Fake Error Message Company Sued
from the take-'em-down dept
If you get pop ups on your computer, you've probably seen ones from Bonzi Software. They look like a Windows error message, saying that something is wrong on your computer. If you look closely, it's pretty obvious that they're fake, and just a pop-up ad, so more clued-in surfers probably ignore them. However, a quick glance, or a less experienced surfer is more likely to get confused, and be tricked into clicking on the ad, thinking there's something wrong with their computer. Now, someone is suing the company for deceptive and fraudulent advertising. Seems a bit extreme, but I wouldn't be surprised if, at some point, the FTC steps in to slap them on the wrist.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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He sustained an "injury" of a "traumatic nature" w
It's kind of like the story about the burglar who sued for being trapped for 8 days in a garage of a house that he burgled -- with "nothing" to survive on, except a case of soft drinks and a bag of dry dog food.
You should read Philip J. Carstens' legal argument: "The candy was either furnished by Mr. Carstens' employer, or by the receptionist employed by Mr. Carstens' employer, with full knowledge of the company's management and because the injury occurred in the course of his employment, Mr. Carstens had clearly sustained an injury compensable under the Industrial Insurance Act."
Compensable? What does that word mean? Do they mean like... as in... compensation? Do they mean like... M-O-N-E-Y?
But the really shocking thing is: HE WON THE CANDY LAWSUIT AND ACTUALLY GOT MONEY FOR HIS "TRAUMATIC INJURIES"! You can read all the "traumatic" details of that fateful day at: http://www.wa.gov/biia/890723.htm
However, there's one more interesting twist to this story. It turns out the "employer" that Mr. Carstens sued was the law firm of "Lukins & Annis" -- that's right, the same law firm who is now suing Bonzi Software on Mr. Carstens' behalf.
SO LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT. YOU HAVE A LAWYER -- WHO SUED HIS OWN LAW FIRM FOR BEING "TRAUMATICLY INJURED" BY A PIECE OF HALOWEEN CANDY -- AND NOW THE SAME GUY HAS BEEN "INJURED" BY INTERNET POP-UP ADS TOO?
The poor guy. I guess some people just have all the bad luck.
Tim King
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Re: He sustained an
If you do a Google search on "Carstens lawsuit candy" you'll notice that this response about the Carstens lawsuit has been posted everywhere that the original Bonzi article was posted, all by the same individual.
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