Re: [NTLK] Check out this weird auction

From: Lallang_at_aol.com
Date: Wed Aug 15 2001 - 00:50:34 EDT


In a message dated 08/14/2001 22:46:46, blindwolf_at_cfl.rr.com writes:

>While I am no fan of Ferdi (had a very *thinks* questionable auction with
>him over stylii) I have to say that his promotion is very inventive. Not
>out of line at all. He tells people the truth in the auction - that he
>is selling information only... and of course simultaneously picks up the
>address of a potential customer (esp once they realise what a trick it
>is to do the job themselves). Kinda like when you fill out an online offer
for
>some freebie (they often charge s/h) and they get your info for it...
>There is nothing out of line here.

It's no different from charging a whole bunch of badly injured men individual
fees to call ambulances for each of them. Is this legal? Sure. Does it
make you a slimey scumbag? Indubitably.

David Humpreys has shared his knowledge with us for free and I, for one, am
grateful for this. It is behaviour like what you are supporting that causes
the David Humpreys of the world to clam up and keep their knowledge to
themselves so that opportunistic bastards can't profit from it. If Humphreys
had not revealed his email exchange with Ferdi Ozguner to us in this forum,
it would've taken one of us paying $3.00 (or more--remember that this is an
auction) to have discovered where Ozguner got his information from. And
since it's an auction, only one person would get the information, so the
auction could begin anew. Doesn't this sound like an informercial in the
making? "Make millions overnight. Send in $39.99 for this booklet and I'll
tell you how."

If Humpreys feels that he will start a service (with all the headaches
involved of incorporation, rent, insurance, paying staff salaries, utilities,
stock inventory, etc--believe you me, until you've actually done it, you
don't know how much of a hassle it can be and how difficult it is to keep the
business alive for long), then more power to him. But Humpreys has sole
discretion over whether he wants to do this or charge royalties for his
information to whomever wants to take the risk of starting a business to do
the actual work (and it DEFINITELY is his intellectual property no matter
which way you look at it--it's just up to Humpreys if he wants to collect,
that's all). I have never used Humpreys' information because my Newton 2100s
are still hale and hearty but I am glad that his information is out there
when their backlights start to go on me. Needless to say, I would never ask
an unethical person to do ANY work (not just Newton-related) for me--God
knows what corners he might cut in the pursuit of profit at my expense!!!

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