Benetton remains unrepentant about the controversial death row advertising for which a US court has forced it apologise, saying it accepted the ruling only to avoid a costly legal battle.
The Italian fashion company stood defiantly behind its ad campaign - devised by Benetton's former creative director, Oliviero Toscani - which featured photos of murderers awaiting execution.
Benetton denies misleading officials to gain access to prison inmates or misrepresenting the purpose of the interviews but says it accepted the Missouri court's decision in order to avoid legal costs.
The advertiser must now apologise to the victims' relatives and make a £34,000 donation to charity.
"Benetton Group expresses its regret for any renewed pain caused to the victims' families but does not intend go back on the campaign, which it created, financed and fully supported," read a statement, issued from the company's headquarters in Ponzano, Italy.
"[We] accepted this transaction, which in no way indicates the company's guilt, with the aim of putting an end to a legal action, which could only have led to escalating legal costs," the statement added.
The lawsuit was brought against Mr Toscani, Kenneth Schulman, Thomas H Rice and Julie Wasson, the team responsible for the "we on death row" project, which Benetton said was supposed to "contribute to the debate about the death penalty".
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