Live data from Hacker News

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

scribd.com

131–140 of 180 posts

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

#131
post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Except for the current supreme court.

...and the one before that, and the one before that, and so on back to Marbury vs. Madison.

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

#132

http://ia801700.us.archive.org/20/items/gov.uscourts.cand.26... "2013-05-08 Order to Show Cause ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. If, by 5/22/2013, an attorney qualified to practice in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California does not appear in this action to represent Plaintiff, the court will dismiss the action without prejudice. No hearing will be held on the order to show cause unless otherwise…

He has to hire a lawyer or the case won't move forward, because you can't represent yourself when filing as a corporation. We'll find out within 14 days if Greenspan actually intended to take this case to court, or if it's just about the awareness/PR it creates.

He asked the court to waive that requirement ...

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

#133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He has to hire a lawyer or the case won't move forward, because you can't represent yourself when filing as a corporation. We'll find out within 14 days if Greenspan actually intended to take this case to court, or if it's just about the awareness/PR it creates.

He asked the court to waive that requirement ...

What you're reading above my comment is the response to that request. He has until the 22nd to retain a qualified attorney or the case will be dismissed.

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

#134
post #113
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.

Not in the world of startups it's not.

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

#135
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…

>>> If these laws are violated, the state authorities have the power to take legal actions to enforce them. 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.

What? Why is this the case? Is this the same reason why citizens/competitors/the Sierra Club can not sue BP or Massey Energy for pollution or workplace safety violations? (If 50% of the damages came out of the EPA/OSHA chief regulator's salary I would get behind these suits.) Is there a distinction here between suing the violators than suing the government? Civil suits are for more than contract enforcement, right? What are the general legal terms I should be searching with to learn more?

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

#136
post #110
post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great synopsis. However, maybe this is more of a publicity stunt? He probably knows the case isn't going to work out in his favor, but perhaps he thinks the headlines will.

Aaron has been banging on about this for a long time — you can check his posting history here if you doubt his integrity. I think he really does sincerely believe these companies are doing something against the rules and hopes to get a ruling on the matter, either forcing them to follow the rules or creating an explicit exemption that Aaron can use for his own company.

Aaron's concern over the law has been dismissed out-of-hand over and over again on forums like HN. It must be maddening to build a successful business, then have a new law come up that regulates your business out of its market, and then see other people build businesses that should be subject to the same regulation but aren't because the law isn't being enforced fairly.

I'd expect that his position at this point is that he wants other people to care about this as much as he does, and if they won't, then he'll do his level best to force them to care about it.

I'm concerned about Aaron though. I like the guy, inasmuch as I can like anyone I've never met, and I worry that he's going to put himself into an unrecoverable position fighting this fight -- that it will ruin him financially, or worse still, harm his mental or physical health.

It's a terrible damn situation. It unfortunately is probably also unwinnable. That's totally unfair to Aaron, but sometimes life's like that. You have to know when to fight and when to fall back. In his place, if I could, I'd probably give everybody the finger and move to another country and restart operations there.

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

#137

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.

Or startups could just hire him as their lawyer. Parse did and they are happy customers.

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

#138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

If Airbnb says that they are being paid for the service they provide, and part of that contract with their customer is to pay a property owner (like an Travel Agent), does that change things? Would a Travel Agent be called a money transmitter? As someone asking someone else who seems to know more about this than I, does this lawsuit have legs to stand on? [Edit: seemed to be answered here https://news.ycombinator.com…

Travel agents are also licensed in California (and other states). They also have to post a bond to cover any money they're holding on behalf of customers, just like a money transmitter.

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

#139
post #135
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…

>>> If these laws are violated, the state authorities have the power to take legal actions to enforce them. 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. What? Why is this the case? Is this the same reason why citizens/competitors/the Sierra Club can not sue BP or Massey Energy for pollution or workplace s…

You can start off with "cause of action" and "standing".

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

#140
post #21

Somehow I suspect suing everyone, including those who would otherwise be your friends/allies, isn't in the Dale Carnegie book...

Aaron so far hasn't had any friends or allies in this. Nobody else (as far as I know) has committed to dealing with this law.
Post reply on HN