BWAHAHA. That’s not the way it works. So long as copyright is not infringed, anyone can take the data published freely and publicly and do whatever they want with it. The web is full of robots harvesting links and other data and re-presenting the results.

“It doesn’t matter if it costs Alexa money to get their data. What matters is that it is provided by Alexa for free.”

it actually does matter. alexa is providing that data, for free, to visitors of their site, not for anyone to come along and just use wherever. show me in their terms of use where they say it’s okay to just take their data and use it as one likes. it’s like the concept of the “take a penny, leave a penny” tray at your local convenience store.

the concept is that you can use a penny, while you’re in the store, even though they’re not your pennies, to help you out when you need it, in the store. you can’t just go in, scoop up all the pennies to help fund a public sculpture you’re building. life doesn’t work that way.

Wife, no. But at the time of my crime, we were separated already and not talking to one another (another stress point). See divorce stats for couples with chronically ill children. All other family members and friends, yes.

@Dennis, you said “What we know for sure is he spent 18 months in Leavenworth. If the maximum sentence was two years, then that’s probably what he got, and got out early for good behavior.”

The maximum sentence was in the neighborhood of 5 years, iirc. Note that the crime was technically “mailing a threatening communication,” and since that took place across state lines, it automatically became a federal offense. Thus, the federal sentencing guidelines came into play, and even though the judge was quite sympathetic to my family situation, and acknowledged I didn’t hurt anyone or profit from my crime, he was bound by law to give me a two year sentence.

@Dennis, you go on to say: “What we don’t know is whether the “I did it to save my daughter” story is true. I think it’s very unlikely that someone with no previous criminal history, trying to save a life, would get the maximum sentence or anything close to it.”

See above. I got the minimum sentence possible for the crime. And I’m not going to defend my motives here - I was sick with grief and depression at the time, and not thinking clearly at all. My daughter being gravely ill at the time is not an excuse - it’s simply context to my actions.

I accepted the consequences of my crime and paid a very severe price nearly a decade ago. Since then, I’ve rebuilt from zero and done some good things (besides Alexaholic) if anyone cares to look, and this current situation with Amazon has absolutely nothing to do with me trying to get a better offer from them. I turned down their offer, decided not to sell, and then was forced to defend myself against both a UDRP complaint and a trademark infringement suit.

After deciding against their offer, I never asked Amazon for more money, and in fact, offered to pay them money to serve their graphs if they would let me continue to feature them on Statsaholic. I’d love to publish the entire email conversation between myself and Amazon for the last 7 months to clear up this issue right now, but my attorney says no, for now.

Looks like someone is making true on his PR smear campaign threat.

What we don’t know is whether the “I did it to save my daughter” story is true. I think it’s very unlikely that someone with no previous criminal history, trying to save a life, would get the maximum sentence or anything close to it.

Sorry, but I’m just not buying it. In both cases I see greed as the motive and extortion as the method.

Amazon originally offered Hornbaker money for the site and technology. Presumably they had no problem with him doing it at that stage, otherwise they would have sued him then. When he didn’t accept their offer, they got nasty. And nastier.

I’m not sure even Microsoft ever stooped this low.

What does this say about someone who creates a cool product or useful service and then declines to be taken over by the big boys? I call it courage. I call it independence. I call it an example that we can all follow.

Clearly Amazon’s tactic is to grind Hornbaker down with their six floors of corporate lawyers to the point where he can’t afford to fight the case. Dredging up his past adds to the pressure on him. This isn’t justice, it’s legal terrorism.

Wait, you’re saying that it doesn’t cost Alexa anything to collect that usage data?

If you think it’s so fucking easy, why doesn’t Hornbaker collect it himself instead of sponging it off Alexa?

Ooops their goes another Urban Myth.

.

Alexa uses data collected by people who volunteered to give it up. It is totally relient on FREE data just like all those W2.0 sites

So your statement…

“Thank God there are people who do real work in America and not everyone is busy lifecasting themsleves and creating “neat” sites that allow you to steal content in 1000 new ways!”

…shows that you are a *real* whanker.

Hornbaker just made a better mouse trap with alexaholic. Whoops I used an amazon trademark. Sorry amaz0n.

1) Amazon’s strategy is woeful

2) Digging deeper. So after you extorted, did your wife/other family members stick with you?

3) Other entrepreneurs. Walk close to the line but when you cross over it, you’re *done* (or way over it)

4) Jay (living in first life). You’re a duck’s butt but you’re bascially right about property rights.

NOTE: I have a criminal record too. Disturbing the peace- noise (party with a live band at my house). I was fingerprinted and have a mugshot in Scottsdale AZ. Lawyer offered to get me off on a technicality and expunge it from the public record. Thanks Tony Bustamante! I owned up and let it stay.

I don’t think you did the right thing by publishing them.

Mark

Pixelon 2.0

This is a sure sign of the bubble.

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/m.....0/05/36243

I’ll reserve judgement on whether I should relate his past crime to the issue of Amazon until they prove otherwise.

You cannot build a real business by stealing other people’s content/technology/data and then go cry like a baby when the rightful owner says “the party is over kiddies.”

When will people grow up? Everyone on TechCrunch seems to have such a deep-seated hate for copyright owners and anyone who actually produces content. Everyything should be free! Just support it with advertising!

Guess what? That doesn’t always work. If we remove all the incentives for people to produce good content, we’ll be left with what the vlogging world is already turning into - a bunch of people with low production skills, low levels of humor, who pat each other on the back, watch their own sites, Twitter each other, myspace friend each other, and realize “whoops, we don’t actually buy anything and no one outside of our world watches us.”

As Thomas Friedman said, “I’m afraid we may all be selling hamburgers to each other one day.” Thank God there are people who do real work in America and not everyone is busy lifecasting themsleves and creating “neat” sites that allow you to steal content in 1000 new ways! Tag it, podcast it, rip it, bookmark it, share it with your friends, Twitter it, wohoo!