FanFare

Gary Kremen owned one of the most valuable domain names in the history of the internet. And then one day, he lost it in the most unusual way. For years, Gary fought to win back his domain "sex dot com." The legal battle transformed the way the courts treat virtual property. But in the end, was his lengthy and expensive crusade worth it? [more inside]
posted by radioamy on Sep 8, 2017 - 3 comments

• Murray Energy CEO Bob Murray, as promised, decided to sue Last Week Tonight for their coverage of them. DJWheezy managed to find a PDF of the actual complaint on The Daily Beast's website! (So you don't have to mess around with their annoying web interface.) Give that a read, if only for the mental image of Bob Murray claiming he's clinging to life and needs an oxygen tank to breathe.
• In explaining that he actually has no tapes of his conversation with James Comey, President Trump embarks on a nonsensical digression about Obama and surveillance, leaving Oliver to ask "What the fuck was that?" And it wasn't even the end of the clip....
• The Senate moves forward, but not yet to a vote, on their own version of ACA replacement, the "Better Care Reconciliation Act," which would drastically cut Medicaid.
• And Now: The Ongoing Controversy Over WNEP 16 Scranton's Backyard Train, and later, Seriously: The People of Scranton Are Very Invested in WNEP 16's Backyard Train.
• Main story: Vaccines, an amazing discovery that has reshaped the modern world for the better, and vaccine skeptcism, which seeks to destroy it. YouTube (27m)

[more inside]
posted by JHarris on Jul 2, 2017 - 3 comments

On the heels of the Hooli lawsuit, Richard reveals Gavin Belson's buy-out offer to a less-than-enthusiastic rest of the Pied Piper Team. A new, ROI-obsessed investor may be just what Richard needs to remain independent. [more inside]
posted by joan cusack the second on Apr 27, 2015 - 25 comments

Hooli’s lawsuit scares Laurie off (despite Monica's protests), leaving Pied Piper without funding. Erlich and Richard slink back to the VCs whose offers they had turned down, but all they get is the aftermath of their disturbingly profane "negging" thrown in their faces. Jared provides a twinkle of hope by setting up a meeting with a VC he "bro'd" with on Dinesh's cousin's app, but the team quickly finds themselves victims of a "brain rape." Richard covertly meets with Gavin Belson, who offers to acquire Pied Piper. As Richard is about to respond, they're interrupted by a mariachi band and the episode ends with a hilariously awkward cliffhanger.
posted by radioamy on Apr 20, 2015 - 11 comments