Goldsmith told Zellerbach he means business.

Sir James Goldsmith, the Anglo-French financier who holds an 8.7% share in the San Francisco-based forest products company, told Crown Zellerbach’s chief executive, W. T. Creson, that his group “should not be regarded as strictly passive investors.” Last December, Goldsmith had notified Zellerbach of his intention to acquire a stake of up to 25% in the company. But, after a meeting of security analysts in San Francisco on Thursday, Creson said that “we don’t think there are any actions not already in place that need to be taken” to protect Zellerbach from any hostile takeover bid.