Babenet rolling on wm's to Acacia
 

Just received my first Acacia letter with the same incorrect contact information that Babenet had. Wrong company name, address typo and everything. There is no doubt in my mind who gave them my contact info.

From the letter:
"Acacia also recently entered into License and Settlement Agreements with adult content providers Babenet Ltd. and White Sands Communications Inc., bringing the total number of licensees of Acacia's DMT technology to 27"

Seriously considering boycotting anyone that settles with Acacia.


Babenet and White Sands are owned by Multinet (offshore). Their new company is Netwave Inc. They also have Redhot Networks I believe.

Fuckers...:321GFY

That's hard to believe but WOW!

ACtually, it's not hard to believe at all. Their license agreement flat out ASKS for a list of all your affiliates and suppliers. Surprise, you're all fucked by everyone that has signed with them.

Brad

Really? Didn't know that. Fucking dirty.

Damn

Acacia = Band of dirty lawyers!

forgot to mention for those who weren't aware of this-
also in the letter:

"We (acacia) will be available to meet with you in private at the upcoming Internext Show in Hollywood, Florida, if you would like to discuss a license. Please call my office to schedule an appointment if you would like to meet with us

Sincerely,
Robert A. Berman"

So they have a booth to collect more webmaster's contact info.
great, i wouldn't be dropping any business cards into their draws.

What if ....



Acacia = Band of dirty lawyers and those big guns which settle early .... ? In their interest to say they have paid up, isn't it??

Think about it...

I wonder if their booth will just be a huge toilet and a bunch of lawyers passing out packets to everyone who walks by?

babenet was done closed up perhaps they got paid for there list would be a nice chunck of change for someone that had the list

I wouldnt be surprised if their were a few companies selling their lists. Babenet dont my info but i go a letter.

follow the money ...... follow the scammers .........

If they're smart they'll actually SERVE people in florida.

Brad

So, Babenet are a bunch of crooks, fucking surfers left and right and are probably a big part of the reason we're having all these Visa and MC problems. Now that they've half fucked the industry, they're selling out their peers to a bunch of crooked lawyers. Are Babenet going to be at the show? Am I the only one thinking lynch mob?

i think you might be right.

BUT just because you promote Babenet doesnt mean you use video, they still gotta go through the whole damn list of sites.

Presuming it is correct I find it strange people are surprised.

If it's the wrong company name, then it was sent to the wrong person.. or it could be looked at a such.. so it shouldn't pertain to you..

You don't own that company, so you have no contract with your name on it..

I really doubt they can just start guessing at names and expect it to hold water...

I can't wait to see the countersuits start. These are some extremely unethical business practices. "If you want to settle, you have to rat on everyone you do business with, so we can get them to settle too..." Nice.

<img src="http://www.stanford.edu/~agrubb/ettubrutetambien.jpg" height="480" width="640">

since babenet really no longer exists in its original form and has like no employees i would guess that they are not going to be at the show

Prob. not, but thats what they're doing. I bet they're on this and most other webmaster boards sending those nice media packets to every program and site they get thier eyes on.

They don't even check if your even using thier DMT or whatever patented tech. but if you deal with porn you get a packet.



:BangBang: :BangBang:

Are you sure they don't check? I doubt it's legal for them to threaten people who aren't even using their bogus patent.

So they're demanding that sponsors divulge information that could be considered private and confidential..

By what lawful authority can they do this? I'm thinkin this would take a court order/subpeona .. The judge should love that one..

Actually, yes, they are just sending out packets without checking first. I wrote a short news article for Ynot when this all first started, and Ive had several webmasters email me asking why they were getting packets when they either did not use video at all, only promoted sponsors with pic posts of TGP's, or the only video they had was a small amount of leased video content inside a members section.

A short while ago, a company owning a particular trademarked name typed their name in google and sent cease and desist letters to every porn site that came up in the first 5 pages, without checking the sites thoroughly to see if their trademark was being used.

So its not the first time this sort of sloppy research has been done.

Seems to me that if sponsors (if proven) are releasing information about their business partners, without the partner's knowledge or approval, these sponsors could be held liable for such.

No kidding, what bullshit! They accuse the IMPA of conspiracy, yet they've got their own conspiracy in full swing, to commit extortion. Fuck that.

