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Aaron Greenspan sues Facebook, Sequoia, Andreesen, YC, others

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Re: Aaron Greenspan sues Facebook, Sequoia, Andreesen, YC, others

#111

Post by gburt »

dangrossman wrote: post #81
cinquemb wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So in the case of AirBnb, their service is helping people find places to stay?

Is all the money you pay to Airbnb for the service of helping you find a place to stay? Or is most of it being transmitted to the property owner after the end of your stay? Yes, it is; they are acting as a money transmitter. Money transmitters typically take some of the money; they're licensed businesses, not charities.

How is being a "money transmitter" any different than buying the "inventory" and reselling it? Airbnb could have an "expense" paying their providers.

This seems crazy.

Re: Aaron Greenspan sues Facebook, Sequoia, Andreesen, YC, others

#112

Post by wmf »

pjg wrote: post #94
wpietri wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Funny! After reading the first few pages, I said, "What lawyer is willing to put his name on this garbage?" and paged around in the document. Only to find no lawyer's name at the bottom, just his own. And now you confirm it. Is there some way that this isn't idiotic? I have seen a federal judge in full-on "this case is a waste of my time" mode, and it is fearsome. I would never file a document with a federal court wi…

Have you looked at Aaron Greenspan's legal credentials ? He is (or atleast claims) a fellow of Stanford Law School. Has build a site for searching legal articles and in general spent considerable time researching this issue

But real lawyers know not to represent themselves. It's too easy to get emotionally wrapped up in the case and lose perspective.

Re: Aaron Greenspan sues Facebook, Sequoia, Andreesen, YC, others

#113

Post by yekko »

staunch wrote: post #58

houseSYSTEM failed -> Sue Facebook FaceCash failed -> Sue Facebook + everyone Aaron got rich by filing a frivolous lawsuit against Zuck, might as well try it again, huh? This time with even more victims. Building successful companies is hard, let's go lawyering.

Why not, it seem to be a great business model, that's what America is all about lately.

Re: Aaron Greenspan sues Facebook, Sequoia, Andreesen, YC, others

#114

Post by homosaur »

tptacek wrote: post #103
redthrowaway wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Excellent analysis as always, thanks. I was going to facetiously suggest you start billing HN for your services, but I then thought it might be an idea for you to throw a bitcoin address in your profile in case someone feels like sending you a tip.

It's funny, I was thinking literally the exact same thing. I just put some money onto Watsi, and I think I'll keep doing that every time we get 'grellas top-post.

I'd throw in .01 or .02 BTC (what are we to call these, Bitcents?) for that, I tried to read the complaint but simply don't know enough about law, especially CA law, to interpret this until I read his comment. HN's greatest attribute is the wealth of experts in different fields that are here to help elucidate these complicated things for we the confused.

Re: Aaron Greenspan sues Facebook, Sequoia, Andreesen, YC, others

#115

Post by kkowalczyk »

michaelochurch wrote: post #108

I can't speak on the legal merits of the case, but this does seem like a direct hit (that, it sounds like, won't work) on VC-istan. They should start giving him EIR offers. He's earned it several times over. That might be the best way to make everyone happy.

He earned what "several times over"?

What logic compels you to conclude that if you get viciously and frivolously sued by someone and publicly badmouthed by him (on his weblog) you should give him a lucrative and prestigious employment (i.e. the Entrepreneur In Residence)?

Do you think a sane SV VC should employ a toxic person that publicly calls Zuckerberg a psychopat?

So far he filed a bunch of frivolous lawsuits against anyone who came into contact with him and looked at him funny. He always represents himself, so there's no cost for him but it hurts the defendants because they have to hire and pay for real lawyers.

His previous lawsuit has been dismissed by the judge http://www.plainsite.org/flashlight/case.html?id=716057

His other lawsuit (http://www.plainsite.org/flashlight/case.html?id=716056) is in shambles on procedural grounds because his California lawyer wants to withdraw from the case which would leave Greenspan as the only lawyer and, just like in this case, he sues on behalf of his company and a company can't represent itself, so his has to have an outside counsel to proceed.

