rakuten Inc., the Japanese e-commerce company that owns a slew of online retail and e-commerce technology companies around the globe, LinkShare is changing its name.

Formerly known as LinkShare, a Rakuten company, the affiliate and search marketing company has now adopted a new moniker: Rakuten LinkShare. The name change reflects the importance of performance marketing within LinkShare as an organization, says LinkShare CEO Yaz Iida. “The new Rakuten LinkShare logo marks an important milestone in the evolution of the LinkShare brand,” Iida says. “As Rakuten expands its global presence, the LinkShare platform will continue to drive results and create new opportunities for advertisers and publishers through increased market reach and additional services.”

LinkShare, which was acquired by Rakuten in 2005 for $425 million, serves such clients as J.C. Penney, No. 20 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, 1-800-Flowers.com (No. 45) and others.

LinkShare was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in New York City, with offices in San Francisco, Chicago, London, and Tokyo.