Actually people aren't being sent 'contracts' .. they're being sent 'proposals' .. It's not a contract til both parties agree to it and sign it..
The rest is an ultimatum.. kinda like.. sign it or else..

Further.. if I'm not mistaken, if this proposal has a primary basis, ie., rights to use a patented process.. then anything not directly related to that basis can be removed.

Providing information on other individuals has nothing to do with these rights..

Paying these people even if the patent is invalidated has nothing to do with these rights.. because in this case, these rights no longer pertain.

But don't take my word for it..

Isn't there something in the agreements of MOST sponsor programs/affiliate contracts etc about privacy? Wouldn't this be violating these contracts?

My :2 cents:

FUCKERS !!

:thumbsup

Even if not.. I think there is a general rule that a person should be able to expect privacy, unless it is stated that information provided may be given to other parties.

Hmm.. now you're broke.. :)

they will probally serve everyone there with a booth!

someone is mailing all their shit, no doubt about that.

Nadinexxx
icq 159388911

slickcash.com
sexpromote.com
cupidbucks.com
:thumbsup

I can picture a long table full of packets with a sign..

"Please Take One" .. :)

they may be able to buy addresses of all the people ATTENDING internext too.........

carful who you let scan your badge

I think they are using internic to get their list.
My packet came to my PO Box, the only place that has that address is network solutions. Plus it was sent to venuscash, my affiliate program and not to my main website. Its even in the same format used when you do a whois.

this just pisses me off because, for one, it dont apply to me, we dont use their system for streaming anything. I doubt anyone here actually uses the system they claim. This crap that my affilaite program provides access to sites that violate their patent is bullshit. Now it will cost me a lawyer to send them a letter telling them we dont use their system for video/audio, and to please provide details of what they think we have or do that violates it.

But you all need to look at the patent, the abstract says " A system for distributing video", it dont say all video, also look at sheet 8 of 12, does this match what you do, especially drawings 412-419, then again under page 6, item 30, then again on page 19 under "what is claimed"
this is a really good system they patented, it is ment to be fully automated, and compresses videos, assings unique ID codes and should allow the user to choose the date and time he wishes to watch the video. Its a good system, but I doubt its one anyone here uses.
I think what is going on is they are mass mailing people this because they really have no idea what this patent actually is for and now you all think the world is falling because you all think its for all video/audio. this is only a system for doing video, its not for all.
The problem with these guys is now they force us to have to defend ourselves and prove we are not using their system which costs us money.

The people you should hate sold Babenet looong ago.

hahaha

:winkwink:

You are probably right. They have no idea what their patent covers or whether it's valid, so they're just going after everyone. It will be up to a judge to overturn their broad claims and hopefully punish them in some way for costing so many people so much money.

I may be way off here... but after reading over their asswipe of a proposal .. they state their patent/system applies to any "video on demand" over cable etc...

If that's true, why are they not going after the monopolistic cable companies and such?

Could it be that said companies would clobber them into oblivion?

hmmm

because myro.. adult is vulnrable.. more chance of signing up licensee's.. they have managed to bully/scare 27 companies so far, so I guess it's working to some extent.

If they went for AOL or whatever, like SCO suing IBM over patent infringement re: Unix code, they will be tied up in the courts for years.. but I suspect they didn't plan for IMPA, which will make sure this is tied up in the courts for years, one way or another!

I've gotten a packet from them for a company that uses no streaming, or downloadable music or videos.

:BangBang:

id like to beat babenet senseless for the 50 bucks the stole from me in '97

They already got a company who does *adult* video on demand to hotel rooms to sign a license after threatening to take them to court.. I think that's what bolstered their little egos enough to come after the adult community.

If you aren't in violation, just tell them.. wtf can they do then? Invent a patent for something you DO have on your sites and sue you? :)
:1orglaugh

Makes sense.

Long live IMPA.

What does it cost for a list of those registered at the show?
Only exhibitors may purchase the list?

Thinking twice about using my real info now.

That comment about serving people at the show has got me thinking too.

FACK!

All rejoice -- this doesn't happen very often! :1orglaugh

it's true

That's why Acacia has a booth!