Re: Aaron Greenspan sues Facebook, Sequoia, Andreesen, YC, others

#116

Post by mpyne »

eridius wrote: post #97
ISL wrote: post #48

Perhaps I'm new here, but any chance the title might get 's/Greenspan/Aaron Greenspan/'? I got real confused as to why Alan Greenspan might be suing tech companies...

Unfortunately this change didn't help. I thought it said "Alan Greenspan" until I started reading the lawsuit, saw "Think Corp", and went back to re-read the HN headline. I agree with pedalpete, the headline really should just say "Think Corp".

That would have helped me out a bit... I have no effin' clue who Aaron Greenspan is. Well, except that now I know he's the guy who is suing YC and a bunch of others.

Re: Aaron Greenspan sues Facebook, Sequoia, Andreesen, YC, others

#117

Post by mpyne »

lettergram wrote: post #106
grellas wrote: post #84

The key to understanding this lawsuit lies in a technical point having nothing to do with the merits of the claims and which appears at pages 35 through 37 of the complaint. In that section, the plaintiff, Think Computer Corporation, "respectfully requests that Civil Local Rule 3-9(b) be retired, or that Plaintiff be exempted from the Rule given its particular ownership [i.e., owned 100% by one individual] and tax st…

I think your explanation is excellent, however I disagree on one point: "I believe Mr. Greenspan is both sincere and passionate about what he believes but what he asserts is really a case to be made to the legislative policy-makers, not to the courts." The courts are the place where any man should/can make a difference in the country. For example, I can bring forth a lawsuit to fix something I think is wrong and if m…

He wouldn't be saying to sue the policymakers, he's be saying to have the policymakers change the policy.

But with that in mind my understanding of the courts is that they try to stay away from "judicial activism", and if they can't do that they try to limit it to tearing down bad laws instead of forming up new ones, as would have to be done here to find the defendants liable.

Re: Aaron Greenspan sues Facebook, Sequoia, Andreesen, YC, others

#118

Post by greatreorx »

grellas wrote: post #84

The key to understanding this lawsuit lies in a technical point having nothing to do with the merits of the claims and which appears at pages 35 through 37 of the complaint. In that section, the plaintiff, Think Computer Corporation, "respectfully requests that Civil Local Rule 3-9(b) be retired, or that Plaintiff be exempted from the Rule given its particular ownership [i.e., owned 100% by one individual] and tax st…

> Nowhere is there any express private right of action that gives any private citizen the right to file suit complaining about alleged violations of these laws.

I thought California 17200 allows for private citizens to sue on behalf of the general public and that no actual injury against the plaintiff is required. Is there something different about this case?

(below quote and link for other HN readers, I'm sure grellas is familiar.)

"Thus the statutory language allowing actions to be brought "by any person acting for the interests of itself, its members or the general public" effectively deputizes the world to find and bring environmental violators to the bar of justice."

http://www.envirolaw.org/Library/17200tools.html

Re: Aaron Greenspan sues Facebook, Sequoia, Andreesen, YC, others

#119

Post by MWil »

grellas wrote: post #84

The key to understanding this lawsuit lies in a technical point having nothing to do with the merits of the claims and which appears at pages 35 through 37 of the complaint. In that section, the plaintiff, Think Computer Corporation, "respectfully requests that Civil Local Rule 3-9(b) be retired, or that Plaintiff be exempted from the Rule given its particular ownership [i.e., owned 100% by one individual] and tax st…

Qui tam? but that would be more like he was convincing the govt to take up a criminal case and not "I was personally damaged here and here's why I deserve relief"

Re: Aaron Greenspan sues Facebook, Sequoia, Andreesen, YC, others

#120

Post by MWil »

MWil wrote: post #119
grellas wrote: post #84

The key to understanding this lawsuit lies in a technical point having nothing to do with the merits of the claims and which appears at pages 35 through 37 of the complaint. In that section, the plaintiff, Think Computer Corporation, "respectfully requests that Civil Local Rule 3-9(b) be retired, or that Plaintiff be exempted from the Rule given its particular ownership [i.e., owned 100% by one individual] and tax st…

Qui tam? but that would be more like he was convincing the govt to take up a criminal case and not "I was personally damaged here and here's why I deserve relief"

but then (and I only got through a bit of the reading) he could have just come out and said that...
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